#defying gravity riff

[finleyforevermore]

A series of instances where the Defying Gravity riff shows up in my favorite podcast! 🤣💚

[fullmetal-alchemist-go]

spoiling the defying gravity riff in the first wicked trailer is a bold move

[beatificwrites]

TYPICAL DATE NIGHT WITH HOBIE ★

an: a lil sumn sumn with hobie

gender-neutral!reader & no use of y/n

content: cheesy bc i say so, some silly cuteness, heated make-out sesh

You heard continuous light taps coming from your bedroom window. You recognized the sounds as pebbles being thrown and instantly, you knew it was him. Glee began to overflow your entire being as you hurriedly bookmarked the page you were on and dropped the book you were reading.

You practically jumped off your bed and rushed over to open your window. Your eyes drifted downward and landed on Hobie’s figure that was currently in a humanly-impossible position against your apartment’s brick wall. His feet seemed glued to the wall while he balanced himself vertically off of it.

He was always random with the stunts he’d pull since he disliked consistency and loved finding different ways to surprise you. You playfully rolled your eyes at him in disbelief, not being able to fully grasp the fact that your boyfriend was quite literally defying gravity; a perk of being spiderpunk.

“Hey, babe, got somethin’ I wanna play for you!” he shouted.

You watched as he effortlessly whipped out his guitar from behind as if he wasn’t 40 feet off the ground.

“shoot!” you shouted back.

With zero hesitation, Hobie powerfully struck the chords once before playing an impressive guitar riff, just for you. His gifted fingers ran up and down the chords, allowing the guitar to produce the electrifying, melodic sound you loved so much. He was nothing short of a virtuoso, so cool, you thought.

“What’d you think?” Hobie asked, not needing your approval, though he’d appreciate it very much.

“It was awesome!! I loved it, baby.” you gushed with clasped hands.

“Good.” was all he said, then he shot a web at the edge of your window to yank himself up and kiss your lips.

The soft embrace of his lips was all you needed to feel warm and at peace again. Life outside of your relationship was tiring and hectic, but the precious moments you shared with him calmed the storm.

“Come in!” you beckoned, after pulling away.

“Ma pleasure.” he said before tucking his guitar behind him and climbing in through your window.

“So, I got a couple of movie ideas…we down for rom-coms or slashers tonight?” you asked as grabbed the dvds.

“I think we exhausted all the slasher films known to man, love. I could go for some ‘13 going on 30’ right about now.” he threw himself on your bed.

Your mouth slightly fell agape, “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What? A man can’t switch it up every now and then?” his brows furrowed.

“He can, but every time I put on ‘13 going on 30’ you fall asleep half way through!” you lightly smacked his side as you laid down next to him.

“I’m not the same person I was last week, hell, I ain’t even the same man I was two seconds ago! I’m a changed man.” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, cut the crap! You do not wanna watch it with me.” you claimed incredulously.

“Like I said, I’m a changed man.” he told you in a half-serious manner.

“You’re so stupid.” you rolled your eyes again, then you both laughed it off.

“No, but I do wanna see it with you, babe. I can’t handle another modern horror film, it’s all just uncalled for gore and porn; no substance whatsoever. It’s bollucks.” he shook his head disapprovingly.

“I’m sayinggg!” you agreed, remembering how dreadful the last horror flick you saw was.

“Wait, before we watch, can we make pizza like last time?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure, why not?” you got up and tossed the slasher dvds to the side and placed ‘13 going on 30’ next to the dvd station.

Hobie hated ordering pizza. Not because he was too shy to order, that’s why apps exist. Moreover, he hated ordering pizza because the anarchist in him preferred baking pizza at home instead of supporting the cooperate companies that prepared the same pizza.

He’d physically cringe and his face would contort into disgust whenever you’d suggest delivery instead because you were too lazy to bake. “I’ll do it by myself then!” he’d groan.

That is how the first three hours of your date night with Hobie is spent; attempting to bake spidey shaped pizzas with the clash playing in the background, throwing sauce at each other’s faces, eating said pizzas while watching 13 going on 30, teasing Hobie for shredding a tear at the wedding scene, Hobie teasing you for sobbing after that scene, you two cuddling at the end while being wrapped up in your largest blanket, and you rewarding him a kiss because finishing rom-coms with him gives you the best feeling ever. It’s the rom-com glow.

You’ll usually suggest another film or perhaps a show to binge watch, and you two immerse yourselves in that for about another three hours. Sweet whispers are exchanged from time to time and Hobie’s dispersed kisses across your neck make a feature.

“You’re really cute when you look all focused.” he said out of the blue.

You hadn’t realized he had been admiring your face for a while now, or that his focus was shifting elsewhere.

“This is reality tv! There’s lots of drama to keep up with.” you reasoned without turning to look at him.

“Look at me.” he simply said.

“Amanda’s just about to find out her husband’s having an affair!” you quickly tapped him, trying not to lose concentration from the screen. Without warning, the show was suddenly muted.

“Hey, why’d you-

“Com’ere.” he gently grabbed your chin and hushed you with his lips.

You kissed him back, then pulled away asking, “what?”

“I don’ know. Just felt a huge urge to kiss you.” he admitted as his mouth curved into a smile.

“Oh. Well, I have no problem Mr. suspense-ruiner, as long as you continue to do it.” you cupped his face, forgot all about the tv and brought him in for another smooch.

He rubbed one hand on your hip. You two were laying side by side, but his slow, gentle touch made you want to change that.

The hand rubbing on your hip made its way up to your shoulders and down again, in yet another slow, teasing manner. He caressed the side of your body, then let his hand slide dangerously down onto your rump. He gave it soft squeeze and you hummed; his touch aroused the growing swarm of excitement in your abdomen.

You swung a leg over his torso and he was able to smooth his hand over your thigh. He’d run his hand up and down, his gentle caressing becoming a bit more firm. The feel of your bodies pressing against each other made this moment all the more enticing. Neither of you could get enough. With every hum or whimper you’d allow to escape, Hobie could feel himself twitch.

You extended your hand and lightly rubbed his shoulder. After a moment, your hand dropped to his bicep and began to grope the defined muscle. Eventually, you had to pull away to catch your breath and you both would only chuckle while looking at each other.

Hobie kept his hands on you as you took the initiative to straddle his waist. His hands shifted to your hips and he gave you a reassuring look before saying, “Absolutely no pressure, love. We go as far as your comfortable with.”

You appreciated how he reassured you every time to ensure that you were comfortable. He made you feel seen and at ease. Definitely one of the most refreshing parts of your companionship with him.

“Mhm, of course.” you nodded.

“I love you, sweetheart.” he professed with hooded eyes.

“I love you too.”

───────── ☆

© beatificwrites

[courtneysmovieblog]

Trailer Bowl LVIII

Fine, not all these trailers were from the Super Bowl, but they came out this past month, so might as well take care of all of them:

Immaculate: Nun gets supernaturally pregnant with a demon. Yikes.

Road House (remake): Sorry Jake Gyllenhaal, you're not Patrick Swayze.

Ricky Stanicky: Zac Efron and his buddies hire John Cena to pose as the imaginary friend they made up to get away from their wives and families for the past 20 years. Oh, this better end with one of the friends getting divorced when the jig is up, but knowing it's a Farrelly Brothers movie, I doubt it.

Monkey Man: Dev Patel gets to be a vigilante, and it looks AWESOME.

Despicable Me 4: Gru has a baby now. And we get Will Ferrell as the bad guy.

Tarot: Yup, tarot cards get a horror movie now. Makes sense.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: True (albeit very fictionalized) story about British spies fighting Nazis. Hey, one of them is Henry Cavill, I'm game.

A Quiet Place Day One: Prequel where everyone learns that sound=death by aliens. Somehow, it doesn't feel the same. We already KNOW what happened...

Twisters: A sequel? Really? I heard about it, but I still can't really believe it, because it seems so unnecessary.

Wicked: I don't care if it's all green screen and split in half, I'm still excited for this. And Cynthia's "Defying Gravity" riff sounds fine, you're all just mean.

Deadpool and Wolverine: Darn, I was really hoping for "Deadpool and Friends" for the Garfield reference and to rip on Pratt's Garfield. But oh well, it looks like the MCU is going to get skewered nonetheless. Happy day!

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

This is my favorite TCBoB song and I feel Tinlightened just from having the workshop version finally available on YouTube.

A non-exhaustive list of just some of the things I love about this song:

-Ryan Garcia, the man that you are, I am so entranced by you that I will happily forgive you for playing a seventeen year old in this video.

-The character voice he does just for "who was the leada' uh' da' Jets?"

-How almost none of the things he lists have anything at all to do with being professional

-The fake laugh and the immediate tonal switch back for "THAT WAS FAKE."

-NO ONE ELSE MET KELSEY GRAMMER!!

-The warm-up sequence. That's all.

-Andrew Lloyd Webber: truly terrifying Halloween costume idea

-"No one else watched every season of Smash." Kris, I love you, but there are only two seasons of Smash and I'm not sure watching them is something you want to actively brag about.

-"No one is as modest, which is BIG cause I'm the hottest!" <-peak lyricism

-THE FUCKING DEFYING GRAVITY RIFF AT THE END. Kills me every damn time.

But seriously guys I love this song so much and the TCBoB cast album version, with the full orchestration, is even better. If you haven't, watch this video and then go listen to the entire album it's such a blast.

Also, it was written by Clark, so even if you aren't a TCB fan but love VHSCC, or the soundtrack to Ani, check this out! It's written by the same guy!

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT

POST PRE PRELIMINARY #140

Submission 52

"Wicked" is overrated, boring, not culturally relevant and the "defying gravity" riff is lame and overhyped.

[Can you justify it?] no but i can and will be a bitch about the fact that i'm right and everyone else is wrong. i will die on this fucking hill

Pre-preliminaries will be used to determine what qualifies as a hot take. Propaganda is encouraged!

Also, remember to reblog your favourite polls for exposure!

[xxgothchatonxx]

Why yes, I am doing a separate post on the tease of Cynthia Erivo's final riff in Defying Gravity.

Short response - I love it.

Longer response - I don't know much about Cynthia's singing style (I have heard her sing!) but I love the slight rasp she has when she's singing that riff. And speaking of "riff" cos this seems to be very divisive already... I've seen quite a lot of Elphies who really 'riff' that final riff. So Cynthia "riffing" on that riff doesn't bother me. I actually think it sounds good.

Honestly, I'm both surprised that they teased that riff so early because it's such a huge iconic part of the score BUT I also think that's kind of the perfect way to end a teaser trailer. This is our Elphie and I'm so excited to hear her in the full story.

[tiger-is-a-certified-idiot]

I saw the 2:00 performance of Beetlejuice yesterday (December 30th) with Elliott Mattox as Beetlejuice and Dana Steingold as Lydia and I figured I’d document whatever differences I remember or that I found notable for those interested!

Mattox opened The Whole Being Dead Thing with the “Hey folks, ain’t it pretty! Guess who’s here in New York City?” lyrics

During the puppet show joke, Elliott pointed to a kid in the audience and said “wow! Really young. Interesting choice, parents!”

Mattox did add the “shit” after “Jesus I can’t spell”

He also said “and that is how I got herpes from Katherine Hepburn” instead of “made nachos”

Mattox sung the word “Helpless” (Hamilton reference) The crowd loved that. He didn’t say “skeeewp” during “Here’s help, here’s you… it’s less”

Leslie used “sadness is like a third nipple, no one wants to see it, but it’s a part of you” instead of the kale salad joke.

Dana took some extra pictures of Delia during No Reason and Leslie said “No paparazzi!” Instead of “Unicorns are scary!”

Dana had Lydia tell the Maitlands “you look like you run a failing coffee shop” and Adam says “I always wanted to run a failing coffee shop!” (I can’t remember if this is normally part of the script or not but I found it funny)

Elliott only has one Beetlejuice wig, so instead of “why is your hair purple” he said “why is your hair GREEN”

He also didn’t get red hair during his reappearance

Every magic trick worked! Including setting the suicide note on fire!

Since I haven’t seen it in any Slime, I feel like I should point out the light up game show sign above the stage that says “Life or Death” and turns into “Till <3 Death” during Creepy Old Guy

Instead of “Beetlejuice” David has Adam call BJ “Mr Juice” in a sort of angry/semi sarcastic Adam voice during the “you have touched me and harassed me and groped me” part, which was really funny.

The only-one-wig problem came back in the funniest way during Creepy Old Guy, the barber equipment fell away to reveal…the exact same hair as before (lmao)

Adam Dannheisser did an amazing job during the break in Home, he fake cried his lines and it was really raw and emotional. Dana did an incredible job performing the rest of the song as well.

Beetlejuice calls Delia “Jessica” instead of “Delilah” when saying his goodbyes

And then what you’ve all been waiting for: when making his final exit, carried by his clones, Mattox did the Defying Gravity riff and the crowd went MENTAL. It was AWESOME.

Everything else went off without a hitch! (If you ignore “Might not live till Tris-er, Christmas. ChoketodeathonTriscuits” (nice save, buddy)

Overall 10/10

Everyone did FANTASTIC and I’m so so stoked to have gotten to see the show before it closes.

And of course, if anyone saw the show and caught something I missed, please add on. I’m only one pair of eyes lmao.

[aarontveits]

My thoughts about the Wicked trailer no one asked for. I'm generally trying really hard to reserve judgement as I know it's going to be different from the stage production and I welcome some of the opportunities that can give such as how much more they can do with the plot, and I'm actually not mad about them splitting it into two movies as the more run time the better as far as I'm concerned. However.

➳ I don't like the colors they've picked for Glinda, they're doing Ariana dirty. A warmer shade of blonde, not bleaching her eyebrows, and less pastel pinks would really stop her from looking washed out and kinda sickly. ➳ I like Elphaba's costumes (except the TikTok glasses) I am concerned how much older Cynthia looks next to Ariana considering they're supposed to be the same age. Same with Jonathan, his Fiyero looks like the fully grown ass man that he is which is fine for act 2, not act 1. I have a lot of issues with Fiyero's casting anyway though as he's the most important character that should have been POC as is canon ➳ The aesthetic is giving YA novel, I'm not sure how I feel about that ➳ I hate the Defying Gravity riff. Not just that it's different, it's just not performed well. It's Elphaba's battle cry, she's supposed to sound angry yet triumphant, and that is neither. Also - is that how the movie is gonna end?? ➳ Is...Glinda getting married? ➳ I like the design of the silver slippers and the homages to the Wizard of Oz ➳ Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard is literally my dream fantasy casting, and I'm just about to lose my damn mind knowing that I'm going to actually get to see it

Generally right now my feelings are could be better, could be worse. I was expecting worse.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

You can’t keep a good dog down, Charlie Brown.

When NASA launched a mission to the moon last week, the unmanned cabin included a stuffed Snoopy in an orange flight suit.

The space beagle was among the small items that serve as “zero gravity indicators,” which visually signal that the capsule has reached “the weightlessness of microgravity.”

Turns out, the agency couldn’t have picked a better pop culture symbol:

For seven decades, Snoopy and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang have defied the forces of time, freed from the gravitational pull of trends.

The globally beloved cartoon characters still pop up daily in comic strips, books and gift shops, as well as in animated specials, both new ones and the classic holiday programs such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” that now stream on Apple TV Plus.

“Peanuts” is in the ether as surely as the jazzy Vince Guaraldi Trio riffs that bounce along the airwaves once Christmastime is here.

This year, the headquarters of Team Peanuts in Santa Rosa, California, has another reason to hold gatherings at its museum and library and ceremonies at its ice rink:

It’s the centennial of the birth of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz, who was born 26 November 1922 and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Schulz died in February 2000, the same weekend that his final original strip was published.

Yet what he launched into the zeitgeist in 1950 remains a cultural touchstone. On Saturday, many syndicated cartoonists will mark the centennial in their strips.

So why does “Peanuts” endure so strongly — remaining so firmly woven into the fabric of popular culture — when so many aspects of mass entertainment all but disappear?

Jeannie Schulz, widow of the cartoonist and president of the Charles M. Schulz Museum’s board of directors, puts it concisely:

“Sparky tapped into a universal humanity and translated it into simple lines with a subtle humor.”

Those elegant, poignant, slyly simple lines curled and curved their way into religion and sports and war and mental health and love unrequited.

To mark the centennial, The Washington Post asked celebrities from various areas of achievement what Schulz’s creation has meant to them.

‘As good as anything ever’

Producer Lee Mendelson approached Schulz in the mid-’60s with an idea: Coca-Cola was interested in a TV project.

Out of that seed grew one of the two greatest animated Christmas shows to emerge from that decade: a classic that, like “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” melded the genius of artistic minds.

Schulz teamed with animator Bill Melendez and, working under a deadline of mere months, the three men created “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” a masterpiece that daringly led with its heart.

Charlie Brown battled seasonal depression, Snoopy engaged in flights of fancy and Linus Van Pelt delivered the biblical monologue that, out of the mouths of a babe, still moves viewers regardless of age or faith.

“Over the course of my life, I’ve probably watched ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ more times than any single episode of television,” late-night host Jimmy Kimmel says. “It’s one of the main reasons I decided to have more kids.”

Kimmel thinks that special reflects the larger excellence of what a boy from Minnesota ultimately gave to the world.

“As soon as our daughter Jane learned to read, I bought her all the ‘Peanuts’ anthologies,” the comedian says. “I bought an original drawing of Snoopy by Charles Schulz that may very well be a forgery. I cherish it even if it is.

“The best of Peanuts is as good as anything ever. For me, it’s one of the greatest achievements in American art and literature.”

Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, director of such films as “Inside Out” and “Up,” says that brilliance was firmly rooted in the comic strip, which launched in fewer than a dozen newspapers before eventually being syndicated to thousands, becoming one of the most widely read strips in the world.

“Schulz was brave enough to talk about human, adult, often non-funny things in his strip,” Docter says. “He featured kids dealing with anxiety, insecurity, jealousy, unrequited love, which gave ‘Peanuts’ a real weight and importance.”

Growing up in Minnesota himself, Docter was drawn into a world that stays with him today.

“As a kid, I was totally hooked by Snoopy and the escapist fun and humor of that character,” he says.

“But whether Schulz was conscious of it or not, it was those deeper emotional things that made me continue to read into adulthood. Those deceptively simply drawn characters have real complexity and depth."

“And besides, they’re still funny 70 years later. How many comic strips can claim that?”

Bay Area author Gene Luen Yang considers how Schulz’s comic evolved from revelation to quiet revolution.

Says Yang, author of such graphic novels as “American Born Chinese”:

“He is so influential that pretty much every strip-format comic today, whether in the newspaper or on the web, has borrowed a bit of that innovation.”

‘We stayed close’

Ever the athlete, Schulz embraced baseball, golf and hockey from a young age. He grew to love sports like tennis and these passions regularly found their way into his strip.

Before he befriended some professional athletes well into his career, though, Schulz could not have known how much he buoyed them.

“As a young skater growing up, it was always fun to see the comic strip and celebrate everything we experienced at the rink,” says figure skater Scott Hamilton, who won Olympic gold in 1984.

“To see the ‘Peanuts’ [characters] come alive on the ice made it seem like what we were doing was more than just skating. We had a place in popular culture.”

Schulz relocated to Northern California in the late ’50s, but you couldn’t take the Minnesota boyhood out of the man.

In Santa Rosa, he built the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, also known as Snoopy’s Home Ice, in 1969. And there, in the early ’80s, Hamilton began working with Schulz on ice shows.

(The skater will host “Sparky’s Ice Spectacular” at the venue on Saturday to mark the centennial.)

“Sparky was very hands-on in everything he did,” Hamilton says.

“In one of the productions I did for him, he had this dream of doing a cocktail party where I got to play the host of the party.

That character was interested in a girl at the party, but she gets swept off her feet by another guest, kind of like his stories of the Little Red-Haired Girl in the comic strip. Just when it seems he lost the girl, she comes back after all the other guests had left.”

Adds Hamilton, “To see how much Sparky loved that production made it one of my all-time favorite skating memories.”

Schulz also became a strong supporter of equality in sports, which included joining the board of trustees of the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded in 1974 by tennis icon and civil rights activist Billie Jean King, to “advance the lives of women and girls through sports and physical activity.”

Schulz would not only draw Snoopy serving aces. He would also reference his friend King.

“Sparky was actually very shy, and his comic strips were a great source of inspiration and comfort for me, especially as I traveled the world during my tennis career,” King says.

“I knew if he added my name to a ‘Peanuts’ strip, he was checking in on me and wanted to have a chat.

“We stayed close until he passed, and I will always cherish that.”

’A perfect pairing’

Mendelson, who died in 2019, believed in creative serendipity. He once told The Post that the first time he heard the music of Vince Guaraldi — while driving across the Golden Gate Bridge — he thought he might use it someday.

Singer-songwriter Ben Folds views Guaraldi’s music as inseparable from the classic “Peanuts” animation it accompanied.

“When you match the music with ‘Peanuts’ and the era and what it was doing and saying, then it starts to hit like Beethoven Piano Sonata time,” Folds says of Guaraldi’s sunny West Coast sound that “distilled jazz into something popular.”

Guaraldi’s “Peanuts” songs and the animated specials were “a perfect pairing,” he says, adding that the music “just gets the vibe.”

That “loomed large” when Folds was asked to write theme music for the recent streaming Peanuts special, “It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown.”

He meditated on Guaraldi’s music rather than trying to imitate it: “I didn’t try to drop riffs. I just went with the color.”

‘Pursue their dream’

This month, “Jump Start” creator Robb Armstrong appeared on a Schulz Museum panel with other celebrated cartoonists to share personal stories about the Sparky they knew.

As he sat onstage, Armstrong appreciated that Schulz “made other budding artists either realize their dream, pursue their dream or smooth the road on their journey.”

“He was one of the most grand-hearted human beings I’ve ever encountered,” Armstrong says.

A 6-year-old Armstrong was inspired by “Peanuts” in the summer of 1968, when Schulz integrated the strip by introducing a Black character: Franklin.

Armstrong’s reaction: “I’m in this strip.”

(About a quarter-century later, Schulz gave Franklin the last name of “Armstrong” in a salute to his friend and syndicated colleague, an honor the “Jump Start” creator calls “otherworldly.”)

Barbara Brandon-Croft, the trailblazing creator of the comic “Where I’m Coming From,” also responded strongly in 1968.

“I was excited to see a Black character in ‘Peanuts.’ Even if Franklin’s presence was only that — a Black kid amongst the group — it absolutely made a difference,” she says."

“When you grow up as an ‘other,’ which is what this country laid out for us, when you see yourself represented, it gives you a sense of belonging.”

‘The cool astronaut’

Schulz, a World War II Army veteran, was long fascinated with aviation.

NASA and “Peanuts” have a long relationship that includes the Silver Snoopy Award, which is bestowed upon outstanding NASA contractors and employees.

In 1969, Schulz appeared in public alongside the Apollo 10 astronauts who rode in the module called “Charlie Brown.”

That was also the year that a future astronaut was inspired by Snoopy and space.

“In 1969, the Mets won the World Series, [astronauts] landed on the moon and I went to see ‘A Boy Named Charlie Brown,’ the new animated feature, at Radio City Music Hall, says Mike Massimino, an engineering professor and space adviser.

“It all happened within a few months of each other, and it kind of set up the passions for the rest of my life.”

That year, Massimino received a stuffed Snoopy astronaut toy as a gift.

In 2009, on his second NASA space mission, Massimino took that same Snoopy toy into space, a symbol of his lasting attachment to “Peanuts.”

Noting that his attempts to become an astronaut failed three times before he was accepted, Massimino says he admires Charlie Brown’s spirit of optimistic resilience.

“Charlie Brown is the friend and person I wanted to be, and Snoopy is the cool astronaut I wanted to be,” Massimino says.

Adds the astronaut, “I think it’s the greatest comic strip and characters ever created.”

[niafromheaven]

What song do y'all want next?

[ghost-diner]

Now that off book's coming to an end,

I gotta say, my favourite bit they do is the riff from defying gravity at the end of songs

I love it every time

[gaybichon]

thoughts on the wicked movie? personally im generally a cynthia erivo fan but was deeply disappointed by her defying gravity riff in the trailer

i am trying not to overanalyze the trailer since it was just a teaser but goddddddddd i have never in my life been praying so hard for a movie to be good and yet so convinced i am not going to be happy with it (due to my strong opinions about movie musical adaptations in general and also my obsession with wicked [both the show and the novel])

i'm actually not too familiar with cynthia ervio but yeah that riff did not thrill me and neither did the visuals

oh also i don't know how i feel about splitting it into two movies?? no offense to the source material but i don't think act 2 has a coherent enough plot to make an entire movie about it (i'm writing an alternate version of act 2 in my head where the movie takes a hard tonal shift into the wicked novel but that's a topic for another post) i wanna have faith in ariana grande though i think she can really nail the singing but on the other hand i can't really imagine her trying to do dramatic acting..............

tl;dr i have a LOT of concerns and the teaser didn't alleviate any of them but i guess no matter what happens we will be able to sit somewhere dark and see beautiful women, huge

what do you think about the fact that there's gonna be two new songs though...... ideologically i'm opposed to adding new songs but they are being written by stephen schwartz so maybe i'll allow it

[oldbaton]

it really is crazy how elphaba's big belters get progressively tougher. like wizard and i is p easy to sing, defying gravity is def a middle range one, but no good deed is a GAMMUT. even if you don't add in a bunch of riffs and stick to it verbatim that song is... when i try it on my own in its key its KILLEERRRRR

[begottaum]

✨ I am life, Riding your breath, Permeating your body, Energising your cells, Dancing in the matrix of your DNA.

Creativity and Potential unlimited, Mysterious unfathomable, Irresistibly Exciting, Dreaming of this.

I am the Truth the Light and the Way, I am Peace Love Light, Space Wisdom and Grace. I am divine, I am consciousness.

I am That (ALL THAT) All That IS.

I am Me, My name, My body, Human in form. And I am you too beyond that. I am a Lover of God the Great Mystery, Of life ever unfolding, Seeker of the Truth.

Of Love I Am, Perpetually Learning,

I am Here, I am Now. Open, Indefinite infinite Remembering, We were made for times like these.

I am Words, Thoughts, Meanings, Feelings Made Solid from the flesh and blood of this world. Earth Animal, 2 footed Sun Dancer, Hungry for it all.

I am Caught in the rip-tides of time, A falling star defying Gravity. Living the dream, Like I never mind, How everything Just IS, LIKE THIS. ✨

~ Shanti Meera riffs off the Great I AM

Jan 2023

[doomanddead]

The Howling Eye: Your Psychedelic Summer Soundtrack

There’s nothing like summer in the city. Heat rises in waves off the asphalt. Palm fronds strike poses against an endless blue backdrop. Everyone seems to pulse to the same languid groove. Heat and light melt everything down into a rainbow soup, and by the end of June psychedelic tunes feel like the only viable soundtrack to daily life. It comes as no surprise, then, that my pick for the most interesting underground album of the month comes from Polish psych outfit The Howling Eye. Their latest offering, List Do Borykan is a 7-track vacation from reality. You never know what’s going to happen next. Did things just shift from space rock to jazz, or from punk to funk? If you’re open to adventure, join me on this psychotropic journey around the corner and up to the stars.

List Do Borykan by The Howling Eye

Space Dwellers, Episode 1 features a slinky, spaced-out groove with percussion straight out of your local jazz lounge. The evolving melody reacts to the forces of gravity as you drift between planets. The vocals—delivered like spoken-word poetry—recount a tale of a stranded crew meeting bizarre musical aliens. The wandering melody is a colorful oil slick floating atop a vat of liquid sour candy.

If you thought the whole album was going to have you gliding around in a cosmic dreamland, then the second track may come as a bit of a surprise. Medieval is bristling folk rock with a punk edge—the type of thing that would be right at home on a Gogol Bordello album. The Howling Eye describes the song as “a bard’s tale of seeing through social hierarchies, defying the laws of tradition and seeking your own path in life.” The band uses a mix of languages to make their point, and bangs it out for an explosive finish. 

Brothers starts out as a mellow dreamscape and develops into an intense jam. Different instruments take turns punching out shapes in the fuzz. A guitar soars and dives in the thick midsummer haze. Take time to bathe in the amniotic camaraderie, my friends, and don’t forget to pass that joint to the left.

Space Dwellers, Episode 2 arrives wide awake, and brings the funk to the party! Don’t get too comfortable, though, because The Howling Eye is anything but predictable. This chameleon gradually shifts from snappy red to cool violet. The tune spends time suspended in stonerville before slowing down and dropping into doom territory. It’s a fascinating transformation that typifies the band’s adventurous use of texture and mercurial songwriting style. 

Caverns is a refreshing cool-mint palette cleanser of an instrumental. This ethereal groove is mellow and easily digestible, leaving you ready for anything.

Surprise! You probably weren’t expecting a funky dance hit, but Space Dwellers, Episode 3 is a minute and a half of pure booty-bouncing good times. Shake those maracas, and don’t take yourself too seriously! These cats sure don’t.

The album closes on Johnny. It’s an artsy, trippy ode to a friend. The track is thick with bass-driven hypnotic riffs and a spirit of brotherhood. Rock on, friends. 

Listening to List Do Borykan is like stepping into a stoner movie where four buddies heading to the corner store end up on a wild interstellar adventure. It’s a thrilling escapade centered around mind-bending riffs and deep friendships, with musical twists and turns I never saw coming. If you’re looking for a soundtrack to your psychedelic summer, then this is it.