Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poet's Department - album discussion thread

[OldHabitsDieScreaming]

Hello Swifties! Thought I would start a thread to chat about TS11 or TTPD or whatever we're calling it 😁Don't know about you but the excitement is building for this old-enough-to-know-better Swiftie and I'll be taking the long way into work tomorrow so I can listen to it in Peace...(see what I did there?)

So this thread is for anyone who loves TS and wants to talk/think/muse/swoon over the newest output from the hardest-working woman in music!

Personally I'm intrigued and delighted that Aaron Dessner seems to have co-writing credits on several tracks - I'm a committed Folklore/Evermore fan and more in a similar vein will be very welcome!

(Oh, and while hopefully this doesn't need saying, please don't bother posting to say how shit/overrated/talentless you think TS is. This is a fan / appreciation thread about a specific piece of work and it would be lovely to keep it that way.)

I'm sure she's probably an up at 5 30am sort of person but also - she doesn't seem to give herself much vacation time. If she's ever papped having a personal life it's a meal out with friends/boyfriend wherever she happens to be living/staying for work e.g. New York. Or the odd weekend like Coachella. It seems like she goes years without having a week on a beach.

I got lost in a bit of a Sackville-West/Nancy Mitford rabbit hole thinking about The Bolter on the way home yesterday. I have to find my book but I think one of them (either Love in a Cold Climate or In Pursuit of Love) has reference to The Bolter as an Aunt... Then I found a reddit thread which said that this Stevie Nicks poem was on the CD case - which was interesting too (Is that signed T to her?) https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fthe-bolter-discussion-megathread-v0-segfnaxjgdvc1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D2048%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D9470324d9dbd9325bb6f86a903d1f7de65d6eaea

Edit - I reckon she has hours on planes and waiting to be interviewed to read. Was always the best bit about commuting by train!

Her and Travis were in the Bahamas recently.

Yes, I know, but there's an article somewhere and it mentions that's the first time she's been somewhere like that in 2 years.

Yeah, she must be one of the hardest working people in the world! I guess you don't get to be a billionaire without putting in the hours and the effort. It's crazy that she's on this huge world tour, in the studio doing re-records, writing new material, reading, conducting a love affair... she's probably on all sorts of chemicals to keep her going. She does say she's an alcoholic, but I don't think you can be an alcoholic and do this much work!

Ahh the classic get papped in the Bahamas move! She's done that for Travis, Joe, Tom and Calvin now. Have I missed any?

Well she probably can't go many places on holiday. It has to be a resort where she can be cordoned off and protected. The paparazzi use long lenses to get photos of her - not really a 'move' on TS's part.

I read in her Person of the Year interview that when she has a day off from the tour, she literally lies in bed and does not speak to anyone. So she probably does a lot of reading in those times. She also apparently doesn't speak before her show, to save her voice.

I mean, I’m not in any way disparaging her productivity, she’s clearly doing a lot.

But bear in mind - writing for her isn’t going to be “work” in the same way a normal job is, she’s going it at the rate she does because it’s something she wants to be doing.

Reading she’ll be doing in her downtime to relax - that’s how most people read. I read just before I go to sleep, so it doesn’t really matter how busy I am, I still get through a fair amount of books.

Also, a lot of her literary references in songs are classics - I doubt she’s only just read them for the first time.

But bear in mind - writing for her isn’t going to be “work” in the same way a normal job is, she’s going it at the rate she does because it’s something she wants to be doing.

As a writer myself, I disagree with this. It's still work, even if you enjoy it and want to do it. It still demands a lot of time and effort and sacrifice.

I agree about the reading though. As a pp said, she probably reads a lot on planes! Although who the hell knows. Maybe she has someone to read for her and give her the highlights 😂

I'm currently rewatching Dead Poets Society as a starting point for digging into some of the references in TTPD.

And after 11 days and lots of listens, I think there are lots of great lyrics. But the standout bridge for me is in Guilty as Sin? It's concise and rich and keeps haunting me. "What if I roll the stone away?..."

Oh I’m not saying it doesn’t take effort…more what I mean is

She’s said she uses songwriting to process stuff etc. and there’ll be no external pressure for her to write a double album a year after releasing her last one.

There’s no deadlines, she doesn’t need the money, she’s at a point in her career that she’s really just doing it for herself.

So if she was feeling tired and burnt out and needed a break from it, she could.

I think there's a difference between your personal 'processing' writing and what you put out to an audience. And there's a difference between first drafts and polished pieces. Plus, she does a lot of her writing in the studio, as collaborations. So I don't think it's the rest and relaxation activity it might be for some!

I also doubt that there's no external pressure on her to make music and do stuff. She owns her music and runs her own company, but she still has shareholders (I think?) and employees. She can't just decide to stop doing stuff and take a break. Hundreds of people rely on her to make their own living.

I'm sure she can take a break if she wants to, but she's said before she has to plan five years ahead. So if she wants to shut down 'Taylor Swift' she would need to plan that carefully. She can't just decide to take six months off because she feels like it. I mean, she can, in theory. But in practice, I imagine it would be an extremely difficult and pressured decision.

I'm in my 40s (sadly my 12yo dd isn't interested in TS so no excuse to buy a ticket) but I kinda want to enrol on this...https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/taylor-swift-edinburgh-o2-arena-london-scotland-b2537022.html

Also saw Joe Alwyn has said he is dating again and sources say he never speaks badly of TS and doesn't like all of the attention that comes with acting.

So, what does he actually do? I just looked up on Google and it seems he is famous for acting, film acting, stage acting and songwriting.

Is he now just a songwriter? I get a bit sceptical when someone who has trained their whole life to act suddenly says they don't want anyone to watch them.

Plenty of millennial women will be at the shows - my friends and I in our 40s have tickets! She's not just for kids - not really for kids much at all in fact??

The songwriting is just Taylor’s stuff during lockdown.

I doubt he’s doing more of it.

To be fair, he’s had a few parts, but nothing that would bring anything near the level of attention that he’s had and mostly after he met her.

I’d imagine it must be very hard to go from being unknown to that level of scrutiny overnight when it’s not even because of your work.

Sorry pressed post too soon! So I feel confused by that course existing!

Wtf that is so patronising! Some of those parents were swifties before they were even parents.

What a load of sexist shite.

The other thing to remember is she is a billionaire and doesn't ever have to clean the house or do chores or admin or cook if she doesn't want to (though she likes to bake apparently!) - she can pay people to run her life smoothly and take care of all the tedious stuff that socks up a lot of people's time. If she wants she can have a personal chef, a stylist to choose her clothes, gyms in her houses etc - it's not like she has to get a load of washing in and take the cats to the vet and hit the supermarket or anything. She can be writing songs at midnight not stressing about being up at 6am to make packed lunches. Her whole life can be work if she wants it to be and, as a writer as well, I'd be a lot more productive if that was the case for me!

I did wonder, 'cos everyone I know who likes her is over 20...Maybe they are trying to keep her current? Does sound sexist though.

All I can say to that is - the Vigilante Shit dance ...

Tbf I don't think he said he didn't want people to watch him, it's the fame he doesn't like.

He has a new film coming out soon with Emma Stone that has the same director as The Favourite which they were both in. And the same director as Poor Things. So potentially quite a big film given how Poor Things did.

I was about to say this. I've seen the trailer about 5 times!