#Time Capsule

[simplykaren]

This is amazing and all, but my brain decided to fixate on this picture:

More specifically, the ceiling.

How much you wanna bet that whole thing is coated in asbestos?

[earth222tina]

straight gem.

[thatshowthingstarted]

Frozen in Time: A 30-Million-Year-Old Marvel!

This 'praying' mantis is perfectly preserved within a flawless piece of Dominican amber from the Oligocene period—dating back an astonishing 23 to 33.9 million years.

The amber itself derives from the extinct Hymenaea protera, a prehistoric leguminous tree. Most amber found in Central and South America comes from its resin.

Amber from the Dominican Republic is known as Dominican resin, which is noted for its clarity.

Locked in nature's time capsule, every delicate detail from its slender legs to its fragile antennae remains intact, as if it were paused mid-movement all those millions of years ago.

Discovered in the Dominican Republic and auctioned by Heritage Auctions.

[gemstuff]

Thinking about this comment again

[badnewswhatsleft]

rock sound #312 (nov 2024)

transcript below cut:

ROCK SOUND 25 ICON

FALL OUT BOY

A BAND THAT CAPTURED THE HEARTS, MINDS AND HEADPHONES OF A GENERATION OF KIDS WORLDWIDE, FALL OUT BOY UNDOUBTEDLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF THE ALTERNATIVE SCENE FOREVER, NEVER AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT, TAKE CHANCES AND MAKE BOLD CHOICES AS THEY PUSHED FORWARD. FOLLOWING A SUMMER SPENT EXPLORING THE 'DAYS OF FALL OUT PAST', PATRICK STUMP AND PETE  WENTZ REFLECT ON THEIR PATH FROM POP PUNK, HARDCORE MISFITS TO ALL-CONQUERING, STADIUM-FILLING SONGWRITERS AS THEY ACCEPT THEIR ROCK SOUND 25 ICON AWARD.

WORDS JAMES WILSON-TAYLOR

PHOTOS ELLIOTT INGHAM

Let's begin with your most recent performance which was at When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas. It was such a special weekend, how are you reflecting on that moment?

PATRICK: It's wild, because the band, I think, is going on 23 years now, which really came as a surprise to me. I know it's this thing that old people always say, 'Man, it really goes by so fast', but then it happens to you and you're just taken aback. There were so many times throughout the weekend, every 10 minutes, where I'd turn around and see somebody and be like, 'Holy shit, I haven't seen you in 18 years', or something crazy like that. It was hard not to have a good time. When I was going up to perform with Motion City Soundtrack, which was an exciting thing in itself, I turn around and Bayside is there. And I haven't seen Bayside since we toured with them. God, I don't remember when that was, you know? So there was so much of that. You couldn't help but have a good time.

PETE: I mean, that's an insane festival, right? When they announce it, it looks fake every time. The lineup looks like some kid drew it on their folder at school. For our band, the thing that's a little weird, I think, is that by deciding to change between every album, and then we had the three year break which caused another big time jump, I think that it would be hard for us to focus on one album for that show. We're a band where our fans will debate the best record. So it was amazing that we were able to look backwards and try to build this show that would go through all the eras - nod to Taylor obviously on that one. But it's also an insane idea to take a show that should really be put on for one weekend in a theatre and then try to take it around the world at festivals. The whole time on stage for this particular show production, I'm just like 'Is this thing going to go on time?' Because if the whole thing is working totally flawlessly, it just barely works, you know what I mean? So I give a lot of credit to our crew for doing that, because it's not really a rock show. I know we play rock music and it's a rock festival, but the show itself is not really a rock production, and our crew does a very good job of bending that to fit within the medium.

That show allows you to nod to the past but without falling fully into nostalgia. You are still pushing the band into newer places within it.

PATRICK: That's always been a central thing. We're a weird band, because a lot of bands I know went through a period of rejecting their past, and frankly, I encounter this thing a lot, where people have expected that we stopped interacting with older material. But we always maintained a connection with a lot of the older music. We still close with 'Saturday'. So for us, it was never about letting go of the past. It was about bringing that along with you wherever you go. I'm still the same weird little guy that likes too much music to really pin down. It's just that I've carried that with me through all the different things that I've done and that the band has done. So for us, in terms of going forward and playing new stuff, that's always the thing that's important to me; that there should be new stuff to propel it. I never wanted to be an artist that just gave up on new music and went out and played the hits and collected the check and moved on. It's all got to be creative. That's why I do it. I want to make new music. That's always why I do it. So something like When We Were Young is kind of odd really. It's an odd fit for that, because it's nostalgic, which is not really my vibe all that much. But I found a lot of nostalgia in it. I found a lot of value in looking back and going 'Wow, this was really cool. It was amazing that we did this, that we all did this'. That scene of bands, we're all old now, but it has taken off into such a moment culturally that people can point to.

Let's jump all the way back to the first ever Fall Out Boy show. There is very little evidence of it available online but what are your memories of that performance?

PATRICK: So the very first Fall Out Boy show was at DePaul University in a fancy looking dining hall. I actually applied to DePaul, but I never went there because the band went on tour. I think there were only two or three other bands. One was a band called Stillwell, who were kind of a math rock emo band, and then this heavier, more metallic band. And then we were there, and we had a guitar player, John Flamandan, who I have not seen since that show. He was only in the band for a week or two, and we were still figuring ourselves out. We had three songs and I had never sung before in front of people. I did a talent show at school one time when I was a kid and theatre kind of stuff where you would sing, but it was more in that context. And I was also a kid too. This was the first time ever that I'm the singer for a band and I was fucking terrified. We had a drummer named Ben Rose, really great guy. I haven't seen Ben in a million years, either, but we were still figuring ourselves out. The other thing is that all of us, with me being the exception, were in other bands, and all of our other bands were better than Fall Out Boy was. We were very sloppy and didn't know what we were doing, and so I don't think any of us really took it seriously. But there was a thing that was really funny about it, where even though we kind of thought we sucked, and even though we weren't really focusing on it, we had a lot of fun with each other. We enjoyed trying this other thing, because we were hardcore kids, and we were not the pop punk kids and the pop punk bands in town, that was like 'the thing', and we were not really welcome in that. There was a fun in trying to figure out how to make melodic and pop music when we really didn't have any history with that. It was very obvious that we didn't know what we were doing at the beginning.

So when did it begin to feel like things were finally clicking? When did you find your roles and what you wanted the band to be? 

PETE: In regards to the music, I liked Fall Out boy, way before I probably should have. I remember playing the early demos and it giving me a feeling that I hadn't felt with any of the other bands that I had been in. Now, looking back on it, I might have been a tad early on that. Then as far as the roles, I think that they've been carving themselves out over time. We've always allowed ourselves to gravitate to our strengths. Between me and Patrick, we'd probably make one great, atypical rock artist if we were one person. Because our strengths are things that the other doesn't love as much. But I think that what has happened more is it's less of a fight now and there's more trust. We have a trust with each other. There's things that Patrick will play for me or explain to me, and I don't even really need him to explain it, because I trust him. I may not totally understand it, but I trust him as an artist. On the other side of that, it's also very nice to have someone who can veto your idea, you know what I mean? It's nice to have those kind of checks and balances.

PATRICK: I had been in this band called Patterson, and all three of the other guys sang in kind of a gravelly, Hot Water Music vibe. I was not intending to be a singer, but I would try and sing backups and, it wasn't a criticism, but there was this vibe that, while I could do the gravelly thing, my voice was coming through and it didn't fit. It was too pretty and that became a thing I was kind of embarrassed of. So when Fall Out Boy started, I was actively trying to disguise that and mute it and hide behind affectation. Pete would really push me to stretch my vowels because that was in vogue in pop punk at the time. There were all these different ways that we were trying to suppress me, musically, because we were just trying to figure out how to do the things that the bands we liked did. But that wasn't really us, you know? It's really funny, because 'Take This To Your Grave' was recorded in three sections, about six months apart. Over the course of that time, I can hear us figuring it out. I think a really defining moment for me was 'Saturday', because I am not brave, I am not a bold person, and I do not put myself out there. When I was showing the band 'Saturday', we were jamming on the bit after the second chorus, and I was mumbling around, just mucking my way through it, and I did the falsetto thing. I didn't think anyone could hear me over us bashing around in Joe's parents house in this tiny little room. But Pete stopped, and he goes, 'Do that again'. I was so terrified of doing that in front of these guys, because you gotta remember, I was incredibly shy, but also a drummer. I'd never sung in front of anyone before, and now I'm singing in a band and I'm certainly not going to take chances. So I thought the falsetto thing was really not going to happen, but when I did it, there was this really funny thing. Somehow that song clicked, and it opened up this door for us where we do something different than everybody else. We were aiming to be a pop punk or hardcore band, but we found this thing that felt more natural to me.

As you embarked on Warped Tour, simultaneously you were finding this huge level of pop and mainstream success. How was it navigating and finding your way through those two very different spaces?

PATRICK: I used to work at a used record store and what shows up is all the records after their success. So I got really acquainted and really comfortable with and prepared for the idea of musical failure. I just wanted to do it because I enjoyed doing it. But in terms of planning one's life, I was certain that I would, at most, get to put out a record and then have to go to school when it didn't work out. My parents were very cautious. I said to them after 'Take This To Your Grave' came out that I'm gonna see where this goes, because I didn't expect to be on a label and get to tour. I'm gonna give it a semester, and then it will almost certainly fail, and then after it fails, I'll go to school. And then it didn't fail. Warped Tour was very crazy too, I was talking about this at When We Were Young with My Chem. Both of us were these little shit bands that no one cared about when we booked the tour. Then we got to the tour, and all these people were showing up for us, way more than we expected, way more than Warped Tour expected. So Warped Tour was putting both of us on these little side stages, and the stages would collapse because people were so excited. It was this moment that came out of nowhere all of a sudden. Then we go to Island Records, and I had another conversation with my parents, because every band that I had known up to that point, even the biggest bands in town, they would have their big indie record and then they would go to the major label and drop off the face of the planet forever. So I was certain that was going to happen. I told them again, I'm going to put out this record, and then I'll go to school when this fails. 

PETE: I think that if you really wanted someone to feel like an alien, you would put them on TRL while they were on Warped Tour. You know what I mean? Because it is just bananas. On our bus, the air conditioning didn't work, so we were basically blowing out heat in the summer, but we were just so happy to be on a bus and so happy to be playing shows. You go from that to, two days later, stepping off the bus to brush your teeth and there's a line of people wanting to watch you brush your teeth. In some ways, it was super cool that it was happening with My Chemical Romance too because it didn't feel as random, right? It feels more meant to be. It feels like something is happening. To be on Warped Tour at that time - and if you weren't there, it would be probably hard to imagine, because it's like if Cirque Du Soleil had none of the acrobatics and ran on Monster energy drink. It was a traveling circus, but for it to reach critical mass while we were there, in some ways, was great, because you're not just sitting at home. In between touring, I would come home and I'd be sitting in my bedroom at my parents house. I would think about mortality and the edge of the whole thing and all these existential thoughts you feel when you're by yourself. But on Warped Tour, you go to the signing, you play laser tag, you go to the radio station. So in some ways, it's like you're in this little boot camp, and you don't really even think about anything too much. I guess it was a little bit of a blur.

Pete, when you introduced 'Bang The Doldrums' at When We Were Young, you encouraged the crowd to 'keep making weird shit'. That could almost be a mantra for the band as a whole. Your weirder moments are the ones that made you. Even a song like 'Dance Dance' has a rhythm section you never would have expected to hear on a rock track at that time.

PETE: You know, I just watched 'Joker 2' and I loved it. I do understand why people wouldn't because it subverts the whole thing. It subverts everything about the first one. That's something I've always really loved, when I watch artists who could keep making the same thing, and instead they make something that's challenging to them or challenging to their audience. Sometimes you miss, sometimes you do a big thing and you miss, and we've definitely done that. But I gotta say, all the things that I've really loved about art and music, and that has enriched my life, is when people take chances. You don't get the invention of anything new without that. To not make weird stuff would feel odd, and I personally would much rather lose and miss doing our own thing. To play it safe and cut yourself off around the edges and sand it down and then miss also, those are the worst misses, because you didn't even go big as yourself. This is where we connect with each other, we connect by our flaws and the little weird neuroses that we have. I rarely look at something and go 'Wow, that safe little idea really moved me'. I guess it happens, but I think about this with something like 'Joker 2' where this director was given the keys and you can just do anything. I think a lot of times somebody would just make an expected follow up but some people turn right when they're supposed to turn left. That's always been interesting on an artistic level, but at the same time, I think you're more likely to miss big when you do that.

PATRICK: Going into 'From Under The Cork Tree', I had this sense that this is my only shot. It has already outperformed what I expected. I don't want to be locked into doing the same thing forever, because I know me. I know I'm not Mr. Pop Punk, that's just one of many things I like. So I would be so bummed if for the rest of my life, I had to impersonate myself from when I was 17 and have to live in that forever. So I consciously wanted to put a lot of weird stuff on that record because I thought it was probably my only moment. 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' was a fairly straight ahead pop punk song but even that was weird for us, because it was slow. I remember being really scared about how slow it was, because it's almost mosh tempo for the whole song, which was not anything we had done up to that point. But in every direction, in every song, I was actively trying to push the boundaries as much as I could. 'Dance, Dance' was one of those ones where I was seeing what I can get away with, because I might never get this chance again. We were on tour with a friend's band, and I remember playing the record for them. I remember specifically playing 'Our Lawyer…' that opens the record, which has that 6/8 time feel, and they kind of look at me, like 'What?'. Then I played 'Dance, Dance', and they're like, 'Hey man, you know, whatever works for you. It's been nice knowing you'. But I just knew that, on the off chance that I ended up still being a musician in my 40s, I wanted to still love the music that we made. I didn't want to ever resent it. It's ironic because people say that bands sell out when they don't make the same thing over and over again. But wait a second. Say that again. Think about that.

That attitude seemed to carry directly into 'Infinity On High'. If you may never end up doing this again then let's make sure we bring in the orchestra while we still can... 

PATRICK: That was literally something that I did say to myself this might be the last time, the likelihood is we're going to fail because that's what happens, so this might be the last time that I ever get a chance to have somebody pay for an orchestra and a choir. I always think of The Who when they did 'A Quick One, While He's Away' and there's a part where they go 'cello, cello', because they couldn't afford real cellos, they couldn't afford players. That's what I thought would happen for me in life. So I went in and thought, let's do it all. Let's throw everything at the wall, because there's no chance that it's going to happen again. So many things came together on that record, but I didn't expect it. 'Arms Race' was a very weird song, and I was shocked when management went along with it and had kind of decided that would be the single. I was in disbelief. It did not feel like a single but it worked for us. It was a pretty big song and then 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' was easily the big hit off that record. So then we have two hit songs off of an album that I didn't even know would come out at that point. But again, it was very much just about taking the risks and seeing what the hell happened.

As you went on hiatus for a few years, you worked on a number of other creative projects. How did those end up influencing your approach to the band when you returned?

PETE: On the areas of the band where I led, I wanted to be a better leader. When you're younger and you're fighting for your ideas, I don't think that I was the greatest listener. I just wanted to be a better cog in the machine. When you're in a band originally, no one gives you the little band handbook and says 'these are the things you should do', you know? I just wanted to be a better version of who I was in the band. 

PATRICK: There's a combination of things. 'Soul Punk' is a weird record. I love that record but I kind of resent that record for so many things. It's my solo record, but it's also not very me in a lot of ways. I had started with a very odd little art rock record, and then I had some personal tragedies happen. My EP that I put out far out sold expectations so then all of a sudden, Island Records goes, 'Oh, we think this could actually be something we want singles for'. I think we had all expected that I would be putting out a smaller indie record but then all of a sudden they were like 'oh, you could be a pop star'. So then I have to retrofit this art rock record into pop star hit music, and also channel personal tragedy through it. I hadn't ever really been a front man - I'd been a singer, but I hadn't really been a front man, and I hadn't really written lyrics, certainly not introspective, personal lyrics. So that whole record is so strange and muted to me. So I went from that album, which also failed so fucking hard - I should have gone to school after that one. But Pete had reached out to me just as a friend, and said 'I know you're in your own thing right now, and I know that you're not the kind of person that is going to be in my fantasy football league, so I'm not going to see you unless we make music. But you're my buddy, and that kind of bums me out that I don't see you at all, so I guess we have to make music'. I thought that was a fairly convincing pitch. It's true, that was what we do when we hang out - we make music. So we reconvene, and going into it, I had all these lessons that really made me understand Pete better, because Pete is the natural front end person. So many of our arguments and frustrations and the things that we didn't see eye to eye on, I grew to understand having now been in the position of the point man that had to make all the decisions for my solo thing. It really flipped my understanding of why he said the things he would say, or why he did things he would do. I remember early on thinking he was so pushy, but then, in retrospect, you realise he was doing it for a reason. There's so many little things that really changed for me doing 'Soul Punk' that were not musical but were more about how you run a band and how you run a business, that made me understand and respect him a lot more.

What are memories of that initial return and, specifically, that tiny first show back at the Metro venue in Chicago?

PETE: Those first shows were definitely magical because I really wasn't sure that we would be on a stage again together. I don't have as many memories of some of our other first things. We were just talking about Warped Tour, I don't have many memories of those because it is almost wasted on you when it's a blur and there's so many things happening. But with this, I really wanted to not take it for granted and wanted to take in all the moments and have snapshots in our own heads of that show. I did a lot of other art during the time when we were off, everybody did, but there's a magic between the four of us and it was nice to know that it was real. When we got on that stage again at the Metro for the first time, there was something that's just a little different. I can't really put my finger on it, but it makes that art that we were making separately different than all the other stuff.

Musically, as you moved forward, everything sounded much bigger, almost ready for arenas and stadiums. Was that a conscious decision on your part?

PETE: Patrick felt like he was bursting with these ideas. It felt like these had been lying in wait, and they were big, and they were out there, and whether he'd saved them for those records, I don't really know. That's what it felt like to me. With 'Save Rock And Roll', we knew we had basically one shot. There were really three options; you'll have this other period in your career, no one will care or this will be the torch that burns the whole thing down. So we wanted to have it be at least on our terms. Then I think with 'American Beauty...' it was slightly different, because we made that record as fast as we could. We were in a pop sphere. Is there a way for a band to be competitive with DJs and rappers in terms of response time? Are we able to be on the scene and have it happen as quickly? I think it kind of made us insane a little bit. With 'American Beauty…', we really realised that we were not going to walk that same path in pop culture and that we would need to 'Trojan horse' our way into the conversation in some way. So we thought these songs could be played in stadiums, that these songs could be end titles. What are other avenues? Because radio didn't want this right now, so what are other avenues to make it to that conversation? Maybe this is just in my head but I thought 'Uma Thurman' could be a sister song to 'Dance, Dance' or maybe even 'Arms Race' where it is weird but it has pop elements to it.

PATRICK: I had a feeling on 'Save Rock And Roll' that it was kind of disjointed. It was a lot of good songs, but they were all over the place. So when we went into 'American Beauty…', I really wanted to make something cohesive. I do think that record is very coherent and very succinct - you either like it or you don't, and that's pretty much it all the way through. By the time we got to 'MANIA', I had done all this production and I'd started to get into scoring. The band had done so many things and taken so many weird chances that I just felt free to do whatever. At that point, no one's going to disown me if I try something really strange so let's see what happens. 'Young And Menace' was a big part of that experiment. People hate that song, and that's okay. It was meant to be challenging, it's obviously not supposed to be a pop song. It's an abrasive song, it should not have been a single. However, I do think that record should have been more like that. Towards the end of the production, there was this scramble of like, 'Oh, fuck, we have no pop music on this and we need to have singles' and things like that. That took over that record and became the last minute push. I think the last half of that record was recorded in the span of two weeks towards the end of the recording to try and pad it with more pop related songs. I look at that record and think it should have all been 'Young And Menace'. That should have been our 'Kid A' or something. It should have really challenged people.

But we have spoken before about how 'Folie à Deux' found its audience much later. It does feel like something similar is already beginning to happen with 'MANIA'...

PETE: I agree with you, and I think that's a great question, because I always thought like that. There's things that you're not there for, but you wish you were there. I always thought about it when we put out 'MANIA', because I don't know if it's for everyone, but this is your moment where you could change the course of history, you know, this could be your next 'Folie à Deux', which is bizarre because they're completely different records. But it also seems, and I think I have this with films and bands and stuff as well, that while one thing ascends, you see people grab onto the thing that other people wouldn't know, right? It's like me talking about 'Joker 2' - why not talk about the first one? That's the one that everybody likes. Maybe it's contrarian, I don't really know. I just purely like it. I'm sure that's what people say about 'Folie à Deux' and 'MANIA' as well. But there's something in the ascent where people begin to diverge, you are able to separate them and go 'Well, maybe this one's just for me and people like me. I like these other ones that other people talk about, but this one speaks to me'. I think over time, as they separate, the more people are able to say that. And then I can say this, because Patrick does music, I think that sometimes he's early on ideas, and time catches up with it a little bit as well. The ideas, and the guest on the record, they all make a little bit more sense as time goes on.

'MANIA' is almost the first of your albums designed for the streaming era. Everything is so different so people could almost pick and choose their own playlist.

PETE: Of course, you can curate it yourself. That's a great point. I think that the other point that you just made me think of is this was the first time where we realised, well, there's not really gatekeepers. The song will raise its hand, just like exactly what you're saying. So we should have probably just had 'The Last Of The Real Ones' be an early single, because that song was the one that people reacted to. But I think that there was still the old way of thinking in terms of picking the song that we think has the best chance, or whatever. But since then, we've just allowed the songs to dictate what path they take. I think that that's brilliant. If I'd had a chance to do that, curate my own record and pick the Metallica songs or whatever,that would be fantastic. So it was truly a learning experience in the way you release art to me.

PATRICK: After 'MANIA', I realised Fall Out Boy can't be the place for me to try everything. It's just not. We've been around for too long. We've been doing things for too long. It can't be my place to throw everything at the wall. There's too much that I've learned from scoring and from production now to put it all into it. So the scoring thing really became even more necessary. I needed it, emotionally. I needed a place to do everything, to have tubas and learn how to write jazz and how to write for the first trumpet. So then going into 'So Much (For) Stardust', it had the effect of making me more excited about rock music again, because I didn't feel the weight of all of this musical experimentation so I could just enjoy writing a rock song. It's funny, because I think it really grew into that towards the end of writing the record. I'd bet you, if we waited another month, it would probably be all more rock, because I had a rediscovered interest in it.

It's interesting you talk about the enjoyment of rock music again because that joy comes through on 'So Much (For) Stardust' in a major way, particularly on something like the title track. When the four of you all hit those closing harmonies together, especially live, that's a moment where everything feels fully cohesive and together and you can really enjoy yourselves. There's still experimental moments on the album but you guys are in a very confident and comfortable space right now and it definitely shows in the music. 

PATRICK: Yeah, I think that's a great point. When you talk about experimentation too and comfort, that's really the thing isn't it? This is always a thing that bugged me, because I never liked to jam when I was a kid. I really wanted to learn the part, memorise it and play it. Miles Davis was a side man for 20 years before he started doing his thing. You need to learn the shit out of your music theory and your instrument - you need to learn all the rules before you break them. I always had that mindset. But at this point, we as a band have worked with each other so much that now we can fuck around musically in ways that we didn't used to be able to and it's really exciting. There's just so much I notice now. There are ways that we all play that are really hard to describe. I think if you were to pull any one of the four of us out of it, I would really miss it. I would really miss that. It is this kind of alchemy of the way everyone works together. It's confidence, it's also comfort. It's like there's a home to it that I feel works so well. It's how I'm able to sing the way I sing, or it's how Andy's able to play the way he plays. There's something to it. We unlock stuff for each other.

Before we close, we must mention the other big live moment you had this year. You had played at Download Festival before but taking the headline slot, especially given the history of Donington, must have felt extra special. 

PETE: It felt insane. We always have a little bit of nerves about Download, wondering are we heavy enough? To the credit of the fans and the other bands playing, we have always felt so welcomed when we're there. There's very few times where you can look back on a time when... so, if I was a professional baseball player, and I'm throwing a ball against the wall in my parents garage as a kid, I could draw a direct link from the feeling of wanting to do that. I remember watching Metallica videos at Donington and thinking 'I want to be in Metallica at Donington'. That's not exactly how it turned out, but in some ways there is that direct link. On just a personal level, my family came over and got to see the festival. They were wearing the boots and we were in the mud. All this stuff that I would describe to them sounds insane when you tell your family in America - 'It's raining, but people love it'. For them to get to experience that was super special for me as well. We played the biggest production we've ever had and to get to do that there, the whole thing really made my summer.

PATRICK: There's not really words for it. It feels so improbable and so unlikely. Something hit me this last year, this last tour, where I would get out on stage and I'd be like, 'Wait, fucking seriously? People still want to see us and want to hear us?' It feels so strange and surreal. I go home and I'm just some schlubby Dad and I have to take out the compost and I have to remember to run the dishwasher. I live this not very exciting life, and then I get out there at Download and it's all these people. Because I'm naturally kind of shy, for years, I would look down when I played because I was so stressed about what was happening. Confidence and all these have given me a different posture so when I go out there, I can really see it, and it really hits you. Download, like you said, we've done before, but there's something very different about where I am now as a person. So I can really be there. And when you walk out on that stage, it is astounding. It forces you to play better and work harder, because these people waited for us. The show is the audience and your interaction with it. In the same way that the band has this alchemy to it, we can't play a show like that without that audience.

[the-gone-ton]

Ladies and gentlemen, please offer your undivided attention to the one true mall plant. All other mall plants bow to its glory. I invite you to sit in the conversation pit and take in the view 🖤

It has a plaque, but I guess someone stole it. What did you used to say, king?

[zombilenium]

"Stuck In Time"

Abandoned home in Connecticut

[the-amazing-digital-time-capsule]

Some Time capsule ShowTime to celebrate One Year! Thank you to everyone whose supported the time capsule au this year, I really couldn't have gone this far without you. I know its not really that big a deal, but for someone who normally starts things then bolts, this is a bigger deal for me.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

[bodhrancomedy]

It’s a time capsule from baby Bodh and I don’t even know what year.

[truth-has-a-liberal-bias]

SEWARD, Neb. — Treasures from 1975, sealed inside what the World Record Academy once called the “world’s largest time capsule,” went on display Friday, drawing hundreds from across the country to catch a glimpse of relics from the past.

Thousands of letters, pet rocks, artwork, a groovy teal suit and even a yellow Chevy Vega had been preserved inside the capsule — a portal to another era — for half a century.

“This is the culmination of 50 years of planning on the part of my father,” Trish Davisson Fisher said.

“My father, Harold Davisson, wanted to wait for his grandchildren to remember life in 1975. He was a big proponent of life. He did everything big,” she told NBC News.

Back then, sealing the items was a logistical feat. Fisher said her father created a ventilation system in an attempt to keep moisture out.

......

Clark Kolterman, who was there in 1975, put his wedding invitation in the capsule.

“I can’t believe they found it,” he said, surrounded by his children.

“I have to thank Mr. Davisson for his insight. And you know, his idea wasn’t perfect, but it worked, and as a result it’s been very successful,” Kolternman said.

Trish said she believes her father would be very proud of Friday’s celebration and that she’s learned a lot in the 50 years since the capsule was sealed.

........

[lampoest]

so i decided to retake that "which MI character are you?" quiz i made in 2020 and i might actually cry this note from younger me made me realize i have become the friend he needed back then and he totally would be scared shitless of me now

[xxnerdxxnextxxdoorxx]

So this new game called date everything came out a little while ago and I saw a lot of my favorite game streamers/ YouTubers posting about it. Apparently it has like over 100 romance options, and usually in games like this there’s characters who I become attached to over time bc of how they interact with the player or how the story presents them through out the game. So I figured this game would be the same since I can’t normally find characters who are “my type” but while going through the character options with a friend I found this guy. And. Oh. My. God. I’ve never been so in love with a game character as instantly as I was with this guy. Shit. Apparently he’s like the 80s personified, he’s like a time capsule. His name is bodhi windbreaker and he’s such a cutie bro according to what I’ve read so far he writes a song for the player and he’s super sweet. I’m waiting for ppl to drop playthroughs of his rout bc I’m in love with him. But yeah if you see me reposting a bunch of shit of him it’s bc he’s a cutie. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[badnewswhatsleft]

total guitar #174 april 2007 (part of a feature on signature guitars)

transcript below cut:

JOE TROHMAN: Washburn Idol WI26 Interview by Henry Yates

How long did it take to develop your signature model? "It took a good six months and I went through three or four prototypes that were vastly different to how the guitar actually turned out. I went into the workshop originally, but by three months into the process I was on tour so I had to do a lot via email. I can't say I was the easiest person to work with. My ideas changed as the prototypes arrived. But once I saw the final guitar I was pretty happy with it."

What makes the perfect electric guitar, and how close does your signature model get? "I like something that's function over form. I have a lot of really old Les Pauls at home, so I've always liked a bare-boned guitar. You've got two pickups, two volumes, two tones, a pickup selector and that's it. At this stage in my life, I'd say my Washburn is perfect. It has a very thin body, but when you plug it in it sounds awesome. It plays well, especially given how much I jump about. I don't feel dumb holding it."

Did you know what you wanted when you were approached to make a signature guitar? "At first, I was surprised that somebody wanted to make a guitar with me — I felt like only one in a million guitarists got to make a signature model. I went through a load of weird ideas before going with something classic that would be a real road warrior. I also wanted to keep the price down, so that kids can afford it."

Be honest, how important was it that your guitar looked kick-ass? "I think 'classic' is the word, but I guess people do come up and tell me it looks cool… The fret inlays are keyholes. We had keyholes on the From Under The Cork Tree inlay — it's the idea of the all-powerful, all-watching eye, like on the one-dollar bill."

Have you ever popped into a music shop and tried your own guitar? "I hope to be able to do that. The plan is that people will be able to buy exactly the same guitar as the one I'm playing live. I think that's the cool thing — when someone buys a Slash Les Paul or a Scott Ian Washburn, they want that exact guitar, so I think you've got to make the guitar you sell the same as your own or you're kinda cheating."

Finally, is there anything you'd change about your signature model? "Right now, it's perfect. I think next time around I might try to make something that looks a bit more vintage — in Tobacco Burst or something — and try to get the vibe of a Les Paul Custom. I think I'll play it for a very long time. I played it all through our last tour and nobody expected it to be this good. Even my tech was surprised!"

[delulu-sushi]

Future Y/N and Mikey visiting their childhood!!! Canon to Always By My Side. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Enjoy!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Remember this place?" Mikey's words trigger your memories as he offers his hand to help you off the back of his motorcycle

Just like he did that day

He entwines his fingers into yours, as deep as one possibly could, as the two of you walk down Musashi Shrine.

You glimpse at him.

Now 25, Manjiro Sano was still as charming as ever. He left his playful appearance, his hairstyle now mimicking his older brother's and his clothes being less casual and more flaunting, but he was still you're Manjiro.

As you walked down Musashi Shrine, you noticed how just the aura of the place brought back his Toman demeanor, just as he would walk down all those years ago... ...the hundreds of heads bowing down as he walked past them, his cape endlessly flowing back as you watched him with a proud feeling that never went away. Watching the invincible Mikey, no, your invincible Mikey walk so confidently, and see so many people respect him...

Manjiro stood where his young self once stood, and you swear you saw the ghosts of the past. He turned to you as his smile grew bigger, and slowly walked towards you, who was leaning on a pole. His one hand reached for your face as he brought his forehead closer to yours, planting a soft kiss on your lips, before whispering his daily mantra, "I love you".

"You know you can't whisper those words without taking things farther" you tease him in between his soft kisses.

"Heh," he chuckles as he takes his hands in yours leading you down the shrine and on a path in the forest, "Don't worry dorayaki, I know what to keep private" he says with a snobbish wink as you roll your eyes at him, the two of you erupting in a series of giggles with your flirtatious talks.

"Are we going to that tree?" You ask Manjiro as you notice the surroundings around you. "Honestly, I didn't think you would remember, seeing how you forget your own birthday"

Mikey gives you a raised eyebrow as he starts giving a very irrelavant and made up list of all the things you forgot, which you give an eye roll and eventually erupt into giggles

He loves making you laugh

"Never stop laughing, m'kay?" He doesn't stare you straight in the eye, but moves his arm over your shoulder as you hug his side

"For you, I never will." You answer back as the two of you eventually stop at the tree.

Manjiro rolls his sleeves down and reaches his hand into a tree hole untouched for 15 years. He pulls out a rusty box, once golden and embroidered, now dusty. Still, Manjiro takes out a handkerchief and wipes the box, which, to your astonishment, is still as beautifully embroidered as it was all those years ago.

Jiro clears his voice and stands up tall, very evidently trying to hold back a childish smile as he begins a speech.

"MS. L/N, F/N, 15 YEARS AGO I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU. 15 YEARS AGO I ASKED YOU TO PUT SOMETHING IN THIS BOX THAT REMINDED YOU OF ME. 15 YEARS AGO, I did the same" His voice calms down as he smiles lovingly. He can't stop. Manjiro opens the box and motions you to take out his letter, as he takes out the picture you drew.

"Dear dorayaki, " you start to read the letter and sneak a glance at Mikey, who freezes with a tomato-red face, suddenly remembering how much of an embarrassing love-struck 10 year old he was, "Jeez Jiro, I can't believe you made up that nickname when you were ten" you tease him.

"One day, you came to my grandpa's dojo, and I thought you were just another girl. Then we played together. You, me, Baji, and Sanzu, and all I wanted to do was make sure no one tagged you but me. Now I am ten and Shinichiro is always talking about the girls he gets rejected by. And sometimes, I get scared that you too, will reject me."

You pause to take a breath. Never in your life did you imagine that the 5th grade boy who acted so cool and chill in front of everyone was head over heels about you, going so far to write a whole letter.

"I think I'm in love with you. And if this is true, then I'll tell you. I'll look at your pretty E/C eyes all day long and we'll drink milkshakes together, and I'll even let you finish mine. But most importantly, if this is true, then I'll bring you back here and", you turn over the paper, anticipating what comes next... but its empty. Confused, you look back at Manjiro, whos

On his knees.

His hands on a small square case which you hope has what you think is inside.

He's staring at you, with love, because he knows what you're answer is going to be

"Marry me?"

No words come out of your mouth as you nod your head while tears slowly drop down your face as he takes your precious hand and slides a golden ring with the engraving Sano.

"Then I'll bring you back here and I'll make you a Sano" he finishes the last sentence of his letter and kisses your hand, while your still in shock about what happened.

"We're, WE'RE MARRIED NOW! We're married now? Oh my gosh, we are married Manji" Manjiro never thought you would be freaking out more then him. He looked straight in your eyes, picked you up, and twirled you around, "YEAH! You're a Sano now!" You've never seen him this happy before.

He then picks up the drawing you put in the time capsule,

A wedding reception. The Sano family, and all your friends surrounding the side. And in the middle?

You and Manjiro as bride and groom

[retrocandyfloss]

DAY 3 Time Capsule/Futuristic 🖤🦔🤍🦔

Shadow in a 50s accurate clothing and Silver in a retro futuristic fit 👞☎️⌛️📱

Bonus, here are standalone pics of the two

Sadly, I could only do day 1 and day 3, BUT I do plan on continuing the rest of the days in my own time, but for now, just these two and the previous ones 🥹

@sonicfashionweek

[the-gone-ton]

There's some buzz about the Macy's and Kohl's closures announced for this year. It's bad news for a few PA malls, including the Logan Valley Mall here, which is losing Macy's now. I was already concerned about this mall because I was here in 2023 and again in 2024, and it looked way worse the 2nd time.