#listening to the albums that hit hard in my college years

[theodoradove]

#indigo girls #i'm having a flashback evening #listening to the albums that hit hard in my college years #put your age/gen in the tags if you want #43 #xennial #elder millennial #or #the oregon trail generation #old enough to remember a time before the internet and young enough to have entered adulthood circa 9/11 #i have talked to others my age who think they are gen x as the “official” timeline states #but i very much do not #other 1980 kids are welcome to chime in

[whositmcwhatsit]

The Gate Girl

Written for the prompt: "What are we going to do with [all of them], [this], [these ___ ]?"

A/N: Pure self-indulgence full of all my favourite things. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

None of this would have been possible without my muses, my teachers, and my pests: @thatbanditqueen, @vintageshanny, @be-my-ally, @ellie-24, @missmaywemeetagain, @from-memphis-with-love

Word count: 6387

It was a warm spring evening in Memphis and Chrissie was already regretting the knitted sweater she was wearing beneath her corduroy pinafore minidress. She could feel beads of sweat sliding down her spine and resting near her tailbone. There was no relief to be had from the humid heat standing on the worn grass by the side of the fieldstone wall, surrounded by knots of people talking quietly to each other and pausing to take photos with little instamatic cameras.

Chrissie viewed it all with experienced, familiar eyes. She had been coming to the gates ever since she was old enough to nag her parents to drive her and had albums of pictures of the walls, the little guardhouse, the house off in the distance behind the trees and so many blurry shots of expensive looking cars going into and out of the gate.

Even so, she had felt a little twinge of dread when Lori had suggested driving down. The Chrissie who had spent all that time mooning over Elvis Presley felt very far away and she aimed to keep it that way.

Going off to college out of state had been her escape from the old Chrissie, the boring, insecure, people-pleasing Chrissie who let people walk all over her like a doormat. Lori had never met her. No, since they found each other during the first few disorientating days of school, Chrissie had worked hard to become who she had always wanted to be, cool, confident and aloof. She didn’t wait around to be noticed anymore.

“So, the guard at the gate says that he thinks Elvis might be coming out soon,” Lori said, ambling over with a grin. “He also told me three times that he’s really close with Elvis because he’s his cousin. “

“Yeah, he does that,” Chrissie murmured.

“I think it’s wild that you have your own rock star in your neighbourhood. Best we ever got was some crummy band that once opened for Strawberry Alarm Clock at a festival.”

“Yeah, well, around here he’s just Elvis, we don’t think of him as a rock star or anything like that,” Chrissie said. She was jealously eyeing Lori’s paisley nylon blouse. Somehow she’d managed to dress right for the typical weather of the town that Chrissie had lived in most of her life.

“Wild,” Lori murmured, her eyes sliding over to a group of young guys, who were leaning against the wall, hanging out. “Just Elvis.”

Lori being Lori, they were standing and chatting with those boys by the time a frisson of excitement went through the crowd as movement had been spotted up on the driveway. The boys forgotten, Lori rushed over and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the gates where the guard was urging everyone to step back and keep themselves safe, not that many listened.

It was definitely Elvis coming out. Chrissie had learnt over the years that one car could be hit and miss, usually miss, but when you had more cars leaving at once, and certainly a train of them, Elvis was nearly always leading them.

“Stay over this side,” Chrissie murmured as Lori spotted a less crowded area on the other side of the gate. “He likes to drive, he’ll be over this side.” Lori’s eyes narrowed slightly as she took her in, like she was figuring something out, but then the cars arrived at the gate and they were swept forward with the rush to greet them.

Elvis was indeed driving and he put the car in park at the open gate to sign some autographs and let people lean slightly into the window to take photos. Through the silhouettes, Chrissie could see him wearing his dark tinted sunglasses and a black suit with a high-collar red shirt. It looked good against his pale skin and black hair, very dramatic.

“We should get closer,” Lori said, tugging her wrist. “I want to see what the fuss is about close up.” Chrissie sighed and nodded, knocking her hip against the front headlamp as she was dragged. She locked eyes with the front passenger for just as second and then recovered, but not for long.

“Hey, Cupcake, that you?” Her blood turned to icy water as she registered the words that Sonny called out the passenger window. She thought about ignoring him, but he wasn’t quiet and there was still that pull, that twinge, that prevented her from being rude, especially here at home. She flashed Lori a panicked smile and then hurried around the front of the car to the passenger window.

“It is you!” he remarked, pulling his sunglasses down his nose. “Damn, girl, what happened to you?!” She yanked on her skirt, feeling the colour creep up her face as she tried to come up with something appropriate, a flippant, off the cuff remark that would both impress him and put him in his place.

“I grew up,” she shrugged, catching herself trying to flip her hair over her shoulder and forcibly putting her hand down by her side.

“Yeah, you did,” he agreed with a sly grin. “Looks good on you, though I sure miss those cakes of yours!”

“Well, you could always buy them, you know. Santos Bakery over on South Highland, still tastes as good when you have to pay!”

“No, I think for sure it was all that love you put into them.” She giggled, it just slipped out, and she had to close her eyes to calm herself down. When she opened them again a split second later, she was looking straight into the face of Elvis himself as he looked over to see who Sonny was chatting with. He lifted one side of his mouth in a small smile, casual and intimate. Chrissie had no more desire to giggle. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could make a noise at all.

“It’s been a while,” he said quietly. He probably said that to every girl at the gate, she told herself, just in case they were regulars.

“Yeah, I, uh, went off to school… up North.”

“I was just saying, E, that we’ve been missing all those cakes and things she used to bring us. Remember that one with the cream and the strawberries? Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.”

“Mmm hmm,” Elvis murmured, still looking at her, unreadable behind his glasses. He ducked slightly as someone slightly too eagerly waved a record sleeve through the window to be signed and almost thwacked him in the side of the head. “How are you finding school, honey? What is it, March? You home on break?” He paused to scrawl his signature on something and then turned right back to her, eyes fixed on her face.

“School’s great. I mean, the work’s hard, but-“ She stopped, looking to Lori as she bounced up to her side and grabbed her arm. She felt a strange wash of emotions, some pride at being found standing making small talk with Elvis like they were acquaintances, embarrassment that Lori would find out how much of a try-hard she used to be, and a little fear that Elvis’s intense stare would drift away to Lori’s pretty blond head.

“Well, anyway, I guess we better be headin’ on out,” Elvis remarked, absently kissing the cheek of someone’s baby as they brandished it at his window. “It was good seeing y’all.”

“You too,” she managed, smiling so that he wouldn’t know how her stomach had dropped. “Drive safe.” She stepped back and Lori stumbled along with her, attached to her arm, wiggling her fingers in a little wave as she ducked down to look through the car.

The engine started up, but the car didn’t move on, and they watched as Elvis leant across and said something in Sonny’s ear. Chrissie instantly thought that they were making fun of her and waited for the chorus of laughter, but instead, Sonny nodded and his head turned towards them.

“Hey, Cupcake!” he gestured with his head, beckoning her over. Elvis was looking straight ahead, gripping the wheel like she was the one who wouldn’t let him go.

Trying not to meet the eyes of the other people standing around trying to eavesdrop, she stepped back up to his window. “Uh, we’re going to watch some movies over at the Memphian. Y’all feeling like joining us?” The way that Lori squeezed her forearm in a death grip let Chrissie know her opinion on the matter, but she still paused and looked at her so that they didn’t sound too eager.

“I’m not sure, we were planning on going out tonight… I guess it could be fun though.”

Sonny’s wry smile showed her that he wasn’t fooled as he murmured, ‘Uh huh. Well, ask for me when you get there. I’ll let them know you’re on the list.”

“Okay, thanks. Maybe we’ll see you there.”

“Bye Elvis!” Lori called as they stumbled back in time for the car to almost skid out of the entrance and into the traffic. There was a rumble of disappointment from the crowd as they watched the cortege of cars follow him out. Some of the fans, who always tried to chase Elvis when he left the house, ran for their cars; others were discussing whether they were going to maintain the vigil until he returned.

Chrissie finally turned to Lori before the girl’s stare melted her face clean away.

“So, you didn’t tell me you knew Elvis Presley.”

“Hardly,” Chrissie snorted. “He doesn’t even know my name. I just hung around a little when I was younger. I guess he and some of his guys got used to seeing my face.”

“Suuuure, Cupcake,” Lori retorted, sniggering into her cheek. “What the hell was that anyway?” Chrissie flushed, somehow hoping that she hadn’t picked up on it.

“Look, I’ll tell you on the way, but you gotta promise not to judge, because I was young and an idiot.”

Ten minutes later, Lori was cackling so hard that Chrissie thought she was going to pee her pants.

“Shut uuuup!” Chrissie whined. “You promised!”

“Oh, but it’s adorable!” Lori gasped, wiping her eyes. “And actually pretty cunning. ‘Hi Elvis, my family owns a bakery, do you want to sample my goods?’.” Eyes on the road, Chrissie reached over and shoved her purely for the breathy, high-pitched impression alone.

“It wasn’t like that,” she insisted, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably. “One time someone didn’t collect their birthday order and Mama was fretting and saying, ‘What are we going to do with all these cupcakes?’ I was about to head up to Graceland and I knew there’d be lots of people there at the gate- free advertising and all that. Then Elvis came down and he saw the cakes and he took some and it- it snowballed from there.”

Chrissie had genuinely believed that Elvis was simply being polite the way that he always received her care packages so enthusiastically, especially after the time that she had tried to give some brownies to Priscilla and she had demurred, saying that she and Elvis didn’t really like sweet things.

For a while, Chrissie had stopped bringing anything, convinced they had all been going into the trash the whole time. The next time Elvis had come across her at the gate, however, he had demanded to know what other boy she was treating instead of him. That night had been the best night of her life, as he had hung out with them all for a couple of hours, and he kept coming over to tease her about switching her affection to someone else, promising he was going to win her back. It still made her shiver thinking about his arm around her shoulder, his lips pressing little butterfly kisses into her heated cheeks.

However, that was when she was a silly little girl. She was a woman now.

The parking lot next to the Memphian theatre was full of cars, so Chrissie had to park down the street next to a store that was closed for the night. People were milling about outside and, as she approached the main entrance, someone told her not to bother because they were telling people that the theatre was full and nobody else would be let in.

“We were invited,” Lori replied loudly, pushing her on even as she was hesitating. Lori took responsibility for knocking on the locked door, banging with increasingly force as the two men inside the foyer had a conversation and pretended they weren’t there. Eventually, one of them sauntered to the door.

“Sorry, we’re all full. Better luck next time, ladies.”

“We were invited!” Lori bellowed. “Some guy told us to come to the door and ask for him!” She looked back at Chrissie, prompting her.

“Yeah, Sonny West said he’d put us on the list.” He turned and said something over his shoulder, before pulling out a ring of keys and opening the door.

“Okay, girls, you been before? You know the rules? You don’t sit in front of Elvis, you don’t approach-”

“Yeah, I know the rules,” Chrissie muttered, grabbing Lori’s hand and dragging her towards the main screen door.

“Barely know the man,” Lori was muttering to herself. “Elvis who, she said.”

Chrissie elbowed her in the ribs as they stepped into the muted darkness, pausing for their eyes to adjust. The screen was still curtained and there were people milling about, finding their seats and visiting with their friends in other rows. It was certainly pretty crowded and the only available seats were towards the back in what were usually the make-out areas. Not that Chrissie would know much about that…

In the shadows, it would have been difficult to make out Elvis, it wasn’t like he really did have a golden aura, but everyone knew his seat, the one he always chose halfway down the rows at the aisle, the one everyone was forbidden from sitting in. So, they were all aware of his presence even if they couldn’t actually see him.

“Where’s his wife?” Lori whispered loudly as they took their seats. “Isn’t he married?”

“She stays in California mostly now,” Chrissie murmured back. “I don’t think they’re really together anymore.”

She might not have spent much time at the gate recently, but she was still part of the ever-efficient Elvis fan grapevine that stretched from Las Vegas to Palm Springs, Beverly Hills and right over to Memphis, exchanging news, speculation and stories. For a while, there had even been a mimeographed newsletter.

Surveying the rows, for the second time that night, Chrissie locked eyes with Sonny, who was moving slowly up the aisle, running his gaze over the murmuring, fidgeting crowd. He flashed her a grin and pointed at her, before crooking his finger and beckoning. Figuring he was talking to someone behind her, she busied herself with smoothing her skirt and crossing her knee length boots at the ankle.

“Cupcake, hey!” he bellowed across the theatre between cupped hands. She slid down in her seat, wondering when her life had begun to resemble her nightmares. When she peered back over the seat, he urged her over with his arm. Lori was already rising, kicking her feet to get her to move.

“You made it!” Sonny said with a grin. “We saved ya seats.” He indicated to two seats directly across the aisle from Elvis’ usual place, which was empty. Her thoughts swirling, Chrissie thanked him and went to slide into the row.

“Hey, you know what, thinking about it, how about you and me swap places, darlin’?” He pointed across to the seat beside Elvis’. “You can sit over there and I’ll sit here with… What’s your name, beautiful?”

“Lori,” she said, wide eyes sliding from his tall, broad frame and over to Chrissie. Chrissie knew that look; they occasionally exchanged it in bars when they were dancing and teasing and flirting and then realised that they had bitten off more than they could chew.

“I think I should sit with my friend,” Chrissie said quickly, shoving her ahead of her. “She’s not from here and I ought to take care of her. Thank you, though, really. I appreciate the offer.”

Not long later, the lights finally went down, the murmuring faded into silence- another rule- and Chrissie trained her eyes on the screen, trying to ignore the pull of the empty seat alongside her. She clearly failed, as when the mere glimpse of black passed her peripheral vision, she started and froze in her seat.

As the credits played, she counted to two hundred, that seemed a reasonable amount of time, before she turned her head slightly and glanced over. Immediately, Elvis turned too, giving her a closed-mouth smile that curved his cheekbones deliciously even in the shadows of the theatre.

Caught out, she smiled back and turned back to the screen, feeling a strange warm weight settling upon her like someone had tucked a heavy warm blanket over her.

“He keeps looking over,” Lori muttered out of the side of her mouth. “I feel like any minute, he’s going to… Oh shit, I think he’s coming over.” They both seized up, sitting up high in their seats, but though Elvis rose, he strode off up the aisle, followed by a phalanx of his guys. As soon as the fire door opened and slammed shut, the volume of the whispering crept up, people probably wondering if he had left, whether he was just using the bathroom, or visiting the concessions.

“You should have sat next to him,” Lori said, wincing guiltily. “That would have been a great story, wouldn’t it? The time you were Elvis Presley’s date at the movies?”

“Nah, it’s more fun watching… Whatever this movie is, with you. Besides, we can always lie and say it happened anyway!”

Lori giggled and nodded, staring up at the screen as an airplane took off from a night-time runway on screen.

With the main attraction missing, they gradually got into the action happening on screen, so much so that Chrissie was startled when a hand touched her shoulder. She recognised the heavy set, balding man as someone who was in Elvis’ circle.

“You Cupcake?” he asked, his eyes darting between the two of them almost furtively.

Chrissie wasn’t sure how to answer that, so Lori did it for her.

“Elvis wants to talk to you, he’s up in the balcony.”

Unlike Sonny, he hadn’t couched it in a question or flirting, he said it like it was her duty to do as she was told. Chrissie looked at Lori and knew her eyes were sending the same SOS that Lori had sent her earlier in the evening. Lori nodded resolutely, slammed her hand into hers, and rose, pulling her up.

“He, uh, he just wants her,” the man said, pointing at Chrissie.

“Well, sugar,” Lori replied, putting on an awful Southern twang, “he’s gonna have to take what he’s given, cos we done come as a pair.” They didn’t give him any opportunity to reply, but he didn’t seem the type anyway, running his tongue over his slick lips and stepping back out of their way.

In the foyer, a small group of Elvis’ guys were hanging around the concession stand. There seemed to be a competition going on about how far away someone could stand and still catch a piece of popcorn being thrown into their mouths. Chrissie and Lori exchanged looks and then turned towards the door that was marked ‘Private’. None of the guys stopped them, so they pulled it open and climbed the steps in anxious silence.

At the top, there was another landing with doors leading off. The one directly ahead of them had an old-fashioned sign above it that said ‘balcony’. She took a breath, looked at Lori, who squeezed her hand, and then yanked it open, only to be confronted by searing white light.

“Oh Lord, I’m blind!” she mumbled, stumbling back into Lori, who knocked into the door and only just managed to save them both by gripping the handle.

“Shit, I was just fooling around! I’m sorry, honey, are you okay?”

Chrissie squinted, seeing only purple and pink blobs as she felt arms wrap around her waist and lead her further into the balcony. Gradually, the blobs faded and Elvis’ concerned face swam into view above her.

“You okay, Cupcake? How many fingers am I holding up?” She narrowed her eyes at the black leather gloved hand he held up.

“Six?” she half-joked. “What was that?” He flashed a sheepish grin and lifted a black flashlight the length of his forearm.

“I just got it and I didn’t realise it was so powerful. I’m so sorry, honey.”

Being in his arms, wrapped in his warmth and inhaling his scent, she felt a bit giddy as well as still overwhelmingly blind. She frowned slightly and reached up to snatch his sunglasses.

“Well, I think I need these more than you do,” she mumbled, sliding them onto her face. They promptly slipped down her nose and she had to tilt up her face to see through them. She just saw a pink-tinted blur.

Laughing from his belly, Elvis reached out and pushed them back up for her with his finger, brushing a light peck on her forehead that she barely caught before he moved back.

“Well, now we’re the blind leadin’ the blind, darlin’.”

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat from the doorway and they both turned, Chrissie having to look over the top of the glasses to make out Lori standing there awkwardly.

“Oh, you brought your friend,” Elvis murmured, tightening his hold of her waist with one arm.

“Hi,” Lori said, waving self-consciously.

“She’s visiting with me for break,” Chrissie explained. “She doesn’t know anyone or anything… I mean, she doesn’t know where things are.” He fixed her with a lopsided smile that told her she was adorable like a puppy or a toddler and his eyes fell to her lips, before he gently took his sunglasses from her face and put them back on.

“No, that’s okay,” he shrugged, “the more the merrier. Come on in, sweetheart.” He gestured for Chrissie to take the seat to his left, which she did after floundering for a moment at the loss of his arm around her. “Do you ladies want a drink or anything?”

They both declined and sat primly on either side of him, adjusting slightly as he spread his legs so that his knee was pressed against each of them and he took up both armrests.

“So, you’re visiting? Where are you from, honey? What’s your name?”

“Lori, and I’m not really from anywhere- I’m an Air Force brat, spent a little time in a lot of places, but weirdly I’ve never been to the South, so I knew that I had to come when Chrissie invited me.”

“Chrissie?” he echoed questioningly, looking to his left.

“That’s me,” she nodded emphatically.

“Noooo,” he replied playfully, leaning in and shaking his head right in her face, “you’re my sweet little Cupcake.” He pecked her cheek, lingering with his hot lips against her skin. “I’ve known you longer than she has, I know who you are.” She shivered, basking in the tingly warmth of his attention, just like she had that night a couple of years earlier, but then she remembered that she was different, she wasn’t that Chrissie anymore.

Before she had even made up her mind to do it, she turned her head, her lips brushing against his. That was all the encouragement he needed, his hand coming up to clasp her head and he kneaded his lips against hers, exhaling into her mouth.

Chrissie thought that she enjoyed kissing, but she had clearly never kissed anyone properly before, Elvis showed her that. His tongue slid against hers, even as he was sucking on her top lip and drawing her closer, his hand moving from the back of her head to grasp her neck. Every part of her was sparking and humming as she slipped her hand underneath his black jacket into the searing heat at his back.

“You do taste sweet,” he murmured, his lips grazing hers as he spoke. “I always wondered.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that except by blushing and leaning forward over the arm of her chair, trying to snag his mouth again. This time, he ducked back, though his hand was still wrapped around her throat, his thumb rubbing rhythmically against her pulse.

“Wait, honey, we ain’t being fair.” He turned to his right, where Lori was sitting looking at them, her cheeks pink and her mouth half open. Chrissie’s eyes dropped to where Elvis was holding Lori’s hand. “Lil Lori’s sitting here all left out, ain’t that right, honey?”

Lori’s eyes focused suddenly, but not on Elvis. She looked to Chrissie and the look she wore was different from anything Chrissie had ever seen before, but she still knew what it meant. She swallowed and nodded her head slightly.

Lori turned to Elvis and smiled. It was a deadly, sinful smile that usually bewitched and entrapped the boys at school within seconds. Elvis, it seemed, was not immune to that smile and he leant across, not loosening his grip on Chrissie, and kissed her too.

Chrissie got to see what that looked like from a distance, her eyes fixated on the movement of his plump lips, the tightening of his jaw, the way that his dark hair mingled with Lori’s pale golden bangs. It was mesmerising. She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs tightly to answer the tickling and tingles below her belly.

“Whoo, boy, now Cupcake’s bought me some sweet things before, but nothin’ compares to this,” he said, turning to each of them as he spoke like he was watching a tennis match. His lips glistened in the light from the screen and Chrissie reached out her hand to run her thumb across the bottom one, just to touch its pillowy softness. She gasped as he opened his mouth and nipped at it, using his tongue to soothe any hurt.

“You enjoy the show, baby?” he said softly, smirking in that confoundingly innocent,  but sexy way that only he could manage. “See, now, that’s not fair on me. Both of you girls got to watch, but what about little ole Elvis? Where’s my show?”

Chrissie looked from him to Lori, feeling strange, like she was being stretched, pulled too far in different directions. Lori winked at her and then turned her blue eyes to Elvis.

“What do you want us to do?”

“Nothing bad,” he assured her in a soft, playful voice. “Just a little kissing, honey, that’s all.”

Lori shrugged and then flashed her dazzling smile at Chrissie, who felt frozen in the glare as Lori climbed onto her seat on her knees and leant across Elvis, who happily leant back. Lori’s lips were soft, softer even than his though not as full, and she lacked his finesse, but it felt nice as they massaged hers. Her eyes flickered open as Elvis pulled back the curtain of Lori’s hair that had fallen across her face and he gazed at them both with sleepy, tender looking eyes. Lori’s hand clasped her face before sliding down onto her shoulder and then lower. Chrissie shivered in anticipation.

“That’s enough now,” Elvis said gently but firmly. “Gonna make a man feel jealous, and I already lost you once to those boys at college.”

As Lori retreated to her seat, he cupped Chrissie’s face between his big hands, the metal of his rings pressed hard into her cheekbones.

“But you ain’t ever done nothing like that for those college boys, have you, sweetheart?” He didn’t wait for her answer, swallowing down her shallow breaths as he kissed Lori’s lipstick from her mouth. “Bet none of them’ve kissed you like this neither, huh.”

His voice was soft, low and kind of hypnotising. Chrissie wanted to shake her head, to gaze at him adoringly and tell him that she would never let anyone touch her the way that he was doing. That was how she knew it was the wrong choice.

“Some have,” she said, her voice hoarse and small.

He drew back, staring at her with his mouth slightly open, his lips ripe and glistening. She watched him reach up and take off his sunglasses, narrowing his eyes. All the better to see you with.  Finally, a little too late, he laughed gently and playfully and she felt sure that she had just scored a point in whatever game they were playing.

“All grown up now, huh,” he observed with a twitch of his left eyebrow, echoing her words from earlier in the evening. She very slowly raised her own eyebrows and nodded.

“Well, what else you let ‘em do?” he asked, his voice low and leaning into gravelly. She felt the cool leather of his gloved hand on her thigh, sliding underneath her skirt. “You let them put their hands up ‘n’ under- under..?” She clamped down on his forearm without thinking and earned herself a pleased smile. “Naw, no, you’re still a good girl, aren’t you, sweetheart. My sweet lil cupcake, still a sweet lil treat.”

He tilted his head and nuzzled into her neck, moving so that she could see Lori peering over his back with a look of complete bewilderment on her face.  Chrissie twitched her face into an expression that was the equivalent of a shrug.

Hey, uh, Elvis?” Lori murmured, tapping him on the shoulder. He paused and Chrissie felt him exhale a hot sigh into the crook of her neck that swept down through the wool of her sweater. She shuddered.

“Yes, honey?” He pulled back, his fingers sliding between Chrissie’s like they were two kids on a date.

“What’s that?” Lori asked, pointing at the blue-ribbon pendant around his neck, half buried in his jacket and the gold chains. He looked down, tightening his mouth.

“This here? This is a medal I got for being one of the ten outstanding men in America.” He held out the pendant that showed two hands stretched out to touch one another. “They only give that to people that’ve made a real difference, you know, honey, presidents, businessmen, athletes. Scientists. No fooling, it’s a big deal. I had to give a speech and everythin’. And if you think I was nervous standing up there, no script or nothin’, in front of all those people, you’d be right!”

They oohed and aahed over it while he sat with a proud smile, telling them about the trophy he had at home and the pin that was on one of his other jackets.

As he finished talking, the credits began to run across the screen.

“Aw, it looks like the movie’s over,” Lori sighed. “Thank you for inviting us, it was really nice of you.”

“That’s just the first movie,” Elvis returned, frowning slightly. “The night ain’t even getting started. You girls hungry?” He didn’t wait for their answer, yelling out ‘Jaaaaaames’ at the top of his voice. Chrissie peered over the side of the balcony and saw some people looking up.

The short, stock man from earlier came stumbling up the stairs, eyebrows raised in question.

“We need sustenance, man, hamburgers, Pepsis… Unless you girls want milkshakes?” Chrissie bit down a smile at him finally giving them a choice of something and even then it was only which drink they wanted.

While they waited for their food, the second movie started rolling. Elvis sat back in his seat, clasping each of their hands, and squinting slightly at the screen. Chrissie looked at his impossibly long, thick eyelashes flickering as he blinked and wondered whether he wore mascara. She wanted to ask for a recommendation.

“Quit it, I can feel those eyes burning a hole in me, woman,” he muttered, shooting her a sideways look, the line at the corner of his mouth twitching up. “M’trying to enjoy the movie.”

“Sorry.” She turned back to the screen, looking at Charlton Heston’s sweaty face.

“I’m only teasin’, baby.” He tugged her forward by the hand, kissing her again, and she had the same loop-de-loop sensation in her stomach as the first time. “I like you looking at me. Makes me feel good.” He pulled her hand onto his thigh and pressed it down as he kissed her, moaning a little into her mouth.

By the time James returned with their food, Elvis was buried beneath the two of them as they rubbed their lips, their hands, their faces and their bodies over every part of him they could get access to. When Chrissie got worried about how high his hand was on her bare legs, or how he was a little too insistent, he would turn to Lori and she would watch until her heart stopped pounding so hard and her chest loosened. She could feel herself growing wet, the ache intensifying between her legs, and she wondered how far things would go.

The girls picked at their burgers, their appetites directed elsewhere, but Elvis tucked into his hungrily, eyes drifting over to the screen to keep tabs on the action.

“You like movies?” he asked them. “I love movies, ever since I was a kid. All I wanted to do was be a movie star.” He shoved some fries into his mouth. “Be like Brando, or Monty Clift, or James Dean. I’d study ‘em all the time, trying to figure ‘em out like they were a… a.. math problem or something.” He huffed a laugh at himself.

“Well, you got your wish,” Lori observed. “You’re a movie star. I went and saw you in the movies.”

“Hell, I’m sorry, honey!” he returned dryly. “You want me to refund you the money for the tickets?” He shook his head, chewing fast so that he could finish his thought. “No, I ain’t done it yet, made THE movie, the one that’ll change the way everyone sees me, make ‘em see I can be a real actor if- if they just gave me a chance. Not even close. Not yet, but I will.” The girls nodded, it was impossible not to, he sounded so sure. “You believe me, don’t you.”

“I think you could do anything,” Chrissie told him quietly, immediately beset by the impulse to cringe, which was overwhelmed by the sight of his face lighting up. He nodded, a lopsided grin spreading across his face and making his eyes twinkle.

“Well, shit, I probably could if’n you only keep looking at me like that, honey,” he returned, looking down bashfully.

Food finished, they turned their attention back to the movie for at least two or three minutes, before hands started to knead and rub again, lips started to caress and nuzzle, and Chrissie somehow found herself sliding down Elvis’ body as he sat sprawled in his seat, her mouth sucking and licking at his throat, the coarse hair on his chest, the red linen shirt covering his warm stomach. She reached his belt before he reached down and stopped her.

“Not like this, sweetheart,” he said so tenderly and sweetly that her heart curled up at the edges. “It’s not gonna be like this for you.”

Instead, he scooped her back up onto his lap, where she could feel the hard bulge of him pressing against her thigh, and he let the tip of his nose graze slowly across her cheek and down into the neck of her sweater.

With his other hand, he reached over and gathered Lori to his side too and they cuddled up together to watch the third and final movie of the evening. Sometimes, he would turn slightly and whisper silly comments into her ear and press his pout into her pulse point, making her shiver. Others, he’d give Lori a pinch and make fun of how chatty she was.

They forgot, at least she forgot, that they were canoodling with a world-famous entertainer, a rock star, a man who had conquered everything and everywhere by the time he was their age. For a few hours, he was just their dorky, silly friend with the beautiful face and the softest, most kissable lips.

As the sun rose above the municipal building across the way, Lori and Chrissie rose from their seats, stretching their tingling limbs and rubbing their gritty eyes. Elvis stopped them at the door, clasping Lori’s chin and giving her a soft peck on the lips, before turning to Chrissie and taking her hands.

“Hey Cupcake,” he said with a small smile, looking up at her through his brows bashfully. He pulled at her hands, making her sway slightly in front of him. “Thank you for coming tonight and, er, all those other nights too. It, uh, it meant a lot… It means a lot, to have people rooting for you, especially… especially when things aren’t going so well.” She couldn’t help herself, sinking into his arms and gripping him tightly. She was so tired that she thought she could quite easily doze off with her face smushed against his warm chest.

“There’s that look again,” he remarked as she drew back, gazing at him in fresh wonder, unable to comprehend how the night had happened. “You make a man feel bulletproof, honey. And, uh, I promise I won’t ever let you down.”

“I know,” Chrissie replied, frowning slightly. He kissed her one last time, as sweet and needy and delicious as the first one.

“Come up and visit with us again sometime, okay?” She nodded, reaching out to push his sunglasses up his nose. He grinned.

As they wandered up the street in the greying dawn, arms linked and emotions numbed, Lori turned to Chrissie with a frown.

“That felt a lot like goodbye, didn’t it?” she said.

Chrissie sighed and nodded, thinking about how she could grab some boxes from the storeroom at the back of the bakery to pack away all her photo albums and autograph books.

“Yeah, it did,” she murmured. “It was.”

#elvis presley #70s elvis #elvis fanfic #elvis x oc #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley fan fic #elvis presley fanfiction #writing prompt game #whositmcwhatsit

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP, can you allow me to confess something here? Sorry in advance for the long ask.

I'm in my mid-thirties and Jimin is my forever bias because I see my story in him. When I was younger I used to love singing. I had a beautiful voice with a very wide range, sang in a choir, was even invited to sing for pay when I was 9 years old. I'd sing everywhere and it was my best hobby. I couldn't imagine not singing. I wrote songs in my diary and would sing them to a few friends. But I didn't train my voice. I didn't even know that was something people did. It just seemed like a natural talent I had. By the time I entered college, I noticed my singing range had shrunk. While in school I didn't have many chances to sing in bands and sharing a room with classmates made it hard to sing. By the time college was over, my voice had nearly completely left me. I'd try to sing, but it wouldn't sound right and it would hurt. I started getting more and more self conscious and my confidence has taken a big hit. I try not to remember what I used to sound like in my teens and have made the best of my singing voice now. I know vocal aging happens to everybody, especially people who overuse their voices too early, but it doesn't lessen the silent inferiority I feel. I still sing as a hobby but can only do so in a smaller range though I still haven't gotten vocal training which is expensive for my lifestyle time-wise.

In 2020 I got into BTS through BE album. The voice on Fly to my Room sounded very unnatural, like a fairy and I gravitated to it immediately. I learned it belonged to Jimin and going back in time through BTS albums, the change in voice was jarring. I know this change was deliberate by him based on what I know about singing style and technique. Jimin has been getting regular voice training for some time now. But changes like that come at a cost. When I see him be a little unsure, I recognize the feeling too.

When you said Jimin is your best vocal in BTS, I fell a little in love with you. The way you explained his voice tells me you might intuitively understand all the changes both he and me have made. I'm assuming a lot of things but I just want to say thank you for loving his beautiful defiant voice. He might not be your bias, but I don't see even Jimin biases talk about his vocals the way you do. Jimin inspires me to keep singing and to love my voice in every way. Can you pls talk about this vocals through the years if possible somehow?

*

Hi Anon,

No worries about the long ask. I'll try to keep my response a bit shorter (though I'm hardly ever successful at that so we'll see lol).

Thank you for sharing what you did, and I doubt you're alone in having that experience.💜 I'm not really sure where I'm going with this reply yet, but I want to start with one fact:

Jimin has always had an unusual tone to his voice.

I'm not a vocal coach or anything so I probably can't explain this properly, but the first time I heard Jimin sometime in 2013, his tone reminded me of a teen rock singer, but not really... like if you combined Pink's voice with Justin Beiber's (say whatever you like about the guy but he's got good tone and knows how to use it), and then added something else. Something... metallic and throaty - just a hint of it.

Like if Brandi Carlile was a teen boy from Busan with a slight lisp and no vocal training.

At the time I didn't take much note of it, but over the years, his vocal tone and the way he's deliberately manipulated it into what's evolved to today - distinctly Jimin but akin to a merger of Taka, Mitch, and Tyler Joseph's voices, has cemented Jimin as one of my favourite singers.

Jimin's voice has always been unusual for k-pop. It was true in 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, and it's true today, and all you need to confirm this is listen to any record from that time and compare it with anything else. For example, you can compare his vocals in his cover of Perfect Man with the vocals in the original (SM-trained vocalists).

[BTS devoured, but Jimin is a completely different beast here. You can listen to other covers as well. Nobody sounds like Jimin.]

I believe you're right about how his initial lack of training combined with the stylistic choices he pursues (which are difficult to execute sometimes as main dancer), has impacted his confidence over the years. But I don't think Jimin is insecure about his vocals the way he used to be years back. BigHit failed to provide support in 2012/13, but he's been steadily getting training at his request since at least 2017. You put Jimin on a song and that man will sing. He might not have the best technical proficiency, and there’s always room for improvement of course, but he's more than good enough.

Criticism of vocals, both fair and unfounded, is something that has always been thrown at Jimin. Like I've said before, his voice tone is already unusual in k-pop, and so people raised on/used to the k-pop way of singing (usually defined by coaches at SM who have saturated the industry for decades), have never really known how to think of him as a vocalist within the k-pop paradigm. I mean, even back then when his tone wasn't as stylized as it is now, people couldn't really place his voice, and now I often hear some complain about how oddly piercing he sounds sometimes.

But that's exactly one of many things I find addictive in Jimin's vocals. He is very much a rock vocalist, and likely will always be, so I hope he gets more opportunities to flaunt and obliterate the expectations of what a male vocalist from Korea should sound like.

Basically, I want more of Set Me Free Pt 2.

On Set Me Free Pt 2, he ratchets up that metallic quality to sound completely unhuman. It's like all the criticisms about vocals completely lose meaning when the voice isn't even trying to sound human-like. It's perverse and subversive.

A decade’s worth of criticism on his vocals, on that song he said fuck it all.

Like... Jesus.

I inject that song into my veins every. single. day.

I need Jimin to fuck it all to hell, one more time in 2023, for my sanity.

I need him to be his full inhuman self, to render me speechless and senseless with his vocals and I'm not even fronting. In fact, thank you for telling me you like how I talk about his vocals, because most times I'm toning down how I feel, what his voice does to me.

Anyway, I occasionally see people concerned for his voice, k-pop stans who think he can't sing, and I could not give a shit if you paid me to. Like, please give me the voice cracks, give me the tight high notes, give me that shit. I listen to Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Beck, Stevie Nicks, Pink, Taka, Nina the goddess, Ray Charles, Brandi... like please, Jimin has great company. He's beyond the precise, predictable, and formulaic singing done in k-pop and mainstream pop. In my fucking opinion.

Anyway, I hear what you're saying about the difference in voice between Fly to my Room and say, Jump. I hear the fear in your ask. But Jimin is still more than capable of creating the voice from their earlier years. His voice has changed, yes, but it's matured too. For example, the way he sounds in that Perfect Man cover, is very similar to how he sounds in Face Off, IMO. The only difference is his tone is somehow more delicate, expressive, and intentional.

Lol oh lord I've rambled.

Okay, some clips of my faves from him, for kicks.

One of my all time favourite Jimin vocals, what I consider to be the epitome of pop/rock vocals by BTS, is his voice in Danger.

(MMA 2019 gave us so many gems)

*

Then there's Jimin in Magic Shop. His brightness and clarity of voice is really heard at 1:17.

*

And because this post is kinda long already, here's Alone.

*

Anon, please keep singing. Your voice is the one thing you should never surrender. Jimin will keep singing too.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

#jimin #park jimin #bts #kpop #vocals

[bsaka7]

tagged to post my 9 favourite album with commentary by @mathewbaldzal !!!! we r two peas in a pod i think with having a lot to say about some tunes...

in no particular order...

different class (1995) - pulp. this is not my no1 album of all time because i don't have a favorite album of all time, but this album is in part representative of "getting into music" to me. i love 90s britpop, whatever that means for a random american and this is my fav of em all (though i do actually quite rate this is hardcore in pulp's discography). "common people" is one of the songs of ALL TIME. god jarvis's little sing-song sleazyness gets me. really, really, really great classic performance of it at glasto 1995...for some reason "pencil skirt" also always really hits.

home video (2021) - lucy dacus. the newest album on this list by a long shot, but it's had songs in my top5 year end lists since it came out. i've also seen lucy live <3. this album rises above some of the others in similar company (punisher - phoebe bridgers, the boygenius ep, etc) because i never get tired of it. "first time" "hot & heavy" "brando" and "triple dog dare" are nearly always standbys in my listening history. probably gonna be an album-i-listened-to-in-college classic forever...

songs of love and hate (1971) - leonard cohen. maybe none of my favorite leonard cohen songs are on this album, but as a single work, this album stuns me. possibly the most transfixing 44:21 i've ever heard. his lyricism in particular is -- i can't even describe it. the mix with his voice, the sparseness of the instrumentation at time, the harmonies. i'm not a big stories guy but in this, yeah, the songwriting, the stories. i don't think there's another album like this one out there, really.

if you're feeling sinister (1998) - belle & sebastian. the first time i heard this album, i thought i had never heard an album so perfect. i love songs off of it but i nearly always listen to it whole. i love, love, love b&s's early sound (twee, if you will), and stuart murdoch's lyrics really, really shine. this is one of my favorite albums to listen to when i have a headache because it's lovely to just, focus on but not grating at all. i really love "judy and the dream of horses" and "get me away from here i'm dying". really, a beautiful work

rumours (1977) - fleetwood mac. i was sort of scrolling through some of my playlists trying to decide what to put on this list (it's a bit weighted towards stuff that's in rotation now) and i couldn't leave off fleetwood mac (in part to represent the huge part of my music taste that is like. classics 1965-1980). stevie nicks was one of my earlier music obsessions (the OG was the beatles). so many wonderful songs and riffs. i know this was left off the original 12-inch but "silver springs" is one of my favorite songs forever and ever and ever...

nebraska (1982) - bruce springsteen. when it comes down to it, this is my favorite springsteen album. i do think his 1975-1987 run of albums is pretty much perfect but nebraska is a masterpiece in a way that i find hard to express in words. there's a sense of sparseness and distance in this work (in part bc of how it was recorded) that i find so utterly compelling i can't even describe. "nebraska" - especially this 1984 live version - is a perfect song to me. perfect. i also like a lot of the stuff that went into inspiring this album (notably flannery o'connor) and well. where it fits into springsteen's narritivization of his own life (dude was in the dumps).

all killer, no filler (2001) - sum41. this pick is a little bit representative of the era of my life where i basically exclusively listened to pop punk but if songs of love and hate is an album that's perfectly drawn out, this is an album that's perfectly compressed. like, the title is correct. this album is fucking TIGHT. i used to listen to it at a job i hated to make the 30-min intervals go by. and it's got such classics...."fat lip"..."motivation..." of course, "in too deep." SO good.

what did you expect from the vaccines? (2011) - the vaccines. maybe this pick is a tiny bit cheesy but it is a perfect encapsulation of the era of alt rock it came from. which i love. i really like the vaccines, i think they're super fun and i did see them in concert finally and they totally lived up to that. "wetsuit" is again...one of my favorite songs of all time. "if you wanna" is a perpetual banger.

age of consent (1983) - new order. again, an album that deserves to be listened to whole, despite how good "age of consent" hits alone ever single time. sometimes i think i like another new order album more than this, but i don't. sumner's voice just out-of-tune ringing out over that sound, that new order sound, the bass, that post-punk club vibe. they're a band that don't sound like anyone else, and this is the album most indicative of that. wow, every time.

a few narrow misses

boxer (2007) - the national. i didn't get the national until one day i did. "slow show." my god. hello.

very (1993) - pet shop boys. it's too simple to say this is an album about gay love because it's so embedded in it's context but. this is an album with so much love. psb are brilliant.

the execution of all things (2002) - rilo kiley. jenny lewis CALL ME. also like. you know "a better son/daughter". there's more.

a thousand suns (2010) - linkin park. i used to listen to this at 6th grade cross-country practice. first band i ever got into on my own. idk.

this is not only my favorite albums but a pretty decent summation of the broad strokes my overall taste. thank you again for the tag!! i enjoyed doing this a lot :). idk who has done this/on what blogs so if u have PLEASEEEEE send it to me i want to see!! i tag @lfcrobbo @upthebrackets @girlfriendline @odegoob @amandaleveille @thelittlebirdthatkeptsomanywarm @kritischetheologie @bright-and-burning @a-corn-field if any of u want to but no presh!!!

#i HAVE been listening to albums off some of these that i've seen ppl do (sez i've only listened to wisecrack but more of urs r on my list) #and there have been notable instances of me falling in LOVE with albums off things like these others have done (c mentioning the midnight #organ fight and passive me aggressive you which have become mainstays for me lol) #SO like always if u wanna chat about music or rec me things i'm so here lololol #shshshsh why did i think i had to tag 9 ppl i'm sitting there like oh gotta get 9 and then realized it's just however many u want. #well i want to know everything about all music taste ever so 9 it is... #tag game #yahooo!!!! <33333333333

[shanardo13]

Obikin College Au - RA/Don! Obi-Wan/First Year! Anakin - Part Three

Honestly, at this point I should probably just start writing it, but I keep thinking of little ideas for this au and want to keep track of them, so I present to you: Part Three 😈

Link to Part One

Link to Part Two

At this point, they are becoming inseparable - Ahsoka would say insufferable. Both are applicable.

Whenever Anakin has errands to run, he texts Obi-Wan to come with him. Obi-Wan has started to do the same. Now most of their outings involve running errands for each of them.

Anakin: u free? I gotta hit Walmart and get supplies for my project.

Obi-Wan: yeah I’m free. Think u could get it from staples at the mall instead?

Obi-Wan: I wanna go to Sephora and Hot Topic. Need eyeliner and I wanna look at band shirts.

Anakin: omfg 🙄

Anakin: jk jk that sounds perfect! Meet outside subway station in ten?

Obi-Wan: sounds good!

And then they meet in front of the subway station like they planned.

They both bring earbuds to the subway, so really they could listen to their own music, but they never do. Instead they share a pair and sit huddled up together, taking turns picking songs.

They can both be kind of pretentious with music, so they work well together. Despite their differences, they impress each other with their knowledge and love of the same music.

“Anakin, Wings is leagues better than Plastic Ono Band, and anyone who doesn’t think so is just stupid.”

“Oh, McCartney is just bubblegum pop and we both know it, Obi. At least Lennon had substance.”

“Substance abuse issues, maybe.”

“Can we at least agree that Harrison’s work is significantly underrated?”

“Oh definitely. All Things Must Pass is the best post-Beatles solo album in my opinion.”

“Yes! Thank you! Do you want to listen to it?”

When they get to the mall, they immediately head to their favourite little coffee shop in the centre of the food court. Obi-Wan always buys, so Anakin usually makes it up to him by finding him a little gift.

“You just want your regular?”

“Obi-Wan, I’ve told you numerous times. I can afford my own coffee. You don’t have to buy it for me.”

“Shut up, I want to.” He turns to the employee and repeats their drink orders. “And a strawberry danish please!”

They sit in the food court while they drink their beverages and Anakin eats his danish, conversation flowing endlessly. Lots of inside jokes and giggles are shared. Then they continue on with their shopping.

They go to staples first, as Obi-Wan has dubbed it the ‘not-fun’ part of their trip.

“Anakin, you’re getting office supplies for a school project. Boring! Let’s get it out of the way first!”

“Okay, fine.” Anything for you! Literally anything you ask, any time, I would say yes. I’m at your mercy

They grab what Anakin needs at Staples and then head to Sephora.

Obi-Wan spends far too long sifting through various shades of black eyeliner. They all look the same.

“Anakin, which is better? ‘Midnight’ or ‘Jet Black’?” He holds up two pencils.

Anakin studies them. He tries really hard to spot a difference between them and to subsequently make a decision.

“Uhh… I guess, ‘Midnight’ ?” He suggests, pointing to ‘Jet Black’.

Afterwards they head to Hot Topic to look at the band shirts. This has both of them captivated.

“Anakin, it’s buy three get the fourth free. If we each pick two we can get the deal and then just split the cost for the rest.”

“Yes, Obi-Wan, I understand. But what if we each picked four?”

“You don’t need four new shirts!!!”

They settle on each getting two. When Anakin buys Obi-Wan a cool chain necklace with a scorpion on it that he had been eyeing, it’s only as a repayment for the coffee. Nothing else.

When Obi-Wan buys Anakin a pair of dangly sword earrings, it’s only because he thinks they would look really good on Anakin and he’s not too bashful to admit it. He wasn’t going to spend any time thinking about what that might mean.

“Please put them on! They totally suit you!”

“Oh fine!” Anakin obliges. They’re in the washroom after leaving Hot Topic. He puts the earrings on, as Obi-Wan watches him in the mirror.

“See! You look hot, Ani.”

“Oh, fuck off.” He mutters, blushing a fierce red as the two of them maintain eye contact in the mirror. You can’t just say something like that and expect me to be normal about it!

So Anakin walks around the mall, sword earrings proudly on display.

They go to Indigo because Obi-Wan is an English major and is passionate about literature. He wants to buy a book for Anakin to read so they can talk about it.

“I think you’ll really like Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut is a very satirical author, and I think you’ll appreciate his dark sense of humour. Plus, it has science fiction elements! He uses aliens and a warped concept of time to highlight the trauma and impact of war. You’ll love it!”

“It sounds cool! I’ll give it a go!”

Anakin likely would have never picked it up on his own, but the way Obi-Wan’s eyes lit up and the pace of his speech quickened as he spoke with great passion about the novel made it entirely worth reading.

After the mall, they go to the park together. They sit down at a spot under a tree. Obi-Wan leans against the tree. He grabs a journal from his book bag and begins writing in it - just lil poems and thoughts. Definitely not about Anakin.

Anakin stretches out and rests his head on Obi-Wan’s lap. He starts reading the copy of ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ that Obi-Wan bought for him.

They sit there for a long time in silence, each focusing on their own task but enjoying each others company.

Eventually Obi-Wan stops writing, putting his journal away in his bag.

The sun is starting to set, and as he glances down at Anakin, he notices how it highlights his features.

He notices the warmth of his skin brightened by the light - the gold of his curls enunciated in the glow.

He reaches down and rakes his fingers through the curls as Anakin continues reading.

“Thank you for today. Trips like this mean everything to me.” You mean everything to me.

Anakin stops where he’s reading and folds the corner of the page. Obi-Wan winces - he would never damage a book like that.

Anakin looks up at him, leaning into the fingers in his hair, practically purring. It’s enough to stop Obi-Wan from cursing him for folding the pages of a book.

“Of course, Obi. Things are always more fun with you.” He hums.

Obi-Wan smiles down at him, giving his scalp light scratches. I’m not thinking about kissing him.

“You’re like a little cat.” He ruffles his locks before pulling his hand away. He gives Anakin’s nose a boop.

Anakin huffs and pulls himself into a sitting position so they’re face to face. He stares at Obi-Wan for a moment, a devilish grin spreading across his face.

Suddenly, he stands up, reaching for Obi-Wan’s hand. “C’mon.” He says.

“Oh, what now?” Obi-Wan groans and grabs the offered hand, allowing himself to be pulled up.

“You’re going to buy me ice cream from the stand over there!” Anakin beams, interlocking their fingers and pointing to an ice cream cart in the distance.

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes but can’t control the smile tugging at his lips.

And so they go to the cart. Obi-Wan buys Anakin an ice cream cone. He wouldn’t do it if it didn’t make him happy - or rather, if it didn’t make Anakin happy which in turn made him happy.

As Anakin devours the cone they make their way back to the subway station. Their hands stay intertwined the entire way.

Mindlessly, Obi-Wan rubs his thumb up and down against Anakin’s palm.

All in all, it was quite a perfect day.

I promise at some point I’ll actually start writing this - I can’t promise I won’t post more of these before that though. 😎

#obikin #aniobi #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #obikin rp #star wars #padme amidala #obi wan and anakin #ahsoka tano #captain rex #modern au #obikin modern au #alternate universe #college au #uni au #shannons silly ideas #ewan mcgregor #hayden christensen #obi wan x anakin

[chiriwritesstuff]

The Girl in IT - Behind the Music! (Behind the Scenes, Pt. 1)

The LIST │ Series Masterlist

Hi. Hello!  

As I've mentioned before: I want to thank each and every one of you who has liked, loved, and shown support to 'The Girl in IT' - it's been a crazy, wild ride! To show my thanks, I wanted to release a series of behind-the-scenes looks at the lore of the series, my motivations, headcannons, and inspirations that have taken part in the development of the series - down to things like music, imagery, and the little bits that embody 'The Girl in IT'. I hope you all find it insightful!

Let me preface this by stating that music holds a significant—if not the most substantial—role as inspiration in my life. I don't know what I'll do without it. I grew up listening to the music my dad was into - a lot of The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and Led Zeppelin. I remember as a kid begging my parents for a boombox every birthday. I used to help my friend (a radio DJ at our college radio) come up with playlists back in college, and it was probably the first time I ever felt like I was a part of something creatively that I felt like I was good at, on my own terms.  

With that said, I definitely make and compile playlists for every single fic / series that I've ever released.  

Are you ready?

The Music (aka the most important part):

Creating a playlist for 'The Girl in IT' was definitely on the easier side- I know for a fact that Sugar, as an IT girlie, has playlists for every single aspect of her life: playlists for every single mood, for the shower, to hang out with Sir Bubbles, and of course, one when she thinks about Joel. When she's in her office, hard at work on every single one of Joel's requests, she's "locked in", listening to the playlist that corresponds to her mood.  

The Playlist:

'The Girl in IT' General Playlist

The general playlist is one that I curated for the present moment - It's a combination of Joel and Sugar, sure, but it encompasses a few emotions for the series - it's sexy, full of yearning and hope. I wanted it to be somewhat playful - it's definitely more Joel influenced than Sugar. When I think of an artist who embodies 'The Girl in IT', I think of Cannons. 'Heartbeat Highway' plays a prominent role with my inspiration for the series - especially 'Desire', 'Loving You' and 'Crush'. I wrote a lot of the chapters with this album playing in the background. Give the album a listen, it's so good!

Highlights in the general playlist:

'Crush' - Cannons (Sugar)  

It's feeling like déjà vu when I'm standing next to you And all these years of running, they led me straight to you I feel my heart exploding, my blood begins to rush This feeling, I can't ignore it, this can't be just a crush

'Come on Closer' - Jem (Joel - Chapter 3 - The Dressing Room Scene !!!!!)

Come on closer I want to show you What I'd like to do You sit back now Just relax now I'll take care of you

'Golden Hour' - Jvke (Joel - aka the song he forced Ellie to put on his playlist after hearing it in the car)

I was all alone with the love of my life She's got glitter for skin My radiant beam in the night I don't need no light to see you

Sugar:

'The Girl in IT' Sugar's Playlist

I will admit: Sugar's playlist was a bit harder to develop than Joel's. We know as a whole that she likes him, that she's pined for him, but his "rejection" - when he "didn't show" to her birthday party all those years ago - it broke her, and a lot of the music in her playlist reflects her emotions from that time. She's inexperienced in love and is a loner - I reckon she has a close group of friends, but she doesn't put herself out there. There's a lot of yearning, longing, and regret in her.  

Highlights in Sugar's playlist:

'What do you go home to?' - Explosions in the Sky 

When I was in college, I listened to a lot of Explosions in the Sky. Something about the composition of their music always hit me deeply - it always was able to capture my feelings of longing and yearning, without any pretty poetic lyrics. When we first start off in the series, Sugar is down and out. She lives alone in a shoebox of an apartment she can barely afford and hasn't had any significant relationships. She's in her late 30s - so she's given up on trying to put herself out there, mostly to protect her heart from rejection. I feel this song encapsulates Sugar as a whole, and this song still makes me cry til this day.

'Fantasy' - Mariah Carey

Oh, when you walk by every night Talking sweet and looking fine I get kinda hectic inside Mmm, baby I'm so into you Darling, if you only knew All the things that flow through my mind But it's just a sweet sweet fantasy baby When I close my eyes You come and you take me It's so deep in my daydreams But it's just a sweet, sweet fantasy baby

This is very on the nose - it perfectly captures how Sugar felt when she first met Joel. It's all very innocent- she's been in love with him since day one. There's a forbiddenness to her affection - Joel's closer to her parent's age than her own, so she sees her infatuation as a fantasy. She doesn't think she has a chance with him, not then, not now.  

'The Trick is to Keep Breathing' - Garbage

She's not the kind of girl Who likes to tell the world About the way she feels about herself She takes a little time In making up her mind She doesn't want to fight against the tide Lately I'm not the only one I say never trust anyone Always the one who has to drag her down Maybe you'll get what you want this time around

Sugar is the kind of girl to hide herself. I also imagine due to her IT background, she listens to a lot of Garbage (the band, not garbage music, LOL). She's the kind of girl to talk to herself in her mind, to remind herself to take it day by day, to just keep breathing. She doesn't trust people and their motivations, especially if they are positive and good-natured. I know that it's frustrating to see since Joel has always been forthcoming with his feelings for her, but we must remember: I always intended for Sugar to be messy, to be relatable, and mostly, to be complex in her emotions. She's not going to make it easy on him, but Joel - he's up for a challenge, he's been ready. Sugar honestly doesn't know what's coming.

Joel:

'The Girl in IT' Joel's Playlist

Joel's playlist was a no-brainer. He knows exactly what he wants – and that's Sugar. He sees her in such a way that it takes his breath away. Joel also loves music, but he's the kind of guy who is stuck in a certain era, so there are a lot of classics in this. I also will die on the hill that Ellie also influences his music tastes - she always connects her iPhone to Bluetooth when they're in the car together, and Joel would be the type to hear a song that reminds him of Sugar and demand that Ellie puts it in his playlist (i.e. - 'Golden Hour' by Jvke).

Highlights in Joel's Playlist:

'And I Love Her' - The Beatles

A love like ours Could never die As long as I Have you near me

I have this headcannon where Joel knows exactly how Sugar sees herself - and I think he wants to help her see that she is more than the girl she believes to be. He sees a girl who works her ass off and wants to break the mold of being in her parent's expectations for her - and he's drawn to that spirit. He loves her for who she is, no other explanation needed. 

'Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell on You)' - Aqualung

Ok, I know what you're thinking. This song is stalkerish. It's gotten a bad rap - but do I care? No, not really. Do I think that Joel has felt this way about Sugar all this time? ABSOLUTELY. This song definitely shows that Joel has been waiting and biding his time - he's worked his ass off for TEN YEARS trying to be worthy of Sugar. This is Joel, yearning. This is also a look into how he sees Sugar as she interacts in the world, that she's this beautiful creature who hides herself and her beauty, how she has the ability to turn heads but she just doesn't see it. Let's take a look at the lyrics, because I think it speaks for itself:

I've been watching your world from afar I've been trying to be where you are And I've been secretly falling apart Unseen To me, you're strange and you're beautiful You'd be so perfect with me But you just can't see You turn every head but you don't see me

'Waiting for a Girl Like You' - Foreigner

When you love someone When you love someone It feels so right, so warm and true I need to know if you feel it too Maybe I'm wrong Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong? This heart of mine has been hurt before This time I want to be sure

In this series, Joel has only been in one significant relationship: the one that he had with Sarah's mom. Now, we can sit and deliberate the nature of their relationship and how it ended, but honestly, I don't have the attention span nor the energy to do so. I think that after that relationship ended, Joel kind of gave up on love. He buried himself in his work and focused on being a good father, which, I think he has done a tremendous job at. When he first meets Sugar, Sarah is already an adult and is about to leave the nest. Joel is lonely. He's been ready to find love again, and I think when he first meets Sugar, this is the song that he immediately plays in his truck after that fateful day at the mall. He has been waiting for a girl like her, all this time.

'Here with Me' - Dido

And I won't go, I won't sleep I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me And I won't leave and I can't hide I cannot be, until you're resting here with me

If I am not mistaken, in the first episode of 'The Last of Us', in the kitchen scene, Dido was playing in the background. I've loved Dido forever - ever since my teen heart heard 'Here with Me' on 'Roswell' (on the WB!!! Older Geriatric Millenials RISE!). This is the song I think Joel has in mind after his confrontation with Sugar's dad, telling him to leave the birthday party and saying that he's not good enough to be with her. Joel in 'The Girl in IT' is a devoted Joel, and has always wanted Sugar to be by his side, even back then. This song also plays with his determination to be with her, to pay his dues, and to work his ass off to be the best version of himself for her. He's always been there and hasn't left her - and I think he would always be there if things didn't work out.  

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes looks at 'The Girl in IT', coming soon!

#The Girl in IT #pedro pascal #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller #pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller x female reader #The Girl in IT BTS #joel tlou #joel the last of us #pedro pascal characters fanfiction #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal characters #joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fic #joel miller tlou #the last of us hbo #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fic #the last of us fanfic #the last of us #Spotify

[nelliesnellie]

Hit by a Tegan And Sara Shaped Brick

Have you ever heard a song for the first time in over a decade, completely forgotten about? It hits you like a fucking brick. Or that's how it works for me anyway.

This is basically a journal-y musing about Tegan And Sara, growing up kinda repressed, and mowing lawns while listening to college radio.

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

I'm having a pretty angsty day as it is — something that listening to Tegan And Sara was never bound to help. But I have a 12ish-year-old mental note rattling around my brain that says "listen to Tegan and Sara" and I needed to clear some clutter. Besides, apparently I'm a dyke in Canada. To not give them a go would be simply irresponsible.

So picking an album somewhat at random, I put on The Con. Immediately good shit. I can get pretty nostalgic about 2000s indie music, even though I only got into it in like 2010. Maybe missing out on the heyday is part of that nostalgia — after all, nostalgia is based missing an experience more than it is living one. I got through two-thirds of the album. It's a great experience. This is no surprise. I am, in fact, the demographic. Every time one of their songs has come up in the past its made me want to do this dive and it was not disappointing.

And then the song "Nineteen" starts playing. I'm hit by a peculiar wave of emotion and I stop playing Tetris mid-game. THIS WAS IT. I had heard it once before, about 12 years ago, and was immediately smacked upside the head with a clear memory.

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

In my mid-teens I had a summer job mowing lawns. Yeah that's right. I'm intimately familiar with the blended smell of fresh cut grass, gasoline, and occasionally hot dog shit. The sound of the mower engine masking a chorus of bugs. This was in Northern New York — a largely rural place which comes with most of the expectations one might have of the American countryside.

It was an awkward place to grow up as a queer indie kid. Hell, I didn't have the resources to even begin to understand that I was a transfeminine lesbian. I just knew I was different, that something was off.

I did not take for granted any accessible source of "cool music." This included the local college radio station. It went to shit by the time I attended that school, but in my mid-teens it was exactly what one wants of a college radio station, playing its delightful indie nonsense. And when I mowed lawns, I would often tune in on the radio built into my chunky, noise-protective headset I wore to protect me from the wretched sound of the combustion engine.

And that's how I heard "Nineteen" by Tegan And Sara for the first time. And the song HIT. It's full of this longing passion. To me it evoked a deep yearning for something I couldn't even articulate. "I felt you in my legs before I even met you." It was aesthetically and thematically evocative of something I was missing without being able to articulate. Something so deep I don't think I could've spoken about it, to quote an entirely separate artist. And their sound has this undeniable "cool girl" energy that was deeply aspirational to me in a way I didn't even understand at the time (classic trans girl egg situation).

In spite of all that, I never followed up on looking them up though. Probably because this was the iTunes days when I only got music from sharing mp3s with friends, the weekly free iTunes downloads, and the occasional iTunes giftcards. But it was one of those memorable first-listen experiences, like the time I first heard Regina Spektor laying in my bed one night listening to the same station on a shitty handmedown mp3 player that had a built in radio. Ugh. Why does Spektor have to be a Zionist?

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

I think this aesthetic of cool-girl longing is why it hit me so hard back then, and hearing it for the second time at nearly 30. By this point I've found myself, I've found my people, I've found my life. I've made it across that enigmatic chasm I felt the first time I heard it. It's not really a journey I think about that often, it just is what it is. But this time it just swept me down like an undertow.

I don't even know that its an amazing song. Like its a GOOD song. But I feel like my subjective experience is what makes it really hit.

Time travel is a heavy drug. Maybe next time I'll talk about hearing Tubthumping for the first time as an adult lmao.

#nellie's journal #Tegan and Sara

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

 Window in His Heart

Alex Gibney’s new documentary chronicles Paul Simon’s course from voice of a generation to aging performer who’s not ready to hang up his guitar

BY DAVID YAFFE

MARCH 16, 2024

A 21-year-old Queens College student wrote a song in his parents’ bathroom about how we would all be swallowed up by death. Do your best to make music, but silence will defeat you in the end. “Hello, darkness, my old friend,” he began, singing to the tiles. This was not an obvious chart-topping topic, yet “The Sound of Silence” eventually became a No. 1 hit, and Paul Simon, with his childhood pal Artie Garfunkel rocking a harmony, broke very, very big.

When he sang, “Losing love is like a window in your heart,” he was singing about his divorce from Carrie Fisher, but he was really singing for anyone who had lost love and was still reeling. Simon lamented that he could not sound enigmatic like Dylan. He always sounded sincere. Maybe it was because he was part of something larger. “There is something where the music is coming through you,” he said. “You’re a part of it, but it’s not starting with you—it’s coming from somewhere.” O.K., but when he sold his catalogue, he kept the $250 million.

He had a farewell album in 2016 and a farewell tour in 2018, but then a voice came to him in a dream, telling him he would write something called Seven Psalms, even providing lyrics. Simon would transcribe like a biblical prophet. The message would have something to do with dying, right back to where he started in “The Sound of Silence.” Gibney’s In Restless Dreams follows Simon’s quest to record the album after the final album, while he was losing the feeling in his hands and his hearing in his left ear, first gradually, then suddenly.

“The artistic process is about real shit,” Gibney tells me. “Because I was around when he was doing the work, it was like Picasso painting. Paul needed an audience, particularly when it was hard for him. He was having issues with his hands. There was one day when he came in with a huge bag of Theraguns, a muscle relaxer for his hands. He had issues with his playing, his hearing, and his singing, and he let us watch him struggle through that. That was both very generous and vulnerable. But it also helped him, because he knows how to rally for an audience. The extra energy was useful to him. Watching him in the present gave me more insight into the past.”

When Brickell sings, “Heaven is beautiful. It’s almost like home,” I cannot listen without tears. We want to hear the songwriter of “The Sound of Silence.” We’re not ready for actual silence. Losing love is a window in your heart, but what about losing everything? “The big mystery about life,” Simon says in the film, “you can never solve the mystery. That’s what’s so great about it. You don’t want to solve it.”

After Seven Psalms, Simon went back to doing what he was doing before: writing songs. He’s still working out how to perform with the one good ear, and he hasn’t given up. Neither should we. We’re on our way. We don’t know where we’re going.

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon premieres on MGM+ on March 17

David Yaffe is a professor of humanities at Syracuse University. He writes about music and is the author, most recently, of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell. You can read his Substack here

#David Yaffe #music #musicians #Paul #Simon #songs #song lyrics #my favorites

[imaginespazzi]

Nivi – hey bestie, you’ve done it again – I wasn’t sure it could get more heartbreaking than the last one and yet!

As always, the writing is- well, it’s everything.

The parallels between high school them and college them was immaculate, and I so wish Paige could have fulfilled her dream of kissing Azzi under the confetti, but alas, maybe in another universe 😉

I loved the little exchange about UConn and California, and how that possibility was always there but Paige could just never accept it.

P and UConn winning the natty this year – it had to happen in at least one universe, so thank you for letting it happen in this one.

Side note: Drew and Paige interactions are always top tier, and very much the type of momentary fluff that I needed to break up the sadness while reading.

Side note 2: I love that I don’t even need to imagine what Azzi wearing Paige’s jersey would look like, but I’m glad ucla au Paige got to experience it too 🥹

The celebration with the team was so cute and of course it would be KK that basically helps break the ice (and her lil innocent “you should bring her around more often” 🥺). Also, all the little moments Az got with everyone else in the team was so wholesome, and ofc queen Nika being a loveable menace who’s always just looking out for her twin.

Side note 3: I love love love the two piggyback moments haha, just because that’s so pazzi core to me idk, I feel like there’s been a lot of photos where Azzi is piggybacking Paige irl, like that’s very much their thing so I adored seeing it incorporated here. But then, the ending. I knew it was coming, but it certainly did not make it hurt any less when we got there. “Fuck,” Paige’s voice is still wracked with sleep, “I thought you left.” “That’s more your style,” Azzi says – this was particularly heartbreaking, but I can’t really blame Azzi, even if P is trying so hard to make things right.

Overall, I may or may not have been tearing up throughout the entire chapter, and it somehow hit me even harder the second time I read through it? I think that’s just testament to your writing tbh.

Thoughts on what’s next:

Do things finally start getting better? It can’t get any worse, can it? (famous last words) 😅

I did wonder actually, whether you’d have them win or lose the natty, only because if they did win which obviously they did here (thank you), could that maybe change P’s mind at all on declaring or not?

I’m guessing she obviously sticks to her og decision and stays, and so I’m super intrigued on what might come next for them.

Like will they try going back to being just friends? Even though they’ve already tried and failed and knowing that would never be enough for Paige. But can they really not be in each other’s lives??

Will they try seeing other people again??

Summer’s coming up in the timeline and they’ve never spent an entire summer apart, so what will they do this summer? 😔 Or will we have a big time jump?

So many questions, and only you have the answers, Nivi.

Favourite lines/quotes:

The moon shines against Azzi’s face and Paige thinks that so much has changed, but Azzi’s still that kind of beautiful

“Do you know what my answer would have been?” “Yeah,” Azzi says softly, squeezing her hands, “yeah I do.”

Alternate lyrics that came to mind while reading:

Talk about our future like we had a clue. Never planned that one day, I'd be losing you.

In another life, I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world.

Oh, and in honour of your love for Taylor, a Taylor lyric that came to mind was specifically this:

And I can go anywhere I want. Anywhere I want, just not home - mainly from the perspective of Paige getting almost everything she’s ever wanted, except the thing she wants most.

PS: I don’t really listen to Taylor’s music much anymore (nothing negative, just a shift in my music tastes these past couple of years!), but if there’s anything you think I should definitely give a listen to from her latest album, let me know!

As always, thank you for all you do for us. Have a wonderful weekend 💗

Much love, -🙋‍♀️

Hi bestie, one thing about me is that I will find a way to make it worse! 🤪

Thank you my sweets, it always means the world <3

I'm glad you caught that because I wanted to hint at the idea that it wasn't just a random decision of Azzi's part to choose UCLA and that she'd always been considering it.

If I can add Drew and Paige interactions, best believe I will find a way to do it. That's another relationship that's so precious to me.

Shoutout to the one anon who asked for Azzi to wear Paige's jersey in the universe as well because I took that and ran with it so I hope they liked it, because I liked their idea (come say hi!)

The team scene was one my favorites to write honestly, especially just in general KK is so fun to write because she's so fun and I need my chaotic family (Paige-Azzi-KK-Ice) to be a thing in every universe.

YES the piggybacks are just so Pazzi-core and I know this is an au but I like to take things from what we already know about them and just tweak it to keep some semblance of realism. Also piggyback are just really cute and Paige seems like the kind to beg literally anyone to carry her anyways

Things will get better because I actually don't know if they can get worse (actually they probably could but it might be hard to come back from lol) but things getting better is gonna take a lot

See if Paige changes her mind and declares, things become easy for them with her going to LA and I'm not in the business of making things easy for them lol

You think I have the answer to these question but truly what I write is just as much a mystery of where my inspiration will take to me as it is to you. So we'll see but we're on the ascent upwards, so no more other people lol!

I LOVE THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY SO MUCH!!

As for Taylor, the new album's pretty good babes if you wanna go listen! Lowkey a lot of the songs work pretty well with this fic lmao. But my favorites are loml and Fortnight I think.

Always love your detailed takes on the new parts and just seeing you in my inbox always makes me smile <3

#ask #fic talk #UCLA ANON LOML FR <3 #maybe i'll go start part 6 tonight and go back to being a good updater lol (don't trust me ever actually)

[fredseibertdotcom]

Michael Cuscuna, photograph by Jimmy Katz

Michael Cuscuna

Michael Cuscuna, one of my great inspirations and sometime collaborator, passed away this weekend (April 19, 2024) from cancer. Being a cancer survivor  last year myself, when someone I’ve known and worked with for over 50 years it hit particularly hard.

Blue Cuscuna: 1999 promotional sampler from Toshiba-EMI [Japan]

Michael has been the most consequential jazz record producer of the past half century, a man who had not only a passion, but the relentlessness necessary to will the entire history of the music into being. Don’t believe it? Check out the more than 2600 (!) of his credits on Discogs. Substantial and meaningful he might have been, but to me, he was a slightly older friend who was always there with a helping hand. Hopefully, I was able to hand something back on occasion. 

As I said when he answered “7 Questions” eight years ago: “I first encountered Michael as a college listener to his “freeform,” major station, radio show in New York, and was fanboy’d out when a mutual friend introduced us at [an] open rehearsal for [Carla Bley’s and Michael Mantler’s] Jazz Composer’s Orchestra at The Public Theater (MC has a photographic memory: “It was Roswell [Rudd]’s piece or Grachan [Moncur III]’s. You were darting nervously around the chairs with your uniform of the time – denim jean jacket, forgettable shirt and jeans.”) By 1972 or 73, he’d joined Atlantic Records as a producer, and since that was my career aspiration, I’d give him a call every once in awhile. He’d patiently always make time for my rambling and inane questions, and I never forgot his kindness to a drifting, unfocused, fellow traveler. 

“...patiently always make time for my rambling and inane questions...” says a lot about Michael. His raspy voice could sometimes seem brusque, but ask anyone and they will tell you that he always made time to talk. Especially about jazz. 

I desperately wanted to be a record producer and Michael was one of the first professionals I encountered. He had already produced my favorite Bonnie Raitt LP when somehow or other I bullied my way into his Atlantic Records office, where he was a mentee of the legendary Joel Dorn. Over the next few years, Michael was often amused at some of the creative decisions I made, but he was always supportive and even would sometimes ask me to make a gig when he couldn’t. When I spent a year living in LA, he invited me over to the studio while he was mining the history of Blue Note Records that would define his life for the next half century. I completely failed to understand what the great service to American culture he was about to unleash. Along with Blue Note executive Charlie Lourie, Michael’s research resulted in a series of double albums (”two-fers” in 70s speak), but little did the world know what was on Michael’s and Charlie’s minds.

The Cuscuna/Lourie Blue Note “Two-Fers” that ignited Mosaic Records

“I don’t think it’s generally understood just how imperiled the musical and visual archives of Blue Note Records were at one point, and just how heroically Michael stepped in to make sure this unparalleled American music survived for future generations. If you like jazz, you owe the man.” –Evan Haga 

(Joe Maita does a great interview about Michael's career here.) 

Fast forward a few years. The air went out of my record producing tires, I became the first creative director of MTV, I quit MTV and along with my partner Alan Goodman started the world’s first media “branding” agency. Leafing through DownBeat one day I saw an ad that started a new relationship with Michael that would last, on one level or another, for the rest of his life: the “mail order” jazz reissue label Mosaic Records. 

Charlie Lourie & Michael Cuscuna at Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival, Japan 1987. Photograph by Gary Vercelli / CapRadio Music

Long story short, in 1982 Michael returned my check for the first two Mosaic  releases with a note asking for some help. Initially, Mosaic wasn’t the sure fire, instant success Michael and Charlie had hoped for, did I have any ideas? I did, but no time to do anything other than make suggestions, we were busy trying to get our own shop off the ground. This cycle repeated itself for another couple of years when this time when Michael called he said Mosaic was on death’s door. Fred/Alan was in better shape, so Alan and I, on our summer vacation, came up with the first Mosaic “brochure,” convinced the guys we knew what we were doing (I’d read a few paragraphs in a direct mail book in a bookstore) and, with nothing to lose, Charlie and Michael took the plunge with us. Success! 42 years later, the former Fred/Alan and Frederator CFO at the helm, Alan and I always answer any call from Mosaic.

The first Mosaic Record box set 1983

There aren’t many people in the world like Michael Cuscuna. The world’s culture will miss him. I will miss him. Most of all, of course, his wife and children will miss him. 

#Michael Cuscuna #Mosaic Records #Alan Goodman #Blue Note Records #RIP #Carla Bley #Michael Mantler #Jazz Composer's Orchestra #producing Records #producingrecords #jazz #mentors

[justlike-awoman]

"Dedication of John Harris" - English translation of an article published on December 23, 2020 on Queen Note, Unofficial Fanpage from Japan

Link to original article: X

(I am relying on Google Translate, so please forgive any incorrect translations!)

---

Dedication of John Harris

'The fifth queen.'

Among the many 'fifth queens', this time I think of their sworn friend John Harris.

As you all know, John Harris is the man to whom the song "I'm In Love With My Car", and the album "Jazz", are dedicated to.

Stories of early studio setups and live mixes have reached our ears. There's a connection between Queen and Harris, and not only as a band and sound engineer. I would like to summarize that dedication.

In the late 1960s, Brian, a student at Imperial College, meets Harris, a mathematics student at the same college. Brian, a serious student, and Harris, who is his exact opposite, have contrasting personalities, but they get along well and naturally become good friends. They had a common passion, music.

Harris will drop out of college in a year or two, but his friendship with Brian and his friends will not change, and the poor students will live together in places such as Burns and Ferry Road. In such a life, when it came to gigs, Harris drove an old van, transported equipment, and naturally became SMILE's well-intentioned roadie.

February 1970, a little while after that fate overlapped. Freddie was auditioned for a band called Sour Milk Sea, which he saw in a magazine ad. The shy singer asks his roommate Roger and Harris to accompany him to the audition. Young Freddie (23) appeared at the audition venue with a flashy appearance with two blonde attendants. He performed brilliantly and won the place he was aiming for. He must have needed that sense of security to be watched over by his friends.

The dissolution of Sour Milk Sea, the dissolution of Smile, the formation of Queen, the meeting with John Deacon, John Harris has seen it all. He recorded all of the performances they went to together, listened to them on the way, and used them for the next performance.

Queen's second bassist Barry Mitchell recalled in his book The Early Years:

John (Harris) was always at rehearsals. He helped the band out with their equipment and took care of the band. We didn't have a mixing desk (at the time), so we were limited in what we could do with the sound. When Freddie was in a bad mood, he played a soothing role. The band adored him, and he would sometimes try to get the band to play well. It must have been hard because the band was stubborn.

Mark Hodkinson, Queen: The Early Years, 2009, Omnibus Press

In 1972, Queen finally signed a major contract. One of the last sticking points of the band's contract was to include the hiring of Harris. Trident's John Anthony dismisses Queen's claims: "You can't do it. If you want to pay him, hire him yourself."

Strangely, after cancelling the contract with Trident, this word will be recovered in the form of direct employment of the crew by setting up an office on their own.

The environment surrounding them has changed dramatically in 5-6 years, from the poor student days to the successful musicians, contracts, breaks. Friendship and dedication remained the same. In August 1977, Harris' interview was published in a special issue of Music Life. I will introduce some excerpts:

Performing on stage requires a lot of nerves, and when it comes to concert tours, it becomes a life of travel, and every day is just going back and forth between the hotel and the airport. There were times when I hated living like this. There must have been times when the band members thought so too. However, the reason we are still living in this harsh world is because there is an irreplaceable joy. I still remember it well. The day the first Queen record came on the radio... It was "Seven Seas of Rhye", Queen's first hit single in the UK. Everyone would hit each other's shoulders and bounce around in a big dance.

Also impressive was the day Queen appeared for the first time on the popular TV show "Top of the Pops." And the day they performed in Japan for the first time last year... More than 10,000 people gathered at the Budokan concert on the first day. Until then, they had only performed in front of an audience of about 40 people in England, no matter how many people gathered, but now they will perform in front of 10,000 people in Tokyo. It was an event that I couldn't help but remember the excitement of.

I don't know how long I'll be working with Queen. As I get older, I may not want to go on tour, and then I may become an engineer for the studio. But as long as there is 'Queen', I will be with them. They are good friends to me and attractive musicians.

"Brilliant Queen" 1977, Shinko Music, Jonathan "John" Harris

Half a year after Harris' interview was published on ML, Harris collapsed at the final performance of the NOTW tour.

"On the not so good side, John Harris our sound man fell ill in California -- he's getting better though and will be back in action behing the mixing desk soon --." by Freddie Mercury, "Queen Magazine" Spring 1978 issue

The above is the words Freddie wrote in the spring 1978 issue of the fan club magazine.

Harris, paralyzed, secured a few seats in first class and returned to England. At that time, the cause of Harris' illness was unknown, and he was hospitalized for about a year. (*Diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome later in life.)

An album was dedicated to Freddie's prayers ("This album is dedicated to John Harris" - Jazz 1978 album notes). Harris returned to the Crazy Tour in 1979 with a cane. However, from the perspective of Peter Hince, who has toured with him, Harris was not feeling well enough to keep up with the world tour. How humiliating and painful that must have been for him.

The band offered Harris an engineer job at Mountain Studios, but Harris declined and left Queen.

Peter Hince said the last time he saw Harris was in the Magic Tour dressing room. It must have been a nostalgic and painful reunion between the band and Harris.

I feel that the closer people are to each other, the less pictures they take together.

Four people in the light, friends who desperately supported each other.

Queen's music contains the thoughts and dreams of various people.

Harris' recordings still lie dormant in Queen's vault.

(References under the cut:)

Mark Hodkinson, Queen: The Early Years, 2009, Omnibus Press

Rupert White 『Queen in Cornwall』 2012,Antenna

Phil Chapman, The Dead Straight Guide to Queen, 2020, Red Planet

Mark Blake, Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen, 2011, Da Capo Press

"Brilliant Queen" (『華麗なるクイーン』) 1978, Shinko Music

『Queen Magazine』 Spring 1978 issue

#!!! NEW QUEEN INFO ALERT !!! ALSO SADNESS ALERT !!!! 😭😭😭 #john harris #queen #queen band #freddie mercury #peter hince

[thelasttime]

hi Madie, Valentine Heart 💝 anon here! thanks for the song suggestions!! i also ended up listening to the entire album and i may or may not have added your suggestions to this playlist i’ve made to cope lol

also listening to “decode” hit me so much harder. i didn’t realize how much literally every word applied to me until i took in the song and i am just. so sad. everything was so nice and somehow along the way he seemed to have changed his mind about something and i just can’t understand what happened. am i just someone convenient? would he come back once this semester ends? because if i remember correctly, with the exception of my birthday last year, we’ve only ever hung out while he was on break and never while he was back in college which is. something interesting to note. he says he’s busy but then i see him post on his close friends stories every once in a while being out and about either by himself or with other people :(

also also i am so afraid of TTPD this weekend because what if this new album hits hard for me too lmaoooo. did you know that out of all Taylor’s songs (so far), Delicate and Electric Touch are the ones that really make me think of him? i can’t listen to them without feeling a little sting in my chest now :(

i think the main thing is that you shouldn't be having to decode everything he's doing. if he likes you, it should be clear as day and there shouldn't be any confusion from his side or your side!! and the songs that you used to relate to will always be there for you when you find yourself caring for someone else. songs have a great way of always being relatable no matter what happens to you

#asks #asking you this* #anonymous

[smoothbydangelo]

injury reserve, drive it like it's stolen (2017)

i can't place where i first heard injury reserve. i remember that i found them through their self-titled album in the summer of 2019. knowing 14 y/o me, my guess is i heard of them through a fantano review. at that point in summer 2019 i was obsessed with clipping. they were the first experimental hip hop group i listened to and their sound blew my mind (shoutout my best friend cam, he showed me clipping. in eighth grade). i wanted to find more music like clipping. so when i first listened to injury reserve (the album) i was stoked. they had something about them that made me an instant fan. i still come back to that album every so often and fall back in love with it.

injury reserve dominated my summer 2019 and followed me into my freshman year of high school. i started delving into their back catalogue that year and loved floss, live from the dentist office, and drive it like it's stolen, though their self-titled remained my favorite. floss and live from the dentist office became staples in my rotation that year.

when i heard about groggs's passing in 2020 my heart was broken. over the past year they had quickly became one of my favorite active groups and to find out that someone as young and full of life as groggs was no longer with us hit me pretty hard. i stopped listening to their music until late 2020 because it just became too sad.

when they announced by the time i get to phoenix i didn't know how to feel. part of me was so happy to hear new music from a group who's entire discography had excited me. another part of me was unsure of if i would even want to hear new music and be reminded of grogg's passing. i listened to "superman that" and realized i wasn't going to be able to make it through this new album. even as i'm writing this, i haven't heard any other songs from it. i don't know if i ever will.

injury reserve has been on my mind a lot recently because i met this guy in college who loves music. his name is anthony. he's a nice dude. knows way more about music than i probably ever will. a week or so ago we had a conversation about injury reserve which took me down this exact memory lane. through that chat i realized that i hadn't heard drive it like it's stolen in forever. i listened to it a couple times when i first got into them in 2019, but i couldn't remember a single song off of it except "see you sweat," which i didn't remember being too fond of.

i listened to the album in full this morning while i was writing an essay. i got sidetracked pretty quickly because this album is incredible. it doesn't compare to my memory of it at all. i think the minimalist production made this album seem bland to me when i was expecting something as explosive as their self-titled when i first heard it. parker's production never fails to catch my ears. i'm listening to "boom (x3)" right now and the piano sample is gorgeous and perfectly juxtaposed to the bombastic drums and verses.

if i had to use one word to describe this album it would be "understated." the choruses are simple and far from eye-catching. more than any of their other albums, drive it like you stole it really just feels like two guys rapping. parker's production is great but it takes a backseat to ritchie's and groggs's verses.

nothing highlights this better than "north pole." this song is a million things. it's really sad. it's mature. it might be my favorite song on the album. it's probably the best beat on the album. ritchie's verse makes me cry. especially the last three lines where he talks about his loved ones who have passed watching over him write and perform his songs.

after "north pole" comes "colors," which also might be my favorite song on the album. now it's groggs's verse that makes me cry. especially when he says that life isn't supposed to be perfect, it's supposed to be lived. jesus man what a loss. i just know that guy had so much more to say.

this album places more focus on lyricism than any other project from injury reserve. i think that's really brave. parts of this album make me feel like i'm at an open mic hearing someone read their poetry to a room of a dozen people. i think part of that feeling can be attributed to its brevity. it's only seven songs at 20 minutes.

i don't think this is a perfect album. "see you sweat" still isn't one of my favorite injury reserve songs. it kinda feels out of place on this record. it's not awful or anything, just kinda feels like a floss leftover.

overall though, i think drive it like it's stolen is incredible. these guys have something to say on this album. i hope that putting so much of their pain into their music was cathartic for them. maybe this is wishful thinking but i found an underlying optimism in this album, like ritchie and groggs knew that their past fuck-ups didn't define them. that pain is temporary. that progress isn't linear and "perfect" is unattainable.

i hope that parker and ritchie are doing well. i know that they started something called "bye storm" recently but i haven't looked into it. i think i might though. rediscovering injury reserve has made me think about a lot. i wasn't in the right headspace to listen to by the time i get to phoenix when they released it. but a lot has changed since then. i'm doing a lot better. i live three hours away from where i grew up. i have a different area code and new friends and hobbies. maybe i should check by the time i get to phoenix out. i'll think about it.

#music #album review #rap

[severalpossiblemusiks]

3 for the ask game please!

3: A band I didn’t like at first but like now.

This seems simultaneously hard and easy. There’s a boatload of bands I didn’t like at first listen, but found more interesting later on (Opeth, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, even Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, among others). But I think the standout for me is David Bowie. I really only heard the occasional hit of his on the radio, and when he died, his stuff was all over the place seemingly out of nowhere, and in my contrarian teenage years I was like “come on, he can’t be THAT good”. Fast forward a couple years into college and I was working on guitar, and my teacher recommended I learn some David Bowie tracks, cause of how Bowie wrote for guitar and used some unconventional chord progressions and styles in his songs. This opened me up to his work from a different angle, and I began to appreciate his work a lot more. I particularly enjoy his Ziggy Stardust album and the concept behind it.

#asks #music #answered asks

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley comes alive at Cinequest

Publication Date: Friday, March 04, 2005

Jeff Buckley comes alive at CinequestLate singer-songwriter inspired two first-time filmmakers

by Susan Tavernetti

A strikingly handsome Jeff Buckley speaks to the camera, "My main musical influence? Hmmmm."

A long, long pause follows -- giving you time to admire his chiseled face, thoughtful reflection and the filmmakers' courage to cherish the moment rather than cave in to frenzied, MTV-style cutting.

"Love, anger, depression, joy and dreams," he continues. "And Zeppelin. Totally."

His voice eases into a haunting cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," completely seducing you. This gifted singer-songwriter died too young. The 30-year-old musician with the four-octave voice took a nighttime dip and tragically drowned in Memphis on May 29, 1997. It was the day his music stopped and his legend began to soar.

"Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley" pays tribute to this singular artist whose life and work profoundly touched so many people. Menlo Park filmmaker Nyla Adams and Laurie Trombley, her New York-based collaborator, have lovingly crafted a 61-minute documentary that will make its West Coast debut at Cinequest 15 on March 9. The film festival opened March 2 and runs through March 13 in downtown San Jose.

"We made a film about art inspired by Jeff, and the film itself is art inspired by Jeff," Adams said. "We wanted to light people on fire the way he lit us on fire."

Ironically, Adams' first impression of Buckley wasn't so glowing. While living in a Trinity College dorm room in Hartford, Conn., someone handed her a CD of "Grace," Buckley's only full-length, studio-recorded album. The Cold Jam fan listened to the first song and gave back the 1994 Columbia Records release, insisting it was awful. Five years later, she had a different reaction to the same album.

"It just struck me. I cried listening to it, and it inspired me to write poems. And I don't write poetry," she laughed. "I thought if this is happening to me, then it must be happening to others, because I've never been affected that way."

Adams met Trombley in the copy room of A&E Television Networks in Manhattan, where they talked about making a 10-minute short dealing with Buckley's legacy of inspiration. Unlike her partner-to-be, Trombley had immediately connected to Buckley's vocal stylings and Telecaster guitar licks while working as music editor of the College of New Rochelle's newspaper.

"I listened to "Live at Sin-e" over and over again in one day. The songs were so emotional, so raw and so beautiful and haunting that I didn't know what to make of them. They made my head spin around. The album moved me so much that I wrote him a letter stating that I would work for him for free," Trombley said.

To her surprise, Buckley himself called and from 1994 to 1995 Trombley interned at the management firm representing him. She became his fan-relations manager.

"That speaks volumes of who he was as a person. Jeff took chances and was open-hearted."

Because Buckley had handpicked Trombley, his mother agreed to meet with the earnest pair who hoped to moonlight as first-time filmmakers. Although they later learned that Mary Guibert had intended to refuse their request, the women hit it off. Guibert liked their proposal to focus on her son's impact -- not biography -- and to expose American audiences to the remarkable Southern California artist who had emerged in New York's East Village avant-garde scene in the 1990s.

"Jeff was so gifted that he was able to integrate many different styles into his songs. He could sing anything from gospel to hard, head-banging rock 'n' roll," Adams said. "Although he's huge in England and Australia, enormous in France and Japan, and revered in South America, no one in this country knows who he is. Jeff could rock out with the best of them, but he was so emotional and so raw that he didn't fit into the Seattle grunge trend of the time. America just didn't get it."

Guibert gave them her blessing -- and access to letters, journals, photographs and other elements of Buckley's estate.

As luck would have it, Adams' cube mate at A&E overhead her talking about the project and suggested she call her husband, who worked at Sony and was vice president of Buckley's television promotion. Sony had brought Buckley in as a heritage artist, hoping he would be the next Miles Davis, Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen. Boxes of Buckley videotapes that no one had seen were sitting in Sony's basement. Adams and Trombley had no funding for their film, but Sony granted them the festival rights to this treasure trove of performance and interview footage.

Six years later, after 40 hours of interviews conducted by Trombley and shot by Adams, and countless editing sessions, "Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley" was completed in 2004. The accomplished documentary celebrates Buckley in song and spirit, revealing his commitment to his art, his unease with the trappings of the music business and the mystique surrounding his short but significant life.

"The reaction we've been getting from the fans has been phenomenal. That's been the best part, because we made the film for them," Adams said.

Poster girls for a festival that honors mavericks and the digital technology that enables creativity, Adams and Trombley will join other local filmmakers at Cinequest. Woodside resident Kari Nevil ("Your Guardian") will see her film, "Planting Melvin," projected on the big screen. Davina Pardo, Christina Herring and Lila Place -- graduate students in Stanford's Documentary Film and Video program -- will have shorts shown, as well as the animation team of David Pace and Victor Bellomo.

Stanford alumna Christine Nubile's "Police Blotter" reveals differences between the East Palo Alto and Atherton police entries, and Scott Smith shot part of "Charlie the Ox" in Palo Alto.

Sir Ben Kingsley ("Gandhi," "Schindler's List," "Sexy Beast"), Jon Polito ("Miller's Crossing," "The Big Lebowski," "Charlie the Ox"), Blanchard Ryan ("Super Troopers," "Open Water") and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah (the subject of "Emmanuel's Gift") will receive Cinequest Maverick Spirit Awards.

Cinequest show times:

Nyla Adams and Laurie Trombley's "Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley" will screen March 9 at 7:15 p.m. at the Camera 12 and March 12 at 5:15 p.m. at the University Theater on the San Jose State University campus.

Kari Nevil's "Planting Melvin" will screen March 4 at 9:15 p.m. and March 5 at 1:15 p.m., both at the San Jose Repertory Theatre.

Davina Pardo's "Birdlings Two," Christina Herring's "Chickens in the City," Lila Place's "Each One Teach One" and Christine Nubile's "Police Blotter" in "Shorts Program 3: DocuNation" will air March 8 at 7 pm and March 9 at 9:30 p.m., both at the Camera 12.

David Pace and Victor Bellomo's "Spirit of Gravity" in "Shorts Program 4: Animated World" will screen March 5 at 12:30 p.m. and March 7 at 7 p.m., both at Camera 12.

Scott Smith's "Charlie the Ox" will screen March 5 at 5:15 p.m. at the San Jose Repertory Theatre and March 6 at 4 p.m. at the Camera 12.

What: Cinequest San Jose Film Festival 2005

When: The festival runs March 2-13

Where: Screenings will take place at Camera 12 Cinemas (201 S. Second St. in San Jose), California Theatre (345 South First St. in San Jose), San Jose Repertory Theatre (101 Paseo de San Antonio in San Jose), San Jose State University Theater (corner of Fifth and San Fernando Streets) and San Jose State University Hal Todd Theater (adjacent to the University Theater).

Cost: Tickets are $9 general admission; $5 students (with valid ID). Tickets are $10 for the opening or closing-night Gala (premiere Screening only) or $50 (includes party). A ten-pack (10 vouchers to attend 10 regular screenings of choice) is $70. Maverick Spirit Events cost $15-30. A variety of passes are available.

Information: Tickets are available through March 13 by calling (408) 295-FEST (3378), online at www.cinequest.org or at the box offices of the San Jose Repertory Theatre and San Jose State University Theater. In case of a sell-out, rush tickets will go on sale 30 minutes prior to the event, on a cash-only, first-come, first-served basis.

#jeff buckley #amazing grace #2005 #cinequest #bay area #Nyla Adams and Laurie Trombley #nyla adams #laurie trombley

[bryan-damage]

Okay, so, in 1992 I discovered Ween because they were on Beavis & Butt-head and my friend Charlie Inferno was weirdly fixated on them, so I bought Pure Guava, likely in 92 or maybe early 93.

This was one of those albums that sort of grew on me. It was weird but some of the songs on it really resonated, like "Don't Get 2 Close 2 My Fantasy" was my favorite. In 1993 I was listening to a lot of the new Alternative Rock sound that was popular at the time, wearing a Nirvana t-shirt and a flannel, long hair, all that.

At the end of 1993, for various reasons (undiagnosed mental health problems and manipulative parents, some other shit), I dropped out of college and returned to my home town and spent the first half of 1994 delivering pizza and living with my parents. I did move out for about two months to live in a party house that Spring, but it didn't really work out.

Charlie and I had started taking the occasional road trip to Sioux Falls early that year, before the snow was done. Sioux Falls was a smallish city two hours away but they had a Best Buy and a Musicland and maybe one or two other places to buy music, and I always kept a list of bands with me to look for whenever I went shopping for CDs.

So on one trip out, I found a copy of God Ween Satan: The Oneness, which we usually just called The Oneness.

For us, it was a major discovery. We had no clue at all that Ween had more than just the one album, so finding it was like "Holy shit, look at this!" Of course I bought it, and we listened to it with my portable CD player with the cassette tape adapter, as was the style at the time.

I recall one night when I was still living in the aforementioned party house, Charlie and I and this other guy named Scumbag Jimmy got our hands on some kind bud, took it to my basement bedroom at the party house, got super high and put The Oneness on and holy fuck, what a trip. I especially remember the song "Black Jack" fucking my shit right up.

I don't know how long it was after that, but in a subsequent trip to Sioux Falls I found a copy of The Pod and once again, there was a whole "Holy fucking shit, there's ANOTHER Ween album?!" moment for us. Once again, we drove home and listened to this weird-ass album.

We were both pretty hooked on these albums, although part of my music tastes in 1994 included a pretty dramatic shift into punk music, starting with Dead Kennedys. I don't think The Pod hit either of us as hard as The Oneness had, but it grew on me quickly regardless.

In May of 1994 I went to visit some other friends at a lakeside cabin and spent a few days out there, and during the trip a few of us had basically dumped out of CD collections so we could look through each others' stuff. Someone had that Leonard Cohen album, you know the one.

It was a pretty funny revelation for me, since I did not realize that the cover to The Pod was just, you know, this Best of Leonard Cohen album with Mean Ween's face superimposed. I don't think I'd ever examined the image very closely, lol. A few of us pretty amused by this revelation, though.

(For context, none of us were of a generation who knew who Leonard Cohen was until a movie called Pump Up the Volume appeared in 1990 and featured two of his songs. That's why the person who owned this album had it, because the soundtrack of the movie was just that good. We all loved that movie.)

Anyway, that was the first half of 1994. Then Ween released their fourth album later that year.

#charlie inferno #ween #1990s