Aki Celeste

New dream! This time, I actually made it to a concert, and not just a miming workshop or what-have-you. The venue was enormous and filled with rainbow lights, and for some reason the section I was in was high above the stage, so high that I was afraid to approach the edge. Mika wasn't on the stage though - he was with us, alternately walking through the crowd of dancing fans and stopping to talk. For some reason, my particular dance involved raising my hands above my head in the shape of a heart and pulsing my hands like a heartbeat, which seemed to get his attention. He eventually came over next to me and started showing us some colorful writing on a piece of paper while he explained something about the creative process, and I couldn't figure out if he'd written it or if we as a group had come up with the words. Maybe some part of my dreaming mind was remembering the colorful lettering on Mika's white jacket from his recent performances. Whatever the case, it was so refreshing to be among people again, and of course, it was delightful to see him up close!

Glad to see that Mika seems to be doing better, and that the Rite of Spring tour is on track to start in NYC this Tuesday! For the April 25 concert in Montreal, I'm wondering if the opening act is still going to be the same, Klô Pelgag? Can't seem to find any updated info about it on the internet. I'll be coming into the city over the weekend before, if all goes as planned with crossing the border from the States, etc. It would be lovely to meet up with some folks before the concert. When are others planning to show up at the venue? Given that it's assigned seating and not GA, I'm wondering if people will be queuing up early, or if it makes more sense to meet at a nearby restaurant or cafe. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a look at the MFC-themed post from Indeed if you have a moment: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcLBy32DsCE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link . It takes making lemonade out of lemons to a whole new level, and features a few fans, including holdingyourdrink!

Oooh, you've given me a great idea! I'm still catching up on his alternate albums, singles, etc. and could use a little distraction from all this upset. So sorry I won't get to meet you and others in a similar boat this time around, but we'll all get through it somehow.

I live just a few hours away, so it doesn't affect me too much with regard to travel, although it may also be difficult for me to get away from work on a Monday (and Tuesday too, as I will likely not be in any shape to go to work the following morning). Keeping my fingers crossed that I can pull everything together in time to make it. After already missing the Boston concert, which would have been my first Mika live experience ever, it seems a shame not to go at all...

Is it just me, or is there something prophetic about these words? It sounds eerily similar to what ended up happening with the Boston concert being cancelled. There were even some fans who posted an IG video with "Stuck In The Middle" playing in the background. Speaking personally, it was disappointing, but it was also a lovely opportunity to finally meet the faces behind the names of some of our MFC members, and to explore parts of Boston I hadn't visited before. I am also happy to say I've been dreaming regularly of Mika over the past couple nights... it's almost as if he (or my mind) is trying to make up for lost time. The first dream was a little off-putting (I don't remember why at this point, as it was from Saturday night), but last night's dream had such a good feeling to it. He had a group of us in a circle in what felt like a department store - maybe near the area where they sell perfume? - and he was wearing white, and I got to stand right next to him while he taught us about something (I wish I remember what!). I think he even touched my arm at one point, and I just about died with affection, although I tried not to be obvious about it so he could keep teaching without interruption. I'm really really hoping that the rest of this tour goes as planned so I can finally see him live, but at the very least, the dreams are spectacular!

Just catching up to the dreams thread - I love this! My last dream with him, he was a teacher of sorts too (dance/mime). Maybe he's just always teaching us, even on a subconscious level. But if he were actually teaching a class that I was a part of, I'd probably be hopeless. Does he though? I dunno, he might need another reminder...

I must have Mika on the brain (gee, I wonder why??), because I had two dreams in a row about him last night/early this morning. The first dream started off with me in the middle of creating some kind of banner or flag, with rainbows and words, that might have even been large enough to double as a tent. As I continued to work on it, the scene changed around me so that I was in what felt like a dance rehearsal space, and gradually the space filled up with people, many of whom were from the MFC. I met a couple of you for the first time “in person,” and while we were chatting, everyone started to form a circle. The reason why became apparent when Mika showed up to join us. I think he was dressed in red this time (my last dream had more of a green theme), and he was extremely easy-going, even while being charming and handsome as always. I don’t remember what exactly the purpose of this gathering was - perhaps a unique form of concert - but I do remember when I started to dance and spin into the middle of the circle, and accidentally bumped into Mika! Like literally bumped into him with my arms, which I was waving about exuberantly in time to the music. I apologized, explaining that I have vision and hearing limitations and am not always the most aware of my surroundings, and he was very gracious about it. I think I woke up around then, but once I returned to sleep, the dream resumed, in an outdoor setting. I was trying to sneak past what looked to be a sports event on a campus, and eventually found myself indoors again, this time more like a warehouse. Mika was there, as part of another large circle of people, and he was trying to teach us something about mime (I think? Or maybe it was just general clowning, or dance). Everyone was dressed up, as if they were attending a festival, but what Mika was most interested in was our animal impressions, and I found myself trying out what I thought of as a baby Pink Panther-esque impression, while I was standing right next to him. He seemed to like what I was doing, but suggested that I make it more my own, more like a genuine, grown-up panther, and that’s the last I remember of him before waking up. No fancy interpretation necessary here - I think I’m just catching general feelings of excitement now that his North American tour is finally about to start!

Love all the different interpretations of "lonely" we're getting, musical and otherwise. There's no one I would rather be stranded with at night waiting for a train than Mika, but alas, I'm on the wrong continent, in the wrong time zone!

I love the color palette in this image. I am also wondering what Mika's scarf says - is it just me, or does it look like one of those "Caution When Wet" signs?

I'd never heard of Jonathan Kemp, but I started reading London Triptych yesterday and I am so hooked! The time zone/time commitment doesn't really work for me, but I did see another, one-day workshop with the same organization that looks fun and interesting: https://www.outonthepage.co.uk/event-details/writing-workout-lost-in-music-15-10 It's right before Mika's first stop on his US tour, in Boston, so the timing seems pretty spot-on for me. Maybe I'll give it go!

How could you forget? Tell-Tale Heart is THE classic of classic EAP tales. In regards to your previous comment, I can't believe I forgot Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, which I devoured in my college years! I guess I viewed them more as dark fantasy than horror, but I can see how they could just as easily be both. Hannibal is definitely not for the faint of heart, although I like the way the different relationships unfold across the series, including LGBT ones. It's too bad that it got cancelled after the 3rd season, just when the central relationship was starting to gain traction. I haven't read the books by Thomas Harris but may give it a go once I start craving horror again. Somehow the cannibalism doesn't bother me as much when I don't have to look at the results. The Jurassic Park series is just amazing, from what I remember. I haven't read the books in a long time, but I was obsessed with them, and the movies, during my pre-teen years. Most of Michael Crichton's other work is pretty good too, although I felt like he went on thin ice with a few (thinking of Disclosure, which addresses workplace sexism in an unusual way, and another one that questions the validity of climate change, maybe?). I haven't watched American Werewolf but will probably get to it at some point, seeing as my most recent story has a central werewolf character! This is pretty much the point of an Easter egg to me. Anything that's more than subtle kind of ruins the effect, not to mention straying into plagiarism, because they're meant to be recognizable by people who already know and love the source material. But yes, I think you're right that Easter eggs are more noticeable in movies or other visual media (I can think of a few YouTubers who like to sprinkle them into their videos, for example). That's really funny that you notice Mika's influence sneaking into your writing too. As long as I remember to credit him, I don't think of it as problematic, especially if I can spread awareness of him and his music that way!

That's the precise reason I avoided watching the TV series (visual media tend to affect me more negatively than written). But the book is actually not as devastating as I thought it would be, somehow? Sometimes I read things anyway even if I'm not sure I'll like them, but I totally respect your not wanting to go there. Regarding your thoughts about influences in writing, I think we can definitely be influenced by art outside of other stories, including music (which is definitely a whole separate topic in itself, like you said). One related thing that I've always found interesting about internet culture in particular is the concept of the "Easter egg," wherein a reference is made to another work, such as a song lyric or a movie quote. Would that be considered unnecessary borrowing or even plagiarism, or is it just a way to pay homage to something that's already popular? I find myself occasionally inserting Easter eggs in my stories based on Mika's songs, sometimes without meaning to! Fantasy is an interesting genre to me in that it seems to be largely based on a limited set of tropes, but the magic is seeing how many different variations can be made on the same basic plot (kind of like what you were saying about Tolkien and Martin). But I can see how it might get boring after a while. Horror at least allows us to explore the sides of humanity that are not always widely acknowledged. What are some of your favorite horror influences, if you don't mind me asking? I've always been intrigued by the genre but haven't actually read that much, besides the ubiquitous Stephen King and a few random books like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, etc. I recently finished watching the TV series Hannibal, which definitely falls into the horror category, but it was a bit too visceral for me in parts (lots of eye-covering!). I enjoy horror with supernatural elements more, like Medium or again, Stephen King. Michael Crichton might be considered horror too, I suppose, although he didn't write so much about the supernatural as he wrote about the ways that medicine/science can go wrong. Goodness, I can go on sometimes! That's quite enough from me; time to get back to actual writing.

OK, I couldn't help myself - it felt odd leaving Mika off my other playlist and I was compelled to create a separate soundtrack of all the Mika songs that have held some deeper emotional meaning for me over the past year or so. It's not an exhaustive playlist, but it does roughly follow an internal journey, perhaps even a storyline, in my mind. I tried to pay an equal amount of attention to the music and the lyrics with my choices - be warned however that I may have weighed a little heavy on the musical side, as per usual! And... if Mika is reading this: THANK YOU for paving a lovely yellow brick road to my own inner rainbow of creative imaginings, not to mention the outer rainbow of living in this complicated world with grace and humor. You've helped me more than you'll ever know.

Thanks for offering! I have the free edition of Spotify, so it might rearrange the order of the song or insert ads, but I should still be able to listen. If you do end up replicating your playlist on YouTube, let me know.

Well, I just split my YouTube monster playlist in two and posted them on my new Spotify account as the Pandemic Edition and Before Times Edition, so... you are perfectly entitled to create another playlist. The YouTube version of mine is more comprehensive though, as some of the songs were not available on Spotify, most notably the two that you mentioned liking, ironically enough! @BeccaStardust and @linzijay, I'm looking forward to listening to yours on Spotify - I can see already some that I recognize, but many that I don't, which is excellent!

Haha, I love the pause and the LOOK he gives the camera before specifying that the studio is in Paris. (Not to mention the devastating smile!). Almost like he's aware of all the speculation going on with this thread...

What about brunch or something during the day? I have some friends I might be meeting up with for lunch on either the 2nd or the 3rd, but it would also be fun to put faces to the names I've been seeing on the MFC site these past few months. Unless this is meant to be more of a reunion kind of thing, which I totally understand!

Oh god, these are the sorts of details that might keep me up at night if I let them. I'm definitely planning to avoid the cloakroom if I can help it, even if it means tying a raincoat or sweatshirt around my waist, or wearing a fanny pack rather than a purse. Comfort and ease of movement over fashion - except for the flower crown, of course! Regarding food/drink/toilet breaks, I'm guessing it'll just take a little persistence to get back to wherever I initially station myself in the venue? Or am I pretty much guaranteed to lose my spot if I leave?

Hahaha, that's awesome. I didn't much care for excessive drinking myself, but managed to avoid noisy-drunk roommates for the most part. I'm more familiar with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings version, but Kermit the Frog rocks it!

I have listened to so much music over the past 48 hours, it's positively pouring out of my ears by now! Starting with finishing up Mika's most recent SoE. After reading all the ambivalent comments on Casanova in Hell, I was surprised to find that I actually liked the song quite a bit, for the sound if not the lyrics so much. I'm glad he followed it up with the Donna Lewis song, in fact I feel like most of the songs toward the end of the playlist were much more gentle... with the exception of Call It What You Want, which I also really liked for both the song and the weird music video. Always a good idea to end on something more up-tempo. Regarding other playlists, I'm still stuck in YouTube mode, so @TinyLove_CJ 's is the only SoE I've managed to listen to so far. I enjoyed how you had an overall theme of happiness, but approached it in several different ways throughout the playlist. I was familiar with a few of them (kudos for including Space Oddity, Happy Feet, and vintage Mary Poppins!), but I was thrilled to discover Icona Pop and Caro Emerald, not to mention the Panic! At The Disco song, which I hadn't heard yet despite loving them during my university years. You also gave me some ideas for updating my own, as I'd forgotten to include favorite musicals and/or TV theme songs among them (from my musical theatre days). It ended up being a seriously long-ass playlist, but I'm glad you were able to find some you liked! It's interesting that you picked up on a feeling of jealousy, along with the two-sided coin of melancholy and relaxation. I wouldn't personally describe it as jealousy, but maybe more as a feeling of longing, and recognizing that not all desires are attainable, if that makes any sense. I don't particularly mind hanging out in that emotional space, as I find that it can color my life with appreciation for what I do have. All this to say, I love how this exercise is not only a way to share our inner experience, but also to see how others perceive us and make us reflect on how we can present ourselves more authentically. I used to only share music with people I was already close to, but I'm appreciating this way of doing it too!

This is pretty much the conclusion I've come to - we're all mixologists, and each of us has our own unique way of mixing influences and ideas, or expressing our gratitude and inspiration from writers who went before. If the same can be true of music, why not writing too? The only book of hers I remember reading besides Handmaid's Tale was Cat's Eye and a few short stories, and my general impression was that they were somewhat depressing but very unique and intriguing to read. I think I will give her writing book a try, unless something else at the library catches my eye first.

OK, so I've listened to most of both soundtracks by now, and I'm already itching to explore more of Christine and the Queens and The Avalanches - thanks Mika! I really enjoyed the tracks by MNEK and Mashrou' Leila too, but the rest were more like fun "dance through my chores" music than anything, or they were by artists I already have in my collection (Ella, Nina, Harry, and minimal Pulp and Kylie Minogue). Vampire Weekend has been on my radar for a while, but I've never listened to them seriously - maybe now is the time? It's interesting to me that some of you have delved so deep into the lyrics, as I tend to be more of a beat-melody-general vibe listener, but then again, the lyrics can be everything sometimes (Mika's music being a prime example). All the more reason to give the playlists another go-around. Hoping to get to y'alls over the weekend, or at least the ones I can gain access to! *shakes fist at Spotify*

And here's another thought, because it's Friday and I can't help myself. Has anyone read Margaret Atwood's book on writing, referenced below in a recent interview that was published in The Atlantic? I'm vaguely familiar with her work (The Handmaid's Tale and a couple others), but the interview was funny and insightful and makes me want to read more! "Writers are many and varied, from those writing a true romance under a pseudonym—one of the people I knew who did that was 6 foot 8 and a biker—all the way to Flaubert. So it’s just not one personality type. If you look at the beginning of my book Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing, I tried to look for motives, and they ranged from “to justify the ways of God to man” to “to get back at the people who were mean to me in high school.” And there’s no reason why it can’t be both."

So here's a thought that's been on my mind for a while: as a writer, how do we work with the question of originality? The more I read of other people's work, the more I realize that everyone's writing is informed by others in some way or another. I guess that's why the number one piece of advice for aspiring writers tends to be, "Keep reading." Is the pursuit of writing really about being the most original voice out there, or are we entitled to borrow from the things we read, pulling together our own particular mishmash of influences? I'm not talking about outright plagiarism, of course, but even that can be murky...

Agreed, totally! I appreciate what you said about his past patterns with using social media, and it truly does feel wonderful when you can tell he's trying to make a genuine connection rather than just promoting this or that thing. I say this coming from a year of ONLY listening to his music and not following him on SM at all (more by accident than by choice). For some reason I had this image in my head that he was a very private person and wanted to lay low for most of the pandemic while he came up with new music. Clearly I was wrong... or at the very least I had him mixed up with Andy's way!