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itsnotzka · 27 days

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Fancy reading my original story? ;)

Without revealing too much, it's a very character-driven, slow-burn(ish), bitter-sweet romance story centered around self-discovery, with music and movies playing a significant role in the background :)

If you want to give it a go, you can read The Higher We Soar here (I'm currently sharing it on Wattpad, as I, unfortunately, haven't found a better alternative...). The first three chapters are already published (and it always will be free :))

You can also read the prologue below ⬇︎

You should never expect too much from Tuesdays. They're like the middle children of the week—less demanding than Mondays, less depressing than Wednesdays, but definitely not as fun as Fridays. Tuesdays quietly go about their business, neither imposing nor exhilarating.

As usual, I didn't have high hopes for that particular Tuesday either. It was one of those days that seemed to slip from memory almost as soon as it happened, no matter how much I wracked my brain to recall it.

The weather? If someone had told me there was the worst snowstorm of the century on that day, I would have readily accepted their claim without a single question. If I had read somewhere that it was the hottest day of the year, I would have simply nodded in agreement. I couldn't even tell you whether I decided to take a bus, a tram, or maybe I just, quite merrily, took a walk to the studio.

All those details somehow simply left my mind, overshadowed by one seemingly insignificant, and quite short encounter. Nothing remained the same after that fateful, yet somehow very ordinary, casual Tuesday morning.

Like a clueless fool, I failed to sense the impending, monumental shift in my life—a weird, terrifying, passionate avalanche that, in retrospect, seemed glaringly obvious and impossible to miss from the beginning, no matter how hard you might try... Yet, I did.

Before I delve further, you should know that I've never really liked interns.

It's not a sentiment I'm particularly proud of, as I despise prejudice in any form. My dislike isn't rooted in any of my antisocial tendencies; in fact, I generally find it quite easy to connect with people, especially in the music industry.

But I never really liked interns.

Their enthusiasm often comes across as superficial, and I can't stand it when they ask what to do, only to neglect the tasks I give them. I don't don't like when they think they have it all, believing they are more knowledgeable than anyone else around the studio, despite never having composed a single piece of music in their lives. I don't like how, before I can even properly learn their names or discover their strengths, they vanish without a trace, leaving behind a mess of equipment they weren't supposed to touch in the first place.

I also don't like when interns assume I'm just one of them.

It's a frustrating realization, mainly because, begrudgingly, they have the right to do that. After all, most of them are just a tad younger than me. Who could blame them?

That seemed to be the case with most interns. Except for one notable exception.

It didn't take long for me to notice that one individual stood out from the rest of the pack. Slightly older than the typical interns we usually had, he possessed a remarkable ability to effortlessly connect with people of all ages and ranks—spanning from the youngest staff members to seasoned audio engineers and even the senior employees of our cleaning crew. He had this certain level of cheerfulness and genuine interest that set him apart, a stark contrast to the usual ennui seen among interns I knew.

Right. First things first, though.

The scene: Early spring. A typical Tuesday morning just a little past ten o'clock.

I found myself in the live room, brimming with anticipation to finally record the first version of my demo, or at least my initial idea for one. But as luck would have it, nothing seemed to align with my plans. True to form, the interns had left a chaotic mess in their wake, leaving me with the arduous task of tidying up before I could even begin to think about diving into my creative process.

I let out a sigh of frustration, futilely rummaging through the clutter in search of a balanced cable before all my inspiration gone to waste. And that's precisely when the blonde intern came into the room, flashing his straight, pearly white teeth at me.

"Oh, hey. Hand me that boom stand, eh?" I gestured towards the stand, hoping to deal the cleanup process faster.

Weirdly enough, he sauntered over to me joyfully, yet his hands were conspicuously empty. It took a few moments for the realization to dawn on me, and when I turned my head to him, there he was, meeting my gaze with a cheerful twinkle in his light brown eyes, smiling at me with the sincerity of a five-year-old child.

"Hello? The boom stand, please?" I reiterated, juggling a handful of cables, none of them the balanced one I desperately needed, and gesturing towards the frustratingly out-of-reach metal stand.

"Oh, you're talking about this thing!" he exclaimed, as if my words had just registered. With a sudden burst of energy, he hastily retrieved the boom stand and brought it over to me. "Here you go."

I shot him a skeptical look as he nonchalantly slipped his hands into the pockets of his well-worn cardigan—a piece of clothing that might have been deemed unwearable by most, yet it somehow suited him perfectly. In an oddly charming way, it emitted a subtle bohemian vibe, and I couldn't help but imagine it gracing the runway of some avant-garde fashion show, although my knowledge of fashion was rather limited.

"Do you want to tell me you didn't know what a boom stand is?" I dared to ask, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah, sorry..." he prudishly feigned embarrassment, though it was evident that he didn't feel particularly bad about it. "I had no clue what you were talking about."

I eyed him inquisitively, suspecting the worst but needing confirmation. "What about a shock mount? Can you pass me that, then?"

He tilted his head and subtly pursed his lips, as if I had switched to an entirely different, foreign language he couldn't comprehend. Utterly astonished, I pointed to the nearby, star-shaped object, and his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh... that's a shock mount? Well, I had no idea about that, either," he admitted, seemingly unfazed by his lack of knowledge, with no intention of handing me the item. In response, I spread my hands and cast him a puzzled, inquisitive look, to which he simply responded with another chuckle.

"Let me be honest with you, okay?" he shrugged once more, entirely at ease. "I know nothing about making music or any of this equipment..."

"Are you shitting me?" I blurted out, dropping the cables from my hands in sheer disbelief. "In that case, I have no idea why you're even here. How on earth did you manage to land this internship in a scoring studio?"

The smirk never left his lips, his eyes twinkling with joy, as if he wasn't even aware that I considered firing him during his very first week on the job. Well, I couldn't actually fire him. I could ask someone else to do it for me.

"What can I say?" he offered another smile, his eyes mirroring the same cheerfulness. Even his bohemian gray cardigan seemed uncharacteristically cheerful as he spoke. "I aced the job interview. Sophie, that gal who interviewed me, seemed to really like me. She was very sure I'd be a great fit here!"

"That gal?" I repeated with a scoff... and a smile. "You mean Sophie, the producer? One of the most important people around here? If not the most important one?"

He nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The very same."

"Right. Sophie and her desire to change the whole world for the better..." I remarked, my tone laced with sarcasm that he simply chose to ignore.

There. My proof.

That was the reason why I never really liked interns. He should have said something to make me believe he was taking it seriously, shouldn't he? He should have been embarrassed, he should have shown me his willingness to learn everything as quickly as possible, he should have tried to help me set everything up faster. But he didn't. Instead, he didn't take his eyes off me for a second, making me uncomfortable. It was as if looking at me like that was the most normal and ordinary thing in the world for him — as if it was our hundredth talk. No shyness. No awkwardness on his part. No guilt whatsoever.

"I don't know if I have time for your incompetence, then. I have things to do here, and they have to be done well," I finally stated, trying hard to maintain eye contact.

After all, I was supposed to be the more competent one, not him. Yet, inexplicably, I suddenly felt as though I were the intern, and he was the one showing me the ropes, not the other way around.

He hummed, faintly amused, as if I had cracked a half-hearted joke. "Come on... you only need to be more specific about what you want me to do. I can handle anything with clear instructions. I'm a very quick learner, you know?"

I found myself smiling as he began to lecture me on how to handle an intern like him. In fact, I burst into unexpected laughter—not at his expense, but because I couldn't believe his extraordinary gullibility.

No, gullibility was definitely not the right word. It was more like... certainty. An unwavering, absolute conviction that everything, always, would unfold just as he anticipated, with ease, enjoyment, and no difficulties whatsoever. There was no room for doubt. Moreover, it felt as if it wasn't because he wanted it to be that way, but because the universe, it seemed, had an uncanny knack for bending space and time just to make him smile.

"Let's see. Do you even know what I do here?" I asked, not with impatience anymore, but with genuine curiosity.

"Hey, I'm not that dense," he scoffed, then added a bit unsure, "You're a composer, right? Or am I mixing something up..."

I laughed and nodded in confirmation. His smile held a touch of embarrassment, a genuine one this time.

"You're not. I am a composer. So tell me one more thing, if you don't know anything about making music, why do you even want to work here?" I asked, finally bringing the shock mount closer and starting to set the microphone next to the piano.

He sighed, falling into deep thought for a brief moment before finally responding, "I think you're asking the wrong questions here. Why wouldn't I want to give it a try? It's fascinating. Besides, I'm a huge movie buff and you're making scores. I feel like I can rest my case here."

"Oh, yeah? Your love for movies? You think that's enough?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded, casually picking up the cables I dropped before, "Well, that would be more than enough if we were in an actual movie, wouldn't it?"

"Well, we're not, though," I chuckled, "We're not even in some poorly written novel. Life's quite different from the movies, especially if you know how they're made."

He hummed once more, a quiet laugh escaping his throat as he gave me another intrigued look.

"You think so? I think it all depends on your point of view..." he said with such conviction, as if everything really depended solely on that.

I shook my head in amusement and, unintentionally, found myself agreeing with him.

"Hey, I think I didn't catch your name before..." I said, a little troubled by the fact that despite Sophie repeating the names of all five interns for a week, I couldn't remember any of them.

"Oh, I'm Maddox. At your service!" he replied, his smile widening even further. "People usually call me Maddie, though."

"Really? Do they ever call you Madd?" I quipped. "Maybe that suits you better?"

A spark flickered in his eyes, then chuckled, "I've heard that one before... But sure. I can be Madd for you."

By then, I was laughing opelny, and I forgot about the mess around us.

It surprised me that he didn't ask for my name, and I decided not to give it away. I wasn't sure if he already knew it; he hadn't mentioned it even once that day. It seemed my name just... didn't matter to him back then. He struck me as someone very curious about the world and everything around him, yet for some reason, I didn't really seem to be one of those matters.

Like many things, it didn't bother me much, though.

After that Tuesday morning, marked by a string of mishaps that he effortlessly remedied with a perfect blend of enthusiasm, interest, and clever comments, a tad too clever for just an intern, we didn't teally talk for a few weeks.

Throughout the initial month of his three-month internship, our encounters were fleeting, lacking any real depth or substanc. Yet, I knew, there was an unspoken acknowledgment of each other's presence that hung in the air, like a perfectly fitting soundtrack playing in the background—barely noticeable, yet undeniably there.

I was busy with my projects that weren't going as well as I wanted them to. He, on the other hand, was busy surpassing almost all expectations, learning things at an astonishing pace, and effortlessly charming everyone he encountered. At least that's what I had heard from my co-workers, and from Sophie. He worked mainly under her, after all.

Every now and then though, I'd catch a glimpse of his eyes, squarely directed at me, particularly when I was on my way to the break room in search of my caffeine salvation. Sometimes, amidst the chaos of the studio, I'd hear his laughter, his rather melodic voice rising above the cacophony of others, as I struggled to maintain my focus on the stubborn music sheets in front of me. I quickly noticed he was quite the conversationalist, engaging in lively discussions with anyone willing to participate. Yet, our interactions rarely extended beyond a simple exchange of greetings, such as a casual 'hello' or 'how are you?'

That didn't bother me, either. Well, it didn't bother me at the beginning.

Everything always seems different at the beginning, doesn't it?

#it just helps me survive #all of my silly things do #original story #original work #original fiction #original writing #women writers #female writers #my writing #original characters #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writing #writerscommunity #the higher we soar #slow burn #self discovery

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thechosenone-if · 10 months

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The origins of the game

If you are new here, or relatively new, you might not know how The Chosen One came to be.

It was 2020 and, as many other, to escape reality I started playing VNs and then IFs. Within some months, a game of my own started to take shape in my mind and then I started writing. At the time, I had absolutely zero knowledge about Twine so learning it was a slow and painful process - but worth it.

In spring 2021 I created the Tumblr blog dedicated to it, what is now my personal blog @kal-down and what was then @/the-upperworld.

The first version of TCO was full of bugs, had a colour palette that was all over the place, and, most importantly, was only written in italian. At the time, I couldn't fantom writing a full story in english, I only did small prompts about MC and Rascia on the blog or translated previews.

Then, mainly thanks to the IF authors I came to befriend on here, I decided to translate the whole demo and publish the inglish version, which became public in September 2021.

During that year's summer, I also started planning and designing what would become my most popular and loved game: The King's Hound. As I made more and more progress on it, with so much difficulty and writing fully in english for the first time in my life, TCO started to feel off.

I guess lack of popularity and interaction, perhaps due to a story featuring a single RO or perhaps due to the unpolished nature of the writing. Still, I deleted almost everything from the blog and made it my personal one, hiding the game from Itchio.

In 2022 I decided to polish the UI a bit, thanks to it you have a now playable and hopefully more aesthetically pleasing game. I also added the Interlude 1 to the game (introducing Rascia for the first time).

And now, here we are. There isn't new content available to play, progress is still very slow, but I think this game deserves a proper blog. It deserves a place to be discussed, especially since I have a published demo and even if it won't ever be popular, I hope the game resonates at least with someone. For this reason, I decided I will leave the game up and visible on Itch from now on, and that I will keep working on it even if I remain the only one interested in the project.

It was my very first IF and I don't want to be ashamed of it. Or hide it. Despite its flaws and hiccups in developement, I am proud of it.

Thank you for reading, I wish you all a great day❤

#long post #rambling mostly #feeling nostalgic #a bit in a painful way #but also happy to revive the game

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taylor-on-your-dash · 11 months

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Writing Of Fearless Timeline

DISCLAIMER: None is this is my opinion unless stated otherwise. Some dates might be wrong, I was not in the fandom when Fearless was released, I joined shortly after Fearless Platinum dropped. If you saw the rollout of the release, I'd love to hear your story!

Please credit me if you use this timeline!

Early 2005: Taylor has a writing session with the Warren Brothers. They write That's When.

[BMI Article from May 2005] “She has written songs with a list of renowned writers including Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, and the Warren Brothers.”

[Alexa Skill for Taylor's Version] “That's When is a song that I wrote with the Warren Brothers and it was really fun writing with them because they're just hilarious people in general and I remember it was a classic Nashville songwriting session: you sit around a room, you go to a publishing office, you sit around in a room, everybody's got guitars and we just kind of came up with this song about space and independence and what happens when two people love each other but one of them just needs to take a breather and think about it and what would happen if rather than saying "No, if you're not sure, then leave and I don't want to talk to you ever again", what would happen if the partner was like "Do what you need to do, I'm here and I'm sure that I want to be with you, so if you need to take some space then do it", and we're just kind of playing around with that idea and we came up with this song.”

It's also possible that That's When was written later (but before September 2005) and they wrote Long Time Going and Welcome Distraction first.

February 12, 2005: Taylor writes with Scooter Carusoe for the first time, but it's unclear if they wrote You All Over Me, or Thirteen Blocks or Pretty Words. Either way, You All Over Me was written in early 2005. Scooter produced the demo, which leaked in 2017.

Scott's email to Taylor's manager, Dan Dymtrow (thanks @backup-baby-backup for sending this to me!):

[Alexa Skill for Taylor's Version] “The song You All Over Me is one that I wrote with a writer who goes by the name Scooter Carusoe, his name is Travis Hill. This was one of the songs that I remember us painstakingly going over the lyrics and trying to come up with all these different symbolic imagery references to how it could feel after you have your heart broken, just to feel like you've been ruined by the whole thing and I think that's one of the hardest things about heartbreak, this feeling like it's damaged you and now you carry that damage with you.”

Late 2005: Taylor writes Don't You with Tommy Lee James.

[Alexa Skill for Taylor's Version] “Don't You is a song that I wrote with Tommy Lee James, who's a fantastic writer. We wrote it about the idea of seeing someone that you used to have a thing for and seeing them out in public for the first time after you've heard that they've moved on and that you know your life is your life is kind of in shambles and they have moved on and they're really happy and it's almost like even them being nice to you hurts you because you're in such a state of pain and you haven't moved on yet, so that was a really fun song to write because that's just a well spring of emotion to draw from.”

[Tommy Lee James] “The crazy thing about this song is that I remember writing with Taylor that day, and I remember her just being really sharp and smart. I knew I was writing a good song. And then normally, back then I’d probably just do like a worktape or whatever, and I would throw it into my Garage Band on my computer just to save it and label it. But for some reason, I never labeled it correctly. And then, all of a sudden, Taylor comes out with ‘Tim McGraw’, and all of a sudden she’s a star. My publisher at the time, she’s going, ‘Where is that song you wrote with Taylor!?’ And I was like…'I cannot find it.'”

There are three demos of Don't You. Taylor only sings in a piano worktape, while other people sing on the other two. The IC owns these three demos since 2019. They bought them from Music Row. They described the worktape as: “A melancholic piano demo with haunting vocals, that have a sadness and longing to them, this was likely recorded in 2005, and was probably considered for the first album. Taylor runs into her ex and feels pain, because it brings back so many hard feelings and sad emotions, she feels that she still loves him and wonders why he doesn’t feel the same way, she will try her best to go along to go on with her life.”

Somewhere in 2005: Taylor releases a digital EP called “Majorly Indie Demos”. The tracklisting is unclear but the demos of Sweet Tea & God's Graces and We Were Happy were there.

There are two demos of We Were Happy, one acoustic worktape and one studio demo. Both of them have leaked.

One thing that I want to point out is that Majorly Indie was Arturo Buenahora's website. Buenahora is the executive who signed Taylor to music publisher Sony/ATV and introduced her to many songwriters, including Scooter Carusoe and Deric Ruttan. Buenahora left Sony/ATV and founded his own publishing house called Ole Majorly Indie, which then changed its name to Anthem Entertainment. This is Liz Rose's music publisher.

September 2006: Taylor writes Come In With The Rain.

Come In With the Rain (acoustic) (4 min 03 sec / Acoustic)- Simply Taylor and her acoustic guitar in this early demo recording. Passionate guitar playing during the breaks between vocal parts when Taylor stops singing.

She'll later release an early mix of the song on MySpace also in September. Posting the song on MySpace got her to surpass 1 million followers.

October 12, 2006: [From a Lover Journal] Taylor doodles Come In With The Rain on her diary.

December 1, 2006: [Interview with CMT] Taylor talks about the Debut rejects that will later become some of the Fearless Vault Songs in 2021.

“I've been very selfish about my songs. I had this dream of this project [Debut Album] coming out for so many years now that I just stockpiled. I'm so happy that I did because now we have a second album full of songs and a third album full of songs, and I don't have to lift a finger.”

December 2006: [From a Lover Journal] Taylor writes White Horse.

White Horse (3 min 36 sec / Studio) - A perfect acoustic studio version. Taylor sounds so young here, it makes us think this song was written prior to the first album. Lots of fake versions are in circulation.

December 28, 2006: Performance at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Unknown setlist except for Nashville and Our Song. Sam Armstrong was there and will comment in 2018 that Taylor performed a song about him there. It's unclear whether it was White Horse or Nashville (which is not about him, by the way).

Early 2007: Taylor writes The Other Side Of The Door.

Description of The Other Side of the Door Studio Demo from the Inner Circle (in circulation but not leaked), which I think it's pretty accurate: “4 minutes and 01 seconds: Starts with a catchy drum loop similar to the studio version of "Permanent Marker" and has less instrumentation. Very country with electric guitars coming in sooner.” She sounds SO young in the demo, it's basically the same baby voice she has in the Christmas songs.

April 2007: Taylor writes You're Not Sorry, possibily about Sam Armstrong.

[Interview from October 2008] “I wrote it about maybe a year and half ago about this guy that kept apologizing and kept doing the same thing over and over again and after a while you just have stand up to that person and say, ‘You’re not sorry. At all... bye.’”

“I wrote a few more songs [other than Should've Said No] on this upcoming record about him just because, you know, I wasn’t done being mad about it. I know he's on the edge of his seat waiting.

“It is about this guy who turned out to not be who I thought I was. He came across as Prince Charming. Well, it turned out Prince Charming had a lot of secrets that he didn’t tell me about. And one by one, I would figure them out. I would find out who he really was. I wrote this when I was at the breaking point of, ‘You know what? Don’t even think that you can keep on hurting me.’ It was to a point where I had to walk away.”

Gossip Speculation: The other songs for Sam are: White Horse, You're Not Sorry, Come In With The Rain and The Other Side Of The Door.

May 15, 2007: Taylor talks about Fearless the song while getting ready for the ACMs Awards

I wrote this song that I'm really excited about called "Fearless." It's about the best first date that I haven't been on yet. I just try and put myself in the position of "this is really happening,' and what would happen on the coolest first date. So I haven't ever written a song about, you know, that feeling before. I've written songs, but I haven't recorded them or put them on an album, and so I think that would be a cool. It's about angry, not sad . The whole thing - I think it's really going to be cool for people to see that sort of song coming out of me. I would tell you about every single song on the album right now, I just can't wait for you to hear it.

May 30, 2007: First recorded performance of Sparks Fly in Oroville, CA.. Steve from the Inner Circle/Dark Blue Tennessee.com films it and posts it online.

July 10, 2007: [From MySpace] “So lately, I’ve been in the studio on my days off recording a CHRISTMAS album! Haha. Not kidding. It’s a Target exclusive thing, and I’m really excited about it! There are two songs on it that I wrote. More on it later!”

According to its copyright file, Christmases When You Were Mine was written in 2007, but it's totally possible that it was written around Christmas '06. In my opinion, since Nathan Chapman is credited as writer, it was likely written in the studio just for the EP.

Christmas Must Be Something More was written in 2003. The Acoustic Demo from 2003 has never leaked and its existence only surfaced in 2018 thanks to Bob Orrall.

July 19, 2007: Taylor and Brad Paisley stop at the Jamboree In The Hills in Morristown, Ohio, where she sings Permanent Marker, and Fearless, along other songs from Debut.

July 2007: Taylor has written more or less 75 songs, including Fearless.

[Unrated Magazine Interview] “I've got, like, 75 written, and we just have to whittle it down to whatever number of songs we want to put on the album, and start recording. I wrote this song that I'm really excited about called "Fearless." It's about the best first date that I haven't been on yet. I just try and put myself in the position of "this is really happening,' and what would happen on the coolest first date. So I haven't ever written a song about, you know, that feeling before. I've written songs, but I haven't recorded them or put them on an album, and so I think that would be a cool.”

“She conceived the song while touring as opening act to promote her eponymous debut album: "This is a song about the fearlessness of falling in love. No matter how many break up songs you write, no matter how many times you get hurt, you will always fall in love again. When I wrote “Fearless,” I wasn’t dating anyone. I wasn’t even in the beginning stages of dating anybody. I really was all by myself out on tour and I got this idea for a song about the best first date. I think sometimes when you’re writing love songs, you don’t write them about what you’re going through at the moment, you write about what you wish you had. So, this song is about the best first date I haven't had yet.”

[Hillary Lindsay to MusicRow.com] “I had a writing date with Taylor, and she came to my home. She came in like a fireball. She was young, but she knew exactly what she wanted. She had been working on the song with Liz, but wanted to finish it with me.”

August 2007: Taylor writes The Best Day while on tour with Brad Paisley.

“I wrote this song on the road and didn’t tell my mom about it. I decided that I was going to keep it a secret and give it to her as a surprise for Christmas. I wrote it in the summer and then recorded it secretly with the band in the studio. After it was done, I synched the song up to all these home videos of her, and my family. She didn’t even realize it was me singing until halfway through the song! She didn’t have any idea that I could possibly write and record a song without her knowing about it. When she finally got it, she just started bawling her eyes out.”

September 22, 2007: “I'm just counting down to December, when we start recording the next album. There's so much that I'm excited about”.

August/September 2007 (not confirmed): Tell Me Why and Acting Like A Boy, both co-written with Liz Rose, are registered together in her Music Publishing catalogue (Sony/ATV). Acting Like A Boy is the 66th song and Tell Me Why the 67th. Shortly after, a song called Too Beautiful, solo written, is copyrighted.

The singer told The Associated Press that this was inspired by her frustration at a boy that she liked acting up. She explained: "I walked into Liz's house, and I said, 'I can't believe what's going on right now, I've gotta tell you about this.' I told her all about it. She goes, 'If you could say everything you were thinking to him right now, what would you start with?'" Swift began venting: "I would say to him, 'I'm sick and tired of your attitude, I feel like I don't even know you' ... and I just started rambling, and she was writing down everything that I was saying, and so, we turned it into a song."

“I’d been talking to a guy I’ve never “officially” dated. Sometimes it’s the hardest thing when you have all these dreams of dating them, and you’re getting close, but it doesn’t work out. He would say things that would make me go, “Did you just say that?” It bothered me so much because he would say one thing and do another, do one thing and say another. Because he didn’t know what he wanted, he would just play all these mind games. So I went over to write with Liz and was just ranting and raving about how this guy is such a flake and such a jerk sometimes, and so cool other times. I was like, “Liz, I don’t know what’s up with this guy!” So I just started playing the beginning, “I took a chance, I took a shot. And you might think I’m bulletproof, but I’m not.””

Description of the Tell Me Why Acoustic Demo: 3 minutes and 7 seconds long. An extremely rare worktape demo from the Fearless album sessions. With studio production stripped away, we are left with Taylor singing along to an acoustic guitar using vocals that are softer and carry more emotional weight. The lyrics are different in some places, which makes for fascinating comparisons.

Description of Acting Like A Boy (worktape): Taylor starts this demo in a unique way by stating the song title. The boy Taylor has been dating has been sending her mixed signals. He has been playing a little game, acting like he doesn't care, and picking fights with her. Taylor is not going to put up with this forever. She is going to slip through his hands soon and he won't find her anymore. This song has a very pretty chorus melody.

October 10, 2007: [From the Inner Circle] “First performance of Fifteen at the All For the Hall New York. Quality unknown. We do not currently have a copy of this and are not sure if it was recorded. Tickets cost $1,000 each to attend and Taylor was a surprise guest.”

“I wrote this around the story line of my best friend from high school, Abigail. I started everything with the line “Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind” and wrote everything else from that point, almost backwards. I just decided I really wanted to tell that story about our first year of high school because I felt in my freshman year, I grew up more than any year in my life so far.”

October 14, 2007: Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection is released in a limited edition through Target. It will be later reissued in 2009 with a slightly different cover.

November 7, 2007: After months of putting it off, Taylor finishes Change after winning the CMA Horizon award. This will be the last time in which her fiddler Emily Poe would perfom with Taylor.

“That’s when I finished it, because I knew I couldn’t finish it until something like that happened. It was absolutely the most amazing night of my life, getting to see the emotion of all the people who worked so hard for me.”

“At one point, I began to understand that it would be harder for me on a smaller record label to get to the places and accomplish the things that artists were accomplishing on bigger record labels. I realized that I wouldn’t get favors pulled for me because there weren’t any other artists on the label to pull favors from. It was going to be an uphill climb and all that I had to encourage me was the hope that someday things would change. That things would be different. After so many times of just saying that to myself over and over, I finally wrote it down in a song.”

November 30, 2007: Taylor meets up with Colbie Caillat and they write Breathe, for her former fiddle player, Emily Poe.

“She was doing a show in Nashville and I just happened to be in town, so we got together and wrote a killer song. It’s really cool, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. She’s gonna record back up vocals on it for my new album. (They’ll be really loud back up vocals, because she has an incredibly awesome voice and I want it to be turned wayyyy up).”

[Alexa Skill for Taylor's Version] “Breathe is a song about having to let go of someone in your life who you care about and you don't want to hurt but you've outgrown the friendship or the relationship and I wrote this one I wrote the idea for it and Colbie Caillat was in town playing a show and I brought her this idea and she really liked it and we wrote it together, we sat there and wrote the song right before her show, I mean it was the afternoon she was about to play that night. She's singing backup vocals on it that are just so haunting and I'm so lucky because she agreed to do the same backup vocals on my version of Breathe, so it absolutely would not have been the same without her.”

“It’s a song about having to say goodbye to somebody, but it never blames anybody. Sometimes that’s the most difficult part. When it’s nobody’s fault. I was a huge fan of Colbie’s record. When it came out, I fell in love with the way that she makes music. I contacted her management right away and I asked if I could write with her and, sure enough, Colbie had a date coming up in Nashville where she was going to be playing a show and she had the day off. I think she sounds beautiful on it. I’m so excited to have her voice on my album.”

December 5, 2007: [From MySpace] “Speaking of my next album, today was my first day in the studio “pre-planning” for recording it!! My producer, Nathan, and I basically spent all day listening to songs and picking which ones to record first.”

“When Taylor sat down in December 2007 to start planning her sophomore album, she knew she had a tough act to follow — her self-titled debut had just been certified double platinum. “Pressure is one of my favorite things in the world,” Taylor told the Tennessean. “When I heard before my second album, ‘Is she going to experience a sophomore slump?’ it made me more motivated to make sure that didn’t happen. ‘Is she going to keep this fan base?’ ‘Is this thing going to run off the tracks?’ Those things motivate me. My gut instinct has worked so far, and I’m not going to mess with that.””

December 10, 2007: Taylor is in the studio to record Change and Breathe. Taylor Swift goes double platinum. Our Song reaches No. 1. It's her first song to do so.

December 13, 2007: Taylor turns 18. Footage from her birthday party will be later turned in the Beautiful Eyes music video.

[From MySpace] “I had an amazing time at my party. I wore a hot pink dress. Pictures soon! The party was a blast.. My favorite thing about it was this photo booth. All of us were taking pictures in there the whole night. We had tarot card readers and palm readers and all kinds of fun stuff to do. I’ve never really had a big birthday party before, so it was amazing to get that chance! My record label surprised me with this HUGE pink truck!! They’re so sweet to me, and I’ve always wanted a truck.”

Around this time, an alternate version of Christmases When You Were Mine is released thorough Entertainment Weekly.

December 23, 2007: [From MySpace] “We’ve got six songs recorded already, and they sound amazing. I’ve been in the studio with Nathan (my producer. Same guy who produced my first record! But this time we’re co-producing) all month and it’s been so much fun.”

December 27, 2007: The Mirror tracklisting is released:

Permanent Marker

Tell Me Why

I'd Lie

Fearless

Dark Blue Tennessee

Sparks Fly

The One Thing.

Lyrics to I'm Looking Out For You are also photographed. This song is speculated to be about Gracie Johnson, a friend of Taylor's who was battling cancer. Gracie can be heard at the beginning of the Beautiful Eyes Video and in the first picture of Love Story (Taylor's Version) Lyric Video.

“Bye Bye Baby [previously known as The One Thing] is a song that I wrote with Liz Rose and it was just one of those ones that it would always get stuck in my head, just the idea that you're facing disappointment when it comes to somebody that you really cared about, and kind of that grand letdown that happens when you're growing up and you're learning to trust people and trying to learn about love and everything and kind of realizing that you have to let go.”

Somewhere in 2007: Taylor writes The Way I Loved You with John Rich and SuperStar with Liz Rose.

[About The Way I Loved You] “I got this idea for a song about being in a relationship with a nice guy who is punctual and opens up the door for you and brings you flowers... but you feel nothing. The whole time you’re with him, you’re thinking about the guy who was complicated and messy and frustrating. So I brought that idea, the title and where I thought the song should go to John. He was able to relate to it because he is that complicated, frustrating messy guy in his relationships. We came at the song from different angles. It was just so cool to get in a room and write with him because he really is an incredible writer.”

John Rich is a Republican and spoke against Taylor in 2018 after Marsha Blackburn won, so this is probably all we'll ever know about their writing session.

There are two demos of Superstar, and on the worktape Taylor reveals that the superstar was born in Arkansas. Fans speculated that it's a reference to Joe Nichols, a famous country singer.

January 28, 2008: Matt Jenkins opens for Taylor at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. They write a song together called This One's Different. It was probably intended for Jenkins' debut album (which was never released) but I'll inlcude it anyway.

[Description of the song from the Inner Circle] The singer reflects back on how there can be really bad days and nights where it seems like everything goes wrong. But things can change for the better in a single moment when we meet the perfect person. The story in this song culminates in a romantic proposal and wedding. This song is unique because Taylor only sings background vocals and the story is told from the boy's perspective.

Video of Taylor and Matt explaining how she contacted him.

February 28, 2008: Love and Theft open Taylor's concert in Spartanburg, SC. This is likely the period when Taylor and Stephen Barker Liles met and Taylor wrote Hey Stephen.

“We were recording at John and Martina McBride’s studio [aka Blackbird Studios in Nashville] and he was like, ‘My kids are dying to meet you. Do you think that you could say hi to them?’ I said, ‘Sure, have them come and hang out while we’re recording.’ So his daughters and their friends from school – there were about ten of them there – they all came into the studio when we were recording “Hey Stephen” and they loved it. They were singing along with it by the end of it." The children ended up snapping their fingers on the song.”

March 2008: According to Nathan Chapman, Love Story was recorded in March.

[From Everyday is a Fairytale by Liv Spencer] “Taylor wrote this song lying on her bedroom floor in a mere 20 minutes and recorded a rough cut of the track in 15 minutes of studio time the next day.”

[Nathan Chapman to ProAudio] “The vocal was a tracking vocal — that's the vocal she cut live with the band," Chapman reveals. "The band was just acoustic guitar, bass and drums; everything else was overdubbed.”

Nathan is likely talking about these two demos: Love Story (4 min 8 sec / Acoustic in a Studio) Taylor went into the studio to record this demo shortly after writing it and you can hear Nathan (the producer) speaking during the recording; Love Story Justin Niebank Master Mix (3 min 58 sec / Studio) - As the music starts playing, Taylor clears her throat in preparation for singing. This album demo is more like a raw unmixed studio version. Sometimes Taylor's vocal is simply one take with no enhancements. At other times, harmonies are mixed in loudly or there are multiple Taylor vocals all singing together.

[Taylor on Rolling Stone, January 25, 2010] “Love Story wasn’t technically the last one, but it was very, very last minute.”

“This is a song I wrote when I was dating a guy who wasn't exactly the popular choice. His situation was a little complicated, but I didn't care. I started this song with the line "This love is difficult, but it's real." When I wrote the ending to this song, I felt like it was the ending every girl wants to go with her love story. It’s the ending that I want. You want a guy who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, what anyone says. He just says, “Marry me, Juliet, I love you, and that’s all I really know.” It’s sort of told in a character kind of thing, where it’s Romeo and Juliet, and it’s not me saying that I’m getting married or anything...but I think it’s fun to write about it.”

March 2008: Just days after writing Love Story, Taylor has a writing session with Craig Wiseman. She brings Love Story with her, asking if he wanted to finish it with her, but he refused. They end up writing another unknown song.

March 28, 2008: [Rollling Stone Interview] “I’ve recorded six songs, including one that I wrote with Colbie Caillat, that she’s going to throw some harmonies on, which I can’t even wait to hear. And I’m going in to record six more this week and then we have another session scheduled for summertime. We’re really trying to just cut a bunch of stuff and put whatever is best on the album.”

May 10, 2008: Banjo Ben Clark, the banjo player who has been touring with Taylor since 2006, reveals that he had recently played some banjo on new Taylor songs. Through an email exchange with him, I was able to confirm that he played on a Fearless song of which the production was changed and the banjo track discarded. Mr. Clark was not able to confirm which song this was.

Early June 2008: Taylor records Crazier and White Horse.

“I actually wasn’t going to put [White Horse] on the album. I was going to wait for the third album because I really felt like we had the “sadness” represented on this record. Then my agency out in LA set up a meeting with executive producers Betsy Beers and Shonda Rhimes at Grey’s Anatomy because that’s my favorite show. It would just be a dream come true to have a song on it. So, I played them “White Horse.” It was just me and my guitar and they freaked out. They loved it. They said, “We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” For a while, we didn’t know if we were going to put it on the record because if it wasn’t going to be on the show, then we weren’t going to put it on the album. Then they called and said they were very interested in the song. We recorded it right away, sent it off to them, and they put it in!”

“White Horse is about what, in my opinion, is the most heart-breaking part of a break-up – that moment when you realize that all the dreams you had, all those visions you had of being with this person, all that disappears. Everything after that moment is moving on.. But that initial moment of "Wow, it's over" is what I wrote White Horse about.”

(About Crazier) [Billboard Interview, March 2008] “There are songs that I wrote when I was 13 that I think are perfect to bring out now. I didn’t get a chance to put ’em on the record the first time around. There’s so much stuff that I’m gonna to pull from the back drawer and then there’s some stuff that I will write today and cut tomorrow.”

“I wrote the song ‘Crazier’ when I was thirteen, and so this song is really a reflection of what I thought love was supposed to be. And, you know, sometimes you write a love song about what you hope will find you, and what you hope you’ll find someday, not about what you’re actually going through. I wrote the song in hopes that possibly it would be in the movie, but I never thought that it would be such a big, prominent song. It’s absolutely one of the most exciting things. The song is playing when the main characters in the movie, Miley and Billy Ray, are both falling in love, with that song as a background. It’s really cool to have that kind of a part in the movie.”

[Co-writer Robert Ellis Orrall on Crazier] “Disney called her up and said, 'We need a fiddle waltz song for Hannah Montana the Movie, we would love for you to sing it. She had one, so she sent it to them.”

Speculation:

I'm pretty confident that the songs written at 13 which she considered to release were Crazier and R-E-V-E-N-G-E.

I'm not entirely sure it was June, but Crazier, White Horse and Beautiful Eyes were mastered together, so I'm gonna assume that they were done in the period between her cameo in Hannah Montana and the release of the Beautiful Eyes EP. Grey's Anatomy was in post-production in that period, so that checks out.

June 9, 2008: Taylor shoots her cameo in Hannah Montana.

July 15, 2008: Beautiful Eyes is released.

[From MySpace] “I’m only letting my record company make a small amount of these - the last thing I want any of you to think is that we are putting out too many releases. I’m not going to be doing a bunch of promotion for it, because I don’t want there to be confusion about whether it’s the second album or not.”

Beautiful Eyes was written by April 20, 2004 and recorded on August 9, 2004 and it was produced by Orrall. The song released is actually the exact same demo, not even remixed, just mastered. [Source: Bob Orrall's Instagram]

I Heart? was written in early 2004 and the demo recorded in June 2004. The released version, available for download if you bought her Debut album the first week at Best Buy, was recorded on November 3, 2005 (instrumentals) and on November 4, 2005 (vocals). Both versions are produced by Bob Orrall.

FAQ: What's the difference between mixing and mastering?

July 29, 2008: First live perfomance of Untouchable from the Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 is the album which was released without Taylor's approval in April 2020. Before the "official" Big Machine release, these songs were on the Target YouTube channel. YouTube channel EAS Music Official waited until Taylor regained possessions of Fearless before uploading a 4K remastered version of Love Story from this live. Both videos are ethical-sourced.

August 5 and 6, 2008: Shooting of the Love Story music video at the Cumberland University and Castle Gwynn in Arrington, Tennessee.

August 8, 2008: Change is released.

August 15, 2008: Week of the Jonas Brothers 3D Movie shooting where Taylor performs Should've Said No; Should've Said No reaches No. 1; Fearless is announced for November.

August 30, 2008: [From MySpace] “So now is the time for planning. In 73 days, November 11th will be here and so will the release date of my new album. And so right now I’m in the middle of writing my ‘thank you’ section and thinking about track listing order (wondering “What song should go first..? Or last? How do you get the perfect flow of an album? What IS the "flow” of an album? Hmmm..“). And I’m also thinking about the secret codes to put into the lyrics. [...] This next record is on my mind 24/7, all the time. It never stops. I’m always either listening to a new mix of a song or scanning through pictures to make sure we’ve chosen the right ones, or wondering which songs you guys are going to like the best. I’m just so obsessed with it right now, all the planning. And sometimes I just have to sit back and remind myself that 73 days is not going to be here any sooner if I obsess. It’s still going to be 73 days away.”

Somewhere between July and August 2008: Taylor writes Jump Then Fall and Today Was A Fairytale.

[About Jump The Fall] «It’s probably the happiest, bounciest, most fun song to drive down the street listening to. It's one of my favorites on the Platinum Edition. It's just really fun and happy and takes me back to a good place.»

July 31, 2008: Taylor shoots the Fearless photoshoot. (I got this date from an insider)

September 1, 2008: The Fearless tracklist is released. Originally, Change was the first song The Way I Loved You wasn't included. Forever & Always was also missing, as Taylor hadn't written it yet.

September 12, 2008: The lead single Love Story is released.

[From MySpace] “A lot of people have been asking me what inspired this song.. I think the line that sums up what that song is about is “This love is difficult, but it’s real.” It just means that sometimes you have to fight for love, but sometimes it’s worth fighting for. Like with Romeo and Juliet. Except without the death. :) To me, the song isn’t really about living in a castle and having met your true love at a royal ball. It’s simpler than that. It’s about love being worth it. The hard times, the things that keep you apart, the times when you question it.. I would really like to think that the right love is worth the energy we put into it. So that’s what this song is about. Love and Romeo, and how we fight for those things that we can’t be without. In 1789 or in 2008. Whether you’re 16 or 60.”

Taylor will call the guy who inspired Love Story “a creep” in a 2011 interview.

September 18, 2008: The Jonas Brothers are filming their music video Lovebug. Joe meets Camilla Belle there.

September 21, 2008: Taylor and Liz Rose write You Belong With Me.

“I came into the writing session with Liz Rose and said: “I’ve got this idea. I had overheard a friend of mine talking to his girlfriend and he was completely on the defensive saying, “No, baby...I had to get off the phone really quickly...I tried to call you right back...Of course I love you. More than anything! Baby, I’m so sorry.” She was just yelling at him! I felt so bad for him at that moment. So I came up with the first line “You’re on the phone with your girlfriend, she’s upset, going off about something that you said,” and I ran that into the story line that I’m in love with him and he should be with me instead of her. It just became this whole picture. It was really fun for us to write the line, “She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts.””

[Liz Rose Interview] “Taylor said, ‘I’m finishing the record on Monday. Let’s write an uptempo song.’ We wrote ‘You Belong With Me’ in one or two hours. It’s amazing to go back to the work tape and listen to it, because you wouldn’t believe the nuances that show up in the album version, too. When she’s writing something, she’s already producing in her head. She hears it all.”

Description of the worktape: You Belong With Me (3 min 7 sec / Acoustic)- Provides an incredible window into the songwriting process which went into this future hit song. Taylor clears her voice and then unleashes her acoustic guitar as she sings along with great feeling. There are some unique lyrics on this demo including an entirely different bridge. Simply stunning.

September 22, 2008: Taylor records You Belong With Me.

[Nathan Chapman Interview] We moved a little quick sometimes - most of You Belong With Me took two hours and a half. We started at 10AM and we were done by 12:30. I said, "Hey, let's go to lunch", but on the way back, one of the guys from the label said, "Hey, it's not cool to take that much time for one song". So we did four songs that afternoon. And then her management called and said, "You really wore her out today, can you go easier on her tomorrow?"

September 22 or 23, 2008: While in the studio, Taylor writes and records Forever & Always, a last-addiction to Fearless.

[From MySpace] [...] And I recorded a new song the other day for Fearless. I think it’s fun to put yourself under crazy pressure to finish a song by a certain deadline. That’s what I did with this last song. And that makes 13 songs on the new album. 13….. I think that’s a good number of songs to end up with….<3

“Forever & Always is about when I was in a relationship with someone and I was just watching him slowly slip away. I didn't know why, because I wasn't doing anything different. I didn't do anything wrong. He was just fading. It’s about the confusion and frustration of wondering why? What changed? When did it change? What did I do wrong? In this case, the guy I wrote it about ended up breaking up with me for another girl. Guess I know why he was fading.”

September 26, 2008: White Horse is premeried on Grey's Anatomy.

September 30, 2008: [From MySpace] “So this week, we’re in “final approval mode” for the album. You know, all the emails that say in the subject lines “Fearless album booklet: FINAL APPROVAL” or “CD design: FINAL APPROVAL”. So I’m doing a lot of approving. And then they send it to the magical CD maker people and they make all the CDs just in time for November 11. Actually, it’s called the distribution branch, but I prefer “the magical CD maker people”.”

Somewhere during the last two weeks of September: Drama Queen, co-written with Martin Johnson is written and recorded. It will be mastered along the rest of the Fearless songs and another re-recording of R-E-V-E-N-G-E (not the one leaked). Since the song was mastered, it's considered an outtake and not a demo.

Fun fact: Along with I'd Lie, Drama Queen and R-E-V-E-N-G-E are the only three unreleased songs to have been mastered.

IMPORTANT PERSONAL NOTE: I know that a lot of people think that Drama Queen is exclusively a Speak Now cut, but this is not my opinion, but what the master engineer (Hank Williams) and Big Machine officially declared. Feel free to not believe them though. It's totally possible it was considered for Fearless Platinum or for Speak Now (and I believe it was) but cut in favour of Better Than Revenge, but it doesn't change the fact that it's also a Fearless cut. If you really have proof that Big Machine falsified documents, call them out, don't waste time coming after me, I just copy-past stuff. They're already considered liars anyway.

October 14, 2008: Through Countdown to Fearless, an exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store, Fearless is released as a promotional single.

October 28, 2008: You're Not Sorry is released as a promotional single through ITunes. The physical copies are also completed.

[From MySpace] Just letting everyone know that my new song “You’re Not Sorry” comes out on iTunes tonight at midnight, so check it out! I stopped by the label today and held the actual CD in my hands… It’s finished. It’s ready to go. TWO WEEKS! Let me know what you think of the new song!

November 4, 2008: You Belong With Me is released as a promotional single through ITunes.

November 11, 2008: Fearless is finally released.

March 19, 2009 (not confirmed): [From MySpace] “I've been in the studio all day (I know, I know.. We JUST put out a new album. I think I have a problem, I cannot stop writing songs.)”. The song is possibly Mr. Perfectly Fine.

[Alexa Skill for Taylor's Version] “Mr Perfectly Fine was definitely an early indicator of me sort of creeping towards a pop sensibility. I've always listened to every type of music and even though Fearless is a country album, there were always these pop melodies creeping in. But I really love this song and, I love the bridge, I think the lyrics are just wonderfully scathing and full of the teen angst that you would hope to hear on an album that I wrote when I was 17 or 18 or you know on that cusp.”

April 23, 2009: The Fearless Tour starts in Evansville, Indiana.

October 26, 2009: Fearless Platinum Edition is released.

«The six new songs on the Fearless [Platinum Edition] are songs that I either recorded and wrote really recently, wrote maybe a year ago and almost put on Fearless but decided not to for one reason or another, or a songs that I wrote when I was 14/15 and re-recorded recently. It's a good mixture of songs from different time periods throughout my life. When I make an album, I always have a general theme for it. And when I hear songs, or go back and listen to old ones, there are some that I know fit in with the theme.»

Check out my Spreadsheet with all the writing and recording dates.

Follow my playlist 'Fearless in Chronological Order'.

Go to my Writing of Speak Now Timeline

Go to my Writing of Red Timeline

Go to my Writing of Red Timeline (VIDEO EDITION)

Other Sources used:

U.S. Copyright Office;

Mastering Archive Website;

Sony/ATV Catalogue;

Fearlyssa/Rare TS Songs Website;

Alexa Skills from Fearless TV (audio courtesy of u/emmafan3070, transcripts by me);

Big Machine Interviews Archive;

Taylor's Concert History (also Colbie Caillat's);

TS MySpace Archive on Tumblr

Taylor Swift Switzerland

Last but certainly not least, the king of Taylor's timeline: Robert Ellis Orrall.

#taylor swift #writing of fearless timeline #i just realized i hadn't posted this one here yet ops #i think i wrote this in december 2021 #but i only posted it on reddit #fearless era #fearless taylor's version #taylor swift unreleased songs #taylor swift timelines

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devilscreekballad · 2 years

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The Ballad of Devil's Creek - INFORMATION POST

The West is Wild and the West is Weird. Take up the role of an outlaw who gets wrapped up in an adventure of a lifetime. Face bounty hunter, ghosts and a doomsday cult as you travel cross the Old West, trying prevent the end of the world at the hands of eldritch horrors.

‘The Ballad of Devil’s Creek is an Interactive Novel WiP set in an alternate timeline of the ‘Old West’. It is to be published on itchio and potentially steam, app- and playstore..

A new century is around the corner, and you are an outlaw traversing the towns and terrains of the Frontier, only to one evening get wrapped up in chasing down the means to stop a doomsday cult from bringing forth the end of days.

You’ll have to deal with hustlers, grifters, gunslingers and vengeful brides as you make your way to the ghost town of Devil’s Creek to find answers, and hopefully get out of there alive.

Where to Play the Demo

HERE For the Choicescript Version on dashingdon. (20 Saveslots)

HERE For the Twine Version on itch.io (1 Saveslots)

For bugreports please contact me for the discord server. (see below)

NOTE: Please see tags and warnings below. While this isn't a 'historically accurate' story, it is still dealing with some heavy topics of the time (late 19th century America) and might not be for everyone.

---

Current Statistics:

Words per playthrough: 67k (147k with code total)

Who can I play as and Who are the Romantic Options?

You can play as cis, trans, non-binary and genderfluid. Inputting your own pronouns and addresses is also possible.

Having interchangeable pronouns is not possible, though. (Because I don't know how to code that).

There's a growing list of races/ethnicity to pick from, all having an impact on the gameplay, big and small.

---

ROs:

Charlie Mulligan : (white, 39, male, Irish-American): MC’s oldest friend and partner in crime. Blue-Ribbon conman, gambler and part-time medium, lost an eye during a job a few years prior.

Seán O’Brian : (white, 28, male/genderfluid, Irish): Another excellent conman who approached MC and Charlie, asking for help with speaking to the dead. [Only romancable in a polycule with Tommy]

Tommy Burke : (mixed (mother black, father white), 29, male, Irish-French): Arsonist and pragmatical grump. Was about to be hanged, now travels with the MC. Has a relationship with Seán. [Only romancable in a polycule with Seán]

Mrs. Lian Meadows: (chinese, 35, female): Doctor and sharpshooter, widowed. Pretty cold, no-nonsense approach to life. Travels with the MC to make sure they fulfil their task.

Lynwood: (white, 43, male, British/French American): A Pinkerton agent on O'Brian’s trails, trying to bring O'Brian in for murder.

Josie McKee: (mixed (mother white, father black), 34, female, Scottish): Widow, runs the saloon and bordello in Potter’s Springs. Bit snarky, good with poisons.

‘Preacher’: (white, 40?, male, probably Irish?) A mysterious, almost legendary gunman/bounty-hunter who takes a certain interest in the MC and their posse.

Therese 'Tess’ Lynwood: (white, 37, female (?), British/French American) Lynwood’s younger sister. Bit of a scatterbrained worrywart, but extremely caring. Follows the posse out of worry for her brother and Isaac.

Isaac Delgado: (Latino, 38, male, Mexican-American) Friend and former colleague of Lynwood. Ended up in the area by chance. Very pessimistic due to past events.

---

Charakter Birthdays:

Seán: March 11th

Josie: April 17th

Charlie: May 1st

Tommy: June 9th

Lynwood: June 27th

Preacher: August 13th

Finley: Sept 27th

Meadows: Nov 5th

Discord:

If you followe the blog longer than a week, send a message to get an invite link. We had some trouble with some people, so we're rather safe than sorry.

Tags and Warnings:

Warnings and Taglist.

Warnings:

Violence

historical bigotry (nothing explicit but present, alluded to and mentioned)

historical use of language (for the most part the game will, however, be using modern terms)

Death

Blood

Alcohol and alcoholism

Mild Gore

Injury (general and eye-specific)

Mentions of abuse

Guns

Mentions of miscarriage

swearing and suggestive language

hallucinations

(Note me if there are other things that need a mention. See below for Warnings concerning the RO in detail)

---

Taglist:

#The Ballad of Devil’s Creek (general tag for things game related)

#baodc (general tag for all things game related)

#baodc development (status updates and insight into the work being done)

#baodc spoilers (spoilers)

#baodc ros (posts concerning any of the ROs)

#baodc (name) (leads to posts specifically about the character (replace name with the name you want))

#not baodc (everything not directly game related)

#baodc askbox (the majority of answered asks)

#baodc ramble (rambles and generally more negative stuff)

#baodc stream (for stream announcements. Writing and Let’sPlay Streams)

#unrelated yet relevant (vaguely game related nonsense)

---

Most of the ROs come with some baggage that might not be everyone’s tea:

Charlie: outlaw, gambler, medium, missing an eye, conman. The story of how he lost his eye will be retold ingame.

Seán: Grifter, notorious liar (bad at it outside of cons), cleptomaniac tendencies

Tommy: pyromanic. arsonist and explosive expert, loves blowing things up. likely to lash out verbally at others when pissed off, sometimes physically. short fused.

Meadows: Snarky, cold, and cutting. often condescending and too judgemental.

Lynwood: Ex-confed (didn’t subscribe to the views, forced into service), pinkerton, stubborn, little self-care priorities, low self-esteem, alcohol abuse.

Josie: poisoner, sex-worker, bar owner, promiscuous.

Isaac: former pinkerton, history of drug abuse, depression.

Standalone Post HERE

How to support the game:

SEE HERE

#the ballad of devil's creek #baodc development #interactive fiction #baodc #choicescript #twine game #baodc information

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xardoth · 1 year

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Decibels Of Storm (1990) | Pelle Ohlin

I know I've talked about posting a Euronymous interview but I haven't had time to type out anything new and I apologize. I'm taking all the Pelle interviews I've published on different social medias and posting them here until I find the time to sit down and search for other ones. As usual, Pelle's words are in italic and the interviewers are bold!

"Hi! What'sup after the release of your EP "Deathcrush"? Is it selling well?

- Deathcrush is sold out since nearly a year! But DC's demo wich is not limited is still available and we don't intend to stop selling it at 5$. The record was produced & pressed by us! If we would have had a commercial record label on us, the songs would have been different as they are, and they would never have allowed that front cover and everyone who got one knows why... After Deathcrush we had a long time of no release and no gigs. We got our actual rehearsal place in April '89, a great equipment and fount at last a place to live and so on.. Now we can really begin the hard work for realizing all our band's future plans!

Why did you change the line-up?

- Well, in fact we never changed it.... only Manheim (ex drummer) and Maniac (ex vocalist) left the band after Deathcrush's recording! I began in spring '88 and Hellhammer joined a few weeks later! Now we are: Dead: vocals; Hellhammer: drums; Necrobutcher: bass and Euroymous guitars.

What do you think now of your first demo: "Pure fucking armaggeddon"?

- It's the same extremely bad sound quality now as it was before! In '86, when it came out and I first heard it (I didn't sing on that one). it was the rawest and noisiest crushing black metal I'heard till then. The songs we'll use from PFA live are carnage & PFA. We'll print carnage in tha same version as before, and PFA on vinyl, maybe on CD..... What I can say for sure is that Deathcrush will come out again on vinyl, with another cover. Unfortunately, we can't use the name "posercorpse" anymore, as we started our own record label called "Deathlike silence productions" and all our future records will be on DSP. We'll press not only our own records, but also those of some other bands. The first one will be "the awakening", an LP from Merciless from Sweden.

How is life in Norway? Tell me about your country.

- In almost every country you'll find people who would prefer to live elsewhere. I wanna live in Transylvania! I'm not norvegian, maybe another of us should answer this question. I think everything here is too far expensive and the Death Metal scene isn't big enough. There aren't so many satanic covens, the blasphemes in christian churches aren't grim enough and Scandinavia has also a rotten weather. I think that France is more human and nearer other european countries (compared to Norway). I've also heard all about those many ancient castles, I'll have to check that out some days.

What are you listening to now? Death metal I suppose!!

- The bands I prefer are: Mantas and Old Death/Necrovore, Azagthoth, Matricide, Immolation, Autopsy, Damnation, Merciless (SWE), Casbah, Necrophile, Deathspeed, Nausea, Imperator, Panic, Slashing Death, Mercilles death, Tormentor, Mutilated, Agressor and the new stuff on Loudblast.

So you know Mutilated!! Yeah! I think they're awful, shit with big head. Do u think this too?

- Mutilated is OK musically, but as I don't know those guys I can't say much about them, only that someone wrote to us once telling that Mutilated doesn't answer letters. So don't ask me what might go on between them and French public.

You plan an LP. Please Dead, talk to me 'bout it.

- We hope to get a studio in March '90 for the recording of "De Mysteris Dom Sathanas" LP. Exactly when it'll be out and the time for the recording depend of any possible new gigs appearing. We hope go to Russia for about 20-30 gigs at this year's end and if nothing appears after that then we can record in March. The title "De Misteriis.." comes from a book with ghost stories; ghosts made of human flesh with forced far beyond human imagination. Unfortunately this book seems to exist in only 1 examplary, but I still try to find another. Just now I can tell you which songs we'll use: carnage, the dark of the freezing moon, buried by time & dust, funeral fog, de mysteriis dom sathanas and song we could call "when the vultures left" and one more without title yet! That makes 7 songs, but as we have 10 on the LP, we have to make 3 more. We still have 4 songs on DeathCrush and all those we composed for the russian tour! There's of course a difference in new track and that of DC, but to me they're in the same vein as our old stuff, maybe longer, with more solo parts! We did all improve technically since then; but it will be the same Death on it!

Are your lyrics funny, or do you speak about reality?

- Let's talk about the new lyrics... They're mostly done by me, and I take it very seriously! I'e been mad of horror since my birth and I'm insane of ancient, nearly forgotten... covens of pure evil!! Lonely castles in carpatians, in transylvania... vulture legends wich are so ancient but still alive in Transylvania! Black metal!!!!

Any future plans?

-I don't like future as I'm obsessed by the past! Hard to talk about it as everything goes so slowly! What will happen after the LP? We've got many plans for then but the biggest is our tour and the way we planned it: Eastern Europe (in its whole), many places in the west (I can't for sure it willbe France, but I would rather think so), southern and central america and maybe Canada and Asia! My own idea would be to play in the places which invite us. We only wanna play in so "sick" as possible places, communist, with closed borders and impossible to see for tourists. That's all I can say now.

Any last words?

- If one of you, Satanic true evil horror Nosferatu insaniacs of immortality finds per chance the book "De Miteriis Dom. Satanas" and survives its contact, please contact me, so I can die in peace!!"

#pelle ohlin #øystein aarseth #euronymous #mayhem #lords of chaos #necrobutcher #hellhammer #jørn stubberud #jan axel blomberg #black metal #death metal #true norwegian black metal #swedish black metal #metalhead

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endlich-allein · 1 year

Text

Day 23 — Favorite Rosenrot Song

I love this album with all my heart. Rosenrot is probably the album that marked me the most. I like its dark, melancholy, slightly gothic atmosphere. I find it unfortunate that some band members don't like it and therefore this album didn't get the chance it deserved with the media and live. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Rosenrot is an album which was conceived as a patchwork, made up of songs recorded for Reise Reise and reworked demos. I also know it's an album dear to Till's heart, even though he said they did it too quickly and weren't in a good mood at the time.

Regarding the songs, there are some interesting facts about some of them. Benzin, for example, was written by Till because Paul, who liked the word benzin, pestered him for months to write a song about that word.

Mann Gegen Mann, a fucking banger, is a song about homosexuality. Till after writing the lyrics for this song, asked German artist and proud member of the LGBT community, Peter Plate if this song might offend gay people. Plate replied that they were completely acceptable, which validated the presence of this song on the album.

Stirb Nicht Vor Mir also has a rather special story. This song was written and composed at the very beginning of the Emigrate project, when there was talk of Till and Richard doing this band together. This song completes the love story of these two (#tillchardisreal) with the trilogy : Stirb Nicht Vor Mir / Let's Go / Always On My Mind.

Zerstören song denouncing the war in Iraq and presenting George Buch Jr as an uncontrollable child arsonist.

Feuer und Wasser who came to Till while he was swimming. But which also refers to those years as a professional swimmer in the GDR with all the suffering it caused him.

One of Ollie's favorite songs is Ein Lied. According to him, it was recorded in 10 minutes, the lyrics of Till and the guitars at the same time (which is rare with Rammstein). Ollie said of this in 2005 :

"It was an honest, pure moment that we could never reproduce, so we took the original version for the album."

Without forgetting the mythical Rosenrot and the magnificent and moving Wo Bist Du.

But my favorite song, and those who follow me for a long time know what song it is, it's Spring !

I love this song for two reasons :

The first is the theme. Two years ago, when I had done a challenge similar to this one, I had already talked about it at length. But for fun I'll talk again about it. This song denounces the mentality of the people of our time. Today, nothing shocks us anymore. We live and see every day that passes things that should revolt us, disgust us, make us react in one way or another. But instead, we passively watch the world destroy itself. You know, it's like when there's an accident on the road, people slow down to take a good look at what's going on. And the worst is that we wish the worst, we wish to see blood, to see injuries. It also denounces the mass effect. Because we are many, we feel strong and protected. We think that because we are many, we are right. But this mass does not hesitate to condemn, to crush dissenting voices. Like this crowd that wants the man in the song to jump, to commit suicide, while he is only standing there to observe the view.

This song is full of dark humor and irony as Till knows how to write them so well. The interpretation and the music are serious, melancholy as if Rammstein were becoming observers of humanity, tired and overwhelmed observers. Somewhat disillusioned.

The second reason for my love for this song is the mystery surrounding it. Paul said that there are two songs Spring Jungle and Spring Weiter and Spring comes from these two songs. There is also the fact that the text was worked over and over again, that even Till was frustrated by it. Originally, Spring was supposed to be a long song, in all, Till had written a long version. But to stick to the music, he had to reduce it and cut important pieces. One of my dreams is to read this long version.

#31 days rammstein challenge #31dr+c #rammstein #till lindemann #flake lorenz #paul landers #christoph schneider #oliver riedel #richard kruspe

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nogoinghomegame · 9 months

Text

Noel Gallaghers Reddit Absolutely."

NG: "You can send it to my management address, which is Number 54 Linhope Street, London, NW1 6 HL

Ask for Ray

Laughs evilly"

Question 2:

Steamedhams: "Do you ever get tired of those idiots who yell "Slide Away!" at your concerts?

If so, I'm sorry in advance for Monday night."

NG: "HA! Yes. I do."

NG: "I accept your groveling apology. And I still won't be playin' it."

Question 3:

Fagdrew4l: "hey noel, can you give me your favorite smiths song or songs?"

NG: "Ooooh! "Rusholme Ruffians." "The Queen is Dead." "There is a light that never goes out." "These Things Take Time." "Rubber Ring." And "Asleep." Amongst others."

Question 4:

Ericms: "Hey Noel, did the Japanese fan obsessed with your pants actually get to meet you in the end?"

NG: "No."

Question 5:

Thefeb83: "Hi Noel! Do you like classical music? Any favourite composers?"

NG: "ponders

Ennio Morricone is the only one that springs to mind. I've seen 'im twice in the last five years. And his music does bring a tear to my eye. I think he's a genius. Like me."

Question 6:

NoelyGFan: "Hiya Noel. Tayto or Walkers? Curlywurly or Double Decker? And a thank you to your wife for being such an inspiration for me to get fit. (Hence I don't eat any of those much anymore! :) )"

NG: "Tayto

Curlywurly. From the fridge

Oh wow! Well, I would high-five you back on 'er behalf. She's a fitness fanatic my wife. She's fucking gorgeous."

Question 7:

Aman50k: "I'll be attending one of your gigs for the first time this summer? Any advice, aside from not shouting out "LIAM!"?

Also could you please play an acoustic version of Go Let it Out sometime soon? It's one of my favourite tunes of yours!"

NG: "Eh - do I have any advice for you attendin'?

If you could find the time to buy some merchandise, that'd be great. A t-shirt preferably, maybe a poster, ideally a t-shirt AND a poster would be GREAT

Other than that, just clap in all the right places, and you know, don't shout out stupid fucking song titles."

Question 8:

Kyuzwafu: "Hi Noel, quick question. What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to music?"

NG: "Tears for Fears."

Question 9:

State_from_jakefarm: "Hi Noel

Your'e commentary on all of Oasis's music videos is possibly the best thing on Youtube and one of the funniest things ever

So I'm hoping that your stance on videos hasn't changed so we'll see some High Flying Birds commentary down the road. Right?

Also, if you play "All around the world" at the Sony Center on Monday I will dedicate a shrine to you in my closet"

NG: "Oh yeah. Absolutely

Then what better reason for not playing it? Hehehehe."

Question 10:

David_J_Huggins: "Hi Noel

Do you remember where the chant in the demo of Columbia was sampled from?

Sounds like a Hare Krishna-type chant to me, but would love to know where it was actually from. Thanks!"

NG: "None of us know. It was just - we switched on the radio - it was recorded in the middle of the night, about 3 or 4 AM, and we just... it was something that was on the BBC World Service I think or some fucking radio station. None of us know what it is. No idea."

Question 11:

Pottersground: "Hi Noel, fan since the Definitely Maybe days here. Thanks for doing this AMA. My three questions are:

1) If there had been one more Oasis album after Dig Out Your Soul, what do you think it would've been like? Which songs of yours or the other three would you have put on it?

2) What's your maddest Oasis story?

3) What lead to Lock All the Doors being dug up and rerecorded for Chasing Yesterday? And,while we're on the subject, are there any odds in any other old and unreleased songs being redone for future releases? I would love to hear a finished version of Gotta Have Fun from the '89 tape

Cheers Noel!"

NG: "1.) Okay. It would've been half of my first solo record, so "Record Machine" would've probably been on it... "Stop the Clocks" would've probably been on it, and "Dream On" and maybe "Stranded on the Wrong Beach" and then the rest of the guys would've put on some of their own songs

2.) Hah. Wow. Maddest Oasis story. Just the fact that we existed AT ALL and became the biggest band in the world is bizarre enough. I'm not going to share any Oasis stories with anybody online for fear of litigation and libel

Although needless to say - there were oiled midgets involved. grins

There, I've said too much

3.) "Gotta Have Fun?" What led to "Lock All the Doors" being resurrected was just the fact that I kept the chorus in my head all those years... and I just happened to be comin' out of the local supermarket, on a Sunday evening... and snaps fingers it fell out of the sky

That's it

There are no more hidden gems to be regurgitated

Good word. Regurgitated

"Gotta Have Fun?" Don't remember that one."

Question 12:

Ruben122: "Hi Noel. Huge fan from Montevideo, Uruguay here. Any plans on coming to South America? Thank you!"

NG: "Yes. I believe... it's pencilled in... although don't quote me on this... for March 2016."

Question 13:

FootballDropout: "Wow... I can't believe you're finally doing an AMA!

I've been a huge fan of your work for years, and Live Forever is my all-time favorite song. I love the new album, and I can't describe how happy I am that you finished Lock all the Doors. Your music, especially the Masterplan album and your first solo album has been the amazing soundtrack to my teenage years and helped me through some really rough times

Do you have any plans to release songs such as "Bye Bye My Family/Don't Stop Being Happy," "She Must Be One of Us" or "Just Let it Come Down Over Me"?

The Mustique Demos are something of a "Holy Grail" among Oasis fans. Will they be released with the Be Here Now reissue?

To get a response from you would be incredible, and again thank you for all the incredible music."

NG: "Okay

There will be a "Be Here Now" reissue

The Mustique Demos will be on it

Indeed

The 3 songs that you mentioned - "Bye Bye My Family" is called "Don't Stop..." - the other two will definitely be released at some point - not sure when."

Question 14:

Thefatronaldo: "Should City sack Pellegrini this summer and if so who would you like to see in charge next?"

NG: "Should they sack 'im, I don't know

Who should they get? I don't know that either."

Question 15:

*Unknown question*

NG: "Someone asked if I would ever be on Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld:

In a heartbeat

I would fucking pay my own AIRFARE to do that

I'm a HUUUGE fan of Jerry Seinfeld. HUGE."

Question 16:

Laurakd7: "Do you get up to Manchester much these days and do you prefer London now?"

NG: "Eh - I go to Manchester to see my football team, Manchester City. When I go there, I love it. I usually spend about 2 or 3 nights there, at a time, and it's great, but London has become my home. And it's where I will probably stay from now on."

Question 17:

Danniboi1Derz: "What's your favorite thing to eat in the states?"

NG: "Ooooh!

Burgers

Burgers. Mexican food, 'cuz we don't get good Mexican food in England, and there's great Mexican food in America

And hot dogs."

NG: "The hot dog sandwich."

Question 18:

DannyBoi1Derz: "I know your son Donovan and you are pretty big WWE fans. Who's your favorite Wrassler??"

NG: "nods

At the moment - Donovan's favourite wrestler is Brock Lesner. Because he's mean, and evil

My favourite wrestler at the moment is Bray Wyatt. Because we met him when they did a show in London, and he was a really fucking nice guy. And we met Hulk Hogan, and he was a REALLY fucking nice guy. He asked if I was one of his Hulkamaniacs, and I had to say "yes, of course!" He came into this room, and I was going "Look Donovan, it's Hulk Hogan" and he goes "Look BROTHER, are you one of my Hulkamaniacs?!" and I said "Yes, of course!"

Question 19:

SuperT15: "Hey Noel, been a huge fan for years

What do you think is the most underrated Oasis song? Listen Up would be my choice."

NG: " "She is Love."

"Idler's Dream."

"Let's All Make Believe."

And... and... "Part of the Queue."

Question 20:

Frankm95: "Noel, do you consider a hotdog to be put under the category of a saddwich?"

NG: "Hahaha!

YES

Frequently

I frequently consider the hotdog a sandwich."

Question 21:

Lizzibarnes: "Also, forgot to ask! The ring with the red stone that you've always worn, what is the significance of it? I've always wondered! Thank you for being a rock-god."

NG: "gestures with ring

Thank you very much

I bought this ring in a pawn shop in Tokyo in the 90's. It's a US college ring that I believe people get when they graduate from college in America. It was given to somebody. I'm assuming a G.I. stationed in Tokyo, from Ruston High School in Mississippi (I've looked it up)

It has started many a boring conversation with some of the American armed forces in airport lounges across the world, when they'll say to me "Where'd you go to school buddy?"

"Manchester?"

"I see you got a ring there. Where'd you go to school?"

"I went to Ruston High School in Mississippi, as you can tell by my accent.""

Question 22:

Keepit_creepy: "Hi Noel, I have always wondered what your vocal warm-up consists of pre-gig?. Since your vocals are always on point!."

NG: "Eh... I sing "The Macarena." I do some yodelin'. And then I finish with "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce

Chuckles"

Question 23:

Gusrodlopez: "How was life before Oasis? did you had any life goal or something?"

NG: "No, where I came from, and the times that I grew up in, it was best not to have any ambitions. It was quite a bleak time

I never had a life goal until I wrote "Live Forever." And then when I wrote "Live Forever," I wanted to be in the biggest band in the world."

Question 24:

Riceomatic69: "Hey Noel, always wanted to ask this....back in the 90's you worked with Epiphone on your signature model "Supernova" guitar

However it didn't have any of the details of the custom shop Union Jack Epiphone you were most famous for at the time & have never seen any footage of you playing one

Did you have much involvement in the design or was it just a nice big bag of cash handed over for the use of your signature? :)"

NG: "chuckles

Okay, FIRSTLY, there was no big bag of fucking cash

Secondly, I was involved in the design

Thirdly, I can't fucking remember what my involvement was

Fourthly, I do have one, somewhere. But... I shouldn't have made them sonic blue color

It's disgustin'

Tell her I was high on the time, on drugs."

Question 25:

Bonojour: "Will there ever be a song featuring Boots? I think the meows would be a great harmony."

NG: "chuckles

Eh...Boots is an arrogant little shit

Yeah

That's my cat. He's been ignoring me for the last fucking five years

Me and Boots could never work together. There would be too many "artistic differences."

Question 26:

Venomousvillainy: "Hi. My Dad reckons he tested your eyes as a kid, do you remember going to an Opticians in Gorton?"

NG: "Gorton?

Yeah...kind of. Well, I know where Gorton is, and I know where my eyes are, and would I have had them tested in Gorton? I don't know

Gorton is like, an area of Manchester near where I used to live."

Question 27:

Jyhwkm: "Noel, you’ve always seemed dismissive of Oasis' Be Here Now - Heathen Chemistry years. Why is that? It was the ascots, wasn’t it?"

NG: "I dismiss "Be Here Now" because it's shit. And I'm allowed to say that because I fucking wrote it. "Heathen Chemistry" on the other hand, has its moments... "Force of Nature," "She is Love," "Little By Little," "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," etcetera

But yeah - "Be Here Now." Hmmm."

Question 28:

JamJam21: "Hi Noel! will you be adding anymore dates in the uk to your tour?"

NG: "I think there will be more dates, but not 'til 2016."

Question 29:

LordSifter: "You're still great mates with Gem - what's next for him? Will we see the 2 of you play together in the near future?"

NG: "I was with Gem about 4 weeks ago. Didn't get a chance to talk about anything really. It was at a party I was having in my dressing room, and there were too many people there. But if I needed on a track or a gig that thing that Gem offers, then I wouldn't hesitate to call him because I'd still like to think we're good friends and musical partners

As for what he's going to do in the future... I have no idea."

Question 30:

PraetorianGuard14: "Have you seen the new documentary on Kurt Cobain?"

NG: "No."

Question 31:

Jamesh134: "Hi Noel, what ever happened to the Oasis version of "The Roller"?

Also, I wanted to say thanks for all the music over the years. Been a source of inspiration all my life!"

NG: "Oh, thank you very much

The Oasis version of "The Roller" is... in somebody's... demo CD collection CD, somewhere. Not mine, I might add

Somebody will have it. Gem will probably have a copy of it. As has Liam, no doubt."

Question 32:

Sterlingavenueband: "Hi Noel. First of all- thank you for the many years of great music and leading me to my first guitar 18 years ago. Forever indebted to you for this

What are your thoughts on the songs 'Let's All Make Believe' and 'Roll It Over' and what are the chances of ever hearing them live? They're amongst two of my favourites of many which have never been done live before. Thanks in advance."

NG: "Eh - "Roll It Over" probably will never be performed live. But on the other hand, "Let's All Make Believe" I was messing around with it before this tour started, so I wouldn't be surprised if I play it in the very far distant future."

Question 33:

ZeppelinYanks: "Hey Noel! I'm a huge fan of Oasis and your solo work

A lot of what made Oasis great was the rock and roll attitude of "Fuck you, we're the greatest band in the world." What do you think about the current state of rock and roll? Is it alive, dead, or dying?"

NG: "ponders

I think that rock n' roll has turned into - or been turned into - a thing that is now referred to as "modern rock." Which is an awful title to give any kind of music. I think - I just think that the attitude, and the spirit, that we had is definitely disappearing."

Question 34:

Rodoalo: "Hi Noel, it's Rod from URUGUAY

My question has always been this:

Do you have any knowledge of music theory or did you learn songwriting by ear?

Cheers, your new record is amazing."

NG: "I learnt song-writin' by ear and instinct. I've never studied musical theory. I would never allow myself or any of my children to study musical theory. Because if you study musical theory, you will eventually end up soundin' like...shit

Hahaha."

Question 35:

Riceomatic69: "You have always spoken very highly of Ryan Adams & his version of Wonderwall, have you ever encountered anybody else that covered one of your tracks & thought it was as good as your version or maybe even better?"

NG: "No."

Question 36:

Look_who_it_isnt: "Hi Noel! I'm a huge fan. Your music has brought me so much enjoyment over the years - I can't even put it into words. I have major respect and love for you and wish you all the happiness in the world! I have two questions for you:

1) I love your sense of humor. You always make me laugh :) What's your favorite comedy, either from TV or movies?

2) A lot of us ladies think you're just the hottest thing ever. Does it bother you to be considered a veritable sex god? ;)"

NG: "1.) SEINFELD. The greatest thing that's ever been on television

2.) It's a cross I have to bear. And unfortunately... you know, it's a long road that I will have to carry this cross down. But I could think of worse things to be. I.E... a French person in Montreal."

Question 37:

Loulou96: "Hi Noel

I heard on radio 1 you perform shows wearing no underwear, can you confirm?"

NG: "Yeah, well, clearly that was a joke."

Question 38:

Super2goten: "Hey! Whose names were written on that napkin, Noel?

Thanks for being a legend! Think The Dying Of The Light/The Right Stuff/While The Song Remains The Same may be your best work yet, so thanks for that too! CTID!"

NG: "The names on the napkin was yours and your family's."

NG: "And I agree with those songs being my best work, and I admire your taste."

Question 39:

GiovaniGuizzo: "Hello Mr. Gallagher. Thanks for doing this AmA. I am a huge Oasis's and NGHFB's fan and I actually have several questions, but I will contain myself and ask just 3:

Which music is this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5mYMKfuUYc ? It sounds pretty amazing. Would you consider recording it eventually? Can you give us the name of this tune at least?

Have you met the girl of "Talk Tonight" after you wrote the song? If you have, how was the meeting?

I loved your new album, specially the "Lock All the Doors" track (what a blast from the past). Can we expect other reworked songs from the past in your future albums?

PS: You would like to take a look at /r/oasis. There are some interesting and insightful posts there from some mad fans."

NG: "1.) That song is called "Don't stop..." I've already recorded it. The reason it didn't make it onto "Chasing Yesterday" was because it didn't fit the vibe of the album. Needless to say, when I finally get 'round to releasing it, I think it will be one of my best ever releases. The sound of it is more akin to the first album, and I felt like "Chasing Yesterday" had moved on a little bit. But it's a great song, and I love it, and when I finally release it, you're going to love it (fans, that is)

2.) Eh - no, I haven't. I struggle to remember her name, to be honest

3.) No. That's it now, I'm afraid. The cupboards are bare."

Question 40:

Rak86t: "You're a great story teller and have such a way with words. Would you ever consider writing a book?"

NG: "looks around room

No."

Question 41:

Supersonic5: "Hey Chief! Never in a million years thought I’d see you do an AMA

You mentioned that you regret the name ‘Chasing Yesterday’, would you change it if you could, and what would you change it to?"

NG: ""Regret" is too strong a word. I don't think it's the greatest title I ever came up with. But then again, neither was "What's the Story, Morning Glory." If I could change it now, I'd probably change it to... eh... "Dark Side of the Room"

OR "Wheat is Murder." Hahahaha!"

Question 42:

Chenredditdude: "Hey Noel, I've noticed that in many songs you play E MINOR... Is it a heavenly chord?"

NG: "Hmmm

I guess it must be."

Question 43:

Govt_cheeze: "Hello Noel

How does it feel to be one of the last true rockstars?

What do you think of the new Blur album?"

NG: "It feels good to be one of the last rockstars

If in fact, that's what I am

And from what I've heard of the new Blur album, it sounds pretty good."

Question 44:

Rpm959: "What do you think it will take for guitar music to make a comeback?"

NG: "Somebody to write some fucking great songs

That's all it'll ever take

That's all it takes. People can talk about "attitude," and "spirit" and fucking good-looking guys in bands, and vibe, and fucking blah-blah-blah. I dare ANYBODY from the next generation to write one decent chorus

Yeah

Just one."

Question 45:

Justsomepersononredd: "Hi Noel, huge fan of most of your work

1) Do you ever get tired of people asking you all kinds of questions about Oasis? I've watched a few interviews with you post-Oasis and pretty much everyone's asked you a question or two about Oasis, I suppose I'm really not being different but do you ever feel like people should just move on?

2) How has touring and your creative process changed over the years? I mean, the music you put out now is quite different from the start of your career and I'm guessing there isn't as much partying behind the scenes as when you started

3) Which modern-day bands do you listen to nowadays? I discovered Kasabian by watching an interview of you and I think they're amazing, so thanks for that too

4) Any musicians you'd like to collaborate with?

5) I read that you had another brother, Paul, but I've never actually heard anything about him. What's he like?

6) What do you think of all these new forms of music distribution? Itunes, Spotify, Tidal, etc

Thanks for your time, hope you enjoy your AMA, and keep being an awesome musician"

NG: "1.) Yes. I do feel like they should move on. But I don't mind answerin' the questions if they're from fans, because i know how much that band meant, and continues to mean to people. So in my head, and my heart, I've moved on. So it's cool

2.) There's certainly not as much partying in front of the scenes, that's for sure. Everything changes as you get older in life. You know, you don't attempt as much as you did when you're 47 as you did when you were 27 - whether that be length of time on the road, or partying, or amount of songs that you write, or the places you're willing to go to write those songs. The life of a musician in regards to gettin' older is just the same as everybody else's life as they get older. Your fucking shit changes. Not literally

3.) Eh - yes, Kasabian would be one of my favourites. There's a band called Neon Waltz that you should check out. I'm not sure... there's a band called Jungle. Fucking hell, they are amazin'. Other than that, I'm still discovering old stuff from the 60's, I'm afraid

4.) Dave Gillmore, Jeff Beck, Davie Bowie would be - fucking hell, that would blow my mind if he would even shake a maraca for one tune, that'd be great. Yeah

5.) Heh. He's a fucking idiot - I'm only jokin' - haha! He's a dj. He - when I'm on tour in the UK - he does my official after show parties. And he's a funny, funny dude

6.) I don't agree with streamin'. I certainly don't agree with the lack of royalties that I receive from streamin'. I realize that the world is changin', and the way that people receive music - and even the fact that I use the phrase "receive music" is a fucking disgrace. I would rather that people own it. But I'm not sure where it's all going to end, if I'm being honest

I'll try."

Question 46:

Pheelip: "Hey Noel, huge fan. What do you think has been your greatest musical achievement?"

NG: "Whooooooo

I couldn't say with any great sense of certainty, because it changes every day for me, but I'm going to say the song "Rock & Roll Star" because it sums up everything about bein' young, and bein' in a band, and the hopes and dreams of, you know, a young land from Manchester

And it's a fucking great song."

Question 47:

MadferitNYC: "Do you think a rock band in 2015 can reach the level of popularity that Oasis reached? Or do you think that the music industry is too dead for there ever to be a rock band that reaches those heights again?"

NG: "I think that the days of a rock band explodin' out of a council estate in the north of England and going on to connect with so many people in so many countries around the world... I think the chances of that happenin' again are very, very slim

But we live in hope."

Question 48:

Karmarghh: "Hey Noel, been a huge fan of yours almost all 20 years of my life. I have been lucky enough to see NGHFB twice recently and just want to tell you the new album is f***ing incredible! You, among the likes of Bacharach and Macca, are my absolute inspiration for pursuing a life in Music, so thanks for that. Anyway - couple questions for you:

1) As a songwriter, could you let me in on your approach to melody? I listen to yours and ask myself "why the bloody hell didn't I think of that?!". Do they really just pop into your head or do you find there is a lot of trial and error?

2) Reckon you can give me a kick-start and replace Mike Rowe with me on keys? He's a cool guy, but I'll do it for nothing. That gives me the edge right? Oh and I won't f*ck it up - I promise!!

Take it easy Noel, and keep doing what you're doing. Riverman blows my mind."

NG: "1.) Eh - it depends. The great ones usually just pop into your head. And seem to just fall out of the sky. And then some of them you have to work at. There is no golden rule or any rule set in stone for songwritin'. No matter what anybody might tell you, it seems to change from song to song for me. But I guess... I always, always, ALWAYS let the melody dictate the rest. I don't worry about the chords. I just let the melody dictate where the song's going to go and sometimes they're great and sometimes they're not

2.) Well, you're in! Cheap labor is my forte, haha."

Question 49:

Sally_cinnamon_: "Hi Noel! First of all, thanks for giving us so much great music. You truly are a godlike genius

My question for you is: where did your sense of humor and talent for storytelling come from? Because I think you are genuinely one of the funniest people in the world seemingly without even trying

Also, do you still think dogs in hats and sunglasses are hilarious?"

NG: "Well - dogs in hats and sunglasses - there is *NOTHING* funnier than a dog in a hat

Ehm - I don't know. My sense of humor, I don't know. It's Irish, it must've been passed down to me from somebody in Ireland."

Question 50:

Jeavo: "Hi Noel, thanks for doing this AMA

If at all any, what video games do you play?"

NG: "I don't play video games

I have a life. And that life is too short for video games

Some of my band play video games on tour. It drives me up the fucking wall. And it's one of the main reasons why I'll probably fire the fucking lot of them on this tour."

Question 51:

Shivan21: "Hi Noel! I've always wondered about the meaning of D'you know what I mean video, and especially the fact that there is Be Here Now and D'you know what I mean written in czech language. The video has very 60's atmosphere for me and they are also alluded by Beatles references. Considering the military choppers, could be the video understood as refering to the Prague Spring in 1968?"

NG: "No. Okay. The video for "D'You know what I mean" was shot on the deserted set of FULL METAL JACKET, which is still - you can still visit it in London - so it's an old, disused gasworks in London. The Czech writing, I'm not sure what that's all about, I thought it was Vietnamese writin'. The choppers was a reference to Vietnam. What any of that has to do with the fucking song is beyond me. I don't even know what the song's about, never mind the video!"

Question 52:

Brutalful: "Hi Noel

I am curious what (if anything) is still on your bucket list?

If you have done it all, what are your top 5 moments in life, and is playing with Johnny Marr on that list?

Cheers!"

NG: "Okay. First of all - a bucket list is the most fucking ludicrous fucking term I've ever heard, in my life

BUT

I would like someday to record an album in New York. I would also like to have Dave Gilmore play on a track for me. And Jeff Beck. I think that's about it

Oh, actually, I also still think that one day I'm going to write the greatest song in the world."

Question 53:

Nathanoasis: "Hello Noel! Your music is incredible, all 20 years of it, and it has changed my life. Thank you for that and thank you for doing this AMA. I have a question about the song that is going around the Internet under the name "Bye Bye My Family" (and "Don't Stop the Happenin'" and "Hold Back the Night"). From what we've heard, the song sounds amazing. Will this song ever be recorded and released? Thank you again and keep on being an absolute fucking legend!"

NG: "chuckles

I pretty much just answered that question about 20 minutes ago. It's a song called "Don't Stop..."

I've already recorded it. It didn't make it onto "Chasing Yesterday" because it sounded a bit too much like what was already on the first High Flying Birds album

But it will be released, in, you know... soon!"

Question 54:

MidnightPizza: "Hello Mr. Gallagher! I'd like to thank you for all the music you wrote. I hope to see one of your show soon and maybe pay you a beer. Here are my questions:

1) Are you still thinking about doing an album with Damon Albarn? What do you think about The Magic Whip, Blur's latest album?

2) What's your opinion about Dave Sardy's input on your work? Some people think that your latest work (especially your first solo album) could've been better without him and that producing Chasing Yesterday yourself was refreshing. I personally enjoy the Dave Sardy produced albums as much as any other album you wrote

Anyway, congratulation on Chasing Yesterday. It really is a great album."

NG: "1.) Ehm - the thing with Damon was a flippant comment as casually thrown around as "We should go for a drink." As for makin' an album, I would be amazed if either of us ever had the time to make that work. As for "The Magic Whip," I like the tracks "Lonesome Street" and "Ong Ong" - I haven't heard any of the rest of it, but if those two tracks are anything to go by, sounds like it's going to be good

2.) Ehm - his input was fantastic. And at the time, invaluable. And I couldn't have got my solo career off the ground without him. All that being said - you know, my record, this record, "Chasing Yesterday," sounds that good. With any producer, it's all about the relationship, as opposed to the skills that they can bring. But me and Dave, you know, still to this day we remain good friends, and maybe we'll work together again in the future."

Question 55:

SnakeArms: "Hi Noel! In ALL of your interviews you've said that the original verses to 'Lock All The Doors' went to The Chemical Brother's 'Setting Sun’, which is weird, because the 1993 demos we have suggest that the songs original verses were instead used in 'My Sister Lover' and the verses that went to 'Setting Sun' came from a different demoed song 'Coming on Strong'. Have we missed something or does any of this sound true at all??

Oh, and what happened to 'Slow' and 'The Red, White & Blue'?!"

NG: "You should bear in mind that my memory's not the best

If you're telling me it's from a different song, then I would probably agree

I'd like to think that the Chemical Brothers story is a better STORY though

So let's keep that between us."

Question 56:

LittleWoodstock: "Hey Noel, big fan of all your work!

Is your work any different with the High Flying Birds than it was with Oasis? Are there any aspects from the Oasis days you miss?"

NG: "I miss... the camaraderie of being in a band, in the studio. That is to say, there are massive benefits - by makin' a record on your own, you can change direction very very quickly. And you don't have to run things by "the committee" of band members

On the other hand, it's great to share, you know... to share the greatness with other people, d'you know what I mean? If I can give you an analogy, you know, the more people at a party, the better

Shrugs

Although it's sometimes nice to party on your own."

Question 57:

MONTREAL_COME_ON: "WHY TORONTO AND NOT MONTREAL? we've got a better hockey club and our football team is getting better every year."

NG: "Because I went to a fucking donut shop once in Montreal, and all the staff spoke French! And last time I looked - France was on the other side of the fucking world

So I say to the people of Montreal - au revoir

Hahahaha!"

Question 58:

ExtremelySexyMan: "Hey Noel, first off, huge fan, thanks for doing this

My question is, after writing great songs for more than 20 years now, where do you get your inspiration for new material? I imagine it to be the most difficult part of being a musician, and I am continually blown away by your work

Cheers, and go City!"

NG: "Ehm... I guess I'm a product of my record collection, which is ever-expanding and gets ever-more eclectic. And I don't ever sit down when I'm writin' a song and feel like I've got anything profound to say to the universe... I just - to coin the phrase from that godawful film FROZEN... I just let it go... let it go!

Smiles"

Question 59:

Stevie_j: "Noel, thanks for many years of amazing music. Please don't stop

Have you ever thought of doing a comedy tour? Seriously."

NG: "HA!!!!

Fucking hell - NO.”

#noel gallagher #my stuff #my drafts

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