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garyofrivia · 5 years

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a few Modern!Gang college AU headcanons!!!!!

not that anyone asked!!! and this has probably been done already!! but i’m bored at work so :/ i’m so sorry

Arthur:

graphic design major, creative writing minor

took a photography class to impress that cute albert boy from down the hall and worked extra hard all semester just to end up accidentally telling his advisor that he wanted to double minor in photography as well

Tired™

he’s def one of those students that can fall asleep a n y w h e r e on campus

has a sleeve tattoo and is working on a second ;;;)))

he doesn’t party often, but when he does, the entire fire department and 7 cop cars show up by the end of the night to break it up

there was a rumor his sophomore year that he beat up 5 frat dudes at once during rush week for harassing girls and no one has heard of any issues from that frat since

is banned from the local chili’s for dining and dashing

shoplifts chef boyardee, microwavable ramen, and snickers bars from the student center convenience store to Survive

Charles:

environmental studies major

is in 50000000 activist clubs

regularly punches racist white boys w/ maga merch in the dorm common rooms and when the RA saw one time he didn’t do jack shit bc…. he right

he’s never procrastinated an assignment in his life

studies until 5 am every night but? still wakes up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym????

works part time as a barista at a hole in the wall coffee shop/bookstore and is 100% a coffee snob

doesn’t smoke but knows every weed dealer on campus, mostly bc they’re all enviro studies majors

his roommate thinks he’s a myth bc he’s never there or is just super quiet, but rly he just Minds His Damn Business

can be seen reading for leisure on the quad when it’s sunny and warm

Dutch:

political science major, philosophy minor

arthur and hosea are his friends from high school and they’re the only ones that can tolerate his mood when he goes on Insane procrastination benders where he’s trying to write 4 essays in a single night on a fuck ton of adderall and energy drinks

frequently goes on rants while studying in the student center about capitalism and it somehow always results in him on top of a table, yelling about ronald reagan

it gets Annoying when he talks about ancient greece, which is… constantly..

has 4 girlfriends and 3 boyfriends but still has time to participate in debate team every saturday

accidentally incited a student labor strike on campus one time and the cafeteria wasn’t functional for a week

started 6 clubs, but never goes to meetings and can’t remember what literally any of them are for

doesn’t work at all but somehow? always has money??? like he pays for his friends’ dinners all the time?? how??????

Hosea:

graduate economics student

he’s that cool TA in a super hard class that sends the prof’s tests from previous semesters to all the students so they can study for the final

Constantly in the library reading/studying/tutoring

still lives on campus for some reason and pirates textbook pdfs out of his dorm room

has a 4.2 gpa, but acts like he’s never been to a single class in his life

gets high all the time and talks about moving to europe on a whim and is *THIS* close to just fuckign doin it

makes his own kombucha

when he can’t sleep bc of test anxiety he rambles to arthur and dutch until the wee hours of the morn about existentialism and how great the beatles were

is responsible for multiple people discovering they have a daddy kink despite not having one himself

John:

undecided major (communications maybe, but he hasn’t found his “passion” yet)

failed freshman english twice for just not showing up to class

drives one of those old subarus from the 90’s and does donuts in the student lot when it snows

has a CD collection from his Emo™ days in the glove box and pops one in every now and then when he’s alone and feelin’ nostalgic/sad

skateboards to class and usually almost runs over a bunch of people since he always has headphones on

death note is his favorite anime

that One Room on your hall that is ALWAYS playing loud ass music until 3am

is surprisingly really good at math and tries to help tutor his friends but gets frustrated when they don’t understand “basic” calculus on the first try

his favorite hobby is harassing the ducks on campus and has made enemies of multiple geese

Sadie:

criminology major

plays intramural sports, probably volleyball and softball

everyone’s Jock Girlfriend they wished they had but are too afraid to talk to bc she might snap someone’s neck if they look at her wrong

wears leather jackets and aviators for every occasion

one time gave a monologue about sexism in her political theory class after not saying anything for the entire semester and her professor was moved to tears

has a lot of friends but only a few are ride or die babey!!!!!!!! (it’s arthur, charles, and abigail and they bully john together)

knows a lot about cars and ppl pay her to fix theirs since college kids usually can’t afford to go to a garage

speaks german because she got bored one summer and taught herself a fucking language i guess

Sean:

french major (????why is he like that???)

he says he’s studying a different language because the thinks it’ll make him hotter, but really it’s because he fantasises about moving away one day to start a new life

always says how college isn’t really for him and is .2 seconds away from dropping out

hangs out with john a little too much for his own good and once broke his wrist while trying his skateboard

“hey, have you heard of [insert incredibly obscure punk rock band name here]?”

gets blackout drunk every weekend and keeps a journal for the sole purpose of documenting the various places he’s woken up

wears stupid beanies and owns one (1) hoodie that he wears year round

quotes memes out loud to be able to communicate his emotions effectively

a ~Film Hoe~

also………. he vapes

Javier:

international studies major, finance minor

studied abroad in spain and almost didn’t come back bc he loved it so much

plans to get mega rich so he can travel Everywhere

um,,, he loves classic lit and owns an entire library full of it

took a gap year after high school to tour with his band and kinda became a lil famous so that’s cool

runs a thirst trap instagram acct and models part time ;)

every single person that encounters him has been attracted to him in one way or another and they truly don’t even question it

he’s a major mama’s boy and she visits him all the time

he rooms with sean who drives him insane but they have similar music tastes and were able to bond over that

they get rowdy on saturdays but has his (few) friends over on sundays for a “family dinner”

Bill:

computer science major

used to play COD competitively and wants to get into videya game development

seems like kind of an idiot when he asks questions in class but his grades show that he’s smarter than he looks

did ROTC for the tuition money but dropped as soon as he found out that you have to enlist after you graduate lmao

southern angery boi that drives a pickup truck and hosts tailgates every single football game

has a bunch of dudebro friends that he hangs out with due to societal pressure, but all he wants to do is bake some cookies

his roommate was scared of him at first but when he bought him a lil gift for christmas before break, he realized that he was a big ole softie

is late to class bc he spends 65943598 years on his hair in the morning even though it literally never looks different

Lenny:

english major, applying to the education masters degree program

he wants to be a high school english teacher fuck me up!!!!!!

was super homesick when he first moved away :(

writes his friends papers for them sometimes even though he’s killing himself with his own schoolwork

netflix binges and video game benders are regular weekend activities and he’s been known to not move from his chair for 15 hours at a time

runs an avengers stan blog and cried at comic con when he met robert downey jr

begged the manager at the local comic book store for a job and the guy was just like “yeah, kid literally just apply online idc”

has lots of friends that rope him into doing hooligan shit instead of study

is a giant ball of anxiety for the majority of the semester and is just,, Trying His Best

Micah:

he was the maga kid that charles knocked out the first week of classes

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr headcanons #rdr2 HCs #modern rdr2 #jedmdjskjdkd jk about micah i cant do him out of pure bias so feel free to add him or anyone else!!!!!#this is EXTREMELY self indulgent wow #pls dont drag me

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hyperballadofthesenses · 5 years

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a little too interested...

To Preface:

I’m a generally confused person in terms of being able to figure out social cues, and therefore most of my friends are either eccentric people my age or older adults. It’s kind of always been that way. I’m also a bit of a loner because of this. Keep that in mind.

So:

There's this freshman writing course at my university, and everyone is required to take it. It's sort of thematic and can vary in terms of theme depending on what you're interested in. I'm really into the arts in theory and practical work, and so I took an art-themed writing course my freshman year, as expected. The professor is a really cool, laid back guy (I don’t know how old he is). He sort of is a bit detached and comes off as a shy, quiet person some times. The poor guy is given a painfully boring curriculum and you can tell through the smiles that he is actually quite unhappy with his work. Because of this drone and his veiled disinterest in teaching such a drab curriculum to students after students, I kind of made this inside joke with my friends where we'd imitate him giving lectures.

I found that he was really overly harsh on my work in the first semester when I had his class. He would tell me my paper looked near-perfect and would give me a B+/A- while everyone else was making easy A's. I worked so hard on my final paper and earned an A- when I wholeheartedly felt like I deserved an A. I showed the paper around to my friends and they all said it was a solid, comprehensive essay. I confronted him and said that I thought he was being unfair, and he gave me all the contact info of people who could I could contact so as to report him for unfair treatment of a student.

What?

He was always super nice to everyone, and always cared about students' interests and would give them links to articles or magazines if there was something in there on their topic or interest in general. It honestly was all perfectly normal, though one day I found myself having lunch with him in the dining hall where he went after class one day. He was a bit shy and awkward, though he noticed I had a Beatles bag and liked old movies and suddenly he opened up and we talked for quite some time.

I don't specifically remember what happened since I had to be hospitalized due to my chronic illness, but this semester really was a fucking insane whirlwind. See, he lectures in another film class of mine (I'm a film major specializing in theory and aesthetics, and he lectures about films specifically), and we'd often get to talking about favorite films. He would give me recommendations and slowly he began to stop and engage in more and more and more chats with me whenever he saw me. We have probably had 5+ meals together as of now. He has never given any students so much attention as I've seen. I was honestly flattered.

I should also mention that ALL of the films he picked out for me were highly sexually explicit and super pornographic even. Like tons of genitals and BDSM, etc. I had no idea he had it in him, frankly.

He would even "cut class" to talk to me and ask me about how I was doing, what I've been listening to, watching, etc. Still, I thought we were just really into the same stuff and were having fun together. One day he cut his own class for 40 minutes to show me his DVD collection in his office, and then went to "survey" the dorm kitchen which I had been compulsively cleaning earlier., and he asked me about how I liked to tidy, what my dorm room looked like...

He gave me a bunch of DVDs, and suddenly he opened up about his childhood and his anxiety about being a good father to his six-year-old. He said that he really wanted to talk to me about the films and that I was welcome to come to his office at any time. He kept complimenting me about pretty much everything, and I had the tiniest bit of a crush on him too so it was all flattering (so I’d say I’m like 90% gay as of now). He has never once spoken to me about his wife, though I have heard him talk about her to other people quite loudly (within earshot, I assume intentionally).

Cut to our weekend arts trip down south of the state. Our itinerary was to visit tons of museums and see concerts, plays, etc. The entire trip he would make an effort to be near me. He was pretty much following me everywhere, though he clearly was trying to be discreet about it. One day, I was heading off with two of my friends to get lunch from a food truck, and he followed us all the way there. He was interrogating me about my summer, who my friends were, what music I've been listening to, what films I've been watching, etc, etc, etc.

My friends were walking a bit ahead and he suddenly leaned over and asked me:

"So, what's the party scene here at (insert university name here)?"

And so I jokingly said that it sucked and no one had anything decent except vodka. He went on and on talking about what he was like when he was "my age", describing in so much detail how he would get wasted and wander city streets with his roommates. Then, he asked me:

"Do you smoke? I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a stoner, but... I try to smoke or have some special treats at least twice a week, you know?" Oh my god…

So we had a conversation about what weed he liked, the funny names of his dealers, and where he gets it now. I later had to tell him that I'd keep it secret, and he blushed and looked totally freaked out. He would totally get fired if anyone found out he was basically implying to a student that he wanted to smoke with them.

He asked me how I spend my summers (now twice, actually), if I'm going to be in the area, and when I said I worked as a nanny he basically interrogated me about my childhood and told me stories from his childhood (like VERY personal stories such as how his parents' divorce impacted him). I ended up telling him that I have a chronic illness and doing little things are very painful, and he went into hawk mode and constantly offered to help me out. He told me about his ex-girlfriends and kind of casually asked about my relationship history, during which I told him I was a lesbian (not 100% true, maybe 90%), but he still wouldn't back off. I also mentioned that I can't have kids because of my illness (it's totally invisible, by the way), he got really sad for me and tried to console me, almost aggressively, actually.

When we went to a museum he said that he picked this one because he "knew I'd like it".

He would constantly try to engage in conversation with me or keep me in his periphery. He was just this kind of constant looming presence. He would always be in my museum tour group, he would always eat at the same place or nearby. He would follow me to shops and try to act nonchalant about it. At the airport waiting area heading back to school, he sat directly across from me even though I was tucked away from everyone else trying to read. He took out his book after I did, and LITERALLY copied me every time I crossed my legs or leaned forward slightly. I would catch him staring up at me from time to time, though he would immediately look away. Anytime I would talk with any other students who came by, he was watching me like a hawk as I interacted with them. When I said I had a headache and needed Advil (I didn't ask him for it, I asked another student), he basically flung into action and pulled out an array of medicines and other general stuff.

I have told two friends about this, both of whom think the weed thing is hysterical. They're both in awe about how much attention he gives me, as they both think he's cool and kind of vaguely have crushes on him as well (they're both gay guys). I should also mention that he's genuinely a decently good-looking guy. My friends are also both a little concerned and creeped out on my behalf.

After the trip, things were very awkward. He kept looking over at me and when I told him I had the DVDs to give back he turned white as a sheep and just nodded and hurried away. Then he tried to awkwardly talk to me about whether I liked them in the hall… Something weird is up. He recently told me that he’s really excited to watch my final presentation for his class.

Is he really lonely? Maybe. Am I some kind of weird embodiment of some kind of ex-girlfriend or something? Maybe. Any inputs, observations would be well appreciated.

This has been on my mind for a while, as I’m seeing him for (maybe) the last time on Monday. I might end up taking his class next year since it’s in my major, but it depends on whether I get in or not. He sent me all this info about how he wants me to be in it... it’s all really confusing. Is he being nice or is he interested in a problematic way?

The weirdest part of this all is that we honestly have a good time together and have the same interests. To be honest, I’d be down to smoke with him and hang out with him some more. I think he’s lonely. I am just wondering what his angle here is.

#entry 4 #relationship confusion #anyone?#professor #professor student relationship #what the fuck is this dynamic #are we going to be friends? and what does that even mean at this point

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rightsidenews · 6 years

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The Religion of the Faithless Left

Ash Sharp Editor

Puritan Hypocrisy

BLAM goes the gun. OH NO say the victims. WHAT RACE IS THE ATTACKER I HOPE IT’S A WHITE GUY ALSO STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA say the hypocrites.

Puritans are always hypocrites. Read Part I of this series HERE.

Not much more than a decade ago now, the author and political commentator Chris Hedges published a book called American Fascists. It’s an interesting piece, written at the tail end of the turbulent Dubya administration that contended that, within a few years, we would be faced with a Christian Fascist movement in the United States. Based on the popularity of people like Pat Robertson and the politicisation of church-goers by the neocon group that put Reagan in power, Hedges contended that the old right was a threat to American freedom and democracy.

As wonderful a wordsmith as Hedges is, he was, as is sadly so usual for such a smart man, dead wrong. Correctly skewering the old Christian Right for their hypocrisy and often un-Christ-like behaviour is one thing. Predicting the future is quite another. If we are charitable to Hedges few could have seen how, in the decade since Bush, two terms of Obama would enable the hard left to take more social power than could ever have been conceived before.

In the modern age of puritanism, religion is supplanted by Neo-Marxist ideology. Intersectional Theory. Feminism. The root concept which underpins the idea that it is not okay to be White. You can see this everywhere you look, from the television to pop music, to politics and the popular press and sport. The arts of our ancestors speak to us, tell us about their times. Ours will do the same for future generations. Cave paintings teach us that the early humans had a mystical relationship with the animals they hunted and fled from. Renaissance pieces are filled with secrets and satire.

What will our art say about us?

In the realm of faith, the Leftist Puritan happily displays cognitive dissonance during our days of strife. It all boils down to race and religion in the end. If an Islamist mows people down, with a gun or otherwise, the reaction is… nothing. Dire warnings about the dangers of the mythical Islamophobia, perhaps.

Heaven forfend that a white male shoots people. Not only is this an indictment of his race, but he also transforms into an ideologically driven terrorist (Whiteness is political, you know), and a reason to curse out the NRA, and demand gun control. Don’t forget to accuse your enemies of politicising tragedies when it suits your agenda, though.

Shut

If Trump truly cared about the suffering in Syria, he wouldn't have a racist anti-refugee policy. But, hey, bombs distract from scandal!

— Wil 'Kick the Nazis off the tweeters' Wheaton (@wilw) April 7, 2017

I join my fellow Moderate White Person in wishing an Eid of peace, and I also condemn the extremist clan of Trump. http://bit.ly/2leXZRY

— Wil 'Kick the Nazis off the tweeters' Wheaton (@wilw) September 13, 2016

WESLEY

The murdered victims were in a church. If prayers did anything, they'd still be alive, you worthless sack of shit. http://bit.ly/2lm8wKm

— Wil 'Kick the Nazis off the tweeters' Wheaton (@wilw) November 5, 2017

Islam is Peace. Prayers are Worthless. Guns are Bad. I Love Big Brother.

It will stun future generations to hear that we have become such a self-hating society, riddled with such preposterous levels of self-inflicted and undeserved guilt and paranoia.

It wasn’t always like this. In 1979, the seminal comedy group *Monty Python released Life of Brian. The movie revolves around a man mistaken for a messiah. The religious right was apoplectic and it was awesome. And that is coming from a Christian, so save your Jehovahs.

��[Life of Brian] isn’t blasphemous because it doesn’t touch on belief at all. It is heretical because it touches on dogma and the interpretation of belief, rather than belief itself.” ~ Terry Jones

The movie mainly skewered religious hypocrisy and was so controversial at the time that it was banned in several countries and had to rely on George Harrison (of The Beatles) for funding. It remains one of the finest comedies ever produced.

On re-watching the movie recently, I was struck how mild the religious satire really is in this film. In all honesty, I found myself far more interested in the non-theological scenes.

There is a sub-plot to the film which features several Left Wing revolutionary groups all seeking to oust the Romans from Judea. These groups were analogous to hard left British groups in the late 1970s, including the then powerful trade unionists. It is almost as if our timelines are running in opposite directions. As the power of the Church has diminished, to the point where (rightly) no-one would dare attempt to ban a movie for blasphemy, the loony left has arisen, Gojira in Tokyo Harbour.

While the interminable and unending squabbling between the intersections of the left is still laughable today, it cannot be denied that it is the modern day facsimilies of the right-on Reg (John Cleese) and the People’s Front of Judea that are holding the social power. Despite everyone knowing what capitalism has done for us, still, they cry out ‘Oppression!’

Apart from a free market, advances in technology, healthcare, living standards, nearly eliminating child mortality, better food, the internet, a life expectancy of over eighty, university education for all and countless varieties of hot sauce, what has capitalism ever done for us?

Instead, these puritanical crusaders turned their attention on society itself. Internet technology has enabled us to strip monsters like Harvey Weinstein of their veils of secrecy, and therefore, their power. This marvel of communication also allows the Neo-Marxist to conduct witch-hunts and purges at speeds old Joe Stalin could only have dreamed of.

Their zealotry has claimed the scalps of numerous journalists, actors and politicians who, in the main, have all fallen on their swords rather than run the gauntlet. These men may not be nice. These men might, in fact, be criminals- but that has never been a good idea for the mob to decide. **Rupert Myers, late of GQ, is a man who makes my skin crawl. **Not for his alleged behaviour towards women, which seems inept but not illegal, but for his hypocrisy.

Sire! The Virtue Beacon is lit!

To write such a diatribe against the rest of one’s gender, to elevate oneself to the status of Enlightened Nü-Male, and then to be accused thus:

“I was very clear about not being romantically or sexually interested in him, once the subject was raised. I suggested we be mates.

“He said ‘I’ve got enough mates, I’d rather fuck you’ and forced himself on me outside a pub in Fitzrovia.”

Well. I would be a liar if I did not feel a little schadenfreude. I am wrong to do so. A failed and clumsy pass at someone is not a criminal offence, but the puritanical left is treating it like one.

Saints protect you if you live in the United Kingdom, where not only will leftist society pillory you, so will the police. The Sunday Times revealed that the Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green possessed (legal) pornography on his computer. Why is this information pertinent to the public? Are we really so depraved that we must know the masturbatory habits of politicians? If so, why? In any case, the police released it to the press.

The minister has also been pilloried for allegedly touching a woman’s knee. As I predicted when I first published this piece on Medium.com on Nov. 6th, Green has been forced to resign, unable to continue in his career with sucha tarnished public image.

Let’s not ignore that corrupt, incompetent or sleazy politicians must fall. With such incredible levels of vice in politics in our nations, how is it that this non-issue is plastered across the papers?

You can thank Donald J. Trump.

The moralists have been on this crusade for some time, but it appears to have become particularly weaponised by the Left and the MSM since The President’s locker room talk. The scent of blood in the water to a shark is much like the scent of KISS records to a Bible Belt Baptist in 1978 or a whiff of scandal to the press. Egged on by an ideological leitmotif that demands purity at all times from all beings, no man should ever find himself alone with an unmarried woman again.

How we laughed at Vice-President Pence, what a dotard, refusing to sit with a female without his wife present to ensure propriety is maintained. Pence comes to this topic from an entirely different perspective. As a born again, evangelical boomer Catholic we might expect a conservative attitude. But from the sons and daughters of the hippies, the Gen-Xers, the Millennials? I thought this was supposed to be a post-morality, post-faith, post-conservative post-everything age of rampant consumerism and meaningless sex?

No eye contact, a burka, and no sex. Ah, just like back in Gender Studies 101.

Instead, Netflix TV shows are used as examples of a religious theocracy that doesn’t exist. Wow, the asinine Twitterati bleat in unison, this is just like Trump’s America.

It is not. A totalitarian mindset exists in America, for sure. I must also state that the genuinely corrupt who are toppled, the true-life sex-criminals and paedophiles and rapists and money-launderers- spare them no sympathy. They are reaping their own whirlwind, caught up in their pretence at righteousness. The sole irony is that the totalitarians are those who are now purging their movements of male feminist allies for thought crime. Journalists who stood for identity politics are now the victims of the same.

I wonder how long it will be before Dan ‘Everyone is A Literal Nazi’ Arel is cast down from his perch. In the current climate, could it be that his social media stalking of pop has-been Lily Allen transgresses the invisible line of sin?

Dan, stop. That’s creepy.

I knew a guy like this once. A girl turned him down and he cried for days.

No doubt a self proclaimed anarchist like Arel already prays to Black Atheist Trans Jesus for forgiveness for his disgusting white penis. It is not enough today, in 2017, the current year, to merely hate yourself for being a white man. You must also hate the words you say, constantly self-reflect, ensure you keep your eyes down and touch nobody, not even in jest or error.

Such behavioural abnormality is non-PC. Such behaviour demands that you be flayed in public, to lose your livelihood. This is how puritans project their power. Shame is how they maintain control. We have moved beyond expanding the definition of words so that one can be raped by eyesight or by flatulence. We are now in an era where all actions are sinful. There is no escaping the shame. You are born in it, surrounded by it, you are the sin itself. It is, dare I say it, original in nature.

Submission looks like this. A dog, with it’s legs in the air and throat bared.

Considering so many of these leftists proclaim themselves anarchists but act like dictators, I offer my own favoured anarchy.

“Anarchy is personal; it is not a collective possibility. It rests upon the idea of a person acting within a sphere where his existence is not intrusive upon the existence of another human being unless invited to be so. Should a person find that he has uninvitedly trespassed upon the serenity of another, Individual Anarchy points that man toward accepting the responsibility for his own actions while not condemning the failure of others to own up to the things they may have done wrong.” ~ U. Buster

By this perspective, the moral crusade is anathema to anarchists. Even old Antonio Gramsci, one of the founders of Neo-Marxist thought, held it to be a fact that

To tell the truth, to arrive together at the truth, is a communist and revolutionary act.

If we can agree with a long-dead communist that the truth is revolutionary, there may yet be hope for us. We must turn away from this cult of social purity, and the trappings of transcendental shaming. The internet never forgets. We’re all stuck on this rock together, forever.

http://bit.ly/2lm8CBI

#RSN #The Religion of the Faithless Left #Ash Sharp

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stephenjaymorrisblog · 7 years

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September 5, 2017

50 Years Ago, The Winds Changed

By Stephen Jay Morris

During the British invasion (1964/1965), one of my favorite English imports was a band called “The Animals.” Unlike the Beatles, who were doing kissy-kissy pop, the Animals stuck to their R&B roots with a little Rock n’ Roll thrown in. The lead cracker, Eric Burdon, had a more authentic blues voice than Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. What I liked about the Animals was how understated they were; they weren’t really into the publicity thing like other British bands of the time. With them, it was all about the music. I liked that.

Then, the band broke up in 1966 and Eric Burdon hired new personnel. There was Vic Briggs on guitar and keyboards, John Weilder, guitar and violin, Danny McCullock on Bass, and Barry Jenkins on drums. This new ensemble was comprised of serious musicians and artists. Their first release was the single, “When I Was Young,” released in late 1966. Most artists were experimenting with new sounds. The first note of the song, which came from a distorted fuzz guitar, indicated that the Animals were venturing into new territory. John Welder’s violin gave the song this unusual flavor. And the lyrics were actually Eric Burton writing poetry. I couldn’t wait for their next record!

It was late in August 1967 that the Animals released their ode to the Summer of Love, “San Franciscan Nights.” This song would influence me with my not-so-successful musical career. This song was not a psychedelic song; it was more a folk ballet. That being stated, the arrangement was sound perfect and it had an intro. Because of my love for this song, all the songs I wrote in 1979 to1982 had intros. The one in this song was kind of humorous. Their guitar bass line was similar to the theme of TV’s “Dragnet.” Then Eric Burdon, in his broadcaster-muted voice, gives his dedication to the people of San Francisco. The melody was played with a 12-string guitar and a nicely done Spanish guitar lead. I don’t know which band member, in particular, was responsible for that. You might say this was a minimalist folk song. On the single’s flip side, however, there were sound effects and a full band along with a string chamber orchestra. The song, “Good Times,” was about regret of wasting time, partying. The ragtime piano reminded me of Kinks songs. I saw the single at Save-on Drug Store. It had a picture sleeve, which was the same cover as the album, “Best of the Animals, Volume 2.” I hung it on my wall, where it remained until 1971. As a teenager, I had a collage of 45 singles’ covers on my wall. My room was a Rock n’ Roll museum.

When I got my first record player in March of ‘67, I was not going to be abnegated. Fuck that noise! If I’d had a million dollars, I would have had bought every record for sale at Norty’s on Fairfax, Los Angeles, California! I had a sententious passion for Rock music! It was the next great thing next to masturbation and junk food! I’d go into my room and lock the door, where I’d have a religious experience like a Guru in meditation, and I didn’t want any disruptions from uncool squares! It all started with the Beatles’ “Sergeant Pepper’s,” an experience that inspired me to focus completely on every album that followed. I would lay on my back on the floor of my room, my head on a pillow, with the ceiling as the screen of the theater of my mind.

Then in September of that year, my second year of junior high school, an album by Eric Burdon & the Animals was released. I saw it at Norty’s Records, on the “new releases” rack. It was titled, “The Winds of Change.” It had text about Hindu spirituality on the cover and a depiction of an old book, dilapidated with age. The words didn’t make sense to me at all, like Bob Dylan’s poetry had, but I wasn’t buying the album for the printed words; it was for the music! The cover was a bi-fold, like Sergeant Pepper’s. Many bands of that era were designing their album jackets that way. I was a skinny kid back then and could ride my bike really fast! Before I knew it, I was on my bedroom floor, listening to the album.

The album begins with sound effects from a windstorm, and the title track opens with a repetitive violin riff by John Weilder. Eric recites a brief history of American music, which he must have had done in one take; he flubs one word during his recital, then corrects himself. Mistakes are made because of time limitations and expensive studio time. I made one in my very first recording and never fixed it. Often, mistakes can be very entertaining.

Then the next song segues into a hardcore psychedelic number called, “Poem By the Sea.” This song featured gongs and backward masking, plus echo-plex. I think the song was about an Acid trip. They inserted a Flanger sound effect on Eric’s vocals. Like Sergeant Pepper, the album tracks bleed into each other. You’d think the album is going to sound like that, but it doesn’t. The next song is a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.” John Weilder violin solo is well-worth the listen. Eric adds a talking part in the middle of the song; he does a lot of that on this album.

The next track is a spoken word composition called, “The Black Plague.” It has monks chanting that add a Gregorian ambiance to the sound. Vic Briggs plays a church organ, which has a very gothic sound to it. The theme is about the 14th Century pandemic, Yersina Pestis Bacterium, other wise known as “The Black Plague” or “Black Death.” It recants how the aristocrats remained hidden in their castle as the peasants were dying outside its impenetrable walls and moat. Eric recites it in his compelling British accent and the story’s morality is fierce.

The last track on side one was this Acid Rock jam with fuzz tones, “Yes, I Am Experience.” It was part of rock tradition to have answer songs. This answered Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?” I think of it as simply Eric ribbing Jimi, since they were really good friends.

Side two starts out with “San Franciscan Nights,” and then goes into what could be referenced as the earliest carnation of Rap music, “Man-Woman.” Eric raps about infidelity with the accompaniment of rhythmic drums and bongos. You could say this song was influenced more by 1950’s Beat poetry than Afro-Poetry, which, in 1967, was in its infant stage. Now, we come to a blues ballad called, “Hotel Hell.” It has a trumpet solo in heavy reverb, which is very effective, along with the haunting sound of a distant siren.

Next is a Folk Rock ballad called, “Anything.” This 12-string guitar song is way too corny for its own good. The lyrics are reminiscent of a Hallmark greeting card. It seemed as if, at this point, they got lazy. The final song is a Rocker about white singers doing black music, “Its All Meat!” You could say it’s a protest song. I think Eric was pushing back on those Rock critics who said that he was misappropriating black music for himself. It’s just my theory. Over all, it’s a cool album and I liked it a whole bunch!

This album was recorded just a mile and a half from my childhood home, at a place called TTG Studios; located at 1441 North McCadden Place, in Hollywood, California. It was the only studio with an 8 Track recording system! So what did TTG stand for? “Two Terrible Guys!” I never learned the reason behind the name, but I know that there were a lot of assholes in the music industry back then. As it turned out, though, this studio recorded many famous bands there—like Frank Zappa, the Doors, just to name a couple. This album was recorded in just two weeks, in March 1967. In those days, projects were on a tight schedule and had to be recorded as cheaply as possible; record company accountants demanded it! If the Animals would had spent more time on the project, it could of have been a monumental body of work. But alas, it turned out to be “just another Animals’ album.”

#60's music #baby boomers #poets on tumblr #stephenjaymorris

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