The Ongoing Struggle to Contain Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson: Strong-Arm Tactics, Unleashed

The music world's biggest tug-of-war battle carried on all the way to the end of 2020, spilling over in 2021. Many of you saw it in real time.  But, let's re-cap for the record, shall we?

The last month of the year began with Louis Tomlinson expressly "howlin" 'til his lungs hurt with a lyrical shoutout to his partner, Harry Styles. And just in case people weren't listening, he made sure to also wear a massive "H" on his t-shirt just to make sure there were no misunderstandings about the message he was sending out,

                            Louis Tomlinson Live Stream Concert, Dec 12, 2020

 

And there's that mysterious 28 spotlighted on stage, suggesting that those cover stories that it's just the number of a football jersey or an old house he used to live are rubbish,

 

 

 

 

 

And then Liam Payne, time after time, having to recite what's been put before him: aka, a hostage's reading of "They're treating me well."

                                            December 3, 2020

 

Then there was this vein-popping nonsense, incredibly timed during Louis' live stream for the dual purposes of 1) making it look like the last thing Liam wanted to do was watch his friend's live stream concert in real time, or heaven forbid actually bother to show up, and 2) shoehorning an appearance by the coat-tail riding beard, Mayo.  Just take our word, she "pops" in.  The majority of the video is filled with domineering hollering by an individual named Spencer Wuah.

 

By the way, notice the age of the two willing parties in this hard, desperate sell: a 20 (?) yr old model-wannabe Mayo and 18-year-old Spencer, a Tik Tok "star".  Be assured rewards will follow high profile enabling like this. What better way to move up the career ladder because this is how it's done. And despite Liam later letting everyone know that he did see Louis' concert, this knowledge was not known in real time during the stream telecast.

Wannabe desperation was also shown earlier by a just-turned 20- year-old Tik Tok personality named Addison Rae who happened to show up for no apparent reason to collect Harry's Billboard Music Award on October 27. Just like Mayo (who has suspicious ties with Sony/Syco via One Direction), this marginal "celebrity" has interesting associations as well. That's right, it seems like Ms. Addison Rae just happens to have a "friendship" with Kourtney Kardashian, which means, the Azoffs. It really is a small, small world, isn't it? At least in the orbit of One Direction. Once again, what seems organic is far from it.

And, specifically, for Louis and Liam, who have been the two main targets made to shoulder the majority of the stunts since the Hiatus-From-Hell™ began in 2016, it was just another day in the office of sending out alternative signals to observant fans and in Liam's case, also walking Sony's plank.  They are both fighters and survivors, after all.

 

Let's hit on a few more key events in the past several weeks of this sh*t storm.

• Four (4) days before Louis' first ever, solo concert live stream, Niall Horan tells everyone that he's going to be "off line" from Twitter. In other words, he was getting the heck out of Dodge. 

Niall's outta there.  😉  Please refer any questions to the next window.  See ya, Nialler!

 

 

• Activity resumed on Niall's social media six days later on December 14, after several 1D-related storms had passed.  Hmm, almost as though Niall knew beforehand what was coming. Now, let's notice what prompted Niall's account to return from its small hiatus?

Oh, it was to talk about a live stream of music!  But not Louis' performance.  Again, it was to make it look like Niall had no idea Louis was even going to do a live stream. Hence the timely tweet that he was conveniently going to be, "away from my phone."  Another indication that Sony was behind the machinations, once again. Yes, we here at Narnia are quite aware that, officially, neither Liam nor Niall are signed with Sony as solo artists. But, they no doubt are still obligated through contractual obligations and image rights through their One Direction contract which has obviously still not expired.

Then mere days later, just to throw another wrench into Louis' spectacular success on Saturday the 12th, Lou Teasdale (former hair stylist and problematic insider to One Direction) just happened to be a guest on a podcast (what convenient timing) and drops this bombshell that is picked up by all the usual suspects like The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, et al.

"One Direction....slept with girls."  With the media and fans' attention focused on Louis, this kind of tabloid fodder (which also included ridiculing Larries) had the dual purpose of pushing the heterosexual imaging (and paint Larries in a bad light) while most importantly, wiping out the headlines that were focused on Louis' music, outstanding performance, and overall success. Which, of course, redirected his Google search, just like Sony wanted. We're sure that was all just a coincidental outcome though, riiight???? Just like Niall suddenly separating himself from his phone just before Louis' concert. 💣💩

 

Let's move on to what we like to call a, Swiss Cheese Moment - the most elementary of Photoshop 101, is the throwing of one image onto another.  Beyond lame, but the throwing of Lilo's image into that photo frame, needs to be pointed out.

How do you move a person in one image and move into another? This You Tube video shows exactly how publicists' "Tech Intern Teams" are executing many of the Instagram photos we see today, particularly with the Padalecki's, Ackles, Nichols' and Gyllenhaal's.  So, "pose" away, Mayo. 📷😉
 

On December 18, Management rolled out the beard Mayo once again, this time on the risky app Omegle.  Not quite sure what the point is of Liam being placed on Omegle, which sounds to be quite an unsafe social media platform, when he's already on Tik Tok, Instagram, You Tube, and Twitter. A note of advice: Don't put your fans at risk like this.

Here's Liam having to pose with the beard Mayo in a "photo shoot" for the magazine, Tings.  No doubt, the "photoshoot" is a complete knock-off of an Entertainment Weekly cover shoot that Jake Gyllenhaal did with Love and Other Drugs co-star Anne Hathaway back in November, 2010.

The other tip-offs (and there are several) that the Tings "photoshoot" is not what it appears as far as authenticity goes - look at Liam's hair in the hinky manips, I mean, photos.  His hair hasn't been that short since when?  

And what does Mayo say?

"How it's going Vs. how it started"

If I'm not mistaken, "How it's going" would be present tense.  

Additionally, is the matter of Liam's watch.  Liam wears his watch on his left wrist.  From as early as this fetus era,

In fact, Liam is photo'd too many times to count, with his watch on his left wrist.  Look at this 2017 summer outing, when Liam wore a bracelet.  Did he move the bracelet to his left and the watch to the right?  Nope, he kept his watch on his left wrist.

No matter what age, pap outing, whether on a concert stage, sidewalk or photo shoot, Liam appears to like his watch on his left wrist.  

Except when it comes to Justin Campbell and Tings. And for some odd reason, when Liam is in his "photo shoots", the watch is on his right arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are images being mirrored by a professional photographer for a cover photo?  That Youth pic above is mirrored.  The tattoo and the small tattoo on the ring finger is really on Liam's left hand, not his right.  

What Narnia also finds interesting is that Tings has been in existence for only a few years, founded by the photographer Justin Campbell and talent manager, Michael Flutie.  Three other interesting things about Tings and one of its co-founders,

 

1) This "photo shoot" isn't the first time Liam and Mayo have been affiliated with Tings.  In March of this year, they attended a party which was supposed to be an "affirmation" of their couple-dom stability.

2) There's co-founder Justin Campbell's history of working with the Hadid's.  He has photographed Gee Gee "Gigi" Hadid, Zayn's beard, as far back as 2016, for notable publications like Cosmopolitan and Vogue UK,

 

And then there were his ties to the Hadid brother, Anwar.  In this post below, Justin is mentioned, as an Instagram story from his account being deleted which featured Anwar and "gf?" Nicola Ann Peltz.  (Peltz is allegedly engaged now to Brooklyn Beckham.)

3) It's also interesting that Justin Campbell's Instagram showcases  photos of Shawn Mendes and beard Camila Cabello, Machine Gun Kelly (see Megan Fox 😉) and Eddie Redmayne. 

More importantly though, is the Liam - Zayn (via Hadid) connection. 😉

 

Our final tip-off that the Tings "photoshoot" wasn't the picture of authenticity, it was this questionable glimpse of something that looks like a sleeve or what is that going on right below the watch?  Liam's wrist should be bare, should it not? 🔎

 

 

And finally, of course, there was the interview which contained check mark after check mark.  The interview with Liam was via Tik Tok.  Good ol' Tik Tok.

 

 

The interview checked boxes like a Wal Mart shopping list.

 

* addressing Larry - real or no?

* hadn't spoken to Zayn in 50 years

* addressing Louis' 28 tattoo - "I think it was his old house number where he used to live."

* brings up "my son", Bear and how he hopes to see him at Christmas, hasn't seen him for a month now.

* talked about "Bear" and "Freddie" exchanging videos online?? That one was pretty Paul Bunyan.

* the "fiance", addressed as "gf"

* talked about Bear telling Alexa to play "Strip that Down".   👀

Check, check, check, check.  Liam did manage to contradict previous quotes, mumble through some of his answers, bring up the yellow and red lamp behind him and why are his on-line chats so closely cropped now and why is he constantly baby-sat by a handler?  

Regarding the baby-sitting by a handler, does it remind you of someone else?  Jake has been hovered over by a handler (bottom right corner) from beginning to end:

Whether it's been Carrie Byalick (with CAA), Mara Buxbaum, Alla Plotkin or Riva Marker (who is really his Nine Stories partner, but she looks to sometimes serve as his watcher as well. LOL!), Jake is not without accompaniment, even to his last seen public premieres and carpets. 📎 😉  These handlers and publicists are afraid of the probing interviewer question or possible slip up by their client.

Unlike the One Direction men who were quite adept at being on their own, Jake has become too used to having a safety net nearby and in this interview starting around 0:45, when asked about ol' Tay Swift, Jake's first instinct was to look in the direction of his handler before politely declining to answer the man's question.

 

 

So let's return to Liam the acrobat, who managed to squeeze in several gold nuggets in that Tik Tok video besides the yellow/red lamp (he and Zayn's mic colors in One Direction), like these eyebrow raisers,

"still kind of in One Direction, so can never miss it too much" 

"I went to Sweden! Geezus, I forgot to tell you." - Liam's genius divert tactic while in the direct midst of talking about Louis' "girlfriend" 

 

"I went to Sweden" is the new gay panic.... pic.twitter.com/hCcbjAfxmd

— Kate²⁸ᴴᴸ (@MyLarents28) December 15, 2020

 

As mentioned above, it truly is funny how Liam's Lives are always so closely cropped, isn't it?  We get a lamp and part of a couch, that's all we see of this palatial mansion he supposedly moved into in November/December.  He could be in a duplex down the road from me, for all I know.  😏   And let's not even ponder a girlfriend who would be All-Go for living next door to the Ex and their child!  C'mon. Who is buying that one?

Don't go anywhere yet. There's more still. Because after the Tik Tok video, Sony Music, the stunts were not finished.  In fact, they were just being shifted into second gear.

More on the Tall Tale of moving next door to his former "girlfriend":

 

As pointed out before, we are to believe that newly engaged Mayo is totally fine with moving in next door to her alleged "fiance's ex" and "their kiddo"?  Again, what are the odds of someone being good with that third wheel set-up?  

 

 

I know, Seth, talk about flawed, right?  😄  Not quite sure who came up with that one in the ol' TPTB conference room, but hey, good help can be hard to find sometimes.  

Point → Liam 

And,  now nine days into the new year, the lack of originality has continued into 2021 with the rinse, repeat, rinse, introduction of a deard named, Winston. *rolls eyes* Let's see. How many disappearing dogs has Liam had over the last 8 years with his deards? Never mind that any sane person knows that the worse time to get a new puppy is around the holidays. Yet, Liam gets "engaged", moves into a mansion (right next door to his "baby Mama" which we here are sure was his fiance's idea), has time to elaborately decorate for Christmas, gets a puppy, visit his "son" monthly, take COVID-19 tests each time, puts together four live stream shows, countless interviews to sell more stunts (Eleanor, Babygate, Mayo, GeeGee, etc.), and he does all this in just four short months.  The absurdity is truly bouncing off the walls. Oh, and let's not forget how LiLo has been put on steroids lately because Sony needs Liam to sell how Bear and Freddie Reign have become transatlantic buds.

 

 

Apparently, with nothing much left to do musically given the pandemic raging around the world, Sony has definitely chosen to redirect their vast resources towards the hyper heterosexualizing of all four guys while getting Liam to be the know-what's-what insider, dishing out all the juicy gossip. 

Now, we know we are regressing when during this past week, Ben Winston was "spontaneously" brought into Liam's Live Instagram on January 7.  Interesting, wasn't it?  What do you think brought that on?  Fans may have wondered, but Narnia has our own idea.  

Ben Winston was there to limit hidden signals or damaging slip ups.  He was there as Big Brother Ben to put Liam on the record, i.e. "my fiance", "Bear", and "bonding" over "raising kids", (although an extended family member Ross had already served as a bouncing board for "my son").  All of a sudden, Liam can't quite seem to shoehorn "the fam next door" enough into his Live's.  Unfortunately, this pattern has been noticeably increasing, which is in sharp contrast to the lack thereof in previous social media.  The Big Brother Ben show is tempered with mentions of Liam's One Direction band mates and reminiscing about "the good old days", knowing how to push those buttons with fans. Push and pull.  Push and pull.  Lift them up! Before you pull them down again.

One other interesting note to digest as we put this chapter to rest - remember when Louis commented on a previous live show, and Liam couldn't figure out how to connect with him.  Instead repeatedly asking Louis to come back, come back.  But with Winston, voila! No problem, Ben Winston was on the call, effortlessly patched on through:  Liam - "I'm going to invite ya.  Get on."  And suddenly, *click, click* - he appears. 😲

The whole Big Brother Ben appearance, double-teaming with Steve the Manager who was watching and monitoring everything Liam said.  More like,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Different year, same strong-arm tactics.  Don't get us wrong, Liam has done what he can throughout the last several years to let fans know that all is not as it seems.  He has screamed from the rooftops with his jewelry and pink triangles in a music video.

With his comically inserted words like,  "Sweden!"  

But the Instagram Live with Winston did show one side of Liam that he does too well, which is embellishment.

Embellish (verb) - make a statement or story more interesting or entertaining by adding extra details, especially ones that are not true.  To heighten the attractiveness of by adding decorative or fanciful details.  Merriam Webster/Dictionary.

 ("he's gotten so big!", "they're the best").  Now, there is complying with what one is under contractual obligation to do.  There is behaving appropriately when in the attendance of one's superiors or power holders, influencers, doing what one has to do to fulfill a requirement or obligation.  Play nice, one calls it.   

And, then there is embellishing.  Someone adept at lying. Unfortunately, Mr. Payne is darn good at lying, right?  It's why Liam has been called upon, time after time, before the cameras to "answer" the questions and be the target of interrogation tactics from the likes of Ben Winston.  He's good at taking care of things. Daddy Direction, remember?

Given that powerful skill, he needs to take great care in how he navigates these scripted moments because he is walking a tightrope with embellishing.  We only have to watch what has become of Jake Gyllenhaal and Jensen Ackles, both men who used to be terrible liars and didn't seem to like to lie when interviewed for the cameras.

Now look at them.  They've become not only much improved at the practice, they embellish.  They're proactive about it.  And that is a dangerous road to fall onto, one which you're probably not going to return from.  Not only that, but you will lose fans the more joyously convincing you become.  

With that said, we applaud Liam for so much more that makes him brave and noble as Louis has described him in the past, and he remains a special man to Narnia, one with tremendous potential and character.  The latest strong arm tactics are ones he cannot control and Narnia acknowledges this.  Despite this long hiatus, it's amazing how familiar faces like Ben Winston continue to re-emerge, isn't it? And, now we have his partner in crime, James Corden, popping up in Harry's latest disastrous stunt as well. These are not coincidences folks. They continue to hang around for a reason. Trusted co-conspirators.

As we begin a new year, it is true that not much has changed, except this time around there are no mitigating offsets/distractions like new records, promotion, or live touring. If the guys aren't careful, fans will get restless and move on, but then it's obvious that Sony would love to get rid of certain LGBTQ+ elements of 1D's fandom anyway. They have always been the nuisance that Sony just can't seem to break. Within this context, less embellishment would be helpful.

No doubt, 2021 is sure to be interesting as Babygates, Boobgate, womanizing & homewrecker images, queerbaiting, COVID-19 unmasking antics of the jet setters, and Louis' continued personal and career blockade, ring in the New Year.  Hey, no one said being a fan of One Direction was easy. Particularly, when four-fifths of the group are still being closeted by one of the most ruthless and abusive record labels in the industry. Ricky Martin. George Michael, Michael Jackson, anyone?  

Oh, and,  "Happy New Year!" 

Collaboration - Prairie Girl and Methodical Muser

our pic sources:  The Verge, tenor, Merriam Webster, giphy, gfycat

our playlist:  Midnight - Liam Payne

                      Once in a Lifetime - One Direction

                      Polaroid - Liam Payne

                      Stockholm Syndrome - One Direction

                      Through the Dark - One Direction