#joe is rockin the glasses

[doomed-by-narrative]

On the ask game, A2 with Joe? I crave Joe with glasses

“Check me out, Sara!”

(Ask Game!)

[beangods]

tagged by @gardengnosticator

favorite color

blue. i wear mostly black or autumnal colors though

last song listened to

violin concerto in A minor op. 3 no. 6 RV 356 (vivaldi). probably not that exact performance but i listen to the classical station on my way to work in the mornings (if i forget to bring a CD) because all the other radio stations in my area are worthless before 11am

currently reading

malcontents ed. joe queenan; have had it on my tbr pile since OCTOBER omg but i just got through voltaire and de sade and will be reading jane austen's section this afternoon

currently watching

x files season 2 and the rose of versailles. im very slow at this

coffee or tea

TEAHEADS RISE UP!!! recently got some soviet tea glasses and podstakanniki so we're rockin with that right now

currently craving

ice waterrrrrrrrrrrr work has me so parched rn

tagging @runthepockets @crypticsounds @petr1kov @princessmo @theloveliesttime2023

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (18-24 Dec 2022)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰👂‍ Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman (Lucy Worsley, author & narrator) - an excellent biography

😍 All That You Are to Me series (2bestfriends) - 87K, shrunkyclunks - holiday reread, 'the lumberjack steve/twink bucky fic of our hearts' - main fic 67K, sequel fic 20K

😍 It's the Best Time of the Year (chicklette) - 40K, shrunkyclunks, holiday time fic - reread of a fave with baker!Bucky & Cap!Steve - perfect blend of angst, fluff and action

😍 (if only in my dreams) (jehans) - 45K, stucky no powers AU - reread of holiday season friends2lovers/2nd chance with some QUALITY pining

💖💖 +323K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

SHOCKING! Spiderman's Alien Baby: Friendly Neighborhood Hero and His Hanukkah Blessing (AggressiveWhenStartled) - MCU: Peter Parker v the Geriatric Supersoldier Husbands, 4.8K - no one writes the adventures of a hapless Peter tangled up with the Geriatric Supersolider Husbands like AggressiveWhenStartled - pure hilarity throughout (and ZERO alien babies despite the title)

One Does Not Simply Walk Into JoAnn Fabrics (And other millennial lessons from The Winter Soldier) (attackofthezee (noxlunate)) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 11.9K - forever fave; holiday reread of a recovering WS who gets a job working at JoAnn's and falls hard for a customer

Bucky Barnes Has His Shit Together (and Other Lies He Tells Himself) (betts) - MCU: stucky no-powers AU, 14K - holiday reread of recovering vet Bucky & single dad baker Steve

Here Comes Santa Claus (AidaRonan) - MCU: stucky, 6.7K - holiday reread - hilarious and hot - Bucky meets Santa!Steve and this santa definitely fucks

then a small thing happened (BeaArthurPendragon) - MCU: stucky no-powers AU, 35K - new holiday fave about recovering photojournalist Bucky and astronaut Steve - LOVED LOVED LOVED

rockin' around (wearing_tearing) - Stranger Things: Steddie/Ronance/Fruity Four, 13K - an absolutely DELIGHTFUL advent collection of ficlets - every day was a pop of pure joy to read

Knit One, Purl Two (mollus) - MCU: stucky, 32K - holiday reread, forever fave - recovering WS/Cap with healing via crafting with a delightful knitting group

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Taskmaster - s14, e1-10

Glass Onion

Single All The Way

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Decoder Ring Plus - Encore: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong

Switched on Pop - Anitta & Rosalía on the borders of Latin pop

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

99% Invisible #519 - Balikbayan Boxes

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Priscilla’s Homecoming

It's Been a Minute - (Almost) 20 years of 'Love Actually'

Off Menu - Ep 41: Joe Lycett (Christmas Special)

Into It - Matt Rogers Has Heard of Christmas, But 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'

Off Menu - Ep 175: Alex Horne (Christmas Special)

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Simply Christmas (Deluxe Edition) [Leslie Odom Jr]

Merry Christmas…Have A Nice Life [Cyndi Lauper]

Trans Siberian Orchestra playlist

Classical Christmas

A Sunny Brazilian Christmas

A Merry Little Christmas [Linda Ronstadt]

A Legendary Christmas [John Legend]

Jingle Bell Swing

It's a Holiday Soul Party [Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings]

Twelve Songs Of Christmas [Etta James]

Home for Christmas [Daryl Hall & John Oates]

A Very Too Many Zooz Xmas [Too Many Zooz]

A Heavy Metal Christmas [Christopher Lee]

A Heavy Metal Christmas Too [Christopher Lee]

Merry Flippin' Christmas Vol. 1 and 2 [Bowling For Soup]

Punk Rock Christmas

Classic Soul Christmas

my rockabilly christmas playlist

my xmas playlist

[nevergeneralize]

“Nice try but I’m not adulting today”: the Millennials of Sk8

It’s really delightful to me that the grownups in Sk8 are recognizably millennials and I was really pleased by the way the show employs the visual hallmarks of my teen years to establish the flashbacks to the youth of the last generation. Feels like Officially becoming a Media Adult

Like obviously I am no longer the shonen target demo / main character being well out of my teens and that is not new, but I’ve been in a weird gap because Media Grownups have still seemingly been gen-Xers, aesthetically and values-wise (retro = the 80s, for seemingly forever), and that’s not me. But these Manic-Panic-haired Hot-Topic-shopping X-Games-watching sk8er bois absolutely are:

Kaoru was edgier in his youth than I would’ve dared in my own but I sure did have those bangs. Look at his eyeliner you could cut glass with those wings!!! He’s serving Avril Lavigne and I just know he’s got Death Cab or his local equivalent playing in his (wired, on-ear) headphones. This is ostensibly a school uniform but I wanted identical trendy skinny plaid pants so bad

Note the wallet chain and the aggressive side part which TikTok would have me believe is no longer cool?? This nice young man will go get a Godsmack shoulder tattoo at chef school and it will become part of his personal brand when he moves back to his hometown and decides to maintain a quirky high school hobby at great personal injury risk and what must be a disastrous sleep schedule situation. He’s somehow the best-adjusted man in all of shonen

And I know there’s not even a full generation between the two groups of main characters (as the show itself constantly jokes by way of Shadow’s objections to being called an old man) but they are separated by life-phase-dependent narrative trajectories: Reki and Langa and Miya are in coming of age (cough first love) stories, Kaoru is in a healing from old wounds story, Kojiro is a mentor figure (does he have character development or just a rockin bod?? Who’s to say) and Shadow is also mentor/supporter/team-mom. (Ainosuke is an important exception which I will discuss in a separate post; he’s in some ways belatedly coming of age.)

So the older group feels narratively/functionally like The Grownups but they are aesthetically My Peers. It’s kind of wild! “Feel old yet?” Yeah I do, finally, thanks! Congrats on graduating to anime adulthood my fellow millennials!

I’m sure there’s tons of other media where my generation is represented this way but this is the first one I’ve really noticed, maybe because it touches on a specific subculture that evokes my experience of youth, or maybe I don’t watch that many things set in the present anyway. Who knows. I think my particular delight in this experience also has to do with how Sk8 treats coolness and how the adults (at least The Founders) still get to have it. Maybe also the fact that the show’s characters get to be generationally differentiated but not at odds for that feels fresh to me; there are clearly marked aesthetic/narrative differences but they’re not hinging the conflict on the grownups being out of touch or the kids being immature. That feels a little bit utopian, actually, and opposed to a particular strain of discourse that paints Gen Z/The Youth as incomprehensible to the “olds” and separate from millennials, who should implicitly start to identify instead with more traditional values and attitudes, i.e. those of our parents. In fact I would argue that Sk8 actually models that identification with outdated parental values via Ainosuke and his family, and frames it as sad and toxic and villain-making, but we see a healthier alternative in the core squad, where Reki jokes about Shadow being an old man, and Joe and Cherry bemoan the kids joining vacation, but it’s lighthearted and we get to have fun joking about age/generational differences without it creating conflict! Found family/intergenerational dynamics without manufactured parent-child tension, except for fun at the beach! Neat! (Also the actual parent-child dynamics of Langa and his mom are pretty great)

So it’s cool to see my specific peer group’s aging represented without any suggestion that it should necessarily mean generational conflict or value-stagnation, or even uncoolness or the trope of inevitable adult boredom and the loss of youthful freedom and joy. We can have our own millennial culture AND separate adult narratives/problems AND solidarity with younger people AND empowered fully-realized maturing selves with fun hobbies! I can see myself in the Media Adults in a piece of media that’s got a pretty optimistic view of what adulthood means and I think that’s neat.

[elliegoestodownton]

Operation North Pole

I haven’t written creatively in years and I haven’t certainly published anything in about ten. Might be another ten before I write something else. This just came up as a short scene and I felt inspired to jot down a few words for a drabble. Well, it’s definitely not a drabble! My first time writing for the OneChicago universe. Merry Christmas to those of you celebrating it and Happy Holiday season to you all!

Summary: When Makayla’s school is left without a Santa for the annual festival, a kind firefighter steps in. As sweet as molasses, this is pure humorous fluff, with a dash of Burzek and a dollop of Plouch.

Wordcount: 3.2K words more or less

Warnings: If you are already in a sugar-induced coma due to the Christmas lunch/dinner, this might be just too much for you. It contains the truth about Santa, so don’t read it if you haven’t found it out just yet.

‘Twas two weeks before Christmas, on a night like many others at Molly’s. The firefighters’ bar was buzzing with animated chatter, the clinking of glasses and sudden bursts of laughter punctuating the otherwise common sound filling the place and nearly drowning the melody of Christmas songs that Stella had insisted they put on, no matter how much Herrmann had protested that no, he would not spend another evening listening to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” on a loop.

Mouch had wisely sat that one out, even when asked for his opinion, knowing all too well that in the end his best friend would have relented, not too secretly enjoying the cheerful tunes despite all his objections. Perched on one of the stools at the bar, he takes in the additional fairy lights, making the place even more festive than usual. He’s always liked Christmas, even when it was just him watching old black and white classics on VHS, but he’s come to appreciate it even more in the last few years, undoubtedly owing it to a certain Sergeant who loves to share his old movies and her seasonal bakes with him.

He smiles a little to himself as his eyes scan the crowd. Nearly everyone from 51 is there. Squad is sitting at a table, with Joe, in a decidedly rarer outing for the new dad these days, and Capp joking about something as Tony listens on, characteristically taciturn but with an amused smirk on his face; Severide is only half-listening, his head turned towards the bar, where Stella is preparing a cocktail. Whatever tension there might have been there as soon as Stella got back from her trip, it had completely dissipated in the last few days, much to Mouch’s and everybody’s else relief. Just a few feet away, Gallo, Ritter, and Violet are huddled around some documents in what seems to be the umpteenth light-hearted match in which Ritter has to play unwitting referee. Only Sylvie is missing, many miles away from Chicago for a last-minute trip to Oregon to jointly celebrate the success of the paramedicine programme and an early Christmas with Casey and the boys. His heart fills with pride when thinking of the young PIC’s achievements in the last few months, despite the many obstacles that life keeps throwing at her. Blame it on the Christmas spirit, but Mouch can’t help feeling a little sentimental at seeing his 51 family and noticing that finally, just finally, things seem to be turning for the better.

“Damn!”

His reverie is interrupted by Kim’s exasperated voice, coming from a couple of seats from where he is sitting. Her eyes are intently scanning her phone, her knitted eyebrows giving away her preoccupation, as her thumbs scroll down the shiny surface of the screen.

“What is it?”, Ruzek’s expression matches her own, his body fully turned towards her as he tries to decipher whatever is going on.

“Remember I told you that Olivia’s dad was going to play Santa at the Winter Festival?”

Adam nods, recalling the conversation from a few nights before.

“Well, he’s come down with the flu, so we don’t have a Santa anymore. And the Festival is in two days.” Kim’s eyes still don’t leave the screen as she lets a huff escape her lips.

A concerned expression colours Adam’s face.

“That sounds like a disaster in the making if you ask me”, Herrmann unhelpfully pipes up from behind the bar.

Both Burgess and Ruzek shoot him a look at the same time and, hadn’t they been both so worried, Mouch would have found it quite cute from his privileged observation spot.

“Makayla was so looking forward to it”, Kim’s disappointment is clear as she turns towards Adam.

“I know. She’s been talking non-stop about it for the past week.” Adam pauses for a second, his eyes fixed on the bearer of bad news that is the bright screen of her phone. “I guess I could do it.” He offers after a second with a shrug.

Kim’s expression softens, the disappointment giving way to a small smile and warmth in her dark eyes.

“Don’t you think that Mak would recognise you though?” she voices her doubts, while letting her hand lightly linger on his forearm to however show him her appreciation.

“Maybe you’re right.” Adam muses in response.

“I’m free on Friday.” All eyes suddenly turn towards Mouch. “If you need someone to play Santa, I mean.” He clarifies, even though everyone’s got it already.

Adam’s delighted smile is mirrored by Kim’s own, although she hesitates for a second. She silently admits to herself that this would be a perfect solution as Mak is not that familiar with Mouch just yet; at the same time, she does not want to impose nor take advantage of the kindness of the firefighter.

“Are you sure? Because if you have other plans…you don’t have to. I am sure the other parents will find someone.” She says, more to abate her own doubts than anything else.

“Well, he’s certainly got the right physique.” Herrmann adds with merriment in his eyes. It is Mouch’s turn to shoot him a less than amused look. The comment earns him a swat on his arm from Stella, who joins in the conversation, just as Mouch is about to comment that Trudy has never complained about his love handles. “Don’t listen to him, Mouch. You’re perfect as you are.” She tells him reassuringly. “Herrmann, what did we say about body positivity?” Her face telling the other Lieutenant that she would not accept any other remark on the matter. He still manages to roll his eyes.

“Thanks, Kidd.” Mouch good-naturedly smiles at her, before turning again towards Kim and Adam. “Anyways, yes, I am sure. Told you, I’m free and it would be my honour to make a bunch of kids happy.” He puts some extra wattage in his smile, already picturing those children’s surprised little faces at seeing the real deal. Well, at least till anyone tells them otherwise.

Truth to be told, despite having met the little girl just a handful of times, Mouch has grown to love Makayla and could not stand the thought of her, and to a lesser extent that of her classmates’, disappointment at a Christmas celebration without Santa. Considering everything that she’d been through that year, she definitely deserves all the happiness in the world. And so does Kim, the woman that his wife holds so dear to her heart, even though, knowing Trudy, he’s pretty sure she’s never said this to the young cop in such clear terms. Quite inevitably, Mouch has also developed a fatherly affection towards her as a consequence, sharing Trudy’s worry in the aftermath of her abduction.

If nothing else, Kim’s big smile convinces him that a couple of hours in a red velvety suit and fake beard are definitely worth the sacrifice.

***

The next morning, Burgess enters the 21st with a spring in her step, followed by Adam a few feet behind. Mouch’s kind offer had earned her some brownie points in the parents’ chat, but it was mostly Makayla’s excitement at the approaching festival during breakfast that morning, and her questions on whether Santa would like a drawing in exchange for her wish list, that put her in a good mood. She is halfway through the hall, having narrowly missed a drunkenly perp being escorted by two plain-clothed officers, when a familiar voice stops her in her tracks.

“Hey, Burgess.”

In a silent conversation, Adam lets her know he’ll wait for her upstairs and makes his way toward the gate. Kim turns on her heels, approaching the desk, a bright smile plastered on her face. “What’s up, Sarge?”

Platt looks her in the eye, leaning with one arm on the desk, the other fist on her hip; her poker face does not give Kim any hint of what’s going on in her mind. “Little bird told me you’ve recruited my husband for an undercover operation at the North Pole.” Her voice remains even throughout.

Kim suddenly feels a little less sure about their plan, but still tries not to show it, nodding to confirm. “He was kind enough to volunteer and who am I to say no to Santa?”

“Obviously.” Trudy acknowledges, still quite serious.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Kim double-checks.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give him a few tips and make sure he doesn’t blow his cover.” The little smirk gracing Trudy’s lips reassures Kim, who smiles back widely once again, suddenly imagining poor Mouch being treated to Sergeant Platt’s school of horn-busting.

“Oh, and Burgess, make sure to appropriately file all the photographic evidence to me. I’ll need a picture for next year’s Christmas cards.” The glint in Trudy’s eyes does not go unnoticed by Kim.

Mouch is definitely in for a treat.

***

The gym at Makayla’s school has been completely transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland for the annual festival, when the kids and their families gather to partake in the jolly merriment. The children’s artwork decorates the walls and a few tables. Songs have been sung, albeit slightly out of tune. Yet, everyone found the kids terribly cute oohing and awing at their musical skills. The charity bake sale is still going at full speed in a corner, a few parents having volunteered to help. And, after a glorious entrance with full fanfare, courtesy of the school band, Mouch has been sitting on a quite uncomfy throne for the past hour, sweating through his Santa costume, as kids perch on his knees revealing their deepest and dearest wishes for Christmas to him. The elf, a tall and lean man who Mouch has been told is the P.E. teacher when not passing for Will Ferrell’s younger brother, has been helping him out by making sure that the kids, and mostly some pushy parents, are all in an ordered queue for their turn with Santa.

As instructed, Kim has already snapped quite a few pictures, fully enjoying Mouch’s performance. The one with him hugging a fake reindeer as he regales the children with a story must be her favourite so far, sure it would make an awesome illustration for Platt’s cards. She’s been sending her updates via text and, if one had to judge by the uncharacteristic use of emojis in her otherwise pretty straightforward texting style, she’s fairly certain her Sarge is having a blast. If only she didn’t have to work today.

Her eyes have been scanning the room for a few minutes now, mostly out of habit, as she queues alongside Makayla and Adam to meet “Santa”.

“Do you think Santa will like my drawing?” Makayla’s eyes are uncertain, looking for reassurance as she holds the piece of paper on which a portly old man in red, a tree, and two reindeers have been skilfully drawn.

“Are you kidding? He’ll love it. Don’t worry, bud!” Kim tells her in her best mom voice. But Makayla still looks skeptical.

Crouching down at her level, Adam backs Kim up. “You know, I always used to leave him a drawing with some milk and cookies when I was little and, one year, he left me a note to thank me for it. He said that he loves receiving gifts as much as he loves bringing them. Moreover, Darlin’, the other kids haven’t brought him any drawings so you’re already one step ahead.”

Makayla finally seems convinced, toothily smiling at Adam. He flashes her a bright smile of his own and then stands up again, winking at Kim. She’s pretty sure her heart has just grown two sizes, but is left at a loss for words. She could hear the voice in her head, which weirdly sounds a lot like Trudy at this moment, scolding and telling her to use her own words, but Kim is not sure she could coherently express in a very succinct way what she feels right now. Or every time she sees Adam interacting with Makayla for the matter. She could not when he spontaneously told her he was tagging along for the festival because he couldn’t miss Mak’s first Christmas performance. Or when, earlier that day, he’d revealed the ugly Christmas jumper that the little girl had chosen for him to wear. But she feels that soon she will have to find those words, that the time has come to voice them, and not just for the little girl’s sake. They owed it to each other.

With one last look at Adam, she moves forward in the queue, the elf signalling that it is finally their turn.

Makayla’s excitement could not be contained anymore as she approaches Santa, all of her previous doubts completely gone. Kim and Adam stay a few feet behind, observing as Mouch picks her up and places her on his knees, both of them openly grinning.

“Hello, my friend!” Mouch utters in a booming Santa voice.

“Hi, Santa!” Makayla answers, her tone quiet and shy in comparison.

“What’s your name?”

“Makayla”

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Makayla!” Santa extends a hand that the girl gingerly shakes after a moment of hesitation.

“I’ve brought you a drawing!” Makayla tells him as she hands him the piece of paper, having regained a little of her confidence. “Adam says you love drawings and you like to receive presents.”

Mouch accepts the gift from Makayla’s hands and observes it for a second, noticing how carefully the figures have been drawn and coloured. He figures she must have spent quite a bit of time on this piece of art. He looks at her with kind eyes, a little moved by this small and yet considerate gesture, even though the drawing is not technically for him, but for the mythical man he is impersonating.

“This is a beautiful drawing! Aren’t you a skilled artist? Thank you so much, Makayla. It was very kind of you to bring me a present. And yes, Adam is right, I do love drawings.” He quickly shoots the two cops a glance and a smile, turning back to Makayla soon after.

“So, Makayla, what would you like for Christmas?” He asks the ritual question.

“Kim said I could ask for two things tops because you need to bring a lot of presents to a lot of kids.”

“Well, if you have more than two things on your wish list…” Santa concedes.

“No, I have thought about it and it’s fair.” She answers quite maturely, nodding a little bit with her head. Something that leaves Adam stupidly grinning and Kim smiling proudly at the goodness and selflessness of the young girl. On his part, Mouch finds it incredibly endearing. He makes a note to himself to tell Trudy to add yet another present to their little pile with Mak’s name on it, sitting under their Christmas tree.

“Alright. So what would you like?”

Makayla counts on her hand. “The first present on my list is a new drawing set.”

“Oh! That is an excellent choice!” Santa beams. As an avid sketch artist, Mouch can certainly understand the appeal of such a present. “Ok, have you heard that, elf? One drawing set for Makayla.”

The elf distractedly nods as he tries to keep an overly eager parent at safe distance.

“And what else would you like?”

Makayla looks around circumspect for a second, before getting a little closer to Santa’s ear. Mouch bends his head a little, trying to get closer yet and hear whatever super secret wish Makayla is about to share with him.

In the loudest whisper that only a child could ever muster, Makayla very candidly reveals to Santa: “I would like Adam to move in with us! Like forever and ever.”

It doesn’t take Mouch much to notice the colour tinging both Kim’s and Adam’s cheeks and their slightly embarrassed appearance as they try to look everywhere but at each other, before finally locking eyes and smiling a little. Mouch feels this might be just a punch above his pay grade, but doesn’t tell Makayla.

Kim realises she might have to put those feelings into words sooner rather than later.

***

Nat King Cole’s soft baritone singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire welcomes Mouch back home that evening. As he hangs his coat on the rack, he notices the twinkling lights on the tree in the living room, and a few more decorations that were definitely not there when he left in the morning. The moose with big feet and striped tights is decidedly new. He chuckles, feeling a little like one of those kids he’s just left, marvelling at the magic of Christmas. Or rather, at the marvel that is his wife when it comes to festivities and decorations. She’d told him she loved Christmas and went all out on decorations when they first started dating. He just did not know to what extent. But it’s just one of those unexpected little things that made him love her even more.

“Hey, Santa!” Trudy emerges from the kitchen, a wide grin on her face. “Have you parked your sleigh outside?”

She’s definitely been enjoying this little stunt a whole lot - and he does not mind one bit.

“Yes, I expect Rudolph, Dancer, and Prancer will soon want their dinner.”

She laughs freely as she approaches him.

“Hi, sweetheart.” He greets her, his hands circling her waist.

“Hi, babe.” She smiles back, before tenderly cradling his face in her hands and giving him a quick kiss. “How did it go?”

“Well, my knees are complaining a bit, but it was fun!” His jolly expression telling Trudy everything she needs to know. “You should have seen Makayla. She was so happy and excited.”

“Aw! I am sure you’ve made her day.” She says softly, her smile reaching her hazel eyes, mixed with adoration.

“Oh, she might just make yours when I tell you what she asked for Christmas.”  He notices her interest is definitely piqued, but when she does not say anything, expectantly waiting to hear the rest, he goes on. “She asked Santa if Adam could move in with them.”

A snort leaves Trudy’s lips, her shoulders shaking a little bit with the quiet laughter that follows. “He’s already moved in. Those two idiots just haven’t figured it out yet.”

Mouch is about to go on with his tale when the waft of freshly baked cookies hits his nostrils, completely catching his attention. “Have you been baking?” He asks as he moves next to Trudy, their arms intertwined behind their backs, starting to walk toward the kitchen.

“I’ve made some ginger snaps.” She confirms, pausing for a beat before going on, her voice an octave mischievously lower. “As a reward for my favourite Ginger Snap.”

It’s his turn to laugh. “I’m sorry, have you just called me Ginger Snap, uh?”

“Well, you’re a ginger.” Trudy soundly kisses his cheek. “And you’re as sweet as a cookie, Randall McHolland.”

***

It’s on a crisp December morning, another year having just rolled around, that Kim finds a Christmas card in her locker. She instantly recognises the penmanship on the envelope with her name neatly scribbled on it. As she opens it and sees the picture on the card of Mouch in his Santa costume hugging a reindeer, her smile widens significantly. Platt’s ended up using that photographic evidence after all.

[askthewvbawomensleauge]

What do you gals think of the men's league? Who's your favorite boxer from it?

Sucker-punch Sarah: I think the men's league is chill (other than Aran obvi). I've talked to them a couple times and am fine with them. My favorite boxer is Mr.Sandman.

Boogeyman: she doesn't usually interact with the men's league. The few times she does is because she uses the fact she's in the Wvba's women's league to introduce her brother to his favorite boxer. Her favorite boxer is Von Kaiser.

Stinger: I have had a couple interactions with the men's league. I think they're cool and love to talk to them. My favorite boxer is Aran Ryan.

Miss.Sunshine: I've had a couple run-ins with the male league. I like their energy and enjoys having conversations with them. My favorite boxer is don flamenco.

Battering Ram: I have a past with a certain Irishman, causing my general dislike of the men's league. If I had to choose the one I dislike the least it would be Bald Bull.

Dolly: I also dislike the men's league. I don't have a favorite boxer but I do have a least favorite and that is Super Macho Man.

Red Viper: I'd say I'm pretty chill with the men's league. I've only talked with them a couple times. I'm neutral about most boxers. My favorite boxer is Piston Honda.

Queen Bee: I am friends with a couple of boxers in the men's league. I love most of their energy and would hang out with them more if I could. My favorite boxer is Disco Kid.

Puppet master: awhile back the wvba had the "amazing" idea to let me fight glass joe. Little to say I won easily. So like dolly I don't have a favorite boxer. My least favorite is definitely glass joe, he's a fucking joke and personally I think I'm better.

kitty Kat: kitty doesn't usually talk with the men's league. Kitty does enjoy King hippo's company when kitty does though. Kitty's favorite boxer is definitely King hippo.

brick house: I don't have daily conversations with the men's league or anything. I chatted with them a couple times but nothing much. If I had to pick a favorite boxer it would be bear hugger.

Rockin Ry: I love talking with the men's league. A lot of them have such interesting things to talk about. I would say my favorite boxer is Soda popinski.

(on a separate note, I don't agree with puppet master :p))

[locke-writes]

Barry (show) playlist for NoHo Hank?

Hollywood Park - The Airborne Toxic Event

The Metro - Berlin

Affluenza - Conan Gray

Clusterhug - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me

Traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

Soft Skeletons - Anberlin

bad guy - Billie Eilish

Policy of Truth - Depeche Mode

Pink Lemonade - James Bay

Lisztomania - Phoenix

From the Ritz to the Rubble - Arctic Monkeys

Manic Monday - Billie Joe Armstrong

Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

Lemon Eyes - Meg Myers

You Only Live Once - The Strokes

Rockin’ the Suburbs - Ben Folds

Heart of Glass - Blondie

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Sunday Morning - No Doubt

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

Bad Habit - Ben Platt

Overkill - Colin Hay

That’s All - Genesis

Only A Lad - Oingo Boingo

Fools Like Me - Vanessa Carlton

Tag List: Ask to be Added

[cardest]

Tennessee playlist

I’m going to Memphis! This is the mighty Tennessee - Memphis & Nashville playlist. You can’t tell the story of rock n roll without mentioning Memphis. Mississippi and Nashville, such a great history of music in this region. Chuck D hits things off with the ultimate introduction. Hit play here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-iHPcxymC1_X9nesbW37-9FNLiJWOQ1f

This playlist has it all. Soul, blues and rock n roll. We take a journey back to the beginning of country as well, with Nashville and finish up at Dollywood. Hope you dig it.

Tennessee - Mississippi - Arkansas

001 Henry Rollins & Chuck D - Rise Above 002 Clutch -  Devil & Me 003 Paul Simon - Graceland 004 Isaac Hayes - Memphis Trax 005 Scott Walker - Thats How I Got to Memphis 006 AC/DC - let there be rock 007 Johnny Cash -  Country Boy 008 Chuck Berry -  Back To Memphis 009 Jay Reatard - Gree, Money, Useless Children 010 Lukah - Black Dragon 011 King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew 012 Rosetta Howard & the Harlem Hamfats - Delta Bound 013 Nots - In Glass 014 Pere Ubu - Memphis 015 Loretta Lynn - The Pill 016 Howlin Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin 017 Rory Gallagher - The Mississippi Sheiks 018 Crime and the City Solution - Streets Of West Memphis 019 River City Tanlines - Met You Before 020 Johnny Cash - Going To Memphis 021 Al Green - Get Back Baby 022 Kim Salmon & The Surrealists - The Zipper 023 Booker T & the MG - Melting Pot 024 Pussycat - Mississippi 025 Boswell Sisters - Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On 026 Aretha Franklin   - Muddy Water 027 The Cramps - Garbageman 028 HASH REDACTOR - Good Sense 029 Optic Sink - Personified 030 Angry Angles - Blockhead 031 Big Star - Thirteen 032 Memphis Jug Band -  Going Back to Memphis 033 North Mississippi AllStars - K.C. Jones (On The Road Again) 034 Bass Drum Of Death -  Bad Reputation 035 Today Is the Day -  The Devil's Blood 036 Walk the Line Soundtrack- Get Rhythm 037 Jack White -  Temporary Ground 038 Jerry Lee Lewis - A Damn Good Country Song 039 The Homemade Jamz Blues Band - Rumors 040 Saving Abel - Pine Mountain (The Dance of the Poor Proud Man) 041 The Oxford Circle - Foolish Woman 042 Bobbie Gentry - Greyhound Goin' Somewhere 043 Reigning Sound - A Little More Time 044 NINA SIMONE - MISSISSIPPI GODDAM! 045 Laurie Anderson - Hiawatha 046 Glen Campbell - Burning Bridges 047 Dolly Parton - Hillbilly Willy 048 Elvis Presley - Guitar Man 049 Blue Oyster Cult - Divine Wind 050 Sammy Hagar - Halfway To Memphis 051 Izzy Stradlin   - Memphis                       052 Johnny Cash -  Run Softly, Blue River 053 Iron Horse - Unchained 054 The Cramps - Human Fly 055 Faces - Memphis 056 Jack Oblivian - Rat City 057 The Cooters - Bustin' Loose 058 Mott the Hoople - All The Way From Memphis 059 Dusty Springfield -  Breakfast in Bed 060 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tupelo 061 Chicago - Blues In The Night             062 Crossin Dixon - Guitar Slinger 063 Strummin' With The Devil - And the Cradle Will Rock 064 Stray Cats -  Can't Go Back to Memphis 065 Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds 066 Suzi Quatro - Can't Trust Love 067 Lost Sounds - There's Nothing   068 Ike & Tina Turner ~ River Deep, Mountain High 069 Neil Diamond - Memphis Flyer 070 Julien Baker - hardline 071 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Memphis Soul Typecast 072 Isaac Hayes  - Groove-A-Thon 073 Otis Clay - Trying To Live My Life Without You 074 Tim McGraw - Don't Mention Memphis 075 Eric Burdon & War - Blues For Memphis Slim 076 Homemade Jamz Blues Band - Blues Train 077 Sweet Knives - I DON'T WANNA DIE 078 Cream - Four Until Late 079 Grateful Dead - Golden Road 080 Huey Lewis and the  NEWS - Function At The Junction 081 The Cramps - I Was A Teenage Werewolf 082 Jesse Winchester_ The Brand New Tennessee Waltz 083 Dorsey Burnette - Tall Oak Tree 084 Field Music - Time In Joy 085 Jay Reatard -  Blood Visions 086 The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women 087 Quintron & Miss Pussycat  - Block the comet 088 Al Green - Let's Stay Together 089 The Mountain Goats - Getting Into Knives 090 Johnny Cash -  Tennessee Flat Top Box 091 Robert Pete Williams & Robert “Guitar" J. Welch - Mississippi Heavy Water Blues 092 MARY JAMES - MAKE THE DEVIL LEAVE ME ALONE 093 Ministry - Mississippi Queen 094 U.S. Bombs - Rocks in Memphis 095 Nazareth - Jet Lag 096 The Bar-Kays - Holy Ghost 097 Ty Segall - Despoiler Of Cadaver 098 His Hero Is Gone - Like Weeds 099 Jerry Lee Lewis - Memphis Beat 100 Generation X =  King Rocker 101 The Doobie Brothers - Wild Ride 102 Bad Company - Whiskey Bottle 103 Black Stone Cherry - When The Weight Comes Down 104 Buddy Miles - Memphis Train 105 Memphis Slim - Rockin' The House (Beer Drinkin' Woman) 106 David Clayton Thomas  - Wish The World Would Come to Memphis 107 Lost Sounds - Better Than Somethings 108 Alice Cooper - Ubangi Stomp 109 Tom Waits -  Don't Go Into The Barn 110 Hank Snow - Music Makin' Mama From Memphis 111 Phil Ochs - Heres to the State of Misssippi 112 Reigning Sound  - Your Love Is A Fine Thing 113 Pixies -  Letter to Memphis 114 Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again 115 The Colorblind James Experience - Considering A Move To Memphis 116 B.B.King - Rock Me Baby 117 Carla Thomas - B-A-B-Y 118 Aquarian Blood - A Love That Leads To War 119 Nights Like These - Scavenger's Daughter 120 Rufus Thomas - Walking the Dog 121 Clutch -  The House That Peterbilt 122 Lyal Strickland - O Arkansas 123 Don Bryant - How Do I Get There 124 The Sensational Barnes Brothers - Trying To Go Home 125 Squirrel Nut Zippers - Memphis Exorcism 126 Faster Pussycat - Tattoo 127 The Rolling Stones - Memphis Tennessee 128 Alcatrazz -  Sons And Lovers 129 Evil Army - Violence And War 130 Deep Purple - Somebody Stole My Guitar (Purpendicular 11) 131 Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs 132 UFO - Natural Thing 133 Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys - Tennessee 134 Confederate Railroad - Queen of Memphis 135 The Box Tops - The Letter 136 Jerry Lee Lewis - Night Train To Memphis 137 Reverend John Wilkins - Trouble 138 Phil Lynott - Kings Call (feat. Mark Knopfler) 139 Old Crow Medicine Show - Motel in Memphis 140 Candy Lee- Here in Arkansas 141 Pharoah Sanders - You've Got To Have Freedom 142 Molly Hatchet - Mississippi Moon Dog 143 Rwake - Crooked Rivers 144 CARL PERKINS & PAUL SIMON - A Mile Out Of Memphis 145 Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood 146 Al Green - Talk to me 147 Mush - Eat the Etiquette 148 PJ Harvey - Memphis 149 EX-CULT  - Clinical Study 150 Isaac Hayes  - Mans Temptation 151 Lil’ Jon & Eastside Boyz - Rep Yo City 152 Rufus Wainwright - Memphis Skyline 153 Stray Cats - 18 Miles to Memphis 154 Amasa Hines - Earth and Sky 155 Joe Henderson -  Back Road 156 Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Memphis Woman 157 Norma Jean - Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste 158 Fess Parker - Ballad of Davy Crockett 159 Assjack -  Redneck Ride 160 Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth - Social Lube 161 The Replacements - Alex Chilton 162 Ann Peebles - The handwriting is on the wall 163 The Highwaymen -  Big River 164 The Cult - Memphis Hip Shake 165 STEVE EARLE -  Hillbilly Highway 166 The BO-KEYS featuring OTIS CLAY -Got To Get Back 167 Rush - Tom Sawyer 168 Class Of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming - Birth Of Rock And Roll 169 Hank Williams Jr - Memphis Belle 170 Sam Moore & Dave Prater - Soul Man 171 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Bloc Bloc Bloc 172 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition  - Just Dropped In 173 Linda Heck - pictures of dead people 174 Carla Thomas - Sugar 175 Three Mafia 6 - Mystic Stylez 176 Osborne Brothers- Rocky Top 177 The Beverly Hillbillies Theme Song 178 Wilson Pickett - Barefootin' 179 Dolly Parton - Jolene 180 Charlie Daniels - long haired country boy 181 The Civil Wars - From This Valley 182 Jill Jack - Gettin' On In Memphis (The Elvis Song) 183 Huckleberry Finn and His Friends - Opening title 184 Dead Cross -  Skin of a Redneck 185 Johnny Cash - I Never Picked Cotton 186 Old Crow Medicine Show -  Wagon Wheel 187 Isaac Hayes  - That love feeling 188 Aretha Franklin - I say a little prayer 189 Little Milton - What Do You Do When You Love Somebody 190 Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful 191 Weird Al" Yankovic - Money For Nothing / Beverly Hillbillies 192 The Oblivians - I'll Be Gone 193 OT Sykes - Stone crush on you 194 The Mad Lads  - Come closer to me 195 The Box Tops - Choo Choo train 196 Bobby Blue Bland - dreamer 197 Wanda Jackson - Rip It Up 198 Junior Parker - Love Ain't Nothin' but a Business Goin' On 199 The Nightingales ft. Tommy Tate - Just a Little Overcome 200  The Louvin Brothers - Satan is real 201 Overture "Big River" - (1985 Original Broadway Cast) 202 Ike & Tina Turner - Shake 203 Playa Fly - fly shit 204 Adia Victoria - Different Kind Of Love 205 Grateful Dead - Tennessee Jed 206 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Backwoods 207 Otis Redding - Tennessee Waltz 208 Nashville Pussy - The Late Great USA 209 The Paperhead - The true poet 210 Tomahawk - South Paw 211 Night Beats - Her Cold Cold Heart 212 Forest of Tygers - human monster 213 LOSS - All Grows on Tears 214 Charlie McCoy - Wayfaring Stranger 215 Dick Stusso - Modern Music 216 Eddie Noack - Aint the Reaping Ever Done 217 Jason & the Scorchers - Greetings From Nashville   218 Jasmin Kaset and Quichenight - A Single Right Word 219  Gospel Keynotes - Give Me My Flowers 220   WEEN - Scrape the Mucus off My Brain 221 Shannon Shaw - Broke My Own 222 The Jesus Lizard - Blue Shot 223 Eddy Arnold    - Tennessee Stud 224 Clutch - Pure Rock Fury 225 Today Is The Day -  Who Is The Black Angel? 226 Hank Williams Jnr - Tennessee River 227 The Dead Weather -  Bone House 228  Every Mother's Nightmare - Long Haired Country Boy 229 Motley Crue - She goes down 230 Waylon Jennings - Tennessee 231 Dolly Parton - Down On Music Row 232 Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon - Lets Go Burn Ole Nashville Down 233 The Byrds - Nashville West 234 Sharon Van Etten - Every Time the Sun Comes Up 235 Bill Anderson ~ More Than A Bedroom Thing 236 Dottie West - Route 65 To Nashville 237 Intruder - The Martyr 238 Johnny Cash - Smiling Bill McCall 239 Lynard Skynyrd - Workin For MCA 240 The Everly Brothers  - Nashville Blues 241 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Elusive Dreams 242 Nashville Bluegrass Band - Im Gonna Love You 243 Ringo Starr - No-No Song 244 Hank Williams - Hey, Good Lookin' 245 The Lovin Spoonful - Nashville Cats 246 They Might Be Giants - James K. Polk 247 Commander Cody  -  Back To Tennessee 248 Wanda Jackson - Shakin' All Over 249 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Grand Ole Opry Song 250 Tomahawk - Flashback 251 Megadeth -  Dystopia 252 Dolly Parton -  Train, Train 253 The Clovers - One Mint Julep 254 Trampled By Turtles - Whiskey 255 Tom T. Hall - Nashville is a Groovy Little Town 256 Muddy Waters - I am the blues 257 Foo Fighters - Congregation 258 Pavement - Strings Of Nashville 259 Joe Ely - Tennessees Not The State Im In 260 Waylon Jennings - Nashville Bum 261 The Charmels - As Long As I Got You 262 Eve Maret - Do my thing 263 SABATON - 82nd All the Way 264 Halfway To Hazard - Welcome To Nashville 265 Nashville Pussy - Go Motherfucker Go 266 Indigo Girls - Nashville 267 Snarls - Walk In The Woods 268 Steeler - Cold Day in Hell 269 Strummin' With The Devil  - Jamies Cryin' 270 spazz gummo love theme 271 The Cramps - Cornfed Dames 272 Saxon -  Solid Ball Of Rock 273 Al Green - Tired of Being Alone 274 Soul Friction - It's Out Of My Hands 275 Today Is the Day - Wheelin' 276 Jackie Lynn - Odessa 277 The Jesus Lizard - Nub 278 Bully - Where To Start 279 Sonny Boy Williamson II - Lonesome Cabin 280 Tomahawk - God hates a coward 281 The Louvin Brothers - Knoxville Girl 282 Tom Waits - Jitterbug Boys 283 The Evil Dead Soundtrack  - Bridge Out 284 Wanda Jackson - Thunder On The Mountain 285 Elvis Presley - Where Do I Go From Here 286 Booker T & the MGs - Back Home 287 Ezra Furman & the Harpoons - American Highway 288 Joe Ely - dream camera 289 Assjack - Tennessee Driver 290 Nashville Pussy  - We Want A War 291 Dwight Yoakam - A Thousand Miles From Nowhere 292 Hank Williams, Jr. - Knoxville Courthouse Blues 293 ZZ Top - My Head's in Mississippi 294 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -  Honky Tonkin' 295 Dead Weather - Die by the Drop 296 The Black Belles - What can I do 297 Dolly Parton  - Cowgirl And The Dandy 298 The Secret Sisters  - I've Got a Feeling 299 Justin Townes Earle - Aint Got No Money 300 Tomahawk - M.E.A.T 301 Jex Thoth - The Places You Walk 302 Bill Carter - Road To Nowhere 303 Bill Dees (Roy Orbison back vocals) - Tennesse Owns My Soul 304 Karen Elson  - The Ghost Who Walks 305 The Who - Whiskey Man 306 Hank Williams III - Crazed Country Rebel 307 The Lost Sounds - I Get Nervous 308 Big Star - September Gurls 309 ZZ Top - Whiskey n Mama 310 Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down 666 Isaac Hayes - Hyperbolicsyllablecsesquedalymistic

Hit play: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-iHPcxymC1_X9nesbW37-9FNLiJWOQ1f

[keevansixx]

The Future Was Now...

I heard an interesting opinion concerning sub-cultures and why, in today’s age, you almost never see any sub-culture being represented on the streets anymore. When you do spy one of these rare individuals out in the wild, it’s like some rare mythical beast of a thing...fleeting, fierce, and wonderous. 

Welcome to generation V (V as in “Virtual”, and not vain, vibrant, vitriol, vivacious, nor victor) 

The sub-cultures of the past have all died, their digital ghosts haunt the databases like the proverbial zombies of old. Resurrected every so often to wistful nostalgia, and as meme fodder for the youth of today. Gone, are the days of artfully attired denizens of the world... languidly rambling to and fro across the surface of the land, spreading creativity in their wake like massive glaciers carving rivulets in the tapestry of the earth to be witnessed by eyes unseen, and thoughts unbridled. No....those days are long gone and forgotten.

Here I sit, alone in a box of my own design. Shackled to a monitor who’s glow is the only ambient light in the room, I watch the world scroll by in 1′s and 0′s rendered in pixel point perfection into images that my mind perceives as pictures of a world I no longer see, in a land I no longer feel, and a place that only resembles what one would call home. I no longer leave the confines of my prison. No toe crosses the threshold of my room....it’s safe here, and everything I need is in the box....no need to leave, no need to explore, no need to wander anymore. 

I’m told what I should eat...and I do so. I’m told what I should be thinking...and I do so. Anything contrary to the will of the mob is quelled with harsh criticisms, threats, and heavy handed browbeating from the lowest common denominator. “No!...thou shall not think outside the box! Thou shalt follow the thought speak of the masses! Thou shalt not have an original thought or opinion! Those are reserved for the popular chattel that have earned their vanity marks in the digital realm.” I’m to remain a good obedient little digital puppet to the will of the masses. I’m told how I should dress....and I do so. The almighty digital overlords demand acquiescence, obedience, and submission to their cyber-hubris. “No creativity allowed that exceeds that of the common person, lest you offend...lest you shame...lest you make feel....the mighty digital overlords.”

“Sounds like a pretty shitty way to live.”...and you’re right...it is.

It starts on any given day, on any given week, of any given year...

I open the window. the moonlight pours in from a harvest moon I haven't seen since I was a kid, alone in the dark, watching the stars go by. I throw on some shoes that were the huge internet trend a few months ago, everybody just absolutely had to get them to be in the vouge of the moment, and walk to the door. Stepping out side, I hear the chime of the monitor, the chirp chirp of the phone screaming out for my immediate attention “Message! Alert! Come respond NOW!” the annoying braying pings, whistles, chirps, and bells that demand obedience and response. 

I close the door behind me to the sound of stillness...the sonic detritus silenced by wood and glass, and I beheld the night in all it’s splendor...….glorious!

For the first time in a very long while....I have an original thought. 

“What if I'm not the only one..?” “what if, there are others out there like me?” “what if...we found each other?”

Over the many weary months that followed, I slowly weaned myself, bit by agonizing digital bit, from the shackles that bound me to my electronic prison. As each day and night passed, I spent more and more time away. Wandering the empty paths I once trod in my youth. It’s empty now....very few wander anymore outside of those whom make the world turn through service, and the multitude of electronic zombies (E-Zomb’s) faces crammed into phone screens, that move back and forth following their scripted paths of life. Just grunts or the half-hearted handwave to acknowledge that they are still breathing and alive.

I sit alone beneath a large tree in the center of town, watching it all go by...a little notebook open in my lap, where I jot down the most interesting thoughts that pop into my brain from time to time, when I see a purple post-it note pinned to the tree with a thumbtack. On it is an artful picture of an eye wearing a butterfly wing in it’s corner crease, with a small address and time and no designation. I take the note, and put it into my notebook to await evening at the appointed time...curious, but still a little bit cautious.

the sky is a beautiful velvet purple and crimson as the sun sets and I near my destination from the note. I walk along a sidewalk counting the building numbers as I go by, various lamps and street posts begin to ignite into glowing life in the growing dusk. I stop between two buildings, note in my hand, I count the two and note that the number skips one between the two building fronts. I hear old music drifting on the wind between the two storefronts and notice a small painting of an eye with butterfly wings off a ways down the narrow alley between buildings. I step off the well trod sidewalk, and follow the sounds down the alley until I reach a courtyard....like the kind one finds in the special places of New Orleans that aren’t on the tourist maps, nor social media posts.

there are strings of lights everywhere, a few odd pieces of art statues, and wrought iron scattered across the courtyard. sitting on benches are kids in old hippie clothes, goth kids lurking near the stairwells, art kids wearing whatever the hell they stitched together out of a scrap bin and dancing in small groups to whatever was flowing out the speakers surrounding the area. I see street kids, and punk kids, rappers and writers huddled around tables furiously scribbling down lyrics and rhyme. Skaters talking about their latest gnarly shred, plain janes and joes talking about life and oppression....in a word...it was old scenes alive and well and very much kicking in a little courtyard in the middle of nowhere.

I get approached by one of the goth kids and a beautiful hippie girl. They both had smiles on their faces and a welcoming look.

The goth is the first to speak, “hey, new guy....you look a little lost. Anything we can do to help?”

I pull out the purple note and reply tentatively “Not all who wander are lost...”

“and not everyone who do are found....welcome!” beamed the hippie girl.

“well to be honest, it was blind curiosity that led me here, so far....*looking around*....I'm not disappointed.”

The goth dude looks sideways at me, then asks. “so....how long have you been unplugged?”

“About 6 months now, it’s not been easy.”

“Six months? Damn man.....you been alone all this time?”

“Yes....but it gave me time to think, to dream, to see a world I was no longer part of.”

“Wow....that’s deep, Mr. moody.....*eyeroll giggles* welcome to the club!!!” Hippy gal chimes in, “we all found our own ways out of the web in one way or another and sort of found each other by happy accident. You....well, you found one of our calling cards we throw up from time to time for a moot, just to touch bases and stay in touch.”

“Moot???” I reply.

The goth snorts a bit and broodingly says “Moot....a meet-up, soiree, party, get together, picnic, graveyard bash, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.” with profound dramatic hand waving. ”We meet up a few times a month in various locales to hob nob with the other unplugged, and share ideas or show off what’s been happening in our own scenes. Art, music, poetry, crafts...basically, all the best of us with none of the digital chains......everything’s on the table, and nothing is taboo. Within reason, of course *smirks* get too lewd and the community here is good about looking out for one another....fair warning.”

“Point taken. Understood. So, why the notes? Why not advertise on a board or through alts?”

Hippie gal grins, and says “Because, sugar, we’re old school.....analog, no digital...rockin’ the paper tags like the punks of old. Only those who unplug, and really start to notice the world around them will find us....like you. Notes on trees...that’s my contribution, people rarely ever look at the trees these days...too busy online with their faces crammed into their phones to notice. The goth crews tag the cemeteries and dark places, other kids leave clues in whatever scene they happen to be in, and we cross post the messages word of mouth in our own ways when we find out about the different moots going on across the cities. Tonight, it’s here in the garden with my tribe, next time it could be anywhere...you just have to keep your eyes open up for the clues as they place them. When in absolute doubt...always check the library...the dungeon/dragon kids always cross post every event they hear about in the stacks. We’re off grid baby! the ultimate “fuck you!” to the digital world. No chains, no obligations, 0 fucks given....living the life that was taken from us one soul at a time. 

“Ok, so no online presence. check. Moots posted in randoms if I'm paying attention. check. If lost, check the stack for tags. anything else i’m missing?”

“Well, only thing else is snail....”

“Snail?”

“Snail mail....post office. Look, you’re going to meet people here...If you play your cards right, you might even get land addy’s from some of them. you want to stay in touch? Snail, or wait for the next moot to IRL face time. either way, you’re going to have to dust off those ancient writing skills if you want to stay in the loop. You don’t have to commit to anything...this isn’t an obligation, nor requirement, but it’s old common courtesy to reply when someone sends you a snail. Take a chance! you might just be surprised at what you get.”

“ummm, thanks?”

“No problem....and welcome to the revolution.”

I spend the rest of the evening being introduced to the different groups, watching the event as it unfolds. Being exposed to new ideas, and feelings I haven’t felt for a long long time. I get a few land addy’s from various patrons, and give out mine. It’s kind of nice, being here...in the moment. 

the moot winds down, with groups and couples slowly wandering off into the night. I make my way over to a 24hr diner and grab a bite to eat. a few of the attendees are there as well grabbing coffee, or eats, and we continue conversations we had started a few hours earlier. It was a good night.

I make my way home in the early dawn, and for once, in my long life...I feel a sense of profound peace. Like everything, for just one brief moment in the world, is alright. A new glimmer of hope in my mind, and countless dreams just waiting for me to dream. life....is good.

I open the door to my home, the chimes of my digital masters fall on deaf ears for once, and I sleep the peace of the newly freed...

Sometimes, the most profound acts of rebellion involve the most simple of things, like removing oneself from that which binds you....

Welcome to a new sub-culture...may you free yourself from your virtual prisons, break the chains, and take a journey into the unknown. 

this is Generation V.....signing off.....

[totalrockfiend]

Celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary: The Class of ‘94 Rocks!

1991 may have been the year Nirvana broke...

And the unleashed a Grunge-y tidal wave on rock radio, then dominated by slickly produced, Top 40-driven acts, and MTV’s Hair Metal heavy rotation. The subsequent tsunami deftly washed both away in seemingly one fell swoop.

But while Nirvana may have kicked off the party, 1994 was the year the ‘90s alt-rock explosion reached it’s apex. (At least viewing the whole affair with the 20/20 clarity hindsight so often affords.)

Why do we care? 

A fair question, Grasshopper! 

Mostly because this genre defining class is celebrated its 25th, or Silver, anniversary in 2019 (the year to which we’ve just bid are final farewells). 

And WOW! What at year for rock records 1994 proved to be...

Green Day became multi-platinum punks. 

Weezer took nerdy indie rock mainstream. 

Stone Temple Pilots hopped off the Grunge bandwagon and emerged as rockstars in their own right. 

REM got back to rockin’. 

Live (the band) took a turn toward grungy noise-rock. 

And loads of other bands served up some of their most memorable raging slabs, too.

So, in honorarium, I’m taking a moment to laud my top picks for best in show from ‘94s venerable class, along with shouting out a few honorable mentions (just for good measure)...

Dookie, Green Day

On their 3rd effort, and first for a major label (Reprise Records, a subsidiary of the mega entertainment group, Warner Bros), these Bay Area punks (and one-time Gilman Street darlings) rocketed to the stratosphere with Dookie.

The powerhouse album would go on to sell 20 million records, become a worldwide smash, spawn five Billboard Top 10 hit singles (including three #1 singles), and turn the band into international SUPERSTARS -- with a capital S!

While the capable power trio laid down tight, inspired performances, Dookie’s success was due largely to singer + guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s insightful and impassioned songwriting. From masturbation to the shear boredom of life to totally losing your marbles, Joe’s reflective songs captured the trials and tribulations of everyman, with a wry, relatable wit.

And in turn, Green Day paved the way for the Offspring, Blink 182, and legions of other bands who stormed the mainstream in the resulting Pop Punk explosion of the latter ‘90s.

(The Blue Album), Weezer

Whether it’s technically an eponymously titled record, or the true title was always meant to be the “Blue Album” (as it’s long been known), who can say?

Here’s what is certain: Rivers Cuomo -- with his horn-rimmed glasses, Dungeons + Dragons shrouded past, and penchant for shredding -- and his band, Weezer usher nerdy indie rock onto mainstream rock radio and heavy rotation on MTV.

With crunchy guitar-driven odes to sadness and angst, this multi-platinum behemoth made it cool to be a quirky nerd. Rivers was a (and like still is) a dude who could equally admire elves and KISS. In turn proving, once and for all, that’s OK.

And much like Green Day, Weezer inspired countless imitators in their unlikely march to mainstream success.

Purple, Stone Temple Pilots 

When Stone Temple Pilots first appeared with their uber-successful debut, Core, my disdain for the band could not have been greater. 

Each successive song on that album felt like an ode to yet another Grunge standard-bearer... 

Sex Type Thing was their Alice In Chains tune. 

Wicked Garden was their Soundgarden track. 

And Creep was their Pearl Jam song.

Yet, on their sophomore outing, STP proved they were more than mere Grunge rock bandwagoneers. With rocked up ragers, like Vaseline, countrified romps, like Interstate Love Song, and fabulously folk-y ditties, like Pretty Penny, Purple is a bona fide masterpiece.

Monster, REM

I’ll give you a hint/sneak preview here -- I’m working on a Hot Take On a Tired Topic post titled “REM Only Has Three Good Albums,” and Monster is one of them!

To my ear, REM was always at their most compelling when the consciously RAWKED. And Monster was a return to form for the band in that regard.

After stepping away from touring to make two folk-inflected records -- Out of Time and Automatic For the People -- REM came roaring back with the aptly titled Monsters.

From the anxiety riddled panic of What’s the Frequency Kenneth to the eerie bombast of Bang and Blame to the Sonic Youth-y noise rock of Crush With Eyeliner, Monster saw REM bring the guitars, often a whole lot of ‘em, front and center. And the group rocked out harder than they ever had before, or ever would again.

Throwing Copper, Live

Live’s debut, Mental Jewelry, with it’s understated, mellow folk rock earned the band many accolades, not to mention respectable sales.

But not content to play it cool (or continue in their folk-y toned tenor), the band returned with a sophomore effort that cranked the guitars up to 11 and pushed singer Ed Kowalczyk towering voice faaaaaaaaaaaar out front in the album’s ferocious mix.

This high energy approach resulted in a Billboard #1 album and four hit singles. Which in turn established four lads from York, Pennsylvania (Yup, land of the famed Peppermint Paddy!) as poster boys for the then bright-burning Alt-Rock scene.

Some Honorable Mentions

Alongside these high-flying releases, ‘94 yielded loads more incredibly successful rock records, including...

Superunknown, Soundgarden

Seattle stalwarts and one of the leading acts in the “Grunge Movement,” Soundgarden scored their biggest hit on with the fourth record, Superunknown. The album’s soaring success was due largely to its chart-topping singles, which included Spoonman, Fell On Black Days, and, of course, the tune MTV hung its hat for the summer of ‘94, Blackhole Sun. 

The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails

Trent Reznor and company set aside the bubbling and burbling synths of NIN’s depbute record, Pretty Hate Machine, and went full Industrial metal, a la Ministry, on their sophomore record. But while roaring tracks like Mr. Self Destruct and March of the Pigs blow the roof off portions of the record, the album still manages some synth weirdness with the very warped Closer, along with delicate balladry courtesy of Hurt (a song Johnny Cash would later cover, releasing an incredibly moving rendition).

Vitalogy, Pearl Jam

Vitalogy represented Pearl Jam’s third and final album in the band’s “grunge trilogy.” True to form, the boys rave it up with the punky, Spin The Black Circle, and get noisy on Tremor Christ and Whipping. But Seattle’s best also crafted a pair of heartfelt ballads with Nothingman and Better Man. The record also includes my all-time fave Pearl Jam track, the masterpiece of loud-soft dynamics, Corduroy.

Unplugged, Nirvana

Nirvana honcho, Curt Kobain, sadly chose to end it all in ‘94. But he left his millions of adoring fans with a stunning live document on the band’s storied performance for MTV’s then hugely popular Unplugged series. And Curt generously invited a few friends to the party. Former Germs (and later, Foo Fighters) guitarist, Pam Smear was added to the lineup as a “permanent” member. In addition, Kurt + Chris Kirkwood, of the Meat Puppets, joined the band for brilliant performances of Puppet’s classics, Lake of Fire + Plateau.

Parklife, Blur

Britpop had yet to blossom in the US in the mid-90s. But never-the-less, four lovable lads from the UK managed to squeak the best record of their potent discography into the venerable class of ‘94. The rollicking Parklife is a feel good spin from front to finish. And features Blur’s eyebrow raising tune, the gender-bending hit single, Girls and Boys.

Definitely Maybe, Oasis

Was Definitely Maybe the spark that ultimately lit Britpop into the raging fire that overtook the States? Could be. What’s certain is Definitely Maybe is one of the most snarling debuts since the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks. And with equal parts sneer Pistols attitude, classicist rock stylings, and relentless “piss-taking,” as the Brits would term it, DM is a ‘90s era masterpiece.

Sixteen Stone, Bush

The UK’s answer to grunge? Bush’s debut album, Sixteen Stone, is certainly a likely candidate. But in reality, this album is more than a bandwagon jumping effort. The razor-sharp performances, and compelling song-craft, courtesy of lead singer + chief songwriter, Gavin Rossdale, cast this record as a staunchly compelling statement, no matter its debt to the Grunge Sound.

Stranger Than Fiction, Bad Religion

In the music game since the late ‘70s, Bad Religion certainly qualify as one LA Punk’s founding fathers. Yet, who woulda thunk the band would not only still be afloat, but go mainstream (or at least sign to a major label) a decade and half later? Their 8th studio album, Stranger Than Fiction would seem to say so. Moreover, BR even managed a charting single that same year with 21st Century Digital Boy.

How About You?

Hope you enjoyed this little jaunt down memory lane, cuz I certainly did!

But rather than hog the proceedings, I’d love to hear about some of your faves records from the Class of ‘94... So, whadya got for me?

[nuclearblastuk]

PHIL CAMPBELL | RELEASES BRAND NEW SONG 'STRAIGHT UP' FEATURING ROB HALFORD, NEW ALBUM 'OLD LIONS STILL ROAR' OUT NOW

The wait is finally over! Today, legendary long-time MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell, has released his first-ever solo record, 'Old Lions Still Roar' via Nuclear Blast. To celebrate, the iconic guitarist has released a brand new track, 'Straight Up', featuring the unmistakable vocal talents of JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford! Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/f7FDJrtkpLo Phil comments: "'The Metal God’ Rob Halford has always been an artist I admire. His distinctive vocals and stage presence have rocked millions of fans all over the world, so I count myself blessed to have written a rockin' song together with him!"  'Old Lions Still Roar' is available on various formats (Slipcase CD, Vinyl, digital - see photos below) and can be ordered from this location. The album features 2 different covers - a black and white one (CD Slipcase + digital) and a coloured one (vinyl).  ICYMI 'Swing It' official music video: https://youtu.be/T2KCPboU39U 'These Old Boots' official music video: https://youtu.be/S1fOGac2Xso 'Swing It' & Alice Cooper: https://youtu.be/GufCt1L0_0A 'These Old Boots' & Dee Snider: https://youtu.be/5w7LAwBkz2Q  How 'Old Lions Still Roar' came about: https://youtu.be/X1oILmXbHbM  The production of 'Old Lions Still Roar': https://youtu.be/8F8aiYu6olU The album includes guest appearances by renowned artists such as Dee Snider, Rob Halford, Alice Cooper among many others. 'Old Lions Still Roar' tracklist: 01. Rocking Chair feat. Leon Stanford 02. Straight Up feat. Rob Halford 03. Faith In Fire feat. Ben Ward 04. Swing It feat. Alice Cooper 05. Left For Dead feat. Nev MacDonald 06. Walk The Talk feat. Danko Jones & Nick Oliveri 07. These Old Boots feat. Dee Snider, Mick Mars & Chris Fehn  08. Dancing Dogs (Love Survives) feat. Whitfield Crane 09. Dead Roses feat. Benji Webbe 10. Tears From A Glass Eye feat. Joe Satriani PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS live dates:   w/ KING CREATURE 29.10.             UK       Stoke - The Sugarmill 30.10.             UK       Glasgow - Classic Grand 01.11.             UK       Manchester - Rebellion 02.11.             UK       London - The Dome 03.11.             UK       Norwich - Epic Studios 04.11.             UK       Nottingham - Rescue Rooms 06.11.             UK       Southampton - Engine Rooms 07.11.             UK       Wolverhampton - KK’s Steel Mill 08.11.             UK       Exeter - Phoenix 09.11.             UK       Cardiff - Tramshed w/ LEADER OF DOWN 29.11.             D         Cologne - Gebäude 9 30.11.             D         Hamburg - Logo 01.12.             D         Berlin - Bi Nuu 02.12.             D         Nuremberg - Hirsch 04.12.             D         Dresden - Beatpol 05.12.             D         Munich - Backstage (Halle) 06.12.             D         Frankfurt - Das Bett 07.12.             D         Oberhausen - Nikolaut Winterfestival www.philcampbell.net http://www.facebook.com/philcampbellatbs http://wwww.nuclearblast.de/philcampbell

[queenscoolcat]

I’d love a ship if they’re open! I’m 5’4 w/ wild, long, dark brown, curly hair, hazel eyes, reading glasses that are normally on the top of my head, & I’m way on the curvier side. I’m an English major w/ a concentration on film & drama, & friends say that I’m sort of an “absent minded professor” type. I love making people happy & making them laugh, & I sorta prefer listening over talking. I’ve a serious & sassy side. I adore rockin out to music & I’m a dog person. Thank you sm!! LOVE your blog!!

I am so sorry ships are taking so long, I have a huge writer's block and I am quite overwhelmed since I have over 150 ships to do, so ships will be closed. I will open them again, I just want to finish all the ones on my inbox so I don't feel like crap that I have made people wait such a long time.

Thank you so much, baby! I hope you like your ship as well.

I ship you with Gwilym

Gwil would find the glasses on top of your head so cute.

He sometimes would steal them without you noticing so he could watch your confused face when you tried to put them on.

He found what you are studying so interesting.

So Gwilym would ask so much thing to you about it.

And he would help you so much with whatever you needed.

When he was filming he would invite you so you could understand something better.

When he heard your friends tell you about your absent minded professor looks Gwilym lost it.

“They aren’t wrong, baby,” Gwilym mumble still laughing as he kisses the top of your head almost like an apology.

He adored when you would go out with him and his friends.

His eyes would light when someone made you laugh and he could see that beautiful smile you have.

And every time you would make anyone laugh, Gwilym would feel his heart pounding faster cause he was so in love with you.

“You really care for her, don’t you, mate?” Ben asked his friend on one of their nights out.

You were talking to Lucy and Joe, and Gwilym could feel his smile growing every time you made his friends laugh.

“More than anything,” Gwil admitted feeling his cheeks turn red when you caught him staring.

Not caring that he left his friend, Gwilym walks to your side hugging you from behind, he placed a small peck on your cheek as he hears what the conversation you were having was about.

“Get a room,” Joe joked when he saw how smitten you act around each other.

“Shut up, Joe,” Gwilym said planting another kiss on your cheek only to piss his friend even more.

When you heard Joe fake puke, you decided to start joking with them as well, “ it’s not our fault you can’t get any with that hair of yours,” you tease making everyone laugh.

“It isn’t my fault either,” Joe mutter as he made sure his cap hide all of the perm.

Gwilym adores hearing music with you.

As you let yourself go, all Gwilym could do was stare at you with heart eyes.

Until you pull him to dance with you.

He made sure to adopt a puppy with you.

Gwilym could see how much you like dogs so he decided to expand your little family by having a cute dog.

Which at first was kind of difficult to adjust.

But every time Gwilym saw you cuddling with the dog, he knew he made the right call.

[urbanenemy]

5/13 新入荷リスト

À LA CARTE  Radio / You're still my fantasy ALBATROSS  Darlin' / The Band Played On BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY  I'm The One That's Leaving / Amelia CHORDS  SO FAR AWAY LP CHRIS RAINBOW  Living in the world today / Middleman CLAUDJA BARRY  Down By The Water / Forget About You DANCER  S/T LP DANGEROUS GIRLS  Man in the glass / MO75 DAVID BOWIE  Rebel Rebel / Queen Bitch DR. FEELGOOD  She's A Windup / Hi-Rise EDISON LIGHTHOUSE  It's Up To You Petula / Let's Make It Up ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS  Oliver's Army / My Funny Valentine ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea / You Belong To Me FASTEN SEAT BELT  SO REAL LP FRUITS OF PASSION  No More Tears / Nothing But A Prayer GIRL SCOUTS  I don't want to be a zombie / Hometown girl GIRL TALK  Falling for you / Falling for you (Instrumental) GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR  Hold Back The Night / (Let Me Get) Sweet On You / White Honey (Live) / Soul Shoes (Live) HARPO  Horoscope / Jessica JACKSON BROWNE  Somebody's Baby / The Crow On The Cradle JEEP  Wild rover / Lark in the darl JEFF HILL  I want you to dance with me / Feel like loving you JIMMY JIMMY  HERE IN THE LIGHT LP JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS  I Love Rock'n Roll / Love Is Pain JOE JACKSON  Is She Really Going Out With Him ? / You Got The Fever KATRINA AND THE WAVES  Que te quiero / Machine gun Smith KENNY  THE SOUND OF SUPER K LP KEY  FIT ME IN LP KIRSTY MACCOLL  Walking Down Madison / One Good Thing LAUGHING DOGS  MEET THEIR MAKERS LP LE ROCK  Le Rock / Another Bottle Of Wine LYN TODD  S/T LP MAGAZINE  Rhythm of cruelty / T.V. Baby MONTROSE  Space Station Number 5 / Good Rockin' Tonight NICK HEYWARD  Blue Hat For A Blue Day / Love At The Door PATTI SMITH GROUP  Frederick / Fire Of Unknown Origin PAUL KENDRICK  Hollywood Nights / Suicide Drive PINKEES  Danger Games / Keep On Loving You PINUPS  Song on the radio / My My My PIN-UPS  Wild In The Streets / That's How Love POLLY BROWN  Do You Believe In Love At First Sight / Shot Down In Flames PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.  Flowers Of Romance / Home Is Where The Heart Is ROCKIN' HORSE  Biggest Gossip In Town / Oh Carol, I'm So Sad ROD DEMICK & IAN GOMM  I'm In A Heartache / Missing You RUBETTES  Little Darling / Miss Goodie Two Shoes SHAUN CASSIDY  Hard Love / She's Right SHAUN CASSIDY  Our Night / Right Before Your Skies SHAUN CASSIDY  Be My Baby / It's Too Late SHOES  BLACK VINYL SHOES LP SLIK  Forever And Ever / Again My Love SNAPPER  Only Love Can Make It / Crying STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE  Since Yesterday / By The Sea TEENS  TEENS & JEANS & ROCK'N'ROLL LP TIM MOORE  When You Close Your Eyes / Aviation Man TOURISTS  I Only Want To Be With You / Summers Night WAVES  SHOCK HORROR  LP YIPES!!  Darlin' / Heartbreak Again V/A  A MANCHESTER COLLECTION LP V/A  BOUQUET OF STEEL LP V/A  L.A. IN LP

[tenacioussheepalpaca]

tag meme !!

I got tagged by this cats-pajamas rockin awesome possum @xyloophones!! thanks \^^/ 💕 (Ohmygosh this is still in my drafts... I thought I posted it months ago... whoops.)

How tall are you? 5′6″.

What color are your eyes? Hazel, always liked the mix between brown and green and depending on which fam member I compare with and the lighting it can lean one way or the other

Do you wear contacts and/or glasses?nope! 

Do you wear braces? no?? I’m the freak of nature switched at birth kind of child my parents just scratched their heads at over this, literally everyone else in the fam needed em

What is your fashion style? I’d like to say classy and comfortable with a range from business demimagnate hyperformal to i don’t really care too much/ fite me i sniffed it and it wasn’t too bad, kinda matched and is super comfy

How old are you? 22 mah dudes, 22 and you forget your own name and how to count because i swear i had to figure that on my fingers... smh

Do you have any siblings? YUSS One of each <3 love em. they’re my built in  battle/life buddies and confidantes who I’d literally bury a body for 

What school/college do you go to? i go to the University of Suffering and Stress  (... ok thats... yea that’s too perfect, imma leave that one in unedited. because don’t we all?? @xyloophones truth.)

What kind of student are you? 😭😭😭 works my ass off, attends Every. Single. Lecture. come hell or high water. (I don’t care if it’s a spot of the plague, I’M GOING). Notes that resemble an odd mix of cursive, cuneiform and chicken scratch but are fairly well organized...ish. Sometimes office hours but I didn’t start that till year 3 really??  it was more of just living in the tutoring center that did it for me?? Loved to have group study parties before finals but otherwise a loner for preetty much the rest of the year  😭 loved my program, graduated now but def need a break with lots of sleep to make up the deficit before going back for any other degrees! anything i’d change: make friends next time around. 

What are your favorite subjects? I LOVE foreign languages and history and politics (international relations). 

What are your favorite movies? OKAY SO EDGE OF TOMORROW ANYONE?? all time fav. second to that one is The Bourne Identity, Knight and Day, The Tourist, and Megamind

What are your favorite pastimes? reading, painting, learning languages, goofing off on the internet, chatting with the fam, cooking, TaeKwonDo, going on walking/travel adventures and swimming OOH and taking pics. 

Do you have any regrets?  haha who doesn’t? but I try pretty hard to not dwell on them.

What is your dream job? I’d love to do a bit of everything. I’m teaching ESL right now which is a love hate relationship <3<3 but who knows, maybe I’ll do freelance editing/ online esl tutoring, computer programming or maybe even truck driving. The possibilities are endless and I’ve got time so....  

Would you like to get married? yup, one of these days. I’d love to find someone that jives with my weird shenanigans 

Do you want kids? how many? Bwahahaha aaaack?? idk i keep going back and forth on this. When I was little I wanted kids like, so much. now.... idk?? It’d take some serious consideration and discussion with my partner before I’d be comfy even considering but if I did have em, I know I’d love them and give it my all to the umteenth degree bc that’s just the way mah heart works

How many countries have you visited? Mexico, England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Estonia.... got plans to see some more soon!! 

What was your scariest dream? torture of a loved one that i was unable to stop. yea that took a turn, sorry guys

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahah........ short answer, no.  many reasons, but let’s just say ‘since she’s an idiot, she’s probably gonna take the long way round to find love...’

Put your playlist on shuffle and without skipping list the first 15 songs

Lola Blanc - Don’t Say You Do 

(Hisaishi Joe) Howl's Moving Castle Theme - Sungha Jung 

Most Wondrous Battle Music Ever: The Descent  By: Fired Earth Music [Charles I. Evans]

Потап и Настя - Бумдиггибай 

'Bad Blood'' by Welshly Arms 

CloZee - Apsara Calling (David Starfire Remix)

grandson - Blood // Water

seven nation army by the white stripes

MISSIO - Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea

Peter McIsaac - Most Wondrous Battle Music Ever: The Last Of Us

Kaskade - Winter Wonderland

SleightlyMusical  【Re:Zero】OP 1 - "Redo" Cover ft. LilyPichu

Gryffin, Bipolar Sunshine - Whole Heart

Phil Good - Sleeping In

Hozier - Arsonist’s Lullabye 

THANK YOU!!! THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!! :D Ok, so I’m tagging @angelofdudes @dreamywritingdragon @angelofdudes @iwritebetterthanispeak @screamingatanemptyroom @sodiumphosphate @katineto @livixbobbiex @cherryhan-ji @hangelove @oddxiety@captainlonelywolf99 @ALL OF YOU LOVELIES WHO ARE HERE AND FEEL LIKE IT BECAUSE I ALWAYS WANT TO MEET NEW POEPLE :D

[still-single]

TWO new Heathen Discos for you -> LISTEN

Last two shows:

Episode 237, December 13th 2020

Chic – Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowzah, Yowzah, Yowzah) (single / Buddah, 1977)

Theo Parrish – Smile (single / Music Is…, 1997)

Velocette – Bound in a Nutshell (Discotheque Saudades / A Colourful Storm, 2020)

M. Geddes Gengras – Lapidus (Time Makes Nothing Happen / Hausu Mountain, 2020)

The Cool Greenhouse – Alexa! (single / Melodic, 2020)

Eugenius – Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Queen of Scots / August, 1994)

Stark Naked – Sins (Stark Naked / RCA, 1971)

Fly Ashtray – Mulligan (We Buy Everything You Own / Old Gold, 2018)

Richard Lloyd – Alchemy (Alchemy / Elektra, 1979)

Cabaret Voltaire – What's Going On? (Shadow of Fear / Mute, 2020)

Lync – Silver Spoon Glasses (These Are Not Fall Colors / K, 1994)

Van Duren – Grow Yourself Up (Are You Serious? / Big Sound, 1978)

Little Gold – Living Under Books (Wake Up and Die Right / Sophomore Lounge, 2020)

Tony Joe White – I Want Love (Tween You and Me) (Homemade Ice Cream / Warner Bros., 1972)

David Blue – Oooh, Baby (Com’n Back for More / Asylum, 1975)

Pool Holograph – Asleep in Spain (Love Touched Time and Time Began to Sweat / Sunroom, 2020)

Game Theory – Metal and Glass Exact (Pointed Accounts of People You Know / Rational, 1983)

The Velvet Underground – New Age (Loaded / Cotillion, 1970)

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas – Martin 5000 (III / Smalltown Supersound, 2020)

Nightshift – Make Kin (Zoe / Trouble in Mind, 2021)

Kendra Smith – Stars Are in Your Eyes (Kendra Smith Presents the Guild of Temporal Adventures / Fiasco, 1992)

Reg King – Merry-Go-Round (Missing in Action / Circle, 2006)

Brett Smiley – Mood in Deco (Sunset Tower / What’s Your Rupture?, 2019)

Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger – You Make Me Feel Brand New (Force Majeure / International Anthem, 2020)

A Foot in Coldwater – (Isn't Love Unkind) In My Life (Or All Around Us / Elektra, 1974)

Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra – Dimensional Stardust (Parable 33) (Dimensional Stardust / International Anthem/Nonesuch, 2020)

Comet Gain – The Weekend Dreams (single version) (split 7” with Hello Cuca / Doble Vida, 2010)

Urge Overkill – Wichita Lineman (single / Touch & Go, 1987)

Laurie Styvers – Imagine That the Lights Have Gone Out (Spilt Milk / Warner Bros., 1973)

Scritti Politti – A Slow Soul (Songs to Remember / Rough Trade, 1982)

The Tubs – I Don't Know How it Works (single / Prefect, 2020)

Anthony Moore – Catch a Falling Star (OUT / Drag City, 1976/2020)

Tappi Tíkarrass – Íþróttir (Miranda / Gramm, 1983)

Astute Palate – No Queen (Astute Palate / Petty Bunco, 2020)

Resavoir – Ill Wind (live) (Wild Violet compilation benefitting Chicago Community Jail Support)

Beau Wanzer – Busted and Bamboozled (Busted and Bamboozled / Ophism, 2020)

The Klinik – Braindamage (Melting Close + Sabotage / Antler, 1987)

Twinkeyz – E.S.P. (single / Grok, 1978)

Lead – Romance Tomorrow (excerpt) (Lead 2 / Radical Documents, 2020)

Dana Gillespie – Andy Warhol (Peephole in My Brain comp / Grapefruit, 1971/2020)

Rupert Hine – Kerosene (Pick Up a Bone / Purple/Capitol, 1971)

Leila – Melodicore (Like Weather / Modern Love, 1998/2020)

Episode 236, December 6th 2020

Chris Brokaw – Puritan (Puritan / 12XU, 2021)

Vladislav Delay/Sly Dunbar/Robbie Shakespeare – 521 (500-Push-Up / Sub Rosa, 2020)

Liars – Rose and Licorice (Atheists, Reconsider EP / Version City, 2004)

Milk Music – Beyond Living (Beyond Living / self-released, 2010)

Sylvie Marks – Baby Take Me a Little Bit Higher (single / Bpitch Control, 2001)

Adulkt Life – Room Context (Book of Curses / What’s Your Rupture?, 2020)

Savoy Motel – Crossword Puzzle (Love Your Face / Official Memorabilia, 2020)

Deep Purple – Blood Sucker (In Rock / Warner Bros., 1970)

Prisonshake – 2 Sisters (single / Scat, 1993)

Cherokee – Girl I’ve Got News for You (single / ABC, 1971)

The Toms – Til the End of the Day (The 1979 Sessions / Feel It, 2020)

The Presidents – 5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love) (single / Sussex, 1970)

Subway Sect – Different Story (single / Rough Trade, 1978)

Rockin’ Horse – Don’t You Ever Think I Cry (Yes it Is / Philips, 1971 – Sing Sing 2013 re)

The PeeChees – Grease (Cup of Glory EP / Kill Rock Stars, 1994)

John Foxx – A New Kind of Man (Metamatic / Metal Beat, 1980)

Factory Floor – A Wooden Box (Untitled / Blast First Petite, 2010)

Identified Patient – The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (single / Common Thread, 2016)

The Van Pelt – The Speeding Train (single / Art Monk Construction, 1997)

Guardian Singles – Never Gonna See the Rain Again (Guardian Singles / Moral Support, 2020)

The Mob – Witch Hunt (JD Twitch Re-Edit) (Ten Inches of Fear / RVNG INTL, 2008)

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Rollercoaster (single / Blanco y Negro, 1992)

Otis Redding & Carla Thomas – Knock on Wood (King & Queen / Stax, 1967)

Charles Earland – One for Scotty (Soul Story / Prestige, 1972)

The Main Ingredient – Work to Do (Afrodisiac / RCA, 1973)

Theo Parrish – Hennyweed Buckdance (Wuddaji / Sound Signature, 2020)

Désaccord Majeur – M.O.E.R. (Sunquake EP / A Colourful Storm, 2020)

Pigeons – Buoy (single / Soft Abuse, 2015)

Small World Experience – Leave (Shelf-Life / Siltbreeze, 1994/2016)

Vital Idles – My Sentiments (single / Not Unloved, 2016) 

Teenage Fanclub – Every Picture I Paint (A Catholic Education / Matador, 1990)

Ruth – Mescalito (single / Poutre Apparante, 2007)

Speed – Speed (single / Real, 1995)

The Rolling Stones – Child of the Moon (single / London, 1968)

Comet Gain – I Was More of a Mess Then (single / Tapete, 2018)

Karen Dalton – In the Evening (It’s So Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You the Best / Capitol, 1969)

Dick Diver – Waste the Alphabet (Melbourne, Florida / Trouble in Mind, 2015)

Polvo – Vibracobra (Cor-Crane Secret / Merge, 1992)

Tar – Goethe (Jackson / Amphetamine Reptile, 1991)

Big Black – Kerosene (Atomizer / Homestead, 1986)

Karp – I’d Rather Be Clogging (single / Punk in My Vitamins, 1994)

[wineanddinosaur]

We Asked 10 Brewers: What’s the Most Ridiculous Smoothie IPA You’ve Had?

Parallels are often drawn between craft beer and music. The saying goes that brewery sellouts are much like your favorite indie band signing to a mainstream record label. Of course, there are exceptions, and what stands out for some is heavy metal and IPA. From stoner metal to technical black metal, and from session IPA to black IPA, the parallel genres contain seemingly innumerable subgenres and innovations.

One of the more, uh, divisive subcategories of IPA is the much-critiqued smoothie IPA, a style that many beer drinkers (this author included) struggle to recognize as an IPA. With incredibly high grams per liter of fruit, and outrageous levels of lactose, it’s a substyle that resembles little of its parent style. Indeed, many of the brewers contacted for this piece simply said they’d so far successfully avoided drinking a smoothie iPA. Regardless, few can deny its popularity — and many agree it is delicious, if a little ridiculous.

So, what are the most ridiculous smoothie IPAs professional brewers are drinking? We asked brewers around the world to chime in on which sweet, dessert-like smoothie IPAs take the cake.

“North Brew Co. Golden Milk Turmeric and Apricot sour with coconut. I’ve taken turmeric every day for a long time for its numerous health benefits and was intrigued to see how such a strong flavor could work in a beer. The beer poured a vibrant orange with a pillowy-white head. On first sip, the immediate flavor was apricot and sweet clementine. The turmeric is there in spades but somehow not overpowering, and works well with the sorbet-sourness. The coconut was present somewhere in the background, although, probably not a bad thing as it would stick out like a sore thumb if too prominent. I wasn’t sure how the mix of ingredients would blend together, but they did, and it made for a super-refreshing fruity sour that contributed to my overall health and supple joints!” — Maddie Culling, Shift Lead Brewer, Northern Monk Brew Co., Leeds, U.K.

“We’ve brewed our fair share of milkshake IPAs (well, four to be exact, so maybe fair share is a stretch), but we’ve always strived to make sure that the liquid has a semblance to beer over a milkshake. The most ridiculous one I’ve ever sampled was from a brewery who poured next to us at a festival — a mixed berry/vanilla milkshake IPA that had literal chunks when poured into my glass. I had to use the bathroom sink to rinse out the glass thoroughly afterwards because them fruit particles like to cling!” — Libby Crider, Owner & General Manager, 2nd Shift Brewing, St Louis

“I have never knowingly drank a smoothie IPA, apart from one which was some kind of banana Daiquiri number from a Swedish brewery that will remain nameless. I love me a Piña Colada but this was more aroma of baby shite and a texture like liquified blancmange. Almost as bad as the Negroni Saison from one of my favorite London breweries [served] at Moeder Lambic, of all places, in 2014… Ho hum. Pass the Pils, please.” — Olly Plimsoll Bartlett, Sales Manager, Stockholm Brewing Co., Stockholm, Sweden

“At a previous job, we brewed a beer with a famous Swedish brewery known for their bold graphic design, and ever-bold flavor combinations. The beer was to be the main beer for the second Beavertown Extravaganza, and as such had to live up to the hype of the previous beer for the festival, Heavy Lord, a 15 percent bourbon-barrel- aged imperial stout brewed with 3 Floyds from Munster, Indiana. The brewery we decided to pair up with for the second year was none other than Omnipollo and the beer was Mango Milk Power Breakfast IIPA. I still remember the look of disgust and fear on our faces when we heard we were going to be using whey protein isolate (which Omnipollo specified should be the highest grade possible) in a beer. I was even more shocked when Cosmo, our lead brewer at the time, was allowed to spend almost a grand on a pointless adjunct that would probably have coagulated in the kettle anyway and provided very little flavor or texture, or muscle-bulking benefits. The beer itself was actually really difficult to build, and I say ‘build’ because it was less about brewing and more about the technicalities of putting these flavors of hops, mango, coconut, lactose, vanilla and… protein isolate together in a harmonious and tasty way. The event came around, and of course Omnipollo had set up the beer to be poured from their soft serve dispense at their stall… I saw one poured into a coconut shell, and so I tasted it and thought, ‘yeah, that’s pretty good for what it is.’ I was proud that we had made a balanced, well-made Mango, Coconut, Vanilla, Lactose, Protein Shake Smoothie Imperial IPA… Now, where is my Pilsner?” — Jonathan Hamilton, Brewer, Newbarns Brewery, Edinburgh, Scotland

“Trick question: all smoothie IPAs are equally ridiculous.” — Ehren Schmidt, Master Blender, Mikkeller Baghaven, Copenhagen, Denmark

“The most ridiculous smoothie/milkshake IPA I’ve ever had was probably a sour black double IPA hopped with Citra and El Dorado and had wheat, malted oats, lactose, mandarin orange purée, tangerine purée, dark chocolate, vanilla beans, pink sea salt, and orange peel. When I drank it, it was a bit of a sensory overload: so many different flavors going across my palate as I drank; it was interesting but I don’t think I would go so far as to call it enjoyable. I don’t purchase them, but a friend of mine loves the style, and she keeps giving me different examples to try. Personally, I don’t really like the style; for one thing I don’t really like overly sweet beer (or sweet wine, or any other sweet beverage generally) and this style of IPA is aggressively sweet. The other reason why I don’t like smoothie/milkshake IPA is that I feel that the style is just a gimmick designed to garner attention in a crowded marketplace. It all screams, ‘Look at me! I’m an IPA that tastes like s’mores!’ or, ‘Look at me! I’m an IPA that tastes like strawberry pancakes!’ or, “Look at me! I’m an IPA with as much lactose as a glass of milk!’ And yes, all three of these examples are real. At the end of the day, I think that the people that like this style enjoy it because they have an affinity towards sweet, sugary things.” — Mark Ryan, Head Brewer, Jersey Girl Brewing Company, Hackettstown, N.J.

“I’m going to have to say Definitive Vanilla Dome with Mango. It’s not ridiculous in its absurdity, but in the way the flavors work together. The vanilla accentuated the sweetness while the acidity of the mango kept it from being cloying. It is a well-put-together beer.” — Peter Heggeman, Brewmaster, Bath Brewing Company, Bath, Maine

“Tired Hands, a name on most ‘hype bois’ lists of breweries to try, make absolutely stonking beer and along with Omnipollo helped spearhead and fetishize the milkshake/smoothie IPA. Their double vanilla double IPA is probably one of the most intense (read: ridiculous) IPAs I’ve had and yeah, it was decadent, but it was also a huge miss for me. Their house [yeast] strain and hefty use of oats brings heaps of vanilla for me in their beers anyway, but the sheer eye-watering amount of vanilla in that IPA was too much when paired with Citra, Mosaic, lactose (f*ck lactose!) and rumored apple in the mash for pectin haze. The hop profile was great (when is Citra and Mosaic not) but when the screaming sweetness from the lactose and vanilla washes in it’s overpowering, and detracted from the balance of the beer. The beer is perfect for a bottle share where a whole can is too much but a quarter of a can is more than enough. This sort of innovation ‘for innovation’s sake’ means that you’ll always have to one-up yourself and your competition when the haze bros come calling.” — Jack Delaney, Assistant Head Brewer, Alefarm Brewing, Greve, Denmark

“The most ridiculous ‘smoothie IPA’ I have ever drank would probably be something from Decadent Ales out of Mamaroneck, N.Y. Their IPAs are not packaged with as much fruit purée as the popular sour smoothie beers, but they are still loaded with tons of sweet and tangy fruit flavor. The Orange Cream Pop IPA packs so much flavor and a thick mouthfeel into one can, it’s a great summer replacement for an actual Creamsicle. Tons of creamy sweetness up front from additions of sugars and vanilla beans, followed up with a surprising kick of orange that lingers on the tongue. Plus, it clocks in at a steady 6 percent ABV, so don’t be afraid to enjoy more than one. I’ve had quite a few ‘smoothie’ and ‘milkshake’ IPAs, but this one takes the cake for most well balanced while still being able to detect the hops. As for even more ridiculous, their Double Toasted Marshmallow IPA is basically a can of sugary-sweet alcohol. While it is fairly tasty, at 9.5 percent ABV, it’s a touch too sweet and boozy to enjoy much more than a few sips.” — Bri Burrows, Head Brewer, Big Rip Brewing Company, Kansas City, Mo.

“To quote a line from a beer bottle, ‘I didn’t choose hops, hops chose me.’ I love a good, crisp, dank West Coast IPA, one of my most favorite styles to brew. I’ve never been a fan of the hazy, fruity IPAs that have taken hold here in the states. Stone Brewing is one of my favorite breweries, so when a beer rep buddy of mine dropped off a 6-pack of Stone Neverending Haze at the brewery, I was surprised. But, being that Stone does some amazing beers, I gave it a try. This beer is oh-so hazy with flavors of citrus, pineapple, and strawberry. It comes in at 4 percent ABV and 35 IBUs. I have to say, I was impressed. In no way have I converted to a hazy, juicy IPA drinker but it is one of the best ones I’ve had.” — Joe Crockett, Brewmaster, Rockin’ JY Nano Craft Brewery, Ewa Beach, Hawaii

The article We Asked 10 Brewers: What’s the Most Ridiculous Smoothie IPA You’ve Had? appeared first on VinePair.

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