#which is an old song and the tour manager was like wow that’s an old one! and I eas like I love that song :)

[girlinyourphone]

no worse feeling than talking to a gay person and then realizing they have no trans friends lol

[musicforastylesrestaurant]

The Box.

my masterlist || ask me anything <3

my blurb masterlist is here!

authors note - don’t ask me what this is because my brain has some weird ideas and has the weirdest inspiration.

word count - 1.5k

in which, your husband is ready to go on stage for fifteen out of fifteen nights at the kia forum, and the crew team come up with a way for him to get to the stage unnoticed, but his three year old daughter wants to get involved as-well.

Tonight was one of the shows that your husband had to postpone due to the flu. It was his fifteenth out of fifteen shows at the Kia Forum and this time, he was determined to fulfil all of his fans' dreams of seeing him.

Whether it was the first, second, third or tenth time. He always wanted to make them happy.

You stand backstage in the bustling atmosphere of the Los Angeles venue, excitement coursing through your veins as you hold your three-year-old daughter, Amelia, in your arms.

The tour crew rushes around, ensuring everything is in place for the show. Your husband stands nearby in his eccentric yet stunning outfit - silver trousers, a pink open jacket adorned with silver tassels on the shoulder pads, and a pair of pink Adidas Gazelles on his feet. He looks every bit the rockstar he is, and you can't help but smile proudly.

"Mommy, is Daddy going to sing for the people?" Amelia asks, her big curious eyes fixed on her father.

"Yes, sweetheart," you reply with a soft grin, nuzzling your cheek into her brunette curls. "Daddy is about to go on stage and sing his songs for all the fans."

"Wow!" Amelia gasps in awe.

Her gasp of awe alerted her father, who instantly made his way over to the two of you, he wrapped his arms around your waist, and hugged the two of you close to him, the feeling of his rings cool against your skin.

"Hey, m’loves," Harry greets, planting a gentle kiss on Amelia's forehead. "Are y’excited t’see Daddy perform?"

Amelia nods enthusiastically, hugging her small arms around his neck. "I love you, Daddy!"

"I love you too, princess," Harry nods, his eyes full of adoration as he holds his little girl close.

Your cute family moment is soon interrupted by the backstage door opening up and seeing the familiar bald head of the backstage crew manager, Steve.

He enters the room, looking a bit flustered. "Harry, it's almost time. You need to make your way towards the stage."

You and Amelia follow Harry and the tour crew to where the entrance to the stage is. The area is buzzing with excitement, and you can hear the cheers of the fans beyond the backstage barriers. Harry glances back at you, his eyes slightly apprehensive about the upcoming task of walking outside in the midst of the eager crowd.

Steve, the crew member, approaches with a couple of other guys and a sly grin on his face. "Don't worry, Harry. We've got a plan to get you through the fans incognito."

Harry raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, really? What's the plan?"

"We're going to wheel you in this," Steve tells him , pointing to a large black box labelled 'Soft Goods.' "It's going to be like transporting a precious piece of equipment."

Amelia's eyes widen with curiosity as she looks at the box. "Daddy, are you going to hide in there?"

Harry chuckles and kneels down to her level. "Yes, princess. Daddy's going t’hide in here so that he can sneak past the fans without them noticing."

Amelia giggles, finding the idea amusing. "That's silly, Daddy!"

"It might be silly, but it'll work," you chime in, giving your husband of five years an encouraging smile. "It's a creative way to keep a low profile and ensure you get to the stage safely."

Harry glances at the box and then back at you. "I don't know, it seems a bit risky."

Steve interjects, "Trust me, Harry, it'll be fine. We've done this before, and it's worked like a charm. Besides, it's all part of the fun and excitement."

Harry looks at Amelia, who gives him an excited nod, and he finally relents. "Alright, let's do it."

As the crew prepares to put Harry inside the box, Amelia suddenly squirms in your arms, her little face contorting with determination. "Mommy, put me down! I wanna go with Daddy!"

You lower her down gently, and she runs straight over to her father, her tiny arms reaching out for the box. "Daddy, I wanna go in with you!"

Harry looks down at her, his eyes full of love and understanding. "Oh, sweetheart, I know y’want to be with me, but it's not safe f’y’t’be in there. Y’have t’stay with mommy and watch from outside, okay?"

Amelia's bottom lip quivers, and tears start streaming down her cheeks. "But Daddy, I don't want you to be scared by yourself!"

Harry crouches down to her level, trying to comfort her. "I won't be scared, love. I promise I'll be fine. It's just a little adventure I have t’take t’get t’the stage."

"I don't care! I wanna be with you!" Amelia sobs, her little heart breaking at the thought of being separated from her father.

You step closer, placing a hand on Amelia's back. "Sweetie, it's important for Daddy to do this on his own. But he's going to be back before you know it, and then we can all be together again."

Amelia turns to look at you, her tearful eyes pleading. "Mommy, can't I just go in for a little while?"

"I'm sorry, love, but it's not safe," you reply gently, trying to soothe her.

Harry gives you a reassuring nod before addressing his little mini-me. "Y’know what, princess? Next time I have t’go in the box, y’can come with me, okay? We'll have a secret adventure together."

Amelia's tears begin to subside, and she looks at Harry with hope in her eyes. "Really, Daddy?"

"Really," Harry affirms with a smile, wiping away her tears. "But f’now, y’have t’stay with mommy, alright? She'll take good care of you."

Amelia reluctantly nods, but her little arms are still reaching out for her father. "Okay, Daddy. But hurry back!"

"I will, I promise," Harry assures her, giving her one last hug.

He looks over Amelia's shoulder to where you're standing and gestures for you to come forward. You step closer, and he leans in, giving you a peck on the lips. "I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," you reply, feeling the warmth of his love even in this brief moment.

You pick Amelia up, but she still tries to reach out for her father. "I don't want you to go, Daddy!"

"I have to, princess," Harry says softly. "But I'll be back soon, and we'll have the best time together."

As Harry crawls inside the box, the crew members gently close the lid, and you can hear Amelia's cries getting louder. Harry's muffled voice calls out from inside, "I love you, Amelia! Be good for mommy!"

Amelia's tears continue to flow as she clings tightly to you, watching the box with a mix of worry and anticipation. "I want Daddy to come back!"

"He will, sweetheart," you reassure her, holding her close. "He'll be back before you know it, and he'll be so happy to see you again."

With the plan in place, the crew members start wheeling the box towards the stage entrance, and you and Amelia follow closely behind. As you step outside, the cheers and excitement from the fans grow even louder.

Amelia tugs at your hand, looking up at you with wide eyes. "Mommy, where's Daddy?"

"He's right in there, sweetheart," you say, pointing to the box. "He's having a little adventure, and we'll see him on the stage very soon."

The crew members skillfully navigate through the crowd, Some fans do glance at the box with curiosity, but the clever disguise seems to work like magic, and nobody questions it further.

"Look, Mommy! It's the stage!" Amelia exclaims, pointing ahead.

You smile as you approach the stage entrance, where Harry will soon emerge. The crew members position the box strategically, right next to the stage lift that your husband and baby daddy will soon be stood on, ready to be elevated onto the stage, and you can feel the anticipation building in the air.

A few moments later, the box is opened,and from where your stood slightly down the hallway, Amelia’s head rested on your shoulder, and stood out of the way so you don’t get in the way of everything that’s going on, the two of you watch as Harry pops out, laughing as he dusts himself off.

"That was quite the ride!"

The crew members congratulate him on a successful journey, and Harry gives them a playful salute. "Thanks, guys. That was surprisingly fun."

Amelia squirms in your arms for the second time in the last ten minutes and instantly rushes towards him, hugging his legs tightly. "Daddy, you made it!"

"I sure did, princess," Harry grins, lifting her into his arms as well as he can given the limited space, pressing a kiss to her curls before lowering her back down.

He walks Amelia back over to you and presses one last kiss to your lips before making his way over to the stage lift, As the crowd roars in anticipation, your husband takes a deep breath, ready to step onto the stage and deliver another unforgettable performance. You stand behind him, holding Amelia's hand, and together, you watch him shine as he brings joy to the thousands of fans cheering his name.

[thecoleopterawithana]

Eras: The Beatles | Episode 6 - Now and Then

In the final episode of Eras: The Beatles, we hear the story behind The Beatles' final single Now and Then, including new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Narrated by Martin Freeman, the episode also features insight on the new track from Sean Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Peter Jackson.

.

[This episode features more complete audio from the soundbites included in the 'Now and Then' short film/documentary. Under the cut are transcriptions of some of my favorite sections. Including Paul's interpretation of the meaning of 'Now and Then' (bonus points if you guess his answer!)]

PAUL: And then 'Now and Then' just kind of languished in a cupboard and we didn't do anything with it. I kept saying, "You know, maybe we should do something with this, seems a bit—" "Hm, I don't know..." There wasn't a great desire to do anything with it. So it hung around for a while. Years! And every so often, I'd kind of go to the cupboard and think, "There's a new song in there! We should do it! We gotta do it!" But it'd go back in the cupboard.

[...]

PAUL: Peter [Jackson] had sent me a text while he was doing the 'Get Back' thing. He said, "Here's a piece of dialogue of John's that I'd like to use, but George is rehearsing in the background," and you could hear George's guitar and you couldn't really make out quite what John was saying because it was distracting. He said, "But we've got this new technology: Machine Assisted Learning. M.A.L., so we're calling it MAL." Which was like— that was really cool! Because our old road manager and dear friend was Mal [Evans].

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I'd had this idea for two or three years about him [Paul] singing a duet with John. And the fact that we'd developed this software now allows us to separate the voices and the music meant that I could take a song that John and Paul were singing on, just separate John's vocal only, and Paul could have that for playing on stage. And then his band and himself could do the vocals and the playing for the rest of the song. So he could do a duet with John. He didn't even blink, he just said, "That's a fantastic idea, I love it! Let's do it!" And so we quickly turned that around and got that underway. So Paul was now touring with a John Lennon duet on 'I Got a Feeling'.

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I got a phone call from Paul saying, "Is it possible to use that technology for another project I've been thinking about? [...] Would it be possible to take John's vocal and clean it up and get rid of everything else? Because that would allow us to finish this Beatles song." And absolutely, it didn't take me more than about a second to get back to him and say, "Of course we can do it!"

[...]

PETER JACKSON: We assumed that the copy of 'Now and Then' that they were working to in the studio in 1995, where the vocals were coming from, was probably not a first-generation copy. [...] So we though, well this is probably a third generation [tape copy]. [...] And so we contacted Sean Lennon and he was very helpful. And sure enough, we got a digital copy of the original. Which is the same demo, same performance, but two generations better.

[...]

RINGO: I'm sitting there thinking, "I don't remember George doing that solo?" It was just like practicing, maybe. Cus it sounds like George! Then Paul said, "No, it's me." [laughs] But Paul did a great job. I mean, he's very good, you know, Paul. He's a very good musician.

[...]

RINGO: Giles [Martin] had to fly out to LA one day to listen to a four-hour string session that Paul wanted, and then fly back to England! [laughs] There's no string sections in England!

[...]

PAUL: Eventually, when we got to mix number 7 it was, "Wow, this is it! Now it's a Beatle record!" And we played it to various people, some of whom cried. Some of whom said, "Jesus Christ! It's a Beatles record!" But the reaction was very favorable.

[...]

RINGO: The difference from the two tracks of John, the old track of John— you know, we have to thank Sean as well, because he found the original tape. So that's the one you can really hear John, not the copy-copy-copies. And... it's like John's there, you know. It's far out. It's so clear now you know it's him. Cus on the original one we were working to I couldn't tell if it was Paul or John singing half the time. But now you know it's John! [chuckles]

[...]

PAUL: I think it just means 'now and then'. "Now and then, I have a cup of tea". I'm not sure it means an awful lot more than that. But, looking at it from today's perspective, now and then. Then you can start to get all sorts of meanings in. The modern-day, the historical past of the Beatles. It lines up with all of that. But we were always very happy to let people make their own minds up. "Here it is, it's a song. Now, the minute we deliver it to you, it's up to you. You can do anything you want with it." And people do!

[...]

RINGO: And that was what it was like for the three of us when we started this role in the 90s. We had to pretend— it always makes me laugh when I think of it— we had to pretend that he'd gone for a cup of tea or his lunch. But that he was still around. Because it was very strange when we started there's only three of us, after all those years, and all that life, that there were four of us. And I still miss him, man!

[...]

SEAN LENNON: It feels very synchronous that the lyric speaks about time and that it's taken so much time. That it sort of fuses the past and the present. It's like a time capsule. And it all feels very meant to be — or fated, or something — in the nicest sense.

[...]

PAUL: When I remember the Beatles, I remember the joy, the talent, the humor, the love. And I think, if people remembered us for that — for those things — I'd be very happy.

[kittyball23]

Hi is it okay if you write a story about baby branch and Floyd

It sure is 😊

Remember (a Trolls fanfic)

Dear Diary,

It’s been a pretty quiet evening at home so far, and I guess there’s a few reasons for that. For one, I guess it’s no secret that I’m the quietest among my brothers (they say I should assert myself more, but I find that I can’t - it’s just the way I am 0.0). Also, my older brothers aren’t here at the moment, and the bro that IS here is sleeping on my lap (it’s a little hard to write right now, but I can manage). I’m guessing you’re probably wondering where exactly my older brothers are. Well, John Dory is out running some errands with Grandma, so they’re hitting the grocery store and a few other places (plus, JD DID say he was going to try and get supplies for some new costume ideas he has planned for us and our band, BroZone).

Spruce is out on a date. He ran another one of his competitions, and the winner this time around is a girl named Doreen. I’ve seen her around town a bit, and she seemed very excited to be able to be with him. As for Spruce… I don’t think I could really say the same :( But, regardless, they were heading out to Senior Frosty’s. A lot of us like to go down there for some sweet treats (personally, I think Grandma’s stuff is the best, but they’re okay too ^_^). Spruce’s favorite is the Tropical Sunset sundae, which is an ice cream that I think is made from vanilla, with some kind of fruity syrup and chunks of pineapple on top. It sounds pretty tasty, but my personal preference is the strawberry delight (an underrated flavor, but delicious nonetheless!)

Clay headed off to another one of his sad-book club meetings. He’s sorta told me about them before, but I’m a little nervous to go to one, if I’m being honest. If it’s about sad books like he says, I’m probably gonna be in tears the whole time! I guess I’ll just have to make sure that I pack a lot of tissues when I do get the chance to accompany him :)

That leaves me and Branch, like I mentioned before. We had some fun with all kinds of activities around the house.

We frosted some sugar cookies that Grandma had baked earlier in the day (Branch got a little messy with the decorating, but he didn’t mind). We played some games (the usual - hide-and-seek, tag… freeze tag) and sang some of our band’s songs together. I’m very proud of him. Even though he’s only a couple years old, he’s got a great falsetto going. Golden! I can tell he’s going to be an amazing singer one day, and I can’t wait for him to start performing with us. John Dory thinks he’s ready, too. A few days ago, he actually suggested that we should start arranging for our first tour. Spruce and Clay agreed, and it’s going to be so exciting!

As Floyd tapped his pencil to his chin, pondering what to write down next, the light weight on his lap began to shift. He immediately put his journal down, and watched admiringly as Branch cutely yawned and stretched.

“Hey, Branch,” he cooed softly, stroking his brother’s delicate little cheek. “Did you have a good nap?”

The baby blinked up at him, rubbing the sleep out of his large blue eyes and grinning his sweet little one-toothed grin. “Uh-huh!”

Floyd chuckled and ruffled his rich blue hair. “That’s good.”

“What did you do, Floyd?” the small Troll asked curiously.

“Oh, I was just writing in my journal,” he said, showing him the book that he’d placed at his side.

“Ohhh,” Branch mused, cocking his head. “Can I see it?”

“Sure thing,” Floyd replied fondly, opening it up and allowing Branch to flip through the pages.

“I write all kinds of things in here,” the magenta-haired Troll explained while the baby stared in wonder. “Ideas, stories, wishes… but do you know what my favorite thing to write about is?”

“What?” Branch asked, his eyes twinkling with interest.

“All the stuff I do with you, and our brothers.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Definitely,” Floyd answered. “That way, when we want to remember something special, it’ll all be right here.” He gave him a little side hug that Branch happily leaned into with a giggle. Then, the little blue Trolling thought of something else.

“Do you write songs in there, too?”

Floyd nodded. “Yeah, I do.” Then he smirked. “But you know, I’ve been having a little trouble trying to finish the one I’ve been working on. Do you want to help me?”

His baby brother’s face lit up. “Yeah!”

And, as he and Branch made another cherished memory - harmonizing together and creating wonderful new melodies - Floyd made sure to recall every little detail of their experience so, in that way, he could notate it in his journal for them to always remember.

[munasavedtheworld]

MUNA x Young Artist Reader

How You Met

After releasing your debut EP, your music went viral on social media, causing your streams to shoot up from the twenties to millions. For a 19 year old independent artist creating music out of your college dorm, you literally hit the jackpot.

Shortly after, you decided to extend your EP into a full album, which was met with critical acclaim and even more popularity. 

Just when you thought your hype had died down, you received an offer from none other than Taylor Swift to open for her upcoming tour, The Eras Tour. She had listened to your album, and loved it. 

Now here you were, your first night as an opener, standing backstage. You had opted to wear a pair of colorful leather pants and a black crop top. You had more makeup on than you’d ever had in your life, and your hair was adorned with clips that matched the color of your pants. 

You stood nervously backstage, still about 10 minutes out from your performance. You could see the packed stadium and you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. It felt like both a nightmare and dream that your first ever gig outside of your dorm room was a literal NFL stadium, packed with people.

Without noticing it, you had started to slightly rock back and forth on your feet, mumbling the lyrics to your songs, just in case you forgot them. As you focused on the audience, feeling like you were going to throw up, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

You whipped around, a look of fear on your face, spotting a person with short black hair, smiling at you. 

“Hey, I’m Josette! You’re the other opener, right?” She introduced herself, holding their hand out for you to shake. You shook their hand nervously, barely able to introduce yourself.

“Sorry, yes, I’m Y/n.” You managed to get out, causing her to smile again. 

“Nervous?” They asked, even though she had already been watching you practically having a nervous breakdown from a distance. 

“Very. I feel like I’m going to throw up.” You admitted, not sure why you were just telling Josette everything. “Sorry, that was a lot.”

“It’s ok,” They laughed, “You’re very apologetic.”

“Sorry.” You responded again, putting your hand over your mouth when you realized you had apologized again. 

“Katie, Naomi! Come here!” Josette turned around, hollering to two people standing on the other side of the stage, their heads turning when they heard their names.

When they had all migrated towards you, you suddenly felt very short compared to them.

“Hi, I’m Katie.”

“And I’m Naomi.” They both introduced, shaking your hand, which was practically shaking from nerves. 

“I’m Y/n.” You repeated, pushing through the pure nausea you were feeling.

“We listened to your album. Great stuff.” Naomi smiled, noticing your crossed arms and nervous posture. 

“Oh, wow, thank you!” You replied. “Same goes for you guys. I love your music.”

“Oh, well thank you. I heard you self produced the whole album.”

“Yeah, it was kind of a pipe dream turned reality.” You admitted. “I recorded the whole thing in my dorm.”

“Are you in college?” Josette asked.

“Yeah, I go to USC.”

“No fucking way! We all went there.” Katie gasped, pointing to the group. 

“Oh my god, that’s so cool.” You laughed.

“So are you like a senior? Junior?"

“Freshman.” 

“Woah, what? How old are you?” Naomi scrunched their eyebrows in surprise.

“19.”

“Damn, you’re making me feel really old.” Katie sighed, causing you to giggle in response. 

“I feel like you should have like a chaperone or something.” Josette joked, making you smile. Without even knowing it, they had significantly aided your panicking mind. 

“You’re on, kid.” A stage manager tapped you on the shoulder, making the dread immediately re enter your body.

“Hey, don’t freak out. Good thing about opening is by the end of the night, most people will have forgotten about you.” Josette shrugged. “In a good way.”

You nodded, finding the fact people would forget you comforting. 

“Thank you.” You responded, nervously twisting your hands around your microphone. 

“Wait, monitors!” Katie noticed the monitors hanging on your shoulders, helping you put the monitors into your ears for you, which you thought was sweet. 

“Thank you!” You breathed nervously, waving to them as you ran out on stage, immediately met with cheers and screams. You grabbed your guitar, slinging it over your shoulder as you spoke into the mic, “How are we feeling tonight Cincinnati! I’m Y/n Y/l/n, and is it alright if I play a couple songs for you guys?”

You were met with loud cheers, making you grin ear to ear. 

All three of them watched from backstage, highly impressed by how you managed to captivate the audience, completely engaging them from the start of your set until the moment you left the stage. 

You finished off your set with your biggest hit, running off stage as the outro played. Your entire set had gone so well, and everything was perfect, but you couldn’t help but feel disappointed that you had no one to celebrate it with. You looked around, a slight frown on your face until you saw Katie, Naomi, and Josette walking over to you, cheering and clapping jokingly. 

Your face lit up, which made their hearts melt as they saw the change in your demeanor. 

“You killed it!” Josette high fived you, handing you a water bottle.

"You watched?" You smiled, wiping the sweat off of your forehead with a towel.

"Of course we did." Naomi nodded.

“I can’t believe that was your first time on a stage.” Katie shook her head, smiling at you. They all felt like they were witnessing the start of something big. “You’re gonna be selling out stadiums like this pretty soon.”

“Yeah, right.” You laughed, glad you had some people to talk to now. Tour life was hard, and doing it alone was next to impossible. 

You had stayed backstage, watching their set, definitely not singing all of the lyrics to all of their songs and cheering obnoxiously ;)

When they had finished up their set, you were there for them this time, cheering and handing them water bottles in return for earlier. 

After the final show in Cincinnati, you were about to head back towards your hotel when Katie called your name.

“Y/n!” She yelled from afar, waving when you turned around to look for the source. You waved back with a smile, walking over to her.

“Hey Katie, what’s up?”

“A bunch of us are going to go get food somewhere and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with.”

“I would love to! Thank you.”

When you guys got to the restaurant, you met the rest of their band, who all seemed super nice. 

Naomi offered to buy you a beer, which you laughed, turning down. 

“I would say yes, but unfortunately I’m not old enough.” 

“Oh shit, I forgot.” They laughed, continuing to relentlessly tease you the rest of the night, asking where your parents were and if you were up past your bedtime. 

“You know I wonder if they have a senior citizen discount here.” You shot back, causing them all to laugh, glad you were warming up a little. 

The more you hung around them, the more comfortable you were on tour and the more fun you had. 

On both of your last shows, they invited you out on stage to sing the verse in Silk Chiffon, which was basically a dream come true. 

Before you guys headed your own ways, they all came up to you, looking almost nervous. It kind of freaked you out.

“Hi?” You scrunched your eyebrows, worried at the mixed looks on their faces.

“Hey, we had a question for you, and you can totally say no, but we figured we might as well ask.” Josette started, practically word vomiting.

“Go for it.” You shrugged, still confused.

“Ok, well we’re about to go on our European leg of our tour, and we don’t have an opener. We were wondering if you might want to open for us.” They continued, causing your eyes to go wide. You stood in silence for a second, making them all nervous. 

“You can say no-”

“Yes!” You interrupted, beaming. 

“Seriously?”

“I would love to.” You smiled, causing them to sigh in relief.

[mitamicah]

Two days ago I arrived home from the last of the See You Soon tour dates I will be attending and wow it was such a ride I have been pretty much walking in and out of existence and longingly daydreaming all day. So here’s my experience at the different gigs.

Tldr; Helsinki one was me in the seats – cozy first concert and bit of warmup for both me and the band – and Hojan!!; Helsinki two had much more energy and good vibes yet strict security made it so a few people had to almost faint before we got offered water… also I missed Jere by one and a half hours; Malmö was the one were I kept winning and I am still in awe this day even happened; Gothenburg was great especially for interactions between the members of the band although I wasn’t keen on the queue location.

Helsinki 1+2 I have decided to put these two together since they were at the same place and because I am very late to write this. I had seating tickets to the first show, so me and Anniina (@formulalakana) spend the day being käärijä city tourists in Vantaa. After that we went to Käbnb (I’d rented it for the weekend) and fanboyed some more over the apartment and wearing the bolero. Since the apartment was an hour away, we only just joined the queue right before opening of general entry at 5.50.

The show was great. If I am asked to describe it with one word, I’ll chose cozy which might seem like an odd word to use about a Joker Out show. In my defense I had been up since 4 am and had a whole day behind me of getting excited over käärijä stuff (also since I was staying at käbnb). I loved hearing the new songs (Sta Bih Ja and Bluza) live together with seeing Hojan join the encore. I was glad we got Metulji so we could use the cute little butterflies we got from people at the queue to hold up in the air (it was really quite pretty from the back). I remember thinking how Jan must’ve been warm in his furcoat on stage and that I appreciated the little hints back to Stozice with the outfits like Nace’s leg chain.

Tbh I mostly just took this gig as a warmup where I filmed lots of the songs and took in the vibe, now that I couldn’t really jump around myself. The guys might have needed time to get back into touring because I talked with some people yesterday that agreed that the band had been great if a little held back on the first day.

On the second day I joined the queue around 10.10. It was amazing meeting up with old and new faces. Everybody got so excited about being gifted stickers that I ran out a few hours before lining up for the queue started. In turn I got so many nice wristbands as well I think I managed to beat the record of most bracelets gifted to me in a day which had been Berlin previously.

Today’s vibe was completely different; there was way more energy from the stage and from the crowd, the latter possibly because I was in the pit this time, four rows from the stage. I had decided to wear my häärijä suit for the occasion together with a little Danish flag that I kept waving in the air. I was with a strong Nace girlie so we had placed ourselves by Nace and Jan. She got a few genuine smiles and nods from the bassist.

Katrina was a good opening song and while I haven’t listened much to Galaxy of Me/Behind Those Eyes/Schlager since hearing it live I remember enjoying it quite nicely. Padam was gorgeous as a piano ballad! Nace looked adorable in his glasses and holed blouse, and I enjoyed Kris’ outfit a lot. However the pit did get quite hot at one point so a few people around seemed to be feint and the security guards didn’t want to give us water until we directly cried out for help then they suddenly wanted to give us all the water we could muster. Other than that the experience was great! I felt my stomach drop hard at one point and I realized it was because Bojan’s eyes were locked with mine for solid five seconds. I loved that we got Kris bullied into singing NVGOT for the encore.

I felt almost as a celebrity when people complemented my häärijä cosplay (or Dojan as somebody later called me; the Danish Hojan). I even got asked for an autograph where I had to break it to them that I wasn’t the “real deal” yet they still wanted the autographs for the funsies.

After the concert a good portion of people collected outside by the tourbus and played Everybody’s Waiting over and over. I joined for a time yet felt ambivalent about it all given I could imagine how intimidating it must be for the band seeing such a big group of people standing around like this. Anniina suggested we catch the last bus home around 0.30 and I agreed it was probably for the best. The bus at the Pasilla station didn’t want to open its doors for me although I stood with my face more or less on the door window so I had to wait for another less convenient bus that left me gliding and sliding on ice home for 1,5 km. That together with learning the next day that had I waited one and a half hours more I could’ve met not only Bojan and Jan, but Jere soured my mood a bit I must admit. I bought myself the 3xl käärijä shirt that was offered as a nightgown and went to gift Jere his little gift (Helsinki sticker and Bojere keychain) but got lost so I had to hand in the letter at the Warner Bros Studios instead of the käärijä fanmail box – for this reason I am not sure if Jere will ever get it sadly.

All in all some great concerts although what I think I mostly will remember this trip for was the amount of käärijä related firsts that I got (first time seeing the mural, first time tasting oddly good, first time trying on the bolero, you name it) together with the joker out firsts as well (first concert, first time hearing the new songs etc. etc.)

Trinkets from the Helsinki shows including doodle from @ya-boi-joule , wrapping paper @formulalakana was so kind to buy and safe for me, merch and the many lovely bracelets and stickers :D Not shown here are the cool sparklative pin that @hazzybat made (and the cute kangaroo keychain I also got from Haz) together with the homemade Bojan earring I've basically worn nonstop since xD

Malmö I had thought about adding the two Sweden shows together but honestly the vibes were too different for me to do so.

I had gotten early entry to Malmö, so I had probably put way too much weight on making this gig the best of the bunch. For this reason, I woke up at 4 so I could be at the venue around 9. I was met by the oddest and most chill queue I have ever seen. By now point were we more than 15-20 people present before the line was formed at 5. I had been fairly certain that the only of my many goals (x) I would be able to accomplish would be gifting all my stickers away but spoilers; that didn’t happen.

At soundcheck I managed to get second row in the middle between Bojan and Kris (very strategic of me since two of my goals were related to Bojan and Kris respectfully). Having told quite a few people in the queue about my dream of getting Bojan to see my sign I had so many eyes on me cheering me on that I didn’t hesitate to throw my silly sign in the air. Bojan hesitated even less and agreed immediately (I might do another post about the whole experience with the tattoo when I have it done). In return I gave him the pencilcase full of gift and he looked at it confused until he read the little sign and said with a smile ‘gifts :D’. So that was two of the goals I had been so scared I wouldn’t in a million years be able to accomplish and the show hadn’t even started. When he later got down to slide his hand over ours I ended up being the awkward boy in the room going for a handshake (don’t know what I was thinking tbh) so instead Bojan held his hand in mind so gently for like a minute and locked eyes with me. Safe to say I was on cloud nine after that soundcheck.

The energy that had been great in Helsinki day 2 was somehow even better in Malmö! The band was fully on and so were we in the crowd. Jure wore what looked like a simplified Stozice shirt aka just a harness with a diamond down his chest. Kris and Bojan complimented each other, one wearing blue pants and the other a blue shirt and then the other way around with white shirt and white pants.

We started out strong with Sunny Side of London which I honestly hadn’t expected given I hadn’t heard it in Helsinki at all (and I haven’t looked too much into the setlist of the other dates). But that was not all: We got the demoni scream!! And NVGOT!! Padam was gorgeous as a piano ballad yet again. Me and Bojan held eye contact while screaming the bridge to Bluza together. So many different versions of Umazane Misli was sung including a version from both the people next to me that I had bonded with in the queue!! (that made me go into proud dad mode and gave me tons of dopamine seeing them win as well). We even got Bojan rapping the chorus himself from the middle of the crowd!! Fittingly he was given a crown by a fan immediately after. My last piece of Bojan eye contact came during Novi Val where I have on video him looking for five seconds at my phone and tapping his mic to his chest which threw me off for a bit rushing to make him a heart back.

Honestly this whole show was peak to me already before leaving the venue. Yet as I’d been the whole day, I was a man with a mission and now the mission was to gift away the last stickers. This quest let me to talk to Hearts, the supporting act (these guys were chill and cool as well) together with accidentally be close by when Kiki came out with two free setlists where I then ran to get one of them. What I remember most vividly was everybody I showed the setlist too being annoyed at ASTP being replaced by Sta Bih Jah and fair.

We were a small group of people that met up afterwards just to chill. At this point I didn’t even know where the tour bus was, so I didn’t expect to see the guys at all. Yet at some point one pointed out Jan walking by and me high on everything that had already happened had no shame and shouted ‘great concert :D’ at him where his response was a ‘thank you :D’ back.

It turned out that not 20 minutes later I spied Bojan in the corner of my eye down the hill where we were standing and wanting to thank him for the tattoo I went down there. I gave him a tight hug shaking a bit from everything and we ‘are you’ed each other for what felt like 30 seconds to a minute. He told me that he recognized me from Helsinki in the yellow suit and at that point I was ready to melt then and there. Bojan was just so easy and lovely to talk to I can see why Jere and so many others fall for him.

Going back up to the rest of the folk we noticed Jan and Kris hanging out, but Kris had to go when I got there. Nace stayed and we got a long talk about his turtles which meant lots of new turtle lore. I loved feeling how great of a turtle dad he is from the way he was talking about them, and I felt connected to him in the way he too speaks a lot with his hands. After Nace Jan turned up to speak to us yet I had a bit of a harder time talking to him maybe because we both can be a bit distracted (me mostly by Jure standing in a colourful sweater and smoking by the tour bus). He agreed to us taking turns taking pictures and getting hugs which was nice.

On my way home from the venue I had to record all my experiences which turned into me babbling only semi sensical at a camera for almost 3 minutes letting my legs show me the way home. I was surprised to find I didn’t get lost. I was not at all surprised to see I was close to tears in the video footage.

Trinkets from Malmö including my sign and Bojan's handwriting, the setlist and more <3

Gothenburg I only arrived at 2 o’clock for the queue given the bus I’d been able to get from Malmö. It was a bit colder than yesterday and the queuing space way less cozy being a parking lot with the bus behind a caged fence and us just outside the fence compared to the nice little park with the tourbus out of sight in Malmö. I did manage to get a wave from a person I am pretty sure was Bojan (my stomach dropped like it did in Helsinki as well so I guess this is how I recognize Bojan from now on xD).

I began doodle a bit for people and getting back into the queue vibe when I noticed the time; I had to go throw my stuff at the hotel, so I had a place to sleep and because the venue had a bag ban. I managed to get lost and curse myself for not paying extra for a closer hotel when walking around the construction heavy central station. It turned out the hotel I’d booked was a boat which I find cool (and fitting given the whole titanic thing with Bojere).

Being lost I ended up going on a tiny side quest to ICA and buy the käärijä youghurt. It tasted pretty okay (I ate it in the queue later)! I prefer dreamy lemon tho (my breakfast in Helsinki). I arrived in the nick of time because just 20 minutes later the lines were formed. Now being forced to stand close to the fence we managed to catch glimpses of the fan running back and forth (especially Jure) but none of us said anything. One person I was with told me about Jure being cornered by a fan and forced to flee into the tourbus only to be followed and to be honest that story was the cherry on cake for me; the rest of the night I found myself being in overempathetic mode to the point of later masking and stepping away when being afraid of invading somebody’s space.

The concert was great especially when it comes to gifts given to the guys and the interactions between the guys as well. I especially loved Jance’s dance during Umazane Misli (that today were mostly Swedish versions) and Bojan gently caressing Kris’ cheek to get his attention. Jure also got some action going on with the two guitarists joining in on both sides of the drumset and Bojan vibing when Bluza was playing. I really enjoyed Kris and Jan in yellow especially Kris with blondes down his arms. Everybody got tons of sunglasses, Jan got a Teletubbies hairband, Kris a crown (he threw off real fast after just one song) and Jure got a few bracelets he gently took from the hands of the people in the crowd during Novi Val (that was the one time he seemed to get eye contact with us at all – I still felt very bad).

The setlist wasn’t too different from Malmö but with Gola replacing SSOL (nice full circle moment for me since Gola also opened my first ever JO show and the first on the whole tour aka Helsinki 1), Metulji replacing Padam, NVGOT being skipped, and Katrina moved up the setlist (maybe there were more changes but that is what I recall). I seemed to have tons of eye contact yet again with the Bojan even more than the other three days combined. And that was despite being a bit farther away this time almost at the edge by Kris yet pretty close to the barricade (third row) all things considered. Once again, he gently held my hand. This time it happened during the show where he let his hand jump over a (tiny) sea of other hands to rest his in mind and he winked at me. I had to happy stim after that which is oddly not something I do a lot at shows. When Mira next to me was invited to do her choreography for UM on stage I got another rush of dopamine (Idk why I get these proud father feelings for people I’ve only just meant; I was just so happy for her).

We were a group that hung out by the venue afterwards; it was bigger than Malmö but smaller than Helsinki 2. Still big enough that my overly sensitive empathy today felt bad for being there. At the same time, I wanted to cool my nerves down after being boosted with all that dopamine. As time went on I also grew stubborn and didn’t want to repeat Helsinki 2 where I had moved home too early.

When it looked like we’d only wave at the bus today, Nace came out to the cage to say hi. At first, he seemed uncomfortable especially with how he tensed up laughing. He loosened up seeing the amazing Joker Out inspired jackets some fans had made and almost gave them both a heart attack asking for pictures of the jackets.

After that he came out to us on the other side of the fence, and we talked about the silliest topics like what signature picture pose each member have (sadly I forgot to ask about Nace’s own go to pose). I gave him a very rushed doodle of himself doing Jan’s pose (I had cold hands and wouldn’t risk him going away) and he got so genuinely excited for it my heart melted a bit.

Jan also joined yet only after Nace had gone and just before me and some others were on our way home, so we sneaked back again to chat. He was wearing his scarf as a hat so of course I had to draw and gift him a doodle like that. He too seemed genuinely happy for it. We gushed about the new songs and spread the ‘come to Denmark’ propaganda (we were two danes amongst others). Today I felt it was easier to talk to Jan. He was very nice and polite and open. We went away after Jan had said goodnight so I don’t know if any other of the guys came out to say hello. I couldn’t argue with my sense of being the crazy fan stepping over an invisible line anymore (even after dad Nace had told me that – like yesterday – he would not chose to come out and say hi if he felt uncomfortable so I shouldn’t worry … right before then saying the most people-pleaser thing like ‘I felt bad for you waiting in the cold’ so I don’t know how to interpret the two messages I got there. I guess Nace is right tho; he himself knows best what he is comfortable with and after all we were all nice and respectful).

Trinkets including the tour shirt (finally got it after three attempts) and the k youghurt

Fun fact about the blue flower bracelet: It was thrown to me by a crew member after Hearts' set - I didn't know what he had but I nodded to him when he asked with his eyes if somebody wanted the thing and so I was pleasantly surprised to see how pretty a bracelet it is. I have no idea who it was originally meant for x'D

[freddieraimbow74]

17 March 1977 - Circus Magazine published the following article

“Freddie Mercury Joins the Bigtime: What It’s Like to Lead the British Touring Pack”

Back in the old days, we were often compared to Led Zeppelin. If we did something with harmony, it was the Beach Boys. Something heavy was Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant was always my favourite singer-and he’s said nice things about me, you know. He actually said he liked “Killer Queen”. We were always a sitting target in the press because we became popular so quickly. But, you know, we spent two years putting our act together. It destroys the soul to hear that you’re all hype, that you have no talent, and that your whole career has been contrived. I was never too keen on the British music press. They’ve called us a supermarket hype, and they used to suggest that we didn’t write our own songs. When the whole point of Queen was to be original.

I’m the first to accept fair criticism. But the dishonest reviews-where people haven’t done their homework-I just tear them up. I do get annoyed when up-and-coming journalists put themselves above the artist. I don’t care what journalists say, we achieved our own identity after QUEEN II. As for the Beach Boys or Led Zeppelin comparisons: it’s the combination of all those influences which means Queen. We were disliked by the press in the early days because they couldn’t put their finger on us, and that was the case with Zeppelin as well.

A lot of people slammed “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but who can you compare that to? Name one group that’s done an operatic single. You know, we were adamant that “Bohemian Rhapsody” would be a hit in its entirety. We have been forced to make compromises, but cutting up a song will never be one of them.

We’va always put our neck on the line. We’re fussy and finnicky and have very high standards. If a song can’t be done properly, we’d rather it isn’t done at all. We’re the fussiest band in the world, and we put so much loving into every album. We’re a very expensive group; we break a lot of rules. It’s unheard of to combine opera with a rock theme, my dear. And, we have no such things as a budget anymore. Our manager freaks when we show him the bill. We’re lavish to the bone, but all our money goes back into the product. We’ve gone overboard on every Queen album. But that’s Queen. If people said, “The new album sounds just like Night At The Opera”, I’d give up. Wouldn’t you?

After Sheer Heart Attack, we realized we’d estabilished ourselves. We felt that there were no barriers, no restrictions. A Night At The Opera featured every sound from tuba to a comb. Nothing is out of bounds. Every molecule of Day At The Races-every iota-is us. No session men. We don’t try to reproduce that onstage.

We’ve been slagged in the press for our flamboyant stage show. We think a show should be a spectacle. A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It’s a theatrical event.

In the early days, we just wore black onstage. Very bold, my dear. Then we introduced white, for variety, and it simply grew and grew. “Stone Cold Crazy” was the first song Queen ever performed onstage.

I have fun with my clothes onstage; it’s not a concert you’re seeing, it’s a fashion show. I dress to kill, but tastefully. My nail polish? I used to use Biba, now I use Miners. One coat goes on really smooth.

If we’re weird onstage, I don’t know what you’d call the Tubes. We’re a bit flashy, but the music’s not one big noise. I think we’re sophisticated. I like the cabaretish sort of thing. In fact, one of my early inspirations came from Cabaret. I absolutely adore Liza Minnelli, she’s a total wow. The way she delivers her songs-the sheer energy. The way the lights enhance every movement of the show. I think you can see similarities in the excitement and energy of a Queen show. It’s now Glamrock, you see; we’re in the showbusiness tradition.

The lavish presentation appeals to me, and I’ve got to convince the others. You don’t know how I had to fight for “Big Spender” on the last tour. We row about everything, even about the air we breath. We’re the bitchiest band on earth, darling. We’re at each other’s throats. One night Roger ws in a foul mood and he threw his entire bloody drumset across the stage. The thing only just missed me -I might have been killed. Yes, we’re all very highly strung. Once, Roger squirted Brian in the face with hairspray in a tiny, staming dressing room. They nearly came to blows. We’ve all got massive egos, my dear. The others don’t like my interviews. And frankly, I don’t care much of theirs. I’m very emotional; I think I may go mad in several years’ time.

People think I’m an ogre, you know. Onstage, I am a devil. But I’m hardly a social reject. My parents were very strict, actually. I was born in Zanzibar, September 5, 1946. My father was a civil servant. I learned to fend for myself in boarding school. All the bullying-I had the odd schoolmaster chasing at me. I was considered the arch poof. I’ve had my share of schoolboy pranks. That’s as much as I’ll divulge. I got my diploma from Ealing College of Art, in graphics and illustration. You know, I designed the Queen crest. I simply combined all the creatures that represent our star signs-and I don’t even believe in astrology. I think my melodies are superior to my lyrics. “Death On Two Legs” was the most vicious lyric I ever wrote. It’s so vindictive that Brian felt bad singing it. I don’t like to explain what I was thinking when I wrote a song. I think that’s awful, just awful. When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.

Years ago, I thought up the name Queen. It’s just a name. But it’s regal, obviously, and sounds splendid. I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I like to browse around art galleries, but I’m a hard-working lad and I never have the time. I bought a house in London which I’d only seen in photographs. I know that’s absurd, but I had no time to go house-hunting. And I needed a place to move my furniture and clothes. I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.

I’m not into business at all. I’m hopeless with money; I simply spend what I’ve got. I guess I’ve always lived the glamorous life of a star. It’s nothing new-I used to spend down to the last dime. Now I’ve got money. I always knew I was a star.

And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.

The pictures are featured in this article ♥️

[thesearethedayswellneverforget]

Wow you saw Jack White 14 times on his tour and even met him! That's insane, like in a good way. If you're okay with sharing, what was that all like and how'd you meet him?

I have no problem with sharing, if i didn't want to i wouldn't post about it on the internet ;)

But yeah, it WAS insane. It was physically and mentally exhausting, i slowly lost all sense of dignity and self restraint, and it's a LOT of hours spent in trains and planes and fucked up eating habits and not enough sleep, however i have zero regrets, would do it again 100% and totally recommend it if you can/want to do it.

The shows themselves were absolutely amazing, if you've ever seen him you must know that (if you're interested, there's a recording from his last Olympia show by Arte Concert on youtube, it will give you an idea of how the shows were), never twice the same, the vibe was different, the songs were different, the way songs were played were different. You never know what's gonna happen and that's why he's probably the only artist i would go see as many times in one tour. going to that many shows also mean that you can enjoy better whatever is happening on stage. Because there's so many stuff to watch! Some nights i would watch Jack more, other nights i would focus more on one of the musicians – it was not a conscious decision, it's just how it goes. Plus, even though i'm now sad it's over and i miss them all terribly, i don't feel frustrated – i had my dose.

Plus, i get to spend time with some of my bestest friends, old friends i hadn't seen in a while, new friends i made along the way, and it's just so lovely to travel, hang out with people you love, and share that very intense and specific connection that comes with going to such a show together. It creates a deep sense of community (which culminated when we all cried together at the Union Chapel show).

Now, meeting him. I fell like, this tour, he's particularly keen on meeting people and interacting with them – and the friends i've talked with all agree. I've met him twice, once after a show at the stage door – he took the time to sign some stuff and take pictures with a lot of people, even though there were like 50 of us? He was lovely, only said a couple of sentences to each person obvs, no time for a full on conversation, but he was very engaged and not in a rush (his manager was though ^^).

The other time was at the Rough Trade signing, same thing, he didn't have much time for each of us but he was very attentive and fully engaged in whatever we were telling him (it's not just my opinion, my friends thought the same), super nice and smily, and willing to engage with us. Overall he really seemed in a good mood this tour, whether on stage or off, just happy to be there and ready to connect.

I also met his bandmates, who were all super nice and open to conversation, just very kind and sweet people overall!

I hope that answered your question, and i hope that you get to see Jack White play as many time as you'd like and that you meet him someday !

[theghostpinesmusic]

Wow, so I fell a little bit out of doing these jam posts for a few weeks...but it was for a good reason. Basically, the reason is that I haven't been watching as many jam shows as usual. Orebolo, which is Goose's three-man acoustic side project, played three shows at the Capitol Theater leading up to and over the Super Bowl weekend, and I decided to watch all three of them live.

I love Orebolo a lot, but they tend not to "jam" songs out, per se, because it doesn't fit the acoustic format quite as well, so there weren't any real "highlights" from those shows to share in the way I normally share here. If you're interested in what an acoustic Goose-adjacent trio sounds like, though, this might be a good start for you. I will not be writing 5,000 words about it.

After watching three nights of Orebolo in a row, I took most of last week off, though I did take my first step into Phish's summer 2023 tour, on the heels of rekindling my romance with their music earlier this year by watching their recent New Year's Eve run. I decided to start mid-tour, at the beginning of a seven-night run at Madison Square Garden (because the only places you can see Phish these days are New York City and Mexico, but I digress), with 7/28/23. And it was glorious. This was almost certainly the best Phish show I've ever seen via webcast (i.e., not in person at the venue). It totally blew me away for pretty much the entire show, and the only reason I'm focusing on the "Split Open and Melt" from the second set is because that's all the official YouTube channel shared from the show.

Let me geek out on a macro level briefly, though, before we zoom in to the micro level.

The show (and run) opens with "Evening Song," a short, weird little ditty from the band's most recent album, Sigma Oasis. While most "people" (by which I mean terminally-online fans of the band) have shat on this song since the first time it was played, I love it for what it is and, for a band that has had to continually reinvent their ability to surprise their fans for forty years without the effort to surprise itself becoming a parody, this is a neat, subversive opener call.

The following version of "A Wave Of Hope" is twenty of my favorite minutes of Phish improvisation since COVID. The following jam, out of a great cover of The Talking Heads' "Cities," is a perfect sister piece. We're not even halfway through the first set at this point and I could go home happy. The bluegrass of rare cover "The Old Home Place" segues neatly into a bombasstic (see what I did there?) version of "Free," then we finally get a breather, if a poignant one, with a gorgeous rendition of "Brian and Robert." "Stash" comes next, and even though it stays within the box, it's a really well-played version, with the band gelling wonderfully even if they aren't launching for deep space. "My Soul," a song I feel like I haven't heard in at least ten years, ends the set.

"More," a catchy, hopeful, Beta-Band-ish tune that also catches a ton of hate from "fans" for being any and all of those things, opens the second set. I'll be honest and say that this, like "Evening Song," really only works as a song choice with the right context, but man, that context is present on 7/28, as the brief pop-ish tune leads into a head-spinning near-hour of music that goes: "Ruby Waves" -> "Plasma" > "Simple" > "Mountains In The Mist." I won't weigh in on each of these individually, as the point of this post is ostensibly to talk about what happens after, but suffice to say that the jamming during each of the first three tunes gets more and more jaw-dropping weird and deep until, at one point in the "Simple," I reached that state of jam-listening bliss that I only really manage to get to via Phish shows: where I am simultaneously having the absolute best time listening and can no longer follow the beat of the song. That this suite of tunes lands in "Mist," which is hands-down my favorite Phish ballad, is just perfect setlist-building.

As a fan who loves this band to death but has also found their setlist-building a bit suspect since, uh, 2009, I fully expected this amazing set to end with a few short, tossed-off, supposedly celebratory tunes that nonetheless served more to kill the glorious vibe than anything else. This has, in my opinion, often been the band's way at least up through 2019. They've broken this habit a bit since COVID, though, and fortunately this set ended up serving as a great example of this improvement: post "Mist," instead of "Number Line" or "Show of Life," they immediately launch into "Split Open and Melt," a song whose composition has basically demanded that it be a consistently good, crazy, evil jam vehicle for the band since...1993?

And now we arrive at the point where, admittedly with the help of some mind-altering substances, music melted my entire skeleton and shot it into space.

I've written a lot already, so I'll spare you the song history and blow-by-blow regarding the composed part of the song. Suffice to say it is, to my mind, one of Phish's Phishiest compositions: it includes a little of everything that makes their original songs both great and so weird you might just give up partway through, and knowing that in all likelihood they are going to Summon The Aliens in a few minutes makes listening through it even more fun.

The improv starts at 4:35, and was also the point that, in the moment, I thought to myself "If I'd have known they were going to play 'Split Open and Melt,' I would have taken slightly fewer drugs tonight."

Mike and Fishman continue the rhythm of the song's outro for a bit early on, but Trey and Page immediately depart from it, both playing interlocking but dissonant-sounding melody lines. At 5:05, we are thirty seconds in and there are already multiple, incompatible rhythms happening. I lack the musical knowledge to really describe what's happening here in a technical sense, but Trey is using loops, Page's organ playing gets downright evil, and it feels like my brain is being pulled in two directions at once, but I like it, it makes going insane seem fun.

The laser light rods do not help.

I have a recurring note I sometimes include in my setlists when I'm watching shows as a fun little inside joke (just for myself, because I don't know how to make friends and this is how I cope), and it's to note times when Fishman is particularly bonkers on the drums. The note is "What the fuck is Fishman." The section of this jam that starts at 6:40, when the camera starts zooming in on him, was one of those moments. This is one of those times that, if it was still the 2010s, I would shout "I can't even!"

By 7:20, we have realized that the aliens aren't coming down to Earth because they've been here all along.

Trey asserts himself a bit more directly shortly after this, but only to scare us even more. I'm amazed at the crowd shot at 8:50: these people still look like they're having fun. I'm not sure if my psyche could survive experiencing this from the front row.

By 9:30, one of Trey's droning, heavy, looped riffs has come to dominate the space for me, making this whole thing into a demented mantra, a siren song that melts the wax in your ears and transfixes you while it eats you. Trey decides to play with the octave shifter here because why the fuck not.

Between Page's synths and Trey's completely distorted guitar, there's almost a glimpse of a melody at 10:10, something that almost sounds like "What's The Use?", but it's swallowed quickly by the whirlpool of sonic mayhem and crushed.

You have the sense of an eternal, ageless eye opening and looking at you, incomprehensibly. Are those ghosts wailing? Are you dead?

Nah, it's just a Phish show.

I will say that I honestly worried for anyone in the audience and on psychedelics at 11:20. The combination of the lights and the music are the stuff of nightmares, and I'm watching this with a relatively intact grip on reality.

Now, I of course love Phish jams, and the weirder the better, but I'll admit that when I was watching this for the first time "live," the moment at 12:35 when Fishman returns to the "Split Open and Melt" outro beat, I felt the relief of a man who'd been tossed overboard in a storm and had just found a life preserver to grab onto.

Shortly, everyone follows Fishman's lead and heads back into the song proper, but I love how some of the loops and distortion continue in the background for a bit, a reminder of our narrow escape from The Darkness.

The song's goofy ending, at 13:52, seems especially incongruous here, and made me laugh a lot.

Well, I hope you survived that listen. I had a lot more fun writing a bit more creatively about it and less technically than I usually do, but it felt appropriate for this particular jam.

While I've been off doing other stuff, Goose put out a second jam with their new drummer, so I'll probably cover that next. Maybe tomorrow! Cheers!

[learningnewways]

Israel - Day 4

It’s day 4 of our Israel tour and I’m so glad I’ve been keeping a blog every day, because so much happens it’s easy to forget what happened even this morning! Our days are jam-packed from 7:30am until 6pm, then add breakfast and dinner outside of those hours, and it leaves little time for anything else! I’ve been staying up late writing these blog posts each night, sacrificing much needed sleep, however in the long run I know it’ll be worth it to capture everything that’s happened here.

We always start with Scripture reading, prayer and a song on the bus which is always a great start to the day. It’s been so hectic that I haven’t managed to have any private devotional myself which is unfortunate. But it’s great to have Scripture read at most sites, as well as prayer and reflection time at some sites. This morning John read from Matthew 5-7 and talked about how the reign of God in our lives should extend to every area of our life. I’m trying! But it is very scary.

Today was spent in Samaria, also known as the West Bank, which used to be part of Jordan until 1967. Before we crossed into the West Bank, we visited a large site called Beth Shean which has only been excavated in the past 20-30 years. It’s remarkable that they are still discovering new sites even today! I guess it is partially because Israel’s land has changed hands so many times, so a lot has been left undiscovered until recent years. The land Israel has currently was only defined in 1967 after the 6 day war, although parts like the Gaza Strip are still disputed.

We were actually the first group to visit Beth Shean this morning, arriving at 8:15am, meaning that John got to unlock the gates! How cool! This city dates back to at least 2,500BC and remained in different forms and under different rulers, including the Egyptians, until an earthquake in 749AD destroyed it. The city was very important as it is strategically located on a hill that guards the entry to the Jezerel Valley in the East, the Sea of Galilee in the North, and Jericho and the Dead Sea in the South. 

The old city was impressive to walk around and you could imagine how amazing it would have looked in it’s prime. It’s what I imagine walking around Athens would be like. We got to see what an old school public toilet would have been like, the photo is for my dad... There was a theatre that was similar to the one we saw in Caesarea on day 1, except it was more intact in its original form and was smaller. One of the girls from our group, Emily, stood at the bottom and sung, which was amazing to hear echoed all the way to the top of the back seats! Some of us walked up the little hill for a better view, which was definitely worth it.

Beth Shean existed in the time of the judges and Joshua would have been here too. It is here that the Philistine’s took King Saul’s body after he killed himself on nearby Mt Gilboa. Saul had been hiding in caves around the area, which is easy to understand after seeing the scenery nearby. It was stunning! Lots of caves to choose from! Reminded me again of Banks Peninsular in Christchurch, just with lots of caves!

We then entered the West Bank and headed to Jericho. Yes, Jericho where Joshua and his army marched around the walls seven times and the walls came tumbling down! Wow! The city was actually very small, much much smaller than I had imagined. John said it would only take around 1.5hrs to walk around it seven times, so only like 12 minutes each time. It was incredibly hot, unbearable almost, so I could see how walking around it seven times could be difficult! Elisha did come to Jericho and purify the water, so maybe they had nearby water to drink from, although I’d imagine they would’ve kept the water source within the city walls...

Jericho is the oldest city in Israel, with the oldest level of excavation dating back to 3,500BC... Woah... Joshua would’ve been there around 1500-1200BC. It’s pretty cool to think that this is where the Israelites went after 40yrs wandering the desert. The fact that they blew their trumpets and shouted and everything inside Jericho was completely destroyed is awesome. I mean, there would have been sooooo many Israelites at this point, so maybe the noise alone would’ve done it! But obviously God had something to do with it too... We even saw the archeology of the burn site where Joshua and the people burned the city... Crazy stuff! We only really got to see the walls and not much else, but that was still pretty cool.

We quickly visited a Hebron Glass shop where they sell hand blown glass that is mixed with rocks and materials found nearby. The pieces were beautiful but too pricey for me. I was looking at a cute camel ornament when I accidentally dropped it on the floor! Ooooops! Luckily nothing broke but after that I stayed away!

Then we went to one of the most spectacular sites ever, Qumran, where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was absolutely stunning, beautiful, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, unbelievable... All the words! The only thing that comes slightly close is the Clay Cliffs in the South Island and the Grand Canyon in the USA... I’ve been to both and this outshined both by far! Photos cannot do it justice! Beautiful orange cliffs with massive drop offs underneath, and caves everywhere. Wow! Good hiding spot for the scrolls for sure! 

We hiked briefly to the bottom of one of the caves, which they first started discovering had fragments of Scripture hidden in them in 1947, which was a massive discovery. It meant huge progress for the accuracy and preservation of God’s word, as some of the texts are from the 3rd century BC and pre-date the Hebrew Bible. They even found some additional Psalms in the Dead Sea Scrolls, just in case 150 wasn’t enough!

It was in the 40’s temperature-wise when we were on our walk and I drank my whole 750ml water bottle in the maybe 30mins we were there. It was the hottest our trip has been so far and everyone was feeling it! Luckily John is great at finding us shady spots to sit under. I can’t reiterate enough just how stunning this scenery was. It was incomprehensible even while I was sitting right in front of it! Wow! Top view so far on the trip! Mt Arbel yesterday was incredible too, but I’m a different way. Hard to compare the two really... Israel is pretty stunning.

Our final spot for the day was the Dead Sea, where we got to swim, or should I say, float! It’s called the Dead Sea because it’s 426 metres below sea level, the lowest land point in the world, and it is 33% minerals and salt, meaning no living organism can survive in it. You have to be super careful not to get your face in the water, as it is dangerous! The ocean is 7% minerals and salt, so picture that but almost 5x as salty! It was crazy how easily we floated! The water was very warm, too warm to stay in for too long. Plus it was 41 degrees on the lake shore... Quite different from New Zealand where roads are being shut because of slips and snow! Apparently the Dead Sea is actually shrinking about 1 metre per year as it gets evaporated but not refilled... I didn’t know that...

We arrived at our accomodation with the stunning backdrop of Masada, which we will check out tomorrow. We are truly in the desert with this scenery! There’s an optional sunrise hike to the top of Masada tomorrow morning which I will not be taking... Haha. I’m just so tired! I think I’m also missing the normal routine of life. I miss listening to my music. I used to listen to probably 5hrs of music every day back in New Zealand, but there’s just no time here. Even on the bus, there’s never enough time and if there is, then John or Shlomo are always talking about something relevant to our next site or the scenery over the microphone! Overall it was a great day and it seemed to be our most relaxed so far, which was nice.

[slavghoul]

Interview from Guitar DE 4/2022

This one focuses on the more technical side of Ghost’s recording process, very cool if you’re interested in what happens behind the scenes 🧐 

Tobias, the fans are finally holding the new Ghost album Impera in their hands. The assumption is that the album has been ready for a while, but the pandemic delayed the release...

Tobias Forge: That's right. It's a pity that we have to talk about the business side a lot these days, but hopefully I can make the fans understand what's going on with us and many others. On the one hand, this pandemic is of course enormously frightening for us as people, but on the other hand it is also extremely damaging for business. If you're currently trying to get an album pressed and you're planning a March release, you basically have to have the finished recordings in the press by September of the year before. It just takes so long to make the vinyl records because it feels like every musician, every band - dead or alive - is putting out either special editions or reissues of old albums. So we made our album and then we waited.

How long did the recordings take in total?

That depends a bit on when you start measuring, (laughs) I already started recording demos for the new songs in March 2020. And the way demos work these days, you're already in studio mode anyway. So what ends up on the finished album are at least partly tracks from these demos. But putting everything together into finished songs, re-recording the guitars, drums and so on - we started doing that in April 2021. At that point we went into a bigger, "real" studio and really got going. We were out again by the end of July, so about four months in total. Which honestly was still pretty ambitious of us, because we're fucking perfectionists. (laughs)

Do you record the guitar parts yourself when you are in the studio, or do the guitar ghouls do it?

On the demos I actually play every instrument myself. The way the drums come out is of course dictated by my style and my manageable skills. I'm a passable drummer, in theory I know how to play the drums. But as it is with any physical activity, you really need a lot of practice and routine. So we've always, for all the albums we've done, had a drummer in the studio and I've basically played everything else on most of the recordings. I want everything that happens to go over my "desk" once. I have a certain way of playing and I want it to sound the way I imagine it in the end.

I started playing guitar when I was seven years old, played an incredible amount in my teens, when I was around twenty I was probably at the top of my game. But at the latest since we've been touring so much with Ghost, I've only played guitar periodically - I come back from a tour, for example, and suddenly start playing again for five hours a day because I'm in the studio. That makes your fingers hurt quickly, and every time I think to myself: Wow, your hands have become even stiffer. Of course, after a few weeks it gets better, you loosen up and it works again.

I'm pretty good at tracking guitars, recording multiple tracks on top of each other and all that, but I'm really not a shredder. My solo style is very precise because I overdub everything, even the solos. All my solos have at least one or two overdubs, often in different octaves and gimmicks like that. But this time I thought: OK, I've refined my demos to the best of my ability, but what if instead of just being satisfied with it and leaving it like that I ask my buddy Fredrik (Åkesson, Opeth - author's note) to give me a hand? Fredrik is an absolute master who has been practising for five hours every day his whole life. He rips off the stuff on the guitar just like that. So since we wanted to re-record all the guitars anyway, which took a lot of time, we "hired" him to do it. That was very effective.

How did you go about the final guitar recordings to find a sound that works?

Firstly, I want the one sound that works for the whole album. I want the panning to be exactly the same everywhere, the same drum sound everywhere, the same bass sound ... The variety should come from the arrangements. That might not always work, some songs need a bit more "oomph" or a special sound to make a certain part really pop. I'm very tuned to drums and bass, on this album I also played the basses again. And I want to make the drums and bass very central in the mix - a bit like The Smiths, Guns N Roses or Rush. The drums and bass are the backbone of the music, the guitars play more of a supporting role. That alone took a lot of time and was not so easy to organise. Fredrik was in his own little room and re-recorded all the guitars, eight hours a day. And I was in another room with our drummer, tweaking the new drum tracks and playing bass. So basically we were in two studios at the same time. Klas (Åhlund, producer - author's note) and I were running back and forth all the time. But that was really necessary in order to be able to make the album at all, otherwise it would have taken eight months.

(left: Lead guitar ghoul’s Strats / right: “You can never enough spare strings on tour with you!” - TF)

One song that really stands out is "Twenties". Can you tell us how this song came about?

Years ago I saw this Brazilian rapper on Swedish TV who played a kind of reggaeton hardcore hip-hop. His songs were incredibly aggressive and I just thought to myself, that's a really cool style, a special vibe. I remember saying to myself, 'I bet I can write a really cool metal song along those lines that captures that same aggressive energy, but with guitars going all the way through'. I had this idea for years, and when I came up with the lyrics to "Twenties", it fit like a glove. During the recording of that song I said to the others: Imagine this… Slayer covering Missy Elliot! (laughs).

With "Griftwood" you can hear completely different influences. The song sounds very eighties, Van Halen and the like.

Oh, we are definitely influenced by Van Halen, we always have been. And this song is clearly an ode to Los Angeles. The interesting thing about this song is that it changes very suddenly in the middle to a completely different part. That's something that probably no eighties band would have done. It felt to me like a good way to surprise the listeners and break out of the eighties blueprint a little bit. And having that part in the song allowed us to bring out the more stereotypical Sunset Strip vibe all the more.

(left: the command center behind the scenes / right: Fender basses which Ghost have relied on for years)

What gear was used for the recordings? At your current live shows you see one of the Ghouls with a Stratocaster instead of the Hagstrom Fantomen you usually use. Is that also on the album?

Yeah, that's been the case on the last couple of albums as well, using a combination of different Gibson guitars and my Fender Strat, which I like a lot. I like the combination of those sounds, so the guitar tracks on our songs are usually four different guitars that have been run through at least four different amps. This time we recorded everything through a Kemper first and then re-amped it again. It was just more practical for us, because our studio here in Stockholm has this gigantic, high room - it's an old cinema, where ABBA also recorded a lot of their hits. Studio A is a really big hall, you have a lot of space, the acoustics are amazing and it smells like an old library - absolutely fantastic. In this room I was with the drummer, there we had the piano and everything for which you need these great acoustics. And Fredrik recorded the guitars in Studio B - a smaller room without a separate recording room. So we had to set up the amps in Studio A as well. Fredrik was busy all day with the Kemper recording the guitars in Studio B, and when we were done with our stuff in the evening, we took the guitar tracks and re-amped them in Studio A through the amps. So the last hours of our working day were just for the amps to replay the recorded guitars of the day. So we could listen to this gigantic symphony of guitar tracks just banging, (laughs) So we used the wonders of modern technology to emulate the sound we wanted and still ended up recording everything with real amps, mics and pedals.

Have you profiled these sounds and do you also use the Kemper on tour?

No, we use Fractals there. On tour, it's always about what's most practical. You already mentioned the Fantomen, and it's like that: The Fantomen are really cool guitars, but at the end of the day they're also just the tools that I give my musicians to do their job. And at some point the ghoul who plays most of the leads came up to me and said: I'm really struggling with the Fantomen. It's ergonomically problematic for me and I feel like I'm not playing as well as I could. So I asked him what he would rather play and he said Fender. Now we already have an endorsement with Fender because our bass player plays their basses. And I didn't want anyone to feel like they couldn't play their best, so we changed guitars. The other guitarist didn't have any problems with the Fantomen, so he stayed with it.

It's interesting to hear how much effort you put in to make everyone feel comfortable and then to see your new costumes, which I'm sure make playing live a lot more difficult.

Damn right! It's all part of the torture! Oh, so you want a new guitar all of a sudden? Here, have a helmet with tubes on it. See how well you can play now! (laughs) But seriously, here's how it works with the costumes: We work with a designer called Bea Åkerlund. We are good friends and have similar tastes when it comes to what we think is cool. However, she comes from the world of fashion tailoring and there are sometimes a few hurdles between what looks good in a photo shoot, for example, and what is comfortable to work with. She mainly has the role of designer and doesn't sit in the sewing room herself to make our costumes. What we wear on stage is a collaborative effort of many different people, where one makes the crosses, one makes the belts, one makes the trousers and so on. You work with a lot of people who all want to contribute creatively, and only when we have everything in one room can we think about whether something will work live. What you see as a visitor at our concerts, especially at the first concerts of a tour, is still the experimentation phase, during which we change things and discard ideas again. If you want something that's just practical, you should put on a jumpsuit and a pair of Chucks, but that's not our thing. But believe me, if I ever start another band, I'll go on stage in a fucking onesie.

[feelingofcontent]

DNP Rewatch: My Evil Piano Teacher

Date video was published: 02/06/2017 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 334

This is the first Dan story-time/classic-style dinof video since I Nearly Blinded Myself in September of 2016. This is the video Dan was writing when Phil got this fantastic creepshot.

0:01 - well that is a dramatic start to the video

0:06 - okay, I really love this marble-patterned shirt of Dan’s. also his hair is slowly drifting into waviness

0:11 - “and how they get crushed and die” well this doesn’t sound like a happy story

0:15 - the scented candle collecting has begun. also, after this Dan played piano in front of thousands of people on tour and has improved so much and that makes me so happy for him 🥺

0:33 - this is so cute that Arthur made him want to start learning. and that at 12 he was self-motivated enough to do that

1:07 - that keyboard is such a specific, joint childhood memory

1:22 - did not need that horrifying edit

1:28 - again, the self-motivation and to even find the teacher himself

1:32 - “definitely not a witch” lol

1:46 - awww 😕 just telling us the end of the story up-front here

2:01 - “like an elephant trampling on a sweet innocent flower” Dan always has some great metaphors

2:07 - this is such a look. I don’t remember seeing that wig prior to this video so wonder if he got it just for this

2:14 - Dan’s witch-cackle is great 😂

2:28 - Dan’s face can do so many different things

2:32 - the “hi, my name is...” reference 😂 I love it

2:38 - the voice he does for this is great too

3:01 - this is so mean to tell a child

3:11 - the dimple! even when he’s fake-smiling

3:25 - Fur Elise being his favorite song at 12 is also very cute

3:33 - the sad editing overlay

3:41 - awww, Dan really was working hard for this

4:09 - yeah if you can play be ear, learning sheet music is basically a chore (not a thing I can do, but a couple people in my family can)

4:28 - “she was just a total dick” Dan is not mincing words with this one

4:43 - I would love to know why child-Dan thought that was a good idea

4:49 - I very much want to know what that little sheet of four photo-booth style pictures is

5:09 - yeah now it’s just creepy 😱

5:30 - I’m scared that he continued going back for a bit after knowing about the meat

5:56 - wow that is a clip from an old video

6:14 - the dangers of it being someone from your neighborhood. also, filming this clip outside their apartment door was apparently an experience

6:38 - aw, poor scared little Dan

6:42 - I’m surprised he managed to fit under a bed at their house...that does not look comfortable or clean

7:06 - the flickering light in their hallway really adds to this

7:15 - well we know how the pet hamster ended up going too...

7:40 - he’s really not bad at piano and he practices so much to get the songs right, it seems

7:55 - do we know if he actually did take anymore lessons or not? I don’t think so. He did start practicing more though after this, it seems

7:59 - “instead of just suffering in silence, which I did quite a lot as a child” and “I had a traumatizing childhood didn’t I” from earlier...you can see the slow push towards openness that will lead to Daniel and Depression later in the year

8:12 - that’s a nice positive message to end on like he usually tries to do

8:25 - ah the piano-playing in the BONCAs jacket in the background!

8:55 - both DNP were pushing the side-channel live shows at the beginning of 2017

9:07 - “Arthur is furry propaganda” is quite the sentiment to end on...

I like this video. It’s very classic-Dan, although not really a reasons-why-Dan’s-a-fail.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

💙Fri 11 Dec ‘20◟̽◞̽

Louis' big show is TOMORROW but that may not even be all we have to look forward to from him! Producer Alex Oriet (half of the duo Saltwives, who have worked with Zayn a lot, and he got his start working with 1D) reposted Louis' “new song” tweet to his insta with a caption- “soon”. OMG. Billboard had a 'year in livestreams' feature and wrapped up with Louis', saying “the best is yet to come” and reporting that Louis' show is Veeps' bestselling of the year “in excess of $1 million” (so either over a mil so far or a mil over the next best, hard to say, but it'll be well over a million by the end for sure so either makes sense).“I can't wait for tomorrow!” Louis tweeted, SAME, and “feels so good to be back with the boys getting ready. Can't wait for you all to see what we've been working on!” He included the brand new special Live From London twiiter emoji (!), it's a really cute lil vintage TV with the xx smiley on it, and a pic-- it's him looking over the backstage prep (so many screens) and you can see his hair flowing free and long and lovely! You can also see a piece of paper in front of him with 20 lines on it-- even if it is a set list I imagine some lines say “banter with crowd” and such like (as we saw on Louis' tour set list) but that's still soooo many lovely songs :))). Charlie Lightening says “this is going to be special, can’t wait for people to see what we have planned” and LTHQoffical is hitting us hard with the hype, posting another rehearsal pic (he's holding a beer and they didn't even scribble it out! wow almost like there's nothing wrong with that), and a time zone guide showing 66 cities around the world, and a digital fan pack, and they said more merch will be out tomorrow (heeelllp), and there's a show day itinerary-- ticket sales cut off 4 hours before the stream but much more interestingly, don't reopen (for the 28 hours of rewatch) until TWO HOURS after the start time. While they could (probably should) be allowing time for technical difficulties I much prefer to believe it's because we're getting a LONG SHOW YES PLEASE! I like my Louis shows like I like his hair, as long as he can possibly manage!! So that's plenty that we DO know to be excited about at the moment but the mystery of Louis new label also remains a hot topic nonetheless, with the known high cost of a twitter emoji stirring questions of who footed the bill (not something we're ever likely to find out sadly). If his team really understood us in the least they'd set up a viral video style Q and A where every Q pulled out of the bowl was an intensely detailed bookkeeping or promo strategy type query- tbh the faces Louis (or any one of the boys) would make would be 100x more entertaining than they get from any tired trying-to-be-cheeky standard Q and the answers sure would be!

Harry's prerecorded (months ago!) Jingle Ball performance aired at last and OH MY GOSH! SO GOOD! I think we can all agree (I know right?? I can't believe it either) that the backing band, Free Nationals, were phenomenal, and Harry's performance was terrific, just simply next level versions of the songs and Harry's sound in general. What more could we ask? For me, not much. For the Jingle Bell Ball organizers, well, they might have liked something Christmassy I suppose, maybe a holiday cover song, or a “tour of his home and holiday traditions.” LOL too bad! Whatever, they DID get vocal variations all over the place and oh did they work, a little lyric change in Golden (“I'm hoping someday I'll open”?), Harry in a sunny LA backyard (whose? who knows!) and everyone in not remotely festive Gucci. There were some decorations though! Not xmassy though- they were, can you guess, yes that's right: sky blue. And there was TRUMPET! A horn section, like revenge, is best served cold apparently: all these years on we can only assume Julian Bulian is good and sorry for denying Harry his trumpets cause DAMN did that sound GOOD. Julian may not say it but I will: you were SO RIGHT Harry, trumpets on every song!! Please! In fact, if you just took that guy on tour with you... or any of those people really? He can just have a really BIG backing band how about, then we won't have to argue about whether wanting this to be his band is mean to the old band. Anyway I hope the fan who ran into him in LA this morning told him how much we liked the show-- she did take a distanced pic, Harry is in his running gear (mostly black but bright fruity shoes) and holding a beverage. Oh yeah and Fine Line is now available to stream in “3D audio” (there's a moving in a New Direction from 1D joke in here headline writers, have at it) which is something that apparently only works with an Amazon device and is strange because physicists assure me that all sound is 3D, but what do they know. Anyway I'm sure it sounds great to those who can access it but luckily for me the album sounds great in plebian unbranded sound as well.

In the wake of Liam's no-show livestream yesterday fans are full of theories about what could be going on to cause such a thing, except actually it's only one theory; everyone is quick to ascribe the glitch to management struggles. May I simply say: there are so very very many things that could be happening in a person's life, even in a 1D member's life, that could cause a missed event and reducing any of them to 1 Dimensional figures who only have work related problems does them (and rigorous theorizing) a disservice. I hope we can all agree on wanting what's best for Liam, and that that extends to supporting him even if things are going on that are less glamorous than management villainy. I will ascribe one thing to management though-- I do believe the guys do the bulk of their own tweeting etc nearly always, but @Liam's tweet that yesterday's live didn't happen due to “technical difficulties” and they are “looking to reschedule” is one that I will make the exception for, sometimes you can just feel the PR person behind the screen! Tik Tok said it was rescheduled for next Tuesday, but the tweet was after that sooo hmm. The Billboard article about Veeps of course also talked about Liam (his Halloween show had 3.7 BILLION chat messages my god) and Liam's prerecorded alarm content today is Roman teaching Liam to do a Harry impression. How come when Roman does it it sounds like Harry but when Liam does it he sounds like Roman? Tip to Liam, just call it a Roman impression and you've GOT it!

Meanwhile, Lewis Capaldi weighs in on Niall and whether he (Lewis) enjoys golf with uncharaceristic delicacy; “we have different interests,” he says, and he sympathizes with a fan who said they'd slap him to meet Harry: “I understand.”

[jonnyparable]

Cottage Hills : A Winter Tale, Part XV

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Echo Dela Mode once more brings you the most exclusive news about the lives of the rich and famous! We travel down to the the small countryside town of Cottage Hills at the invitation of Gourmand Du Swindleton, eccentric billionaire and proprietor of Swindleton's Sweets and Chocolates, and lifelong friend of the Lady Divadonna.

We meet the pair outside of the town's church, along with several other members of the press, and are greeted warmly by none other than Mr Swindleton himself. A meeting in front of a church? Surely wedding bells are imminent! Read on, to find out, dear reader!

Gourmand:

"Greetings dear friends! Thank you everyone for coming such a distance in this winter cold. Now, I have an announcement to make, and I'm sure your readers will be delighted to hear it! Welcome, first of all to Cottage Hills! This town has been a personal interest of mine for decades now! And I have been investing heavily in this town's authenticity and charm for years. I'm sure you will all be pleased to know that this town is under new management and you are now speaking to the new Mayor of Cottage Hills!"

Echo :

"Mayor? Congratulations! That is big news indeed! This town must be excited to have such illustrious and accomplished leadership!Can you tell us more about your plans for the town, and what Madame Divadonna has to do with it?"

Gourmand:

"Of course! My goal is two fold. Firstly, to open up this town as a charming lakeside holiday getaway for the region's rich and famous, and second, to build a new Swindleton Chocolate Factory right here in Cottage Hills!

Echo:

"Incredible! A new factory? How exciting!"

Gourmand:

"Yes! Think rides through my cacao plantation, chocolate tasting and tours of my factory floor where the magic happens, not to mention a trip to the gift shop where you can buy all my newest candy! But before all that can happen, I've been here to make sure everything is in tip-top shape, and finding suitable sites for construction. This town has it all, amazing scenery, a quaint little village, historical sites, stupendous food, friendly locals and traditions and its surrounded by hectares of fertile, untouched land! All it lacks is some pizzazz, and Madame, a dear friend of mine, has graciously agreed to join me to come assess the town's many qualities, and to lend the town her unique blend of glitz, glamour, talent and charm! She's been staying at the local inn and enjoying the town's hospitality! Haven't you, Contestina dear?"

Echo:

"Madame, you must be excited to be part of Mr Swindleton's plans! After all, everything he touches famously turns to gold!"

Contestina :

"Why, yes of courrrse! Everything my Gourrrrrrmando does is simply magnifico! This town is full of prrromise! I've been enjoying myself immensely, despite my near-death experience!"

Echo:

"Near death experience?? Oh my, do tell!"

Gourmand:

"Yes, it was frightful disaster! The dear Lady Divadonna was almost injured by the falling bricks from the town's old tower, mid-song too! Which is why, I've decided to personally replace the old mayor, for his negligence and additionally, as this town's new Mayor, I've decided to demolish the old eyesore of a tower once and for all! Safety in my new town is paramount!"

Echo:

"What a truly horrific experience for the Madame! Madame Divadonna, can you tell us how you managed to survive such an ordeal?"

Contestina :

"Cerrrtainly! It is all thanks to my herrro, my saviourr! Adora Belisa, here he is!"

Echo:

"Wow! You're quite the looker, gorgeous. I don't see a ring, so I think our readers would love to know, are you seeing anybody?"

Cliff:

"Huh? Seeing? Oh, like a girlfriend? Umm it's complicated.... But there is someone I like....I think... "

Echo:

"Lucky gal! And looking at the badge on your jacket, you're a pilot too, what a catch!"

Cliff:

"Badge? Pilot....??"

Echo:

"All looks no brains, huh? Can't have it all I guess! So give us a name, handsome! How do you feel, being a hero, and saving the life of the world's most beloved songstress? You're gonna be famous!"

Cliff:

"Uh right, well I suppose my name is Cliff Winters...I'm not a hero really, I just acted on instincts I suppose, I'm... Actually not really sure what happened either...heh heh...? "

Echo:

"Wowza! Looks and modesty! Now let's get you, the Mayor and Madame together in a picture. Look this way, Captain Winters!"

Contestina :

"Gala Adora! Thank you everyone! But alas it is time now for us to go, I must rehearse for the town's music festival, where I'll perform all my songs from Shalabar!"

Gourmand :

"Yes, quite right! We shall be hosting a grand recital here in the church, and the who's who of the entire region will all be there! It will be a glorious event that will finally put this town on the map! And..... You're all invited! Join us at the town's inn later this evening for champagne on me!"

You read it here first, folks! Cottage Hills has a perfect new Mayor, and looks like exciting things are finally coming to this sleepy town. This town is about to be completely transformed into a glamorous haven for the world's most beautiful people, and as always, Echo Dela Mode will bring you all the latest updates from right here, the hea-

Unknown Man:

"All great stuff, but Madame Divadonna! Aren't you worried about performing in a creepy little town filled with rumours of strange creatures, a haunted forest and.... missing people?"

Gourmand :

"What? I've never heard of such nonsense. Who are you?"

Unknown Man :

"Why, I'm none other than Kano Kandidi, paranormal investigator extraordinaire and writer at the Supernatural Times, at your service!"

Kano:

"So tell me, Mayor, what do you know about the rumours of strange half-man, half-tree creatures that are said to skulk about at night in people's gardens, the eerie music from the woods, and even rumours of man-eating werewolves?"

Contestina :

"Werewolves!!?? Miseria Mystico! Gourrrrrrmando!! What is he talking about?"

Kano:

"Surely you must know, Mayor. After all, famed botanist Basil Reed disappeared here 20 years ago. Maybe this town isn't the paradise that you think it is. I mean, if its so perfect, why have people been leaving for years? Why all the empty buildings? What if this town is... Cursed??"

Gourmand :

"Cursed!? Absolute hogwash! How dare you, sir! This interview is over! Come, Contestina!"

Contestina :

"Ye-yes, Gourrrrrrmando, coming! Goodbye my dears, for it is time for my rehearsal! I shall see you later at the inn!"

[odanurr87]

My thoughts on... Hotel del Luna

From left to right: Pyo Ji-hoon as Ji Hyun-joong; Yeo Jin-goo as Gu Chan-sung; Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Jang Man-wol; Bae Hae-seon as Choi Seo-hee; and Shin Jung-keun as Kim Sun-bi.

Released in 2019, Hotel del Luna was my introduction to the works of the Hong sisters as well as actors Yeo Jin-goo and Lee Ji-eun (IU), and what an introduction it was! The first episode of the show was excellent, giving us a hint of Man-wol’s tragic past that left me wanting to know more, then moving forwards in time to reenact that scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle’s father is caught trying to steal a rose from Beast’s garden to give to Belle, and finally reaching present day as Man-wol tries to recruit Chan-sung and introduces him, and us, to this world of gods, ghosts, and souls with lingering grudges, that reminded me of the wondrous world of Harry Potter. Everything clicked for me in this episode, from the beautiful cinematography and music to the strong performances, particularly IU’s as Man-wol who knocked it out of the park and, incidentally, has a most impressive wardrobe and an uncanny ability to look amazing in every single one of her outfits. This was a highly promising start for my next modern fantasy show after Goblin and I couldn’t wait for the next episode. But what is this show about and why should you watch it?

Plot synopsis

21 years ago, Gu Chang-sung’s father cut a deal with the beautiful and mysterious owner of Hotel del Luna, Jang Man-wol, so that she would save his life in exchange for his son. Regretting the deal afterwards, the father left the country with his son hoping to spare him his fate. Believing himself to be safe, Gu Chan-sung has returned to work as assistant manager in one of Korea’s top hotels but Jang Man-wol is intent on collecting on the old debt by having him work in her hotel instead. However, Hotel del Luna is not your typical establishment, as Gu Chan-sung soon finds out, providing a service for souls who need healing or have grudges left to settle before moving on. While initially afraid of the prospect of becoming assistant manager at a hotel that serves ghosts, Gu Chan-sung finds himself intrigued by the challenge and curious about the story of the beautiful owner who runs it.

A magical atmosphere

Stepping into the world of Hotel del Luna feels like taking the train at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and attending Hogwarts. In fact, our intrepid hero, Gu Chan-sung, also receives a magical letter welcoming him as Hotel del Luna’s new manager, and while there’s nothing magical about the subway that takes him there Jang Man-wol does use a little magic to ensure their first encounter goes undisturbed. The hotel itself reminded me of Hogwarts, not because it is filled with ghosts and can only be found by them (and the very much alive and fearful human manager), but because of the feeling of perpetual wonder knowing that behind every door lies a new magical mystery waiting to be discovered, be it a room only people who are alive can enter but not exit, the sky lounge, a swimming pool that is actually a beach in some undetermined plane of existence, or a beautiful garden with a magical tree that holds one of the hotel’s biggest secrets. Of course, one should not forget CEO Jang Man-wol (if one wishes to live) who, while certainly a very different character from Albus Dumbledore in terms of personality, always knows more than she’s letting on and is usually in control of any situation, even if the outcome isn’t always the one she anticipates. There is also the wonderful supporting cast in the form of the different incarnations of the deity Ma Go-sin (played by Seo Yi-sook, who looks like she’s having a blast playing the different sides of the goddess), a reserved but diligent Grim Reaper (played by Kang Hong-suk), and the welcoming staff of the hotel, represented by the trio of Kim Sum-bi (the bartender), Choi Seo-hee (the room manager), and Ji Hyun-joong (the hotel receptionist).

In the same way we cannot divorce Harry Potter from its music, given its distinct signature by that legend that is John Williams, I cannot forego mentioning Hotel del Luna’s mysterious, magical, and ethereal, instrumental soundtrack. Let me take you on a brief musical tour, shall I? Let’s start by taking subway line 4 and going to Hotel del Luna. The receptionist seems to be asleep so why don’t we let ourselves in? Wow, looks like the hotel’s throwing a party, apparently they’re welcoming human guests for the first time in years and the staff is particularly excited about it. That explains how we managed to get in (remember, this is not really a hotel for living, breathing, people). I can see that the bartender is busy receiving food orders and members of the staff are decorating the hall with real flowers. Hey, where’s that kid sneaking off to? Let’s follow him. Oh, that’s the Samdocheon Tunnel, which marks the boundary between this life and the afterlife. The Grim Reaper and the manager are there to bid farewell to one of the hotel’s guests. Apparently, there’s a bridge beyond the tunnel that takes 49 days to cross! I’m not eager to cross it just yet so let’s return to the hotel. Wait, why is there water everywhere? Looks like a water god managed to get past the receptionist (not that difficult when he’s asleep) and the CEO isn’t very happy about it. Yup, she definitely doesn’t look happy. We’d better make our exit before she figures out we shouldn’t be here.

To complement this excellent instrumental soundtrack, my favourite among all the kdramas I’ve watched to date, there’s an amazing selection of songs by artists like Red Velvet, TAEYEON, Heize, Punch, Chung Ha, and Paul Kim, among many others. IU herself sings an absolutely beautiful song that plays in one of the most highly-anticipated scenes of the show but which, sadly, has not been released. However, just as important as having a great soundtrack is using it well. If you’ve read my reviews of Angel’s Last Mission: Love or Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon, you should have an idea of how much I value using the right music at the right time to convey or accentuate the proper emotions during dramatic, comedic, or romantic scenes. Correct music usage can lead to your soundtrack being memorable, whereas incorrect music usage will surely render it forgettable. Fortunately for us, Hotel del Luna knows precisely when to use its music and how. It knows when levity is called for and when it’s not, when to highlight the wondrous side of magic and when to show its darker side, when to use Heize’s “Can You See My Heart” or Punch’s “Done For Me.” I believe it was John Williams, when talking about the music of the original Star Wars trilogy, who said that he wanted the score to tell the story of what was going on in the screen. I believe Hotel del Luna’s score achieves this feat.

Another aspect that contributes to the magical atmosphere of the show is, without a doubt, its incredible cinematography (from camera angles, through its beautiful use of lighting and colours) which, combined with its excellent score, can create scenes that are best defined as poetry in motion. I particularly liked how it favoured studio sets for shooting many of its scenes, giving the sensation that we’re watching a superb play that encourages us to send our imagination into overdrive. Even some of the more noticeable VFX work, like the city view from the hotel’s sky lounge plays into the notion that one cannot always tell what’s real and what’s fake in Hotel del Luna, as Man-wol warns Chan-sung that the view from the sky lounge is not from this world, but the fall will kill him just the same (Man-wol being Man-wol). Because I’m not knowledgeable enough to explain the show’s cinematography in technical terms, I’ll leave you with a trailer that captures some aspects of it and, luckily, also showcases Jang Man-wol’s incredible selection of dresses.

A part of a greater whole

In my review of Bring it on, Ghost I mentioned the show followed a certain formula that is often poorly executed in Western shows. There is a main story-arc that encompasses the whole of the show and there are side stories where our protagonists confront the “ghost of the week.” One of the strengths of Bring it on, Ghost lied in how these side stories would sometimes tie into the main story or would be used to expand on a character’s backstory so that they rarely came across as filler. Hotel del Luna executes the same formula with a lot more thought and care, often laying out the groundwork for events later down the episode, what is expected, or even later down the show, what is a bit more impressive. The Hong sisters remain true to their initially-stated intention throughout the show and reinforce this with the aid of these side stories, preparing both Gu Chan-sung and us for the inevitable dénouement of the show. Let me try to illustrate my point by way of an example. I don’t want to give more for fear of completely spoiling the show for you.

Episode 5 tells the story of a ghost bride whose parents want to give a soul wedding so she will be able to peacefully pass into the afterlife. Unfortunately, the chosen partner for this soul wedding ends up being Gu Chan-sung’s best friend, Sanchez, so while Man-wol goes shopping as Audrey Hepburn with the parents’ black card (our girl has very expensive tastes), Gu Chan-sung tries to figure out a way to spare his terrified friend. After some twists and turns, what is often the case with this show as the truth is not always what it seems, it is revealed that it is actually the groom’s parents who want to marry off the bride so she’ll let go of their son, who’s in a coma. For those who’ve watched Bring it on, Ghost, the parallels with the ghost side story from Episode 10 are fairly evident, as the ghost bride needs to find the strength to let go of the person she loves and she ultimately does so in one of the most beautifully composed scenes of the show. This is one of those “poetry in motion” scenes I was talking about. As the groom runs away in shock and fear, the bride gathers the courage to cut the red string of fate tying them together, under the intent gazes of Gu Chan-sung, dressed as the groom, and Jan Man-wol, dressed as a bride (in red).

You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.

This scene is a portent of events yet to come, when the day finally arrives where Chan-sung and Man-wol will also have to part ways. Indeed, several episodes later, the room manager will remind Gu Chan-sung of the words Goddess Ma Go-sin then told the ghost bride, “You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.” The bride’s selfless act of letting go of the person she loves, breaking free from her earthly tether of her own volition, can be seen as a challenge to Man-wol, whose hatred for the man who betrayed her has been her sole drive for the past 1,300 years but also a curse that has bounded her to the hotel and prevented her from dying. Could she, like the bride, unburden herself by letting go of her hatred? Is it possible for someone with such a long and deep resentment to simply let go? This is a recurring question throughout the show and one that puts her at odds with her increasing desire to protect Gu Chan-sung, as she fears her actions, born of her hatred for the people who wronged her, might end up harming the man she loves.

Side stories such as this one often give us further insight into Man-wol, whether it be a glimpse of her past or challenging her beliefs, making her question herself and her actions, however briefly.

A fairy tale romance

Man-wol is a tsundere character, both a Beauty and a Beast, who has been nursing a thousand-year-old grudge against the people who betrayed her and consequently filters every human interaction through a lens of cold cynicism, expecting the worst from people. Chan-sung on the other hand, is a proper gentleman, a type of character we don’t often see in kdramas and a natural consequence of his training as a hotel manager. He’s friendly, cultured, well-mannered, kind, clever, and someone who's very much in control of his emotions most of the time. The evolution of the relationship between these two characters is the centrepiece of Hotel del Luna, a breath of fresh air in a landscape that often feels the need to use love triangles, or other polygons, as a shortcut to properly fleshing out the relationship between two characters. While there are elements of a love triangle present, such as expressions of jealousy for the sake of comedy, Hotel del Luna chooses to forego this trope and commit fully to the main characters’ fairy tale-like romance.

When you tell her you’ve been dreaming about her.

Another trope the Hong sisters mostly dispense with is that of misunderstandings, which are kept to a bare minimum, as Man-wol and Chan-sung are very open with each other regarding their thoughts and feelings, although Man-wol is, understandably, less transparent about her feelings in the beginning. It was incredibly refreshing to witness two characters that could guess each other’s thoughts and were willing to have an open and honest conversation about it rather than to hold back for the sake of drama. Of course, this did become somewhat frustrating for Man-wol (and fun for us) when Chan-sung started gaining more confidence, feeling at ease with Man-wol, and rebuking her selfish or materialistic actions. Their playful banter and bickering throughout the show is, to my mind, a clear indication that they’re comfortable with each other, as strong a sign of the chemistry in their relationship as half a dozen kisses, if not a better one, what is a good thing because those are few and far between. On the other hand, it makes those moments much more valuable and meaningful. The love between Man-wol and Chan-sung comes across in the gestures they make, in their facial expressions, in the words spoken and left unsaid. When Man-wol tries to comfort Chan-sung but doesn’t know how (Video), when she confesses she wants him to stay with her till the end and they share an intimate hug (Video), when Chan-sung breaks down and cries at the thought of not being able to see Man-wol ever again (Video), when the two have a conversation on the balcony under the moonlight (Video)... These are a precious few examples of the beauty, strength, and depth of feeling, of their relationship.

When the adult catches you in a lie.

While Man-wol is not the same ruthless person she was at the beginning of the show as she is at the end, she still retains some elements or traits of her personality throughout the show (there’s still a little tsun in her dere), as it should be. In one episode Chan-sung is remarking upon how much nicer she has become and she replies, “Gu Chan-sung, you’ve made leaves and flowers grow and have changed me a lot. But you won’t be able to change my core personality. Don’t even expect that.” Even as she says this you can see her looking a little uneasy about something, a little girl about to be caught in a lie by the adult who’s trying to keep her out of trouble. It is thanks to Gu Chan-sung’s patient and enduring love, that protected her from the worst aspects of her own self, that Man-wol is able to let go of her anger, both literally and metaphorically. But Man-wol also deserves praise, as she reciprocates Chan-sung’s love and equally tries to protect him from the dangers of this new world he has entered but most of all from herself, to the point she is willing to renounce her revenge and extinguish her existence to ensure she can never harm the man she loves.

Conclusion

It should be evident by now that I absolutely love this show and it is, without a doubt, my favourite out of all I’ve watched thus far, including Goblin. This is not to say the show is without flaws. Its almost single-minded focus on the story of Man-wol and Chan-sung has some collateral damage, most notably in the form of a character’s loved one, an event used as a means to highlight the pain experienced by those left behind, anticipating the day when our main protagonists will be forced to part ways. In another case, a poignant encounter for Chan-sung is not properly fleshed out, perhaps intentionally so but it seems like a wasted opportunity. Additionally, the introduction and development of the secondary villain’s arc (Man-wol is both the love interest and the main antagonist) felt a little weak, but is still a functional plot device that leads to some of the show’s best scenes. Finally, there is also the way the Hong sisters handled the riddle of Chan-sung’s dreams, which I may address in a separate post because it has too many spoilers.

If you’re a fan of fantasy dramas like Goblin, there’s simply no reason for me not to recommend this show and, hopefully, I’ve given you a few to persuade you as to why this is such a standout drama and, to my mind, the Hong sisters’ best work to date. It’s even on r/KDRAMA’s banner as one of those must-watch shows. If you do decide to watch it, I advise you to pace yourself so you don’t have to say goodbye to Hotel del Luna’s wonderful family too soon.

[swagless-talks-alot]

Memories

Middle school. 

Rusty benches, rotting lockers, and prepubescent children. 

8th period is when I learned that he would be moving away. He would get to move out of this hell hole and move to a brand new country. 

"Are you ever going to come back?" I had asked as I unpacked my History notebook from my bag. But before he could answer, his loud ass friends entered the room.  Mark was the type of guy who wasn't immensely popular himself, but people knew him and he knew people. Most were either jealous of him, or loved him, no in between. 

I would say I was more on the jealous side. Not only was he on the dance team, my friends wouldn't shut about how "nice he is" or "how adorable he is" or "how good he is at math". 

"Have you read his poems? Apparently he has a poem book."

It's not just my friends either, it's my parents too. Unfortunately for me, Mark's parents and my parents are part of the same friend circle. Which means constant comparison. Ever since elementary school. 

But it's not like they were wrong. And it didn't help that I liked him either. It may have been my 13 year old hormones, or the fact that his smile seemed to light up the world around him, but despite how sickly jealous I was, I was so entranced. I remember crying after hearing a rumour that he liked someone one day. A weird occurrence as I never cried over anything. The rumour turned out to be false because I asked him about it the next day and he said "No, who is that?". 

We were what I would call acquaintances. One of my friends dated one of his friends in 6th grade for a week before breaking up in the most dramatic way possible. 

"You know, I heard they kissed once," I remember telling Mark. 

He replied with a grimace and said, "Eww that's gross, why would you kiss someone?" 

I remember laughing and telling him that it wasn't a big deal. 

After that, we talked once in a while. If we were in the same class, we would ask each other about homework or make basic small talk if none of his friends were around. 

And so, as History class ended, the 13-year-old boy came up to me. "Sorry for ignoring your question earlier, uhh I don't know if I'm coming back or not actually. I think I'm going to be living in Korea for a while," he smiled. "Don't tell anyone about it okay?" He said playfully. "Shhh". 

He giggled, put on his backpack, and ran up to catch up with his friends. 

And that was the last time I ever saw him. 

Honestly, I was glad. I thought that the source of my insecurities was gone and that my crush on him would disappear. I was a progressive child, so I got over him quickly, but unfortunately I still had my insecurities. I thought I would never cross paths with him again and as bittersweet as it sounds, I preferred it over the constant conflict in my heart whenever I saw him. I got over my insecurities slowly, throughout high school. My life without Mark Lee, was great, wonderful even. So then why, at the thought of seeing him again, run at the chance to intern at his company? My desperate ass didn't even search him up on google because I didn't want to know what he looked like now. My view of him is still of a 5'4 teenager boy, with a high pitched voice and braces. So when I was met with a guy who looked too handsome to be real, you could expect that I was taken aback. 

Mark, who I wasn't sure was Mark, was wearing a plain black shirt and some khakis. He also had light blue hair that looked really soft but also looked slightly fried, perhaps from the dye. 

"This is Mark Lee right, I heard you were the one who was supposed to show me to the intern manager or something."

"Uhh yeah! I'm Mark, nice to meet you. What's your name?" He said enthusiastically. 

He didn't remember me. Or he just wasn't sure. I didn't want to seem insane by saying I went to his old school so I kept quiet. 

"I'm Hannah Wang, I'm from Vancouver", I shifted my weight onto my other leg nervously. 

"Wait, Hannah Wang? Did you ever go to Westwood Middle?" Mark asked, his eyes lighting up. 

He remembered. Holy shit, Mark Lee remembered me. "Yeah, I was waiting for you to say something." I said as we walked into the recording room. "You uh, glew up a lot, I could barely recognize you." 

"Ah really? You glew up a lot too- not that you weren't pretty back then- I mean not like that-" Mark panicked.

"So you didn't think I was pretty?" I chuckled. 

We began walking inside the building, and the recording rooms became visible.

"No I mean you were, and still are- ahh" Mark's face was now 3x redder than it was before. 

“You’re bold, calling me pretty and all” I laughed as I scanned the posters on the wall. “Who are they?” I pointed to a poster of 10 men who looked around my age. I noticed that Mark was on it. He was wearing a race car? jacket and had black hair with blonde highlights. 

Mark, who was noticeably all flustered, took a moment to respond. “Ahh that’s the group I’m in… one of them at least.” 

I looked at him. “You’re in another group?” 

He nervously laughed, “Yeah it’s no big deal. I’m in this one, NCT 127, SuperM and NCT Dream.” 

“Well wow…” After all of these years, he was still out here doing the most. “I expected nothing less haha” I joked. “It must be hard.” 

“Yeah.. well I like being busy so it’s honestly very fun.” He said with a smile. “Wait, you’re interning at SM but you don’t know the groups?”

“Dude, I’ve been so busy I haven’t kept up with anything. My friend told me to apply for an internship here and I accepted it as a joke because I didn’t think I’d get in. I didn’t know you became a k-pop idol until like a month ago.” 

“Oooh” Mark nodded understandingly. He started walking to some of the other rooms. “Uhh I think I’m supposed to show you to Mr. Kim? He told me to tell you that he was sorry he couldn’t meet with you in person. There’s a slight chance he might be infected..” Mark frowned. “I’ll escort you to a room where you can meet with him. You came kind of early so I need to get the other two interns as well.” He turned to look at me.  “Does that sound good?” 

I honestly didn’t hear half of what he said because I was staring at his face. “Yeah yeah sounds good!” I centered myself again. 

We went to an auditorium which was quite huge but empty. I assumed press conferences were held here. There was also a huge projector screen at the front of it which had Zoom open. 

“You can just sit at any of the tables,” Mark said. “Oh yeah Mr.Kim asked me if you were vaccinated yet?” 

I nodded. “Yep all good and immune to the virus.” I smiled. 

And then he left and I was all alone in an empty black room. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I exhaled. (Yes and the floor is made up of floor.) I also didn’t realize how fast my heart was beating. Honestly, he hadn’t changed at all. Looking at him unlocked so much nostalgia of my younger days and I blushed to myself at the thought of the journal entries I wrote about him as a child. I wanted to talk to him about so much and I wondered why I didn’t reach out to him sooner. It had been an insanely long time since I last thought about my old “rival”, and I only started pondering it when I realized I would be interning at his company. Him becoming an idol wasn’t actually too surprising, my journal entries told me that he was into dancing a lot and I do recall him performing a Shinee song at one of our “family meetups”. I don’t have a lot of memories from middle school but that’s one that I can recall pretty vividly. He was doing it with 2 of his other friends and the performance was really funny because one of the kids fell and hit his nose on the edge of the sofa. I wonder if he remembered all of this. 

I was taken out of my thoughts when two other people, accompanied by Mark, walked into the room. They were a guy and a girl who both looked a little older than me and they didn’t look like they knew each other. They both took seats at separate tables. Mark on the other hand walked up to me. 

“I think the meeting will start in a bit.” He smiled. “I have to go but good luck with everything! It’s insane how we met again after like… 7 years? Dude, I miss Vancouver so much I really hope we can talk later and catch up on everything y'know?” 

I laughed a little, glad that he felt the same way as me. “Yeah definitely! So many things changed after you left, I swear to god it’s like a completely different place.”

“Yeah I visited once on tour-” his phone started ringing. “Shoot, they’re gonna kill me. I have to go, Hannah. Uhhh I’ll see you around?” 

I smiled. “Yeah I’ll see you around.”