Hi girls and boys and others. Last weekend, the UK August bank holiday, I made what has become a pilgrimage to Shrewsbury to attend the 2023 folk festival. Drove overnight to arrive early and get a better choice of camping spot.

British singer/songwriter Frank Turner never got on with his father, who was apparently quite abusive towards Frank as he grew up. Then his father took the name Miranda and transitioned. An event Frank could not forgive and they didn't talk for ten years. Eventually Frank got to know Miranda better, they reconciled, and Frank has written a song about the experience. Take a listen here : "Miranda".

I usually listen to music constantly in the background while I conceptualize characters and plot out my stories, and oftentimes while I'm working on a story, I make a playlist of songs that I associate with the general "feel" or "vibe" of the piece, certain events and/or characters therein, imagining it as the ideal soundtrack were the story in question ever to be adapted into film. (These playlists are essentially the soundtracks to their respective stories as they play out as if cinematically in my head/imagination.) Even though it's now years after I published these two on BCTS, and judging by their view/kudos counts these stories have "run their course" on here (in the sense that everyone regularly on the site who's going to read/kudo/comment on them has done so by now), I figured I'd share the "soundtrack" playlists for "Aurora and Aurelia" and "Ships", if anyone's interested.

If you're familiar with the jazz singer Ute Lemper, you might have heard her interpretation of the Danny O'Keefe song, "You Look Just Like A Girl Again." Although written about a cis woman from the viewpoint of an admirer, to those of us of a certain age who may have missed out on that stage of our lives, it elicits an emotional frisson. Because in the mirror we hold within us, we can see the girl we might have been...again.

You Look Just Like a Girl Again

Looking for an old music video

So, I found some poetry that I wrote last year, and it lit a spark to write more, and I have an idea for a story!

My question is : I'm toying with including song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter, but am not sure on the best way to format it. I was thinking of doing it as part of chapter titles, similar to a subtitle. Or using it to start the beginning of each chapter. I want to use it to draw readers in.

If anyone has ideas...

The Musical Kinky Boots is appearing on YouTube for one day only, today Dec 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hExrHHLTMf8&feature=emb_logo

It's a good show and this is the West End production.

If you haven't seen it, take a look, you might enjoy it a lot. :)

Hugs,
Erin

how magical, how perfect, how wonderful her voice is?? She acts so surprised when she finishes and all the judges are practically in tears at how beautifully she sang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT-rdjv8wgQ

I teared up at the first few notes and was crying before the first four bars of the song!!! By the time she finished I was crying my heart out and I didn't even understand the language in which she sang!

This song is either the singer's (Florence Welch) ticket to immortality or her never-live-it-down moment. Or both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhHOEs-1tQM

And this poor buck is probably traumatized for life. He'll have performance anxiety, and PTSD flashbacks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBwLlmd-y0

Jolin Tsai has always been pretty outspoken in her support for LGBTQ people (from a non-western / taiwanese standpoint / view) in her music. Although most of her songs (according to what I have heard /s een of them) are gay or lesbian themed, her last one is T related.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feOq6MWeUXA

Lynne

PS Chinese with subtitels.

This Saturday, Sunday Japan time, one of the biggest idols in JPop retired. In JPop there are a few big female idols in Japan that it has their career path and a very successful one at that. I speak of Mika Nakashima, Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro. Amuro-san is the one retiring. She threw one last concert in Okinawa(her home province) apparently, along with local artists it sounded like from the news. Her more notable songs are "Can You Celebrate?" and "Sweet 18 Blues" along with many others. I own both songs and definitely enjoy each of them.

OK, I don't know if anyone's been watching America's Got Talent, but if you didn't catch the end of last week's episode, you missed a truly remarkable performance by a deaf 29-year-old singer named Mandy Harvey.

Here's her GOLDEN BUZZER performance: --> Golden Buzzer and the song she sang (an original), with lyrics: --> Try

So I've been just kinda messing around today, trying to get inspired to write some more. I hit up Pandora, and set it to fit my more eclectic style. I've been in a rather tranquil mood today, so I thought I'd start with a little Enya, but she wasn't who I really wanted. I felt myself drifting back to my darker days (in part due to writing Inner Demons), and thought I'd give a group I hadn't played in years another go - Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

I had this video show up on my Youtube music list. I thought it was funny and the TG element surprised me. I also liked the song...

Anyway, thought I'd let you all know about it.

I know I've never been the most cherished author here, but this has always been the place I felt most comfortable sharing my creativity. I love writing, and I love stories, both reading them and sharing them, and for much of the last 10 years BC has been THE place I did so.

set off by the strangest things, let me set the scene
Suffering from a migraine [I do not get the auditory component of migraine that causes nausea, which is why it probably took the medical types took so long to diagnose my suffering with Migraines], I was sat in a darkened room listening to music, most of the time it is just there but like with a lot of things something catches you in that place between you the conscious and subconscious, and a lyric begins to roll around in what I [laughingly] call a mind.

I am feeling happy, euphoric if you will. Why? Because I'm watching television and the 50th Anniversary concert of THE BEACH BOYS!

Whenever I hear those great voices and great songs, I feel young again. I grew up listening to The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and countless others from the 60s and my memory slips back in time to a more innocent time when I wasn't so conflicted and frightened about what our world has become, when I hear The Boys.

Most of you will know the format of 'The Voice' programmes on TV.
This season's The Voice UK has just moved into the 'Battles' phase.

One of the 'judges/mentors' is Paloma Faith.

One of the chosen performers to join her team had to withdraw due to personal reasons, so Paloma chose Jordan Gray, who had previously been 'rejected' by all four judges - and all four admitted to having made a mistake afterwards - as her last-gasp replacement, reinstating the performer in the show.

Happy New Year to all BC mambers

by this piece of music. Sometimes I wonder where we as a species are going and if there is any hope for us, or will we fade away like the dinosaurs and other extinct species.

This piece of music made my heart soar and the sheer beauty of it brought me to grateful tears of joy, for if we, as a species, can produce something this beautiful, surely there is hope for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRotQyJkKWU Turn up the volume and revel in the sheer power of this music.

My favourite hit single of all time is probably Pink Floyd's 'See Emily Play', written by Syd Barrett.

The song is named after Emily Young, at one time a close friend of Syd's. Speaking on the recent BBC documentary 'Psychedelic Britannia', she offered the opinion that the girl described in the lyrics was Syd himself. Given that so many of his other compositions are rooted in memories of his childhood, it seems possible that Syd may have been expressing more than just his feminine side.

https://youtu.be/oUHQTywSJYM

A federal judge in California has ruled that 'Happy Birthday to You' is in the public domain, so you no longer have to fear the wrath of Warner/Chappell Music. Rejoice and be merry!

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ridiculous-examples-people-pa...

B B King died this past Thursday at 89. I saw and heard this great Blues Guitarist perform live several times. He also was an influence to other musicians over decades. God is in Heaven and listing to a great jam session.

He was also a WWII veteran. These heroes are getting rarer.

shalimar