#underappreciated robins club

[findafight]

ty for pointing out that steve graduated on time despite a severe concussion and likely limited or non-existent support (esp considering how his dad reacted to the college thing). it's also worth noting that steve had no issues passing his classes throughout high school while playing and captaining at least 2 sports (3 if you count baseball [on top of other clubs and extracurriculars] from that yearbook thing they released post s1 i think). that's not easy to do. it also irritates me sm when they harp on steve confusing the names of things as proof that he's incredibly dumb or illiterate. esp the gumby thing when it's a fucking children's cartoon. even the german vs nazi thing makes sense in the context of him having a grandfather that fought in ww2, told him stories, and probably called the nazis germans. also v hypocritical when it's not commonly pointed out that the soviets are near exclusively called the russians. yet they always conveniently forget that steve is the only reason they figured out the russian code was coming from the mall (and, going by dialogue in the scene, was specifically the person that put together that the message was coming from the mall on top of recognizing the music and being the only person to pay attention to it - i always see the realization that the message is from hawkins misattributed to dustin) and the only reason they got out of the elevator in the same season where's he supposedly illiterate and incredibly stupid bc he confused the names of things. i stg ppl that do this so they can hype eddie up make eddie feel like my enemy.

Do I think Steve was getting A's? No. Do I think for the back half of his senior year he was working his ass off to scratch C's? Yes. VERY frustrating and honestly kind of hurtful when people keep calling him stupid about it! I interpret a lot of Steve's spacier moments to post concussive syndrome, and it's actually so impressive he's doing as well as he is especially in S3, just over seven months since billy, and is finished hs. Buddy bounced back! People love giving Steve migraines as a lasting symptom of his head trauma but don't acknowledge that focus and what I call "thinking speed" are also affected. Like yeah it'll take him a minute to process what is happening and formulate a response/plan, his brain was goop a few months ago! And S4 happens less than six months after S3 so like yeah. Clearly he's not at 100% we should all be so proud of him.

S1 sort of indicates he cruises through school when helping Nancy study. He's not a model student, and while one could argue teachers were more lenient because he was on sports teams and they wanted to win, that wouldn't have applied after billy beat him because he'd have had to take a leave from the teams, and it's the eighties so some teachers would potentially have thought "serves him right for fighting".

Steve is consistently making connections to things that others aren't! With the "realizing Russians in the mall" thing he is definitely leading Dustin to the conclusion. He goes "Indiana flyer? No way" or something to indicate that it's unlikely the message was from elsewhere, and he has already realized that the transmission is from Starcourt, and wants Dustin and Robin to as well. Just because Dustin said it doesn't mean he figured it out.

(I find people also attribute a lot of what Robin does and figures out to Nancy? Robin gets the newspaper that talks about Victor Creel being possessed by demons, Robin gets them into the hospital, Robin makes the connection to music as key to saving a victim. Stobin contributions so underappreciated smh)

Steve's quick on his feet and makes sure they're able to get out of the elevator with an Indiana Jones move! Without getting caught! I once saw someone saying it's Steve's fault they were trapped at all because he was older and should have put a stop to it, but. Did they think Dustin would drop it? And not explore by himself?? Also Steve's 18. Notorious dumbass decision age. (They also don't know the Soviets are in the mall, and then don't know it's an elevator) yeah it's a bad call, but where is this attitude for Nancy and Jon trying to expose the lab in s2 that absolutely would have known who snuck in and recorded Owens (why weren't they searched?) And then disappeared them. Like if you want to do that with Steve do it with everyone who has made a decision that potentially put people in danger. Hell, Hopper's the reason the lab agents go to the school in S1! He sells El out!

The German/Nazi thing is weird like. Everybody knew who he meant. What OTHER Germans would be a connection there. Yeah it's not "correct" but also. It's not wrong either. Especially when you're right! Russian/Soviet is used pretty interchangeably in the series I think even though many other countries were considered Soviets. Gumby/gumbo is such...a dumb thing to use as proof Steve is illiterate or whatever. Only one is a real word, and it's not Gumby!! Mixing up and confusing words is a normal thing, and these are one letter off and sound similar. Shit happens.

Him connecting Henry Creel to being a clockmaker? Logical conclusion to make given the emphasis the clock had gotten. He's also the one to find the pet siders and it doesn't mean anything even those were Henry's schtick. Literally they included that to make Steve look stupid for making a connection and then getting scared by spiders in his hair and I was just sitting there nodding along like wow same king you're so smart.

Idk I don't like comparing him and Eddie this way because it's not a competition? Frustrating when people try to make it seem that way. You don't need to drag Steve to make Eddie look good? Eddie wants to graduate, and I think it's probably a combo of him skipping and also not being good at/liking formal schooling and possibly some teacher bigotry that prevents him from getting a bit of slack that keeps him in hs. Eddie's good at what he likes and cares about (he's a brilliant guitar player!) And likely doesn't focus on things that don't interest him. That's fine!! But just because he's a rabble rouser and a weird guy and poor, doesn't mean teachers, for three rounds of grade twelve, held him back for no reason.

Idk it's like. Teachers can have biases and that can influence their teaching and interactions and expectations of students, but for it to happen twice to the point that Eddie didn't pass, seems very unlikely, because most teachers do want their students, even the ones that annoy them and they don't like, to graduate. It's sort of insulting to insinuate they would get away with it for three years without any other teacher complaining? Or calling them out? There are bad teachers out there but there are so many good ones too. Saying that the only reason he didn't is because of everyone but him and then turning around calling Steve stupid when he did a near impossible task? Seems weird. Don't agree. Bad take. Acknowledge people have different intelligences and can be better/worse at formal schooling than others and move on.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #meta #findaanswers #stranger things meta #anonasaurus #finda's rambles

[future-mr-darcy]

hello!! i'm moving to gotham- do you have any good advice for a newcomer?

𓆩⚝𓆪

If you're moving to Gotham, I'm assuming you're aware of the risks, and you're probably here for the rent.

That being said, the rent is really cheap in most places for a reason. If you're near the docks, you'll see a lot more activity with smuggling. Keep your head down and don't say a damn thing to any dealers. If you're near any old toy factories, you have made a mistake and you need to be really subtle about leaving.

Keep your shots up-to-date, keep antidotes in the pockets of all of your coats or anything you wear out regularly. It's best to have these things on your person before Joker or Scarecrow make threats, because then there will be a surge of people trying to restock their antidotes and emergency gas masks.

Aside from Gotham threats in general, take advantage of resources if you need them. There are clinics, shelters, soup kitchens, and other places around the city that get funded by Bruce that will help you out. Also, don't be afraid to tell a Bat if there's a problem you're having. Be as angry or as friendly as you want, they're all going to listen even if they pretend not to.

I know I didn't really sell Gotham as a wonderful place to live, so I'll give you a few more positive things to look forward to:

Gotham's library is gorgeous and is seriously underappreciated, and they have clubs and events every day.

There's a park that is currently being built by volunteers in Crime Alley, and it currently has a swing-set being constructed. I've seen Red Robin working on it in the middle of the night a few times.

Gotham's seasons tend to be rainy, but each of them is gorgeous. Spring is my personal favorite. There are a lot of beautiful wildflowers that will bloom through the cracks of the sidewalks thanks to some of Poison Ivy's more effective and non-lethal attacks. It has been largely accepted as a part of the city at this point.

Sometimes, looking out and seeing the bat-signal is really comforting. Yeah, it means there's something going on, but at least it also reminds you that there are people in the city who care enough to do something about it.

#𓆩⚝𓆪 anon #jason todd #jason todd rp #jt musings #bruce wayne #batman #gotham #gotham rp #gothamite #((ooc: jason is feeling a little hopepunk because tim actually supports him some))

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Tomten

Photo: Tony Kay

Tomten are a baroque pop quartet based out of Seattle, Washington. Brian Noyes (vocals, keys, guitar) and Lena Simon (bass, vocals) (Kairos Creature Club, formerly of La Luz) met in 2008 and began demoing each other's songs at Cornish College of The Arts. Their latest album, Artichoke, is less prickly than the name suggests, drawing influence from the acid folk of the Incredible String Band, Bridget St. John and John Martyn, the lushly arranged soul of the Delfonics and the country pop of Gene Clark. Jennifer Kelly wrote about the disc in the last Dust, noting that “Tomten’s songs billow and swell in that frictionless, effortless way that often indicates great care and craft.”

Here Brian Noyes digs deep into the archives via two compilation series. He writes, “There are two compilation labels that have meant a lot to me over the past few years, Grapefruit Records is a subsidiary of Cherry Red and issue primarily British Psych and Folk, and Cairo releases incredible 1960s-1970s soul comps. I decided to pick five of my favorite tracks that Grapefruit and Cairo turned me onto.”

Jackie McAuley — “Turning Green”

I was familiar with Jackie McAuley being the former keyboard player of Them and the other half of the amazing and underappreciated folk pop duo Trader Horne with Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention.) But I wasn’t familiar with any solo work he had done. This song instantly stuck with me. I love the string arrangements and stately piano. In an alternate universe it could’ve been at the end of a 1970s Hal Ashby or Robert Altman movie.

Carolanne Pegg — “Open The Door”

I could listen to this song over and over, it’s so fun. I love Carolanne’s vocals on it, kind of shrill and mystical, like proto-Kate Bush. I also love the cosmic banjo rush during the later chorus and the throaty guitars.

Matching Mole — “O Caroline”

I’ve always loved Robert Wyatt, but I’d missed out on his earlier group Matching Mole. This is such a sweet and touching song. I love the mellotron and wah guitar and the line — “if you call this sentimental crap, you’ll make me mad.” Gotta love Robert Wyatt’s wooly little voice.

Robin Williamson — Strings In The Earth and Air

This is the opening track off his 1972 solo record “Myrrh.” Strangely enough, I first heard Dr. Strangely Strange’s cover of it — I love both but prefer Robin’s. Such a haunting and beautiful song. I believe the first half is part of a James Joyce poem. I want it played at my funeral… I also love Mike Heron’s solo record from a year or so earlier, Smiling Men with Bad Reputations. Two over-looked solo efforts from the Incredible String Band.

Heron — “Take Me Back Home”

Tomten has loved Heron for a long time, so much so that we covered their tune “Yellow Roses.” They are all over Grapefruit Comps, so I wanted to include them for that reason. This song is off their second record Twice as Nice & Half the Price and it is my absolute favorite. It’s such a loose and lovely performance. Makes you wish you’d been hanging out in the house with them having some frothy ales.

Bettye Swann — “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye”

Bettye Swann has so many killer songs, this one really sticks with me. Great morning song. Love the production and backups too. John Holt has a cool version on A Love I Can Feel as well, but Bettye is best.

Diamonettes — “Don’t Be Surprised”

Great tune from a somewhat obscure Miami group. Classy strings. They also have another tune I love called “Rules Were Made to Be Broken.”

The Raelettes — “Many Rivers To Cross”

A fantastic song and so many good versions, Jimmy Cliff and Nilsson… But I hadn’t heard this version until semi-recently and I love the mood of it — somber smokey horns. The Raelettes were backup singers with Ray Charles for a time, and later changed their name to The Cookies.

Eddie & Ernie — “I’m A Young Man”

I LOVE EDDIE & ERNIE! Their voices together are fabulous, this is one of my favorites. There is an awesome comp called “Time Waits For No One” everyone should go out and buy now!

The Ordells — “Sippin’ a Cup of Coffee”

A good song for ruminating… Eerie, dreamy and gorgeous.

Various Artists — Strange World

On a final note, there is a compilation by a partner label of Cairo, Pyramid Records that did a release called Strange World described as “Cosmic and Earthly Doo Wop and R&B from America and Jamaica” that if you come across you should absolutely purchase. I probably play it at home once a week, hehe.

#dusted magazine #listed #tomten #brian noyes #grapefruit records #cairo records #jackie mcauley #carolanne pegg #matching mole #robin williamson #heron #bettye swann #diamonettes #the raelettes #eddie & ernie #the ordells #pyramid records

[brucewaynehomeforangrychildren]

even Robins need help with homework once in a while.

#Jason Todd #Alfred Pennyworth #Alfred and Jason #Jaybird #sorry for my chaotic coloring #i have no coloring technique i just kind of go for it #robin #robin ii #color and lighting are literally my greatest weaknesses #batfam #batfamily #wayne manor #dc comics #batman #art #red hood #alfred #adorable jason todd #underappreciated robins club #my bb deserved BETTER #@ everyone who called the number and killed him #I will never not be sad about that #cold af #alfred and jason are bffs #1k

[nade2308]

6? 😉

YOU ARE IMP AND I LOVE YOU!

You always know just which ask to send to SET ME OFF!!!

We have come to this ask and now I will truly go off my hinges. And I know that you know which one I'm gonna go with.

6. which shows do you think are underrated and need more love?

I LOVE THAT YOU ASKED THIS BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHICH SHOW I WILL PICK!

(I probably have a few more that I can't remember atm, but there's a lot of things I watch that I think are underrared)

Anyway, my answer for this is, without a doubt, Magnum, P. I. And the OG at that.

There's just so much depth and so many serious topics in it, and a lot of other things that I feel are underappreciated and underrated, I can't even begin to describe just how I feel about it.

Used to be that show I watched because they showed it on TV and I was invested, just didn't remember much of it for the years to come. Recently, after some turn of events, I started rewatching it. I'm close to a full rewatch and all I can say is that I relearned something, and that's how to fall for this TV show again. Because it's amazing and good.

It's not a feel good show most of the time, in fact there's a lot of cold, hard truths in it, about our every day lives and tasks that can apply to today again. I mean you have a show with a Vietnam war vet, something that a lot of people still wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. And not once I saw it be used in a demeaning way or to make Thomas seem like he is just inflated into this character. He was a vet with PTSD, often shown to have flashbacks from 'Nam and still having issues with it, but he was never ashamed that he served. Then there are his friends, who are also vets, and Higgins who served in a different war, but still a vet himself. I feel this is the premise of that meme of "___ guys walk into a bar".

So, other than Thomas being a war vet now turned into a PI slash security consultant at Robin's Nest, he is also very smart. And it's written and shown in such a normal way that you don't have to have it be emphasized, it's just there. It's in the small moments when there's some information casually dropped in a conversation, or a plan is being made and boy has a strategic advice to offer. He didn't exist so long in the Navy by being dumb, that's for sure. And people often don't take him seriously, and use him for their personal gain or like he doesn't have feelings. But it's a fact that this boy cares so much. Not to mention the aspect where a character can exist being both smart and goofy in equal measures without that affecting who he is as a whole. Imagine that!

Then there is the fact that you have Higgins, Rick and TC, everyone smart in their own right, coexist together with Thomas. They are all successful men. Higgins with being the majordomo of Robin's Nest, with a lot of war stories below his belt, Rick having his club and TC his helicopter services. It's just all around a breeding ground for boys thriving. And if sometimes you fail at something or something is not going, oh well, things could always be worse. And all of these characters know that. And yet, they get up every day, do their thing, sometimes they fail, sometimes they win. It's life.

Another aspect that always gets me with this show is the amount of whump we got. Just take in consideration how many times Thomas was whumped in only the first half of season one and you'll see. There's some epic follow ups in the days after the initial whump occures. Of course most injuries are over by next week's ep, but for the duration of the ep, you have some epic post whump days where it hurts to get up, but you do it anyway. Like we'd say here: even my hair is hurting. And then there's boy's epic pained grunts and groans, the winces, and just about every little "ow" he exclaims whenever he is hurting. Let's not focus only on the physical whump, because the emotional one is pretty amazing. You have flashbacks, you have deaths, you have just about anything that can happen and a reaction to it. Sometimes it's tears, sometimes it's anger, sometimes you just deal with it by sleeping on it. It's such an accurate description on how things happen that I still can't come to terms with the amazing show we got.

The amount of times that for a show from the '80s you didn't exactly have labels or boxes where you put things in still amazes me and watching this show in today's world and today's conditions I realize it's not that much different than how it felt back then, although that's just an assumption on my side. I just feel that this show aged like a fine wine, and I am forever grateful we got it. The many amazing moments in episodes where real life took over front and center as the main plot of the story.

There are also so many funny scenes that sometimes had me in stitches. I loved those kind of moments and episodes where you had a mix of serious and funny and neither canceled the other as less important or too over the top. Honestly, whenever I think of this show, and during my rewatch, I have noticed that there is a certain balance, something you can't see in today's shows. Not saying that other shows out there or those I have watched aren't good, or that I don't enjoy them, but they usually have pretty much of a clean cut characters, or a clear line between who is the villain and who is the hero and Magnum, P. I. is not what that is about. Everyone can be the hero and the villain interchangeably. No one is inherently good or bad. Tom has flaws, Rick has flaws. So do TC and Higgins and the myriad of characters that appear in episodes or arw recurring characters. And I like that very much. It what makes this show appealing to me, what makes Thomas appealing to me.

He isn't conforming for anyone, he never tries to fit a label or to justify himself to other people. Why he does what he does. He is sometimes very blunt and upfront, he can be painfully honest, doesn't know when to back down or say no to people. He gets used by people way too often, and he is an overgrown puppy that just wants to live his life. He is a klutz, and he forgets to eat, puts his keys in the fridge and generally his memory is never infallible. That boy has a serious case of executive dysfunction and ADHD, and somehow it's okay, because he is doing his best. He has so many flaws, and he lives with it. Lives with all that nowadays would be characterized as weird, not typical, something you have to have diagnosed and be sure you have it so you can be validated and accepted as a person. And guess what, Thomas has all that and he is still functioning as normally as possible.

Thomas Magnum is a simple man who makes mistakes and that makes him even more human. And I love that he isn't looking for anyone's validation. He may have that PTSD and trauma and scars from everything that he's done or was done to him, but he never has the need to explain himself to people. And I find that admirable and attractive. That he just IS. He doesn't need to be anyone else, he is himself. And he exists just fine.

I know I took this in several different directions (and we knew I would), but bottom line is, this show's got it all. And in my opinion, it doesn't get as much attention and love as it should.

#asks #answers #this is what happens when you ask me something that I will certainly go off on #thomas magnum #magnum pi #og magnum pi

[dex-xe]

I've made Spotify playlists inspired by each of the ghosts and I've made these little written pieces to talk about them. if you wanna read them, please go ahead - if not then enjoy the music!!

This is Robin's playlist:

Somebody Told Me - The Killers

Robin is a stadium rock kinda guy, I guarantee you that. I’ve said this before multiple times but I love the idea of Alison trying to find music for all the ghosts that she things they’d like and he’d totally like music where he could watch gigs and festivals of people just going mental and jumping about. (I have actually written a fic here about Robin having watched stadium rock so yeah, go read that if you’d like!)

Starman - David Bowie

I feel like this is obvious cause space boy but also I interpret the song as being about the idea of accepting change. The Starman sits above Earth and knows things that “will blow our minds”, they understand more than humans do or ever could know much like Robin who has seen more than can be imagined and is wise beyond his time.

The Universal - Blur

This song encapsulates the two primary things I drew from in making Robin’s playlist which are space and the passage of time. But yeah, it’s kinda a sci-fi-esque song that I think is quite fitting. I’ve also seen a lot of discusison about how it’s a commentary on the downfall of society under the epidemic of believing everything you read which is like conspiracy theory Robin talking about the moon landing not happening and the Earth being flat.

Space Oddity - David Bowie

Just the image of Robin as a spaceman makes me happy, I saw some fanart of the ghosts in the outfits they described at clothes club and the one of Robin was so good!! (They are all great but that one in particular is super cute). If I can find it then I’ll link it here.

Spaceman - The Killers

Again, space vibes. Not writing much for this one because it’s self explanatory but also I’m writing this while listening the playlist through and I’m still searching for the fanart from the previous song XD

Run Boy Run - Woodkid

(Found the art) That scene where Robin is running through the woods to fetch Barclay in BitN always reminds me of this song because of like the fast pace and the way it would nicely meld with his like stompy running through the woods.

Starlight - Muse

Actually not chosen for the space theme (although it helps). Basically just the idea of being so far away from those you love, I feel like it goes so underappreciated that Robin is not a few centuries or even just a handful of deacdes away from his life like all the others but he is literally MILLENIA from his family and community. He must miss them so much, I think the whole “everything comes, everything go, but moonah always there” (not a quote cause I only have until the song finishes and can’t to search for the correct line) really indicates just how lonely he must be after literally thousands of year. He spent ~40,000 alone before even Humphrey turned up???

Carry Me Home - The Killers

See above answer but add in the idea of not really belonging where you are, like I said he’s 1000s of years older than anyone else and is way more out of his time than anyone else.

Dark Side - Blind Channel

This would obviously be one of his favourites from this years Eurovision so I had to include it, again I just think he’d really like energetic music so I think it’s a good call.

Baby You’re a Haunted House - Gerard Way

I wanted to include this song in someone’s playlist because, well it’s obvious, but I think it’s a pretty decent song. But yeah, I settled on Robin because of the lyrics focussing on like having to be happy and positive in love while dealing with trauma and inner demons and stuff and I think that’s potentially very Robin cause of the fact he’s been at the house for years and watched everything come and go. He’s positive and upbeat despite the obvious trauma he’s experienced.

Love Illumination - Franz Ferdinand

Basically thought to be about the idea that destruction and boredom is all around us so we look towards things that make us happy and spark love to distract from that. (According to Wikipedia) Alex Kapranos said that he would look to the bright lights of Blackpool for that love - the idea of light and illumination being important to Robin’s distraction and boredom-aliviation in the afterlife.

The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys

Space boy space boy space boy. Kinda about the idea of somebody seeing and understanding more than others… obvious but yeah I really like the song and am very fixated on Robin’s process of growing into a world that is so unnatural to him but picking up on modern ideas through his time.

Ghosting - Mother Mother

I felt the need to include this for someone so after much debate settled on Robin cause he’s been there for so long and it’s just a nice vibe for him.

Kidz - Take That

I know this is about protest and uprising etc but I think the idea of questioning authority and the very concept of reality and looking to turn things upside down fits nicely with Robin’s loves of conspiracy theories and his unwillingness to accept things straight off but instead question everything he sees.

Cities In Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees

This is one of my favourite Siouxsie songs: it’s about the destruction of Pompeii and I again think that’s very Robin because, like I said, he’s experienced the destruction of everything around him. Obviously on a completely different level to the fall of Pompeii and over a long period of time but everything he once knew lies in dust but he can’t escape what the world is like now.

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

It’s just a punk anthem and just a classic, you know?? I have no further explanation but I dare you to tell me this is not a Robin song XD

Across The Universe - The Beatles

It’s not particularly about space or the universe but the vibe is good and the line “nothing’s gonna change my world” is open to my interpretation as being like holding on to the past while watching things outside your control change.

Fly Me to the Moon - Joytastic Sarah & YungRhythm

This is an obvious choice, clearly, but I wanted to include this version because it’s more modern and more representative of Robin’s acceptance of the new world and new ideas.

20th Century Boy - T. Rex

The meaning of this song are very much up for debate, I’ve never been able to interpret it I don’t think. But it just gave me Robin vibes, maybe it’s because of the modern pop culture references which make me think of someone kinda out of their time picking up modern ideas and kind of regurgitating it - much like Robin’s instant believing of conspiracy theories etc.

Apeman - The Kinks

Obvious but yeah, caveman. Kinda nostalgic for simpler times as it lists like tons of things that are shit about todays world (nuclear war, inflation, over population) and how much easier it would be to live in a society without those things - things Robin has grown up into rather unnaturally.

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghost robin #Spotify

[drowkarios]

i got tagged by @ebenaceae​ to do this ask meme 2 days ago and completely missed it asjdsjdsj sorry queen i love u but i don’t ever check my notifications. anyway time to embarrass myself.

1. ellie williams from the last of us. local lesbian goes stabby stab

2. daud from dishonored. sad noir man does murder for money, adopts many murder children, eventually starts to feel bad about all the murder, and then fights a painter to appease the whale god that gave him powers. it’s your classic character arc

3. beth childs from orphan black. it’s absolutely not because she’s a deeply depressed torontonian and i feel seen by that

4. jem carstairs from the infernal devices look i KNOW it’s bad i’m not PROUD of myself. i’m not ENJOYING THIS

5. darlene alderson from mr robot. fun fact i got my d&d character’s iconic heart-shaped sunglasses of darkvision from darlene, who invented fashion

6. stephanie brown’s run as batgirl was iconic and underappreciated and i’ll die on this hill. also one day steph damian and jason will form a ‘dead robins’ club and then you’ll see. you’ll all see

7. uh... marco from animorphs.... king of jokes and also ruthlessness

8. GLaDOS is a milf i’m not taking questions

9. tommy shelby from peaky blinders. some people?? are vicious gang bosses descending into violent paranoia?? to cope??

10. anders. 20 minutes into mage rights and chill and he gives you this look

#i was worried this list was going to be 90% white dudes but it turns out i DO have some taste. this is a new development #ask meme

[theysoofunny]

Death of a Comic

RIP John Witherspoon

The Death of a comic is a sad occasion, John Witherspoon is the latest to be called home. Today, many social media timelines are filled with quotes of "Bang-Bang," the infamous, "you've got to coordinate" and other pearls of comedy gold brought to life by Witherspoon's many characters. Mine for some reason is the underappreciated call of "Dar-by" from his character Loyld on "Black Jesus" and the legendary, "Hoe-cakes" from "Hollywood Shuffle" because after all, hoes gotta eat too.

John Witherspoon's Stellar Resume

Witherspoon's affinity for comedy began in the late 1960s, during that time he built a solid stand-up career and forged friendships with legends like Tim Reid (while he was working on WKRP in Cincinnati and The Richard Pryor Show), Robin Williams (also on The Richard Pryor Show), Jay Leno, and David Letterman. Witherspoon has appeared in a number of television shows and feature films including the Friday series, Hollywood Shuffle, Boondocks, I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, Boomerang, Vampire in Brooklyn, The Meteor Man and several others.

Genuine Human Being

As I scan the interwebs for Witherspoon related posts I think of the first and last time we spoke. Though the meetings were 18 years apart he was exactly the same both times, true to himself and his craft. Witherspoon, like most seasoned comics, never tried to make anyone laugh, he simply made it happen. The first time I met the Detroit native was at WJLB radio, in Detroit. Though it was 7:45 am, John had no qualms about finding the nearest liquor store, which I escorted him to.

John Witherspoon was Naturally Funny

We rode the elevator in silence until reaching the ground floor, "Well got-dayumity damn" he shuddered as jack frost whirled from an open door. He was dead serious but it was funny as hell. As-was the moment he remembered the stores' proprietor, "Mo-na" he sang, surprising the middle-aged woman by remembering her name, "You's shole is a pretty woman." What really impressed me was our last meeting in Huntsville Alabama, on his 76th birthday, when he asked about Mona fifteen years after the fact, once again noting how pretty she was. Witherspoon was a genuine human, if he said something, he meant it. Speaking of our last meeting, it was a bittersweet affair. John was performing 5 shows to light crowds in the dead of winter (albeit an Alabama winter), I couldn't tell if he wanted to perform, or had to perform. The latter was worrisome. How can a man who's given so much joy to others be forced to work in such a small town, at 76, on his birthday? Could anybody want to do that? I wanted to ask as we spoke but I was afraid of the answer, either was a heart-breaker. Did he need the money that bad,  . . . or the laughs of an audience?

Comics Rock

Comedians are the lifeblood of entertainment. Their stand-up routines humor hundreds of millions every year, as does their behind-the-scenes writing and on-camera performances. Yet, they're some of the most marginalized, hardest working, people in the world.  A singer can create one hit and live the rest of their lives touring the world and earning royalties (see Bobby McFerrin, Los Del Rio of "Macarena" or any old school artist collecting checks), an actor can earn enough money from one movie to retire (Keanu Reeves made 30 million for one Matrix movie), and most athletes retire by age 35, none of these things apply to comics.

Respect the Legends of comedy, all of them

Comics dedicate their lives to creating new content while living their lives on the road. They live to make others laugh without the promise of riches or retirement, rarely finding time to truly enjoy family or friends. Even some of the bigger stars are treated like expendable livestock by promoters, agents and clubs (not all, but most). Comedians are usually underpaid and overworked with little respect, and when they die the industry moves on as-if nothing happened. John Witherspoon died with dates on the calendar, as of 10:09 am October 30, most of those dates have been removed from calendars and websites. Some don't even mention his death. No RIP's, no tribute to his accomplishments. And this is a LEGEND we're talking about. We can only imagine how the lesser-known heroes of comedy are treated. Last year another comic who loved his craft and the laughter of complete strangers, died. Tarome "Cool-aide" Wright succumbed to cancer at age 47. While many gave the native Detroiter condolences on the web, few truly understand the grind and sacrifice comedians make to people they don't know. I knew Cool-aide and watched his career progress from his very first dates at "Coco's House of Comedy" to the many rooms he hosted and his travels with Lil Duval, he loved making people laugh. He loved to smile. We once crossed paths at a party completely unrelated to comedy, and he was still cracking jokes. He didn't have a microphone, wasn't offered any money, but he performed. That's the life of a comic, jesters for strangers. Anytime, anyplace.

Comedy is a Labor of Love

Comedy is a labor of love that few understand. It's about working day and night to find a perfect word, phrase or sound to make people laugh, then on to the next one. Whether 77 or 47 years old, comedians perform for the love of comedy and the people who enjoy it. Most couldn't walk away if they tried, and believe me, many have tried to walk away. Need proof? Look no further than Eddie Murphy, with a net worth of $120 million dollars (which seems awfully low for his resume) Eddie is planning a new comedy tour. Does he need the money or hassle of touring from city-to-city? Probably not, but he's doing it. He's jumping back into the world of Stand-up comedy because he loves the game, and smiling faces, and we should rejoice.

Support Live Comedy

We should value the genius of comedians and comedic actors before they die. We should appreciate them while their living, and performing for our benefit. Let's add them on social media and interact while they're still alive. Those who appreciate a good laugh should support comed before it becomes a thing of the past, like good television or great books. Comedy is the last bastion of creative thought, let's support it. Show a comic how much they've enriched your life or turned a grey sky blue, buy a ticket, enjoy a show.   John Witherspoon is survived by his wife, Angela Robinson-Witherspoon, whom he married in 1988, their two children, Alexander Witherspoon and John David Witherspoon, and comedy.       Read the full article

#blackjesus #boomerang #boondocks #Comedian #deathofacomic #detroit #friday #hollywoodshuffle #JohnWitherspoon #kool-aide #taromewright

[purkkaklubi-blog]

Shoegaze

a Bit background to one of the most underappreciated genres of the 90s, how the revival of the scene has brought a whole new generation of youth to redefine the genre and what impact the woozy, spinning, swirling, distorted guitar sounds has on me.  

I heard about shoegazing first time in 2015. I was listening to quite a lot of Sonic Youth at the time which I guess was the reason on how I found My Bloody Valentine through Spotify algorithm. First thoughts were okay this is nice but doesn’t really evoke any special feelings in me. I just thought it was less poppy and more ’indie’ spin on the 90s alternative rock and grunge scene. Surely now I know I will always go through a small fact and background check on artists, genres, labels and albums before I make any further assumptions on how artistically remarkable something is. Back then I was a bit ignorant on popular-cultures music history. I knew the basics, Elvis and The Beatles, how white men made Disco cool for the white audience, Punk Rock scene breaking out in UK and across the sea beginning of the Rap and DJ scene, synth sounds in your every favorite 80’s aerobic videos, Kurt Cobain’s sudden death shaking the whole rock world, shiny pop stars rising and falling.

I thought back then that good music is good music. Music being boxed into a certain genre didn’t bring any new artistic meaning into it and putting on labels was only limiting and blurring our minds from the actual sounds. Now it seems like the only way I know how to wrap my head around new music is to put labels on them. Maybe i’m not a free soul anymore finding only pleasures in sounds that elaborate with my every unspoken thought and emotion in the comfort of my own bedroom and in the warmness of my bed. Maybe i’ve become and seem to some of you like a boring music square who is ready to start battling you with my non-existing musical knowledge while being blissfully drunk at the que outside the entrance of a club. Maybe I’m overthinking and actually me taking interests in the backgrounds of different music scenes show that i’m passionate and appreciative towards this beautiful art form that has been given to us. In this world where I can’t see sense and find reason behind anything I find it calming that I can analyze and make clear distinctions between different musical styles. That sounds more like this and this sounds more like that. i’m not an absolutist but obviously through history people have always tried to find answers to their questions. We feel anxiety and nervousness when we’re on a mind puzzle we cannot solve. It being possible that music can be pinned down and defined brings me tranquility.

Well, Shoegaze is a bit different for me. I can’t completely pin down what it is cause it feels and sounds that it has gotten influence from so many genres and the origins of where it all began is very blurry.

Shoegaze began to rise somewhere middle of the 80s. In my last post I mentioned about this Scottish ethereal gothic band called Cocteau Twins. Robin Guthrie the guitarist of this certain band began to use the effect pedals in his guitar work. Back in the day he stated that the idea of using pedals came from the lack of sound and texture in electric guitars but later on admitted that it was actually the lack of his own technical skills that made him start to use the effect pedals. Whatever the reason behind it was I’m grateful that he began to use them. Pedals enabled the possibility to create guitar sounds that were atmospheric and otherworldly. Using effects like delay, reverb, distortion, fuzz etc created these layered textures called wall of sounds that combined many genres at the same time. Noise, Drone, Psychedelic, Progressive, Lo-fi even Ambient. Maybe that’s why I’m so fascinated about it. It’s one specific genre but same time you also hear the inspiration coming from the 60s psychedelic bands, Gothic Rock, Noise Rock etc. You get lost because you think it’s a genre on its own balance but then you start to put the pieces together and find out that it has combined all these things together to make it as one. Then again you know it has its own definite style and not just any kind of music made with pedals can be defined as Shoegaze. You need that woozy, head spinning, swirling guitar that takes you on a musical trip. I feel like shoegazers are the ultimate music fans and their process of making something new was looking back at the bands and the music that they loved.

But besides Cocteau Twins or Jesus and the Mary Chain and their noise pop sound it was the defining moment of 1988 debut album Isn’t Anything by My Bloody Valentine and the single You Made Me Realise that a genre was born. From My Bloody Valentine bands like Slowdive, Ride, Chapterhouse, Swervedriver etc got inspiration for their work that on.

So, why is it called Shoegaze? The term was invented by music media, actually specifically by one NME journalist who referred the artists as shoegazers because of their way of performing on stage. They lacked of presence and connection with the audience due the heavy use of guitar effect pedals which led them to stare at their feet all the time so they could switch their pedals right. Often times they were kind of like step dancing through the sets because of the amount of effect shifting. Shoegazer was a slur word in that time and was only used in an offensive way. There wasn't really a lot of appreciation and understanding shown towards the scene. Grunge and Brit pop scenes were hitting hard on that time and music media was praising enormously acts like Nirvana and Oasis. Anything that was considered Shoegaze or related to it was doomed to get bad reviews when it was released. In the end supporters and gigs got smaller and smaller and labels like Creation had to let their Shoegaze artists go. 

The history with how Shoegaze was perceived saddens me. To me the music sounds and feels that it was a way ahead of it’s time. Electronica and the so called ’indie pop’ music we have now wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for Shoegaze. Music medias harshness made it hard to be taken seriously and made the scene look like wimpy angsty teens mocking rock music with their amateurish noise playing. Luckily the change of that has come.

Through the whole 00s Shoegaze and Dream pop stayed as an underground scene but in 2010s it began to come back on surface. In 2013 My Bloody Valentine released their 3rd album called MBV, 20 years later when Loveless the 2nd album was released. I think the most significant moment of how Shoegaze is being known again pin points to the digital era we’re living now and social media. Internet and the possibility to access information nowadays is easier and travels faster. You don’t have to go into a record store anymore and spend 8 hours of searching and listening to different albums you have probably picked because of the cover or the name of the artist or band or on what ever genre section it’s in. There is of course nice and authentic feeling into it but all i’m saying is that it takes time and what we have now you can be minutes away from your favorite music. Problem in the 90s was that they didn't have enough promotion and a proper platform to be shown on. Now people can make more decisions based on their own mind and not on what the industry and critics are promoting us. Of course you have to be willing to go searching different informative platforms because the music is not handed to you. Music that is handed has the most radio playing and pop on your recommended page on Youtube, Spotify etc. That music has the most skilled promotion and advertising which means the industry is placing more of their finances in them. It’s strictly business. On Spotify I’m not talking about the recommended artist page which can appear if I listen to a certain artist. That’s based on the algorithm of what other listeners who listen to that specific artist also listen to. I’m talking about the browse page where the first playlists you see are probably something like ”Hits right now!” or ”Top 50 Viral” which are promoted playlists including promoted artists.

Thanks to the internet as a platform Shoegaze has started spreading again without the help of the industry and critique reviews. New bands have come who are inspired of Shoegaze and are making music influenced by that genre. The musical form of the 90s movement has moved on to being Nu-gaze. Nu-gaze is a term to describe a new wave form of Shoegaze. New bands like Wild Nothing and Deerhunter are infusing the old characteristics with other genres and new producing techniques. Also the original form of the genre is very tied to the period it existed in and is a 90s youth scene more than an actual genre so there’s a reason it’s impossible to be a traditionalist in that sense.

Things are looking up. Literally. Because the media can’t crush these new up-comers with their name-calling or ridiculous criticism of being the ”scene that celebrates itself”.

They’re not consistently gazing at their shoes, they’re gazing at something new.

I’ve made a list of 4 essential albums which includes the so called Holy Trinity of Shoegaze. Imagine of having this family tree where these three bands are the founders and when you go up, the branches are separating into other sections of noisier -, dreamier - and ’indie rockier’  Shoegaze. Then there’s a 6 album list recommended by me which contains traditional Shoegaze and Nu-Gaze. The 4 essentials are a must-know if you want to engage with this scene and understand the stylistic features of the music.  

4 essential albums

1. Jesus and the Mary Chain - Psychocandy

Psychocandy isn’t actually a Shoegaze album more like Noise Pop and avantgardist Proto-Punk but I listed it here as an essential because of the impact this album did have on this genre that was about to come. The guitar lead blurred by noisiness in the whole album was one of the main

inspirations for Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. Distorted Guitar leads are defining sound of Shoegaze and this album gives a wide spectrum of static sounds like the pixel rain in your old tv.

This 1985 debut album by band lead by two brothers Jim and William Reid is a wonder work of teenage I don’t give a fuck how I play, I just play. They didn’t care about the looks and actually about anything. Their style of playing and making music was messy, sloppy and lazy as they wanted it to be, it showed the rebelliousness they had against falling into the same patterns and roles as other musicians, not wanting to be molded as the rockstars with all the booze and women (even though they did get heavily drunk while performing). It doesn’t really contain the real social statements of punk rock but still has that familiar adolescent rebellion. Psychocandy found inspiration from 60s girl groups and was filled with easy poppy 3-chord progressions which were masterfully hid with all the noise.

Favorite tracks: Just Like Honey, Taste of Cindy, My Little Underground, Never Understand

2. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless  (Holy Trinity, part of the noisy side)

The 2nd studio album they released in 1991 after the Shoegaze pioneering album Isn’t Anything, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless makes you think of the bright vibrant intensive colors and hues burning out, melting and mixing together. It has a tense feeling of abstraction. it’s expressed in a way of mind you can’t express it, not with words at least. Kevin Shields work seems to come from some what sub-conscious mind that is trying to tell you emotions he has. Not with words but with sounds. The whole album is strongly based only on guitar leads and in the engineering of them. Which is probably why Kevin was obsessed with getting the effects and mixing into perfection. In one of Kevin’s interviews he stated that the problem was in the recording sessions, it was nearly impossible the get even the smallest frequencies heard. This album approximately cost 250 000 pounds, it took 2 years to record and the band visited 9 studios in total. After it’s release Creation Records went bankrupt and there has been a bit pointing fingers between both parties on who’s to blame for the downfall. What ever side your on Loveless is a well-deserved masterpiece and all the trouble that went along with it had a meaning into it. I’ll always imagine though if hypothetically financial problems wouldn’t be the issue would’ve there been even more different sound layers and textures? Would’ve it taken even more time to be released? 2 years or maybe even 5? Well we can tell that MBV the 3rd album took 20 years to be released so maybe we can count from that.

Favorite tracks: Only Shallow, When you Sleep, Sometimes

3. Slowdive - Souvlaki (Holy Trinity, part of the dreamy side)

Souvlaki is personally my favorite Shoegaze album. Brian Eno the godfather of ambient worked on three songs here and you can hear the ambient touch he gave into it. This 1993 released 2nd studio album by Slowdive is beautifully made timeless classic that stands out with it’s capability to unite heart-breaking melancholy with the optimistic hopefulness of the future. This kind of music can only come out from a teenagers or young adults mind. It brings that authenticity of emotionality that carries through the younger years when you haven’t build a thick skin yet. The way how the dreamy and hazy sounds and vocals have been tied together with Neil Halstead’s sensitive song-writing builds up into this climax of a cry baby music, in a good way. Souvlaki is a breakup album between the two band members Rachel Goswell, the guitarist and vocalist and Neil Halstead, the second guitarist, vocalist, producer and song-writer. It’s like reading their open diary posts. Their love of writing, playing and producing music was bigger than the personal issues they had so they decided to push them aside and stay professional. All that was kept unsaid transformed into poetic song-writing. Both of them showed truly artistic behavior while noticing the circumstances they were working on. Unfortunately media hated it and called it a soulless and outdated piece of work. After the 3rd album Pygmalion they were signed off and left to pay the rest of the US tour on its halfway. At least they’re getting now the credit they deserved and are back on touring. 2017 they released a new Self-titled comeback album Slowdive which is highly recommendable also.

Favorite tracks: Alison, Machine Gun, When the Sun Hits, Dagger (I could pick them all though)

4. Ride - Nowhere (Holy Trinity, part of the 90s more typical alternative side)

Ride’s 1990 released debut album is a dynamic work of guitar distortion that creates a crashing wall of sound. Like the waves moving upwards and downwards while growing into spirally holes which speed up and eventually shatter when they hit the seashore. And in that same scenery the sounds of the rumbling wind that pierce your eardrums. That is the main feeling that Nowhere contains. It’s an album focused on high energy. It has more melodic and rhythmic patterning and simple song-crafting compared to the other Shoegaze essentials. Ride was signed to Creation Records in 1989 when Alan McGee found interest in them after one of their demos Jesus and Mary Chain’s Jim Reid had a hold on. They were the few Shoegazing bands that had the opportunity of experiencing commercial success and Nowhere hit 11. place in the UK charts. Andy Bell and Mark Gardener had artistic differences between what style direction the band should move on. Their childish arguments and battling with it eventually broke the band in 1996 and the members Bell, Gardener, Laurence Colbert and Steve Queralt moved on to different projects. Bell for example became the bassist of the Brit-Pop band Oasis. In 2015 they reunited on touring and released a new Album Weather Diaries in 2017. Like many other Shoegaze bands Ride wasn’t and still isn’t a fan of being categorized as a Shoegaze band stating that it’s a boring tag. They still have a place on being one of the most influencing and essential bands in shoegazing history.

Favorite tracks: In a Different Place, Vapour trail, Dreams Burn Down

6 albums i recommend:

1. Asobi Seksu - Citrus (Nu-Gaze)

This 2nd studio album released 2006 by the Brooklyn based band is lyrically a smooth mix of english and Japanese language together with poppy candy-colored tunes flourished with happiness. Citrus is a refreshing take on Shoegaze. Yuki Chikudate’s adorably pitched and pretty vocals are a candy topping on a pile of upbeat guitar leads that are washed out with loads of effects and drums which are equally noticeable. In total it’s a catchy album with some jingly-jangle Nu-Gaze pop-tunes.

Favorite Tracks: Red Seas, Exotic Animal Paradise, Thursday

  2.  Loveliescrushing - Bloweyelashwish (Shoegaze)

Recorded with a simple four-track recorder, 1993 released debut album Bloweyelashwish by Loveliescrushing is an innovative work of otherworldly and precisely structured fuzzy sounds with some interesting choices of additional instruments. Often mistaken of using keyboards Scott Cortes the guitarist and second vocalist used forks, knives, vibrators, paint scrapers and so on to find new creative ways to make his guitar work even more stretched out. His extremely reverbed and lushed guitar leads, thanks to the technical additions, builds up a gothic atmosphere into the sound landscape. The noisy sounds are hectic, evolving and moving towards to this chaotic drone that feels like it’s eating up all the space and becoming a massive blackhole of squeaky static sounds that create a sonic boom. Paired up with softly haunting and beautifully ethereal vocals of Melissa Arpin the duo has made an impressive first album that’s an escape to other world where soothing hypnotizing sounds are waves where you can float on and sink into the bottom of deep ambience.

Favorite Tracks: Moinaexquisitewallflower, Sugaredglowing, Crushing, Darkglassdolleyes

3. Pinkshinyultrablast - Everything Else Matters (Nu-Gaze)

St. Petersburg based band called Pinkshinyultrablast which is named after one of Astrobrite’s albums is a band thats inspiration runs deep in the waters of Shoegaze. 2013 released debut album Everything Else Matters is a strong mix of electronica with extremely delayed vocals of the singer Lyubov Soloveva that bounces between the walls until the ever-growing guitar lead comes in-front of it all with adrenaline pumped kiddy sort of energy. Playful melody and thunderous pop styling of the album makes it one of the many Nu-gaze albums that give a solid ground to it’s genre.

Favorite tracks: Wish We Were, Holy Forest, Umi

4.  Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living (Shoegaze)

The noise bottom of shoegazing, Shot Forth Self Living the 1992 debut album by American band Medicine is definitely not suitable for everyone but which has such an intensive and massive static explosion that it has to be noted. The screeching textures of guitar feedback seem to claw their way through your skin until it’s scratched into burning and flaming red rash caused by the noise extremeness. Medicine was the first American band that got a record deal from the British independent label Creation Records. It has been praised of being one of the closest american acts to My Bloody Valentine but I like to think that they brought their own unique touch to the noisy shoegazing scene and weren’t just a follow-ups. They dig deeper into the distorted, fuzzed almost intolerable noise sounds. I shall warn you: do not listen to this album with maximum level of volume. Especially with headphones, i’m pretty sure your hearing would get a bit damaged.  

Favorite Tracks: Love You Anywhere, To Your Friends, The Powder

5. Lilys - In the Presence of Nothing (Shoegaze)

Lilys is an interesting band considering the stylistic changes it has gone through the years. First album starting of with the My Bloody Valentine inspired Shoegaze where it took its next direction to another spaces of dream pop, then sudden not-expected obscure change to Mod Revival and the latest releases go back to the bands early roots of more psychedelic rock and shoegazing style. Also it consists only one permanent band member Kurt Heasley and ever-changing visiting members. 1992 first studio album In the Presence of Nothing is characteristically clear Shoegaze album. It has that up-front woozy and distorted guitar with vocals hid underneath that are the main basic shoegazing style My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless defined. It might be a wave rider but it has that alternative rock’s charm that stands on it’s own.    

Favorite Tracks: There Is No Such Things As Black Orchids, Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Tone Bender

6. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (Nu-Gaze)

Unlike the other Nu-gaze or Shoegaze picks I’ve selected in here 2003 released 2nd studio album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts by M83 focuses on heavy robotic synthesizer sounds instead of more organic and analogically produced guitar effects. French Electronic Group assembled together by producers Anthony Gonzales, Nicolas Fromageau, Nicolas Barlet and Morgan Daguenet have concentrated producing more of instrumental tracks than ones backed up with vocals. The small amount of vocals this album has are filtered with effects that create an artificial human sound. Signature move of creating heavily breath-taking and majestic chord-progressions which overflow into softly tuned harmonic static until peacefully vanishing away Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts is a standout piece of electronic noise producing. Last song of the album Beauties Can Die floats gently into this complete silence near middle of the song and rises back up from the dark void with evolving synth strings. Something that I haven’t heard more in music producing. Don’t know if it’s just the cheap quality of my speakers that can’t capture all the frequencies of the sound waves or is it just meant to be that way, it brings a fascinating structure to the song anyways.  

Favorite Tracks: Run Into Flowers, Be Wild, On a White Lake Near a Green Mountain

Last Words:

In this album listing I tried to focus on recommending albums where you can clearly hear the layered guitars. Especially with the Nu-gaze picks where you can tell it’s definitely influenced by shoegazing. This time there was more experimental albums than albums that could reach a pop success. The focus mainly still was on guitar textures and producing. There’s a bit mixed opinions between what is and what can not be considered Shoegaze. I switched up the albums back and forth from the list cause I wasn’t satisfied with the guitar textures and felt like they were too distant from shoegazing after all which is the reason this post took time to come out. Also back a while ago I found this Tumblr post that was a take on one of Kevin Shields interviews where there is revealed that the actual inspiration for shoegazing was drawn from the american grunge scene. I tried to search how legit it was but couldn’t find a source proper enough in my opinion so I decided to stick with the story that media and all the music enthusiasts support. Went through podcasts, interviews with the artists and old concert footage to find more information. I’m obviously not a skillful writer but I focus on giving accurate information and I hope I managed to get to the bottom of this genre in the most simplest way.

Rey

#shoegaze #noise-pop #dream-pop #neo-psychedelia #psychedelic-rock #drone #ambient #nu-gaze #alternative-rock #jesusandthemarychain #mybloodyvalentine #slowdive #ride #asobiseksu #loveliescrushing #pinkshinyultrablast #medicine #lilys #m83

[oikawas]

Robin told me I was on probation with Batman. I had to be a good girl if I wanted to fit in. If that means saving the life of scum like that, I don't want in their little club. Hell, I think I'm the kind of hero Gotham deserves. I may be the only hero Gotham has left.

Underappreciated Batfam  → Helena Bertinelli

#dcedit #comicedit #helena bertinelli #batmanedit #huntressedit #myedit #dc!edit #dc comics #hqbatfam #happy belated bday to this queen #i was gonna post this on her bday but there was a typo and i didnt have access to ps so i had to wait rip

[famedubaitravl]

The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com

Broad endures even as the scrutiny over him seldom subsides. ©Getty

There’s a yarn Graham Said likes to tell about Stuart Broad’s time at Hoppers Crossing CC, a club situated about half an hour’s drive from Melbourne. In between opening the batting and bowling for the club during the winter of 2004, Broad helped out with Said’s handyman business to earn a few extra bucks.

One day, Broad was mowing lawns on the side of a hill. He had just completed a section and walked over to ask Said something. But Broad had forgotten to secure the lawnmower. He and Said watched aghast as it rolled down the hill, perfectly bisected the gap between two parked cars and kept rolling across a busy road before coming to a halt on the other side. Remarkably, no damage was done.

It’s a good job, then, that Broad made it as a cricketer. He probably wouldn’t have cut it as a gardener.

Sixteen years after his winter at Hoppers, Broad is England’s second highest Test wicket taker with 485 wickets. He will almost certainly become only the fourth fast bowler ever to pass the 500-wicket mark. Some of the most iconic and extraordinary spells of English Test match bowling have come from Broad’s right hand and his union with James Anderson has resulted in one of the greatest bowling combinations in the history of Test cricket.

But despite a record that puts him in the rarefied company of Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh and Dale Steyn, Broad’s exploits are often underappreciated. Firstly, there’s the Anderson problem. In any other era, Broad would have been the undisputed star of England’s show. Instead, he’s often portrayed as the Robin to Anderson’s Batman, judged not on his own merits, but in light of those of his opening partner.

Then there’s the questioning of his place, the assumption that others could do better, which has bubbled under the surface of his entire career. If you Google ‘Stuart Broad should be dropped’ you will see a host of former players who have, at one time or another, called for him to be left out.

Even now, his place continues to be under pressure. Despite a stellar 2019, there was a chance that he could be left out for the second Test in South Africa this winter after a quiet opening game of the series. The scrutiny on Broad has rarely ever let up.

And yet, he has endured, for 138 Test matches and counting. How has he done it, and as the end of his career draws ever nearer, what will his legacy be?

***

Broad was just 18 when he played at Hoppers the winter before he made his first-class debut. Hoppers’ Mark Craig had played for Edgerton Park in Melton Mowbray, Broad’s junior club, a couple of years before as part of an exchange agreement between the two clubs. “Broady was probably about 5′ 9″ then, tubby, bowled fourth change and wanted to be a batsman,” Craig remembers of his time in the UK. “Two years later, when he arrived at Melbourne airport, he was 6’4″. With that extra height he was really sending them down.”

On the pitch, Broad had a decent, if unspectacular, season in Australia but he remains in touch with many at the club, including Said and his wife Sue. Unbeknown to the players, he went back to watch the first XI during one Ashes tour. When the short-leg called for a helmet, Broad put one on and ran it onto the pitch. The players all wondered who this random bloke was in jeans and a shirt, until Broad took off the helmet, handed it to the short-leg and ran back off the field.

“He hasn’t changed,” Craig says. “For who he has become, a worldwide name, he still remembers these people. There’s not one person who has ever had a bad word to say about him.”

A few months after arriving home from Australia, Broad made his Championship debut for Leicestershire. Ottis Gibson, who would go on to become England’s bowling coach on two separate occasions, was opening the bowling for the midlands county. “He was a tall, skinny guy who wanted to bowl fast,” Gibson remembers. “His action was all over the place. But he steamed in.”

Broad had come late to fast bowling, seeing himself as a batting all-rounder even when he first signed for Leicestershire. But gradually, his bowling became his strongest suit. “The one thing that I was always quite impressed with was how hungry he was to learn stuff,” Gibson says. “He was quite ambitious, even from that young age. He would tell me he wanted to play for England.”

His Test debut came two and a half years later, in Colombo, but his first two years in international cricket were a struggle. After 21 Tests he was averaging in the high 30s with the ball and had taken more than three wickets in an innings just twice. The final Test of the 2009 series against Australia, at the Oval, was therefore a vital game both for Broad’s immediate Test future and, with the series tied at one apiece, England’s Ashes hopes.

Coming on fifth change, Broad took five wickets in four overs to decimate Australia’s first innings, setting up an Ashes reclaiming victory. It was the first of Broad’s magic spells. It would not be the last.

The Oval Test of 2009 – a turning point for Stuart Broad. ©Getty

In all, Broad has taken five wickets or more in a single Test spell seven times. No other seamer in his generation comes close to matching this feat. Since Broad’s debut, Anderson has done it four times, while the likes of Steyn – who is known for his ability to change a match – has three five-wicket spells in that time.

“On one of those rolls, the surprise is not that (Broad) takes wickets but the deliveries that don’t,” says Mike Selvey, the former England seamer who has watched most of Broad’s career as a journalist. “I’ve seen no other England bowler do that so consistently and perhaps only Curtly Ambrose beyond that.”

It has become a cliche to say that Broad is having one of his days when he runs in, kicking his knees up high like pistons in a steam engine. But the knees do have a bearing. “We always talked about attacking the crease,” Gibson says. “When he gets too stretched out in his run-up, he starts to reach for the crease and that’s where his front arm tends to sweep him out of his action a little bit.

“When he keeps his running nice and compact and he stays centred at the crease, stays tall, that’s when he gets the best out of himself. When he’s picking his knees up, he’s actually beautiful to watch from side on and he really gets his action right.”

David Saker, England’s bowling coach from 2010 to 2015, picks out Broad’s 6 for 22 in 9.3 overs during the Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street in 2013 as his most memorable spell. “He was just charging in,” Saker says. “He had the crowd behind him and he was like the ringleader of the circus. He was just in control of the game.”

Gibson chooses Trent Bridge in 2015 when Broad took eight Australian wickets for 15 runs before lunch on the first day. It was an Ashes spell for the ages that almost didn’t happen. Broad wanted to bat first if England won the toss. “I am looking around thinking, jeez I’d love to be bowling in these conditions,” Gibson laughs. Thankfully Alastair Cook won the toss and bowled.

Five months after his Trent Bridge heroics, Broad took 6 for 17 at the Wanderers against South Africa, which included a spell of five wickets for one run, to essentially decide both the match and series. Find a clip of the ball that dismissed AB de Villiers. Woof. Of all his famous spells, Broad regards the Wanderers one as his most satisfying.

***

Amongst those magic spells, however, have been difficult matches and difficult series. That is no surprise during such a long career and by Broad’s own admission, some of the criticism directed his way has been justified.

He struggled badly in the early Tests of the 2011 home summer against Sri Lanka, for instance. Perhaps it was a hangover from the disappointment of being ruled out of the previous winter’s Ashes tour after just one and a half Tests. Broad was bowling well at the time. Australia’s Brad Haddin reckoned Broad’s spell with Anderson on the third afternoon at the Gabba as the toughest bowling he had ever faced. But then a side injury struck and Broad had to deal with sitting out the business end of an historic overseas victory.

Eighteen months later, on the 2012 tour of India, Broad played another bit part in England’s first win in the country for 27 years, dropped after two wicketless Tests. His relative lack of control at that stage of his career had been exposed. “That’s probably the only time I’ve ever seen Stuart really struggle with his confidence,” Saker says. “He’s a pretty confident guy but for the first time he seemed a little bit down on himself, he was trying to look for answers why it wasn’t working.”

A few years later, Broad had a barren run of 26 Tests without a five-wicket haul between early 2016 and March 2018. The magic spells had gone AWOL. He struggled on the 2017-18 Ashes tour, averaging close to 50, and admitted to being at a career cross-roads. “I never felt like he had a shocking tour actually,” Shane Bond, England’s bowling consultant for that series, says. “I thought he bowled consistently. I couldn’t fault Stu’s attitude, the way he ran in, tried stuff. Sometimes it just doesn’t go for you.”

Do these quiet periods prove Broad has inherent fallibilities as a bowler? Or does his reaction to them prove that he is a champion cricketer? After all, following nearly every setback he has faced, Broad has come out fighting.

When the jury was out on him as a Test bowler in 2009, he came up with an Ashes winning spell. He steamrollered India in 2011 to the tune of 25 wickets in four Tests – which included a hat-trick at Trent Bridge – following that poor series against Sri Lanka. After the disappointment of the tour to India at the end of 2012, he took 62 wickets the following calendar year from just 14 matches.

The ‘celebrappeal’ comes out when Broad’s on a roll ©

In the two years since the poor 2017-18 Ashes tour, Broad has shortened his run-up, worked on his action and wrist position and taken 86 wickets in 24 Tests at an average of 24.66. Such resilience is the preserve of the very best players.

“There’s a reason why you bounce back and it’s that attitude,” Bond says. “That’s what stood out about Stuart for me and why he’s been a brilliant bowler for so long. He has got that competitive nature, he keeps coming in and he doesn’t give up.”

“He seems to be very good at coping with pressure,” Luke Fletcher, a longtime teammate at Nottinghamshire, adds. “He doesn’t speak about it but I think he knows. That’s when he steps it up. He’s got that drive to step it up, some other people would struggle. It’s almost that he likes to be in that position weirdly. It gets the best out of him.”

***

Competitiveness is a word that crops up whenever you talk to people who know Broad. He loves nothing more than being centre stage, taking on the responsibility to try and make a difference. “In the 2015 World Cup, I know we got beaten quite heavily in the first game against Australia, but the one man that stood up with the ball, big crowd, big occasion, was Stuart,” Saker says. “He just seemed to always rise to those big occasions.”

He’s the same in county cricket. “His competitiveness is what puts him above the rest,” Fletcher says. “He has bowled spells where I have thought it doesn’t seem like he’s bowling any different to any other county bowler. But then in the same game, when it’s on the line, he will have a spell where he completely rips a team out. He’s always close to doing something remarkable.”

A number of Broad’s most memorable Test spells have come when a series or match is up for grabs. The Oval Test was the first example. The 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge was another, coming at a crucial juncture in that Ashes series; England were two-one up but Australia, who had won the second Test by 405 runs at Lord’s, were far from out of it. “We said we needed one or two wickets early to claim the initiative,” Gibson remembers. “Stuart ended up getting eight early ones.” The spell at the Wanderers a few months later had a similar impact on that series.

The competitive spirit that has driven these performances has sometimes put people’s noses out of joint. His ‘celebrappeal’, where he begins celebrating a perceived wicket without turning to the umpire, has irked a few purists. In 2010, he recklessly threw the ball at Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider and was fined. Following that incident, Broad worked with England’s psychologist to develop a tactic for when he gets angry or frustrated. Now, he will look out of the ground to settle himself down.

Famously not walking in the first Ashes Test of 2013, when he edged the ball to slip via a deflection off the wicket-keeper, enraged the Australians. It prompted Darren Lehmann to say that he wanted Australian spectators to make Broad cry on the 2013-14 tour to Australia which followed. “We are not playing for a cheese sandwich,” Broad said at the time. “We are playing in an Ashes series.” Tellingly, Broad performed outstandingly well on that subsequent tour of Australia despite a five-nil defeat and constant abuse from the Australian crowds.

Sometimes Broad has bristled at the criticism sent his way. Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Broad should be dropped during the 2018 home series with Pakistan, prompting Broad to call Vaughan and have it out. “I’m very open to criticism and I’m not going to hold a personal grudge, particularly if I feel like I deserve it, but I didn’t feel like I deserved that,” Broad said at the time.

Age has mellowed him but he is still feisty, as a few verbals with Faf du Plessis in the fourth Test against South Africa earlier this year showed. But which fast bowler worth their salt isn’t? Broad would be half the bowler without his competitive edge.

***

Anderson, Botham, Willis & Broad: The pantheon of England’s fast-bowling greats ©Getty

For the first few years of his career, Broad was a genuine quick. Fletcher remembers a match against Somerset in 2010 in which Broad bowled the quickest spell Fletcher has ever seen live. “It was absolutely rapid,” he says. “He got a five-for in a spell. He was hitting people in the face, gloving people off.”

Broad still has the ability to bowl quick and aggressively – indeed Saker thinks he should bowl his bouncer more – but he has reigned things back in search of greater control. “He didn’t have quite the control of a top class fast bowler like a Glenn McGrath,” Saker says of when he first worked with Broad. “If you watch him now, his control and the ability to manipulate the ball wherever he wants is quite amazing. He’s learnt that.”

His consistency comes from an action that repeats but there are plenty of tricks in Broad’s bag too. He can seam and swing the ball. He can bowl cutters – see the deliveries to Ricky Ponting at the Oval in 2009 and de Villiers at the Wanderers – and wobble seam deliveries. He changes his pace subtly. Over the past year, he has bowled a fuller length, bringing strong returns.

Broad has also become the best in the world at bowling round the wicket to left-handers. He spent two days during the 2015 Ashes working on it with Gibson after losing the ability to swing the ball back into the left-handers from over the wicket. For England, Selvey reckons only Fred Trueman has been as proficient as Broad is at that line of attack. After last summer’s Ashes, when he was dismissed seven times by Broad, David Warner would probably agree.

Even now, Broad continues to want to develop. England players who face him in the nets notice how he always asks them how the ball is coming out, explains what he is trying to do so they can give him feedback. Broad often posts videos of bowling drills on Instagram as he grooves his technique. He is open-minded with coaches but will question and challenge if he doesn’t agree. He wants to be shown why. “Players who continue to keep an open mind, develop, try stuff, they’re the ones who have continued success,” Bond says.

At 34-years-old, Broad is arguably bowling as well as he ever has done. He played a crucial role in England’s series victory over South Africa this winter and should be an automatic pick for the upcoming series against West Indies. He has spoken about wanting to play on until next winter’s Ashes. If he keeps up his current form, and his body holds firm, there is no reason why he can’t get there.

Nonetheless, Stuart Broad is in the final straight of a storied career. He has time yet to add a final flourish or two – going out with an Ashes win would be nice – but his place in history is already secure. A bowler of great spells, yes. But a truly great Test match bowler as well.

© Fame Dubai

CBQueue.push(function(){ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.defer = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v6.0&appId=30119633160"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); });

The post The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com appeared first on FameDubai Magazine | Your daily dose of Lifestyle, Shopping & Trends in UAE.

from WordPress https://famedubai.com/the-durable-mr-broad-cricbuzz-com/

#Sport

[morningrainmusic]

Top 25 Albums of 2017

A lot of very good albums came out in 2017. These are my favorite 25, with some thoughts on each of them. See you in the new year.

Best,

The Staff of Morning Rain Music

25. Ty Segall – Ty Segall  Almost all of Ty Segall’s albums (there are a lot) are made to be turned up to 11. His second self-titled release is no exception. Segall said of the live recorded album, “There’s something about a band in a room – it’s a feeling you can’t replicate. There’s a feel to the music. The band is so good, and I love the feel of this record.” So do I.

24. The Feelies – In Between  I took one journalism class in college. The professor would play music before starting lectures and I vividly remember one class when he played The Feelies and then talked about how great and underappreciated they are for a little while. I don’t recall much else from the class, but I remember that. I wonder what Greg Downey is up to now.

23. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me A Crow Looked at Me is this year’s Skeleton Tree (Nick Cave’s 2016 musical tribute to his late son). To call Phil Eleverum’s meditation on the death of his wife a slog of misery would be a profound understatement. Listen to it and feel his utter despair.

22. Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up  Fleet Foxes’ return after six years on hiatus isn’t as triumphant as Helplessness Blues, but it’s a bold and invigorating odyssey of an album that could only come from the questioning, adventurous minds of Robin Pecknold et al.

21. Ryan Adams – Prisoner I got really into Adams’ Heartbreaker this year. Could this have primed me to enjoy Prisoner more? It has been called his best and most personal record since his 2000 debut. You be the judge, I guess.

20. Chastity Belt – I used to spend so much time alone If The National are music’s reigning “sad bastard” kings, Chastity Belt’s latest album make them contenders for the spot as queens. Or “sad bastardesses” maybe. A quick glance at the track-list is a pretty good indication of what you’re in for—“Stuck,” “What the Hell,” “5am,” “Bender.” These aren’t exactly pit of despair bummer songs. They lack the “look at me” dramatics of The Smiths or Joy Division. Chastity Belt keep it low-key, conveying something of a slow-crippling, dejected resignation that’s truer to life. If I’ve just made this record sound like complete agony, let me assure you, it’s not. I used to spend has some pep in its step—a bit of that Pacific Northwest punk spunk. One of the guitar breaks in “Something Else” even slightly recalls The Cranberries’ “Dreams.” So it won’t completely overwhelm with its ruminations on feelings of self-loathing/emptiness. For that kind of experience, turn to Mount Eerie.

19. A. Savage – Thawing Dawn Thawing Dawn  has some glaring flaws, but I listened to it a lot in 2017 because I really like it. Andrew Savage (who is in a band called Parquet Courts, you might’ve heard of them) has an everyman’s voice that sounds like a too-clever-for-his-own-good friend talking to you on the subway, regardless of whether you’re actually listening (“Eyeballs”). He also delivers a tender, slow-burning love song (“Wild, Wild, Wild Horses”) and a full-blown country waltz, slide guitar and all (“Phantom Limbo”). It doesn’t all work (see the church organ-heavy dud “Untitled” and overly drawn-out existential crisis-mode plod of “What Do I Do”). But something about the rest of Thawing Dawn, imperfections and all, is simply pleasant and demanding of the occasional revisit.

18. Kevin Morby – City Music If you like Bob Dylan (any era) you will probably like at least a handful of Kevin Morby songs. This may seem like a lazy assertation since the same could reasonably be said about a few dozen current artists, but I feel the comparison is worth making because Morby leans into the Dylan-ness a bit further on City Music, the follow-up to last year’s also excellent Singing Saw. The influence, of course, is not accidental and it isn’t limited to Morby’s charmingly wooden vocal delivery. City Music finds Morby getting even more introspective, a tad emotional and notably more poetic. One of the highlights is the ambling, groove-laden title track, which is preceded by a short Flannery O’Connor passage read by musician Meg Baird. The track gradually builds to a rapturous rave-up with Morby shouting the lyrics (there are only fifteen distinct words in the whole song). Play it fuckin’ loud. Side note: “Caught in My Eye” is a great introductory song to this album and Morby in general.

17. The xx – I See You  The xx, a band known for hushed tones and stark minimalism, broke free and brought dancehall spirit to their brooding songs. I See You is a natural next step in the group’s evolution.

16. The National – Sleep Well Beast  The National are not everyone’s bag, and understandably so. They require time and attention, which people seem to have less and less of these days. For those who do though, and are inclined to give The National a chance, the experience is a rewarding one. On Sleep Well Beast they do a bit of everything—rock out, wail lovelorn agonies, get glitchy, and mutter cryptic lyrics. I’d like to know who “dead John” in “Carin at the Liquor” store is, one of the record’s strongest, and most National-y tracks. But then again, The National are with each new record proving that they’re quite adept at going in a lot of different directions.

15. Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow  Hallelujah Anyhow is a record that seems to have slipped through the cracks. That’s a shame because MC Taylor creates the kind of terrific country-ish folk rock that should make any self-respecting music fan who’s ever picked up a Lumineers or Mumford and Sons record seriously question some of his or her life choices—no offense to those bands. Listen to “Harder Rain” and tell me that isn’t dang good southern rock music. But really, listen to the whole album.

14. Aimee Mann – Mental Illness  Aimee Mann does here what she does best, which is craft melancholy portraits of life’s disappointments. And she does so beautifully. It’s a strange and strangely uplifting album. Also, it might be the most universally enjoyable album on this list.

13. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream James Murphy broke up his band when they were seemingly at the height of their popularity, threw a huge goodbye concert/party in Madison Square Garden, and then spent years puttering around with coffee, wine, and musical turnstiles. All the while he was (presumably) wondering why the hell he called it quits. LCD Soundsystem’s new album which, as recently as three years ago was never supposed to exist, is a solid homecoming that retreads their well-established punk meets electro art-rock style with some new tricks. They have a long history of spastic, challenging songs and American Dream contains the most in terms both of quantity of tracks that fit this bill and quality (the challenging-ness, that is). If you don’t like their first album (or the genre they’re working in) don’t bother. That being said, songs like “how do you sleep,” “oh baby,” “tonite,” “emotional haircut,” and “call the police” bring the goods dance-wise. Album closer/bonus track “pulse (v. 1)” finds LCD going full techno for almost fourteen minutes. So yeah, it’s good to have James Murphy and co. back again.

12. Alvvays – Antisocialites  Alvvays, is one of those little indie bands that could. The spelling of their name is stupid. The songs they make are sunny and catchy. Lead singer Molly Rankin wrote much of the album “in isolation in an abandoned schoolroom” on the Toronto Islands. Taking your word on that one, Spotify “about” section.

11. Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds from Another Planet  Soft Sounds could be called a distant cousin of Frankie Rose’s Interstellar from 2012. Both Rose and Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner sing in angelic tones, inspired by distant worlds in the infinite cosmos. Zauner, however, thinks a bit bigger, and quite a lot hookier too. I’m talking about entrancingly dreamy, poppy, shoegazing tunes that shoot for the stars and land firmly in the heart. Fantastic song titles too, like “Here Come the Tubular Bells,” “Jimmy Fallon Big!,” and my personal favorite, “The Body is a Blade,” also one of the standout tracks on an album full of those.

10. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory  Between songs during Vince Staples’ set at Pitchfork Music Festival in July, I leaned over to a friend and said I think Staples could be the next Kendrick Lamar. He looked at me quizzically and said, “I think he already is.” It was a bit of a “no duh” moment and one listen to Big Fish Theory proves the comparison to be accurate. It’s a club-ready banger of an album with sharp rhymes and an aggressive current running through it. “745” is, give me permission to write this just one time, the trillest track of the year. It also echoes Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle” with the repeated “all I want” lyric.

9. Spoon – Hot Thoughts By now, everyone who gives a damn about good music should recognize Spoon as one of the most reliably great bands of the last twenty years. Hot Thoughts sees them stretching their legs, experimenting with some new sounds, but always sounding like Spoon, which is to say cool, confident, sexy, and slick.

8. The Courtneys – II  I feel like The Courtneys should be bigger. Maybe not huge, but definitely a lot bigger. They’re three gals from LA by way of Vancouver who love 90s pop culture and write songs that fall somewhere between candidly wise (“Tour”) and endearingly goofy (“Lost Boys”). There’s also a Big Star-inspired track (“Country Song”), one about a guy moving to the cold North Country (“Minnesota”), and one about iron deficiency (“Iron Deficiency”). Everything is up-tempo and there’s nothing not to like.

7. Lost Balloons – Hey Summer How do you feel about fuzzy, sentimental jangle-pop? How about infectious melodies sung by a guy from Japan? How about deep left-field bands cracking the top ten of MRM’s best albums list? Those questions are rhetorical and this album is very good. Lost Balloons’ Jeff Burke and Yusuke Okada crept under the radar for a while, but they’ve earned the seven spot with a record full of sprightly, mournful ditties. They’re what the characters of Sing Street call, “happy-sad.”

6. Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog The pepperoni playboy is so good at making excellent, laid-back, reflective indie-rock, it feels like only three full-length records in, folks are already taking him for granted. I’ve seen very little love for This Old Dog on other year-end lists…what gives? It’s the most stripped back and mature-sounding of DeMarco’s work so far. Is Mac more fun when he’s singing about the lighthearted aspects of life? Of course. But listening to a song like “Dreams from Yesterday,” it becomes clear that this gap-toothed goofball is at his best when he gets into the deep stuff.

5. Alex Cameron – Forced Witness Part of me can’t believe one of the year’s best albums is by a dude who sings about prowling for women on the web, benching other guys’ bodyweight, and how he’s “packing heat” under his jeans. What’s so remarkable about Forced Witness is how easily it could have been a complete disaster. Adopting a stage persona this crass and outlandish requires an unwavering commitment to the character and, more importantly, having the musical chops to back it up. Cameron and right-hand man on the sax Roy Malloy deliver both, with a batch of killer tunes that weave tales of pathetic delusion, macho posturing, and (perhaps unexpectedly) extreme vulnerability. The carefully crafted façade Cameron takes on is one of the most entertaining aspects of these songs, but it’s how sadly desperate for connection his brazenly low-life characters are that make many of them perversely beautiful. Cameron mixes uninhibited rock star swagger with portraits of seedy, disturbed individuals from the underbelly—like Springsteen, Zevon, and 80s Joel all rolled into one greasy-haired goon. The results are mesmerizing.

4. Mount Kimbie – Love What Survives The opening two songs of Love What Survives sometimes remind me of a terrific movie from this year, the Safdie brothers’ Good Time. The film’s music by Oneohtrix Point Never is a completely different brand of jittery electronic from Mount Kimbie, but these songs produce images of urban menace and escalating panic that, if you’ve seen the film, you’ll understand why they would fit snugly in its world. But then, three tracks in, the record pivots. “Audition” and album standout “Marilyn” slide in to cleanse the palate, providing a hazy, coolly detached warmth. If that sounds a bit enigmatic and contradictory, that’s because it is. This is the brilliance of Love What Survives, an album that earns the distinction of 2017’s breakout revelation. The genre Mount Kimbie occupies is admittedly not my area of expertise, but if ever I was asked to recommend an album of UK-based electronic/“post-dubstep” to a total neophyte, this might be the record. Built around a half dozen guest vocalists including James Blake and King Krule, Love What Survives is a gorgeous collage of sounds—organic and industrial, familiar and foreign, soothing and unsettling—that has a truly captivating effect. And while it is not the best of album of 2017, it is the most fascinating.

3. Lorde – Melodrama  I want to begin by saying I think the music of Taylor Swift is pretty much irrelevant to Lorde. They are both massive female pop stars with fiercely loyal fanbases and, as it would happen, the two are pals (or at least they present themselves publicly as such). Stylistically though, all the two have in common is that their songs fall into the (depending on your point of view) ever-broadening or frustratingly narrow genre of mainstream pop. The reason I bring Swift up is because 1989, which is now just over three years old, seems to be the unanimously agreed upon best pop album of recent memory—it is also the highest selling. Its appeal is near-universal and it is indeed, a stellar album. I’m here to tell you that Lorde’s Melodrama is even better. This is a collection of moody and electrifying songs whose consistent quality is made more impressive by the fact that her previous record is similarly fantastic. Loosely based around the concept of a night spent partying, Melodrama is the rare example of pop music that transcends its generic conventions and manages to be both a supremely satisfying get-up-and-dance record as well as a thoughtful reflection on youth, romance, and the fleeting nature of both.

2. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. Crown him folks. Kendrick Lamar, best rapper alive. What’s that? We already did that? Okay then, if you weren’t sure before, you ought to be now. The man can do it all. DAMN. is a rightfully ALL CAPS PERIOD rap record that tackles everything from heritage to crippling self-doubt to our divided nation and racism like no one else can. When it comes to beats, flow, intelligence, and charisma Lamar is in a category of his own. “There’s a difference between black artists and whack artists, ” Lamar raps on “ELEMENT.” He’s not wrong.

1. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding  This is a blog so ridiculously unread that the point of keeping it up at times feels woefully nonexistent—I sometimes question why I don’t just shut it all down to the dismay of no one. Why post something on the internet for it to be utterly unnoticed? The same question could be posed to the tens of thousands of other amateur music bloggers across the country with year-end lists that probably look a lot like this one. I don’t know what their reasons might be. Complete lack of awareness? Blissful ignorance? The self-assigned obligation of a shameless vanity project? Mine, for the little it’s worth, is an unadulterated love of rock music and a compulsion to champion the uncompromising musicians that make compelling art. That’s a mission statement of sorts, generic and predictable as it may be, for a largely inactive blog run by a guy who listens to and reads a lot about rock music. That’s all this is. And since I’m on the subject of big cliché statements and uncommissioned content that oversaturates this largely vapid world wide web, here’s an undercooked question whose answer is as subjective as it is insignificant: What is the state of rock and roll in 2017? Reading Collin Brennan’s COS piece from early this year, in which he mines bands like Japandroids, Cloud Nothings, Jay Som, and Real Estate for something resembling a conclusion, I got to thinking about this question myself. Then I got to thinking about The War On Drugs and how they fit into this tired conversation. Here’s what I know to be true: rock and roll, contrary to what people may tell you, does not require a new roster of fresh-faced superstars. It does not need to dominate the charts. It does not need to be young people’s genre of choice, the soundtrack of a revolution, and it certainly doesn’t need to lazily repackage the sound of former greats. Don’t call The War on Drugs or any other band for that matter, “saviors of rock” because rock doesn’t need saving.

Artists like The War on Drugs, albums like A Deeper Understanding are proof that rock and roll’s health report is just fine. The Philadelphia-based band, led by studio obsessive Adam Granduciel, are endearing underdogs: the guys that rose from indie obscurity to fame-straddling heights on the back of an exceptional, critically adored 2014 release. They have made a name for themselves by borrowing from the best. A little Dire Straits, a lot of Bruce, some Ghost is Born-era Wilco distortion, Granduciel’s hushed, Dylan-esque drawl—their sound is built from a foundation of musical greats. These influences are easily recognized on A Deeper Understanding, but it never sounds like mimicry. Instead, it sounds like reverence. Steven Hyden (who also named it the best album of 2017) put it nicely, writing about how the record doesn’t actually sound like the artists the WOD are so frequently compared to. “It does sound like your memories of that questing, widescreen heartland rock music,” he writes. “This is what Adam Graunduciel does best: He evokes the spirit of classic rock’s past without ever literally replicating Bryan Adams’ gruff vocals, Mark Knopfler’s bluesy guitar, or Born In The USA‘s glockenspiels.” The band has mutated their sound over the years from rootsy to atmospheric to this new incarnation, which could be called “quietly epic.” This phenomenon comes across best in a song like “Thinking of a Place,” the eleven-minute opus that somehow doesn’t feel a second too long. “Strangest Thing” builds to the point where its swelling guitar motif will forcibly displace you from whatever you are occupied with and once it’s over you’ll need a moment to come back to Earth. “Nothing To Find” is the breeziest on the record, and equally suited for a large amphitheater or a car stereo on an open road. I could go on and on, but I won’t. This album will not knock you on your ass or change the way you think about music. It’s not the best thing since Nevermind, it’s not even the best album by this band. Here’s what it is: an engrossing sonic experience marked by lush guitars, heartland synths, and a whole lot of things being very strongly felt—longing, nostalgia, confinement, and of course, pain. It’s the kind of album that hits you at your core without sounding like it’s trying too hard to. If the question, “is rock and roll is still capable of having a profound impact today?” were a legitimate one, the sixty-six minutes of A Deeper Understanding would make for an effective, resounding, “Yes.”

Honorable Mentions:  Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice Real Estate – In Mind Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 3 Randy Newman – Dark Matter Four Tet – New Energy Margo Price – All American Made Big Thief - Capacity

#lists

[brucewaynehomeforangrychildren]

Can you draw Number 5 and Tim Drake together again? So cute

a) sorry this took so long, anon, and thx for the fun req :)

b) saw that my first ua/dc post may have inspired some people to watch ua + that makes me soooo happy!

c) bg: to this day, neither of them knows what happened and they just refuse to talk about it because as we all know Tim is uncomfortable with gaps in his knowledge 

#tim drake #stephanie brown #number five #klaus hargreeves #comic #umbrella academy #batfamily #but did klaus ever get his 20 bucks tho??? #number four #ua #umbrella academy art #crossover #batfam #robin #robin iii #robin iv #underappreciated robins club #timothy jackson drake wayne #number five ugh love him #also klaus and his fur coat #i call this style of drawing 'struggling' #fan art #art #dc comics #sibling shenanigans #pls enjoy!!!

[brucewaynehomeforangrychildren]

some things never change 

#jason todd #underappreciated robins club #also #book club #robin #robin ii #red hood #english major jason todd #jason todd art #dc comics #1k

[famedubaitravl]

The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com

Broad endures even as the scrutiny over him seldom subsides. ©Getty

There’s a yarn Graham Said likes to tell about Stuart Broad’s time at Hoppers Crossing CC, a club situated about half an hour’s drive from Melbourne. In between opening the batting and bowling for the club during the winter of 2004, Broad helped out with Said’s handyman business to earn a few extra bucks.

One day, Broad was mowing lawns on the side of a hill. He had just completed a section and walked over to ask Said something. But Broad had forgotten to secure the lawnmower. He and Said watched aghast as it rolled down the hill, perfectly bisected the gap between two parked cars and kept rolling across a busy road before coming to a halt on the other side. Remarkably, no damage was done.

It’s a good job, then, that Broad made it as a cricketer. He probably wouldn’t have cut it as a gardener.

Sixteen years after his winter at Hoppers, Broad is England’s second highest Test wicket taker with 485 wickets. He will almost certainly become only the fourth fast bowler ever to pass the 500-wicket mark. Some of the most iconic and extraordinary spells of English Test match bowling have come from Broad’s right hand and his union with James Anderson has resulted in one of the greatest bowling combinations in the history of Test cricket.

But despite a record that puts him in the rarefied company of Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh and Dale Steyn, Broad’s exploits are often underappreciated. Firstly, there’s the Anderson problem. In any other era, Broad would have been the undisputed star of England’s show. Instead, he’s often portrayed as the Robin to Anderson’s Batman, judged not on his own merits, but in light of those of his opening partner.

Then there’s the questioning of his place, the assumption that others could do better, which has bubbled under the surface of his entire career. If you Google ‘Stuart Broad should be dropped’ you will see a host of former players who have, at one time or another, called for him to be left out.

Even now, his place continues to be under pressure. Despite a stellar 2019, there was a chance that he could be left out for the second Test in South Africa this winter after a quiet opening game of the series. The scrutiny on Broad has rarely ever let up.

And yet, he has endured, for 138 Test matches and counting. How has he done it, and as the end of his career draws ever nearer, what will his legacy be?

***

Broad was just 18 when he played at Hoppers the winter before he made his first-class debut. Hoppers’ Mark Craig had played for Edgerton Park in Melton Mowbray, Broad’s junior club, a couple of years before as part of an exchange agreement between the two clubs. “Broady was probably about 5′ 9″ then, tubby, bowled fourth change and wanted to be a batsman,” Craig remembers of his time in the UK. “Two years later, when he arrived at Melbourne airport, he was 6’4″. With that extra height he was really sending them down.”

On the pitch, Broad had a decent, if unspectacular, season in Australia but he remains in touch with many at the club, including Said and his wife Sue. Unbeknown to the players, he went back to watch the first XI during one Ashes tour. When the short-leg called for a helmet, Broad put one on and ran it onto the pitch. The players all wondered who this random bloke was in jeans and a shirt, until Broad took off the helmet, handed it to the short-leg and ran back off the field.

“He hasn’t changed,” Craig says. “For who he has become, a worldwide name, he still remembers these people. There’s not one person who has ever had a bad word to say about him.”

A few months after arriving home from Australia, Broad made his Championship debut for Leicestershire. Ottis Gibson, who would go on to become England’s bowling coach on two separate occasions, was opening the bowling for the midlands county. “He was a tall, skinny guy who wanted to bowl fast,” Gibson remembers. “His action was all over the place. But he steamed in.”

Broad had come late to fast bowling, seeing himself as a batting all-rounder even when he first signed for Leicestershire. But gradually, his bowling became his strongest suit. “The one thing that I was always quite impressed with was how hungry he was to learn stuff,” Gibson says. “He was quite ambitious, even from that young age. He would tell me he wanted to play for England.”

His Test debut came two and a half years later, in Colombo, but his first two years in international cricket were a struggle. After 21 Tests he was averaging in the high 30s with the ball and had taken more than three wickets in an innings just twice. The final Test of the 2009 series against Australia, at the Oval, was therefore a vital game both for Broad’s immediate Test future and, with the series tied at one apiece, England’s Ashes hopes.

Coming on fifth change, Broad took five wickets in four overs to decimate Australia’s first innings, setting up an Ashes reclaiming victory. It was the first of Broad’s magic spells. It would not be the last.

The Oval Test of 2009 – a turning point for Stuart Broad. ©Getty

In all, Broad has taken five wickets or more in a single Test spell seven times. No other seamer in his generation comes close to matching this feat. Since Broad’s debut, Anderson has done it four times, while the likes of Steyn – who is known for his ability to change a match – has three five-wicket spells in that time.

“On one of those rolls, the surprise is not that (Broad) takes wickets but the deliveries that don’t,” says Mike Selvey, the former England seamer who has watched most of Broad’s career as a journalist. “I’ve seen no other England bowler do that so consistently and perhaps only Curtly Ambrose beyond that.”

It has become a cliche to say that Broad is having one of his days when he runs in, kicking his knees up high like pistons in a steam engine. But the knees do have a bearing. “We always talked about attacking the crease,” Gibson says. “When he gets too stretched out in his run-up, he starts to reach for the crease and that’s where his front arm tends to sweep him out of his action a little bit.

“When he keeps his running nice and compact and he stays centred at the crease, stays tall, that’s when he gets the best out of himself. When he’s picking his knees up, he’s actually beautiful to watch from side on and he really gets his action right.”

David Saker, England’s bowling coach from 2010 to 2015, picks out Broad’s 6 for 22 in 9.3 overs during the Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street in 2013 as his most memorable spell. “He was just charging in,” Saker says. “He had the crowd behind him and he was like the ringleader of the circus. He was just in control of the game.”

Gibson chooses Trent Bridge in 2015 when Broad took eight Australian wickets for 15 runs before lunch on the first day. It was an Ashes spell for the ages that almost didn’t happen. Broad wanted to bat first if England won the toss. “I am looking around thinking, jeez I’d love to be bowling in these conditions,” Gibson laughs. Thankfully Alastair Cook won the toss and bowled.

Five months after his Trent Bridge heroics, Broad took 6 for 17 at the Wanderers against South Africa, which included a spell of five wickets for one run, to essentially decide both the match and series. Find a clip of the ball that dismissed AB de Villiers. Woof. Of all his famous spells, Broad regards the Wanderers one as his most satisfying.

***

Amongst those magic spells, however, have been difficult matches and difficult series. That is no surprise during such a long career and by Broad’s own admission, some of the criticism directed his way has been justified.

He struggled badly in the early Tests of the 2011 home summer against Sri Lanka, for instance. Perhaps it was a hangover from the disappointment of being ruled out of the previous winter’s Ashes tour after just one and a half Tests. Broad was bowling well at the time. Australia’s Brad Haddin reckoned Broad’s spell with Anderson on the third afternoon at the Gabba as the toughest bowling he had ever faced. But then a side injury struck and Broad had to deal with sitting out the business end of an historic overseas victory.

Eighteen months later, on the 2012 tour of India, Broad played another bit part in England’s first win in the country for 27 years, dropped after two wicketless Tests. His relative lack of control at that stage of his career had been exposed. “That’s probably the only time I’ve ever seen Stuart really struggle with his confidence,” Saker says. “He’s a pretty confident guy but for the first time he seemed a little bit down on himself, he was trying to look for answers why it wasn’t working.”

A few years later, Broad had a barren run of 26 Tests without a five-wicket haul between early 2016 and March 2018. The magic spells had gone AWOL. He struggled on the 2017-18 Ashes tour, averaging close to 50, and admitted to being at a career cross-roads. “I never felt like he had a shocking tour actually,” Shane Bond, England’s bowling consultant for that series, says. “I thought he bowled consistently. I couldn’t fault Stu’s attitude, the way he ran in, tried stuff. Sometimes it just doesn’t go for you.”

Do these quiet periods prove Broad has inherent fallibilities as a bowler? Or does his reaction to them prove that he is a champion cricketer? After all, following nearly every setback he has faced, Broad has come out fighting.

When the jury was out on him as a Test bowler in 2009, he came up with an Ashes winning spell. He steamrollered India in 2011 to the tune of 25 wickets in four Tests – which included a hat-trick at Trent Bridge – following that poor series against Sri Lanka. After the disappointment of the tour to India at the end of 2012, he took 62 wickets the following calendar year from just 14 matches.

The ‘celebrappeal’ comes out when Broad’s on a roll ©

In the two years since the poor 2017-18 Ashes tour, Broad has shortened his run-up, worked on his action and wrist position and taken 86 wickets in 24 Tests at an average of 24.66. Such resilience is the preserve of the very best players.

“There’s a reason why you bounce back and it’s that attitude,” Bond says. “That’s what stood out about Stuart for me and why he’s been a brilliant bowler for so long. He has got that competitive nature, he keeps coming in and he doesn’t give up.”

“He seems to be very good at coping with pressure,” Luke Fletcher, a longtime teammate at Nottinghamshire, adds. “He doesn’t speak about it but I think he knows. That’s when he steps it up. He’s got that drive to step it up, some other people would struggle. It’s almost that he likes to be in that position weirdly. It gets the best out of him.”

***

Competitiveness is a word that crops up whenever you talk to people who know Broad. He loves nothing more than being centre stage, taking on the responsibility to try and make a difference. “In the 2015 World Cup, I know we got beaten quite heavily in the first game against Australia, but the one man that stood up with the ball, big crowd, big occasion, was Stuart,” Saker says. “He just seemed to always rise to those big occasions.”

He’s the same in county cricket. “His competitiveness is what puts him above the rest,” Fletcher says. “He has bowled spells where I have thought it doesn’t seem like he’s bowling any different to any other county bowler. But then in the same game, when it’s on the line, he will have a spell where he completely rips a team out. He’s always close to doing something remarkable.”

A number of Broad’s most memorable Test spells have come when a series or match is up for grabs. The Oval Test was the first example. The 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge was another, coming at a crucial juncture in that Ashes series; England were two-one up but Australia, who had won the second Test by 405 runs at Lord’s, were far from out of it. “We said we needed one or two wickets early to claim the initiative,” Gibson remembers. “Stuart ended up getting eight early ones.” The spell at the Wanderers a few months later had a similar impact on that series.

The competitive spirit that has driven these performances has sometimes put people’s noses out of joint. His ‘celebrappeal’, where he begins celebrating a perceived wicket without turning to the umpire, has irked a few purists. In 2010, he recklessly threw the ball at Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider and was fined. Following that incident, Broad worked with England’s psychologist to develop a tactic for when he gets angry or frustrated. Now, he will look out of the ground to settle himself down.

Famously not walking in the first Ashes Test of 2013, when he edged the ball to slip via a deflection off the wicket-keeper, enraged the Australians. It prompted Darren Lehmann to say that he wanted Australian spectators to make Broad cry on the 2013-14 tour to Australia which followed. “We are not playing for a cheese sandwich,” Broad said at the time. “We are playing in an Ashes series.” Tellingly, Broad performed outstandingly well on that subsequent tour of Australia despite a five-nil defeat and constant abuse from the Australian crowds.

Sometimes Broad has bristled at the criticism sent his way. Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Broad should be dropped during the 2018 home series with Pakistan, prompting Broad to call Vaughan and have it out. “I’m very open to criticism and I’m not going to hold a personal grudge, particularly if I feel like I deserve it, but I didn’t feel like I deserved that,” Broad said at the time.

Age has mellowed him but he is still feisty, as a few verbals with Faf du Plessis in the fourth Test against South Africa earlier this year showed. But which fast bowler worth their salt isn’t? Broad would be half the bowler without his competitive edge.

***

Anderson, Botham, Willis & Broad: The pantheon of England’s fast-bowling greats ©Getty

For the first few years of his career, Broad was a genuine quick. Fletcher remembers a match against Somerset in 2010 in which Broad bowled the quickest spell Fletcher has ever seen live. “It was absolutely rapid,” he says. “He got a five-for in a spell. He was hitting people in the face, gloving people off.”

Broad still has the ability to bowl quick and aggressively – indeed Saker thinks he should bowl his bouncer more – but he has reigned things back in search of greater control. “He didn’t have quite the control of a top class fast bowler like a Glenn McGrath,” Saker says of when he first worked with Broad. “If you watch him now, his control and the ability to manipulate the ball wherever he wants is quite amazing. He’s learnt that.”

His consistency comes from an action that repeats but there are plenty of tricks in Broad’s bag too. He can seam and swing the ball. He can bowl cutters – see the deliveries to Ricky Ponting at the Oval in 2009 and de Villiers at the Wanderers – and wobble seam deliveries. He changes his pace subtly. Over the past year, he has bowled a fuller length, bringing strong returns.

Broad has also become the best in the world at bowling round the wicket to left-handers. He spent two days during the 2015 Ashes working on it with Gibson after losing the ability to swing the ball back into the left-handers from over the wicket. For England, Selvey reckons only Fred Trueman has been as proficient as Broad is at that line of attack. After last summer’s Ashes, when he was dismissed seven times by Broad, David Warner would probably agree.

Even now, Broad continues to want to develop. England players who face him in the nets notice how he always asks them how the ball is coming out, explains what he is trying to do so they can give him feedback. Broad often posts videos of bowling drills on Instagram as he grooves his technique. He is open-minded with coaches but will question and challenge if he doesn’t agree. He wants to be shown why. “Players who continue to keep an open mind, develop, try stuff, they’re the ones who have continued success,” Bond says.

At 34-years-old, Broad is arguably bowling as well as he ever has done. He played a crucial role in England’s series victory over South Africa this winter and should be an automatic pick for the upcoming series against West Indies. He has spoken about wanting to play on until next winter’s Ashes. If he keeps up his current form, and his body holds firm, there is no reason why he can’t get there.

Nonetheless, Stuart Broad is in the final straight of a storied career. He has time yet to add a final flourish or two – going out with an Ashes win would be nice – but his place in history is already secure. A bowler of great spells, yes. But a truly great Test match bowler as well.

© Fame Dubai

CBQueue.push(function(){ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.defer = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v6.0&appId=30119633160"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); });

The post The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com appeared first on FameDubai Magazine | Your daily dose of Lifestyle, Shopping & Trends in UAE.

from WordPress https://famedubai.com/the-durable-mr-broad-cricbuzz-com/

#Sport

[famedubaitravl]

The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com

Broad endures even as the scrutiny over him seldom subsides. ©Getty

There’s a yarn Graham Said likes to tell about Stuart Broad’s time at Hoppers Crossing CC, a club situated about half an hour’s drive from Melbourne. In between opening the batting and bowling for the club during the winter of 2004, Broad helped out with Said’s handyman business to earn a few extra bucks.

One day, Broad was mowing lawns on the side of a hill. He had just completed a section and walked over to ask Said something. But Broad had forgotten to secure the lawnmower. He and Said watched aghast as it rolled down the hill, perfectly bisected the gap between two parked cars and kept rolling across a busy road before coming to a halt on the other side. Remarkably, no damage was done.

It’s a good job, then, that Broad made it as a cricketer. He probably wouldn’t have cut it as a gardener.

Sixteen years after his winter at Hoppers, Broad is England’s second highest Test wicket taker with 485 wickets. He will almost certainly become only the fourth fast bowler ever to pass the 500-wicket mark. Some of the most iconic and extraordinary spells of English Test match bowling have come from Broad’s right hand and his union with James Anderson has resulted in one of the greatest bowling combinations in the history of Test cricket.

But despite a record that puts him in the rarefied company of Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh and Dale Steyn, Broad’s exploits are often underappreciated. Firstly, there’s the Anderson problem. In any other era, Broad would have been the undisputed star of England’s show. Instead, he’s often portrayed as the Robin to Anderson’s Batman, judged not on his own merits, but in light of those of his opening partner.

Then there’s the questioning of his place, the assumption that others could do better, which has bubbled under the surface of his entire career. If you Google ‘Stuart Broad should be dropped’ you will see a host of former players who have, at one time or another, called for him to be left out.

Even now, his place continues to be under pressure. Despite a stellar 2019, there was a chance that he could be left out for the second Test in South Africa this winter after a quiet opening game of the series. The scrutiny on Broad has rarely ever let up.

And yet, he has endured, for 138 Test matches and counting. How has he done it, and as the end of his career draws ever nearer, what will his legacy be?

***

Broad was just 18 when he played at Hoppers the winter before he made his first-class debut. Hoppers’ Mark Craig had played for Edgerton Park in Melton Mowbray, Broad’s junior club, a couple of years before as part of an exchange agreement between the two clubs. “Broady was probably about 5′ 9″ then, tubby, bowled fourth change and wanted to be a batsman,” Craig remembers of his time in the UK. “Two years later, when he arrived at Melbourne airport, he was 6’4″. With that extra height he was really sending them down.”

On the pitch, Broad had a decent, if unspectacular, season in Australia but he remains in touch with many at the club, including Said and his wife Sue. Unbeknown to the players, he went back to watch the first XI during one Ashes tour. When the short-leg called for a helmet, Broad put one on and ran it onto the pitch. The players all wondered who this random bloke was in jeans and a shirt, until Broad took off the helmet, handed it to the short-leg and ran back off the field.

“He hasn’t changed,” Craig says. “For who he has become, a worldwide name, he still remembers these people. There’s not one person who has ever had a bad word to say about him.”

A few months after arriving home from Australia, Broad made his Championship debut for Leicestershire. Ottis Gibson, who would go on to become England’s bowling coach on two separate occasions, was opening the bowling for the midlands county. “He was a tall, skinny guy who wanted to bowl fast,” Gibson remembers. “His action was all over the place. But he steamed in.”

Broad had come late to fast bowling, seeing himself as a batting all-rounder even when he first signed for Leicestershire. But gradually, his bowling became his strongest suit. “The one thing that I was always quite impressed with was how hungry he was to learn stuff,” Gibson says. “He was quite ambitious, even from that young age. He would tell me he wanted to play for England.”

His Test debut came two and a half years later, in Colombo, but his first two years in international cricket were a struggle. After 21 Tests he was averaging in the high 30s with the ball and had taken more than three wickets in an innings just twice. The final Test of the 2009 series against Australia, at the Oval, was therefore a vital game both for Broad’s immediate Test future and, with the series tied at one apiece, England’s Ashes hopes.

Coming on fifth change, Broad took five wickets in four overs to decimate Australia’s first innings, setting up an Ashes reclaiming victory. It was the first of Broad’s magic spells. It would not be the last.

The Oval Test of 2009 – a turning point for Stuart Broad. ©Getty

In all, Broad has taken five wickets or more in a single Test spell seven times. No other seamer in his generation comes close to matching this feat. Since Broad’s debut, Anderson has done it four times, while the likes of Steyn – who is known for his ability to change a match – has three five-wicket spells in that time.

“On one of those rolls, the surprise is not that (Broad) takes wickets but the deliveries that don’t,” says Mike Selvey, the former England seamer who has watched most of Broad’s career as a journalist. “I’ve seen no other England bowler do that so consistently and perhaps only Curtly Ambrose beyond that.”

It has become a cliche to say that Broad is having one of his days when he runs in, kicking his knees up high like pistons in a steam engine. But the knees do have a bearing. “We always talked about attacking the crease,” Gibson says. “When he gets too stretched out in his run-up, he starts to reach for the crease and that’s where his front arm tends to sweep him out of his action a little bit.

“When he keeps his running nice and compact and he stays centred at the crease, stays tall, that’s when he gets the best out of himself. When he’s picking his knees up, he’s actually beautiful to watch from side on and he really gets his action right.”

David Saker, England’s bowling coach from 2010 to 2015, picks out Broad’s 6 for 22 in 9.3 overs during the Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street in 2013 as his most memorable spell. “He was just charging in,” Saker says. “He had the crowd behind him and he was like the ringleader of the circus. He was just in control of the game.”

Gibson chooses Trent Bridge in 2015 when Broad took eight Australian wickets for 15 runs before lunch on the first day. It was an Ashes spell for the ages that almost didn’t happen. Broad wanted to bat first if England won the toss. “I am looking around thinking, jeez I’d love to be bowling in these conditions,” Gibson laughs. Thankfully Alastair Cook won the toss and bowled.

Five months after his Trent Bridge heroics, Broad took 6 for 17 at the Wanderers against South Africa, which included a spell of five wickets for one run, to essentially decide both the match and series. Find a clip of the ball that dismissed AB de Villiers. Woof. Of all his famous spells, Broad regards the Wanderers one as his most satisfying.

***

Amongst those magic spells, however, have been difficult matches and difficult series. That is no surprise during such a long career and by Broad’s own admission, some of the criticism directed his way has been justified.

He struggled badly in the early Tests of the 2011 home summer against Sri Lanka, for instance. Perhaps it was a hangover from the disappointment of being ruled out of the previous winter’s Ashes tour after just one and a half Tests. Broad was bowling well at the time. Australia’s Brad Haddin reckoned Broad’s spell with Anderson on the third afternoon at the Gabba as the toughest bowling he had ever faced. But then a side injury struck and Broad had to deal with sitting out the business end of an historic overseas victory.

Eighteen months later, on the 2012 tour of India, Broad played another bit part in England’s first win in the country for 27 years, dropped after two wicketless Tests. His relative lack of control at that stage of his career had been exposed. “That’s probably the only time I’ve ever seen Stuart really struggle with his confidence,” Saker says. “He’s a pretty confident guy but for the first time he seemed a little bit down on himself, he was trying to look for answers why it wasn’t working.”

A few years later, Broad had a barren run of 26 Tests without a five-wicket haul between early 2016 and March 2018. The magic spells had gone AWOL. He struggled on the 2017-18 Ashes tour, averaging close to 50, and admitted to being at a career cross-roads. “I never felt like he had a shocking tour actually,” Shane Bond, England’s bowling consultant for that series, says. “I thought he bowled consistently. I couldn’t fault Stu’s attitude, the way he ran in, tried stuff. Sometimes it just doesn’t go for you.”

Do these quiet periods prove Broad has inherent fallibilities as a bowler? Or does his reaction to them prove that he is a champion cricketer? After all, following nearly every setback he has faced, Broad has come out fighting.

When the jury was out on him as a Test bowler in 2009, he came up with an Ashes winning spell. He steamrollered India in 2011 to the tune of 25 wickets in four Tests – which included a hat-trick at Trent Bridge – following that poor series against Sri Lanka. After the disappointment of the tour to India at the end of 2012, he took 62 wickets the following calendar year from just 14 matches.

The ‘celebrappeal’ comes out when Broad’s on a roll ©

In the two years since the poor 2017-18 Ashes tour, Broad has shortened his run-up, worked on his action and wrist position and taken 86 wickets in 24 Tests at an average of 24.66. Such resilience is the preserve of the very best players.

“There’s a reason why you bounce back and it’s that attitude,” Bond says. “That’s what stood out about Stuart for me and why he’s been a brilliant bowler for so long. He has got that competitive nature, he keeps coming in and he doesn’t give up.”

“He seems to be very good at coping with pressure,” Luke Fletcher, a longtime teammate at Nottinghamshire, adds. “He doesn’t speak about it but I think he knows. That’s when he steps it up. He’s got that drive to step it up, some other people would struggle. It’s almost that he likes to be in that position weirdly. It gets the best out of him.”

***

Competitiveness is a word that crops up whenever you talk to people who know Broad. He loves nothing more than being centre stage, taking on the responsibility to try and make a difference. “In the 2015 World Cup, I know we got beaten quite heavily in the first game against Australia, but the one man that stood up with the ball, big crowd, big occasion, was Stuart,” Saker says. “He just seemed to always rise to those big occasions.”

He’s the same in county cricket. “His competitiveness is what puts him above the rest,” Fletcher says. “He has bowled spells where I have thought it doesn’t seem like he’s bowling any different to any other county bowler. But then in the same game, when it’s on the line, he will have a spell where he completely rips a team out. He’s always close to doing something remarkable.”

A number of Broad’s most memorable Test spells have come when a series or match is up for grabs. The Oval Test was the first example. The 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge was another, coming at a crucial juncture in that Ashes series; England were two-one up but Australia, who had won the second Test by 405 runs at Lord’s, were far from out of it. “We said we needed one or two wickets early to claim the initiative,” Gibson remembers. “Stuart ended up getting eight early ones.” The spell at the Wanderers a few months later had a similar impact on that series.

The competitive spirit that has driven these performances has sometimes put people’s noses out of joint. His ‘celebrappeal’, where he begins celebrating a perceived wicket without turning to the umpire, has irked a few purists. In 2010, he recklessly threw the ball at Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider and was fined. Following that incident, Broad worked with England’s psychologist to develop a tactic for when he gets angry or frustrated. Now, he will look out of the ground to settle himself down.

Famously not walking in the first Ashes Test of 2013, when he edged the ball to slip via a deflection off the wicket-keeper, enraged the Australians. It prompted Darren Lehmann to say that he wanted Australian spectators to make Broad cry on the 2013-14 tour to Australia which followed. “We are not playing for a cheese sandwich,” Broad said at the time. “We are playing in an Ashes series.” Tellingly, Broad performed outstandingly well on that subsequent tour of Australia despite a five-nil defeat and constant abuse from the Australian crowds.

Sometimes Broad has bristled at the criticism sent his way. Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Broad should be dropped during the 2018 home series with Pakistan, prompting Broad to call Vaughan and have it out. “I’m very open to criticism and I’m not going to hold a personal grudge, particularly if I feel like I deserve it, but I didn’t feel like I deserved that,” Broad said at the time.

Age has mellowed him but he is still feisty, as a few verbals with Faf du Plessis in the fourth Test against South Africa earlier this year showed. But which fast bowler worth their salt isn’t? Broad would be half the bowler without his competitive edge.

***

Anderson, Botham, Willis & Broad: The pantheon of England’s fast-bowling greats ©Getty

For the first few years of his career, Broad was a genuine quick. Fletcher remembers a match against Somerset in 2010 in which Broad bowled the quickest spell Fletcher has ever seen live. “It was absolutely rapid,” he says. “He got a five-for in a spell. He was hitting people in the face, gloving people off.”

Broad still has the ability to bowl quick and aggressively – indeed Saker thinks he should bowl his bouncer more – but he has reigned things back in search of greater control. “He didn’t have quite the control of a top class fast bowler like a Glenn McGrath,” Saker says of when he first worked with Broad. “If you watch him now, his control and the ability to manipulate the ball wherever he wants is quite amazing. He’s learnt that.”

His consistency comes from an action that repeats but there are plenty of tricks in Broad’s bag too. He can seam and swing the ball. He can bowl cutters – see the deliveries to Ricky Ponting at the Oval in 2009 and de Villiers at the Wanderers – and wobble seam deliveries. He changes his pace subtly. Over the past year, he has bowled a fuller length, bringing strong returns.

Broad has also become the best in the world at bowling round the wicket to left-handers. He spent two days during the 2015 Ashes working on it with Gibson after losing the ability to swing the ball back into the left-handers from over the wicket. For England, Selvey reckons only Fred Trueman has been as proficient as Broad is at that line of attack. After last summer’s Ashes, when he was dismissed seven times by Broad, David Warner would probably agree.

Even now, Broad continues to want to develop. England players who face him in the nets notice how he always asks them how the ball is coming out, explains what he is trying to do so they can give him feedback. Broad often posts videos of bowling drills on Instagram as he grooves his technique. He is open-minded with coaches but will question and challenge if he doesn’t agree. He wants to be shown why. “Players who continue to keep an open mind, develop, try stuff, they’re the ones who have continued success,” Bond says.

At 34-years-old, Broad is arguably bowling as well as he ever has done. He played a crucial role in England’s series victory over South Africa this winter and should be an automatic pick for the upcoming series against West Indies. He has spoken about wanting to play on until next winter’s Ashes. If he keeps up his current form, and his body holds firm, there is no reason why he can’t get there.

Nonetheless, Stuart Broad is in the final straight of a storied career. He has time yet to add a final flourish or two – going out with an Ashes win would be nice – but his place in history is already secure. A bowler of great spells, yes. But a truly great Test match bowler as well.

© Fame Dubai

CBQueue.push(function(){ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.defer = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v6.0&appId=30119633160"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); });

The post The durable Mr. Broad | Cricbuzz.com appeared first on FameDubai Magazine | Your daily dose of Lifestyle, Shopping & Trends in UAE.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2DiTSAj via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress