#andy's hobby head quarters

[capt-riverdry]

Tiger I Early

1/16 Andy's Hobby HQ Tiger Early illustrated by Jason Wong.

Via Twitter

[msmovingforward]

Hypno-SHEDIDNOT

We open with Jen and the Shah squad in the Nomad Hotel and Casino. Jen informs her team that she's going to the "strip club!!!" I'm thinking, "SHAHMAZING!! We're finally gonna get to see these women do something in Las Vegas that you might actually do in Las Vegas." As it turns out... the promise of this show filming anywhere except inside Luigi's Mansion, er I mean... the fabulous Nomad Hotel Las Vegas or at Heather's Mormon laser conversion therapy "health spa" was an empty one.

Whitney and Heather then have a pow wow following Heather's exclusive in-hotel shopping experience with Jen and Gollum and Whitney, Meredith, and Lisa's riveting experience driving luxury cars. (Side note: many places have "driving experiences" where you can drive a luxury car five laps around a track. You can buy this experience yourself on Groupon for like $49, and you don't have to fly coach to Vegas to do it. When my Housewives take me to Vegas, I want to see Lisa Vanderpump pretending she's ok with the Chippendales touching her. I want to see someone who owns a casino treating their frenemies to a weekend of debauchery. Hell! I at least want to see Camille Grammer dancing like a white girl in the VIP section of Tao!) Whitney reveals to Heather that she's just so glad that they can finally have a drama-free dinner all together, now that Jen has forgiven and forgotten how it was ALL WHITNEY'S FAULT that she threw that glass at Sharrieff's birthday party. (Or so she thought...) This is juxtaposed with a scene of Jen, Meredith, and Lisa sitting down to a dinner I can only describe as if Disney World decided to open a Rainforest Cafe inside the Haunted Mansion and served Lunchables and Stacy's Pita Chips. As we have come to predict, Lisa is loving the elegant vibe this dinner, complete with an oversized margarita topped with a Blue Mccaw, is throwing off. Lisa knows taste. Lisa WANTS to touch this dinner, and she does. She scoops what looks like some sort of spinach dip right onto her plate, as she and Meredith fill Jen in on Whitney's apology at the racetrack.

This is when things turn, and I'm not just talking about Whitney's flawless day-to-night turtleneck tank top and high wasted jean look. According to Jen, it would be nice if Whitney could just be accountable. This is when I realized that we are living in a different world entirely from Jen Shah. In Jen Shah's world, it's appropriate to throw a glass without looking, and when you do that, you're not overreacting. In Jen Shah's world, you can dress like you tore the rainforest-scene wallpaper right off your pediatrician's wall. What ensues is one of the worst examples of a housewife trying to force a story line I've ever seen. It's like when Michael Scott keeps insisting every improv scene has a gun. Stop trying to make this fight happen, Jen! No one cares! Andy Cohen, please tell me she isn't coming back next season. More Jen yelling that Whitney needs to watch her back and more Meredith disengaging follow. We learn from a testimonial that Meredith grew up in a broken home, so the yelling triggers her, so she learned how to disengage. This is FAR TOO HEALTHY of behavior from a housewife for me. I mean, have you SEEN a Housewives show before, Meredith? This is cage fighting for women. Get back in there with your slicked back jet black hair! FaceTime Brooks! HE would have some choice words to say to Jen.

Whitney and Heather show up just as all this is happening. Jen has gone into full-on crazy mode now, and she's doing that thing where you get so upset that you basically just start crying. In this sense I can feel bad for Jen. It really must be challenging to live by yourself with your husband gone three quarters of the year, but this woman needs a hobby more fulfilling than buying friends and saying "shah-mazing..." like maybe buy one of those adult coloring books, Jen. This storyline is getting nowhere quickly. I need Jen to cool it, and I need Meredith to step it up. Jen pushes Heather, and Lisa follows her out into the hotel lobby to try to talk her off the ledge, but she's unsuccessful... probably because her outfit makes her look like a bellhop, so patrons keep trying to get her to carry their bags to their rooms.

  Jen returns to her room to call her husband and further establish herself as the victim in this situation.

We head back to Whitney's room, which looks like it's in a library, to break down what just happened. We learn that Meredith and Seth had previously been separated several times and had both seen other people, but they are currently happier than they have ever been. This puts to rest the cheating rumors that Jen had been trying to drop in everyone's ears, but cuts Lisa to the core because she doesn't feel like she even knows her best friend.

When we return from commercial, more establishing interior shots of this baffling hotel inform us it's the next day; there's a large dog statue, another lost soul from American Horror Story bringing Lisa breakfast ("Thank you. I love that!"), a bathtub right next to Heather's bed, and a creepy clock on Whitney's bedside table. Brooks tells Meredith that the family dog shit all over his blue Moncler coat, and he nearly cried, but he couldn't because he just got Botox at Heather's health spa from a pregnant 16 year old Mormon. Whitney pushes her legs over her head and yawns while her testimonial informs us this is worse than the time she got her period on a waterslide during a trip to the Bahamas. Hot. Lisa FaceTimes Mary and tells her she wishes she were here to tell Jen she smelled like hospital at last night's Velveeta and scorpion bowls dinner. Mary blinks several times and tells us Jen is crazy, and she's been trying to tell us all along! Takes one to know one I guess!

Jen is gone! Then! Jen is not gone because the Shah squad told her to stay. Thank God for the Shah squad!

We head outside where Meredith is dressed in her most elegant oscillot print coat. Heather informs the rest of the gals that she's gonna be late, and we head to... a hypnotist's mansion in the Las Vegas desert? I'm SO confused as to why we went to Vegas to visit these otherwise standard Housewives tropes. The hypnotist tells us to hold balls in our hands because this is how hypnosis works, but not before Jen and Heather show up late, disrupting the whole ritual, causing us all to have to start over. After NO ONE gets hypnotized, we head to the hypnotist's living room, where the hypnotist, who I think is vying for a snowflake, and who I have a sneaking suspicion is not a hypnotist AT ALL, asks everyone whom they do and do not trust. Shocker! Everyone trusts everyone else, except no one trusts Jen, and Jen doesn't trust Heather.

  The episode basically just wraps up there, with more to come next week with the hypnotist. Here are my final thoughts. A) Jen is a terrible friend to Heather and an even worse housewife. When this series premiered, I appreciated her coming in guns-a-blazing, but this victim complex, rage issue thing is not playing out well. I need her off my screen. B) Heather is enabling this whole situation, both with the show being terrible due to Jen's not understanding what her job entails and with remaining in this toxic friendship. C) The other women ARE afraid of Jen, and I would be too. I wouldn't want to be around her. D) I would love if Alison Dubois from Beverly Hills' dinner party from hell would hold a seance in the Nomad Hotel. It could be quite possible the woman we saw this episode wasn't Jen at all but just the spirits in a disturbed Vegas burial ground in a state of unrest, convincing her that all work and no play make her a dull boy.

[hopehunted]

" 𝐈𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐈'𝐌 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐃, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈'𝐌 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐓. " is that hailee steinfeld? oh no, that’s MALLORY MENDEL, born on the 27th of MARCH, 2020. i heard SHE (cis female) is an ARMORY ASSISTANT in JACKSON TOWN. apparently, they can be FOLKSY and SANGUINE but also known to be KLUTZY and SAUCY. spends most of their free time tinkering with old junk scraps, probably smells like SMOKE. is that a bite mark i see? no, must have been a trick of the light.

character inspirations: goose (untitled goose game), shane madej (buzzfeed unsolved), koda (brother bear), dustin henderson (stranger things), andy dwyer (parks and recreation), sokka (avatar: the last airbender), finn (adventure time), bloo (foster's home for imaginary friends), troy barnes (community), bobby hill (king of the hill).

you can find mallory’s stats right here, where i’ve also put all her links. there’s a good bit of info there, so i’ll just be fluffing her out a bit more here!

— 𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐈 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍, 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐘, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄. CONTENT WARNING: the very first bullet point contains mentions of body horror / gore and death. i’ve marked that part with a ***.

mallory is a familiar face around jackson ; she's been there since the spring of 2030. so, a darn while — since she was nine. her parents are hunters that defected to jackson, because they didn't jive with the way their community was being run + feared for mallory’s safety when she grew older. her mom died en route, however, caught in the crossfire by the very group they were running from. *** it happened in the blink of an eye. one second she was showing mallory how to use a compass, and the next she’s being yanked away by her father, tripping over herself to catch up. her body was left to rot in no man’s land, probably picked over by vultures -- the infected and hunters alike. she arrives in jackson with bits of her mother’s brains still in her hair. 

despite everything, mallory stays strong. although it would have been nice to have a memento of her mother, mallory doesn’t need one. she honors her mother by emulating that which she loved most about her and taking care of those she loves. there’s a child-like quality about her that can’t be missed: she’s goofy, curious, and optimistic. in her eyes, there’s always a silver lining to be found if you just look hard enough. she can’t accept that the world is hardened all over; there has to be good places, too, and if there’s not then she’s going to make one herself. 

— 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐃. 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄.

she has adhd and dyslexia, which means she’ll never remember your birthday, but that doesn’t mean she loves you any less. no matter what, mallory will always find a way of getting out of reading anything aloud. she’s had a few too many teachers and well-meaning pals in the past assume that she was faking her learning disabilities / doing a bit, and as a result has a lot of pent-up frustration regarding her abilities in that sense. she’d rather not draw any attention to it.

while academics may not be her strong suit, mallory is really good with her hands. she’s got a knack for taking things apart and putting them back together again, learning mechanics through trial and error on her own. a hobby of hers is creating little sculptures / figurines out of metal scraps. her living quarters are littered in spare parts and pieces that she’s hoping to make something more out of. this skill also manifests more practically into weapons upgrading. she’s not a master marksman, but she sure knows her way around a gun and any other kind of weapon. eventually, she’d like to one day prove she’s not too generally messy to be an engineer. 

mallory will talk to anyone and everyone. she’s outgoing, brazen, maybe a bit too open. very much has a “fuck it - i’m inadequate. what can you do?” vibe. beneath it, there’s this itty-bit sense of juvenile-esque awkwardness that still lingers and rears its head sometimes. 

100% would’ve been a twitch streamer / video game youtuber, a la callmekevin & crankgameplays, in a non-zombie au. 

somehow always ends up hitting herself / running into things and it never gets any less embarrassing. usually has tiny little cuts on her hands and various random bumps and bruises from being an uncoordinated mess. 

the type to teach a kid a curse word just because it’s funny.

very physically affectionate and maybe a little annoying about it. she’s not shy to boop a nose, or pinch a cheek. 

loves, loves, loves gossip! doesn’t like to be included in the drama, but she does love knowing everything about it.

also the type to stay back and walk with you when you’re getting pushed off the sidewalk / out of the group.

gets tiny, little crushes on everyone that’s nice to her. You Are Not Immune To Being Crushed On!

gift giving is her love language.

mal can have some really sticky fingers. but she doesn’t think stealing is cool! so she won’t. but .. she can. 👀

tbh i picture her being like the guy in video games that you go to when you want to customize your shit / upgrade your weapons, so i mean... take advantage of it!

wanted connection ideas.

friends, friends, FRIENDS! especially best friends. 🥺  her heart is so big, there’s more than enough room for everyone.

frenemies, hateships, exes - i love me some bitterness, some melancholy, and some ire. mallory isn’t good at being mean, but she’s also not above disliking someone just because they dislike her, even if they otherwise don’t have a problem lol. this all could be over something petty or something actually serious.

exes.. but make it light! basically, maybe they dated, maybe they did the whole “will-they-won’t-they”, maybe they just awkwardly liked each other without acting on it until it blew over and they’re still friends / things are Normal between them. 

the first person mallory got to know when she and her dad arrived in jackson. she was just a kiddo then, so they’d have known each other for ages now.

someone that mentored her! maybe they showed her the ropes around here, taught her some much-needed skills, or whatever else we come up with. ( fair warning, though: it’s hard to shake her off once she’s decided she likes you. )

someone she knows/recognizes from when she was with the hunters.

i’m up for anything - always - even if it’s not explicitly mentioned here. these are just some off the cuff ideas! 

[inkedbygrace]

Lo que Construímos se Acabó

Lo que construímos se acabó

“What we built is over”

Esta historia terminó... no existe

(This story is over...it doesn't exist)

Such terminating words put together can emotionally fuse into a blade, sharp enough to penetrate the thickest/toughest emotional armor.

If you're reading this you've very likely had this “blade” cut you up once or twice in your pilgrimage of life. I certainly have, but my motioning to elaborate this in written form is not so much to entertain or develop the emotional turmoil “duringmath” but, the aftermath. At least in my own skin, brain and heart.

The rearview mirror to life tends to be very accurate and insightful. Yet, usually very easily forgotten as we flip through our ongoing pages of life. I'm reminded of a The Office quote by Andy:

“I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you actually left them.”

Depression, anxiety, desperation, idolatry, all of these have a unique ability to work tremendously well as a team. They are usually the consequence of failure to live in the embrace of the PRESENT. All of these can make time & life go by in an instant and you miss out on it entirely. Half-assin' it or quarter-assin' it (hate to sound absolutistic), but it isn't living.

Anxiety is a bitch. It gives us the illusion that one needs to be in control of everything in order to be at peace. Anxiety then grabs desperation by the hand and runs pouring fuel in circles all around you to then light a match. Now, you have nowhere to go. Trapped in the flames of desperation. Idolatry is not as obvious as religious connotations might suggest. Our failure to embrace living in the present can at times be a sign of idolatry. Let me explain. Whenever we resource our definition of being (joy, sadness, stress) through external things, be it: relationships, gods, religion, people, hobbies, jobs, traffic jams... we are validating these as though where happiness is to be found...when happiness can only be found within. 

With all these powers combined, you have Captain Depression.

Captain depression called the shots in my life for close to four years while living in Germany. Not many people know I've navigated a great part of my life with depression because I am a pretty functional depressive. Nevertheless it is a part of my life. I could functionally go through the motions, but the moment to moment experiences' colors are tragically saturated. It's like I was unable to taste 50% of life's flavors. So I was missing out on 50% of experiences with my then love partner. At best, I had specific events to look forward to: concerts, dinners, movies, etc. The gigantic problem with this living for tomorrows has you missing out on so many nows. Those nows are of such vital importance because they help you mindfully construct and navigate the world around you. A world that includes yourself and others. All those nows help you savor the flavor of the tomorrows. I missed too many nows.

I want to break up.

I don't see us together anymore.

I have moved on.

It's funny how hearing those stinging words have an instant illusionary effect of healing or awakening. 

I can make it better! One would suggest

Tempted to bring up impulsive “solutions” that could bring about a mind changing resolution-when in reality couldn't be further from any sustainable truth...but in that moment of desperation- one clings to some warped form of hope.

Lo que construímos se acabó (What we built is over)

As I heard Natalia LaFourcade's song today it really resonated with what has been my Post-Relationship reality.

In the midst of counseling, CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy), Mindfulness, Present Living, I navigated my break up aftermath. In it all, with tearful hopeless evenings, uppity-I can do anything mornings, with gradual progression, clarity invited me to deep reflection. How many of my “in-satisfactions” and satisfactions were riding on something or someone else's shoulders. So much of my mental wellbeing was dependent on things outside my control. Many of my “pissy” moments with my love partner or others were mere projections of my own feelings of dissatisfaction that I was not willing to own up to. Sometimes I'd much rather spend countless hours spewing conversations of political/sociological indignation (which are necessary and important), but they became shielding protective scapegoating armor. My willingness to address everything wrong with the world, but with me.

Esta historia se acabó, no existe(This story is over, it doesn't exist)

Why are breakups potentially one of the hardest things to go through?

I think a lot has to do with our inability to live in the present and treating that which isn't as though it is. For example, we pave a road ahead into the future, better known as planning. It is of vital importance to plan, to dream, to desire, but always reminding oneself that it is but an illusion. This road I paved of 2.5 kids, traveling the world with her, it was very real in my head, but as hard as it might be to grasp; it is just not reality. It is an illusion. And receiving such harsh news is nearly impossible to assimilate because that paved road was so real.

What is is.

I had to make a mantra out of those three words. Being enamored or in desire or wishing a certain outcome is human nature, but it is not necessarily the healthiest way to live. Embracing things, circumstances, my former love partner for what she was and not for what she wasn't has allowed me to be at peace with whatever that outcome might be. What is is. I might be tempted to come up with reasons in my mind to justify a grand romantic gesture, but nevertheless birthed in anxiety. Hollywood and the great majority of “romantic” songs have greatly deceived us. At times the most romantic gesture one could conjure is to simply let it be.

...fue solo Nuestro (it was Ours alone)

I know you might not understand this now, Angel, but, I will forever love you.

She was right. I didn't understand it at the moment. That’s bullshit, I thought.

I now understand what she meant, and she meant just that. Angel, I will forever love you.

As I started accepting esta historia se acabó(this story is over), what was starting to occur was a very real and tangible process of letting go. I didn't exactly intend to let her go. There was too much fear. But I gradually understood that holding on is but an illusion because I could not possibly love and hold on, they're opposites. I don't think the feelings I was experiencing as I began to let her go- I had ever experienced before. I think I was glimpsing LOVE. I started understanding that LOVE could not be hijacked or monopolized by labels (marriage, fiancé, girlfriend, boyfriend, noviazgo), yes, there are different types of love, but LOVE is LOVE. Just then I began to navigate the past, our relationship in gratitude. Since July 17, 2013, when I met her, I have thought about her every single day. I can now be thankful for every one of those days and as I look back I am grateful to life for the beauty its allowed me to experience those 6 years.

I too will forever LOVE her.

I am grateful.

I am grateful.

Lo que construímos se acabó

Lo que construímos se acabó

Fue solo nuestro

Fue solo nuestro

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

✰✰✰✰✰  5th ANNIVERSARY  ✰✰✰✰✰

It’s time to feast from the grapevine of 2017 with 103 (+ 171 more) of the…  

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

(all long playing records unless otherwise noted; also, this list was created with links to every item, but the links aren’t appearing, so you’ll have to direct your web browser searches the old fashioned way)

✰✰  TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT Veblen Death Mask  (Kill Rock Stars) ✰✰

✰  HAND & LEG  Hand & Leg (Black Gladiator)

✰  MARCIA BASSETT & SAMARA LUBELSKI  Live NYC (Feeding Tube) 

✰  CHROMASTHETIC  Gold Sound cassette  (Time Release)

✰  ANTIETAM  Intimations of Immortality (Motorific)

✰  girlSperm  gSp (Thrilling Living)

✰  CHUCK JOHNSON  Balsams (VDSQ)

✰  RODENTICIDE Rodenticide (Self Sabotage)

✰  ANGIE Shyness (Rice Is Nice/DERO Arcade, Australia)

✰  BLOODY SHOW Let America Pay cassette (Superdreamer)

✰  MICHAEL BEACH  Gravity/Repulsion (Spectacular Commodity)

✰  ANTHONY PASQUAROSA  Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione (VDSQ)

✰  ALBERT DEMUTH Corporate Rights 7″ (self-released)

✰  MOUNTAIN MOVERS Mountain Movers (Trouble In Mind)

✰  X-POP  Alphabet Cereal ep cassette  (Chemical Imbalance., Australia) 

✰  DANA Dana (Heel Turn)

✰  GOSPEL OF MARS Gospel Of Mars (Amish)

✰  PRIVATE SORROW  Fake Lions (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰  JUDY & THE JERKS  3 Songs cassette (Earth Girl) &  Alive At The Skatepark cassette (Earth Girl)

✰  PIERRE & BASTIEN Musique Grecque (sdz, France)

✰  XETAS  The Tower (12XU)

✰  JAIMIE BRANCH Fly Or Die (International Anthem Recording Company)

✰  STEFAN CHRISTENSEN Shake Off The Village (C/Site Recordings) & Open Day 7″(I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

✰  LISE BARKAS & LISA KAÜFFERT Lo Becat cd-r (Soleis Bleus, France)

✰  USA/MEXICO Laredo (12XU)

✰  PREGNANCY Urgency (Emotional Response)

✰  FULLY GLAZED Full Glazed cassette (The Loki Label)

✰  DARK TEA  Dark Tea cassette (self-released) & Bright Flame (bandcamp DL) 

✰  SYLVIA COURVOISIER & MARY HALVORSON Crop Circles (Relative Pitch)

✰  KAY ODYSSEY  What’s A Woman To Do? (Little Bit)

✰  THE DOLL/STEFAN NEVILLE  1974 8″ lathe (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰  CLARINETTE The Now Of Then (Feeding Tube)

✰  ERIK KRAMER A House, Floating In The Middle Of A Lake cassette (Anthropocene Recordings)

✰  AKI ONDA/TASHI DORJI/CHE CHEN ‘HAZ-,BINS cassette (Black Pollen Press)

✰  KATE CARR The Story Surrounds Us cassette (The Helen Scarsdale Agency) & From A Wind Turbine To Vultures (And Back) cassette (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰  BLACK TRUMPETS Blue Blew It cassette (Ikuisuus, Finland)

✰  SUSPIRIANS  Ti Bon Ange (Super Secret Records)

✰  YEAR OF BIRDS White Death To Power Alan (Odd Box, U.K.) & Stanhill Wonder 7″ (Third Uncle)

✰  DAVID WEST with TEARDROPS Cherry On Willow (Tough Love, U.K.)

✰  WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS  Meditation/Resurrection double cd (AUM Fidelity)

✰  the CAVEMEN Banned In B.C. 7″ (Weirdly)

✰  MICHAEL FOSTER & BEN BENNETT In It cassette (Astral Spirits)

✰  PLATES OF CAKE Let’s Not Deprive Each Other cassette (Unblinking Ear)

✰  ZAÏMPH  Transverse Presence cassette (No Rent)

✰  WURLD SERIES Air Goofy cassette (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

✰  HEADROOM Head In The Clouds (Trouble In Mind)

✰  LORDS OF THYME The Future Of Things Past (Feeding Tube/Shagrat, U.K.)

✰  SEX TIDE  Possession Sessions (Feeding Tube)

✰  MARAUDEUR Maraudeur  (bruit direct disques, France)

✰  LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD Eghass Malan (Sahel Sounds)

✰  BRANDY Laugh Track cassette (self-released)

✰  LEILA BORDREUIL & ZACH ROWDEN  Hollow cassette (No Rent)

✰  RAYS  Rays (Trouble In Mind)

✰  ANDY REPTOID & THE HUMANOIDS Refridgerator 7″ (Total Punk) & Kill The Comma 7″(Emotional Response) & Pee-Pee EP (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

✰  GUN SHY Gun Shy cassette (Cheat Prick)

✰  MARK EITZEL  Hey Mr. Ferryman (Merge)

✰  E42. A8 Niobium cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

✰  BLAU BLAU Kiss Kiss (bandcamp DL)

✰  THE COWBOY The Cowboy (Fashionable Idiots)

✰  MARCELO DOS REIS & EVE RISSER  Timeless cd (JACC, Portugal)

✰   LIZ DURETTE Four Improvisations On Electric Piano (Ehse)

✰   MIDNIGHT MINES Since My Baby Left Me cassette & We Are The Primitives Of A New Era cassette (both The Loki Label)

✰  JENNY & JADE  Day Release 12″ lathe ep (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰  FEMME Chroma (bruit direct disques, France)

✰  PRIVATE ANARCHY Private Anarchy cassette (Round Bale Recordings)

✰  ERIC ARN  Orphic Resonance (Feeding Tube)

✰  PILL Aggressive Advertising cassette (Dull Tools)

✰  GAMARDAH FUNGUS Fairytales cd (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰  JON COLLIN Water And Rock Music, Volume I cd-r & The Nature (both Early Music, U.K. )

✰  Killed By Meth #2: Rust Belt Rockers comp (It’s Trash!)

✰  the TERMINALS Antiseptic (Ba Da Bing)

✰  SOURDURE  Mantras triple cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

✰  The Hired Hands: A Tribute to Bruce Langhorne double cd (Scissor Tail)

✰  GLEN SCHENAU Addressing The Scar cassette (Tropical Cancer, Australia)

EKIN FIL Inflame: Original Soundtrack cassette & Ghosts Inside (both The Helen Scarsdale Agency)

✰  TARA CLERKIN Hello (Stolen Body Records, U.K.)

✰  LEE KONITZ  Frescalalto cd (impulse!, France)

✰  the STROPPIES The Stroppies cassette & It’s A Hit 7″ (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

✰  DELPHINE DORA & MOCKE  Le Corps Défendant (Okraïna, Belgium)

✰ QUIN GALAVIS  The Battery Line (Super Secret Records)

✰  HOUSE AND LAND House And Land (Thrill Jockey)

✰  C.I.A. DEBUTANTE  We Will Play For Spirits cassette (sdz, France)

✰  AILBHE NIC OIREACHTAIGH Oreing (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

✰  the BISCUITS Albatross 7″ (Ilk Ither, New Zealand)

✰  SYLVIA MONNIER Stock Shot & Addictive Sling cassette (Sacred Phrases)

✰  the GOLDEN BOYS Better Than Good Times (12XU)

✰  PALACE LIDO  Concrete cassette (Czaszka Records, U.K.)

✰  MARK FEEHAN  M.F. II (Richie Records)

✰  OBNOX Murder Radio (ever/never) & Niggative Approach (12XU)

✰  ALEXANDER Alexander (self-released) & ROB NOYES/ALEXANDER split 7″ (C/Site Recordings)

✰  TRIO 3: ANDREW CYRILLE/REGGIE WORKMAN/OLIVER LAKE Visiting Texture cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

✰  BARON SATURDAY Concrete Poetry cassette (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰  NINA HARKER Nina Harker cassette (Le Syndicat Des Scorpions, France)

✰  DAVID NANCE Do The Negative Boogie (Ba Da Bing)

GOLDEN PELICANS Disciples Of Blood (Goner)

ÆTHER JAG Amaranthine Stretch cassette (No Rent)

GAD WHIP In A Room (ever/never)

YANNICK DAUBY Magicien Rouch cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

MAX LODERBAUER & JACEK SIENKIEWICZ  End cd (Recognition, Poland)

VÁR  By Ghost And Tape (Home Normal, Japan)

ANGELICA SANCHEZ TRIO Float The Edge cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

LECH NIENARTOWICZ Nici cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

EKMAN & OWEN Ekman & Owen 7″ (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

POU  Dimonis  (Metadona, Spain) 

HANS CHEW  Open Sea (At The Helm)

DALIA RAUDONIKYTÉ WITH Solitarius cd (New Focus Recordings)

GŪTARA KYŌ  Gütara Kyō  10″ (Slovenly/Mondo Mongo)

TUCKER THEODORE  Lady Hope cassette (Antiquated Future)

MIA SCHOEN Golden Hour (Albert’s Basement, Australia)

THE STRANGER The Void (bandcamp dl)

LAKES Silver Thorns 12″ EP (Paradise Daily, Australia)

Horrendous New Wave comp (Lumpy)

CHRIS FORSYTH & THE SOLAR MOTEL BAND Dreaming The Non-Dream (No Quarter)

TASHI DORJI & DAVID GRUBBA  Fixed Entrance Derivatives cassette (Sky Lantern)

SAMUEL TRUITT Thorns cassette (Melters)

HELTA SKELTA  Nightclubbin’  7″ (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

UV-TV Glass (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada) & Go Away 7″ (Emotional Response

HASH REDACTOR  Demo Tape 2017  (self-released bandcamp DL)

LEE NOBLE  The Hell You Come In cassette (No Kings)

PRETTY PRETTY Demo II cassette (Superdreamer)

AGUSTÍ MARTÍNEZ/EDUARD ALTABA/QUICU SAMSÓ On The Nature Of Will (Discordian bandcamp DL, Spain)

the TRENDEES  We Are Sonic Art (Melted Ice Cream, NZ/Albert’s Basement, Australia)

GREG ASHLEY  Pictures of Saint Paul Street (Trouble In Mind)

DAVE REMPIS  Solo cd  (Aerophonic)

TIN FOIL Tin Foil (Almost Ready)

HACO Qoosui cd (Room40, Australia)

PETER LEWIS Just Like Jack (Shagrat, U.K./Hookah)

PROSTITUTES Live At Cookout  (TRAM Planet)

ANTENES Shifting Zones 12″ (Silent Season, Canada)

LOFT Three Settlements Four Ways 12″ (Wisdom Teeth, U.K.) & Turn My Built Dances (The Astral Plane)

NEUTRALS  Promotional Cassette 2 cassette (Neutrals)

JOE MORRIS/BRAD BARRETT/ERIC STILLWELL Value (Glacial Erratic  bandcamp DL)

DARLINGCHEMICALIA Off Blonde (self-released bandcamp DL)

WV WHITE House Of The Spiritual Athletes (Anyway)

CHAVEZ Cockfighters 12″ (Matador)

RYAN GARBES  Living Ether cassette (Post-Materialization Music, Russia)

TRAMPOLINE TEAM Drug Culture 7″ (Space Taker Sounds/Pelican Pow Wow) & Trampoline Team/Mama split 7″ (Giveaway)

LAURA BAIRD  I Wish I Were A Sparrow (Ba Da Bing)

MAREIKE SAUER The Tension and the Body of the Woman of Mystery cd (Karl Schmidt Verlag, Germany) 

FNU CLONE Binary Or Die (Total Punk)

DAN MELCHIOR  Road Not Driving (ever/never)

$UN $KELETONS GET IT UP YERS TRIO R.I.P. Music & Absolutely Fucked In & Rust Belt UK cd-rs (Double Dot Dash!?, U.K.)   

VIOLENCE CREEPS Ease The Seed Bag 7″ (Drunken Sailor, U.K.) & The Gift Of Music + Singles cassette (Total Punk) & Northwest Tour Tape 2017 (self-released)

ERIC COPELAND Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect (L.I.E.S.)

WIREHEADS  Lightning Ears (Tenth Court, Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN  Living (Smeraldina-Rima, Belgium)

the COWBOYS Vol. 4 (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

IRENE KEPL SololoS cd (Fou, France) & Superstring Theory bandcamp download (SoundOut, Australia)

VIDEO DUCT Small Pets And Kitchenettes cassette (Maple Death, Italy)

SCUPPER Some Gauls (Blue Cheese Toothpaste)

MOSQUITOES Mosquitoes one sided 12″ (self-released, U.K.)

BLUE CHEMISE Influence On Dusk (Gravity Ventilator, Australia) & “The Music Lesson”/”Watcher At The Window” 7″ (I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

CONTRIBUTORS Contributors (Monofonus Press)

NICOLE MITCHELL Awakening II: Emerging Worlds cd (FPE)

KALEIDOSCOPE  Volume 3 (Feel It Records)

Ladyfest Boston 2017 cassette comp (Ladyfest)

BRIDGET HAYDEN  Incantations From Yin Valley cassette (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

MIKE COOPER Raft (Room40, Australia)

MAZOZMA Heavy Death Head (Feeding Tube)

SUSS CUNTS Suss Cunts 7″ ep (Emotional Response) & “Newby” (Suss Cunts bandcamp DL)

MATT JENCIK  Weird Times (Hands In The Dark) 

somesurprises serious dreams cassette (Eiderdown Records)

CIGGIE WITCH Mad Music (Lost & Lonesome, Australia)

SUN VALLEY Black Canyons (bandcamp DL)

MORDECAI Abstract Recipe (Richie Records)

JANTAR Panisperna (MIE Music, U.K.)

SARAH DAVACHI  All My Circles Run (Students Of Decay)

KÜKEN  Küken (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

ULAAN PASSERINE The Landscape of Memory (Worstward)

MY TEENAGE STRIDE Living In The Straight World cassette (Unblinking Ear)

SLOW TONGUED BEAUTY  The Absolution Of Royalty cassettes (No Rent)

DAVID FIRST Same Animal, Different Cages Vol. 3: Civil War Songs (for Solo Harmonica)  (Fabrica)

REBEKAH HELLER  Metafagote (New Focus Recordings)

DIANETICS Booked Learned 7″ (Weirdly) & And Psycho Horse cassette (Gut Freak)

SPARROW STEEPLE Steeple Two (Richie Records) & A Aardvark (ever/never)

WEATHER WEAPON II (self-released bandcamp DL)

KRISTY & THE KRAKS  Snakes On The Phone 7″ (Fettkakao, Austria)

STEPHAN CRUMP/INGRID LAUBROCK/CORY SMYTHE Planktonic Finales cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

NAG “Motorcycle Blue” + 2 7″ (Third Uncle/Chunklet) & False Anxiety 7″ (Total Punk) & No Flag + 2 7″ (Space Taker Sounds)

ROSS MANNING  Reflex In Waves (Room40, Australia) & 

Both Sides of the Cocoon cassette (Chemical Imbalance., Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN QUARTET Live At Firehouse 12 cd (Firehouse 12)

RAKTA Oculto Pelos Seres 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

MARBLED EYE EP II 7" (Melters/Digital Regress)

RIK & THE PIGS Blue Jean Queen 7″ (Feel It) & A Child’s Gator  (Total Punk)

US WEEKLY  US Weekly (Night Moves)

KEN IKEDA + DAVID TOOP Skin Tones cd (Home Normal, Japan)

L$D FUNDRAISER Drones On Lap Steel (self-released, NZ) + like, 30 others

MDOU MOCTAR  Sousoume Tamachek (Sahel Sounds)

CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA  Mirage (Room40, Australia)

the DREAM SYNDICATE  How Did I Find Myself Here? (Anti-)

DAY CREEPER  A Mirror To The Fire (Heel Turn/Superdreamer)

LITTLE MAZARN Little Mazarn (Self Sabotage)

BAUS Secret Bathroom Recordings (self-released bandcamp DL)

MARK CONE Now Showing (Neck Chop)

LÉONIE RISJETERRE Tresseterre cd (Soleils Bleus, France)

ENDLESS BOOGIE  Vibe Killer (No Quarter)

MCHY I PORØSTY Hypnagogic Polish Music For Teenage Mutants cd (Recognition, Poland)

DAG  Benefits Of Solitude (Bedroom Suck, Australia)

ANGEL DUST Excavatum cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

MAXIMUM ERNST with DANIEL CARTER  Maximum Ernst cd (ever/never)

BALLISTER: REMPIS/LONGBERG-HOLM/NILSEN-LOVE  Slag cd (Aerophonic)

RABBIT U.S. Rabbit U.S. lathe 7″ (Third Uncle)

INSTITUTE Subordination (Sacred Bones)

RUBBER MATE  Cha Boi  7″ (Total Punk) & Tour Tape MMXVII cassette (self-released)

MARY LATTIMORE Collected Pieces cassette (Ghostly International)

VERY MENTAL (Total Punk)

UNITED WATERS  The Narrows (Drawing Room)TYSHAWN SOREY Verisimilitude (Pi Recordings)

A GIANT DOG Toy (Merge)

DREAM WEAPON RITUAL The Uncanny Little Sparrows (Boring Machines, Italy)

SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE Soft Knocks (Tenth Court, Australia)

DIRTY & HIS FISTS Dirty & HIs Fists 7″ (Feel It) 

ABBY LEE TEE  Hebert’s Archive cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

BLANK STATEMENTS  Signs Are Rampant cassette (Hobbies Galore, New Zealand)

NOTS“Cruel Friend"/"Violence" 7″ (Goner) &  Live At Goner Records (Goner)

LEA BERTUCCI  All That Is Solid Melts Into Air cassette (NNA Tapes)

SICK THOUGHTS Songs About People You Hate (Neck Chop)

MOHLAO Landforms (Silent Season, Canada)

ISOTOPE SOAP Piñata Chaos 12" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden) & The WOW! Signal EP 7" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden)

JIM HAYNES Tiny Portraits 3″ cd-r (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

ISS (Endless Pussyfooting)  (Erste Theke Tonträger, Germany)

PREENING Beeters 7″ (Digital Regress)

MIKE MAJKOWSKI  Days And Other Days cassette (Astral Spirits)

RANGERS Texas Rock Bottom cd (Doom Trip)

KNOWSO Look At The Chart (Neck Chop)

CIRCUIT DES YEUX  Reaching For Indigo (Drag City)

WHIT DICKEY/MAT MANERI/MATTHEW SHIPP Vessel In Orbit cd (Aum Fidelity)

SWEET APPLE Sing The Night In Sorrow (Tee Pee)

LEDA ‎Gitarrmusik III-X (Förlag För Fri Musik, Sweden)

TROPICAL TRASH  Decisions' Empty Nest 7″ ep (Sophomore Lounge) &  A Dent In The Forever Can  cassette (The Loki Label)

GUILHEM LACOUX  La Traversée double cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

IAN WILLIAM CRAIG Slow Vessels 12″ ep (130701, U.K.)

MOZART Nasty 7″ep (Iron Lung)

TREASURE HUNT with DENNIS WARREN’S FULL METAL REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE  Space Jam cassette (Moon Glyph)

CENTURY PALM Meet You (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

GATE  Highway Ghosts (self-released, New Zealand)

the FEELIES  In Between (Bar None)

SCHIZOS  Fuck Iggy Pop 7″ (Neck Chop)

VIOLENT QUAND ON AIME  Violent Quand On Ame 7″ (Le Syndicat des Scorpions, France)

HONEY New Moody Judy (Wharf Cat)

ANXIETY  Wild Life 7″ (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

EARTH GIRL HELEN BROWN  Mercury & Mars & Saturn cassettes (all Empty Cellar)

the BLINDS The Blinds cassette (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

FRENCH VANILLA  French Vanilla cassette (Danger Collective)

HEAVY METAL  LP 2 (Static Age Musik, Germany) & LP 3 (Harbinger Sound, U.K.)

fEEDTIME  Gas  (In The Red) 

REESE McHENRY w/ SPIDER BAGS Bad Girl (Sophomore Lounge)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2016

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2015

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIWS IN 2014

BEST REASON TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2013

From November 2017: A LIST OF WORTHY CAUSES TO WHICH YOU MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT DONATING...Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, Save DACA Lives  via Here To Stay, Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, National Abortion And Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), Southern Poverty Law Center, Emily’s List, etc....

From November 2015: FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE LEGACY OF THE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWERS FEATURED HEREIN - and associated small biz combustibles! 

✰  2018 PREDICTION: LONG HOTS! ✰  

[peaceful-serenade]

1-100 ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, dear! ❤️❤️❤️

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? Spotify

is your room messy or clean? It’s actually clean right now.

what color are your eyes? Brown

do you like your name? why? Not really. Like, it sounds pretty and fitting when I meet other people with it, but for me personally it always just sounds kind of “meh” and boring compared to other names that I love.

what is your relationship status? Single for life.

describe your personality in 3 words or less: caring, introspective, loyal

what color hair do you have? Red

what kind of car do you drive? color? It’s blue and has two doors. That’s literally all I can tell you about it because I honestly don’t pay much attention.

where do you shop? Nowhere in particular.

how would you describe your style? Ideally, classic and comfortable

favorite social media account? Tumblr

what size bed do you have? Twin

any siblings? Yes, one younger sister

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? Paris, because I’ve visited twice and absolutely adore it.

favorite snapchat filter? There was a black and white one ages ago that made me look like I was in a film noir, so that one.

favorite makeup brand(s): I don’t really wear makeup anymore and never had a favorite anyways, so I don’t know.

how many times a week do you shower? It kind of varies.

favorite tv show? Brooklyn 99!! I also love Graham Norton, Broadchurch, Good Behavior, Victoria, and Trial & Error

shoe size? I honestly have no idea.

how tall are you? 5′5″

sandals or sneakers? Sneakers

do you go to the gym? No

describe your dream date: I don’t know about specifics, but my dream date would go well and we would laugh a lot. Maybe over coffee or while doing some fun activity.

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? I think I have like $80 right now?

what color socks are you wearing? I’m not wearing socks.

how many pillows do you sleep with? One, usually. Sometimes two.

do you have a job? what do you do? Not currently.

how many friends do you have? I have Laurel and maybe 3 or 4 other people who would talk to me if I texted them. I don’t really have any friends right now, though.

whats the worst thing you have ever done? I’ve done a lot of horrible things that I still cringe over and regret, but I can’t think of what the worst is.

whats your favorite candle scent? There was an apple pie candle that I used around Christmas that I really loved, but I don’t really have a favorite.

3 favorite boy names: Daniel, William, Damon

3 favorite girl names: Katherine, Elizabeth, Charlotte

favorite actor? Cary Grant, William Powell, David Tennant

favorite actress? Myrna Loy, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, Jenna Coleman, Keira Knightley, Viola Davis

who is your celebrity crush? Andy Samberg. I specifically put off watching B99 for years because he’s so my type™ that I just knew it would happen but I finally gave in a few months ago and there’s no going back now.

favorite movie? The Thin Man, Roman Holiday, Hidden Figures, Hannibal, The Big Sleep, Angels & Demons, Libeled Lady

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? I’m trying to read more often but my favorite is still “The Sky is Everywhere” by Jandy Nelson followed by anything by the Brontë sisters.

money or brains? Brains

do you have a nickname? what is it? Nic

how many times have you been to the hospital? For myself, zero. To see other people, only two or three times.

top 10 favorite songs: La vie en rose - Edith Piaf, Moon River - Audrey Hepburn/Henry Mancini, In the Grey - The Good Mad, Volare - Dean Martin, Me & the Rhythm - Selena Gomez, Cheek to Cheek, The Lady is a Tramp - Frank Sinatra, White Coats - Foxes, Leaving the City - Joanna Newsom, Into You - Ariana Grande

do you take any medications daily? No

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) Depends on the weather, but it’s mostly oily.

what is your biggest fear? Being unhappy forever.

how many kids do you want? Zero

whats your go to hair style? Lately, a braid or bun.

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) Big? It’s two stories and we don’t use half of it, hence why my mom wants to move.

who is your role model? Selena Gomez

what was the last compliment you received? No idea

what was the last text you sent? I’m too lazy to check, idk

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? I can’t even remember. Probably around second grade?

what is your dream car? I literally could not care less.

opinion on smoking? I personally have no interest but you do you.

do you go to college? I did for a quarter and a half before dropping out because I was miserable.

what is your dream job? No idea

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Either is fine

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? It depends on where the hotel is (cool city, etc), usually, but yes.

do you have freckles? Yes

do you smile for pictures? Yes

how many pictures do you have on your phone? Thousands. Way, way, waaaaay too many.

have you ever peed in the woods? Maybe on a roadtrip as a kid?

do you still watch cartoons? No

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? Neither

Favorite dipping sauce? Honey mustard

what do you wear to bed? Sweatpants or pajama bottoms and whatever top I feel like wearing

have you ever won a spelling bee? I’ve never participated in one

what are your hobbies? Baking, watching TV? I want to take up painting.

can you draw? Somewhat

do you play an instrument? I played flute in middle school band, but no.

what was the last concert you saw? Selena Gomez last May

tea or coffee? Coffee

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Starbucks

do you want to get married? Maybe

what is your crush’s first and last initial? I don’t have one

are you going to change your last name when you get married? Maybe? My last name is weird so if it sounds cooler then definitely.

what color looks best on you? Blue or purple usually? I don’t know

do you miss anyone right now? Yeah

do you sleep with your door open or closed? Closed

do you believe in ghosts? Not really

what is your biggest pet peeve? People who are rude, especially to waiters and customer service-type people.

last person you called: My grandparents.

favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla, red velvet cake, or salted caramel

regular oreos or golden oreos? Regular

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? I don’t really have a preference.

what shirt are you wearing? A white t-shirt with Audrey Hepburn on it.

what is your phone background? A painting of some flowers.

are you outgoing or shy? Usually shy.

do you like it when people play with your hair? Yeah

do you like your neighbors? I like one of them, but I don’t really know any of the others. The one I like and know has lived two doors down almost as long as we’ve been in our house, but everyone else that we used to be friends with has moved.

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? Yes, but infrequently just because I’m super lazy. My skin definitely pays the price for that.

have you ever been high?  No

have you ever been drunk? No

last thing you ate? A donut.

favorite lyrics right now: The entirety of Moon River, probably. I rewatched Breakfast at Tiffany’s again last night so it’s been stuck in my head all day.

summer or winter? Summer

day or night? Night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? Dark or milk

favorite month? June/July or December, I think.

what is your zodiac sign? Aries

who was the last person you cried in front of? My mom and sister, but it was laugh-crying.

[wisdenindia-blog]

Despair in Ghazni to delight in Melbourne, Morteza has been through it all

Despair in Ghazni to delight in Melbourne, Morteza has been through it all

Cricket was not just Morteza Ali’s hobby; it was his escape. It was a way to get over his troubled past. © Morteza Ali

If there was a modern-day adaption of Robert Schuller’s Tough times never last, but tough people do!, there would perhaps be a chapter dedicated to Morteza Ali.

Morteza’s story is straight out of Michael Winterbottom’s In This World – a gut-wrenching but heartwarming documentary about Jamal and Enayatulla, the two Afghanistan refugees who traverse deserts, oceans, mountains and forests, battle thugs and deal with hostile immigration officers to set up a new life in England.

Morteza could well be Jamal or Enayatulla, but there is cricketing angle to his story. He undertook the same journey as Winterbottom’s protagonists in the film, and is now living a better life in Melbourne, pursuing his cricketing dream as well.

***

Cricket came to Afghanistan through refugee camps in Pakistan, where countless Afghans fled the 1979 Soviet invasion of their homeland. After learning the sport in exile, young Afghans brought cricket back with them when the Taliban fell in 2001, and the game has gone from strength to strength ever since.

For Morteza, a 31-year-old allrounder, Muhammad Hussain — his older brother and a Kabul University student who played both cricket and hockey — was the earliest influence. When Muhammad would come home during vacations, he would teach the neighbourhood kids the basics of the sport. When he headed back to the university, Morteza would follow cricket on his “rich neighbour’s television.”

“In the ‘90s, we had heard a lot about Sachin Tendulkar, but personally, I liked Adam Gilchrist a lot because of his attacking brand of cricket,” he tells Wisden India. “Back then, I didn’t even know his name. Shahid Afridi was my favourite too, I used to imitate his shots a lot.

Saqlain Mushtaq and Usman Afzaal have never short of valuable advice. © Morteza Ali

“But no sport was allowed by the Taliban; we used wooden broomsticks as bats and plastic balls.”

He was in his mid-teens when Morteza lost his entire family – father, mother, Muhammad and a younger sister – when their house in Ghazni in the south-east province of Afghanistan was hit during a Taliban mortar attack in 2001. Morteza survived as he was helping his uncle at his grocery store a few miles away. “My uncle didn’t even tell me that I’d lost my whole family, he just asked me to leave the country as the war had intensified,” he recalls.

His uncle arranged his exit with the help of a human transporter. Morteza left Kabul in June 2001, and reached England a year and five days later, in July 2002. Morteza says he walked to Oxford, but anyone who’s watched Winterbottom’s documentary would know of the torture the refugees have to endure.

Morteza and other refugees lived in sub-human conditions in Pakistan camps, battled the Kurdish mafia, braved sub-zero temperatures in Russia and Ukraine, were held hostage by the Czech underworld, and were in and out of military and police custody in Ukraine, Austria, France and Germany.

“Throughout my life, there were people who surprised me. They helped me without seeing my religion, race or background. Although life took a lot from me, it gave me some unbelievable people. It’s my time to give back in whatever little way I can.”

To escape the army and border police, they would walk and hitchhike after dark, avoiding villages, and resting in the forests and mountains during the day. Even 15 years on, as he looks at back the journey, Morteza remembers every minute, painful detail, pausing between words to retain his composure. He recalls a particularly harrowing time in Ukrainian military custody, where he spent almost five months.

“It was peak winter in Ukraine, it was snowing a lot. We were dumped in a hall without any blankets and just had a layer of clothing on us. Our survival was down to one bottle of water and a meal, if you could call it that, a day. The ‘meal’ we got was half a slice of mouldy bread. We were allowed only one loo break in a day.

“By night, we would end up eating our nails and swallowing our saliva; psychologically it helped get over the hunger. I had become so frail, just skin and bones, I couldn’t even stand.

“The hall had huge windows; when the sun came out, I would just crawl to that end of the hall, and roll back again to the other side at night.”

Having overcome near-death experiences, Morteza made it to Oxford, where the City Council social services took him under their wing. But his joy was short-lived. He got in touch with his uncle back home, who finally broke the tragic news of his family’s fate.

The pain in the aftermath of custodial torture lingered long, but not as long as the pain of realising that he had lost his parents and siblings.

***

During the camps in his clubs, Morteza Ali interacted with many former players who had brief coaching stints. © Morteza Ali

Cricket was not just Morteza’s hobby; it was his escape. It was a way to get over his troubled past; it was an answer to cope with the life in a new country, and an uncertain future. Even before he started his formal education in Oxford, Morteza started playing cricket with an Afghan youngster whom he met at an English class.

“It was the first time I’d seen a hard ball,” he recalls. “I didn’t have any gear. The English kids were really friendly, one of them let me borrow his old cricket gear and shoes. I didn’t even know how to put the pads on, the bat was a bit too heavy for me.

“I would try to hit every ball. Those kids used to laugh at me, because in 2002 there were no T20s in England. They would just ask everyone to play straight, but it took me a while to get used to those proper cricketing shots.”

Back home in Ghazni, Morteza had never been to school. He helped his father, a shepherd who also sold milk. Social services provided him accommodation and even enrolled him in the community school. The first few years were tough, Morteza found it extremely difficult to understand the curriculum, the inability to speak or understand English just compounded his woes.

“In the ‘90s, we had heard a lot about Sachin Tendulkar, but personally, I liked Adam Gilchrist a lot because of his attacking brand of cricket. Back then, I didn’t even know his name.”

It was around this time that Morteza met Roger Mitty, who ran the Cumnor Cricket Club in Oxfordshire. Roger raised Morteza as his foster son, providing extra language classes and tuitions for grammar, and early lessons in cricket. “He never made me feel like I had lost my family,” Morteza reminisces.

Easing into his new life, Morteza juggled ‘A’ levels and cricket with a lot of support from Mitty. He started his career with Mitty’s Cumnor CC and went on to represent Oxford University CC, Oxford CC and London County CC, and West Indian Cavieliers in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.

As a part of Oxford CC, Morteza, who used to bat at No. 6 (he’s an opener now) and bowled medium pace, even featured in a three-day first-class match in 2009, but never got a chance to bat or bowl in the game.

At Cavieliers, Morteza met Saqlain Mushtaq, who has been one of the biggest influences in his evolution as an allrounder. “Earlier, I would just go in to bat or bowl without any plan,” he says. “But after watching him bowl, I realised how to set up batsmen; he treated it like a game of chess. He thinks a lot, he would set up the batmen in the first three balls, he also placed me at short-leg while fielding, which was very scary.”

Steve Waugh was so moved by Morteza Ali’s story that he sent him a signed copy of his autobiography via mail. © Morteza Ali

It also helped that Usman Afzaal, the former England batsman, was never short of batting advice. During the camps in his clubs, Morteza interacted with many former players who had brief coaching stints, including Andy Flower, Gary Kirsten, Rashid Latif, Kabir Khan and Neil Burns, the former Essex and Leicestershire wicketkeeper. But it is an interaction with Steve Waugh that remains special for him.

“He was very tired after a long flight from Australia, but still made it to our camp in Nottinghamshire and gave us batting tips. It was around the same time when his autobiography had released, so he got a few signed copies along and distributed them among the players in the camp.

“By the time it was my turn, all the copies were over. Burns introduced us and told him about my past, Waugh was so moved that he took down my address and promised to send me a signed copy. I had never expected him to remember me, but a few weeks later, I was surprised to find a signed copy of Out of my comfort zone in my mail.”

Although he missed his family and home, Morteza had finally made peace with reality. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business and Finance from the Oxford Brookes University and cricket kept him busy. Things were finally looking bright after many years.

And then disaster struck.

Morteza was set to be deported following a change in visa rules. Mitty published Morteza’s situation in the Cumnor CC monthly magazine, but without enough funds, there was little hope. Help came from an unlikely quarter. A retired barrister, who used to watch Morteza play at the club daily, came to their rescue. His daughter, Gaenor Bruce, a renowned immigration solicitor from Manchester, took up his case pro bono, and won.

Recession hit the United Kingdom in 2008 and Morteza couldn’t find a job after graduation. He took up odd jobs and started working as a driver. In two years, he had saved enough to visit his uncle back home. However, Afghanistan was still grappling with terrorism threats, and he was advised against the visit.

****

Morteza Ali joined the Hazara Cricket Club as a captain and coach, and since has been promoting cricket in Melbourne’s Afghan community. © Morteza Ali

A few of Morteza’s friends from Afghanistan who had migrated to Australia invited him over for a break. A huge Afghan and Indian migrant population in Melbourne fuelled the weekend community cricket clubs across the city, and Morteza immediately felt at home.

With the employment situation in England still grim, Morteza moved to Melbourne in 2012 and started working as a delivery man with Australia Post. He joined the Hazara Cricket Club as a captain and coach, and since has been promoting cricket in Melbourne’s Afghan community.

Most recently, he led the side to the final of the Melbourne Renegades Champions League – a tournament between six teams of players divided into countries of their origin. Afghanistan ended up losing to India, but Morteza is happy with their efforts.

“I had never expected him (Steve Waugh) to remember me, but a few weeks later, I was surprised to find a signed copy of Out of my comfort zone in my mail.”

“Most of my Aghani friends here are traders or painters, they are really passionate about cricket but never had any formal coaching. They would always end up losing in different competitions.

“We have come a long way from being called the Lagaanteam to being one of most respected amateur cricket clubs in Melbourne,” he gushes. “We practice on Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoon after work, and matches are held during the weekends. We’ve won tournaments not just in Victoria, but also Shepparton, Sydney and other cities.”

Fifteen years ago, Morteza would never have imagined cricket becoming such a huge part of his life. He has a Level 2 coaching certificate from the UK and is currently in touch with Usman Khan, Hong Kong’s assistant coach, for further certifications in the role.

“It’s my time to give back in whatever little way I can. I’m trying to do my bit through Hazara CC.” © Morteza Ali

Despite what he has been through, Morteza says he’s grateful to have had such a great support system. He vows to do his part to help future dreams in cricket and beyond come true within his community.

“Throughout my life, there were people who surprised me. They helped me without seeing my religion, race or background. Although life took a lot from me, it gave me some unbelievable people like Roger Mitty, Neil Burns, Rob Wilson (a former club cricketer in Victoria), Mrs Bruce; without them, I would have been just another refugee, lost in a new country.

“It’s my time to give back in whatever little way I can. I’m trying to do my bit through Hazara CC.”

Morteza has never been to Ghazni since fleeing in 2001. He’s in touch with his extended family back home who, like his friends in Oxford and Melbourne, have coaxed him into penning his inspiring journey. “The autobiography is shaping up well,” he informs.

He could probably take a leaf out of Schuller’s bestseller and call the first chapter Tough times never last.

[capt-riverdry]

M4A3E8 Easy Eight

Jason Wong made this lovely Box art for Andy’s Hobby HHQ001 1/16 M4A3E8

I really want to put my hands in something like this.

Via Twitter

[itsworn]

The 28th Grand National Roadster Show

It’s called the Grand National Roadster Show, but roadsters are only one segment of this remarkable event. In fact it takes many different types of hot rods to make up this world-famous show. The 68th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show presented by Meguiar’s Premium Car Care Products drew spectators and participants from all over the country to the Pomona Fairplex in Los Angeles County. The GNRS is the longest running indoor car show in the world and the Fairplex has been the show’s home since 2004. The local chamber of commerce must have struck a deal with Mother Nature to make sure that Southern California would have a weekend of warm sunlight and clear skies when the GNRS came to town in late January.

The Grand National Roadster Show is spread throughout seven separate buildings and outdoor between those buildings, making it the equivalent of several different shows in one.

Some people never got farther than Building 4, home for some of the freshest and best participating vehicles, including the contenders for the big prize, America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. Other folks migrated toward Building 10, also known as the Suede Palace.

Building 5 was the place to find the best custom cars. Custom bikes were displayed along with the cars in Building 6, while Building 7 was dedicated to more hot rods. Lowriders and car clubs got to show off in Building 8. Building 9 is always devoted to a particular theme. This year it was packed with 1955-1957 Chevys to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Tri-Five.

Outdoor, the areas between the buildings were packed with local rods of every category participating in the “Drive-In” portion of the show. Where there weren’t cars there were vendors—more than 300 of them indoor and out.

STREET RODDER was there for every minute of the Grand National Roadster Show, from setup day to the final moment when the 2017 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster winner was announced.

AMBR Contenders

13 Roadsters Compete for the Big Award The Grand National Roadster Show starts on Friday, with Thursday set aside as a setup day for vendors and participants. Builders and owners competing for the big prize—America’s Most Beautiful Roadster—had to be there on Wednesday for the first presentation to the show judges. Those judges started their job by closely scrutinizing these 13 contenders as each was brought before them. They evaluated fit and finish, engineering, bodywork and paint, upholstery, stance, sound, how the owner fits in his own car, craftsmanship, and a multitude of other considerations.

There were 13 competitors vying for this prestigious award in 2017. Only one would end up with his name inscribed on the nearly 10-foot-tall trophy, along with the 69 previous winners since the award was first created in 1950 (there have been ties a couple times, in case you were doing the math). That honor serves as a permanent testament to the fact that his roadster is on a level with the best the hobby has ever produced—including Bill Niekamp’s ’29 Track Nose T, Blackie Gejeian’s 1927 modified, the George Barris–built Ala Kart, Andy Brizio’s ’23 Instant T, Boyd Coddington’s ’33 phaeton, several Chip Foose creations, and many others.

To be eligible to compete for the AMBR Award, a vehicle must be a roadster (no roll-up windows and a removable windshield) representing the 1936-and-earlier model years. Sixty-three of the previous 69 winners have been Fords, but that has never been a requirement. Deuces comprised half of this year’s lineup, which also included a Lincoln, a Dodge, and a Packard. Many of them were clearly inspired by traditional styling—a shift we’ve been noticing for a few years—but trends don’t always predict winners. Here are the 12 cars that were AMBR runners-up in 2017.

1928 Lincoln | Shawn Killion | San Diego, CA Shawn Killion’s 1928 Lincoln roadster borrows sheetmetal from a 1928 Model A and many details from a Zephyr. The maroon body rests on a Deuce frame. The roadster rolls under the power of a 331-inch Chrysler Hemi sporting Speedway 9Super7 carbs.

1928 Ford | Bill Grant | Claremont, CA For a true trip to the past, check out Bill Grant’s Model A, built by Stoker Hot Rod Factory. True nostalgic form is found in a 1932 B four-cylinder Flathead in sporting a C-crank, Miller head and valve, and side covers—fed by the latest in Stromberg 97s carbs.

1937 Ford | Glen McElroy Rick Dore oversaw the build of Glen McElroy’s coachbuilt 1937 Ford roadster, and Luc De Lay at Marcel’s Custom Metal created the aluminum body, finished in Champagne Pearl paint. The car rides on an Art Morrison chassis with an LS3 under the hood.

1932 Ford | Gord and Carolina Gray | Surrey, BC B&N Hotrod & Fabrication Ltd. built Gord and Carolina Gray’s 1932 Ford highboy. The car is powered by a Ford Flathead with Navarro heads and intake, breathing though three Stromberg 97 carburetors. PPG black paint covers a Brookville Roadsters steel body.

1927 Dodge | Matt Taylor | Concord, CA Matt Taylor’s owner-built, Chevy small-block p owered 1927 Dodge looks like a piece of show rod history. Art Himsl mixed the candy gold base and pearl. The cut down 1960 Dodge Polara steering wheel rests on a 1955 T-bird column below 1964 T-bird gauges.

1932 Ford | Scott Hawley | Burlingame, CA The dark blue tone of Scott Hawley’s 1932 Ford is contrasted by the black Bop Top and the deep brown leather interior by Sid Chavers. Built in collaboration with Joe Rebozzi, Hawley’s highboy rides on traditional suspension components and packs a 383 Chevy.

1932 Ford | James Hetfield | Vail, CO Previous AMBR contenders from James Hetfield have been long, curvy, and exotic. In 2017, he entered this traditionally styled 1932 Ford highboy, built by Mills & Co. in Georgia. Original Ford pieces and early components include the 296 Flathead.

1932 Ford RPU | Don Lindfors | Orange, CA Don Lindfors brought out his 1932 Ford roadster pickup resting on five-spoke ET’s and covered in 1965 Mustang Poppy Red. The RPU is powered by a 1971 Ford Boss 351C fed by Weber carbs, and backed up by a Toploader four-speed and Winters quick-change.

1932 Ford RPU | Matt Gordon | Hueytown, AL Matt Gordon’s 1932 Ford roadster pickup, built by Goolsby Customs, is painted in BASF Starfire Blue. The profile is enhanced by a 2-inch channel. The 380-inch Olds runs three Rochester 3GC carbs. The Alan Johnson chassis was treated to Goolsby mods.

1929 Ford | Wayne Johnson | Hillsboro, OR Wayne Johnson’s track-inspired 1929 Ford highboy is dressed in black and sports track tires on Dayton wire wheels. The race car nose hides a 351W Ford mill planted in front of a TREMEC TKO500 five-speed. A&M Deluxe Customs created Wayne’s Model A.

1932 Ford | Dan Peterson | Austin, TX The Austin Speed Shop was represented in AMBR competition by Dan Peterson’s retro-flavored 1932 Ford highboy, vibrantly painted in Kail’s Beard Orange from House of Kolor, and powered by a Hemi with a Horne intake and four Stromberg 97 carbs.

1934 Ford Phaeton | Jim McPherson | Nashville, TN This freshly minted 1934 Ford is a long way from Argentina, which is where Jim McPherson found it. The phaeton—homebuilt with help from Bill Akin—is powered by a small-block Chevy with Barnes heads (think Sprint Car), topped by Weber 48 IDAs.

America’s Most Beautiful Roadster

A Coachbuilt 1936 Packard Takes Home the Honors

In a rare move breaking with a seven-year tradition, a non-traditional roadster won the award for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. There were several traditional rods in the running this year, but the coveted 10-foot trophy big prize went to Bruce Wanta’s 1936 Packard. The Mulholland Speedster was designed by Eric Black of eBlack Design and built at Hollywood Hot Rods under the direction of Troy Ladd. Paint chores were assigned to Mick Jenkins at M.G.J. Enterprises and the interior was installed by Mark Lopez and his crew at Elegance Auto Interiors.

The coachbuilt Packard is one of the most remarkable combinations of classic styling, vintage parts, modern technology, creativity, and imagination to appear before the AMBR judges in a while. Technical details include the winter grille with opening and closing slats, and the mechanical top that lifts from the heavily modified 1936 Duvall windshield and lowers into the opening in the deck. These movements, as well as the suspension, are controlled by smartphone apps.

Power comes from a Lincoln V-12 with Hogan aluminum heads, displacing 292 ci. The engine is topped with a Winfield three-pot intake with the forward hole blocked off, the middle hole used for a Latham-Hogan supercharger, and the rear hole functioning as the “pot-off” valve. All of this motorvation is handled by a Borg Warner T5 five-speed trans. The Winters IRS quick-change rearend uses inboard drum brakes resting on quarter-elliptical springs, while the front IFS utilizes twin-dropped I-beam axles resting on quarter-elliptical springs. The suspension is hung from a custom “figure 8” chassis design.

STREET RODDER has posted more than 200 photos of the Mulholland Speedster—from its earliest days under construction to the completed chassis and the final effort—online at hotrod.com.

Painless Performance Products/STREET RODDER Top 100

Old-School Circuit Protection In older postwar vehicles, the light switch had a circuit breaker attached and it was used not only for the lights but all the other circuits in the vehicle. There may have only been three or four circuits but they were all tied to the light switch.

1938 LaSalle Convertible Coupe | Brando & Erin Massei | Huntington Beach, CA When Brando Massei got the car, it hadn’t been running for 20 years. His goal was to transform it into a one-of-a-kind custom that he could drive anywhere. Customizer Keith Dean at South End Kustom came on board to build the car, now chopped, channeled, and sectioned, and rolling on a 1984 Olds chassis. Garnet Red with Candy Apple paint and Marana pearl with variegated gold leaf covers the convertible. Powering the car is a carbureted Chevy small-block tied to a 200-4R transmission, Keith Dean designed the interior and Joel’s Upholstery covered the buckets in brocade fabric. Brando named the LaSalle Lana, in honor of the actress Lana Turner.

1937 Ford Coupe | Dan Wathor | Rio Linda, CA This bronze 1936 Ford coupe made a big impression at the 2016 Detroit Autorama. Dan Wathor and builder Kenny Welch from Kenny’s Rod Shop started with rough raw material and finished with a Ridler award contender. A custom chrome-tubular frame forms the foundation, with modified Heidts and RideTech suspension parts. The body is finished with PPG paint and a single front to rear pinstripe. The engine is a Ford 351 Windsor stroked to 427 ci, with Arias Hemi heads, and Holley EFI with a four-port Hilborn look. The interior is finished in toffee brown leather. The original gauge cluster was updated with Auto Meter workings.

1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe | Buck Boze | Denver, CO This Deuce coupe has been a street rod since the ’80s. When Buck Boze got the car, he teamed with Tom Stark at Precision Designs to have it transformed into a performing and elegant rod. Body mods include a filled roof, front horn covers, custom splash panels, and more, all covered in custom-mix green paint. A custom intake feeds the LS3, backed by a 4L65E and a Ford 9-inch. Sid Chavers handled the interior, which features a Glide bench and Classic Instruments gauges. Underneath, the front dropped axle and rear transverse springs and Pete and Jakes ladder bars add traditional suspension style. Custom wheels roll on 205 and 245 Diamondback tires.

1928 Ford Roadster | Bill Grant | Upland, CA The 1928 Model A highboy roadster from Stoker’s Hot Rod Factory was an AMBR contender, but has a heritage like many of the rods found in the Suede Palace and the personality of cars seen in early issues of Hot Rod. The stock Model A rolling chassis remains from a previous build. Most of the rest of the car, with the exception of the Brookville body, was built from already-owned parts. The 1935 Ford wire wheels are 16-inchers, with Firestone piecrust tires. The seats and panels are covered in two-tone leather and cloth. The 1932 B four-banger engine is topped with a Zephyr two-barrel carb, built in 1947 and never fired.

1949 Ford Custom Truck | Bob Dron | Isleton, CA The restored “Betty Elizabeth Shampoo Truck” was originally built by Joe Bailon 65 years ago and displayed at the Oakland Roadster Show in 1954. It had been is storage for 28 years and was in bad shape when Bob Dron found it. Jeff Nickell at Nickell’s Customs salvaged the worn sheetmetal, Ron Mangus built the interior, and Kandy Man Ramirez sprayed fresh paint. The hardtop convertible truck has been chopped, channeled, and sectioned—and runs a 1957 Cadillac engine. The stock 15-inch wheels and Diamondback whitewall tires look just the way Bailon built it. The new chassis was built for modern driving, which is what Bob has planned for this survivor.

1940 Ford Sedan | Mike & Marcia McAuliffe | Moraga, CA Mike and Marcia bought the car four years ago and drove it for a couple years before having it completely rebuilt by Brandon Flaner and his team at East Bay Speed & Custom. That’s when it went from black with a mohair interior and mild Flattie to 1950 Merc Everglade Green with a two-tone tuck ’n’ roll interior and a French Flathead with Navarro heads and Stromberg 97s on a Cyclone intake. Wide whites are paired with 16-inch 1940 Ford wheels with flipper hubcaps. Custom mods include the Crestliner steering wheel and 1946 truck gauges, reshaped sheetmetal, modified hood trim, 1940 Merc bumpers, and 1941 Studebaker taillights.

1958 Packard Custom | John D’Agostino | Discovery Bay, CA John D’Agostino’s newest in a long line of show customs is “Rita.” This radically redone 1958 Packard is named after Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth. D’Agostino calls his chopped windowless two-seater a Kustom Sportster and worked with Oz Welch at Oz Kustoms to turn the concept into reality. Additional mods include an extended hood and body panels, chrome bullet grille, 1955 Olds headlights, and 1956 Packard taillights. Modified T-Bird wire wheels wear bullet center caps from Coker. The paint is an infinite number of shades of candy and pearl lavender. The rebuilt 1962 Cadillac is covered with lavender pearl diamond tuck ’n’ roll and white pearl.

1928 Ford Roadster | Thom Van Pelt | Piedmont, SD The Model A was found in a scrap pile by Thom Van Pelt’s son, Tim, back in 1990. The build eventually began with the goal of creating a ’50s-era open air time machine and progressed on a pay-as-you-go basis, with work split between the Van Pelts, Kell Kustom, and Badlands Trading Company. The stock body sits on a pinched 1932 frame. The 1946 59AB Flathead engine is fed by Stromberg 97s atop an Offenhauser intake, with a 1939 Toploader trans and Culver City Halibrand rearend to back it up. Every component was selected with nostalgia in mind, from the 1940 DeLuxe steering wheel to the 1935 Ford wire wheels. The roadster was displayed in the Suede Palace.

1932 Ford Five-Window Coupe | Pat Thomas | Boise, ID Like many of our Top 100 picks, this Deuce coupe sat ignored for decades, in this case from 1963-2012. It was almost restored to original under a previous owner, but Thomas wanted a rod and turned over the project to Kenny’s Rod Shop. The result is a chopped and smoothed body with a filled top and bobbed rear fenders, riding on a TCI chassis. A Roush Ford 427 engine with 8-stack injection is tied to an AOD trans and a Ford 9-inch. A deep brown leather interior complements the jet-black paint, and 17- and 18-inch Billet Specialties wheels with Michelin rubber fill the fenders. Pat has contacted the original owner who can’t wait to take a ride.

1940 Ford Coupe / Gregg and Linda Lowry / Fallbrook, CA As owner of Jalopy Shoppe in Escondido, Gregg Lowry has built many top-shelf rods. This time, his customer was his wife, Linda, who had always wanted a 1940. The car was a five-window shell on a stock frame when it was purchased in 2001. Work began in 2005 and finished in 2016. T.J. Gillispie and Gillispie Garage performed much of the bodywork, including a 3-inch chop, lengthened 1939 Ford sedan doors, sectioned and narrowed hood, and more. It sits on a beefed-up stock frame with Kugel front and rear suspension, and power from a 4.6L Ford. Ron Mangus supplied the upholstery and Intro provided 19- and 20-inch wheels. Linda calls it classically elegant.

STREET RODDER Magazine’s Best Ford In A Ford

This 351-Powered 1933 Is An Intercontinental Coupe

YEAR: 1933 MAKE: Ford MODEL: Five-Window Coupe OWNER: Doug & Annette Blakey PROVINCE: British Columbia

It’s not often that the Best Ford In A Ford award goes to an import, so consider Doug & Annette Blakey’s 1933 Ford five-window coupe a rare pick. We don’t call it an “import” because it came to the Grand National Roadster Show from north of the border in British Columbia, but because its history starts south of about 11 borders, in Argentina. The coupe was in good condition when it arrived at Doug’s Cars, Blakey’s shop in Lantzville, British Columbia. Early in the project, Blakey replaced the front and rear fenders and running boards. Soon he was adding imaginative details, including the handmade stainless steel grille, power lift single-piece hood and trunklid, remote-control console top, custom air cleaner, and more. The headlights are from Headwinds; the custom taillights feature the Ford logo, created in LED by Lambert Enterprises.

The body rides on a TCI chassis with RideTech suspension components and Wilwood brakes. XXX Custom Rides painted the chassis and body in House of Kolor candy red. Schott five-spoke Bullet wheels measure 17 inches at both ends, and are wrapped with 255/60R17 and 225/45R17 General tires.

Inside, Volvo bucket seats were narrowed to fit. Mark LaTrace at Miracle Upholstery in Black Creek covered the buckets in tan and black leather with white stitching. A Billet Specialties steering wheel is mounted on a Flaming River column. The dash was modified to accommodate six gauges from Ford Racing. The glovebox door was built to match the style. The custom console features a power roll top, which opens to reveal the controls for the Vintage Air A/C, Retrosound audio system, and other functions.

Blakey told us that he always puts Fords in his Fords, and chose a Ford Performance 351 to power his 1933 coupe. The 492hp engine was stroked to 392 ci and built for street duty by Aldridge Motorsports in Portland, Oregon. The four-barrel carburetor is covered by an art deco–style air cleaner built by Blakey to blend a little ’30s style in with a very up-to-date Ford engine. A Ford AOD transmission delivers torque to a Ford 9-inch rearend with limited slip.

It’s hard to beat a Ford in a Ford, especially one as well done as the Blakeys’ 1933 coupe.

The Suede Palace

The Magnet for Traditional Hot Rods and Customs

The hot rods, customs, and classic trucks that fill the Suede Palace reflect the styles associated with the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. A few are painted with flat or low-gloss paint—which is how the Suede Palace got its name—but most wear shiny finishes these days, often accented with retro-style graphics, such as pinstriping, scallops, and lace paint. Tires tend to be skinny bias-plies. Upholstery tends to be tuck ’n’ roll or other early types. Engine choice leans toward carbureted Flatheads, Nailheads, Cadillacs, Olds Rockets, and other mid-20th Century mills. A large percentage of the rides in the Suede Palace also reflect the old-fashioned habit of building cars home and driving them when they’re done.

The judging is largely done by participating car clubs, which provide the handbuilt trophies. The vendors whose booths line the walls of the building sell merchandise fitting the nostalgic theme. The music fits too. Vintage rock ’n’ roll, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and swing is provided by live bands and by DJ Axle Idzardi, who has organized and hosted the Suede Palace since its earliest days at the GNRS.

The Grand Daddy Drive-In

The Outdoor Show Within A Show

This was the 12th year for the Grand Daddy Drive-in hosted by STREET RODDER and Classic Trucks, complete with awards on Saturday and Sunday. The outdoor show is a “fluid” display of vehicles between all of the buildings. Participants have the luxury of driving their hot rods to the show and ending up with the ultimate in preferred parking—plus entry to the Grand National Roadster Show and discounted admission to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

STREET RODDER presented two awards. The recipients were Jim Siegmund for his 1932 Ford coupe and Marty Fisher for his 1949 Chevrolet “tin woodie” station wagon. The Deuce is covered in 1941 Ford Florentine Blue. The five-window’s top was chopped 3 inches up front and 2-1/2 in the rear. Power from a 401 Buick is delivered through a Turbo 400 with a switch-pitch converter to a Halibrand Culver City quick-change. The Chevy Woodie’s gold and silver finish is complemented by faux wood paneling. Inside, the stock front seat was replaced by a pair of buckets separated by a custom console. A small-block Chevy is topped by a Ram Jet fuel injection system.

The post The 28th Grand National Roadster Show appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[opticien2-0]

Coronavirus round-up: H&M, Arcadia, Joules, Mintel, Pets at Home, The Hut Group and Rare on the developing pandemic

We’re reporting on the effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the way UK shoppers buy – and on how retailers are responding to that changing behaviour. This update comes as 33,718 positive cases have been confirmed by Public Health England as of 9am on April 2 and 2,921 people have died.

    H&M says coronavirus likely to speed up transformation

H&M chief executive Helga Helmersson has said that the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a more digital and a more sustainable world. Her comments came as the retailer said sales and profits both rose in the first quarter – before sales dropped by 46% in March as many of its shops closed. Read the full story here

  In the same story, we report as Arcadia Group has now put many of its head office staff on furlough while scaled-down online operations continue.

  Joules raises £15m in stockmarket placing for extra headroom and continued transformation

  Joules today said it had raised £15m in a placing to give it extra headroom during the Covid-19 pandemic while also enabling it to emerge “relatively stronger” from an “unprecedented situation”.

The multichannel lifestyle retailer has placed 18.7m new shares at a price of 80p each, with directors buying 7.8% of the placing.

  Nick Jones, Joules chief executive, said: “This placing will help Joules to deliver its long-term growth plans as well as supporting the business to successfully navigate through the current unprecedented trading environment.”

  He added: “We are delighted with the levels of support from our shareholders which reflects broad recognition of the strength of the Joules brand and our business model as well as our exciting, long-term prospects."

    Seventeen percent of shoppers now buying more online: Mintel

  Almost a third of shoppers (32%) have stocked up on groceries or other supplies while 17% are now doing more shopping online, a study from Mintel suggests.

  The research, covering the week to March 25, also found that 31% of British adults were now extremely concerned about the risk of being exposed to coronavirus, and only 5% are now at all worried - down from 15% in the week to March 13. More than a third (36%) are now very concerned about what the outbreak could mean for their lifestyles.

  Jack Duckett, associate director of consumer lifestyles research at Mintel, said: “There’s been an increase in online buying - an activity that is particularly crucial for those isolating due to the virus. As we’ve seen in China, this is a change that could prove lasting after the outbreak slows. Those new to the online shopping experience – or those who increase their usage – during the outbreak may feel more confident using ecommerce platforms and enjoying its convenience.”

  Pets at Home says uncertain times set to follow strong full-year result

  Pets at Home said this week that it expected full-year profits to be slightly ahead of expectations – after “exceptional” demand during the Covid-19 crisis. But it warns that customer spending may well be down in its current financial year, which opens in a time of uncertainty. Read the full story here.

  The Hut Group pledges £10m in Covid-19 aid

The Hut Group has launched a £10m Covid-19 aid package to support vulnerable communities, key workers and emergency services in Manchester, the UK and its international markets. Some £5m of that is being spent in Manchester, to support homeless people, other charities and to provide critical products as services. The balance is being pledged to areas outside the Noth West. Rooms in its two Manchester City centre hotels are available for free to Manchester NHS and police staff who are working away from their families. Its in-house catering team is also delivering food parcels to vulnerable people in the North West and giving its own staff free meals to take home after each shift.

  Matthew Moulding, founder and chief executive of THG, said: “THG is a major global player in the manufacture and retail of Nutrition, Vitamins and Personal Care products. These are unprecedented times and THG has an obligation to support those in need, not only as a major regional employer, but because we have the ability to do so.

  Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “These are challenging times for us all and it means so much to see one of our most successful home-grown companies stepping forward and giving back to our communities.”

  Online shopping in decline: Rare

A minority of shoppers are still stockpiling groceries, with 13% saying they bought more items, more frequently over the last week, a study from research firm Rare: suggests. Others are instead buying more consciously (31%), while overall online shopping for groceries appears to be down by 33% as residents struggle to get delivery slots. They are also buying 35% fewer white goods, and 38% fewer electronic items. But nearly a third (29%) of 18 to 24-year-olds are now buying online more products that relate to their hobbies or interests. The findings come from Rare’s weekly Coronavirus UK Consumer Tracker, which questions 1,000 UK residents.

  Rare: founder and chief executive Ben Pask said: “People are tailoring their behaviour around the evolving state of the pandemic. The majority of consumers are worried about it and also concerned about their jobs. On the plus side, there is a stronger sense of community spirit in business, family life, social life and on a global scale.

  “People are still socialising, just not in conventional ways. They are trying things like online streaming of games and movies in greater numbers. When the dust has settled and all of this is over, it will be interesting to see which new forms of communication and socialising stay, and which will be a distant memory.”

  Image: Adobe Stock

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