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JCDII
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Getting started |
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY USA
Registered: October 2016
Messages: 17
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That was pretty heavy! And true...I was brought up in a catholic grammar school as most of my extended family was.
And the guilt was there too! and the rote memorization of the catechism...ugh. What happened to all those people who
ate meat on Fridays when all of a sudden, it's not a sin anymore? The church(es) are all about big busine$$.
I really wanted to have this be a lighter note (since I have the time!) and talk about the Moody Blues.
Just got done reading Chapter 11 and had to break out my Time Traveler discs to follow along with the
words. How powerful! Great job Ben!
Used to listen to Our Children's Children's Children constantly. watching and waiting for a friend to play with, why have I been alone so long....
You have used this album to bring Will out of his depression in a way that makes so much sense with their lyrics!
It's almost like what they did with Mama Mia and created a play and movie with ABBA Lyrics! Nice job, looking forward to rest of the story!
thanks - John
[Updated on: Wed, 01 April 2020 21:47] |
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John: thanks for the kind words. I'm pleased to have a serious Moody Blues fan pass favorable judgment on the use of the songs as the tool to bring Will out of his dark place.
In the spirit of credit where credit is due, this only happened because of c_m who was more than a beta reader. I'm a lifelong Moody Blues fan, but admit it was limited to the main hits. c_m is a much more serious fan of the music and the lyrics, and it was he that suggested the songs about friendship to consider. I'll take credit for doing the interpreting, but it never would have happened without that suggestion on the front end.
The successful use of the songs, in my mind at least, makes the case for Shakespeare's perceptive turn of phrase about music being the food of love, from whence cometh the title of volue three.
Bensiamin
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American_Alex
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Toe is in the water |
Location: New York, upstate
Registered: October 2017
Messages: 98
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I'm looking forward to seeing how they take listening to Elvis Costello. Up until now, pretty much every popular song mentioned was from a group with 1 foot still deeply rooted in 1960's culture. Now, suddenly comes an angry, neurotic guy raging about frigid women and fascists. I remember seeing him on his first American tour (late 1978); he stormed on stage, played about 8 tunes back-to-back, then stormed off stage after less than an hour. Then trew a punch at a guy looking for an autograph at a club about an hour later. It was glorious!
[Updated on: Sat, 04 April 2020 13:35]
"Able was I ere I saw Elba"
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You'll recall that David and Jackson met and fell in love in Oregon.
WHAT A STATE!
Bensiamin
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So, I feel the need to "fess up" about Chapter 19 and the "Socks" story. It's also one of those "funny stories" kind of things.
There's an Epilogue coming in the next few days, and that wraps up Volume 3 (The Food of Love) of Revelation & Redemption (you do remember that is the name of the three volume series, right?).
At any rate, in my mind as I wrote it, I was done at the end of Chapter 18, and didn't feel the need to wrap up the "Will and Ron" details any more than the "Susan and Ellen" details or the "Gary and Lois" details. Then along came the "Socks" challenge, and that got the wheels turning, and out came a story...and I sent it in to Timmy before the cut off date...and then like a great publisher and editor, he came back to me and said, "this is an important part of the story that you've left out."
Then, as fortune would have it, the close date for "Socks" slipped, and Timmy (magician that he is) included it both as a story challenge submission and put it up as Chapter 19. With due humility, I bow to his judgement and concede he was right and that I'd missed something important in moving into the conclusion of this series of stories.
To wit, I hope reading "Socks, Friends & Lovers" didn't somehow ruin the story for those not reading the installments in a timely manner, and correspondingly if it did a decent job of resolving the Will and Ron characters, then that's all to Timmy!
And, finally, it just goes to show that there's much more to running this gay fiction website than just administering and posting stories!
I hope you enjoyed the series, though there were undoubtedly some significant twists and turns in Volume 3!
Bensiamin
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Heroes in the time of Coronavirus
Those of you that read The Food of Love will recall that Jackson and Will played around with an acoustic version of Bowie's Heroes prior to Will being interviewed by Robert Atkins when he was seeking admission to college and into choir and glee club.
Neil Finn, the newest member of Fleetwood Mac recently posted a very cool acoustic cover of Heroes. Here's the link:
YouTube Link
[Updated on: Thu, 23 April 2020 15:09]
Bensiamin
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Due to the fact that for my own reasons I almost never read any chapters of a story until the story is complete I just today finished reading "The Food of Love". I just want to compliment Ben on this latest tale in the Jackson and David saga. It's the best one yet, IMHO 
“There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is.” - Terry Pratchett
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ivor slipper
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Likes it here |
Registered: September 2013
Messages: 129
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I couldn't find a thread on the second book of Bensiamin's trilogy, so I hope he won't mind me adding this here.
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Ivor;
I love it, as would Bowie. I'll add it to the We Could Be Heroes thread too!
Bensiamin
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I just checked in with Jackson and David, and they're holding their own through this pandemic. They are more concerned about where we are as a country, and when pressed, Jackson recalled the Portland Gay Men's Chorus rendition of the Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius." Remember that? I heard the Fifth Dimension perform it live while in college in 1969!
His point was simply that this is the vibe we need to rediscover and get back to:
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius
Aquarius
You can listen on YouTube by clicking here. I hope it brightens your day!
It may have been a counter-culture, hippie-type mantra at the time, but the feelings sure resonate today, don't they.
Jackson's still singing with the PGMC today. Can you pick him out in this photo?
[Updated on: Thu, 28 May 2020 22:26]
Bensiamin
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Good choice, Talo...but nope, that's not Jackson. You'll recall that in A Friend of the Devil, in 1977, he was having his eighteenth birthday.
The YouTube video gives the date of the PGMC performance. The guy you chose is cute, but a little young for the profile!
Want to try again?
[Updated on: Fri, 29 May 2020 16:25]
Bensiamin
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Well, since it is so cumbersome to post a pic on this forum I'll just give you row and number.
I'll guess he is in the second row from the front and fourth man from the left.
Btw, I had the privilege of rehearsing with PGMC a number of times but the logistics of being able to consistently attend rehearsals and performances was rather daunting at the time so never officially joined up, and am now even further out of the area than I once was so it is no longer possible to do so.
“There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is.” - Terry Pratchett
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Teddy: good to learn you sang with PGMC! Good on'ya!
Also, good guess on which person is Jackson. Your choice is in the correct age range, but...nope, that's not him either!
Another guess?
Bensiamin
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luvtwinks
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Likes it here |
Registered: August 2018
Messages: 178
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 Hmm...when David and Jackson first met I recall you mentioned Jackson looked a little bit like Davey Jones. So here's my guess.
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luvtwinks: good try, and getting closer, but that's not him either!
I know this is hard, because all of us who read the stories form images in our minds of what the characters look like, and even with the most detailed descriptions, all of us end up forming somewhat, or even very different images of them. Then add thirty five or forty years, and....yikes!
Another guess, anyone? Remember, the PGMC photo was taken in 2019.
Bensiamin
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luvtwinks
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Likes it here |
Registered: August 2018
Messages: 178
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Quote:
Bensiamin wrote on Sun, 31 May 2020 22:58luvtwinks: good try, and getting closer, but that's not him either!
I couldn't single him out from the group photo, but here's his photo ID from work. 😂
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luvtwinks: you win the prize for persistence and dedication!
And, Jackson is:
[Updated on: Mon, 01 June 2020 21:02]
Bensiamin
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luvtwinks
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Likes it here |
Registered: August 2018
Messages: 178
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That was actually my 2nd choice. Almost nailed it!
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For those following the Jackson and David saga, I heard from Will about another arrantement of David Bowie's "Heroes." This one is done as Gregorian chant, and Will was bummed that he'd never been exposed to Gregorian chant having been raised a Presbyterian, but quite liked it.
https://youtu.be/vy9P6VX3vns
Oh, Will figures in an the upcomong "Sofa Skater" writing challenge!
[Updated on: Sun, 28 June 2020 17:28]
Bensiamin
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luvtwinks
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Likes it here |
Registered: August 2018
Messages: 178
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"Bensiamin wrote on Sun, 28 June 2020 17:20"For those following the Jackson and David saga, I heard from Will about another arrantement of David Bowie's "Heroes." This one is done as Gregorian chant...
That was a very interesting rendition. I liked it!
Quote:
Oh, Will figures in an the upcomong "Sofa Skater" writing challenge!
Cool! Always fun to see story characters resurface elsewhere.
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Gregorian Masters of Chant also do a pretty cool cover of Mark Knopfler's Brothers In Arms from the first Dire Straits ablum.
On YouTube at: https://youtu.be/o001Nbo09w8
Bensiamin
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"The Food of Love" as the title for this story was drawn from the title of an early Fleetowood Mac album (Then Play On) which was based on the line from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream: "If music be the food of love, then play on."
I recently discovered that the original recording of one of my early rock favorites, A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum, didn't include the last two verses because the record company thought it would make the song too long!
And then I also discovered that in one of those verses is another reference to "the food of love:"
If music be the food of love, then laughter is its queen
In a 1967 rock song! I presume that would make the Bard happy.
The complete song is available on YouTube here.
[Updated on: Tue, 20 October 2020 15:21]
Bensiamin
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