#i think he had a great great grandfather who was a mexican born in what is now known as the southwest us during the period when that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

obeymeshallwedate-latinplayer · 3 years

Text

Traditional costumes part 2

Remmember, GN!MC. And stay for a big hollyday surprise!!!

Beel (Chiapas La chiapaneca)

· Wearing the typical costume of your state, always made your heart expand in your chest, that night wasn´t the exception, using all the elements of nature made you really happy. That night Lord Diavolo prepare a big dinner to celebrate the exchange students, most likely he just wanted to take a break from the exams that you took a week ago. So you prepare yourself with the very best clothes you had.

· Beel knocked in your door, saying that it was about time to go out, and he only heard one single scream from you that he panicked and with frenetically movements he opened your door. You were almost done, but usually your grandma would do the last touches for you to be ready, that made you sad. And Beel noticed it.

· With a silent movement and a soft whisper in your ear he asked what was wrong, and how he might help you.

· “You know Beel, this is my evening dress, not only because it´s beautiful but… It´s all about the story behind it: This costume was created towards the end of the 1920s, (1926-1927), when a highly successful theatrical company from Central America arrived in Chiapas de Corzo. In her first performance within the state, the lead singer performed a song that was called "Las Chiapanecas", in honor of her audience. The most popular story in terms of the traditional clothing of this state is carried by the Chiapas, who year after year parade showing their wonderful dresses. Characterized by its multiple colors and flowers; generally, on a black background, the traditional dress of Chiapas women represents the different ethnic groups that coexist in their region, such as the Tzeltales, the Lacandones, the Jacaltecos, the Choles and the Tojolobales, among others. Likewise, reference is made to the immense variety of botanical species that exist in Chiapas, since it is a state in which all kinds of ecosystems converge, from the mountainous places of the sierra to the coastal towns. In the case of men, allusion is made to elements such as the sun and rain, so necessary for the fertility of the Earth, and protection against the forces of darkness. The men also remember the Spanish conquerors, imitating certain characteristics of Europeans such as their blond hair; through the headdress that they put on their heads.”

· Beelzebu wasn´t a man of tons of words like his older brothers, he was a man of actions. He hugged you as tight as he could (without harming you of course) after the hug he just smiled at you. “You are the connection in the three realms, but those are some complicated words that Lord Diavolo usually use, you are all of them for me, the flowers and plants, the mountains, the sierras and the ocean, for me. You are all of them and more.”

· That made your heart “Doki, doki” yes, maybe that was the last thing you needed, like a magical spell just for you.

Belphie ( Traje Mestizo Quintana Roo)

He was sleeping in your room, nothing out the ordinary, most of his weekly routine was staying in your room sleeping, until he sniffed something different. He might be sleeping under your bed when he found out the costume inside the box under your bed. Was it like a good luck item? Or did you just didn´t wanted to see it again? He approached his left hand until he touched the box, he took it out and opened it.

In that moment he understood why you were hiding it, the costume was so beautiful. If someone else saw it, they would sell it, eat it, or use it, even asked you to use it. When you opened the door, and found him with the costume you screamed with full joy. “OH BELPHIE DARLING, YOU FOUND IT! I thought I lost it!” So you weren´t trying to hide it? You lost it? In your own room? Heh what a weird human.

“You know, my great grand mother made this for the generations after her. She would always be telling us Mestizo clothing is particularly representative clothing of Yucatan, and has been associated with Quintana Roo clothing. This is due to the proximity that exists between both states and of course, because both complement each other as tourist poles in Mexico. Particularly, the mestizo woman's costume is made up of a huipil embroidered in cross stitch, whose motifs go on the collar of the garment, the hem and the skirt. While the man's is much simpler and he only wears a shirt and pants made of a raw blanket, matching with a plaid apron, leather espadrilles and a palm hat.” You said with a big smile in your face. “Maybe we could ask her to make you one of it What do you think?”

He nodded, you looked so excited about it, that he almost forgot one little thing, How old was your great grandmother? He panicked just a little, but he recover the posture and with the nicest smile he could use, he said. “Well… But first how about you showing me the costume and then we could ask your great grandmother about it”

You smiled once again and ran into your bathroom, it was going to be an amazing evening.

Diavolo (Sn. Luis Potosí, “Las huastecas.”)

It was a nice party for you, some of the greatest demons were at the castle, the brothers tried to protect you as much as they could, but they did had their own responsibility’s, being the seven rulers of the Devildom wasn´t a simple task, and you knew it.

Diavolo tried to approach you on multiple times, failing everyone of them. Until a duke actually came and talked to you. It was notorious you were uncomfortable, he was touching your most precious clothing, and making some rude comments about it.

When Diavolo was about to make his intervention, you took the demons hand and with a scary smile, you started. “It might not be as beautiful as you may think, but at least my dressing has a bigger meaning that that tuxedo of yours, my culture is not for you to make fun of, it deserves to have respect.” After that the prince of the Devildom approach to the both of you, as an excuse for you to join him for some drinks.

Both of you went out of the party, the garden was nice and the moon in the Devildom was brighter that night, Diavolo took your hands with his. “You are a brave human.” He started. “And you look delightful tonight, like someone full of dignity that can rule along with me.” He kissed your hands with the respect that he might show to his fiancé.

“You know Diavolo, my culture is a descendant from the Mayas, we use a tangle that reaches a few inches below the knee. It is made of a white blanket or a plain black cloth on the back; the front has four planks. Is held up by a factory-made sash with red and blue speckled stripes and has a braided fringe at both ends. The blouse or loose jacket is made of flowered calico or pink or blue artisela; It has puffed sleeves, high neck and pleated bib, ending at the waist with an olán or loose skirt that covers the girdle. On top of the blouse, we wear a white cotton quechquémel entirely covered with worsted embroidery with cross stitch. I am proud of my culture.”

As soon as you conclude he smiled, and asked you nicely to go for a dance. After that night he will make that duke pay for what he has done.

Barbatos (Oaxaca, Traje de las tehuanas)

After visiting the human realm your grandfather gave him a nice CD full of music, Barbatos wasn´t the musical type of demon, but he accepted it anyways. After a few months the whole devil castle would have music that was just nostalgic for you.

One day you decided to go on your Huasteca outfit, not the casual one, but the gala. If Barbatos wanted to you could dance for him. When you arrived to the castle there he was, his usually stoic face turned into a surprise one when he saw you enter. His eyes started to shine like a small child when they saw a candy store.

He walked as fast as he could to see you, that was the first time he was close enough to listen to his breathing. He even started to say: “This typical costume was born in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, using it both the Tehuanas and the Juchitecas, it is said that it is a living costume, since they use it in any type of celebration, making it current over the years, even with the countless modifications it has undergone. t was in 1853, when the composer Máximo Ramón Ortiz composed the musical theme known as the Sandunga, that is when the Tehuana costume managed to cement its fame and prestige as a characteristic of the Oaxacan culture.”

You looked at him astonished, he even knew the history behind your costume, with a laugh caught in your throat you smiled at him. “It was a present from my family, sometimes I miss going to the river in Oaxaca, or even talking with my family in Zapotec.”

He was clearly impressed about the details in the costume, he even took your hand and ask you if you could dance with him. With a big smile you nodded and enter the castle.

It was a nice dance between the two of you, he even made your favorite tea.

Simeon (Yucatán Terno)

He was researching old cultures for his new book, until he found out something he missed while thinking, you were like an expert of the topic, right? Maybe you could tell him more about it, so he ran into the house of lamentation, hoping you could help him.

And there you were, using a beautiful costume, while talking with Satan, his heart started to beat faster, as he heard your story.

“Its origin dates from the time of colonization; When the Spaniards arrived in Mexican territory, they were surprised by the beauty and high quality of the blankets woven by the indigenous people, so they began to create adaptations taking various elements from both cultures to create what we know today as the suit or gala dress. for women and the mestizo costume for men.”

That would help him develop one of his new characters, but when you saw him in the door threshold, immediately your face became red. He notice it and laugh. He actually took your hand, and asked Satan nicely that he needed a piece of advice from you.

“You look stunning Mc.” He said to you while looking right into your clothes. “I must say, this is the nicest surprise of them all. Is it an important day for you to wear it?”

“Not at all, sometimes I only use it so I feel more at home.” With that say the both of you stayed talkig for a while.

Luke (Baja California Sur. Flor de pitahaya)

He was with you, watching the nicest video of the whole realms, something about the dance in front him made his heart a happy heart.

“Mc! This is beautiful!!” You looked at him with a warm smile, and told him, it was your mother dancing for a festival.

“You see Luke, my mother is a folkloric dancer, this dance in specific is from our state, and the full outfit has a big meaning and even a history behind it.” When you concluded, he looked at you with those big blue puppy eye of his, you pat his head and started. “Some people say that this suit was created in 1951 as a result of a summons issued by the government of General Agustín Olachea Avilés, others, that it was in 1955, since there was no suit that represented our state. At that time, "period costumes" were used, since other states had a representative costume since ancient times, that is why this call came out in order to have a "symbol" that represented the roots of the inhabitants of Baja California Sur, being the winner "La Flor de Pitahaya” The Pitahayo is a cactus that grows in Baja California Sur, both on the coast and in the mountains, and when it blooms, it shows an abundance of nutritional wealth with its fruit the Pitahaya that peninsular indigenous people and now inhabitants have enjoyed for years.”

He was amazed, “You know Mc! I´m just a young angel, but listening to the story makes my heart melt, Is it normal?” with a warm smile, you told him: “Well, of course it´s normal, my stories have that magical power!”

After that day Luke would practice his dancing for you to be proud of him, sometimes he even saw you using the dressing for important parties in the castle of Diavolo. It was so nice!

He even saw your performance once, when he went to visit you at the house of lamentation, and he knew, he needed to work harder if he wanted to have an opportunity to dance with you.

Solomon (Nayarit traje de los wixárikas)

The both of you went to the Human realm, he needed to know more of you if he wanted to teach you even better, your family actually welcome him with a big surprise and a big meal, your family was known for using the traditional costume almost the whole year, so everybody knew how proud you were with it.

Solomon received one of the largest lectures you had heard from your father. “The typical costume of Nayarit corresponds to the clothing of the Huichol culture, or as they prefer to be called: wixárikas. Most of these descendants of the Aztecs live in the Sierra Madre Oriental. The female version of the typical Nayarit costume is quite simple, compared to its male counterpart. This includes an embroidered blouse and a skirt, it also includes a cloak embroidered with flowers that serves to cover their heads and a quechquemitl as a complement. The quechquemitl is a triangular garment with a central opening that in pre-Hispanic times was reserved for the goddesses of fertility, or for certain women of the nobility who identified with these deities. Men wear more elaborate garb. All his garments are decorated with beaded embroidery and brightly colored threads: the shirt open on the inside of the sleeves (cuarri), the pants (breeches), the cape (turra), the sashes that hold the cape and the backpack that crosses his chest. They use symmetrical designs loaded with symbolic, mythological and magical elements. For example, a zigzag can represent lightning (associated with rain). These embroideries are, at times, so profuse that they do not reveal the white fabric in the background.” Solomon just stayed astonished when your father finished the lecture, he made it in one breath, that was amazing, and yet he wanted to use the clothing.

After a few days his dream became true, when your grandfather gave him his very own clothing, the old man said that if he was going to teach you, he must use it for now on.

Solomon was a happy little baby, and he would brag about it in front of the demon brothers, and even in front of Diavolo. Maybe the two of you could go into a party with matching clothes, just like your grandma and grandpa do.

After a while he got used to wear the costume your family gave him, and he even have a time record, and if you want to help him, that would make him as happier as a human could be.

He was grateful for the gift and having you in his life.

It is I, the writer behind the headcanons, So! For the hollydays I´m planing to make place for 9 comissions! (Originaly they were 10 but someone won one of the space) So you can ask about culture, romance, comedy etc. Remmember, I usually write for Latin American Mc, but if you have another idea for another MC, we can make that happen! Anyways, thanks for the support! And I will be reading you!!! Happy Hollydays.

#obey me lucifer #Obey me beelzebub #obey me leviathan #mammon headcanon #obey me mammon #obey me asmodeus #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me belphegor #beel headcanons #belphie headcanons #obey me simeon #obey me satan #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me luke #obey me solomon

51 notes · View notes

ffakc · 3 years

Text

A Midwest Christmas - a Jeffrey Dean Morgan fanfiction

Again, I’m aware I’m late posting this. I know it’s no longer Christmas, don’t yell at me. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I LOVE writing stories that are based around Christmas.

Jeff crushed out his cigarette and breathed hot air into his hands to warm them. He shrugged his shoulders a few times, almost as if he was psyching himself up.

“You okay, babe?” I ask and kiss his cheek, shutting the car off.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know why I’m so nervous! I’m a grown ass man, damn it,” my boyfriend chuckles.

“They’ll love you, Jeff. You know my mom and dad love you already, you have nothing to worry about, baby” I give his thigh a squeeze and kiss his neck deeply. Jeff moans and tilts his head to the side.

“Please don’t give me a boner before meeting your female relatives,” Jeff chuckles. “I don’t know, babe. Dad might not love me after I walk through the door,” he gestures to his Seattle Seahawks beanie.

“He’ll get over it,” I laugh and open the car door. Jeff grabs the box of gifts from the trunk and holds my hand as we walk to the front door.

“Merry Christmas Eve!” I holler from the foyer. Jeff kicks off his boots.

“Hey sweetie! Hey Jeff, what’s up, brother?” my dad calls from the den.

“Hey, Mr. C,” Jeff smiles warmly.

“Oh no, oh no. You take that hat off! You’re in Bear country!” my dad laughs. “Just when I thought I liked you!”

“I knew you’d say something! GO HAWKS!” Jeff chuckles and tosses it onto the bench. My dad jokingly makes a fist. I roll my eyes playfully and ruffle his hair as we head upstairs. Men and their sports, I’ll never understand it.

“You can just set the gifts under the tree,” I whisper to Jeff and give his arm a squeeze. He waves at my female relatives at the table.

“Hiiiii! Merry Christmas! I’ve missed you!” my cousin Amy hugs me. “How’s New York?”

“Absolutely incredible. Every day feels like a new adventure with this one,” I gesture to my man standing behind me. “This is my boyfriend, Jeff!”

“Hi there, you must be Amy? I’ve heard so much about you!” Jeff shakes her hand and kisses her cheek.

“All good things I hope!” Amy laughs.

“Yes ma’am. I’ve heard y’all are super close, and I love that. Family togetherness recharges the batteries.”

“I’m glad to hear it! I can’t think of a single holiday we didn’t spend together,” Amy gestures around the table.

“Have a seat!” my mom says. “Can I get you anything to drink? We have wine, beer, Coke Zero...”

“I’ll have a Coke,” Jeff replies and sits next to me at the long dinner table. I pull a small bottle of Crown Royal out of my bag.

“I’ll take a Coke as well,” I laugh.

“You came to party! I’ll take some too,” Jeff wraps his arm around me and kisses my cheek as I add the liquor to his glass of ice, “It smells amazing in here, Ma,” Jeff says to my mom.

“Thanks, Jeff! It’s a tradition on Christmas that we have Grandma, my mom’s, tacos. The shells are from a tiny little Mexican kitchen downtown, that’s how my mom always did it. I think we’re just waiting on Jessica and then we’ll be ready to eat!”

“Sounds delicious,” Jeff sips his drink.

“How’d you guys meet? You look super familiar, Jeff,” my aunt Janine remarks. I rest my head on Jeff’s shoulder.

“It all started when I began frequenting this coffee shop that opened near my, well, OUR farm while on hiatus from work. I couldn’t take my eyes off this brown eyed manager with the messy bun in her hair who would always ring me up and make my drink. Golly, she looked cute in that apron,” Jeff nudges me and everyone laughs as I blush. “I finally had to ask this pretty young thing out. I invited her over for dinner and the rest is history. One year and some change later and I can’t imagine my life with anyone else but my baby gal,” he kisses me softly. “Oh! I’m an actor, by the way. I’m currently on a show called The Walking Dead, I play the bad guy named Negan. A lot of people still recognize me as Denny from Grey’s Anatomy and John Winchester from Supernatural though,” Jeff smiles warmly.

“I knew those eyes looked familiar!” my aunt exclaims. “Wow, girl, a famous actor? Check you out!”

“He’s pretty great. I thought the concept of soulmates was cheesy til this man came along. I mean, nobody’s perfect, but Jeffrey comes pretty darn close,” I rub his thigh under the table.

“How old are you anyway? That gray beard says you’re old,” my 13 year old cousin Alyssa asks.

“Lys! You can’t just say that!” her mom quiets her.

“It’s okay, hon! I’m not offended at all! I AM old, real old. I’m 54,” Jeff laughs.

“And how old are you?” Alyssa turns her attention to me.

“24,” I link my arm with my man’s and nuzzle his shoulder.

“Sooo, you were 30 when she was born?” Alyssa makes a sassy face.

“Don’t push it, little girl,” Jeff teases and we all laugh.

*Jeff’s POV*

“So, this is the man cave, huh?” I glance around at the fishing poles adorning the chocolate brown wall and Chicago sports gear.

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice! It gets cold down here, but the fireplace helps!” my girlfriend’s dad Tim tosses some kindling on the fire.

“Super cozy,” I remark. I haven’t been this nervous in a long time. I had something I desperately wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want to just get right to it.

“How you doin’, bud?” my girlfriend’s grandfather Ray asks.

“Good, Ray! I’m really good, fantastic actually. It feels so nice to be off work for the holidays! Thank you guys so much for welcoming me into your home. Dinner was delicious and the Midwest hospitality is much appreciated.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Tim says.

“This is for you,” Ray reaches into his coat pocket. He passes a CD my way with small writing on the jacket, “To: Jeff. Love, Grampa.”

“Aww, what’s this?” I say, pushing my glasses up.

“Elvis Christmas songs. Something for you and your girl to dance to. You better treat her good,” he smiles his adorable old man smile.

“Thank you so much, Grandpa,” I get up and give him a hug. “You didn’t have to get me anything. So, um,” I clear my throat as I settle into the couch. “There’s something we should talk about. I mean, something I need to ask you. I don’t know, I’m shaky as hell. So, how do I put this?” I pull a small velvet box out of my pocket. “I brought this with me.”

“You want to marry me? Let me go get my dress!” Tim teases. Whew, a joke to break the tension.

“Yeah, totally! I, wow, I’m going to cry. Pull yourself together, Jeff. I wanted to know if I can ask your daughter to be my wife. She’s got me wrapped, man. When I look into her eyes, I just fall in love over and over again. I know it’s old fashioned of me to ask, but I thought I’d do the right thing and ask for your blessing. I love your girl so damn much, you have no idea,” I wipe tears away.

“I had a feeling this would be happening. You kept staring at me all through dinner with this lost puppy look in your eye, like I was going to yell at you or something! Jeff, I see the way she looks at you and it warms her dad’s heart. Every time you speak, she stops immediately what she’s doing and stares at you with hearts in her eyes. I’ve never seen my daughter so happy. Of course you have my blessing.” My heart begins hammering in my chest as my soon to be fiancée’s dad pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you so much, sir! Oh my god, I’m freaking out. Thank you, thank you! So, next question, where’s the best place to propose around these parts?”

“Well, downtown near your hotel on 5th Avenue, it’s all decked out in Christmas lights. Maybe you guys could take a walk down there?”

***

“What a great dinner, your family is so kind and welcoming!” Jeff says as we climb into the warm car. “I love you so much, doll.”

“I’m so glad you had a good time, honey. I knew you would! I love you too, Jeff. I’m so looking forward to the hot tub when we get back to the room, I don’t know about you.” Jeff slides his hand over my upper thigh seductively as I drive through the city in the direction of the hotel. I glance over at my boyfriend and he gives me the sexiest bedroom eyes. I could have just stopped the car and taken him right there. We jam out to our favorite Christmas songs and giggle like kids.

“Fifth Avenue,” Jeff mutters. “Pull over, babe.” I pull into a parking spot and Jeff grabs my face and kisses me deeply, “Let’s go walkin’ in a winter wonderland.” I smile and shut the car off and follow behind him. Jeff’s adorable spontaneity was one of his best qualities. He takes me by the hand as we look at the twinkling lights. There’s no cars on the road and the snow dampens all the sound.

“Hey, sweetheart?” Jeff places his hands on my hips.

“Yes?” I wrap my arms around his neck. We hold each other close.

“You’re so damn perfect,” he pecks my lips, I run my fingers through his soft gray hair. “I tried to come up with a long romantic speech, but words are failing me. You’re everything I’ve hoped and dreamed for. You’re the reason I wake up in the morning. You’re the reason I can’t wipe this smile off my face. Every time I look into those gentle brown eyes, I’m reminded of why I fell in love with you all over again. A life without you is a life I don’t want to live. You’re my entire world, sweet girl.” Jeff pulls away and reaches into his pocket.

“Oh my god,” I sigh, “Jeffrey, I-I-“ I’m utterly speechless. Jeff brushes away the snow on the sidewalk with his gloved hand and gets on one knee.

“Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” Jeff smiles widely, opening the velvet box and revealing a simple, shimmering band. That man knew me so well, it was exactly the

“Oh god, Daddy! Yes! Yes, Jeffrey, yes I’ll marry you!” I jump up and down excitedly. Jeff’s hands shake as he slides the ring on my finger. I gasp with delight, “I love you. Oh baby, it’s beautiful!” Jeff gets to his feet and rests his forehead against mine as we both cry tears of joy. My breath quavers from excitement and the biting cold as Jeff kisses me over and over again.

“I want you to be mine forever,” he whispers against my lips.

“Forever and ever. Oh my god, my heart is racing! You’re so amazing, I love you so much.”

“I love you the most, baby gal.”

***

Jeff and I could hardly keep our hands off each other as we hustled to the elevator.

“Merry Christmas!” the front desk agent calls out.

“You too!” Jeff replies with a friendly wave. I untie my coat as the door to the elevator shuts. I tangle my fingers in my silver fox’s thick hair and moan as he kisses my neck and pulls down my sweater, brushing his scruffy beard against my chest as he kisses and sucks gently.

“Jeffrey, you naughty boy,” I gasp. His large, slender hand find its way between my thighs. “Please, Daddy,” I whine. Jeff slides his fingers down the front of my leggings. He pulls them out just as the elevator chimes, my face goes red as I readjust my Christmas sweater and Jeff fixes his hair as if nothing ever happened.

“Merry Christmas!” an innocent, elderly Mrs. Claus looking woman greets us.

“Merry Christmas to you too!” I reply, the cool air of the hallway hitting Jeff’s saliva on my chest, causing me to shiver with delight. We laugh to ourselves as Jeff opens the door to our suite. Oh, that poor old lady, I hope she didn’t hear too much.

“Let’s see, how about we celebrate with a drink!” Jeff says with a wide smile, slinging his coat over a chair.

“Hmm, how about something sweet? I kind of want dessert after all those tacos,” I wrap my arms around my now fiancé’s waist as he kisses me, his large hands squeeze me closer.

“Your sweater reminds me, how about a White Russian?”

“I am, in fact, the Dude. One of my favorites,” I reply with a laugh.

“Hmm. Vodka, check. Coffee liqueur, got it. Cream, hmm. Cream, cream, cream,” Jeff taps his chin. “Got it!” he grabs some half and half packets from the coffee station.

“Ah, resourceful! I like that!” I kiss him and sit on the bed, “I’ll get the bath ready.”

I draw the bath and Jeff hands me a drink, setting his on the rim of the tub. He unbuttons his shirt revealing his hairy chest and stomach. He kisses me.

“I love you so much,” he says. “Nice ring you’ve got there.”

“Thanks!” I run my fingers down his chest, “My handsome fiancé gave it to me.”

“He must be a lucky guy,” Jeff’s pants come off and he slides into the tub with a loud groan.

“Jesus, that feels so fucking good,” he runs his fingers through his hair. “Come on in, baby gal, the water’s fine.” Jeff bites his lip eagerly as I take my clothes off. “You’re so sexy, you know that?”

“I could say the same about you, darlin’,” I reply, tossing my bra on the floor. I tie my hair up as my fiancé looks me up and down. I climb in the tub, opposite of the rugged older man that I was so lucky to call mine. Jeff grabs my leg and begins kissing the length of my calf.

“When and where do you want to get married?” he asked with a sly smile, kneading my legs.

“Honestly, I’ve always dreamed of a fall or winter wedding. You know how I feel about hot weather,” I take a sip of my White Russian.

“Babe, it’s too hot! This is stupid! Ninety degrees? Ew, fuck that!” Jeff imitates my whining. I laugh.

“You know me so well!”

“Daddy, I have a headache!” Jeff cackles.

“Will you shut the fuck up?” I playfully splash water in his face with my foot. Jeff sputters.

“I give you shit because I love you!” he wipes his face.

“I know, and I give it right back to you, asshole! What were we talking about again?” I giggle.

“Wedding plans?”

“Oh, right. So, definitely a fall wedding. What about on the farm? Ballrooms have never really struck my fancy. That little area off beyond the pastures would be beautiful, don’t you think?”

“I agree, I don’t need a big gala with a stuffy tuxedo to show everyone how much I love you. Ooh! How about under that big tree where we had a picnic and carved our names?” Jeff places my legs on his shoulders.

“J hearts K, yeah, I remember,” I sigh longingly. “That’s where you first told me you loved me.”

“Aw, it was, wasn’t it? You packed us a picnic and everything! You’re just a regular Ina Garten, aren’t you? Remember me yelling at the dogs to stay away from the alpacas? ‘Guys, those aren’t puppies, they’ll kick the shit out of you!’” Jeff laughs.

“Well, if I’m Ina, you’re Jeffrey! Hey, look at that! It works!” I tap my glass against his. “Those dogs are so cute, but they’re little shits sometimes.”

“Oh, absolutely they are,” Jeff agrees. “Wow, that cute barista who I was scared to ask out is going to be my wife? How did I get so damn lucky?”

“You were scared to ask me out? Why? We would always chit-chat back and forth.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why. I think it’s because I didn’t want to be THAT guy. You know, the guy who thinks the food service worker is flirting with him just because she’s being nice,” Jeff rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t get that impression from you at all! I think you’re sexy as fuck, and have since the day I first met you. If I thought you were a scumbag, I wouldn’t have flirted back. And I wouldn’t have had sex with you on the first date, would I?” I tease.

“You’re right. Man, that was a wild night, eh? My heart still beats fast when I think about it,” Jeff grins. “You looked so damn good in my shirt too. Come here,” he holds out his arms and I make my way to his side of the tub, sitting on his lap. He runs his manly hands all over my body and buries his face in my neck, kissing and moaning, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Mrs. Morgan.”

“I love the sound of that. I get to be your wife and I’ve never been happier in my entire life. I love you so much, Jeffrey.”

“I love you too.”

We eventually climb out of the tub, after kissing and laughing and talking til the water turns our toes to raisins. I wrap myself in a fuzzy bathrobe and Jeff quickly does the same. I climb in the big, fluffy bed and Jeff snuggles next to me. He wraps his slender arms around me and I immediately drift off to sleep.

***

“Merry Christmas, gorgeous,” Jeff’s croaky, sultry morning voice rings in my ears like church bells. He kisses my forehead, his scruff brushing against my skin. I squint my eyes at the bright sun bouncing off the snow and flooding our suite.

“Merry Christmas, Daddy,” I curl up closer to his warm body. I close my eyes and bury my face in his chest, “Has anyone told you that you look like Santa Claus with your beard?” I laugh and kiss his collarbones.

“Every damn day on social media,” Jeff chuckles. He moans softly at my touch. I stop and hold out my left hand, my vintage gold band shimmering in the light.

“Just had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” I smile.

“You ain’t dreamin’, sweet girl. You’re going to be my wife,” Jeff kisses me and strokes my hair. He climbs on top of me, our naked bodies still cloaked in the beige comforter. He buries his face in my neck, leaving sloppy kisses.

“Daddy,” I whimper.

“Yeah, baby?” I hold his face in my hands.

“Nothing, I just like looking at you. You sure are pretty. What do you say we have a little fun before going back to Mom and Dad’s?”

“I would want nothing more,” I reply as Jeff pulls the blanket over his head and begins kissing down my body. I giggle with delight as his beard tickles me. Best. Christmas. Ever.

Tag list: @negans-attagirl @jdmbbycakes @iluvneganandjamie

#denny duquette #fanfic #fanfiction #greys anatomy #jeffrey dean morgan #negan #the walking dead #older man younger woman #christmas #engagement

19 notes · View notes

letstalkaboutitvr · 3 years

Text

I grew up in a Mexican household.

And that’s really all the background I want to give.

My mom,dad and 2 elder sisters.

My grandpa,grandma and uncles lived on the first floor and us on the second.

I remember feeling some peace at the time knowing my family was all in one home.

It wasn’t until I was older I realized how rare that housing situation was.

I have a handful of happy memories as a kid.

Fireworks on the 4th,Playing in the snow while my dad or one of my uncles shoveled the yard.

Doing Christmas pageants for the church.

Summer nights where my uncles would have a beer,sit down and just chat.

That is such a distant memory now.

Sometimes I try to find the exact moment where my paternal family side became so overcome by religion. It wasn’t always that way and I remember that clearly.

Maybe it came with their adulthood,maybe that’s where they found peace and the ability to forgive and cope. My mother had always been religious. I remember going to late night church retreats,falling asleep on the pews.

Church every Sunday,and the rosary at a strangers house every Thursday.

I remember hating it.

I didn’t want to be home. But I didn’t want to be there. It’s not like I had a fantasy to being playing with my friends or playing video games. Neither of those things were allowed to my sisters and I growing up.

Attending church was what they expected of us.

All fueled by the ignorance that religion would save us from repeating her past.

Catholicism was sewn into to me since I was born. God was in every inch of my life. That’s terrifying as a child. Being on your toes and worrying about existing. Because anything and everything was sinful. As a child I would sob quietly in the middle of the night worried about my fathers soul. Worried about my sisters souls. I begged God that if the time came to take me instead. I would suffer through Hell for eternity. I would pay for my sins and theirs.

I had to be only 6 years old.

What life is that? What kind of 6 year old needs to worry about that?

Even now it brings tears to my eyes, because I think of my son who is about the same age I was. And I can’t even imagine him suffering through something so great. I cry for my inner child.

I was taught that God is merciful,he will forgive you. (Under the right conditions)

And you should also forgive others.

But pain isn’t so easy. And traumas are hard to pass. There were many times after my father had finished beating my mother I felt so angry.

I felt so guilty for being angry. I felt hopeless. And I was angry about that too. When I think about it,I was never taught to blame my father.

Not from my sisters and definitely not from my grandparents. It was always “blame the alcohol”, its the “alcohol. It’s poising his soul”.

Now as an adult,I realized that to my father,

Alcohol was the cure to the poison and pain he endured as a child.

From what I hear my grandfather was pretty wealthy growing up. His family owned a lot of land. They were farmers. He set his eyes on my grandmother while she was only 13. I’m not sure I remember his exact age. But he was maybe about 16. I don’t believe he chose her out of love. I guess I never bothered to ask. Everything that followed however,proves that love was never in the picture. My father would tell me how my grandfather would beat my grandmother day in and day out. And he would hit them too. A story I knew too well. They were children and they would drink their fathers booze. Those poor children. Never stepping in. Never fighting back. Their souls were in pain. No one did anything about it. No one said anything. Because it seemed normal.

When I first heard this story from my father I was so surprised. I knew he was drunk but the pain behind the words were all too real. Because that pain was the same thing I was feeling. So it had to be true. My grandfather has always been a symbol of true love to me.

He was where I felt love and loved. He would sit us on his lap. He walked us to the bus stop Give us sweets and tell us jokes. He was kind growing up and that’s all I ever saw him as. Kind.

This is another reason I believe my fathers family turned to religion. To cling on to an idea that God put this suffering in their way. That God had a greater purpose for all the pain. To have a vessel for forgiveness because they had nothing else. No one broke the chain of generational trauma. And more and more children had to suffer because of it.

It all made sense after my father told me. As a kid it was very simple because abuse “just happened. “ and you had to just sit with it.

Forgive your dad. He’s sorry. He loves you guys. Tell your mom to forgive him. Tell him to stop drinking.

Those words hurt to remember.

I was a child. My sisters and I children and I can’t imagine what they remember and understood since they were older. Why put all that weight on children?

When your job as adults was to protect us. To keep us safe and away from the pain you all suffered as children. Why did we have to suffer too? Why was my mother left as a sacrifice for my father to take out all the pain his father left him? Why was I supposed to forgive that?

My fathers families persistence on my mother staying,and excusing my father is something that is still fresh to me. I’m not sure if that’s anything I’ve ever forgave or will forgive.

I think that’s something that my inner child would need to move past. And I don’t think she’s able.

Years later when she had finally taking enough beatings and more fear than she could handle my mother left. That must’ve been so hard. So scary. I was so relieved. I felt peace. No longer did I have to wake up every night to sleep in my parents bed in hopes that my father might spare my mother because I was in-between them.

My mother had stopped going to church at that point. But my fathers family entry was deep. We lived with the most religious of my uncles and his family. I will always be grateful he gave us a home. A place to try and start again. But that’s all. The memories were dry. And suffocating.

I was a teenager at this point so giving a shit about what I looked like and what people and boys thought about me was so important.

Social media was new and cellphones started to become a thing. Yet here we were

,No using the computer,no hanging out with friends. Go to school. Come home. Do homework. Go to church.

Every Tuesday. Every Thursday. Every Saturday night or Sunday. No freedom to refuse.

My father kept trying to mend things with my mother and she wasn’t having it. I was angry at first because my father seemed different. I wanted to believe he changed so badly. Due to this “change” my fathers family wanted my mom to get back with my father. I’m not sure if it was for appearance purposes or because my dad was whining about it and wouldn’t let it go. I hated that part. Having me tru to choose. Try to coerce my mother. Why should I? She was happy. We were safe. She was safe.

They hated my mother for this. For standing her ground. For wanting to get out. For not sticking it out.

Now I wish I could tell my grandmother. “You could’ve left too. You could’ve saved yourself and your children.

You were allowed to hate him and be angry. “

A cycle of pain weaved into our family name.

2 notes · View notes

kuramirocket · 3 years

Text

Sandwiched between private properties in Southeast Austin sits a little-known cemetery off Hoeke Lane, just west of U.S. 183. From the outside, there’s nothing that indicates the site is the final resting place for a number of Mexican and Mexican-American residents who died decades ago.

It’s a wilderness. The headstones, many of which date back to the 1940s, are easy to miss. The weeds are overgrown, and trees and shrubs cover much of the 4.5-acre plot.

The cemetery has been called a couple different names over the years — the Montopolis Cemetery and San José II. But no sign will tell you that. In fact, there’s scarce information available about the cemetery’s history at all.

But members of the community and a team of researchers are trying to change that. They want to trace back its history and ensure the cemetery, along with its sister site in nearby Montopolis, is preserved.

Diana Hernandez is the lead researcher for (Re)claiming Memories, a research group out of UT Austin that seeks to restore and preserve missing histories in communities of color. She and her team have been collecting death certificates and reaching out to descendants of those buried at the cemeteries to help piece together the history.

“Once we start to research the people that are buried here and start to find archival documentation for each person, we start to see the community come to life through the cemetery,” she said.

The History

To understand San José II, Hernandez says, we have to start about 2 miles north at San José I. This historic Mexican and Mexican-American cemetery was built around 1919. It sits between two churches off Montopolis Drive, though neither of them own it. The site is believed to be unclaimed, or orphaned, meaning no one is responsible for its upkeep in any official capacity. But neighbors and community members have taken care of it as best they can over the years, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds and cleaning off gravestones.

A metal archway stands at the entrance and reads “San Jose Cementerio.” The cemetery was founded by a mutual aid society called the Union Fraternal Mexicana, and it served the migrant sharecropping community. This was during segregation.

“Mexicans weren’t necessarily allowed to be buried in white cemeteries,” Hernandez said. “In some cases I've seen where there's a white cemetery, and then right next to it is the Mexican section … In this case, it was just a completely different cemetery."

When Cementerio San José started to get full, the second one was created in 1949 in Del Valle. Over the years, the cemeteries changed hands. The original San José hasn’t had a known owner for several decades. San José II has an owner, but she’s believed to be in poor health and unable to maintain it, according to Hernandez. KUT reached out to the owner for this story, but did not hear back.

Based on their research so far, Hernandez and her team estimate San José I and II have more than 350 burials combined. But understanding how many burials are at each individual site is a challenge. That’s partly because on death certificates, the name Montopolis Cemetery was often used interchangeably for San José I and II. And not every burial has a gravestone.

Many people buried at the cemeteries died during concurrent epidemics, like influenza, tuberculosis and pneumonia.

“They were getting so many bodies that they were burying people in layers on top of each other, and they stopped documenting who all was getting buried,” she said. “Because there's no documentation for the number of layers for the people that were being buried in these mass graves, we're just never going to know. There's going to be layers of people that we're never going to be able to identify.”

Hernandez began researching the San José cemeteries at the end of 2019, just before the area was hit with another outbreak of a deadly disease — COVID-19. And again, this predominantly Latino neighborhood was hit harder than others.

“These histories repeat themselves,” Hernandez said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why this work is important, because it kind of sheds light on these pasts that weren’t acknowledged the way they should have been. We can use this knowledge to improve our present.”

The Descendants

Frank Monreal remembers the days when Montopolis Drive was just a dirt road. He and the other neighborhood kids, some 50 years ago, would play on the giant oak tree that stands in the middle of Cementerio San José. Instead of bicycles, he and his friends had horses.

“Everybody rode horses back then,” he said one day while at San José I. “We used to come out here, and they were our lawn mowers. They let them eat the grass and keep the grass low here.”

Monreal has relatives buried at San José I and II. From an early age, he understood death was a natural part of life. He often helped out with funerals. He remembers one burial happening at Cementerio San José when he was a kid. But it’s been a long time since anyone was buried there, he says. Most gravesites appear to date back to the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

There were more gravestones back then, he says, but some have weathered or broken over time. He used to walk through the cemetery on his way to school. He’d often see people putting flowers on graves, something he doesn’t see much anymore. Now, many relatives have died or left.

“That’s inevitable, you know, because generations change,” he said. “People move away.”

Preserving the cemetery, though, is important, he says, especially as gentrification has altered the landscape of Montopolis over the years.

“[The cemetery] is sacred ground to us, from our ancestors,” he said. “I don’t want to see it gone.”

Micaela Johnson, a 19-year-old artist and activist, can trace part of her family tree back to the Cementerio San José. She’s a member of the Limón family, one of Austin’s founding families whose descendants now number upwards of 3,500.

Many of her family members grew up and had businesses in Montopolis, like the Limón Bakery. She said her grandparents probably have connections to at least a quarter of the people buried at San José.

In her family, passing down stories from generation to generation is a common tradition. She remembers hearing stories about Aurora, her grandfather’s sister, who died in 1940 of pneumonia when she was 11 months old. She was buried at Cementerio San José, and her gravestone was decorated with marbles. But Johnson hasn’t been able to locate it.

She also remembers stories of Concepcion Trevino Garcia, her great-great-grandmother who died in 1939 from tuberculosis and was buried at San José. She left behind her husband and five young daughters.

“She was one of the strongest women that I have ever heard my family talk about,” Johnson said. “She was very driven and very loving.”

Garcia's grandchildren still visit the cemetery on Mother’s Day and leave flowers, Johnson said. Her family’s connection to the cemetery has inspired Johnson to get involved with (Re)claiming Memories and help ensure the San José cemeteries are well kept.

“It’s not just a place where people are buried,” she said. “It’s the life and the heart of a lot of our ancestry.”

One of the more recent headstones at Cementerio San José belongs to Augustina Rosales, who was at one time believed to be Austin’s oldest living resident. She died in 1994 at age 116. Near the back of the cemetery, she’s buried next to her husband Marcos, who died in 1951.

Rosales had 13 children and raised several others who were relatives or orphaned as if they were her own. She liked to dance to conjunto music and cook for her family, according to an Austin American-Statesman article about her death. Rosa Moncada, Rosales's great-granddaughter, says “she was awesome.”

Maintaining The Cemeteries

Moncada has several other relatives buried at San José, including grandparents and two older sisters who were born premature and died. Growing up in East Austin, Moncada would go with her mother and siblings to visit the cemetery. But they went less frequently over time, in part because the grass was often so high they couldn’t easily walk through it.

When they heard about the work Hernandez and her team are doing to help maintain the cemetery, Moncada and her sister Juanita Moncada Bayer started visiting again. And now they’re trying to keep it maintained, bringing relatives together to mow the lawn and clear out dead tree branches.

But maintaining the cemetery consistently isn’t an easy task. San José I is 2.5 acres.

“We thought, well, let's do what we can,” Bayer said. “But unfortunately, our mind tells us we can do it. But our bodies — like, that's hard work.”

(Re)claiming Memories and members of the community hosted a cleanup for San José earlier this year and hope to host more. They have been reaching out to city and county leaders, asking them to allocate more resources to the cemeteries' maintenance.

The more challenging endeavor will be cleaning up San José II. The site is difficult to access, making it hard for people to visit and maintain it.

Monreal remembers going to San José II as a kid to visit his grandfather’s grave with his dad. Back then, San José II had a proper entrance and was easier to get to.

Now, a locked chain-link fence blocks the main path that leads to the cemetery. Several sources told KUT the fence was put up by the property owner next door, perhaps to keep people from trespassing. KUT reached out to the law office that owns the property and was told it didn’t have anything to do with the gate. Hernandez and the research group are trying to get to the bottom of the issue and hope to create a proper entrance, so descendants can visit.

The area has long had problems with people dumping trash and gravel. A mound of dirt and debris now presses against fencing on one side of the cemetery.

And warehouses are being built on the southeastern side. This worries Hernandez because the cemetery hasn’t been surveyed; some burials could be outside the perimeter and could be disturbed. Community members have expressed concern that debris from construction is impacting the cemetery.

When KUT reached out to the construction manager for the company that’s developing the site, he was surprised to learn there was a cemetery next door. (“That is a jungle,” Brent Ramirez said.)

The cemetery itself is zoned for warehouse and limited office use, which some are concerned could make it vulnerable to development. (Re)claiming Memories is working with Council Member Vanessa Fuentes to get the proper zoning for it and a historical designation. Fuentes toured the cemetery earlier this year.

“It’s sad to see because it looks as if it’s been neglected and dismissed, especially with the development that’s right next to it,” she said. “Those are families and families’ history and legacies and relatives that are buried there. Those are stories that need to be told.”

Currently, pink marking flags stick up in various spots within the shrubbery of San José II. That’s the work of Joaquin Rodriguez, an Austin resident who has been going out to the cemetery to remove litter and clean off and mark gravestones that have been covered up over time.

He first learned about the cemetery late last year while researching his ancestry. Rodriguez, who was adopted, had taken a DNA test and learned he had relatives buried at cemeteries throughout Austin, including San José I and II. After seeing how neglected San José II was, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The (Re)claiming Memories team wants to eventually create a digital map or database where people can upload information about the people buried at the cemeteries. Hernandez hopes this crowdsourced online resource will help bring the stories of the deceased together and shed light on the history of the Mexican and Mexican-American community in Montopolis.

The team is also putting together an exhibit on the cemeteries for the Mexic-Arte Museum in September. Johnson plans to perform a poem called “We Are Lost History” and sell shirts she designed, the proceeds from which will support the cemeteries' upkeep.

Johnson said she recognizes that Austinites who are not directly connected to the cemeteries may not see a reason to care about them, but she thinks they should.

“They might just see it as another gravesite or another old ancient Mexican burial ground, and they might [think] it doesn’t matter because it’s not a part of them,” Johnson said. “But it is a part of them. It’s a part of the history of Austin.”

And as development continues to alter the look and population of the Montopolis neighborhood, she says, it’s urgent to keep conversations about the cemeteries going.

“If we’re not actively trying to be like, ‘Hey, this matters,’” she said, “it’ll get washed away.”

#🇲🇽#usa #united states #texas #texan history #mexican history #cemetary #cemetaries #montopolis #mexican #mexican american #austin #austin texas

2 notes · View notes

linernotesandseasons · 3 years

Text

My 20 Favorite Albums of 2020

MY 20 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2020

LISTEN HERE!

2020 has been a long year. A year full of unrest, darkness, death, depression, & a global pandemic. In 2020 I turned to these songs & albums for comfort. I gained 20 new favorite works of music that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. I have been making this end of the year favorite albums list since 2012, so this is my ninth annual list! For this year, I talked about where, when, & why I fell in love with the following 20 albums. These are the albums that I used to mark Time & Space this year. These are the albums that I will return to and remember the chaos, calm, & comfort of 2020. I also made a 60 song Spotify playlist with a few songs from each album (two of the albums aren’t available on Spotify) that you can listen along with HERE! Ok, here they are, in no particular order, my 20 favorite albums of 2020!

ANGELICA GARCIA / Cha Cha Palace

Angelica Garcia’s dynamic, groundbreaking sophomore album Cha Cha Palace was released on February 28, 2020 to a pre-COVID America. On that Friday I had dropped off my ballot for a local Colorado election and went to Larimer Lounge and saw Seratones play a sweaty rock show. I had no idea what was coming or what was about to change. Cha Cha Palace bookmarked my next couple weeks of waiting, and the CD lived in my car for quite a few essential-worker-commutes through a shut down, sheltered Denver into the Spring. Fittingly, Angelica Garcia’s bombastic, authentic energy is where we begin my list of my favorite albums of 2020.

If you listen close to Cha Cha Palace, Garcia will tell you a lot about her roots. For starters, she duets with her mother Angelica Maria Garcia on the traditional, vocal swirl of “La Llorona” (”The Weeping Woman” from the 1940′s) and also her grandmother Filomena Garcia with a darker, more foreboding take on “La Enorme Distancia.” Roughly translated “The Enormous Distance” is a Mexican folk song originally by Jose Alfredo Jimenez, the king of Ranchera (Mexican Folk music) in Mexico in the 50′s & 60′s. Garcia proudly weaves her Mexican & Salvadorian roots into all the colorful corners of Cha Cha Palace, but it is on the standout, song of the year contender “It Don’t Hinder Me” where she truly gives you a glimpse into her youth growing up in East LA & then Richmond, VA (Richmond’s Spacebomb Records released Cha Cha Palace!) Over one of the crunchiest, wailing-est electric guitars you’ll find on this list, Garcia lets her vocals flutter & soar as she sings about being a kid; peeling mangos in the kitchen, being yelled at to make your bed, dogs in the street, jaywalking to the corner store with your cousins, peering through a chain-link fence, a backyard party playing “Suavamente,” feeling left out, alone, or alienated. Garcia stands up for the kids in America who look & feel like her, like they don’t belong. With her lyrics and her voice (seriously listen to this album, she can really sing) shutting down haters at every turn “But what they say now - It don’t hinder me! It don’t hurt!” Elsewhere, Garcia uses that powerful, elastic voice to drive the bouncy, laugh out loud funny “Karma the Knife,” the looped, rhythmic “Agua De Rosa,” and personal favorite (another song of the year contender!) “Lucifer Waiting.” Riding a thumping synth line, twinkling keys, a great low-end bass, and her own yells & yelps; Garcia lets her enunciation take the song places. The way she draws out the “Luuuuucifer” and the way she stacks up “waiting in the cooorrrrnnneerrrr.” Cha Cha Palace is a masterpiece and Garcia’s vocals & rhythms will take you on a journey through Mexico, Salvador, & Virginia, before ending up right back in east LA where, as Garcia would put it “In American identity, there is no one face.”

“Born of the bones from under east LA / Cultura Chicana is alive today / I want some freedom with my pan dulce / Been wearing my roots & flying this flag / I see you but you don’t see me / Jicama! Jicama! Guava tree / I’ve been trying to tell you but you just don’t see / Like you I was born in this country...”

ANJIMILE / Giver Taker

I was late to the party on Anjimile, but Giver Taker has been a comforting companion during the last few tumultuous months of 2020 here in Denver. Part of the allure of Anjimile (full name Anjimile Chithambo, but they release music as simply Anjimile-emphasis on the “Jim” please) is that these songs have been growing and being rebuilt & remade for quite some time, much like the maker themselves. Billed as a debut album (out on Father Daughter Records-I went ahead and hit for the cycle, that’s what I call buying the vinyl, CD, AND cassette!) many of the songs on Giver Taker have been around for years, solo versions & demos Anjimile recorded by themselves, found here fleshed out with gorgeous, layered production & instrumentation. Chorally trained, Anjimile’s distinctive voice drives these songs, at times stately & elegant (like in the measured “1978″ and the blooming “Your Tree”), but with the capability to be sultry & charming like on the bouncy, effervescent “Baby No More.” The instruments on Giver Taker are lovely; horns, strings, reeds, banjo, congas, all played by a full cast of collaborators. Much like Angelica Garcia wearing her roots on her own 2020 album (see above!), Anjimile’s roots are found all over Giver Taker. The gorgeous album cover painting has a background of sugarcane plants, native to Malawi (where Anjimile’s family is from) and behind that, the river from “The Lion King” (one of Anjimile’s favorite films!) “Maker” deals with Anjimile’s spirituality, and the idea that, as they put it...

"The realization that just as I could build my own sense of spirituality & build my own faith and relate to a God of my understanding, I could do the same thing with my gender and my sexuality. And that's what I did.”

In “Ndimakukonda” Anjimile sings in their parent’s native Chichewa, and powerful closer “To Meet You There” sticks with you long after the album ends. From a gorgeous finger-picked opening, the stage is set. A hurricane off the coast of Florida, a queer, trans kid searching from Texas to Florida to Boston for the truth. Simple words about the end, or maybe the beginning. Then the song swells with drums & strings & horns and transports you away from any of those states, dancing through clouds & waterfalls, maybe with Zazu & Simba & Nala. Voices swell, singing along with Anjimile, lifting up praise “I celebrate your celebration! I revel in your revelation! I holler in your hallelujah! In plain view your azaleas grew!” an inspiring ending to a truly inspirational & exciting album.

“After death, after life / I was up half the night / Hurricane never came / Not for me, not again...:

AMERICAN AQUARIUM / Lamentations

There is a point about two minutes and 46 seconds into American Aquarium’s dramatic, title track opener “Me & Mine (Lamentations)” that makes me feel something every time I hear it. The song starts simply enough. A finger picked acoustic guitar (maybe it’s his trademark 1968 cherry red Gibson J45?!) and BJ Barham’s trademark North Carolina drawl singing about blue collar hard luck. The farmers, the coal miners, his grandfather, the hard work, but also the Darkness on the Edge of Town, “unpaid bills, broken homes, & opioid addiction.” The true story of the disenfranchised American South. Another sad one from the king of sad songs. But then... He pivots. The same pivot Barham used to change his life from alcoholic, road-worn, burnout, to his current credo of hard work & effort. A glimmer of hope as he growls “You see me & mine we ain’t the kind to sit around, idle & complain!” With that, a minor note rings out and the song plunges headlong into a true anthem. This isn’t your typical folk/country/pop/flannel/americana whatever bullshit. American Aquarium will punch you in the face with songs about the value of hard work and standing up for what you believe in. The last three minutes of “Me & Mine” explode into fuzzed out electric guitar, signifying that Lamentations (their eighth studio album!) is deeper and more meaningful than anything American Aquarium has done before. Songs about fighting to change your bad habits & addictions. Songs about challenging your parents religion and calling out (and maybe internet shaming!) your racist uncle. From the southern Petty-ness of sing-alongs “Before the Dogwood Blooms” and “Starts With You” (one of the songs I sang the loudest to in my car this year) to the expected sad ones, and even a special, dark one named after North Carolina tobacco (”Brightleaf & Burley”) about the socioeconomic impact of the illegalization of marijuana in the South! Throughout Lamentations rings with American influences, but challenges current American values.

This is not a band that I would’ve picked as one of my favorite current bands. It makes sense actually, looking back. I grew up on country radio in western slope Rifle, Colorado. KMTS played Garth, Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt, Toby, Kenny, Dierks, and all my high school friends were gun-shooting, camping, fishing good ol’ boys. Later in college, I fell again for Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, FGL, etc cuz it was “country.” I always knew that Petty, Springsteen, Fleetwood, & Neil Young were technically better, but it’s hard to deny a good pop-country sing along chorus when you’re four beers deep and riding windows-down on a dirt road. Hell, even Phoebe Bridgers (keep reading-if you didn’t think Punisher would make this list you’re crazy!) sings about singing along to some “America first rap-country song.” (Spoiler alert, she’s talking about how modern country isn’t actually country, and not Lil Nas X. “Old Town Road” rules and i know 100% that Phoebe & BJ & Darius Rucker would agree!). Anyway, back to the American Aquarium mythology. I saw them on a whim, drunk & newly single at the Marquis Theater (holy goddamn do I miss the Marquis and LIVE MUSIC!) back in late Summer 2015. I ordered a Tecate tall boy at the bar (the 24oz kind) and worked my way into a diehard crowd drinking & singing along. Wolves was brand new and BJ opened with “Man I’m Supposed To Be.” I hadn’t been to many small shows like that at that time (been to a couple hundred since!) and I loved how people sang & danced & drank & ACTUALLY SANG! When the Burn. Flicker. Die. songs hit, I was hooked. Over the last five years I’ve had a blast at every AA show and I’ve come to appreciate the value of live, original, independent, rock & roll! I appreciate how BJ encourages us to work hard, get lucky, and GET BETTER! When the time comes (maybe not till we’re all vaccinated and it’s 2022 or whatever) I can’t wait to hear these songs the way American Aquarium intended. I’m going to walk into a dark, sweaty rock&roll club, I’ll order a Mexican beer and a shot of American whiskey, crowd in with people, and I’m gonna sing along to "The Luckier You Get” so fucking loud.

“I was born in the shade of a longleaf pine / The proud southern son of Caroline / Proud of who I am & where I’m from / But I ain’t so proud of how far we’ve come... / Down here we’re still fighting for all the wrong reasons / Old men still defend these monuments to treason / To the right side of history, we’re always late / Still arguing the difference between heritage & hate / The only dream that ain’t worth having / Is the one you won’t chase down / They say sing your songs, boy & shut your mouth / But I believe in a better South...”

AMERICAN TRAPPIST / The Gate

There are two specific moments on The Gate that I especially love. If you’ve followed my yearly favorites list at all, you know that Joe Michelini (who fronts American Trappist & fronted River City Extension) is one of my favorite living songwriters. But after the relative lightheartedness of 2018′s Tentanda Via, 2016′s self-titled, & 2012′s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Your Anger (miss you River City!) The Gate is a goddamn dark, noisy masterpiece. The guitars are heavier, multiple songs contain 1-3 minute instrumental intros before the vocals enter, and frontman Michelini cuts loose with loud whoops (exclamations? yells? excited moments of pure joy/energy/anger release?!) that are captured perfectly just as the songs hit their respective peaks. The first moment is found on track three, as the laid-back guitar of the backwards-looking “Moses (Revisited)” starts to really pick up. At four-&-a-half minutes, another guitar enters and Michelini starts to quicken his pace. “Have you got something to say?” he asks more urgently, then as the guitars start to really wail “Ask me how I felt, living like I was. My future on the run...” Then he hollers and the guitar explodes into a monstrous solo. Most of the album is contained between that whoop and the next whoop not encountered till track 10. In between, “...Rides Again” recalls River City Extension’s under-appreciated farewell album Deliverance with it’s more uplifting, wandering guitar, and the title track uses a mix of whispery vocals, repetitive falsetto, and an ungodly low baritone to create a vampire-y “Unfresh Dirtwolf” vibe. “Active Recovery” rides a straight forward rock & roll riff and near-spoken-word delivery into a delightfully fuzzy guitar solo. Finally we’ve reached my personal favorite, get on the big train and take a ride with “The Real Thing.” If you’ve paid attention at all, this is a classic American Trappist tune. A repeating, echoing riff, a steady drive, and then three minutes in, the song just jumps the tracks and grows wings. The kind of song that makes me want to be back at live shows. The kind of song that makes me want to be drinking cheap beer at Larimer Lounge, hugging the east wall, sweat & noise & rock & roll, “what if love was nothing like the real thing?...” and then Michelini bookends the “Moses...” whoop with another one, setting it free. The music so energized & electric that I whoop along without realizing it. I wrote a little more about my special connection with The Gate this year (besides for those whoop-alongs!) a Retrospective Anthology Mix I made for myself and The Mix I traded (along with a pair of brand new red shoelaces!) for an advanced copy of The Gate way back in April! Thanks American Trappist! As long as you keep making em, I’ll keep putting em my end of the year favorites list. The Gate is special.

“I’m decomposing, underreacting / I do the right thing but nothing happens / It is within me / It is within me to love somebody...”

BARTEES STRANGE / Live Forever

The songs on Bartees Strange’s debut album Live Forever carry an instant sense of Nostalgia & familiarity. Maybe it’s the mix of influences that I love (Bon Iver, Fall Out Boy, mid 2000′s emo, pop-rock, & hip-hop etc...!) maybe it’s the way Bartees manages to make those “old” influences sound new, fresh, exciting, and completely at home with his voice & production. Whatever the reason, every time I hit play on Live Forever (usually in the kitchen, beer-in-hand), it feels like an old friend. It feels like I’ve known these songs for the last five years, like they’ve always existed. The way his voice twists around & around, up & down in “Jealousy,” the way the Aaron Dessner-esque guitars & synths stab in on “Mustang” (a nod to Bartees’ hometown of Mustang, OK), and the way “Boomer” wastes absolutely no time with it’s “Aye bruh aye bruh aye bruh” intro. Pure, comforting, exciting magic.

Bartees Leon Cox Jr. came up in a band as Bartees & The Strange Fruit. A nod to Nina Simone, a National covers EP (!), and a supercharged debut full length later, here we are in 2020 with Bartees showing up on a ton of end of the year lists. Bartees hails from Washington DC (by way of Mustang, Oklahoma) originally from England, son of an opera singer, lover of music. I am so thankful this album exists in this time and I (and a ton of other music fans get to enjoy it!) Bartees had made his technical debut (a The National covers album!) as a black kids’ response to not seeing enough people of color in the audience at National shows. When it comes to blending his influences, he talks about hip-hop saying “I love how rappers rap about dreams – money & cars & pretty girls & big houses & buying their mom a yacht. Expansive, out of this world, unbelievable shit, & sometimes they get it. It's like this very big Christian principle of like speaking things into existence in a way. When I look at rock music, it's like, ‘I'm sad.’ I'm like, ‘Yo, let's bring a hip-hop ethos to it.’ Like, I want to write rock songs about, like, ‘I want to be the biggest artist in the world.’” Big dreams Bartees, big dreams. I love Live Forever and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

“To have a life you love but know you’re undeserving / Last night I got so fucked up, near lost my job / It’s nice to think that folks are near, waking up was hard this year...”

DUA LIPA / Future Nostalgia

It seems like every year when I start creating this list, there is one big radio album that I listened to and loved so much, that it’s impossible not to include. Last year it was Lizzo, 2018 had Janelle Monae, & 2017 Kendrick Lamar. This year that big, undeniable pop radio album is Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. With nods to a wide swath of club genres, as well as pop, disco, & funk, 25 year old Dua Lipa sounds confident and full of swagger on her sophomore album. She’s already released a DJ mix alternate version of the entire album! It’s sometimes hard for me to describe why I love certain pop songs, but Future Nostalgia feels so easy. Smooth synths & keys, elastic, rubbery basslines, a mix of Nostalgic (and maybe futuristic?!) influences, and Dua’s energetic vocals driving everyone to the dance floor. She channels Prince & The Beegees, mixing 70′s disco & 80′s funk, everything danceable, fluid, & modern. My favorite lyrical moments on the album are when she lets her feminism show through, like on the opening title track “No matter what you do I’m gonna get it without you. I know you ain’t used to a female alpha” and on the dark, catchy closer “Boys Will Be Boys” that talks about rape culture, mansplaining, & slut-shaming. But my personal favorite memories of Future Nostalgia come from taking it along on a few camping trips in the Colorado mountains. Criss-crossing the Continental Divide with the windows down, sunlight streaming through, belting out “If you don’t wanna see me, dancing with somebody!” to high alpine lakes & pine trees.

“Did a full 180, crazy / Thinking ‘bout the way I was / Did the heartache change me? Maybe / But look at where I ended up / I’m all good already / So moved on it’s scary / I’m not where you left me at all, so...”

EZRA FURMAN / To Them We’ll Always Be Freaks

LISTEN/BUY ON BANDCAMP

Ezra Furman is one of the most important, lifelong favorite artists that I discovered in 2020, and even though To Them We’ll Always Be Freaks isn’t exactly a proper new album (cannot fucking wait for the next one Ezra!) it only felt right to include this collection of demos and behind the scenes material from 2016′s unbelievable Transangelic Exodus on my 2020 list. The basic story is this, Ezra Furman makes a lot of music/records, solo or with a lot of musicians. The Harpoons, The Visions, by herself. They recall a lot of things; punk, soul, doo-wop, plain old American Rock & Roll, being yourself, being whoever you want to be, being alone, all the things that matter. For Transangelic Exodus she wanted to do something different, to abandon her instincts. To “get weird.” To make “A record of maximal impact, maximal originality & excitement.” If you haven’t heard Transangelic Exodus, it is all of those things and more. I recommend you wait till a cold night in your kitchen, pour yourself a stiff drink, & listen to it front-to-back... LOUD. I missed it in 2016 (& for a few years after) but I was lucky enough to hear Ezra in time to catch her at the Bluebird last year and it was one of the best live performance I’ve ever seen. Also, Bandcamp exclusives are what fueled my Friday mornings through Covid times, giving money to artists & causes that I love. Ezra has done SO MUCH since 2016 (last year’s Twelve Nudes is a pysch-punk masterpiece!) and To Them We’ll Always Be Freaks (aka Making Ourselves Up in the Rearview Mirror) (aka “Wing That Shit”) borrows its name from the absolutely transcendental, broadway-esque “Suck the Blood from My Wound” which was the opening track on Transangelic Exodus. It is a collection of “demos, rehearsals, & shots in the dark” from an important record that means a lot to a lot of people. Rather than diving into the fun differences of all these demo versions, I wanted to quote myself from February, the feelings that I had immediately after seeing Ezra that night, totally present at the Bluebird...

I was able to be present for an hour and a half. To let go, to suspend, to kick against things and break down barriers that I have built myself in my own mind. It is so important to do that for ourselves and everyone has to work to find their own different methods of getting there. Some people never do, but it is still important for us to encourage & push them. A needling supportive jab of growth. For me, it has always been music. Most viscerally rock & roll (Ezra’s electric guitar playing stirs a power in my body & brain that I can’t put into words… like it could make me fly. Like Peregrine Falcon fucking fly. Or deadsprint all the way to San Francisco) but always all kinds of music. The power to broaden my horizons. To teach me things. To understand someone else. To see the world (politics, religion, sexuality, the true self, humankind) through new eyes. “Skin on my fingers peeling, making way for my new form.” To hear someone say who they are (who they really are) and to believe them. I want that for myself. To know who I really am. To feel beyond a shadow of a doubt, what I should do and who I should be. And to believe me. I am inspired by Ezra and hundreds of others, to push forward through doubt. To find myself even in the darkest shadows of doubt. To scream at doubt and befriend it. To wrap it up in the backseat of a red Camaro and keep driving. Last night I glimpsed something like Utopia. As Ezra says about her Jewish practice of Shabbat (google it!) “It’s like touching Utopia, weekly. It reminds us of what we want the world to be like” And it was like touching utopia. Like a breath of Spring breeze. Like change. Keep digging. All the way down. Till you’re standing upside down in an alternative world. It’s beautiful there, magic is possible. I know because… because well… Ezra told me.”

“For the immigrant / For the refugee / For the closeted / For the out / For the vulnerable / For the homeless / For the searching / This record is an exercise in empathy / A ripening of nightmares & a sudden blooming of spirit / It’s a protest record / Dreamed in dark corners of the heart of a queer grandchild of Holocaust survivors / & what if you had to leave your home because the government was after you? / May our vulnerability & difference be a window into the lives of those who are deeply threatened by institutional callousness & hatred / And may this spur us to great courage & kindness / ‘Do not oppress a foreigner: you know the feelings of the foreigner for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt’ Exodus 23:9...”

FIONA APPLE / Fetch The Bolt Cutters

If you love end of the year lists as much as I do, then you’ve probably read enough about Fetch The Bolt Cutters already. In fact, a few of the albums on this list (spoiler alert, Phoebe & Sault coming! Keep reading!) were so good, so immediate, that my entire social media feed was filled with seemingly nothing else for days stretching into weeks. Fiona Apple coming out of hiding to release her first album in eight (?!) years was one of those moments. Thinkpieces, interviews, and then the inevitable, deserved flood of end of the year lists. As someone who missed most of Fiona in the 90′s and 2000′s, Fetch The Bolt Cutters felt like a revelation. Like finding a brand new, fresh faced artist, fully formed, rebellious, and 100% herself. Turns out Fiona has been doing this shit since I was 10 years old! With an aggressive, current-world-situation-necessitated title lifted from Gillian Anderson’s detective in “The Fall” (she’s trying to save a locked up woman from a serial killer) Fetch The Bolt Cutters is as determined & relentless as it sounds. Pianos twinkle & spiral, drums pound & knock, Dogs bark (one of them is her pit-bull-boxer mix Mercy), pots & pans bang, bells ring, and Fiona herself uses her voice as one of the most versatile instruments, shrieking & whispering, hissing & howling, defiant & absolutely riveting. In fact, almost everything about the music that Fiona Apple makes is head turning and Fetch The Bolt Cutters reminds me of so many things that made me fall in love with music in the first place. It feels free & it makes me feel free. She defied her record label who wanted her to follow a normal album rollout for an October release, and released it in April instead because she felt like it was needed at the time. She recorded most of the album at her house, on garageband and her iPhone. The songs are angry, defeated, cathartic, triumphant, & sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Her writing is honest & heartfelt, working through trauma for herself from as far back as middle school. Fiona refers to her brain-stuff-writing as balls of yarn saying...

“You’ve got these stories you’re not telling anybody. Each one of those stories is like this little ball of yarn. If you don’t express them, they end up getting tangled together inside. Then it’s really hard to sort through them. I got some balls of yarn out in this album and wove them into something I can actually work with...”

Through it all, Apple’s vocals, lyrics, & rhythms are so fresh, so innovative, so exciting, that I feel like I’ve discovered a brand new artist. Thanks Fiona for unraveling that yarn for the last 25 years!

“Hurricane Gloria in excelsis deo / That’s my bird in my tree / My dog & my man & my music is my holy trinity / Tony told me he’d describe me as ‘pissed off, funny, & warm’ / Sebastian said I’m ‘a good man in a storm’ / Back then I didn’t know what potential meant / & Shemeika wasn’t gentle & she wasn’t my friend / But she got through to me & I’ll never see her again / I’m pissed off, funny, & warm / I’m a good man in a storm / & when the fall is torrential I’ll recall / Shameika said I had potential...”

JOY OLADOKUN / in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1)

Joy Oladokun grew up going to church religiously in small town Arizona. Inspired to play guitar by seeing Tracy Chapman on VHS, she wrote her first song about Aragorn from “Lord of The Rings”. There are parts of Joy’s music, truths in the deep, deep melodies & lyrics that I will never understand. She is a Queer, Black woman born to Nigerian parents, dealing with (and singing about) life challenges that I will never know. But then, there is also a magic & familiarity that I feel in Joy’s songs, because we have connections that only we can have. Connections that come from thinking about the same things from our formative years. The way she writes about growing up in the church, the way she challenges the church, the way she pushes her family & friends still in the church to be better. Musically, in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1) (all lowercase please!) sounds like Joy’s own map of America. Folky, woodsy Arizona, some LA soul & production, and big Nashville choruses, like contemporary radio. But the writing found in these songs is different & essential. Effortlessly cool lead single “Smoke” opens the album with the line “yesterday I left my joint sitting on the counter...” Oh yeah, she loves to get high! (sorry church, I’m 100% sure Jesus doesn’t care about marijuana!) Riding an undeniably catchy chorus, and drums & keys that carry the song down a blacktop road, this one got a TON of play this Summer when we in Colorado were trapped in wildfire smoke and I made my littlest sister this Smoke & Fire Mix. After “Smoke” she tackles identity & religion on the Mat Kearney-esque (look him up!) Nashville folk-pop of “Sunday” & “Bad Blood” saying,

"The biggest privilege of being a songwriter is being able to write the type of song that I needed to hear when I was younger, 'Sunday' is the song that 12-year-old Joy, seated in the back of church youth group, needed to hear. She needed to hear that you can be queer & happy. Queer & healthy. Queer & holy. She needed to see married women kissing & playing with their kids."

It’s inspiring that Joy chooses to use the word privilege in that quote instead of responsibility. The privilege of being a songwriter is the impact you can have on others. Joy has been outspoken about social justice, both inside & outside the church, and has continued to release singles challenging the racism running rampant in America. Her heartbreaking “Who Do I Turn To?” deals with the fear that comes with simply being black in America. “Mercy” features a verse from rapper Tim Gent and touches on the current pandemic (and the off-the-deep-end religious turn Kanye has taken). Finally the album closes with the gorgeous, finger-picked, I-wanna-do-better ballad “Too High” (oh yeah, when she gets high she gets... too high!) and “Younger Days.” A peaceful, soul-inflected closer, with Joy’s vocals swelling & wandering through her life & memories to the conclusion “Who I was would be proud to see the person I became...”

“Sometimes I get jealous of jesus for falling asleep in the middle of the storm / Sometimes you gotta feel like drowning to be reborn / Oh I haven’t slept in three days / I know I’ve gotta find my way / Through all of this smoke...”

THE KILLERS / Imploding The Mirage

I knew Imploding The Mirage would be on my 2020 Favorites list months before it was actually released. It reminded of when Josh Ritter released some super important singles during the Summer/Fall 2015 (a very transformational time for me). Similarly the singles from Imploding The Mirage (The Killers sixth studio album!) came right on time earlier this Spring & Summer. Mirage’s first single was the classic Killers get-out-of-town anthem “Caution” and it arrived on March 12, early on in the pandemic and under stay-at-home orders. “Caution” introduced me to “the featherweight queen” and found me many nights dancing in the kitchen, the volume turned up on Lindsay Buckingham’s wailing outro guitar solo. “Caution” was my number one most streamed song on Spotify in 2020. After that came “Fire In Bone.” A groovier track, released in April with gorgeous peacock single art (the only art from the album that isn’t painted by the wonderful Thomas Blackshear) and fallen for in June, dancing with my brothers & sisters at the lake, one of the first times we had hung out during quarantine. One of my goals with this year’s list is to remember the exact moments when I fell in love with a song or album, and that moment for Imploding The Mirage was playing “Fire In Bone,” right here...

Shortly after that, opening track “My Own Soul’s Warning” had me dancing in the shower and the lovesick, ultimate Flowers jam “Dying Breed” had me rolling down my windows and belting along till August when Imploding The Mirage finally got it’s official release. I have non-guilty-pleasure-loved The Killers since Hot Fuss (and accidentally downloaded a virus on my best friends desktop computer trying to download a "Mr Brightside” acoustic version off of some weird site on dial-up internet in Silt, Colorado in the mid-2000s!) and it’s exciting to know that Flowers & Co. can still do something that sounds phenomenal (thanks Shawn Everett!) in 2020. Oh and... word on the street is that they got a follow up coming in early 2021 so yeah... The Killers killin’ it.

“Cause it’s some kind of sin / To live your whole life / On a might’ve been / I’m ready now / I’m throwing caution / What’s it gonna be? / Tonight the winds of change are blowing wild & free...”

MIPSO / Mipso

After years of encouragement, and with gentle but insistent nudges from my partner’s father; Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Mipso finally made it on my end of the year Favorites list with their sixth full length album! I had seen them way back in 2016 at the Lost Lake Lounge here in Denver (probably on his recommendation), they were touring on their first few albums, still more bluegrass-y, but I loved them and I loved their “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” cover. Since then, Lila’s dad would send us their music, send us stickers through the good ol’ USPS, and Mipso kept honing their craft. Smoothing out their folk, adding pop influences, with sharp songwriting, and warm, Appalachian instrumentation. And, as Lila’s dad says, if you close your eyes, it might as well be Paul Simon singing.

The four members of Mipso share songwriting and frontperson duties equally and each member brings their own depth & humor to the band. Guitarist Joseph Terrell’s (he’s the Paul Simon sound-alike) songs are brighter & folkier. “Never Knew You Were Gone” is a gorgeously, wistful, violin-led, apocalyptic opener. “Hey Coyote” reminds me of Christopher Porterfield & Field Report from Wisconsin, with it’s gentle plucking and mystical lyrics about Wile E. Coyote & Coyotl, the Native American mythology version of the trickster. “Help” is maybe the biggest & darkest folk tune on the album, a minor tinged, string-y burner, that dives into a huge chorus. Mandolinist Jacob Sharp leads the rhythmic & driving “Hourglass” and the late-night rain of “Just Want To Be Loved.” Double Bassist Wood Robinson gets in on the fun with the comforting, wandering of “Shelter.” But it is violinist Libby Rodenbough’s contributions to the album that make it truly great. Her impassioned vocals & lyrics command “Your Body” over an insistent banjo. She visits the darkness on the enchanting, cheater’s tale “Like You Never” and revisits the apocalypse mentioned in track one, on her rollicking closer “Wallpaper Baby.” Finally, it is her tender folk that ties the whole story together on “Big Star.” She sings of the end of time; of swimming & Summer & Colorado. A true classic, a lost Gregory Alan Isakov telescope, mountain stream tune. In the zine accompanying Mipso’s release, they introduce the album this way...

“Future Readers,

Times are tough. You probably know this... Shit has lately been hitting the fan in a big way. Maybe chickens coming home to roost is a better metaphor, since we’re talking about history. Maybe a bunch of chickens have roosted on a giant fan, and they’re finally shitting... We recorded the album back in the latter half of 2019. when all We The People had to worry about was rampant income inequality, a sham democracy, & rising oceans. Ah, the good old days. At least now people can’t pretend it isn’t there. Beats the nineties! A Japanese theme park recently released a set of guidelines aimed at reducing the spread of airborne droplets of the virus on rollercoasters. ‘Please scream inside your heart’ they said. We hope you enjoy our album.”

Thanks Mipso, this one is special. And thanks Lee Cummings! From Chapel Hill to Ashville, Carrboro to Greensboro, this is an album I’ll hold onto for awhile.

“We went down to the water / With a blanket in the back / Had some candy from Colorado / Let the sunlight lay us flat / I awoke from the strangest vision / You & me at the end of time / Would you believe that big star was missing / But I found in your eye... / We went down to the water / When the red was in the clouds / Cracked the windows like kid summer / Like we were breaking out / We went down to the water / Never mind the rising tide / After all we are the daughters / Of unbelievers running wild...”

PHOEBE BRIDGERS / Punisher

The Phoebe Bridgers mythology grows with every tweet, every guest feature, every new project, every new skeleton suit, and every Grammy nomination. It’s almost hard to believe Punisher is only her second solo full length, but if you’re following the fake_nudes mythology you know that she’s been busy in the years between Stranger in the Alps (her impressive debut) and Punisher. She formed supergroups with Lucy Dacus & Julien Baker (boygenius) and Conor Oberst (find Better Oblivion Community Center on my 2019 Favorites list). If you’ve talked to me about music this year at all, you know that Punisher has been a favorite talking point, as much for its typically dark Phoebe masterpieces about mental health, alien abduction, & depression, as for how it has overtaken the entire indie world. Phoebe fucking Bridgers has achieved legend status. The day I fell in love with Punisher was September 1st, when I hiked up across from Red Rocks Amphitheater to stream Phoebe playing THIS show and gaze longingly at the Rocks, wishing I could be inside. Watching a full moon (song) come up in the West, Phoebe playing to my East, drinking beer & reading lyrics, It was cathartic & special but goddamn did I miss live music in 2020.

Ok... on to the songs. Punisher begins innocently enou... umm... it actually begins with a TERRIFYING minute of soft, unsettling sound, a “DVD Menu” track playing after the horror movie has ended, that moment when you’re both sitting there, stunned & pale, too scared to get up and go turn the light on, googling “______ movie ending explained,” and considering death, dismemberment, and I don’t know, alien abduction. I burned myself my own Punisher CD with “DVD Menu” as both the opening & closing tracks because... (spoiler alert) I Know The End. Getting up to turn the light on doesn’t help much, as “Garden Song” is a haunting, ear-worming, whisper of a song that tells a decidedly LA (most of these songs reference SoCal in some way and I love it!) tale about the Rose Parade, killing nazis, growing a garden, and ends with a happy plot twist. Surprise, Phoebe’s got everything she wanted! “Kyoto” was the big single (the “Motion Sickness” as it were), a green screen miracle, a monster uplift of a chorus complete with horns, finds Phoebe singing about boredom & international travel. I personally love the back-to-back of “Chinese Satellite” & “Moon Song” and I feel like they capture Phoebe’s ability to combine the mundane & the heartbreaking & the wryly funny all in the same couplet. She has a lot of great jokes hidden on Punisher (why aren’t more people talking about how funny she is?!) like when she ends “Kyoto” singing “Guess I lied. I’m a liar, who lies. Cause I’m a liar.” There’s a jogging joke in “Chinese Satellite” (a song about not believing in God) about running around “Why would somebody do this on purpose?” and in “I See You” she sneaks in “If you’re a work of art, I’m standing too close!” and if you know the joke in “I Know The End” then you know! That brings us to the emotional centerpiece of closer “I Know The End.” A true road song, written on an epic road trip Phoebe took through Northern California; all Wizard of Oz, Arcade-Fire-Mountains-Beyond-Mountains-Sprawl past outlet malls, all the way to the end of the world. I won’t spoil the ending if you haven’t heard it, but it’s a cathartic, deserving send off to 2020, and I’ve screamed out loud to it in my car more than anything else this year. Love you Phoebe, Love Punisher, absolutely can’t wait to see what’s next.

“Driving out into the sun / Let the ultraviolet cover me up / Went looking for a creation myth / Ended up with a pair of cracked lips / Windows down, scream along / To some America first rap-country song / A slaughterhouse, an outlet mall / Slot machines, fear of God / Windows down, heater on / Big bolt of lightning hanging low / Over the coast, everyone’s convinced / It’s a government drone or an alien spaceship / Either way, we’re not alone / I’ll find a new place to be from / A haunted house, with a picket fence / To float around & ghost my friends / I’m not afraid to disappear / The billboard said ‘The End Is Near’ / I turned around, there was nothing there / Yeah, I guess the end is here...”

ROACHE, MOONCHILD, KILEY / Improvised Sessions

LISTEN/BUY ON BANDCAMP

I have so much fun making this list every year. I start a draft in January, update and change things as the year goes on, and agonize over my final cuts until usually December (or sometimes January of the next year or later!) I enjoy writing about why I loved the albums I chose, and I enjoy reading everyone else’s end of the year lists and finding new favorites. I also love the randomness of it all, and I love love LOVE that albums like Roache, Moonchild, Kiley Improvised Sessions exist. This album was released exclusively for free (or name-your-price!) to bandcamp on Christmas Day, features almost no vocals, a wide swath of exciting instrumental music. Mostly electronic, guitars, keyboards, & drums; at times abrasive, at times relaxing, a true masterpiece. Long live Bandcamp! What can I tell you about Roache, Moonchild, Kiley? Honestly not much! I know of them from seeing Fiona Moonchild absolutely shred guitar for Scott Yoder on a tiny stage at the Lion’s Lair on Colfax in early 2019. She was theatric & phenomenal, equal parts Bowie & Heavy Temple, Mazzy Star & The umm... Beatles?! One the greatest live shows I’ve ever seen (small venue or otherwise) & then Yoder, Moonchild & crew packed up and headed back to the Pacific Northwest. Roache was a new find, singer, artist, instrumentalist (harmonica maybe? the credits are minimal!) and Conor Kiley is an unknown. The music is alluring. The first four tracks (”First” “Second” “Third” & “Fourth” obviously!) swing between bouncy, noisy, jazzy piano, and down tempo grooves. “Desert Underground” employs a mournful harmonica over plinking Western guitar and “Fire” brings fuzzed out, grungy guitar and finally some growling vocals from Roache. The last two tracks put everything to bed instrumentally and the album fades out into bandcamp obscurity. The credits provide only a few hints to the recording saying...

“A cathartic release, recorded on tape in the Summer of 2020. This album was recorded on occupied Duwamish land.”

SAMANTHA CRAIN / A Small Death

Samantha Crain is a Choctaw songwriter from Shawnee, Oklahoma. She is six days younger than this writer (34!) and has been putting out strong, sturdy-but-tender folk albums since 2007. On her sixth full length, 2020′s A Small Death, Crain writes about the mundane and the essential in a way that brings her stories and her truth to electrifying life. Blooming from front to back with energy, depth, emotion, & powerful instrumentation, A Small Death is one of my most favorite albums of this year. When Crain announced A Small Death, she referenced the title as the idea that “everything is always starting over again, all the time.” She talked about her own experience with starting over after multiple car accidents had left her immobilized, unable to use her hands, unsure if this album (or any album) would ever be made by her again. You can hear in these songs her frustration and her defeatedness, but also her celebration, her determination. From the desperate swell of gorgeous first single and opener “An Echo” to the ebullient push of “Pastime,” and the resigned melancholy of “Tough For You.” Crain’s instrumentation holds up to the songwriting, and her band uses flourishes of trumpet, clarinet, accordion, saxophone, and pedal steel (both the mournful-country kind in the late-night-heartache of “High Horse” and the honky-tonk country kind in the blistering, defiant closer “Little Bits”). Crain touches on her Choctaw heritage proudly, both in “Holding to the Edge of Night” when she sings “I am a legend of this land here; I am a keeper of this life.” and most notably in the penultimate track “When We Remain” sung in Choctaw, a tradition Crain carries over from her 2017 album You Had Me At Goodbye. Crain’s songwriting is wonderfully intimate, A Small Death is full of deeply personal memories, old friends, roommate challenges, love, & ephemera (a bar tab, a parking ticket, photo booth strips, stubs from movies & baseball games, an 8-ball, a $20 dollar bill!)

My favorite tracks are the louder ones, “Reunion” is a bouncy, soulful swing about seeing high school friends and “watching exes eye the spouses, but I came alone, I think it’s glamourous.” Haha! “Garden Dove” rides a straight up NIrvana/grunge riff into a bellowing love song. I’ll close by sharing my two favorite personal memories with A Small Death. In July, I had streamed the record but probably hadn’t really heard it you know? (there was a lot going on this Summer) and Chris Porterfield from Field Report (his new one Brake Light Red Tide is beautiful, though not on this list!) posted about “Holding to the Edge of Night” after midnight saying... “I dare you to go outside and listen to this song right now. This new Samantha Crain record is everything.” Naturally I took the dare, walked out under the moon, and laid down on the sidewalk to actually listen to “Holding to the Edge of Night” I felt, as Crain so deeply & eloquently puts it that “evening was my prize.” A truly great, classic song that I will listen to on night walks for the rest of my life. Lastly, in August, for my birthday, my partner asked me to pick a record to listen to, and she made fancy drinks to-go in Denver’s Cheeseman Park. Watching the sunset from the hill under the columns at Cheesman and thinking about how Crain talks about memory in “Joey” when she sings...

“Sometimes I feel like my memories never happened. Could you remind me, take me back for a night? Was it ever real? I don’t feel like that girl anymore. Was it heavenly? I don’t even see through those eyes anymore. A hundred small deaths, a hundred before. I am a revolving door. I am a revolving door...”

“What’s that silence inside me that expands into the dark? / With the traffic lights all changing for no one anymore / The karaoke laughter tumbling out the door / My eyes well with contemplation of the pleasures I endure / Holding to the edge of night...”

SAULT / Untitled (Black Is)

Where to start with Sault?! They put out two albums this year?! They put out two albums last year?! Nobody knows exactly who is in the band?! Sault is what I love about music, what I love about new music! I wrote an alternative version of this list where I referenced everyone who has released two albums this year (?!) because honestly I like Sault’s second of the year album Untitled (Rise) a whole lot too! I mean Bartees had his album of National covers, Phoebe has her orchestral Punisher companion EP, Shamir has two very different exciting records!, not to mention Hiss Golden Messenger’s two full live albums and uh... Folklore & Evermore. But anyway, what can I tell you about Sault that you haven’t read on however many end of the year lists already?! A collective of young artists, internet sleuthing has led me to believe possible members include London soul singer Cleo Sol, American rapper Kid Sister, & producer Inflo. A wonderfully rich blending of genres: R&B, house, disco, post-punk, boogie, dub, gospel, reggae, funk, soul, spoken-word, & protest chants.

Released into a world in turmoil, with Black Lives Matter protests erupting outside my door, Untitled (Black Is) is an album very specifically not made for me. Released into a world that I’m a part of. Protesting injustices in a system that I work within. Music with a purpose. Music so rich & wonderful, with a message we cannot continue to ignore. The only response I could have to Sault’s albums is to do better. To work harder. To take to the streets. To call out systemic racism so embedded in our culture, in my workplace, in my friend groups, in my family. When they released the album on June 12, it was posted with these words...

“We present our first ‘Untitled’ album to mark a moment in time where we as Black People, & of Black Origin are fighting for our lives. RIP George Floyd & all those who have suffered from police brutality & systemic racism. Change is happening... We are focused. Sault x”

I feel grateful & lucky to listen to & learn from Sault.

“Thief in the night / Tell the truth / White lives / Spreading lies / You should be ashamed / The bloodshed on your hands / Another man / Take off your badge / We all know it was murder...”

SHAMIR / Shamir

Shamir Bailey waited until album number seven (and his second album of 2020!) to release a self-titled album. Shamir is worth the wait. A glimmering, mesmerizing rock&roll masterpiece, full of experienced songwriting, noisy electric guitars, and shiny pop grooves; these are some of my favorite songs of the year. Las Vegas by way of Philadelphia, Shamir has built a DIY career in the indie scene by releasing seven albums in five years. He has honed his songwriting & sound, pushing himself far from his (admittedly popular & wonderful) dance debut Ratchet in 2015. One of the things I noticed about my list this year (and about my music tastes in general) is my ever growing affinity for strong vocal performances. From Angelica Garcia to Anjimile, Fiona Apple & Joy Oladokun, a bunch of the albums I loved this year stand out for their vocals. Shamir’s strong & versatile voice guides every song on the album and makes for fascinating listening. Lead single and track one “On My Own” came into my life at some mask-wearing, socially distanced outdoor hang this June, and quickly made it on to just about every Summer playlist after. It’s huge & memorable, with stabs of crunchy Pixies electric guitar and proud, loner-anthem lyrics. "Other Side” is the one that should have got massive radio airplay, all rolling drums, country western tinged (is that not a banjo I hear Shamir?) with shimmering Orville-Peck-bedazzled-suit-&-a-retro-microphone production leading a mega singalong chorus! Finally, between interspersed clips of talking that Shamir describes as “Field recordings of me with my friends-just being ridiculous” personal favorite “Diet” rides a choppy, 90′s alt-rock guitar to a blistering chorus that compares vampires sucking blood to getting to know someone! Ha! I can’t wait for Shamir to bring some of these songs through Denver on tour! It’s not too late to hop on the Shamir bandwagon!

“Couldn't take it anymore / Where do I begin? / I'll get around to it after a glass of gin / I prefer to be alone, but you can join if you like / I'll stay strong for you 'cause I don't want to be seen when I cry / Done giving up my light / Just to stay in the dark...”

SOTOMAYOR / Origenes

Sotomayor is a brother/sister duo from Mexico City who blend traditional Latin & Central American cumbia with other world rhythms & styles (electro, afrobeat, dancehall, merengue, peruvian chica!) on their truly magical third full length Origenes. One of my favorite concert series of the last few Summers has been Levitt Pavilion’s free outdoor concerts in Ruby Hill Park here in Denver. They introduced me to Sotomayor back in 2018. Picture enormous rolling grassy hills, kids laughing & playing & singing, tall cans, picnic dinners, & DANCING! Siblings Raul & Paulina Sotomayor worked with 28-time Latin Grammy winner Eduardo Cabra (Calle 13) recording between Mexico and Puerto Rico to release Origenes (translates to “origins”) on New York based independent label Wonderwheel. They have expanded their palette, making dance music to get bodies moving at clubs & dancehalls across the world, and the percussion throughout Origines is relentless, hypnotic, and downright sweaty fun! Paulina’s voice glides effortless over top of it all, sometimes strong & commanding, sometimes slipping sweet & sultry between synths or stabs of latin guitar. As a dance duo with Raul on beats and Paulina on vocals (they perform with a live band) the Sylvan Esso comparisons are unavoidable. I love you Nick & Amelia and I love Free Love, but Sotomayor has got me dancing in the kitchen cooking Hello Fresh more than a few times this year! Origenes is not to be missed!

“No sé por qué, pero me ha pasado / Que nunca lo he olvidado / Que aquellos ratos que rompen los platos / Aquellas historias que guardan las olas / Pequeñas esporas, momentos a solas / Se desempolvan viejas memorias / Nunca es tarde para recordar / Lo que nos une...”

““I don't know why, but it has happened to me / That I have never forgotten / That those moments that break dishes / Those stories that the waves keep / Little spores, moments alone / Old memories are dusted / It is never too late to remember / What unites us...”

SPILLAGE VILLAGE / Spilligion

The story of Spillage Village recording Spilligion (the Atlanta supergroup’s fourth full length album) is the stuff that will always make me remember the state of music in 2020. Spillage Village is an Atlanta collective comprised of the EARTHGANG duo (you may remember them from my 2019 Favorites list!) and a bunch of other collaborators (more on them later). Rapper & singer J.I.D. had rented a house in West Atlanta to work on his own third solo album, but when the pandemic hit, he invited the other members of Spillage Village to shelter-in-place and they all hit record. The result is a journal-entry-like album of the 2020 Covid pandemic, songs both uplifting & depressing, a group of musicians analyzing & expressing their feelings the best way they know how, through music. During their recording quarantine, they bonded over yoga, smoking weed, board games (monopoly & trouble), campfire s’mores, and talking current events & politics. Through it all, the music they were making was hopeful, forward looking, and religious. EARTHGANG’s Doctor Dot & Johnny Venus drive the rapping with J.I.D., but Mereba is their not-so-secret weapon. Her singing & rapping on the Sunday afternoon soul of “PsalmSing” and Coldplay-off-key piano of “Hapi” is inspiring & memorable. Brothers Benji & Cristo add production & basslines, Chance The Rapper makes a guest appearance, and closer “Jupiter” sounds like a darker, woodsier Avicii & Aloe Blacc track, backed by campfire acoustic guitars & banjos. Personal favorite, the apocalyptic “End of Daze” rides strong verses from almost everyone, references Pascal Siakim, Ronald Reagan, Nipsey Hussle, Sun Tzu, Damn Daniel, MF Doom (RIP), Future, Jesus, & Satan! Spilligion is the result of friends & collaborators, taking on 2020, stuck inside, making music & memories, marking a year unlike anything any of us have seen so far. When I look back, Spillage Village will be one of the bands that helped me mark my weird time & space this year.

“When I make it to the heavens, what's the code? Do I call a phone? / Security at the gate, no plus one, come all alone? / All along the race of life, I took a jog alone / Along the coast, I'm tryna cope, I raise a toast / & we consulted with the Most High / She told me watch my back, front, both sides / Hit a few baddies you never smashed 'fore y'all both die / Let the smoke rise, take the bodies to the crypts / & when the poor people run out of food, they can eat the rich...”

TAYLOR SWIFT / Evermore

One of the main themes I found while making my 2020 Favorites list is comfort. This year, I turned to familiar music for comfort, and I have been a Taylor Swift fan since 2010. I love Evermore (I also loved Folklore) and I love how it makes me feel young and makes me think of memories from my 20′s. Growing up listening to country radio, I got “Teardrops on My Guitar” & “Tim McGraw” as I headed off to college. Then, I jumped then fell for Fearless while laying hardwood floors in Aspen, Colorado in the Fall of 2010. My best friend (Hey Stephen!) introduced me to Taylor as a gifted songwriter who has grown & matured over the years, but still every bit as intelligent and full of wonder & fairytale feelings on Evermore. That was right before Speak Now came out and I was in the midst of a break up from a High School & College first love. Speak Now feels like a lifetime ago, as does Red, but those albums saw Taylor changing her sound, honing her songwriting, and building her arena-worthy legacy catalog. Then there was some long, late night road trip drives with nothing but 1989, and discussing the merits of pop vs. country. I fell out of touch for a bit with Reputation & Lover, but again, Taylor was building her legacy. When she finally reemerged with a political stance, and an inclusive, progressive vision, I was back in! Turns out just in time, because 2020 brought the huge surprise of Taylor collaborating with some of my favorite musicians (specifically Aaron Dessner of The National) on not one, but two new Taylor masterpieces.

OK, that’s a lot of backstory, let’s talk about some of the high points on Evermore. New personal favorite “’tis the damn season” tells a familiar back-home-for-christmas story just in time for the holidays over Dessner’s brooding guitar and (surprise!) Josh Kaufman on lap steel (Hi Josh!) (see Josh Ritter & Bonny Light Horseman!) “happiness” is a gorgeous piano ballad (finished only a week before Evermore’s release!) with the life-long-lesson of finding the good in a heart-wrenching break-up. The second half of Evermore is stellar & deep with The National getting involved even more. Frontman Matt Berninger (or as a friend called him “Bon Iver’s Deeper Daddy”) lends a certain methodic languidness to “Coney Island” and Bryan Devendorf adds those signature, pounding National drums to the unbelievable catchy-singable “Long Story Short.” Predictably, The White Man, Bon Iver shows up in his traditional spot at the end, with his vocoder machine the Messina popping up in “Closure” and lending trademark pain to closer “Evermore.” As we wind out of these fairytale woods, I am drawn back to Taylor’s words upon Evermore’s even-more-surprising-than-Folklore’s release. “It feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn & go back or to travel further into the forest of this music... I have no idea what will come next. I have no idea about a lot of things these days and so I’ve clung to the one thing that keeps me connected to you all. That things always has & always will be music.” Thanks for the music Taylor, glad you traveled further into the forest. Evermore.

“Don’t treat me like some situation that needs to be handled / I’m fine with my spite & my tears & my beers & my candles...”

THE 1975 / Notes On A Conditional Form

The 1975 has always been a mood band for me. I’m tempted to say “vibe” band, but I guess that’s even more scene-y, hipster-y, or whatever. In the same way that I’ve defended Taylor Swift’s songwriting in the early 2010′s & Third Eye Blind’s deep cuts in the late 90′s/early 2000′s, I have proclaimed The 1975 as our greatest pop-rock band. I have said that they are one of the best sounding live bands I’ve ever seen. To this day, I can’t listen to “Me” (Matty Healy’s addiction-facing, heart breaking slow burner that closed their Music For Cars EP way back in September 2013) without tearing up. I think of driving through Idaho in the dark with my little brother, lights blurring out the Subaru windows, him moving to Portland in the Fall of 2015, me cut loose & drifting, trying to find a meaning for my next chapter. Skip forward a few years and the opening chords of “A Change Of Heart” transport me immediately to a bridge in Portland. It’s raining again and the city lights are blurred out the same Subaru windows. I will always associate The 1975 (I’ve taken to calling them simply “The 75!”) with my little brother (they’re his all-time favorite band) and the power of shared music experience. I have so many memories tied with their music, late night drives, dance parties, coffee conversations, and when I make these favorite lists, those are the things I want to mark.

I could say a lot about Notes On A Conditional Form. It’s The 75′s fourth full-length album and it’s hella rambling. They threw everything on this one. The sequencing might be off, it goes from an emotional, Greta Thunberg-narrated opener about Climate Change, to the ferocious, post-punk of “People” to a sweeping instrumental track, to a down tempo dance-y favorite “Frail State of Mind” to another instrumental, to another low-key favorite “The Birthday Party” to another dance-y catchy fav “Yeah I Know.” Now we’re seven songs in, no “Sex” or “Chocolate” apparent singles and we’re not even A THIRD of the way through the record! I love the messiness and massive-ness of Notes, I love the Phoebe Bridgers feature (can you believe she was going to OPEN for them at Red Rocks?!), and I love the unedited-ness of it all. There are points in the last third of the album; that drop three minutes into “Having No Head,” those Grimes-y beats & vocals on “What Should I Say,” or the heavily effected vocal Matty sings with his Dad on the penultimate, Burt Bacharach-y “Don’t Worry,” There is so much to dig into here, drums both real & electronic, rock, pop, world music, jazz, dance, and through it all, Matty Healy (tongue firmly planted in cheek) cheekily poking fun at celebrity & fame. For all of the not-so-great memories I have from COVID, all of the quarantine, stay-at-home, shelter-in-place times; I have many fond memories of dancing in the kitchen, drinking fancy cocktails, cooking Hello Fresh, and absolutely blasting Notes On A Conditional Form. In fact, I listed to this one on the google home speaker so much, that it showed up on Lila’s end of the year top 5 albums! This one’s for you Will, first time The 75′s made it on my end of the year favorites list! I can’t listen to them without thinking of you and I love it. Long live music and the connections it builds. See y’all next year!

“People like people / They want alive people / Young surprise people / Stop fucking with the kids...”

3 notes · View notes

blackkudos · 4 years

Text

Johnny Guitar Watson

John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American blues, soul, and funk musician and singer-songwriter. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, Watson recorded throughout the 1950s and 1960s with some success. His creative reinvention in the 1970s with funk overtones, saw Watson have hits with "Ain't That a Bitch" and "Superman Lover". His successful recording career spanned forty years, with his highest chart appearance being the 1977 song "A Real Mother For Ya".

Early life

Watson was born in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But young Watson was immediately attracted to the sound of the guitar, in particular the electric guitar as played by T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

His grandfather, a preacher, was also musical. "My grandfather used to sing while he'd play guitar in church, man," Watson reflected many years later. When Johnny was 11, his grandfather offered to give him a guitar if, and only if, the boy didn't play any of the "devil's music". His parents separated in 1950, when he was 15. His mother moved to Los Angeles, and took Watson with her.

Early career

In his new city, Watson won several local talent shows. This led to his employment, while still a teenager, with jump blues-style bands such as Chuck Higgins's Mellotones and Amos Milburn. He worked as a vocalist, pianist, and guitarist. He quickly made a name for himself in the African-American juke joints of the West Coast, where he first recorded for Federal Records in 1952. He was billed as Young John Watson until 1954. That year, he saw the Joan Crawford film Johnny Guitar, and a new stage name was born.

In 1953, Shorty Rogers had Watson as part of his Orchestra perform for the famed ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 7. Also featured that day were Roy Brown and his Orchestra, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, Nat "King" Cole, and Louis Armstrong and his All Stars with Velma Middleton.

Watson affected a swaggering, yet humorous personality, indulging a taste for flashy clothes and wild showmanship on stage. His "attacking" style of playing, without a plectrum, resulted in him often needing to change the strings on his guitar once or twice a show, because he "stressified on them" so much, as he put it.Watson's ferocious "Space Guitar" single of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. Watson would later influence a subsequent generation of guitarists. His song "Gangster of Love" was first released on Keen Records in 1957. It did not appear in the charts at the time, but was later re-recorded and became a hit in 1978, becoming Watson's "most famous song".

He toured and recorded with his friend Larry Williams, as well as Little Richard, Don and Dewey, The Olympics, Johnny Otis and, in the mid-1970s with David Axelrod. In 1975 he was a guest performer on two tracks (flambe vocals on the out-choruses of "San Ber'dino" and "Andy") on the Frank Zappa album One Size Fits All. He also played with Herb Alpert and George Duke. But as the popularity of blues declined and the era of soul music dawned in the 1960s, Watson transformed himself from southern blues singer with pompadour into urban soul singer in a pimp hat. His new style was emphatic – wearing the gold teeth, broad-brimmed hats, flashy suits, fashionable outsized sunglasses and ostentatious jewelry.

He modified his music accordingly. His albums Ain't That a Bitch (included funk blues singles "Superman Lover") and Real Mother For Ya(1977) fused funk and blues. Watson had album Love Jones in 1980. Reviewing Watson's 1977 LP A Real Mother for Ya, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "Watson has been perfecting his own brand of easy-listening funk for years, and this time he's finally gone into the studio with his guitar Freddie and his drummer Emry and a bunch of electric keyboards and come up with a whole album of good stuff. The riff-based tracks go on too long but go down easy and the lyrics have an edge. Granted, Watson can't match George Benson's chops, but this is dance music, chops would just get in the way. And I prefer his Lou-Rawls-without-pipes to Benson's Stevie-Wonder-ditto."

Later career

The shooting death of his friend Larry Williams in 1980 and other personal setbacks led to Watson briefly withdrawing from the spotlight in the 1980s. "I got caught up with the wrong people doing the wrong things", he was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

The release of his album Bow Wow in 1994 brought Watson more visibility and chart success than he had ever known. The album received a Grammy Award nomination.

In a 1994 interview with David Ritz for liner notes to The Funk Anthology, Watson was asked if his 1980 song "Telephone Bill" anticipated rap music. "Anticipated?" Watson replied. "I damn well invented it!... And I wasn't the only one. Talking rhyming lyrics to a groove is something you'd hear in the clubs everywhere from Macon to Memphis. Man, talking has always been the name of the game. When I sing, I'm talking in melody. When I play, I'm talking with my guitar. I may be talking trash, baby, but I'm talking".

In 1995, he was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in a presentation and performance ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium. In February 1995, Watson was interviewed by Tomcat Mahoney for his Brooklyn, New York-based blues radio show The Other Half. Watson discussed at length his influences and those he had influenced, referencing Guitar Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing vocoder on the track "I Can't Stand It" and singing on the track "Bo Diddley Is Crazy".

His music was sampled by Redman (who based his "Sooperman Luva" saga on Watson's "Superman Lover" song), Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre borrowed P-Funk's adaptation of Watson's catchphrase "Bow wow wow yippi-yo yippi-yay" for Snoop's hit Who Am I? (What's My Name?). Johnny also played the guitar on the G-Funk remix of Dr. Dre's Grammy award winning single Let Me Ride in 1993.

"Johnny was always aware of what was going on around him", recalled Susan Maier Watson (later to become the musician's wife) in an interview printed in the liner notes to the album The Very Best of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. "He was proud that he could change with the times and not get stuck in the past".

Death and material loss

Watson died of a heart attack on May 17, 1996, collapsing on stage while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. His remains were brought home for interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California and buried in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Enduring Honor, Holly Terrace entrance.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Johnny "Guitar" Watson among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Influence

Watson, a recognized master of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, has been compared to Jimi Hendrix and allegedly became irritated when asked about this comparison, supposedly stating: "I used to play the guitar standing on my hands. I had a 150-foot cord and I could get on top of the auditorium – those things Jimi Hendrix was doing, I started that shit."

Frank Zappa stated that "Watson's 1956 song 'Three Hours Past Midnight' inspired me to become a guitarist". Watson contributed to Zappa's albums One Size Fits All (1975), Them or Us (1984), Thing-Fish (1984) and Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (1985). Zappa also named "Three Hours Past Midnight" his favorite record in a 1979 interview.

Steve Miller not only did a cover of "Gangster of Love" on his 1968 album Sailor (substituting "Is your name "Stevie 'Guitar' Miller?" for the same line with Watson's name), he made a reference to it in his 1969 song "Space Cowboy" ("And you know that I'm a gangster of love") as well as in his 1973 hit song "The Joker" ("Some call me the gangster of love"). Miller had also borrowed the sobriquet for his own "The Gangster Is Back", on his 1971 album Rock Love.

Jimmie Vaughan, brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, is quoted as saying: "When my brother Stevie and I were growing up in Dallas, we idolized very few guitarists. We were highly selective and highly critical. Johnny 'Guitar' Watson was at the top of the list, along with Freddie, Albert and B.B. King. Watson influenced Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Etta James, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Bobby Womack said: "Music-wise, he (Watson) was the most dangerous gunslinger out there, even when others made a lot of noise in the charts ～　I'm thinking of Sly Stone or George Clinton".

Etta James stated, in an interview at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: "Johnny 'Guitar' Watson... Just one of my favorite singers of all time. I first met him when we were both on the road with Johnny Otis in the '50s, when I was a teenager. We traveled the country in a car together so I would hear him sing every night. His singing style was the one I took on when I was 17 – people used to call me the female Johnny 'Guitar' Watson and him the male Etta James... He knew what the blues was all about...".

James is also quoted as saying: "I got everything from Johnny... He was my main model... My whole ballad style comes from my imitating Johnny's style... He was the baddest and the best... Johnny Guitar Watson was not just a guitarist: the man was a master musician. He could call out charts; he could write a beautiful melody or a nasty groove at the drop of a hat; he could lay on the harmonies and he could come up with a whole sound." Pearl Jam recorded a song entitled "Johnny Guitar", about Watson, for their 2009 album Backspacer.

Watson's 1976 song "Superman Lover" features on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

#02/03 #05/17

18 notes · View notes

garbage-empress · 4 years

Text

hey guys did you know that super mario bros 2 for the nintendo entertainment system wasn’t really a mario game originally it was part of government mind control program MKUltra II?

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! quotes This is a list of quotes from the television show The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. They are listed by character. Contents 1 Mario 2 Luigi 3 King Koopa 4 Toad 5 Princess Toadstool Mario"Hey paisanos! It's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" - Opening Credits "Do the Mario!" - Closing Credits "Don't worry, Princess! Luigi and me'll climb that mountain before you can say "Spaghetti and Meatballs"! -"The Bird! The Bird!" "Okay, wait here! And if you become lunch for a polar bear, don't blame us! -"The Bird! The Bird!" "I hate to run on an empty stomach!" - "The Bird! The Bird!" "Must be a beehive nearby, and when there's bees; there's raviolis smothered with honey" - "King Mario of Cramalot" "If Toad doesn't get us outta here soon, I'm gonna eat this mattress!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job, is when we're working by the hour!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "Catfish pizza? This may be a first, but I'm not hungry!" - "Rolling Down the River" "Excuse my brother, he gets nervous around guys six times bigger than him." - "The Great Gladiator Gig" "We can fix anything if there's spaghetti involved!" - "The Great Gladiator Gig" "Hey, Koopa! I hope your Big and Tall shop blows up, with you in it!" - "Mario and the Beanstalk" "Those ain't wedding bells in your tower! They're bats in your belfry!" - "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" "Hey! Where'd you learn how to ride a bike!?" - "The Great BMX Race" "Get back here, Koopa! Don't you know vegetables are good for you?" - "The Great BMX Race" "Not on my melted mozzarella! - "Stars in Their Eyes" "If food isn't pasta, it doesn't count!" - "Jungle Fever" "Unstoppable? We're plumbers! If we can unstop a stop, we can stop the unstoppable!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas" "Magnifico! You're stronger than Grandma Mia's garlic chip cookies!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas" "Faster than a vanishing clog! More powerful than an electric drainsnake! It's Super Mario!" - "Pirates of Koopa" "She's not much, but she sure beats swimmin'!" - "Pirates of the Koopa" "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Then beat 'em!" - "Pirates of the Koopa" "Remember, Luigi, you gotta act tough!" - "Pirates of the Koopa" *singing* "Hush, little Princess, don't you cry. I'm gonna buy you a pizza pie. And if that pizza pie gets ate, Luigi'll buy you a New York steak." - "Two Plumbers and a Baby" "This is the first time my lunch ever took a bite out of me!" - "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario" "I just love food that's spicy!" - "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" "I always cry at wedding feasts!" - "Mario and Joliet" "Koopa's gonna take a trip he didn't plan on!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "I hope the food's better than the furniture!" - "Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold" "As we say in Brooklyn; Banzai!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla" "Save the spaghetti! Save the spaghetti!" - "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa" "Koopone, you've Kooped your last Koop!" - "The Unzappables" "It doesn't look good for the good guys, Luigi!" - "The Mark of Zero" "I guess Mexican food doesn't agree with El Koopitan!" - "The Mark of Zero" "When Luigi's unfrozen, he's goin' on a diet!" - "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" "It's ugly, but it floats!" - "The Trojan Koopa" "What? Only one pizza?" - "Quest for Pizza" "The Mushroom People get the mine, and Koopa gets the shaft!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush" "When the plumbing gets tough, the tough get plumbing!" - "Plummers Academy" "I can't quit now, Luigi! I was born with a plunger in my hand!" - "Plummers Academy" "Me Marzan! King of the jungle!" - "Mario of the Apes" "Can't we discuss this man to Mouser?" - "Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers" "First, we'd better get inside by a fire, before we turn into pasta-sicles!" - "Little Red Riding Princess" "The Provolone Ranger is ready to ride. High ho, Ostro, away!" - "The Provolone Ranger" "Help, help! There's a big, ugly spider in here! Help! My yelling's gonna keep you up all night, unless you get this spider outta here!" - "Escape from Koopatraz" "Luigi, are you a man or a Mouser?" - "Mario of the Deep" "I guess somedays, even Super Mario can't think of everything!" - "Flatbush Koopa" "Don't count your reptiles before they're hatched, lizard lips!" - "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" "I was hoping we'd have lunch, not be lunch!" - "Crocodile Mario" "I just love playin' Koopa in the middle!" - "Crocodile Mario" "I just had the strangest dream. I was a TV dinner!" - "Star Koopa" "He's showing a plumber how a garbage disposal works?" - "Star Koopa" "Watch it, gang! His toes are loaded!" - "Robo Koopa"Luigi"I can't! I'm allergic to mountains!" - "The Bird! The Bird!" "P-polar bear? Lunch!?" - "The Bird! The Bird!" "Hey, Super Mario! Super-cook their goose!" - "The Bird! The Bird!" (*sobs*) He was the nicest little fungus I ever knew!" - "The Bird! The Bird!" "Who could forget? Don't take chances or you'll go down the drain!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "C-c-crama's here in-in Koopalot? Uh, I mean, uh, Koopa's here in Cramalot? I mean, uh, shee, let's split this place!" - "King Mario of Cramalot" "Me? B-b-but I can't swim across the moat! I'm, uh, gonna have a baby!" - "King Mario of Cramalot" "Fellons? Yo, I never fell on nobody! I'm uh..." - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "Oh no! End dend! I mean, dend dead! I mean shee, we're trapped!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "I've had it! I've had it, I've had it! I'm tired of Koopa chasing us from world to world! I wanna go home!" - "Brooklyn Bound" "Guess we're stayin' in Mushroom Land." - "Brooklyn Bound" "Mama mia! We shoulda rented a camel with air conditioning!" - "Mario's Magic Carpet" "Look at that loot! Diamonds, gold, rubies! It must be worth over a hundred bucks!" - "Mario's Magic Carpet" "I told him that he wants really yummy carpet to head for Koopa." - Mario's Magic Carpet "So, what do we do now, Mr. Big Time Gambler?" - "Rolling Down the River" "Okay, Mario. One all ya got, coming up!" - "Rolling Down the River" "He's too busy eating, Mario! He's your kind of horse." - "The Great Gladiator Gig" "Hey! That's my brother Mario, you three-faced double-crosser!" - "The Great Gladiator Gig" "Leapin' lasagna! This room's bigger than the Brooklyn Public Library!" - "Mario and the Beanstalk" "I th-think I liked it better when we outnumbered them!" - "The Great BMX Race" "I'd feel better if we went back and got my stomach." - "The Great BMX Race" "That's what I call Shower Power!" - "Stars in Their Eyes" "Yo, my brother: the pasta vampire." - "Count Koopula" "Gee, that Mario. He can pulverize a pasta factory and still have room for dessert!" - "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario" "Gee. Mario gets the brainstorms, and I get the backaches!" - "Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...?" "You got 'em!" - "Koopenstein" "You don't got 'em." - "Koopenstein" "Let's really keep it a secret that we're agents, uhh, by stayin' here"! - "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" "Eh, it was nothin'! Danger is our business!" - "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" "Annette Funicello? Where?" - "Mario and Joliet" "Pluggin' up pipes goes against everythin' we stand for!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "Zelda of Legend! Next the from scenes! Some me show halfwit you!" - "Time Out Luigi" "The dungeon? I'm allergic to dungeons!" - "Hooded Robin and His Mario Men" "Better make that "The more for Mario"!" - "Hooded Robin and His Mario Men" "We're stuck here like hairballs in a drainpipe!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla" "Hey! I may be crazy, but I'm not dumb!" - "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa" "This place is emptier than a flushed drainpipe!" - "The Ten Koopmandments" "I want my mommy!" - "The Ten Koopmandments" "The Koopas are coming! The Koopas are coming!" "When our soldiers thaw out, we're gonna throw your tea in the harbor!" - "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" "But I get seasick on a horse!" - "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" "Aww, Toad. Did'ya hafta say dead?" - "The Trojan Koopa" "How ooga bugga-mugga wa-ooga-ma!" - "Quest for Pizza" "Ouch! Someone's standin' on my toe, and it's not me!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush" "Mario's mind was where it always is: on pasta." - "Karate Koopa" "Relax, princess! He knows who he is! Mario's always gone ape for meatballs!" - "Mario of the Apes" "I'm a chicken of the sea!" - "Mario of the Deep" "The only good thing so far is: we got to ride the roller coaster without a ticket!" - "Flatbush Koopa" "Stop him, Mario! Tell him Italian food is not on his diet!" - "Crocodile Mario" "I knew we should've built this raft with brakes!" - "Crocodile Mario" "Bein' garbage really makes a guy feel down in the dumps!" - "Star Koopa" "Koopa was scary enough when he was just a slimy reptile!" - "Robo Koopa"King Koopa"Koopa Pack, attack!" - Various episodes "He who koops and runs away lives to koop another day!" - Various episodes "Watch it soldier, when I want my feet licked, I'll ask for it! {quickly} I want my feet licked." - "The Bird! The Bird!" "Like my grandfather Poopa La Koopa always said: "Cheat, beat, and be merry!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "Don't know what I'd do without my carpet phone!" - "Mario's Magic Carpet" "I'll get you for this, you pesky plumbers! A Koopa never forgets!" - "Mario's Magic Carpet" "Happy? Imposter! I never use the H word." - "Rolling Down the River" "Fool! Those pinhead plumbers are bound to try to rescue Princess Toadstool, and I intend to capture them before they do." - "Rolling Down the River" "Don't question my orders, you rotten rodent! Just do it!" - "Rolling Down the River" "Don't interrupt me, not while I'm boasting and gloating!" - "Rolling Down the River" "Stop wisecracking, mushroom, or I'll turn you into soap!" - "Rolling Down the River" "One of the nice things about being evil is... you get to lie a lot. Ha ha." - "The Great Gladiator Gig" "Fum fee fi fo! I smell the brothers Mario!" - "Mario and the Beanstalk" "That goose is gonna smother you brothers!" - "Mario and the Beanstalk" "OK, that does it! You're all gonna be Koopatized!" - "The Great BMX Race" "There'll be other crooked races and other ways to cheat!" - "The Great BMX Race" "You're breaking my heart, princess! Now, get to work! Now that you and these Quirks are my slaves, I got other planets to plunder! *laughs*" - "Stars in Their Eyes" "You call that music? Stop that racket! I hate that music! I hate spaghetti! I hate Quirks! I hate those faucet freaks!" - "Stars in Their Eyes" "Alright! Which one of you messed up? Who ruined all my sneaky underhanded plans?" - "Jungle Fever" "Thank you, princess! You saved me all the trouble of hunting you down! You're so nice to me!" - "Jungle Fever" "The courage beyond compare, the bravery beyond description, I praise this great hero, the superior fiend... me. Koopa Khan the magnificent. If I didn't deserve this, I wouldn't give it to me." - "Brooklyn Bound" "Last one into the cave is a goodie-goodie!" - "Brooklyn Bound" "Goodbye, jerkos! And don't come back!" - "Brooklyn Bound" "Those annoying wrench-heads won’t ruin my evil plan! Prepare an ambush, Mouser! Make road pizzas out of them!" - "Toad Warriors" "These fireballs are fantastic! Think of the destruction; think of the wreckage; think of how much this'll lower my heating bill!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas" "Mouser! More marshmallows!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas" "Say ciao to your friends, Princess Toadstool. That's goodbye in Italian, because when you see 'em again, you'll be a tomato sauce sucking vampire, just like me! - "Count Koopula" "Fire a warning shot! ... On second thought, blow the plumber-boys and the Princess right off the boat!" - "Pirates of Koopa" "Listen up, you reptile retches! It's time to play 'Auction the Princess'! Do I hear one-thousand gold coins? Remember, the money goes to my favorite charity... Me." - "Pirates of Koopa "I'm rich! I'm filthy, stinkin', mouth-watering rich!" - "Pirates of Koopa" "Ga ga goo goo! Now you terrible tots will do all my chores, while I play!" - "Two Plumbers and a Baby" "Stop, or I'll tell on you!" - "Two Plumbers and a Baby" "I'll be back to get you! When I grow up!" - "Two Plumbers and a Baby" "Rotten reptiles! It's that pasta-eatin' plumber!" - "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario" "You don't scare me, you linguini-lickin' losers!" - "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario" "I'm gonna turn these two fat little plumbers into two flat little plumbers." - "Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...?" "Keep your crown on! You want people to think I'm marrying a nag?" - "Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...?" "Boogie with Koopa, you fungus brats! Boogie right into my double-dealing clutches! Gwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! (playing flute)" - "The Pied Koopa" "Mouser, this is not a nursery school! This is an evil castle!" - "The Pied Koopa" "No one is that stupid!" - "Koopenstein" "Oh, goody-goody! The Tunnel of Doom! My favorite!" - "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" "When I get my mitts on you, you're gonna be creamed, Mushroom!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "I'm always ready for sneaky badness!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "I love being rotten!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "Just because I said it doesn't mean I meant it!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "You mean I can't destroy the island? I hate those Marios! They always spoil my fun!" - "Too Hot to Handle" "You were hoodwinked by Hooded Robin! I'm gonna pluck that bird nerd wing from wing!" - "Hooded Robin and His Mario Men" "Kiss Koopa's feet and I'll gladly get rid of the sea monster for ya!" - "20,000 Koopas Under the Sea" "Let's ram 'em, slam 'em, and ruin their day!" - "20,000 Koopas Under the Sea" "Pesky persnickety plumbers! I wish they'd never been invented!" - "20,000 Koopas Under the Sea" "Mouser, if anything happens to the princess, I'll turn you into Swiss cheese!" - "Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold" "Too late! His gorgeous self is here!" - "Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold" "Run, you teensy tempura tasters! I'm gonna squash this city flatter than a tofu pancake!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla" "Scram, pests, or I'll call an exterminator!!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla" "'"Stand still so I can squash ya, you little vermin!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla" "Ba humkoop!" - "Koopa Klaus" "Plug your ears and watch your rears! We're goin' Bob-Omb bowlin'" - "The Unzappables" "Let's stash this cash and dash!" - "The Unzappables" "Gosh, this tyrant business is hard work! I'm too pooped to Koop! Think I'll take a Koopa catnap." - "The Ten Koopmandments" "Lousy lizards! This is enough to make a grown Koopa cry!" - "The Ten Koopmandments" "You call yourself an army, you miserable misfits? Why am I cursed with such incompetents?!" - "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" "It's those dumber plumbers, the Mario Bros.!" - "The Trojan Koopa" "It's... it's... it's horrible! It's disgusting! It's me!" - "The Trojan Koopa" "And you're gonna spend the rest of your life digging for it! Hahahahaha!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush" "More! I want more! More!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush" "Make way for the big daddio, the headman, the new king of Sock Hop Land: Koopa, the Kool!" "Elvin Lives" "Come back here! We got a date for the prom!" "Elvin Lives" "No way, José! They'll never catch the Koopilac! I got dual carbs! I got four on the floor!" "Elvin Lives" "When you hurt Koopa's nose, you've blown it!" - "Plummers Academy" "In just a few minutes, the bidding for Princess Toadstool and her slimy friend Toad will begin! So drink up your Koopa Kola!" - "Karate Koopa" "Welcome aboard Air Albatoss. This is your Koopa speaking. This flight is non-stop 'til ya drop!" - "Mario of the Apes" "We're gonna celebrate the capture of those faucet freaks by letting me win a baseball game." - "Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers" "Now is plumber squashing time!" - "Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers" "OW! I hate plumbers! OW! I hate... OW! Why can't they pick on... OW! Someone their own size?" - "Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers" "It makes me feel so warm, to be so cold!" - "Little Red Riding Princess" "I want that ranger in danger! Now!" - "The Provolone Ranger" "Koopa Court is now in session! Bailiff Mouser, read those phony charges you and I cooked up!" - "Escape from Koopatraz" "Congratulations! You've won a five-hundred year all-expense paid trip to Club Koopatraz!" - "Escape from Koopatraz" "It was so much fun being your crooked judge, I decided to become your cruel warden!" - "Escape from Koopatraz" "This better be a bad dream, plumber, 'cause if it's not, you're in deep fettuccine!" - "Escape from Koopatraz" "What the Koop are you talkin' about?" "Mario of the Deep" "You mean this is all?! There ain't enough gold here to bother Kooping about!" - "Mario of the Deep" "You Mario Bros. ruined my evil schemes, so I'm gonna ruin the burg that you love best!" - "Flatbush Koopa" "Hold your applause! I know it's a genius idea, but I have them all the time!" - "Flatbush Koopa" "Fan-kooping-tastic, it worked!" - "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" "I love Down Under Land! It's where Mario Bros. went down- and under!" - "Crocodile Mario" "Go to Warp 10, Mouser!" "Star Koopa" "If you want something wrong done right, you gotta wrong-do it yourself!" - "Star Koopa" "I am the mighty Robo Koopa! Half Koopa, half machine. Built for destruction! And I'm gonna destroy you miserable little meddlers! (fiddles on his control panel) Drat! Where is that 'destroy-you-miserable-little-meddlers' button!" - "Robo Koopa" "The fun's not over yet! I've got Super-vision; Super-hearing; Super-strength; And yes, even... Super-toes!" - "Robo Koopa". "If it isn't... Robo-Rooter!" - "Robo Koopa".Toad"Hey! Let me go!" -'"The Bird! The Bird!" "I'm warning you, I get airsick. Heeeelp!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "What're ya trying' to do, ya wacko bird, drown me?" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "Mommy? You're not my mommy!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "I can't be your little Cheepy, lady! I don't have wings! Look! No wings, no feathers. I'm just a mushroom that can't stand heights!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "Flyin' lessons!? Are you outta your mind!?" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "The least that featherbrain could've done was lend me a parachute. Hey! That's it! A parachute!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "Hey! It's me! I mean, him! It's little Cheepy! The Birdo's real lost baby!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "Oh no! I'm not going back up there! Never!" -"The Bird! The Bird!" "When I get my hands on that King Koopa, I'll fix his wagon!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "I'm no frog. I can't even swim." - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "Bombs awaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid" "What did you tell him?" - "Mario's Magic Carpet" "Who did you expect? Pee-wee Herman?" - "Rolling Down the River" "Looks like you guys saved the day again! Almost." - "Rolling Down the River" "By the power of the shining star, I am the...Toad Warrior!"-Toad Warriors "Hey, man, I’m the Fantastic Fungus! The supercharged Mushroom of Might! I’m the Toad Warrior!" - "Toad Warriors" "Give me five. NO! Give me five bomb plants!" - "Toad Warriors" "Whoever slows down first, loses!" - "Toad Warriors" "Whoa! No more Toad Warrior!" (After turning back to normal) - "Toad Warriors" "Y'all made it!" - "Toad Warriors" "You blew that one, Koopa Stoopa!" - "Pirates of Koopa" "Some Mushroom Retainer I turned out to be... I was so close! I couldn't save her..." - "The Trojan Koopa" "Naughty turtle, you've been hittin' the sauce again, well, have some more!" - "Count Koopula" "Let's make like eggs and SCRAMBLE!!!" - "Mario of the Deep" "So much for hope." - "Stars in Their Eyes" "Don't do it, Princess! Don't marry Koopa! I'd rather be a rock!" - "Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...?" "Koopa you stoopa! Watch it with the Bob-Ombs!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush" "By order of his most royal repulsiveness, the reptile Sheriff of Koopingham! The castle road shall require a toll! In the amount of: One wagon full of gold coins!" - "Hooded Robin and His Mario Men"Princess Toadstool" “Milled uranium ore—U3O8 or "yellowcake"—is dissolved in nitric acid, yielding a solution of uranyl nitrate UO2(NO3)2. Pure uranyl nitrate is obtained by solvent extraction, then treated with ammonia to produce ammonium diuranate ("ADU", (NH4)2U2O7). Reduction with hydrogen gives UO2, which is converted with hydrofluoric acid (HF) to uranium tetrafluoride, UF4. Oxidation with fluorine yields UF6." - "The Bird! The Bird!" "Look! The Birdo took Toad to the highest peak! Please, Mario! Toad saved my life a hundred times! We've got to save his!" - "The Bird! The Bird!" "(*Teary eyed*) Goodbye Mario, goodbye Luigi." (About to watch Mario and Luigi leave) - "Brooklyn Bound" "Mario! {Kisses him} Luigi! {Kisses him} You came back!" (After being rescued from Koopa and realizing that the brothers went back for her and Toad) - "Brooklyn Bound" "Oh, dear. I think he wants Toad for an appetizer." - "Crocodile Mario" "(*sobs*) I always cry at weddings!" - "Mario and Joliet" "What was that about pancakes and maple syrup?" - "Quest for Pizza"

7 notes · View notes

lovemesomesurveys · 4 years

Text

What is your least favourite thing about your full name? Nothing.

How good is your grammar? I think it’s pretty good overall. Admittedly, I’m not as good of a writer as I used to be.

Do you like the age you are? D: My 30s are going to go fast I know it and I’m afraid I’m going to just waste them all. The last few years of my 20s were wasted.

Music. It’s amazing. Do you agree? It’s great, but I’m not as attached to music as most people are. It’s hard for me to get into new acts and I mostly stick to the artists and albums I’ve listened for years. Music can also sometimes be too emotional for me, so most of the time I prefer flocking to content that will entertain me when I’m sad, like sitcoms or YouTube videos. <<< I relate to the first part of this. I enjoy music don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel that attachment either. I don’t have to listen to it all the time, everyday. I used to be that way; though, and feel that attachment. I don’t get hyped about new music like I used to either. I miss that.

What’s your favourite kind of poptart? Frosted strawberry and frosted brown cinnamon sugar.

Do you like sunglasses? I never wear ‘em as someone who has to wear glasses full-time. I could get prescription sunglasses, but meh I just never felt a need for sunglasses. I have had transitional lenses, but adding that gets expensive.

Do you think dreams can give us insight to things? I think it can bring attention to some things and make you maybe think about something, especially if you’re having reoccurring dreams and themes.

Have any cheesy kids songs memorized? Many nursery rhymes and songs from like Barney and stuff. I was recently reminded of a Halloween kid song called Ghost of John that brought me back to elementary school music class days. “Have you heard of the ghost of John? Long, white bones with the rest all goneeeee. Ooooooh. Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?” lol. Anyone else remember that? Just me?

Besides your computer, what else is cluttering your desk? I don’t have a desk. Well, my bed basically serves as my desk as well because it’s where I keep my laptop, my Bible study book and notebook with a pencil case, a coloring book, and two packs of colored pencils and it’s where I do/use those things instead of at a desk.

Why is your worst enemy your worst? I don’t have any enemies.

What does your dad do? He works at a car repair shop.

How late do you usually stay up? Usually 7 or 8AM, sometimes 9 :X I don’t know my sleep schedule has gotten so bad. This is definitely the worst it has ever been.

The political spectrum. Where do you fall? Not getting into that.

Do those commercials from the ASPCA make you cry? Yes D;

When was the last time you visited a nail salon? Years ago when I went with my mom while she got her nails done. What was the last thing you used sliced bread to make? A sandwich. I haven’t had a sandwich in awhile, though.

If you had to eat one type (Chinese, etc.) of food which would it be? Right now? I don’t want anything right now, but I could maybe go for some Mexican food later.

Enough about food. Have you used Wikipedia for a school report? I’ve used it more to easily read up on a subject and then use it as a reference point. It gave me ideas, but I didn’t use it as a source.

What is your favourite glass to drink from? I don’t have one.

When did your family immigrate to wherever you live now? My parents and their parents were all born in the US. My maternal great grandfather (my grandma’s dad) was born in the Philippines. I’m not sure about the rest.

What does your room look like when you sleep? I turn my main light off, but I sleep with my TV on for some light and sound.

What tabs are open on your computer? Two Tumblr tabs, Pinterest, two LiveJournal tabs, Google, and YouTube.

Are your fingers long, or short? Long.

Reality TV: Love it, or hate it? I like a few reality TV shows. What time is it in the country you get the most of your heritage from? Uhhh there’s not one time for the whole country cause of time zones. In my state, it’s 4:57AM.

Do you use a top sheet? There’s on my bed, but no I don’t use it. My bed stays made/tucked in I just sleep and sit on top and use a throw blanket that I keep to the side if needed.

How often do you engage in illegal behaviour? I play it pretty safe for the most part.

Who is your favourite comedian? I don’t have one.

Do people say you have an accent? I was asked about this in the previous survey I just did and gave a detailed answer about California and accents that I don’t feel like repeating here, but no, no one has said I have an accent. We all have one, though. Mine just isn’t distinctive.

Could you tell me what the capital of Bosnia is without looking it up? Nope.

AOL: Do you use it? Wow, is AOL still around? I haven’t used it since the early 2000s. I haven’t even heard anything about it in quite a long time.

Do you find Family Guy’s cutaway scenes funny, or annoying? They usually get annoying and go on too long. I don’t watch a lot of Family Guy, but just from what I’ve seen it’s a bit much.

What colours are on your current shirt? Black and gray.

How many children do you want/have? Zero.

Would you rather live in this decade, the 1960’s, or the 1910’s? This decade.

Pepsi vs. Coke? Coke.

Do you think you look good with a hat on? I don’t know about that, but I do like wearing them. Beanies, especially.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

2 notes · View notes

aestheticvoyage2020 · 4 years

Photo

Day 22: Wednesday January 22, 2020 - “Work-cation”

Volunteered for an opportunity to kick up to the valley and spent the morning at ASU doing some good works, then as soon as I was done rolled over to Apache Junction to spend a great date-day with my grandpa. Was grateful for the good excuse to get up there and take some time off with my Grandpa. How neat is that?

He fed me a baked potato, and I was glad to have it as I shared with him some of my findings in our family tree. He was impressed with how much Id found in just a couple of weeks, including the night before’s discovery that he, and we, are direct descendants from the Mayflower. No Joke! The first man hung in the Plymouth Colony by the Pilgrims, was his 9th Great Grandfather. Check that out Grandpa! As exciting and interesting as that is, I just really enjoyed hearing more stories about him and the people in his universe back then and who he remembered and piecing that together. I showed him some documents and pictures I had unearthed; that was special and fun and motivated me to keep finding more.

We then went to an afternoon movie - took Grandpa out to see a special movie about World War I with great reviews. I asked Grandpa when the last time he’d been to the movies was - and he shared it had to have been several years. I figured he get a kick out of the ‘modern’ theatre experience! Knowing he likes his popcorn, I got him his own big bucket and showed him how to recline his seat and we settled in for the intense movie previews before our historical movie set in. It was a great show, artfully done, and thought provoking of war. Easy to lose yourself in the story, but we shared some good side chatter. Later he’d share, he’ll be thinking about this movie for a good long time. I hope so... Im sure I will too. That was a fun idea.

“what are you in the mood for, for dinner?” The old man settled on tacos and some good authentic mexican food. And so I looked up and found us the most hole in the wall taco shop I could find. He giggled as he pointed out that there was a Taco Bell just down the trail. We pulled into Los Favoritos Taco Shop and inspected the menu before settling on beef tacos and carne asada. After one taco we laughed about how full on popcorn we were, sipping on our huge mexican cokes out of the bottle. Cheers to that - it was indeed a memorabley sized bucket. Just down the road from where he gets his hair cut at the walmart, I joked about how he’d have to stop back in here next time he was in the neighborhood. We boxed up the leftovers for him to take for breakfast. Leftovers? “Thats my middle name!” he says. I wish someone would get me carne asada leftovers - I really gotta check into this retirement life!

I took him home and dropped him off and hugged him goodbye. Had a long drive home, the back way, down that long straight dark road - a lot of time to think about that sweet old man, and how when I asked him about his grandpa, he said “dont know anything about him, he died before i was born” and reminded myself of the appreciation that he’d blessed me with the opposite experience. Still enjoying a date day of popcorn and tacos as I push 39, and he, with his rugged mustache, going as strong as ever. I know he’ll tell of our impromptu style and appreciates the time too and I think I’ll think of this day for a lot of years after he’s gone.

Song: Jack White - Wayfaring Stranger

Quote: “In 1917 I was only beginning to learn that life, for the majority of the population, is an unlovely struggle against unfair odds, culminating in a cheap funeral.” ― Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

1 note · View note

jewish-privilege · 6 years

Link

Less than one day after Alma Hernandez began a Jewish fundraiser for migrants on the southern border, she had an SUV full of food, diapers and hygienic products ready to donate.

Hernandez loaded the vehicle with goods bought with donations on Wednesday afternoon. The following day she would drive them all down to a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, on behalf of Tucson Jews for Justice, a progressive activist group she co-founded in March.

Hernandez, 25, is not the only Jew trying to help families crossing the border. But for her, the work is personal. Hernandez’s mother is from Nogales, a city adjacent to the border that serves as a gateway into the United States. When she talks about undocumented immigrants, in some cases she’s talking about her own relatives.

“I have family members who are here undocumented or as Dreamers, so any time I see things going on, it affects me and it hurts,” she told JTA, using an acronym that refers to undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors. “As the Jewish community and as Jews, we should be the first ones saying anything.”

Despite her young age, Hernandez has gone through an eventful personal and professional journey to becoming a Jewish Latina activist who places both of those identities at the center of her work. Now she’s trying to break another barrier — running for state representative in a district representing part of Tucson, the Arizona city 60 miles from the Mexican border. If she wins, she will be the first Hispanic Jewish woman to hold elected office in the state, if not the country.

“When it came to issues like immigration, when it came to issues like refugees, I can give my opinion and come at it with a different perspective because as a Jewish Latina and the daughter of an immigrant coming from Mexico, I can share perspectives, experiences from my family,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to build those relationships within the Hispanic and Latino community, and also introduce to members of the Jewish community.”

Just like Hernandez can help local Jews connect to their Latino neighbors, she has reassured Latino acquaintances that local Jews support their fight against strict measures on the border — including the recent family separations.

But she would like to see the established Jewish community become more active in the fight. Part of the reason she founded Tucson Jews for Justice, she said, was because she saw a need for a Jewish channel for progressive activism outside of mainstream organizations.

“We are immigrants, too, and it’s hurtful when I don’t see the Jewish community standing up and saying anything,” she said. “I understand a lot of times it’s the political aspect of it. We don’t want to piss anyone off and we want to stay neutral. But I think there are times when we can’t afford to stay neutral. And there are times we have to stand up and say this isn’t right.”

Born to a nonreligious family in Tucson, with a Jewish maternal grandfather, Hernandez began embracing her Jewish heritage in high school. She felt at home at Jewish services, and her second job was working with adults with special needs at the local Jewish community center. Attending college at the University of Arizona, she was active at Hillel and served as president of the campus pro-Israel club. She connects to Judaism’s imperative to pursue social justice.

In 2015, she made it official, converting at Congregation Chaverim, the local Reform synagogue. She had an adult bat mitzvah ceremony two years ago.

“I felt like helping others and uplifting other people was something I really, truly cared about,” she said. “I kind of felt also like I was honoring my family’s history. I felt like it was something that was special to me. My mom cried a lot. She was very emotional about it.”

Beyond being supportive of the process, her family has eagerly participated — sometimes to her surprise. When her parents said they would host a ceremony celebrating her adoption of a Hebrew name, Malka, she expected an intimate affair. Some 100 people showed up.

...Politics is also a family affair. Hernandez first became involved in local campaigns as a teenager, when her older brother, Daniel, took her to volunteer for Terry Goddard, the 2010 Democratic nominee for governor. The next year, Daniel was the young intern credited with saving Rep. Gabby Giffords’ life when she was wounded in a mass shooting. He applied pressure to her wounds until paramedics came.

This year, Hernandez and her two siblings are running for office. She is running for the Democratic nomination to an open Arizona House of Representatives seat in the 3rd District. Daniel is running for re-election as state representative in the 2nd District. And Consuelo, the middle child, is running for a local school board.

Hernandez comes off — at least on the phone — as effusive and energetic. But the experience that drove her to a political career was traumatic. When she was a high school freshman, two older students began making fun of her sister’s hair and then fighting with her. Police who were on campus interceded and slammed Hernandez to the ground, causing long-term damage to her spine, back and nerves. She now gets treated in the hospital several times a year.

“One day I was an honors student, the next day I was a criminal,” she said. “If that wouldn’t have happened, I probably wouldn’t have been as involved or as passionate as I am now. The only way to change what happened to me is to stay involved.”

...Before announcing her run for office, and while she was earning a master’s degree in public health, Hernandez served as the coordinator of Tucson’s Jewish Community Relations Council, which acts as the local Jewish voice on political policy. And she’s been active with both the Anti-Defamation League and AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby.

...As a self-identified progressive, Hernandez says she gets the most flak for being pro-Israel. But she still embraces the fight, writing an unapologetic letter this month defending Israel’s recent actions amid clashes on the Gaza border.

“They want us to choose: You’re either pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, and it’s very difficult,” she said, referring to herself and her siblings. “We consider ourselves progressives. We care about everyone, and it’s a very difficult time right now to be someone who stands up for both.”

Read Ben Sales full piece at The Times of Israel.

#Alma Hernandez #yasher koach!!!!#jewish latinx #jewish latinas #jews of color #mexican american jews #anti latinx racism #antisemitism

405 notes · View notes

thearrangment-phff · 6 years

Text

XLVIII. Harry

September 2017

She had been happy before she left for Mexico. They were getting to talk to each other more but something had changed. What Isabella had seen in Mexico had changed her more than she had anticipated. The injured people were one thing, but seeing the orphaned children, the poverty, and the everyday violence in some of the smaller towns by major gangs broke Isabella's heart.

The ugly feeling in Isabella's stomach failed to go away as she traveled the southern united states and the Caribbean. Charlotte and Christine were now faced with trying to get Isabella out of bed, though that proved to be the easy part of everything. Her smiles were different, Isabella didn't engage in conversation like before, and her will to argue with her ladies in waiting had vanished. The will to argue is what worried them the most.

"What do you suppose is wrong with her?" Asked Olympia.

"Perhaps I can take her out to one of the churches nearby. It would be a great gesture since the population is overwhelmingly Catholic and it would do great for her," suggested Gaelle.

"That last thing she needs is to pretend to believe in God. What she needs to medical help. Real help," argued Princess Christine.

"How do you suppose we do that? Isabella is now one of the most watched women in the world. Despite what Harry and his brother and his wife think there work for mental health hasn't done much for people like her! She isn’t a veteran, a child, or a mother. Isabella won't be praised for getting help she will be questioned and ridiculed. Right now, we must protect her. She is the future for now," interrupted Princess Charlotte.

"The people are noticing her behavior. I don't even know how we are going to explain to Isabella the loss of the château in France. I don't even know how we are going to tell her anything," panicked Christine.

"Maybe I can call Joachim to come by?" Suggested Olympia.

"And have Harry be upset at her even more than he already is? God no! We need to keep her away from Harry and her family for some time. Where can we take her without anything looking suspicious?" Asked Charlotte.

"Belgium. We can take her to Belœil and have some engagements dealing with the arts maybe even besides The King and Queen and Duchess of Brabant. She can stay with my brother. He wouldn't complain to have Isabella stay at the château and she'll have my nephew there. I can even call Alix to come by as well," answered Princess Christine.

"What about if Harry wants to go with her? They've been trying to make things work for them and that means Isabella tells him where she is going, what she is doing, and if he can tag along. The only reason he isn't here is because of the Invictus Games," added Olympia.

"Harry can't see her. He'll try and help but we both know that he can't. We also can't just commission another tour like this to go to countries that Isabella has family connections. I have some friends in France, doctor friends, that can keep her in France for a couple of days for medical reasons. Maybe even 2 weeks or so if I persuade them enough," suggested Gaelle.

"Harry will want to know what is wrong with her. If word gets out about Belle being sick or hospitalized then Harry will stop whatever he's doing to be by his wife's side. But we can't tell Harry that we are faking an illness so she can get out of this slump."

"It's a little more than a slump. She's hasn't been like this in so long. What are we going to do?" Asked Olympia.

"We have to tell Harry."

"Tell him what exactly? Tell him that his wife hasn't gotten out of bed in days, that we are forced to dress her up and she refuses to talk to anyone?! We have to do something else that doesn't involve Harry," argued Princess Charlotte.

"Harry is her husband and he cares deeply for her so there is no scenario that doesn't involve him," fought Christine.

"All right! Let's solve this. We call Harry, explain Belle's behavior and explain that we're taking her to Belgium after she finishes this unofficial tour because we all know that she will be ridiculed for leaving any tour early," suggested Olympia.

"Olympia is right. We should just call Harry right now and explain the situation," agreed Gaelle.

Princess Christine and Princess Charlotte looked at each other knowing that neither wanted to do that. The four of them were at a draw until Isabella had mumbled something. The women headed to Isabella's room that was less than 4 feet away from them in the first place. Isabella still hadn't moved and it was clear that she wouldn't be moving any time soon.

"Belle what did you say?"

"Harry. I want Harry."

"Do you want to go to Canada after you're done here?"

Isabella didn't bother to answer with words or with a signal. Her ladies had looked at each other knowing they were more than likely going to Canada. The plan was always to go to closing events and ceremony of the Invictus Games but Isabella was now a wildcard. She had to be dressed and fed with the help of all four women. Gaelle and Olympia were tasked with helping her up while Christine and Charlotte worried about the little details.

On one of Isabella's last days, she had given a check as 100,000 euros, which was about 2.5 million Mexican pesos. Smaller checks were made to organizations helping the United States and the Caribbean. With less money in her bank account, Isabella received a call from her godfather Alois telling her spending her money on charity so much meant that she would have less money left for the upkeeping of the château's. Isabella simply hung on him rather than fight. She had no energy for that anyhow.

It was difficult to play her part but she did it anyhow. When she went to a shelter in Houston, Texas in the United States the images of the children burned in her brain. Isabella was born in a life of privilege from birth and she had the audacity to feel sorry for herself. The guilt pained even more as the days went by. She wanted Harry, she wanted to feel safe in his arms because of that point them being away from each other pained her.

"Belle. We leave for Canada tomorrow. Would you like us to have separate rooms for you and Harry?"

Gaelle's sweet voice made Isabella feel a little safe, "I want Harry."

It was clear that something was wrong and the press could not stop pointing it out. The wrote about fights between her and Kate and the breakdown of her marriage to Harry. Obviously, they were all lies but they were getting to Harry. Isabella had met him at Invictus basketball event immediately after landing in Canada. She met him with a tight hug as she buried her face into his neck. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Harry and continued on throughout the day.

“Belle you need to stop ignoring me.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sick,” replied Isabella.

“Your spending is getting out of control. At this rate, you will have no money by the end of the year! You can’t just throw money at any organization you find along the way. You need to stop this or I will freeze your account. I still have control over your money, you do understand that right?!”

“Then make me more money,” fought Isabella as she ended the phone call.

When the day came to an end Isabella had asked if Harry could hold her until she fell asleep. Isabella still wasn't feeling well so Harry spent hours holding her.

"Do you want to talk to someone about you feeling sick? We can set up an appointment," asked Harry.

"No."

"I don't want you getting worse. Whatever it is it's best to get rid of it."

"Thank you, but I don't like doctors. I've always hated it," pouted Isabella.

"I don't like seeing you like this. Just please do it for me so I can have some peace of mind?"

"Okay. How was the opening ceremony?"

"Fantastic. I wish you would've been there. You would've loved it," smiled Harry.

"I'm excited about the basketball games tomorrow. I'm excited about golf too but it's not the most interesting sport to me."

"I guess I have to agree with you on that. There's also some archery games tomorrow but the swimming finals will probably take up most of my time."

"Oh, I love watching swimming. It's amazing to know the difference between winning first and placing second could be a hundredth of a second sometimes is exciting."

"Did you ever play sports?" Asked Harry.

"Never. My family is more into music. My siblings, my cousins and I learned a minimum of two instruments. Usually, it was piano and violin but Guillaume and Imre chose to play the cello and be fancy."

"Who wanted you all to learn to play music?"

"I think it really started with my grandmother's grandmother Queen Elisabeth. She was very much into the arts thanks to her own father so she made her children learn to play instruments. It passed on to my grandmother and went through the Luxembourg family and then to the Habsburg through my mother."

"I think I want our kids to learn to play the trumpet. I think that would be fun."

"Believe me a beginner trumpet is something you don't want to here. Sometimes a regular trumpet is something you don't want to here. I think piano is a nice instrument to start," smiled Isabella.

"We've been doing so well these past couple of weeks," remarked Harry.

"We are. I'm sorry I've been so back and forth with everything."

"There's no need to apologize. All of this has been stressful and now with you getting sick, I just want to get away from all of this."

"Let's go to Austria. At the château or the castle and just spend a couple of days without Charlotte, Christine, Gaelle, and Olympia. We can take a couple of days off our schedule and then just hang around all alone," smiled Isabella.

"That would be nice. I also wanted to talk to you... about possibly taking up some charities involving those actively deployed and veterans. It would be a good thing considering you married someone that was in the armed forces. Your grandfather served in World War II and most of your cousins joined the armed forces I thought it would make you want to do something for them or their wives," suggested Harry.

"That's a good idea. I'll talk to Emily and try to arrange something and your right. I married someone that was in the armed forces and my family is in the arms forces too for the most part so I should do something. There have been studies about music therapy and PTSD in veterans and those actively deployed. I could be a patron of something like that. It combines something I care for with something you care for, well I care about veterans too but you get what I'm trying to say."

"Thank you."

"For what?" Laughed Isabella.

"For not walking away when you know you could've walked away," answered Harry.

"Oh. Well, thank you for not walking either when you had the chance."

"What's that patronage that you're always going to? Some days I try and find you only to find out your out in meetings. You haven’t been very open with me about that."

"Amnesty International though I'm not an official patron of the whole organization because everyone agreed that it would be controversial," explained Isabella.

"Why would it be controversial?"

"Amnesty International deals with everything from refugees, migrants and asylum seekers across the world to sexual and reproductive rights. But it would be wrong as a British royal to be involved because they also deal with indigenous rights, armed conflict, and corporate accountability because it upsets politicians."

"We aren't supposed to be political Isabella."

"And I know that, but I can't help everything I care about makes people upset. I can't even process in my mind that basic human rights like food, water, shelter, and who they want to love are controversial. Harry, I'm a socialist you do realize that?"

Harry blinked a couple of times and Isabella had turned her head to the right to meet Harry graze, "I don't really understand what that means. I do understand that it's similar to communism and any first world country hates both but other than that I don't know much."

"I don't believe in everything that the socialist party does but it's the closest party that I can align myself with. I'm anti-war, anti-gun, pro-vaccination, healthcare for everyone, education for everyone, free housing, I believe in climate change, I'm pro-choice, I believe in gay and trans rights, I believe in immigrants rights, I’m for sexual education for everyone. I believe in these things because I believe that they are human rights but others don’t agree because of religion or capitalism. I could never understand how anyone can be against that." exclaimed Isabella.

"Do you know when you talk about these things you get this little glimmer in your eyes?" Smiled Harry.

"What are you talking about?" asked Isabella.

"When you talk about what your interest are you get this little glimmer in your eyes and your smile is just different."

"I have different smiles?"

"You do. You have two different smiles with me."

"I do not!" Fought Isabella.

"Yes, you do. The first one is the one you wear when we're in public and the other is when it's just you and me. I like it. It means that I get something of you all to myself that I don't have to share with the world," thought Harry.

Isabella sported a huge smile before kissing Harry on the cheek, "You are the sweetest thing, do you know that?"

"Of course I know that. I don't think you would be married to me if I weren't," joked Harry.

"I guess your right on that," laughed Isabella.

“But you do understand that the army changed me for the better. It gave me discipline and that could be good for others.”

“I do understand that but I also understand that the armed forces recruit those they know they can manipulate. The ones they know how no other options like people of color and the poor. I also understand that discipline is fine and sometimes need it but the armed forces can be used for disasters, not wars funded by rich people at the expense of the poor,” argued Isabella.

“One of these days you’ll have to teach me everything you know,” smiled Harry.

“Even if we had the rest of our lives for me to teach you things we still wouldn’t have enough time. You’d be surprised at what I know.”

#PHFF #Prince Harry Fanfiction #Prince Harry Fanfic #Royal Fanfic #Royal Fanfiction #Fanfiction

16 notes · View notes

freshlyjuicedbeetles · 6 years

Note

On the subject of Kandomere/Female prompts: has anyone requested a Meet The Parents?

No, you are the first!

Here you go!

Kandomere and I had been dating for a few months and things were getting serious. We were toying with the idea of moving in together. It felt like I was going to be with this guy for a long time. Both of our parents were needling us to meet our significant other. After putting it off, we both decided it was time.

He met my family first. There was a disparity between Kandomere’s background and mine. I came from a typical, working and middle-class family. We could go on nice vacations and have memorable Christmases and birthdays, but we had to work for those. In my teens, my parents even worked odd jobs; my mother would babysit or give lessons and my dad was the neighborhood handyman. My Kandomere’s family coasted on his grandfather’s wealth, well-paying careers and proper money management. They had simply had the money laying around to do what they wanted.

I wasn’t embarrassed for Kandomere, my snob of an elf boyfriend to meet my family. In fact, I was looking forward to it. I wanted to see him out of his element. I wanted to see his eyes wide with shock as my sister got grass stains on her jeans from playing football with our brother and that our food came from Walmart.

How do middle-class humans celebrate and get together? We cookout. It was the first cookout of the season and my dad was itching for a reason to get the grill going.

Kandomere and I pulled into the drive of my childhood home. Upon opening the door, we were greeted by my family’s young golden retriever named Blue. We adopted him as a puppy my senior year in high school.

“Hi, Blue!” I exclaimed happily as he jumped up on me. I scratched him behind his floppy ears and kissed his head. “I missed you so much!”

He didn’t even care that Kandomere was there. My dad makes comments that he would be worthless guard dog because he likes everyone he meets or simply doesn’t care that a stranger is in his domain.

“Oh my god, she’s really dating an elf.” My sister said in disbelief from the second story landing, looking down upon us in the entryway.

“That’s my sister, Haley,” I said to Kandomere. “This is Blue, obviously.” I had a ridiculous number of photos of the dog on my phone and probably spent a good fifteen minutes showing Kandomere at one point.

“Wait, aren’t you a little short for an elf? Aren’t elves, like, six-foot somethin’?” She asked as she jogged down the stairs.

I sighed, “Haley, get it out of your head that a man has to be at least six-foot-two for you to even look at him.”

“Hey, man,” My brother said, coming from the living room, “I’m Clint,” He said, yanking Kandomere’s hand for a shake.

“Do you really work for the FBI?” Clint asked.

“I do,” Kandomere confirmed, a little taken aback about how many people were talking to him and vying for his attention.

“Oh, sweet, dude! So, do you have a gun? How fast can you shoot it? My brother asked eagerly. “Do you want to find out?” Kandomere asked.

Clint laughed, then paused, then laughed nervously. He snapped his fingers, “I’ll have to keep my eye on you.”

“There’s my girl!” My Dad exclaimed, barreling in for a bear hug.

“Don’t squish her!” My mom teased, close behind him.

My parents squeezed me in a group hug.

When we pulled away, I introduced Kandomere. “Everyone, this is Kandomere. Kandomere, this is my mom Maggie and my dad Bobbie.”

“Hello,” Kandomere greeted, making eye contact with both of my parents.

“Hi!” Mom exclaimed, pulling Kandomere into a much gentler hug. He was a little surprised by the sudden affection.

“Nice to finally meet ya!” Dad said, “Hey, do you know how to make fajitas? Like, really, really, good fajitas?” Dad asked.

“Dad…” I groaned.

“What? I just really like fajitas! Your mother is Swedish and makes damn good meatballs! He’s Mexican, right? You’re Mexican?” Dad countered.

“I was born in LA; my paternal grandparents are from San Salvador. My mother’s side of the family is from Bucharest. So, I don’t know how good my fajitas would be…” Kandomere explained.

Despite the bit of racial profiling, the dinner went well. The conversation flowed nicely and Kandomere had more than enough to talk about with everyone. There were even a handful of hearty laughs.

We were sitting on the deck as the sun starts to fade with my siblings, my parents were in the kitchen cleaning up. Blue was on the lawn chewing on his toy and rolling in the grass.

“She snores, doesn’t she?” Haley asserted.

“And talks in her sleep,” Clint added.

“She once peed on a table at the mall when she was a toddler.”

“She tripped and fell into Garth Brooks last year.”

“She puked on the Ferris wheel once and it hit everyone below her.”

“Have you noticed the little point on her right ear? Maybe she’s part elf!”

“It’s a Darwin’s ear. Completely different.” I clarified. I still blushed at the stories my siblings told, but I expected it.

“I think it’s cute,” Kandomere replied with a small shrug, grinning at me.

With all the conversation, we didn’t notice Blue sneaking onto the deck and grabbing Haley’s sandal.

“Hey!” Haley explained as Blue tore down the steps to the yard.

We all jumped up and hurried after him. It took us at least ten minutes to finally grab the shoe from Blue after Clint cornered him.

Mom and Dad emerged from the house. Dad tossed the football to Kandomere. Kandomere, not expecting the toss, fumbled the ball at first but caught it.

“Get the elf!” Clint cried, pointing to Kandomere.

My dad, Haley, and Clint charged on him and he had a look similar look to a deer in headlights. They tackled him to the ground, only an arm and a leg visible from under my family.

The night ended with him covered in grass stains and with the wind knocked out of him.

“Take care of her,” My dad said, misty-eyed as we were about to leave.

Kandomere gave a small smile of pride, “I will.”

Clint drew a finger across his neck as Haley twirled a metal baseball bat on the wooden floor.

Kandomere nodded to them in understanding.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry for them. I swear, we are somewhat civilized.” I said, my face buried in my hands as we got into the car.

“Nothing to apologize for. I don’t want you to apologize for them.” Kandomere said, peeling one of my hands away from my face and kissing it. “I like them. They have personalities. My parents divorced when I was fourteen. It was a loveless marriage, merely one of convenience. My grandfather arranged it. My father died when I was eighteen. It’s nice to see everyone so lively and,” He paused searching for the word, “happy.”

I smiled, satisfied that one meeting had gone well.

I knew a little about Kandomere’s parents. His father, Angelo was a federal judge and his mother, Éabha was the headmistress of an elite, private finishing school for young elf girls. His paternal grandmother, Theodosia, was a doll maker, whose work was exquisite and sought after by collectors. I would later meet Theodosia who was still as spritely and sweet as ever. For one of our wedding gifts from her, she built and painted dolls of Kandomere and me in our wedding attire. She somehow made me elven while keeping me human. Kandomere was creeped out by it, but I thought it was endearing. We got along great and it’s not uncommon that I stop by her house to help her along. Though she has retired from professional doll making due to her weak and arthritic hands, she frequently restores the Barbie’s and other dolls for the children of her neighborhood for no or little payment from their families.

When we get together, Theodosia teaches me her craft, lamenting that she never had a daughter or granddaughter to pass it down to. In turn, I repair her jewelry and help her make new pieces. One of the few chores Kandomere will do without griping about it is pick up her groceries (via a personal shopper, of course) and cook for her when he visits.

Shortly after Kandomere met my parents, I met his mother. Éabha was a beautiful woman with sharp features. Austere and stern, she spent most of the night looking down upon me. Her eyes were the same shade of icy blue and had the same power to wring the truth from your throat as Kandomere’s. She was dressed in a black dress as though she was mourning the elven daughter-in-law she would never have. She spoke in a soft, quiet voice that made me fear the thought of her yelling.

“Hello,” I said to her, a little intimidated by her.

She said nothing, but gave a small nod, appraising me.

I heard the distinctive pattern and sound of paws on the marble floor. A tall, black dog slowly walked in to see who had arrived.

“This is Dumbledore,” Kandomere said, bending down to greet the dog. “He’ll be twelve next month.”

Dumbledore was an old English Wolfhound. He was slow and gentle in his movements and calm in personality.

“Like the Harry Potter character,” I smiled to Éabha. I was relieved to find some common ground with the woman. I loved the books and movies.

“No, it is an old English word for bumblebee.” Éabha corrected sternly.

I felt like I had just been reprimanded.

She led us into the dining room and we sipped wine before dinner was served.

“Kandomere, whatever happened to Evangeline? I rather liked her.” The smallest smile on her face.

Evangeline. Yep, that was definitely an elf name.

“The girl I dated in high school?” He swallowed his wine, “She slashed my tires when I broke up with her and told the entire school that I sold cocaine.”

“She wasn’t that bad.” Éabha urged.

“Mother, last I checked she was on a 5150 for delusions in Sierra Vista,” Kandomere replied.

“Oh pish, tosh.” She said, with a dismissive wave of her manicured hand.

“She believes she is the long-lost daughter of Gianni Versace. Donatella was afraid for her life!”

“Well, you never know!” Éabha rebuffed.

“Versace was gay.”

Éabha shrugged and took a large swig of her wine. I just sat there and enjoyed the scene playing out in front of me.

Soon dinner was ready. It was some sort of veal dish with a minimal amount of unintelligible sides dotted around the plate artistically. Served by humans, they looked at me like I was an oddity.

“Please, tell me about yourself. Kandomere has told me next to nothing.” Éabha said, more to be polite than actual interest.

“Well, I was born in Ojai.” I explained, “My dad is a history teacher at our high school and my mom is a caseworker for the state. I have two siblings, I’m the oldest. My sister Haley is the youngest, a senior in high school and my brother Clint is a sophomore at Berkley. I went to Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia after high school where I studied jewelry design. Tuition was hefty, so I had a lot of odd jobs. I worked at Leopold’s my entire time there and I sold my jewelry on Etsy since I was eighteen. I worked at just about every place on River Street; the Shrimp Factory, One Eyed Lizzies…”

Éabha looked bored. “That must have been quite a challenge for you,” she said, not looking at me.

I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. “Yeah, I’m just now getting caught up on the sleep I missed.”

“Kandomere here went through quite a quite a rebellious phase when he was a teenager. Wouldn’t come out of his room, listened to god awful, angry music. I’m just now getting reacquainted with his left eye, it used to be covered completely by his hair.” She said as she eyed her son.

Kandomere coughed and choked on the food in his mouth, quickly excusing himself from the table.

“Do you have anything at all in common?” Éabha asked skeptically.

“Well, yeah,” I replied, thrown off by the question. “We like the same books and movies. We have similar values. We like to go for a nice run at the end of the day. I think our differences just make things more interesting.” I replied as Kandomere returned to the table.

Conversation lapsed into a tense pause with only the sound of silverware echoing through the spacious dining room.

“Aren’t human descended from caveman and Neanderthals?” Éabha asked trying to get under my skin, swirling her red wine.

I was caught off guard and it took me a moment to formulate a response. “As far as I know, my ancestors lived in the more habitable regions of the Arctic Circle where they were reindeer herders. You would think that would be a vocation more suited to those of us with pointy ears.”

Kandomere hid a smirk from behind his wine glass.

“You smell like my son,” Éabha asked, seriously. “Strongly. Can I assume that this relationship has been consummated?”

Both Kandomere and I looked like we wanted to melt into our seats. All the places we’ve had sex flooded my mind; my bed, his bed, my car, his car, my shower, his shower, his office, the janitor’s closet in his office building, a few mindful gropes at concerts, plays, or out shopping…

One of our best dates replayed in my mind. We spent the weekend together in his apartment and never left. We turned our phones off and gave everyone strict orders not to bother us. We slept, ate, napped, and having amazing sex. Kandomere dozed off as we watched bad TV and I ended up painting his nails hot pink from a bottle of nail polish I had in my suitcase. It was just us enjoying each other.

“We have.” Kandomere answers, his voice strained. This was the last conversation he wanted to have with his mother.

“Well, there’s no going back now,” Éabha replies, disappointment dripping in her voice.

“Look, ma’am, I know I’m not what you want as a potential daughter-in-law, but let’s be real here. When we get down to it, the only real difference between all of us is pointy ears, sharper teeth and like, ten chromosomes or something. I’m a good person. I’m not going to steal of Kandomere’s money and drop his dead body in the tar pits.”

“But you are not an elf,” Éabha replied simply as though I were an idiot.

She looked towards Kandomere as though he would confirm her beliefs. The tips of his ears were turning red and he was moments away from snapping the stem of his glass, his grip was so tight with contained anger.

“You’re being unreasonable,” Kandomere said to Éabha. “I think that’s enough for tonight,” Éabha said, politely dabbing her mouth with her cloth napkin, standing and striding off.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to piss her off.” I was mortified. I could feel my face turning red.

“You apologize for things that are not your fault. That’s just how she is. Try living with her. Why do think I went as far as Columbia for college?” He asked, a small grin on his face.

Kandomere stood up, “Come on, let’s get you a burger.”

I smiled as I stood up and he wrapped his arm around my waist.

As we walked out, Kandomere sneakily took Dumbledore’s leash off the hook in the hall and attached it to the dog’s collar. “We’re taking him.” He said quietly.

“But what about your mom?”

“He doesn’t deserve to be here, cooped up with that old crone. She has him wearing sweaters and coats. It’s LA for god sake. People can barely stand wearing such clothing without succumbing to heat stroke, let alone a dog covered in fur. Besides, she’s still mad that I didn’t go to either of my proms. What more can she be mad about?”

In later years, I learned to accept that Éabha doesn’t and probably would never like me. She doesn’t hate me, she just doesn’t like me and I can never change that. I am simply not an elf. Kandomere and my family developed a happy friendship and Dumbledore seemed to enjoy living with us much more than Éabha.

#kandomere #knjyasu #kandomere fanfiction #kandomere x reader #bright #bright fanfiction #kandomerefics

36 notes · View notes

thenewlittleprincess · 3 years

Text

El Amor D’Un Amigo - Princesita

-1-

The very tall, thin man, looking very much like the Princess, wearing his three-piece blue business suit with a red tie, comes into the Princess’ bedroom. The Princess is watching a video of another Pina Colada singer, Tina Mendes, about 9 years older than she, on the Large-Scale Computer Monitor. The LSCM throws images of Tina and her band into the room, stage, instruments and all, in three dimensions.

As Tina dances and sings in the middle of the bedroom, the Princess is dancing with her and singing Tina’s hit song, “Combustivel” with her. Like Tina, the title of the song is Brazilian Portuguese: but all the rest of the lyrics are Mexican Spanish, so the Princess has no trouble singing along.

Oh, me hiciste quemar los ojos

La primera vez que te vi

Mi corazón explotó – BOOM!

No me queda casi nada.

Combustivel! Combustivel! Tu amor es mi festivel . . .

Combustivel! Combustivel! Bienvenido a mi carnavel!

Having copied Tina’s Brazilian accent at the ending of the last two lines, the Princess throws in her own “WOW!” Then she plays air electric organ during the musical interlude.

The man turns off the computer. The Princess is shocked, her hands frozen in mid-air.

[All dialogue here are English subtitles of the original Spanish: in the case of the dad, the Spanish is dubbed over his English original speech but the subtitles are still there]

“Oh, Dad!” the Princess says, after she turns around.

Seeing him, she smiles.

“What’s it?” the Princess asks.

“You obviously didn’t notice I had come in,” the Princess’ dad says. “So I had to get your attention.”

“That you did!” the Princess says.

She sits down on the bed next to him.

“”Have you thought about your 9th birthday next week?” Dad says.

“Constantly,” says the Princess, rolling her eyes.

“Constantly? Really? Why?” Dad asks.

“Because I want to give something special to my friends, to show how much I love them,” the Princess says. “Just the piñata and cake and all that won’t cut the tamale, will it?”

“What do you want to give them?” Dad asks.

“Playa Blanca!” the Princess says.

Dad bursts into laughter.

“You can’t give anyone that beach!” Dad says. “One of the hotels in Livingston owns it. You can’t give away other people’s things! Would you like me to give your Grand Piano to one of my friends?”

“Kill ya, I would,” says the Princess, running her index finger across her neck.

“Well, then,” says Dad. “And it would cheat my friend, because I ‘gave’ him something he could never have. So, do you see why you can’t give anyone the beach? You’d just cheat all your friends.”

“Of course, I know they cannot take it home!” says the Princess with a smile. “But I can take all of them there and we’d have a special birthday party they’d always remember!”

“Ah, that’s what you’re on about!” says Dad. “Well, that’s a great deal more practical! I think we can manage that.”

“Really?” asks the Princess.

“Sure, anyone can go there who pays the entrance fee,” says Dad. “And there’s so much room, we can’t disturb anyone. I’ll tell Carlos to have a word with the beach owners.”

“I love you, Dad!” the Princess says, hugging him. “Now this is gonna be a birthday that’ll make me really happy to be nine!”

FADE OUT.

-2-

The Princess is sitting at a desk, reading a textbook and writing in her notebook, moving to the music from the earphones in her ears. A short, reddish-brown haired woman comes into the room around the front of the desk. She pulls one earphone out of the Princess’ ear and shouts “NO! NEVER!” into the ear.

The Princess takes the other earphone out and says, “Ee-ya, Mum! OK, I’ll lay up the earphones until I finish me homework, if it’s really not on!”

“’Tis not that: although that may be a wise decision on its own merits,” Mum says, in her thick Scottish brogue. “To take you and your list of friends to Livingston, hire hotel rooms, the whole lot, would cost over 300 of those new World Bank thingies . . . IT Units! It’s not gonna happen, lassie, not while we have to foot the bill!”

“But Mum,” the Princess says, breaking down into tears. “It’s . . .it’s me . . . birthday!”

“Aye and it is,” says Mum. “And if ya wanna have many more with happy returns, ya cannot spend us into penury for it! We Scots have been the poorest in Europe. Little stony soil in which to grow oats and cabbage. Only the sheep standing between wool coats and us freezing for the winter. We survived. Yar grandfather went down in the sooty black coal mine, underground 10 hours a day, for the overtime that put sugar in our tea. And ya know how we survived? Economy. We never spent a sixpence when a thruppence would do. And here ya want to spend the equivalent of something like 200 pound on a child’s birthday party? It borders on the obscene! I was over the moon at your age if Mum sneaked me a sixpence for a pack o’ Smarties for my birthday. I never saw a bloody cake, except in the baker’s window down in Stirling burgh! No way you’re taking a trip of nine-year-olds across the country just because it’s yar birthday! Don’t get me wrong: we’re happy you were born, more than about anything else in the world . . . But not that bloody happy!”

At that, Mum turns around and heads for the door.

She turns around when she hears her tearful Princess call “Mummy!”

“We’re not poor now. And they’ll . . . they’ll . . . never know how much I care for them,” says the Princess.

“Aye, we’re not poor. Nor am I lettin’ you get us there! And they’ll know how much you care,” Mum says. “By what ya do not by what ya spend.”

-3-

The Princess is sitting in her red 17th century party dress, with ruffled neck and sleeves, wearing her superreflective tiara, red flower behind her left ear and violet flower behind her right ear, red and green reflective sparkles on her face and eyelids, her hair in box braids in the front, on her bench at her Grand Piano. Her drawing room is full of little girls standing around the piano. Behind the piano is the Princess’ “army”: a guitarist, electric bass, percussion machine, bass and the “Three Angels” singing backup.

The Princess starts playing the introduction to “The Love Of A Friend”, from Princess Party. Then she starts singing the song in Spanish:

El amor d’un amigo

Vale más que el pisto

El amor d’un amigo

Es más dulce que la miel

No puedes conseguirlo de nadie más

En tu famili’ o de tu amante

Porqu’ el amor d’ un amigo es especial

Para ti de t’ amigo

Cuando todos los demás se han ido Todos tus amantes están enamorados de los demás ¿A quién tienes? Mira a tu alrededor, tienes a tus amigos

Un amigo no necesita tomar tu corazón

Un amigo sólo quiere ser el comienzo

Per’ un amigo llora cuando separado

Porque un amigo necesit’ un amigo

Es tan triste, tantas veces

Olvidamos de decir "Gracias"

Tan triste, tantas veces

Olvidamos de decir “Te quiero” A nuestros amigos Solamente amigos

Damos por sentado a nuestros amigos

Y las semillas de la tristeza se plantan Porque no hay nada com’ un amigo

El amor d’un amigo

Vale más que el pisto

El amor d’un amigo

Es más dulce que la miel

No puedes conseguirlo de nadie más

En tu famili’ o de tu amante

Porqu’ el amor d’ un amigo es unico

Para ti de t’ amigo

Porque son únicos, tan únicos tan únicos

Yeah, yeah, yeah tu es tan unico

A . . . mi

Woh Woh Woh Woh Woh Woh Woh Woh Woh!

#Spanish #original lyrics #original song #video script #thenewlittleprincess #2025 #love #friend

1 note · View note

sisterbliss007 · 6 years

Text

Translation Die Zeit interview Christoph Waltz

Hey everyone,

I have been also working (together with the support of @makamu-a-tumbling), on the translation of Die Zeit man interview from last year. I’ve finally finished it, as it was quite a long and difficult interview to translate. I apologize for uploading it so late but hope you enjoy it! (As said it was quite difficult and if anyone finds any mistakes and/or has questions please let me know!:) I still have the original scans of the interview in German as well for those interested).

I am a “Traditionalist”

The actor Christoph Waltz and his remarkable way to happiness Actor Christoph Waltz lives in Los Angeles. We have met up with him in his chosen homeland. The timing is special as Waltz is standing right before his 60th birthday. He aims towards balance, talks about the strong and weak characters he played during his career and the decisions he made that made him a happy man.

On a spring morning, Actor Christoph Waltz is standing in the elevator of the Barclay hotel in Los Angeles, when an old man enters the lift. The Barclay isn’t used as a hotel anymore, and now serves as a sort of retirement home for Downtown LA, which also can be rented for photo and film shoots. The old man recognizes Waltz immediately and addresses him, questioning, where Waltz originally is from. "From Austria" he answers. "I was there during the War!" the man tells him. Waltz goes on, looks at the man with a skeptical look and asks:" The War was a long time ago, when were you there?"-"In the sixties!"- "In the sixties?"-Small pause-"Oh," Waltz says "do you mean Vietnam?"-"Ah yes, right, Vietnam!" the old man says.

An hour later Christoph Waltz is sitting in a restaurant close to the Barclay hotel, and can only laugh about the encounter in the elevator. The striking chin outstretched, like you would recognize from his movies. Peter Lindbergh photographed him today for DIE ZEIT magazine MANN, while both of them walked through Downtown (LA), Waltz in front (of him), (and) Lindberg with the camera behind him. At one moment, a Mexican construction worker recognizes him, and winks and shouts to him: "The Latinos love you man!" He shows his famous Christoph Waltz grin, of which you can never be sure if he really is happy or if he is hiding something; he winks back. When later a woman on the street asks him for an autograph, he signs (the autograph). When she also asks for a picture, he briefly lays his hand on her arm and tells her, smiling but firm, in perfect English: "You know what, I would prefer if we didn't take one. I've been photographed the whole day. Maybe on another occasion."- 'I understand that" the women says, at the same time perplexed and pleased, even though she didn’t get a picture, she wishes him a good day and walks on. "You see," Waltz says, when the women is out of earshot, "when you are friendly here, people understand.”

Christoph Waltz lives in Los Angeles, and loves it here. He loves going to the opera, and he has seen the whole Ring (cycle) from Wagner here, the Mannheim production. He can't really agree with the general criticism of European, mostly German actors, on the shallowness and misconstrued image (of LA). "Of course, there are more foolish people here then with us (in Europe). But there is more of everything here. Therefore, more silly people as well.”

In the restaurant he orders a cappuccino and a croissant. Even in this everyday moment he uses his speech as an instrument: "Do you want something to drink?” The waiter asks. And Waltz answers, back stretched straight, the menu like a script in his hands: "Absouuuuuutely. I'll have a cappuccino for the moment. And a croissant or something of that kind would be great." Then, you understand the luck, Quentin Tarantino must feel when he hears Waltz speaking his lines: "The way, Christoph Waltz speaks my dialogue, the ways he sings it, he is saying it like poetry." In Tarantino's Western Django Unchained, Waltz played the German dentist and bounty hunter Dr. Shultz, and the detail that he comes from Düsseldorf, has everything to do with the fact that, according to Tarantino: "It just sounds so good, the way he speaks the word Düsseldorf."

His love for words was something that he developed very early on during his school time. "I have had six years of Latin and a nice Latin teacher, Elfriede Fiela, who was more interested in the mater itself and not being a teacher as such. That, she carried on to her students. "I find it regrettable that Latin is being labeled as a dead language, and usually…“ He makes a grant gesture, "…I get asked where they then, still speak Latin.” Again the Christoph Waltz grin. "My answer is: in your head.” He smiles.

A former classmate from Vienna, journalist Axel Meister also remembers his love for speech. "Waltz always shone with his ingenious linguistics". At his 'Feier zur Matura', the Austrian Arbitur (the party at the end of your college school years), Waltz gave the closing speech, which contained a subtle sense of deeper meaning.

"I love words" Waltz once told the London Times. Does he have favorite words? "Fiammiferi" he says without having to think about it, matches in Italian. "Or maybe even better: Uova strapazzate!" That is Italian for scrambled eggs. Waltz sneezes every syllable, while he is talking. Can he speak Italian well? "Totally not." And again ‘The Grin’. Then he speaks better in English, as he already from the late seventies on, while he lived in New York for a while, started refining it. He is proud of that, and you can also see that during his American Late-Show appearances. "I am someone else when I am talking English" he says. "And at that, I am not a mere translator. If you ask me for a specific English word, that I use all the time, then I don't have a clue.” How does the English speaking Christoph Waltz distinguish himself from the German speaking one? "I don't analyze it, as I would be just halfway translating it. It is really pleasant that I don't have to translate. English is like an additional way of expression.” Those who have seen the (late night) show(s), the way he is telling the American public Austrian stories, and then hear him tell in LA, how well the English language suits him, understand: it is also a mask. During those regular appearances, in this chosen homeland (the USA), Christoph Waltz can be the persona 'Christoph Waltz'; the two-time Oscar winner from the far away Europe, who holds something exotic to the American spectators, matched with a twitch of diabolic enjoyment. It is an extraordinary role. It is the role of his life, of which he has waited so long- in vain- for.

Christoph Walt was born on the 4th of October 1956 in a Viennese theater family. His grandfather (which I think should be his grandmother right?) was a famous actor at the renowned Burgtheater, his German father Johannes Waltz was stage builder, his Austrian mother Elisabeth Urbancic costume designer. At the beginning, Christoph didn't want to be an actor. "It didn't interest me. Even now it doesn’t really interest me. But when it does (interest me), then totally". He did attend the famous Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, but actually he wanted to do film, if possible in the US. As a youngster Christoph Waltz met Senta Berger, who just came back from Hollywood, and who was a friend of the family, and often visited. The glamour excited him. So, at the end of the seventies, he goes to New York, and enrolls into the Lee Strasberg institute, while he works as a waiter. Full of hope, he meets up with the legendary agent Paul Kohner, who worked with Marlene Dietrich. But, he (Paul Kohner) warns him: does he really wants to play roles in which he has to yell "Heil Hitler!" all the time? Waltz returns to Europe, goes into theater, in Switzerland and Germany, and also works for TV meanwhile becoming more and more miserable. His American dream did not come true, and in contrast, (he) experiences a German nightmare: He must play supporting parts in krimi series, just so he can act. This is how the eighties and nineties play out for him. In an episode of the krimiseries Der Alte, he shoots the commissioner; played by Siegfried Lowitz, "that was maybe culturally-wise a heroic deed" he says and laughs. Only rarely he can shine: in 1996 as Roy Black in a TV-movie about the tragic life of the shlager- singer. Waltz receives multiple awards, but the problems stays. The director Peter Keglevic, who wants him for bigger roles, is being held back by producers and directors. "On and on again he hears: no, no not Waltz, for minor quirky parts yes, but not for the main character.”

(He takes) Another piece of the croissant, and a sip of the water. "There is a certain narrow-mindedness which you cannot fight against (the literal translation would be for which no powder exist to fight it). And in some cultures, this is more the case than in others." He says:" In Germany, there is a precise distinction between E and U. E for Ernst (seriousness) and U for Unterhaltung (pleasure). E can't really be U and U definitely can't be E. It always ends in lecturing. Even in schools they understand now that only lecturing does not work, so why would you then do it in movies or on TV?" In the nineties, Waltz often sits at the Munich Shumann's bar, when he has to be there to be another rogue in a ZDF-krimi. He then tells his friends at the bar about (his) German TV (experience): "They really can't do anything with me." "In hindsight, one can recollect these miserable times (without feeling worse)", he says, "but it was mostly frustrating. They weren’t all like that, Reinhard Schwabenitzky and Peter Keglevic, those directors, did always believe in me." He doesn't name any other people.

Wailing did not help, he must work, moreover for his family. Waltz becomes a father early, when he is 24. During his time in New York, he meets his later wife Jackie, a dancer from Brooklyn. With her, he has three children, who now are adults. The family mostly lives in London, as a compromise between New York and Germany. "At that moment, I played parts just to survive, and now I find it honorable. I bit my way through something for a long time that I didn't want to bite through. That was a significant experience. It shows you that as an actor, you have to pay attention to not switch your life with the part you’re playing." "For a life,…" He says, while emphasizing the word life. "…a smaller part can be of a bigger significance than a big part." At the absolute low point of his career, when he hadn't worked for a year, his wife tries to give sincere advice: “You have so many talents; you can do something else then being an actor”. When you speak to Christoph Waltz about this advice, decades later, there is still a glimmer in his eyes, in the sense of: "How can you so wrongly asses me?" "I never thought about doing anything else. I know too much about it. To master a specific matter, you have to do it for twenty years. Hence, older actors are the most interesting. Of course it is interesting; to see a newcomer arrive, but then at least twenty years must pass before it really becomes sensational."

Christoph Walt's first marriage has now ended. A while back, he met the German costume designer Judith Holste, during shooting, with whom he has a daughter. In the beginning, he went back and forth between Berlin and the US. "But the journey was always stressy." Now, the family lives in LA.

After decades of biting trough and suffering, along comes a meeting between two men in the spring of 2008 in Berlin, both which are tattered because of different reasons. Christoph Waltz is still dragging him through German TV, while the American director Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood-prodigy in the nineties, has several problems. His last movie was a flop and for his next production Inglourious Basterds he is still desperately looking for someone to play the part of the antagonist Hans Landa. He already had hundred others read the part, Leonardo Dicaprio also wants to do it, but for Tarantino it doesn't fit. The director fluctuates between knowing that he had written one of the most interesting parts of his life, and the fear, that the part of the multilingual Hans Landa is unplayable. Then the meeting with Christoph Waltz comes, who plays the part of Landa as it he is Landa himself. Very precisely (literately translated it would mean sleepwalking-ly precise) Waltz switches between English, German, French and Italian. His former love for languages, developed during his school time in Vienna, helps him to fulfill his American dream. Shortly after the reading, Tarantino calls him, who is staying in Tuscany at that time. "Christoph, you're my man."-"If you say so, Quentin, I am."

Christoph Waltz also exceeds on set, and shines next to Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt. Today he says that that shoot saved him. "For me it was about the confirmation that I could do it. Not in vanity, but to confirm for myself that I wasn't going mad." Mad in the sense of: "Look, German TV, German cinema, I didn't just imagine it, I can really do it”. “What would become of him without Inglourious Basterds?” "No idea." Did he ever think about it? "Luckily not." After shooting the movie with Tarantino, but before the world premiere at the Cannes film festival in 2009, Alexander Gorkow, reporter for the Süddeutschen Zeitung, meets him in a Berlin café. Opposite the reporters sits a sad, insecure man. "Who knows if I will be in the movie" Waltz tells him "Quentin is re-cutting everything." He stays in. And how. For the role of Hans Landa, Christoph Waltz wins his first Oscar in 2010. Still in Cannes, in the car to the premier, one of the producers tells him: "Enjoy it. These are the last moments of your old life".

This afternoon, in his new life in Los Angeles, Christoph Waltz notices that his cappuccino didn’t come. When the waiter re-approaches the table and asks if he can bring anything else, your reporter orders a double espresso. Waltz first orders another cappuccino, to be changed at the last moment: “A double espresso as well, please.” The waiter motionless takes this in, and murmurs a “Great.” The first cappuccino which he didn’t bring, totally forgotten. That, then still innervates Waltz. And therefore he puts, in a friendly way, this hard “fact” in front of the waiter: “So I am really happy you forgot the first cappuccino.”

Lack of courtesy, bad behavior and no sense of etiquette, puts Waltz off and he doesn’t care if he offends anyone else. In 2007, while attending the Bambi awards show (German television price show) the Jordan Queen Rania also gave away a price. When she entered the stage, Waltz is the only of 800 guests which stood up. “When a queen enters a room, I don’t have to make any decision” he says “I stand up.” He adds after a small pause: “That kind of negligence, doesn’t only hurt the Queen, but the people that stay seated. That was a painful affair for me”.

That is the old Viennese school. Vienna is and stays his ‘city’, wherever he is living at the moment. His father died when he was very young, Christoph Waltz was seven. What kind of memories does he have of his father? “We have to make a distinction between conscious and unconscious memories. For the unconscious ones I can’t really speak and for the conscious ones I don’t want to”. Here again, Waltz precisely formulates and clearly borders all the lines. “This was always important for me. Seeing all the demarcation points in my live, even as a kid.” He still remembers saying to his school mates: “That is none of your business”. Later on, as an actor, he really understood: “that it is important to make up your own mind about, and decide for yourself, what is private and public”.

To define your own life, and don’t let others define you, was something that he needed. “I wanted this from the beginning, already at school, no, actually already before going to school. I always had this questions of “Where am I?”, “Where are the others?, “How is it positioned?”, “Do I have to agree?”. He always saw himself as separated from the others. Is he a good friend? He thinks for a long time about this question, and for the first time during the conversation, there is a long pause. “I can be a good friend, but I am not automatically one. For all the stability, there also needs to be certain dynamic aspect within a friendship.” He tells about his neighbor, who was really outraged because the tree from Waltz’s property was too high. “Sometimes there are serious storms here, and then the trees move around pretty hard”. What did he tell the neighbor? “Be happy that they move. If they don’t move around, they will break down”. This is also his outlook on friendships, you need to keep on moving, and that is important. He has two best friends, maybe three, not more. Then he takes back on the tree. “I have to admit that now, I did cut the tree, as it became a bit too eerie for me as well.” How would you describe yourself to people that don’t know you? “Totally not, I am not a describer. I recently had a talk about this topic with a befriended director, that an experience is much more important than a description. ”What do you mean?” “To go to the cinema, and experience it all, even when it is not a pleasant one: That is the whole reason why I go to the cinema.” Christoph Waltz has therefore drawn the conclusion –for himself- that he does not speak about his character during the interviews for a movie. “The portrayal of a subject is more important that that subject itself” he rages. “The curator puts himself before the artist, the director puts himself in front of his writer, the painter is standing before his painting and the actor is more important than his character.” He shakes his head. Would he describe himself as conservative? “Gustav Mahler said that: “Tradition is keeping the fire burning and not worshiping the ashes”. When the tradition is genuine, then I am a ‘Traditionalist’.” The great moments in art enthrall him, he just does not want to interpret them. He raves about an essay of Susan Sontags, who has been writing against (this kind of) Interpretation, but without any success. “I am not against the intellectualizing, I am against de-sensualizing. It is all about the experience, in cinema and in theater.” Once, Christoph Waltz was a spectator at the Viennese Burgtheater and saw Otto Sander, an experience which he will never forget. “He was sitting on a cardboard prop of a rock and was telling what the play is about. It is about Oedipus. You saw him and you forgot everything around him. You forgot that the production was from Peter Stein. That Bruna Ganz played with him. That the set design was from Anseln Kiefer. You only saw and heard what he played and said. You could experience what the person goes through, and could identify with his suffering. That is how it should be.”

Christoph Waltz’s hair is longer now, then how we knew him before, and his sharp face features are now even more outspoken. Like most other famous actors, he is small, and when questioned about his height, he answers: “1m72, 1m73” (67.7-68.1 inch) as if every centimeter makes a difference. Two years ago the art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi painted Christoph Waltz for a TV documentary. At a sitting in an old ballroom in Berlin, Beltracchi complains: “You are so slim, darn!” Waltz had reacted to that by outstretching his stomach. The painter then noted different features of his face: “One eye sits higher than the other”. And: “The nose is also not simple”. Waltz reacted to that with his dry humor: “To whom are you saying this, I am having it (the nose)”. After winning the Oscar, the first German speaking one since Maximilian Schell in 1962, a lot of people, colleagues and directors, were happy for him. But here and there comments were heard, also from Til Schweiger. On one hand he congratulated him while on the other, said that this kind of luck, playing a role in such a big movie, which was exactly cut out for him, will not happen again. Unless if Waltz would get another such part.

And exactly that happened again. A couple of years later Quentin Tarantino writes the part of bad-ass dentist Dr. King Shultz in his western Django Unchained for his friend Christoph Waltz. And in 2013 he wins his second Oscar. Since then, the (Oscar) title is adherent to the name of Christoph Waltz. Wherever he shows himself, and is introduced, he is “the two time Oscar winner, Christoph Waltz”.

When he was young, the legendary theater actor Wolgang Reichmann, then already 70 years old, told him that he, in his whole life played three big parts. Waltz was startled. Only three in his whole life? Today he knows how realistic that was. Christoph Waltz emphasizes this multiple times during this day in Los Angeles, that for him, it is all about not standing still. “I can’t sit on that for the rest of my life, I want to keep on working!” He knows, that the Oscars help him with letting the lesser parts pass. There are also flops. “Of course there are bad movies. For my profession, one rule applies: as long as the movie makes enough money, then a flop will not be judged as a failure”. If it happens with three, four movies after another, then it can go quickly. Therefore, Christoph Waltz plays in blockbusters, they also pay very well, he does think that strategic. He tells, that now on set, he can better handle critique than thirty years ago. “Earlier, I would start arguing with the director, and in the end it is was all about who won. Often that was contra-productive.” Nowadays he can listen to critique, and doesn’t react to each of the comments. He learned that, that listing to critique can help. That was also the case when he worked with director Roman Polanski, while filming the Yasmina Rezas play Carnage. Waltz plays, beside Kate Winslet, a cynical lawyer, constantly on his phone, while they are discussing why their son hurt the boy of the other family. It was a showy role, equally funny and brutal.

The first day of filming, he tells, was a real catastrophe: “During the lunch break, Polanski comes to me and says: “Christoph what you’re doing is not funny”. A pretty clear statement. “I understood what Polanski was trying to say. He is a clever and experienced director. He later told me that he knows what he can say, at each moment, during each part of filming. “It was the best and most efficient director’s comment that I ever got”. What Polanski went on to tell him, he doesn’t want give away, (is this) professional secrecy? When Waltz arrives at 8 o’clock sharp, at the morning of our photo shoot, he is making a call, (and goes on to) apologize, pointing to his phone, to say “important”. When he goes back and forth in the hotel lobby while on his mobile, you automatically think about the lawyer in Carnage. About a year ago HIS James Bond came in the cinema. More specifically: THE James Bond wherein he is playing the antagonist Blofeld. Even the announcement that he would play in the new James Bond was greeted with joy under Bond fans. Who, if not Waltz, would follow in the film tradition of German speaking villains, after Gert Fröbe, Curd Jürgens and Klaus-Maria Brandauer. Financially Spectre is a success: it gains 880 million, only one James Bond movie was more successful. And still Christoph Waltz is not happy- with himself, with the result- “I can’t really pretend that I really succeeded at playing Blofeld. It had everything that it needed and all (the requisites) were checked, but it wasn’t what I aspired at”. He already noticed it when filming began, but at the time it was already too late. “An actor can only be really great, when all the possibilities are open.” He doesn’t want to say more about it but what he actually means is this: The chemistry between him and Sam Mendes wasn’t what he wanted it to be.

How does someone survive the PR-spectacle which is a James Bond movie? “I already survived worse”. And he adds: “There is a hint of excessiveness. I understand that with the premier you want to invite lots of guests. But should it really be at the Royal Albert Hall? With that you don’t really do it any good. It is still a movie, and it should stay a movie. The next premier will probably be a national holiday, and this time it was already a couple of days before one. What is so bad about a premiere cinema such as the Odeon in Leicester Square?”

His Blofeld stayed alive at the end of Spectre, would there thus be a next story with Christoph Waltz?” “That I don’t know, nobody knows. Not one word was said about that, except in the press. We don’t even know which studio will produce the next movie, if Daniel Craig will go on.” That also falls on the category of “keep on working”.

And making plans. He wants to direct, and is in the process of making a movie, even has the finances in place as well as filled all the parts with actors, but even in Hollywood an American dream can turn into a nightmare. “It is all very much like an unordered kindergarten” he says and keeps on explaining: “It is not completely dead, but at the moment it is in a condition where people only can say: “Has everyone lost their mind?!” “One of the producers, which wants to finance a big part of the movie, is blocking everything, while it is not arranged yet how big his part in the production is. After six months of work: it is still not moving on. Two actresses-from the Oscar winning category-have said yes, a first class camera man as well, everyone is ready-but at the moment nothing is moving. Then I rather not make it, film history will go on even without my directing contribution.” If you ask Christoph Waltz, who he would like to play in a movie, he answers “Muhammed Ali. I find him one of the great artists of the 20th century, a performance artist, who pays everything with cash and not on credit.” “What do mean with that?” “How he moves, he doesn’t lose his grace, his humor, all under physical treat. How he works through every defeat as an experience. When I think about him, a get a feeling of happiness. There is nothing more beautiful than his fights, even when he gets a hit.” In the eyes of Christoph Waltz, Muhammed Ali was the perfect actor, because he played like it wasn’t all a game. And because even his defeats were made part of his career.

On the 4th of October Christoph Waltz will be 60. When we mention it, he doesn’t move an inch. Will he throw a big party? He looks at his opponent like he is offended. He isn’t someone who likes to celebrate big? “Yes” He says and grins, ”That is how you can formulate it” (The sass is on here). How will he then celebrate his birthday? “Let’s first presume that I will indeed turn 60. So, on my birthday at 1 pm I get the feeling, it would be nice to celebrate tonight. Then I start calling around and see who has the time. When they don’t have the time they are not there and when they do have the time they come. Those are still the best parties.”

He didn’t even imagine what it would be like to turn 60, when a woman around her thirties comes to the table, interrupts and says: “Hello” just to add one more thing: “You’re my favorite actor”. Then she moves away and leaves a smiling actor behind at the table. It bodes well with him, to life here in the capital city of film.

Christoph Waltz, the late movie star, is a man, who has fulfilled his dreams when he was already older, after lots of defeats and doubts. “It is a good thing that everything happened later in my career. All the success it is not only due to my own account”. He grins again: “I don’t want to life my life, believing that I have to suffer in order for my success to happen” Why not? “That is a protestant view, but I grew up catholic” Is he religious? “No, not since my youth”.

Only now and then he still remembers his old life, the former ‘survivor camp’. When the toaster in his kitchen doesn’t function anymore, he still thinks about how to fix it. His wife Judith then has to say to him, to throw the old toaster away; “Buy a new one” she says to her husband, ”You won two Oscars for heaven’s sake”.

#christoph waltz #translation #die zeit mann interview #interview

37 notes · View notes