Lockdown! at the Disco

In the precious, sacred words of Rob Thomas feat. Santana – MAN, it’s a hot one! Come in and cool off and grab yourself a rocket lolly out the freezer and let’s do this… 

TRACK ONE: “Summertime” – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

That was DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince with “Summertime” which I think we can all agree is the unofficial anthem of Summer for the rest of time, and it was requested by Tom. This is Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco and I am your very gross and sweaty host Amy Roberts here to say, my goodness I am too goth for this heat.

So, it’s a good job that this is The Summer Episode considering that I’m recording it during the one week of Summer that we seem to be oh-so-generously allocated here in Britain every year. 

I hope you’re all surviving the heat and haven’t undertaken some Kafka-esque transformation into a full-on puddle just yet. I think I’ve been about 60% puddle this week, and only 40% weirdo – which is a ratio I can live with.

So on today’s episode we’re just gonna be vibing with everything we love best about this season – that includes the jams which make us feel summery, and the things we do which instil us with that feeling of Ah yeah, Summer is here.

There’s a certain element of Summer which strikes the most potent nostalgia in people too, I think. Other seasons strike nostalgia for different reasons as well, of course – Autumn has that spooky, stomping on crispy leaves nostalgia, Winter can remind you of cosy get togethers, Spring might remind you of moments of restoration and hope.

But Summer brings nostalgia for huge events and big moments – our senses are so much heightened in the Summer too when flavours and smells and sights and sounds and touch are all so elevated. Everything is bigger, and louder, and brighter in the Summer – and because of that our nostalgia for the season strikes that hard as well.

Something that’s been making me a little sad about this Summer in lockdown which you might share with me is the inability to create good, happy memories with people I love for future nostalgia.

Some of the things that I love to do best in the Summer – simple things too like going to a gig and then staying up all night outside with a gang of pals just talking about music or those long rambling days with someone you’re madly in love with where you mooch around a busy city and various shops and cafes but still feel like you’re the only two people in the world – I’m missing that right now.

I know life is easing back into a certain sense of normality at the moment, and it’s been nice to ease into some of these familiar things again. But everything also feels a little like an imitation of a season right now – an imitation of a vibe, an imitation of life.
And it’s only temporary, I know that. And I’m very grateful as I’m sure we all are, for the things I do have at the moment. But damn, my heart pangs for Summer. And like many of you, I’m dipping into the nostalgia of Summers past to retain those OG vibes and maintain some joy.

However you’re spending your Summer this year, I hope it’s chill, I hope it’s vibrant, and I hope you’re continuing to create happy memories for yourself to look back on in years to come.

This next track is an icy cool pitcher of Summer served in a vast, buoyant musical beach of a song. This is “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend.

TRACK TWO: “A-Punk” – Vampire Weekend
TRACK THREE: “Something to Believe In” – Young the Giant

That was “Something to Believe In” by Young Giant and it was requested by Rosa who says that she feels summery when she gets to go down to Plymouth with her family and girlfriend Tasha to visit her best pal, Luke.

And that for me is the epitome of Summer and perhaps why it’s such a bittersweet season this year. Summer is a season that connects us so freely with the people we love – it’s a season of journey and adventure and at the moment the majority of us have our wings a little clipped in that regard. Particularly when it comes to being able to see and to hug the people we care about the most in this world. 

Having said, the weather has been so lovely recently and I know a lot of you have been enjoying some fabulous distanced hang-outs outdoors thanks to this sunshine we’ve been having.

I’ve been enjoying a few BBQ’s in the park with my pals, too. Eating far too much food than what is necessary and blasting some tunes from a Bluetooth speaker. There’s something so lovely about doing that in a place where you feel at home. And it brings up some lovely random connections with people.

You know, maybe some lovely dogs come running over to you and you get to call them a good boy and chat to their owner for a bit – or someone walking past hears and appreciates the song you’re playing and you get that brief moment of shared connection with them which you don’t really get during any other season I don’t think.

it’s a little difficult to do during seasons where the weather makes you just want to turn inward and keep cosy or where you can’t really stay in public spaces for too long lest you get too chilly and uncomfortable.

But Summer gives you that permission to really out-stretch a moment and a feeling – to let it live and exist and expand and stretch out into an evening that’s still bright and warm and to be cherished.

Summer makes even the simplest and most everyday hangouts feel sacred and immortal, in that sense. Everything glimmers in Summer.

And this song definitely glimmers – this is another request from Rosa and it’s “You Change With the Seasons” by The Night Café.

TRACK FOUR: “You Change with the Seasons” – The Night Café
TRACK FIVE: “Hold On” – Twin Atlantic

That was Twin Atlantic with “Hold On” and it’s such a sweet scorcher of a song. That track was handpicked by Lucas who says that the things that make him feel Summery are simply the times when he gets to be outside with friends.

Whether that’s in the park, the woods, the beach, someone’s garden or wherever. Just being with his friends enjoying good weather (as and when and if it exists).

It’s the simplicity of the season that makes Summer so great, I think. You can be doing absolutely nothing and it’ll be the greatest day ever so long as you have that great weather, some boss company, and somewhere safe and beautiful to admire and relax in.

And there’s certainly something to how music sounds different in Summer too. You need a completely different musical palette depending on the time of day you find yourself kicking it to some tunes, and also what the weather’s like.

One of my best friends, for example, is a huge fan of listening to Tool’s Lateralus from start to finish whenever a Summer thunderstorm hits. And every time the sky gets dark and the air feels heavy it’s like, Oh boy, best get Lateralus on the go! 

For whatever reason, whenever Summer starts to really emerge for me, I always delve back into The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It’s a sublime and incredible album, and it must be something that I listened to as a kid during a potentially wonderful Summer because it takes me right back and it fills me with sun.

So with that in mind, this is “Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Ms. Lauryn Hill and I hope it fills you with sun.

TRACK SIX: “Doo Wop (That Thing)” – Ms. Lauryn Hill
TRACK SEVEN: “Peach Pit” – Peach Pit

 That was “Peach Pit” by Peach Pit – we love it when bands have eponymous titles for songs!  - and it was another request from Lucas M who says that it gives him just chilled Summer vibes.

And that’s the other side of Summer that I’m gonna crawl into right now. The chill side. Because as fun as it is to get out and to do things and to see people, Summer can also get a little overwhelming. There can be a lot of pressure – from other people and from ourselves – to take advantage of good weather while it exists and to do something.

But let me tell ya, some of the best Summer days can also be the ones where I don’t actually venture outside. And instead, I stay in, I draw the curtains, I sit in front of a fan, and I read comic books or play on my Switch.

Heat and sunshine can be great but they can also be draining and leave you exhausted. So don’t be feeling any guilt if you wake up and the sun’s cracking the flags and you’d still much rather just stay on the couch binge-watching She-Ra than accept an invitation to hang out with mates.

it’s all valid, baby!

The other great thing about staying home and keeping cool on some Summer days is that – so long as you have a freezer at home, which I currently don’t at the moment because what is this hellscape of a year doing to me? – home is where the ice cream and the lolly ices and the capri-suns live!

An endless supply! And my goodness, can we just take a moment to celebrate how good ice cold sweet treats are, please? They are LOVE. Pure love! 

And on that note, this is “Ice Cream” by New Young Pony Club.

TRACK EIGHT: “Ice Cream” – New Young Pony Club
TRACK NINE: “I Feel Love” – Donna Summer

That was “I Feel Love” and it goes out to my mum and dad. Specifically to my lovely mum who immediately asked for this track once she heard the theme – she couldn’t remember the name of it, like – as it reminds her of a Summer when her and my dad were still early days in the courtship. Long before me and my brother turned up to kill all the romance!

But it’s also a track that makes me feel Summery too – so, maybe I inherited some of those vibes from their love story too. 

Ooh, that choked me up a little bit there! Big love to my parents who I haven’t been able to see nearly enough in the past five months.

We’re gonna sink further into nostalgia now with two tracks that were purposefully written to evoke that restless feeling of youth in Summertime. I have such amazing memories of endless summers from when I was a teenager where me and my best friend Laura would just spend our days walking.

We’d walk absolutely everywhere together – sometimes from morning until night. We’d grab an ice cream and eat it on some steps, we’d check out the albums in Probe, we’d get a bag of chips and eat them while roaming a local park, or we’d ramble through new unexplored areas while sharing a set of headphones and listening to tunes that we both adored. 

And then at night, we might just drop by a random gig in town and hang out with some people and meet new people and the days and the Summer felt limitless and so full of potential while also a little lethargic and restless.

There can be so much you want to do in the Summer and sometimes you kind of just end up doing very little at all. But that doesn’t mean you won’t cherish the memories you make while doing nothing and just hanging out with your favourite people in the world.

These two tracks are very much about that feeling and expressing the hazy, syrupy nostalgia of it. This is “1979” by Smashing Pumpkins.

TRACK TEN: “1979” – Smashing Pumpkins
TRACK ELEVEN: “In The Street” – Big Star

That was “In the Street” by Big Star which you might recognise as being the theme tune to That 70’s Show – just without the added We’re all alright, we’re all alright! refrain.

They’re both major songs that make me feel lazy and hazy and sun soaked and full of love.

And that’s it from us for today, folks! Thanks so much for tuning in and for listening! Next week’s episode we’re going to be taking a fun – and sadly, only virtual – trip to Japan with The Weeb Episode. That’s right, gang! It’s finally happening.

I’m acknowledging the fact that before lockdown I had merely dipped my toe into manga and anime and now I am a fully fledged weeb. So every kid who called me a weeb during our Saturday junior sessions at Comics Youth, congratulations – you were correct. I am. And you know what, I’m proud.

So for The Weeb Episode, I wanna hear about your fave manga and anime that you’d like to recommend and why. And I’d also like to know what tracks from these shows you wanna hear – or songs made by Japanese musicians.

If you any ideas you wanna share to be read out on the show, then email me [email protected] and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Until then, remember: Everything is not cool – but it can be. Stay safe, stay sassy, and my goodness try to stay cool in this heat. This is “Hot to Death” by Scout Niblett and this is Amy Roberts signing off. Byeeeeeee….! 

TRACK TWELVE: “Hot to Death” – Scout Niblett

Hiya! How you doin’ out there today? I’d like to extend a recommendation that each and every one of you find your favourite reading nook – heck, maybe build a blanket fort if you’re feeling fancy? – and curl up with your favourite comic. And you know what else you need to complete that vibe? A kickin’ soundtrack! So, let’s get into it shall we? 

TRACK ONE: “Girl U Want” – Devo

That song makes me crazy in the greatest way possible. I’m vibing and I hope you are too! This is Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco and I am your book hungry host Amy Roberts and todays episode is all about comic books.

I’m a little surprised it’s taken us so long to reach this theme considering how intrinsic comic books and comics and manga are to what we do here at Comics Youth – where we read and create a lot of comics as part of our regular sessions.

For those of you who might be new to this show, Comics Youth is a youth organisation for youth, by youth based in the Liverpool City Region and we do a whole bunch of creative workshops for marginalised and super sassy young people where we make things like comic books, zines, blogs, and poetry jams in order to get the youth voice as elevated and as heard as it deserves to be.

And this is our podcast which we proudly produce with our young people on a weekly basis.

Opening the show there was the wonderful Devo with “Girl U Want” from the soundtrack to the 1995 movie adaptation of Alan Martin and Jaimie Hewlett’s Tank Girl.

And Tank Girl was a comic book that had a huge impact on me as a young, marginalised young person who never quite found their vibe within the usual comic book fare of superheroes, which I grew up with. And which I loved in many ways, but they didn’t really speak to me or my values or my personality in the same way that Tank Girl did.

Tank Girl is an anarchic blast of fun about a supremely wild, punk rock chick in the middle of a dystopian landscape who just goes about her days having loads of fun and fighting bad dudes in array of crazy clothes.

And the thing that really clicked with me about Tank Girl as a young person is the idea of facing off against a cruel, oppressive, and desolate world with a huge grin, a whole lotta mischief. As a character, she always prioritises having a great time and kicking it with her gang of fellow outcasts even when life is kinda rubbish.

When the world is as terrible as it can be – and wow, 2020 is really taking the trophy on that one – it pays to never lose sight of having fun and being a little bit silly. That’s survival, honey.

And speaking of things that are fun and a little bit silly, please hop inside this ramshackle time travel machine I’ve just built out of Capri Sun cartons and pot noodle cups here – don’t worry it’s safe, I think, maybe -  and let’s go back to a time before gritty reboots made everyone lose sight of a superhero who – to my mind at least – should have always remained in the world of camp and silly and fun. This is “Batdance” by Prince.

TRACK TWO: “Batdance” – Prince
TRACK THREE: “Kiss From a Rose” – Seal

That was “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal from the soundtrack to Joel Schumacher’s fabulous Batman Forever and it was requested by Tom. It’s a song that myself and Comics Youth art director Ste have made a pact to sing in karaoke together whenever this hellscape of pandemic is over and done with! So, that’s a frightful thing to look forward to, eh?

And I won’t hear a bad word about Schumacher’s Batman movies. I know a lot of bros like to pretend they never happened and that they actively set back superhero and comic books before the massive MCU boom from the early 00’s onwards. But damn, I love them.

And I love that Schumacher, who was one of the few openly gay filmmakers in mainstream Hollywood, never compromised his queer vision. Batman Forever and Batman & Robin are daft and ridiculous but they’re so much fun and they’re unabashedly camp and queer.

Anyone who has read a lot of Batman comics – and I did when I was a kid – will know that there has always been queer subtext to the character. And when Chris Nolan made his trilogy of films and gave them a real Conservative spin, that side of Batman was sadly scrubbed from the lens and it all got very serious.

Which is a little bit crazy, when you think about it. I like those films in many ways, but there’s something wild about trying to make serious cinema about an eccentric rich dude who likes to don a rubber suit and dress as an element of his childhood trauma in order to vanquish villains.

Even Tim Burton’s take on Batman – tho dark and gritty – retained elements of camp and fun because Batman kind of is a silly character. And though his world is dark and grim, there’s also an uncanny weirdness to it which perhaps loses some impact when you take it at face value.

In Burton on Burton, the filmmaker said, ‘Part of what interested me was that Batman is a human character who dresses up in vulgar costumes … it’s the freakish nature of it, and I found it the most frightening thing.’

I also love that take on Batman that went around a few years ago on social media which suggested that Bruce Wayne could easily solve a lot of the crime and underlying issues of crime within Gotham City if he just invested his fortune into the city and neglected support systems within the city – rather than piling that money into weapons and gadgetry with which to make himself a hero and tackle the problems with violence.

Guess that kinda swings back into the current conversation we’re all having about institutional and systemic violence and how defunding the police and allocating that money to better serving social issues and mental wellbeing, doesn’t it? A little something for y’all to chew on there. 

And that’s the last you’ll be hearing about conventional superhero comics this episode. Next up, we’re jamming with some independent fare. This is “Black Sheep” by Metric from the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack.

TRACK FOUR: “Black Sheep” – Metric
TRACK FIVE: “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” – Mohammed Rafi

That was “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” by Mohammed Rafi from the soundtrack to the 2001 movie adaption of Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World. It’s the tune that introduces the film, with lead character Enid dancing away to it with clips from the incredible 1965 Bollywood horror film Gumnaan spliced in between. I watched Gumnaam recently and I can’t recommend it enough – it’s this wild musical ghost story slasher and it’s a wild ride. If you can track down a copy I heartily recommend it.

And before that we had “Black Sheep” by Metric as requested by Ellie, and that comes from the soundtrack to the 2010 movie adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And what a soundtrack that is! It’s jam after jam on that thing.

Ellie says of the Scott Pilgrim books, “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this series! As much as I enjoy the movie, the books have a special place in my heart. They’re funny, ridiculous, and heartwarming. What it has to say about growing up and trying to become a better person resonated with me when I was an idiot teenager.”

I’m sure you were never an idiot teenager, Ellie! I find that very hard to believe. But I do definitely look back on who I was as a teenager and go, Wow, what a dummy. But I guess that’s all part of growing up.

And both Ghost World and Scott Pilgrim are books about coming of age and kind of figuring out your identity and ultimately, fighting for it in some way. They’re both books featuring wonderfully flawed protagonists who ultimately see the error in their ways and strive to make changes and fight to be better.

And that process of growing up – which continues long after you leave your teen years, by the way, but which gets easier as you get older – is all about that process.

Something else I love about those books and about a lot of indie comics in general including Tank Girl which I mentioned at the start of the show, is that they feature a lot of music within them. The characters listen to songs or make songs and it really helps to bring the narrative alive and to connect you to their world via music.

Last year when Comics Youth had a booth at Thought Bubble I picked up the amazing All the Sad Songs by Summer Pierre. It’s an outstanding indie comic book in which Pierre talks about her lifelong struggle with mental health and the songs that soundtracked her journey to identifying, accepting, and working through mental illness.
Each section of the book focuses on a different period of her life and the mixtapes that were made during that time. She talks in-depth about the songs that really resonated with her on those tapes and why and it’s just incredible. I heartily recommend it.

The last book series I wanted to mention on this vibe is Love and Rockets by Gilbert and Jaimie Hernandez. It’s an incredible book series set within a Latin-American community and it features gorgeous characters and relationships including a few queer ones.

One storyline from those books that has remained in my heart since I read them is the one between teenage queer punk rockers Maggie and Hopey. Hopey has a band in it and the two regularly listen to songs together and it just builds this wonderful world that you can listen along to with them.

And one of the songs they listen to together is this absolute punk rock jam right here – I think it’s about a six-pack of Capri-Sun and nothing heavier. This is Black Flag with “Six-Pack” - -

TRACK SIX: “Six Pack” – Black Flag
TRACK SEVEN: “Roundabout” – Yes

Oh damn, I hope at least a couple of you put a bet on that I was going to play a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure tune because – if you know me – it was inevitable, really.

That was “Roundabout” by Yes and I sadly had to cut that one short because we don’t have time on this show for the full eight minutes of it! Are you kidding me, Yes? Yare Yare.

Now, I was introduced to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure by a very nice boy at the start of this year and I am completely and utterly obsessed. I love the anime – which you can watch on Netflix, tho word to the wise watch it with subtitles if you can because the dub is horrendous – but I’m also currently working my way through Hirohiki Araki’s manga of it at the moment and it’s sensational in a completely different way to the anime. Both are brilliant tho.

It’s an oddball, fun, anarchic series with incredible characters and while it’s a whole lot of fun, it somehow also manages to tug at the heart strings as these characters face off against evil and you realise that that nobody is safe. Araki seems to love putting your fave characters in the direct line of peril or killing them outright and in unexpected, devastating ways and it’s reduced me to tears on many an occasion.

There’s also something fabulously queer about Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Araki has mentioned in interviews that he wanted the manga to be inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community but that he struggled to include non-coded representation due to pushback from his editors who refused to publish anything canonically queer.

But there’s a lot of coded queerness to each story, and many of the characters – particularly in later parts - are conspicuously androgynous which we stan.

For any of you looking for more directly queer comics to enjoy tho, I’d like to direct you all to Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series which Lucas M has been reading recently and which we all love here at Comics Youth. It features really positive queer relationships and is an absolute dreamboat of a page turner.

On a similar vibe, we also recommend the incredible Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me which is all about young, lesbian love but also about ditching toxic relationships in favour of ones that serve us in ways that make us deservedly cherished.

And last but not least, read Lumberjanes – a fabulous adventure story set at a camp for Hardcore Lady Types which features some wonderful queer romance and non-binary representation and is such a blast to read.

And now we’re gonna return to some bombast with this next song requested by Lucas M, taken from the Thor: Ragnorak soundtrack. This is Led Zeppelin with “Immigrant Song”.

TRACK EIGHT: “Immigrant Song” – Led Zeppelin
TRACK NINE: “The Times They Are A-Changin’” – Bob Dylan

That was little Bobby Dylan with “the Times They Are’A Changin’” – ain’t they just, little Bobby?! – and that was taken from Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore’s brilliant Watchmen. I still don’t know if I love or hate that movie – it is what it is, I guess? – it’s not a great adaptation of a masterpiece but there is something terrible and enjoyable about it nonetheless.

Though, let it be known that I nearly walked out of the cinema when I went to see it because it made me so mad. I’ve rewatched it in the past few years though and I didn’t hate it, so who knows? Maybe I’m getting soft.

The opening credit sequence with that song playing over it arguably probably the best scene in the movie, which doesn’t bode well, does it?

Ah well, better luck next Snyder. You’ll make a good film one day. Maybe.

Anyway! That brings us to the end of another episode. Thanks so much for hanging with me and for listening and please feel free to drop me an email [email protected] if you want to suggest anything to be played on the air or have a shoutout you’d like to share to someone and I’ll do my best to get back to you and to include it.

Next week’s episode is going to see us trying to enjoy this season a little with The Summer Episode. I know things are rubbish right now, but we can still vibe with some Summery treats and talk about the things we love best about Summertime and the things we do that make us feel like Yes, Summer has arrived and it’s awesome.

So be sure to tell me what Summer jams you want to hear for that – and to share with me your shoutouts for the things that make you feel Summery.

Until then, remember: Everything is not cool – but it can be! Stay safe, stay sassy, and good grief, keep your nose in a good comic.

This is Vince Guaraldi with “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown” and this is Amy Roberts singing off….byeeeeee!!

TRACK TEN: “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown” – Vince Guaraldi

Greetings and salutations, my little rebels! Come in and get comfy! Throw on your baddest look and your biggest boots and put those puppies into a stomp – let’s raise some hell… 

TRACK ONE: “These Boots are Made for Walking” – Pure Hell

That was Pure Hell with “These Boots are Made for Walking” and this is episode 13 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco – a show made by and for young people, and the young at heart such as fossils like me! I am your host Amy Roberts and this is The Punk Episode where we’re gonna be celebrating punk music and punk ethos at its finest.

By which I mean, punk music made by marginalised people. Punk music made by LGBTQIA+ people, punk music made by BAME musicians and activists, punk music made by women, and punk music made by allies who use their privilege for good.

As someone who has been in punk bands and in the punk scene since I was a teenager, I know from first-hand experience how so much of it can still be dominated by white, cisgender, heterosexual, macho male nonsense. It’s not always intentional by the people in these scenes, but there also isn’t always a lot of action put into place to make punk scenes – at least at a local level - more inclusive and diverse.

And when any scene is predominantly occupied by one type of person, it isn’t always conducive to making anyone outside of that identity feel like they belong or are welcome there. So this episode is to remind each and every one of you to occupy and reclaim these spaces. Punk is for everyone and should be used to support and to elevate marginalised voices and issues above all else.

As a minor note on the content of today’s episode, while every effort has been taken to keep explicit language out of today’s playlist there may still be some language and topics of conversation that may not be suitable for younger listeners, so parental discretion is advised.

So, let’s get into it, shall we? This is Limp Wrist with “Thick Skin”.

TRACK TWO: “Thick Skin” – Limp Wrist
TRACK THREE: “Isolation Burns” - Spitboy

That was phenomenal 90s feminist punk band Spitboy with “Isolation Burns” and I think they’re probably one of the most underrated punk bands of that era. When we talk about 90s feminist punk rock, we often only talk about Riot Grrrl and bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney, or Bratmobile.

And that’s a great scene and those are brilliant bands, but there quite rightly remains a lot of conversation about how white the riot grrrl scene was and how it wasn’t the most inclusive. Particularly at a time when there was a huge swathe of political and social activism taking place in the US concerning systemic racism – something which was more or less excluded from much of the dialogue that got raised in riot grrrl lyrics and subsequent activism.

Despite being a band made up solely of women who aggressively criticised gender roles and patriarchal systems, Spitboy have always maintained that they were not part of that scene and separated themselves from it, instead identifying themselves as simply being punk rock.

It’s also interesting to note that Spitboy are a band made up of Xicana women – which is a chosen identity for people of Mexican descent – which meant that while they may have touched upon similar topics to many other riot grrrl bands, that their perspective and experience was markedly different than those of their white contemporaries.

But they deserve to be held at just as high reverence as those bands, in my opinion. Likewise, Adrienne Droogas, who is the lead vocalist for Spitboy, also has one of the greatest punk vocals in the history of the genre too. So, let’s just take a moment to recognise and to respect that fact, shall we? She went on to sing with fellow anarcho-punk band Aus Rotten for a while too and some of the songs that she did with that band remain some of their best.

Thank for listening to my Ted Talk, everyone! There’ll plenty more of this type of thing as this episode goes on! I hope you’re ready for it!

This is the incredible Kenyan punk band Crystal Axis with “Nyayo House” and it was requested by Tom.

TRACK FOUR: “Nyayo House” – Crystal Axis
TRACK FIVE: “What Kind of Monster Are You?” – Slant 6

That was “What Kind of Monster Are You” by Slant 6 which is a great anthem about refusing to be intimidated by trash, hateful people. Resilience in the face of hatred and in the face of cruelty is punk rock, honey. It’s what it’s all about.

Which brings us into a conversation about being a good ally. Not just within punk scenes but also within every scene and within society itself. Even if we exist within a marginalised identity ourselves, there are still other identities that exist which need our additional support – and in turn those identities hopefully extend the same to yours.

And this is especially important if you exist within an identity which most would consider to be privileged. The mainstream idea of punk rock is that it’s music that has been made in the most-part by white, heterosexual, cis-gender men.

And a lot of hardcore punk, in particular, existed for a long time on the concept of macho men with big muscles stomping around hurling fists at one another and puffing our their chests at the big bad world and you know, getting completely loaded and partying all the time.

And you know, that’s fine for them. But that’s also very alienating to anyone who isn’t a big, white, cis-gender, heterosexual dude who just wants to get wrecked 24/7.

Which brings us to Ian MacKaye of bands like Fugazi and Minor Threat. MacKaye is credited with having coined the term ‘straight edge’ to describe a personal ideology that promotes abstinence from alcohol and drug-taking – as a particular push back against this notion that punk rock has to be debaucherous and wild and drug-adled in order to be valid.

MacKaye understood the carnage that indulging in such a lifestyle can cause – not just on an individual level, but also within communities. And an interesting element of that is how MacKaye was compelled to promote his gigs as being a space free of drugs or alcohol as a way to also protect women.

At that time, there was a spike of women being sexually assaulted at punk shows in which a direct correlation could be drawn between these attacks and the substances being consumed on a large scale at shows.

I think about this a lot and I love that MacKaye used his privilege to do this and took such a bold stance against it – particularly when it upset so many of his male peers in the punk scene in doing so. He was an outspoken feminist ally – amongst other shows of allyship – in a scene that was becoming increasingly macho.

This next song I’m gonna play is by his band Fugazi and it’s called “Suggestion” and it’s written from the perspective of a woman. Now, many feminists and that time and since took issue with the fact that this dude had the gall to write a song from this perspective.

Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill actually once said of this song, “I have issues with Ian MacKaye – who I love – singing as if he was a woman. But that song changed my life, because it was the first time I ever heard a man singing about something that was predominantly a woman’s issue.”

See what you make of it. This is “Suggestion” by Fugazi.

TRACK SIX: “Suggestion” – Fugazi
TRACK SEVEN: “My War” – Black Flag

That was “My War” by Black Flag, another band from that same scene who became great allies for a lot of causes. For a while in the 80’s they had a phenomenal female bass player by the name of Kira Roessler who I love because she used to dress conspicuously femme sometimes as a means to provoke an audience who were often super macho.

And it was during this particular line-up of Black Flag in the 80s which also saw Henry Rollins take the reins as the frontman of the band. And he’s a super interesting, intelligent and outspoken guy worth checking out if you don’t much about him.

And something I always loved about Henry is that though he looked like the stereotypical macho hardcore dude – you know, super muscular and tough – he also used this part of his identity to challenge toxic masculinity at punk shows and to keep guys in check in the crowd who were perhaps not being cool to women or even to other guys. If he saw any violence in the crowd or any creeps, he was big and tough enough that he could flick them away and put a stop to whatever they were doing.

Absolutely, can’t get enough of vibes like that. You know, people who use their power and their privilege for good.

And now we have a couple of songs as requested by Zoe - one of our wonderful resident punks here at Comics Youth who we miss very, very much. This is “Fall Out” by Days N’ Daze.

TRACK EIGHT: “Fallout” – Days N’ Daze
TRACK NINE: “True Trans Soul Rebel” – Against Me!

That was Against Me! With “True Trans Soul Rebel” and it’s been so wonderful to see Laura Jane Grace – who is at the forefront of that band – continue to be such a bold and outspoken role model for the transgender community within music.

And as we start wrapping up here a little bit today, a reminder that punk rock is and always will be the music of outsiders. It belongs to the queer kids, to women, to trans and non-binary communities, to the working classes, to neuroatypical folk, and to BAME communities.

It’s the music of people who are proud to not fit within whatever society considers to be standard and normal – and for those who are totally ok to live beyond those boundaries, too.  Who wants to be normal, honey?

It’s the music of people who have decided they don’t to have to live within the same structures and systems that have failed them time and time again or told them that they are somehow worth less than whatever society has deemed to be the default person.

Punk is about building your own structures and systems and creating your own scenes and communities wherein you find belonging and strength. It’s a method for dismantling the things that have held you back or held you down and for creating somewhere or something where you can be yourself and speak your truth as loudly as you want to. That’s what DIY or die is all about, babe.

This next track is by Like Pacific and it was requested by Lucas M who has said that when he saw them live he was obviously very impressed by the gay front man of the band when he apparently said something along the lines of, ‘follow me on Insta via hotgaydadddy69. I’m not a dad, but I am gay and sweaty.’

WE STAN.

This is Distant by Like Pacific.

TRACK TEN: “Distant” – Like Pacific
TRACK ELEVEN: “Garden” – Meet Me @ The Altar

That was “Garden” by Meet Me @ The Altar and it was also a request from Lucas. And he says of them, “They’re a three piece pop punk band made up of women of colour and they’re sick. The vocalist is killer, the drummer slaps, and the guitarist is chef’s kiss…” – that noise was supposed to be a chef’s kiss. I’m not sure such a thing translates too well over a podcast but it is what it is.

And I wanted to give an extra huge shoutout to Lucas here on today’s show as he’s currently recovering from a very exciting operation and we’re just thrilled for him.

Plenty of ice cream and comic books and loud music and sourdough bread for you, sir! And we hope you recover swiftly and comfortably and all of us adore you here at Comics Youth so bravo, sir. Bravo!

And that’s us done for another week! Next week’s episode is going to be all about Comic Books – I mean, it’s about time too, no? It is a big part of what we do here at Comics Youth, after all!

So we’re going to be talking about our fave comics and playing tracks inspired by comic books and that have been on the soundtracks to various TV and movie adaptations of comic books and manga over the years.

So, if you have anything you want to contribute to that then feel free to drop me a line via [email protected] and we’ll make that happen!

Until then, stay safe, stay sassy, and stay punk – this is X-Ray Spex with Art-I-Ficial and it’s about to go off….

See yaaaaaaa!!

TRACK TWELVE: “Art-I-Ficial” – X-Ray Spex

Hiya babe! Come in, get comfy, and err…I dunno if you can smell that or not but we’ve got a proper feast of an episode cooking up for you today! But in the meantime, let’s snack on something sweet, shall we?

TRACK ONE: “I Want Candy” – Bow Wow Wow

That was Bow Wow Wow with their cover of The Strangeloves’ hit tune “I Want Candy” and you’re listening to episode 12 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco. I am your host Amy Roberts and I will be your waiter today because this is the food episode and we’re serving up a proper tasty musical feast for you during this one!

As a little heads up for any new listeners who might have missed the memo on us, Comics Youth is a youth organisation based in Liverpool and we do a whole bunch of creative projects and workshops with young people from across the city region where do stuff like comic books creation, zine making, blogging and poetry jams – and all sorts of other boss creative projects designed to elevate the youth voice and nurture the phenomenal talent of the young people in this amazing city.

For more information about us, check out our website, www.comicsyouth.co.uk.

And Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco was a project created at the start of lockdown to help our community stay connected and to offer the reminder that none of us are alone during all of this. Especially not when we can share our favourite jams together with the rest of the world via this show.

We develop Lockdown! at the Disco with the spectacular and super sassy young people involved with our Safe Spaces and Livergrrl Riot projects who help to curate the content and the playlists that you hear on this show.

We do a lot of things in our Safe Spaces group on a weekly basis concentrated on how we can create spaces of safety within and around ourselves that not only benefit us as individuals but also our community – and particularly those within the LGBTQIA+ community and young women.

And though we like putting the world to right during these sessions and creating some killer artwork and writing in the process, inevitably, our conversations swing back to this one universal safe space that I think most of us share and that’s food.

We chat about the snacks we’ve scranning on, we debate the validity of the weird food combos that we all individually enjoy, we share recipes and celebrate the simple pleasures of a takeaway pizza with a great TV binge or a bowl of noodles on a rainy day.

And we receive regular updates about the baking that Lucas M’s mum has been getting up to that week – for which I’m very thankful, because have I mentioned how much I miss sourdough? I’ll keep saying it, folks – I MISS IT. Sourdough is my heart and it’s hard to come by in Kenny, where I live!

And so it only makes sense that we dedicate an entire episode to food. Because when we’re feeling sad or stressed out or on those days where the world feels unbearably heavy – heck, even on the days where the world feels surprisingly light for once – food is such a nurture.

One of our young people by the name of Jack made a great piece of artwork that sums this up perfectly where he wrote on it, Anywhere that there’s food is a safe space. And my goodness, how true.

So, throw on some elasticated sweats and get your napkins at the ready and let’s dive into our first course, shall we?

This is “Pork and Beans” by Weezer.

TRACK TWO: “Pork and Beans” – Weezer
TRACK THREE: “She Don’t Use Jelly” – The Flaming Lips

That was the wonderfully weird “She Don’t Use Jelly” by the eminently odd but wonderful The Flaming Lips.

And we really don’t recommend that anyone start spreading Vaseline on their toast instead of jam. Yikes!

But, it is a great song about celebrating our individual little idiosyncrasies and weird tics that we all have and when it comes to food, I think we all have those habits or tastes that other people think are odd or disgusting but that we personally love.

You know, it’s like that great ongoing war between those who hate having pineapple on pizza and think that it’s absolute abomination and that be outlawed by the pizza justice system and then there’s those who absolutely love it.

FYI: I’m in the latter camp on that one because I’m a total freak and happy to own it.

But it’s such an odd and strange thing that taste is so subjective. Like a few of my things that have made loved ones gag to see me eat is cream cheese on a cinnamon and raisin bagel – which by the way, HUGE recommend on that vibe because sweet and savoury, my friends. They’re siblings, not enemies – and I also proper love raw broccoli as a snack item.

I like dipping it in hummous, I love it on a butty with loads of hot sauce and cheese. Occasionally, I’ve even been known to slide some broccoli between two pringles and just nom-nom-nom.

I don’t think any of that is too weird. Growing up my dad used to dip his toast in his tea in the morning – that was weird. Shoutout to me dad, though! The man who taught me to just enjoy me food in whatever combo makes you happy.

Eat it however and whenever. Food has some weird rules and etiquette that comes with it. But you make your own, honey.

This next song was requested by Lucas M who says that it’s about how “no matter what happens in the world, even if the apocalypse is going on outside, in the morning the song’s narrator is going to have a bowl of cereal like he always does”

And that idea, apparently, gives a reminder to Lucas about how a sense of grounding and doing normal things can really help when everything else seems to be out of your control.”Anywhere there’s food is a safe space. This is, “I’ll Make Cereal” by Cavetown.

TRACK FOUR: “I’ll Make Cereal” – Cavetown
TRACK FIVE: “Cherry Wine” – Hozier

That was Hozier with “Cherry Wine” and it was technically requested by Rosa – via Comics Youth head honcho Rhiannon – and Rosa is a self-proclaimed Hozier lesbian. Which is a title I adore. Because we’re all queers for Hozier, honey! Who doesn’t love that man? Good lawd.

And that song neatly brings us into our third course – which is basically the drinks portion of this feast. Now, I’m going to assume that Hozier was talking about non-alcoholic cherry wine with that song – and not a nasty bottle of Lambrini from the corner shop – because we only drink juice here at Comics Youth. Well, juice and the occasionally can of something sweet and fizzy.

And I wanted to take a moment to celebrate that often overlooked sweet treat that very rarely gets included in conversations about snacks – and that’s just an ice cold can of pop – that’s right, I call it pop, but you might call it a fizzy drink, a soda if you’ve been watching too much American TV, or you might call it a carbonated beverage if you’re the Queen.

But oof, you can beat it. Obviously, we all know that such drinks are not good for you and should be enjoyed in moderation. But when you’re just in the mood for it, those fizzy slurps are just pure carbonated joy.

Shoutouts to some favourites from the Comics Youth office: The fruity sacharrine of Rubicon Mango, the caffeinated pick-me-ups of Cola, the blast of tongue sunshine from each and every flavour of the Tango constituency, and my goodness HUGE shoutout to Dr Pepper. Which is what me and fellow Comics Youth co-worker Kay Dale used to buy each other as a tin of pep and friendship on a hard day – you know, before the end times happened.

Which brings us to this gem of a song which I personally think features the greatest reference to fizzy pop in the history of music.

This is classic Californian hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies with “Institutionalised”:

TRACK SIX: “Institutionalised” – Suicidal Tendencies
TRACK SEVEN: “Coffee” – Salt the Snail

That was local noise-merchants Salt the Snail with “Coffee” and it was requested by Rosa who says that it’s a “proper hype tune that perfectly embodies the feeling of being too caffeinated” – AND HOW. 

Coffee is a central fixture at Comics Youth. Hail Coffee and long live the bean.

And since we’re playing a local band there, we wanted to give some shoutouts to some local food places and takeaways that have been helping to keep us fed and happy during this truly diabolical moment.

Alex wanted to give shoutouts to Geek Retreat on the Wirral for their dairy free milkshakes, to Frost Burgers for their top notch vegan junk food, and to Greggs for their dynamite vegan sausage rolls.

Shane is throwing props to Down the Hatch for the delicious belly busting vegan junk food being sold there – which I’ve also indulged in a couple of times during lockdown.

Lucas M wants to give a holla to Brew and Tucker in Frodsham – a place that he’s really missed going to, saying “the coffee is fab, the people that work there are so lovely and make an effort to connect with their customers, it’s filled with plants and is such a lovely place to chill and hang out in.”

Tom wanted to give huge thanks to the China Panda takeaway for keeping his tummy happy throughout lockdown.

And I wanted to give a huge shoutout to Lovelocks in Whitechapel in town, which has just reopened and remains one of the loveliest cafes in the city centre. Great coffee, great food, and the loveliest people.

I’d also like to give a huge loving hug to my friends at Malmo on Hanover Street – where I used to work – who serve one of the best breakfasts in the city and are also just the nicest people with the best playlists to listen to while enjoying a chill in a café. They’ve also just reopened so be sure to book a table with them and get some brunch.

And lastly, I wanted to give a shoutout to my friends Kally and Mikey at Guac’N’Roll Kitchen in Craft Taproom on Smithdown Road. They’ve been keeping their business alive throughout lockdown and delivering some dynamite vegan fast food to the masses. I wasn’t able to order any because I live a little bit too far away, but they catered the Comics Youth Christmas party last year and it was the greatest scran ever.

MASSIVE THANKS TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE. Here’s to every last one of you! And I can’t wait to return to all of your gorgeous establishments very, very soon.

And now for our next course. This song is a reminder not to bite the hand that feeds you. Oh, and that – holy heck – treat people with kindness and maybe learn how to cook basic meals and do the dishes and whatnot. Otherwise, you’ll wind up like Johnny Cash here. This is Beans for Breakfast on Lockdown! at the Disco.

TRACK EIGHT: “Beans for Breakfast” – Johnny Cash
TRACK NINE: “Friday Fish Fry” – Kelis

She needs ice cold water, people! That was the wonderful Kelis with “Friday Fish Fry” taken from her 2013 album simply titled, Food.

Kelis actually started a food wagon around this time and made the album because she was just like, Food is as important in my life as music is. So may as well just combine the two!

I think she actually took her food van to the SXSW festival in America around that time and from what I hear, word on the street is that her food was pretty phenomenal. I’d expect nothing less from the woman who managed to score a massive hit with a song about a milkshake back in the early ‘00s.

She’s pure magic.

Now, we’re wrapping the show up a little bit here and I know you’re all still digesting that last course, but the next table’s waiting and we gotta speed things up here. And we’re gonna do by actually slowing things down and maybe moving in reverse with two scoops of 90s nostalgia courtesy of these next two tracks.

This is Deep Blue Something with “Breakfast at Tiffanys” as requested by Top? I don’t know if I’ve pronounced that username right, so apologies! You know what I’m like – and take your time with this one and keep it balanced. It’s the most important meal of the day.

TRACK TEN: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” – Deep Blue Something
TRACK ELEVEN: “Peaches” – The Presidents of the United States

That was the delectable Peaches by The Presidents of the United States and it was requested by Shane who says that it’s simply a “great song all about harvesting peaches.”

What more could you want from a tune?!

And that’s it for today! The kitchen is now closed. Before we wheel out our final course and set the belches of gratitude free from our bellies, I’d like to thank you very much for listening. And please be sure to recommend us to your friends and leave us nice reviews and share us with your faves.

I think this show is a feast that deserves to be shared!

Next week we’re gonna be getting all sorts of loud and noisy and unruly because our next instalment of Lockdown! at the Disco is going to be The Punk Episode and we’re gonna raise some absolute hell.

But until then, stay safe, stay sassy, and my goodness stay home and keep eating! And be sure to grab a huge slice from this box before you leave. Just don’t let the Ninja Turtles see ya do it….

Byeeeeeeee!!

TRACK TWELVE: “Pizza Power” – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 TRACK #1: “Basketball” – Speedy Ortiz  

Hello! Good morning, or afternoon, or evening or whatever time my voice is finding you at this moment – let’s face it, time continues to flow abstractly and wildly in these weird times. I’ve been accusing my own clock of many a fabrication recently.   

You are listening to episode 11 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco, I’m your host Amy Roberts and I am in my squad uniform, ferociously shaking a set of pom poms because this is The Cheerleader Episode! That means that today we’ll be talking about raising our own sets of pom poms for ourselves and others, maintaining some strong teen spirit in the face of all the current anxiety of life and the world and the universe and everything else, and basically why it pays to be the captain of your very own one-person pep squad.   

Even if that means doing so with a healthy scowl and a howl, honey: You can still have pep in your step while having a moan about things, folks. Sometimes getting salty about life is a cheer in and of itself.  

Full disclosure, I know we don’t have a huge culture for cheerleading in this country. It’s very much an American thing. But! I have such an obsession with cheerleading – I love the outfits, the rhymes, the moves, and the vibes of it.   

There’s something extremely heartening about the idea being part of a team who’re solely set up to motivate and inspire others to do well and to push forward. Even when you’re winning! But especially when your side is losing.   

And holy heck, if ever there was a year where everyone kind of feels like their team is on the losing side it’s 2020. And that’s exactly why we need to lift our megaphones, shake our pom poms, and yell uplifting stuff to one another. Maybe we even need to utilise a metaphorical human pyramid of support within our communities, here and there too?   

Because everyone needs someone to spell out their name, honey! This is “Poms Poms” by Scout Niblett. 

TRACK #2: “Poms Poms” – Scout Niblett 
TRACK #3: “Cheerleader” – St. Vincent  

That was “Cheerleader” by St. Vincent and it’s a great reminder to all of you lovelies not to waste your time or energy cheering for people who or things which don’t also cheer for you, too.   

Why root for a team who isn’t going to share that win with you? You know what I’m saying?  

And that really brings us along to something that I think a lot of us have likely been thinking about while in lockdown – and that’s figuring out the things we want to bring along with us into this next mysterious chapter of our lives.  

There’s a huge amount of change happening for a lot of us right now. And that can be terrifying and nerve-wracking: There’s a lot of anxiety to be found in things that feel uncertain and out of control.   

But change also offers an amazing opportunity for us all to re-evaluate things and to really tighten our grasp on the stuff that we want to keep in our lives and to loosen our grip on the things that we don’t.  

We’ve been completing work on the zine, journal, and sketchbook that we’ve made to go into our Stay Safe Club boxes – which are coming, by the way! We’re a very small, busy team and we’re working as hard as we can to get them out to you all ASAP – and this was an idea that popped up as we were working on one of the pages.   

It basically pops up at the end of the journal as a prompt that asks for reflection on all the things that have helped you in the past few months so that you have a blueprint of the habits and behaviours and feelings that you want to move forward with.   

It also asks that you consider that things that haven’t been serving you and that you write these things down on a loose piece of paper, scrunch them up and toss em in the recycling, honey. Goodbye to bad rubbish!  

It feels more important than ever to kind of evaluate where we all are with that sort of thing – especially because the past few months have been so challenging and such a blur. I don’t think many of us have likely extended much of an opportunity to just take a breath and give ourselves a little pat on the back for what we’ve been doing good.   

And we should do. Be your own cheerleader, folks! And as we go into this next song, I want you to imagine you’re right there with your megaphone and your squad uniform on and think about the habits you’ve had which have actually been good for you recently. Think about the things you’ve done and accomplished – no matter how minor or banal you might think they are – and which have made you feel proud. And think about all the things that have genuinely brought you some kind of joy.  

Think of them and do a cheer to them. And dispose of all the bad stuff. You don’t need it.  This is “Dance If You Wanna” by Vivian Girls.  

TRACK #4: “Dance (If You Wanna)” – Vivian Girls 
TRACK #5: “Hollaback Girl” – Carol Candy  

That was the only censored version of “Hollaback Girl” I could find! And that cover is by Carol Candy from the soundtrack to Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver.  Now, before those two tracks I was prattling on about the wonderful stuff we’re been putting together to kit out the Stay Safe Club packs. We’re so stupidly excited to get them sent over to you all, too!   

But I wanted to give a little preview to the zine by reading one of the pieces that’s been written for it because as luck would have it, it fits in perfectly with today’s theme! So, this is a wonderful piece written by Katie H called:  

“How To Be Your Own Cheerleader: Make Your Mind and Body Into a Safe Space!” 

Life can sometimes feel like a seemingly endless storm of negativity. So, it’s only natural that many of us seek out spaces where we can let our guard down; a specific place and/or group of people who foster a sense of emotional safety. 

But what if those safe spaces aren’t available? What happens when that group of people aren’t free to meet up? What if it’s raining so you can’t go to the park?  

You might feel daunted by the prospect of being alone with your thoughts. However, what many of us don’t realise is that we’ve all got the power to be our own Cheerleader!  

All you need these three simple ingredients – self-care, esteem and confidence – to fully transform into your own best friend and pep squad.   ...and we’re gonna dive into those three simple ingredients right after these next two songs. This is “Be True To Your School” by the Beach Boys.  

TRACK #6: “Be True To Your School” - Beach Boys 
TRACK #7: “Popular” - Nada Surf  

That was Nada Surf with “Popular” which is probably one of my favourite songs to feature incorrect hair washing advice. Like, soz Nada Surf but Jonathan Van Ness advises we wash our hair twice a week and I’m gonna listen to them, honey! 

And now, we’re back to Katie H’s ‘How to be a Cheerleader’ piece – and here are the three simple steps to be that for yourslef!   

Step One: Self-care  

Cheerleaders serve pep and power – and to claim those things for yourself, you should do things that cherish your body and your brain! Self-care is a powerful way to take some time to unwind and recharge by indulging in some things that make us feel calm and comfortable with ourselves.  

For example, why not try a nice relaxing bath with a sweet-smelling bath bomb or putting on a face mask? Taking the time to connect with your body simultaneously helps your mental state, giving you that nice refreshed feeling. Like that old saying goes, your body is a temple - so why don’t we worship it?! 

Step Two: Cheer Yourself On 

Forget the idea that cheering for yourself is arrogant! Self-acceptance and self-love are crucial in order to live a life of happiness and gratitude. It’s like how Mother Teresa used to tell it, “Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” So why not try the rule of 5 Positive Affirmations? 

Write down five things you love about yourself each morning. This could be things like “I love how passionate I am for art” or even more minor things like “I love my long hair for all the different styles I can have with it.” You may feel silly at first but doing this exercise regularly can help you start to find comfort in our own skin.  

Step Three: Create your own Power Playlist!  

Let’s face it we’ve all faced that inevitable dread of getting up in the morning. It may be the time where a lot of anxieties surrounding the upcoming day hit you all at once which can become overwhelming. But sometimes all we need is that little drop of inspiration to get our day off to a good start. So why not replace some of that dread associated with mornings with joy and create a power playlist for yourself to sing along with in the morning! 

Any song that instantly puts a smile on your face, stick it on the list! Any song that makes you feel warm inside, stick it on the list! Any song that makes you want to fling yourself out of bed and start singing and dancing on top of the mattress, you guessed it, add it to the list! Music can truly be one of the greatest sources of pick-me-ups out there! 

Thanks as ever Katie!

And now, we’ve got a couple of hot takes from the extended Archie universe which will make everyone who’s never watched a single episode of Riverdale or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ask What the heck does this have to do with cheerleading?

Oh honey, do investigate…  This is RUN-DMC with “It’s Tricky”  

TRACK #8: “It’s Tricky” – RUN-DMC 
TRACK #9: “Jailhouse Rock” – Riverdale Cast  

That was “Jailhouse Rock” from the soundtrack of season 2 of Riverdale and it was part of a scene in which the cheerleading squad basically try to instigate a prison riot via Elvis Presley – and why the heck not? What else are you gonna do when you’re a high school cheerleader and your fella’s been wrongly imprisoned, eh?  

And before that was “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC which was similarly a very important part of a cheer moment from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.   

And I’m playing them because we stan a good teen show here at Comics Youth - and especially so when those shows are super camp and super dark and just off their heads as both Riverdale and Sabrina are!

But we also stan a good queer teen story, which brings us to Glee.   

The timing of this episode has been a weird one with the news of Naya Rivera’s passing. As you might be aware, Rivera was a huge part of Glee and played one of the greatest cheerleaders in the history of anything in her role as Santana Lopez.   

Santana was an interesting character with an unusual arc – starting out as a stereotypical mean girl and villain before developing into one of the show’s most beloved and queerest characters – and for many Santana was the first openly gay lesbian character they ever encountered and that’s really important and not something to be undervalued at all.  

Representation matters. And Rivera was a key part of many a young lesbian’s adolescence during Glee’s heyday.   

With that in mind, here’s one of my favourite Santana moments from Glee wherein she takes this terrible queer-bait of a pop song by Katy Perry and reclaims it as a song of gay pride and self-assurance against the put down of a homophobic jock.   Thanks for the love, Naya Rivera.   

TRACK #10: “I Kissed a Girl” – Glee Cast 
TRACK #11: “We’re All In This Together” – High School Musical  

We had to end it on some serious cheese, pals! That was “We’re All In This Together” from High School Musical, and I know that Comics Youth head honcho Rhiannon has been delving deep into the High School Musical archives on Disney Plus recently so, that one goes out to her.   

And that brings us to the end of another episode, friends! I hope you’ve got the pep and those pom poms have been well shaken here today!  

Next week’s episode is all about Food! Songs about food, love letters to food, just a big ol’hearty celebration of food. Wholesome stuff, filthy stuff, tasty stuff – all of the stuff.   

Until then, squad – stay safe, stay sassy and my goodness, keep your teen spirit intact. And remember, you can still be a cheerleader while brooding like a good one. So brood away, honey. Brood a-way…  byeeeee!!  

TRACK #10: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Patti Smith 

Hiyaaaaa! Hey, hello. You’re listening to Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco and this is episode number 10: The Power Episode. So come in, get comfortable, and flex, honey…we’re kicking off in a jet black power pose with Ms. Joan Jett…

TRACK ONE: “Bad Reputation” – Joan Jett

What a powerslam of a song! You’re listening to Lockdown! at the Disco and I am your host Amy Roberts here with you for the next 60 mins or so of major power moves. As I said at the beginning there, this is The Power Episode and we’re doing this one today because I think we’ve hit a weird wall at the moment, you know?

We’ve hit a wall with lockdown. We’ve hit a wall with our capacity for things. We’ve hit a wall with schoolwork and work-work and we’ve maybe even hit a bit of a mental wall where we feel a little foggy and a little tired and we just need a little push to keep us keeping on.

I’ve definitely felt like that these past two weeks and I know a lot of you have too. And you know what? It’s alright for us all to admit that.

So let’s just do a quick check-in, shall we? Because power is quite an abstract thing.

We all know – from just the absolute state of society at the moment – how power, and certainly too much power, can be a dangerous thing. Power corrupts, people. And it can be ugly and cruel and oppressive in the wrong hands.

But in the right hands? Ooh, mama! You got a good thing going. And especially if those hands are your own and you’re looking to use that power to propel yourself forward and to prop yourself up.

So that’s where we’re coming from today – power as a positive force. Power as inspiration. Power as community. Power as hype. Power as resilience and swagger and you just owning who you are and how you live and where you wanna be and where you wanna go.

This is a track as requested by Lucas M who says that it makes him feel powerful. This is “Dark Black Makeup” by Radkey.

TRACK 2: “Dark Black Makeup” – Radkey

TRACK 3: “I Believe (Get Over Yourself)” – Nico Vega

That jammin’ little number was “I Believe (Get Over Yourself)” by Nico Vega and it was requested by Bell who says that it always gives her a boost and that it was one of the first songs that her girlfriend sent to her – which is so sweet it damn near gave me toothache.

A little heads up to any new listeners we’ve picked up here: The show that you’re listening to is produced by Comics Youth Radio. Here at Comics Youth we’re proud to be a youth organisation who provides holistic and creative support and opportunities to marginalised and disadvantaged young people across the Liverpool City Region.

We make all sorts of cool things like comics, zines, books, poetry jams with our young people – who are aged between 8 and 25 – and now we also make podcasts with them too, like this one that you’re listening to right at this moment.

if you’re interested in knowing more about Comics Youth or getting yourself involved in some way then check out our website www.comicsyouth.co.uk or drop me an email, [email protected].

And now, let’s get back to chattin about power moves, shall we?

Because, can I be perfectly real with yers all right now? I haven’t been feeling very powerful the past couple of weeks.

I’ve felt kind of smushy, you know? Like one of those crushed fries you almost slip over on in Maccies that’s been pulverised by a hundred smelly trainer soles? Or that rank warm lettuce you get on a fast food burger that’s just like really lank and limp and you’re like, I know that once upon a time you used to be a leaf but now you are 80% sweat and 20% sad and WHAT IS LIFE…?

And I’m running with these fast food metaphors right now because sometimes I just need to be served a quick hit of power so I can pull myself back up, look at myself in the mirror, do a flex and say Babe, you’ve got this. You’re She-Ra. Don’t be the pulverised fry – be the one who pulverises that fry!

And when I need that fast hit of power serving up to me, I go to my tunes. I hit up my power playlists and I absorb that power like a chocolate hob knob absorbs a mug full of tea.

This next track is my go-to song for feeling mighty and powerful. It’s my absolute fave for blasting loud through headphones and struttin down the street to scowling at people to stay the heck away from me.

Oof, this is L7 with “Shove” and I hope you absorb every last drop of it’s power.

TRACK 4: “Shove” – L7

TRACK 5: “Idoless” – The Distillers

That was The Distillers with “Idoless” which is a song that has remained a permanent resident of my power playlists since I was a wee, scrappy teenager still figuring out my power.

I don’t think it really matters how old you get – you’re always in the process of figuring out your power, you know?

It’s a whole process. Not just in terms of figuring out what power you may wield or want to wield, but also in how best to utilise that power.

Discovering and owning your power can be an incredible asset for change. Once you figure out your worth and your strength, you can use it for amazing things.

It makes you discover how to feel confident in who you are and proud of yourself and the things that you do.

And it can also make you feel capable of asking for better – for yourself and for society and for the world at large. Once you can identify your power and the ways that it can be used, you’ll find the right doors will open and that you have the strength to close doors to things that don’t make you happy or bring you joy.

There’s a lot to get angry about in this world and we need our own individual power with which to fight back against the things and the people who try to diminish our agency and our strength.

We need that power to fight for ourselves and for everyone and everything that we care about.

Find the things that make you feel power and take that energy for yourself! It’s a Big Gulp with a long straw and it’s waiting for you to take a humongous noisy slurp, ya hear me?

These next two tunes are a couple of pop powerhouses requested by Tom and I hope they make you feel like standing tall and pushing through all the rubbish.

This is “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child.

TRACK 6: “Survivor” – Destiny’s Child

TRACK 7: “Roar” – Katy Perry

That was “Roar” by Katy Perry as requested by Tom and I’m not too punk rock to admit that it has snuck into my running playlist on many an occasion as one of those songs that helps me to push myself and keep running even when my legs turn to jelly and my the sweat is heavy and the breaths are gasping.

And that’s what true power boils down to: The ability to decipher that feeling of wanting to quit and wanting to tap out and wanting to just lie down and say No more, I’m tired, I’m done – and instead, saying Nah – I’ve got this. I can get past this. I can get through this. And when I do, I’m gonna level up and I’m gonna boss the heck out of this and next time will be a little bit easier for having done so.

I’ve been playing a lot of computer games during lockdown which has also reminded me of that feeling. I’m not the world’s best gamer – I don’t have a lot of confidence in my gaming ablity, to be perfectly honest. And I find that very frustrating – especially when I just can’t get past a level or beat a boss or when I’m playing Super Smash Bros. against my boyfriend and he beats me 10 games in a row – sometimes more, haha.

But I’ve also learnt from sticking with it and just trying again and again that eventually I do figure out how to defeat the baddie or how to move forward to the next level. And each time that I do I feel that little bit stronger and that little more confident and capable.

And while I’ve been playing these games, it’s made me think about how that level of thinking should apply to real life too. Growth can be terrifying and difficult and sometimes even a little painful – but it’s also so worthwhile and so satisfying when we find ourselves growing past a massive obstacle and onto better things.

The only way we can grow is by making mistakes and getting hurt and sometimes even feeling a little embarrassed or frustrated about where we are compared to where we’d like to be.

Every time we grow, we get that little bit more powerful and we can set our sights on bigger and better things for ourselves.

Including finally beating our other halves on Super Smash Bros.!

Speaking of games, I’d like to do a huge shoutout to our art director Ste who’s been keeping us all entertained here at Comics Youth by doing some amazing game streams over on Twitch.

He plays a different game every Wednesday from 2 – 4pm over on the Comics Youth channel which you can find and watch via Twitch.Tv/comics_youth

He’s just finished up playing a run through of Night in the Woods on there – which is a big fave in the Comics Youth office and one of my dearest most beloved games ever – and it was an absolute treat to watch.

And yes, I cried at multiple times throughout! No shame, pals. No shame.

And now, a reminder that ‘power’ doesn’t necessarily mean a heavy or forceful thing – we have a tendency to position the idea of power as being this brute, masculine weight, you know?

But actually, power can be tender and delicate. Sometimes power can be soft and it can be kind and it can also be super femme.

This next song was requested by Rosa who says that while this song might not be a traditional ‘hype’ track that the lyrics make her feel like she can do whatever she needs most. Her and her girlfriend also listen to it every night before bed and she loves that for them – we stan a good bedtime anthem, ladies!

This is the sublime “Ready Now” by Dodie.

TRACK 8: “Ready Now” – Dodie

TRACK 9: “Peach Plum Pear” – Joanna Newsom

That was my girl Joanna Newsom with “Peach Plum Pear” and that woman’s music is where I go when I want to escape into another world and feel like some wondrous, powerful princess of doom and carnage – which is a huge mood. Glitter and weaponry, anyone?

And that’s us done for another week here at Lockdown! at the Disco! Next week we’re serving up The Cheerleader Episode – expect big bombastic tunes, some crazy little dance numbers, and some pep to share with the whole squad. Maybe we’ll even squeeze in some vampire slaying into the equation…

Until next time hunker downers, remember: Everything is not cool, but it can be. Stay safe & stay sassy and my goodness, stay powerful. And remember, you’ve got the love to make that happen.

TRACK 10: “You Got the Love” – The Source, Candi Staton

Hello, come in and a very happy pride to you, babe!

TRACK 1: Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love – Hunx & His Punx

That was Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love by Hunx & His Punx and this is episode 9 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco. I’m your proud as punch host Amy Roberts broadcasting live from the scorching hot streets of Fairfield and Kensington and I’m so excited to share today’s episode with you all!

BECAUSE! – my lovelies – this is our Pride special and it has been made in collaboration as ever by myself, the Comics Youth team, and our superbly talented young people from the Comics Youth Safe Spaces group. 

It’s Pride month, people! And it’s also the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots which offers the perfect reminder to us all that Pride shouldn’t just be a party, but also a protest. So, let’s extend some extra special solidarity and care and protection to the BAME LGBTQIA+ community because intersectionality is still and forever crucial.

This is the only time of year where it’s good to be a flag waver, honey! But don’t let the gammon hear me say that because the flags we’re holding celebrate the symbolic colours of the full LGBTQIA+ spectrum along with those extra black and brown stripes as we continue to fight racism and white supremacy – not just in the world at large, but also within the queer community.  

Today’s episode is all about sharing a celebration and education of LGBTQIA+ issues. We’ve got a playlist packed with jams specifically and only by LGBTQIA+ artists and a bunch of terrific content made by our young people here at Comics Youth.

To keep this protest party thumping we have Masseduction by St. Vincent:

TRACK 2: “Masseduction” – St. Vincent
TRACK 3: “girls” – girl in red

That was girls by girl in red as requested by Rosa and before that was Masseduction by St. Vincent which was requested by Lucy. This episode has been recorded on Sat June 27th and today we’re doing our Safe Spaces online takeover of the Comics Youth social media pages with a selection of really awesome content made by our young people in celebration of Pride.

The majority of stuff you’ll hear on the show today – aside from my coffee fuelled ramblings, naturally - is also stuff written by our young people as part of the takeover. We have a lot more in store than what’s just gonna be read out on this show so be sure to check out the Comics Youth Instagram and Twitter pages to see what other treats our young people have been hard at work making.

But first up, to kick us all off is a phenomenal piece by Lucy all about Compulsory Heterosexuality. What is that? You ask. Well, when Lucy brought this idea to our attention during our safe spaces meeting, quite a few of us didn’t know. But it’s a really crucial part of understanding LGBTQIA+ identity and some of the struggles that we might have as LGBTQIA+ people navigating our own sexual orientations and gender identity.

I’m going to be getting into that after a couple more songs. This is “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” by the ever-awesome queer punk icons Sleater Kinney.

TRACK 4: “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” – Sleater Kinney
TRACK 5: “The Galaxy is Gay” – The Butchies

Sleater Kinney there followed up by the raucous and the wonderful The Butchies with The Galaxy is Gay. And now, I’m getting back into TED Talk mode as I read out Lucy’s incredible piece about Compulsory Heterosexuality. So, please imagine me with a little microphone on my head, pacing around a stage while I read this:

Okay, so: A guide to compulsory heterosexuality

First up: What is compulsory heterosexuality?

Adrienne Rich defined compulsory heterosexuality as being “the covert socialisations and overt forces which have channelled women into marriage and heterosexual romance … convincing women that marriage, and sexual orientation toward men, are inevitable – even if they’re unsatisfying or oppressive forces in their lives.”

Next: Who experiences compulsory heterosexuality?

Whilst compulsory heterosexuality was a phrase originally coined by Adrienne Rich, a lesbian poet and essayist, to describe a tool of the patriarchy used to control and oppress women, our understanding of gender and sexuality have since developed.

So, with the origins respectfully in mind, it’s a term that LGBTQIA+ people across the gender spectrum use to describe their experiences of attraction to and/or relationships with the opposite sex due to societal conditioning before they fully understood, or felt comfortable in, their LGBTQIA+ identity.

But, where does compulsory heterosexuality come from?

From childhood, we all absorb information from our family, media consumption, and societal norms. For most LGBTQIA+ people, they grow up assuming that the only way to be is heterosexual simply because they have never received indication that things could be any other way. A few points on this:

1. Most families are made up of a cisgender man and woman and the heterosexuality of a child is assumed from birth e.g. most opposite sex friendships even between children are often joked about as romantic.

2. The idea of heterosexuality saturates all fairytales and mainstream TV, films, advertising, and music. On Valentine’s Day or in wedding pageantry, the language and images used are excessively heterosexual.

3. Until the 1960s in the UK, being gay was illegal & same-sex marriage was only legalised in 2014. The prevalence of offensive slurs and stereotypes in everyday life suggests to LGBTQIA+ people that who they are is abnormal. Gender roles such as the stay-at-home mum and hard-working dad reinforce the heteronormative ideas that we have about relationships.

Okay, so what does compulsory heterosexuality feel like?

Compulsory heterosexuality can feel like an inner conflict. Some examples of this feeling include:
- struggling to distinguish between what you are taught to want and what you actually want
- feeling like you have to force yourself to be attracted to the opposite sex or losing interest as soon as they reciprocate attraction
- preferring the idea of being with the opposite sex to the reality
- mistaking platonic love for the opposite sex as romantic (and romantic love for anyone else as platonic)
-  and finally, constantly trying to prove to yourself that you aren’t LGBTQIA+ identifying

There are many more common ‘symptoms’ of comp-het, but it’s good to remember that everyone’s journey with their identity is different. Whilst being LGBTQIA+ in a heteronormative world is frustrating and at times lonely, you can find peace in shared experiences and be reassured in the knowledge that change will (and is) coming.

Thank you so much Lucy. We’ve also got a great poem coming up by Lucy a little later, so please look forward to that too cos it’s an absolute knockout.

This is Grow Babe by Comics Youth fave Callum Crighton:

TRACK 6: “Grow Babe” – Callum Crighton
TRACK 7: “5 dollars” – Christine and the Queens

That was Callum Crighton with Grow Babe followed by 5 Dollars by Christine and the Queens as requested by Tasha.

So next up, we wanted to serve a little sermon about labels. And thankfully, Katie H has put together a really incredible resource about LGBTQIA+ labels which I’m gonna read for you all right now. And I hope it’s a help to anyone who is still trying to figure out just where exactly they feel comfortable with their identity. Just know, that labels don’t have to be for life. Try a few out. See what makes you feel the most like you.

This piece is called: To Label or not to label? By Katie H

First up, Why do gender and sexuality labels even matter?

- labels can help you classify your sexual orientation (i.e. who you’re physically or romantically attracted to) and your gender identity (which is whether a person is male or female or something else).
- These labels are there to help you feel safe within a community if you’re feeling confused about who you are. Yet, they are not at all necessary so you can choose whether to claim a label for yourself or not.

People might like to use these labels because they help provide closure and comfort to those who are confused
- they can help others to self-identify in a way that’s clear so that you can understand and learn about it
- and they can make communication between family and friends a lot easier

People might decide not to label themselves if a label can feel too constricting. Some LGBTQIA+ folk may feel pressured into choosing one or the other
- it’s also worth noting that sexuality and gender are both fluid meaning that it can always be changing over time
- some might feel like a label doesn’t properly fit who they are
- and some labels can sadly be used to discriminate and be hateful towards LGBTQIA+ people which can make labels triggering or uncomfortable to use in the long-run

So, what should you do if you’re confused?

- Basically, many people within the LGBTQIA+ community struggle to figure out who they really are and if labels are a way to help then that’s great!
- but at the same time if you don’t want to use labels then that’s cool too! You don’t have to use them
- whilst they may be helpful to some people, each of us should express ourselves freely, especially during Pride month when our identities can be openly celebrated

So let’s celebrate who we are!

-whether you use a label or not, there’s only one you! And your uniqueness is always worth celebrating!

AMEN TO THAT, KATIE! Lucas M from our safe spaces group has similarly made a great illustration which features a really beautiful piece of text on the subject of labels which says: It’s not always about knowing who you are. Sometimes it’s enough to know who you are not.

Please carry that message in your little heart, because it’s absolutely true and you are enough.

On top of that great piece, Katie has also been hard at work on a phenomenal four piece series which is up on our Youth Takeover blog on ComicsYouth.co.uk called Queering the Cobbles and it’s all about how LGBTQIA+ people are depicted and represented – and often misrepresented – on television. Katie focuses the conversation on depictions of LGBTQIA+ characters in Coronation Street and it makes for a really interesting read and provides a great overview of how far mainstream media has come in LGBTQIA+ representation, as well as how far mainstream media keep falling short too.

This is Cola by Alro Parks.

TRACK 8: “Cola” – Arlo Parks
TRACK 9: “Meg Ryan” – Ah-Mer-Ah-Su

Gah, I love that song so much. That was Meg Ryan by transgender superstar Ah-Mer-Ah-Su and it’s an absolute blinder. I’m gonna get back up on my soap box here again today to say that in this house Trans Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives Matter. All day every day.

Down with transphobes. Down with TERFs. Get in the bin, yer rats. Fix your hearts or die as Gordon Cole says in Twin Peaks: The Return.

Which brings us to our third piece – a wonderful article by James called Expression vs Identity: Why Trans People Can Be Gender Non-Conforming:

Gender non-conformity is more visible than ever in 2020. More and more celebrities and internet personalities are wearing clothes or makeup that don’t match the stereotypical expectations of their gender, and I personally love to see it... (2/17)

This kind of representation could be a great way to boost the confidence of gender non-conforming people, and to help spread the message that your gender does not dictate how you present yourself (3/17)

By now I think it’s been established that sex and gender aren’t the same thing, but some people aren’t aware that gender identity isn’t the same as gender expression either. Let me break it down: (4/ 17)

Sex is determined at birth based on an individual’s physical anatomy and biological attributes, for example the reproductive organs. Most people are assigned male or female, but biological sex is not limited to these two binaries (intersex people exist!) (5/17 )

Gender identity is a personal sense of your own gender. It may be the same as your assigned sex (cisgender) or it may not be (transgender). Gender also is not limited to the binary of male and female (non-binary people exist!) (6/17)

Sexuality and sexual orientation is who you are sexually attracted to. It is not the same as gender identity because trans people can be gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual or anything else in the same way that cis people can (7/17)

Gender expression is how you present yourself: clothes, hairstyles, makeup etc. It does not always align with your gender identity. People who don’t match typical gender norms are referred to as gender non-conforming (8/17)

Although there can be some overlap in all these terms, they are distinct from each other and not always related (9/17)

A lot of people disagree with gender non-conformity, because they believe that certain clothes should only be worn by people of a particular gender (i.e only women should wear dresses). In my opinion, no one receives more backlash than gender non-conforming trans people (10/17 )

Binary trans people are expected to present as either hypermasculine or hyperfeminine in order to be taken seriously. Non-binary people must live up to the ridiculous expectation of being perfectly androgynous all the time, otherwise their gender is seen as invalid (11/ 17)

I can’t speak for transfeminine people, but I know that if trans guys stray slightly from masculine norms, they are criticised or called “trenders.” Essentially these comments accuse them of faking their gender identity because it doesn’t align with their expression (12/17 )

Although gender non-conforming cis people do receive harsh critiques too, I’ve never heard a cis person be accused of faking their gender identity. Even if people don’t like it when a cis man wears feminine clothing or makeup, they’ll still recognise he is a man (13/17 )

What really bothers me are those who will congratulate cisgender men wearing dresses for “ending toxic masculinity,” but at the same time will ridicule trans men for doing traditionally feminine things (14/17 )

You can’t police how trans people present themselves while simultaneously applauding cis people for breaking the mould. This is nothing more than thinly veiled transphobia (15/17 )

I think that society’s aversion to gender non-conformity is a result of cisnormativity and heteronormativity. In other words, it’s ingrained in us all from a young age that being straight and cisgender is “normal,” and anything else is weird and undesirable (16/17)

Who wants to be normal anyway?

There are no rules. I could wear a skirt and nail varnish if I wanted to, it wouldn’t change the fact that I am a man. Dress however you feel comfortable – making a transphobe angry is just an added bonus (17/17))

Thanks so much as ever James! And to heck with being normal. What an absolute bore. You can read that and James’ other blogs on the expression of gender identity and the expectations that society outs upon us for such things over on the Youth Takeover blog.

From one trans superstar to another, these are two queered up covers of great songs starting with The Cliks with their take on Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River.

TRACK 10: “Cry Me a River” – The Cliks
TRACK 11: “Cellophane” – Pom Pom Squad

The Cliks covering “Cry Me a River” followed by Pom Pom Squad with their cover of FKA Twigs’ “Cellophane”. I love the original of both but I love these covers just as hard. I also realised this morning while working on a poem inspired by Cellophane, that it’s a little strange that FKA Twigs – who is from Cheltenham, by the way – uses the word cellophane instead of clingfilm?

But then, I guess saying ‘All wrapped in clingfilm, these feelings that we had’ doesn’t quite have the sing ring or sense of urgent romance to it, does it. It’s a bit too Pound Bakery for a heaving love ballad, innit?

 We’re gonna move on to a triple song intermission here featuring a couple of old school classics from some heroes of queer british music.

But the first track we’re gonna play is from an incredible musical and film by John Cameron Mitchell about navigating your sexual orientation and gender identity in a world that’s seemingly against you. And it’s also about why we shouldn’t let grotty little straight boys co-opt our stories – particularly not for profit.

This is “Wig in a Box” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

TRACK 12: Wig in a Box – Hedwig & The Angry Inch
TRACK 13: Bennie and the Jets – Elton John
TRACK 14: Outside – George Michael

That was Elton John with Benny and the Jets followed by Outside by George Michael. I’m really sorry that Tom requested different songs by both artists, but I hope these two songs were just as palatable for ya Tom!

As an aside, can we please recognise that the only good policemen might be the wonderfully queer ones in George Michael’s controversial video for Outside – but also! that video is strictly only for the eyes of mature listeners!! Over-18’s only, please!  

So, I chose ‘Outside’ by George Michael there because I think it’s the perfect example of a song that feels like a party but that is still firmly rooted in protest. The song was written after George Michael was arrested for engaging in a gay sexual act in a public space.

The incident prompted him to come out and this song not only gives him proud agency over what happened – and let’s be real, it’s unlikely the same furore would have been raised had he been engaging in a heterosexual act in public – but I think the lyrics also speak to the idea of coming out and being proud to make your sexuality public.

And that idea of making a song that feels both party and protest feels very apt for Pride. You know? Because, Pride has always been a protest and it always should be. And while it provides a great opportunity for us to celebrate our community and ourselves, it’s also a time for us to re-evaluate our position and treatment in this world and to continue to fight for better.

In Liverpool, and in many other cities across the UK, Pride can be kind of alienating because of how it’s structured around partying and binge drinking culture but also in how it’s been so co-opted by major corporations looking to use our identities as an opportunity to sell us stuff. And that can often make us feel unsafe and uncomfortable.

So just remember that Pride is whatever you want it to be. And that’s just as important this year – as we celebrate under lockdown – as it should be every year. You don’t have to drink or be part of a huge crowd or buy into Pride as a consumerist product in order to celebrate your identity and share pride with your community.

Find your people, find your spaces – online or IRL, heck maybe even on Animal Crossing! – and enjoy who you are and the people who love and understand you completely.

This is windhym by Dua Saleh

TRACK 15: windhym – Dua Saleh
TRACK 16: Lilo – The Japanese House

windhym by Dua Saleh there followed by Lilo by The Japanese House. As we finish up here today, I wanted to read a poem by Lucy called ‘A World in which I am Goldilocks and Sexuality a Bowl of Porridge’ because holy heck, is it good:

as a child i even looked like her….

a girly wave of golden locks swishing against the back of my sundress

zipped tight by society with his weathered….. white... fingers

i felt a little…. rebellious as i wandered… off the straight path

towards a flower bush dripping…. with nectar...

as i came closer, from the shrubbery a thatched home emerged,

front door unlocked

all welcoming.

i entered the cottage of curiosity, starving for clarity

i followed the scent of answers

to a kitchen with three bowls upon its table.

 
the first was brimming with discovery

moreish….. like best friends lips at a highschool party but

bisexuality burnt my tongue, i’d taken a spoon too soon…. eager,

no forethought to those remaining.

 
the second bowl had time to cool

i brought the oats to my mouth just as i realised

what about those…. in between girl and guy?

pansexual tasted good….. for a moment or two

then i swallowed, turned to the looking glass,

asked really…. who are you?

before the porridge, i’d felt so sure

now all this thinking had me floored.

i was born into this body….. then

those weathered fingers scribbled all over me in gender pen.

i tested the third bowl with hesitant fear,

found i’d never tasted anything... quite like queer

no choke in my throat,

no twinge of cringe,

no conflict of in which box i slot,

comfortable in what i know i’m not.

Thank you so much Lucy – how slammin is that poem? I can tell you with 100% accuracy that my poems were nowhere near as good as that when I Lucy’s age!

And that about wraps us up for today, people! As always, please remember that everything is not cool – but it can be. Stay safe, stay sassy, and my goodness stay full of pride for who you are and who you love. This is Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu with Q.U.E.E.N.

Byeeeee!!

TRACK 17: Q.U.E.E.N – Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu

Wherever you’re listening to this right now – be it your bedroom, your garden, the park, your kitchen, or heck – maybe even your bathroom – make sure you give yourself some room to thrash around, be happy and take up some necessary space for yourself!

Today’s episode is all about Happiness. And I don’t know about you, but my happy place is wherever I can dance. So let’s freak out, shall we?

TRACK 1: “Banana Splits” – The Dickies

Hello and welcome to episode 8 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco. I am your twinkle toed show host Amy Roberts broadcasting live from the raucous streets of Fairfield and Kensington and that was The Dickies with their cover of the Banana Splits theme tune and it makes me very happy. I hope it made you very happy too.

As I said at the start of the show, today’s episode is all about happiness. And with everything that’s going on right now, it felt more important than ever to dedicate an entire episode to things that make us happy. Obviously, all of us have a lot going on right now and in terms of society and politics there is still a great deal that we need to remain vigilant about and to fight for.

But just as you need to maintain a healthy diet to give your body the energy to get up and do stuff, your mind also needs little banquets of joy on a daily basis with which to stay strong enough to keep fighting those injustices and to make sure we’re functioning on a healthy level every day.

So this whole episode is basically going to be a veritable buffet of happiness. It’s full of songs to bring you joy and to inspire you to stay strong, be resilient, and flex your best selves.

As ever, you can always write to me with general notes, messages, song requests, or thoughts that I’d be more than happy to share on the show. So please feel free to email me via [email protected].

Now, someone light a candle for me cos I’m about to get up on my wonky living room table here and do a jig cos this is “Groove is in the Heart” by Dee-Lite.

TRACK 2: “Groove is in the Heart” – Deee-Lite
TRACK 3: “Rock Lobster” – The B52’s

That was the unparalleled “Groove is in the Heart” by 90’s queer icons Deee-lite followed by fellow queer punk icons The B52’s with weirdo surf anthem “Rock Lobster”.

And I’m playing those two songs primarily because they both make me hugely happy. But also because they’re two songs that always manage to find me whenever I’m feeling a little bit low.

You know, that thing where you’re at a party or you’re out somewhere in a café, or a shop, or even just walking along the street – and out of nowhere your jam comes on, blaring out of a speaker or a car radio or whatever else.

And for me those two songs have always been these. And I bring that up because in our Safe Spaces meetings at the moment we keep having the conversation about what a safe space entails. And that brings up an important question: How do we find and nurture a safe space when our usual haunts aren’t available and we’re stuck at home most of the time right now?

So I just wanted to offer a reminder of what a safe space actually is and how you can find it for yourself. Here at Comics Youth, our definition of a safe space can be absolutely anything that makes you feel safe and protected – something, someone or somewhere that allows you the freedom to be yourself without discrimination or fear.

And that can be a physical location like Comics Youth or the places where you hang out with your pals. Or it can even be a person or a group of people who love and support and cherish you for everything you are.

But it can also be something more abstract: A song, musician, film, TV show, or book that gives you that reminder that you’re in the right place, you’re exactly who you’re supposed to be, and that you are loved and supported and cherished.

And for me two of those things are “Rock Lobster” and “Groove is in the Heart”. They’re happy songs, sure. But they also remind me of the people and places who have made me feel most at home in this life. And every time I hear them I feel safe and protected and remember that I’m on the right track, I’m exactly who I’m supposed to be, and that I’m loved and supported and cherished by the people that count.

If you’re feeling a little lost at the moment as to what or who or where your safe spaces are, then I urge you to simply jot down a list right now of all the things that make you feel that way. Keep them close to you, stuff them inside your heart, and I promise you that they’ll always figure out a way to find you at exactly the right moments that you need them to.

Incidentally, I’d like to also give a huge shoutout to Tom, Lucy, and Raf from our Safe Spaces group as well as my Safe Spaces project co-lead Emily for helping to curate this playlist with me today. This is “Electric Feel” by MGMT as chosen by our Lucy.

TRACK 4: “Electric Feel” – MGMT
TRACK 5: “I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany

That was MGMT with “Electric Feel” followed by “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany, which was part of a playlist of feelgood songs put together by Emily’s lovely girlfriend Cay.

That’s one of those proper immortal feelgood tracks from the 80s which I absolutely adore. Right before lockdown happened I was staying in Manchester with my fella and we were wandering through Stretford mall together and it was really bleak.

The heaviness and the reality of the pandemic had started to sink in and you could feel it in the atmosphere of the mall and all the people shuffling through it. And I was holding my boyfriend’s hand a little too tightly that day because we knew it would be our final day together for potentially many, many months.

And out of nowhere one of the shops started playing “I Think We’re Alone Now” and – on the one hand, it felt ludicrously and painfully relevant for the oncoming lockdown, but on the other it gave me so much happiness to hear it and even a little bit of hope.

It still makes me happy now, a little over three months later. I think sometimes, in all of this, it can feel good to engage with and to face some sad emotions and difficult things in a way that’s uplifting and positive. And that’s exactly what Tiffany serves up.

TRACK 6: “Ca Plane Pour Moi” – Sonic Youth
TRACK 7: “We Got the Beat” – The Go-Go’s

That was The Go-Go’s with “We Got the Beat” followed by Sonic Youth with their raucous cover of Plastic Bertrand’s “Ca Plane Pour Moi” – which is a terrific French pop song made up of absolute nonsense lyrics so I love that Sonic Youth really make that cover their own with some a new revised take on that nonsense.

I realised when I was putting this playlist together that I’ve perhaps unconsciously chosen two songs there that tie in to two books that have been on my reading list during lockdown. “We Got the Beat” is a really important part of one of my favourite books called My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.

And that’s definitely a book that I’d say is only suitable for older listeners, but it’s a really tender horror novel set in the 1980s about a girl who’s tasked with saving her best friend from a brutal possession.

It’s a really beautifully written book which terrified me at some parts and at others made me absolutely sob with how gorgeous and relatable its depiction of friendship is and also laugh out loud at others. And “We Got the Beat” is kind of the song that brings these two friends together and it fills my heart with joy every time I hear it.

I’ve also been reading the autobiography of Sonic Youth bass player Kim Gordon called Girl in a Band which is full of salacious titbits regarding the art and music scene of the 1990s but it also features some interesting feminist hot takes on the roles that women are forced into within the music industry which gives some food for thought for any young marginalised artist up against such structures.

Having said that, Kim Gordon is very bougie and at some points I was also like, ‘Damn, this is the whitest, most middle class complaint I think I’ve ever heard about being a struggling artist’ but hey ho…I still love Sonic Youth and always will. And Kim remains my girl.

Books are an important part of what makes us happy here at Comics Youth so please: Create perfect uncluttered spaces for you to enjoy books in. String lights up like Winona in Stranger Things and build blanket forts – make a reading nook that truly brings you serenity and happiness.

And if all else fails, just blast some music and whip your hair back and forth.

This is a triple-decker of songs about the importance of refusing to assimilate to other people’s norms, dismissing the dumb things that people might have to say about you, and just living your truth and loving that truth and to heck with everyone else.

TRACK 8: “Whip My Hair” – Willow Smith
TRACK 9: “Part Of Me” – Katy Perry
TRACK 10: “Let ‘em Say” – Lizzo feat. Caroline Smith

I hope that triple-decker left you feeling seriously hyped about who you are! That was “Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith, followed by “Part Of Me” by Katy Perry as chosen by Tom, and we finished it with “Let ‘em Say” by Lizzo and Caroline Smith, which it was requested by Kay.
 
And that sentiment of just owning and loving who you are is really at the heart of all happiness, isn’t it? It can be a really difficult thing to say To heck with the noise, I’m amazing, my people are amazing, and none of us need to change who we are or how we feel in order to make those other bozos happy. But it’s also an important thing to learn how to say.

It’s all about making yourself happy first and foremost. And that’s a crucial thing to remember in all aspects of life. Sure, there are things and people that can bring you happiness and that’s always terrific. But you aren’t going to truly appreciate that happiness the way you deserve until you can figure out how to make yourself happy first.

Be your own hero. Be someone that your younger self would look at and be inspired by. Surround yourself with joy and positivity and don’t be afraid to just bin off the people or influences that make you feel otherwise.

And remember: Nothing and nobody has the right to make you feel anything less than pure joy about who you are.

And now to one of my personal heroes – because yes, even spooky goth girls like me need the occasional pop superstar to hang their hearts on – this is Britney Spears with “Circus”.

TRACK 11: “Circus” – Britney Spears
TRACK 12: “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John

Let me tell you a little story about one Britney Jean Spears: Former childhood member of The Mickey Mouse club, full-time adult member of the mental-ill-health-but-still-a-badass-boss club.

I love Britney Spears. When I was growing up as a young teen I really fought hard against my love for this teeny-bopper and then in about 2006 through to 2007, she went through a horrifying public meltdown where it seemed like the media were baiting for her to perish.

And she just clicked with me. And I remember reading news items about her and this breakdown and thinking, ‘damn, this could be me. This could be any one of my friends and this is horrible what is happening to this young woman who is clearly ill and about whom an entire industry was built just to make fun of and belittle her’.

Now, obviously there are more important people and icons in the world. There are more important people to look up to and to celebrate. But, in terms of basic comforts for staying alive, I take a lot of strength and happiness from one Britney Spears.

You might have seen the meme that has been recirculating during this hellscape of a year that says ‘if Britney can get through 2007, then you can get through 2020’ because AMEN to that, lovelies.

Cos she’s still going. She’s hanging tough. And she brought out a couple of albums following those difficult times which I think are two of the best of her career – Blackout and Circus – both of which kind of delve into ideas about owning who you are – even the messy, difficult parts – and living that truth without disclaimer or apology.

And following Britney we played “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John which offers similar sentiments about holding your head up proud and emerging strong and resilient from a difficult or traumatic situation.

Elton John similarly had a lot of demons he fought at the beginning of his life and career and he got past it and he fought hard to feel comfortable enough with who he is and happy about who he is, that he could tell everyone else to get in the bin.

And you know what? That’s what we all need to do. Fight for your happiness. Fight for your freedom to own and enjoy that happiness without judgement or discrimination. And enjoy the peace and calm that comes with just enjoying the present moment and who you are within it.

If you have a glowstick, you might want to give it a snap and shake right about now cos we’re delving into a 90’s dance classic here. These next two tracks were requested by Raf.

TRACK 13: “The Rhythm of the Night” – Corona
TRACK 14: “The Magic Spider” – Nekrogoblikon

That was “the Rhythm of the Night” by Corona followed by the wonderfully eccentric Nekro-gob-likon with “The Magic Spider”.

We’re coming close to the end of the show here so I just wanted to check in and see how you’re all feeling. Are we feeling good with this show today? Are we dancing? Are we smiling? Are we shaking some serious tush while launching Maltesers into our mouths? And if not, why not?!

Your challenge for today, if you choose to accept it, is to take even just one or two hours out of your day and dedicate them to doing things that make you – and nobody else – happy. Seek out those safe spaces and those banquets of joy and gorge yourself on their positive sustenance.

And in fact – don’t just do that today. Practice that every day. Go hunting for joy, catch it with a net, stuff it in your pockets, hold it in your mouth like the finest teat, circle it around your body like a hula hoop, wear it like a fine garment, devour it like a snack.

Just make it yours. And remember that you deserve it. This is “Mamma Mia” by ABBA and it was requested by Tom.

TRACK 15: “Mamma Mia” – ABBA
TRACK 16: “Apeman” – The Kinks

ABBA there followed by The Kinks with “Apeman” which was requested by Lucy and which is also one of my happy songs. In fact, that entire Kinks album Lola Versus Powerman is just pure happiness and such a comfort and that about wraps us up for another week, folks!

Next week’s episode is our Pride special where we’ll be celebrating LGBTQIA+ musical artists and sharing some work by the talented writers from our Safe Spaces group so you best believe that we’re excited for that one!

Until then, remember everything is not cool, but it can be. Stay safe, stay sassy, and my goodness – FIND AND HOLD ONTO YOUR HAPPINESS. And if all else fails, just think of David Bowie in Labyrinth. But keep it clean, alright? This is a family show.

So long, farewell, auf weidersein, and byeeeeeeeeee!

TRACK 17” “Magic Dance” – David Bowie

TRACK 1: “The Noise Came From Here” – Saul Williams

Hello, and welcome to episode seven of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco broadcasting live from the lonely streets of Fairfield and Kensington on day 7000 of lockdown with me – your frankly very frustrated and frazzled show host – Amy Roberts.  And you’re with me for the next 90 minutes of tunes and talk.

And opening today’s show was incredible writer, poet, musician, and activist Saul Williams with The Noise Came From Here.

You may have noticed that we didn’t do an episode last week and that was for a very good reason. While we understand at Comics Youth that silence isn’t constructive during times like these, we also recognise as a majority white organisation that it can be helpful to step back in order for other and more marginalised voices to be heard.

So, we took the time to listen and to reflect. And what we have here today is a Black Lives Matter special in which we strive not to speak for the BAME communities of the UK and beyond, but rather to use our platform and our privilege to highlight black voices and to share resources and sentiments with which to encourage education and activism in the fight against racism and white supremacy.

It isn’t enough right now to simply feel outraged about what’s happening in the world and what has been allowed to continue to happen for centuries. So, to our friends and supporters in the BAME community, we love you, we support you, we hear you, and we fight alongside you.

To our white friends and supporters, let’s all try harder. Let’s strive to educate ourselves – and not demand for others to educate us. Let’s speak out and challenge racism. Let’s work harder at using our privilege to dismantle the oppressive and violent structures that are deeply embedded within our society.

Let us not simply be satisfied with getting angry and taking to social media with it. That’s not enough. It’s never been enough. We’ve got work to do, and it needs to be done now. No justice, no peace.

We’d also like to add a content warning to this episode. While we’ve tried to avoid making it needlessly heavy – because everything is heavy enough right now – there are still songs and some content which reference violence against the black community, racism, and transphobia which some listeners may find difficult.

As a final note, while we’ve made every effort to keep the music in this episode as clean and expletive free as possible, there may still be some language left in that may be inappropriate for some younger listeners, so parental discretion is advised.

This is Pleasure Venom with “Seize”

TRACK 2: “Seize” – Pleasure Venom
TRACK 3: “1000 Deaths” – D’Angelo

That was Austin-based punk band Pleasure Venom with “Seize” followed by “1000 Deaths” by D’Angelo which opens with a really powerful sample from a speech by Malcolm X. Every song that we’ll be playing today are by black artists from the US and the UK which reflect on many of the issues that the Black Lives Matter campaign are continuing to highlight in the fight against police brutality, racism, and white supremacy. 

We have a really extensive Black Lives Matter resource doc up on the Comics Youth news blog which we’ve been working on as a team for the past couple of weeks. It features all sorts of information that we hope activists and allies of all ages will find helpful such as links to advice about immediate actions we can all take including petitions, staying safe in protests, how to write to your local MP, and various campaigns that you can be involved in that have been set up to promote lasting intersectional change and to challenge racist systemic structures within society.

But you’ll also find a whole bunch of educational stuff on there too so you can learn more about and understand  the issues and about how to be a good ally and a productive activist during all of this – and that includes some links to notable BAME creators, books, podcasts, syllabuses, and articles that we heartily recommend.

There’s all sorts on there and we’ll be dipping into that resource here and there throughout the show.

I would also like to just say that I understand and recognise the problems of a cis-gender white woman such as myself talking about a lot of the stuff we’re going to be talking about on this episode today – when we should be elevating a black voice here instead.

I don’t want to be speaking for or over anybody. I want to simply use my privilege, and the privilege of Comics Youth as a white majority organisation, and of this radio show to promote and support anti-racist action and to hopefully educate and signpost.

We’re always looking to do better and to learn and – not to sound like Frasier Crane, here – but we’re always listening and open to feedback. So please feel free to get in touch with me about absolutely anything to do with this show via [email protected].

But for now, let’s kick it to some Gil Scott Heron.

TRACK 4: “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” – Gil Scott-Heron
TRACK 5: “My Block” – Che Lingo

That was “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott Heron – and that came out in 1971 and yet it’s still such a bold and radical statement regarding the co-opting of political ideologies by big corporations and a call-to-action to challenge what you see in the media – how protests and politics are depicted. How people are depicted – you know?

In an interview in 1990, Gil Scott Heron said that the song is also about how a true protest and a true revolution cannot be accurately depicted on television or on the news because it can never show the complete picture. He said:

The first change that takes place is in your mind. You have to change your mind before you change the way you live and the way you move. The thing that’s going to change people is something that nobody will ever be able to capture on film. It’s just something that you see and you’ll think, "Oh I’m on the wrong page," or “I’m on the right page but the wrong note. And I’ve got to get in sync with everyone else to find out what’s happening in this country.
And following Gil Scott Heron was South West London MC Che Lingo with the powerful My Block. And obviously, I think that’s just a really powerful track by an extremely talented and rising young UK artist. But listening to the song the other day it also reminded me that we are so heavily influenced by American media and by American politics.

There is a lot happening in the US that we need to be aware of and to pay attention to. But we also have a lot of issues in the UK that we need to pay more attention to. We have a lot of issues in this country to do with institutionalised racism, police brutality, and structures of white supremacy – you only need to look at the actions of and listen to the words of our current government to see how high up and embedded racism is in this country.

These issues are outrageously alive and well in the UK. And they’re also right here in our own city and we have to continue to challenge them and to look out for one another and to speak up about injustice.

And with that in mind I wanted to do a dedication to Mzee Mohammed – the 18 year old boy who died in police custody in Liverpool in 2016. In 2018, an IPCC investigation determined that he died of natural causes.

I’m not going to respond to that. Except to say that Mzee Mohammed was an autistic teenager with ADHD who had gone into a store in an agitated state to claim he was being chased. Not much longer afterwards eight security guards, 18 police officers, a police dog, and a police helicopter were enlisted to detain him.

I’m still livid about this. And about the very little that was done in response following his death.

Mohammed’s family believed that this response was disproportionate and ultimately, lethal. Understandably, they wanted justice for this. And what they got instead was an inquiry that said ‘he died of natural causes’.

This shouldn’t be natural and it shouldn’t be normalised. This happened just four years ago in our own city  and truth be told, every one of us knows that this could happen again. We know that it does happen – it might not end with the same tragedy – but disproportionate and aggressive police responses to reported activities by black people in Liverpool and the UK are still happening.

And I’m sorry that I’m getting so upset about this on air. But I think all of us feel this right now. And I’m furious that this is still where we’re at. And that a protest song from 1971 – hell, protest songs from the 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s – that all of them still hit a chord and are intensely relative in 2020 when they shouldn’t be. We should be past this. We should have better structures and better protection and better life opportunities for the BAME community.

Let’s look out for one another, let’s continue to write to our local MP’s on these issues. Let’s stay loud and stay active and remain vigilant. This is Lauryn Hill with “I Find It Hard to Say”:

TRACK 6: “I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)” – Lauryn Hill
TRACK 7: “Way Out” – Big Joanie

That was Lauryn Hill with “I Find it Hard to Say” and that track is taken from her MTV Unplugged performance and it was followed by London punk feminists Big Joanie who I can’t recommend enough. I saw them live in Bristol a few years ago now and they remain one of my favourite UK bands at the moment.

Chardine Taylor-Stone from Big Joanie actually did a TED talk in 2016 about being a black, working class feminist where she reconciles what it means to be black and “alternative” and how being involved in punk subcultures can help to inform radical identities and activism for black women today. It’s called “Oh Bondage Up Yours: How Punk Music Can Turn You Into a Black Feminist” and I heartily recommend you search it out on YouTube and give it a watch.

As a side note before we bring the jams back, I read something really important by the wonderful Phoebe Robinson the other day on Instagram. Phoebe was one of the co-hosts of – what I think remains one of the best podcasts of all time - and that’s Two Dope Queens, a comedy podcast that she did with the equally wonderful Jessica Williams.

And she was basically responding to that really awful, misguided black and white video you’ve likely seen on social media by now that a load of white Hollywood actors put together where they read from a super apologetic, saccharine script to basically say “I take responsibility for any racism I’ve caused or been part of in my life.” And you know, the intention was good I’m sure – but wow, it also feels like a bunch of people who don’t know how to be human and are just putting on a performance to prove that, you know, they care about the issues, man!

It's a really disastrous, tone-deaf video and I was really upset to watch it – and people like Kristen Bell and Stanley Tucci and Justin Theroux who I generally respect as actors show up in it and it's like, oh no – not you too, Veronica Mars? What a disaster.

So, on Instagram Phoebe has quite rightly called this video out for everything it deserves. And I urge you to head over to her Instagram so you can read the whole statement from her on there. But one thing in particular really stood out to me and I think it’s an important one for all of us to remember at the moment – especially, for any white allies who are currently trying to educate themselves more by reading or watching or listening to media that explores a lot of the issues being brought by the Black Lives Matter movement.

I’ll read out what Phoebe says about it, because it’s a great thing to bear in mind right now and for always. She says, “Quit only consuming black works of art that are about race and suffering. Yes, they are important – but if you don’t watch “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” or listen to any Marvin Gaye songs except “What’s Going On?” or read books by black authors that aren’t in the canon, then you don’t see black humanity. We are much more than the trauma we endure.”

Which is very true. You only need to look at how an institution like the Academy Awards, for instance, will primarily only really shower awards on black creators and actors who explore the shared traumas of black communities or history or which show black suffering or slave narratives.

So, it’s something to bear in mind. Let’s enjoy and celebrate the whole diaspora of black art and experience – and not just the trauma and the painful parts.

It's worth noting that I understand the irony of talking about this during an episode where I’m also kind of doing the same with the songs I’ve chosen here. But I also wanted to keep that as part of the show – because an important part of all of this is for us to acknowledge when we might slip up or make a mistake or not contribute to things in the right way however well-intentioned we may be. All we can do is learn. All we can do is try harder and better next time.

But let’s stop with these mishandled celebrity videos for a bit shall we? Good grief.

TRACK 8: “Wake Up” – Rage Against The Machine
TRACK 9: “This Is America” – Childish Gambino

That was “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine followed by “This is America” by Childish Gambino which I had to furiously fade out at a crucial moment in order to avoid some big-time f-bombing – which we can’t have on this show - Lockdown! at the Disco is for the kids!

I wanted to do a quick shoutout to everyone who has been able to get down to the protests in support of Black Lives Matter that have been taking place in Liverpool. I know that with the pandemic being on not everyone has been able to get involved – maybe you have a health condition which needs you to continue shielding or maybe your mental health isn’t in a great place right now and the thought of a protest or being in a large crowd is just a little bit too much.

But just know that whatever it is that you’re doing to show your support and solidarity, that it’s also crucial that you put your health and your wellbeing first.

Don’t forget that if you’re attending protests to please make sure you wear a protective mask and gloves. Take a sufficient amount of water along with you and please, please, please continue to maintain a safe distance between yourself and others.

Please also remember that it has been confirmed by the UK Office of National Statistics that COVID-19 has a significantly higher impact on the black community, alongside people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Indian and Mixed ethnicities than that of those who are white.

Protect yourself. Protect your community.

And remember, if you can’t attend the protests – there’s still a lot you can do at home. On our Black Lives Matter resource list – which you can read via our news blog on ComicsYouth.co.uk – we have a list of things you can do to remain active in all of this right now.

You can write to your local MP to demand the export suspension of items like tear gas, rubber bullets, and riot shields which are being used against protestors in the US. And you can also write to your local MP about creating reform to the British Education System in making the current UK curriculum more BAME inclusive.

There are also a whole bunch of petitions which you can currently sign in helping to push for lasting intersectional change – and you’ll find a big list of some of those on our resource list. Keep on fighting the power, lovelies.

TRACK 10: “Fight The Power” – Public Enemy
TRACK 11: “Weary” – Solange

That was Public Enemy with “Fight the Power” followed by “Weary” by Solange.

Okay, pens on paper. Class is in session. We’re gonna do a quick lesson on a few important things right here.  

We wanted to take this moment to just make clear, one last time, some things about understanding privilege. Whether it’s something you feel you have a tight grasp of in understanding but wish other people in your life knew more about and don’t quite know how to explain it, or if it’s something you’re still grappling to get your head around – let’s carry on pushing forward with the notion that there is always room for growth and to learn and to educate.

In order to fight racism we have to understand language and the context of language – because language impacts thoughts and thoughts are what control the world. Okay?

So, lesson 1: Understand racial microaggressions
These are everyday negative actions such as slurs, insults or derogatory comments that are aimed at ethnic minorities in order to belittle them. And these can be everything from failing to learn the correct pronunciation of a person’s name, or asking where someone is “really” from.

Pay attention to these things. Call them out when you hear them. Be aware and moderate your own behaviour.

Lesson 2: Know what cultural appropriation is
This is the act of taking on a culture or behaviour of a group that you do not belong to. 

It can be healthy to promote exchanges of cultures and understand others way of life, but it becomes problematic when you stereotype these cultures and behaviours or begin to label it as your own.

A huge example of this can currently be seen within the LGBTQIA+ community with white queer people adopting the language of black, indigenous, people of colour and coining it as their own, such as “yas queen” or “spill the tea” etc. These are phrases that originated in the queer Black community and which have been wildly appropriated in mainstream white LGBTQIA+ culture.

Lesson 3: Colour Blind racism is counterproductive
This is a big one, people! You might think that making the statement that you “don’t see colour” is a progressive thing to say. But it actually does the opposite of the statement’s intended purpose.

Saying that you “don’t see colour” actually invalidates people of colour when what they actually want is for their heritage, culture and identity to be acknowledged without discrimination.

Thus concludes today’s lesson. Next time class is in session we’ll have to fist around in the ol’budget to see if we have the money for a nice bell. But err, somehow I don’t think the Comics Youth Radio sound effects department has the loose change for it.

Just remember, it’s okay to get it wrong. It’s okay to acknowledge that we might have been saying and doing the wrong things. So long as we learn and are open to learning and open to improving our understanding. Here’s Beyonce feat. Kendrick Lamar.

TRACK 12: “Freedom” – Beyonce feat. Kendrick Lamar
TRACK 13: “Carried Away” – Akala feat. Josh Osho

That was “Freedom” by Beyonce featuring Kendrick Lamar. And Kendrick quite rightly won the 2018 Pulitizer Prize for his album DAMN which features spectacularly powerful vignettes that capture and explore the diaspora of modern African-American life.

Obviously, we would have loved to have played a track from any of his albums but me mate Kendrick loves his explicit language in his songs so we couldn’t play them. But if you’re over 18 then I strongly urge you to give his back catalogue of music a thorough listen because the man’s a genius.

By the same token, I also hugely recommend the new Run the Jewels album which dropped last week I think – and they made it free to download, or for donation towards the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Fund which provides legal support for political activists, protestors and movements for social change. It’s a phenomenal album and a real defining musical moment for 2020.

Following Beyonce, we had Akala with “Carried Away”. If you don’t know Akala, I can’t promote him enough. He’s an incredible writer, musician, political commentator and academic. A few years ago he released an incredible book called Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire in which – via personal, social, historical, and political exploration – he confronts issues of race and class at the heart of the legacy of Britain’s racialised empire.

There’s also a whole bunch of incredible YouTube videos with him challenging a lot of modern political discourse surrounding race and class in modern Britain which are more than worthy of your time. One video in particular which stands out is Akala addressing black history and how it’s been written out of so much of modern understanding of the world  during a full hour long address at Oxford University.

TRACK 14: “Sound Of Da Police” – KRS-One
TRACK 15: “Don’t Shoot” – Shea Diamond

First up there was the iconic KRS One with “Sound of Da Police”. KRS One is such a legendary New York MC and he’s also a big lover of our fair city and has worked with a few local MC’s and I think done some community work here too. I think every one of my mates has shared a juice with him at one local establishment or another over the years and he’s a really good egg.

Following that was musician and transgender rights activist Shea Diamond. And as it’s Pride month, I wanted to close this episode down with an impassioned reminder that TERFs are no friends of ours. JK Rowling can get in the bin.

And with the horrific news of yet more violence committed against black trans people, we wanted to share our love once more to all of our transgender listeners, supporters and friends: We love you and we’ve got you. Black trans lives matter.

And that brings our show to a close! Next week, we’re hoping to do a show which can uplift us all a little bit after a very difficult couple of weeks. So, we’re going to be bringing some big bops and positive energy to the show – because in order to fight this world right now and keep pushing forward we need to find the right headspace and sniff out little pockets of joy wherever we can.

The week after that we’re planning our Pride special which we’re putting together with the very talented young people from our Safe Spaces group as part of our second Safe Spaces online takeover. We’re very excited to develop and to bring you that treat.

So, until next time: Stay safe and stay sassy. Everything is not cool, but it can be. We love you all and we’ve got this, okay? This is Maya Angelou with Still I Rise.

TRACK 16: “Still I Rise” – Maya Angelou

Hello my lovelies! Another week is out of the way and we’re another minute, hour, afternoon, day, week, and month closer to some manner of normality!

You’re listening to episode #5 of Lockdown! at the Disco on Comics Youth Radio with me – your host Amy Roberts, broadcasting live from the windy oasis of Fairfield and Kensington for the next 90 mins or so. But possibly longer because this is a hefty, wonderful playlist we have here and I will likely lose control of the time in this vast black hole of time that we’re living in.

Today’s episode is all above LOVE. And before we really get into it, I wanted to share a reminder that while society puts far too much emphasis on the idea of romantic love, we won’t be doing the same.

Like, sure – okay - having someone to swoon over and smooch and hold hands with is lovely but it’s no less wonderful or important than platonic love or familial love – the way you feel about your buds and your people and your family. And it’s definitely not a priority over the love that you need to show to yourself.

SO - -

With that in mind, this is going to be an episode about love in the purest, most foundational, and essential sense.

This is an episode about self-care and kindness.

It’s an episode about taking care of yourself while also taking care of whatever community is currently helping your heart to bloom during these dark days.

It’s an episode about letting your geek flag fly and nurturing your passions, whatever they may be.

It’s an episode about standing up tall and proud and resilient against the pain and the unjust and the struggle of the world and of shouting into the abyss of all that to remind the universe that you are awesome, that you are enough, and that you are going to get yourself through.

This episode is about love being the message and you being the mouthpiece – about love being the space we should all pivot from to find calm and meaning and happiness and growth.

It’s about looking square into the eyes of the things that cause you hurt and suffering, rising above it all and saying a huge NOPE to the bad things and a HUGE heck yeah to the good. So, let’s kick this vibe off with… Screaming Females covering Taylor Swift…? Yes, honey!

TRACK #1: “Shake It Off” – Screaming Females

TRACK #2: “Water Me” – Lizzo

That was the incredible Screaming Females with their live cover of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” which they did for The A.V. Club Sessions followed by the holy, the sacred, the precious Lizzo with “Water Me”.

And you know, say what you like about Taylor Swift but “Shake It Off” is such a phenomenal anthem about rising above the noise, not relying on other people to bring your happiness, and finding joy and serenity first and foremost in yourself. And I think Screaming Females really blast that point home with their raucous take on it.

And naturally, we had to play a Lizzo track in this episode because she is the absolute patron saint of anthems about finding and nurturing love for yourself. And “Water Me” is just such a self-care jam.

It’s a song to pop while you’re doing your skincare regime, or while dancing in front of your mirror in the morning so you can celebrate how strong and bombastic you look, or for just taking a moment out of your day to pause and say Yeah, you know what? I’m sound.

Hopefully you also noticed that this past week has been mental health awareness week – and if you haven’t, then you need to be checking in our social media feeds a little more, honey! – but hopefully you have seen some signposts around online or on TV regarding ways that we can all acknowledge and take better care of our mental health.

And certainly, one major way to do that is to pay attention to yourself and really listen to what your mind and your body is telling you. Be kind to yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help as and when you’re struggling, either. I know that takes a lot to do sometimes, but it could be the best thing that you ever do.

When my mental health is bad, I try to treat myself the way that I treat all of my most dearest people when they’re going through a tough time and I strongly recommend that as something very small that you can for yourself right now, to be honest.

Give yourself compliments, reward yourself heavily with treats and great food, give yourself room to roam and space to sprawl and do the things that make you feel good. Because all of that is love and you deserve it. All the time. 24/7. Non-stop love.

You hear me? Okay. Good.

Next up we have “Death Note” by Speedy Ortiz – a song that obviously takes its title from the manga and anime series of the same name wherein a supernatural notebook performs deaths upon the names of the people written inside it. The song is nowhere near as dark, thankfully. But it as good, in my opinion.

If you listen close to the lyrics you’ll find that “Death Note” is nowhere near as dark as the manga and anime where it gets its name but is in fact an ode to the cathartic power of writing. It’s song about how scribbling down notes to yourself can be a powerful means for processing personal pain or for just reflecting on an important moment or feeling.

And I think that counts for anything creative – whether you’re using a computer or your phone or a notepad to doodle or scribble or to write – using these tools as a means to express what’s happening in your life and your world right now can sometimes be a difficult and painful process. But its also a really worthwhile one and something that’s great for your mental health and for healing.

So just remember how Speedy Ortiz tell it:  Even the darkest of scribbles can lead to the mightiest moments of enlightenment. No matter how painful the feelings behind your writing or artwork may be, remember they all have the power to be love letters to yourself.

TRACK #3: “Death Note” – Speedy Ortiz

TRACK #4: “Protection Spells” – Pom Pom Squad

That was Speedy Ortiz followed by Pom Pom Squad with “Protection Spells” which is a dreamy little love song about allowing yourself to be vulnerable and allowing yourself to just feel whatever it is that you’re feeling for another person. Which can be easier said than done, admittedly.

Sometimes when we get super close to other people – be it as pals or a crush or a romance – our first instinct can be to pull away or to sabotage or to just dampen the noise of it all. It takes real guts to really let your heart be as loud as it wants to and to really, seriously pay attention to what it’s saying and to act on it. And I think “Protection Spells” kind of nails that idea.

When I first heard that song I was entranced by the fact that it sounds like something you’d hear on the soundtrack to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You know?

Like, maybe Willow and Tara are casting a spell to it in their bedroom or maybe Pom Pom Squad are the special guest stars playing in The Bronze while Spike and Buffy eyeball each other from opposite ends of the room…

..ERR..

OH NO, where am I going with this?! - Coming soon to Lockdown! at the Disco, indie rock buffy fanfic! – in next week’s episode, Tacocat slay demons with Xander!

Oh jeez. ANYWAY - - all of this is to say that growing up, Buffy was very much my thing.

And I think everyone has their thing – a show or book or film series or band who just helps keep them trucking through everyday life.

And that’s a part of love that we rarely discuss in a tangible, serious way as a society – and it’s a love that deserves some recognition, dammit!

It’s important to have something or someone to stan for – and it can be really genuinely lovely and nurturing to be part of a fandom who understand and share your love for something.

Being part of a community like that is so good for the soul and for your wellbeing and for just wasting some time – which we have a lot of right now – just chatting absolute wham with your fellow geeks online.

So I hope you’ve all being finding comfort in whatever your thing is during lockdown and that you have some kind of a community behind you for when you just want to chat about the things that you love with people who share your enthusiasm for it.

I know most of us nerds at Comics Youth have always found comfort in such things.

And when I need comfort, I find myself rewatching the musical episode of Buffy. And I’m not gonna say how many times in the past year that I’ve rewatched “Once More with Feeling” – because that’s frankly a damning figure that I will take to my grave – but just know that its definitely more times than is absolutely necessary. But that’s just because it brings me a lot of happiness.

It’s very much an episode about facing up to your true feelings – even the awful, painful, most difficult ones – and leaning on the people you love and who love you to help you to get through and past those hard times together. So yeah, it’s very much an episode about love.

So why the heck not, we can play whatever we want here at Comics Youth Radio! Here’s a tune that perfectly embodies all of that from Once More with Feeling – this is “I’ve Got a Theory / Bunnies/ If We’re Together” on Comics Youth Radio and I’m playing it for all my fellow Slayer nerds at Comics Youth:

TRACK #5: “I’ve Got a Theory / Bunnies/ I’ve We’re Together” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

TRACK #6: “The Weapon” – Harry and the Potters

You can always rely on Lockdown! at the Disco and Comics Youth Radio to play some very niche nerdy tracks.

There we had a track from the Buffy musical episode and following that was “The Weapon” by Harry and the Potters and I’m playing both of them for Rhiannon and Anna and Kay and just all the Buffy and Harry Potter nerds at Comics Youth.

I’m one of those rare losers who never vibed with Harry Potter, I’ll be honest. So, soz about me. Somehow, I know that I’m Slytherin though – for whatever that’s worth. Maybe if JK Rowling had put some more – or any – vampires in those Harry Potter books I might have turned heel and fell in love with them. But, alas…

We’re gonna jump straight back into some music here because I’ve been talking too much this episode already and sometimes love just needs space and quiet, you know?

So I’m gonna give that to you fine people via two of the loveliest love songs ever written. Starting with Otis Redding – who remains one of the greatest voices on love. I hope you’re all ready to grab your cat or your fave cuddly toy or yourself, like Audrey in Twin Peaks, and do a swoonworthy slow dance to “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and it was requested by our Lucas.

TRACK #7: “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” – Otis Redding

TRACK #8: “Lovesong” – The Cure

The unparalleled Otis Redding there followed by The Cure with “Lovesong” and we’re playing that for all our goths cos it was World Goth Day the other day and we’re an office full of goths. So we gotta pay our respects.

And that song was actually written by The Cure frontman Robert Smith as a wedding present for his bride-to-be Mary Poole in 1988. And one of the things I love about this song is that though it was obviously written for a romantic purpose, it’s a song that also works on a platonic level as well.

With all the distance that we all currently have between ourselves and some of the people that we love, “Lovesong” by The Cure offers a reminder that love manages to remain, even when it’s stretched out across miles and feels blurry and far away.

It still has the power to sustain and to remain and – to quote another Cure song – feel close to you still.

Now for something entirely different, though. Let’s talk about pets – ooh that came out a bit Salt N Pepa, didn’t it? YIKES! – ANYWAY, if we’re gonna chat about love then we need to include our furbabies and our animal pals in this conversation too.

So, this next track goes out to every last one of your beautiful pets. To the cats, the dogs, the lizards, the rats, the goldfish, the cheeky tarantulas and whatever other critter you call family.

Pull them close to the speaker because this is a song by Aesop Rock about his cat – and it’s a really lovely ode to pets and to how they can really help you through rough times and really improve your mental health sometimes.

This track is called “Kirby” and I’m playing it in memorium of my beautiful, silly, chaotic kitty Miguel  - and to all the pets who have passed or who are present.

TRACK #9: “Kirby” – Aesop Rock

TRACK #10: “This Modern Love” – Bloc Party

That was “This Modern Love” by Bloc Party and it still has the power to bring me to my knees haha.

If you want to feel your heart combust then I strongly recommended searching for Owen Pallett’s cover version of that song on YouTube. Owen was the violinist for Arcade Fire when they first started out and he plays all the parts of this song on the violin using a loop pedal and his vocal performance on it is just something else. In fact the whole construction and performance of it is just something else entirely.

So make a note of it and hunt it down after the show.

There’s a real battle expressed in that song of trying to consolidate personal feelings for someone with the reality of those feelings. It can be all too easy sometimes to fall for the fantasy of a scenario or a person when the reality sadly doesn’t actually measure up to your needs.

Which brings us to the inevitable romance section of this episode. But just remember, platonic romance is also a thing. You can still totally crush on a pal and have it mean nothing more than you appreciating how cool and awesome and boss they are. I

n fact, they’re the friendships and the crushes that we should all aspire to have. You know? Just being a solid cheerleader for a pal and raising your pom poms to their awesomeness 24/7!

But, of course, you can also crush on someone in a less than platonic way. And whether those feelings are reciprocated or not and whether you’re lucky enough to be in a relationship with the person you’re crushing on, just remember to enjoy it. Even if it hurts a little. Even if it leads you a little bit astray or makes you act a little goofy here and there. ENJOY IT!

It’s good to learn patience when it comes to matters of the heart. It’s not something that can or should be rushed, people. And while we’re in lockdown there is no chance of romance being rushed along at all is there? I think a lot of people are stuck in a romantic limbo right now.

With that in mind, this next song is about the struggle of long distance relationships – which is something many of us are dealing with right now – but it can also be a song about a one-sided crush, if that’s where your heart is currently pitched.

This is Caroline Polachek with “So Hot Your Hurting My Feelings”.

TRACK #11: “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” – Caroline Polachek

TRACK #12: “Just What I Needed” – The Cars

What a song! That was “Just What I Needed” by The Cars and it was just what I needed haha. It is always just what I need, to be honest! And before that was “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” by Caroline Polachek.

I wanted to give my usual weekly shoutout to our amazing Safe Spaces posse – who really help to curate these playlists and to inform and inspire much of the vibe of this radio show if I’m being perfectly honest.

Our Safe Spaces group is one of the most wholesome and supportive and creative tiny communities I’ve ever encountered in my life and I’m so proud of every last member of our amazing group.

One of the highlights of my week is being able to lead our Safe Spaces session with all these amazing young people – who are genuinely some of the most talented writers and artists I’ve ever worked with – and just seeing them elevate and celebrate each other during this difficult time.

You are all superstars and we love you very much. We’ll be talking a little more about this group in a little bit but first, we have a bolshy treat of a runaway love song requested by Rosie from our Safe Spaces group. This is “Lacy Loo” by The Regrettes.

TRACK #13: “Lacy Loo” – The Regrettes

TRACK #14: “Just” – Swearin’

“Lacy Loo” by The Regrettes there followed by “Just” by Swearin’ which is such a Summer song, I feel?

So that’s really fun to listen to during a Summer when we’re all kind of trapped inside just dreaming about the summer that could have been. Sorry.

You know what else is a great summer activity? Just letting your heart blaze like the summer sun with rage about incompetent governments and being lied to time and time again by incompetent governments and being gaslit over and over by incompetent governments and yeah, what a fun time this is?!

But anyway, I took a vow not to be getting too political during these broadcasts so that’s the last I’ll be saying about that for today. But just know I’m as angry as you are right now about all of what is happening right now and that’s cool.

We’re angry because we love our community and our city and our region and we want to protect it from the buffoonery of the clown college rejects in charge of everything at the moment.

I went off on one again didn’t I? Haha – SORRY! Let’s bring it back to some classic love songs shall we?

I am unable to listen to this next song without absolutely sobbing – and I also can’t listen to it without striking a Karen O pose at particular moments of it either. Raising my fist like Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club and letting a single tear roll down my face as I do so.

I’ll be lucky if it’s just a single tear to be honest. Get the tissues ready, folks. This is “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

TRACK #15: “Maps” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

TRACK #16: “Letter to Memphis” – Pixies

I tried really hard to pick a song to follow up Maps with that’s a bit more upbeat to give my eyes time to dry. And “Letter to Memphis” by the Pixies certainly qualifies. It also works really well in tandem as a sibling song to “Maps” in that its about trying to broach the distance between yourself and a loved one. And to say Hey, I’m still here and I still love you.

Which is kind of our current mantra to all of you at Comics Youth right now: We’re still here and we still love you.

Aaaaand we’re coming towards the end, folks! It’s in sight! So let’s keep these tunes blasting – and maybe give my face and my heart a little more time to recover from the emotional annihilation of “Maps”.

This is The Only Ones with the amazing “Another Girl Another Planet” and it was requested by our Ste.

TRACK #17: “Another Girl Another Planet” – The Only Ones

TRACK #18: “A Life Less Ordinary” – Ash

Those are both songs that I completely forgot about until I was putting this playlist together. The Only Ones with “Another Girl Another Planet” followed by “A Life Less Ordinary” by Ash. Which, I’ve never been a huge Ash fan – I saw them live once when I was a teenager and it remains to this day one of the worst live shows I’ve ever been to – but that song makes my stomach flip and my head fill with dreams and it’s just an absolute sweetheart of a song.

And we need all the musical sweethearts we can get right now. Love Hearts for the ears.

As we wrap up this episode about love, I wanted to close things down with a couple of songs that provide sweet reminders about enjoying the little things in life.

Love is many a great thing – but it can also be found in the little things too. So pay attention to them, you know?!

Love can be found in a nice cup of tea or a great book on a rainy day or in eating a dirty slice of pizza in bed with a trashy movie or in finding the last pack of dark chocolate hob nobs on the shelf in the supermarket.

Love is finding the moments and the actions and the people that make your heart soar. And sometimes that just means finding love in the everyday and the mundane – even when your life is struggling to catch up with your dreams.

And on that vibe, here’s Feist with “Mushaboom” and it was requested by Rhiannon.

TRACK #19: “Mushaboom” – Feist

TRACK #20: “Love Today” – MIKA

That was “Love Today” by MIKA and it was requested by Raf who says of it “it’s a whole bop about loving and feeling loved back in the same way.”

Thanks for sharing that with us, Raf and for helping us to close out this episode with something really upbeat and joyful.

Next week’s episode is going to be our Safe Spaces special with a playlist curated by our Safe Spaces gang and it will include content written by them about ways that we can create and maintain spaces that are safe, welcoming, protective, and joyful online and at home.

So until then my lovelies – remember that everything is not cool right now, but it can be. Stay safe and stay sassy and remember that none of us are alone right now. We’re all here as a unit and we’re all navigating this same road together at the same time. We love you and we’ve got you – we are not two, we are one. This is “Strangers” by The Kinks and me, signing off and saying tara until next time…

TRACK #21: “Strangers” – The Kinks