For the LOVE of Music

As you grow you go through many many phases. I, as well as a lot of others, was heavily influenced by music. Music was my life and music still is my life. Live performances and going to shows and concerts are my favorite and it does alter my life. But as I grew up, the power of music and the icons that created it, all took for for a run. And what a ride it was....
In my childhood there were 3 major music periods that really influenced me. 1st being Madonna and Michael. I didn't really care if I was 3 or 4 cause I had my fake wedding dress on and was rolling around the living room performing "Like a Virgin" like there was no tomorrow. My mother told me that my Dad would practically die everytime I did this. But it's all good because I would switch off to "Material Girl" as well. She was soooo cool and I wanted to be her!

Michael.....well where do I begin? I mean who doesn't remember Michael all throughout their childhood. He was embedding in my head and I was soo intrigued by his dancing. Even though I knew by know I wanted to be a dancer, I will say that I do think Michael had an influence. I even remember the day his double disc, "Michael Jackson - HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book", came out with "Scream" on it. And man did I worship that CD. I was older than too. Probably like 12/13?? All I can say is that I feel very happy to have grown up when I did(even though I wish it was the late 60's but whatever) because I had REALLY FREAKING AMAZING musical artists to watch and learn from. And yes of course I was OBSESSED with NKOTB, along with every other girl. That was phase/period 1.

The 2nd musical period that greatly influenced me and made me grow as a person was the Alternative Rock/Grunge phase in the early-mid 90's. This is still the music I listen to now. I don't know what it was about it or if it was just how just insanely talented these musicians were, the lyrics, the whole package. It even changed fashion at the time. I never shopped anywhere but the Goodwill for a good 3-4 years. The time I am speaking of is a time that I'm sure all of you remember greatly as well. The time Kurt Cobain ended his life, Billy Corgan told us the 'world is a vampire', Bush had us screaming 'breathe in, breathe out, Weezer entertained us with the unforgettable video to 'Buddy Holly', NIN had us come 'closer'(that video was banned and only played after midnight on MTV. Do you remember that?), Hole with Courtney Love(still the queen of rock) having us grieve over Kurt to the album 'Live Through This', and all the while we were jumping up and down, banging our heads, in these things called Mosh Pits.

I do believe that after this music died in a way. Can you really think of anything that can even try to compare now? It's sad in a way. I wish I would live it all, all over again. BTW, my favorite song ever, up until this day and probably until I die, is Nirvana's 'Dumb'.

Then there was a pause and nothing really great was happening. We got into rap with Biggie, 2Pac, Puff Daddy, Snoop and Dr. Dre. They were the kings now and had a HUGE influence not only on us kids but on the whole nation.

Gangs began again in a big way, Biggie got shot, 2Pac got attacked by Suge Knight and his fellow Crips(no one will accept the fact that he is dead so I'll just say 'he went away for a long time'), Puff daddy changed his name 45 times, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg made an album that would forever change the rap world, "The Cronic". This had really not to much of any impact on me, but I mean who didn't listen to Biggie, 2Pac, and Puffy? You'd be lying if you hadn't. Now what period I want to get to is the late 90's.

All the sudden pop music came back. And it came back in a huge way. Boy bands came back. We had N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson(well she tried), and the pop princess herself....Ms. Britney Spears. You either liked N'sync or the Backstreet Boys. Couldn't like Both. It was either Nick from BSB or Justin from N'sync. Had to be loyal to your pop imaginary bf. I think 98 degrees was up for grabs but there were some chicks who really dug Nick. I found this group of 5 guys called N'Sync singing and dancing away on the Disney channel one evening. It was love at 1st sight. Not only with their music but also with Justin. I claimed him. Hahahahaha omgoodness this sounds sooo silly but in high school this was important stuff.

I threw in a videotape and taped the rest of the show. It believe it was right afterwards a girl came on my age with the same type of Disney Special. It was Britney Spears at 17. After that I spent my days and nights learning all of the choreography of N'Sync as well as Britney's. They MAJORLY changed the direction I wanted to go in the dance world. Up until then I had been studying about 25+ hours a week to become a ballerina, now I was seeing a whole new thing and it was a blast and sooooo much different than the world of ballet. And although I strived on the pain ballet gave me and the control it gave me and the competitiveness to always be the best, I made this 'pop dancing' thing something fun on the side to do while not in the studio. Well and then I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to switch my main technique over to this kind of dancing. I began looking for how to get into this and discovered within a day or two basically all the auditions came out of LA a small portion out of NYC.

Well that wasn't an option at 17 so I just kept practicing and learning each new piece of choreography until it was perfect, just like I thought Britney was. So there we all were, these teenage girls going to every pop concert we could and longing to meet our favorite boy band bf. It was actually a really fun time. A really fun time. But it REALLY changed my views on careers and dance. I still don't know if that is a bad or good thing. I think about the choices I made during that period all the time. Also in this time, a role model to me and possibly the best rap artist in history, Eminem came out. That's what the boys were into at the time. They loved him.




P&L
S

Now I'm Standing Alone in a Crowded Room

Now time for November 2010's MUST HAVES......enjoy!

10. Haute Hippie. I love this collection and I think it's accessible and has pieces to fit every girls style. Try it out!

9. Taylor Swift's "Speak Now". Don't get me started. I just love this girl!

8. Kanye West's "My Twisted Fucked Up Fantasy". Or whatever our lovely Kanye named his album. As much as i rip on the man, I always say at the end what an amazing artist he is. Rolling stone gave this a perfect 5 star review so I think we all might wanna give it a go. Just remember never watch Kanye's "Movie" directer debut. It hurts.

7. It's almost time for the wonderful and great masterpiece called the mash up of Lanvin and H & M. I believe this is debuting the 23rd so be ready because I've heard of tremendous lines for it already. Even all the celebs I follow on Twitter are going to have their personal assistants in line for this. Also don't forget to watch the amazing preview video i posted a few blogs earlier.

6. Thigh Highs. These are soo hot right now and not just for the bedroom. Make a statement and get your inner Taylor Momsen out and just rock it! The main photo on this page shows a beautiful outstanding fashion statement. Thigh Highs from H&M.

5. Red Charte Chain Link Halter Bandeau Bikini. When is it ever not the right time to splurge on bikinis??? Never. I just found this and am desperately in love. Gorgeous huh!

4. Treasure Your Loved Ones. Everyone in this world messes up. Help others like you would want to be helped. Keep your head high and just love as much as you can. <3>

3. Rolling Stone. Eminem(my future husband) graces the cover this month with his hotness and a nice long spread about coming back from the hell and prison he was living under while under the influence of drugs. It came out today but due to living in Pittsburgh, I couldn't find it anywhere. See now when you live in say NYC or LA that shit is on newsstands by Wednesday.

2. iPod Nano generation 6. I think i said that right but anyhow, this little mini square of genius may be the coolest/cutest thing I've ever seen. If purchasing don't forget to purchase for (RED) which I'm sure everyone knows all about. Just in case you do not though (RED) is an organization who works with a lot of high profit companies, such as Starbucks and so on, who give up to 50% of the products profits to the Global Fund to invest in HIV & Aids programs in Africa. One of my favorite causes.

1. BEST FRIENDS!!!! Muah

P&L

S

I Fake It So Real, I am Beyond Fake

So sorry for the lack of postage but we got a new computer and I've just kind of been staring at it for a couple days. I'm not to much into change, especially computer wise. I barely knew how to work the last one and now this one is HUGE and flat screened, connected to a fax scanner and printer thingy, and well it's just a tad to much. Not a fan! But anyways I have been running around in this horrible weather(can I please get some rain around here!), worked on One for the Money(almost died from heat exhaustion but really fun set and Ms. Heighl is gorgeous), and listening to a ton of awesome music. With that said I tried to make a favorite list of my top ten songs for you guys but it ended up looking like a Nirvana tribute album but with like 50 songs hahahaha. So I redid it and obviously had a really hard time. I'm sure you know by now that good music is the love of my life. So here it is and if you guys don't know these amazing works of art please go on And Who Are You Again's YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/user/andwhoareyouagain and try them out. I don't disappoint. I feel a little DejaVu coming on though. Did I just do this list??? Ohh F it. I'm doing it again!

Favorite Songs of All Time(sort of but not really in order)

by And Who Are You Again?

1.) Dumb by Nirvana

2.) Violet by Hole

3.) Xxplosive by Dr. Dre

4.) Something in the Way by Nirvana

5.) Paranoid Android by Radiohead

6.) Slave 4 U by Britney Spears

7.) Lithium by Nirvana

8.) Honey and the Moon by Joseph Arther

9.) Imagine by John Lennon

10.)Stan by Eminem

11.) Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins

13.) Territorial Pissings by Nirvana

14.) Exit Music by Radiohead

13.) Doll Parts by Hole

15.) Strange & Beautiful by Aqualung

16.) One by U2

17.) DejaVu by Eminem

18.) Still Dre by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

19.) Wonderwall by Oasis

20.) Bullet with Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins

21.) Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

22.) Breathe on Me by Britney Spears

23.) Float on by Modest Mouse

24.) Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

25.) Aneurysm by Nirvana

26.) All Apologies by Nirvana

27.) Beautiful by Eminem

28.) Drain You by Nirvana

29.)Tonight Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins

28.) Like a Prayer by Madonna

29.) Penny Lane by The Beatles

30.) Hello by Lionel Richie

And just to make it off I do have a 31st.....31.) Drug Ballad by Eminem

....just one more.....32.) Yesterday by The Beatles

Peace and Rock
S

How in the f*ck Can I Mix with the Inglewood?!

*Please do not use this as reference to actual statistics or prevalence of gang violence. This is just me going back in time and explaining what I saw that you may have have not.

As I am rummaging through some great classic hip hip rappers of our time and being goofy picking out new tees for my friend Chris and I, I started to recall the day when these rappers weren't just amazing artists but also the start of a horrible war between two sides of the country. Most of you kids my age, who had real perfect pretty lives in the suburbs weren't affected, but us city kids saw it all right in front of out eyes laid out daily.(that statement was used to REALLY dramatise the effects and lines between city and suburb haha) We had friends in both gangs and watched our friends and colleges promote violence, not love. Today violence is still very prevalent but gang violence in the early 90's was at it's peak with two very large groups with members equaling each over 35,000; The Crips & The Bloods.

Growing up in the city is different then growing up in a suburbs in many ways. Pittsburgh, for example, is where I grew up. Within Pittsburgh there are a ton of inner city neighborhoods. With the school district there were many different inner city schools. Just for example.....I think when I was in high school, I pretty much had the option of going to 9 different schools? That sound right? But the time I would like to talk about is '93-'96. These were my middle school years. And these were also the hype years of Death Row Records, home to Cali's finest including Dr. Dre(The Cronic, 1992), Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Suge Knight. Now on the other side of the country you had, I wanna say Tommy Boy Records or maybe it was already bad Boy Entertainment ran by Diddy??? which is prob wrong so don't quote me on that, reppin' NYC's best including The Notorious B.I.G., Wu Tang Clan, and Nas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Row_Records

That gives you all the info you'll need right there on who repped who and who switched and all that. "Death Row is the label that pays me" is still something you'll hear on my personal BEST RAP ALBUM EVER PRODUCED-The Cronic 2001. But let's get back to the main area that I'm trying to explain here; Inner city Pittsburgh, PA.

I lived in the North. My middle school was in the Hill District(right?), and Capa was in Homewood(right?. Or maybe switch those around but anyways let's go with the Hill District and it being Blood territory. Now although there were Bloods that attended Rogers School for the Creative and Performing Arts, there were also members of the Crips that were bussed in from different parts of the city in the north. At school everything was cool, from what I remember, but it was after school or in 8th period where things would start to get crazy.


It was a daily thing that occurred everyday around 3pm. I actually had a class at the end of the school which faced the main street where Bloods would begin to attack our classroom by throwing bricks at the gated up windows that led into my classroom. It didn't phase us at all but I think sometimes it would get rowdy with there's in the class trying to fight from inside the classroom(usually members of the crips). But like I stated earlier, there were no dividers in the school I don't believe. I know I had friends and acquaintances in both gangs. As did most. But it was the mission of getting the kids from the north onto their bus after school safely that became an issue. And of course I just had to live in the North. Now I'm just going to tell the scariest time that I can remember then let this go but I just wanted ya'll to get a feeling of what, when this fight between these two groups, basically led by the best of the best hip hop moguls, affected my daily life just in Pittsburgh, PA. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like to live in LA and NYC. Sometimes our bus would be shook so hard our backpacks would start falling and the protocol was to get underneath the seat in front of you. Bricks would be thrown, windows would be broken, and it was over all just NOT COOL. I totally believe in people believing in something but I am not a believer of gang violence from having to experience it hands on. And there I was this little rocker chick with my green hair and smashing pumpkins tee and neon orange fishnets. I do want to make this clear though.....yeah sure my parents could have yanked me out, sent me off to private school, and taken me out of a program I loved, but they didn't even though at times they often wanted to. I was safe in school though and even though we had some crazy times, overall we were all VERY safe and protected from the activity outside of us.

If you were to ask me today if growing up then, and being around that, or growing up today and being around what goes on today in school......I would hands down and say 'give me my hip hop old school crips and bloods gang violence any day. Now all I see is worse violence that's not even based around a belief (those crips and bloods had reasons and meanings to be doing what they were doing and they had music involved as well. I'm not saying it was okay but they had a mission and it was a horrible mission which left 2 genius rap moguls dead, but whatever it was they didn't mess with just anybody.) Today kids are shooting kids for absolutely no reason, little girls are pregnant, boys are taught it's ok to abuse girls, and kids are drinking and taking drugs at an alarming young age. It's disgusting and yes it does make me question if I want kids growing up in this country in this age. I really couldn't tell you? It's way worse off now. As for the Crips and the Bloods.......I wouldn't have had my experience with the whole thing any other way. RIP 2pac and Biggie. You left music behind that will NEVER be forgotten. Kids of this era......what the hell do you have to leave behind?

Peace & Love,
S

It's Too Darn Hot!

So it's May 11th(ok technically May 12th but I haven't gotten there yet) and I am just doing Must Haves of May. Sorry for the delay but you know all the drama and business that's been occurring lately. Please excuse. So let's get to it!

10. Nobody's Daughter by Hole. It's classic Courtney. It's not her best work but if you are a longtime Ms. Love fan than it is a must have for your collection. Better yet you want to try to hit up one of Courtney's gigs when she's in your area. Girl is a hell of a performer which I'm sure you all know. Now off to Courtney's nemesis these days; the young and talented rocker.........

9. The Pretty Reckless starring Taylor Momsen. Courtney has been snapping at Ms. Momsen for a while now about her image and her musical influences. I think Courtney needs to take a step back and admire the fact that Momsen is, in her own little way, imitating the successful Ms. Love. Imitation is always the most sincere form of flattery. We all know I love rock and grunge and Taylor is doing an exceptional job. Please go take a look at her website, listen to a few things, and see for yourself. In my eyes I think she is going to do extremely well. But Taylor.....never never say "I really want to be like Kurt" ever again. That's really sweet but he is not living. At least you didn't say "Kurt Cobain is my ideal boyfriend", like that skanky Miley girl did. http://www.theprettyreckless.com/splash/

8. The Brides of May. Best of luck to you all. Be beautiful and bring your own style into your day. This is supposedly the "best day of your life" so make sure you take all of it in and relax. And most importantly......do not drink alcohol! We have all seen what a stirr that causes. To Ms. Bowden, Ms. Patrinos, and Ms. Flamino, I wish I could be with you all on this last weekend of May. I will in my heart and Ms. Bowden we are going to have the time of our lives. Congrats Tera, Lara, and Ash!

7. The One Piece Swimsuit. If you don't feel like showing it all off this summer in a teeny bikini, don't fret....you have options. I actually just purchased one my self! But it was returned because I do not need another swimsuit in my life when I barely go out in the sun(we'll have a whole blog about that!). Here are some great places where I found GREAT one piece suits-Anthropologie, Juicy(so cute), and Target(the Zac Posen for Target line.) Let talk about the Posen line 1st. Amazing but only amazing if you have the hottest bod around! That's the sucky part. Due to this being a high end line for a low end store they still do the same cuts as they usually would. Very skimpy in the behind area. I personally LOVEDDDD it but I kinda felt like I was almost wearing a thong. Moving on. Anthroplogie. One of my girlfriends found 2 gorge one pieces from them. Very covering as well. Juicy. Juicy is a great in between model. If you don't want to cover up too much but you still don't want a bikini then these one pieces may be perfect for you. P.S. Never go swimsuit shopping after a night of eating and drinking. Just don't.

6. Bows. Last year I was wearing huge flowers in my hair at this time and this year I am wearing huge bows. This is a trend. If you do not feel comfortable rocking out a huge bow whether it be on your head or on your shoes, then simply don't attempt it. You have to go into this one with confidence. I adore the bow but I've always adored the bow so putting a headband on me with a floppy bow the size of my head isn't going to bother me. But I know it does bother most. What you can do to still be able to use this but not be self conscious is get a new bag with a bow on it. That is a simple way to express that you know whats gong on in the fashion world but are a simple girl. Pictured above is a lovely Valentino handbag. This is perfect. Or if you've ever seen the huge clutch that is just one gigantic bow that Vanentino does as well, that will work too. have fun with this!

5. Eyelash Extentions. I said it last month and I'll say it again. Eyelash extensions are it. And absolutely perfect for wedding season. Find a salon or spa near you that can fit your needs. And don't ever look at anyone on TV(even all the reality people) and think that their lashes are real. NO one has real lashes or hair right now. Everyone is a fake mess! I approve of lashes and hair but that's where I put an end to the madness out there! Cost=I have no f'ing clue.

4. Nude. It's all about the color nude. Love it. If not you need to learn to love it because it's hot and I said so. 1st-Nude colored Loubitons. These entend the leg in length where boys and girls will be dropping their jaws everytime you walk past. Since some of us cannot afford Loubitons(me), settle for a line such as BCBG MaxAzria. Max Azria has amazing amazing shoes which look very expensive. So instead of paying $795 for Loubs prepare to Spend about $225 for Max Azrias. It's worth it. And to go with those yummy long legs(please look at the photo of Taylor on the fan page) you will need yummy long long fingers! Chanel's spring polish in Django is worth every penny. I drool everytime I apply it I love it so much.

3. Rafael Nadal. It's Clay season as we all better know! And with that let me bring you the king of clay himself.....Mr. Rafael Nadal. Not only is Rafa a hot piece but he is also a world class tennis player and all around guy. BTW Rafa is kicking butt right now and has won everything over in Europe in the ATP tournament. Let's wish him luck this week in Madrid. XO hottie!

2. Attn: all hot boys and hot girls. Hello it's time to get your summer fling on! Do I need say more. P.S. I'm actually single so whoever gets to me 1st gets a kiss. x

1. Best Friends. Obviously

Peace & Love

S

Streets Are Uneven When You Are Down

I got on here to write and truthfully I truly don't have a damn thing going on that's super fab right now to talk about. I am still working on the Rolling Stone piece which is awesome but not post ready by any means and well this poor Britney conservatorship needs some tweaking so I am holding out on that until tomorrow. All I'm really worried about is Valentines day. I still have no valentine. I don't like this and it's very unlike me. I am usually always seeing someone. I mean what's going on here? Did I get ugly? Boring? Non-Enticing? I just can't see any of this being true so where the hell are all my bf's!

And did you know it's been 2 1/2 months since I have dated anyone? Yeah. True. Horrible, I know. And you also know what that means....It's been almost 3 months since I've had sex. Maybe that's why I'm in a bitchy mood? I don't like going 3 months by any means! Saturday evening my friends and I went out and Mike and I tried to find a hot short term bf(I'm not looking for anything serious. If you missed that just head back a few blogs and read why.) We found NOTHING! No one of my type. Do you know who just popped into my head of someone I'd like to hook up with right now? Some of you may get offended by this but I just can't help it......Justin Bobby. Yep. Justin Bobby. I'm just feelin' him right now. Gosh that's sad.

I think I'm going to tweet my soulmate and let him know I'll be his valentine this year even though we are separated by a shitload of states but Ty's worth it. He better not have a Valentine yet!

Another thing bugging me out are my creepy dreams I've been having. They're like drug dreams. Ex: My friend Joe and I are in a forest sitting on the end of a huge fountain. We're getting ready to go see "In the Heights" but to twist it up we are the musical basically. I'm am a witch. To be specific I was Galinda from "Wicked" and Joe was Peter Pan. All I remember is that I suddenly got up and began to sing to him, very dramatically of course, grabbed his hand then threw it down and ran into the forest. Now this is the cool part. Joe aka "Peter Pan" turns in the Phantom and sings "Come to me Angel of Music" over and over. We find eachother and sing the great epic love song while we run and skip all around.

This is what happens when you watch too much Glee. Don't do it kids! (hahaha j/k I'm about to go watch a couple episodes again right now. I basically have all dialogue and mash ups memorized. I'm that freaking cool!)

P.S. Courtney Love totally is crushing on Lady Gaga and they both have a thing for Britney so how epic would it be if we could get the 3 of them to perform together. It would be very kick ass!!!

Peace and Love

S

Whore You Laid, Dream You Stole

Last evening I was in amazing luck and got to go see Emilie Autumn's "Asylum Tour", right along with her Bloody Crumpets in tow. Now I had heard of Emilie through her working with Courtney Love, who I adore, so I was quite excited to see the Asylum show. I knew it would be a lot of theatrics and a lot of screaming and a lot of craziness.......but ohh was it more!

Now for a quick bio......Courtney Love's "anarchy violinist" returns to the stage and is keeping the spotlight all to herself. With appearances on Leno and Letterman, glossy magazine covers, and guest spots on the albums of such artists as Love, Otep, Billy Corgan, and TV's "Metalocalypse," under her corset strings, Emilie Autumn's devilishly dark lyrics, metal-shredding violin solos, and industrial-strength voice reinvent "gothic" for the masses, and goths have never had so much fun. Chosen by Interview Magazine as one of their "14 Artists to Watch," the Los Angeles-born starlet's theatrical stage show is a sexy circus of glam-rock burlesque, backed by a scantily-clad girl band known to EA's devoted fans as the Bloody Crumpets.

So with that I would like to add my experience at the Asylum. It was bloody madness and fabulousness! The show started with her back up Crumpets. They were all adorned with wildly colored hair, phenomenal lingerie get ups, and very made up faces. The stage was decked out in things you would find laying around in a glorified insane asylum. Scary candles, a huge clock, wheelchairs, and such. And then out came Emilie with a rats mask covered in rhinestones and wildly fun orange-red long hair. She's was very petite but her voice spoke beyond that. All of the songs were done in perfection and choreography containing very seductive dancing and make out sessions between Emilie and her Bloody Crumpets. It was more of a theatrical musical then just a concert. It was amazing and I recommend going to see the "Asylum Tour" when it comes to a town near you! Ohh but one thing....if your a cookie cutter plain old US citizen, I do not recommend. You may be offended by the show and the people that attend such a show. That would also mean that you may be offended by me who would die to be a Bloody Crumpet! muah muah muah

http://www.emilieautumn.com/dates.html

Peace and Love

S

and the sky was made of amethyst

There's a new little bad girl in town. I've been waiting for some good old hollywood drama for a while now. You know like when Lohan said "I don't know why there is coke in my pocket. It's not mine." or "the black guy did it". Or of course Ms. Spears very public manic episode, which I really won't speak upon due to it being a mental illness but I won't deny I did love her pink wigs, british accent, gas station bathroom trips, and paparazzi bf. But at least these two are of age. This one is only 15 or 16. Little Jenny. Most know of her through that fabulous Gossip Girl but lately I've been seeing her pop up on my favorite gossip site dlisted.com. I'll just let these two pics say it all and you can decide what you think will happen over the next 5 years of Miss Mommsen's life. I love it!