guilty pleasures

friends supporting friends

Would you look at this masterpiece

The violinist is Alexander Rybak, a Belorussian violinist whose family defected from the USSR to Norway. One of the songs he’s mashing up is his own “Fairytale”, Norway’s entry that won the 2009 Eurovision.

The other song, which is the one playing on the amp, is “Stefania” by the Kalush Orchestra, Ukraine’s entry that won the 2022 Eurovision. The song is about the writer’s own mother, and also about mothers who protect their children from war. Once Russia invaded, the song became a war anthem.

That's James Maddison's flute. James Maddison owned over 100 slaves. Due to debts he had to sell land and slaves over his lifetime. By the time of his death he owned 36 slaves. No slaves were freed during his lifetime or in his will.

The power that this successful Black woman has over his legacy right now.

Not just playing his flute, but shaking her ass while playing his flute.

Oh, the white supremacists are so mad.

You know how often people play instruments that are hundreds of years old? Instruments are made to last hundreds of years. They're preserved through use. First chair violinists in major orchestras often use violins that are centuries old.

My aunt owns and sells instruments both young and old, and it's a huge dishonor to the memory of the creator to demand that the instrument go in a museum never to be used.

She invited Lizzo by @ her on Twitter because she saw Lizzo would be in town for her tour. Lizzo spent three hours touring the LoC and looking at historic flutes in the collection.

Carla Hayden was previously the head librarian of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, which is the city library organization for Baltimore. She kept the libraries open during the Freddie Gray riots so people would have a safe place to bring their kids.