#the fact this man also plays bongo apparently

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

Tom Weston Jones,selected bits from Sanditon

[ayearlaterletters]

10JUL2024 - 14JUL2024

This letter will mark the first letter I am writing to you. My letters will consist of randomness, my pov, thoughts and emotions. Most importantly, from the heart so please bear with me.

I want to recap our days together, every day. Something for us to look back on and remember the little things and the good days. I'll try to remember the little things you do or say to me that made me feel good.

On July 10th We went to karaoke for less than 2 hours. I sang L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole and you sang do for love, sail away, Telephone Man, and Michael Jackson love song lol. After karaoke, we head on over to Claudia Birthday celebration at Dave and Busters. We got to see Janel and Mya, Gaby C and her daughter, Sean, and Claudia's co-workers from her other job. We threw up the 4's as a bit and you bought the photos! I loved it for the frame because it's hilarious - what were we thinking we are just goofy lol. After we ate pretzels and garlic fries and drank your alcoholic beverage we played games. I got hit smacked on my face with a basketball because I wanted to win so bad on tic tac toe basketball, which I did win! After gaming, we went to the parking lot because I needed to go home and rest. I also accidentally took the night medication instead of the day one so that's why the alcohol was hitting fast but I was still functional! That day you wore your hawaiian button up, black trousers, docs, and a jacket. I wore a mini floral dress, jean jacket, and white heels to match your style. I wanted to dress up with you because I thought you looked handsome. When you wear trousers and a button up I think you're dressed up even though you don't agree. We were kissing pressed up against your car then we hear Mya say we left 30 mins ago when we really didn't lol. we were just admiring each other looking into each others eyes. You and I took a drive to Sunset Cliffs and we were intimate until 1am. I went to work on 1 hour of sleep lol. I would do it again.

On July 11th

I took an 8-hour nap according to you lol. I know for sure I took a juicy nap. After my much-needed slumber, I texted you and you scooped me up to attend your brother's volleyball practice at the YMCA. That day I learned about slapbox and it's such a guy thing to do. Apparently, you are a champion at this boyish sport. Attending the YMCA felt very nostalgic and I learned you were a YMCA kid too which made me smile. Little things I learn about you make me feel a closer connection to you because of the little things we have in common. After rooting for Marcus, he is extremely good at serve jump, we went to baked bear in PB. I learned Marcus and you had a bowling arc. Custom bowling balls too! Next time we go bowling or anytime we go bowling, Marcus is more than welcome to join us and he said he was willing too. Also, you sitting on my itty bitty lap with all your weight and all legs on top of me was so heavy but I love feeling you on me and then I sat on your lap and you picked me up surprisingly. you're so strong. You drove me home and it was a great evening spent with you and your brother.

On July 12th mid-afternoon, we went out to get So Saap - fun fact it means " Very Delicious" in Thai. My grandma taught me the translation and I didn't tell you that day because I forgot, but I just remembered since I'm now writing this. After lunch, we took a nice drive to Balboa Park. I pointed out a vegan restaurant that offers vegan Caribbean options. That place has been on my bucket list of places to eat. You told me you went to a location nearby to play the bongos and you have a homegirl that teaches something there - not sure. Fun fact: I played bongos too in the 5th grade - very fun. I showed you my magic card trick that my mom learned from somebody she knew in prison. My mom is very impressed I remember the card trick after all these years. I wish I could show you another card trick that my cousin showed me but I forgot and I couldn't figure it out, oh well. You also showed me Yu-Gi-Oh on your mobile and I was just clicking on random buttons but yeah I never understood the game when I was younger nor will I know now haha.

After spending time together at Balboa Park, you dropped me off at home. That was the day I told my mom I'm with you seriously. Her advice: have fun, be happy, and don't argue. I'm very happy she is supportive of my choice. I couldn't wait to tell you about my conversation the next day but it was news that was much needed to tell in person rather than over a phone call or text because this is something serious to me. It's a lot for me to tell my family something serious like that because we usually don't - family dynamics.

You went out about your day with Ezra and Oscar to Red Robin to get some milkshakes and have a boy's day. Oscar wanted to cancel on ya'll because he was tired. that had me dead lol

I missed you that evening. I contributed to the playlist you shared with me and then I was knocked out from the medicine.

On July 13th

I had a good day at work, came home, and took a good nap before I would see you to have some energy. You scooped me up around 3:30 we drove to Otay ranch and got some vegan orange chicken from panda express. We made our way to Plaza Bonita to attend our showtime Long Legs and sneak in some snacks from Target. On our way there I told you the news I've been needing to express to you in person. You were so happy even though you were just joking about me not telling my family and keeping you a secret but I can tell you were genuinely happy because I sure was. We make our way to target watched a really fascinating movie that captured us both and we were definitely feeling each other that night. On our way to sunset cliffs, you said " I feel like I finally hit the jackpot" that statement alone made my heart just M E L T. I just felt so special. You also called me divine. out of your league. words and statements I don't understand or can't comprehend because I didn't know those words could apply somebody like me. i am the apple of your eye. Sunset cliffs was so beautiful that night. clear skies, Waxing Gibbous as bright reflecting off the ripples of the coast. God, you took so good care of me that night I wasn;t keeping track of how many times I came because I just came when I felt like you were getting me there. As we were driving home too we kept getting flashbacks and you said me sucking your dick was heavenly lol. i love when you're in charge of me. I can't believe you became soft after coming once. i did that lol. What a beautiful night to end with my lover. Came home, knocked out, woke up, took a shower, then went to work.

Today is July 14th

Establishing this blog has been on my mind since July 12th. I originally wanted to do PowerPoint presentation leading up to our one month officially. I have that folder on the side, I just have to scroll through messages if I want to really to go deep but I'll find a way to deliver my message to you. Today is a rest day between the both of us. we got to catch up on some things before you start your new job tomorrow and I need to do laundry, clean, and go for a walk. I'm so happy for you and I am proud of you.

I miss you always. you leave such an everlasting impression on me.

angel numbers today: 11:11, 4:44, 5:55

[agentnico]

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Review

Why specifically 1984? Why not 83 or 85? What is so significant about 1984? 83 had Ronald Reagan propose development of tech that would intercept enemy missiles, and the project was called “Star Wars”. In 85 there was an earthquake in Mexico that killed 9,000 and Coca Cola made a new Coke! Impressive stuff! What happened in 1984? *another quick Google check* Aids break out. Oh. Oh no.

Plot: Diana Prince lives quietly among mortals in the vibrant, sleek 1980s - an era of excess driven by the pursuit of having it all. Though she's come into her full powers, she maintains a low profile by curating ancient artefacts, and only performing heroic acts incognito. But soon, Diana will have to muster all of her strength, wisdom and courage as she finds herself squaring off against Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah, a villainess who possesses superhuman strength and agility.

After many delays due to COVID once again doing a COVID and messing things up, Warner Bros. finally released Wonder Woman 1984, due to concerns of audiences losing interest in the project. I remember enjoying the first Wonder Woman years ago, and though it didn’t reinvent the superhero genre, as an origin story is was watchable and there were a couple cool action set pieces, such as the notable trench sequence where Diana fights through No Man’s Land and literally all that’s missing is her screeching “GIRL POWER!” everytime she deflected a gun bullet! Anyway, nothing ground-breaking but a decent piece of entertainment. Now we have sequel set in the 80s that plans to go bigger, bolder, grander.....well, you know, the usual sequel stuff. And they have the Mandalorian himself along for the ride, because even Warner Bros. knows that this is the way.

Having watched the film I must say, it is disappointing. Though in reality is it really disappointing? Personally I had hardly any expectations anyway, so it’s not as if my hopes and dreams have been crunched and shattered and thrown into a pit of despair! Wow, that came off as if I am super in denial, which I am not, I promise, okay?? In all seriousness though, the movie is a mess. With a runtime of two and a half hours, the film is filled with pacing issues so much so that I can say I was bored 50% of the time. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, the editing is atrocious and also this baby is filled to the brim with plot holes! So. Many. Plot Holes. For example, right from the start, one of the opening scenes involves Wonder Woman stopping a robbery at a mall. The robbery in itself is botched up. "I'm not going back!" screams one of the criminals, so hey, I'm going to hold this kid over the railing and almost drop her so that I can go to jail for murder. Genius writing there. Anyway, so Diana swoops in, saves the kid obviously, then proceeds to destroy the cameras in the mall as if that will also magically erase the footage that has already been recorded as well as all the witnesses that have seen her show off her bongo-bongo power mojo. So she’s trying to hide her identity and existence a secret, and apparently has been doing so for years, yet all her heroic moments happen in the middle of the public’s eye, so there is no way that she could have stayed confidential all this time. Then again, Superman can put on a pair of cheap glasses and all of a sudden he’s this random fella named Clark Kent, so what do I know? My guess is that the human population in the DC world are stupid and aren’t capable of adding 2 plus 2! Right, onto the next plot hole. So throughout most of the film, it feels like the movie is set in autumn or something along those lines. One of the characters gives food to a homeless person and tells them to stay warm, and also many people passing by are wearing coats and furs. Suddenly at one point there is a firework display and Diana winks to the camera and says “oh look, it’s the Fourth of July!” I’m sorry, last time I checked that date is set in the summer. Why would I know this? Well maybe cause it happens to also be my birthday! Next! So Diana can fly in this movie. How? Or why? I don’t know! Because “GIRL POWER!” I guess? I don’t know, this new superpower comes out of nowhere, yet its not referred to at all in Justice League, which is set many years later. So yeah, sounds like director Patty Jenkins couldn’t give a single flying dollop of poop about continuity. Speaking of random decisions, Wonder Woman’s new golden armor serves absolutely no purpose at the end of the film. She decides to randomly use it one point for no particular reason, and in fact it slowed her down more than anything, after which it was all forgotten about. Look, I can go on forever, this movie is filled with disorganised and erratic plot decisions and it makes zero to no sense!

Visually this film is disappointing too. Taking into account that this is a big budget film from one of the biggest film studios, the special effects in this film are atrocious. The green screen is so obvious and the CGI sets are clearly fake. Diana spends a lot of the film doing jumps and then floating in a very peculiar way in the sky, and it looks laughably bad. Even the 80′s setting doesn’t feel quite right. Yes, the costumes are somewhat okay, but the atmosphere is off and it seems the director’s opinion of the 80s is that everyone needs to act like a caricature.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is okay. Look, Gadot seems like a very lovely and earnest person in real life, and her face is indeed very likeable, but I still haven’t seen her give a good performance. It’s the typical pretty Hollywood face, and you can tell she’s trying her hardest, but I can never properly buy her as this female superhero pop culture icon. Chris Pine returns even though he died in the first one. Look, the way he’s brought back is a bit strange, however I did actually like seeing Pine in the movie, as he was one of the best parts of the first film, and he brings that same charm and charisma in this one, now with the added factor of being the fish out of water. And to be honest, his presence actually does provide the movie with some needed emotional heft, as it explores the ideas of having to get over someone you’ve lost and learning to accept it and move on. In terms of villains, there are two in this movie. Kristin Wiig as Cheetah feels very shoehorned in and is mainly there to have Diana fight someone at the end of the film. Kristen Wiig does her part, however the character is written really badly, and her development into becoming a villain comes off as rushed and cheap. On the other hand Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord is actually not bad. He’s not the typical superpowered baddie, he’s actually a normal human being, and even though, again, there are some inconsistencies with his character, Pascal brings enough swagger and panache to the role. And I’m sure he actually enjoyed playing a role where you can actually see his face.

As a whole, Wonder Woman 1984 is a mess. There are some good moments, but generally this is a very disjointed movie that doesn’t make sense and is extremely chaotic. Also, the entire thing is really boring. I’d say if you want more of an organised and wholesome movie, check out Disney Pixar’s new animation Soul! Or The Mandalorian with Pedro Pascal, as indeed... this is the way.

Overall score: 3/10

[brvdleymilligan]

HLO slinks in thru a bead curtain.......... truly sry this took me so long to concoct bt i’m here now, hand on hip, smiling coyly at u all...... i’m nai n i’m rly excited to b here so i’ll just dive right in!! u can find bradley’s pinterest board here n her muse tag here. like this or hmu for plots!

[ cis female, she/her, margaret qualley , twenty-four ] i can’t be sure, but i think i just saw BRADLEY MILLIGAN drive onto the parkway. don’t they know we’re not supposed to be driving on that haunted road right now? maybe it has to do with the fact that they’re so +RESILIENT and -VOLATILE that makes them feel UNPHASED about everything going on. i guess we could also chalk it up to the fact that they’re always reminding me of LEMON IN A FRESH CUT, THE AMBER BLINK OF AN ANGRY ALLEY CAT, GRINNING WITH BLOOD ON YOUR TEETH. either way, i hope they get back safely. [ nai, she/her, 24, gmt ]

aesthetics: singeing a hole in your fishnets with the cherry of a menthol, spitting a pistachio behind the bar just to hear it ping off the nozzle top bottles, lemon in a fresh cut, a war torn poppy standing alone in an empty field, pressing thumbs to yellow bruises, stomping over flowerbeds when there’s a path right besides it, dangling over ledges just to feel your chest jolt, a snarling rottweiler that needs muzzling, limp feet poking out behind a door, ‘I PROMISE I DON’T BITE’ scrawled on a name tag, slapping a bald head in front of you at the cinema like it’s a bongo, not owning a single jacket that isn’t stolen, driving a stranger’s car down the wrong lane against the screaming traffic, hair more feral than a wolf cub and eyes smudgier than a coal mine.  

BACKGROUND:

ok SO. her father owns a strip club in crescent hill named no angels. it’s kind of.... a seedy establishment i won’t lie. hs a red glowing sign like it’s lighting up a window in amsterdam. cigarette butts floating in oil slick puddles outside. unsavoury characters crawling all over like rats in a sewer. despite this it’s a legitimate business on the surface of things n it does pretty well in trade. it’s like.... that place people warn u NOT to have ur bachelor party at unless u fancy urself the type tht willingly enters a lion’s den bt tht almost??? adds to the allure in a way??? ppl r like wow so sketchy it’s the thrill of a lifetime........ i mean run while u still can bt go off i guess

it isn’t Confirmed Public Knowledge bt it’s pretty heavily implied thru the rumour mill that bradley’s father is the head of a gang of rly............ Not Nice people. all the ppl that work for him u would hands down NOT want to run into in a dark alley. while things seem legitimate on the suface it’s pretty clear they’re into shady dealings n the townsfolk that suspect that would indeed b correct! the club’s a front for a drug business n they’re also washing n running counterfeit cash thru it. they probably also have their hands dipped into a few other local businesses to run their cash thru these too n keep it all seemingly by the books so nobody comes sniffing around. they even r friends with a member of local law enforcement that’s working w them for a cut so they honestly have all bases covered to keep things airtight n foolproof. perhaps a business in reed too which bradley oversees bt i haven’t given this Too Much thought as of yet??

so ya she’s grown up fairly local most of her life n would maybe be known around town as such.................. the milligans r certainly Interesting as far as families go so like. it honestly wldn’t surprise me if ppl nudge elbows when they see one of them coming n immediately walk in the opposite direction. just quite an intimidating presence...... they’re like caged animals where ur specifically instructed NOT to stick ur fingers between the bars bc they WILL bite

on a more personal note her dad is pretty much the worst human being alive n bradley hs like….. a lot of issues with herself as a result of years of toxicity n abuse

in terms of more family bkground info her mum’s name was alyssa n she vanished when bradley was 12. jst like…. into thin air. nothing. no note. zilch. gan! n when bradley asked her dad abt it his response was essentially “guess she didn’t love us enough to stay”. as bradley’s got older tho n become (without intention) more involved in the business side of things, it’s become pretty clear there was far more to the story.

(abuse tw) they had a horrible marriage n tony ws emotionally manipulative at the best of times, violent at worst, which didn’t help the fact tht alyssa ws struggling a lot w severe depression n rly just… not in the mindset to b dealing w anything else, even where motherhood ws concerned. bradley p much… would look after her a lot n they’d both b scared of her dad n it was just a whole unhealthy mess.

(death implied tw) anyway im rambling bt basically tony (bradley’s dad) gt wind of alyssa sleeping w men tht worked fr him n he just… got rid. bradley’s kind of worked out over the yrs tht her mum didn’t jst leave on her own accord n tht something must hav happened to her bt she’s too scared of her dad to ever directly accuse him

when her mum went all of her dad’s cruelty pretty mch got channelled straight onto her. it ws diluted between two before bt as u can probably imagine her upbringing was jst…. a steep downhill decline

(drugs implied tw) she learnt ways 2 deal w the incurring trauma bt they weren’t healthy ones at all! bsically jst. will do or take anything fr the distraction. chases a thrill like it’s the only way to remind her she’s alive. has absolutely no regard fr her own wellbeing n often gets other ppl in trouble too bc she’s so insatiably reckless

(hospitalisation tw) she hd….2 separate stints of psychiatric hospitalisation n she never tlks abt it. like ever. acknowledging she’s been vulnerable is her worst nightmare n bc of the way her dad raised her she always thinks any sign of struggling within herself is weakness. truly does…. not kno how to properly emotion

CUT TO!!!! the present. she’s currently living at the motel which is like. the least homely place she cld ever live rly but bradley loves making her life uncomfortable n doesn’t rly believe in growing sentimentally attached to anything if she cn help it <3 probably gets into arguments all the time w her neighbours it’s a whole thing.... atrocious at feeding herself has breakfasts frm the vending machine like her organs aren’t screaming fr vegetables.... plays music too loud n sometimes vanishes for days at a time without a word. she’s a lot.

i honestly feel like the murders haven’t rly phased bradley too hugely....... i won’t lie she probably genuinely is like. oh maybe it’s smthn to do w my dad. n just blinks the other way not rly that phased. on some subconscious level i think she rly just thinks........ death follows her wherever she goes n is like. this is just life for me! kind of depressing. holds her hand bt then screams n pulls away when she inevitably bites me.

PERSONALITY:

the kind of sour cherry only certain people have a taste for

once drank a bottle of whiskey, insisted she could still do a cartwheel and accidentally kicked an old man’s front tooth out in the process. proceeded 2 collapse into a flower bed and laugh so much abt it that she cried

barely takes anything seriously 50% of the time and is angry the other 50%

if she was a coffee she’d be black with five grains of sugar that you couldn’t taste until the last sip

(alcoholism tw) high functioning alcoholic. if u ever see her w a coffee cup u jst kno tht one sniff will confirm high alcohol percentage. honestly idk hw she does it her liver must b yellin

loyal to a point of fault. if she cares abt u (rare) and u murder a man in cold blood (not so rare in the broad scheme of bradley’s life) she’ll brawl anyone that says ur guilty

honestly wld probably fight a person over anything. sometimes she’ll jst be having a bad day n she’ll burst n take it out on whoever says the wrong thing. minefield!

has the worst luck in romance…. ever. ALL her past bfs hav been absolute beasts n as a result she has the ‘romance is dead n love is a lie’ mentality. definitely NOT a romantic. very cut n dry abt these things. sex is mostly just sex n she’d kind of scoff at anyone that wanted more from her

mostly wears stolen clothes from strangers and jackets that swamp her. huge chunky stomping boots with steel toe caps that would RLY bruise if they gave u a kick. hair is p much always a wild mess n she usually hs kind of smudgy/smoky makeup bcos apparently she’s allergic to combs and generally looking presentable… relatable content. the only time she rly looks put together is when she has to do something/go somewhere/see someone on behalf of her father....... he kind of uses her as a sort of. honey pot sometimes fr shit his gang get up to it’s like. not! a way u should ever utilise ur daughter but :/ i cannot stress enough how much i wna drop kick him in the neck

she’s v sarcastic. blunt. kind of has a habit of…. assessing a person n she’s quite perceptive bc she’s been trained to b by the way she always has to monitor her dad’s expression fr the slightest emotion change. she’s very confident n can p much mke a conversation out of whatever if she feels like it. independent too like she hs a bunch of (predominantly surface connection) friends bt she doesn’t care abt going out places alone n does this often. she’s probably kind of known around town bt itd b a 50/50 balance between bein known as intimidating n bein known as that one girl tht always gets into anarchy

likes: drunken snow angels that drag on so long they flirt with pneumonia, stealing cars, throwing watermelons off rooftops to watch them explode, shooting pedestrian’s with bb guns from hidden spots on rooftops. 

dislikes: telling the truth, tulips so yellow it’s like they’re gloating, playing music loud enough to fry your brain and serve it on a piece of toast, going home.

PLOTS:

someone tht works at the ‘no angels’ strip club?? either as a dancer or bartender or whtever. just a forewarning it’s probably gna b a pretty….. seedy and Not That Pleasant environment bc it’s like. a crime hotspot inevitably bc it’s a gang hangout so. ur chara wld truly be in fr a rollercoaster ride to say the least

(drugs tw) she deals coke fr her dad’s gang so perhaps ur muse buys off her

anyone….. she’s brawled in the past like. she’s literally a menace i cnt express this enough. wil jst randomly throw a drink in someone’s face fr no reason bc she’s bored. she’s probably pissed off 1000 diff ppl in 1000 diff ways. the possibilities r endless n i jst think tht’s a sexy prospect!

fwbs perhaps??? exes??? (probably ws a tumultuous relationship honestly bradley is. a handful...... it’s also rly not often she ties herself down tbh so this would maybe have to b discussed/be circumstantial/kind of rare)

mayb someone tht she met at an aa meeting when she hd to go fr a court mandated thing one time after bein arrested fr public indecency. i feel like there’s probably a rly expensive statue somewhere thts fancily sculpted n she like. did a flying kick n broke the dick of it off n gt arrested fr it

ppl she……. Goes Wild Goes Crazy w. truly jst the most self destructive person alive so anyone w a similar mindset wld b a hellish bt fun combination

on the contrary a gd influence cld b nice perhaps? like someone tht genuinely cares abt her n she jst doesn’t kno hw to compute it

maybe people who r her neighbours that live at the motel too??

OH it could b fun if ur muse runs or works at a local business maybe like. a bar? idk? n bradley n ur muse have developed a rapport bc she frequents the place n is................ a Character

um. honestly the world’s our oyster. hmu n we cn brainstorm if none of tht catches ur eye!

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Lost Harp of Mervana!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Colleen Evanson

Storyboard by: Vincent Aparo, Kristen Gish, Victoria Harris

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

I am being trustworthy with this one.

In the season opener, Huey managed to find a diary filled with the missing treasures Isabella Finch couldn't find, and with the help of her wisdom, he's going to guide the rest of the family to find each one of them. Scrooge lets the others know that this search for an item in Isabella Finch's journal of lost treasures is specifically Huey's quest. This is supposed to be Huey's season, after all; one was about Dewey's quest to find his mother, two was about Louie's quest for more money, and three is all about Huey trying to follow in the footsteps of Finch; the Uncle Scrooge of even Uncle Scrooge as revealed in that episode. No relation.

This episode specifically has him do a speech on the titular Lost Harp of Mervana, Mervana being a place that was lost to the sea, much like Atlantis. He's doing a really good job at being an adventurer already, as he's even mimicking Scrooge's long-winded monologues, as much as Scrooge doesn't like it when people call them that.

Even Scrooge can’t help himself with his love of long winded explanations of lost items and joins in on the description, giving details about how the people of Mervana were legendary creatures that were half fish and half man, and could walk on land and swim in water. They try to make him look like a crazy old man along with his crazy young nephew, even if this is pretty normal for him. It’s pretty normal for Huey too, to be honest; the only thing unusual is that it’s not the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook he’s reading from.

Webby is far more intrigued by the mere mention of half man, half fish creatures, even if the creature he was holding a picture of didn’t look anything like the kind of creatures Webby was thinking of. She can't wait to see them on this new adventure!

Louie doesn’t exactly have a positive outlook on this adventure, though, as he immediately assumes whatever they find is going to attempt to kill them in some way. Seinfeld always finds a girlfriend he’ll eventually disgust, the Three’s Company will always find a misunderstanding, and Huey Dewey and Louie will eventually end up in some sort of mysterious or historic peril.

Louie even pulls out a running tally of all the times each of them were offered as a sacrifice. Dewey’s especially proud of his record, as his tallies go far below everyone else's. He's the wacky one, and he's going to remain the wacky one throughout this episode. In fact, while some episodes, everyone has a role. The important ones are that Louie is the skeptic who always thinks the worst of the situation, while Webby is the positive thinker who thinks nothing can possibly go wrong. This may be one of the rare moments where Webby is clearly in the wrong, as I can't imagine anything otherwise would lead to a good episode.

Eventually, Webby gets the chance to say the M word that Huey and Scrooge specifically avoided, as a bunch of them swim on by. Even Louie appears to be impressed; it isn’t every day where someone sees a mermaid swim with such grace. While Zeus is more like the original myths, these are indeed Disneyfied mermaids: half duck, half fish, and no willingness to drag people into the ocean to drown them. We already had the Kelpies for that.

Not impressed at all is Della, who decides to activate the torpedoes, because she has ichthyophobia. I am not aware if they ever brought up her hatred of sealife before; it seems like something she would have forgotten after being stranded on a rock that almost definitely doesn’t have them. Those torpedoes aren’t even mentioned again; it’s just a way for them to have a cold open and to reinforce how much Della hates them fishies.

But hey, it's a cold open to the full opening this time. Hooray, I thought we would never see it this season. It's here we find out all the Della scenes are in the shortened version; they didn't bother adding her in any of the other shots. Is it a sign that this is going to be a rarity?

The two introduce themselves as Aletheia and Vero. They’re all about truth, and, as they hint in their introductions, their names even mean truth in Greek and Latin, respectively. They also describe Mervana as a place without suffering, a place where one can find their inner truth, and a place where material belongings can be gotten rid of in the name of peaceful harmony. Scrooge isn’t too happy about any of those aspects, and that���s going to be a theme in this episode.

Not everyone shares Scrooge's lack of enthuiasm, though Louie has good reason to believe otherwise. Meeting all of these mermaids in this cave between the deep blue sea and their destination is basically her dream for Webby, and one of the first lines she says while exploring this new place cements it.

Webby: Look at this stuff! Isn't it neat?

No, not in a sing-songy way, though I'm sure most would read it that way. That reference was almost as blatant as that "rescued" pun from the previous episode.

As they reach Mervana in their quest to make their collection a little more complete, Aletheia decides to tell the visitors the story of how Mervana ended up under the sea, as shown with a stone wall with pictures on it. Generations ago, these mermaids used to spend time equally between the land and the sea, until King Honestus, another mermaid named after a word for truth, decided the troubles of the land were too much for his people. He left to find his own truth, only to never return. According to legend, he became one with the ocean. The mermaids of Mervana continue their quest to find their inner truth in honor of him, in the hopes that one day, he will return. Not sure where becoming “one with the ocean” would mean he could return, but it's the legend they believe in anyway.

Louie expresses his opinion on this story in the most subtle way possible.

Louie: Something’s fishy here.

Surprised that line didn't come sooner, to be honest. Webby tries to convince him that this must be his dream world because everything is free, but he responds that it’s too perfect. Forget all of the trust, he assumes that King is going to come back to eat him, and they don’t know anything about a harp. Mrs. Beakley drowns out Louie with some bongo playing, telling him that the mermaids are harmless. Webby knows this must be proof: there's no way her Granny would ever lie.

Louie offers a different sort of proof: a cave behind a waterfall saying “do not enter.” Of course, they don't obey that; Louie definitely needs to find out if those mermaids are mermurderers, and Webby follows to find out how wrong he must be to come up with such a pun.

There is a B plot here: the rest of the family are going to join in on the truth searching, starting with an arts and crafts session where they make fins that represent their inner truth. Huey tries to convince Scrooge that joining in on that would lead to the mermaids letting out their secrets, including one about that Harp, and he reluctantly agrees. Scrooge tries to do this with the least effort possible, clearly showing how little he wants to participate. It ties in pretty well with the A plot, as people may look for clues for either Louie or Webby's interpretation on what these mermaids are really up to. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, or maybe it's somewhere completely different.

How are the kids doing on that cave trip? Well, they did hear some mysterious singing that implied that some girl is "fibbing, fibbing, fibbing", which must mean there's something weird and mysterious.

While that may have been something related to the harp, the weird and mysterious something turned out to be a giant fish monster. If one looks closely, they can see that the monster wears a crown, giving some credence to Louie's theory that the king is just going to return to have duck soup, but neither Louie nor Webby can pay attention long enough to notice it.

Thankfully, they're saved by Mrs. Beakley, who managed to go from the bongo corner of Mervana to deep within a cave with a giant monster without them noticing. I'm sure "because she's Mrs. Beakley" is a good enough excuse.

Webby desperately tries to hang on to her belief that the mermaids aren’t people with gills that want to kill, saying that they must be thinking that they’re telling the truth, but they just don’t know. Her 100% positivity clashes with Louie’s 100% negativity, and that’s the crux of the A plot. It may seem like we would have Mrs. Beakley as the mediator, but she tells Webby that this is definitely some sort of mixup and that the mermaids are definitely people to be trusted.

Or, maybe not, as, once she tells Webby to take the lead, she picks up Louie and tells him she doesn't trust the mermaids either, while Louie raises his hands with victory. She says this for reasons she doesn’t really reveal, though it wouldn’t be a stretch if it was similar to Louie’s. Her conflict is that she doesn’t want her granddaughter to know about any of this suspicion, because this would completely ruin her positive attitude. I would assume any unknown danger that she just decided to let her granddaughter deal with by herself would ruin it, but maybe she's just that trusting of her abilities.

While the kids are having a cave story, the fin story is going about what one would expect. Dewey paints Hot Rod flames on his, Huey draws the Junior Woodchuck logo, and Scrooge just has a dollar sign clearly scribbled in a few seconds. He really wants to get to that harp, but until Scrooge can find his true self, the mermaids won't give them the knowledge they seek. The A plot's about Louie and Webby, and the B plot is mostly about Scrooge, and Huey, who was the focus in the intro, is just kind of there for the rest of the episode. In his own season!

There is one thing unexpected: Donald Duck, of all people, managed to find his peaceful soul with his rainbow colored fins and meditative pose, which impresses Aletheia and Vero. While this would be far from his inner truth, this does make sense: as this is a place without suffering, this can certainly change Donald Duck's way of life, who’s life was always followed by his bad luck. If one ever wanted to hear Donald Duck say "namaste," this is their episode.

Dewey wants to use his Hot Rod Fins to let his mother know that fish are totally awesome. Unfortunately, this does not do anything to cure his mother's hatred and/or disgust of fish. Dewey showing off his fin like Homer Simpson showing off his new chainsaw and hockey mask isn’t helping anyone, though we don't get to see her reaction beyond her gagging at the sight of one of her sons with those disgusting fish fins. This C plot honestly doesn’t need much discussion because it doesn’t really heed it. This is not to say it won't converge with the others, but, one will see.

Getting back to a plot that matters, after climbing a bunch of stairs, as Louie complained about the lack of escalators in these ancient place, Louie, Webby, and Mrs. Beakley go to the room that happens to have what they were looking for...

...the Lost Harp of Mervana, who was under a blanket. It is suggested that other people have tried to find out, but couldn't get past that giant monster. The harp is actually part mermaid, part person, part harp, which really makes Webby happy. As a person, she can talk and sing, as it turns out that she was the one who was mysteriously chanting "fibbing, fibbing, fibbing" this whole time. She never gets to play herself, though.

The Harp of Mervana seems to involuntarily sing if someone is "corr-eeeeect" or if they're "fibbing, fibbing, fibbing", and this is shown with her singing "corr-eeeeect" when Louie talks about how those stairs were a mess. There’s a subtle hint already of how this could play out just with that stairs quip; while the stairs were a mess that needed to be repaired, Louie was just saying that because he doesn’t like climbing so many stairs. With this ability to show the truth, Webby can finally prove to her housemate and Granny that there's nothing sinister under the sea.

Of course, the harp tells them that wouldn't be the truth if there was nothing sinister under the sea. They ask what the real story is, and she decides not to tell them. See, since she's a harp, she's going to sing it instead.

We know this is the real story because this is told via flashback rather than via a stone wall. To make a long story short, Mervana sank because he simply decided the sea was way less of a bummer than having to repair what’s on the land. Namely, the decaying tower. This led to the buildings sinking, and the mermaids decided to stay in the sea for the rest of their lives.

This turns out to be a bad thing, because their ability to turn their legs into fins has a horrible side effect if prolonged for too long. This is connected to that monster from earlier. I debated whether I should spoil this plot point, since the monster's design does hint at it to the point where it's kind of obvious with that 4-shot up there, but Louie treats the revelation as a complete surprise, so I'll try to be slightly vague about it. I'm not saying I'm going to hide it well.

Mrs. Beakley tries to comfort her granddaughter, who is starting to lose her positive attitude with all of this knowledge, but having a living lie detector in the room helps about as much as Dewey talking like a maniac in that previous scene. Honestly, even the show forgets about that scene; Dewey just appears in Mervana the next time we get back to it. Anyway, she tries to tell Webby some comforting lies, like...

Mrs. Beakley: I believe there's a little good in everyone...

Harp of Mervana: She's fibbing, fibbing, fibbing!

Mrs. Beakley: I believe people are trying to be good...

Harp of Mervana: She's fibbing, fibbing, fibbing!

Is she saying that everyone having a little good in them is a fib, or that Mrs. Beakley doesn’t actually believe that everyone has a little bit of good in them? Maybe I’m overthinking it, as it is probably the latter, but I do like how it could be the former, too.

But enough granddaughter-grandmother talk about the morality of telling comforting lies, Louie says that they need to get the Harp back to the Mervanans, or they will die. To Louie's dismay, the Harp finds no fib in that claim.

Let's let a short cutback to the C-plot hint towards why that would be, where Della decides that, because she's Della Duck and nothing should stop her so easily. Unfortunately, that crowned monster happened to be swimming nearby, showing that he has escaped the cave. I guess that monster must have known a shortcut past Mervana.

With either interpretation of the harp's claim that Mrs. Beakley was fibbing about people being trustworthy, Mrs. Beakley was lying to her granddaughter. Her positive attitude is gone, and she has to be dragged down by Louie. Mrs. Beakley grabs the harp, and rather easily too, to the surprise of even the harp.

Harp of Mervana: You’re very strong!

Mrs. Beakley: ...correct!

Nice reversal, though I can see that Mrs. Beakley is above mimicking her “corr-eeeect!”

This all leads to a climactic showdown between the monster and Clan McDuck, as the mermaid's spirit is broken merely by the former's presence. That leads to about a minute of moping until Louie convinces them to fight back by "embracing their inner truth". Even he seems to fight back against this by uttering an "ugh" before that line. This also convinces Webby, too; I'm glad that plot is resolved in a relatively decent matter.

There's some pretty neat scenes with this encounter, though I feel like they do skip around a bit. Donald Duck is convinced to drop his relaxation act so he can fight this monster in his usual way, and the next scene has him cowering with the others with no real connection. While I won't say what this monster is, though I can imagine anyone could guess, I will say who deals the final blow to this monster.

...Della, who suddenly decided to get out of the submarine and swim all the way to this beach! See, those scenes where she had a fear of fish had a point after all: it's to show that she can get over her fear of fish. Not sure if I could say she got over her hatred; she is delighted with kicking this monster she knew nothing about.

Of course, there's more to it than that, but I got to leave something out. Watch the episode to find out, but I will say it is a satisfying ending.

How does it stack up?

The episode itself does have some interesting twists and turns, but I wouldn't say it's among the series' best. All in all, it's pretty good. I'll give this one a 4.

Next, Louie's about to start a scheme. Oh, and Daisy Duck’s there, too.

← Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice! 🦆 Louie's Eleven! →

[creativegodtiers]

Prompt Response: Upstart/Exodus Scenario

(apologies for the troll quirks 😔) “yo,” Virave, the Knight, said, lying sideways across their chair. “there’-S a lil -Situation -Stirrin up” “Yes, I Gathered bY the fact You’d called us all into the Situation Room,” Evelit, known to the mortals as the Mage, said with a raise of her eyebrow. “be nIce!!” Lilith, the Sylph, admonished, before turning back to her moirail. “what’s the matter??” “okey doke, here’s the thing,” the Knight said. With a flick of their hands, a small figure appeared on the table, bearing a smug smile and a toga. Lilith leaned in to inspect the figure. “Caesar?” “no i think that is the chicken man,” Summer, aka the Rogue of Void, said solemnly. “Don’t be ridiculous,” the Mage admonished. “{summer has a p(o)int. he greatly resembles the chicken man,}” Wisria, the Heir of Space, said. “I don’t know who that is,” Evelit mumbled. “haha!! smartie Doesnt know something!!” Summer crowed. “Fuck off.” “can we get back on track?” the Knight demanded. There was silence. “thank-S. thi-S guy claim-S he’-S a ‘better’ god, the ‘true’ one.” They tapped a claw on the table, narrowly missing the little figure. “-So far a-S i can tell, he’-S a de-Scendant of one of u-S who got hopped up on power and ha-S a literal god complex. needle-S-S to -Say, i want thi-S twink obliterated. who want-S to go put the fear of the god-S in hi-S heart with me?” The Rogue, the Sylph, and the Witch (also known as Elmara) immediately raised their hands. “{i d(o)n’t like c(o)nfr(o)ntati(o)n, but if y(o)u need a s(o)lar eclipse, text me,}” the Counter of Stars said with a small smile. Evelit sighed. “This could Go a lot of waYs. If I See You start makinG bad choices, I’ll alert You throuGh the usual method.” “texting “DONT DO IT DUMBASSES” to the group chat,” Virave said with a nod. “got it.” The man—his name has been lost to mortal minds, but we’ll call him Chad, because he was so a Chad—stepped down from his platform. The people adored his message, his speeches were on point as always, and just as he’d thought, those so-called Creators were either not real or too detached to do anything about it. “yo.” Chad glanced over to see four unassuming troll youngsters. He had to stifle a chuckle—three of them had their arms crossed and one was leaning her elbow on another, the very picture of teenage skepticism. Regardless, he would convince them. He was very convincing. “What can I do for you?” he said, putting on his best smile. He’d never been fond of trolls, but more followers were always needed. “A little birdie t+ld me y+u’re playing at g+dh++d,” one said, moving forward. Her red skirt swirled around her feet. Chad idly wondered how she avoided tripping. “I’m not playing, my dear, I am a god. A better god, in tune with the people, not sequestered in my tower all the time like some ‘gods’.” “okay but like heres the thing” one girl said, stepping forward. Chad wondered what caste these trolls were-none of them had a sign, and the dark blue of this girl’s shirt didn’t point to one specific caste. “the gods r literally always out n about u just gotta LOOK DuDe” Chad scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. If the gods are so active, why haven’t we seen them in action recently?” “maybe you haven’t,” the jadeblood (you could tell by the scarf) girl muttered. Something clicked in Chad’s head. “Ah. You’re going to try to prove you are the gods.” “well, he caught on...decently fast,” the jadeblood said to her comrades. “so how we gonna play this?” the blue shirted one said. Chad felt a sting of mild irritation that they were ignoring him in favor of keeping up the “gods” facade. “okay, here’-S my idea. i -Shank him, and lilith heal-S the wound,” the one who hadn’t spoken before said. They pulled a knife from their yellow coat and twirled it easily in their hand. Lilith (presumably) gently whacked them on the arm. “don’t be sIlly! we‘re under some sort of oath not to harm mortals, aren’t we?” “no,” the other one grumbled, “but fine, i gue-S-S.” “I c+uld d+ the timey thing,” the one with the red dress suggested. There was a chime and she looked down. “Ah. N+pe. Evelit says bad idea. Damn.” Chad couldn’t deny a stirring of fear in his chest, but he pushed it down. “If you are the gods, then which ones are you?” “fuck yes!!” Lilith cheered. “transformatIon sequence tIme!!” “Yes,” Red Skirt Girl said. “HELL ye-S,” Knife Kid said. “hell fuckin yes” Blue Shirt said. “Can I g+ first?” Red Skirt Girl said. “I’ve been practicing.” Everyone nodded, so she took a breath in and began to twirl. The edges of her skirt flew up, revealing striped green stockings, which quickly became a blue as she spun faster and faster until- A glittery green shoe clicked hard against the pavement and the girl stopped, beaming with pride. Her skirt settled around her, shorter and fluffier now, her sleeves longer and— The Timecrest emblazoned proudly on the front. “The Wild One,” Chad whispered, unable to keep a hint of reverence from his tone. The Goddess of Tune did a very silly bow. “In the flesh.” “me neXt!!” Blue Shirt cried, clapping her hands. She closed her eyes and- Chad couldn’t quite describe it. She seemed to almost fold in on herself, imploding, but before she could implode all the way, she was back, suddenly, fully formed. She was still wearing the oversized blue shirt and black leggings, but now she had fingerless gloves, a domino mask, boots, and most importantly, the Voidcrest on her shirt. “The R-g-e of ——“ Chad said. Or, well, not really said so much as half-choked. The Rogue grinned. “Someone knows their history!” “So you’re-“ Chad turned to the other two. The jadeblood girl simply flicked her hands and the scarf transformed into flowing ribbons, the dress lengthened, and the Lifecrest bloomed into existence, along with several flowers springing up around her feet. “I thInk some people call me the Goddess of UprIsIng, whIch Is great, don’t you thInk?” The one remaining had apparently already changed, into the glowing golden cape and matching shirt and pants of.. “The Speaker of Truths,” Chad said. “Bingo bongo,” the Knight deadpanned. Chad took a deep breath in. No matter. He was still the better god, even alone. He had something they didn’t! “Well, regardless of your flashy transformation sequences, you are out of touch,” Chad declared. “The people have forgotten you, and a new god—a better, friendlier god—is here.” “woooow,” the Rogue drawled. “i cant even...ive seen stupiD, but this is something else.” “can i plea-Se ju-St -Shank him?” the Knight said, twirling their knife. The Sylph gently patted their cheek. “shoooosh.” “can we call in a solar eclipse now?” the Rogue said, but the Witch shook her head. “It w+n’t d+ any g++d. This is a matter +f rhetoric.” “OH!!” the Sylph said suddenly. “I’ve got an Idea!” She turned to Chad. “when’s your next sermon?” Chad checked the time. “A few minutes, actually.” “great! we’re comIng,” the Sylph said, and shoved past him, dragging the Knight along. Chad, confused, followed. When he arrived on stage, a crowd was already gathered, expectant. The gods stood off to one side, leaving the microphone available. Chad stepped up, tapped it a couple times, and told himself his mantra in his head. You are powerful. You are mighty. You are open. You are a god. “Helllooo, my people!” “our people,” a clear, commanding voice cut in. Everyone turned, and when they saw the gods, gasps and whispers broke out. “is it gonna b a rap off” the Rogue stage-whispered to the Knight. “nah,” the Knight said back. “i think i get what -Sylphie’-S plan i-S.” The Sylph started to walk towards the podium, and her friends followed, creating a strange little parade. “um. hello,” the Sylph said into the microphone, and the whispers increased. “thIs man claIms we have abandoned you, that we are out of touch. he lIes. we are among you, always, and not even fIguratIvely. who here has been to a protest recently that turned sour?” A few people raised their hands. The Sylph nodded, pointing at one of them. “you. protest for goldblood psIonIc headache medIcatIon to be legalIzed? there were a bunch of sonIc blasts, but somehow no one got burned. that was me helpIng. best of luck, btw.” “you, the one with the nice jacket,” the Knight said, and the people quieted, because the Speaker of Truths would not lie to them. “i told your mom -She had to get you vaccinated. did -She?” “Y-Yeah,” the kid said, looking shocked and maybe a little overwhelmed at having this attention put on them. “She did.” The Knight nodded, satisfied. “Y+u,” the Witch said, pointing at a young woman. “We fucked +nce. Last week, actually. Call me?” “okay, well, that Isn’t the best example-“ the Sylph said. “we went 2 a rave together!!” the Rogue said, pointing at yet another startled face. “wait, u 2? aw fuck man. i cant believe uve done this.” “-So, we gonna -Smite the-Se dork-S?” the Knight, and the crowd all backed up a bit. Chad, for his part, was eyeing the mic as if weighing the chances of being able to grab it back vs the chances of the Knight “shanking” him. “nah, they’re good,” the Sylph said. “just needed a lIttle remInder of theIr real gods, I thInk.” “sure we shoulDnt try 2 push that reminDer a bit?” the Rogue said hopefully. The Sylph smiled. “Already texting Wisria,” the Witch said. The Rogue stepped forward and raised their hands dramatically. “citizens! in the interest of fairness, we will allow this chaD here 2 give a lil Demo of his talents.” Chad stepped forward, looking like a man who had just seen his own death and was not at all pleased with the indignity of it. “Yes. Ahem...observe!” He pulled an apple from thin air, spun it around with a flourish, and then tapped it, It instantly aged and became a wrinkled and gray mush. “Cute,” the Witch said. The Rogue nodded. “one of urs. alright, y’all got the flashy anD non fatal powers. take it away!” The Sylph seemingly spontaneously grew a pair of jade wings and fluttered over the heads of the crowd. With a hum, she perched on a tree and gestured to the Witch, who sprouted matching wings of her own and joined her. Together, the two managed to age a small tree to the point where it’s shadow fell upon the whole gathering (considerably grown by now), and then to the point where it died. The Sylph then casually regrew all its limbs, and the two leapt down from their now considerably heightened perch. “Alright, our turn,” the Knight said, and right on cue, the sun went out. There were several gasps and a few shrieks, but everyone fell silent when the glowing Crests of the gods appeared in the sky, bright enough almost to replace the sun. Then they faded, the sun reappeared, and the gods took a bow in the style of stage plays. “learned your lesson, dearIe??” the Sylph said to Chad as the Rogue shoved him in front of the mic. Chad looked down at his feet, not meeting the eyes of what had once been his congregation. “I...I am not a god.” “damn right,” the Knight said. “alrighty, peace out y’all.” “stay safe!!” the Sylph cried. “keep an eye out 4 us,” the Rogue said with a wink. “Call me!” the Witch said, pointing again at the young woman in the crowd she had singled out before. And the four ascended away, pleased with a job well done.

[selfcallednowhere]

March 8, 2018, Portland, OR

They opened with "Ana Ng," followed by "Damn Good Times." During the intro of the latter, when the band was already playing but Flans was talking before the vocal kicked in (which he is quite fond of doing, particularly when the song is one of the first few of the night), he said Portland is "the only town that counts." (I knew he was joking but I was still mildly bothered by this as a Seattleite dealing with the Seattle vs. Portland rivalry).

Afterwards, Flans was referring to the people who were around the edge of the room, which was blocked off by a barrier--he said they were in East Berlin. John: "We hope you'll think about what you did." Then he said that Flans hadn't said the thing about this being "the only town that matters" at any of the other shows they've done on this tour, and Flans said it's because a big percentage of the population of Portland is rock critics. Then he said that thing that keeps making me so sad, about how they have a new album and when they say they're going to play a song from it we should pretend to be enthusiastic about it.

After "I Left My Body" (great as always), "Your Racist Friend" (still meh on this song but I do love the trumpet-party-break section with Curt), and "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal" (causing me to rock way out), John got out his contra-alto clarinet. He said it's "lower than the bass clarinet and at war with the alto clarinet."

They played "All Time What," then Flans asked John what he'd done all day. He said he'd "wandered around and dodged the raindrops--apparently it rains in this town." Flans said he did not go to the record store (there's an Everyday Music very close to the venue that he's been known to frequent when they're in town), which meant he had more money than he otherwise would've.

There was some funny banter after that. Flans said they'd gotten to stay at an actual nice hotel the night before, which was unusual for them. Then John said they were wearing crooked top hats and saying "We're gonna make it some day!" Flans said the hotel looked like "a movie set from the '30s," and they took something off a tray of food that probably cost $40. John said they were going to escape on a luggage cart disguised as luggage, and Flans compared them to Harpo Marx. Then John said that next they'd be running and their feet would make bongo sounds. So silly!

They played "Turn Around," which was SO GOOD, much better than the night before when John hadn't used his accordion due to technical difficulties.

After "Spy" and "The Mesopotamians," Flans explained that they're playing two sets, and the second set was "all hits," but they were hits by other bands. John said they're not even good bands, and Flans said they're "under the thumbs of our management," who are really mean to them.

They played "This Microphone," and then Flans said it's on their new album. He said it just came out on vinyl, and that it's a gatefold sleeve, which you can "clean your Oregon pot on."

Flans introduced "Bills, Bills, Bills" by again explaining how they'd been to the AV Club to cover a song for them. He said they first did "Tubthumping," but they weren't going to be playing that tonight because "if you sing it once you'll be singing it all week." He said he was going to be Kelly, John was going to be Beyonce ("a role he originated on Broadway"), and "the members of the band not with us will be playing the part of Michelle." So then they played it, and as always I was completely enraptured by Flans's full-on diva-ness.

They closed out the first set with "Birdhouse in Your Soul," which is a perfect set closer cos there's so much energy in the room when they play it.

Second set started the usual way, with the "Last Wave" video (which I was really tired of at this point, I never really liked it much in the first place and this was like the millionth time I'd seen it) and then "Older" to kick off Quiet Storm. I've been enjoying it on the contra-alto clarinet so much that it'll be a bit sad to (presumably) go back to it on keyboard when all this is over.

Flans pointed out the balcony was really far back and said it was "a mistake." John said it was the section for nursing mothers, and Flans said they'd combined that with the section for cigar smokers.

Flans introduced "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" by saying it was "one of the first songs we wrote," and then confessed that they're actually vampires (explains a lot!). John said not to post that on social media, but then said that it actually wouldn't matter because they wouldn't show up.

After they played it, Flans said not enough people were taking pictures with their phones, and he was "distracted by not being distracted."

Next was MY THEME SONG, still intense and special and emotional and wonderful every single time. It makes me sad to realize that this tour may be the only time I'll get to see it, but I'm just grateful to have been able to as many times as I have.

Flans said that the electronic drums have "all the power of EDM and all the musicality of not-EDM." Then he said the last song was from John Henry, and why don't they play more songs from that album? "Because it's not very good." (As someone for whom John Henry holds the elevated status of not only the album containing my all-time favorite song but also is tied for my #1 album overall, you can imagine what my reaction to this comment was.)

They played "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?," and then the rest of the band came back on stage for "Istanbul," including the crazy jam session at the end. Afterwards, John said he needed to catch his breath and he wanted them to talk for a minute before they played the next song, which made him sound like such an old man. Flans asked us how we were enjoying the sprung dance floor, then said maybe they should talk about some prostitution scandal (I'm not sure what he was referring to) or the "useless" tariffs Trump is proposing. John said he's divesting his money from steel and investing it in "Waynecoin. It's a psychedelic cryptocurrency. You feel like you're tripping, and then all your money is gone."

Then they played "Mrs. Bluebeard." At this point I took it as a foregone conclusion that John would screw up the lyrics since he had every other time I'd seen it, and sure enough he did. For the second time at the shows I've been to, he actually acknowledged the fact that he did afterwards. His excuse was that he'd been distracted cos he'd been trying to move the microphone with his lips so he could reach the higher part of his keyboard, but the crew had tightened it too much and it hadn't moved. Flans said that what he likes is when the crew sets up his mic stand so it's too tall for him, cos he's flattered that they think he's "of higher stature" than he really is.

Next came "Particle Man," "Wicked Little Critta," and "New York City." Then Flans said the next song features Dan on acoustic guitar. Dan played a little something, and Flans said it was from Dan's collection of "unreleased b-sides" and was entitled "Ah Fuck It." John said something about it reminding him of the Motel 6 commercials, and Flans went off on a classic hilarious Flans thing with him pretending to be Tom Bodett and saying "we'll leave the bugs out for you." Then he said if you're a rock band who wants to be sued you should just say that Motel 6 has bugs.

They played "Number Three," and then Flans went back to riffing on the Motel 6 thing (in character). He said if you're coming there and you have a dog with bugs/mange you should bring them and let them pee all over the carpet.

They played "When the Lights Come On," Flans introduced the band, and then they closed out the main set with the reliably superfun "Doctor Worm."

The first encore was the same spectacular duo as almost all the other shows on this West Coast trip: "Dead" followed by "Don't Let's Start." The second encore was "Man, It's So Loud in Here" and then "Fingertips."

It was a great set and a great show! A teensy bit disappointing because the setlist was nearly exactly the same as the previous night in Seattle, and the only reason it wasn't exactly the same was that they'd removed a couple of the particularly great songs they'd played, but otherwise no complaints.

After the show, I was hanging around the stage trying to get a setlist. I didn't get one, but I did snag something else really cool: a signed drumhead from Marty! That was a first for me. I think he might've given it to me because I told him I recognized his shirt as being from Out of Print Clothing, one of my absolute favorite shops (the one with the cover of The Metamorphosis that he's been wearing a lot lately), and we chatted about that a bit. Between that and him giving me a setlist a couple of days before, I finally felt like I could accept him as a full real member of the band--I've still been thinking of him as "the new guy" all this time. I feel silly saying that as he's been in the band for going on a decade and a half now, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Marty's skills as a drummer or kindness as a person, both of which are clearly quite high--I just don't deal with change particularly well.

JL wardrobe report: a black pullover jacket, not too exciting, except for when he pushed up the sleeves for the second half of the show (I always love seeing his arms that way, it's much more exciting than when he's just wearing a t-shirt for reasons I can't really articulate).

[makeover-blog1]

Wild Style Completionisms

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Stickup Kids: “A to the K?” “A to the mother fuckin Z.”

(feel free to click on any pic to zoom in)

Related to Elements: DJ, MC, B-Boying, Graffiti, Wild Style, Crate Digging

Of all the Old School Hip Hop movies, Wild Style is the absolute best. Billboard Magazine is even more flattering.

“#1 Hip-Hop movie of all time” – Billboard Magazine

That’s not too bold of a claim since it is essentially a fly on the wall view of the birth of the forthcoming worldwide cultural Hip Hop explosion. The tale is told from an insider’s perspective where you see the original 4 elements of Hip Hop all on equal footing. Even at the grand finale scene of the movie, the raw energy and talent doesn’t reach beyond the South Bronx’s Amphitheater. Nevertheless, this is where it all began, and the confidence and freshness factor of this movie’s real life players can’t be fucked with.

Now, 30 years down the line, you can pop in the DVD and it’s still as fresh now as it was back then. No other movie unidealistically touches the reality of early days of Hip Hop more than Wild Style.

Right, But What about the Music?

Various Wild Style Records, the OST CD and 30th Anniversary DVD

One of the very first records I ever bought was the Wild Style Soundtrack. When the mailman dropped it off on my stoop I was stoked and soon after unboxing it the stoked feeling turned to “Oh, wait, this is kinda flimsy.” Turns out I bought a “bootlegunofficial” copy. For all intensive purposes “Bootleg” and “Unofficial” are the same thing, but Discogs says it like that so I guess I better follow their lead. Still, I had the soundtrack and I was elated. I reluctantly realized it didn’t sound the best but, frankly, back then I was happy to have any classic Hip Hop record even if it was just a crappy boot. At some point I realized I wasn’t happy enough. It sounded like crap and I knew an original copy had to be out there. But back in those days that original OST went for 50-100 bucks on Ebay (which is incidentally why it had been bootlegged) and that was well out of my financial grasp. Luckily, the good people at Mr Bongo out of the UK had guys like me covered because they procured the rights to a legitimate and nicely pressed 2LP reissue with Bonus Tracks. Obviously I was all over that along with other various Wild Style records along the way… TLDR. Fast forward to today, I finally got the original copy and hell yeah, it was worth the wait. It sounds just as sweet as I hoped it would.

Various Wild Style Records (click to zoom in)

Wild Style Soundtrack: The Bootleg vs the Original

Other than tell-tale wear and tear the covers look the same

The covers may look the same but the original can be identified by extra printing on the back cover and on the record label.

If it doesn’t say “Jem” it’s fake. (click to zoom)

Look for the “Manufactured by Jem Records” writing on the back cover and on the record label.

Click to zoom in on the label of the “unofficial” Wild Style OST

Click to zoom in on the label of the Original Wild Style OST

The bootleg is the absolute worst sounding pressing so it should be avoided at all costs. The Mr Bongo 2LP pressing is fantastic and so is the OG. I personally like the OG best because of the way the songs are originally mixed. It’s almost like a DJ mix not unlike the style of mixing on the classic Street Sound’s Electro compilations. Mr Bongo’s (andor Beyongolia) versions are great pressings too but listening to it them has more of a compilation flow and “feel” to it.

The Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Animal) 1983

Wild Style Theme Rap 12″

The version on this twelve inch single is VERY different from the rap of the same name on the OST. This seems more electo-beat laced. It has thicker production and it’s a different beast of a classic altogether. I was a bit surprised to see how dope this was when I played it expecting the album version. Grandmaster Caz will always be the man, but back in 83 he was making undeniable moves on hot singles like this one.

“Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album” Origins

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) 1990

During my early Wild Style collecting years I came across the “Original Wild Style Breakbeats”

the “Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album” record cover

OWSBBA back cover “Straight Outta the South Bronx”

OWSBBA record label

What’s the deal with this album? Who the hell is DJ Black Steel? I felt compelled to find out the origins. Apparently there is this rare record out there called the Wild Style Test Pressing and he was one of the insanely lucky dudes who had a copy.

Yeah, right! What kind of holy grail tall tale is this? Turns out it’s very true, let’s get it straight from the horse’s mouth… Check out what Freddy Fresh said on the matter.

“Taken from my book… ANIMAL RECORDS (Wild Style Soundtrack) This record was originally available through special screenings of the B Boy culture documentary of the film by the same name. At the end of screenings they would sell the album soundtrack of this film. I purchased my copy in 1983 at a screening of the film at the Bell Theater University of Minnesota. There were a handful of test pressings made of the instrumental versions of the songs as well, these were made for the DJ’s in the actual film to play and scratch with etc.. A few copies leaked out but almost NO ONE has an original test pressing of this record. (see test pressings, bootlegs etc..) see scan near end of book

6005 Wildstyle Soundtrack (Grand Wizard Theodore – Military Cut, Busy Bee Vs. Rodney C – MC Battle, Cold Crush Brothers vs. Fantastic Freaks – Basketball Throwdown, Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie, Grand Wizard Theodore – Subway Theme, Cold Crush Brothers at the Dixie, Double Trouble – Stoop Rap, Double Trouble at the Amphitheater, Busy Bee at the Amphitheater, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore – Gangbusters, Rammellzee & Shockwell at the Amphitheater) **** 1983 This album has been reissued through Beyongolia Records London England and includes 6 exclusive tracks not on the original Wildstyle album they are (Busy Bee’s –Limo Rap, Grandmaster Caz – South Bronx Subway Rap, Busy Bee – Street Rap, Fantastic Freaks at the Amphitheater, Fab 5 Freddy – Down By Law) 1998″

and

“Wild style inst. originally released as TEST PRESSING 20 copies or so is INVALUABLE. The Black Steel EP (Music OF LIFE) is the same thing basically and much more available.. also the BONGO cats in London re-released this and is fantastic pressing.” – Freddy Fresh (source: Oldschoolhiphop.forumco.com)

This info about this uber-rare Wild Style Test Pressing was in fact taken from his own book, Freddy Fresh’s Rap Records Volume 2…

Info from Rap Records Volume 2 on pages 31 and 637

Chalie Ahearn signed Wild Style Test Pressing pic courtesy of Rob at TSL

BTW, this book is an incredible crate diggers’ reference. Here is a link to Freddy Fresh’s Shop page with active links to buy it.

However, recently it has been brought to light that as many as 100 of these test pressings exist…

Quote from Sureshot La Rock Confirms 100 Test Pressings were made

Regardless, who am I kidding if I think I’ll land one of those hundred known blank white label test pressings? Let’s be realistic here. These Original Breakbeats Album and Mr Bongo’s Instrumental Beats album will have to suffice.

Mr Bongo’s and Beyongolia Wild Style Incarnations

Wild Style Original Soundtrack 2LP Version (Beyongolia) 1998

You’ve seen the cover… Back of Wild Style OST 2LP (zoom in for track list)

Wild Style OST 2LP shown in center with Gatefold Open, Nice shot of the Amphitheater. (zoomable)

The Wild Style OST 2LP pressing not only sounds good, but as already mentioned. it’s also got a few bonus tracks and a gatefold cover.

Wild Style Instrumental Beats LP (Beyongolia) 1998

Front cover of Wild Style Instrumental Beats

Track listing and back cover of Wild Style Instrumental Beats

As mentioned above these Wild Style Instrumental Beats are exactly that. A Wild Style Test Press for the rest of us kinda deal. Very similar to the “Wild Style Original Breakbeats” but different track lengths and a few different tracks altogether. Having both this Instrumental Beats and the Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album isn’t essential unless you are a completionist. Frankly, I should have two of both since they are screaming to be juggled.

Wild Style Instrumental Beats Record Label

Wild Style Lesson EP (Mr Bongo) 2007

Jumping on “the Lessons” bandwagon, Mr Bongo released the Wild Style Lesson EP on the 25th anniversary of the movie.

Wild Style Lesson EP in rotation

This Wild Style Lesson EP is a collection of a mega-mix, some alternate mixes, remixes and even a collection of “scratch tools” made from select movie dialogs and related Wild Style sound effects. This isn’t as corny as I thought it would be, it’s actually well-wicked and completely different from the OST.

Wild Style Lesson EP back cover (zoom in for track listing)

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein ‎– Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) 1998

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ Front Cover

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ Back Cover

After synchronizing this Mr Bongo version with the original single on Animal Records it proved that this is essentially the same thing as the original 12″ release. However, to my ears at least, the original sounds much better at 45 RPM.

Discogs Link: Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Benongolia) 1998

Wild Style Original Soundtrack CD” (Rhino) 1997

Wild Style OST CD on Rhino Entertainment (back) (zoom for track listing)

There have been other CD versions of this, but really this is the only one that you need in for road trips. Manufactured at the high quality levels you’d expect from Rhino Entertainment, this disc is official and it sounds nice and loud. The tracks are unmixed unlike the original LP.

Wild Style 30th Anniversary DVD (Submarine Deluxe) 2013

Wild Style 30th Anniversary DVD (gate fold open) with Booklet

The movie was painstakingly remastered in a labor of love with this nice reissue by Submarine Deluxe. This comes with 2 Discs including the original movie and extra features including interviews of the cast and crew. A thorough book of some never before seen photos is a nice addition as well. Wanna know where they are now? Put in the second disc.

Great photos faithfully compiled within this booklet. (Zoom in for a peek)

Wanna see more iconic photos? Flip through the book or watch the visual slide show on the first disc. I’ve seen the film many times on good old VHS and I don’t even have to tell you that this obviously blows that out of the water. Even if you already have the DVD, hardcore fans of the movie should buy this for the added footage and valuable information within. I learned a lot from this DVD and book including a lot of interesting back stories.

What’s Missing From the so-called Completionist Collection?

Ok, you got me. I don’t have every single incarnation of the movie and it’s soundtracks, EPs or singles. For example I clearly don’t have the white label test pressing. I have learned to live with that and I suppose I can still die a happy man never even glimpsing it, knowing I at least have the music on vinyl.

Rare Wild Style Theme Rap Japanese 7″

Also, I don’t have the above shown seemingly impossible to find Japanese 7″ versions of Wild Style Theme Rap, nor do I have the promo version of this 7″ in a plain white sleeve.

BUT, I do have the 12″ version which I am assuming is a longer edit of the same song. Will I pay an arm and a leg to get this even though I already have the 12″? Don’t tempt me. I probably would. Incidentally if you have any leads on these please contact me here by posting on this blog and I’ll move heaven and earth if needed to get it. Not to mention there are other foreign pressings of the Wild Style Soundtrack. While I consider myself a completionist, I don’t feel the desire to get the same music with a simple “Made in France” sticker on it, that’s just silly. True, I got the collector sickness, but there is still a smidgen of common sense ruling my accumulation quirks.

So other than the test pressing (which won’t happen) and the 7″ (also, won’t happen) I am finally done buying Wild Style records. It only took me 18 years to feel some sense of finality, but alas, it’s finally over. Unless of course some new-jack label comes along and unearths a hidden chapter of Wild Style that doesn’t exist. In that case I’ll probably have to bite on that too.

DJ Black Steel & The 45 King ‎– 22 Wildstyle Beats 2CD (Music Station) 1995

Picture courtesy of Discogs

As per Discogs, this 2CD has the original DJ Black Steel Wildstyle Breakbeats untouched on disc one and disc two has the breaks mixed, looped, juggled, and extended by the incomparable 45 King. No doubt an unforgetable mixtape that I’m sleeping on but according to Discogs this has not been sold there so I’m guessing I’ll never see this in person either.

But You Forgot About These! (Update)

Since dropping this blog post on DWG Forums a few more omissions were brought to my attention. Some are promo versions of a few I already have, some have yet to be added to Discogs, and others are just amazing eye candy I cannot justify omitting from this blog post update. It goes without saying that I’m envious of the owners of these newly discovered holes in my soul.

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) (Later Reissue)

Front Cover (Picture courtesy of Benjamin Hatton)

Factory Sticker and Label (Pictures courtesy of Benjamin Hatton)

This later (mid 2000’s) reissue on Music of Life is not listed on Discogs.

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Bootleg) (Music Station)

Music Station/Dancefloor Dist./Disc-stinct Bootleg (Photo courtesy of Manphat)

Apparently this bootleg has “extended versions” of the original original breakbeats.

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein ‎– Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) 1998 (Signed Test Pressing)

Photo Courtesy of Cro

Signed by Grandmaster Caz! (Photo Courtesy of Cro)

Another Discogs omission… As if having the test pressing of this isn’t cool enough, Cro’s copy is signed by the man himself!

What, No Love for the Tapes?

Wild Style Movie (VHS) (Irish)

Photo courtesy of Jesper

Wild Style Movie (VHS) (Pyramid)

Photo Courtesy of Jesper

Then there’s the good old VHS release of the movie. Mine was a generic copy of a copy but luckily Jesper was kind enough to provide a few foreign copies of the movie. It’s something that you take for granted that there are countless variants of the video tape from countries all over the world.

And the cassettes too, there are numerous versions out there of the cassette that I haven’t accounted for.

Yet more Relics… Posters, Flyers, and original Tickets!

Flyer courtesy of Soul Safari

Original Poster! (photo courtesy of Sureshot La Rock)

Tickets to the filming. Be there to make history! Courtesy of Atilladahun

Front of Admissions Ticket (Courtesy of Atilladahun)

It’s not enough that they gotta taunt me with autographed test pressings of singles I never knew existed but then they gotta pour lemon juice all over my wounds with original admission tickets to the filming of the movie, movie posters from back in the day and even an original flyer! These are so cool and historical I certainly can’t blame them for pointing these out to a mezo-completionist such as myself. These are the kind of special pieces that true fans will never get rid of at any price. So I’ll have to live knowing that these are out there and maybe if I am lucky I’ll get to touch them some day.

As per DWG member Beattrooper via private message…

There’s 4 more Wildstyle bits out there.

Wildstyle Theme 12″ Japan issue from 83′ on Toshiba promo only (Thick Sleeve) Wildstyle Theme 12″ UK Test press 83′ Wildstyle Soundtrack vinyl LP with Obi strip and lyric sheet (1995?) Wildstyle Soundtrack Cassette with obi boxed like a VHS comes with a small booklet of photos again from 83′ (this is rarer then the 45!)

I guess I haven’t even scratched the surface of this iceberg. As more of these pieces come to light it’s becoming more and more apparent that I’ll never get a chance to become a true Wild Style completionist.

LBNL, Wild Style Comic Book Art

Here’s a late but worthy addition… Check out the Wild Style comic book! Some seriously enlightening reading for Wild Style fanatics.

Ed Piskor’s story behind the Wild Style story.

You can own these limited addition books while supplies last. Piskor is a hot Hip Hop specialty artist right now and the artwork in these pages is spectacular so who knows how long they’ll last. They are currently available at Fantagraphics Books.

Special Thanks to all the bonus information and pics from DWG members Chris, Sureshot La Rock, Cro, Atilladahun, Manphat, Benjamin Hatton, Jesper, Soul Safari, and Beattrooper and other members there. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!

-rchecka

Reference: Quick Links To Discogs Wild Style Related Records and CDs

Various – Wild Style Original Soundtrack LP (Animal) 1983 Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Animal) 1983 Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 7″ (Japanese) (Chysalis) 1983

Various – Wild Style Original Soundtrack LP (Animal) Unofficial/Bootleg

Various – Wild Style Soundtrack 2LP (Beyongolia) 1998

DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) 1990 DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP Bootleg (Music Station) 1995 Various – Wild Style Instrumental Beats (Beyongolia) 1998 Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Benongolia) 1998 Various – Wild Style Lesson EP (Mr Bongo) 2007

Various – Wild Style CD (Rhino) 1997

DJ Black Steel & The 45 King – 22 Wildstyle Beats 2CD (Music Station) 1995

Known records missing from Discogs:

DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) (Factory Stickered Reissue)

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) Test Press

Also allegedly missing from Discogs:

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wildstyle Theme 12″ (Japan issue) 1983 on Toshiba promo only

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wildstyle Theme 12″ (UK Test press) 1983

Various – Wildstyle Soundtrack vinyl LP (with Obi strip and lyric sheet) 1995(?)

Various – Wildstyle Soundtrack Cassette (with obi boxed like a VHS comes with a small booklet of photos) 1983

See Also:

Wild Style The Movie 30th Aniversary DVD (Submarine Deluxe)

DJ Skeme’s The Nostoglia King – Wild Style Autographed Poster Blog Post

Charlie Ahearn’s Wild Style Era New York (Interview + Gallery)

An Original Amphitheatre Jam Poster (jpg)

The Big Breakdance Contest Extra Tidbit: Some of the B-Boys and B-Girls of “the Big Breakdance Contest” were featured in Wild Style. Watch their incredible routines in the Big Breakdance Contest on my Youtube Channel.

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Posted by richmegavideo on 2019-03-04 22:05:29

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Wild Style Completionisms

Stickup Kids: “A to the K?”  “A to the mother fuckin Z.”

(feel free to click on any pic to zoom in) 

Related to Elements: DJ, MC, B-Boying, Graffiti, Wild Style, Crate Digging

Of all the Old School Hip Hop movies, Wild Style is the absolute best.  Billboard Magazine is even more flattering.

“#1 Hip-Hop movie of all time” – Billboard Magazine

That’s not too bold of a claim since it is essentially a fly on the wall view of the birth of the forthcoming worldwide cultural Hip Hop explosion.  The tale is told from an insider’s perspective where you see the original 4 elements of Hip Hop all on equal footing.  Even at the grand finale scene of the movie, the raw energy and talent doesn’t reach beyond the South Bronx’s Amphitheater.  Nevertheless, this is where it all began, and the confidence and freshness factor of this movie’s real life players can’t be fucked with.  

Now, 30 years down the line, you can pop in the DVD and it’s still as fresh now as it was back then.  No other movie unidealistically touches the reality of early days of Hip Hop more than Wild Style.

Right, But What about the Music?

Various Wild Style Records, the OST CD and 30th Anniversary DVD

One of the very first records I ever bought was the Wild Style Soundtrack.  When the mailman dropped it off on my stoop I was stoked and soon after unboxing it the stoked feeling turned to “Oh, wait, this is kinda flimsy.”  Turns out I bought a “bootlegunofficial” copy.  For all intensive purposes “Bootleg” and “Unofficial” are the same thing, but Discogs says it like that so I guess I better follow their lead. Still, I had the soundtrack and I was elated.  I reluctantly realized it didn’t sound the best but, frankly, back then I was happy to have any classic Hip Hop record even if it was just a crappy boot. At some point I realized I wasn’t happy enough.  It sounded like crap and I knew an original copy had to be out there.  But back in those days that original OST went for 50-100 bucks on Ebay (which is incidentally why it had been bootlegged) and that was well out of my financial grasp. Luckily, the good people at Mr Bongo out of the UK had guys like me covered because they procured the rights to a legitimate and nicely pressed 2LP reissue with Bonus Tracks. Obviously I was all over that along with other various Wild Style records along the way… TLDR.  Fast forward to today, I finally got the original copy and hell yeah, it was worth the wait.  It sounds just as sweet as I hoped it would. 

Various Wild Style Records (click to zoom in)

Wild Style Soundtrack: The Bootleg vs the Original

Other than tell-tale wear and tear the covers look the same

The covers may look the same but the original can be identified by extra printing on the back cover and on the record label.

If it doesn’t say “Jem” it’s fake.  (click to zoom)

Look for the “Manufactured by Jem Records” writing on the back cover and on the record label.

Click to zoom in on the label of the “unofficial” Wild Style OST

Click to zoom in on the label of the Original Wild Style OST

The bootleg is the absolute worst sounding pressing so it should be avoided at all costs.  The Mr Bongo 2LP pressing is fantastic and so is the OG.  I personally like the OG best because of the way the songs are originally mixed.  It’s almost like a DJ mix not unlike the style of mixing on the classic Street Sound’s Electro compilations.  Mr Bongo’s (andor Beyongolia) versions are great pressings too but listening to it them has more of a compilation flow and “feel” to it.

The Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Animal) 1983

Wild Style Theme Rap 12″

The version on this twelve inch single is VERY different from the rap of the same name on the OST.  This seems more electo-beat laced.  It has thicker production and it’s a different beast of a classic altogether.  I was a bit surprised to see how dope this was when I played it expecting the album version.  Grandmaster Caz will always be the man, but back in 83 he was making undeniable moves on hot singles like this one.

“Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album” Origins

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) 1990

During my early Wild Style collecting years I came across the “Original Wild Style Breakbeats”

the “Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album” record cover

OWSBBA back cover “Straight Outta the South Bronx”

OWSBBA record label

What’s the deal with this album?  Who the hell is DJ Black Steel?  I felt compelled to find out the origins.  Apparently there is this rare record out there called the Wild Style Test Pressing and he was one of the insanely lucky dudes who had a copy.  

Yeah, right!  What kind of holy grail tall tale is this?  Turns out it’s very true, let’s get it straight from the horse’s mouth…  Check out what Freddy Fresh said on the matter.

“Taken from my book… ANIMAL RECORDS (Wild Style Soundtrack) This record was originally available through special screenings of the B Boy culture documentary of the film by the same name. At the end of screenings they would sell the album soundtrack of this film. I purchased my copy in 1983 at a screening of the film at the Bell Theater University of Minnesota. There were a handful of test pressings made of the instrumental versions of the songs as well, these were made for the DJ’s in the actual film to play and scratch with etc.. A few copies leaked out but almost NO ONE has an original test pressing of this record. (see test pressings, bootlegs etc..) see scan near end of book

6005 Wildstyle Soundtrack (Grand Wizard Theodore – Military Cut, Busy Bee Vs. Rodney C – MC Battle, Cold Crush Brothers vs. Fantastic Freaks – Basketball Throwdown, Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie, Grand Wizard Theodore – Subway Theme, Cold Crush Brothers at the Dixie, Double Trouble – Stoop Rap, Double Trouble at the Amphitheater, Busy Bee at the Amphitheater, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore – Gangbusters, Rammellzee & Shockwell at the Amphitheater) **** 1983 This album has been reissued through Beyongolia Records London England and includes 6 exclusive tracks not on the original Wildstyle album they are (Busy Bee’s –Limo Rap, Grandmaster Caz – South Bronx Subway Rap, Busy Bee – Street Rap, Fantastic Freaks at the Amphitheater, Fab 5 Freddy – Down By Law) 1998″

and

“Wild style inst. originally released as TEST PRESSING 20 copies or so is INVALUABLE.  The Black Steel EP (Music OF LIFE) is the same thing basically and much more available.. also the BONGO cats in London re-released this and is fantastic pressing.” – Freddy Fresh (source: Oldschoolhiphop.forumco.com)

This info about this uber-rare Wild Style Test Pressing was in fact taken from his own book, Freddy Fresh’s Rap Records Volume 2…

Info from Rap Records Volume 2 on pages 31 and 637

Chalie Ahearn signed Wild Style Test Pressing pic courtesy of Rob at TSL

BTW, this book is an incredible crate diggers’ reference.  Here is a link to Freddy Fresh’s Shop page with active links to buy it. 

However, recently it has been brought to light that as many as 100 of these test pressings exist…

Quote from Sureshot La Rock Confirms 100 Test Pressings were made

Regardless, who am I kidding if I think I’ll land one of those hundred known blank white label test pressings?  Let’s be realistic here.  These Original Breakbeats Album and Mr Bongo’s Instrumental Beats album will have to suffice. 

Mr Bongo’s and Beyongolia Wild Style Incarnations

  Wild Style Original Soundtrack 2LP Version (Beyongolia) 1998

You’ve seen the cover… Back of Wild Style OST 2LP (zoom in for track list)

Wild Style OST 2LP shown in center with Gatefold Open, Nice shot of the Amphitheater.  (zoomable)

The Wild Style OST 2LP pressing not only sounds good, but as already mentioned. it’s also got a few bonus tracks and a gatefold cover.

Wild Style Instrumental Beats LP (Beyongolia) 1998

Front cover of Wild Style Instrumental Beats

Track listing and back cover of Wild Style Instrumental Beats

As mentioned above these Wild Style Instrumental Beats are exactly that.  A Wild Style Test Press for the rest of us kinda deal.  Very similar to the “Wild Style Original Breakbeats” but different track lengths and a few different tracks altogether.  Having both this Instrumental Beats and the Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album isn’t essential unless you are a completionist.  Frankly, I should have two of both since they are screaming to be juggled.

Wild Style Instrumental Beats Record Label

  Wild Style Lesson EP (Mr Bongo) 2007

Jumping on “the Lessons” bandwagon, Mr Bongo released the Wild Style Lesson EP on the 25th anniversary of the movie.   

Wild Style Lesson EP in rotation

This Wild Style Lesson EP is a collection of a mega-mix, some alternate mixes, remixes and even a collection of “scratch tools” made from select movie dialogs and related Wild Style sound effects.  This isn’t as corny as I thought it would be, it’s actually well-wicked and completely different from the OST.  

Wild Style Lesson EP back cover (zoom in for track listing)

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein ‎– Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) 1998

    Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ Front Cover

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ Back Cover

After synchronizing this Mr Bongo version with the original single on Animal Records it proved that this is essentially the same thing as the original 12″ release.  However, to my ears at least, the original sounds much better at 45 RPM.  

Discogs Link: Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Benongolia) 1998

Wild Style Original Soundtrack CD” (Rhino) 1997

Wild Style OST CD on Rhino Entertainment (back) (zoom for track listing)

There have been other CD versions of this, but really this is the only one that you need in for road trips.  Manufactured at the high quality levels you’d expect from Rhino Entertainment, this disc is official and it sounds nice and loud.  The tracks are unmixed unlike the original LP.

Wild Style 30th Anniversary DVD (Submarine Deluxe) 2013

  Wild Style 30th Anniversary DVD (gate fold open) with Booklet

The movie was painstakingly remastered in a labor of love with this nice reissue by Submarine Deluxe.  This comes with 2 Discs including the original movie and extra features including interviews of the cast and crew.  A thorough book of some never before seen photos is a nice addition as well.  Wanna know where they are now?  Put in the second disc.  

Great photos faithfully compiled within this booklet.  (Zoom in for a peek)

Wanna see more iconic photos?  Flip through the book or watch the visual slide show on the first disc.  I’ve seen the film many times on good old VHS and I don’t even have to tell you that this obviously blows that out of the water.  Even if you already have the DVD, hardcore fans of the movie should buy this for the added footage and valuable information within.  I learned a lot from this DVD and book including a lot of interesting back stories.  

What’s Missing From the so-called Completionist Collection?

Ok, you got me.  I don’t have every single incarnation of the movie and it’s soundtracks, EPs or singles.  For example I clearly don’t have the white label test pressing.  I have learned to live with that and I suppose I can still die a happy man never even glimpsing it, knowing I at least have the music on vinyl.  

Rare Wild Style Theme Rap Japanese 7″

Also, I don’t have the above shown seemingly impossible to find Japanese 7″ versions of Wild Style Theme Rap, nor do I have the promo version of this 7″ in a plain white sleeve.  

BUT, I do have the 12″ version which I am assuming is a longer edit of the same song.  Will I pay an arm and a leg to get this even though I already have the 12″?  Don’t tempt me.  I probably would.  Incidentally if you have any leads on these please contact me here by posting on this blog and I’ll move heaven and earth if needed to get it. Not to mention there are other foreign pressings of the Wild Style Soundtrack.  While I consider myself a completionist, I don’t feel the desire to get the same music with a simple “Made in France” sticker on it, that’s just silly.  True, I got the collector sickness, but there is still a smidgen of common sense ruling my accumulation quirks.  

So other than the test pressing (which won’t happen) and the 7″ (also, won’t happen) I am finally done buying Wild Style records.  It only took me 18 years to feel some sense of finality, but alas, it’s finally over.  Unless of course some new-jack label comes along and unearths a hidden chapter of Wild Style that doesn’t exist.  In that case I’ll probably have to bite on that too.  

DJ Black Steel & The 45 King ‎– 22 Wildstyle Beats 2CD (Music Station) 1995

Picture courtesy of Discogs

As per Discogs, this 2CD has the original DJ Black Steel Wildstyle Breakbeats untouched on disc one and disc two has the breaks mixed, looped, juggled, and extended by the incomparable 45 King.  No doubt an unforgetable mixtape that I’m sleeping on but according to Discogs this has not been sold there so I’m guessing I’ll never see this in person either.

But You Forgot About These! (Update)

Since dropping this blog post on DWG Forums a few more omissions were brought to my attention.  Some are promo versions of a few I already have, some have yet to be added to Discogs, and others are just amazing eye candy I cannot justify omitting from this blog post update.  It goes without saying that I’m envious of the owners of these newly discovered holes in my soul.

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) (Later Reissue)

  Front Cover (Picture courtesy of Benjamin Hatton)

Factory Sticker and Label (Pictures courtesy of Benjamin Hatton)

This later (mid 2000’s) reissue on Music of Life is not listed on Discogs.

DJ Black Steel Presents: The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Bootleg) (Music Station)

  Music Station/Dancefloor Dist./Disc-stinct Bootleg  (Photo courtesy of Manphat)

Apparently this bootleg has “extended versions” of the original original breakbeats.  

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein ‎– Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) 1998 (Signed Test Pressing)

    Photo Courtesy of Cro

  Signed by Grandmaster Caz! (Photo Courtesy of Cro)

Another Discogs omission…  As if having the test pressing of this isn’t cool enough, Cro’s copy is signed by the man himself!

What, No Love for the Tapes?

Wild Style Movie (VHS) (Irish)

  Photo courtesy of Jesper

Wild Style Movie (VHS) (Pyramid)

  Photo Courtesy of Jesper

Then there’s the good old VHS release of the movie.  Mine was a generic copy of a copy but luckily Jesper was kind enough to provide a few foreign copies of the movie.  It’s something that you take for granted that there are countless variants of the video tape from countries all over the world.  

And the cassettes too, there are numerous versions out there of the cassette that I haven’t accounted for.  

Yet more Relics… Posters, Flyers, and original Tickets!

  Flyer courtesy of Soul Safari

Original Poster! (photo courtesy of Sureshot La Rock)

Tickets to the filming.  Be there to make history!  Courtesy of Atilladahun

Front of Admissions Ticket (Courtesy of Atilladahun)

It’s not enough that they gotta taunt me with autographed test pressings of singles I never knew existed but then they gotta pour lemon juice all over my wounds with original admission tickets to the filming of the movie, movie posters from back in the day and even an original flyer!  These are so cool and historical I certainly can’t blame them for pointing these out to a mezo-completionist such as myself.  These are the kind of special pieces that true fans will never get rid of at any price.  So I’ll have to live knowing that these are out there and maybe if I am lucky I’ll get to touch them some day.  

As per DWG member Beattrooper via private message…

There’s 4 more Wildstyle bits out there.

Wildstyle Theme 12″ Japan issue from 83′ on Toshiba promo only (Thick Sleeve) Wildstyle Theme 12″ UK Test press 83′ Wildstyle Soundtrack vinyl LP with Obi strip and lyric sheet (1995?) Wildstyle Soundtrack Cassette with obi boxed like a VHS comes with a small booklet of photos again from 83′ (this is rarer then the 45!)

I guess I haven’t even scratched the surface of this iceberg.  As more of these pieces come to light it’s becoming more and more apparent that I’ll never get a chance to become a true Wild Style completionist.   

LBNL, Wild Style Comic Book Art

  Here’s a late but worthy addition… Check out the Wild Style comic book!  Some seriously enlightening reading for Wild Style fanatics. 

Ed Piskor’s story behind the Wild Style story.

You can own these limited addition books while supplies last.  Piskor is a hot Hip Hop specialty artist right now and the artwork in these pages is spectacular so who knows how long they’ll last.  They are currently available at Fantagraphics Books.

Special Thanks to all the bonus information and pics from DWG members Chris, Sureshot La Rock, Cro, Atilladahun, Manphat, Benjamin Hatton, Jesper, Soul Safari, and Beattrooper and other members there.  Thanks for keeping me on my toes!

  -rchecka

Reference: Quick Links To Discogs Wild Style Related Records and CDs

  Various – Wild Style Original Soundtrack LP (Animal) 1983 Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Animal) 1983 Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 7″ (Japanese) (Chysalis) 1983    Various – Wild Style Original Soundtrack LP (Animal) Unofficial/Bootleg    Various – Wild Style Soundtrack 2LP (Beyongolia) 1998    DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) 1990   DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP Bootleg (Music Station) 1995 Various – Wild Style Instrumental Beats (Beyongolia) 1998  Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 1 / Wild Style Subway Rap 12″ (Benongolia) 1998 Various – Wild Style Lesson EP (Mr Bongo) 2007    Various – Wild Style CD (Rhino) 1997 DJ Black Steel & The 45 King – 22 Wildstyle Beats 2CD (Music Station) 1995   

Known records missing from Discogs:

DJ Black Steel – The Original Wild Style Breakbeats Album LP (Music of Life) (Factory Stickered Reissue) 

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wild Style Theme Rap 12″ (Beyongolia) Test Press

Also allegedly missing from Discogs:

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wildstyle Theme 12″ (Japan issue) 1983 on Toshiba promo only

Grandmaster Caz and Chris Stein – Wildstyle Theme 12″ (UK Test press) 1983 Various – Wildstyle Soundtrack vinyl LP (with Obi strip and lyric sheet) 1995(?)

Various – Wildstyle Soundtrack Cassette (with obi boxed like a VHS comes with a small booklet of photos) 1983

See Also:

Wild Style The Movie 30th Aniversary DVD (Submarine Deluxe) 

DJ Skeme’s The Nostoglia King – Wild Style Autographed Poster Blog Post 

Charlie Ahearn’s Wild Style Era New York (Interview + Gallery)

An Original Amphitheatre Jam Poster (jpg)

The Big Breakdance Contest  Extra Tidbit:  Some of the B-Boys and B-Girls of “the Big Breakdance Contest” were featured in Wild Style.  Watch their incredible routines in the Big Breakdance Contest on my Youtube Channel.

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