#i keep seeing videos of this australian radio show

[euphoricfilter]

not to be a raging hater but people who make a whole deal over girl math defeat the point of girl math. you can’t consciously sit down and justify a purchase with ‘girl math’. it’s an unconscious thought process, a little thing that just makes sense in your silly little head 🚶‍♀️ and it just makes sense because obviously that’s just how it works

[hemmohaze]

Valentine’s Day Plans

Word Count: 1,000+

Warnings: Strong Language

AN: Okay what if i said this is my favorite fic I’ve ever written. Maybe it’s because Cal is my cheat lane as well. Happy reading and hope you all enjoy<3

————

February 13th 2019

Daniella Walker. The name that is mainstream as she was making her way into the music scene as what the internet calls their "pop princess."

Daniella first had internet fame how everyone does in the early 2010's, by posting on Youtube. From the age of 16 she started posting covers of her singing different popular songs at the time ranging from Halsey to Ariana Grande. First viral video being her cover of Honeymoon Avenue from the album Yours Truly.

Her life changed at 19 when one of her self produced songs called Speechless dropped and became an overnight sensation. Flying from her home country of London, England to countless radio interviews to her first American Music Awards as an attendee and performer at.

That’s when she met some of her longtime friends in the music industry, 5 Seconds of Summer. She met them because she accidentally bumped into a red haired Micheal as she was coming off stage and they were about to take the stage. The two gushing over much they enjoyed each other’s music.

She was a huge Amnesia fan.

Over the years they continued to keep contact with one another. She was featured on their 3rd album Youngblood on their song Want You Back as backing vocals.

Daniella had also become a regular feature in 5SOS content. As well as being posted on their respective girlfriend’s Instagram’s pretty frequently.

For a little while she was considered a groupie when she went to Bali with them in 2016. Until stan twitter quickly defended her from the trolls on the internet claiming how do they not know her.

She was now 24 standing in line at her favorite local coffee and bagel spot in downtown Los Angeles. The line continued move at a slow pace as she hummed along to the beat in her airpods she been sent the night previous. She was absolutely in love with it. She had a studio session set with Max Martin that she definitely couldn't be late for.

He's worked with artists like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, and Britney Spears.

It's been a dream of hers to work with him and only her 3rd album that is saying she's gotta be doing something right.

She finally approached Alexis, one of the cashiers she had blossomed a friendship from after being a regular here for 4 months.

"Everything bagel with a side of strawberry cream cheese and Iced Americano double shot with light ice and vanilla creamer!" She shouted to the back. "Hey Daniella."

A smile was plastered on her face. "Hey Lexi. You'll never believe what I've got planned today." She started as she dug in her purse for her card to hand over for her to swipe.

"Please you're literally a pop star. If you told me you were going to meet up with Kim Kardashian I would probably believe you." She stated in her strong jersey accent as she handed the card back.

"No I wish, but on my bucket list though, maybe I could get a discount on my Skims bodysuits I like. Anyways besides the point here, somehow managed to get a studio session with Max Martin! And cherry on top, the guys are showing up with Ryan fucking Tedder.” She said excitedly as she moved off to the side of the line so other people could move.

"See this is what I mean. It's Thursday at nine in the morning and you're going to work with your hot Australian friends and I'm here covered in flour all day while dealing with the bitches in the back and isn't Max Martin that Swedish dude who's written and produced for basically every A list singer." She leaned against the register.

"Yeah it's so exciting is it not. And Alexis you're so talented at making bagels. Hone in on that." She joked making the curly haired blonde roll her eyes in fake annoyance.

“Your accent makes this sound all posh Dani.”

“Oh whatever.”

"Your beautiful everything bagel and iced coffee m'lady." Alexis turned around to the kitchen workers as she handed her two paper bags one full of her favorite little snacks and the other with her bagel.

"Lexi, you didn't have to do th-." She started.

"Oh please shut up yes I did. You're gonna be late with the hot guys.”

“Text me when you can, I'd love to hear all about it." She smiled.

"Will do."

As she was on the highway on the way to the studio her mind was clouded with thoughts some negative some positive, but mostly negative.

Before she knew it she was finding a parking spot and walking into Capitol Records.

Showing security her badge, she looked down at her Apple Watch and cursed, realizing she was going to be late if she didn’t climb the stairs in under 2 minutes. Thank god for her zumba classes she’s been taking.

Once she figured out what studio she was gonna be in for the next 6 hours, she spotted his long hair and glasses talking to Ryan and the four men sat in the couch in the corner. All of them laughing at something on Luke's phone. She knocked bringing their attention to her standing at the door slightly out of breath.

"Daniella! Pleasure to finally meet you." Max said getting up from the comfy chair to give her hug.

"So nice to meet you too. I'm so incredibly excited and I also see you've invited some of my good friends." She stated nudging Ryan's elbow.

"He had a lot of positive things to say about you." He said sitting back down.

"Daniella you probably know them," Ryan gestured to the men sitting on the couch.

"Know them. These guys are basically a second family to me." She joked.

"I hope you don't mind that I decided to bring them along here to hopefully do some live instrumentals for ya." He told her looking at her with a smile.

"Oh my goodness not at all! It actually sounds so cool. I’ve missed these guys." She smiled widely.

Micheal stood up and gave her a brotherly hug. “Have you gotten shorter?” He joked making Daniella give him the bird.

“Haven’t you gotten weirder.”

“Touché.”

Ashton was next, giving her another squeeze and pat on the head.

Then Luke who did their handshake they made up in Bali together, that neither of them forgot even after 4 years.

Finally it was Calum who smiled at her first and then suddenly picked up her up and spun her around in a circle, earning a loud laugh from Daniella and his signature smile that she still got butterflies from.

Even after her 6 years of knowing him, he still makes her blush like a school girl.

“Alright everyone let’s get to work to hear this beautiful voice of hers.” Max stated turning around and facing the recording booth as Daniella walked in and put on her headphones.

Two hours passed as Daniella stood in the recording booth, recording the second verse. She was mumbling the possible verse in the microphone. The song had a Lorde lyricism with Ariana Grande singing vibe.

She and Max had titled the song Selfish. Max and Ryan giving her corrections if needed. Other than the couple comments or corrections from the group she had total artistic freedom and she loved that.

“Could we leave that first half blank of that chorus and I’ll stack some more vocal layers on that run.” Daniella suggested over the noise of the metronome. “Thank you.”

“Yup sounds amazing.”

While Ryan was stacking her vocals, she leaned next to Ashton's drum kit and told him what pace she needed for the chorus.

Calum was fiddling with his bass strings trying to tune them when Daniella walked over. “So what’s your big opinion on it??”

“I think it sounds bloody brilliant.” He said in a Scottish accent.

“Don’t make fun of the Scottish people.”

“You always seem to forget I’m half Scottish and you’re literally British.” He laughed as she hit his tattooed arm slightly.

Max leaned into Micheal's headset, "Okay Mike start from when Daniella comes in at "I used to be cautious about this and stop when the beat drops back down to the acoustic version that we have prepared.”

3 more hours passed as their session ended and Daniella so proud of the song they had made and gotten mastered.

"Alright, could we schedule another one for Friday morning? We’ve got selfish crossed off the list. We could get started on Messier Things as well." Max asked her looking at his calendar.

She nodded with a thumbs up. "That should work with me."

"It was so good to finally see you guys today. What’s new in the wonderful world of 5SOS land." She asked the boys as they were walking to a lunch spot on the less crowded side of LA so the likelihood of them all being noticed and ambushed by paparazzi was a zero percent chance.

“Going on a promo tour for Easier. Thats literally all. New York, LA, Atlanta, and some overseas.” Ashton said laughing.

"Well whatt are you guys doing for the day of love that happens to be tomorrow." She asked wiggling her fingers together.

"Spending time with Sierra." Luke quickly answered with a smile. He loves that woman more than air it seems. But it’s good to see him so happy.

"Crystal wants to go see some new movie." Micheal stated with a raised eyebrows. He probably had no clue but he was with Crystal and thats all he cared about.

“Oo lemme know if you need a dog sitter. I’ll bring Pepper. Y’know she loves Moose and Southy.”

"Probably just a dinner with KayKay." Ashton’s bright smile came up whenever he talked about KayKay.

"Absolutely nothing." Calum said quickly with a slight eye roll. She knew how he felt about Valentine's Day. He hated that day with every fiber in his being.

"We could spend it together Cal, I'm not doing anything either. It can be like old times!" Reminiscing on when they would go their favorite Ramen restaurant in the city and rewatch Criminal Minds at his house whenever they were both free.

As much as only everyone around them knows, they've had a flirty relationship ever since they've met. But what they don’t know is they claim they’re just friends who have occasionally kissed each other, slept in the same bed, and she's worn his clothes more than once but just friends.

But due to them being too awkward to act upon their obvious feelings, they have no official label on whatever they are.

"Ramen on Melrose it is." He laughed making Daniella laugh along with him.

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

I just wanted to remind people that supporting Louis is a gift in itself. We know the kind of person he is. I wanted to remind people that last year he donated money to a band who had their gear stolen so that they could buy their instruments back. You wouldn’t read about that in the big papers, he did it for his love of music and the people who make music. We love him because he loves his fans with all his heart, he literally paid for parking lots so that his fans could camp out safely. He paid for water in biodegradable bottles because he cares about everything. It wasn’t published in any magazine and no one will know about it. So every Louis can be confident that they support the artist who has the biggest heart and loves his fans and music like no one else. He is not promoting already established high profile musicians as they do in this industry but unknown bands who really need support. His openers are not Grammy winning musicians like Kacey Musgraves or Maren Morris. He is taking unsigned bands on tour. So, don’t feel bad when Liam Gallagher doesn’t talk about him. With our support we can make everyone take notice. I think we have to spread the word through the communities we have. Introduce our friends, colleagues, family to his music. Get our local radio stations to play his music. That’s how 1D got big. We have to show the world Louis was the heart of 1D. 1D was invited to local radio stations because fans would keep tweeting and requesting. We have to do the same. LT2 is coming, we have to get organised if we want to do this.

I agree. It has been a privilege to be Louis’ fan. Beyond good music, Louis is a role model and an inspiration in so many ways.

However, 1D’s label— Syco and Columbus music— actively pushed 1D to succeed. Of course fan fervor played a big part, but 1D doesn’t have road blocks like Louis did with Walls.

@beccasafan set up a good and incredibly useful database for radio requests. Louies used it extensively, but got very few actual responses. The reason was that USA radio stations have a higher hurdle to play the song when it isn’t uploaded to AllAcccess, and of the Walls singles, only WMI and TOU were available on AllAccess (Walls - the single- was available under the Adult Contemporary category).

Fans sent individualized care packages to radio stations all over the country. It didn’t matter.

Similarly, after TOU, none of Walls singles were available on BBC Radio playlists, which at one point had three songs from Fine Line on playlists for BBC1. Niall, Zayn, and Liam’s singles were ALL featured on BBC1 playlists.

In contrast, Louis’ songs were more frequently played in Latin America, because it was easier to request play on radio stations.

That translates to higher listenership, higher charting, higher Walls popularity, and higher concert audience numbers.

So you can see that fans have influence, but the gates were tightly closed to USA, UK, and Australian audiences — the largest areas of English-speaking music in the world.

Fans can spread our love by word of mouth, and by more viral means — by making Tiktoks and Insta reels. These are Louis’ numbers on Tiktok, without even having an official account.

Louis has gained approximately 200 million TikToks under the hashtag #louistomlinson alone since the Latam leg started. That is a huge number— much bigger than gains on his YouTube music video views! This is where fans can take him viral with the right organization and project.

[eriellesudario]

My top 5 JOY Podcasts that I got to work on

April 19, 2024 marks the final day as a JOY podcaster as I move towards their TikTok team. I did learn a lot when I was working with the Drive and Breakfast show, and moving on from this volunteer position is something that will be missed.

On my last day, I was informed that I'd uploaded over 160 episodes since the start of 2024, and somehow broke a record in January by uploading the most episodes in a month due to a three-month backlog.

So with my final episodes uploaded, here are my favourite episodes that I've worked on for the community radio station.

Honorable mentions

As mentioned earlier, I uploaded over 160 episodes for JOY Drive and Breakfast. So it's hard to pick my absolute faves. So before I list down my top 5 episodes, here are my other picks that are worthy to be on this list (in no particular order).

JOY DRIVE | Sean Dooley – Bird inspo for Mardi Gras costumes (Feb 28, 2024) - LISTEN HERE

JOY DRIVE | Could celebrities be held liable for their punctuality? (Jan 25, 2024) - LISTEN HERE

JOY DRIVE | Lauren Rosewarne – Taylor Swift and the Right Wing conspiracy (Feb 3, 2024) - LISTEN HERE

JOY BREAKFAST | Brendan MacLean releases a spicy new song, The Front (Dec 8, 2023) - LISTEN HERE

JOY BREAKFAST | How to survive the festive season with the family? (Nov 30, 2023) - LISTEN HERE

My Top JOY Podcasts

As you can see, many of JOY's podcasts are educational, yet somewhat entertaining. It introduces listeners to new ideas, and songs, as well as keeps them informed about what's going on in the world. But at the same time, some of the episodes I've worked on left some great memories when I was working on them, which is why I created this fun list.

5. Daily Dorris Day (Nov 24, 2023)

Show Link

The Daily Dorris Day episode was really fun to work on. I got to learn more about this music artist from the past and I somewhat reacted in a positive way when I heard the name again outside of JOY.

4. Do same-sex couples divide household chores more fairly? (Jan 22, 2024)

Show Link

When I was working on this episode, my boyfriend overheard the episode and it sparked a conversation about our roles at home. At the same time, I remember getting recognition for my work for the first time on-air when this episode dropped.

3. The JOY Breakfast Festive Decorations MASS Debate (Nov 20, 2023)

Show link

This was one of my favourite episodes that I got to work on when I was with JOY Breakfast. It was a compilation of various staff members' and listeners' comments about festive decorations and when it's a good time to leave them up and take them down.

As a Filipino, my take on this is - put it up in September, put it down 1 week after the new year.

2. The facts behind 5 water myths (Jan 20, 2024)

Show Link

What made this JOY Drive episode memorable is that, despite it being in my backlog queue, it was published immediately due to a request of a fan. One of JOY's listeners emailed the Drive team, asking for the episode so I did my best to ensure it was worked on immediately.

Other than that, it was a fun and educational episode about drinking water. It reminded me of the r/Hydrohomies subreddit that I was so tempted to put a little reference to ProZ's video about that social media group in the episode's title or description.

1. Venice Qin – Debut EP “Alien” (Feb 8, 2024)

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A post shared by Erielle Sudario (@eriellesudario)

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This podcast episode was an interview with Australian artist, Venice Quin about her debut EP. I liked the song so much that I added it to my yearly roundup playlist on Spotify. But what made this episode memorable was how I was able to talk about it on JOY Daytimes as the song was going to be played next on air so I got to introduce the track live on the radio. What a great way to have my JOY Radio debut.

These are some of my favorite episodes I got to work with JOY Drive and Breakfast. I wish the next person luck once they get started on these shows. As for me, I can't wait to showcase my video production and social media skills via JOY's TikTok. If you want to listen to these shows, you can find them via the JOY Media website.

[quotes121sworld]

Australian stripper makes shocking sex confession about horny babes

Aussie Stripper Makes Shocking Sex Admission About Horny Hen Party Brides: 'I Went Straight Home And Had A Shower'

By Ciara O'loughlin for Daily Mail Australia Published: 05:28 EDT, Jun 14, 2023 | Updated: 05:41 EDT, Jun 14, 2023 --> --> --> A Melbourne-based stripper has revealed on live radio that he's slept with brides-to-be for money. On the show KIIS 101.1, Jase & Lauren, 30-year-old CJ, confessed to sleeping with twelve women at their cash-for-money bachelorette parties, and while he felt awful about it at first, it became an obsession.The man showed up at the studio to chat with the presenters about his raunchy confession but was defaced in social media videos to hide his identity. "The confession I have is from six years ago: I was a stripper and was paid to have sex with brides-to-be the night before their wedding," he said. ' 12 times. After the hen parties, I would probably come back to their house.'

A Melbourne-based stripper has revealed on live radio that he's slept with brides-to-be for moneyPresenter Lauren was shocked by the revelation and asked why he did it. "See, the reason I did that was because I needed validation at the time," he replied.“I went through a difficult time. The adrenaline rises. A few times it was the bride's idea, and then the bridesmaid came up to me and asked me.

On the show KIIS 101.1, Jase & Lauren, 30-year-old CJ, confessed to sleeping with twelve women at their cash-for-money bachelorette parties, and while he felt awful about it at first, it became an obsession. Pictured: presenter Lauren Philips

The man showed up at the studio to chat with the presenters about his raunchy confession but was defaced in social media videos to hide his identity. Pictured: presenter Jase HawkinsLauren was even more shocked when CJ said he believes the reason many of the brides did it was because of "one last hooray" and that they would remain faithful to their husbands after the wedding. He added, "I've been able to keep in touch with some of them." . Those I am still in touch with are still in their relationships. I haven't spoken to them lately.'CJ said he felt horrible after sleeping with a bride-to-be for the first time for cash, but it had become "a habit" and "an obsession." ' I was at the bachelorette party. I was hired as a stripper. And after that we all had a drink and the bride came up to me and basically privately asked me how much it would cost to stay the night or go back to them. "And I was shocked, but I changed my attitude and said, 'That would be so much,' and they said, 'Done.' And we went back to them and did the deed.'

Presenter Lauren was shocked by the revelation and asked why he did it'Definitive I went straight home, showered, just sat in the shower and kept thinking about what I had done.'"It becomes a habit and an obsession."The stripper then shockingly revealed that he had met some of these women with their husbands. He said: "There were times when I would meet the groom and the bride on the street and the groom would then ask me and her how we knew each other and the brides would literally say we know each other from work. ' And I have to join the lie.'

The stripper shockingly revealed that he had met some of these women with their husbands Share or comment on this article: Read the full article

[suchalonelysunflower]

“Snapchat Memories”

(Calum Hood X Reader || Fluff)

A

Summary: Y/N is in denial about the new romantic feelings towards the bassist of 5SOS. Luckily, Snapchat keeps their memories alive.

Warnings: Strong Language, mentions of the pandemic and quarantine, nicotine addiction and alcohol. bad English (not my first language, sorry)

Word Count: 2.7 K

A/N: My first Calum Fic on my first post on my new blog! So exited!! Please comment and reblog if you want 🦋 Feedback is always welcomed!

You’re sitting in a black leather couch. It doesn’t bother you that it’s old and in dyer need of cleaning. You were with him and that’s all that mattered now.

When Calum invited you to the studio today, your immediate response was ‘yes’. It’s been weeks since you have seen him. After the pandemic, the guys went on tour almost immediately, not trying to waste anymore time without being on stage and seeing their fans. So you didn’t have much time to catch up in real life.

You were always in touch though, always FaceTiming and texting… But you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss him to death.

Calum has been your best friend for years. He tried to flirt with you once at a party years ago and it backfired horribly when he spilled his drink on you. He was mortified, but you laughed it off. Ever since that day you were inseparable.

You were there for all the major events, the concerts and tours. You became close not only with Calum, but with the rest of the boys as well, they practically adopted you as one of them by now and you couldn’t be prouder of how far those 4 Australians idiots came.

But being so close to them came with also being shipped with them, specially Calum. You brushed it off at first, saying ‘we’re like family!’ Time and time again someone asked. And it was true at the beginning, but lately something’s changed.

Lately you would wait by the phone, hoping his name would show up. You found yourself smiling like an idiot every time he texted you or you were just thinking about him and all the moments you spent together, trying to decipher if, maybe, he thought of you as being more than just friends. At first you thought it was just your quarantined brain making it all up, that it was impossible for him and you to have romantic feelings for each other.

But you couldn’t deny the way your heart stopped every time you saw him, or the way your eyes lingered on his body when he’s playing, or the way the sound of his laugh could make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside…. You couldn’t deny it, but you were determined to push them away. It’s not like he felt the same anyways.

You smiled while you watched him play with some random notes on his bass, immerse in his own thoughts and smiling a little bit when he heard something he liked. It was a sight for sore eyes seeing him so free and joyful while doing something he loved. He lived for his music and it showed.

“You’re about to burn a hole on him if you keep staring like that” you heard a voice say next to you.

Michael plowed down next to you on the couch, waking you up from your daydream. You looked at him and rolled your eyes.

“I’m not staring”

“Like hell you’re not” He stated, laughing “You were undressing him with your eyes a few seconds ago!”

Okay, that earned him a punch in the arm.

“Shut up, Clifford! I’m just thinking” you said annoyed.

“Yeah, ways to take off his pants…”

You blushed at his comment and got your fist ready to punch him again, this time to actually hurt him a little bit. But he quickly catched your fist before you could actually touch him.

“Oh, c'mon Y/N! I’m only joking”

“Well that joke’s getting old now, Michael. It’s been going on for years, so get over it. And besides…” your gaze met the floor “We’re only friends, nothing more”

“Yeah? Keep telling yourselves that” He said. But before you could ask what he meant by that, he was already up and entering the recording booth.

He said something to Calum that made him look up at you and smile.

You’re sure that only an angel could smile like that.

An hour passed and you found yourself outside the studio, cigarette on your hand and a nicotine cloud around your head.

You were trying to quit, but it’s easier said than done. You took another puff and released the smoke towards the sky, your eyes got lost on the scenery for a while. There were no sunsets like the LA ones, that’s for sure. The sky seemed photoshopped, you could see how the clouds were puffy and light and how the colors pink, orange and purple mixed together the perfect ethereal sight, they were saying goodbye and hello at the same time.

You could’ve watched the sky forever, but the ding of a new notification on your phone kept you from doing that.

It was a Snapchat memory from a few years ago. You opened it, curious of what you might find and if it was worth remembering, hoping it could distract you for a while.

On the first video you saw yourself in a car, you had that stupid filter that made your voice high pitched and widen your mouth and eyes. You were singing along to a random Ariana Grande’s song when you suddenly moved the camera towards the person next to you. Now it was Calum’s face the one with the filter, but his face was serious.

“I’m not gonna sing it, Y/N!” He said trying to sound stern, unaware that the voice filter made him sound anything but.

“Cal! You promised”

“No I’m not gonna…. This is the part where I say I don’t wanna…” he sang to the camera when the chorus came blasting through the radio.

You smiled at the memory of you two singing together, completely out of tune and messing up the words until you heard a “Shut up” from one of the boys, probably Ashton.

Then the story continued, this time it was a picture of you pouting with a message that said: “When your friend puts you on time out for something you didn’t do”

You tapped the screen and another video came up. It was clear that you were backstage of one of their concerts, Calum was standing in the middle of the dressing room talking to Michael when your voice cut him off.

“Can I please be free?” You tried to plead.

Calum turned to you with his signature ‘are u kidding me’ face and said:

“Not until you think about what you did and say you’re sorry”

“I didn’t eat your chocolate! I swear” you most definitely did, unknowingly yes, but it wasn’t something you’d admit.

The video ended when Michael started laughing at you and you flipped him off.

You giggled to yourself, happy that Snapchat existed and had all your memories storage. You were going to move on to the next part of your story when a voice next to you made you jump.

“So, did you or did you not eat my chocolate that day?”

You didn’t notice that Calum was beside you until he startled you. He was leaning up against the wall, his own cigarette lighted up as he looked at you with an amused face, making your heart flip as you took him in.

“You should quit, you know?” You said pointing at his cigarette, trying to sound unbothered by the loud beating of your heart.

“I’ll do it when you do it”

Calum’s eyes were fixed on yours. His smile never faded.

“But you’re changing the topic”

“I’m not changing the topic” you answered “I’m avoiding it”

“So you did eat it!”

“Calum, it was years ago! I don’t remember”

“Well someone’s a liar” he laughed “Whacha doing?”

“Snapchat‘s just showing me some memories of a few years ago. I think it’s that concert on Phoenix”

Calum came closer to you, laying his head on your shoulder. You swore you stopped breathing for a second there, but forced yourself to control it. He was just your friend.

The story continued with some concert videos you took from backstage. You felt your face get warmer as you noticed that most of them were of Calum giving his all on stage, but he didn’t seem to notice.

The last video was of the boys stepping out of the stage, each one of them giving you a high five when they passed you by. All of them except Calum. When he saw you, he started running towards you and lifted you up over his shoulders, carrying you towards the dressing room again.

“Ugh, let me go you sweaty boy!” You said of camera, mocking a disgust tone.

“Never! Sweaty or not, you love me”

You let out a defeated sigh before answering softly “Yeah, I guess I do”

The stories ended with that last bit, leaving a bittersweet taste on your mouth. Calum lifted his head off your shoulders and you shivered.

“Are you cold?”

“Yeah” you nodded “It’s my fault for not bringing a jacket”

Calum smiled and in a quick move he took off his jacket and put it around your shoulders, adjusting it a little bit.

“Cal, you don’t have to do that” you said lowering your gaze.

But he was still standing in front of you, hands adjusting his jacket around your frame.

“But I want to, Y/N” he said softly.

In a brave move, you shoot your eyes up, only to find his already looking at you, taking you in. Almost like he wanted to remember you like this.

“Y/N, I…”

He started, not taking his eyes of you or stepping back. You were holding your breath, scared of what he’s going to say.

“I really missed you”

You smiled softly, trying to hide your disappointment.

“I missed you too, Calum”

“No, I really missed you” he said more seriously “Not only when we were in quarantine, or when we left for tour. I’m talking about when you’re ten minutes away in your home, or when we’re at the same party but at different ends, and even ten minutes ago when you came here to smoke. Everytime you’re not here I find myself missing you more than I should, even if you’re in the same building”

You stared at him confused, it saying anything. He took it as a que to continue.

“I find myself thinking of you and needing you more than I should. And I don’t know why I’m saying this now, what made me brave enough to say it. Maybe because, after seeing those videos something clicked and I realized that I want that with you. I want you to be with me, to be part of my life as long as possible”

“Calum, I’m always going to be there…” you said quietly. But he shook his head, bringing you even closer to him.

“Y/N… I know that and I don’t mean it like that I’m just” his voice suddenly sounded weak with the last few words, shifting his gaze from your eyes to your lips, looking at you almost pleading “I’m afraid of screwing the best thing in my life”

“What do..?” But you couldn’t finish the questions as Calum brought his lips to yours.

You were taken aback at first, but you kissed him back as soon as your head wrapped around on what was happening. His hands were on the jacket as he pulled you close to him. His lips were soft and tasted sweet on yours. It finally happened, you kissed your best friend and it was everything you’d hope for.

You hummed into the kiss, giving him more access in your mouth. There was no battle for dominance, but rather a dance of your mouths together, enjoying the intimacy. Your hands flew directly to his hair while his went down and grabbed you by your waist, molding you together as one piece of a whole. You realized in that moment that there was no other place you’d rather be than in Calum’s embrace.

After a while, you were the first one to pull away when the lack of air was apparent. Calum chased your lips when he felt them apart and rested his forehead against yours.

“Y/N, I don’t know if you noticed but I don’t want to be friends anymore” he said, eyes closed and trying to catch his breath.

“Well, that’s a cruel way to say it” you teased with a smile.

Calum gave you a small giggle as he stood straight, looking at you properly.

“I should’ve done that a long time ago” He said caressing you cheek with his hand.

“How much long ago?”

“Honestly? Since I threw that beer on you the first time we met”

You both laugh and you pulled him close to you again, wrapping your arms around his waist and hiding your face on his chest.

“But seriously tho, I should’ve said something a long time ago. The boys were right to tease me about it”

“The boys?” You asked, looking at him without moving form the embrace.

“They all knew I had a big crush on you for the longest time. Always teased me that I was being too obvious but didn’t do shit about it and that it was painful to watch”

“Well, it wasn’t that obvious. I didn’t know a thing” you laugh “But if it makes you feel better, I also had a huge crush on you for a long time and they teased me about it as well”

“Our friends are assholes” he said laughing with you.

“Hey! Don’t call us that!” You heard someone yell.

Looking up, you saw your other three best friends watching you two from a window, smirking like idiots.

“It’s about time you two!”

“Y/N and Calum sitting in a tree K I S S I N G”

Calum flipped them off as they started singing, pretending to be annoyed “Fuck off!” but his huge smile betrayed him.

“How about we get out of here?” You asked

“Great idea” he said, bringing you closer to him once again, and kissing you softly for a moment “I’ll bring your bag and the keys of my car. Wait for me?”

You smiled.

“I’m not going anywhere”

Calum went inside once more. You looked up to see three smiling faces smiling back at you.

“You really love that boy, don’t ya?” Asked Luke.

“Yeah, I guess I do”

[watchtheworldargue]

egg magazine, april 1990. interview with Michael Hutchence

transcription below :)

Michael Hutchence on Lower Broadway

By Hal Rubenstein \ Photography by Steven Meisel

Globe-hopping is hell on a wardrobe and hard on the feet. Sometimes you have to get out of the limo to spend your money.

Michael Hutchence rarely comes to New York without luggage monogrammed INXS or Max Q, so one would think that on a visit without portfolio, the last thing he'd want to do is add on more baggage. But given a free day, a book of tickets, and our offer to go anywhere to do anything, Hutchence got into the limo with an agenda we could hardly call a new sensation. What kept us from sulking was that he hadn't left the devil outside.

Michael: You think we can load this car up with Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, and Armani by 6?

Hal: Driver, step on it. Down to Grand and make a left.

[The car turns onto Union Square West.]

Isn't there a club on the corner here?

The Underground.

That's the one that keeps surviving regardless of how many people get shot there. How many are they up to?

No one's quite sure.

Where are we now? I don't recognise this.

This strip of lower Broadway didn't exist last time you were here. Now it's like a mall-less town's Main Street.

And Tower Records is City Hall. Not bad. It's wild to see this much activity because people around the world now talk about New York in terms of decay, how New York is such a rude place, and we keep telling them, No, New Yorkers are quite friendly, we like it there. New Yorkers are just very honest. They don't have time to bullshit. I like New York because people are linked to each other. L.A. Is fun, but segregated. Here there is a metro, and a different philosophy of getting around so there's rich upon poor upon rich. The only thing I don't remember is how many homeless are asleep on Park Avenue and everywhere else. Or is it my imagination?

No, it's real. How come you choose to live in Hong Kong instead of Australia?

For about three years, I thought it didn't matter where I lived. But I kept passing through it again. I grew up there, from when I was four until twelve. My dad still lives there. It has great energy, like New York. And it's ten hours closer to the world than Australia is. If you travel a lot, it adds up.

[We enter the Yohji Yamamoto store.]

So austere. Do they go wild if you hand back anything wrinkled? Those clothes over there are good acid-house colors. Has acid house caught on here?

Not like in England.

That's 'cause New York has bad radio. Are these dogs always here? They must sleep in the shoes. Ooh, look at these here. Not very me, but very Star Trek. $500 for a T-shirt. I see. I'll buy six. No, twelve. Now, here is something very stagy. Ultraflouncy. I like that, but the general consensus might kill my career.

Is what you wear onstage the same as you wear off?

I sort of smush them all together. My favorite piece of clothing is a leather jacket I had made for me that says “Hutch” in chain mail on the back.

Did Michael Schmidt make it for you?

Yeah – how'd you know? He's great. He sort of looks like a beautiful snake. He loves all the Hollywood stuff, but he's so sincere when he talks about it. Almost makes me like it. Is there somewhere funkier we can go, like Yankel's House of Pile? I saw that on the way down.

If you want old clothes, we should go to Cheap Jack's.

[We head back up to Broadway and 13th Street. Several young ladies on the corner stare at Hutchence as he enters Cheap Jack's.]

Do you enjoy recognition?

Depends on where I am.

Like when you're out on your own. Shopping, for instance.

Shopping, yeah, 'cause I get discounts. And there is a definite bonus to recognition when I'm onstage.

It makes the night go faster. But I'm not an institution yet. Sometimes I think about how hard it must be for someone like Bob Hope to go for a stroll. I don't really get hassled. I can stand in the middle of a street in London, or even New York, and usually nothing happens. I don't think I have that distinctive of a face. I got recognized in Tangier once, going by in a taxi, very fast … from a distance … in a fog … during monsoon season. Just kidding. It's odd how once you are conscious of being watched, you stop being so self-conscious because you realize there's nothing you can do about it. Of course, nobody in Hong Kong gives a shit who I am.

Aren't people there freaking about the city's eventual realignment with China?

Thousands are leaving a year, but they're the ones who can afford to leave, to give Australia half a million to let them in, though a lot more are going to Vancouver or New Zealand instead because they've heard, and it's fairly true, about Australia's racism.

It's actually more like unconscious racism. There's a naivete to it that you might call charming if it wasn't so sick. See, most foreigners don't realize – because we refuse to believe it ourselves – that Australia is southern Asia. Australia is linked to England in everyone's minds.

Yet most Australians don't have the faintest idea why the Japanese tried to invade us during the Second World War, and can't understand why they might not have wanted any foreigners on the biggest island in the Asian paradise. If we had lost, my home would be covered in rice paddies by now. Australia would have been Japan's Great Plains, their grain barrel.

I've never met one Australian who knows that. We have it so easy in Australia. It's very easy to live there. Tougher than it was before, but that's because five years ago it was ridiculous. I used to live in a three-story, five-bedroom house. It cost me $20 a week.

Did you make that much playing music?

Nah, but so what, we were all on the dole. Everyone went on it. That's one of the reasons you have so many bands in Australia. It's cheap to live and collect, so all the bands go on it. You wouldn't even have to go pick up your employment check; they'd mail it to you or transfer it to your account. Ready cash. I guess because there is such an anti-authoritarian vibe in Australia that people are quite happy to accept government checks. “Aw, screw 'em” - that's the attitude. Lots of people accept four and five checks or even have jobs. It's very lax. That's why we're stuck with the tall-poppy syndrome.

Translation?

Don't be successful, don't rise above your mates, or you'll get chopped. It's weird. It's the don't-leave-the-pub way of life. I think people in America are generally happy for someone's good fortune; they know how to let themselves go. In Australia, they go, “Good, mate,” and don't ask a single question. There are no celebrations for a job well done. I'm still shocked at how Americans cheer you on when they like you. I know you don't fancy it anymore, but I like phrases like “dress for success.”

And that's why you're shopping here?

I love hideous ties. Girls love 'em. Dunno why. Its like red socks. Are the playing Richard Hell? I haven't heard this song in 20 years. God, you must hear better music in clothing stores than you do anywhere else in New York. All these baseball jackets are so cheap. You know what they pay for these in Australia? I should buy the whole lot, take them back. I'd never have to tour again. I could get 150 to 200 bucks just for the ratty ones. I think this is the first clothing store I've been in that wasn't playing videos.

Are videos big in Australia?

We've actually been involved in music video a whole lot longer than in America. Because we are so far away, the only way we've had to understand all this music flying around the world is through video. Since the '50s, even when it was only 10 minutes a week, Aussie tv has been showing music videos.

And we don't censor the way you guys do. The “Way of the World” single is a very serious song, but MTV is quite shy of the video, you should note – I say this diplomatically. They censor here for all the wrong reasons. Like it's okay to stare at Cher's crotch for four minutes, but it's hard to say something truthful about the state of the world.

Could it be because with a group that's become as wildly successful as INXS has, it's inevitable that favorable reaction always turns?

I don't think INXS has reached that point yet. Give us four more years. We've only recently become hip in England. At the beginning, they hated our guts.

Why?

'Cause we are Australians writing pop music, why else? They don't make much in England, apart from nice jumpers and Jaguars, and one of the few things they can claim some turf on is pop music. So, they're not happy when someone else does it. It's a standard trait of island people; they're very territorial.

But you guys are island people too.

Yeah, but we got a bigger island. Now, if we can just get rid of some competition from the expatriate colonies.

Isn't it enough already with this rivalry between Australia and England? L.A. And New York have settled their feud.

England still treats Australia like we're descendants of convicts. Well, I guess we are, aren't we? We're trying to get rid of them, but unfortunately, they're coming back with money and buying up half the country. Don't you resent the Japanese buying Rockefeller Center?

I resent the Rockefellers more.

[Having tried on everything and bought nothing, Hutchence decides against old clothes. We head down to If boutique.]

Armand Basi. Nice stuff. That Claude Montana is fabulous, but God, this stuff is expensive. We don't know anyone here for a discount, do we? My father used to design clothes for a shop in Hong Kong called Dynasty. Glitzy evening wear for too much money. One year, when we did our first tour, we bough ta lot of Sprouse, real colorful stuff, and we spent a fortune, especially when you consider it's disposable fashion. All it had to do was last a month. All the buttons fell off, it shrunk, seams opened up. We would have been more upset, but it made us homesick for the mother country. Disposable fashion is very English. The nice thing about it when it comes from there, however, is that even though the stuff falls apart, it's cheap.

Ah, I like this. Very sexy, very smart. Basi, right? I found the best underwear. I think it's called Nikos. Someone gave it to me last night. Well, that's a plug. No names, please. These pants might go with the Basi shirt. [Like Navy pants, they have over a dozen buttons instead of a fly.] Not good clubwear. Certainly not quick enough to please me.

Your choice of underwear would have to be very discreet.

And always clean. Maybe these pants come with a catheter. Should I ask the shopgirl? [He raises his arm to call her and, wincing, puts it down.]

Just realized a colostomy bag wouldn't hurt?

No. I think I have a cracked rib, from too much fun the other night at Inflation, this super club in Melbourne. Melbourne has some of the best clubs in the world. Great people. Amazing clubs. Sydney has nothing. Boring as hell. Nice place if you're a surfer. Really pretty, like L.A. But very corrupt, Sydney. Everyone is always paying everyone off. That's why you can't afford to do a club there. It's like, in order to get a club license, all the other nightclub owners have to agree to your having a license. And four people control the voting on that. Melbourne now has a club called Razor that is so exciting. It used to an automobile club, especially popular during the '50s, where people used to talk about their cars, you know, with photos of Mini-Minors making hairpin turns around corners. Like a racing club, I guess, except for slower cars. Razor gets the best people.

[He picks up a pair of huge, get-lost-in-the-rain-forest-and-survive black shoes and delights.]

Many people have shoe fetishes. I guess it's around the world actually, not just with Imelda. I think people are probably just jealous of her because they secretly wanted so many pair. But these are big, like size big. Are Americans getting larger feet, or do they just want more room? I always notice shoes when I'm here.

There's almost like a $100 tax on shoes in Australia. Like a pair that will cost you $50 here will cost you almost $200 in Australia. A pair of Levi's cost $100. I never buy furniture in Australia, either, and I have an obsession with furniture the way Americans love shoes. It's a shame I don't have an obsession with homes, too, since I have no place to put all the furniture. I have it stored all over the world.

Let me get the Basi shirt, and then I want to buy records. I would get them later, but I just remembered I have a friend coming in tonight for only one night. He and his father are trying to get down to Nicaragua. They're helping Ortega keep the Contras back. Good luck. What's so weird about their going is that these guys are publishing magnates in England. Entrepreneurs. They should be serious Thatcherites, but they just hate Thatcher. Real lefties.

If everyone is so vocal of their dislike of her, how come she's so strong?

The British love her because they love to be miserable; they love to complain. Thatcher's become irrepressible. She's finally showing signs of faltering, except she's winning by default, because no one wants to put Kinnock in, either. It's like your Dan Quayle. What an alternative.

Are Australians political?

It's compulsory to vote, if you want to call that political. Frankly, nobody particularly gives a fuck. That doesn't mean Australians are not aware people. I think they know more about what's going on in the rest of the world than the average American, but that's because they have to compensate for being in the middle of nowhere. They're more concerned about international politics, about the environment. Every time the Americans come into Sydney harbor with their nuclear ships and submarines, there's always 5,000 people telling them to fuck off.

But the hell with domestic politics?

Do you know anything about our system? It's built on a bickering sort of war. The front page is always about politicos throwing shit at each other, spending more time insulting each other than governing.

Mind you, they are really very good at it. It's a fine Australian tradition of political insult. Listening to parliament is hilarious - “Shut up, you bastard!” - and that's our prime minister, Bob Hawke. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records for having drunk a yard of beer in record time. He is actually a brilliant leader, a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, and he has done a bloody good job, considering the apathy he's up against. What he should be real pleased about its restoring pride in being Australian, particularly after all that nonsense when the governor general dismissed Prime Minister Whitlam in 1975.

How was that possible without the consent of the Australian parliament?

We're still a colony. I think a lot of us were cynical after that. They felt like puppets. Probably had something to do with the CIA. The good old CIA. I'm in their files, I found out. That they should waste their time on me. I'm listed as subversive, for my lyrics to “Guns in the Sky” and because I once threw condoms out to the audience in Northern Australia.

How is that subversive?

The more north you get in Australia, the more it is like the South in America. The man who ran Queensland, one of the biggest states in Australia, was this guy, Joh Peterson, who was in power for over 20 years. Peterson was this sort of South African leftover who arrived in Australia, and he made things illegal, like sex education, abortion, condoms to minors – you couldn't have the vending machines in clubs. [You can now.] Well, I slandered him, and so I got taken to court, where he was thrown out of office from the corruption uncovered during the proceedings.

Did that make you a hero down there?

Say what, mate? This is Australia, remember. Our heroes are bushrangers, outlaws, and sporting stars. If you're an athlete, you can get away with anything.

[Hutchence purchases the Basi shirts, and then we head to Tower Records at the corner. A street person approaches us.]

is this the official mugging committee?

Street person: “Ooh, ooh, here they come in their limo, straight from Saks Fifth Avenue. Board of directors, how you doing, moneys, you big-time decision makers. Uh-oh, who's you? You must be a rock man. Stand aside for the rock man.”

They always pick on me.

“I want to give you something, man. Some humility. But there's only enough for one.”

I don't care for some, but humility is something we can spread around.

“Hey man, this is for seriously. You will love this humility. No side effects, no speed. Say yes, and I can be back in an hour.”

[We go through the revolving door and right to the rock section; within three minutes, Max Q is playing on the system.]

That's good, somebody knows it's out.

[Hutchence buys albums by Ciccone Youth, Camper Van Beethoven, Soul II Soul, Grace Jones, Shakespear's Sister, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Suicidal Tendencies. As he is paying for them, he spots a postcard stand that features a picture of him.]

Holy shit. When did they take this thing? What a bizarre likeness. I hardly know this guy. This is not an approved photo. [He gets the attention of a young lady behind the counter.] Excuse me, please, this is not an approved photo. It's a pirate. Do you know where you get these from?

Salesgirl: “No idea.”

Can you find out?

“Why, do you want to buy a lot of them?”

See, I told you no one recognizes me.

[We walk outside and the street person comes up to him again.]

Street person: “I know who you are.”

Who am I?

“You are someone who's gonna give me a lot of money.”

How much you want?

“Just give me one of those bills, thank you. Now I'm officially your biggest fan. Just tell me what you want to buy.”

I must be dressed for success.

[loser-writings]

Could i see some headcanons for your favorite boy(s) with an S/O thats an Australian Exchange Student? Accent, Slang n everything?

Hi I just wanted to clarify that I am from the United States and I am so sorry if any of the slang I used seems insensitive or stereotypical. I will not hesitate to change it if you let me know. Thank you!

Eijiro Kirishima

Gosh does he adore the way you speak, and he hopes that you don’t mind whenever he asks you about some slang he doesn’t understand. He honestly wants to learn about it, and even starts using it in his day to day conversations without realizing it.

The second he hears the slang term Beaut, you better get used to it. He constantly catches himself going “Oh that’s a Beaut” or “That’s a Beauty” when somebody is showing him something. He doesn’t mean to use it so much, and actually is embarrassed whenever someone points it out.

Also starts saying “That ain’t really my bowl of rice” instead of “My cup of tea”

Also some terms of endearment take him a moment to understand, like the time you said he was “Built like a brick Shithouse” He originally was confused as all hell until you explained it. Then he quite promptly thanked you and picked your ass up just to show off his strength.

Please tell him about the Bunyip. He will be scared shitless to ever go to Australia. “You have shit like the Bunyip and Funnel web spiders. Fuck that babe!”

When it comes to your voice though, he could listen to it for hours and will often ask you to read to him, or ask if you can call on the phone so he can fall asleep to your voice.

TimTams. He will eat all of them so please just hide them.

Hizashi Yamada

GET FUCKING READY cause this man will try to get you to ramble about any and all topics just to hear your voice. 

He will also beg you to come onto his Radio show and be a co-host since your voice is so nice to listen to. So what if people don’t understand the slang you used, it's time for them to go look it up.

His favorite slang he has found is the term “Cactus.” Like if you say something is Cactus, expect a smartass reply cause “That’s not a cactus. I don’t even think we have that in Japan you Goof.”

He also starts saying “I’m as busy as a cat burying shit” just to piss off Aizawa. He thinks it’s so funny.

Despite being completely fluent in English, he struggles with a lot of Slang just due to how similar it all can sound. God help him with the ones that all have the same word. You could be saying Cockie meaning a farmer and he will genuinely believe there is a cockroach.

Also has a habit of calling you every chance he gets to talk to you. God forbid you are busy because that man will always find ways to keep you on the phone too.

Also most likely to enjoy Vegemite. At first hates it, but it grows on him.

Katsuki Bakugo

“What the actual fuck is Fairy bread-” “Oh you actually eat that shit?” He is so confused as to how one could eat just bread with butter and sprinkles. He thinks it’s the nastiest thing imaginable, yet finds himself eating it when he is stressed.

God please force him to eat random Australian snacks, he will be so confused. Like meat pies? He can’t understand why somebody would make a meat pie.

Also, he is so baffled by the platypus. “It’s a mammal...that lays eggs…DOLPHINS DON'T EVEN DO THAT” also Emus. Those scare the shit out of him. He actually had a nightmare about Emus.

Dipstick becomes one of his favorite insults to use, mainly being directed at Denki and Midoriya with varying levels of anger

Like Hizashi, he will ask for you to call him from your dorm room so he can talk to you and eventually fall asleep on the phone. If you fall asleep first, he will tease you and record you talking in your sleep since it’s funny

Also will take videos of you on your dates just to hear your voice when he is stressed since it calms him down.

[ataswegianabroad]

Alone Amongst the Gum Trees Part 4 - Digital News Report: Australia - A Murdoch Review

NOTE - this article has been migrated to Medium. As of 2021, A Taswegian Abroad will be closed down, and all of my writing will be published on my Medium profile.

---

After seeing a significant public outcry to my story based on a response to Sally McManus on twitter - I recently spoke with the ABC on being an Aussie overseas and the challenges we’ve faced getting home. The failure once again of Morrison’s government to provide enough vaccines and a proper quarantine system (covered up by the Murdoch Press protection racket) is having real implications on everyday Australians.

I strongly believe that for this to change, the media needs to perform its function of holding both elected officials, and their peers in the press, accountable for such actions.

Until Australia has reestablished media fairness among the press, improved media literacy amongst its citizens, and have mostly removed the cancer of Murdoch’s News Corp dominating mainstream media, we will never break this cycle of government ineptitude, gaslighting, negligence, and outright corruption with little to almost zero accountability.

You don't need to look far for proof. The ones that immediately come to mind for me:

2020 Bushfires and consistent climate change denial - "I don't hold a hose mate"

Freedom of speech is threatened where internet comedians get arrested in their own homes for making jokes about a LNP Deputy Premier

Kate and the horrendous Christian Porter alleged rape case

The four stage plan to make a plan about having a plan for Covid, 18 months into the pandemic, with literally no dates or vaccination targets.

Back in March, I caught onto calls for a Murdoch Royal Commission by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, and since then I’ve been keeping a very sharp eye on the Australian media landscape.

Despite over 500,000 petition signatures and the ramping exposure by Rudd online (leading to a full senate enquiry), the Murdoch press is doing its best to discredit, misdirect, or, blatantly ignore the storm that’s brewing. A couple of major things have caught my attention since that date.

News Corp outlets are still consistently cowing their competitors at Nine, Seven, the ABC, and more into towing the pro-Coalition narrative THEY choose, or, risk facing character assassination. This applies to everyone who dares step out of line: reporters, ministers, producers, senators, editors, presenters, janitors… no one is safe.

This sort of behaviour and influence is not easy to show on graphs and charts, but if you read between the lines, you can see it. Let me show you.

The ABC Presents the Data

In April of 2021, the ABC published a fact-file article outlining the power of the Murdoch press - the first article from an at least somewhat reputable source addressing this that I’ve seen on this topic.

The biggest things I took from it are that despite there seeming to be a diverse ownership pool across many mediums, News Corp (Murdoch) newspapers significantly dominate the national market for print papers, and, have recently been crowned leaders of the #1 source of news for Australians: social media (via mostly viral, opinion, and video based content primarily from News.com.au and Sky News pages on Facebook and YouTube).

Remember this point - spoiler alert: it’s important.

At the recent senate enquiries, News Corp claims there is in fact diversity - focusing on different mediums such as online, social media, radio, television etc. available to represent “diversity”. This is response refers to medium diversity, and is quite frankly a misdirection based on a technicality to avoid the real question. Classic News Corp.

Rudd says “each story published online or broadcast over the airwaves finds its point of origin in a print story, often a Murdoch print story". The former PM is referring to content diversity where factual reporting reigns supreme, and different points of view are given equal time in the sun without the blurring of opinion and fact.

As Kevin likes to say: “pigs might fly”

While you might be thinking “so what? News Corp is strong in print and social, Nine is strong for television and online news, ABC is strong on radio and social, Seven is strong on radio and television etc” - I’d like to ask you a question: where then is the accountability for elected officials in the media?

The Murdoch press won’t say a word about the Coalition’s ever growing laundry list of corruption, negligence, ineptitude or incompetence, but if a Labor politician sneezes, they’re likely to be labelled a Covid super spreader on the front page of 15 national and state papers the next day.

How about this doozy from the Herald Sun in May 2021 after Dan Andrews quite literally broke his back and took medical leave:

I didn’t see one peep from the Murdoch reptiles about Morrison's three day actual disappearing act only last week after his bogus "AstraZeneca is OK for under 40’s / go to your GP” comments.

The key thing to point out here is that the news provider who ranks number one in Australia's largest news medium (social media) is a well known right wing protection racket that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, and there's mountains of evidence that exists to prove they don’t play a fair game.

Let’s Go To the Numbers

To really drill down into how important online media control is, I found the Digital News Report: Australia 2021 (i.e “the report” for the rest of this article), recently published by the University of Canberra by way of the Reuters Digital News Report: 2021

Below I've outlined a number of key headers from the report, and more specifically tried to point out exactly where Murdoch and News Corp are exploiting and manipulating their way into control. The data shows us both what has been going on, and the direction it will likely continue in.

Having worked in digital marketing for the better part of the last four years, I couldn’t wait to dive into this data and explain just how much of a rort this all is for the sake of profit.

1: Local News

Replaced by Murdoch Sky News, Invests in Social Media

“For ‘hard news’ such as local politics, economy, crime and health, local news consumers continue to turn to traditional local news outlets, such as the newspaper or TV. However, for most other news and information, consumers are using internet search and other internet sites to get localised information.”

The report tells us that:

“2020 was a difficult year in Australian news sector, with news companies closing or suspended. This is in part a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it reflects a longer-term gradual decline in newspaper consumption that is replaced by online offerings”

So why did the BBC report in 2020 that Murdoch shuts 112 Australia print papers in major digital shift? CNN covered it too, as did the Guardian. I couldn’t find anything on a Murdoch owned site or outlet. That’s because Rupert is rolling out “Sky News Regional” to replace them all.

The report outlines:

“This year’s data highlights the important role of newspapers in generating a sense of community, particularly among older news consumers . Further, newspapers are perceived to be the best source of information about local government and politics, which is central to the functioning and accountability of local communities. It is important for industry and government to remember that the closure of a local newspaper not only leaves a gap in the provision of quality news, but also a loss of critical information that is connected to people’s sense of attachment to their community”

How on earth does one far-right Sydney run “news” channel represent hundreds of regional communities? Answer: It doesn’t - it’s designed to influence regional voters to think the way that suits the Murdoch press agenda.

2: Impartiality of News

Murdoch Cuts ABC Funding via Coalition, Ramps-Up Online Polarisation

The report tells us that 

“traditionally, values of independence, and impartiality — or ‘objectivity’ — have been central to journalism’s mission and deemed important to perceptions of trust in news. However, in the digital media environment, former demarcations between news, features, opinion, and advertising continue to blur.

“News audiences are becoming more polarised and are increasingly attracted to news brands that offer partisan perspectives.”

What you’re seeing here is that while the data reveals a strong desire for news outlets to attempt fairness, balance, and an impartial approach to reporting - the demographics more likely to use social media (the medium that Murdoch now leads, mostly containing Millennials and Gen Z) are less supportive of impartiality, neutrality and giving equal time. More on this in Part 8.

On the flip side: 

"news consumers who prefer impartiality are much more likely to say they distrust news on social media.”

“Both the 2020 and 2021 data highlight that these traditional journalism ideals are more strongly supported by older generations and those who use traditional sources of news."

You need not look further than the blatant defunding of the ABC to see how the Murdoch Cancer continues to take over.

So, if the majority of Australians believe the ABC is impartial and does a “good job”, why has the ABC had $783m in funding cut since 2014 by the Coalition government?

Seems to suit the Murdoch agenda pretty nicely.

3: News Representation

Low Media Literacy in Under-Represented Demographics

“Importantly, a large proportion of Australians say they don’t know if the amount of media coverage of ‘people like them’ is sufficient or fair. Those who have low education are much more likely to say they don’t know. This indicates a lack of engagement and adequate media literacy to identify misrepresentation and bias in the news.

“Combined with a lack of awareness about misinformation, lower interest in and consumption of news, these findings confirm the ongoing need for targeted media literacy interventions"

The only way the public can push back against misinformation is by knowing they’re witnessing it first hand. That does not suit what Murdoch is selling.

Misinformation breeds confusion, smoke and mirrors, and is aided by political spin, gaslighting and stone throwing to keep people moderately confused and ultimately giving up on understanding the “truth”, or, deciding their own convenient version of truth.

The closure of the Australian Alternative Press due to revoked funding by Nine and News Corp in 2020 should be enough to tell you the media landscape is gravitating consistently to the right.

4: News Access

People Losing Interest, Murdoch Keeps the Elderly Onside

As traditional mediums (television, radio, and print) are on the decline, social media and online news is on the rise with the aid of mobile device popularity (45% of Australians preferred news devices).

It's not a surprise to learn that during COVID-19, older Australians have increasingly turned to social media platforms to get news.

“The percentage of 75+ who use social media as their main source of news has more than tripled in two years from 3% to 10%. Among this age group, social media is now comparable to print use.” the report states.

While it’s hard to point this as a direct plot by News Corp, this is still great news for Murdoch. All News Corp had to do was weaken the traditional mediums that aren’t making them as much money, and push the audience toward social media. It worked.

75+ votes still count, and they are more likely to click the “clickbait” articles to make News Corp that sweet, sweet ad platform revenue.

5: Emerging New Habits 

Murdoch Funds the Fuel for the Fire

Despite people being somewhat varied on their social media usage for news specifically, the important statistic here is that more than half of Australians consume news videos.

The below statistics from the ABC should set alarm bells screaming. To put it plainly:

More people on social media than ever before

Murdoch ramps up social media content (Facebook posts / videos & YouTube videos mainly), then mega-funds paid advertising on said content

Drives subscribers and views through the roof

Overtakes ABC (yes, the one he’s got his politician friends/puppets actively defunding)

Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

The ABC outlines that: 

“Fact Check has analysed audience data for media accounts on what Canberra University found were the two most popular platforms: Facebook (used by 39 per cent of news consumers ) and YouTube (21 per cent).”

“Data from the analytics site Social Blade shows that Sky News Australia's YouTube channel had more than a million subscribers at the start of 2021, having doubled its following in just six months. Its subscriber base began to pull ahead of Channel 7 and Channel 9 from mid-2020, and by March 2021 Sky had overtaken ABC News”

The University of Canberra report aligns to these trends, and summaries that:

“Australian news consumers are accessing news online from a diverse range of sources including news videos, podcast apps, and numerous social media platforms alongside traditional branded news websites.”

“Although social (media) is the most common main pathway to news online it is common for consumers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to say they mostly see news incidentally while they are on those platforms for other reasons.”

6: Trust and Misinformation

Rupert’s Bread & Butter

“Tackling disinformation and misinformation is complex and won’t be solved by platforms alone. Responsibility must be shared across governments, digital platforms, users, news media and society to make sure Australians can access accurate and reliable news and information online, while ensuring rights to freedom of expression are protected.”

Creina Chapman, Deputy Chair, Australian Communications and Media Authority

This in part ties back to my earlier points in part 3 regarding media literacy - the report indicates that trust remains high where people use both multiple mediums AND multiple sources for news. This is further compounded by the evidence that low educated readers are less likely to know they’ve encountered misinformation.

The report confirms this by indicating:

“The differences between high and low educated Australian consumers in relation to concern about COVID-19 misinformation and their ability to discern it, points to an ongoing need to boost media and information literacy among socio-economically disadvantaged groups in Australia”

The ABC and SBS still continue to be the most trusted brands, however, it needs to be highlighted that “Local or Regional Newspaper” comes in third (62% trustworthy) - the vast majority of which Murdoch owns.

In 2020, survey participants were most concerned about Australian governments and politicians being sources of general misinformation (35%), followed by activists or activist groups (20%).

Despite this, 2021 shows that trust in news has increased in 2021 (43%), rebounding off trust associated with COVID-19 news reporting. The report breaks this down further:

“The data show(s) that concern about journalism as a source of misinformation about COVID-19 is very low (9%). In 2018, we asked about ‘fake news’ and 63% of news consumers said they were concerned about poor quality journalism as a source of ‘fake news’, and 40% said they had encountered it. This signals a possible positive shift in perception of journalism after 12 months of reporting expert health advice about the COVID-19 pandemic.”

"The data also highlight(s) ongoing low levels of trust in news found on social media (18%) compared to trust in news generally. Given much of the news encountered on digital platforms is the same as that which appears on the homepages and front pages of well-respected news brands, the findings suggest that the nature of the online environment itself is one the factors lowering perceptions of trust, rather than the news content."

Creina Chapman, Deputy Chair, Australian Communications and Media Authority states in the report that:

“In the context of online news, nearly two-thirds of Australians remain concerned about what is real and fake on the internet. And a variety of surveys over the past 12 months have shown a concerning portion of the population believe dangerous falsehoods about COVID-19 that have been circulating online.

"Any lack of trust in authoritative or reliable sources of news and information is particularly worrisome during a global pandemic, as it may drive people to spaces where misinformation is more prevalent. This, in turn, increases exposure to false conspiratorial narratives that can result in real-world harm to both individual users and broader societal institutions”

Where does Murdoch benefit here? Same as always: smoke, mirrors, confusion, and spin all wrapped into enormous volumes of social media content.

7: Paying for News and Funding Journalism

Conveniently Avoiding the Issue

“To ensure media diversity and plurality in Australia, a mix of substantive, fiscal measures is necessary to support, transition and stimulate existing news businesses and encourage new entrants”

Anna Draffin, Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Journalism Initiative

Despite a fair and balanced media being a must-have for any democracy - this is not surprising, given the low amounts of trust for online media content. Overall, given that Australians are not concerned about the poor financial state of news outlets, it’s sad but not surprising that many feel the government should not step in to help.

What is the most dangerous here is the simple fact that when there’s no money to fund decent and ethical journalism, we end up with tabloids, opinion pieces, shock jocks, and anything that just gets you to first: SEE it (an “impression” in the marketing world) and second: CLICK on it. Both of these things make News Corp richer.

Here’s the report evidence:

“A quarter (25%) of left-wing news consumers and 27% of centre-leaning are supportive of government intervention (to assist struggling journalism). However, more than half of right-wing (58%) news consumers are opposed to government assistance for financially struggling news companies."

“This is consistent with the findings that left-wing news consumers are more likely to say they are concerned about the financial state of news businesses (41%) compared to centre (37%) or right-wing (34%) news consumers”.

News consumers who think their political views are represented fairly for online news are another win for Murdoch. This is compounded by the fact that those who think news should take a position are also more likely to pay for that news.

That means if the mainstream media is pro-right wing, for example, then more people look at right wing news and pay for right wing reporting, ultimately leaving the left without funding, and fighting a losing battle. All Murdoch needs to do is discredit who he deems as “left” and it’s game over.

But Murdoch doesn’t need subscriptions. That’s just pocket money for him. With the introduction of the News Media Bargaining Code, Rupert & News Corp continue to improve their financial revenue streams through digital marketing strategies (views and clicks) without needing people to pay for fact based, objective journalism.

8: Political Orientation

Stealing the Centre & Making Opinion the “News”

Of all the elements of this report, this one shocks and upsets me the most.

The majority of Australians (61%) identify with the centre-left of politics (30% political ‘centre’ and 31% identify as either ‘very left-wing’, ‘fairly left-wing’ or ‘slightly left of centre’).

Only 22% of Australians align themselves with the right wing, and 18% don’t know their political orientation.

Younger generations have historically been the drivers of progressive social change, and younger Australians are more concerned about the environment and the impacts of things like climate change and equality.

Clare Armstrong, National Political Reporter at the The Daily Telegraph outlines in the commentary that: 

“many young Australians may rightly feel their futures, livelihoods and social activities have been either jeopardised or overlooked by a centre-right government, and subsequently a larger cohort has been pushed toward the left”

To begin in closing, based on this - how do Conservative/Right Wing parties keep winning federal elections?

It’s by doing exactly what we’ve mentioned in the first 7 sections:

Flooding the online and social media landscape with non-factual spin and confusion

This is aided by the bedrock of owning the majority of national, capital city, and regional papers which in turn steer the daily political narrative on television/radio

This is all driven home by bullying competitors into following suit, or, suffering the consequences

There is no governing or peer run body with teeth (or guts) to hold Murdoch and News Corp responsible or accountable

According to the report; 

“Younger generations, who say they feel less attached to their local community, and who also access social media widely for general news, are more likely to seek local news and information from the internet and online platforms.”

As Clare Armstrong also states: 

“Social media has significantly fuelled political polarisation in the last decade as its algorithms, by design, show users more of what they want to see, rather than a broader mix of ideas presented in traditional media.”

In summary - this quote from the Political Orientation trends leaves a long-lasting impression on my psyche:

“Left-wing news consumers (61% of the country) are more comfortable with news that takes a position rather than maintaining neutrality.”

Rupert has them right where he wants them: thinking that opinion is news.

[dustedmagazine]

Slept Ons: The Best Records of 2020 That We Never Got Around To

Tattoos and shorts! How did we miss the Oily Boys?

It happens pretty much every year.  After much fussing and second-guessing, the year-end list gets finalized, set in stone really, encapsulating 12 months of enthusiastic listening, and surely these are the best ten records anyone could find, right? Right?  And then, a day or a week later, someone else puts up their list or records their year-end radio show, and there it is, the record you could have loved and pushed and written about…if only you’d known about it.  My self-kick in the shins came during Joe Belock’s 2020 round-up on WFMU when he played the Chats.  Others on our staff knew, earlier on, that they weren’t writing about records they loved for whatever reason — work, family, mp3 overload, etc. Except now they are.  Here.  Now. Enjoy.  

Contributors include me (Jennifer Kelly), Eric McDowell, Jonathan Shaw, Justin Cober-Lake, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Ian Mathers, Andrew Forell, Michael Rosenstein and Patrick Masterson. 

The Chats — High Risk Behavior (Bargain Bin)

High Risk Behaviour by The Chats

Cartoonishly primitive and gleefully out of luck, The Chats hurl Molotov cocktails of punk, bright and exploding even as they come. They’re from Australia, which totally makes sense; there’s a sunny, health-care-subsidized, devil-may-care vibe to their down-on-their luck stories. Musically, the songs are stripped down like Billy Childish, sped up like the Ramones, brute simple like Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Most of them are about alcohol: drinking, being drunk, getting arrested for being drunk, eating while drunk…etc. etc. But there’s an art to singing about getting hammered, and few manage the butt-headed conviction of “Drunk & Disorderly.” Its jungle rhythms, vicious, saw-toothed bass, quick knife jabs of guitar frame an all-hands drum-shocked chant: “Relaxation, mood alteration, boredom leads to intoxication.” Later singer Eamon Sandwith cuts right to the point about romance with the couplet, “I was cautious, double wrapped, but still I got the clap.” The album’s highlights include the most belligerently glorious song ever about cyber-fraud in “Identity Theft,” whose shout along chorus buoys you up, even as the dark web drains your savings account dry. The album strings together a laundry list of dead-end, unfortunate situations, one after another truly hopeless developments, but nonetheless it explodes with joy. Bandcamp says the guitar player has already left—so you’re too late to see the Chats live—but it must have been fun while it lasted.

Jennifer Kelly

Oliver Coates — skins n slime  (RVNG Intl)

skins n slime by Oliver Coates

2020 was a year of loss, of losing, of feeling lost. Whether weathering the despair of illness and death, the discomfort of displacement or the drift of temporal reverie, English cellist Oliver Coates creates music to reflect all this and more on skins n slime. Using modulators, loops and effects, Coates employs elements from drone, shoegaze and industrial to extend the range of the cello and conjure otherworldly sounds of crushing intensity and great beauty. Beneath the layering, distortion and dissonance, the human element remains strong. The tactility of fingers and bow on strings and the expressive essence of tone form the core of Coates composition and performance. If his experiments seem a willful swipe at the restrictions of the classical world from whence he came, the visceral power of a track like “Reunification 2018”, which hunkers in the same netherworld as anything by Deathprod or Lawrence English, the liminal, static bedecked ache of “Honey” and the unadorned minimalism of “Caretaker Part 1 (Breathing)” are works of a serious talent. skins n slime is an album to sit with and soak in; allow it to percolate and permeate and you’ll find yourself forgetting the outside world, if only for a while.  

Andrew Forell  

Bertrand Denzler / Antonin Gerbal — Sbatax (Umlaut Records)

Sbatax by Denzler - Gerbal

Tenor sax player Bertrand Denzler and drummer Antonin Gerbal released this duo recording last summer which slipped under the radar of many listeners. Denzler is as likely to be heard these days composing and performing pieces by others in the French ensemble ONCEIM, playing solo, or in settings for quiet improvisation. But he’s been burning it up as a free jazz player for years now as well. Gerbal also casts a broad net, as a member of ONCEIM, deconstructing free bop in the group Peeping Tom, or recontextualizing the music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik along with Pat Thomas, Joel Grip and Seymour Wright in the group Ahmed amongst many other projects. The two have worked together in a variety of contexts for a decade now, recording a fantastic duo back in 2014. Sbatax, recorded five years later at a live performance in Berlin is a worthy follow-up.  

Gerbal attacks his kit with ferocity out of the gate, with slashing cymbals and thundering kit, cascading along with drubbing momentum. Denzler charges in with a husky, jagged, repeated motif which he loops and teases apart, matching the caterwauling vigor of his partner straightaway. Over the course of this 40-minute outing, one can hear the two lock in, coursing forward with mounting intensity. Denzler increasingly peppers his playing with trenchant blasts and rasping salvos, riding along on Gerbal’s torrential fusillades. Throughout, one can hear the two dive deep in to free jazz traditions while shaping the arc of the improvisation with an acute ear toward the overall form of the piece. Midway through, Denzler steps back for a torrid drum solo, then jumps back in with renewed dynamism as the two ride waves of commanding potency and focus to a rousing conclusion, goaded on by the cheering audience. Anyone wondering whether there is still life in the tenor/drum duo format should dig this one up.  

Michael Rosenstein

Kaelin Ellis — After Thoughts (self-released)

After Thoughts by KAELIN ELLIS

To be sure, “slept on” hardly characterizes Kaelin Ellis in 2020. After a trickle of lone tracks in the first months of the year, a Twitter video posted by the 23-year-old producer and multi-instrumentalist caught the attention of Lupe Fiasco, quickly precipitating the joint EP House. It’s a catchy story from any number of angles — the star-powered “discovery” of a young talent, the interconnectedness of the digital age, the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic — but it risks overshadowing Ellis’s two 2020 solo records: Moments, released in the lead-up to House, and After Thoughts, released in October. It doesn’t help that each album’s dozen tracks scarcely add up to as many minutes, or that the producer’s titles deliberately downplay the results. And some, of course, will judge these jazzy, deeply soulful beats only against their potential as platforms for some other, more extroverted artist. “I’d like to think I’m a jack of all trades,” Ellis told one interviewer, “but in all honesty my specialty is creating a space for others to stand out.”

Yet as with all small, good things, there’s reward in savoring these miniatures on their own terms, and After Thoughts in particular proved an unexpected retreat from last fall’s anxieties. Ellis has a poet’s gift for distillation and juxtaposition, a director’s knack for pathos and dramatic sequencing — powers that combine to somehow render a fully realized world. As fleeting as it is, Ellis’s work communicates a generosity of care and concentration, opening a space for others not just to stand out but also to settle in.

Eric McDowell   

Lloyd Miller with Ian Camp and Adam Michael Terry — At the Ends of the World

At the Ends of the World by Lloyd Miller with Ian Camp and Adam Michael Terry

Miller and company fuse the feel of a contemporary classical concert with eastern modalities and instrumentation. The recordings sound live off the floor, and give a welcome sense of space and detail to the sensitive playing. Miller has explored the intersection between Persian and other cultural traditions and jazz through the lens of academic scholarship and recorded output since the 1960s. With this release, the performances linger in a space where vibe is as important as compositional structure. The results revel in the beauty when seemingly unrelated musical ideas emerge together in the same moment, with startling results.

Arthur Krumins

 Oily Boys — Cro Memory Grin (Cool Death)

Cro Memory Grin by Oily Boys

The title of this 2020 LP by Australian punks Oily Boys sounds like a pun on “Cro-Magnon,” an outmoded scientific name for early humans. It’s apt: the music is smarter than knuckle-dragger beatdown or run-of-the-mill powerviolence, but still driven by a rancorous, id-bound savagery. The smarts are just perceptible enough to keep things pretty interesting. Some of the noisier, droning and semi-melodic stretches of Cro Memory Grin recall the records made by the Men (especially Leave Home) before they decided to try to make like Uncle Tupelo, or some lesser version of the Hold Steady. Oily Boys inhabit a darker sensibility, and their music is more profoundly bonkers than anything those other bands got up to. Aggro, discordant punk; flagellating hardcore burners; psych-rock-adjacent sonic exorcisms — you get it all, sometimes in a single five-minute passage of Cro Memory Grin (check out the sequence from “Lizard Scheme” to “Heat Harmony” to “Stick Him.” Yikes). A bunch of the tunes spill over into one another, feedback and sustain jumping the gap from one track to the next, which gives the record a live vibe. It feels volatile and sweaty. The ill intent and unmitigated nastiness accumulate into a palpable force, tainting the air and leaving stains on your tee shirt. Oily Boys have been kicking around Sydney’s punk scene since at least 2014, but this is their first full-length record. One hopes they can continue to play with this degree of possessed abandon without completing burning themselves to down to smoldering cinders. At least long enough to record some more music.

Jonathan Shaw

 Dougie Poole — The Freelancer's Blues (Wharf Cat)

The Freelancer's Blues by Dougie Poole

A cursory listen might misconstrue the heart of Dougie Poole's second album, The Freelancer's Blues. When he mixes his wobbly country sound with lyrics like those in “Vaping on the Job,” it sounds like genre play, a smirking look at millennial life through an urban cowboy's vintage sound. Poole does target a particular set of issues, but mapping them with his own slightly psychedelic country comes with very little of the postmodern itch. His characters feel just as troubled as anyone coming out of 1970s Nashville, and as Poole explores these lives with wit and empathy, the songs quickly find their resonance.

The album, though it wouldn't reach for pretentious terms, carries an existential problem at its center. Poole circles around the fundamental void: work deadens, relocation doesn't help, spiritual pursuits falter, intelligence burdens, and even the drugs don't help. When Poole finally gets the title track, the preceding album gives his confession extra weight, a mix of life's strictures and personal limitation combining for a crisis best avoided but wonderfully shared. The Freelancer's Blues comes rich in Nashville tradition but finds an ideal fit in its contemporary place, likely providing a soundtrack for a variety of times and spaces yet to come.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Schlippenbach Quartett — Three Nails Left (Corbett Vs. Dempsey)

You might say that this record has been slept on twice. The second recording to be released by the Alexander von Schlippenbach, Evan Parker and Paul Lovens (augmented this time by Peter Kowald) was released in 1975, and didn’t get a second pressing — on vinyl — until 2019. So, Corbett Vs. Dempsey stepped up last summer, it had never been on CD. But this writer was so stumped on how to relate how intense, startling, and unlike any other free improvisation it was and is, that he just… slept on it. Until now. Even if you know this band, if you don’t know this album, well, it’s time you got acquainted.

Bill Meyer 

Stonegrass — Stonegrass (Cosmic Range)

STONEGRASS by Stonegrass

Released on the cusp of a tentative re-opening for the city of Toronto after two months of lock-down, this slab of psychedelic funk-rock was the perfect antidote to the COVID blues when it arrived at the tail end of a Spring spent in near-isolation. The jam sessions that became Stonegrass were also a new beginning for multi-instrumentalist Matthew “Doc” Dunn and drummer Jay Anderson, who reignited a spirit of collaboration after a decade of sonic estrangement following the demise of their Spiritual Sky Blues Band project. Listening to these songs, you’d never know they spent any time apart. The tight, bottom-wagging jams on offer are evidence that these two are joined together at the third eye. Anderson’s grooves run deep, and Dunn — whether he’s traipsing along on guitar, keys or flutes — is right there with him. There’s enough fuzz here to satiate the heads, but the real treat here is the rhythmic interplay. Strap in and prepare to get down. 

Bryon Hayes 

 Bob Vylan — We Live Here EP (Venn Records)

Bob Vylan flew under the radar in 2020 successfully enough that when someone nominated them for the best of 2020 poll in Tom Ewing’s Peoples’ Pop Polls project on Twitter (each month a different year or category gets voted on in World Cup-style brackets, it’s great fun and only occasionally maddening), most of the reaction was “is that one a typo?” Nobody had that response after listening to “We Live Here” — my wife also participates in the poll, so we just play all the candidates in our apartment, and Bob Vylan was the first time both of our jaws dropped in amazement; the song got played about ten times in a row at that point. Bobby (vocals/guitar/production) and Bobbie (drums/“spiritual inspiration”) Vylan’s 18-minute EP lives up to that title track, fireball after fireball aimed directly at the corrupt, crumbling, racist state that seems utterly indifferent to human suffering unless there’s profit in it. Whether it’s the raging catharsis of the title track or the cool, precise hostility of “Lynch Your Leaders,” Bob Vylan have made something vital and essential here, that very much speaks to 2020 but sadly will stay relevant long past it.  

Ian Mathers

 Working Men’s Club — Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)

It’s been evident these past few years that I’ve retreated from music and committed myself to the slower world of books as a way of giving my mind a break from the accelerating madness outside, but I could never really leave my radio family the same way I could never really leave Dusted. Another great example why: A fellow CHIRP volunteer played “John Cooper Clarke” in a December Zoom social I actually managed to catch, and I’ve been addicted to Working Men’s Club’s debut LP from October ever since. The quartet hails from Todmodren, a market town you won’t be surprised upon listening to discover is roughly equidistant between Leeds and Manchester; the album screams Hacienda vibes in its seamless integration of post-punk signifiers and dancefloor style. It’s easy to bandy about names from Rip It Up and Start Again or even The Velvet Underground in 12-minute closer “Angel,” certainly one of the most arresting tracks of the year, but the thing that struck me immediately is that this was the record I’d always anticipated but never got from Factory Floor — smart, aloof and occasionally calculated, yet still fun enough to play for any crowd itching to move. Until the community of a dance party or Working Men’s Club live set is once again possible, patience and a fully formed first album will have to suffice. You’ll have to imagine the part where I corner you at the party to rave about it, I’m afraid.

Patrick Masterson

[apollo-writes-random-shit]

omg!! please please please do gasoline with race!!

Ahhhhhh! Sorry, this took so long! I wrote this like three or four times and I’m still not 100% happy with it lol. I did some research and it turns out the song is actually about Halsey’s struggles with mental health while being in the spotlight so I used that but don’t worry! This has a happy ending!

Song requests

AO3 copy

Are you insane like me?

He was pretty sure every kid at some point had wanted to be famous and here he was. Gone from causal dancing to acting and singing, all thanks to a small show that had been secretly visited by a talent scout. Multiple doors had opened for the young teen but with the fame came extreme expectations and with those expectations came extreme stress. 

Everything seemed to be dictated by his manager, one William Snyder. As grateful as he was for the jobs Snyder had landed him, he was driving Race insane. Every single little thing was scrutinised, from the things he ate and drank, to even his hairstyle when he went out. His smile had to be perfect every time to 'keep up his image' but it got tired having to look perfect all the time. 

Don't get him wrong, he adored his fans but at the same time, he wished he could go out without being stopped every five minutes for photos and videos, being made to repeat lines constantly. 

Been in pain like me?

Every day left him exhausted, even if he had only been shopping. Everything had to be perfect to make sure he avoided any bad publicity. He was still young so why ruin his career so early? 

Sighing, Race stared at his schedule. Countless practises for both dances and an upcoming audition filled every day, leaving him with almost no time for himself. He had only a few hours after evening practice and he knew he'd spend most of that sleeping. 

He could already feel the pain that would come with everything. Today's practise had already wiped him out, body flowing with pain. After being scouted, Race had discovered muscles he didn't know existed thanks to the pain that came with the job. 

However, he could deal with the physical pain but the mental pain? Not so much. He knew the others were getting worried about him but it didn't stop him from following all of Snyder's strict rules...Even if it caused him to throw up some mornings and night before practice. 

Bought a hundred dollar bottle of champagne like me? Just to pour that motherfucker down the drain like me?

Well, he followed most of the rules but Race liked to have fun, even if that meant drinking some nights, whether it be cheap beer or expensive champagne, he'd take it, only to pour whatever remained down the drain the next morning in shame before scrubbing his teeth to get rid of any hint of the alcohol that was forbidden.

That's what he was currently doing, letting the taste of his toothpaste take over the taste of morning breath and expensive champagne. Rising the toothbrush, he chuckled softly as he licked his lips, savouring the artifical taste of bubblegum. Despite the event happening over a week ago, Race could still see Jack's face when he walked out of the bathroom carrying it. He knew he wasn't a kid but that wouldn't stop him from buying the 'kiddie' toothpaste, no matter how 'disappointed' it made his older brother. 

Would you use your water bill to dry the stain like me?

Walking out to the kitchen, he noticed the damp paper resting on the table, causing him to shake his head. He had spilt a little of his drink on the table and mopped it up with the closest thing which appeared to be the bill he opened last night. 

Not that it mattered, he could still read it which meant he'd be able to know who to pay. That and he had read it last night and despite getting drunk, his sharp mind still remembered every word. 

He would concern himself with that later, instead focusing on making his breakfast smoothie before rushing out that door, hoodie pulled over his head to hide his face in the short run down his driveway. Sure, no one was around but that didn't mean he wasn't paranoid about being spotted. He already had to deal with stalkers and so far, none of them had found his house and he'd like to keep it that way thank you very much. 

Softly singing along to the radio, he grinned to himself as set off, heading towards the dance studio. Sure, Snyder was going to be there to see his progress which meant he'd have to work harder. At least Romeo and Tommy always gave him good criticism instead of berating him when they taught him a new move. Even in Tommy Boy would jokingly kick his feet into the right position while telling him to keep up. Out of everyone he had been taught by, the two were his favourite. Tommy would teach him the dances while Romeo took care of the acting and like almost everyone, they thought Race should get rid of the man. 

Are you high enough without the Mary Jane like me?

Shaking the thought out of his head, he pulled into the car park, flipping his hood back up before speedwalking inside. 

It was only when he got inside the studio that he relaxed, something that always happened. Sure, most of the time sometimes he'd walk out and there would be a small crowd outside the building which he found awkward considering he was still all sweaty and smelly. There was only so much a towel and deodorant could do until he had access to a shower. Sure, the dance studio had showers but honestly, Race didn't like them. He also felt awkward showering in a building where his fans might find a way to sneak in. He might love his body but he didn't feel like having nudes of him spread across the internet where anyone could access it.

"Damn, look who finally showed up."

"I'm late by one minute Tommy Boy. Traffic was horrible." 

"Whatever, warm-up you dork." The Australian chuckled, scrolling through the playlist, trying to decide which routine to have his friend start with. Subtly, he clenched his jaw as another presence filled the room. He really didn't like when Snyder was in the studio but unfortunately, he had no say. He knew the man liked to see that his client was actually making progress. Sure, some of his dancers would have their manager show up occasionally but Snyder came twice a month to take notes on Race before taking the teen to the side to lecture him, almost like he was trying to undermine everything he had been taught. He really hated him in all honestly but hey. He couldn't fire him, only Race could and considering the number of gigs Snyder had landed him, he doubted he'd be let go anytime soon. 

Race shook out his limbs after stretching, pretending that he didn't sense the tension between his manager and instructor. If he ignored them, he could actually focus properly. He had learnt during the first few sessions that Snyder had sat in, that if he let the tension distract him, he'd slip up and get a long lecture about how he had to 'focus more if he wanted to nail a role'. So, he just pretended to be alone, letting the music flow through him. As cheesy as it sounded, Race liked to pretend that he was one with the sound. The noise was his dance partner, the leader of the pair. He followed its gentle coaxing willingly, allowing it to control every step.

It gave him a high that nothing could replicate, no matter how hard he had tried in the past. Dancing gave him something that he couldn't explain. Something that couldn't be described. He was addicted to it.

He allowed himself to come to a stop, his partner leaving him with a gentle caress and smile. Race grinned at himself in the mirror, slowly coming down from his high, allowing himself to relax, calmly walking over to his duffle bag, yanking his towel out before wiping his face off. As much as he loved dancing, he didn't like the sweat that came with it. 

Do you tear yourself apart to entertain like me?

Tommy's compliments were cut off by the clearing of someone's throat and the two turned to look at Snyder who was lounging in a chair in the corner. "Your turns were sloppy Higgins. You fell out of a few turns, your feet weren't pointed during one of your jumps and your arms looked strange. You need to work on those."

"With all due respect sir, I believe he did quite well."

"Clearly you weren't paying close enough attention to your student Manchester. We all know he can do better. If he nails this video, even more doors will open for him and surely you want that for him."

"I do but."

"Then you'll allow me to critique my client. I want what's best for him after all." 

Race sighed. "I'll work harder. It's okay." Sure, he knew he was overworked as it was, but he could always try harder. There was always room for improvement after all.

Tommy just shook his head, knowing what Snyder wanted was a fat paycheck. Race wanted to please everyone and that included Snyder, even if the man pushed him past the point of breaking. Once discovering that Race had an empty basement, Snyder had pushed him into turning it into a mini studio for extra practice and would often visit to watch and offer more 'corrections' when really, he spent most of the time on his phone, only sparing glances up at the mirrors, pushing the teen to almost the point of collapse before lecturing him at the way he had become so wobbly. He didn't care that the boy was tearing himself apart in hopes of earning the praise he had been craving all his life. Race lived to entertain people and so far, he had failed to fully impress Snyder. 

Do the people whisper 'bout you on the train like me?

Buttons sighed as he listened to the faint sound of music, vibrating through the wooden floor. He was there to do final adjustments to Race's costume for the video tomorrow and wasn't surprised that he'd be found in the makeshift studio. Whispers floated around not only Race's friends but some of Buttons' friends in the clothing industry. Race seemed ready to fall apart and it was a waste of talent. He was being pushed too far and from Buttons had learnt, had recently been pushed into modelling as well, taking up even more of his time, leaving him more exhausted than normal. 

Saying that you shouldn't waste your pretty face like me? And all the people say...

Shaking his head, Buttons headed down steps, rapping on the door to inform the other of his presence, watching as he stumbled slightly. Race had been sucked into the whirlwind of fame, dragged into an uncaring industry, one deadset on farming out copies and copies, ones that would give them the cash they craved. 

It destroyed every member they took in, ruining their minds and bodies until they were dumped, left to eventually fade away, replaced with a newer shiny version. As famous as someone was, it was surprisingly hard to be remembered. Making something that everyone remembered for years to come might be somewhat easy, but having your name in everyone's mind for years? That was much harder. 

Fame was a dream for a lot of people but that dream would turn into a nightmare quickly. 

You can't wake up, this is not a dream, you're part of a machine, you are not a human being.

Buttons loved seeing his work in videos but looking at the way his crafts looked on Race's skinny shaking body made him feel sick.

"Really. You need to take better care of yourself."

"Gotta look my best Buttons." Race just grinned, brushing off the concerns like normal.

"Tony seriously. Everyone's telling you the same thing. You need to eat more." The tailor shook his head, scanning the other's body to spot anything off with it. "You always look ready to collapse and you're shaking!"

"Buttons...I'm just following what's set out for me."

"Don't you think it's going a bit far?"

"Nah. It's fine. After all, it could be worse." Race just shrugged, holding his arms up when prompted. 

With your face all made up, living on a screen.

While talking to Buttons was always fun, Race was relieved to see him leave. Whenever he spoke to someone alone, they always told him to drop his manager. That he looked like he was five seconds away from being rushed to the nearest hospital. 

It didn't help that Snyder had become stricter later, criticizing his body and form more than normal, not caring that he was breaking his spirit. He was one of many, easily replaceable in the mind of the industry, something that Snyder liked to remind his client of constantly, claiming that it was 'in his best interest that he followed everything to the letter', forcing him to practise harder whenever he strayed from the harsh guidelines he set out.

Low on self-esteem, so you run on gasoline.

Requesting time off just brought another lecture. Hell, Race had to beg and fight to be allowed to take his birthday off and out of everything the man had done, that's what pissed Race's friends and family off the most. Jack had been close to demanding the man's address or phone number, only for Davey to stop him. It was no secret that Jack and Snyder had bad blood, disagreeing over what was best for the dancer/actor. Jack had known him all of his life while Snyder had only known him for roughly two years. 

Race hated the relationship between his manager and older brother but did his best to never let it trouble him. He desired to be on his A-game at all times after all and any form of tension would throw him off, only causing him to work harder than any other day. Snyder constantly likened him to every other young celebrity out there, reminding him all the time that he was replaceable, that he had to work harder if he wanted to keep up with the industry. That he was...Already stumbling behind. 

I think there's a flaw in my code.

The man acted like Race wasn't trying at all...That all the hours he put in meant nothing. That Race was acting like he 'didn't care about his job'. Like he was...Broken in some way and that strict behaviour just increased when he had handed him a slip of paper given to him by a professional. A diagnosis for depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. He hadn't been super happy to find out that his client was mentally ill and that the paperwork even pointed out that he was overworked and just pushed him harder. 

Voices pushed at him from both sides. Drop him some said. He's working you too hard others chimed in. You need to work harder if you want to succeed in the industry kid one kept saying and for some reason, he kept listening to the single voice, despite the fact he knew he wasn't meant to. He needed to drop him and he would, after this music video and movie audition though.

Well, my heart is gold and my hands are cold.

Race sighed, shaking his head. Focus Higgins. In a month, you can find someone new. Darcy, Bill and Kath can find you a new one. He stretched, smiling at himself in a mirror. He'd be okay, he could last a month. 

He pretended Snyder's not so subtle jabs at his diagnosis. The man hadn't been pleased when he found out about Race's ADHD, clearly 'trying' to hide the way he felt about the whole thing. That he didn't think Race was 'unstable'. That he was 'broken'.

Are you deranged like me? Are you strange like me? Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

He growled in annoyance when he fell out of a turn again, glad he was alone. It wasn't his fault he was so stressed! He was being pulled at every end, each person claiming they just wanted the both for him. With his mental health 'issues' dumped on top of that, Race wanted to scream and tear his hair out. He hated this. Hated the worried looks from his friends and family. Hated the harsh tone from Snyder used when he was giving him 'constructive' criticism. 

He wasn't at fault here! He was just trying hard so why did it seem like everyone was trying to pull him to their side? Sure, what he was doing wasn't the healthiest but he had to work hard to keep up with the fast pace workforce. Sure, he could stand to gain a few pounds but he could always do that later. 

Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me? Pointing fingers 'cause you'll never take the blame like me?

"I'm just worried Race..."

"I know Jack. I know you hate Snyder, that he's an asshole, that you think he's ruining my life. But, without him, I wouldn't have gotten so many gigs."

"Tony, please. You need to drop him. You don't look healthy, you're never able to go out anymore, you're being worked to the bone." Jack frowned as he looked at his brother. "I get that you love your job but you need to take time for yourself as well."

"Look. I'm already planning to drop him after this audition...It's just a month Jack. Please. Give me that and I'll drop him."

"Promise? I'm sick of his bullshit Tony..."

"I promise."

And all the people say, you can't wake up, this is not a dream.

"Again." 

Race nodded, restarting the music before throwing himself into the dance again.

"You're distracted, Higgins."

"Sorry, sir. Just got a lot on my mind lately..." 

"You need to focus. If you don't you'll fall behind and fail. Restart."

You're part of a machine, you are not a human being. With your face all made up, living on a screen.

Race honestly wasn't sure if Snyder even knew what he was talking about when it came to his dancing but still, he took his words to heart, letting them crash through his weak walls again as he started the dance yet again, letting the music wrap itself around him, allowing it to bring him both a familiar rush and familiar comfort. 

The comfort that came with the music was his favourite kind of comfort. He never had to seak it out. Never had to send a text or make a call. All he had to do was press a button and it was there, ready to hug him and bring him a calm distraction from whatever was bothering him, sometimes wiping away any tears that would run down his cheeks, drawing a watery smile from him.

Low on self-esteem, so you run on gasoline.

"What the fuck do you mean you're firing me? I'm the one who got you this damn role! You would be a nobody without me Higgins and you know that!" 

Race looked at the man's angry face. "Leave my house, Snyder. We're done here. While I am thankful for the work you have done, I need to focus on what I feel is right for me and I believe what is right is us parting ways."

"You're making a big mistake Higgins. I can ruin your damn life! I got you that role and I can fucking take it away from you! You'll regret this! I'll fucking leak your damn address!" 

I think there's a flaw in my code.

"You can not ruin my life, Snyder. You even try and I'll make sure everyone knows what you've been doing. I'll let everyone know how hard you've pushed me. How you've forced me to dance right after throwing up. Believe me, Snyder. I can and will let them know. I've dealt with this for too long."

These voices won't leave me alone.

"You've let those people poison you! They know nothing!"

"Romeo and Tommy have been working in this industry for years. Longer than you have and I trust their judgement."

"I'll get their places shut down!"

"Keep talking Snyder...You're just digging yourself a bigger hole."

"The fuck are you talking about?"

Race smirked, holding up his phone. "I've looked up the laws. We have a one-party consent law here meaning I can record this conversation without your permission and that's what I have done. I recommend you leave now."

Snyder scoffed, storming out. "You'll regret this!"

"And you'll regret being so strict! Goodbye William~" 

Well, my heart is gold and my hands are cold.

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 200: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 2

“It seems to me that he’s playing some sort of game. He’s flying over me two, three times at a time, at speeds I could not identify.”

– Frederick Valentich - 7:08 pm, somewhere over the Bass Strait in Australia, October 21st, 1978

Description:

When the facts about a paranormal event yield no more answers, investigators and the public alike tend to turn their attention to the experiencer's character to ascertain its authenticity. So what kind of person was Frederick Valentich? A once-lost aircraft accident report from Australia's Department of Transport, which resurfaced in 2012, has shed some light on Valentich's behavior and state of mind leading up to the moment of his disappearance. Through extensive interviews with his family, friends, associates, and the flight personnel he came into contact with, a picture emerges of Valentich's disposition. Although there were some puzzling actions and statements by the young pilot, overall, he appeared to be a dedicated and serious student of aviation. Yet if a paranormal cause of his disappearance is off the table of consideration, then the answer must lie in one of his shortcomings, right? This has led to speculation that Valentich intended to abscond with the aircraft and start a new life, or he planned a mysterious suicide, or that as a UFO enthusiast, he simply mistook stars and planets for a UFO and crashed trying to avoid it. As we delve further into the details and analysis from the official report in part two of our series, we're joined by listener and lifelong Melbourne resident Chris Tyler. Being quite familiar with the case, Chris will lend his own insight into the mystery and illustrate this enchanting Australian backdrop's prevailing attitudes and characteristics.

Location:

Moorabbin Airport, where Frederick Valentich took off from on October 21, 1978, headed for King Island across Bass Strait.

Reference Links:

“Capturing the Light” – The true story of Dorothy Izatt on Amazon Prime

The Frederick Valentich case on the original Unsolved Mysteries, Season 5, Episode 2 on Amazon Prime

“Last Light: the Valentich Mystery” from The History Listen with Kirsti Melville on ABC.net.au

“Disappearance of Frederick Valentich” on Wikipedia

“What Happened to Frederick Valentich? Possibly the scariest UFO case ever” by OzWeatherman on AboveTopSecret.com

“Valentich Case Files Finally Released” by Kandinsky on AboveTopSecret.com

“The Valentich Abduction/Disappearance: 40th Anniversary” by MirageMan on AboveTopSecret.com

“The Abduction of Fred Valentich” from The Unexplained Files on Discovery UK – YouTube clip of Melbourne Flight Advisor Officer Steve Robey describing his radio communication with Valentich

Complete episode on the Valentich disappearance from The Unexplained Files on the Discovery Channel

Cessna 182 “Skylane”

Valentich’s missing aircraft report online, from the National Archives of Australia

Download of Valentich’s missing aircraft report as a PDF

Bass Strait

Moorabbin Airport

“'Truth' was out there after all –An accidental discovery sheds new light on the mysterious disappearance of a pilot in 1978, writes Miles Kemp” from The Advertiser

Australian UFO researcher, Keith Basterfield

Melbourne, Australia

Tasmania

King Island, Tasmania

Visit King’s Island

“Biography of Bette Nesmith Graham, Inventor of Liquid Paper” on ThoughtCo.com

Bette Nesmith Graham on Wikipedia

Australian crayfish

The TCAS or Traffic collision avoidance system

“What C.S. Lewis and Martin Luther Would Say About Our Coronavirus Panic”

Black Death

Second plague pandemic

“Plague was one of history’s deadliest diseases—then we found a cure” on NationalGeographic.com

Suggested Listening:

Check out our good friend Gledders’ paranormal podcast, ANOMALY, where he, his co-host Steve Freestone, and Forrest discuss some of the more weird and wild events of 2020 and more in his latest 2-part series. Click here to subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, the website at anomaly.co.uk, or anywhere excellent podcasts are found.

And then after that, check out Gledders’ “80’s Mix Tape” for the best in 1980s music, Saturdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the UK, or stream anytime at Huntingdon Community Radio HCR 104 FM!

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Credits:

Episode 200: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Tues 5 Nov 🧨

As promised, Fine Line presales opened this morning, along with some new merch (shirts of the album cover) and a surprise: an album release show at the Forum in LA! One night only! "FINE LINE LIVE!" Tickets go on sale Thurs with a special code given to those who have ordered merch via the US store by Wed evening. UK Ireland and Australian store orders will get a code for 'a potential upcoming show' in that region. Harry liked posts on twitter and "answered" some questions; he says there will be 863 songs on the album for example. Spoiler, he is LYING we can clearly see the tracklist and there are twelve! Two of them are LONG, over six minutes. Asked what his favorite song on HS2 Fine Line is he takes a page from Louis' book but he just had to take it a little further and star out the whole title, so good luck with * **** * **** (I guess he is right to make it harder, it only took about 30 min for someone to correctly guess We Made It.) He also followed David Beckham and I guess sent him some Gucci Disney luggage?? Okay. Oh and last night pap pics of him came out, but probably they're old, but whatever, the real news is: he is holding one (1) lemon and one (1) orange in his two (2) hands. Like you do.

New Zayn song!! Well.... Not yet. But news of a new Zayn song! Yesterday producer Daniel Zaidenstadt posted an old pic of himself with a shaggy haired smiley Zayn, today: song announcement post! The silent post (my friend: "Zayn wants us to listen with our third eye") invites us to pre-save the track, Flames, a collab with R3HAB and Jungleboi. And that is all we know so far.

Niall, who is supposed to be the no drama no discourse corner of the fandom, even Louis said so, is stirring discourse! WTF! The VIP packages for the NTMY tour are up and while they don't include a meet and greet option there is a "Q and A" included- but she ain't cheap. "$400 to hear people ask when he's collaborating with Shawn, no thanks," said many. Ouch. He also had a good interview out (no discourse!) and more content from the MITS awards yesterday (not much discourse.) The interview has some interesting content, including him saying that he agrees with Harry's quote about young women's influence on culture, that "young people are the ones with the power and they’ve shown that for so many years, the young people always pick up on something and really go with it when they get it." I take strong issue with his definition of power, but can appreciate his (I believe) intended point about who the cultural tastemakers are. As for the MITS award thing, we don't actually get to see it, but we see a glimpse of what is apparently a sketch spoofing The Office and award winners Harry Magee and Richard Griffiths featuring not just Niall but also Liam! From Liam's 'IT tech' look I'm gonna say he was a version of Chris Hemsworth's character in Ghostbusters and friends, I would like to see it. Niall as Magee is in a toned down version of his BSE look with his hair all white. Niall, Liam, and Harry all also recorded messages for their old Modest Management team ("congratulations guys, I love you both very much. I’m really happy for you," [H] "I love these two men, can’t talk highly enough for them," [N] and "I don’t think we could’ve really asked for better mentors" [Li])

Louis had an interview in the Times of India in which he talks about the importance of talking about our emotions and says going to India is a priority for him. And a sort of 3D pic thing was posted to his account, a new WMI promo pic, it's neat. More info on the Elvis Duran ticket giveaway- it's a lot. It's tickets to one of the London shows plus backstage to play video games with Louis and keep the games (¿?) plus all expenses trip plus you get sent out to a pub dinner (??).... ALL THAT!! I'd rather just talk to Louis than play video games but okay sure I mean. It's an amazing prize. And in more happy news, rumors are circulating that more Latin American dates are being negotiated for LTtour.

Liam had an opinion piece attributed to him published in Radio Times Magazine about his time in Namibia for the upcoming Straight Talking with Ant Middleton special. He says he "learnt the true power of conversation- and silence," and that he learned a lot thanks to his experiences "in the band One Direction," and that in conclusion, we should all unplug and spend less time on our phones. And the video segment showing him surprising young Pride of Britain Award winner Ben Hedger aired tonight and it's really sweet.

[parasighting]

Top 20 albums of 2020

New place for Parasighting (here you can find the old blog), as it seems that Facebook and several social media platforms in general don’t very much agree with Blogger. Oh well, if we don’t change we die, isn’t that what they say? So, this will be the new place for posts from now on, including the Rodon Underground playlists (that is, if I manage to wrap my head fully around how Tumblr actually works). For now, and as a fitting starting post, here are the best 20 albums of 2020, always in my opinion and always in a mood for fisticuffs:

1. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death

This normally shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s not like we haven’t had our fair share of scares in our lifetime when we’re dealing with a sophomore album following after an explosive debut. Last year’s Dogrel gave everyone what they wanted/expected, since basically it was, more or less, a gathering of all the great singles Fontaines D.C. had released in a 2-year period prior to that. As it seems, we are indeed dealing with an absolute gem of a band that, this time around, did anything but staying safe with an already tried-out and successful formula. Instead, they chose to give all weight to feeling, proving their songwriting genius at the same time. A Hero’s Death doesn’t contain intended typical radio hit songs (although it plays a lot on today’s radio, something hopeful for the music industry in general), instead it’s full of meaningful introvert compositions saturated in melody and atmosphere, while Fontaines D.C. themselves, despite their huge and abrupt success the last years, keep a low profile and support their material exemplary. This record is music history, and one to be mentioned for years or even decades from now in music in general.

Listen to A Hero’s Death

2. C.O.F.F.I.N. - Children Of Finland Fighting In Norway

Many have wondered about the air in Australia. Or the water. Or maybe it’s the crazy wildlife that makes one either to be on their toes all day or to “yolo” it like there’s no tomorrow. These lads right here sure seem to be the latter. It would be futile to try and get right now into the history of Australian music and what this country has offered the world, especially when it comes to garage/punk. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that C.O.F.F.I.N. have released this record this year but, then again, uncontainable excitement gets usually mistaken for surprise. It’s not that they had been under the radar or something until now, but Children of Finland Fighting in Norway is the flag all Turbojugends around the world should gather behind this year. This album is the Apocalypse Dudes of the band and, mind you, I’m not talking about copying Turbonegro or anything like that. I’m talking about the spontanity and the pure energy that is emitted here throughout. The band, although they surely step on the foundations of (especially the scandinavian) rock ‘n’ roll history, the final result can’t be mistaken with any other band. A look on the videos the band has put out will give you a total idea that here we’re dealing with original Aussie craziness, and that is something not to be messed with, if you ask me.

Listen to Children of Finland Fighting in Norway

3. Napalm Death - Throes Of Joy in The Jaws Of Defeatism

I don’t think that the name Napalm Death needs much introduction, even to those who have little contact with the extreme sound in general. Pioneers of hardcore punk, grindcore and so many sub-genres at their birth, they have been shaping much of the contemporary extreme music scene through the years. And, in order for this to be achieved, it couldn’t be without constant musical unrest and experimentation. Shane Embury & co returned in 2020 with their 16th album, in which they push their (and music’s in general) boundaries to new territories. Of course, this in no way means that it is a soft or mellow record, even for Napalm Death standards. Instead, the band incorporates even more diverse elements from bands that one could say have been their followers, only to prove once again that they are the true pioneers. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism is a full record where something exciting happens each minute, and this is the chance for any listener that (maybe has been living in a cave up until now and) hasn’t yet captured the grandeur that a band like Napalm Death exhales.

Listen to Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism

4. All Them Witches - Nothing as the Ideal

What is “rock” anyway? If there was a faceless recipe, then everyone would be able to just follow the rules and do it. Instead, through the over-production in today’s music, it’s damn hard to find something original and spontaneous, as most bands can’t do anything better than copying a “recipe” or reverse-engineering their idols, at best. And this is why bands like All Them Witches shine brightly and justly from within the pile. Nothing as the Ideal elegantly showcases that this band basically carries a significant amount of all the weight of today’s rock music. Yes, they started off having been labeled as “stoner” or “desert” or whatever, but the signs were always there. Dying Surfer Meets His Maker was the first blast, but, with this one, All Them Witches establish themselves among the leaders. After all, how can you go wrong with a band that sounds better playing live than on their studio recordings?

Listen to Nothing as the Ideal

5. Hurula - Jehova

It’s safe to say that the name Robert Petersson is nothing short of a landmark when it comes to Swedish punk. Showcasing some fine moments of hardcore skate-punk with Epileptic Terror Attack, hardcore rock ‘n’ roll with Regulations, melodic punk with Masshysteri (among others), finally Hurula is his personal musical vehicle, where he is in absolute command of everything. And, although this is already his fourth full-length release and, thus, it’s not like we had no idea about the potential, Jehova proves to be his grand opus so far, in a sort of unexpected way. The general orchestration remains “rock”, but the multiple melodic layers all over make for a unique experience for the listener who is not limited within specific musical genres or styles. The Swedish lyrics throughout might make it a bit unaccessible to many, but don’t let this minor detail keep you from discovering an incredible record.

Listen to Jehova

6. Wailin Storms - Rattle

Wailin Storms are a “where had they been hiding up until now?” case. Although they released their debut album not before 2015, Rattle is already their fourth one, and what a kick in the head it was for me discovering them last year! Going through their discography in retrospect, one should not be surprised, of course. The North Carolina rockers always carried their certain and specific type of lyricism amid their heavy and, at times, almost noise/sludge guitars. Fitting all this alongside the mystical atmosphere and Justin Storms’ agonizing vocals, the speakers exhale a strangely attractive as well as condemning dark beauty through the speakers. Many things come to mind as to what one could say Wailin Storms sound like through their definitely personal identity; in my ears, it’s kind of like the Black Angels jamming with Unsane and smoking whatever Electric Wizard passed them through. If this doesn’t make you want to check out Rattle, I have no idea what could.

Listen to Rattle

7. The Hawkins - Silence Is A Bomb

All those that know me, also know what a huge sucker for swedish rock ‘n’ roll I am. But, ever since the great scandinavian rock ‘n’ roll revolution by Gods like the Hellacopters and Gluecifer started to happen, a lot of things have also happened in the meantime. Especially to the younger rockers, the aforementioned bands now carry a “classic rock” label, but then again that kind of makes sense if you were born around the years Supershitty to the Max! was released. Time for the new generation to show what they’re worth, then. Through the flood of copycat and mediocre bands (justifiably, in a way), luckily from time to time there will be one or two cases to stand out, and these four kids from Arboga, Sweden surely make the cut. Although their debut album three years back was definitely a beautifull high-energy record, Silence Is a Bomb is what adds a special kind of maturity in rock ‘n’ roll, while still maintaining its edge. The Hawkins take their Hellacopters, but they also add several doses of Queen in them, maybe making the final mix too soft for purists; but who cares about them anyway?

Listen to Silence Is a Bomb

8. Chubby & the Gang - Speed Kills

It feels like nothing short of a fresh breath of life, a feeling that there is still hope in this damn world, when debuts like this one right here appear out of nowhere. Chubby & the Gang are just some kids from West London who, with Speed Kills, give you, if not something else, a feeling that here we’ve struck pure gold. Carrying a hardcore tone, apart from that they’re just a bunch of absolutely fresh and fun punk rock ‘n’ rollers, and, if this is not exactly what we need these days, I just don’t know what is. With gang vocals throughout the whole record and with the average running track time below two minutes, this band has automatically climbed near the top of my bucket list of bands I want to see live at first chance.

Listen to Speed Kills

9. This Is Nowhere - Grim Pop

Plainly put: In a fair world, This Is Nowhere would be globally greeted as one of the greatest bands of today’s psychedelic heavy rock; and this is not an exaggeration. Then again, them being from Greece and their members being scattered in three different countries are not factors that objectively help. Even at that, it’s astonishing how they’ve obviously achieved a certain chemistry between them through the years in order to achieve such a feat, like Grim Pop definitely is. Their two previous albums contained a significant amount of all the mystical energy the band emits on stage, but, if you ask me, there was always something missing; something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Well, with Grim Pop, it’s like everything is finally falling into place. This Is Nowhere have irrevocably and definitively left terms like “stoner” or “psychedelic rock” behind; instead they have unrepentantly dived into the ‘60s, distorted everything they found there through their personal prism and created an inviting sound vortex ready to suck you into its very own black hole. Who cares if we never return?

Listen to Grim Pop

10. Στράφι (Strafi) - Παραδομένοι στη Γιορτή (Paradomeni sti Giorti)

If you asked me some years back, I could never imagine myself including a street punk record in a yearly music list. I have to admit that Strafi being from my hometown Larissa played its role; but this role played a part only for me to take note of them. Because genre-wise, the band’s sophomore release is just perfect. Having gone over the somewhat general “shyness” of their beautiful debut album, here the band presents an absolutely confident and sturdy face. The sound production contains no faults, the compositions are meaningful and inspired, the lyrics carry a level of poetry rarely found in the genre (and yes, one would have to speak Greek in order to enjoy them, unfortunately for many). Really, this is one of the cases that there’s not much to be said, as music takes over all the talking. We need more music coming straight from the heart, and Strafi are here to deliver exactly this.

Listen to Παραδομένοι στη Γιορτή

11. Minerva Superduty - In Public

Another Greek entry, one that the world definitely has to discover. I find it a bit strange how Minerva Superduty started their discography, which was with an instrumental metal record that, amid its creativity, left the listener with a somewhat lack of closure and fullness. 2016′s Gorod Zero came to showcase a new potential for the band, and In Public, coming just days before last year’s end, fulfilled this potential to the fullest; well, until their next album, at least. Minerva Superduty merge their mathcore foundations with Converge-like hardcore and, under just 20 minutes, they deliver the absolute soundtrack for the chaos 2020 has left the world with. Do not let this gem pass by.

Listen to In Public

12. Yovel - Forthcoming Humanity

Blackmetal is a genre that has been through a lot. Of course, through its extremity, it has given way to experimentations that could never have taken place within other kinds of music but, on the other hand, this very extremity has always served as a twisted fortress for far-right and generally fascist ideologies. Yovel emerged in 2018 to rectify this problem and restore part of blackmetal’s infamy. Hɪðəˈtu had made clear of these intentions of the band, but Forthcoming Humanity drops like a milestone to declare that this was anything but a one-time wonder. Yovel take blackmetal forms and orchestrations but add atmospheric (not shoegazey) elements borrowed from folk music and create a concept album that speaks loudly against racism, fascism, bigotry, oppression. Interludes dressed with poetry and melody give place to wrecking sound outbursts and, if there is one thing they do, that’s passing on the message clearly and successfully. Yovel are here to stay, and that’s one encouraging thing about extreme music today.

Listen to Forthcoming Humanity

13. Oily Boys - Cro Memory Grin

Ahh Australia again. And a debut that has surely turned heads. Oily Boys come from Sydney and this is their hopeful debut, that being an understatement. This new band delivers an outburst of a record, bringing to mind New York hardcore at one time, taking you to sick psychedelic noise rock at the next. It all feels so cold and unhospitable in here, yet something urges you to look at it straight in the eyes. Of course, there are a lot of Converge elements in here, but this never stays in that place, as, before you know it, it jumps to post-punk and to other experimental lengths, always maintaining a chaos that may be baffling but, then again, you don’t exactly want for it to fall into order. Fans of Old Man Gloom will also find many things they like in here. Bizarre listen for bizarre times. It’s an uncomfortability we just cannot ignore.

Listen to Cro Memory Grin

14. The Good the Bad and the Zugly - Algorithm & Blues

The Norwegians with the funny and long name (one can only wonder after how many beers it was conceived) struck for the fourth time in 2020. Although their debut Anti-World Music in 2013 made an impact in the scene breathing Turbonegro with a hardcore twist, personally I can’t say the same for the next two albums; it always felt to me that something was amiss. Maybe it was that humor was taking over a bit too much or something. Mind you, the Good the Bad and the Zugly are not a joke band by any chance, but the playful sarcastic elements were always a basic ingredient in their overall sound. Coming on to Algorithm & Blues then, I think this time around thay have managed to balance it all out perfectly. With Ivar Nikolaisen being the lead vocalist of the mighty Kvelertak for a couple of years now, this might be a factor that has made the band mature compositionally. Algorithm & Blues is more melodic, more substantial, more sing-along-y, but it never loses its humorous charm, preserving the band’s identity. And with song titles like “Fuck the Police” and “The Kids Are Alt-Right”, you know they’re also on the right side.

Listen to Algorithm & Blues

15. Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

One of the most tired genres of extreme music is definitely doom metal. Ever since the “stoner” plague came into existence, the world has been saturated with kids that, discovering the pentatonic scale, thought they were the new messiahs drowning us in a sea of boredom. It was not all bad of course, but, having to surf through oceans of mediocrity in order to find something that stands out, can be quite tiresome. Pallbearer from Little Rock, Arkansas surely did stand out at the start of the last decade but I think it’s taken them a while to perfect their craft. Alas, Forgotten Days. The monster riff that starts off the opening title-track is more than enough to set the mood straight. Black Sabbath riffology, Candlemass atmospheres, even Electric Wizard and Cathedral hooks; all done in a modern manner breathing life into the genre which, with bands like Pallbearer, can look hopefully into the future. The incredible cover artwork and the lamentful lyrical themes revolving around family loss surely add to the big picture. This is the definite release of 2020 for doom fans.

Listen to Forgotten Days

16. Video Nasties - Dominion

Another debut of another band to definitely watch out for. Video Nasties from UK start off looking like they know exactly what they’re out for. The whole image is brought out from ‘80s horror video tapes and this is enhanced by the movie samples all over the place paying homage to John Carpenter. Musically, here we have some exceptional death/black ‘n’ roll, and what a pleasure it is when done right. Yes, the band takes a lot from Swedish melodic deathmetal but, to my relief, they surely sound like they detest metalcore and its sub-genres as much as I do. Dominion is an absolutely enjoyable record that flows beautifully, always maintaining its theme and atmosphere and calling for repeat plays. Fans of death, black, thrash and extreme genres in general will surely feel at home here. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

Listen to Dominion

17. The Frights - Everything Seems Like Yesterday

The Frights from San Diego, California started in 2013 as garage surf punks carrying their own distinct feeling and melody. They were always enjoyable with the lyrical themes being more esoteric, something that set them apart from the usual stuff in the genre. At first, the songs of Everything Seems Like Yesterday were intended to be released by the band’s main man Mikey Carnevale as a solo effort, but something apparently changed his mind. Many were obviously surprised by this new acoustic direction the name Frights has taken, but, setting aside specific expectations, the best thing one has to do is appreciate the artistic worth independently. And how rewarded they’ll be doing that with this album! Everything Seems Like Yesterday is a beautiful introvert, substantial and entirely acoustic album, ideal to keep you company after a hangover or through many types of hard times. It’s one of those times that this type of quiet sounds just liberating.

Listen to Everything Seems Like Yesterday

18. Umbra Vitae - Shadow of Life

With Jacob Bannon from Converge and Jon Rice from Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats on board, here we’re dealing with nothing short of a super project. And especially when Bannon (apart from all his many other musical projects) decides to venture into death/black metal areas, this is absolutely something you don’t want to miss. Shadow of Life is anything but your average deahmetal fix, and it demands your undivided attention throughout. Explosive in its grim and dark temperament, and with stunning artwork dressing it perfectly, this is an album that grabs you by the throat. Not that you haven’t offered it willingly in the first place.

Listen to Shadow of Life

19. Idles - Ultra Mono

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for many years, there is no way that you’re ignorant on the Idles phenomenon. After Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance, I don’t know what we all expected from them. It’s not the easiest task to surpass two albums that have set new standards in today’s punk music (”punk” being used as broadly as possible, as a term). And, to put it bluntly, Ultra Mono doesn’t do anything like that, like, it would be something impossible, especially so soon. Then again, Idles are a band just incapable of releasing a bad record and, although it didn’t make it to the top spots of 2020′s list, Ultra Mono is an Idles-trademarked sharp and edgy album (musically and politically) that preserves them at the top where they indicate to the rest of the world where music is going.

Listen to Ultra Mono

20. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

Protomartyr from Detroit have always served their unique blend of post-punk. In Ultimate Success Today, they continue their gloomy journey in symphony with this dark world. Joe Casey, always carrying a Nick-Cave-like vibe in his tone, delivers his grim lyrics atop the heavy basslines, the strange drumbeats and the almost free-jazz saxophone. Always melancholic and dystopic, Protomartyr is the band this world needs and deserves.

Listen to Ultimate Success Today

[lanaisnotwool]

405 Is Velocity Banking A Good Strategy to Use

http://moneyripples.com/2020/06/24/405-is-velocity-banking-a-good-strategy-to-use/

Chris Miles, the "Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor," is a leading authority on how to quickly free up and create cash flow for thousands of his clients, entrepreneurs, and others internationally! He’s an author, speaker, and radio host that has been featured in US News, CNN Money, Bankrate, Entrepreneur on Fire, and spoken to thousands getting them fast financial results. Listen to our Podcast here:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/moneyripples/2020/06/03/405--is-velocity-banking-a-good-strategy-to-use

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Hello, my fellow Ripplers! This is Chris Miles. Your Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor. Welcome you out for a wonderful show. Show that's for you and about you. Those of you that work so sticky hard for your money and you're ready for your money to start work harder for you. Now! You want that freedom. That cash flow. That prosperity. Today! Not 30 or 40 years from now, not some day in retirement, if the market smiles on you just the right way, but today. So you can have that life that you love. Doing what you love. With those that you love. But guys this is so much more, so much more than your own prosperity and not your own passive income and cash flow to be able to have that freedom to work because you want to not because you have to, right? It's so much more than that because as you become financially free, you can create a ripple effect in the lives of others too.

And that's what makes you a Rippler. That's what makes you so special. And I'm so proud to be one of you today because man, through you, I can create a ripple effect as well. And I've been so appreciative of you that have been joining in. You've been binging and sharing with other people and creating conversations that are different. That are out there today. Things that are actually above and beyond the status quo. Something that actually is real and works. And guys, I'm so proud of that. Thank you so much for tuning in and being a part of this movement.

As a reminder, check out our website, MoneyRipples dot com. There's actually new blogs on there. Even video blogs, you know, you can check out our YouTube channel as well. It's like Chris Miles, Money Ripples channel there's things on there as well. Or Chris Miles with Money Ripples. You can check out our YouTube channel and even see some of these very episodes on there now. So check that out!

So today I want to talk about a strategy that I get asked about all the time and there's been different episodes. I've brought it up occasionally, but I want to put a focus towards this particular topic specifically with Velocity Banking, because people will say, Chris, have you heard of Velocity Banking? It sounds so awesome! Isn't it? Like, is that what you tell people to do to? Or what is it that you recommend with that? And well, what do you think about it, Chris? Like what do you think about the strategy? And so I want to dive into that because there's some things I like, and there's a lot of things I don't like with that strategy. And so I really want to get into that because if you're not careful, this could be the strategy that does you end. This could be the strategy that actually puts you in a worse position than you were previously. So I want to address that right now.

So anyways, so let's talk about the strategy. Those you've never heard of Velocity Banking. This is not infinite banking, right? There's a lot of banking concepts out there. This is not infinite banking. We're using your life insurance. It's not that strategy at all. It's not even talking about taking that money and paying off your house. No, we're not talking about that. Velocity Banking is simply this. You set up your mortgage to be a home equity line of credit, right? So you basically create a credit line as a home equity line of credit. That's your whole mortgage. It's not a second mortgage. Your entire mortgage. The first mortgage is that home equity line of credit. Now you have your paychecks automatically deposited into this home equity line of credit. Now, what it does is it pays down the balance of your mortgage.

So say for example, that your mortgage is $300,000. Your check comes in for $8,000. You know, now that balance pays down to 292,000, right? Which means your average daily interest being charged is a little bit less. And you start to pay your bills and everything else charging up from the home equity line of credit. And so what happens that, you know, at least if you're positive cash flow, right? If you're actually positive cash flow, this strategy pays down your house faster. And this is a big opportunity for people. And some people will even look at it from an investment standpoint. They'll say, Hey, I can use this to go and invest in real estate. Not necessarily pay down my house, but I could. By using that real estate to pay off my house and then charge it back up to buy more real estate and then use that cash flow to pay off my house, charge it up.

And between the cash flow, the real estate and my paychecks pay off my house faster and just keep doing it over and over. Now, when you run the numbers, they look kind of cool, right? Because you can't pay off your mortgage in 7 to 10 years, depending on your situation. Now here's the problem I have with it, right? Because if you go based on the calculations, if life is perfect, life is grand. Nothing ever happens. No hiccups, basically life doesn't happen. This is great, right? But there are some limitations here. First and foremost. Number one, why would I want to pay on something that gives me a 0% rate of return. Now you might say Chris, well, I save on the interest of the mortgage. That's true, but equity earns nothing in the house. Wether you have a mortgage or not. Your house will appreciate, or even depreciate in some instances whether you like it or not, right, by the way, if the market does depreciate, you're in a whole heck of a lot of trouble, because now you just pay down a mortgage that isn't worth something.

I'll tell you from the last recession. That was a big lesson I learned because I started applying extra money towards paying down my house, a bigger down payments, paying more towards principle, believing just like with the Heloc strategy, I can pull that money back out. Well, that's not always the case. So anyways, that's the first thing. It's first and foremost, do we really want to pay off our mortgage? Or could that be the very thing that costs us our freedom? Now and in the future.

Secondly, and this is kind of going on with what I just said, what I dealt with in the last recession, right? This is the biggest problem. And I've been saying this for a few years. When people keep bringing this up, I keep saying, Hey, the strategy sounds great, but I have seen this strategy blow up in people's faces by the way, this is not a new strategy. Just so you know, like the, I remember even the last recession people were saying, Hey, have you heard of this whole Australian line of credit thing? Right? It was like the whole Australian way of paying off your mortgage faster. And there's a lot of companies promoting that at that time. But again, I saw it fall short. There's a few problems with it. One first and foremost, these numbers only work. If you have positive cash flow. If you can not make your ends meet each and every month, your balance will actually run up and eventually you'll run out of money anyways. So first and foremost, if you're a spender, this could be a very bad idea. The ironic thing is secondly, if you're a spender, this could be a great idea. But if you're a spender, you probably would need to have forced payments towards your mortgage.

Not something that gives you choice, right? So if you're an uncontrollable spender, I still wouldn't recommend a strategy. I would say, go, just know, get a mortgage. That's still within the comfort level, but forces you to pay principal. Right? But when it comes to this strategy, though, if you're a spender, it doesn't ever, ever the balance doesn't actually go down. You kind of make this not worthless. Right? But it really does depend on you having extra cash flow. Because what they're saying is this, say that same example, $8,000, right? Pays down on your mortgage. It's from that 300,000, you were at tutor 92,000, right now, what if you only paid 6,000 a month in expenses? Well, now it runs the balance back up to 298,000. So now the balance is $2,000 less than before. You know, what else, what other strategy actually does the same thing? Just paying an extra principal on your mortgage.

It's exactly the same thing. It's just saying, Hey, all the leftover cash I've leftover every month, throw it onto my mortgage. Right? Throw on my mortgage. Here's a thing. If you actually have a 30 year fixed mortgage, which had, would have decently low payment, right? But the mortgage interest is much, much lower than if you got one of these Helocs. Cause if you get one of these Helocs, because it is higher risk and they know this, they charge you more interest. Now the interest has come down a little bit, but I'm seeing these interests just within the last year have been around 6% or 7%. And now it's either maybe around the fives, right? But still 6% or 7% when you could be getting three point something, nothing per cent, you know, like three point something on a 30 year mortgage right now, fixed, not a variable rate, but a fixed rate.

And if they do fix the rate, the problem is they're gonna fix it at a much higher rate than the going rate right now, too. And so there's a lot of issues there where you're actually paying more interest anyways. So if your goal was to pay out for mortgage, which again, many, many cases I don't agree with, right? It is a strategy, not a principle, but it's one strategy that could be effective. That is your goal to pay off your mortgage. I would rather go for that 30 year mortgage and just take my extra paycheck. Assuming I have good cash reserves for emergencies already in place. That's a big if then yeah, you could throw your whole paycheck towards him. Words paid off faster. And guess what? You will do it faster than using your home equity line of credit. Than doing this Velocity Banking strategy.

So that's a big point number one. Big point number two is again what happened the last recession, they cut back lines of credit. See, I thought I could just go to the bank and get money whenever I needed it. That's why I pay down my mortgage. But when they told me, they said, sorry, Chris, not doing cash out refinance anymore, sorry. We're not letting people get access to equity. I was trapped now, by the way, this was not 2008, 2009. This was starting in July of 2007. I remember I asked them, they said, Ooh, we may have requirements a little bit more strict. Come back in August. I came back in August, met all the criteria, but they said, Oh, do these other few things, these other hoops jump through, then we'll do it. Then September '07 came around. I said, okay, I did all your hoops.

My credit score is even higher than it was a couple months ago. Let's do this. Let's do this cash out refinance. Now what did I want the refinance? Because I can see the writing on the wall. I was negative cash flow. I needed to get that money out to be able to reposition things and get myself in a better place. Well guess what? September '07. They said, sorry, we don't do those anymore. And there was, all that equity I'd throw on my home thinking I could get it back out, was trapped. Then the double whammy was of course, because it was tracking because money was restricted from the banks. What happened then? All of a sudden, bam, the house prices came down. Now, any equity I did have, even if it was trapped in the house now is disappearing.

Understand that that's not a good thing to have happened to you. Right? So put money into a house to only watch it disappear with depreciation. It's just as bad as watching your stock market go down, right? This is where there's a big issue. And so now I'm not saying this is going to happen again. At least with the depreciating home prices, I'm sure it could happen in certain areas at some point during this recession, but I can definitely guarantee you because the banks have already started doing it. That they're cutting back on those lines of credit. Do you realize right now trying to find a line of credit. Home economic credit going above 80% is pretty much nonexistent now. That just happened in the last month. That just happened the last month. Guys, just barely. That's the thing. Banks are calling the shots here. The best thing you could possibly do.

If you're gonna use a Heloc strategy like this, right? And I said, this months ago. The best thing you can do is pull all that cash out and hold that cash. Hold the equity in your own pocket. Not in theirs because when it's in their control, you can't get access to it. Someone will say, yeah, but Chris I'm paying for that. Hey Chris, I got a hundred thousand dollars out on that Heloc and I'm paying 400 bucks a month. Good. How long could that $400 a month last? Forever? Yes, exactly. You know, you can keep paying that for 20 years, you know, but I'm not saying that's the strategy you use. I'm just saying, you know, when you look at worst case scenarios, there's a lot worst case scenarios that can happen. Now. Yes. The money still has to be paid back at some point. Somebody asked me the other day, they said, Chris, well, what do we do with this Heloc that we have?

I mean, do we, you know, and their's got the normal Heloc. Not this Velocity Banking Heloc. They like to wait, pay it back. After 10 years or 15 years, we're going to start paying this back. You know, more aggressively. They have a balloon payment that comes up at year, whatever. Right? And I said, well, here's the thing. First, are you going to be in this house this long? He said, well, I don't know if we'll be in this house that long. Well, once you sell your house, you pay off the loan. Anyways, as long as there's equity, which obviously is, cause they won't let you get out all of your equity. Great. You're fine. Not a big deal. Plus you're paying down on your, in their case. They're paying in the first mortgage anyways, because they're paying on that, that principal, Hey, your balance is going to be less anyways. So that's not a big risk.

Secondly, even if you do stay there that long, we refinance. We'll probably refinance it into a first mortgage or something like that. And fix the rate. We might do it sooner, either way. It's not a bad thing, you know? So I'm not opposed to the home equity lines of credit. Don't get me wrong. I actually think they could be great if you can get access to them. And that, that time frame, that deadline is quickly shortening. I'm just telling you that because the Helocs right now, the money you're able to get at home, they're restricting it. And there will be a point where they'll say, sorry, no more. No. We cannot let people keep cashing money out of their house. We've got to stop this or put a limit to it, right? So again, you know, imagine this habit, if you had this Velocity Banking, home equity line of credit, right? This Heloc.

If you had this Heloc in place that the Velocity Banking does where it's a whole mortgage, first mortgage, you pay it down. Maybe you pay down a hundred thousand dollars aggressively. And then also when they do, they cut back your line of credit to the balance. So say it was 300,000 before you paid a 200,000 and you think, man, if I keep going, I'm going to be good. In fact, I'm going to pay down a little bit more and then charge it up to buy some properties or do some things to get passive income. You pay down 200,000 bucks and they say, Oh, we just notified you by letter, but we already did it because it's effective. Last week, we actually cut your limit down to 200,000. So now you were maxed out, you can't get that a hundred thousand back that you paid off.

All that extra cash you could have in your control is gone. Kaput! It's out of here, right? That will happen. I guarantee it. And so I know those groups that are out there promote this. Like this is the strategy, but you have to understand. Principles first. Strategy second. The principle is not bad, but the strategy is flawed. Especially when you run into a recession. When we're not in a recession, this tends not to be an issue. Well, when we're in a recession, this is when you, you should not be paying off your home equity line of credit. If anything, you might be charging it up and try to keep it at the max. Because if you at least get it to the max or somewhere near there, right? Whatever you charge it up to, right? If you pull money out to invest it, right?

Here's the thing is that they're not going to cut the limit below the balance. They can't because that would make you upside down. That wouldn't work. So who are they going to cut back? The people have paid off or pay down their lines of credit. By the way, if you've have a payoff, home equity line of credit with no balance on it. It's very possible. They only cut the limit down or even cancel that home equity line of credit off your credit. Which by the way, does hurt your credit score. If that's now off your credit. So right now the strategy I would not use to pay off your house aggressively. I don't think this is the time to do that. Again. Individual circumstances can vary. This is not giving you blanket advice because there are some circumstances I might agree. Say, you know what?

Paying off your house would be the best opportunity for you with given your present condition. But for many, many people, those especially in the Velocity Banking strategy, I'm not a big fan. Again. I think I could get a fixed mortgage, put money towards that. Just get a low, low rate, much lower interest than you would pay on that Heloc anyways. You can pay off your house as aggressively as you want, but you don't have to. Right. That I think is a much safer strategy to go. Helocs. I love them if you're going to use them, Okay, I'd much rather. And I know I've done this in my own case. I ran up that home equity line of credit up to the max. I cash it out and I bought properties with it. That's what I did personally. That's not what you should do. That's not advice of course, but that's what I did to go and create cash flow now.

And that cash flow will exceed the monthly payment increase on that equity line of credit that I had way exceeded. So, it was, for me, it was a no brainer. For you, if you don't have the right connections, the right knowledge and things like that, it could be the worst thing you do. So again, it's not about what you do with the money per se, but it's about who you are as an investor and what connections and what things you understand and what you know and what you can do with it. That is the key. And I'm telling you, your house could be the key to your freedom. It may not be the way that they teach with Velocity Banking. That may not be the key, but there are other ways you can use your house very effectively and safely in a way that allows you to have cashflow and essentially have your cake and eat it too.

Right? You can have assets and cash flow too. So now your house has actually been paying you something versus just being an expense. And that's why people want to pay it off. Not because there's a balance. People don't care about the mortgage balance. They don't care about what they owe. They care what the fact that they have to keep making that of payment every single month. Well, what if you could use that equity to make money for you, that it made your mortgage payment for you? That would be pretty cool. Wouldn't it? That is the goal. That to me is a safer way to go than just trying to pay it off and I'll have, have the money. You know, mainly there. I granted, if you have a paid off house, great, the problem is in the interim. When you don't have a paid off house, you keep aggressively paying it down.

There is risk there because if you need money, you need cash. You cannot always pull out of a home. You cannot count on that. So either you're safe as bad as the other one property house a hundred percent or two use the equity from your home to create enough passive income to pay your mortgage payment or better yet pay even more than your mortgage payment. So those are the kinds of things. I would say that for you to consider before you look into velocity banking, really heavily considered that this may not be the time or the right strategy for you right now, or for many people right now. It could be one of the riskiest things you do. Beware of that strategy. Everybody hope you take it to heart. If you have questions, shoot me an email, Chris@MoneyRipples.com and we'll see what we can do to help you out there. Anyways, guys make a wonderful and prosperous week. We'll see you later.

[theadventurek9]

Hello, I was wondering if I could pick your brain a little bit since you are basically doing everything I want to do with my dog. If all goes well, I will hopefully be picking up my Australian cattle dog puppy around Christmas. I know the early puppy stage is super important, but honestly all the information out there is a bit overwhelming. So... What should I focus on for a good foundation? links and resource appreciated.

Of course! I’d love to help! First though, I hope all goes well and you have a nice round fluffball for christmas!

There is so much information out there. I know I was incredibly overwhelmed when I was preparing to get Aayla. I wanted her to be a model citizen and my adventure companion. So I’ll list the things that I did with her I think that shaped her into a stable dog, and some things I wish I would have done differently. Okay so I wrote a lot more than I expected, I’m sorry!

In short, do a lot of socializing your dog to all different people, animals and environments. Crate train, do puppy group classes, use puzzle feeders, and reward your dog for being good! Find groups that train in events you might want to do. Volunteer, attend trials and so on. Even better if you can crate and walk around your dog way before they trial at other practices and trials. Let your dog sniff on a long line for walks. Don’t do any jumping/repetitive activity until full grown. Have fun!

If you wanted the long answer!

Research the breed! Know what you are getting! Talk to people who have raised cattle dog puppies. Whether that be the breeder, someone here on tumblr, or so on. I know that we both have herders so the main thing that is common is the nipping! They are bred to bite ankles, they are bred to snap at things that get into their face. Watch videos of working cattle dogs. Herders like to feel like they are in control and like to put animals in their place. Be prepared to walk around with a toy in your pocket. Redirect redirect redirect! Cattle dogs are a hard tempered breed, they tend to be opinionated! So you may have to work harder with socializing and basic husbandry more than your happy golden. Yet they are fun dogs! I’ve always liked them. If you’re looking into getting into dog sports or adventuring they thrive in it!

Crate training Do it. Its something you will use like crazy if you get into dog sports. It will give you peace of mind, helps potty training, and helps a dog learn to settle.

Socializing Okay so I’m constantly doing research on this. With my next puppy I will do some things the same and some things different. I want to my puppy to experience a lot of different people. Adults, kids, babies, elderly, men, women, people in uniform, people with walkers, and everything I can think of. Yet that doesn’t mean I want everyone saying hello and playing with my puppy. If I had another confident puppy I would err on the side of really polite people, who will listen to rules, can reward for sits, and maybe some petting if the puppy can remain calm. No jumping, no over aroused mental state. A nervous or shy puppy, can get food rewards dropped around the people they are unsure of, but are never forced to interact. Puppy doesn’t want to be pet, puppy does not get pet. Yet in general, just being around all these people while getting ignored. Great places for this are parks with playgrounds, home depot, lowes, breweries (non busy hours), coffee shop patios, neighborhood schools when kids get out, and any other dog friendly locations. As for dog socializing, the more I learn the more I find that puppy class socializing is not ideal. Find friendly, calm OLDER dogs (3+ years) for your puppy to interact with. Older dogs that are willing to correct without harming or terrifying your puppy. If you don’t have access to that, then do try to find a puppy socializing class. Your puppy should be around (but doesn’t have to play!) with a lot of different dogs.

Let your dog, be a dog. Let your dog sniff on walks, get a long line and give them some freedom. Let them explore and discover their world and not feel so confined to your side. If you have safe areas that you can let your dog off leash, (and you know they won’t take off) I’m a big advocate that off leash walking is really healthy for your dog’s mental health. But that being said, your dog should not bother any other person or dog. So make sure you have enough awareness of your soundings and a good enough recall to leash them when you are around others. Be safe, and I’m not telling you to break leash laws. If you can’t off leash, then long line is amazing!

Loose leash training started with Aayla the moment she came home pretty much. People often start way later and let their dog yank them around. I started around the house and back yard. If she pulled, I simply didn’t walk until she loosened the leash herself. I also rewarded walking with me, at my speed heavily. Aayla has pretty great leash manners 90% of the time.

Kibble in a bowl is a waste Kongs, puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, pupcicles and training are all ways Aayla ate as a puppy. Everyday I measured out the amount of food she should be eating, then had one bowl with a little of that kibble for every room in my house that Aayla had access too. Whenever I saw a behavior I liked from her, I had rewards close by to give to her. I rewarded chewing on toys, settling, laying on her bed, calling her name and she came to me...and so on. Then the rest of food was given in kongs or puzzle feeders when I couldn’t watch her and she needed to be in a playpen or crate.

Puppy classes I already mentioned I’m not the biggest fan of the puppy crazy play time. Yet if done well the play can be good. There should be short sessions of play with lots a toys and things to explore. It shouldn’t just be an empty room where all the puppies do is wrestle with each other. But I do have to say that getting into puppy obedience classes is really good for your dog. Aayla attended group classes her whole first year. We didn’t need help learning the basics, it was an opportunity for Aayla to learn to work with me in a distracting environment with other dogs and people around.

Find a community. So whatever sports your want to do, find clubs and trainers early. See if they have puppy level classes. They will help with a lot of the early stuff if they are good. Offer to volunteer at events! If you can bring your puppy (after 4 month vax) and have them crated at classes, events and trials. They will be a pro by the time you actually are ready to show yourself! Walk them around trials, and get them used to the environment. Plus let me tell you, getting into dog sports is SO MUCH EASIER when you have people that know whats going on to help you.

Don’t rush it - Spend a lot of time just enjoying your puppy. Go on leisurely walks, play together, not everything has to be super intense training. You have to wait for a lot of stuff for after their growth plates fuse anyways! So no jumping higher than their elbows, and no consistent jumping until after a year at least. Save any repetitive movement (like weave poles, playing strenuous fetch (think chuck-it stick until dog is tired)) until after a year as well. 

Keep it positive - Your puppy has no idea whats right and wrong. They are not (and never will) do anything out of spite or to get you back. They just don’t know what you want or how to be a good dog. So its important to have a lot of patience to help shape them into mature dogs. Reward reward reward. If you are able to ignore your puppy, they should be getting rewarded. The more fun you make training, the more fun it will be and the more your dog will want to work with you. 

Okay so I can’t think of anything else right now, though I’m sure I’m missing a lot. If you know what sports/activities you’re interested in I can give more details on those as well! Otherwise here are some resources for you!

+After You get your puppy - Ian Dunbar (Pretty great details on most common things, good read)

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf

+Fenzi classes are great! For a new puppy I’d look at a lot of the foundation classes. 

They have a self study that is: Raising a Performance Puppy

https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/24

Kikopup on youtube has some great puppy videos!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4

If you let me know what else you’re trying to get into sport wise I can provide more resources too! 

Podcasts : Drinking from the Toilet and Cogdog Radio