#you can take your pick between paul and george

[zilabee]

the first being what I received when I asked my niece to draw me pictures of the beatles, and the second being when I told her she wasn't funny and provided a reference photo. Alas the cake was ready before she got round to paul and ringo in human form, so I only got half beatles, but I LOVE THEM.

[emlovslennon]

Ok so for your Paul stuff… y/n has been dating Paul since the cavern club days, now it’s set during get back, and Paul has gotten a lot more dominant….

Good LORD i have been lacking smh. But woohoo ft Paul McCartney for the first time on my account ‼️

Era: 1969

-

it’s been 8 years since you and Paul have gotten together, you guys met early 1961, back when The Beatles were still performing at the infamous Cavern Club. You showed up to every show and ultimately got the attention of the handsome bassist, after that night, you and him have been pretty much inseparable. At the beginning of your relationship, Paul was very shy, and would let you take the reigns when it came to bedroom activities. But, something changed, to say the least. As the Beatles grew bigger and more popular, the more confident Paul grew. And it wasn’t just an egocentric kinda thing, he started to really push himself when it came to sex as well. Especially now, with how stressed he is with the band seemingly falling apart, even though he doesn’t want to admit it, and obviously you don’t either. And the numerous moments in between when John hit on you when drunk and apologizing in the morning after Paul’s scolding.

“I just don’t understand it, y/n.” Paul sighed, looking at the copious amounts of song writing material on the table. You looked at him, with nothing but sympathy, you know that Paul is truly trying his best and how passionate he is about the band, it truly is exceptional.

“Paul, I promise, everything will be fine.” You say softly, bringing your hands to his shoulders and slowly massage them. You felt him groan as his head laid against your chest. This went on for a minute or so until he turned around and gave you a soft kiss, Paul was always such a passionate lover, he usually was never too rough, even though he sure tried.

“Y/n, I want to try something, I heard it helps with stress, at least, something to do with what John was rambling about earlier, but, I wanted to ask you if you want me to be… rougher, in bed.” You blushed as he explained, you’ve never done that before, but as much stress he’s been dealing with lately, you couldn’t help but not give in to what he wants.

“Of course, we can try. That’s fine with me.” You said, you smiled as Paul’s eyes grew wide and giggled, he honestly didn’t think you’d agree to it. Paul picked up bridal style and took you to the bedroom and threw you on the bed. You pulled yourself up by your elbows to see the look Paul’s eyes change, they looked darker than usual, and filled with lust. Your breath hitched as he slowly unbuttoned his vest and the white button up he had underneath. Today was a very stressful day for him, whether it be him and George bickering or John completing spacing out or having pda with Yoko.

“Strip for me, love.” He demanded. His voice deeper than usual. You immediately got on your knees on the bed and unbuttoned your blue cardigan along with your white top, along with your black, lacy bra you had been wearing. Paul seemed to be impatient as he grabbed your knees and pulled from under them so you fell on your back, as he nearly ripped off your black skirt and panties. This was definitely not the norm for him. He spent no time slipping a finger into you without warning, causing you to arch your back and moan loudly. He immediately shoved a second one in, causing you to gasp, he’s usually very slow in mid movements, but this definitely is different, he’s wasting no time. His fingers always manage to hit your sweet spot as his fingers curled. Causing your legs to shake as you continued to moan.

“Never noticed how needy you are, love. I think I’m gonna need some convincing if you want me to do more than this.” He said, kissing your forehead, although his fingers felt ethereal, you did wish he was actually inside you, especially at such a fast and deep pace he was going.

“P-Paul, please, I need you.” You moaned out shakily, a huge grin painted his face, as he slowly unbuttoned his pants in a excruciatingly slow pace, which made your thighs clench.

“Paul, come on, please I need-“ you stopped dead in your tracks as Paul shoved his entire length into you at one go, causing you to yelp out. Paul gave you no time to adjust, which he usually does, and just immediately started a hard pace.

“Come on, you asked for this, what you get for rushing me.” Paul grunted, you cried out as he hit all the right spots, you have no idea where this type of Paul has been all your life, well, the last 8 years, but you weren’t complaining. You have never felt yourself so close to the edge before, it never came this fast. You could feel the warm feeling in your stomach growing, you felt as if you were a ticking time bomb.

“P-Paul-“ you gasped

“Already? I don’t know, should I let you cum?” He says, in a very breathy tone as he lets out groan after groan. He never made you beg before.

“P-please Paul! Please let me cum, please!” You cried out, Paul spent no time rubbing your clit before you felt the feeling in your stomach snap and you let go all over him. Paul didn’t stop, though. You felt yourself started to get overstimulated, tears started to brim your eyes and the shakiness you were feeling wouldn’t subside.

“I know, I know, I’m almost there, love.” He moaned, after about three more thrusts, he came inside you with a loud groan. Which is probably the hottest thing you’ve ever heard. His long, dark brown hair disheveled, and his face was flushed. He looked so darkly beautiful. He laid next to you and kissed your face all over, no matter how rough he was, he will always be the same boy you fell in love with in Liverpool.

-

THIS WAS KINDA BAD BUT WE NEEDED PAUL CONTENT IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

I found a transcript of the Jan 98 Q interview but it won’t let me post a link

https:// groups.google .com/g/rec.music.beatles/c/7clhNbsz3jE/m/stFmXJnzJSMJ

Maybe see if you can view it by removing the space between google and .com. If not I can screenshot and send you pictures

Oh wow, amazing!! thank you so much! this is an old usenet post from December 1997 and the user named Alison Fiddler kindly typed it up 27 years ago :)

I'll post the full transcript (and a bit reformated for legibility) below the cut for everyone.

Paul McCartney Interview for Q Magazine, January 1998 edition

Q. When you first wrote a song with John Lennon, did you realise you would play one of the biggest parts in rock 'n' roll?

(Michael McConnell, Crawley, West Sussex)

Q. If John Lennon could come back for a day, how would you spend it with him?

A. Obviously not. But even with all the so-called "historical" events that followed, you're just too inside it all, too busy doing it to realise anything's "historical". You just get on with it. I'm not a great ponderer. Some people would say that's a mistake but it's just the way I am. It's quite cool not to always get the overall picture because it leaves something to be found out. The musicologists get paid to discover the differences between me and John. I'm only just beginning to see it now, based probably on their analysis. So John is often one note, I'm often more melodic. (McCartney is thinking especially of Ian McDonald's book Revolution in the Head, where he describes the ace partnership in contrasts: Lennon's method is "harmonic, dissonant", McCartney's that of the "natural melodist".) It might sound amazing but we never spotted that when we were writing. We just did our thing. But it is kind of apparent when you bother to analyse it.

(Mark Wilson, Deeside, Flintshire)

A. In bed.

Q. Were you ever envious that Brian Epstein didn't fancy you?

(Nick Gibson, London)

Q. What were the last records you bought?

A. No, I didn't mind. We just used to go to these clubs at night and wonder why there were so many men. It was OK. Brian was very cool about his side to things. I think the nearest any of us got to it was the John-going-to-Spain thing (it inspired the movie, The Hours And The Times) and I'm not sure what the strength of all that was. I think it was power play on John's part. But Brian kept his private life aside. He kept it out of our faces (pause, possibly for effect). He kept it out of mine, anyway.

(Chris Timms, Harrogate)

A. The Prodigy's The Fat Of The Land, Radiohead's OK Computer and Chopin's Nocturnes.

Q. How do you feel about all the animosity between you and Oasis right now?

(Christina Vellano, Syracuse, New York, USA)

A. There is none as far as I'm concerned. What happened was I'd said, Good group, good singer, good songwriters. But people asked me about it so much that one time I decided to take it further and say that they don't mean anything to me. I am not related to Oasis. I wish them good luck and everything. But my kids mean something to me, John Lennon means something to me, but Oasis ....

Q. Who would you pick to play with in your dream six-piece band?

(Alan Thatcher, Essex)

A. Dream? So we're into fantasy, aren't we? Ringo, John, George, that's three. Me. Jimi Hendrix. That makes lots of guitarists, so Little Richard on keyboards.

Q. With Wings, did you feel pressurised to live up to The Beatles?

(Andrew Williams, Neath)

A. Yes, it was a case of "follow that!". Impossible to do. Looking back on it, it's a lot better than I thought, though some of it is just not PLAYED as well as The Beatles. My son (James, co-worker on McCartney's last pop album, Flaming Pie) plays a lot of Wings, so I'm re-listening, and there's good shit that I'd forgotten about. A lot of the lyrics were off the wall, drug stimulated. Things like "Soily - the cat in the satin trousers says its oily". What was I on? I think the answer is stimulants.

Q. Do you still support the legislation of cannabis?

(Grahame Woods, Northwood, Middlesex)

A. I would make a distinction between legalising and decriminalising. I'm in favour of the latter. The problem is that jails are stuffed full of kids doing what a lot of people do. Why stuff the jails with young kids? Plus it's one of the best places to score. I remember when I got busted in Japan, nobody made the slightest effort to rehabilitate me (laughs). Just stuck me in a box for nine days. Obviously you come out and you are fairly resentful.

Q. Do you roll a wicked joint?

(Steve Kline, Bury)

A. I have nothing to say in answer to that question, m'lud. I wasn't even at the venue.

Q. The critics have been harsh on your solo work. Did this ever

discourageyou?

(Robert Hemauer, Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

A. Yeah, sure, but you don't let it kill you. It's a difficult one, because it's never cool for someone to tell you you're shit. Many people through history were damned by the critics of their own time - Cezanne, Van Gogh, Stravinsky, all great painters! Ha ha!

Q. We'd like to see your paintings but can't get to the exhibition in

Germany (McCartney unveils his work for the first time in Siegen, Germany, next year). Any thoughts about putting your paintings on "tour", or publishing a book of them?

(Kathy Goodman, San Diego, CA, USA)

Q. You've done so many things - classical, films, music, art, drugs - is there anything left you might have a go at?

A. A difficult one. If you're a so-called celebrity - like Bowie, Anthony Quinn, Tony Curtis - and you exhibit any art, inevitably, people are not going to think of you as a real painter. Gallery owners come up to me and offer to give me exhibitions. I say, You haven't seen my pictures, and they say, It doesn't matter. Well, it does to me. Otherwise, it's just trading on the name. However, this guy from Germany came over, looked at all my paintings, seems to like them. He's telling me what they're all about.

(Tim Bowler, Swansea)

A. The thing is how reluctant I've often been to have a go. I think we were brought up pretty repressed. Brought up to be seen and not heard, to stay in your place, particularly a working class thing. And I think - I hope - with The Beatles, we got rid of a lot of that. With the painting, for instance, it was Willem de Kooning who liberated me. I used to go to his studio, took in one of my paintings, said, Hey Bill, I hope you don't mind but can you tell me what it is? (Affects American drawl) "Oh, looks "like a couch." Well it looked like a purple mountain to me. And he says, "Well, whatever." Here's one of the greats, his works go for one million, and it was great to see how little bullshit he was bringing to it all. It's really important to explode these myths that surround the arts, music, painting. It's Wizard of Oz time - so many myths, and it's often just a little man behind the screen. The paraphernalia that surrounds them gets in the way. Often you meet leaders in their field and they have none of that. I remember asking a great painter - Peter Blake, maybe - for some advice once, and he said "Just paint a lot". Similar to my approach to music.

Q. How do you know when a song's finished?

(Joyce Slavik, Palatine, Illinois)

A. It's full up. You've answered all of your questions. Normally, I start following a thread: "Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice ... " The thread might come out of nowhere, and I follow it and complete it, like crossword puzzle. When the crossword is full up, the song is finished.

Q. What's more embarrassing: writing Hi Hi Hi or Say Say Say?

(Tien Vu, Costa Mesa, California)

A. (Weighs up pros and cons). Say Say Say.

Q. Why did you give such extensive interviews for an authorised biography (Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now) instead of writing an autobiography?

(Deena Hochberg, Southampton, Pennsylvania)

Q. I'd like to know if Sir Paul sings in the shower, and if so, what does he sing?

A. I don't think I'm a writer. I've never been moved to do it. You have to have a pretty big fire in the belly to do something as big as that. I fancy music more. I'm happier writing in songs rather than in prose, or poetry. Though I wrote something that was never published about the time I got busted in Japan - for my kids. Because I knew one day they'd say, "Hey dad, what was it like, nine days in a Tokyo jail?". So I had a mate of mind, who did all our printing, knock up a few copies, one for each of the kids.

(Jennifer Nash, Bursville, Minnesota)

Q. As a kid you used to play pranks at school by throwing balloons filled with something "worse than water". If you had one of those balloons right now who would you like to hit with it?

A. It's normally the bath. I prefer a good bath. And the answer's Firestarter - "I'm a firestarter, de-de-de-de-dera."

(Brett Yuskiewicz, Leipzig, Germany)

A. Jonathan King. He's a prat from way back.

Q. Which football team did/does each Beatle support?

(WC Chan, Maryland, USA)

A. None of us were big footie types. We weren't very sporty, unlike other groups who were always having knock-arounds. My dad was an Everton fan, which I was most of my life. But then Liverpool started playing well, and Everton didn't, so I took the unprecedented move of supporting them both. It's not allowed, I know, but there you go.

Q. For years, you've claimed it's you in the Walrus costume in the Magical Mystery Tour film. But watching the footage shows that for it to be you, you and John would have had to exchange all your clothes. Are you winding us up, or have you not watched the film in 30 years?

(Dorothy Northcutt, Tucker, Georgia)

Q. What is the quality of each of the other Beatles that you like(d) the best about?

A. The big one. Very good question. I tell you what it was. In the stills we had taken, I was the one with the Walrus head on – in the film it's different. So John then immortalised it in Glass Onion, "I've got news for you all, the walrus was Paul". Obviously at the time you don't care, it's just a Walrus head. You don't realise years later people like our friend from Georgia will analyse it.

(S. Breggles, Richmond)

A. All of them – musical talent. All of them – honesty. Ringo – funny, and kind-hearted. George – straightforward and open. John – witty with a soft centre, or maybe hard with a soft centre.

Q. Do the copulating beetles on the sleeve of Ram (1970) stand for F**k The Beatles?

(Luc Van de Wiele, Wemmel, Belgium)

A. It happened to be a picture Linda had taken. We couldn't resist it just because of the way it looked. She'd caught these two beetles f**king, and then the significance hit us. We saw that pun, yeah, thought why not?

Q. Was there ever a third Lennon song for Anthology 3?

(Jake Lennington, Rush City, MN, USA)

A. There was, but George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it.

Q. I have a Beatles t-shirt which I bought from The Grapes (celebrated Liverpool pub). I was told the band are pictured in their favourite seats - adjacent to the Ladies where you would often catch a glimpse of the girls changing for an evening at The Cavern. True?

(Alan Tomkins, Goring, West Sussex)

A. I hope so. It SOUNDS true. Had there been an opportunity to spot the girls changing, I'm sure we would have sat there.

Q. If you hadn't been a musician, what do you think you would have been?

(Tony Carter, Manchester)

A. The only thing I could have probably qualified for was teaching. So I might have been an English teacher.

Q. Does it do your head in - stuff like the handwritten lyrics to Getting Better selling for $249,000 at Sothebys?

(Peggy Robinson, Trinant, Gwent)

A. It's the price of fame - literally. You scribble them on the back of an envelope, and it gets to be famous. People want it, so it becomes a desirable object. Like Mozart's bog paper, which is another highly desirable object, apparently. More valuable obviously if it's been used.

Q. What is the inscription on the ID bracelet you wear?

(Rachel Hyland, West Harford, Connecticut)

A. It says Paul - for when I forget who I am.

Q. How does it feel to have a star named after you (the christening courtesy of American astronomy fans)?

(John Sales, Barry, Glamorgan)

A. Really cool. The good thing is that as you get on, your fans get on too. And some of them are pretty swotty. Like the people who started Apple, they were just Beatles fans, hence the name. You don't sit around looking at the sky, trying to find it, but it's like getting a very nice birthday present. I'm not religious, I don't believe in any one system - I sort fo think the universe is basically benevolent and we f**k it up - but I am spiritual. I saw Stephen Hawking on TV the other night, and he was saying that we are made of the same stuff as the stars. Which is great. We are all stardust, luv.

Q. What do you want written on your gravestone?

(Tom Mangold, Exeter)

A. Here lies Gracie Fields. Anything to keep people away.

[prettypinkporkchop]

Can I request a embry or quill where the reader had a teen pregnancy with Paul obviously before he phased but then he didn’t imprint on her but he still loved her and continued the relationship but then she got imprinted on and he was super jelly until Rachel came along so the baby is now loved all around and yea please make this long

Your daughter runs to Paul as he enters the door from patrol. You had her at 17. She's now a toddler. "Oh, hey baby! Daddy's dirty!" He giggles, lifting her up. There's weird feelings between you two. You love him, and he loves you, but it's not in love type beat. He never imprinted on you, which is okay. You're just super happy your daughter has a good father. He places her down and then walks up to you. "Was today rough?" You smile at him. He shakes his head and kisses your forehead. "Just a regular day." He says and then goes to the bathroom to take a shower.

Being around Paul but not being his imprint, you don't go to bonfires and you haven't met everyone. Just Billy, Jacob, Sam, Emily, and Jared. But Emily invited you and your daughter over so she could play with Claire. You were so down because that gives you two seconds to distract her and relax.

You sit on the couch and turn on some Curious George for the kiddo. Paul gets out of the shower and plops next to you. He sighs and pulls you into him, and kisses your cheek. "I'm sorry. For everything." He apologizes all of the time for not imprinting and getting you pregnant. "Thank you for being a good dad and supporting us." You smile up at him. Your daughter throws her toy on the floor, and it breaks. "Hey!" Paul calls out but not harshly. She just stares at him. "Really?" He laughs, standing up and picking up the plastic pieces so she doesn't get hurt. You check the time. 7:00. It's her bath time.

You pick her up and give her a bath while playing music. She loves music! She plays with her toys in the tub. She freaks out when you rinse her hair. She wines and grabs onto you. "You're fine, baby." You have to tell her every time.

You get her out of the tub and leave her with Paul in the living room. You clean up all of her toys, set up her bed, make her a drink, and then plop next to them on the couch. "It's about night night time." You look at her. "Night night." She repeats. You nod your head. "Are you sleeping with her or in bed with me?" Paul asks. "I'll sleep with her tonight." You reply. You do most nights. The nights you sleep with Paul, he holds you, and you just want to cry for not being his imprint.

You put your daughter to bed, sleeping next to her.

You pull up to Emily's and get your daughter out of her carseat. Emily is on the porch, and you see a little girl. Claire. Your daughter runs up to the new friend and is intrigued by the toys Claire is playing with. You sigh and sit next to Emily on the steps. "How're you doing, y/n?" She asks. "I could be much better. Just trying to focus on being a good mom." You say. She frowns and grabs your hand. "It's gotta be so heartbreaking." She says. You nod your head in response. "I hope you don't mind, but Sam and some of the boys are coming by. I think Paul is, too. It's just for a second to grab some crap for Sue Clearwater." She says. "It's fine. As long as they don't stay too long." You giggle awkwardly. "Nah." She pats your knee.

She was right, Paul and other guys came walking through the woods to the house. Emily stands up, and you do as well. Once they get in front of you two, Emily hugs Sam. You look at Paul, and he smiles at you. "She liking Claire?" He asks. You smile at him and look at the two girls playing. "Yeah, they're both having a good time." You look up and see two new faces. "That's Embry." He points to one of them. He waves awkwardly. "That's Quil." He points to the curly haired guy. You look at him. Once you do, your world changes. You feel static. You feel high for just a moment. Your heart pounds, and you see, his face is in shock.

"Fucking wonderful." Paul says. You look at him to see him glaring at Quil. Quil looks at him and breathes in. "Paul, I'm so sorry. I can't help it." Then you knew. Quil imprinted on you. Paul nods his head before swinging a punch at Quils cheek. "Yo! Yo!" Embry says. Sam grabs Paul and holds him back. "Paul! Stop! Not in front of the babies!" You yell out. Emily runs to the girls and bring them inside quickly. Quil just stands there, holding his cheek. "I'm sorry." He says to Paul, who is struggling in Sam's grip. "Fuck you. Sam, I'm not going to do anything." He hisses. "Im ordering you to leave Quil alone." Sam warns and lets him go. Paul starts shaking. He phases and runs off. You've seen his wolf form once. This is your second time. "We've got a lot of figuring out to do." Sam says to you and Quil. He walks inside, leaving you two alone.

He takes a few steps next to you. You realize his cheek is not even bruised. Wolf thing. "I'm Quil." He smiles at you. "Y/n." You reply. His face is so beautiful. Now, you're regretting wasting your time with Paul. You reach your hand up and gently touch his cheek. He watches you intensely. "You're beautiful, Quil." You say in awe. He smiles and holds your wrist, nuzzling his face into your hand. But then you quickly pull away. "There's a lot of things we have to work through." You say in a panic.

Two weeks later, you're slowly letting your daughter get comfortable around Quil. Paul is still angry as hell, but he's letting you and him be.

"Quil!" Your daughter shrieks and jumps on him. "Oof!" He groans as she lands on his lap. "Get used to it." You laugh and sit next to him on the couch at his house. "I'm more than willing to!" He smiles at you. "Paul still won't talk to me at the house." You say. "Well, this situation is complicated. Give him some time. He's still being a good dad, though, right?" Quil raises an eyebrow. "Yes. He plays with her when he's home." You confirm. He nods his head and looks at your daughter, who is laid on him. "Sweet girl! How are you feeling today?" He asks. "Good!" She giggles and then plays with his curls. "I'm so happy she likes you." You say. "Me too." Quil looks at you. "Head! Still!" She demands to Quil so she can play with his hair. "Hey, be nice." You tell her. "Sorry." She says. "It's okay, baby! Thank you for saying sorry." He says. She giggles and then hugs his neck.

Paul comes through the front door. He leans his back against it and then looks at his daughter on the floor. You look at him from the couch with concern. "Are you okay?" You ask. He looks at you and then smiles. "I imprinted." He says. Your eyes widen, and you smile, standing up and clapping your hands. "Yes!!! Who is she?!" He walks past you, going toward his room. "You'll meet her. It's Jacob's sister, Rachel." He says.

You're at the bonfire with your daughter. Paul pulls up with a beautiful brown haired woman. You stand up, hanging your daughter to Quil, who's next to you. "I'm gonna go meet her." You say. He nods his head and holds onto your baby. You walk up to them, and she smiles at you. "Rachel. This is y/n. She's the mother of my daughter." He says. Rachel reaches her hand out. "I hope this isn't too awkward for you." You smile and shake her hand. "Hey, I understand. Paul explained it all. Thank you for being such a good mother!" She says. "You will be good to my baby, won't you?" You ask her. "Absolutely! She's family. She's my step baby. I'll love her like my own. Is she here?" Rachel asks, looking around. Paul sees quil holding her and laughs. "Quil has her. Let's go!" He pulls her there. You're starting to feel less stressed about the situation. You're feeling confident and comfortable.

Paul and Rachel, watch your daughter while you and Quil take a walk. "Are you happy?" Quil asks you. "I am! I just wish you'd kiss me already." You turn to him. He stops and faces you. "You want to kiss me?" He asks. You nod your head and step closer, wrapping your arms around his neck. He grabs your waist and pulls your body to his. He presses his lips on yours. You're in shock at how amazing this feels. It's genuine. It's precious. It's perfect. You don't want to let go.

Rachel sets your last box down gently on the floor in Quils bedroom. "Thank you for helping out!" You hug her. She hugs you back. "Yes! Absolutely!" She says. Quil and Paul come inside with more stuff. "Alright, I say we go back to Emily's where baby girl is and eat brownies." Paul says, grabbing onto Rachel. You look at Quil, and he's looking at you with a face of love. You can tell he's more than happy you've moved in.

At Emily's, you all sit around the table and plan how this will go. "So, I'm not moving in with Paul until she's comfortable around me." Rachel says. You look on the ground and see her playing with her toys. "Alrighty! Paul, got a schedule in mind?" You look at him. "Well, I was thinking we trade every week! Of course you can come visit her during the time she's with me." He says. You like the idea. It's simple! " I like that idea. I'm nervous she'll get overwhelmed and not understand why we aren't together." You admit. "She already likes Quil! She'll get used to Rachel. It'll take some time to get used to it. I'm sure it'll be good once it's all settled." Paul replies. "Rachel and dad?" Your daughter points to her and looks at you. "Yes! Rachel." You nod your head. She jumps up and walks up to her. "Yay!" She says. Rachel laughs and picks her up, kissing her cheek. "She's a cutie. She's got your nose." She looks at you. You smile and then look at Quil. He pecks your lips. "Who's keeping her first?" Quil asks. "Paul." You turn to him. "Let her spend some time with Rachel." You say.

You and Quil get home and start cuddling on the bed. He kisses your shoulder and holds you tighter. "I love you." He says for the first time. You turn to face him and kiss his lips. "I love you too." You say.

In the morning, you two make your way to Paul's. Rachel is tickling your daughter while Paul lets you guys in. "Mom!" She jumps up and hugs you. "Hey baby!" You kiss her head. "Quil!" She says, wrapping her arms around his leg. He pats her back. "Hey, sweet girl." He smiles down at her. "How about we all have dinner together?" Paul says. You and Quil look at each other. "Fine by me!" Quil says. "Bet." You say.

The night was full of fun. You guys ate, watched movies, and played games. Your daughter is now understanding the dynamic. She's having a blast, and she feels so loved. She's so happy! Just as happy as you.

[guitars-and-kaleidoscope-eyes]

Anonymous request:

omg i loved your paul x reader fic! do you think you can do one with lee!reader and ler!george? thank you so much and have a great day <3

Lee: X Reader

Ler: George Harrison

Disclaimer:

So in real life, George bought Friar Park in 1970. (As for the garden, I'm not sure when he made that.) But for this story, I had to change the dates of a few events, sense I wanted it to take place in 1967.

George, My Love

1967

You had been dating your boyfriend, George, for about one and a half years now. Those eighteen months had been wonderful. He was the first steady boyfriend you ever had. He showered you with affection, cuddled you, played guitar for you...

You'd never met anyone like George.

It was a warm August evening. Just around 7:30. Not too hot, but not chilly. You laid on the sofa in the back room with the screen door open to the garden so a nice gentle breeze flowed through the room. You heard soft guitar music playing from the garden. You got off the sofa from where you were musing about George and stepped outside. Over by the river near the white lilies sat George playing guitar against the sunset. You sat down next to him.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" George smiled next to you. He looked like a love sick teenager.

"Hello George." You grinned back. "What was that you were playing on guitar?"

"Oh, just a song I've been trying to compose." He said.

"Well it's very beautiful." You said, stroking your hand on his shoulder. He looked into your eyes and smiled.

He started fiddling with the guitar. You watched and smiled. To mess with him, you began plucking some of the strings.

"Stop it." He smiled. You continued.

"Hey, I said stop it!" He grinned and poked your stomach. You covered it up and giggled. His eyes looked at you mischievously. He put his guitar to the side and tackled you, tickling you. Lucky no one else was around to hear.

"Where's my little tummy hiding?" George teased, knowing your whole abdomen was incredibly ticklish. "Hmm? Where's my adorable little belly at?"

"Stohohop ihihihihit!" You laughed as he lifted up your shirt to better expose your sensitive abdomen.

"Aww! But you know how much I love your little tum tum!" He teased, making you blush. He loved to tease you with tickles and compliment you to make you blush.

"There we go." He said after he pulled your shirt up to expose your whole belly. You couldn't help but laugh. "That's much better."

"How about this little button?" He asked, swirling his finger around your bellybutton. "How about we test out this little button?"

He gave a quick poke to your navel, causing you to let out a little squeak. Your belly shook with laughed, causing his finger to tickle even more. He grabbed your hands over your head with his left hand.

"Ohh, is this a little tickle spot I just discovered? You never mentioned your bellybutton is ticklish!" He teased, poking it gently.

"I've never behehehen tickled thehehehere before!" You giggled between pokes.

"Well I think this little tummy button is in need of a bout to tickling!" George exclaimed before sticking his finger in to wiggle and tickle at the new found tickle spot.

"Gohahahahd George!" You laughed. "Ihihihihit fehehels weird! Stohohop!"

"Stop?" He asked, "But it's so cute and ticklish! It's like a little bullseye right on your tummy telling me where to tickle you! And you know how much I love to tickle this tummy of yours!"

"George! Plehehehease!" You screamed as he tickled your stomach. After a few moments he stopped.

"I hate it when you do that!" You laughed, even though you secretly loved it.

"I know love. You're just so cute!" He said, helping you sit back up.

"Didn't you say you were writing a song?" You asked once you had calmed down.

"Would you like to hear it?" He asked you.

"I'd love to." You smiled.

He picked up the guitar and picked out a few chords before he began to play and sing.

Something in the way she moves

Attracts me like no other lover

Something in the way she woos me

I don't want to leave her now

You know I believe and how

Somewhere in her smile she knows

That I don't need no other lover

Something in her style that shows me

I don't want to leave her now

You know I believe and how

You're asking me will my love grow

I don't know, I don't know

You stick around, now it may show

I don't know, I don't know

Something in the way she knows

And all I have to do is think of her

Something in the things she shows me

I don't want to leave her now

You know I believe and how

He ended the song and looked up at you for a response. To his surprise, there were tears in your eyes.

"(Y/n)?" He asked.

"That was beautiful." You whispered.

"It's for you." He said.

"Me?" You asked. He nodded.

"(Y/n), you are such an inspiration to me. I didn't know how else to put it to you, so I thought I'd write a song for you." He said. He took your hand into his.

"(Y/n), from the day I met you, there was something about you that I'd never seen in anyone else before. There was something different in you that wasn't in anyone else. You have such a thrive for life. I remember on our third date, when we went walking through the field at night. You looked up at the stars and said all you ever wanted to do was reach up and touch them with your fingers." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He opened it and there was a light blue ring with a silver band. "Well, I've only got this one so far. But if you stay by my side, I promise I'll spend the rest of my life chasing down the rest with you. (Y/n), I love you. Will you be my wife?"

Tears began to fall down your face as you smiled at George, trying to find your words.

"Oh George! Of course I will!"

He hugged you and you hugged him back.

"Oh (Y/n), I love you so much!" George smiled, wiping the tears from my face. He took your delicate hand and slipped the ring on your finger.

"George, it's so beautiful." You smiled.

"You are so beautiful." He smiled, looking deep into your eyes, as if in your eyes, he'd found his paradise.

[thebeatles-world]

Can you do a fic where ringo takes care of the reader who got too drunk at a party?🥺

Yesss! I love this idea 🤗❤️

Caring

Ringo x Y/N imagine

Ringo decided to invite you to a private party that was thrown for the Beatles celebration. You were going through a breakup with your ex boyfriend and it would be nice just to get away from your place and have some fun.

You and Ringo were friends for a while now. People thought that you two were a couple but you and Ringo just laughed at that thought and told people that you and him were just friends and nothing else.

He was with Maureen. You were with the man that you thought that was the love of your life but sadly it didn’t work out between you and him. So you guys ended the relationship and never spoke to each other ever again.

It’s been a few weeks since the breakup. You sighed to yourself and got ready. You did your hair and picked out a dress that was inspired by Marilyn Monroe where she wore that white dress in the film Seven Year Itch.

Marilyn Monroe was the person you looked up especially when it came to fashion. Sadly she died around August of 1962 which broke your heart when you heard the news of her passing.

As you were playing “I Wanna Be Loved By You.” By Marilyn Monroe in the background you couldn’t help but think of Ringo as the song played.

“I wanna be loved by you, just you

Nobody else but you

I wanna be loved by you, alone.”

You sang along to the lyrics. You picture Ringo giving you one of his handsome smiles as he looked at you.

You couldn’t help but think of his beautiful blue eyes and oh, his gorgeous smile that could light up the whole room.

“Wait, am I having feelings for Ringo?” You said to you, slowly covering your mouth.

“Oh gross. No. He’s just a friend that’s all.” You brushed it off, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach when Ringo appeared in your mind.

Earlier today, you told Ringo that you would meet him there at the party so you had someone drive you to the party.

When you got to the party, you enter the big wide doors to the mansion where the party took place at.

Your heels clicked on the floor as you walked in. There was lots of people around you drinking and chatting with each other.

“Wow this is what Hollywood parties looks like.” You said to yourself.

You noticed someone passing out alcohol beverages to people and you went over there to get yourself a glass of alcohol.

As you were sipping your glass of alcohol, you heard someone call your name.

“Yes?” You turned around, confused.

“Hey Y/N, It’s me Ringo.” You saw Ringo standing there with a smile on his face.

He looked so handsome as always. Fine as always. You thought to yourself.

You blushed as you looked at him.

“I-I.. Oh hey Ringo! Good to see you.” You said with a smile as you walked over to him.

“Wow Y/N … you look absolutely stunning.” Ringo said as you saw him checking you out.

“Don’t be silly Ringo.” You giggled as you grabbed your best friend cheek and squeezed it.

“I’m being serious.” Ringo said, poking you on the waist.

“Shall we?” Ringo asked, offering you to put your arm around his elbow.

“Why yes.” You said, putting your arm around Ringo’s elbow.

Together you guys walked to the table where the Beatles sat.

You never met the Beatles before but you knew who they were and you loved their music.

“Whoa Ringo who is this hot bird you got here?” Paul asked when you and Ringo both arrived at the table.

“This is Y/N. She’s one of my good friends. I decided to invite her here.” Ringo said.

“Hi nice to meet you.” You said as you shook everyone’s hand at the table.

John, George and Paul were taken back.

“Are you sure she’s your friend? Are you sure she isn’t your girlfriend mate?” John asked Ringo with a wink.

“No she’s just a friend.” Ringo rolled his eyes and playfully slapped John on the head.

You giggled.

“Oh I wish he didn’t think of me as a friend.” You thought to yourself once again.

George didn’t say anything to you. He just kept on staring at you.

Which you heard that George was the quiet one in the group. It was understandable.

But on the other hand, John and Paul were drooling over you.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking Y/N over to have a couple of drinks with me.” Ringo said as he stood up and offer his hand to you.

“Hey, I mean… you have a girlfriend Ringo. It’s not fair that you get to take Y/N away from us. Remember I’m still single.” Paul reminded Ringo.

“Me and-“ Ringo sighed for a minute and then cleared his throat.

“So anyways, it was nice seeing you fellas.” Ringo said quickly changing the subject and grabbing your hand.

“Nice meeting you all.” You said with a smile before Ringo dragged you away.

“I’m so sorry my bandmates can get carried away.” Ringo apologize.

“Oh, I don’t mind. They were pretty fun to be around.” You giggled.

Pretty soon you and Ringo were drinking and chatting with each other.

You couldn’t control your drinking. You kept on drinking and drinking alcohol as hours went by.

You were pretty drunk as time went on.

“Look Ringo, I’m having sooo much fun.” You giggled as you spin in circles on the floor.

“Okay darling, I think you had a bit too much-“ Ringo was saying before you cut him off.

“No, drinking is fun. Come drink some more with me.” You gently pulled on his tie.

“I think that’s enough Y/N” Ringo told you gently but you didn’t listen to him. You took one shot of alcohol and begin to dance drunken.

“I love feeling like this.” You laughed.

You were definitely wasted. Ringo had to chase you during the whole mansion just to make sure you didn’t drink anymore alcohol or acted too crazy.

He wanted to make sure you were okay too.

“RINGO I LOVE YOU!!” You shouted at the top of your lungs. It made a few people turn their heads to look at you.

“Shh Y/N. I love you too but you got to calm yourself down darling. You’re wasted.” Ringo shushed you.

“You only love me as a friend.” You slurred your words.

“You don’t love me as a girlfriend. You love me as a friend. I’m just your best friend Ringo. Nothing else.” Your words were started to slur even more.

“Let’s talk about this for another time okay love? Right now let’s focus on you.” Ringo said.

He had permission from the owner of the party to use the guest room. He picked you up and carried you to the guest room.

“Ringo baby, where am I?” You groan as you rubbed your head. You felt a headache coming your way.

“You are still at the party love.” Ringo said to you gently. He filled up a glass of water for you and handed you a couple of pills.

“Here take this. This should relieve your headache and the hangover you’ll be having in the morning.” He said.

You nodded and drank some water with the pills.

Ringo went into the guest bathroom and then came back with a wet washcloth.

“Here, keep this on your forehead.” Ringo placed the warm washcloth on your forehead.

You nodded once again, listening to Ringo’s advice.

“I um… also got you a bucket for just in case….” Ringo said, placing the bucket near you.

“Just in case for what?” You questioned him.

Suddenly you felt your stomach rumble and then before you know it, you started to hurl into the bucket.

“Just in case you throw up darling.” Ringo held your hair back as you threw up into the bucket.

“Why are you being nice to me?” You groan, after you were finally done with throwing up.

“It’s not that I’m being nice. I just care about you Y/N.” Ringo said.

He laid down next to you.

“Please don’t leave me Ringo.” You said in a whisper, pressing your head against his chest.

“I won’t never leave you Y/N. I adore you too much to even do that to you.” Ringo kissed your head.

“Oh gosh… I hope Maureen doesn’t mind this. Tell her I’m so sorry for laying on your chest and for me being drunk and flirty towards you. Honestly.” You said as you thought about his girlfriend Maureen.

You didn’t even think about Maureen while you were drunk or when Ringo was taking care of you.

“It’s okay. Actually we broke up this morning.” Ringo said almost in a whisper. You could have swore that his voice cracked when he announced the breakup between him and Maureen.

You stood up too quickly and you could swore that you were going to throw up again but you did your best not too.

“Oh no Ringo I’m so sorry! I could tell how much you loved her.” You said sadly as you looked at Ringo. He looked sad himself. You could tell how happy Ringo got when he talked about Maureen with you in the past and how much it annoyed you that your best friend couldn’t stop talking about her but at the end it made you happy that Ringo was happy. It was worth every word that Ringo said about Maureen when he got so happy to talk about her.

“It’s okay Y/N. We didn’t work out. I just didn’t wanna say anything. I also knew we were drifting apart a month later so we just stopped communicating and stopped putting effort into the relationship. We discussed in person this morning that it would be best if we went our separate ways.” Ringo explained to you.

“Oh I’m so so sorry my love.” You hugged Ringo. You and Ringo hugged each other in silence.

“For a month that we didn’t communicate with each other. There’s a girl that cheered me up without knowing what was going on in my relationship but she doesn’t know that she cheered me up. She made me happy and she made me feel some type of special way that Maureen never made me feel.” Ringo explained.

“Oh. Who?” You said in confusion. You were still a bit drunk but not as drunk as before.

“It was you Y/N. You cheered me up. You made me feel so happy and you laughed at my jokes that Maureen could never laugh at. I had such feelings for you that I just didn’t wanna say anything for the sake of our friendship.” Ringo said to you.

“Awww Ringo. You are so cute.” You kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m definitely going to forget about what you said in the morning aren’t I?” You said with a giggle, still feeling a little drunk.

“Yes you are darling.” Ringo laughed.

“But i hope you don’t forget about this.” Ringo grabbed your chin gently and leaned in to kiss you on your lips.

Your cheeks turned bright red as you kissed him back.

****Let me know if you guys want a part 2 of this and what ideas you want me to put in ****

[lameravigliadoro]

I'm a English native and I'm learning French I can have a short conversation in French but I'm really slow and takes time to understand some words. I used to be in French classes in highschool (I'm going to be a senior in highschool when it starts up) what would you recommend for me to use to help learn more? I'm currently using droplets and Duolingo for studying (Droplets for vocabulary and Duolingo for grammar, reading things like that) what would you recommend for me to use thats free or doesn't cost that much? It would help a lot thank you

Hi!

Duolingo and Droplets are good resources for starters.

there are several things you can do if you want to go further.

Check out RFI (Radio France International) : You'll find free listening and reading resources abt French speaking news. I highly recommend you listen and then read the podcast episodes of LES MOTS D'ACTUALITÉ (words that are the news - they will explain the origin and meanings of 1 word that is relevant these days in France). but be curious and check out the rest, they have lots of good stuff.

Read news articles for free on official news website France Info, RTBF (Belgium). you'll find some free articles on Le Monde, Libération, Le Parisien, etc.

find lessons and exercises on Francaisfacile.com to get a better understanding of grammar, conjugations, tenses, etc.

Read 19th Guy de Maupassanant's (King of French fantastique genre) short stories on Wikisource. Highly recommend "La Main" ("The Hand", kinda horror, but really famous)

-> when you're more confident abt reading novels in French, just search for any 19th writer + Wikisource and you should be able to find their works in full for free. My favs are Zola, Balzac, Victor Hugo (Les Misérables' writer !), Flaubert, Dumas (Les Trois Mousquetaires' writer !), George Sand, Stendhal (esp La Chartreuse de Parme) etc.

if you have doubts about how to say something like a native, ask someone on HiNative you'll always have some French speaking ppl to help you.

- Familiarise yourself with spoken French with youtube/podcasts/etc (anything that's material for listening skills). If you're on youtube you can check channels like

Vogue France and their street style, with subtitles and lots of fashion and slang vocab! I used it in my French lesson and it worked quite well.

Yes Vous Aime was a comedy skits channel, with French subtitles. They did parodies, you can check it out!

Paul Taylor is a British stand up comedian. He's doing skits and specials in both French and English, and he's honestly perfect at grasping and vulgarising French oddities either in the language or the french society.

Clément Viktorovitch and his weekly analysis on French politics/news on Franceinfo. As you may already know, we're very passionate about our political life in France. so you can get used to the vocab have a gist of it with these chroniques radio.

Karambolage - it's a bilingual channel (German & French - l'amitié franco-allemande is a big thing! 🙂) that explains social, cultural differences between the two countries. You can find illustrated explanations of Le Verlan, expressions like "Monter à Paris" etc etc. It worked so well with my students! they found it easier to understand.

Damon Dominique is a language American youtuber and he's good at explaining and vulgarising French grammar and slang. Sometimes you gotta look at a foreign point of view :)

Konbini (especially their Club Lecture, Vidéo Club where famous authors/film directors show their favourite works, their inspirations and talk abt it, you probably won't find any subtitles tho)

and ofc you have dozen of french youtubers like Squeezie, Seb, Lena Situation, Aurélien Prévaux, Zen (talkshow) etc.

And when you're more confident, you can pick a day when you'll try to think only in French, another day when you'll translate what's written on your food package/friends convos/emails etc etc

put your phone settings in french, follow vocab accounts on Instagram, follow French ppl on social media so that you get accustomed to read in French on a daily basis.

and find a book to read in french, or fanfics if you're into it, anything that'll make you read in French :)

I hope that answers your questions! and sorry if it looks like too much, I'm getting back at a language I used to learn in high school too, it's not easy and it takes time. so take your time with French, I just put everything I thought might help in the first months/first year!

good luck! bonne chance !

[harrisongslimited]

George Chapter of the Day #8

I Saw Her Standing There

Trigger Warnings: adult situations, swearing, smoking, sexual references

Chapter 8

"So Georgie," John began, a sly look on his face. "You seem a tot distracted. What's up with you?"

Paul egged John on with hand gestures from a safe distance. They were going to make him say it...that he was batty over Joie. Knowing George as they did, they didn't need a PhD in psychology to see it all over his face. He never was any good at hiding his feelings.

George stared at John, grinned and walked around him, taking his guitar with him.

"C'mon. Give it up. She's got your gut in a twist, doesn't she?"

"I'll make sure to send you a wedding invitation, you soft twit."

"Fine. Call me names. But you're in love with Joie. Say it..."

"Bugger off you bloody arsehole," George shot back at him with a subtle grin. "It's none of your business."

"Well then," John replied smartly. "Our old lothario, Paul, will begin to charm and woo her, if it's all the same to you..." John continued to tease him.

George turned and looked between John and Paul, his expression unreadable. "Do whatever you bloody well please."

He wasn't ready to tell anyone anything. He was too unsure of himself. The Hamburg girls, the groupies, were easy pickings in a way. The Hamburg ladies were experienced in being girlfriends and lovers and for the most part, usually hunted him down. Joie Armagh was an entirely different species. Wooing in Hamburg was sharing a cig, a beer and after quick introductions, a shag in a not all that private or secluded place. All of them had walked in on each other in the throes of shagging and it didn't phase anyone, including the girl.

Joie required some finesse. She required time; she deserved flowers, hand holding, soft kisses on her lovely, sweet neck, dinners in restaurants that had soft lighting, roses in vases on the tables and crisp, white tablecloths. George understood it, but felt...out of his league. It was a problem he would have to get over if he ever wanted her naked body pressed against his...and having her love him was worth everything he had.

John and Paul realized George was very serious about Joie and immediately backed off...almost.

"Hey, if you manage to get her to say yes to a date, can I come with you like you used to do with me and Cyn when you were a skinny tadpole?"

George smiled and laughed. "Over my cold, dead body."

"You know George, she's a classy bird. Pretty too," Paul gave him a slap on the back. "You better stay on your toes. Some posh bloke could come along and sweep her off her feet."

George gave him a genuine smile. "Like i said, over my cold, dead body, Paulie."

..........

Joie drove with Freda on her first days at NEMS, still too unsure of driving in London. It reminded her of the Indianapolis 500, everyone going bat shit crazy and weaving and bolting through rows of cars. She was going to be in England for the next 6 months and she was going to make the most of it. She would tame the chaos of the roadways. Joie just needed a plan.

And as promised, a mini cooper was given to her as a company car. Freda took her to the parking lot to show her the baby blue car she was allowed to use while she worked for NEMS. When Paul showed up at the office that morning, he promised to give her some driving lessons, but Joie knew that George would be the one who would take the time. Joie had come to realize that Paul had his focus on his own life and his life with Jane. There was no room for her and that was ok.

George was a whole different situation. It was his eyes that tantalized her first. Deep, dark, mysterious, yet a window to his heart. Joie knew he was a softie underneath that protective cover of a funny, tough kid from the docks. Seeing him with his mum and dad cleared that right up. It was strange that she seemed to shiver whenever he was close to her. Her skin became electrified somehow, hypersensitive to the nearness of his body, the sound of his voice, even the aftershave he wore. When they were in the same room, she knew exactly where he was at all times. The feelings confused her. They were new feelings right out of the box and she was neither sure of what they meant nor what she was supposed to do about them.

Brian, on the other hand, treated her curtly. He barked orders and Freda told her it was just his way because he was under so much pressure. But Joie got the distinct impression that Brian didn't want her there for whatever reason. She was going to win him over with her dedication and discretion. But for now, she stuck close to Freda to learn her job and got to know the other girls in the office. Alice was Brian's assistant and was friendly and helpful. The only other person in the office was a constant visitor named Derek, who served as a part time press officer. Joie was surprised they operated with such a small staff considering the enormity of the operation. But she was there to do a job...and do it she would.

All 4 Beatles dropped in frequently. George came in and asked Joie to come with him on an errand, and he was going to let her drive. She had been avoiding driving, and broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of it. George reached out to hold her elbow and began whispering in her ear. She went weak in the knees, her body shivering, the flight of hundreds of butterflies crossing her lower gut. Joie tried to pull herself together; the only thing she could do was step away from him, George supposing he was invading her personal space and moving to the side.

"Would you mind coming with me this afternoon on an errand?" he asked softly.

"Would love to," was Joie's reply as a bright smile caused her eyes to shine.

"We're off, Brian," George announced. "We won't be back." Brian just nodded silently as George took Joie's hand and led her out of the office. They both waved to Freda.

"Nice...," Freda thought to herself.

..........

"Ok," he said as she got behind the wheel. "It's just like driving anywhere. There's people and traffic and you just need to get used to driving on the other side of the road that you are used to."

Joie looked at him skeptically, started the car and stopped. "I can't George. I just can't. What if we get into an accident?"

" Hm...wear your seat belt. You'll be fine. I'm right here," he looked into her frightened eyes. "I'm right here. Not going anywhere, Joie. I'll be right beside you."

It took every ounce of Joie's strength not to throw her arms around him and just hold on. Instead, she looked in every direction and eased the car out into traffic.

"Maybe I should know where we're going?"

"Esher," he announced. "I bought a house."

.........

Within an hour, Joie safely drove all the way to Esher from London. George was a patient teacher and calmly helped her navigate the roads.

"Thank you for your coaching and patience," Joie remarked, reaching out and laying her hand on his arm.

When they discussed it later, neither one knew exactly what happened. It was just like heat lightening...comes out of nowhere to light the sky.

.........

Joie was amazed at how lovely the property was. The ranch house was even nicer. It was cozy and open. But completely empty.

"It's beautiful George," Joie told him as he took her on a tour of the house. "you picked a wonderful house."

"it needs furniture and that's where you come in. The decorator is coming and I need a second opinion."

Joie thought this was a huge undertaking. "But George, I hardly know your style or what you want...."

"We'll do it together. I don't know what I want either. I want comfortable. I want a place to crash. I want to be able to entertain if I ever get the chance."

There wasn't a pot or pan or plate or chair in the entire house. And the house was large, with a coach house and an in ground pool in the back. It was going to take thousands to decorate this house and Joie felt out of her element. Her home back in California was a small apartment with 3 bedrooms.

"Are you sure you want me to help you with this? I'm a complete novice. I decorated our apartment from K-mart. Remember K-mart?"

George nodded and smiled "Give it an American flair. I liked the California open look."

"Ok...whatever you want."

"And remember the decorator will do most of the work. When I'm gone on tour, I want you to be here to coordinate once we pick out everything we need."

Joie nodded at him again and went for tour around the house a second time, taking notes and asking George questions.

As George surveyed the garden, Joie studied the empty kitchen. This was a huge undertaking. But it was her job to help him. And if George wanted her to help decorate his new house, that's what she would do.

..........

The interior decorator showed up shortly after their arrival and George remained outside in the garden. Joie negotiated with the decorator concerning everything from dishes, to a bed to dining room furniture. They came up with a great plan.

George finally appeared after overhearing Joie and decorator's conversation and liking what they discussed. "The coach house. I want it with a real California flair. Southwestern. It will go nicely with the garden I'm going to plan."

Joie and James, the decorator, nodded enthusiastically. Joie was writing furiously in a notebook she fortunately remembered to bring and laughed to herself. This is what it meant to work for a Beatle.

..........

Joie did wonder why George asked her to help coordinate the decorating and not Freda or Alice. They knew him way better than she did. Joie needed the cavalry and knew just who to call. While George surveyed his potential garden, Joie called Cyn.

"Cyn, I need your help," Joie said into the phone. "George wants me to decorate his new house and I need your input. You know him better than I do and your house is so beautiful. Can you meet me and the decorator on Wednesday?"

"Sure, of course," Cyn agreed. "I'm glad he finally bought a house. It's about time he settled down. Now all we need is to find him a steady girlfriend."

"Well, I'm just worried about the house. I want it done by the time they come back from tour. Then there's the opening for the movie and they will be off again. There's not a whole lot of time."

"Did he use James Terrier, the decorator?" Cyn asked. "George had called to see who we used and I gave him his name."

"Yes," Joie answered. "And he's wonderful. I just need another pair of eyes to help me."

"I'll bring Julian and lunch. See you Wednesday."

..........

The office was quiet on Wednesday as Brian had left with the boys on their European tour.

"Now we can breathe," Freda said to Joie as they leaned back in their chairs and lit cigarettes. "How's the house coming?"

"Delivering furniture this afternoon. I have to drive out by noon."

"How's the driving going?"

"Well, I learned from George, so all I have to do is lower my speed and I'm ok."

Freda laughed and nodded knowingly.

..........

"Let's eat first and get a plan," Cyn suggested, pouring the wine in 2 beautiful wine glasses.

While they ate and chatted, Julian explored the empty house, but didn't wander too far. There was really nothing he could get into, but like Cynthia said, somehow 2 year olds can always find trouble.

"Everything is coming today, Cyn. Everything. I've got 3 days to get this place in order before George comes home."

Cyn sipped her wine. "Any thoughts why George asked you to help?"

"None. Other than I figure that's what I was hired for. To run errands, help organize...that sort of thing."

"Um..."Cyn responded. "Maybe. I know George pretty well and it seems like he's thinking about something."

"Maybe he's in a relationship and wants to get his house settled so he has a nice place to bring someone home."

In her mind, Joie went back to the afternoon they first surveyed the house....his arms around her, his open mouth, crushed against hers, their tongues searching, hungry between her lips. There was a sigh of pleasure that she felt, sending an electric bolt right through to her groin.

His gentle hands cupping her face, sighing with pleasure to slightly deepen their kiss and draw their bodies together. It was like she was dying and he saved her. Reminded her she was a desirable woman. But afterwards, he escaped out into the garden.

"Thank you for the great job you're doing," George struggled to say, not looking at her.

"No problem," Joie replied and headed back into the house. Guess a passionate kiss is how the British say thanks.

"He's not seeing anyone steadily right now," Cyn brought her back to reality.

"Oh, well...maybe it's just in his plan. He likes plans."

Cyn laughed. "Yes, he does."

They had just about finished their lunch when a huge truck pulled up and James Terrier got out of the passenger's side. 'Afternoon ladies," he greeted. "We've got some work to do here."

Joie must have looked overwhelmed.

"But not to worry. This place will be showroom ready in no time."

With Cynthia's help, who called in Maureen, the house in Esher began to take shape. The bedroom was done...the living room and dining room. The kitchen had dishes and a tea pot. There were fresh, fluffy towels and pictures for the walls.

It was functional, yet available for George to add his own touches. The phone service had been set up already, but they needed to plug in the television set. There were other electronics George had purchased, and Joie decided that they needed someone with experience to set it all up. She made a mental note to ask George when she talked to him.

They all tackled the coach house and make it an extension of the garden, with bright colors, bright furniture and a flower motif. Julian had fun organizing the knick-knacks, the plants, anything he could get his hands on. Cyn, Mo and Joie sipped on cool white wine as they worked and talked.

By the end of the day, Julian was asleep on George's new bed, surrounded by the kitchen chairs so he wouldn't roll off and Cyn, Mo and Joie shared another bottle of wine.

By the time the women left, Joie was as exhausted as she's ever been. She curled up on the sofa just to relax for a minute and fell into a deep sleep.

..........

"Joie?" It was Freda. The phone woke her up.

"Hi Freda," Joie answered, taking a minute to realize where she was and what she had done.

"You are at George's? Brian is asking for you."

"Yes....we got so much done yesterday. It's looking like a real house. It will be ready for him by the time he gets home tomorrow," she said. "At least livable."

"That's great. I'm sure George will be thrilled," Freda began, then lowered her voice. "But Brian thought you'd be in the office this morning. He's thundering around here like there's no tomorrow."

"Oh," Joie said, surprised. "Does he want to talk to me? He didn't expect me to get George's house done in one day, did he?"

Freda kept her voice low. "I guess so. But he left for a meeting. I'll tell him to call you at George's."

"I'll be here the rest of the day today and then be in the office tomorrow. There are more deliveries today that I need to be here for."

"Ok," Freda said. "I'll tell him. But you know he can be a bear sometimes...."

Joie nodded. "I'm learning, Freda."

And she hung up.

Although she didn't know exactly what George expected to find in the kitchen, she went to the market and stocked up on the essentials. She was so busy, she really hadn't taken a moment to realize what she was doing. She was decorating George Harrison' house. Jordan was going to explode.

When she got back to the house, she met a florist at the front gate.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you Joie Armagh?"

She nodded.

The florist handed her a box. "This is for you."

"Me?" Joie asked again. "Me? There must be a mistake."

"Nope."

And he walked away.

She entered the house and put her purse and bags down. Then she carefully removed the ribbon and opened the box. It was dozens of flowers cradled in purple heather. The card simply said, "Thanks, George."

She was speechless. She'd never received flowers from anyone. But then she figured he wanted them for the house. She was just the receiver. But they were addressed to her with a thank you card. Joie didn't know what to think. She shrugged her shoulders and went about finding something to serve as a vase and arranged the flowers so he would see them on the coffee table when he came home.

"Hello?" It was Cyn on the phone. "I got the number from Freda. How's it going over there?"

"Hi Cyn," Joie greeted, happy to hear her voice. "How's Julian?"

"Good. He's at my mum's and I've got some free time. Need some help?"

"I'd love the company if you have time. I have to get back to town tonight so I can get into the office tomorrow."

"I'll be over in 30."

The second Joie hung up the phone it rang again. She thought it would be Cyn again.

"Hi Cyn..." she greeted with a giggle.

There was a slight delay as she heard, "It's George."

"Oh, hi," Joie answered easily. "Cyn just called and I thought it was her calling back. She and Maureen helped me yesterday with organizing your new house."

George laughed. "How does it look?"

Joie surveyed her handiwork. "You will like it. It's functional so you can add your own touches, but it's looking good. I went grocery shopping yesterday and your larder is full."

"Thanks, Joie. Cyn said you have good taste and the three of you got a lot done."

"You talked to her?"

"When John called her."

"We had a good time too---she and Maureen were a great help," Joie answered. "And there were some flowers that came. I put them in a vase on the coffee table."

"I have a coffee table?" was all he asked.

"You do now," Joie laughed. "The flowers are beautiful. Thank you."

"Thank you for your help.

"You are very welcome. It's been fun."

[get-back-homeward]

Imagine this

How Do You Sleep that

Have you considered the most interesting song on the Imagine album may be How?

George was right. The song deserves attention.

Tumblr search is zero help on this song because it only picks up How Do You Sleep. But has anyone ever written about it?

Given John’s “How? + Why?” response to Paul’s 12-page letter about dissolving the partnership, I think it’s worth looking at. That exchange is sometime in summer 1970.

Song Origins

The earliest version of How? is a home demo dated as late 1970. This demo only has the “we” part of the song:

How can we go forward When we don’t know which way we're facing? How can we go forward When we don’t know which way to turn? How can we be certain About something we’re not sure of? Oh, no, oh, no

In the final version, this part is the end of the song (the bolded words change slightly). This ending is a shift from the personal “I” used in the rest of the song. So he started with “we” in 1970 and then evolved it into more self-directed reflection over time.

The demo is very rough, he's still searching for the notes. But something about it made me think of Look At Me, which has a similar plaintive tone and features several existential questions to the listener (Who am I supposed to be? and Who are we?). Look at Me originates from India and has an earlier 1968 demo that captures a glimpse of John’s state of mind during this crucial time. The How? demo would be recorded around the same time John is revisiting Look At Me to record formally for the Plastic Ono Band album.

The added self-reflection verses continue the same format of existential questions, moving from feelings to love. It's a blatantly honest look at depression in the wake of a loss, which I think George would have noticed and in some sense seen himself in. It's unclear when these verses are added (John just says “last year” in 1971 for all the verses), but they are probably influenced by John's experience of undergoing Janov's primal scream therapy (April-September 1970?). Possibly the questions left unanswered at the end of those 6 months.

How can I have feeling when I don't know if it's a feeling?

How can I give love when I don't know what it is I'm giving?

All three verses include the idea of uncertainty (I don’t know), which could be its own essay on existentialism vs epistemology in the face of a destabilizing event. But for now, let’s focus on the emotional aspect. Here, two places ascribe blame to drive his uncertainty: his feelings have always been denied and love is something he never had. This seems to go a bit far, but remember depression is a liar and part of Janov's therapy was probably that John’s closest relationships had all been a lie.

John adds the middle eight during Imagine sessions. It balances the bleakness of depression with the will to live:

You know life can be long

And you got to be so strong

And the world is so tough

Sometimes I feel I've had enough

This middle eight repeats twice, and each time, the end fuses to the first word of the questioning verses, without the typical space of a few beats in between. This lack of space suggests a relationship, as if the questions are part of the fight to keep him going past the bleakness of feeling like giving up.

Its first recording is May 26, 1971, nine days after Ram is released. Take 31 and Take 40 (Raw Studio Mix) were released on the Ultimate release of the album but aren't too different from the final lyrics/melody wise.

Supposedly, another version of How? includes a question about home: “how can I go home when home is something I have never had” and it’s not clear which lines replace it. Perhaps “how can I give love when I don’t know what it is I’m giving?” Questions of home would be a result of Janov’s primal scream digging into his childhood and bringing forth old wounds. But in the absence of a physical home, it’s the people around you who become your home. This home line makes me think of that Get Back sessions moment, when John shares with Paul his excitement about getting Apple Studio functional and feeling like home. It's a picture of feelings being denied in action as Paul responds by changing the subject. For whatever reason, this home line gets cut by Take 31.

The placement of How? in the album tracklist is curious too, directly after the angry Paul-directed How Do You Sleep. Its title holds the same question but none of the anger. It’s like an echo of How Do You Sleep, informing the source of its anger and revealing what it masks: fear and indecision about the future.

Song Context

It’s interesting to place this song next to Ram, where the overwhelming theme is the exact opposite: grab life by the horns and move forward to find your own way. Ram sessions started in NYC in October 1970, around the same time as the How? demo. Each song, from Too Many People to Back Seat, reveals Paul’s mental exercise of extricating himself from his former life and moving on with his family in Scotland. Personally and professionally, Paul is building a new home away from John.

The final version of How? is produced more in the vein of The Long and Winding Road, the song at the nexus of the breakup. Its beginning is marked by the same distinct stop-start syncopated beat and the instrumentation builds across the song to make a bleak song more palatable. If Paul didn’t turn off the record the moment he heard John’s diss track, he would have almost certainly picked up How?’s link to TL&WR. That song being his own plaintive moment of fearing the future, considering life without the band that was his world. And the last straw when Spector remixed it without his approval.

In his April 1971 LIFE interview that precedes the Ram release, Paul shares a recent exchange between him and John. John recalls the infamous “bubble bursting” question, and Paul corrects him in the past tense: the bubble has already burst. This is one of several exchanges where Paul’s saying catch up, it’s done, let me go and John’s saying what does that even mean?!

Hearing Paul’s declaration of independence on Ram made John angry. He calls How Do You Sleep “an outburst” in response to Ram and not reflective of how he thinks of Paul all the time. But Ram also gave him a direction forward that McCartney did not. If John thought the album had messages to taunt him, he almost certainly heard the taunt in Monkberry Moon Delight:

Catch up! Cats and kittens Don’t get left behind

I don’t know about you, but hearing that taunt from my ex-partner/BFF/lover/whatever would certainly make me angry, hot enough to ignite my competitive streak and get to work.

It reminds me of the moment Fred Seaman recalls in 1980, when John hears Paul's Coming Up:

John told me that Paul was the only musician who could scare him into writing great songs, and vice versa.

Imagine is hardly my favorite John solo album. I'm not about to dismiss the terrible things John said about Paul or Ram or forget how the bad press buried the album for years. But I think in focusing on the anger, we can miss the simple fact that Ram inspiring John to write anything was actually the biggest compliment he could give. Sometimes, anger is the only fuel available to drive you forward, where anything is preferable to nothing. It’s not ideal or fair, and it’s up to you to pick up the mess of your storm later, but it’s something. Like a basic survival instinct kicking in in the midst of drowning. Any fight that pushing you back to the surface is preferable over laying down and dying.

In that way, I think John was being honest when he later admitted that How Do You Sleep was about himself. Not in the exact lines specific to Paul but in the action, to write (or accept), record, and release them. How? as an echo to this anger shows the before and after, how John used Paul as a punching bag in response. That action was all about John himself.

[thestarsarecool]

Paul McCartney Interview in Q Magazine: Cash for Questions. January 1998 Issue.

Hi, all! A photo of one page of this has been around on tumblr for a while (here), but I’ve always wanted to read the full thing. Some lovely soul on Google Groups in 1997 decided to transcribe the full interview (here), so now I’m uploading it so you can read it. Hooray!

Q. When you first wrote a song with John Lennon, did you realise you would play one of the biggest parts in rock 'n' roll? (Michael McConnell, Crawley, West Sussex)

A. Obviously not. But even with all the so-called "historical" events that followed, you're just too inside it all, too busy doing it to realise anything's "historical". You just get on with it. I'm not a great ponderer. Some people would say that's a mistake but it's just the way I am. It's quite cool not to always get the overall picture because it leaves something to be found out. The musicologists get paid to discover the differences between me and John. I'm only just beginning to see it now, based probably on their analysis. So John is often one note, I'm often more melodic. (McCartney is thinking especially of Ian McDonald's book Revolution in the Head, where he describes the ace partnership in contrasts: Lennon's method is "harmonic, dissonant", McCartney's that of the "natural melodist".) It might sound amazing but we never spotted that when we were writing. We just did our thing. But it is kind of apparent when you bother to analyse it.

Q. If John Lennon could come back for a day, how would you spend it with him (Mark Wilson, Deeside, Flintshire)

A. In bed.

Q. Were you ever envious that Brian Epstein didn't fancy you? (Nick Gibson, London) 

A. No, I didn't mind. We just used to go to these clubs at night and wonder why there were so many men. It was OK. Brian was very cool about his side to things. I think the nearest any of us got to it was the John-going-to-Spain thing (it inspired the movie, The Hours And The Times) and I'm not sure what the strength of all that was. I think it was power play on John's part. But Brian kept his private life aside. He kept it out of our faces (pause, possibly for effect). He kept it out of mine, anyway.

Q. What were the last records you bought? (Chris Timms, Harrogate)

A. The Prodigy's The Fat Of The Land, Radiohead's OK Computer and Chopin's Nocturnes.

Q. How do you feel about all the animosity between you and Oasis right now? (Christina Vellano, Syracuse, New York, USA)

A. There is none as far as I'm concerned. What happened was I'd said, Good group, good singer, good songwriters. But people asked me about it so much that one time I decided to take it further and say that they don't mean anything to me. I am not related to Oasis. I wish them good luck and everything. But my kids mean something to me, John Lennon means something to me, but Oasis ....

Q. Who would you pick to play with in your dream six-piece band? (Alan Thatcher, Essex) 

A. Dream? So we're into fantasy, aren't we? Ringo, John, George, that's three. Me. Jimi Hendrix. That makes lots of guitarists, so Little Richard on keyboards.

Q. With Wings, did you feel pressurised to live up to The Beatles? (Andrew Williams, Neath)

A. Yes, it was a case of "follow that!". Impossible to do. Looking back on it, it's a lot better than I thought, though some of it is just not PLAYED as well as The Beatles. My son (James, co-worker on McCartney's last pop album, Flaming Pie) plays a lot of Wings, so I'm re-listening, and there's good shit that I'd forgotten about. A lot of the lyrics were off the wall, drug stimulated. Things like "Soily - the cat in the satin trousers says its oily". What was I on? I think the answer is stimulants.

Q. Do you still support the legislation of cannabis? (Grahame Woods, Northwood, Middlesex)

A. I would make a distinction between legalising and decriminalising. I'm in favour of the latter. The problem is that jails are stuffed full of kids doing what a lot of people do. Why stuff the jails with young kids? Plus it's one of the best places to score. I remember when I got busted in Japan, nobody made the slightest effort to rehabilitate me (laughs). Just stuck me in a box for nine days. Obviously you come out and you are fairly resentful.

Q. Do you roll a wicked joint? (Steve Kline, Bury)

A. I have nothing to say in answer to that question, m'lud. I wasn't even at the venue.

Q. The critics have been harsh on your solo work. Did this ever discourage you? (Robert Hemauer, Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

A. Yeah, sure, but you don't let it kill you. It's a difficult one, because it's never cool for someone to tell you you're shit. Many people through history were damned by the critics of their own time - Cezanne, Van Gogh, Stravinsky, all great painters! Ha ha!

Q. We'd like to see your paintings but can't get to the exhibition in Germany (McCartney unveils his work for the first time in Siegen, Germany, next year). Any thoughts about putting your paintings on "tour", or publishing a book of them? (Kathy Goodman, San Diego, CA, USA)

A. A difficult one. If you're a so-called celebrity - like Bowie, Anthony Quinn, Tony Curtis - and you exhibit any art, inevitably, people are not going to think of you as a real painter. Gallery owners come up to me and offer to give me exhibitions. I say, You haven't seen my pictures, and they say, It doesn't matter. Well, it does to me. Otherwise, it's just trading on the name. However, this guy from Germany came over, looked at all my paintings, seems to like them. He's telling me what they're all about.

Q. You've done so many things - classical, films, music, art, drugs - is there anything left you might have a go at? (Tim Bowler, Swansea)

A. The thing is how reluctant I've often been to have a go. I think we were brought up pretty repressed. Brought up to be seen and not heard, to stay in your place, particularly a working class thing. And I think - I hope - with The Beatles, we got rid of a lot of that. With the painting, for instance, it was Willem de Kooning who liberated me. I used to go to his studio, took in one of my paintings, said, Hey Bill, I hope you don't mind but can you tell me what it is? (Affects American drawl) "Oh, looks like a couch." Well it looked like a purple mountain to me. And he says, "Well, whatever." Here's one of the greats, his works go for one million, and it was great to see how little bullshit he was bringing to it all. It's really important to explode these myths that surround the arts, music, painting. It's Wizard of Oz time - so many myths, and it's often just a little man behind the screen. The paraphernalia that surrounds them gets in the way. Often you meet leaders in their field and they have none of that. I remember asking a great painter - Peter Blake, maybe - for some advice once, and he said "Just paint a lot". Similar to my approach to music.

Q. How do you know when a song's finished? (Joyce Slavik, Palatine, Illinois)

A. It's full up. You've answered all of your questions. Normally, I start following a thread: "Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice ... " The thread might come out of nowhere, and I follow it and complete it, like a crossword puzzle. When the crossword is full up, the song is finished.

Q. What's more embarrassing: writing Hi Hi Hi or Say Say Say? (Tien Vu, Costa Mesa, California)

A. (Weighs up pros and cons). Say Say Say.

Q. Why did you give such extensive interviews for an authorised biography (Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now) instead of writing an autobiography? (Deena Hochberg, Southampton, Pennsylvania)

A. I don't think I'm a writer. I've never been moved to do it. You have to have a pretty big fire in the belly to do something as big as that. I fancy music more. I'm happier writing in songs rather than in prose, or poetry. Though I wrote something that was never published about the time I got busted in Japan - for my kids. Because I knew one day they'd say, "Hey dad, what was it like, nine days in a Tokyo jail?". So I had a mate of mind, who did all our printing, knock up a few copies, one for each of the kids.

Q. I'd like to know if Sir Paul sings in the shower, and if so, what does he sing? (Jennifer Nash, Bursville, Minnesota)

A. It's normally the bath. I prefer a good bath. And the answer's Firestarter - "I'm a firestarter, de-de-de-de-dera."

Q. As a kid you used to play pranks at school by throwing balloons filled with something "worse than water". If you had one of those balloons right now who would you like to hit with it? (Brett Yuskiewicz, Leipzig, Germany)

A. Jonathan King. He's a prat from way back.

Q. Which football team did/does each Beatle support? (WC Chan, Maryland, USA)

A. None of us were big footie types. We weren't very sporty, unlike other groups who were always having knock-arounds. My dad was an Everton fan, which I was most of my life. But then Liverpool started playing well, and Everton didn't, so I took the unprecedented move of supporting them both. It's not allowed, I know, but there you go.

Q. For years, you've claimed it's you in the Walrus costume in the Magical Mystery Tour film. But watching the footage shows that for it to be you, you and John would have had to exchange all your clothes. Are you winding us up, or have you not watched the film in 30 years? (Dorothy Northcutt, Tucker, Georgia) 

A. The big one. Very good question. I tell you what it was. In the stills we had taken, I was the one with the Walrus head on - in the film it's different. So John then immortalised it in Glass Onion, "I've got news for you all, the walrus was Paul". Obviously at the time you don't care, it's just a Walrus head. You don't realise years later people like our friend from Georgia will analyse it.

Q. What is the quality of each of the other Beatles that you like(d) the best about? (S. Breggles, Richmond)

A. All of them - musical talent. All of them - honesty. Ringo -funny, and kind hearted. George - straightforward and open. John - witty with a soft centre, or maybe hard with a soft centre.

Q. Do the copulating beetles on the sleeve of Ram (1970) stand for F**k The Beatles? (Luc Van de Wiele, Wemmel, Belgium)

A. It happened to be a picture Linda had taken. We couldn't resist it just because of the way it looked. She'd caught these two beetles f**king, and then the significance hit us. We saw that pun, yeah, thought why not?

Q. Was there ever a third Lennon song for Anthology 3? (Jake Lennington, Rush City, MN, USA)

A. There was, but George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it.

Q. I have a Beatles t-shirt which I bought from The Grapes (celebrated Liverpool pub). I was told the band are pictured in their favourite seats - adjacent to the Ladies where you would often catch a glimpse of the girls changing for an evening at The Cavern. True? (Alan Tomkins, Goring, West Sussex)

A. I hope so. It SOUNDS true. Had there been an opportunity to spot the girls changing, I'm sure we would have sat there.

Q. If you hadn't been a musician, what do you think you would have been? (Tony Carter, Manchester)

A. The only thing I could have probably qualified for was teaching. So I might have been an English teacher.

Q. Does it do your head in - stuff like the handwritten lyrics to Getting Better selling for $249,000 at Sothebys? (Peggy Robinson, Trinant, Gwent)

A. It's the price of fame - literally. You scribble them on the back of an envelope, and it gets to be famous. People want it, so it becomes a desirable object. Like Mozart's bog paper, which is another highly desirable object, apparently. More valuable obviously if it's been used.

Q. What is the inscription on the ID bracelet you wear? (Rachel Hyland, West Harford, Connecticut)

A. It says Paul - for when I forget who I am.

Q. How does it feel to have a star named after you (the christening courtesy of American astronomy fans)? (John Sales, Barry, Glamorgan)

A. Really cool. The good thing is that as you get on, your fans get on too. And some of them are pretty swotty. Like the people who started Apple, they were just Beatles fans, hence the name. You don't sit around looking at the sky, trying to find it, but it's like getting a very nice birthday present. I'm not religious, I don't believe in any one system - I sort of think the universe is basically benevolent and we f**k it up - but I am spiritual. I saw Stephen Hawking on TV the other night, and he was saying that we are made of the same stuff as the stars. Which is great. We are all stardust, luv.

Q. What do you want written on your gravestone? (Tom Mangold, Exeter) 

A. Here lies Gracie Fields. Anything to keep people away.

Q. Hey, is it true you are dead, and if you are, what is it like? (L.A. Patterson, Hamlet, North Carolina)

A. Yes. And it's very interesting. It's a very interesting afterlife.

[slumgirlqueen]

How to be a novelist: Writing the plots in numbered notes

Teaching you on this blog of how to write a novel I have to weigh what I can show you and what I cannot for the purpose of preserving the story. I know people that are learning to write, they want me to give real examples as much as possible instead of just making up examples for the sakes of the lessons. So in this lesson I will make an allowance and show you what I prepared for Chapter One since it is only the first chapter and only half of the notes are done for it. I started writing the notes for about sixteen chapters so far but I will show you the notes for the first chapter. I have about twenty or so notes to write down for this chapter so it would not give away much of it.

In this lesson, I want you to write the events, descriptions, and narration that makes up the chapters you are writing. In essence, write your plots in notes per chapters. When you have about forty notes per chapter you essentially have a completed plot for the entire chapter you are writing. The notes for the chapter is numbered and you should do the same to gauge if you have enough material to start writing that chapter.

Chapter 1

A fight between Mister Inch and Sera.

A bad day at school got her crying

Introduces a new girl character

Maria’s father picks her up from school with a beat car.

She goes to church

She sees bright white light in oncoming traffic

She is riding her bike home and a car swerves almost hitting her. She dodges and falls into a pit banging her head on the pavement. Her father goes to her to pick her up.

Then she leaves a prince and sees all of a place

She attends the church as the choir sing Ave Maria during evening mass

5:00 mother Teresa audiobook: glory to be to Jesus Christ!

Something funny as swimsuits magazine in episode 2 of 'My Boss, My Hero' and Aragaki Yui coming scares him

Be embarrassing. That is youth. Trump hand in fighting. Write a corny scene like this 

Class parliament where they discuss what happens at school. “Vote to make milk optional”. From ‘Only Yesterday’

A metaphor as narration. Talk about something like girls getting periods. The metaphor caterpillar becoming a chrysalis in order to become a butterfly even if even for a moment it never wanted to become a chrysalis. It adds complexity to the story. From 'Only Yesterday'

Question about math. People that understands fraction right away understands life right away. Use something else but this is good. From 'Only Yesterday'

I’m not shaking hands with you from 'Only Yesterday'. Need a "Grey, take my hand moment".

A very moving ending where she runs back to her love like in 'Only Yesterday'

Fantastical story like 'Kiki’s Flying Delivery Service'

Flying above the ocean amongst seagulls. Write a scene like that. Its beautiful. From 'Kiki's Flying Delivery Service'

She enters the parish and the choir is singing Ave Maria. And she is transfigured like Paul. A moment of sheer rejoicing. 

The ending line for Chapter one is. “Then we hear siren”

The italics are the notes numbered. I have gotten twenty notes so far for the chapter, so I am only got half so far. You noticed there are references to the Studio Ghibli's films as I used those for the basis for my inspirations. You should feel free to be inspired from great works previous made. Just as you give them their credits you will be fine. For example, some of the scenes from the original 'Star Wars' movie were inspired from previous films George Lucas seen and the Yann Martel's beautiful novel 'Life of Pi' draws inspiration and similarities to Moacyr Scliar's novella 'Max and the Cats'.

It can be controversial at times when doing this, but if you are learning something its okay to draw on ideas from other writers as long as the proper credits are given.

For example, when I was writing 'Journey to Oclarious', I learned much of it by reading other screenplays. And like 'A New Hope', I wrote some similar scenes to another work, in my case 'Batman Begins'. I got Christopher Nolan's and David Goyer's blessing, so I went ahead and wrote my screenplay.

That is how you learn. Just a note, for my second 'Postworld Warfare' screenplay, I wrote everything without having to draw inspiration from other films. When you learned everything from writing first work, there would be no need for something like that since you have learned all there is to learn for you are now a writer. Anyway, happy writing!

[cinema-tv-etc]

Music’s 30 Fiercest Feuds and Beefs

From classic-rock squabbles to hip-hop diss tracks and social media wars, here are the ridiculous, rancorous conflicts that have held us rapt. Rolling Stone - Jordan Runtagh

Creative differences, financial disputes, drug abuse, love triangles – in the music industry, the opportunities to butt heads are basically limitless. The bigger the star, the bigger the ego, and when two tangle, you get a supernova of spite and bile that holds the world in rapture, turning mature adults into spit-flecked children chanting “Fight, fight, fight!” in a circle at recess.

Many clashes are over in a flash, while others drag out for years and even decades. Some feuds are undoubtedly hilarious, birthing otherworldly insults like Liam Gallagher’s “Potato” and Mariah Carey’s beyond catty “I don’t know her,” both of which will live on until the end of the Internet. Others are tragic and have no possible upside as friendships, bands, families and even lives are destroyed in the process. Others still have inspired an entire sub-category of song that crosses all genre boundaries: the diss track. (See: “Bad Blood,” “Swish Swish,” about 25 percent of all rap songs.)                            

Read on for 30 of the most explosive beefs in music history. Pick a side, or simply spectate. No judgment.                            

John Lennon vs. Paul McCartney

The generation-defining duo kept their squabbles behind closed doors during the Beatles’ death throes in the late Sixties, but as McCartney made a move to legally dissolve the band’s partnership in December 1970, Lennon took the spat public in the pages of Rolling Stone. The conversation with magazine founder Jann Wenner touched on McCartney’s supposedly overbearing nature in the studio (“I pretty damn well know we got fed up of being sidemen for Paul,” he seethed), McCartney’s poor leadership following the death of the band’s manager Brian Epstein, and the other Beatles’ reaction to Lennon’s new relationship with Yoko Ono. “Ringo was all right, but the other two really gave it to us. I’ll never forgive them.”  

McCartney’s public response was more measured. On 1971’s Ram, he included a subtle jab at Lennon on the opening track, “Too Many People,” mocking the former Teddy Boy rebel’s sudden fervor for world-peace crusades with the line “Too many people preaching practices.” Elsewhere in the song he sings, “You took your lucky break and broke it in two,” which McCartney later admitted was also directed at his former bandmate.  

The line went over most people’s heads, but Lennon got the reference – and fired back with one obvious enough for everyone. Included on 1971’s Imagine is “How Do You Sleep?,” a diss track so positively nasty that it borders on obscene. In footage taken at the session, Lennon, Ono and guest guitarist George Harrison can be seen laughing as they swap lines like “The sound you make is Muzak to my ears/You must have learned something in all those years,” and a dig at his most famous song: “The only thing you done was ‘Yesterday.'” 

McCartney was reluctant to punch back. His major public response was the devastating “Dear Friend” from 1971’s Wild Life, in which he mournfully wonders whether this was “really the borderline” of their relationship. The delicate lament was an olive branch, though it would take some time to be accepted as such. Friendly calls from McCartney were met with Lennon’s suspicious “Yeah, yeah, whatdaya want.” His new American twang particularly grated McCartney, who once shot back, ‘Fuck off, Kojak!”   

Relations had improved enough by the mid Seventies for McCartney to occasionally drop by Lennon’s Upper West Side apartment at the Dakota building when business brought him to New York City. Together the old friends would reminisce and exchange thoughts on baking bread or their young children. Any hopes of a permanent reconciliation were ended by an assassin’s bullet on December 8th, 1980.                                    

Brian Wilson vs. Mike Love

Discord between the cousins had set in by the mid-Sixties when Wilson, the acting maestro behind the Beach Boys, sought to move the band beyond their fun-in-the-sun persona. Love found the new musical daring pretentious, and feared alienating the fans originally won over by their carefree surfing image.      

The stress was palpable during the 1966 sessions for Pet Sounds, Wilson’s most experimental work to date. Skeptical of augmenting their sound with a fleet of session musicians wielding exotic instruments, Love resented that Wilson took the majority of the lead vocals himself. It’s just as well, as he took issue with much of the album’s lyrical content. “Some of the words were so totally offensive to me that I wouldn’t even sing ’em because I thought it was too nauseating,” Love admitted to Goldmine in 1992. Exhibit A: a new tune Wilson presented with the LSD-drenched title “Hang Onto Your Ego.” Hardly a psychedelic warrior, Love put his foot down and refused to participate. The title was promptly changed to “I Know There’s an Answer.”                                    

The clashes continued when Wilson plunged into his next project, the ambitious “teenage Symphony to God” dubbed SMiLE. It was during this period that Love supposedly delivered his famous warning: “Don’t fuck with the formula!” The oft-quoted remark made its first appearance in a 1971 Rolling Stone profile, though Love dismissed it in his memoir as “the most famous thing I’ve ever said, even though I never said it.” Even so, Wilson later claimed that Love was “disgusted” by the project.                                    

  Wilson’s mental health struggles drove a wedge between the cousins, and their relationship was further strained by a series of courtroom battles. In the early Nineties Love filed a lawsuit claiming he wasn’t credited on many songs he had written with Wilson. A jury ruled in his favor, awarding Love a co-writer credit on 35 of the titles, including some of the band’s biggest hits. Several years later, the death of band mate Carl Wilson splintered the remaining group into several opposing camps, all of whom competed in legal arenas for the right to use the Beach Boys name. Love eventually won, and began leasing the name from the band’s label, Brother Records.

 As part of the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary in 2012, the surviving members buried the hatchet long enough to record a new album and embark on a triumphant tour. It seemed like a long-awaited happy ending until it was revealed that Love would continue touring as the Beach Boys without the help of Wilson later that year. “The Beach Boys might get together again – but not with me,” Wilson told Rolling Stone’s Jason Fine mid-2017.                                    

Don Felder vs. Don Henley and Glenn Frey

The Eagles rarely had peaceful easy feelings within their ranks, but the most extreme schism widened during sessions for Hotel California in 1976. Felder expressed the desire to sing his composition “Victim of Love,” but his bandmates were less than pleased with his initial takes. “Don Felder, for all of his talents as a guitar player, was not a singer,” Frey said in the band’s authorized 2013 documentary, The History of the Eagles. Henley agreed, saying it “simply did not come up to band standards.” While Felder was at dinner with the group’s manager, Irving Azoff, the rest of the band wiped his vocals and rerecorded it with Henley. Felder never forgot the slight.                                    

The Eagles struggled to follow up the record-breaking success of Hotel California, and sessions for what would become The Long Run dragged on for 18 months. During this time, Felder found himself increasingly at odds with Henley and Frey, sarcastically dubbing them “the Gods.” The resentment reached critical mass on July 31st 1980, the night the band played a benefit concert for California Senator Alan Cranston at Long Beach Arena. Felder, who preferred to steer clear of political causes, was frustrated about having to go along with Henley and Frey’s wishes. When the Senator thanked each musician individually at a pre-show meet-and-greet, Felder replied with a curt: “You’re welcome, Senator … I guess.”                                    

Enraged, Frey laid into Felder as soon as the politician was out of sight, and the fight continued – on-mic – in the middle of the night’s performance. “We’re onstage, and Felder looks back at me and says, ‘Only three more songs till I kick your ass, pal.’ And I’m saying, ‘Great. I can’t wait,'” Frey later recalled. “We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love,’ but inside both of us are thinking, ‘As soon as this is over, I’m gonna kill him.'”                                    

That was how the Eagles’ story ended until 1994, when they reconvened for Hell Freezes Over, an album, tour and MTV special. The project’s success kicked off a long stream of well-regarded blockbuster tours, but the tenuous peace was disrupted when Felder made waves about the bottom line. Though the band had split their revenue equally back in its Seventies heyday, he now complained that Henley and Frey insisted on a higher percentage for themselves. Henley and Frey didn’t take kindly to having their motives questioned, and fired Felder from the Eagles on February 6th, 2001.   

 The dismissal set off an avalanche of messy legal proceedings, beginning with Felder filing suits for wrongful termination, breach of contract and fiduciary duty. The lawsuits were eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, but the wounds never healed. When Frey died in January 2016, Felder paid him a warm tribute in the Associated Press. “I had always hoped somewhere along the line, he and I would have dinner together, talking about old times and letting it go with a handshake and a hug.”                                    

Roger Waters vs. David Gilmour

Pink Floyd were divided during sessions for The Wall in 1979, as Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright grew frustrated by Waters’ unwillingness to compromise in the studio. “He forced his way to become that central figure,” Gilmour told Rolling Stone in 1987. Waters, for his part, claimed he was pushed into the role of creative taskmaster due to the diminishing input of his (to his mind) less talented bandmates. “There was no point in Gilmour, Mason or Wright trying to write lyrics,” he countered in Rolling Stone. “Because they’ll never be as good as mine. Gilmour’s lyrics are very third-rate.”                  

The global success of The Wall only widened the divisions. On the accompanying tour, Waters stayed at separate hotels, and rarely spoke with his bandmates offstage. As work began on a follow-up, 1983’s The Final Cut, a less-than-enthusiastic Gilmour feared that the album was padded with rejects from The Wall. The conflicts grew increasingly hostile, and Gilmour’s name was ultimately removed from the album’s production credits.                                    

When Waters decided to pursue solo endeavors in December 1985, he attempted to dissolve Pink Floyd in his wake, labeling it “a spent force creatively.” Gilmour disagreed, forging ahead with Wright and Mason to record a new album as Pink Floyd. An irate Waters took legal action to bar Gilmour and the rest of his former colleagues from using the band’s name – and the famed inflatable pig mascot during live performances.                                    

  Gilmour won the court battle but the war waged in the court of public opinion. The remaining Floyd members characterized their former bassist as a vindictive egomaniac, while Waters portrayed his Gilmour and Co. as coasting on the back of his genius. When the scaled-down Floyd released A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987, Waters dismissed it as “a very facile but quite clever forgery.”    

Pink Floyd remained largely dormant following the release of 1994’s The Division Bell, but tensions had eased enough by July 2005 for the band’s classic lineup to reunite for a set at the Live 8 global charity event. The reconciliation would prove to be the last time the foursome would perform before Wright’s death in 2008.                                    

Waters surprised fans in 2011 by bringing out Gilmour and Mason for a guest appearance on “Comfortably Numb” during a performance at London’s O2 arena, and by 2013 he even admitted that he regretted the lawsuit over the band’s name. But when Gilmour and Mason polished off some old demos for release as a new Floyd album, The Endless River, in 2014, Waters declined to participate.                                    

Ray Davies vs. Dave Davies

Before the Gallagher brothers, the world had the Davies as their prototypical Britpop sibling rivalry. “We were battlers,” reflected Ray. “But the very thing that makes a band special is what ultimately causes it to break up.” According to Dave, their differences stem from childhood. “I think Ray has been happy for only three years in his life. And those were the three years before I was born.”    One incident seems indicative of things to come. The boys had staged a mock boxing match, but the roughhousing turned serious when Ray collapsed in a heap after hitting his head on the side of the family’s piano. Dave bent down in concern to ask if Ray was ok; Ray immediately opened his eyes and socked him in the face. “It’s symbolic of our whole relationship, really,” Dave reflected.          

Once the two were bandmates, the fighting would take place practically anywhere: onstage, in the studio, in the back of a limousine. Even on major family occasions, they found it hard to play nice. When Ray tapped Dave to act as best man at his 1964 wedding, the younger brother got extremely drunk and announced that he was “too pissed” to give the speech. The Kinks performed together for the last time in 1996, shortly before Dave’s ill-fated 50th birthday party. “Ray had the money and I didn’t,” he recalled, “So he offered to throw it for me. Just as I was about to cut the cake, Ray jumped on the table and made a speech about how wonderful he was. He then stamped on the cake.” They would see very little of each other for many years.                            

Begrudging fraternal love united them in 2004 when Dave suffered a serious stroke. Ray invited Dave to stay at his home, but old jealousies returned. “I was ill in bed and could barely move, but he started saying: ‘I’m sick, I’m sick!’ He was screaming in pain from his stomach.” A medical examination revealed nothing out of the ordinary. “He just wanted attention,” opined Dave.                    

In 2013 they fought over the genesis of what might be the Kinks’ greatest legacy: the fuzzed-out overdrive guitar distortion heard on their 1964 breakthrough hit, “You Really Got Me.” Ray claims that he came up with the idea of slashing the speaker cone of Dave’s guitar amplifier to achieve the effect, while the guitarist claims he developed the technique himself. Dave accused Ray of propagating the myth in his West End musical Sunny Afternoon, based on the songs of the Kinks. “My brother is lying,” he wrote in a furious Facebook post. “I am just flabbergasted and shocked at the depth of his selfish desire to take credit for everything.”                                    

They were able to put their difference aside for long enough to appear together onstage in December 2015 to perform the song in question before an audience in London – their first live collaboration in nearly two decades.                              

Paul Simon vs. Art Garfunkel

The childhood friends first recorded together as teenagers in 1957, but as Garfunkel began to focus on his academic career, Simon quietly inked a solo side deal. Garfunkel took it as a serious betrayal when he learned of his musical partner’s extracurricular endeavors, and the incident would be a sore point in the decades to come.  After the two scored global fame in the mid-Sixties, long-held resentments made the union a ticking time bomb. The detonation occurred in late 1968 when director Mike Nichols offered them both roles in his adaptation of the book Catch-22. Simon’s character was cut before production began, so Garfunkel flew solo to shoot in Mexico. Initially Simon had been supportive of the outing, even penning “The Only Living Boy in New York” as a tender good luck for his old friend. But as the three-month film shoot stretched into nearly a year, Simon grew frustrated by the delay.     Garfunkel’s eventual return failed to repair relations, and the two clashed over differing musical ideas. Simon had written a song called “Cuba Si, Nixon No,” which he presented as a potential 12th track on what would become Bridge Over Troubled Water. Garfunkel, turned off by its overt political commentary, suggested doing a Haitian Creole chorale called “Feuilles-O.” Neither side would budge. The album was released with only 11 songs, and the pair decided to go their separate ways.                                    

It was during a professional nadir in 1981 that they agreed to reunite at a free concert in New York’s Central Park. The performance became of one of the biggest musical events in history, drawing an unparalleled 500,000 people to the Great Lawn. A world tour was planned for May 1982, but it wasn’t long before they fell into the same destructive patterns. Things weren’t any better in the studio as they worked on an all-new Simon & Garfunkel album to be called Think Too Much. In the end, Simon wiped Garfunkel’s vocal tracks and set about finishing the songs as a solo effort.                                    

Eyebrows were raised during their somewhat frosty Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in 1990. Garfunkel started off sincere, saying, “I want to thank most of all the person who has most enriched my life by putting these great songs through me: My friend Paul here.” It should have been a touching moment of reconciliation, save for Simon’s parting joke. “Arthur and I agree about almost nothing,” he said. “But it’s true, I have enriched his life quite a bit, now that I think about it.”                                    

The men hit the road for high-profile reunion tours in 1993, 2003 and 2010, but it never stuck. The same unexplainable force that blends their voices together in celestial harmony also compels them to spend the majority of their time apart.

 Keith Richards vs. Elton John

“Lovely bloke,” Richards said of John in a 1988 Rolling Stone interview, “but posing.” The venomous dig was prompted by John’s recent single, “I Don’t Wanna Go On with You Like That,” but some wondered if Keef harbored a grudge against John for outstaying his welcome during a guest appearance – which stretched to 10 songs – at a 1975 Rolling Stones concert in Fort Collins, Colorado.                                    

Whatever the cause of the rift, Richards didn’t hold back when asked his thoughts on “Candle in the Wind 1997,” John’s musical elegy for friend Princess Diana. Though profits from the single were donated to charity, Richards said the rewrite of John’s 1973 tribute to Marilyn Monroe “did jar a bit” in an October 1997 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Songs for Dead Blondes,” he pronounced. “I’d find it difficult to ride on the back of something like that myself, but Reg [John’s birth name] is showbiz.” He echoed the sentiment a short time later and took aim at John’s theatrical stage style. John fought back in an interview published by the Daily News that same month. “I’m glad I’ve given up drugs and alcohol. It would be awful to be like Keith Richards. He’s pathetic, poor thing. It’s like a monkey with arthritis, trying to go onstage and look young. I have great respect for the Stones but they would have been better if they had thrown Keith out 15 years ago. … I just think he’s an asshole and I have for a long time.” He also refuted the accusations of Vegas-level theatrics. “Please, if the Rolling Stones aren’t show business, then what is? You know, with their inflatable naked women.”    John went on the offensive in 2011 when he criticized Richards’ recent autobiography, Life, which featured some unflattering details about Jagger’s anatomy. “I was a bit put off by hearing about the bit about Mick Jagger’s penis,” he said. “If I said that [songwriting partner] Bernie Taupin was a miserable twat and had a small penis, he’d probably never talk to me again. It’s like, why do that?”                                  

Relations between the two rock icons thawed in September 2015, when fellow Stone Ronnie Wood was able to broker a truce long enough for Richards and John to pose for a photo at the GQ Awards in London.                                    

David Lee Roth vs. Eddie Van Halen

Tensions simmered during the 1983 sessions for 1984. David Lee Roth resented the decision to record at Eddie Van Halen’s newly constructed home studio, 5150, as he felt it gave the guitarist too much creative autonomy. Though Van Halen’s sole Number One, “Jump,” emerged from Eddie’s sonic laboratory, the singer remained unhappy; by 1985, he turned his attention to a solo EP, Crazy from the Heat, with the aim to star in a movie of the same name. “The band as you know it is over,” Eddie told Rolling Stone that August. “Dave left to be a movie star. He even had the balls to ask if I’d write the score for him.” (The movie never materialized.)                                    

Roth reconnected with the band in 1996 as they assembled a Greatest Hits album, and relations improved enough for the original lineup to reunite in the studio to record two new tracks for the compilation. Given that replacement singer Sammy Hagar had recently departed the group, fans viewed this as a dry run for a full-fledged reunion. But that all came to a halt when Van Halen, plus Roth, made a painful appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Trouble began when Roth went off script, trumpeting the importance of the original band members standing together. Eddie steered his one-time bandmate away from the microphone long enough for Beck to accept his Moonman for “Where It’s At,” but Roth vied for attention by dancing in the background with a demented grin.  

The annoyance of sharing a stage with Roth for even just a few minutes was enough to torpedo any hope of reconciliation. “His onstage antics were embarrassing and disrespectful to Beck,” Eddie later told MTV. Matters deteriorated further that night as Eddie denied reports of an upcoming reunion tour during a backstage press conference, citing his hip surgery scheduled later that year. “Tonight’s about me, man, and not your fucking hip,” Roth responded. A tour manager had to physically restrain Eddie, who spat back, “If you ever speak like that to me again you better be wearing a cup.'”                                    

It took more than a decade for tempers to cool, but in February 2007 the band unveiled plans for a long-awaited tour with Roth. They followed it up in February 2012 with A Different Kind of Truth, their first full-length album with Roth since 1984, but the accompanying tour didn’t go well. Several legs were postponed, or cancelled altogether. “The conflict was immediate and sustained from day one,” Roth said in an interview on The Opie & Anthony Show at the time. “Not a note of this symphony has changed.” More cracks in the uneasy alliance showed while promoting their 2015 North American tour, with Eddie slamming Roth in a Billboard interview. “He does not want to be my friend.”                                    

The “Roxanne” Wars

Lolita Shanté Gooden, a 14-year-old aspiring emcee, was walking through the Queensbridge housing project in 1984 when she overheard her neighbors, record producer Marley Marl and disc jockey Mr. Magic, complaining about the hip hop collective UTFO. The group had pulled out of an upcoming show they were promoting, leaving the two men in a lurch. Gooden offered to get back at the group by writing a diss track, and despite her tender age, the men agreed.

For a beat, they borrowed the instrumental track from UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” the B side to their recent single “Hanging Out.” The original song told the tale of the band having their romantic advances cruelly rebuffed by a woman named Roxanne, so Gooden assumed the identity of the titular heartbreaker to record a less-than-flattering answer track. Dubbed “Roxanne’s Revenge,” the young rapper reportedly freestyled her obscenity-laden verse in just one take, done in Marl’s apartment. To complete the ruse, the song was released under the name Roxanne Shanté.                                    

It caught fire immediately, becoming a sizable radio hit and selling 5,000 copies almost overnight. The chastised UTFO did the only thing they could do – they shot back with a song of their own. Enlisting Elease Jack (later replaced by Adelaida Martinez), they created the character of “the Real Roxanne,” and together recorded a song of the same name. It wasn’t exactly an all-out verbal assault on Shanté – presumably going in on a teenage girl was frowned upon – but the challenge to her authenticity was just as effective.  

Given the chart success of the Roxanne songs, many rappers recognized an opportunity for some easy airplay and jumped into the fray. Over the coming year, more than 30 (and some say as many as 100) tracks were released, with MCs portraying all manner of Roxanne associates telling their sides of the story. Her relatives weighed in with tracks like “The Parents of Roxanne” by Gigolo Tony and Lacey Lace, “Yo, My Little Sister (Roxanne’s Brothers)” by Crush Groove, and “Rappin’ Roxy: Roxanne’s Sister” by D.W. and the Party Crew featuring Roxy. After exhausting her family tree, even her physician got some play on “Roxanne’s Doctor – The Real Man” by Dr. Freshh.  

 Roxanne fatigue eventually set in, as evidenced by the East Coast Crew’s trend-killing “The Final Word – No More Roxanne (Please),” but UTFO and Shanté had some unfinished business. The group swung first with “Roxanne, Roxanne, Pt. 2: Calling Her A Crab,” a downright dirty track, on which they called their rival an “ape” and offered her bananas to stop rapping. Shanté, meanwhile, asserted her status as rap feud royalty on “Queen of Rox.” From there, the inferno died away.                                      

Prince vs. Michael Jackson

Prince emerged onto the music scene with For You in 1978, one year before Jackson came into his own as a solo artist with Off the Wall, and for the next decade their musical paths would run on parallel tracks – never to intersect. The battle began when MJ upstaged 1999, Prince’s bestseller to date, with the industry-defining mega-smash Thriller in December 1982. Prince countered with Purple Rain, a triumph of sales and substance that caught even Jackson’s attention. When the Purple One came through Los Angeles with his Purple Rain tour, Jackson reportedly attended multiple nights, studying his competition.          Even friendly games could turn heated. When both men shared a studio, the competition bubbled over onto the Ping-Pong table. Prince ultimately emerged victorious when Jackson fumbled his paddle trying to ward off a spiked ball. “Did you see that?” Prince supposedly crowed as Jackson slunk away. “He played like Helen Keller!” Longtime Revolution drummer Bobby Z maintained that the athletic challenges continued for quite some time. “They’d shoot hoops at Paisley Park,” he recalled in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Prince had a deep-seated competitive nature, so it’s easy to see where he would measure himself against Jackson’s success.”                                    

 Accustomed to his regal role in the pop pecking order, Jackson was reportedly miffed with Prince declined to participate in his all-star charity recording “We Are the World” in 1985. Prince also turned down the chance to duet with Jackson on the title track to 1987’s Bad, the follow-up to Thriller, and even to appear alongside him in the song’s video. “That Wesley Snipes character? That would have been me,” Prince admitted in a 1997 interview with Chris Rock on MTV.     

Mutual friend Will.i.am attempted to broker peace in 2006 when he invited Jackson to watch him perform with Prince in Las Vegas. Things were going great until Prince decided to venture into the audience and play an aggressive slap-bass solo right in Jackson’s face. The hostile low end did not go over well, and Jackson made a point of mentioning it to Will.i.am the next morning. “I go to his house for breakfast, knock on the door, first words he says: ‘Why was Prince playing the bass in my face? Prince, he’s always been a meanie.'”                      

Mariah Carey vs. Whitney Houston

In the pre-Bodyguard Nineties, Whitney Houston seemed in danger of losing the octave-scaling R&B diva mantle to a young upstart named Mariah Carey. Barely in her twenties, Carey’s self-titled 1990 debut had sold 15 million copies worldwide, 5 million more than Houston’s (still absurdly high-selling) I’m Your Baby Tonight. Tabloids were quick to pit the pair against one another, but their feud was largely all smoke and no fire until Houston was asked about her supposed rivalry during a 1990 television interview – delivering the immortal: “What do I think of her? I don’t think of her.” The studio audience got the hint and hooted with Jerry Springer–level abandon. Houston’s halfhearted backpedaling (“Musically, I think she’s a good singer.”) did little to calm the crowd.                    

Houston served up an equally chilly response in 1995, when her own “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” got booted from the top of the charts by “One Sweet Day,” Carey’s ballad with Boyz II Men. When MTV dared to put the “What do you think of Mimi” question to her again, she answered with the delightfully obtuse, “Maybe it’s not what I think; it’s what she thinks. It’s more important.”                    

  Producers of the 1998 animated biblical epic The Prince of Egypt booked Carey and Houston to duet on “When You Believe” for the soundtrack, leading to a string of public goodwill gestures between the two. They put in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to deny that any beef existed between them, dismissing it all as “dramatics.”                                    

  They even poked fun at their rocky past while presenting Best Male Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, strutting to the podium in identical, but supposedly “one of a kind” dresses. The staged fashion faux pas provoked a comical catfight, until they stripped down to reveal different dresses and embraced in a warm hug.                                    

Following Houston’s death in February 2012, Carey was among the mourners at the star-studded service held in the late icon’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. “I’m almost incapable to be talking about this still,” she said during an appearance on Good Morning America in the days that followed. “I don’t think people could ever really understand our relationship. There was always this supposed rivalry in the beginning and then we did the duet and became friends … I loved her.”                                    

Music’s 30 Fiercest Feuds and Beefs

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/music-s-30-fiercest-feuds-and-beefs?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[aesthetic-bastard]

Media Interaction 2022

Part 5: May

Shin Megami Tensei IV - After picking up Persona 4 Golden in April and scrambling to purchase as many titles as possible before the Nintendo 3DS eShop shuts down I bought Shin Megami Tensei IV. Like Persona 4 Golden, this is my first Shin Megami Tensei Game. I knew SMT is a little darker and more advanced compared to its spin-off series, Persona. Unlike P4G where my hand was held extremely tightly for the first 3 hours of the game, SMT IV dropped me right into the first dungeon and grabbed me by my nut sack.

I died probably five times in the tutorial. I got my ass handed to me so much that probably by the 5th time I got to the game over negotiation sequence this game mocked me for having such an emaciated wallet from constantly being shaken up and down for in-game currency each time I died and paid the fee for being resurrected. But going through such a brutal first dungeon feels so worth it just to hear this battle theme. SMT IV has probably one of the most splendid official soundtracks I have ever heard in any videogame I have ever played and this is an OST composed for a game on the fucking Nintendo 3DS. Besides Battle A1 I think my other favorite tracks are Battle B1, Battle B2, Aboveground Urban Area A, The Huner Association, Challange Quest A, and Shinjuku Underground District but that's just to name a few I can literally keep going. I think what makes SMT IVs soundtrack so perfect is that it actually does an incredible job of capturing that 1980s synth that a majority of video game soundtracks fail horribly at grasping when trying to compose music inspired by that era. An aspect of the SMT series I like better than Persona is the lack of Social links. You are isolated in the world of SMT. Your party is composed of demons you sacrificed an arm and leg for to recruit, there are no light-hearted aspirational friends you've met along the way. The world has ended it's over now suffer. You can either accept the world as it is and try and fix it by shaping a new society with law and justice across this demon-infested landscape or you can bring chaos and destruction and choose to wipe out all life instantly ending the world. Like any game out of the Persona or SMT series, there are a lot of hours you have to sink into these games, and even as I am writing this I still have yet to complete SMT IV. I strongly feel that out of either series Persona 4 will be my favorite Persona game and Shin Megami Tensei IV will be my favorite SMT game despite each game being my first in the series. After spending at least 46 hours with SMT IV I feel like I am more interested in mainline MegaTen games than any other games in the Persona series.

The Beatles: Get Back - Jesus Christ I completely forgot this was something I watched in 2022. My memory of this Disney+ exclusive documentary is extremely fuzzy and I feel like the main reason I have such a terrible recollection of sitting through it is that each episode is a whole fucking hour long. There is so much to take in when watching this precious raw footage from the recording sessions of Let It Be that sitting through 60 minutes of it is hard to process. I feel like there was enough footage to work with that it could be cut down into maybe 30-minute episodes so it's easier to digest every moment during the recording sessions of what would be the final album The Beatles ever produced. The moments that I recalled the most from Get Back were any instances where you can feel the tension between Paul and George or the rest of The Beatles as they are reaching the breaking point of their professional relationship that would ultimately lead to their permanent break up. There are so many excellent things shoved into this documentary but I wish it wasn't fed to me all in one sitting with each episode maybe someday I will revisit this documentary and expand my thoughts.

[sounwise]

The affair [between Paul and Iris Caldwell] was tempestuous. ‘I was madly in love with him while I was going out with him, and then you’re in love with the next person.’ Paul could be an annoying, controlling boyfriend, as young men of his class and background typically were. He expected Iris to behave and dress to please him—‘in straight skirts below the knee, and your hair up in a bun’—and could be jealous and immature, especially when egged on by Lennon. […] shortly after Paul got his first car, a green Ford Classic, they drove through the Mersey Tunnel to the Cube Coffee Bar in Birkenhead, where they had a tiff. ‘I picked up this great big bowl of sugar, a big square bowl—because it was called the Cube Coffee Bar, everything was square in there—and I emptied it over his head.’ Iris then ran towards the Mersey Tunnel, ‘with him driving along after me in the car trying to catch me …’ Deciding she was finished with McCartney, Iris phoned George Harrison. ‘I’m not going out with Paul any more,’ she told him. ‘Oh great!’ exclaimed George, seeing a chance to get the advantage over Paul for once. ‘Can I take you out tomorrow night?’ ‘Of course you can.’ As Iris was getting ready for her date, Paul turned up with tickets for the King Brothers. ‘He said, “Well, I’ve paid for the tickets. It’s a stupid waste of money, so we may as well go.” I’m thinking, what am I going to do? George is going to be here in a minute.’ Good as gold, Mrs Caldwell picked up the telephone and dialled George. ‘Hello, is that you, Margaret?’ she said, when George Harrison answered the phone, pretending she was speaking to a girlfriend of her daughter’s. ‘Oh listen, Margaret, Iris’s boyfriend’s come round and she’s going out with him tonight.’ George asked Mrs Caldwell what she was talking about, telling her he was George, not Margaret. (‘He was a bit slow, you know,’ notes Iris. ‘God love him.’) So Paul took Iris out. The evening ended awkwardly again when Iris attracted the attention of one of the King Brothers, who came back to Stormsville with her and Paul, the rival boys staring daggers at each other until Iris went to bed, leaving her mother to deal with the Romeos. [...]

[—from Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney, Howard Sounes]

[ljblueteak]

Paul McCartney in 2004 on the break-up of The Beatles

Uncut Magazine: You once said that your only regret in life was that The Beatles’ break-up was so bitter

Paul McCartney: Mmm. There might have been a few regrets after that. But, yeah, the way we broke up was very regrettable. I’ve always said that The Beatles should have finished with a puff of smoke and magic robes and envelopes stuffed with cash. Sadly, it didn’t. 

John always talked about it in terms of marriage and divorce and it was very much like that. Without a shadow of a doubt, that period was the weirdest time in my life. Allen Klein had come in and was about to take over The Beatles, just as he’d taken over The Stones. I felt like I was being ambushed. If the other three wanted to be taken over, that was up to them. But I didn’t want to be taken over by this guy. 

The very worst of it was when I realised that the only way I could get rid of Allen Klein was to sue The Beatles. I didn’t want to do it. But the more powerful Klein got, the more inevitable it became. It was like suing your family or suing your best mates. You can imagine how that felt. But I had the choice of going ahead with it or going under. If I hadn’t done it, The Beatles would have been totally captured by this guy.

Uncut: Of course, you copped all the blame for breaking up the band

Paul McCartney: Well, that’s how it came out. The fact is that The Beatles had broken up anyway. John had already decided to walk. He’d actually said, “I want a divorce.” But his attitude was,“It’s all over, let’s not tell anyone.” That’s because we already had a new deal with Capitol and the rest of it. It was like a scam. “Let’s not mention it--too much at stake.” I was really pissed off at all that. I thought we were all turning into really shady characters, y’know?  It was all getting murky and sinister.

Uncut: But it was you who made the public statement that The Beatles had split and would never work together again.

Paul McCartney: ...In the Q&A, I just decided to come out and say it. I was pissed off at having to hide from our fans the fact that we weren’t coming back. Maybe what I said was a bit succinct but, what the hell, everyone else was being succinct. There was no point in me beating around the bush. After all, they’d already broken the group up. George and Ringo had left, then come back. John had left and not come back. How fucking succinct is that?

Uncut: That’s when The Beatles’ war began.

Paul McCartney: Absolutely, and it went on for bloody years. Ten years of hell. What followed was that everyone was split into camps. Mainly there was the Lennon camp and the McCartney camp. And, make no mistake, the other three had the upper hand. There were three of them and one of me. John, George and Ringo had been my best mates. Now they were my enemies. That was really, really hard to take. 

Uncut: Interestingly, the war of words between yourself and John was largely fought out in songs, culminating in John’s scathing, merciless “How Do You Sleep?”.

Paul McCartney: Well, we weren’t speaking at all by that time. So the only way we could communicate our feelings was through writing songs.

Uncut: Wouldn’t it have been easier to have simply picked the phone up and had a right old go at each other?

Paul McCartney: Well, yeah [laughs]. That might have been a bit more sensible. As it was, the whole thing just escalated nastily. I’d taken a few mild digs at John in some of my early solo songs like “Too Many People” [from Ram]. I was trying to tell John something with that. I wasn’t really addressing the world. Then he came out with “How Do You Sleep?” where he suggested that the only thing I ever did was “Yesterday” and so on. John later said that the song was about himself. Well, it didn’t sound like that. 

What can I say? John was pure gold. He was great, a fabulous guy and a beautiful person, but he didn’t have the monopoly on common sense. Basically, he was as daft as the next man.

Uncut: Would it be fair to say that you experienced something of a nervous breakdown in the early ‘70s?

Paul McCartney: Something like that. In The Beatles, we’d always had this running joke: “What are we going to do when the bubble bursts?” Then it did burst and I went up to my farm in Scotland, wondering what the hell I was going to do next. I seriously thought about giving up music altogether. I was thinking, ‘Maybe I should become a nuclear physicist or something.’ It was a bloody hard time. It was difficult to get up in the morning. I was drinking quite a lot. Probably having a bit of a nervous breakdown, like you say. Looking back, I was in a state of grief. I realise that now. Grief for the end of The Beatles. The only way I could get out that was get back to recording, then going out on the road. And all that led eventually to the formation of Wings. 

Paul McCartney interviewed for Uncut by Jon Wilde. Originally printed in July 2004 and titled “McCartney: My Life in the Shadow of the Beatles” 

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison and Pattie Boyd arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on 1 August 1967 (photo by AP Photo); George and Ravi Shankar at Kinnara School of Music a few days later (photos by Ed Caraeff, Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images, Cummings Archives/Redferns and ImageCollect).

“Recently Harrison along with the other three Beatles signed a petition to the English Government urging the legalization of marijuana. The petition was also signed by 61 other British citizens and was addressed to the Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins. The advertisement appeared in a full-page story in the London Times. When asked about his reason for supporting the legalization of marijuana, Harrison said, ‘I think if somebody can go and buy a crate of Johnny Walker whiskey and drink that and be perfectly within the law then I think somebody, particularly in his own home, should be able to smoke a marijuana cigarette. You know, I think marijuana is only as bad as ordinary cigarettes or alcohol or tea or coffee or any of those things. ‘They’re all drugs, all stimulants you know. The thing is to define between something that is merely a stimulant and something that makes your physical body crave for it. There’s no comparison between marijuana and heroin.’ Harrison went on to say, ‘I think the use of marijuana is increasing everywhere in the world. It’s not just America and Britain, but it’s everywhere, and it’s not just marijuana, you know, marijuana is the thing that society has picked up on, but that’s not really the problem. The thing is that the young people want something more out of life than just the physically gained things that they get out of society. They’re looking for something more, and it’s a natural part of evolution that’s taking place.’” - KRLA Beat, 26 August 1967 (x)

Q: "George, given the drug experimentation of the 60's, how do you feel about the legalitzation of pot?" george_harrison_live: "Well, I saw someone on TV last night pulling out huge loads of pot out of various fields in California. My feeling is..." george_harrison_live: "as long as you can go into a store and buy" george_harrison_live: "whiskey" george_harrison_live: "bourbon" george_harrison_live: "and all the rest of it" george_harrison_live: "then, a little grass is nothing." george_harrison_live: "the authorities are just causing the price to be high — 'scuse the pun." - Yahoo web chat, 15 February 2001