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| re: Is it just me or is this absolute BULLSHIT? | |
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The_wolf_with_the_red_roses 03:42 pm UTC 08/09/11 |
| In reply to: | Is it just me or is this absolute BULLSHIT? - sinecurea 03:20 pm UTC 08/09/11 |
Excuse me, but here on the board, we have severeal off us (myself included) have shared the progress and end products of creative ventures. I'll go out on a whim and say that many of us are heavily inspired by Jim and his work. What's wrong with us wanting to share these things fellow Steinman fans. Furthermore, Ryan has dedicated alot of time to exposing Jim's lesser known work such as the Batman musical. If your not interested, shut the fuck up. n > Who is Ryan? Why is he so deluded? > Why is this here? It's from a shitty free-hosted website - > who read it? > Does anybody care? Has Ryan actually written and performed > any music? > > Again, why are we talking about him? > > > > > > > Q. When did you become interested in musical theatre? > > > > A. I wasn't one of those people who saw "The Phantom Of > > The Opera" and "Sunset Boulevard" when they came out. I > > knew nothing about theatre except, as children, we used to > > send up "Jesus Christ Superstar". It was when I heard "Bat > > Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell" that the journey began for > > me. I thought it was like music from another planet and I > > got interested in Jim Steinman. He led to Andrew Lloyd > > Webber, Richard O'Brien and so on. My all-time favourite > > theatre scores are "Carousel", "My Fair Lady", "Jesus > > Christ Superstar", "The Rocky Horror Show", "The > > Confidence Man", "Evita", "Sweeney Todd", "The Phantom Of > > The Opera", "Miss Saigon", "Titanic", "Tanz Der Vampire" > > and "The Scarlet Pimpernel". > > > > Q. What was the first musical you ever wrote? > > > > A. That would have been "Vesuvius" 2000. That was my first > > attempt to write a musical libretto and I was pretty much > > faking it. I don't remember what happened to the script > > either. I remember wanting a stadium with a fully > > functional volcano and a 300-piece orchestra playing "God > > Works In Mysterious Ways" and "Justice Will Be Done". I > > don't know what mum's view on the situation was but she > > wanted me to write a book. I had a great idea for a > > fantasy series that just got blown out of the window > > because I grew up. Between that and "Vesuvius", I did a > > musical about a killer house which was actually staged at > > the house in 2000. It was called "Magnus Miriam" which, > > later, of course... Technically, the first draft of "Don > > Claude Devious" in 2001 is my real "first musical". > > > > Q. You met the composer of your current project in high > > school. Can you tell us how that collaboration began? > > > > A. We went to the same high school and we never had much > > to do with each other until we were put in the same class. > > I don't remember why I took a class on water but there we > > were. We sat next to each other and we both had a crush on > > the teacher. We were always mucking about and, actually, I > > remember the first serious conversation we had was that we > > both knew about Jim Steinman. That was like an omen. It > > was the omen. We then attempted to write a song about our > > teacher. It was pretty tame until Adam wrote something on > > the back. It got passed to her and he was suspended for a > > week. > > > > He started back in time for an excursion to a sewage plant > > where they took an accidental detour to a nudist colony. > > It was there that we actually wrote our first song > > together, "Trippy Hippy/or When The High Guy Cries". I > > think we got half-way through the second verse when some > > confused geriatric nudist came tottering by wondering, > > "why the hell are these people in clothes?" Adam wrote the > > tune, which is one of the only songs I can still play on > > the piano, and I thought it was great. We recorded it as a > > demo on school campus. The B side was a version of "Sweet > > Transvestite" with me on lead vocal. We thought nothing > > more of it so we kept writing one-offs... > > > > Q. When did "Don Claude" come into the picture? > > > > A. That was all happening at the same time. I actually > > started "Don Claude Devious", as a fully conceived idea, > > on September 11. I was working on lyrics in drama class, > > because it was such a bludge, and one of the guys stole my > > book. It got passed around the room, real humiliating, and > > the teacher got it. I was expecting detention. I was still > > cautious after the incident with Adam. Lo and behold, she > > raises the book like a holy scripture and begins reading > > from it like it was "Doctor Faustus". She proudly > > announces that this would be the end-of-term drama > > performance for our class. We didn't have a composer and I > > actually remember her asking 2 jazz musicians. I told Adam > > about it and he said, "well, I should be doing it!" > > > > So we met up to begin work on the 10 or so songs. I > > remember missing a class in the morning, which was > > something I did frequently later on, and I could hear the > > sound of music trailing down the corridors. It was like > > something out of a movie, totally cliché, and I followed > > it and followed it and followed it. I finally came to a > > rehearsal room with an upright where he was working on > > "God Works In Mysterious Ways". That was the first song we > > ever completed for the show and it's still, musically, the > > most important theme in the series. But the end-of-term > > performance didn't happen, probably because it was too > > complicated to attempt in such a short amount of time. I > > had thought about doing it as a movie but Janine said "it > > should absolutely be a stage show". > > > > Q. "Don Claude" wasn't happening for a while there, wasn't > > it? > > > > A. Yes. I got side-tracked with a musical version of > > "Nosferatu". I was writing the music, as well as the book > > and lyrics. I remember it was meant to be the opening > > piece for the new performing arts centre at high school. I > > don't exactly remember how that came about but there we > > were. "Don Claude" didn't look like it was happening any > > time soon, especially in high school, and me and Adam were > > working on a concept album called "Psychedelic Wizardry". > > > > > > He moved schools and I thought I would never hear from him > > again. I continued work on "Nosferatu" and thought about > > maybe doing "Don Claude Devious" with a new story that > > could be done in schools and amateur groups. I thought if > > there was a commercial way of doing it, it would be as a > > tribute to "Beauty And The Beast" and fairy tales in > > general which, I suppose, it could be but it's also > > Sweeney Todd and the Count of Monte Cristo, those eternal > > stories of revenge. > > > > Q. You and Adam also worked on a concept album called "My > > Disease" and wrote for a few local productions? > > > > A. Yes. "My Disease" was done in the last years of high > > school, and that was going to be an album like Pink Floyd > > "The Dark Side Of The Moon" and "The Wall". We actually > > went to a few recording studios to work on the album. We > > did 8 tracks. The main demo was "A Saucerful Of Sally" > > which was named after the woman in charge of the recording > > sessions. But I wasn't happy with the way it sounded. If > > you listen to the earlier demo of "Forever Young", it's > > brilliant. But if you listen to "However Near Or Far" and > > "Box Of Memories", it's alright, but it doesn't do the > > songs justice. She actually turned down my vocals in the > > most important bit of "God Works In Mysterious Ways". I > > just thought the song became sort of pointless after that. > > "Forever Young" was recorded at a different studio which > > is now, sadly, defunct. > > > > "Box Of Memories", one of the major songs, came second in > > a prestigious songwriting competition in Apollo Bay. The > > person who won that was the actress who played Aunt Beru > > in "Star Wars, Attack Of The Clones". We always smile when > > her scenes come on. > > > > I remember we felt we had something, which we probably > > didn't aside from the songs we recorded, and we wanted to > > record it to the most professional standard. I remember > > thinking "Silverchair", I love "Diorama" and "Young > > Modern", and stuff like that. Eventually, Adam joined a > > band and I got serious about doing "Don Claude" again. > > > > Around that time, yes, we were asked to write a song for a > > local production of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. That > > was through Adam's dad, who's an absolute genius. That > > wound up getting some awesome reviews and we continued > > writing. Years later, when we returned to the scene of > > "Don Claude", we listened to "A Saucerful Of Sally" and > > "Forever Young" and sort of had our "Steinman moment." It > > was like Jim pulling out "Neverland" and "The Dream > > Engine" for "Tanz Der Vampire". The best songs were > > revisited as theatrical moments in "Don Claude" which, I > > believe, they always were. To hear the difference between > > "A Saucerful Of Sally" and "Songs from Don Claude Devious, > > Cannibal Rapture" is loads of fun. > > > > Q. Will Adam compose the sequels? > > > > A. It all depends on whether or not "Cannibal Rapture" > > works out for us. And if it ended up being the next > > whatever, it would only matter if we thought it was a > > worthwhile creative experience. Ideally, he would compose > > all of the instalments. Whatever happens, his music should > > always be a part of it. It would be like "Harry Potter", I > > guess, with the different composers referring to the > > themes by John Williams. > > > > If "Cannibal Rapture" succeeds, the plan is to move > > forward with "Don Claude Devious", which is the other half > > of something that was originally one show. This is what we > > worked on in high school and to complete "Cannibal > > Rapture" and "Don Claude Devious" is to complete that > > goal. I think the real turning point is whether or not he > > will compose "Don Claude Devious, Dark Night Of The Soul" > > and the others. I hope he does. > > > > Q. Could you tell us more about the sequels? > > > > A. "Dark Night Of The Soul" is my personal favourite of > > the instalments and I will make every effort to make it > > one of the high points. I also think it will be the last > > chance to prove myself. > > > > Q. Finally, what are your plans for the new year? > > > > A. I...just got off the phone with Janine about a concert > > staging of "Don Claude Devious, Cannibal Rapture" for > > 2009. We presented "Songs from Don Claude Devious, > > Cannibal Rapture" in an amazing listening experience at a > > theatre and she wants to move forward. She has all these > > amazing ideas. The planning and production of that > > performance would begin in late January next year with, > > hopefully, an opening night in March. Hopefully the > > concert will be supported by the album and the promise of > > a full production. It all depends on the public response. | |
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