#well here you go Dave Navarro

[taylorhawkins]

2002 Singles Roundup! (Spin Magazine)

Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins break down this year’s radio gaga…

Nelly - Hot In Herre

Dave: You know this song? Nelly?

Taylor: He could have affiliations, we better be careful.

[Spin:] I don't think he has anymore.

Taylor: Anymore. Once you're in you're never out. I've never even heard this song.

Dave: You hang out at the wrong clubs.

[Spin:] Any idea why he's got a Band-Aid on his face?

Dave: Maybe he popped a zit.

The Hives - Hate To Say I Told You So

Dave: I do love the Hives. This kind of has that 'My Sharona' effect on people. It spans all demographics. It's just a totally bare-essentials rock song.

Taylor: The Stooges did it better.

Dave: Elaborate.

Taylor: It just sounds like if the Stooges were way tighter.

Dave: Or maybe if the Kinks didn't fight so much.

Avril Lavigne - Sk8ter Boi

Dave: Is this Bon Jovi? Don’t tell us. Is Pat Benetar back?

Taylor: I'm sorry, I hate high school lyrics like this. It grosses me out to picture some 50-year-old A&R dude in a limo with her, like [puts arm around imaginary girl], "This is gonna be huge, baby. The kids are going to love this." It's like, God! Go right for the fuckin' mallrats!

Dave: Well she's Canadian.

Taylor: She got a nose ring?

Dave: I don’t know, but I bet her navel's pierced.

Taylor: No, she's got a tattoo of a dolphin on her butt.

The Vines - Get Free

Taylor: I think these guys suck. This song is real fuckin' boring.

Dave: Avril Lavigne's song is more challenging than this. If you really want to challenge the listener give them some of that Canadian stuff.

Taylor: This is just, like, buy your angst at the local Kmart.

[Spin:] Dave, does this Nirvana sound bug you at all?

Dave: It doesn't bother me that much.

Christina Aguilera - Dirrty

Taylor: I'd rather discuss the video. The song doesn't even matter!

Dave: It's a serious career shift.

Taylor: Yeah, like when Guns N' Roses went from Welcome To The Jungle to November Rain. I don't know if it's going to work out for her.

Dave: I think it promotes group sex: it promotes lesbianism.

Taylor: She's a little slut! Just kidding.

Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You

Taylor: Ugh! I'm sorry, Mr Timberlake!

Dave: This is Justin? It sounds like Michael Jackson.

Taylor: Are there young boys in the video? Justin tries to dance like Michael Jackson - he even has the hat on.

Dave: Here's the deal with Justin. I'll go rent Breakin' 2 and put on Thriller, and there you go.

Kylie - Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Dave: Killer song! No question! You're getting ready to hit the clubs, put this on. It's got an old nursery-rhyme melody to it - unforgettable.

Taylor: Kylie - I'm proud of her.

Dave: I've got to say I can't stand it when a singer dances - except for Kylie.

Taylor: Freddie Mercury.

Dave: Freddie didn't dance; he pranced.

Taylor: This songs way better than that Christina Aguilera - Aguilerica.

Dave: I've got an idea! Let's start a Christina Aguleria metal cover band - do all her songs but heavy metal, and call it 'Aguilerica'.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - By The Way

Dave: What's this song about?

[Spin:] It's about a girl he wants to sleep with who's coming to the show.

Dave: Isn't that what all their songs are about?

Taylor: That's what all our songs are about.

Kelly Osbourne - Papa Don't Preach

Dave: I dig it! She's got a good voice, man.

Taylor: I bet that's Dave Navarro playing guitar.

Dave: He definitely sounds pierced.

Taylor: Whoever's playing guitar has his tits pierced, so it's probably Navarro.

Dave: I'm into Kelly Osbourne. She's the snotty punk-rock kid at your high school - but deep down, she's kinda sensitive.

Dirty Vegas - Days Go By

Dave: Is it a car commercial? You could sell a ton of cars with this song. (adopts portentous car commercial voice) Ford Aspire.

Taylor: A new wave in technology.

Dave: The new Ford Probe!

Taylor: Feel the power. Next!

Eminem - Without Me

Dave I love this. Great song, no question.

Taylor: What's so cool about Eminem is the rhythms of his melodies - he's a step ahead of everybody with his flow. As far as I'm concerned, there's him, Snoop and Kool Keith.

Dave: So good! So Hilarious!

Taylor: Awesome. He's no dummy. He's an intelligent motherfucker.

Dave: Even Moby probably likes this song.

Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles

Taylor: What the hell is this shit? Is it someone's piano recital? Who's Vanessa Carlton?

Dave: Some girl who plays piano.

Taylor: It's kind of like the new Bruce Hornsby. Does the Range play with her? Nah, I don't like it.

Dave: Flashdance.

System Of A Down - Toxicity

Dave: Badass sound.

Taylor: I like the fact music like this is...

Dave: ..challenging people.

Taylor: I'd rather listen to early Genesis or early Rush, just because it's more nostalgic, but it's fucking awesome to me that shit like this is popular.

Dave: Agreed.

Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes

Dave: Shakira sounds like she's got a fuckin' booger in her throat that she's got to cough out. She's like sex education in junior high where you see the cartoon diagrams of a penis entering a vagina; it's just caricatures of sex. That's how I see Shakira. Does that make any sense?

Taylor: No, but I say we leave it at that.

SOURCE: fooarchive.com

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

Beyoncé

In the words of Wendy Williams, “she can’t read she’s got a six grade, I’m glad we’re going to use my kitchen TV because it’s got closed captions so I’ll be able to understand everything she saying”., Did you know that Beyoncé can’t read?. no Beyoncé talks like a sixth grader, that’s Wendy not me, but I kinda get what she’s saying. Back then Beyoncé spoke like that., very childlike could be however mercury, Mercury sign, that can sometimes the time and what your voice is going to sound like in astrology.

But what I love about all these pictures here, that Beyoncé can’t save her life around Kim Kardashian. now let’s add that to the end and take it out again and that’s their whole friendship, Kim likes to think that they are friends. I naive Libra Arse can’t see that they’re not. If you look at all these pictures she’s even getting annoyed at north. I know the camera can’t catch you. It really awkward but moments but you can also catch it in the truth. Some fashion show really shouldn’t and Beyoncé has got a completely different view., kids are at home with the nanny of course. Well Beyoncé, sees her PR team. Taking the pictures of her with the baby.

Beyoncé knows how to do pr, but this is the wrong time, her PR is like not making me talk in an interview but also making me look good, Kim’s PR is making me look like a good parent by walking down the street and taking, or anything else for that matter these guys will do anything a good PR, everyone else look bad, I MEAN PRINCE EVEN GOT SICK OF HER ARSE, HE CALLED HER UP ON THE STAGE . And then he’s like bitch get off the stage .

Now that was probably a stunt too , although with Prince I wouldn’t be surprised , he is a Scorpio rising after , also a Gemini sun man , he didn’t like the Kardashians, but Kim was everything he wanted in a girl, a little bit dumb, dark, dark features, natural stunning body, I know ha ha ha, but looking natural to some degree.

Look at this post was meant to be about Beyoncé and I’ve gone into Kim Kardashian, but Kim annoyed a lot of celebrities along with her family. Especially that woman .. she often brings up on keeping up with the Kardashians and the Kardashians on Disney. and being at Beyoncé’s parties come on you’re making yourself look silly. Can you imagine that if had been born in the mid 70s so just five years back? She would’ve been a prince girl I don’t know if she grew up quite privileged so who knows . Now what are my reasons for Beyoncé not liking her. look at the pictures at first and you can see how far she can’t act as the captions say. 

Kind of like a Carmen Electra, but Carmen had the, street smarts, the edge that, prince was want to of said to her don’t ever, dye hair 👱🏽‍♀️. If that Carmen needs to really be in this slide, specially I’ve had prince, and then she got with Dennis Rodman, and Dave Navarro two very different but very similar men. Different on the fact that of their personalities maybe and what they do., same because they both like girly things, can be quite feminine. Kind like Prince.

When the elevator situation happened with Beyoncé, Solange and Jay-Z, Beyoncé couldn’t hide her face and that, or actually she did pretty well she smirk 😏 . A lot like Solange can hide her face either while sat next to one of the Kardashians it looks like here. and she sure couldn’t eat here either., that was iconic at 2014 moment. And the Solange, love you for that.

Here is the terrible acting, PR nightmares, PR winners, being a Kardashian and being a superstore

[themovieblogonline]

Cara Dune’s Absence In The Mandalorian Season 3 Grows The World Beyond Grogu

The Mandalorian season 3 is here and it’s already doing great things to further the Star Wars franchise. But like most franchises, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s new Star Wars invigoration isn’t blemish-free. One of its major characters, Cara Dune, was written out of the show, due to the actor’s political leanings. Whether this is right or wrong is not something I’m going to debate. But let’s take a look at just how they explained Cara Dune In The Mandalorian not being there anymore, and how that actually helps the show grow. Disclaimer: The following will have a lot of spoilers for both seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as well as the season 3 premiere. Cara Dune Was A Badass; Gina Carano Not So Much After her appearance as the headstrong Shocktrooper for the former Republic, Cara Dune became one of Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) allies from season 1 onwards. She reappeared in season 2 to kick more butt, helping rescue baby Grogu in the climax. However, off-screen, Cara Dune actress Gina Carano made public her right-wing political ideologies. Creating a lot of controversy with her views, Carano’s behaviour didn’t exactly align with that of the family-friendly Disney, who owns Star Wars. News broke that Carano would be Cara Dune in The Mandalorian no more. While the decision happened during season 2, Dune was very much part of the season 2 storyline, which meant her absence would be in season 3. And fans eagerly waited for how they would explain the character’s absence. And they did it brilliantly. Cara Dune In The Mandalorian Is Still Good Halfway through The Mandalorian season 3 premiere episode, Din and Grogu arrive at Navarro to meet up with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). Upon arriving, Karga tries to entice Din to give up his bounty-hunting ways and settle down in Navarro. Maybe even be the Marshall, the post previously occupied by Dune. When asked where Dune is, Karga provided the explanation everyone was waiting for. Apparently, at the end of season 2, Dune was responsible for taking Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) to the New Republic authorities. Impressed, they recruited her and now she works for them. What’s classy about this, is that while everyone may have had a problem with Carano’s actions and behaviour, they separated the artist from the character. The wrote Dune off in a way that still makes her a badass good guy, without taking away from that. Especially when it would’ve been much easier to kill her off, or take a shot at the actress, through the character. Growing The Mandalorian World With What’s Happening Outside The coolest thing about this explanation is that it gives a slight look into the world outside of Din and Grogu. While The Mandalorian works because of its very insular nature, as in not venturing out into the larger existing canon of Star Wars. Or crossing over with any of those stories, at least not in a way that doesn’t make sense. It was the first post-Return Of The Jedi series in Star Wars. So it’s cool to hear about how the New Republic is developing before we see them established and then become rebels themselves in The Force Awakens. Din even asks Karga why he doesn’t request a new Marshall from the New Republic. So which Karga replies with disdain, about how he doesn’t want to replace one bureaucracy (Empire) with another (New Republic). This also implies that the New Republic is big and expansive enough to make a comparison like that valid. While I hope this show doesn’t get into the politics of Star Wars or the other major events, it’s nice to hear about them happening off-screen, parallel to the smaller story of Din and Grogu. So in a way, Cara Dune no longer in The Mandalorian provided a great way to give some exposition about the world of this show as well. All’s well that ends well. The Mandalorian season 3 is now streaming on Disney+. Are you happy with Cara Dune’s absence from this show? Do you think they should’ve given a different reason? Let me know in the comments below. Or on Twitter at @theshahshahid. Featured image via Disney+. Read the full article

[trashbag-baby666]

can i request a fluffy hunter x gender neutral reader where he goes to them for comfort and sort of just shows up at their house unannounced bc he needs a hug ☺️🫶

Thank you sm for the request! I literally loved this so much! So here you go!!! 💗💗💗💗

You came home frustrated, you’d gotten a bad grade on a test and things just weren’t going your way. Hunter wasn’t really paying any attention to you because he was caught up with battle of the bands. When you would come over it would just be him working on guitar riffs from Machinery of Torment or listening to him and Kevin practice.

You were glad that you didn’t have any classes after sixth hour. So without any notice to anyone you just left school.

You sat down on your couch and grabbed the TV remote, turning the TV on. Your phone started to vibrate inconsistently. You sighed and pulled out your phone seeing a series of texts from Hunter.

Hunter<3:

Can we meet in the library during my eighth hour commons?

Hunter<3:

Do you wanna go get coffee tonight?

Hunter<3:

Did I do something wrong?

You:

Sorry I went home after my painting class. I was frustrated.

Hunter<3:

Oh, I think me and Kevin are gonna chill tonight but you’re more than welcome to come over any time. Love you!

You:

Love you too.

You set your phone down and turned on something random you’d seen a hundred times before. You laid down on the couch and scrolled through instagram. Mindlessly liking posts you smiled as you saw some tour announcements for some bands you and Hunter both liked. You screen shotted them to show Hunter later and to talk to your parents about it.

You switched over to tik tok. What better way to pass time than to scroll on tik tok. The TV becoming background noise at this point.

You jumped slightly as there was knocks on your door and repeated ringing of the doorbell. You looked at the time in the corner of your phone and seen over a half an hour had passed.

“Who the fuck is here?” You wondered out loud. School wasn’t out yet and you’d be damned if Hunter skipped class. You opened the door and it was none other than your dark, long haired boyfriend.

Except something was different, Hunter's eyes were bloodshot red, he repeatedly was sniffling, and his hair was uneven and looked like a botched haircut on one side.

The rain ran down his body soaking him, “Hunter…hun what happened?” You pulled him into your house.

“Tell me what happened love?” You sat him down next to you on the couch. You turned off the TV and held both of his hands giving him your full attention.

“Skip Hoffman happened,” Hunter sniffled again. He let out another sobbed and you wrapped your arms around him tight. You felt like you were holding him together, his arms were bare and felt cold from the rainy day.

“That fucking pig,” you scoffed from where you were pulled into him, “I’m gonna kill him actually!”

“He got suspended, two weeks. But they’re totally gonna ass rape me when they get back for getting them suspended.” Hunter sighed, choking on sobs and sniffles.

“Well it’s not your fault he got what he deserved,” You sighed and pulled out of the hug. You gently wiped your thumbs under his eyes, wiping his tears away. You grabbed the kleenex box off of the end table and put it in his hands.

“I’m gonna go get you some water and what do you wanna do about your hair?”

“Can you cut it?” Hunter sighed, pulling out a tissue from the box.

“Okay, I’ll do it just tell me what you want honey bee,” You nodded and walked into your kitchen filling a cup with cold water. You brought it back to him and handed him the cup. He took a few drinks and set it on the coffee table. “Can you shave this side of my head?” Hunter ran his hands through his hair.

“Yeah, yeah totally like Dave Navarro's one haircut?” You asked him and ran your hand through his hair.

“Yeah,” Hunter giggled and looked down with a small smile spreading onto his face.

“Okay come on up to my bathroom and I’ll do your hair,” You smiled taking his hand and leading him up the stairs to your bathroom.

You knew what you were doing; you'd always had an interest in cutting hair. So Hunter usually trusted you to cut his hair.

“Okay sit,” You pointed to the edge of the bathtub. You smiled and gently tugged his shirt off.

“Oh thank you,” Hunter smiled and looked up at you as you got out your clippers.

You chuckled and draped a towel around his shoulders and kissed his forehead.

You turned on the clippers and you saw Hunter cringe a little but you began shaving off the uneven cut black hair.

Hunter watched as you concentrated on doing his hair. The way that you gently bit on your lip and narrowed your eyes a bit.

“What?” You giggled realizing he was staring at you.

“It’s cute when you’re concentrating.” Hunter had a proud smirk on his face. You finished his hair and blew dry the extra hair off of him.

“Okay take a look hun,” you took the towel off of him and shook it off in the bathtub.

“Love, this looks amazing!” Hunter ran his hand over it then pushed his hair back a bit.

“You look totally badass,” You hugged him again leaning against his bare chest.

“Thank you, thank you for everything love. I’m really sorry that I’ve been really distracted with the battle of the bands. I'm going to try and do better.” Hunter rested his chin on the top of your head and squeezed you tighter in a hug.

“That means a lot to me,” You leaned into him, “But I also want to see you do amazing and kick everyone's asses.” You giggled.

“And we’re totally going to.” Hunter pressed a kiss to the top of your head and let the hug continue.

[nicklloydnow]

“I wasn’t a fan of the music so much. I was just a fan of Axl and his vibe. I remember seeing him on MTV in that feather boa. Melissa always tells me it wasn’t a feather boa, though. But I saw him wearing one of those things Dave Navarro aways wears with his shirt off. Axl is wearing it with this spandex.

I saw this video where Axl was yelling at the audience, “Hey, can someone get that guy? Fix that!? No? Fuck it! I’ll fix it!” And he dives into the audience. I was like, “Holy shit, this guy is rad. What the hell?”

(…)

Like I said, I joined the band because of that attitude and because of the aura that was like Led Zeppelin. I loved it. Everyone else was sitting there, freaking out, like, “Oh my God. Axl is two hours late!” I was sitting there eating an ice cream like, “Who cares? Maybe we won’t even play! That’s even better! As long as the money comes, who gives a shit?” I totally felt like the chaos never died. I was so into the vibe of that. He might have been brilliant. He might have freaked out onstage. I was into it.

I totally remember the Philadelphia one. I was in the hotel. I kept calling the tour manager. I was like, “Hey dude. Do I need to come down yet? Do I need to play this show? What’s going on?” He was like, “Just stay there.” I was like, “Something’s weird.”

We had just played Madison Square Garden the night before and killed. I look over and there’s Beyonce and Jay-Z and Chris Rock, and they’ve loving it. We did a great show. Here we are now in Philly and we don’t know where Axl is or what’s happening.

I’m loving it. I’m literally eating pasta like, “This is cool.” I get a text from Mix Master Mike’s wife. She’s like, “Brain, are you guys showing up? They’re throwing things and yelling at Mix Master Mike. He’s been playing the same DJ set for about an hour and a half.” I’m like, “Dude, I don’t actually know.” We finally get the call that he’s not coming. They went, “Everyone go home. This is the last show.” I was like, “Oh, shit…”

If he didn’t feel like playing, for whatever reason, he just wouldn’t show up. He knew it would likely invite a consequence like a riot or a cancelled tour, but he didn’t seem to care back then.

That’s on the biggest level. And I’m not saying it’s right, but that’s kind of like the stories I’d hear about Bernie Worrell and George Clinton getting into their shit. He’s willing to throw it away. In the end, I don’t know. I saw Bernie towards the end when I heard he was sick. I went to one of his last shows. In the end, I don’t know if it’s worth it.

But now Guns N’ Roses show up on time, Melissa tells me. They play for four hours and it’s the most amazing show. So go figure. But I kind of dug it. I have the stories. I have the experiences. I can play the fuckin’ drums — that’s boring.

(…)

When I got in, it was just a lot of trial and error regarding what we were going to make, what style of music. It was a new band. Also, Axl takes his time anyway. And now because it’s this whole new thing, it will be twice as long. Then it became almost like a folklore. It was like, “Now it’s gone this far, it might as well just be $12 million, $13 million. Ten years. Let’s go for the record.” I don’t know. [Laughs.]

(…)

I just loved the fact that I was in Guns, but I was doing other things, like taking golf lessons every day and learning computers and programming and orchestration and music theory. And then you get a call like, “Hey, Axl needs you.” I was like, “This is the closest I’m going to get to the Zeppelin thing. Who gives a fuck? Make it go forever. This is the coolest thing, that it took 10 years.”

(…)

I had the joke in the studio one day when they were playing the playback. I said, “Dude, I think the zeroes and ones are getting worn out.” It was played so many times and there’s ten different hard drives and “that’s in the vault somewhere, we have to go get it.” There was just so much labor.

I agree with a little bit of that. When I listen to it, it has its thing. Is it how I feel when I hear Appetite? No. Is it how I feel when I listen to Use Your Illusion or The Spaghetti Incident? No. But it has its own thing. It’s very dense and very electronic-y and very metronomic. It’s got that.

(…)

Bucket just struggled with the politics behind it. Bucket was a true musician in that he just wanted to play. He’d be like, “Why does it have to be so hard? Why can’t the album just come out?” I was basking in it: “That’s part of the gig, dude.” He wasn’t feeling it. We had a little bit of a falling-out. He was like, “It seems like they’re just getting off on this.” I was like, “It’s not that I’m getting off on it. I’m just trying to let it be what it is. I’m not going to be able to change it, obviously. So I might as well get what I can get out of it.”

(…)

Each tour had their own little thing. They all had chaos. Every three days, you never know what was going to happen. We had some of the best shows, some of the worst shows. It was all kind of this rollercoaster. That kept it interesting to me.

(…)

But in the end, if we started at 1:00, the show would finish at 4:00. And Axl would give everything into that show. I’ve never seen that fuckin’ dude wimp out ever. If it starts at 1:00 am, that show is going to finish at 4:30. And even if you’re asleep, he’s still screaming.

(…)

It really was, for me … The fun of Axl and the attitude kind of went away. I found myself like, “Here I am playing ‘Nightrain,’ doing the cowbell part. There’s something else left for me in music, and it’s not this.” Everyone is always like, “What happened? Were they jerks?” No. Mainly for me, it was that I wanted to do something else with my life.

(…)

That’s the beauty of what I love about Axl. He let us go in there and reconstruct and fuck with the files, and even his voice, and play with them. We put some crazy techno beats and electro beats and Wu-Tang beats and all this kind of stuff, and allowing us to do those halftime shows with the remixes. It’s why I still work with them. It’s moving forward for me, musically, in that sense.

Will it ever come out? That’s when it hits the corporate side of stuff. Now Slash and Duff are back. Are they into it?”

“5. "Scraped" (from 2008's Chinese Democracy)

Even on an album that serves up industrial metal, trip-hop and glam rock in equal measure, "Scraped" is a doozy. Nothing can fully prepare your body for the blunt-force impact of a half-dozen Auto-Tuned Axls roaring out of your speakers in the song's acapella intro. From there, "Scraped" settles into a pummeling funk-metal groove, with Rose delivering self-empowerment mantras (a rarity for the frequently dour or introspective frontman) in a pinched, heavily processed mid-range voice. There's also some bizarre vocal clipping at the 1:19 mark — God only knows if it was an egregious editing mistake or a bold artistic statement on Rose's part.

4. "If the World" (from 2008's Chinese Democracy)

Guns N' Roses previously covered Wings' "Live and Let Die," the title song to the 1973 James Bond film. So, it makes perfect sense that Axl Rose would release his own fictional Bond theme 17 years later. What makes less sense is its wild amalgamation of trip-hop beats, flamenco guitar, synthetic strings, electro-funk pulses and bluesy piano tickles. "If the World" is one of the most out-of-character songs Guns N' Roses ever released, but Rose's 150-percent vocal conviction and lush, atmospheric production make it endlessly fascinating nonetheless.

3. "Oh My God" (from 1999's End of Days soundtrack)

Any lingering doubts about Axl Rose's evolving musical interests were promptly squashed when he emerged from his half-decade seclusion with "Oh My God," which evokes Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, and appeared on the End of Days soundtrack alongside the likes of Korn, Limp Bizkit and Rob Zombie. Squalls of guitar feedback, cavernous drums and Rose's hyper-distorted wail dominate the blistering industrial-metal track, punctuated by a catchy dance-beat bridge and a few snatches of playful clean singing. Taken at face value, "Oh My God" is a fun, pulverizing oddity, but it was a disappointing and underperforming comeback. Slash even said in 2000 that the track "convinced me that my departure had been a wise decision, and that Axl and I were definitely no longer on the same wavelength musically."

(…)

1. "Absurd" (2021 single)

Say what you want about the first original Guns N' Roses song in 30 years to feature Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, but it's certainly not a misnomer. Originally written during the Chinese Democracy sessions and performed in 2001 under the name "Silkworms," "Absurd" is a clobbering punk-metal maelstrom full of pulverizing drums, choppy riffs and some of the filthiest, most repellent lyrics of Rose's career. Oh, and then there's the mind-boggling ambient interlude breaking up the tumult, because why not? "Absurd" is brash, distasteful and a laughably illogical choice as a comeback single from the semi-reunited GNR lineup. In other words, it's classic Guns N' Roses.”

[dear-indies]

hi cat and mouse! i was wondering if you could please help me find a fc for my oc? i’m looking for a male fc around mid to late 50s , with a bit of a beard , who can play an older retired rocker type ? maybe a bit of a recluse , with fatherly energy ? if that makes sense ? can be white but also open to other options!

Dylan McDermott (1961)

Henry Rollins (1961) - no beard but has visible tattoos!

Emilio Rivera (1961) Mexican.

Benjamin Bratt (1963) Quechua Peruvian, German, and English.

Lenny Kravitz (1964) Afro-Bahamian, African-American / Ashkenazi Jewish.

Keanu Reeves (1964) Kānaka Maoli, Portuguese, English, Scottish, at least 1/16th Chinese, remote Dutch / English.

Tommy Flanagan (1964)

Dave Navarro (1967) Mexican [Spanish, some African, possibly other] / English, German, remote Welsh.

Ian Harvie (1968) - trans.

Marcus LaVoi (1968) Ojibwe.

Jack Black (1969) Ashkenazi Jewish / German, as well as Northern Irish, Scottish, English, remote French and Welsh (converted to Judaism).

Peter Dinklage (1969) - has a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

Naveen Andrews (1969) Malayali Indian.

Here ya go!

[janamelie]

LGBT+ Characters

What This Isn’t

A claim of “proof” of the sexuality and / or gender identity of any of these characters.  We don’t need that or anything else to “justify” shipping.

What This Is

A reference post to collate instances in canon which could indicate LGBT+ characters.  In the case of regulars, I won’t include every instance as it would simply take too long.

Rimmer

As I was saying… :p

Honestly, Rimmer is so obviously LGBT+ to me that I don’t know where to start.  How about his reaction to Ace in “Dimension Jump”?

RIMMER: "Commander Rimmer!" I ask you.  "Ace!" Barf city.  I bet you anything he wears women's underwear.  They're all the same, this type, you know, Hurly-burly, rough-n-tumble macho marines in public, and behind closed doors he'll be parading up and down in taffeta ballgowns, drinking mint juleps, whipping the houseboy.

KRYTEN: Sir, he's you!  It's just that your lives diverged at a certain point in time.

RIMMER: Yes, I went into the gents and he went the other way.

KRYTEN: I assume, sir, you are making fatuous references to his sexuality.  If I may point out, if --

Or how about Low Rimmer?  Surely Rob and Doug could have got their point across a little less graphically?

Or if you prefer something less rapey, this passage from “IWCD”.  Unlike the show, Rob and Doug had more time and leeway to explore the characters and this is what they chose to include for Rimmer:

“Rimmer began to regret his outburst. He didn’t like to see his other self upset, and he even contemplated briefly going up to him and giving him a manly embrace. But in a brief moment of homosexual panic, he thought his double might get the wrong idea. Not that he would, of course, because he was him and he knew for a fact he wasn’t that way sexually tilted; so obviously his double wasn’t and obviously his double would know that he wasn’t either, and it was simply a manly embrace meant in a sort of mano a mano kind of way…Perhaps he was tired…Two or three days in bed and he’d be his old self again…Who cared if his copy saw it as a sign of weakness? He’d suggest it anyway.” Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Grant/Naylor, pg 233.

And this from the end of the “Better Than Life” novel, when Holly - whose IQ has been restored - comes up with a way to bring Lister back from the dead (no, not as a hologram):

“Rimmer stood in the hatchway and his face yielded to a grin, which in turn gave way to laughter.  Not his normal hollow braying empty laughter, this was an altogether different noise.  This was a noise his vocal cords had never been called on to make before.

It was the laughter of joy.”

Better Than Life, Grant/Naylor, pg 218.

I know some fans read Rimmer as asexual and you can certainly make an argument for that, most obviously in “Marooned” where he describes his younger self as not “particularly highly sexed”.  Of course, that wouldn’t preclude him also being homoromantic or biromantic.

Lister

No-one’s denying Lister’s obvious attraction to and affection for women, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be bisexual or pansexual.  In fact, his “I’m not gay!” protestations in “Duct Soup” is a fairly common way for people attracted to more than one gender to describe themselves if they don’t feel comfortable using labels.  Given that he was talking to Chloe!Kochanski to whom he’s attracted, it makes sense that he’d prevaricate like this.

And then of course, in the very next episode “Blue”, he dreams about kissing Rimmer.  It’s not only the fact of this, it’s the subsequent scene drawing a direct comparison between him missing Rimmer and Kochanski missing her Dave - her boyfriend.  And despite the ending of this episode, when Lister actually meets Rimmer again, he’s delighted.  Until he realises it’s not HIS Rimmer and even so, he gets used to nano-Rimmer and they eventually become quite chummy.

Not forgetting the chemistry between him and Ace, of course.

Kryten

I know he's a mechanoid, but no-one has any problem reading his relationship with Mechanoid - and later Blob - Camille as romantic and Camille literally says herself that both she and her husband Hector are actually androgynous, which makes Kryten - at the very least - panromantic.

And that’s before we get to his very obvious love for Lister which he states himself in “Back In The Red”.

Holly

Holly was actually conceived as a female character and became male due to Norman Lovett’s original casting.  Sources: “Stasis Leaked” by Smegazine writer Jane Killick and “The Unofficial Red Dwarf Programme Guide” by Smegazine writers Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons.

With Hattie’s replacement casting and later Norman’s return, Rob and Doug may not have intended to create a trans or genderfluid character, but that’s what they ended up doing.

Holly is also bisexual - male Holly was attracted to Hilly and female Holly to Ace.

George McIntyre

It was actually Rob and Doug’s audio commentary on the pilot version of “The End” on “The Bodysnatcher Collection” which alerted me to this possibility.  I know it’s a stretch but I’m including it precisely because I’m indifferent to George as a character and it makes no difference to me whether someone believes this one or not.

During George’s speech at his “Welcome back” party, he says “I don’t want you to think of me as someone who’s dead, more as someone who’s no longer a threat to your marriages - I think Joe knows what I’m talking about!”

We see a man and a woman laughing and the woman playfully pokes the man in the arm.  He stops laughing and looks a bit sheepish.

Rob and Doug comment confusedly to the effect of “Shouldn’t it be the other way round?  This is one of the things we had no control over at this stage.”

Come on, Rob and Doug.  Not only does this scene appear intact in the final televised version of “The End”, you also included extra background on George in “Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers”, showing the events leading up to his death.  Unlike the hologram he replaces, Frank Saunders, there is no mention of George having a wife or indeed any partner, so as far I’m concerned, we shippers can read whatever we choose into this scene.  We would regardless, but the way canon leaves it is particularly open-ended.

Deb Lister and Arlene Rimmer (“Parallel Universe”)

See previous entries.  If their male counterparts are LGBT+ then so are they, plus I always got that vibe from the performances anyway.

Camille

Yes, everyone uses female pronouns for her as that’s how she presents to the crew, but she says herself: “We’re androgynous, but I suppose you could call [Hector] my husband.”

Noel Coward Waxdroid (“Meltdown”)

Mr Coward was gay in real life and his fictional incarnation here greets Rimmer with “Delighted to meet you, dear boy!”  I rest my case.

Nirvanah Crane

And arguably the entire crew of the Holoship according to her speech: “It's a ship regulation that we all have sexual congress at least twice a day.  It's a health rule … Here it is considered the height of bad manners to refuse an offer of sexual coupling … We are holograms.  There is no risk of disease or pregnancy.  That is why in our society we only believe in sex -- constant, guilt-free sex.”

Does that sound as though they’re fussy about the genders of their partners?  It certainly doesn’t to me.  So:

Captain Hercule Platini

Commander Randy Navarro

Commander Natalina Pushkin

Commander Binks

Sam Murray

From the Series V DVD booklet:

“Briefly revived in “Holoship”, it came as a surprise that Sam was male.  In the original pilot script - and Series 1′s deleted funeral scene - deceased crew member “Sam Murray” is said to be dating “Rick Thesen”.  Possibly Red Dwarf’s first gay couple?”

Cop (“Back To Reality”)

I’m sure it wasn’t written as such and maybe he didn’t intend to, but the way Lenny Von Dohlen plays his character’s reaction to the Voter Colonel just pings my gaydar.

Frank Todhunter (“The End”)

I know the conversation in “Duct Soup” (which also includes a reference to a gay crew member nicknamed “Bent Bob” *cringe*) where Kochanski tells Lister that the Todhunter in her dimension was gay is played off as something she made up to take Lister’s mind off his claustrophobia, but she never actually says as much.  There’s nothing to say that at least part of what she was saying wasn’t true.

Ackerman (Series VIII)

In the Series VIII DVD documentary, actor Graham McTavish says he was playing Ackerman as someone who enjoys sex with women “or at a pinch, men dressed as women”.  So onto this list he goes.

Big Meat (“Only The Good”)

I don’t blame you if you’ve blocked this one out as I find the scene almost unwatchable, but he’s the big prisoner who takes to the idea of being Cat’s “bitch” unexpectedly quickly.

Katerina Bartikovsky (“Back To Earth”)

Credit to @clueingforbeggs for noticing that in “Pete Part 1” Ackerman claims to have been “having jiggy-jiggy with the Science Officer’s wife” and connecting that with Katerina being a Science Officer.  There’s nothing to say that the Joy Squid didn’t conjure up the image of an actual crew member.

But maybe the ship has more than one Science Officer?  Well, the way it’s said makes it sound as though there is only one but in “Holoship” Kryten gives Rimmer a mind patch from two officers, one of whom is Science Officer Buchan.  There is no mention of Buchan’s gender so who’s to say they aren’t also female?

Begg Chief (“Entangled”)

“We prefer the ship of green.  And the sexy light man with the lady legs so long and luscious!”

Chancellor Wednesday (“The Beginning”)

Actor Alex Hardy says in Series X DVD doc “We’re Smegged” that he was playing the relationship between his character and Dominator Zlurth with a homoerotic undercurrent and you can see it subtly in his performance.

Dolphy (“Cured”)

All I’ll say about this one is that if Messalina had behaved towards Lister as Dolphy does in this episode, nobody would have doubted that she was into him.

Ziggy (“Timewave”)

Proof that LGBT+ characters in this show work a lot better when Doug isn’t intentionally writing them as such.  Sorry.

Feel free to add any examples I may have missed.

@lord-valery-mimes  @aziraphale-lesbian   @notalwaysweak  @feline-ranger  @downonthepharm-red-dwarf  @hologrammette  @rosecathy  @cazflibs​

[letmekisstheswan]

The One Hot Minute is terribly underrated (IMO)

You may disagree, but I think it’s undeniable that Dave Navarro is a great guitarist and that he did a great job in Red Hot Chili Peppers, specially because replacing John Frusciante is a very challenging task. Dave was already known for Jane’s Addiction so he came to RHCP with his musical identity (?), let’s say. I think he brought more aggressivity to their music and looking back now this period fits very well in their discography, imo. It feels so good to see Anthony Kiedis going mad with songs like Warped, Coffee Shop, Shallow Be Thy Game. I don’t know, maybe one of the reasons why Dave left the band is because his playing style didn’t leave much room for Flea to play (except for Aeroplane)? Or is it because he is as hot as AK, the official Don Juan in the band (for those who watched Funky Monks lol), so basically Dave Navarro had a loud guitar and he was getting the girls too. Damn, Dave! Ok, so cringey jokes asides here are the links to my fave videos of this era. Btw,I won’t make gifs anymore since Tumblr’s stupid algorithms may flag them for having 2 very hot shirtless men on it. 

- Give It Away, Woodstock 94 (with lightbulb costume and AK playing the guitar) - Coffee Shop, 96 - Shallow Be Thy Game, 95 - Madison Square Garden, 96 (ew, Anthony! lol) - Reading Festival, 94 (with fire helmets on Power of Equality) - Guitar Lesson with Dave Navarro (he shows how to play Shallow Be Thy Game) 

Btw, it’s just a shame that I couldn’t find any sox on cox video/photo with Dave Navarro. Can you imagine?

[charterhunter529]

Goapele Change It All Zip

Cached

See Full List On Last.fm

Goapele, Beverly Hills, California on June 25, 2015

Background informationBirth nameGoapele Mohlabane(1)BornJuly 11, 1977 (age 43)OriginOakland, California, United StatesGenresInstrumentsVocalsYears active1999–presentLabelsSkyblaze Recordings (2001–2009) Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings(2001) Columbia Records (2002–2006) Decon Records (2009–2011) Jordan House/Primary Wave Music (2014–present)Associated actsWebsiteGoapele.com

Pastebin.com is the number one paste tool since 2002. Pastebin is a website where you can store text online for a set period of time. Even Closer was rereleased with extra tracks, and, in 2005, her second album, Change it All was released, focusing on the activism in which she had been involved since she was a child.

Goapele Mohlabane(1)(2) (/ˈɡwɑːpəleɪ/; born July 11, 1977), is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means to move forward in Setswana, a Southern African language.(3)

Early life(edit)

Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System.(4) Goapele's New York-born Israeli Jewish mother Noa(5) had been attending protests since the age of 12. Noa attended Friends World College and was studying in Nairobi, Kenya, where she met and married Douglas.(6) Goapele and her older brother DJ Namane Mohlabane(7) were raised in a California South African exile community.(8)

Both of her parents inspired Goapele to become very involved in community affairs at a young age. She attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School, where she led a pre-teen peer-support group. She also became involved in various groups and organizations that combated racism and sexism.(9)

Goapele and Theo Rodrigues(10) have a daughter together, Bahia Osun (born May 2007).(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)

Career(edit)

Even Closer(edit)

Goapele returned to Oakland after her time at Berklee College of Music, where she concentrated on writing and recording songs. In 2001, she self-released her debut album, Closer, which sold 5,000 copies.(16) At the same time, she was building a devoted audience through her popular live performances in the San Francisco Bay Area. 'Closer' peaked at No. 63 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.(17)

In 2002 she reworked Closer, adding five new songs. With the help of her family, she formed her own independent label, Skyblaze Recordings, to oversee her musical career. She released her first nationally distributed album, Even Closer, featuring the single 'Closer,' through Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings. 'Closer' was also featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 movie Honey. In 2004, Columbia/SME Records picked up Skyblaze Recordings for worldwide distribution and rereleased the album with additional tracks. She co-wrote and co-produced the entire album, which is a mixture of neo-soul, trip hop, lieder, and jazz. She also toured North America with the band Spearhead. In 2004, Even Closer peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Charts for Top Independent Albums.(18)

Change It All(edit)

Cached

Her second album, Change It All, featuring the single 'First Love' and the song 'Love Me Right,' was released December 2005. The album featured production work from Jeff Bhasker, Mike Tiger, Amp Live, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, and Linda Perry.(19) In 2006 the album peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Album Charts and No. 2 on the Top Heatseekers while the single 'First Love' reached No. 18 on the Hot Adult R&B Airplay.(18) Goapele appeared on Soul Train to promote the album in May 2006, in what turned out to be the show's final new episode. She also appeared on The Orlando Jones Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, ABC View from The Bay and FOX Good Day Atlanta. Her first three releases have garnered praise from the likes of magazines such as Rolling Stone, Nylon, Interview, Marie Claire, Billboard, Essence, and Vibe. She has appeared on the covers of local Bay Area publications San Francisco Magazine, Diablo Magazine, East Bay Express, SF Bay Guardian, Mugshot Magazine, and City Flight,(20) She was named the number-5 artist to watch in the July 2003 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, made the countdown on MTV’s Top 10 Artists to Watch, and collaborated with ALDO Shoes’ advertisement campaign in its fight against HIV/AIDS, which featured artists such as Avril Lavigne, Ludacris, Dave Navarro, Charlize Theron, Pink, Eve, Rosario Dawson, Eva Mendes, Bow Wow, Ziggy Marley, and Kelly Rowland.

Break of Dawn(edit)

On July 10, 2009, Skyblaze Recordings leaked the single 'Milk & Honey' (produced by Bedrock), the first single from her third studio album of the same title.(21) However, in August 2011, she announced that the album would be titled Break of Dawn. The album is being recorded at the Zoo, home of Goapele's Oakland-based Skylight Studios and will feature production from Drumma Boy,(22) Bedrock, Kanye West, Dan Electric, Mike Tiger, Bobby Ozuna (Raphael Saadiq, John Mayer, Erykah Badu), Malay (John Legend, Mary J. Blige), Jeff Bhasker (The Game, Kanye West, Ludacris, T.I), and other guest musicians. After many delays, the album was finally released on October 25, 2011.(23)

Victory(edit)

In celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa Goapele released the single 'Victory' featuring South African emcee Hip Hop Pantsula, a prelude to her upcoming musical project Victory, which was released in Winter 2010(citation needed) and feature an array of artists from the African continent as well as throughout the Diaspora.(24) The leading track was recorded in English, Setswana, and Xhosa and tries to draw attention to the need for education and resources to combat Africa's most crucial dilemmas. The album will also encompass philanthropy, political and social activism. Proceeds from the project will go to ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa) a non-profit organization working to combat HIV/AIDS, assist children orphaned by the disease, advance human and civil right, educate and empower youth and build bonds between the U.S. and South Africa through Arts & Culture.(25)

In 2014, Goapele signed with singer Eric Benét's record label Jordan House and is in the process of recording new material for her new label.(26)

Strong as Glass(edit)

In 2014, Goapele released Strong as Glass, her fifth studio album. The lead single was 'Hey, Boy' featuring Snoop Dogg and the video was released September 10, 2014, on YouTube.

Collaborations(edit)

The family songbook. Apart from her solo work, she has collaborated with West Coast MCs such as Aceyalone, E-40, Zion-I, and Mac Mall; those involved in the Hieroglyphics Crew; Detroit based vocalist Dwele; and Clyde Carson and Mos Def on the track 'Different.”

Human rights work(edit)

Goapele performed at rallies, demonstrations, and various political events around the world from Cuba to South Africa. On September 14, 2006, the California-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights honored her with its first ever Human Rights Cultural Hero Award(27) during the center's 10th-anniversary celebration, which was titled 'Tribute to a Dream.' The following statement was issued by the Center regarding the award:

We are proud to name internationally acclaimed, Oakland-based (singer-songwriter) Goapele the first recipient of this award. But as successful as she is, Goapele remains deeply rooted in her home community and in the struggle for human rights. We first saw her sing at rallies and demonstrations when both she and Ella Baker Center were just starting out. Today, she is still here with us, side by side, looking forward to a better day for all of our people.

The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is a non-profit strategy and action center. The stated aim of the center is to work for justice, opportunity, and peace in urban America.

Discography(edit)

Studio albums

Closer (Goapele Music, 2001)

Even Closer (Skyblaze/Columbia/SME, 2002)

Change It All (Skyblaze/Columbia/SBMG, 2005)

Break of Dawn (Skyblaze/Decon, 2011)

Strong as Glass (Skyblaze/Primary Wave/BMG Rights Management, 2014)

DreamSeeker (Skyblaze/Primary Wave/Empire, 2017)

Singles

'Closer' (2002)

'Got It' (2003)

'First Love' (2005)

'Love Me Right' (2006)

'Soweto' (featuring Hieroglyphics) (2008)

'Chocolate' (2008)

'Milk & Honey' (2009)

'Victory' (featuring Hip Hop Pantsula) (2010)

'Undertow' (2013)

'Hey, Boy' (2014)(28)

Guest appearances

Hieroglyphics – 'Make Your Move' from Full Circle (2003)

J Boogie's Dubtronic Science – 'Try Me' from J Boogie's Dubtronic Science (2003)

E-40 – 'Show & Prove' from Breakin' News (2003)

Triple Threat – 'How U Talkin?' from Many Styles (2003)

Aceyalone – 'Moonlit Skies' from Love & Hate (2003)

Planet Asia – 'Upside Down' from The Grand Opening (2004)

Tajai – 'Dedication' from Power Movement (2004)

SupremeEx & Tajai – 'Meaning' from Nuntype (2005)

The Team – 'Sunshine' from World Premiere (2005)

Amir Sulaiman – 'They Don't Know' from Like a Thief in the Night (2007)

Zion I – 'Life's Work' from Shadowboxing (2012)

Ben Williams – 'Voice of Freedom' from Coming of Age (2015)

Cassper Nyovest – 'Destiny' from 'Thuto' (2017)

References(edit)

^ abSwan, Rachel (August 5, 2009). 'Goapele Gets Closer to Home'. East Bay Express. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^MacNeil, Jason. 'Goapele > Biography'. allmusic. Retrieved June 30, 2010.

^'Goapele'. Goapele. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^Nero, Mark Edward. 'About Goapele'. About.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^'Goapele Biography – Selected works – Goapele, Music, Closer, 2005, Morris, and Change'. Biography.jrank.org. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^'News'. VIBE. July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.(permanent dead link)

^Crooks, Peter (October 2009). 'Old Soul/New Scene'. Diablo Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^'Harvest Time Staff'. Harvest Time. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^'Information Not Found'. Billboard.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^November 20, 2002, http://www.sfbg.com/37/08/art_music_goapele.html

^https://www.amazon.com/gp/baby-reg/goapele-mohlabane-theo-rodrigues-may-2007-emeryville?lid=3H1Y3ZAFMAYCX

^Golden age: 100-year-old metal artist still creating beautiful pieces In May 2007, Ries found a new source of inspiration, when his great-granddaughter Bahia was born to Goapele Mohlabane, Noa's daughter. Ries' most recent projects were a spoon for Bahia, as well as a mezuzah that was recently installed at Beth Chaim Congregation in Danville.

^http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/13/2953088/back-after-having-daughter-goapele.html(permanent dead link) Now in her 30s and the mother of a 3-year-old daughter

^August 5, 2007, http://wandaspicks.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=132&Itemid=2

^July 28, 2010, http://goapele.com/blog/?p=401(permanent dead link)

^MUSHKASHA. 'Deep Reflections of The Acquarian'. fmshai.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 7, 2004.

^'ASCAP J.A.M. – Where the Future of Music Begins'. Ascap.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^ ab'Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music'. Billboard.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^'Change It All, Goapele, Music CD – Barnes & Noble'. Music.barnesandnoble.com. December 2, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^http://www.goapelepress.comArchived February 26, 2012(Date mismatch), at the Wayback Machine

^Harlem says (July 1, 2009). 'Goapele Milk & Honey:New Goapele Album Song Music'. Rnbmusicblog.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^(1)Archived March 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

^Kwateng, Danielle (July 27, 2010). 'Goapele Talks About Her 'Victory' and Upcoming Album'. Madame Noire. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^'New Music: Goapele with Hip Hop Pantsula – 'Victory''. About.com. July 21, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^Theatrix (July 20, 2010). 'Goapele X Hip Hop Pantsula Present 'Victory''. Goapele.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2012.

^'YKIGS Live: Eric Benet Talks Signing Calvin Richardson & Goapele, Finding Stars in the Subway, New Music'. interview. youknowigotsoul.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.

^Article Tools. 'Changing It All With Goapele | ymib.com – Daily Inspiration'. ymib.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

^'Urban/UAC Future Releases'. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014.

External links(edit)

Official website

Goapele discography at Discogs

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goapele&oldid=986434337'

Lyrics to Change It All

Verse 1: They're closing all the schools down Some teachers work for free now And libraries won't be found Cause there's not enough Can you see a change in your town Small close it's ??? I'm trying to sort it out What we're giving up Chorus: Basically There are people left out From living Comfortably can we figure it out I've been waiting Restlessly for the words to a song That would Change it all Change it all Change it all Verse 2: I never found a 9 to 5 That was worth it from my soul Til I I pursued what brought joy in my life And there's something for us all And I still think it is my right And it's the last and one of few To get the luxery for learning Something I could use Chorus: Basically There are people left out From living Comfortably can we figure it out I've been waiting Restlessly for the words to a song That could Change it all Change it all (If the words could change it all) Change it all (Change it all) Bridge: So many laws are changing They say it's the price for war We send over at least ? billions It's hard to believe that years ago people died to fight But history feels so far away History feels so far away We're not fighting for our lives anymore You're not fighting for my life anymore It's hard to know what's really worth fighting for Or is it killing and dying on the streets Chorus: Ohhh Basically There are people left out From living Comfortably can we figure it out I've been waiting Restlessly for the words to a song That could Change it all Chorus 2: Oh! Basically There's enough for us all So Why can't we somehow figure it out I've been waiting Restlessly for the words to a song That could Change it all Change it all (If the words could change it all) Change it all Change it all Change it all If a song could change it all What if we could change it all (Thanks to Quita for these lyrics)

See Full List On Last.fm

Songwriters: MOHLABANE, GOAPELE K. / AABERG, MICHAEL LOUIS Publisher: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group Powered by LyricFind

[your-dietician]

15 years ago, 'Rock Star: Supernova' rocked reality television

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/entertainment/15-years-ago-rock-star-supernova-rocked-reality-television/

15 years ago, 'Rock Star: Supernova' rocked reality television

Gillby Clarke, ‘Rock Star: Supernova’ winmer Lukas Rossi, Tommy Lee, and Jason Newsted in 2006. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Before David Cook became the first rock winner of American Idol or Adam Lambert made TV history with his game-changing, Jeff Buckley-esque “Ring of Fire” cover, there was CBS’s Rock Star: Supernova — a search for the lead singer for a new supergroup comprising Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, and ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. (Lambert even credited Rock Star: Supernova runner-up Dilana’s “Ring of Fire” performance as an inspiration for his Idol arrangement.) 

The Dave Navarro-cohosted talent show, which premiered 15 years ago on July 5, 2006, was an “anti-Idol” of course, featuring covers of songs by Nirvana, the Verve, Hole, Radiohead, the Killers, Dramarama, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Depeche Mode, the Kinks, Living Colour, Failure, Franz Ferdinand, the Police, Talking Heads, Cheap Trick, Bob Dylan, Soul Asylum, Stone Temple Pilots, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and even the actual Jeff Buckley — at a time when that was unheard-of on all other singing competitions.

“It was real. It wasn’t like karaoke with somebody up there just singing some dumb s***. It was real music,” Lee tells Yahoo Entertainment. “I really think [Rock Star: Supernova executive producer] Mark Burnett was way ahead of his time in wanting to deliver that kind of thing to prime-time America. Like, ‘Here’s some real s***. These guys are going to look for a singer. They’re going to make a record. They’re going to go on tour.’ … It totally was ahead of its time.”

The blueprint for Rock Star: Supernova was arguably created a year earlier with Rock Star: INXS, a questionable and somewhat distasteful reality show set up by Burnett and the surviving members of Australian pop-rock band INXS to replace late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. (Another future American Idol rock trailblazer, Chris Daughtry, actually unsuccessfully auditioned for that show.) Canadian glam-rocker Lukas Rossi eventually won Rock Star: Supernova after performing his self-penned original power ballad “Headspin” on the finale (which, again, was not typical for reality shows of the era), but he tells Yahoo Entertainment/SiriusXM Volume that when his friend suggested he try out for Burnett’s new Rock Star spinoff, he balked — because initially, Rock Star Season 2 was going to be a search for the replacement singer of another big, established rock group, not for the singer of a brand-new band.

Story continues

“My life seemed pretty grim at that point. I was in Montreal, going from friends’ to friends’ houses and trying to get my band, Rise Electric, off the ground. I was literally in minus-40-degree weather, living in an abandoned bowling alley and covering myself up with newspaper just to keep warm. I got a call out of the blue from a friend of mine, [EMI Music Publishing executive] Barb Sedun, and she was like, ‘Hey, there’s this show and they’re looking for a singer.’ And she mentioned another band. I was like, ‘I can’t replace that singer! That’s just not right!’ … It was Van Halen — that’s what she said to me. And I was like, ‘Absolutely not. I don’t want to pretend to be their new singer.’ I mean, I love Van Halen, but that’s just not my persona. I’d be lying to the fans and their fans and to myself.”

Rossi was homeless and destitute after leaving his home base of Toronto following a breakup with a cheating girlfriend, and he had focused all his energy on the fledgling Rise Electric. “I put all my eggs into one basket, because I’m a firm believer. My daddy used to say, ‘Whaddya got for plan B, after all this music s***?’ And I’m like, ‘If you need a plan B, that means your plan A is pretty s***ty, dude.’ So, I didn’t have a plan B. Or a plan C.” Still, Rossi admits that he was tempted to try out for what he believed was going to be Rock Star: Van Halen. “It was a hard freakin’ pill to swallow, because I was frickin’ broke, dude. I had nothing.”

However, a week later Sedun phoned Rossi again to let him know that Rock Star had changed direction, and its second season would instead center on a new hard-rock supergroup featuring A-list musicians, with superstar producer Butch Walker set to record their album. “I was like, ‘Hell yeah, dude! That’s what I was like!’” When Rossi had no way of affording a trip to the nearest audition city, Vancouver, Canada, Sedun footed the bill. “She’s like, ‘I’ll pay for you to get there. Just go and kick ass. I know you can do this. I believe in you.’ I packed up my backpack — I had all my belongings in a backpack — and I went there, terrified.”

Rossi confesses that he “drank a few too many pints” before he tried out with “Headspin” (which he’d written just a week earlier) and Live’s “Lightning Crashes,” and he initially thought he’d ruined his chances. “I was so nervous. I walk in, and there’s this dark room. It’s like really weird, like this little stage lit up with one light and the rest is this empty theater,” he recalls. “And then halfway through that I hear, ‘Why are you sweating so much?’ I was like, ‘Who said that?’ I’m looking around, and then I see Jason Newsted through the darkness. And I said, ‘Oh, hey, dude. I just had a couple of pints and it’s hot as s*** in here. That light above me is hot, dude!’”

Apparently the skunk-haired Rossi’s rock ‘n’ roll attitude — which likely would not have impressed the stuffier powers-that-be on, say, Idol or America’s Got Talent in 2006 — was an asset on Rock Star: Supernova. “There was a chuckle in the darkness,” Rossi remembers. Moments after he left that audition and started walking down the street with his guitar case in hand, a casting agent from the show chased him down and invited him to return the next day. And even later, when Rossi got on the show and botched his live, televised performance of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” — when his “brain took a big dookie” and he forgot the words — that rawness and authenticity worked in his favor. “When you take your life too seriously, man, that only goes so far. That’s, like, a real person. [Rock musicians] trip over things once in a while. We do things wrong. You have to be yourself,” Rossi shrugs. 

Unfortunately, the Rossi-fronted band that formed after the show’s finale was not nearly as successful as the show itself. First, there was a branding issue when the new group, which was supposed to be called Supernova, had to officially change its name to the clunkier Rock Star Supernova (minus the TV series title’s colon), after an established Orange County pop-punk trio named Supernova sued and was granted an injunction. (One key piece of evidence was a Myspace message from Butch Walker noting that Burnett Productions, CBS, Lee, Newsted, and Clarke had been informed that another Supernova already existed, but they had proceeded anyway.) 

The hastily renamed Rock Star Supernova’s surprisingly solid, Walker-produced self-titled album, which included “Headspin” as a single and featured Rossi’s writing credits on four other cuts, debuted at No. 4 in Rossi’s native Canada, where it eventually went platinum. (Check out two circa-2006 performances by the band at Yahoo’s studio below.) But in the U.S., the album stalled at No. 101 on the Billboard 200 and received virtually no radio airplay. It was likely that the reality-television stigma hurt Rock Star Supernova’s chances of being taken seriously in the hard rock world, despite the project’s A-list pedigree.

“I think a lot of people think it’s baggage, like it is not ‘authentic’ or whatever, like it’s the ‘Hollywood TV version’ of something,” Walker, who also appeared as a guest judge on the show, tells Yahoo Entertainment/SiriusXM Volume. “But that being said, I mean, that’s what people sign up for when they watch.”

“We toured everywhere, all the way to Australia and back, but I’m a firm believer that timing is everything, you know?” muses Rossi. “And honestly, I don’t know, because I went out there every single night and gave it my all, dude. Me and Tommy were hungry, but maybe the rest of them — I’m not gonna mention people — but maybe somebody wanted Dilana to win instead of me. We’ll just leave it at that.”

Dilana, who toured as Rock Star Supernova’s opening act in 2007, was actually happy and relieved to place second on the show, as she ultimately didn’t think she was the right fit for the supergroup’s music. “I wanted to get as far as I could, but after I heard their first original, I was kind of bummed,” she confesses to Yahoo Entertainment. “That was exactly when I knew: ‘I don’t want to be the singer in this band.’ I’m not dissing them — I mean, they’re great songs, and Butch Walker is a fantastic, amazing, creative artist — but they’re just not me. They picked me to be the first [contestant] to sing an original on the show, and it was a challenge for me. After that, I knew there was no way I would be in this band, singing this material. And I made the mistake by actually informing some people about it the night before the finale.

“Someone posed the question, ‘What are you going to say [if you win]? What’s your little speech going to be?’ And, I said, ‘Well, if I win it, I’m going to decline it,’” Dilana continues. “Everyone knew it was either Lukas or I, so I said, ‘Lukas, you’re going to get it.’ And I think they were videotaping us at that point. So, I have a sneaky suspicion that somehow the producers got word to the band, and maybe they decided to make sure that I didn’t get picked. … Maybe they told the band and the band was like, ‘We’re not going to get humiliated like that.’ But, maybe the TV people were like, ‘Oh, this would be great television!’ Who knows what happened? But everyone also knew that Lukas was definitely Tommy’s favorite from day one, so it worked out perfectly for me. I didn’t have to embarrass anybody, I didn’t have to get kind of nervous if I had won, and I got exactly what I wanted. I wanted the exposure, and that’s what I got.”

“There was a lot of people involved. There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen. Everybody had their own manager. I mean, you can just see how that’s going to go,” sighs Walker. “There were a lot of people trying to get squeezed through the same rathole with all of their ideas. But they were all great people. I really enjoyed the experience, and Mark Burnett is awesome.”

Rossi was disappointed when Rock Star Supernova lasted only one album/touring cycle, but like Dilana, he used the exposure to further his solo career, and he and Lee remain buddies to this day. (“He’s the best dude. He’s like my tall, skinny daddy. I love that dude,” Rossi gushes.) Most recently, Rossi sang two tracks on Lee’s 2020 solo album Andro, the original “You Dancy” and a cover of Prince’s “When You Were Mine.” And Rock Star: Supernova changed Rossi’s life in a more important and lasting way: Shortly after the show, Lee and Navarro fixed him up with their friend, former adult film actress Kendra Jade. “We met up at Barney’s Beanery and literally spent the next two whole weeks in bed. It was mental,” Rossi laughingly recalls of their first date. Lukas and Kendra eloped in 2007; adopted a son, Bryden, in 2015; and now happily reside in Nashville. 

“The music was secondary [to the Rock Star: Supernova experience]. Everybody I’ve met through that whole journey was so awesome,” Rossi adds. “Like I was telling you, I was on the street, I had nothing, and all of a sudden I get thrown into meeting all these wonderful people. … We were all there to do what we love most. Plus, we got to have free drinks and be on television and make a bunch of wonderful, wonderful fans. I mean, God, it was the best time of my life.”

Tommy Lee and Lukas Rossi (Photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImage)

“That’s all it ever was to be — it was a great experience,” says Lee. Rossi does wish that Burnett had continued focusing on rock ‘n’ roll reality shows instead of moving on to the more mainstream and less rockin’ NBC show The Voice (“Why? That’s like McDonald’s cutting off their Big Macs,” he quips), but Lee does believe that Rock Star: Supernova changed music television 15 years ago, attesting: “I think it paved the way for a lot of the shows that are here today, definitely.”

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This above Lukas Rossi and Butch Walker interviews are taken from their appearances on the SiriusXM show “Volume West.” Full audio of those conversations are available via the SiriusXM app.

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[aion-rsa]

Lucifer Season 5 Episode 12 Review – Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid

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This Lucifer review contains spoilers.

Lucifer Season 5 Episode 12

“Sometimes it feels as if the entire universe is against me.”

I’m going to say up front that I honestly don’t know what to make of this episode, and from the opening scenes, something just feels off in this chapter of Lucifer. At the moment, no one fears the power of the celestials more than Daniel Espinoza, and remembering past history, it’s understandable why he feels this way. While the participants of Lucifer’s highly orchestrated charade may contend they did it for Dan, the truth revealed in “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid” is that most of them did it for themselves.

There’s no question that it’s long overdue for Dan to have an episode to himself, and even though “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid” provides a number of perfectly entertaining elements and moments, it seems to fall outside the more serious, introspective approach much of the season has presented thus far. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there’s something about the exaggerated theatrics particularly involving Dan’s former police colleague Luis Navarro (Wilmer Calderon) and the overstated organized crime stereotypes that leaves us wondering when someone’s going to break out with a tune from West Side Story. 

About this time you’re probably thinking that “Lucifer’s a show that can still explore serious themes without taking itself too seriously,” and I agree with that sentiment one hundred percent. What bothers me most about this episode, and it’s the fault of the characters, not the writers, is that Daniel deserves so much more from those who claim to care about him. He’s terrified of the consequences his life choices will have on him in the afterlife, yet his supposed friends agree to an elaborate ruse that in the end makes him feel even worse about himself. 

Apparently, there is no crime to investigate this time, and Dan is sent to retrieve a Los X gangbanger who’s been extradited back to Los Angeles. At the end of the story, Lucifer comments that Chloe needed to be left out of the loop since she’s a detective and would likely see through the entire escapade. Of course, Daniel’s a detective too, and though we understand that Lucifer looks for any opportunity to humiliate Dan, here, the situation becomes a bit more complicated.

“You would have had to know every single decision I would make,” Daniel concedes about his role in this theatrical farce, but it’s unclear whether Lucifer understands that his response not only pays the detective a compliment, but should somewhat assuage his fears about being sent to Hell once he dies. It’s true Lucifer doesn’t understand the depths of Daniel’s anguish, but Mazikeen and Amenadiel should. Still, Lucifer’s explanation that Dan’s perseverance and steadfast desire to always do the right thing are what make him so predictable also represent the qualities that generally keep individuals OUT of Hell. 

Ordinarily, we might accuse the writers of engaging in emotional pandering, and while they do to a certain extent here, this approach works within the context of the pretense around which the episode is constructed. Maze offers to bring her Russian contacts to help Dan out of the jam in which he finds himself, but she can’t resist getting a dig in a la Lucifer. “Don’t screw up,” she warns him, and then to mock the desperate detective even further falsely admits “I’m only helping you because it’s you.” No, Maze, you’re helping yourself cope with your own feelings of inadequacy. After the big reveal at the end, this scene becomes even more meaningful when we consider Mazikeen’s willingness to abandon any shred of empathy she might possess. One moment she pleads with God to give her a soul, and the next she acts like the demon she claims to abhor. 

Nevertheless, as we sift through the details of “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid,” one thing becomes exceedingly problematic – what Lucifer hopes to accomplish with his plan remains a mystery. Is this supposed to simply be an elaborate practical joke at Daniel’s expense, or in some twisted way remind Chloe’s ex that everyone’s actually on his side? Even before Lucifer reveals his true nature to Dan, the detective struggles to find meaning in his life, and after Charlotte’s death, he comes dangerously close to reaching rock bottom. Now, however, he has a more complete picture of the celestial realities which instead of providing clarity, confuses him all the more. As he explains to Luis when they first meet, learning the Devil and God are real “makes you worry more, not less.”

Taken within its totality, Lucifer’s master plan, while costing him a financial outlay in the nine figures, requires an attention to detail and precise execution that defies reality. Should Daniel have seen through this elaborate ruse and made better decisions along the way? Let’s look past the night of excessive drinking on the eve of his assignment to execute an extradition order and move right to the dead body he finds in his bed. He’s a detective who doesn’t really do much detecting here. Deliver a package of money to the Russian mafia? No problem. Oh wait, it’s not money, it’s a severed head. Except it’s not really. At what point should Dan’s detective spidey sense kick in and put a halt to all of this nonsense?

Read more

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I suppose we could look at things from a different perspective and hone in on the showdown at Lux during which Los X, the Russian mob, and Dan’s improv crew engage in a well executed standoff that leaves everyone dead on the floor. Except they’re not. Okay fine. Maybe this is all an elaborate metaphor for the existential crisis Dan experiences amidst the apparent knowledge that God is fallible and nothing really matters. That said, once the gun battle begins and the sound drops out, “Vaya con Dios” embellishes an otherwise first rate action sequence. But does Dan “go with God?” Isn’t that what Dan should take away from this experience?

I have to admit that after the shooting stops and the smoke clears, I was momentarily taken aback by the apparent loss of two core characters. Again, I have to be honest; the mass resurrection feels like a bit of a cheat, and when we consider the unlikelihood that anything like this could even possibly be pulled off in real life, my thoughts go back to Lucifer’s intentions. He doesn’t intend to help Daniel, but rather humiliate him yet again, driving home the idea that Detective Douche is as incompetent as Lucifer wishes him to be. In retrospect, it might have worked to have the resurrection scene turn out to be Dan’s dying wish, and while it would be a shame to lose Kevin Alejandro’s likeable character, there’s something about this that just doesn’t sit right.

With all of that out in the open, this really is an enjoyable Lucifer episode. Once we learn the reality of Dan’s journey, the overplayed, amusing performances make much more sense and succeed within the unfamiliar context. With Chloe and Lucifer’s father noticeably absent from the story, Maze, Amenadiel, and Linda step up to fill in any narrative gaps. The unexpected nature of Linda’s punch to Dan’s jaw followed by the classic water in the face routine feels real at the time precisely because of their shared history within the LAPD family. It’s always strangely gratifying to see Amenadiel spread his commanding wings, and even though we don’t visually experience him carrying Dan back to LA, it’s still fun picturing the physical humor that inherently exists. And let’s not forget the gangbanger support group at the bicycle shop. Again, classic.

Lucifer’s issues with his family obviously occupy much of the narrative space in the overall Lucifer arc, but “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid” powerfully exposes the fears and insecurities of the Everyman. There’s a certain complexity here that drives the episode, and as critics, perhaps we try to be too clever at times. So I’m just going to sit back with the knowledge that I was clearly entertained by this chapter in the story and pleased that we’ll still have Dan in the picture. And that’s enough.

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Lucifer season 5 is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post Lucifer Season 5 Episode 12 Review – Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[logicalstansadvice]

Women love a bad boy- I know I’ll get crap for this but that’s why I started following Sebastian in the first place. I never thought he was a “good guy”. He’s got a dark edge around him imo. That’s 🔥 af 🤤 He’s not a bad guy either but he’s got bad boi vibes that just.....aaaaahhhhhhh 😩. Here’s some more Seb 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 thank you Mr. Stan 😏😉👅💦

Anon 2: [Cue 3 hour discussion of Seb's nipples]/// and the discussion is still going on in my group well into last night and this morning. 50/50 split down the middle if he really pierced them or not. #teamsuperglue #heaintthatbrave

Anon 3: I feel seb looks somewhere in between tommy lee and dave navarro ... i feel like hes not quite there. Maybe needs longer hair? Lilys pam is awesome tho i was really sceptical but these pics are great!

Anon 4: 3 hour discussion om Seb's nipples 😂😂😂. I've been having the same discussion and I'm seriously thinking he got his nips pierced for this😂

Lady-x-red: Hopefully they're prosthetic nipples? Right? 🤞 (but holy shit Lily as Pam is CRAZY)

Anon 5: Those nipple piercings have to be fake right? Because daaaamn, they look too real and too good to be fake? 🤔🤔 / the PA bloger who posted some pics from set said they were fake.

Anon 6: Seb is looking damn good!

Anon 7: Oooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Anon 8: I was never attracted to tommy, but now I am 😅

Anon 9: I find his look weirdly hot. I did not expect to like it. He lost a lot of weight. He should share his diet to us.

Anon 10: I’m not sure if these fans realize that for the most part they arnt going to get the look down to the T. For example, Stewart’s never going to look like Diana, Kidman’s did not look like grace kelly and rami malek doesn’t look exactly like Freddie Mercury. These were all roles where IMO the look played a significant part to their characters’s image. But its more important for the acting to reflect the soul of the character

💄

[panterashadow]

¥ÖÜ ÕÜGHTÄ KÑÖ￦ 1995 JÄGG£D LÏTTL£ PÏLL ÄLÄÑÏS MØRÏSS£TT£ PÄÑT£R∆'SH∆DØ￦ ØFFÏÇÏÅL VÏD£Ö https://youtu.be/NPcyTyilmYY L¥RÏK: "You Oughta Know" I want you to know that I'm happy for you I wish nothing but the best for you both An older version of me Is she perverted like me? Would she go down on you in a theatre? Does she speak eloquently? And would she have your baby? I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother 'Cause the love that you gave, that we made wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide, no And every time you speak her name Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you die, 'til you die? But you're still alive And I'm here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It's not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know You seem very well, things look peaceful I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity? I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner It was a slap in the face How quickly I was replaced And are you thinking of me when you fuck her? 'Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide, no And every time you speak her name Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you die, 'til you die? But you're still alive And I'm here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It's not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know 'Cause the joke that you laid in the bed: that was me, and I'm not gonna fade as soon as you close your eyes And you know it And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it Well, can you feel it? Well, I'm here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It's not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know I am here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It's not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know ÏÑFØ: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Oughta_Know "You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995) on July 7, 1995. After releasing two commercially successful studio albums through MCA Records Canada, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but did not make much progress until travelling to Los Angeles, where she met Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard co-wrote the song with the latter producing it. L.A. producer and friend, Jimmy Boyle, recorded and engineered the track in addition to recruiting musicians Flea and Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to play bass and guitar on the track. "You Oughta Know"

[losille2000]

A Saving Grace, Chapter 1

TITLE: A Saving Grace CHAPTER NUMBER: 1/? + Prologue AUTHOR: Losille2000 WHICH Henry/CHARACTER: Actor!Henry GENRE: Drama/Romance FIC SUMMARY: All press is good press, right? Not if you ask Henry Cavill. After recordings from a disastrous interview go viral, Henry’s life begins to crumble around him. He has no idea how to stop it from happening. Fortunately, he has a new assistant who could be his saving Grace. RATING: M (sex, language) WARNINGS: Um, nothing yet. Maybe there’s more language in this than I usually use. And I think Henry will be a little dominant. But other than that... none. AUTHORS NOTES: Enjoy!

Previous Chapter. Also on AO3!

A Saving Grace Chapter 1

 Grace slammed her fist on the desk, rattling the computer monitor and other office supplies sitting on it.  She pushed away from her computer and leaned back in her chair, groaning at the ceiling. That was the sixth boyfriend in two years who sent a breakup email instead of having the decency to say it to her face. And that didn’t even include the endless parade of first dates that never turned into seconds, or some that didn’t even last past the first hellos.

 She was done with Internet dating. And Tinder. And all the other horrible websites out there claiming they were going to find her the perfect husband with their scientifically tested matching algorithms and stupidly sweet commercials. None of this shit worked for women who weren’t the idealized version of the feminine form.

 “What’s your problem?” asked the voice beside her.

Grace turned to the thin man sitting at the desk beside her in the open floorplan office.  He pulled off his large headphones and set them on his neck as she frowned. “Do I look like a cave troll, Eli?”

 Eli pursed his pillowy lips and tossed back the dark hair that had fallen in his amber colored eyes. He tried looking like a tortured hipster with frayed skinny jeans, plaid button downs with rolled up sleeves, and that ridiculous floppy hair, but there was no hiding that he was just another pretty boy underneath it all. “Only when Aunt Flo visits, baby.”

 “Ugh!” She kicked the leg of the table harder than she intended, crunching her toes in her bargain brand heels. “I’m so fucking done with this bullshit. Why’s it so hard to find a man in this godforsaken town?”

 Eli looked at her and shook his head. Of course, he didn’t need to answer. She already knew why. That’s what happens to people who live in the most vapid and self-centered place in the world.

 He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and lifted it so she could see, pointing a finger at the screen. “Do I need to call Ty and tell him we’re taking our wifey out drinking tonight?”

 “No,” Grace said. “I’m just going to hang out with Ben and Jerry tonight.”

 “Don’t do that, Graciela!” he cried. “We’ve been doing so good on the food plan!”

 Grace huffed. Yeah, well, she started the blasted food plan because her now ex-boyfriend suggested she do it. She didn’t even know why she agreed; she should have known he wasn’t worth it. All her life she’d been rounder, but she’d never really cared about it, even enjoyed having the extra shapeliness. Until him. Until she began realizing all the men she had any interest in wanted an extremely specific body type in their women. Now, however, she knew it was simply due to her choice in men and nothing to do with her. So that meant she either had to lower her expectations in men or live the rest of her life content with vibrators and fantasies.

 At least Eli and his husband had agreed to do the diet with her, though neither of them had any weight to lose and simply wanted to sculpt their muscles further. And of course, they’d been spectacularly successful, because they were men. Why did they always get it so easy?

 “I’m done with this shit,” she said. “I’m eating all the elotes and frijoles I want, starting this weekend at my mom’s birthday.”

 “Now don’t be drastic,” Eli urged, wheeling closer to her. “You’ve put in so much work.”

 She suffered the disgusting green smoothies and tasteless boiled chicken breasts for months only to lose two pounds. Grace shook her head. “Nope. I like enjoying food more, thank you very much.”

 They were disturbed by Eli’s office phone extension ringing. Grace looked back at her computer screen and the constantly updating Twitter stream scrolling across it. She should get back to work monitoring her accounts, but she just couldn’t make herself do it. Not today. Fuck all these people trying to be something they most certainly were not to impress others. Why had she ever gotten into public relations, anyway?

 She groaned and wheeled forward with another grumble under her breath, reaching for the computer mouse, but froze when she heard, “Navarro! Get in my office!”

 “Now doesn’t that make my fucking day,” she muttered under her breath. Being called to the boss’s office in that tone of voice did not bode well for her, even though she always made sure her work was impeccable. What was he planning to yell at her for now?

 Her boss, Dave, always found reasons to pick at her work or created traps to trip her up. In the beginning, she ignored it because public relations was hard in Hollywood—one of the most difficult fields in the entertainment industry. Emotions ran high and everyone was expected to be on their A-game every single minute of every single hour they were on the clock… and honestly, even when they were off the clock. Their clients’ careers depended on it, after all. She understood his picking in the beginning. As time marched on, though, with men promoted before her and hired after with less education and skill, plus the shit always seeming to land on her head when something went south, she was at a breaking point. And that didn’t even include the number of times he sent her on coffee runs or asked her to make copies when his male assistant was perfectly capable. Dave was nothing more than a sexist pig.

 Grace stood up from her desk and smoothed the sheer blouse over her stomach, making sure it was still tucked into the waist of her pencil skirt.  She bent to look in the little mirror she and Eli kept between them and breathed in a sigh. At least she wasn’t crying after the email, or it would have destroyed her makeup. She refused to give Dave the pleasure of seeing evidence of her emotions smeared all over her face.

 She quickly moved across the office floor and stopped in front of Dave’s door, knocking lightly and letting herself inside the room. Dave sat at the round meeting table inside with another man who was probably in his late forties, good looking with graying hair. She’d never seen him before. He smiled brightly and stood up to greet her.

 “Fred Wellington, Grace Navarro,” Dave introduced with a curt nod between them. “Sit down, Navarro.”

 She shot him a pointed frown and pulled a seat out. “What’s wrong?”

 Dave sat forward and folded his hands over a thick file. “Fred is Henry Cavill’s agent, here on behalf of Henry’s manager, Dany Garcia.”

 “Ooookay,” Grace said, dragging out the word.

 She knew about Henry Cavill. Everyone knew about Henry Cavill and what had happened to the once Golden Boy of the DC movies universe. He had an appalling interview with an unscrupulous journalist who published audio for a very large pay day. The things that were said in the interview were career and character suicide, whether the audio was heavily edited or not, and whether the journalist purposely backed Cavill into a corner to get the incriminating answers she wanted. In PR terms, he was dead in the water and needed resuscitation.

 His previous PR agency dropped him, which led them to her company, Elite Solutions PR, in the hope of recovering his image. Being such a high-profile person, Dave placed the account with his senior staff, not with her, a lowly social media specialist. She hadn’t heard much about the plans to bring his career back to life after the initial intake.

 “Ms. Navarro, nice to meet you.” Fred smiled kindly and stretched his hand out to shake hers. At least Fred seemed like a decent guy.

 Dave blustered and patted his tie down a slightly protruding beer gut.

 Grace smiled back. “You, too.”

 “Fred and I have been talking about the targeted campaign we’ve put together for his client’s reintroduction to the public,” Dave explained. “Since Warner Brothers decided to keep him on as Superman, they want to use the Justice League promo tour to help springboard a new image.”

 She nodded, trying not to hope this was Dave offering her a promotion. As much as she could use the boost in pay and an office of her own—with windows—she didn’t want this one because Dave would micromanage the shit out of her. “Why don’t you just send him to rehab like everyone else who needs an image reboot? People love comeback stories.”

 Fred sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ve floated that to him, but he refuses.”

 “It worked with Affleck—”

 “Right, but it works in Ben’s favor because he plays Bruce Wayne. Superman is a golden hearted country boy and a stint in rehab doesn’t suit the image, which WB then agreed with. And his business manager didn’t like it either. It’s why we’re here and signing with Elite. Our previous PR fired him because he wouldn’t accept that media plan.”

 So on top of being a chauvinistic idiot stuck in the 50s, he’s stubborn as fuck. Great.

 “I’m not understanding why you need me, Dave. I’m just a social media specialist,” Grace said.

 Dave cleared his throat. “We’re getting there, Navarro.”

 She flattened her lips into a line. Double great, she thought. From his tone of voice alone, she knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

 “Henry has, however, agreed to play the long game. To be better in interviews and follow the guidance of his PR assistant in future interactions with the public,” Fred explained.

 “We’re planning to get him in at several charity functions along the publicity tour to bolster the positive side of his image,” Dave explained. “That’s in addition to a few puff pieces we’ve hand selected to give him the best coverage. When it comes to film-specific interactions, we will yield to WB’s publicist, but our firm will always be represented.”

 Grace understood. “So you’re sending him a babysitter.”

 Dave’s beady shit brown eyes narrowed. “Precisely, Navarro. And you’re the babysitter.”

“Excuse me?” she asked.

 Fred gave her a tight smile. “He doesn’t have a personal assistant at the moment, either, so I thought whoever Dave selected for the position might take on a few of those tasks for the promo tour to cut cost. It’ll keep him out of trouble—away from clubs, women and alcohol. At least until this all blows over.”

 Grace puffed up her cheeks and blew out a long stream of air. “With all due respect, the man practically lives in a club. How do you think you’re going to keep him out of one?”

 “That’s your job,” Dave said.

 “And I am also a woman,” she replied. And I fucking love tequila.

 Dave glanced over at her, his eyes slithering down her body and back up to her face. He made his point without having to say anything, just like Miranda Priestly did to Andi Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. She needed a scalding shower to clean off the slime now on her skin.

 “If I refuse?” Grace asked.

 “I’ll expect your resignation on my desk in the morning, then,” Dave replied.

 She rolled her eyes. What choice did she have anyway? It was fucking impossible to get your foot in the door at an agency like this anywhere in Los Angeles. She didn’t have the funds to move elsewhere in the world to a location with a high demand for publicists, and she certainly needed the funds she did have to pay her bills here. And then there was the matter of starting all over again, from the ground up, with no family or friends to help in a distant location. She sure as hell wasn’t about to do that with another boss who could be worse than Dave.

 Grace sank back into her seat and glanced across the table at Fred, who still looked apologetic about Dave’s behavior. At least there was someone with a little heart in this industry.

 “What about my other accounts?” she asked. She had no other suitable objections to the work but those.

 “We’ll split them between Elijah and Lachlan,” Dave said. “Your soul responsibility for the next two months is Cavill—make sure he stays on the straight and narrow and don’t let other people goad him into spouting off again.”

 She locked her jaw and gave him a swift, curt nod. She could do it; what could possibly be so hard about shepherding a wayward movie star? She just wished that someone else had been assigned the task. PR assistant was one thing, but they also wanted her to be part personal assistant. Knowing that Dave thought so little of her contribution to the office that he was willing to assign her a task rife with picking up dry cleaning and grocery shopping set her teeth on edge. Or maybe he had the greatest amount of trust in her that she’d do the job so well, that he felt comfortable giving her the responsibility?

 Grace looked at the balding man again. No, he didn’t trust her. Couldn’t possibly. She didn’t have the necessary appendage. But she was a woman, so he must have figured she’d be good at getting coffee and cleaning up after an arrogant actor.

 “When do I start?” she asked.

 Fred smiled. “Tomorrow morning. Say… ten? You can dress casually, though. No need for business attire…”

 …when you’re running around doing errands.

 Yeah, she knew what he meant.

 “Great,” she replied and turned to Dave. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to finish off if I’m handing my accounts over before I leave.”

 Dave waved her off without another thought.  She nodded at Fred and beat a hasty retreat out of his office. She went directly for Eli’s desk and held her hand out, wiggling her fingers. “I need a cigarette.”

 “Okay, I’m definitely not letting you have one of those,” he said, looking up at her. “You told me never to let you have another one when you quit last year.”

 “But I need one,” she groaned. “My life has just turned to shit in a half hour and I need something. Anything.”

 Eli squinted. “That bad, huh?”

 Grace groaned and raked a hand through her long black-brown hair. Her fingers snagged on a tangle deep in the voluminous tresses. She winced. “Please.”

 He reluctantly pulled out his latest pack and stuck one in her hand with the rainbow-colored lighter. Eli was never one for subtlety. “Don’t come crying to me because you’re hooked again.”

 She rolled her eyes and darted through the office for the exit leading to the outdoor smoking area. Even before she flicked the wheel on the butane lighter, she felt the tingle and burn of smoke filling her lungs, the eventual long pull relaxing her frayed nerves. God, she needed one of these.

 Grace sucked in another mouthful, resting her back against the brick façade of their first-floor office. The heat of the sun had baked the red bricks throughout the day, which in turn heated her back and scratched against her body like a five-hundred-dollar hot stone massage, which she definitely didn’t have the money for, so it was nice to lean there and enjoy the sensation. Small pleasures and all that.

 She turned her face up to the clear blue sky and hot sun. Sometimes living in SoCal had a lot of negatives like superficiality and traffic, but warmth in October was definitely a positive. It wouldn’t be this warm in the other places she would be traveling in the coming months; she figured it was worth it now to soak it all up. Why she even considered leaving LA a few minutes ago confused her. Between the sunny days and her family, she couldn’t imagine living any other place in the world.

 A clearing throat made her turn her head.  She blinked away the sun, allowing her pupils time to adjust to the shadow on her left. Fred was standing just outside the door, his hands in his pockets. He was taller than her, not by much, but he still gave her a feeling that he was powerful. Except he was also soft spoken and one of those men who didn’t need to raise his voice to be heard.

 “I’m sorry for intruding,” he said. “I wanted to talk with you a little more.”

 “About?” she asked, raising a brow at him. Her objective with their mutual client was simple: mollycoddle the hell out of him and don’t let him talk to anyone.

 He smiled. “About your new charge.”

 Grace dropped her shoulders and pushed away from the wall. She snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray to her right and stepped into the shade. Dark skin or not, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with skin cancer.

 “He’s a decent guy. I know what you must have heard about the story and it doesn’t paint that type of picture,” Fred said, “but I’ve never known him to be like that—with me or with women. Sometimes, though, he has word vomit. He’s almost… socially awkward, you know?”

 She nodded. Even though she’d worked in this business for five years and met a lot of famous people who always seemed to have it all, there was always something that they were desperate to overcome or hide. It’s why they hired publicists—to hide or minimize their brokenness or their problems. The public wanted perfection. They wanted to live their lives in dream worlds and fantasies based on these people who supposedly had it all. Unfortunately, the public usually didn’t get to see just how fucked up their idols’ lives were because of people like her.

 “He’s been my client for ten years now. He’s good people and I want to see him succeed, not just because he’s my star right now,” Fred said.

 She heard his earnestness. Fred was a good guy, whether he was a cutthroat in the industry or not. “I understand.”

 He coughed into his hand and stepped forward. “And I want to make sure that you’ll do your best. Dave can be—”

 “Yeah, I know,” she said. “But he’s the best fixer in this industry.”

 “Definitely.”

 Grace sighed. “Mr. Wellington—”

 “Fred,” he corrected.

“Fred.” She really did like him. He didn’t give off the air of sleaziness that so many in this town did. “I plan to do my job to the best of my abilities. Believe me.”

 And it was the truth. Even though she despised the reason for being placed in this role, she never shirked her responsibilities. She worked hard and took pleasure in hard work. Life was hard, too, but it could have been harder if she didn’t have such a strong ethic. Sometimes, though, it was a lot to handle all at once. By tomorrow morning, after having some time to cool down and re-center herself, she had little doubt she would perform admirably.

 Fred smiled again, looking her over, from feet to head, but it wasn’t in the smarmy way Dave had done in the office. This appraisal was one of measurement—measuring everything about her that wasn’t physical, if he could do such a thing by judging her exterior. “Have you had a chance to meet Dany Garcia, yet? She’s Henry’s business manager.”

 “Unfortunately, no,” she said.

 “But you have heard of her before today?”

 “Oh, yeah,” Grace replied with a nod. Dany was Dwayne Johnson’s ex and his wildly successful business partner with her own powerful management firm. “Who hasn’t? She’s created an empire.”

 “That she has,” Fred said. “You remind me of her. You have the same chutzpah. I think when you meet her and the team, you’ll hit it off. She didn’t come today because she can’t stand Dave, so she asked me to do the dirty work.”

 Grace laughed at his explanation. “I’m sorry you had to deal with it, too.”

 The man shrugged and stepped closer to her as though they were conspiring on some great plot. “Play your cards right, and I’ll make sure Dany finds a position for you on her team after the tour.”

 “Are you serious?”

 “As a heart attack.” He grinned and reached into his suit coat for a business card. Then he offered it to her. “If you need anything at all, please call my direct line. They have the dossier and all your information inside, but someone from Dany’s office will meet you at Henry’s tomorrow morning.”

 Grace looked at the card and ran her finger over the raised lettering and expensive linen cardstock. She looked up and offered her hand again. “Thank you, Fred.”

 “No problem, Grace,” he said and stepped away from her, toward the sidewalk that would lead him to the parking lot. “Remember, I’ll be watching you.”

 She saluted him as he strode away. He drove off in a shiny Mercedes. Finally, she sighed and looked at the watch on her wrist. “I guess break’s over.”

 At least, she thought as she opened the door into her office, the afternoon wasn’t a total waste. It was enough to get her back to her computer to close shop for the foreseeable future. The only problem left was breaking it to Eli that she wasn’t going to be around as much.

[behindthespotlightfic]

chapter 9

(Hello! I’m back with another chapter, and I’m really sorry it’s been so long between updates... I’ve been through kind of a writer’s block, and this chapter is again a bit of a filler... Hope you still like it though. Don’t forget the feedback, and see you in the next chapter!)

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“Well, I got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train... I'm goin' back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain”

(House of the Rising Sun, The Animals)

The sun wakes up in New Orleans, and thus, I do wake up too. My eyes take their time to get used to the light, even though it’s not really intense, and even longer to recognise the room I’ve slept in. But eventually I remember it all; the suitcase I packed about twenty hours ago, the plane, the hotel… and the reason I’m here.

It’s January 10th, 2017, and a few days ago I embarked in another journey, otherwise known as the North American leg of the Getaway World Tour.

I’m not really anxious nor especially excited about it; at least, not more than the rest of the tour, that is. But it will be nice not only to be in my homeland, which I did on the 21st of December when we finished with the European leg, but to be travelling around and working here as well, doing what I love the most. Plus, we’ve already done some shows in San Antonio, Dallas and such, so the excitement of the first days is not as intense now.

I should give an update on some things that happened, though.

I spent Christmas with Steve and Lisa, in their home in Irvine, an hour from Downtown Los Angeles, along with their children. I got to be an aunt for some days, which I am really glad for, and I felt extremely welcome there. It was almost like not needing my real family, which is never an option… but we’ll come back to that in another moment.

And so when New Year’s Eve came, it was my turn to go to San Diego. Finn and I had the greatest NYE ever, complete with a late night throwback party in a club where everything they played was from the 70s to the 90s, especially the latter. We couldn’t help laughing out loud when a terrible remix of Californication started blasting, and we jumped and danced as if we didn’t know it, as if we didn’t hear it each and every night of our lives. And as we were singing along to Hit Me With Your Best Shot, by Pat Benatar, Finn, full of joy, took me in his arms and yelled into my ear: “I love you!”

That left me a bit struck. Suddenly, it was hard to keep up with the upbeat tempo of the song, be it for better or worse, and I couldn’t help but feel at peace. Finn’s energy (when he’s willing to be that lively, of course; he isn’t always like that, but it’s my favorite version of him) soothed me so much and made me feel at home, and at the same time, especially because of what he had just said, urged me to raise up and scream with jubile. I think it was that contradictory feeling, in that specific moment, that made me realize it; I could finally say I was in love with Finn. And I said it, I shouted it out loud at last. “I LOVE YOU TOO, FINN HUNTER!”

No one heard it but the two of us, but that was the point; we didn’t need anything else. So right now I feel better than ever, as far as my love life is concerned. (I also have to say that this has made me improve a bit regarding my self-esteem as well, which wasn’t alarmingly low or anything, but I still feel better about myself now.)

When I came back from San Diego, on January 2nd, I spent the last few days before starting work again in L.A., just relaxing and visiting people and places. I was at Clara’s, for instance, but this time with Flea, Loesha (Clara’s mother) and her family. They know about her breakup now, and we all have, more or less, talked to her about it in order for her to go through it as easier as possible. Things will work out, even if it takes time, I’m sure about it. But I won’t stop texting her whenever possible.

So. Back again to today. I dress up in comfortable clothes, and go out for breakfast. I’m used to waking up early; I got into the habit when I was a teen (it wasn’t easy, it’s true, but I eventually got the hang of it) so I could make the most of my day, and I still can’t wake up later than 8 am. Finn is not like me in that sense, so I leave him asleep in the hotel room, amid the dim light of the morning, toned down by the blinds.

I wander around the French Quarter of the city, which I don’t really know but have been eager to explore for some time now. The weather isn’t as sunny as it was in California, but again, there are few places in the United States which are warmer than California. Maybe Florida. Anyway, I walk down the worn streets of the oldest neighbourhood in the city, until I find a tiny cafeteria on the corner between two 18th-century-looking wide streets. I don’t know whether they are truly historical or if it’s a tourist attraction, but whatever, I don’t really mind either, so I sit on a comfy, padded chair and ask for black coffee and a sandwich.

It’s beautiful, being in New Orleans, knowing that it was here that jazz began. I’m a visual arts person, but given my love for music, I can’t help but admire the music culture tradition that has endured over the years. To think that Louis Armstrong or the guitarist Eddie Condon may have walked those same streets I just strolled down almost gives me chills. I’m not as acquainted with jazz as I’d like to, but I’ve come to have a huge interest in it, especially when I started playing the guitar. I looked for classic musicians to have as role models, and even though my style is probably more similar to rock than to anything else, I wanted to look up to as many different playing styles as possible. So now I’m as familiar with Melissa Etheridge or Jimi Hendrix as I am with Chuck Berry or Buddy Guy.

One thing leads to another, and the thought of jazz guitarists in New Orleans makes me think of how I started playing. I don’t think I started because of one single reason, but Josh Klinghoffer was definitely one of those motives. He had known the Chilis for a long time when he joined them as their lead guitarist, but in some kind of way he was the new guy, just like I was the new girl. And not only did we quickly become friends, as I’ve already explained, but I started paying attention to his way of playing as well. I think it was a month or so after meeting him that he got me curious and I dusted off the green electric guitar I had had for more than ten years hidden in a cupboard. But it wasn’t only Josh, of course, there was another important factor.

I had been working as a camera operator since I was twenty-seven, quite a long time if you stop and think about it. It’s my passion, it’s my vocation, and I couldn’t be happier about it. But there are some times when one feels like he’s always giving, never receiving. It’s like being behind the spotlight all the time, and it’s not that one wants to be in the spotlight, it’s just the feeling that sometimes you’re not that useful. That’s not true at all, but I still needed something which was only mine, something to do when I felt that way, something like having my own private tiny spotlight. So I picked up the guitar, just as an inside joke and convinced I would give up a week after starting, like lots of other hobbies I’ve tried in my life, but somehow, it got me hooked on, and here we are, six years after, still playing.

The origins of my guitar playing makes me think of Josh, and the thought of Josh leads me to another whole topic, which is John. John Frusciante, who was the most famous guitarist the Chilis have had (so far), a well-earned title if I’m not mistaken. I was too late to get to know him: I started working with the band some years after he left, so I only know him as a myth, a glorified legend who once was such a celebrity, he couldn’t stand it. I’ve never talked much about him with Chad, Anthony, Flea or even Josh, who once was a really close friend of his, so I probably know as much as the general public know about him, or even less, because I have never given him much thought. I suppose he’s doing alright, but once I started working with the Red Hot Chili Peppers I just focused on what was there, as I, although familiar with them, had never been a huge fan. The only thing I remember a bit more was the fact that, even that his departure from the band was peaceful and without the slightest argument, the band has never been as close to him as they had been. But everyone follows his own path, I guess.

I let my mind wander and think about guitar players while I finish my breakfast, and lots of names fly around my head: Hillel Slovak and Dave Navarro (the other two important guitarists who played with the Chilis) Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page… and the day unfolds again. I spend the morning walking down the streets of New Orleans, thinking about music and culture and what has shaped the world and myself as well, and with the song “House of the Rising Sun” as an imaginary soundtrack. Later on, I have lunch with Finn and meet Steve and Chad to go together to the arena in which we’re playing tonight. We have a great afternoon, despite the usual, almost boring routine of getting everything ready, doing sound checks and video rehearsals, and by nine (the show starts at ten), everyone’s at their respective dressing rooms, getting themselves ready.

Now, I know it’s a bit like cheating, and I would like to tell my story as a linear sequence of events, but I will allow myself to do something unusual for a second, which is turning myself into an omniscient narrator. I still don’t know it, but something’s about to happen, something really strange which will make the course of things to take an unexpected turn. But that something will have to wait. We have a show to play first.

[placetobenation]

Woodstock 50, despite having not a single ticket sold or available forty days out from its supposed date, is still set to happen in August 2019. Ever since the original iconic Woodstock festival in 1969, concert promoters have been trying to recapture its cultural importance and legacy, along with making stacks and stacks of cash in the process. As evidenced by the current push and struggle for a 50th anniversary, it hasn’t been easy. The 1979 and 1989 seemed to be fine events that only lacked the scope of the original. Woodstock 1999 was a complete disaster. The 1994 incarnation may have come closest to matching the scope of the original and distilling a particular time in rock culture into a weekend-long event.

I’ll opt for the PPV.

In 1994, the American music festival scene wasn’t the well oiled machine it is today, where huge festivals go on around the country every year without a hitch. Like the original ‘69 event it was honoring, Woodstock ’94 had its share of logistic struggles. Despite less than 200,000 tickets being sold at $135 a pop, security couldn’t keep up with the extra few hundred thousand who just decided to hop the chain link fence around the grounds, along with any forbidden supplies in tow. Rainy weather infamously turned the festival grounds into muddy slop, so sleeping in tents and relying on Porta- Johns proved to be a harrowing experience for many attendees. Still, aside from the typical problems that happen when you put hundreds of thousands of people in a muddy field with constant live music, the event went about as smooth as possible. One attendee summed it up well in a Washington Post breakdown: “The rain sucked, but it was worth being there.”

The illegal online feed of ’94.

The big sloppy mess was treated like a massive cultural event, too. Since there weren’t the numerous annual events like Bonnaroo or Coachella that exist today, it was treated as a once-in-a-lifetime happening. Newspaper writers offered their extensive critiques and think pieces about how Woodstock had sold out to corporations. MTV provided constant updates and snippets of performances live from the event. The entire event was filmed and the footage was shot in 16:9 widescreen and HD (in 1994!). In maybe the most 1994 part of the whole thing, if you decided you didn’t feel like sleeping in a mass of filth and buying overpriced Pepsi, you could order the whole event on Pay-Per-View for $50. Woodstock ’94 seems like the perfect illegal black descrambler box program. You could just have it on in the background all weekend and pop in for your favorite acts. Or catch (and tape) any shenanigans that might (and did) go down without spending a dime. It is the perfect time capsule of mid-90s alternative culture with some grizzled rock veterans thrown in for good measure. And since it was so well documented, there’s a ton of footage still available. So here are some observations:

The Headliners

Given this was the mid 90s, the promoters knew they needed some alt-rock superstars to draw people into a big field in the middle of nowhere. Maybe symbolic of the transition of the rock landscape after Kurt Cobain’s death, the lineup is missing any big grunge bands.

By 1994, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were established stars. Unfortunately, that success pushed away fan favorite guitarist John Frusciante, and this is actually the Peppers debut of guitarist Dave Navarro. They come out with the famous lightbulb outfits that are quickly ditched because they are uncomfortable as hell. The performance is about what you’d expect from the band around this time. Anthony Kiedis has Alanis Morrisette-like hair, Flea shouts gibberish, and everyone is shirtless (a common characteristic of nearly every band).

After the insane success of their self titled album earlier in the decade, Metallica were well versed in playing massive festival and stadium crowds, and it showed in this performance, which was complete with heavy pyro. They kept the energy up, especially considering it was well into the night. James Hetfield was going with the heavy trucker look, with a ratty mullet and handlebar mustache combo.

Nine Inch Nails are widely considered to have put on the standout performance of the entire festival, even earning a Grammy for their troubles. Electronic based music normally works well at festivals, and the band, who were completely covered mud, did some characteristic angry theatrics, throwing instruments and instruments around. NIN were the most (or at least most notable) angsty 90s band on the show, which I’m sure was what many attendees were pining for.

Conversely, Aerosmith seems a little out of place on this show. They haven’t been around long enough to truly fit in with the 60s throwback acts, and they obviously aren’t an “alternative” band by any stretch. But they were hot at this time, riding high off some popular albums and the iconic early 90s Alicia Silverstone trilogy of videos. So they were still given top billing, closing out the second night in the wee morning hours with an awesome performance. They did a great job winning over a crowd that was likely skeptical, and they embraced the wild atmosphere of playing in a rainstorm. With such a vast catalog of hits, they can put together a 90 minute set of almost nothing but hits, so you can still get into it without being a huge fan. 

The Rising Stars

Obviously, not every band on the bill were quite as established as the headliners. Blind Melon, who might now be considered sort of a one hit wonder, put on a solid performance. Everyone remembers frontman Shannon Hoon performing in his girlfriends dress on LSD, but his, and the band’s, actual performance was very good. He has a unique voice and interesting showmanship. The Cranberries were a fun band to see in this setting, too. Dolores O’Riordan really seemed to soar in the open air.

Even if they weren’t megastars yet, Green Day were certainly riding high off of Dookie. This performance, one of the more iconic ones of the fest, pushed them into the stratosphere. By the time they took the stage on the final day, the festival grounds had completely deteriorated. The weary crowd began to throw mud on stage, but rather than chastise them (like Primus’ Les Claypool during their set), the band egged them on, threw mud back, and generally embraced the wild atmosphere as fans jumped on stage. Things devolved pretty quickly and the set was cut short, but their propulsive music mixed with the chaos was a highlight of the event. 

The Elder Statesmen

Besides the obvious focus on alternative rock, the promoters wanted to bring in numerous acts who either performed at Woodstock ‘69 or had some connection to it. Joe Cocker was at ’69 and was brought back in ‘94. You might wonder how this crowd might react, but he had them in the palm of his hand. His voice is so commanding, you can’t blame them. You can feel the genuine joy in his singing. He even tells the crowd, “See you in 2019!”

Bob Dylan somehow didn’t play the original Woodstock, but he made up for it here. Playing as the sun set behind the stage, Dylan gives an absolutely killer performance. You don’t often see Bob tearing out lead guitar licks like he does on “Highway 61 Revisited” here. I’m sure the Woodstock crowd wasn’t all Lollapalooza hardcore alt-rock fans who turned their noses at older music, though I’m sure it was a huge chunk. They really responded to the older acts in a time when that wasn’t necessarily a given.

The 1994 Factor

This show is undeniably 90s. There are a ton of band members in baggy shorts with boots (Kevin Martin of Candlebox looks nearly identical to Jay from the View Askewniverse in his). There’s an announcement on the PA that there will be a screening of a new film “Clerks” on the festival grounds.  There are flowing flowery button downs. Every other member of the crowd seems to have cut off jean shorts. You even get some 90s hippie revival fashion going on. You get a nice sampling of the musical landscape of the time. Thanks to Pay-Per-View, the mighty VCR, and people’s personal VHS archives, we can relive it any time we want.