#music journo shit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lurkingteapot · 11 months

Text

Laws of Attraction กฏแห่งรักดึงดูด Ep.01

sorry to @ginnymoonbeam and anyone else from the discord crew who's seeing this twice, I hope to type up a more coherent something at some point, but I wanted to record this somewhere.

I've put a cut because this is LONG, but the reactions include translations of stuff that apparently didn't get translated on iQiyi. Mind that I'm not fluent, this is without guarantees, etc.

WHOA starting right on a dramatic courtroom scene … and why does that the defendant look familiar?

oh fuck, he uses dirty tricks. I'm not surprised, but WOW.

haha, hi dude who played Jaosua Zhang in Khun Chai

oh god this Chinese is … something.

that shirt is a CHOICE

oh, wait, is this the dude who played … what's his face, the one who was going to sell out Thian in Khun Chai? is he gonna be our antag

ahaha he hit a nerve

ahaha how is it ALWAYS Film's characters getting saved by Jam's

ahaha Chaan hitting on Tinn. He's so sleazy, yikes

and of course he's hitting on Tinn, and Tinn has good instincts and avoids the murder eyes

oh god he looks dangerous, how is this the dude who played sweet Thian?? ACTING!!!!

… I'm not gonna comment on that

of course this show is gonna make it a mission to make me hungry

Khao is so cute

this is gonna hurt so much, eh

ooh so he teaches Taekwondo!! this is so cute

oh goodness, she wants to make merit for her parents ;-; SWEETHEART

HOLY SHIT. That wasn't even a hit-and-run, that was an intentional running-over

oh shit, these dudes look hiso

uurgh Chaan's face here is just like "here's money coming my way"

this kid is so prett I'm sure he'll get an redemption arc, but I hate him anyway, for now

here come Tinn and his auntie crashing this hiso politician's press junket, oops

Sign reads:

The lawsuit is not making progress. The perpetrator has not been punished.

they're really going for maximum

I love how Chaan already owes Tinn his life twice over, this is gonna make for an interesting dynamic

the romantic music, I cannot, this is a SOAP and it's leaning into it, I'm LIVING

oh, the way the mood INSTANTLY changed here, goddd

oh god, Chaan is SO removed from reality

or, well. jaded, I guess. Which we knew! from the trailer! BUT STILL

"you'll regret that" holy SHIT

WAS THAT THE ROSEWOOD AGAIN

oh, so Chaan also has Trauma(tm)?

This show is in the future, the texts read:

29 July 2023, 8:30, acc x-9732 incoming transfer 100 total balance 178,274.59 29 July 2023, 8:30, acc x-9732 incoming transfer 400 total balance 178,574.59 (idk I didn't math this, it's what it says) 29 July 2023, 8:30, acc x-9732 incoming transfer 400 total balance 180,574.59

love the commentary on this type of "journos"

I love Tinn's sister

I'm already excited for the moment Chaan starts to care. it's gonna be EPIC

he's such an ASSHOLE and I'm having a hard time with that because Thian was so sweet ACTING

I'm flashing back to Gram and White's "legal vs ethical" debate in Not Me

he can't apologise? oh Chaan, I think Tinn is going to make you eat your words.

okay I like that Tinn is apparently an asshole to everyone. equal opportunity asshole.

10:33: Ended voice call (22 seconds) 13:45: Message: "From today on, the party lawyers will take over Thaenthai's case. As for your wages, you can send [the bill?] now. I'll take care of it." (EDITED thanks to @recentadultburnout for your correction!)

I'm starting to think Tinn just doesn't know how not to be antagonistic

oh god are they gonna beat him up while he's wearing a ruffled blouse

oh YIKES

the shot of whatever that was? that's gonna be relevant later, I bet

YOU TELL HIM, TINN

acab acab acab ACAB FUCK THEM

oh god this show is gonna hurt even worse than I thought

If Chaan set that beating up I'm gonna … idk. not be surprised. but.

I can't believe the trailer essentially covered most of ep 1 and not that much from later on???

I didn't think we'd see Chaan undress and … from that set-up quite possibly assault him this early. Or frankly at all, despite how it was set up in the trailer. YIKES

THAT PREVIEW, HELP please tell me this is also a two episode a week show

#laws of attraction #laws of attraction the series #laws of attraction 2023 #กฎแห่งรักดึงดูด #bl watch live blog #bl watch liveblog #reaction #translation #my nonsense #laws of attraction ep 1

43 notes · View notes

louisisalarrie · 4 months

Note

im here bc im aussie

thoughts on all the negative articles?

i usually dont care bc its always daily mail trash that only certain people read but this is like mainstream news that my family reads and i hate that its all so negative?!

I am also Aussie and really disappointed with all the negative articles??? Like… I’m just confused if anything lol. That journalist who gave a review on Louis’ show obviously wasn’t at the same show as I was. And probably (most likely) also has no music degree or understanding (from my perspective he didn’t mention anything of actual value or criticism like bro… wtf)/isn’t a musician/doesn’t like or know much about that genre of music so has literally no credentials to be doing this shit.

Harry had a bunch of positive and happy articles when he was here, but obviously the Louis smear campaign continues, in Australia of all places 🙄

I find it extremely hard to trust any “music critic” that does reviews of shows/albums at the best of times, but particularly if they don’t provide anything of actual value in their criticism. I wouldn’t even mind if it was negative, but just something of actual importance and that this journo actually understands! It’s just an entirely negative article?

#anon #answered

4 notes · View notes

jangling-girl · 1 year

Text

most genres go to shit as soon as they become recognisable enough to have a music journo approved codified name, i.e. shoegaze, neofolk, postpunk, hyperpop. the new thing it seems is to start with an already codified and hollowed out aesthetic before theres even been any creative input and then make the shit music around that, which is sad, like nobody’s even trying to have an original idea any more

6 notes · View notes

seasurfacefullofclouds1 · 2 years

Note

I had ZERO hope for this article, when the journo was tweeting about it, I got serious condescending dick vibes. These dudes love to do this kind of thing, they've been punching down on Louis for years, they know no one is going to stop them or step in, like papa Azoff or Taylor's team do, as a bonus when Louis predominantly female fan base gets upset, we're just obsessive fan girls who don't know about "real music". Same shit, different day. Louis hire a new publicist(s) ones who work globally.

It’s not going to keep us down :)

6 notes · View notes

aurhia · 1 year

Text

Name 10 Characters from 10 Fandoms that you love

Tagged by: @late-to-the-fandom

There is... a LOT of DC Comics here.

1. John Constantine - John is messy, queer, finds himself continually in the shit but he always manages to drag himself out of it, not through heroic grit and determination, but from sheer bloody-mindedness and spite. He’s not a hero. He’s not the good guy. He’s just a bloke in extraordinary circumstances who does whatever he has to to get by (if that includes magic, then it does). Shitty things happened to me too when I was a kid, and the original Hellblazer comics gave me a character slogging through their shit in exactly the same manner I was doing. He’s not a survivor, he’s not an inspiration. He’s just going through it because there’s no choice but to go through it. He’s a jackass so I would stop short of using the words “identified with” but I did and do feel a kinship.

2. Evie Carnahan (all of the Mummy’s characters really but if I had to pick one) - I don’t think I even need to explain this one because it’s obvious.

3. Spock in TOS - Spock was an example of someone with deep emotion and deep internal conflict who exercised supreme control over themselves and instead of it making him stern and strict, it made him compassionate and thoughtful. I was not allowed to show and have any real emotions as a kid, never had any space to process any of the things that happened. If I had any negative showing at all it caused innumerable problems so I learned to mask, to smile when I wanted to scream and cry. Spock was an important touchpoint for me in that process. And while that might read as a negative, it really was good to have a positive model of that kind of self control.

4. Mal from Firefly - I’ve stepped back the last few years due to over-commitment but previously, I was always the captain of this, the leader of that, and there were two exchanges Mal had that perfectly reflect my own approach to leading: the scene where he’s like “I said, you’re on my crew. End of.” and “We’re still flying” “That’s not much.” “It’s enough.”

5. Wonder Woman - Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman is my first and biggest role model in life so there’s that. I’d include all incarnations here: The details change, but nothing stops her and when she takes care of a problem, she takes care of it. One way or the other. Also the first time I went “Hm, maybe I’m not straight.”

6. Jaskier from the Witcher - I’m unfamiliar with the game or the books, so I only know this character from the show. And I’m admittedly also influenced by his band’s music, which is incredibly raw and passionate. The epitome of “do I want to bang him or be him?”

7. Dana Scully - X-Files came out when I was in college. Back in the day, there were no women like Scully on tv. Also on the “do I want to bang her or be her” train

8. Lois Lane - I spent a lot of time on newspapers in school and my first real job out of college was at a paper (though as a designer not a journo). Lois Lane is that saying about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did but backwards, in heels. Lois did everything Superman did but without powers, backwards, in heels, and still always got her story.

9. Poison Ivy - I mean. Are we sure she’s a villain? She’s RIGHT. Also, I have a massive green thumb and my partner’s primary characters always echo Harley so...

10. Princess Leia from Star Wars - All the girlboss reasons you might imagine, reinforced by the Space Mom that Carrie became. At the time, women having their own agency and being smart and savvy was a rare thing.

I tag anyone who is looking at this post, made it all the way to the bottom, and hasn’t already waxed poetic about their faves. If you are seeing this, tag, you’re it.

#tag games

1 note · View note

daggerzine · 2 years

Text

Celebrity Mixtape Party #5 (compiled by Matthew Kenneth)

Please welcome my guests Arash Torabi (Beat Hotel, June Brides, The Distractions, The Painted Word, The Granite Shore) and Jim Shepherd (The Jasmine Minks) as we delve into a mixtape that generated great conversation, memories, and anecdotes.

I remember The Loft from the early days. First thoughts were: these are nice guys, all (apart from Dave Morgan) were journos and very middle class. I also thought who needs another Lloyd Cole! I actually grew to love Pete's songs and he has a better back catalogue than Lloyd Cole overall. We hung about a bit (Pete Astor is a great fella and has a great enthusiasm for life and music. There was a bit of 'healthy' competition between us, vying for supremacy at The Living Room. I remember Pete reviewing us (Jasmine Minks) at The Living Room. We were a bit 60s obsessed at that time performing songs by Love and The Cramps, we did songs by The Scars and Chelsea too btw. Anyway, things came to a head when The Loft played The Ambulance Station on The Old Kent Road, a brilliant squat/venue. Superb place - best venue in London at that time, no big business, run by music fans. Me Tom (Reid; drums/vocals) and Adam (Sanderson;vocals/guitar) got very drunk and formed a mosh pit and everyone around gave us loads of space as we were flinging ourselves round and round. I jumped on stage and took Pete's mic and wrapped the cable around him, completely tying his arms to his side. It was a spectacle and Pete thought it was great. Andy Strickland was furious and wanted to kill me! Those were the times. The Loft came fully formed. Most of us were still finding our way. He talked about people like Randy Newman to me and I was mindblown - I thought that was for old hippies. Little did I know the genius of RN! Still love Pete's songs - I heard his latest on the radio last week and loved it.

Snivelling Shits - loved em. Freeform, amazing images in the lyrics and Sex Pistols vibe. Is God A Man was a great single - making God an ordinary geezer. They were still going up until recently, playing gigs in a pub on The Old Kent Road as coincidence would have it!

I lump in John Cooper Clarke, Bowie's mod songs and Wreckless Eric in the same era for me because I first bought the Bowie song on an ep released in 79 or 80 and the others were around at the same time. JCC and WE were part of the students union gigs or medium -sized venues. Not your home-grown punk stuff like UK Subs (who used to play our local youth club). They were brilliant though. There was a clear division then between straight people who liked disco or heavy rock and then there was the left field folk like us who liked bands on Rough Trade, Factory and Fast Records etc. It suited us better, more honest, something with a bit of an edge to it. It was inspiring, whereas most music was for consumption.

The Loft was the first band I ever saw live. They were supporting the Colour Field (Terry Hall from the Specials) on tour, the same tour that saw them (The Loft) split up on stage! I wasn’t at that gig though: I saw them at Cornwall Coliseum. I fell in love with Pete Astor & Dave Morgan’s next band the Weather Prophets even more! I love Pete’s songs and Dave’s drumming. I still have to pinch myself that I’m in 2 bands with him!

I remember hearing some of the pre-psychedelia 60s songs on the radio in 79 and 80 and thinking, this has a lot in common with the post punks bands, not huge guitar and drums, more scratchy and it talked to me more than most chart music did, or at least the dance stuff and the rock stuff. I remember Rolling Stones I Wanna Be your Man and thinking the guitar was something I'd like to do. Then The Byrds Singles vol.1 made its way into my hands. Wow, that was an eye-opener. I only really knew Mr Tambourine Man, but every track on that album is pure guitar-pop screetch heaven. From there it was a small step to Nuggets and bands like 13th Floor Elevators, The Seeds and The Sonics which drew me in completely.

I loved the British bands like The Small Faces and The Kinks from the early 80s. But it wasn't until the mid 80s that our manager Kevin Pearce made me a cassette of The Action. What a fucking singer, I was already madly into Northern Soul having been introduced (indoctrinated) by a workmate who went to the Wigan Casino all-nighters (as lots of my school mates did). I wanted to be like Ray Davies in particular. I started jamming on Tired Of Waiting at our gigs and trying to write about ordinary folk, more story-telling in my songs.

My gateway to the 60s came through Jim’s band and other early Creation Records faves like Biff Bang Pow! and Primal Scream

I was also discovering Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. I fell in love with 20/20 first of all, then I bought Surf's Up, then Pet Sounds. Brian Wilson was on my shoulder as I was writing the songs for Another Age, our second full LP for Creation. Brian Wilson came over to be interviewed on Radio London and I had to be talked out of camping out overnight to meet him going into the radio station - haha. I nicked the intro from I Can Hear Music for my song Nothing Can Stop Me and wrote a song about Brian, Living Out Your Dreams. he was in my veins by then!

Another Age (Jasmine Minks) is one of my favorite records

Well that was me channeling Ray Davies and Brian Wilson in my limited way.

The organ on it is unique to most of the 80s artists as far as I know.

Paul Cooper played genuine organs using a Leslie cabinet. It sounded amazing, but was like carting a large piece of furniture to gigs. Enormous!. He was a cool dude - looked like a Beatnik, wispy beard and leather jacket.

I wonder if Ian McLagen had to shlep his own organ.

I'm sure he did occasionally if only to make sure it was in the right position. They were fairly quiet things and had to be close to hear them. Microphones didn't even pick them up that well. Big Star was a massive influence too. (Alan)McGee gave me a cassette with Alex Chilton written on it. He told me to listen to it and take it in. I played it to death. It turns out it was Big Star Third. I went a found a copy and played that tons too. Then I found a double LP of the first two Big Star albums. That became my template for Scratch The Surface basically.

Radio City was my favorite record in high school. Third is now. John Fry and Jim Dickinson recorded that masterfully.

3rd is a masterpiece except I'm not actually sure what the track listing should be because it seemed to vary from release to release!

I actually prefer the PVC issue for the cover and the track order

I was so amazed when we started playing gigs with The Jazz Butcher. Pat knew I loved Alex Chilton so he brought a signed copy of Chilton's latest single to a gig to show me. Chilton had turned up at a Jazz Butcher gig in the US and given it to him. I was gobsmacked! Pat was such a nice guy. Always wanting to help others out - no ego whatsoever! He would insist that the Minks got treated well wherever we went with him. If he was invited to do a radio interview, he'd make sure that I was invited too. He would miss out on his hotel bookings sometimes to come with us into the night to find people to stay with and party.

I love the Bowie track on this mix: I have it on a mod compilation “20 Mod Classics” I think it’s called? The sleeve is a mock-up of Sound Affects by The Jam. Anyway: I’m a bit late to the party with Bowie: I bought Ziggy Stardust finally about a year ago! For years the only track I had by him is Can’t Help Thinking About Me!

Pat gave us a really cool introduction at the Creation All-dayer at The Doing It For The Kids event in 1988. I wish I had that recorded. It's funny because the whole Minks gig was put up on youtube last week but, alas, no Pat intro.Ed Ball was another lovely guy. I remember supporting The Times. I had never seen such a tight band among all the bands in our scene. We were mostly a bit sloppy, we all tried but we were jagged around the edges. Ed was a step above.

I love John Cooper Clarke though I’m ashamed to say I that I don’t have any of his records! I’m glad I got to meet him though: he was on the same bill as us (The June Brides) when we played Barcelona in 2016. He was quite pleased when I told him that I’d also played on the last two Distractions albums. He told me he wrote a great review of one of their early records (before I was a member)!I love Ed Ball: one of my favourite songwriters of all time! I could literally bore you senseless for days on end, going on about how much I love that man and his songs!

Gotta get Kevin Robertson or The Vapour Trails in the mix Matthew. They (VPs) played with the Minks at a gig in Aberdeen in 2019. They were brilliant. Me and Arash both played on Kevin's second solo album on a song called If You're Free.

Postcard Records was probably the single biggest influence at the very beginning of The Jasmine Minks for me. the other might point to Julian Cope or The Fire Engines. All the Postcard records were amazing, the packaging was funny and cool. They were a reaction to the Oi! punk scene which seemed to us to be regurgitating the most obvious parts of punk for a younger audience. Schoolkids basically. So we wanted something newer and with some hip cache. Orange Juice were amazing, the songs were punky-pop, the attitude was that it's ok to be a bit effeminate and bitchy, also to be loud guitars with great songs, varying with softer slower songs. I loved it all.

I don't have the singles any more but I still have a cassette with most of the Postcard singles on for some strange reason. I ditched all my vinyl when I was living in a tiny , damp cottage in Glencoe, but somehow the cassettes survived. The subtleties don't matter to me so much any more. I used to think that the bands all lost something when they recorded elsewhere. I love the Orange Juice first and third albums in particular. I still think Rip It Up album is crap. Folk music was a big part of my childhood. My sister is 8 years older than me and my carer for my younger years in many ways as we were constantly being evicted and moving from house to house. She was a big folk music fan and would take me along to folk clubs the length and breadth of the country. It was a tough listen for a young kid. But nowadays when I hear Bert Jansch, Pentangle, Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention I think fondly of those days. It's just bloody great guitar music mostly with great stories, often as simple as pop songs or in the case of ISB a precursor to Prog Rock but with a folk slant. I learned how to play guitar from my sister and, to this day, I still pick a lot and use that folk influence. From our first single, Think and Work For Nothing, I was picking as much as thrashing my guitar.

Kids On A Crime Spree - sounds cool - all been done a hundred times but still sounds good, Beach Boys, Spector with a punky edge.The Coral - early 2000s one of the few things I liked to hear on the radio (usually BBC Radio 2). Still as melodic and with interesting sounds. Rhythms are a bit Bo Diddley-ish. And I love Bo Diddley!

The Coral were one of the bands that got me back into bands, after a chemically enhanced lost decade of dance music.. You can use that quote about the Coral if you like! And the track you chose is from their new album which I love.

Camera Obscura - I love this band. I bought Let's Get Out Of This Country album and love nearly everything they have done (that I've heard). A perfect pop band, great voice, great songs. This song is a blatant rip-off of The Cascades-Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain but that is such a great song to rip-off - haha

I’ve not heard of the Real Numbers. Are they from back in the day or a current band who emulate that 80s indie sound?

Newish band from Minneapolis

JS I did listen to Cool Ghouls on the playlist - very cool. A nice Lovin Spoonful vibe

AT I’ve always had mixed feelings about that whole current bands doing the C86 revival thing. The only band I really like from that camp is Veronica Falls. I don’t wanna diss anybody and I’ve played on records released by Slumberland (by The June Brides and Phil Wilson solo) but there just seems to be a never ending conveyor belt of C86 bands… bands that mimic that old sound with precision. What made the original artists interesting to me was that they all had their own style. I was mostly into the Creation Records bands anyway, and a few others. I was never a die hard. I never even heard of Sarah Records until years later, when I became friends with a former Sarah recording artiste (Andy Hitchcock from Action Painting) I dunno…. If the kids love it then great

I hear ya. But my thinking is a lot of young people don't have access to the original. For them, this is new. Maybe even exciting hearing this sound for the first time. As someone who doesn't write songs or can't write songs I am enamored with anyone who can put together a well-written song regardless of what influenced it

Yeah, absolutely! That’s why it’s a mixed feeling. I don’t write songs myself. I don’t even call myself a musician. I’m a music geek, that is for sure! The Coral “The Game She Plays” I love the whole album, Coral Island. It’s so dark, sad and beautiful. A very cynical concept album. Are we allowed to say concept album? Is that too “prog?” Haha!

So Arash, Jim says you're a Televison Personalities fan?

I am indeed sir. I think Dan Treacy is pivotal to the scene that we all know and love, leading the way to that mix of 60s inspired songs with a punk/mod edge.

Do you have a favorite album or song

I love Geoffrey Ingram. Too many others to choose from. Long Time Gone, Boy in the Paisley Shirt, The Dream Inspires, Sad Mona Lisa, Hard Luck Story Number 39, Goodnight Mr Spaceman. No favourite album as such. They’re all good apart from the last two, the post “comeback” ones of this century. I’m a massive Ed Ball and The Times fan as well. His songs really resonate with me. He has a great voice, he’s a terrific songwriter, very musically open-minded. That whole album Pop Goes Art is faultless. I just bought it again on CD. Ed told me that the vinyl reissue copy I had (I recently posted the sleeve) with the Pop Art sleeve is a bootleg! I was gutted! Then he told me how hard he tried to stop it from being released

I don't know if mine is a bootleg though it is a reissue. My copy says Cherry Red Records. I think there were some bootlegs around but I think it was also licensed.

My copy isn’t on Cherry Red. It’s Pop Records, Spain. Yes, I think mine must be the one you circled (referring to screenshot of Discogs). It’s a shame Ed is no longer on Facebook. I miss talking to him. And on MySpace before that

For further listening I highly recommend seeking out more of Arash's music here:

https://beathotel2.bandcamp.com/album/beat-hotel

Also check out Jim's latest record The Circle:

https://spinoutnuggets.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle

AT Dave Morgan (The Loft/Weather Prophets) who played on Jim’s album also plays for us. And we previously recorded a 7” with Jim guesting on both sides.

Thanks for doing it you guys! Take care.

https://m.soundcloud.com/deejay-tigerstripes/arash-torabi-and-jim-shepherd-mix

1 note · View note

rametarin · 3 years

Text

The ink wasn’t even wet yet.

So LilNas did a silly and once again completely harmless performance thing involving him fucking Satan in a music video in the most hilarious, Wayanes Brothers-esque outfit for the job I have ever seen.

There really wasn’t time for anybody of value to be offended or really voice complaint about it in any numbers that really matter. The voices of outrage and the stranglehold they had on the religious right of today is paltry peanuts by comparison to the lockstep, marching and goosestepping of the mega evangelical churches of the late 70s and throughout the 80s.

It was just sorta taken for granted that The Wacky Westboro Baptist Types and any buffoon that still goes to church would get their knickers in a twist and start harumphing by the millions about LilNas’ objectively harmless exploit into having sex with a cartoonish low budget Satan.

And the music journos and others in entertainment cultures reacted about how I expected. Seguing into, “Oh look! It’s the Satanic Panicers! Because that was a thing, you know! And they’re still at it!”

So in come the articles about the very real history of the US’s Moral Majority and their big huffy puff pieces about, “degradation” and “degeneracy” and harumph and fi and foo and won’t someone think of the children and how the mean ole Christians wanted to gatekeep literature and media based on certain Christian moral undertones.

Which is true. Don’t get me wrong. It was a cringe and eyeroll worthy last hurrah of when, while defanged and declawed legally on a federal level and most civil and decent places on a state level, the Moral Majority still played to their pews and organized to try and become the defacto arbiters of what was acceptable vs. outrageous content not to expose the kiddies to. It was an exertion of their social and soft power in the hearts and minds of their flocks and believers to dictate the content a whole community could sell, advertise and make cultural without getting ostracized and possibly hurt by radicals.

However, by comparison, today is not back then. Doom and Mortal Kombat and hyper violent videogames and occult and Satanic imagery are old hat. Our daytime cartoon shows for children can casually play with themes of magic and infernalist powers that would’ve been cancelled or censored or banned in the 60s and 70s; and the 80s blew those standards to hell. There really ISN’T any real outrage about Lil Nas fucking Muppet Satan. You can surely find some among the usual mouthbreathers that will always be loud and represent a section of the US that these self-proclaimed, “progressives” hate to begin with, but other than that, the matter is settled. At this point, Satanic Panic isn’t really a thing on the radar in the mainstream. At best, you can point to some cloistered community of people that come together because they voluntarily believe that stupid shit and grumph about it on social media.

But that brings me to my ultimate point.

These people posting these masturbatory articles about the history of Satanic Panic and those wacky Christians (they never specify all the conservative or fuddy-duddy Jews in the Abrahamic tradition of faiths, for some reason) are sort of speaking about it in this wishy-washy way that tries to claim the mass hysteria is as real today as it ever was back then.

And it isn’t. It just simply isn’t.

All the old people between 50-100 in the 1970s-1980s are themselves 100 and dead, now. Their kids are in their mid-60s and, while conservative, nowhere near as intolerant statistically as the stodgy, “no mentioning witches in front of children, no magic or occult things” religious conservative values of their parents age.

The Satanic Panic, the microcosm of believers stirred into a frightened panic over non-Christianity competing with their ideology in the country, is all but dead. Secular civic government barely finds them a road block, and while corporate media might cowtow to them as a reliable paying consumer base for specific niche products, they don’t bow to them and self-censor like they used to.

Yet, you read the articles by these people trying to take this opportunity to tell the youth about how widespread and dogmatic and intolerant the Christian hegemony was in the US, and then they say, “they’re still like that today.”

They’re so desperate to get inside the youth’s heads to shape their teen rebellious phase over whom they think the entrenched powers are and how to defy them for shits and giggles, that they’re taking the image of North American Christianity out of the moth balls from how it used to be and trying to say, “it’s the same. Nothing has changed.”

Now, I’m not accusing Lil Nas of being in on a conspiracy. Lil Nas does shit to entertain and be silly. He’s done absolutely nothing wrong.

But whether or not he did it on purpose, the asymmetrical system of the usual suspects picked it up and ran with it. To, “stawt a convuhsayshun uwu” about what idiots and assholes Christians are in the US. Taking advantage of this... barely blip on the cultural radar that’s getting more press due to the nothingburger “controversy,” because they take for granted that it upsets some imaginary vitriolic majority.

So they have their own little in-group conversation about, “Oh how CONTROVERSIAL Lil Nas is!” and talk about really sticking it to those frumpy stumpy fuddy duddies, or whatever. And..

no. This isn’t fucking Madonna kissing Black Jesus. This isn’t Ozzy Osbourne tossing a chicken out into his audience or biting the head off of a bat.

This isn’t even the wholesale manufactured nontroversy that is the record industry making a great big scene out of poking white America with a stick that was Eminem’s phony baloney career.

This is just Hot Coffee except the people finding it controversial are giggling over just how much it must make, “those people” stew with fury and backpat themselves over the accomplishment of rustling The Power’s jimmies.

They’re trying oh so hard to stir up the hornets nest, to just milk whatever little performative bear rage and indignancy left in the Christian right to seem like they’re the status quo, that they’re the intolerant and outraged and impotent power structure and source of oppression and theocratic intolerance, a danger to our civic secularism and liberal society by sheer numbers and reach in power.

And...

There’s just nothing left of them to do that.

So even trying to act like Lil Nas is doing more than upsetting the Minions Meme Boomers on Facebook that really have next to no power anymore just comes off as out of touch, desperate and pathetic.

345 notes · View notes

uncontinuous · 3 years

Text

Because I’m hardcore projecting out of nowehre on fictional characters (as one is wont to do), I’m suddenly considering writing the TUA precanon AU where Vanya Hargreeves accidentally bumbled her way into becoming a fucking journalist.

Hear me out, sure Vanya wants to be a violinist because she learned it, and thought it was her way of being extraordinary in a house full of supers when she wasn’t (or gaslit into believing she wasn’t). But you know what else Vanya is good at, what Reginald accidentally trained her for despite never intending to train for anything.

He trained her to be observant, to gather information, and to be sneaky, quiet and blend in. Not to mention they probably have a crash course in some advance topics because Reginald’s home schooling. All very good qualities for a journo.

And now I can’t help think of an AU where Vanya like gets involved in her music college paper or some shit in a minuscule way before someone actually points out that she’s sort of really just good at writing articles and making scarily astute observations. And because it’s the first genuine validation she’s ever received kind of keeps at it because she wants to keep getting validation, before realising, holy shit she’s legitimately good at this.

I’m not saying an AU where Vanya is actually an investigative reporter would be great, but like, it would be fucking amazing. Because I can just imagine Vanya working her ass off at something she never expected to do, but allows her to be a hero in a different way, in a way that’s always going to be uniquely hers and no one in the Academy can take it from her.

#tua #vanya hargreeves

55 notes · View notes

psych0midget · 4 years

Text

Au in which Neil somehow becomes a top influencer.

He’s not even sure how he ended up becoming so popular. It’s just that during his years as a runaway, he’d mastered the perfect technique to cover his scars and one day he decided to film a series of makeup tutorials to help other people who, like him, struggled with scars.

The series quickly gets him thousands and thousands of followers, he begins doing all sorts of makeup tutorials, he’s offered countless parterships and gains more money than he knows what to do with.

One thing leds to another and before Neil knows it, he’s attending fashion weeks, wearing brand clothes, buying a penthouse in LA and having Allison Reynolds as his best friend slash manager.

It’s all Allison’s fault, really. Neil had only meant to adopt a cat from a shelter. He hadn’t planned on making his cat famous too. That was Allison.

Neil had only posted a photo with Sir (FatCat McCatterson. Again, Allison). He was a calico cat, a bit worse for wear because he missed an eye and his face was scarred, but he was the sweetest and he loved the attention (and the photos). So Neil had taken a selfie with Sir and the photo had very quickly become one of Neil’s most liked photos on Instagram.

Allison had immediately seized the opportunity to create an Instagram account for Sir and she’d began posting photos and updates on a regular basis. Sir accidentally became the most glamorous cat of the internet. And the most popular.

Technically, Neil knows that his cat’s popularity has raised concerns. But Neil mostly stays in his lane, doesn’t give a shit about gossip and solely focuses on makeup and fashion.

That’s how Neil ends up being invited to a fashion show with live music without knowing who’s performing. That’s how he ends up sitting front row in a concert of a short blond rapper and being absolutely mesmerised by his music, by the way he performs, by the lyrics. And that’s why he notices that one of the songs says “Neil Josten’s cat is so spoiled he has a Louis Vuitton bowtie”. Who the fuck is this guy dissing his cat in his songs?

Inevitably, the moment the show is over journos are already waiting for Neil, trying to fish for scoops and gossip and drama. Inevitably, both Neil and the blond rapper are quickly cornered by them and bombarded with questions.

He sees a reporter sticking his mic in front of the blond’s face and ask, “Andrew, what do you have to say about your new single now that you’re next to the person who inspired it?”

And the blond rapper, Andrew, looks straight at him, expression bored but with a smug glint in his eyes. “It’s not inspired by him, it only mentions his cat, he is ridiculous.”

Oh, really?

Neil’s lips curl into a smirk. Two can play at that game. “Oh that’s his name? I have no idea who he is, I’ve never heard of him before.” (Technically, it’s the truth.)

Neil is an idiot. He should’ve known that antagonising one of the top 10 most famous rappers in the world (he did his research. after) would cause a stir. Allison curses the very day she met him when she finds out and starts scheduling joint interviews with Andrew to try and patch up the mess Neil’s made.

This is how Neil ends up having not one, but four interviews with Andrew fucking Minyard. It’s talkshows and radio interviews and magazines and other things Neil absolutely loathes.

The problem is that Neil begins listening to Andrew’s songs more accurately. He notices the themes Andrew tackles, notices the way Andrew talks about things. And he stupidly feels seen by a stranger. Just because of the songs he writes.

The problem is that it’s not just interviews, it’s the pre-interviews in which Neil and Andrew inevitably end up bantering (playfully? he’s not sure that trading insults is exactly playful), it’s the after-interviews in which they share cigarettes outside the studios.

It’s Neil giving Andrew his phone number so they can agree on the interviews’ answers beforehand. And it’s Andrew sending Neil audio files with his answers. Rapped. But also the new demos he’s recording.

And then it’s Neil inviting Andrew to his apartment just to introduce him to Sir, the cat he so cruelly dissed in his songs. Only because he wants Andrew to change his mind. And apologise. Which somehow ends up with Neil and Andrew cuddling with Sir on the couch.

Obviously then Andrew invites Neil to his house with the excuse of introducing him to King, his black cat. And if Neil accidentally sits on King’s paw, it’s only because the loveseat is the same color of her fur. It’s not because he melts when Andrew kisses him. Neil doesn’t melt.

And Neil is also pretty sure that his relationship with Andrew would still be a secret if he hadn’t given King a Louis Vuitton bowtie identical to Sir’s and the fans had noticed it in a photo. Or maybe it’s because Andrew took said photo on the bed. While Neil was still sleeping. And his red hair popped out from underneath the blankets.

#all for the game #aftg #andreil #the foxhole court #tfc #andreil au #(the italian folks know where I got the inspo from lmao)#mine*

223 notes · View notes

bisluthq · 2 years

Note

No offence to Joe but I don’t think he can even manage an hour long solo interview without it being boring as hell. Take Taylor’s evermore Apple music interview as an example it’s about an hour long and she got my attention throughout the entire interview. She’s that good at interviews.

I think Joe could be fine if speaking to someone as good as Zane tbh like in conversation with a film journo on that level (few do one on one long form like they facilitate Hollywood Roundtable and shit rather) he’d be fine. But Tay is entertaining in like dumb radio bits and shit too and Joe isn’t in that because he’s expected to dancing monkey and he’s bad at that.

#nat talks joe a

2 notes · View notes

feckin-zicons · 3 years

Note

that's why i hate larries, i hate them with all my heart. besides being boring they are hypocrites 🙄

Hey nonnie, sorry its taken me so long to reply but if you’re following me you know I’ve been travelling lately and have been more scatterbrained than usual. Not that I’m ever not scatterbrained, but its been just a little crazier than usual!

Now I wouldn’t go as far to say I hate Larries. After all their delusions can be pretty funny sometimes!

Joking aside, I don’t hate Larries, I love Larries, I’m a Larry, so I really hesitate to tarry the whole group with the same brush. However I do strongly agree with you that there are those who are complete hypocrites. Nothing annoys more more than when Larries ™ treat the other boys, other celebrities, their friends and even family as one more side character to the Larry Show.

In particular when Larries ™ flood comment sections asking or in some cases, ordering people to confirm rumors/the couple being together. The absolute fucking disrespect. Not just because they’re flooding comment sections in videos streams, tweets, what have you, that sometimes have nothing to do with the couple in question, but because its presumptuous and rude as fuck to think they’re owed a coming out- just because they’re fans of the boys.

Stop it. Thats fucking ugly as hell.

While I have no doubt all the boys will one day be out (as referenced by their continued efforts in fighting the closet. I don’t get the sense the boys will just stop at being freed from their contractual obligations). It should and will be on their own terms. Provided they’re not forcibly outed some other way.

Coming out is a deeply personal experience and no one, no one ever, has the right to out someone else. I’ll never not be absolutely furious at the Larries ™ who posted about having ‘receipts’ that would out the boys. Which… tbh weren’t receipts at all but thats a whole other story. I’m also still angry at the reactions after Liams Attitude spread that wouldn’t have been as bad if not for the entitled fandom that peddled ridiculous claims beforehand about Liam confirming Larry to be real.

I mean… What the actual fuck. Setting aside the fandom experience of the time, and boy was it an experience. What right would Liam have confirming Louis and Harry’s relationship? I mean, get some perspective? It doesn’t help that a lot of fandom adults were the ones coming up with, and reblogging those theories and the younger fans ate it up. It would have made more sense for Louis and Harry to do it but idk maybe I’m still out of touch for thinking so. I mean, it felt like every other week someone was talking about Larry coming out. It was such a shit storm oh my god.

Biggest issue I still have with them is that the entitled behaviour hasn’t stopped. For some it seems like, Larry coming out is it for them. Like pack it up, goodbye, shows over, Louis and Harry are gay and in a relationship and everything is rainbows, we get to see cute pictures of them and everyone lives happily ever after.

Yeah, no. Coming out, for anyone, is just the beginning, can’t even begin to imagine what its like for them. They’re still going to need everyones support, and it irritates me that for some fans it seems so fucking conditional.

Time and time again, I’ve seen tweets, and posts, and videos, whatever, going on about Larry coming out and it reads like a fucking wattpad story. Not just that but its always on the assumption by the poster, on the off chance they consider the other 3/5ths of the band and Ziam being a possibility, that Larry will come out first?

What?

I’m sorry but, what?

Everything I’ve seen from the boys tells me they’re all in this together, they support each other and are working through the bullshit as a team. We have all seen the No Judgement music video yes? The merch, posts, double speak etc referencing each other, yes?

I mean, I suppose if you only look at Louis and Harry, like so many do, sure. Only Larry matters, everyone else is a side character in their life.

(Lemme just, scream for a second).

However, that kind of thinking leads them to the wrong conclusions. Like… assuming the SBB/RBB countdown was attributed to nothing, when it counted down to Liam finally being free of Sophia. In the years since, I’ve seen Larries ™ backtrack on claiming the bears had anything to do with the boys, that they weren’t behind it at all, or that they were just trolling the fandom.

You know, despite all the proof otherwise, and some really, really good posts breaking down clues about what the boys were trying to tell us. The moment something might not actually be about Louis and Harry its like all their thinking shuts off. Its frustrating. Really fucking frustrating.

Seriously, fans of the other boys as individulas, not just Ziams, have been talking about the stunts too and how they fit together. Its why we tend to be right, because we’re considering the entire group. They’re still a group. They’re not free until all of them are free.

Just for that Nialls coming out first. Lmao. I’ll call it now. Lets go Niall, whens the baby coming. We all wanna know. Its been years.

Imagine, imagine! Acting like coming out is some race to be won. The fucking audacity.

Go outside and touch fucking grass you absoulte ninny.

I get it, you want to be vindicated, you want to be rewarded for putting your faith in two celebrities being together.

Newsflash you dandelionfluff, its not a race, Louis and Harry coming out isn’t a fucking prize. Thats not what supporting a relationship looks like.

Its worse when someone admits they don’t know much about Ziam or the possibility of Niall being LGBT+, and claim they’re open to it, but then immediately tweet or reblog or sub tweet or tag comment a post or answer an ask from another Larry ™ talking about how Larries ™ are the most marginalized and persecuted group.

???

In what fucking world?

IN WHAT FUCKING WORLD?

If we wanna play that game, boohoo, the media claims Louis and Harry aren’t friends anymore because of crazy shippers. Meanwhile Zayn publicly isn’t friend with anyone and “left” the band… despite the Ziam fandom calling the stunt about either Louis or Zayn “leaving” and getting it down to the exact week (the second article coming out a week before about the Ziam kiss pretty much cemented it for Zayn leaving. Which did a lot to fan the flames of the already rabid fanbase when Ziam got two articles confirming a Ziam kiss over the years and Larry got nada. Like that actually means anything).

Not to mention Larries ™ using the hetties and management tactics against the other parts of the fandom to silence them.

Who cares what the media says anyway! TPTB, 1DHQ, The Sun, The Mirror, Simon and his minions and their unpaid interns have used the media to split the fandom apart and it worked.

Who the fuck cares if the media calls the 1D stans delusional, you know the truth! The truth it out there and you’ve seen it! The truth is coming! Who gives a damn about what some two bit “journo” who failed out of their creative writing course writes? They get worse by the year. If it wasn’t so pathetic and hilarious I might actually feel embarrassed for them. They can’t even come up with new stories and have just taken to copying old articles, but you’re upset with them??? Give it a rest. Honestly.

The sense of disconnect, entitlement and victimhood of some Larries ™ is absolutely ridiculous.

Oh my god they’re Karens. I’m not trying to be insulting, but thats exactly who they remind me of.

I’m not going to say its a surprise to me that so many in the Ziam fandom are POC, LGBT+, and Neurodivergent and any combination of those, but I am going to say I’ve read a lot of Larry fics that just have Het sex made gay. Those in the Ziam fandom just tend to look at facts in a different way than Larries do due to their life experiences. A interfaith, interracial, relationship where one or both partners fall under the Bi umbrella (not saying Louis or Harry can’t be or aren’t Bi+ but rumors, and the way the fandom markets them, puts them firmly in the gay category) looks very, very different than gay or straight relationship. Both looking from outside and being in one. There’s just different dynamics at play that aren’t often realized or understood by the gays and hets.

Its not a bad thing. All relationships are different. The issue is that theres a lot of biphobia/racism/religious prejudice etc that arises from people being unwilling to understand the inherent differences.

Taking myself for example, I’m bi, like, bi as hell, and I don’t understand how gays and hets only like one gender. I just don’t. Can’t wrap my head around it. If someone asks me to choose one gender over the others to prefer I can’t. Its so stressful. My brain goes into panic mode and it feels like I’m being torn apart. My sense of identity is shaken- its a shit feeling. I just can’t lie to myself like that. If other people feel the same well, its no wonder bi+ have such high rates of depression and suicide. Its not about choosing who to like, there is no choice, I just feel attraction to everyone. Aces, I get. Its similar to being the opposite of what I feel, or not feeling an attraction to someone I’m not interested in. Easy. Gays and hets? I’m completely lost on.

Completely, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to try and understand where they’re coming from. Its alien to me, personally, but I’m not going to shut down the fact, that theres a fuck ton of people who only like one gender or try and make up reasons as to why they’re actually bi+

I digress, none of the boys fall neatly into the gay stereotypes, its just that parts of the Larry fandom have boxed Louis and Harry into certain roles to fit preconceived notions (likely do to them initially fitting in better with the white, sassy, somewhat effeminate twink thats been plastered all over Hollywood as their “LGBT+ representation” for years. Gag), they can understand better, and only look for proof to back up their theories but don’t look at things objectively.

They really need to get out more and make some LGBT+ friends that aren’t on the internet and talk to some gay elders. They need educating that’s not the often sanitized and insulting Hollywood version, that’s all I’m saying.

They made Louis and Harry more palatable for themselves and its… really gross.

I don’t know, I don’t get it.

Some Larries ™ turned the boys into their fandom and fanfiction stereotypes when they’re so much more than that. The Sony leaks should have been enough to dissuade the fandom, and prove that the brand sold to the broader audience is just that- a brand, and yet… Niall only talks about food and golf and Ireland and is only allowed to be straight or ace. If he exists at all its just to be Capt Niall. Liams slow and dumb and depending on the day he’s either Capt Liam or a horrific abusive homophobe. Zayns just The Worst, a unstable drug addict, and the boys hate each other, and they should have kicked him out of the band sooner because he never wanted to be part of them anyway, etc.

It drives me absolutely around the bend some days. They’re real people who don’t owe anyone anything, especially not coming out.

Yes, I think they will. But they’re not obligated to. They can change their minds, I’ll support them regardless of an “official” coming out or not.

Look, a part of me gets it. They wanna be right, they wanna prove the haters wrong, they want to be able to say I called it all along! The vindication will be sweet.

But like, it takes a quick look at someone other than Louis and Harry to realize theres something hinky going on with Liam, Zayn and Niall. Please listen to their fans who have spent just as much time as you have looking into Louis and Harry compiling together evidence.

It might take a weekend to watch the ILYSM and pterodactyl bros videos and a few more hours looking into some Niall blogs, which isn’t much compared to the hours I know they’ve spent looking into Larry. At least then they’ll have enough information to form an opinion on things.

I wonder, for some, what would happen if Larry didn’t come out, or didn’t come out first, or one of the other boys was outed against their will. Because… I don’t know. It seems like some would rather just be proven right at this point.

I get it. We’re tired. Its been eleven long years. But this isn’t a television show were everything can come to a head with a s3 or s4 cliff hanger and fixed in the series finale. Its real life, and they started off as boys trusting industry veterans who never had their best interests at heart.

Iduno. I just want some Larries ™ to take a step out of the echo chamber, realize life isn’t The Larry Show & co. And especially. ESPECIALLY, that every instance were someone, friends, family, co-works, industry peeps etc support the boys they are SUPPORTING THE BOYS, NOT THE FANDOM. They are not “confirming Larry for the fans” they’re doing it to support the couple, not to cater to the fandom. Please stop confusing the two. There’s a huge fucking difference. Learn it.

#Honestly it should be the Liam Payne the three guys who’ve had a crush on him and the one who married him.#aka the hill I'll die on #lmao #sorry not sorry #IM SORRY IT LOOKS LIKE I HAD A LOT MORE TO SAY ABOUT THIS THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD #ASDFGHJKL;#also please don't think I'm calling anyone out specifically #these are a lot of generalizations and trends I've noticed after being in fandom for nearly 11 years they pop up all the damn time #circles we're just going in circles #I've been following Ziam in particular since the Nov 2011 interview #but suspected Liam had a crush sometime before when I saw a gifset of him talking about Zayns birthday presentsbc he as acting the exact sa #e way I was when I was crushing on a girl I knew #I saw myself in him and ignored it for another day #lmaooo #ziam #larry tunnel vision #larry vs ziam #Larry vs Niall #fandom bs #ask

9 notes · View notes

obviouschild2014 · 2 years

Text

This aussie music journo getting free shit with every release ever just fully sending me into hysterics with this pile of free stuff and a gravy boat shaped pressing of how to make gravy. Clawing scratching biting i want one so bad its so funny

#farkin ludicrous!!!!!!!!! discogs dot com

4 notes · View notes

monkberries · 4 years

Note

Wait what's wrong with the AKOM How Do You Sleep episode? I remember it being fine but its been ages since i listened to it so if you've got any thoughts I'd love to hear them :)

Be aware, this is only about the first episode, not about the George-focused episode. If they resolve any of the issues I have with the first episode in the second episode, then I sincerely apologize.

First, there are some things they talk about that I agree with! Near the end of the episode, they discuss the dynamic between John and the people around him in a really insightful way, and in a way I’ve often thought about it; both John and the people around him were all kind of in this mindset of “oh, Paul rejected us? Well, we didn’t want him ANYWAY! So THERE!” They also discuss the fact that John was very easily manipulated, and nearly his entire support system (minus Ringo, and shame on them for not mentioning that) basically egged his anger and viciousness on. And they also play/read some interviews with John about the song and tangential subjects, and it’s always nice to hear primary sources.

However, much like their post about Lewisohn, I find a lot of this episode excessive, overtorqued, and generally far too exaggerated. They perceive an imbalance in narratives (which I do think is there, just not to the extent they say) and overcorrect, imho.

First, I want to get my opinion on the song itself out of the way: I listen to it a lot. It’s on my Fall 2020 playlist. I enjoy the musicality, the style; the mood it evokes is extremely strong to me. Sometimes it’s fun to indulge in feeling evil or mean without having to actually be evil or mean! Plus, I love playing it right before Jealous Guy, or Steel and Glass, or I Know (I Know), just to get that maximum John Lennon Mood Whiplash effect. I think George’s solo is vicious and perfect for the mood as well. However, the lyrics are pretty horrendous in terms of their effect on Paul and his feelings; they’re also horrendous in that they’re just not well-written lyrics. IMHO you can tell it was written by three different people all throwing insults at the wall to see what would stick and rhyme. Half of the digs don’t even make sense. “So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise/You better see right through that mother’s eyes” Wut? “The one mistake you made was in your head” ??? The hell do these things even mean lmao

Anyway. Onto the episode itself.

Around 1 minute in, they say that there’s not a lot of check and balance in the Beatles fandom w/r/t this song, and that much of the fandom espouses that HDYS was “deserved” and “honest”. They reiterate this sentiment over in different ways throughout the episode, and I just do not see that kind of thing being a majority opinion in Beatles fandom spaces at all. Perhaps they are occupying different fandom spaces than I occupy (tumblr/Hey Dullblog/beatlebioreview), and it is true where they are? (In which case, my goodness, find some better blogs to follow, babes!) They talk about how they’ve never seen anyone pick it apart before, and that the discussion around it has not changed, that people have been saying Paul deserved it since it came out. Again, this is does not jive with my experience in the Beatles fandom.

From Shout!, a book with a well known anti-McCartney streak, published in 1981: “John’s Imagine album - despite the plea for universal peace and brotherhood in the title track - launched a thermo-nuclear strike back at Paul with ‘How Do You Sleep?’ a title suggesting crimes almost in the realm of first-degree murder. The McCartney references were unmistakable, and, often, cruelly unjust: ‘The freaks was right when they said you was dead... The only thing you done was Yesterday...’ There was even a two-fingered gesture of contempt for Paul’s new outdoor life with Linda on their Scottish farm.” Also, the RS review spends two paragraphs talking specifically about how heinous and unjustifiable HDYS is. You can definitely say that rock journalism takes some of the attitude of HDYS and runs with them, such as Paul’s music sounding like muzak - that sentiment certainly persisted. But I would argue that most of the shit journos are reacting to and buying into comes from Lennon Remembers primarily, where John says all the same crap and more, and worse, rather than HDYS itself, which they seem to balk at.

They make the claim as well that the Imagine LP has been elevated to some kind of untouchable, un-criticizeable status. In the years after his death, I think there is probably some truth to that, although again, untouchable is an extreme word. Even in 2003, the LP was number 80 on Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums of all time. However, it was 227 on NME’s list in 2013 and dropped to 223 on Rolling Stone’s new 2020 list, suggesting a waning in popularity over time and a willingness to look more objectively at the quality of it.

The thing that really bothered me about this episode is like... They talk about the need for nuanced discussion of the song, right? And that’s all fine and good, and I agree, nuance in any Beatles discussion is essential if you want to get close to any actual truth. However, they then go on to say, quite adamantly, that if you say the music of the song is good, even if you think the lyrics are awful, then they wouldn’t even bother having a conversation with you. It’s very “We want nuance! NO NOT LIKE THAT! YOU’RE DOING NUANCE WRONG!” Like, I’m sorry, the music is good, in my opinion! John is very good at evoking a mood! The fact that I think George’s solo is incredible, or that the keyboard riff gives me chills, or that I think the bass goes super hard, doesn’t mean I don’t understand how rough the lyrics are or the effect they had on Paul. In fact, imho, I think it’s important that we discuss how quality the music is because it underscores the calculated cruelty John exhibited. He worked hard on this song. He wanted to create a very specific feeling out of it, and he succeeded in spades. I think if it had been crappy musically, people would have been much more contemptuous of it than they already are. As I said earlier, some of the digs don’t even make sense; I think they’re bolstered and propped up specifically because the music underneath them is so good. Also, it’s not fucking wrong to enjoy a groove.

I also take some issue with them saying that HDYS was easily among the worst things John ever did. Like... equivalent or worse than going on anti-Semitic, homophobic rants? Yikes.

There are many instances in this episode where they will go “I often read things like...” or “Jean Jackets will say...” or “I see this a lot...” and then never actually talk about where they see these things or quote directly from them. One instance goes “I often read things like, ‘John Lennon is expressing years of pent-up resentment over creative differences’, as if John is some kind of, like, drunk art teacher doling out free advice to Paul on his music.” I’ve read a lot about HDYS and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that. Just about every discussion of the song I’ve seen says very clearly that it was an unjustified, deeply personal attack. I realize there is an aversion to publicly Naming Names when you’re calling out people who perpetuate a bad narrative. But I want to know where this stuff comes from. I want to actually see what it is they’re upset about.

Lastly, they talk near the end about music innovation and experimentation, and this is where I think things go much too far in overcorrecting a narrative. The well-known narrative for many years post breakup was that Paul was a boring square who wrote granny music. That is true; he was much maligned in the press about that. However, I think post-Hertsgaard, post-Revolution In The Head, post-Complete Recording Sessions, and post-Many Years From Now, that attitude has changed quite a bit. Most serious Beatles fans know now that Paul was the first one to really get into Avant-Garde stuff; most fans know about the fact that he made McCartney 1 basically alone in a homemade studio. Most fans have probably heard or at least heard of Temporary Secretary, lmao.

But it feels like these women are still living in the past where Paul was still being maligned for being a square, so instead they go way far to the other end and say “Paul was the musical innovator, not John.” And that is just flat out NOT true. They were BOTH musical innovators. The fact that Paul was the first to get into avant-garde art does not exclude John from also being incredibly innovative and experimental in his own way. Perhaps he wasn’t doing that on Imagine; they are right that Imagine is a collection of really good but fairly commercial songs. But they utterly discount the fact that he did Strawberry Fields Forever, and I Want You (She’s So Heavy), popularized backmasking, was one of the first if not the first to use amp feedback in a song in I Feel Fine, experimented with recording his voice differently with Tomorrow Never Knows and Revolution, and also the entirety of Plastic Ono Band!!! You don’t have to downplay or erase John’s experimental contributions to music in order to elevate Paul’s. You can elevate both of them. It’s fine.

Also, this is the episode where they say Lewisohn’s book is exactly the same as all the other Jean Jackets books except thicker, and I have a viscerally bad reaction to that for many reasons I have already outlined on this blog. Suffice to say, it is demonstrably untrue (not least because Lewisohn hasn’t published anything in his Tune In series that goes beyond 1962) and unfair to someone who has done an unbelievable amount of legwork to back up his writing. They also compare Lewisohn to Goldman (???????) and call them John and Yoko’s “fuckin bitch boys saying the same shit over and over again.” I have to imagine Goldman was a misspeak and she meant someone else, but still that jarred me lmfao

#about the blogger #Anonymous #podcast blues

22 notes · View notes