ive watched the first half hour of the santa evita series now. its really well done on a technical level, im especially happy with the costume and makeup. the music is sort of horrid and it brings down the gravest moments so far.

what sticks out the most to me is how deeply unsettling this is. obviously its par for the course but. some shots of oreiros body as eva look a lot like stan brakhages the act of seeing with ones own eyes, this way of treating the dead body as it is -an object, not a person anymore. at the same time, the way she is framed, lying still, with other men standing above her, or the way julio kept her lock of hair and the journalist strokes it -its so uncomfortable in a very specific, creepy way. of course there can be no neutrality in the corpse of a woman like evita, but there is still this lingering feeling of something being fundamentally invasive -not necessarily the embalming, i think, as much as the weight of her fame and reputation as the body is taken away and bargained with. her mother probably did have a point, beyond the religious, with cursing the doctor.

THE FORTY-FIVE: ST. VINCENT

Sleazy, gritty, grimy – these are the words used to describe the latest iteration of St. Vincent, Annie Clark’s alter ego. As she teases the release of her upcoming new album, ‘Daddy’s Home’, Eve Barlow finds out who’s wearing the trousers now.

Photos: Zackery Michael

Yellow may be the colour of gold, the hue of a perfect blonde or the shade of the sun, but when it’s too garish, yellow denotes the stain of sickness and the luridness of sleaze. On ‘Pay Your Way In Pain’ – the first single from St. Vincent’s forthcoming sixth album ‘Daddy’s Home’ – Annie Clark basks in the palette of cheap 1970s yellows; a dirty, salacious yellow that even the most prudish of individuals find difficult to avert their gaze from. It’s a yellow that recalls the smell of cigarettes on fingers, the tape across tomorrow’s crime scene or the dull ache of bad penetration.

The video for the single, which dropped last Thursday, features Clark in a blonde wig and suit, channeling a John Cassavetes anti-heroine (think Gena Rowlands in Gloria) and ‘Fame’-era Bowie. She twists in front of too-bright disco lights. She roughs up her voice. She sings about the price we pay for searching for acceptance while being outcast from society. “So I went to the park just to watch the little children/ The mothers saw my heels and they said I wasn’t welcome,” she coos, and you immediately recognise the scene of a free woman threatening the post-nuclear families aspiring to innocence. Clark is here to pervert them.

She laughs. “That’s how I feel!” From her studio in Los Angeles, she begins quoting lyrics from Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Red House’. “It’s a blues song for 2021.” LA is a city Clark reluctantly only half calls home, and one that is opposed to her vastly preferred New York. “I don’t feel any romantic attachment to Los Angeles,” she says of the place she coined the song ‘Los Ageless’ about on 2017’s ‘Masseduction’ (“The Los Ageless hang out by the bar/ Burn the pages of unwritten memoirs”).“The best that could be said of LA is, ‘Yeah it’s nice.’ And it is! LA is easy and pleasant. But if you were a person the last thing you’d want someone to say about you is: ‘She’s nice!’”

On ‘Daddy’s Home’, Clark writes about a past derelict New York; a place Los Angeles would suffocate in. “The idea of New York, the art that came out of it, and my living there,” she says. “I’ve not given up my card. I don’t feel in any way ready to renounce my New York citizenship. I bought an apartment so I didn’t have to.” Her down-and-out New York is one a true masochist would love, and it’s sleazy in excess. Sleaze is usually the thing men flaunt at a woman’s expense. In 2021, the proverbial Daddy in the title is Clark. But there’s also a literal Daddy. He came home in the winter of 2019.

On the title track, Clark sings about “inmate 502”: her father. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in a $43m stock fraud scheme. He went away in May 2010. Clark reacted by writing her third breakthrough album ‘Strange Mercy’ in 2011; inspired not just by her father’s imprisonment but the effects it had on her life.“I mean it was rough stuff,” she says. “It was a fuck show. Absolutely terrible. Gut-wrenching. Like so many times in life, music saved me from all kinds of personal peril. I was angry. I was devastated. There’s a sort of dullness to incarceration where you don’t have any control. It’s like a thud at the basement of your being. So I wrote all about it,” she says.

Back then, she was aloof about meaning. In an interview we did that year, she called from a hotel rooftop in Phoenix and was fried from analytical questions. She excused her lack of desire to talk about ‘Strange Mercy’ as a means of protecting fans who could interpret it at will. Really she was protecting an audience closer to home. It’s clear now that the title track is about her father’s imprisonment (“Our father in exile/ For God only knows how many years”). Clark’s parents divorced when she was a child, and they have eight children in their mixed family, some of whom were very young when ‘Strange Mercy’ came out. She explains this discretion now as her method of sheltering them.

“I am protective of my family,” she says. “It didn’t feel safe to me. I disliked the fact that it was taken as malicious obfuscations. No.” Clark wanted to deal with the family drama in art but not in press. She managed to remain tight-lipped until she became the subject of a different intrusion. As St. Vincent’s star continued to rocket, Clark found herself in a relationship with British model Cara Delevingne from 2014 to 2016, and attracted celebrity tabloid attention. Details of her family’s past were exposed. The Daily Mail came knocking on her sister’s door in Texas, where Clark is from.

“Luckily I’m super tight with my family and the Daily Mail didn’t find anybody who was gonna sell me out,” she says. “They were looking for it. Clark girls are a fucking impenetrable force. We will cut a bitch.”

Four years later, Clark gets to own the narrative herself in the medium that’s most apt: music. “The story has evolved. I’ve evolved. People have grown up. I would rather be the one to tell my story,” she says, ruminating on the misfortune that this was robbed from her: a story that writes itself. “My father’s release from prison is a great starting point, right?” Between tours and whenever she could manage, Clark would go and visit him in prison and would be signing autographs in the visitation room for the inmates, who all followed her success with every album release, press clipping and late night TV spot. She joked to her sisters that she’d become the belle of the ball there. “I don’t have to make that up,” she says.

There’s an ease to Clark’s interview manner that hasn’t existed before. She seems ready not just to discuss her father’s story, but to own certain elements of herself. “Hell where can you run when the outlaw’s inside you,” she sings on the title track, alluding to her common traits with her father. “I’ve always had a relationship with my dad and a good one. We’re very similar,” she says. “The movies we like, the books, he liked fashion. He’s really funny, he’s a good time.” Her father’s release gave Clark and her brothers and sisters permission to joke. “The title, ‘Daddy’s Home’ makes me laugh. It sounds fucking pervy as hell. But it’s about a real father ten years later. I’m Daddy now!”

The question of who’s fathering who is a serious one, but it’s also not serious. Clark wears the idea of Daddy as a costume. She likes to play. She joins today’s Zoom in a pair of sunglasses wider than her face and a silk scarf framing her head. The sunglasses come off, and the scarf is a tool for distraction. She ties it above her forehead, attempts a neckerchief, eventually tosses it aside. Clark can only be earnest for so long before she seeks some mischief. She doesn’t like to stay in reality for extensive periods. “I like to create a world and then I get to live in it and be somebody new every two or three years,” she says. “Who wants to be themselves all the time?”

‘Daddy’s Home‘ began in New York at Electric Lady studios before COVID hit and was finished in her studio in LA. She worked on it with “my friend Jack” [Jack Antonoff, producer for Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Taylor Swift]. Antonoff and Clark worked on ‘Masseduction’ and found a winning formula, pushing Clark’s guitar-orientated electronic universe to its poppiest maximum, without compromising her idiosyncrasies. “We’re simpatico. He’s a dream,” she says. “He played the hell outta instruments on this record. He’s crushing it on drums, crushing it on Wurlitzer.” The pair let loose. They began with ‘The Holiday Party’, one of the warmest tracks Clark’s ever written. It’s as inviting as a winter fireplace, stoked by soulful horns, acoustic guitar and backing singers. “Every time they sang something I’d say, ‘Yeah but can you do it sleazier? Make your voice sound like you’ve been up for three days.” Clark speaks of an unspoken understanding with Antonoff as regards the vibe: “Familiar sounds. The opposite of my hands coming out of the speaker to choke you till you like it. This is not submission. Just inviting. I can tell a story in a different way.”

The entire record is familiar, giving the listener the satisfaction that they’ve heard the songs before but can’t quite place them. It’s a satisfying accompaniment to a pandemic that encouraged nostalgic listening. Clark was nostalgic too. She reverted to records she enjoyed with her father: Stevie Wonder’s catalogue from the 1970s (‘Songs In The Key Of Life’, ‘Innervisions’, ‘Talking Book’) and Steely Dan. “Not to be the dude at the record store but it’s specifically post-flower child idealism of the ’60s,” she explains. “It’s when it flipped into nihilism, which I much prefer. Pre disco, pre punk. That music is in me in a deep way. It’s in my ears.”

On ‘The Melting Of The Sun’ she has a delicious time creating a psychedelic Pink Floyd odyssey while exploring the path tread by her heroes Marilyn Monroe, Joni Mitchell, Joan Didion and Nina Simone. It’s a series of beautiful vignettes of brilliant women who were met with a hostile environment. Clark considers what they did to overcome that. “I’m thanking all these women for making it easier for me to do it. I hope I didn’t totally let them down.” Clark is often the only woman sharing a stage with rock luminaries such as Dave Grohl, Damon Albarn and David Byrne, and has appeared to have shattered a male-centric glass ceiling. She’s unsure she’s doing enough to redress the imbalance. “There are little things I can do and control,” she says of hiring women on her team. “God! Now I feel like I should do more. What should I do? It’s a big question. You know what I have seen a lot more from when I started to now? Girls playing guitar.”

If one woman reinvented the guitar in the past decade, it’s Clark. Behind her is a rack of them. The pandemic has taken her out of the wild in which she’s accustomed to tantalising audiences at night with her displays of riffing and heel-balancing. Instead, she’s chained to her desk. Her obsession with heels in the lyrics of ‘Daddy’s Home’ she reckons may be a reflection of her nights performing ‘Masseduction’ in thigh highs. “I made sure that nothing I wore was comfortable,” she recalls. “Everything was about stricture and structure and latex. I had to train all the time to make sure I could handle it.” Is she taking the heels off when live shows return? “Absofuckinglutely not.”

Clark is interested in the new generation. She’s recently tweeted about Arlo Parks and has become a big fan of Russian singer-songwriter Kate NV. “I’m obsessed with Russia,” she says. In a recent LA Times profile, she professed to a pandemic intellectual fixation on Stalin. “Yeah! I mean right now my computer is propped up on stuff. You are sitting on The Gulag Archipelago, The Best Short Stories Of Dostoyevsky andThe Plays Of Chekhov. I’m kinda in it.” The pop world interests Clark, too. She was credited with a co-write on Swift’s 2019 album ‘Lover’. At last year’s Grammys she performed a duet with Dua Lipa. It was one of the queerest performances the Grammys has ever aired. Clark interrupts.

“What about it seemed queer?!”

You know… The lip bite, for one!

“Wait. Did she bite her lip?”

No, you bit your lip.

“I did?!”

Everyone was talking about it. Come on, Annie.

“Serious? I…”

You both waltzed around each other with matching hairdos, making eyes…

“I have no memory of it.”

Frustrating as it may be in a world of too much information, Clark’s lack of willingness to overanalyse every creative decision she makes or participates in is something to treasure. “I want to be a writer who can write great songs,” she says. “I’m so glad I can play guitar and fuck around in the studio to my heart’s desire but it’s about what you can say. What’s a great song? What lyric is gonna rip your guts open. Just make great shit! That’s where I was with this record. That’s all I wanna do with my life.”

More than a decade into St. Vincent, Clark doesn’t reflect. She looks strictly forward. “I’m like a horse with blinders,” she says. She did make an exception to take stock lately when the phone rang. “I saw a +44 and that gets me excited,” she says. “Who could this be?” Well, who was it? “Paul McCartney,” she says, in disbelief. “Anything I’ve done, any mistake I’ve made, somehow it’s forgiven, assuaged. I did something right in my life if a fucking Beatle called me.”

Now there’s a get out of jail free card if ever she needed one.

Daddy’s Home by St. Vincent is out May 14, 2021.

Hey babe, I had a q about your last photo caption. The bit about Marilyn refusing to be a kept woman is somewhat misleading to me- didn't she live with Johnny Hyde for a time, and didn't his influence grant her favorable notice during casting for films like The Asphalt Jungle? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but I don't think their relationship was precisely sexual even if he clearly doted on her for a time. Obvi she got further on her own merit, but I do think that's an oft unexplored moment in her life that was definitely instrumental because of her choice to link up with him. Just wondering about your thoughts on this! Love the blog <3

Hi! Thank you for your sweet comments about my blog :) Sorry for the delay in response, but I wanted to give a thorough response to this. I’ve actually received a couple of comments on Instagram lately regarding this, and I don’t mind addressing this confusion.

*Disclaimer to everyone reading: This is based on the research I have done and is to address a number of issues. This isn’t to glorify Marilyn or deny any flaws or imperfections, but to state the facts. I’m publicly sharing this so I can later refer back to it. It’s a longer response to answer any follow-up questions I may get but, of course, you can still ask any you may have. ♡♡

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It can be deceiving, but I think the bigger concern is what she took for what she got, rather than vise versa. If she was looking to be a gold-digging, role-stealing actress, she would have married Hyde the minute he asked her to. She would have inherited his millions and could have bought her way through Hollywood. For a young woman with hardly anything, she chose herself and said no. 

Just before she met him, she was getting help from John Carroll and Lucille Ryman, so when she said, Johnny was the first to believe in her, that isn’t entirely true. Due to her lack of a father-figure as a child I think that when she saw the belief in her from a man like Johnny, at a reputable agency, who was willing to do anything for her, she latched on to it.

Hyde’s co-workers at William Morris later reported being furious with him because he slowly began to abandon his other clients and focused only on helping her. In the case of The Asphalt Jungle, since you asked, it was actually the help of both Hyde and Lucille Ryman that she was given an audition. However, director John Huston later said she didn’t get the “role because of Hyde...she got it because she was damn good.”

In my personal opinion, based on the facts, whether did not sleep with Johnny - some historians even refuse to believe they were ever sexually involved - it was never for roles, auditions, etc. As I mentioned, if it were, she would have married him, taken his money, and used that to her advantage. She actually stopped seeing him - both  personally and professionally - by Fall 1949 because she was so sick and tired of being called, “Mrs. Johnny Hyde” by him and hearing from colleges that he was calling her his wife. 

When it came to being a “kept” woman, she was referring to the large number of “casting directors” or studio execs, etc, who faked an upcoming film to lure her into their office and attempt to seduce her, or held their hand on her thigh while she auditioned, almost forced her, etc... and each time she managed to walk out. 

She wrote an article entitled, “The Wolves I’ve Know” that was published in a number of places like Motion Picture in 1953, The New York Daily News, and more. When she met with Ben Hecht for her autobiography interviews, she also spoke of them and it was published in a London newspaper in August 1954, and in Australian magazines in 1955.

He did leave his family and move into a bigger place and invited her to live there, but she never officially moved in. She did spend quite a bit of her time there, but by early Spring she was living on her own and was very low on rent. This is why she posed nude on red velvet in May 1949. She admitted to thinking of asking men she knew for money to help her, but felt she wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself, and it made her sick to even think of it.

For everyone reading this, remember, she was twenty-three. She was still a very young girl and had grown up with little guidance in her life. She was abused, and was in and out of so many school and homes, she was never taught how to do things. She figured it out on her own, and of course, like anyone in that situation, maybe didn’t always make the best decisions or have the best thoughts.

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I know this answer was very long, but I felt I needed to address a number of points because things are rarely black and white - especially for Marilyn Monroe, who is the subject of much scrutiny, then and now - and there are many things to consider in regards to a sensitive subject like this! 

I hope I’m not missing anything, but I hope it answers your question! xo

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Below is a list of various quotes said by Marilyn that I hope everyone will find helpful :)

From “The Wolves I’ve Known” published in The New York Times:

The first real wolf I encountered should have been ashamed of himself because he was trying to take advantage of a mere kid. That’s all I was and I wasn’t suspicious of him at all when he stopped his car at a corner and started to talk to me.

He looked at me all over and then came up with that famous line: “You ought to be in pictures.” That was the first time I’d ever heard it, so it didn’t sound corny to me.

He told me he had an office at the Goldwyn studio and said why didn’t I come and see him and he would get me a screen test. It sounded pretty good to me because I was crazy to get into the movies.

I was modeling at that time and I asked the people who ran the agency where I got my jobs what they thought of his offer. The manager called the studio but never was able to get in touch with my would-be benefactor. However, the wolf called the agency and I made an appointment to go to his office on Saturday afternoon.

I didn’t know then that the producers and other movie officials don’t make Saturday afternoon appointments. I found that out later. I also found out that he didn’t really have any connection with the Goldwyn studio but had borrowed a friend’s office.

He was fat and jovial and, of course, drove a Cadillac. He gave me a script to read and told me how to pose while reading it. All the poses had to be reclining, although the words I was reading didn’t seem to call for that position.

--

Of course, there are other ways a girl could survive until another studio came along. A starlet could take on a lover, usually a well-heeled married man who could pay her bills, or she could become the mistress to an old man and through his connections help advance her career. Believe me, there were and still are many starstruck girls that do get by that way. But for myself, respect is one of life’s greatest treasures. I mean, what does it all add up to if you don’t have that? If there [is] only one thing in my life I [am] proud of, it’s that I’ve never been a kept woman.  

And believe me, it wasn’t because there weren’t opportunities to become one. I think I had as many problems as the next starlet keeping the Hollywood wolves from my door. These wolves just could not understand me. They would tell me, “But Marilyn, you’re not playing the game the way you should. Be smart. You’ll never get anywhere in this business acting the way you do.” My answer to them would be, “The only acting I’ll do is for the motion picture camera.” I was determined, no one was going to use me or my body—even if he could help my career. I’ve never gone out with a man I didn’t want to. No one, not even the studio, could force me to date someone.

You can’t sleep your way into being a star. It takes much, much more. But it helps. A lot of actresses got their first chance that way. Most of the men are such horrors, they deserve all they can get out of them!

The one thing I hate more than anything else is being used. I’ve always worked hard for the sake of someday becoming a talented actress. I knew I would make it someday if I only kept at it and worked hard without lowering my principles and pride in myself.

April 9, 2021: Some Like it Hot (1959) (Recap: Part One)

If there was ever a movie more hyped than this one...

Ever heard of the American Film Institute? Well, according to them in 2000 (recent, I know), this is the funniest comedy...period. At the time, anyway. That beats Tootsie (getting there), Dr. Strangelove (love it), Annie Hall (also loved it), Duck Soup (classic), Blazing Saddles (classic, topical, and fantastic), M*A*S*H (maybe later this year), It Happened One Night (maybe next year), The Graduate (later this WEEK), and...THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN Airplane! IS NUMBER 10? You CANNOT be seri...yeah, OK, you know where I’m going.

Anyway. Yeah, so, maybe AFI has Oscar syndrome, because that’s a little bullshit. So, uh...how about the BBC? In 2017, they asked 253 film critics ACROSS THE GLOBE what the best comedy of all time was, and number ONE was Some Like it Hot. Other than beating Airplane! again, it also beat Groundhog Day, Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, This is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, and His Girl Friday, and...well, every comedy you can think of. This movie CANNOT be that funny.

...Can it?

But there’s more to this film than that. Apparently, it was made without the approval of the MPPDA, which means that it wasn’t Hays Code adherent! Damn! In fact, this film was partially responsible for its collapse about 6 years later! But what is the Hays Code? Well, briefly covered, it was a set of standards laid out by Will Hays and his Motion Picture Produces and Distributors of America, or the MPPDA. It was enforced in the mid 1930s, and stood firmly in place until 1968, when it basically disappeared.

So, what are these standards? Well, there are a lot, but in a nutshell:

No cursing or taking the Lord’s name in vain in any way.

No nudity, real or suggested. And sex is kind of OK, if consensual and between a man and a woman ONLY. But, they can’t be in bed together, and they can only kiss one time, IF one of them isn’t a villain.

No weddings, no wedding nights, and barely any reference to marriage.

No prostitution, or what was called “white slavery”. Yes. Really.

Oh, also, no weird race-mixing stuff. What’s a “civil rights”?

Buuuuuuut...don’t insult any races either. Of course, considering the time period, “insult” or “offense” is probably subjective, so...fuck that, I guess.

PRIESTS ARE HOLY AND CANNOT BE MOCKED

No guns, fire, American flags, murder, smuggling, drugs, hanging, electrocution, or...law enforcement?

No childbirth, seen or inferred, and no naked kids. I mean...that’s common sense, to be completely fair.

NO RACE-MIXI-oh. Oh, I said that already, didn’t I? Well, OK, I’ll pare it down a little. They can’t have sex, but I guess...looking at each other is OK? Yeah, yeah, we’ll go with that. I’m progressive!

That about covers it. And this movie wasn’t adherent to it? Oh...well, I am excited! Let’s jump right in! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

The whole thing starts with a bang; literally. It's Chicago in 1929, smack dab in the middle of the Prohibition Era, and a group of gangsters are smuggling some alcohol inside of a coffin, while riding in a hearse. The cops aren't fooled, ad a shootout takes place between the gangsters and the cops, but they eventually drop off as the group takes the coffin into a funeral home. At the funeral home, a man named “Toothpick” Charlie (George E. Stone) meets with Mulligan (Pat O’Brien) a detective who’s got Charlie as his informant. With his help, he makes his way into the funeral home, actually a speakeasy in disguise.

Said speakeasy is run by “Spats” Colombo (George Raft), and within the speakeasy is a massive party, which the partygoers call a funeral. Spats arrives there shortly afterwards, and Mulligan watches all the while. Also at this party is a group of dancers accompanied by a band, which contains two partners, ladies’ man and sax player Joe (Tony Curtis) and anxious double bassist Jerry (Jack Lemmon).

The two talk about what they’re going to do with their upcoming paycheck, with Joe planning on using it for gambling on dog races. Jerry is understandably worried about this, as they owe rent, but Joe rattles off other things that he might was well worry about.

Suppose you got hit by a truck. Suppose the stock market crashes. Suppose Mary Pickford divorces Douglas Fairbanks. Suppose the Dodgers leave Brooklyn! Suppose Lake Michigan overflows.

Fun fact, though: the stock market’s about to crash in a year, Pickford and Fairbanks divorce in 1936, and the Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1957, famously. Lake Michigan has not overflowed...YET. It’s actually at record high water levels, and could cause flooding around it in the next few years. So, although those middle three were DEFINITELY part of the joke...that last one wasn’t at the time. Of course, it’s actually there as a line to set Jerry up with a way to tell him that the streets are “about to flood”, as he spots Mulligan and makes him. He tells Joe, and they both quietly pack up their instruments and leave, BEFORE the ruckus is about to begin.

And begin it does, and the cops raid the place almost immediately afterwards. As the party’s broken up and people are loaded into the paddywagon (Spats included), Joe and Jerry take their chance to escape behind the cops’ backs. However, this also means that the two musicians aren’t getting paid after all. Joe’s still set on betting money on the dog the next day, and get the money for the bet by selling their coats. However, while they do sell their coats, they instead end up looking for jobs at a local music agency, run by Sig Poliakoff (Billy Gray). 

The agency is recruited by band owner Sweet Sue (Joan Shawlee) and her nebbish band manager Bienstock (Dave Barry), as they need a bass and a sax player to replace two of their own, in their band in Florida. On hearing this from Poliakoff’s secretary Nellie (Barbara Drew), the two barge into the office. However, much to their dismay, the only ones they’re looking for are women. While Jerry tries to weasel their way in, it doesn’t quite work, and they instead take a job up north for a Valentine’s Day dance. The two go to a garage to borrow a car from Nellie in order to get to the job. There, playing cards, is Toothpick Charlie with a group of men. But then...somebody else arrives.

Spats and his men arrive at the garage, and tell all of the men to stand with their hands on the wall. Joe and Jerry, however, manage to hide in the garage. And if you know anything about Valentine’s Day during Prohibition Era Chicago...then you know exactly what’s about to happen to Toothpick and the guys.

After the massacre (based upon the real St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Jerry makes a noise and alerts the gang to their presence. This is a problem, because Spats isn’t keen on the idea of witnesses, and immediately orders the musicians killed.With a distraction caused by the still-alive-but-dying Charlie, the two manage to escape Spats’ wrath. Now needing a fast way out of town, Joe figures out a plan. See, that job, the one from Sweet Sue, is in Florida, which is far enough away that they should be able to escape. But, uh...the band is only looking for women. And so...

This is the second most famous thing about the film. Meet Josephine and Daphne, the female aliases of Joe and Jerry respectively. As Jerry realizes the difficulties of the female wardrobe (namely skirts and heels), the two walk up to the band of women, known as “Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators.” But they aren’t the only arrivals, and the other is the MOST famous thing about this movie...

This is Sugar “Kane” Kowalczyk, the lead singer, ukelele player, and...OK, look, it’s Marilyn Monroe, and I think I need to acknowledge this now. Marilyn Monroe is an underrated talent today, but she had a hell of a lot of potential as an actress and as an individual. She had a lot of troubles, and her early death by suicide is an absolute tragedy, no matter how you slice it. She’s a talented actress and singer, and she deserves recognition for that.

SHE IS ALSO INSANELY HOT I’M SORRY I’M WEAK

Look...it’s Marilyn fucking Monroe, OK? I know, I’m a straight cissexual man, but I wanted to make a point to acknowledge the fact that Marilyn Monroe is a talent far outside of her beauty and physicality. She (and all women) deserve that much, and deserve not to be objectified by the male gaze. I genuinely agree with this, and I do understand that concept. I’ll never personally understand the female experience, but it’s my responsibility and duty as an individual to understand experiences foreign to my own, including this one.

But DEAR LORD, her physicality is not easy to ignore, now and then! I mean COME ON! The woman’s considered a standard of classic beauty to this day by many (not by all, and not by herself), and it’s unfortunately her most famous feature to nearly everybody. But, of course, Monroe got a lot of grief for her looks as well (which is bullshit), and the stress of her life sadly led to her terrible suicide. But that doesn’t mean that her beauty inside and out shouldn’t be appreciated for what it is: beauty.

ALSO SHE IS DROP DEAD GORGEOUS I’M WEAK I KNOW

See, the train agrees with me! Oh...OH RIGHT, THE MOVIE! OK, where was I. Well, Joe and Jerry agree with me about Sugar Kane, but it is the 1950′s when the film is made, so of course they do. They watch her get on, and they follow suit, meeting the women of the band, and Sugar Kane. Sugar, see, has a teensy bit of an alcohol problem. That’s not necessarily to say she’s an alcoholic, but she is admonished for it by Sweet Sue and Bienstock, also being a repeat offender of drinking during working hours. That (and men) is something that Sweet Sue doesn’t tolerate.

She’s almost in trouble that night, when her flask falls from her stocking during a performance. However, Jerry covers for her, much to her appreciation. As they settle in for the night, all of the girls (including Joe and Jerry) sleep in the same cabin, much to the, uh, frustration of Jerry, despite Josephine’s urgings to keep it together. As Jerry continually reminds himself that he’s posing as a girl, he’s surprised that night with the appearance of Sugar, who comes to thank her for her help that night. Sugar tells “Daphne” that she owes her one, and also climbs into the cot with him to hide from Sweet Sue. Jerry...that poor mother fucker.

Well, Jerry tries to ease the tension by offering some of Joe’s whisky. But more of the girls overhear this, and eventually, a massive party erupts, with all the girls mixing drinks and sharing the single space of Jerry’s bed. Joe wakes up from all of this, and tries to help end the party, only for Sugar to climb out of it, and ask Joe for help with a block of ice for the drinks.

It’s here that she reveals that she used to work with men’s bands, but joined this band to get away from men. This is especially to get away from her weakness: tenor sax players. This intrigues Joe, the tenor sax player. However, she’s essentially sworn off of tenor sax players because of multiple bad relationships, and is instead hoping to find a millionaire in Florida, preferably one with a yacht. Meanwhile, Jerry’s bed is getting a little too full, and the girls are getting a little TOO familiar. They start to tickle him, and to prevent his cover being blown, Jerry pulls the train’s emergency brake. All of the girls scatter as the train stops, and they manage to get away with the party as Sweet Sue and Bienstock wake up only then.

The train gets to Florida, and the girls make their way into a hotel. As they check in, Jerry (as Daphne) is spotted by Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown), a millionaire, and a man with eclectic tastes in women. And those tastes apparently include Daphne, as he unsubtly (and unwantedly) hits on her. And Jerry’s having none of it. After Osgood pinches him in the elevator, he gets off after slapping him. Unfortunately, that makes Osgood only want Daphne THAT MUCH MORE. This man...this man may just be the legendary alpha simp of which the stories tell.

Meanwhile, Joe manages to get ahold of Beinstock’s luggage and glasses. He steals his clothes (after fending off an overeager bellboy), and uses them to dress as a millionaire. Why? Why, to seduce Sugar, of course!

This is right at the halfway point, so we’ll pick this up in Part Two! See you there!

2 Romeos & 1 Juliet- Part 5

Part 5.  Fem reader.  Bucky takes reader on second date.

Warnings: implied smut, cursing, drug use.  (definitely a darker story, but I didn't make it too dark, so don’t worry.)

Word Count: 4.2k

Taglist: @angrythingstarlight​ @sea040561​ @kmuir1​ @wednesday-add-em​ (join the list, it’s small, but the more the merrier!)

A/N: sry @kmuir1​ that this took so long.  I Didn’t have time, the usual.  But enjoy!  Sry bout the photo, I thought it was part 4, but its 5. shit

(day of second date with Bucky Barnes)

You had woken up this morning, tired at first but full of energy when you realised what day it was.  You practically jumped out of bed.  Your excitement alone was your energy source as you took a shower, got dressed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

When you got to the kitchen, you found Loki making breakfast, surprisingly.  Steve, Tony and Thor were waiting patiently for the food.  Tony was arguing with the two of them for not knowing who AC/DC was.

“Are you fucking kidding me?  What is wrong with you people?  Y/N, please tell me you know who they are?” Tony pleaded.

“Mr. Stark, they have some of my favorite songs so of course I know them,” you said.

“See?  She knows,” Tony smirked.

“I am not of Earth, so of course I won't know this AC/DC person,” Thor said.

“Yeah Tony, and I was under ice for 70 years,” Steve argued back.  Tony just said there and placed his hand on his face, not even trying to hide the disappointment on his face.  You giggled as you prepared yourself a plate.

“Hello there, Y/N,” Loki greeted.

“Morning, since when do you make breakfast?” you asked.

“Since I feel like it,” Loki smirked.  He was making french toast and sunny-side-up eggs, and he was in a very cheerful mood.  You found this odd since Loki was never a morning person and he hated cooking.  And when you looked back to Thor, you could tell he was thinking the same thing.

As soon as Loki finished making the food, Bucky stumbled out of bed.  He was still a little tired, and his long hair was sticking out everywhere.  But as soon as he smelled the food, his dark mood lifted and he rushed to get food.  All of the boys were trying to get as much food as they could, shoving as much as they could on their plates.  But then, they remembered that you were up as well.

“Oh sorry Y/N,” Steve shrugged. “Here, take some of mine.  I know that Tony and Bucky won’t share.”  

“Thanks Steve,” you chuckled.

Steve and Tony were talking while they were eating about an upcoming mission while Thor and Bucky were having a competition to see who could eat the fastest.  Bucky, of course, won with ease, but Thor was pretty close behind.  You and Loki were giggling to yourselves as you watched them.  

“Hey, Reindeer, can I get some water?” Bucky asked, out of breath from eating so much in so little time.  Loki nodded and went over to the cabinet to get the glass.  When he gave Bucky the glass, he had a weird look on his face.  But he always did, he was the God of Mischief for Pete’s sake.  

About an hour later, Bucky was not in his best shape.  He was more tired than normal, he looked like he was going to throw up, and just a complete mess.

“Bucky are you ok?” you asked at lunchtime, where Bucky didn't even touch his plate.

“I’m, I'm fine doll,” Bucky said.

“Not your not, you're burning up!” 

“Doll, I’m fine.  I'm not canceling my date with you,”

“Barnes, go get some rest.  It's ok, you can pick a day when you're feeling better.” you assured him.  His eyes were full of embarrassment.  He felt bad that he had to feel his worse on his date with you.  But he listened to you and you led him to his room.

You helped him get into bed.  You tucked him in and pressed your lips to his forehead, giving him a well deserved kiss for comfort.  As your lips left his forehead he gave you a smile before he closed his eyes and rested.  You could tell he was going to be out for the rest of the day, so you went to your room to relax for the rest of the night.

~~~

At about 4:00 pm, you were rewatching Stranger Things when a knock on the door interrupted.

“Who is it?” you grunted.

“Bucky, open up!” Bucky said through the door.

You did as he said and opened the door for him.  You didn't expect him to look so refreshed.  He looked the complete opposite of himself from earlier.  His hair was groomed, he wasn’t in his pajamas, and he looked full of energy.

“Hey doll, I just wanted to let you know that I feel much better and we can go on your date now,” Bucky said.

“Wait are you sure?  You didn't look good this morning,” you said, concerned.

“I’m sure Y/N, now get ready.  We are leaving in two hours.” Bucky said.

“Hold it Buck,” you said, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt before he left you there.  “Where are we going?”

“If you want to know so badly, we are going to a 40's diner, so wear something vintage.” Bucky smiled before heading to his room to get ready. 

You smiled and headed into your room to look as vintage as possible.  You went through your closet for the closest thing you could find that looked like it was from the 40’s.  But then you remembered for Halloween one year that you were a swing dancer with Nat and Wanda and you found your old costume.  It was a white and black dress.  It had a black collar and it was off the shoulder.  When you spinned around in it, it moved with you, catching the wind and giving a vibrant and lively flare.  

You also were able to find a pair of low, black pumps that complimented the dress perfectly.  And to add a little kick, you put on a pair of ruby earrings that Tony gave to you for your birthday last year.  

Then, you moved on to your makeup.  You had to look up YouTube videos for what type of makeup women wore back then.  But your eyes were set on a look that looked simple yet elegant, perfect for tonight.  The makeup artist looked so natural that it took your breath away.  She had on light amounts of foundation, blush and highlighter.  The only things that stood out were the bright, red lips and the wing of black eyeliner.  You also knew that you didn't have any red lipstick, but you knew someone that did.  Natasha.  So you sent a text to her, asking her to give you the lipstick and help you with your hair and makeup.  A few minutes later she responded, saying she would help and be at your room in 10 minutes.

“Open up!  I have your stuff!” Nat shouted.  You chuckled to yourself before opening the door for her.  

“You ready, girl?” Nat said after giving you a hug.

“Yes ma’am,” you nodded.

“Bathroom now.  We gotta get you all dolled up,” Nat said.  

She led you into the bathroom where she had you sit on the edge of the bathtub while she prepared the makeup and hair tools.  You also gave her a photo for some help, to give her an idea of what you wanted.  She studied the photo for a minute before working her magic.

“Nat?” you asked as she was working on your eyeliner.

“What? Don't move or you'll mess me up,” she said, trying to focus.

“How do you know if you want to be with someone for the rest of your life?” you asked.

Nat took a deep breath, not sure of how to explain.

“Well, I only act like I know everything.  But I do know one thing.” Nat started.  

“If you are with someone, but you only like them just because everyone else does, or because you feel like you have to, it won’t work.  Nothing like that lasts forever.  But if someone that you like makes you feel nothing like that, you know that that person is special.

“That special someone should make you always feel happy, or at least try to make you feel happy when you're not.  You should feel important, special, confident, and happy whenever you are with them and whenever you think of them.  That person should love you for who you are and not force you to be something else.  If they do, that's not true love.” Nat explained as she finished taking your hair out of curlers.  

“Thanks, Nat,” you smiled.

“Anytime, hun,” Nat grinned.

“One last thing.  How can you tell that someone wants to be with you for the rest of your life?”

“Well, they will do anything for you.  Even if it means they die trying.  They will make you feel amazing and everything you want to feel with them.  But they will have a certain look in their eyes that explains it slightly better than I can.  Slightly.  But even if they dont show it 100% of the time, you should know deep in your heart that they love and care about you.”

“Now look in the mirror,” Nat said, applying the final touches.  As you saw yourself in the mirror, you gasped and covered your mouth with your hands.

“Don’t do that!  You'll ruin the lipstick!” Nat panicked, taking your hands off.  You giggled and checked every detail that changed.  Your hair was in a classic curled look.  The curls were unnatural looking, but they looked a lot more neater.  Your makeup was flawless and the whole look was something from a movie.  You looked like Marilyn Monroe, but a more modern version. 

“Wow.  Natasha, thank you! Thank you thank you!!” you squealed.

“Of course, hun.” Nat smiled.  “Now, go out there and finish the job.  Go show Barnes what he will get if he wins you over.”

“Thanks Nat,” you sighed as Nat smirked.  You opened the door and went downstairs but the doorway again with Nat behind you.  When you got there, Tony, Steve and Sam were eating dinner.

“Who is that?” Sam said, shocked at your sudden change in style.  He gave you a little cheer, which made you blush.

“Damn girl,” Tony said, giving you a whistle of approval.

“Wow Y/N.  You look like all the girls from the 40’s.  Just better.” Steve smiled.

“All the girls that swooned over you or the ones that rejected you?” Nat snickered.  Sam and Tony were laughing their asses off while Steve gave Nat a death glare.  She just smiled and winked at you.

“Wow,” Bucky said.  He was waiting by the doorway, like last time, but you didn't see him at first since Steve, Tony and Sam were distracting you.  He had on a white T-shirt and dress pants with black suspenders.  And of course, he had his signature dog tags on.  He also had a box of chocolates and a bouquet of white roses for you.  His hair was tied back into a man bun and he shaved his light stubble.  Overall, he looked very different than what you were used to seeing.  He looked neater, more put together, and very happy.  Also out of breath from seeing you.

“Hi Bucky,” you said as you walked over to him.

“You look like something from heaven, sugar,”

“Not too shabby yourself, Barnes.” you smiled back.  

“You’re such a dreamboat,” Bucky gushed, taking your hand and leading you to the car.

“So are you,” you blushed.  He smiled back at you and gave you a kiss on the cheek before opening the car door for you.  

While you were in the car, Bucky put on some old songs that he grew up with.  Most of them you didn't know, but they were all great songs.  He was singing along and smiling, making you laugh and join in with him.

Then a little bit later, you guys made it to the diner.  Bucky was being very polite, opening the door for you, and always saying “ladies first.”  You always found yourself blushing around the Winter Soldier, and it was kinda annoying because you did it so much.  As you made your way inside, a waitress led you to your table for the night.  

While walking to the table, you found yourself looking at every corner of the diner.  Tons of red, cushioned bar stools, the checkered tiles, an old jukebox with tons of records to choose from.  Everything about this place looked like a movie set.  It was so old yet full of life.  And tons of people filled the tables, all in a good mood.  You and Bucky made it to the table, smiling and looking at some old school menus.

“So doll, what will it be?” Bucky asked, clearly already knowing what he wanted. 

“Well I don't know, what do you think is good?” you asked.

“If I were you, I wouldn't leave here without a milkshake.  But, I would get the meatloaf.  Here, they make it so it doesn't taste like liver.” Bucky said.

“Liver?” you asked.  “Ok fine.  And I am definitely going to get a milkshake.”

Then a few minutes later, the waitress gave you both a glass of water and took your orders.  Her name was Nancy, and she was a very sweet old lady.  She had short, curly, gray hair, glasses and rosy cheeks.  She looked like Mrs. Claus.

“What is the weirdest thing you ate in the 40’s, because the liver sounds pretty bad,” you mocked.

“There’s one thing that will gross you out.  And it's worse than liver,” Bucky grinned.

“Oh lord,” you sighed.

“Jello,” Bucky said.

“Jello?” you asked.  “Seriously?”

“No, no.  It's not the jello you're thinking of.  It kinda is though but it's worse.” Bucky said.

“Why is it worse?”

“Because jello was eaten for every meal.”

“Every meal?  Even dinner?”

“Even dinner,” Bucky said.  “They even had chicken jello where they would put chicken and tons of vegetables inside.”

“Bucky stop, I'm gonna throw up on you,” you laughed.

“Don’t you do that,” Bucky teased.

Before you knew it, your dinner was served.  Bucky also got meatloaf like you, but it wasn’t only meatloaf.  There was a side of mashed potatoes and it came with a side of gravy to pour on top.  As soon as you put a piece in your mouth, you knew you wouldn't be able to stop.  It tasted too good to be true, like a Christmas dinner.  When you finished, you felt your dress getting tighter on your stomach and you knew it wouldn't be too long before one of the seams popped.

“Doll, do you wanna dance?” Bucky suddenly asked.

“What?”

“Do you wanna dance?”

“I don't dance, and I don't know how people in the 40’s danced.” you said.

“I’ll show you how,” Bucky smiled.

“I’d hate to step on your shoes,” you teased.

“Don’t worry if you do.  I might be a little outta sync as well.” Bucky said.

“Fine, just give me a minute.  I gotta go to the restroom.”  you said getting up from your seat.

Bucky smiled at you as you left.  He was just waiting for the moment when you said, “I love you Bucky.”  He just hoped that he could convince you before “That son of a bitch Loki” did, as Bucky would call him.  

As you were in the bathroom, Bucky looked around the room to make sure that nobody was looking at his table.  He wanted to be as discreet as possible.  Just like he was when he was the Winter Soldier.  His Winter Soldier skill set kicked in as he took one final swing of the room.  

Then he looked into his pocket and pulled out a tiny plastic bag.  It had something white and small inside, shaped like a pill.  Bucky has this pill to help him cope with his days as the Winter Soldier, but tonight this little pill had another use.  

Rohypnol, also known as roofies, forget-me-pill and R-2, and one of the top three Rape Drugs in the world.  This drug is like Xanax, but it is approved for medical use, making it easier to get.  Easier to use on others.  It makes people feel very sleepy, confused and they can often forget what happened when it kicks in 30 minutes later and stays like that for hours on end.  It also lowers your defenses, meaning you wouldn't be able to use your powers against him or attack him in any way until the drug wore off.  

When you put it in a drink, it's often colorless and it doesn't have a taste or smell, perfect for knocking out enemies without them knowing.  It can also make the person who took the drug feel weak and have trouble breathing, making it harder to move their body.

The perfect drug to claim you as his.  Once and for all.

When Bucky put the R-2 in your drink, he felt his old, evil, torn apart come back from the dead.  The Winter Soldier in him resurfaced for the time that you were gone, alive and well like the Devil.  His grin stretched further than the Grinch’s and the bubbles fizzing in the cup only fueled his desires even more.  As he was basking in his glory, the song “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble started playing in the background.  He felt like the ultimate super villain in that one moment.  Nothing, absolute nothing could top this moment for him.

When you came back from the bathroom, you felt more refreshed.  You came back to a happy Bucky, happier seeing you back in front of him than when you were gone.  

“Miss me?” you teased.

“Oh toots, you have no idea,” Bucky said.  

Then in the background, an old song, “Pennsylvania 6-5000” by Glenn Miller came on, a song you didn’t even know existed.  

“Wanna dance?  I’ll teach you, just come with me,” Bucky offered, standing in front of you, holding his hand out.

You took his hand as he led you to the middle of the diner.  He had to figure out the timing for the beat before he started dancing, but it all kicked back in once the time was right.  He started moving his feet forward and swinging his arms to the beat.

“C'mon doll, join me!” Bucky said and you tried your best to copy his movements.

“See this isn’t bad right?” Bucky teased.

“Yeah, yeah you made your point,” you rolled your eyes.  

Then the beat started to pick up, and more eyes from others made you tense up and Bucky, being able to sense it, distracted you.

“Don’t worry ‘bout them, doll.  In no time, they will be joining in with us.” Bucky assured you.  

You nodded and kept dancing with him.  But Bucky made his dance more complicated.  He started doing the Charleston.  And he was a fucking pro at it too.  You tried to copy him, but he was going too fast and it made everything seem harder than it was.

“Look at me, and watch my movements ok?  Look, one, two, three, four and you repeat.  Got it?”  Bucky explained as he was moving his arms and legs in slow motion for you to pick up on.  

You had to make him do it a few times before you got the hang of it.  Soon you were adding your own little bits of flare to it, even outshining Bucky.  You realized that the Charleston was a fairly easy dance to learn, compared to the Can-Can at least.

Soon, people in the booths started cheering for you and Bucky, and they all eventually started to join in.  It felt like a high school party, tons of sweaty bodies clashing into each other, people dancing and smiling, overall, people just having a wonderful time.  You moved your legs and arms with such grace and elegance that you made Bucky look like a chicken on a tightrope compared to you.  Some men tried to get a dance with you, even trying to flirt with you at some points, but they backed off once they saw the metal arm that Bucky was so graciously sporting.

Bucky spun you around like a top and you and him were laughing so much.  You felt so alive and free with him.  You were wondering if that was the feeling Nat was telling you about earlier.  That feeling of warmth, being special.  And you did see something shining in his eyes that was different.  But you weren’t sure if it was love since you’ve never seen that before.  

Then, to everyone’s disappointment, the song ended.  You and Bucky sighed in annoyance, like all of the others, but it was quickly taken over by panting.  You and Bucky were out of breath, you especially since you outshined Bucky.  

“C'mon doll, let's get a drink,” Bucky said as you headed back to your table.                        

“Agreed.  By the way, what was the name of the song?” you asked since you’ve never heard of it before.

“And you call me dumb,” Bucky sighed and you hit him in the arm.  “It’s called Pennsylvania 6-5000 by Glenn Miller.”

“Well if I didn't know the song, I guess that makes you a fuddy-duddy then,” you mocked, after you took a big, long sip of your water.

“Let’s get milkshakes for the ride home,” Bucky offered, and you happily agreed.

You and Bucky left the diner, milkshakes in hand, laughing about how you outdanced him.  You had gotten vanilla and he got strawberry, and you were both trying each others.  You were laughing, but also tired from dancing, and so was Bucky.  So the car ride wasn’t as talkative as the ride there, but the silence was comforting in a way.

As you were looking out the window, Bucky was gauging the amount of time it would take to get to the Compound.  Normally, it takes about 15 minutes to get there, but the traffic earlier made it take 30 minutes.  So he had to figure out a way for the Rohypnol to kick in without making himself look suspicious.  Luckily, the car was running out of gas, the perfect excuse to stop the car for a good amount of time and stall.

You didn’t really notice what was happening, since you were so tired.  You did see Bucky filling up the gas tank, smiling at you, making sure you were ok every now and then.  But the gas station passed as quickly as it came, and soon you were on your way home again.

Bucky was glad his stalling had pulled off.  It bought some time, and you only had 10 minutes left till you got back home and till the rest of the night carried on.

Before you knew it, you were already home.  Bucky had gotten out of the car and walked around to your side, to be a gentleman and open the door for you.  But you were extremely tired now, and you had no clue why.  Your body felt like it was running on 5% power.  You could barely function, but you could still see, hear and move.  Just not up to normal.

“Here doll,”  Bucky offered.  “Lean on my arm and I’ll walk you back inside, ok?”

“Mmk,” you slurred.  

Bucky took his time on purpose, making sure you were walking ok and being polite.  You took a few minutes before you made it inside.  You were walking down the hallway, but not to your room.

“Bucky… where we goin?” you mumbled.

“Somewhere you’ve been before,” Bucky said calmly.  

Before he led you to it, he looked around the hallway one last time, just to make sure the others weren’t awake, but they weren’t so Bucky proceeded.  He ended up taking you to his room, and you were lost as to why.

“Why are we… we here?” you asked. 

“Let’s help you out of this dress,” Bucky said, completely ignoring you.  

You didn’t care at that moment, so you just let him undress you.  Under your dress, you had on a matching set of dark red and black lace bra and panties.  Bucky just took a step back before you fell back onto the bed.  You were lazily playing with your hair, making you look 20 times more attractive.  

“Doll, you gotta stop doing that?” Bucky groaned.

“Why?” you moaned, not on purpose though.

“Because I don’t think I will last,” Bucky said.  

He slowly took off his shirt and suspenders, revealing a god-like body.  His metal arm was reflecting the little light the room had to offer.  His abs and biceps were flexing, showing off his muscular torso and his veins were popping through his skin.  He moved down his body to his pants, letting them fall to his feet.  He was only wearing his black boxers now.  And he took his hair out of his man bun, letting the strands of dark brown hair fall.

You weren’t really paying attention to him though.  You didn't even notice him stalking you closer and closer until he was right on top of you.  

“Bucky what are you doing?” you asked, tiredly.

“Oh sugar, I didn’t give you that name for nothing.  Let’s hope it lives up to it.” Bucky said as he hovered over you.

“Bucky,” you said, trying to push him off of you.

“If you keep doing that, we are going to have a long night, doll.”

Walk of Shame

Chapter 3 from the Series: Before you go

Pairing: Jimin x reader, Taehyung x reader, Jin x OC, OT5 x reader platonic love

Fic Type: Slice of life au

Genre: slice of life, fluff, mild smut, and a healthy amount of angst

Warning: few cuss words, slight humping, love bites

Word count: 2.8k

A/n: Hi! Leave a message if you liked this chapter! I’m just happy to get my first likes on the first chapters! Enjoy!

It’s been 2 weeks since you’ve landed in L.A, and so far it’s been great. You explored the city with Soo Yun and her family, specifically loving the Architectural tours as Soo Yun’s father is an Architect himself. Visiting the Getty Center and Museum was your peak. Its view overlooking the whole of Los Angeles relieved some of your burdens, relieving your guilt in leaving your life in Korea. You also visited the LACMA, The Broad, and the Hollywood Bowl, such Architectural porn that you haven’t seen before. 

Sleepovers were also your and Soo Yun’s thing back then and you’re doing it all now again. Watching horror movies in bed while wearing matching pajamas with hot popcorn, ice cream, and cola between your legs. You both particularly liked slasher films over anything else and you think that the Final Destination series are *chef’s kiss*. 

In the middle of Final Destination 3, Soo Yun casually slid if you'll ever meet with Jimin again. Though you highly doubt it’s you and Jimin she’s thinking about. She kind of developed a crush on Jin, I couldn’t blame her of course. You were as captivated just by hearing his voice on the phone, but seeing him was entirely different. From his height to his broad shoulders Soo Yun fell deep. He’s just not your type though. 

After your last encounter, you told her everything. From having no real friends ever since she left, that issue you had in school which forced you to quit and leave Korea, your uncertain relationship with Jae, and your falling apart with your parents to that wonderful time with Jimin at the plane and to the bag mix-up. And these 2 weeks were nothing but great because of your friend’s support, you got one by your side and that’s enough for you. 

“Did you know about their upcoming showcase? I heard they’re free.” She asked while chomping on popcorn not leaving her eyes on the screen. “How did you even know about that?” surprised that she’s more updated than you. Though you have no obligation to keep up with their schedule. “I have a friend at school who knows them. I even bragged about meeting 3 of their members” her grin almost reaching her ears for being so pleased with herself. “I’m surprised at Jimin for not getting your phone number from Jin, some guys will go for it even if you told them not too, you know?” she paused the movie to get more popcorn downstairs. 

But some other guys are not Jimin, you thought as you leaned back to your pillow to stare at the ceiling. And duh what he did is nothing to be proud of, it's like the threshold for basic manners. But what do I know, I have been in a relationship for a year now and I don’t even know if this is what relationships should look and feel like. I know that I shouldn't base and compare my relationship to movies or any Nicholas Sparks’ books, but why do I feel like it’s much closer to Stephen King’s works.

“Jae would like to video chat with you” your phone vibrates. Speaking of the devil. You answer and immediately see him with eyes focused on the screen probably playing Diablo or God of War. “Hi babe, what’s up, where are you?” he said. 

Where are you? What the fuck, you’ve been in L.A for 2 weeks and he asks where are you?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? 

“Babe, I'm in L.A remember. Soo Yun and I are watching movies. And it’s like 3 pm there, why aren’t you in school?” you calmly said clenching your jaw, checking the time on your phone. 10:23 pm. “Uh, okay mom. I didn’t feel like going, I feel like I might follow your step and quit school this time.” he snickers. He knows you don’t enjoy bringing up that topic, but what did you expect? “Kidding babe, lighten up. I called because I miss you, I miss your cooking, I miss cuddling, and I miss you between my --" you stop him as Soo Yun enters the room again.

"Hey, it's Soo Yun, Soo Yun's here Jae, say hi!" Panicky facing your phone in front of her. "Hi Jae, still a dick to y/n?" she said without even looking at your phone. You look at her not believing she said that rolling her eyes at you in return. "Hi Soo Yun, and no, if there's an award for best boyfriend, I’m winning that effortlessly."

"Babe we're going to finish the movie and head out early tomorrow for a tour, I’ll call you tomorrow. I love -- " ignoring Soo Yun's death stare at you to hang up the phone now.  "Mmkay, bye" he overlapped then hung up.

"Romantic." Soo Yun sarcastically said, rolling her eyes then clicks play on the remote. You sink in your place sighing, placing a pillow on your face.

10 a.m and you're ready for the last stop of your tour before starting to look for work. You admire yourself in the mirror, liking what Soo Yun picked for you to wear today. A yellow sundress to go with your white air force 1's, accessorizing it with your gold necklace with your initials, small gold hoops, and sunglasses. You wear your mid-length hair down, but you have a scrunchy in your wrist if it starts to bother you.

Your last stop for today is the Hollywood sign and the Walk of fame before heading to lunch then movies afterward. You hopped in the car and set-up the GPS to the Hollywood Sign while waiting for Soo Yun and his dad to drop you two off. Feeling giddy as road trips were always your stress reliever. 

As you reach your destination, you close your eyes feeling the warmth of the sun wrapping around your skin, the sun shining brightly. Being the city girl that you were, you don’t mind the busy street, the hustle of people rushing off for work or running errands, people on the phone strutting while handling coffee carefully, these things puts you at ease. You smiled subconsciously at the busy scene, it makes you feel like you’re not alone. No dark clouds hanging over your head. After you took pictures in the Hollywood sign, Soo Yun appealed to go to your next destination. Of course, she wasn’t as excited as you. She’s been seeing all this for years now. 

You went inside the car humming, excited as you're a sucker for street performances, which are very well known in L.A. Nearing the Walk of Fame, traffic became apparent, so you Soo Yun’s dad decided to drop you both off. Soo Yun left you to meet some friends, but it was okay because you’re looking for some alone time too. 

You were like a child whose first time visiting Disneyland, meandering eyes everywhere, tasting every street food available, from pretzels to hotdogs to falafels. Once full, you started taking photos of everything in sight, and when I tell you everything, it’s EVERYTHING. From street performers to passing cars, to the fucking stars of each artist you knew. You especially love Cate Blanchett’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Classic actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Aubrey Hepburn, your romance movie idols. You take pictures of your favorite singers this time until THWACK you stupidly slammed yourself and fall on the floor butt first, putting your bare thighs on display and your dress through your midsection exposing your white lace panties for all tourists, street performers, and Californians to see. 

Thankfully and Instantly, someone threw their jacket over your thighs and handed their hand with their head turned around. “Jimin?” you asked hazily. You don’t know if you bumped your head too much and you’re hallucinating Jimin now. “Ow!!!!! That fucking hurt” you squinted on your side and see Taehyung bent over his knees holding his forehead with both hands. You don’t know which is more embarrassing, Californians and tourists seeing your undergarment, creating a commotion to hundreds of people, or Jimin seeing your panties. 

Why are you even alive, contemplating, you quickly used Jimin’s hand to lift yourself, brushed the dust off of your dress, and rushed to see Taehyung. “Tae, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Ready to cuss with his tiny fists raised and widened eyes, he looked at his attacker, “Yah!” he then quickly realizes it’s you, and his facial features immediately softened, still teary-eyed from the pain. “Y/n?” he exclaimed, eyes wide open. ”Hi Tae, nice bumping into you” you try, that's okay. You offered your hand to help him. ”Ha, funny.” he said with a straight face while taking your hand lifting him.

”What are you both doing here anyway?” you asked the both of them taking a peek at Jimin whose ears are still red and not giving you a chance to see his whole flustered face as he still has his back turned away from you giving flyers to passersby.

You don't want to see him too anyway, admit it or not, you missed him. Also in this past week, images of him and you pop at unconventional times of the day. When watching romantic films, taking a bath, especially when you're horny as fuck. Imagining his arms pinning you down while he glides his body on you, his eyes deep within yours, kissing every part of you starting from your lips, to your neck, to your breasts. Him sucking your nipples with those thick luscious lips while his free hand playing the other makes your pussy wet so much that you usually use the showerhead to relieve yourself. You hate yourself most times because of these dirty thoughts, so no, you don't want to see him.

”We're handing out flyers for our concert in 3 days, Tae over here, killing it especially with the ladies.” Jimin finally faced without giving you eye-contact. ”You look pretty, by the way,” he said in a soft voice, almost not wanting you to hear his words, while handing out more flyers to Tae to distribute. ”Thanks, you're both not too bad” You smiled at the both of them eyeing Jimin's perfectly brushed black hair, as usual, plain white tee and grey sweatpants. Taehyung's brown hair was perfectly swept with his red snapback, white tee, and black shorts.

”I'm very irresistible, I know that.” there he goes flashing his smile. You didn't doubt it though, he has this cute innocent face that is very alluring, notably his boxy smile that you would give him anything if he asked. He can easily approach people and get something from them, yet he has this audacity proclaiming he's shy all the time. The three of you laugh as if you know each other for a while now, forgetting the embarrassment you all had earlier.

”Y/n, you're bleeding!” his smile disappeared within seconds when his eyes accidentally roamed through your knees. You probably grazed them when you fell. You see the sudden concern in Jimin's face, but before you can do anything about it or say anything, he suddenly shoved the remaining flyers to Taehyung's chest and in a flash, your arms were wrapped around his neck as he lifted you from your place. You were too stunned to speak as his feet started to scurry. Leaving a shocked Taehyung in the streets. ”Wh-what? Where are we going??” he doesn't answer you, but he looked at you with that pretty smile that you missed so much and said,” I got you, I missed you, y/n.”

”What the hell, Jimin, your job was to hand flyers to women, not kidnap one!” this guy with skin white as snow and very cute squinty eyes exclaimed as he opened the door of their van for you and Jimin. ”This is y/n, we bumped into her earlier, literally. Y/n this is Yoongi, one of our members and the one who most annoys me recently.” he uttered as he plopped you in the seat behind the drivers and scampered the van for the first aid kit. ”Hi, I'm y/n, sorry for the intrusion” you can see he’s not paying attention to you because his face has confusion written all across his face. He scrunches his eyebrows as if he's remembering something.

Jimin started to tender on your bruise, initially taken aback as he needs to touch your bare legs, you notice that his ears are starting to blush again. Seeing how Jimin is flustered while attending to your leg, laughter bursts in Yoongi's mouth, exposing his cute gummy smile which you first thought was unexpected of his personality. ”You're y/n, the one who broke our Jimin's heart, he won't stop talking about you since last week!” he can't stop laughing as he continues to smack his hand at Jimin's back.

What? Broke his heart? 

You can't help but widen your eyes to Yoongi's sudden announcement. Jimin’s mouth dropped as he shoved Yoongi out of the van and closed the door, leaving the two of you in awkward silence. ”Hey!! I'll be going to Taehyung to help him, don't leave the van, okay? Have fun love birds” as he taps at the window goodbye. The car is so quiet you can hear Yoongi strut away. 

He started to dab disinfectant to your wound, as soon as he felt your sudden twitch because of the sting, lightly and carefully as possible, he blew on your wound. You stare at him, heart pounding. Thinking about what Yoongi said. Was everything true? That he missed you? Because you want to say you missed him too, that he hasn't left your mind too since then, that you're sorry for leading him on, that you also want to get to know him better, that you don't want anything at all at this moment but to be held and kissed by him. You feel your heart ready to burst out from this overwhelming noise in all this quietness. He slowly lifts his head meeting your gaze. It's as if he heard everything that your heart wanted to tell him. He slowly begins to lean in on you, closer, closer, your eyes admire every aspect of his face as he comes close to yours. His slightly widened eyes, to his flushed cheeks, and his lips. You try to control yourself, but seeing him made you stop thinking and over-analyzing. 

You finally close the gap between your lips. He cupped your face, allowing him to slide his tongue to your mouth, as your head automatically tilted to the other side of his face, moaning slightly in his. Your hands slowly wrapped itself to his neck pulling his kiss deeper into you. He slowly roamed his hands from your legs to your thighs, his innocently flushed face looked at you, looking for approval, you closed your eyes and nodded. He began to trail kisses from your cheeks, then your ear, to your neck. Jimin couldn’t stop the moan coming from your lips as he started to pull the strap of your dress away from your shoulder with his teeth then proceeded to kiss your shoulders, using his hands to tug your dress away from your upper body, exposing your black brasserie. You also quickly pulled off his white shirt, leaving you completely blown away by his amazing abs. He laughed at your reaction, placing kisses on your thighs. You felt in your leg that he's already so hard in those pants. As he began to pull your lace panties down, your phone began to ring. You try to ignore it completely as you're too indulged in this moment, but you realize Soo Yun is going to panic if she doesn't reach you. ”Sorry, I have to get this.” he nods, sitting behind you as he sweeps your hair off of your shoulders and gently leaving love bites on it. 

”Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere. I'm with Jeongguk, Jin, and Namjoon right now. I bumped into them while looking for you. They invited me for dinner so we're heading back to their car right now.” Your eyes both widened as the both of you scrambled to get dressed and fix your appearances. ”Uh I'm actually with Jimin, I bumped into him and Tae earlier..” You breathlessly exclaim as you both exit the van roaming your eyes to Jimin's group and Soo Yun. ”Oh okay, we're almost there, we can see you two now!” she hung up the phone. Leaving you two, again, in awkward silence.

”I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry, y/n ” head looking down. You can see his frustration in his face as he kicks rocks to vent. You felt guilty. You're the one that's sorry. You cheated on Jae and you let Jimin feel bad again. ”No, I'm sorry. As much as it was confusing, I don't regret kissing you. Let’s talk about this later” tugging the end of his shirt and quickly letting go, ending your complicated encounter as Jimin's friends and Soo Yun approached the car.

Kimberly Truhler is a Film and Fashion Historian who has been an expert for entities including TCM, the BBC, the National Film Registry, Christie’s, and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) and was recently featured in CNN’s docu-series American Style. You can delve into the history of fashion in film on her site GlamAmor.com. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to ask Kimberly a few questions about that subject and the upcoming Oscars. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did putting it together.

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A: What classic female actors have had the biggest impact on fashion?

K: I think it’s pretty easy to say that actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly are style icons who everyone knows, even those not familiar with classic film.

  A: What role did the studio system play in the impact of fashion, which was created by incredibly talented designers, who were also just hired hands?

K: Well, each studio had a head costume designer as well as other designers who worked on the productions. MGM had around 150 people working in the costume design department alone. The head costume designers generally came from the fashion industry. Howard Greer and Travis Banton (both head of costume design at Paramount), Robert Kalloch and Jean Louis (Columbia), and Vera West (Universal) all came from couturiers. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the movies were the biggest influence on mainstream style, so what you saw onscreen became what women would wear in real life. 

  A: Today all you hear on the Red Carpet is “I’m wearing this or I’m wearing that.” I would think the old Hollywood studios wanted classic stars to pretend to be themselves, make audiences think that they made their own choices. Was that the case? Did designers get the credit in public that they deserved?

K: Crediting designers on the red carpet is a relatively new thing. During the Golden Age, the studio costume designers would also create gowns for the red carpet. It was more about people identifying with a star’s overall style -both on and offscreen – than it was identifying individual designers. The designers were there to support the studios and the stars. They were creating an illusion, a fantasy. That said, certain designers like Adrian had a style signature and people would become familiar with his work on the MGM stars.

  A: How much free rein did old Hollywood designers have during the studio system?

K: There was no such thing as free rein. The approval process at the studios – production designers, directors, producers, studio heads – was intense. Of course the stars would always weigh in as well. And then there was the Production Code that was in effect, and costume designers had to work with (and often around) those rules. Often designs had to be pre-approved by those who enforced the Code, and they had the power to veto designs even when studios were in the midst of filming.

  A: There were times in our country’s history that influenced Hollywood fashion immensely. The Great Depression and WWII come to mind. Yet, while many actors are political today, I don’t think politics – or where the country is – influences fashion in the same way. Why do you think that is?

K: The impact of the Great Depression and WWII on fashion wasn’t really about politics. During the Great Depression, Hollywood became a place of escape for the country – both in the aspirational visuals and theaters were a physical place to escape to. Costumes onscreen were pure fantasy, such as those on Ginger Rogers in her films with Fred Astaire. WWII was a time where the country all came together to support the war effort. It also was a time when fabric was rationed for everyone, so Hollywood costume designers tried to be conscious of this. There was a combination of designs that worked for every woman – the popularity of pencil skirts are a prime example of the impact of rationing on design – as well as continuing some aspirational glamour for 1940s audiences. 

  A: Beginning in the 1920s, if you had to choose one fashion trendsetter by decade, who would they be?

K: Wow. That’s almost impossible to answer. I’ll just toss out a few names as examples of actresses who really impacted style, but this is far from a complete list. The 1920s was really like two decades in one – the early 20s and late 20s. Early 20s – Gloria Swanson. Late 20s – Clara Bow. 1930s – Joan Crawford. 1940s – Katharine Hepburn. 1950s – Marilyn Monroe. 1960s – Audrey Hepburn. 1970s – Ali MacGraw.

  A: Even a non-fashionista like me recognizes Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Doris Day as style icons. Who would you say is not talked about as one, but influenced fashion nonetheless?

K: Well, someone who is way under the radar is Kay Francis. She’s not a ‘name’ that’s known today, but her style can still be seen in fashion.

  Kay Francis by Ray Jones (Universal, 1941)

  A: Marilyn Monroe. What can you tell me about her style and influence?

K: Marilyn’s star really began to rise in 1953 when she did 3 films – NIAGARA, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. The last two were examples of her partnership with costume designer William Travilla. Marilyn had an incredible figure (obviously) so he really highlighted that. But he did so without revealing too much. As an example, you’ll notice her “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” gown only really reveals her shoulders. The 1950s was known for very feminine style (in contrast to the more austere 1940s) and celebrated an hourglass figure, and Marilyn was a perfect model of that. In addition to working with Travilla, she also worked with her makeup artist Allan “Whitey” Snyder who created that iconic look of hers that we all know today. Of course she was also just naturally gorgeous – she never took a bad photo – and had a vulnerability about her that made her appeal to both men and women.

  A: Who would you say is the most influential classic male actor in fashion?

K: Cary Grant.

  A: I’ve been lucky to attend several of your fashion presentations both online and in person. You’ve mentioned the sad lives and or endings of several of the classic Hollywood designers. Why do you think that was the case?

K: Well each was an individual case, of course. But working in the studio system was intense. I already mentioned the extreme approval process they went through, and this could be really difficult for any designers who may have enjoyed a bit more autonomy designing in the fashion industry. Also the high number of movies that would be in production at any given time – it was a lot of work and all of it was high pressure.

  A: You also mention the measurements or sizes of the classic actors as you discuss the history of fashion in film. In fact, I’ll recommend that people visit your GlamAmor.com for those great measurement charts you’ve created. But for today, explain how an actor’s size or shape influenced fashion back in the day and whose “size” would surprise us most?

K: That’s a slightly complicated question. I think we’re talking about two different things – height and measurements. Each era certainly had a silhouette that was popular. The 1930s liked a more lean figure whereas the 1950s wanted a more voluptuous woman. I think it’s the women’s heights that surprise people the most. The petite Veronica Lake at 4’11” or Joan Crawford at around 5′. Then there are the taller actresses – someone like Kay Francis who was 5’9″. What was incredible is that the costume designers (and the production teams) made these actresses all seem like they’re around the same height. But I’ll make a blanket statement – all these women were small as far as their figures go. It’s Hollywood. They like actresses thin. When you see their costumes in person, you realize just how small they were.

  A: In your view, what is the most memorable actor-designer pairing in Hollywood history?

K: I’m going to name a few. Adrian-Joan Crawford. Travis Banton-Marlene Dietrich. Travilla-Marilyn Monroe. Hubert de Givenchy (also fashion designer, of course)-Audrey Hepburn. Edith Head-Grace Kelly. 

    A: Is there a comparable pairing today?

K: Not really, no.

  A: What is your favorite decade in fashion?

K: I wear a lot of vintage and I really love the late 1950s-early 1960s.

  A: What classic films would you recommend to a student of fashion?

K: When I taught THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM at Woodbury University, it was based on my list of The Style Essentials. These are 50 films with iconic costume design that impacted fashion at the time they premiered and continue to influence fashion today. I invite people to visit my site to see the list.

  A: As you know, the Academy Awards began as a small, intimate affair. I don’t think fashion was high on people’s minds when they reported the winners. When did fashion catch up to the winners in the news cycle?

K: It took a bit of time. It evolved through the 1930s. As soon as there was real publicity involved, and then you had the public lining up to see their favorite stars as they entered the event, fashion became very important.

  A: You usually mention current award fashions referencing classic influences in your presentations and on social media. What classic Hollywood designer has been the most influential in recent years? And…What current designer has been most influenced by classic Hollywood?

K: It’s hard to narrow down current designers who are influenced by classic Hollywood because as my work shows, most of them are. That’s why I started teaching fashion students – the designers they looked up to were drawing inspiration from Hollywood costume designers and certain films. Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Zac Posen, Jenny Packham, Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani… the list goes on and on.

  A: What current actor is most reminiscent of the classic period in her fashion choices?

K: Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, and Charlize Theron often include some reference to Old Hollywood with their choices. That said, stylists are trying more and more to put their own touch on Oscar ensembles.

  A: Your favorite Oscars look of all time is?

K: There have been a few. I’ll start with one from a classic film star – I loved Elizabeth Taylor in violet Edith Head in 1970. There have been some winners in recent history as well. Renee Zellweger in yellow vintage Jean Dessès in 2001. Charlize Theron in golden Gucci in 2004 and orange Vera Wang in 2000. Sharon Stone in a men’s white shirt and lavender Vera Wang skirt in 1998. Lupita Nyong’o in pale blue Prada in 2014. Of course Nicole Kidman’s chartreuse John Galliano in 1997 was a huge transitional moment for both her career and the modern Oscars red carpet.

  A: Finally, what should the classically-inclined Oscars viewer look for on this year’s red carpet to recognize classic influences?

K: Honestly the entirety of the Oscars red carpet owes itself to Old Hollywood. The classic costume designers really created the template of what glamour looks like, so modern fashion designers and stylists turn to it again and again and again for inspiration.

  A big THANK YOU to Kimberly for taking the time to do this. You can watch her on CNN in the recent docu-series, American Style. Those of you planning to attend this year’s TCMFF should make it a point to attend the Fashion in Film of TCMFF 2019 presentation given by Kimberly at the Women’s Club of Hollywood. For the latest news about fashion in the classic world follow Kimberly on Facebook here, on Twitter and Instagram @GlamAmor, and visit GlamAmor.com for details on her latest appearances and presentations. One will be her accompaniment of an upcoming Pre-Code series at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The specifics on dates are forthcoming.

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This is my entry to the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon hosted by Kellee Pratt at Outspoken & Freckled, Paula Guthat at Paula’s Cinema Club, and yours truly. The event takes place on February 22, 23, and 24. Lots of fun is in store. Also, be sure to watch TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar festival, which is in full swing.

Interview: Kimberly Truhler on Fashion History, Hollywood, and the Oscars Kimberly Truhler is a Film and Fashion Historian who has been an expert for entities including TCM, the BBC, the National Film Registry, Christie's, and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) and was recently featured in CNN's docu-series American Style. 

I’m finding all the CS wedding hype rather amusing… I said I was done with this show a while back but split Queen lured me back in. I bailed again because the show hasn’t redeemed itself and I don’t believe this wedding is an indication of a happy ending. I’m not going to talk about that today. Today is for the upcoming musical episode, where the fan focus hasn’t really been about the musical element at all, it’s been the Captain Swan wedding. Captain Swan are getting married! They are endgame and SwanQueeners will just have to deal with it and accept that Captain Swan is the most beautiful love story ever told, and oh my god Jen chose a wedding dress Grace Kelly wore in a movie called “The Swan” and Grace Kelly was such a style icon that this wedding is so iconic because Captain Swan is the purest of true loves and that must be why Jen chose the dress and they are gonna live happily ever after and they’ll finally have sex on their honeymoon and have CS babies and won’t that be just so wonderfully fantastic! 🙄 I wonder if my fake fangirling and heavily sarcastic tone was detectable in that speech… My response to the first part, about the wedding actually happening is… it may happen, and it may not. Even when couples say “I do” and wear rings after tying the knot, it does not necessarily mean that it is true love and they will live happily ever after. Princess Diana wasn’t happy in her marriage to Prince Charles and look how that ended, which was also dubbed as a fairytale once upon a time by those who knew nothing of Diana’s life or her marriage. 👸🏼 Aside from the fact that all true love’s kisses on OUAT happen during a curse, and it’s always been the first kiss shared that breaks a curse, Captain Swan have had their first kiss outside of a relationship and outside a curse in Neverland so I wouldn’t expect a rainbow blast then. Snowing only get those happen when they are in a curse. In Ruby Slippers, Red kissed Dorothy to break her out of a sleeping curse - first kiss rainbow blast. Hades and Zelena’s first kiss broke the curse Hades brother placed upon him so they got their rainbow blast. Aurora was woken by Phillip and it was the first kiss we saw between them… the only time where a curse has been broken without a kiss was during the frozen arc with but it wasn’t a curse as such, it was a spell. The spell of shattered sight. Spells are different to curses. ✨ So Captain Swan had their first kiss and subsequently been in curses & true love’s kiss has never actually worked for them. You can argue all the other red herrings of Captain Swan being true love but the fact is a true love’s kiss is what is meant to break any curse, true love being the strongest magic of all and that still has not happened. Why is that??? Maybe they are saving it for the wedding day CSers cry. Maybe they are, it is a possibility. But in my opinion it’s highly unlikely. You should know Adam and Eddy’s way of writing by now. What they show you in canon text is NEVER what is intended. Unless of course you refer to the Snowing ship. This is why SUBTEXT is so important. I’m not talking about SwanQueen subtext. I’m not even going to go into a SwanQueen is endgame argument, which may shock you. No, I’m going to just use the OUAT storytelling as it has always been to make my point without bringing SwanQueen into it. 😧 Firstly, this is Adam and Eddy we are talking about. The same guys who gave us the mysterious Lost series, where we were trying to figure out what the hell was going on with this strange island that attracted planes to crash into it that people miraculously survived from. The people were stranded and trying to find a way off the island. The island at first seemed like some sort of conspiracy. There was a Dhama project and the word Dhama in Buddhism means TRUTH. So there was this element of trying to figure out what the truth was. This place didn’t make any sense and was totally confusing. Turns out that it wasn’t a reality as such. Seeing as many years have passed since then I think I am safe to say it… the island was some form of purgatory. They were held there and when some vanished in whatever fate was bestowed upon them, that was their soul moving from purgatory. At least that’s how it was interpreted. The ending actually infuriated a lot of viewers. 😤 So if you aren’t familiar with Adam and Eddy’s work, I suggest that you get to know it and understand that nothing is as straightforward as it seems where those two are involved in the writing. If they are happy with a wedding spoiler to be released (the guys who are strictly “no comment no spoilers”) then it’s safe to say that this wedding isn’t actually going to be as it seems. 💍🙊 Do you remember when Rumple’s dad played “Follow the Lady” before he became Peter Pan? It’s the three card trick where the player must keep their eyes on the marked card (the Queen) whilst it is shuffled around with two joker cards though some use aces. This is also called three card monte. When the swindler has finished moving them around, the player must choose the marked card (the Queen). The players watch carefully trying to keep an eye on that marked card focusing so hard on what they are told to focus on. Only when they turn the card over they believe is the marked card, it turns out they have been focused on one of the two jokers. This is Adam and Eddy’s game when they tell a story. They are telling you to focus so hard on the wedding. It’s the marked card. But when the wedding scene actually happens, you can bet your bottom dollar that when that card gets turned over, you’ll end up with a joker, and the wedding isn’t what it seems. ♠️♥️♣️♦️🃏 This is why SUBTEXT is actually more important than CANON TEXT! Things that are canon because they are written and verbally stated by characters, are generally what they WANT you to focus on, so when they flip that card (the plot) you feel like a fool staring down at a joker. So when it comes to that episode I think I’m gonna sit back, sip my tea, and have a giggle at all these CSers flipping their shit because they truly believed they are actually going to get what they want. 🐸☕️ Naturally they won’t direct their frustration with Adam on twitter, oh no, the’ll misdirect that anger at Swen because they’ll convince themselves that Adam and Eddy listened to us and gave in. But if it goes the way Adam and Eddy like to play, Swen won’t get what they want out of this episode which would be for Emma to realise she is making a mistake at the very least, and as a bonus run off with Regina. Yeah that’s not going to happen either, although it is nice to dream it at this point. What happens in the future who knows? The thing with Adam and Eddy is they aren’t afraid to give nobody what they want or hope for. OutlawQueen didn’t have a true love’s kiss, they didn’t even utter the words “I love you” - funny how that without saying I love you that their relationship can be seen as canon love because of the obvious subtext, whereas something like SwanQueen can’t because they aren’t dating. 🙃 But not going there. 😋 Realistically, it’s been 6 years, and in that time nobody ever gets what they want, and only side characters have ever had true love’s kiss because other wise the story would be over and done with quick if all the mains got their happy endings. I mean, y'all should have learned the routine by now CSers. Oh but what am I thinking, of course you haven’t learned the routine because only canon written things are important to you. Silly me! 🐸☕️ As for the Grace Kelly wedding dress, and the movie The Swan in which Grace Kelly appeared in… let me clear up a few things, seeing as I tend to watch a lot of vintage movies. I love to watch Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day… not only to see such a difference with acting back then to how it is today, but because these women were fashion icons of their time and are still icons in history. I have a particular interest in styles of those eras and how very different they were compared to the styles around today. But the movies… the actresses were great, but the messages of them weren’t always. Some were quite degrading to women in my opinion; The Swan being one of them. 🐥 The premise of the Swan… Prince Albert, visits a banished family of nobles. Their matriarch ( to spell it out for you this means the head of the family) Princess Beatrix (who seemed to act like more of a domineering queen), wants her daughter Alexandra, to marry her own cousin Albert so that the family will be welcomed back into the kingdom. So Alexandra’s mother encourages her to flirt with Albert to gain his affections to regain regal status as she believes he will fall in love with her, marry her, and they can finally rule a kingdom again. (Reiterating this point to CSers because generally they only focus of context rather than any subtext… this is not love, because love is not a choice and love isn’t manipulation in order to gain status or material possessions). 🙄 Princess Beatrix: Oh my dear child, this is the one thing, the one opportunity that all your life I’ve been praying for - for you to become a queen. - Doesn’t she sound like Cora! Not at all like Snow. The one opportunity in all YOUR life that I’VE been praying for. Never mind whether Alexandra has any feelings of her own. I’ll just dream your life for you and you do as I say to fulfil my own dreams for your life. This is such a common thing. When you think in terms of sexuality, though this has nothing to do with sexuality, a lot of homophobic parents like to do, control and force their child to be in straight relationships they don’t want to be in. Controlling and forcing relationships is something a parent should never do, regardless of whether or not their child is heterosexual or otherwise. Control and manipulation is not an act of unconditional love. Anyway, I digress. So back to the story… 😑 Much to her Beatrix’s dismay, Albert doesn’t show much of an interest in Alexandra. So Beatrix encourages Alexandra to flirt with her tutor, Nicholas in order to rouse Albert’s attention. 😧 Princess Beatrix: My dear child, how do you suppose I came to marry your father? You can’t think a man just gets an idea into his head and asks a woman to marry him? Of course not! All your father ever cared for was horses. He wouldn’t even look at me. So I looked once or twice at the riding master. Your father proposed the very next afternoon - on horseback. 🤔 Don’t you just love pushy manipulative people who become parents who then try to manipulate force their children into a relationship where there is no feeling not to mention the fact that Albert was Alexandra’s cousin? I know you CSers are so quick to jump on an incest wagon when you compare Regina who was no blood relation to Snow, was forced into a marriage with Snow’s father, man she didn’t love and therefore was forced to be a stepmother very temporarily to Snow, whom she didn’t want to be a step parent to, rather than also accept the fact that Hook actually had a relationship with Henry’s biological grandmother by choice, and was Baelfire’s/Neal’s step father by your own logic, was even trying to act as such whilst Baelfire was aboard the Jolly Roger, and therefore acted unbeknown to him as Emma’s step father-in-law… so this marrying of a cousin thing should really be a pleasant thing for you guys to hear. Anyway…. 🙃 Dropping the prince and princess titles as writing that is becoming rather monotonous, Alexandra does as her mother wishes and flirts with her attractive tutor Nicholas. However, later the plan backfires when she develops genuine feelings for Nicholas. Nicholas is already quite taken with Alexandra, so when she invites him to the farewell ball for Albert (her last chance for the plan to work) he eagerly accepts. Later when they are dancing at the ball it appears that Albert is getting jealous, (how very possessive considering his apparent lack of interest) but instead of saying something, he appears to show more interest in playing the bass viol in the orchestra. 🎶🎵🎶 Despite the original intention of using Nicholas, Alexandra realises she is quite taken with Nicholas. Here you can see her conflict where she expresses feelings for him but you can see that she is bound by her ploy in order to gain the Kingdom for her family… 💔 Dr. Nicholas Agi: You’re so sweet and so beautiful… Princess Alexandra: Don’t come any closer Nicholas… I’ve never seen a man in love and… he happens to be in love with me. Dr. Nicholas Agi: Are you so afraid of me? Princess Alexandra: Oh, if I am I want always to be afraid. I want to be so good to you. I want a hundred things. I want to tell you everything that’s in my heart… I want to look after you and spoil you and… oh, eat something. The wanting to always be afraid is a hint of saying I want to always be afraid that I will lose you because that’s how I know, in this confusing time where I feel things for you but I’m trying to gain my cousin’s affections, that my feelings for you are genuine. But obviously she cannot be so transparent and say this aloud because of her mission set by her mother. 😔 Eventually, she tells Nicholas that it was all a ploy to get Albert to propose to her and she suspected he felt this way. She realizes that she has some feelings for him but he feels used and that Alexandra has been disingenuous, so refuses her affection. Albert comes to find out about this situation and is a little taken aback. Albert and Nicholas trade insults, and Nicholas then storms out and tries to leave the next morning. 😭 Alexandra, distraught over what happened, tries to leave with him, but he refuses her again. YES… SHE WANTED NICHOLAS NOT ALBERT! Albert’s mother shows up and gets the entire story and is aghast. Albert actually GIVES HIS BLESSING to the pair and says that when he is king he will allow them back into the country. However, Nicholas is still hurt ends up leaving the mansion without Alexandra. 😭💔 So… there you have it. She didn’t actually want to marry Albert, because she actually loved Nicholas. But royalty being what it is, marrying for love is rare. She did end up marrying Albert but it wasn’t for love. These are the last lines where Albert tries to console Alexandra… 😭 Prince Albert: Your father used to call you his swan, so I am told. I think that’s a good thing to remember. Think what it means to be a swan: to glide like a dream on the smooth surface of the lake, and never go to the shore. On dry land, where ordinary people walk, the swan is awkward, even ridiculous. When she waddles up the bank she painfully resembles a different kind of bird, n'est-ce-pas? Princess Alexandra: A goose. Prince Albert: I’m afraid so. And there she must stay, out on the lake: silent, white, majestic. Be a bird, but never fly. Know one song, but never sing it until the moment of death. And so it must be for you, Alexandra: cool indifference to the staring crowds along the bank. And the song? Never. 😭😭😭💔💔💔 Now… first off, Albert insulted Alexandra. She is graceful but only where she belongs… he doesn’t see her gracefulness in any other circumstance. Out of her natural habitat (i.e. with Nicholas whom she actually had romantic feelings for) she would be awkward and ridiculous. Instead of being the regal beauty that she is, she would be more like a goose. It’s all metaphoric to suggest that she is far too good for a man who was actually a nice guy, but not royal and therefore not worthy, despite the fact that she genuinely loves Nicholas. It was suggesting that her life was to be unfulfilled, and that her cousin who wasn’t interested in her to begin with, and who only did become interested when another man was on the scene, who will give her a life where she can be regal and graceful, but she as a Swan cannot sing her (Swan) song and must be silent and subservient to preserve the perfection illusion for the Kingdom. This is the life she was born into and she should just accept it. 😤 What kind of message is that really to women? To settle for a guy you’re actually related to, in a loveless marriage, living a life where the surface everything looks perfectly regal and wonderful, but she can’t even express herself… sounds like such a wonderful happily ever after, doesn’t it? [Oh sorry, insert sarcastic tone here again!] 🙃 And wouldn’t you know it, beautiful blonde woman with a Swan wearing a crown was the poster for that 1950’s movie. Seems to depict the oppressive nature of how royal romances are more of a transaction than of genuine love. Not saying that some aren’t for love, it’s just not often that a royal will marry someone for love. Though I do believe that Kate and William in the UK did marry for love. I guess time will tell. 🙃 Ironically, Grace Kelly was courting her own prince while making The Swan. She met Prince Rainier during April 1955 Cannes Film Festival. By December that year, he proposed to her. Royals do work fast and this is usually down to external pressures in retaining their kingdoms. It was speculated that he was seeking a wife, as a treaty with France in 1918 stated that if he did not produce an heir to the throne, Monaco would revert to France. However this was neither confirmed nor denied. It was also rumoured he had an affair with three different women and the first was during Grace’s first pregnancy, but that was also neither confirmed or denied so we cannot say for sure whether it was a faithful marriage. 😕 Also ironically, that movie featured several eerie similarities to Kelly’s future. Her white lace costumes are quite similar to her wedding dress, and Alec Guinness who plays Prince Albert in The Swan, actually looks a great deal like Grace Kelly’s husband, Prince Rainier in this movie. 🤔 Interestingly enough, Grace Kelly actually did some work for ABC! Yes, she narrated ABC’s made-for-television film The Poppy is Also a Flower (1966). She and Rainier worked together in a 33-minute independent film called Rearranged in 1979, which received interest from ABC TV executives in 1982 after premiering in Monaco, on the condition that it be extended to an hour. Before more scenes could be shot, Kelly died and the film was never released or shown publicly again. Grace Kelly died in a car accident. The beautiful blonde princess lost control of her car after suffering a minor stroke that caused her to lose control of the vehicle. Her daughter, Stephanie, one of her three children, was in the car with her and she tried to regain control by taking the wheel after her mother lost consciousness, but failed to do so. Grace was alive but unconscious, with injuries to her brain, thorax and a femur fracture, she was in a coma on life support until the following day when Rainer decided to terminate the life support as doctors determined that she would not recover. Stephanie suffered bruising, concussion and a fracture to her spine. She didn’t attend her mother’s funeral due to these injuries. 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 A tragic way for a princess to die, a tragic way for anyone to die really. Her life was cut short, so the happily ever after bit didn’t really happen for them. 😔😔😔😔😔😔 During her marriage to Rainer, Grace was not permitted to act anymore, a decision that Rainer himself imposed after an outcry in Monaco when Hitchcock offered Grace a part which would depict her fictional character as a kleptomaniac. So Grace had no choice but to decline Hitchcock’s offer. Despite acting being her dream and pleasure in life, the only way she could do it would be to divorce Rainer, which would mean leaving her three children in Monaco, and she would never do that. So she threw herself into her role as a princess and engaged in charitable work. Grace Kelly’s dream was to act and it had been her dream from being a very young child, much to her parents initial displeasure. However, her life changed, and she had to put not only her children and husband first, but the reputation of Monaco before herself too. She was no longer in a position to pursue her dreams. After her death, Rainer lived out his life, but never remarried and he is buried alongside her. ☹️ Most see Grace Kelly as this gorgeous blonde woman, who got lucky and married her own Prince Charming in a fairytale come true. But what I see is this whirlwind romance where a proposal was made after 8 months of not actually spending a lot of time together what with their individual commitments (particularly Grace’s as she was filming at the time). She accepted it meant that she had to give up her dreams, sadly her tragic death meant the apparent on the surface perfect fairytale (which it really wasn’t) ended prematurely to what a happily ever after is meant to be. Fairytales don’t end in tragedy. So I really find it somewhat interesting that Jennifer Morrison chose a Grace Kelly wedding dress of all the dresses she could have chosen. It will be interesting to see just how this pans out. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Follow the lady does not mean follow Emma into the canon plot spoiler that they don’t mind you seeing with blind faith that it will happen. The truth and the clues as to what will happen have already been shown to us, but you guys are too busy focusing on what they tell you to look at. It’s not the big obvious canon things where the truth is found, it’s in the details and the subtext, in the small things. Even in the things you believe are not canon because they haven’t been said. But what do I matter huh? I’m just a fan who ships SwanQueen and as YNB said once only canon ships are worth talking about 🙃 I wonder if that statement will still hold up after all of this is over, or whether Adam and Eddy’s storytelling will teach the lesson that just because something is canon, doesn’t mean it’s set in stone and that it always will be.

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Alvina August talks 'Supernatural,' Tasha Bands and Separate Ways

I recently got the chance to chat with Alvina August, who played Tasha Banes in the Supernatural episode Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes. Her character was definitely a highlight of the episode – we get the chance to meet the mom of the “witch twins,” a witch, but yet a hunter herself. The episode also gave us one of my favorite lines so far this season – “Her mom’s on a hunting trip, and hasn’t been home for a while …” I nice throwback to one of the oft-quoted lines from early Supernatural. What did you enjoy most about playing Tasha Banes in Supernatural? What I enjoyed most about playing Tasha Banes is the fact that I got to play a multi-dimensional character; loving mother, witch-hunter, nurturer & murderous twig zombie. I've played the latter character-type before although the extent of my wickedness went only so far as turning kids into mice and figurative backstabbing. The more challenging and rewarding part about the experience was getting to play a mum. I don't have kids myself, but I was raised by a tribe of women from grandmother to aunts and finally my own, so there was no shortage of maternal references to draw from. Moreover, I connected immediately with Kara Royster & Kendrick Sampson and got to know them over the week we spent shooting which helped make our on-camera relationship more believable. In the scenes with the glowing scrying stone – how did you keep the stone so still, or was it just a stick that they added a stone with CGI? The stone dangled from the chain the entire time we shot. I picked an imaginary spot about a foot in front of my hand and traced it up, moving only my eyes as though it was changing direction. CGI effects were added later. The SPN production teams (stunts, make-up/hair, effects) are all so brilliant at what they do which takes the pressure off the actor. Tell us about the location where your scenes were filmed. What a beautiful home! For the first few days of shooting, we shot at this beautiful 3-storey home out in Pitt Meadows, BC. The home belongs to a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. It felt very removed from everything else and the narrow halls, tiny rooms and hollow squeaking wooden floors made it even more eerie which worked for the story I think. What was the funniest thing to occur during filming? Everything. LOL! Trying to play dead in a room with Jared & Jensen is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do on camera. Jared was constantly making puns out of every prop on set; like what 'thyme' is it or can I 'axe' you a question? I really don't know how anyone gets anything done over there. What information do you have with regard to Tasha and Asia Fox? Any backstory that you can share? All I can say is that Tasha and Asa had a one-night stand, she got pregnant and raised the twins on her own. There are no details as to their encounter, but perhaps we will know more later as we continue to follow Max and Alicia now the 'orphaned' witch twins. Was the basement as bad as it looked? When I saw the basement, which was created in-studio, I got goosebumps!!! It was cold. But mostly, I was blown away by the attention to detail of the design department. It was so realistically unsettling. Thankfully, it didn't smell like rotting corpses, more like potpourri. [caption id="attachment_46116" align="aligncenter" width="424"] Photo: Twitter[/caption] Was the way that Jensen Ackles (Dean) holding his wine glass scripted, or was that something Jensen did himself? Not at all! That was completely off the cuff. Dean is more of a beer & hard liquor guy, so naturally his caveman grip of that wine glass had us all in stitches and Rich. loved it enough to run with it. It broke the tension of the scene quite nicely, so I'm glad it made the final cut. What did you bring to the character of Tasha Banes that is unique to you? I've always possessed a certain wisdom beyond my years. My mum, a twin herself ironically, was a single parent like Tasha and raised me to be independent. She taught me never to be defined by just one thing. Tasha Banes is both a loving mother and a driven career woman (if witch-hunting was a legitimate profession). She is fierce, imperfect and self-aware. She wears her heart on her sleeve, is not easily intimidated and believes there is good in all things and people. I try and live my life that way and perhaps that showed in my audition and landed me the role. Who knows? Tell us about your character/role on The Other Kingdom. What did you enjoy most about playing a somewhat “evil” character? My acting TV debut came in the form of a conniving fairy on a kid's show; a transformation made possible thanks to a prosthetic headpiece with rotating robotic twigs, some dramatic make-up and a whole bunch of special effects. Villains are fun to play. There is more freedom to explore. What I enjoyed most about playing Versitude was that I found the humour in her delusion. Despite what other people perceived her to be and her often questionable methods, I admired her ambition. Random fact: My nickname on set was 'Twigs' which makes it twice now that I've played a stick person with magical powers on TV. Do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to share? I will be appearing in the new Syfy pilot "The Machine" based on the 2013 movie of the same name. The series will explore a world being transformed by the emergence of artificial intelligence. As for other news, my music single 'Separate Ways' will be available worldwide May 12th followed by a performance live at the Opera House in Toronto on May 17th.

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Marilyn Manson -2-

NEW: I NOW CREATE MUSIC, JOIN ME ON SOUNDCLOUD!

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This is a pointillist work I made with yellow, red blue and black ink on paper. I just love Marilyn Manson’s personality and crazy style! Everybody should have an aura…

Please, see my other portrait of Marilyn Manson _______________________________________________

For more information about my art: [email protected] _______________________________________________

Biography

Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is a professional musician. He is the lead singer of the industrial metal band that bears the same name. His stage name is formed from the names Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.

Brian Hugh Warner was born on January 5th 1969 in Canton, Ohio. He attended Heritage Christian School. After transferring to and later graduating from Canton’s GlenOak High School, Warner moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his family. While living in Fort Lauderdale, he studied journalism and theater at Broward Community College, and became the assistant entertainment editor of BCC’s student newspaper, the Observer.

Romance

Warner’s first serious relationship was with Melissa "Missi" Romero. As explained in his autobiography, during the production of "Antichrist Superstar," Missi became pregnant with Warner’s child, but had an abortion during her second trimester. He has also been linked to Traci Lords and Jenna Jameson. Jameson wrote about her sexual encounter with Manson in her autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale in which she noted him as being "massively endowed". Manson was engaged to Rose McGowan, but their relationship ended around the time he became involved with burlesque dancer and fetish model model Dita Von Teese. Manson photographed Von Teese for the December 2002 issue of Playboy. Manson and Von Teese wed in December 2005 in the Irish home of friend Gottfried Helnwein. Von Teese filed for divorce as of December 2006. The divorce came through in January 2007. In April of 2007, Marilyn Manson’s girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood, admitted that they were actually a couple.

Marriage

Manson and Dita Von Teese started dating on Manson’s 32nd birthday, and Manson proposed three years later on March 22, 2004. On December 3, 2005 (court documents say November 28), the couple was married in a non-denominational ceremony at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, Ireland, the home of Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. Dita Von Teese wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown by Vivienne Westwood, complete with train and petticoats worn over a Mr. Pearl couture corset, topped off by a tricorne hat by Stephen Jones, while Manson wore a John Galliano black silk taffeta tuxedo with velvet trim and a hat also crafted by Stephen Jones. They reportedly exchanged vows in front of approximately 60 guests, including burlesque dancer Catherine Delish, Lisa Marie Presley, Eric Szmanda, David Lynch, Jessicka and Christian Hejnal, and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. Vogue magazine ran a multiple-page feature on the wedding in its February 2006 issue. Just before his own wedding, Manson criticized Britney Spears’ wedding to Kevin Federline, in which they celebrated by wearing personalized tracksuits: "If you’re going to do something like getting married, it should have a sense of celebration to it. It should be grand and not in tracksuits!"

As of January 30, 2007 Manson and Dita Von Teese reportedly split after her filing for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences" according to Von Teese. ET.com along with People Magazine has claimed that Manson was having an extramarital affair with actress Evan Rachel Wood, which may or may not be the true cause of the split. Manson’s alcohol abuse and distant behaviour have also been cited as cause for the split. It has also been claimed that Manson was not aware of Von Teese’s filing for divorce and moving out of their home at the time that the story was published, conceivably due to his reported stay in Paris, France. Von Teese reportedly took their two cats and two dachshunds, Greta and Eva, with her when she left. Manson fought for custody of the two cats, but only received one of them.

Evan Rachel Wood attended the grand opening of Manson’s new Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art and among the most notable artworks were two portraits of Evan. She will also co-star in his upcoming horror film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

In music

Jessicka of the band Jack Off Jill was an early friend of Manson’s, her band opened most of his South Florida shows. He not only produced most of the band’s early recordings but also played guitar on the song "My Cat" and helped name the band. Manson later wrote the liner notes for the band’s album Humid Teenage Mediocrity, a collection of early Jack Off Jill recordings.

In early 1993, after being instructed by his new label, Interscope Records, not to play any local shows, Manson formed Mrs. Scabtree. Mrs. Scabtree was a side project between he and newly hired Jeordie White. Manson played drums, while White (dressed as a black woman) shared vocal duties with then girlfriend Jessicka from Jack Off Jill who wore a blonde wig. Mrs. Scabtree only played two shows in South Florida.

Manson has helped or provided full scores for several major motion pictures, although several of his pieces have been cut, and his name dropped from the credits. Some of his more notable soundtrack score contributions include The Matrix, From Hell and Resident Evil.

Manson appeared as a guest on rapper DMX’s album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood for the track "The Omen", produced by Swizz Beats, and has performed (with the rest of the band) on stage with Eminem as background music in the song "The Way I Am".

Manson sang vocals on "Break You Down" off of the Washington, DC-based industrial rock band gODHEAD’s 2000 Years of Human Error album. This album is distinguished for being the only one released on Manson’s vanity label Posthuman Records.

In film and television

Manson made a cameo appearance as a doctor in the Murderdolls’ music video "Dead in Hollywood", and also appears in the Nine Inch Nails music video "Starfuckers, Inc.", as well as "Gave Up", and Eminem’s "The Way I Am" music video.

His first appearance in a film was in the role of a pornographic actor in David Lynch’s Lost Highway, in 1997. He also had a minor role in former love interest Rose McGowan’s 1998 film Jawbreaker and a supporting role in 2003’s Party Monster, which is based on the events leading up to and the murder of Angel Melendez by the infamous Michael Alig of club kid fame, where Manson portrayed a psychotic drag queen named Christina . Manson made a cameo appearance in The Hire: Beat the Devil, a short film in the BMW films series (starring Clive Owen as the Driver), which featured James Brown as himself, and Gary Oldman as Satan. His most talked-about film cameo was in the Michael Moore political documentary Bowling for Columbine discussing the motivations of the perpetrators and allegations that his music was somehow a factor. He played himself, in animated form, on an episode of the television series Clone High, in which he sang a song about nutrition and the food pyramid. He is featured prominently throughout Not Another Teen Movie, and covered the song "Tainted Love" for its soundtrack.

His music is frequently featured on the show C.S.I.. The character on the show, Greg Sanders, is a big fan of Manson and the actor who plays him, Eric Szmanda, is a personal friend of Manson’s.

Manson was featured in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, and was set to appear in Abelcain, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Living Neon Dreams in 2005, although both of these projects are still unreleased as of 2007. He will also be seen as a bartender in an upcoming vampire movie starring Lucy Liu called Rise and possibly has pending roles in Abelcain, RISE and other projects.

Manson has produced 23 music videos, most of which have gone beyond the scope of a normal performance video and been well received by critics for their imagery and direction. Manson’s three most recent released videos – Personal Jesus, (s)AINT and Heart-Shaped Glasses – were voluntarily funded with his own money (to a sum of $1,500,000) and largely not that of the record company. Manson stated in June 2006 that he saw himself "as more a student of film than of music".

In July 2005, Manson told Rolling Stone that he was shifting his focus from music to filmmaking – "I just don’t think the world is worth putting music into right now. I no longer want to make art that other people–particularly record companies–are turning into a product. I just want to make art."

By 2006 Manson was working on his directorial debut, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, but has since put the project off until November 2007 to focus on recording Marilyn Manson’s sixth studio album, Eat Me, Drink Me, followed by a world tour. The film is said to feature special effects using a magician rather than computer-generated imagery.

In graphic art

From the beginning Manson has been a recreational painter, the oldest of his surviving pieces dating back to 1995-1996, but it was after his 1998 Grey period that Manson began his career as a watercolour painter. In 1999 he made five-minute concept pieces and sold them to drug dealers with their knowledge that they would accumulate in value over time. Gradually Manson became more drawn to watercolors as an art form in itself, and instead of trading them, kept them and continued to paint at a proficient rate.

This manic creativity resulted in an exhibit for his art, The Golden Age of Grotesque, held at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Centre on between September 13 and 14, 2002. The reaction to his paintings was largely positive with one critic comparing them to Egon Schele’s pieces and describing them as heartfelt and sincerely painted, and Art in America went as far as to liken them to the works of a " psychiatric patient given materials to use as therapy ". Others however saw less merit in the works stating that the value was in the celebrity.

Two years later almost to the day, during September 14 and 15, 2004, Manson held his second exhibit on the first night in Paris and the second in Berlin, Trismegistus, which was also the title of the center piece of the exhibit – a large three headed Christ painted onto an antique wood panel. Again the reception to the works could be described as mixed but was largely in favour of the artist.

Manson opened his own an art gallery, The Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art, on October 31, 2006 in Los Angeles for which his third exhibition (by invitation or appointment only after the opening night) was the inaugural show. From April 2 until April 17, 2007 Manson’s recent works were be on show at the Space 39 Modern & Contemporary in Florida.

A coffee table art book is in the works, initially titled The Death of Art. The last given title was Quintif. It will be published by the makers of Flaunt magazine.

40 pieces from this show were ported to the Gallery Brigitte Schenk in Cologne, Germany to be publicly exhibited from June 28 until July 28, 2007. After this they will return to the Space39 Modern & Contemporary Gallery thus leaving Manson’s own gallery in Los Angeles temporarily without his own work until 2008.

The price of Manson’s works has been a somewhat controversial point for fans and critics alike, with most fans realistically unable to afford the paintings save for fine art editions and lithographs. Manson’s prices though are realistic and reasonable considering the long-term value at a time when prices for contemporary art have never been higher.

During his European tour 2007 Manson has exhibited his paintings in Germany, Russia and Switzerland.

In other areas

Manson provided the voice of the alien Edgar in the 2005 first-person shooter video game Area 51, which also featured David Duchovny. Marilyn Manson also appears (as himself) as a playable character in the video game Celebrity Deathmatch. Allegedly, the artist posed nude for photos prior to his rise to fame. The pictures appeared in the March 1999 issue of Honcho.

Professional fallouts

Trent Reznor

One of Manson’s high-profile relationships, the defunct friendship with Trent Reznor, has been marked with mutual bitterness and perhaps vendetta. This started in the mid-90s, when Manson was due to make a track that would appear on the soundtrack to David Lynch’s Lost Highway, but instead Reznor was the one who wrote a song, "The Perfect Drug", for the film. In 1999, it seemed the two artists had patched their differences, as Manson made an appearance in the video for the Nine Inch Nails song "Starfuckers, Inc."

In 2004, Reznor was asked whether he had plans to do any covers; he sarcastically replied, "I was really hoping to do something unique and pertinent – like do an exact copy of "Personal Jesus" – but it was already taken."

In a 2005 interview, Manson said Reznor’s Nothing Records had lost the master recordings of Manson’s first three albums. He implied it was Reznor’s intention, "Now that Nothing Records doesn’t exist, I think there’s only one of two people responsible for that. Out of those two people, there’s only one that really has an opinion of me that is voiced very often."

Twiggy Ramirez

In May 2002 Twiggy Ramirez left the band, citing differences in perspective on the future of the band. He went on to play bass for A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. During this time, Manson claimed in interviews that he and Ramirez were still close friends, while Ramirez maintained that he rarely spoke to Manson. In an interview in February of 2006 Twiggy stated he was willing to record an album with Marilyn Manson if the right conditions were met. In Autumn 2006, Manson and Ramirez were photographed together at numerous parties in Los Angeles, in amicable poses.

In January 2008 it was announced that Ramirez had reunited with the band as live bassist for the last leg of the Rape of the World tour as well as co-writer of the band’s seventh studio album. In an interview with The Heirophant on January 11, 2008, Manson revealed that the reconciliation with Ramirez was not as abrupt as it initially seemed, and that the two had been occasionally communicating with each other since speaking at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California prior to the Winter European leg of the Rape of the World tour.

John 5

John 5’s reasons for leaving Marilyn Manson were cited as being mutual, despite the mysterious nature of his sudden firing by Manson’s manager in 2004.

John was quoted at the time as saying about the incident, "I don’t know. . . I was nothing but nice to him," he continued. "I never screwed up onstage — well not really badly — and I did everything I could to get along with him. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that I don’t drink or do drugs, and he’s not like that at all. Maybe he held that against me. I don’t know. He never said." John 5 was notorious among fans as being drug and alcohol free.

Before the incident, Manson had assaulted John on stage, notably, Manson kicked John in the face during a televised performance, leading to a brief confrontation in front of a packed and roaring audience (available on YouTube). This was during the intro to "The Beautiful People", when played at the Rock AM Ring 2003.

Also, during the tour John maintains that Manson spoke about matters other than business only once, "It was on my birthday, and he turned to me and said, "Happy birthday, faggot" — then walked away."

Despite this, John maintains he respects Manson, citing his skilled production style and his love for the band’s music. John was already a fan of the band before joining in 1998. In response to a question regarding the reason for the split with Manson, John 5 was quoted by Vintage Guitar Magazine as saying, "(laughs) At the end of the last tour, I decided I really wanted to do this solo thing and that I had to devote all my time to it. The split with Manson was totally amicable. It wasn’t one of those big breakups. We’re friends. I wish there was some good dirt, but there’s not (laughs)!"

In an interview prior to the January 19, 2008 performance in Orlando, Florida, Marilyn Manson revealed that John 5 would make a guest appearance during the show, stating: "I’ll have [John] come on stage and play songs with us this first show. It would practically be the Holy Wood lineup." This guest appearance ultimately did not take place, however.

Madonna Wayne Gacy

Before leaving the band nothing was heard of Madonna Wayne Gacy for over a year. In an exclusive conference conducted by Marilyn Manson in April 2007, he revealed the upcoming album Eat Me, Drink Me was recorded in collaboration between himself and Tim Skold. Essentially this meant Gacy did not partake in the album, but not ruling out the possibility of him performing as live keyboardist on the upcoming tour. Later, Manson revealed that Chris Vrenna (who previously drummed for the band during Ginger Fish’s hiatus in 2004) would be performing as live keyboardist on the tour, in Gacy’s place.

On August 2, 2007, Gacy filed a lawsuit against Marilyn Manson seeking a back pay of $20 million dollars. Gacy claimed Manson has been using the band’s money for personal interests, among which are his collection of Nazi paraphernalia, his drug addictions, his wedding with Dita Von Teese and the production of Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

On December 20, 2007, Manson countersued Gacy. As a reaction to the lawsuit Gacy filed against Manson in August, Manson claims, "keyboardist Stephen Bier did not carry out obligations to take part in master recordings [of Eat Me, Drink Me], concerts [of the Rape of the World tour] and the selling of band merchandise," according to this report which states that Manson is seeking unspecified general and special damages.

Insight

Even though he is known mostly for his music, which some refer to as crude and grotesque, Manson is a very intelligent and insightful man. In interviews he is always well spoken and is calm to the people who challenge him. Most people see his music as delivering the wrong message, but Manson states that his message was to be creative.

Causes

•In 2002, Manson worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make the wish of a boy with a life-threatening disease come true. 16-year-old Andrew Baines from Tennessee had a wish to sing back-up vocals for a "big" band; Manson jumped on the task and took Baines under his wing to make his dream come true. Manson invited Baines to the studio on August 27, 2002, where he let Baines perform backing vocals for the then-upcoming album, The Golden Age of Grotesque. "Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Andrew, who reminded me the things I create are only made complete by those who enjoy them. I just want to simply say, ‘thank you’ to Andrew for sharing such an important wish with me," Manson said, according MarilynManson.com.

•In 2005, Manson donated a signed collector’s edition mask to Music for Relief to help victims of the 2004’s Boxing Day Tsunami; this auction raised $155.

•In January 2006, Manson contributed a hand-painted guitar from the Six-String Masterpieces – The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute to the Little Kids Rock auction. For every $100 raised by the product, Little Kids Rock would provide one low-income child with an instrument and lessons – Manson’s guitar raised $6,250.

•In 2006, Manson became a benefactor of Project Nightlight, an LA area foundation that uses short films, music, and apparel to grab teenagers attention and inspire them to speak out against sexual and physical abuse. Manson afforded Project Nightlight a stand at the opening of his art gallery, and in April 2007 gave the charity a print of his painting Eve of Destruction and a framed collector’s edition mask.

Legal history

Marilyn Manson was first arrested in Florida on December 27, 1994 after a concert at Jacksonville’s Club 5 for "violating the adult entertainment code." Manson was detained for 16 hours before been released without charge. Bizarrely police believed Manson had performed oral sex on stage with a man (when in fact it was Jack Off Jill vocalist Jessicka wearing a fake penis) and thrown either his or the man’s penis into the crowd. On February 5, 2001 in Marino, Italy Manson suffered what is to date his only other post-concert arrest when he was accused of blasphemy having worn the outfit of a cardinal on stage during the song "Valentine’s Day". Soon after the detention it was ascertained that Manson had not committed a crime and it appeared the legal troubles were over until the next day when Manson was arrested in Bologne on charges of public indecency relating to a 1999 show where it was alleged Manson had exposed his penis. Manson was released and the charges dropped, notably the arrests came a week after two teenagers brutally murdered an Italian nun which some less reputable sections of the Italian press blamed on Manson’s music.

Sexual misconduct

In a civil battery suit, David Diaz, a security officer from a concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 27, 2000, sued for $75,000 in a Minneapolis federal court. After two days deliberation the jury decided that Manson’s alleged molestation had been part of the show and that he had not overstepped his boundaries as an artist, ruling in favor of Manson and against Diaz.

Manson was charged with "sexual misconduct" on August 16, 2001 after Joshua Keasler filed a complaint that as he was providing security for a July 30 concert Manson had allegedly spat on his head, wrapped his legs around him and began to gyrate his penis along his neck.

Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca said that "It was offensive, crude and rude. This was not something that was orchestrated or choreographed as part of the act. The security guard was an unknowing and unwilling participant and, ironically, while he was there for protection… was sexually assaulted." The charge, punishable with up to two years imprisonment, was accompanied with a charge of disorderly conduct. The complaint came with an arrest warrant but Manson thwarted this by posting a $25,000 personal bond. In a one-day December 28, 2001 trial the presiding Judge dismissed the charge of "sexual misconduct" as Manson had in his view "gained no sexual gratification from the act." Manson pleaded "no contest" to the outstanding lesser charge, which carried only up to three months imprisonment, and was ordered to pay $4,000 in fines. After the trial Keasler pursued a civil lawsuit against Manson that was dropped when the two settled out of court in February 2004.

Lawsuits

•In 1997, former Marilyn Manson guitarist Scott Mitchell Putesky filed a lawsuit against Manson seeking unpaid royalties for his contributions to the band’s output up to that period, including the band’s recently released second studio album Antichrist Superstar. The case was concluded in 1998, although the outcome was confidential.

•On January 4, 1999, SPIN editor Craig Marks filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Manson in the New York Supreme Court. Marks alleged that Manson, upset at not making the cover of SPIN, the lawsuit specifically alleged Manson had yelled "I can kill you, I can kill your family, I can kill everyone you know!" before two of Manson’s bodyguards were said to have charged him and held him against the wall and threw him to the floor after which it was alleged Manson had said, "That’s what you get when you disrespect me." The case was dropped when, weeks later, Marks was fired from SPIN over financial irregularities.

•On April 2, 2002, Maria St. John filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Manson of providing her adult daughter, Jennifer Syme, with cocaine and allowing her to drive while under the influence. The case was settled out of court.

•On August 2, 2007, former Marilyn Manson keyboardist Stephen Bier filed a breech of contract lawsuit against Marilyn Manson seeking $20,000,000 in damages. Bier claimed Manson has used the band’s money for personal interests, among which are his collection of Nazi paraphernalia, addictions to cocaine and Valium, his $300,000 wedding with and $150,000 engagement ring given to Dita Von Teese and the production of Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll as well as Lewis Carroll memorabilia, human skeletons and taxidermy. Manson’s lawyers responded in January 2008 with a 101-page rebuttal of the claims, the case will be tried by jury in November 2008 in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Major label discography

•Portrait of an American Family (1994) •Smells Like Children (1995) •Antichrist Superstar (1996) •Remix and Repent (1997) •Mechanical Animals (1998) •The Last Tour on Earth (Live) (1999) •Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000) •The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) •Lest We Forget (The Best Of) (2004) •Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)

Filmography

•Lost Highway (cameo, 1997) •MTV Video Music Awards (commercial, 1998) •Jawbreaker (cameo, 1999) •Clone High (cameo, 2000) •From Hell (score, 2001) •Not Another Teen Movie (score, 2001) •Resident Evil (score, 2002) •Bowling for Columbine (interview, 2002) •The Hire: Beat the Devil (cameo, 2003) •Party Monster (2003) •Doppelherz (director, 2003) •The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (cameo, 2004) •House of Wax (2005) (acting, score) •Abelcain (2007) •Living Neon Dreams (2007) •Rise (cameo, 2007) •Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll (acting, directing, writing, score, 2008)

Bibliography

•The Long Hard Road out of Hell (1998) •Holy Wood (Unreleased)

Trivia

•All Manson’s tattoos were done at Tattoos By Lou in Miami, Florida over a four-year span starting in 1991, until a new tattoo emerged in early-2007.

•In the 1990s, an Internet rumor spread stating Josh Saviano (who played Paul Pfeiffer in 1980s drama The Wonder Years) grew up to become Marilyn Manson. As of 2007, Josh Saviano is a licensed attorney in New York. He has, however, commented on the rumor, and thinks it is neat people believe him to be in a "goth band".

•Contrary to what some may deem "common knowledge", Manson has not had any ribs removed for the purpose of autofellatio. "If I really got my ribs removed," he said in the The Long Hard Road out of Hell autobiography, "I would have been busy sucking my own dick on The Wonder Years instead of chasing Winnie Cooper."

•In an E! interview, Manson revealed that he owns a Nintendo DS. "My friend got me this little Japanese lawyer game; it’s fucking amazing," he said in reference to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He also mentioned that he was "pretty good at Mario Kart".

•In an interview with MTV in 2002 Manson revealed that for most of his paintings he uses a children’s Alice in Wonderland tin. He also uses a 1920’s mortician paint kit originally used for retouching cadavers.

•Manson has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, an erratic, rapid heartbeat.

•Manson, who cites David Bowie as being his biggest influence, claims his favorite songs by him are "Quicksand", "Ashes to Ashes", and "We Are the Dead". He even proposed to his ex-wife, Dita Von Teese, during a David Bowie concert (at the time Bowie was performing "Be My Wife") .

•Pets Manson has had in his life include the childhood dog, an Alaskan malamute named Aleusha, an orange tabby named O.J. which he found on the steps of Christian school, four Devon Rex cats named Aleister, Edgar, Herman, and Lily, and two dachshunds named Greta and Eva. After the divorce of Manson and ex-wife Dita Von Teese, Von Teese won the custody of both dachshunds and Aleister. For Manson’s 39th birthday on January 5th, 2008, girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood gave him a new cat, Charlie (Manson), as a birthday gift.

•When asked in 2007 by Rolling Stone what his current favorite playlist was, Manson chose among Radiohead’s "Exit Music (For a Film)", Amy Winehouse’s "Rehab" and David Bowie’s classic "We Are the Dead".

OFFICIAL WEBSITE : marilynmanson.com MARILYN MANSON on MYSPACE : www.myspace.com/marilynmanson

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–> This biography appeared on www.mansonwiki.com/ (Manson Wiki)

Posted by Ben Heine on 2008-05-09 23:47:25

Tagged: , Marilyn Manson , Brian Hugh Warner , USA , American , crazyness , mickey mouse , hat , fun , outrageous , make up , image , graphic artist , watercolor , singer , child , logo , band , rock , punk , Charles Manson , Marilyn Monroe , ink , black , Metal music , Grammy Award , musique , Mobscene , Mansinthe , industrial metal band , shocking , post modernity , badge , smart , tie , bretelle , lipstick , man , provocative , traditional art , ben heine , pointillism , black ink , painting , Disney , Antichrist , Antechrist , full biography , scary , fearless , androgyn , [email protected] , print , copyrights , art , poster , wallpaper , contemporary art , Resident , Evil , fine art , expo , mixed styles , aquarelle , flickr united , anti-conformism , anti-capitalism , dark , romance , provocation , plume , pen nib , paper , music , Beat the Devil , bowling for columbine

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Marilyn Manson -1-

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This is a pointillist work I made with blue, red and black ink on paper. I just love Marilyn Manson’s personality and crazy style! Everybody should have an aura…

Please, see my other portrait of Marilyn Manson _______________________________________________

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Biography

Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is a professional musician. He is the lead singer of the industrial metal band that bears the same name. His stage name is formed from the names Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.

Brian Hugh Warner was born on January 5th 1969 in Canton, Ohio. He attended Heritage Christian School. After transferring to and later graduating from Canton’s GlenOak High School, Warner moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his family. While living in Fort Lauderdale, he studied journalism and theater at Broward Community College, and became the assistant entertainment editor of BCC’s student newspaper, the Observer.

Romance

Warner’s first serious relationship was with Melissa "Missi" Romero. As explained in his autobiography, during the production of "Antichrist Superstar," Missi became pregnant with Warner’s child, but had an abortion during her second trimester. He has also been linked to Traci Lords and Jenna Jameson. Jameson wrote about her sexual encounter with Manson in her autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale in which she noted him as being "massively endowed". Manson was engaged to Rose McGowan, but their relationship ended around the time he became involved with burlesque dancer and fetish model model Dita Von Teese. Manson photographed Von Teese for the December 2002 issue of Playboy. Manson and Von Teese wed in December 2005 in the Irish home of friend Gottfried Helnwein. Von Teese filed for divorce as of December 2006. The divorce came through in January 2007. In April of 2007, Marilyn Manson’s girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood, admitted that they were actually a couple.

Marriage

Manson and Dita Von Teese started dating on Manson’s 32nd birthday, and Manson proposed three years later on March 22, 2004. On December 3, 2005 (court documents say November 28), the couple was married in a non-denominational ceremony at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, Ireland, the home of Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. Dita Von Teese wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown by Vivienne Westwood, complete with train and petticoats worn over a Mr. Pearl couture corset, topped off by a tricorne hat by Stephen Jones, while Manson wore a John Galliano black silk taffeta tuxedo with velvet trim and a hat also crafted by Stephen Jones. They reportedly exchanged vows in front of approximately 60 guests, including burlesque dancer Catherine Delish, Lisa Marie Presley, Eric Szmanda, David Lynch, Jessicka and Christian Hejnal, and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. Vogue magazine ran a multiple-page feature on the wedding in its February 2006 issue. Just before his own wedding, Manson criticized Britney Spears’ wedding to Kevin Federline, in which they celebrated by wearing personalized tracksuits: "If you’re going to do something like getting married, it should have a sense of celebration to it. It should be grand and not in tracksuits!"

As of January 30, 2007 Manson and Dita Von Teese reportedly split after her filing for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences" according to Von Teese. ET.com along with People Magazine has claimed that Manson was having an extramarital affair with actress Evan Rachel Wood, which may or may not be the true cause of the split. Manson’s alcohol abuse and distant behaviour have also been cited as cause for the split. It has also been claimed that Manson was not aware of Von Teese’s filing for divorce and moving out of their home at the time that the story was published, conceivably due to his reported stay in Paris, France. Von Teese reportedly took their two cats and two dachshunds, Greta and Eva, with her when she left. Manson fought for custody of the two cats, but only received one of them.

Evan Rachel Wood attended the grand opening of Manson’s new Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art and among the most notable artworks were two portraits of Evan. She will also co-star in his upcoming horror film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

In music

Jessicka of the band Jack Off Jill was an early friend of Manson’s, her band opened most of his South Florida shows. He not only produced most of the band’s early recordings but also played guitar on the song "My Cat" and helped name the band. Manson later wrote the liner notes for the band’s album Humid Teenage Mediocrity, a collection of early Jack Off Jill recordings.

In early 1993, after being instructed by his new label, Interscope Records, not to play any local shows, Manson formed Mrs. Scabtree. Mrs. Scabtree was a side project between he and newly hired Jeordie White. Manson played drums, while White (dressed as a black woman) shared vocal duties with then girlfriend Jessicka from Jack Off Jill who wore a blonde wig. Mrs. Scabtree only played two shows in South Florida.

Manson has helped or provided full scores for several major motion pictures, although several of his pieces have been cut, and his name dropped from the credits. Some of his more notable soundtrack score contributions include The Matrix, From Hell and Resident Evil.

Manson appeared as a guest on rapper DMX’s album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood for the track "The Omen", produced by Swizz Beats, and has performed (with the rest of the band) on stage with Eminem as background music in the song "The Way I Am".

Manson sang vocals on "Break You Down" off of the Washington, DC-based industrial rock band gODHEAD’s 2000 Years of Human Error album. This album is distinguished for being the only one released on Manson’s vanity label Posthuman Records.

In film and television

Manson made a cameo appearance as a doctor in the Murderdolls’ music video "Dead in Hollywood", and also appears in the Nine Inch Nails music video "Starfuckers, Inc.", as well as "Gave Up", and Eminem’s "The Way I Am" music video.

His first appearance in a film was in the role of a pornographic actor in David Lynch’s Lost Highway, in 1997. He also had a minor role in former love interest Rose McGowan’s 1998 film Jawbreaker and a supporting role in 2003’s Party Monster, which is based on the events leading up to and the murder of Angel Melendez by the infamous Michael Alig of club kid fame, where Manson portrayed a psychotic drag queen named Christina . Manson made a cameo appearance in The Hire: Beat the Devil, a short film in the BMW films series (starring Clive Owen as the Driver), which featured James Brown as himself, and Gary Oldman as Satan. His most talked-about film cameo was in the Michael Moore political documentary Bowling for Columbine discussing the motivations of the perpetrators and allegations that his music was somehow a factor. He played himself, in animated form, on an episode of the television series Clone High, in which he sang a song about nutrition and the food pyramid. He is featured prominently throughout Not Another Teen Movie, and covered the song "Tainted Love" for its soundtrack.

His music is frequently featured on the show C.S.I.. The character on the show, Greg Sanders, is a big fan of Manson and the actor who plays him, Eric Szmanda, is a personal friend of Manson’s.

Manson was featured in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, and was set to appear in Abelcain, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Living Neon Dreams in 2005, although both of these projects are still unreleased as of 2007. He will also be seen as a bartender in an upcoming vampire movie starring Lucy Liu called Rise and possibly has pending roles in Abelcain, RISE and other projects.

Manson has produced 23 music videos, most of which have gone beyond the scope of a normal performance video and been well received by critics for their imagery and direction. Manson’s three most recent released videos – Personal Jesus, (s)AINT and Heart-Shaped Glasses – were voluntarily funded with his own money (to a sum of $1,500,000) and largely not that of the record company. Manson stated in June 2006 that he saw himself "as more a student of film than of music".

In July 2005, Manson told Rolling Stone that he was shifting his focus from music to filmmaking – "I just don’t think the world is worth putting music into right now. I no longer want to make art that other people–particularly record companies–are turning into a product. I just want to make art."

By 2006 Manson was working on his directorial debut, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, but has since put the project off until November 2007 to focus on recording Marilyn Manson’s sixth studio album, Eat Me, Drink Me, followed by a world tour. The film is said to feature special effects using a magician rather than computer-generated imagery.

In graphic art

From the beginning Manson has been a recreational painter, the oldest of his surviving pieces dating back to 1995-1996, but it was after his 1998 Grey period that Manson began his career as a watercolour painter. In 1999 he made five-minute concept pieces and sold them to drug dealers with their knowledge that they would accumulate in value over time. Gradually Manson became more drawn to watercolors as an art form in itself, and instead of trading them, kept them and continued to paint at a proficient rate.

This manic creativity resulted in an exhibit for his art, The Golden Age of Grotesque, held at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Centre on between September 13 and 14, 2002. The reaction to his paintings was largely positive with one critic comparing them to Egon Schele’s pieces and describing them as heartfelt and sincerely painted, and Art in America went as far as to liken them to the works of a " psychiatric patient given materials to use as therapy ". Others however saw less merit in the works stating that the value was in the celebrity.

Two years later almost to the day, during September 14 and 15, 2004, Manson held his second exhibit on the first night in Paris and the second in Berlin, Trismegistus, which was also the title of the center piece of the exhibit – a large three headed Christ painted onto an antique wood panel. Again the reception to the works could be described as mixed but was largely in favour of the artist.

Manson opened his own an art gallery, The Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art, on October 31, 2006 in Los Angeles for which his third exhibition (by invitation or appointment only after the opening night) was the inaugural show. From April 2 until April 17, 2007 Manson’s recent works were be on show at the Space 39 Modern & Contemporary in Florida.

A coffee table art book is in the works, initially titled The Death of Art. The last given title was Quintif. It will be published by the makers of Flaunt magazine.

40 pieces from this show were ported to the Gallery Brigitte Schenk in Cologne, Germany to be publicly exhibited from June 28 until July 28, 2007. After this they will return to the Space39 Modern & Contemporary Gallery thus leaving Manson’s own gallery in Los Angeles temporarily without his own work until 2008.

The price of Manson’s works has been a somewhat controversial point for fans and critics alike, with most fans realistically unable to afford the paintings save for fine art editions and lithographs. Manson’s prices though are realistic and reasonable considering the long-term value at a time when prices for contemporary art have never been higher.

During his European tour 2007 Manson has exhibited his paintings in Germany, Russia and Switzerland.

In other areas

Manson provided the voice of the alien Edgar in the 2005 first-person shooter video game Area 51, which also featured David Duchovny. Marilyn Manson also appears (as himself) as a playable character in the video game Celebrity Deathmatch. Allegedly, the artist posed nude for photos prior to his rise to fame. The pictures appeared in the March 1999 issue of Honcho.

Professional fallouts

Trent Reznor

One of Manson’s high-profile relationships, the defunct friendship with Trent Reznor, has been marked with mutual bitterness and perhaps vendetta. This started in the mid-90s, when Manson was due to make a track that would appear on the soundtrack to David Lynch’s Lost Highway, but instead Reznor was the one who wrote a song, "The Perfect Drug", for the film. In 1999, it seemed the two artists had patched their differences, as Manson made an appearance in the video for the Nine Inch Nails song "Starfuckers, Inc."

In 2004, Reznor was asked whether he had plans to do any covers; he sarcastically replied, "I was really hoping to do something unique and pertinent – like do an exact copy of "Personal Jesus" – but it was already taken."

In a 2005 interview, Manson said Reznor’s Nothing Records had lost the master recordings of Manson’s first three albums. He implied it was Reznor’s intention, "Now that Nothing Records doesn’t exist, I think there’s only one of two people responsible for that. Out of those two people, there’s only one that really has an opinion of me that is voiced very often."

Twiggy Ramirez

In May 2002 Twiggy Ramirez left the band, citing differences in perspective on the future of the band. He went on to play bass for A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. During this time, Manson claimed in interviews that he and Ramirez were still close friends, while Ramirez maintained that he rarely spoke to Manson. In an interview in February of 2006 Twiggy stated he was willing to record an album with Marilyn Manson if the right conditions were met. In Autumn 2006, Manson and Ramirez were photographed together at numerous parties in Los Angeles, in amicable poses.

In January 2008 it was announced that Ramirez had reunited with the band as live bassist for the last leg of the Rape of the World tour as well as co-writer of the band’s seventh studio album. In an interview with The Heirophant on January 11, 2008, Manson revealed that the reconciliation with Ramirez was not as abrupt as it initially seemed, and that the two had been occasionally communicating with each other since speaking at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California prior to the Winter European leg of the Rape of the World tour.

John 5

John 5’s reasons for leaving Marilyn Manson were cited as being mutual, despite the mysterious nature of his sudden firing by Manson’s manager in 2004.

John was quoted at the time as saying about the incident, "I don’t know. . . I was nothing but nice to him," he continued. "I never screwed up onstage — well not really badly — and I did everything I could to get along with him. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that I don’t drink or do drugs, and he’s not like that at all. Maybe he held that against me. I don’t know. He never said." John 5 was notorious among fans as being drug and alcohol free.

Before the incident, Manson had assaulted John on stage, notably, Manson kicked John in the face during a televised performance, leading to a brief confrontation in front of a packed and roaring audience (available on YouTube). This was during the intro to "The Beautiful People", when played at the Rock AM Ring 2003.

Also, during the tour John maintains that Manson spoke about matters other than business only once, "It was on my birthday, and he turned to me and said, "Happy birthday, faggot" — then walked away."

Despite this, John maintains he respects Manson, citing his skilled production style and his love for the band’s music. John was already a fan of the band before joining in 1998. In response to a question regarding the reason for the split with Manson, John 5 was quoted by Vintage Guitar Magazine as saying, "(laughs) At the end of the last tour, I decided I really wanted to do this solo thing and that I had to devote all my time to it. The split with Manson was totally amicable. It wasn’t one of those big breakups. We’re friends. I wish there was some good dirt, but there’s not (laughs)!"

In an interview prior to the January 19, 2008 performance in Orlando, Florida, Marilyn Manson revealed that John 5 would make a guest appearance during the show, stating: "I’ll have [John] come on stage and play songs with us this first show. It would practically be the Holy Wood lineup." This guest appearance ultimately did not take place, however.

Madonna Wayne Gacy

Before leaving the band nothing was heard of Madonna Wayne Gacy for over a year. In an exclusive conference conducted by Marilyn Manson in April 2007, he revealed the upcoming album Eat Me, Drink Me was recorded in collaboration between himself and Tim Skold. Essentially this meant Gacy did not partake in the album, but not ruling out the possibility of him performing as live keyboardist on the upcoming tour. Later, Manson revealed that Chris Vrenna (who previously drummed for the band during Ginger Fish’s hiatus in 2004) would be performing as live keyboardist on the tour, in Gacy’s place.

On August 2, 2007, Gacy filed a lawsuit against Marilyn Manson seeking a back pay of $20 million dollars. Gacy claimed Manson has been using the band’s money for personal interests, among which are his collection of Nazi paraphernalia, his drug addictions, his wedding with Dita Von Teese and the production of Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

On December 20, 2007, Manson countersued Gacy. As a reaction to the lawsuit Gacy filed against Manson in August, Manson claims, "keyboardist Stephen Bier did not carry out obligations to take part in master recordings [of Eat Me, Drink Me], concerts [of the Rape of the World tour] and the selling of band merchandise," according to this report which states that Manson is seeking unspecified general and special damages.

Insight

Even though he is known mostly for his music, which some refer to as crude and grotesque, Manson is a very intelligent and insightful man. In interviews he is always well spoken and is calm to the people who challenge him. Most people see his music as delivering the wrong message, but Manson states that his message was to be creative.

Causes

•In 2002, Manson worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make the wish of a boy with a life-threatening disease come true. 16-year-old Andrew Baines from Tennessee had a wish to sing back-up vocals for a "big" band; Manson jumped on the task and took Baines under his wing to make his dream come true. Manson invited Baines to the studio on August 27, 2002, where he let Baines perform backing vocals for the then-upcoming album, The Golden Age of Grotesque. "Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Andrew, who reminded me the things I create are only made complete by those who enjoy them. I just want to simply say, ‘thank you’ to Andrew for sharing such an important wish with me," Manson said, according MarilynManson.com.

•In 2005, Manson donated a signed collector’s edition mask to Music for Relief to help victims of the 2004’s Boxing Day Tsunami; this auction raised $155.

•In January 2006, Manson contributed a hand-painted guitar from the Six-String Masterpieces – The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute to the Little Kids Rock auction. For every $100 raised by the product, Little Kids Rock would provide one low-income child with an instrument and lessons – Manson’s guitar raised $6,250.

•In 2006, Manson became a benefactor of Project Nightlight, an LA area foundation that uses short films, music, and apparel to grab teenagers attention and inspire them to speak out against sexual and physical abuse. Manson afforded Project Nightlight a stand at the opening of his art gallery, and in April 2007 gave the charity a print of his painting Eve of Destruction and a framed collector’s edition mask.

Legal history

Marilyn Manson was first arrested in Florida on December 27, 1994 after a concert at Jacksonville’s Club 5 for "violating the adult entertainment code." Manson was detained for 16 hours before been released without charge. Bizarrely police believed Manson had performed oral sex on stage with a man (when in fact it was Jack Off Jill vocalist Jessicka wearing a fake penis) and thrown either his or the man’s penis into the crowd. On February 5, 2001 in Marino, Italy Manson suffered what is to date his only other post-concert arrest when he was accused of blasphemy having worn the outfit of a cardinal on stage during the song "Valentine’s Day". Soon after the detention it was ascertained that Manson had not committed a crime and it appeared the legal troubles were over until the next day when Manson was arrested in Bologne on charges of public indecency relating to a 1999 show where it was alleged Manson had exposed his penis. Manson was released and the charges dropped, notably the arrests came a week after two teenagers brutally murdered an Italian nun which some less reputable sections of the Italian press blamed on Manson’s music.

Sexual misconduct

In a civil battery suit, David Diaz, a security officer from a concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 27, 2000, sued for $75,000 in a Minneapolis federal court. After two days deliberation the jury decided that Manson’s alleged molestation had been part of the show and that he had not overstepped his boundaries as an artist, ruling in favor of Manson and against Diaz.

Manson was charged with "sexual misconduct" on August 16, 2001 after Joshua Keasler filed a complaint that as he was providing security for a July 30 concert Manson had allegedly spat on his head, wrapped his legs around him and began to gyrate his penis along his neck.

Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca said that "It was offensive, crude and rude. This was not something that was orchestrated or choreographed as part of the act. The security guard was an unknowing and unwilling participant and, ironically, while he was there for protection… was sexually assaulted." The charge, punishable with up to two years imprisonment, was accompanied with a charge of disorderly conduct. The complaint came with an arrest warrant but Manson thwarted this by posting a $25,000 personal bond. In a one-day December 28, 2001 trial the presiding Judge dismissed the charge of "sexual misconduct" as Manson had in his view "gained no sexual gratification from the act." Manson pleaded "no contest" to the outstanding lesser charge, which carried only up to three months imprisonment, and was ordered to pay $4,000 in fines. After the trial Keasler pursued a civil lawsuit against Manson that was dropped when the two settled out of court in February 2004.

Lawsuits

•In 1997, former Marilyn Manson guitarist Scott Mitchell Putesky filed a lawsuit against Manson seeking unpaid royalties for his contributions to the band’s output up to that period, including the band’s recently released second studio album Antichrist Superstar. The case was concluded in 1998, although the outcome was confidential.

•On January 4, 1999, SPIN editor Craig Marks filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Manson in the New York Supreme Court. Marks alleged that Manson, upset at not making the cover of SPIN, the lawsuit specifically alleged Manson had yelled "I can kill you, I can kill your family, I can kill everyone you know!" before two of Manson’s bodyguards were said to have charged him and held him against the wall and threw him to the floor after which it was alleged Manson had said, "That’s what you get when you disrespect me." The case was dropped when, weeks later, Marks was fired from SPIN over financial irregularities.

•On April 2, 2002, Maria St. John filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Manson of providing her adult daughter, Jennifer Syme, with cocaine and allowing her to drive while under the influence. The case was settled out of court.

•On August 2, 2007, former Marilyn Manson keyboardist Stephen Bier filed a breech of contract lawsuit against Marilyn Manson seeking $20,000,000 in damages. Bier claimed Manson has used the band’s money for personal interests, among which are his collection of Nazi paraphernalia, addictions to cocaine and Valium, his $300,000 wedding with and $150,000 engagement ring given to Dita Von Teese and the production of Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll as well as Lewis Carroll memorabilia, human skeletons and taxidermy. Manson’s lawyers responded in January 2008 with a 101-page rebuttal of the claims, the case will be tried by jury in November 2008 in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Major label discography

•Portrait of an American Family (1994) •Smells Like Children (1995) •Antichrist Superstar (1996) •Remix and Repent (1997) •Mechanical Animals (1998) •The Last Tour on Earth (Live) (1999) •Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000) •The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) •Lest We Forget (The Best Of) (2004) •Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)

Filmography

•Lost Highway (cameo, 1997) •MTV Video Music Awards (commercial, 1998) •Jawbreaker (cameo, 1999) •Clone High (cameo, 2000) •From Hell (score, 2001) •Not Another Teen Movie (score, 2001) •Resident Evil (score, 2002) •Bowling for Columbine (interview, 2002) •The Hire: Beat the Devil (cameo, 2003) •Party Monster (2003) •Doppelherz (director, 2003) •The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (cameo, 2004) •House of Wax (2005) (acting, score) •Abelcain (2007) •Living Neon Dreams (2007) •Rise (cameo, 2007) •Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll (acting, directing, writing, score, 2008)

Bibliography

•The Long Hard Road out of Hell (1998) •Holy Wood (Unreleased)

Trivia

•All Manson’s tattoos were done at Tattoos By Lou in Miami, Florida over a four-year span starting in 1991, until a new tattoo emerged in early-2007.

•In the 1990s, an Internet rumor spread stating Josh Saviano (who played Paul Pfeiffer in 1980s drama The Wonder Years) grew up to become Marilyn Manson. As of 2007, Josh Saviano is a licensed attorney in New York. He has, however, commented on the rumor, and thinks it is neat people believe him to be in a "goth band".

•Contrary to what some may deem "common knowledge", Manson has not had any ribs removed for the purpose of autofellatio. "If I really got my ribs removed," he said in the The Long Hard Road out of Hell autobiography, "I would have been busy sucking my own dick on The Wonder Years instead of chasing Winnie Cooper."

•In an E! interview, Manson revealed that he owns a Nintendo DS. "My friend got me this little Japanese lawyer game; it’s fucking amazing," he said in reference to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He also mentioned that he was "pretty good at Mario Kart".

•In an interview with MTV in 2002 Manson revealed that for most of his paintings he uses a children’s Alice in Wonderland tin. He also uses a 1920’s mortician paint kit originally used for retouching cadavers.

•Manson has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, an erratic, rapid heartbeat.

•Manson, who cites David Bowie as being his biggest influence, claims his favorite songs by him are "Quicksand", "Ashes to Ashes", and "We Are the Dead". He even proposed to his ex-wife, Dita Von Teese, during a David Bowie concert (at the time Bowie was performing "Be My Wife") .

•Pets Manson has had in his life include the childhood dog, an Alaskan malamute named Aleusha, an orange tabby named O.J. which he found on the steps of Christian school, four Devon Rex cats named Aleister, Edgar, Herman, and Lily, and two dachshunds named Greta and Eva. After the divorce of Manson and ex-wife Dita Von Teese, Von Teese won the custody of both dachshunds and Aleister. For Manson’s 39th birthday on January 5th, 2008, girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood gave him a new cat, Charlie (Manson), as a birthday gift.

•When asked in 2007 by Rolling Stone what his current favorite playlist was, Manson chose among Radiohead’s "Exit Music (For a Film)", Amy Winehouse’s "Rehab" and David Bowie’s classic "We Are the Dead".

OFFICIAL WEBSITE : marilynmanson.com MARILYN MANSON on MYSPACE : www.myspace.com/marilynmanson

———————

–> This biography appeared on www.mansonwiki.com/ (Manson Wiki)

Posted by Ben Heine on 2008-05-09 23:39:26

Tagged: , Marilyn Manson , Brian Hugh Warner , USA , American , crazyness , cry , shout , balls , outrageous , image , artist , watercolor , singer , child , logo , band , rock , punk , Charles Manson , Marilyn Monroe , ink , black , dots , Metal music , Grammy Award , musique , Mobscene , Mansinthe , chanteur , musicien , make-up , lipstick , facial expression , arrow , sick , shocking , oh , ben heine , madness , painting , watercolour , powerful , violent , teethn mouth , anti-capitalism , anti-conformism , unusual , pointillism , black ink , Disney , Antichrist , Antechrist , full biography , scary , fearless , androgyn , [email protected] , print , copyrights , art , poster , wallpaper , contemporary art , Resident , Evil , fine art , expo , mixed styles , aquarelle , dark , romance , provocation , plume , pen nib , paper

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1517.

Hello :) Do you like to use a lot of smiley faces online? not really.

Which instant messaging service do you use, if any? facebook

What are your opinions on Justin Bieber? i forgot he exists

On December 21st 2012, if the world starts to go down, what will you do? well i was working that day lol

Do you Facebook stalk? sometimes

Is there a celebrity you’re obsessed with? Who? yeah; Marilyn Monroe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lana Del Rey mostly.

Do you look at yourself in any reflective surface you pass? no

What theme is your calendar? Marilyn Monroe

Is there anyone famous born on your birthday? Who? Ricky Martin LOL

Do you have a background on your cell phone? Of what? yeah. me and my husband

Have you ever watched the clock tick a full minute? no?

Is there anyone you know who kind of looks like you? no

Do you wish you had a twin? If you do, do you wish you didn’t? no

Which lollipop flavor is your favorite? cherry

Do you still enjoy coloring with crayons? sure

If someone came up and randomly hugged you, what would you do? freak out

Are we really getting lazier with all the technology advances these days? i’ve always been lazy lol

What was the last movie you saw in 3D? i don’t even know.

1-ply 2-ply or 3-ply bathroom tissue? Or does it matter? doesn’t matter?

Have you ever tried out products at a kiosk at the mall when they ask you? no

Do you ever wish you got more actual letters in the mail? yeah

Have you ever knocked/rang the doorbell, then ran? no

Do you take the bus often? no

Do you like serious people or ones with a sense of humor? a mix of both

When you read a happy scene in a book, do you find yourself smiling? yes

Have you ever went to the movie theatres by yourself? not that i recall

Is one of your main reasons for going to the beach to check people out? no

What food do you absolutely despise? seafood

What is your favorite genre of music? metal

Do you shave? sometimes

What is your opinion on the Twilight saga? ew

Which celebrity will you always think is good looking? Leo DiCaprio

Do you use twitter? Do you twitstalk a lot of celebrities? sometimes; no

Have you ever taped your fingers together? Doesn’t it feel weird? i don’t think i have

Do you like the squishy feeling of clay or mud beneath your feet? no

What is one habit you wish you could cut? smoking

When was the last time you used the bathroom? a little bit ago

Do you have an accent? to some i do

Do you clean your house? yeah

How many tabs do you have open right now? 4

Is wearing a lot of makeup being pretty or cakefaced? cakefaced

Do you care about the Olympics? i LOVE the summer olympics

Do you ever wear headphones but then don’t listen to anything? sometimes

Do you have a Youtube account? yes

Do you know anyone who collects pins? no

Do you enjoy taking pictures? no

Do you ever video chat with people? no

Have you ever tried Chatroulette or Omegle? omegle

Are you a sports fan? If so, what sport(s)? no

When did you stop trick-or-treating? Or do you still go? i can’t remember

Can you bake a good cake from scratch? no

Can you bowl? Good? i can but i’m not good

Do you wish your life was like a movie sometimes? if only

Do you just smile or make silly faces/poses in pictures? depends

Do/did you ever like the books you have/had to read in high school? i did

Do you live in a small town or a big city? city

What is your cell phone carrier? at&t

Do you have any stuffed toys? yeah

What was your favorite childhood toy? Do you still have it? harry potter action figures and yes

What song fits your mood right now? idk

Have you ever had a pet fish? probably

What internet browser are you using? firefox

Do you have a lot of bookmarks (internet)? yes

Are you doing anything fun this weekend? yeah sure.

Do you have any big plans for the upcoming summer? summer is super far away

What did you do last New Years Eve? worked

Plaid, stripes, checkers, or polka dots? Plaid.

Do you join a lot of fanpages on Facebook? yeah i guess

Can you curl your tongue? How about in a clover shape? no

Is there any TV show that you get extremely excited about? yes

What kind of lotion do you use? i dunno the name of it at the top of my head.

Have you ever squeezed a zit and popped its nastiness everywhere? yeah

Have you ever bit your cheek, and then bit it again in the same place? not that i recall

Have you ever had a bath with a sibling/cousin when you were little? yeah

Would you rather not eat or not sleep for 24 hours? not eat

Do you ever actually take cold showers during the summer? no

When was the last time you played on a playground? when i was a child

Do you like the really spinny rides at amusement parks? NO

What’s your opinion on facial hair? love

Have you ever gambled at a casino? no

What’s your favorite thing to shop for? books

Duz it bothar U wen Pplz tYPe Lyyk th!s ?!!one?!!?? yes

Do you know someone really thin who eats a lot (and doesn’t puke it up)? um yes

Do you make a wish at 11:11? no

What was the last present you bought for someone? i don’t recall

Aren’t pad and tampon commercials just ridiculous? i don’t watch commercials

Do you use a wallet or just put money in your pockets? wallet

Do you like your ID picture (whichever ID you have)? idc

Do you do online gaming? no

What was the last thing you put in your mouth? toothbrush

Who were the last people you hung out with? my husband

On a scale of 1-10, how attractive do you think you are? Honestly? 2

Do you think you have a good sense of humor? i guess.

Lmfao, Lmao, Rofl, Rotfl, Lol, Haha, Hehe, other? lol

Have you ever tried to count grains of sand in your hand? no

What does your ideal partner look like? my husband

Do you ever have to write your name on food to keep it from getting eaten? no

Do you have a friend you still hang with even though they’re annoying? no

What is one thing you’ve always wanted to do? idk

NYFF 2018: The Times of Bill Cunningham, Cold War, Detour

by Odie Henderson

October 12, 2018   |  

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In 1978, candid photographer and fashion column writer Bill Cunningham took a picture of a woman passing by him on a New York street. He was interested in the coat she was wearing, which struck him as unusual. As luck would have it, Cunningham had inadvertently snapped a picture of the long-retired famous movie actress, Greta Garbo, who hadn’t been seen on screen since 1941. The New York Times snapped up the photo and gave Cunningham a long-running photography series called “On the Street.” Every week, readers discovered who crossed the viewfinder of the bike-riding shutterbug wearing his trademark blue shirt.

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Premiering at the New York Film Festival, director Mark Bozek’s “The Times of Bill Cunningham” chronicles the photographer’s career, starting with his time as a milliner, then working through his writing at magazines like Women’s Wear Daily before settling on the thing for which he is most famous, his street photographs. Our tour guide for this entertaining journey is Cunningham himself, who appears onscreen in a 1994 interview conducted by Bozek. Bozek structures his film around this lengthy interview, supplementing it with home videos and pictures rather than using a bunch of talking heads. The film has occasional narration of actress Sarah Jessica Parker, an inspired choice; her Carrie Bradshaw character from “Sex and the City” would have loved to live the bohemian lifestyle Cunningham did.

Cunningham was one of the most famous people to live in the Carnegie Hall Studios, residing there for over 50 years in a small room crammed with file cabinets overflowing with photographs, memorabilia and even diamonds. His famous neighbors included Leonard Bernstein, Norman Mailer and Marlon Brando who, we are told, hid out in Cunningham’s flat after female fans broke down his apartment door. Cunningham also rubbed elbows in the 1950’s with famous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, who’d stop by his Chez Ninon office to try on the hats he designed, and Jacqueline Bouvier, who would later bring ladies’ hats back into style during her days as First Lady.

Though Cunningham comes off as a very nice guy whose thick Boston accent must have stood out like a sore thumb in Manhattan, there’s still some snootiness and shade bubbling underneath the surface, especially when he talks about fashion. It’s amusing coming from a guy whose wardrobe for decades consisted of thrift shop items or hand-me-downs from wealthy women whose husbands had bought the farm. “They were nice clothes!” Cunningham protests when Bozek presses him about this detail, but he then adds that he would have never been showcased in his own column.

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Cunningham describes his picture-taking as “stealing the shadows” of his subjects. One such set of shadows leads to the film’s most poignant moment. Cunningham suddenly breaks down when talking about how he’d photographed Gay Pride parades since their inception in NYC, and how he’d lost many of the people he knew to AIDS. We later learn that the man who lived so frugally had also donated millions of dollars to AIDS charities. Cunningham worked practically until his death in 2016; not even being hit by a truck could keep him off his beat for long.

“The Times of Bill Cunningham” runs a scant 74 minutes, which seems a perfect amount of time for a man who was so humble that he didn’t even attend the premiere of a prior documentary about him made back in 2011. Instead, he stood outside the theater and took pictures.

While festival centerpiece “Roma” has deserving buzz as a shoo-in for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, let’s not forget the hauntingly romantic “Cold War,” the new film from “Ida” director, Pawel Pawlikowski. It’s Poland’s official Oscar submission and the winner of the Golden Lion at the Polish Film Festival and the Best Director award at Cannes. Aided by the transcendent black and white cinematography of Lukasz Zal, who also worked on “Ida,” Pawlikowski tells a love story that feels symbolic of Poland during the Cold War era of the film’s setting. Music plays a big part here, first as a symbol of national pride and then as a means of escape via that Western world music known as jazz.

Stuck—or should I say trapped—within this framework are Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and Zula (a fantastic Joanna Kulig). Wiktor first encounters Zula while auditioning folk singers with his musical partner and former lover Irena (Agata Kulesza). Zula seems the wrong match for the more straight-laced Wiktor—she’s a hustler who’s wise beyond her teenaged years and who has infamously stabbed her father. “He mistook me for my mother,” she tells Wiktor, “and I used my knife to show him the difference.” Wiktor falls for her anyway.

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Many a love story has hinged upon people who are clearly mismatched but try like Hell to make it work. This duo drifts apart and comes together repeatedly, both behind and in front of the Iron Curtain, yet they’re as unlikely a pair as the film’s principal settings of rural Poland and Paris. Pawlikowski deftly uses his pacing and framing to keep our attention: Time passes in the blink of an eye, sometimes without prior warning. The timeline is as fractured and unpredictable as the lovers themselves, and the actors are often dwarfed on the screen by the cold, grey elements of nature that take up much of the screen. There’s a sense of impending doom, but “Cold War” doesn’t telegraph nor elicit our emotions. Its matter-of-factness is its greatest asset.

“Cold War”’s Kulig, “Roma”’s Yalitza Aparicio and “If Beale Street Could Talk”’s Kiki Layne form a trio of the best lead actress performances I’ve seen this year at NYFF. Their films are also the best ones I’ve seen here. “Beale Street” takes the top honor for me, however, for reasons I’ll explain later in my upcoming review. I’ll just say this for now: Barry Jenkins does Jimmy Baldwin proud and, like the directors of the other two films I mentioned, he gives his lead character free rein of the viewer’s gaze to great dramatic effect. Kulig, Layne and Aparicio each have moments when they pull us into their powerful orbits with just a look or a gesture. Add in “The Favourite,” “Ash is Purest White” and “3 Faces”  and It was a very good year for actresses.

I’ll close out on a few notes from the Revivals and Retrospectives sections of the festival. Following up on my last dispatch, I took in the screening of “Detour” and can confirm that it was indeed a splendid restoration. I noticed things I never saw before, including details in a shot I could never make out in prior versions. It’s getting a release from Janus Films at the end of November and is well worth the 68-minute investment of your time.

In the theater next to my “Detour” screening, NYFF was showing “My Dinner With Andre.” Our beloved Roger introduced me to that movie on Siskel & Ebert, and his love for it made me rent it when it came out on video. I was 12 or so, and I thought it was the most boring movie I’d ever seen. Good Lord, I hated this movie with the heat of a thousand suns. Now, I have no idea why this was being screened, but I considered it a sign! Maybe this was Roger telling me I should revisit the 1981 Louis Malle movie as an adult, because I have more wisdom and life experience now. Since I couldn’t be two places at the same time, I had to rent “My Dinner With Andre” on Amazon Prime rather than see it on the big screen.

And you know what? It was even worse than I remembered. It’s like being trapped in a college professor’s belly button for 2 hours, but there’s no lint in there to mercifully plug your ears to avoid having to listen to him. Forgive me, Roger! Actually, I think Roger’s laughing wherever he is, shaking his finger at me with mock shame as he often did. You got me, big guy.

See you all next year.

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Christmas in Sunny Florida: A Universal Studios Experience

My family and I spent last Christmas completely different than how we normally do. Our typical Christmas consists of a lot of Mexican and Catholic traditions, such as going to church on Christmas Eve, having tamales and hot punch at one of my aunt’s house afterward, and lazily spending all Christmas day in the living room. Instead, we spent Christmas at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

I come from a low-to-middle income family, raised in Houston, TX. Taking trips this big doesn’t happen for us. My brother also attends UT, and we both realized we could finally afford this trip, since we both have jobs and could help pay for some of the trip’s expenses. We presented this idea to our parents and younger sister before we left for the fall 2017 semester. They all agreed to make this trip happen for us. Thus, we began saving for our fun adventure.

We drove to Florida the day before Christmas Eve because Google Maps indicated that the drive to Orlando would take about a whole day. We spent Christmas Eve by going to mass and then doing our typical Christmas celebrations at my uncle’s family’s home. They live an hour north of Orlando. Christmas morning finally came, and we began getting ready to go to Universal Studios.

We encountered a Hollywood-themed mini city as we walked through the gates of the park. To my right was a nice looking and packed California-styled restaurant, and to my left was a gift shop. Naturally, we went to the gift shop first since we wanted Universal Studios paraphernalia. We decided to keep walking around and see what attractions this park has once we finished our shopping. We saw a Minion world, a Shrek rollercoaster, a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like driving around, and so much more within a few minutes of walking around. The mini Springdale world of The Simpsons show had several different attractions with shorter lines. We decided to explore that more. We then took pictures next to the “Welcome to Springdale” sign, bought a large donut designed like the ones in the show, and played some carnival-style games. When we finished exploring that area, we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where we were going to take a train, the Hogwarts Express, to the other side of the park.

Whenever I read on different social media platforms about how magical the Wizarding World is, I thought people were exaggerating. I saw why everyone thinks this place is so magical and great as soon as I entered the Wizarding World. The world makes many places that were present in the books and movies, like Diagon Alley and The Leaky Cauldron, look so real. Walking around there made me feel as if I was actually part of the series. Additionally, a reenactment of The Tale of the Three Brothers, a fictional story in the series, was done well. The best part, though, was when we took the Hogwarts Express to the other side of the park. It was a short ride, but an experience that made me believe I was really part of the Wizarding World.

Once we got off the train, we came across more of the Wizarding World. This section was designed like the Britain neighborhoods that are present in the Harry Potter movies. We eventually got out of the Wizarding World and saw more attractions, such as a Jurassic Park themed rollercoaster, a Dr. Seuss mini town, Marvel-themed rollercoasters, and more. Eventually, we got tired of walking so much that we left an hour early. We made our way back to our hotel and got ready to start leaving the next day.

We were originally supposed to leave two days after visiting the park, but instead left the next day. We decided to make as many stops along the road as we wanted while we traveled back to Houston since we had extra time now. We stopped in Pensacola, Florida to take pictures by some murals, in Mobile, Alabama to eat at Cracker Barrel, and in New Orleans in Louisiana to have a beignet. We finally got home around 4 am, and thus concluded our wonderful Christmas in Florida. I would recommend this Christmas vacation to anyone who would like to celebrate Christmas differently this upcoming December.

Transgender Actors Say They're So Far Behind That "Pay Equity Is A Non-Issue For Us"

https://styleveryday.com/transgender-actors-say-theyre-so-far-behind-that-pay-equity-is-a-non-issue-for-us/

Transgender Actors Say They're So Far Behind That "Pay Equity Is A Non-Issue For Us"

“When I first came to Hollywood, there were no trans people to look at onscreen. We really didn’t know if there was going to be any work for us, and my agent said the same thing when she first signed me,” said Nashville actor Jen Richards.

Three years later, she still sees every audition and every role she books as “educational moments,” opportunities to encourage Hollywood’s casting directors and producers to hire trans actors. The first-ever transgender actor to appear on CMT and the cable channel’s country music drama, Richards said she knew going into the project that the stakes were high. “I’m hyperaware walking into that situation that I might be the first openly trans person they’ve ever met — and certainly the first trans actor that they’ve worked with,” she told BuzzFeed News.

As cisgender women and men of color continue fighting to close the industry’s gender and race wage gap, drawing support from their colleagues, the public, and California lawmakers, transgender actors like Richards say they are fighting an entirely different battle. Multiple trans actors, from newcomers to more established names, told BuzzFeed News their primary concern is not equal pay but simply finding work.

“I think any of us would just be so thrilled to get a deeper part and to get paid at all.”

“We are so far behind that pay equity is a non-issue for us right now. … I think any of us would just be so thrilled to get a deeper part and to get paid at all. Like that would feel like such progress,” said Richards, who also cocreated, cowrote, and starred in Her Story, an Emmy-nominated web series about two trans women.

The dearth of work available to trans actors leaves few in the position to push back for higher salaries. It wasn’t until recently that Richards felt qualified to negotiate for more money than the minimum wage set forth by the Screen Actors Guild. After she landed a series regular role on a not-yet-announced television series, for which the pay was significantly “higher than average,” Richards’ agent managed to push back and secure more money for her client.

“Now that I’ve [made] this amount of money for a show, I don’t think my agent would counsel me to say yes to anything less,” Richards said of her breakthrough. “I’m really lucky in that I have a fantastic agent who’s very experienced, who’s been in this industry a long time, who really believed in me and has never led me astray. And she doesn’t treat me differently than any other client, so I don’t think she would allow anyone to treat me differently than any other client.”

Jen Richards photographed on April 24, 2018 in Los Angeles.

JSquared for BuzzFeed News

While there has been a relative increase in roles for trans actors in recent years, like Laverne Cox’s Emmy-nominated work on Orange Is The New Black and Trace Lysette and Alexandra Billings’ roles on Transparent, the opportunities are still scarce. GLAAD Media Institute, an LGBT advocacy organization, counted just 17 regular and recurring transgender characters across broadcast, cable, and streaming television series in the 2017-2018 season, still a significant increase from the seven they found in 2015.

When the rare transgender role does come around, cisgender actors often get the part, said Maximilliana, an actor who has appeared on the Clueless television series as a “Tall ‘Woman’” and on the original Gilmore Girls as “Marilyn Monroe.” “It’s been such a struggle to be even offered the job to start with because generally the job is going to a cis actor,” said Maximilliana, who identifies as gender fluid, calling out Anything, an upcoming film about a transgender sex worker, for its controversial decision to cast Matt Bomer in the lead. Such was also the case with The Danish Girl, for which Eddie Redmayne garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance as a trans woman, and with Dallas Buyers Club, for which Jared Leto won an Oscar for playing a trans woman with HIV. There’s also Jeffrey Tambor, who starred in Transparent for four seasons as the series lead, Maura Pfefferman, a trans woman. (Amazon Studios has since fired him after his former assistant, Van Barnes, and costar Trace Lysette said that he sexually harassed them; through a representative, Tambor said the accusations were “false” and criticized the studio’s investigation.)

D’Lo, a Tamil Sri Lankan–American comedian and actor, told BuzzFeed News that finding work can be particularly difficult for those who, like him, identify as trans masculine. “We’re still in what people have been calling the trans moment of television. But the narrative has largely been about trans femininity,” he said.

D’Lo photographed on April 24, 2018 in Los Angeles.

JSquared for BuzzFeed News

According to GLAAD, of the 17 transgender characters that appeared on screen in 2017, nine were trans women. Four were trans men, in addition to four characters who identified as nonbinary.

Richards said that the lack of work for trans men and transmasculine actors can be attributed to a host of issues. But she boiled it down to “garden-variety misogyny” and Hollywood’s tendency to depict women as objects of desire, often for the consumption of cis, straight male viewers. “Part of it is that trans women capture the imagination a little bit more because our default is male,” Richards explained. “So the idea of a man who gives up that kind of privileged position to be female is more interesting than a woman becoming a man. It’s a kind of sense of, ‘Well, of course you’d want to do that.’”

Although D’Lo has landed small roles in Sense8, a popular Netflix sci-fi series, and Transparent, he said his past credits aren’t paying the bills. “Most of it is deferred payment and ultra low-budget SAG.” To make a living, D’Lo stars in digital projects, tours the country as a stand-up comic and theater performer, and facilitates writing and performing workshops. Television, he said, would be the “gateway to getting more opportunities.” It’s also a path to establishing a personal rate or “actor’s quote,” as Richards recently did.

For D’Lo, pushing back during negotiations has never been an option. “If an agent brokered the thing, then I would get a day-player rate,” the minimum for a one-day speaking part stipulated by SAG. (As of today, the union’s rate for a day performer is $956.) “Basically, there was never a moment where somebody was advocating for me to get a higher wage,” he explained.

“Whether it’s an Emmy nomination, a win — all these things add on to negotiating points.”

But transgender rights advocate and actor Angelica Ross has be in the position to demand higher pay. “Anything I’ve ever done, if it comes to a deal, I’ve always negotiated,” she told BuzzFeed News.

After years of working steadily to earn her SAG membership, Ross rose to prominence after starring in Richards’ web series, Her Story. She was in an episode of the CBS drama Doubt alongside Laverne Cox and an episode of Transparent. She also landed a recurring role on TNT’s Claws, the Rashida Jones–produced drama about five money-laundering nail manicurists. She has since been able to leverage the critical acclaim of shows she’s appeared in during the negotiations process. “Whether it’s an Emmy nomination, a win — all these things add on to negotiating points,” she said. Although she acknowledged there is always a risk of losing the part, she said Hollywood executives have hired her based on her reputation and credits. “They know I deliver. They know I’m professional. I show up on time. I don’t dillydally,” she said.

This summer, Ross is set to star in Pose, FX’s upcoming musical television series cocreated by Glee and American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy. An eight-episode drama about New York’s 1980s ball culture, Pose has been touted as a “history-making” project that features the largest cast of transgender actors in series-regular roles and the most LGBT actors in an American scripted television series.

Angelica Ross photographed on April 26, 2018 at Suite3 Studios in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Annie Tritt for BuzzFeed News

Ross is eager to join Hollywood’s pay disparity conversation, as she doesn’t feel cisgender actors have been all that inclusive of people of color or trans people. While racial diversity on television has increased in recent years, people of color still hold fewer roles than their white peers. The gap is even wider for trans actors of color: Of the 17 transgender characters GLAAD counted, thirteen were white, two were black, one was Latinx, and one was Asian-Pacific Islander.

“I’ve been on television sets and movie sets. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in this business a long time, mostly in the background, but you see how they don’t want to spend money, especially on certain talent, especially on people of color,” Ross said. “It’s so interesting how I see across the board, people of color having to prove themselves, and to have so many documents and portfolios and receipts and accolades before they get the job.”

Ross says she and Laverne Cox have begun discussing pay among themselves: “Laverne and I kind of tiptoe a little bit and started talking about what we’re getting paid. … I’ve kind of confided in her about some things.” But that’s the extent to which trans actors are discussing pay, she said. “It just hasn’t been that space where we’re all talking openly about what we’re getting paid.” The shortage of data on trans actors doesn’t help the cause.

“The focus really needs to be on just getting more trans people on the shows.”

“SAG barely has actors that identify as trans because it’s too expensive to join,” Ross continued. “So trying to get that data on what trans actors are being paid? We’re a long way from knowing any of that information. But in the meantime, I think that my role — as well as Trace Lysette, who’s a white trans woman — we need to join in on this conversation with women, with black women, about this pay gap.”

But like the cisgender women and men of color fighting for pay equity, Richards and D’Lo both emphasized that there needs to be more working opportunities for trans actors before they can demand higher wages.

“The focus really needs to be on just getting more trans people on the shows. And that means writing more and better parts for trans people and giving trans actors the opportunities to play parts that aren’t written for trans people,” said Richards.

Despite the long road ahead, Richards remains optimistic, citing the baby steps Hollywood has achieved. “Now that there are quite of few of us onscreen, I’m hoping that younger people will see that and think, ‘Oh, that’s a viable career path now.’” ●

LINK: Actors Say There Won’t Be Equal Pay Until Hollywood Creates More Diverse Roles

LINK: The Prince Got Paid More Than The Queen On “The Crown” And People Aren’t Happy About It

Making sounds with Suzanne Ciani, America's first female synth hero

It might not seem so much of a stretch any more, but imagine spending your entire life in a tempestuous relationship with a machine. Not a sleek smartphone or tablet – we’ve seen how that can escalate in Spike Jonze’s Her.

Instead picture a tapestry of tangled multicoloured wires, knobs and buttons, a bulky modular synthesizer otherwise known as the Buchla. Suzanne Ciani has spent much of her career testing the limits of one of these cumbersome instruments. So dedicated to its oscillating drones, burbles and bleeps did she become that has jokingly referred to the Buchla as “her boyfriend”. At times that affair was “traumatic”, she says now, down the phone from her studio in the Californian coastal enclave of Bolinas, sounding like both Marilyn Monroe and a Woodstock hippie. “Technology’s always very risky – you never know when it might break.”

Alright everyone, chill: why ambient is one of the sounds of the summer

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Ciani is one of electronic music’s earliest but lesser known pioneers, dubbed variously as the “diva of the diode” and “‘America’s first female synth hero”. This weekend she’ll be one of the recipients of the Moog Innovation Award at Moogfest, the synth brand’s celebration of electronic music and technology, alongside Devo and Brian Eno. Ciani, however, has been quietly innovating in various fields of music and sound design for nearly half a century. She was one of the few women on the frontline of electronic innovation in the 1970s, a five-time Grammy-nominated recording artist, a pioneer of the new age genre and the first solo female composer to soundtrack a Hollywood film. Brilliantly, she also invented Coca-Cola’s infamous “pop and pour” sound effect.

Today, however, she has returned to the Buchla, an instrument that it seems will always have her heart. Ciani was introduced to it by the inventor himself, Don, while she was studying music composition at the University of California in 1970. As the sleevenotes for one of her compilations put it, the Buchla was “San Francisco’s neck-and-neck contender to New York’s Moog … run by a community of festival freaks and academic acid eaters.” Ciani soon established herself as a Buchla buff and moved to New York, when the Soho avant-garde circles were swirling at full tilt and she was living among musicians such as Philip Glass, Vladimir Ussachevsky and Ornette Coleman.

But choosing the Buchla as her other half came with its own unique set of complications. To watch her live performances is to see a graceful “choreography of movements” and yet the synth itself was bulky, would continually break and took years to get fixed, if it could be fixed at all. Travelling anywhere was particularly hazardous. “Something can break on the airline, the luggage handle smashes your machine. You never know if you’re going to have what you need to do the performance,” says Ciani.

Not only was there all this unpredictability, but Ciani also had a hard time getting people to understand what she was doing in the first place. Electronic music was so alien that it posed “a whole new world and language”. Her live television performance, to an incredulous-looking David Letterman, in 1980, underlines how, even then, after Kraftwerk, her talents were seen as bizarre. “Nobody even understood that the sound was coming out of the machine, it just didn’t compute,” she says. “It was so unknown that the connection couldn’t be made. It’s like when they say when Columbus came across the ocean, that the Indians didn’t even see the ship because they had no concept for ships.”

Even the forward-thinking minimal classical milieu of the day didn’t get it at first. Ciani sees a link between the emotionally affecting simplicity of her music and theirs but at the time it doesn’t sound as if that understanding worked vice versa. In 1974 she met Philip Glass and put her Buchla in his studio for a period. “We did electronic lessons for about a month or so, and in the end it just wasn’t for him.” Other composers were not as receptive. “Steve Reich said, ‘You should send all these machines to the moon and make them stay there!’” she laughs. “It’s so funny because Steve, in those days, openly hated electronic music instruments. And a couple of years ago I was at a big industry convention and a young fellow comes up to me. He’s an electronic musician, and he says, ‘I think you know my dad?’” And I just laughed out loud. I said, ‘It’s poetic justice, that Steve’s son is an electronic musician’.”

New age of new age music: 'It used to just be for hippies and unassuming types'

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As a recording artist, the Buchla also had its limitations. “I went to all the record companies and I said, you know, give me a deal,” Ciani remembers, “and they said, ‘What do you do?’, and I said, ‘I play the Buchla’, and they say, ‘What’s that?’, and I said, ‘I’ll show you’.” But even a studio setup back then couldn’t accommodate her Buchla – or at least music execs couldn’t get their head around the fact that she didn’t need a band. They said, “Why don’t you sing?’, ‘Where’s the guitar?’, ‘You’re a girl’, you know, ‘You must sing’,” she continues. “There was no opening for it, and that’s how I got into commercials.”

The advertising world, she says, was “looking for something new; you want to be on the edge, you want to be different. The fact that they didn’t understand it already intrigued them”. So she started her own company, Ciani/Musica, which was almost completely unheard of for a female musician in those days. Essentially they did sound design, and much of it has been archived on the compilation Lixiviation on the British independent label Finders Keepers, who’ve been largely responsible for rereleasing Ciani’s work and bringing it to a wider audience in recent years. Notably, she added the electronic “swoosh” sound to Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight and FX for a 1977 disco version of the Star Wars soundtrack, among the odd B-movie horror and kung-fu films.

The noises she created for perhaps her most infamous sound effect, she says, were invented in a matter of minutes. “My brain was working at lightning speed in those days,” she laughs, of how she came up with Coca Cola’s signature pop, bubble and fizz. “I had been trying to get an appointment with the music director Billy Davis for over a year. He stood me up for the umpteenth time, so I marched over to his studio from his office and they said, ‘You can’t disturb him’, and I said, ‘He had an appointment with me’. I opened the door and I went in. It was brazen. But I was desperate, I was starving. I was in New York living on Canal Street for $75 a month, and I was propelled by hunger, really.”

“It just so happened that they were working on a Coca-Cola commercial. He said, ‘What do you do?’, and I said, ‘I play the Buchla. I make sounds’, and he said, ‘Well, can you do something in here?’. I don’t know what they had in mind, but I said, ‘Yes, I can’. He said, ‘What do you need?’. I said, ‘I need my Buchla’, and he said, ‘Well, go get it’. I went and got my Buchla and I came back’. I did it right there and then.”

Eventually her original, irreplaceable Buchla 200 model broke for good and, unhappy with its subsequent models, Ciani started making piano and acoustic music that would later come to be known as “new age”. She wasn’t bothered by the emerging strains of dance music rattling clubs at the time (“I loved to go to Studio 54 in the day, but to make that music, I thought, was a little boring”) and instead wanted to explore sounds that had “beauty and sensuality”. Her debut album, 1982’s Seven Waves, was inspired by the femininity of the waveform. “To be blunt about this, the male paradigm for sexuality is more that pumping rhythm,” she says, referring to electronic styles, “and the female paradigm for sensuality was a much slower span. And it was that slow, wave-like form.”

But it is the Buchla that has brought her back. Last year Finders Keepers Records rereleased Buchla Concerts 1975, a collection of Ciani’s original live recordings and she made the collaborative EP, Sunergy, with Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, her latter-day incarnation and fellow Buchla disciple. Ciani is also the subject of an upcoming documentary, A Live In Waves. Don was the one who encouraged Ciani to try her beloved instrument once more. The two had had a fractured relationship – she says he used to be a “tough cookie” and says sweetly, “we even had a little lawsuit at one point”, of when Don replaced her faulty Buchla with a synth she was less pleased with, and then wouldn’t let her return it. But when her recovery from breast cancer in her early 40s brought her back to California, the two reconnected – over a shared love of tennis. “He said, ‘If you want to get a new system, get it now because something’s going to happen’,” says Ciani wistfully. She settled on the 200e, a “21st-century rebirth of the 70s classic”. “I didn’t know he was going to sell his company.”

When we first speak, Ciani is in good spirits, preparing to go to Burning Man and packing her light-up clothing and “butterfly wings”. But Don Buchla died soon after, on 14 September 2016, and just a month after a long and ugly lawsuit against the company who bought his Buchla brand in 2012 was dismissed. When we talk again, Ciani is still grieving, but his death has given her shows greater purpose. “I’m still in that moment,” she says of her life without Don. “It’s become about performing on the Buchla 200-E, I want to communicate the potential for live performance that Don envisioned. My dedication now is to show that you can make music with these live: no samples, no pre-recorded [music], you just go out there and play this non-keyboard instrument.”

Besides, she adds, “I had a deal with him up in the sky and I said, look, as long as this machine works, I’m going to keep playing it, and when it breaks, I’ll stop.”

Don Buchla, modular synthesizer pioneer, dies aged 79

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If others had as much of a storied career as Ciani, they probably wouldn’t bother looking forward to the future, but the resurgent interest in her music and the technology it uses is also what gives her hope. “It’s interesting to me to see the cycle of things recurring, that the young people are very much in a technological wonderment that we had in the 60s,” she says. “In the 60s, that new world was aborted to some degree. The idea of a synthesiser was taken over by cultural forces that didn’t understand the potential: ‘Oh, you can synthesise the sound of a flute’, ‘Can make the sound of a violin?’, [there was] this preoccupation with copying existing timbres. I thought it was a dead idea, that we missed the first time around and that who knew when or if it would be revisited?”

Today, though, she sees the potential for machine music in line with the futuristic frontiers that herself and Don Buchla once envisioned. “In my day I thought we would be where we are now, 30 years ago,” she says. “I thought electronic music would be everyplace, built into furniture! I designed a sofa where eight people could sit in a circle and everybody could adjust their pitch.”

It sounds like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey but for Ciani, every day was living inside that hi-tech headspace. “I thought it would be built into homes, because for me it was built in,” she says of electronic music. “My Buchla was on all the time, and I would walk in [my house] and the sound would greet me, and it would make me feel a certain way, and I thought everybody’s going to have this. It didn’t happen, and maybe now it is happening.” She considers how she is playing Moogfest when she is Team Buchla, the rivalry between east and west coast long dissolved and overtaken by a desire to find a new musical realm together. If it sounds hippyish, perhaps that’s because it always has been.

“It’s a conceptual field now,” says Ciani. “Rhythm to a higher level of consciousness.”