Fan Mix: All These Places Feel Like Home | pop
After doing the fan mix recs last week and listening for many hours straight to my mp3 player while reorganizing our filing system at work, I decided to make a fan mix. And I wrote little drabbles to go along with each song group. The graphics aren't my best, which means they sort of suck, but you know. I tried and stuff. Plus, free music! So, enjoy.
All These Places Feel Like Home
a Mix Tape by Chris, Who Is the King of Awesome
Justin (Bee Gees)
+[Lonely Days, Lonely Nights]
+[How Can You Mend A Broken Heart]
+[More Than A Woman]
"What the hell is this crap?" Justin says, and Chris thinks, he's only fourteen, he's only fourteen, and they kind of need the kid for the band. Group, whatever. Point is, he's just a kid, and there's a lot of stuff he's pretty fucking ignorant about.
"Fucker. It's the fucking Bee Gees. You gotta broaden your horizons, dude. There's more to life than Michael Jackson. Gotta know your roots."
"I like Michael," Justin says, and does a little moonwalk dance. But the next morning when Chris is pounding on the bathroom door because Justin is taking for fucking ever, again, Chris can hear him singing a little, Good morning, Mr Sunshine.
*
Lance (Elton John)
+[Mona Lisas and Madhatters]
+[Someone Saved My Life Tonight]
+[Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)]
"So I've been. There have been talks," Lance says, rubbing his palms on his jeans like he's nervous, and he can't quite meet Chris's eyes. "We've been discussing the, uh, the options and it looks like. I'm maybe going to space."
Which is maybe the most ridiculous statement Chris has ever heard Lance make, but the kid looks completely serious. Dead serious, and also like he might throw up. Chris wants to say, "Don't go," because space is, well. It's space, it's fucking space, and it's really far away and people have died. But there's this thing. This spark in Lance's eyes that Chris hasn't seen before. This spark like maybe Lance is actually excited about something, deliriously excited, so instead Chris just says, "Rocket man," and smiles, thinks, it's gonna be a long long time, and doesn't meet Lance's eyes.
*
Joey (the classics)
+[Only Living Boy in New York / Simon and Garfunkle]
+[Fire and Rain / James Taylor]
+[Ain't No Sunshine / Van Morrison covering Bill Withers]
Chris likes the classics. James Taylor, Van Morrison, Simon and Garfunkle, Carol King. Joey likes them too, Joey's an old soul, Chris thinks, and then feels like a total douche because who says that? Joey likes to party, he's maybe sort of a slut, but sometimes it's just them in some hotel room, chilling and listening to music, fire and rain, only living boy in New York. All the good ones.
"Kelly's pregnant," Joey says one night, takes a long hit off the joint they're sharing, and then another. "So, yeah."
"Is it. I mean, not to sound like a dick, but. Is it yours?"
Joey smiles wide and passes the joint to Chris, taps his fingers in time to the music, ain't no sunshine when she's gone. "Yeah," he says. "It's mine." He's still smiling.
*
JC (Fall Out Boy)
+[Thriller]
+[The Takeover, The Break's Over]
+[G.I.N.A.S.F.S.]
JC's so emo, and he doesn't even know it. This is what Chris tells him when JC calls him all freaked. When JC gets back from London and Chris wants to laugh and say, "No fucking duh, dude, you just spent the last month at fashion shows, obviously people are gonna say you're gay." But JC's really freaked out and his album is being pushed back again and Jive and all this shit, so instead Chris just says, "Man, when did you turn fucking emo on me?"
"What? No. Emo is like, like kids who wear makeup and girls' pants-"
"I've seen your wardrobe, dude. Don't even try to tell me they make capris for men."
"Girls' jeans. Okay? And they like, are all mopey and write sad songs about their sad lives. They're like, secret cutters. They wear hoodies, dude. Hoodies."
"Okay, okay. You're so not emo. You're totally un-emo."
"I'm glad we agree. And this. It's a real problem, Chris. Like, not made up, my-girlfriend-doesn't-love-me-enough shit."
"I know, baby. Look, just. You gotta own it, man. You gotta have some fucking confidence in yourself. You're a smart guy, you're talented. So stop acting like a little bitch and maybe people will take you seriously." Chris can picture JC perfectly in his mind, sharp blue eyes and fingers clenching around the phone so tight they'll ache later. Trade baby blues for wide eyes brown, Chris thinks, and JC is so emo he doesn't even know it. He has a car crash heart.
"Chris."
Chris doesn't want to talk about this anymore. He hates that JC's like this, that shit like this always happens to him, so instead he just laughs and says, "Have you tried taking your shirt off? I've heard it works wonders."
*
Chris (light a candle, the Justin remix)
+[Fair / Remy Zero]
+[Caring Is Creepy / the Shins]
+[Let Go / Frou Frou]
Chris is pretty happy now. He's feeling pretty good and he's singing again and maybe it's not a real group, but it's for charity and that counts for something. It's hard to forget about the other guys because they're everywhere, but he tries. He keeps busy, the show keeps him busy, but after two years of radio silence, it's weird to see Justin everywhere again, even weirder to see Lance all over the magazines. JC keeps a low profile but there's always something, something small at least, because JC's at least pretending to do the promo thing.
So it's hard to forget about them, but he manages to push them to the back of his mind until he gets the package. It's a CD compilation from Justin with a note attached: Listen to this with a candle burning, it'll change your life. Justin's such a fucking thief, that's totally from some movie, but the next time Chris is alone he does it anyway. Lights a candle (vanilla, in honor of Justin and his dorkiness), puts the CD in, and listens.
Bonus Track
+[Chocolate / Snow Patrol] // i'll sing it one last time for you / and then we really have to go
All These Places Feel Like Home
a Mix Tape by Chris, Who Is the King of Awesome
Justin (Bee Gees)
+[Lonely Days, Lonely Nights]
+[How Can You Mend A Broken Heart]
+[More Than A Woman]
"What the hell is this crap?" Justin says, and Chris thinks, he's only fourteen, he's only fourteen, and they kind of need the kid for the band. Group, whatever. Point is, he's just a kid, and there's a lot of stuff he's pretty fucking ignorant about.
"Fucker. It's the fucking Bee Gees. You gotta broaden your horizons, dude. There's more to life than Michael Jackson. Gotta know your roots."
"I like Michael," Justin says, and does a little moonwalk dance. But the next morning when Chris is pounding on the bathroom door because Justin is taking for fucking ever, again, Chris can hear him singing a little, Good morning, Mr Sunshine.
*
Lance (Elton John)
+[Mona Lisas and Madhatters]
+[Someone Saved My Life Tonight]
+[Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)]
"So I've been. There have been talks," Lance says, rubbing his palms on his jeans like he's nervous, and he can't quite meet Chris's eyes. "We've been discussing the, uh, the options and it looks like. I'm maybe going to space."
Which is maybe the most ridiculous statement Chris has ever heard Lance make, but the kid looks completely serious. Dead serious, and also like he might throw up. Chris wants to say, "Don't go," because space is, well. It's space, it's fucking space, and it's really far away and people have died. But there's this thing. This spark in Lance's eyes that Chris hasn't seen before. This spark like maybe Lance is actually excited about something, deliriously excited, so instead Chris just says, "Rocket man," and smiles, thinks, it's gonna be a long long time, and doesn't meet Lance's eyes.
*
Joey (the classics)
+[Only Living Boy in New York / Simon and Garfunkle]
+[Fire and Rain / James Taylor]
+[Ain't No Sunshine / Van Morrison covering Bill Withers]
Chris likes the classics. James Taylor, Van Morrison, Simon and Garfunkle, Carol King. Joey likes them too, Joey's an old soul, Chris thinks, and then feels like a total douche because who says that? Joey likes to party, he's maybe sort of a slut, but sometimes it's just them in some hotel room, chilling and listening to music, fire and rain, only living boy in New York. All the good ones.
"Kelly's pregnant," Joey says one night, takes a long hit off the joint they're sharing, and then another. "So, yeah."
"Is it. I mean, not to sound like a dick, but. Is it yours?"
Joey smiles wide and passes the joint to Chris, taps his fingers in time to the music, ain't no sunshine when she's gone. "Yeah," he says. "It's mine." He's still smiling.
*
JC (Fall Out Boy)
+[Thriller]
+[The Takeover, The Break's Over]
+[G.I.N.A.S.F.S.]
JC's so emo, and he doesn't even know it. This is what Chris tells him when JC calls him all freaked. When JC gets back from London and Chris wants to laugh and say, "No fucking duh, dude, you just spent the last month at fashion shows, obviously people are gonna say you're gay." But JC's really freaked out and his album is being pushed back again and Jive and all this shit, so instead Chris just says, "Man, when did you turn fucking emo on me?"
"What? No. Emo is like, like kids who wear makeup and girls' pants-"
"I've seen your wardrobe, dude. Don't even try to tell me they make capris for men."
"Girls' jeans. Okay? And they like, are all mopey and write sad songs about their sad lives. They're like, secret cutters. They wear hoodies, dude. Hoodies."
"Okay, okay. You're so not emo. You're totally un-emo."
"I'm glad we agree. And this. It's a real problem, Chris. Like, not made up, my-girlfriend-doesn't-love-me-enough shit."
"I know, baby. Look, just. You gotta own it, man. You gotta have some fucking confidence in yourself. You're a smart guy, you're talented. So stop acting like a little bitch and maybe people will take you seriously." Chris can picture JC perfectly in his mind, sharp blue eyes and fingers clenching around the phone so tight they'll ache later. Trade baby blues for wide eyes brown, Chris thinks, and JC is so emo he doesn't even know it. He has a car crash heart.
"Chris."
Chris doesn't want to talk about this anymore. He hates that JC's like this, that shit like this always happens to him, so instead he just laughs and says, "Have you tried taking your shirt off? I've heard it works wonders."
*
Chris (light a candle, the Justin remix)
+[Fair / Remy Zero]
+[Caring Is Creepy / the Shins]
+[Let Go / Frou Frou]
Chris is pretty happy now. He's feeling pretty good and he's singing again and maybe it's not a real group, but it's for charity and that counts for something. It's hard to forget about the other guys because they're everywhere, but he tries. He keeps busy, the show keeps him busy, but after two years of radio silence, it's weird to see Justin everywhere again, even weirder to see Lance all over the magazines. JC keeps a low profile but there's always something, something small at least, because JC's at least pretending to do the promo thing.
So it's hard to forget about them, but he manages to push them to the back of his mind until he gets the package. It's a CD compilation from Justin with a note attached: Listen to this with a candle burning, it'll change your life. Justin's such a fucking thief, that's totally from some movie, but the next time Chris is alone he does it anyway. Lights a candle (vanilla, in honor of Justin and his dorkiness), puts the CD in, and listens.
Bonus Track
+[Chocolate / Snow Patrol] // i'll sing it one last time for you / and then we really have to go