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putrilaurant · 7 years ago

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【Shingeki no Kiseki manga report vol.3】 Linked Horizon Live Tour "Shingeki no Kiseki" manga report vol.3 ~All the feels~, first revealed in Shonen Magazine Edge January issue, is now available on Facebook as well! https://goo.gl/UoFoob #LinkedHorizon #AttackOnTitan 【進撃の軌跡マンガレポvol.3】「少年マガジンエッジ1月号」に掲載された鳥飼やすゆき先生による“LH Live Tour『進撃の軌跡』マンガレポvol.3～感無量編～”をコチラでも公開致します！是非ご覧ください！ http:// https://goo.gl/UoFoob #LinkedHorizon #shingeki *Here is the English translation of Manga report vol.3: ≪P1≫ I went to the Linked Horizon Live Tour 2017 “Shingeki no Kiseki” Manga report vol. 3 ~All the feels~ Manga: Yasuyuki Torikai Linked Horizon Live Tour 2017 “Shingeki no Kiseki” is a tour that features Linked Horizon’s newest album, Shingeki no Kiseki, with songs such as “Guren no Yumiya”, the opening theme to the anime Attack on Titan. The tour has a total of 34 performances, both domestic and international. Original merchandise are sold at various performance venues Announcer: Attention!! Starting now, we are commencing the sales of goods outside of the wall! Announcer: Dedicate your hearts! The start of sales is accompanied by a passionate announcement! (They also dedicate their hearts when you receive your purchased item) The stage is full of highlights!! Impactful footages from the anime and the actual stage performance come together in a perfect union! I was able to enjoy a unique experience regardless of where I was seated When I was on the second floor, I was taken aback by the detail in stage lightning… The stage effects aren’t the only amazing things about this live! More than 70 artists (including guest performers) have participated in this live, From rising stars to veterans! Winner of the gold record platinum award Performed the opening theme to Taiga drama NHK Kohaku Utagassen participant 15 days of concert at Nippon Budoukan Japan Record Award, Best Arranger Award I’ll introduce just a couple of them ≪P2-3 [right side half]≫ [Moshi kono kabe no naka ga ikken no ie datoshitara] Vocal: Mami Yanagi The song was featured in the single “Jiyuu e no Shingeki”, but it was nonetheless performed during the “Shingeki no Kiseki” tour. I could feel a deep stirring in my chest after hearing young boy’s resounding invitation to “freedom”, more powerful than in the last tour! [14 moji no dengon] Vocal: Eiko Matsumoto The song begins with a beautiful piano melody, wit- h great care in depicting the story of C- arla, Eren’s mother. One may liste- n to it from the perspective of a child, or that of a parent. I also thin- k that it’s a supporters’ song for the ver- y meaning of life, applicable t- o any one of us. Known as the mother’s song from Linked Horizon, it quickl- y found its way deep into the fans’ h- earts. You will definitely cry. Th- ank you for giving bi- rth to this song. [Saigo no Senka] Vocal: Tsukika A song about Ilse, a member of the Survey Corps before Eren’s generation. The lyrics describe what happened to her using a storm of clever rhymes! The song starts with a rush of adrenaline and then transitions into the scene where Ilse encounters a giant, And the entire hall was enthralled by the world shown to them. [Soyoku no Hikari] Vocal: MANAMI A song about Petra, who belonged to Levi’s team. Both her strong resolution as a soldier and her personal feelings are conveyed through this song. The multiple meanings of “light”, Along with the choreography of this performance Left me in awe of its beauty and tragedy. [Kanojo wa Tsumetai Hitsugi no Naka de] Vocal: Misaki Fukunaga A song depicting Annie until her sealing into the crystal. The song offers a unique interpretation for the thoughts running through her mind at that time, And the wavering emotions that were conveyed truly tugged at my heartstrings. The songstress, dancers and the anime footage all came together and did a great job at bringing the world of AoT to life. ≪P2-3 [left side half]≫ Guitar: Takeshi Nishiyama The bandmaster for this tour. His strong personality definitely showed in his performance of “Jiyuu no Daisho”, Where he ran up the stairs in the center of the stage. His blue guitar features the mark of Linked Horizon! Bass: Atsushi Hasegawa During this tour, he revealed the fabled song composed by Revo, titled “My heart’s on the right, whatchu gonna do ‘bout it?” His took the center stage with his solo during “Jiyuu no Tsubasa”, and it was totally badass! Guitar: YUKI He’s the one who played the bulk of the unison melodies in “Shingeki no Kiseki”. Apparently, his dive bombing during “Shinzo wo Sasageyo!” is meant to evoke the neighing of horses. Keyboards: Koji Igarashi He also played the melodica during “14 moji no dengon”! He unveiled his treasured solo arrangement of “Soyoku no Hikari” alongside Mr. Ittetsu. Drums: JUN-JI He really knocks it out of the park with his impressive drum performance! The teru teru bozu that hangs from his drum set is orange, his lucky color. Violin: Gen Ittetsu Leader of “Gen Ittetsu Strings” During the final performance, he and fellow 1st violinist Cameroun Maki pulled off an amazing performance where they both played on the same violin! Dancers: Yosuke Sato OBA Takeshi Matsumura Nobuhiro Shibuya Akane Takasuki Ayu Hosoki Minami Yajima They showed off a series of [AoT Dances] which broke all sorts of genre barriers! Vocal: Revo The commander of the Linked Horizon Corps. He’s responsible for all the lyrics and composition in Linked Horizon. The leader of Gensou Gakudan (Fantasy Band) Sound Horizon. His knowledge of Attack on Titan and his love for it are both exceptional! ≪P4-5 [right side half]≫ The MC featured various inside jokes local to the region In Hokkaido (Namahage mask) “Are naughty jaegars around?” In Kanazawa (Gold leaf sunglasses) “I can’t see.” As well as local mascots Anyways It’s a whirlwind of emotions! Feeling passionate -> crying -> laughing -> I’m a wall now -> crying again -> dedicating -> The encore not only featured Linked Horizon’s past songs, but also some of Sound Horizon’s classic songs! “Utsukushiki Mono” “Junai ♡Juuji Houka” The songstresses’ improvised dancing during [Seishun wa Hanabi no Youni] is simply adorable I was also constantly floored by the guest performers as well! Horn, brass, percussion, harp, woodwind, choir, and the narrator Sascha. It’s rare that I get to see so many live performances by the same artists who were responsible for bringing the music to life, and that experience truly moved me. Parts of this passionate performance can be viewed on the official site, so check it out! URL http://shingeki.linked-horizon.com/ An acoustic guitar was left on stage during the first song [Nikagetsugo no Kimi e] And after the last song’s performance, Commander Revo left behind his guitar in the same position before taking off He was a step ahead of us, departing for the next performance linked together like chains... ≪P4-5 [left side half]≫ Triumph of Linked Horizon Live Tour Shingeki no Kiseki All members assemble Triumph performances will be held on 2018 January 13th (Sat) and 14th (Sun) at the Yokohama Arena!! All members assemble! These triumph performances will feature all guest artists from past concerts, along with new guest songstresses! Linked Horizon 5th Year Anniversary What kind of horizon do you see before yourself!? Tickets on sale at Ticket Pia (http://t.pia.jp/)! LH ticket page http://t.pia.jp/pia/event/event.do?eventBundleCd=b1765241 * Depending on when you access the site, the tickets may be sold out already. We ask for your understanding. Sc: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=383187242129659&id=185851211863264

#linked horizon #news #report #shingeki no kiseki

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naokimizutani-blog · 7 years ago

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My Experiences, Perspective, My Why, My Vision, Point Of View On the World, And What I Believe In...

Hey guys. This is my first blog, so some of you might need a little background story.

I’m currently living in Tokyo with my wife and cat. I teach Transcendental Meditation and living a comfortable life here. It wasn’t always this way, as I’ve had to find my purpose, persevere and overcome my lack of patience…which I’m still working on.

I was born and raised in downtown Los Angeles. Some people say they’re born in a “big city” when they’re actually born in the outskirts “nearby.” I was born in the middle of LA in Korea Town. Not the best of places, but it’s where my parents started when they immigrated from Japan with only a dream and drive to succeed, and eventually raised a family with three kids, a cat and a dog.

I never thought of myself as a minority, since I didn’t understand that there was even a majority. People were always people to me.

At home, my parents would speak Japanese. My father was from Kagoshima, Kyushu and my mother was from Osaka near Tennnoji. Luckily, I was placed in an environment where I didn’t have a lot of Japanese friends, so outside of the house, I spoke “SoCal” English. I write “SoCal” because later on, when I moved states for college, I found out the rest of America, or even the world, doesn’t speak the same laid back, “nah-man-everything’s-coo” English I spoke back in my hometown.

It also took me 25 years to realize that the Japanese I spoke at home was NOT the Japanese spoken by most people in Japan either. When I first came to Tokyo and heard formal Japanese (“keigo”), I had no clue what was being said. The clerk at the cash register would always look at me funny because I looked Japanese but couldn’t speak it fluently, which is a thing I sometimes still struggle with today. I probably come off as a Korean student who studies Japanese. These days, it seems the less I speak and just do subtle gestures combined with perfectly timed words, the more I fit right in.

Dialects are a real strange thing. I mean, can you imagine? What if you were born in an area with a specific dialect, and you moved out of your hometown only to realize that your dialect made you sound unintelligent to most people. Luckily the dialects I landed with weren’t so bad, but just a food for thought for those of you raising your children.

My parents were natural entrepreneurs. My dad owned an electronic store in Osaka, which is where he met my mother. (A really cute and funny story there that I’ll save for another blog.) It was during the economic bubble in Japan, so it was a good time to open up shop. He then sold it, followed his dreams, and flew to Los Angeles. My mother followed him to America a year later, and they eventually opened up a Japanese restaurant in Cypress, Orange County.

For all of my childhood, from preschool to high school, my parents were running their restaurant business. During my elementary school years, I’d go there after school and hang out in the back room until my mom finished work. I remember there was always a lot of customers. It was probably the fact that no one else in the area offered teriyaki bowls, sushi, udon noodles, yakisoba or chicken karaage. All I’ll say is that the food at home was ALWAYS good. :)

I admired the culture they created with their customers. Everyone seemed to know my parents by name, and even the police and fire fighters would come in and high-five me.

The only time I got in trouble for being there was when I got bored waiting and stuck my hand in a mountain of rice grains. It felt pretty amazing, but I learned never to mess with quality assurance when a customer witnessed me and my mom brought her scolding thunder.

My mother hardly speaks English, even today, and she claims you only need two things to survive in another country. A smile and “thank you.” I guess that’s why I naturally always smile and say thank you.

My parents did a pretty good job in keeping all three kids out of trouble. They kept us busy. Besides regular school, I trained in a basketball league 3-5 days a week with a weekend game. It wasn’t the league for aspiring Michael Jordan’s and Kobe Bryant’s, but the Asian one. I seriously thought I was pretty good at basketball until I met guys twice my size in Jr. High and High School that easily swatted my threes and dunked over my low defensive stance.

You know that feeling when you train every day and night, even though the lights are out at the park, trying to perfect your moves and shots for 10 years, only to find out you were living in a small bubble and there were guys with better genetics and more talent than you? It’s basically what happened to me with karate, piano, and golf as well, even though I won a lot of competitions, received awards, and featured in local newspapers…in my small bubble.

Basketball and karate brings a lot of good memories, though. It wasn’t winning the competitions and being the best that I enjoyed. It was the process of improving myself and enjoying the community.

My Jr. High and High School years were colored with hip hop, breakdancing and DJing. The Fugees, Tribe Called Quest, Tupac, Ice Cube, Rakim, KRS One, EPMD, Wu Tang, Biggie, DJ Qbert, Mix Master Mike, come to mind. It was always for fun, and my homiez always knew how to have a good time. After school, I’d swim at my friend’s pool, go snowboarding, or have bonfires at the beach. Life was good in the SoCal way.

Since my parents were also successful in network marketing as a side business, I remember being taken to large mansions with 13 rooms overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was sitting in on meetings and events like these where I learned that business was all about building a community, and financial success was just an outcome. It seemed like the business part was only an excuse to get together because 80-90% of the conversation was about family and kids.

My dad took the family on a local trip every weekend, we had a family trip multiple times a year, and visited our relatives in Japan once a year up until I was in high school.

My parents wanted all three kids to at least be able to understand Japanese and speak to our grandparents, so on top of going to weekday school and all the extra curricular activity, we went to Japanese school on Saturdays.

Boy, did I hate it. It wasn’t that it was hard or difficult. I just really didn’t like the mentality and culture at the Japanese school. Being raised in an American culture, especially in the “sunshine” culture of LA where you’re free to express yourself, going to Japanese school felt like the cringe most people feel when they hear about what’s going on in North Korea. Rigid, so many rules, and very top-down hierarchy. Eek.

It made me appreciate the American culture even more. I excelled in American school, but never did my homework for my Japanese school. I made a ton of friends during the weekdays, but got in a fight every Saturday. It was two opposite worlds, and it was stressful. I think I took out all my aggression and frustration in sports and recreation.

Then, the next day of the week were the peaceful days at Sunday school. That’s where I gained exposure to profound questions to life. It naturally made me think deeply, and put the small things into perspective. It set the foundation, the “thesis” for the direction in my life.

College felt sudden to me. I wasn’t prepared AT ALL. My parents were immigrants, so they didn’t know what to do or how to prepare. With my so-so grades, I cruised right into San Diego State University and that’s when I found out college was about drinking and partying. There was literally a free shuttle bus that would take students from college campus to Tijuana to go party. It all felt lame to me, so my attention went inwards to search for truth and what’s real. It made me ask bigger questions and initiated my soul searching.

I ended up transferring to a private college that specialized in traditional oriental medicine. It was my first exposure to acupuncture, herbs and hippies! I was fascinated because it was a new world to me and off the beaten path. After getting certified as a therapist, I continued my soul searching while attending community college.

During that time, one book that grabbed my attention was the “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda. I visited the Self-Realization Fellowship temples, participated in some classes, and learned some meditation techniques. The Eastern traditions were drawing me closer and closer, and I became fascinated with ancient Vedic knowledge.

One day, somewhere in Pasadena, I was walking home from a rock concert featuring Yellowcard, and saw a poster for the preview of “What The Bleep Do We Know” at a local bookstore. I was fascinated by the concept of quantum physics, mind over matter, and the law of attraction. To be honest, a lot of the speakers seemed too “out there” for my taste, but a Harvard professor caught my attention - Dr. John Hagelin.

I found he was a faculty member of a little known college in the middle of Iowa, called Maharishi University of Management (MUM). I searched for their website, and felt goosebumps. My gut feeling was telling me to go, so I convinced my dad to visit with me and I ended up becoming a student within a few months.

MUM was in a small town located in Fairfield, Iowa. The first reaction from my older sister, Jenny, was “Why are you going to Ohio?” It made me laugh, but I honestly didn’t have a rational, logical reasoning. I just had an intuition.

At MUM, I learned Transcendental Meditation, meditated twice a day with thousands of students, professors and people from many different countries. It was the world I started to glimpse at the oriental medicine school, but multiplied by a thousand.

Fairfield is a town of 10,000 people, where the majority of residents are health conscious artists, entrepreneurs and business owners. Those 5 years taught me what was possible on a community level if enough people agreed to a common lifestyle. My perspective of the world went from a dark, violent world, to a stress-free, peace-loving one.

I majored in Environmental Science, and minored in Vedic Science. Then, my last year was focused on mathematics and physics. I ended up being the assistant for Dr. John Hagelin’s first-year physics course, which was a crash course on fundamental physics and quantum physics.

I then found an opportunity to go to the Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Vlodrop, Holland. Let me tell you, the feeling of the place made it seem like it was a different world. The closest thing I can relate it to is the Jedi counsel in Star Wars. Yoda was like the TM founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and the Jedi masters were like the many leaders from various countries. Some were from countries I probably wouldn’t be able to point out on a map even if my life depended on it. Kyrgyzstan, Brunei, or Malta anyone? MERU was like an extension of Fairfield, but more organized with a bit more of a corporate feeling to it. Kind of like a miniature United Nations, but without all the greed and corruption. After all, it was the headquarters for the global TM organization.

I was at MERU when Maharishi passed away, and suddenly flew over to India to attend the grand ceremony. Yes, India. Who would have ever thought I would end up in India? It was a major culture shock. My heart and mind were not prepared for the trip. I stayed close with a few friends I made at MERU who became some of my most cherished friends even today.

We backpacked it through rickshaws and cows, hopping on trains, and spending the night at one-star hotels. There’s a reason why people who have gone to India bond instantly. It’s because they’ve experienced something most people have never seen. A few places we visited: New Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Rishikesh, Himalayan villages and a random city in Jabalpur, where we visited palm leaf astrologists, called Brighu Pandits.

After 90 days of travel, spiritual growth, and stomach problems, we said farewell and some of us flew to Phuket, Thailand. It seemed like paradise with coconuts, durian and white sand beaches.

Life took a 360 turn around after my trip, though, when I got back home to my parents place. I was 25, and received a phone call to be invited to help with educational conferences in Japan for the summer. The only reason I was invited was because I graduated from MUM, was Japanese, and made a connection at MERU. I helped set up conferences in Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, which had some really high profile people.

Remember how I didn’t enjoy my Japanese school? It was basically the same situation, but worse. Go figure! I was too independent minded. I spoke when I wasn’t supposed to. Everything was backwards for me, and I must have upset a lot of “seniors” because I disturbed their way of doing things.

During the storm of cultural clash, I somehow met my wife, Yoko. There were three times in my life when I had a gut feeling of assurance. The first time was finding MUM. The second time was becoming an instructor of TM. The third was finding my wife. I’ve heard when the emotion and intellect integrate, there is a knowingness. It’s called intuition. It’s what I’ve based my life decisions on, and it hasn’t seemed to fail me. (Knock on wood)

From that moment on, my life was spun around, and I ended up marrying Yoko in less than a year of knowing each other. I began living in Japan without any plans or preparation, and really struggled to make ends meet at first. While gaining practical experience in life, such as paying the bills, working, and building a comfortable home, I simultaneously began to meet a lot of clairvoyants and clairaudients. The “SoCal” part of me would say “get-outta-here” but it’s just a normal day for me now. I don’t know why or how I meet them, but it’s just a reoccurring pattern. Must be some kind of pattern in nature.

Being in Japan, for me, has been a process of integrating my heart and mind, the left and right brain. I’ve been to high-end business seminars and personal development seminars. I’ve taught English for GABA, and rated with 5-stars at their Shinagawa office. I worked for a moving company, organic market, a farm, and as an international salesperson for a prototype car manufacturer. I don’t know what happened to all the samurais in Japan, but I think many of their offsprings work in the auto industry now. There’s a reason why Japan makes some of the best cars and technology in the world. There is a culture of being very organized, systematic and detail oriented.

After overworking, nearly breaking my back and having internal breakdowns from losing the "American” part of me, my wife and I had an intuition to become certified TM instructors and we both took a leap of faith. It was five and a half months of intensive meditation, training and bliss.

When Yoko and I graduated, we were ready to take on the world. We felt refreshed, filled with optimism and enthusiasm. Out of the group of teachers who graduated with us, we were the first to open our TM center in Akasaka. From a national average of 3 to 5 clients per month, we had 30 to 50 people sign up starting the first month. We already had a network of friends and clients who trusted us, and we used all our previous experience and knowledge about business to really make it a success. We soon became the most successful instructors in Japan, and became one of the highest performing teachers in the world.

No one grows with easy growth. All successful entrepreneurs experience a “punch in the face” that made them evolve and improve. I’ve experienced a fair share of my own, which had to do with a cloud of jealousy that overshadowed the blue sky above us and someone decided to close our center and take us off the map. It was one of those Japanese ninja tactics. I never received a clear answer as to what happened, but I can guess why. It’s one of those things in life you couldn’t do anything about, and it wasn’t worth fighting about. I decided to suck it up and move on.

We eventually managed to establish an independent TM organization in Japan with the approval from the international organization, and opened up our new TM center in Shinjuku, Japan, which is our current location. In the first 3 years, thousands of people have come through our doors.

We focused on nurturing our community, and created a wealth of loyal friends who referred their friends and family. We even had the privilege to teach an entire company with a hundred fifty employees. We have regular weekend retreat courses in Izu, and regular advanced lectures and courses around Japan. It may not be a place that everyone would be attracted to, but it seems fit for those people who like a positive, young and successful atmosphere, which is the way I like it.

The most difficult thing for me was learning patience to manage a company. Everything was new to me, and I had to learn about administration, finances, marketing, and sales, which I had no idea how to do. I only knew in my gut the direction I needed to take the company, but the process was very slow. It was the grind.

The only way to keep myself from giving up was cultivating my gratitude. The top things you need in creating a successful business is purpose, perseverance and patience. Without it, you’ll end up wanting to take shortcuts that eventually bite you back somewhere down the road.

I’ve been lucky with moments that seemed to be too good to be true. Call it serendipity or synchronicity, but when we were in the deep with our company, something or someone always seemed to come around to bring us back to where we needed to be. It’s like an invisible hand. I believe when you genuinely want to do good for others, and you’re doing your best to make it happen, the opportunity for luck to come into your life increases. I’ve been lucky many times in my life.

At the end of the day, no matter how hard the grind is, it comes down to joy and laughter. My wife thinks I’m the comedian, but she cracks me up multiple times a day. Laughter helps to keep things in perspective and makes the process so much more enjoyable. There are 99 million things to be worried and frustrated about everyday, but there’s always at least 1 thing you can find to laugh about. When I find it hard to find that one thing, it’s usually because I’m in the deep end of being too serious. I like to take a moment to smile at how intensely focused I am. Taking one step back, seeing the big picture, and just appreciating and finding the humor in every situation always helped me get through the darkest hours.

When you cultivate joy and laughter, it radiates and it’s what people are naturally attracted to. Everyone knows life isn’t easy, and if you don’t know, you probably still live with your parents or got a lucky break. When you radiate this joy, people want to be a part of it, and want to share it with others. We’ve been lucky to have a flow of referrals from our dedicated community only through word of mouth.

I have learned that in business your pipeline is your lifeblood and it always needs to be full. You have to constantly create awareness in prospective clients, provide enough information so they can do their own research and become interested, make an offer, deliver a good quality product or service, and follow up. You always need to have the energy flowing in your business. Otherwise, you’re not flowing. You’re not moving. That causes the wheels to stop turning and your company comes to a hault. Keeping your eyes on the whole process while focusing on the details takes some practice.

If done right, you can eventually create 500 true fans. It’s all you really need to create a success business and a comfortable life. For example, if you have 500 people who trust you, and like you and your services, they’re ready to be a part of your events, courses, and activities. Let’s say those 500 people purchase your $30 product or service. That’s $15,000. For most people, that’s a comfortable monthly income. For most businesses, that’s not all that difficult to achieve.

You start to create a culture where people gain value through the community and being together. Just how an organism is made of many microorganism, or how the galaxy is made of many stars and solar systems, your company becomes sustainable with 500 true fans.

Currently, I feel I’m getting ready to move on to another level in life beyond teaching TM and managing a TM center. After teaching hundreds of people and seeing the change in their life, I’m now drawn to helping others build a business that is fueled by their passion and purpose.

I need to do me. I have to keep following my intuition and joy. So I’ve created the Cosmic Entrepreneur program to help people build a mind body startup with 500 true fans. This can be beneficial for people just getting started or business owners who want to learn a more “zen” way of doing things. There really is no need to become a millionaire to live a good life. I’ve done a million and a half, and I can tell you it doesn’t really change anything other than the fact that you can buy more things. You still have to work on you, and I’m sure your wife will happily remind you of that.

Becoming wealthy isn’t a bad thing. However, it’s the unsatisfied small ego that wants to continuously grab a hold of millions and millions of dollars that you can’t even manage. It causes an imbalance of what you desire and what you actually need. This causes strain. All you need is to create a sustainable ecosystem in your business, so that you can enjoy the process called life. A business is always to support your lifestyle, not the other way around.

With the ever-changing field of marketing, online platforms, and social media, etc., it’s effecting the global economy and the large corporations. The media agencies on Wall Street are definitely feeling it.

I believe more and more people will want to become independent. There will be a growing number of house wives who start a home business and create their own independent income. More 14 year olds will become YouTubers and eBay flippers, rather than becoming hamburger flippers. Experienced professionals will become freelancers or contract workers, rather than caging themselves in a corporate environment. There is already a growing number of entrepreneurs and business owners, which only creates more opportunity for investors, angels, and philanthropists.

My intuition also tells me more and more people will want more balance between their happiness, health, and wealth. More people will want less B.S., such as these self-help gurus who don’t have real solution, talent or life experiences. People will steer away from these “make money fast” gurus who have never owned a real business. Those who took shortcuts may do well in the short term, but in the next 5, 10 or 20 years, the market will separate the authentic from the phony.

People will need to stop chasing an unreachable dream and become comfortable with who they really are, not what the media tells them to become. People will naturally enjoy more down time, family time, and being a part of a community. Technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and e-sports will change the way we use time, socialize and make purchases.

To be happy and comfortable, you don’t need to be a millionaire, be famous, or live each day to extremes as if it was the last day of your life. We just need to be ourselves, and less influenced by what others think of us. The next 5 or 10 years are going to challenge every one of us to find our purpose, perseverance, and patience.

Do you.

I’ve been in this business for about a decade now. I’ve met a lot of gooneys and some of the most amazing individuals. I’ve had my highs, and I’ve had my lows. I’m fascinated by it. I’m growing fast. I’m learning fast. I’m still a student of this stuff, but I have a service to offer for those of you getting started or want to take things to the next level.

I’m starting a series of talks called “Mind Body Startup with 500 True Fans.” It’s an integration of my new venture Cosmic Entrepreneur and TM Japan.

There is a process I created called Be-Do-Thrive. Be, meaning going within and getting to know yourself. Do, meaning finding a suitable business model that suits your lifestyle. Thrive, meaning utilizing the latest platforms to reach and nuture your 500 fans as quickly as possible. Topics include mind-body health, self-branding, building 500 true fans, latest marketing strategies through social media, and how meditation can help you in the process.

I hold lectures in Tokyo, which include a brief overview, a networking session to meet other participants, some demos, Q&A, and a mini-private session for those interested.

I also offer private sessions, live events and webinars, regular blog posts, videos, and share information on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Line, and Instagram. If you are interested, feel free to connect with me or email [email protected]

I wish you happiness, health and wealth, and most of all, I hope you enjoy the process of becoming more you.

Stay tuned to get the latest updates and insider’s tips.

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deadcactuswalking · 6 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 17th February 2019

We have a new #1, and a very busy week before the BRITs. Let’s get on with it.

Top 10

As I said, there’s a new #1 hit today on the UK Singles Chart – for its first week on both the #1 spot and the chart overall (Yup, it is a debut), it’s “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” by Ariana Grande, becoming her 18th Top 40 hit and fifth #1 (Second to debut at the spot this year). This is because of her incredibly successful thank u, next album, which was the most-streamed album of all time for a female artist, and is currently occupying all top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 in America. Now that’s impressive, although it did sell a bit less than I thought at more than 300k+... also the album sucked, it was a strong four at best. I’ll talk more about it later.

This means that Ariana Grande has blocked herself at #1, in fact has pushed herself off, as “7 rings” is down a spot to number-two.

Surprisingly, Lewis Capaldi enters the top three with “Someone You Loved”, up six spots to number-three. The album’s out soon so expect this to hit the top.

Sam Smith and Normani’s “Dancing with a Stranger” is down one space to number-four.

At number-five is where Mabel stays since last week, with “Don’t Call Me Up”.

Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man’s “Giant” is down two spaces to number-six.

Also down one space to number-seven is “Wow.” by Post Malone.

Now we have our second top 10 debut by Ariana Grande, “needy”, also from the album thank u, next. It’s at number-eight, and is Grande’s 19th Top 40 hit and 12th Top 10 hit. We’ll talk more about it later.

Unfortunately due to Grande and Capaldi, two good songs are barely hanging on at the end of the top 10. Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” is down one space to number-nine.

Billie Eilish’s “bury a friend” is also down three spaces to #10, rounding off our top 10.

Climbers

Well, there’s more than I expected to be on this week specifically, but there’s not all too many. “Going Bad” by Meek Mill and Drake is up five spots to #13, probably because of the video, while possibly due to awards season, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” is also up five spots to #21, “Grace” by Lewis Capaldi is up 14 spaces to #26. Then we have recent debuts like “Swervin” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie featuring 6ix9ine up seven spots to #27, “a lot” by 21 Savage featuring J. Cole up seven spots to #29 and “i’m so tired...” by LAUV and Troye Sivan up six spaces to #33, all of which I’m rooting for.

Fallers

I expected a LOT of these due to the sheer amount of new arrivals (There’s seven), and I mean, eh, we got some, mostly due to streaming cuts though. After a couple weeks, the UK Singles Chart makes the importance of streaming in a song’s chart placement lessen, if that makes sense, and this has happened to “Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max down nine spaces to #11, Post Malone and Swae Lee’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse cut “Sunflower” down 13 spaces to #23, and potentially “Without Me” by Halsey down 11 spots to #28, this week. Otherwise, well, we have the fortunate five-space fall for “Undecided” by Chris Brown to #25, and falls for The Weeknd and Gesaffelstein with “Lost in the Fire” down 11 spaces to #35, as well as Kehlani and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Nights Like This” down eight spots to #38. I’m almost sad that song didn’t drop 15 spaces so I could make one of those awful quips about Ty Dolla $ign serving 15 years in prison for cocaine possession.

Dropouts

Streaming cuts also hurt “Close to Me” by Ellie Goulding, Diplo and Swae Lee, out from #27 (Peaking at #17), while “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa is out from #38 (Peaking at #1) – about time. Oh, I might as well say that whilst “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande did drop out from #28 (Peaking at #1), it’s not because it’s less popular now, it’s because that there are at least three more popular songs from the thank u, next album, and that’s all the UK Singles Chart allows at once. This is a good rule because it prevents album bombs, but it means the chart is less accurate in actually showing what people are listening to. I bet that song comes back next week anyway. Oh, and there’s more drop-outs: We have “Leave Me Alone” by Flipp Dinero out from #38 (Peaking at #30), “Saturday Nights” by Khalid out from #35 (Peaking at #31) and “18HUNNA” by Headie One and Dave out from #32 (Peaking at #6). These are all premature, so expect these come back, or at least one of them. Fredo’s “All I Ever Wanted” featuring Dave is out from #15 (Peaking at #15) after the album’s hype died down, whilst streaming cuts have pushed both “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra out from #23 (Peaking at #8) and “ZEZE” by Kodak Black featuring Offset and Travis Scott out from #21 (Peaking at #7) off the chart.

Returning Entries

The only returning entry this week is due to the tragic death of rapper Cadet at 25, whose passing has caused his song with Deno Driz, “Advice”, to return at #36. Rest in peace. Now, on a lighter note, here are our returning entries:

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Thotiana” – Blueface

Hell yeah, Blueface, baby. Okay, so you know Blueface, don’t even say you don’t – you’re a filthy liar if so, because he has been all over the Internet due to viral videos of him rapping, because he doesn’t tend to rap conventionally, and he often has funny one-liners. There are purposeful off-beat moments throughout his songs, especially “Deadlocs”, but it’s mostly just inspiration from people like E-40 who would rap in a different way when they came across a beat that fit their unorthodox flow. Anyways, despite his most on-beat song to date, “Bleed It”, being an obvious contender for breakout hit, it seems like “Thotiana” has got the most traction, and hence, here it is. It’s been in the top 40 in the US for a couple weeks, and has got remixes from Desiigner, YG and even Cardi B (Who, by the way, absolutely kills it with an outrageous and hilarious verse, which I unfortunately can’t repeat any lines from because Tumblr might flag me with an adult content restriction – yeah, they’re that nasty). Despite that, it seems to be that the original version is the one that landed in the top 40. It’s obviously his first hit, and, to be honest, I love it to death. It’s barely two minutes and only consists of gliding pianos and smooth keys under a West Coast beat (With some banging percussion), as well as a slightly shrill synth, yet it feels so full, probably because of Blueface and all his ad-libs, including the iconic “Yeah, aight”. The hook is insanely catchy and beyond the meme, Blueface’s flow is great, somewhat complex at points and borders on spoken word in his verse, with so many references of what he says being “on the gang” that you’d think he has a verbal tic. This probably isn’t his funniest or most memorable song but it is a damn great one. Oh, but there’s also this:

Ain’t no runnin’, Thotiana, you gon’ take these damn strokes

Uh, yeah, well, um... Yikes, okay, I’m just going to leave it there. Great song, check it out. Check out the Cardi B remix though, it’s even better.

#37 – “Breathe” – CamelPhat and Cristoph featuring Jem Cooke

Damn, CamelPhat, I love these guys. Every song they’ve released that hit the charts has been some of the best EDM I’ve heard come out of the UK electronic scene in years, and they know how to make a fun, catchy dance song feel cinematic and in the case of songs like “Cola” with Elderbrook, almost avant-garde. A lot of UK dance by more obscure names has hit the charts last year, and impressed me as well, especially Loud Luxury, so I’m excited to see what CamelPhat have got up their sleeves this time for their third top 40 hit, and the first for Cristoph and Jem Cooke.

Yeah, so, this feels oddly 90s at the start, with those nice warm synths, then the indie-pop singer of the week comes in with her raspy voice covered in reverb, with pretty much no build-up before we get to a deep bassline and finger-snaps come in, almost like a sped-up Chicago house beat. The beat increases in intensity with a higher pitched bass as the chorus comes in but there’s not really a drop, just a continuation of the instrumental, because it still feels restrained and isolated, despite the theatricality of the whole ordeal, and that really fits the title because it’s an anxious song, and it takes a damn long while for that tension release to come in. Unlike “breathin” by Ariana Grande from last year, that was also about anxiety and self-help, this isn’t repetitive to a fault, rather while Jem Cooke yells at herself that she needs her to breathe again, the beat is almost like a train pushing down the tracks and the finale climax when her vocals echo, “Again, again, again, again”, is the train hitting her and killing her. Grande’s song was a pump-up anthem but this is just a pure burst of self-frustration hurled at the listener, and while it’s nowhere near as good as “Panic Room” in expressing panic, isolation and anxiety (Yeah, it is kind of a retread), this is still pretty great.

#34 – “Who Do You Love” – The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds of Summer

Oh, these seven guys again. Look, I like enough of both of these artists’ songs to give them a pass, but a collaborative single between the two is just a mediocrity sandwich. It’s not going to be anything interesting or new or even worthwhile, it’s just going to be a two-dude EDM duo producing for one dude called Luke or something with four other dudes (Who supposedly play instruments on any of their singles – yeah, right). This is the Chainsmokers’ ninth top 40 single in the UK and 5 Seconds of Summer’s ninth as well, and it kind of sucks. What a surprise. We start off promising with distorted piano, a deep 808 bass and what sounds like a high-pitched, siren-like guitar, with Luke crooning, until... it has an acoustic breakdown in which Luke has too many vocal effects put onto him for it to work, and he sounds too fast, like a lot of these EDM guys make people sound like... until, that weak drop with an unfitting build-up. It just sounds like all five seconds saying “Blam-blam, hoopty-doopty, doo-doo” in unison over some cloudy synths and an ugly bass wobble. I know that’s the point, but this song is supposed to be taken seriously, and I don’t think any of the seven dudes involved noticed that at any point. Chainsmokers, guys, you’ll never top “Everybody Hates Me” (Note that their best song isn’t supposed to be taken seriously... or at least I hope not). Blech, I hope this goes away, this really is not worth any staying power.

#30 – “Just You and I” – Tom Walker

Both this and his other song, “Leave a Light On”, were featured in advertisements, boosting their place on the charts. This one has an album attached to it. That should tell you all you need to know about boring singer-songwriter, Tom Walker, trying to get on that “Genuine white guitarist man” money that Rag’n’Bone Man and Ed Sheeran currently store in the safe, although unlike those two, he’s more electronic and more plastic. He’s a rip-off? Yeah. Is he an industry plant? I mean, I don’t like that term, but it sure seems like it. If not, he’s just marketed perfectly. Anyway, this song is his second top 40 hit and some fake acoustic guitar and fake handclaps complement Tom Walker’s slightly nasal and... mildly urban-Irish (???) voice and the piano... and yeah, no, it doesn’t exist. I hear this song and nothing witty is produced, there’s nothing of interest in my brain, I feel like my ears have just had a long string of nothing twisted through them. The “Drop” is just a chorus, this time, although it still feels like a drop because Walker isn’t saying anything of interest. Oh, yeah, and the two parts of the chorus feel really jankily attached, it’s like two halves of a chorus put together. Next.

#16 – “Talk” – Khalid and Disclosure

Oh, hey, a great song by two amazing artists, that’s good to see. So, this is R&B singer Khalid’s tenth UK Top 40 hit and Disclosure’s sixth, and it’s funky, smooth and fun as hell. It starts with a synth that is ripped straight from the 80s, then some keys come in and a clap, until Khalid starts singing with that sultry voice, although it’s in a higher-pitched and more emotive falsetto this time, with a slightly off-kilter bass when partnered with the synths, almost reminding me of future bass. Khalid sounds absolutely fantastic over this beautiful instrumental, with all the extra touches like the drum pattern finishing off with a repeated snare, kick and bass hit at the end of the chorus as a climax, the extra synth melodies added throughout the chorus that give the song so much more “Oomph” and groove to it. The song is joyful, danceable and I don’t care about what the lyrics say at all, but since I clearly don’t have all that much to say about the song other than “This is gorgeous and amazing and brilliant”, I might as well say that the subject matter may be unfitting, because it’s about having a talk about where the relationship is going, which isn’t necessarily as smooth, cute and glamorous as the song could paint it out to be, but there definitely is that off-kilter and quirky vibe to it that does add that sense of panic, despite how mostly chilled it is. That works well, actually. Yeah, check this out because this is the best song either of these guys have put out. If this has longevity in the US, it’s a contender for the top of my best list, because I doubt anything better will come along. Perhaps “bury a friend” and “a lot” could end up there? Who knows? It’s shaping up to be a pretty good year, though, so we’ll see.

#8 – “needy” – Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande finally finds her sound after years and four albums of having the inability to be cohesive or unique, years and years of having a wasted voice due to cluttered, messy and generic instrumentals provided to her by producers who don’t know what they’re doing, and... her albums still suck. Well, her fifth album is a disappointment, yes, and it’s also incredibly mediocre. It lacks a lot of substance, is inconsistent (It either has too much polish or not enough), has a few irritating instrumentals like “bloodline”, as well as once again, it has Grande’s great voice being put to the side due to light-weight trap beats like “7 rings”, for which Grande is forced to lose all of her natural charisma in order to fit on. There, that’s what I think of the album. Now, “needy” is not one of the worst on the album, but it is bad, and you can tell that right off the jump with its over-simplistic, toy-box melody that starts it off, and gets irritating quick, with not enough drowning it out. I like the pre-chorus, it’s pretty cool, but the finger-snaps are fake and pointless, with the borderline doo-wop vocals in the background adding nothing but volume. Someone tell Ariana Grande that her “Yuh” ad-libs should never be used again, please. They worked in “God is a woman”, but that’s the only time they worked, and will ever work. The subject matter is decent here, but I don’t think the beat fits it – because it doesn’t have a beat, really, there’s barely any percussion, and then it has an abrupt, pointless orchestral outro. Yeah, you can tell this album was finished in two weeks. It has a lot of moments like that.

#1 – “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” – Ariana Grande

Fitting title. Okay, so what’s the need for build-up, am I right? When it works, over-whelming the listener with the beat immediately crashing in is great. That’s when it has build-up, it never works when it’s just the song starting with bass and percussion immediately, without much reason. No, it doesn’t make sense in the context of the album either, because the song before it fades out. Anyway, so over a weak, discount Playboi Carti type beat with the flute (???) mixed so low that it essentially doesn’t exist, Grande raps with a rather concerning accent considering the blackfishing controversy, biting freaking Quadeca’s flow (I know - Out of all people?), with again, those cringeworthy ad-libs placed in empty spaces. Then it cuts to 16-bit chiptune pianos that aren’t used throughout the song, just in this section, for the pre-chorus, it just feels kind of worthless to have this here, it’s like it’s part of another song they spliced in (A better song, may I add). Oh, and that chorus is sickeningly annoying. I don’t care about the lyricism here as much as I should (Because it is pretty douchey, at least on the surface), but she sounds nasal with that elongated syllable melody that makes me just coil. I don’t like the backing vocals or echoes, either, sorry for the nitpicking but they feel like quick edits just to fill in empty space, especially that male “Hey” (or “Care”, or “Yeah”, I can’t tell), it’s added abruptly and cuts the beat out for no reason. The bridge wouldn’t be bad without that incessant and constant percussion pounding through it. I shouldn’t be this negative, Grande’s performance is okay, I guess, but, damn, this is awful. It doesn’t develop or even end properly, it feels like a bonus track on the standard version – because, yes, somehow this is what they chose as a fitting climax to the record. What a waste of studio time, and what a bad #1. Listen, UK, I didn’t like “7 rings” either, but at least it wasn’t this.

Conclusion

Man, I feel bad for doing so but Ariana Grande gets Worst of the Week for “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”, and screw it, Dishonourable Mention for “needy”. Nothing else is all that bad, so the Chainsmokers get away scot-free here, with Honourable Mention being tied and going to both Blueface for “Thotiana” and CamelPhat, Cristoph and Jem Cooke for “Breathe”. Best of the Week should be pretty obvious, but yeah, it’s going to Khalid and Disclosure for “Talk”. See you next week.

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whichwaytogomusic · 6 years ago

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CORNER AWARD LONGLIST TOP FIVE IN FIVE #1

We’re asking our Corner Awar longlist about their top five in five!

READ ON TO FIND OUT THEIR TOP FIVE:

- AUSSIE ARTISTS OF ALL TIME

- ALBUM/EP RELEASE OF 2018

- BEST SHOWS EVER SEEN

- WAYS TO SPEND A FREE SATURDAY ARVO

- PIECES OF ADVICE FOR EMERGING ARTISTS

ALICE SKYE.

1. "Of all time" is a huge question! And I made a list to try and help me but it ended up being 20 artists long. But i'm feeling kinda nostalgic so I'll pick the ones I listened to growing up.

Missy Higgins Uncle Archie Roach Warumpi Band Paul Kelly Powderfinger - there are so many others I want to add!!!

2. Lost Friends by Middle Kids Anything released by Kaiit Milyakburra by Emily Wurramara Native Tongue by Mojo Juju Indigenous Land by Drmngnow

3. Electric Fields at the Brisbane Powerhouse blew my mind! Seeing Eskimo Joe and Grinspoon at the first Triple J One Night Stand is where I formed my love of 'Aussie rock'. Regina Spektor in Manchester Kardajala Kirridara at the Northcote Social Club Baker Boy at Bigsound 2017

4. I love spending time at home because it's free so highly encourage that.

You could watch TV, we make earrings a lot in my house, or make a shitty painting (what i'm doing right now), or going to the park and having a draw is nice.

5. I'm not good at advice so i'll just give one. Don't be put off by thinking that there are already 1000s of songwriters like you out there just because the music industry is so large and overwhelming. It is scary but you always have your own voice and you never know who will connect to it.

BAKER BOY

1. Kian Dallas Woods Kaiit Adrian Eagle Ziggy Ramo

2. Kait - Live From Her Room Emily Wurramara - Milyakburra Drake - Scorpion Black Panther Soundtrack The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy

3. “No way I can answer this, they all have their own thing..!”

4. “If I still lived in Arnhem Land I'd be hunting and sitting around the campfire but while I'm here in awesomely cold Melbourne I like to eat oysters and play Fortnite with my crew. Have you seen my Fortnite inspired dance yet? We’re perfecting it for our next trip around the festival circuit...“

5. “Never treat your mistakes as failure. Nurture and sit with the mistake then move forward and approach your goal differently. Bouncing back is key!”

CAITI BAKER

1. Gurrumul Ecca Vandal A.B. Original (Briggs and Trials) Birdz

2. Alice Skye - Friends With Feelings Emily Wurramara - Milyakburra

3. “Yikes. Ever? James Brown, Prince, Missy Elliott, Jay Z, Alicia Keys… Redman & Method Man… I’m lucky to have seen a lot of incredible live music.“

4. “If not writing, definitely in nature or chilling, eating and laughing with my squad.“

5. “Be true to yourself and your art. Be kind. Learn to be adaptive, flexible and make sure you have good people around you.“

DIVIDE + DISSOLVE

1. Kalyani & Isha The Drmng Now Sasshound Alice Skye Kaiit 2. Kalyani & Isha - That's All I came for The Drmng Now - Australia Does not exist Sasshound- Get Up Alice Skye- Friends with Feelings Kaiit- Natural Woman 4. Chilling Eating Sleeping Biking Smoking 5. “Pieces of Advice? Please send our way.”

EVELYN IDA MORRIS

1. Grand Salvo Extradition On Diamon (Lisa Salvo) Gurner Elizabeth Mitchell

2. Devotion - Tirzah Joonya Spirit - Jaala John Sharp Toro - Native Cats Her - Totally Mild The Long Sleep - Jenny Hval

3. The Ex (from Holland) at The Knitting Factory in NYC ‘04 The Boredoms 10/10/10 (I was playing in it but I know it was the best show ever) Jaala solo at The Bank Hot To Rot at the Post Office Hotel On Diamond at Tom Tom

4. Playing piano Watching movies Hanging out wit my Erik (my partner) Walking a friend’s dog Sleeping/cuddling

5. “Don't let the people who have more power be right about "what is good", don't worry about what folks think, take care of your community first and foremost, take care of your mental health, GET PAID”

FRASER A GORMAN

1. You Am I Paul Kelly Courtney Barnett Hoodoo Gurus Midnight Oil

2. John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness Babe Rainbow - Double Rainbow East Brunswick All Girls Choir - Teddywaddy Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel Kevin Morby/Waxahatchee - Farewell Transmission 7” 3. Band of Horses - Forum, Melbourne Ryan Adams - Forum, Melbourne Bill Callahan - Hamer Hall, Melbourne Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Sydney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Gillian Welch - Palais, Melbourne

4. Drinking beers in the sun Listening to dylan Watching Carlton win a game for once Going to The Tote Not working

5. Be nice to yourself and everyone around you Be nice to support bands cause one day you might want to support them Party in a respectful manner Soundcheck is important Get a pedal tuner for God’s sake

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jimdsmith34 · 7 years ago

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Rupert Cornwell obituary

Elegantly witty foreign correspondent whose work was proof of the enduring magic of real reporting

Rupert Cornwell, who has died aged 71, was the most gifted of reporters on the foreign scene from Moscow to Washington and many places in between of the past 45 years. Writing for Reuters, the Financial Times and the Independent, he had a distinctive elegance and ease, marinated with sharp wit. His long pieces were like a classic David Gower innings. As in print, so in life. His conversation was very funny, very dry and gently subversive.

He was my great friend from student days and companion on the road. After Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read modern Greek, he quickly moved from advertising, which he hated, to Reuters. Soon he was on the move, to Paris, Brussels and back to Paris again, where he jumped ship and joined the FT.

At Oxford he appeared somewhat detached. This may have had something to do with the very large shadow of his father, the sometime developer, gambler and convicted bankrupt Ronnie Cornwell better known to wider audiences in fictional form as Rick in several books by Ruperts half-brother, David, aka John le Carr. Rupert was the son of Ronnies second marriage, to the formidable Jeanie Gronow (nee Neal).

He was mad about sport I recall being dragged to watch Celtic contest the European Cup final with a lifelong passion, and love-hate, for the Arsenal. His occasional sports writing was top-flight.

It was when he became Rome correspondent for the FT in the 1970s that things really took off. This was the heyday of the Mephistophelean eight-time prime minister Giulio Andreotti, the surge of Enrico Berlinguers communists, mafia wars in Palermo and Naples, and exotic soccer scandals. Ruperts reporting technique was a wonder to behold. He used to go into his office, slam the door, and make only two or three phone calls, his fellow FT correspondent James Buxton recalled. Then, an hour or so later out he would come the most amazing, immaculate piece of copy the subs never needed to touch it.

But this is just ridiculous, he would remark, using a favourite catchphrase. I mean, reporting Italy is just like eating too much chocolate cake. Time to move on. Before moving, he wrote his only book, Gods Banker (1983), a brisk essay on Roberto Calvi, the rogue financier who was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge, London, in June 1982. It gave a pacy account of the Banco Ambrosiano scandal that very nearly broke the Vaticans bank.

Ruperts next posting, to Bonn, proved the least happy. He found the place and the story dull, and German the most challenging of all the languages he was to learn he later acquired fluent Russian on the run in a matter of months. His marriage to the Italian interpreter Angela Doria, with whom he had a son, Sean, broke up, though they remained on good terms.

In 1986 he decided to join the newborn Independent as its Moscow correspondent. His writing, part pin-sharp reporting and part sly commentary, has been the epitome of the Independent style. In its pages he became the chronicler of the end of the Soviet empire. Of Mikhail Gorbachev, he wrote: His supreme failing was not to understand that communism could not reform itself. The tragedy of Gorbachev was that he never intended to get rid of communism, but to adapt it to compete with the far richer west. And of the attempt to oust Gorbachev, so moribund had a once ruthless system become, however, that it couldnt even organise a coup.

He loved the sheer quirkiness of the Moscow scene the need to barter paper for secondhand books, the destruction of his elegant Italian suede jacket by Moscow dry cleaners, taking a lip reader to a debate in the Duma and matching her account with the official report. He was accompanied by his new wife, Susan Smith, a correspondent with Reuters, and their son, Stas. His Moscow file brought him foreign correspondent of the year in the What the Papers Say awards in 1988.

From Moscow he transferred to Washington, where he had two stints as the Independent bureau chief. In between he worked in London as feature writer and diplomatic correspondent. Among the forgotten gems of this time is the full-page obituary of Diana, Princess of Wales, that he had to pull together in a few hours. It is a masterpiece of social observation, complemented by a mildly subversive undertow. Maybe she was a manipulator, a strange blend of the trusting, the calculating and the flaky, but she was forgiven the bulk of her sins, he wrote in a concluding paragraph. Flaky? Golly, If Id written that just a day or two later, I would have been hanged from the nearest lamp-post, he confessed only a few weeks ago.

In Washington, he regularly skewered the presidents and their dynasties. He hated the Bush junior years, admired the aloof Obama not least for his writing in Dreams from My Father and writing up Trumpery seemed the call of destiny.

He loved the roar of the greasepaint and smell of the crowd of sport above all baseball. Twelve years ago he wrote of the American League Championship contest between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and the long shadow of the Curse of the Bambino. In 1920 the Sox sold their star batter, Babe Ruth who had won the World Series for them in 1918 to the Yankees. And things went badly for the Sox thereafter. Attempts to lift the curse engendered this paragraph: They have tried everything to exorcise it. They dredged a lake south of Boston where Ruths favourite piano is said to lie, they leave cans of beer on the gravestone at the Gate of Heaven cemetery 20 miles north of New York, where the famously bibulous slugger is buried.

And of course, there was Trump. In February Rupert chose the chaotic 80-minute, stream-of-consciousness press conference as the cue to go in to bat for the MSM, the mainstream media. Its a tough job, keeping a focus on facts and truth, in the face of a mendacious propaganda barrage from a White House with indisputable authoritarian instincts. Reporting US politics now is about seeking transparency in what is the least transparent administration since Nixons day And the reviled MSM so far has hardly put a foot wrong.

Rupert carried on, acerbic and brilliant, through three years of cancer. In his languid, elegant style there was understated genius. His work is proof of the enduring magic of real reporting in the post-truth age.

A lot of Ruperts quiet feistiness came from and is shared by his family: his wife, Susan, still pounding the Washington beat for Reuters, brother, David, and sister, the actor Charlotte Cornwell. They and his sons survive him.

Rupert Howard Cornwell, journalist, born 22 February 1946; died 31 March 2017

source http://allofbeer.com/rupert-cornwell-obituary/ from All of Beer http://allofbeer.blogspot.com/2018/03/rupert-cornwell-obituary.html

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allofbeercom · 7 years ago

Text

Rupert Cornwell obituary

Elegantly witty foreign correspondent whose work was proof of the enduring magic of real reporting

He was mad about sport I recall being dragged to watch Celtic contest the European Cup final with a lifelong passion, and love-hate, for the Arsenal. His occasional sports writing was top-flight.

Rupert Howard Cornwell, journalist, born 22 February 1946; died 31 March 2017

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/rupert-cornwell-obituary/

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explorationfilms-blog · 8 years ago

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Portraits of Colorado- The Making Of A Modern American Symphony

The Backstory

...by Steve Greisen / Producer, Director.

I walked into the Crowfoot Valley Coffee Shop in Castle Rock to meet a guy named "Charles". I didn't know much about him other than he had tried to arrange this meeting for the last two years. A year earlier a monster Colorado blizzard that closed all the highways and roads knocked out our scheduled meeting. “O well”, I thought, “If this is supposed to happen it will in God’s time”. So here I was two years later, arriving at the meeting. Better late than never...

A Divine appointment?

How we first met was so serendipitous that it was almost comical. I was visiting The Park Meadow’s Mall on the south side of Denver, and I had stopped to listen to a guy play a beautiful Celtic style electric violin. After his performance we chatted together for a bit and then I headed off about my business when suddenly I heard someone running up behind me. I turned around to see a smiling Charles with his beautiful 10-year old daughter in tow. Catching his breath from running he panted, "I didn't mean to be listening in on your conversation but did hear that you produce films?" "Documentaries" I replied. “My name is Charles Denler and here’s my card” still grinning while he gathered his composure. “I write film scores, so if you ever need any music let me know! And oh! This is my daughter Moriah.” And off he went, back into the busy mall.

Charles’ claim to be a film score composer brought bit of a cynical response from me. Honestly if I had a dollar for every time someone told me they were in the film business….well you know the rest. But on the flip side this could be a divine appointment, I’ve had plenty of those. Time would tell.

A walk through an open door

So the day had finally come and I arrived at the coffee shop with more questions than answers. Entering the room I saw Charles was already there, sitting at a table. He quickly stood up and with a big grin, reached out his hand and proclaimed, “I don’t know who you are, but I’ve had three dreams about this meeting!”. Now I REALLY didn’t know what to think! But as he described the dreams it became clear he was an intuitive, spiritually sensitive person and while this sounded a bit weird at the moment, it felt authentic and sincere. I’ve witnessed how creative types are often this way. As we talked I learned that Charles was the real deal and I liked him! He was also a very accomplished film composer and had worked on projects for National Geographic Television, Oprah, History Channel and many more. His music had won him two Emmy Awards and his impressive client list spoke for itself.

As we shared our stories over coffee we quickly realized that we also shared similar life journeys. Charlie was an upbeat positive guy and easy to like. We got along famously.

Coincidentally, the next day, I was flying with my film crew to Canada to film a bizarre story of a guy with an unusual connection to wild bears. I thought to myself, “This would be a great first project to work with Charles on”. So when I proposed it, and he agreed and our working relationship began. Charles would do the scores for my films, "The Gentle Bear Man of Emo" and later would create an original theme for my film "The Master Designer – The Song" that we would record with The Prague Symphony, one of the greatest symphonies in the world. As time passed whether we were working or just hanging out, it was clear I had found a ‘brother from another mother.’

An invitation

The Colorado Symphony performs in the incredible Botcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver, a spectacular venue for a really spectacular orchestra.

Charles had recorded music with them. He had written a score for a worldwide add campaign by the Colorado Department of Tourism called ‘Come To Life’. Later the Denver Post reported the campaign was the most successful in history bringing $1.8 billion (yes that’s a ‘B’) into the State of new tourism business. So the symphony directors floated an idea, a commission for a modern American Symphony (not many of these exist) but even better, a symphony that was inspired by the incredible beauty of Colorado. A film score if you will, but the film is what you see in our State when you hike, ski or canoe.

So, Charlie conceived the idea of Portraits of Colorado, An American Symphony. “Nothing like this had ever been done” an excited Charlie said to me, in a phone conversation. “There has never been a symphony created, inspired by the Rocky Mountains!” “I’d really like you involved with me in the project. Would you consider a film on this?” The answer for me was easy. I love music. I spent my young life with a band entertaining U.S. Military troops in Europe, which led to managing other music artists. Later, I married Nelly, who was a well loved Christian music artist with a band called The 2nd Chapter of Acts. Our early lives consisted of touring the world, doing 1600 concerts and playing for an estimated 4 million people. I also worked with a record company. Now as a film producer, for me the music of the film becomes the single most important element to the visual and emotional experience. So this was too easy… a music project with my dear friend, based on the beautiful State of Colorado where we both lived. What’s not to like?

Fine art and music

Charles needed inspiration to write and has always loved fine art. One artist in particular that caught his eye was Jerry Malzahn, a landscape artist with a fondness for Colorado scenery. His notable work hangs in the White House, Navel Academy and in galleries across the U.S. Jerry and Charlie had briefly met some years before when by coincidence, the Denler’s bought their dog, a King Charles Spaniel from Malzhan’s wife. Charlie had noticed his art in the house, and as they said goodbye, left a couple CD’s of his music with Jerry as a thank you for the dog.

Now, years had passed and Charlie needed inspiration. Remembering his meeting with Jerry he pulled up his paintings online. He found Colorado scenes named Long’s Peak , Spanish Peaks and Dream Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park. Malzahn’s work echoes the inspiration of masters like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran and it captured Denler’s heart. Charlie printed copies of the scenes and hang them around his studio for inspiration. It worked. The writing process began to flow and Charlie began to compose.

One day feeling a bit guilty Charles gave Malzahn a call to tell him about the symphony and the art inspiration he was drawing from. Jerry was stunned. This would be one of the great honors of his life. Jerry explained that he had been listening to Denler’s music as inspiration to paint. Well, it left them both stunned and amazed. The symbiotic relationship between these two artists is captured in the film and its significance is worth pondering.

A conductor, a composer and a filmmaker

Scott O’Neil, the resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony, is a really remarkable guy. He was the conductor of the Utah symphony and now was the Denver Symphony resident conductor. He’s a brilliant musicologist. His Ted-X talk is mind bending, his education and depth is a wonder to behold. He would be intimidating if he wasn’t so humble. Scott is a good-humored gentleman and Scott, Charlie and I got along famously as we worked through pre-production planning and discussions. It would take a year, but it was a year I wouldn’t trade for anything because friendships were forged, it was fun…not work at all. Scott with his classical training and Charlie with his film score approach and me with my documentary gifts now melded into a project that was modern but still symphonic. Yet it wasn’t without controversy.

Breaking rules and creating something new

Charlie’s Portraits of Colorado would not feel like a traditional symphony. After all it was a modern symphony. But to some classical music purists, the words modern and symphony don’t go together in the same sentence.

During the Classical Masters the only way you could hear music was attending a live performance and it was typically structured in three to four 20-minute musical movements. But in today’s modern world Charlie understood that people listen to music differently, on their iPods and mp3 players. For his symphony, he would employ shorter songs of three to four minutes, be a related collection of ten melodies, all inspired by different Colorado locations and all connected by a strong central theme. And this symphony would draw from Denler’s film score sensibilities, where the over-arching music theme in a movie typically reprises in various forms throughout the film reminding the listener of the ‘grand story’. With Scott O’Neil’s support, encouragement and guidance the project was completed and a date set for the premier and the recording.

The premier

To say it was nerve racking to premier such a piece would be an understatement. The hall was buzzing with guests, many who were symphony members. How would they respond to a modern symphony? Artist Jerry Malzahn art was boldly in display down the halls of the spectacular Boettcher Concert Hall. Denler would play the grand piano during the performance and Moriah now just 17 years would step out on the stage to with her big soprano voice to sing the solo on the spectacular song “Moment At Dawn”. The night was a resounding success with some in the audience even brought to tears. We all felt exhilarated and relieved.

A film about a film score.

The film I was creating was a story of the making of the film score and included the full performance of the score. So we called it Portraits of Colorado - The Making of A Modern American Symphony. It would take over a year for my crews to capture spectacular images of towering snow capped mountains, morning sunrises of shimmering pinks and sunsets of peach and dark red...

..deep blue carpets of summer Columbines stretching across the massive mountain landscape and fall Aspens afire with gold and red..

..the sounds of crashing waterfalls, the hoof beats of wild horses running the plains, and the magical silence of a gentle snowfall.

Each season brought another breathtaking image that once married to the music, turbo charged the whole emotional audio experience. But there was more. Music doesn’t come out of a vacuum, it comes out of a human soul. I wanted the viewer to see and feel Charlie’s personal journey, which was a mix of brokenness and overcoming joy.

What we ended up with was what Colorado sounds like. An inspiring and moving audio and visual experience that celebrates beauty. Author Matt Heard probably described it best when he said,

“The Film Portraits of Colorado is a virtual feast for the senses, a visceral masterpiece. It invited me to truly experience the story of a symphony and the sound of the Rocky Mountains. The mesmerizing teamwork of artists and technicians led by Charles Denler, Scott O'Neill, and Steve Greisen beckoned me beyond the mere passive posture of listening to a performance or watching a film. In addition to witnessing the authentically human journey of a composer, I lingered with the smell of wildflowers, inhaled the mist of a canyon waterfall, felt the rumbling of a running herd of buffalo, and squinted as mountain peaks relinquished a sunrise.

Further, I was invited into the dance that happens when humanity embraces the beauty of nature, and nature actually returns the gesture with the sum of the impact being far greater than the individual parts. The majesty of the music and images partnered to amplify our ability as human beings to enter into the heart-nourishing power of Beauty.”

The film would go on to win film festivals across the country, and be nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Music Film'.

That serendipitous chance encounter was indeed a ‘divine appointment’ and I believe for a divine purpose. When you watch the film I hope you agree.

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