Summerabbacat

Why thank you kind sir. I am an opinionated SOB and have no literary or musical talent of my own, hence my propensity for commenting ad infinitum on those who do. I note you have changed your profile photograph. Is this the newly-retired, relaxed and carefree Gary look? You appear to have a healthy tan too.

I think you might be right. I imagine Megan would find it very amusing too, maybe even hot. If Dr Kinky was with her he would probably give Kai and Adam feedback on their performance.

And should he have to adjust all his routine and behaviour to suit Kai @centexhairysub? Certainly some of Adam's regimented behaviour is somewhat excessive (the newspaper folded the wrong way, LOL), but being "uncomfortable" when Kai's family visit whenever the fancy takes them (especially as early as 8.15am), perfectly understandable. I would be less than happy in such a situation. Perhaps Kai's family will also have to compromise a little and not just drop in unannounced at any time, although Adam does seem very understanding (much nicer than me). Fortunately for Adam and Kai they are both morning people and neither seems to have an issue with "morning breath". I am not a morning person at all and wear a C-PAP machine during the night so I know what my breath is like first thing (not much better than the cats' litter trays). Their little wake up routine was endearing, but imagine if it had led to a more amorous situation and Megan turned up unannounced. She may have got more than she bargained for. A delightful chapter @Andr0gene. Adam is keen to please Kai and "relax" some of his quirks; I just hope he retains some though as they are part of his charm (the incorrectly folded newspaper quirk can go though, and quickly).

To quote another beloved singer of mine @weinerdog, Que Sera Sera.

Not from me. The comment above was just a bit of spur-of-the-moment silliness because I have been unwell on an off for the past few months with a winter virus which has left me very tired and grumpy. When @Cane23 made his complimentary remarks about Kylie after chapter 1 it got me thinking happier thoughts, which have been rare of late. Music is one thing which usually cheers me up and a story in which music is going to play a big part is bound to have a positive impact. And it has to some extent (if only it could drive the virus away for good though).

My apologies in advance @Mark Ponyboy Peters for singing the "budgie's" praises but I just have to write the following little bit of nonsensical fluff in recognition of @Cane23's impeccable taste and the sheer joy this story has brought to me to date: It certainly looks like the Word Is Out that Tim is gay and I don’t think Guy is at all Shocked. Tim needs to Breathe, Slow, and share his Finer Feelings with Guy. Put your Hand On Your Heart Tim, take a Step Back In Time and extend an invitation to Guy "Come Into My World". Say something to him, Magic if necessary, as the only way you will experience Some Kind Of Bliss is to stop Spinning Around and confess to him, I just "Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”. Take a trip to Where The Wild Roses Grow and profess your Love At First Sight, after all What Kind Of Fool does not know that it is Better The Devil You Know. On A Night Like This, when a Celebration is to be had, scream out "I Should Be So Lucky". Well may you say "What Do I Have To Do" to Guy, to which he will reply "Confide In Me but Give Me Just A Little More Time because All The Lovers will never ignite you to 100 Degrees like I can as I am not like The Other Boys". Sorry, I Did It Again. Maybe I have eaten too much Chocolate tonight. Now I have Got To Be Certain that I can get off this bloody Locomotion so Get Outta My Way before the Kids have me committed.

So many references to song titles in this chapter and I don't think the boys even realised it. In a short space we had Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad by Meatloaf (I would expect both Tim and Guy picked up on this one), Downtown by Petula Clark (a 1960s' gem and I love the cover The B-52's did on their debut album), Bus Stop by Fatback Band (I know not quite the full song title) and Milkshake by the Village People (another Can't Stop The Music reference @Mark Ponyboy Peters). It appears the attraction between Tim and Guy will be solidified very early in this story. The only disadvantage for Tim in having such an accepting friend in Ben is that Ben forgets that not everyone is as accepting as he is. His size and position in the rugby team may assist in protecting Tim and Guy if they are outed at school and get any grief because of this. Although he has not given any indication of his stance, I sense Snowy may be an ally too if necessary. I recalled Guy's back story @Mark Ponyboy Peters, but got the wrong parent. I had thought he moved to town with his father rather than his mother. I had to look up what a Mitsubishi Galant was too. I vaguely remembered the name, but I cannot say I recall the car after looking at it on Google. My father used to have a Sigma but I cannot recall if it was a Chrysler Sigma or a Mitsubishi Sigma. I have never owned a car and have not driven one for almost 40 years, hence my ignorance of most things automotive.

I think Thompsonville may have been the first one I read @Mark Ponyboy Peters. If it is the one I think it is then it is your magnum opus IMO.

I think I have read many of the Thompsonville stories in the wrong order too @Al Norris, either on crvboy or Nifty. It has been interesting to see how much I have remembered of each of the stories thus far. I remembered a lot of After We Danced, very little of The Rip and so far most of Song For Guy. I seem to remember a lot more about Scott and Justin though, so I am assuming they must feature heavily in a later story.

I do remember records @Al Norris, in fact, I still have about 200 albums on vinyl (most of which I also have on CD, which is ridiculously wasteful). I have to say apart from a few of the songs from Tommy as sung by others, the only song by The Who I can recall is Who Are You?

I grappled with the correct word to describe my response @Andr0gene and did not want to use misogynistic because I think it is a word which is overused and to some extent has had its true meaning diluted. I toyed with abhorrent, revolting, offensive and grotesque, but in hindsight probably should have stuck with misogynistic. Having said this, I can see, once again in hindsight, in "Dr Kinky speak" it is less likely to have the degree of "offensiveness" it would have had if it were the words of a more traditional male (dare I say a Republican supporting, gun-toting, right-wing, religious nut job).

I may forgive @Mark Ponyboy Peters for not being a Kylie fan, but I cannot forgive myself for spelling Dannii's name as Danni. How dare I be so careless. I love the triple K @Cane23. Very clever. Perhaps the Australian Tourism Board (or some such organisation) should take note of this.

I am only familiar with the film version of Tommy @Al Norris and remember seeing it when I was 12 or 13 and being somewhat impressed. I bought it on DVD a few years ago and watched it again and was even more impressed. I have seen quite a few Ken Russell films and have without exception liked them all, including Tommy. Tina Turner was the highlight for me; astonishing performance and her vocal on Acid Queen was otherworldly.

You may remember @Mark Ponyboy Peters that the single and the album both peaked at #1 in Australia and the movie was hugely popular too. It was popular in New Zealand too, but hugely unpopular in the USA (the anti-disco backlash) and not too popular much of anywhere else either. I occasionally watch the movie on DVD and listen to the soundtrack on CD, both of which are a "guilty pleasure". I will forgive you for not being a Kylie or Danni fan. I have to say I was not a Kylie fan to begin with (apart from the gloriously trashy I Should Be So Lucky) until she hit with Better The Devil You Know, and from that moment on I have been on Team Kylie. I have seen her twice in concert in Sydney and was surprised she sang far better than I thought she would (and she was not lip synching).

Acerbic, brilliant word to describe Vaughan @CincyKris. I too look forward to Mother and Gran meeting. I predict they will either get along famously or detest each other. If the latter, I can see each trying to outdo the other, with I imagine very funny results.

Nothing wrong with "cheesy" at all @Paladin, in fact I prefer "cheesy" to something with depth usually (hence why I love Can't Stop The Music, both the album and the much-maligned trashy movie, one of life's great guilty pleasures).

Your memory serves you well @Mark Ponyboy Peters. In 1976 the songs at # 1 on the pop charts up to and including Howzat were: Mamma Mia by ABBA (it's 1st week at #1 was on 03/11/1975 when it knocked I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA off # 1), SOS by ABBA, Jump In My Car by Ted Mulry Gang (6 weeks at # 1), Convoy by C. W. McCall, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Fernando by ABBA (14 weeks at # 1) and Howzat by Sherbet (4 weeks at #1). ABBA had two more # 1 hits that year with Dancing Queen (8 weeks at # 1) and Money, Money, Money (6 weeks at # 1). Not surprisingly Fernando was #1 for the year and for the entire 1970's with Bohemian Rhapsody #2, Dancing Queen #3, Howzat #4 and Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton & Kiki, which knocked Howzat off #1, #5 for the year. The Best Of ABBA was the biggest selling album of the year with ABBA (self-tiled album) at #3 and Arrival (which was only released in October) at #6. Halcyon days when Arrival supposedly had pre-release sales of 700,000 copies. I remember the hysteria when Arrival was released in Australia because it featured Fernando as it did in New Zealand (but nowhere else in the world was this the case), Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money and the yet-to-be released Knowing Me, Knowing You. Arrival will always be my all-time favourite album; it moves me like no other album before or since. Do you remember the Sherbet v Skyhooks "rivalry" @Mark Ponyboy Peters, which was essentially the Sydney v Melbourne rivalry? Of course, Molly Meldrum encouraged it too because it was good for both bands. I like the majority of Sherbet's singles, but Skyhooks for me were on another plane altogether. Although they had long disbanded, I was very upset when "Shirley" Strachan was killed in the helicopter accident.

I loathe Disco Duck by Rick Dees though @Cane23, and was not overly fond of Get Off by Foxy or Let's All Chant by Michael Zager Band.

A good influence then I see. I love it when you write things such as 'The décor was hideous, modern decorator with the room’s 1930s bones rather well hidden, alas.'

Phantom is my favourite ALW musical too @Cane23, although Don't Cry For Me Argentina will always be my favourite ALW song (Julie Covington's version only, not the hideous version by Madonna). Jason Donovan, mmm well. I have liked his performance in a couple of Australian TV shows from yesteryear, but his SAW-produced music left me underwhelmed, which is odd because I liked/loved much of what they did with Kylie, Bananarama and Dead Or Alive, and most of the album they did with Donna Summer. Disco is my favourite genre of music so we shall never speak of it again .

Me too @Gary L; the kind of laugh I imagine Dame Helen Mirren or one of my favourite British actresses, Frances Barber, could deliver in such circumstances. Mother proved once again to be a delightful mix of age-appropriate behaviour and a smidgen of mischief or sauciness. She clearly believes Vaughan has chosen well in Dante. I hope we see more of her in the future (hint hint @Robert Hugill). Gran proved to be a big surprise, to me at least. She appears to have accepted her beloved Dante is not going to meet a nice girl (Italian of course) and settle down and give her grandchildren. I find it very amusing that people such as Gran, who struggled with Dante being gay, once accepted revert to the old chestnut "when are you getting married". Part of me is annoyed by such questions, but a larger part is overjoyed that Gran is now "blind" to Dante being gay, she just wants him to be happy and for her happiness is "sealed" by marriage. The fact that it is an option for Dante and Vaughan and one Gran is encouraging them to consider, overrides any shred of annoyance I still possess. I have to ask @Robert Hugill do you/did you work in the fashion industry or is it that your research is painstaking? I have noted your comments previously on fashion for both genders, but on this occasion it was a little deeper than usual, what with Gran's 'toning hat' and her 'striking dress, bias-cut heavy silk, two colours, geometric with contrast of colour and texture'. Google informed me what a bias-cut dress is, but I could find no reference to a toning hat, other than hats sometimes being two-toned. I think @Gary L chose the perfect adjective for this chapter, exquisite; just like Gran's frock if Vaughan is to be believed (I just had to use the word "frock", it is such a great word).

And you may be surprised to read this @Cane23, but I saw Cats once and thought it was shit (although I do like Memory). I don't think I would refer to it as a rock opera though, but then WTF do I know, I don't like The Beatles or Aretha Franklin and unashamedly love Boney M. (but I did not like Milli Vanilli).

I imagine it would be relatively easy to write something cheesy @Paladin, but something with depth maybe not so straight forward. Another idea they could toy with is to write a revue as music can be a wonderful inspiration for critiquing topical issues and events.

Given it's a Catholic High School it could not be anything else @centexhairysub, but I do like your "subversive" suggestion. Imagine the uproar. Delicious. There are many other great Australian acts who could have been mentioned @weinerdog and @Cane23 besides your suggestions of INXS (I loved their Underneath The Colours, Shabooh Shoobah and The Swing albums) and our Kylie (love everything she has done except for the execrable Locomotion, which was the biggest selling single in Australia in the 1980's, and Especially For You). One should not forget though that she is but one of two fabulous Minogue's. IMO the following small selection are also very worthy of mention: Renee Geyer, now deceased, extraordinary soulful voice Marcia Hines Icehouse Skyhooks Sherbet John Paul Young The Dugites Models I'm Talking (only released one album) Real Life (only released two albums I think) I am showing my age as all the aforementioned were at their most successful in the 1970's and 1980's, apart from Kylie who continues to shine. I have also read this story before and had forgotten about Ben, but as soon as I read his name I remembered his "full story". A great friend for Tim to have, even with the comment "Just, ummm, keep your hands to yourself. Okay?". I can forgive him because he was only 14 at the time and obviously got over himself as he seemed to have no qualms later with affection when he placed his arm around Tim's shoulders. The rock operas mentioned are an eclectic bunch. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar when I was about 10 I think with Jon English, Trevor White and the aforementioned Marcia Hines (an African American from Boston who came to Australia at the age of 16 for a role in Hair and stayed, and is an Aussie icon). I have never seen a stage production of any of the others mentioned, but have seen the movie versions of Tommy, Grease and Rocky Horror Picture Show, the latter two of which are amongst my all-time favourite movies. And of course, Tim's mention of Bat Out Of Hell, an album which in of itself is a mini-rock opera and the best-selling album ever in Australia (much to my disgust, it has sold even more copies than ABBA Gold, The Best Of Abba, Arrival and ABBA, all of which are in the top 20 selling albums of all time in Australia, with The Best Of Abba being the first album ever to sell over 1 million copies in 1976 when our population was about 13 million). As much as I don't like what I have read about Meatloaf in recent years (Trump supporter for a start), Bat Out Of Hell is a great album. Off to a great start again @Mark Ponyboy Peters. The only thing I did not like was the reference to cutting up the rat in science class. I refused to do it when I was at school and am even more opposed to such things now. I wonder if it is still done in high schools? I suspect it is, an appalling indictment of our species. Suffice to say I am vehemently opposed to using non-human animals for any kind of experiments, including product testing. Have I said enough @CincyKris and @Cane23? I could probably write more words than this chapter if I were just writing about the "awesomeness" of Kylie, Renee or Skyhooks, all of whom incidentally originated from Melbourne, or The Dugites who originated from Western Australia.

Kai disclosed to Dr Kinky he is 100% top. I hope for his sake this is not some masculinity statement where he has it in his head that he could never let another man fuck him because it would make him less of a man to do so. If this is the case he may be in for a rude shock if Scribblyboy aka Adam shows him who the real “power top” is and who the real “power bottom” is in their relationship. By the time Scribblyboy is finished shtupping that booty Kai will be singing Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight). I agree with @Bft that it should be the responsibility of both parties in a heterosexual relationship to prevent unwanted pregnancies, not to mention STI’s. Having said this, it is ultimately the female who will bear the brunt of the physical act of carrying and birthing at least. Megan’s excuse for missing taking the pill would have been funny if the repercussions of the oversight were not so vast. It often amuses me that some young work colleagues are unable to perform even the most basic life functions without the aid of an app on their fucking mobile phones, the same fools who laugh at me because I refuse to use apps on my mobile phone. I have never had any desire to sire offspring so I find myself really challenged by Dr Kinky’s obsession to breed. His comment "Okay, not entirely. She’s a little spitfire. Makes me wanna bundle her up and drop her at the first altar, shove a ring on that finger. Then procreate until my dick falls off” was really grotesque, appearing to reduce Megan to an incubator, albeit one whom he enjoys getting off on. Some very amusing conversations again in this chapter @Andr0gene and I just had to have another ABBAtunity. I was thinking of using Dum Dum Diddle to express my astonishment with the predicament Megan may be in, but I thought that was perhaps a little too mean, even for me.