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About Billy from Greece: I don't know, and neither do you.

"If It's Over" (67,399) by Billy from Greece And on a sidenote, "If It's Over" is a complete, total, unprecedented and absolute vocal masterpiece, catharsis, whatever. Goosebumps. (Friday 21 October 2016; 20:59)

"Cry." / "And You Don't Remember" (67,398) by Billy from Greece I'm giving "Emotions" a spin after a while and, oh my, am I hearing a little bit of "Cry." in "And You Don't Remember" (or vice versa)? Aw, sweet. (Friday 21 October 2016; 20:50)

New "Greatest Hits" CD? (67,136) by Billy from Greece I found a new "Greatest Hits" double album on Amazon and Ebay, with an updated tracklist, and the Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour photo as a cover. Is this legit? (Monday 10 October 2016; 0:09)

Re: Video (66,495) / Mimi L. (66,503) by Billy from Greece In a caricature-esque publicized version of Greece, yes, what you describe, as well as camp "opa" moments may be considered acceptable or occurring at night clubs of a certain "quality". In reality, though, no, you won't see a person randomly jumping on a table at a restaurant in the middle of the day to "celebrate" (celebrate what?). This whole "celebration" thing may have been a Greek concept at one point (more related to actual celebratory moments like weddings or parties), but it has been blown out of proportion so much and is generally discussed out of context that it just makes me cringe. That's why tourists who come here and buy into that, or scream "opa" every other second and try to behave accordingly just seem totally ridiculous. (Tuesday 20 September 2016; 12:13)

Article: Return of an icon (64,685) by Billy from Greece How stunning is she in the Clash photoshoot? Wow. Classic Mariah photoshoot. Mixed feelings about the Complex photoshoot, though. It looks like she did it prior to the Andy Cohen interview, as the hair and makeup are exactly the same. (Tuesday 26 July 2016; 19:25)

"My All" (63,790) by Billy from Greece Speaking of the gorgeousness of "My All", it was a big hit here in Greece and is still played regularly on the radio. It might as well be my most played Mariah song in the past two years for some reason. I adored it ever since I first heard it, but these past couple of years, I just can't get it out of my head. I'm singing it constantly, probably because of the many variations in the vocal arrangements she's done over the years, I don't know. She did sing the hell out of it during The Elusive Chanteuse Show also, when in fact its lyrics were a reality for her, probably more than ever before. Her rendition in the Amsterdam show this year was also amazing to witness (that "baby can you feel me" just snatched all wigs I've ever owned) to the point that I felt a lump in my throat after its climax. To me, it's one of those songs that can floor you if you surrender to it. (Saturday 25 June 2016; 14:46)

Grammy interview 2006 (63,784) by Billy from Greece This is a post Grammy interview MC gave in 2006. The shade towards the end of the clip where she refers to the 1996 Grammys is just impeccable. (Saturday 25 June 2016; 12:14)

Disgusting video (63,686) by Billy from Greece To anyone that finds this video and commentary about Mariah as disgusting as I did, please leave a comment like only a lamb knows how. (Tuesday 21 June 2016; 23:55)

TGIFY 17-6-2016 (63,584) by Billy from Greece I just cannot stop smiling. (Sunday 19 June 2016; 0:36)

"Vision of Love" 17 June 2016 (63,579) by Billy from Greece The woman is a true vision of love personified. Simply divine. (Sunday 19 June 2016; 0:14)

Actually (63,392) by Billy from Greece Now that I come to think about it, Mariah is responsible for all the problems in the world. How could I not see that in the beginning? Tsk tsk. I mean, what kind of person is she when she is not even tweetting us, like, every time that we think she should, right? This is real proof that she is a despicable, totally insensitive, person, you're right. Because, unless she tweets about it, she doesn't care, of course. How could I forget? That's where true deepness lies, you guys. No doubt. (Wednesday 15 June 2016; 0:55)

Article: Mariah Carey Q&A: Visions of (unconditional) love (63,340) by Billy from Greece Fantastic piece. Exceptional questions. Only a fan would ask these questions and I'm so happy that there was this opportunity for him and for us. Mariah did try to have a more light or "general" approach to certain of her answers to some really excellent questions that were what many fans have been begging to ask her. But the interviewer did manage to get her around to doing a "deeper" interview of sorts, which we really haven't seen in a long time. Just great, I can't praise this piece enough. (Monday 13 June 2016; 22:16)

Re: Billy, B, Giovanni and One Sweet Day (63,310) (63,315) by Billy from Greece Randy, I think you have to realize that you don't really like Mariah apparently, sorry to tell you. It seems you marvel at all these other divas, and you can only see Mariah as inferior to them. Which is fine, but I don't see the reason why you want to believe in Mariah when in fact you don't. It seems to me you love the big belters. I love all the classic big voiced divas (not screamers with no sense of melody a la Aguilera) but I relish Mariah's voice both for the resonant mid belts but also for those textured hypnotic areas of her voice (which they sound even more seducing live) as well as for the all the sophisticated jazz influences she brings in, which become more and more prominent as years go by. Whitney could just open her mouth and floor you, no doubt. But the intricacies of Mariah's vocal "decisions" and transitions are simply unmatched. The subtleties and nuances that her voice achieves cannot be undermined by comparisons to big belters. (Monday 13 June 2016; 13:54)

Re: Butterfly's anniversary (63,280) (63,293) by Billy from Greece Bill, I love Tori Amos and I thought the repackaging of the first two albums was excellent. I don't see Mariah doing something like that, though. Though it is indeed twenty years since "Butterfly" (as unfathomable as that may sound to me) it still is not the time, I think. Not to mention that some albums should not be touched with rereleases, or deluxe versions or anything. Maybe too purist of an approach, but sometimes I lean on this. What I long for is a good boxset someday, down the line. Diana, Barbra and Aretha released their career-spanning retrospectives around their thirtieth year in the business (in the early 90s). Again, I think Mariah is not very fond of things like that for some reason. As long as she wants to be active and current, I don't see anniversary editions coming our way. (Monday 13 June 2016; 0:30)

Re: Marian's state of mind (63,260) (63,270) by Billy from Greece Why is there constantly so much concern about Mariah's state of mind? Why is there the perception that she is always in need of help or that she is not capable of taking care of herself or that she is out of control? Why is there so much pressure put on women in terms of how is acceptable behavior? Shouldn't we focus a little bit more on our own state of mind before judging another person as manic? That psychiatrist article is one of the most farfetched and exaggerated pieces I've read about Mariah. (Sunday 12 June 2016; 11:05)

Re: James Corden (63,188) / Randy / Mariah karaoke (63,211) by Billy from Greece Randy, while I remember that I used to agree with several of your posts and opinions in the past, your constant nagging about Mariah in the past several months has really become grating. Not only this, but your continuous comparisons between Mariah and other divas who have obviously shown Mariah respect and love is also at this point misplaced. Mariah has never been the spontaneous singer who would just burst into blasting out big notes in contexts other than her concerts. She is constantly musical no doubt, from the way she talks to her phrasing and ingenious melodies on the spot, but she has also always been very "economical" of her instrument when it comes to singing on the spot. That's why it's very unlikely that you'll hear her belting or singing her heart out in a carpool karaoke the way Jennifer Hudson or Adele did, because her style and personality would never go along with that. Mariah has been literally way more elusive than that, which is both good and bad, but is also part of her allure. As much as you rightly hail those other great divas, despite her shortcomings and mistakes, make no doubt that Mariah belongs in the same pantheon. I understand that you want her to just go all out there and be a singer's singer in the old fashioned way and just perform uninhibitedly on the spot. But in your haze of comparing her to other greats, you really miss the point. Sure, I also have felt that Mariah has so much more potential both with her instrument and image than what she has delivered at times, but a closer look shows that the woman has really been unstoppable for 26 years. I also wish I knew what goes on in her throat but if Mariah feels like she doesn't want to belt out her songs in a car, then I trust her. Clearly, she has always struggled with stage/TV fright, even almost 30 years into the business, and yes, she may be unnecessarily insecure about her instrument. But you neglect to acknowledge the fact that oftentimes it also comes down to anatomy and not healthy or unhealthy habits. Patti Labelle was blessed with a huge and durable voice. Does that alone make her the greatest vocalist ever? Doubtful. Mariah is still a force to be reckoned. I've never seen another diva been so creative with her instrument. I'm also sure that there is a very specific mentality behind Mariah not "giving away" her voice in moments like the carpool karaoke (maybe something that Tommy coached her about back in the day?). As much as she can tour around TV shows and do interviews, at the same time she treats her singing as not something to be dispensed easily. Not to say that people should only pay to be granted that reward, but she just is not that type of performer. You saw how well she worked in a setting like the Jimmy Fallon fan surprise a couple of years ago. That's much closer to her idiosyncrasy. For goodness sake though, don't put her down any more. She is a phenomenal musician, who has issues with being loose on stage or on TV. Does that diminish her artistry or status? Hell no. (Friday 10 June 2016; 13:30)

"Around the World" vocals (63,208) by Billy from Greece As Vevo has been uploading basically the whole Around The World dvd this past month, I noticed once more that it is probably the only commercially official recording of Mariah where the vocals are most likely not dubbed or polished in after production (like in the Proctor theater performance or 1995 MSG or Adventures Of Mimi). Of course I love that. She had a very specific sound on the Butterfly tour that's unlike anything she sounded before or after, and I'm happy that we have at least some clips that document what she really sounded like then. I love the "Dreamlover" performance a lot in particular. (Friday 10 June 2016; 12:35)

"Thank God I Found You" - Vegas (June 7) (63,183) by Billy from Greece Mariah is really a legendary vocalist. Her enunciation, the clarity of her phrasing, the conscious manipulation of syllables while going through the scales recalls only legendary vocalists like Sarah Vaughan. I'm so happy for the way Mariah has developed her artistry, adding so much intricacy into her vocal delivery. Take a look here. (Thursday 9 June 2016; 23:06)

MC Vegas - third leg (63,141) by Billy from Greece From the little snippets I've seen, she sounded and looked fabulous, but that "My All" sort of dress was a no-no. The first white dress was beautiful though, and so was the robe. (Wednesday 8 June 2016; 12:42)

"Memoirs" voice (63,138) by Billy from Greece I've always felt that Mariah's voice on "Memoirs" was at its most "live-sounding", if this makes any sense. It sounds unprocessed and unfussy (in a good way), with the natural rasp and gut-wrenching resonance you hear when you see her live. I was always seduced by her sound on this album. I'm currently giving it a spin this rainy gloomy day, and boy does it sound good. (Wednesday 8 June 2016; 11:24)

"All I've Ever Wanted" (63,100) by Billy from Greece This lady can sang. Great version. (Tuesday 7 June 2016; 11:04)

Mariah special 2009 (63,094) by Billy from Greece Do you remember this? I think this is what the upcoming "docuseries" will look like. (Tuesday 7 June 2016; 0:42)

Walter interview about AIWFCIY (63,091) by Billy from Greece I hadn't seen this one before. (Monday 6 June 2016; 23:47)

Diva term (63,050) by Billy from Greece Can anyone remember a good interview where Mariah explains a little more the term diva? Apparently, I've seen so many interviews of her and diva is mentioned in almost every single one of them, but I can't find the one I'm after. I'mm looking for the one where she says that she heard the term ever since she was a child, with her mother using it t refer to a talented singer. They talked about it with Whitney on Oprah in 1998, but I don't this one for my purposes right now. If anyone can help, thank you in advance. (Monday 6 June 2016; 0:33)

Re: Queenlambassador (62,963) (62,976) by Billy from Greece "I'm upset that some of you just want to see Mariah the fake so much." You hit the nail right there. What I've always enjoyed about post-"Butterfly" Mariah, especially, was that she did not care too much about being politically correct, or even when she did not care at all, as much idiosyncratic or incomprehensible as she may have come across because of that. In this sense, I too think that she handled just fine that whole "I don't know her" saga on WWHL. As much as I can see in Mariah a need to be accepted and belong somewhere, I also think she does not care about being all too likable. I mean, the woman is not stupid. If she wanted, she would still be "Mary Poppins". This debate brings to mind those people who ask for a song that is "universal" and "widely acceptable" without too many Mariahisms. They namely ask for a song with cliches, platitudes and something not distinct of her identity. Again, no thanks. Since at this point I've been listening to her post-"Butterfly" output much more than I do her early stuff, I admire so much more all the concepts, musical or image-wise, she has come up with since then. Even if you approach this in terms of album covers, you can see the difference (in a good way). It's similar to what's happening with Adele now: black and white photographs, "unthreatening", anyone can project their own interpretation onto them, they fit more contexts etc. I think Mariah has walked the Prince path. Remember how incomprehensible he came across in the 1990s and early 2000s? It all makes much more sense now, doesn't it? (Friday 3 June 2016; 18:31)

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