So can we talk about Nicholas wearing his trench coat and how MAGNIFICIENT HE IS ??! 😳🔥 He should wear it more often... He looks so hot in it ???!!! Like it suits him so well ???! The jedi vibe here ?? UGH 😩😳🙏🔥 HELP me I'm dying I'm having thoughts.

arctic monkeys for clash magazine, april 2010

ON THE ROAD WITH… ARCTIC MONKEYS

Words by Simon Harper Photos by Jason Joyce

As Britain’s favourite band headed out on the European leg of their ‘Humbug’ tour, Clash discovered that Arctic Monkeys were less sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, and more cakes, ping-pong and Coco Pops…

The city of Offenbach, about twenty minutes south of Frankfurt, was once noted for its abundant leather industry, and is currently the base of the German weather service, but such claims don’t negate the fact that it’s basically a sterile, grey, typically German suburban borough. The arrival of a fleet of trucks and buses, carrying Arctic Monkeys, their crew and stage gear, heralded the notion that for one night only, Offenbach may just come alive with suitably bustling energy.

Offenbach’s Stadthalle is the smallest venue on the Monkeys’ three-week tour of Western Europe. The band have been through Portugal, Spain and France, and know how to kill time during the day while everyone works around them, building the stage for that night’s show. And so, when Clash finds them, upstairs in the Stadthalle’s back rooms, they’re in the middle of a fierce ping-pong match – the game scores being tallied up across the tour. The table, it transpires, is the band’s own, and follows them wherever they go. A set of football goals lie waiting for action, but the small white balls prove more enticing.

It’s a cold, February Tuesday, and these back rooms are where the band will spend the whole day.

Previous encounters with Arctic Monkeys have been somewhat tough – notoriously reticent and famously press-shy, there’s a tangible wall that surrounds them, which is seemingly hard to penetrate. Suspicious stares cut through you, while succinct answers frustrate you. Today, however, they couldn’t be more accommodating.

Clash sits with the quartet in the band-only room, where their personal equipment is kept in a vertical flight case of drawers, and a small fridge is at hand for cold beers. Nick O’Malley, Jamie Cook and Matt Helders sprawl on the leather couches, while Alex Turner perches on the table, often pacing the room, then escaping in search of a lighter. We’re here to talk about life on the road. What starts as an interview eventually descends into louche conversation; daft chat punctuated by much laughter. Perhaps they’re glad to see a friendly face; perhaps the monotony of touring makes them crave any respite; perhaps there’s nothing better to do in Offenbach.

Is being on tour like real life, or does it feel like you’re detached from what real life is?

Matt: It’s probably real life. It doesn’t seem like it’s too separate or miles away.

When you go home is that normality or is it just a continuation of what you do on the road?

Matt: I don’t find it hard to settle back and switch between the two.

Nick: You feel like you’re unemployed when you go home properly.

Like you’ve got nothing to do?

Nick: Yeah, or like if you’ve got a couple of weeks off.

Matt: Like school holidays.

Alex: Does that make this school then?

Matt: Yeah, but it’s like basketball camp or something you enjoy.

How do your friendships cope with life on the road? 

Matt: It’s fine.

Nick: Yeah. We know how to not annoy each other. We’ve never really had friction, because we’ve all got a similar outlook on how not to annoy people, I suppose, so there’s never really been any problems.

Alex: (Mock nastily) That’s what you think, mate.

Nick: (Laughs) I suppose if you see the same people every day, after a while you’re bound to get a bit annoyed, but as long as you keep in your mind that it’s just because of the situation and not because you don’t like the person, then you can kind of avoid outbursts that you might not mean. It’s never really been a problem so far.

Do you notice a huge cultural difference between touring Europe and America? 

Alex: Even between places in Europe. I mean, often, to be honest, certainly at this stage that we’re at, days like today aren’t uncommon, where you’re out of town and you don’t even really see where you are, as I’m sure you’re aware. But you can really tell the difference just in the show, from the crowd. We did Madrid and Barcelona over t’weekend, and last week Portugal, and they were really excitable and there was like a frenzy going on when we were playing. Whereas I think crowds elsewhere can be a bit more reserved, can’t they, depending on where it is. I reckon one of the best crowds on this tour was a gig we did last week in Porto. We’ve never played there before. There was this real appreciation or something just from the start. You can just sort of feel it, can’t you; ‘We’re all here to have a laugh’.

Alex lives in the States now. Have any of you considered moving to somewhere you’ve visited on tour?

Matt: Yeah. It’s good that you do get to see places that you might consider moving, like Berlin. I could imagine living there.

Does living apart make you appreciate each other more when you’re back together?

Jamie: [Long pause] Mmmm…yeah.

Gone are the days when you’re living round the corner from each other.

Alex: Yeah, I suppose that’s true. You’ve got to sort of organise to be in one place. I suppose that is a bit of an inconvenient drag.

Are there any essential items that you have to pack before you come out on tour?

Jamie: One of them rolly things that gets fluff of your coat. (All laugh)

Alex: I feel like you’re a lot better equipped than the rest of us with things like that.

Yeah, you’re looking very bobble-less.

Jamie: Ah, cheers. Yeah, I did it this morning actually. A quick roll.

Matt: A skipping rope – except I forgot it this time. I’ve lost mine.

Nick: DVDs, stuff like that.

A ping-pong table?

Jamie: A ping-pong table is essential actually. I don’t think we’d go on tour without that.

Alex: Some kind of series…

Matt: A box-set.

Alex: Kinda really discovered that this last year. It was summat I’d never really got into before.

Nick: Any HBO series.

Alex: (Laughs) Yeah. I’ve really learned to appreciate that sort of continuum, because you can follow a thread.

Matt: You know what you need to do the next day.

What have you been watching?

Alex: We’ve got into Deadwood a bit on the last tour. That’s what’s been missing, I think, for me on this tour, some sort of thing like that.

Have you done The Wire?

Alex: Yeah.  I went Wire mad on that tour. I just got so greedy. I get so greedy with them things.

Matt: I couldn’t catch up.

Jamie: Yeah, he ditched everyone. I got ditched on t’second series!

Matt: Six in t’morning, I could hear him.

Jamie: You’d get up and that [theme] song would be on. It’d just be crisps all over, a bottle of…

Nick: ‘Wire Beast’s been up all night again!’

Alex: ‘Where’d you get that dressing gown from?’

Jamie: Just laying there with crumbs all over him.

Have you ever had any scares at customs? 

Nick: I got searched yesterday actually.

Matt: It was your squeaky wheels, just as I’d said. I said, ‘Them wheels are gonna attract attention.’

Nick: In Germany. A very thorough search, but luckily no glove action.

Jamie: They probably wanted to mend your wheels for you.

Matt: ‘I’ve got summat for that, some GT85.’

Nick: They were really suspicious of me. They really took everything apart and didn’t put it back as neat as I’d put it in.

Alex: At this end, yesterday?

Nick: Yeah, when we arrived in ‘Munchen’.

Alex: They’re quite, like, strict, aren’t they, Bavarian authorities.

Nick: Yeah. They had a look at me belt, everything. All me case and bag. Took everything apart. Then he were like, ‘Where have you come from?’ I went, ‘Barcelona’. He were like, ‘Have you had any contact with drugs in Barcelona?’ I went, ‘No.’ He went, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘I’m in a band.’ And he went, ‘Ah’, and then, like, swabbed everything.

Alex: When I got in t’car yesterday, the fella were like, [German accent] ‘If you like to do drugs, do not try and do it in Bavaria.’

American customs scare me most. 

Matt: Yeah, it’s a load of questions.

Alex: ‘What are you doing here?’

Jamie: New Zealand were quite funny. We all got pulled…

Matt: We had to sit in them chairs for a bit…

Jamie: And this guy was asking us directly the last time we ever did drugs. Then someone came over who worked for us…and he soon disappeared rather fast. We were fine. (All laugh)

Alex: I’ve come to quite enjoy the American customs people. (All laugh)

Matt: They’ve always got weird names.

Alex: They’re like, [American accent] ‘So you’re in a band, huh?’ You go, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ ‘What do you do in the band?’ ‘Oh, I’m the singer.’ ‘Yeah? You don’t look like a singer to me.’

Nick: ‘Do you sound like Coldplay?’

Alex: Yeah, ‘What kind of music do you guys play?’

Jamie: ‘Do you sound like Staind?’ I went like, ‘Staind? I know them… Fuckin’ hell!’ It took me ages. ‘Yeah, yeah, we sound a bit like Staind.’ When he said it I were like, ‘Yeah, a bit.’

You’ve said before that you wanted to try and get an album out this year. Do you get any time on the road to do any work on that?

Alex: Not really. That’s a bit of a pain in the arse, not being able to rehearse and work stuff out. I don’t think I write very good songs on t’road. They’re all a bit wonky. You get back and you’re like, ‘Hmmm’.

Does it detach you from what we were talking about earlier, ‘real life’? Does it detach you from the things that you want to be writing about?

Alex: I dunno. You can still use your imagination, but I just think, yeah, in your surroundings there’s always about to be something that’s going to happen. You can’t think. I always write wherever I am, but I dunno if the things that come out when you’re touring around always have the shelf life that the other things do.

Have you got any songs earmarked for the next album?

Alex: Yeah. I mean, there’s some ideas, but we haven’t really had the chance to get out the fine toothed comb.

‘Humbug’ was a departure in sound from your previous albums – do you think you’ll continue in that direction, maybe bring Josh Homme in again?

Alex: Not sure, really. We would like to do something with Josh again – it was terrific for us to go on that adventure – but whether or not it’s this next thing, I’m not sure. And also, like, he’s busy! (Laughs) He’s got a schedule himself, doesn’t he?

You went to record over in his place, so do you think next time you’ll have him over to...

Alex: High Green? (Laughs) Homme in High Green? I quite fancy that.

Nick: He’d look like a superhero in High Green, all the bad genetics there are in High Green. He’d look amazing.

Matt: He’d be the biggest man there.

You’ve released a couple of singles exclusively through Oxfam. What made you decide to do that? 

Jamie: Laurence and Jonny at Domino came to us with that idea – a great idea for the charity reason, and then cos Woolworths and stuff had shut down, but there were always an Oxfam.

Alex: Like, in towns where there perhaps aren’t, like, an Our Price or something.

Do you have to think of more creative ways to get your records out there?

Jamie: Yeah, rather than just sat at home.

Matt: They should think about making the journey exciting – paint paths a nice colour to the record shops.

Alex: The yellow brick road.

Matt: Something that makes people want to walk to a record shop. Even if it’s just free parking. (All laugh)

Jamie: It’s just too easy to buy music now.

How do you feel as artists about the devaluing of music? Does it annoy you that you’re working hard to make something, but people can just pick it up from their friends?

Jamie: I suppose we were never in the industry when it were big money, when people used to sell twenty million albums. Has that ever happened since we’ve been around?

Probably someone like Dido has.

Jamie: Yeah, that were probably the last.

Matt: It’s like, we wouldn’t expect anything like that to happen to us, so…

Alex: I do think there is people that always will want to go and get records.

Matt: Yeah, it won’t change everybody.

Alex: I was reading a couple of months ago about there’s an idea where you won’t even have – you know like you pull songs off iTunes or whatever – but they were saying you subscribe to a database and pay to get ’em…

Jamie: Spotify, that’s what that was.

Alex: Yeah. But you can’t get them on…

It streams the music – you can’t download them.

Alex: But you can’t do that on your phone, can you?

Matt: Yeah, you can do Spotify on your phone if you pay about £10 a month. Nokia did that thing where you can just pay a monthly thing and you can have as many as you want…

Alex: The fella had a quote, he’s like, ‘There’s nothing sexy about an MP3 on your desktop’. (Laughs) He’s like, ‘There’s nothing sexy about having a subscription to a database’. (All laugh) But then you could just sort of buy a record and stand it up against your wall. Not that that’s particularly sexy, but, you know what I mean… I like things that you can stand up.

Jamie: Like you said the other day, everyone’s just gonna have an empty house.

Matt: Yeah, there’s gonna be nothing on t’shelves. Not even books now.

Jamie: No one’s got any photos anymore, no ones’s got any CDs or records…

Matt: You’ll just have a screen and a chair.

Jamie: You’ll just go, ‘Sound. This is sound.’

Matt: With nowt on your wall.

Jamie: You can just have everything [at your fingertips]; turn your fire on, open your curtains…

Alex: You’d get in it for your bath. (All laugh)

[Alex goes into the band’s equipment drawer, pulls out a giant figure of Freddie Mercury in full-on rock pose. “See, he said he likes things that stand up,” Matt says.]

Does being on an independent label give you the freedom to experiment with your marketing or promotions? 

Matt: Yeah. They [Domino] have as many ideas as us for stuff like that, like the Oxfam thing. They tend to think on a similar level, and, at the same time, if we have a suggestion, they’re open to it. It sometimes is a good thing to have a label like Domino, cos they’re experienced in doing weird stuff, and have obviously signed things that aren’t necessarily to make any money or anything, so we’ll listen to them if they have a suggestion, and vice versa. They’d put records out on tins of beans and all sorts. (All laugh)

Jamie: I wanted to do it on a conifer. I wanted to put an MP3 out on a conifer.

Matt: Or just seeds. Christmas tree seeds.

Alex: Yeah. What did they actually do?

Matt: There’s a Jewish guy, I forgot what his name is, and they did it on a kosher chicken noodle soup or something. You buy the soup and you get the code [for the MP3]. Which is good in a way, because he’s just poo-pooing the fact that there’s not much point. It’s an incentive, but it doesn’t get it in the chart, you see. It’s a give-away. So you can sell anything and just have an MP3 code on it. You can sell a car and you’d just get one song.

Jamie: But then it doesn’t count towards t’charts?

Matt: No. The Oxfam thing don’t either, does it. Only the download bit does. You’re not allowed to give away incentives like free stuff, because that’s obviously encouraging people. See, that’s the thing – people might buy the soup and not download the song. ‘I wonder if they make good soup?’

Jamie: When you see a good cover sometimes…

Matt: Yeah, you buy it for the cover.

Alex: Perhaps the epitome of that is you buying a Lady Gaga picture disc. (Laughs)

Matt: Yeah, I did. I’ve been a fool.

Alex: It’s great, cos she’s wearing like a fuckin’ box of Coco Pops or something. (Laughs)

Matt: You could buy that Freddie Mercury thing and get a Queen album, for instance. You don’t need to put it on or owt.

Jamie: You want to make it awkward.

Matt: Buy a chair. Buy a flat pack piece of furniture and you get a code for an album.

Jamie: You have to put your furniture up and send a picture to someone, then they send you the MP3.

Alex: That would make a good video: playing in a bowl of Coco Pops. (All laugh) Remember that kids programme where they used to have to go swimming in a bowl of cereal…

Jamie: Ah yeah. Didn’t they used to do something like that on The Big Breakfast?

Matt: They did, yeah.

Jamie: It were a massive cup of tea and you used to have to get the sugar lumps…

Matt: Yeah, yeah, that was it: One Lump Or Two.

Jamie: One Lump Or Two, yeah!

Alex: It would be great: kid comes down, he’s having his breakfast – Coco Pops – and then, like, Arctic Monkeys are in his cereal. (All laugh)

Jamie: Hot milk, though.

Matt: Hot milk in t’afternoon.

Alex: (Laughs) ‘Why not try Coco Pops after school?’

Jamie: (Laughs) I love that advert!

Alex: It’s the best!

Do your fans give you CDs of their bands?

Matt: They throw them on t’stage! Imagine if you got one of them in t’eye! Fuckin’ hell! Remember in America, a kid got on stage and he had a handful [of CDs] and someone had to grab him to get him off, but he threw them. So he were getting pulled away and he threw them.

Alex: I’ve been getting less CDs though…

Matt: Now they’re throwing download cards at you!

Alex: I got a pair of underpants…

Jamie: People are chucking downloads at you. You’re like, ‘What the fuck?’

Matt: People are throwing zeroes and ones at you – it’s like the credits of The Matrix!

Jamie: You can’t get any flick on a download.

Alex: They’re chucking Spotifys at me. Maybe that’s what them pants were – some sort of code.

I think it’d be a totally different sort of code! Do you listen to the music that fans give you?

Matt: I listened to one that someone gave me the other day. It just were at home though, he just gave it me.

Alex: No more than I’d wear that pair of pants! (Laughs)

Matt: It were just convenient – I were getting in me car and there’s a CD player there.

What’s the strangest thing a fan has given you?

Matt: Just in Japan – everything you get is weird! Like, a monkey hat – it left your own face in but it’s got ears and a tail.

Jamie: And sweets.

Matt: A lot of sweets.

Jamie: We once said, ‘Oh, we like these sweets’ in an interview…

Nick: There’s someone that makes baked goods.

Matt: You got a good one, where it were like a picture of you…

Alex: Yeah, I got like a diagram of myself…

Matt: A diagram, pointing at every bit, and then asking to fill in, like, what his favourite brand of jeans were.

Alex: Hand it back, and then she’d sort of kit me out.

Matt: She’d buy it all! So, like, ‘Favourite shoes? Trainers or boots?’ It would be like that. He’d fill it in and send it back and then she’d buy it. ‘Will this do?’

Alex: Back it came with this jumper that were perfect actually. She really knew me better than I knew meself.

Nick: With baked goods, I know it’s not [spiked], but you never know… It’s probably fine – it’s more than likely fine – but it is a gamble.

Matt: It’s innocent, but someone might have seen that opportunity.

Jamie: I don’t think I’m ever gonna eat a baked good that some stranger’s made. You learn about that. There is a story there…

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after the tour is finished? 

Nick: See your friends and family that you’ve not seen.

Matt: I go and get my photos developed. That’s actually one of the first things I do.

Alex: I usually pick up me guitar. Honestly. It’s a deep breath.

Later that evening, Clash is back in the ping-pong room. The tour manager comes to break bad news to the band - the curtain at the front of the stage is broken. They won't be able to make their usual grand entrance. "Ah, we've got to do it," grins Alex. Do what? "We've been saying on this tour if ever the curtain doesn't work, we've got to go on to this song." Which song? "Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feelin’’," Alex beams. The band are giddily bouncing around, electrified by the prospect of taking the stage to the song that's soundtracked many a menopausal vodka-stained Saturday evening's preparatory gathering.

“But when do we go on?" Matt asks.

"The rap. We gotta wait for the rap," Alex asserts.

"We should wait until "Mazel tov”,” Jamie smirks.

Ten minutes later, Clash is amidst the Offenbach crowd when the lights go out and the song bursts from the PA. A wave of euphoria swells, the irony not lost, and right on cue, just as the Peas declare, "I know that we'll have a ball", the four Monkeys stride towards their instruments.

The nineteen-song set covers their three albums - with Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand’ thrown in for good measure. The last song before their encore is 'Secret Door’ from 'Humbug’. Just as Matt cracks the snare drum that launches the song's long psychedelic outro, cannons on the roof blast out gold and silver confetti over the joyous crowd below, proving that the Monkeys aren't averse to a bit of showmanship every now and then.

The after party is a subdued affair (well, in Offenbach it's bound to be!), with just the band, some friends, crew, and Clash, diving into the beer and nibbles on offer. A fairly drunken chat with Alex about Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday and Gram Parsons rounds off our time with the band, as they retreat back to the confines of their bus, about to depart for Dusseldor and their next gig.

Such a welcome and warm atmosphere is often rare backstage, especially with a band as celebrated as this, but the Monkeys - ever changing and ever surprising - are beginning to make a habit of defying expectations. Growing up has never been such fun.

All the music you didn’t hear in Good Omens. (And I found a new P&P reference) *Part4*

Part 1  l  Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4

The Bonkers Meta Series 2: Electric Boogaloo. It never ends.

So if you've been paying attention, you know that the number 2 is an incredibly important idea in season 2 of Good Omens. Well, I think it might be more than just the number two. I think it might actually be the concept of Double Meanings. Here's the first one I found.

When you google P&P Book you get : Pride & Prejudice, by our favourite Brandy smuggler: Jane Austen.

But when you google P&P Film, you get the life's work of ... Powell & Pressburger! Both prominent nods in the series that Neil and the gang seem pretty happy to talk about. This seemed like maybe it could be a coincidence to me, so I started looking up other nods in the series to see if my theory scans. Check this out :

P&P (1948) The Red Shoes Kate Bush (1993) P&P (1945) I know where I'm going Scottish traditional - Burl Ives (1941) P&P (1946) A matter of life & death / Stairway to Heaven Led Zepplin (1971) P&P (1949) The (Small) Back Room Van Morrison

P&P (1950)

Wild at Heart/Gone to Earth

David Sylvian

and here’s the P&P reference I think no one caught yet! Remember who Aziraphale learned the sleight of hand magic trick from in 1941? Prof Hoff.

P&P (1951) - musical The Tales of Hoffman Opera by Offenbach (1881) I linked everything so you can go listen or read about the the movies/music in question. However, be warned the opera is over two hours. Clearly I’m missing one, because I’m a series of six episodes there’s now way they put five references in, but I’m having a hard time finding it. If you know what it is, please let me know!

My point - my point here, is that I think rather than trying to find the “right” interpretation of the story of season 2 with confusing facts and confounding dialogue, these double entendres serve as a guide to show us how “both stories are going on at the same time” can be analyzed separately AND together, and that they live right on top of one another.

Want to hear my analysis of both the movie playlist and the music playlist? It’s on the way!

why does listening to classical music automatically make you “an old soul” “nerdy” “weird” “boring”

more under the cut (it’s long, sorry)

like? is it just me having a different standpoint or do i not get it? why is it that classical music is considered boring? what caused that? what???? im convinced the people saying these things have listened to like. vivaldi’s four seasons. boccherini’s minuet. offenbach’s can-can. and called it a day. these people probably don’t even know that it’s called “minuet” and only refer to the toreador march as the “fnaf song” <- (i don’t have anything against this per se, fnaf is a really cool thing i just never got into it fully and it only irks me just a little but that’s a whole other topic) without knowing what it’s from. now that goes to say i don’t expect everyone who criticizes and doesn’t like it to immediately go listen to the entire library of classical music and be enlightened but it’s a little offputting when you go out of your way to continuously remind someone that they’re weird for listening to and enjoying operas and/or classical music.

that last little bit was taken from what my friend— or i guess ex-friend now but the term still seems unfamiliar— would kind of do to me but to a lower degree i think. they said they found my interest in opera cool and would .. kind of listen to my rants and stuff and i appreciate it but then they’d go and make offhand comments about how weird i was and would use my interest in opera to sort of like.. “you can’t be talking you like OPERA” in a jokey manner i guess? that sort of thing. i thought that was normal and even though it hurt my feelings, it was all jokes, yeah? [i recognize now that thats not how that works and even though occasional jokes are okay your interests should never be the butt of the “joke” if it’s constantly repeated and hurts your feelings] and i think people don’t realize how much of a foundation classical music in itself is. i cannot tell you how many times i’ve recognized a piece to be a fragment from an opera or a mozart composition or like.. jeez i don’t fucking know, beethoven. out in the wild. in pop music, in movies, in shows, etc. even instagram reels/tiktok. if you frequent those you’ll come to find that there are a lot of trending “audios” using like.. lacrimosa or vivaldi’s four seasons or fuckin like prokofiev’s dance of the knights or act II of swan lake. i remember my mom was watching a netflix movie, a fucking cheesy ass romance or something, and there was a moment where the flower duet from lakmé played. the goddamn mario movie has a clip of carmen’s “l’amour est un oiseau rebelle”/the habanera within the first like, what. ten? fifteen minutes? i might be getting needlessly annoyed but it’s really fucking aggravating getting told i’m weird for liking something supposedly no one else under the age of 50 does. thanks guys. i really appreciate your supportiveness— but that’s besides the point.

my main reason that i’m even writing this is because my assumption (of course, this is most likely an incorrect assumption because i’m only 15 and only have so much life experience) is that the same people who often go around saying that classical music is boring and dull are the ones who are constantly wanting to push the arts to be funded. if you’re gonna fund the arts, fund ALL of them. not just “‘“‘“modern”””” stuff. not just musical theatre or plays. i think people forget that? maybe they ignore it. maybe they just don’t know. that’s why education is so important.

now that being said, i know seeing an opera or going to a concert can be expensive— and i wish that wasn’t the case. there’s always free livestreams, there’s always concerts, there’s albums, youtube videos, i know when i was in chicago i listened to the classical radio, etc. nothing beats seeing these things live in the theatre but it’s better than nothing i think?

also, i don’t mean to say classical is better than anything i mentioned above. no. i’m just sick and fucking tired of being told this and that about my interest when all i want to do is to be happy and consume something in peace without being hardcore judged for it and i really appreciate the small little operablr community.

there’s definitely more that i missed to this so if i think of anything more i’ll add on to it but i’m just… hrrrrgggg anger rage frustration. head in hands. so tired.

thank you for your time

[Album + Video] Grace Cumming veröffentlicht neues Album "Ramona"!

Anders als bei ihrem selbstproduzierten Debüt "Refuge Cove" (2019) und dem Nachfolger "Storm Queen" (2022) arbeitete die in Melbourne lebende Künstlerin Grace Cummings für ihr neues Album "Ramona" mit dem Produzenten Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price) zusammen und schuf einen aufwändig orchestrierten Sound, der die Tiefe und den Umfang ihres stimmlichen Könnens voll zur Geltung bringt. "Ramona", das am 5. April über ATO Records erscheinen wird, behandelt Trauer, Selbstzerstörung und emotionale Gewalt und verleiht Cummings Musik dabei eine neue Größe.

“In the past I’ve been caught up in worrying about whether I’m being too emotional or over-the-top, but this time around I decided not to filter any of that out”, so Cummings. “My only intention was to be myself, which meant being extremely vulnerable in my writing and my vocal performance, without going back and editing myself later on.”

Das Album entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit einer Reihe von Gästen, darunter die Harfenistin Mary Lattimore und der Streicherarrangeur und Multiinstrumentalist Drew Erickson (Weyes Blood, Mitski, Lana Del Rey), mit Cummings an der Gitarre und am Klavier und Wilson an der Gitarre, dem Schlagzeug, dem Banjo und der Orgel. “I wanted everything and the kitchen sink on this record, to make it as big and dramatic as possible and show a whole range of colors.”

Auf den Songs gibt es ruhige, schöne Momente, aber auch etwas Soul und einige Teile, die fast schon opernhaft sind, unterstützt von Cummings ungezügelter Theatralik als versierte Bühnenschauspielerin. “I wrote that about watching a friend of mine play with their little boy and thinking how beautiful it was, and questioning any other part of life that isn’t as good as that”, erzählt Cummings über die erste Single "On And On", die bereits jetzt zu hören ist.

Tracklist "Ramona": 01. Something Going 'Round 02. On and On 03. I’m Getting Married to The War 04. Love and the Canyon 05. Work Today (and Tomorrow) 06. Everybody’s Somebody 07. Common Man 08. Without You 09. Ramona 10. A Precious Thing 11. Help is on its Way

Live: 16.05.24 Offenbach - Stadthalle * 19.05.24 A-Wien - Arena Wien * 20.05.24 Berlin - Columbiahalle * 21.05.24 Berlin - Kantine am Berghain 02.06.24 Mannheim - Maifeld Derby 03.06.24 München - Import/Export (* als Support für King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) Booking in D: Powerline Agency

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City of Lights: Paris at Night from a Bateau Mouche

A glorious full moon competed with the sparkling Eiffel Tower and the sounds of Offenbach’s “Can Can” as we enjoyed a romantic dinner cruise up and down the River Seine on a Bateau Mouche. What a breathtaking experience! Do yourself a favor and splurge on this when you visit Paris.

Bateau Mouche literally translates as “fly boat” (so named because the boats were originally manufactured in boatyards situated in the Mouche area of Lyon), and these boats have been plying the river showing visitors the best views of Paris since 1949, carrying 2.5 million passengers a year on a tour of Paris from what the company calls “Paris’s best avenue of them all: the Seine.”

We reserved in advance, a wise decision, chose an evening dinner tour, and selected the Prestige Dinner menu, which cost us 105 euros each and now costs 115 euros, or about $123. This included a four-course meal, a bottle of wine, and a glass of champagne, as well as live entertainment. If we’d chosen the Excellence Menu for 40 euros more apiece, we would have had window seats and fancier food; instead, we were in the middle of the interior dining room, with a great view of the piano and violin duet playing standards. The boat was surrounded by windows, though, and a short trip to the outdoor upper level afforded excellent views. Next time, I believe I will splurge on the window seats.

Thinking of popping the question? You can choose the “Get a Yes in Paris - Marriage Proposal” package starting at 340 euros per person, which includes a chauffeur to the boat, a special table for 2 in the bow, offers a variety of quality champagnes to choose from. Who wouldn’t say yes to a proposal with Moet and Chandon on a bateau mouche in Paris?

Several competing companies provide essentially the same tour, including brunch, lunch, and simple sightseeing tours.

Enjoy more photos of our Seine River Tour from aboard a Bateau Mouch at messysuitcase.com!

INFO

Paris Tourism Bateaux Mouches Offenbach’s Can Can

I’m interested in getting into opera, because your opera posts always seem so cool. Any suggestions for a first-time opera watcher?

hi anon!!!

so it all depends on what you like, but since I don't know you or what you like, I'll try to give you some blanket suggestions:

if you like tragedies: if you like more romantic, pathos-filled stories, try La traviata (Verdi), La bohème (Puccini), or Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky). if you like more exciting/violent stuff, try Rigoletto (Verdi), Tosca (Puccini), Carmen (Bizet), or Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti). you cannot go wrong at all with Verdi (well, just try to avoid productions of Aida and Otello with blackface but otherwise you should be fine).

if you like comedies, early-19th century bel canto will become your best friend. Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini all wrote some really great comedies, although most of my recommendations are from the first two: check out Il barbiere di Siviglia (shenanigans and iconic bops galore) or La cenerentola (like Cinderella but Different) by Rossini, L'elisir d'amore (will-they-or-won't-they plus a quack doctor selling wine), Don Pasquale (old guy tries to marry young woman but there are Shenanigans And Plotting), La fille du régiment (girl gets adopted as a baby by the French army, falls in love with the enemy, finds out she's actually of noble birth, etc.), or Viva la mamma! (Shenanigans In An Opera Company) all by Donizetti, or La sonnambula (plot is completely stupid but so, SO cute in the end) by Bellini.

other miscellaneous thoughts on the subject:

one-acters are GREAT. Puccini wrote a really good set of three called Il trittico: there's a violent tragedy (Il tabarro), a devastating sentimental tragedy (Suor Angelica), and a hilarious comedy (Gianni Schicchi). sometimes you'll only get two of them in performance (like the last opera production I saw before all hell broke loose in March 2020 was the last two in double bill). all three are good, though. if you get a chance to see a double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, go. really, if you see any local show with multiple short operas on the bill, go. I've been to several and they're always really, really good.

Mozart is great. Mozart operas also tend to be pretty long, so be prepared for that. my personal favorite is Le nozze di Figaro. you will recognize some of the music. it's three or so hours of nonstop plotting and comedy. the plot can get very, very confusing. that's okay. you will be confused going in to a lot of operas. I still get confused. this is perfectly normal. just about any Mozart is worth a watch, although some have rather cringeworthy plots.

Wagner is also great but even longer. I do not recommend Wagner for a first-timer. personally, it took me about five years from the time I started loving opera to watch my first Wagner opera. this is fine. you do you. Lohengrin and Tannhauser are probably the best first Wagners.

French opera is some of my absolute favorite, as you may have noticed. it can also be quite long. in general, stuff from the second half of the 19th century and later is shorter and more accessible to newbies. I recommend anything by Gounod, Bizet, Offenbach, or Massenet you can get your hands on.

operettas and light operas are GREAT choices. you have Gilbert and Sullivan, you have Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, Franz Lehar's Die lustige Witwe, or any of Offenbach's operettas (go look for productions directed by Laurent Pelly, who is absolutely perfect for this).

Baroque opera can be very, very good. it can also be very, very long and repetitive. I recommend small doses first. anything by Handel or Rameau is great. Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, while a little later than the Baroque heyday, is a) great and b) short. Purcell's Dido and Aeneas is also very short and has some iconic music. another great thing about Baroque opera: it can be very, very, very gay. look for the gay.

there are plenty of operas in English. two recommendations I have are Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (Demon Shenanigans In 18th-Century London) and Floyd's Susannah (a very good, very disturbing Americana adaptation of the story of Susanna and the Elders).

anyway, anon, I hope this helps! please do not hesitate to pop in again if you have any more questions or want more information on anything!

Jonathan Ford *Supporting character

Voice Claim: (Chace Crawford) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93RiBFp4DyA

Partner(s): None. Parents: Connie Burlington & Michael Ford. Siblings: Marlena Ford Kids: None Age: 35 Birthday: 1st of March Height: 189 cm (6.2ft) Body type: Slim but muscular. Eye color: Light to medium blue Classification: Human

About: Intelligent, Awkward, Clumsy, Observant, Neat, Rational, Intuitive, Curious, Open minded, Calm, Stubborn, Objective, Dedicated, Honest, Charming, Resourceful, Independent, Clean, Private, Disciplined, Logical, Decent, Focused, Determined and Reserved. ~ Sexuality Straight. ~ FBI agent. ~ Has sandy to golden blonde hair, he always spends a little too much time on fixing before his day starts. ~ Drinks too much coffee. ~ Can be a bit awkward at times. ~ Works too much, doesn’t have time for a relationship. ~ Lonely. ~ Has never fired a gun at anyone, only warning shots so far. ~ A bit of a momma’s boy. ~ 8/10 pretends to be sophisticated, really isn’t. ~ Very private, takes a lot for him to open up. ~ Can be a bit stiff around people he doesn’t know. ~ Can be a bit stiff, period. ~ Not the best cook, but manages not to burn the globe down. ~ City boy, but dreams of one day getting married, having kids and buying an old run down farm. ~ A bit of a closet romantic. ~ Drinks a lot of red wine. ~ Waiting for a promotion. ~ Doesn’t always know when to shut up. ~ Is often called the ‘ass-kisser’ at work, really isn’t. ~ Gets annoyed by slow drivers. ~ Can’t stand mushrooms! ~ Sings in the shower. ~ Isn’t very close to his family. More or less only see them during the big holidays. He’s on good terms with them, but work gets in the way aka Jonathan prefers work over people. ~ Goes grocery shopping once per week, always buys the same. ~ Eats a lot of frozen meals, canned tuna, scrambled eggs and pasta. ~ Often buried in work, even when he’s not at work. ~ Tends to forget there’s a world outside work. ~ His work partner simply calls him John, everyone else at work calls him ford. He tends to mostly listen to that. ~ Gets panic attacks. Pretends he’s alright, although he often feels like he’s losing it.  ~ Occasionally smokes, when he gets too stressed/tense. ~ Watches reality shows to battle his loneliness, 10/10 makes him more lonely! ~ Would never admit they make him more lonely, nor that he watches reality shows! ~ Loves: Married At First Sight (reality show), crime documentaries, serial killer documentaries, salted peanuts, canned tuna, red wine, peanut butter, burny-hot showers, work, French music, French fries, French kissing, French girls, French food, classical music, spring time, fog, cheese, otters, coffee, cuddling, foot baths, foot rubs, sea food and taking someone special out for dinner/cinema. ~ His style is formal/formal-casual (it’s rare to catch him in a completely casual look, and if you do, someone probably forced him or he lost a bet!) ~ Is actually a really great guy, if you have the patience to get to know him.

Biography: (Coming soon) Ford’s tag Ford’s house/home Ford’s moodboard Handwriting/ask answer pic:

One gif to describe him:

One song to describe him: Beethoven - Sonate au Clair de Lune Personal Playlist: 1. Indila - Tourner Dans Le Vide 2. Georges Bizet - The Pearl Fishers 3. Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune 4. Stromae - Formidable (ceci n'est pas une leçon) 5. Edith Piaf - Non, Je ne regrette rien 6. INGRID ST-PIERRE - Ficelles 7. Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit 8. Johann Strauss - The Blue Danube Waltz 9. Maurice Ravel -  Miroirs III. Une Barque sur L'Ocean 10. Beethoven - Für Elise 11. La Femme - Sur La Planche 12. Guillaume Grand - Toi et moi 13. Tchaikovsky - Valse Sentimentale 14. Antonio Vivaldi - Storm 15. Franz Liszt - Liebestraum 16. Jacques Offenbach - La belle Hélène 17. Olivia Ruiz - J'Traine Des Pieds 18. Robert Schumann: der Dichter spricht (aus Kinderszenen op.15) 19. Franz Schubert - Ständchen 20. Erik Satie - Gnossienne No.3

what did you think of the music in season two? did you like it?

Sorry anon, this is a bit of a delayed reply. So there's two parts of Bridgerton music, right? There's the string quartet covers (that are not exclusively VSQ now, ps - also I personally don't believe we should refer to these as classical covers but anyways) and then there's the original compositions.  I'll put the rest under the cut cause it got long:

String arrangements: I think I've always had a question about their approach with these. Are they choosing songs with recognizability/popularity in mind? Or solely how the essence of the string-rendition will resonate on its own? I actually didn't know all of the pop covers in S1 and my absolute favorite one was 'In My Blood.' I had never listened to the original Shawn Mendes song and once I did, I was like 'nah.' But the VSQ cover? EXQUISITE. As for this season, I think 'What About Us' was...so good. It helps that the original is also just a very melancholically beautifully song by nature of the key and chord progression. I also liked the K3G cover more than I thought! I tried to push out my association with it and I quite liked how they interpreted it and I thought it really fit the scene, both in pace and tone. And, of course, if you know K3G, angsty family issues hit even deeper. But 'Dancing on My own' was pretty great - but I think a lot of that has to do with what I associate that song with and how culturally relevant it is, which I think may answer my original question (I think that scene lands better if you know that song's lyrics - I question if it lands quite enough if you don't). MC's 'Wrecking Ball' is not a song I listened to much (don't @ me) so I would never have known what it was when I heard the string arrangement. But it was SO. GOOD. Sweet lord. And I think that's the hallmark of a good arrangement - you shouldn't need to know the original if the arrangement is powerful enough.

Original compositions: I'm not gonna lie....I was WHELMED by the original music after experiencing what Kris Bowers did in S1. I was really surprised that they reused so many cues/themes from S1 actually (like Daphne's sexual awakening cue, for instance). Like a theme from S1 that I had associated with Anthony and Sienna exclusively was super prominent this season, so maybe it was always supposed to be Anthony's cue?? Dunno. And there was NOTHING on the level of 'We Could Form an Attachment' (which I'm PRETTY sure they reused this season, btw). Like that composition is soooooooooo good, I could weep. And I was really hoping for something new on that level. It was sweeping yet intimate and tender. Sigh. The Kate/Anthony theme was...okay? I liked it for its angsty/melancholy tone but it was just...fine in my eyes. The first time I really noticed it was episode 2 when Kate tells Anthony he can't see Edwina at Lady's - and it stuck out to me because it didn't fit the mood of the scene at first, but as soon as Anthony laughed - I was like "oooooh, interesting" which might have been the point. It's used in major keys (read: positive/happy tones) in different places, like their first meeting and Ascot, but I didn't fall in love with it like I had hoped to.

Overall, I wonder if KB was busy with a lot of other projects last year honestly and maybe original compositions for Bridgerton weren't the priority (which - props to him! He did a lot of important work last year so it makes sense)

I LOVED the original cue that was used in season 2's teaser and was really sad it didn't appear in the actual season (unless I missed it??) Like - it was the perfect tone, perfect key, perfect progression. Baffled why they didn't incorporate it into the show itself.

The third piece:

I was surprised they didn't use any existing classical music like they did in season 1 (unless I'm mistaken?? Maybe they did and I didn't recognize or register it...). But in S1, they used Offenbach and Vivaldi (as well as a remixed/rearranged version of Vivaldi) as well as Shostakovich. They may have used some this season though, and I missed it.  So I'd say my overall response was 🤷🏾‍♀️. S1's music hit harder for me overall, if I'm honest - and I liked the way they used Vivaldi, in particular, and Shostakovich, even if his music obviously did not exist in 1813 lol.

obnoxious songs they blast while picking you up | pt. 1

Ft. Daichi, Sugawara, Tanaka, Hinata, Kuroo, Yaku, Oikawa, Matsukawa, Hanamaki, Daisho

Warnings: Language, dorky boys, some songs are 18+ lmao sorry kids

A/n: I don’t really know where this idea came from. I was just vibing and listening to music and had the epiphany that I listen to obnoxious shit and decided to put some of them into writing and then it turned into this lol.  I feel like half the boys in this show are petty as fuck and would do this just because of a small fight.  This is also published to Ao3 and there will be a part 2!

Daichi – Bad Boys from COPS

This fucker probably pulls up to your job in a police car, windows rolled down, and blasts this song. Everyone in the general vicinity is just staring.  You are too, but you’re staying in place because your husband is the worst human on earth.

He points at you and motions for you to get in the car, smirking.

You can’t even see his eyes. He’s wearing the classic cop aviators.

Honestly, fuck this guy.

You’re head is lowered as you shamble toward the car, face red, before getting in the passenger seat.

“I’m never asking you to pick me up again, Daichi.”

“Awe, you love it, babe. Plus you’re riding in style.”

This isn’t what you’d call style, especially when he blasting this particular song.

He even has the audacity to turn on the sirens and the lights as he drives away from your workplace.

You’ll have your revenge. . .

Sugawara – Can-Can by Offenbach

You think the person pulling up in a car that’s blasting Can-Can is a genius while also being extremely annoying, until you realize that’s your genius but annoying ass husband.

Sugawara rolls down the window and smirks at you. He’s trying to look cool, doing the whole single-hand on the steering wheel and one arm out the window thing.

And really, he would look cool if he wasn’t playing Can-Can.

“Twerk for me babe.”

You pull the hood of your jacket up and awkwardly walk to the car.

Your face is bright red, but let’s be real, the second you are both in the car together you’re headbutting your asses off to Can-Can because it’s an amazing song.

Fuck y’all if you disagree.

(Jk I love you anyway)

Yeah, he blasts Can-Can a lot at home just because it's amazing.

Usually he does it before cleaning the house because it's very motivating.

Tanaka – Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

First off, this is the best song that’s ever been created in the history of music.

You can fight me on that.

Anyway-

Tanaka pulls up in your guys’ mini van because it just had the oil changed, and as payback for making him drive a mini van, he thinks he’ll be a little cooler if he just blasts the most badass song ever.

It’s really not. . .

Everyone is staring at Tanaka because for some reason your mini van has hella bass so it’s just vibrating everything in the general vicinity.

You stare at him, smiling, but internally raging. Your husband stares back, smirking widely and very mischievously.

He even dares to lean over the passenger seat and open the door for you.

“C’mon, baby. Get in and be cool with me.”

Hinata – Fur Elise by Beethoven (Klutch Dubstep Remix)

He’s not even trying to be embarrassing. He’s just legitimately vibing with this song when he picks you up.

He probably just got out of volleyball practice, too, so he’s in a tanktop and shorts, sunglasses on his head, and looks like he’s on top of the world as he waits for you to come over to where he’s pulled up and he’s literally headbanging to the song.

It takes you like a whole minute before you realize that’s literally your husband.

You’re like *surprised pikachu face*.

Just let him vibe. . . Don’t ruin his vibe. . .

You just go to the car and get in the passenger seat quietly. He doesn’t even notice because he’s vibing so hard.  He’s doing hand movements and everything, as if he’s the one playing the piano.

When the song ends and he sees you sitting there, his face just lights up.

“Hey, baby! How was work?”

You smile and go on to tell him about your day. You don’t bother to tell him that your entire workplace just witnessed him aggressively headbanging to Fur Elise.

Kuroo – WAP by Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion (but the Rihanna S&M mashup)

You and your husband had a fight earlier that morning. It was over basically nothing (it was about you not making him breakfast because you woke up late -.- This petty fucker—), and you did not apologize to him.

Never let a fight linger with Kuroo’s petty ass.

You watch your husband’s car pull up to the curb, where you’re waiting for him. The music could literally be heard from three blocks away.

Kuroo rolls down the window, smirking, and turns to you.

Deadass, this fucker is shirtless, and wearing aviator sunglasses that he casually pulls down to look at you from over the rim.  His hair is even slicked back and he looks hot.

His arm is dangling over the steering wheel and the song is just blasting.

“Hey, kitten~”

Your face is absolutely burning. Everyone in the general vicinity is staring at this shirtless, attractive motherfucker who you unfortunately chose to marry.

“I’m not making you breakfast for a week, Kuroo.”

You don’t even call him by his first name even though you literally have the same last name as him.

“What!? >:(“

This is probably how he picks you up everyday until you make him breakfast.

Yaku – S my D by Blood on the Dancefloor

This is another case of the man being a petty bitch because of a minor fight.

You may or may not have called your husband short earlier this morning, and you both laughed it off after he scolded you for calling him short. You genuinely thought it was over with until. . .

. . . he’s picking you up for work.

You didn’t even know this song existed until this exact moment, but the lyrics are so vulgar.

Yaku has all the windows down and is screaming this song as it blasts from the speakers.

You deadass just turn around and pretend you don’t know him.

You’re literally five seconds away from just walking home, honestly.

“Isn’t that your husband, Yaku-chan?” one of your coworkers asks.

You glance at the car where your husband is still jamming.

“Hm, nope. Don’t know that guy.  What a weirdo.”

Yeah, everyone knows you’re married to that lunatic but no one says anything.

Oikawa – I’m a Barbie Girl by Aqua

Why wouldn’t he? This fucker probably thinks he’s a living Ken doll.

Jk, but seriously.

You guys had a fight a whole week ago about his haircut. All you said was that he should cut it a little because it was growing into his eyes and he gasps like you’ve just murdered his whole family.

Yeah, he’s dramatic.

So, the next time you ask him to pick you up from work? Well, he’s obviously playing this song and he’s actually jamming to it.

He’s wearing sunglasses and staring at you like he’s staring into your soul.

He only sings the Ken parts and points at you at the Barbie parts like he expects you to actually sing back.

You’re so embarrassed because everyone is staring.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows the obvious implications of the song so all the older people around are mildly horrified.

“C’mon, Barbie. Let’s go home,” Oikawa says, winking.

You’ve never wanted to murder your husband as bad as you do right now.

Matsukawa – Skibidi by Little Big

First off, go watch the music video if you haven’t.

. . is this even a surprise?

Your husband is chaotic and he probably forced you to learn the dance with him. You both will randomly turn it on at inopportune moments and fully expect the other person to start the dance (someone do this with me).

You shouldn’t be surprised when your husband pulls up, looking innocent, before beginning to blare the song with all the windows rolled down.

Suddenly he looks like a maniac with the way he’s grinning.

Your jaw drops to the ground and you just stand there for a moment in shock.

Your face is bright red but you’re smiling stubbornly as you begin the horrific dance.

Matsukawa laughs. He literally gets out of the car and starts dancing with you like an idiot.

Everyone is watching in awe and honestly they should be jealous that you guys have so much fun.

Best husband.

Hanamaki – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers

This is probably a common occurrence honestly. This bitch is chaotic as shit so if you think he wasn’t going to be harassing you every time he picks you up then you’re wrong.

At this point it’s just a challenge to see how far he can go.

Pulls up blaring this song and rolls down the window revealing him to be wearing a beach-themed button up (ya know, the classic dad ones) and he’s smirking like a fucking maniac.

Points at you just before the chorus.

You’re smiling like an idiot because he’s just so stupid and lovable.

“I WOULD WALK 500 MILES AND I WOULD WALK 500 MORE~!!”

He’s screaming so loud that you can’t believe his vocal chords haven’t snapped.

Maki starts doing the rope-pull thing and you play along and go to the car.

Yes, you guys sit in the parking lot screaming that song together until it ends.

Honestly, everyone at your workplace just thinks your husband is the coolest guy ever.

Daisho – Daddy by PSY

Probably thought he was the funniest guy on the face of the Earth when he pulled up to your job blaring this song. He looks like a real cool guy, too.

Sunglasses, short-sleeved shirt to show off muscular biceps, slicked hair.

Ya man has the whole shebang.

You just stare at him, jaw dropped when Daisho turns to you with a smirk. He’s nudges his sunglasses down a little to look at you over the rim.

“Hey, babe,” he greets, too casually for your liking.

The music is so loud that you barely even hear him.

His smirk only stretches wider when he sees your growing embarrassment.

“C’mon, you like my body, just admit it!” he calls.

You get into the car before he can keep talking. You quickly roll up your window but the other three are still down and you know in your heart that there’s no escaping your husband’s will to embarrass you.

“I’ll get payback.”

“Sure you will, babe.”

Okay, this will probably be only interesting for people that are public transport nerds like me. A short summary of the public transit in Frankfurt am Main in early 2021:

Bus, Metrobus, Expressbus (Purple lines on map)

Frankfurt has a tightknit system of buslines: Regular citybus lines (not shown on the map), Metrobus lines (M-Lines), that run for 24 h, 7 days at week in a frequency of every 10 min on the day, every 15 min on Sundays and every 30 min. in the night. Express-Bus lines (X-Lines) are fast buslines that stop only at selected bus stops and connect to the airport. Nightbus lines (N-Lines, not shown on map) are bus lines that run at night and replace bus and rail lines without 24 h service.

Projects: There are currently no major projects, modernisations of busstops and the vehicles is ongoing thou. There are plans for building a new central bus depot and repair garage in eastern Frankfurt, replacing the old central depot at Rebstock Park, but that is still in preparation. The current stock are busses (Solo and articulated) by Solaris, MAN, Mercedes-Benz and a few busses by Volvo, Irisbus and VanHool (the VanHool Busses are old and due to replacement). There are more EV-busses by Solaris and EBUSCO replacing diesel busses coming in. A few years ago, the city tested the use of doubledecker busses for some of the high frequented lines, they borrowed doubledecker busses from Berlin for that purpose (Berlin, like London, successfully operates doubledeckers for more than a century), and while the busses where well recieved and the test could be considerd a success, the city decidet against aquireing double deckes, since the depot at Rebstock had not the necessary facilities to operate them. But maybe that idea will resurface at some point for the Metrobus and Expressbus lines and the new depot can be planned accordingly.

Tram (Straßenbahn, orange/yellow lines on map)

Frankfurt has a large and old tramway system 10 lines (8 main lines and 2 supportlines) and 1 tourist/heritage line (Ebbelwoi Express). It started as a horse drawn tram in 1872 and was electrified in 1884, making it the second oldest electric tram in the world. It has been in constant operation since it was first opend, only stopping operation for a few weeks at the end of WW2. The next work had it largest size prior to WW2, with over 40 (!) lines, but shrank in the decades after the war and was almost completely shot down in the 1980s (plans from the 1960s were originally to replace the tramway step by step with the U-Bahn). The Frankfurt tramway only operates within the city limits of Franfurt, with two lines, 15 and 16, terminate at the city limit to the city of Offenbach (pop. 130,000) and one line, 17, terminates at the city limit of the town of Neu Isenburg (pop. 38,000). The tram operates mainly two types of trams, the R series that was introduced in the early 1990s, and that is starting to show its age, and the S series, which was introduced in the early 2000s. Also in operation are P series trams from the 1970s as support vehicles in peak times. They will finally be retired (along with some of the R series stock) when the new T series enters service later this year. The Ebbelwoi Express operates historic K series trams from the early 1950s. There are several project for the tram. Currently under construction is a modernisation of the Gutleut tram depot, in preparation for the new T series. Several new lines are planned: line 13 will operate from Industriehof, where it connects with the U-Bahn via Westbahnhof (west station), Messe (trade fair), Hauptbahnhof (central station), central bus station to Gutleut depot. There are plans for a tram line from Sachsenhausen Hainerweg in the south of the city to the railway station of the town of Bad Vilbel (pop. 34,000) north-east of Frankfurt, where it would connect with S-Bahn line S6, this tram line will replace the highly frequented city bus line 30. A circle tram line is planned unsing mostly existing tracks. And extensions of existing lines. There are plans to extend line 17 through the town of Neu Isenburg to the towns of Dreieich (pop. 42,000) and Langen (pop. 38,000) and to extend line 16 into the city center of Offenbach, possibly going through the city, northwards over the river Main, where it would connect with tramline 11 in Frankfurt-Fechenheim. Other plans include an extension of tram line 11 to Frankfurt-Höchst railway station (connection to S-Bahn) and a new route throgh the city center via Haptwache (Frankfurts central U- and S-Bahn hub) to take pressure of the existing main tram route through the city center.

Metro (U-Bahn, blue lines on map)

Frankfurts U-Bahn is more of a light rail than a classic metro. 9 lines are currently in operation on four main routes: Route A(Lines U1, U2, U3, U8 and U9 is the oldest route, it was first opend in 1968 and connects south station via the city center to the northern city districts and suburbs. It also connects to the towns of Oberursel (pop. ) and Bad Homburg (pop.). Route B (lines U4 and U5) connects the central station, eastwards through the city center with districts on the north east of the city. Route C (lines U6, U7 and U4) is an east-west route, connection city disticts in the west via the city center woth city districts in the east. Route D (lines U1, U4, U8 and U9) is unfinished, it is currently split in two. D1 connects the central station with Bockenheiner Warte via the trade fair. D2 connects Frankfurt Ginnheim via Nordwestzentrum to Riedberg in the north of the city. It was originally planned as the second north-south route paralel to route A. Many overground sections of the U-Bahn are upgraded former tram routes, it shows in some sections like the streetrunning section of line U5 on the Eckenheimer Landstraße in Frankfurt-Nordend. There are quite a few projects. On line U5 is the extension of the line westwards is under construction, it will lead from the current terminus at the central station into the Europaviertel and will end at Rebstock. At the other end of line U5 is planned to extend north to the Railwaystation Frankfurter Berg where it will connect the the S-Bahn. Another big project is the so called Ginnheimer curve, which will be closing the gap in route D between Bockenheimer Warte and Ginnheim. There are somediscussions about the exact route, how it will be connected to university campus Westend and how the tunnel will pass under Grüneburg Park, which has raised some concerns with conservationists. U2 is Planned to be extendet from its current terminus in Bad Homburg-Gonzenheim to Bad Homburg Railway station, where it would connect to the S-Bahn. Further projects, that arecurrently unspecified, are a new trainyard in northern Frankfurt, which will replace the small Heddernheim yard, an extension of line U7 eastward through Bergen Enkheim, and on the other End of the line north westwards to a new P+R facillity on the autobahn A5 to the town of Steinbach (pop. 10,000) and a new residental district that is planned within Frankfurts city limits.On line U4 a short tunnel from the station Seckbacher Langstraße to the residental area Seckbach Atzelberg is in discussion. On the A route an extension south from the current terminus at the south station to to Sachsenhäuser Warte is in discussion as well asextending the tunnel further north along the Eschersheimer Landstraße (the tunnel currently ends at Dornbusch and the route uns north on the median of the road. The rolling stock are type U-4, type U-5-25 and type U-5-50 cars, it is planned to buy some middle cars for the U-5 stock to extend the trains in length.

Suburban Rapid Transit (S-Bahn, green lines on map)

The S-Bahn is a heavy rail rapid transit system that is operated by Deutsche Bahn, Germanys national railway, and connects Frankfurt to other towns and cities in the larger Frankfurt-Rhein-Main metro area. The S-Bahn has two city tunnels through the city centers of Frankfurt and Offenbach (there is als a small tunnel with an underground station in the town of Schwalbach (pop. 15,000) on line S3), with about 10 underground railway stations. The S-Bahn connect Frankfurt directly to the other cities in the region like Offenbach, Wiebaden (Hessens state capital, pop. 278,000), Mainz (State capital of Rhineland Palatinate, pop. 218,000), Darmstadt (pop. 160,000) and Hanau (pop. 96,000). There are 9 lines in total. The S-Bahn is using EMUs type DB 423, DB 430 and DB 425. The S-Bahn has several large projects. The northmain S-Bahn to Hanau willbe a second connection to Hanau via Frankfurt east station and the town of Maintal (pop. 39,000) directly east of Frankfurt which oddly hasn´t an S-Bahn connection yet. The extension of the Main-Weser rail line from 2 to 4 tracks which will lead to the modernisation of several S-bahn stations and the addition of a new station in Frankfurt-Ginnheim. Line S5 will be extendet from Friedrichsdorf via Grävenwiesbach to Usingen in the northern Taunus mountains. In the south line S2 will be extendet from Dietzenbach to Darmstadt via Dieburg. At the new terminal 3 a second S-Bahn station is planned

Other Public Transit

There are busses from neighbouring cities and counties and other commuter rail lines by Deutsche Bahn and HSB (Hesse State Railways). The Airport has two people mover lines, a third one is under construction.There are plans for the Regional Tangete West and Regional Tangente Ost, which will form a lightrail ring around Frankfurt. These ring lines will connect most S- and U-Bahn lines that go out of the city and will also connect to the airport. Another fun project that is planned is a cable tramway from the terminus of U3 at Hohemark to the sumit of the Feldberg, the highest mountain of the Taunus mountains. The network map is curtesy of the VGF, Frankfurts public transit cooperation.

Santhony modern AU is wild cuz Siena’s a successful opera singer & Anthony’s this Old Money trust fund kid who spends his life making sure his siblings make less bad decisions than he does.

YES YES YES. THAT'S THE VIBE WE'RE GOING FOR. Anthony is one of these European kids you have no idea what they do (if they even do anything), except he has all this money and title, is always around charity events and attends polo matches. And no one - least of all his siblings - appreciate all the effort he does to make their lives better. Meanwhile, after her groundbreaking performance last season in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, Siena just got the title role on the Royal Opera House production of Puccini's Tosca, and the opera world couldn't be more in love with her. 

So, when the first pictures of their romance surface (courtesy of Lady Whistledown's tabloid of course), everyone is puzzled wondering how these two even met and surely, it's the most unexpected romance of the summer. And Violet hates it because her kids are supposed to be in the papers for good reasons, and not pictured on heated embraces with singers outside some bar. "Really, Anthony?" while Benedicts comments that Anthony skipped all his piano lessons as a child, so, does he even understand anything his new girlfriend talks about? And in short, all the Bridgerton siblings agree that it's just a summer fling that will never work out, except that Anthony keeps canceling on all the arranged dates his mother sets him up in favor of spending his time with Siena.

And Siena never expected to fall in love with someone like Anthony, who has had everything handed to him and couldn't even imagine half the things she went through to get to where she is. But Anthony is charming and fun, and caring, and he makes her forget how cutthroat the show business world is. So they make their own little world. They dance half naked in her apartment, she cooks him pasta with her nonna's recipe, and Anthony finally learns how to turn the oven on when Siena has a sore throat and he has to heat water for her tea. ;)

tagged by @badlesmisimagines

five songs i’ve been listening to on repeat lately:

Anywhere Is - Enya. Always reminds me of my teen years when I was listening to Enya near-constantly while obsessively reading Star Wars EU novels and playing Spyro 2 and 3 all the time

Garden Lullaby/Garden of Dreams - Gary Stadler. It's the instrumental/lyrical version of the same song and really pretty and relaxing. I've been listening to a lot of Gary Stadler lately tbh, his whole thing is soothing fantasy-inspired songs and it's p. great imo

Wild Montana Skies - John Denver (but the version that is a duet with Emmylou Harris.) I've been on a John Denver kick lately, I think it's because he sings about nature a lot and I've been kinda stuck in the house (except for my Horrible Retail Job) for a long time for Obvious Reasons

The Can-Can - Jacques Offenbach. This one is 100% because of a video I found on here recently that has animated cats doing cat things (and dancing) to it, which I can't stop watching over and over

City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie. This is actually about a train called the City of New Orleans, and is basically a love song to trains in general

last movie watched:

probably Howl's Moving Castle? idk it's been a while since I watched an actual movie but I watched this one like 3 or 4 times in a row a while back. the novel is better but the movie is really beautiful and fun in classic Ghibli style, although it suffers from the fact that the ending is really abrupt and makes no sense unless you already know a bunch of details from the book version that don't really appear in the movie (and even then it...doesn't really make sense)

currently watching:

When I was at my parents' this past weekend my dad was watching this show called Agent X which apparently had 1 season made in 2015 and which is about this secret agent who works with the vice president to deal with increasingly crazy problems. I ended up watching this show because he had it on all day and I couldn't avoid it whenever I was in the living room. It was okay I guess although the fact it had only one season meant that the storyline never actually got resolved

Simpsons clips that I find on the Simpsons fan-sub on reddit

idk man I have Not had time to really watch anything on my own initiative lately due to increasing levels of grad school work

currently reading:

Jacobite Relics of Scotland (James Hogg, ed.) This is for my MA paper and is actually hella fun because so many of these songs are extremely Rude and Mean and Insulting to the other side. I bought my own version of vol. I online but it has red rot so I keep it in a box and am using the library-bound copy that the university's research library has instead of my own

The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Samuel Pepys was this dude who lived in London in the 17th c. and kept this secret diary during the Restoration (i.e. 1660s.) He had a gov't job under Charles II and wrote about all the things he did and saw and thought, in a secret code so no one else could read it, which makes it a fabulous source on life in the Restoration as well as thoroughly entertaining, although I accidentally bought a censored version so it omits his more salacious thoughts and activities >:(

The Prima Official Game Guide to the Sims 2. This is because I've been playing Sims 2 constantly lately when I have free time and I wanted to know all the best ways to maximize my simming experience

tagging @laughingmistress @sneez @eirenical if you guys wanna do it

Saw your boxing in D.C. video on YouTube. Watching you and The Hammer duking it out like REAL MEN. 2 shirtless sweaty daddy bears. WOOF. How were you able to concentrate while fighting a hot man like The Hammer?

Hey man...I loved boxing Jack.  That was on one of my big boxing trips.  In fact, it was during my most recent FightOdyssey, which is what I call my big boxing trips.  This was the fourth FightOdyssey.  I organized NINE different boxing camps and events around the world.  My welterweight husband Rob and I started here in Adelaide, flew to Dubai, then to London.  The first event was at a private ring in Grove Park London, simply called Boxing at Grove Park.  Next up was Frankfurt, where I hosted The Challenge Fights at a boxing gym in Offenbach, The Challenge Boxing Club.  My co-host, Marco, was the boxer in residence.  I’ll tell you...the German boxers are awesome...every single one who signed up, showed up, and we had two rings going at once...magnificent disply of manhood for sure.  Third in Europe was Barcelona, where we had a small gathering for an event called Barcelona Bruisers.  We sparred some guys and had a blast.

Then across the Atlantic to the USA, my homeland.  First stop, NY.  I had lived in NYC for a couple of decades so I was back home, where my heart is.  Up in New Rochelle, New York, I hosted a camp called Fighting Champs at Champs Boxing Gym.  It was blowing two feet of snow that day, as this was in January of 2017, but all my boys showed up to BOX.  Hell yeah...BOXING brings the real men out!  Fifth stop on the world tour was Boston.  In the southern suburb of Hanover, we presented It Ain’t Over Till It’s Hanover.  This was a heavyweight event.  All heavyweights except for me and Rob.  I got in there with the biggest of em, bud...HELL YEAH.

Then down to Toms River, New Jersey, where I got coached myself.  My good boxing bud Darren Maciunski owns and runs his own gym there, called Checkmates, so the event was called Checkmate!  This event was exactly what I said...me getting coached.  After all, the coach needs a coach sometimes, too.  Darren was Middleweight Champ of the WORLD for a while in the 90s, so I got some prime training off him.  He is an awesome sweetheart of a fuckin FIGHTING MAN!

Then...what you’ve been waiting for and asking about...COACH JACK!  Next stop was DC, in Chuck Brunn’s Matt Room.  We did a tournament here, called Maryland vs. Virginia.  I was captain of the Virginia Team and Jack was the captain of the Maryland Team.  We had all our boys fight first, then our boys got to watch The Two Coaches fight.  Damn it was GOOD.  I loved boxing that big Jack...hell yeah.  We really put it out for our boys...showin em HOW TO DO IT!  Yep, I can definitely say that was one of my favorite stops along the way on this trip.  Jack loved it to, I can assure you.  Let me say, though...about getting all worked up in the ring...when I fight I FIGHT...nothing else matters.  That was the way it was...Jack and I were BOXING...DOING WHAT MEN NEED TO DO TOGETHER...FIGHT!

At this point there were two events left.  Rob and I drove to Nashville, Tennessee first to see my dad, then drove up to Cincinnati, where we hosted Cincinnati Fisticuffs at the Cincinnati Fitness Boxing Gym.  Again, we had two 20x20 rings going at once here and it was awesome.  Lots of guys from the midwest showed up here...another magnificent display of pure manhood!

Rob and I then drove back to NY, where we had rented a car.  We returned it, got on a plane, and flew to our last stop on the trip, Los Angeles.  This was the final event of the tour.  We went out easy.  The event, called California Spar, was just that...two afternoons of sparring and training guys from the area.  AWESOME.

Well,  I bet you didn’t think you’d get this long an answer from one simple question about Jack.  But there you have it.  I will say, now that you’ve brought him up, though, my fight with Jack was definitely a highlight, if not THE HIGHLIGHT of my World Boxing Tour.  When we got on the plane to cross the Pacific to return home to Australia, I put my feet up and took a nice, slow, long look at the two-month boxing tour I had just done.  I felt complete.  I boxed a total of 80 rounds that trip.  I don’t know how familiar you are with music, or musical comedy, and what-not, but there is a song called Around the World in Eighty Days.  I turned that tune on its back and ended up giving FightOdyssey IV a new name, I’ll Daze the World in Eighty Rounds!!!

One Night At The Moulin Rouge

Hiya, folks! So, as previously announced, the wlw writing project continues after a break with a miniseries set back in the City of Lights - & Love - at the time of the Belle Epoque, at the turn of the century.

The story begins with an introductory chapter dedicated to our main character, Léa, our young seamstress finally makes it to “The First Palace of Women”, the Moulin Rouge. What does the night have in store for her?

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

Next chapter out on Friday: double update this week!

Tagging: @scottishqueer

Previous chapter: Paris, Paris 

_____________________________

He shouts at our friends behind us and we sprint off into the night. I lift my skirt and laugh as the streets and buildings around us change and we make our way through the crowd of the boulevards running as if our lives depended upon it. A passerby even asks us if we were in danger: we laugh again in full response and the old man shakes his head, muttering something about how foolish modern day youth is. When we finally spot the red windmill, we're out of breath. My lungs burn and my heart is hammering in my chest but...what a fun we have already had! Marcel pushes his way to the crowd gathered outside and shows the ticket to a steward, panting. "The show has already started" he announces, giving us an unreadable look, half annoyed half amused. We all exchange a look. It's Alain who speaks: "Then why don't you let us in so we won't miss the rest?"

I did my best to refrain a snort right in the face of the steward, who apparently notices it. Eventually, he steps aside and let us in, informing that the cloakroom is on the left. We ignore it completely, too concerned to miss the show and head straight to the dance hall. The place is packed and...stunning. I gasp at the sight of the gorgeous extravagant decors and the rows of table with gentleman and even some ladies all dressed up and sipping what looks like expensive champagne. It's like stepping into a....dream. Marcel snaps me out our my dreamlike state placing a glass into my hand. When I look at him, he nods to the table in front of us: whoever is sitting there is not here at the moment and my cheeky friend just stole their glasses, one for me, one for him. I'm about to playfully chastise him when he gestures to keep quiet and pulls my hand, moving forward into the crowd. I follow him careful not to spill my drink and we surf the crowd until we find a free standing spot by one of the columns, behind the rows of tables but with a good view of the stage. We cling our glasses giggling and take a big gulp. The champagne is cold yet burns down my throat after our mad run. I like it though: I've never had champagne before, too expensive. A woman is singing a catchy song on stage, strumming a little guitar while a couple of dancers make their long skirts twirl in the background. The lyrics are bright and a little facetious, eliciting rounds of laughters among the audience. With a sultry smirk, the singer starts the refrain and the orchestra joins. The song must be popular among the audience since everyone immediately starts singing along and whistling. I think I've heard it too, can't remember where though. The standing spectators like us attempt to dance and I find myself aching to move freely to the tune too but there's little space in our corner. Marcel and I sway on our feet and I catch the singer winking at us from the stage. Her performance ends too soon and is welcomed with rounds of enthusiastic applauses from the audience. The singer and the dancers flash smiles to everyone and make practised reveries. Before disappearing behind the velvet at the bottom of the stage, the singer examines the audience with a playful look and speaks loud enough to be heard even by us in the last rows. She invites us all to save our enthusiasm for the next act because, according to her, the best is yet to come. "Are you ready for la quadrille?" she asks. Everyone goes wild cheering and whistling. Marcel is one of them. We exchange an excited look: la quadrille is the main attraction of the Moulin Rouge! Only the most talented and gorgeous dancers perform it or so I've heard. Our eyes converge back to the stage when the notes of Offenbach resound through the auditorium. My breath catches when a multitude of girls in titilatting colourful costumes takes the stage and hold up their skirts to perform the most extravagant choreography I have ever seen. Well, I've seen the can-can already in ballrooms but those were amateurs compared to these ladies. They rise their knees high and make a quick rotatory movement before holding their ankle and rising their leg vertically while turning on the other leg. I cannot fathom how they can do it and with a charming smile on their faces...the dance may be scandalous to many but they perform with such grace it's a joy for the heart and eye. The rhythm is furious, joyful and we all soon clap our hands to the beat: it's contagious! A male dancer make his entrance too out of the crowd of women and I'm pretty sure he's an acrobat or a contortionist because I have never seen a single soul jump so high and walking backwards with his head between his legs...it's crazy! The dancers continue their routine with a cheerful grace out of this world. They line up in a long row and make us go wow with a stunning series of cartwheels and splits. They remind me of the breathtaking fireworks we saw at the opening night of the Exposition Universalle in March. With a bit of luck we managed to get a ticket and be there....what a night! Fireworks bathed in the new Tour Eiffel and for a moment it looked like it was day in the middle of the night. There was a magic show that evening, I remember: I ducked like a fool behind Marie when the blindfolded magician threw daggers in his poor assistant's direction. These dancers are like those fireworks. I don't even pay too much attention to the fact that their undergarment is showing as they dance...I laugh to myself thinking I must be too used to female undergarments working as a seamstress. But I let out a loud gasp when they kick the high hats the spectators of the first row are holding out with the tip of their boots. A playful yet skilled high kick that make the hat fly high before landing back on their owners head. When the act ends with a last round of splits, I'm in awe. Dizzy, so dizzy it takes me a moment to clap my hands and cheer loudly just like the spectators around me. The dancers leave the stage among thunderous applauses. "That was incredible!" I comment and Marcel agrees enthusiastically. I look around to see if I can spot Marie and Alain but I have no luck. The acts are over for the night and the spectators crowding the room takes their time drinking and smoking, Marcel gestures me to follow him. The lovebirds are nowhere in sight so I take his hand. He leads us to the other side of the room right into the backstage area. "I don't want you to be all alone among those drunks" he explains, guiding me forward down a corridor. "And I'd like to introduce you to my friend" He stretches his neck out and after a moment he waves to another young man smoking by a door open on the street. "Lucien, you old dog! Come, Léa, this way!" The musician waves at us too and loosens up his tie. He pulls Marcel into a manly hug and vigorously shakes my hand. I thank him on behalf of all of us for his kind gesture and he shrugs. "Marcel's friends are my friends. I hope you guys had some fun tonight" We chat a little then when the boys start bantering with each other and talking of common acquaintances I have never heard of I give them some privacy. I quietly wander down the corridor and take a look around. I rest my back against the wall to free the way and take a deep breath. Who would have known I would sneak into the Moulin Rouge tonight? Me, a humble seamstress from the North. Ah, if only my colleagues or -even better, my so very Catholic mother- could see me now! Marcel outdid himself tonight with such a wondrous surprise...one of the best cabaret theatre in whole Paris! Out of the blue, the door at my side slams open and someone gets pushed out, laughing loudly and sloshing wine over the rim of their glass right onto my dress. "Shit!" I turn towards the voice to find a redhead girl around my age covering her mouth and staring at me. I recognise her: she's one of the dancer who performed la quadrille, her costume is still on, only the corset is loosen up...the door must be the changing room. I gesture that it's nothing even if I'm quite displeased: it's cold out there, November is hardly the best time of the year to go around in wet clothes. When she uncovers her mouth, I notice she's still giggling. "I'm so sorry, I'm awfully clumsy tonight" she apologises. "But blame these ladies who cannot take a single joke!" she adds, raising her voice and banging on the door. All she gets is a round of laughter on the other side that makes her chuckle again, shaking her head. I smile politely, not really knowing what to say nor what is going on. After a moment she takes another look at me and throws me a playfully inquisitive glare. "By the way, what are you doing out of our changing rooms, if I may, mademoiselle? I do not recall seeing you here before...Waiting for someone?" she inquires, nodding at the door. "Oh no! I'm with...him" My eyes instinctively search for Marcel still chatting with his friend. The dancer follows my gaze and sighs. "Ah, I see, your boyfriend..." "What? No!" My words came out a bit blunter than I meant it. When she gives me a surprised look, I feel the sudden urgency to explain myself. "I mean, we're friends. I'm just waiting for him here, to give him space...you know. I didn't know this was the door of the changing room" I cannot quite read the shift in the way she looks at me but there is a certain playfulness in her voice when she raises an eyebrow at me and crosses her arms. "So...he's not your boyfriend" "No and I don't even know why I need to explain myself to you more than I have already did" She shrugs nonchalantly, flashing me a smile. This conversation started off on the wrong foot, I'm standing where I shouldn't be and Marcel is nowhere finished with his friend. If I know him well, by the way he gesticulates he's sharing his "intuitions" about the upcoming races: he has little money but has a granitic faith that one day a miracle will happen and the lucky bet will make him rich. Good old Marcel... Anyway, I better say something to avoid an awkward silence: this dancer somehow twists everything I say in a way that makes me nervous. "We came for the show" Pathetic but I couldn't find anything more original. And that justifies my presence in the backstage area...more or less. The dancer leans to the wall and lazily strokes the rim of her empty glass. "And did you enjoy it?" "Oh yes! I have never seen a dance so lively like this, so catchy, so full of life, so joyous-" "Splits and undergarments-" "It reminded me of fireworks" The dancer looks taken aback by my words for the first time. Surprised, I'd say, as if my reaction came out totally unexpected. "Fireworks?" she repeats. "Yes, like the ones I saw at the Exposition Universelle months ago. Wonderful colourful lights exploding up there in the night sky, a symphony of lights...truly breathtaking" I smile to myself reminiscing. "And tonight la quadrille...I don't know, the lively rhythm, the smiles on your faces as you performed, the colours of your skirts during the cartwheels...it brought me back to that night" The dancer's lips curl into a smile mirroring mine and her whole visage softens. "I've heard many people describing la quadrille but nobody has ever compared it to fireworks like you did" Cocking her head to the side, she takes another look at me. "You're a poet" she smiles. "Oh no, I'm just a seamstress" I laugh. "Nobody has ever taken me for a poet, I'm not good with words" "Well you sound like one to me so to me you are a seamstress-poet" I really don't know what to say again but I feel my cheeks turn rosy as she keeps smiling encouragely at me. We just look at each other for a moment. I'm about to make a joke of how can I be good with words if I'm so easily speechless when "Léa!" Marcel waves at me from the door at the end of the corridor. "I'm sorry I must go now" I say as the dancer spots my friend too. Then before I could do anything, she places one hand on my shoulder. "Hold on a minute, will you?" There is a sudden urgency in her voice as she storms into the changing room ignoring the playful protests of the other ladies inside. I gesture Marcel to wait and he goes lighting another cigarette in the street. The dancer returns after a moment, true to her word. She hands me a handkerchief. "There, for my clumsiness" she says, nodding at the wine stain on my dress I had almost forgotten. "That's kind but there's no need-" "I insist" she smiles, offering it again. "Well, thank you then, mademoiselle..." I reach for it but she retrieves her hand a little. "Huh-uh, I want it back. It's not a gift" she mocks a serious expression. "Of course but..." I soon realise an important detail. "...But I don't even know your name?" She takes my hand and gently places the handkerchief into it. "Élodie. And you know where to find me, Léa" With one last lingering smile she lets go of my hand and wishes me a good night. I walk into the street and the cold of the night makes me shiver. I secure the handkerchief in my pocket and breathe in the mix of icy mist and smoke of Marcel's cigarette. He shakes his head and wraps his scarf around my neck before half hugging me. "We better find the lovebirds and head towards a bar, I bet the streets will get all frosty in no time...fancy a beer?" I throw one last look to the Moulin Rouge over Marcel's shoulder as we walk away and to my surprise I meet the gaze of Élodie, still standing where I left her and looking my way.

Alright, so let's talk about one of the most intriguing German authors: E.T.A. Hoffmann.

This man's œuvre is incredible. He was one of the most prolific writers of the late Romantic era and as such, he showed interest in both dark, supernatural elements and a nonlinear structure of narration. He was also a talented musician, which brought him a position as conductor and contact with Beethoven. For this reason, he changed one of his middle names to Amadeus to honour Mozart.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

He was born in 1776 and died in 1822.

His character gave the opportunity for much idealisation. While he worked as a respectable lawyer by day, he allegedly devoted himself to writing and drinking by night, thereby creating the image of an artist struggling with society that we are well familiar with today. While this is not entirely true, he did struggle greatly with censure offices due to his satirical caricatures. Important for the reception of Hoffmann as a person was in particular the opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach.

Some of his most remarkable works are:

The Sandman, a novella detailing the descent into madness of the young student Nathanael. After receiving childhood trauma, he falls in love with a machine resembling the perfect woman. In this piece, the Sandman doesn't bring people to sleep. He steals their eyes.

Mademoiselle de Scudéri, a novella about an elderly crime-solving poet in Louis XIV's Paris. When a young man knocks at her door, leaving behind precious jewellery, this leads to murder investigations. Hoffmann makes use of compelling psychological arguments that motivate the crimes.

The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr, detailing the biography of the ideal artist, who is, in fact, a cat. Hoffmann approaches the Romantic era conflict of artists versus philistine citizens in a very modern, nonlinear manner.

And last, but definitely not least:

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a novella. Yes, this is the basis for the Tchaikovsky ballet and the Christmas films. The idea of objects coming to life fits in with the fascination the dark romantics had with parallel lives and machines, as seen before in The Sandman.

There are of course many more stories, but these are some of the most influential. Many of his works can be found online in the original German as well as in translation.