#he's not selling out stadiums or anything but he does have a fan base

[softpine]

needle in the hay lost, but in my place

[transcript]

[louisisalarrie]

i don’t understand how louis is selling out stadiums, having fans crowd him at airports like during 1d, and just have a big fan base (as i can see on social media), however his listeners are like 2 million? it is so weird?

Hi anon! Demographics, venue capacity, tour legs, time of year to tour, venue availability, recent releases, social media traction, tiktok song plays, stunts, radio play, allllllll that and more obviously have a huge effect on streaming numbers and followers and fan interactions. I feel like this may be a bit longer than you probably wanted, and may also stray a bit, but alas, welcome to the show!

Let’s have a squiz at the numbers between the boys real quick:

Harry

Instagram: 47.2m followers

Engagement Rate: 5.05%

YouTube: 14.7m subscribers

Spotify: 62.4m monthly

Top 5 countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Great Britain, Chile, Australia

Louis

Instagram: 17.8m followers

Engagement Rate: 3.17%

YouTube: 4.39m subscribers

Spotify: 2.8m monthly

Top 5 countries: Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina

Niall

Instagram: 32.4m followers

Engagement Rate: 1.70%

YouTube: 4.63m subscribers

Spotify: 15.1m monthly

Top 5 countries: Australia, Great Britain, Australia, Indonesia, Ireland

Liam

Instagram: 26.4m followers

Engagement Rate: 0.83%

YouTube: 3.73m subscribers

Spotify: 5.1m monthly

Top 5 countries: Australia, Great Britain, Indonesia, Australia, Australia

Zayn

Instagram: 52.3m followers

Engagement Rate: 1.52%

YouTube: 15.7m subscribers

Spotify: 27.2m monthly

Top 5 countries: Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Great Britain, Australia

———

So, these top 5 countries and numbers, based on very little info that’s not super detailed or anything and like I won’t go into the statistics of everything else because it’s pretty obvious who’s getting radio play etc etc., show the diversity of listeners and followers in their demographic. These top countries fluctuate often, particularly louis’ being mostly in LATAM right now because of his tour there but… don’t you think he’d still have GB on there? He’s not holding any traction there like the others, and has the lowest monthly listens and followers out of them all.

However, his lack of radio play is hugely affecting this. It may seem that radio play is pretty obsolete these days, what with everyone having Bluetooth in their cars and Spotify/youtube on their phones, but it pulls a wider demographic. Hell, we still have a radio monopoly in Aus. But anyway. It’s not dead, and it’s a great way to plug music, and not focus on just streaming services (not that Louis is, he’s been pretty much blacklisted from radio unfortunately).

Radio play encourages folks to search the artist on Spotify and then it builds from there. It’s still crucial in this day and age to diversify the age demographic, and country demographic, of your fanbase.

But look at those numbers… Zayn is slaying at the moment. He’s ahead of Harry in both Instagram and YouTube. Granted, Harry’s been MIA for ages and Zayn is on a promo run with a new release, but he’s just pulling that liiiiittle bit more than Harry. Louis is extremely far behind all of them, only beating out Liam in YouTube, and it just… it breaks my heart. Because Louis’ songs ARE marketable, ARE good for radio, and should be treated as such.

However, have a squiz at that Instagram engagement rate. Louis is just after Harry, and the other boys are far further behind. It makes sense for Louis to have a higher engagement because he’s consistently posting and on tour, but to be THAT far ahead with the LEAST amount of followers? Pretty fucking awesome.

He has a different relationship with fans, far closer than I’ve seen across many artists. He has a community, extremely dedicated and supportive of everything he fucking does. Harry does, but it’s far wider spread. The bigger your fanbase, the more discourse and differing of fan dedication is. It doesn’t feel like a community, whereas Louis’ does, and so it’s nice and cosy for us. But, what comes with this, is a lack of further PR push for bigger and better.

And you’re correct, he’s selling out venues (of an arena capacity 99% of the time) and has a lot of fan interactions and all that, but he’s not diversifying his fanbase. It’s a comfortable, lovely, and reliable group of fans that get him on stage and pay his bills. He doesn’t necessarily need to get bigger, and I don’t really think he’s that fussed right now about it either.

The BEST way to get more fans and more Spotify listens is to interact with other artists, doing collabs, stunting with them, and getting in touch with their fanbase. He’s done a great job with that with AFHF, which is an awesome tactic to do and also clearly something he’s passionate about, but he’s still not hitting the mark quite yet. But he’s grown massively from the beginning of his solo career, and it’s been more steady and picking people up along for the journey, not just dropping them at the show.

He hasn’t stunted in a long time, and hasn’t really interacted with a big name in ages. It’s not always romantic stunts, though. It can truly be about creating and upholding the relationships with other musicians that can really positively boost you in a bigger direction. No other artist is really vouching for him or posting “hey my mate louis just dropped a live album!” or “Louis is hosting a music festival what a sick lad!” ya know? Or even a selfie or attending one of his shows or anything at all. Niall is carrying on with Shawn and Lewis and having fun with it and being silly and the general public, and other fanbases who’ve never even heard of Louis, aren’t seeing the side to him that we see and love.

His stage show also, is absolutely sick. We love it, and the barrier run is something Harry simply can’t do, but it provides just that more of an artist to fan relationship. Harry kills it with the banter, dedicates entire parts of his shows to have chats with the audience, says outrageous shit and wears outrageous things, and makes a statement. Louis isn’t doing anything like that that would break the internet right now. His songs and funny quotes aren’t being used on tiktok like they are with Harry. He’s not reaching a larger crowd and I really, unfortunately, don’t think he will (to a massive scale, at least) without doing something big, a stunt beginning or ending, or if he keeps building a solid fanbase who he likes to connect with, interacting with other artists.

He seems to be in his own little Louis world right now, our Louis world, and we love him for that. Of course we do. He’s built a steady and dedicated long lasting relationship with us, but yeah.. he’s not making headlines, radio play, or getting the GPs attention. It fucking sucks, but it is what it is at the moment, and I hope it changes for him because I would LOVE nothing more than to see him sell out stadiums worldwide and be the best he can be.

But he’s just doing what he loves right now, and I don’t think him or his media team are really all that fussed on pushing to a wider audience because it involves things that he probably doesn’t wanna do. He’ll take a break after this tour (heartbreaking) but he’ll need to push to get back on the ground after HS4 drops because that’s gonna dominate the charts again. Right now, during this tour without the shadow of Harry, was the time to be making headlines. But he’s happy, and we’re happy, so so be it.

Anyway, this turned into a shit show of marketing and me probably repeating myself 16783890 times, but his strategy at the moment doesn’t seem to be rushing to top the charts (even tho he’s blacklisted too which doesn’t help) to rapidly grow his fanbase, it’s just to spend time with us and enjoy tour.

At the end of the day, dedication and the Artist to Fan relationship are the most CRUCIAL things an artist can have. And Spotify and follower numbers don’t mean shit.

Once more, he’ll pick up people to the way to the show, and not just drop them off.

I’m exhausted now LOL. thanks anon!

[zot3-flopped]

It’s hard to compare Harry to the other four now, isn’t it? He has worked so hard to get where he is and he’s made obviously interesting and solid relationships in the business, and he’s just inventive in his own way. 

Zayn I see as someone who had the voice, had the looks, and in the early days he had the personality for it. He’s not the best stage performer but he wasn’t bad, he could talk to the crowd, and his good pitch and high notes distracted enough from the lack of strength in his vocal performance. Then he got thin and sullen and appeared resentful. Maybe it was an eating disorder, maybe it was drugs, maybe it was the full-on stress of the job. Whatever: the music business is rough and it’s not been good for him (except the millions, I suppose).

Liam has recently let everyone know that he has something going on that needs a psychiatric evaluation and rehab, and I hope the reactions to that last podcast spurred someone on to get him some help. It was just sad. He doesn’t have whatever Simon saw in him during the X Factor, that was all a mistake on Simon’s part because he saw a Bieber-alike and got dollar signs in his eyes. I suppose sometimes the odds just don’t work out. As Liam grew up he plainly got less appealing and more empty as a personality. Again, it’s a rough business. 

Niall is absolutely confusing to me because he’s sweet, he’s got a decent enough voice now, and he’s got a fan base that isn’t dependent on him being in any secret relationship conspiracy theory scenario. But what that anon said about him copying Harry is so true, and it’s getting to be so obvious now. Someone said years ago that it must be hard for Niall to watch Harry achieving every goal that he might conceivably have (think Fleetwood Mac collaborations, think filling stadiums, that sort of thing) and as such I have a bit of sympathy for him, but what is he doing with the recent cosplay? There’s a big market for Ed Sheeran kind of boring-ass music and he definitely is closer to that than anything else. If he’d just carve his own path, he has fans who want it. Sure, it’d take work, loads of promo (and not just giggling about with Lewis Capaldi), but that is what it takes for anyone.

Louis is the one in the best position at the moment (excluding Harry naturally) because he’s been out on tour and he’s got some buzz going for new music. As a Harry fan I will hate it, every reedy, thin, I hope auto-tuned second of it. It’s good to recognise though that he doesn’t use Harry in the way that Liam has in the past (talking about their ‘friendship’) and he couldn’t have a style less like Harry’s if he tried (Niall’s really doing something tacky there). Larries obviously completely disagree but there is nothing that Louis does that acknowledges Harry: not clothes, not opinions on art, music, books, mental health, not demeanour, appearance, care for himself, and definitely not visibly understanding how to play the game in promo interviews. He’s obviously got a destructive streak somewhere. We drag him for not being able to look or sound or behave in a way that’s professional but sometimes I wonder if his image and self-image are a reaction to Harry in some way, a massive fuck you. 

I can’t help but think that Larries are the single worst influence on Louis because they trap him into being able to sell just enough to think he’s got a chance at a good career, and they perpetuate the image of Harry everywhere he tries to promote himself. They won’t let him escape, ever, and they are unable to see their own part in the tragedy of it. 

Meanwhile Harry’s got the right idea: just get on with it, pop that dimple every now and again, make music that people actually enjoy listening to, have a blast with your friends and coin it in. 

Another thought provoking ask! I think with Niall one of the problems is that his original fans didn't see him as a man of the people Ed type but as a super hot boybander, and by 2018 he'd lost that look.

[1ddotdhq]

🍷Thurs 29 Oct ‘20🚙

Cam’s song Changes (written by Harry along with country singer-songwriter Lori McKenna and producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson) dropped in some parts of the world this morning, and it is LOVELY! It is a twangy country song about growing up and getting out of your hometown and seeing the world change and you with it. I really think Cam buried the lead when advertising this song, as the best lyric is clearly, “I was falling in love in a back seat, giving it away like my heart won’t ever break. Had such a young heart drinking cheap wine…”. Hmmm...does this sound familiar to anyone? Of course it does! Fans had a great time comparing this song to Fearless and We Made It (and, honestly, yes. I agree). But that is not enough music news for Harry: SiriusXM started releasing videos of Harry’s New York performance in February (whoa a lifetime ago), including Kiwi, Golden, and Lights Up. The performances are, as always, ELECTRIC, and I can’t wait to be able to see them live, eventually.  

Zayn is back and he’s posting Better promotion on instagram (the song, not like...he’s doing a better job...oh, you know what I mean). He hasn’t blessed us with any more covers since yesterday, but he’s active, so I think we’ll be hearing more from him very soon….Maybe some of those songs he registered last month? Please???

All I want for Christmas is...for Liam to branch out and add Tech Expert to his resume alongside ‘YouTuber’ and ‘Tik Tok sensation’? Well, maybe that’s a hyperspecific demand, but it seems like I’m in luck! Liam will be joining the speaker line up of Web Summit 2020, which is a program which “brings together the people and companies redefining the global tech industry”. Liam *is* a recording tech expert, but that’s probably not what they tapped him - this is likely to do with the way he is putting on consistent and quality virtual concerts in a way that has massively transformed the potential for fan engagement in socially distant times. Congrats, Liam, because you’ve worked really hard! And he’s not done working! Liam took to instagram to call fans “detectives” for figuring out that his Christmas collaboration was Dixie D’Amelio, and promising “fun” leading up to the Holidays with “Dixie and her family” (uh, do you think that her parents are gonna be involved or just her super successful 16 year old Tik Tokker sister Charlie?). Anyways, as much as I would LOVE to say that we are indeed detectives (because we are!) , the credit for letting the cat out of the bag this time goes to Dixie herself, who posted a Tik Tok of her singing the song. This, on top of the speculation that already existed, was all the confirmation we needed to know what was happening. Liam also filmed a few episodes of a podcast Happy Hour with veteran YouTuber JaackMaate on his show, where he and his friends chat with people about their jobs and their lives in a relaxed way. And! If you bought tickets to LP Act 3, check your inbox - Liam has sent information on how to access the concert, and also some pre-emptive tech support links. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one.

Niall was, again, very busy with promo, appearing on Live with Ryan Secrest and hitting all of the Royal Albert Hall talking points we’ve been hearing, but he also took the time to interact with fans on Twitter! He tells us that he’s not going to be doing anything for Halloween (“can’t go anywhere in big groups”), that he loves Bruce Springsteen, and that he’ll do a live striptease if “Slow Hands” passes a billion streams by next week. Look, I know I keep saying this, but, uh #PLEASEdontstripitdownNiall. BUT! Do show us more of your skincare routine, which is what he did on insta: he posted a pic of himself in a facemask saying, “You’ll all be saying after RAH, ‘Niall you were glowing!’ and I’ll say… ‘I know’”. 

And, Louis showed us how quickly he works when he has a goal in mind: after the unfortunate matter of merch shipping only to certain regions of the world yesterday, Backstreet Merch (the company in charge of his stuff) quickly took to twitter to say that, “We will be expanding our shipping zones to all of South America and India...within the next 48 hours.” And that’s exactly what happened! Not only that, Central America and Singapore are also on the list (catch ALL OF MY FAMILY rocking their Walls merch), although Mexico is not, and Backstreet Merch has said they have no current plans to ship to Mexico, which, hmmm. But look, I just gotta say that in 48 hours, Louis listened to his fans who have supported him (he sold out TWO stadiums in Argentina!) and quickly made his merch more accessible. Honestly, I love this man. And those countries certainly deserve it – can your country say Walls was its best selling album last week? Argentina can! Both Harry albums and Heartbreak Weather were also in the top ten.

However, I may have said good riddance to Celebtm too soon ( :{( ). TMZ has picked up their second mess of an article and is now distributing that. On top of this, Michael Straus has contacted both Judge Judy and the People’s Court to see if they can get some cable airtime and settle the small claim on TV - which, to be clear, Briana has to agree to, but it seems likely. Celebtm (despite saying yesterday they weren’t going to report on this until January when the court case happened, okaaaay) made a statement telling Briana to take the TV offers seriously so that Louis’ “child support” (quotes theirs, not mine) wouldn’t go to her legal fees. They went on to say, “We only see #onedirection here. To #EndIt on television and win your freedom to love ❤️ again with the next victim. Thank you #1DFamily for supporting #louistomlinson during these chaotic #1D times”. We DO support Louis, which is more than I can say for celebtm. It might bring a little thrill to see a media outlet proclaiming End It, but is it a good thing for Louis? No. This is happening because of the response they're getting and unless someone makes them (mark this down cause you won't see me saying this usually but omg LTHQ will you please get in here and shut this talk down?) they won't stop with this nonsense (see: yesterday's Larry Stylinson article) until the fans stop cheering them on. Speaking of nonsense on Instagram, Lou the golden retriever, the influencer dog fans headcanon-ed was the one HSHQ posted, decided he wanted a piece of the pie and has joined the swollen ranks of accounts falsely claiming a connection to Harry. There are many, including deuxmoi who post an endless stream of made up stories, but also the occasional credible sounding fan report such as yesterday's of Harry at a gym in the UK, and, um, WOW! It’s one of those fitness classes where you alternate your running pace to accelerate your heart rate, and the fan account claimed that Harry’s base pace (that is, comfortable running pace) is 10 mph, which is a 6 minute mile, or a 5k in 18 minutes. Uh, WHAT?? Guys, that’s it: I’m officially a stan, I love this man, and I want to go on a run with him.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

Although some of his fans seem to be getting fed up with him lately. I’m seeing more disgruntlement…//

I agree there have been more disgruntled fans since HO first happened but honestly I think it’s just a small percentage on the internet. The fact that he can sell out stadium tours is proof that he has plenty of fans that just don’t give a shit what he does. Even some of the other blogs on here that are “so disappointed in Harry” still talk about wanting to buy his stuff. You have to admit, his team is somewhat smart in that they recognize how gullible his fan base is and are very confident in the fact they won’t leave (at least not for many years). It’s disgusting how much they accept but still want to throw all their money at him and defend everything he does. I really wonder why they willingly do this. Is it because they don’t want to admit they were wrong? Is it because they don’t have anything else going on in their life if they don’t stan Harry so it gives them “something to do”? Or do they think spending their money on him will make him notice them and personally reach out to thank them? I really wish someone would do a psychological study on crazy stan culture lol. 🤔🥴 On a side note, I think right now it’s a benefit to Harry to have such young fans because they easily accept everything and bring in the majority of the money but what is he going to do as he gets older? IMO, it would be embarrassing to be 40 years old still making music for a crowd of 12 to early 20 year olds. What older musician does that now? His team should really start thinking long term and not solely doing any cash grab they can for today.

.

[jessethorn]

Some Los Angeles Tips

People are always asking me what they should do when they visit LA. I am by no means the greatest LA expert on earth, but I’ve lived here more than a decade now, and I have some ideas for you. Note that I live in the far Northeast corner of LA, and really rarely travel to the western half of town. So if you are looking for advice on Beverly Hills stuff or Malibu stuff or whatever, I am not that helpful. Also this is very subjective and really non-comprehensive in general. Just some stuff I like!

In General

Rent a car if you drive, but don't be afraid to take the bus or subway. There are some very long distances to traverse, and not everything is convenient to transit, but the transit is reasonably comfortable and efficient for a lot of purposes (going downtown, for example), particularly when combined with some judicious ride-sharing. There's plenty of parking everywhere, despite what Angelenos would have you think. Don't try to do too many things in one day, or cross town on the 10, 101 or 405 at anything even resembling rush hour (ie between like seven and ten thirty or three and seven on weekdays). Stick to one area for the day, maybe two.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology This is the best thing in Los Angeles and one of the best things in the world. It is part museum, part art project. To explain it much further might ruin the experience of visiting it, but please take my word that it is one of the most amazing places in the world.

The Watts Towers As the name suggests, they're in Watts, a bit out of the way for some trips, but absolutely without a doubt worth the travel. They're an incredible artwork/building built in a backyard out of rebar, concrete, glass and tile by an illiterate Italian immigrant in the mid-20th century. Worth signing up for a tour, they are cheap (it's a city park) and not all that long. There's also a little gallery on the site. One of the great works of American outsider art and a deeply beloved city treasure.

Other, More Regular Museums LACMA is a world-class art museum. The collection is a bit scattered (and as of this writing a wing is closed for renovation and replacement), but it's really good. It's in Mid-City on the Miracle Mile, and surrounded by other museums. The Petersen Automotive Museum is pretty cool if you're into cars. La Brea Tar Pits are more park than museum, but the museum is fun in a kitschy way, if you're into prehistoric creatures. It's also a nice place to eat lunch. In Exposition Park are a few major museums - the Natural History Museum is pretty good, though not better than others in other major cities (the Field Museum or whatever). The science museum is OK but significantly outclassed by the competition (it's no Exploratorium), though it does have a real space shuttle, which is pretty sweet. The Annenberg Space for Photography does what it says on the label. A good mid-size museum of photographs, check what show is up. The Broad is a nice contemporary art museum in a beautiful building that's right near Walt Disney Concert Hall, also an incredible building. They have a second campus in Little Tokyo that's very nice but smaller.

Architectural Stuff The LA Conservancy runs affordable walking tours that take you into some of the most fascinating built environments in LA. The subject matter ranges from Art Deco in downtown to the modern skyscrapers of the 50s through 90s. They're mostly Saturdays, but a few also run on weekdays. Can't recommend them enough if you're up for a couple hours of walking. You can go inside the Bradbury Building and up into the upper floors! It's cool. (The Conservancy also runs screenings in the big movie palaces downtown, which are mostly otherwise closed to the public. Definitely recommend those.) A couple of other architectural highlights: the Hollyhock House is in Barnsdall Park in Los Feliz. It's a restored Frank Lloyd Wright estate willed to the city many years ago that as of relatively recently runs regular tours. Also in the park is the city art museum of LA, which sometimes has some cool shows. Cal Poly Pomona students run tours on Saturdays of the Neutra VDL studio and residences in Silver Lake, which can be combined with a nice walk around the lake and some middle-aged-hipster watching. The Gamble House in Pasadena is an absolutely breathtaking craftsman mansion with a lot of

Griffith Park Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. It has all kinds of stuff within it - the LA Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, some great hiking. It's a great place to spend some time. If you have little kids, they will love Travel Town, a train graveyard/museum that's inside the park (and free!). The zoo is good if you like zoos, though not incredibly great or anything. The Autry Museum of the American West is worth a visit if you're into that kind of thing.

The Grove I know that we talk about The Grove a lot on Jordan, Jesse, Go. Please do not waste your vacation time at the Grove. It's a mall. It's fine. This also applies to the Americana at Brand, which we sometimes talk about because we have talked about the Grove too much. Also a mall. A little nicer than some? I went there when I needed a new power cable for my Surface.

Dodger Stadium Look, I am a Giants fan and hate the Dodgers, but if you are a baseball fan, Dodger Stadium is a great place to watch a baseball game. Even I can admit that. Angel Stadium is about as generic as it gets, but if you go on a weekday you can take a train from Union Station in LA.

The Getty Center The Getty Center is a beautiful building on a breathtaking piece of real estate. It's pretty cool to visit, but be aware that most of the art is pretty early, so if you don't like busts or paintings of feasts and stuff from the bible, then it might not be your jam art-wise. And getting up there is a whole thing. That said: it really is a beautiful building and an incredible view, so you probably won't feel like it's a waste. And if you like busts, then get your ass over there.

Downtown Stuff I will again recommend the LA Conservancy's walking tours to get a flavor of downtown LA, which is very walkable and full of incredible stuff. The main library is a beautiful edifice, the history of which is detailed in Susan Orlean's The Library Book. Worth wandering around in. Grand Central Market is a great place to get a bite, though pretty bougie at this point. Right next to Grand Central Market is Angel's Flight, a block-long funicular that is a lot of fun and costs next to nothing. Besides this, there are still functional specialized commercial districts in downtown LA. The flower district is particularly fun - the big flower market opens early for wholesale sales but is open to the public and there are tons of stores selling silk and artificial flowers which are very fun to wander through. There are also areas with stores specializing in selling imported toys, store fixtures (a favorite of mine), jewelry and fabric. Most of the fabric is kinda garbage honestly but there is a good tailor supply store called B. Black and Sons and a great hat making store (worth visiting even if you don't make hats) called California Millinery Supply. FIDM also has a thrift store with cheap fabric leftover from LA-based factories.

Movies The Arclight is a fancy movie chain, and the Hollywood location (near Amoeba Records) is also the home of the Cinerama Dome, which is pretty fun. The Vista is a great single-screen theater on the east side. There are some great rep houses on the west side - check your local listings.

Comedy Stuff The UCB has a few great shows every night at both locations. It's hard to go wrong, though you should be aware you will be seeing things that are a little rougher than whatever makes it to your town as a road show. The signature improv show is Asssscat, which is absolutely as good as it gets. Dynasty Typewriter (right by our office) has a lot of great shows these days. A great standup show is Hot Tub at the Virgil. The big comedy clubs have pretty comedy-club-y comedy in them, not necessarily what I'd recommend, though you will certainly see a lot of relatively big names doing sets. The Improv Lab sometimes has MaxFun-adjacent headliners who've put together their own lineups, as does Flappers in Burbank. Largo has bigger-name shows of this variety as well, and if you go see a show there headlined by a Sarah Silverman or Patton Oswalt, the lineup will likely be packed with their pals, even if they aren't advertised.

Some Places To Eat This is NOT a comprehensive list. First: Jonathan Gold died a few years ago, but he is still the king of LA food. Anything he recommended in the Weekly or Times is still the gold standard (no pun intended). He was also a wonderful writer and a champion of foodways that are unfamiliar to many in LA, much less outside LA. If you are a food nerd, KCRW's Good Food is a superb local food show (and podcast) produced by Nick Liao, who used to work at MaxFun.

Philipe's The French Dip A restaurant that's been around for literally a century, with sawdust on the floor, big jars of pickled eggs, ladies in hairnets and really tasty French Dips. They have competing claims to having invented them but the other competitor turned into one of those goofy sleeve-garter-barman subway tile exposed lightbulb places about ten years ago. Philipe's is totally for real and great.

Pie N Burger This is just a burger place in Pasadena that sells classic SoCal-style burgers and is really great. Cash only, though.

Langer's The only one of the Jewish delis in LA that's really worth a special trip. The #19 (pastrami, cole slaw and swiss on rye) is truly one of the world's greatest foods. Pastrami here is better than anywhere else I've ever eaten, including those famous delis in New York.

Park's BBQ 

One of many great Korean BBQ restaurants in LA, but the only one recommended to me personally by Jonathan Gold. (I also like Soot Bull Jeep, which barbeques over charcoal and will leave you smelling like smoke, and Hae Jang Chong for all-you-can-eat.) (There are LOTS of different kinds of Korean food, but I am not an expert on the soups and blood sausages and bibimbaps and etc., but if you're adventurous, you could eat a different Korean food at a different spot every month in LA and make out well.)

Guelagetza Oaxacan food is one of the best kinds of food in the world, and Guelagetza is an LA institution that serves good-quality Oaxacan food. Moles, tlayudas, queso fundido. If you've never eaten any of this stuff, a couple of chicken moles are a great place to start (as is Guelagetza).

Dim Sum You can drive all the way to the San Gabriel Valley and eat at one of the many wonderful dim sum places there. That's where the best stuff is. If it's not worth a special trip to you, I like a place called Lunasia in Pasadena, and they also serve dim sum for dinner. Not a HUGE menu but good food.

Mozza This pizzeria, now a sort of group of restaurants, is an unimpeachably excellent Fancy Meal in LA. So (per my producer Kevin) are the other restaurants run by the same chef, Nancy Silverton.

The Dal Rae This is an old-timey fancy restaurant in Pico Rivera, a semi-industrial part of LA. It's just a great place to wear a suit to and eat Clams Casino. Famous for their table-made Caesar salad (legit great) and pepper steak (too peppery for me). Generally the food is excellent in a 1955 sort of way.

Bludsoe's Best Texas-style barbeque I've had outside of Texas. Used to be a window down by the airport, now a fancier place on La Brea, but I'm told the food is just as good at the fancy place.

Pupusas I love to eat pupusas. Maybe my favorite food. I really like to eat pupusas at Los Molcajetes on Hoover in Westlake (near Koreatown). Note they are weirdly big here (a regional variation of some kind) and they only take cash. (Note also this is one of 10,000 restaurants in LA named Los Molcajetes.)  I also sometimes eat at a nice sit-down Salvadoran place called Las Cazuelas on Figueroa in Highland Park.

In N Out In N Out is good! It will not change your life! But it is very tasty, especially for a $4 food! Some people complain about the fries, which are fresh-cut and fried only once and thus are less crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside than some others! I think they are fine! Try In N Out, why not! But maybe don't make a whole special trip to do so!

Tacos and Other SoCal Mexican Food Stuff Everyone has their own favorite taco places, and none of my favorites are so special they should be destinations. They are mostly my favorites because they are close to my home and work. But I can tell you that I like to get sit-down Mexican-American food at La Abeja on Figueroa in LA, where I eat a lot of carne adovada and enchiladas and sometimes albondigas or breakfast. I also really like to eat carne en su jugo at Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez on Pasadena in Lincoln Heights. I eat tacos from Tacos La Estrella on York in Highland Park or the truck (with no name) across from the Mexican consulate on Park View at sixth in Westlake. At night I sometimes get cheap tacos (I like buche) from the place that opens up on Pasadena at Avenue 37. I like the shrimp and fish tacos at Via-Mar on Figueroa. I like Huaraches from Huaraches Azteca on York. The burritos at Yuca’s in Los Feliz (or Pasadena) are great, though they are totally different from the SF-style burritos that I grew up eating. I sometimes get nachos at Carnitas Michoacan on Broadway in Lincoln Heights, which feature meat and cheese sauce and are gross but also really, really good.  I have also eaten at the very fancy Mexican restaurant Border Grill and to be honest it is really good even though the interior feels a little like a cross between a fancy restaurant in 1989 and a Chili's.

El Coyote This is a famous Mexican-American restaurant from the early part of the 20th century, but you shouldn't go there because the food sucks.

Stores I Like This is going to be REAL subjective, but a few stores I like which sell the kinda stuff you'd expect me to want. &etc - A great (small) antique store at 1913 Fremont in Pasadena. The Last Bookstore - A downtown bookstore that is the closest thing to a "destination" book store in LA. Good selection and reasonable prices on used books, and a nice art book room. (Records as well, but they're not very good.) Gimme Gimme Records - I like this record store in Highland Park. You'll pay retail here, but reasonable retail, and the selection (while not immense) is really excellent. Good stuff in all genres.

Secret Headquarters - One time at this small comics store in Silver Lake the lady at the counter asked if I was Jesse from Jordan Jesse Go and they won my business forever in that moment. Don Ville - My friend Raul makes and sells shoes (and repairs them!) in the northern part of Koreatown. If you have the dough, get him to make you some shoes! The Bloke - A really great little menswear store in Pasadena. Sells cool (expensive) trad-ish brands like Drake's and Hilditch & Key and Alden. The Good Liver - A beautiful shop in Little Tokyo specializing in perfect home goods. The perfect scissors, the perfect dish towel and so forth. Some things are expensive, some aren't. H Lorenzo Archive - The "outlet" shop of a designer clothing store on the west side. Discounts aren't huge, but the selection is really interesting, and they have a good collection of one of my favorite brands, Kapital. Sid Mashburn - Excellent classic clothing shop on the west side. Suit Supply & Uniqlo - if you haven't got these where you live, they're the places I usually send people for reasonably-priced tailored clothes (Suit Supply) and cheap basics (Uniqlo). Olvera Street - This is an old-timey tourist attraction, a street of folks selling Mexican handcrafts (and their Chinese-made analogs). Right near Union Station and Philipe's, and a great place to buy factory-made huaraches (the shoes, not the food). They even have sizes big enough for me, which is pretty much impossible to find in Mexico or most Mexican-American shoe stores. Thrift Stores - I go to a lot of thrift stores but if I told you which ones you might buy something I would have bought so I'm not going to tell you which thrift stores.

Flea Markets You may know I am at the flea market every weekend. The good fleas are on Sundays, and there's one every week. First Sunday of the month is Pasadena City College, a big (and free) market with pretty reasonable pricing. PCC has a pretty big record section in addition to the regular flea market stuff. Second weekend is the famous Rose Bowl flea, which is HUGE and has a big new goods section (blech) and vintage clothing area (good!). Third weekend is Long Beach Airport, which is a great overall show. Fourth is Santa Monica airport, which is smaller and a little fancier but very nice. The Valley flea is also fourth Sundays, at Pierce College, and that's not huge but sometimes surprises me. With all of these, the earlier you can arrive, the better you'll do (not least for weather reasons). I usually try to get there around 7:30 or 8:00. The Rose Bowl in particularl is a 4-6 hour operation if you do most of it. There are also a lot of swap meets - I don't know enought to recommend any in particular, but these are much more about tube socks and batteries and bootleg movies than antiques and collectibles. Still can be fun, though, and are certainly a proud SoCal tradition. (The Silverlake Flea and the Melrose Trading Post are garbage, don't go there.)

Going to the Beach I'm not a huge beach goer, but by all means go to the beach if that's your thing. The Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica is a great place to base your operation, though you have to arrive in the morning on busy days to get a parking spot.

Kid Stuff I mentioned Travel Town, that's pretty great. Kidspace in Pasadena is a very good children's museum. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a great place to see a marionette show straight out of 1966. There's a good aquarium in Long Beach though it's a bit nutty there on weekends, and the zoo in Griffith Park is a good zoo. I really like Descanso Gardens, a big botanical garden northeast of LA. Huntington Gardens is also very nice, though it's much more expensive and hotter.

Geography Los Angeles is BIG. I'd say try to spend each of your days within about a sixth of it, geographically. It's entirely possible to do west side and east side stuff on the same trip, but don't try to do them on the same day. Look at a map and look at driving times when you're planning. Neighborhoods in LA are BIG, geographically speaking, don't assume two things in the same neighborhood are an easy walk. There aren't a ton of urban neighborhoods suitable for wandering in the way there are in some places. A few manageable general areas for stuff you might like: Silverlake/Los Feliz/Echo Park, Koreatown, Highland Park, downtown, Little Tokyo and the Arts District. (I live in the northeast part of town, and don't spend much time on the west side, which is one reason why this list focuses more on east side stuff. Some folks like West Hollywood and Venice on the west side. Long Beach and Pasadena are both neat towns with their own thing going on that might be worth a visit, too.)

Books & Media The Great Los Angeles Book is probably City of Quartz, a socialist-leaning history of LA. I really loved Susan Orlean's The Library Book, which is about the library as an institution, but also specifically the LA central library and the mysterious fire that nearly destroyed it. And a wild guy named Charles Lummis who was one of the founding fathers of LA culture and was really something else. (You can visit his house - it's right off the 110 near Highland Park.) An LA movie I love is The Long Goodbye, which is sort of a predecessor/inspiration for The Big Lebowski. A shaggy mystery directed by Altman where Elliott Gould just sort of wanders around LA. Another really cool one is Los Angeles Plays Itself, a long (long!) film essay about the ways the real Los Angeles has been used to create fictional worlds in film over the decades.

TV Tapings I'm not an expert in TV tapings. I can say that I've been to a few Conan tapings, and while it takes a LOOOOONG time to get in there, the show is fun to watch live. This is generally true of talk shows and most game shows, which tape more or less as-live. Sitcoms take WAY longer than you were expecting them to. Make sure to try to book tickets early if you have something you want to see. No matter what it's a most-of-the-day thing.

Nightlife Is a word that describes evening activities - especially dance clubs. I am old and don't know about these things.

The Magic Castle I can't get you in, please don't ask me to. I went a couple times. It's fine. If you're not into magic you're not missing too much. If you are, then obviously, it's a priority.

The Walk of Fame and Hollywood Not recommended, not worth it, don't bother.

Disneyland Why would you want my opinion about Disneyland? It's Disneyland. You're in or you're out.

San Diego If you happen to plan a side trip to San Diego, you can take the Amtrak there, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful and exceedingly pleasant trip. I have no San Diego expertise to impart beyond that, however.

[shewhodoesnotexist]

Okay, so The Rise of Skywalker. Saw it two weeks ago but it’s hard to do anything when you have so much free time ;) Two weeks ago I wrote the following: I’m a little dumbfounded… It felt like a string of fan theories put together, with a video game mode of running after stuff from one place to another xD they put in so much stuff but somehow not enough… Feeling? And I think this still sums up my impression the best. Nevertheless:

So we begin with some Sith artefacts none-one’s ever heard of… This is so reminiscent of some fan videos and theories I got into after TFA, many of them based on Legends/the old EU, things that never appeared in the movies. I’m fond of fan theories, but this just didn’t fit in at all here, and seemed so… artificial, video game-like: suddenly there’s a thing we need to find and then it’ll be fine! But first we need to find this thing and go somewhere else and do another thing and then we’ll reach the place!

Like… The Last Jedi was built around characters with personalities, their interactions and conflicts, and for all its faults that made it engaging. This felt completely flat. It was just going from place to place, maybe except for some of the Kylo & Rey scenes, there was barely any feeling in it.

Also, some scenes were so artificial and obvious set-ups, like the woman with the necklace demanding Rey’s full name – maybe she’s from a planet with different naming conventions, how do you know, lady? – just so she can say she’s nobody and then have the necklace taken by Kylo, and the woman at the end, so that Rey can say she’s Rey Skywalker, and Luke giving Rey two lightsabers so that she can give one to Ben (the scene itself was awesome, yes, but the set-up was painfully transparent). Devices, yes, but don’t be so blatant about it.

What was the point of that Threepio stunt? It’s introduced as a heartbreaking sacrifice, then it turns out nobody cares, then it’s played for laughs, and then it’s reversed. Really?

The Palpatine thing is such a clumsily done retcon, honestly. Yes, he was the ultimate Big Bad in the previous trilogies, so in that aspect it kind of makes sense, but in regards to Rey... They made themselves nobodies? Yeah, no, Kylo’s vision and words from TLJ don’t fit this, you can’t square that one. And so Rey’s arc from The Last Jedi is neatly undone and she matters because of her family and very nearly (see below) is defined by her ancestry. Honestly, whichever version you prefer, it would be better to stick to one. That’s not getting into the problems of selling your children.

And really… Rey suddenly and accidentally bursting out some Force lighting supposedly shows “who she really is”? When has the Force ever worked that way? And of course it only happens when it’s convenient. And suddenly “no-one knows me”. Great, now you can be emo together.

And why would Palpatine even want to have descendants? As a backup plan?

And that’s not getting into the fact that apparently Palpatine had a son, who was alive during OT, who somehow rebelled against him, and that’s a story potentially more interesting than this movie, which is ignored. Actually… all right, possibly Rey’s father was not Force-sensitive, which was why Palpatine wanted Rey specifically, but the wording (“to protect you”) makes it sound as if all that rebellion happened only after Rey was born and he realised Palpatine’s intentions towards her, which raises further questions. But enough on that.

It is also incidentally implied that Stormtroopers who defected are Force-sensitive, and that, too, is ignored. What Finn wanted to tell Rey could be that he loved her or that he was Force-sensitive, but, of course, it is never revealed. (Wait wait, apparently it was confirmed it was about the Force. He does talk about how he understands her several times, so that makes sense.)

Speaking of which, once again there is an effort to humanise the Stormtroopers… which is then once again ignored.

Also speaking of which, for someone raised to be mindless soldier, Finn has had quite a love life – like, approximately four possible love interests?

Remember when there was a sandworm in one of The Hobbit movies and people were joking that Legolas’ blue eyes were due to Spice? Now we can do that with SW, too!

Remember when I said I didn’t believe the Knights of Ren even existed? You probably don’t. But they might as well not. For all the mystery and speculation they turn out to be slightly more elite mooks and are killed in approximately their second scene. Even the Praetorian Guards were more impressive.

Hux being the spy is… silly. Wasn´t he super into the First Order? Now he´s undermining it just to spite Kylo. But it is rather funny.

I feel that having Leia start a Jedi training and then quit due to visions takes away from her character. What’s wrong with preferring a political/military career while being Force-sensitive? But no, she needs to have run through the woods with a lightsaber and bested Luke, of course.

Plus, Leia of all people attacking Kylo… This is upsetting. At least have her appear to him as she dies, too. I mean, like so much in this movie, the idea itself was interesting, but the execution undermined it.

I liked Rey healing Kylo’s wound, but it is true that the sudden introduction of Force healing (no matter its earlier introduction in The Mandalorian) raises some questions about why it’s never appeared before.

I am amazed at Adam Driver’s acting. The moment Ben comes back to the Light, you can see it in his face. It’s unbelievable how much he manages to convey. That man is a gift and I am happy it was not Eddie Redmayne, sorry

The ship in the desert, maybe, but you can’t tell me Luke’s X-Wing is readily functional after having been who-knows-how-many years underwater. That’s just ridiculous.

What was that football stadium. Who were these people. What was going on.

What was even Palpatine’s plan? Was it that because Rey was related to him, he could body surf into her and continue ruling, as some people are interpreting it? Or was it the old “strike me with your hate/anger and complete your turn to the dark side”, in which case it wasn’t even all that relevant that they were related, as he had another Force-sensitive family to prey upon already? And then it turns to “I can just suck power out of you two and it’s good enough”.

How was Ben able to get that planet unnoticed? That’s not to mention another falling-apart ship. Oh, but his entrance, with a blaster, and then passing the lightsabre between them, that was incredibly cool :D

A fleet of planet-killing ships, fine, we needed to up the stakes yet again, but they still have a single weak point… I guess there’s not point complaining about that.

We saw Ben smile :) It was so beautiful :) And they kissed :)

...aaand then of course he had to die *sigh*

I haven’t heard the word “dyad” in that context before, but I have read a bit about Force bonds, and aren’t you supposed to completely devastated after the other one dies, as if something is torn out of your soul? Even leaving that aside, wasn’t Rey rather fond of him? Show some grief, maybe? No?

We get to the end, and we are remembering that we are watching a movie called “The Rise of Skywalker”. All the Skywalkers and their descendants are dead. Solution: have Rey tell a conveniently placed rando she is a Skywalker and leave her to continue the Jedi and Skywalker legacy (the latter of which may not be so stellar, come to think of it). She is once again alone on a desert planet, but now she is different, and ready to set out and do… something. But on the other hand, she’s alone on a desert planet again, so she ended up where she had begun (still alone!)… and so did the story of the Skywalker bloodline, on the planet both Anakin and Luke disliked so much and Leia had nothing to do with. All that to have a repeat shot. I’m not all that impressed.

On the whole this movie gives the impression that the filmmakers were trying to play it safe and pander to the fans, mostly to the fans who disliked TLJ and those who craved nostalgia, and distance themselves from TLJ as much as possible, while cramming a lot of material into the movie at the expense of emotional depth. There’s no time to explore this significant moment, we need to rush elsewhere! Many of the concepts could have worked much better if the had been given more time and focus, but the end result is a mess. Not to mention the ST as a whole feels inconsistent. And yes, I’m upset that Ben died! But that’s part of playing it safe, I’m afraid.

I’m not going to go into the last-minute editing controversy.

I watched the SCB review and they said it was a combination of Harry Potter, Avengers and GoT finales – very accurate ;)

Eh.

[theswiftarmy]

#19 - 6000 Headphones, 12 Mobile Phones, SOO Many Shoes, And An Earworm Inside The Biebs’ Head

What better way to fight a war than with love?  And what better way to rule the world than with love?  Because how do you fight back against love?  How do you?  What’s that lawn sign?  Love trumps hate—Or, what did Taylor say?  Hater’s gonna hate (hate x3), is my math right on that?  How many times does Taylor say the word hate in Shake It Off?  Or, if you live in the south, Gators gonna gait….  Get it?  Because there are gators always walking around in the south and the word gait is another word for how a person walks, although, I don’t know if it can be applied to an alligator walking around because I’m pretty sure they crawl instead of walk.  Although, perhaps one might describe alligators as slithering around like snakes, then again, if you ask a snake, they’ll be like… WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?  Alligators don’t slither, don’t even try to steal my mode of mobility, they saunter, and maybe alligators do saunter about.  But, let’s just pretend alligators gait, because it rhymes with haters gonna hate.  There’s a lot of pretending going on in this story.  Just remember that, play pretend and you’ll follow along just fine.

           Stay with me here for a quick second and a hot minute before I get back to the story—suppose that this Elvis sound were real, obviously it’s not because it’s just a story and not real, remember we’re just playing pretend, unless… it IS real and I’m coincidentally writing fiction about something that DOES happens to be real, I just don’t happen to know that it is real, I suppose there’s always that highly unlikely scenario—but just for a moment, let your imagination run wild and really think about it.  Back in the day when Rock and Roll first came into existence it changed the world, or so I’ve been told, it changed everyone who encountered it, again, not from personal experience, just what I’ve been told, the groove made you move, brought people together in a new and different way.  It’s hard to know what that experience was like if you didn’t live through it, especially since it’s all part of our society and history nowadays.  But, there was a time before it existed when no one even knew something like it could exist, and then ears at the time were infected with infectious melodies that they couldn’t get enough of, they hungered for more of this new and incredible musical genre, of course it wouldn’t be the last time a new genre was created and ears hungered for more.

But an interesting side effect of it all was that it created cultural icons, as the new genres continue to do.  It created idols, you know, like those with the first name of Billy, it created nice days for white weddings, and to start again.  And of course, these days there’s a new Billie in idol town, but I’ll get to why I bring her up later on.

Early rock stars and pop icons became immortalized, living on long after death, they’re gods and goddesses, a new era of decorated war heros or royals, as Lorde so eloquently put it, the weapon of choice a microphone or a guitar, or maybe both, or sometimes a keyboard, or a plethora of other instruments, insert instrument of choice here, maybe even a ukulele!  Mostly, though, early on the rock and roll army was a guitarmy.

These rock gods and goddesses all image and no human being, especially true of those who are no longer with us, the human being may be gone, but the image lives on, and we still look up to those who can sing and dance and gel their hair back in slick new ways.  Fantastic fashion abound, and the preferred weapons around, like I said, musical instruments, maybe some guitars, and guitar solos the ammunition.  Some would argue, not me, but some would say that’s what has gone wrong in our modern society, we mourn the loss of great guitar solos from these songs at the top of the charts.  

Could one correlate a graph with a rise in violence directly inversely correlated with solos in rock music?  Maybe.  But anyone can correlate anything if you tried hard enough, which is the point here, like fictionally connecting modern day Billy Porter in Taylor Swift’s music video for You Need To Calm Down, to back in the day Bill Porter, the sound engineer with the golden ear that recorded with Elvis in The Sixties.  But it does seem as though the guitar solo has been quietly replaced, those wailing solos instead becoming a bank of samples on which most music is now based.  Samples upon samples spliced in and layered over top of loops and mashed together with other samples and loops, but where did the samples originate?  So many musicians use samples in music without knowing anything about their origin.  It’s the wild west of sampling.  Anything that sounds good can be put in a beat or a hook.  And of course top it off with “The Drop”.  Ah yes, The Drop—the silence before a storm of melody, and perhaps that silence is what does it, what makes you anticipate the hook, what makes you addicted to the noise.  It sucks you in, and holds your ears hostage, note after note after note.  Making it so hard to turn the song off, we simply can’t get enough of the stuff.

           Suppose the sound were real though, go all in with suspension of disbelief, and samples upon samples of it were layered into songs you listen to, some of your favorite songs of all time, the ones you can’t get enough of and press repeat again, and again, exposing your ears over and over to the sound… Changing your brainwaves and playing with your mind and emotions… each new track artists put out an even more potent version to pull fans in, the only choice the fans have is to follow, unable to break away from the influence of our favorite icons and idols as we hang on their every word.  I mean, is it so absurd?  We continue to break streaming records, sell out stadiums, and fans are willing to fight for the right for their favorite artist to part ways with a record label, if you were an artist or a band, and in the market for fans, wouldn’t you sign up for it too?  What’s the harm in a little bit of sugar and spice to make everything already nice… Well, even more so, maybe twice or thrice that spice?  

And is it really all that hard to believe?  How many times have you pushed the back button on a song and listened to it again, a third time, a fifth time in a row?  How many times have you done something you wouldn’t normally have done because of a song?  How many times have you turned yourself around because a song changed your mood or mind, or your heart, asked someone to dance, or texted someone you probably wouldn’t have texted because of a tune you heard playing out on the town, or while shopping, or a song playing in a movie or TV show—how many times was just hearing the slightest snippet of a certain song taken as a sign and changed the course of your entire life?  I’m willing to bet more than a few of you out there just raised your hand.

Oak Felder finished making another point, “…but all that is lost to history and now pop stars are using it to control their fans.”

“Lure them in with love.”  Ariana said smiling.  “I mean, it works!”

“This is like, really blowing my mind right now.”  Scooter said.  “This just keeps getting even crazier!  It’s like, be careful what music you listen to because you have no idea what might happen to your mind…”

Scott reminded Scooter.  “And especially in Justin’s case, yeah—because his mind could be wiped if he hears the wrong song while he’s earwormed.”

Oak looked over at Pop, “Well, hold on to your seat, Scooter, because I found something else noteworthy!  We took Ariana’s suggestion to Shazam the sound, and—though I didn’t exactly do that—while we were analyzing it last night I did extract the sonic footprint of it, and Pop here was able to cross reference the footprint against the Shazam database in its entirety.”

“Yeah?”  Scooter responded, bracing for something extremely mind numbing.

“It seems as though Scott’s mystery Porter Pyramid noise, AKA ‘The Elvis Egg’ sound, may be in a lot more music than we thought.  It seems to show up across the Shazam library as small bits and pieces, or as these small pieces of music are more commonly referred to as, samples.”

“Wait, you mean sampling?”  Justin said, sitting again beside Ariana Grande but this time in a small but fun looking and colorfully designed IKEA-esk chair right beside the oversized beanbag chair, since Ariana had already called perpetual fivesies on the bean chair Justin had to find a new seat from the last time the group was in the studio.  Fivesies, for those not in the loop mean you have a claim to your seat after getting up, but that claim lasts for no more and no less than five minutes.  Although some people don’t always adhere to the rule, I won’t name names, but you know who you are.  Was that ten years ago?  Yes.  Am I still bitter?  That was my seat and you know it—Whatever, I’m allowed to be upset, how could anyone reading this possibly know what it’s like to have something that used to be yours suddenly in the possession of someone else.  It was mine, and then all of a sudden someone else is sitting on it, and wouldn’t let me have what was rightfully mine—even after I called fivesies!  It’s frustrating when someone takes something that was yours.  I mean, Taylor gets it, she called Fivesies on her back catalog of recordings and someone else, I won’t name names, totally took it from her.  Sorry, I digress, I’ll get back to the story—I’m in one of those writer’s moods, if you couldn’t tell.

Oak responded very matter-of-factly.  “That’s right Justin, sampling.  You know it as beats, grooves, drum breaks, horn sounds, and guitar riffs, just to name a few examples.  Most listeners have no idea that the original source of the sounds isn’t a direct recording, but a mashed up copy of a copy of a copy, sometimes many times over.”

“So, does that mean there are bad samples in music?” Ariana said swooping in and stealing the response directed at Justin—maybe you should have called fivesies on the convo, Justin.

Scooter scooted into the conversation too, taking some response time as well, being that it was there for the taking, like how Taylor’s masters were, so why not?  Why buy a vowel when you can buy an entire sentence in the form of a question, “What, like, you’re telling me that music is infected?  How?  Is it all music?”

That was three questions Scooter; you were only supposed to have asked one, you only bought one question, not three.

“No, not all music.  Just certain samples—“ Pop Wansel replied very Goldblum-y.  It was his turn to be Jeff.  Everyone gets to be Jeff Goldblum at least once and you can’t call fivesies on being Jeff Goldblum, only Jeff himself can do that.

Oak leaned forward in his Spaceship command chair.  “What’s the most sampled song of all time?  Does anyone know?”

“Umm…”  They all unknowingly blinked their eyes in the same cadence of the Capitol Records light and shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders, Justin’s cats moved their tails back and forth as they sat sleepily on the laps of two humans in the room, I’m not at liberty to disclose which two laps the cats sat upon, but they sat on two laps.  No fivesies were called, cats don’t need fivesies, they just sit wherever they please.

“No one knows the answer?  Well, the year was 1969.  A funk soul band named The Winstons released a single called ‘Color Him Father’.  The B side of that record contained a funked up version of a gospel song named ‘Amen, Brother’.  Now, of course, Color Him Father would win a Grammy for best R and B song after hitting number seven on the Billboard hot 100 charts, but the B side to that record?  Well, no one really paid it much attention for years… Eventually it would become the most sampled drum break in all music, it’s called the ‘Amen Break’.  It was first added to a compilation named Ultimate Breaks and Beats, which was popular with Hip Hop producers and DJs during the early days of Hip Hop.  The breakthrough hit Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. most likely propelled it into the mainstream, Straight Outta Compton contained a slowed down looped version of the Amen Break in its entirety, although it was used on other songs at the time as well.  I believe the first track to sample it was I Desire by Salt-N-Pepa.  Eventually it was broken apart, spliced up, and bits and piece of it were used in thousands of songs.”

“So, are you saying sampling is bad?”  The lawyer asked, his red pen poised and ready to make a new note on his notepad.

“No.  Oh, of course not.  There are a lot of great songs that contain samples, but as with any tool, or invention, it’s in the way that you use it, like Eric Clapton says.  Same is true with any sign, or symbol, or any product of a culture, or subculture, it’s the way you use it, or more importantly, what meaning becomes attached.  Musically speaking, it’s about what hooks on to those catchy hooks.  Brands are a whole other ballgame and a conversation for another time—Sometimes just by wearing a certain brand, or putting a sticker on the bumper of your car, you can say a lot about what you stand for, without using any words at all.  Without going really deep into the meaning of life, for whatever reason we humans have a way of creating things that represent the good in the world, the bad in the world, and additionally, the indifferent—or one point of view over another—like I said, conversation for another time.  But the meanings shift, something that had absolutely no real meaning can become a symbol of power, or a movement.  A heart symbol could say love, but it could be a declaration of war depending on the context and who sends it to you.  How many individuals took a knee before Colin Kaepernick did?  Did the gesture of taking a knee change in its meaning after Colin did it?  How about when Nike made a deal with Colin, how did that change the meaning of the Nike symbol?  I’m going to let you think about the answers to those questions.  Music, brands, gestures, bumper stickers are simply what they are, but in the context of society and culture in a specific place and time the meaning can be so much more.  Music isn’t just music, it’s so much more.  Every person will tell you his or her personal attachment to any song, and it can be a shared experience, or a singular one.  I’m sure we can all think of a song that takes us back in time, and maybe it’s a memory you share with millions, or an experience only you know about.  Humans have a tendency not to start out making anything to be a symbol of a moment, that usually happens later on, we make things, usually with the best of intentions, but sometimes just because it’s something that we are passionate about, what starts out as innocent, or cool, or just something to do, can become a beacon of hope, in the right hands, or a nightmare down the road should it fall into the wrong hands.  The future of anything can’t be predicted.  Rock and Roll had a start with a small group of musicians who probably didn’t even know it was Rock and Roll at the time, and that it would eventually spread through the entire world.  The Amen Break started with one single drummer Gregory C. Coleman, and later would be used in thousands of songs.”

“And that’s causing this war with the Swifities?  The war with Taylor?”  An Arianator asked.

“We aren’t at war with Taylor…” Oak replied, his tone of voice turning very serious, “We’re at war with an unfortunate scenario.  Taylor isn’t fighting a war because she wants to, she’s fighting it because she needs to.  It’s not her fault, she’s a victim of circumstance... as so many other innocent people on this planet have been and continue to be.”

Scott grabbed his share of the conversation as well, “Trouble’s gonna follow where she goes…”

Oak took it back, “Trouble follows us all, we are all victims of circumstance.  And we’re all fighting wars made of personal battles.  Just some of us more than others.”

“She’s a victim of her own music holding her hostage, like how I’m a victim of this earworm in my head.”  Justin said solemnly.

Ariana turned to Justin sitting beside her, “Since you don’t want to talk about what happened, I may be out of place by saying this, and I hate to have to say this Justin, but if you hadn’t broken up with Selena like twenty times, you might not have her earworm in your head right now.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Justin said back.

Ariana stifled a growl of frustration with her hands, turning her attention to Oak instead.  “So we’re fighting to free Taylor from her old masters?  Or specifically, from that egg sound—from samples used… We’re fighting for her, not against her?”  Ariana asked for clarification.  She reached for her phone in her pocket and gave it a squeeze.  With the masters tracks back in Taylor’s hands, she now held the only recording of the easter egg track should they need it.  She decided to keep its existence a secret.  If they found out they may take it from her.  For a minute she felt a rush of power wash over her, like some energy from the past or another dimension was trying to come to her and take over.  The power pulsed through her for a brief moment, chills down her spine, before she was able to push back against whatever it was creating the rush inside her.

“As long as I still get to own her.” Scooter said, “I mean, own her old masters, sorry, that’s what I meant.  A deal is a deal and I bought them fair and square.”

Everyone glowered at Scooter.

“What?  I mean, after this is all over of course.”

Everyone continued to glower.

“Why am I the bad guy in this?”

Flower power was big in the 60s, but in these modern times glower power is where it is at.

“Okay FINE, once this is over I’ll work with her to figure out a way for her to buy back her masters, or something.”

Glower power for the win.

Scooter uncrossed his fingers from behind his back.  You sly devil you.

“The Elvis egg sound isn’t good or bad in itself, just like The Amen Break isn’t good or bad, Rock and Roll and Hip Hop are music, but to paraphrase Clapton, it’s in the way that she’s using it.  See the egg sound in itself makes you feel trippy; Which makes sense, it’s from the 60s.  The Elvis egg sound is from the start of the decade, and the Amen Break is from the end of the decade.  The egg sound makes you feel good.  But, as we’ve come to learn, when it interacts with specific sound samples, such as The Amen Break—that’s when you get… Well, it seems you get side effects.  But those side effects used in a specific manner, like what was done to Justin here, can be used as a weapon—” Oak told them as much as they needed to know.  It’s a bit like when scientists first invented the atom bomb, too much knowledge about something with that much power can be dangerous.  Musical genres have more power and are more influential than anyone could possibly fathom.  “It’s a weapon of war.”  He said plainly.

“That’s where the earworm came from.  You combine specific samples together… and anything is possible.  It can be used to push viral content, or addict and hook fans, or you can disarm your opponents, make them unable to fight back.”  Pop clarified for the ears in the room.  “When you combine new and old samples, things get really tricky.  Take, umm… Old Town Road, for example, that song took off seemingly overnight, but why?”

“Well it obviously took off because of me when I shared it on social media for all my Beliebers.”  Justin said. He tried to sing the song and do the dance… “Gonna take my love to the love love road to love love, I needed to lose you to love me… “  He stopped trying and sat there lost inside his head again.

“That’s not quite how it goes, but I’m fascinated by the mashup of music going on in your head.  Does anyone else want to comment on the song, does anyone know the origin of the track used behind the vocals?”  Oak asked.

“Didn’t he just find it online, Soundcloud, or YouTube or something, and then… Lay down his vocals over it?”  One of the Arianators offered.

“No, I think he bought it from a beats site for 30 bucks.  Wait, let me Google it.  Okay, it says here ‘The hook was originally purchased for $30 on BeatStars, a rap-focused beats marketplace.’ That’s cool.”  The other Arianator replied back.

           Oak stepped in, his voice soothing and constructive, “Well, so the original sample in Old Town Road is actually a Nine Inch Nails song named 34 Ghosts IV.  And it was placed over a trap beat and posted online for sale by a Dutch teenager Kiowa Roukema, who also goes by ‘Young Kio’.  Now, when you consider the entire Old Town Road song together in final form you have various tracks recorded at various times and places using various microphones and instruments, and other recording equipment including effects processors and such.  Each individual sound recording and sample was layered on top of one another, even the original sound sample from Nine Inch Nails had already been mastered, yet it was mastered again when it was posted for sale as a beat, and then mastered another time when Lil Nas X posted his version online, then the remix was mastered yet again.  It’s like Scooter said, an omlette of eggs.  If any piece of it contains the egg sound, you have a very complex variation of the original sounds that has been manipulated and mangled many times over with every sub master, the same has happened over the years with The Amen Break.  For all we know the Amen Break could be in that song, as there isn’t a clear source of every sample used to make the trap beat.  It’s a potent mix that when played into someone’s ear can have some very strange effects—”

           “Love love… To love love… I needed to lose you to love me… Dammit Selena!  Get out of my head!”  Justin erupted cutting off the conversation.  “It’s GETTING WORSE!”  He shouted then kneeled down on the floor holding his head between his hands he hummed Selena Gomez’s song Lose You To Love Me, softly at first, then yelled out, “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”  He started to cry, just for a few tears, before wiping them away and sprawling out on the floor looking up at the ceiling fan.  His tears of anguish continued, flowing from his eyes and running down his cheeks.  “I give up.” He said quietly, his lower lip quivering.  “I can’t stop hearing it.  It’s just there on repeat—over and over again.  I just give up.  I want it to stop.  Make it stop.  I can’t take it anymore!  I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!  SELINA GOMEZ MAKE IT STOP!!!  I WANT OUT OF THIS!  I DON’T WANT YOU IN MY HEAD ANYMORE!!!”

“Oak you gotta help him.  Can’t you do anything?”  Ariana begged rushing to Justin’s side.

           Oak looked over at Pop.  They nodded to one another.  Justin couldn’t wait any longer.

           Pop got up and walked over to a Star Wars movie poster on the wall.  He turned around and held his hand out, Oak tossed the replica light saber at him, Pop caught it without flinching and then stood in front of the poster mimicking the stance of Skywalker.

           The poster began to roll up revealing a door.

           “No way!”  Scooter gasped.  “What the?”

           Oak smiled.  “Shall we?”

           Ariana helped Justin up and walked with him.  Her two Arianators rushed over to help carry him.

           Everyone walked over to the doorway previously hidden behind the poster and one by one they walked through it.

           The doorway led into a passageway that resembled the engine room of a spaceship—It was something out of every movie you’ve ever seen that takes place in space.  Hidden LED lights glowed spreading a soft even light, a blue hue that matched a humming sound, the engines of the spaceship.

           Oak Felder and Pop Wansel piloted the crew through the copious amount of twists and turns.  Several times forks in the tunnel shot off to the left or right of them.

           “How much money did it cost you to build this?”  The lawyer asked at one point.  Oak didn’t answer until they reached their final destination.

           “I didn’t build it for me, it was initially my wife’s extended shoe closet for shoe’s she refused to throw out, even though she knew she would never wear them again.”

           Scooter laughed.  “My wife would be jealous, her shoe collection is taking over the house!  I used to think ‘why would you keep shoes if you’re never going to wear them again?’  Ah, I was so young and naive.  I know better now.  But why?  Why so many shoes!”

Ariana responded “It’s just a thing.  It’s like keeping photos, memories of the past.  Also, you never know, there MIGHT be an occasion when you need that EXACT shoe!  And then if you had previously owned that pair and thrown them out you’d be kicking yourself.  Also, if you can afford that many shoes, why not spoil yourself? Whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve 'em, they say, ‘Which one?’ I say, ‘Nah, I want all of 'em’, happiness is the same price as red-bottoms.”

Oak stopped the group at a large door.  The door glowed amber around the edges outlining its silhouette.  He pulled out a key.  He inserted the key and turned the key clockwise.  While still holding the key in its turned position he pressed a large button, the first few seconds of a song began to play then it stopped.  He named the artist and the song.  Another song played, then stopped, again he named the artist and the song speaking out loud towards the door.  This continued for three more songs, after which a sixth and final song played for a little longer than the first five.  It played long enough for a few song lyrics to be heard before stopping, he continued singing the next line picking up where the song left off.

A small display beside the key and button read, “You win this round of trivia tunes!”

With that the door opened.

“SO that’s how you’re soo good at the audio round when we go to trivia night.”  Ariana said jokingly.

“You got me.”

With that Oak ushered everyone through the door.

“Whoa!” Scott shouted out after the motion sensor lights turned from a low amber glow to a bright and cheerful yellow, fully illuminating the room.

Half the room was filled with rows upon rows of headphones—All different kinds, vintage, modern, big clunky over ear headphones, sleek new sport Bluetooth ear buds that slipped inside the ear, every different type anyone could possibly imagine, there were thousands upon thousands of headphones, the collection seemed to go on forever, endlessly.  The other half of the room was filled with an equal amount of shoes, which also seemed to go on forever.

“Yeah, my wife really likes shoes.  What’s that phrase?  Happy wife, happy life.  All those songwriter royalty checks mostly go to two things, new toys for the studio, and my wife.”

“Oak, I was saying whoa about the headphone collection, but the shoe collection is equally as impressive as well.” Scott scanned the room with his eyes. “How many headphones are in here Oak?”  Scott asked out of curiosity.

“Hmm, I’d say at least six thousand.  I’ve lost count.”

“Six thousand headphones!”

“I had more, but my wife made me get rid of some to make space to move more shoes in.”  He shrugged as if to silently say, what are you gonna do about it?  Nothing.  “Okay, let’s see what we can do for Justin.”

Oak held his finger in the air and wiggled it towards him indicating for the group to follow.  They walked down a few rows of headphones as though they were walking through the aisles in a headphone only thrift shop.  Headphones clung neatly to hooks as low as a few inches off the floor all the way to the ceiling three stories up.  Ladders like one might find in an old bookstore ran along the shelves for access to the upper levels.

Oak picked up one pair and handed the headphones to Justin.  They were super vintage, 70s or 80s maybe? Well worn, large and clunky.  He plugged the audio cable into the same device he had used to diagnose the earworm playing a sound through the headphones.  “How about that?”

Justin stood for a minute with the headphones on his head then shook his head no indicating that the worm was stronger than ever.  Taking the headphones off he handed them back to Oak.  They walked a to the end of an aisle then down another, “AH HAH!”  He took another pair off a hook.  This time the pair was Bluetooth capable modern and flashy, customizable and comfortable with an over the ear fit.  He carefully placed the headphones over Justin’s ears and tapped on the digital touch screen of the earworm device after syncing the Bluetooth connection. He cycled through various settings.

“Anything yet?”

“No.  I don’t think so.”  Justin shook his head, and then shifted the headphones to fit better.  Oak continued to tap through various settings.

“Wait!”  Justin smiled slightly.  “Go back!”

Oak tapped the screen again.

“There!  I mean, I can still hear it slightly, but it’s barely even noticeable just soft background music.  I can deal with it like this.  Whatever these headphones do, keep doing it.”

Oak searched for the right response, “Umm, well it’s complicated science, let’s just say they’re emitting a phase cancelation noise that is close to what the earworm sound is.”

“Works for me!”  Justin said in an upbeat voice.

Ariana high fived Oak and then low fived Justin.

           Just then the lawyer’s phone rang.  He walked away for privacy.  “Uh huh… Oh, interesting…”

           “That’s not good.”  Scott said staring at the lawyer.

           “How do you know?”  Scooter asked.

           Scott shook his head.  “He only says ‘oh, interesting…’ when it’s something bad.  He’ll never say anything is bad, just ‘interesting’.”

           “How does he get cell service down here?”  Oak asked.  “Even I don’t get cell service!”

           “With him, it’s better not to question such things, just accepted it.”  Scott replied.

           “Okay then.”  Oak said, backing off the subject.

           After the call ended Carl, the lawyer walked back over to the group.

“What is it?” Scott asked.

“Just got off the phone with… Well, I’m not at liberty to disclose who the caller was… but let’s just say they had an interesting piece of information.”

“And that information is?”  Scott said in a coaxing voice.

“Taylor is going to place the porter egg sound behind her song Lover during her performance tonight at the American Music Awards, she’s using the string arrangement as a guise.”

“She can’t do that, we have to stop that!”  Scooter screamed out.  The room fell silent aside from the humming of a few air ventilation fans.

“There may be a way.” Oak finally said, breaking the silence.  “It would require getting two specific individuals to join with us—we’ll need someone on the inside who can get access to the equipment in order to swap the sound a second time with a placebo track, and we need someone to interrupt Taylor Swift right before her speech, long enough to swap out that backing track she’s going to play during Lover.”

“I can think of two people who might be perfect.” Justin’s spirits were picking back up, he seemed to be closer to his old self and less distant.

“Who?”  Scott asked.

“Well, the insider will already be there… Billie Eilish.  We’ve been chill ever since Coachella, you remember, Ariana,” Ariana nodded, how could she forget Coachella.  Justin continued, “and of course more recently she let me record a vocal track on another version of her ‘Bad Guy’ single.  I’m pretty sure she hasn’t made an alliance with Taylor yet.  I know, I KNOW, I was wrong about Ed Sheeran, but I think we can trust Billie.”

“Okay, that would work.  What about the other person?  We need someone to interrupt Taylor before the song, we need someone who has experience, who can get it right, we’ll only get one shot at this…”

They glanced at each other, not saying a word.

Scooter smiled, “Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?  There’s only one person with the skill and experience to interrupt Taylor Swift at precisely the right moment.”

“KANYE WEST!”  Everyone yelled together.

The helicopter blades spun up as the group climbed through the open doors.  Scott told his ‘Where we’re going we don’t need roads, because we’re in a helicopter!’ joke again.  Oak laughed.

“See, Oak gets my humor.”  Scott said, satisfied that his joke was finally a hit.

Sushi and Tuna could be seen sitting in a window of the house looking out.  They were to stay at the spaceship studio in the care of the Defenders just in case Taylor tried to make any further kitty cat kidnapping attempts.

Pop was the last to climb on board, a Defender handed him a large black duffle bag after he was safely inside the helicopter.  He then handed the bag to Oak.  Oak unzipped the bag to make sure the contents were all there, enough gold headphone cases for each one of them.  He passed the cases out.  “Don’t lose these.”  Oak instructed them.  “There’s a set of over ear Beats by Dre headphones, special grade custom made Solo Pro with Active Noise Cancelling technology.  They’re linked with an integrated communication system so we can communicate with each other.  Works up to five miles away in a mesh network, so as long as each one of us is within at least five miles of another person, we can all talk.  Battery runs off kinetic energy, as long as you’re breathing, the headphones will work.  Unfold them to turn on, fold them to turn off.  There’s one mode for active cancelation with communication and another pre programed mode matching Justin’s frequency in case you get earwormed.  We don’t know if they have one strain of the Gomez earworm, or multiple, but right now, it’s the best we have.  This does mean Justin won’t have communication with us through the headphones, someone’s going to have to stay with him should the need arise for us to use these.”

“What are these little ones?” Scooter asked picking a smaller set of ear buds from perfectly cut-to-shape spaces within the foam.  They sat snuggly inside the case beside the Beats Solo Pro headphones.

“Lookalike AirPods—although, they aren’t Apple, Taylor’s been handing out some kind of custom set to her Swifties, they call them SwiftPods.  These will work in a pinch to protect you from both the Swift sound, and possible exposure to an earworm, but they contain no communication and it’s hard to hear anyone trying to talk to you, the noise cancelation is complete and contains no filters.  They basically work like earplugs, but they look like SwiftPods so you won’t blow your cover in close proximity to a Swiftie.”

“We won’t be needing these,” Ariana grabbed Scooter’s case out of his hands and handed it back along with her own case.  “Can you drop Scooter and I off at LAX before we stop at Kanye’s house?  My private jet is waiting—we’ve got a show to make…”  She looked over at Scooter disapprovingly.

“Better do as she asks.”  Scooter said to everyone.

“But that’s out of the way!”  Scott exclaimed.  Ariana stared at him, her eyes piercing through him.  He quickly backtracked,  “Yeah, we can do that.  Sure thing, not a problem Ms. Grande.”  Scott said to her after looking to the lawyer and getting a nod of approval from the lawyer.

           “Will you two be alright out there?”  Oak asked.

           Scooter shrugged.

           “We’ll be fine.”  Ariana said in a decisively powerful tone.  “My Arianators will protect us from any Swifties if they try anything tricky, it’s Justin that you need to look out for, they’ve already used him twice in this war game, first with the kittynapping and then the earworm weapon, they’re likely to strike again to get to Scooter.”

           The helicopter lifted into the air headed first for LAX and then to Kanye West’s house.

[larriefails]

This new BPH2 post, she really can’t let go of 1D or the past, can she?

The amount of drivel...

------

------

Harry was portrayed as a lothario BEFORE July 2011? By whom? Doing what? He didn’t date anyone until C*roline (sorry, I make one exception for censoring names and that’s for child groomers) in like, November 2011, there were jokes about him liking Madison, the girl from WMYB but that wouldn’t be until August anyway. Articles about various 1D members dating or hooking up with fans were run of the mill, but that was for all of them. Cher Lloyd got linked to literally every member except Louis, and that’s because he had a girlfriend. Harry was seen as flirty and fans joked around about his unfortunate pussygate moment, but clearly, he brought that on himself, and it was after X Factor anyway

The only possible “Harry is a lothario” push she could be talking about is that jokey video where Harry is seen as having overlapping dates with all the girls at boot camp, but it’s obviously tongue in cheek, it finishes with Harry going on a date with Wagner, a 50 something year old Portuguese (?) man. And this was BEFORE the band was put together. Why would Liam, or anyone, have to be seen as a lothario anyway? Confused

Louis and Hannah’s relationship wasn’t “spotlighted” they were just dating... so she was there... and they talked about it on the show I think once, maybe twice. None of the other boys had significant others at the beginning. When Zayn started dating one of the girls from Belle Amie (a girl group that was competing there as well), it was actually spotlighted, same when he dated Rebecca Ferguson

She says “switching 1Direction to One Direction” to seem knowledgeable, it’s hilarious. One Direction’s twitter account was created on October 29th 2010 and it was already stylized “OneDirection,” this is just a “the more you know” bullet point she learned that she decided to throw in there to get more credibility. Anyone that’s been a fan for long already knew this, it was stated as a fact in one of their books, but don’t ask me which one now cuz it’s been 7 years. Anyways, what an important marketing decision, Kati, it surely affected a lot of the outcome of the band that would be known as “1D” by 90% of its fanbase anyway

“But there was no larger strategy until July 2011″

NO SHIT SHERLOCK. U wanna know why? Because they didn’t have music out until August... you really are some fresh brand of stupid, huh. Who would waste money in marketing campaigns months and months before having any music to sell? All of them were heavily involved in social media anyway, and with strategic performances here and there, some interviews, a very well received book, signing days, and several other nuggets, they managed to build a stronger fanbase and a lot of anticipation by the time they released WMYB. There was definitely marketing, but, no, of course there wasn’t an overarching marketing campaign for a band with no music for six months.. Just like there isn’t, idk, a hot air balloon business for cheetahs..

And that’s how she starts.. everything after that is drivel and more and more drivel. Very little of it makes any sort of sense or is backed up by any facts other than her wanting things to be that way

Such as this entire paragraph which has me in fucking stitches

-----

------

Listen, I’m sure more older people became fans as the band became more popular, and I’m sure there are some men sprinkled in between, but PROFOUND DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT? Except Harry and Zayn, who have cultivated an older skewing demographic, the core fan base is STILL 13-18 year old girls. And even Harry and Zayn have large percentages of their fan base in that age group still. She really thinks the tumblr side of fandom is in any way indicative of the larger fandom, it’s fascinating to read someone that’s supposed to be old and wise, who’s a mother and a wife, be so blatantly wrong and so delusional. Not even in the tumblr side of fandom now are the fans mostly older with established careers. That’s just the big Larries, and big Larries are what? 1 in 2,000 One Direction blogs? (and I doubt at least 50% of their “well established careers” are real, but I’m not into doxxing people so I’ll take their word for it)

I almost lost my mind when she called tumblr tinhat wank “objective debate and evidence-based discussion.” OBJECTIVE! O B J E C T I V E? bulletprooflarry, the person that left tumblr for a month when Harry announced his solo career because she had been saying for ages he’d never go solo and couldn’t handle being so OBJECTIVELY wrong, is talking about OBJECTIVE DISCUSSION???? Kati you wouldn’t know what actual objective discussion is if it slapped you repeatedly with something smelly while yelling “I am objective discussion” as a plane writes in the sky “objective discussion is slapping you in the face” and some sirens wailed in the distance

Not even gonna go there with “evidence-based” .. I’m sure ur tag “all the reasons ever needed” filled with cropped and edited gifs of 17 yo Harry and 19 yo Louis looking at each other for 0.03 seconds in slow mo would hold in court very well

-----------

---------

H I L A R I O U S. Never seen before! Novel!!!! Only happening because of “this new smarter fandom with professional experience”! No other tinhat fandom doubts the protagonists of their conspiracy theory handle their social media! That’s just the new smarter fandom filled with professional men and women in 1D. Crisscolfer, Kaylor, Supernatural, Camren, you name it. Any CT mined fandom where social media is used, believes the exact same bullshit, Kati. U R NOT SPECIAL. You’re not smarter. The Larrie fandom didn’t “wise up” it tinhatted up. If you left your conspiracy bubble for three seconds and waltzed into literally any other corner of the entertainment world, you’d see that

After this, she drivels on and on about “pics or it didn’t happen” and shit like that. None of it is special to this fandom, Kati. None of it. What you’re describing is tinhatting. It has nothing to do with “this new smarter fandom.” Unless of course you believe in every other celeb conspiracy theory out there and how all the CT fandoms have also, coincidentally, become “smarter”

--------

------

This is equal parts self centered, arrogant, delusional, and wrong. 1D’s team did a ton of things to get new fans and it succeeded largely at it. 1D was one of the largest bands in terms of fanbase in the world. It got away with selling millions upon millions of records and selling out stadiums without getting huge songs. To this day a vast majority of the general public only knows 2 or 3 One Direction songs (WMYB, SOML, some will know Drag Me Down). I think it was too big for the teams it had, for sure, but that’s just logic speaking for itself. What other clients the caliber of 1D did Simon Jones, Modest, or Syco have? The only big fish in the game was Columbia. And at times it definitely showed in a lot of things. But to say that they were playing catch up for five years and had no plan whatsoever, is simply disingenuous. And so self aggrandizing.. Recognizing that they had their failures? Cool. Sitting oatur computer at home and pretending that u kknow better how to handle it? Demented

-------

----------

You know when you read something that’s so wrong that you don’t even know where to start? Yeah..

You were lied about the band getting back together. One by one they have admitted to it, even if not in so many words. First Zayn said he didn’t even like being in 1D ever. Then Harry refused to ever confirm the band would get back together. You had Niall, Liam, and Louis preaching 18 months/2 years, but that soon changed. Niall got tired of being asked a few months into his promo in 2017, said “idk, man, idk! someday!” and asked not to be asked again. Liam lasted a little longer, but he literally said “ask the others, idk, man, idk!” a few months back. The only one standing is Louis, and I firmly believe it’s simply because he hasn’t done as much promo as Niall and Liam, who must’ve reached the point of exhaustion. His defeated “idk, man, idk” is happenning soon. I can feel it in my bones

There’s no leadership in 1DHQ because there is no 1DHQ because there is no 1D. The band is broken up. Gone. Donezo. There’s no one to steer one topic to the next

It’s not the “lack of leadership” which lead the fans to create “microfandoms.” It’s the fact that every member has gone solo..... that created microfandoms. You’re over 40, Kati, please, for the love of God, stop hanging onto a boyband that’s been dead for four years. This is so pathetic to read. Fans less than half your age cried about their lost band for a few days and got over it. You’re still throwing hissy fits on tumblr and talking about it as if it wasn’t deceased

----------

----------

Just... no

----------

----------

Louis DOES NOT have the most hardcore fans inside of 1D. He has the most LARRIES. His fanbase is almost entirely conformed by conspiracy theorists, that’s why it seems so hardcore to you. This is not a positive. As a fan of Louis, I can assure you it is not. This doesn’t translate well into literally anything. Y’all are a nuisance and ruin everything. You’re not fans of Louis, you don’t even LIKE HIM. You despise everything about him and everything he is. Everything he does. All the things that have shaped him. You call everything he says a lie and mock his desperate attempts for you to LISTEN TO HIM. That’s the exact opposite of a hardcore fanbase, you shithead. That’s as fickle as it gets, it can (and does) get lost any second. The smallest of his moves can set y’all off and wipe thousands of you from his ranks. Because none of you like even a little of who he really is. Y’all are gonna leave him sooner or later. It’s just a matter of when, not if. Hardcore my fucking ass

What has Harry done to make older white men think he’s cool? Paint his nails? Wear glitter and flowery suits? Sing about men? Proclaim at every chance he gets that he LOVES his mostly female/young audience? That he thinks they’re amazing and how much he appreciates them? What is it that appeals older white men? All the rainbows in everything he does? The only thing “older white men” might like about Harry is his music and its inspiration, that’s where it starts and where it ends, but everything he’s done and said since he’s gone solo is prone to prejudice them against him. He hasn’t lifted a finger to appeal to them. His team didn’t even push his songs on Adult/Contemporary radios (Niall’s did, but I don’t see you talking about that). Yeah, Hall Of Fame will expose him to that audience as well, but you know who else did Hall Of Fame? Miley Cyrus. Was she trying to appeal to older white men? Was that Jannelle Monae’s goal while inducing Janet Jackson? He’s co chairing the MET Gala in a couple of weeks. How’s that for a white older male audience? Being a Gucci model under Alessandro Michele must’ve helped a lot, I’m sure 🙄

--------------

---------

“If One Direction was going to come back” NO. Next question

[sugasgummy]

How BTS Paved the way

Okay so basically I wrote this as my JR paper for high school. I decided to write about BTS because I was allowed to pick what I wanted to write about and it's supposed to be a research/opinion page. It basically talks about what makes BTS so special and different from the rest. Its 16 pages long with citations and yeah that’s it basically. Please enjoy

@BTSCRAZED on IG AND TWT

The Entrepreneurs of Change: Why BTS is Different from the Rest

           They’ve sold over ten million albums, sold out entire tours including their upcoming stadium tour with over one million attendees in a matter of 5 minutes, hold five world records and now known as the biggest boy band in the world. They are BTS and they paved the way for a new genre of music known as K-pop. This band has proved to be more than just a generic boy band. They have played a big role in a wave of new music and trends, created a strong fanbase who they’ve taught important life lessons like self-love and acceptance, broken many records, gain popularity all over the truly become the biggest boy band in the world but how come a boyband from one country (South Korea) managed to reach people around the globe?

        First, let’s talk about what is K-pop and Korean pop culture? “They call it Hallyu, the Korean wave: the idea that South Korean pop culture has grown in prominence to become a major driver of global culture, seen in everything from Korean dramas on Netflix to Korean skincare regimens dominating the cosmetics industry to delicious Korean tacos on your favorite local menu. And at the heart of Hallyu is the ever-growing popularity of K-pop — short, of course, for Korean pop music” (Vox). K-pop has recently become very popular all over the world especially in the U.S. K-pop is often used as an umbrella term for all types of Korean music popular outside of Korea, so the genre can consist of rock bands, hip hop, indie, and basically any other type of music. The K-pop genre consists of main groups though there are solo artists who most of the time had previously been part, of other bands. Although you probably don’t know you have probably already been exposed to this wave especially if you visit Twitter regularly or were on YouTube in 2012 through 2013 when the song “Gangnam Style” by PSY came out. K-pop fans have a lot of power and can start trending thing in a matter of hours depending on the popularity of the idol they are promoting.  Korean pop culture is very different than American. It’s like a whole new world with new rules, vocabulary and just way of being fans. It’s all very well planned and based around main fanservice. Periodically or for special holiday and events, idols what K-pop fans call celebrities to have comebacks – which is when they release new albums and start a new concept for their music or performances- or release special packages and collaborations like makeup, photo books, concert DVDs and collectibles that they fans can buy. Along with those new comebacks or packages they hold fanservice events like music shows and fan meets. That is one of the biggest reasons K-pop is so popular and has a big fanbase. This is one of the biggest reasons I think that K-pop more specifically BTS has become so popular outside of Korea. But who is BTS?

        Who is BTS? First, what does BTS even mean? BTS in Korean is Bangtan Sonyeondan meaning bulletproof boy scouts but in 2017 they officially changed their name to beyond the scene because they wanted fans to see beyond than just the scene in front of them. They are one of the most popular boy bands in the world at the moment BTS has been called next generation leader by Time magazine and “have grown beyond the bounds of traditional K-pop acts, making a splash everywhere from Chile to California. Their devoted followers styled as “ARMY,” have kept them trending on social media at most public appearances.” (Time). They hold the world record for most views in 24 hours with 78 million views on their newest song “Boy with luv” from their newest album Map of The Soul: Persona and at the same time broke the record for the fastest music video to reach 100 million views broken at one and a half days since its release. Each of the seven members is adored by thousands of people all over the world. Kim Namjoon goes by the stage name RM is the leader, producer, and one of 3 rappers of the group he is the only fluent English speaker and the first member to join the band. Next is Kim Seokjin or just Jin the eldest member and vocalist of the group he plays the role of the dad of the group though originally, he wanted to be an actor he has grown a lot and is now one of the best vocalists. Up Next is Min Yoongi or Suga the main rapper and producer very well known for his quiet yet savage personality. Then there’s Jung Hoseok aka J-hope he’s one of the main dancers, producers, and rappers of the group he is also the happy virus of the group he is everyone’s angel and hope. Now for the three Maknaes which in Korean means the youngest members of the group we have Park Jimin who’s is very well known for his powerful yet elegant looks that can capture both female and male attention. He is one of the main vocalists and dancer of the group. Followed by Kim taehyung or V which is his stage name. Who is another powerful visual and was actually voted most handsome face in the world in 2017 and also ranked #5 in 2018 he is also a vocalist of the group. Last but not least is Jeon Jeongguk or just Jungkook the youngest member yet unspeakably talented, main dancer, main vocalist and center face of the group who was also placed #2 in the most handsome faces in the world 2018. Together Those seven men hold so much power they’re not only all good looking but all extremely talented in different things that when put together make the best boyband in the world. They have the power to sell out anything with just a single tweet it's insane.  These seven boys didn’t just become famous overnight they made their debut but where were ignored and judged harshly until they broke through the charts in 2017 with all their hard work and the help of ARMY.

        BTS is very well known because of their huge and very dedicated fanbase that will do anything to get them the recognition they deserve. This is because they have proven to be more than just a group of good-looking men that can sing, rap and dance. They try to share positive messages like self-love, touch on delicate topics like suicide and depression as well as being big supporters of the LGBT community by breaking gender-role buy wearing feminine clothes and makeup and advocating equality regardless of sexuality, gender, and race. All of this through music, videos, and campaigns that they launch. First, I want to talk about how they use their music and content to shine a light on controversial topics like mental health, sexuality, gender identity, growing up, finding yourself, and even political topics. Almost every music video that BTS release follows this storyline about a group of teenage boys and their struggles in growing up and finding the right path while facing different obstacles. The teenage boys are played by BTS of course and the story actually starts out from the very beginning of their career even though we had only figure out it was a storyline during a later era in 2017. The story begins with a group of rebellious teenagers who don’t like to follow the rules who are looking for acceptance and love which they get from each other. Each character hides their own demon and dark past. Namjoon the leader of the group of friend struggles with not know who he is and what he’s going with his life. Jin who is supposed to be the most mature member struggled with the fact that he’s growing up and being who his father wants him to be who forces him to betray his friends and leave them. Yoongi suffers from depression after his mother died in a fire and he couldn’t save her and holds himself guilty for and attempts to commit suicide. Hoseok was abandoned by his mother at an amusement park when was a small child and suffers from PTSD and also has narcolepsy which forces him to live in a hospital the majority of the time. Jimin is very similar to Hoseok they know each other the best because they were both forced to live in a hospital. Jimin suffers from abandonment issues but in the sense that he thinks everyone hates him and he isn’t good enough and also has seizures with an unknown and also tries to commit suicide at one point. Taehyung is a young delinquent who always seems to get in trouble. He isn’t a bad person he just has a bad life with an abusive father which leads him to murder his father one night trying to protect his sister. Then there’s Jungkook he’s the youngest he’s just trying to see his friends who are more like his brothers since they have basically raised him happy. He eventually realizes he can’t have the happiness or euphoria he wants and ends up committing suicide as well. That part of the story takes place during their albums called The Most Beautiful Moments in Life part one, The Most Beautiful Moments in Life part 2, Young Forever, and Wings.  Then continues in their Love Yourself series. Which is when they try and find a way to reverse time and fix all their mistakes or stop themselves from splitting up and killing themselves. I feel like this story is something that you really wouldn’t expect from a boyband of any kind. Which why I think it's so important and makes BTS special and different. What boy bands do you know that have tried to even touch on the topic on this level? Apart from incorporating important mental health and life issues. They have also encouraged people to show who they are and speak themselves. On November 1st, 2017 the group launched their Love Myself campaign in partnership with UNICEF. This campaign was created as an anti-violence campaign but, in my opinion, it has grown to be much bigger than that. Over the last two years, I have watched as BTS has grown and spread their message teaching everyone that they don’t need to hide who they are and shouldn’t be afraid who they are to the world. This message has even led them to speak at a united nations conference in New York making them the first ever Korean Band to do so. The leader of the band Namjoon who fans have since then called their “President” made a very touching speech on how to find yourself.  In the speech, Namjoon said, “After releasing the “Love Yourself” albums and launching the “Love Myself” campaign, we started to hear remarkable stories from our fans all over the world, how our message helped them overcome their hardships in life and start loving themselves. These stories constantly remind us of our responsibility. So, let’s all take one more step. We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to speak yourself. I would like to ask all of you. What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, gender identity: speak yourself. Find your name, find your voice by speaking yourself. I’m Kim Nam Jun, RM of BTS. I’m a hip-hop idol and an artist from a small town in Korea. Like most people, I made many mistakes in my life. I have many faults and I have many fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself, little by little. What is your name? Speak Yourself!". This is one of my favorite speeches Namjoon has ever given as a leader. I’m not going to say that they’re the only artist to ever say this, but they the apart of the few to have such a big impact and influence so many people. I’m also not going to tell you that because of them I have started to love myself, but I can say that I have learned to speak for myself and for what I do believe in. I have spoken out a lot about who I am where I come from like my sexuality and my immigrant background. All the things that the old me wouldn’t have done. But BTS has created a protective bubble that allows me to speak out and find more people like me be happier than I used to be. Because of I have become someone different who I like more than who I used to be. BTS have really set the stage for this new genre of music. Though they aren’t the first they are the only ones to have truly made an impact. The reason this one band from South Korea out of hundreds of other is because of their extremely strong a big fanbase.  Over 10 million fans can’t be wrong.

        Like I mentioned previously BTS’ fanbase is called A.R.M.Y. which stands for Adorable representative MCs for Youth and their Job is to spread the message BTS is trying to give and this Army is extremely dedicated I mean extremely dedicated to their job. Ages ranging from 6 years old to 60 years old BTS is for everyone to enjoy. Their fanbase is all over the world promoting their boys. They spend hours every day creating a thing for BTS a promoting BTS through any way they can. On an interview for Billboard, an Army said, "We want to see them break records and write history." And that’s exactly what we are working for. There are thousands of fan account that are run on twitter an Instagram alone and I’m one of them. The point of these fan account it’s to keep the rest of the fanbase updated, create content, promote BTS, and recruited a new member for the fanbase. This is exactly what I do on my fan account every day on my fan account and literally any chance I can anywhere else. The mission is to promote and educate everyone about BTS this raises their popularity and success.  BTS fans are extremely dedicated to them for many different reasons. Some for their looks, others for their catchy music and of course for their message. “Their message is beyond just making good music. They talk about social issues. They stand for more than your typical boy band would stand for. I think that’s really important for people my age and the younger generation to really understand. Everything on social media, you kind of get desensitized to everything out there. But BTS brings it to the forefront. A lot of things that people younger than me or my age wouldn't care about or know about, they find out about because BTS cares about those things. That really sets them apart for me in comparison to anyone else out in the industry.”   says Christine Gee 27-year-old BTS ARMY for Billboard. I totally agree with her joined the fandom for the very same reason. A lot of people think that because their speaking in a different language their message is unimportant, and people don’t care but we do we translate and decipher the meaning behind everything they say and that’s the truly important part. These boys have voices too and that’s what army is here to promote. Doing that is its own process alone as well.

        The process is very complicated, but we figure out the most efficient way to promote them however we can.  Take BTS’ new album for example first we take everything we know and piece it together like a puzzle. Which is a part of the idea of looking beyond the scene. Like I mentioned before they have a storyline to their videos.  We had already figured out it’s a storyline and every comeback they add a new part or chapter. So, we spend the 6 months between each album piecing the story together and creating theories and trending them on twitter so even while they are away they continue to be relevant. Which is very important in all fandoms and I believe that this fandom is the most active. I've been a ton of other fanbases and it gets boring eventually. We get bored and run out content, but the army is different they're always creating new memes or theories keeping the content relevant.  Once the comeback was confirmed they do many things they promoted it in every tweet they could and made sure to trend it then started setting new goals as well as participating in new activities released by BTS’ company. For the next month, Army spent all their free time trying to find even clues for the new comeback and preordering the album until we reach whatever goal we set for themselves this time we reached 2 million presales in the first 24 hours. Then they set goals for the music video and album streams the goal this time was to beat any previous record we had set so we settled on one hundred million views in 24 hours while the Korean fans who are called K-diamond army and Japanese fans the J-jewels were asleep every other army would stream the music video repeatedly. The American fanbase would buy single songs while the European armies would buy the whole album, so we could get the individual songs on the album on charts and then the full album all while still watching and sharing the new music video. That we get the album to be number one in more than 80 countries as well as making sure that the video and every trending tag on twitter are BTS related in order to capture more audience. Once the other armies were awake and together they set up street promotions by buying billboards and decorating train carts promoting BTS. That all was just for a new album. Every other day army promotes BTS by donating in their names. Every time it one of the members birthday Army donates to a cause.  For this year for Suga’s one of the rapper’s birthday a hundred of army donated blood under his name. For other members, we would adopt endangered species under their names and save those animals. they do things like this because they don’t just want them to be well known but also because they want them to be known for good deed. Of course, BTS themselves also pay parts in these kinds of projects. One of the members J-Hope recently donated 250 Million Won which is over $200,000 just for scholarships for female students. They also normally don’t like when we buy them gifts so why not spend money on a good cause. It’s our job, in the end, we are their representatives we have to make them look good. Like I mentioned before I had been a part of many other big Fanbases and I have never seen this amount of dedication or activity. Not even the Directioners fans of One Direction the who previously were biggest boy band in the world. I feel like this type of dedication has been part of their rise to fame. The amount of time and loyalty they put in is like no other.

        Many people argue that army is a very toxic and aggressive fanbase because of how dedicated we are to promote BTS and sometimes can start fights for being too dedicated with fans of other groups by boasting of our success and achievements. Other times is for being too dedicated for example in many occasions interview misphrase or say things criticize them harshly and Army goes on a rampage against them. For example, Richard Lloyd Parry who is a British foreign correspondent and writer. Parry interviewed BTS and made an insensitive comment about one of the members Namjoon who is the only fluent English speaker in the group English. Of course, Army wasn't happy at all and started to tweet hate at Parry and forced him to apologize publicly because of the insensitive comment. Army said very harsh thing which I witnessed on twitter thought it was very harsh but I believe that he deserved it not only cause I’m army and I support BTS until my last breath but because if this was said to any non-English speaker I would be upset especially since English isn't my first language either its really upsetting when someone underestimates your hard work because you speak differently. In an article about why BTS are way too dedicated and must be stopped it says “BTS fans are young, and youthful adoration isn’t meant to be measured or sensible. Those teenagers you see in floods of tears at Beatles concerts? Not measured, but joyous and warm, a life-affirming testament to the power of pop culture. But that passion, combined with the facelessness of social media, has given rise to something ugly and extreme, aggression that sullies the band’s name. The BTS ARMY marches on a message that is exclusionary, intolerant of others. You wonder if BTS are fearful of their own, intense fanbase.” (NME). I don't agree nor disagree with this quote cause I myself am one of those extremely dedicated fans. I agree that the pressure can get to the boys and all I care about is their happiness and wellbeing the last thing I want to do is hurt them and make them feel bad or ashamed but then again BTS and army have a very strong connection and they always express their love for us the same way we express our love for them. I believe the reason that army acts like this is because BTS has always been put under everyone’s else and now they are finally getting recognition and we won’t let anyone ruin that for ashough criticism is great and everyone has a right to their opinions army strongly believe in the phrase if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all we understand when you say that the music isn't your type and it’s not for you that totally understandable but if you come to us with “BTS sucks they don't even speak English why do you like them they look like girls” you're basically signing your death wish. So yes, we are aggressive but without Army, BTS would literally be unknown because people are ignorant and unfair for who they pick to like. By promoting them this way they have proven so many people wrong and have made BTS proud.  Army has made BTS the powerful people that they are today.

BTS is breaking more records than other any other foreign artist in the U.S. but why? There are thousands of other Bands in all kind of languages, but they aren’t making the same impact? I honestly think it’s because of their fanbase and the way that they promote themselves. There is a formula to be the biggest boyband in the world. First, you need good music with a message that people want to hear. Many artists nowadays like to either talk about sex or drugs. BTS chose to instead choose to talk about self-love and acceptance but at the same time making their music fun and energetic. Next you need to promote it this can come in many ways BTS chooses to release a “comeback trailer” which is what American artist calls a single before the full album comes out they also release photoshoot sets that connect to the concept of the album to get fans excited to buy all the album typically one album comes with one version of the photo shoot and there are typically four different photo shoots so as a good fan you would want to buy all four raising the album preorders and sales. Speaking of fans, you need a big fanbase you need an audience to share it and watch it that’s where army comes in like I previously talked about we promote BTS any chance we can and divide up the streams in order to get them to trend in as many places as possible and beat as many records as possible. That’s how you become the biggest boy band in the world. Now you’re probably asking yourself okay but so many artists do that how come only BTS is getting all the attention. My answer to that is luck I believe they were lucky that so many people grow to like them, and they really do create amazing music that I believe many people can relate to something another artist may be doing. For example, BTS is made up of rappers, vocalist and dancers all with different styles, for example, one rapper is more into hip hop while the other Is more into RnB and the other is straight rap. Same with the vocalist part is pop the other part is a ballad and sometimes even rock. All different types that can reach different people and when you put them together everyone can enjoy at least a little bit of it. in comparison, you take a big artist like let’s say Drake who is a rapper very popular with today’s youth who into rap the same with Ariana Grande who makes pop music typically popular with the youth only reaching one type of audience. While BTS has all these different genres making more open to different groups of people. Which is very important because with a little of everything you get a lot and that’s what makes BTS special. They get a little bit of everything and when that comes together it creates something big.

Now you’re probably telling yourself I understand that they’re popular in America and different from American artist but what makes them different from other artists in Korea. First, let's talk about what the entertainment companies or record labels in Korea look like. Before BTS’ big success there was the “Big Three” a term used when talking about the three most successful record labels in South Korea. The big three includes SM entertainment which still is home to the biggest artist in the K-pop industry, JYP interment who also is very big and has some of the best artists in my opinion and lastly YG interpatient which has a lot of new talent. BTS comes from a small company called Bighit entertainment was essentially broke up until BTS success and is only home to now 4 different artists. But now the tables have turned and with the help of BTS bight has surpassed the big three by bringing in billions of dollars just from BTS related sales. But how? BTS Isn’t the first group to make it to the U.S. and stay on top.  We all remember PSY who came from SM entertainment Back in 2013 who was really successful and the first Korean artist to become a global phenomenon. “Gangnam Style was phenomenal, but PSY’s persona was consumed as a character, not as an artist,” Choi says. “He didn’t have a strong fan base like other idol groups, but [US promoter] Scooter Braun found him marketable and introduced him to the American mass media. Despite his long career and musical talent, Psy was depicted in the United States as a hilarious, thus non-threatening, Asian male stereotype.” (SCMP). I agree with this yes PSY was huge and everyone was crazy for him but in American pop culture, he was a one-hit wonder. He did make more music which I absolutely loved and is honestly a big part of K-pop culture except no one outside of the K-pop fandom know about it and that’s the problem. The same thing happened with a boy band called Big Bang and before that all in 2009 a less popular girl group called the Wonder Girls who had made it into billboard charts and even toured with the Jonas brother in 2009. All those bands had tried but failed to stay popular in the U.S. afterward. After that, no other band had tried promoting like that in the U.S. until BTS appeared in the charts in 2017 and managed to stay there. Something that no other Korean artist has done in a long time. After that BTS started to pave the way for other Korean bands like NCT, Black Pink, and EXO on talk shows and award shows. They did what no other band was doing, and they didn’t even come from one of the big entertainment companies that exist in South Korea. Korean artist themselves have even agreed to this idea. A former member of the Wonder Girls and literally the biggest solo artist in Korean right now Sunmi mentioned BTS in one of her interviews when told that her work with the wonder girls had paved the way for K-pop in the United States. She replied “No BTS did” I find this so amazing because as a K-pop fan I am telling she is and OG she’s the first of the first a legend in K-pop books. For her to deny her part in the path of K-pop today and give BTS credit for their work is amazing. Army themselves couldn’t believe it but we totally agree with her.   Though they weren’t the first to start the pave the path into popularity in the U.S. they did finish paving the way for a new artist to come.

In conclusion, seven Korean boys are now the biggest band in the world. Paving the way for many new artists to come and becoming global superstars. They’re doing this in many different ways. For example, using their popularity to shine a light on important controversial topics, having extremely dedicated fans and lastly for making great music for almost anyone. BTS are truly the entrepreneurs of change.

Works Cited

“BTS Pave Way for K-Pop Golden Age in the U.S, Doing What Psy Couldn't.” South China Morning Post, 20 July 2018, www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2127984/bts-pave-way-k-pop-golden-age-us-achieving-what-psy-and-wonder-girls.

“BTS Speech at the United Nations UNICEF.” Performance by Namjoon Kim, YouTube, UNICEF, 24 Sept. 2018, https://youtu.be/oTe4f-bBEKg

“Five Ways BTS Changed the World of Pop Music.” Evening Standard, 12 Apr. 2019, www.standard.co.uk/go/london/music/bts-map-of-the-soul-persona-ways-changed-pop-music-kpop-a4110786.html.

Bassett, Jordan. “Why the BTS Army Must Be Stopped.” NME, NME, 18 Oct. 2018, www.nme.com/blogs/we-need-to-talk-about-the-bts-army-2389994.

Bruner, Raisa. “Everything to Know About K-Pop Group BTS.” Time, Time, 11 Oct. 2018, time.com/collection-post/5418827/bts-members/

Herman, Tamar. “Meet the Fans of BTS: Profiles of American ARMY.” Billboard, 29 Sept. 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7981702/meet-fans-bts-profiles-american-army.

Kolgraf, Jackie. “How Fans of BTS, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift & More Are Changing Music Marketing.” Billboard, 15 Feb. 2018, www.billboard.com/articles/business/8099836/fan-armies-bts-beyonce-taylor-swift-music-marketing.

Litovsky, Dina. “40,000 BTS Fans Can't Be Wrong.” Vulture, 10 Oct. 2018, www.vulture.com/2018/10/bts-and-the-army.html.

Romano, Aja. “How K-Pop Became a Global Phenomenon.” Vox, Vox, 26 Feb. 2018, www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained.

[krispyweiss]

The Best of Live Music 2018

Another year is coming to a close and with it, another year of wonderful - and a few not-so-wonderful - live-music experiences.

In an effort to accentuate the positive, Sound Bites is devoting this space - and many column inches of copy - to review excerpts from his favorite concerts of 2018. They’re grouped is as good an order as he could come up with in categories of A+, A and A-; shows of B+ and below didn’t make the, uh, grade.

The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of times Sound Bites has been privileged to see the artist in question.

A+

I’m With Her (3) at Southern Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 5: Though I'm With Her are incomparable, the closest thing might be Crosby, Stills and Nash, if that group ditched the rock 'n' roll and managed to stay on key always. Their version of John Hiatt's "Crossing Muddy Waters" is to Hiatt as CSN's "Blackbrid is to the Beatles - an improvement on what’s already essentially perfect. There really are no words to describe the intensity of their performances, which have been on a steady uphill climb on their three Ohio appearances in the past 15 months, even though their first of those, in Cincinnati, seemed impossible to improve upon.

I’m With Her (2) at Memorial Hall OTR, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 5: Even if it’s 100 degrees, sweaters or jackets should be required at any I’m With Her concert, because Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan’ll send shivers up and down concertgoers’ spines. Take any superlative modified by any adverb, and you still couldn’t adequately describe the quality of this concert.

Rhiannon Giddens (2) at Memorial Hall OTR, Cincinnati, Ohio, May 20: Barefooted in a yellow, floor-length skirt and a black blazer, with playful splashes of red dye in her black hair, Giddens sawed her fiddle and clawed at her banjo for about half the evening and spent the reminder of her time onstage using her greatest instrument - her expressive voice. Jumping, punching the air to accentuate notes, losing herself in the music with her eyes up in her thrown-back head, Giddens was entranced by the music and cast the same spell on the audience. Part opera singer, part jazzy chanteuse, part Southern wailer, part preacher, Giddens is a nearly supernatural force - like a once-in-a-century storm of music - the rare vocalist who spends entire concerts spitting out notes most singers would be happy to hit once a night.

Magic Dick and Shun Ng with Acoustic Hot Tuna (8) at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio, Nov. 10: It's too bad Fur Peace Ranch doesn't have a marquee because seeing the billing of Magic Dick and Hot Tuna in lights would've been priceless. As it went, hearing the former J. Giles Bard harp player paired with virtuosic, wonder-kid guitarist Shun Ng headlining over Acoustic Hot Tuna was also priceless, as the top of the bill put on one of those impossible-to-believe concerts and Hot Tuna were their typically terrific selves during their warm-up slot on a cold, frost-filled Nov. 10 concert in Pomeroy.

An Exclusive Evening with Jorma Kaukonen (5) at Gramercy Books, Bexley, Ohio, Nov. 15: Jorma Kaukonen answered questions, read from his new memoir and played a few tunes when he held court in front of 60 devotees inside Bexley's Gramercy Books. The guitarist's only bookstore stop on his tour to promote "Been So Long: My Life and Music" was billed as “An Exclusive Evening with Jorma Kaukonen” and found the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna co-founder perched on a barstool taking questions from former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chair and Zeppelin Productions founder Alec Wightman and the audience; reading from the book; and showing off his unique picking style on chestnuts such as the Airplane's "Embryonic Journey" and the "trad." "How Long Blues."

A

Outlaw Music Festival feat. Willie Nelson (12) and Family, Van Morrison (4), Tedeschi Trucks Band (8), Sturgill Simpson, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (2) and Particle Kid (2) at Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Penn., Sept. 8: Though he's absolutely earned the right, Willie Nelson probably shouldn't follow Van Morrison and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. He followed an uncharacteristically jovial Morrison, who, dressed in his trademark dark suit, fedora and shades visited many corners of his storied songbook in a generous, 90-minute set. Meanwhile, the 12-piece Tedeschi Trucks band slayed the smallish audience in the cavernous stadium. And Sturgill Simpson played a jaw-dropping, 80-minute concert that was boiling stew of blues-based rock with the faintest hint of outlaw spice.

John Prine (2) at Ohio Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 28: John Prine and his four-piece band played a career-spanning, genre-bending, tear-jerking, joke-telling show that found them running through all of this year's The Tree of Forgiveness - but not in sequence - along with many of the best tracks from Prine's songbook.

The Del McCoury Band (3) at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, Chillicothe, Ohio, July 8: Despite fronting and giving ample spotlight time to his band, Del McCoury was the obvious star of this show, his acoustic guitar cutting through the music every time such a riff was necessary, and his voice hitting high notes most men can’t reach in their 30s let alone on the cusp of their 80s. He was in a playful mood and granted so many requests, he good-naturedly stumbled over lyrics to long-dormant tracks such as “40 Acres and a Fool” and “Blackjack County Chains.”

Huffamoose (2) at Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, Pa., Nov. 24: At the Ardmore, the Philadelphia-based Huffamoose played a triumphant, 17-song, 105-minute set just outside its hometown that featured cuts culled from its four LPs - its long-out-of-print, self-titled debut (on the local 7 label) and ’97’s We’ve Been Had Again along with the two most recent ones - and demonstrated that although much has changed, much has remained the same. This was the rare comeback concert where the words “we’re gonna do a new one” weren’t bad news.

David Byrne at Rose Music Center at the Heights, Huber Heights, Ohio, Aug. 11: Whether David Byrne is a simpleton masquerading as a genius, or - more likely - an intellectual hiding behind inane lyrics, the former Talking Heads frontman is nevertheless quite impossible to figure out even after 40 years of pouring himself out with his music. And Byrne is perhaps the only musician who can sing about donkey dicks (“Every Day is a Miracle”) and “Toe Jam” and somehow not come off as a cretinous moron.

Taj Mahal (5) Trio at Thirty One West, Newark, Ohio, Sept. 22: Playing a resonator guitar and with his solidly in-the-pocket rhythm section - the Taj Mahal Trio, ladies and gentlemen - right with him, Mahal got things going with a double greeting of sorts, playing rock-infused versions of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "Good Morning Miss Brown" back to back. These set the tone for an uproarious evening of song in which Mahal played the blues on his banjo and hollow-bodied electric guitar, played reggae on his ukulele, played folk on his resonator, played boogie-woogie on his piano and played rock 'n' roll on his acoustic guitar.

James Taylor (12) & His All-Star Band with Bonnie Raitt (2) at Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio, June 30: It’s not only Taylor’s catalog, but his presentation, that keeps fans coming back decade after decade. Not only does he switch up songs from tour to tour, he also tinkers with arrangements to keep things fresh. Raitt’s show would’ve been disappointing as a stand-alone concert. But as an entree to Taylor’s portion, it fit nicely.

Toubab Krewe (2) at Thirty One West, Newark, Ohio, Nov. 26: The five-man rhythm section known as Toubab Krewe took concertgoers on an aural journey that lifted off from Newark and went 'round the world during a stupendous, all-instrumental concert inside Thirty One West. It takes serious chops and exceptional song craft to hold an audience's attention for two solid hours while never singing a word. Toubab Krewe have both and both were in full flight Nov. 26 in Newark.

Dead & Company (7) at Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, June 20: If Dead & Company wanted to prove something with their 100th show, they did. They proved that they are finally & truly a band - a band capable of putting together complete, knockout shows, rather than throwing a few solid punches surrounded by the musical equivalent of rope-a-dope.

Alison Krauss (4) at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio, June 15: If the term Americana means anything, Alison Krauss is defining it on her solo tour in support of Windy City, on which she and her seven-piece band touch on virtually every type of music a group could possibly cram in to 90 minutes of stage time. Throughout the evening, Krauss accentuated the music with clipped chords and short runs on her fiddle. Though she was clearly the star, she happily allowed her bandmates to shine just as brightly as she did and seemed genuinely flattered to have each of them along for the ride.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives at Memorial Hall OTR, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 30: Stuart and the Fab Supers were terrific. Ostensibly a country band, they’re equally adept at playing rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, surf music, honky tonk, folk and bluegrass and did all that and more exceedingly well for a near-sell-out crowd that was as energized as the music itself.

Steep Canyon Rangers (7) at Midland Theatre, Newark, Ohio, Feb. 2: The Rangers spent two generous hours running through tracks new and old in a concert that ended with an enthusiastic standing ovation that caused guitarist Woody Platt to suggest we all follow them to the next gig in Chicago.

The Avett Brothers (2) at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio, Aug. 14: The Avetts made Sound Bites cry as band donned at least 10 musical guises over the course of its staggering, two-hour, 10-minute show. From the first note in daylight at 8 p.m. sharp to the final bows in darkness, shortly after 10, the audience was on its collective feet, singing along to nearly every word, as the band held them rapt with its eclectic mix of county, folk, classical, rock and even a bit of prog that featured cello solos, bowed bass, rhythm banjo, piano-cello duets, screeching guitars and lengthy pieces that featured piano and organ a la the Band.

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams (3) at Woodlands Tavern, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 28: The couple set the standard early, opening with the Carter Family’s “You’ve Got to Righten that Wrong” before moving into their own “Surrender to Love.” Historical and contemporary. Universal and personal. It was a pattern that would continue all evening as Campbell on guitar, mandolin and fiddle, laid down a bed for the pair’s luxurious harmonies and Williams’ occasional rhythm guitar and shakers and made Sound Bites wonder yet again why Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams are playing bars to scores of fans instead of playing arenas to thousands.

Phil Lesh & Friends (14), Hawaii Theatre, Honolulu, Hawaii, Dec, 31, 2017: This show counts because one-third of it took place on Jan. 1, 2018, and because it was the best Dead-related concert Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites had seen in ages as Lesh covered not only his former band, but Funkadelic, the Band, Velvet Underground and others.

Los Lobos (17) at Rose Music Center at the Heights, Huber Heights, Ohio, Aug. 7: Los Lobos are so hot, they can parlay a short-handed opening set into a standing ovation from a half-full house of George Thorogood partisans, who found themselves cheering the band from East L.A. as if they were the second coming of the Destroyers.

Richie Furay at Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza and Live Music, Worthington, Ohio, Aug. 12: Richie Furay - best known as the Buffalo Springfield vocalist/guitarist not named Stephen Stills or Neil Young - plumbed the Springfield, Poco and Souther-Hillman-Furay Band songbooks during an acoustic set that followed an afternoon show earlier in the day. Daughter Jesse Lynch joined Dad on vocals and tambourine on all but the opening salvo of Poco’s “Pickin’ up the Pieces” and Springfield’s “Sad Memory.” At 74, Furay looks and sounds 20 years younger with a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, a life of clean living on his face and a voice that still shows why producers tapped him to sing Young’s songs with Springfield.

Todd Rundgren’s (37) Utopia (3) at Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio, May 10: Just as Utopia was essentially two bands, this was essentially two shows. Billed as Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, but featuring a four-piece reminiscent of the group that emerged after Rundgren’s proggy big band dissolved, the quartet of Rundgren, bassist/guitarist Kasim Sulton, drummer Willie Wilcox and last-minute replacement keyboardist Gil Assayas (who stepped in for the ailing Ralph Schuckett, who stepped in for the ailing Roger Powell), powered through a nostalgic - material ranged from 1972 to 1985 - 130-minute concert that served as a musical way-back machine for the Utopians in the two-thirds filled house. The arc of the band’s diverse songbook was on full display and as amazing as ever.

Todd Snider (10) at Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio, June 22: An 80-minute, solo-acoustic performance that was both musically and comedically pleasing, as Snider combined his insightful numbers - and a few choice covers - with split-your-sides-open stories that often appeared mid-song but somehow didn’t interrupt the flow.

Elizabeth Cook (3) at Thirty One West, Newark, Ohio, May 16: Over the 80-minute solo set, Cook - who popped cough drops because of a cold but sounded healthy - mostly eschewed heartrending numbers like “I’m Not Lisa” and instead sung of an ex-husband who preferred beer cans to her can on “Yes to Booty;” the alcohol-fueled atmosphere she grew up around on “Stanley By God Terry;” recovery on “Methadone Blues;” and resilience on “Sometimes It Takes Balls to be a Woman.”

Cheryl Wheeler at King Arts Complex, Columbus, Ohio, March 24: Cheryl Wheeler was at turns funny, tender and socially conscious - but mostly funny - always folksy and 100-percent entertaining. We laughed - so hard we cried. And we looked forward to the next Cheryl Wheeler concert and the opportunity to hear the things we missed while doubled over in hysterics.

Los Lobos (16), Memorial Hall OTR, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 25: Missing bassist Conrad Lozano, who was replaced, and multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin, who was not, Los Lobos played an aggressive, one-set show that immediately erased any disappointment the absences might have caused.

Bettye LaVette at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio, Oct. 13: Bettye LaVette was backed by guitar, bass, drums and keys/piano as she explored 12 back pages from all eras of Bob Dylan's songbook, from protest anthems to Christian declarations of faith, from well-known numbers to obscurities written between the 1960s and the 21st century. Indeed, the only person who might have rearranged these songs more radically than LaVette is Dylan himself.

Jorma Kaukonen (3) At Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza & Live Music, Worthington, Ohio, June 13 (Early Show): There’s something refreshing about the way Jorma Kaukonen refuses to cash in on his legacy as a founder of the famed San Francisco sound with the Airplane. And as he played and sang his grizzled blues like a man walking the Mississippi Delta in the first part of the 20th century, it was again clear that Kaukonen chose the right path.

A-

Elton John (3) at Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 2: If Elton John is really going to quit touring when his current trek ends - in 2021 - he’s going out in top form. From the first, teasing note of “Bennie and the Jets,” to the final, lingering sounds of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the musicians tinkered with arrangements just enough to keep things interesting for people who know these songs as well as they know anything. And if this is really farewell - and if "Yellow Brick Road" is really the last song 18,000 Columbus residents will ever hear John play live - it's a fond one.

Tedeschi Trucks Band (9) at Palace Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 9: The 12-piece band begun its "An Evening With" show just after 8 p.m. with a 55-minute opening set that set the table for what came later. Singer Mike Mattison wailed the blues and crooned jazz when he joined Susan Tedeschi on incendiary renditions of "Key to the Highway" and "Right on Time," the front woman got introspective on Bob Dylan's "Going, Going, Gone" and the group wound up powering through yet another spell-binding concert of originals and covers that spanned the past 100 years of music and its myriad styles.

Todd Rundgren (38) at Express Live!, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 12: Always unpredictable, Todd Rundgren is even more so when he tours as Unpredictable. On these occasions, he and his long-time band - guitarist Jesse Gress; former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince; Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton; and keyboardist Greg Hawkes of the Cars - work off a list of several dozen original and cover songs and play the ones that strike Rundgren's fancy on that particular evening. And on this night, the result was a wildly diverse, two-hour set of songs that bounced around nearly as much as Rundgren’s career itself.

Bruce Hornsby (9) & the Noisemakers at Columbus Commons, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 24: Hornsby and his current band channeled the pianist's former band, the Grateful Dead, and their taking-the-music-for-a-walk ethos. Stretching it out is a way of life for Hornsby & Noisemakers, who played just 16 songs in 130 minutes.

Roger Daltrey Performs the Who’s Tommy at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio, July 2: On a stage packed full of musicians, Daltrey, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and members of the Who’s touring band played Tommy front to back. And they played the shit out of it. The Philharmonic was a fully integrated part of the show, kicking off the concert with “Overture” as it’s always been meant to be heard; turning “Tommy Can You Hear Me” into a whimsical pops-concert moment; adding welcome flourishes to “Sally Simpson;” and filling “We’re Not Gonna Take It” with majesty.

Peter Rowan’s (2) Twang an’ Groove at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio, June 16: Once one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, a co-founder of Old & In the Way and author of classics including “Midnight Moonlight” and New Riders of the Purple Sage’s signature song, “Panama Red,” both of which were played toward the tail end of Set Two, Peter Rowan has been a part of some of bluegrass’ most-important 20th-century moments. He’ll be 76 on the Fourth of July, but his hands are still supple, his voice still able to climb to high-and-lonesome heights with his yodel intact, as his version of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Blue Yodel No. 3” demonstrated.

Dead & Company (6) at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 4, 2018: Anyone looking to understand why Dead Heads keep going back to see former Grateful Dead members year after year, decade after decade, needn’t look any farther than Dead & Company’s June 4 performance in Cincinnati. It was - by far, and until June 20 - the best of the half-dozen Dead & Company concerts Sound Bites has attended since the group came together in 2015.

Steve Kimock (3) & Friends at Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, Pa., Nov. 23: “Were gonna sort of front-porch our way in to this,” Steve Kimock said as he and his Friends took the stage and cooked up an ethereal, post-Thanksgiving stew that slowly bubbled into the one-off band’s - which came together for a special Black Friday performance in the City of Brotherly Love - opening number, KIMOCK’s “Careless Love.” It was a show that satisfied like a second helping of turkey.

David Crosby & Friends (2) at Kent Stage, Kent Ohio, Nov. 28: David Crosby, Michael League, Becca Stevens and Michelle Willis came into Kent and over the course of an hour-and-40-minute performance proved themselves a top-tier acoustic/harmony group that, with the right setlist, could be a salve for those still mourning the loss of Crosby, Stills and Nash. But with only a few exceptions - excellent exceptions but too few nonetheless - the quartet stuck with 21st-century material, resulting in a concert that consisted of near-perfect execution of fair to very good songs.

Steve Earle (3) & the Dukes (2) at Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio, June 10: Steve Earle is like an outlaw version of Bruce Springsteen, singing everyman songs with a left-wing political bent that’s sometimes so subtle, people will miss it if they’re not playing close attention. Also like Springsteen, Earle finds himself in the midst of a late-career renaissance, as a triad of fire-breathing tracks from 2017’s So You Wannabe an Outlaw were among the highlights of a career-spanning set that opened with a full performance of 1988’s Copperhead Road.

Hubby Jenkins at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio, Oct. 20: This was a fascinating concert - musically, spiritually and intellectually. Prior to taking his audience to church in a gospel-heavy second set, Hubby Jenkins took them to school, using his brief, 45-minute first set to educate concertgoers not only about the African origins of the banjo he was playing but the evolution of African-American culture and stereotypes via slavery, the Black Codes and Jim Crow and the minstrel tradition.

An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett (3) & Shawn Colvin (2) at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Athens, Ohio, March 21: It was one-third Lyle Lovett, one-third Shawn Colvin and one-third the Lovett-Colvin comedy hour. Together, the three-thirds equaled an evening of well-rounded entertainment.

12/27/18

[andimackshitposts]

30 Days of Jyrus, Day 6

Title: Hard Hitting Journalistic Integrity 

Summary: Cyrus, a reporter for a celebrity news magazine and website, gets roped into interviewing pop sensation Jonah Beck. (This fic is epistolary, it’s all emails and email attachments). 

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Can you cover for me?

Hey Cyrus,

I know this is last minute, but I really need someone to cover my interview assignment next week. My parents are coming into town, and I really need to make time to see them, or I’ll never hear the end of it. Metcalf says I can take the week off if I find someone to cover my assignments.

It’ll be easy. You just meet the guy, talk with him for a bit, ask some questions that I’ve already put together from the research I’ve been doing, and then write it all up. I’ve heard that he’s really nice, as pop-stars go.

Thanks so much,

Andi

To: Andi Mack (amack@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: Can you cover for me?

I’ll do it, but you so owe me. You know I hate interviewing. 

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: Re: Can you cover me?

You’re the best!! I sent the questions to Mr. Beck’s manager, and he’s gonna send you back the ones he approves of. I promise I’ll make it up to you!

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Approved Interview Questions & Topics

Dear Mr. Goodman,

Attached are the approved questions for the interview with Mr. Beck. DO NOT, under any circumstances stray from these questions. Mr. Beck requested that I also give him your email so that he may reach out before the interview, so expect something from his soon.

Respectfully,

Marty Evans

APPROVED QUESTIONS

• Question One: How does it feel to sell out stadiums?  

• Question Two: Tell me about your new album. All follow questions should be about the music and the music only. He writes his own music, so focus on that.

• Question Three: How does your family inspire you? This is something he’s talked about before in interviews, it’s important to him.

• Question Four: How long have you been playing music?

• Question Five: Favorite album?

• Question Six: I hear you like to play Ultimate Frisbee, is that true?

APPROVED TOPICS

• Music

• Family

• His fans

• His upcoming tour

• His hobbies, cooking and frisbee

DO NOT MENTION

• Amber Diamond/The breakup

• Amber’s accusations

• Anything personal

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Hi!

Hi!

This is Jonah Beck. I wanted to touch base with you before the interview. I’m thrilled that you’re interviewing me, because I love to read your articles in Celebrity Life. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to this interview in the first place. Most websites and magazines are very invasive, but I always found Celebrity Life to be trustworthy. But you usually don’t do interviews. Are you a fan? ;)

Jonah  Beck

To: Jonah Beck (jbeck36@gmail.com)

Subject: Re: Hi!

Mr. Beck,

Thank you for reaching out. I assure you that I am only covering for a coworker. I do enjoy your music, but I would never intentionally seek out an interview. I’ll see you on Monday.

Cyrus Goodman

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: How was the interview?

Hey, Cyrus!

Thank you again for covering for me. How did it go? I hope it went well. I know you hate pop-stars, but he seems pretty down to earth and I know you listen to his music, so I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too much of a disaster.

Andi

To: Andi Mack (amack@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: How was the interview?  

It was good. I’ll send you the rough draft by tomorrow.

To: Buffy Driscoll (bdriscoll@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: I fucked up

I attached my rough draft of the Jonah Beck interview, please read it. You’ll see. It’s too personal. His publicist won’t like it. I’m so screwed. Help.

JONAH BECK INTERVIEW ROUGH DRAFT

It’s a crisp September morning when I walk into the Belvedere Hotel to meet Jonah Beck. He’s sitting on the bed of the hotel room, strumming his guitar. Jonah Beck is a handsome and charming young man, but his demeanor is not that of a confident pop-star, instead he quiet and polite, offering me a sparkling water from the mini-fridge. He himself has apparently decided on tea with honey and lemon, probably to preserve his voice for the night’s concert. “The truth is I hate sparkling water,” he says. “I’m just trying to pawn it off on you.”

CELEBRITY LIFE MAGAZINE: You’re playing a sold out stadium show tonight. That must be a crazy feeling.

JONAH BECK: It’s absolute insane. I’m so lucky to have this life. Music is so

important to me, and it’s a dream come true to be able share this important part of my life with so many people. And I really do have the best fans in the world.

CLM: Best fans in the world? Even the crazy fan-girls?

JB: [laughs] Even them. Everyone has to fan-girl over something.

CLM: What do you fan-girl over?

JB: Truthfully? Professional Ultimate Frisbee players. But please, don’t publish that.

CLM: Sorry, buddy. This is all on record.

JB: [laughs] There go all my fan-girls.

CLM: You mentioned that music is a big part of your life. How long have you been playing music?

JB: I started playing music when I was thirteen years old. I, uh, struggle with some anxiety and music was, is, very therapeutic for me. It helped me find a little more confidence in who I really am, as opposed to who the people around me wanted me to be.

CLM: People around you? Like your family?

JB: My family, and honestly everyone in my life. My parents divorced when I was fourteen, but it was a longtime coming. I was a profoundly unhappy teenager, but I hid it really well. Music was the one outlet I had for all my negative emotions. I’m not sure how it became a career, but here we are.

CLM: Here we are indeed. I’m sorry to learn about your parents’ divorce. How has coming from that kind of background influenced your music?

JB: I think a lot of my love songs are more bittersweet than you expect from pop-music. My family is a huge inspiration—I talk to my little sister at least once a week—and I try to go home to my dad’s house for a few holidays. Without their support I never would’ve made it this far.

CLM: It’s going to be a challenge for you to make it home while you’re on tour.

JB: Unfortunately, that’s true. But I’m extremely lucky to be kicking off a world tour in six months. I get about six weeks off before the tour, so I’ll be spending it all with my family.

CLM: Where are you most excited to go?

JB: Germany. I have some extended family there.

CLM: Are you excited to meet fans from all over the world?

JB: Absolutely. Like I said, best fans anyone could ask for.

CLM: What will you be listening to on the tour bus? Favorite album?

JB: To be perfectly honest? Arianna Grande. God is definitely a woman. [laughs]

CLM: Oh, isn’t Amber Diamond going on tour with Arianna Grande?

JB: Uh…Yeah….

CLM: Shit, sorry. I wasn’t supposed to talk about her.

JB: It’s okay. I don’t hold any resentment towards Amber. We weren’t right for each other, but I handled it poorly. I don’t blame her for lashing out in the press.

CLM: That’s very emotionally mature of you. I mean, she told the tabloids that you’re gay. Which is a fucked up thing to do. If you’re straight, it’s a lie that will follow you for the rest of your career. And if it’s true, she outed you to the whole world.  

JB: Yeah. It’s not true, for the record. I’m not gay. I’m bisexual.

CLM:: Wow, uh. Wow. I won’t print that if you don’t—

JB: Print it. I don’t care. I was never really hiding it. I don’t fall in love with someone because of their gender. I fall in love with someone because of the color of their eyes, the way they smile, how they talk to me. It doesn’t matter what gender someone is or how they present. What matters is who they are.

CLM: That’s beautiful.

JB: I do write my own lyrics, y’know.

CLM: From deep and poetic to totally sarcastic in five seconds flat. Impressive. That must be what the fan-girls like about you.

JB: I would hope they’d like my music.

CLM: That too.

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: I fucked up

Calm down, Cy. There’s a salvageable interview in here. You just need some editing. I’ve got this. But holy shit, he came out in this interview. That’s huge. He must’ve really liked you.

Buffy

PS: You owe me one.

To: Buffy Driscoll (bdriscoll@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: Re: I fucked up

What do you mean, “he must really like me”?

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: Re: Re: I fucked up

I mean, based on that transcript, you two were totally flirting. Tell me you got his number. You have to go out with him.

To: Buffy Driscoll (bdriscoll@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: I fucked up

HA. You are absolutely out of your mind. I’m not going to go on a date with Jonah Beck. 

To: Cyrus Goodman (cgoodman@celebritylifemag.com)

Subject: Interview follow-up.

Dear Cyrus,

I just read the article! It came out great. But I think we need to do an interview follow up as soon as possible. Maybe this Friday night over dinner? I can pick you up at 7.  How does that sound?

Jonah Beck

To: Jonah Beck (jbeck36@gmail.com)

Subject: Re: Interview follow-up

I’d love to.

[kasey9395]

MY BTS WISH LIST FOR 2019

BTS achieved so much in 2017 and that much more in 2018, even achievements that ARMY didn’t think was even on the cards (UN Speech anyone?). So, with that in mind, the question begs itself: What can BTS and ARMY achieve in 2019?

This is my wish list but it isn’t necessarily what I hope they accomplish but also rather what I hope happens. Keep in mind, this is my opinion based on my experience and thoughts related to everything BTS. I have no doubt that some things you won’t agree with. Just know that nothing is meant with any ill-intentions. Anyway…

1. I wish that BTS achieves longevity with a Korean song on the Billboard charts. Whether or not it hits #1 is irrelevant to me. Top 10 is definitely possible but let’s be realistic here. Without the massive radio airplay that continues to elude them for various reasons, for the time being, #1 is not in the cards. But that’s okay.  

2. This is partly tied to the first wish. I wish that Big Hit reads that US Music Market right for once, and BTS’ past achievements and realize that:

A – Hip Hop and Rap are killing it right now on the charts, and

B – To date, regardless of how high the single got, Mic Drop Remix, for all intents and purposes, is BTS’ biggest hit in the US. Yes, FAKE LOVE might have charted at #10 while Mic Drop mustered #28, but it stayed on the chart and on radio for a far shorter time than Mic Drop did.

This is not to say that Mic Drop is a better song (I love Fake Love), but as far as the US goes, it shows that they respond to the Hip-Hop side of BTS better. And isn’t it just lovely that Hip Hop is really where BTS is rooted at the end of the day? So it isn’t like they will be taken out of their comfort zone should they put out a more Hip Hop vibe of a song.

Hell, it doesn’t even have to be the title track of the album. Mic Drop wasn’t. But please Big Hit, if it’s air play BTS needs to go past that hurdle of free falling then produce a Hip Hop track. It’s not like it isn’t your niche genre anyway.  

PS. Ddaeng would have KILLED!!!

3. I wish for ARMYs to realize that as far as collabs go, not all BTS members will be suited to a collab every time. We need to realize that even 7 people on a song is a lot. Add other artists to the mix and it becomes a situation of everyone competing for adequate time on a 4-minute song. And some solo enthusiasts already have a problem with line distributions with a purely BTS song. So, whether all 7 are on a song or, in the case of Waste It on Me, only 3/7, the fact remains that it is still BTS. And the song deserves ALL ARMYs’ support. The only excuse anyone should have to not support one of their collabs is if they just don’t like the song. Never should “But *insert Bangtan member name* isn’t in it” or “It isn’t OT7 so I won’t bother” be a reason. If it is, then those ‘ARMYs’ should look in the mirror when trying to place blame if the song doesn’t do well and re-evaluate whether they should even call themselves a BTS fan in the first place.

To me, calling oneself OT7 doesn’t mean we want everything BTS is involved in to be all of them and no one gets left behind. Realistically, that is impossible if you want them all to grow as artists. To me, OT7 means supporting ALL 7 in whatever they choose to do, whether it’s together or alone. It should not matter if it is a solo song or just a Rap Line or Vocal Line song or a collab just between Jungkook and Justin Bieber. Once a member of BTS is involved, we should pay as much love to the project as we would something that involves all of them.

PS. Ddaeng...a Rap Line song, would have KILLED!!!

PPS. The Truth Untold...a Vocal Line song, would have killed too.

Which brings me to my next wish…

4. I wish for BTS members to learn that they have so much potential to also shine by themselves on a project if they choose to. And no, this doesn’t mean I want them to go solo. Just typing that feels wrong. What I mean is that I wish for them to have the confidence to release more songs of their own. It can be a single song or cover on SoundCloud. It doesn’t have to be an album or a mixtape. It can even be a collaboration. Something, anything. Because I truly believe they ALL individually have the potential to make a mark on the US music scene.

5. Now this one will definitely be controversial but just know that it comes from a place with absolute love and longing. I wish that Big Hit focus more on developing those boys’ vocals more than they have done in the past. Hear me out! I love…LOVE…the vocal line’s voices. Jungkook’s voice remains one of my favourites in K-Pop. They are one of, if not the only group where the vocal line has such unique and different timbres from each other. But I feel like BH isn’t capitalizing on that uniqueness and helping the boys to harness their devastatingly full potential, especially with Taehyung and Jimin (and I am Jimin biased). It really gets to me sometimes. And it isn’t a situation of them needing much work either. Just a little more control.

Taehyung has a deep, jazzy, sultry, heart-breaking quality to his voice that I have not yet heard in any vocalist in K-Pop, showing that he is truly unique in that sense. Not to mention, he has one of the most insane vocal ranges as well. His voice to me might even be unique on this side of the world, a side that celebrates an artist with a unique tone. So who wouldn’t want to use THAT weapon of a voice. Come on, BH!

And Jimin…*sigh*…to say that his voice might be what one might hear as they enter heaven is not a stretch to the imagination. When I hear him sing, the first word that pops into my head is ‘angelic’. He too, like Tae, has such a unique voice. But sometimes I feel as if Jimin doesn’t truly know how to use what he has been blessed with. I feel it for him when his voice cracks or he goes off-pitch, especially knowing that he will beat himself up for it. But it shouldn’t be happening as often as it does. With his potential to hit the highest of high notes and with the sweetest of timbres, BH isn’t doing as much as they should with his vocal training. Again, come on BH!

6. I wish that BH will stop underestimating just how truly popular BTS is, and give them the concert venues that ARMYs know they can sell out. While there is a possibility of them doing stadiums alone next year during a trip back to the US, they should know that they could have done that this year and they would have gotten the same results. And don’t even start on Latin and South America. I am not from there but even I am rooting for them to get a leg next year, especially Brazil. Brazil…a country I hope BH realizes can definitely fill at least a 60,000 capacity stadium for BTS.

7. I wish for a nomination for BTS that is not socially or vote driven. Is it such a stretch to believe that they have done enough this year to warrant at least a Best Duo/Group nomination at the BBMAs next year? For the second year in a row, they have ended the year as the 2nd best Group according to Billboard. Doesn’t that deserve acknowledgment in the form of a nomination?

8. I wish, for once, that their own country’s media start actually acknowledging their achievements, stop downplaying them and realize that it isn’t easily achievable. Alas, I know if any, this is the wish that is a pipe dream because mediaplay is a thing.

Oh. And sometimes, a BTS achievement is just that...a BTS achievement. NOT an achievement for the whole K-Pop industry.

9. And finally (as long as I don’t think of any more), I simply wish for the boys to continue as they have so far, to be 7 truly beautiful human beings whose humility and respect always leave an impression on anyone they encounter.

A day or two off won’t hurt either. 

So here’s wishing for an even more successful 2019 for everyone!

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/30-coins-another-host-without-consecration-by-alex-de-la-iglesia/

'30 coins', another host without consecration by Álex de la Iglesia

VOD news brings you the best premieres of the week on Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video … And for the third week in a row, we have a ‘Spanish’ on the cover, but not just any one and in no case derogatory: 30 coins, the latest from Álex of the Church in serial format. Otherwise, just a couple of outstanding content and, yes, the most interesting catalogs.

If it has been eight weeks since HBO that did not rise to the top of the section, and did so with the Spanish series Patria, it is doing it again now with another expected production of the country, worth the redundancy and the adjective, if you reside in these parts. We are talking about 30 coins, a series that you still cannot see … But be careful, because it is not the only thing that HBO brings for this week.

In fact, HBO arrives this week with the most powerful material of the big three of VOD… and it was about time. Of all, the highlight is undoubtedly 30 coins, the new series by Álex de la Iglesia, whose premiere is scheduled for tomorrow, so you’ll have to hold on a bit if you’re wanting to see the new of a director capable of combining the terms ‘Spanish’ – I repeat, without any derogatory connotation that is worth it- and ‘original’ in almost everything he touches, although the last qualifier goes back to his particular style. 30 coins is made up of a choral cast of which you will hear most of the faces and the story, of which I can tell you little about the obvious, it is inevitable that it does not recall a little of the magnificent The Day of the Beast due to the themes it touches . And honestly, as long as it is half as good as that one, we are going to really enjoy these 30 coins. For more information, the trailer.

Another striking HBO premiere for this week is The Flight Attendant, a series halfway between suspense and black humor that brings back Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) in a title role. It tells the story of a flight attendant who gets froggy one night of passion… But what actually happened? Criticism is receiving it well.

And one more from HBO, this in movie format: Superintelligence, a comedy that revolves around an artificial ‘superintelligence’ crazier than usual.

More exclusive content:

Black money (Tuff Money)(T1). “Two operatives joke about manipulating traffic to dock a bank’s armored van and they end up forced to do so. All the institutions they ask for help want to carry out the theft and take a part of it. ”

New chapters:

A Teacher (T1) Murder on Middle Beach (T1) How to with John Wilson (T1) Industry (T1) Dark Matter (T2) Romulus (T1) The Spanish Princess (T2) The Undoing (T1) Valley of Tears (T1 ) Warrior (T2)

Enter catalog:

Aquaman The exchange Lego DC Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout The Mercenaries 3 The Penguins of Madagascar Tomorrow begins all ThunderCats Roar! (T1)

Netflix follows his and releases numerous exclusive or original content, which are not always the same, but as usual there is a lot of straw or little grain, if not none.

Of everything that premieres on Netflix this week, maybe Christmas Chronicles 2 be the highlight for being the sequel to a movie that had its success a couple of years ago. The story, the typical Christmas with Santa Claus in the middle, this time with Chris Columbus at the helm, but with Kurt Russell again at the beard. A light entertainment for all audiences, especially the youngest.

More exclusive content:

Dolly Parton: Christmas in the Square. «A ruthless woman puts an end to the Christmas spirit when she tries to sell the lands of the city where she was born. Can music, magic and memories stop her? ” Tomy’s notebook. «A woman with terminal cancer writes an extraordinary notebook on life, death and love for her son to remember. Based on a true story.” The phone. «Connected by a telephone, but separated by time. A serial killer endangers the past and the life of another woman to change her own destiny. ” Hillbilly, a rural elegy. “An urgent call takes a Yale law student to his hometown of Ohio, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.” The beast. “A lone Special Forces veteran unleashes his inner beast as he pursues his daughter’s kidnappers … and becomes a suspect.” Mosul. “After being rescued by an Iraqi squad, a young policeman joins his rescuers to fight the Islamic State in a devastated Mosul.” Shawn Mendes: In Wonder. “In this documentary shot during a world tour, Shawn Mendes opens up about his success, his relationships and his musical future.” Shawn Mendes: Live in Concert. “In his hometown Toronto, Shawn Mendes indulges his ardent fans at a concert in a packed stadium.” Dance Dreams: The Chocolate Nutcracker. “This documentary focuses on Debbie Allen’s career and shows her dancers preparing for the annual ‘The Chocolate Nutcracker’ performance.” Tut Tut Cory Cars: Christmas. A stranger with a familiar face appears at Cory’s house. As he does not remember anything, the little one helps him remember the magic of Christmas, and together they save the holidays. ” A place to dream (T2). “A nurse wants to start from scratch and leaves Los Angeles to move to a remote town in Northern California, where many surprises await.” Christmas visit. “Bastian, a musician who has nowhere to fall dead and sees everything black, returns home for Christmas … where surprises that are not at all festive await him.”

Enter catalog:

Aquaman Contraband Eternally committed King Kong The shadow of power The Boleyn Sisters New Years Eve at the Magnolia One more of the Voices family

Continue with Amazon Prime Video, whose most outstanding releases for this week are in what goes into the catalog, including Aquaman (reaches all platforms) or Bohemian Rhapsody, in addition to many classics.

More exclusive content:

Everyone’s game. “These players want to be pioneers in opening the doors of this sport and making rugby” Everyone’s game. ” My uncle frank. “In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth set out on a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina, to attend the funeral of the family patriarch, they were unexpectedly joined by Walid, Frank’s lover.”

New chapters:

Ladies of the (H) AMPA (T1)

Enter catalog:

Alexander the Great Alice Cooper – Live At Montreux 2005 All about the money Threatened online Aquaman Just like you are Bee movie Bohemian Rhapsody Boomerang, the prince of women Clueless Cool World Congo Special mail Things we lost in the fire Damsel Deep Purple – Machine Head (Classic Album) Dracula 3D Educating Bobby The neighborhood against me The double murder of Morgue Street The son of Saul The empire of terror The Paradine process The crazy professor The secret of Santa Vittoria Scammers of Wall Street Force of Impact Frankenstein and the monster of hell Infected (Carriers) The submerged city The island of lost souls The Other Couple (All Over the Guy) The mermaid and the dolphin The tribe of the Brady Lobster Light as Feathers The 50 are the new 30 The satanic rites of Dracula Stronger than pride Thieves market Midway Mystery at Amman Mommy We don’t like Captain Black pudding! Opening Night Red Scorpion, scheduled to destroy Redcon-1 – Zombie Apocalypse Bloody Valentine Seven Sisters No Truce The Square Lava storm An American werewolf in Paris A monster comes to see me I travel alone

And we end with Disney +, which arrives with little, but adjusted to what is expected of it … with the exception of the new season of The Simpsons, which is the owner of Fox for that.

More exclusive content:

Black beauty. “In this timeless remake of Anna Sewell’s classic novel, we will delve into the life of Black Beauty, a wild mare who was born in the wild in the western United States.” Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. “Taylor Swift performs all the songs on her hit album ‘Folklore’ in an intimate concert, shot at the historic Long Pond Studio, a setting that evokes the nostalgic and dreamy nature of the record.”

New chapters:

One Day at Disney (T1) The Mandalorian (T2)

Enter catalog:

Far From Home The Simpsons (S31) Noelle Runaways

/* <![CDATA[ */ var bimber_shares_config = ""debug_mode":false,"facebook_sdk":"url":"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js","app_id":"","version":"v5.0","microshares":"tpl":" <div class=\"bimber-microshare-item-share\">\n\t<a class=\"bimber-microshare-item-share-toggle\" href=\"#\">Share<\/a>\n\t <div class=\"bimber-microshare-item-share-content\">\n\t\t<a class=\"bimber-microshare bimber-microshare-facebook bimber-share-facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.explica.co\/news-vod-48-20-30-coins-another-host-without-consecration-by-alex-de-la-iglesia\/&quote=News%20VOD%2048\/20:%20’30%20coins’,%20another%20host%20without%20consecration%20by%20\u00c1lex%20de%20la%20Iglesia\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.explica.co\/news-vod-48-20-30-coins-another-host-without-consecration-by-alex-de-la-iglesia\/\" data-share-text=\"News VOD 48\/20: ’30 coins’, another host without consecration by \u00c1lex de la Iglesia\" data-on-share-callback=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Share on Facebook<\/a><a class=\"bimber-microshare bimber-microshare-twitter bimber-share-twitter\" href=\"\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.explica.co\/news-vod-48-20-30-coins-another-host-without-consecration-by-alex-de-la-iglesia\/&text=News%20VOD%2048\/20:%20’30%20coins’,%20another%20host%20without%20consecration%20by%20\u00c1lex%20de%20la%20Iglesia%20\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Share on Twitter<\/a>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","domain":"https:\/\/www.explica.co\/","i18n":"fb_app_id_not_set":"Facebook App Id not set in Theme Options > Shares""; /* ]]> */

[billyagogo]

Coronavirus is surging in college towns. The worst spot? Texas

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2020/10/24/coronavirus-is-surging-in-college-towns-the-worst-spot-texas/

Coronavirus is surging in college towns. The worst spot? Texas

As football fans tailgated without masks outside Texas Tech University’s 60,000-seat stadium in West Texas this weekend ahead of the Red Raiders’ homecoming game, it was easy to forget that Lubbock — a rural county of 310,000 — has one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country.

The outbreak at Texas Tech, which has infected at least 2,200 students, comes as the U.S. reported a national single-day record of new infections — 83,757 — Friday. Part of what’s driving the national increase in infections has been a surge in college towns where restrictions have eased since students returned this fall. And nowhere is it more prevalent than in Texas — which has more infected college students than any other state in the country, 17,133, according to a New York Times database — and at Texas Tech itself, with more infected students than any other school statewide.

Texas Tech fans file into the Red Raiders’ Jones AT&T Stadium, where they were required to wear masks until seated.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

As at many Texas high schools, canceling football wasn’t seen as an option by officials at Texas Tech or other universities in the Big 12 Conference. On Friday, the Big Ten also started its season — but with empty stadiums.

At Texas Tech, though the traditional homecoming parade was called off, last year’s king and queen still met this year’s winners in person wearing masks for the crowning. And 15,000 fans, 25% of the stadium’s capacity, were allowed to attend Saturday’s football game, with tailgating OK’d for small groups outside.

Officials at Texas Tech, like those at other universities, say they’re trying to preserve as much of campus life as possible at the behest of students, parents and alumni.

“Students consider the culture of a place when they select a university. I also think this is important for the continued connection to alumni,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said as he watched Saturday’s game from a suite atop the stadium, where masks and temperature checks were required. “We’re trying to balance safety with some sense of normalcy.”

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec and his wife, Patty Schovanec, center, talk to tailgaters outside the stadium Saturday.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

As COVID-19 has surged on college campuses, some have moved to reevaluate their responses. This month, University of Michigan students were ordered to stay home until election day by health authorities because they accounted for 60% of local infections. In upstate New York, the president of SUNY Oneonta resigned after 700 of its 6,000 students tested positive.

At Texas Tech, where 60% of classes have met in person this fall, it’s full speed ahead, with Schovanec saying he hopes to expand to 75%, including hybrid classes.

“People have different levels of anxiety regarding COVID-19,” he said. “We were very flexible.”

Joyce Zachman, executive director of the nonprofit Texas Tech Parents Assn., said she hears more concern from parents about students being forced to take classes online than about them catching COVID-19.

“It’s not the college experience that parents had hoped for their kids,” said Zachman, who’s asthmatic but still attended Saturday’s game, where fans sang the school fight song with its chorus of “Wreck ’Em!” and pointed their trigger fingers in the Texas Tech “guns up” victory sign.

Russ Smith, 49, a truck driver based near Fort Worth, traveled to tailgate Saturday with a group that included his son, a freshman attending his alma mater. They didn’t wear masks, and he noticed the students were not maintaining social distance as they played cornhole and snapped selfies.

Officials at Texas Tech say they’re trying to preserve as much of campus life as possible at the behest of students, parents and alumni.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

“There’s some pandemic fatigue,” he said.

Though studies this month show enrollment has dipped slightly at universities nationwide since the pandemic began, Texas Tech’s is up 4%, and applications for next year have increased 10%.

“I was going to do community college if it was all online,” said Emma Thompson, 18, a Texas Tech freshman from Boerne, Texas, during lunch at the student union Friday.

Across the table, classmate Major Thurman, 18, of Austin said his father had warned that if Texas Tech classes were all online, he wouldn’t pay the tuition. Thurman has since had a friend test positive for the virus, and his roommate had symptoms but tested negative.

“We have a lot of corona scares,” said Thompson, who joined a sorority and goes to bars with friends but said they wear masks.

Lubbock County ranked 10th in the country for per capita coronavirus infections this week, with 1 in 18 residents infected, at least 30% of them in their 20s. Because student testing is voluntary, the number of infections could actually be significantly higher. As in other college towns that have seen infections surge since students returned to campus this fall, most of the 175 people who have died of COVID-19 in Lubbock were older than 70, about 68%.

Like several other schools in the Big 12 Conference, Texas Tech is selling tickets to its football games with capacity limited to 25%, or 15,000 fans at Jones AT&T Stadium.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

Lubbock is a medical hub amid the oil fields of West Texas, more than 300 miles from the nearest major city, but its hospitals have been challenged by the influx of COVID-19 patients. For nearly the past week, more than 15% of those hospitalized had COVID-19, a threshold set by the governor that local officials expect will soon force them to halt elective surgeries, close bars and reduce restaurant capacity from 75% to 50%.

“We’re on a trajectory to reach that trigger,” said Steve Massengale, a Lubbock City Council member and Texas Tech alumnus who owns the Matador, a Texas Tech-themed store across from the university’s entrance.

Massengale said that he believes university officials have done all they can do to prevent the virus from spreading but that having in-person classes and football fans in the stands is vital given his business is already down by half because of the pandemic. Still, he said, students’ off-campus parties are concerning.

“We know that it does seem to be spreading at some of these small gatherings. They just don’t contemplate that they may be endangering other people,” Massengale said before attending Saturday’s game.

Of Texas Tech’s 40,322 students, 7,000 live in the dorms, with the rest living nearby. Although the university has isolated sick students at dorms and local hotels, it hasn’t mandated testing of potentially asymptomatic students or shut down off-campus parties, although Schovanec said the university has worked with fraternities and Lubbock police to curtail them.

Critics say the school and local officials are more worried about their bottom line than lives and fear the COVID-19 outbreak will spread farther across Texas and beyond as students — many of whom live in major cities or out of state — head home for Thanksgiving.

“It doesn’t sound like Lubbock is doing its due diligence in terms of keeping its students safe,” said Corina Flores, 43, a Dallas healthcare worker whose 22-year-old son is studying nursing at Texas Tech.

Flores said she was aghast seeing this season’s Texas Tech football crowds on television.

“How are they allowing all these people to be there?” she said.

Flores was also shocked to read a Twitter page created by an anonymous Texas Tech student replete with videos and texts showing scores of students at parties without masks or social distancing, some of the gatherings sponsored by Texas Tech fraternities and sororities. At least one Texas Tech student posted a video on Twitter this fall in which she claimed to be partying after testing positive for the virus.

“What are they going to do when some of these parents come back and say you didn’t protect my child?” Flores asked.

Schovanec said that officials were aware of the Twitter posts and parties and that some student groups have faced discipline for violating COVID-19 safety guidelines. But, he said, “it’s difficult to control people’s behavior off campus.”

“I believe our student body has been responsible,” he said, adding that although he’s concerned about the case increase in the surrounding county, based on contact tracing, “the problem is certainly not Texas Tech University.”

Experts disagree.

A. David Paltiel, a professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health, said universities need to proactively test students to prevent those who are asymptomatic from spreading the virus.

With the holiday season approaching, experts worry that college students returning home could spread the coronavirus to family members.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers broad guidelines for universities to prevent and respond to the coronavirus, but many schools go further, Paltiel said. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has tested 20,000 students daily, he said, “identified them, isolated them and gotten them contained.” In California, Paltiel noted, UC San Diego has been monitoring wastewater for signs of outbreaks.

By contrast, Paltiel said, “Most of the schools in Texas and Florida have been shielding themselves in the CDC guidelines and saying we don’t have to do anything. They’re just hoping that everything that could go wrong will go right.”

He said voluntary coronavirus testing at Texas Tech and other schools wasn’t helpful because those without symptoms probably won’t get tested.

“Waiting until you have symptoms with a disease that’s such a silent spreader is like waiting to call the fire department until a house is ablaze,” he said. “Who is a voluntary program going to bring out? The worried well or the kid with the runny nose. That’s not who I want. I want the asymptomatic spreader. I want the kid toddling off to do Jell-O shots in an unventilated room.”

Paltiel said universities also need to test students before allowing them to return home for Thanksgiving, when they could expose relatives.

“What’s concerning to me is schools will say as long as you don’t have symptoms, you’re good to go. You could be sending home silent spreaders,” he said. “I’m not sure people understand how much risk a returning college student poses to elderly relatives.”

More than 80% of Texas Tech students come from more than 200 miles away, twice as far as the average U.S. college student, Schovanec said. Most are from Texas, thousands from the state’s largest cities: Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. Hundreds also come from out of state, primarily New Mexico (744) and California (408).

“Honestly, I feel we shouldn’t be here on campus,” said freshman Timothy Odusola-Stephen, 18, while eating lunch with two fellow freshmen from Houston at the student union Friday.

The trio said they had been partying and planned to party this weekend and to return home for Thanksgiving.

Sophomore Tayvion Wheeler, 21, an information technology major, lives off campus and has tried to isolate, but he has one class in person. He was debating how to return safely to Dallas next month.

“I have a grandmother that stays at my mom’s house. I’m scared to go back home,” he said by phone last week.

Wheeler also worries there will be further outbreaks after the holidays when students return to campus.

“People are going to get things and then come back,” he said.

Read More

[ariadnamsaenz]

About Kim Heechul Being Called A Pedo

*sigh* I always try to stay out of the online kpop community because 90% of the time everyone is either severely misinformed and being led on by haters or just being petty af and not thinking logically, but I couldn’t just stay silent on this.

TO START the comment about “Healthy Porn” was made by a Produce 101 PD, NOT an Idol School PD. 

Second, I’m incredibly disappointed in the so called ELF who’s opinions have been changed without doing any research or really even knowing anything about Heechul apparently. Don’t be so easy to name call and drop someone based off what you hear about them. Form your own opinions through observation of YOUR OWN. 

To everyone else letting themselves be led by antis and haters, THINK LOGICALLY. Let’s begin on the surface. Heechul is the ONLY male idol with so many female friends of all ages. If he was being a creep he wouldn’t have such a positive reputation amongst friends and peers. Heechul is the ONLY male idol that openly speaks up for female idols and defends them and tries to bring light to their struggles and how much more difficult it is for them than it is for the male idols.

Third, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH LIKING ANIME AND JAPANESE THINGS. Like what the actual hell? Japanese anime has some of the best storytelling in their animes out there. Admittedly, they do gain a negative view from the outside because the Japanese in general have a pervy and wacky sense of humor, but unless you’ve delved into the culture stfu. You’re judging a book by it’s cover and being a prejudice asshole. All the figurines and merch that Heechul has displayed don’t even come from pervy animes so I don’t get why people are being so fucking obnoxiously judgy. They talk about the Asuka body pillow he has like it’s the dirtiest thing out there. That was a gift from a fan cause they knew he liked Asuka. Also A LOT of people give those as a joke. I was gifted a Full Metal Alchemist one from a friend. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT EVEN IF IT WASN’T A JOKE OR GIFT. It is a CARTOON and if you think that NONE of your precious boy idols watch porn you’re incredibly naive. Sex and sexuality are completely normal! GROW UP.

Fourth, the whole he had Sohee as his background and thought she was attractive when she was so young. Are you kidding me? How many of you have members of Seventeen, NCT(any of the three groups), Astro etc who are younger than you as your background? Or have found them attractive? Or cute? Also even if you don’t, you’d have to charge the whole of China, South Korea, and Japan’s male population with pedophilia! Who do you think make up the majority of girl group’s fanbase? MEN. Men who are older than them and find them either cute or attractive. You know what? Forget Asia! Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Taylor Swift etc do you think they sell millions of copies and sell out stadiums and make their billions of dollars cause only females and males of the same age or younger purchase their merch/music? Do you think men older than them don’t find them attractive? THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH FINDING SOMEONE YOUNGER THAN YOU ATTRACTIVE. Pedophilia is defined as having sexual feeling towards children. Finding someone attractive doesn’t mean you get a hard on when you see them or jack off to them. I find Charlize Theron INCREDIBLY attractive and she is ridiculously hot, but that doesn’t make me a lesbian nor does it mean that she turns me on. I think Mark is attractive and I do have pictures of him but I’d never touch him. He’s a kid!

Lastly, Heechul is the HOMEROOM teacher meaning is not consulted with in regards of what they have the students do. Nor anyone else that participates on the show. THe only people who know the full details are the producers, directors, and the agencies who ok’ed their trainees to be on the show. The rest of the cast is only told about the things in which they participate in. Everyone is overreacting and blaming Heechul for a scene from a preview that he probably wasn’t even on set for. Meaning his statement that he didn’t see anything sexual or bad about what he was told or what was filmed stands true.

Guys honestly, think logically and for yourself before you let yourself be swayed by the masses.