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mynameis-noe-body · 7 months

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Okay so — time for Stranger Things' Headcanon: dad Jim Hopper edition.

James "Jim" Hopper was born around 1941/42, follow me on this. He went to school with Joyce, same year, right? And we know they are around 40 in Season 1 — it's 1981/82.

Let's say he left for Vietnam right out of high school, he's barely 18, just a boy. But he spends five of the worst years of his life fighting in a foreign country, breathing shit and stuff. He's 22 when he comes back — 1964.

Joyce gets married the same year, to Lonnie. They are definitely not going to be happy, and Jim knows that. They have been friends, good friends years before. So, he's not really surprised to find about his old friend unhappy marriage. They spend and awful lot of time talking about that, but there's nothing she can do, come on — she's a young woman, just married and even though she fights her husband every day she still believes there's something that may be saved. That's when she gets pregnant with Jonathan — 1966.

Jim is 24, he just started into Hawkins Police and damn, the uniform dresses him good. Chicks look at him, and he likes that, he can't deny. At the same time, things for Joyce keep getting harder.

Things go slowly and difficult, and even boring sometimes. Nothing really ever happens in Hawkins. And people talk — better saving the appreance, right?

It's 1967 when, one summer night, Joyce is exhausted. Lonnie hasn't come back yet, and she knows she won't see him before Monday night, that's just how her weekends usually go. She's lonely, and tired, Jonathan is finally sleeping and she need a break. Jim calls to check on her, just to say hi or something. She invites him over. "God, I need a beer and a cig, Jim. You don't know how tired I am."

He comes later, six cold beers and a pack of cigarettes. (Maybe even some weed, for old time sake.)

They drink, and smoke. And laugh. And smoke, and drink. They don't know exactly how it happens, but it happens. They wake up still half naked on the couch next morning and they swear it was just one night, and they'll forget about it. He leaves, and life goes on.

Lonnie comes back home, Jim meets his wife some time later. And when he gets married, they live on the other side of Hawkins for some time, before New York. It's not a big city, and somehow the two of them just slowly becomes... strangers. Up to the point she doesn't even know...

And surely he cannot imagine Joyce's pregnant.

She keeps telling herself the baby's Lonnie's. It cannot be another way around. In 1968, she has a girl.

Jim is 38 when he comes back to Hawkins — it's 1980. He hates to watch the happy family; he knows Joyce isn't happy at all, but that girl. Sarah would have been 9 and Joyce's girl is just a little older, a 12 years old spitfire. Funny little thing, she is. And she hates her father to the guts. Everytime she can, she leaves the house, running into the woods. Her older brother tries to keep her but it's just — she's wild. A little rebel.

When Jim finds her the first time, running all alone in the street, crying an ocean, he immediately recognizes her. Jim takes her to the Benny's Burger, gets her a hot dog and fries, and a coke. She keeps talking, and talking, and talking — about her family, school and all the things no one in her family seem to care about ("Lonnie's fighting with Johnny, and mom's fighting with Lonnie and no one ever see me. This is good, can you buy me more sometime?")

He feel in love that night. He didn't get to be a father to Sarah... but she desperately needs one. So he talks to Joyce and keeps telling her it's alright. "Listen, that's a mess, I can see that. But I'm glad to help. If your daughter needs a safe place... just, you know where to find me."

And she does find him. The girl spends half of her nights at Jim's, mostly when her father comes home drunk enough to take it out on her, too. Jonathan is tough — he really doesn't want to deal with an old Chief, nor to be saved from his own father. But she's just a child.

Jim buys a VHS player. And a second toothbrush. She is small enough to take the couch. He can't cook to save his life, but finds out he's willing to learn — she can't eat pizza every fucking night, for god's sake. He helps her with math homework. Teachers are used to him coming to pick her up at school.

She calls him dad at school, speaking to her classmates. They know her as the Chief's daughter. Joyce doesn't mind explaing, she's done with keeping the appearance. "Jim is my dearest friend" she says, buying grocieres at the store, her youngest running around the shop, showing her the last pack of coloring pencils he wants for his next birthday. "He's always been there for my girl, and she just loves him like a daughter would."

He calls her peach. She's fine with it. And she should be at that age where kids get embarrassed by their own parents, but she jump out of his Hawkins Police pick-up with such pride before entering school — he couldn't be happier about that.

He lectures her about that danger of drugs, and alcohol and boys at the beginning of her first high school year. Now she's embarrassed. "I'd rather talk with mom about that, if you don't mind..." he nods, silently. "But thanks anyway, I love you too, dad."

It's the first time she said that. Jim doesn't get any sleep that night. He hadn't realize just how much he cared about her — it wasn't a matter of blood anymore, she was his daughter. Not Sarah, not a sort of surrogate for his own loss — his kid. She was her own person and he loved her.

He teaches her to drive. But she definetly improves with Jonathan, he can't be really patient about it.

She loves her brothers, really — they are just different. Like, there is something, somewhere... she can't wrap her head around it, but it's there. They are family just not the same family, perhaps. There is Joyce in her eyes, and in her smiles, but nothing of Lonnie. Even though she can see his nose on Jonathan's face, and his lips on Will's. The way he used to walk, bouncing around just like Johnny does. And the way he used to hums rock music, sometimes — just like Will's habits. She does not. None of this. She's quiet, and loves old movies, and checkered shirts, and coffee. No coffee in the Byers house, but tons of it in Jim's trailer.

And it all comes around when she gets a fever. Appendicites. Joyce and Jonathan rushes her to the hospital, they call him from the public phone. "Peach's getting operated right now — please, can you come?"

He's never left the Police station faster. And the doctors say they need blood — "Type 0 is rare. We don't have any bags available at the moment, but she needs a transfusion to recover as quickly as possible" the doctor explains.

Thank god Jim's there because the next day, when she opens her eyes, she asks about him too. He's slept in the hospital room, Joyce says, in case she woke up. But then, the doctor delivers the complete blood tests. They made sure about blood type compatibility and everything else, even though it was predictable — after all, she is his daughter.

And that's where all the knots come home to roost. Jim turns pale. He and Joyce exchange an eloquent look. He swallows. "My daughter — sure, but you mean that I... that we..."

Everything goes back to that 1967 summer night, to those beers, a joint shared on the sofa. Life couldn't get any stranger, right?

#chief jim hopper #hopper!reader #Dad Jim Hopper #jim hopper #joyce byers #jonathan byers #will byres #stranger things #stranger things headcanons #Jim hopper headcanons #Joyce Byers headcanons #jopper #jim hopper headcanons #Jopper headcanons #joyce byers headcanons

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0owhatsamsays · 6 months

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Dark Horse - Good Omens

I am down the rabbit hole again.

Ever since I heard that phrase several times in s2, it bugs me. People keep saying "It's a common phrase". Yeah, I know. However, they repeat it several times, and there is an actual dark horse statuesque that Crowley leaves his glasses on.

I decided to look it up. Of course.

Besides the common meaning of the phrase - "someone who surprises you with some hidden quality", I didn't know exactly where this phrase derived from.

It comes from the book "The Young Duke" by Benjamin Disraeli.

The first thing that caught my eye here was the "Duke". So I searched the book. The second thing that caught my eye was that it was published by "Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley".

The subtitle of the book is "A moral tale, though gay".

I found out that the phrase is taken from Byron's Don Juan. But why?

There are several interpretations of the connotation the word gay had in the past. Quoting from an article that I read and to which I will add a link below if someone is interested in reading it, "(The world ‘gay’ did not carry its present connotation as relating to homosexuality, though an 1857 Punch cartoon reveals that two decades after The Young Duke it referred to prostitution). William Kuhn suggests, Disraeli associated ‘gaiety’ with cheerful disposition, although Kuhn finds ‘a hint of Byronic licentiousness in Disraeli’s quotation’ and speculates on his latent homoerotic fascinations with good-looking young men (104). In The Young Duke, Disraeli introduces not only episodes from his early adult life but also presents his passion for politics. He makes a satirical picture of the English aristocracy that indulges in a hedonistic lifestyle while avoiding its political responsibilities.")

Then I decided to check Disraeli, and forgive me, I am not from the UK and I didn't know, but it turns out he has been Prime Minister of the UK twice.

Also, he was the 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, and Terry Pratchett is born in Beaconsfield.

Disraeli's sexual orientation has been questioned by others.

I read the article by William Kuhn that is cited above and this is what it says:

"Disraeli's previous biographers have noticed that there were some romantic irregularities in his past: he preferred old ladies to young women; he married late; he had a passion for male friendship. The standard explanation for this is that in those pre-Freudian days there was a Romantic cult of friendship and that love between men was sexually "innocent" (the underlying assumption being that sexual contact is "guilty"). Some of his earliest biographers (such as W. F. Monypenny and G. E. Buckle) explained away Disraeli's odd history of affectionate relationships by saying it was due to the "oriental" part of his nature. By this they meant that he was Jewish and thus partly "foreign" and un-English. They were also hinting at a Victorian prejudice that sexual license, including same-sex contact, was more common in "the East" or what we would call the Middle East. Lord Blake, whose 1966 biography is still authoritative, hinted that Disraeli was a lot like Oscar Wilde, and left it there. Two more recent biographers (Sarah Bradford and Jane Ridley) have been more comfortable referring explicitly to the homoerotic element in Disraeli's personality, but neither has regarded it as important enough to give it more than a page or two."

Anyway, let's leave his sexual orientation aside and go back to the book.

The book plot: The protagonist of the novel, George Augustus Frederic, Duke of St James, is an orphan, who has inherited an enormous fortune. The young Duke becomes an unprincipled dandy who wastes much of his wealth on luxuries, debauchery, and gambling. He wears effeminate clothes and has adulterous affairs with women. Gradually, he becomes reformed by his honest guardian Mr Dacre, and his lovely daughter May, whom he eventually marries. May helps him realize that his privileged social position requires him an extraordinary sense of duty and commitment to society.

Basically, the story follows the Duke’s slow transformation, under the discreet influence of a beautiful and benevolent woman, from a self-indulgent, selfish dandy to a responsible aristocrat who takes part in the social and political life of his country.

So yeah, I don't think "dark horse" was just a used phrase. Nothing in GO is "JUST"

Link to article:

https://victorianweb.org/authors/disraeli/youngduke.html?fbclid=IwAR0fuLb1df0cow0xgwRoah5KegHArLf7-XCHsulME5q6oCWEoJBKWr7hNVw

#good omens rabbit hole #good omens 2 #good omens #hyperfixation #go2 #good omens analysis #good omens dark horses #good omens rabbits horses ducks the whole jungle analyzed

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sleekervae · 1 year

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A Pirate's Life | Pirate Radio [1]

So... I fell down a Sandman rabbit hole... and then I fell down the Tom Sturridge rabbit hole. And then through him I found my new favourite movie, Pirate Radio (aka The Boat that Rocked) and I seriously recommend ya'll go check it out! Anyway, I fell in love with Carl -- he's just the softest little bean 🥺 -- and I was compelled to write something just to get it out of my system. I might write for the sandman in the future too but for now... please enjoy this baby pirate being the sweetest thing since cherry pie.

If you haven't watched the movie, I suggest watching it before reading this. And if you haven't, I tried to give as much context as possible for everything. But you should still watch the movie because it's fucking amazing!

Thank you for coming to my ted talk...

Pairing: Carl x OC Fem Reader

Summary: Young Carl forges a profound friendship with the bitter tart of the Radio Rock tanker.

Summer 1966

Sharp shivers raced down Carl's spine, his heaviest coat had provided him little to no protection against the sloshing, violent waters that splattered across his ferry ride. And yet, being inside the rickety old tanker was little relief. What more could he expect from a tanker ship, though? He only prayed that Quentin, his god father, was good enough to maybe provide him with a hot meal or a cup of tea.

The heavy metal door swung open with a vile squeal and Quentin led his god son down the metal stairs, minding him to watch his step should he slip in his soaked wellies. He was introduced to the entire team, or just barely so, as they all continued to go about their tasks while giving the lad fleeting glances.

The star of their enterprise, The Count, held his own charismatic charm that Carl found himself envious of, while his new roomie, Thick Kevin, was as delightfully daft as a door nail. Dave was a partier, if not unorthodox in some of the things he did for sheer amusement. Felicity seemed sweet, if not a little overwhelmed from the excess of male energy in her constance presence.

And then there was Sally. Carl didn't even spot her at first; she was curled up in the back of the sitting room with a wool blanket thrown over her legs, her nose buried in a book, and a cigarette balanced between her lips.

"Sitting in the corner and being delightfully antisocial is our vinyl librarian, Sally," She hardly looked up when Quentin called her up to introduce her. She didn't see much to be impressed by anyway; the boy was lankier than a toothpick, slouched and jittery with his fringe practically curtaining over his eyes.

Despite her aloofness, young Carl couldn't help but take a second -- well, fourth -- glance at Sally. She had a face that he could liken to a pixie, and it was difficult to pick off whether or not she was older or younger than him. Regardless, she exuded a confidence and maturity that was way beyond years for most girls her age. She was easily the most strikingly beautiful thing he had laid eyes on -- though considering his lack of experience with women, that wasn't saying much.

Carl glanced aimlessly around the ship, quite taken with the extensive radio booths for the boys' segments as Kevin led him down the deck to the room they would be sharing.

"And this room belongs to Nick," Kevin pointed out, "And Felicity has the room next to us. I like it because she's the quietest when the girls come to visit. You get more sleep that way with quiet neighbours,"

Carl's lip quivered a little as he spoke up, "W-What about Sally?" he asked.

"She stays with Felicity, but she's not a lez, if that's what you're thinking," Kevin shook his head, "Dave made that assumption once and he still has the scar to prove it,"

"Scar?" Carl cocked an eyebrow as Simon came to pass them in the hall.

"She clocked him," he pointed to his own chin, "Right there,"

"Not that he didn't have it coming," The older Irishmen chuckled heartily at the mention of their resident book worm, "Lemme' put it to ya this way, boy-o; don't get any ideas about Sally. She's off limits to all of us,"

"How come?" Carl asked.

Kevin leaned in close, as though to whisper a secret the walls themselves couldn't hear, "She sleeps with a screwdriver under her pillow,"

"She's not all sour lemons, though," Simon assured the startled boy, "Once you get to know her, she's a right good time. Pulled a hell of a prank on Angus a while back,"

"He didn't get any scars," Kevin informed sadly.

Regardless of warnings from all the lads, Carl found himself having quieter moments with Sally. He was taken aback when she greeted him on his first morning when they passed each other in the hall, and try as he might his voice was caught in his throat for too long to utter anything more than a simple 'hi'. More over they'd run into each other in the galley to fetch some tea. She's ask him how he was doing and he's reply with a jovial 'fine', as would she when he asked her the same. It seemed though that their conversation never spanned more than those few exchanged in the first weeks of Carl's stay.

Within the first two weeks of Carl's stay, the boys had invited a ferry of girls to come and visit for the weekend. The ever so young and innocent boy stood out like a sore thumb in the sea of his overly horny shipmates.

That was when he ran into his first real spot of trouble with Sally. Somehow, Dave had convinced him it would be good for him to pop his cherry quickly, and the older lad had devised a scheme to make the boy a man by tricking his own date into make believing that Carl was actually Dave making love to her. It was a long and arduous story, but Dave was convinced that just keeping the lights off would be enough to get them by.

Needless to say, Carl was shaking; the poor boy was so nervous! And Dave's pep talk in the loo did very little to calm him as he stripped off his pants and hurried down the hall, praying he wouldn't run into anybody.

Carl peeked into the room, finding it pitch black indeed. He slipped inside, assured that this was indeed Dave's room. However, his blood ran cold when he heard a familiar, feminine voice.

"Felicity?" and before he could register what he'd done, the lights flipped on, and he found himself stark bollock naked in front of a mortified Sally.

Needless to say, she screamed bloody fucking murder at the sight of him and Carl followed suit. Of course he had to get the wrong fucking door!

"What the fuck are you doing!?" her thick South Shields accent hollered at him, though she kept her eyes averted to the wall covered in various film and music posters.

Carl wished more than anything to have the ground open up and swallow him whole, put him out of his fucking misery. He tried to cover his modesty as best as he could with his hands, "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Sally! Wrong room!" he babbled on with his apologies, trying to explain but tripping over his words more than a drunk at three in the morning

Sally, angered and embarrassed beyond anything, grabbed the first thing she could -- which happened to be a towel -- and tossed it at him so he could cover up, pointing sharply to her door, "Get the fuck out, Carl!"

"I'm sorry!" Carl begged as he backed out for the door, his eyes then training to the pillow on her bunk, "Please -- please don't stab me!"

Sally's hand flew to her mouth when he finally exited her room, her skin crawling and lungs gasping to catch a breath. She slapped at the rod to her bunk bed, in the back of her mind suspecting that Dave had something to do with this, "Fuck me!"

Only seconds later did the door open again, but much to Sally's relief it was only Felicity. She looked just as gobsmacked as Sally, "Did I hear screams? What happened?"

Sally simply shook her head, "Nothing, nothing. There was just an seventh grader in hear trying to find his willy,"

The next morning was humiliating, needless to say. Carl kept his head down best his could, steeping his tea and rolling his eyes as Dave went on and on about last night's sexual escapade. And though nobody spoke of it, he could tell from the glances and sniggers the boys were exchanging that they'd heard about what had happened with Sally. Carl wasn't sure what was worse; the fact that he'd gotten the wrong room or that he was about to dupe another hapless woman in the same span. He made a memo to himself, though: never ever again would he listen to Dave.

The chatter in the dining area came to a stall when Sally entered; bundled up in a turtle neck, plaid jacket and her grey slacks. Her dark long hair was tied messily atop her head and her latest read clenched tightly in her hand. Despite her clear irritation, she continued to be so effortlessly beautiful.

She inhaled sharply as she paused in front of the boys, glaring briefly at the portly Dave with a look that could've murdered him on the spot.

Kevin, ever so daft, proceeded to ask, "Sleep well, Sally?" Mark sniggered next to him, while Sally rolled her eyes and rushed to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She stopped momentarily when she saw Carl was already there, and the look on the poor boy's face was a grimace that begged for death -- or to be literally anywhere else in the world but here.

She was silent as she grabbed her usual mug and waited for the kettle. Carl seemed to be frozen on the spot, staring down into his tea mug and praying that the kettle would hurry and heat the water. He could feel her eyes on him, piercing, judging, probably calling him every name in the book in her mind. When she opened her mouth, he fully expected her to to lambast him again for last night, though instead, the words that flew from her mouth were sympathetic.

"Simon told me what happened," she said quietly, "So last night wasn't entirely your fault,"

Carl glanced at her from the corner of his eye, unsure whether or not she was putting him on. Though she didn't strike him as the type to laud him on for a laugh, her eyes were genuine and the corners of her lips were almost -- almost upturned in a tiny, sympathetic grin.

"So... so you're not angry, then?" he asked cautiously.

"No, I'm traumatized," she assured in short, "You're a git for having listened to Dave in the first place. But -- the blame isn't entirely on you,"

Carl nodded slowly, "Oh. Well... thanks for understanding, I guess,"

Sally then leaned over on the counter top, resting her elbows on the wood as she glanced ups t him curiously, "Can I ask you a question, though?"

"Sure," Carl shrugged, glancing at the tea pot once again. What the hell was it taking so long for?

"Did you... why did you think I was gonna stab you?" she asked, her voice just a key above a whisper.

Despite his pale complexion, Carl felt his face go red -- for maybe the tenth time in twelve hours, "Well... K-Kev told me about the screwdriver you keep... under your pillow,"

Much to his surprise, Sally began to chuckle, "Kevin told you that?" she was flabbergasted at the notion.

He tried to get himself to relax; she was smiling after all, the tension within her had de-escalated, "You don't have one?"

"I made that quip to Mark so he'd stop hounding at me. Not like it worked but... I have the door locked and a bunk mate," she explained, "Besides, Quentin made it very clear; any twat makes us girls uncomfortable then they walk the plank -- so to speak,"

"Fair," Carl agreed, "I'm really, really sorry, though. It won't ever happen again,"

"Damn right it won't," as she spoke, the kettle finally began to whistle. She reached to take it off the stove top and poured herself a cup, "Because I do like you. It'd be a shame to throw you overboard,"

In his heart he knew it was only a joke, but he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine as she took her mug and book and went for the table. Despite his fear, he called out for her again, and she turned on her heel swiftly.

"What're you reading?" he asked.

Sally paused momentarily, glancing at the cover of her new novel. No one on this boat -- not even Felicity -- had ever asked her about her books.

"Dune," she replied, "It's a science fiction thriller in a futuristic desert. It's got giant worms and shit,"

"Is it good?" Carl inquired.

"So far, yeah," she replied, "If you want, um, you can borrow it when I finish,"

Carl felt himself begin to smile, and his frigid exterior began to relax, "Sure. Yeah, I'd like that,"

"Cool," Sally nodded, sporting her own small grin, "Enjoy your tea, Carl,"

She went to take her seat at the table between Simon and Kevin, and Mark being Mark, he smirked with giddy at her.

"So Sally, I have to ask -- what were you doing with your lights off last night anyhow?" he asked.

The boys all turned in her directions, including Carl as he still kept stationing with the kettle. Sally sipped her tea idly before replying with the most fitting response.

"I was tryna get to sleep early so I wouldn't have to listen to you twats measure your cocks between the walls,"

A couple of weeks had passed, and Carl and Sally were getting more and more comfortable around each other. Sally found that Carl was more enjoyable to talk to out of the other lads, and more often than not she'd find herself seeking him out between takes in the broadcast. They chatted about everything; how they grew up to the things they hated most in school.

And Carl had learned quite a lot about Sally, more than the boys on the ship had learned. She had just turned the ripe ol' age of eighteen, grew up in Newcastle, and she was invited to come work on the tanker so she could escape her morally oppressive and abusive father who had more of a taste for mulled wine than a steady job. Neither of them were ultimately sure if they were being paid or not, but regardless they found life on Radio Rock to be all the more swell compared to their lives on the mainland.

Just as she'd promised, when Sally was done reading Dune, she passed it off to Carl to peak his interest. So he would take his torch beneath his blanket and read, becoming truly engrossed in the vast landscapes and vivid scenes of war, destruction, and love. And when morning came he would sit with Sally at the end of the long dining table, and they'd chat on and on about the story, and Sally was happy to answer any questions he had.

This didn't mean however that she herself had become an open book to Carl. Despite their blooming friendship she still kept him at an arms' length, and Carl was perplexed as to why when he had practically told her everything about him.

It was a gloomy autumn night when Quentin had called Carl up to come see him in his quarters -- because of course he had the nicest living quarters out of everyone. With Carl's eighteenth birthday coming up, Quentin had decided to gift him the gift of a good time -- with his niece. And of course, the shy but excitable lad jumped at the opportunity.

When he told Sally about it, she feigned her happiness because it was his birthday and she could tell that he was beaming like a kid on Christmas. However, the notion of it all turned her off -- after all it seemed like a bargain deal for a girl to come aboard a ship with her rich uncle, and all she'd have to do is have dinner with a stranger. There really was no promise of anything for Carl here. Nevertheless, Sally chose to keep her opinions to herself and wished him well as he dashed off to find something to wear.

Sally meanwhile continued to go through the boxes of older records, organizing the older pieces from the newer ones for The Count's segment. John approached her from behind, tapping her gently on the shoulder whilst he tried to untangle his headphones from around his neck.

"What's the crack with him?" he asked.

"Oh, the boy's becoming a man -- for real this time,"

Carl had put on his nicest shirt and a sweater over top, and his heart raced so quickly he feared it would leap out of his heart. His mind was racing, wondering what this girl, Marianne, would be like. Was she pretty? Would she like him? What if she thought him laughable, small or not even worth her time?

Regardless of his worries, he exited out of his room and made his way up to Quentin's living quarters. He passed Sally on his way up, she was on her way down with a box of old records clutched in her arms.

"You look nice," she commented quickly.

"Thanks. I'm just going up to dinner," he replied, trying to play it off as casually as possible.

Sally refrained from biting her tongue, "Oh, with Quentin's niece? Was that tonight?"

"Yeah," he glanced down at the hastily kept together box, "what's all this?"

"Off season shite," she nodded swiftly, continuing to trot down the stairs, "Good luck with your date, yeah?"

Carl, being ever the young gentleman he was, tried to chase after her, "Hey, you need a hand?"

"No! No I'm good," she assured, stopping momentarily, "Compliment her shoes,"

"Excuse me?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Compliment her shoes. We like when boys notice our effort," she explained.

His eyes then averted to Sally's shoes. She was wearing a simple pair of converse, dark blue, worn down in the sole and laces. And yet they still complimented her dark slacks and jumper quite well. Her smile was kind, yet blunt, as she trotted down the well and Carl leaned over the rail, watching her disappear into the hull of the ship.

The night was going splendidly well, and from the moment Carl first laid eyes on Marianne, he was a sworn believer in the trope of love at first sight. And despite their being chaperoned by Quentin, the older gent was shockingly lenient when it came to giving Carl some alone time with his niece.

However, things inevitably took a turn when Dave became involved. From openly flirting with Marianne, to gobbing off about the condom Carl had sneaked away in his pocket, Carl was sure that he would strike out yet again. And then he was sure he was safe again when he tossed the condom out of the porthole, assuring his date that he was attracted her regardless of whether she would put out with him.

But the final blow came when Carl left her alone for not even ten minutes in search of another condom -- only to come back and find that Dave had swooped in and knicked Marianne out from under his nose. Regardless to say, he was crushed.

Sally wandered back into the studio at some point during the evening, exhausted but relieved to have finished moving the show's older inventory. She wasn't surprised to find Harold or John, John after all was setting up his late night news segment. However, she paused when she spotted Carl sitting alone in the sound booth, staring into space glumly.

She turned to the boys awaiting an answer, and all Harold had to say was 'Dave' before she could get the hint. She shook her head, seething to wonder just what it was that pompous pig had done now. Regardless, she didn't want to leave the poor kid alone like this. So she went into the kitchen to grab a tin of Bourbon biscuits and some chocolate milk. Regardless of whether it was a tempestuous break up or a bad day in general, chocolate always had a knack for making Sally feel better.

Music from Mark's current segment continued to play in the background. Sally approached Carl slowly, placing the plate of biscuits down before him and the glass of milk next to it. She sat down beside him, not that he bothered to glance her way. They sat in silence together, Carl was unsure whether he should spill his guts to Sally and Sally was unsure of what to say to him. She didn't ask him if he was okay, she knew fully well he wasn't, and she also knew she was going to tear a strip off of Dave in the morning for being such a twat.

And so she took a biscuit, dunked it in the milk, and took a bite; glancing his way momentarily before she opened her book and began to read -- or, pretended to read, anyway.

The cycle continued for a minute or two. Sally ate her biscuit, skimmed a few lines, and looked up at Carl now and again to gauge him. He glanced at the plate now and again, his resolve coming to a break as he swiftly reached over and took a biscuit. It was hard for Sally to contain her smile as she watched him eat. He gladly accepted the milk she offered him, laughing quietly when the end of the sopping biscuit she dipped nearly fell into her lap.

Mark watched them from his booth, the cigarette sizzling between his lips as he watched the pair smile together. Not that he would ever admit it, but he found them kind of sweet together. A coy smile dwindled at his lips as he switched his vinyl to the next track.

Eating biscuits like little children, Carl was surprised when Sally slung an arm around his shoulders to give him a hug, and she promised him that everything was going to be okay. He didn't feel alright, but he felt better just being with Sally. And she couldn't complain either, despite his demure and naive attitude, the lad was alright company. A breath of fresh air, one could say, from the booming testosterone-filled shenanigans of the other boys.

#tom sturridge #young carl #pirate radio #the boat that rocked #the sandman #the sandman netflix #original content #original character #original female character #film blog #00s film

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punisheddonjuan · 3 months

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Favourite Music 2013-2023

As part of attempting to recover/reconstruct my blog here in the event that my old account is not restored, I'm reposting some old things that I've painstakingly pieced together from Internet Archive scrapes of my old blog, personal files, and cross-postings elsewhere. A tradition I maintained on that blog for its ten years was putting out a list of my favourite music releases at the end of every year. I make it a goal to listen to fifty new releases every year, and I frequently manage over seventy or more, occasionally hitting one hundred. At the end of the year I distill all that listening down into a list of thirty-odd releases that I really enjoyed.

I've never much liked numbered and ranked lists so the lists are unranked and have been from the beginning. They are, however, partitioned into three categories. Two of these categories are self explanatory "Favourite Music" and "Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums" while the third "Honourable Mentions" acts as a holding tank for things that I either liked "fine enough alright" or which I was/am still digesting. I have not gone back and edited these lists in any way (except to alphabetize earliest ones), as that would be cheating. I wanted these lists to be a document of a moment in time, a personal record of what I was listening to in any given year. Consequently, the further back you go, the more likely it is my opinions have changed. Some albums and artists that were favourites fell out of my rotation entirely, a few honourable mentions graduated to favourites while others slipped off, but a good half or more stayed right where I placed them. Some year's lists are longer than others, as I was more discriminating in the first few years and left a great many things off.

I'm posting this mostly for myself, but please, take a look if you're looking for something to listen to, there are hundreds of recommendations below, something for everyone. My favourites from 2023 are directly below, and 2013-2022 are below the "read more" in reverse chronological order.

Favourite Music 2023:

Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad — Jazz is Dead 16

Algiers — Shook

Anjumile — The King

Annelies Monseré — Mares

ANOHNI — My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Brighde Chaimbeul — Carry Them With Us

Chris Watson & Philip Jeck — Oxmardyke

Colin Stetson — When We Were That What Wept for the Sea

Danny Brown — Quaranta

The Drin — Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom

The Inward Circles — Before WE Lie Down in Darknesse

Jaimie Brand — Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))

Kahil El’Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble ft. Dwight Trible & David Ornette Cherry — Spirit Gatherer: Tribute to Don Cherry

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — The Silver Cord

La Baracande — La Baracande

Lankum — False Lankum

Meatraffle — Base and Superstructure

Oxbow — Love's Holiday

ØXN — CYRM

PJ Harvey — I Inside the Old Year Dying

Protomartyr — Formal Growth in the Desert

Squid — O Monolith

Tim Arnold — Super Connected

Tyvek — Overground

Yossari Baby — Inferiority Complex

Water From Your Eyes — Everyone's Crushed

Honourable Mentions 2023:

Gazelle Twin — Black Dog

Lonnie Holley — Oh Me, Oh My

Matmos — Return to Archive

The Mountain Goats — Jenny from Thebes

Mozart Estate — Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! And the Possibilities of Modern Shopping

The Murder Capital — Gigi's Recovery

Neil Young — Before and After

Peter Gabriel — i/o

The Pigeons — Bird Brain Gang

PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS — Land of Sleeper

Shame — Food for Worms

Sparks — The Girl is Crying in Her Latte

Stuck — Freak Frequency

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2023:

Alkemie — Pentiment (Original Game Soundtrack)

The Beatles — 1962-1966

The Beatles — 1967-1970

Black Country, New Road — Live at Bush Hall

Devo — Art Devo 1973-1977

John Coltrane — Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy

Lingua Ignota — The End: Live at Islington Assembly Hall

Neil Young — Chrome Dreams

Nervous Gender — Music from Hell

The Replacements — Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)

Shizuka (静香) — Heavenly Persona 天界のペルソナ

Sonic Youth — Live in Brooklyn 2011

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 — These Things Remain Unassigned (Singles, Compilation Tracks, Rarities & Unreleased Recordings)

Various Artists — Happy Land: A Compendium of Alternative Electronic Music from the British Isles 1993-1996

Various Artists — The NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972

Favourite Music 2022:

Alison Cotton — The Portrait You Painted of Me

Bill Orcutt — Music for Four Guitars

Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

black midi — Hellfire

Cate le Bon — Pompeii

Decius — Decius Vol. 1

Diamanda Galás — Broken Gargoyles

Extra Life — Secular Works, Vol. 2

Fontaines D.C. — Skinty Fia

Gnod — Hexen Valley

Hercules and Love Affair ft. Anhoni — In Amber

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava; Omnium Gatherum

Magma — Kãrtëhl

Moundabout — Flowers Rot, Bring Me Stones

One More Grain — Beans on Toast with Pythagoras

Richard Dawson — The Ruby Cord

Sam Slater — I do not wish to be known as a Vandal

Sault — 151; Air; Earth; Today & Tomorrow; UNTITLED(GOD)

SCUDFM — INNIT

Shovel Dance Collective — Water Is The Shovel of the Shore

Special Interest — Endure

Viagra Boys — Cave World

Honourable Mentions 2022:

The Chats — Get Fucked

Lady Neptune — Noz

Omertà — Collection particulière

Suede — Autofiction

Trupa Trupa — B flat A

Weak Signal — War&War

Yard Act — The Overload

Yoo Doo Right — A Murmur, Boundless to the East

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks & Live Albums 2022:

The Beatles — Get Back: the Rooftop Performance; Revolver Super Deluxe Edition

Bog-Shed — The Official Bog-Set

David Bowie — Divine Symmetry

Diamanda Galás — The Divine Punishment

Iannis Xenakis — Electroacoustic Works

Norma Tanega — I’m the Sky: Studio and Demo Recordings, 1964–1971

Oliver Coates — The Stranger

Oxbow & Peter Brötzmann — An Eternal Reminder Of Not Today: Live At Moers

Sonic Youth — In/Out/In

Tomasz Stańko Quintet — Wooden Music I

Valentina Goncharova — Ocean: Symphony for Electric Violin and Other Instruments in 10+ Parts

Favourite Music 2021:

Ärabrot — Norwegian Gothic

black midi — Cavalcade

Richard Dawson & Circle — Henki

Desperate Journalist — Maximum Sorrow!

Dry Cleaning — New Long Leg

Gnod — La Mort Du Sens

Greg Coates — Witch Egg

Hawthonn — Earth Mirror

Hedvig Mollestad Trio — Ding Dong. You're Dead

Iceage — Seek Shelter

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — L.W.

Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra — Promises

LoneLady — Former Things

Low — HEY WHAT

Marissa Nadler — The Path of the Clouds

Mirage — Mirage

Nick Cave & Warren Willis — Carnage

Nyx & Gazelle Twin — Deep England

Oliver Leath and Explorer Ensemble — 'Me Hollywood'

Parquet Courts — Sympathy for Life

SAULT — Nine

shame — Drunk Tank Pink

Shortparis — Яблонный сад

Sleaford Mods — Spare Ribs

Snapped Ankles — Forest of Your Problems

Sons of Kemet — Black to the Future

Squid — Bright Green Field

Taqbir — Taqbir (Victory Belongs to Those Who Fight For a Right Cause)

Viagra Boys — Welfare Jazz

William Parker — Mayan Space Station

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks & Live Albums 2021:

Can — Live in Brighton 1975

Can — Live in Stuttgart 1975

Coil — Love's Secret Domain 30th Anniversary Edition

Faust — 1971-1974

Gang of Four — 77-81

John Coltrane — A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle

The KLF — The White Room (The KLF Director's Cut)

Magma — Simples

Suburban Lawns — Suburban Lawns

Van der Graaf Generator — The Charisma Years 1970-1978

Various Artists — Do You Have the Force? (Jon Savage's Alternate History of Electronica 1978-1982)

Various Artists — Cameroon Garage Funk

Willie Dunn — Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: the Willie Dunn Anthology

Favourite Music 2020:

Aksak Maboul — Figures

All diese Gewalt — Andere

Baxter Dury — The Night Chancers

Bill Fay — Countless Branches

Bob Dylan — Rough and Rowdy Ways

The Chats — High Risk Behaviour

Cold Meat — Hot and Flustered

Crack Cloud — Pain Olympics

Duma — DuMa

Einstürzende Neubauten — Alles in Allem

The Heliocentrics — Infinity of Now

Hen Ogledd — Free Humans

Hey Colossus — Dances/Curses

Idris Ackamor and the Pyramids — Shaman!

Jeff Parker — Suite for Max Brown

Jennifer Walshe — A Late Anthology of Early Music, Vol. 1: Ancient to Renaissance

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — K.G.

Lonnie Holley — National Freedom

Nadine Shah — Kitchen Sink

Oranssi Pazuzu — Mestarin kynsi

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — Viscerals

Protomartyr — Ultimate Success Today

Róisín Murphy — Róisín Machine

Sault — Untitled (Black Is); Untitled (Rise)

Shirley Collins — Heart’s Ease

The Sorcerers — In Search of the Lost City of the Monkey God

Wilma Archer — A Western Circular

Young Knives — Barbarians

Honourable Mentions 2020:

Algiers — There Is No Year

Christine and the Queens — La vita nuova

Fontaines D.C. — A Hero’s Death

fra fra — Funeral Songs

Idles — Ultra Mono

Pharoah Overlord — 6

Richard Skelton — These Charms May Be Sung Over a Wound

Sex Swing — Type II

Sparks — A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip

Thundercat — It Is What It Is

Torres — Silver Tongue

Wire — Mind Hive

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2020:

Beverly Glenn-Copeland — Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Black Sabbath — Paranoid Super Deluxe Box Set

Coil — The Gay Man’s Guide to Safer Sex

David Bowie — I’m Only Dancing (The Soul Tour ‘74); Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas '95)

Fela Kuti — Perambulator

The Heshoo Beshoo Group — Armitage Road

The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Live In Maui

Neil Young — Homegrown

Pylon — Pylon Box

The Sun Ra Arkestra — Swirling

Sun Ra — Live Egypt 1971

Theotis Taylor — Brother Theotis Taylor

Uranium Club — Live for the Very First Time (In Italy)

Various Artists — Join The Future: UK Bleep & Bass 1988 - 1991

Various Artists — Interstellar Funk Presents Artificial Dancers: Waves Of Synth

Various Artists — Deutsche Elektronische Musik 4: Experimental German Rock And Electronic Music 1971 – 1983

Favourite Music 2019:

Alexander Tucker — Guild of the Asbestos Weaver

Ana Roxanne — ~~~

Årabrot — Die Nibelungen

BATS — Alter Nature

Beverly Glenn-Copeland — Primal Prayer

black midi — Schlagenheim

Cosey Fanni Tutti — Tutti

Damon Locks/Black Monument Ensemble — Where Future Unfolds

Drenge — Strange Creatures

Fat White Family — Serfs Up!

Holly Herndon — Proto

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Infest the Rats’ Nest

King Midas Sound — Solitude

Lingua Ignota — Caligula

MEATRAFFLE — Bastard Music

The Mekons — Deserted

Michael Kiwanuka — Kiwanuka

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — Ghosteen

Priests — The Seduction of Kansas

Purple Mountains — Purple Mountains

Richard Dawson — 2020

shortparis — Так закалялась сталь

Sleaford Mods — Eton Alive

Snapped Ankles — Stunning Luxury

Test Dept. — Disturbance

Vanishing Twin — The Age of Immunology

Honourable Mentions 2019

Angel Olson — All Mirrors

Cate Le Bon — Reward

Caterina Barbieri — Ecstatic Computation

CHAI — PUNK

Earth — Full Upon Her Burning Lips

Jenny Hval — The Practice of Love

Kim Gordon — No Home Record

Leonard Cohen — Thanks for the Dance

The Murder Capital — When I Have Fears

Pharmakon — Devour

Richard Skelton — Border Ballads

Sudan Archives — Athena

Swans — Leaving Meaning

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2019:

The Beatles — Abbey Road Super Deluxe Edition

Can — Live Rockpalast 1970

David Bowie — Conversation Piece

The Deontic Miracle; Catherine Christer Hennix — Selections from 100 Models of Hegikan Roku

Hildur Guðnadóttir — Chernobyl (Music From the Original TV Series)

His Name Is Alive — All the Mirrors in the House (Early Recordings 1979 - 1986)

Mort Garson — Mother Earth’s Plantasia

Patrick Cowley — Mechanical Fantasy Box

Various Artists — Nigeria 70: No Wahala: Highlife, Afro-Funk & Juju 1973-1987

Various Artists — Tarantismo: Odyssey of an Italian Ritual

Various Artists — Third Noise Principle: Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984

Various Artists — Further Perspectives & Distortion: An Encyclopedia of British Experimental and Avant‐Garde Music 1976–1984

Favourite Music 2018:

Ärabrot — Who Do You Love

Capitol K — Goatherder

The Caretaker — Everywhere At The End of Time, Stage IV; Everywhere At The End of Time, Stage V

Chris Carter — Chemistry Lessons Volume 1

Daughters — You Won’t Get What You Want

Die Nerven — Fake

Lonnie Holley — MITH

The Ex — 27 Passports

Gazelle Twin — Pastoral

Gnod — Chapel Perilous

Hen Ogledd — Mogic

Hawthonn — Red Goddess (Of This Men Shall Know Nothing)

Julia Holter — Aviary

Hot Snakes — Jericho Sirens

Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids — An Angel Fell

ILL — We Are Ill

Insecure Men — Insecure Men

Idles — Joy As An Act Of Resistance

KELD — You Are Wolf

Laibach — The Sound of Music

Lonker See — One Eye Sees Red

Low — Double Negative

Mamuthones — Fear on the Corner

Parquet Courts — Wide Awake!

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — King of Cowards

Protomartyr — Consolation EP

Pusha T — Daytona

Richard Skelton — Front Variations (I & II)

Rival Consoles — Persona

Simian Mobile Disco — Murmurations

Sons of Kemet — Your Queen Is A Reptile

Szun Waves — New Hymn to Freedom

Tropical Fuck Storm — A Laughing Death in Meatspace

Yves Tumor — Safe In The Hands Of Love

Honourable Mentions 2018:

Amen Dunes — Freedom

Amyl and the Sniffers — Big Attraction & Giddy Up

The Cavemen — Nuke Earth

Death and the Maiden — Wisteria

The Dirty Nil — Master Volume

Here Lies Man — You Will Know Nothing

Hop Along — Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Iceage — Beyondless

The Limiñanas — Shadow People

Lucy Dacus — Historian

The Messthetics — The Messthetics

Mitski — Be The Cowboy

Nine Inch Nails — Bad Witch

Ought — Room Inside the World

Sarah Louise — Deeper Woods

Scourge of Women — To End It All

Thou — Magus

U.S. Girls — In a Poem Unlimited

Tπc9 — Sekundenschlaf

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2018:

Art Ensemble of Chicago — Les Stances a Sophie

Austin Wintory — The Banner Saga 3 OST

Colin Stetson — Hereditary OST

Holger Czukay — Cinema

Holger Czukay & David Sylvian — Plight & Premonition/Flux & Mutability

Neil Young — Songs for Judy

Throbbing Gristle — Mission Of Dead Souls

Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton — Music and Poetry of the Kesh

Various Artists — Uneven Paths: Deviant Pop from Europe 1980-1991

Various Artists — Deutsche Elektronische Musik 3: Experimental German Music 1971-1981

Various Artists — Onda de Amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were, 1984-1994

Various Artists — Venezuela 70 Vol. 2: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth: Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s & Beyond

Various Artists — Soul Of A Nation 2: Jazz Is The Teacher, Funk Is The Preacher

Various Artists — African Scream Contest Volume 2: Benin 1963 - 1980

Favourite Music 2017:

Algiers — Underside of Power

Atlantik Wall — Atlantik Wall

Charlotte Gainsbourg — Rest

Circle — Terminal

Colin Stetson — All This I Do For Glory

Gnod — Just Say No to the Psycho Right-Wing Capitalist Fascist Industrial Death Machine

Here Lies Man — Here Lies Man

Idles — Brutalism

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith — The Kid

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Flying Microtonal Banana; Murder of the Universe; Polygondwanaland; Sketches of Brunswick East

The Moonlandingz — Interplanetary Class Classics

Nadine Shah — Holiday Destination

Oxbow — Thin Black Duke

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — Feed the Rats

Protomartyr — Relatives in Descent

Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement — Ambient Black Magic

Richard Dawson — Peasant

Thundercat — Drunk

Waxahatchee — Out in the Storm

William Basinski — A Shadow in Time

The Yossarians — Fabric of Time

Zola Jesus — Okovi

Honourable Mentions 2017:

All Them Witches — Sleeping Through the War

The Caretaker — Everywhere at the End of Time (Stage 2); Everywhere at the End of Time (Stage 3)

The Chats — Get This In Ya

Chelsea Wolfe — Hiss Spun

The Dumpies — The Dumpies

Electric Wizard — Wizard Bloody Wizard

EMA — Exile in the Outer Ring

The Fall — New Facts Emerge

French Vanilla — French Vanilla

Game Theory — Supercalifragile

Japan Blues — Sells His Record Collection

Moon Duo — Occult Architecture Vol. 1; Occult Architecture Vol. 2

NSRD — The Workshop for the Restoration of Unfelt Feelings

Onus — Ratsickles

Priests — Nothing Feels Natural

St. Vincent — MASSEDUCATION

Torres — Three Futures

UUUU — UUUU

Wire — Silver/Lead

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2017:

Black Sabbath — The Ten Year War

The Fall — Singles 1978-2016

German Oak — Down In The Bunker

Husker Dü — Savage Young Dü

Midori Takada — Through The Looking Glass

Patrick Cowley — Afternooners

The Pentangle — The Albums

Pep Llopis — Poiemusia La Nau Dels Argonautes

Various Artists — Music From Saharan Cellphones Vol. 1

Various Artists — N.E.E.T (Not in Education Employment or Training)

Various Artists — Noise Reduction System: Formative European Electronica 1974-1984

Various Artists — Silhouettes and Shadows: A Gothic Revolution 1978-1986

Favourite Music 2016:

All diese Gewalt — Welt in Klammern

ANOHNI — HOPELESSNESS

Årabrot — Gospel

Car Seat Headrest — Teens of Denial

Cheena — Spend the Night With…

Controlled Bleeding — Larva Lumps and Baby Bumps

David Bowie — Blackstar

The Dwarves of East Agouza — Bes

Exploded View — Exploded View

Fat White Family — Songs for Our Mothers

Fear of Men — Fall Forever

Hedvig Mollestad Trio — Black Stabat Mater

Jozef van Wissem — When Shall This Bright Day Begin

The KVB — Of Desire

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Nonagon Infinity

Leonard Cohen — You Want It Darker

The Mekons — Existentialism

Mélanie De Biasio — Blackened Cities

The Minneapolis Uranium Club — Human Exploration; All of Them Naturals

Moor Mother — Fetish Bones

Mütterlein — Orphans of the Black Sun

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — Skeleton Tree

Parquet Courts — Human Performance

Savages — Adore Life

SHXCXCHCXSH — SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs

True Widow — Avvolgere

White Lung — Paradise

Honourable Mentions 2016:

The Caretaker — Everywhere at the End of Time

Diminished Men — Vision in Crime

Dinosaur Jr. — Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

Future of the Left — The Peace and Truce of Future of the Left

Hen Ogledd — Bronze

Jenny Hval — Blood Bitch

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani — Sunergy

The Limiñanas — Malamore

Marissa Nadler — Strangers

PJ Harvey — The Hope Six Demolition Project

Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool

Rangda — The Heretic’s Bargain

SubRosa — For This We Fought the Battle of Ages

Swans — The Glowing Man

Wrekmeister Harmonies — Light Falls

Wire — Nocturnal Koreans

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2016:

Big Star — The Complete Third

Cluster — 1971-1981

Nine Inch Nails — The Fragile: Deviations 1

Pere Ubu — Architecture of Language 1979-1982

Scott Walker — The Childhood of a Leader (OST)

Sun Ra — Singles: The Definitive 45's Collection 1952-1991

Various Artists — Close to the Noise Floor: Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984

Various Artists — Killed By Deathrock Vol. 2

Various Artists — Wake You Up! Vol. 1: The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock Music 1972-1977

Various Artists — Wake You Up! Vol. 2: The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock Music 1972-1977

Favourite Music 2015:

Bad Guys — Bad Guynaecology

Baron — Torpor

The Body & Thou — You, Whom I Have Always Hated

Chelsea Wolfe — Abyss

Circuit des Yeux — In Plain Speech

Couch Slut — My Life As a Woman

Die Nerven — Out

The Eccetronic Research Council — Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine…I’m Your Biggest Fan

Feu! Chatterton — Ici le jour (a tout enseveli)

Ghold — Of Ruin

The Inward Circles — Belated Movements For An Unsanctioned Exhumation August 1st 1984

Institute — Catharsis

Jenny Hval — Apocalypse, Girl

Low — Ones and Sixes

MEATRAFFLE — Hi Fi Classics

The Mekons — Jura

Men I Trust — Headroom

Negative Scanner — Negative Scanner

Protomartyr — The Agent Intellect

Pyramids — A Northern Meadow

Thundercat — The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam

Torres — Sprinter

U.S Girls — Half Free

Viet Cong — Viet Cong

Honourable Mentions 2015:

Alessandro Cortini — Risveglio

Bell Witch — Four Phantoms

Container — LP

Gnaw Their Tongues — Abyss of Longing Throats

J.C. Satàn — J.C. Satàn

Księżyc — Rabbit Eclipse

LoneLady — Hinterland

Nadine Shah — Fast Food

Spectres — Dying

Titus Andronicus — The Most Lamentable Tragedy

Tropic of Cancer — Stop Suffering

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats — The Night Creeper

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2015:

Coil — Backwards

Harmonia — Complete Works

Patrick Cowley — Muscle Up

Peter Christopherson — Live At L'Étrange Festival 2004

Rose McDowall — Cut With the Cake Knife

Sun Ra And His Arkestra — To Those Of Earth… And Other Worlds

Swans — The Gate

Swans — White Light from the Mouth of Infinity/Love of Life

Van der Graaf Generator — After the Flood: At the BBC 1968-77

Various Artists — [Cease & Desist] DIY (Cult Classics from the Post-Punk Era 1978-82)

Various Artists — Next Stop Soweto: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco and Mbaqanga 1975-1985 Vol. 4

Various Arists — Small Town Country, Vol. 1

Favourite Music 2014:

Angel Olsen — Burn Your Fire for No Witness

Ben Frost — A U R O R A

The Body — I Shall Die Here

Burial Hex — The Hierophant

Current 93 — I Am the Last of All the Field That Fell

Die Nerven — Fun

Einstürzende Neubauten — Lament

English Heretic — The Underground Service

Fear of Men — Loom

Feu! Chatterton — Feu! Chatterton

Grouper — Ruins

Hedvig Mollestad Trio — Enfant Terrible

Inga Copeland — Because I'm Worth It

The Inward Circles — Nimrod Is Lost in Orion and Osyris in the Doggestarre

Leonard Cohen — Popular Problems

Pharmakon — Bestial Burden

The Proper Ornaments — Wooden Head

Protomartyr — Under Color of Official Right

Pye Corner Audio & Not Waving — Intercepts

Richard Dawson — Nothing Important

Scott Walker & Sunn O))) — Soused

Silo — Work

Swans — To Be Kind

Thou — Heathen

White Lung — Deep Fantasy

Honourable Mentions 2014:

The Antlers — Familiars

Cult of Youth — Final Days

Earth — Primitive and Deadly

East India Youth — Total Strife Forever

EMA — The Future’s Void

Flying Lotus — You’re Dead!

Gazelle Twin — Unflesh

Iceage — Plowing Into The Field Of Love

Off — Wasted Years

Slim Twig — A Hound at the Hem

Sd Laika — That's Harakiri

Somali Yacht Club — The Sun

St. Vincent — St. Vincent

Tindersticks — Ypres

Ty Segall — Manipulator

White Fence — For the Recently Found Innocent

Wovenhand — Refractory Obdurate

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2014:

Austin Wintory — The Banner Saga (OST)

Jack Ruby — Hit and Run

John Coltrane — Offering: Live at Temple University

King Crimson — Starless

The Spies — The Battle of Bosworth Terrace

Various Artists — Native North America, Vol 1.: Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985

Various Artists — Sombras: Spanish Post-Punk and Dark Pop 1981-1986

Favourite Music 2013:

Chelsea Wolfe — Pain Is Beauty

David Bowie — The Next Day

Dawn of Midi — Dysnomia

Destruction Unit —Deep Trip; Void

The Devil — The Devil

The Dowland Project — Night Sessions

The Fall — Remainderer EP

Fat White Family — Champagne Holocaust

Iceage — You’re Nothing

Industrial Park — Cold White

Jozef Van Wissem — Nihil Obstat

Low — The Invisible Way

New War — New War

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — Push the Sky Away

Pharmakon — Abandon

Protomartyr — No Technique, All Passion; Colpi Probiti EP

SubRosa — More Constant Than The Gods

Savages — Silence Yourself

True Widow — Circumambulation

Veronica Falls — Waiting for Something to Happen

Wire — Change Becomes Us

Honourable Mentions 2013:

Catholic Spray — Amazon Hunt

Darkside — Psychic

Diarrhea Planet — I'm rich beyond your wildest dreams

Jenny Hval — Innocence Is Kinky

The Limiñanas — Costa Blanca

Mark Mulcahy — Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You

Merchandise — Totale Night

My Bloody Valentine — m b v

Nadine Shah — Love You Dum and Mad

Nine Inch Nails — Hesitation Marks

Suede — Bloodsports

Tropic of Cancer — Restless Idylls

Ty Segall — Sleeper

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats — Mind Control

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — II

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2013:

Bob Dylan — Another Self Portrait (1969-1970): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10

The Conet Project — Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations

Earth Dies Burning — Songs from the Valley of the Bored Teenager 1981-1984

Jozef Van Wissem & SQÜRL — Only Lovers Left Alive (OST)

King Crimson — The Road to Red

Neil Young — Live At The Cellar Door 1970

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — Live From KCRW

Patrick Cowley — School Daze

Swans — Not Here/Not Now

Various Artists — Deutsche Elektronische Musik 2: Experimental German Rock And Electronic Musik 1971-83

Various Arists — Everything's Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals

Various Artists — Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980-1989

Various Artists — Sorrow Come Pass Me Around: A Survey of Rural Black Religious Music

#music #best music 2023 #best music 2022 #best music 2021 #best music 2020 #blog #personal history #major works

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my-opinions · 1 year

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With all the testing that has been happening the past two days, and the subsequent social media posting about a certain Mr. Piastri, I have seen so much anti-Oscar rhetoric. Not on here, I don’t think people give a shit enough on Tumblr but certainly on TikTok and Twitter (and by pretty well-known accounts too).

And I get it to a certain extent, you are going to miss Daniel but to say “that seat will always be Daniels” ??!?!?? like girl the team has been around since 1966 (that’s 56 years) I grantee you that in 40 years’ time very few people will remember Daniel in a McLaren. (People will remember him but not for his time with this team). This may be a bit controversial but if you are a fan of Daniel, you will understand that it was better for him to leave McLaren. It was a toxic environment and bad for his mental health (you can be sad about him leaving F1, I am, but it was better for him to get out of that mess.) If you are a McLaren fan, you will realize that while Daniel is a great guy, he has not provided the results and he needed to. And because Oscar is a rookie, he doesn’t cost as much as Daniel. Even if (which he won’t) perform like Daniel has this year, they’ll still be saving around $19,5 million

On top of that, to send hate to Oscar is just simply wrong. It is not his fault that management of both Alpine and McLaren is bad. He has earned his spot fair and square. He DOES NOT deserve fucking death threats all because he is one of the most talented people to come from the junior categories in recent years.

Also, I find it very funny that everyone is crying over Daniel and Lando not being teammates anymore (I’m not laughing at your pain, shame man they did have a very good relationship at the end) but when they started out it was so awkward. Just rewatch the first couple of challenges they did together, Lando was very wary. (Even if we think about all the iconic Dando moments, a very large majority of them happened this year) I personally think they (Lando and Oscar) will either get on really well, as in being salty bitches together or will hate each other. I think it will be different from Lando’s previous teammates because for the first time they will be very similar in age so there won’t be the generational divide he had with Daniel but at the same time he will still have those extra four years’ experience that Oscar doesn’t have. I also think Lando will probably enjoy the power trip of being the “older” more experienced one that Oscar must learn from.

When we look at Lando and Oscar’s relationship next year, we must remember how long it took for him to warm up to Daniel.

I got a bit off topic but essentially what I’m trying to say is that Oscar doesn’t deserve the hate he gets for simply existing. A LOT of people are just hearing that he’s replacing Daniel and then start to blame everything on him. Everything he has achieved so far gets swept under the rug and they just say, “oh well he’s not as funny as Daniel so Lando won’t like him” My siblings in Christ have you seen the man’s old tweets?!?? Even in the Prema videos he’s hilarious. He’s just some random gen-z kid who is so done with life and I, as a fellow gen-z kid done with life, respect this.

What I’m trying to say is that he deserves more than his replies being full of hate and people calling him a traitor and backstabber. He deserves “well done, I’m so proud of you” “Can’t wait to see you in the car next year” Anyways be prepared to be sick of me, because I’m going to post so much Oscar prop next year cuz the man needs all the help he can get.

#sorry this is so long but Jesus if I hear one more person saying something bad about him we’ll have words #it’s just a bit a of a rant #I will be following this up with some more of my favourite tweets but I am writing exams right now so I just need to find the time #oscar piastri #lando norris #daniel ricciardo #f1 #formula 1 #f1br #2023 season #if any other struggling Oscar fans would like to be friends that would be great everyone in my family hates him for “what he did to Daniel.

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tygerbug · 5 months

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DOCTOR WHO: The Giggle (2023) : It's hard to shake the feeling that I've seen this before, and not in a bad way. It feels instead like the series is playing the old hits. The triumphant return to Doctor Who of its original 2005 showrunner (Russell T Davies) and lead actor (David Tennant) sticks the landing, in all three of these specials, by doing the same sort of stuff it would have done in the late 2000s. It's bigger, bolder, gayer, and feels like there's more money onscreen (after a partnership with Disney+ that hopefully won't doom the show later on). The CGI effects and production design are genuinely impressive throughout. The show has worked hard to shake its reputation as a cheap-looking and cheesy science fiction adventure, by throwing money at the problem, and it pays off here.

The Toymaker was introduced in 1966 as a way to replace the lead actor of the show, before the producers came up with a different idea. Doctor Who is a show that has always benefited from a change in actor and producers, in order to embrace change and find a new twist on what can otherwise be a repetitive format. But so far, the new Russell T Davies specials have been a glorious return to the same old rubbish. It has been said that every Doctor Who writer has one story in them, that they will write over and over again until forced to leave the show. We see elements of previous stories in The Giggle, repeated with the full confidence that we'll enjoy seeing this sort of thing again. The cast, also, seem fully convinced that they're doing the sort of thing Doctor Who fans like. We haven't seen that in awhile. Viewing figures have dropped off a cliff in the age of streaming (a problem for all television across the board), and the Capaldi and Whittaker eras of Doctor Who didn't get the same promotion and merchandise that David Tennant and Matt Smith got. The show took two years off (2016, 2019), and stopped making new toys, games, and spinoffs. Bringing back Russell T Davies and David Tennant comes with the hope that the show can be a cultural juggernaut again.

This is, presumably, the last we're going to see of David Tennant as the current Doctor Who, and inevitably it leaves the viewer wanting more. Tennant was probably the most popular Doctor Who of the 2005 revival, and he slips back into the role easily, because he's still very good at doing this. It makes me feel old to hear the incoming Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, talk about how he "grew up watching" David Tennant, and how Tennant's 2009 Hamlet inspired him to become an actor. Gatwa is 31 years old.

This special is over an hour long - it's an hour and one minute - as Russell T Davies said excitedly in a social media video. And isn't it nice to be excited about Doctor Who again, something that Davies has always tried to bring to the table, even if his enthusiasm can be grating. But an hour is really not enough. There are a ton of ideas in this special that are explored only briefly, and could have used another 30 minutes to an hour of screentime. We notice the cheats, and the shorthand. We notice how the episode is about arguing politics on social media, until it's not. (The villain of the week even tosses off that Gender Critical catchphrase, "handmaidens.") The special is about the Doctor and the Toymaker facing off to play a game again, following up on a now-mostly-lost story from 1966. But we notice that the Doctor always chooses "the most simple game of all," removing any need to spend screentime explaining game mechanics. I could have happily watched these "games" for another episode, in some form or another.

The result, as with so many of Russell T Davies' stories, is that a big worldwide threat is established, which will inevitably be deflated in a way that's smaller than its setup. "Classic" Doctor Who would sit in these threats for a few episodes, but post-2005 Doctor Who tends to lack that sort of padding. More running time would likely have been filled with something else entirely. In true RTD fashion, the evil plan that's affecting the world is a completely nonsensical story beat. Calling the idea half-baked is an overstatement. It's not baked at all, but RTD assumes the actors can make it work in the performance. And yes, they can, but they would do equally well with better material. As with the Toymaker himself, the writing is a showy stage set with nothing in the back. RTD deduced correctly, long ago, that the vibes of Doctor Who are of more importance than whether these events are explained enough to make sense. RTD's Doctor Who is dramatic, flashy, silly, anything but boring. That's its greatest strength, and occasionally its weakness.

The special is stolen almost entirely by Neil Patrick Harris, as the Toymaker in question. The role as written calls for a big, showy, over the top performance, and Harris nails it with equal parts comedic camp and genuine menace. Harris does a lot with a bad German accent, solidifying the Toymaker as someone who is always joking and playing around, but who can also unravel your life in an instant if he so desires. The gay coding is text rather than subtext, as both a wink and a threat. This viewer suspects that one reason the show never brought this villain back until now, is that he is overpowered and does not fit in with the show's universe as we understand it. His flaws are as overpowered and unexplained as his powers. He is a fairy tale character, who can only be defeated in trivial ways, and it makes an already silly show even sillier. This is not a complaint. At times the performances are wonderful. At other times the tertiary supporting cast seem unsure how to react to whatever is occurring.

It's hard not to notice that this is basically a retread of how the Master was presented (played by John Simm) in 2007's "The Sound of Drums." Many of the story beats are identical, to the point where the script even points this out in an attempt to say it's different this time, in some unexplained way. But this version landed better with me, since The Toymaker has less history with the Doctor and was due for a reinvention. (It's harder not to compare the new series Master with the old series Master, and by comparison he/she is fan-ficcy and lacks a certain mavitas.) It helps that The Toymaker, like the Master, is witty, indulging in little performances and disguises for no one's amusement but his own. A good actor can make a meal out of this sort of thing.

The Toymaker, or Celestial Toymaker, was played memorably by the late Michael Gough in a 1966 story. It's not one of the show's best, and only the final episode of four is known to exist today, apart from audio. (A CGI animated version has been announced.) Writer Brian Hayles (credited here) pitched "The Eyes of Nemesis" in 1975, but was rejected. He would have returned in 1986 for "The Nightmare Fair" (with Colin Baker), but the show was facing cancellation at the time and scripts for "season 23" were cancelled in favor of what became "The Trial of a Time Lord" (which introduced Bonnie Langford, who recurs here). Michael Gough declined to return for the silly 1993 special "Dimensions In Time." The late David Bailie played the role on audio in The Nightmare Fair and Solitaire (with Paul McGann's Doctor but without Paul McGann). These stories are no longer canon on television.

"Celestial" has an unfortunate dual meaning here. It can refer to something from the sky, of the stars, and of outer space. It's also a 19th-century slur for Chinese people, and the character wore Chinese-inspired dress throughout, as if appearing in a children's pantomime. (A different character also says the N-word during a nursery rhyme in the story, something edited out of later audio releases.) To his credit, Michael Gough doesn't play the role in any detectably racist way, and "The Giggle" only references "Celestial" to mean "of the stars." It also shows the Toymaker trying on German, French, American and British personas as a running pattern. Yes, it's canonical now, in 2023, that the Toymaker is just a bit racist.

I say all of this only to note that we're getting into the deepest and dankest weeds here, in terms of referencing Doctor Who episodes that new fans of the show could not reasonably be expected to have seen. Mavic Chen is also referenced, from The Daleks' Master Plan, and as with the Toymaker, if you weren't already watching Doctor Who in 1965 and 1966, you haven't seen that (quite wonderful) story in full, because nine out of twelve episodes no longer exist today, except as audio.

Some time here is also spent explaining what Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) got up to after she left the show in 1987. (Tony Selby's character of Sabalom Glitz is referenced. The actor passed away in 2021.) The Youtube documentary specifically name-checks "Time and the Rani," possibly the silliest and campest Doctor Who story ever made. These are not moments intended for casual viewers. I doubt they'll actually be confused by the name-dropping, but you are a long way down the Doctor Who iceberg of camp if you're getting these reference. Would the average Doctor Who fan even get these references? Yes, of course, because they're sickos.

A few Photoshopped flashes of Michael Gough and William Hartnell are even thrown in as a flashback, as if Doctor Who has now, himself, visited the Doctor Who website and subscribed to the official Doctor Who Youtube channel.

Back in 1983 we got "The Five Doctors," with a cast of as many Doctor Who actors as could be bothered to show up for it. (Tom Baker said no.) For the Fiftieth Anniversary, "The Day of the Doctor" brought back David Tennant, Billie Piper, Tom Baker, and (checks notes) Peter Capaldi, who wasn't even Doctor Who yet. And John Hurt, who never was. (Chris Eccleston said no.)

The David Tennant specials are a different star beast entirely, without a lot of cameos, unless we're counting Trinity Wells, Mel Bush and Wilf Mott. (Bernard Cribbins passed away during filming, and Wilf is seen only briefly, played by a stand=in. He is otherwise referenced as being just offscreen.) Instead, the vibe is, "what if we brought back David Tennant and Catherine Tate to do roughly the same sort of thing we used to do back around 2008?" So this is how Russell T Davies has spent the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, and I think he had the right instincts about it. There are a lot of nods to the past, but it mostly amounts to namedropping. The Meep and The Toymaker are pulled from such distant, old canon that they might as well be new. Fans might say, it's good to finally see The Meep and The Toymaker onscreen, but they're very deep cuts. The point of this exercise, really, is having Tennant and Tate back, as if they're the current Doctor Who team, for awhile. Appearances by other actors would have distracted from what we're seeing here. (This does, however, explain the need for little minisode projects featuring old series cast, like Tales of the TARDIS and the trailers for The Collection Blu-Rays.)

Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor is also subtly different. His previous Doctor would have burnt up a sun to say goodbye, but could not say the words "I love you." This Doctor says "I love you" casually, and it surprises the hell out of him. If this is part of some grander character arc, we don't see it spelled out here. What we get instead is an ending unlike anything we've seen before, which is also very, very much like the endings RTD has written before. It's something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Viewers have theorized that previous special "Wild Blue Yonder" was partly based around fears of AI replacing human input on the internet, ruining all our information and never quite getting the hands right. The political messaging is less subtle here. The Giggle feeds into humanity's worst impulses, which play out like someone who is wrong on social media, but convinced that they're right. There are overt references to anti-vaxxers and the Cult of Gender Critical. One returning character seems to have become Alex Jones. This doesn't last long though, as the story has other things to do. It's a background detail rather than an overall political statement. "Doctor Who gets political?" Well, maybe a little bit, when it remembers to. The references to feminism and transgender identity in The Star Beast were more of a running theme.

Both episodes featured Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham, a UNIT scientific advisor who uses a wheelchair due to spina bifida. This actually comes up more in this episode, with overt references to the discrimination she faces, and an effort to make the TARDIS wheelchair-accessible (and add a jukebox). What we haven't seen in awhile is a male UNIT soldier whose name we'd remember. Personally, I wouldn't want Jack Harkness or Mickey Smith (they know what they did) but would settle for Clyde Langer, or similar. Or if this is still a girl's club, Rani Chandra. (Also this is somehow the second UNIT episode in a row where they've forgotten about Liz Shaw. First scientific advisor AND first redhead?)

There are some typically Russell T Davies touches here, like a warning that the bigger overall villain(s) are still coming for the Doctor, so stay tuned folks. And an unexplained Nick Briggs-voiced creature called the Vlinx. Are they going to start making action figures of this sort of thing again?

In the Youtube documentaries, incoming Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa (pronounced "Shuti") is seen doing a one-handed cartwheel, something impressive but not seen in the actual episode. There is a scene of some athletic play where the actors show what they can do. The answer is not "catch a ball" or "give Jemma Redgrave and Bonnie Langford anything coherent to react to." I look forward to more of Ncuti's physicality in the role. You can feel the show testing how gay it's allowed to be, in specific ways we haven't seen since RTD was last writing it. Ncuti's Doctor never puts on trousers in all of his/their screentime. They are also seen in a skirt or kilt, raving, in the trailer for the Christmas special. RTD seems a bit interested in Ncuti's legs, as Moffat was interested in Amy Pond's. (Pond is also referenced here, because it's the 60th.) Now, I'm not going to say "they wouldn't have done that in the sixties," because they did. Gatwa is youthful and fashionable, all teeth and pectoral muscles, and seems comfortable enough in the role. How that actually translates to the screen, we find out on Christmas day. It involves singing CGI goblins.

So far this has been a triumphant return of the same old rubbish. My hope is that Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who can also be more of the same.

#doctor who #the giggle #david tennant #catherine tate #neil patrick harris

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clonewarsarchives · 2 years

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TALKING TARKIN (#125, MAY 2011)

In his varied career, actor Stephen Stanton has provided the voices of a vast array of characters, from Obi-wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Empire at War to Darth Maul in Star Wars: Battlefront II. His latest role is as the snide Captain Tarkin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Words: Jonathan Wilkins

How did you become a voice actor?

I’ve been pestering people with my cartoon voices ever since I was a kid. I used to try to imitate the voices that actors like Daws Butler (Snagglepuss, Yogi Bear) did. I originally came out to California to go to film school, but even back then, if anybody needed a narration or something like that, I'd do it. Then I decided it was really taking up a lot of my time, so maybe I should think about it as a career. So I moved into acting full time.

Were you excited about playing such a well-known character as Tarkin?

Absolutely. I originally went to see Star Wars as a teenager. I was familiar with Peter Cushing's work from all the Hammer horror films, and one of my favorites was Island of Terror (1966). There was a scene where he gets his hand chopped off that really freaked me out as a kid. I went to see Star Wars and I was like, Wow! This movie is great and it's got Peter Cushing in it!

When the chance came to audition to play Tarkin in The Clone Wars, I thought, They're looking for a young Peter Cushing sound-alike, and so I immediately started doing my research and turned in my audition tape.

What was your audition piece?

It was a scene from "The Citadel." I think Tarkin might have been a sergeant in the script, but it was just a page of sample dialogue from the episode.

It was really straightforward, because there wasn't much else to do except Peter Cushing, only younger. So I re-watched Island of Terror and watched the BBC television series Sherlock Holmes. Dave Filoni suggested that I watch the 1960s movies where he played Doctor Who so I got the DVDs, only to find he was already playing an old man back then!

What sort of nuances and vocal characteristics did you pick up?

Well he definitely had a cadence that's very particular to him. When he rolls his 'r's, that's something that's very Peter Cushing. I listened to a lot of dialogue just trying to pick out when he rolls his 'r's, and when he doesn't, and that up-and-down style.

What made Tarkin so tricky is that there is no performance of him as a young man; there's only the Tarkin that we know on the Death Star. So I had to create that based on what I knew of the character in A New Hope and what I could hear from Peter Cushing as a younger man, and combine the two in order to come up with the young Captain.

He still has to sound like the cold-blooded, heartless Tarkin who kills everybody on Alderaan to prove a point, but now he has to be this vibrant, younger character, too. He's still proper, he's still distinguished, but he's not quite that cold-hearted murderer yet. We're not quite sure how it gets to be that he's one of the few people that gets to order Darth Vader around: "Enough of this, release him!" And Vader listens to him, no questions asked.

Anakin and Tarkin are fractious from the start. Did you have a back-story for their relationship?

Dave Filoni is very good at giving reasons why characters interact the way they do. He talked to myself and Matt (Lanter, Anakin Skywalker) before we started recording and explained that we were exploring the relationship, because, when were first introduced to Vader in A New Hope, you can tell that people who were around him in the Death Star think he's just this creepy guy that hangs around with Tarkin. No one thinks of him as the supreme villain that we all do.

Did you know how Tarkin would look when you recorded the voice?

No. There are a lot of things that are very confidential on The Clone Wars—scripts, images and so forth—so I didn't see what he was going to look like until I got there on the day of the session. When I went into the booth, they said, "Oh, we've got a picture for you of what he's going to look like." I saw a picture, and thought, That's incredible, that's great, it's him.

This is not only a much-loved character from Star Wars, but also a much-loved actor. Did you feel a sense of pressure playing the role?

Oh, you better believe it! I think that most of the pressure just came from myself, because I wanted to do it right. I'm such an admirer of Peter Cushing, and I realize that Peter Cushing is more than an icon. Tarkin is iconic, but Peter Cushing as an actor is so revered and he did so many great things.

Of course, Peter Cushing appeared alongside Christopher Lee (the live-action Count Dooku) in many classic Hammer horror films. So the big question for a lot of Hammer fans is: Do you think Tarkin and Dooku will ever meet?

That was the first thing that went through my mind! I was sitting right next to Corey Burton, and we were both wondering whether there was a scene in here somewhere where the two of us talk! I'm sure they've thought about it. It'd be great to see these two icons of cinema meet in animation; that would be wonderful, don't you think?

If you could play another character on the show, which would it be?

I did the voice of the older Obi-Wan Kenobi in the video games. I think everyone's love of Obi-Wan is really based on that original performance by Sir Alec Guinness—how can you not love that guy? That'd be fun to do again. Admiral Ackbar would be fun to do. There's a little bit of Winston Churchill in him I think. He's a great character.

Would you like to play Tarkin again?

Oh, absolutely. They've got a long way to go from the character we just saw in "The Citadel" to the guy commanding the Death Star in Episode IV. I'd love to see how that whole relationship develops between Anakin and Tarkin. What do those two guys have to go through to get to the point where, after everything that's happened, they are working together? I'm all for it.

REBEL FRIENDS

Stephen Stanton on his earlier career in special effects working with Phil Tippett on projects such as Alien 3 (1992) and Batman Returns (1991).

Very early in my career, I was doing both voiceover and visual effects. I was young, I wanted to do everything, so I tried and it kind of wore me out. Working with Phil Tippett was great. Phil has such a legacy with Star Wars and Lucasfilm. I also worked with Richard Edlund early in my effects career. He's another Star Wars alumnus and another incredibly talented guy. It was through Phil that I actually got to meet Ray Harryhausen, another person who inspired me as a young filmmaker. These are all guys that have done so much in the entertainment industry and to inspire me in my own career.

#Tarkin #Stephen Stanton #Season 3 #insider #i125 #cast #the clone wars

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ericspeartree · 8 months

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Hey all, here are my creativity test results. Think there's some work to be done! Here are some design preferences and prejudices too:

Design Preferences:

Subversive Film - I am absolutely crazy about movies. I won’t sit here and try to argue that there’s one kind I love more than any other, because I’ve seen so many that I can find one from any genre that I absolutely adore. Still, I have extra respect for movies that push the boundaries of what can/should be done in film. I love any film that goes out of its way to defy the medium and any established rules of filmmaking. Within these terms, I’ll mention a few favorites: Mulholland Drive (2001), Pierrot Le Fou (1965), Persona (1966), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Gummo (1997) stand out above many others to me. If I had to pick a favorite genre, it’d probably be horror, but if it ever comes down to movies I’m ready to talk all day about them.

Sample Heavy Music - I adore the art of sampling. Few things give me as much of a genuine rush as when I’m listening to an album and I recognize the origin of a sample used in a song. My favorite album of all time is “Since I Left You” by The Avalanches, an album under the Plunderphonics subgenre that is made up of between 900 to 3,500 different samples, depending on who you ask. It is an album full of lively, danceable tunes that I cannot recommend enough. Other artists I love for their sampling abilities are Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, the Beastie Boys, MF DOOM, Madlib, Earl Sweatshirt, and Boards of Canada.

Varying Kinds of Literature - I would hesitate to call myself well read, but I do try my best to read as much as I can. I think the novel is one of the most powerful mediums, since it can be formed in any way the author sees fit. It is truly a playground for creativity and I’ve found great pleasure in many kinds of literature, so I’ll name a few writers and works I love: Cormac McCarthy (Blood Meridian, All The Pretty Horses), Flannery O’Connor (Wise Blood, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Good Country People), David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest, Good Old Neon), Thomas Pynchon (Inherent Vice, Gravity’s Rainbow), and Toni Morrison (Beloved). I think what I love most about these writers/works is how much they all utilize the flexibility of the novelistic form to create worlds and characters that could not be rendered in any other medium, or at least would be very difficult to.

Design Prejudices:

Minimalistic or Overly Plain Branding: I know many people generally despise the concept of branding as a whole, but I think I’ve pretty much come to terms with its universality. I often find that I grow attached to some kinds of branding, particularly logos, which upsets me even more whenever companies go out of their way to “rebrand” to some minimalistic junk. I understand the need (or perceived need) to appear modern/sleek/cool but to me there is nothing cool about something that looks like it can belong to any old brand. Some entities who I believed have changed their branding for the worse over the years: Pringles, Snapple, La Liga, Firefox, and Google. God forbid they do anything to the Coca-Cola logo.

Clothing With the Brand Name on It: This one is real specific. I won’t pretend that I have a clue when it comes to fashion; my method for getting dressed every day is to wear whatever happens to be at the top of my drawer. Still, I find that I simply refuse to buy any clothing where the brand’s or store’s name is just blasted onto the front of it. The worst for this are places like Hollister, Aeropostale, even some of the hype-beast luxury brands, but special mention to Gap because I didn’t think I could hate 3 plain letters on a hoodie so much.

Sitcoms About Nice/Overly Dumb People: Full disclosure, I have a dark sense of humor (within reason, obviously). I find that what makes me laugh in comedy is people acting completely awful. Think shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Veep. It works best because it shows the absurdity of life and the situations that arise from it. That’s why so many other comedies simply don’t work for me; they’re too focused on being nice that they just end up feeling toothless and milquetoast. I won’t name the shows I don’t like out of respect (it’s hard to write and direct!) but it’s something that always gets on my nerves.

#media design

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fancoloredglasses · 11 months

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[RERUN] Holy nostalgia!

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(Thanks to Dark Detective)

[All images are owned by DC Comics and 20th Century Fox Disney. Please don’t sue me]

Ah, Batman...campy, goofy, 1966 Batman...

A confession: I am not old enough to have seen Batman in its original run, but I grew up watching it in reruns. I fondly remember it feeling like a comic book with all the BAMs, POWs, CRASHes, and of course ZOWIEs during the fight scenes. Then I hit my teens and early 20s and realized how stupid it was.

Maybe it’s due to hitting my X0s that I can start seeing what they writers and actors were going for. Series creator William Dozier (who also was the narrator for the series) said he never read the comic before being assigned by 20th Century Fox to make a Batman series (something that a lot of the creative staff for DC movies have in common. I’m looking at you Burton, you Donner, and especially YOU, Schumacher!), but he realized that if he wanted to make a series that would appeal to kids as well as parents, he needed to go completely over-the-top!

And over-the-top it was! The problem was that within a few years the comic started steering away from the goofy tone and toward a tone that was more...if not grim then at least more serious. Unfortunately, the series set the tone for what Batman would look like on screen until 1989 (including Casey Casem’s Robin parroting Burt Ward’s “holy” addiction in Superfriends), and the characters were what people thought of when thinking of Batman, the Joker, and the rest until Bruce Timm and Paul Dini redefined Batman’s entire feel in 1992 (only to have Joel Schumacher nearly kill it in 1997)

(Thanks to tenor)

But this isn’t about what Batman became, but what Batman was.

For all the jokes about Adam West’s “square Batman”, the fact that West was the only Batman with a beer-gut, the endless “Holy” exclamations...

...the fact that Cesar Romero would do anything to be the Joker except shave, I do still enjoy the charm of the show, although there are a few glaring issues I have (and most involve the women of the show)

Let’s start with “Aunt” Harriet Cooper. First off, both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are orphans. Neither have any family that could have taken them in (hence why Alfred raised Bruce and Bruce raised Dick after their respective parents’ deaths), so whose aunt is she supposed to be? Plus, she has free reign of the manor (though apparently she doesn’t enter Bruce’s study) Do you mean to tell me she has never heard the Bat-phone going off and wondered why Bruce had a special phone that beeps?

Then we have Barbara Gordon.

AKA Batgirl.

Now, I get that Commissioner Gordon doesn’t know his daughter wears purple tights and fights crime, but Bruce Wayne is supposed to be the “World’s Greatest Detective” and even he doesn’t know who Batgirl is?!

Finally we have Catwoman, who (if you count the movie) was played by three different actresses and no explanation was given.

And now we have the biggest issue I have (that doesn’t involve the women in the show). Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Chief O’Hara all refer to the GCPD as “the finest police force in the world” (yes, they may be a bit biased) However, Batman repeatedly tells Gordon and O’Hara to keep the cops out of his way. Moreover, when the police are involved, they come off as incompetent.

This level of idiocy wouldn’t be seen again until 2012 when Gordon leads the entire goddamn GCPD into the sewers in The Dark Knight! If the GCPD is the finest in the world, the rest of the world must be Keystone!

youtube

(Thanks to laughland)

...no offense to the hometown of the Golden Age Flash...

Once again, if anyone has a favorite episode, let me know!

#DC comics #batman #Adam West #Burt Ward #i hate reruns #Fan Colored Glasses

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anotheruserwithnoname · 1 year

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Book series that would make good movies/TV shows if done properly

With all this talk about Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones and now Harry Potter being remade for TV, there are a number of popular book series that I am surprised no one has (by now) done a proper film or TV series about. Here are a few that I think are overdue for adaptation on screen. Spoiler break here as this will be a bit long:

(n.b. all cover scans are from my collection)

1. Honor Harrington

This post was inspired by the fact David Weber’s military SF series Honor Harrington - which traces the career and exploits of the titular character - turns 30 this year. There is some immense world-building by Weber here, more than enough to sustain a TV series and spin-offs. And Honor had the “tough hero with cute cat” look down pat while Brie Larson was still in her crib. I feel old because I read On Basilisk Station when it first came out!

2. Killashandra Ree

I’m surprised there haven’t been movies adapting Anne McCaffrey’s novels. The Killashandra Ree trilogy - about a young woman who uses her singing voice to mine a precious commodity called crystal. This would be a perfect role for a singer-actress.

3. Illuminatus!

Shea and Wilson’s Illuminatus! trilogy has been called the ultimate fairy tale for paranoids. Most of not all references to “the Illuminati” which appears in films from time to time take some notes from the Illuminatus! Trilogy. It would have to be NC-17 if done for movies, so this is more likely a Netflix-friendly concept. And once the trilogy is done, Wilson went on to write a number of novels called The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, another semi-related trilogy, Schrodinger’s Cat, and also Masks of the Illuminati.

4. Vatta’s War

If they don’t want to do Honor Harrington, there are other female-led military sci-fi series available, such as Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta’s War series focusing on space academy dropout Ky Vatta’s attempts to redeem herself as she commands a trading vessel caught in the middle of a war.

5. Modesty Blaise

It’s true, there have been 3 attempts at adapting Peter O’Donnell’s comic strip for the movies: indeed, his very first full-length novel adapted his original script for the 1966 movie version that threw everything out the window in favour of goofy comedy. A 1980s TV pilot was Americanized. A 2004 prequel movie called My Name is Modesty failed because it was a prequel. But if properly cast (Gal Gadot), and properly written, a Modesty Blaise movie would make everyone forget the entire notion of casting a woman as James Bond - they don’t need to do so with retired crime lord-turned-unofficial MI6 spy Modesty Blaise around.

6. Old Man’s War

I was going to include John Scalzi’s amazing Old Man’s War series next, but apparently they are doing a TV series of that one.

7. Harvard Lampoon’s Bored of the Rings

OK, maybe not - but it would be funny to see someone release this as counter-programming to Rings of Power!

#honor harrington #killashandra ree #illuminatus trilogy #ky vatta #modesty blaise #bored of the rings

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childrenofthelab · 1 year

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Ok so I’ve had this rotting my brain after talking lab stuff with @firstcurse and @memxriaxx and so I had to get it all out because while Ten might be my baby, Two has also been giving me brain rot like the little asshole he is.

So first of all I want to clarify a little about Two’s background, at least in my interpretation. As of the events in September 1979, my Two is seventeen years old. While I’m aware the actor was a little older at the time of filming (I believe he might have been around twenty, but I’m not certain) I’ve aged him at seventeen for a variety of reasons:

It’s not uncommon for slightly (or sometimes less slightly) older actors to play teenagers, particularly given the rest of the cast it fits (ie the party who are supposed to be fifteen being played by actors who are around eighteen, Joe Keery and Joe Quinn veering closer to thirty, etc) and going down from twenty to seventeen is hardly much of a stretch

Given the whole set up of the lab, I feel that it works better that Two is still young enough to legally be considered a child- he’s veering close to adulthood in technical terms, but he’s not quite there yet

We know that Henry was taken into the lab in 1959 at the age of twelve. It also seems to be more or less implied that Two has no more knowledge of One than any of the other children. Two being seventeen places him as being born in 1962, when Henry is fifteen, and kidnapped and brought to the lab in 1965, when Henry is eighteen, and thus more plausible that Henry would have been pulled from the official testing/being ‘One’ part of his time at the lab, hence Two has no idea of his existence. Making Two any older either means him not knowing One is more unplausible, or leads to the idea of him being taken at an older age, and I don’t feel that particularly suits Two

So as I’ve stated, Two wasn’t born into the lab. His father was an ex-subject of MKUltra who no effects had been noted on, but the lab kept tabs on him even after he left and went on to get married and have a son of his own. Even as a baby, the lab was aware of Two, then known as Harry Miller. He had a fairly normal life, save for his own little quirks, which Hawkins Lab of course recognised, beginning to make plans of their own. One day in 1965, shortly after his third birthday, he went out to the local park with his father. Mr Miller turned his back on his son for only a few minutes, but those few minutes were all it took. Harry was brought to the lab.

At first the toddler was terrified, alone in a small bedroom and crying for his mother. That was when Dr Brenner came in, with a soothing hand, and a small stuffed toy. His family had to go away for a very important job, he told him, but he was going to look after him from now on. They’d have a lot of fun together, he promised, and play lots of games. He could call him Papa, and Papa would call him Two, like a fun little nickname, another game of sorts. A game that would involve new clothes, a new haircut, little numbers on the inside of his wrist. He believed it, sought out the comfort of Papa, revelled in the attention.

For a little over a year, Two was the only child in the lab. He had Dr Brenner’s sole attention, specialised lessons, and though he asked of his family from time to time, he was always mollified by the answer. Then, in 1966, two more children were brought into the lab, and Two became an older brother of sorts. Though a little uncertain about his feelings to suddenly sharing Papa’s attention, it was nice to have friends of sorts, and he quickly bonded with Three and Four, though Three was his closest friend. Five was added not long later, and joined their little posse of friends, though Two tolerated her more than anything else.

As more children were added to the lab, Two grew a little more unruly. He began pushing himself harder in his lessons, a quiet fear building within him that Papa might end up replacing him with one of the younger children. At first, Two had seemed like a fun nickname, used to the point where he couldn’t recall his actual name. But as the numbers grew, it became clear that this was not the case. With more subjects, the time Brenner had for Two naturally reduced. But as long as he was still the favourite, as long as he could still prove that he was the best, in Two’s head he would be okay.

As he got a little older, Two was given some clarity in a way as to why they were here from Papa. The outside was dangerous, he told him, and there were bad men out there who sought to cause trouble, who sought to create war. But he and the others, Papa told him, had been given a gift, this miracle of their powers. They had to train, and train carefully, and one day, they might help to fight the bad men. This was a secret between them, Papa told him, the others wouldn’t understand. They were all still too young to understand, too immature, but he was grown up, he was mature, he was powerful. He would be the first to go and fight the bad men. He had to be. He wanted out.

One thing always haunted Two’s mind though, from the moment more and more numbers began to be added. He was Two, and the numbers continued after him. Three, Four, Five, all the way through. But if he was Two, then that meant there had to be a One. And yet Two had never seen them, never even heard whisper of them. It brought to his mind two possible conclusions. First, that One had failed in some way, that they had done something wrong, been such a failure that Papa had cast them aside and deigned to never mention them again. The other option was that One was out there. That they were fighting the bad men, just like Two wished to do. All his life in the lab, he’d felt like he was being held to some impossibly higher standard set by an unknown. But as he thought about it, perhaps One had set those standards.

It came with the stinging realisation that perhaps he might always be second best.

This in turn only further ignited Two’s fear and anxiety surrounding his own place. The cocky arrogance that had started from being Papa’s favourite became fuelled by desperation. From around the age of thirteen or fourteen, what had been previously been more standoffishness towards his fellow subjects grew into aggression and intimidation. He felt a need to establish amongst them that he was the best, the most powerful. It was important to him that the others knew their place and that they kept to it, that no one even dared to try and supercede him as Papa’s favourite. In his head, if anyone surpassed him in Papa’s ranking, it might ruin his chances of getting out of the lab, of getting to go and fight the bad men. He was the soldier, the one who trained and trained and trained, even within the privacy of his own room.

When Brenner began focusing more time on Eleven, Two’s self-doubt and anxiety sky-rocketed. To his knowledge, Eleven was nothing special, in fact as far as she could see, she seemed to be way down at the bottom of the list. It scared him that perhaps there was something more to her, something that he couldn’t see that jeopardised his own position. When she beat him in that lesson, Two had never been more terrified. So he’d acted on impulse, feeling that if he reminded her of her place, things might go back to normal. He’d planned on confronting Eleven alone, but his little posse had followed, so he’d improvised.

Overall, Two has always felt a little like he’s being held up to standards he can never meet, and as he’s grown older it’s become increasingly apparent to him that everything comes with a condition. He’s becoming a lot more disillusioned with the lab, but at the same time he’s clinging to it because it’s all he really knows, and he feels that if he’s not the best, then he serves no purpose and that he might be discarded. Hence he always pushes himself, which in turn is a problem. Two has a lot of physical power, but in his quest to always be the strongest, he lacks control, lacks refinement, which contributes to Brenner’s dismissal of him.

Do I personally think that Two alone if given the chance would kill Eleven? No, I can’t say I do, particularly after Brenner’s punishment of him. That being said, I feel like things might be different when within the mob mentality of his little group, and I do feel like Three, Four and Five and their presence pushes him to extremes he wouldn’t reach alone, with the expectation of being strong and in charge.

Also because we were talking about biblical references in ST, one I noticed that I was telling Ire and Ellie about is Two’s attack on Eleven, followed by Brenner’s interrogation of him. It feels like such a big reference to the story of Cain and Abel, with Two being Cain and Eleven Abel, and Brenner amusingly filling the role of God, with asking what happened, and the response akin to “I am not my brother’s keeper.”

#headcanon #headcanon: 002 #mun thoughts #whoops i rambled

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