Debbie does dallas on line
Tales about the extreme fans of Japanese culture
2013.03.18 07:13 speedfreek16 Tales about the extreme fans of Japanese culture
/weeabootales is the place to share your stories of over the top otaku/weeaboo that are neck deep into the Japanese culture, mostly coming in the form of anime and manga fans.
2012.03.13 21:32 emkat webtoon
A sub dedicated to discussing webtoons. Like /webtoons but smaller.
2010.05.26 06:02 omgwtflol Fulfilling Your Bulk Needs Since 1983
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2024.05.21 20:45 According-Ring-8678 The Charles Markward Situation (POSSIBLY IMPORTANT)
I apologize in advance for the length of this thread, but by far this is the user that wrote the most comments in the video of our song. At first, he suggested Scepter and Reign, but he debunked this lead by saying: "Scepter and Reign can be crossed off. I have been corresponding with the lady whose name is mentioned in the legal document, Naomi (first name used with her permission, and only her first name) since Thursday. She was legitimately shocked her name was on the document because in all these years NOBODY ever contacted her regarding it. She thinks they may have realized how much money it would cost and probably withdrew. She knew both bands fairly well, scale of 1-10 she answered "6.5 maybe 7'ish". She designed 1 "logo" for each band that was literally just a sketch she made with their band names on them she could print out in the Xerox store she worked at. Scepter's original name was actually "Dungeon Master" but they changed it to fit their name on her design. As for the abandoned demo from Scepter, she said they abandoned it because they couldn't afford to produce it. They didn't even make it far enough to name their 3 or 4 songs. So, on to the big question, are either bands involved with this song? According to her both bands came out in 1985, and according to her this "The Falling King" song predates both bands by a year or 2. This is not Scepter or Reign, this song is older than both bands. According to her, she first heard this song on a Detroit station while visiting family. Even back then, the Detroit station personnel had absolutely NO CLUE who this was. She remembers her father making fun of the singers accent claiming it was a "Posh" accent and also used to think the lyric was "The fall, the fall in the king" lol. I explained how this song was recorded off of several stations in 1987 and she replied "How many songs do you hear on the radio that are several years old?". She was stumped this was played on Z-Rock because this does not sound like an amateur band to her. She is not the only person to make comments that this does not sound like an amateur band, this sounds professionally recorded and produced, something EXTREMELY few amateugarage bands could have done. I thought i had something, but at least i tried. By the way, apparently Reign still performs in the Pittsburgh area under the name "Metallic Thunder"." (THIS IS HIS LATEST COMMENT) If this is true, it means our search will be even more difficult.
In one of his earliest comments he said this: "My 2 oldest sisters (born in 1970 and 1972) actually remember this song being played by garage bands and local talents in the Coatesville PA area. However, they both swear on mom and dads ashes that the first time they heard this song, a local music festival in Exton PA, I was NOT born yet (I was born in 1984). Even back then nobody could say who it was or what the title was. In fact the one band from Downingtown PA used to refer to it as "The Dungeons and Dragons song". And by that i mean, according to my sisters the lead singers girlfriend (or his sister....they could never tell?) would be in the crowd and when they were ready to end their performance she would shout "Play the Dungeons and Dragons song". My sisters also remember the adults thinking this song was somehow a promotional thing for the PA Renaissance Fair. Unfortunately they cannot offer any clues to the identity of this band or songs title, their guess, back then and still today, was Manowar."
At first, he claims our band is Manowar, explaining: "I do not think Manowar is an obscure band, nor do my sisters. The "obscure" bands mentioned in my postings are all the local garage/amateur bands that they remember playing this song and most of those garage/amateur bands even back then, along with my sisters, were under the impression this was a Manowar song. Many people, not just on this post but others feel this is Manowar "pitch" song, other bands thrown around have been Iron Maiden, Overdrive (Or Overkill, i'm not sure if it's the same band?), Blackmane, Axis and Cirith Ungol (spelling?). Keep this in mind, it's not that uncommon for mainstream/well known bands to have unreleased music in their "library". A good example, ask the most diehard Rammstein fans what their first song ever was, they'll probably answer Du Recht So Gut or Rammstein. Most people have never heard their 1992-1993 pitch song, "Tier" (Monster, beast). In fact, Till Linderman himself stated in 2018 he was unaware Tier was ever recorded by anyone, yet alone put up on the internet. Like this "Fall of the King" song, "Tier" was toted as an mystery song for years but was in a group of 4 or 5 other songs that Rammstein did but never released. One of my favorite bands, Corvus Corax, actually had something similar happen, a song they did back in the early 90's, "Vampire", opening for another band was recorded by a fan in the audience and made rounds on the Neo Folk community ages later. Corvus Corax themselves heard it on a radio station in Denmark roughly 2009'ish and called them asking how and when they got that song because they NEVER recorded it for public use. Personally i cannot give a wager who this is? I am not that good with this genre so i go with what people older than me and much better with this music say. To me it could be Manowar, something they never intended to be released publicly, it could be the Z'Rose a bunch of people feel it is, it could be Overdrive/Overkill (i do not know if these names are the same band or 2 separate ones?), it could be me time traveling impersonating my great uncle Fred......ok that last one was just meant to be a joke lol." Then someone says: "has your sister contacted erik to see about the the song?" and he says "OH HELL NO!!! They haven't spoken since they broke up in 1991-1992. I did reach out to his brother probably a year ago and never heard back."
He suggests it's either Manowar or Sarissa (he mispelled them): "@aSome1 There's some confusion, my sisters never said Z'Rose was playing the song in our hometown area. Local teenage to early college yrs bands were playing it. They recognized this song when I was on a family Zoom chat, i had this song on in the background (by accident actually lol) and my oldest sister (#1 born in '70) asked what i was listening to. I turned it up and she shook her head and asked the other sister (#2 born in '72) "Oh my gosh isn't that that stupid Manowar song Erik and his brother used to play all the time?". Erik was the name of her high school boyfriend. They remember hearing it first at an amateur music fest when my brother (born in '82) was still a baby. Mainly they remember mom fitting all of them in her old "Batmobile" station wagon. By the time i was born in '84 that station wagon was gone for at least several months. The band names they specifically remember playing this, and keep in mind these were "Garage bands" from the 80's were: Venomous Vomit, Razors in your Coffee (Erik's band), Ash to Ash, Cauldron Kings, Coven of Metal, Pridesville, South of Hell and Purgatory. They said there were a few more, but didn't remember....or care....to know their names. (Disclaimer: Several peoples associated with those mentioned bands have been contacted by me and several have replied.....the most common reply is "How the hell do you know us!?" lol)
"I have actually been looking at this song for almost 3yrs. I've had some "good leads" and some "bad leads" and i've also had "WTF leads".......but at the end it is still unsolved. So far the biggest contenders, from people way better with this music than me (I'm more a symphonic or extreme metal person) have been: Manowar, Iron Maiden, OverDrive, Overkill, Onslaught of Destruction and Sonic Mahem. My sisters really believe it is possibly an unreleased or "pitch demo" of Manowar but they also said it might be a Greek band from the early 80's called Sarassa or something like that?"
Then he denies it's Z-Rose: "@lostwavefinder587 I have seen that name tossed around a lot on forums and random chats (this being one of them). Most people way smarter and better with this music than myself seem to have the opinion that it is not Z'Rose. They range in reason from: the equipment sound professional and they were not, the dates don't add up, Z'Rose only did covers so even it is them in the recordings it's still not their song.....one individual (a supervisor at work who lived in Texas during this time frame) actually said "Z'Rose wouldn't have been sober enough to finish that song". I have only heard 1 Z'Rose recording, and unfortunately the person who recorded it (I think the date says 1989?) spends the majority of the 5 minute video talking during the performance so all i hear is them and not the singer. I have to emphasize about %99 of this info i'm presenting is NOT from me but people who know this genre of music way better than me....i'm more Symphonic metal and neo folk (Corvus Corax, Heilung, Faun etc."
"Out of curiosity, since a lot people think this might be Z'Rose, has anyone contacted the family/families of Nick or Joe Cavazos? My "team" is looking into a blog page from 2018 of a pretty intense exchange between a blogger and a woman who is believed to be "Rocker Joe's daughter. In this exchange she states this song is NOT her dad and uncle's band. But it gets pretty rough because the blogger keeps pressing and let's just say some NSFW language is exchanged. I will only say this, the woman's name does match one of the names in Julio "Joe" Cavazos obituary, but they can't tell if it is actually HER or someone posing. I also find it interesting that in another posting of this song someone is claiming to be the nephew of both Nick and Joe.....but about a dozen people ask about this song and he does not answer them......but someone else will ask something unrelated to this song and he answers??"
"About a year ago on another posting of this song, someone had a link to a conversation with a woman who was allegedly Joe Cavazos daughter. She very adamantly denied this was her dads band, Z'Rose. They person kept pressing her and she did not budge a single inch, "NO, its not my dad's band". The only thing that could be confirmed was the woman's name did match a name in Julio "Joe" Cavazos obituary as his daughter. But if it was her or not I can't say? Many peoples on other postings and on forums have all claimed to have gotten in contact with Z'Rose and stated they responded "No" to this being theirs.
So the "Kings Fall" song by Bernard Cavazos is actually a completely different song. He is also not related to the Z'Rose Cavazos. Somewhere I read that the "Kings Fall"/"Fallen King" song by Bernard Cavazos is about a corrupt politician or mafia like "king" not an actual king. Again none of this is from me, it's from things I read, not me.
When 'Wang' did a video about several mystery songs he included this one. In his video (I don't know if he made more than one?) he talked about how that Bernard Cavazos has been contacted and has denied this is his Fall of the King song. If my memory is correct Wang read a message from him explaining his "king" was a corrupt politician or gang leader like king. Wang also mentioned there was another Bernard Cavazos who was a doctor and he is sick and tired of people contacting him about this song"
Someone that replied to him said:
"@CharlesMarkward probably this tape recording was an attempt from them to make something of their own, many bands have started this way, an example is the Brazilian power metal band Angra, they were first meant to be an Iron Maiden tribute but as things went by, they have decided to release things of their own...I couldn't find anything about this "Z'Rose" band in metal-archives, neither at Google with a simple research, but the data gathered until this moment make sense: the Z Rock radio is from Texas, the so called "Z'Rose" band is also from Texas, it was the 80's, so, without internet, this was the way bands used to promote their work...but your story adds some drifts from this sensible data available until now...they are/were from Texas, ok...but until then, they weren't any big group, which means they were probably 9 to 5 salarymen whose musician activity was on weekends and the money earned wasn't enough to keep up with, so, a trip from TX to PA is a long ranged one and expensive for their then standards, I can remember when I've read the Mick Wall's Metallica biography, in which they highlight how hard was for them to go all the way from CA to NY to record Kill em' All, well, unless someone sponsored the so called "Z'Rose from Texas" (like the Zazula couple to Metallica) to play in the events you've mentioned in PA...which means they were good and had potential (this "mysterious recording" doesn't let me lie), because it takes a lot for someone at the other eastern extreme of a big country like the USA to call someone all the way from TX to play in an event when probably there were good bands around and without the need of a sponsorship to travel and get some place to sleep and eat..."
Therefore Charles says: "Also, i am not the one saying it's not them. People much better with much more access to metal archives/records are saying it's not them. BUT, everything you said makes perfect sense to me and I have no argument against any of it. It would make perfect sense if it was a possible pitch demo Z'Rose recorded and kept along for a few years before a station played it. My sisters are %98 certain it was a Manowar song, the only other band they mentioned as a possibility is a Greek band i can't find anything about called something like Sarassa??"
Someone told him to contact Erik: "A little bit ago someone in here suggested i contact my sisters ex and ask where he got this song. I could not get a hold of him, but i did get in contact with his brother he played with. According to the brother they got the song from their aunt who lived in Philly (Center City) and would send them tapes of songs to play. This song was on a tape sandwiched between "4 or 5" Manowar songs. He specifically remembered this for 2 reasons: 1, their aunt wrote "Killing of the king by No Name" and 2, the last song on the this tape was labled as a Venom song (he did not recall which) but was actually "Melody of Love" by Bobby Vintonđ. So i think this is why my sisters keep saying it's Manowar, because if it was on a tape with a bunch of their songs that chances are they heard a crapload of times?"
He contacted Erik's brother (Erik is supposedly the ex boyfriend of one of his sisters) and received this reply: "Erik's brother returned another email I sent about this song. I made a post about it about a week ago. The brother says their aunt who lived in Philly included this song on a mix tape of stuff for him and his brother to play. This song was sandwiched between several Manowar songs and the last song on the tape was supposed to be a Venom song but was actually Bobby Vinton's "Melody of Love" đ¤Ł"
Therefore debunking the possibility it's a Manowar song, he also adds: "She (the aunt) passed in 2014. She would record songs off the radio for them. She lived in Philly (Center City) but also had a place in Florida, so he was never sure which cities radio stations she would record from. This song she wrote "Killing the King?" As the title and "???" as the band name, but it was between several Manowar songs. I think this might be why my oldest sisters are so insistent this is a Manowar song because they may have listened to it with Erik and his brother.....it's a theory lol"
He also thought of Iced Earth as the possible band: "lostwavefinder587 I immediately thought of Iced Earth when I heard this song. Although it's likely just a coincidence, it's interesting to note that Iced Earth was originally called "The Rose".
Someone said to him: "if that's any help, the Greek band's name you're talking about is probably Sarissa. I don't think it's them, though: the vox sound kinda different, and their songs are mostly Ancient Greece-themed." And he replied: "Yes, thank you! All this time I've been spelling it wrong. I gave a quick listen to a demo of theirs from '86. In terms of sound and beat and tempo etc, they are pretty close to this song. In terms of vocals, they sound nothing alike." Therefore, he debunked Sarissa himself.
Now here he changed his version and provides a new lead given by his sisters:
"Holy crap for some reason my last post got cut in half and didn't include the following info, sorry! So the individual i spoke to and got the new possible lead is the former singer of the one band my sisters mentioned, Purgatory, (i do NOT have his permission to use his real name but his stage name was Tarantula). He confirmed he played this song "once or twice" but didn't know the lyrics so they just repeated several "blocks" over and over again. He heard it from a band in NJ and when he asked if he could use the song they replied along the lines of "It's not our song, we don't care" but gave no indication who it was or they even knew who it was? He suggested the band "Knightmare" because they were from Texas and he remembers all of their songs being medieval or medieval fantasy related. Supposedly they wore what looked like full on plate armor (he does not know if it was actual metal armor or something made to look like it). He saw them perform a handful of times because he spent summers in Texas on his grandfathers (mistakenly said uncle in my last post, sorry) ranch and would sneak off at night to "the metal scene" (i do not know if that was a club name or if he just meant that in general?). He began visiting his grandfathers ranch in 1980 and stopped when his grandfather retired in 1992. He gave an estimated timeline for "Knightmare" of 1981-1989."
He corrects himself by saying they are not called "Knightmare": Interestingly, my supervisor at work lived in Texas during this timeline (roughly mid 70's to mid 90's from what i can gather?) and when I asked him about Knightmare he had no idea. But when i mentioned they dressed up like knights in armor he suddenly looked startled and said "That wasn't their name, their name was Battle Battalion or some s*** like that".
But then he says: "So i posted a few months ago about this song, my sisters remember garage bands in the area playing this⌠I checked every band called Knightmare on Metal Encyclopedia and it doesnât look like itâs our band." "Forgive my French.....Damn. I thought maybe it could have been a lead but i guess like dozens of others I've come across, dead end. I did a quick search for Knightmare a few weeks ago and I got all excited i saw one band dressed up like monks or Druids, but that band only came out in 2017. I think it's safe to say the name has been used by many bands."
Then someone asks him: "Does the name "Battle Battalion" show up on any Metal "pedia" sites? That's what my supervisor claims this "dressed up in medieval armor" bands name was?" and another one told him: "I saw some bands with Battalion on the metal encyclopedia and discogs and none of them are our band. I donât think we should go based on what a band wears as our lead."
Then he debunks the Knightmare (and the Conquest) lead: "So a little bit ago i mentioned a band name "Knightmare" as a possibility for this song. Well the band was actually called "KnyghtBlyde" (Knight Blade) and i got in contact with the daughter of the vocalist last night. I played this song for her and after some confliction/hesitation she said it is NOT her dad. The biggest thing was all of her dads songs were based of Aruthurian lore and filled with references to Camelot, Arthur, Morgana, Lancelot, Excalibur etc. Since this song has none of that, its not them. She has no idea who this is. I did a quick search "Conquest 80's metal band Texas" and found 3 results. Conquest from San Antonio, split in either '85 or '87. Conquest from Dallas, '86 - '90. Khan'quest (possibly same band as Khanquistador?), no location given but split up in '88 then reformed in 2000 then......nothing? I could not find anything about any of their songs or demos or releases or band members. But it's obvious I was thinking of the wrong Conquest bands đ Conquest was ruled out. Someone who owns the tape was contacted and told us this isn't them."
And he says the singer of KnyghtBlade is convinced this song is from Battallion:
"So a little bit ago I mentioned getting in contact with KnyghtBlyde singers daughter who states that this is NOT her dad. She contacted me this morning, her father thinks this song might be by a band called Battalion. But her father said Battalion also went by the name AAA, Anti Aircraft Assault (or Artillery) in their early days. According to her father AAA/Battalion were from Texas but at least 2 of their members were originally from Chicago. Has anyone ever heard of either Battalion or AAA, Anti Aircraft Assault? The closest I can say is my one supervisor at work mentioned a band Battle Battalion from Texas when he lived there."
Then someone replies to him: "you are right there is a band named Battalion formed in 1984" He says: "I cannot find a single piece of music from this particular "Battalion"? From what I could find they formed between 1983 and 1985, split, reformed under a few possible names, split, repeat. 2 people I asked did say they remember a band of some sort from "out west" Anti Aircraft A-something, but neither could give any info."
Now here, he suggests it could be a Talon song:
"So here's a potential lead for everyone: I was just playing this song for a friend who is obsessed with all metal music. She asked me "Where did you get that Talon song?" Talon was/is a German heavy metal band from the early 80's that released several demos and full on albums between '83-'89. Almost all of there songs were medieval themed, especially their 2 demos. Herr's the thing, they supposedly have 3 unnamed tracks from both demos, one allegedly called "King Slayer". I listened to a bunch of there songs and I have to say there are several songs where the singer sounds exactly like our mystery singer, but then the next song they sound nothing alike. There was one song called something like "Execution" that the opening guitar sounds like this songs opening only slower? I'm not saying it is Talon, but it is possibly something to look into or at least consider?"
He also claimed the singer sounds like Bruce Dickinson (which has been suggested many times):
"I've said many times that I personally feel this vocalist sounds extremely close to Bruce Dickinson. There is a clip of Bruce singing Tom Jones' "Delilah" on either a talk or game show, and his opening of that song is nearly identical to this Fall of the King vocals! Tone, tempo, cadence, pitch......it's really really on spot. I am NOT saying it is Bruce, I'm just saying whoever it is does a good job singing like him."
He says this song could be made by Eviscerator:
"Hello again everyone, has anyone ever heard of a band from Britain, late 70's through late 80's called "Eviscerator"? Very very long story short: I played this song at a Viking/Pagan/Neo-Folk/Black Metal "bar" about half a mile up the road from my place and the one patron who looked like Elvira and Lilith Bathory had a daughter together (HOT HOT HOT) comes over and asked me to replay it and she sang along with the recording with about %95 accuracy! Oddly, at the end after the 4 or 5 "The Fall of the King"s, she suddenly sang "The evil one now wears the crown, all hail the evil one" and head banged for a few moments. According to her, this song was by a band called "Eviscerator" and they always claimed this song was written as a pitch track for the movie Heavy Metal? I mentioned how this song by numerous accounts was recorded here in the USA in 86-87 from stations in Texas, Chicago, Cleveland, NYC and (by only one account) possibly Florida. She didn't feel there was an issue with that as stations will often play random things just to fill the spot including songs that are several years older. I asked about her added line at the end and she stated "I didn't add s*** bud, whoever recorded it must have cut it off before they got to it". I mentioned how numerous people strongly believe this is the work of Z'Rose, she said they probably covered it a bunch of times but it is not their song and even stated that this particular recording sounds like it could be them covering. She was more familiar with Z'Rose than me, she commented "The 3 Cavlaros brothers from Texas right? The singer was the oldest brother Jeff?" (I know that's not their name, i only included it for aunthenticity per context of our discussion, the last name is Cavazos and there was only 2 of them right?). She also told me Z'Rose had about a dozen other names through their years including "Gypsy Rose". I asked how she knew this British band "Eviscerator" and she answered that she lived in London from 78-85 and this song was played a lot on "amateur hour" on several stations, especially university stations. This kind of took me by surprise because i thought she looked younger than me (I'm 39) but she lived in England for college and her first husband in the late 70's??"
"In my last comments i mentioned a bar i went to was going to have a mini concert featuring bands that specialize in black metal and 80's tribute metal and i would play this song to see if any of the band peoples or concert goers would chime in. I did just that and got a few hits on the radar with a few of the band members. The one band, Inviaat, the singer says he remembers this song being played on a radio station in Philly PA for an entire summer because that station was trying to find the band. He does not remember the specific station but said it was near the Taylor University campus (my understanding is that there is several?) because the station thought it was the students from that university's music program. When i asked him when exactly that would have been he said Summer of 1983 because he was married on Halloween 1983 and was hoping the station would find the band so they could play at his wedding. A member from the local band "inductus Mortis" said he recalls that song being played "somewhere in the mid 80's" but does not remember if he heard it in Chicago or Cleveland because he bounced between them. I asked several bands, include the Venom tribute band Poisonous Whisper if anyone had ever heard of a band name Eviscerator from the 80's. Only one person thought he heard the name but it wasn't a band name it was a compilation album of NWOBHM from roughly '83-'84, but couldn't tell me anything other than that. As for the other concert goers, the #1 response i got from them was along the lines of "Dude you can sing, you should go pro!".....in other words they thought it was me promoting myself (I wish i could sing like that!!). the #2 response was people thought it was Manowar. After those 2 the guesses were the usual ones i have seen here and everywhere else this topic comes up: Blackmaine, Axis, Overkill, Overdrive, Black Sabath, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Slayer, WitchAxe and 2 people even asked if it was an Ozzy Osbourne demo."
"I asked around, including my oldest sisters I've mentioned in my postings, about Eviscerator. The only person who heard of them, the one from this time-frame not the other 8 or 9 bands from the 2000's with that name, said they were a generic ManowaIron Maiden/Judas Priest tribute or more accurately, ripoff, band who sucked. I am not saying I buy this woman's account, but i'm also not discrediting it or calling her a liar. Her familiarity with this song and her accuracy with the lyrics makes me believe she knows this song from somewhere.....what that somewhere is, i can't comment because i don't know?"
"So far my friends and I have several "pings" to look into, the name Eviscerator has absolutely nothing from the time frame we're looking at. But there is (was?) a "Lee Lesaat" Canadian/British "mercenary" (did not belong to any band but would play for others) drummer who now lives in NYC my friends are looking into.
There is an 80's metal/black metal tribute concert this Saturday at the bar I was at last weekend. After the bands play their sets they have an open mic like set up where you can play your own music (as long as it fits the theme). I'm going to try and play this song and see if anyone, bands or crowd or food vendors etc, have any reaction.
And by "pings" I just mean responses/possible possible long shot leads. The guy or girl claiming to be a psychic vampire who time traveled and wrote this song for The Lost Boys movie is NOT going to be one of themđ"
Then someone asks: "What band is this Eviscerator ? I found a band that was formed in 2012 . Furthermore tthe song is not in the metal archives I searched through lyrics was not found." He says: "Allegedly they were in England in the 1980's, but the woman stated 2 of them had New York accents. If all of her account is true and accurate, they were NOT a professional big name band. I did find several bands with the title "Eviscerator" (in different variations) but all of them were from the 2000's. The only "pro" band with that title I could find was a Hungarian band from the mid 2000's. I asked Satanic lady if she remembered any of the other bands that played alongside "Eviscerator" and she only remembered 3: "Band-Shee" (an all female band....get it?) Gargoyle, and Werewolf Tears."
"I have a very very small update for everyone, but it's still an update nonetheless. The mystery succubus looking woman who said this song was by Eviscerator and sang along to it (even when I "accidentally" muted my phone to see if she was just repeating what she was hearing.....she was not) has been identified by my journalist friend! We are going to try and get in contact with her and see if there is anything else she can remember about "Eviscerator" that could help. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but her familiarity with this songs lyrics and the fact she sang almost in perfect synch with the beat makes me feel she really did know this song from somewhere in her past. That or she is a very good actress? Lol
I found only 1 solid, confirmed band with that name but they were from mid 2000's Hungary. But several peoples now and then tell me they remember hearing that name in the 80's as various things; crappy garage band, NWOHBM compilation album/work, some sort of event space or name, most recently someone claimed he thought it was the stage name of a singer but didn't know who or what band. I'm trying to get in touch with the woman who originally mentioned that name."
He posted this comment that lead nowhere: "2 very small updates for everyone:
1) The Viking/Pagan/Goth/Black Metal themed bar just around the corner from me is having a New Years event tomorrow night. They actually agree to give me a "booth" where i can have a "guess this song" set up. And, it will be right next to where the bands play...I'm going to be between the "stage" and the food truck lol
2) The one radio station i submitted this song to will play it on their "X hour" on 1/8/24. It is not a hugely popular segment, maybe a few hundred listeners, but it's better than nothing.
Here's to the New Year and hope this song and numerous others get solved!"
"So the station played this song Sunday night/Monday morning. They played it 4 times between 2:07am - 3:12am. They received 9 calls about it and about a dozen emails (I seriously didn't know they had an email!?!?!?). Unfortunately the majority of contacts were people either asking for them to replay it or people thinking it was Manowar. There were a few Iron Maidens and one or 2 Ozzy Osborne's. Only 2 people stated they heard this song before. Unfortunately they heard it from "some kilt wearing guy at blank bar plays it, I think it's him self promoting". Yes that's me they referenced and no it is not me singing lol"
He suggest matrixx as a possibility: "There's a band called matrixx that has been giving me interest. They were only around for two years due to financial struggles in their stage. If you look up attaxe and fiinal notice they share two members of matrixx. Their drummer and guitarist sound very similar to the band from this song. It's pretty crazy too because they have a song called defy the king. They also had a label to produce their songs which is called Suma Recording Studios. This may be the reason why the audio sounds too good for a small band. I hope that this is the band! Too many good clues that I found"
He debunks the Steven Lindfield lead: "One of the names thrown about here and there on posts about this song is a Steven Linfield ("Lindi") who bounced between Chicago and NYC in the 1980's. His alleged involvement varries between being the DJ who allegedly played it on a NYC station, to being a Chicago stations record manageclerk etc etc. I got in contact with him yesterday. He denies having ANYTHING to do with the airing of this song and does not know how or why his name came up. While he did work at 2 stations (NYC, then Chicago during the summer) he was an overnight watchman (security). However, he does recall this song being played on "some amateur hour crapshoot" in '86 in NYC a bunch of times. At that point in '86 he claims people were referencing it as "The King Song" or "The song of the King" (drawn out to match the singers "The Faaaalllll, the fall of the kiiiiiing") and it was already 2 or 3 years old at that time. He did explain that at least at the Chicago station there was an amateur drop-off slot that the dj's would pick through and play random "no namers" labeling them as "space filler". Because they would be played, literally just to fill space, they were NOT mandated to keep any records of them. Sometimes the dj's would just make up names to some of these. One of his main duties was to check the drop-off to make sure there were no bad things thrown in there instead of cassettes. Another dead end, but at least we rulled out one theory......silver lining??đ LINDFIELD, not Linfield. Darn autocorrect on this phone."
He is convinced it's a professional band's demo: Thats why a lot people I have introduced to this song think it's a professional band, or at the extreme least an amateur band playing with top level equipment/sponsor? 1983 guy stated they sound like they have equipment his garage band "couldn't even afford to dream about looking at yet alone use". It's also one of the reasons my 2 oldest sisters insist this is a professional band (sister #1 says Manowar, #2 says Manowar or Sarissa) because there are no goofs or mistakes or errors. My sisters gave an example of a garage band from their Kutztown university days, "Freefall Abyss" that self released a demo and in one song you can hear a telephone ringing in the background and in another you can hear a fan or ac unit going.
He contacted a girl named Della: "This song was actually played on an old Philly/NJ station on the segment "Della names your tune" in 2009. I was able to get in contact with "Della" (real name withheld by her request) who at first stated "I played thousands of unnamed songs bud, I probably played this one 100 times, sorry i wont be much help" . Then a few days later replied "I do recall this one, it was sent in from a local listener who had it labeled as Dungeon Master or maybe Dragon Master on a CD with a bunch of old early Manowar, JudaPriest, Iron Maiden, Megadead, Metallica and AngelWitch songs. He or she claimed their father had this song on a tape from his college days. Nobody knew what or who it was back in '09 or '10 and as far as I know nobody figured it out when I left the program in '15." The only name she gave, and I don't know if this was even a real name or the drummers "stage name" was Leopald Lestat.........I do have 2 people looking into it (from a metal dating site of all places). Disclaimer: I know some of those bands are misspelled, I purposefully left it that way because that's how she sent it to me."
"I went down that road, you nailed it right on the head. There is no way to track down who that listener was. The only hint she had, in the form of the note attached to the CD was the person said they were from Radnor PA. I couldn't tell you because the other songs kind of bounce around in terms of year: there's a Judas Priest and an Angel Witch song both from 1980 but then there's a song from Megadeath (I believe Megadeath came out in '85?) and a Metallica song from '86? For some reason my one comment didn't show up? Della gave a pretty big hint, she said the mailing address on the CD was from Radnor PA, but the phone number included was a landline for a Chicago address. Her and the station managers assumed it was a "shadow number" and didn't bother keeping record of it. A lot of her requests had local addresses with out of state phone numbers, cellular and landline."
He suggests Dungeon Masters: "I have a potential lead, "Dungeon Masters" from Pittsburgh PA? Long story short: everyone at work talks about a "hot nerdy chick" who works at the one antique book store in town and she is a music genius and knows EVERY song people play. So i decided to test it. I played this song and she stated "I think thats Dungeon Masters, they were from my hometown of Pittsburgh PA back in the early to late 80's. Thats either Dungeon Masters or someone doing an incredible job imitating them?". Given that Cleveland is only a 2-3 hr drive from Pittsburgh (from what Steelers players say) i think this could be a possible lead and explain the Cleveland recording? Again, this is only a POSSIBLE lead, but i think it has potential?
Currently my one "source" is looking into it. He is not always accurate (as evidenced when we were looking into Conquest) but its better than nothing."
And someone adds this: "Della said the same Dungeon Masters so better look into it"
But he says this: "Close, "Della" stated the listener who sent in the CD had this song labeled as "Dungeon Master?", not a band name. But I am looking into it as best as I can. I found a Pittsburgh band "Dungeon" but they're NOT metal they're an Omnia/Faun like band (neo-folk I think is the term?) formed in 2018. I sent word out to the people I know and my "team". Now it is a waiting game."
submitted by According-Ring-8678 to thefalloftheking [link] [comments]
In one of his earliest comments he said this: "My 2 oldest sisters (born in 1970 and 1972) actually remember this song being played by garage bands and local talents in the Coatesville PA area. However, they both swear on mom and dads ashes that the first time they heard this song, a local music festival in Exton PA, I was NOT born yet (I was born in 1984). Even back then nobody could say who it was or what the title was. In fact the one band from Downingtown PA used to refer to it as "The Dungeons and Dragons song". And by that i mean, according to my sisters the lead singers girlfriend (or his sister....they could never tell?) would be in the crowd and when they were ready to end their performance she would shout "Play the Dungeons and Dragons song". My sisters also remember the adults thinking this song was somehow a promotional thing for the PA Renaissance Fair. Unfortunately they cannot offer any clues to the identity of this band or songs title, their guess, back then and still today, was Manowar."
At first, he claims our band is Manowar, explaining: "I do not think Manowar is an obscure band, nor do my sisters. The "obscure" bands mentioned in my postings are all the local garage/amateur bands that they remember playing this song and most of those garage/amateur bands even back then, along with my sisters, were under the impression this was a Manowar song. Many people, not just on this post but others feel this is Manowar "pitch" song, other bands thrown around have been Iron Maiden, Overdrive (Or Overkill, i'm not sure if it's the same band?), Blackmane, Axis and Cirith Ungol (spelling?). Keep this in mind, it's not that uncommon for mainstream/well known bands to have unreleased music in their "library". A good example, ask the most diehard Rammstein fans what their first song ever was, they'll probably answer Du Recht So Gut or Rammstein. Most people have never heard their 1992-1993 pitch song, "Tier" (Monster, beast). In fact, Till Linderman himself stated in 2018 he was unaware Tier was ever recorded by anyone, yet alone put up on the internet. Like this "Fall of the King" song, "Tier" was toted as an mystery song for years but was in a group of 4 or 5 other songs that Rammstein did but never released. One of my favorite bands, Corvus Corax, actually had something similar happen, a song they did back in the early 90's, "Vampire", opening for another band was recorded by a fan in the audience and made rounds on the Neo Folk community ages later. Corvus Corax themselves heard it on a radio station in Denmark roughly 2009'ish and called them asking how and when they got that song because they NEVER recorded it for public use. Personally i cannot give a wager who this is? I am not that good with this genre so i go with what people older than me and much better with this music say. To me it could be Manowar, something they never intended to be released publicly, it could be the Z'Rose a bunch of people feel it is, it could be Overdrive/Overkill (i do not know if these names are the same band or 2 separate ones?), it could be me time traveling impersonating my great uncle Fred......ok that last one was just meant to be a joke lol." Then someone says: "has your sister contacted erik to see about the the song?" and he says "OH HELL NO!!! They haven't spoken since they broke up in 1991-1992. I did reach out to his brother probably a year ago and never heard back."
He suggests it's either Manowar or Sarissa (he mispelled them): "@aSome1 There's some confusion, my sisters never said Z'Rose was playing the song in our hometown area. Local teenage to early college yrs bands were playing it. They recognized this song when I was on a family Zoom chat, i had this song on in the background (by accident actually lol) and my oldest sister (#1 born in '70) asked what i was listening to. I turned it up and she shook her head and asked the other sister (#2 born in '72) "Oh my gosh isn't that that stupid Manowar song Erik and his brother used to play all the time?". Erik was the name of her high school boyfriend. They remember hearing it first at an amateur music fest when my brother (born in '82) was still a baby. Mainly they remember mom fitting all of them in her old "Batmobile" station wagon. By the time i was born in '84 that station wagon was gone for at least several months. The band names they specifically remember playing this, and keep in mind these were "Garage bands" from the 80's were: Venomous Vomit, Razors in your Coffee (Erik's band), Ash to Ash, Cauldron Kings, Coven of Metal, Pridesville, South of Hell and Purgatory. They said there were a few more, but didn't remember....or care....to know their names. (Disclaimer: Several peoples associated with those mentioned bands have been contacted by me and several have replied.....the most common reply is "How the hell do you know us!?" lol)
"I have actually been looking at this song for almost 3yrs. I've had some "good leads" and some "bad leads" and i've also had "WTF leads".......but at the end it is still unsolved. So far the biggest contenders, from people way better with this music than me (I'm more a symphonic or extreme metal person) have been: Manowar, Iron Maiden, OverDrive, Overkill, Onslaught of Destruction and Sonic Mahem. My sisters really believe it is possibly an unreleased or "pitch demo" of Manowar but they also said it might be a Greek band from the early 80's called Sarassa or something like that?"
Then he denies it's Z-Rose: "@lostwavefinder587 I have seen that name tossed around a lot on forums and random chats (this being one of them). Most people way smarter and better with this music than myself seem to have the opinion that it is not Z'Rose. They range in reason from: the equipment sound professional and they were not, the dates don't add up, Z'Rose only did covers so even it is them in the recordings it's still not their song.....one individual (a supervisor at work who lived in Texas during this time frame) actually said "Z'Rose wouldn't have been sober enough to finish that song". I have only heard 1 Z'Rose recording, and unfortunately the person who recorded it (I think the date says 1989?) spends the majority of the 5 minute video talking during the performance so all i hear is them and not the singer. I have to emphasize about %99 of this info i'm presenting is NOT from me but people who know this genre of music way better than me....i'm more Symphonic metal and neo folk (Corvus Corax, Heilung, Faun etc."
"Out of curiosity, since a lot people think this might be Z'Rose, has anyone contacted the family/families of Nick or Joe Cavazos? My "team" is looking into a blog page from 2018 of a pretty intense exchange between a blogger and a woman who is believed to be "Rocker Joe's daughter. In this exchange she states this song is NOT her dad and uncle's band. But it gets pretty rough because the blogger keeps pressing and let's just say some NSFW language is exchanged. I will only say this, the woman's name does match one of the names in Julio "Joe" Cavazos obituary, but they can't tell if it is actually HER or someone posing. I also find it interesting that in another posting of this song someone is claiming to be the nephew of both Nick and Joe.....but about a dozen people ask about this song and he does not answer them......but someone else will ask something unrelated to this song and he answers??"
"About a year ago on another posting of this song, someone had a link to a conversation with a woman who was allegedly Joe Cavazos daughter. She very adamantly denied this was her dads band, Z'Rose. They person kept pressing her and she did not budge a single inch, "NO, its not my dad's band". The only thing that could be confirmed was the woman's name did match a name in Julio "Joe" Cavazos obituary as his daughter. But if it was her or not I can't say? Many peoples on other postings and on forums have all claimed to have gotten in contact with Z'Rose and stated they responded "No" to this being theirs.
So the "Kings Fall" song by Bernard Cavazos is actually a completely different song. He is also not related to the Z'Rose Cavazos. Somewhere I read that the "Kings Fall"/"Fallen King" song by Bernard Cavazos is about a corrupt politician or mafia like "king" not an actual king. Again none of this is from me, it's from things I read, not me.
When 'Wang' did a video about several mystery songs he included this one. In his video (I don't know if he made more than one?) he talked about how that Bernard Cavazos has been contacted and has denied this is his Fall of the King song. If my memory is correct Wang read a message from him explaining his "king" was a corrupt politician or gang leader like king. Wang also mentioned there was another Bernard Cavazos who was a doctor and he is sick and tired of people contacting him about this song"
Someone that replied to him said:
"@CharlesMarkward probably this tape recording was an attempt from them to make something of their own, many bands have started this way, an example is the Brazilian power metal band Angra, they were first meant to be an Iron Maiden tribute but as things went by, they have decided to release things of their own...I couldn't find anything about this "Z'Rose" band in metal-archives, neither at Google with a simple research, but the data gathered until this moment make sense: the Z Rock radio is from Texas, the so called "Z'Rose" band is also from Texas, it was the 80's, so, without internet, this was the way bands used to promote their work...but your story adds some drifts from this sensible data available until now...they are/were from Texas, ok...but until then, they weren't any big group, which means they were probably 9 to 5 salarymen whose musician activity was on weekends and the money earned wasn't enough to keep up with, so, a trip from TX to PA is a long ranged one and expensive for their then standards, I can remember when I've read the Mick Wall's Metallica biography, in which they highlight how hard was for them to go all the way from CA to NY to record Kill em' All, well, unless someone sponsored the so called "Z'Rose from Texas" (like the Zazula couple to Metallica) to play in the events you've mentioned in PA...which means they were good and had potential (this "mysterious recording" doesn't let me lie), because it takes a lot for someone at the other eastern extreme of a big country like the USA to call someone all the way from TX to play in an event when probably there were good bands around and without the need of a sponsorship to travel and get some place to sleep and eat..."
Therefore Charles says: "Also, i am not the one saying it's not them. People much better with much more access to metal archives/records are saying it's not them. BUT, everything you said makes perfect sense to me and I have no argument against any of it. It would make perfect sense if it was a possible pitch demo Z'Rose recorded and kept along for a few years before a station played it. My sisters are %98 certain it was a Manowar song, the only other band they mentioned as a possibility is a Greek band i can't find anything about called something like Sarassa??"
Someone told him to contact Erik: "A little bit ago someone in here suggested i contact my sisters ex and ask where he got this song. I could not get a hold of him, but i did get in contact with his brother he played with. According to the brother they got the song from their aunt who lived in Philly (Center City) and would send them tapes of songs to play. This song was on a tape sandwiched between "4 or 5" Manowar songs. He specifically remembered this for 2 reasons: 1, their aunt wrote "Killing of the king by No Name" and 2, the last song on the this tape was labled as a Venom song (he did not recall which) but was actually "Melody of Love" by Bobby Vintonđ. So i think this is why my sisters keep saying it's Manowar, because if it was on a tape with a bunch of their songs that chances are they heard a crapload of times?"
He contacted Erik's brother (Erik is supposedly the ex boyfriend of one of his sisters) and received this reply: "Erik's brother returned another email I sent about this song. I made a post about it about a week ago. The brother says their aunt who lived in Philly included this song on a mix tape of stuff for him and his brother to play. This song was sandwiched between several Manowar songs and the last song on the tape was supposed to be a Venom song but was actually Bobby Vinton's "Melody of Love" đ¤Ł"
Therefore debunking the possibility it's a Manowar song, he also adds: "She (the aunt) passed in 2014. She would record songs off the radio for them. She lived in Philly (Center City) but also had a place in Florida, so he was never sure which cities radio stations she would record from. This song she wrote "Killing the King?" As the title and "???" as the band name, but it was between several Manowar songs. I think this might be why my oldest sisters are so insistent this is a Manowar song because they may have listened to it with Erik and his brother.....it's a theory lol"
He also thought of Iced Earth as the possible band: "lostwavefinder587 I immediately thought of Iced Earth when I heard this song. Although it's likely just a coincidence, it's interesting to note that Iced Earth was originally called "The Rose".
Someone said to him: "if that's any help, the Greek band's name you're talking about is probably Sarissa. I don't think it's them, though: the vox sound kinda different, and their songs are mostly Ancient Greece-themed." And he replied: "Yes, thank you! All this time I've been spelling it wrong. I gave a quick listen to a demo of theirs from '86. In terms of sound and beat and tempo etc, they are pretty close to this song. In terms of vocals, they sound nothing alike." Therefore, he debunked Sarissa himself.
Now here he changed his version and provides a new lead given by his sisters:
"Holy crap for some reason my last post got cut in half and didn't include the following info, sorry! So the individual i spoke to and got the new possible lead is the former singer of the one band my sisters mentioned, Purgatory, (i do NOT have his permission to use his real name but his stage name was Tarantula). He confirmed he played this song "once or twice" but didn't know the lyrics so they just repeated several "blocks" over and over again. He heard it from a band in NJ and when he asked if he could use the song they replied along the lines of "It's not our song, we don't care" but gave no indication who it was or they even knew who it was? He suggested the band "Knightmare" because they were from Texas and he remembers all of their songs being medieval or medieval fantasy related. Supposedly they wore what looked like full on plate armor (he does not know if it was actual metal armor or something made to look like it). He saw them perform a handful of times because he spent summers in Texas on his grandfathers (mistakenly said uncle in my last post, sorry) ranch and would sneak off at night to "the metal scene" (i do not know if that was a club name or if he just meant that in general?). He began visiting his grandfathers ranch in 1980 and stopped when his grandfather retired in 1992. He gave an estimated timeline for "Knightmare" of 1981-1989."
He corrects himself by saying they are not called "Knightmare": Interestingly, my supervisor at work lived in Texas during this timeline (roughly mid 70's to mid 90's from what i can gather?) and when I asked him about Knightmare he had no idea. But when i mentioned they dressed up like knights in armor he suddenly looked startled and said "That wasn't their name, their name was Battle Battalion or some s*** like that".
But then he says: "So i posted a few months ago about this song, my sisters remember garage bands in the area playing this⌠I checked every band called Knightmare on Metal Encyclopedia and it doesnât look like itâs our band." "Forgive my French.....Damn. I thought maybe it could have been a lead but i guess like dozens of others I've come across, dead end. I did a quick search for Knightmare a few weeks ago and I got all excited i saw one band dressed up like monks or Druids, but that band only came out in 2017. I think it's safe to say the name has been used by many bands."
Then someone asks him: "Does the name "Battle Battalion" show up on any Metal "pedia" sites? That's what my supervisor claims this "dressed up in medieval armor" bands name was?" and another one told him: "I saw some bands with Battalion on the metal encyclopedia and discogs and none of them are our band. I donât think we should go based on what a band wears as our lead."
Then he debunks the Knightmare (and the Conquest) lead: "So a little bit ago i mentioned a band name "Knightmare" as a possibility for this song. Well the band was actually called "KnyghtBlyde" (Knight Blade) and i got in contact with the daughter of the vocalist last night. I played this song for her and after some confliction/hesitation she said it is NOT her dad. The biggest thing was all of her dads songs were based of Aruthurian lore and filled with references to Camelot, Arthur, Morgana, Lancelot, Excalibur etc. Since this song has none of that, its not them. She has no idea who this is. I did a quick search "Conquest 80's metal band Texas" and found 3 results. Conquest from San Antonio, split in either '85 or '87. Conquest from Dallas, '86 - '90. Khan'quest (possibly same band as Khanquistador?), no location given but split up in '88 then reformed in 2000 then......nothing? I could not find anything about any of their songs or demos or releases or band members. But it's obvious I was thinking of the wrong Conquest bands đ Conquest was ruled out. Someone who owns the tape was contacted and told us this isn't them."
And he says the singer of KnyghtBlade is convinced this song is from Battallion:
"So a little bit ago I mentioned getting in contact with KnyghtBlyde singers daughter who states that this is NOT her dad. She contacted me this morning, her father thinks this song might be by a band called Battalion. But her father said Battalion also went by the name AAA, Anti Aircraft Assault (or Artillery) in their early days. According to her father AAA/Battalion were from Texas but at least 2 of their members were originally from Chicago. Has anyone ever heard of either Battalion or AAA, Anti Aircraft Assault? The closest I can say is my one supervisor at work mentioned a band Battle Battalion from Texas when he lived there."
Then someone replies to him: "you are right there is a band named Battalion formed in 1984" He says: "I cannot find a single piece of music from this particular "Battalion"? From what I could find they formed between 1983 and 1985, split, reformed under a few possible names, split, repeat. 2 people I asked did say they remember a band of some sort from "out west" Anti Aircraft A-something, but neither could give any info."
Now here, he suggests it could be a Talon song:
"So here's a potential lead for everyone: I was just playing this song for a friend who is obsessed with all metal music. She asked me "Where did you get that Talon song?" Talon was/is a German heavy metal band from the early 80's that released several demos and full on albums between '83-'89. Almost all of there songs were medieval themed, especially their 2 demos. Herr's the thing, they supposedly have 3 unnamed tracks from both demos, one allegedly called "King Slayer". I listened to a bunch of there songs and I have to say there are several songs where the singer sounds exactly like our mystery singer, but then the next song they sound nothing alike. There was one song called something like "Execution" that the opening guitar sounds like this songs opening only slower? I'm not saying it is Talon, but it is possibly something to look into or at least consider?"
He also claimed the singer sounds like Bruce Dickinson (which has been suggested many times):
"I've said many times that I personally feel this vocalist sounds extremely close to Bruce Dickinson. There is a clip of Bruce singing Tom Jones' "Delilah" on either a talk or game show, and his opening of that song is nearly identical to this Fall of the King vocals! Tone, tempo, cadence, pitch......it's really really on spot. I am NOT saying it is Bruce, I'm just saying whoever it is does a good job singing like him."
He says this song could be made by Eviscerator:
"Hello again everyone, has anyone ever heard of a band from Britain, late 70's through late 80's called "Eviscerator"? Very very long story short: I played this song at a Viking/Pagan/Neo-Folk/Black Metal "bar" about half a mile up the road from my place and the one patron who looked like Elvira and Lilith Bathory had a daughter together (HOT HOT HOT) comes over and asked me to replay it and she sang along with the recording with about %95 accuracy! Oddly, at the end after the 4 or 5 "The Fall of the King"s, she suddenly sang "The evil one now wears the crown, all hail the evil one" and head banged for a few moments. According to her, this song was by a band called "Eviscerator" and they always claimed this song was written as a pitch track for the movie Heavy Metal? I mentioned how this song by numerous accounts was recorded here in the USA in 86-87 from stations in Texas, Chicago, Cleveland, NYC and (by only one account) possibly Florida. She didn't feel there was an issue with that as stations will often play random things just to fill the spot including songs that are several years older. I asked about her added line at the end and she stated "I didn't add s*** bud, whoever recorded it must have cut it off before they got to it". I mentioned how numerous people strongly believe this is the work of Z'Rose, she said they probably covered it a bunch of times but it is not their song and even stated that this particular recording sounds like it could be them covering. She was more familiar with Z'Rose than me, she commented "The 3 Cavlaros brothers from Texas right? The singer was the oldest brother Jeff?" (I know that's not their name, i only included it for aunthenticity per context of our discussion, the last name is Cavazos and there was only 2 of them right?). She also told me Z'Rose had about a dozen other names through their years including "Gypsy Rose". I asked how she knew this British band "Eviscerator" and she answered that she lived in London from 78-85 and this song was played a lot on "amateur hour" on several stations, especially university stations. This kind of took me by surprise because i thought she looked younger than me (I'm 39) but she lived in England for college and her first husband in the late 70's??"
"In my last comments i mentioned a bar i went to was going to have a mini concert featuring bands that specialize in black metal and 80's tribute metal and i would play this song to see if any of the band peoples or concert goers would chime in. I did just that and got a few hits on the radar with a few of the band members. The one band, Inviaat, the singer says he remembers this song being played on a radio station in Philly PA for an entire summer because that station was trying to find the band. He does not remember the specific station but said it was near the Taylor University campus (my understanding is that there is several?) because the station thought it was the students from that university's music program. When i asked him when exactly that would have been he said Summer of 1983 because he was married on Halloween 1983 and was hoping the station would find the band so they could play at his wedding. A member from the local band "inductus Mortis" said he recalls that song being played "somewhere in the mid 80's" but does not remember if he heard it in Chicago or Cleveland because he bounced between them. I asked several bands, include the Venom tribute band Poisonous Whisper if anyone had ever heard of a band name Eviscerator from the 80's. Only one person thought he heard the name but it wasn't a band name it was a compilation album of NWOBHM from roughly '83-'84, but couldn't tell me anything other than that. As for the other concert goers, the #1 response i got from them was along the lines of "Dude you can sing, you should go pro!".....in other words they thought it was me promoting myself (I wish i could sing like that!!). the #2 response was people thought it was Manowar. After those 2 the guesses were the usual ones i have seen here and everywhere else this topic comes up: Blackmaine, Axis, Overkill, Overdrive, Black Sabath, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Slayer, WitchAxe and 2 people even asked if it was an Ozzy Osbourne demo."
"I asked around, including my oldest sisters I've mentioned in my postings, about Eviscerator. The only person who heard of them, the one from this time-frame not the other 8 or 9 bands from the 2000's with that name, said they were a generic ManowaIron Maiden/Judas Priest tribute or more accurately, ripoff, band who sucked. I am not saying I buy this woman's account, but i'm also not discrediting it or calling her a liar. Her familiarity with this song and her accuracy with the lyrics makes me believe she knows this song from somewhere.....what that somewhere is, i can't comment because i don't know?"
"So far my friends and I have several "pings" to look into, the name Eviscerator has absolutely nothing from the time frame we're looking at. But there is (was?) a "Lee Lesaat" Canadian/British "mercenary" (did not belong to any band but would play for others) drummer who now lives in NYC my friends are looking into.
There is an 80's metal/black metal tribute concert this Saturday at the bar I was at last weekend. After the bands play their sets they have an open mic like set up where you can play your own music (as long as it fits the theme). I'm going to try and play this song and see if anyone, bands or crowd or food vendors etc, have any reaction.
And by "pings" I just mean responses/possible possible long shot leads. The guy or girl claiming to be a psychic vampire who time traveled and wrote this song for The Lost Boys movie is NOT going to be one of themđ"
Then someone asks: "What band is this Eviscerator ? I found a band that was formed in 2012 . Furthermore tthe song is not in the metal archives I searched through lyrics was not found." He says: "Allegedly they were in England in the 1980's, but the woman stated 2 of them had New York accents. If all of her account is true and accurate, they were NOT a professional big name band. I did find several bands with the title "Eviscerator" (in different variations) but all of them were from the 2000's. The only "pro" band with that title I could find was a Hungarian band from the mid 2000's. I asked Satanic lady if she remembered any of the other bands that played alongside "Eviscerator" and she only remembered 3: "Band-Shee" (an all female band....get it?) Gargoyle, and Werewolf Tears."
"I have a very very small update for everyone, but it's still an update nonetheless. The mystery succubus looking woman who said this song was by Eviscerator and sang along to it (even when I "accidentally" muted my phone to see if she was just repeating what she was hearing.....she was not) has been identified by my journalist friend! We are going to try and get in contact with her and see if there is anything else she can remember about "Eviscerator" that could help. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but her familiarity with this songs lyrics and the fact she sang almost in perfect synch with the beat makes me feel she really did know this song from somewhere in her past. That or she is a very good actress? Lol
I found only 1 solid, confirmed band with that name but they were from mid 2000's Hungary. But several peoples now and then tell me they remember hearing that name in the 80's as various things; crappy garage band, NWOHBM compilation album/work, some sort of event space or name, most recently someone claimed he thought it was the stage name of a singer but didn't know who or what band. I'm trying to get in touch with the woman who originally mentioned that name."
He posted this comment that lead nowhere: "2 very small updates for everyone:
1) The Viking/Pagan/Goth/Black Metal themed bar just around the corner from me is having a New Years event tomorrow night. They actually agree to give me a "booth" where i can have a "guess this song" set up. And, it will be right next to where the bands play...I'm going to be between the "stage" and the food truck lol
2) The one radio station i submitted this song to will play it on their "X hour" on 1/8/24. It is not a hugely popular segment, maybe a few hundred listeners, but it's better than nothing.
Here's to the New Year and hope this song and numerous others get solved!"
"So the station played this song Sunday night/Monday morning. They played it 4 times between 2:07am - 3:12am. They received 9 calls about it and about a dozen emails (I seriously didn't know they had an email!?!?!?). Unfortunately the majority of contacts were people either asking for them to replay it or people thinking it was Manowar. There were a few Iron Maidens and one or 2 Ozzy Osborne's. Only 2 people stated they heard this song before. Unfortunately they heard it from "some kilt wearing guy at blank bar plays it, I think it's him self promoting". Yes that's me they referenced and no it is not me singing lol"
He suggest matrixx as a possibility: "There's a band called matrixx that has been giving me interest. They were only around for two years due to financial struggles in their stage. If you look up attaxe and fiinal notice they share two members of matrixx. Their drummer and guitarist sound very similar to the band from this song. It's pretty crazy too because they have a song called defy the king. They also had a label to produce their songs which is called Suma Recording Studios. This may be the reason why the audio sounds too good for a small band. I hope that this is the band! Too many good clues that I found"
He debunks the Steven Lindfield lead: "One of the names thrown about here and there on posts about this song is a Steven Linfield ("Lindi") who bounced between Chicago and NYC in the 1980's. His alleged involvement varries between being the DJ who allegedly played it on a NYC station, to being a Chicago stations record manageclerk etc etc. I got in contact with him yesterday. He denies having ANYTHING to do with the airing of this song and does not know how or why his name came up. While he did work at 2 stations (NYC, then Chicago during the summer) he was an overnight watchman (security). However, he does recall this song being played on "some amateur hour crapshoot" in '86 in NYC a bunch of times. At that point in '86 he claims people were referencing it as "The King Song" or "The song of the King" (drawn out to match the singers "The Faaaalllll, the fall of the kiiiiiing") and it was already 2 or 3 years old at that time. He did explain that at least at the Chicago station there was an amateur drop-off slot that the dj's would pick through and play random "no namers" labeling them as "space filler". Because they would be played, literally just to fill space, they were NOT mandated to keep any records of them. Sometimes the dj's would just make up names to some of these. One of his main duties was to check the drop-off to make sure there were no bad things thrown in there instead of cassettes. Another dead end, but at least we rulled out one theory......silver lining??đ LINDFIELD, not Linfield. Darn autocorrect on this phone."
He is convinced it's a professional band's demo: Thats why a lot people I have introduced to this song think it's a professional band, or at the extreme least an amateur band playing with top level equipment/sponsor? 1983 guy stated they sound like they have equipment his garage band "couldn't even afford to dream about looking at yet alone use". It's also one of the reasons my 2 oldest sisters insist this is a professional band (sister #1 says Manowar, #2 says Manowar or Sarissa) because there are no goofs or mistakes or errors. My sisters gave an example of a garage band from their Kutztown university days, "Freefall Abyss" that self released a demo and in one song you can hear a telephone ringing in the background and in another you can hear a fan or ac unit going.
He contacted a girl named Della: "This song was actually played on an old Philly/NJ station on the segment "Della names your tune" in 2009. I was able to get in contact with "Della" (real name withheld by her request) who at first stated "I played thousands of unnamed songs bud, I probably played this one 100 times, sorry i wont be much help" . Then a few days later replied "I do recall this one, it was sent in from a local listener who had it labeled as Dungeon Master or maybe Dragon Master on a CD with a bunch of old early Manowar, JudaPriest, Iron Maiden, Megadead, Metallica and AngelWitch songs. He or she claimed their father had this song on a tape from his college days. Nobody knew what or who it was back in '09 or '10 and as far as I know nobody figured it out when I left the program in '15." The only name she gave, and I don't know if this was even a real name or the drummers "stage name" was Leopald Lestat.........I do have 2 people looking into it (from a metal dating site of all places). Disclaimer: I know some of those bands are misspelled, I purposefully left it that way because that's how she sent it to me."
"I went down that road, you nailed it right on the head. There is no way to track down who that listener was. The only hint she had, in the form of the note attached to the CD was the person said they were from Radnor PA. I couldn't tell you because the other songs kind of bounce around in terms of year: there's a Judas Priest and an Angel Witch song both from 1980 but then there's a song from Megadeath (I believe Megadeath came out in '85?) and a Metallica song from '86? For some reason my one comment didn't show up? Della gave a pretty big hint, she said the mailing address on the CD was from Radnor PA, but the phone number included was a landline for a Chicago address. Her and the station managers assumed it was a "shadow number" and didn't bother keeping record of it. A lot of her requests had local addresses with out of state phone numbers, cellular and landline."
He suggests Dungeon Masters: "I have a potential lead, "Dungeon Masters" from Pittsburgh PA? Long story short: everyone at work talks about a "hot nerdy chick" who works at the one antique book store in town and she is a music genius and knows EVERY song people play. So i decided to test it. I played this song and she stated "I think thats Dungeon Masters, they were from my hometown of Pittsburgh PA back in the early to late 80's. Thats either Dungeon Masters or someone doing an incredible job imitating them?". Given that Cleveland is only a 2-3 hr drive from Pittsburgh (from what Steelers players say) i think this could be a possible lead and explain the Cleveland recording? Again, this is only a POSSIBLE lead, but i think it has potential?
Currently my one "source" is looking into it. He is not always accurate (as evidenced when we were looking into Conquest) but its better than nothing."
And someone adds this: "Della said the same Dungeon Masters so better look into it"
But he says this: "Close, "Della" stated the listener who sent in the CD had this song labeled as "Dungeon Master?", not a band name. But I am looking into it as best as I can. I found a Pittsburgh band "Dungeon" but they're NOT metal they're an Omnia/Faun like band (neo-folk I think is the term?) formed in 2018. I sent word out to the people I know and my "team". Now it is a waiting game."
2024.05.21 09:59 ChristineLynnFoxx Why being transgender is not a sin!
Why being transgender is not a sin, by MARK WINGFIELD NOVEMBER 9, 2018
Link to original post: https://baptistnews.com/article/why-being-transgender-is-not-a-sin/#.YYk6tE7MK72I recently met a lovely young family in the northern suburbs of Dallas. They told me they previously attended a large Baptist church there â until their high school son became their daughter.
The mother was committed to her volunteer work in the church, and when she told the pastor who supervised that ministry area that her child was transgender, the pastor said: âThatâs fine. We love everybody here. But itâs still a sin.â
âBlah, blah, blah, butâŚ.â Whatever comes after the âbutâ always negates whatever nice things were said in the first part of the sentence. Beware of the âbut.â
Some would look kindly on the suburban pastorâs response because, after all, the pastor didnât kick the family out of the church or condemn the teenager straight to hell. But.
Even among Christians who appear kind or progressive, too often the existence of someone who identifies as transgender gets chalked up to âsin.â No doubt thatâs the root reason so many Christians happily pile on against transgender persons and their family members about bathrooms and schools, because in their heart of hearts, they donât understand transgender identity and simply default to thinking it is a sinful lifestyle choice.
I think we all can agree that a âsinâ is something we do that we shouldnât do, something we have a choice about. If I eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream, I am likely guilty of the sin of gluttony. I didnât have to eat the ice cream. If I fixate on why other people are more athletic and agile than me in my mid-life body, I probably am guilty of the sin of envy. There is a way for me to redirect my thoughts to avoid envy.
The same is not true of transgender identity. Emphatically and conclusively, this is not a choice. It is who a person is. Did you choose to have red hair? Did you choose to be tall or short? Did you choose to have the genetic markers you have? Of course not. Transgender persons are simply acknowledging that the gender identity assigned to them at birth because of physical anatomy does not match the brain, biochemical and genetic gender identity they know inside.
Since writing a column two years ago about understanding transgender identity â an opinion article that has been read more than 1 million times and led to giving a TED Talk on the same subject â I have conversed with hundreds of transgender persons and family members of transgender persons. Thatâs not just ministerially speaking. It really has been hundreds. Every one of those transgender persons has told me that they knew from their earliest awareness â from the time they were 4, 5 or 6 years old â that the gender anatomy they showed on the outside did not match who they knew they were on the inside.
There is an increasing body of scientific evidence to back up this assertion. For example, a 2008 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that female fetuses with increased prenatal exposure to androgens are more likely to have gender nonconforming behaviors. Researchers â including some theologically conservative ones â point to environmental factors that may be responsible for what appears to be an increase in transgender identity through endocrine disruption beginning in the 20th century. This is linked to industrialization, development of new chemicals and medicines.
But these environmental factors only explain an increase, not the presence of transgender identity, which has been documented for centuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics (not to be confused with a small association of conservative pediatricians often cited by critics of transgender rights) recently released a new policy statement explaining that variation in gender identity is a normal part of human diversity. For an excellent, lay-friendly description of the emerging science of transgender identity, look to this report from Harvard University.
I could quote chapter and verse for study after study, and that would not change the minds of some people who are determined to label as sinful anything they do not understand, usually because âthe Bible says so.â In these cases, I ask people to tell me where in the Bible being transgender is condemned as sinful. The only answer usually offered is Deuteronomy 22:5, which says: âA woman shall not wear a manâs apparel, nor shall a man put on a womanâs garment; for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the Lord your God.â
Hereâs the problem with even a literal reading of that passage: Transgender persons will tell you they are not âmenâ putting on âwomenâsâ clothing or âwomenâ putting on âmenâsâ clothing. Instead, they are declaring an identity much deeper than clothing; they are saying that they are dressing outwardly to match who they know they are on the inside. This is not cross-dressing, which is not the subject of this column. Cross-dressing is about finding pleasure in wearing certain clothes. Being transgender is about finding mental and spiritual peace by aligning outward presentation with inner being.
Occasionally, people will point to Genesis 1:27 as a condemnation of transgender identity: âmale and female he created them.â Most transgender persons will tell you they believe God has, in fact, created them as either male or female; the problem is how they have been labeled by others who are not God.
Some people today identify as âgender fluid,â meaning they find in themselves bits of both male and female identity and cannot definitely say they are one or the other. While this may sound unsettling to some of us on first hearing, a return to Genesis might help. There we also learn that God created both ânightâ and âdayâ and that God separated âlandâ from âsea.â Yet we have no problem understanding the existence of dawn and dusk or marshes and everglades. Also, the point of Genesis 1 is inclusion, not exclusion. The ancient text tells us that God created everything: âand,â not âor.â
The other lesson we need to keep learning from Genesis is that all humanity is created âin the image of God.â Everybody. Without exception. When we look at others who are different than us and try to see in them the image of God, we gain new understanding and empathy.
Sometimes well-meaning Christians get this part but still canât get over the âsinâ label. So they will say things like, âAll of us are sinners in Godâs eyes, and itâs just that my sin is different than your sin.â Thatâs another way of saying, âI love you, butâŚ.â
Thereâs an easy way to remember why this is wrong: Transgender identity is about who a person is. It is about their fundamental being as humans created by God in Godâs image â an image that God has declared to be good.
2024.05.20 15:48 SpiritedBrilliant703 6 Figure Trash Company in 30 Days
Okay so it starts with Spencer Scott being fed up with his trash company. Living in a gated community outside of Dallas, he is annoyed at how the trash collectors leaves bins scattered all over the neighborhood each week after pickup.
So he decides to do something about it.
Scott makes a post in his neighborhood Facebook group, asking if residents wanted to switch to a better trash service. Turns out his neighbors feels the same as his post garners over 150 comments.
But then he finds out that the trash company is actually charging something like 50 bucks a month for 300 houses. He does the math. He goes, this is kind of interesting.
So he makes a new post in the facebook group.
âIn order for this to work, we need 200 houses to sign up and commit to switching vendors.I know this is a huge ask and you're going to be taking on a risk on a new startup, but I can assure you, we are going to be light years better. If we aren't, I'm sure they'll take us back. I've got everything lined up, including two advisors who have been in the industry for years. What do you say? You want to help us start a trash company with me?â
In 48 hours Scott builds a simple website. Not only that he adds this genius marketing strategy of offering incentives like free t-shirts for anyone who referred new sign-ups and for every 10 neighbors someone convinced to prepay, they would get their first month free.
This guerrilla launch strategy led to $15,000 in sign-ups.
With the initial cash he purchases 200 trash bins on Facebook Marketplace along with securing funding for a $40,000 garbage truck.
Within a month, Scott's newly-minted trash hauling operation was ready to roll.
Right now Scott is on track to make $169,000 in ARR but with an expansion in place we are looking at $400,000.
If the initial traction is any sign, this trash startup born out of frustration could spark the beginning of something bigger.
Full case study here
submitted by SpiritedBrilliant703 to EntrepreneurRideAlong [link] [comments]
So he decides to do something about it.
Scott makes a post in his neighborhood Facebook group, asking if residents wanted to switch to a better trash service. Turns out his neighbors feels the same as his post garners over 150 comments.
But then he finds out that the trash company is actually charging something like 50 bucks a month for 300 houses. He does the math. He goes, this is kind of interesting.
So he makes a new post in the facebook group.
âIn order for this to work, we need 200 houses to sign up and commit to switching vendors.I know this is a huge ask and you're going to be taking on a risk on a new startup, but I can assure you, we are going to be light years better. If we aren't, I'm sure they'll take us back. I've got everything lined up, including two advisors who have been in the industry for years. What do you say? You want to help us start a trash company with me?â
In 48 hours Scott builds a simple website. Not only that he adds this genius marketing strategy of offering incentives like free t-shirts for anyone who referred new sign-ups and for every 10 neighbors someone convinced to prepay, they would get their first month free.
This guerrilla launch strategy led to $15,000 in sign-ups.
With the initial cash he purchases 200 trash bins on Facebook Marketplace along with securing funding for a $40,000 garbage truck.
Within a month, Scott's newly-minted trash hauling operation was ready to roll.
Right now Scott is on track to make $169,000 in ARR but with an expansion in place we are looking at $400,000.
If the initial traction is any sign, this trash startup born out of frustration could spark the beginning of something bigger.
Full case study here
2024.05.20 15:12 Bright-Expression950 ăWCW ă"BOARD PAPERS" September - December
EXECUTIVE NOTE: I posted June-August in the wrong sub.
[SEPTEMBER]
Week 1, September 2001
ââ
âBusiness Notes
Due to forced cost cutting measures, Production values have been dropped to High Quality a saving of $25k. Live Event Experience has also been dropped to Large. Broadcast Quality has dropped from Industry Standard to In House at a saving of $37,500.
[9.1 WCW NITRO!] âTHE TITLE IS VACANTâ
[Macon, Georgia] Who will be crowned WCW World Heavyweight Champion
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Macon City Auditorium, GA, in front of 2,445
Overall Rating 64
Scott Steiner beats Diamond Dallas Page to become the new Untied States Heavyweight Champion, (Dallas falls in his 4thdefence). Steiner will now be included in the Wrestle War main event.
Vampiro & Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) beat Billy Funn, Curt Hennig and Buff Bagwell.
Nash and Goldberg trade insults in the ring hyping their match at Wrestle War
Goldberg beat Rick Steiner
Rob Van Dam bumps into Scott Steiner backstage. Steiner promises he'll be in the World Title match at Wrestle War.
A video plays hyping Goldberg v Kevin Nash III at Wrestle War
Sting wishes DDP luck, he defends his US title against Scott Steiner in the main event
Konnan beat Mark Jindrak
Bam Bam Bigelow beat Chavo Guerroro Jr
Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes - the Legacy are backstage, disappointed they are not getting a shot at Wrestle War for the WCW World Title. They want a Tag Title match next week
Kevin Nash beat Hugh Morrus
Eric Bischoff is with Tajiri & James Mitchell confirming he will be in the World Title match at Wrestle War, but he will defend the WCW Cruiserweight title against Super Crazy next week, if Crazy becomes champion he will be in the Wrestle War match.
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Shane Douglas & Jeff Jarrett to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championships (second defence)
La Parka & Damien 666 beat Tommy Dreamer & Shane Helms
WCW President Eric Bischoff and the Championship Committee (Roddy Piper, Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk) and Director of Talent Acquisition Dusty Rhodes announce that Booker T has suffered. Serious injury and the WCW World Heavyweight Title is vacant. A new champion will be crowned at Wrestle War in a five way match featuring all the current WCW Champions.
âShow Notes
Volador Jr was again fined for poor behaviour backstage
Brian Adams phoned in his performance in the six man tag match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a 0.11 TV Rating with 86,762 viewers and 1,421,978 viewers overall.
â "WRESTLE WAR!" [CARD SO FAR]
Fit Finlay v Sabu v Rob Van Dam v Yoshihiro Tajiri v Scott Steiner - For vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title
Goldberg v Kevin Nash - The Final Encounter
*Current WCW Champions will be in the match, match subject to change based on title matches
âBusiness Notes
Due to forced cost cutting measures, Production values have been dropped to High Quality a saving of $25k. Live Event Experience has also been dropped to Large. Broadcast Quality has dropped from Industry Standard to In House at a saving of $37,500.
[9.7 WCW NITRO!] âCHAMPIONS UNDER ATTACKâ
[Sacremento, California] Three title matches on the line
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Sacremento Community Center, CA in front of 2,175
Overall Rating 65
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat The Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) to retainn the WCW Tag Team Titles (defence three). Damien 666 & La Parka attacked The Legacy during the match
A video plays hyping Goldberg v Nash III
Fit Finlay beats Bam Bam Bigelow to retain the WCW World Television Title (fourth defence)
Diamond Dallas Page & Sting beat Totally Buff (Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell)
Goldberg and Kevin Nash cut promos in the ring ahead of their match at Wrestle War
Goldberg destroys Evan Karagias
Sting and Diamond Dallas Page attack Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner attack Rob Van Dam backstage
Vampiro & Kevin Nash beat EZ Money & Vilano V
Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Super Crazy to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (defence number one)
Jeff Jarrett beat Silver King
Mike Awesome beat Brian Adams
Lance Storm and Reno Mero get in the face of Sting backstage
The announcers run down three title matches, all could have implications for the Wrestle War main event where WCW Champions compete to crown the new WCW World Champion. The matches are Tajiri v Super Crazy (WCW Cruiserweight), Fit Finlay v Bam Bam Bigelow (WCW TV) and Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes v Rob Van Dam & Sabu (WCW Tag)
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown to a TV rating of 0.12 with 90,530 viewers with 1,460,037 viewers overall.
Week 3, September 2001
ââ
[9.14 WCW NITRO!]
[Birmingham, Alabama]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
BJCC Hall, AL in front of 2,667
Overall Rating 64
Sting & Diamond Dallas Page confronted Lance Storm & Mike Awesome to close the show
Ric Flair beat Billy Gunn
Kevin Nash beat Buff Bagwell
Kevin Nash and Goldberg went toe to toe with the microphone
Jeff Jarrett beat Konnan
Rob Van Dam beat Hugh Morrus
Lance Storm & Mike Awesome beat Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner brawled backstage
Shane Douglas, Steiner Brothers beat Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Lash Leroux
WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke with Ric Flair, Dustin Rhodes, Damien 666 and La Parka ahead of their match at Wrestle War
Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr (defence number two) for the WCW Cruiserweight title
Diamond Dallas Page beat Lex Luger
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a rating of 0.11 86,384 viewers with 1,441,142 viewers overall
[9.20 WRESTLE WAR!]
[Greenville, North Carolina]
ââWrestle Warâ Pay Per View
Williams Arena, NC in front of 13,430
Overall Rating 67
Goldberg beat Kevin Nash
Goldberg is seen leaving his locker room and heading to the ring
Rob Van Dam celebrates his title in the ring
Rob Van Dam beats Sabu, Fit Finlay, Scott Steiner, and Yoshihiro Tajiri to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion
Nash is getting ready backstage
Rich Flair and Dustin Rhodes beat La Parka & Damien 666
A video hypes Goldberg v Nash III
Sting & Diamond Dallas Page beat Lance Storm & Mike Awesome
Dusty Rhodes beat Terry Funk
Gene Okerlund interviews Don Callis, La Parka and Damien 666
A music video hypes the team of Sting and DDP
Curt Hennig and Billy Gunn beat Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Rob Van Dam and Sabu get into a confrontation with the Steiner Brothers
Rey Misterio Jr beat Buff Bagwell
Bam Bam Bigelow, Tommy Dreamer and Vampiro beat Shane Douglas, Jeff Jarrett and Lex Luger
Bill Alfonso, Sabu and RVD cut a promo on the Steiner Brothers
TAKA Michinoku, Chavo Guerrero Jr, EZ Money and Vilano V beat Shane Helms, Jamie Knoble, Lizmark Jr and Super Crazy
Roddy Piper tries to talk Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk out of fighting
Announcers plug the two main events Fit Finlay v Sabu v Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner v Tajiri for the vacant World Title and Goldberg v Nash III
âShow Notes
Hugh Morrus was fined due to a behavioural incident
âBusiness Notes
WCW Wrestle War got a pay per view buy rate of 0.13 with 67,575 buys
WCW Wrestle War was shown to an international TV audience with a rating of 0.12 with 91,555 viewers with 172,392 viewers overall
Week 4, September 2001
ââ
[9.26 WCW NITRO!]
[Geenville, Mississippi]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Washington County Center, MP in front of 2,588
Overall Rating 59
Sting & Goldberg beat Fit Finlay and Ultimo Dragon
Diamond Dallas Page beat Billy Gunn
Goldberg is getting ready backstage
Dustin Rhodes beat Kanyon
Fit Finlay attacked Vampiro backstage
Rob Van Dam beat Lance Storm in a non-title match
Ric Flair, Dustin Rhodes had a confrontation backstage.
Rey Misterio Junior and Kevin Nash exchanged words backstage
Totally Buff (Leg Luger & Buff Bagwell) beat Norman Smiley & Jamie Knoble
Rey Misterio Jr beat Rick Steiner
Jeff Jarrett beat Sabu
Goldberg and Sting cut a promo about how they were teaming tonight
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner faced off in the ring
Mike Awesome beat Konnan
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown to a rating of 0.11 with 86,566 viewers with 1,3879,551 viewers overall
[OCTOBER]
Week 1, October 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Small, second in the world
Next Event Halloween Havoc (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 1.8m
Wages ($2,3m)
Of Which Are Terminations (0k) âŹď¸ $13k
Loss ($2.6m) âŹď¸600k
Performance ($855k) âŹď¸ 445k
Reserves $3.8m
[FACE]
Singles
Alex Wright
Bam Bam Bigelow
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
Hugh Morris
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Kevin Nash
Konnan w/Tygress
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms -
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay - WCW World Television Champion
James Storm
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Sanders
Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
TAKA Michinoku
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
Tag Teams
Team Canada (Lance Storm w/Rena Mero & Mike Awesome)
3 Count (Evan Karagias & Shannon Moore)
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 7 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 11 months, 2 weeks
Lizmark Jr - Staph Infection - 25 days
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Stevie Ray
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Out
Summary
No signings
[OCTOBER]
Week 1, October 2001
ââ
âTalent Relations
Kevin Nash has one month remaining on his 2 year, $130,000 contract. He has indicated he does not wish to extend his contract.
âRoster Changes:
Alex Wright has been released from his contract at a cost of $76,200 to the 2001 budget
Hugh Morrus has been released from his contract at a cost of $91,200 to the 2001 budget
Mike Sanders was released from his contract at a cost of $65,400 to the 2001 budget
Evan Karagias was released from his contract at a cost of $36,000 to the 2001 budget
[9.26 WCW NITRO!]
[Natchitoches, Louisiana]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Prather Coliseum, LA in front of 2,487
Overall Rating 64
Tensions also rise between Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Goldberg and Sting are unhappy with each others performance in their six man tag
La Parka and Diamond Dallas Page are backstage; an argument breaks out, and they start brawling with each other.
Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg and Sting defeated Scott Steiner and Team Canada (Lance Storm & Mike Awesome)
Gene Okerlund interviews WCW TV Champion Fit Finlay and Vampiro
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) to retain the WCW Tag Team Titles (fourth defence)
Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) have a backstage confrontation with Jeff Jarrett, Vilano V and Stacy Keilber
Vampiro beats Kanyon, Rick Steiner, Lex Luger and Bam Bam Bigelow in a WCW TV Title No.1 Contenders Match
La Parka beats Konnan
WCW President Eric Bischoff and Championship Committee Member Terry Funk speak with RVD and Scott Steiner
Rey Misterio Jr beats Cash
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) beat James Storm & Mark Jindrak
Yoshihiro Tajiri beats Damien 666 to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (third defence)
Jeff Jarrett beats Super Crazy
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner open the show, they'll meet for the World Title at Halloween Havoc
âShow Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a rating of 0.11, with 86,629 viewers with 1,442,029 viewers overall.
Goldberg suffered a pronator trees syndrome at last nights show, he'll work through the injury for the next 1 year and 1 month.
âBusiness Notes
NBCSN has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
Viewer's Choice Canada has signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 30% revenue will go to WCW.
Azteca 7 has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
MVS Multivisionh as signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 30% revenue will go to WCW.
J Sports 1 has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
Samurai! TV as signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 35% revenue will go to WCW.
âNews
Kevin Nash has signed a contract with WWF, he will depart WCW after five years at the end of October. He rejected a per show agreement from WCW for considerably reduced terms.
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
Week 2, October 2001
ââ
[10.7 WCW NITRO!]
[Charlotte, North Carolina]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Grady Cole Center, NC in front of 2,709
Overall Rating 56
The announcers confirm Sting will face Goldberg at Halloween Havoc
Billy Gunn beat Air Paris
Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Goldberg & Rey Misterio Jr beat Fit Finlay, Jeff Jarrett, Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. Storm and Awesome struggled to get along.
Sting & Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Curt Hennig & Kanyon
Vampiro beats Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner beats Bryan Clark in a non-title match
Scott Steiner attacks Rob Van Dam
Ric Flair gets into an argument with Vilano V and his manager Don Callis
Diamond Dallas Page beat Shannon Moore
Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) beat Lash Leroux and Volador Jr
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka get into a confrontation backstage
Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes trade insults on the microphone, ahead of their match at Halloween Havoc
Sting and Goldberg argue backstage,
EZ Money beat AJ Styles
La Parka, Ultimo Dragon and TAKA Michinoku beat Super Crazy, Yang and Kaz Hayashi
Rey Misterio Jr and Kevin Nash open the show, a match is agreed for Halloween Havoc
âShow Notes
Kanyon suffered an abdominal muscle contusion and will be out for 3 days.
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Sting v Goldberg
Ric Flair v Vilano V
La Parka v Diamond Dallas Page
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.11 with 86,486 viewers with 1,382,843 viewers overall.
âRoster Changes
Randy Savage has agreed a one year, per show handshake agreement with no downside.
Road Dogg has agreed a one year, per show handshake agreement with no downside.
Week 3, October 2001
ââ
[10.17 WCW NITRO!] "BILLY FUN HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT"
[Daytona Beach, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Peabody Auditorium, FL in front of 2,520
Overall Rating 64
Closing the show Scott Steiner and Rob Van Dam confronted each other in the ring
New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg) beat Kevin Nash & Vampiro
DDP, Sting and Rey Misterio Jr beat Curt Hennig, Chavo Guerrero Jr and Shane Douglas
Sabu beat Mr Aquila
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka had a confrontation backstage
WCW Control Center: Confirmed for Halloween Havoc - Kevin Nash v Rey Misterio Jr, Sting v Goldberg and Ric Flair v Vilano V
Rick Steiner beat Lash Leroux
WCW TV Champion Fit Finlay attacks Vampiro backstage
Yoshihiro Tajiri & Tommy Dreamer beat Cash & EZ Money
Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) beat Volador Jr and Brazo de Platino
Gene Okerlund interviews Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes ahead of their match at Halloween Havoc, the match is now a Bull Rope Match
Mike Awesome beat Jamie Knoble
Announcers plug the main event Kevin Nash & Vampiro v New Age Outlaws
Jeff Jarrett beat Bam Bam Bigelow
Kanyon beats Billy Kidman
Billy Gunn introduces Road Dog, the New Age Outlaws are in WCW. Kevin Nash and Vampiro appear and our main event is set.
[DARK] Lance Storm beat Kaz Hayashi
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Kevin Nash v Rey Misterio Jr
Sting v Goldberg
Ric Flair v Vilano V
La Parka v Diamond Dallas Page
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes - Bull Rope Match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV audience of 0.11 with 87,069 viewers with 1,458,166 viewers overall
Week 4, October 2001
ââ
[10.17 Halloween Havoc!] "BILLY FUN HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT"
[Auburn, Alabama]
ââHalloween Havoc" Pay Per View
Autozone Park, TN in front of 12,497
Overall Rating 70
After the show Randy Savage hit the ring and went toe to toe with Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam beat Scott Steiner to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Title (first defence)
Goldberg beat Sting
Goldberg leaves the locker room and heads to the ring
Rey Misterio Jr beat Kevin Nash
Scott Steiner spoke to WCW President Eric Bischoff ahead of the World Title match
Dustin Rhodes beat Jeff Jarrett in a bull rope match
WCW President Eric Bischoff meet with a disgruntled Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Kevin Nash is seen getting ready backstage
Diamond Dallas Page beat La Parka
New Age Outlaws beat Team Canada (Mike Awesome & Lance Storm)
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka got into it backstage
Vampiro beat Fit Finlay for the WCW World Television Title
Gene Oklerund interviews Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes ahead of their Bullrope match
Ric Flair beat Vilano V
Jamie Knoble, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer beat Chavo Guerrero Jr, Mr Aquilar and TAKA Michinoku
Yohihiro Taijir beats Ultimo Dragon to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (fourth defence)
The announcers preview our three main matches, Rey Misterio Jr v Kevin Nash, Goldberg v Sting and Scott Steiner v Rob Van Dam for the WCW World Title
âShow Notes
Stevie Ray was fined for poor backstage behaviour
âBusiness Notes
Halloween Havoc was shown on international TV and was rated 0.56 with 420,226 viewers with 614,274 viewers overall
Halloween Havoc received a pay per view buy rate of 0.35 (179,541 buys)
[19.18 WCW NITRO!] "MACHO MAN RETURNS"
[Daytona Beach, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Harborside Events Center, FL in front of 2,715
Overall Rating 71
Rob Van Dam and Randy Savage closed the show in the ring
Randy Savage beat Diamond Dallas Page and Rey Misteiro Jr to become the new No.1 contender
Sting beat Kanyon
Jeff Jarrett beat Kevin Nash
Vampiro and Vilano V /Stacey Keilber had a confrontation backstage
Mike Awesome and Lance Storm fought in the ring post match, turning Storm babyface
Ric Flair & Goldberg beat Mike Awesome and Lance Storm
Rob Van Dam and Sabu beat Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) to retain the WCW Tag Titles (fifth defence)
Shane Douglas beat Konnan
In ring segment with Goldberg and Sting, this feud isn't over yet
Vampiro beat La Parka to retain the WCW World TV title (first defence)
Fit Finlay beat Brazo de Platino
Ric Flair cuts a promo, he challenges Ultimo Dragon to match in the near future
âShow Notes
WCW Nitro was broadcast to a rating of 0.12 with 96,977 viewers with 1,581,063 viewers overall.
[NOVEMBER]
Week 1, November 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Medium âŹď¸, second in the world
Next Event World War 3 (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 2.1m âŹď¸ 300k
Wages ($2.6m) âŹď¸ $300k
Of Which Are Terminations (268k) âŹď¸ $268k
Loss $2.9m) âŹď¸ $300k
Performance ($894k) âŹď¸39k
Reserves $2.9m
âRoster
[FACE]
Singles
Bam Bam Bigelow
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Konnan w/Tygress
Lance Storm w/Rena Mero
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms -
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro - WCW World Television Champion
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay
James Storm
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Awesome
Rick Steiner
Randy Savage
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
Shannon Moore
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 6 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 10 months, 2 weeks
Norman Smiley - Intracerebral Hematoma - 1 year, 3 months, 1 week
Stevie Ray - At home
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Randy Savage
Road Dogg
Out
Alex Wright
Hugh Morrus
Mike Sanders
Evan Karagias
Kevin Nash
TAKA Michinoku
Summary
Two signings and six departures
[1.11 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Las Vegas, Nevada]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, NV in front of 2,418
Overall Rating 72
Savage and Rob Van Dam went at it after the match.
Randy Savage & Fit Finlay beat Rob Van Dam & Sabu in a non-title match
Randy Savage was getting ready backstage
Rey Misterio Jr beat Rick Steiner
Gene Okerlund was joined by former tag partners Lance Storm & Rena Mero and Mike Awesome
New Age Outlaws beat Kronik
Ric Flair cut a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Legacy (Dusting Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes face off backstage, they'll do battle next in tag action
Lance Storm beats Kaz Hayashi
Goldberg beats Chavo Guerrero Jr
Scott Steiner beats Silver King
Sting beats Lex Luger
Goldberg and Sting cut in ring promos at each other
Announcers reveal Rob Van Dam & Sabu will face Randy Savage & Fit Finlay in a non-title match in the main event
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.12 with 97,088 viewers with 1,586,785 viewers overall.
âRoster Changes
Jinsei Shinzaki has a greed a five appearance handshake deal with no downside
Barry Windham has agreed a one month, per appearance handshake deal with no downside
Mr Aquila has left WCW following the conclusion of his contract.
Chris Candido has agreed a five appearance/3 month handshake agreement with no downside
NOSAWA has agreed a one month handshake agreement with no downside
Jake Roberts has agreed a one month handshake agreement with no downside
Sandman has agreed a one month per show agreement with no downside
Shinya Hashimoto has agreed a one month, per show, handshake agreement with no downside.
Week 2, November 2001
ââ
[11.7 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Tampa, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Bob Martinez Sports Center, FL in front of 3,050
Overall Rating 70
Dustin Rhodes, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Curt Hennig, Randy Savage, Jeff Jarrett and Ulmto Dragon
Lance Storm bear Buff Bagwell
New Age Outlaws beeat Jung Dragons, Billy Kidman & Konnan and Air Raid
From the Control Center we preview Lance Storm v Mike Awesome, Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes and Rey Misteiro Jr v Scott Steiner at World War 3
Diamond Dallas Page beats Chris Candido
Ric Flair cuts a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Goldberg beats Christopher Daniels
Randy Savage and Rob Van Dam have an in-ring confrontation.
A video plays hyping up the New Age Outlaws
Sting beat Super Crazy
Vilano V beat Jamie Knoble
Steiner Brothers beat Silver King & Volador Jr
Director of Talent Acquisition Dusty Rhodes sits down with Sid Vicious to provide an injury update he'll be back in 6 months following his devastating leg break
Scott Steiner attacks Rey Misterio Jr after the match
Rey Misterio Jr beat Damien 666
Sting and Goldberg are joined in the ring by Championship Committee members Terry Funk and Arn Anderson, told if they win World War 3, they'll become No.1 Contenders at Starcade
âRoster Changes
Vilano III has agreed a six month handshake agreement, per show fee with no downside.
El Pantera has agreed a one month, per appearance, no downside handshake agreement
Shinjiro Otani has agreed a one month, per show handshake agreement with no downside
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown last night to a 0.12 TV rating with 96,490 viewers with 1,590,844 views overall.
WCW Worldwide will return, taping Wednesday's and being shown on Sunday mornings.
Week 3, November 2001
ââ
[11.14 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Chicago, Illinois]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Congress Theatre, IL in front of2,333
Overall Rating 71
Goldberg, Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair beat Jeff Jarrett, Kanyon and Randy Savage
Rey Misterio Jr bat Fit Finlay, La Parka and Diamond Dallas Page
Sting beat Curt Hennig
The announcers plugged Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage for the World Title at World War 3
Lance Storm and Rena Mero confronted Mike Awesome backstage
Goldberg and Sting argued backstage
Rob Van Dam beat Damien 666
Scott Steiner cut a backstage promo on Rey Misterio Jr
A video recapped the Sting v Goldberg feud
Mike Awesome & The Steiner Brothers beat Bam Bam Bigelow and Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Sabu beat Shannon Moore
Scott Steiner and Rey Misterio cut promos on each other in the ring
Chavo Guerrero Jr & Mark Jindrak beat Kaz Hayashi & Yang
Ultimo Dragon and Jeff Jarrett confront Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes backstage
A video played hyping Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage for the World Title at World War 3
Shane Douglas beat Shane Helms
âShow Notes
Kaz Hayashi broke his wrist in his match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.12 with 96,901 viewers with 1,625,803 viewers overall
â"World War 3!" [CARD]
Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage - World Heavyweight Title
World War 3 - 60 Man, 3 Ring, Battle Royal
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
Ric Flair v Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner v Rey Misterio Jr
Goldberg v Sting
Lance Storm v Mike Awesome
[11.19 WCW WORLD WAR 3] "60 Warriors, 3 Rings, 1 Survivor. You Do The Math"
[Raleigh, North Carolina]
ââWCW World War 3â Pay per View
PNC Arena, NC in front of 17,017
Overall Rating 77
Rob Van Dam beat Randy Savage to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Title (second defence)
Randy Savage makes an elaborate entrance ahead of the main event
Goldberg attacked Sting backstage
Rey Misterio Jr won World War 3. The final four were Goldberg, Sting and Scott Steiner
Goldberg and Sting go to a double count out
Jake Roberts appears backstage, he'll be in the World War 3 match
Ric Flair beat Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner is with Eric Bischoff, he draws which number ring he'll be in for the World War 3 match
A video is shown hyping up Randy Savage
Jeff Jarrett beat Dustin Rhodes
Goldberg is getting ready backstage
Ric Flair cut a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner beat Rey Misterio Jr
Mike Awesome beat Lance Storm
Scott Steiner cuts a promo on Rey Misterio Jr
New Age Outlaws beat Great Sasuke & Super Crazy
Announcers preview Ric Flair v Ultimo Dragon & Goldberg v Sting and Randy Savage v Rob Van Dam
âBusiness Notes
WCW World War 3 was shown on pay per view with a buy rate of 0.37 with 189,403 buys.
WCW World War 3 was shown on international TV with a rating of 0.62 with 466,414 viewers and 670,230 viewers overall
Week 4, November 2001
ââ
âNews
WCW Worldwide returns! Taping monthly the 1 hour show is set to debut on ESPN2 in the US, ESPN Classic Canada (Canada), JP Sport 1 (Japan) and E4 (UK). Worldwide originally aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, WorldWide was the longest-running, uninterrupted weekly syndicated show of any kind on the air in the United States.
[11.25 WCW NITRO]
[Bessemer, Alabama]
ââWCW Nitro!â TV Show
Jackson County Fairgrounds, AL in front of 3,307
Overall Rating 69
Sting beat Randy Savage
Steiner Brothers beat Kronik
WCW Control Center confirmed for Starcade: Ric Flair v Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes in a cage, Rey Misterio Jr v Scott Steiner
Goldberg beat Chavo Gurrero Jr
Goldberg and Sting then had an in-ring confrontation
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner bumped into each other backstage
La Parka beat Billy Kidman
Ric Flair signed the contract for Starcade with WCW President Eric Bischoff
Fit Finlay, New Age Outlaws went to a no contest with Rey Misterio, Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes after Jeff Jarrett got involved
DDP was backstage following his victory early in the evening
Lance Storm beat Vilano III
Mike Awesome beat Jamie Knoble
Sting cut a promo on Goldberg
Diamond Dallas Page, Vampiro, Yoshihiro Tajiri beat EZ Money, Shannon Moore and Cash
Ric Flair cut a promo on Rob Van Dam who he will challenge for the WCW World Title at Starcade
Announcers plugged the main event Sting v Randy Savage
âShow Notes
Bam Bam Bigelow was fined for poor backstage behaviour
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown last night with a 0.12 TV rating with 93,497 viewers with 1,538,201 viewers overall.
[11.27 WCW WORLDWIDE TAPINGS]
[Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina]
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 1
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 51
Vampiro beat Kanyon to retain the WCW World Television Title (second defence)
A video recapped the Goldberg v Sting feud
Lash Leroux beat James Storm
Scott Steiner cut a promo on Rey Misterio Jr
EZ Money beat Bobby Eaton
Tommy Dreamer & Yoshihiro Tajiri challenged New Age Outlaws to a match at Starcade
Tommy Dreamer & Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo
Jamie Knoble beat Jimmy Valiant
Ric Flair and Rob Van Dam cut promos on each other
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 2
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 48
Ric Steiner beat Konnan
A video recaps the Rob Van Dam v Ric Flair feud
Lizmark Jr, Volador Jr and Super Crazy beat Chavo Guerrero Jr, Damien 666 and Vilano V
Jeff Jarrett cuts a promo on Dustin Rhodes
Silver King beat Shannon Moore
Air Raid (Air Paris & AJ Styles) beat The Barbarian & KC Thunder
Rey Misterio Jr cuts a promo on Scott Steiner ahead of their match at Starcade
Mark Jinfrak beat CW Anderson
Announcers plug Konnan v Ric Steiner in the main event
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 3
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 53
Curt Hennig beat Bam Bam Bigelow
Rena Mero and Lance Storm cut a promo on Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome beat BRazo de Platino
Dustin Rhodes cut a promo on Jeff Jarrett
Great Sasuke beat El Pantera
Ric Flair cut a promo on Rob Van Dam
Kronik beat Jimmy Valiant & KC Thunder
Buff Bagwell beat Romeo Valentino
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 4
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 51
Lex Luger beat Billy Kidman
New Age Outlaws beat Bobby Eaton & CW Anderson
Sting cut a promo on Goldberg
Sabu beat Christopher Daniels
WCW World Champion Rob Van Dam cut a promo on Ric Flair
Fit Finlay and DDP fought backstage
A video recapped Rey Misterio Jr v Scott Steiner feud
Shane Helms beat Chris Candido
Yang beat JR Ryder
âTaping Notes
Bobby Orton, Jimmy Valiant, The Barbarian, KC Thunder, CW Anderson, JR Ryder and Romeo Valentino agreed one night deals to work the taping
Lex Luger sustained a Superocondylar Fracture, following survey he will be out for 11 days
âBusiness Notes
WCW Worldwide was shown with 0.7 TV rating 54,475 viewers with 119,150 viewers overall
[DECEMBER]
Week 1, November 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Medium âŹď¸, second in the world
Next Event Starcade (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 2.1m âŹď¸ 300k
Wages ($2.4m) âŹď¸ $200k
Of Which Are Terminations (0k) âŹď¸ $268k
Loss $2.8m) âŹď¸ $100k
Performance ($534k) âŹď¸360k
Reserves $2.3m
âRoster
[FACE]
Singles
Bam Bam Bigelow
Barry Windham
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Konnan w/Tygress
Lance Storm w/Rena Mero
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms
Shinjiro Otani
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro - WCW World Television Champion
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Chris Candido
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
El Pantera
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay
Jinsei Shinzaki
James Storm
Jake Roberts
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Awesome
NOSAWA
Rick Steiner
Randy Savage
Sandman
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
Shannon Moore
Shinya Hashimoto
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano III
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 5 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 11 Months
Norman Smiley - Intracerebral Hematoma - 1 year, 2 months, 1 week
Stevie Ray - At home
Kaz Hayashi - Broken Wrist - 9 days
Lex Luger - Supracondylar Fracture - 13 days
NOSAWA 0 Lateral Collateral Ligament - 25 days
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Jinsei Shinzaki
Barry Windham
Chris Candido
NOSAWA
Jake Roberts
Sandman
Shinya Hashimoto
Vilano III
El Pantera
Shinjiro Otani
Out
Mr Aquila
Summary
10 signings and one departure
submitted by Bright-Expression950 to FantasyBookers [link] [comments]
[SEPTEMBER]
Week 1, September 2001
ââ
âBusiness Notes
Due to forced cost cutting measures, Production values have been dropped to High Quality a saving of $25k. Live Event Experience has also been dropped to Large. Broadcast Quality has dropped from Industry Standard to In House at a saving of $37,500.
[9.1 WCW NITRO!] âTHE TITLE IS VACANTâ
[Macon, Georgia] Who will be crowned WCW World Heavyweight Champion
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Macon City Auditorium, GA, in front of 2,445
Overall Rating 64
Scott Steiner beats Diamond Dallas Page to become the new Untied States Heavyweight Champion, (Dallas falls in his 4thdefence). Steiner will now be included in the Wrestle War main event.
Vampiro & Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) beat Billy Funn, Curt Hennig and Buff Bagwell.
Nash and Goldberg trade insults in the ring hyping their match at Wrestle War
Goldberg beat Rick Steiner
Rob Van Dam bumps into Scott Steiner backstage. Steiner promises he'll be in the World Title match at Wrestle War.
A video plays hyping Goldberg v Kevin Nash III at Wrestle War
Sting wishes DDP luck, he defends his US title against Scott Steiner in the main event
Konnan beat Mark Jindrak
Bam Bam Bigelow beat Chavo Guerroro Jr
Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes - the Legacy are backstage, disappointed they are not getting a shot at Wrestle War for the WCW World Title. They want a Tag Title match next week
Kevin Nash beat Hugh Morrus
Eric Bischoff is with Tajiri & James Mitchell confirming he will be in the World Title match at Wrestle War, but he will defend the WCW Cruiserweight title against Super Crazy next week, if Crazy becomes champion he will be in the Wrestle War match.
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Shane Douglas & Jeff Jarrett to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championships (second defence)
La Parka & Damien 666 beat Tommy Dreamer & Shane Helms
WCW President Eric Bischoff and the Championship Committee (Roddy Piper, Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk) and Director of Talent Acquisition Dusty Rhodes announce that Booker T has suffered. Serious injury and the WCW World Heavyweight Title is vacant. A new champion will be crowned at Wrestle War in a five way match featuring all the current WCW Champions.
âShow Notes
Volador Jr was again fined for poor behaviour backstage
Brian Adams phoned in his performance in the six man tag match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a 0.11 TV Rating with 86,762 viewers and 1,421,978 viewers overall.
â "WRESTLE WAR!" [CARD SO FAR]
Fit Finlay v Sabu v Rob Van Dam v Yoshihiro Tajiri v Scott Steiner - For vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title
Goldberg v Kevin Nash - The Final Encounter
*Current WCW Champions will be in the match, match subject to change based on title matches
âBusiness Notes
Due to forced cost cutting measures, Production values have been dropped to High Quality a saving of $25k. Live Event Experience has also been dropped to Large. Broadcast Quality has dropped from Industry Standard to In House at a saving of $37,500.
[9.7 WCW NITRO!] âCHAMPIONS UNDER ATTACKâ
[Sacremento, California] Three title matches on the line
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Sacremento Community Center, CA in front of 2,175
Overall Rating 65
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat The Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) to retainn the WCW Tag Team Titles (defence three). Damien 666 & La Parka attacked The Legacy during the match
A video plays hyping Goldberg v Nash III
Fit Finlay beats Bam Bam Bigelow to retain the WCW World Television Title (fourth defence)
Diamond Dallas Page & Sting beat Totally Buff (Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell)
Goldberg and Kevin Nash cut promos in the ring ahead of their match at Wrestle War
Goldberg destroys Evan Karagias
Sting and Diamond Dallas Page attack Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner attack Rob Van Dam backstage
Vampiro & Kevin Nash beat EZ Money & Vilano V
Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Super Crazy to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (defence number one)
Jeff Jarrett beat Silver King
Mike Awesome beat Brian Adams
Lance Storm and Reno Mero get in the face of Sting backstage
The announcers run down three title matches, all could have implications for the Wrestle War main event where WCW Champions compete to crown the new WCW World Champion. The matches are Tajiri v Super Crazy (WCW Cruiserweight), Fit Finlay v Bam Bam Bigelow (WCW TV) and Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes v Rob Van Dam & Sabu (WCW Tag)
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown to a TV rating of 0.12 with 90,530 viewers with 1,460,037 viewers overall.
Week 3, September 2001
ââ
[9.14 WCW NITRO!]
[Birmingham, Alabama]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
BJCC Hall, AL in front of 2,667
Overall Rating 64
Sting & Diamond Dallas Page confronted Lance Storm & Mike Awesome to close the show
Ric Flair beat Billy Gunn
Kevin Nash beat Buff Bagwell
Kevin Nash and Goldberg went toe to toe with the microphone
Jeff Jarrett beat Konnan
Rob Van Dam beat Hugh Morrus
Lance Storm & Mike Awesome beat Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner brawled backstage
Shane Douglas, Steiner Brothers beat Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Lash Leroux
WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke with Ric Flair, Dustin Rhodes, Damien 666 and La Parka ahead of their match at Wrestle War
Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr (defence number two) for the WCW Cruiserweight title
Diamond Dallas Page beat Lex Luger
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a rating of 0.11 86,384 viewers with 1,441,142 viewers overall
[9.20 WRESTLE WAR!]
[Greenville, North Carolina]
ââWrestle Warâ Pay Per View
Williams Arena, NC in front of 13,430
Overall Rating 67
Goldberg beat Kevin Nash
Goldberg is seen leaving his locker room and heading to the ring
Rob Van Dam celebrates his title in the ring
Rob Van Dam beats Sabu, Fit Finlay, Scott Steiner, and Yoshihiro Tajiri to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion
Nash is getting ready backstage
Rich Flair and Dustin Rhodes beat La Parka & Damien 666
A video hypes Goldberg v Nash III
Sting & Diamond Dallas Page beat Lance Storm & Mike Awesome
Dusty Rhodes beat Terry Funk
Gene Okerlund interviews Don Callis, La Parka and Damien 666
A music video hypes the team of Sting and DDP
Curt Hennig and Billy Gunn beat Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Rob Van Dam and Sabu get into a confrontation with the Steiner Brothers
Rey Misterio Jr beat Buff Bagwell
Bam Bam Bigelow, Tommy Dreamer and Vampiro beat Shane Douglas, Jeff Jarrett and Lex Luger
Bill Alfonso, Sabu and RVD cut a promo on the Steiner Brothers
TAKA Michinoku, Chavo Guerrero Jr, EZ Money and Vilano V beat Shane Helms, Jamie Knoble, Lizmark Jr and Super Crazy
Roddy Piper tries to talk Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk out of fighting
Announcers plug the two main events Fit Finlay v Sabu v Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner v Tajiri for the vacant World Title and Goldberg v Nash III
âShow Notes
Hugh Morrus was fined due to a behavioural incident
âBusiness Notes
WCW Wrestle War got a pay per view buy rate of 0.13 with 67,575 buys
WCW Wrestle War was shown to an international TV audience with a rating of 0.12 with 91,555 viewers with 172,392 viewers overall
Week 4, September 2001
ââ
[9.26 WCW NITRO!]
[Geenville, Mississippi]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Washington County Center, MP in front of 2,588
Overall Rating 59
Sting & Goldberg beat Fit Finlay and Ultimo Dragon
Diamond Dallas Page beat Billy Gunn
Goldberg is getting ready backstage
Dustin Rhodes beat Kanyon
Fit Finlay attacked Vampiro backstage
Rob Van Dam beat Lance Storm in a non-title match
Ric Flair, Dustin Rhodes had a confrontation backstage.
Rey Misterio Junior and Kevin Nash exchanged words backstage
Totally Buff (Leg Luger & Buff Bagwell) beat Norman Smiley & Jamie Knoble
Rey Misterio Jr beat Rick Steiner
Jeff Jarrett beat Sabu
Goldberg and Sting cut a promo about how they were teaming tonight
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner faced off in the ring
Mike Awesome beat Konnan
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown to a rating of 0.11 with 86,566 viewers with 1,3879,551 viewers overall
[OCTOBER]
Week 1, October 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Small, second in the world
Next Event Halloween Havoc (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 1.8m
Wages ($2,3m)
Of Which Are Terminations (0k) âŹď¸ $13k
Loss ($2.6m) âŹď¸600k
Performance ($855k) âŹď¸ 445k
Reserves $3.8m
[FACE]
Singles
Alex Wright
Bam Bam Bigelow
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
Hugh Morris
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Kevin Nash
Konnan w/Tygress
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms -
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay - WCW World Television Champion
James Storm
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Sanders
Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
TAKA Michinoku
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
Tag Teams
Team Canada (Lance Storm w/Rena Mero & Mike Awesome)
3 Count (Evan Karagias & Shannon Moore)
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 7 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 11 months, 2 weeks
Lizmark Jr - Staph Infection - 25 days
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Stevie Ray
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Out
Summary
No signings
[OCTOBER]
Week 1, October 2001
ââ
âTalent Relations
Kevin Nash has one month remaining on his 2 year, $130,000 contract. He has indicated he does not wish to extend his contract.
âRoster Changes:
Alex Wright has been released from his contract at a cost of $76,200 to the 2001 budget
Hugh Morrus has been released from his contract at a cost of $91,200 to the 2001 budget
Mike Sanders was released from his contract at a cost of $65,400 to the 2001 budget
Evan Karagias was released from his contract at a cost of $36,000 to the 2001 budget
[9.26 WCW NITRO!]
[Natchitoches, Louisiana]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Prather Coliseum, LA in front of 2,487
Overall Rating 64
Tensions also rise between Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Goldberg and Sting are unhappy with each others performance in their six man tag
La Parka and Diamond Dallas Page are backstage; an argument breaks out, and they start brawling with each other.
Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg and Sting defeated Scott Steiner and Team Canada (Lance Storm & Mike Awesome)
Gene Okerlund interviews WCW TV Champion Fit Finlay and Vampiro
Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) to retain the WCW Tag Team Titles (fourth defence)
Legacy (Ric Flair & Dustin Rhodes) have a backstage confrontation with Jeff Jarrett, Vilano V and Stacy Keilber
Vampiro beats Kanyon, Rick Steiner, Lex Luger and Bam Bam Bigelow in a WCW TV Title No.1 Contenders Match
La Parka beats Konnan
WCW President Eric Bischoff and Championship Committee Member Terry Funk speak with RVD and Scott Steiner
Rey Misterio Jr beats Cash
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) beat James Storm & Mark Jindrak
Yoshihiro Tajiri beats Damien 666 to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (third defence)
Jeff Jarrett beats Super Crazy
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner open the show, they'll meet for the World Title at Halloween Havoc
âShow Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a rating of 0.11, with 86,629 viewers with 1,442,029 viewers overall.
Goldberg suffered a pronator trees syndrome at last nights show, he'll work through the injury for the next 1 year and 1 month.
âBusiness Notes
NBCSN has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
Viewer's Choice Canada has signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 30% revenue will go to WCW.
Azteca 7 has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
MVS Multivisionh as signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 30% revenue will go to WCW.
J Sports 1 has agreed to terminate their partnership to broadcast events at no cost.
Samurai! TV as signed a twelve month agreement to broadcast events, 35% revenue will go to WCW.
âNews
Kevin Nash has signed a contract with WWF, he will depart WCW after five years at the end of October. He rejected a per show agreement from WCW for considerably reduced terms.
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
Week 2, October 2001
ââ
[10.7 WCW NITRO!]
[Charlotte, North Carolina]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Grady Cole Center, NC in front of 2,709
Overall Rating 56
The announcers confirm Sting will face Goldberg at Halloween Havoc
Billy Gunn beat Air Paris
Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Goldberg & Rey Misterio Jr beat Fit Finlay, Jeff Jarrett, Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. Storm and Awesome struggled to get along.
Sting & Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Curt Hennig & Kanyon
Vampiro beats Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner beats Bryan Clark in a non-title match
Scott Steiner attacks Rob Van Dam
Ric Flair gets into an argument with Vilano V and his manager Don Callis
Diamond Dallas Page beat Shannon Moore
Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) beat Lash Leroux and Volador Jr
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka get into a confrontation backstage
Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes trade insults on the microphone, ahead of their match at Halloween Havoc
Sting and Goldberg argue backstage,
EZ Money beat AJ Styles
La Parka, Ultimo Dragon and TAKA Michinoku beat Super Crazy, Yang and Kaz Hayashi
Rey Misterio Jr and Kevin Nash open the show, a match is agreed for Halloween Havoc
âShow Notes
Kanyon suffered an abdominal muscle contusion and will be out for 3 days.
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Sting v Goldberg
Ric Flair v Vilano V
La Parka v Diamond Dallas Page
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.11 with 86,486 viewers with 1,382,843 viewers overall.
âRoster Changes
Randy Savage has agreed a one year, per show handshake agreement with no downside.
Road Dogg has agreed a one year, per show handshake agreement with no downside.
Week 3, October 2001
ââ
[10.17 WCW NITRO!] "BILLY FUN HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT"
[Daytona Beach, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Peabody Auditorium, FL in front of 2,520
Overall Rating 64
Closing the show Scott Steiner and Rob Van Dam confronted each other in the ring
New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg) beat Kevin Nash & Vampiro
DDP, Sting and Rey Misterio Jr beat Curt Hennig, Chavo Guerrero Jr and Shane Douglas
Sabu beat Mr Aquila
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka had a confrontation backstage
WCW Control Center: Confirmed for Halloween Havoc - Kevin Nash v Rey Misterio Jr, Sting v Goldberg and Ric Flair v Vilano V
Rick Steiner beat Lash Leroux
WCW TV Champion Fit Finlay attacks Vampiro backstage
Yoshihiro Tajiri & Tommy Dreamer beat Cash & EZ Money
Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) beat Volador Jr and Brazo de Platino
Gene Okerlund interviews Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes ahead of their match at Halloween Havoc, the match is now a Bull Rope Match
Mike Awesome beat Jamie Knoble
Announcers plug the main event Kevin Nash & Vampiro v New Age Outlaws
Jeff Jarrett beat Bam Bam Bigelow
Kanyon beats Billy Kidman
Billy Gunn introduces Road Dog, the New Age Outlaws are in WCW. Kevin Nash and Vampiro appear and our main event is set.
[DARK] Lance Storm beat Kaz Hayashi
â[Halloween Havoc] "CARD SO FAR!"
Rob Van Dam v Scott Steiner - WCW World Heavyweight Title
Kevin Nash v Rey Misterio Jr
Sting v Goldberg
Ric Flair v Vilano V
La Parka v Diamond Dallas Page
Fit Finaly v Vampiro - WCW World Television Title
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes - Bull Rope Match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV audience of 0.11 with 87,069 viewers with 1,458,166 viewers overall
Week 4, October 2001
ââ
[10.17 Halloween Havoc!] "BILLY FUN HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT"
[Auburn, Alabama]
ââHalloween Havoc" Pay Per View
Autozone Park, TN in front of 12,497
Overall Rating 70
After the show Randy Savage hit the ring and went toe to toe with Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam beat Scott Steiner to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Title (first defence)
Goldberg beat Sting
Goldberg leaves the locker room and heads to the ring
Rey Misterio Jr beat Kevin Nash
Scott Steiner spoke to WCW President Eric Bischoff ahead of the World Title match
Dustin Rhodes beat Jeff Jarrett in a bull rope match
WCW President Eric Bischoff meet with a disgruntled Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Kevin Nash is seen getting ready backstage
Diamond Dallas Page beat La Parka
New Age Outlaws beat Team Canada (Mike Awesome & Lance Storm)
Diamond Dallas Page and La Parka got into it backstage
Vampiro beat Fit Finlay for the WCW World Television Title
Gene Oklerund interviews Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes ahead of their Bullrope match
Ric Flair beat Vilano V
Jamie Knoble, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer beat Chavo Guerrero Jr, Mr Aquilar and TAKA Michinoku
Yohihiro Taijir beats Ultimo Dragon to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title (fourth defence)
The announcers preview our three main matches, Rey Misterio Jr v Kevin Nash, Goldberg v Sting and Scott Steiner v Rob Van Dam for the WCW World Title
âShow Notes
Stevie Ray was fined for poor backstage behaviour
âBusiness Notes
Halloween Havoc was shown on international TV and was rated 0.56 with 420,226 viewers with 614,274 viewers overall
Halloween Havoc received a pay per view buy rate of 0.35 (179,541 buys)
[19.18 WCW NITRO!] "MACHO MAN RETURNS"
[Daytona Beach, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Harborside Events Center, FL in front of 2,715
Overall Rating 71
Rob Van Dam and Randy Savage closed the show in the ring
Randy Savage beat Diamond Dallas Page and Rey Misteiro Jr to become the new No.1 contender
Sting beat Kanyon
Jeff Jarrett beat Kevin Nash
Vampiro and Vilano V /Stacey Keilber had a confrontation backstage
Mike Awesome and Lance Storm fought in the ring post match, turning Storm babyface
Ric Flair & Goldberg beat Mike Awesome and Lance Storm
Rob Van Dam and Sabu beat Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger) to retain the WCW Tag Titles (fifth defence)
Shane Douglas beat Konnan
In ring segment with Goldberg and Sting, this feud isn't over yet
Vampiro beat La Parka to retain the WCW World TV title (first defence)
Fit Finlay beat Brazo de Platino
Ric Flair cuts a promo, he challenges Ultimo Dragon to match in the near future
âShow Notes
WCW Nitro was broadcast to a rating of 0.12 with 96,977 viewers with 1,581,063 viewers overall.
[NOVEMBER]
Week 1, November 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Medium âŹď¸, second in the world
Next Event World War 3 (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 2.1m âŹď¸ 300k
Wages ($2.6m) âŹď¸ $300k
Of Which Are Terminations (268k) âŹď¸ $268k
Loss $2.9m) âŹď¸ $300k
Performance ($894k) âŹď¸39k
Reserves $2.9m
âRoster
[FACE]
Singles
Bam Bam Bigelow
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Konnan w/Tygress
Lance Storm w/Rena Mero
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms -
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro - WCW World Television Champion
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay
James Storm
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Awesome
Rick Steiner
Randy Savage
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
Shannon Moore
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 6 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 10 months, 2 weeks
Norman Smiley - Intracerebral Hematoma - 1 year, 3 months, 1 week
Stevie Ray - At home
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Randy Savage
Road Dogg
Out
Alex Wright
Hugh Morrus
Mike Sanders
Evan Karagias
Kevin Nash
TAKA Michinoku
Summary
Two signings and six departures
[1.11 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Las Vegas, Nevada]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, NV in front of 2,418
Overall Rating 72
Savage and Rob Van Dam went at it after the match.
Randy Savage & Fit Finlay beat Rob Van Dam & Sabu in a non-title match
Randy Savage was getting ready backstage
Rey Misterio Jr beat Rick Steiner
Gene Okerlund was joined by former tag partners Lance Storm & Rena Mero and Mike Awesome
New Age Outlaws beat Kronik
Ric Flair cut a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Legacy (Dusting Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jeff Jarrett and Dustin Rhodes face off backstage, they'll do battle next in tag action
Lance Storm beats Kaz Hayashi
Goldberg beats Chavo Guerrero Jr
Scott Steiner beats Silver King
Sting beats Lex Luger
Goldberg and Sting cut in ring promos at each other
Announcers reveal Rob Van Dam & Sabu will face Randy Savage & Fit Finlay in a non-title match in the main event
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.12 with 97,088 viewers with 1,586,785 viewers overall.
âRoster Changes
Jinsei Shinzaki has a greed a five appearance handshake deal with no downside
Barry Windham has agreed a one month, per appearance handshake deal with no downside
Mr Aquila has left WCW following the conclusion of his contract.
Chris Candido has agreed a five appearance/3 month handshake agreement with no downside
NOSAWA has agreed a one month handshake agreement with no downside
Jake Roberts has agreed a one month handshake agreement with no downside
Sandman has agreed a one month per show agreement with no downside
Shinya Hashimoto has agreed a one month, per show, handshake agreement with no downside.
Week 2, November 2001
ââ
[11.7 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Tampa, Florida]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Bob Martinez Sports Center, FL in front of 3,050
Overall Rating 70
Dustin Rhodes, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam & Sabu beat Curt Hennig, Randy Savage, Jeff Jarrett and Ulmto Dragon
Lance Storm bear Buff Bagwell
New Age Outlaws beeat Jung Dragons, Billy Kidman & Konnan and Air Raid
From the Control Center we preview Lance Storm v Mike Awesome, Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes and Rey Misteiro Jr v Scott Steiner at World War 3
Diamond Dallas Page beats Chris Candido
Ric Flair cuts a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Goldberg beats Christopher Daniels
Randy Savage and Rob Van Dam have an in-ring confrontation.
A video plays hyping up the New Age Outlaws
Sting beat Super Crazy
Vilano V beat Jamie Knoble
Steiner Brothers beat Silver King & Volador Jr
Director of Talent Acquisition Dusty Rhodes sits down with Sid Vicious to provide an injury update he'll be back in 6 months following his devastating leg break
Scott Steiner attacks Rey Misterio Jr after the match
Rey Misterio Jr beat Damien 666
Sting and Goldberg are joined in the ring by Championship Committee members Terry Funk and Arn Anderson, told if they win World War 3, they'll become No.1 Contenders at Starcade
âRoster Changes
Vilano III has agreed a six month handshake agreement, per show fee with no downside.
El Pantera has agreed a one month, per appearance, no downside handshake agreement
Shinjiro Otani has agreed a one month, per show handshake agreement with no downside
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown last night to a 0.12 TV rating with 96,490 viewers with 1,590,844 views overall.
WCW Worldwide will return, taping Wednesday's and being shown on Sunday mornings.
Week 3, November 2001
ââ
[11.14 WCW NITRO!] "SAVAGE MAKES IN RING RETURN"
[Chicago, Illinois]
ââWCW Niroâ TV Show
Congress Theatre, IL in front of2,333
Overall Rating 71
Goldberg, Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair beat Jeff Jarrett, Kanyon and Randy Savage
Rey Misterio Jr bat Fit Finlay, La Parka and Diamond Dallas Page
Sting beat Curt Hennig
The announcers plugged Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage for the World Title at World War 3
Lance Storm and Rena Mero confronted Mike Awesome backstage
Goldberg and Sting argued backstage
Rob Van Dam beat Damien 666
Scott Steiner cut a backstage promo on Rey Misterio Jr
A video recapped the Sting v Goldberg feud
Mike Awesome & The Steiner Brothers beat Bam Bam Bigelow and Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Sabu beat Shannon Moore
Scott Steiner and Rey Misterio cut promos on each other in the ring
Chavo Guerrero Jr & Mark Jindrak beat Kaz Hayashi & Yang
Ultimo Dragon and Jeff Jarrett confront Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes backstage
A video played hyping Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage for the World Title at World War 3
Shane Douglas beat Shane Helms
âShow Notes
Kaz Hayashi broke his wrist in his match
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown with a TV rating of 0.12 with 96,901 viewers with 1,625,803 viewers overall
â"World War 3!" [CARD]
Rob Van Dam v Randy Savage - World Heavyweight Title
World War 3 - 60 Man, 3 Ring, Battle Royal
Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes
Ric Flair v Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner v Rey Misterio Jr
Goldberg v Sting
Lance Storm v Mike Awesome
[11.19 WCW WORLD WAR 3] "60 Warriors, 3 Rings, 1 Survivor. You Do The Math"
[Raleigh, North Carolina]
ââWCW World War 3â Pay per View
PNC Arena, NC in front of 17,017
Overall Rating 77
Rob Van Dam beat Randy Savage to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Title (second defence)
Randy Savage makes an elaborate entrance ahead of the main event
Goldberg attacked Sting backstage
Rey Misterio Jr won World War 3. The final four were Goldberg, Sting and Scott Steiner
Goldberg and Sting go to a double count out
Jake Roberts appears backstage, he'll be in the World War 3 match
Ric Flair beat Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner is with Eric Bischoff, he draws which number ring he'll be in for the World War 3 match
A video is shown hyping up Randy Savage
Jeff Jarrett beat Dustin Rhodes
Goldberg is getting ready backstage
Ric Flair cut a promo on Ultimo Dragon
Scott Steiner beat Rey Misterio Jr
Mike Awesome beat Lance Storm
Scott Steiner cuts a promo on Rey Misterio Jr
New Age Outlaws beat Great Sasuke & Super Crazy
Announcers preview Ric Flair v Ultimo Dragon & Goldberg v Sting and Randy Savage v Rob Van Dam
âBusiness Notes
WCW World War 3 was shown on pay per view with a buy rate of 0.37 with 189,403 buys.
WCW World War 3 was shown on international TV with a rating of 0.62 with 466,414 viewers and 670,230 viewers overall
Week 4, November 2001
ââ
âNews
WCW Worldwide returns! Taping monthly the 1 hour show is set to debut on ESPN2 in the US, ESPN Classic Canada (Canada), JP Sport 1 (Japan) and E4 (UK). Worldwide originally aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, WorldWide was the longest-running, uninterrupted weekly syndicated show of any kind on the air in the United States.
[11.25 WCW NITRO]
[Bessemer, Alabama]
ââWCW Nitro!â TV Show
Jackson County Fairgrounds, AL in front of 3,307
Overall Rating 69
Sting beat Randy Savage
Steiner Brothers beat Kronik
WCW Control Center confirmed for Starcade: Ric Flair v Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett v Dustin Rhodes in a cage, Rey Misterio Jr v Scott Steiner
Goldberg beat Chavo Gurrero Jr
Goldberg and Sting then had an in-ring confrontation
Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner bumped into each other backstage
La Parka beat Billy Kidman
Ric Flair signed the contract for Starcade with WCW President Eric Bischoff
Fit Finlay, New Age Outlaws went to a no contest with Rey Misterio, Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes after Jeff Jarrett got involved
DDP was backstage following his victory early in the evening
Lance Storm beat Vilano III
Mike Awesome beat Jamie Knoble
Sting cut a promo on Goldberg
Diamond Dallas Page, Vampiro, Yoshihiro Tajiri beat EZ Money, Shannon Moore and Cash
Ric Flair cut a promo on Rob Van Dam who he will challenge for the WCW World Title at Starcade
Announcers plugged the main event Sting v Randy Savage
âShow Notes
Bam Bam Bigelow was fined for poor backstage behaviour
âBusiness Notes
WCW Nitro was shown last night with a 0.12 TV rating with 93,497 viewers with 1,538,201 viewers overall.
[11.27 WCW WORLDWIDE TAPINGS]
[Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina]
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 1
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 51
Vampiro beat Kanyon to retain the WCW World Television Title (second defence)
A video recapped the Goldberg v Sting feud
Lash Leroux beat James Storm
Scott Steiner cut a promo on Rey Misterio Jr
EZ Money beat Bobby Eaton
Tommy Dreamer & Yoshihiro Tajiri challenged New Age Outlaws to a match at Starcade
Tommy Dreamer & Yoshihiro Tajiri beat Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo
Jamie Knoble beat Jimmy Valiant
Ric Flair and Rob Van Dam cut promos on each other
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 2
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 48
Ric Steiner beat Konnan
A video recaps the Rob Van Dam v Ric Flair feud
Lizmark Jr, Volador Jr and Super Crazy beat Chavo Guerrero Jr, Damien 666 and Vilano V
Jeff Jarrett cuts a promo on Dustin Rhodes
Silver King beat Shannon Moore
Air Raid (Air Paris & AJ Styles) beat The Barbarian & KC Thunder
Rey Misterio Jr cuts a promo on Scott Steiner ahead of their match at Starcade
Mark Jinfrak beat CW Anderson
Announcers plug Konnan v Ric Steiner in the main event
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 3
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 53
Curt Hennig beat Bam Bam Bigelow
Rena Mero and Lance Storm cut a promo on Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome beat BRazo de Platino
Dustin Rhodes cut a promo on Jeff Jarrett
Great Sasuke beat El Pantera
Ric Flair cut a promo on Rob Van Dam
Kronik beat Jimmy Valiant & KC Thunder
Buff Bagwell beat Romeo Valentino
ââWCW Worldwide!â TV Taping 4
Royal Palace Theater, NC in front of 928
Overall Rating 51
Lex Luger beat Billy Kidman
New Age Outlaws beat Bobby Eaton & CW Anderson
Sting cut a promo on Goldberg
Sabu beat Christopher Daniels
WCW World Champion Rob Van Dam cut a promo on Ric Flair
Fit Finlay and DDP fought backstage
A video recapped Rey Misterio Jr v Scott Steiner feud
Shane Helms beat Chris Candido
Yang beat JR Ryder
âTaping Notes
Bobby Orton, Jimmy Valiant, The Barbarian, KC Thunder, CW Anderson, JR Ryder and Romeo Valentino agreed one night deals to work the taping
Lex Luger sustained a Superocondylar Fracture, following survey he will be out for 11 days
âBusiness Notes
WCW Worldwide was shown with 0.7 TV rating 54,475 viewers with 119,150 viewers overall
[DECEMBER]
Week 1, November 2001
//END OF MONTH REPORT
âCompany Info
Size Medium âŹď¸, second in the world
Next Event Starcade (pay per view)
TV Shows: WCW Nitro (Monday)
âFinancial Summary
Revenue 2.1m âŹď¸ 300k
Wages ($2.4m) âŹď¸ $200k
Of Which Are Terminations (0k) âŹď¸ $268k
Loss $2.8m) âŹď¸ $100k
Performance ($534k) âŹď¸360k
Reserves $2.3m
âRoster
[FACE]
Singles
Bam Bam Bigelow
Barry Windham
Billy Kidman w/Tygress
Booker T
Brazo de Platino
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Great Sasuke
James Mitchell
Jamie Knoble
Konnan w/Tygress
Lance Storm w/Rena Mero
Lash Leroux
Lizmark Jr
Norman Smiley
Rey Misterio Jr w/Tygress
Rob Van Dam - WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion
Sabu w/Bill Alfonso - WCW World Tag Team Champion
Shane Helms
Shinjiro Otani
Silver King
Sting
Super Crazy
Tommy Dreamer
Vampiro - WCW World Television Champion
Volador Jr
Yoshiro Tajiri - WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Teams
Air Raid (AJ Styles & Air Paris)
Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark)
Legacy (Dustin Rhodes & Ric Flair)
Jung Dragons (Yang & Kaz Hayashi)
[HEEL]
Singles
Buff Bagwell
Cash
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Christopher Daniels
Chris Candido
Curt Hennig
Damien 666 w/Don Callis
El Pantera
Elix Skipper
EZ Money
Fit Finlay
Jinsei Shinzaki
James Storm
Jake Roberts
Kanyon w/Bobby Henan
Kid Romeo
La Parka
Lex Luger
Mark Jindrak
Mike Awesome
NOSAWA
Rick Steiner
Randy Savage
Sandman
Scott Steiner w/Midajah - WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
Shannon Moore
Shinya Hashimoto
Ultimo Dragon
Vilano III
Vilano V w/Stacy Keibler
âUnavailable
Sid Vicious - Leg Break 5 Months, 2 weeks
Booker T - Frontal Bone Fracture - 11 Months
Norman Smiley - Intracerebral Hematoma - 1 year, 2 months, 1 week
Stevie Ray - At home
Kaz Hayashi - Broken Wrist - 9 days
Lex Luger - Supracondylar Fracture - 13 days
NOSAWA 0 Lateral Collateral Ligament - 25 days
âPersonalities
Arn Anderson - Member of the Championship Committee
Eric Bischoff - OwnePresident
Dusty Rhodes - Director Talent Acquisition
Roddy Piper - Member of the Championship Committee
Ricky Steamboat - Member of the Championship Committee
Terry Funk - Member of the Championship Committee / Part Time Wrestler
Larry Zbyszko
Paisley
Mike Tenay
Tony Schiavone
Gene Okerlund
[IN/OUT]
In
Jinsei Shinzaki
Barry Windham
Chris Candido
NOSAWA
Jake Roberts
Sandman
Shinya Hashimoto
Vilano III
El Pantera
Shinjiro Otani
Out
Mr Aquila
Summary
10 signings and one departure
2024.05.20 04:35 SpiritedBrilliant703 6 Figure Trash Company in 30 Days
Okay so it starts with Spencer Scott being fed up with his trash company. Living in a gated community outside of Dallas, he is annoyed at how the trash collectors leaves bins scattered all over the neighborhood each week after pickup.
So he decides to do something about it.
Scott makes a post in his neighborhood Facebook group, asking if residents wanted to switch to a better trash service. Turns out his neighbors feels the same as his post garners over 150 comments.
But then he finds out that the trash company is actually charging something like 50 bucks a month for 300 houses. He does the math. He goes, this is kind of interesting.
So he makes a new post in the facebook group.
âIn order for this to work, we need 200 houses to sign up and commit to switching vendors.I know this is a huge ask and you're going to be taking on a risk on a new startup, but I can assure you, we are going to be light years better. If we aren't, I'm sure they'll take us back. I've got everything lined up, including two advisors who have been in the industry for years. What do you say? You want to help us start a trash company with me?â
In 48 hours Scott builds a simple website. Not only that he adds this genius marketing strategy of offering incentives like free t-shirts for anyone who referred new sign-ups and for every 10 neighbors someone convinced to prepay, they would get their first month free.
This guerrilla launch strategy led to $15,000 in sign-ups.
With the initial cash he purchases 200 trash bins on Facebook Marketplace along with securing funding for a $40,000 garbage truck.
Within a month, Scott's newly-minted trash hauling operation was ready to roll.
Right now Scott is on track to make $169,000 in ARR but with an expansion in place we are looking at $400,000.
If the initial traction is any sign, this trash startup born out of frustration could spark the beginning of something bigger.
Full case study here
submitted by SpiritedBrilliant703 to Entrepreneur [link] [comments]
So he decides to do something about it.
Scott makes a post in his neighborhood Facebook group, asking if residents wanted to switch to a better trash service. Turns out his neighbors feels the same as his post garners over 150 comments.
But then he finds out that the trash company is actually charging something like 50 bucks a month for 300 houses. He does the math. He goes, this is kind of interesting.
So he makes a new post in the facebook group.
âIn order for this to work, we need 200 houses to sign up and commit to switching vendors.I know this is a huge ask and you're going to be taking on a risk on a new startup, but I can assure you, we are going to be light years better. If we aren't, I'm sure they'll take us back. I've got everything lined up, including two advisors who have been in the industry for years. What do you say? You want to help us start a trash company with me?â
In 48 hours Scott builds a simple website. Not only that he adds this genius marketing strategy of offering incentives like free t-shirts for anyone who referred new sign-ups and for every 10 neighbors someone convinced to prepay, they would get their first month free.
This guerrilla launch strategy led to $15,000 in sign-ups.
With the initial cash he purchases 200 trash bins on Facebook Marketplace along with securing funding for a $40,000 garbage truck.
Within a month, Scott's newly-minted trash hauling operation was ready to roll.
Right now Scott is on track to make $169,000 in ARR but with an expansion in place we are looking at $400,000.
If the initial traction is any sign, this trash startup born out of frustration could spark the beginning of something bigger.
Full case study here
2024.05.18 21:57 BlackBeard90 The luckiest franchise in the history of hockey
I seemed to have upset the mods last night by posting a screen shot from the Avs subreddit, so instead I would like to share a completely original statement a friend of mine shared with me. His statement is as follows:
Dallas has to be the luckiest franchise in the history of hockey. Imagine building your franchise around Benn for $9.5M and Seguin for $10M and still winding up fuckin good?? These guys were fucking invisible. They should be in a similar purgatory to the Leafs. Fringe fraud âcontenders.â But no. A bunch of random draft picks all pop off. Who the fuck is Johnston? Who the fuck is Stankoven? Who the fuck is Steel? These are their fucking best forwards aside from Robertson and Hintz. Name another franchise who spends $23M on what would be an ok third line for most contenders. Nvm one who does this and is good. I fucking hate Been and Duchenne, of course they scored lol. I canât even hate stankoven Robertson or Johnston, theyâre all fucking sick. But Iâm so fucking jealous. Most teams staring down the barrel of $20M to those dirty useless plugs would be starting the rebuild yet theyâre fucking contenders. Fuckin kill me
submitted by BlackBeard90 to DallasStars [link] [comments]
Dallas has to be the luckiest franchise in the history of hockey. Imagine building your franchise around Benn for $9.5M and Seguin for $10M and still winding up fuckin good?? These guys were fucking invisible. They should be in a similar purgatory to the Leafs. Fringe fraud âcontenders.â But no. A bunch of random draft picks all pop off. Who the fuck is Johnston? Who the fuck is Stankoven? Who the fuck is Steel? These are their fucking best forwards aside from Robertson and Hintz. Name another franchise who spends $23M on what would be an ok third line for most contenders. Nvm one who does this and is good. I fucking hate Been and Duchenne, of course they scored lol. I canât even hate stankoven Robertson or Johnston, theyâre all fucking sick. But Iâm so fucking jealous. Most teams staring down the barrel of $20M to those dirty useless plugs would be starting the rebuild yet theyâre fucking contenders. Fuckin kill me
2024.05.18 17:39 Ultramyth Why the CM-90S Corvus Stats are Wrong
 | This might be a bit nerdy and uninteresting, but thought it might appeal to some people. TLDConclusions at the bottom. submitted by Ultramyth to alienrpg [link] [comments] While looking for deck plans of the Anesidora and considering making them, the starship designer in me got a bit flummoxed. While I have seen the plans that are out there, both those done by u/_ArthurDallas_ and the level maps from Mission 15 of Alien: Isolation are... incongruent with the limited part of the ship shown in Marlow's mission in the game. I went down a bit of an Alien: Isolation rabbit hole and am pleased with my results, because everyone loves a bigger ship... Let's start with the art from the Alien RPG Core Rulebook: https://preview.redd.it/vbeymj1gf71d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=1795c0521ba00419eded8e6e1f60597dbb531cfe The art is by John R. Mullaney, and appears to be based on the final version of the Anesidora seen in the game. The concept art varies wildly, but this seems based on the following: https://preview.redd.it/d5h6kxuxf71d1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=919dc43741ad1ee872bb5e47cb02e040fcf41185 So far, so good. This version is pretty close to the final design, and is in fact a paint over of one of the models used in the game, but from a section of the game that was cut where the ship was being mothballed by working joes. Here are a few more shots of this version: https://preview.redd.it/or65q8dtf71d1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65c5a669e5138cd72dfb6f0bc6f1e00c726f0034 https://preview.redd.it/rkqnfe10g71d1.jpg?width=2392&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d54bb9d3c3052bc9e557286f99d91eb3474fc6d If you ask my trained 3D mind, these are paint overs of 3D geometry. So at this point, Mullaney has good reference material, and appears to have illustrated the version of the ship used in the game. I believe the illustration is perfectly accurate of how the ship is meant to look. So when it comes to scale, I think maybe the designers might have been given the impression that the Anesidora/Corvus is a lot smaller than it actually is. The culprit is early concept art. If they are like me, they got their hands on a copy of the outstanding Art of Alien: Isolation coffee table book. In it, most of the concept art shown of the Patna, Anesidora and Torrens is quite early. Culprit 1 Culprit 2 Both of these images are taken from Brad Wright's Artstation page on the ships of Alien: Isolation. Most notably, we have a point of reference for scale here. You can see the cargo lift with a human onboard in both shots, giving the impression of scale. I can see how getting a length of 54 metres makes sense when looking at these images. However, draw your attention to the landing gear (unique here rather than the Nostromo style in the later concept art), the style of engines (the flaps being on the tips of the engines rather than on the housings, and the perhaps less notable, the width of the examples above. They are not seen in the later concept art and in the game files themselves. Mild Spoilers for Alien: Isolation: The Anesidora is seen in Mission 9, when you play through the flashback of Marlow and his crew finding the Derelict on LV-426. Right at the start of the mission, you find yourself in a generous cargo bay, which is what sent me down this rabbit hole in the first place. Because the cargo bay... is much bigger. The platform in the concept art above (Culprits 1 and 2), shows a lift that is maybe 2-3 metres by 5-6 metres in size. However, this is much larger... However, the start of the level's bay is much larger, maybe 8 by 16 metres. Furthermore, the landing gear on the later version mirrors the same design as the Nostromo's. Furthermore, the map from Mission 15 seems much larger than what could possibly fit in a 54-metre ship. I wanted to know just how big the Anesidora/Corvus should be. So... I downloaded a software suite called OpenCAGE, which lets you peruse and export the assets from A:I, and imported them into Maya. I then painstakingly reassembled what I could. The model came in many parts, none of which lined up. There was also a model of the cargo bay shown above. Once assembled, I realised the assets from Mission 9 were missing elements. The entire bow was missing, and those side engine thrusters were not present (although they are also missing from some of the concept art). I imported the scene at scale, scaled to a spacesuit from the game, which we know is about 2 metres tall, and then also imported image planes of the Corvus from Mullaney's illustration, made to fit 54 metres at scale. Here is what I came up with: Hard to see, but the 54 m version vs. the 101.5 \"screen accurate\" version As you can see, the Anesidora here is much larger than the one in the RPG has it listed as. While this is approximate, and I am missing the front of the bow, the geometry matches up with this illustration. Great! So it is much bigger! Let's compare it to the map! While I could not get the complete level exported, I was able to export the meshes used for the in-game map and roughly reassemble them in a 3D space. The large block to the south is the ambulance bay (a warning that something is off in this deck plan of a "salvage ship"), whilst the rectangle in the middle of the image is the fusion core. Something's not quite right... So this is the correct orientation according to the map (I played it out several times, looking for semiotics, and the bridge is indicated in the square area junction as being to the centre-left and is inaccessible in-game), and what do you know... The game is not accurate to itself... But there's a good reason for that. It seems that a year before release, Alien: Isolation got a big rewrite, and was reduced from something like 34 missions down to 18. The story happened differently. One of the missions, one of the first missions in fact, was meant to find a derelict ship called the Solace, which was iced up and full of dead people who got nixed by a xeno. The Solace was also originally known as the Patna, and it was an in-system medical ship. Anyone playing Alien: Isolation wonder why there are three medical bays and no salvage/cargo bays on Mission 15, which is supposed to take place aboard the Anesidora? Well, that's because it is a recycled Patna/Solace map from when the game was changed. The Anesidora was in the game, but in its own level with the aforementioned ship breaking at the docks from the concept art back at the top of the page. You can even see humanoids working on the top of the ship in one of the shots. Ripley and Marlow were going to work together to try and destroy the station by blowing it up while it was docked. There are multiple other missing levels that you can read about here. Here is another shot with it in an environmentally sealed bay... note the power loaders... if only: This one is by Emmanuel Shiu What the Stats Should Be (based on):So, if the Anesidora is wrong in two different missions in the game Alien: Isolation itself, why does it matter if the Corvus is also off in scale?Well, let's put it this way, there is only one scene with the accurate Anesidora left in the game, and it is in Mission 9. Since Mission 15 is a recycled Solace/Patna map, it's not accurate for that reason. That's the one we have an external model for, and it should be approximately 101.5 metres +/- 1 metre. The beam (width) should be around 66 metres excluding the antennae, and 33 metres in draught (height). This means the Corvus should be a Class-H or Class-I (not exactly sure, but it is six steps from Class G at 54 metres to Class M at 334, so if Class G is 50+, class H = 100+, Class I = 150m+, Class J = 200m+, Class K = 250m+ and Class L = 300m+; could be something like 75/100/150/200/250 also, who knows). It should have roughly 7-8 times the displacement/internal volume, and could easily fit multiple levels and a fusion reactor the size of the one in the game. I love bigger spaceships, do you? The community needs larger deck plans! Conclusions/TLDR:
|
2024.05.18 17:22 bkaction Some season-ending thoughts and positivity
Heartbreaking way for the season to end last night. Letâs focus on some positives: - With Chu we would have won this series. I wish him well and hope he gets the help he needs, but our top playoff goal scorer having scandals two years in a row was an absolute gut punch to the boys. Nothing we can do but move on. - Georgiev is our guy. He was the best player on the team this post season, not even a question about it. He struggled in the regular season but this performance should take his confidence forward. - Drouin is one of the best stories in the NHL this year. Even these last two games Iâd argue he was consistently one of, if not our top playmaker on the ice. We will probably get him at a reasonable price for next year too. - Mittelstadt was inconsistent but had flashes of greatness. If he gets time to actually build chemistry with the team, this will look like a much different second line next season. Plus heâs young and has lots of room for growth with two of the very best players in the league to learn from. - HOPEFULLY we get some clarity on our captain situation. I think too many people view this as our single solution. Even if Gabe comes back he will be two years out of shape, but at least coming into next year I imagine we will know one way or the other. - Between Bednar and McFarlane, who else could you even wish for to be the guys building us for next season. These last two runs took some unfortunate turns outside of their control, the result does not mean the approach was not the right one.
Lastly, Dallas is a wagon. I fucking hate them, but itâs true. All that talent in all four lines, plus Oettinger, give me a break. We lost to a team that earned their wins, and the boys recovered from a tough morale situation to turn this into a series which is more than we could have asked for in the circumstances.
At the end of the day we are one of the luckiest fanbases in the league, letâs support the boys and enjoy all this great hockey.
submitted by bkaction to ColoradoAvalanche [link] [comments]
Lastly, Dallas is a wagon. I fucking hate them, but itâs true. All that talent in all four lines, plus Oettinger, give me a break. We lost to a team that earned their wins, and the boys recovered from a tough morale situation to turn this into a series which is more than we could have asked for in the circumstances.
At the end of the day we are one of the luckiest fanbases in the league, letâs support the boys and enjoy all this great hockey.
2024.05.18 07:23 NRGSurge Amended crosspost. Really struggling. What to do when life is just too much?
I can't believe that I'm blasting all of the following to the world, I just need help getting through the weekend and coming days until I can hopefully see a psychiatrist next week.
I (53M) have recently received some extremely distressing, alarming and sensitive major family news affecting my entire family about very sensitive topics that I'm not even sure I can even discuss here, along with a similar trauma I went though as a young adult when i was in jail.I had tried Reddit CrisisLine, but nobody answered twice after 45 and 60 minutes. I'm really not sure if I'm in any way considering self harm.
But it has thrown my already existing depression into a spiraling and crippling depression that is really causing me to want to just give up. Again I stress, I don't feel like I'm the point I'd take action, but I'm tettering right on the edge of the abyss. I just don't really care about life anymore. I don't have any fight left in me. On top of my myriad of current major medical issues that already have had me really weighed down and struggling for many years, my sleep is down, serious weight loss in a short period of time (25% loss 3 months.) I can count one time on less than both hands the items I've eaten this past week. I'm not taking my 31 meds as I just gag and barf them up, and honestly, I'm simply exhausted from side effects. All day-every day accute pain throughout my body for decades, which is being treated through pain management specialist, but it's still there.100% even more now that my two spinal cord stims for pain management are no longer working due to failed batteries, and insurance is refusing to pay until the batteries reach their ten year mark in two years. Anthropophobia, agoraphobia, SAD, and accute depression rule my life, well....my existence. Possibly even an undiagnosed eating disorder due to not eating. And when I do eat, six times out of 10 I have to put my fingers down my throat to barf some food back up due to Gastro pressures from a prior surgery that can not be amended. A recent first-time rheumatologist doc says maybe Fibromyalgia instead of what I thought was arthritis to add to my existing health stack. But there's no way to test for it, let alone diagnose and treat it. I just have 'all of the indicators'. Which in itself explains so much of my pain from the research I've been doing since. Major endocrine issues caused by an inoperable brain tumour. My shoulders and neck and back are rock hard from stress. Nightly recurrent nightmares of being pulled under by water rapids, and I most defin'itely can not swim. As well as camping and taking myself flying off a high cliff, and being smothered/suffocate. I'm a recovering Norco and Soma addict. I'm working a program, just not NA. Treatment in 09, but I've had a few relapses since, all due to daily acute physical body pain that I'm being treated for. In irony, my pain medical issues require me to remain on the same medications I was addicted to. Plus, I have Keterolac shots for the near daily migraines. I've become even much more of a recluse, only ever leaving home to get groceries or to go to medical appointments. Like I know that I need help, I .just don't have anything left in me to fight. Tired of health. Tired of family. Tired of life. I just exist day to day. Dreading to get out of bed each day to cope. Rather lay in bed all day in the dark.
I had a really horrendous encounter as a youth in the psychiatric system and meds for gay conversion 'therapy' that I've never dealt with the aftermath of.
I've got significant church related shame and issues surrounding my being gay and being shunned, called out during church, all eyes averted, and being excommunicated in my early 20s before jail outlined below. This was the Sunday after I'd gone to the senior pastor seeking spiritual guidance as I was dealing with the catastrophic aftermath of having recently at the time of coming out to my parents, and being told 'dont want a gay son' which fomed my whole outlook of worthiness and insecuirty of self worth that's plagued my whole life as I've never gotten over it. So religion is completely out of the picture. And I've 100,000% zero desire to go back at all. This even with given the fact that the largest LGBT church in the world is right here in Dallas. This is further compounded by a prior marriage that I had to the pastor of the 2nd largest LGBT church, that viciously ended after 6 years of continual daily psychological and verbal and sexual abuse for which I wasnt 'permitted' to seek help outside of church by the board for what it could potentially do to harm the church should it be made public during a fragile time in church history. Also never dealt with.
I missed a call from my cardiologist today who indicated I need heart work, and fast, as I've got numerous blockages in and on my heart that could account for the random off the wall bad arrhythmias I've been having. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I want the surgery for it, hoping it will just take me sooner. I'm just struggling to even comprehend this new news, given that I eat like a bird, and what I do eat either literally 90+% of the time flushes right through me. This new news on top of everything else is just pushing me closer to the abyss.
My own therapist is out of town camping for the weekend until Tuesday, and I've not been able to reach her. I don't currently see a psychologist. But after months of trying to get into a psychologist that didn't have an extensive waiting list due to my insurance. I was finally able to schedule a psychiatrist visit and consult for next Friday the 25th of May via pain management. But I missed a call today from them as well stating that they need to reschedule. So now I have to wait some more, and who knows when that will be.
I also want to add that I have a very loving husband of 25 years. He's my rock and is being so supportive, holding me constantly while I cry. He just doesn't know what to do either other than to be there for me. He is the only one anchoring me at the moment. I know and understand and see that I'm catastrophizing in what-ifs, but if he wasn't here, then I wouldn't be here typing this message, especially after today. My rational mind has taken a vacation I was able to speak with 988 today, the National Suicide Prevention line. And I was able to barf all of these feelings out to him. But I'm still very raw and struggling. I've been in bed all day, well... all moth, has been my MO for a hot minute.
I've been zonked all day on my own pain weed and Valium from pain management just to cope as I was uncontrollably hysterical earlier after cardiologist voicemail.
Does anyone know if there are weekend emotional support groups in Dallas, TX area that I could go to over the weekend. Any therapists that do weekend consultations?
I'm just adrift and looking for input on sensitive topics. Thanks in advance for any recommendations and comments.
submitted by NRGSurge to askatherapist [link] [comments]
I (53M) have recently received some extremely distressing, alarming and sensitive major family news affecting my entire family about very sensitive topics that I'm not even sure I can even discuss here, along with a similar trauma I went though as a young adult when i was in jail.I had tried Reddit CrisisLine, but nobody answered twice after 45 and 60 minutes. I'm really not sure if I'm in any way considering self harm.
But it has thrown my already existing depression into a spiraling and crippling depression that is really causing me to want to just give up. Again I stress, I don't feel like I'm the point I'd take action, but I'm tettering right on the edge of the abyss. I just don't really care about life anymore. I don't have any fight left in me. On top of my myriad of current major medical issues that already have had me really weighed down and struggling for many years, my sleep is down, serious weight loss in a short period of time (25% loss 3 months.) I can count one time on less than both hands the items I've eaten this past week. I'm not taking my 31 meds as I just gag and barf them up, and honestly, I'm simply exhausted from side effects. All day-every day accute pain throughout my body for decades, which is being treated through pain management specialist, but it's still there.100% even more now that my two spinal cord stims for pain management are no longer working due to failed batteries, and insurance is refusing to pay until the batteries reach their ten year mark in two years. Anthropophobia, agoraphobia, SAD, and accute depression rule my life, well....my existence. Possibly even an undiagnosed eating disorder due to not eating. And when I do eat, six times out of 10 I have to put my fingers down my throat to barf some food back up due to Gastro pressures from a prior surgery that can not be amended. A recent first-time rheumatologist doc says maybe Fibromyalgia instead of what I thought was arthritis to add to my existing health stack. But there's no way to test for it, let alone diagnose and treat it. I just have 'all of the indicators'. Which in itself explains so much of my pain from the research I've been doing since. Major endocrine issues caused by an inoperable brain tumour. My shoulders and neck and back are rock hard from stress. Nightly recurrent nightmares of being pulled under by water rapids, and I most defin'itely can not swim. As well as camping and taking myself flying off a high cliff, and being smothered/suffocate. I'm a recovering Norco and Soma addict. I'm working a program, just not NA. Treatment in 09, but I've had a few relapses since, all due to daily acute physical body pain that I'm being treated for. In irony, my pain medical issues require me to remain on the same medications I was addicted to. Plus, I have Keterolac shots for the near daily migraines. I've become even much more of a recluse, only ever leaving home to get groceries or to go to medical appointments. Like I know that I need help, I .just don't have anything left in me to fight. Tired of health. Tired of family. Tired of life. I just exist day to day. Dreading to get out of bed each day to cope. Rather lay in bed all day in the dark.
I had a really horrendous encounter as a youth in the psychiatric system and meds for gay conversion 'therapy' that I've never dealt with the aftermath of.
I've got significant church related shame and issues surrounding my being gay and being shunned, called out during church, all eyes averted, and being excommunicated in my early 20s before jail outlined below. This was the Sunday after I'd gone to the senior pastor seeking spiritual guidance as I was dealing with the catastrophic aftermath of having recently at the time of coming out to my parents, and being told 'dont want a gay son' which fomed my whole outlook of worthiness and insecuirty of self worth that's plagued my whole life as I've never gotten over it. So religion is completely out of the picture. And I've 100,000% zero desire to go back at all. This even with given the fact that the largest LGBT church in the world is right here in Dallas. This is further compounded by a prior marriage that I had to the pastor of the 2nd largest LGBT church, that viciously ended after 6 years of continual daily psychological and verbal and sexual abuse for which I wasnt 'permitted' to seek help outside of church by the board for what it could potentially do to harm the church should it be made public during a fragile time in church history. Also never dealt with.
I missed a call from my cardiologist today who indicated I need heart work, and fast, as I've got numerous blockages in and on my heart that could account for the random off the wall bad arrhythmias I've been having. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I want the surgery for it, hoping it will just take me sooner. I'm just struggling to even comprehend this new news, given that I eat like a bird, and what I do eat either literally 90+% of the time flushes right through me. This new news on top of everything else is just pushing me closer to the abyss.
My own therapist is out of town camping for the weekend until Tuesday, and I've not been able to reach her. I don't currently see a psychologist. But after months of trying to get into a psychologist that didn't have an extensive waiting list due to my insurance. I was finally able to schedule a psychiatrist visit and consult for next Friday the 25th of May via pain management. But I missed a call today from them as well stating that they need to reschedule. So now I have to wait some more, and who knows when that will be.
I also want to add that I have a very loving husband of 25 years. He's my rock and is being so supportive, holding me constantly while I cry. He just doesn't know what to do either other than to be there for me. He is the only one anchoring me at the moment. I know and understand and see that I'm catastrophizing in what-ifs, but if he wasn't here, then I wouldn't be here typing this message, especially after today. My rational mind has taken a vacation I was able to speak with 988 today, the National Suicide Prevention line. And I was able to barf all of these feelings out to him. But I'm still very raw and struggling. I've been in bed all day, well... all moth, has been my MO for a hot minute.
I've been zonked all day on my own pain weed and Valium from pain management just to cope as I was uncontrollably hysterical earlier after cardiologist voicemail.
Does anyone know if there are weekend emotional support groups in Dallas, TX area that I could go to over the weekend. Any therapists that do weekend consultations?
I'm just adrift and looking for input on sensitive topics. Thanks in advance for any recommendations and comments.
2024.05.17 21:52 Consistent_Pea_1374 Found the source of the leak
(Sorry for typos or grammatical errors Iâm on my phone and itâs a ton of info to edit.)
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef.
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef. I believe that Al B. Sure! was planing to release all the info he had on Diddy in 2022, but may have been poisoned beforehand similar to theories about Diddysâs ex wife Kim Porter who was originally married to Kim before Diddy stole her away along with Alâs son, also Diddyâs stepson Quincy. Diddy has also been directly tied to the murders or mysterious deaths of at least a half a dozen more people who were close associates from the beginning of his career and were key players in the formation of Bad Boy. Coincidentally many of the victims had either exposed or were threatening to expose evidence related to all of these crimes. They are also using Keefe D. to take the charge for 2Pacs murder so he can spin the story and leave out and ties to Diddy who ordered the hit or did it himself.
Unfortunately for Diddy, unlike the rest of the people he had successfully silenced in the past, Al ended up coming out of his coma and revealing all the info he had on Diddy, including that he was responsible for him falling into a coma. After he came out of the coma Diddy knew he was about to go down and before the raid he destroyed and staged all of his homes with evidence that would verify all the claims related to other celebrities over the age of 18. Meanwhile he got rid of all the videos involving murder, sa, child abuse, bestiality and other evidence that would bring major charges. This is so he can cooperate with the Feds and help reduce his sentence. If he hid all the evidence they would know and work overtime to find it. Instead he lied by omission and corroborated the accusations that wonât completely destroy him. He can then release all his dirt to seem like he made all the blackmail with the intention of bringing down known predators who were able to get away with the same things heâs guilty of.
In the video of Diddy in the wig, he talks about partying with Drake and The Weekend and I believe he was able to acquire the blackmail. He then released the blackmail to selected people to ensure they leak at the appropriate time. The plan is to publicly out Drake for sex crimes so the rest of Hollywood knows not to testify against him. During the auction mentioned by ebony prince they are going to auction off all the dirt Diddy has collected the last 30 years. This includes dirt on Trump, which may be the reason behind all of this. The auction is four days after Election Day and will be used as a fail safe in case Trump wins the election.
Iâm trying my best to add everything, just struggling because I have like 30 pages worth of write ups. If you want more evidence I have a ton, on my other account, I donât want to spam so just dm me if you want additional evidence. The full post above is multiple pages long so I just chose the important part because very few people on here have the attention span for it.
You donât have to believe it, itâs just my personal opinions, but they are based on facts and about 80 hours of research.
https://www.reddit.comRationalSchizo812020/s/IsgRSkK8KM
Check out the post covering Diddy, Drake, Kendrick, and Kanye
Two articles about modern sex cults still in operation: https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/28/new-york-satanic-cult-764-fbi
https://www.complex.com/life/a/brad-callas/accused-cult-leader-nature-boy-sentenced-to-life
Yesterday I found Yeâs full interview with The Download from before the beef blew up. It discusses a lot of my connections and hints that Ye is partially involved. You can skip to around 13 minutes in.
(Recently the charges against Lucian Grange were dropped showing he most likely is working behind the scenes as well and has some influence. He may be related to the leak as well. He could have also been the one who supplied the blackmail. Another alternative is Diddy went to the feds on his own accord, but when multiple lawsuits pop up very quickly, especially after thirty years of avoiding charges related to tons of sketchy shit, it usually means there is some type of coordination. Look at TI and his wifeâs allegations and what lead up to those events.)
Full post:
This is all speculation so please donât victim blame or spread conspiracies about a possible survivor of C.S abuse. This is why many donât come forward. All Iâm trying to do is point out the large amount of details surrounding the rumor that stand out as odd to me. By no means does this dismiss his claims. Iâm not a lawyer, but if he was suing my client, this is some of the evidence I would use in the case.
Before I start I need to put in a small disclaimer. **The subjects I covered in my essay are well known to be linked to conspiracy theory communities that have been equated to terrorist groups. The end goal of a lot of these communities is to promote political divide, antisemetism, homophobia, and violence. I think the ultimate goal is to create such a massive gap between the left and right that the two party system fails and we fall into anarchy allowing the people who really pull the strings to restructure and in order to retain their power. Itâs already evident that Biden isnât able to do nearly as much as he could do if he didnât have to consider the opposing partyâs majority vote as well. Whoever wins I feel the results will be the same, violent protests aiming to reverse the vote. If this is achieved it will be the death of democracy in America.
I highly encourage anyone who identifies with either political party and are attracted to controversial subjects or consider themselves to be contrarian to please look out for any conspiracies that seem to be targeted towards you or the community youâre a part of. If they share similar ideas to the findings I made in my research, please do not engage.
Iâve watched the conception and the eventual downfalls off the P-gate and Q conspiracy communities. It didnât take me long to figure out the eventual end game and step back from the community while continuing independent research. If youâre letting someone else to the research for you, you really need to be sure to trust the source and be aware of possible ulterior motives. Itâs really dangerous territory though, filled with hidden traps that can draw you in and send you so deep that you either end up going into psychosis from the stress and paranoid, or you do what I did and step back for the sake of your mental health. I hate even sharing things like this because I know it may not have the effect I intended, but on the other hand people who are new to these subjects and conspiracies really, really need to take them seriously. They are not just games on the internet and there is a reason members of these communities have to hide in the shadows and lure people into their dark corners. There is also reason why they target the groups they do and Iâve noted a huge effort to indoctrinate people in rap community, the content creator community, and the celebrity gossip communities. Iâll let you guys draw your own conclusions as to why this is. I assume if you read this far youâre not dumb.
Once youâre stuck in their web itâs very difficult for most people to find their way back to society without seeing examples everywhere. I hope this is able to at least help one person who might be teetering on the edge of these rabbit holes. Itâs not worth it and if I wasnât sober and taking my meds, Id probably end up having a psychotic break. If you feel like you may be approaching that point you can still quit while youâre ahead.
Here are just a few of the things you can do to keep yourself from spiraling.
Take a step back for a while and focus on other things. Taking a hiatus from social media is crucial. If you canât control yourself maybe detach from the news and internet entirely for a couple days. Even a long weekend can make a MASSIVE difference.
Try to get a good nights sleep and consider taking melatonin or an over the counter sleep aid.
Spend some time with friends or loved ones.
Eat some good, somewhat healthy, food and stay hydrated.
Try to get some sun and consider taking a walk or doing some other form of exercise.
Volunteer or do something to help your community if you want to continue working to benefit society.
Try to read a book or spend some time doing your favorite hobbies that arenât related to any of the subjects I discuss below. Without further adoâŚ
Ties Between Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Violent Antigovernment Conspiracies
I recently saw an article about Bryshere Gray, a rappeactor best known for his role in Empire. He was born in Philadelphia and started rapping at 16. His manager Craig Mack, who facilitated his big break by getting him a role on the TV series Empire, is life long friends with Will Smith. Currently there are conflicting claims about whether he is currently suing or planning to sue Will Smith and P. Diddy for s. abusing him as a minor. Itâs rumored he is trying to get 50 million dollars in damages. That number alone seems suspicious to me. Thatâs 20 million more than Cassie got and she dated and lived with Diddy for over a decade.
One of the other things I noticed off the jump was the fact that the only sources regarding the case were on social media along with one article on MSN, which is known for being a nest of clickbait journalism. Essentially they are the written version of gossip videos made by content creators. The only evidence I could find in these videos were a few short clips from his socials where is talking about the negative sides of fame and a clip of him on the red carpet with Will Smith. This might hint towards suppression, but Iâm leaning toward this whole story being bullshit.
The only connection I found between him and Diddy is a song he did with 2 Chainz and Fabolous, the latter being signed to Bad Boy. He ended up getting signed to Columbia which falls under the Sony Music Entertainment while Bad Boy is under UMG. Considering these rumors came about a while back he hasnât mentioned it at all as far as I know. Some might argue this could be a product of friction between labels or that he included Diddy because everyone knows heâs going down. On the other hand if he is a victims he may not have wanted his story told and doesnât want to stoke the rumors by responding whether theyâre true or not.
One of the biggest things that led me to question the validity of the claims is the fact that 90 percent of the sources I found were using a three minute clip from an interview with one of the top content creators on YouTube, Iâll call her J. At this point Iâm 99 percent sure J is an opp, whether she knows it or not. She told his story in vivid detail accusing Will and Jada of luring young artists with promises of mentorship, then involving them in their bedroom activities.
Itâs not really a stretch to think that Will might have a cuckold fetish and probably swings both ways. Two things that could ruin you in the 90âs, but neither or them could do more damage to their careers then they have already done by airing out intimate details of their relationship to the public. However the allegations involving minors are complete heresay. This leads me to believe these are just rumors from the 90âs updated to include modern conspiracy theories. J clearly also clearly has some homophobic tendencies, but uses her bisexuality as a pass to bash on most black gay men and even straight men who she claims to be gay. Itâs all too obvious she still holds onto resentment over her career never taking off while a lot of the people she collaborated with turned into megastars which is a huge motivator for her content. She clearly still lives in the nineties when these type of allegations alone could seriously damage your career.
In Bryshereâs case, regardless if any of the details she shared were true, they shouldnât have been aired to the public by anyone but Gray himself. This isnât the first time J has leaked recordings, exploited, or stolen from victims she claimed to be advocating for. She has even doxxed victims by starting a womenâs group for sa survivors and recording all their meetings. She eventually leaked some, claiming they were trying sabotage the group. When the rest found out or were threatened themselves, the group was quickly dissolved and covered up. Considering her track record itâs not unlikely that if true, she released Grayâs story after trying to ask for a payoff and not receiving it. Considering their is no evidence theyâve even met, itâs more likely sheâs just reporting on local rumors considering her and Gray are both from Philly and now both live in the Dallas. Itâs very important to look at Jâs history to see the bigger picture here.
My theory is J was given permission to share her story detailing the dark side of the industry and promised protection if she also included certain details that they provided to her. If true, the motive could have been to help her home channel gain credibility and attract a large viewer base so they can manipulate the message. I believe these people do know some shit about some people, and they want to get out ahead and make sure they only go after their rivals.
I followed J, an up and coming influencer, to examine to see if I noticed any obvious agendas and stumbled upon a full blown conspiracy. I use as an example started with very levelheaded claims that were easy to digest and over the course of five years this influence lured in their viewers with insider knowledge that turned out to be true and by the end was spouting rumors that are easily traceable to certain movements that have been tied to antisemetism, anti LBGTQ, and violent ideologies. It started slow with a few buzzwords and before you knew it the comment sections had been taken over. She started by luring in the celebrity gossip community, specifically people over the age of 40, who treat gossip blogs like the gospel. Itâs obvious why this community has been chosen as a target, and Iâve seen recently to rap community is not much better. I imagine whoever is orchestrating this campaign probably wasnât expecting it to be this easy.
We very well may be witnessing a controlled takedown and the purpose usually is to take out any liabilities while painting their innocence. If a lot of sick people get outed for terrible crimes most people will assume the Feds weeded out all the bad seeds. It would be a public win for the FEDs and would address any criticism aimed at them and those in the industry who have been facing pressure to deal with these types of issues for at least 3 decades. It will also assuage a lot of the conspiracy communities who have been trying to bring light to these issues. I definitely believe the people they chose to take the rap are going to take the charges for all their co conspirators, so those close to them donât catch any charges. This would be very important in a R.I.C.O. case.
After theyâve completed their mission and their message has been delivered they will then allow these messengers to continue to capitalize on their channelâs popularity. This way they could still manipulate to spread whatever they choose whenever itâs deemed it to be necessary, It probably wonât work too many times before people catch on. In they want to continue making content they can force them to dig up their old dirt. They could also easily provide them with a list of names they are and arenât allowed to talk about. My guess is they know that most of them arenât going to be able to find anything, and since they picked people willing to to say any thing for money, they know they will continue to do it with or without relevant information.
They could also continue aiding her in an effort to further the spread disinformation as a preemptive measure. They may threaten harm or violence if the view counts dip below a certain amount to prevent the messenger from self sabotaging in case they need to get their message to the massesIf in the future. If they do ever need them again to do the same thing or are themselves being targetted, they can use their messengers to discredit the facts about them and shine light on those who are leveling the allegations.
You may be wondering what if the enemy finds them and pays them more to doublecross their handlers? They can then use their messengerâs mental illness and paint them and their viewers as violent or mentally ill members of a disinformation cult and either blackmail them into retracting their claims or label them and their listeners as a disinformation cult that happened to be right about some things. Mental health issues can also help paint the narrative that the messenger is suicidal so they can take her out easier if needed. In the case of J itâs not out of the realm of possibility considering her recent struggle and probably played a big part in choosing her to be their mouth piece. since they can use her mental illness at any time to discredit her or create plausible deniability if any connection is made between them and they need to go to court to prove the opposite.
Sheâs such a wildcard their is no way they wouldâve recruited her if they didnât have an iron clad manipulation tactic with multiple failsafes in place. Usually threatening to kill someones entire family works just fine, but she doesnât seem to be too worried about her families safety. This is why I think itâs the big labels going after their own artists because they know theyâre probably going to get busted soon. Also studios rarely sign you and give you a good deal if they donât have some type of dirt in case the artist to keep them in line, and use them for their own personal gains. They can also keep them from going after the messenger and better ensure their safety. If they had her go after another labelâs artists they probably wouldnât be able to cover all the bases when it comes to protection, which with J is necessary since she never has any security detail and constantly doxxes herself and her family on live.
While going though her interviews it became very clear to me something was very fishy off the rip. It became obvious after watching sections from all four of her main interviews that as time went on she began incorporating more and more lies and more and more ridiculous conspiracies into the narrative. For most people as soon as they hear a blatant lie they immediately write off anything coming from the source. Most people donât do their own research so if the messenger tells a couple little white lies with a dramatic flair they can get away with it for a while. The more lies though the higher the chance of them getting called out and losing a portion of their audience as well as making any truth information that canât be verified sound sketchy.
As Iâve said before J first two interviews do have a lot of verifiable claims, juxtaposed with her life story, and a few blatant lies. One thing I noticed is the majority of her allegations are against artists from her hometown in Philadelphia who were breaking into the industry around the same time as she was and managed to make their way to the top of their respective industries. Sadly neither of Jâs two albums were well received and she lost her opportunity because of her combative personality mixed with major narcissism.
After her music career didnât pan out she moved to Dallas, Texas to try to rebrand. After her son was murdered in 2018, similar to her career, her mental health took appeared to take a nosedive. Before the first interview in 2020, apparently rumors were floating around she was living out of cars and motels. She then met her husband who was ex-military and it seemed like he really built her up and helped her, possibly even writing the stories. In that first interview she accused multiple artists of mistreatment as well as assault. It went semi-viral and a good portion of the accused either provided evidence to contradict her or said the donât want to go into it, and they seemed to know the situation and feel bad for her. The rapper Common, who she claimed had abused her even said he hopes sheâs ok and wished her well. A lot of her fans took this and twisted them into him being guilty because he didnât go off on a rant trying to claim his innocence and shit on J like they were expecting.
I belief either before or after the first interview got some attention she was contacted and either paid or blackmailed into doing another interview where she was fed information, some truth some lies, and told to mix it in to her life story. I also think her husband may have been one of her handlers. My suspicions stem from the fact that he popped up not long before the first interview and married her after like 3 weeks. I also noticed his way of speaking was also was very similar to Jâs and heâd even use similar vocal inflections and speech patterns. They also displayed a lot of similar quirks. Another coincide is he claimed he was responsible for most of the technical support and played a huge part in establishing her online presence. He claimed to have learned everything in a day, and apparently people were shocked at how quickly he learned how to code websites and manage her accounts. A few weeks after getting married she had already made him a fifty/fifty partner for the a new television network she was promoting around the time, but was designed to steal peoples money.
She returned for a second interview in December 2022 and during her second video she mentioned Diddy and dropped a lot of information regarding his current case, his connections to many celebrities, and many specific details about their lives only an insider would have access to. Still there wasnât much evidence to verify a good portion of her claims until Cassie filed her lawsuit a couple weeks later. Iâm almost positive whoever is trying to bring Diddy to justice is connected to whoever is giving her all this info. During the interview J once again eloquently details the dark side of the industry.
Unfortunately her second interview was overshadowed by two separate incidents that both occurred only a few days later and were also caught on her live stream. First she was arrested at a Chicago airport for losing her mind at the security checkpoint. Not much longer after that during an apparent psychotic break, she was filmed in a barbershop parking lot abusing her husband then taking her sons ashes and throwing them her husband and his friends while acting like she was literally possessed. In a later interview she claimed to have Dissociate Identity Disorder from all the trauma and admitted that it was the cause of her psychotic breaks, which totally applies if someone was severely abused at a young age like she has claimed is the case. Eventually she was restrained by the police, strapped down, and tied to a stretcher.
After she got out of a mental hospital a couple days later, her and her soon to ex-husband did a couple separate interviews followed by one where they both discussed to situation together. Before the joint interview their original stories did not line up at all. From their description of events itâs obvious she was cheating and he seems intelligent enough to that, but instead claims the now leader of the Carbon Nation sex cult weâll call Sol. According to their story he hypnotized her the first time they met and manipulated her into joining her and her husband on their planned weekend roadtrip after meeting in person for the first time. He also forced her into saying she wanted to kill her husband multiple times and letting him touch all over her while they were all in the car together. After that she went on and shared a painfully detailed description of the abuse she suffered as a child all they up until she left the industry. Not much longer after that her husband filed for divorce, further contributing to the spiral.
About three months ago she did another interview that clearly was made by someone else and was loaded with editing mistakes and long gaps without sound that are so muffled you can barely hear them. She also obvious took clips of the interviewer from previous interviews and pasted them together to form new questions and edited them in between her responses. This is also where her claims were all either recycled or included the wildest pizzagate rumors. Then as always she included them in her personal anecdotes so people feel bad for questioning her. The last interview I saw came out less than a week ago and it was even worse than the last and it seems like sheâs now just shitposting and seeing how much she can get away with and sadly as expected most people are still eating it up out of the palm of their hand. People who literally worship these influencers like Gods.
Sorry for the giant tangent, but it seems obvious to me that the husband and the two interviewers were all working together. He dressed her up, got her sober and kept her on her meds so she could deliver these interviews. At the same time she was the one who agreed to literally sell her soul and I believe she conscientiously made the decision to scam others. I think everything with Sol was either planned by the three of them or at least the two men who both appeared randomly and were obviously both manipulators. They used their, âdivorce,â to really kick things into overdrive and then either both left her there jobs were done. In my humble opinion itâs more likely that they are all mentally ill, desperate for money, and playing roles that were assigned to them for a very specific purpose. Iâm almost positive the whole marriage was a sham to help contribute to the narrative that everything in the first two videos was true, until she lost her mind because of the DID, PTSD, and stress.
The last thing Iâll mention before getting back to Bryshere Gray is how I found it interesting that she chose a DID diagnosis. Bipolar used to be a big one, but most people these days know at least one person with it, and itâs easier to tell when people are faking. DID and BPD are the trendy ones now because they arenât as well understood and easier to fake or play up for the camera. The large numbers of people obviously faking their symptoms, based off the symptoms of some influencer who is also faking. This makes it very difficult to know whatâs . Itâs also commonly brought up in more radical conspiracy groups as being part of the satanic agenda or brainwash people. I think they were intentionally trying to attract people who would get anything related to the movement send to the deep corners of the internet where those types tend to hide.
This all leads me to the wildest connection of the story. In 2015, when Gray joined Columbia Records, he was signed alongside his future Empire costar Jussie Smollett who ended up playing his older brother. For those who donât know or remember in 2019, Jussie Smollett was found guilty of staging a hate crime against himself somewhere around the 4th season of he show. The expensive investigation revealed the motivation was political after revealing Michellle Obamaâs form chief of staff reached out to Smollettâs lawyer and requested the case be handed over to the FBI. His lawyer then forward the request to Chicagoâs Superintendent who approved the request and the case was dropped. After a massive uproar, pitting democrats and republicans against each other, he was resentenced in December 2019 and to this day his legal defense team is still trying to drag out the case so the prosecutor just drops the charges and they donât have to admit guilt. (If interested the Wikipedia article sums up the whole thing very well.)
Up until his arrest for domestic violence over three years ago where he was caught multiple times lying to the police in his interview, he was found guilty. Seemingly overnight his career tanked and he essentially disappeared and clearly seemed to be dealing with some mental health issues. I find it interesting that after four years of silence heâs just deciding to come out now, and if this case is real in the first place I wonder if anyone is going to draw all these connections.
Aside from Smollett and Gray, the cast list attached to the TV series Empire reveals a lot of connections to a lot of high powered figures with strange connections to this whole conspiracy. A good example of one of these connections is Terrence Howardsâs character, a top record label president named Lucious. After skimming the first seasonâs plot points, some appeared to be directly based on attributes commonly associated with Diddy.
When I looked a little deeper I found that Howard, who also originates from Philadelphia, was cast as the lead actor on the show, while still finding the time to deliver his infamous guest lectures around the world. The main focus of the lectures was discussing the theory he hypothesized which he appropriately named, âTerryology.â This came after being blacklisted from the industry for nearly seven years prior for beating up a crew member and being convicted of multiple domestic violence charges. After the incident with the crew member in 2008, it was revealed Howard had been replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel to his last hit movie, Iron Man.
Around the same time in 2008, he also signed a record deal with no other than Columbia Records. This came a few years before his infamous on screen sons joined a the same label years later. This can definitely be connected to Howardâs relationship with Grayâs manager Charlie Mack. Some other people who made guest appearances on the show include Naomi Campbell, Cassie, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Mary J. Blige.
The creator of the show Lee Danielâs, the popular democratic activist whose connections go all the way up to the Obamaâs, Oprah, and the Clintons. (Before I go any further, please donât go down this rabbit hole much further, and to the people who use these type of stories to promote their agendas and spark even more political discord. Now more then ever we need to reel in both the far left and far right and meet as close to the middle as possible or else both candidates are going to continue to be worse every election. Please keep any comments politically neutral. I hate both candidates and Iâm simply making connections and could care less who wins the upcoming election.
I think what weâre seeing now regarding Drake, Kendrick, Diddy, and people like Bryshere Gray and J and other influencers and content creators are all be used as weapons to distract people from something major going down and the fact that itâs only getting crazier every day, it appears whatever Iâm referring to is yet to come, but wonât be long. Please keep all of this in mind before you start trying to research subjects like these. You may realize that some of the ideologies that have been chastised and tied to violence have been saying these types of things for years, and most of their evidence has been proven already or align with everything weâre seeing.
The paid protestors at Columbia is another example of political theater. Here is where people make the connection to Semetism and where most subscribers theories go off the fucking rails. Just because a lot of these things can be tied to Israel and Jewish Americans, a lot of people like to blame them for all the worlds problems, what they donât realize is most of this stems from cultural traditions and generational wealth that was gained through hard work and promotion of high education. This has resulted in the majority of Jewish Americans holding more wealth than the average Christian household and most if this stems purely from jealousy and fucking Hitler. This is why the majority of people who go all in on these types of theories donât have any further education than a high school diploma.
I know this doesnât make them all dumb, but even a lot of very intelligent people like Ye and other major public figures got sucked into these communities without realizing they were part of the same agenda they were trying to expose. Thatâs how you end up with Ye saying he loves Hitler in a public interview and promoting Trump for president and supporting the fucking, âwhite lives matter,â movement along with the Candace Owen, the republicans answer to AOC. Even people with more formal education and fewer biases can and have been successfully targeted by these communities. Itâs been shown time and time again that many of these recruiters who have been in their respective communities since their inception usually end up end reaching the same conclusions and the more people there are to confirm your beliefs or suspicions, the more likely it is youâll accept everything else in they say as true. (This is a very similar conclusion the one I reached in my essay about J).
My belief is someone from the same circle that J was in during her singing career are the same people who reached out to Katt Williams and other blacklisted artists with long recorded histories of mental illness and substance abuse problems to lie by omission and allowing them to release preselected pieces of evidence without repercussions. They could easily know what information the Feds were able to acquire. They then had her leak those details to the public so when the details to come out it makes she can work with the Feds and dismiss any other allegations even if they are true. Obviously it wonât determine the outcome, but it can definitely go a long way in making sure certain details of the defendant choosing can be struck from the record if the evidence isnât good enough.
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef. I believe that Al B. Sure! was planing to release all the info he had on Diddy in 2022, but may have been poisoned beforehand similar to theories about Diddysâs ex wife Kim Porter who was originally married to Kim before Diddy stole her away along with Alâs son, also Diddyâs stepson Quincy. Diddy has also been directly tied to the murders or mysterious deaths of at least a half a dozen more people who were close associates from the beginning of his career and were key players in the formation of Bad Boy. Coincidentally many of the victims had either exposed or were threatening to expose evidence related to all of these crimes. They are also using Keefe D. to take the charge for 2Pacs murder so he can spin the story and leave out and ties to Diddy who ordered the hit or did it himself.
Unfortunately for Diddy, unlike the rest of the people he had successfully silenced in the past, his dirt ended up coming out right around when Al ended up coming out of his coma and I think itâs likely that if my theory is correct he released all the info he had on Diddy. He even may have hinted in an interview at him being responsible for him falling into a coma. After he came out of the coma Diddy knew he was about to go down and before the raid he destroyed and staged all of his homes with evidence that would verify all the claims related to other celebrities over the age of 18. Meanwhile he got rid of all the videos involving murder, sa, child abuse, bestiality and other evidence that would bring major charges.
This is so he can cooperate with the Feds and help reduce his sentence. If he hid all the evidence they would know and work overtime to find it. Instead he lied by omission and corroborated the accusations that wonât completely destroy him. He can then release all his dirt to seem like he made all the blackmail with the intention of bringing down known predators who were able to get away with the same things heâs guilty of.
In the video of Diddy in the wig, he talks about partying with Drake and The Weekend and I believe he was able to acquire the blackmail. He then released the blackmail to selected people to ensure they leak at the appropriate time. The plan is to publicly out Drake for sex crimes so the rest of Hollywood knows not to testify against him. During the auction mentioned by ebony prince they are going to auction off all the dirt Diddy has collected the last 30 years. This includes dirt on Trump, which may be the reason behind all of this. The auction is four days after Election Day and will be used as a fail safe in case Trump wins the election.
When people who already have even the slightest political biases and less formal education, it can be very difficult to look at these things and not choose a side. This is their agenda to promote centrism and split the left and right even further to promote chaos and anarchy. I advise anyone who identifies as democrat or republican to be extremely cautious when exploring these topics and watch out for the type of things I mentioned. If the information is specifically pointed towards whichever party you identify with, they are trying to suck you in and fill your head with their beliefs.
*Update 2- Iâve never seen this amount of negative responses on any of the bullshit reposts and memes. Clearly people donât want to actually think for themselves and are just trying to shut down any theory that contradicts their own. Yâall need to stop trying to disprove shit that actually promotes alternative ideas. This is exactly why this community was created. You donât have to agree with everything, but if you see anything of interest you can do some more research if youâre interested if not just move on and mind your business. Either read it if youâre interested and do your own research or move along and mind your own business.
submitted by Consistent_Pea_1374 to DarkKenny [link] [comments]
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef.
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef. I believe that Al B. Sure! was planing to release all the info he had on Diddy in 2022, but may have been poisoned beforehand similar to theories about Diddysâs ex wife Kim Porter who was originally married to Kim before Diddy stole her away along with Alâs son, also Diddyâs stepson Quincy. Diddy has also been directly tied to the murders or mysterious deaths of at least a half a dozen more people who were close associates from the beginning of his career and were key players in the formation of Bad Boy. Coincidentally many of the victims had either exposed or were threatening to expose evidence related to all of these crimes. They are also using Keefe D. to take the charge for 2Pacs murder so he can spin the story and leave out and ties to Diddy who ordered the hit or did it himself.
Unfortunately for Diddy, unlike the rest of the people he had successfully silenced in the past, Al ended up coming out of his coma and revealing all the info he had on Diddy, including that he was responsible for him falling into a coma. After he came out of the coma Diddy knew he was about to go down and before the raid he destroyed and staged all of his homes with evidence that would verify all the claims related to other celebrities over the age of 18. Meanwhile he got rid of all the videos involving murder, sa, child abuse, bestiality and other evidence that would bring major charges. This is so he can cooperate with the Feds and help reduce his sentence. If he hid all the evidence they would know and work overtime to find it. Instead he lied by omission and corroborated the accusations that wonât completely destroy him. He can then release all his dirt to seem like he made all the blackmail with the intention of bringing down known predators who were able to get away with the same things heâs guilty of.
In the video of Diddy in the wig, he talks about partying with Drake and The Weekend and I believe he was able to acquire the blackmail. He then released the blackmail to selected people to ensure they leak at the appropriate time. The plan is to publicly out Drake for sex crimes so the rest of Hollywood knows not to testify against him. During the auction mentioned by ebony prince they are going to auction off all the dirt Diddy has collected the last 30 years. This includes dirt on Trump, which may be the reason behind all of this. The auction is four days after Election Day and will be used as a fail safe in case Trump wins the election.
Iâm trying my best to add everything, just struggling because I have like 30 pages worth of write ups. If you want more evidence I have a ton, on my other account, I donât want to spam so just dm me if you want additional evidence. The full post above is multiple pages long so I just chose the important part because very few people on here have the attention span for it.
You donât have to believe it, itâs just my personal opinions, but they are based on facts and about 80 hours of research.
https://www.reddit.comRationalSchizo812020/s/IsgRSkK8KM
Check out the post covering Diddy, Drake, Kendrick, and Kanye
Two articles about modern sex cults still in operation: https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/28/new-york-satanic-cult-764-fbi
https://www.complex.com/life/a/brad-callas/accused-cult-leader-nature-boy-sentenced-to-life
Yesterday I found Yeâs full interview with The Download from before the beef blew up. It discusses a lot of my connections and hints that Ye is partially involved. You can skip to around 13 minutes in.
(Recently the charges against Lucian Grange were dropped showing he most likely is working behind the scenes as well and has some influence. He may be related to the leak as well. He could have also been the one who supplied the blackmail. Another alternative is Diddy went to the feds on his own accord, but when multiple lawsuits pop up very quickly, especially after thirty years of avoiding charges related to tons of sketchy shit, it usually means there is some type of coordination. Look at TI and his wifeâs allegations and what lead up to those events.)
Full post:
This is all speculation so please donât victim blame or spread conspiracies about a possible survivor of C.S abuse. This is why many donât come forward. All Iâm trying to do is point out the large amount of details surrounding the rumor that stand out as odd to me. By no means does this dismiss his claims. Iâm not a lawyer, but if he was suing my client, this is some of the evidence I would use in the case.
Before I start I need to put in a small disclaimer. **The subjects I covered in my essay are well known to be linked to conspiracy theory communities that have been equated to terrorist groups. The end goal of a lot of these communities is to promote political divide, antisemetism, homophobia, and violence. I think the ultimate goal is to create such a massive gap between the left and right that the two party system fails and we fall into anarchy allowing the people who really pull the strings to restructure and in order to retain their power. Itâs already evident that Biden isnât able to do nearly as much as he could do if he didnât have to consider the opposing partyâs majority vote as well. Whoever wins I feel the results will be the same, violent protests aiming to reverse the vote. If this is achieved it will be the death of democracy in America.
I highly encourage anyone who identifies with either political party and are attracted to controversial subjects or consider themselves to be contrarian to please look out for any conspiracies that seem to be targeted towards you or the community youâre a part of. If they share similar ideas to the findings I made in my research, please do not engage.
Iâve watched the conception and the eventual downfalls off the P-gate and Q conspiracy communities. It didnât take me long to figure out the eventual end game and step back from the community while continuing independent research. If youâre letting someone else to the research for you, you really need to be sure to trust the source and be aware of possible ulterior motives. Itâs really dangerous territory though, filled with hidden traps that can draw you in and send you so deep that you either end up going into psychosis from the stress and paranoid, or you do what I did and step back for the sake of your mental health. I hate even sharing things like this because I know it may not have the effect I intended, but on the other hand people who are new to these subjects and conspiracies really, really need to take them seriously. They are not just games on the internet and there is a reason members of these communities have to hide in the shadows and lure people into their dark corners. There is also reason why they target the groups they do and Iâve noted a huge effort to indoctrinate people in rap community, the content creator community, and the celebrity gossip communities. Iâll let you guys draw your own conclusions as to why this is. I assume if you read this far youâre not dumb.
Once youâre stuck in their web itâs very difficult for most people to find their way back to society without seeing examples everywhere. I hope this is able to at least help one person who might be teetering on the edge of these rabbit holes. Itâs not worth it and if I wasnât sober and taking my meds, Id probably end up having a psychotic break. If you feel like you may be approaching that point you can still quit while youâre ahead.
Here are just a few of the things you can do to keep yourself from spiraling.
Take a step back for a while and focus on other things. Taking a hiatus from social media is crucial. If you canât control yourself maybe detach from the news and internet entirely for a couple days. Even a long weekend can make a MASSIVE difference.
Try to get a good nights sleep and consider taking melatonin or an over the counter sleep aid.
Spend some time with friends or loved ones.
Eat some good, somewhat healthy, food and stay hydrated.
Try to get some sun and consider taking a walk or doing some other form of exercise.
Volunteer or do something to help your community if you want to continue working to benefit society.
Try to read a book or spend some time doing your favorite hobbies that arenât related to any of the subjects I discuss below. Without further adoâŚ
Ties Between Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Violent Antigovernment Conspiracies
I recently saw an article about Bryshere Gray, a rappeactor best known for his role in Empire. He was born in Philadelphia and started rapping at 16. His manager Craig Mack, who facilitated his big break by getting him a role on the TV series Empire, is life long friends with Will Smith. Currently there are conflicting claims about whether he is currently suing or planning to sue Will Smith and P. Diddy for s. abusing him as a minor. Itâs rumored he is trying to get 50 million dollars in damages. That number alone seems suspicious to me. Thatâs 20 million more than Cassie got and she dated and lived with Diddy for over a decade.
One of the other things I noticed off the jump was the fact that the only sources regarding the case were on social media along with one article on MSN, which is known for being a nest of clickbait journalism. Essentially they are the written version of gossip videos made by content creators. The only evidence I could find in these videos were a few short clips from his socials where is talking about the negative sides of fame and a clip of him on the red carpet with Will Smith. This might hint towards suppression, but Iâm leaning toward this whole story being bullshit.
The only connection I found between him and Diddy is a song he did with 2 Chainz and Fabolous, the latter being signed to Bad Boy. He ended up getting signed to Columbia which falls under the Sony Music Entertainment while Bad Boy is under UMG. Considering these rumors came about a while back he hasnât mentioned it at all as far as I know. Some might argue this could be a product of friction between labels or that he included Diddy because everyone knows heâs going down. On the other hand if he is a victims he may not have wanted his story told and doesnât want to stoke the rumors by responding whether theyâre true or not.
One of the biggest things that led me to question the validity of the claims is the fact that 90 percent of the sources I found were using a three minute clip from an interview with one of the top content creators on YouTube, Iâll call her J. At this point Iâm 99 percent sure J is an opp, whether she knows it or not. She told his story in vivid detail accusing Will and Jada of luring young artists with promises of mentorship, then involving them in their bedroom activities.
Itâs not really a stretch to think that Will might have a cuckold fetish and probably swings both ways. Two things that could ruin you in the 90âs, but neither or them could do more damage to their careers then they have already done by airing out intimate details of their relationship to the public. However the allegations involving minors are complete heresay. This leads me to believe these are just rumors from the 90âs updated to include modern conspiracy theories. J clearly also clearly has some homophobic tendencies, but uses her bisexuality as a pass to bash on most black gay men and even straight men who she claims to be gay. Itâs all too obvious she still holds onto resentment over her career never taking off while a lot of the people she collaborated with turned into megastars which is a huge motivator for her content. She clearly still lives in the nineties when these type of allegations alone could seriously damage your career.
In Bryshereâs case, regardless if any of the details she shared were true, they shouldnât have been aired to the public by anyone but Gray himself. This isnât the first time J has leaked recordings, exploited, or stolen from victims she claimed to be advocating for. She has even doxxed victims by starting a womenâs group for sa survivors and recording all their meetings. She eventually leaked some, claiming they were trying sabotage the group. When the rest found out or were threatened themselves, the group was quickly dissolved and covered up. Considering her track record itâs not unlikely that if true, she released Grayâs story after trying to ask for a payoff and not receiving it. Considering their is no evidence theyâve even met, itâs more likely sheâs just reporting on local rumors considering her and Gray are both from Philly and now both live in the Dallas. Itâs very important to look at Jâs history to see the bigger picture here.
My theory is J was given permission to share her story detailing the dark side of the industry and promised protection if she also included certain details that they provided to her. If true, the motive could have been to help her home channel gain credibility and attract a large viewer base so they can manipulate the message. I believe these people do know some shit about some people, and they want to get out ahead and make sure they only go after their rivals.
I followed J, an up and coming influencer, to examine to see if I noticed any obvious agendas and stumbled upon a full blown conspiracy. I use as an example started with very levelheaded claims that were easy to digest and over the course of five years this influence lured in their viewers with insider knowledge that turned out to be true and by the end was spouting rumors that are easily traceable to certain movements that have been tied to antisemetism, anti LBGTQ, and violent ideologies. It started slow with a few buzzwords and before you knew it the comment sections had been taken over. She started by luring in the celebrity gossip community, specifically people over the age of 40, who treat gossip blogs like the gospel. Itâs obvious why this community has been chosen as a target, and Iâve seen recently to rap community is not much better. I imagine whoever is orchestrating this campaign probably wasnât expecting it to be this easy.
We very well may be witnessing a controlled takedown and the purpose usually is to take out any liabilities while painting their innocence. If a lot of sick people get outed for terrible crimes most people will assume the Feds weeded out all the bad seeds. It would be a public win for the FEDs and would address any criticism aimed at them and those in the industry who have been facing pressure to deal with these types of issues for at least 3 decades. It will also assuage a lot of the conspiracy communities who have been trying to bring light to these issues. I definitely believe the people they chose to take the rap are going to take the charges for all their co conspirators, so those close to them donât catch any charges. This would be very important in a R.I.C.O. case.
After theyâve completed their mission and their message has been delivered they will then allow these messengers to continue to capitalize on their channelâs popularity. This way they could still manipulate to spread whatever they choose whenever itâs deemed it to be necessary, It probably wonât work too many times before people catch on. In they want to continue making content they can force them to dig up their old dirt. They could also easily provide them with a list of names they are and arenât allowed to talk about. My guess is they know that most of them arenât going to be able to find anything, and since they picked people willing to to say any thing for money, they know they will continue to do it with or without relevant information.
They could also continue aiding her in an effort to further the spread disinformation as a preemptive measure. They may threaten harm or violence if the view counts dip below a certain amount to prevent the messenger from self sabotaging in case they need to get their message to the massesIf in the future. If they do ever need them again to do the same thing or are themselves being targetted, they can use their messengers to discredit the facts about them and shine light on those who are leveling the allegations.
You may be wondering what if the enemy finds them and pays them more to doublecross their handlers? They can then use their messengerâs mental illness and paint them and their viewers as violent or mentally ill members of a disinformation cult and either blackmail them into retracting their claims or label them and their listeners as a disinformation cult that happened to be right about some things. Mental health issues can also help paint the narrative that the messenger is suicidal so they can take her out easier if needed. In the case of J itâs not out of the realm of possibility considering her recent struggle and probably played a big part in choosing her to be their mouth piece. since they can use her mental illness at any time to discredit her or create plausible deniability if any connection is made between them and they need to go to court to prove the opposite.
Sheâs such a wildcard their is no way they wouldâve recruited her if they didnât have an iron clad manipulation tactic with multiple failsafes in place. Usually threatening to kill someones entire family works just fine, but she doesnât seem to be too worried about her families safety. This is why I think itâs the big labels going after their own artists because they know theyâre probably going to get busted soon. Also studios rarely sign you and give you a good deal if they donât have some type of dirt in case the artist to keep them in line, and use them for their own personal gains. They can also keep them from going after the messenger and better ensure their safety. If they had her go after another labelâs artists they probably wouldnât be able to cover all the bases when it comes to protection, which with J is necessary since she never has any security detail and constantly doxxes herself and her family on live.
While going though her interviews it became very clear to me something was very fishy off the rip. It became obvious after watching sections from all four of her main interviews that as time went on she began incorporating more and more lies and more and more ridiculous conspiracies into the narrative. For most people as soon as they hear a blatant lie they immediately write off anything coming from the source. Most people donât do their own research so if the messenger tells a couple little white lies with a dramatic flair they can get away with it for a while. The more lies though the higher the chance of them getting called out and losing a portion of their audience as well as making any truth information that canât be verified sound sketchy.
As Iâve said before J first two interviews do have a lot of verifiable claims, juxtaposed with her life story, and a few blatant lies. One thing I noticed is the majority of her allegations are against artists from her hometown in Philadelphia who were breaking into the industry around the same time as she was and managed to make their way to the top of their respective industries. Sadly neither of Jâs two albums were well received and she lost her opportunity because of her combative personality mixed with major narcissism.
After her music career didnât pan out she moved to Dallas, Texas to try to rebrand. After her son was murdered in 2018, similar to her career, her mental health took appeared to take a nosedive. Before the first interview in 2020, apparently rumors were floating around she was living out of cars and motels. She then met her husband who was ex-military and it seemed like he really built her up and helped her, possibly even writing the stories. In that first interview she accused multiple artists of mistreatment as well as assault. It went semi-viral and a good portion of the accused either provided evidence to contradict her or said the donât want to go into it, and they seemed to know the situation and feel bad for her. The rapper Common, who she claimed had abused her even said he hopes sheâs ok and wished her well. A lot of her fans took this and twisted them into him being guilty because he didnât go off on a rant trying to claim his innocence and shit on J like they were expecting.
I belief either before or after the first interview got some attention she was contacted and either paid or blackmailed into doing another interview where she was fed information, some truth some lies, and told to mix it in to her life story. I also think her husband may have been one of her handlers. My suspicions stem from the fact that he popped up not long before the first interview and married her after like 3 weeks. I also noticed his way of speaking was also was very similar to Jâs and heâd even use similar vocal inflections and speech patterns. They also displayed a lot of similar quirks. Another coincide is he claimed he was responsible for most of the technical support and played a huge part in establishing her online presence. He claimed to have learned everything in a day, and apparently people were shocked at how quickly he learned how to code websites and manage her accounts. A few weeks after getting married she had already made him a fifty/fifty partner for the a new television network she was promoting around the time, but was designed to steal peoples money.
She returned for a second interview in December 2022 and during her second video she mentioned Diddy and dropped a lot of information regarding his current case, his connections to many celebrities, and many specific details about their lives only an insider would have access to. Still there wasnât much evidence to verify a good portion of her claims until Cassie filed her lawsuit a couple weeks later. Iâm almost positive whoever is trying to bring Diddy to justice is connected to whoever is giving her all this info. During the interview J once again eloquently details the dark side of the industry.
Unfortunately her second interview was overshadowed by two separate incidents that both occurred only a few days later and were also caught on her live stream. First she was arrested at a Chicago airport for losing her mind at the security checkpoint. Not much longer after that during an apparent psychotic break, she was filmed in a barbershop parking lot abusing her husband then taking her sons ashes and throwing them her husband and his friends while acting like she was literally possessed. In a later interview she claimed to have Dissociate Identity Disorder from all the trauma and admitted that it was the cause of her psychotic breaks, which totally applies if someone was severely abused at a young age like she has claimed is the case. Eventually she was restrained by the police, strapped down, and tied to a stretcher.
After she got out of a mental hospital a couple days later, her and her soon to ex-husband did a couple separate interviews followed by one where they both discussed to situation together. Before the joint interview their original stories did not line up at all. From their description of events itâs obvious she was cheating and he seems intelligent enough to that, but instead claims the now leader of the Carbon Nation sex cult weâll call Sol. According to their story he hypnotized her the first time they met and manipulated her into joining her and her husband on their planned weekend roadtrip after meeting in person for the first time. He also forced her into saying she wanted to kill her husband multiple times and letting him touch all over her while they were all in the car together. After that she went on and shared a painfully detailed description of the abuse she suffered as a child all they up until she left the industry. Not much longer after that her husband filed for divorce, further contributing to the spiral.
About three months ago she did another interview that clearly was made by someone else and was loaded with editing mistakes and long gaps without sound that are so muffled you can barely hear them. She also obvious took clips of the interviewer from previous interviews and pasted them together to form new questions and edited them in between her responses. This is also where her claims were all either recycled or included the wildest pizzagate rumors. Then as always she included them in her personal anecdotes so people feel bad for questioning her. The last interview I saw came out less than a week ago and it was even worse than the last and it seems like sheâs now just shitposting and seeing how much she can get away with and sadly as expected most people are still eating it up out of the palm of their hand. People who literally worship these influencers like Gods.
Sorry for the giant tangent, but it seems obvious to me that the husband and the two interviewers were all working together. He dressed her up, got her sober and kept her on her meds so she could deliver these interviews. At the same time she was the one who agreed to literally sell her soul and I believe she conscientiously made the decision to scam others. I think everything with Sol was either planned by the three of them or at least the two men who both appeared randomly and were obviously both manipulators. They used their, âdivorce,â to really kick things into overdrive and then either both left her there jobs were done. In my humble opinion itâs more likely that they are all mentally ill, desperate for money, and playing roles that were assigned to them for a very specific purpose. Iâm almost positive the whole marriage was a sham to help contribute to the narrative that everything in the first two videos was true, until she lost her mind because of the DID, PTSD, and stress.
The last thing Iâll mention before getting back to Bryshere Gray is how I found it interesting that she chose a DID diagnosis. Bipolar used to be a big one, but most people these days know at least one person with it, and itâs easier to tell when people are faking. DID and BPD are the trendy ones now because they arenât as well understood and easier to fake or play up for the camera. The large numbers of people obviously faking their symptoms, based off the symptoms of some influencer who is also faking. This makes it very difficult to know whatâs . Itâs also commonly brought up in more radical conspiracy groups as being part of the satanic agenda or brainwash people. I think they were intentionally trying to attract people who would get anything related to the movement send to the deep corners of the internet where those types tend to hide.
This all leads me to the wildest connection of the story. In 2015, when Gray joined Columbia Records, he was signed alongside his future Empire costar Jussie Smollett who ended up playing his older brother. For those who donât know or remember in 2019, Jussie Smollett was found guilty of staging a hate crime against himself somewhere around the 4th season of he show. The expensive investigation revealed the motivation was political after revealing Michellle Obamaâs form chief of staff reached out to Smollettâs lawyer and requested the case be handed over to the FBI. His lawyer then forward the request to Chicagoâs Superintendent who approved the request and the case was dropped. After a massive uproar, pitting democrats and republicans against each other, he was resentenced in December 2019 and to this day his legal defense team is still trying to drag out the case so the prosecutor just drops the charges and they donât have to admit guilt. (If interested the Wikipedia article sums up the whole thing very well.)
Up until his arrest for domestic violence over three years ago where he was caught multiple times lying to the police in his interview, he was found guilty. Seemingly overnight his career tanked and he essentially disappeared and clearly seemed to be dealing with some mental health issues. I find it interesting that after four years of silence heâs just deciding to come out now, and if this case is real in the first place I wonder if anyone is going to draw all these connections.
Aside from Smollett and Gray, the cast list attached to the TV series Empire reveals a lot of connections to a lot of high powered figures with strange connections to this whole conspiracy. A good example of one of these connections is Terrence Howardsâs character, a top record label president named Lucious. After skimming the first seasonâs plot points, some appeared to be directly based on attributes commonly associated with Diddy.
When I looked a little deeper I found that Howard, who also originates from Philadelphia, was cast as the lead actor on the show, while still finding the time to deliver his infamous guest lectures around the world. The main focus of the lectures was discussing the theory he hypothesized which he appropriately named, âTerryology.â This came after being blacklisted from the industry for nearly seven years prior for beating up a crew member and being convicted of multiple domestic violence charges. After the incident with the crew member in 2008, it was revealed Howard had been replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel to his last hit movie, Iron Man.
Around the same time in 2008, he also signed a record deal with no other than Columbia Records. This came a few years before his infamous on screen sons joined a the same label years later. This can definitely be connected to Howardâs relationship with Grayâs manager Charlie Mack. Some other people who made guest appearances on the show include Naomi Campbell, Cassie, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Mary J. Blige.
The creator of the show Lee Danielâs, the popular democratic activist whose connections go all the way up to the Obamaâs, Oprah, and the Clintons. (Before I go any further, please donât go down this rabbit hole much further, and to the people who use these type of stories to promote their agendas and spark even more political discord. Now more then ever we need to reel in both the far left and far right and meet as close to the middle as possible or else both candidates are going to continue to be worse every election. Please keep any comments politically neutral. I hate both candidates and Iâm simply making connections and could care less who wins the upcoming election.
I think what weâre seeing now regarding Drake, Kendrick, Diddy, and people like Bryshere Gray and J and other influencers and content creators are all be used as weapons to distract people from something major going down and the fact that itâs only getting crazier every day, it appears whatever Iâm referring to is yet to come, but wonât be long. Please keep all of this in mind before you start trying to research subjects like these. You may realize that some of the ideologies that have been chastised and tied to violence have been saying these types of things for years, and most of their evidence has been proven already or align with everything weâre seeing.
The paid protestors at Columbia is another example of political theater. Here is where people make the connection to Semetism and where most subscribers theories go off the fucking rails. Just because a lot of these things can be tied to Israel and Jewish Americans, a lot of people like to blame them for all the worlds problems, what they donât realize is most of this stems from cultural traditions and generational wealth that was gained through hard work and promotion of high education. This has resulted in the majority of Jewish Americans holding more wealth than the average Christian household and most if this stems purely from jealousy and fucking Hitler. This is why the majority of people who go all in on these types of theories donât have any further education than a high school diploma.
I know this doesnât make them all dumb, but even a lot of very intelligent people like Ye and other major public figures got sucked into these communities without realizing they were part of the same agenda they were trying to expose. Thatâs how you end up with Ye saying he loves Hitler in a public interview and promoting Trump for president and supporting the fucking, âwhite lives matter,â movement along with the Candace Owen, the republicans answer to AOC. Even people with more formal education and fewer biases can and have been successfully targeted by these communities. Itâs been shown time and time again that many of these recruiters who have been in their respective communities since their inception usually end up end reaching the same conclusions and the more people there are to confirm your beliefs or suspicions, the more likely it is youâll accept everything else in they say as true. (This is a very similar conclusion the one I reached in my essay about J).
My belief is someone from the same circle that J was in during her singing career are the same people who reached out to Katt Williams and other blacklisted artists with long recorded histories of mental illness and substance abuse problems to lie by omission and allowing them to release preselected pieces of evidence without repercussions. They could easily know what information the Feds were able to acquire. They then had her leak those details to the public so when the details to come out it makes she can work with the Feds and dismiss any other allegations even if they are true. Obviously it wonât determine the outcome, but it can definitely go a long way in making sure certain details of the defendant choosing can be struck from the record if the evidence isnât good enough.
At this point Iâm a 99 percent sure Diddy is the one pulling the strings behind the Kendrick and Drake beef. I believe that Al B. Sure! was planing to release all the info he had on Diddy in 2022, but may have been poisoned beforehand similar to theories about Diddysâs ex wife Kim Porter who was originally married to Kim before Diddy stole her away along with Alâs son, also Diddyâs stepson Quincy. Diddy has also been directly tied to the murders or mysterious deaths of at least a half a dozen more people who were close associates from the beginning of his career and were key players in the formation of Bad Boy. Coincidentally many of the victims had either exposed or were threatening to expose evidence related to all of these crimes. They are also using Keefe D. to take the charge for 2Pacs murder so he can spin the story and leave out and ties to Diddy who ordered the hit or did it himself.
Unfortunately for Diddy, unlike the rest of the people he had successfully silenced in the past, his dirt ended up coming out right around when Al ended up coming out of his coma and I think itâs likely that if my theory is correct he released all the info he had on Diddy. He even may have hinted in an interview at him being responsible for him falling into a coma. After he came out of the coma Diddy knew he was about to go down and before the raid he destroyed and staged all of his homes with evidence that would verify all the claims related to other celebrities over the age of 18. Meanwhile he got rid of all the videos involving murder, sa, child abuse, bestiality and other evidence that would bring major charges.
This is so he can cooperate with the Feds and help reduce his sentence. If he hid all the evidence they would know and work overtime to find it. Instead he lied by omission and corroborated the accusations that wonât completely destroy him. He can then release all his dirt to seem like he made all the blackmail with the intention of bringing down known predators who were able to get away with the same things heâs guilty of.
In the video of Diddy in the wig, he talks about partying with Drake and The Weekend and I believe he was able to acquire the blackmail. He then released the blackmail to selected people to ensure they leak at the appropriate time. The plan is to publicly out Drake for sex crimes so the rest of Hollywood knows not to testify against him. During the auction mentioned by ebony prince they are going to auction off all the dirt Diddy has collected the last 30 years. This includes dirt on Trump, which may be the reason behind all of this. The auction is four days after Election Day and will be used as a fail safe in case Trump wins the election.
When people who already have even the slightest political biases and less formal education, it can be very difficult to look at these things and not choose a side. This is their agenda to promote centrism and split the left and right even further to promote chaos and anarchy. I advise anyone who identifies as democrat or republican to be extremely cautious when exploring these topics and watch out for the type of things I mentioned. If the information is specifically pointed towards whichever party you identify with, they are trying to suck you in and fill your head with their beliefs.
*Update 2- Iâve never seen this amount of negative responses on any of the bullshit reposts and memes. Clearly people donât want to actually think for themselves and are just trying to shut down any theory that contradicts their own. Yâall need to stop trying to disprove shit that actually promotes alternative ideas. This is exactly why this community was created. You donât have to agree with everything, but if you see anything of interest you can do some more research if youâre interested if not just move on and mind your business. Either read it if youâre interested and do your own research or move along and mind your own business.
2024.05.17 19:29 JRE47 Community Day Tsareena in PvP: A JRE Analysis
It's been TWO WEEKS since my last formal analysis article. Sorry about that. I'll just say that ol' JRE has been going through some rough times, mostly due to a fraying situation in my real-life occupation (no, I do not actually write for a living!), and had to pause and deal with some stuff and get my mind right again. Still working my way back, but hopefully this will be the first of a few articles over the next week. Lots of stuff on the immediate horizon!
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
GREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
submitted by JRE47 to PokemonGOBattleLeague [link] [comments]
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
B.L.U.F.
- Overall, the new move DOES represent an upgrade to Tsareena's performance in PvP. Usually.
- There ARE, however, some tradeoffs, with Tsareena moving away from a Grass role and suffering some new losses in the process.
- Bottom line (of the bottom line?) is this: Tsareena is still not a great PvP contender even with this move, with subpar bulk holding it back, and more refined and potent Grasses already mostly filling the role you'd want Tsareena to fill coming out of this event.
TSAREENA
Grass TypeGREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
- Magical Leaf (Grass, 3.33 DPT, 3.33 EPT, 1.5 CD)
- Razor Leaf (Grass, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.0 CD)
- Charm (Fairy, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.5 CD)
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
- Stomp (Normal, 55 damage, 40 energy)
- Triple Axel (Ice, 60 damage, 45 energy, Raises User Attack +1 Stage)
- Grass Knot (Grass, 90 damage, 50 energy)
- Draining Kiss (Fairy, 60 damage, 55 energy)
- Energy Ball (Grass, 90 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce Opponent Defense -1 Stage)
- High Jump Kická´ą (Fighting, 110 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce User Defense -4 Stages)
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
GREAT LEAGUE
So before we dive fully down the rabbit hole of sims, a couple things I need to say up front.Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
- 1v1 shielding - gain Bastiodon, Registeel, Lickitung, Umbreon; lose Azumarill
- 0v0 shielding - gain Lickitung, Vigoroth, Galarian Stunfisk, Guzzlord; lose Azumarill, Annihilape, Dewgong, Pelipper, Sableye
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
ULTRA LEAGUE
Here again, our best to this point has been Triple Axel/Grass. (In this case, Energy Ball shows one more win than Grass Knot, but it's just because versus Obstagoon, the way to win is throwing Axel and then the Grass move rather than double Grass Knot as the sims try to do) And oh my goodness that was a lot of words for one rather meaningless matchup!) But anyway, the overall effectiveness is little better than Great League, with a winlist filled almost entirely of Water types, with Ampharos, Umbreon, and Granbull as bonuses. Overall, it's only 25% of the meta, so even a bit worse than Great League.But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
- 1v1 shielding - gain Registeel, Alolan Sandslash, Obstagoon, Greedent, Cobalion
- 0v0 shielding - gain Obstagoon, Umbreon, Alolan Sandslash; lose Feraligatr, Poliwrath, Jellicent, Granbull
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel, Steelix, Umbreon, also Cresselia (that last one, however, is just straight Triple Axel)
SO SHOULD WE USE IT OR NOT?
Meh. While High Jump Kick gives Tsareena a little more oomph in PvP, it's still trying to walk down trails other things have already blazed... and more effectively at that.Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
OTHER HIGH JUMP KICKERS?
There ARE, of course, other things that learn the new move. The more interesting ones include:- MEDICHAM could return to a little more prominence again with High Jump Kick. While it gives up things like Venusaur and the mirror match by NOT running Psychic (the move), High Jump Kick would get the same win over Lanturn that Dynamic Punch does, AND potentially add on Whiscash and Skarmory, two big names in PvP right now!
- While SCRAFTY runs just fine already with Power-Up Punch and Foul Play as its closer, High Jump Kick would at worst represent a viable alternative to either, especially in Ultra League where H.J.K/Foul Play would potentially be pretty nasty!
- LOPUNNY is still rather fringe, but High Jump Kick would represent a better closer than the Focus Blast or Hyper Beam it has now.
IN SUMMATION....
This looks like another Community Day where the featured PokĂŠmon IS better off with its new move, but unlikely to rise to sudden prominence as a result. High Jump Kick makes Tsareena a bit scarier and can draw shields where Tisa couldn't before, but it would still take an unusual meta for it to rise up and... well... kick butt even now. Grind for good ones, as always, but this isn't super high priority in my estimation. Just have a good time, because this is a game after all, right?Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
2024.05.17 19:28 JRE47 Under The Lights: Community Day Tsareena
It's been TWO WEEKS since my last formal analysis article. Sorry about that. I'll just say that ol' JRE has been going through some rough times, mostly due to a fraying situation in my real-life occupation (no, I do not actually write for a living!), and had to pause and deal with some stuff and get my mind right again. Still working my way back, but hopefully this will be the first of a few articles over the next week. Lots of stuff on the immediate horizon!
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
GREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
submitted by JRE47 to TheSilphArena [link] [comments]
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
B.L.U.F.
- Overall, the new move DOES represent an upgrade to Tsareena's performance in PvP. Usually.
- There ARE, however, some tradeoffs, with Tsareena moving away from a Grass role and suffering some new losses in the process.
- Bottom line (of the bottom line?) is this: Tsareena is still not a great PvP contender even with this move, with subpar bulk holding it back, and more refined and potent Grasses already mostly filling the role you'd want Tsareena to fill coming out of this event.
TSAREENA
Grass TypeGREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
- Magical Leaf (Grass, 3.33 DPT, 3.33 EPT, 1.5 CD)
- Razor Leaf (Grass, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.0 CD)
- Charm (Fairy, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.5 CD)
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
- Stomp (Normal, 55 damage, 40 energy)
- Triple Axel (Ice, 60 damage, 45 energy, Raises User Attack +1 Stage)
- Grass Knot (Grass, 90 damage, 50 energy)
- Draining Kiss (Fairy, 60 damage, 55 energy)
- Energy Ball (Grass, 90 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce Opponent Defense -1 Stage)
- High Jump Kická´ą (Fighting, 110 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce User Defense -4 Stages)
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
GREAT LEAGUE
So before we dive fully down the rabbit hole of sims, a couple things I need to say up front.Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
- 1v1 shielding - gain Bastiodon, Registeel, Lickitung, Umbreon; lose Azumarill
- 0v0 shielding - gain Lickitung, Vigoroth, Galarian Stunfisk, Guzzlord; lose Azumarill, Annihilape, Dewgong, Pelipper, Sableye
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
ULTRA LEAGUE
Here again, our best to this point has been Triple Axel/Grass. (In this case, Energy Ball shows one more win than Grass Knot, but it's just because versus Obstagoon, the way to win is throwing Axel and then the Grass move rather than double Grass Knot as the sims try to do) And oh my goodness that was a lot of words for one rather meaningless matchup!) But anyway, the overall effectiveness is little better than Great League, with a winlist filled almost entirely of Water types, with Ampharos, Umbreon, and Granbull as bonuses. Overall, it's only 25% of the meta, so even a bit worse than Great League.But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
- 1v1 shielding - gain Registeel, Alolan Sandslash, Obstagoon, Greedent, Cobalion
- 0v0 shielding - gain Obstagoon, Umbreon, Alolan Sandslash; lose Feraligatr, Poliwrath, Jellicent, Granbull
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel, Steelix, Umbreon, also Cresselia (that last one, however, is just straight Triple Axel)
SO SHOULD WE USE IT OR NOT?
Meh. While High Jump Kick gives Tsareena a little more oomph in PvP, it's still trying to walk down trails other things have already blazed... and more effectively at that.Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
OTHER HIGH JUMP KICKERS?
There ARE, of course, other things that learn the new move. The more interesting ones include:- MEDICHAM could return to a little more prominence again with High Jump Kick. While it gives up things like Venusaur and the mirror match by NOT running Psychic (the move), High Jump Kick would get the same win over Lanturn that Dynamic Punch does, AND potentially add on Whiscash and Skarmory, two big names in PvP right now!
- While SCRAFTY runs just fine already with Power-Up Punch and Foul Play as its closer, High Jump Kick would at worst represent a viable alternative to either, especially in Ultra League where H.J.K/Foul Play would potentially be pretty nasty!
- LOPUNNY is still rather fringe, but High Jump Kick would represent a better closer than the Focus Blast or Hyper Beam it has now.
IN SUMMATION....
This looks like another Community Day where the featured PokĂŠmon IS better off with its new move, but unlikely to rise to sudden prominence as a result. High Jump Kick makes Tsareena a bit scarier and can draw shields where Tisa couldn't before, but it would still take an unusual meta for it to rise up and... well... kick butt even now. Grind for good ones, as always, but this isn't super high priority in my estimation. Just have a good time, because this is a game after all, right?Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
2024.05.17 19:25 JRE47 A PvP Analysis on Tsareena: Better with High Jump Kick, but good enough?
It's been TWO WEEKS since my last formal analysis article. Sorry about that. I'll just say that ol' JRE has been going through some rough times, mostly due to a fraying situation in my real-life occupation (no, I do not actually write for a living!), and had to pause and deal with some stuff and get my mind right again. Still working my way back, but hopefully this will be the first of a few articles over the next week. Lots of stuff on the immediate horizon!
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
GREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
submitted by JRE47 to TheSilphRoad [link] [comments]
Let's just get right to it! May Community Day features Bounsweet and Tsareena. How does Tsareena look in PvP with its new exclusive move? đ˘ Let's kick off with our customary Bottom Line Up Front to start....
B.L.U.F.
- Overall, the new move DOES represent an upgrade to Tsareena's performance in PvP. Usually.
- There ARE, however, some tradeoffs, with Tsareena moving away from a Grass role and suffering some new losses in the process.
- Bottom line (of the bottom line?) is this: Tsareena is still not a great PvP contender even with this move, with subpar bulk holding it back, and more refined and potent Grasses already mostly filling the role you'd want Tsareena to fill coming out of this event.
TSAREENA
Grass TypeGREAT LEAGUE:
Attack: 132 (129 High Stat Product)
Defense: 120 (122 High Stat Product)
HP: 108 (110 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-13 1499 CP, Level 19)
ULTRA LEAGUE:
Attack: 169 (166 High Stat Product)
Defense: 155 (157 High Stat Product)
HP: 141 (143 High Stat Product)
(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2499 CP, Level 33)
MASTER LEAGUE:
Attack: 199
Defense: 176
HP: 160
(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 3351 CP at Level 50)
As a mono-Grass, Tsareena is left vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Bug, Ice, AND Flying, which is not great, especially since that balances against only Grass, Ground, Water, and Electric.
Of more concern is its stats. Just to compare to Grass starters, the only ones that have less relative bulk than Tisa are Sceptile and Meowscarata... even flimsy Decidueye outbulks it, as do Grasses not at all known for their bulk like Leafeon, Lurantis, Trevenant, and even Carnivine. So yeah... noooooot great.
Of course, really good moves can overcome a poor typing and stats (just look at fellow mono-Grass Lurantis which I just mentioned!), so perhaps that will be the case here. Let's check and see!
FAST MOVES
- Magical Leaf (Grass, 3.33 DPT, 3.33 EPT, 1.5 CD)
- Razor Leaf (Grass, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.0 CD)
- Charm (Fairy, 5.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.5 CD)
Magical Leaf, by contrast, is one of those rare PvP fast moves that deals above average damage AND generates above average energy. Granted, being only 0.33 over the 3.0 average isn't great, but being over on both of them is pretty nifty, and it works much better with Tisa's charge moves for sure.
Speaking of which....
á´ą - Exclusive (Community Day) Move
CHARGE MOVES
- Stomp (Normal, 55 damage, 40 energy)
- Triple Axel (Ice, 60 damage, 45 energy, Raises User Attack +1 Stage)
- Grass Knot (Grass, 90 damage, 50 energy)
- Draining Kiss (Fairy, 60 damage, 55 energy)
- Energy Ball (Grass, 90 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce Opponent Defense -1 Stage)
- High Jump Kická´ą (Fighting, 110 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance: Reduce User Defense -4 Stages)
The obvious downside is, of course, the potential drawback that comes with it. There are moves that can drop the user's Defense minus 2 stages (Wild Charge, Close Combat, etc.), or even minus 3 stages (most notably Brave Bird), but there is no move in the game that can drop any stat by the maximum -4 stages at once... until now. Granted, it's only a 10% chance (as currently coded at the time of this writing), but when it goes off... oooooof.
Of course, this makes it a simulation nightmare, as anything I show could swing pretty wildly if that big debuff triggers. That said... of course I looked at the simulations anyway. đ I mean, that's what we do here! So while you can take these with at least some grains of salt, let's see what potential comes with this new move.
GREAT LEAGUE
So before we dive fully down the rabbit hole of sims, a couple things I need to say up front.Firstly, I've barely mentioned Tisa's other charge moves, other than the other 55-energy moves... which you don't usually want to be running anyway. Your best options (to this point, at least) have typically been 45-energy Triple Axel (which provides nice coverage and also a guaranteed Attack boost) and 50-energy Grass Knot (which deals the same 90 damage as 55-energy Energy Ball).
And that comes out looking like this in Great League. Yuck. Basically beats a bunch of obvious Grass-type targets and classic Shadow Victreebel (thanks to Axel on that last one).
And here comes the second bit I need to mention before we go any further: as of the time of this writing, Mr. PvPoke is on a well-deserved vacation and has not been able to add High Jump Kick to the site. Thankfully I have my own local version of PvPoke which I was able to add High Jump Kick to, but since it's run locally I can't link to it. So instead, we will have to go with some screenshots.
I think the easiest way to show the differences in screenshots is by utilizing PvPoke's "Matrix" battle, which shows multiple PokĂŠmon (or in this case, the same PokĂŠmon with different movesets) side by side and highlights the win/loss differences.
So here we go. With Magical Leaf/Triple Axel/Grass Knot as the base, here are the differences (positive and negative) when you swap out Grass Knot for High Jump Kick.
- 1v1 shielding - gain Bastiodon, Registeel, Lickitung, Umbreon; lose Azumarill
- 0v0 shielding - gain Lickitung, Vigoroth, Galarian Stunfisk, Guzzlord; lose Azumarill, Annihilape, Dewgong, Pelipper, Sableye
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel
That said, High Jump Kick is more good than bad, with the Fighting coverage (and raw power) shining brightly with the Registeel, Bastiodon, and Lickitung wins (as well as others like Galarian Stunfisk and Umbreon). But there are losses too, especially with shields down, where the lack of a Grass charge move leads to losing Pelipper and Azumarill, as well as things like Sableye, Dewgong, and Annihilape, where the typing and/or cost of Grass Knot make a difference.
I think it's fair to call High Jump Kick Tsareena the best Great League Tsareena in general now, but there are tradeoffs, and I don't think Tisa suddenly becomes meta or will even be a regular fixture in Cups. Just a slightly more interesting spice pick.
ULTRA LEAGUE
Here again, our best to this point has been Triple Axel/Grass. (In this case, Energy Ball shows one more win than Grass Knot, but it's just because versus Obstagoon, the way to win is throwing Axel and then the Grass move rather than double Grass Knot as the sims try to do) And oh my goodness that was a lot of words for one rather meaningless matchup!) But anyway, the overall effectiveness is little better than Great League, with a winlist filled almost entirely of Water types, with Ampharos, Umbreon, and Granbull as bonuses. Overall, it's only 25% of the meta, so even a bit worse than Great League.But if there's good news, it's that High Jump Kick grows that winrate by as much as 50%. Both 1shield and 2shield are straight upgrades, which is nice. Let's look at what those new wins are:
- 1v1 shielding - gain Registeel, Alolan Sandslash, Obstagoon, Greedent, Cobalion
- 0v0 shielding - gain Obstagoon, Umbreon, Alolan Sandslash; lose Feraligatr, Poliwrath, Jellicent, Granbull
- 2v2 shielding - gain Registeel, Steelix, Umbreon, also Cresselia (that last one, however, is just straight Triple Axel)
SO SHOULD WE USE IT OR NOT?
Meh. While High Jump Kick gives Tsareena a little more oomph in PvP, it's still trying to walk down trails other things have already blazed... and more effectively at that.Triple Axel is really the only thing separating it from other Grasses with Fighting moves. In Ultra League, that means Chesnaught, and in Great League that means Lurantis, and you will notice they both outperform Tsareena anyway. The only standout wins for Tisa's Triple Axel are things like Golisopod and Granbull in Ultra League (where the buffing allows it to outrace) and Shadow Victreebel in Great League (thanks to Vic resisting all Grass and Fighting damage, but being weak to Ice). Otherwise, Tsareena just drags behind Chesnaught, Lurantis, and others.
OTHER HIGH JUMP KICKERS?
There ARE, of course, other things that learn the new move. The more interesting ones include:- MEDICHAM could return to a little more prominence again with High Jump Kick. While it gives up things like Venusaur and the mirror match by NOT running Psychic (the move), High Jump Kick would get the same win over Lanturn that Dynamic Punch does, AND potentially add on Whiscash and Skarmory, two big names in PvP right now!
- While SCRAFTY runs just fine already with Power-Up Punch and Foul Play as its closer, High Jump Kick would at worst represent a viable alternative to either, especially in Ultra League where H.J.K/Foul Play would potentially be pretty nasty!
- LOPUNNY is still rather fringe, but High Jump Kick would represent a better closer than the Focus Blast or Hyper Beam it has now.
IN SUMMATION....
This looks like another Community Day where the featured PokĂŠmon IS better off with its new move, but unlikely to rise to sudden prominence as a result. High Jump Kick makes Tsareena a bit scarier and can draw shields where Tisa couldn't before, but it would still take an unusual meta for it to rise up and... well... kick butt even now. Grind for good ones, as always, but this isn't super high priority in my estimation. Just have a good time, because this is a game after all, right?Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, PokĂŠfriends!
2024.05.17 10:55 Faaarkme Rules of the Blues
Borrowed.....
"Rules Of The Blues" by Memphis Earlene
submitted by Faaarkme to blues [link] [comments]
"Rules Of The Blues" by Memphis Earlene
- Most Blues begin, "Woke up this morning..."
- "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."
- The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes... sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher, and she weigh 500 pound."
- The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch--ain't no way out.
- Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and company motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
- Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
- Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.
- A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg cause you were skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chompin' on it is.
- You can't have no Blues in a office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.
- Good places for the Blues: a. Highway b. Jailhouse c. An empty bed d. Bottom of a whiskey glass
- Bad places for the Blues: a. Nordstrom's b. Gallery openings c. Ivy league institutions d. Golf courses
- No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be a old ethnic person, and you slept in it.
- You have the right to sing the Blues if: a. You older than dirt b. You blind c. You shot a man in Memphis d. You can't be satisfied
- You don't have the right to sing the Blues if: a. You have all your teeth b. You were once blind but now can see c. The man in Memphis lived d. You have a pension fund
- Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues. Sonny Liston could. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the blues.
- If you ask for water and your darlin' give you gasoline, it's the Blues
- Other acceptable Blues beverages are: a. Cheap wine b. Whiskey or bourbon c. Muddy water d. Nasty black coffee
- The following are NOT Blues beverages: a. Perrier b. Chardonnay c. Snapple d. Slim Fast
- If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broke-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.
- Some Blues names for women: a. Sadie b. Big Mama c. Bessie d. Fat River Dumpling
- Some Blues names for men: a. Joe b. Willie c. Little Willie d. Big Willie
- Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Debbie, and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
- Make your own Blues name Starter Kit: a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.) b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Melon, Kiwi, etc.) c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.) For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Jackleg Lemon Johnson or Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")
- I don't care how tragic your life: if you own even one computer, you cannot sing the blues.
2024.05.17 03:22 EJC28 Cowboys 2024 Draft Analysis Compilation
Round 1, Pick 29 - Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma:
NFL: The Cowboys bolster their offensive line with a player with the versatility to play either tackle position thanks to his athleticism. Guyton's elite traits could make him the next great Dallas O-lineman.
CBS Sports: B. This is a move that has been predicted by a lot of people. He played right tackle in college, but can move to the left side. This fills a major need.
ESPN: You never want to be forced into taking a specific position in the draft, but the Cowboys almost had to come away with an offensive lineman in the first round. By trading with Detroit, the Cowboys cost themselves a chance to take center Graham Barton, who is more ready to play right away, but Guyton plays a premium position at tackle. He will need time to adjust to the pro game as well as likely a new position after starting just 15 games at Oklahoma with 13 coming at right tackle. Replacing a legend like Tyron Smith at left tackle would be difficult for any rookie but patience might be the biggest key when assessing Guyton as a rookie.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: CBS asked him to stop writing letters to bring back AIRWOLF.
Round 2, Pick 56 - Marshawn Kneeland, DE, Western Michigan:
NFL: Demarcus Lawrence turns 32 in a few days, so taking a pass rusher whom many evaluators believed would be a top-50 pick makes a lot of sense. Kneeland caught my eye in Mobile at the Senior Bowl with his effort, natural strength and mass as a strong-side rush prospect. He's not ready for primetime yet, but Kneeland is a very intriguing player and a smart value pick here.
CBS Sports: B-. Big-time tester who might be just scratching the surface of how good he can be around the corner. Doesnât quite play to his workout but works the edges of OTs very well. Shows glimpses of countering ability. Just didnât ever dominate in the MAC. Roll of the dice.
ESPN: While others see running back and linebacker as a need, defensive end is a need too, especially when factoring in the departures in free agency of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr., and with DeMarcus Lawrence in the final year of his contract. Kneeland had 13 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in his career, but never topped more than 4.5 in a season.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Tried to fight The Most Interesting Man in the World when he was 7.
Round 3, Pick 73 - Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State:
NFL: I'm shocked Beebe lasted this long. To me, he's one of the most bust-proof players in this draft class, even if it's at a lower-priority position. But Beebe is a perfect fit in Dallas, where he can compete for a starting job eventually and provide strong depth inside. He could even be tried at center, if needed.
CBS Sports: B+. The reconstruction of the OL continues in Dallas. Older, super-experienced guard-only whoâs rarely out of position. Athletic limitations are obvious. Low center of gravity gives him quality anchor. Smart pick here despite minimal upside. High floor.
ESPN: With Zack Martin potentially entering the final year of his time with the Cowboys, Beebe can be seen as a future starter at guard. There are some who believe he can play center, which is a need for the Cowboys even as they profess faith in Brock Hoffman. At Kansas State, however, he played every spot but center, although he saw time there in practices. He has the credentials as a two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He once farted so bad, everyone started looking for a body.
Round 3, Pick 87 - Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame:
NFL: Liufau was one of the last players on the cutting-room floor of my final top 100 list. He uses unusually long arms and rare burst to blow up his fair share of plays, but Liufau might be best off as a special-teams demon until he can refine his craft more as a linebacker.
CBS Sports: C+. Hair-on-fire off-ball LB who gets the expected results with that style. Many missed tackles. Many highlight-reel hits. Showed he can cover underneath. Plays faster than his workout. More build up speed than pure burst. Ball skills are lacking and can be easily baited by play-action. Plus blitzer. Fun add here but overaggression hurts him at times.
ESPN: The Cowboys signed Eric Kendricks in free agency, but linebacker was still a major need even with last year's third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown coming back from a torn ACL. He started the final 25 games of his career at Notre Dame and had 44 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. He was a pre-draft visitor to the Cowboys, which has been a precursor to the team selecting players in recent years.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Still upset about the Pluto thing⌠I mean is it a planet or dog?
Round 5, Pick 174 - Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest:
NFL: With the drop-off at corner, I thought Carson might go a round or two earlier than this, but I am guessing his size and durability questions knocked him down a bit. Carson isn't an elite playmaker but could vie for nickel and special teams duty.
CBS Sports: B+. Smaller outside CB with just enough quicks to scoot inside if he needs to. Instincts are there. Quicker than fast. And some stiffness appears on film when getting out of his backpedal to change directions. Sound tackler. Not a standout trait type but does everything well.
ESPN: The running back wait continues, but Carson was under consideration by the Cowboys at pick No. 73 when they took Beebe. He did not record an interception in each of his final two seasons and had just three for his career, but he had 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, eight pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last season. With Trevon Diggs coming off a torn ACL and Stephon Gilmore currently unsigned, cornerback was a need for the Cowboys even if they had re-signed Jourdan Lewis.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Knows 87 different birds species the Jack Daw is his favorite.
Round 6, Pick 216 - Ryan Flournoy, WR, Southeast Missouri State:
NFL: Flournoy was surprisingly present at the Senior Bowl, besting several bigger-school corners and consistently catching short and intermediate passes. His speed might be undersold, but Flournoy might be close to maxed out as a prospect.
CBS Sports: A. Big, chiseled vertical threat who makes it a nightmare for DBs to corral him once he gets the ball in his hands. While heâs not incredibly sudden, he is a horse in space. Back-shoulder skill is there. Love this pick.
ESPN: The running back wait continues as the Cowboys go with Flournoy, who performed well against better competition at the Senior Bowl. He is older, turning 25 in October, he caught 118 passes for 1,823 yards and 13 touchdowns in two years at Southeast Missouri. The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert as their top three receivers and have a role for KaVontae Turpin and like Jalen Brooks' ability. Martavis Bryant ended last season on the practice squad and will have a chance to show if he can recapture the ability he showed in Pittsburgh before a series of suspensions. At 6-2, 205 pounds, Flournoy has the size the Cowboys like in their receivers.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Pick 216! Quick, call someone in Cleveland and let them know.
Round 7, Pick 233 - Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette:
NFL: Thomas was a high school tight end who has successfully shifted to left tackle in college, which is probably where he'll be tried in the NFL. He's an unrefined product but has enough upside to invest in here.
CBS Sports: A. No-nonsense power blocker with serious girth and starting caliber length to stay at OT in the NFL. Not a high-level athlete but wins with initial quicks and a deft utilization of his length to get into DLâs in a flash. Recovery want-to is there. One of my favorite blockers in the class.
ESPN: At this point of a draft, it's about traits. At 6-5, 334 pounds, he was a two-year starter. This is the third offensive lineman the Cowboys have taken, but the first on Day 3. The Cowboys have used picks on the final day on Richards, Waletzko, Ball, Matt Farniok and Tyler Biadasz since Mike McCarthy took over as coach. Only Biadasz, a fourth-rounder, developed into a starter. Thomas could have some position flexibility as a guard, too.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Once mused that death is just another path, one that we all must take.
Round 7, Pick 244 - Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn:
NFL: Rogers is blocky and stiff, but he's tough to move in the run game and could make it as a run-stopping interior defender.
CBS Sports: C. Classic block-eating nose tackle. Knows how to handle doubles and will occasionally make a play against the run. Lacks the burst, length, or hand work to win routinely up the field.
ESPN: Defensive tackle is a need. The Cowboys lost Johnathan Hankins in free agency and Mazi Smith, their first-round pick last year, did not produce much as a rookie and is coming back from shoulder surgery. A seventh-round pick does not prevent the Cowboys from looking at a veteran defensive tackle. Rogers is 6-3, 346 pounds, so he would have the size to help the run defense. At Kentucky and Auburn he had 94 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Odds are he has a reddit account and posts on cat subs.
submitted by EJC28 to cowboys [link] [comments]
NFL: The Cowboys bolster their offensive line with a player with the versatility to play either tackle position thanks to his athleticism. Guyton's elite traits could make him the next great Dallas O-lineman.
CBS Sports: B. This is a move that has been predicted by a lot of people. He played right tackle in college, but can move to the left side. This fills a major need.
ESPN: You never want to be forced into taking a specific position in the draft, but the Cowboys almost had to come away with an offensive lineman in the first round. By trading with Detroit, the Cowboys cost themselves a chance to take center Graham Barton, who is more ready to play right away, but Guyton plays a premium position at tackle. He will need time to adjust to the pro game as well as likely a new position after starting just 15 games at Oklahoma with 13 coming at right tackle. Replacing a legend like Tyron Smith at left tackle would be difficult for any rookie but patience might be the biggest key when assessing Guyton as a rookie.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: CBS asked him to stop writing letters to bring back AIRWOLF.
Round 2, Pick 56 - Marshawn Kneeland, DE, Western Michigan:
NFL: Demarcus Lawrence turns 32 in a few days, so taking a pass rusher whom many evaluators believed would be a top-50 pick makes a lot of sense. Kneeland caught my eye in Mobile at the Senior Bowl with his effort, natural strength and mass as a strong-side rush prospect. He's not ready for primetime yet, but Kneeland is a very intriguing player and a smart value pick here.
CBS Sports: B-. Big-time tester who might be just scratching the surface of how good he can be around the corner. Doesnât quite play to his workout but works the edges of OTs very well. Shows glimpses of countering ability. Just didnât ever dominate in the MAC. Roll of the dice.
ESPN: While others see running back and linebacker as a need, defensive end is a need too, especially when factoring in the departures in free agency of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr., and with DeMarcus Lawrence in the final year of his contract. Kneeland had 13 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in his career, but never topped more than 4.5 in a season.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Tried to fight The Most Interesting Man in the World when he was 7.
Round 3, Pick 73 - Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State:
NFL: I'm shocked Beebe lasted this long. To me, he's one of the most bust-proof players in this draft class, even if it's at a lower-priority position. But Beebe is a perfect fit in Dallas, where he can compete for a starting job eventually and provide strong depth inside. He could even be tried at center, if needed.
CBS Sports: B+. The reconstruction of the OL continues in Dallas. Older, super-experienced guard-only whoâs rarely out of position. Athletic limitations are obvious. Low center of gravity gives him quality anchor. Smart pick here despite minimal upside. High floor.
ESPN: With Zack Martin potentially entering the final year of his time with the Cowboys, Beebe can be seen as a future starter at guard. There are some who believe he can play center, which is a need for the Cowboys even as they profess faith in Brock Hoffman. At Kansas State, however, he played every spot but center, although he saw time there in practices. He has the credentials as a two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He once farted so bad, everyone started looking for a body.
Round 3, Pick 87 - Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame:
NFL: Liufau was one of the last players on the cutting-room floor of my final top 100 list. He uses unusually long arms and rare burst to blow up his fair share of plays, but Liufau might be best off as a special-teams demon until he can refine his craft more as a linebacker.
CBS Sports: C+. Hair-on-fire off-ball LB who gets the expected results with that style. Many missed tackles. Many highlight-reel hits. Showed he can cover underneath. Plays faster than his workout. More build up speed than pure burst. Ball skills are lacking and can be easily baited by play-action. Plus blitzer. Fun add here but overaggression hurts him at times.
ESPN: The Cowboys signed Eric Kendricks in free agency, but linebacker was still a major need even with last year's third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown coming back from a torn ACL. He started the final 25 games of his career at Notre Dame and had 44 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. He was a pre-draft visitor to the Cowboys, which has been a precursor to the team selecting players in recent years.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Still upset about the Pluto thing⌠I mean is it a planet or dog?
Round 5, Pick 174 - Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest:
NFL: With the drop-off at corner, I thought Carson might go a round or two earlier than this, but I am guessing his size and durability questions knocked him down a bit. Carson isn't an elite playmaker but could vie for nickel and special teams duty.
CBS Sports: B+. Smaller outside CB with just enough quicks to scoot inside if he needs to. Instincts are there. Quicker than fast. And some stiffness appears on film when getting out of his backpedal to change directions. Sound tackler. Not a standout trait type but does everything well.
ESPN: The running back wait continues, but Carson was under consideration by the Cowboys at pick No. 73 when they took Beebe. He did not record an interception in each of his final two seasons and had just three for his career, but he had 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, eight pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last season. With Trevon Diggs coming off a torn ACL and Stephon Gilmore currently unsigned, cornerback was a need for the Cowboys even if they had re-signed Jourdan Lewis.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Knows 87 different birds species the Jack Daw is his favorite.
Round 6, Pick 216 - Ryan Flournoy, WR, Southeast Missouri State:
NFL: Flournoy was surprisingly present at the Senior Bowl, besting several bigger-school corners and consistently catching short and intermediate passes. His speed might be undersold, but Flournoy might be close to maxed out as a prospect.
CBS Sports: A. Big, chiseled vertical threat who makes it a nightmare for DBs to corral him once he gets the ball in his hands. While heâs not incredibly sudden, he is a horse in space. Back-shoulder skill is there. Love this pick.
ESPN: The running back wait continues as the Cowboys go with Flournoy, who performed well against better competition at the Senior Bowl. He is older, turning 25 in October, he caught 118 passes for 1,823 yards and 13 touchdowns in two years at Southeast Missouri. The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert as their top three receivers and have a role for KaVontae Turpin and like Jalen Brooks' ability. Martavis Bryant ended last season on the practice squad and will have a chance to show if he can recapture the ability he showed in Pittsburgh before a series of suspensions. At 6-2, 205 pounds, Flournoy has the size the Cowboys like in their receivers.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Pick 216! Quick, call someone in Cleveland and let them know.
Round 7, Pick 233 - Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette:
NFL: Thomas was a high school tight end who has successfully shifted to left tackle in college, which is probably where he'll be tried in the NFL. He's an unrefined product but has enough upside to invest in here.
CBS Sports: A. No-nonsense power blocker with serious girth and starting caliber length to stay at OT in the NFL. Not a high-level athlete but wins with initial quicks and a deft utilization of his length to get into DLâs in a flash. Recovery want-to is there. One of my favorite blockers in the class.
ESPN: At this point of a draft, it's about traits. At 6-5, 334 pounds, he was a two-year starter. This is the third offensive lineman the Cowboys have taken, but the first on Day 3. The Cowboys have used picks on the final day on Richards, Waletzko, Ball, Matt Farniok and Tyler Biadasz since Mike McCarthy took over as coach. Only Biadasz, a fourth-rounder, developed into a starter. Thomas could have some position flexibility as a guard, too.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Once mused that death is just another path, one that we all must take.
Round 7, Pick 244 - Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn:
NFL: Rogers is blocky and stiff, but he's tough to move in the run game and could make it as a run-stopping interior defender.
CBS Sports: C. Classic block-eating nose tackle. Knows how to handle doubles and will occasionally make a play against the run. Lacks the burst, length, or hand work to win routinely up the field.
ESPN: Defensive tackle is a need. The Cowboys lost Johnathan Hankins in free agency and Mazi Smith, their first-round pick last year, did not produce much as a rookie and is coming back from shoulder surgery. A seventh-round pick does not prevent the Cowboys from looking at a veteran defensive tackle. Rogers is 6-3, 346 pounds, so he would have the size to help the run defense. At Kentucky and Auburn he had 94 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Odds are he has a reddit account and posts on cat subs.
2024.05.17 02:01 CazOnReddit A Speedrunner's Guide to Bruce Brown - And What Can Be Done on Draft Night (Part 2)
 | Welcome to part 2 of the pre-draft deadline Bruce Brown breakdown. For part 1, we went over a trio of trade partners in the Bulls, the Hawks and Jazz so if that interests you, give it a read. In part 2, and going forward, we'll be taking a look at a single team for the sake of what can be charitably described as me being "brief". submitted by CazOnReddit to torontoraptors [link] [comments] Now that we have finally learned which teams have jumped or dropped in the lottery, let's talk about a team that also officially lost a pick in this year's draft. Golden State Warriorshttps://preview.redd.it/pxlx2hbw8v0d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=05ea876ddd04751d409dbc81c846eecfa30894dbMost likely player(s): Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis Incoming salary: Varies depending on the combination of players coming back/sent out; 26.2 million incoming at minimum, 30 million at maximum. $10.2 million exception from the Siakam trade may be used depending on the structure of a deal Pick(s) available: 52nd, 2025\ or 2026 1st* Note: Assets listed above are not a proposed trade package, they are simply a list of players & picks that can be combined in a potential trade worth consideration. Who here likes multiple choice? Yeah i'm not listing all of their stats for the year, there's too many players for that this time around. Golden State is interesting as far as trade partners go. As they lost their 2024 1st round pick post-lottery to the Blazers, they have menial draft capital to include in a trade for this year and as far as salary relief goes, the potential loss of Klay Thompson and the declining of Chris Paul's option seem both very real and deserved given the Warriors were perhaps the most expensive 10 seed in NBA history, not to mention their respective play regressing. To put this into perspective, the Warriors luxury tax bill - for a team that needed to win 2 games to make the playoffs I might add - is estimated to cost Joe Lacob $176 million, more than the entire Raptors roster at $161.9 million post-trade deadline. Changes should be on the horizon no matter what direction they go in the offseason and with Lacob talking about wanting to avoid the luxury tax earlier this year, there's a fairly straight line to connect one dot (no tax) to the other (Klay walks or is signed & traded for a lesser return, Paul's team option declined & either he walks or signs a significantly cheaper deal). We'll ignore that Johnathan Kuminga has likely played himself into an expensive extension and how that could put them close to or over the line the year afterwards for a moment but the point stands: The Warriors don't technically need salary relief when doing nothing can accomplish that... ...but on the other hand, the Warriors still have Steph Curry and that's reason enough to ride out the remnants of the dynasty unless/until the most important/best player in franchise history decides to ask out. Plus, while they did miss on their highest pick since the dynasty formed by selecting James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball or Tyrese Haliburton (Admittedly, Haliburton would have been a stretch for 2 but the Warriors could have traded down), they have managed to land on a few of their lottery picks with the ever productive Johnathan Kuminga and the underutilized Moses Moody in 2021, not to mention they nabbed All-Rookie candidate Brandin Podziemski and the respectable Trayce Jackson-Davis in 2023 with relatively late picks in the 1st and 2nd round. While none of them scream All-Star upside aside from the Kum Bucket, it goes to show that Golden State has found hidden gems late in the draft to add depth to a top-heavy and typically expensive team that hasn't been afforded free agent signings or access to certain exceptions, let alone the ability to keep together the supporting cast that helped them win a championship in Gary Payton II (They got him back via a controversial 3-team trade involving Wiseman) and Raptors Legend⢠Otto Porter Jr. With the Raptors prioritizing players over picks in their trade of O.G. Anunoby and them turning the worst of the 2024 picks received in the Siakam trade into two rotational players via Ochai and Olynyk, you can see where this is going: Golden State makes sense as a Bruce Brown destination if the Warriors want to kick the luxury tax down the road by deferring a particular player's extension in favor of a new rookie contract while still getting someone who is all but assured to contribute to a playoff rotation, and if the Raptors want to trade out of this draft while still getting a young player on the roster or potentially move in to a stronger draft class such as 2025 or 2026. Fittingly for the former option, there's one player that makes sense for Toronto in light of Trent's uncertainty as their starting/bench shooting guard as a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Raptors already traded out of this draft twice so it would not be surprising if they did it a third time. It'd be funny, but not a surprise. The Player(s)https://preview.redd.it/ee8vv1rd9v0d1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=576dff2e70308c2379ed9586cc10285e8c9bc6a5Of the Warriors youngest players, Moses Moody stands out and not for the reason that someone has likely mentioned in the comments i.e. Scottie and Moody were teammates in high school. For the past three seasons, Moses has been the most consistently disrespected player by head coach Steve Kerr despite quiet improvements to his overall game, frequently benching him to close games in favor of the wildly inconsistent veteran Klay Thompson and in general limiting his minutes compared to the other young Warriors. This sentiment was perfectly encapsulated in that play-in loss, where Moses played a mere 15 minutes for the Dubs despite arguably being the best player amongst the supporting cast, if not the best player on the floor for Golden State; he scored 16 points on 5/8 shooting (2/4 from 3), grabbed 3 boards and had one dime without not a turnover to his name. In a game where Klay shot 0/10 and may very well have played his last game as a Warrior with a +/- of -12, Moody managed a respectable +/- of +3 in a blowout loss to the Kings. Both Moody and Kuminga have called out Kerr's questionable granting of playtime - Moody has a stretch this year where he was racking up DNPs - but while Johnathan was given more playtime and even started for a time due to Draymond's jackassery leading to multiple suspensions this season in conjunction with a notable leap in his offensive game, Moody's role on the team has been inconsistent and his playtime equally so. With him and Kuminga up for extensions this offseason, Golden State moving Moses to kick the can down the road by picking up another rookie who can contribute now, Moody's time in a Warriors jersey may be over. It also bears mention that Moody is the one young player on the Warriors roster whose name has most frequently come up in trade rumors or failed trades. This very season saw Golden State try to trade for Alex Caruso, a deal which is believed to have been centered around Moody but which fell through due to the Bulls wanting Kuminga instead. Moody is a good player. We'll get into the bad contract that he'd come with in a moment but it cannot be understated the level of frustration that comes from seeing a clearly capable player be sidelined due to favoritism of a past-their-prime veteran. He might not be as good of a shooter as Klay; he's a career 36% from behind the arc and though his volume remains low, on the occasions where he's shot 6 or more more threes, he's around 44% across the 14 games he's been given the greenlight to take that many shots. It's a limited sample size of an already limited sample despite having 3 seasons under his belt, but you can understand why he isn't feeling that he's been given much of any opportunity when his hands are this hot on increased volume. Of course, any player on the Warriors' outside shooting has to come with the obligatory asterisk that they are shooting the shots that they've got & thus the 3-point percentage they're shooting at due to Steph Curry's inescapable gravity. A team playing worse without their best player is so obvious a statement that should go without saying, and the sample size of Curry-less Moody games is once again limited but across 44 Curry-less games in his career, Moses Moody only saw a minor dip in 3-point percentage from his career 36% to 33.6% though again, this is on relatively low volume; his attempts have stayed around the same as his career average with 3 per game in those Curry-less games. The quality of competition is another factor that does need to taken in to consideration along with whomever else was absent but considering that the dip is relatively small and a sizeable amount of teams faced in said sample includes playoff seeds from the 2022/23 season, that's a surprisingly encouraging stat. If there's anything about his overall range that stands out in a negative light, it's that his overall catch and shoot numbers aren't anything to write home about at roughly 36% but I digress. Beyond his shooting upside, there's a lot to like about Moody. For intangibles, he's highly competitive. For fit as a potential starter, he's a 6'6 shooting guard with a lengthy 7'1 wingspan that's shown flashes of his defensive upside and consistently improved on that end of the floor. He's great at moving off-ball and while he's never going to rack up assists, he's willing to pass up a good shot to let a teammate take a better one. Jackson-Davis is also worth mentioning as a potential "young" player though one who is less likely to see the Dubs part ways with. The 24 year-old rookie was a productive member of the team's bench with limited playtime and considering he's making the equivalent of a minimum contract, there's little incentive to move him when he won't need to be extended for at least another season. While Moody for the 19th pick could be an option on its own, we're talking Bruce Brown-centered "salary dump" trades and thus there's two main candidates to consider since it's very hard to see Golden State moving Draymond Green even if a paradigm shift is on the horizon. Andrew Wiggins is hard to currently evaluate whether he's a truly awful contract or just temporarily undervalued. The Mavericks and Pacers were apparently interested in him at this year's deadline but whether that was serious interest or part of negotiations with the Hornets and Raptors respectively for PJ or Pascal to lower their asking prices is up for debate since Andrew stayed a Warrior after the deadline. What can be said is that after being a key contributor to the Warriors Final Dance-esque championship run, Wiggins has had a rough duo of seasons; his 2022/23 encore was more of the same for the regular season if he played, though the key word is "if". Owed to an injury in December and personal matters from February onwards, Wiggins only played 37 games for Golden State & while he was generally decent on both ends in the regular season, his return to the playoffs marked a notable shrinking of Wiggins. Going from a terrific 39.6% from 3 on 6 attempts to 29.7% on less than 5 per game and playing with far less intensity on defense, this version of Wiggins would carry on into the 2023/24 regular season where Andrew had arguably his worst season relative to expectations. He did pick things up in the later games of the season, but said second half has done little to repair his current reputation. Like I said, it's hard to really say if Wiggins contract is viewed as an albatross like former teammate Jordan Poole or the now-expiring Ben Simmons - Andrew is getting paid an AAV of $28 million for the next 3 years - and I don't care to speculate about what was going on in his personal life or if it's still affecting him. What I can say is that while his name does bear consideration, if the Warriors really are determined to run things back, they'll likely hold on to Wiggins and hope whatever personal issues have hindered him for the past two seasons are behind him. When healthy/locked in, he is one of the best wing defenders in the league and as mentioned before, his 3 ball has been terrific in his best seasons with Golden State. With that in mind, Chris Paul could be considered the option for the main salary ballast. At this stage of his career, "Point God" Paul cannot be asked to be a team's starting PG due to a combination of age and injuries but he's shown some effectiveness as a bench in Golden State and despite a poor reputation around the league, he's been a notable mentor to a slew of younger star players like Shai and Booker and has been noted as a culture setter in their respective organizations. He's absolutely not worth paying $30 million for that role - there's a reason why his contract isn't guaranteed whatsoever for the season - but for a season? More than likely 2/3 of a single season? One can stomach the price tag to make such a deal work, especially if Toronto somehow manages to flip his expiring contract at the deadline. If nothing else, having Paul on the last legs of his career as a Raptor (potentially passing Jason Kidd for 2nd on the all-time assist leaderboard in a Raptors jersey at that) would make for an interesting playmaking mentor to Quickley and Scottie. While a straight up swap that includes Jackson-Davis or Moody works financially, owed to the trade exception that the Raptors generated from the Siakam trade which in of itself utilized an exception made via the Anunoby trade, and a 1:1 trade for Brown also works (Moody and Paul on the move would save the Warriors around $7 million in payroll before factoring in the tax), trading Paul for depth in Brown and, say, Chris Boucher - who it should be noted is also expiring and was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Warriors - doesn't offer the Dubs long-term salary relief in the same way that moving off of Wiggins would, at least not for the upcoming season. A deal like this would be an expiring for expiring deal where they would shed a minor amount of salary after going for a "final run" with this current core before having the same issue of needing to re-sign some of their supporting pieces. Not having to worry about paying Moody might help the season after but those pending UFAs and Kuminga would need to get paid or be lost for nothing, meaning they would still be deep in the second apron for the 2024/25 season, barring Klay being re-signed to a very team-friendly deal. It would be a move that screams "delaying the inevitably" but again: They have Steph Curry and considering how bad the Warriors were in the post-Barry, pre-Steph years, it's understandable they'd want to cling on to the current dynasty. As for draft capital, Golden State doesn't have the largest pool of assets but they do have some to spare. They have a very late 2nd in this draft - 52nd overall - and now that their 2024 pick has conveyed to the Blazers, they do have the option to trade a future 1st in 2025 or 2026. Admittedly, it's hard to see the Warriors parting with their remaining draft capital when they just gave up a late lottery pick to the Blazers and they owe the Wizards a 2030 1st, not without a notable protection on said pick as their team continues to age. For reference, that Washington pick they gave up is Top 20-protected. A draft pick, young player(s), a vet (albeit one whose significantly overpaid), like I said, Golden State has a fair amount of options in regards to what combination they can put together for a trade on or after draft night without the Raptors trading down in the 2024 draft but I do want to state that - speaking purely as an outsider to Golden State - the Warriors really should not be doing this. They aren't a Brown + Boucher swap away from being a contender even if Steph is still a consensus Top 3-5 player going in to next season. But they also can't trade an aging Steph Curry to begin rebuild without him being the one to ask out and their overall asset pool is not enough to land a star outside of Kuminga (who, based on the Caruso trade talks, is not available), not to mention the Jordan Poole salary dump saw them ship out a 2030 1st that restricts their draft capital just as much as the new CBA rules do for second apron teams regarding trading out distant draft capital. Doing some kind of move like this may be a more dignified end to the dynasty but it is the end of their status as a championship-caliber team even if Wiggins bounces back and Klay finally accepts a lesser role on offense (If he returns). Maybe they make it as a Top 6 seed in the playoffs given how close the 6th thru 10th seed were in the West with a touch more depth. Maybe they win a playoff series, but they're not making the Conference Finals, let alone another Finals so long as the Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves are going to be in contention, and this is without considering teams like the Spurs or Rockets being on the rise; the Rockets in particular made a noteworthy run for the final play-in spot that the Warriors ultimately were locked in to. The current Warriors are in a spot similar to the post-championship Mavericks where they're stuck in a lower seed as their aging superstar stays around for the twilight years of their career, along with all the bumps they'll experience along the road. They'll win enough games to qualify for the playoffs or at the very least the play-in now that the 9th/10th seed make it to the postseason, but they're wholly lacking in options to internally improve or make moves to truly return to contender status. The big difference is the Mavericks failures were self-inflicted i.e. letting core members of that run like Tyson Chandler walk for nothing while trying - but failing (I know they technically signed DeAndre Jordan but that ordeal ended with him returning to L.A., ergo a failure for Dallas) - to sign free agents whereas the Warriors are simply an old team that's only getting older, which is what makes their only shot to their former status being the youthful Kuminga making a massive leap in a short amount of time a touch ironic. ConclusionHere's our TL;DR so far:
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2024.05.16 15:06 sk716theFirst Updated Case Long Timeline
Updated with autopsy results.
Morphew Case Map - Google My Maps - Barry's iPhone Data - Google My Maps - Barry's Truck Events - Google My Maps
August 5, 1994 â Suzanne Moorman marries Barry Morphew The Alexandria Times-Tribune Alexandria, Indiana 05 Jan 1994, Wed ⢠Page 4
December 1999 â Barry and Suzanne Purchase 26040 Cal Carson Rd, Arcadia, IN This is the house where he dug a hole in the yard and buried everything he didn't want to move to Colorado. (AA ft 55 page 53)
November 2013 â Suzanne Inherits $208,000 upon the Passing of her Mother. MB provided documents that Suzanne inherited approximately $208,000 in 2013 at the passing of her mother.
August 2016 â Suzanne inherits $217,000 upon the death of a grandmother. Suzanneâs grievance list included multiple references to Barry controlling the finances.
April 12, 2018 â The Morphewâs Purchase 19057 Puma Path Barry and Suzanne Morphew purchase 19057 Puma Path for $1,575,000.
June 1, 2018 â The Morphews move to Colorado. (PH â Harris) SA Harris: Yeah, they moved in 2018. I believe they left around June 1st, 2018. to move to Colorado. So roughly a year and a half of the time is what Sheila originally said in that.
September 2018 â Suzanne sends âHowdy strangerâ message to JL First contact since high school.
Fall 2018 â Liblerâs daughter sees messages from Suzanne on his phone. Libler breaks it off.
Thanksgiving 2018 â Barry obsessive/possessive. While Suzanne was at the Oliverâs house, she had stepped away from her cell phone to use the restroom, and Barry tried calling her several times within a few minutes, then tried calling Sheila, then tried calling Darin.
Holidays 2018 â Suzanne finds Liblerâs LinkedIn Page. Relationship Rekindled
January 2019 â The Mexico trip where Barry took Suzanneâs phone Mexico trip mentioned in the grievances list where Barry took Suzanne's phone.
February 11 â 14, 2019 â Suzanne in New Orleans with Libler Barry admitted to questioning Suzanne about the New Orleans trip, further evidence he suspected the affair.
April 2019 â Suzanne meets up with Libler in Indiana She does not see SO on this trip.
July 2019 â Suzanne and Libler meet up in Michigan Barry called SO while Suzanne was in MI visiting her fatheJL, wanting to know why Suzanne wasn't returning his calls.
September 2019 â Barry stalks Suzanne and Shelia Oliver, creeping through woods. Barry stalked Suzanne and Sheila at the Puma Path house in September 2019. This is upon his early return from a trip to Arizona.
October 2019 â Libler and Suzanne in Dallas Suzanne and Libler spend two nights at the Galleria.
September â November 2019 â Barry aggressively pursues KW around Salida. From the first time KW met Barry, she said it felt like "he was putting his tentacles out."
Holidays 2019 â Suzanne and Libler stop talking on the phone because she is afraid Barry will find out. They shift to more covert ways to communicate. Barry's second device makes its first appearance.
January/February 2020 â Suzanne in Florida, gets spy pen, sees Libler Suzanne in Florida, SO gives her the spy pen during this trip. Suzanne records a conversation with Libler on this trip.
Late February 2020 â Suzanne in Florida, sees father and Libler. Suzanne skips out on time with her father to see Libler. Barry goes to Florida.
March 2020 â Spy pen records argument between Suzanne and Barry. âItâs money. Itâs about money.â â⌠I have lived for years being told how I should feel, how I should act, how I should look, what I should drink, what I shouldnât drink, what I should put in my body, what I shouldnât put in my body ⌠â
March 20, 2020 â Jekyll and Hyde text exchange between Suzanne and SO, MM2 suggests restraining order. "Itâs Jekyl and Hyde again ⌠Pretty much told him I canât be healthy and stay in this."
March 22, 2020 â Spy pen records Barry listening to Forensic Files episodes, call with Suzanne on drive to Pueblo Coincidentally one of the episodes involved a woman "disappearing" after a bike ride.
April 21, 2020 â Messages between Suzanne and Libler âI want to be with you,â âI can only be me with you,â I love you,â âI need you.â âYou know I was born to love you.â
May 4, 2020 16:05 â Barry makes 3 second outgoing call to Suzanne This was the first logged call in Barryâs phone to or from Suzanne since February 7, 2020.
May 5, 2020 â Suzanne drives MM2 to Gunnison Suzanne drives Macy to Gunnison, CO to meet MM1 for a road/camping trip through Utah and Idaho with MM1's best friend.
May 6, 08:44 â Suzanne sends MM2 a text âGood morning! I miss you already!â
May 6, 10:13 â Suzanne: âIâm done. I could care less what youâre up to and have been for years.â From 14:43 to 17:00 Barry replied, âWhen Iâm dead,â âGoing to see my savior,â and âThis life on earth is a mear (sic) grain of sand compared to eternity.â
May 6, 2020 â 14:43 â From Barry to Suzanne: âIâm sorry if things went the way they did. I have a problem dealing with the way you accused me of hiding checks. If you think Iâm as terrible of a person to hide our accounts and have ones you donât know about you donât know me. All I do is for you and the girls. All. When I'm dead, which won't be long, you guys will be taken care of. Please stop being angry. If I can control my hurt heart I think I can overcome your distant unlovingness toward me. Honey, I swear it's the hardest thing I've had to do. I love you I always will.â
May 6, 2020 â 15:51 â Barry to Suzanne: âI promise you were wrong about all the crazy thoughts about me. I have always been faithful. Always. Why would I ever want another when I'm married to the most beautiful, sweet, kind, loving, woman as you? Only a fool would stray from an angel like you.â
May 07, 2020 â Suzanne messages Libler about how magical past days had been. Barry wants a new truck. 16:43 - âBeen studying all afternoon. Iâm gonna bike now. Iâve got veggie soup on for supper.â
May 7, 2020 â SB puts new tires on Suzanneâs bike Bike mechanic was interviewed by law enforcement.
May 7, 17:13:52 â Barry Works Out at GDâs House Truck log files place Barry at GD's home at 5:13 pm.
May 7, 2020 23:00 â âI finally got the jobâ text from MM1 goes unanswered. Q (Lindsey): Anything on May 6th that didnât seem normal? Was there a text from Mallory to Mr. Morphew? A (Grusing): I believe thatâs the night of May 7th. Mallory, Macy, and their friend Holly are out on a trip towards Utah and Mallory is sending pictures to both Suzanne and Barry but I was ... Read more
May 08, 07:03 â The Grievance List: Suzanneâs phone backs up a list of 50 reasons why she wanted to leave marriage on âNotesâ Not safe alone with you. Canât be trusted - Oppressive - Slam on brakes when angry - Threaten to jump out of car - Gun ...
May 08, 08:43 â âI will continue to do your invoicing when you need to.â "When FBI Agents showed Barry these texts during interviews in 2021, he said he did not think Suzanne was serious."
May 08, 09:28 â Suzanne texts sister about Barryâs abuse. âItâs hard dealing with the harsh abrasiveness and having to show respect. Heâs also been abusive, emotionally and physically. Thereâs so much ⌠I went thru a period of acceptance and I feel more angry now. Anger at what Iâve allowed.â
May 08, 10:55 Barry: âI Love You, Suzanne.â âBut, in the afternoon, it (the text fight) was like it never happened. She texted me back and it was just like, âHey, what time are you coming home? Hey, this or that. Just pick this up or pick that up.'â
May 08, 13:18 â Barry texts Salida Stove and Spa about getting the hot tub fixed. "Asking when he could come out to the home."
May 08, 15:43 â Barryâs iPhone receives an SMS message associated with the unknown device This second device was first used on November 30,2019 and was associated with Barryâs iPhone 91 times since then, compared to 1,701 associations with the primary User ID since November 2019.
May 8, 19:06 â Moonlight Pizza and Phone Calls Barry convinces Suzanne to meet him at the Tailwinds site before going to pick up Moonlight Pizza together.
May 08, 21:04 â 20 Facebook friend requests, 3 men named âJeff.â Barryâs lurking at the River. Barry was asked about his phone pinging down by the river during the Facebook posts on Friday night and asked if he was outside. Barry said, âI could have been. I donât remember. I chase critters around the house all the time.â
May 09, 00:02 â Incoming call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST) Incoming call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST)
May 09, 02:07 â Outgoing call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST) 02:07 am outgoing call on SMâs phone (PH CAST)
May 09, 06:00 â Barryâs phone received call (PH CAST) 06:00 am BMâs phone received call (PH CAST)
May 09, 06:46 â Barryâs phone registered âPower Onâ Comes out of Airplane mode.
May 09, 07:19 â Barryâs cell received signal (PH) Barryâs cell received signal (PH)
May 09, 07:22 â 07:39 â Barry at âTailwindsâ worksite Barryâs phone registered locations at his âTailwindsâ work site near Poncha Springs.
May 09, 07:35 â Suzanne texting SO Discussing Sheila's daughters wedding on Sunday.
May 09, 08:00 â MG was with Barry working on the rock beach site until 10am(?). Gentile: âHe said that he had to go make the wife happy â do some hiking or biking.â
May 9 â Morning â Suzanne messaging Jeff âHeâs still wanting Arizona.â
May 09, 09:50 â Barry to Suzanne: Want to go on hike? *Text Exchange\* Barry to Suzanne: Want to go on hike?
May 9, 2020 â 11:14 â Suzanne received a second password reset message from Facebook Previous reset was while Barry was down by the river on the evening of the 8th.
May 09, 11:15 est. â Barry tells Morgan Gentile he could âbury a bodyâ and it âwould never be found.â Gentile: âHe seemed stressed. He definitely seemed weird on Saturday.â
May 09, 11:55 â Dead Turkey Hunt or Barry Takes Down His Trail Cameras Barry said he was looking for a turkey that Mallory had shot previously with a bow, but they had never found.
May 09, 13:35 â Barry leaves home again. Checked on job at Kim Gyms
May 9, 13:40(?) â Suzanne texts Libler Guess who is alone again?
May 09, 13:46 â Barry and the backhoe After texting, Barry drove by TK's house to see the backhoe, but did not get back in touch to buy it. In 2018, Barry used a backhoe to dig a large hole in his front yard, fill it with items to include furniture, and cover it over, planting alfalfa on top.
May 09, 13:51 â 14:13 â Barry at DSI, replacing Bobcat blade He was wearing a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts.
May 09, 14:03 â Suzanne sends sunbathing pic to Libler, last proof of life. âWell, look at her. Sheâs obviously drunk. Look at her eyes. Do you know what drunk eyes look like?
May 09, 14:11 â Suzanne sends last LinkedIn message to Libler: âIâm on wa.â Libler sent response messages at 2:39PM, 2:46PM and 2:47PM that Suzanne did not answer.
May 09, 14:26 â Barry texts Suzanne, âDone headed back.â He texted Suzanne that he was done and was headed home.
May 09, 14:31 â Barry texted Suzanne, âDid you leave.â At 2:31 PM, Barry texted Suzanne, âDid you leave.â
May 09, 14:39 â Libler messages Suzanne, she does not respond. First unread. Messages from LinkedIn show they were talking about how Suzanne is in love with Jeff before she went missing.
May 09, 14:43 â Barryâs phone and F-350, per telematics, arrive at the Morphew residence. "The photo is shown in the courtroom, Suzanne smiling. Truck GPS coordinates show Barryâs truck goes into park at 2:43:59. Phone coordinates show he walks around the house. You can hear a pin drop in the courtroom as tension is high." - Carol McKinley, PH Tweet
May 09, 14:44 â Shooting Chipmunks? Barry had a .22 in the moments when Suzanne ceased the communicate with everyone she loved in the world. Shooting Chipmunks? Barry had a .22 in the moments when Suzanne ceased the communicate with everyone she loved in the world. (See: https://www.reddit.com/SuzanneMorphew/comments/17lfboz/barry_and_the_chipmunks_aa_excerpts/ )
May 09, 14:46 â Libler messages: âHey ⌠your weather looks greatâ Second unread. No response from Suzanne.
May 09, 14:47 â Jeff sends another messages to Suzanne with no response. Third unread. Jeff sends last message if the day to Suzanne with no response.
May 09, 16:00 â 17:30 â Defense says Barry was at Salida Stove and Spa Salida Stove and Spa's posted hours have the store closing at 2pm on Saturday. Telematics show Barry's truck in his garage during the time he was supposedly at Salida Stove and Spa.
May 09, 16:44 â Barry parks his truck in the garage. Barry claims to have been loading his truck and cleaning off his workbench. (See: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&mid=1FSqlFRrywR8FkytAYkNM-bdSxvKVK5MP&ll=39.173623131314%2C-105.63244&z=8)
May 09, 17:33 â Barryâs truck system manually rebooted Barry attempted to disable the trucks GPS and SYNC features.
May 09, 18:40, 18:46 â SO sends two Snapchats to Suzanne that were never opened SO sends two Snapchats to Suzanne that were never opened
May 09, 21:25 â Barryâs truck goes into reverse, backs 96.8 feet down driveway Barry backs 96 feet out of the garage.
May 09, 22:17 â Barryâs Phone Exits out of Airplane Mode Barry's phone comes out of airplane mode at the Morphew residence.
May 10, 02:53 â Outgoing call on Suzanneâs phone Possible glitch.
May 10, 03:25 â 03:48 â Barryâs truck door opened and closed "SA Hoyland noted over eighty events involving the F350 during this timeframe."
May 10, 03:58 â Barryâs phone moves from home to near where Suzanneâs bike found 3:58 am BM cell moves from home to near 225/50 where bike found Carol McKinley PH Tweets (read from bottom tweet up): 431 am 5/10 Barryâs phone goes back into airplane mode at the his home. 5:37 am â morphew turns into buena vista & heads towards broomfield. 538 he texts his mom âhappy ... Read more
May 10, 04:10 â 04:23 â Last Activity from Suzanneâs iPhone Sergeant Mullenax asked dispatch to ping the number given for Suzanneâs cell phone. Dispatch informed Mullenax that the cell phone appeared to be off and last known activity was at 4:23AM on the present date, with a general location about 11.5 miles west of a cell tower in Poncha Springs, CO.
May 10, 04:32 â Barryâs Phone Goes Back into Airplane Mode Barry's Phone Goes Back into Airplane Mode
May 10, 04:32 â 05:14 â Chasing Elk, or Staging Evidence? Barry's trip to Garfield adds an approximate five miles each way to his morning trip, and places Barry and his vehicle in the direction the helmet was discarded - west from the bicycle.
May 10, 05:00 â Morgan Gentile Hears Barryâs Truck on Hwy 50 Gentile stated she did not see the truck but that his truck has a very distinctive exhaust.
May 10, 05:14 â 06:56 â Barry on the road to Broomfield. Barry phone exits airplane mode while heading towards Buena Vista, CO.
May 10, 08:10 â Trash Dump #1 â RTD Bus Stop Hwy 36 Agent Grusing: "Yes. He would have time -- with the passenger door opening and closing -- like it would say passenger door opened at 8:10:36 am and then passenger door closed at 8:12:13 am. So it took about a minute and a half and that trash can is only 10 to 15 steps away from where the truck was parked."
May 10, 08:14 â 08:20 Holiday Inn Express, Broomfield. Trash Dump #2 Grusing: "He said he parked there because he hoped someone would come out and he could go in the hotel before checking in and get a free breakfast." (Note: It was mid-COVID lockdown, building capacities were down to single digits.)
May 10, 08:41 â 08:46 â âI made it to Broomfield call me when you get a chanceâ Barry texts Suzanne.
May 10, 08:46 â Barry carries items into the Holiday Inn Express âIf thereâs clothes in my truck, there was probably old clothes I threw away.â
May 10, 10:06 â Barry exits hotel room. He's carrying a charcoal long-sleeved shirt, two white bags, and a pair of boots.
May 10, 10:20 â 10:41 â McDonaldâs â Trash Dump #3 SA Grusing said Barry had a small item in his hand and used one arm to push it down, then both to push it further down as Barry was shown the photos.
May 10, 10:47 â 11:18 â Menâs Wearhouse Trash Dump #4 Barry was told he was there for about 40 minutes and asked if he remembered what he was doing there. Barry said, âI think I was still cleaning my truck, umm, yeah, yeah I mean, like I said, I just uh, I would, I was probably getting crap out of my truck like I said, which Iâve done my whole entire life.â
May 10, 11:18 â Barry calls MG "Barry called he was out of breathe (sic) panting but fatigue, kind a like hungover but he doesnât drink, honestly when I hung up I thought to myself he sounded like he had the worst night of his life.â - MG
May 10, 11:23 â 11:36 â Barry back at the HIE Barry carries in disorganized papers in a binder. Carries out an organized binder.
May 10, 11:57 â 12:25 â Barry at the worksite Barry spent 28 minutes removing a few blocks from the wall.
May 10, 12:28 â 12:41 â HIE Trash Dump #5 A camera recorded Barry throwing away: a small item, one white trash bag, larger in size than the previous bags in one hand, a black container, along with a piece of clothing, possibly a camouflage coat.
May 10, 12:42 â 18:03 â Barry remains in his HIE room. âAt 3:30PM, Barry sent an outgoing message to Suzanne 'Call me'"
May 10, 2020 (Time Unknown) â Libler wishes Suzanne a Happy Motherâs Day Commented that it would be a hard day because she missed her own mother.
May 10, 2020 â 15:30 â Barry texts Suzanne from his hotel room. At 3:30PM, Barry sent an outgoing message to Suzanne âCall meâ
May 10, 15:50 â 17:45 â Suzanne is discovered âmissingâ âIâm just so sad and REDCATED and I texted mom for Motherâs Day and she still hasnât answered and Iâm scared her and dad probably got in a big fight and I donât even know it just made me want to be gone even more because I donât want to be around them it hurts me and I know if REDACTED is working I might have to be home a lot more and itâll probably be the worst summer of my life.â- MM2 text.
May 10, 17:55 â 19:10 â Barry leaving Broomfield 6:10 pm - Barry entered the lobby carrying two shovels and placed them beside the front desk. He made subsequent trips, placing more tools in the same spot.
May 10, 19:31 â Chaffee County finds the bike âSomething is up with the front tire,â Deputy Brown
May 10, 20:42 â Barry arrives at CR 255 & US 50 "Barry is heard asking if deputies saw any âcatsâ on the road and a deputy says not recently."
May 10, 21:37 â CCSO Commander Avila brings Barry into the house for scent items. Barry does not call out or look for his wife in the home.
May 10, After 21:47 â Barefoot prints in the Bobcat Bucket Deputy Brown was walking in the driveway when Deputy Defurio told him that there were barefoot marks inside of the bucket on the Bobcat. Deputy Brown went with him to examine and found that the cutting blade on the bucket of the Bobcat appeared to be newly replaced, along with the nuts and bolts.
May 10, 22:00 â MG and JP smell chlorine and have the wrong tools in Broomfield. âIt looked like Barry had removed top caps that was it. We also did not have the tools we need like a packer or gravel.â
May 11, 2020 â First Interviews, Puma Path Searched "On May 11, 2020, at about 7:00AM, Barry called Morgan and said that Suzanne was missing and he thought a mountain lion may have attacked her. Morgan explained that Barry was initially crying but then abruptly shifted to the specifics about the Broomfield job."
May 11, 2020 â 14:47 â Libler sends last message to Suzanne. Wishing her well for her scheduled final cancer treatment that day.
May 12, 2020 â 20:00 â Barry found digging in the trash at Poncha Market âHe went to write down a description of maybe what she was wearing,â Butala said. âI just thought it was weird because he didnât explain what the color of her eyes were or her hair or anything about her, like how tall she was or anything.â
May 13, 2020 â Deputy Carricato took photos of scratches on Barryâs left arm and hands. These injuries appeared to be healing, several days old scratches.
May 13, 2020 â Fundraiser created $33,552 raised
May 17, 2020 â 11:13 â Barryâs âpleaâ video is released on Facebook. âOh Suzanne, if anyone is out there and can hear this, that has you, please, weâll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you, we miss you, your girls need you. No questions asked, however much they want â I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you, I want you back so bad.â
May 19, 2020 â Interviews, Pneu-Darts, Range Rovers "CCSO Deputy Scott Himschoot was present during the search at 19057 Puma Path, in the laundry room, and was asked to collect a âpneu-dart box, empty,â one plastic hypodermic cover, one Pneu-dart book from safe in garage, one dart from box under bench in garage, among other items. The plastic cover was located by evidence search teams in the dryer, inside of the sheets belonging to REDACTED bed." (At some point we had confirmation of a to-do list Suzanne left including MM1s bedding in hopes that the older girls would spend the night. Cannot remember the source.)
May 20, 2020 â Spy Pen found. "The pen was located in a cloth bin amongst womenâs bras. The cloth bin and pen were inside the walk-in closet in the master bedroom, located on the ground level of the residence. Detective Hysjulien located, with the pen, the controller and headphones for playback and a USB cable."
June 1, 2020 â Barry files for guardianship. Within a month of Suzanneâs disappearance, Barry began to liquidate assets.
June 1, 2020 â TD interviews Barry on camera. "So, uh -- we uh --. We had two daughters that were coming home from a trip. And I got a job in Denver that I wanted to get started on on Sunday. Set it up for my work because my rookies are coming in Sunday night. (Unintelligible) Monday but I, being the owner, I wanted to get everything lined up so that (Unintelligible).
June 6, 2020 â Barry closes on IN home. Pockets $750,000
June 25, 2020 â Barry purchases the Longhorn Ranch property for $165,000 Property Address 8366 LONGHORN DR
July 13, 2020 â Barry sells Suzanneâs Range Rover. Leaves Suzanne's sunglasses in the car.
Aug 20, 2020 â Lauren Scharf Interviews Barry âPeople donât know the truth, so theyâre gonna think what theyâre gonna think.â
October 05, 2020 â Barry lists Puma Path home for sale. Originally listed for $1,759,000.
November 2020 â Barry Commits Voter Fraud Barry filled out Suzanne's ballot and mailed it in.
February 17, 2021 â Barry Sells Longhorn Ranch property for $150,000 A $15,000 loss. Same property sold on 04/21/2021 for $175,000, indicating Barry needed the money fast.
March 3, 2021 â 19057 Puma Path sells for $1,625,000. Barry and Suzanne Morphew purchased the home on April 12, 2018 for $1,575,000.
May 4, 2021 â Warrant Issued for the Arrest of Barry Lee Morphew CRS/CHARGE: 18-3-102 (1), (a) Murder in the First Degree, a class 1 Felony, 18-8-610. Tampering with Physical Evidence, a class 6 felony, 18-8-306, Attempt to Influence a Public Servant, a class 4 Felony.
May 5, 2021 â 09:15 â Barry Lee Morphew Arrested for the murder of Suzanne Renee Moorman Morphew "Morphew was arrested around 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5 near his home in Poncha Springs. FOX31 News has obtained video of the arrest, which shows his truck stopped on the side of the road near several police vehicles. He can be seen standing just off the road with an officer." AA: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21065843-21cr78-morphew-redacted-affidavit
August 9-12, 2021 â Preliminary Hearing. Day One: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15wZ86C3zQ6kh9VGOUCJcr0ipCoFeaXkdowmwyaruiIQ/edit?usp=drive_link
Day Two: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QKa1jcH2dAqe9Wezew-KbLCDuicrm1HgfwC4oGwM8Dg/edit?usp=drive_link
Day Three got corrupted so it's gone.
People's exhibit images: https://imgur.com/a/hgvlBUt Defense exhibit images: https://imgur.com/a/VC3ZfUZ
April 19, 2022 - Case against Barry Morphew Dismissed Without Prejudice. Prosecution asked for the case to be dismissed.
May 2, 2023 â Barry files $15,000,000 lawsuit against Chaffee County, et.al. https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/barry-morphew-lawsuit/73-3cea50c2-cdae-4338-8de9-9e113d33db6c
May 8, 2023 â Fraud Lawsuit filed against Barry in Indiana. Property dispute. https://denvergazette.com/news/courts/barry-morphew-sued-fraud-allegations-land-dispute/article_1c7cd90e-f4f5-11ed-9778-47c9c303d16d.html
September 22, 2023 â Suzanne's Remains Found Near Moffat in Saguache County While SCSO was searching for another (unrelated) missing woman. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/suzanne-morphew-remains-found-colorado-missing-mother-barry-chaffee-county-disappearance/
Sept. 27, 2023 â Autopsy Completed. Awaiting Toxicology. https://cbi.colorado.gov/news-article/suzanne-morphew-autopsy-results-cbi-update-0https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/autopsy-complete-remains-missing-colorado-mom-suzanne-morphew/
April 29, 2024 â Toxicology finds BAM in Suzanne's bone marrow. âHomicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.â https://www.scribd.com/document/727780041/Suzanne-Morphew-autopsy-results https://www.cpr.org/2024/04/29/suzanne-morphew-died-by-homicide-with-tranquilizer-chemicals-present-in-body-according-to-autopsy-report/
Complete Case Overview (Official News Reports and Documents)
What Suzanne Left Behind (PH Exhibits)
Suzanne's Texts with SO Sept 2019
Barry's Unstableness: Suzanne's Text Conversion with SO September 1 (PH Exhibits)
Where was Barry on the 9th - Preliminary Hearing Exhibits
Barry and the Chipmunks (AA Excerpts)
Barry's dirty truck and poorly maintained rifle. PH Exhibits
Suzanne's Last Days - Timeline - May 4th - May 9th, 2020
Barry Buries a Body - May 10th, 2020 - Timeline
Barry Busy in Broomfield Part One (Preliminary Hearing Exhibits)
Barry Busy in Broomfield Part Two (PH Exhibits)
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Morphew Case Map - Google My Maps - Barry's iPhone Data - Google My Maps - Barry's Truck Events - Google My Maps
August 5, 1994 â Suzanne Moorman marries Barry Morphew The Alexandria Times-Tribune Alexandria, Indiana 05 Jan 1994, Wed ⢠Page 4
December 1999 â Barry and Suzanne Purchase 26040 Cal Carson Rd, Arcadia, IN This is the house where he dug a hole in the yard and buried everything he didn't want to move to Colorado. (AA ft 55 page 53)
November 2013 â Suzanne Inherits $208,000 upon the Passing of her Mother. MB provided documents that Suzanne inherited approximately $208,000 in 2013 at the passing of her mother.
August 2016 â Suzanne inherits $217,000 upon the death of a grandmother. Suzanneâs grievance list included multiple references to Barry controlling the finances.
April 12, 2018 â The Morphewâs Purchase 19057 Puma Path Barry and Suzanne Morphew purchase 19057 Puma Path for $1,575,000.
June 1, 2018 â The Morphews move to Colorado. (PH â Harris) SA Harris: Yeah, they moved in 2018. I believe they left around June 1st, 2018. to move to Colorado. So roughly a year and a half of the time is what Sheila originally said in that.
September 2018 â Suzanne sends âHowdy strangerâ message to JL First contact since high school.
Fall 2018 â Liblerâs daughter sees messages from Suzanne on his phone. Libler breaks it off.
Thanksgiving 2018 â Barry obsessive/possessive. While Suzanne was at the Oliverâs house, she had stepped away from her cell phone to use the restroom, and Barry tried calling her several times within a few minutes, then tried calling Sheila, then tried calling Darin.
Holidays 2018 â Suzanne finds Liblerâs LinkedIn Page. Relationship Rekindled
January 2019 â The Mexico trip where Barry took Suzanneâs phone Mexico trip mentioned in the grievances list where Barry took Suzanne's phone.
February 11 â 14, 2019 â Suzanne in New Orleans with Libler Barry admitted to questioning Suzanne about the New Orleans trip, further evidence he suspected the affair.
April 2019 â Suzanne meets up with Libler in Indiana She does not see SO on this trip.
July 2019 â Suzanne and Libler meet up in Michigan Barry called SO while Suzanne was in MI visiting her fatheJL, wanting to know why Suzanne wasn't returning his calls.
September 2019 â Barry stalks Suzanne and Shelia Oliver, creeping through woods. Barry stalked Suzanne and Sheila at the Puma Path house in September 2019. This is upon his early return from a trip to Arizona.
October 2019 â Libler and Suzanne in Dallas Suzanne and Libler spend two nights at the Galleria.
September â November 2019 â Barry aggressively pursues KW around Salida. From the first time KW met Barry, she said it felt like "he was putting his tentacles out."
Holidays 2019 â Suzanne and Libler stop talking on the phone because she is afraid Barry will find out. They shift to more covert ways to communicate. Barry's second device makes its first appearance.
January/February 2020 â Suzanne in Florida, gets spy pen, sees Libler Suzanne in Florida, SO gives her the spy pen during this trip. Suzanne records a conversation with Libler on this trip.
Late February 2020 â Suzanne in Florida, sees father and Libler. Suzanne skips out on time with her father to see Libler. Barry goes to Florida.
March 2020 â Spy pen records argument between Suzanne and Barry. âItâs money. Itâs about money.â â⌠I have lived for years being told how I should feel, how I should act, how I should look, what I should drink, what I shouldnât drink, what I should put in my body, what I shouldnât put in my body ⌠â
March 20, 2020 â Jekyll and Hyde text exchange between Suzanne and SO, MM2 suggests restraining order. "Itâs Jekyl and Hyde again ⌠Pretty much told him I canât be healthy and stay in this."
March 22, 2020 â Spy pen records Barry listening to Forensic Files episodes, call with Suzanne on drive to Pueblo Coincidentally one of the episodes involved a woman "disappearing" after a bike ride.
April 21, 2020 â Messages between Suzanne and Libler âI want to be with you,â âI can only be me with you,â I love you,â âI need you.â âYou know I was born to love you.â
May 4, 2020 16:05 â Barry makes 3 second outgoing call to Suzanne This was the first logged call in Barryâs phone to or from Suzanne since February 7, 2020.
May 5, 2020 â Suzanne drives MM2 to Gunnison Suzanne drives Macy to Gunnison, CO to meet MM1 for a road/camping trip through Utah and Idaho with MM1's best friend.
May 6, 08:44 â Suzanne sends MM2 a text âGood morning! I miss you already!â
May 6, 10:13 â Suzanne: âIâm done. I could care less what youâre up to and have been for years.â From 14:43 to 17:00 Barry replied, âWhen Iâm dead,â âGoing to see my savior,â and âThis life on earth is a mear (sic) grain of sand compared to eternity.â
May 6, 2020 â 14:43 â From Barry to Suzanne: âIâm sorry if things went the way they did. I have a problem dealing with the way you accused me of hiding checks. If you think Iâm as terrible of a person to hide our accounts and have ones you donât know about you donât know me. All I do is for you and the girls. All. When I'm dead, which won't be long, you guys will be taken care of. Please stop being angry. If I can control my hurt heart I think I can overcome your distant unlovingness toward me. Honey, I swear it's the hardest thing I've had to do. I love you I always will.â
May 6, 2020 â 15:51 â Barry to Suzanne: âI promise you were wrong about all the crazy thoughts about me. I have always been faithful. Always. Why would I ever want another when I'm married to the most beautiful, sweet, kind, loving, woman as you? Only a fool would stray from an angel like you.â
May 07, 2020 â Suzanne messages Libler about how magical past days had been. Barry wants a new truck. 16:43 - âBeen studying all afternoon. Iâm gonna bike now. Iâve got veggie soup on for supper.â
May 7, 2020 â SB puts new tires on Suzanneâs bike Bike mechanic was interviewed by law enforcement.
May 7, 17:13:52 â Barry Works Out at GDâs House Truck log files place Barry at GD's home at 5:13 pm.
May 7, 2020 23:00 â âI finally got the jobâ text from MM1 goes unanswered. Q (Lindsey): Anything on May 6th that didnât seem normal? Was there a text from Mallory to Mr. Morphew? A (Grusing): I believe thatâs the night of May 7th. Mallory, Macy, and their friend Holly are out on a trip towards Utah and Mallory is sending pictures to both Suzanne and Barry but I was ... Read more
May 08, 07:03 â The Grievance List: Suzanneâs phone backs up a list of 50 reasons why she wanted to leave marriage on âNotesâ Not safe alone with you. Canât be trusted - Oppressive - Slam on brakes when angry - Threaten to jump out of car - Gun ...
May 08, 08:43 â âI will continue to do your invoicing when you need to.â "When FBI Agents showed Barry these texts during interviews in 2021, he said he did not think Suzanne was serious."
May 08, 09:28 â Suzanne texts sister about Barryâs abuse. âItâs hard dealing with the harsh abrasiveness and having to show respect. Heâs also been abusive, emotionally and physically. Thereâs so much ⌠I went thru a period of acceptance and I feel more angry now. Anger at what Iâve allowed.â
May 08, 10:55 Barry: âI Love You, Suzanne.â âBut, in the afternoon, it (the text fight) was like it never happened. She texted me back and it was just like, âHey, what time are you coming home? Hey, this or that. Just pick this up or pick that up.'â
May 08, 13:18 â Barry texts Salida Stove and Spa about getting the hot tub fixed. "Asking when he could come out to the home."
May 08, 15:43 â Barryâs iPhone receives an SMS message associated with the unknown device This second device was first used on November 30,2019 and was associated with Barryâs iPhone 91 times since then, compared to 1,701 associations with the primary User ID since November 2019.
May 8, 19:06 â Moonlight Pizza and Phone Calls Barry convinces Suzanne to meet him at the Tailwinds site before going to pick up Moonlight Pizza together.
May 08, 21:04 â 20 Facebook friend requests, 3 men named âJeff.â Barryâs lurking at the River. Barry was asked about his phone pinging down by the river during the Facebook posts on Friday night and asked if he was outside. Barry said, âI could have been. I donât remember. I chase critters around the house all the time.â
May 09, 00:02 â Incoming call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST) Incoming call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST)
May 09, 02:07 â Outgoing call on Suzanneâs phone (PH CAST) 02:07 am outgoing call on SMâs phone (PH CAST)
May 09, 06:00 â Barryâs phone received call (PH CAST) 06:00 am BMâs phone received call (PH CAST)
May 09, 06:46 â Barryâs phone registered âPower Onâ Comes out of Airplane mode.
May 09, 07:19 â Barryâs cell received signal (PH) Barryâs cell received signal (PH)
May 09, 07:22 â 07:39 â Barry at âTailwindsâ worksite Barryâs phone registered locations at his âTailwindsâ work site near Poncha Springs.
May 09, 07:35 â Suzanne texting SO Discussing Sheila's daughters wedding on Sunday.
May 09, 08:00 â MG was with Barry working on the rock beach site until 10am(?). Gentile: âHe said that he had to go make the wife happy â do some hiking or biking.â
May 9 â Morning â Suzanne messaging Jeff âHeâs still wanting Arizona.â
May 09, 09:50 â Barry to Suzanne: Want to go on hike? *Text Exchange\* Barry to Suzanne: Want to go on hike?
May 9, 2020 â 11:14 â Suzanne received a second password reset message from Facebook Previous reset was while Barry was down by the river on the evening of the 8th.
May 09, 11:15 est. â Barry tells Morgan Gentile he could âbury a bodyâ and it âwould never be found.â Gentile: âHe seemed stressed. He definitely seemed weird on Saturday.â
May 09, 11:55 â Dead Turkey Hunt or Barry Takes Down His Trail Cameras Barry said he was looking for a turkey that Mallory had shot previously with a bow, but they had never found.
May 09, 13:35 â Barry leaves home again. Checked on job at Kim Gyms
May 9, 13:40(?) â Suzanne texts Libler Guess who is alone again?
May 09, 13:46 â Barry and the backhoe After texting, Barry drove by TK's house to see the backhoe, but did not get back in touch to buy it. In 2018, Barry used a backhoe to dig a large hole in his front yard, fill it with items to include furniture, and cover it over, planting alfalfa on top.
May 09, 13:51 â 14:13 â Barry at DSI, replacing Bobcat blade He was wearing a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts.
May 09, 14:03 â Suzanne sends sunbathing pic to Libler, last proof of life. âWell, look at her. Sheâs obviously drunk. Look at her eyes. Do you know what drunk eyes look like?
May 09, 14:11 â Suzanne sends last LinkedIn message to Libler: âIâm on wa.â Libler sent response messages at 2:39PM, 2:46PM and 2:47PM that Suzanne did not answer.
May 09, 14:26 â Barry texts Suzanne, âDone headed back.â He texted Suzanne that he was done and was headed home.
May 09, 14:31 â Barry texted Suzanne, âDid you leave.â At 2:31 PM, Barry texted Suzanne, âDid you leave.â
May 09, 14:39 â Libler messages Suzanne, she does not respond. First unread. Messages from LinkedIn show they were talking about how Suzanne is in love with Jeff before she went missing.
May 09, 14:43 â Barryâs phone and F-350, per telematics, arrive at the Morphew residence. "The photo is shown in the courtroom, Suzanne smiling. Truck GPS coordinates show Barryâs truck goes into park at 2:43:59. Phone coordinates show he walks around the house. You can hear a pin drop in the courtroom as tension is high." - Carol McKinley, PH Tweet
May 09, 14:44 â Shooting Chipmunks? Barry had a .22 in the moments when Suzanne ceased the communicate with everyone she loved in the world. Shooting Chipmunks? Barry had a .22 in the moments when Suzanne ceased the communicate with everyone she loved in the world. (See: https://www.reddit.com/SuzanneMorphew/comments/17lfboz/barry_and_the_chipmunks_aa_excerpts/ )
May 09, 14:46 â Libler messages: âHey ⌠your weather looks greatâ Second unread. No response from Suzanne.
May 09, 14:47 â Jeff sends another messages to Suzanne with no response. Third unread. Jeff sends last message if the day to Suzanne with no response.
May 09, 16:00 â 17:30 â Defense says Barry was at Salida Stove and Spa Salida Stove and Spa's posted hours have the store closing at 2pm on Saturday. Telematics show Barry's truck in his garage during the time he was supposedly at Salida Stove and Spa.
May 09, 16:44 â Barry parks his truck in the garage. Barry claims to have been loading his truck and cleaning off his workbench. (See: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&mid=1FSqlFRrywR8FkytAYkNM-bdSxvKVK5MP&ll=39.173623131314%2C-105.63244&z=8)
May 09, 17:33 â Barryâs truck system manually rebooted Barry attempted to disable the trucks GPS and SYNC features.
May 09, 18:40, 18:46 â SO sends two Snapchats to Suzanne that were never opened SO sends two Snapchats to Suzanne that were never opened
May 09, 21:25 â Barryâs truck goes into reverse, backs 96.8 feet down driveway Barry backs 96 feet out of the garage.
May 09, 22:17 â Barryâs Phone Exits out of Airplane Mode Barry's phone comes out of airplane mode at the Morphew residence.
May 10, 02:53 â Outgoing call on Suzanneâs phone Possible glitch.
May 10, 03:25 â 03:48 â Barryâs truck door opened and closed "SA Hoyland noted over eighty events involving the F350 during this timeframe."
May 10, 03:58 â Barryâs phone moves from home to near where Suzanneâs bike found 3:58 am BM cell moves from home to near 225/50 where bike found Carol McKinley PH Tweets (read from bottom tweet up): 431 am 5/10 Barryâs phone goes back into airplane mode at the his home. 5:37 am â morphew turns into buena vista & heads towards broomfield. 538 he texts his mom âhappy ... Read more
May 10, 04:10 â 04:23 â Last Activity from Suzanneâs iPhone Sergeant Mullenax asked dispatch to ping the number given for Suzanneâs cell phone. Dispatch informed Mullenax that the cell phone appeared to be off and last known activity was at 4:23AM on the present date, with a general location about 11.5 miles west of a cell tower in Poncha Springs, CO.
May 10, 04:32 â Barryâs Phone Goes Back into Airplane Mode Barry's Phone Goes Back into Airplane Mode
May 10, 04:32 â 05:14 â Chasing Elk, or Staging Evidence? Barry's trip to Garfield adds an approximate five miles each way to his morning trip, and places Barry and his vehicle in the direction the helmet was discarded - west from the bicycle.
May 10, 05:00 â Morgan Gentile Hears Barryâs Truck on Hwy 50 Gentile stated she did not see the truck but that his truck has a very distinctive exhaust.
May 10, 05:14 â 06:56 â Barry on the road to Broomfield. Barry phone exits airplane mode while heading towards Buena Vista, CO.
May 10, 08:10 â Trash Dump #1 â RTD Bus Stop Hwy 36 Agent Grusing: "Yes. He would have time -- with the passenger door opening and closing -- like it would say passenger door opened at 8:10:36 am and then passenger door closed at 8:12:13 am. So it took about a minute and a half and that trash can is only 10 to 15 steps away from where the truck was parked."
May 10, 08:14 â 08:20 Holiday Inn Express, Broomfield. Trash Dump #2 Grusing: "He said he parked there because he hoped someone would come out and he could go in the hotel before checking in and get a free breakfast." (Note: It was mid-COVID lockdown, building capacities were down to single digits.)
May 10, 08:41 â 08:46 â âI made it to Broomfield call me when you get a chanceâ Barry texts Suzanne.
May 10, 08:46 â Barry carries items into the Holiday Inn Express âIf thereâs clothes in my truck, there was probably old clothes I threw away.â
May 10, 10:06 â Barry exits hotel room. He's carrying a charcoal long-sleeved shirt, two white bags, and a pair of boots.
May 10, 10:20 â 10:41 â McDonaldâs â Trash Dump #3 SA Grusing said Barry had a small item in his hand and used one arm to push it down, then both to push it further down as Barry was shown the photos.
May 10, 10:47 â 11:18 â Menâs Wearhouse Trash Dump #4 Barry was told he was there for about 40 minutes and asked if he remembered what he was doing there. Barry said, âI think I was still cleaning my truck, umm, yeah, yeah I mean, like I said, I just uh, I would, I was probably getting crap out of my truck like I said, which Iâve done my whole entire life.â
May 10, 11:18 â Barry calls MG "Barry called he was out of breathe (sic) panting but fatigue, kind a like hungover but he doesnât drink, honestly when I hung up I thought to myself he sounded like he had the worst night of his life.â - MG
May 10, 11:23 â 11:36 â Barry back at the HIE Barry carries in disorganized papers in a binder. Carries out an organized binder.
May 10, 11:57 â 12:25 â Barry at the worksite Barry spent 28 minutes removing a few blocks from the wall.
May 10, 12:28 â 12:41 â HIE Trash Dump #5 A camera recorded Barry throwing away: a small item, one white trash bag, larger in size than the previous bags in one hand, a black container, along with a piece of clothing, possibly a camouflage coat.
May 10, 12:42 â 18:03 â Barry remains in his HIE room. âAt 3:30PM, Barry sent an outgoing message to Suzanne 'Call me'"
May 10, 2020 (Time Unknown) â Libler wishes Suzanne a Happy Motherâs Day Commented that it would be a hard day because she missed her own mother.
May 10, 2020 â 15:30 â Barry texts Suzanne from his hotel room. At 3:30PM, Barry sent an outgoing message to Suzanne âCall meâ
May 10, 15:50 â 17:45 â Suzanne is discovered âmissingâ âIâm just so sad and REDCATED and I texted mom for Motherâs Day and she still hasnât answered and Iâm scared her and dad probably got in a big fight and I donât even know it just made me want to be gone even more because I donât want to be around them it hurts me and I know if REDACTED is working I might have to be home a lot more and itâll probably be the worst summer of my life.â- MM2 text.
May 10, 17:55 â 19:10 â Barry leaving Broomfield 6:10 pm - Barry entered the lobby carrying two shovels and placed them beside the front desk. He made subsequent trips, placing more tools in the same spot.
May 10, 19:31 â Chaffee County finds the bike âSomething is up with the front tire,â Deputy Brown
May 10, 20:42 â Barry arrives at CR 255 & US 50 "Barry is heard asking if deputies saw any âcatsâ on the road and a deputy says not recently."
May 10, 21:37 â CCSO Commander Avila brings Barry into the house for scent items. Barry does not call out or look for his wife in the home.
May 10, After 21:47 â Barefoot prints in the Bobcat Bucket Deputy Brown was walking in the driveway when Deputy Defurio told him that there were barefoot marks inside of the bucket on the Bobcat. Deputy Brown went with him to examine and found that the cutting blade on the bucket of the Bobcat appeared to be newly replaced, along with the nuts and bolts.
May 10, 22:00 â MG and JP smell chlorine and have the wrong tools in Broomfield. âIt looked like Barry had removed top caps that was it. We also did not have the tools we need like a packer or gravel.â
May 11, 2020 â First Interviews, Puma Path Searched "On May 11, 2020, at about 7:00AM, Barry called Morgan and said that Suzanne was missing and he thought a mountain lion may have attacked her. Morgan explained that Barry was initially crying but then abruptly shifted to the specifics about the Broomfield job."
May 11, 2020 â 14:47 â Libler sends last message to Suzanne. Wishing her well for her scheduled final cancer treatment that day.
May 12, 2020 â 20:00 â Barry found digging in the trash at Poncha Market âHe went to write down a description of maybe what she was wearing,â Butala said. âI just thought it was weird because he didnât explain what the color of her eyes were or her hair or anything about her, like how tall she was or anything.â
May 13, 2020 â Deputy Carricato took photos of scratches on Barryâs left arm and hands. These injuries appeared to be healing, several days old scratches.
May 13, 2020 â Fundraiser created $33,552 raised
May 17, 2020 â 11:13 â Barryâs âpleaâ video is released on Facebook. âOh Suzanne, if anyone is out there and can hear this, that has you, please, weâll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you, we miss you, your girls need you. No questions asked, however much they want â I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you, I want you back so bad.â
May 19, 2020 â Interviews, Pneu-Darts, Range Rovers "CCSO Deputy Scott Himschoot was present during the search at 19057 Puma Path, in the laundry room, and was asked to collect a âpneu-dart box, empty,â one plastic hypodermic cover, one Pneu-dart book from safe in garage, one dart from box under bench in garage, among other items. The plastic cover was located by evidence search teams in the dryer, inside of the sheets belonging to REDACTED bed." (At some point we had confirmation of a to-do list Suzanne left including MM1s bedding in hopes that the older girls would spend the night. Cannot remember the source.)
May 20, 2020 â Spy Pen found. "The pen was located in a cloth bin amongst womenâs bras. The cloth bin and pen were inside the walk-in closet in the master bedroom, located on the ground level of the residence. Detective Hysjulien located, with the pen, the controller and headphones for playback and a USB cable."
June 1, 2020 â Barry files for guardianship. Within a month of Suzanneâs disappearance, Barry began to liquidate assets.
June 1, 2020 â TD interviews Barry on camera. "So, uh -- we uh --. We had two daughters that were coming home from a trip. And I got a job in Denver that I wanted to get started on on Sunday. Set it up for my work because my rookies are coming in Sunday night. (Unintelligible) Monday but I, being the owner, I wanted to get everything lined up so that (Unintelligible).
June 6, 2020 â Barry closes on IN home. Pockets $750,000
June 25, 2020 â Barry purchases the Longhorn Ranch property for $165,000 Property Address 8366 LONGHORN DR
July 13, 2020 â Barry sells Suzanneâs Range Rover. Leaves Suzanne's sunglasses in the car.
Aug 20, 2020 â Lauren Scharf Interviews Barry âPeople donât know the truth, so theyâre gonna think what theyâre gonna think.â
October 05, 2020 â Barry lists Puma Path home for sale. Originally listed for $1,759,000.
November 2020 â Barry Commits Voter Fraud Barry filled out Suzanne's ballot and mailed it in.
February 17, 2021 â Barry Sells Longhorn Ranch property for $150,000 A $15,000 loss. Same property sold on 04/21/2021 for $175,000, indicating Barry needed the money fast.
March 3, 2021 â 19057 Puma Path sells for $1,625,000. Barry and Suzanne Morphew purchased the home on April 12, 2018 for $1,575,000.
May 4, 2021 â Warrant Issued for the Arrest of Barry Lee Morphew CRS/CHARGE: 18-3-102 (1), (a) Murder in the First Degree, a class 1 Felony, 18-8-610. Tampering with Physical Evidence, a class 6 felony, 18-8-306, Attempt to Influence a Public Servant, a class 4 Felony.
May 5, 2021 â 09:15 â Barry Lee Morphew Arrested for the murder of Suzanne Renee Moorman Morphew "Morphew was arrested around 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5 near his home in Poncha Springs. FOX31 News has obtained video of the arrest, which shows his truck stopped on the side of the road near several police vehicles. He can be seen standing just off the road with an officer." AA: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21065843-21cr78-morphew-redacted-affidavit
August 9-12, 2021 â Preliminary Hearing. Day One: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15wZ86C3zQ6kh9VGOUCJcr0ipCoFeaXkdowmwyaruiIQ/edit?usp=drive_link
Day Two: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QKa1jcH2dAqe9Wezew-KbLCDuicrm1HgfwC4oGwM8Dg/edit?usp=drive_link
Day Three got corrupted so it's gone.
People's exhibit images: https://imgur.com/a/hgvlBUt Defense exhibit images: https://imgur.com/a/VC3ZfUZ
April 19, 2022 - Case against Barry Morphew Dismissed Without Prejudice. Prosecution asked for the case to be dismissed.
May 2, 2023 â Barry files $15,000,000 lawsuit against Chaffee County, et.al. https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/barry-morphew-lawsuit/73-3cea50c2-cdae-4338-8de9-9e113d33db6c
May 8, 2023 â Fraud Lawsuit filed against Barry in Indiana. Property dispute. https://denvergazette.com/news/courts/barry-morphew-sued-fraud-allegations-land-dispute/article_1c7cd90e-f4f5-11ed-9778-47c9c303d16d.html
September 22, 2023 â Suzanne's Remains Found Near Moffat in Saguache County While SCSO was searching for another (unrelated) missing woman. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/suzanne-morphew-remains-found-colorado-missing-mother-barry-chaffee-county-disappearance/
Sept. 27, 2023 â Autopsy Completed. Awaiting Toxicology. https://cbi.colorado.gov/news-article/suzanne-morphew-autopsy-results-cbi-update-0https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/autopsy-complete-remains-missing-colorado-mom-suzanne-morphew/
April 29, 2024 â Toxicology finds BAM in Suzanne's bone marrow. âHomicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.â https://www.scribd.com/document/727780041/Suzanne-Morphew-autopsy-results https://www.cpr.org/2024/04/29/suzanne-morphew-died-by-homicide-with-tranquilizer-chemicals-present-in-body-according-to-autopsy-report/
Complete Case Overview (Official News Reports and Documents)
What Suzanne Left Behind (PH Exhibits)
Suzanne's Texts with SO Sept 2019
Barry's Unstableness: Suzanne's Text Conversion with SO September 1 (PH Exhibits)
Where was Barry on the 9th - Preliminary Hearing Exhibits
Barry and the Chipmunks (AA Excerpts)
Barry's dirty truck and poorly maintained rifle. PH Exhibits
Suzanne's Last Days - Timeline - May 4th - May 9th, 2020
Barry Buries a Body - May 10th, 2020 - Timeline
Barry Busy in Broomfield Part One (Preliminary Hearing Exhibits)
Barry Busy in Broomfield Part Two (PH Exhibits)
2024.05.16 05:45 larki18 [DUMMY MAGAZINE, 2006] "The people who criticise us for being too poppy don't get it. People are afraid to write a song any more, or they can't...The best bands ever have all written great songs. You can still do it and do it intelligently and it can be original."
Cigarettes and rebellion have always gone hand-in-hand, and in an age of cigarette packet-sized health warnings, now more than ever, smoking a fag says: 'I do not give a fuck.' But if Brandon Flowers is hoping to strike a seditious pose by sparking up at the start of the interview, it's not going according to plan. The Killers' frontman is on all fours rooting through the junk that carpets the anteroom at the band's rehearsal space. "Has anyone seen my lighter?" he asks, rocking back on his heels. The question hangs in the air while Brandon cocks his head, waiting for an answer like a meerkat listening for a predator. Twenty-five years old and with a delicate bone structure, there's something almost dainty about him. Receiving no response, he returns to his search. "Oh, Jeez," he sighs. "I had it just a minute ago."
It's a scene that emphatically does not suggest a rebel without a cause. The mess isn't helping. The Killers' HQ - an industrial unit sandwiched between a construction supplier and the offices of a housing development just off Dean Martin Drive in West Las Vegas - is ankle-deep in designer clothing. A Dior Homme suit lies crumpled by the door; there's a pile of shoes topped like a sundae by a pair of Marc Jacobs trainers; and anyone wishing to enter the shoebox room the band use as an office must negotiate a mountain of discarded jeans. Many items are identifiable as coming from the wardrobe of Hot Fuss, The Killers' hugely successful 2004 debut album - triple platinum in the UK with two weeks at Number One and five million sold worldwide. Look! There are the shirts, ties and suit jackets they wore when they thrilled Glastonbury 2005 with indie rock anthems Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me. That was the crowning moment of a two-and-a-half year tour that finally concluded in October of last year. It seems that after playing that final date in Miami, they returned to Vegas and shrugged off their image onto the floor of this bland white box.
Now a fine layer of dust covers the dead clothes. The Killers have no further use for white tuxedos on their second album, Sam's Town. Today, Brandon wears a black polo shirt, black pin-stripe waistcoat, black jeans and black boots. Where there used to be a layer of foundation, there is now a beard - an untrimmed beard at that. Dave Keuning (30, guitar), Mark Stoermer (29, bass) and Ronnie Vannucci (29, drums) all echo Brandon's black ensemble. Ronnie has added Aviator shades and a handlebar moustache for a dash of motorcycle cop, Dave's frizzy bubble of hair gives him a Marc Bolan-ish air, and there's something very teenage about Mark's scuffed Vans.
Short of walking around wearing sandwich boards saying, "Our new record is a bit heavier than the last one," The Killers couldn't hope to communicate that message more effectively. And they have gained some musical girth on Sam's Town. The pop hooks that made Hot Fuss so irresistible survive intact - see the ringing guitar riffs on first single When You Were Young - but there's a newfound punchiness, coupled with an epic sweep. The minor-to-major uplifts on Bones are fabulously dramatic, the coda to Why Do I Keep Counting? thrillingly intense. Comparisons to Bruce Springsteen have been made. If they overstate the case a little, they are at leaset qualitatively accurate. The Killers are back and this time it's serious - they've got the bootlace ties to prove it.
"Hey, it says here that Springsteen's headlining Glastonbury next year," shouts Ronnie, who's flicking through the NME. He nods sagely at the page without looking up.
"Really?" asks Dave, nicknamed Crazy Dave on account of his alledgedly volatile nature.
"The Boss is headlining one night, we're playing second on the bill the next night and Kylie's headlining the Sunday," says Brandon, charging like a bull through Michael Eavis' as-yet-unannounced line-up with what subsequently proves to be a characteristic gaucheness.
But that lighter is proving elusive. This being America, none of the people hurrying to-and-fro prepping the world for the release of Sam's Town smokes. Manager Robert Reynolds - Bobby Rey to the band - barks into his mobile, booking his band onto eye-wateringly demanding tours. "We're going to make a lot of money," he cackles to himself before switching calls to make a series of stern pronouncements on legal matters. Dave, Mark and Ronnie disappear for a jam session. Artwork is approved, B-sides are decided on and schedules are hammered out.
"I can't find it," Brandon says, finally. But he's not going to be denied the opportunity to underline The Killers reinvention with a puff of smoke. "Let's go to the gas station. I'll have to buy one. It's too busy to talk here anyway."
+
Brandon's black (of course) Volkswagen Touraeg four-wheel drive is barrelling down West Flamingo Road into town. "I was a bell boy there," he says, pointing out of the driver's window at the stucco facade of the Gold Coast casino. "I was working there when we were signed."
Coming from Las Vegas, it is perhaps inevitable that casinos play a big part in The Killers' story; not only is Sam's Town named after one, it was recorded in one, too.
The band began writing songs while on the road with Hot Fuss, turning up early for soundchecks to run through new ideas. On a trip home to Vegas, George Maloof, a hotelier known for cultivating famous friends, invited them to record the album in the new studio he'd built at The Palms, his flagship hotel-cum-gambling den. When the tour finished in October 2005, they returned to Vegas and spent five month finessing the songs they'd sketched out on the road. Then, in February, they decampled to the third floor studio at The Palms and recorded Sam's Town over 11 weeks.
Producer Flood (U2, Depeche Mode) encouraged them to experiment. They overdubbed, fiddled with synthesizers and played with new equipment. It took them five weeks to get the backing vocals right. The band sang the harmonies, then double-tracked them four times. The end result recalls Queen wondering, "Is this is the real life? Is this just fantasy?" When Ronnie, a trained classical percussionist, brought some kettledrums down, eyebrows were raised; but the fabulously bombastic coda on Why Do I Keep Counting? vindicates his indulgence.
"That's kind of the Ben Hur of the album," he says. He's not wrong. Sam's Town is a record on an epic scale. "Yeah, it has drama," he continues. "But, at the same time, I think it's a little more exposed than Hot Fuss. It's a little more naked. Last time it was about a lot of fictional things." By "fictional", Ronnie means that Hot Fuss wore its predominantly British influences for all to see. Brandon's taste in music is rabidly Anglophile - he constantly references The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division - and it showed. By contrast, Sam's Town is an unequivocally American record. The lyrical imagery is pure American dream - cars, girls, wide-open spaces and escaping to a better life. "We're burning down the highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane that started turning/When you were young," sings Brandon on When You Were Young. That's the basis of the Springsteen comparisons then, though the lack of pathos more closely recalls another blue-collar rocker from New Jersey - Jon Bon Jovi.
The phrase "this town" recurs throughout the album, and it's always receding into the distance as The Killers escape to a new life. "This town was made for passing through/I never did get along with everybody else," sings Brandon on This River Is Wild. On Read My Mind he "never really gave up on breaking out of this two-star town", while on the title track he offers something of an explanation: "Nobody ever had a dream round here."
"With the first record, there was this feeling that there was this world out there that we didn't know," says Mark later in the day. Before The Killers, he studied philosophy: now he's their quiet one. "We wanted to get out and away from this and be somewhere else. We hadn't had a lot of experience - hadn't travelled much - then we were gone for three years. We didn't sit down and say that we wanted to make a record about how we're glad to be home, but that's what happened naturally."
It's not an angsty record. The Killers have already escaped with Hot Fuss, and, having done so, they view the experience fondly now they're back. There's a mistiness to Brandon's eyes as he explains how the album got it's name.
"Sam's Town is a casino on the edge of Vegas," he says. "I grew up in Henderson, which is out on the way to the Hoover Dam. My mom and dad lived in a trailer park, and my dad used to hitchhike up and down Boulder Highway, which is the only way you could get to Vegas. Sam's Town was the first thing you saw on your way in to town. So, when you're driving down Boulder Highway from Henderson, I always thought you finally knew you were getting somewhere when you saw Sam's Town. It was kind of like a beacon."
"It's not a completely American album," contines Brandon. "We still have our English influence, but we're also from the Wild West. Somehow we've managed to unify all that on this album. it's just such a perfect resemblence of what we are."
At the petrol station, Brandon rummages through the glove box looking for change to buy a lighter. "This is a great album," he says, pointing at Highway Companion, the latest from iconic American rocker Tom Petty. "I've always been a big fan of his. He's such a great American artist."
Yes, Brandon: we get the point.
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When Brandon finally lights his cigarette, he smokes it awkwardly, like a child mimicking something he's seen the grown-ups doing. However, when he cheerfully admits that, "I feel the same mentally as I did when I was 12," it's not a knowing nod to the fact that he sometimes behaves like a loveably precocious child, but a reference to an unusually comprehensive grounding in pop music at an early age.
When Brandon sings about "this town", he doesn't mean Las Vegas. He means Nephi, Utah or Henderson, Nevada, where he spent his childhood. His parents are Mormon and he is the youngest of six children. "I was a surprise," he says. "I've got a 42-year-old sister." If he was issues about his "surprise" status, he chooses to gloss over them. "It turned out perfect because my brother was a teenager when I was a kid," he says. "He would bring home things like Rattle And Hum by U2 and I would watch it. I remember he bought Live In Dallas by Morrissey. It was always him watching these things, or his door was shut and you'd hear The Head On The Door by The Cure blasting through the house and rattling the walls."
The Killers were formed when Brandon answered an advert Dave had placed in a local paper in late 2002. Dave cited Oasis as a big influence; Brandon had seen them play recently and responded; and, as Dave has said in previous interviews: "He was the only person to reply to my ad who wasn't a complete freak." However, the band was born in Brandon's brothers bedroom.
"His room was like a shrine," enthuses Brandon. "It was a holy place. I wish I could show you a picture of it. It was covered in posters. There'd be a big picture of Elvis wearing a bow tie that just said 'The Smiths' [the artwork for The Smiths 1987 single Shoplifters Of The World Unite]. You had The Cure wearing face paint [the artwork to The Cure's 1985 single In Between Days] - all that kind of stuff. I remember Morrissey being on the cover of the NME, with the halo [from 1985] - stuff like that. You just wanted to know about these people 'cause they were so cool. My brother seemed like such a cool person. But he was a teenager, so he wasn't going to be that nice to me, a kid."
Brandon was fascinated by his brother's collection of music, magazines and posters, but he was denied access to them - officially, at least. "I would sneak in," he says. "I knew he'd be angry if he found out, but I would go in as soon as he left the house." For a long time Brandon was too scared to actually play anything. "That didn't come 'til later. I just used to go in there because I liked it. Then I got to the point where I'd actually take a tape out and put it in. It took more guts to do that."
It was a life-changing moment. "I was ten and the first song I played was Sing Your Life by Morrissey. I remember dancing about to it."
The lyrics to Sing Your Life include the lines, "Sing your life/Just walk right up to the microphone/And name all the things that you love/All the things that you loathe." It's intriguing to wonder what Morrissey makes of the neophyte he inspired with these lines.
Eventually, Brandon inherited his brother's tape collection. "It was around the same time CDs started coming out in a big way. He started buying CDs and gave me his tapes. And that was it: it took off from there. I got a hundred of the best albums - all the New Order, all the Morrissey, all The Smiths, The Beatles. I started buying posters. I went to see The Cure in concert. It was just kind of a continuation of my brother. And it was nice because, though my parents were strict, they were already used to it from him. There was no, 'My dad doesn't understand me,' or any of that kind of stuff. My mum likes The Smiths."
Brandon was 13 and his favourite band was late-'70s/early-'80s American new wavers The Cars, and particularly their jaw-droppingly catchy 1979 single Just What I Needed.
"I wouldn't exist without that song," he says. "That was the one. I remember driving around with my mum when I was 13, and we're living in Nephi - a really small town - and I felt so cool when I put that song on. Like: 'I have something that none of these kids I'm going to middle school with tomorrow have.' That excitement is what music's about, isn't it? That's why I understand the mentality of people that don't like us because we've sold so many records. I used to like it when no one else knew about a band. So I get that - I do."
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Brandon's first band was called Blush Response. It was never going to work out. Not because he refused to move to Los Angeles with them, but because he is utterly - comically - shameless. He's given to making outrageously boastful statements like: "It's not like the '60s, '70s and '80s now. There are only a few bands around that are really good, that just do it. I mean, there's what, five or six of us?"
For the record, in Brandon's estimation, those bands are Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and, of course, The Killers.
"I don't want people to think I'm lumping myself with other people just to make us sound cool," he says. Really? It sort of sounds like you are. But he just steamrolls through it. "Yeah, but you know what I mean," he says, grinning at his own cheekiness. He's so disgracefully forward you can't help but laugh along with him - Oh you are awful, Brandon! But joking aside, The Killers are the most commercially successful of all the bands he mentions.
Later, back at the rehearsal space, the band run through Sam's Town at deafening volume in preparation for the forthcoming tour - first the US, then the world. The infectious, almost contagious, chorus of When You Were Young sounds fabulous, as do the U2-like guitars and Twin Peaks synths of Read My Mind. Meanwhile, Smile Like You Mean It and Somebody Told Me benefit from the newfound harder edge.
They somewhat heavy-handedly underline the new direction by playing Paranoid by Black Sabbath and Get It On by T Rex. That's the thing: The Killers are not a subtle band. Their songs are like a wet kiss from a girl who's a bit too drunk. They are big and brash, and not everyone loves them for it. Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me might go down as well at hip nightclubs as they do on the festival circuit, but the DJs play them with the same guilty look they wear when playing a pop record.
"I hate that," says Brandon. "Like writing a song you can hum somehow cheapens it? It makes me think of this quote by Morrissey. Everybody knows how he read Oscar Wilde, Keats and Yates when he was growing up and that he wanted to be a writer. He was talking to this journalist who asked why he hadn't become a writer, and Morrissey said: 'What I do is more powerful than what you do because I can write down these words and you get it to a melody. How can you beat that?' I'm of the same opinion. I don't understand why a good melody that's memorable is a bad thing."
Being dismissed as pop particular aggrieves Ronnie. "When we first came out we got compared to Duran Duran all the time. Jesus Christ! We got a keyboard player now all of a sudden he's Nick Rhodes! Come on!"
"The people who criticise us for being too poppy don't get it," agrees Mark. "I think that's the problem with a lot of rock music. People are afraid to write a song any more. Either that or they can't. And that attitude hurts music in general. The best bands ever have all written great songs. You can still do it and do it intelligently and it can be original. This isn't a studio creation with a producer writing these songs for us. We're not Avril Lavigne, or something like that. We're a real band writing real songs, just like a punk band would do, except that we write pop songs."
You get the impression that The Killers knack for showboating pop hooks that border on vulgar is inextricably tied up with the brazen side of Brandon's personality. But while his ebullient charisma, not to mention the songs themselves, mitigates his outrageousness, there is a less attractive side to his ego. He has a combative streak. He can't resist taking pot shots at emo bands, notably Fall Out Boy, whith whom The Killers share an A&R man.
Has he heard how many emo kids it takes to change a light bulb? "No." None. They just sit in the dark and cry. It's a full 30 seconds before he stops laughing. When he does he admits: "Yeah, we've had problems with other bands. You know, when you walk in the room it's like..." He whistles the theme to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. "We're like gangs."
And while the other members of the band are diplomatic on the subject of Brandon, you don't have to read too deeply between the lines to conclude that there have been internal issues, too.
"Some people will think Brandon's the big genius," says Dave, visibly bridling. "There are songs, such as Why Do I Keep Counting?, where he's written every note. But there are others, like When You Were Young, that were more of a collaboration - like Mr Brightside, where I had some of the music and Brandon came up with the lyrics. We always have arguments about who wrote what. The truth is that we all help in that process."
When asked how success affected them, Ronnie says: "There were certain things that needed adjusting. When you're on tour for two years, people can get a little needy. It doesn't help that you're surrounded by yes men and everybody's working for you. At times we've had to say, 'Who do you think you are?' to people. No one wears the trousers, but some people would like to. I think if it wasn't for the people in the band kicking each other in the ass... Let's just say there was some ass-kickin'."
It doesn't take a genius to work out whose ass needed kicking most often.
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It's the following day and The Killers are back at their rehearsal space. The topic of discussion is what to wear in the video for Bones, the second single. It's a big deal: the director is Tim Burton. "I feel like Frank Sinatra when I sing it," announces Brandon. "With maybe a little bit of Morrissey and a little bit of Elvis, too."
Of course he does. But if securing the services of Tim Burton tells you one thing, it's that The Killers are about to get even bigger, perhaps even make the leap to the same level as Coldplay et al. Already stars, they are about to become superstars. Brandon can hardly wait.
"Do you know that Rolling Stone didn't want to put us on the cover last time," he says indignantly. "They didn't think we were stars. We sold five million albums! What more do they want from a band?"
Whatever was required, Brandon would be happy to do most things. "I'll do stuff that some people don't want to do, 'cause I want people to hear the music," he says. However, even he has limits. "The Rolling Stone thing made the record label think: 'What can we do to make them stars?' If I go on vacation with my wife, do they have to send somebody to be there to take pictures of me? Is that how you become a star? I don't want that. I walked down the red carpet one time and I realised I don't like it. But you don't have to walk down the red carpet for people to hear your music. We do still have some of that indie blood running through our veins."
He heads off at a tangent: "When you walk around Liverpool, you think of The Beatles, or you go to Manchester and you think of The Smiths or Oasis. I want you to come to Las Vegas and think of Sam's Town. And I think we've started to capture that, which is a truer version of The Killers, 'cause that's where we're from."
He pauses.
"I used to live across the street from Sam's Town. Maybe it'll be like our Abbey Road where people go to take pictures."
Is that what he'd like?
"I wouldn't mind it," he says, desperately hoping it will come true.
He puts a cigarette between his lips, looks down at his trouser pockets and pats them in search of the lighter he bought yesterday.
"Hey, I don't suppose you've got one?"
submitted by larki18 to TheKillers [link] [comments]
It's a scene that emphatically does not suggest a rebel without a cause. The mess isn't helping. The Killers' HQ - an industrial unit sandwiched between a construction supplier and the offices of a housing development just off Dean Martin Drive in West Las Vegas - is ankle-deep in designer clothing. A Dior Homme suit lies crumpled by the door; there's a pile of shoes topped like a sundae by a pair of Marc Jacobs trainers; and anyone wishing to enter the shoebox room the band use as an office must negotiate a mountain of discarded jeans. Many items are identifiable as coming from the wardrobe of Hot Fuss, The Killers' hugely successful 2004 debut album - triple platinum in the UK with two weeks at Number One and five million sold worldwide. Look! There are the shirts, ties and suit jackets they wore when they thrilled Glastonbury 2005 with indie rock anthems Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me. That was the crowning moment of a two-and-a-half year tour that finally concluded in October of last year. It seems that after playing that final date in Miami, they returned to Vegas and shrugged off their image onto the floor of this bland white box.
Now a fine layer of dust covers the dead clothes. The Killers have no further use for white tuxedos on their second album, Sam's Town. Today, Brandon wears a black polo shirt, black pin-stripe waistcoat, black jeans and black boots. Where there used to be a layer of foundation, there is now a beard - an untrimmed beard at that. Dave Keuning (30, guitar), Mark Stoermer (29, bass) and Ronnie Vannucci (29, drums) all echo Brandon's black ensemble. Ronnie has added Aviator shades and a handlebar moustache for a dash of motorcycle cop, Dave's frizzy bubble of hair gives him a Marc Bolan-ish air, and there's something very teenage about Mark's scuffed Vans.
Short of walking around wearing sandwich boards saying, "Our new record is a bit heavier than the last one," The Killers couldn't hope to communicate that message more effectively. And they have gained some musical girth on Sam's Town. The pop hooks that made Hot Fuss so irresistible survive intact - see the ringing guitar riffs on first single When You Were Young - but there's a newfound punchiness, coupled with an epic sweep. The minor-to-major uplifts on Bones are fabulously dramatic, the coda to Why Do I Keep Counting? thrillingly intense. Comparisons to Bruce Springsteen have been made. If they overstate the case a little, they are at leaset qualitatively accurate. The Killers are back and this time it's serious - they've got the bootlace ties to prove it.
"Hey, it says here that Springsteen's headlining Glastonbury next year," shouts Ronnie, who's flicking through the NME. He nods sagely at the page without looking up.
"Really?" asks Dave, nicknamed Crazy Dave on account of his alledgedly volatile nature.
"The Boss is headlining one night, we're playing second on the bill the next night and Kylie's headlining the Sunday," says Brandon, charging like a bull through Michael Eavis' as-yet-unannounced line-up with what subsequently proves to be a characteristic gaucheness.
But that lighter is proving elusive. This being America, none of the people hurrying to-and-fro prepping the world for the release of Sam's Town smokes. Manager Robert Reynolds - Bobby Rey to the band - barks into his mobile, booking his band onto eye-wateringly demanding tours. "We're going to make a lot of money," he cackles to himself before switching calls to make a series of stern pronouncements on legal matters. Dave, Mark and Ronnie disappear for a jam session. Artwork is approved, B-sides are decided on and schedules are hammered out.
"I can't find it," Brandon says, finally. But he's not going to be denied the opportunity to underline The Killers reinvention with a puff of smoke. "Let's go to the gas station. I'll have to buy one. It's too busy to talk here anyway."
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Brandon's black (of course) Volkswagen Touraeg four-wheel drive is barrelling down West Flamingo Road into town. "I was a bell boy there," he says, pointing out of the driver's window at the stucco facade of the Gold Coast casino. "I was working there when we were signed."
Coming from Las Vegas, it is perhaps inevitable that casinos play a big part in The Killers' story; not only is Sam's Town named after one, it was recorded in one, too.
The band began writing songs while on the road with Hot Fuss, turning up early for soundchecks to run through new ideas. On a trip home to Vegas, George Maloof, a hotelier known for cultivating famous friends, invited them to record the album in the new studio he'd built at The Palms, his flagship hotel-cum-gambling den. When the tour finished in October 2005, they returned to Vegas and spent five month finessing the songs they'd sketched out on the road. Then, in February, they decampled to the third floor studio at The Palms and recorded Sam's Town over 11 weeks.
Producer Flood (U2, Depeche Mode) encouraged them to experiment. They overdubbed, fiddled with synthesizers and played with new equipment. It took them five weeks to get the backing vocals right. The band sang the harmonies, then double-tracked them four times. The end result recalls Queen wondering, "Is this is the real life? Is this just fantasy?" When Ronnie, a trained classical percussionist, brought some kettledrums down, eyebrows were raised; but the fabulously bombastic coda on Why Do I Keep Counting? vindicates his indulgence.
"That's kind of the Ben Hur of the album," he says. He's not wrong. Sam's Town is a record on an epic scale. "Yeah, it has drama," he continues. "But, at the same time, I think it's a little more exposed than Hot Fuss. It's a little more naked. Last time it was about a lot of fictional things." By "fictional", Ronnie means that Hot Fuss wore its predominantly British influences for all to see. Brandon's taste in music is rabidly Anglophile - he constantly references The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division - and it showed. By contrast, Sam's Town is an unequivocally American record. The lyrical imagery is pure American dream - cars, girls, wide-open spaces and escaping to a better life. "We're burning down the highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane that started turning/When you were young," sings Brandon on When You Were Young. That's the basis of the Springsteen comparisons then, though the lack of pathos more closely recalls another blue-collar rocker from New Jersey - Jon Bon Jovi.
The phrase "this town" recurs throughout the album, and it's always receding into the distance as The Killers escape to a new life. "This town was made for passing through/I never did get along with everybody else," sings Brandon on This River Is Wild. On Read My Mind he "never really gave up on breaking out of this two-star town", while on the title track he offers something of an explanation: "Nobody ever had a dream round here."
"With the first record, there was this feeling that there was this world out there that we didn't know," says Mark later in the day. Before The Killers, he studied philosophy: now he's their quiet one. "We wanted to get out and away from this and be somewhere else. We hadn't had a lot of experience - hadn't travelled much - then we were gone for three years. We didn't sit down and say that we wanted to make a record about how we're glad to be home, but that's what happened naturally."
It's not an angsty record. The Killers have already escaped with Hot Fuss, and, having done so, they view the experience fondly now they're back. There's a mistiness to Brandon's eyes as he explains how the album got it's name.
"Sam's Town is a casino on the edge of Vegas," he says. "I grew up in Henderson, which is out on the way to the Hoover Dam. My mom and dad lived in a trailer park, and my dad used to hitchhike up and down Boulder Highway, which is the only way you could get to Vegas. Sam's Town was the first thing you saw on your way in to town. So, when you're driving down Boulder Highway from Henderson, I always thought you finally knew you were getting somewhere when you saw Sam's Town. It was kind of like a beacon."
"It's not a completely American album," contines Brandon. "We still have our English influence, but we're also from the Wild West. Somehow we've managed to unify all that on this album. it's just such a perfect resemblence of what we are."
At the petrol station, Brandon rummages through the glove box looking for change to buy a lighter. "This is a great album," he says, pointing at Highway Companion, the latest from iconic American rocker Tom Petty. "I've always been a big fan of his. He's such a great American artist."
Yes, Brandon: we get the point.
+
When Brandon finally lights his cigarette, he smokes it awkwardly, like a child mimicking something he's seen the grown-ups doing. However, when he cheerfully admits that, "I feel the same mentally as I did when I was 12," it's not a knowing nod to the fact that he sometimes behaves like a loveably precocious child, but a reference to an unusually comprehensive grounding in pop music at an early age.
When Brandon sings about "this town", he doesn't mean Las Vegas. He means Nephi, Utah or Henderson, Nevada, where he spent his childhood. His parents are Mormon and he is the youngest of six children. "I was a surprise," he says. "I've got a 42-year-old sister." If he was issues about his "surprise" status, he chooses to gloss over them. "It turned out perfect because my brother was a teenager when I was a kid," he says. "He would bring home things like Rattle And Hum by U2 and I would watch it. I remember he bought Live In Dallas by Morrissey. It was always him watching these things, or his door was shut and you'd hear The Head On The Door by The Cure blasting through the house and rattling the walls."
The Killers were formed when Brandon answered an advert Dave had placed in a local paper in late 2002. Dave cited Oasis as a big influence; Brandon had seen them play recently and responded; and, as Dave has said in previous interviews: "He was the only person to reply to my ad who wasn't a complete freak." However, the band was born in Brandon's brothers bedroom.
"His room was like a shrine," enthuses Brandon. "It was a holy place. I wish I could show you a picture of it. It was covered in posters. There'd be a big picture of Elvis wearing a bow tie that just said 'The Smiths' [the artwork for The Smiths 1987 single Shoplifters Of The World Unite]. You had The Cure wearing face paint [the artwork to The Cure's 1985 single In Between Days] - all that kind of stuff. I remember Morrissey being on the cover of the NME, with the halo [from 1985] - stuff like that. You just wanted to know about these people 'cause they were so cool. My brother seemed like such a cool person. But he was a teenager, so he wasn't going to be that nice to me, a kid."
Brandon was fascinated by his brother's collection of music, magazines and posters, but he was denied access to them - officially, at least. "I would sneak in," he says. "I knew he'd be angry if he found out, but I would go in as soon as he left the house." For a long time Brandon was too scared to actually play anything. "That didn't come 'til later. I just used to go in there because I liked it. Then I got to the point where I'd actually take a tape out and put it in. It took more guts to do that."
It was a life-changing moment. "I was ten and the first song I played was Sing Your Life by Morrissey. I remember dancing about to it."
The lyrics to Sing Your Life include the lines, "Sing your life/Just walk right up to the microphone/And name all the things that you love/All the things that you loathe." It's intriguing to wonder what Morrissey makes of the neophyte he inspired with these lines.
Eventually, Brandon inherited his brother's tape collection. "It was around the same time CDs started coming out in a big way. He started buying CDs and gave me his tapes. And that was it: it took off from there. I got a hundred of the best albums - all the New Order, all the Morrissey, all The Smiths, The Beatles. I started buying posters. I went to see The Cure in concert. It was just kind of a continuation of my brother. And it was nice because, though my parents were strict, they were already used to it from him. There was no, 'My dad doesn't understand me,' or any of that kind of stuff. My mum likes The Smiths."
Brandon was 13 and his favourite band was late-'70s/early-'80s American new wavers The Cars, and particularly their jaw-droppingly catchy 1979 single Just What I Needed.
"I wouldn't exist without that song," he says. "That was the one. I remember driving around with my mum when I was 13, and we're living in Nephi - a really small town - and I felt so cool when I put that song on. Like: 'I have something that none of these kids I'm going to middle school with tomorrow have.' That excitement is what music's about, isn't it? That's why I understand the mentality of people that don't like us because we've sold so many records. I used to like it when no one else knew about a band. So I get that - I do."
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Brandon's first band was called Blush Response. It was never going to work out. Not because he refused to move to Los Angeles with them, but because he is utterly - comically - shameless. He's given to making outrageously boastful statements like: "It's not like the '60s, '70s and '80s now. There are only a few bands around that are really good, that just do it. I mean, there's what, five or six of us?"
For the record, in Brandon's estimation, those bands are Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and, of course, The Killers.
"I don't want people to think I'm lumping myself with other people just to make us sound cool," he says. Really? It sort of sounds like you are. But he just steamrolls through it. "Yeah, but you know what I mean," he says, grinning at his own cheekiness. He's so disgracefully forward you can't help but laugh along with him - Oh you are awful, Brandon! But joking aside, The Killers are the most commercially successful of all the bands he mentions.
Later, back at the rehearsal space, the band run through Sam's Town at deafening volume in preparation for the forthcoming tour - first the US, then the world. The infectious, almost contagious, chorus of When You Were Young sounds fabulous, as do the U2-like guitars and Twin Peaks synths of Read My Mind. Meanwhile, Smile Like You Mean It and Somebody Told Me benefit from the newfound harder edge.
They somewhat heavy-handedly underline the new direction by playing Paranoid by Black Sabbath and Get It On by T Rex. That's the thing: The Killers are not a subtle band. Their songs are like a wet kiss from a girl who's a bit too drunk. They are big and brash, and not everyone loves them for it. Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me might go down as well at hip nightclubs as they do on the festival circuit, but the DJs play them with the same guilty look they wear when playing a pop record.
"I hate that," says Brandon. "Like writing a song you can hum somehow cheapens it? It makes me think of this quote by Morrissey. Everybody knows how he read Oscar Wilde, Keats and Yates when he was growing up and that he wanted to be a writer. He was talking to this journalist who asked why he hadn't become a writer, and Morrissey said: 'What I do is more powerful than what you do because I can write down these words and you get it to a melody. How can you beat that?' I'm of the same opinion. I don't understand why a good melody that's memorable is a bad thing."
Being dismissed as pop particular aggrieves Ronnie. "When we first came out we got compared to Duran Duran all the time. Jesus Christ! We got a keyboard player now all of a sudden he's Nick Rhodes! Come on!"
"The people who criticise us for being too poppy don't get it," agrees Mark. "I think that's the problem with a lot of rock music. People are afraid to write a song any more. Either that or they can't. And that attitude hurts music in general. The best bands ever have all written great songs. You can still do it and do it intelligently and it can be original. This isn't a studio creation with a producer writing these songs for us. We're not Avril Lavigne, or something like that. We're a real band writing real songs, just like a punk band would do, except that we write pop songs."
You get the impression that The Killers knack for showboating pop hooks that border on vulgar is inextricably tied up with the brazen side of Brandon's personality. But while his ebullient charisma, not to mention the songs themselves, mitigates his outrageousness, there is a less attractive side to his ego. He has a combative streak. He can't resist taking pot shots at emo bands, notably Fall Out Boy, whith whom The Killers share an A&R man.
Has he heard how many emo kids it takes to change a light bulb? "No." None. They just sit in the dark and cry. It's a full 30 seconds before he stops laughing. When he does he admits: "Yeah, we've had problems with other bands. You know, when you walk in the room it's like..." He whistles the theme to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. "We're like gangs."
And while the other members of the band are diplomatic on the subject of Brandon, you don't have to read too deeply between the lines to conclude that there have been internal issues, too.
"Some people will think Brandon's the big genius," says Dave, visibly bridling. "There are songs, such as Why Do I Keep Counting?, where he's written every note. But there are others, like When You Were Young, that were more of a collaboration - like Mr Brightside, where I had some of the music and Brandon came up with the lyrics. We always have arguments about who wrote what. The truth is that we all help in that process."
When asked how success affected them, Ronnie says: "There were certain things that needed adjusting. When you're on tour for two years, people can get a little needy. It doesn't help that you're surrounded by yes men and everybody's working for you. At times we've had to say, 'Who do you think you are?' to people. No one wears the trousers, but some people would like to. I think if it wasn't for the people in the band kicking each other in the ass... Let's just say there was some ass-kickin'."
It doesn't take a genius to work out whose ass needed kicking most often.
+
It's the following day and The Killers are back at their rehearsal space. The topic of discussion is what to wear in the video for Bones, the second single. It's a big deal: the director is Tim Burton. "I feel like Frank Sinatra when I sing it," announces Brandon. "With maybe a little bit of Morrissey and a little bit of Elvis, too."
Of course he does. But if securing the services of Tim Burton tells you one thing, it's that The Killers are about to get even bigger, perhaps even make the leap to the same level as Coldplay et al. Already stars, they are about to become superstars. Brandon can hardly wait.
"Do you know that Rolling Stone didn't want to put us on the cover last time," he says indignantly. "They didn't think we were stars. We sold five million albums! What more do they want from a band?"
Whatever was required, Brandon would be happy to do most things. "I'll do stuff that some people don't want to do, 'cause I want people to hear the music," he says. However, even he has limits. "The Rolling Stone thing made the record label think: 'What can we do to make them stars?' If I go on vacation with my wife, do they have to send somebody to be there to take pictures of me? Is that how you become a star? I don't want that. I walked down the red carpet one time and I realised I don't like it. But you don't have to walk down the red carpet for people to hear your music. We do still have some of that indie blood running through our veins."
He heads off at a tangent: "When you walk around Liverpool, you think of The Beatles, or you go to Manchester and you think of The Smiths or Oasis. I want you to come to Las Vegas and think of Sam's Town. And I think we've started to capture that, which is a truer version of The Killers, 'cause that's where we're from."
He pauses.
"I used to live across the street from Sam's Town. Maybe it'll be like our Abbey Road where people go to take pictures."
Is that what he'd like?
"I wouldn't mind it," he says, desperately hoping it will come true.
He puts a cigarette between his lips, looks down at his trouser pockets and pats them in search of the lighter he bought yesterday.
"Hey, I don't suppose you've got one?"
2024.05.16 03:59 ChrisMovieExpert My Very Early 97th Oscar Predictions (May 2024)
Predictions may tend to change as usual. The 2024 Cannes Film Festival just started, so there may be some alterations during and after if the movies featured in the festival are praised or panned, and whatever wins the top prizes (especially the Palme d'Or) later on this month.
UPDATE: Megalopolis just screened at Cannes and it looks like it's now out of the Oscar race (removing it from all major categories in my Oscar predictions). However, I think the potential possibility of a few technical categories may still be open.
Also heard strong buzz on Emilia PĂŠrez, so it has a chance of getting in for International Feature and other categories (including Song) while potentially going against Parthenope, especially if Emilia PĂŠrez wins the Palme. Same goes for All We Imagine As Light if it wins the Palme instead.
The Apprentice opened to divisive reception, so it's now uncertain in my predictions if it were to land any nominations.
Alt: All We Imagine As Light, Civil War, Didi, We Live In Time
Alt: Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine As Light; Sean Baker, Anora; Andrea Arnold, Bird; Audrey Diwan, Emmanuelle; Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Alt: Austin Butler, The Bikeriders; Timothee Chalamet, Dune: Part Two; Tenoch Huerta, Pedro PĂĄramo
Alt: Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders; NoĂŠmie Merlant, Emmanuelle; Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths; Carrie Coon, His Three Daughters
Alt: Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice; Tom Hardy, The Bikeriders; Harris Dickinson, Blitz; Javier Bardem, Dune: Part Two; Austin Butler, Dune: Part Two; Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Joseph Quinn, Gladiator II
Alt: Kathy Burke, Blitz; Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two; Zendaya, Dune: Part Two; Natasha Lyonne, His Three Daughters
Alt: Civil War, His Three Daughters, The Room Next Door
Alt: Gladiator II, Here, Inside Out 2, Pedro PĂĄramo, The Piano Lesson, The Wild Robot
Alt: Ghost Cat Anzu, The Glassworker, Kung Fu Panda 4, That Christmas, Transformers One, Wallace & Gromit
Alt: Crossing, Evil Does Not Exist (potentially), The Girl with the Needle, The Most Precious of Cargoes, Reinas
Alt: Architecton, Piece By Piece, Sugarcane, Union, Will & Harper
Alt: Civil War, Here, Kinds of Kindness, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Nickle Boys, Pedro PĂĄramo
Alt: Didi, Emmanuelle, Megalopolis, Pedro PĂĄramo
Alt: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Megalopolis, Nickle Boys, The Piano Lesson
Alt: Anora, Bird, Challengers, Didi, Kinds of Kindness
Alt: Abigail, The Apprentice, Challengers, Civil War, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Monkey Man, Parthenope
Alt: Deadpool & Wolverine, The End, The Fall Guy, Megalopolis, Nightb\**h*
Alt: Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Fall Guy, Here, IF, Megalopolis, Tuesday, Wicked, The Wild Robot
Alt: Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, Civil War; Harry Gregson-Williams, Gladiator II; Gustavo Santaolalla, Pedro PĂĄramo; Alan Menken, Spellbound; Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot
Alt: TBA, The End; Not My Fault, Mean Girls
submitted by ChrisMovieExpert to oscarrace [link] [comments]
UPDATE: Megalopolis just screened at Cannes and it looks like it's now out of the Oscar race (removing it from all major categories in my Oscar predictions). However, I think the potential possibility of a few technical categories may still be open.
Also heard strong buzz on Emilia PĂŠrez, so it has a chance of getting in for International Feature and other categories (including Song) while potentially going against Parthenope, especially if Emilia PĂŠrez wins the Palme. Same goes for All We Imagine As Light if it wins the Palme instead.
The Apprentice opened to divisive reception, so it's now uncertain in my predictions if it were to land any nominations.
Best Picture
- Blitz
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Kinds of Kindness
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- Nickle Boys
- Nightb\**h*
- Parthenope
- A Real Pain
- Sing Sing
Alt: All We Imagine As Light, Civil War, Didi, We Live In Time
Best Director
- Steve McQueen, Blitz
- Edward Berger, Conclave
- Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two
- Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie A Deux
- Paolo Sorrentino, Parthenope
Alt: Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine As Light; Sean Baker, Anora; Andrea Arnold, Bird; Audrey Diwan, Emmanuelle; Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Best Actor
- Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
- Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie A Deux
- Daniel Craig, Queer
- Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
- Andrew Garfield, We Live In Time
Alt: Austin Butler, The Bikeriders; Timothee Chalamet, Dune: Part Two; Tenoch Huerta, Pedro PĂĄramo
Best Actress
- Saorise Ronan, Blitz
- Zendaya, Challengers
- Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie A Deux
- Emma Stone, Kinds of Kindness
- Amy Adams, Nightb\**h*
Alt: Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders; NoĂŠmie Merlant, Emmanuelle; Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths; Carrie Coon, His Three Daughters
Best Supporting Actor
- Stanley Tucci, Conclave
- Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
- Samuel L. Jackson, The Piano Lesson
- Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
- Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Alt: Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice; Tom Hardy, The Bikeriders; Harris Dickinson, Blitz; Javier Bardem, Dune: Part Two; Austin Butler, Dune: Part Two; Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Joseph Quinn, Gladiator II
Best Supporting Actress
- Isabella Rosselini, Conclave
- Joan Chen, Didi
- Lesley Manville, Queer
- Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickle Boys
- Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson
Alt: Kathy Burke, Blitz; Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two; Zendaya, Dune: Part Two; Natasha Lyonne, His Three Daughters
Best Original Screenplay
- Blitz
- Didi
- Kinds of Kindness
- Parthenope
- A Real Pain
Alt: Civil War, His Three Daughters, The Room Next Door
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- Nickle Boys
- Sing Sing
Alt: Gladiator II, Here, Inside Out 2, Pedro PĂĄramo, The Piano Lesson, The Wild Robot
Best Animated Feature
- Inside Out 2
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- The Most Precious of Cargoes
- Memoir of a Snail
- The Wild Robot
Alt: Ghost Cat Anzu, The Glassworker, Kung Fu Panda 4, That Christmas, Transformers One, Wallace & Gromit
Best International Feature
- All We Imagine As Light
- Emilia PĂŠrez
- Emmanuelle
- No Other Land
- Parthenope
Alt: Crossing, Evil Does Not Exist (potentially), The Girl with the Needle, The Most Precious of Cargoes, Reinas
Best Documentary Feature
- Black Box Diaries
- Dahomey
- Daughters
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
Alt: Architecton, Piece By Piece, Sugarcane, Union, Will & Harper
Best Production Design
- Blitz
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Gladiator II
Alt: Civil War, Here, Kinds of Kindness, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Nickle Boys, Pedro PĂĄramo
Best Cinematography
- Blitz
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- Parthenope
Alt: Didi, Emmanuelle, Megalopolis, Pedro PĂĄramo
Best Costume Design
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Gladiator II
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- Wicked
Alt: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Megalopolis, Nickle Boys, The Piano Lesson
Best Film Editing
- Blitz
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Joker: Folie A Deux
Alt: Anora, Bird, Challengers, Didi, Kinds of Kindness
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- Wicked
Alt: Abigail, The Apprentice, Challengers, Civil War, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Monkey Man, Parthenope
Best Sound
- Civil War
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Joker: Folie A Deux
- A Quiet Place: Day One
Alt: Deadpool & Wolverine, The End, The Fall Guy, Megalopolis, Nightb\**h*
Best Visual Effects
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Dune: Part Two
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Mufasa: The Lion King
Alt: Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Fall Guy, Here, IF, Megalopolis, Tuesday, Wicked, The Wild Robot
Best Original Score
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers
- Volker Bertlemann, Conclave
- Hans Zimmer, Dune: Part Two
- Hildur Guonadottir, Joker: Folie A Deux
- Bryce Dessner, Sing Sing
Alt: Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, Civil War; Harry Gregson-Williams, Gladiator II; Gustavo Santaolalla, Pedro PĂĄramo; Alan Menken, Spellbound; Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot
Best Original Song
- TBA, Diane Warren: Relentless
- TBA, Emilia Perez
- TBA, Joker: Folie A Deux
- TBA, Moana 2
- TBA, Twisters
Alt: TBA, The End; Not My Fault, Mean Girls
2024.05.15 23:05 LinkLost380 Possible Matty References in Reputation
Iâm so glad this sub exists because Iâve been annoying everyone in my life with my theories about these two ⌠I figured this would be the right place to post my speculation/lyric breakdowns of songs that they may have written about each other, split into different posts for albums for ease of reading.
Starting with Reputation (2017) â I imagine the failed relationship with Matty was still fresh for Taylor during the writing/recording of this album. Her reference to her âlongings locked in lowercase inside a vaultâ definitely made me look back at Rep in a way I hadnât before (and I do think weâll see some Matty-coded vault tracks on TVâ. That said I donât want to erase her other relationships, especially with Joe, so Iâll make notes of where I think Iâm either stretching for a Matty connection or I think there are multiple muses.
Special mention to âGetaway Carâ which feels like another (fictionalized?) response to Robbers but the story she tells is very similar to her fling with Tom, especially given the third man in the song. I usually claim it for the maylors anyway bc who cares about Tom. Let me know what you think.
â...Ready For It?â
Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him / Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted / But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom
I can't ignore the connections here to two other songs thought to be written about M - Ghost (2014) and Haunted (2015) by Halsey (I won't bother going into the HalseyMatty lore here but I could in another post...)
"You're a Rolling Stone boy, never-sleep-alone boy / Got a million numbers and they're filling up your phone, boy" (Ghost) "I'm begging you to keep on haunting me" (Haunted) "My ghost / Where'd you go? / I can't find you in the body sleeping next to me" (Ghost)
I can be a phantom holdin' him for ransom / Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me / Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry / But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist / And he can be my jailer
Robbers is one of The 1975âs most famous songs. In the music video two lovers stick up a convenience store - definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. In 2014 M dedicated the song to T in Dallas in November 2017 (a week after she attended the concert in LA) here and here
Burton to this Taylor
One of my favorite references that I think reveals a lot about the messy but irresistible relationship M and T seem to have. Here's a link to a great article about the wild love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Every love I've known in comparison is a failure / I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now / Never be the same now
This sentiment is repeated throughout many of the songs I believe are about M. The idea of a life altering love is obviously prevalent across TTPD but also in folklore, evermore, and Midnights. ex. "I'm never gonna love again" (cowboy like me), "I don't remember who I was before you painted all my nights a color I have searched for since" (Question...?), "I felt aglow like this / Never before and never since" (loml)
Also want to mention This Must Be My Dream from 2016, which M has said is about an older gf but may fit: "Let me tell you 'bout this girl / I thought she'd rearrange my world"
No one has to know / In the middle of the night, in my dreams / You should see the things we do, baby
See Guilty as Sin? lol
Baby, let the games begin
Taylor in an interview with Glamour in February 2014:
TS: [Nods. Pauses.] I think everyone should approach relationships from the perspective of playing it straight and giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Until he establishes that this is a game. And if it's a game, you need to win. The best thing to do is just walk away from the table.
CL: Is that winning?
TS: It is when they come back. [Laughs.] And if they don't, then they didn't care enough to begin with.
conclusion: I believe ...Ready For It? is a response to Robbers and reveals M and T's similar romanticism (sometimes toxic but so addicting). The mirrored stylization of ...Ready For It? and Question...? makes me think the latter is a continuation of the former. The mentions of âisland breezeâ and âweâll move to an islandâ have made people believe this song is about Tom Hiddleston but other lyrics, namely âyounger than my exesâ pretty clearly contradicts that.
"End Game"
I wanna be your end game / I wanna be your first string /I wanna be your A-Team
Funny reading this after The Alchemy and So High School.
Big reputation, big reputation / Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations / And you heard about me / Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation
And they were! Especially because T hadn't been really linked to anyone after Harry, the speculation about her and M came hard and fast. M especially was inundated with questions in the months after the LA and NYC shows.
And I heard about you / You like the bad ones, too
Another possible reference to a Halsey song, this time Hurricane from 2014: "He says, "Oh, baby, beggin' you to save me / Well, lately I like 'em crazy/ Oh, maybe, you could devastate me"
I don't wanna touch you, I don't wanna be / Just another ex-love you don't wanna see / I don't wanna miss you / Like the other girls do
Very reminiscent of The 1975's song Somebody Else, released in 2016, speculated to be about T: "I don't want your body / But I hate to think about you with somebody else"
I hit you like bang, we tried to forget it, but we just couldn't
"Flashbacks waking me up / I get drunk, but it's not enough" (Death By A Thousand Cuts)
And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em
"I circled you on a map / I haven't come around in so long" (The Alchemy)
Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy
"And they tried to warn you about me" (The Albatross)
And I can't let you go, your hand prints on my soul
"Marked me like a bloodstain" (Cardigan)
It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold
So many of the songs speculated to be about M reference his eyes but the most relevant (not the starry eyed motif which we'll get to in the future) are: "Eyes like sinking ships on waters / So inviting I almost jump in" (gold rush) and "But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet / Now I'm all for you like Janet" (Snow On The Beach)
"Deep blue, but you painted me golden" (Dancing With Our Hands Tied)
You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks / So here's the truth from my red lips
From the same Glamour article, Taylor talking about her 'trick' when dating:
CL: What's the freeze-out?
TS: You don't respond to any of his texts or calls until he does something desperate [like] shows up. Or he calls and leaves a voice mail. Something that makes it very clear to you that he's interested.
disclaimer: I am someone who thinks the Tom relationship was not that serious for T, so this song imo fits what she may have told us about her relationship with M more, though the beach reference does point to Tom in a way.
"Don't Blame Me"
I've been breaking hearts a long time / And toying with them older guys / Just playthings for me to use
See the quotes from the Glamour article above. "Younger than my exes, but he act like such a man, so" (...Ready For It?)
Something happened for the first time / In the darkest little paradise
May refer to the dark concert venue where they met for the first time (see So It Goes... for more)
For you / I would cross the line / I would waste my time / I would lose my mind / They say, "She's gone too far this time."
Sentiment that is repeated throughout TTPD, but most clearly in But Daddy I Love Him
My name is whatever you decide / And I'm just gonna call you mine
Though this could be a stretch, in the spotify storyline for The 1975's Oh Caroline (2022), speculated to be about T, M said "It's an invented character, where the cadence really mattered. It couldn't be "Oh Linda" or "Oh Jane" [or "Oh Taylor"] - you had to have a 3 syllable that really works. I knew what the song was about, I had felt that about someone before and I got to write an episodic, mini movie about the subject"
disclaimer: If about M, this song is very on the nose with the drug references. Generally it's a very vague song and could easily be about Joe or another ex.
"So It Goes..."
See you in the dark / All eyes on you, my magician / All eyes on us / You make everyone disappear
Likely refers to the first time T saw M in person, when she was front row at The 1975's LA show. All eyes were on M then (including T's)
"Once upon a time, the planets and the fates / And all the stars aligned / You and I ended up in the same room / At the same time" (Mastermind)
Tripping, tripping when you're gone
May relate to Don't Blame Me: "Trip of my life / every time you're touching me"
'Cause we breakdown a little / But when you get me alone, it's so simple
Maybe a stretch but M famously had a breakdown on stage in Boston on December 6, 2014. In an interview with the Guardian he said: âThere was girl stuff. There was family stuff. There was financial stuff. There was drug stuff. I remember hearing the crowd and having an identity crisis. I thought: âIf you want to see a show, Iâll give you a fucking show. If youâve come to see the jester drink himself into a slumber, Iâll give it to you.â I felt like Iâd become an idea as opposed to being a person.â
âAnd I was 25 and afraid to go outsideâ (Give Yourself a Try)
And all the pieces fall / Right into place
"I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork / The dominoes cascaded in a line" (Mastermind)
Getting caught up in a moment / Lipstick on your face
"I said, "Don't fall in love with the moment" / She said I've got a lot to learn / Don't fall in love with the moment /And think you're in love with the girl" (She's American)
Come here, dressed in black now
"Yeah, we're dressed in black from head to toe" (Chocolate). Taylor was also wearing all black the night of the LA show.
conclusion: You did a number on me / But, honestly, baby, who's counting? / I did a number on you / But, honestly, baby, who's counting? ( "King of My Heart"
We met a few weeks ago / Now you try on callin' me "baby" like tryin' on clothes
The reason why I don't necessarily think Joe fits. They met at the Met Gala in 2017 and she very quickly started seeing Tom, obviously it could still be him but I wanted to note this.
"Don't call me 'kid,' don't call me 'baby' / Look at this idiotic fool that you made me" (illicit affairs)
And you move to me like I'm a Motown beat
M loves Motown, even sampling a track by The Temptations on Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy). He's also always loved dancing, which you can see in the videos for A Change of Heart and Oh Caroline.
Salute to me I'm your American Queen / Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff
He's English, obviously.
And we rule the kingdom inside my room / With all these nights we're spending / Up on the roof with a school girl crush
Totally speculation but M and T hiding out in her NYC home makes a lot of sense from other pieces she has shared about the relationship âMy kingdom come undoneâ (Hoax)
Late in the night, the city's asleep / Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep
Speculation again but fits with the story of M and T as mostly loving each other in secret (see Dancing With Our Hands Tied and Dress)
Is this the end of all the endings? / My broken bones are mending
As mentioned above, T had seemingly taken a break from dating after the breakup with Harry.
disclaimer: Definitely not 100% sure on this one as there is convincing evidence that it is about J
"Dancing With Our Hands Tied"
I, I loved you in secret / First sight, yeah, we love without reason / Oh, 25 years old
M and T were both born in 1989, M was 25 when they first met and dated and T was turning 25.
My, my love had been frozen / People started talking, putting us through our paces / I knew there was no one in the world who could take it / I loved you in spite of / Deep fears that the world would divide us
âA red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground / With no one around to tweet itâ (The Lakes)
In an interview with the Guardian Matty said: âThe day after sheâd been to a show of ours, someone sent me a screenshot of E! News with the headline âWho is Matt Healy?â That freaked me out. Iâm not ready to indulge in that world and Iâm not ready to be judged by that world.â So sad to read knowing that they dealt with a similar situation nearly a decade later.
Picture of your face in an invisible locket
âWear you like a necklaceâ (So It GoesâŚ)
And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis
âNow you hang from my lips / Like the Gardens of Babylon / With your boots beneath my bedâ (cowboy like me)
I'd kiss you as the lights went out / Swaying as the room burned down / I'd hold you as the water rushes in / If I could dance with you again
Reminds me so much of the music video for cardigan, where T slips into a rough ocean and hangs on to a piano. Also from cardigan: âLeaving like a father / Running like waterâ
âDressâ
Our secret moments in a crowded room / They got no idea about me and you
"Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room / And every single one of your friends was / Making fun of you" (Question...?)
There is an indentation in the shape of you / Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo
M seemingly makes a lasting impression: âDeep blue, but you painted me goldenâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied) âThe mark they saw on my collarboneâ (Maroon) âMarked me like a bloodstainâ (cardigan)
'Cause I don't want you like a best friend
T often seems to refer to a friendship with M, perhaps they tried it a few times: âWe were supposed to be just friendsâ (Glitch) âLike you were my closest friendâ (Maroon) âJust say when, I'd play again / He was my best friend / Down at the sandlotâ (My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys)
And if I get burned, at least we were electrified
âI'd kiss you as the lights went out / Swaying as the room burned downâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied)
I'm spilling wine in the bathtub / You kiss my face and we're both drunk
Many of the possible M songs refer to M and Tâs love of wine. âAnd I can see us twisted in bedsheets / August slipped away like a bottle of wineâ (august) âThe burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet, it was (maroon)â (Maroon)
disclaimer - Obviously most likely about Joe given the reference to the 2017 Met Gala but I think it was worth a mention!
âCall It What You Wantâ
My baby's fly like a jet stream / High above the whole scene
Probably a double-entendre. M considers himself slightly on the outside of the âsceneâ but this can come across as self assurance. This also could refer to literally being high on drugs
Loves me like I'm brand new
After Tâs clever use of The Starting Line in TTPD Iâm convinced sheâs referring to the band Brand New. M posted a Brand New album on his ig story in 2020.
All my flowers grew back as thorns
An interesting contrast to âI once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisyâ from Donât Blame Me
Windows boarded up after the storm
âI look through the windows of this love / Even though we boarded them upâ (Death By A Thousand Cuts)
I'm laughing with my lover
âLaughing with my feet in your lapâ (Maroon) âPlease don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhereâ (New Yearâs Day)
Making forts under covers
Matty famously built a fort in ATPOAIM 3. âI'll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand itâ (Down Bad)
Trust him like a brother
âLike I lost my twinâ (Down Bad)
Starry eyes sparking up my darkest night
So many starry eyed references which is terribly romantic and terribly sad. âDo I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?â (High Infidelity), âYour opal eyes are all I wish to seeâ (ivy), âEyes full of starsâ (cowboy like me), and âGazing at me starry-eyedâ (The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived)
I want to wear his initial on a chain 'round my neck
âPicture of your face in an invisible locketâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied) âWear you like a necklaceâ (So It GoesâŚ)
I recall late November, holding my breath
Late November fits perfectly into the timeline of M and Tâs 2014 relationship. Late October to Late DecembeEarly January makes the most sense.
Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me / But would you run away with me?"
âYou're mad thinking you could ever save me. Not looking like that.â (A Change of Heart)
disclaimer: Again lots of Joe references in this as well so take this with a grain of salt.
âNew Yearâs Dayâ
You and me from the night before, but / Don't read the last page
From Me and You Together Song (2020): âI think the story needs more pages, yes.â The reference to âthe last pageâ also makes this song feel like more of a reminiscence than a song about a current lover.
I want your midnights / But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day
Impossible not to reread these lyrics after Midnights was released as a nod to M: âWhen the morning came we / Were cleaning incense off your / Vinyl shelf âcause we lost track of time againâ (Maroon)
You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi / I can tell that it's gonna be a long road / I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you're crawling home
Especially after the release of TTPD it seems that both T and M made many promises to each other that they couldnât keep
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / And I will hold on to you
The reference to memories here creates a bit of a confusing feeling about the muse for this song. Although T seems to be talking in the present tense I do think these are memories and dreams for a past relationship.
âHold on and hope that we'll find our way back in the end / Do you think I have forgotten? / Do you think I have forgotten? / Do you think I have forgotten / About you?â (About You)
Please don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere / Please don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
Not much to say about this but ow!
You and me forevermore
Again reminds me of Me and You Together Song (which I do buy as a song at least partially about T). And of course links to Evermore.
disclaimer: This could absolutely be about Joe but it does feel almost like a goodbye to M, closing the album. Itâs as if she is reading âthe last pageâ
Congrats if you read this lol. I clearly have too much time on my hands
submitted by LinkLost380 to taylorandmatty [link] [comments]
Starting with Reputation (2017) â I imagine the failed relationship with Matty was still fresh for Taylor during the writing/recording of this album. Her reference to her âlongings locked in lowercase inside a vaultâ definitely made me look back at Rep in a way I hadnât before (and I do think weâll see some Matty-coded vault tracks on TVâ. That said I donât want to erase her other relationships, especially with Joe, so Iâll make notes of where I think Iâm either stretching for a Matty connection or I think there are multiple muses.
Special mention to âGetaway Carâ which feels like another (fictionalized?) response to Robbers but the story she tells is very similar to her fling with Tom, especially given the third man in the song. I usually claim it for the maylors anyway bc who cares about Tom. Let me know what you think.
â...Ready For It?â
Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him / Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted / But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom
I can't ignore the connections here to two other songs thought to be written about M - Ghost (2014) and Haunted (2015) by Halsey (I won't bother going into the HalseyMatty lore here but I could in another post...)
"You're a Rolling Stone boy, never-sleep-alone boy / Got a million numbers and they're filling up your phone, boy" (Ghost) "I'm begging you to keep on haunting me" (Haunted) "My ghost / Where'd you go? / I can't find you in the body sleeping next to me" (Ghost)
I can be a phantom holdin' him for ransom / Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me / Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry / But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist / And he can be my jailer
Robbers is one of The 1975âs most famous songs. In the music video two lovers stick up a convenience store - definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. In 2014 M dedicated the song to T in Dallas in November 2017 (a week after she attended the concert in LA) here and here
Burton to this Taylor
One of my favorite references that I think reveals a lot about the messy but irresistible relationship M and T seem to have. Here's a link to a great article about the wild love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Every love I've known in comparison is a failure / I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now / Never be the same now
This sentiment is repeated throughout many of the songs I believe are about M. The idea of a life altering love is obviously prevalent across TTPD but also in folklore, evermore, and Midnights. ex. "I'm never gonna love again" (cowboy like me), "I don't remember who I was before you painted all my nights a color I have searched for since" (Question...?), "I felt aglow like this / Never before and never since" (loml)
Also want to mention This Must Be My Dream from 2016, which M has said is about an older gf but may fit: "Let me tell you 'bout this girl / I thought she'd rearrange my world"
No one has to know / In the middle of the night, in my dreams / You should see the things we do, baby
See Guilty as Sin? lol
Baby, let the games begin
Taylor in an interview with Glamour in February 2014:
TS: [Nods. Pauses.] I think everyone should approach relationships from the perspective of playing it straight and giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Until he establishes that this is a game. And if it's a game, you need to win. The best thing to do is just walk away from the table.
CL: Is that winning?
TS: It is when they come back. [Laughs.] And if they don't, then they didn't care enough to begin with.
conclusion: I believe ...Ready For It? is a response to Robbers and reveals M and T's similar romanticism (sometimes toxic but so addicting). The mirrored stylization of ...Ready For It? and Question...? makes me think the latter is a continuation of the former. The mentions of âisland breezeâ and âweâll move to an islandâ have made people believe this song is about Tom Hiddleston but other lyrics, namely âyounger than my exesâ pretty clearly contradicts that.
"End Game"
I wanna be your end game / I wanna be your first string /I wanna be your A-Team
Funny reading this after The Alchemy and So High School.
Big reputation, big reputation / Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations / And you heard about me / Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation
And they were! Especially because T hadn't been really linked to anyone after Harry, the speculation about her and M came hard and fast. M especially was inundated with questions in the months after the LA and NYC shows.
And I heard about you / You like the bad ones, too
Another possible reference to a Halsey song, this time Hurricane from 2014: "He says, "Oh, baby, beggin' you to save me / Well, lately I like 'em crazy/ Oh, maybe, you could devastate me"
I don't wanna touch you, I don't wanna be / Just another ex-love you don't wanna see / I don't wanna miss you / Like the other girls do
Very reminiscent of The 1975's song Somebody Else, released in 2016, speculated to be about T: "I don't want your body / But I hate to think about you with somebody else"
I hit you like bang, we tried to forget it, but we just couldn't
"Flashbacks waking me up / I get drunk, but it's not enough" (Death By A Thousand Cuts)
And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em
"I circled you on a map / I haven't come around in so long" (The Alchemy)
Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy
"And they tried to warn you about me" (The Albatross)
And I can't let you go, your hand prints on my soul
"Marked me like a bloodstain" (Cardigan)
It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold
So many of the songs speculated to be about M reference his eyes but the most relevant (not the starry eyed motif which we'll get to in the future) are: "Eyes like sinking ships on waters / So inviting I almost jump in" (gold rush) and "But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet / Now I'm all for you like Janet" (Snow On The Beach)
"Deep blue, but you painted me golden" (Dancing With Our Hands Tied)
You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks / So here's the truth from my red lips
From the same Glamour article, Taylor talking about her 'trick' when dating:
CL: What's the freeze-out?
TS: You don't respond to any of his texts or calls until he does something desperate [like] shows up. Or he calls and leaves a voice mail. Something that makes it very clear to you that he's interested.
disclaimer: I am someone who thinks the Tom relationship was not that serious for T, so this song imo fits what she may have told us about her relationship with M more, though the beach reference does point to Tom in a way.
"Don't Blame Me"
I've been breaking hearts a long time / And toying with them older guys / Just playthings for me to use
See the quotes from the Glamour article above. "Younger than my exes, but he act like such a man, so" (...Ready For It?)
Something happened for the first time / In the darkest little paradise
May refer to the dark concert venue where they met for the first time (see So It Goes... for more)
For you / I would cross the line / I would waste my time / I would lose my mind / They say, "She's gone too far this time."
Sentiment that is repeated throughout TTPD, but most clearly in But Daddy I Love Him
My name is whatever you decide / And I'm just gonna call you mine
Though this could be a stretch, in the spotify storyline for The 1975's Oh Caroline (2022), speculated to be about T, M said "It's an invented character, where the cadence really mattered. It couldn't be "Oh Linda" or "Oh Jane" [or "Oh Taylor"] - you had to have a 3 syllable that really works. I knew what the song was about, I had felt that about someone before and I got to write an episodic, mini movie about the subject"
disclaimer: If about M, this song is very on the nose with the drug references. Generally it's a very vague song and could easily be about Joe or another ex.
"So It Goes..."
See you in the dark / All eyes on you, my magician / All eyes on us / You make everyone disappear
Likely refers to the first time T saw M in person, when she was front row at The 1975's LA show. All eyes were on M then (including T's)
"Once upon a time, the planets and the fates / And all the stars aligned / You and I ended up in the same room / At the same time" (Mastermind)
Tripping, tripping when you're gone
May relate to Don't Blame Me: "Trip of my life / every time you're touching me"
'Cause we breakdown a little / But when you get me alone, it's so simple
Maybe a stretch but M famously had a breakdown on stage in Boston on December 6, 2014. In an interview with the Guardian he said: âThere was girl stuff. There was family stuff. There was financial stuff. There was drug stuff. I remember hearing the crowd and having an identity crisis. I thought: âIf you want to see a show, Iâll give you a fucking show. If youâve come to see the jester drink himself into a slumber, Iâll give it to you.â I felt like Iâd become an idea as opposed to being a person.â
âAnd I was 25 and afraid to go outsideâ (Give Yourself a Try)
And all the pieces fall / Right into place
"I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork / The dominoes cascaded in a line" (Mastermind)
Getting caught up in a moment / Lipstick on your face
"I said, "Don't fall in love with the moment" / She said I've got a lot to learn / Don't fall in love with the moment /And think you're in love with the girl" (She's American)
Come here, dressed in black now
"Yeah, we're dressed in black from head to toe" (Chocolate). Taylor was also wearing all black the night of the LA show.
conclusion: You did a number on me / But, honestly, baby, who's counting? / I did a number on you / But, honestly, baby, who's counting? ( "King of My Heart"
We met a few weeks ago / Now you try on callin' me "baby" like tryin' on clothes
The reason why I don't necessarily think Joe fits. They met at the Met Gala in 2017 and she very quickly started seeing Tom, obviously it could still be him but I wanted to note this.
"Don't call me 'kid,' don't call me 'baby' / Look at this idiotic fool that you made me" (illicit affairs)
And you move to me like I'm a Motown beat
M loves Motown, even sampling a track by The Temptations on Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy). He's also always loved dancing, which you can see in the videos for A Change of Heart and Oh Caroline.
Salute to me I'm your American Queen / Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff
He's English, obviously.
And we rule the kingdom inside my room / With all these nights we're spending / Up on the roof with a school girl crush
Totally speculation but M and T hiding out in her NYC home makes a lot of sense from other pieces she has shared about the relationship âMy kingdom come undoneâ (Hoax)
Late in the night, the city's asleep / Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep
Speculation again but fits with the story of M and T as mostly loving each other in secret (see Dancing With Our Hands Tied and Dress)
Is this the end of all the endings? / My broken bones are mending
As mentioned above, T had seemingly taken a break from dating after the breakup with Harry.
disclaimer: Definitely not 100% sure on this one as there is convincing evidence that it is about J
"Dancing With Our Hands Tied"
I, I loved you in secret / First sight, yeah, we love without reason / Oh, 25 years old
M and T were both born in 1989, M was 25 when they first met and dated and T was turning 25.
My, my love had been frozen / People started talking, putting us through our paces / I knew there was no one in the world who could take it / I loved you in spite of / Deep fears that the world would divide us
âA red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground / With no one around to tweet itâ (The Lakes)
In an interview with the Guardian Matty said: âThe day after sheâd been to a show of ours, someone sent me a screenshot of E! News with the headline âWho is Matt Healy?â That freaked me out. Iâm not ready to indulge in that world and Iâm not ready to be judged by that world.â So sad to read knowing that they dealt with a similar situation nearly a decade later.
Picture of your face in an invisible locket
âWear you like a necklaceâ (So It GoesâŚ)
And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis
âNow you hang from my lips / Like the Gardens of Babylon / With your boots beneath my bedâ (cowboy like me)
I'd kiss you as the lights went out / Swaying as the room burned down / I'd hold you as the water rushes in / If I could dance with you again
Reminds me so much of the music video for cardigan, where T slips into a rough ocean and hangs on to a piano. Also from cardigan: âLeaving like a father / Running like waterâ
âDressâ
Our secret moments in a crowded room / They got no idea about me and you
"Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room / And every single one of your friends was / Making fun of you" (Question...?)
There is an indentation in the shape of you / Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo
M seemingly makes a lasting impression: âDeep blue, but you painted me goldenâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied) âThe mark they saw on my collarboneâ (Maroon) âMarked me like a bloodstainâ (cardigan)
'Cause I don't want you like a best friend
T often seems to refer to a friendship with M, perhaps they tried it a few times: âWe were supposed to be just friendsâ (Glitch) âLike you were my closest friendâ (Maroon) âJust say when, I'd play again / He was my best friend / Down at the sandlotâ (My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys)
And if I get burned, at least we were electrified
âI'd kiss you as the lights went out / Swaying as the room burned downâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied)
I'm spilling wine in the bathtub / You kiss my face and we're both drunk
Many of the possible M songs refer to M and Tâs love of wine. âAnd I can see us twisted in bedsheets / August slipped away like a bottle of wineâ (august) âThe burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet, it was (maroon)â (Maroon)
disclaimer - Obviously most likely about Joe given the reference to the 2017 Met Gala but I think it was worth a mention!
âCall It What You Wantâ
My baby's fly like a jet stream / High above the whole scene
Probably a double-entendre. M considers himself slightly on the outside of the âsceneâ but this can come across as self assurance. This also could refer to literally being high on drugs
Loves me like I'm brand new
After Tâs clever use of The Starting Line in TTPD Iâm convinced sheâs referring to the band Brand New. M posted a Brand New album on his ig story in 2020.
All my flowers grew back as thorns
An interesting contrast to âI once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisyâ from Donât Blame Me
Windows boarded up after the storm
âI look through the windows of this love / Even though we boarded them upâ (Death By A Thousand Cuts)
I'm laughing with my lover
âLaughing with my feet in your lapâ (Maroon) âPlease don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhereâ (New Yearâs Day)
Making forts under covers
Matty famously built a fort in ATPOAIM 3. âI'll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand itâ (Down Bad)
Trust him like a brother
âLike I lost my twinâ (Down Bad)
Starry eyes sparking up my darkest night
So many starry eyed references which is terribly romantic and terribly sad. âDo I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?â (High Infidelity), âYour opal eyes are all I wish to seeâ (ivy), âEyes full of starsâ (cowboy like me), and âGazing at me starry-eyedâ (The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived)
I want to wear his initial on a chain 'round my neck
âPicture of your face in an invisible locketâ (Dancing With Our Hands Tied) âWear you like a necklaceâ (So It GoesâŚ)
I recall late November, holding my breath
Late November fits perfectly into the timeline of M and Tâs 2014 relationship. Late October to Late DecembeEarly January makes the most sense.
Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me / But would you run away with me?"
âYou're mad thinking you could ever save me. Not looking like that.â (A Change of Heart)
disclaimer: Again lots of Joe references in this as well so take this with a grain of salt.
âNew Yearâs Dayâ
You and me from the night before, but / Don't read the last page
From Me and You Together Song (2020): âI think the story needs more pages, yes.â The reference to âthe last pageâ also makes this song feel like more of a reminiscence than a song about a current lover.
I want your midnights / But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day
Impossible not to reread these lyrics after Midnights was released as a nod to M: âWhen the morning came we / Were cleaning incense off your / Vinyl shelf âcause we lost track of time againâ (Maroon)
You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi / I can tell that it's gonna be a long road / I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you're crawling home
Especially after the release of TTPD it seems that both T and M made many promises to each other that they couldnât keep
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you / And I will hold on to you
The reference to memories here creates a bit of a confusing feeling about the muse for this song. Although T seems to be talking in the present tense I do think these are memories and dreams for a past relationship.
âHold on and hope that we'll find our way back in the end / Do you think I have forgotten? / Do you think I have forgotten? / Do you think I have forgotten / About you?â (About You)
Please don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere / Please don't ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
Not much to say about this but ow!
You and me forevermore
Again reminds me of Me and You Together Song (which I do buy as a song at least partially about T). And of course links to Evermore.
disclaimer: This could absolutely be about Joe but it does feel almost like a goodbye to M, closing the album. Itâs as if she is reading âthe last pageâ
Congrats if you read this lol. I clearly have too much time on my hands
2024.05.15 21:48 Nora_Clybourn [RF] Will for Adventure
Part 1
Chicago, 2016. Flinn Gerald is doing his best to make it in the city. Born in Selma, Alabama, he has spent his entire life trying to escape the ever tightening grasp of his small town. But alas, he made it out and is adapting to life in the big city. With a big fancy corporate job, an endless supply of friends, an apartment with a stunning view of the lake, and great distance from his family, what more could he need? Well, there is a lot more (or less) that he needs, but of course that is a story for later.
On a typical Tuesday night at a bar, the regulars crowd in. Flinn is late, as usual, as he stayed late at work (again), but on his arrival, the cheers and hugs from all the friends make everyone forget of the regular inconvenience. Conversation ensued, starting with all the boring finance jargon, but as the drinks flowed, so did the conversation, moving away from work and more into life. This is what everyone preferred.
âAnother round, anyone?â asked Raheem, enthusiastically. After a murmur of concurrence, he stood up to make his way up to the bar. âFlinn, care to lend a hand?â
Raheem Bartlett was Flinnâs college roommate and the first person he met outside of his hometown. The pair hit it off instantly despite having wildly different backgrounds. Even in their freshman year, the engineer and the finance major would get into all sorts of trouble together, but eventually they leveled out. Six years later, they still have each otherâs backs just like day one.
The pair made their way up to the bar and waited to get the bartender's attention. âWhat's up with you, bro?â asked Raheem. âYouâve been seeming a bit off.â
âOh, ya know. Work, life, everything kinda happens so fast. Work has been busy as of late, and the hours long.â
Seeming displeased by this answer, Raheem stared back in concern.
âReally, Iâm fine⌠just long hours.â
âBack in school youâd pull back to back all-nighters and then still make it to a morning class. I find it hard to believe that the mighty Flinn would be so setback by âlong hoursâ.â
Flinn took a moment to ponder, staring down at the bar covered in various stamps and postcards beneath the epoxy surface. âI guess, ya know, it's not all it was cracked up to be. I guess I had expected more.â Flinn had mostly dropped his accent, but occasionally it would still slip out.
Despite coming from a long line of mill workers (mostly paper) and farm hands who never ventured further than the Dallas county line, Flinn yearned to leave his small town and conquer the world from a young age. Coming from the poorest county in Alabama, his family always squashed his dreams, labeling them as impossible. But Flinn knew better. Or, at least he knew he could do better. Graduating top of his class a year early and winning a full-ride scholarship to Northwestern University, he had proved everyone wrong and set his own path. The path he was told was impossible became his reality.
âMore what?â
âNothing, really. I mean, what more is there? This is what I always wanted, right? The stable job in the city, never having to worry about money. Itâs great, and I couldnât be more grateful, but⌠something is missing. Doing the same thing day after day staring at a screen, moving clients money around. I⌠just hoped it would be more fulfilling, especially after all it took to get here.â
Before he could finish his thought, the bartender came up to take their order: another round for the table, plus a round of shots, plus two more shots.
âWhat am I saying, really?â added Flinn. âI shouldnât be complaining. Look at where I am now compared to six years ago. So much has changed. My home, friends, even my diet. I just feel a bit off. Like I need something more to do..
âI get it, bro. Adjusting to your new life can be rough. Enjoy it for a minute or two.â Raheem slides a shot in front of Flinn. âHere, take this.â
Tuesday had become fairly consistent to this point for this group of misfits: Raheem and his girlfriend Amy; Jack; Jasper, from Flinnâs firm, and his wife Max; and of course, Flinn. For nearly two years, these six have been meeting at OâMalleyâs every Tuesday night for drinks and trivia. Some nights are more wild than others, but Tuesday has become the staple of the week among them.
Drinks flowed pretty regularly and heavy over the next few hours as the clock approached the end of day. Still going round for round on alternating tabs, the useless debates began to heat up.
âYou canât seriously think Wicker Park is the best neighborhood outside the Loop. Yâall need to get out more,â said Flinn.
âBro itâs obviously Wicker Park,â argued Raheem.â Right on the blue line, getting to OâHare is insanely easy, plus you canât find better music in the city. Besides, Wicker Park has Davenportâs.â
âNo one ever says Wicker Park,â adds Jack. âHave you ever heard someone say Wicker Park before?â
âDude, but you can obviously get to OâHare from anywhere in the city,â said Flinn
âSure, but beats walking through that dumb Block 37 Center transfer like you and your red line. No transfer is the way to go, plus the blue line gets you right to the center of the loop.â
âSo does every other L line as long as ya donât mind walking a few blocks!â
âYouâre both wrong,â adds Max. âNeither matters because Midway is better anyways.â
âWoah!â the whole table murmurs, sharing shocked looks as if she just confessed to a crime. Flinn rolled his eyes at this notion.
âWho flies out of Midway?â asks Raheem.
âWhat? Less people, cheaper flights, and more space. Why wouldnât I fly out of Midway?â said Max.
âWait, wait, that aside,â interrupts Raheem, âcan we go back to the fact that Jasper thinks Sheffield is the best neighborhood? I feel like we moved past that too quickly.â
The debate rages on for many more minutes, until Flinn, seemingly out of nowhere, had enough.
âCan yâall just shut the fuck up! Why does it even matter?â Everyoneâs glance quickly shot over to Flinn as a deafening silence overtook the table. Everyone pondered how to respond, and couldnât seem to find an answer. This behavior from Flinn was unexpected, nay, unheard of. Flinn was the most level headed amongst them by far. Not even Raheem, his best friend of six years, had ever seen him get angry, let alone over an inconsequential friendly argument. âIâŚâ Not even Flinn knew what to say next. âIâm going to go home. Long day tomorrow.â Already on his feet, he quickly walked away from the table and out the door.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walk home was fairly brisk, but Flinn had grown fond of the cold. He tucked his hands into his coat pocket and hunched his shoulders forward, only looking down at the pavement ignoring the mostly asleep but still wide awake city surrounding him. His thoughts ran wild and near out of control. Of course, his intoxication did not help with clarity, but the inner dialogue was deafening. Not even he knew what was bothering him, but he was obviously bothered, deeply. He made a fool of himself in a way he never had before, and right now he felt he did not recognize himself. Surely some sleep will help, right?
He slowly made his way down the steps to the platform, carefully watching each step as to not fall, to wait for his train. He posted up against a pillar and stared off onto the dark, empty tracks. What has gotten into me? He did his best to calm his racing, wasted mind searching for some legibility amongst his thoughts.
Once he finally got home, he slumped down on the couch and scarfed down some week-old sushi he found in the fridge. He turned on some old documentary and was asleep before he knew it.
Suddenly, he was woken up by his phone ringing. It usually does not ring this time of night and was less than thrilled to be woken, so he let it keep ringing. It stopped after a couple of seconds, and he glanced down at the screen:
Mama
(2) missed calls
Dad
(1) missed call
Now concerned, he calls his mom back in a hurry. âHello?â
âFlinn? Your grandfather, heâs dead.â
Part 2
The wet air engulfed Flinnâs face as he stepped out the airport doors into a warm February day. Six years had passed since he smelled the Alabama air. Even after all this time, it still smells just as he had remembered as if not even a day had passed. The drive to Selma was another ninety minutes, and despite having five days to mentally prepare himself for his arrival, it was not nearly enough time. He had not seen or spoken to anyone from his town, not even family, since he left early that August morning all those years ago. He left everything behind to start his new life. The life so many told him to not start, that he needed to stay. He left anyway and never looked back.
That was, until now. He had little choice in this regard. He knew he would have to make his return someday, but he knew not when nor for what. But today was that day. Flinn and his grandfather (Pops) had always been close. If anyone had been supportive of him, itâd have been Pops, but he was a man of little words. Even when he could talk, he hardly chose to. He was a great listener, and not just because he could not speak. He showed he was engaged and listening no matter what Flinn had to say. At times, he felt Pops was the only one who understood him as if he had been just like him before, but no one would ever talk about his past. All Flinn knew is Pops lost his tongue after a failed lynching.
The familiarity of the scenery zipping past was bittersweet. He had not realized how much he missed the rolling hills and thick forests beneath the unforgiving southern sky. He kept his head pressed against the cool glass of the car window even through the constant bumps in the road. He couldnât look away. So many memories happened here, and the closer he got, the more plentiful the memories became, and the more potent they were, and the more painful theyâd become.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the dust settled behind him, he stood on the driveway staring at his childhood home still unsure how to process his emotions. It was all so overwhelming. He was thinking everything at once. He took a deep breath, rolled back his shoulders, and swallowed. He reached for the door handle, hesitating slightly, and took a step in. One foot, and then the next.
âMartin!â Flinn smiled as his old friend and childhood dog rushed towards him without hesitation. He knelt down and embraced him as Martin excitedly rustled through his arms seemingly showing more energy than he had in years.
He walked down the hall and around the corner into the living room. There, both drawn to the large television like moths to a flame, he saw his parents sitting beside one another on the couch watching some daytime program with their backs to him. They seemed to pay no notice to the commotion at the front door nor the loud creaking footsteps he took along the old wooden floors. They knew he was there; they just chose to ignore him. He walked into view to greet them. "Mama, dad." His father smiled slightly but caught himself and refrained.
Mama kept a straight face, but seemed to be fighting tears."Howard, help Flinn with his bags, dear."
âNo, it's alright, I know where to take them,â said Flinn. âHow are yâall?â
âService is tomorrow at eleven down at the ole First Baptist Church. Make sure to wear something nice.â
âAlright, mama. Iâll... Iâll see you at dinner.â
âWhole family is coming tonight. Dinner is served at...â
âAt seven, I got it, just as always.â
âItâs good to see you, kid.â said his dad. âLet me know if you need anythingâ
He did not expect things to go like that, not that he knew what to expect. He had hoped time would have been more forgiving. Perhaps leaving unannounced in the middle of the night was not the best plan, but at the time he felt as if he had no other choice. Everyone knew he was leaving. That was no secret and had not been for years before any plan had actually been set into motion. No one knew the date or time, except for Pops, of course, but heâd never tell. Of course he wanted everyone to know. He wanted everyone to be proud of him, but it was too big of a risk and commendations were too much to expect. Besides, Mama always had her schemes, and had she known, she would have found a way to stop him.
Not much had changed since heâd been here last. The old wood paneling still lined nearly all the walls, crack in some spots, replaced in others, but all coated by decades of cigarette soot. On the walls were a combination of family portraits from over the years and cheap artwork found at the flea market. Old green furniture, too many house plants to count, and a tacky themed kitchen, it was all still the same.
His childhood bedroom, however, was much different. Hardly even recognizable, what was once his bedroom was now a storage room filled with endless shelves and boxes. He set his things on the lonely cot in the corner, sat down, and took it all in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not realizing he had drifted off, Flinn awoke and looked at the clock. 6:55. Convenient. He sat up and brushed his hair down with his hand as he suspected it was sticking up in the usual way. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the dining room. The whole family was there, probably about twenty people or so, all scattered about throughout the kitchen, dining room, and living room engaged in various conversations. His nana, aunt, and Mama were cooking away putting the final touches on the large meal.
âWell if it isnât this fuckerâŚâ said a familiar voice to his left, laughing. Flinn looked over to see his cousin whoâs just a year younger than him.
âDeAndre, how are you?â
âNever thought Iâd see you again, even since you left. Thought maybe you âood be dead.â
âNah,â Flinn laughed. âStill very much alive.â
âI can see dat. Wearinâ your fancy suit and all.â
âYeah Iâve been doing pretty well. Work has been⌠good. I have a great job at a finance firm in Chicago. Everything has been⌠Good. Yeah, good. How about you?â
âNow you ainât goinâ city on us, are you?â
Flinn laughed. âI think I might already be.â
Just as dinner was finishing up, a line started to form and people found a seat wherever they could, be it at the table, on the couch, near the counter, or outside.
âFlinn!â his dad called out. âI saved ya a seat here at the table, kid.â
Flinn took his seat right next to his dad which positioned him right across from Mama. The table could sit eight, and the seats filled in pretty quickly so he was lucky to get one. Besides his sister, all of the oldest family members took the other four chairs.
The dinner itself was mostly uneventful, except for the food of course which was extraordinary. Flinn had not eaten Mamaâs cooking, or anything like it in six years. The southern food in Chicago was alright, but nothing like what you can get down here, and no restaurant is going to have the same quality and taste as a home-cooked meal. By God, he had not realized how much he needed this. It was almost healing, like a part of his soul had been lost and he found it once again. The last week had been incredibly overwhelming, and last Saturday he never foresaw being here now, but he was glad he was, regardless of the looming tension. All the stress from work and life back home in Chicago was now all gone. All he had to worry about was⌠oh yeah, the family drama. The dreaded interactions, what he had suppressed for so long, that had kept him up at night for years. All those long nights doing homework or anything else beside sleeping. They had not been by choice but rather necessity. He would have slept more if he could, and some of those nights he really needed to, but instead was kept motivated by the pain. The pain of knowing no matter what he did, no matter how successful in life he became, he would never be good enough for his family, good enough for Mama, because he left them.
If there ever was a time to clear his conscience and get everything out of the way, it would be today, or at least over the next couple of days. When else would he have the chance? Not that any of this had been planned, and his therapist would probably advise against it. She did not even know he was here. What would she have to say? Avoiding conflict has always been his choice. He has always been quiet, never been at the center of drama, but some things need to be said. Just, maybe not by him. If he waited long enough, perhaps they would come up on their own. So he decided to wait, but he knew time was limited and he could not wait forever.
âMama, could you pass the butter?â
Mama just stared back at him. âGet ya own damn buttah, since ya can do everything else on ya own.â
Flinn stands up and reaches for the butter. âI can do everything myself, and I have. I hope youâre proud, Mama.â
âProud? What do I have to be proud of?â
âOh, I donât know, maybe my job, my degree, everything I have been able to do to build a good life for myself.â
âI don hear anything worthy of praise.â
âIâm sorry to hear that, Mama.â
âOh, so now youâre sorry? You couldâve fooled me. Is that how you felt when you left? Unbelievable.â
âI left because I had no other choice.â
âOh don go lyinâ to me now. You did have a choice. You had a choice and you chose to leave us. You didnât say goodbye, and you were just gone in the morninâ.â
âIf I had not just left, you wouldâve stopped me.â
âCause you ainât got no reason to go nowhere.â
âI had plenty of reasons to want to leave, and not because of you. Iâve always had dreams, Mama, ya know that. Iâve always been bigger than just this town.â
âOh, so now youâre too good for us, city boy? Huh? I don wanna hear no more of it.â
âIt wasnât about that, Mama. Look at all Iâve been able to do.â
âI ainât see nothinâ. You never call and you never visit. How am I supposed to know what you been doinâ?â
âI thought you didnât want me coming around any more?â
âWell, youâve got that right. Glad to see you still have some brains left.â
âWell excuse me. Maybe it's best if I leave again. Sorry I ainât make you proud, Mama.â Flinn got up and left the table.
Part 3
Just as the early light began to peak through the blinds, Flinn was woken up by a firm knock at his door. âFlinn, may I come in? It's Uncle Terrence.â
Flinn sat up and rubbed his eyes. âYep, come in.â
âHow are you this morning, kid? Ya know, sheâll never admit it, but ya Mama missed ya.â
âI find it hard to believe.â Deep down Flinn knew it was true, but she was hard as a rock, and arrogant. She would always find a way to be right, even when she knew she was wrong, and she would never let you know she knew she was wrong.
âWell, weâre all proud of you, kid.â Flinn hated when Terrence and everyone called him kid. âJust wish yooâd come around and see us every once in a while. I know ya busy with all the big city stuff and all.â
âI thought no one wanted anything to do with me any more?â
âAt first, maybe, but I miss ya, kid. Ya know who missed ya most of all?â
âPops?â
âYes, of course. He always wanted to know about ya, every time Iâd come round. He couldnât call, but always wanted me to.â
âI should have called.â
âI think everyone wanted to call, but as time went on, it became harder and harder to push that button. It was already so hard at first, and only got harder.â
âI thought about everyone a lot, especially at first. Leaving was really hard, and I almost didnât, but I always wanted more. I didnât want to spend my whole life in this town, and if I had not left when I did I probably never would have. But it was still hard. I wanted to go home so many times, but I convinced myself no one wanted me here no more or that yâall wouldâve said âI told ya soâ or sum bullshit. No one wanted me around any more and I had left, so I was stuck on the path I chose. And Iâm happy, and Iâve done so much, but itâs never been easy.â
âPops was a lot like you when he was your age. Set on leaving as quickly as he could. Things were different back then, not that they are any better now, but Hank... my brother⌠Pops, was just like you.â
âWhat changed?â
âWell, he never did. Just no one talks about it anymore. After what happened on that day, they blamed his behavior. Said he shouldâve played it safe and heâd still have his tongue.â
âNo one has ever told me the story.â
âAnd they wonât. It changed the whole family.â
âBut youâll tell me?â
âOnly if you promise not to tell. I don need an earful from ya Mama.â
âI promise.â
âHank couldnât be confined to Selma, just like you. He joined the army right out of high school, and after he was done in Lebanon, he didnât go straight home.â
âWhere did he go?â
âEverywhere but here. He used the small amount of money he got from the army and went anywhere that would let him in. Across Europe, parts of Asia, Northern Africa, even parts of South America. Of course, a young black man traveling by himself at the time was challenging, but Hank could hold his own pretty well. He still ran into all sorts of trouble. He spent more nights in jail than he would have liked, but he would have done it all again if he could.â
âWhat happened when he got back?â
âHe was much different, but for the better. He couldnât wait to get back out there again. He had confidence like I had never seen before. Thatâs what got him in trouble not too long after.â
âHowâd he lose his tongue? Iâm guessing that is what changed everything.â
âWhen he got back, he got involved with a girl, I think her name was Susan. She was the mayorâs daughter. They snuck around for a while. Their relationship was not acceptable, especially to her father. If he found out, Hank would be in a lot of trouble, and of course eventually he did find out. He spent about a month in jail in just awful conditions even for the time. They didnât have anything to hold him on so eventually they had to let him go. About a week after he got out, he was walking downtown and some guys grabbed him. He took him out to a field and tried to lynch him. Luckily, they failed and he survived, but they took his tongue as a warning. He was never the same after that. All of his confidence was gone, and of course he couldnât speak no more.â
Flinn did not know how to respond. It all made sense now: why the family so desperately wanted him to stay, why they were so hurt by him leaving, and why theyâd feared who he was becoming. They were all traumatized and wanted to protect him. They did not want him to suffer the same fate as Pops.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The funeral itself was fairly uneventful and went nearly as perfectly as expected. The church filled in with hardly any empty seats, tears were shed, and speeches were given. Pops touched the lives of almost everyone he met, and they came to show it. After the service was the reception, and yet again, the food was spectacular. Everyone got along just fine today and there was no more residual drama, at least for now. Today was Popsâ day.
After the reception, the family gathered back at Mamaâs house for the reading of the will. Pops did not have many possessions, at least not of monetary value, but what he did have was meaningful in other ways. He was very clear on who he wanted to give off, and handpicked what would be most substantial to each person.
Everyone gathered around much as they did at dinner, and the lawyer began his reading:
I, Hank Gerald, a resident in the City of Selma, County of Dallas, State of Alabama, being of sound mind, not acting under duress or undue influence, and fully understanding the nature and extent of all my property and of this disposition thereof, hereby make, publish, and declare this document to be my Last Will and Testament, and hereby absolutely revoke any and all other wills and amendments previously made by me.
The reading went on for some time as there were many beneficiaries. Flinn began to daydream about what could be left for him. Flinn was not a very sentimental person, so trinkets and heirlooms paid him little interest. Perhaps his car, or maybe money. Something that will be useful to him.
To my dear brother, Terrence, I leave my 1964 Pontiac GTO and all tools and parts associated and necessary with/for the running and upkeep of the vehicle.
The further down the list he went, less was given, but this is to be expected. As the end of the list neared, Flinn began to wonder what would be left for him if anything at all. The will had been in order of age, to this point, so he should be up soon.
To my Granddaughter, Nia,...
Nia? She's younger than me⌠Flinn thought.
I leave her my grandmotherâs locket containing a picture of my Grandfather before he left for the Great War. She looked at it everyday to keep the memory of him alive until he eventually returned to her alive.
How could he skip me? Perhaps I should have called, or never left. Flinn got lost in his own thoughts and barely paid attention to the rest of the will. He and Pops were so close, and he never imagined he would be taken out of the will. But that is my own fault, afterall. I left, and I never even care to call. He died, and I never even said goodbye.
Just as Flinn began to accept the consequences of his actions, they got to the last beneficiary listed in the will:
Finally, to my oldest Grandson, Flinn, who is more and more like me than I ever could have wished to have been, I leave my journal. I hope whenever you need the motivation, you read it to find the meaning you are looking for in life.
Part 4
Flinn sat at his desk unable to focus. It was fairly slow for a Friday, but he still had work to do. After a chaotic weekend back home in Alabama, he was ready to settle back into his monotonous routine. The experience had been healing in some regards, but still left a lot unanswered. What did he mean by finding the meaning in life? Flinn wondered as he flipped through the endless pages of Popsâ journal, all filled with endless recounts, drawings, symbols, and pictures from his travels, just as he had since Monday. The journal consumed his whole attention, and nothing else seemed important enough to focus on. He had even ditched his friends all week which he never does.
He is supposed to meet Raheem for drinks tonight, but now he is wondering if he even wants to go. There is just too much in his head right now. He just wants to be alone. 12:37. The clock is moving too slowly. Flinn clears his calendar for the rest of the day and decides to go home.
At home, he still finds himself flipping through the pages of the journal, not even reading them but just looking at them. Again and again, he flips through until he has enough. He drops the journal on his lap and stares off into the distance at the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. The endless city and skyline take up most of the horizon until it just stops, cut off by the endless ocean-like lake. He stares at it for quite a while until something catches his eye. He has seen this before. Well, of course he has. He lives here and this is his view everyday. But he knows he has seen it somewhere else.
He picks the journal back up and flips through in a hurry. There it is. He holds the journal up to the window to show a matching two-page drawing of this exact view. Well, not exact. It is a slightly different angle, but it was close enough. Pops was here. He would have loved visiting. I should have invited him. This made Flinn sad, and he threw the journal down on the table in frustration.
Just then, that is when he noticed it. There was a page sticking out from the journal, but it was not like the rest. The page was white and pristine, aside from a few wrinkles, as if it was new, whereas the rest of the journal showed its age. He rushed over to grab it. He opened it to find a letter, addressed to him:
Grandson, When you left, I knew that you would accomplish everything you set out to do. I also knew, however, you would find yourself lost someday, returning home for answers. I was hoping Iâd be able to give you those answers myself, but as time goes on that seems less likely. I too found myself lost, and I knew not why. I had gone and seen the world, and it changed me, but I was still not fulfilled. I came home still looking for the answers, and it took a while, but eventually I did find them.
Through this journal, I hope to share my findings so that you too, when you are lost, find the answers you seek. Whenever you are ready, follow my journey and the clues I have left for you. Go out and see the world, just as I did. You will find that what you want from life is less than what you expect.
I hope the experiences you have are less harsh than my own, but still be careful. The world has changed a lot, but still not enough. But donât skip ahead for the meaning may be lost. Take only one step at a time, and when it comes time to take the next step, it will reveal itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven oâclock rolls around and Flinn walks into the bar to meet Raheem. He hasnât seen Raheem, or anyone else from the group, since last Tuesday when he had his outburst. He begins by telling the story of the events of this last weekend, but leaves out the parts about Popsâ past.
"Pops left me a hidden letter.â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Raheem.
âLike in his journal, I found a hidden letter. It was addressed to me.â
âWhat did it say, bro?â
âHe says he was a lot like me when he was my age. He wants me to go where he went and learn what he did.â
âIn Alabama?â
âNo, everywhere but there. He wants me to start in Western Europe and follow his clues around the world.â
âHe traveled?â
âA lot, apparently. I never knew. He was in the army, and after he got out, he traveled⌠everywhere, basically.â
âWhy did no one tell you?â
âThey wanted to keep me safe, I guess.
"They wanted to keep the whole family safe after what happened to him.â
âWhat do you mean, bro. What happened?â
âI canât talk about it, but it doesnât matter now anyways. Iâm living a different life now.â Flinn never shared much about his past or his family with anyone, not even Raheem. It has always been a mystery. This was the most he had ever shared with him.
âWell, are you going to go?â
âNo, I canât. I have work. It took too much to get here. I canât just give it away.â
âItâll still be here when you get back, bro.â
âIf only it was that simple.â
âIt can be. You have money saved up. Chicago isnât going anywhere. Weâre not going anywhere. Plus, youâve always talked about traveling more. Why donât you take some time to do it.â
âI suppose, but I like my life here.â
âIf you donât do it now, when will you? Youâve taken a leap before, why not take another one. Youâre smart, youâll land on your feet, bro. Besides, your grandfather thought it was important enough to not only give you his journal, but hide you a letter for you to find when you needed it most. Maybe now is when you needed it most. Youâre way too stressed at work anyways, and I can tell youâve been off for a while now. Perhaps some change could give you what you need.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Monday morning, when Flinn gets to work, he walked straight to his boss's office. He turned in his letter of resignation.
Two weeks later, he took the red line to the blue line to OâHare. Journal in hand, he boarded a flight to Dublin.
submitted by Nora_Clybourn to shortstories [link] [comments]
Chicago, 2016. Flinn Gerald is doing his best to make it in the city. Born in Selma, Alabama, he has spent his entire life trying to escape the ever tightening grasp of his small town. But alas, he made it out and is adapting to life in the big city. With a big fancy corporate job, an endless supply of friends, an apartment with a stunning view of the lake, and great distance from his family, what more could he need? Well, there is a lot more (or less) that he needs, but of course that is a story for later.
On a typical Tuesday night at a bar, the regulars crowd in. Flinn is late, as usual, as he stayed late at work (again), but on his arrival, the cheers and hugs from all the friends make everyone forget of the regular inconvenience. Conversation ensued, starting with all the boring finance jargon, but as the drinks flowed, so did the conversation, moving away from work and more into life. This is what everyone preferred.
âAnother round, anyone?â asked Raheem, enthusiastically. After a murmur of concurrence, he stood up to make his way up to the bar. âFlinn, care to lend a hand?â
Raheem Bartlett was Flinnâs college roommate and the first person he met outside of his hometown. The pair hit it off instantly despite having wildly different backgrounds. Even in their freshman year, the engineer and the finance major would get into all sorts of trouble together, but eventually they leveled out. Six years later, they still have each otherâs backs just like day one.
The pair made their way up to the bar and waited to get the bartender's attention. âWhat's up with you, bro?â asked Raheem. âYouâve been seeming a bit off.â
âOh, ya know. Work, life, everything kinda happens so fast. Work has been busy as of late, and the hours long.â
Seeming displeased by this answer, Raheem stared back in concern.
âReally, Iâm fine⌠just long hours.â
âBack in school youâd pull back to back all-nighters and then still make it to a morning class. I find it hard to believe that the mighty Flinn would be so setback by âlong hoursâ.â
Flinn took a moment to ponder, staring down at the bar covered in various stamps and postcards beneath the epoxy surface. âI guess, ya know, it's not all it was cracked up to be. I guess I had expected more.â Flinn had mostly dropped his accent, but occasionally it would still slip out.
Despite coming from a long line of mill workers (mostly paper) and farm hands who never ventured further than the Dallas county line, Flinn yearned to leave his small town and conquer the world from a young age. Coming from the poorest county in Alabama, his family always squashed his dreams, labeling them as impossible. But Flinn knew better. Or, at least he knew he could do better. Graduating top of his class a year early and winning a full-ride scholarship to Northwestern University, he had proved everyone wrong and set his own path. The path he was told was impossible became his reality.
âMore what?â
âNothing, really. I mean, what more is there? This is what I always wanted, right? The stable job in the city, never having to worry about money. Itâs great, and I couldnât be more grateful, but⌠something is missing. Doing the same thing day after day staring at a screen, moving clients money around. I⌠just hoped it would be more fulfilling, especially after all it took to get here.â
Before he could finish his thought, the bartender came up to take their order: another round for the table, plus a round of shots, plus two more shots.
âWhat am I saying, really?â added Flinn. âI shouldnât be complaining. Look at where I am now compared to six years ago. So much has changed. My home, friends, even my diet. I just feel a bit off. Like I need something more to do..
âI get it, bro. Adjusting to your new life can be rough. Enjoy it for a minute or two.â Raheem slides a shot in front of Flinn. âHere, take this.â
Tuesday had become fairly consistent to this point for this group of misfits: Raheem and his girlfriend Amy; Jack; Jasper, from Flinnâs firm, and his wife Max; and of course, Flinn. For nearly two years, these six have been meeting at OâMalleyâs every Tuesday night for drinks and trivia. Some nights are more wild than others, but Tuesday has become the staple of the week among them.
Drinks flowed pretty regularly and heavy over the next few hours as the clock approached the end of day. Still going round for round on alternating tabs, the useless debates began to heat up.
âYou canât seriously think Wicker Park is the best neighborhood outside the Loop. Yâall need to get out more,â said Flinn.
âBro itâs obviously Wicker Park,â argued Raheem.â Right on the blue line, getting to OâHare is insanely easy, plus you canât find better music in the city. Besides, Wicker Park has Davenportâs.â
âNo one ever says Wicker Park,â adds Jack. âHave you ever heard someone say Wicker Park before?â
âDude, but you can obviously get to OâHare from anywhere in the city,â said Flinn
âSure, but beats walking through that dumb Block 37 Center transfer like you and your red line. No transfer is the way to go, plus the blue line gets you right to the center of the loop.â
âSo does every other L line as long as ya donât mind walking a few blocks!â
âYouâre both wrong,â adds Max. âNeither matters because Midway is better anyways.â
âWoah!â the whole table murmurs, sharing shocked looks as if she just confessed to a crime. Flinn rolled his eyes at this notion.
âWho flies out of Midway?â asks Raheem.
âWhat? Less people, cheaper flights, and more space. Why wouldnât I fly out of Midway?â said Max.
âWait, wait, that aside,â interrupts Raheem, âcan we go back to the fact that Jasper thinks Sheffield is the best neighborhood? I feel like we moved past that too quickly.â
The debate rages on for many more minutes, until Flinn, seemingly out of nowhere, had enough.
âCan yâall just shut the fuck up! Why does it even matter?â Everyoneâs glance quickly shot over to Flinn as a deafening silence overtook the table. Everyone pondered how to respond, and couldnât seem to find an answer. This behavior from Flinn was unexpected, nay, unheard of. Flinn was the most level headed amongst them by far. Not even Raheem, his best friend of six years, had ever seen him get angry, let alone over an inconsequential friendly argument. âIâŚâ Not even Flinn knew what to say next. âIâm going to go home. Long day tomorrow.â Already on his feet, he quickly walked away from the table and out the door.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walk home was fairly brisk, but Flinn had grown fond of the cold. He tucked his hands into his coat pocket and hunched his shoulders forward, only looking down at the pavement ignoring the mostly asleep but still wide awake city surrounding him. His thoughts ran wild and near out of control. Of course, his intoxication did not help with clarity, but the inner dialogue was deafening. Not even he knew what was bothering him, but he was obviously bothered, deeply. He made a fool of himself in a way he never had before, and right now he felt he did not recognize himself. Surely some sleep will help, right?
He slowly made his way down the steps to the platform, carefully watching each step as to not fall, to wait for his train. He posted up against a pillar and stared off onto the dark, empty tracks. What has gotten into me? He did his best to calm his racing, wasted mind searching for some legibility amongst his thoughts.
Once he finally got home, he slumped down on the couch and scarfed down some week-old sushi he found in the fridge. He turned on some old documentary and was asleep before he knew it.
Suddenly, he was woken up by his phone ringing. It usually does not ring this time of night and was less than thrilled to be woken, so he let it keep ringing. It stopped after a couple of seconds, and he glanced down at the screen:
Mama
(2) missed calls
Dad
(1) missed call
Now concerned, he calls his mom back in a hurry. âHello?â
âFlinn? Your grandfather, heâs dead.â
Part 2
The wet air engulfed Flinnâs face as he stepped out the airport doors into a warm February day. Six years had passed since he smelled the Alabama air. Even after all this time, it still smells just as he had remembered as if not even a day had passed. The drive to Selma was another ninety minutes, and despite having five days to mentally prepare himself for his arrival, it was not nearly enough time. He had not seen or spoken to anyone from his town, not even family, since he left early that August morning all those years ago. He left everything behind to start his new life. The life so many told him to not start, that he needed to stay. He left anyway and never looked back.
That was, until now. He had little choice in this regard. He knew he would have to make his return someday, but he knew not when nor for what. But today was that day. Flinn and his grandfather (Pops) had always been close. If anyone had been supportive of him, itâd have been Pops, but he was a man of little words. Even when he could talk, he hardly chose to. He was a great listener, and not just because he could not speak. He showed he was engaged and listening no matter what Flinn had to say. At times, he felt Pops was the only one who understood him as if he had been just like him before, but no one would ever talk about his past. All Flinn knew is Pops lost his tongue after a failed lynching.
The familiarity of the scenery zipping past was bittersweet. He had not realized how much he missed the rolling hills and thick forests beneath the unforgiving southern sky. He kept his head pressed against the cool glass of the car window even through the constant bumps in the road. He couldnât look away. So many memories happened here, and the closer he got, the more plentiful the memories became, and the more potent they were, and the more painful theyâd become.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the dust settled behind him, he stood on the driveway staring at his childhood home still unsure how to process his emotions. It was all so overwhelming. He was thinking everything at once. He took a deep breath, rolled back his shoulders, and swallowed. He reached for the door handle, hesitating slightly, and took a step in. One foot, and then the next.
âMartin!â Flinn smiled as his old friend and childhood dog rushed towards him without hesitation. He knelt down and embraced him as Martin excitedly rustled through his arms seemingly showing more energy than he had in years.
He walked down the hall and around the corner into the living room. There, both drawn to the large television like moths to a flame, he saw his parents sitting beside one another on the couch watching some daytime program with their backs to him. They seemed to pay no notice to the commotion at the front door nor the loud creaking footsteps he took along the old wooden floors. They knew he was there; they just chose to ignore him. He walked into view to greet them. "Mama, dad." His father smiled slightly but caught himself and refrained.
Mama kept a straight face, but seemed to be fighting tears."Howard, help Flinn with his bags, dear."
âNo, it's alright, I know where to take them,â said Flinn. âHow are yâall?â
âService is tomorrow at eleven down at the ole First Baptist Church. Make sure to wear something nice.â
âAlright, mama. Iâll... Iâll see you at dinner.â
âWhole family is coming tonight. Dinner is served at...â
âAt seven, I got it, just as always.â
âItâs good to see you, kid.â said his dad. âLet me know if you need anythingâ
He did not expect things to go like that, not that he knew what to expect. He had hoped time would have been more forgiving. Perhaps leaving unannounced in the middle of the night was not the best plan, but at the time he felt as if he had no other choice. Everyone knew he was leaving. That was no secret and had not been for years before any plan had actually been set into motion. No one knew the date or time, except for Pops, of course, but heâd never tell. Of course he wanted everyone to know. He wanted everyone to be proud of him, but it was too big of a risk and commendations were too much to expect. Besides, Mama always had her schemes, and had she known, she would have found a way to stop him.
Not much had changed since heâd been here last. The old wood paneling still lined nearly all the walls, crack in some spots, replaced in others, but all coated by decades of cigarette soot. On the walls were a combination of family portraits from over the years and cheap artwork found at the flea market. Old green furniture, too many house plants to count, and a tacky themed kitchen, it was all still the same.
His childhood bedroom, however, was much different. Hardly even recognizable, what was once his bedroom was now a storage room filled with endless shelves and boxes. He set his things on the lonely cot in the corner, sat down, and took it all in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not realizing he had drifted off, Flinn awoke and looked at the clock. 6:55. Convenient. He sat up and brushed his hair down with his hand as he suspected it was sticking up in the usual way. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the dining room. The whole family was there, probably about twenty people or so, all scattered about throughout the kitchen, dining room, and living room engaged in various conversations. His nana, aunt, and Mama were cooking away putting the final touches on the large meal.
âWell if it isnât this fuckerâŚâ said a familiar voice to his left, laughing. Flinn looked over to see his cousin whoâs just a year younger than him.
âDeAndre, how are you?â
âNever thought Iâd see you again, even since you left. Thought maybe you âood be dead.â
âNah,â Flinn laughed. âStill very much alive.â
âI can see dat. Wearinâ your fancy suit and all.â
âYeah Iâve been doing pretty well. Work has been⌠good. I have a great job at a finance firm in Chicago. Everything has been⌠Good. Yeah, good. How about you?â
âNow you ainât goinâ city on us, are you?â
Flinn laughed. âI think I might already be.â
Just as dinner was finishing up, a line started to form and people found a seat wherever they could, be it at the table, on the couch, near the counter, or outside.
âFlinn!â his dad called out. âI saved ya a seat here at the table, kid.â
Flinn took his seat right next to his dad which positioned him right across from Mama. The table could sit eight, and the seats filled in pretty quickly so he was lucky to get one. Besides his sister, all of the oldest family members took the other four chairs.
The dinner itself was mostly uneventful, except for the food of course which was extraordinary. Flinn had not eaten Mamaâs cooking, or anything like it in six years. The southern food in Chicago was alright, but nothing like what you can get down here, and no restaurant is going to have the same quality and taste as a home-cooked meal. By God, he had not realized how much he needed this. It was almost healing, like a part of his soul had been lost and he found it once again. The last week had been incredibly overwhelming, and last Saturday he never foresaw being here now, but he was glad he was, regardless of the looming tension. All the stress from work and life back home in Chicago was now all gone. All he had to worry about was⌠oh yeah, the family drama. The dreaded interactions, what he had suppressed for so long, that had kept him up at night for years. All those long nights doing homework or anything else beside sleeping. They had not been by choice but rather necessity. He would have slept more if he could, and some of those nights he really needed to, but instead was kept motivated by the pain. The pain of knowing no matter what he did, no matter how successful in life he became, he would never be good enough for his family, good enough for Mama, because he left them.
If there ever was a time to clear his conscience and get everything out of the way, it would be today, or at least over the next couple of days. When else would he have the chance? Not that any of this had been planned, and his therapist would probably advise against it. She did not even know he was here. What would she have to say? Avoiding conflict has always been his choice. He has always been quiet, never been at the center of drama, but some things need to be said. Just, maybe not by him. If he waited long enough, perhaps they would come up on their own. So he decided to wait, but he knew time was limited and he could not wait forever.
âMama, could you pass the butter?â
Mama just stared back at him. âGet ya own damn buttah, since ya can do everything else on ya own.â
Flinn stands up and reaches for the butter. âI can do everything myself, and I have. I hope youâre proud, Mama.â
âProud? What do I have to be proud of?â
âOh, I donât know, maybe my job, my degree, everything I have been able to do to build a good life for myself.â
âI don hear anything worthy of praise.â
âIâm sorry to hear that, Mama.â
âOh, so now youâre sorry? You couldâve fooled me. Is that how you felt when you left? Unbelievable.â
âI left because I had no other choice.â
âOh don go lyinâ to me now. You did have a choice. You had a choice and you chose to leave us. You didnât say goodbye, and you were just gone in the morninâ.â
âIf I had not just left, you wouldâve stopped me.â
âCause you ainât got no reason to go nowhere.â
âI had plenty of reasons to want to leave, and not because of you. Iâve always had dreams, Mama, ya know that. Iâve always been bigger than just this town.â
âOh, so now youâre too good for us, city boy? Huh? I don wanna hear no more of it.â
âIt wasnât about that, Mama. Look at all Iâve been able to do.â
âI ainât see nothinâ. You never call and you never visit. How am I supposed to know what you been doinâ?â
âI thought you didnât want me coming around any more?â
âWell, youâve got that right. Glad to see you still have some brains left.â
âWell excuse me. Maybe it's best if I leave again. Sorry I ainât make you proud, Mama.â Flinn got up and left the table.
Part 3
Just as the early light began to peak through the blinds, Flinn was woken up by a firm knock at his door. âFlinn, may I come in? It's Uncle Terrence.â
Flinn sat up and rubbed his eyes. âYep, come in.â
âHow are you this morning, kid? Ya know, sheâll never admit it, but ya Mama missed ya.â
âI find it hard to believe.â Deep down Flinn knew it was true, but she was hard as a rock, and arrogant. She would always find a way to be right, even when she knew she was wrong, and she would never let you know she knew she was wrong.
âWell, weâre all proud of you, kid.â Flinn hated when Terrence and everyone called him kid. âJust wish yooâd come around and see us every once in a while. I know ya busy with all the big city stuff and all.â
âI thought no one wanted anything to do with me any more?â
âAt first, maybe, but I miss ya, kid. Ya know who missed ya most of all?â
âPops?â
âYes, of course. He always wanted to know about ya, every time Iâd come round. He couldnât call, but always wanted me to.â
âI should have called.â
âI think everyone wanted to call, but as time went on, it became harder and harder to push that button. It was already so hard at first, and only got harder.â
âI thought about everyone a lot, especially at first. Leaving was really hard, and I almost didnât, but I always wanted more. I didnât want to spend my whole life in this town, and if I had not left when I did I probably never would have. But it was still hard. I wanted to go home so many times, but I convinced myself no one wanted me here no more or that yâall wouldâve said âI told ya soâ or sum bullshit. No one wanted me around any more and I had left, so I was stuck on the path I chose. And Iâm happy, and Iâve done so much, but itâs never been easy.â
âPops was a lot like you when he was your age. Set on leaving as quickly as he could. Things were different back then, not that they are any better now, but Hank... my brother⌠Pops, was just like you.â
âWhat changed?â
âWell, he never did. Just no one talks about it anymore. After what happened on that day, they blamed his behavior. Said he shouldâve played it safe and heâd still have his tongue.â
âNo one has ever told me the story.â
âAnd they wonât. It changed the whole family.â
âBut youâll tell me?â
âOnly if you promise not to tell. I don need an earful from ya Mama.â
âI promise.â
âHank couldnât be confined to Selma, just like you. He joined the army right out of high school, and after he was done in Lebanon, he didnât go straight home.â
âWhere did he go?â
âEverywhere but here. He used the small amount of money he got from the army and went anywhere that would let him in. Across Europe, parts of Asia, Northern Africa, even parts of South America. Of course, a young black man traveling by himself at the time was challenging, but Hank could hold his own pretty well. He still ran into all sorts of trouble. He spent more nights in jail than he would have liked, but he would have done it all again if he could.â
âWhat happened when he got back?â
âHe was much different, but for the better. He couldnât wait to get back out there again. He had confidence like I had never seen before. Thatâs what got him in trouble not too long after.â
âHowâd he lose his tongue? Iâm guessing that is what changed everything.â
âWhen he got back, he got involved with a girl, I think her name was Susan. She was the mayorâs daughter. They snuck around for a while. Their relationship was not acceptable, especially to her father. If he found out, Hank would be in a lot of trouble, and of course eventually he did find out. He spent about a month in jail in just awful conditions even for the time. They didnât have anything to hold him on so eventually they had to let him go. About a week after he got out, he was walking downtown and some guys grabbed him. He took him out to a field and tried to lynch him. Luckily, they failed and he survived, but they took his tongue as a warning. He was never the same after that. All of his confidence was gone, and of course he couldnât speak no more.â
Flinn did not know how to respond. It all made sense now: why the family so desperately wanted him to stay, why they were so hurt by him leaving, and why theyâd feared who he was becoming. They were all traumatized and wanted to protect him. They did not want him to suffer the same fate as Pops.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The funeral itself was fairly uneventful and went nearly as perfectly as expected. The church filled in with hardly any empty seats, tears were shed, and speeches were given. Pops touched the lives of almost everyone he met, and they came to show it. After the service was the reception, and yet again, the food was spectacular. Everyone got along just fine today and there was no more residual drama, at least for now. Today was Popsâ day.
After the reception, the family gathered back at Mamaâs house for the reading of the will. Pops did not have many possessions, at least not of monetary value, but what he did have was meaningful in other ways. He was very clear on who he wanted to give off, and handpicked what would be most substantial to each person.
Everyone gathered around much as they did at dinner, and the lawyer began his reading:
I, Hank Gerald, a resident in the City of Selma, County of Dallas, State of Alabama, being of sound mind, not acting under duress or undue influence, and fully understanding the nature and extent of all my property and of this disposition thereof, hereby make, publish, and declare this document to be my Last Will and Testament, and hereby absolutely revoke any and all other wills and amendments previously made by me.
The reading went on for some time as there were many beneficiaries. Flinn began to daydream about what could be left for him. Flinn was not a very sentimental person, so trinkets and heirlooms paid him little interest. Perhaps his car, or maybe money. Something that will be useful to him.
To my dear brother, Terrence, I leave my 1964 Pontiac GTO and all tools and parts associated and necessary with/for the running and upkeep of the vehicle.
The further down the list he went, less was given, but this is to be expected. As the end of the list neared, Flinn began to wonder what would be left for him if anything at all. The will had been in order of age, to this point, so he should be up soon.
To my Granddaughter, Nia,...
Nia? She's younger than me⌠Flinn thought.
I leave her my grandmotherâs locket containing a picture of my Grandfather before he left for the Great War. She looked at it everyday to keep the memory of him alive until he eventually returned to her alive.
How could he skip me? Perhaps I should have called, or never left. Flinn got lost in his own thoughts and barely paid attention to the rest of the will. He and Pops were so close, and he never imagined he would be taken out of the will. But that is my own fault, afterall. I left, and I never even care to call. He died, and I never even said goodbye.
Just as Flinn began to accept the consequences of his actions, they got to the last beneficiary listed in the will:
Finally, to my oldest Grandson, Flinn, who is more and more like me than I ever could have wished to have been, I leave my journal. I hope whenever you need the motivation, you read it to find the meaning you are looking for in life.
Part 4
Flinn sat at his desk unable to focus. It was fairly slow for a Friday, but he still had work to do. After a chaotic weekend back home in Alabama, he was ready to settle back into his monotonous routine. The experience had been healing in some regards, but still left a lot unanswered. What did he mean by finding the meaning in life? Flinn wondered as he flipped through the endless pages of Popsâ journal, all filled with endless recounts, drawings, symbols, and pictures from his travels, just as he had since Monday. The journal consumed his whole attention, and nothing else seemed important enough to focus on. He had even ditched his friends all week which he never does.
He is supposed to meet Raheem for drinks tonight, but now he is wondering if he even wants to go. There is just too much in his head right now. He just wants to be alone. 12:37. The clock is moving too slowly. Flinn clears his calendar for the rest of the day and decides to go home.
At home, he still finds himself flipping through the pages of the journal, not even reading them but just looking at them. Again and again, he flips through until he has enough. He drops the journal on his lap and stares off into the distance at the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. The endless city and skyline take up most of the horizon until it just stops, cut off by the endless ocean-like lake. He stares at it for quite a while until something catches his eye. He has seen this before. Well, of course he has. He lives here and this is his view everyday. But he knows he has seen it somewhere else.
He picks the journal back up and flips through in a hurry. There it is. He holds the journal up to the window to show a matching two-page drawing of this exact view. Well, not exact. It is a slightly different angle, but it was close enough. Pops was here. He would have loved visiting. I should have invited him. This made Flinn sad, and he threw the journal down on the table in frustration.
Just then, that is when he noticed it. There was a page sticking out from the journal, but it was not like the rest. The page was white and pristine, aside from a few wrinkles, as if it was new, whereas the rest of the journal showed its age. He rushed over to grab it. He opened it to find a letter, addressed to him:
Grandson, When you left, I knew that you would accomplish everything you set out to do. I also knew, however, you would find yourself lost someday, returning home for answers. I was hoping Iâd be able to give you those answers myself, but as time goes on that seems less likely. I too found myself lost, and I knew not why. I had gone and seen the world, and it changed me, but I was still not fulfilled. I came home still looking for the answers, and it took a while, but eventually I did find them.
Through this journal, I hope to share my findings so that you too, when you are lost, find the answers you seek. Whenever you are ready, follow my journey and the clues I have left for you. Go out and see the world, just as I did. You will find that what you want from life is less than what you expect.
I hope the experiences you have are less harsh than my own, but still be careful. The world has changed a lot, but still not enough. But donât skip ahead for the meaning may be lost. Take only one step at a time, and when it comes time to take the next step, it will reveal itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven oâclock rolls around and Flinn walks into the bar to meet Raheem. He hasnât seen Raheem, or anyone else from the group, since last Tuesday when he had his outburst. He begins by telling the story of the events of this last weekend, but leaves out the parts about Popsâ past.
"Pops left me a hidden letter.â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Raheem.
âLike in his journal, I found a hidden letter. It was addressed to me.â
âWhat did it say, bro?â
âHe says he was a lot like me when he was my age. He wants me to go where he went and learn what he did.â
âIn Alabama?â
âNo, everywhere but there. He wants me to start in Western Europe and follow his clues around the world.â
âHe traveled?â
âA lot, apparently. I never knew. He was in the army, and after he got out, he traveled⌠everywhere, basically.â
âWhy did no one tell you?â
âThey wanted to keep me safe, I guess.
"They wanted to keep the whole family safe after what happened to him.â
âWhat do you mean, bro. What happened?â
âI canât talk about it, but it doesnât matter now anyways. Iâm living a different life now.â Flinn never shared much about his past or his family with anyone, not even Raheem. It has always been a mystery. This was the most he had ever shared with him.
âWell, are you going to go?â
âNo, I canât. I have work. It took too much to get here. I canât just give it away.â
âItâll still be here when you get back, bro.â
âIf only it was that simple.â
âIt can be. You have money saved up. Chicago isnât going anywhere. Weâre not going anywhere. Plus, youâve always talked about traveling more. Why donât you take some time to do it.â
âI suppose, but I like my life here.â
âIf you donât do it now, when will you? Youâve taken a leap before, why not take another one. Youâre smart, youâll land on your feet, bro. Besides, your grandfather thought it was important enough to not only give you his journal, but hide you a letter for you to find when you needed it most. Maybe now is when you needed it most. Youâre way too stressed at work anyways, and I can tell youâve been off for a while now. Perhaps some change could give you what you need.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Monday morning, when Flinn gets to work, he walked straight to his boss's office. He turned in his letter of resignation.
Two weeks later, he took the red line to the blue line to OâHare. Journal in hand, he boarded a flight to Dublin.
2024.05.13 04:59 Individual_Shoe_7232 My experiences
Although I have shared these very true stories with people in the past, it has only been through verbal communication. This is the first time that I've written (typed) them out, and actually seen them. I don't believe that I have a ton of insight into these experiences beyond what I'm telling you here, but happy to answer respectful questions. Maybe someday I'll get some regression therapy to see if there's anything that I may have hidden away in the corners of my mind, but I haven't yet. Anyway, enjoy!
I slowly, but also suddenly, regained awareness. I was standing in the middle of the bedroom with the lights on, my eyes already open, and no memory of how I physically came to be standing there. Despite this odd development, my brain was calm and quiet. Being forty-two at the time (2022), that detail was not too far out of the norm for me, after having practiced different Taoist meditation techniques ever since an especially difficult breakup in my early twenties. Because of this, my inner-monologue was generally within control; quiet when that was my intention and, aware and active when needed. Then, a voice that I did not recognize as my own, and all internally, spoke in a very clear manner the words:
âinter-dimensional beingâ.
Instantly, every cell in my body lit up with, what can only be described as, an electric energy. The hairs on my extremities stood up. It reminded me of the feeling right after a person sneezes, when their whole body tingles for a split second. But this, this was a far more intense and euphoric feeling. Just as quickly as the feeling came on, it ended.
I looked down, only to see my dog looking back up with what seemed to be a very confused look on her face. Before all this, the last thing I remembered was going through the process of falling asleep. How did I get here? Iâve never had a sleep-walking incident before. I had not drank, nor ingested any type of drugs that day. This really did not make much sense. I went to the night stand to check my phone for the time; 3am.
Laying back down, I tried to shake off the experience. My yellow lab jumped into bed, curled up next to me, and pressed her cold/wet nose against my hand; her gentle way of asking for some attention. Scratching her head, I took a deep breath and exhaled. This felt more normal, for sure. Due, in large part to my meditative practices, falling asleep was generally quite easy, and soon I drifted back off.
The next few days went by as usual; eat, gym, eat, work, eat, relax, repeat. Then, three days after that incident, something else happened. In the same manner as before, I regained awareness while just standing there, with my eyes already open. This time, I was outside on the back deck with a cup of coffee in my left hand. Again, I had zero recollection of any events leading up to this moment. I do not remember getting out of bed, walking down the stairs, making the coffee, unlocking and opening the heavy sliding glass door, or walking out to the deck railing. Also, similar to before, my brain was calm and quiet.
It was late summer in San Francisco, and Karl the fog was in my part of town. Although it was still dark, there was this beautiful predawn light starting to make an appearance. Just then, I noticed it. In the air, a few feet above the height of my own head and, between mine and the neighbors house that shared the back fence line with me; was this floating light. The shape was obscured by the fog, and the colors were only somewhat filtered. It had the same kind of color that pearls produce; looking like an off-white, but with short electrical bursts of pink, blue, green, purple, and yellow just kinda dancing there in the air. The light seemed to be slowly and silently drifting away from me, then eventually disappearing. This experience lasted maybe thirty seconds.
I didn't really know what to do. Again, my dog and I just looked at each other. Any dog owner knows that dogs staring at their owners is not unusual behavior by any means, but she just seemed terribly perplexed. I finished my coffee and got on with my day, because that was the only thing that I felt like I could do. There didn't seem to be any sense in getting all worked up over whatever had just happened. So, that's how that ended.
Iâve had two other strange experiences in my life, both happened prior to these that are described above. A few years before the previous experiences (possibly 2019) a friend and I were walking in San Francisco when I looked up, and below the top of the buildings was a cloud in the shape of a perfect triangle. It had straight lines, and sharp corners. I guess this could be some kind of anomalous cloud, that a person might only see once in a lifetime. But, I didn't think that clouds could produce perfect triangles. I pointed it out to my buddy, who is also interested in the phenomenon, and we commented on how odd it was. We got distracted by something, then when I looked back up, it was gone. Just, gone. So, we went on about our day.
And, the final story goes way back in my life. I was possibly 7 or 8 years old at this point (1987ish). My dad and I were taking a road trip out from Dallas to see his sister in Los Angeles. One evening, it was getting close to dark, and we were somewhere in an arid landscape. I was far too young to know where we were. It could have been Arizona, or maybe New Mexico.
I remember there being this large mountain north of the freeway we were using. This mountain was flat on top, mostly circular, and it had a large crescent moon shape cut out of it. As I was staring at this mountain from the passenger window, I saw a bright light come from behind the mountain. This light circled the entire mountain three times, then zoomed off and disappeared. I never said anything to my dad about it. So we just drove on.
*end*
Well, does anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
Cheers đ¤đť
submitted by Individual_Shoe_7232 to Experiencers [link] [comments]
I slowly, but also suddenly, regained awareness. I was standing in the middle of the bedroom with the lights on, my eyes already open, and no memory of how I physically came to be standing there. Despite this odd development, my brain was calm and quiet. Being forty-two at the time (2022), that detail was not too far out of the norm for me, after having practiced different Taoist meditation techniques ever since an especially difficult breakup in my early twenties. Because of this, my inner-monologue was generally within control; quiet when that was my intention and, aware and active when needed. Then, a voice that I did not recognize as my own, and all internally, spoke in a very clear manner the words:
âinter-dimensional beingâ.
Instantly, every cell in my body lit up with, what can only be described as, an electric energy. The hairs on my extremities stood up. It reminded me of the feeling right after a person sneezes, when their whole body tingles for a split second. But this, this was a far more intense and euphoric feeling. Just as quickly as the feeling came on, it ended.
I looked down, only to see my dog looking back up with what seemed to be a very confused look on her face. Before all this, the last thing I remembered was going through the process of falling asleep. How did I get here? Iâve never had a sleep-walking incident before. I had not drank, nor ingested any type of drugs that day. This really did not make much sense. I went to the night stand to check my phone for the time; 3am.
Laying back down, I tried to shake off the experience. My yellow lab jumped into bed, curled up next to me, and pressed her cold/wet nose against my hand; her gentle way of asking for some attention. Scratching her head, I took a deep breath and exhaled. This felt more normal, for sure. Due, in large part to my meditative practices, falling asleep was generally quite easy, and soon I drifted back off.
The next few days went by as usual; eat, gym, eat, work, eat, relax, repeat. Then, three days after that incident, something else happened. In the same manner as before, I regained awareness while just standing there, with my eyes already open. This time, I was outside on the back deck with a cup of coffee in my left hand. Again, I had zero recollection of any events leading up to this moment. I do not remember getting out of bed, walking down the stairs, making the coffee, unlocking and opening the heavy sliding glass door, or walking out to the deck railing. Also, similar to before, my brain was calm and quiet.
It was late summer in San Francisco, and Karl the fog was in my part of town. Although it was still dark, there was this beautiful predawn light starting to make an appearance. Just then, I noticed it. In the air, a few feet above the height of my own head and, between mine and the neighbors house that shared the back fence line with me; was this floating light. The shape was obscured by the fog, and the colors were only somewhat filtered. It had the same kind of color that pearls produce; looking like an off-white, but with short electrical bursts of pink, blue, green, purple, and yellow just kinda dancing there in the air. The light seemed to be slowly and silently drifting away from me, then eventually disappearing. This experience lasted maybe thirty seconds.
I didn't really know what to do. Again, my dog and I just looked at each other. Any dog owner knows that dogs staring at their owners is not unusual behavior by any means, but she just seemed terribly perplexed. I finished my coffee and got on with my day, because that was the only thing that I felt like I could do. There didn't seem to be any sense in getting all worked up over whatever had just happened. So, that's how that ended.
Iâve had two other strange experiences in my life, both happened prior to these that are described above. A few years before the previous experiences (possibly 2019) a friend and I were walking in San Francisco when I looked up, and below the top of the buildings was a cloud in the shape of a perfect triangle. It had straight lines, and sharp corners. I guess this could be some kind of anomalous cloud, that a person might only see once in a lifetime. But, I didn't think that clouds could produce perfect triangles. I pointed it out to my buddy, who is also interested in the phenomenon, and we commented on how odd it was. We got distracted by something, then when I looked back up, it was gone. Just, gone. So, we went on about our day.
And, the final story goes way back in my life. I was possibly 7 or 8 years old at this point (1987ish). My dad and I were taking a road trip out from Dallas to see his sister in Los Angeles. One evening, it was getting close to dark, and we were somewhere in an arid landscape. I was far too young to know where we were. It could have been Arizona, or maybe New Mexico.
I remember there being this large mountain north of the freeway we were using. This mountain was flat on top, mostly circular, and it had a large crescent moon shape cut out of it. As I was staring at this mountain from the passenger window, I saw a bright light come from behind the mountain. This light circled the entire mountain three times, then zoomed off and disappeared. I never said anything to my dad about it. So we just drove on.
*end*
Well, does anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
Cheers đ¤đť