#also like CDs and DVDs... come on now those are in recent use- most people still own them

[runandhideguys]

I feel like those "only people born before *insert date probably in the 80s or 90s* remember this" are so ridiculously middle class usamerican... (and wishful thinking but that's besides the point)

[ignorancelive]

FINALLY DOING ALL MY TAG GAMES AAAA  IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO DO THESE

@whitedeadflower​ |  pick my favourite albums for bill clinton to enjoy

not necessarily my favorites but i always pick the same 5 albums for these so i just put 4 albums i like a lot and have been listening to more recently <3

@opossuwu​ | 15 questions

1. What is the first song you remember hearing?

english songs: either learn to fly by foo fighters or human by the killers, i really cannot remember which one but it was around the same time im pretty sure

spanish songs: ALL the songs on/by rebelde, my sister was super into it when i was a baby so i heard so many of their songs right as i was learning to become a human

2. What is the first band you got into?

mmmmmmm probably one direction? if we’re not counting rebelde lol

3. Do you collect music on any physical format?

i collect almost all cds i know and like on CD and have recently started buying vinyl but i think im only going to get albums i really like on it since its more expensive

4. What is your favourite piece of music-related memorabilia/merchandise?

SO many things. i really like my nirvana and red hot chili peppers shirts because they make me feel cute! im also IN LOVE with the in utero angel sticker i bought on redbubble that has a transparent border so its JUST the angel, i stuck it on my record player and i love it so so much

5. What is your favourite concert you've been to?

i have not been to a concert yet :/ i went to a little student festival thing my university hosted for us and saw hunny + hayley kiyoko which was pretty neat

6. If you could see one artist (or band) who is no longer alive in concert, who would it be?

nirvana :(

7. Have you met any musicians?

i went to a cd signing for little mix when i was like 12-13 ish but thats the closest ive gotten lol

8. What is your go-to song/album when feeling sad?

i actually have a playlist of comfort songs to listen to when im sad, but i think the song i most consistently go to is encore by red hot chili peppers

9. What is your go-to song/album when feeling happy?

this one depends. probably hump de bump also by rhcp cause it SLAPS and always puts me in a better mood than when i started

10. What is one music-related documentary you love?

EYE only watched a few minutes of funky monks but im sure if i sat down to watch it now id love it. this is the worst question to ask me because i watch a ton of interviews on youtube so i cant even remember which ones were legit docus as opposed to just youtube vids so this question is gonna be basically unanswered. i do want to watch bob and the monster though

11. What is one concert DVD that you love?

i listen to it more as an album on spotify than watch it but Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged is so good

12. Do you prefer listening to playlists or full albums?

usually playlists! but occasionally ill play the albums i have on my player

13. Do you tend to listen to albums in order or on shuffle?

in order, shuffling them is rare

14. What is your favourite deep cut song by your favourite artist?

favorite artist is rhcp and honestly im? not fully sure. quixoticelixer slaps. and i like almost every song on im with you. but i think im gonna have to go with storm in a teacup cause i checked its streams and its not that popular </3

15. What is your favorite CD/vinyl/cassette that you own in terms of packaging?

THIS ONES SO HARD I LOVE PACKAGING DESIGNS. i love how rhcp’s im with you disc looks like because it has the track list on it but it doesnt look bad like other discs who do that do. booklet design i love vices and virtues by panic at the disco and american idiot by green day. idk what this would fall under but i also love how stadium arcadium’s booklet is held in the case and how when you take it out you see a picture of the band. and there are too many albums whose art i love so i cannot elaborate on that without making this 5xs longer lmao

@garbanz0​ & @dailywilliams​​ | top 5 songs ive had on repeat recently

according to spotify’s on repeat playlist:

but also according to my last.fm:

so basically red hot chili peppers own my ass

@badhe4d​ , @garbanz0​ , & @catts-world​ | 10 songs you like, each by a different artist

uhhhhhhhhhhh

1. Monarchy of Roses - RHCP 

2. Back and Forth - Foo Fighters

3. Heart of Glass - Blondie

4. Omission - John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer

5. Dance with Me - Sir, Please

6. Henrietta - The Fratellis

7. Breed - Nirvana

8. Mary - The Happy Fits

9. Girls and Boys - Blur

10. It’s All So Incredibly Loud - Glass Animals

@psychoticbreak​ |  suppose you’re being sent to a deserted island for the rest of your life, and you can only choose 10 records to bring with you and those are the only albums you can listen to for the remainder of your life; what albums are they

oh GOD ok

1. in utero - nirvana

2. stadium arcadium - RHCP

3. nothing personal - all time low

4. red - taylor swift

5. after laughter - paramore

6. wasting light - foo fighters

7. im with you + im beside you if you count them as the same album - RHCP

8. so wrong its right - all time low

9. american idiot - green day

10. inside of emptiness - john frusciante

@mark-hoppuss​ |  shuffle my playlist and list the first ten songs that come up

1. New Invention - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me

2. Thanks to You - All Time Low

3. Por Que Me Haces Llorar? - Juan Gabriel 

4. Torture Me - Red Hot Chili Peppers

5. Speak Now - Taylor Swift

6. Prayer of the Refugee - Rise Against

7. Going Away to College - blink-182

8. Time-Bomb - All Time Low

9. DNA. - Kendrick Lamar

10. Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle

@frafru1​ , @whitedeadflower​ , & @psychoticbreak​ | make a playlist with the letters of my name

Lithium by Nirvana

Universally Speaking by RHCP

Pool by Paramore

Eye Opener by Dot Hacker

@badhe4d​ |  post my lock screen, the last song I listened to and the last picture I saved on my phone

friends name blocked out but. an interesting screenshot. yes i have flea’s tweet notifs on and use twitter for absolutely nothing else. yes i have email notifs on 

if screenshots count:

if they DONT count and you mean purely just saving:

my icon and boyfriend <3

@badhe4d​ | 7 questions to get to know me better

three ships: not romantically because i dont believe in shipping irl people but i love everyone in rhcp’s gay polycule energy. specifically john and anthony in the 80s. romantically tho mickey and ian in shameless. i dont think i have a third one? me and my bisexual mutuals <3

last song: i shuffled a ton of songs and skipped for some of these tags but before those i was listening to the album weird kids by we are the in crowd as a tbt, specifically the song manners

last movie: inside by bo burnham but if you dont count that, hereditary 

currently watching: it is very difficult for me to watch shows so im currently just watching youtube lol

currently reading: nothing. i cannot read :( bc of attention issues not bc im illiterate

currently consuming: banana bread :3

currently craving: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS RELEASE YOUR FUCKING ALBUM CHALLENGE

@the-replacemints​​ |  top 10 favorite debut albums

NOT in order. also it took way too long to come up with this list lol

1. Concentrate - The Happy Fits

2. So Wrong It’s Right - All Time Low

3. SOUR - Olivia Rodrigo

4. Strange Desire - Bleachers

5. RAZZMATAZZ - I Dont Know How But They Found Me

6. Hot Fuss - The Killers

7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

8. Bleach - Nirvana

9. Costello Music - The Fratellis

10. WALK THE MOON - Walk The Moon

because theres so many of these im not gonna tag people for each individual prompt but if you tagged me in one of these i tag you in whichever ones you wanna do <3

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #396

“every time i leave, you say you won’t be there, & you’re always there”

So, is it gif with a hard G or soft G? I used to say "jif," but now I pronounce it as "gif." If you use libraries, what is the largest overdue fine you’ve ever had? *shrug* Do you ever borrow things other than books from the library? I remember back in the day, they used to offer educational computer games, and I bought a dinosaur one as a kid that I was madly obsessed with. Are there still any movie rental places left where you live? Just Redbox things outside of some stores. Do you ever buy secondhand books (or DVDs, video games, CDs)? Yeah; Ebay is my friend. Or do you prefer them to be brand new? I mean yeah, but it's not a massive deal to me so long the thing is operational or not falling apart. Do you ever write fanfic? Of what? Nah. Do you ever READ fanfic? Of what? Also nah. Do you have a favorite classical composer? No. Have you ever had multicolored/rainbow hair? No, but I would LOVE to. What kind of hats, if any, do you like to wear? I don't wear hats. What is your #1 deal-breaker with friendships? If you're manipulative, byyyyyeeeee~ Who is your favorite character on Bob’s Burgers and why? (If you watch it) I've seen some episodes, but I don't actually watch it. Have you ever had a retro celebrity crush? Like a crush on an “old” celebrity who was most famous a long time ago or is long dead? Audrey Hepburn, for one, is drop-dead GORGEOUS. When you buy/receive new clothes, do you instantly wear them or wash first? It depends on what I bought and where it's from. What’s the weirdest item you’ve seen for sale on Ebay? Idk. Are parents to blame for what their kids do on the Internet? No; kids make their own choices. I do, however, believe the parents should monitor what they do until they reach a certain degree of maturity, as well as the child's history with what they've done on the Internet. Do you use acronyms to remember things? Sometimes. Do you take pills like Tylenol for the littlest aches and pains? No. Only if I'm really in pain will I take Ibuprofen/Advil. Don’t you think Crocs are ugly? Big time. I don't know why they're in vogue now when they used to be so widely hated. When was the last time you went roller skating? Oh, it's been years. Who was your favorite Ninja Turtle? I was never into the franchise. Horror flicks make you: laugh, scream, or squirm? I prefer the ones that make you uneasy. I'm not a big fan of the nasty ones, and I want to feel on edge when I'm watching a horror film, but it's EXTREMELY rare I become legitimately scared. If you could become a doctor, what would you specialize in? Uhhhh. Maybe genetic disorders. What’s the cutest thing a little kid has ever said to/in front of you? I'm sure it was something my niece or nephew said, but I'm unsure of what. They've said many adorable things. Did any characters from TV shows scare you as a kid? Which one(s)? FUCKING KING RAMSES FROM COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG. FUCK he gave me nightmares. What’s the saddest thing you’ve heard on the news recently? I was very saddened to hear about the giraffe that died giving birth. Do you believe that acupuncture works? I'm not educated enough on this subject. Have you ever been hypnotized? No, and I don't believe it's possible to be. What’s the first food you can smell when you enter the mall? The soft pretzels, omg. That little stand is my favorite part of our local mall. They make DELICIOUS pretzels. What is the worst hurt you’ve ever experienced? Jason leaving. Are huge muscles gross or sexy? Like serious body builders, it's gross to me. I prefer a natural musculature. Have you ever fished and caught something weird? I know I have, but what isn't coming to mind. Do you use an umbrella when it rains? Unless it is absolutely pouring, no. Do you like getting caught in the rain? No. What is the hardest part of cleaning for you? It requires physical exertion and I am INCREDIBLY weak with non-existent stamina. Do you have any fake flowers in your room? No. Do you own any succulents? No. What is your favorite thing about spring? The only thing I like about spring are all the flowers. What is something you find hard to draw? HANDS. UGH. Was it sunny for your senior prom pictures? Sigh. It was a beautiful sunset. I REALLY wish I didn't delete all those pictures from existence. Have you ever seen a double rainbow? I've seen like, a triple rainbow. What’s one thing you want to learn how to make? Your ordinary meals. I really want to be able to cook my own food from scratch. Do you have stomach issues? Maybe TMI, but it's been questioned but not fully examined that I may have IBS. My stomach is very sensitive. When was the last time you apologized and didn’t mean it? I'm not sure. Do you prefer to be the “talker” or the “listener” in a conversation? The listener. What’s a movie that you think everyone should see? Johnny Got His Gun. If you could have any hair color, what color would you want? Either pastel pink or light creamsicle orange. When was the last time you saw your “first love”? February of 2017. Who’s the smartest person you know personally? My best guy friend Girt. What makes them so smart? He's just very intelligent. Book-smart. Are there any bands/artists that get you all emotional? Ozzy. He and his music are so important to me. What’s your favourite aunt or uncle’s first name? Robert. Have you ever done a first aid course? No. What time do you generally wake up in the morning? It varies from like, 6:00-8:30ish. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Definitely shapeshifting. I'd love to be a druid, man. Do you ever make surveys? If so, are they long or short? No, but I combine them because I don't like surveys that are too short by my standards. When is the next time you’ll change your hairstyle? Will you color it? Honestly, probably never. I love my current hairstyle, but I most certainly plan on dyeing it maaaany more times. As a child, what was your favorite game to play? I was hooked on the first three Spyro games. I would play 'em over and over. Do any of your siblings have significant others? Do you like them? My older sister is married, and I am NOT a fan of her husband. He's WAY too conservative and bigoted and racist and misogynistic, etc. etc. He's wonderful as a dad, like holy shit he loves his kids, but his beliefs are abhorrent. Dad's daughter is also married, and her husband is awesome. Mom's eldest daughter is also married, and her husband seems cool. My brother has a fiancee that I've never met. Do you believe in the concept of global warming? No fucking shit I do. It's impossible to logically deny, especially as the years go on. When was the last time you took a picture of something? Was it yourself? I took some pictures of this beautiful hydrangea bush outside the TMS office a few days ago. When drinking soda, do you prefer bottles or cans or poured in a glass? Cans, because it stays colder. Do you wear deodorant? Um, yes? If you had a pet pig, what would you name it? Probably something very unoriginal, like Wilbur. Do you like Led Zeppelin? I LOVE "Kashmir." "Stairway to Heaven" was madly important to me, but yeah... I can't listen to it anymore. Like seriously, I haven't in years. Do you like hugs? I do. Have you read the Constitution of the United States of America? Only the Bill of Rights for school. Do you have your own computer or use a family one? I have my own laptop. Do you take out the trash? Sometimes. Is there a calendar in the room you’re in? Outdated meerkat ones. What is your best friend’s name? Sara Jane. :') Have you ever seen a real-life cop chase? Maybe? What is your favorite shape? Circles. Are pigs adorable or dirty? They're precious! And pigs are actually a lot cleaner than people think, if they're not muddy. Anything moldy in your house? Not to my knowledge. Our old house had a serious mold problem, though, which is the primary reason we had to move. Especially with Mom having cancer at the time, she needed to be in the most sterile environment possible. Have you ever been in an earthquake? No. Do you enjoy history? No. Are you watching TV right now? No, but rather GameGrumps on YT. Could you ever be a mortician? True shit, it actually doesn't seem THAT bad. Can you solve a Rubik’s cube? Never seriously tried. How many pets do you have? Just two right now. Are you more close with your mom or dad? My mom. Who is the person that has impacted your life the most? Jason. Or Mom. Have you ever had a pet fish? Yeah. Poor things, they had terrible husbandry. I've learned a hell of a lot from a YouTuber/streamer that is like obsessed with fish about just how misinformed people are on how to take care of various fish. Your goldfish in that little bowl died for a reason, you know. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes. Do you prefer tea or coffee? Both suck. Have you ever vaped? No. How did your parents meet? They were co-workers. What was your first word? "Dada." Have you ever had a kinky dream about a celebrity? ... I mighta lmao. When was the last time you had Nutella? A long time ago. It reeeeaaaally needs to stay out of my house, because I will eat it straight out of the jar. Name someone with a sexy sounding voice. So I don't know where this was, but Mark was once credited in something as "if chocolate had a voice" and I was like YOU FUCKIN BET YOUR SWEET ASS.

[hippriestess]

Part 4 - I’ve Been Duped...

It was to be expected that some of those who brought us some of the less essential Fall releases would also respond to Smith's death. One of worst was the first to arrive and it came from perennial recyclers Secret Records; a repackaging of 10 live tracks from the 2002 “A Touch Sensitive” DVD – already reconfigured multiple times – on an LP titled, and this absolutely beggars belief, “Best Of” and credited to “The Fall & Mark E Smith”, a credit never once used on a release in Smith's lifetime (a few gig posters, yes but never a record). Released just 3 months after Smith's death for about £18-20, this received the derision it deserved and, judging from the number of copies for sale on Discogs and their current asking prices, it appears to have sold just a little more than fuck all.

But even this was overshadowed come March 2019 when Ozit/Dandelion released what has to be The Worst Fall Release Ever. Pressed into horrid orange vinyl, the contents of “Mark's Personal Holiday Tony Tapes” were staggeringly poor. Proudly labelled as “Non-Record-Store-Day Release” (was it turned down?) the record boasted just 8 tracks. The album tried to elide its rotten contents by calling all the tracks “Mark's Personal Holiday Tony Tapes”. Track 1 was a 6 minute version of “Last Nacht” from “I Am Kurious Oranj”. The released track doesn't actually feature within the 6 minutes so this is probably an outtake and therefore probably not owned by Beggars Banquet. There is a drop out lasting several seconds that has gone uncorrected and it's about 4 minutes longer than it needs to be, confirming the brevity of the version used in 1988 to be bob on. Tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8 are live tracks from 1981, all of which had already been released on the otherwise unimpressive “Northern Cream” DVD. What is barely credible is that tracks 3, 5 and 7 are also “Last Nacht” but not further alternates, rather being Track 1 cut into 2 minute pieces and simply repeated! Did they think we wouldn't notice?! Utterly awful, thoroughly exploitative and an absolute disgrace. They also stumped up a 30 minute DVD of MES being interviewed. This bore the thoroughly unappealing title “30 Minutes On A Manchester Slag Heap”. I only ever saw this for sale on eBay but a couple of clicks confirmed that it was Ozit/Dandelion product being sold by them through that channel. The cover was of a slag heap rather than of MES. Enough said.

OK, let's tidy up, what's next?

The immediate future sees 2 vinyl releases in the August “drop” of the now-staggered, socially-distanced RSD2020; a double LP of “[Austurbæjarbíó] - Reykjavík Live 1983” on the now inevitable splatter vinyl and a single LP of  “Cerebral Caustic” on multi-coloured “bonkers” (their word, absofuckinglutely not mine) splatter vinyl because of course it is. That's all for RSD this year, a move which represents far better judgement by the organisers. A studio album out of print on vinyl for 25 years and a properly sought after live release on the format for the first time? Yeah, that fits well with what RSD was meant to be back when we all queued up for a “Bury Pts 2 + 4” 7” in 2010.

Now, a fun wee question mark was raised over “CC” when the RSD website credited the release to Demon rather than Cherry Red. It appears Demon have the Permanent Records catalogue and have also announced clear vinyl reissues of “The Infotainment Scan”, “Middle Class Revolt”, “The Twenty-Seven Points” and, perhaps most interestingly, “The Post Nearly Man”, all on clear vinyl with expanded artwork from Pascal LeGras. It looks as though these are coming in under the £20 mark (£25 for T27P) and I reckon they'll be popular – I fancy nabbing MCR and TPNM myself. A bit of a downer that all of these, except, oddly, “The Post Nearly Man” were recently rescheduled from September 2020 to January 2021 but hey ho – probably Covid-related, much like everything else.

As for Cherry Red, whilst one report had it that “Are You Are Missing Winner” was next, they are finally releasing a 3CD/2LP edition of “Imperial Wax Solvent” in October. This includes the much-discussed original mix by Grant Showbiz and a previously unavailable live set from shortly after the album's original release. This is, basically, exactly what we wanted. Hurrah! Can't wait.

Thanks to the speculation re: AYAMW, there was a little disappointment in come quarters and I can certainly see a healthy audience for a straight single LP pressing of that as it was only ever available on a picture disc vinyl before. Here's hoping they won't go for a double splatter vinyl with unnecessary extras (“Where's The Fuckin' Taxi? Cunt” on vinyl? Come on, SPARE US).  

To yr present authors surprise, an expanded edition of “The Frenz Experiment” was announced for release by Beggars Banquet/Arkive in October. I had reckoned a new vinyl edition was likely as it was the only studio album on BB not yet afforded a new pressing and the addition of a second LP with various singles tracks was no surprise either, given that there are similar packages available for “TWAFW”, “TNSG” and “Bend Sinister”. A very pleasant surprise however is the inclusion of the group's Janice Long session from 1987, their only unreleased Radio 1 session. Also, “A Day In The Life” has been licenced for the this also (it was the only studio recording from the era missing from “5 Albums”). The Long session and “...Life” are only on the CD version. As such, this release very much follows the pattern of the “Bend Sinister” reissue from 2018 and is likely inspired by the near ecstatic reception and healthy sales that release enjoyed. Nice that the CD edition is £12 this time, having been more like £22 for “Bend Sinister”.

Let Them Eat Vinyl are responsible for the illustration...they are planning an almost ludicrous onslaught of Fall vinyl. Their website currently lists an almost unbelievable THIRTY ONE Fall LP releases for the three months running September to November. Thirty-one. Now – this includes “Interim” which is already on the shelves but it also includes the “Live From The Vaults” releases. It was assumed from the inclusion of two of these on Cherry Red's “Dragnet” 3CD box that these were part of the Fall Sound Archive deal that MES cut with CR in the years before his death which makes this a bit interesting. Also, LTEV are also claiming they will release “The Post-Nearly Man” on vinyl in October, which clashes with Demon's schedule – they originally had Smith and The Fall's albums for Permanent Records releases slated for reissue in September but all except TPNM have been moved. Meanwhile, “Cog Sinister” are about to release TPNM on CD! After being unavailable and highly prized for 2 decades, we're now set for 3 separate reissues within 2 months!  Anyway, the vast majority of the remaining LTEV are discs from the 2 “sets of ten (really eleven)” although also included are the excellent “I Am Pure As Oranj” and the first vinyl edition of “The Light User Syndrome” since its original release in 1996. Caveat Emptor, as the saying goes.

Narnack are also hinting that a 3LP “Fall Heads Roll” isn't too far off. Having teased this for a couple of years, Early in 2020, it was announced that the label was folding. This announcement was deleted and Narnack immediately moved on to asking fans to suggest what additional material could be added to this new version. Never one of their best, there would have to be some impressive outtakes to persuade yr persent scribe to cough up.  

Elsewhere, Phonogram have yet to succumb to new vinyl pressings of their albums, despite the prices fetched on the collectors market for these, especially “Code-Selfish”. This may be partly due to what seems to have been a relatively low take-up for their 6CD box set from 2017. Titled “The Fontana Years”, this was just the 2CD editions of the three albums from 2007 in a box. It therefore looked weak next to the “Singles 1978-2016” box set as well as providing nothing attractive to the faithful who already had them. It hit the shelves at £35-40 a time and, unsurprisingly, remained there and can now be scored for around £20.

The much requested expansion of “The Real New Fall LP” with the original, very different mix of the album has yet to appear. At last count, contractual wrangles between the UK and US were said to be in the way but who knows? If “Levitate” can reappear, surely this can too.

Of course, we never know what else the less-salubrious end of the market will have for us but we shall approach with due caution.

The cold reality: what we get now is all there is. Mark E Smith now exists for Fall fans on paper, on magnetic tape, on vinyl and in combinations of 0 and 1. A sad fact. But it is clear that the appetite for The Fall is, if anything, increasing. Hindsight is presenting The Fall in a particularly clear light. In such a stylised, filtered and carefully marketed world, full of covert strategies and manipulative messaging, The Fall are reassuringly flawed, human, real. Their jagged edges, their constant state of flux, their DIY presentation and their disinterest in convention draws in the curious. The quantity of music suits an insatiable, want-it-all-and-now culture and, having made their albums for the vinyl format as well as bringing us so many magnificent 3-4 minute singles, their music is almost perfectly suited to today's market place where vinyl albums mix with song-by-song streams. People who love to write about music always loved The Fall and it seems that this is every bit as true today as it was in the days when we never had to wait any more than a few months for a missive of some sort, be it an album, a single, a Peel session or even just an entertaining interview.

Given that The Beatles – the most lauded rock/pop act of all time - have finally reached a generation to whom their blithe optimism means absolutely nothing, it is impossible to say how anything in music will be regarded 20 years from now. But for now, at least, The Fall endure. Their vibrations remain intense and powerful. And we, the people, dance to the waves.

Nine out of ten? Nah. Ten out of ten. Top marks. 

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukiuta. 2nd Anniversary Round-Table Discussion ~Seniors version~

I’m a bit late but, happy birthday Shun! I started to translate this on his birthday but due to this interview being long, I only ended up finishing on 25th. This is an interview published in the AGF version of Tsukiuta Monthly Publication, meaning it’s 6 years old by now.

I should have translated the 1st anniversary interview, but this one really left me in shock. I mean.... SHUN HAS A KINK?????? I’M JUST????? TSUKIPRO?????

Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say for now, I hope I made you curious. Many thanks to Ryota and Chrome for assisting me and helping with the proofreading. Please don’t reuse/retranslate/repost my work. I mean, seriously.

Haru: The 2nd anniversary round-table discussion of the Tsukiuta. series, seniors version is…… starting!

Shun: Wah (claps)♪

Haru: That being said, this year had a lot of chaotic things in store for us, but somehow we managed to reach the second anniversary without any problems. We’re grateful for that, aren’t we?

Hajime: That’s right. Thank you for always supporting us.

Kai: Thank you. We will never forget this feeling of gratitude.

Shun: Ah, I remember it was during last year’s round-table talk… Ever since AGF finished, there were a lot of opportunities to organize different plans and fairs. We managed to expand our merchandise too, didn’t we?

Haru: Well, speaking of big things, we also had a corner with things for our fans, and then Haru no Fan Matsuri1 too……?

Kai: Then Super Comics, the artbook, the summer comics, the collaboration with Karatez-san, then the Full Moon Fair & Full Moon Cafe, and now we’re back to AGF.

Hajime: We had a big event about every two months and in addition to that, our duet CDs were being released monthly. Somehow it feels like we’ve been busy all year round. Good grief.

Haru: Right? But monthly progress is something fitting for Tsukiuta (smiles bitterly). Good job for now.

Kai: Good job~

Hajime: Good work.

Shun: Good work. This round-table discussion gives us the chance to take it easy and look back over what happened this year. Ever since last year’s events it feels like our talk has become a routine.

Hajime: Okay. Then without further delays…. Haru, bring the tea.

Shun: Ye~s. I want some too.

Haru: Really? That’s how we’re starting? (laughs)

Question: “Tell us about a situation that occurred during the production of the duet CDs.”

Kai: ......Well, until our spoiled leaders get their tea, we have our first topic. “A situation that happened during the production of our duet CDs” it says.

Haru: Hmph, hmph.

Kai: Each of us had to prepare two duets at a time, right? The ones Shun and I got were “Kimi ni hana o, kimi ni hoshi o” and “Celestite”.

Haru: Otherwise known as “Hana Hoshi” and “Kuro Ouji2”, right?

Kai: Yeah. “Hana Hoshi” is based on my image, while “Kuro Ouji” is based on......

Shun: Behold☆ My image!

Hajime & Haru: …...Aah (both see the light)

Shun: By the way, since the composers and the listeners both have their own impressions on the songs, the prompter is telling us to talk about some stuff that happened during the photoshoots for the CD jackets.

Haru: Roger (smiles bitterly). So, about those photoshoots…...

Shun: The Hana Hoshi photoshoot was fun. It was done somewhere in the north, on a vast field.

Hajime: Based on that description alone, it must have been cold.

Kai: We actually went there during the summer, so the cold air was pleasant. Underneath a sky covered by stars, we were sitting on a flower bed with bouquets in our hands. It felt so nice…… for us it was very relaxing.

Shun: Fufufu.  Because of the shade of my costume, at first glance it looked as if I had a ribbon on my bare chest. That created many confusions, you know?

Hajime: You sound glad about that.

Haru: Above your head was a complete starry sky, and you were holding flowers in your birthday suit (distant look)

Kai: …...You’ve just destroyed my precious memory…... 

Hajime: Now that you mention it, I’ve observed since long ago that many of the Procella duets have the word ‘flower’ in their titles. Is there a reason why?

Shun: Fufufu. You have good eyes, Hajime. It's a coincidence I'd like to call ‘fate’!

Kai: That was so blunt (laughs)! But it really was just a ‘coincidence’. Although we all have different producers, these kind of things happen once in a while. I guess you could call it proof of our unity?

Haru: Wow, you’re forcing your own conclusion~ (laughs bitterly)

Hajime: …...Haru, do we have something similar to that?

Haru: Don’t force me to compete with that, leader (laughs). Also, if you think about it, Celestite is not a ‘flower’.  

Kai: For that one, we went completely into Shun-sama’s world. Or should I call it the ‘Spirit World’?

Shun: Ahaha, Kai? Do you want a demonstration of my real powers? I’ll show you how hard I worked for the ‘Kuro Ouji’ concept.

Hajime: Indeed, it suited you. Both you, …...and Kai.

Kai: Me too?

Hajime: Yeah, it suited you…...I think. Kai, during TsukiRadio, you did something similar to a Demon Lord, right? The younger kids said you fit that image perfectly. I think so, too.

Shun: Kai’s physical build was perfect for this to begin with. Those black clothes brought a lot of impact to the surface. He was definitely cool-looking.

Kai: Eh, you think so? You two praising me makes me feel a bit embarrassed, but I’m happy. Thanks.

Hajime: On the other hand, we have ‘Koi wasuregusa’ and “Hajimari no haru”.

Haru: Yes.

Kai: I could feel Japanese vibes coming from both of you, and I’m talking about both the titles and the costumes.

Haru: Ahaha. Is it because of Hajime?

Hajime: ? What about me giving off that ‘traditional Japanese’ impression?

Shun: Your entire image is built that way, can’t you see, Hajime? Take your first stage outfit for example, it was heavily inspired by traditional elements.

Hajime: …...I see.

Shun: On the other hand, mine is inspired from the west.

Hajime: Even without you mentioning that, it can be seen that the duet costumes and many other costumes are made based on a western style.

Haru: Maybe the reason why Gravi’s and Procella’s own images are divided into ‘western’ and ‘traditional’ is exactly because of our leaders’ images.

Hajime: Our images...huh.

Kai: Though, the more you look at Koi Wasure, the more luxurious it looks. Are those costumes made from Nishijin silk fabrics3?

Shun: They look that way. I was watching them when the shoot happened, but the real thing looks even more impressive than in the photos. I think someone poured their soul into those outfits, and the final result is only proof of their skills.

Haru: Speaking of effort? On site, everyone was bursting with energy, but that shoot honestly made me all tensed up for the first time in a while. I rarely wear kimonos to begin with…… I mean I probably wore a kimono only for the Shichi-Go-San festival4 in the past and having to wear one again after so long felt like too much of a hurdle for me (smiles bitterly).

Hajime: Haru, has it really been that long since you've worn a kimono?

Haru: Ahaha, Hajime. Most people aren't even fated to wear a kimono in their entire lifetime. I’m one of them. I can’t get used to it, and if it wrinkles or looks dirty even the slightest bit, I become terrified. Not to mention they are also unbelievably expensive. ……Though, I think it might be difficult for Hajime here to understand that.

Kai: I know what you mean. I definitely do, Haru. That common sense is something I agree with on a spiritual level.

Hajime: Hmm……. So that’s how it is.

Shun: We’re quite familiar with household events, aren’t we?

Hajime: Yeah. At each turning point in life, our relatives would gather for events and wearing full formal dress was a custom.

Haru & Kai: (We’re witnessing a conversation between two real young masters)

Hajime: …...Though if you look at the results, I think it suited you well enough, Haru.

Haru: Ooh, my king is bestowing me with words of praise.

Hajime: C’mon, look at this shot, you look like a young playboy husband or like a beguiling king. (chuckles)

Haru: Correction, it wasn’t praise. They randomly started to call me beguiling recently and I keep wondering why, Kai. 

Kai: Don’t mind it, Haru (laughs). Well, wasn’t the concept of that jacket cover the ‘bewitching, traditional Japanese rock style’? In that case, the beguiling king concept was a huge success in a way. Good job, Haru.

Haru: Oh, geez.

Kai: Finally, ‘Hajimari no Haru’. You had the same ‘traditional’ theme, but it was the complete opposite of the previous CD and felt more formal. The military uniforms gave a nice, cool feeling.

Haru: Correct. The costumes were made to represent military outfits. You can tell that just by looking (laughs).

Shun: Hajime! This includes Haru as well, but Hajime looked sooo good! It suited you so well, I end up wanting to crawl! I want to go down on all fours and be stepped on by you! I want to see you cast that cold glare onto me! 

Kai: …...Shun, Hajime’s backing away slowly. Haru and I, too...

Question: “What event left a strong impression on you?”

Haru: Shall we answer at the same time?

Kai: Ooh, a curve ball was thrown. ‘Kay, let’s do it. I’ll bring the notebooks and markers then. Everyone, write~.

Hajime: I’m done.

Shun: Me too.

Kai: Then, three, two…... one!

Haru: ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’

Hajime: ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’

Shun: ‘Full Moon Fair’

Kai: ‘Full Moon Fair’

Haru: Ooh, we got half and half (laughs). My answer is without a doubt ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’. It has my name in it too, but it’s also because I worked on every special benefit up until the smallest detail.

Hajime: Aah, indeed, like the little bunny plate that came as a bonus or the rubber strap that came with the DVD and stuff. I chose our first independent event because it left an impression. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t match with it so I was only able to participate via video feed.

Kai: As expected, you went for ‘Haru’ (laughs)? On the other hand, I chose the Full Moon Fair which incidentally ended not long ago~. It was our first nationwide Animate fair, after all. And the Animate storefront even made it on the ‘Kyarabii5’ cover, right? The fact that they were given that important cover space made me so happy.

Haru: It was the first time in a while when all of us were featured in a photo.

Shun: We were so lively (chuckles). In one set we were wearing casual clothes, and in the other yukatas.

Haru: That one also ended up being the cover of the calendar this year.

Kai: The fans’ reaction was more than what we were all expecting, so the staff was left in awe at the power of the yukatas and some hair arrangements.

Haru: Hajime, you also let your hair down, right?

Hajime: You’re the one who messed with my hair. I wish I had done something about that back then.

Haru: Ahaha, that’s true. That was the result of me talking with the hair and make-up artists and how we agreed that not teasing your hair up was better since the yukata was so fitting on you.

Hajime: I admit they complimented my hair, young master.

Shun: Ah, yes, yes. Me too. They said I looked like the prodigal son of a rich family. Kakeru and I happened to be shot side-by-side, and they were saying from all directions that we looked like ‘the apprentice and the prodigal son’. Ahaha.

All of them: (Because that’s exactly how it looked like)

Hajime: Our first solo event, and our first national fair. This year we had a lot of ‘first times’ once again as a series.

Shun: That’s what we would call some of our many progresses. Thank you very much.

Question: “Tell us about other work situations if there are any.”

Shun: This year, a lot of new opportunities arose for me and to top it all off, I’m really, reaaaaally happy that I got to experience being paired in the leaders group. I think it was very fun. (softly)

Kai: The twelve of us look like some kind of family (lol). We barely had space for everyone to fit in at the same time, but even with the limited room by picking out the right camera exposure levels, the two leaders didn't look unnatural. Of course, there's the tiniest bit of post-production as well.

Haru: Wow, that’s a very vivid story you got there!

Shun: Geez, Kai~ I’m trying to be grateful here so please don’t bring up business here.

Kai: Ahaha, my bad, my bad.

Hajime: ……. I’ve been thinking about that too.

Shun: Yes?

Hajime: Your…... ‘that’ thing you do, Shun…...Being my fan I mean. I started to think about it only recently, but half of that thing is a joke, isn’t it? I’m not wrong about that, am I?

Shun: ーーー!?

Kai: Ah, his shock is easy to understand for once.

Haru: It really is. …...I can’t ignore how pitiful Shun looks now so I’ll back him up. Listen Hajime, anyone can tell that Shun's very serious about ‘that thing’, you know?

Hajime: …...Really?

Kai: Yeah. And what I’m about to add might sound strange…… but I can confirm he’s been seriously devoting himself to his fan activities and supporting you since the beginning and until now. From the start he rarely, er, sometimes, no, always was noisy about it, but well, he can be pretty entertaining if you feel like listening to him.

Haru: He never changed (laughs)

Hajime: Is that so……? …...I see. I’m sorry, Shun. Thank you for always supporting me.

Haru: Ah, here’s the heartfelt fan interaction. (laughs)

Shun: ーー!! That "I see" just now! That gives me legal authority to accompany you from now on, right!? In that case there’s no problem! I don’t mind it! It just means I didn’t put my heart enough into it. From now on I'll work hard on my fervor for Hajime so that my love will be conveyed! L O V E Hajime LOVE!! WASSHOI! (grabs Hajime and clings to him)

Hajime: ……

Shun: Hajime~, Hajime~♪ Fufufu no fu (snuggles)

Hajime: ……

Kai: (whispering) Hajime’s definitely trying his best not to send Shun flying across the room.

Haru: (whispering) He’s really putting up with him (laughs). Let’s not forget that apology from earlier. It’s a good thing our leaders are on good terms with each other. A really good thing.

Kai: Right~? The leaders’ work kept increasing, but on the other hand, we are still considered…… uhh, ‘advisers’? We also received more and more jobs in pairs like this one and they’re always fun.

Haru: Ahaha, you’re right.

Hajime: ……

Haru: …...Anyway, I think that’s enough, Shun (laughs bitterly). Our king is a cat after all. You can hug him however much you want, but he won’t get used to it. He’s already turning into stone, so can you release him? 

Hajime: Who are you calling a cat, Haru? (sigh)

Kai: You say that but it's so easy to tell that you're relieved (laughs). Good work, Hajime.

Question: “Leave a message for your fans.”

Hajime: It’s been exactly one year since the last AGF. Due to everyone’s support, it feels as if we were able to go a few levels up. Thanks. This is more or less all I wanted to say.

Shun: Fufufu, indeed. The things I want to say as Procella’s leader and the things I want to convey myself, too, are exactly the same as the ones Gravi’s leader, Hajime, just said. …...Thank you, everyone.

Haru: You switched from fan mode to leader mode (laughs).

Kai: I’m always amazed when he does that switch (laughs).

Haru: I think now’s the time for the advisers to show their gratitude too. And we'd be happy to receive your support for more of the merchandise promotions we do together in the future.

Kai: And don’t forget about the youngers either! Their growth is remarkable even from our point of view, so don’t miss out any of that. 

Shun: You pulled that off perfectly. As expected from our reliable partners.

Hajime: …...Right? I trust both of them too.

Kai: Ahaha, thanks. Among our unit members, the senior group aspire to be the ‘most steady’. Let’s continue doing things in our comfortable rhythm and without pushing ourselves. 

Haru: The younger ones will be able to walk ahead without worries if we build them a solid foundation, won’t they? 

Shun: Even more than that, we are both their foundation and their guides. The two of us should pave the path for them, don’t you think so, Hajime? A path everyone would stroll on happily as they head for joyful days.

Hajime: Yeah. …...Indeed. As the ones who walk ahead of everyone, you and me have that role.

Haru: If you two get tired, don’t hesitate to tell us, okay?

Kai: I don’t mind if I’m being relied on even without them being tired. 

Hajime: Then I want a second helping.

Kai: Of tea? …..Well, I'll guess I'll pour it for you then (chuckle).

Shun: Me too, me too~.

Haru: I want some too!

Kai: Everyone's taking advantage of me (laughs).......Fine, I get it. I’ll be taking your requests~. Do you want Japanese tea? Black tea? Or coffee? 

(And so the end transitioned into a leisurely tea party.)

T/N:

Haru no Fan Matsuri (translated 'The spring fan festival') was an event held back in 2014. The guests were Masuda Toshiki (Kisaragi Koi), Aoi Shota (Minaduki Rui), Kanemoto Hisako (Hijiri Kurisu), Uesaka Sumire (Tendouin Tsubaki), Mamiya Yasuhiro (Kurotsuki Dai) and Yamanaka Masahiro (Tsukishiro Kanade). You can buy the DVD here

Kuro Ouji means 'Black Prince'. Shun reveals in his duet SS that according to the song concept, he's the black (imperial) prince. I'll get to it more when I translate that SS.

The Nishijin silk fabrics are high quality silk fabrics originating from Kyoto.

The Shichi-Go-San Festival (translated 'Seven-Five-Three Festival) is an event held on 15th of November for girls who are 3 or 7 years old and for boys who are 5 years old. On that day they celebrate the growth and well-being of young children.

Kyarabii is a magazine from Japan.

If you like my work and you want to support me, you can now buy me a coffee by clicking right [here]. I also started taking commissions, more details are right [here]. Thank you~

[ourladyofomega]

Close to the end of the year, and also when the semester ended, I looked forward in selling my books after finals so that I would get money back. I’d get a friend together to take me to Tower Records in Huntington. In a matter of one hour, that money would be gone. Right now I’d be very excited about what I would find in those bins. But due to the pandemic it hasn’t been the case and the euphoria of being in a store, any store at midnight, has been absent. During the mid-00′s, Tower Records went under and currently co-opting the former Huntington location is a third-rate clothing store.

One day as I was driving to work, people stood on the sidewalks of Route 110 holding picket signs like it was the end of the world. First advertised on those signs were 10%-30% percent off all merchandise at Tower. When passers-by and sidewalk shoppers took a closer look, they ended up in shock as they realized that it was an end of an era of some sort. A few days later, the stakes went up. 40%-60% discounts finally garnered Tower’s final audience and rush of shoppers. The final swan song came when all merchandise was down to a whopping 70%-90% percent off. That was when they had their biggest ever turnout because no one wanted to pay full price for music. (Not then when downloading broke, and still not now.) Music collectors and fans were reluctant to buy any new release or any title that was full price. Now they all jumped at the opportunity to clean out Tower’s shelves with a steal. Buyers hovered and tracked entire sections looking for that one shining crown jewel that made their lifetime.

As a music fan for years, I couldn’t begin to tell you how much Tower shaped my taste in music and style. Unlike FYE and Sam Goody, Tower was the one commercial music chain that had a lot of artists and titles that no other commercial store had. Think of what was the Port Jefferson Music Den (closed in 2002) where they were the one underground record store that had everything other stores didn’t even come close to carry. I remember summertimes visiting the Massapequa location picking up rare CD singles and imports as well as other rare hard-to-find and ahead-of-release-date CD’s and artists I picked up such as Autechre’s LP5 (1999) and EC8OR’s World Beaters (1998).

And being a fan of print media and graphic design, I also bought stacks of magazines every week. The magazine selection in Huntington was unrivaled, measuring at least several rows of 60-70 feet of anything and everything you could think of: Industrial Nation, Punk Planet, The Wire, Disruptiv, Mass Appeal, Mean, Vice, YRB, and art design magazines like LoDown, as well as hardcore zines Short Fast Loud!, Maximum Rock And Roll, Under The Volcano and other cult magazines I happened to be lucky to pick up (Lisa Carver’s Rollerderby, anyone?). Every month went at least $60.00-$70.00 total on magazines alone.

Yet towards the end of Tower’s presence I didn’t pick up on music as much because just like other buyers, I had to stand back at the higher-than-usual prices for releases. Compared to discount chains like Best Buy and other record stores, it wasn’t unusual to find a new release with no-frills to be priced at $19.99 or even $21.99. DVDs I noticed were priced at times to be five dollars higher than their competitors. Maybe some shoppers felt the same sentiment as I did.

Not only that, the forces of internet piracy and MP3 downloading of recent years proved to be too dominant and powerful to be stopped, and is currently but begrudgingly co-existing with other existing record stores this day and age. Consumers then re-routed the system right to their own bedrooms with no price to pay for their music. These factors, plus incurring debt that led the chain to bankruptcy proved to be too much for them.

Without Tower Records, it was less convenient for me to pick up whatever artist or movie title I wanted right away right after work. When Tower closed down it took a bite out of some of the physical record collecting I had. Yet, only they could have given me these experiences: no more magazines letting me know what the latest art direction was or who was in the spotlight. No more frantically walking around with a huge stack of everything and more in my hands still looking for one more CD. No more back room full of posters, sheet music, jazz, classical, hip-hop, techno, and soul. No more silly Hollywood memorabilia and comic-book fantasy merchandise. No more video games, no more characters hanging out in the store wearing goth, back-pack indie, or hardcore.

No more attitudes from the employees who treated customers like nothing because they felt like it. That was really the only problem I had with Tower Records, mostly in Huntington. The cashiers pointed people out with a huff and puff because they were given more than enough change or money, or how they rang up a transaction without even making an emotion or saying a word. Some stuck female cashiers had that flat out know-it-all act for no apparent reason. Sometimes I even renounced the shop because of its sometimes poor service, but that was not the case in the end as the attitude did improve, thank you.

And no more of where I had my first date with my Peruvian then-girlfriend. I would never forget wandering in that Huntington store looking for the next purchase when she walked in, greeting each other with open arms. We left when a thunderstorm knocked the power out but we returned after dinner and had a fun time, the first of many for months to come. This was also where I met a pretty pale Irish ginger who I later met again into at community college the following year.

What is now left of the record store scene on Long Island? A few of them which existed when Tower crumbled are still around (Cheapo’s, Looney Tunes, Infinity Records) and even new ones popped up (High Fidelity and Record Reserve to naming two). Some opened and either re-located (Record Stop) or said good-bye by the time you read this (Permanent Records and Vinyl Paradise). The majority of shops in total are still around because internet opinion made their case about the lack of quality, esthetics, art, and ritual of having the physical thing that you don’t get from digital or streaming; and the classic ritual and synesthesia of experiencing a record store and handling the format makes the case of cherishing these shops. On the online circuit, some titles are now being released in very limited quantity, mainly in the low thousands or even in the mere hundreds. It’s a huge drop-off from what the millions in print runs used to be. Naming your own price for digital downloads, streaming, or even buying from the label or artist directly is the way to go nowadays.

With my radio show, Omega WUSB, I do most of my music testing at home. My habits have been ruined by MP3s and streams as acquiring music is of very low cost and extremely ubiquitous. After all that, it hasn’t stopped me from going to record stores or celebrating Record Store Day to find breaks, samples, or dollar music to win it all. Yes, I still very much prefer to go out of town to buy music with my money which I support the artists and shops I like. Even to this day, I’ll be very happy spending $200.00-$250.00 on music just to have the artwork, colors, lyrics, pictures, ink, liner notes, credits, barcodes, and the entire release itself, because later on I will turn a profit in style points as time goes by, just like when people are hoarding and sharing their vinyl and cassette collections now.

That November was my last visit to Tower Records ever, a few months after getting a substantial check from a near-fatal car accident. Acquired would be some titles that made my pre-Omega shows and would be part of some personal seasonal mixtapes. Prices were 40% off on music and that was when I decided to go and treat myself. There comes a time when you just can’t wait and risk a good sale on music before they’re gone forever. The total spent on my last ever visit there was $200.00 on music and the Andy Warhol book at $75.00, originally $125.00 (have you ever carried a book so massive and so heavy?) I took my bags worth of music and magazines with me to the trunk of my car, never to return to the Tower Records experience again.

On another note, I’m still friends with M-Ro to this day, a former manager there. He moved on to become a lead of Hicksville’s Utopia further west before becoming a ticket broker at an independent movie house. He once had a show on WUSB and was a major figurehead and darling of the Long Island punk scene. You might also know his brother J-Ro, a master archivist who still has his own show with us and is known as a major record collector by practically everyone on the island.

[purplesurveys]

953

How old are you? 22.

Do you live in North America? No, kinda far from there.

Do you love dogs? I love all dogs, but there are breeds I personally don’t like.

Were you finished childhood and teens when Harry Potter movies came out? Not at all, I was right smack in the middle of it. I wasn’t born when the first book got released and only 13 when Part 2 of HP7 came out.

Did you keep all your VHS tapes? I don’t think my parents did. But this reminds me of a cute story my dad shared recently; he had used his first salary to buy a VCR and the first VHS he bought alongside it was Terminator 2 and then he watched it with my grandma :’) Stories like that make me wish they were better at keeping stuff from their early adulthood. I find it all very interesting.

Do you think Jack Nicholson is a good actor? I’ve only seen him in The Shining and have watched only bits of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but it’s enough for me to like him.

Have you ever watched an episode of "The Honeymooners"? No.

Have you ever owned a pair of high-top Converse? Yes, a red pair. I bought it mostly because my favorite girl wrestler (when she still wrestled) wore Chucks as her wrestling boots which was super badass at the time (honestly still is). When she retired, I stopped using the pair because I was personally never into the high-top look hahaha, and I think my mom gave it away a few years later.

Do you have rain boots with a cute pattern on them? I don’t have any rain boots. It rarely floods where I live anyway.

Would you rather eat an apple or an orange right now? Probably the apple. I can’t stand the smell of oranges so I doubt my mind could be changed with how it tastes.

Would you rather do a cartwheel on land or a backflip in water? I’d go with cartwheels as it’s a little easier to move around underwater, and with enough practice I’m sure I could get a backflip down.

Have you ever performed on stage in front of people? Yes.

Were you kinda scared of the goths in high school? No. But I also don’t think we had goths lmao. I wasn’t afraid of anyone except probably for the bitchy seniors who always seemed to hate the idea of younger students existing.

What size is your mattress? (single,twin,double,queen,king) Twin, which I think is synonymous with single lol.

Do you eat foods from all 4 food groups everyday? I eat from all of them everyday except for fruits, but I’m not sure if they’re a group of their own. The charts are always changing and I don’t know what four you’re referring too :/

Would you rather watch a movie in theater or at home? I liked going to the theater, especially for certain movies that I was really excited about and wanted to see. There’s certain ones you definitely have to experience in theaters. Then there’s some where I’m like, “Eh, it looks like it might be kinda good, but I can wait until it’s out of theaters to see it.” < All this.

Do you prefer brown or white rice? White.

Do you like spaghetti? Sure! There are other pastas I like more, though.

What about lasagna? It’s okay. It’s a hit or miss for me. Some lasagna dishes I’ve had have tasted a bit cheap, but when it’s made well it can be really delicious.

Do you celebrate Christmas? Yeah, but I find it more of an escape than a celebration because I tend to get the most depressed around Christmas season. Being with family and getting to eat lots of food and using my new gifts can be distracting enough. 

Is your Thanksgiving celebrated in October too? We don’t celebrate that.

Do you like chocolate bars? If it has peanut butter in it, yes.

What about ice cream? Only certain flavors.

Have you ever been stung by anything? What was it? Nothing other than ants and jellyfish.

Do you have GOD-GIVEN (not dyed) natural brown hair too? I have black hair but I think I inherited it from my parents...

Or were you born blonde? See above.

Have you found a gray hair on your head or body before? I remember my mom finding one on me when I was like 11, but it never happened again.

Have you ever had any suspicious moles removed? Nopes.

Have you ever been screened for STDs? No.

Are all your wisdom teeth pulled? They aren’t. I don’t know when it’ll happen to me lol, that area of my mouth has never had any trouble or been in pain.

Did you have your tonsils taken out? No.

Did you have your appendix taken out? No. Other than a tooth, no body parts have been taken out of me.

How many kidneys do you have?(have you donated one?) See above.

Would you (to save someone)? If the person needing one means so so so so so so so much to me. And that narrows down the list very much, so I wouldn’t give a kidney to just anyone.

If you were dying of starvation, would you eat another human? Probably, but only if I was in an extreme situation. Like if a plane I was in crashed in a remote island lol.

Have you ever found a bug or slug in your salad? I don’t think so.

Do you like Harry Potter? No.

What about Twilight? Read all books and watched all movies more times than I can count.

How do you feel about Lord of the rings? Bored me to death. I remember the disappointment I felt when I started The Hobbit and realized I wouldn’t be able to make it past the first page.

Are you going to see 'The Hobbit' when it comes out? I did not.

Do you have a glass that says 'Molson Canadian' on it? No, I’ve never heard of that.

Do you have any collector's glasses or cups or mugs? My mom has Starbucks mugs which I know some people collect.

Would you rather have a white fridge or a black fridge or a stainless steel fridge? Stainless steel.

What size shoe do you wear? My feet can fit anywhere from size 6–7.5.

Do you have a wide foot or a narrow foot or just average? It’s average and small.

Do you bite your nails when you're stressed? Yep. Sometimes I also use my nails themselves to fidget with the other nails.

Do you have to take an allergy pill daily in order to live normally? I don’t. When it comes to food, I’m so glad I don’t have any allergies.

Are you on the birth control pill? Nope.

Or are you trying to get pregnant? Certainly not at this point in my life.

You'd rather wear black sneakers or sneakers in a bright color or pattern? Neither. I like my sneakers white.

Has anyone ever told you they were attracted to you? Yeah.

Are you going to drink alcohol tonight? No. We only have plum soju that just tastes like kid’s medicine.

Have you ever heard of the Canadian kids show called "Mr. Dressup"? Never have.

What about the kids show "Fred Penner's Place"? No.

Did you hate Sesame Street when you were little too? I mean it wasn’t my favorite since I didn’t have access to the show and only saw snippets here and there, but I don’t have anything against it at all. I just liked other kid’s shows more.

Were you born perfectly healthy or with some (or a lot) of health issues? Other than my dehydration issues as a newborn, I was a pretty healthy baby.

What are those 'said' health issues? My parents didn’t know I was lactose intolerant so my body wasn’t actually digesting the milk I was fed for a few weeks, and it eventually became a problem when I got dehydrated and my stomach started deflating like crazy. 

Do you collect DVDs? I wouldn’t say I collected them as a kid. I just liked having DVDs of my favorite movies, but I didn’t make it a goal to have hundreds of them.

Do you download music? I did, but I haven’t for a while now.

Or do you still go to stores and buy CDs? I don’t do that anymore. Everything is online.

[eldritchsurveys]

850.

1. What kinds of genres of music do you listen to? >> It’d be easier to name the genres I don’t listen to...

2. Are there any types of music that you don’t listen to at all? >> ...which would be bluegrass, polka, uh... noise... K-pop... yeah, that’s all I got right now. Honestly, K-pop is probably only here because I just haven’t gone to check out any songs, not because I actively don’t like the genre.

3. Do you own any band tees? >> Yeah, most of my t-shirts are band shirts.

4. Name some of your favorite male solo artists. >> Eddie Vedder, David Bowie, Steve Vai, Orville Peck, Sam Cooke.

5. Name some of your favorite female solo artists. >> Elle King, Sia, Beyoncé, Anita Baker, Céline Dion.

6. Name some of your favorite boy-bands. >> Okay, so are we talking boy bands, like Backstreet Boys and One Direction, or just bands with dudes in them? Because I don’t really listen to boy bands anymore (aside from songs that I remember from childhood), so.

7. Name some of your favorite all-girl bands. >> Hmm... I’m not sure I listen to any all-female bands. There’s some female-fronted bands in my library, but the rest of the members are dudes.

8. Name some of your favorite bands/groups in general. >> Oof. Here’s five: Zeal & Ardor, Coheed & Cambria, Pearl Jam, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Volbeat.

9. Do you sing in the shower? >> Sometimes, if a song I know the lyrics to is playing. I listen to music every time I shower, it helps distract my hell brain.

10. Do you sing along with the radio in the car? >> I don’t sing along in the car because Sparrow has a thing about people singing.

11. Do you listen to music while you are cooking, filling out surveys, or cleaning the house? >> Sometimes I listen to music while taking surveys, but I don’t do it often because I find it too distracting. I do listen to music while cleaning, or taking walks, or doing any other task that mostly involves my body more than my brain.

12. What’s the name of the song that you’re listening to right now, if any? What’s the name of the band/singer? >> I’m not listening to music.

13. What kinds of music do your parents listen to? Do you think that their music taste differs greatly? Whose music taste is better, in your opinion? >> I grew up listening to soul, R&B, gospel, that sort of thing. I still listen to that stuff because I enjoy it.

14. Do you ever listen to music without any words? >> Sure.

15. Are there any famous musicians that you’ve met? Are there any that you would like to meet? >> Yeah, I’ve met uhh... Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed & Cambria, and Sevendust multiple times, as well as Halestorm, Steve Vai, three-quarters of Volbeat (lead singer wasn’t feeling great so he left the venue early)... yeah, I think that’s it. I used to be really into that kind of thing, but I’m largely over it now; I actually think it would be cool to see Sparrow meet Hozier, because she’s not had that experience.

16. What was the first concert you’ve been to, if any? How about the last/most recent? Which, out of all of the concerts you’ve attended, was the best? >> First concert was Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed & Cambria (co-headliner tour), in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in April 2006. The last concert I went to was Hozier here in Grand Rapids, last year sometime. I think it was last year. :x My time sense is all fucked up. Anyway, I’ve been to way too many concerts to start naming one as the best one ever, that’s crazy. Most of the shows I’ve been to were awesome as fuck (there were a couple ehhhh... ones, and then there was one I was way too high to enjoy lmao, but usually I have a great time).

17. Do you have a favorite movie soundtrack? What is it? >> I have a favourite movie soundtrack composer, actually, and that’s Clint Mansell. Everything he does is just... AAAAAAAAA for me. I can always tell when he’s done a score because I can just feel the music in my bones, and then I look at the credits and I’m like “OH OF COURSE IT WAS YOU.”

18. Would you want to be a band groupie? Why or why not? >> I had a phase way back when where I was obsessed with groupie culture (from like the late sixties through the eighties) and if you’d asked me then, I’d have said yes. I’ve wised up by now and I definitely would not want that.

19. What is a band/singer you would like to see but haven’t gotten a chance to yet? >> Yeah, there’s a lot of bands and singers like that. But I’d have to be really picky nowadays about who I went to see, because I just can’t deal with most concert environments as well as I used to anymore.

20. Do you care more about the beat of the music you listen to, or the lyrics? >> I mean, when it comes to the first listen, it’s going to be the melody that catches me. If that doesn’t happen, then I’m not even going to bother looking at the lyrics, so...

21. Does anyone in one of your favorite bands play an unusual instrument? >> I listen to some prog bands, so there’s definitely some unusual instruments happening in at least some songs.

22. What are some of the songs that you listen to the most frequently? >> I don’t know, probably Master Boot Record and Zeal & Ardor tracks. I’m a bit obsessed right now.

23. Could you make a playlist of songs that describes your life? What kinds of playlists do you have made? >> I don’t think so. I’ve definitely tried in the past, but when you really start thinking about the vast array of experiences and feelings that make up a life, it becomes fuckin impossible.

24. Do you remember listening to music on CDs and cassettes, not just on the internet? >> Yeah. Definitely don’t miss it, gotta say.

25. What kind of music device do you use in order to listen to music? (iPod, MP3 Player, etc.) >> I use my phone or computer, with Spotify.

26. Is there anyone in your family who is a musician? >> ---

27. Would you ever consider a career in music? >> No. I love music, but as a consumer.

28. What is a song that would describe your current mood? Who is it by? >> I’m not really in any kind of mood. If you know a song about being vaguely tired, then that’s it.

29. Are there any musicians of the past that you really admire? >> Well, sure...

30. Do you listen to Top 40 type music? >> I don’t even know what’s on the Top 40, so... maybe? Probably not, though, I haven’t really gotten into any mainstream-popular artists recently that I can think of.

31. What musical instrument would you like to learn how to play? Have you ever played an instrument before/taken lessons? What was it? >> I don’t really care to learn any instruments. It’s not something I feel passionate about, not like how I feel about listening to music. I’ve taken bass guitar lessons before, in like... 2008 or so? IDK. Years are fake.

32. Do you enjoy watching musicals on DVD or sitting through them as plays? Which method do you prefer, and which is your favorite? >> I would love to watch musicals live, but I definitely cannot afford it. I’m fine watching recordings of them (or movie adaptations, in some cases). My favourite stage musical is Phantom of the Opera (I say “stage musical” because I also have a favourite movie musical, and that’s Repo! the Genetic Opera).

33. What was the worst concert you’ve ever attended before, and what made it the worst? >> Taste of Chaos at Nassau Coliseum. It was the worst because arena shows are just the worst, period. I was right up in front (my friends and I camped out overnight) and I just got repeatedly slammed against the barricade and crowd-surfers landed on my head multiple times, et cetera. I’m surprised I didn’t leave with actual injuries (was wondering if I was gonna need a neck brace by the end), but I did feel pretty damn shitty the next day.

34. Have you ever crowd-surfed during a show or been a part of a mosh pit? >> Nope.

35. Have you ever gotten into an altercation with a drunken concert fan before? What happened? >> Nah, everyone I’ve met at shows have been pretty cool, if not downright awesome. That’s one thing I always loved about going to concerts, I seemed to make new friends every time.

36. Have you ever dated someone who was a musician? >> No, but I’ve fucked a few.

37. What are some of your favorite music videos to watch? >> Oh, man, it’s getting late and while I could go ham on this question, I don’t have the time right now lol. I’ll just say that I love nineties-era music videos, and some from the aughts as well. I feel like those were the best years for music videos, but that might just be nostalgia (and the fact that I haven’t really seen as many videos from the 2010s). As far as recent artists are concerned, I think Orville Peck makes really evocative and moody (not necessarily moody like pensive or depressive. mood-y. mood-evoking) videos that I appreciate.

38. Have you ever made a lyric video on YouTube? >> No.

39. Have you ever recorded a cover song and posted it? What kind of feedback did you receive? >> No.

40. Is there an album cover design that you really admire? >> I’ve seen so many excellent album covers, I couldn’t even begin to address this.

41. What are some of the most overplayed songs right now, in your opinion? >> I wouldn’t know, I don’t listen to radio or anything.

42. Do you watch music awards shows on television? >> No.

43. Have you ever competed in any sort of singing contest before? >> No.

44. Have you ever tried to start your own band before? >> No.

45. What’s the name of a band/singer that you recently have discovered? >> Dreamcar (yet another Davey Havok side project, because he just can’t be tamed, apparently).

46. What are some annoying/weird/funny songs that have gotten stuck in your head before? >> Barbara Ann gets stuck in my head all the time, but that’s okay because it’s fun and I love it.

47. Are there any songs that actually make you cry? What are they, and who are they by? >> There are many songs that make me cry. We ain’t got time for a list like that.

48. Do you listen to any music in another language? >> Sure. Off the top of my head, I can think of fave songs in German, Swedish, Japanese, Indian, and Italian. [a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[moonlit-manifesto]

New Ideas~

(Pssst *whispers* Hey whoever bought the Heart No Kuni no Alice stage play DVD with my CDJapan affiliate code, come talk to me or on twitter about HnKnA, the fandom is so small T_T My favorite characters are Boris and Julius! Also thank you for your support~)

Now to what I actually wanted to talk about: Soundcloud recently removed nearly all Tsukiuta/Tsukipro/Vazzrock music (most likely due to Tsukino Productions getting smart and auto-copyright striking everything).  It makes me sad since that was how I got into these series in the first place: being able to sample and stream the music and fall in love with it because let’s face it, who’s going to buy like 20 CDs of a group they don’t know about in order to see if they’re going to like the music or not? Luckily the Growth drama tracks I uploaded a year ago are still on Soudcloud so you can still listen to those there.

I was thinking about using the CDJapan points I receive from my affiliate link to buy CDs and share the music publicly on Google Drive or Mega, unless someone suggests another good place to stream music like Soundcloud. I don’t have much space to keep CDs, so ideally I’d like to give them away once I rip the files from them. The buyer would only have to pay for the cost of shipping.

As for which CDs I would use the points on, I think it would be fair if the person/people who are using my affiliate code get to choose since they are basically supplying the points I receive. I’d limit it to maybe 5 CDs to pick from and they can vote for which one they want purchased.

Sorry this was kind of long, I’m just trying to brainstorm new ways to support the fandom since I’m so grateful for those that originally shared their files on Soundcloud and for those that support this blog through my CDJapan affiliate link! I want to be able to use the commission I receive from there to give back to the fandom!! (As always, the link is in my bio and on the desktop version of this blog.) Let me know what you think in the replies or even send an anon ask. I’m curious if my idea is even viable lol.

[lovemesomesurveys]

So far, how has summer been treating you? Blah. I really don’t like summer, it’s just hot and miserable and adds to/intensifies my already crappiness. It’s just not a good time. The only good thing are the times I’m able to go to the beach. When was the last time you had a slushie? I have no idea. It’s been quite awhile. Is there someone you miss right now? There’s a few people I’ll always miss.  How many pairs of sunglasses do you own? Zero. Do you prefer sticky notes or cork boards? I have a bulletin board and marker board. I use my marker all the time to put appointment card reminders and write important dates on and stuff. 

What was the last movie you watched online? Like through something like Netflix? It was a Marvel movie I think, but I forget which one. It was awhile ago. Is there much drama going on in your life at the moment? Not drama, just other shit. Are you graduating this year? I graduated college in 2015. Do you feel like doing something radically different with your hair? I just need to get it dyed again and trimmed. I’ve also been considering possibly getting bangs again, but I don’t know. Are you in a relationship? No. Did you ever think your cell was vibrating when it wasn’t? That’s probably happened before. The last person who added you on Facebook, did you accept or decline? I think it was some random person, in which case I declined.  Are you at all interested in America’s Next Top Model? I’ve watched a few seasons here and there. I watched the last 2 most recent ones, and I’d watch a new season if they decided to make another. What did you last take a picture of? My doggo. Would you like to learn another language? I’d like to be fluent in Spanish. I should start practicing it again. What type of earphones/headphones do you own? I just have the Apple ones that you get when you get a new phone. I really want to get a pair of Beats.  Your portable musical device (mp3, iPod, etc): How old is it? I use my phone for music, which is only less than a year old.  Do you own a pet that most would consider different? No. Have you ever wanted to travel to Germany? Sure. When was the last time you used scissors? I don’t recall. What’s your favorite kind of perfume/cologne? I like fruity/sweet ones, but also ones with patchouli. As for colognes, I love cedar wood and sandalwood.  Is there a movie coming out that you would like to see soon? I want to see that movie, Don’t Let Go that just came out, but I’m really looking forward to seeing It Chapter 2. Do you love buying shoes? I’m not super big into shoes, but my thing is shirts.  Do you bother making your bed everyday? It’s always made because I sleep on top of the comforter and just use a throw blanket.  Have you had your wisdom teeth removed yet? Yeah. Have you ever been drunk and regretted it? Yeppp. Do you like to do anything artistic? Coloring is about as artistic as it gets for me. What did you last cook for yourself? Ramen. Has anyone ever called you a “pipe dreamer”? No. Who was the last person to text you? My brother. Think back to your last kiss, did you enjoy it? Yeah. Are you even slightly addicted to applying lipgloss or lipchap? Nope. Do you ever make fun of your own country? Certain things sometimes. What Internet browser do you use? Chrome. Do you consider yourself to be spoiled? You could say that. I just hate that term cause I feel like it has such a negative connotation to it. What song are you listening to right now? XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert.  Are you comfortable giving random hugs? No. I’m not one to initiate a hug except for with my mom. Or my doggo, ha. Who did you last argue with? More like bickering, but probably with my dad. Do you ever have conversations with your pets? Yep.  Have you ever listened to the band Rammstein? I’ve heard of ‘em, but no I don’t think I’ve heard their stuff.  Do you have any plans for tomorrow? My mom’s birthday is coming up, so my brother and I are going to go get her presents. Who is your celebrity love? Alexander Skarsgard, duh. Are you more a Twitter person or a Facebook person? Twitter. Have you ever lost a best friend? Yeah, a few. Do you own an exercise ball? It’s not mine, but I think we have one in the garage. Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii? We don’t have a PS3, but we have a PS2 & 4, and I like to use the PS4 to watch DVDs or watch Netflix and Hulu.  Are you messy or organized? A bit of both. I didn’t use to be messy, but my room has gotten a bit cluttered. Well, it’s not really what I’d consider messy, though... I just have too much stuff.  What band / artist would you love to see live in concert? I’m sad I never got to see Linkin Park in concert with Chester. :(  Are your nails painted right now? Nope. What was the craziest color you’ve ever dyed your hair? Red. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? Ha, no. Does it snow where you live? No. :( Do you have any significant scars? I have a ton of scars. I don’t know if they’re “significant” or not, but yeah. Who last had their arm around you? My mom. Are you feeling deprived of anything? Yes. Have you ever been obsessed with working out? Nope. What color is the shirt you’re wearing currently? Black. Are you talking to anyone on an IM right now? No. What did you think of the movie Avatar? I really liked it. I can’t believe it’s taken so long for the 2nd one to come out. I think we still have another couple years. Do you collect anything? Giraffe stuffed animals and knickknacks and key chains.  Have you ever feared the future? I do fear the future. What was your highest mark this year in school? Can you walk in 4+ inch heels? No. Is your significant other shorter, taller or the same height as you? I’m single. Is there a friend you would trust with your life? I trust my family with my life. Have you ever been purposely ditched? It felt that way. Do you live in a relatively safe area? My city isn’t the safest, but my neighborhood is. What was the last alcoholic beverage you had? I think it was a rum and Coke, but it was 6 years ago so I don’t really recall. Is there someone you know who is obsessed with Call of Duty? No. Is that even still a big thing now? Have you ever looked into the mirror and hated who you saw? I think that anytime I look in the mirror. I avoid looking in the mirror as much as possible. Is there a piece of jewellry you always wear? No. I haven’t worn any jewelry in like 4 years. When was the last time you saw your significant other? Sigh. What was the longest conversation you’ve had with a person? Several hours. How many purses do you own? 8, but 1 is a mini backpack I use as a purse sometimes and another is a fanny pack. Is there something you should be doing right now? Nah. Do you wish on 11:11? No. What’s your opinion on the Gulf oil spill? Is it hot in the room you’re in right now? Ugh, it’s a bit warm. Can summer please be over?? Are you one of those people who are always rearranging the furniture? I never do that, and if I wanted to I’d need someone else to do it for me. My room is small, so there’s not much rearranging that could be done anyway. Do you listen to any music that’s really old? I like a variety of music from different decades, going back to like the 50s.  Are you a fan of the LA Lakers? I don’t care for sports. When the last time you were upset and weren’t exactly sure why? I feel that way a lot. I mean, usually there’s a reason, like an accumulation of ongoing things, or something in specific, and then there’s the depression, but sometimes in the moment I’m not sure what in particular is making me upset. I guess though it’s like I said, it’s just everything.  Have you ever been somewhere tropical? No, but I’d love to go. Would you consider yourself to be a chocoholic? Not even a little. I’m really not big on chocolate. I’ll have times where I want something and then I’ll have it and be good for awhile. I haven’t had any chocolate in quite awhile, actually. Have you ever heard of Channing Tatum’s website Post The Love? Nope. Do you know anyone who’s currently pregnant? Someone on my Facebook. Are you a fan of mix CDs? I used to make them all the time back in the day.  Has anyone ever given you their business card? Yeah. What is your dream job/career? I don’t have one.  Do you have a friend who’s naturally a redhead? No, but I have a cousin who is. Have you ever had a one night stand? No. What time is it now? 7PM.

[nomediaplay]

If Tumblr shuts down, where do you go?

Most likely nowhere. In my good-bye note on onehallyu I said I might decide to answer questions somewhere. Then I regged this tumblr, but after a while decided to not do that as I wrote in the first post on this page. But with my usual “luck” in timing, Jessica left SNSD just some days later so I ‘had’ to post a bit.

supermofficial.*com/#events weren��t you bragging SM never forces their artists to do free events             

Sigh. All artists of course have to do promotional events for new releases. And this is even some new group. And not just artists. If an author has a new book coming out, he’ll have to be on TV shows to promote it. If there’s a musical, the cast need to promote it on TV etc. Heck even the very top star Hollywood actors have to go all around the world and be on TV shows and events to promote their new movies.

What I’ve complained about is how many shitty idol companies make their celebrities constantly do lots of promotion for free, and also especially when they use very big established celebrities for events to which fans get “free tickets” by buying CDs.

What would happen to Taeyeon’s music if she were to leave SM? Would she still be able to perform these songs or she’d literally have to start anew?

She (and anyone else) can continue to perform her music however she wants, but she (presumably) can’t make new recordings without SM’s permission. Look here: when it comes to music, there are 2 different types of intellectual property rights:

The first is for, so to say, the ‘creation/invention’ of the song, and belongs to the composers/songwriters.

The second is the copyright of a specific recording. This typically belongs to a record label. That’s literally what record labels do: they organize the recording of music, then market and sell copies of that recording. And the record label will typically sign deals with songwriters, producers and singers to make a recording from which these get a royalty % cut of the total sales of that recording.

Anyone can perform whatever song anywhere without needing anyone’s consent. But if you do it for commercial purposes you need to pay the songwriters. This is handled by collective agreements and organizations such as ASCAP in the US, JASRAC in Japan and KOMCA in Korea which work to collect money for song usage and distribute it to the songwriters.

But to make a new recording of the song (for commercial purposes) you need explicit permission of the songwriters. However, whenever any record label signed a contract for a recording to start with, that agreement would typically stipulate that the record label now has the right to determine who can make new recordings of the song.

So, surely, if you’re a fan of a kpop group, you must have experienced that members of the groups have performed covers of other songs in concerts (because they can perform whatever song they want) - but if there’s a DVD release of the concert some of those covers might be missing (because record labels have refused the right to make recordings of the song).

What does it mean for an idol to have a lot of copyrighted songs, like the ones on those lists?

Per the above answer: it means he/she is listed as one of the ‘creators/inventors’ of a song as composer and/or lyricist. So whenever that song is used for any commercial purpose (such as played on TV, played on radio, performed by at any concert/event, etc) he/she will get paid some money.

However, as I’ve said countless of times before: for any really successful artists the payments from songwriting are really small compared the very big money they can get paid in other ways, particularly from performing at concerts and from doing CF/endorsement deals.

Also, I’d like to point out that it’s difficult to know how much an artist really have contributed to creating a song. Sometimes I get the feeling that YG lists whatever people that happened to sit next to Teddy while he composed a song. And it’s well known that many big western artists throughout history have demanded to be credited as songwriters even though they didn’t actually contribute anything at all.

Does Jessica have the right to use Girls’ Generation’s name to promote herself? Other girls who left SM - left the group as well (at least for now) but they all still use GG’s name when promoting their new projects. OT8 stans believe GG should never be mentioned anywhere near Jessica but I don’t think their situations are that different actually? but maybe I’m wrong?

I doubt that there are any legal constraints, but really, your question is strange because she’d be laughed at if she went around saying she was still an SNSD member. Any ‘group’ in society is defined by how the members of the group recognize each other as part of the group. The other 8 members have made it quite clear that they define SNSD as 8 members without Jessica, so it would be ridiculous for her to call herself as SNSD. Of course, she could if she want have journalists write news-articles calling her ex-SNSD Jessica and she could do interviews talking about her time in SNSD etc. I’m not sure if that would help her or not.

How so many bands and solo acts in japan are able to survive for a long time even though they don’t have good digital or physical sales?

But the Japanse music sales have been completely fucked up for the last 15 years as I’ve ranted about plenty of times before.

Can those bands and solo acts actually sell decent amounts of concert tickets in Japan? If yes, they’re living a good life no matter what their music sales are.

what is more important for a company, the success of their newer groups or their established artists? sorry if it’s a dumb question

Err, it’s not entirely black and white. But for a company to make really big profits (as in money for the owners of the company) it’s most important to get a new group to become really big really fast. This is partly about how new groups are on worse contracts and partly about how fans of these new fresh trendy groups spend huge money on buying albums and streaming like maniacs etc which are things from which the company gets most of the money (unlike for example concerts).

But it’s not all about contracts. Several of these smaller companies have absolutely horrible contracts. That doesn’t mean the companies make any profit. Because their acts simply aren’t successful enough. They spend so much money on everything from music videos to stage outfits and make up to road managers and security guards so there’s no money left.

And so on the flip side, for most of the normal employees who work in these companies to sort everything from music videos to stage outfits and make up to road managers and security guards, it’s really just important to have successful acts period (no matter if new or old) in order to make sure they get paid safely.

It is true that GD alone bring as much money as blackpink?

Per above: yes, GD alone would generate much more revenue than Blackpink. But they are both profitable in the sense that they generate much more money than what’s spent on music videos, outfits and managers etc. And obviously Blackpink has a much worse contracts than GD, so after splitting profits per their contracts YG probably makes bigger profits on Blackpink than GD.

Why do you think YG did a fanmeting in seoul for blackpink instead of another concert?      

Well, considering the amount of negativity YG has ended up in recently:

I thought it had been well established that much of the audience at their previous Korean concert was in fact not paying for tickets, but people who had been given tickets through corporate sponsorship of the concert. In this current situation, there’s probably not a single company willing to sponsor a concert.

Secondly, even with regards to that fans actually would pay to go, I think it’s likely that media would have put out critical articles about YG doing concerts in this situation. By calling it a fan-meeting they’re pretty much making it impossible for journalists to write such negative articles.

Did that super junior member really leave because he got married or there is something more to it?

As I’ve always expressed: save humanity - disband Super Junior.

So no I really have no idea about what they’re doing. But I used to say some 7 years ago that there will probably be a Super Show 10. And we’re soon there. Because members seem to be aware of their own short-comings and their joint success and are OK with doing group activities.

But it was my understanding that this member not only didn’t really contribute with anything to the group, but that he also really pissed off the few fans he had with his actions (such as drawing symbols for his girlfriend when signing autographs for fans).

Is Mnet bigger than SM and YG?

If you just mean Mnet as in the cable-TV channel, the answer is that SM/YG are bigger. But this question is not straight forward to answer. First off it’s difficult to define what one mean with ‘bigger’ company:

By profit? By market cap (value)? By number of employees? By revenue?

My take would be to in most cases (such as this) go by revenue as the most relevant measure of ‘big’ company.

Secondly, in Asia in general and in Korea in particular they have this horrible habit of building conglomerates and interlinked companies. And it just runs in their culture/society. Both SM and YG were new small independent startups initially. But look at them now. They have used all the profits they’ve made over time to start all kinds of businesses very vaguely related to their core businesses and invested in a myriad of other companies and started to become big conglomerates in entertainment.

And Mnet goes way back and to the very top. Mnet is just one cable-TV-channel. The actual company here is CJ ENM. CJ ENM also has a lot of other cable-TV-channels and a huge home-shopping-channel. CJ ENM are also very big in for example producing musicals and concerts in Korea. CJ ENM once upon a time also almost had a monopoly on music distribution in Korea, but nowadays the music distribution business (now called Stone Music Entertainment) is far from the leading distributor. CJ ENM is also the biggest producer of Korean TV dramas and films. That was spun off into a separate company (Studio Dragon) but CJ ENM own like 75% of that company still. CJ ENM has also spun off its music streaming business (but they own like 15% of Genie Music) and its gaming business (but they own like 25% of Netmarble). So CJ ENM is a very big and powerful company in the Korean entertainment industry and much bigger than SM and YG.

And CJ ENM is in turn owned by and part of the CJ Group. The CJ Group also own a whole lot of other companies primarily into food production, restaurant chains and entertainment. Most known to kpop fans is probably that they also own the biggest cinema chain in Korea, but the main businesses are food related.

And CJ Group was in turn part of the absolutely gigantic Samsung chaebol group. CJ was one of the parts of the Samsung chaebol that was split off around 1990 following the death of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul. It’s a separate group now, but basically, CJ Group is run by 2 siblings who are grandchildren of Lee Byung-chul. Other parts of the former Samsung chaebol are run by other relatives of Lee Byung-chul.

(PS, Lee Byung-chul had TEN children who in turned had a lot of grand children, hence why his gigantic corporate empire is nowadays a bit of a drama mess)

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #274

“now i can hear the marching feet / they’re moving into the street”

What color was the last swimsuit you wore? I only have a black one. Is your dream job attainable? I mean define “dream job.” I’d ideally be a meerkat biologist if I was willing to live in Africa and could handle even mild heat, but I can’t/won’t do either of those, so it’s not obtainable to me. I’d also love to be a paleontologist if I could travel and handle heat once more, but again, I can’t. My only *attainable* dream job is being a photographer, which I am aiming for. I’d LIKE to focus on nature/wildlife photography, but that’s unlikely to be able to support me, so. Do you have to go to school or work tomorrow? N/A Have you slept for longer than usual today? Yes, but only because of my nightmares. I tend to take at least two (though sometimes one) hour-long naps during the day because if I wake up once during the night, as I usually do, I’m fucked because I’m very likely to have an intense nightmare. It seems like the medicine I’m on wears off with consciousness, I guess. I only allow myself to sleep an hour at daytime because my mother has noticed if I have a nightmare, it’s usually no earlier than one hour into sleep. Even then I still have them occasionally. Have you ever taken classes for a musical instrument? Recorder in elementary school was necessary for whatever stupid reason, and then I played the flute for years. Out of school, I took guitar lessons for a while. I got semi-decent (at best I could do the intro to “Crazy Train” at normal speed, I think), but it didn’t last because it was annoying/time-consuming to build up the calluses that make playing painless, I was really bad at overthinking where my fingers were, and I just wasn’t invested quite enough. I’ll tell you, it gave me mad respect for guitarists, that shit isn’t easy by any means. Have you ever been on vacation with someone other than your family? Yes, though it was brief. I was a kid (okay, pre-teen, w/e) still in my separation anxiety from Mom phase and it was literally because of me we had to go home. I still feel shitty about it, though no one seemed upset at me. How old do you think you’ll be when you move out on your own? Who the fuck even knows anymore. Do you have a job? If so, where do you work? If not, do you want one? No; N/A; yes ultimately but no at the current moment because I have to keep watch over Mom. If you wear make-up, which brand of foundation/powder do you use? N/A Would you call yourself a “people” person? Nope. What is one change you need to make in your life this month? Just one??? What’s been tugging on your heart lately? My PTSD plus self-image has been very, very bad. What is the last thing you did that made you feel guilty? Mom had to clean up my cat’s projectile vomit even though she’s supposed to stay away from this kinda stuff through chemo. I literally cannot fucking touch vomit, never mind what came out of him that night. I felt like absolute fucking shit and I still do because WOW I’m a great adult right!! Do you have any physical traits that are bothering you lately? Like, everything. What kind of dog is your favorite? I’m biased to beagles. What was the last thing you received in the mail? A book. What is the last thing you wrote? Like, physically? My signature at the doctor’s office. Do you still care about the person you first kissed? Way fucking more than I should. Do you require a lot of private time? Definitely more than most people. Do you have any songs currently stuck in your head? I haven’t listened to it in forever for ~reasons~, yet “The Mortician’s Daughter” is stuck in my head badly and really needs to fuck off. What was the last song you downloaded? I dunno, I went on a download binge a while back. Have you ever read a really funny book? I remember at least one. “Bite Me” by IDR-Who. Some vampire satire. Have you ever done something humiliating while drunk? Never reached the point of being drunk. How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? fuckin YIKES I am NOT attractive rn go away Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? HAHA my mom has always had the decency to knock, not so much his mom a;lwkejrewoei but the answer’s still no. What electronics are in your room? (DVD player, CD player, etc) This laptop, my phone, a Nintendo DS, my iPod… Do you have a box anywhere with special items you'll to keep forever in it? Yes, actually. Grew up calling them “treasure boxes.” Do you have any pictures of yourself on your bedroom walls? Lol no, I’d definitely prefer to not see myself as much as I can. That sounds melodramatic, but I’m being serious. It either depresses me or makes me angry. Does your dad collect anything? The Cleveland Browns’ football team stuff, for one. Maybe Carolina Hurricane stuff, too? Idk. I don’t live with him and don’t go in his “man cave” at his house often ha ha. What's better, a desktop or laptop? Explain. A laptop. Portable; that’s all the explanation ya really need. Do your parents still hide chocolate eggs around on Easter for you? Nah. What do you typically do on Easter Day? We go to my sister’s house to watch the kids do their egg hunting and open their gifts, then we usually go to Ashley’s in-laws’ for dinner. Is there anyone you literally need to exist? Apparently not. Thought so. Never let yourself into that state of mind. What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand-written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? Oh, a hand-written poem would wreck me, yeesh. Or a drawing. But any would be very sweet. Do you remember why you made the last mistake you did? I don’t know the most recent mistake, but probably because I’m just in general a terrified person who second-guesses or overanalyzes everything. Did you check how many calories the last thing you ate had? Yes. I’m back on my calorie-counting obsession again. Are your nails long or short? Short, always. I can’t keep them long. What is your favorite kind of cookie? Just the ordinary chocolate chip is fine. What was the last compliment you received? I don’t know. Who will be the next person you kiss? I normally delete this question because the answer should be so obvious, but I feel like just pointing it out that no one fucking knows who they’re gonna kiss next. It’s a dangerous mindset. Don’t make assumptions about what you’ll have even tomorrow. Have you ever made your own icon? Yeah, on many sites. They’re just about always just edits, though, not truly original work. What color is your computer mouse? It’s black. Have you ever been sung to on your birthday in a restaurant? Yes. Do you like black olives? I don’t like olives period. Do you actually think there will be a zombie apocolypse? Personally, no. I do think it’s scientifically possible, we already see this in insects, but I just don’t imagine it happening to humans before we’re our own downfall. Do you like the person you’ve become over the past years? Fuck no. Have you ever gone to church just to get a significant other? … No…? Have you ever punched a wall out of complete anger? No, that shit is terrifying. Are you really ticklish? YES don’t fucking touch me. How do you decide what you're going to eat each day? I just follow what I’m craving that day. How are you similar to your siblings? Different? Compared to Ashley and Nicole at least, I can’t think of any real similarities off the top of my head. They’re intelligent, motivated, outgoing, successful, yada yada, then there’s me. What's your favorite type of non-fiction literature? Autobiographies by people I’m actually interested in. Do you believe in souls? Soulmates? Souls, absolutely. Soulmates, no. It’s fairytale ideation to think your soul has a perfect match with another, hate to break it to ya. Favorite soundtrack? BITCH don’t make me choose between Shadow of the Colossus and Silent Hill 2. Fucking masterpieces. Pianos or guitars? *shrugs* Depends on the music and my mood. Did an animal ever bite you? Never seriously. How many languages do you speak? Only English fluently. I’m poor at German by now. Wiggly worms or bumble bees? Worms gross me out, bees are Good Boys. Religion? I don’t really identify with any. I just believe there’s some form of ultimate intelligence and essences beyond just the body, and that’s all I even pretend to know. Fog, thunder, or rain? Fog gives me that Silent Hill Vibe *Italian kiss* What regret keeps coming back to haunt you daily? The way I treated Jason after the breakup. If you could cure yourself of one allergy, what would it be? Damn pollen. Do you know anyone else with your name? Yeah. What would you be most afraid of happening if you were to visit Africa? Viruses or botflies. Where are you tempted to move to sometimes? I very legitimately want to live in Canada by now, but I won’t because I’m not moving that far from family. Who seems like they have the perfect life? I try not to make that assumption of anyone. Do you ever take pictures of negative moments? Does taking pictures of roadkill count???? lmao probably Do you think it would be a good idea to post photos of negative moments as well as positive? Well… I guess it depends. Like ngl, the pictures some people share of them having panic attacks to just show how fucking real they are definitely touch you, as do those depicting poverty, etc., BUT I really do think there are limits and also differences in motivations. What time zone are you in? EST. Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media? Wow, speaking of. No. ^Why or why not? I am an UGLY cry-er, my man. But I also just don’t want people to see that, and it’s definitely not on my mind to take a picture during a breakdown. What was the last thing you cried about? My life. Have you ever held a newborn baby? Yes. Do you know anyone who has twins? Yes. Where do you buy calendars from? I don’t. Do you shop at the dollar store often? Not *often*, but we’ll stop by for a snack or something sometimes. Are you following in the career path of any family members? No. Do you feel you missed out on a lot as a kid? I guess in some ways. Who was that best friend you ever had? Sara. What color is your laptop? Black. What are five careers you think you’d be good at? My work history has shown I can’t do shit right. Are you thriving in your life right now? lmao no one is in 2020. Who do you have moral support from? My family, doctor, and a few friends. Who encourages you to go after your dreams? The same as above. Do you have people in your family who want you dead? Wow, I hope not. Do you have a walk-in closet? No, but my room at the new house will. :’) Not that I need one, it’s just pretty cool. How do you feel about people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos having so much power and control in the world? Do you believe that any one person should have so much power? Let’s be real, in our current world, money is power, and no one should have that much control of the world, especially if your intentions are bad. NOW I don’t know jack shit about any of those are far as morals go, but just saying. It’s dangerous. Has your anxiety alone ever prevented you from doing something you wanted to do? This is ACTUALLY the story of my fucking life. Do you enjoy reading stories and novels that are heavily stylistic, poetic, or unconventional or do you prefer your prose to follow a familiar grammatical structure? Okay, I LOVE those, like Johnny Got His Gun and The Handmaid’s Tale that’s kinda like, run-on writing. Just letting a train of thought go. Those are two of the most powerful books I’ve ever read and they’re both written in a unique fashion. Have you ever fallen for any sort of Internet-based hoax? (e.g., fake celeb death, satire news article…) I’m sure at some point, especially as a kid. Do you tend to read reviews before you watch a movie or read a book? What do you hope to get out of doing so? NO. I don’t wanna have any precognition. When you go to a concert, how far must you travel for the most usual venues you visit? Most are on the other end of the state, and NC is long, so. We’re lucky if they come to Raleigh. Do you rent movies frequently? I never do, really. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Take pictures or swim. What’s your favorite meal to cook? I don’t cook. What movie has been taken WAY too far, as far as sequels go? Oh, I’m sure there are some, but none immediately come to mind. I’m not that into movies. Do you refuse to eat certain foods because of what they look like? Yes. I am VERY poor at getting past how a food looks. What are you listening to? NSP’s cover of “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” It’s fuckin gorgeous. How much homework do you have tonight? N/A Are you wearing any bracelets? Yes; one that Sara got me as well as an ovarian cancer awareness one. What's physically wrong with you right now? JINKIES I just feel really lethargic like always. Do you take any medications daily? Ha ha thanks for actually reminding me I need to now. When was the last time you moved to a new house? Two years ago, and now we’ll be moving to a much better place by the end of this month/early September, finally. When it comes to relationships, are you the jealous type? Nah. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? Idk actually. It’s not like I use it a lot. Can you remember the last time you felt ill? What was wrong with you? A few nights ago. I was extremely hot, dizzy, and pretty nauseated. I was fine, though. If you wear make-up, do you take it with you, to reapply throughout the day? Does your make-up stay for a long time after you first apply it, or do you find that you need to reapply often? Are you wearing any make-up atm? I pretty much never wear makeup so have never really had a reason to reapply it. I’m definitely not wearing any now. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? GIRL yes. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. They’re more comfortable imo but more importantly block out exterior noise very well. Are you a fan of any independent films? ngl, I don’t know exactly what that is and I don’t feel like looking it up. Could you possibly write a successful novel? I very genuinely think some of the RP stories I’ve taken part in are novel-worthy, yes. I wanted to make them books when I was younger, but now I no longer do mainly because there are areas that are just way too fucking dark that I don’t wanna put out there but play massive parts in the stories, so like… Do you regularly watch the news? I never do. Facebook is my “news” source lmao. Who was the last person you video-chatted with? I don’t remember for sure, maybe some doctor? What do you want the theme of your wedding to be? I don’t really think about this, seeing as my mind has changed enough, and it also depends on what my partner wants, too. Have you ever been caught passing a note in class? Noooo, I absolutely hated passing notes because I was genuinely a good student. I only did so very, very rarely if another friend started it. Have you ever had dandruff? I have dandruff AND a dry scalp. It’s a wonderful mix. Have you ever gone through a phase of crushing on EVERYONE? Definitely not. Do you have any clothes with spikes/studs on them? I have a spiked choker, and I might still have gloves with studs? Can you remember what you last clapped for? My mom’s birthday! :’) Have you ever given a pet to someone else? Yes, with cats; we had to do that quite often when I was a kid because we had so many cats, none which we could afford to fix. Then we’ve done it with two dogs we just couldn’t handle. Oh yeah, I gave my iguana away too because he was too high maintenance for me, but also because he DESPERATELY needed a much bigger terrarium, which we couldn’t afford. I absolutely could not watch him in that tiny tank. I miss him a LOT, but he went to a wonderful home! The lady who adopted him sent me pictures upon pictures months after taking him in. Do you know anyone named Walter? No. What's your least favorite ice-cream flavor? Strawberry is fucking disgusting. And that’s coming from someone whose favorite fruit is strawberries. What's your least favorite song by your favorite artist? I’m not sure. There’s a handful that just don’t grab my attention that I don’t even remember them. What was the last good news you heard? I can FINALLY talk to my psychiatrist tomorrow. Who’s your favorite singer of all time? Probably Freddie Mercury. What airline do you fly most? Idk, I don’t really pay attention. I haven’t flown very often though anyway. Do you have a dog that is destructive? I don’t have a dog. What’s one TV series you’ve seen every episode of? Meerkat Manor is the most obvious, ha ha. Maaaaany times. Assuming you have Facebook, who last left you a wallpost? Probably my friend Sammi. Assuming you have hair, how are you wearing it today? It’s too short for me to “wear” it any particular way. It’s just… there lmao. Assuming you're not homeless, what kind of living arrangements do you have? I live with my mom in a house she’s renting. Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? I’m bisexual so you can guess I’m not opposed to it. Are you particular about any brands of food you will or will not eat? Are there any restaurants you refuse to go to? Brands, no. I don’t eat Chick-fil-a because they’re run by fucking homophobic bigots that monetarily support conversion therapy and other anti-LGBT projects. I’m not giving you any fucking money. What was the most current dream you can remember about? Do you generally dream every night, or hardly at all? It was actually last night, when I dreamed about accidentally running into Jason where I last knew he worked, and he was really hostile. If I don’t take my medicine, I always have nightmares when I sleep.

[dunjosephurieimagines-blog]

Photo Restoration Service-CLIPPING USA

Clipping USA, California perfectly meets the requirements of the photo restoration service with its expert professional. It’s for those who want to save time or a novice and wants images to be professionally edited. All your needs from portrait to wedding and from newborn to landscape along with real estate and definitely e-commerce photography those we do with our professional team members in the skilled hands. We’re one of the best companies who offer high-quality restoration as well as photo enhancement services at very affordable cost. In this case, we’re using sophisticated technology, including pen tablets to provide non-destructive photo restoration.

We have the team and technology to restore them with high-quality restoration service whether it’s old photos or vintage photos or damaged photos or blurred photos or photo with abnormal exposures along with lost pixels or any other deformity. This content is all about our service of professional photo restoration along with vintage photo restoration. Here, we’ll learn about what photo restoration is and how we do plus what we offer for you through the service.

Photo Restoration Service by Clipping USA, California

Photo restoration service is also known as digital photograph restoration, which is the practice of restoring the appearance of a digital copy of a physical photograph. It’s the refurbishing process of the images that have been damaged by natural or man-made, or environmental causes. Or, they also may simply be affected by neglect or age. In this purpose, there is a variety of image editing techniques involve removing visible damage and aging effects from digital copies of the image. While repairing the appearance of the digital images and add to the digital copy of the photo where pieces of the physical photograph are torn or missing, raster graphics editors are typically used.

By painting over them carefully, evidence of dirt and scratches along with other signs of photographic age are removed from the digital image manually. When unnecessary color casts are removed, the contrast of image or sharpening may be changed in an attempt to bring back some of the contrast range or detail. This way it’s supposed to bring back the original state of an image. On the other hand, for the purpose of digital photograph restoration, the image processing techniques, for example, image enhancement and image restoration are also appropriate.

What are the Importance/ Benefits of Photo Restoration Service?

As the most of the photo papers and inks finished until recently have not been archival value, many image prints show signs of color shifts and fading after a very few years. And while keeping photos in basements or attics or allowing images to be uncovered to sunlight in the pitiable storage practices, it has contributed to the meager state of most image collections. Until they take observe their photo compilation after several years of storage, people don’t understand there is a difficulty. In order to stop the unavoidable destruction that will take place no matter how carefully the photos are stored, it’s a good idea to restore your entire photo collection.

Besides, the photos can be copied to CD or DVD for long time storage and secure keeping when they are stored. Because digital images do not change at all if you have digital copies you need not worry about further damage. Also, it will allow you to make a set of prints, and additional prints at any time in the future should a disaster strike while having digital copies. Apart from these, there are sentimental reasons for wanting to restore some special family photos. It could be a great exclusive personal gift for family members if you have restored photos.

Photo Restoration Service San Diego, California

For the restoration of old photographs that are known as photo restoration service has been around for a long time. Photo retouch, photo enhance etc are used to restore old photographs. As photo restoration starts with a scan, we never modify the original photograph. Instead, we only work with the scanned copy. Clipping USA, California offers the following photo restoration service for different types of images:

Repairing watered damage and also the damaged those are occurred by mold or spots. Moreover, we remove stains and color cast as well as aged yellow paper.

Restoring calibrates color levels and faded photographs by correcting contrast, faded black/white tones

Removing all scratches of the images that are available by keeping their original looks

Restoring images with extreme damage and even for the missing pieces

Fixing torn photo with many rips or tears

Restoring various hard copies, including certificates and documents along with marriage certificate etc

Fixing red eye of your wedding pictures

Restoring images stuck to the glass

Removing writing from images

By retouching photos enhance or manipulating images, our restoration service mends all flaws

Description of Photo Restoration Service by Clipping USA, San Francisco

All of us have old photographs and we think them as a treasure. These may be either your family photographs or historic photographs. But, when some bad things happen to your photographs, such as stains, fading, and rips, then you need to make them removed. Also, the images are stored properly; they can succumb to the ravages of time. That’s the photo restoration service. While leaving your originals untouched, we’re experts at digitally restoring your most treasured photographs. This is because we know the value of the old photographs as they are truly one of a kind. Now, let’s know what and how Clipping USA does as the photo restoration.

Photo Colorization Service in Orange County, California

Clipping USA provides photo colorization service along with image tinting. Since it helps to have a nice, high-resolution scan to work from, it will provide around 600dpi or so. Also, if your scanner glass is gleaming then you have blown all the dust off with its assistance. Simply send us a scan of the image and allow us to give you a free, no-obligation estimate if you’re not sure and if it’s worth going to the trouble of one of our caring, professional restorations.

Photo Preservation Services in Northern California Counties

If you have the video and DVD projects then Clipping USA is specialized in photo preservation services, including photo repairing and restoration. In this case, you may need to remove someone from a group shot or some other similar task. Or, the image also may stick to the glass and discolored and even it could be faded or torn or stained. From image enhancement to design and the addition of text and graphic elements, we can help with that and we also handle poster projects. Also, making photo enlargement suitable for large-scale reproduction is one of our duties without making any change to the original image. Now, we’re available in Orange County, California with the services of photo restoration as well as photo repair service along with digital image graphic design.

Black & White Contrast Expanding Services in San Joaquin County, California

A great image comes with an indefinable quality. As it looks like “pop”, it has an authentic eyeball-grabbing impact. It’s the full tonal range that’s responsible for many cases. On the other hand, despite having the normal range, it also has true black and true whites in between. The blacks are dark gray and the whites are muddy is the most common reason for a washed out photograph requiring retouching or restoration. That’s why it’s essential to adjust the contrast of an image. As it really boosts the contrast and sees how it prints, don’t be scared to “go long” with this one. Clipping USA offers the services all over in the USA along with San Joaquin County, California.

Vintage Photo Restoration Services in San Diego County, California

A vintage photo print is the first print and it’s that the photographer makes instantly after developing a negative in photography. As it’s the first print of the photo, it may bean old look or even ruin. Clipping USA comes with the service in San Diego County, California to keep your memory colorful and unique. This is because it’s not a secret the old photography is very sensitive. But, it may get relentless in the tern of the time and improper storage. As the constant humid environment, for example, is able to bring the problem of mold damages. The image also is affected by flood destruction. In fact, image spoiling reasons also could be quite diverse.

But, everything can be fixed by our skillful editors; no matter what disaster has affected your photography. In this case, we provide photo repairing services of all levels of complexity. And we get the most frequently order is to restore the faintly damaged image. Besides, the faded images are as low bright as they are not so deep. As a result, colors in these images are not so deep where light colors less vivid, but black color becomes visibly less dark.

Conclusion

Careful judgment is a critical aspect of the restoration process because photo restoration service requires many interpretive decisions. So, you can ask us before you touch your images. As the service of photo restoration is much more complex, you can’t do it your own. It requires professional and expert hands to resolve the issues of photographs. If you need photo restoration service for your old images then don’t hesitate to knock us. We’re Clipping USA, a team of the professionals to make your images eye-catching.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

The Sun Sets On The Blasters

Hey, it’s the return of Sunday Interviews! This one is from some time in 2004? I don’t think this was actually the end of The Blasters. 

The release of The Blasters' Going Home (Shout Factory), a live CD and companion DVD recorded late last year, marks the end of the beloved SoCal roots-rockers' most recent chapter. "The reunion shows were great," guitarist/songwriter Dave Alvin said. "But by the end, it was starting to get a little bit like the old times. It was like, 'You know, this might be enough.'" 

The Blasters originally came together at the end of the '70s in the heart of Orange County, Calif., and along with the outsider punk bands of the L.A. area (Black Flag, X, The Germs) served as a much-needed antidote to the slick pop music of the early '80. The band was the brainchild of singer/guitarist Phil Alvin, whose love of raw blues, rockabilly, and R&B verged on the religious. He recruited Bill Bateman on drums, John Bazz on bass, and, as a last resort, his younger brother Dave on lead guitar. "All the other guitar players that were my brother's age had all left town or were dead or in jail," the guitarist recalled during a recent phone interview. "So it wound up being me. In the beginning, I was just hanging on to being in the band because they couldn't find anyone else! That was really it. At the time, I was studying poetry and creative writing and working as a fry cook." The band's sound was summed up succinctly in "American Music," the title track of their 1980 debut longplayer (originally a few thousand vinyl albums were pressed up on the small Rollin' Rock label; Hightone Records re-released the album on CD with extra tracks in 1997): "We got the Louisiana boogie and the Delta blues/ We got country swing and rockabilly, too/ We got jazz, country-Western, and Chicago blues/It's the greatest music that you ever knew." Dave soon became the band's primary songwriter. "When it became obvious that we were going to have to have original songs in order to get a record deal, I was the guy that started writing," he said. "And over the period of a year or two years, my view kind of changed. I went from doing the songs note for note to thinking 'How can I write songs that are maybe as good as some of the old ones, and yet are about things that are somewhat relatable to contemporary times?'" The Punk Connection The group was signed by L.A.'s punk-rock Slash label (also home to X), which helped position them as part of the new underground rock scene rather than as rockabilly throwbacks. The Blasters received many rave reviews. Its highlights included "Marie Marie," a new version of "American Music," and "Border Radio," songs that became cornerstones of the group's repertoire and earned Dave acclaim as a fresh songwriting talent. The band added pianist Gene Taylor, baritone saxophonist Steve Berlin, and Lee Allen on tenor sax, and proceeded to record four studio albums, all the while building up a loyal fan base on the strength of their blazing live show. Dave left the band in 1987 to pursue a solo career and production jobs, while Phil continued playing live under The Blasters' name with other guitarists and players. In 2002, Rhino Records released Testament: The Complete Slash Recordings, which revived interest in the original band. As a result, Dave  rejoined for a series of shows in the U.S. and Europe. "It was kind of ecstatic just about everywhere we went," Dave said of the reception the reunited Blasters received. "It was a real revelation to me. I knew there were fans of the band and all that. But I didn't realize how — I'll use the word — 'loved' the band is, or was, or whatever. You know, certain people just really connected with the band. Maybe it was because none of us were handsome and we weren't like big rock stars... We always seemed like we were somehow related to everybody. I think it meant a lot to a lot of people to see the five guys up there together again. But I didn't think it would be that way." The band's mastery over classic American musical forms remained firmly in place. Indeed, Dave thinks that the 21st-century Blasters are even better than they were in their early-'80 heyday. "I do think the last few records — the CD/DVD, and Trouble Bound, [a live album whose songs were drawn from the first series of 2002 reunion shows] — are the best CDs we've ever done." The key ingredient, he reveals, was having a "'we don't care' kind of attitude. [The reunion shows] weren't like a make-or-break thing with our career. And because of that we just played like we play." Guest Stars Going Home is further distinguished by the presence of several guest stars, including the vocal groups The Calvanes and The Medallions, rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess, and Chicago bluesman Billy Boy Arnold. "The thing that connected all of the guest musicians was that in the early days, we used to do songs by all these guys," Dave Alvin said. "These are people who had a direct influence on the way The Blasters sound." The guitarist is particularly proud of how these collaborations shine a light on the common blues roots of such diverse musical talents. "On the live CD, there's a Big Joe Turner medley. So you have four acts playing: you've got The Blasters from California, Sonny Burgess from Arkansas, Billy Boy from Chicago, and the R&B vocal quartet from California as well. And all of those acts were influenced by Big Joe Turner. They all sound different, but they all work within the blues form, and they were influenced by that one guy. So that was my idea with the guests — to show where the connection is." Alvin has never been shy in talking about the band's numerous influences. Indeed, The Blasters have been responsible for turning on countless fans to dozens of long-forgotten acts, either through musical tributes or cover versions. "We got together for three reasons: to play music at a time when there might be an opportunity to play the way we did, to quit our day jobs, and most importantly, to say 'Hey, you ever hear of this guy?' It was sort of a way to take your old beat-up 45s and play them for people. And then it branched out into other things." Dave sees Going Home as his farewell to The Blasters, at least for the time being. "You never want to say never," he said regarding the possibility of future Blasters activity. "Especially because all five guys, no matter what I say or my brother says, we're all related. We've all known each other since we were kids, and because of that you can't say 'Go to hell! I'll never talk to you again!' I mean, we actually say that all the time, but we don't mean it," he said with a laugh. "But I think definitely it's sort of a goodbye for the time being. I think there's no intention of going into a recording studio and doing anything like that. But we'll probably do some gigs sometime in the next 20 years." Then he laughed again. In the meantime, Alvin is keeping busy. "I have a new solo record called Ashgrove coming out on June 15th," he reported. "Greg Leisz [Lucinda Williams, Beck, Wilco] is producing, and it's basically just me and Greg playing guitars, and a bass player and a drummer. It turned out really well, it's all new, original songs." The album will be released on the fledgling North Carolina indie Yep Roc Records, an alliance Dave is excited about. "For years, I've been signing my records over to record labels, but since I paid for this record myself, I'm going to license the music from now on. They made me an amazing offer. Other labels made great offers, but this one was by far the best. They're very young and very proactive, and they're figuring out how the record industry is going to survive in the future."

[putschki1969]

Guide: How to get your hands on Kalafina goodies

I have been getting a lot of asks about this topic recently. Usually those questions come from new fans or from fans who have never bought any of Kalafina’s music releases or their merchandise. Buying Kalafina related items can be quite intimidating for us foreign fans, everything is expensive and it all seems to be out of reach. But fret not, it’s actually not THAT bad. Here’s a simple guide on how (and where) to buy all kinds of Kalafina related products. Don’t hesitate to ask if you still have any questions left after reading this.

Sorry, I have had this in my drafts for a couple of days. I was so distracted by all the Kalafina related news that I completely forgot about this :P Anyways, let‘s get this thing started...

Some basics:

Have a friend in Japan who is willing to buy stuff for you as soon as it comes out (for most of us that’s not an option but I thought I’d mention it anyways).

Get yourself a credit card or PayPal. Those two things will make your life so much easier when it comes to purchasing items on the sites I will mention later. Some sites accept debit cards but most of them don’t.

Download an add-on/app for your browser that helps you translate the content on Japanese sites. Usually google translate will suffice but it doesn’t hurt to have something else.

Make yourself familiar with your country’s customs regulations. In many cases you will not be able to avoid being charged various customs and import fees so it really helps to know what you have to expect.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money. Kalafina stuff is not exactly cheap (this applies to both the music releases as well as the merchandise). While you will be able to make some good deals on second-hand websites, most rare items will be sold for a very high price.

Comprise a list of all the things you want (add the original price for future reference). So much stuff has been released in the past decade, it’s not easy to keep track of everything (especially if you add all the different store privileges and other bonus items). Here’s a comprehensive list of all the music releases. This incomplete compilation on cpm will give you a rough idea when it comes to merch/live goods. Also, check out these albums on the Kalafina Facebook Fanpage => Merchandise/Live Goods/ Store privileges. @seasonreaper mentioned that he is working on his very own list so if you need info on rare Kala-items, he is your best chance. Of course you can also ask me, while I am certainly not super savvy when it comes to old Kalafina merchandise, I am sure I can find info on pretty much everything Kalafina-related XD

Selected online stores: CDJapan amazon.jp Space Craft Online Store (old) Space Craft Online Store (new) Yahoo Shopping Yahoo Auctions Suruga-ya Wakana Online Shop Mercari

Selected proxy services: Buyee From Japan Tenso (for sites where you can use foreign payment methods but you still need a Japanese address)

Details below the cut!

Music releases: CDs, LPs, DVDs, BDs

Let’s start with music releases. This is usually the first thing you would want to buy as a big fan of a band. As a newcomer, your best bet is CDJapan since it’s super simple and there’s no proxy service required. They still have almost all regular releases of Kalafina’s singles/albums/concerts in stock. There are a handful of limited editions available as well but for the most part, those are sold out. Please note that external and first press boni are only available for a short period of time (they are usually sold out within the pre-order period). CDJapan offers different shipping methods and they ship to A LOT of countries. Their customer service is great, they have helped me out a lot in the past. You can choose from many different payment options. I have never had any troubles with my packages. They have all arrived safely. [I usually pick unregistered SAL/Air Mail. Yup, I am super cheap, I don’t like paying extra for tracking]. Small tip, always mark your order as gift, that usually helps if you want to avoid customs fees.

Now if you want limited/special editions (such as LPs), rare releases (such as the re/oblivious mini album) or you don’t mind buying used products then you will have to consider visiting sites like amazon.jp, Yahoo Shopping, Suruga-ya, Yahoo Auctions and Mercari. These sites offer a wide range of frequently changing products including MANY second-hand items. You will need a proxy-service to order from most of them (Amazon.jp is an exception, they do ship some stuff overseas). While CDJapan offers its own proxy service I would recommend using Buyee (which I linked above). It’s SUPER simple to use and the service fee is minimal (they have sinced increased the fee but it’s still affordable). They ship to quite a lot of countries (various shipping methods) and you can pay with either PayPal or credit card. I advise you to stay away from Yahoo Auctions at the beginning. It’s a great place to find rare items but people are willing to pay crazy amounts of money for them so you will often find yourself outbid (unless you are willing to pay even more money of course XD). Buyee offers an interface for Yahoo Shopping and Mercari so you can browse the site in English. That’s very convenient, purchases are pretty much a piece of cake. A similar interface is offered for Yahoo Auctions (in case you wanna try your luck). On Suruga-ya and amazon.jp you can use the “Add-to-Buyee” app but don’t worry, the sites are super easy to navigate, once you have figured out the basic stuff, it really isn’t a big deal. And believe me, these sites are worth checking out! You can find lots of rare treasures there and often they are being sold for a very reasonable price. But you have to be fast!

Goods/merchandise etc

Live goods and other merchandise are much harder to find. But it’s not impossible. First I’d check out CDJapan, while their selection isn’t as big as it used to be they still have a few pamphlets left in stock. I think you can also find a handful of old live goods there. Then of course you should take a look at the Space Craft Online Stores. Many things are already sold out but there’s still quite a lot to be found there. Beware though, Buyee doesn’t offer its services on these sites. You will have to use another proxy buyer (such as From Japan - I think their service is a bit pricey but they are reliable). You can also register on the fan club sites with an address from TENSO and make payments with your credit card (they DO accept foreign credit cards in the Space Craft online shops).

You will have a lot of luck finding merchandise on the sites that offer second-hand products. It pays off to check the sites frequently because new things are added almost daily (and older things will be sold out just as quickly). But like I said at the very beginning, make sure to write a “wish-list” and always compare prices. Sometimes paying the full price on CD-Japan will be your cheapest option but other times you will save a lot of money by buying a second-hand item (even with all the fees you can still make a good deal). Often a product will be sold for a super high price (usually because the item is rare), be sure to check on all other sites whether you can find a cheaper version!

Some final tips:

Add keywords to your searches if you are looking for something particular. For example, if you are looking for pamphlets, use “kalafina パンフレット”, or like @chibalein has mentioned, if you are just looking for merch and you are not interested in any of the CDs, then type “kalafina グッズ”. That’s very helpful if you are browing sites that offer a wide range of products (like Yahoo Shopping).

Never hesitate to order something if you want it, things are sold out SUPER QUICKLY!

Make sure to only make purchases during the office hours of your proxy service. There’s nothing more frustrating than to find something you have always wanted, to order it and to then be told by your proxy service that by the time they ACTUALLY wanted to buy the item, it was already out of stock so your order had to be cancelled.

Try to keep your packages as small and light as possible (as in, don’t order 5 hardcover pamphlets at once - unless you are ready to pay a lot of shipping). The bigger/the heavier your package is, the more you will be charged for shipping. Sometimes the cheaper shipping methods won’t even be available if your package exceeds a certain weight.

Some screenshots

I’ve prepared some screenshots so you can get an idea of what you have to expect.

The Buyee interface for Yahoo Shopping

When you click on an item, you will be able to add it to your shopping cart.

Once the item is in your shopping cart, you can choose a plan. I ALWAYS choose the Lite Plan. I have never had any issues. You pay the item price and the fee and then the order will be made. Buyee will buy the item for you and a few days later it will arrive at their warehouse. Then you can choose a shipping method (I usually go for SAL or Air Mail) and you can declare your order as gift. You pay for the international shipping (+ domestic shipping in some cases).

Here’s a screenshot of an item on Suruga-ya. This is the regular edition of the album so it’s not exactly special. But it’s still cheaper than buying it on CDJapan. You can use the Add to Buyee App to purchase the album.

[dfwcellphone]

Laptop vs tablet vs smartphone - which device is better ?

There was a time when a computer meant only one thing: a display, system unit, and peripherals. However, we’re sure that a single-choice notion will be terrible now!

There has been a revolutionary change in the design and availability of different computing devices in recent years, particularly in the last two decades, which accounts for the emergence of some of the most well-known computing devices of today — Laptops, Tablet PCs, and Smartphones!

Furthermore, the desktop personal computer, which was the forerunner of personal computing, is fast becoming obsolete. However, from the perspective of users, these three possibilities appear to be extremely perplexing.

When it comes to purchasing a computing device for business or educational purposes, they have three options: laptops, tablet PCs, and smartphones.

This is why we decided to compare Laptops, Tablet PCs, and Smartphones so that you can have a better picture of what these devices are used for and which is ideal for you!

We’ll also look at these gadgets from several angles, such as portability, cost, and so on.

LAPTOPS

Laptops, as you may know, are personal computers designed for use on the go! Laptops are easy to carry because they do not have any wires or long cables attached.

Laptops are sometimes referred to as notebooks or notebook computers, depending on their primary use. Here experts also examine the top ones available today, including those with touch screens. Now, certain types of laptops are accessible based on their size. This is exemplified by the ultrabook, which has a thinner profile and a solid-state drive (SSD).

Laptops come in a wide range of screen sizes, ranging from 10 to 11 inches to 15 inches. The user can select the desired screen size based on the primary objective as well as the available budget.

Lets now discuss the pros and cons of laptop devices:-

PROS

Laptops give you a comprehensive computing experience, especially if you have a device with a large screen.

You can do anything on Laptop devices which you can on a desktop computer, such as play games, browse the internet, and so on.

When compared to Tablet PCs or Smartphones, it has a lot of processing power.

CDs and DVDs are acceptable!

CONS

Laptops are more expensive than desktop computers. There are, however, exceptions.

Due to the high processing power, laptop battery consumption is quite considerable; even with the best laptop brands, you can’t use it for more than 6–7 hours unless you have a MacBook with you.

The relatively heavyweight of laptops may cause problems.

TABLET PCS

We included tablet PCs in the middle part since the devices in this category are in the middle of the size and productivity spectrum between smartphones and laptops! The rise of mobile operating systems such as Android, iOS, and Windows 8 appears to have contributed to Tablet PCs’ current revolutionary role among gadgets. Tablet PCs do not have the same screen size as laptops, yet they are not as compact as smartphones. The majority of Tablet PCs have a 7-inch or larger screen. Instead of a physical keyboard, tablet PCS has an on-screen pop-up keyboard.

PROS

Tablet PCs are more portable than laptop computers. The portability of this device is due to its lightweight and moderate screen size.

Processing power is adequate for browsing the internet, taking images, and so forth.

When compared to laptops, tablet PCs offer a longer battery life. Less energy usage is attributable to a variety of factors, including lower processing power, a smaller screen, and a lighter set of objectives!

When compared to laptops, a Tablet PC is superior to a Smartphone, also its screen size and portability make this device a perfect book reader or movie player.

CONS

Touchscreen keyboards may be difficult to use for some people, especially if they are used to using physical keyboards.

Tablet PCs may require you to use a desktop or laptop for a complete degree of productivity, such as synchronizing your favorite music or movies (there are some definite exceptions).

Voice calling is not available on most Tablet PCs.

SMARTPHONES

When mobile phones became smartphones, a number of major changes occurred, including the absence of physical keyboards (although some Smartphones do), all-new user interfaces, the existence of apps, and the rise of Smartphone operating systems such as Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and minor ones! Due to the plethora of devices on the market, it is difficult to choose a Smartphone due to the range of applications and operating systems available. When comparing laptops with Tablet PCs, we’ll now look at the advantages and disadvantages of Smartphones.

PROS

Because of its tiny size, it is the most portable device on the list. It’s small enough to fit into the pocket of a pair of pants or a shirt.

A wide range of applications is available to help you make your Smartphone even smarter.

High-end Smartphones provide an excellent gaming experience.

Applications tailored to the needs of business people.

CONS

When watching a movie or reading an eBook, the device’s modest size may be insufficient.

Smartphones are not designed for intensive work.

Smartphones, like Tablet PCs, require the assistance of a desktop or laptop to function properly.

Are you planning to buy a smartphone? Here are some of the things which you should consider before buying a smartphone.

CONCLUSION

While thinking about what we’ve mentioned, choosing between these three possibilities is a difficult challenge! We can, however, reach an agreement diplomatically.

Smartphones are the best choice if you require a device that can make calls, connect to the internet, and run a range of apps.

The Tablet PC, on the other hand, is the greatest choice for eBook reading, media streaming, easier internet access, and other tasks that require a large screen.

Laptops, on the other hand, will be your cup of tea if you require high-end processing power, a large screen, a physical keyboard, and other features.

“Also know — Which smartphone platform is best for you: Smartphone vs iOS”

……….