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doggiewoggiez · 1 year

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what is the reading list you’ve been doing

This meme. Got reposted from 4chan to Reddit to Twitter and finally to Tumblr. I'll update this post as I read each book. Here's the complete list:

1. Goosebumps #28: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom - R.L. Stine. Very middle of the road Goosebumps book not especially good but not terrible. 6/10 dead sisters.

2. Call of the Crocodile - F. Gardner. This book is a meme on /lit/ cause the dude's batshit and is constantly trying to promote his books that are extremely poorly written. He calls himself a famous author, doesn't believe gorillas or giraffes are real, and advocates chainsmoking cigarettes to help with the writing process. This book is the funniest thing I've ever read and made me so fucking angry by being so awful. 10/10 misplaced commas.

3. No Longer Human - Osamu Dazai. A semi-autobiographical story published before the author's suicide about a severely mentally ill character named Oba Yozo through his life of addiction, women, suicide attempts, and so on. An incredibly depressing read. His whole inner life is laid bare and it's disgusting and grotesque and you see yourself in him and you wish you could hold him and cry for him but even if you could you would never have the power to make anything okay. Beautiful fucking book, genuinely 100% no fucking joke changed my life. 10000/10 shitty cyberpunk adaptations.

4. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky. I cried hard as fuck dude. Another life changer for reals. Dostoevsky had such a deep understanding of human nature whether it be the lowest, most base and vile instincts or the unending capacity for love and compassion that exist in us all. All while being the blueprint for like every heady crime drama like Death Note, Breaking Bad, etc. The shit all you fags like. Most people just remember it as maybe required HS reading and definitely something people are pretentious about but it 100% deserves all the love it gets. Fan fucking tastic. 100000/10 years in Siberia.

5. Becoming - Michelle Obama. A bit too heavily ghostwritten, but when Michelle's voice shows through it's not terrible, it's kind of interesting to hear the inside scoop on White House life. It's kind of sad that Barack is the most interesting part of the book, and book-Barack seems like an extremely interesting and cool guy. But the book doesn't address all his dead civilians. 5/10 drone strikes.

6. Ulysses - James Joyce. The modernist novel, from what I understand. Half retelling of the Odyssey in 1900s Ireland, half a troll on literary critics, all around a pretty damn fun read. Not very far yet. Definitely the most difficult thing I've ever tried to read. Unfinished/10 Agenbites of inwit

7. 48 Laws of Power. This is like, THE sigma bro self help book as far as I've heard. It's pretty iconic, but I'm not especially excited for it.

8. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. We all know it and love it, I'm interested to read the OG story.

9. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd Edition. Book from the Vatican that lays out what the church's official opinions, rules, shit like that are. Will be boring but interesting.

10. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins. One of the biggest atheist dude books there is and probably by far the most influential. God is bad people who believe in God are stupid etc etc. Hopefully it has something interesting to say and isn't just a jerk off. It might just be a jerk off.

11. The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood. Some booktok romance schlock afaik. People make fun of it.

12. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole. All I know is it's about a guy in New Orleans in the 60s. Might be good, people seem to really like it.

13. The Art of War - Sun Tzu. Im gonna get so good at surprising my enemy.

14. Kodomo no Jikan - Kaworu Watashiya. Pure pedoslop, I don't think there's even an official English translation so we might not read it but I'm preemptively giving it 0/10.

15. The Iliad - Homer. The story of the Trojan war. All I know is Helen, Horse, and that's about it.

16. The Odyssey - Homer. It's the Odyssey. I think it's funny that it comes after Ulysses since I don't actually know the whole story of the Odyssey itself.

17. Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer - Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth. This is that thing they made a Netflix doc about a while back.

18. The C++ Programming Language 4th edition - Bjarne Stroustrup. Exactly what it says on the tin, by the guy who wrote the language.

19. Empress Theresa - Norman Boutin. A classic, it's a weird self-published story by a guy who's extremely unwell, usually referenced in the same way Sonichu is.

20. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner. His most difficult to read work, about a Southern family at the beginning of the 20th century.

21. Black Future #1 - Whitney Ryan. A very racist BNWO sissification porn story that was probably written as a joke. Possible skip definite 0/10.

22. The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss. You know this.

23. The Trial - Franz Kafka. One of Kafka's most famous unfinished works, about a guy who's on trial for something and he doesn't know what.

24. American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis. Supposed to be way darker and more fucked up than the movie, really supposed to chill you to the bone afaik. VERY excited for this read.

25. Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon. One of those famous "Really Fucking Long And Hard Books" like Infinite Jest or Ulysses, incredibly autistic foray into WW2 rocket science. Classic Pynchonery.

26. Magick In Theory and Practice - Aleister Crowley. Thankfully it's not the entirety of Magick Liber ABA Book 4.

27. Minecraft Jokes for Kids - Steve Minecraft. Not a real book but we'll substitute Jokes For Minecrafters by the Hollow family.

28. The Jews and Their Lies - Martin Luther. One of the most notorious antisemitic texts, right up there with the Protocols. It's going to be a pretty apalling read but it has pretty damn significant historical value so it's probably worth reading.

29. Dianetics - L. Ron Hubbard. The scientology book. It's way longer than you'd expect.

30. Everyone Poops - Taro Gomi. I don't understand this because girls don't poop.

31. In His Own Write - John Lennon. His writing and art, mostly just a bunch of absurd bullshit. I want to remain neutral and not just hate the book because I hate the guy. We'll see if it deserves that.

32. Bear - Marian Engel. This is that Canadian novel where the woman has a romance with a bear.

33. How To Get A Girlfriend - Chad Scott Nellis. Some bullshit self published thing. I'm gonna be swimming in punani.

34. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck - Mark Manson. Some self help schlock afaik.

35. Gabriel Dropout (vol. 3) - UKAMI. This is that cutesy manga about those angels and demons in human high school.

36. 120 Days of Sodom - Marquis De Sade. Old story of elite sex cults, I'm pretty sure it's the origin of that being like a thing that people conspiracy theory about.

37. Phenomenology of Spirit - Hegel. You probably know Hegel from either Marx or Fallout New Vegas. I know Hegel because a chick at my friend's co-op talked at me about him for like ten minutes while I was way too shit faced to know what the fuck is going on around me at all but I nodded along.

38. Star Wars: The Ultimate Sticker Collection. I bought this used for a buck fifty with half the stickers gone. All the new trilogy ones were still there.

39. The Anarchist Cookbook. Vom hard at the idea of "buying" this but I want to make sure I get the version as it appears in the meme so I guess I'll drop a few bucks on it.

40. An American Life - Ronald Reagan. Practical applications for previous book.

41. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger. Had to read this in high school, hated it, maybe it'll be better this time around.

42. Finnegan's Wake - James Joyce. An early postmodernist work about uhhh fucking whatever it was about. I'm not gonna lie if Ulysses is this hard for me this one will kill me.

43. The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat. I'm not in the know when it comes to music but apparently this guy is like one of the gods of jazz. And he wrote a book on teaching your cat to shit in a people-toilet.

44. Am I Disabled? - The Simpsons S7E7. This is the book Homer reads where he learns obesity is a disability and gets really fat so he can work from home. Story of my life.

45. Serial Experiments Lain: An Omnipresence in Wired - Yoshitoshi ABe. The Lain artbook, with the short manga The Nightmare of Fabrication. Will be very expensive to get ahold of.

46. Pounded by the Pound - Chuck Tingle. We've heard enough about this guy the bit was holding onto the last molecule of funny it had like five years ago but I now had to buy a compilation paperback of his work for this.

47. Ford Capri II 2.8 & 3.0 Owners Workshop Manual 1974-1987. Had to order this from the UK couldn't find any in the US.

48. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov. We all know what this is. Of all things when my mom saw this list this was the book she pointed out as being really good, which I thought was funny.

49. Man's Life Magazine, September 1956 issue. "Weasels Ripped My Flesh." Good god it will be difficult finding the actual magazine, but the weasels story itself has been reprinted.

50. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (2nd Edition) - Harold Abelson et al. I like when people make anime girls have it :)

51. Shiver - Junji Ito. Never been a major Ito fan but a couple of his works I really liked are in this compilation.

52. Neon Genesis Evangelion (vol. 2) - Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. The Eva manga was really good I've actually read it before.

53. How To Avoid Huge Ships - Captain John W. Trimmer. Classic meme because I guess the cover and premise is very funny but I don't really get the joke. It's not that ridiculous sounding of a book, it's just niche.

54. Spice and Wolf (vol. 1) - Isuna Hasekura. Light novel for that manga we've been seeing around. They put a generic cover on it and replaced the anime girl so it could sell to non-weebs.

55. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. My sister read this in like middle school and unironically no joke started bawling crying sobbing because poor people are so evil and awful.

56. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle. Oh Boy I Sure Hope This Little Wiggly Guy Eats Something Normal! Oh no.. oh dear ...

57. Glow In The Dark - Kanye West. Very very hard to get a physical copy but we'll try. Photo book of his tour of the same name.

58. Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler. Now obviously this wasn't included on the list for the genuine important historical value this book has but that's what I'm going to be reading it for. In reading it critically afaik it really paints a picture of how pathetic and unwell he was.

59. Higurashi: When They Cry. I hear it's really good.

60. This is a naked photo of Daniel Radcliffe posed with a horse.

61. Aberration in the Heartland of the Real - Wendy S. Painting. This is a book on the life of the OKBOMB guy, Timothy McVeigh. I hate how true crime shit has become so polarized as either sensational dogshit to make women walk with their keys between their knuckles or some awful horrible thing that's not worth looking into because "they were just racist/misogynistic/etc" I think it's all very reductive so this promises to be a good read.

62. KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation. CIA document on breaking a prisoner and interrogating from the 60s.

63. The Game - Neil Strauss. The Bible for pickup artists.

64. Identifying Wood - R. Bruce Hoadley. Yep, it's wood.

65. Fresh And Fabulous Meals in Minutes - Ainsley Harriot. Lots of memes about him but this is just a regular cookbook.

66. The Turner Diaries - Andrew Macdonald. Far-right racist book that inspired terrorism and hate crimes. People who read it and didn't already agree with it going in have said it's poorly written and just blows, and in the peek I took that seems to be true. It's too influential to not read if I'm going to be reading about Timothy McVeigh. Hard to get since it got pulled from most online stores following Jan 6th.

67. The C Programming Language (2nd Edition) - Brian W. Kernighan & Dennis M. Ritchie. Gonna learn to code I guess.

68. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara. It's a story about a group of mentally ill gay men living in New York. Has been described as trauma porn written by a woman fetishizing gay men and is on there because channers like making fun of it, but it was also shortlisted for a Pulitzer.

69. The Rose of Paracelsus - William Leonard Pickard. The author was the victim of one of the largest acid busts and he wrote this in prison.

70. The Book of Mormon - Joseph Smith. Interested to learn what the fuck Mormons are actually all about.

71. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - J.K. Rowling. Like most people I read these in middle school. They were mid then and they're ass now but I'm not gonna tryhard about how bad they are because you've probably heard enough at this point.

72. A Critique of Pure Reason - Immanuel Kant. As someone who doesn't know shit about philosophy I'm excited.

73. Autobiography - Morrissey. Notorious for being published through Penguin Classics which is NOT for Morrisseys. Bad Morrissey. Go to your room.

74. Official Final Fantasy 7 Strategy Guide. I'm gonna get so good at FF7 dude.

75. My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness - Kabi Nagata. Think of the most annoying bpd she/they you know and then imagine a really mid book that she'd become way too annoying about. You've imagined this book.

76. Children of the Matrix - David Icke. The origin of the reptoids conspiracy theory.

77. Anti-Oedipus - Deleuze and Guattari. Mario and Luigi for your leftist roommate who won't do the dishes

78. Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. It's a book about a person place or thing I know that much.

79. Sonichu #0 - Gonna be near impossible to source a physical copy from its short Lulu run.

80. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe. Obviously of great historical importance but I get a sneaking suspicion that's not why they put it on the list.

81. Bronze Age Mindset - Bronze Age Pervert. This is... Well, it's sure something.

82. Drilled By My Two Cowboys - Aurora Sommers. BBW Cowboy porn 😋💦

83. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky. People say it's his best work and if it's anywhere near as good as C&P was it'll blow me away. Also the Godfather was inspired by it.

84. Spare - Prince Harry. Really unfunny inclusion I can't imagine there's much value in it.

85. Da Jesus Book. That's the Hawaiian Pidgin translation of the New Testament. So basically I'm just reading the bible with extra steps.

86. Elon Musk - Ashlee Vance. Biography on Elon Musk apparently, not especially interested cause good chance it'll just suck him off hard.

87. Where's Waldo (Deluxe) - Martin Handford. Oh god I hope I find him.

88. Dracula - Bram Stoker. Shoulda subbed to Dracula Daily......

89. Bart Simpson's Guide to Life. I'm excited to see what Bart has to say about what I need to do with myself.

90. Bakemonogatari (vol. 1) - Nisio Isin. I've heard of this in passing I don't really know anything about this light novel except there's like girls and they're monsters maybe?

91. Business Secrets of the Pharoahs - Mark Crorigan. Fake book from S8E2 of the show Peep Show, which I've never heard of. It's British.

92. Industrial Society and Its Future - Ted Kaczynski. All I really know about Ted's ideas in the end is that everyone on here says he's based. I definitely want to read him and formulate my own opinion but I will probably also end up agreeing that he's based.

93. My Twisted World - Elliot Rodger. This is the manifesto of that incel shooter, probably a pretty worthwhile read in the same way a lot of this stuff is, a look into a deeply troubled person's mind.

94. Wash Your Penis - Jordan B. Peterson. This doesn't exist so we'll just read 12 Rules for Life.

95. Andrew Tate's Exegesis of the Quran. Unfortunately he did not actually write one though I bet it would be soooo terrible and funny. But we will read the Quran.

96. Art of the Deal - Donald Trump. Time to find out why people respected this guy.

#this is long but im really excited for this list it's a great time #so much treasure so much trash...

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lesbiancolumbo · 1 year

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hey i am getting into try to watch classic movies (as in i just saw the shinning for the first time or godfather) and what are some good resources to check out for good recommendations, cause honestly I am finding it hard to know where I should start- thank in advance for posting about old movies they have all been added to my ever growing list!

omg hello!!!! hello! this is the ask i needed tonight.

in terms of resources... if you don't have a subscription to criterion channel already, do yourself a favor and get one. they are almost always highlighting an old hollywood actor or actress (this month is joan bennett and they're showing a really hard to find pre-code she's in called me and my gal. just an example.) and they have a wide variety of well-curated stuff to check out. same with kanopy if you have a library that partners with it. but honestly, if you are in the US or canada and have cable or know someone you can bum cable information off of, turner classic movies has been (at least for me) the greatest resource.

and i could easily point you to a list of the best classic movie recs (AFI has a list of 100 films, sight & sound just did their big poll - for example), but here's the thing. like on the level..... i spent so many years in college watching movies because i was told i was supposed to like them, or that they were IMPORTANT and THE CANON and i got almost nothing out of this experience. when i left college, i spent a week moping in unemployment on my parents' couch dogsitting and watching literally anything that came up on tcm. i watched the bride of frankenstein, i watched an irene dunne romance, i watched spencer tracy and katharine hepburn fall in love. fred and ginger dancing. john wayne walking into the wasteland of a desert that doesn't want him. etc. i watched as many different kinds of things as i could, and i went, so these films worked for me. these actors mean something to me and these don't. and i kept going my own way.

i know that feels like a non-answer, but i think it's very easy to get caught up in the like ~canon of it all~ and it's more fun to just start watching shit and discover things you may have never discovered. i told myself this year that i wanted to watch more silent cinema and i proceeded to just.... type "best silent actresses" into ye olde google and add a bunch of movies to a watchlist lmao. so i'm gonna give you a few lists now lmao but with the caveat that instead you should just ask yourself what sorts of things you like, what films interest you, what films you like, and kinda go from there. who influenced your favorite filmmaker? what old films do they like? etc.

some lists:

i made a post two years ago giving recs on 30s films that i still stand by lmao

last year i made my official "personal canon" list which details my 200 favorite films from the birth of cinema to now

a critic i love, willow maclay, made her personal canon list last year and she's one of my favorites on cinema period, old and new

every year a critic i also love, justine smith, does a twitter thread of her updated canon. this is from 2022. i love watching her list change every year.

my amazing friend marya gates essentially answered your question in way fewer words that i did with her list here

i hope this was helpful, sorry for the length of this, and happy watching! i am happy to help nudge you in any further directions if you want more tailored recs based on what you've seen/want to see/are interested in. feel free to send an ask or dm me any time.

#asks #movie posts

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omgbrainstorming · 5 years

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The Librarians Periscope Live

Since I can’t watch UPtv because I live outside the US (not salty about that, not at all), I’ve watched the Live on Periscope that was supposed to be on Facebook, but Facebook was dead, so here’s what happened:

UPtv has given us a new home and said that if they get enough “love” they might do something for either a new movie or season 5

Dean had an ear piece to hear the questions and was playing FBI/CIA agent

First “on screen” was John Kim to “talk behind the girls’ backs” (they were all behind the cameras)

Dean would have loved to explore the Mayan Mythology in season 5 (and again said it still might happen)

John was asked if he thought that Ezekiel would have changed had he picked up the Apple of Discord in season 4 since he didn’t change in season 1, and he said absolutely no and Dean added that there’s a freaking reason why the answer is a big fat no and it’s in the special that they did so, hey, those of you who can watch UPtv will find out! (n.d.a. Not salty at all, really). Also he said that Ezekiel is always both the best and the worst version of himself, so really, no.

John said his fave memory is his first day because he knew nothing, where Portland was (”it’s west of New Hampshire, right?”), what he was supposed to do etc., but everyone was really welcoming

Dean said that the actors really helped shaped it all (the show) because they had lots of great ideas (like Lindy’s idea of having Cassandra smitten with Jenkins)

John was asked if Ezekiel kept any of the werewolf’s traits and he said that even though the “fetch the ball” scene with Christian at the end of the episode was hilarious, no, he’s just himself, “Ezekiel’s superpower is that he doesn’t know what he’s doing”

Here an alarm went off and, hilariously, it was the sound guy’s alarm

Here came Lindy “on screen”

MY SHIPPER SISTER WAS MENTIONED: they asked a @jenksel ‘s question (I’m so proud??) where she asked if Casskins was going anywhere and Lindy was all “Listen here, I AM THIS SHIP’S CAPTAIN AND IMMA GO DOWN WITH IT!” so she certainly hopes so, she loves the idea that the thing keeping them (Cassandra and Jenkins) apart was their mortality/immortality and when Jenkins became mortal “it was... maybe maybe maybe!” and Dean and John echoed her “Maybe maybe maybe” and she concluded with: “I would be interested!”

Question: “We know Flynn has a special bond with Excalibur, what would your character choose?” (As something to bond with) And both Lindy and Dean had to suggest Stumpy to John, and Lindy said that Cassandra bonded with no objects, but with her power.

Lindy started making fun of Dean for his ear piece

Q: “In an hypothetical s5, would Cassandra and Jenkins remember the stuff from s4 that was erased when they went back and flipped it?” Because, Dean explains, we know that Flynn remembers and we think that Baird remembers. Lindy said that Cassandra and Jenkins’ relationship is so special that maybe it was imprinted on their hearts ”If I can be super romantic about the entire thing, and I think that kind of thing never goes away, and so maybe, if the details of it had gotten away, they still would have had a sense of that” (n.d.a. Lindy is our ship’s captain through and through, gotta love her)

Q: John and Lindy, what was you fave scene together? They both went “The Minotaur scene” when they are inside the Labyrinth (n.d.a. I’m not crying, go away), John said that it was beautiful because up until this point we see Ezekiel not caring for anyone but himself, and here and throughout all the seasons we see how he has a soft spot for Cassandra and he opens up to her before, and then to the rest of the team (n.d.a. my Casekiel babiiiies), he loved shooting with Lindy because they felt really at ease with each other; and then the final scene of the Morgan episode where Ezekiel gives her the trophy

Q: What was your (Lindy) fave costume? Lindy loved this question. She loved many of her outfits, creating them as well, but if she has to pick one, it’s the Cindy’s episode costume, where she is really colourful, yellow skirt, striped shirt underneath, a blue vest, an extremely short tie and a lovely big bee brooch on it. She doesn’t know why, but this outfit just makes her happy.

Dean made fun of Christian before he came on screen “don’t know if you can hear it, but there was the sound of a motorbike and a horse running, so that tells me that Christian Kane is in the house”, Christian acted as if he was winded and didn’t know what was happening (he truly didn’t know it was a Periscope and not a Fb Live)

Q: What was your (Christian) fave myth? Was it in the show or not? Christian loved the Frankenstein thing, he was jealous of John Kim for this, he knows that Flynn has killed Dracula so that’s out of the table, but he would have loved more Frankenstein.

Question for Christian: Which series required more stunts? Leverage or The Librarians? Leverage. And Dean is still salty about the fact that Christian makes him hire stunts for him and then goes and does the stunts himself.

Question for Christian: did you have to watch The Librarian movies or did you just wing it? He said he was lucky because the role was written with him in mind, so no, he knows what Flynn did in the past, but he didn’t

Q: What was your fave interactions with the fans of the show? Christian likes that both 5yo kids and 100yo watch the show together and can both be fan. For John it was at the DragonCon because two girls went up to them (Christian was with him) dressed as Eve and Cassandra and he was like “I know those outfits”, they (the girls) told them they were Eve and Cassandra (Prince Charming Cassandra and a jumpsuit for Eve) and John couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognised them. For Lindy all the girls who thanked her via Instagram or Twitter for representing them, the “weird ones”, who said that Cassandra really meant something for them and that helped them through a difficult time. Lindy herself said she “was always a weirdo” never fitting anywhere, so it was really special, “for all of you ladies out there, hiiiiii” and waved.

Question for Christian: how did the character of Jacob help you evolve as an actor? He said that he was really lucky to work with amazing people (said all the cast’s names, but paused before John Kim’s name lol), and he said that Jacob was smarter than him, so he kinda had to get smarter.

Q: how was it to work with Rachel Nichols? They all said she was really nice.

Q: what was the funniest behind the scenes moment? They couldn’t really pick one, they loved playing UNO together, but turns out they gave a nickname to John Kim at 2 a.m. because John Kim is a really common name for korean actors and... they brainstormed. Lindy, laughing, said “and then he said he wanted a traditional Australian name!” and... they came up with Koala Newton John. They all agreed it would have been a hit

Q: would you (Dean) have liked to have an episode with all the villains together? Yes, Dean would have loved it, mainly because they all like the actors who played them, Christian was like “yeah, man, we can take ‘em, bring ‘em in!” and Dean “We got Baird, we can win anybody”

Rebecca arrived on screen

Question for Rebecca: what was your fave action and fave emotional scene? She loved the bar fight with Christian in the very first episode because they had played brother and sister in a previous show and had a fight together, so she liked that as the action scene. As the emotional scene she said Jenkins’ deathbed was tough, everyone chimed in saying it was so very emotional, but she added the scene in s4 where she is trying to make them remember The Library and she forgets it herself (in the alternate reality).

Q: we want to know everything that happened with those bunk beds from the summer camp episode. They said that there weren’t many funny outtakes, but that Ezekiel was bunking with Jacob and that Cassandra was under Eve’s bed. They had funny pj’s (”sleeping bonnet” for Lindy, alien pj’s for Ezekiel). But, on Rebecca’s Instagram there are pictures of them in bunk beds, it’s from the time loop episode. They said that maybe they liked bunk beds so much that they (the characters) sleep in bunk beds in The Library.

Dean said that the location for the time loop episode is an actual prison, never used before, but still a prison. John then said that, talking about emotional scenes, the one where Eve tells Ezekiel the WW2 story was really emotional, he didn’t want to know the story ‘till their close up and it worked well because he was genuinely tearing up when Rebecca/Eve told him for the first time during the shoot.

Question for Rebecca: fave memory from working on the show? Probably The Silver Screen episode because she likes that it’s not, as usual, Flynn explaining things to Eve, it’s Eve who knows this world and explains it to him. And then the fact that they (Rebecca and Noah) were really beautifully dressed as noir movies want and they (Lindy, Christian and John) showed up dressed up as anything but. They started laughing, John’s fond memories of Jab Jab, Christian was really embarassed because of his cowboy outfit so out of context with their beautiful world. Then everyone laughed because Dean brought up Christian’s yodeling in that episode.

Q: what was something you wanted to see your character doing/going that we didn’t get to do in s5? John likes that he (Ezekiel) was almost at the point of being responsible and he would have liked to shoot that. Lindy would have liked to know more about her past, her parents etc. She has so many ideas because we only got a glimpse of her goth phase in high school, she would have loved to have a particular actress as her mother (n.d.a. sorry guys, I didn’t catch her name, did you?) because she thinks she could portay the same energy Cassandra has, and Christian said he actually often visualise the same actress as his mother and thinks she’d be perfect. Rebecca would have loved to see an immortal Eve. Christian said that Jacob has found his family in s3, so he thinks he just wants to be like Eve, not in any romantic way, but he wants her to have to focus only on protecting Cassandra and Ezekiel, he wants to be able to fight at the same level, he wants to be great in a fight.

Dean reveals (to them as well) that he knew what the opening scene of s5 would have been: right back in the middle of the Tethering Ceremony with Nicole barging in and yelling “Stop! If you tether the world ends!” and end of teaser. He knows nothing after that, but he wanted to “screw everything up”

Q: if you had to do a body swapping episode, who would you like your character to body swap with? John, without a second of hesitation: “Baird.” And then “Aaaaaah, to kiss Noah Wyle” and everyone started laughing. Because he likes the idea of changing the Librarian-Guardian thing. Rebecca agrees that watching her as Ezekiel would have been fun. Lindy to Christian “Does that leave you and me?” Christian would be ecstatic to play Cassandra, he thinks he’d be great with his hands (for the visions), “I think I’d be fabolous!” and Lindy said she’s be impressive as Jacob because no one expects her to be able to fight, but she actually, in real life, is, Christian knows this and was “yes, she can throw a punch, I believe she knocked me back 3 feet”

Q: in tribute to John Larroquette who’s not here, your fave scene with John Larroquette. Lindy made a whining pained sound (she can’t choose one, “All of them!”). Dean: I think as a group, you all agree on his death scene. Everyone: yes. Dean: that was a rip-your-heart-out scene. But what about your one on one scene? Christian: the episode where Jenkins and Jacob had the talk after the stuff with Jake’s father. Christian went up to John (Larroquette) and told him, before they even knew about that episode, “<You have to understand something, man, you’re going to be my dad in this>, and I told John that, and you (Dean) before that episode with my dad, <I’m looking at you because I have nothing, you know what I mean? I don’t trust this guys (points at the others), so you- you’re the guy>” and it went exactly as he imagined it, and said that just getting to have a cup of coffe in the morning with John is amazing. Lindy: it was the entire episode she directed (Some Dude Named Jeff) because she says that what he gave her during that episode is so incredible. Her fave scene between him and Cassandra is “the vampire episode”. Christian: “At the very end?” Lindy: “No, no, at the beginning! Where she confesses her undying love to Jenkins! And asks him out on a date! And I just remember John (Larroquette) being so awkard about this and was like (tries to deepen her voice to speak like John) <Ooooh, nooo, I don’t think you would ever ask me out on a date!> and I was like, <Listen John, don’t tell me what I wouldn’t do>” and everyone laughs. She said that she likes their fight over mortality and immortality (same episode) and “he’s just a dream to work with” and stares dreamily into the void. John Kim says it’s when Ezekiel confronts Jenkins when he’s going away in the Apple of Discord. Dean said that his fave scene between John Larroquette and Rebecca was in the second episode, under the bridge, when he gives her the pep talk. Rebecca agrees, but also like the scene just before his death, when Eve has brought them all back and “he was there and gave me the biggest hug in the world”

Christian: “If I can speak for the panel, none of our tears (in the death scene) were acting, I was crying”. Everyone: yes. He (John Larroquette) was powerful.

Question: which episode was the funniest to film? Or which moment? Rebecca can’t pick, but said that the episode when they know they can work together, the four of them, without Flynn, the fairytale episode, they had lots of fun then, especially at Eve being mad for being a princess. Christian remembers going up to Rebecca: “as someone <that claims to know about stunts> I said <you’re in high heels, be careful with them> and she looked at me and she goes <Christian, there’s nothing I can’t do in high heels>” and everyone started laughing. Christian “and you know what? She’s absolutely right”

Question for John: can you actually pick a lock and have you ever stolen something? Yes, he can actually pick a lock, he learned, he can do it in under a minute. Christian “what did you steal that’s worth the most money?” Lindy at John “Nooooo! Do not admit to that!” Chaos ensued and Dean calmed them: “I’ll answer the question for him” then looks in the camera “A million hearts”.

Q: if there could only be one Librarian, who would make the best Librarian? Dean is sure this will start a fight. John: Ezekiel Jones. No questions, no hesitation. Everyone laughs. Lindy raises her hand and goes: “Guys, like, who else’s ever read a book? Who else could it be?!” Christian “I’ll be honest with you: it wouldn’t be Jacob Stone” and “sure as hell wouldn’t be Ezekiel” and “It would have been Cassandra. Because she thinks about things before jumping in and because she has the power of magic”

Dean thinks Captain Marvel stole the idea from them: the fact that Cassandra has powers, then gets rid of the brain grape and her powers go boom.

Lindy: “I actually think that not one of them can be The Librarian, even Flynn admitted it, after muuuuch discussion, that they are all better together.” Dean: 100% agrees with Lindy

Q: would any of you consider being a librarian as an alternative career? Rebecca volounteers at her kids’ library Lindy spends lots of time with children literacy causes, she wouldn’t be a librarian, “but the library is my happy place” Christian “I don’t wanna have to do with any card catalogue whatsoever!” (he’d only be a Librarian, capital L). John: nope, his fondest memory of a library is him behind other children scaring them.

Dean: can any of you actually use the card catalogue? John: NO. Rebecca and Lindy: yes, no problem. Christian: it’s the easiest thing in the world. Then to John “of course you can’t” And Christian Kane is an actual honorary librarian, because he made some publicity for the show and the NY Library gave him an honorary position.

Q: What do you think The Librarians have been doing since the last episode? Christian wants everybody to know that Jacob Stone has perfected and probably marketed his own line of beef jerky - everyone explodes in laughs - which is called Chupacabra. Lindy (n.d.a. who totally wanted to say “Jenkins”) says that Cassandra is probably re-organizing everything in The Library. John thinks Ezekiel is being lazy, sleeping in, getting bald.

Lindy directed an episode, John asked what she did for it and she said she normally just reads the script and thinks what would Cassandra wants, here she had to do it with all of them, mostly Jenkins. Christian said she was amazing, especially because it was her idea the opening scene (when they come into The Library, it’s shot all in one, no room for error, they are shouting news of the escaped animals at each other)

Dean asked: Did directing changed the way she acts? (Lindy) Not really, just made her want to be better.

Q: if you could use the Magic Door to take you anywhere in the world, where would you go? Lindy: can we travel in time? Rebecca: No, it’s not a time machine. Lindy: I kno- Rebecca: Do you even remember the show we were in? The thing escalated when they asked Dean if they could swap the magic doors for a time machine. Christian: magic door, same day, same time. Go. Lindy: Ok. Becca? Rebecca: ahm.......................... Christian: John Kim? They laugh. Rebecca: Come back to me! Dean: I’ll tell you where I would go! Rebecca: ok Dean: I would take all of you and we’d go through the Magic Door and we’d arrive at The Library. Everyone: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!

And that’s it.

Now it’s almost 6 a.m. here and I want the extended episodes of The Librarians. No, I don’t need sleep, someone gives those episodes to me, please

#the librarians #live #periscope #periscope live #dean devlin #john harlan kim #lindy booth #christian kane #rebecca romijn

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prittypony1 · 5 years

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Creature And Hyde Q And A

Creature: Hello everyone and welcome to the Q and A with Hyde and I. Hyde sits next to the creature. They both have laptops open. Hyde: *Sighs* I never agreed to this. *Points to the creature* He made me do this. Creature: I did not. You volunteered. I asked you if you wanted to answer questions in a video and you said yes. Don't blame me for this. Hyde: (Whispers to the camera) By the way, we stole this from John. Creature: You mean you stole it. I graciously left him a note saying that we needed the video camera for a project and that it would be returned at soon as possible. Hyde: FINE, I stole it. I confess. But were going to give it back to him when were done.

Creature: That's right. Now, before we begin I have something that I have to clarify to all of you out there. I AM NOT FRANKENSTEIN. I have no name. Frankenstein is my creator’s name. Although he calls me fiend, devil, monster, and creature, I have no name. GOT THAT. I AM NAMELESS. Hyde: My creator gave me a name. Why didn't he give you one? Creature: I don't know. Hyde: Well what would you like to be called? Creature: I am still thinking about that. Anyway, moving on to the questions. Hyde: Do you want to do mine first or yours? Creature: Yours I guess. Hyde: "Dear Mr. Hyde, is there any good in you. Do you have a conscience or do you do things instinctively? Do you know what is right and what is wrong? Do you have your own thoughts?" To answer your first question I suppose that now I have my own body and mind there is a good side in me but I’m not sure. For your second question, I'm the primitive evil side of mankind, of course, I do things instinctively. That's such a stupid question. Yes, I am learning about right and wrong from him. *points to the creature* And Yes I have my own thoughts now that I’m not in Jekyll's body anymore. Creature: "Mr. Creature, can you reproduce?" Um. Y-Yes I can. I have the ability to but.... um. I don't want too. Hyde: He does have the right parts. I should know. You should see the way he begs for me. He makes these cute whining noises. I tease him all the time. I love it when he gets upset and yells at me. He usually on top of me then, rutting into me like there's no tomorrow. Fast and hard. Just the way I like it. Creature: Ok, that’s enough. What goes on behind our bedroom door is between you and me. Why does the whole world have to know when they're not part of it? Hyde: Hey,*Holds hands up defensively* I just thought that it would be interesting to them. Creature: We have sex just like anybody else. The only thing is our methods are different. That is it. Next question. Hyde: "Dear, E.H." Why are you putting my initials? Are you afraid of spelling my whole name? "Now that you have a separate body and mind, do you and Jekyll read each other’s thoughts? No, I don't even what to know what he thinks about anymore. That would be cool though. Read everyone’s mind except Jekyll’s of course. And especially you, all the dirty thought running through your mind right now. Creature:*glares at Hyde and then turns back to his laptop screen* "Dear poor wrenched creature, what makes humans different than animals? Why do we call ourselves animals sometimes?" Animals, I believe have primitive instincts that they follow. Take Hyde for example. They don't have the complex emotions and thoughts that we have. Although we can see animals befriending other species and animals identifying themselves as other animals- Hyde: -Are you saying that I don't have complex emotions and thoughts? Creature: No, I was only using you as an example of something that has primitive instincts. Hyde: I'm an animal to you? Creature: No, why would you think that? Hyde: Because you compared me to an animal. Creature: Some of your actions are primitive instincts, but I’m not calling you an animal. I'm merely stating that some of your actions are primitive. Hyde: That's true, but I’m learning. Creature: That's good. I'm glad you’re learning to become more of a man than a monster. Hyde: "Dear Hyde, Do you hate that Dr. Jekyll blamed all of the things he did on you and not on himself." Yes and no, we're both to blame. Same thing for you and Frankenstein, your both to blame too. And also at that point, I think I began to have a mind of my own. Oh, and if everyone’s wondering why I trampled the little girl it was because she wouldn’t move out of my way when I told her too. Creature: Why couldn't you just have gone around her? Hyde: Because I don't move for people, people move for me. The Creature rolls his eyes And on another topic. Why did I kill sir Danvers, Well I hated that Jekyll’s friend Utterson was poking his nose into something he shouldn't have and so when I saw the letter he was carrying, I was enraged and I killed him. Creature: Why didn't you just kill Utterson? Hyde: I don't know why I didn't just kill Utterson. I never thought of it before. Creature: Well don't go out and kill him now. Hyde: Why would I need to? I got all my satisfaction in the guy sitting right next to me. Creature: True. Very true. Hyde: This one’s for both of us "Do both of you get along with your creators or will you kill each other if you’re in the same room together?" Creature: I haven't seen Frankenstein since we began our wild goose chase so i wouldn't know. Hyde: As soon as I got my own body I said "see yah later." and left. So, I don't know either.

Just then the door opens and Hamlet pokes his head in. Hamlet: Have any of you seen John's... Oh, there it is. John's been looking everywhere for his video device. He told me to find you and tell you that he needs it back. Hyde: No! He can't have it. Where not done answering questions. Creature: Edward Hyde! Hyde: Sorry. Creature: Please excuse his outburst. He'll try to control his temper next time (Looks at Hyde who stares at the floor) won't he. He looks back at Hamlet Hyde: I'm sorry Hamlet. Where is John anyway? Hamlet: He's down the hall. Hyde: Can you tell him to come over here? Hamlet: Yes, I will Hamlet leaves and returns with John. Hyde: John we need your video camera to answer our questions from twitter. John: You both have Twitter accounts? Hyde: You didn't know that? John: No, actually. But I really need my video camera back. Hyde: You have you’re I phones don't you? John: Sherlock used all of his battery so he had to use mine and now I don't have any battery left Hyde: What do you need it for anyway? John: For a case Hyde: You videotape all your cases? What about your blog? John: We just need it this one time Hyde thinks for a while and looks back at John Hyde: All right, fine. But promise to give it back to us, or else. Hyde fixes a glaring stare as he hands the video camera back to John John: I will, I promise. John leaves Hyde smirks at the Creature Creature: What are you thinking about now. Hyde: Oh, nothing much Hyde slowly reaches his paw to the Creatures inner thigh and begins to rub it softly up and down The Creature's breath hitches but he keeps a steady glare on Hyde. Creature: I know what you’re trying to do and it's not going to work. Hyde: I already know it's working by the sound you just made. Creature: It's not going to work on me this time. Hyde: It clearly is working. Hyde continues to rub the Creatures inner thigh The Creature gets up suddenly breaking contact and walks to the middle of the room with his back turned to Hyde and crosses his arms in front of his chest Hyde: What's wrong? Creature: Absolutely nothing. He walks to the Creature and puts both paws on each of his hips and rubs them up and down the Creatures sides Hyde: What did I do this time, hum? He whispers in his ear The Creatures breathe hitches again and he swallows Creature: Edward, stop. Hyde: Stop what? Hyde reaches for the Creatures manhood and taking it in his hand squeezes it Creature: UHhhh Hyde: I can make you lose control. Give into the animal inside you. Creature: Why does my body betray my mind. Why must such a simple act cause such pleasure? Hyde: It's Mother Nature. Now turn around with your back to the wall The Creature does as he's told Hyde then grabs his face, kisses him and at the same time grinds into him Creature: Edward, please Hyde: Please, what. Creature: please Hyde: Please, What? Creature: Darn it Edward Fuck me! Fuck me, please! But instead, Hyde goes in for another kiss and grinds into him again making the Creature moan and open his mouth far enough for Hyde’s tongue to explore his mouth The Creature pulls away with a growl and pushes Hyde into the wall hard. Creature: Fine! I'm going to have to do it myself! Hyde: I love it when you talk like that The Creature goes in full force without letting Hyde adjust, which was fine with him since he loved it fast and hard. With one last final thrust, the Creature releases inside and Hyde wasn't far behind Both stopped to catch their breath Creature: Why can't you do what I wanted. Couldn't you see I was desperate? Hyde: I love to tease you and make you beg me for it. Creature rolls his eyes. Just then John returns. John: All right guys I’m back... John noticed what happened and chuckled John: Looks like you two were bored and had to make your own entertainment. Hyde: We'll just get cleaned up. Hyde and the Creature leave and John stands in the doorway watching them go down the hall John: Those two. *John shakes his head and smiles*

#dr. jekyll and mr. hyde #frankenstein

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

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How SparkNotes' social media accounts mastered the art of meme-ing literature

Most millennials know SparkNotes as the ultimate no-nonsense study buddy, but today’s students not only receive help with schoolwork from the website, they get high-quality entertainment, too.

SparkNotes remains a crucial tool for text comprehension — full of study guides and supplemental resources on english literature, philosophy, poetry, and more. But over the past two years it’s also become a source of some of the internet’s most quick-witted, thought-provoking, and ambitious memes.

SparkNotes' Twitter and Instagram accounts have carved a unique niche for themselves online by posting literary memes that find perfect parallels between classic works like Macbeth, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, and Frankenstein, and present-day pop culture favorites like The Office, Parks and Rec, and more.

It may come as a surprise to those who once frequented the site for the sole purpose of better understanding Shakespeare plays before a final exam or catching up on assigned chapters of The Catcher in the Rye before the bell rang, but SparkNotes is cool now, and absolutely killing the social media game.

read more: The History of Black Adam

Sadly, Thunder only has a handful of appearances, but with DC's recent revival of the Legion, your humble writer would love to see CeCe bring the power of Shazam into the next century.

Tanist

Like CeCe, Tanist was given the power of Shazam by an aged Billy Batson. A resident of the planet Mercury, Tanist is severely injured and his mother murdered after he and his mom discover a mystical entrance to the Rock of Eternity. Billy revives Tanist with that one magic word and the Shazam legend continues a million years from now.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Marc Buxton

Dec 5, 2019

Shazam

DC Entertainment

from Books https://ift.tt/2Lpu8Dz

#aion-rsa #Books

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callmehawkeye · 5 years

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Watched in 2019

Big Little Lies (Season 1): This is such a solid cast and story, albeit predictable. I loved it as a mini-series and do not understand why it needs a second season; but I’ll be watching regardless.

Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour (2018): IIIIIIIIIII don’t think this setting is the best for Taylor. I go back and forth on her as a person often, but dig over half her catalog. The big theatrical show doesn’t quite suit her particular stage presence. She is great when just talking to the crowd with her guitar or piano. Regardless, she was definitely having fun, it was entertaining enough, and it’s cool she put this up on Netflix so I don’t have to amputate a body part to afford a ticket.

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018): Without a doubt, this is perhaps the most genuine and fulfilling depiction of a (hetero) romantic love story put to film I’ve witnessed in recent memory. The actors and their chemistry were breathtaking.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): Hands down the best Spider-Man movie to date. Soundtrack was perfection. Story was great. Characters were amazing. I want to protect Miles with my dying breath. Unique animation. Deservedly kicked Disney’s ass this award season.

Bumblebee (2018): Oddly endearing? Easily the best Transformers movie, and the only one I’ll recognize.

A Star is Born (2018): I’m sure I’d like this more if I weren’t a fan of the other 3. Lacked subtlety. Overhyped. It’s fine. The only best part was the rehab scene.

Fyre Fraud (2019): The Hulu documentary about the disastrous Fyre Festival. Superior of the two, in production and scope.

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017): WHAT. THE. FUCK. A must-see for true crime enthusiasts.

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019): This is more or less the same thing if you have already spent a little more time on this case than the average person. Good content for first-timers.

Girlfriends Day (2017): A nice, fast watch to pass the time.

Fyre Festival (2019): The other Fyre Festival documentary. To me, the lesser because it is produced from people who were on the inside. Which you’d think, “Oh so then they’d know.” But their bias and attempts to scrub themselves from the narrative are obvious.

The Favourite (2018): This made my little queer heart so happy. Great characters.

Everybody Knows (2019): A little on the nose in the mystery itself (just watch the actors in the background). But the performances were great. Loved the setting. Appropriate ending. Good job.

Isn’t It Romantic (2019): I loved this. I feel like I’ve written something exactly like this before. Very endearing and satisfying to watch.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019): It felt a little long, unsatisfying at some parts and rushed. But it’s a great bookend to a great series.

They Shall Not Grow Old (2019): Very impressive filmmaking and editing. I loved learning how they accomplished it in the featurette at the end of the screening.

Arctic (2019): Now THIS is how you make a survival movie. 90 minutes. No romance. Brutal reality without becoming melodramatic. Mads Mikkelsen cast in the lead...

Don’t Knock Twice (2016): Pleh. I hated the pacing and editing. Called out the “twist” immediately as a joke because I didn’t expect this movie to be that nuanced (magic done without permission, even with the intent to be good, is bad magic).

Captain Marvel (2019): My god this was so much fun and rejuvenated my interest in the MCU. I’m absolutely dreading Endgame and not for the reasons you think.

Greta (2019): Great performances, absolutely tense, very creepy and fun.

1922 (2017): What a great fucking motif.

Climax (2019): This was quite the sit. A literal 90 minute bad LSD trip from an up-close perspective. God I hated it.

Michael Che Matters (2016): I’ve never seen a standup special start so strong and progressively get weaker like this before...

Us (2019): As I said on Twitter -- it seems to me primarily casual or non-horror fans think Us is the greatest horror film of all time and is going to rejuvenate or “save” the genre. Then primarily veteran fans think it’s weak and vague. I think both viewpoints are shortsighted and formed from either category being stuck in their perspectives. For me, the movie was neither. (I loved it).

The Beach Bum (2019): Another movie I can’t believe I sat all the way through.

Leaving Neverland (2019): I stand with Wade and James.

Queer Eye (Season 3): Who needs antidepressants? Not me!

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé (2019): Beychella reigns once again!!

Dancing Queen (Season 1): This was very sweet. I never thought I could sit through anything with insufferable dance moms, but Justin/Alyssa makes it so engaging and watchable. Stupid to end on a cliffhanger, however.

Avengers: Endgame (2019): ..............B+ At least it was a million times better than Infinity War. And I had fun.

Booksmart (2019): This hit so close to home. Sure, the coming of age movie is nothing new. But there was something liberating about the characters in this one that were terribly stereotypical and much more relatable. To me, anyway.

Long Shot (2019): Great music, great relationship, great laughs. This was a fun, solid watch of a romcom.

Hail Satan? (2019): I want to inject this documentary directly into my veins.

Amazing Grace (2019): The live footage of Aretha Franklin recording her Amazing Grace album at the church in Watts.

Meeting Gorbachev (2019): I got to see this documentary at a theater where Wener Herzog himself was hosting a Q&A and introduced this film. Maybe it made me more biased to liking it. But I honestly felt like I learned a lot.

Missing Link (2019): First movie of the year I didn’t complete/walked out of. I let it have an hour. First time I’ve ever been disappointed in Laika. I can’t believe it. It was so dull and I kept waiting for something to happen.

Little (2019): This was sweet. Issa Rae is dipped in gold. BUT it felt like there was an outline, not a script. Lots of dropped threads. And a weirdly out of place, glaring, punching-down trans joke??!

Tolkien (2019): Wow. I really liked this. Great pacing, shifting between time frames. Even better performances and relationships. Made me think of my own fellowship a lot. This is how biopics should be done.

The Biggest Little Farm (2019): WONDERFUL documentary covering the years of building up a sustainable farm from less than scratch.

The Hustle (2019): God, this was a long, humorless sit. At least Anne looked stunning.

The Sun is Also a Star (2019): This isn’t more realistic than romantic comedies, or teen love films. But it’s more enjoyable than most. The leads are great and have electric chemistry. New York is framed beautifully.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019): I am blessed by this Keanu Reevessance.

Fleabag (Season 1): This is probably going to be the best thing I watch this year.

Fleabag (Season 2): Yup. Confirmed. Something very special would need to come along from June to December to change this mindset. I highly recommend this. Watch it. Go in blind. Watch it!!

Pavarotti (2019): I enjoy documentaries where I feel I really learn about the subject. Beautiful music, beautiful memories, beautiful life.

Rocketman (2019): I wish more biopics were like this. It was wonderful and such a grand time.

Lorena (2019): A deep dive into the Bobbitt case, including the woman herself. I have such empathy and love for Lorena. You should watch it and learn about the incident yourself.

The Last Man in San Francisco (2019): Go in blind. Don’t look it up. Just go. it’s the most beautiful film I’ve seen so far this year. I wish there were more male protagonists like this.

Toy Story 4 (2019): I was so skeptical. It more than exceeded my expectations. Just go in prepared to have your heart ripped in two.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019): They’re learning. Out of the newer films, this one has the less amount of people. Now make another film like this, only extend the monster fight scenes. Less. People.

Child’s Play (2019): This was fun. Not much more to say. More Aubrey in things!

Men in Black International (2019): Honestly, this was better than the second or third ones. I legitimately enjoyed myself. It was funny. The cast was charming. The otherworldly aliens were interesting. And I’m so proud of Les Twins.

Grace and Frankie (Season 5) :This is always a good time for me. I love watching this show when I want to take a break from more dedicated watches. I love these actresses with all my heart. June Diane Raphael is goals.

Midsommar (2019): This was such a fun aesthetic to watch. I was so uncomfortable throughout.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019): Ugh, my hearrrrrtt.

Maiden (2019): Documentary about the first all-female crew who competed in the 1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race. The woman next to me in the theater was the same age as the women featured in old footage and modern day talking head interviews -- and she was just sobbing by the end. Solidarity.

Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (2019): 30 minutes well spent. Fucking hilarious.

Stranger Things (Season 3): God, what a fun season. I am still Steve.

Queer Eye (Season 4): I need 54 more seasons, kthx.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): My absolute favorite battle sequence in a Marvel movie. Such a good time.

Hobbs & Shaw (2019): My first and last Fast movie. Goddamn I was so bored.

Bring the Soul: The Movie (2019): Wow, this was brutal. I get it wasn’t all of the footage, but they seemed to mostly focus on members being sick and injured and miserable. I didn’t understand the love for this movie when all it did was highlight how exhausted the boys are. I suppose it was meant to be inspiring, but I only felt bad for them. I just ranted about them needing a break and thank god they finally have one -- apt timing!

Burn the Stage: The Movie (2018): I went back to the earlier film with the hopes of... Higher hopes. And they were fulfilled. Such cute and uplifting footage.

Blinded by the Light (2019): God I love Springsteen. This movie is a great homage to his music. It’s not a straight-up musical, and that’s lovingly the point. Some things never change.

It: Chapter Two (2019): This was a slog compared to the first part. Much like the miniseries. Much like the book.

Parasite (2019): I, a college student with very little free time -- let alone free time to go to the movies -- saw this in theaters twice. I tried to go a third time but then finals happened. Go see it. Go see it blind. I'm not really doing end-year lists anymore but this is without a doubt my favorite film from 2019.

BTS World Tour: Love Yourself (2019): Most fun I've had in a theater in some time. I feel like I curled up into the tiniest ball at some point out of pure joy that couldn't be contained.

Frozen II (2019): This was quite plot-heavy for a sequel. I loved how many songs they were. It's an acceptable sequel. A lot of weak themes and choices, however, if you think about it for more than a few minutes. Overall delightful.

Jojo Rabbit (2019): Speaking of delightful. Taika Waititi continues to be my favorite living writer-director. This is such a solid portrayal of Nazism without glorifying it. Always go the Mel Brooks route and make it a comedy; they can't turn it around and make the imagery propaganda. I have high hopes for Roman Griffin Davis and his future career.

Knives Out (2019): This was quite fun. I love a good mystery with a large ensemble cast like this. It didn't blow my mind of anything -- I saw every turn coming -- but that's just because I credit it to being such a lonely kid who read so many mystery novels.

2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

#watch list

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silverscreenclassics2016 · 4 years

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by Paul Batters

Classic film lovers are passionate about the films they love and all share a special feeling for those films with others. The classic film community is one bound by that love for classic film and it is a romance that will not die. If love forever after ever exists, you will certainly find it amongst those who love it and also write about it.

This article will be the first of two parts which will celebrate the films which brought people to love classic film. A number of people have shared how they came to love classic film as well as the film or films which began that journey for them.

John Greco

Blog – John Greco Author/Photographer

I can’t name just one movie. Each film I watched was like a piece of a puzzle with the right ones fitting the overall picture. It was an assembly of films and filmmakers that gave me inspiration and a love of cinema.

Many noir and crime films were early influences of both my love of movies and in my fiction writing. The first gangster films I remember seeing were “Al Capone” and “Baby Face Nelson.” On television, I discovered “The Maltese Falcon,” “The Roaring Twenties,” “The Public Enemy,” and many others. A bit later, I discovered Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” “Psycho,” “North by Northwest,” and many others. After Hitchcock, I started following the careers of film directors, and it was works like Polanski’s “Repulsion” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” John Frankenheimer’s “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Seven Days in May,” Billy Wilder’s “Double Indemnity,” “Some Like it Hot,” “Ace in the Hole” that cemented my love of celluloid. There were plenty of others, Wyler’s “The Collector,” Penn’s “Bonnie and Clyde,” Lumet’s “The Pawnbroker,” Brooks’ “The Professionals,” Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove,” and Hiller’s “The Americanization of Emily” were and are influences and all still rank high in my admiration.

Kellee Pratt

Blog: Outspoken And Freckled Twitter: @IrishJayhawk66

For me, my love for old movies came to me as a child when we lived in Taos, New Mexico. The local art center would screen slapsticks on Saturday mornings such as the hilarious Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang, and Mack Sennett. My maternal grandmother had a love for classic film and considered it a vital part of my education. I recall an early memory of her introducing a certain film being broadcast on tv, “Pay close attention, Kellee. This is an important film.” She was right, I still love WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION to this day and I included it in a film course I taught. Classic comedies were an early love in particular. For many of us fans, old movies, especially comedy, is a form of escapism. Some of the other films my grandmother brought into my life: “ THE GREAT RACE,” “IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD,” and “THE QUIET MAN.” That last film mentioned, a John Ford classic, was not just a silly film to her, it was propped up as the family how-to manual in our Irish Catholic family. These films are more than simply entertainment, they actually helped to shape my identity.

Michael W Denney

Blog – ManiacsAndMonsters.com Twitter: @ManiacsMonsters

As a horror movie fan, I have a deep admiration for the classic films from Universal Pictures: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dracula, et al. And yet, they were not the gateway to my love of classic film. Growing up, I regularly watched The Little Rascals, Laurel & Hardy, and The Three Stooges and I am certain that those short films planted the initial seed. I am also a long-time aficionado and collector of shorts and memorabilia from the golden age of animation and in particular the Warner Bros. cartoons. Those cartoons further developed an appreciation for the aesthetics, humour, and timing of classic film. But if I have to designate a single feature film that cemented my love for the classics, I would have to choose the Marx Brothers’ A Day at the Races. The first time I saw it, I was immediately enthralled by both the slapstick and the clever word play. The frantic nonsense in the last act as the Marx Brothers do everything in their power to delay the steeplechase and then help jittery Hi-Hat win the race made me a devotee of that era of film making.

Patricia (Paddy Lee) Nolan-Hall

Blog: https://www.caftanwoman.com/ Twitter: @CaftanWoman

Shane is the movie that made me love movies. I first saw Shane on a theatrical re-release in the mid-1960s when I was around 10 years old.

The enlightening experience began with Victor Young’s score. The music had such power and melancholy that it pulled me into the story. Years later when I read Shane I realized that I lived the movie the way the character of the young boy lived those weeks with Shane – observing, sensing, and understanding. I had laughed and cried at movies before, but never had the emotions felt so crystallized.

Strangely, the experience of Shane wasn’t purely an emotional response. One part of my brain was buzzing with the revelation that movies didn’t just happen. Movies had a how and a why to them. That must be why my dad always made us read credits. A switch was flipped and the whole movie experience became alive. I understood why the music moved me, why Shane was often framed away from the other characters, and so much more. It was all too thrilling. Every movie was better after Shane, but it still stands alone as the movie that made me truly love movies.

Toni Ruberto

Blog – watchingforever.wordpress.com Twitter: @toniruberto

My love for classic movies can’t be traced to one film but to an entire genre: horror movies. As a kid, I watched the “old movies” (as we called them) on TV with my dad: Universal Monsters, the giant bugs of the 1950s B-movies, the fantastical creatures of Ray Harryhausen. “Them,” “The Thing” “Tarantula” and are among those we watched over and over again – and still do to this day. I never tire of hearing that screechy sound of the big ants in “Them” or seeing the fight against the giant crab in “Mysterious Island.”

Classic horror movies bring back wonderful memories of sitting on the floor by my dad’s chair as we watched them together. I love to hear similar stories from others who share they also were introduced to the classics by a family member. Because of my comfort in watching the old horror movies, it never bothered me to watch a film in “black and white” like it did my friends. So I kept watching. Thanks to dad and all the creatures who helped me discover my life-long love of classic movies.

Blog – The Classic Movie Muse Twitter: @classymoviemuse

I fell in love with classic movies before I knew it was happening to me. As a one year old (I’m told) I would watch The Wizard of Oz (1939) repeatedly. It seems that I had a penchant for musicals. When my parents visited a family friend who owned Show Boat (1951), that became my go-to while the adults chatted.

In our home we owned a few Gene Kelly musicals that introduced me to the dancing man and some MGM stars: Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Anchors Aweigh (1945), and Singin’ in the Rain (1952). I also remember watching The King and I (1956) and The Sound of Music (1965) frequently in my adolescence.

In my teenage years I was introduced to Gone With the Wind (1939) and my life changed. I had to know more about this movie, the actors, and how in the world did they make something so grand in 1939? Thus began my endless journey of research and love of this golden era of film.

Jill -Administrator of The Vintage Classics Facebook Page and Group and Instagram.

The films that got me into Classic films were “East of Eden” & “Rebel Without a Cause.” I owe that to my Dad. James Dean played a huge part. My love for classic films has grown so much over the years. I love so many. I prefer the classics to the films of today.

A poster for Nicholas Ray’s 1955 drama ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ starring James Dean. (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)

Zoe K

Blog – Hollywood Genes

My dad and I were very close when I was growing up. He loved old movies and used to tape a few (remember VHS?) off of TCM for us to watch. The incredibly fun Bringing Up Baby filled with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant’s madcap antics was a favorite. Desk Set was another. I would sit at the coffee table while I watched with my dad’s work stationary and the giant pink Electronic Dream Phone (from the Milton Bradley game) in front of me. I mimicked Joan Blondell and her fellow ladies in the research department as I blew the minds of callers with my vast array of know-how.

My dad died when I was 11, but those tapes bearing labels with his handwriting remained on the shelf. I think I clung to them as a way to keep us connected. Though I’ve seen many more classic films since then, Bringing Up Baby and Desk Set remain two of my favorites. Good memories make all of the difference.

A huge thank you to our contributors for sharing the films that started their journey with classic film. Hopefully we are all inspired by their words to remember the films that also start our own love for classic film.

Tomorrow, we will continue with Part Two of The Films That Brought Us To Love Classic Film.

Paul Batters teaches secondary school History in the Illawarra region and also lectures at the University Of Wollongong. In a previous life, he was involved in community radio and independent publications. Looking to a career in writing, Paul also has a passion for film history.

The Films That Brought Us To Love Classic Film – Part One by Paul Batters Classic film lovers are passionate about the films they love and all share a special feeling for those films with others.

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kayawagner · 6 years

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Gnome Stew Notables – Avery Alder

Welcome to the next installment of our Gnome Spotlight: Notables series. The notables series is a look at game developers in the gaming industry doing good work. The series will focus on female game creators and game creators of color primarily, and each entry will be a short bio and interview. We’ve currently got a group of authors and guest authors interviewing game creators and hope to bring you many more entries in the series as it continues on. If you’ve got a suggestion for someone we should be doing a notables article on, send us a note at [email protected]. – Head Gnome John

Meet Avery

Avery is an experienced game designer interested in bringing meaningful and easy-to-learn games to a wider audience. Emphasizing collaboration and games where players decide ‘what is possible’, Avery’s games work to realize the potential for roleplaying games to challenge our politics, transform our lives, and bring about social change. Her works include: Monsterhearts, The Quiet Year, Ribbon Drive.

Check out Avery’s Kickstarter for Dream Askew//Dream Apart

@dreamaskew on twitter

Talking with Avery

1.) You have a new game out! Tell us about your latest game on Kickstarter. It’s called Dream Askew?

Yes! My latest project is on Kickstarter now! It is actually a split book with two games that are sort of companion games. I wrote Dream Askew, which is about a queer community amid the collapse of civilization, where the characters are influential people and explore what they would do with all the potential and scarcity that they now have. It is explicitly about a marginalized community banding together, and acknowledges that the apocalypse won’t reach everyone at the same time. I like that all of that possibility could be really hopeful… Benjamin Rosenbaum’s game Dream Apart is about being members of a Jewish shtetl in 19th century Eastern Europe. Both are designed as diceless and gm-less games that are good for seasoned players but are also beginner-friendly.

softcover, full colour, half-letter (5.5 x 8.5), approx. 100-180 pages

2.) Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

I have been designing games since high school and have explored a lot of different themes and approaches, but I keep coming back to themes of self-doubt, troubled communities—with conflicts like ideological differences—and relationships, queer community, and the post-apocalypse or exploring what would happen after the collapse of civilization. My games don’t focus on despair and suffering though. They focus on finding out where hope survives in that process.

I am really proud of my game Ribbon Drive, which was a freeform game that used songs from music playlists brought by the players to inspire the scenes and framing that players responded to in the game. For me, this game was about players coming in with a vision of the future—the places the game would go—and learning how to re-examine, and eventually let go of, that vision.

In 2012 I released probably my most popular game, Monsterhearts, where players are teenage monsters—both literally and metaphorically. They are teens making sense of their changing bodies and social worlds, while being monsterous creatures with their associated behavioral traits. This game had a lot of queer themes, with monstrosity standing in as a metaphor for a lot of things, but especially queerness. Sexuality and its confusing abiguities are core mechanic for the game.

I also designed The Quiet Year, which is a map drawing game about a community that has survived the collapse of civilization and is trying to rebuild. It is sort of a combination of board game, world building, and and abstract poetry exercise!

3.) Can you tell me a little bit more about how you make those thematic choices? Are these intentional and goal oriented? More personal?

I think it’s a mixture of personal interest and goal. I have lots of ideas and start working on lots of games and then abandon most of them…so the ones that have a burning need to be created are the ones that make it through. They are the games with themes I find really compelling, and that do mechanical things that push back against prevailing design trends…or build on those trends. There was a period in the indie design community when every design revolved around scene-level conflict resolution mechanics, and play pushed toward these conflicts in every scene. Ribbon Drive was designed as a game where you didn’t have conflict, and even when there were obstacles you could take a detour. You couldn’t use traits in the same scene that you introduced them. I think it’s important to have games about learning humility and self-reflection, not just conflict. One factor in choosing these elements is that they feel like a timely contribution to the community at a meta- level. Play can serve to promote belonging to a world working towards revolution and looking really critically at our own goals and actions. The games I design that make it to production really further that…it’s not coincidental.

4.) How did you get into games? Was there a memorable or meaningful gaming (or design) experience that encouraged you to get involved?

I have always been excited about games. D&D 3.5 was my first RPG experience. I was in a logging town where there weren’t a lot of opportunities, but with D&D I was able to imagine a world bigger than my small town. I was playing with a group of boys who were all smarmy know-it-alls, and would argue that the one GM-ing was wrong or could have done better. The games would always fizzle. From the get go I could see the potential in the medium and see us all having trouble accessing that potential, and with all our play styles wanting really different things. So I started designing my own games pretty quickly to try to see how to make the play experience better. I released my first game a month after I graduated high school.

5.) Who did you look up to when you got started in the industry? Or who do you look up to now?

Paul Czege wrote My Life With Master, the first indie role playing game I ever ordered, and it was the game that introduced me to tight minimal design. In that game, you play as a minion to an intimidating master—a figure like Dracula or Frankenstein. There was the tension of wanting to do something for your master while also knowing you can’t escape them, but slowly developing curiosity about the townsfolk and the bravery and competence to overthrow the master. Your character was represented by only a few stats: Self-Loathing, Weariness, and Love for the townsfolk was all the definition that you needed. Czege’s focused, minimal, tight, thematic mechanics really informed the kind of designer I became.

6.) Are there any important changes you see (or would like to see) occurring in the industry?

I have seen more games by and about women, which is really exciting. I see women designers getting a spotlight more often and also more queer themes being included in stories—both by queer designers and by designers working to exclude fewer people from their stories. I also see a push for diversity generally, and more conventions thinking about diversity of guests they bring out…But I see most of that push for diversity in ways that focus on gender and sexuality and not on race. I’ve seen panels on bringing diversity to the games industry that are all white, so I’d want more designers of color to be given guest spots at conventions and to get their work spotlighted more often. And maybe more attention on decolonization led by indigenous people in the community. From a design perspective, the thing I’d really want to see are games accessible to new players and that play in a few hours (ex. Jason Morningstar’s games point a way forward). I work to design games that are mechanically simple, but they still typically require a lot of high concept thinking and take 3-4 hours. There aren’t many games that play in just one or two hours.

7.) I’m glad you mentioned the time commitment that many RPGs take. Are there other ways these games could be more beginner-friendly?

In terms of a way that a book presents its concepts, not using acronyms is huge! Acronyms make it really imposing. In terms of design, games that require less math and that explain the concepts in the same place that you find them on the character sheet make them more accessible, so new players aren’t just looking down and seeing all these numbers. For play, thinking about making spaces accessible to new parents since many people have young children. In terms of themes, I think that as designers and storytellers we need to be really mindful about what themes will make sense to a general audience, and which are recursive tropes and memes that gamers have developed that are inscrutable to the outside world…like the progression of rat killing in sewers to becoming a demi-god doesn’t make sense to people who don’t already know it. If you are going to tell those stories and want them to be welcoming to new players, you really have to spell it out for new players…and what else might they know that looks similar. We like to think that these stories are like Lord of the Rings, but they really aren’t. The model for a D&D character arc is outside the usual.

I think a thing that comes up with my work is that people who are long time gamers have more trouble connecting thematically with what I’m writing than people who haven’t played RPGs before. For example, with Ribbon Drive, if you are coming in from D&D and Pathfinder as a point of reference to this game you are going to stumble more because really obvious cultural touchstones for some aren’t necessarily gamer touchstones, so people stumble over them.

8.) I am very excited for your new project. Can you tell me a little more about it before I let you go?

One of the really cool things about this Kickstarter project is the way Dream Askew & Dream Apart are in dialogue. They both are about marginalized communities that have created this place of belonging and possibility, while at the fringes of society. They build off the same themes but take them to really different places; in one case taking those themes in the context of a group that really existed, while the other is about a more fantastic range of possibilities. One asks you to build upon and explore your relationship to history, and the other asks you to imagine and build a world together. I’m interested in ways these games are both very similar and very divergent, and compliment each other and tease out the themes and possibilities of each. With Benjamin, thinking that if this project is about them both being a type of game, we’ve included a chapter on designing this type of game—encouraging people to continue exploring community, development, and juggling tensions and choices though game design. The book is not just a manual for how to play a game but is a manual for how to play a particular kind of game, as well as a piece that encourages you to design and explore further on your own.

I think it is really important to say that, in addition to Dream Askew & Dream Apart being rich games with powerful themes, I think they are really fun. Fun games that are for anyone. The first time I played Dream Apart we were high-fiving and laughing…it was just so fun to play!

Thanks for joining us for this entry in the notables series. You can find more in the series here: and please feel free to drop us any suggestions for people we should interview at [email protected].

Gnome Stew Notables – Avery Alder published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

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swipestream · 6 years

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Gnome Stew Notables – Avery Alder

Meet Avery

Check out Avery’s Kickstarter for Dream Askew//Dream Apart

@dreamaskew on twitter

Talking with Avery

1.) You have a new game out! Tell us about your latest game on Kickstarter. It’s called Dream Askew?

softcover, full colour, half-letter (5.5 x 8.5), approx. 100-180 pages

2.) Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

3.) Can you tell me a little bit more about how you make those thematic choices? Are these intentional and goal oriented? More personal?

4.) How did you get into games? Was there a memorable or meaningful gaming (or design) experience that encouraged you to get involved?

5.) Who did you look up to when you got started in the industry? Or who do you look up to now?

6.) Are there any important changes you see (or would like to see) occurring in the industry?

7.) I’m glad you mentioned the time commitment that many RPGs take. Are there other ways these games could be more beginner-friendly?

8.) I am very excited for your new project. Can you tell me a little more about it before I let you go?

Thanks for joining us for this entry in the notables series. You can find more in the series here: and please feel free to drop us any suggestions for people we should interview at [email protected].

Gnome Stew Notables – Avery Alder published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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obtusemedia · 6 years

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In Ascending Order: Ranking Every Peak-Era (1980-2004) U2 Song

Few classic rock bands’ legacies have been as negatively impacted by their latter-day material as U2. Or at least that’s how it seems whenever the Irish four-piece release a new album: The knives (and snark) come out on Twitter and in critical reviews.

This always struck me as a little odd: Yeah, I’m not going to defend Songs of Experience or anything — their recent albums are legitimately bland and uninspired. But they’re also nearly 40 years into their recording career. The Rolling Stones lost their juice 15 years before that, and most other classic rock titans like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin or Guns n’ Roses simply broke up when they were still hot. The only classic rocker who stayed legitimately relevant in his old age is David Bowie, and even he was irrelevant for about 15-20 years before his final two comeback albums (maybe U2 can pull that off in a decade or two?).

So instead of focusing on U2′s diminishing returns, I want to celebrate their peak, starting with their energetic 1980 debut, Boy, up until the last album one could legitimately call a hit, 2004′s How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. This is a ranking of all 119 original album tracks from the 11 albums U2 released during this period. Here’s the ground rules:

1) No new tracks. The bottom of this list would be clogged with Songs of Experience and Songs of Innocence tracks otherwise (with a notable exception). It hurts to cut out No Line on the Horizon, which I’ve always found underrated, but it was a flop, and frankly, even its best songs wouldn’t crack the top 20. (Also, I’m not trying to make jokes about that forcing-songs-onto-your-phone debacle for half the list)

2) No covers or live (re-recorded) tracks. This only really applies to Rattle And Hum, which sprinkled in live recordings of previous U2 songs, as well as classic rock covers. I’m only counting the brand-new songs from that album. However, if it’s a new track that’s a live recording, it qualifies.

3) No EP tracks, side projects or stand-alone singles. This rule disqualifies anything from the Passengers album, Wide Awake in America, or any movie soundtrack tunes (or “A Celebration,” which I adore for how ridiculous the music video is).

#119: “Wild Honey” (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2000): Dear lord, is this saccharine. Corny hippie love songs are absolutely not a good fit for U2, and the band themselves seem over it. Also, pro tip: don’t compare yourself to a monkey.

#118: “One Step Closer” (How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, 2004): Unfortunately, it’s not a Linkin Park cover. In fact, it’s crazy boring.

#117: “Grace” (Leave Behind): Anyone who tries to tell you All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a top-tier U2 album clearly has only listened to the first half, because the second-half is quite uninspired. “Grace” tries to personify the titular attribute over a quiet soft-rock beat, and you’ll forget everything about it as soon as you listen to something else.

#116: “Love Rescue Me” (Rattle And Hum, 1988): Bob Dylan co-wrote and sings with Bono on this song. Unfortunately, it isn’t anywhere near “Like A Rolling Stone.” In fact, it’s six-and-a-half minutes of by-the-numbers bar blues that really makes clear why Rattle And Hum was considered a disappointment at the time.

#115: “Yahweh” (Atomic Bomb): I’m going to apologize now for the bottom of this list being mostly filler tracks from Atomic Bomb and Leave Behind, but I couldn’t help it. They both have their classics (we’ll get to those later), but when they’re bad — like in “Yahweh,” where Bono literally asks Jesus to kiss him on the mouth — they’re quite bad.

#114: “A Man And A Woman” (Atomic Bomb): Can someone let U2 know that they’re from Ireland and not Spain and they really can’t pull off this tired Latin-lover schtick?

#113: “The Playboy Mansion” (Pop, 1997): A lot of Pop reeks of its time period, but I don’t mind that for the most part. However, “Playboy Mansion” is dated in the worst way. It’s sleazy without being fun, like a half-drunk lounge singer mumbling at 3 a.m. in some upstate New York Holiday Inn about random pop culture references (Big Macs? Plastic surgery? O.J. Simpson?!). “Playboy” has aged very badly, and not in an entertaining way, unfortunately.

#112: “Is That All?” (October, 1981): There’s no songs on October, U2′s most forgotten album, that are outright garbage, but there are a few that are definitely pointless and meandering. This is one of them. “Is That All?” sounds like the record company needed one more song for the album, and the band just threw this together in 5 minutes.

#111: “Peace On Earth” (Leave Behind): The production is lifeless, but Bono’s lyrics actually have some bite to them. His moaning about the dire state of the world is a bit overwrought, but in an album full of rah-rah optimism, this is a nice change of pace.

#110: “4th of July” (The Unforgettable Fire, 1984): It’s an instrumental track. It does provide some nice atmospheric build-up for the classic song that immediately follows it, but on its own, “4th of July” is very skippable.

#109: “Crumbs From Your Table” (Atomic Bomb): “Crumbs” has a nice rock groove, but I think I’ll pass on the guilt trip. Yes, world hunger is a legitimate issue that Bono is noble for trying to fix, but instead of inspiring people to help here, he just gets bitter. Not for me. Although “Crumbs” does get one great line in: “Where you live should not decide/whether you live or whether you die.”

#108: “When I Look At The World” (Leave Behind): Decent production, but a forgettable tune and lyrics.

#107: “Red Light” (War, 1983): I’ve always felt that War would make a fabulous 8-song, super-short album. But nope, there’s two extra songs that are quite pointless, if not outright bad. “Red Light” is one of them. Bono gives the necessary energy, but there’s no hook. And the trumpet solo feels very out-of-place.

#106: “Stranger In A Strange Land” (October): This song is about immigration, but unfortunately, like most of the songs from October, the lyrics are too bare-boned to go too in-depth (Bono infamously lost his lyric book in Portland, Ore. right before they were set to record...oops).

#105: “Surrender” (War): This is the other song that should’ve been kept off War. It also lacks a good hook or interesting lyrics, but the verse melody is halfway-decent, so it goes a couple spots over “Red Light.”

#104: “Another Time Another Place” (Boy, 1980): Boy is a sneaky-good debut album from a band that’s mostly remembered for their mid-period years in the late-’80s and early-’90s. I’ve always felt their unpolished early albums never got the love they deserved. Unfortunately, “Another Time Another Place” doesn’t help my argument: it’s pretty paint-by-numbers.

#103: “Some Days Are Better Than Others” (Zooropa, 1993): Whether you like U2′s futuristic fever dream Zooropa or not, you certainly can’t call it unmemorable. ...except this song, which is pretty unmemorable.

#102: “Fire” (October): “Fire” has a nice rollicking energy to it that’s ruined by some of the most painfully unimaginative lyrics I’ve heard in a U2 song. The missing lyric book strikes again!

#101: “The Ocean” (Boy): It’s the shortest U2 song! Yes, even shorter than the instrumental “4th of July.” “The Ocean” is a nice melancholy tune, but because of its brief runtime, it sort of comes and goes without leaving much impact.

#100: “In A Little While” (Leave Behind): I guess for a John Mayer soundalike, this isn’t bad. The melody is nice. But ugh — I will never be able to stomach that faux-troubadour, early/mid-’00s singer-songwriter sound. Sorry, blame Jack Johnson oversaturation during my formative years.

#99: “If You Wear That Velvet Dress” (Pop): A gorgeous, subtle ballad that’s a breath of fresh air on U2′s noisiest album. Or at least, I’m assuming; I honestly can’t hear what’s going on. Bono is whispering more than singing for the entire first minute, and you have to crank up the volume just to tell what the hell’s going on. I get what they were going for here — a bleak, desperate ballad — but the execution was off.

#98: “Original of the Species” (Atomic Bomb): Atomic Bomb has lots of corny moments, and this entire song is one of them. It’s also kind of a mess, structure-wise: “Original” feels like a Frankenstein’s monster of power ballads, like four different songs awkwardly smushed together. But, I’d be lying if that chorus doesn’t have enough classic U2 oomph to redeem “Original” just a bit.

#97: “Scarlet” (October): A song with one word? I mean, you could call it intentionally minimalist...or you could assume that Bono was winging it after he left that lyric book in Portland. Yes, that one incident scars most of the album.

#96: “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car” (Zooropa): I think this is U2 going after the one percent, but it might be about a pimp? Or a serial killer? It’s kind of vague, which I feel was supposedly intentional. Unfortunately, the production takes too long to really pick up to help the song stand out beyond that.

#95: “Shadows and Tall Trees” (Boy): I don’t really go to Boy for its spaced-out ballads, but “Shadows” is still an okay track. The imagery is oblique and mysterious, and the final climax is a nice touch as well. Nothing mind-blowing (the lyrics get a bit repetitive), but it’s certainly an acceptable album closer.

#94: “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” (Achtung Baby, 1991): Achtung might be U2′s best album (sorry, Joshua Tree), but if there’s a weak link, this is it. “Wild Horses” isn’t a terrible tune, but it certainly suffers from cliched lyrics and production/melody that sounds suspiciously like a car commercial. It’s the band’s awkward attempt at a Springsteen song, and it doesn’t quite click.

#93: “I Threw a Brick Through a Window” (October): Definitely on the repetitive side, but that opening drum beat! And the Edge’s furious guitar work! It’s only half a song, but at least it’s a pretty good half.

#92: “Exit” (The Joshua Tree, 1987): Easily the darkest, most sinister song on Joshua Tree, but it doesn’t quite work. The climax is great — it’s all discordant guitar shredding and fast-paced drums — but it’s too short, and the buildup isn’t interesting enough.

#91: “Love and Peace or Else” (Atomic Bomb): This is another U2 track with a great idea (that sludgy, distorted guitar tone in the beginning is delicious), but winds up not quite working due to another factor (Bono turning it into a mediocre blues song).

#90: “Indian Summer Sky” (The Unforgettable Fire): It’s a near carbon-copy of “Wire,” which appeared just earlier on the album. Luckily (as you’ll see later), “Wire” is a great song, so “Indian Summer Sky” isn’t a disaster by any means. But it also fails to stand out.

#89: “When Love Comes to Town” with B.B. King (Rattle And Hum): When Rattle And Hum was released, some critics took shots at U2 trying to place themselves among rock legends like B.B. King, but I don’t really have an issue with that. What I have a problem with is Bono getting completely outclassed on his own song (King fulfills his duty with some silky-smooth guitar solos), which turns out to be pretty standard blues-rock. Come on, y’all could’ve given King something better to work with.

#88: “The Refugee” (War): This song is kind of ridiculous (having tribal drums for a song about refugees might not have been the most sensitive choice there, guys), but it’s got enough righteous anger and energy (and grunting noises???) to make it memorable. Not a War highlight, but not skip-worthy, either.

#87: “Heartland” (Rattle And Hum): “Heartland,” Bono’s ode to the American landscape, certainly is gorgeous. Edge and Larry Mullen Jr.’s harmonizing backing vocals add a lot here. But it feels a bit odd to have Bono singing his guts out on the chorus about ... uh, wheat fields and rivers.

#86: “If God Will Send His Angels” (Pop): I’m not sure if this song was meant to sound sleazy or sincere, it unfortunately winds up in the awkward middle in-between the two. Still, Bono comes through with a solid chorus melody, and I do have to give props for songs that sound better after 1 a.m.

#85: “Mothers of the Disappeared” (The Joshua Tree): “Mothers” tackles a very heavy subject: children who had been kidnapped by dictatorships in Chile and Argentina. As a result, the funeral durge sound is appropriate. It’s not the most memorable album closer, but it wasn’t meant to be anything other than a respectful tribute, which it does nicely.

#84: “New York” (Leave Behind): It’s a bit odd that a song this pessimistic and odd (by U2 standards, at least) wound up on the very radio-friendly All That You Can’t Leave Behind. It’s an interesting, trance-like song with a nice crunchy chorus that’s only dimmed by Bono’s lyrics: “Hot as a hair dryer in your face/ Hot as a handbag and a can of mace.” ...what?

#83: “Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around the World” (Achtung Baby): The vibe of this song is clear from the first verse: it’s all about that feeling early in the morning where you’re coming down into a hangover and you feel sluggish and helpless, but you’re still a little drunk. It captures that moment exactly, and if it was a more pleasant moment to live through, it would’ve ranked more highly.

#82: “Twilight” (Boy): Nope, not about sparkly vampires. It is about some random old guy stalking a young schoolboy though, so the creepy, spider-like guitar hook is quite appropriate.

#81: “Trip Through Your Wires” (The Joshua Tree): U2, at the height of their powers and fame, decided to record a country song. No, not heartland rock or folk — straight-up country. And it’s shockingly okay, for a bunch of Irish guys trying to sound like they’re from Texas.

#80: “Miracle Drug” (Atomic Bomb): Like most passable late-era U2, “Miracle Drug” is cheesy as hell...but damn, that chorus hits you in the gut. It doesn’t matter what inane lyrics Bono spits out if he can belt out a soaring melody coupled with those classic Edge riffs.

#78/79: “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart” (Boy): This pair of tracks is meant to be the soundtrack of a teenage boy being seduced for the first time (this concept isn’t nearly as icky when you remember half the band were teens at the time). But instead of feeling sexy, it sounds unsettling. Still, it kind of works as a sinister, dangerous post-post punk track, so *shrug*

#77: “Angel of Harlem” (Rattle And Hum): I’m not sure why U2 felt a connection to Billie Holiday, and this song is a bit over-the-top with its horn pop-ins and Bono’s aggressive reference-dropping. But if you give into its charms, “Angel of Harlem” has a nice R&B groove and it’s a fun little detour from the overwrought seriousness of the rest of Rattle And Hum.

#76: “So Cruel” (Achtung Baby): Achtung was partially inspired by The Edge’s still-fresh divorce, and it clearly shows on this track. “So Cruel” is a raw, wounded trip-hop ballad that would’ve been a lot better if it was trimmed by about a minute.

#75: “Promenade” (The Unforgettable Fire): There’s been a few songs so far that I’ve criticized for not really having much of a climax. “Promenade” also shares that problem, but it was done intentionally here, like a tease. Although that still frustrates me, I have to at least respect “Promenade” for its gorgeous buildup into nothing.

#74: “With a Shout (Jerusalem)” (October): I have no clue what this song is about. Probably something Biblical, given how seemingly half the lyrics are Bono yelling “JEERUUUUUSAAAALEM” and going on about blood spilling and whatnot. Regardless, that new wave groove kinda bangs.

#73: “Drowning Man” (War): This is one of two ballads on a very angry, intense album. Although “Drowning Man” is decent, it’s definitely the weaker (and rightfully less famous) of the two. Bono’s on his A-game, wailing away like a lunatic in the best way possible, but the song itself kind of meanders around and then just ends.

#72: “Numb” (Zooropa): Putting this as Zooropa’s lead single might have been U2′s ballsiest move. Sure, the band has taken plenty of risks, but introducing their new album with The Edge monotonously mumbling random statements over a glitchy industrial beat? If Pitchfork was around in 1993, they would’ve eaten it up. As a song, it’s just okay. As a prank on the general public, it’s great. As a music video, it’s U2′s undisputed best (don’t fight me on this).

#71: “Staring At The Sun” (Pop): This is easily the song that’s aged the least on Pop, which is both a positive (it doesn’t reek of the late-’90s and can easily fit into modern concert setlists) and a negative (the aggressive late-’90s vibes of Pop are actually really fun). In other words, it’s a passable mid-tempo ballad.

#70: “Van Diemen’s Land” (Rattle And Hum): Edge actually sings this one! It’s a nice little Irish folk ballad, and proof that letting the guitarist sing for a song or two is never a bad idea.

#69: “A Day Without Me” (Boy): Fun fact: this is U2′s first single from their first album. It’s a passable, bouncy tune, but I’m kind of shocked that it was chosen as a single ahead of some of Boy’s stone-cold classics (we’ll get to those later).

#68: “The First Time” (Zooropa): Nestled into an album full of weirdo experimentation is this minimalist tune about how others’ compassion means nothing if you’re not willing to accept it. Ends with a nice twist on the classic Prodigal Son story. Not U2′s most gripping ballad, but there’s something about it that lingers with you.

#67: “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” (Leave Behind): The studio version is decent, but the acoustic version that Bono and Edge play live really accentuates the melancholy nature of Bono’s lyrics. Based on its backing instrumentation, “Stuck” can either be about getting stuck in a rut, or an uplifting anthem about getting yourself out of that rut.

#66: “One Tree Hill” (The Joshua Tree): No, it’s not about the TV show. “One Tree Hill” is actually a touching tribute to a former roadie and confidant of the band, Greg Carroll, a Maori man killed in a motorcycle accident. The song is an appropriate mixture of mournful and celebratory; A fitting sendoff to a good friend.

#65: “Acrobat” (Achtung Baby): Achtung Baby is a snarky, sarcastic album for the most part, but that fades away in the album’s closing three tracks, which are all proudly earnest in different ways. “Acrobat” is the angry one, in case you couldn’t tell by Edge’s sharp guitar (plus a killer solo at the end) and Bono railing against his critics. U2 have displayed their anger better in the past, but this is certainly no slouch of a song.

#64: “Last Night On Earth” (Pop): U2 takes on desert rock here, and they mostly nail it, mainly thanks to that massive, scream-along chorus. This could’ve easily fit on the Fear and Loathing soundtrack, and that’s a pretty weird thing to say about U2.

#63: “All Because of You” (Atomic Bomb): The best tracks from Atomic Bomb are in its actually-solid first half, and the rollicking, braindead-but-in-a-good-way “All Because of You” is a perfect example of that. Don’t think about it too hard, just nod your head to the dad-rock groove.

#62: “Stories For Boys” (Boy): I’m honestly surprised this many songs from Boy didn’t make the top half of the countdown given how much I like the album, but it’s more of a consistent record than a truly legendary one. “Stories For Boys” is essentially a catchier version of a lot of the album’s other wire-y post-punk jams.

#61: “I Fall Down” (October): Now we’re getting into the October tracks that actually feel like real songs instead of half-baked ideas. “I Fall Down” has all of the great early U2 hallmarks: a classy Edge piano riff; a surging, angry chorus; and Bono singing oblique cryptic lyrics that make no sense, but hey, they sound cool. Underrated track.

#60: “In God’s Country” (The Joshua Tree): AMERICA. BALD EAGLES. DESERTS. FARMS. OPEN PLAINS AND STUFF. (In all seriousness, this is a solid tune, if a bit hyperbolic with the Americana-themed lyrics.)

#59: “Lemon” (Zooropa): We’re halfway through the list, and I think it’s appropriate to mark that with one of U2′s more prominent experiments. After Zooropa’s first single was the jokey “Numb” with Edge rapping in monotone, having the second single be Bono singing in a hammy falsetto over a disco beat felt goofy too. But on deeper listen, the lyrics are actually quite heartbreaking: Inspired by the death of Bono’s mother (we’ll return to that topic soon), “Lemon” is all about how we use photos and film to try and grasp onto the past. But tragically, just watching home videos of a dead loved one can’t bring them back. Hence, Bono is “slipping, slipping under” and “feels like (he’s) holding onto nothing.” And if you want to, you can ignore the lyrics and just jam to the very-’90s dance beat. (although it really didn’t have to be seven minutes long...)

#58: “Silver and Gold” (Rattle And Hum): Bono and the gang bring plenty of righteous fury to this anti-apartheid track, even if there is an awkward moment in the middle where Bono rambles for a minute. But then Edge...uh... “plays the blues” (which apparently is code for SHREDDING), and he redeems his singer for halting the song’s momentum.

#57: “Rejoice” (October): Here’s a secret: If you can get through the repetitive filler tracks, October smuggles in some absolute new wave BANGERS. “Rejoice” is one of them.

#56: “Wake Up Dead Man” (Pop): If you’ve ever had the desire to hear Bono drop the F-bomb in a song, here you go. But beyond that odd moment, “Wake Up Dead Man” is notable for being possibly U2′s most depressing track. Pop was described by the band as “starting at a party and ending at a funeral,” and since this is the closing song...yeah, funereal is a good descriptor. Bono is essentially on his last legs, begging God to come and save an increasingly broken world, and it’s implied that God probably won’t step in. We’re all fucked. No wonder they wrote “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On” a few years later; U2′s moods couldn’t have gone anywhere but up from this.

#55: “Elvis Presley and America” (The Unforgettable Fire): Ever wonder what it would sound like if U2 took one of their songs, slowed it down dramatically, added some sparse guitars and then had Bono ramble over it for six and a half minutes? You’d get “Elvis Presley and America,” which I hated the first 20 times I heard it. Then things clicked, and now I think it’s a work of art. Still not sure how it wound up on a U2 album, though.

#54: “Dirty Day” (Zooropa): I have no clue what this song is about, but the nocturnal, alley-dwelling vibe sure sounds cool. If you squint at it right, it could totally be one of Pulp’s darker tracks, minus the heavy British accents.

#53: “Love Is Blindness” (Achtung Baby): Out of Achtung’s emotional final three songs, “Love Is Blindness” represents despondency. The gothic atmosphere captures the sad-sack feeling fairly well, but I’ve got to admit something painful: Jack White might have done it better. These are lyrics meant to be screamed, not whispered.

#52: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” (Atomic Bomb): Here’s another dead-parent ballad, this time about Bono’s dad. It’s totally cheesy, but in a very endearing way that, if I’m in the right mood, might draw a few tears out.

#51: “Babyface” (Zooropa): It feels a bit wrong to put a slimy song about what sounds like virtual reality future porn (or something like that) over a very sincere ballad about the death of Bono’s father. ...but U2 pull off being creeps really, really well! It’s actually a bit concerning how well they pull it off here, but that slinky groove is just too hard to resist.

#50: “Tomorrow” (October): “Tomorrow” is Bono’s first song about one of his parents dying; In this case, it’s his mother. The Irish bagpipes were a nice touch, and of course, it ends as a raw, emotional tornado complete with a piercing Edge solo. Imagine if all of October was as fully-formed as this.

#49: “October” (October): The other notable ballad from October is its title track, where the album’s minimalism is intentional. Edge plays a sparse, gorgeous piano line, Bono waxes poetic for a little bit about the depressing nature of the fall, and Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton get a bathroom break. I wish U2 did more stripped-down piano songs like this.

#48: “Like A Song” (War): “Like A Song” obviously isn’t as furious as some of War’s highlights, but it’s certainly not a perky song either. I’m honestly shocked this anti-nationalist anthem isn’t a bigger fan favorite: There’s a lot of nervy energy here, and Bono’s lyrics are wonderfully bombastic.

#47: “Wire” (The Unforgettable Fire): Fun fact: “Wire” is so cool that it was featured in an episode of Miami Vice. Also, it’s one of, like, three songs on Unforgettable Fire that isn’t super-ambient and hazy, so it provides a nice energy boost.

#46: “Red Hill Mining Town” (The Joshua Tree): This mid-tempo slow-burner about the 1984 UK coal miners’ strike is most notable for being the only song from Joshua Tree that U2 had never performed live — until 2017′s Joshua Tree Tour, where they performed the album in full every show. Why did they avoid playing it live? Well, listen to that chorus. Hear the high notes Bono is clearly scraping to hit. It’s incredibly impressive and moving on record, but to do that every night would destroy his vocals. I’m shocked that I got to see it live myself, but it was just as intense as I’d hoped.

#45: “Seconds” (War): War is an album about politics written in the ‘80s, so it was pretty necessary to have a song about nuclear war. This one’s got a deceptively bouncy beat and ... wait, is that Edge singing the first verse?! "Seconds” gets bumped up a couple spots just for that alone. Also, fake-happy songs about nuclear war in general are great, just ask Nena.

#44: “Miami” (Pop): I was very, very tempted to place this higher. Out of all their ‘90s experimental tracks, “Miami” might be the most weird. Yeah, “Numb” is up there too, but at least that was catchy. “Miami,” meanwhile, features sunburnt Bono ramblings about their kitschy surroundings in the titular Florida city over what sounds like the soundtrack to a stalker. Adam and Larry’s rhythm is persistent and slowly grows louder and louder, until the climax, where everything explodes: Edge’s guitar cuts through the song like a machete and Bono is screaming “MIAAAAMI” like he’s on bath salts. Does it make any sense? Hell no. But that makes this very late-‘90s excursion all the better.

#43: “Hawkmoon 269″ (Rattle and Hum): One of Rattle and Hum’s few excursions into the blues that actually works, because it’s so raw. And how about that slow build?? Over six minutes, “Hawkmoon” goes from a quiet R&B groove to Bono nearly coughing up a lung because of his vocal wailings. And of course, it closes with a gospel choir. It’s so ridiculous that it works.

#42: “Kite” (Leave Behind): What’s sadder than a dead-parent song? How about a song about your parent dying slowly before your eyes? This gut-wrenching track about Bono’s father is a tear-jerker, even with its cringy, unrelated final verse (“The last of the rock stars/when hip-hop drove the big cars”...smh).

#41: “Zoo Station” (Achtung Baby): What’s that strange, aggressively-European noise? Why, it’s the sound of rock’s greatest reinvention taking place! Its ominous opening piano plinks (which is actually the Edge distorting his guitar...how, I don’t know), Larry and Adam’s krautrock backbeat and Bono’s filtered vocals are a huge breath of fresh air from the ~authentic~ sounds of Rattle and Hum. Perfect intro to a perfect album.

#40: “Desire” (Rattle and Hum): Of course, those ~authentic~ sounds can kick ass when executed correctly. Rattle and Hum’s first single is a primal blast of Bo Diddley rockabilly that comes in, rocks your face off, and gets out. In 1988, I’m sure “Desire” almost made R&H sound like a good idea at first. Also: HARMONICA SOLO!

#39: “Please” (Pop): “Please” is sort of the sadder, dejected cousin of “Sunday Bloody Sunday”: Both songs are about The Troubles in Northern Ireland, but while the latter is an angry, righteous call-to-arms, “Please” is begging for mercy. U2 were sick and tired of the atrocities committed in the name of nationalism or loyalism (especially by 1997, when the conflict had been going on for over 30 years), and this track is a desperate, Hail Mary prayer to the politicians to do something, anything, to stop it. By 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed a year later, mostly ending the violence, but “Please” stands as a time capsule of Ireland and Northern Ireland’s exhaustion.

#38: “One” (Achtung Baby): Behold: The most overrated U2 song! “One” is still a good ballad, but let’s not pretend it’s U2′s best song or anything. Musically, this is just an average rock mid-tempo ballad. There’s no goosebump-inducing moments like there are with U2′s best slow tunes; With “One,” you sort of sit there, listen to it, and go, “Hmm. That was nice.” And that’s exactly what it is: Nice. It’s got a nice melody, some admittedly great lyrics, and it’ll get stuck in your head a bit. But I find myself skipping it sometimes when going through Achtung to get to that album’s weirder and wilder tracks. Sorry, I’ve just never been able to connect — but I can at least see why it’s considered a classic.

#37: “40” (War): Ending U2′s angriest album with a hopeful prayer for peace and change (based off Psalm 40) was almost necessary. After the raging fury of War’s previous nine tracks, “40″ is a calming salvo with a simple melody that could’ve been written centuries ago.

#36: “Until The End of the World” (Achtung Baby): Role-playing as one of the Bible’s most infamous villains isn’t unheard of in rock (oh hi, Mick Jagger), but this sympathetic look at Judas still stands out thanks to a killer Edge riff and Bono effectively playing both a dirtbag and a repentant sinner. Definitely an overlooked track.

#35: “Mofo” (Pop): U2 goes full ‘90s techno! ...no, wait, please come back, it’s nearly as embarrassing as you’d expect. In fact, it’s quite amazing. This is arguably some of Adam and Larry’s best rhythm work here: That drum machine and synth bassline is laser-focused. But what really makes it work is Bono, trying to cut through the noise to find a connection with his dead mother. In a way, “Mofo” serves a similar purpose as “Lemon,” but the former steps it up on the production end. It’s crazy to think that just a decade before this, U2 were writing faux-country.

#34: “God Part II” (Rattle and Hum): Supposedly this is a sequel to John Lennon’s “God,” but besides a quick shot at Lennon biographer Albert Goldman, “God Part II” has little connection to the former Beatle. Instead, what we get is a caustic, seething tirade against ‘80s capitalism, fame and other random subjects that really stands out among the rose-colored nostalgia of Rattle and Hum. It borders on ridiculous, but Bono’s unconcealed anger makes “God Part II” legitimately great.

#33: “Walk On” (Leave Behind): To a lot of people, I’m sure “Walk On” represents U2′s 21st-century descent into cornball sentimentality and empty optimism. And although there’s a lot of modern U2 songs that fit those descriptors, lay off this one. “Walk On” is a goddamn classic that’s legitimately uplifting. Is it cheesy? Duh. Does that stop the song from filling me with warm fuzzies every time? Nope.

#32: “Two Hearts Beat as One” (War): "Two Hearts” has unfortunately been overshadowed by War’s other two singles, both of which deal with much, much weightier topics. Still, a post-punk banger is a post-punk banger.

#31: “Gone” (Pop): There isn’t another U2 song that describes the intoxicating rush and subsequent crash of fame better than “Gone.” Edge’s howling air-raid-siren guitar signifies regret just as well as Bono’s melancholy lyrics: “You’re taking steps that make you feel dizzy/until you learn to like the way it feels” is a powerful, succinct way of describing celebrity’s danger and addictiveness.

#30: “Running To Stand Still” (The Joshua Tree): Now we’ve reached the legitimately legendary tracks on Joshua Tree: the first five songs. “Running To Stand Still” is the most unassuming of that opening quintet, until you realize the song’s about slowly dying from heroin in a dingy Dublin flat. Suddenly, the quiet piano ballad turns from pretty to haunting. Near the end of the track, “Running” threatens to reach a righteous, inspiring U2-trademark climax — but it never does. Just like for those heroin addicts, there wasn’t an escape.

#29: “The Unforgettable Fire” (The Unforgettable Fire): Despite U2 being one of the ‘80s’ biggest bands, they never really fit that decade’s sound and aesthetic. There’s a reason why semi-contemporaries like Duran Duran and Bon Jovi are more associated with the Reagan years: They followed the trends, while U2 kinda did their own thing. But for “Unforgettable Fire,” U2 actually created a song that sounds super ‘80s. And it’s wonderful: Massive snare drum hits! Synthesizers! Abstract lyrics about nuclear war (it was inspired by an art exhibition featuring works from Japanese atomic bomb survivors)! Honestly, this could’ve been on a John Hughes movie soundtrack and fit right in — and that’s a high compliment.

#28: “The Electric Co.” (Boy): The best moments on U2′s first two albums are when they cut loose with loud, super-catchy new wave tracks that are shockingly danceable. “Electric Co.” is absolutely one of those songs. The lyrics are mere placeholders for Edge’s first true rock-god guitar solo and Larry Mullen Jr. providing a energized beat Franz Ferdinand would’ve killed for. In other words, it’s — wait for it — electric. (I’m so sorry)

#27: “Even Better Than The Real Thing” (Achtung Baby): The acidic desert-rock of “Even Better” feels absolutely effortless. You could play this in a club today, and it might kill; That’s how perfect this groove is. And nobody played a slimy lounge lizard better than circa-1991 Bono.

#26: “Bullet The Blue Sky” (The Joshua Tree): I’d hesitate to call “Bullet The Blue Sky” U2′s angriest song (there’s a pretty massive tune still to come that fits that bill), but it’s a close second. This fiery, nearly-metal (yes, really) track is four and a half minutes of white-hot fury directed at Ronald Reagan and the U.S. military for their interventions in El Salvador and Nicaragua. It’s odd to hear a band typically thought of as “safe” directly attack an at-the-time popular president, but it’s thrilling. And how about that deliciously hammy spoken-word ending?

#25: “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” (The Unforgettable Fire): Yep, we’re getting into the big boys now. “Pride,” as I’m sure you likely know, is U2′s tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., and it’s one of the band’s iconic hits for a good reason. This is where Edge really started to develop his iconic sound, and Bono’s wailing serves a purpose here, painting MLK as a messianic savior. You wouldn’t think four pasty kids from Dublin would make a great tribute to a black American civil rights icon, but shockingly, it’s a perfect fit. “Free at last, they took your life/but they could not take your pride.”

#24: “New Year’s Day” (War): Apparently, “New Year’s Day” is about the Polish Solidarity movement. But even for someone who knows very little about Poland’s political history (like me), it’s still a perfect post-punk song. Edge pulls double-duty with both a searing guitar solo and an iconic piano riff, and Bono cranks the melodrama up to 11. Nearly half of his lines here are nearly yelled in his reach-the-cheap-seats voice, and as someone who has seen U2 multiple times in the cheap seats, let me promise you: it works. Really well. (side note: blonde is really not your color, Bono)

#23: “Gloria” (October): Man, how amazing would October have been if more of the songs were as complete and perfect as “Gloria?” I don’t think you’ll hear another new wave track that indulges in heavily religious Latin phrases as this does, but it still bangs. I have no idea how, but it bangs. By the triumphant conclusion (after a rare Adam bass solo!), you’ll be dancing along to lyrics you’ve only heard before in a stuffy Catholic mass. Who said Christian rock has to suck?

#22: “Do You Feel Loved” (Pop): Okay, when I said we’re “getting into the big tracks,” that might have been a bit misleading. Of course there’s some deep cuts that I love more than the hits, and “Do You Feel Loved” is a perfect example. I can’t understand why people dismiss Pop when it has a song that arguably features U2′s greatest bass line (yes, seriously). Adam rules this song with his seductive groove, and the rest of the band falls in line to create one of U2′s smoothest and most psychedelic dance tracks.

#21: “MLK” (The Unforgettable Fire): U2 actually wrote two tributes to MLK on The Unforgettable Fire. This one is a lot more abstract and consists of Bono singing a soothing lullaby over ambient synths. It’s an absolutely gorgeous, minimalist track that’s the perfect album closer to U2′s most spaced-out album.

#20: “Beautiful Day” (Leave Behind): Sometimes I want to pretend that I’m too good for “Beautiful Day.” I mean, it’s totally the basic person’s favorite U2 song, right? Well, those feelings end as soon as I hit play, and before I know it, I’m singing along to every word. Seriously, if you don’t like “Beautiful Day,” you might need a hug.

#19: “The Wanderer” feat. Johnny Cash (Zooropa): Yes, you read that right. On U2′s most electronic-leaning album, they snagged a Johnny Cash feature. And it’s arguably the saddest song they’ve ever recorded. Cash takes over vocal duties here, crooning about leaving his lover against a post-apocalyptic backdrop. The synthetic production clashes with Cash’s old-fashioned vocals to create a truly memorable experience, and you’ll be left stunned and slightly dejected afterwards, just like the best Western ballads.

#18: “Mysterious Ways” (Achtung Baby): I can’t believe I’m going to say this: This U2 song is legitimately sexy. At the very least, this is an all-time great Edge guitar riff.

#17: “Elevation” (Leave Behind): Yes, this track is unforgivably stupid — but you try resisting its charms when you’re surrounded by an entire stadium bouncing up and down screaming along to that hook. Just don’t think about it. (also... why were they cross-promoting the single with Tomb Raider)

#16: “Vertigo” (Atomic Bomb): The rules for “Elevation” apply here, too. If I’m not too good for “Beautiful Day,” I’m certainly not too good for this. Let’s be real: We all love this song in all its beautifully silly glory. Give into the cheese. Ignore South Park. YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH

#15: “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” (Zooropa): One of the aspects of Zooropa that makes it such an underrated album is the layers of melancholy that lie beneath the robotic production. “Stay” brings that melancholy right to the forefront as a timeless ballad telling the story of post-breakup agony. A lot of U2′s ballads surge into something resembling hope, but “Stay” doesn’t fool you: This is a sad song. There’s no happy ending here. In fact, given the ending line about an angel hitting the ground, followed by an abrupt snare hit, it might end in suicide. “Stay” is the kind of song that Elvis could’ve killed, or Radiohead, or Adele; it’s that timeless in theme and melody. But Bono’s raw desperation in his vocals really sells it.

#14: “All I Want Is You” (Rattle and Hum): I guess this would be the hopeful flip of “Stay,” then. “All I Want Is You” is also a quiet acoustic ballad that ends up in Bono screaming out his lungs over a complicated relationship, but instead of despondent, this Rattle and Hum highlight feels triumphant. It’s the kind of track that you can picture closing an whirlwind romance film, the two lovers embracing in the sunset as Edge makes his guitar cry and Bono shreds his vocal cords. “All I Want Is You” might not be U2′s best power ballad, but it might be its most romantic.

#13: “I Will Follow” (Boy): U2 were all teenagers when they wrote “I Will Follow,” and it shows. The first track off of U2′s first album bursts out of the gate with unbridled youthful energy. The relentless post-punk groove only lets up for a second, as Bono rambles off some nonsense-but-somehow-cool lines about eyes, then BAM! Full throttle again. Outside of perhaps the Arctic Monkeys, MGMT and R.E.M., I’m not sure there are many bands with better introductions to the world than this. (also lol @ half the band looking like middle schoolers in the music video)

#12: “Zooropa” (Zooropa): “Zooropa,” the song, is very different than the rest of its identically-titled album. Most of Zooropa (the album) is about how technology can’t mask humanity’s despair and loneliness. But for its beautiful, magnificent title track, U2′s vision of a sardonic, aggressively commercialized future seems utopian.

“Zooropa” (the song) is an epic in three parts: It begins with a spooky piano riff, coupled with incessant noise pollution for two minutes. Then, the Edge’s slippery guitar riff calls from the distance, like a beacon, and it leads into Bono and the gang calmly spouting off advertising slogans for two minutes (yes, really). It feels overly polished...until the final third, when all chaos breaks loose and the band gives themselves into the confusion.

A giant swirl of synthesizers and guitars encircle Bono, as he repeatedly states that yes, he is clueless and lost, but he’s still hopeful for the future. And “Zooropa” makes the future sound tenatively wonderful. As Bono puts it, “Don’t worry baby/It’ll be alright/Uncertainty can be a guiding light.” “Zooropa” captures that optimistic early-’90s, post-Berlin Wall moment better than almost any song.

#11: “City Of Blinding Lights” (Atomic Bomb): When people talk about “The U2 Sound,” this is probably what they’re talking about. The chorus of “City Of Blinding Lights” is so powerful that it can’t legally be played in an indoor setting — all the glass would shatter. Seeing U2 perform it live is a spiritual experience: Edge’s guitar soars to the sky, tens of thousands of fans are yelling along to the “oooh-oh-ooooh” background, and Bono only needs to shout six words to cement “Blinding Lights” as an all-time U2 great. It’s admittedly one of the more sanitized songs about New York City, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t moving.

#10: “Where The Streets Have No Name” (The Joshua Tree): “Streets” might not quite be U2′s best song, but it’s easily their best live track. All three times I’ve seen them (sorry for the humblebrag), there’s no bigger reaction from the audience than when everything goes quiet, an organ warms up, and the only thing you can see on stage is a blinding red light. It’s a magical moment.

There’s no other U2 song that reaches to the rafters quite like “Streets” does. In fact, based on the driving rhythm and Bono’s lyrics about persistence and escape, it’s basically U2′s version of “Born to Run,” and that might be one of the highest compliments I can give a song. The Edge’s chugging riff here sounds like driving into the desert sunrise, trying to reach heaven. And they actually do it.

"Streets” is so perfect and so adored, I almost feel a little guilty not putting it at number one. Unfortunately, the studio version (although still excellent) pales in comparison to seeing it live, which knocks it a bit. Still — everyone should see U2 live at least once, just to witness the glory of this song. It’ll give you goosebumps, guaranteed.

#9: “Discotheque” (Pop): This is not a joke. I legitimately think “Discotheque” — one of U2′s most infamous flops and an instant punchline of a track that featured a music video where the band danced in costume as the Village People in a giant disco ball (yes, really) — is one of U2′s very best songs. I promise I’m not trolling here.

In middle school, when I was making my way through U2′s catalogue, I didn’t have high expectations for Pop, due to its rank reputation. But alas: that lead-off track grabbed me immediately with its seamless blend of distorted ‘90s alt-rock and (obviously) disco. I knew that I should probably like songs like “One” or “Pride” more, but I couldn’t stop myself from listening to “Discotheque.” Bono was right: I couldn’t get enough of that lovey-dovey stuff.

Lyrically, this track is absolutely meaningless. Bono merely serves as another addition to the rhythm, which might be U2 at their best. I’m not sure there’s another rock-band-attempting-dance-music song better than this, because Larry Mullen Jr.’s primal rhythm is absolutely hypnotic — not that Edge’s swirling guitar doesn’t help. If “Streets” feels like ascending into Americana heaven, “Discotheque” is the glorious, hedonistic descent into ‘70s-kitsch hell. And I love every stupid, delirious second of it. Sue me.

#8: “Bad” (The Unforgettable Fire)

Plenty of artists have an album cut that’s become more beloved among diehard fans than even some of their most popular hits. The Beatles have “In My Life.” Billy Joel has “Vienna.” Even a singles-centric pop artist like Taylor Swift has “All Too Well.”

What’s U2′s most beloved deep cut? “Bad,” and it’s probably not close. And this Unforgettable Fire highlight is legendary for a reason: It’s arguably the most intense, epic U2 song of them all. I’ve said many times on this list that I love when Bono cuts loose with his vocals, and he’s never more raw than he is when “Bad” finally reaches its pinnacle after a tantalizing slow-burn. Every time he screams into the void, “I’M WIIIIIIIDE AWAAAAAKE,” his voice cracking with desperation and loss, it sends shivers.

It’s shocking that a band whose members mostly stayed away from hard drugs would write one of the best heroin songs of all time, but that’s exactly what “Bad” is. Instead of focusing on the high of the drug, it focuses on the severe overdose and the horrors that come with addiction. Despite being a non-user, Bono somehow nails those dark emotions, and it makes “Bad” all the more memorable.

#7: “Out Of Control” (Boy)

This is the pinnacle of that youthful U2 sound from their first two albums. “Out of Control” sounds like pure teenage angst, a vibe that these guys don’t typically cover.

But it’s not Bono’s lyrics, as wonderfully whiny and emo as they are here, that sell this early classic: It’s that unstoppable groove. Larry and Adam lay down a forceful, tight four-on-the-floor beat that is instantly workout-ready, and Edge’s triumphant guitar riff (and stellar solo) doesn’t fit the lyrics that well, but it certainly gets me hyped. All Bono had to do was bring the energy, and he’s as theatrical here as ever. Switch up some of the instrumentation and add some pop culture references and this easily could’ve been the greatest Fall Out Boy song ever written (I mean that in the very best way possible).

#6: “The Fly” (Achtung Baby)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the ballsiest move in rock music history.

Going straight from the AARP-friendly sound of Rattle and Hum directly into their sleazy, nihilistic masterpiece, “The Fly,” must have been a massive shock for U2′s fans in 1991. After all, the band did aptly describe Achtung Baby’s lead single as “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree.” And as far as burning your legacy to the ground goes, you can’t really do better than “The Fly.”

Bono is wonderfully hammy as the song’s titular character, a greaseball making a crank call from a payphone in Hell, spouting false nothings and seducing the listener, not unlike a Screwtape for the ‘90s. The way he switches between the breathy verses and his exaggerated dance-diva falsetto in the chorus is seamless.

But let’s not forget Edge’s contribution here: “The Fly” features his all-time best guitar solo. It goes down to the depths of the underworld and then contorts itself into a psychedelic, hypnotic kaleidoscope of sound. It’s truly breathtaking, and his sharp riff that repeats throughout really enhances the song’s dark tone.

“The Fly” might not have sold too well in the U.S. — clearly we didn’t like our U2 singles to be this snarky. And it’s never really had the same shelf life as Achtung’s more successful singles. But it’s still the pinnacle of the dark, sardonic vision U2 had for their incredible reinvention, and I wish all artists were willing to take risks this insane.

#5: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (The Joshua Tree)

One of two #1 U.S. hits that U2 notched, “Still Haven’t Found” is one of those songs that feels like it was written centuries ago. Maybe it was even composed by a caveman. It’s such a simple song musically (in a good way), yet with a complex lyrical bent.

I love the way that “Still Haven’t Found” approaches Christianity. Too much contemporary Christian music seems to be overly positive and cheery — an outsider would get the impression that finding Jesus means life has no problems. Meanwhile, U2, who are famously Christian, don’t shy away from the hard truth: Finding faith doesn’t fix your problems.

Throughout the song, Bono aches and yearns for relief from his suffering, yet despite all of the divine things he’s seen and encountered, he still can’t find that satisfaction. There’s still something missing. As a Christian who sometimes struggles in his faith and can be alienated by certain religious peoples’ outward displays of perfection, it’s a relief for me to hear that others struggle in this way too.

All in all, it’s hard to believe that four guys from Ireland would create a gospel classic in the age of hair metal, but “Still Haven’t Found” is a timeless track that tackles tough emotions in a stirring way.

#4: “A Sort Of Homecoming” (The Unforgettable Fire)

Unforgettable Fire’s best song is its opening thesis. “A Sort Of Homecoming” features that oh-so Brian Eno white noise background throughout and, frankly, perfects it. The guitar, bass and some scattered synths all melt into a hazy soundscape that sounds like pure fog. All you have to do is throw on some tribal Larry Mullen Jr. drum licks and have Bono scream through the void, and you’ve got an ambient-rock classic on your hands.

There’s something so powerful about this song, even though I have absolutely no clue what it’s supposed to be about. Obviously, Bono is talking about some sort of long, trudging journey home, and “Homecoming” certainly sounds like a great road-trip soundtrack. But what makes it work is that looping, endless production and Bono’s piercing wails. “No spoken words, JUST A SCREAAAAAAAAAAM” might be when U2 cemented their legacy as a legendary stadium act. Of course, they never play this song live anymore, because it wasn’t a single, but I still think it would kill. Criminally underrated track.

#3: “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (War)

This is the greatest drum beat in rock history. I will fight anyone who disagrees.

The gunshot-crack of the snare drum that incessantly pokes its way into “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is the perfect fit for this righteously angry, seething post-punk song. That snare drum military beat is the exact moment when the world realized that these Dublin kids were going to be around for a long, long time.

The definitive song about The Troubles (sorry, “Zombie,” you can take second place), “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is iconic for a reason. Bono declines taking any stance in the conflict accept the stance of ending the conflict itself. He could care less about one side or the other: All he sees is the bloody corpses littered throughout Northern Ireland. And he’s had enough.

The studio version and the 1983 Red Rocks recording (with the white flag) are the most iconic moments associated with “Sunday,” but I prefer the live version from the Rattle and Hum movie. It was recorded hours after an IRA bombing in Northern Ireland killed 11 people, and Bono loses all filter.

In a rant in the middle of the song, as the band provides a fierce backbeat, Bono exclaims: “I’ve had enough of Irish-Americans who haven’t been home in 20 or 30 years talk about ... the glory of the revolution, and the glory of dying for the revolution. FUCK THE REVOLUTION! They don’t talk about the glory of killing for the revolution.” A minute later, he’s repeatedly bleating, “NO MORE!” It’s a chilling moment, and I’d recommend that any U2 naysayer watch it.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday” is U2 in full fire-and-brimstone mode, and despite The Troubles thankfully ending years ago, the War track’s unbridled rage still provokes a nerve today.

#2: “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” (Achtung Baby)

I’ve gone on and on about how much I love the sleazy, dejected vibe of Achtung Baby in this list. ...but man, there’s something so powerful about that album’s exception to the rule. Out of all the trashy Euro jams and weepy breakup songs on that album, its best song, “Ultra Violet,” stands out for being a joyful, ecstatic expression of pure love.

Lots of Achtung focuses on The Edge’s divorce, so it’s refreshing to hear a five-and-a-half minute arena rock anthem about how much Bono absolutely worships his wife. And I mean that literally — he sounds totally desperate and over-his-head here, completely taken over by passion and dependency. In that final verse, when Bono takes his vocals up a scale and his voice constantly cracks, it’s a painfully powerful moment.

"Ultra Violet” is about love that’s so powerful that it’s no longer about attraction. It’s about unfiltered happiness and need. And despite the fact that it’s honestly a pretty simple song, its sheer power and optimism makes it my all-time favorite U2 deep cut. No question.

#1: “With Or Without You” (The Joshua Tree)

This song floored me the first time I heard it in middle school. It still floors me over a decade later. Based on its cross-generational iconic status (that strangely, I might have to thank Friends for), I’m sure it floors most of you too.

“With Or Without You” is the kind of song that will last forever, because not only does it have a timeless sound that connects with even the most staunch U2 hater, but also because it has possibly the greatest slow build in music history. It starts as a whisper at the beginning, and slowly, slowly, slowly dials up the volume. At one point you the band even teases you — you think it’s going to hit that big release, and nope! More tension.

Finally, over three minutes in, the drums kick into high gear and Bono lets loose his cannon of a voice into the night. The catharsis hits you like a sledgehammer right in the feelings. I’m not sure the words “OOHHH OHHHH OHHHH OHHH” have ever had more meaning. And just because U2 hasn’t spoiled us enough, they close out the song with a stunning coda that wordlessly expresses the song’s themes of yearning and conflicted passion.

Yes, Bono’s lyrics are top-notch here as well — this is the ultimate “is it about God or a girl?” song — and I do love his use of dark imagery to sell the sacrifices he’s made in the name of love. But that slow build is the stuff of dreams. Based on one five-minute song, there’s probably millions of bands across the world that formed (I can name at least one group that owes quite a bit to “With Or Without You”).

So the next time you groan about those old Irish dudes who forced some crappy late-career album onto your phone, do yourself a favor and listen to “With Or Without You.” Don’t pause it or skip to the chorus. Just play through and let the whirlwind of emotions hit you. And then you’ll see why U2 have earned their spot at the top of the world.

#u2 #In ascending order #best U2 songs #classic rock #alternative rock

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purplemonkeyemi · 7 years

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i hate this class

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? More milk. I let the cat drink it.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? Of course.It’s refreshing.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? Receipts if I don’t have a boomark.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? Usually just a 1/2 tsp of sugar. But when I’m making magical study tea, I put a fair amount of sugar in my Earl Grey and milk!

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Nah. It’s like my main good feature.

6: do you keep plants? I used to, when I worked part-time and wasn’t in grad school.

7: do you name your plants? Only succulents.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? Twitter....?

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? Not generally.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Stomach.

11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends? #oldguys

12: what's your favorite planet? Earth.

13: what's something that made you smile today? Hubby’s terrible day, hahaha...

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? Full of cats and books.

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! “The Apollo astronauts' footprints on the moon will probably stay there for at least 100 million years.”

16: what's your favorite pasta dish? ALL THE PASTA

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I’ve got to terms with my boring brown. When I was 18 I wanted to put red chunks in it.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. After I made a slew, a veritable barrage, of poop jokes, a friend commented, “Classy and relevant as always, Emily” -- hubby and I say that all the time now.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? Nah. I used to keep diaries. If I recall, it was all fangirling. John Stamos and Harrison Ford. *shudder* I was 12! 13! 14!..

20: what's your favorite eye color? Brilliant blue. (sorry, hubby)

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. This white zebra bag I got for like $2 that was one of my two bags during our two weeks in Europe. We each had two backpacks, and that was all.

22: are you a morning person? Yep.

23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Read. Snuggle. TV.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? My dearest husband.

25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into? A former employee “broke” us into the Eudora Welty House garden so I could see it. It was just a little unlocked gate outside of regular hours.

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit? Various slip on shoes.

27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor? Regular.

28: sunrise or sunset? I’m singing that Fiddler on the Roof song now.

29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? Heeheehee. Hubby does some cute things <3

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? Yes.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. I love wearing fun socks. I WILL NOT wear socks in bed. I HATE when hubby’s socked feet touch me on the sofa or in the bed.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. We sat outside talking and drinking. ...whee.

33: what's your fave pastry? All those pastries I stuffed in my face that afternoon in Arles, France. Omgggggggg.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? What, I’m supposed to only have one?? Geez. I had so many that were ultra-important. There was this one that I got for Christmas when I was about 7. He was real big. I named him Snugglebunch. I used to pray that he could come alive, and I promised God if he made him alive I wouldn’t tell anyone. Snugglebunch is always in our living room now. Still not alive.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? I have crap handwriting. Just saying.

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now? I’m in a very un-music mood.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? I like it clean. But I make it messy.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! Most of them are work-related.

39: what color do you wear the most? Uhmmm, I wear alot of black at work.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you? I have a beautiful engagement ring from that wonderful boy I married.

41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving? Ooooh, uhm, Interpreter of Maladies, maybe. Or Princess Jellyfish.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! They’re all pretty much the same, to me. As long as I can get an Earl Grey, hot chai, or a London Fog.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? Husband.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? Yesterday or the day before.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Eh.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. I have so many.... my sheep jokes are killer.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? Pizza rolls. Don’t tell hubby.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? The rapture. How embarrassing. Not scared of that anymore. I escaped conservative fundamentalist Christianity.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? YES. I bought a few at the church garage sale last week. John Denver, Cole Porter, and such.

50: what's an odd thing you collect? Kevin Kline, Sean Bean, and Robin Williams movies.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? My friend growing up. Smashmouth’s “Allstar.”

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? I’m not real up on my memes. I still like the old classics.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? Yes, no, yes, yes. Eh, I was pretty drunk through Rocky Horror, but I recall liking it and finding Tim Curry extremely attractive in drag. The other two I didn’t care for.

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? Sean Bean looked PRETTY sad in Frankenstein Chronicles tonight.

55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point? I roll around on the floor alot. I can be QUIET dramatic in good humor.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? Laughs.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? It just reminds me of season 3 of American Idol.

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? I used to be the vodka aunt. Now I’m the sparkling wine mom.

59: what's your favorite myth? Nothing comes to mind.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? I try. I used to really like Gerard Manley Hopkins. I still might. It’s been some years.

61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received? I don’t give or get stupid gifts.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? Sometimes. Usually orange.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? I mean. DVDs are alphabetized. Books are divided by genre and alpha’ed by author. We’re human beings, not animals!

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? BLACK.

65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with? Mmph. Not really. I guess there are some people I’d like to catch up with, but it might not actually be that fun.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? Wildflowers entwined.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Like Lord of the Rings.

68: what's winter like where you live? Mild. To say the least.

69: what are your favorite board games? We play alot of Dominion and Munchkin when we get the chance.

70: have you ever used a ouija board? Nope.

71: what's your favorite kind of tea? Earl. Grey.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it? YES.

73: what are some of your worst habits? I bite my nails. I can be bossy.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. Nah.

75: tell us about your pets! Abby sleeps alot and just wants food. Tucker is SO annoying but very sweet. Norrell is a twerp. But he’s fluffy.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't? I should perhaps be paying more attention to class.

77: pink or yellow lemonade? Yellow. I’m not an animal.

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? I’m ambivalent.

79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? <3

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? Cobalt blue. I did choose it; I painted it. Why? Because the interior of this whole house was mauve. Barf. I like jewel tones and thought it would match our brown bedspread.

81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. ....no.

82: are/were you good in school? Yes.

83: what's some of your favorite album art? I’m not really into album art.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? I’ve considered some nerdy ones.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? I read some graphic novels and manga. Locke and Key is great. Wicked + Divine is great. Lots of stuff is good...

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? Does Diamond Dogs count?

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Star Wars. Lord of the Rings. French Kiss. The Prestige. Chappie. Equilibrium. Snow Cake. Just a couple..

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? Uhmm... I find surrealism and dadaism very interesting.

89: are you close to your parents? Not particularly.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. DC is our Paris.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? We’re going back to Durham, DC, and NYC in a couple months. Probably going to DragonCon in Atlanta again in September.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Not really a cheese on pasta gal.

93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most? Ponytail or bun.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? Our friend Jenny.

95: what are your plans for this weekend? Homework. Movies. Watching Wasted with hubby before Lent starts. Hah.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? PROCRASTINATE.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? INTJ (yep, the sociopath one), Taurus, *mumbles* Hufflepuff....

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? Little Rock. It was okay. I have a bad leg that collapses if I’m not careful, and if I’m not in shape it makes life difficult.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen. The Sharpe theme song. Hahaha...

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? I wouldn’t want to permanently skip the next five year or permanently relive the last five. I would only want to visit. And probably not go forward... what if it’s bad?

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