#melchron the good book

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When Hidgens called the workin' boys his six boyfriends

#i don't know why it caught me off gaurd #do i need to tag spoilers #just to be safe #workin' boys spoilers #starkid #hatchetfield #workin' boys #melchron the good book #npmd stream

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StarKid and Musical Score #2

Pop culture parodies tread fine lines to avoid copyright violations, especially when it comes to music. Some go for a certain mood or genre to evoke the source. Holy Musical B@man! is a great example. Nick Gage and Scott Lamps used strictly synthesizer and an electronic drum kit. They made great use of the standard synthesizer sound, calling to mind ‘80s new wave electronic music; a darker electric guitar sound to capture the gritty Batman from The Dark Knight or The Killing Joke; and light and playful bell tones, representing the innocence of Robin or perhaps the campy silliness of the ‘60s Batman TV show.

When it’s a parody musical of a musical, the challenge is even greater. Enter Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier.

There’s not a lot of interstitial music to set the scenes, but what little there is excels with capturing the mood, like the eerie strings and woodwinds coupled with sporadic percussion during Aladdin’s breakdown near the end. Instead, Twisted features a large number of songs to fill its 2.25 hour runtime, so I’m going to focus on the instrumentals of those for this post. The instrumentation for this show includes keyboard, drums, guitar/bass, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, and alto/tenor saxophone. It’s a much bigger and more varied band than any StarKid show had before or since.

The endeavor that composer A.J. Holmes, accompanied by incredible lyricist Kaley McMahon, set out on was to evoke not only the source material, Disney’s Aladdin, but also other Disney movies of the same era and the Broadway musical Wicked. The Disney references are all over the place, including the Disney-fied StarKid logo. The latter was accomplished via the title (Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier vs. Wicked: The Untold Story of a Wicked Witch), the album cover, the method of role reversal (a villain posed as the hero of their own story), and even a direct reference to the book. But A.J., along with orchestrator Andrew Fox and music director Justin Fischer, took it a step further with several songs to give the audience a truly immersive and magical experience.

To keep it simple, I’m going to link each song--or most, as some I can’t quite figure out--to another Disney or Wicked song that A.J. was likely, or even obviously, taking influence from. The similarities are often in the instrumentation and tempo; chord progressions and adjacent melodies; or lyrics and character situations.

Not a song, but the opening music evokes the haunting strings and bells in the opening of Beauty and the Beast to a tee. Like...it’s a dead ringer, obviously in purpose.

“Dream a Little Harder”: An opening ensemble number like “Belle” from Beauty and The Beast. Introduces the protagonist and the surrounding characters with a sweet and tremulous flute at the beginning and bouncy strings throughout. Lyrics mirror each other, i.e. “Fuck you” = “Bonjour”...Nick’s favorite line, “Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!”...they all hate Ja’far vs. they all think Belle is weird. Belle is even part of the ensemble, telling Ja’far to keep his “fat face out of the mother fucking book”! It’s a pretty obvious comparison. 

“I Steal Everything”: “One Jump Ahead” from Aladdin is the obvious parallel in orchestration, melody, tempo, lyrics, character situation...everything.

“Everything and More”: Again, an obvious parody of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. Same gentle yet sweeping melody, same lilting tempo paired with vocals timid one moment and powerful the next, lyrics exploring desire for more.

“A Thousand and One Nights”: This one was a little harder, as really none of the Disney princesses have duets with their princes. But I think it pairs well with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, at least after Timon and Pumbaa have their moment! The back and forth between lovers talking to themselves about the other has a similar feel. Honestly, this song is pretty original and yet manages to evoke Disney love song perfectly without copying any. The gentle melody, sweeping yet sweet orchestration, and the dialogue really sell it. They knew it was the love song because they went ahead and parodied the cheesy pop covers that ‘90s Disney movies are known for with a true bop performed by Britney Coleman and Carlos Valdes.

“Orphaned at 33″: Perhaps the reprise of “One Jump Ahead”? It’s slower and more melancholy and has similar chord progression and crooning vocals. Maybe “Go the Distance” from Hercules? Both are songs of sadness and longing, but StarKid’s Aladdin is far more pathetic and creepy than Hercules. EDIT: “Proud of Your Boy”, which was cut from Aladdin and put in the stage show, is absolutely the reference here! Again, a song of sadness and longing and self-pity and lamentation of a bad childhood...and StarKid’s Aladdin is still more pathetic. Musical parallels: similar chord progressions, embellishments, instrumentation, time signature, tempo, etc.; starts with delicate notes and Aladdin just talking (this starts at 46 seconds in “Orphaned at 33″, after a prelude); lilting and tiptoeing melody in the middle (1:56 for “Orphaned”, 1:08 for “Proud”); powerful sustained vocals and sweeping winds and strings to finish. I know this song was in the back of my mind, but it just wasn’t coming to me. Thank you @hatchetfieldtheories and @melchron for helping me out! 

“Happy Ending”: The last half, at 1:50, really reminds me of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, specifically at 5:15. The quiet and tense music make way for powerful vocals and are just waiting to burst forth for a showstopping ending. Both songs are also Act 1 closers. I can’t really place the rest of “Happy Ending”, but it all reminds me of Wicked with the powerful rock guitar and drums paired with cinematic strings. Plus, I always love when multiple melodies come together as reprises, most often as Act 1 closers!

“No One Remembers Achmed”: A sillier version of “Gaston” from Beauty and The Beast. The spurned villain’s cohorts are pumping him up and singing his praises! Both melodies are jaunty, though with different instrumentation...Twisted’s featuring sillier sound effects and goofy xylophone.

“Take Off Your Clothes”: A sexier version of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Slightly modified melody, and obviously the lyrics, but it’s exactly the same.

“The Power in Me”: A solemn and sweet farewell duet between friends like “For Good” from Wicked. The delicate woodwinds and strings sound similar to the gentle synth in “For Good”. Vocal performances are cautious and tender at first but quickly become strong and confident. “You are the power in me” and “I have been changed for good” follow almost the exact same rhythm.

The titular song has many facets, so I’ll detail them here:

Opening to 1:03 and 5:55 to the end = “No Good Deed” from Wicked, with the same intense strings and percussion. The whole situation and lyrics match, with both Ja’far and Elphaba deciding to just be antiheroes because no one sees them as heroes anyway. “I’ll be twisted, it’s my turn” matches “No good deed will I do ever again” and “I’m wicked through and through”.

1:10-2:06 = “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid...it’s Ursula, so of course...but also, the woodwinds and keyboard mimicking brass evoke the same bouncy yet menacing rhythm, akin to an evil polka.

2:07-2:50 = “Be Prepared” from The Lion King. Obviously, it’s Scar’s moment...but also, they have similar deep and primitive drums and woodwinds.

The rest of the songs (”Sands of Time”, “Golden Rule”, and “If I Believed”) I couldn’t really place, but they still evoke the source materials. “Golden Rule” has a classic musical theatre ensemble number feel, with fun strings and woodwinds and delightful choruses; the reprise turns it on its head with menacing piano and bass. “If I Believed” is another take on an “I want” song; the flute and cello pair very nicely together to support Dylan’s soulful voice.

My next post in this series will likely be about the Hatchetfield series: The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Black Friday, and Nightmare Time. There’s a lot in between, like the AVP Trilogy, ANI, and Starship, but the music for those stands out less to me. They’re great, don’t get me wrong, but I think that the score is not what makes them special. The Hatchetfield stuff, however...is intense.

Thanks for reading!

#starkid #rewatchers1000 #twisted: the untold story of a royal vizier #holy musical b@man #disney #wicked #sk musical score

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it isn't melchron. i am good friends with the evil book thouguguhuwu -wiggly anon

oh! it's probably stannleigh or maybe starrah 

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love her vibe. slay girlie 😊

#i need to make this my pfp on something #shipwrecked comedy #headless: a sleepy hollow story #headless series #verla wolfson #melchron the good book

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HE RETURNS

#AND HE GREW A STACHE #shipwrecked comedy #headless: a sleepy hollow story #headless series #ichabod crane #tin can bros #tcb #wayward guide to the untrained eye #wayward guide #jeremiah stillwater #sean persaud #melchron the good book

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No way catboy!Paul real???

#starkid #hatchetfield #hey melissa #npmd stream #melchron the good book

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Guys we got Teej back today

Please help bring back my boy Elmo Keep

I NEED to see him again

(also its just good to let Jon know what content we'd like to from him so whatever you vote for you'd be helping him out)

#BRING BACK ELMO KEEP #jon matteson #elmo keep #melchron the good book

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why did he bite into the cutie?

#shipwrecked comedy #headless series #headless: a sleepy hollow story #melchron the good book

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Wait why are Brom and Matilda actually kinda cute?

#and she gets coleadership over the babes #and its cute seeing brom be sweet to her #im into this #even if its in the way of katilda #shipwrecked comedy #headless: a sleepy hollow story #headless series #matilda bishop #brom bones #melchron the good book

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Ok ok ok ok so I'm late to the whole robert situation I just went through and read everything that's been happening the past few days

I was laughing so hard at how petty and embarrassing he was being. Like this is fr so funny for a grown man to be acting this way he literally needs to shut up

But then I got to the BATB thing he described with Black Belle. In case any of you forgot, I am black. What he just described is literally so scary and disturbing I feel like I'm actually about to cry

What is actually wrong with him

I hope he never rejoins starkid and I feel so bad that Nick and Jon have to live with him while he's saying all of this stuff

#i feel like i should clarify i never wanted him to rejoin after the sa stuff came out #i did trust sk's judgment to let him back in if they truly feel he deserved it #this just absolutely solidified my opinion that i never want to see him again #why did he say that what's wrong with him #middle school me im sorry you had a crush on this guy #im actually crying rn what the heck #tw robert manion #cw robert manion #robert manion #melchron the good book

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anyway why does he look like that

#i saw it yesterday because they posted it on patreon #i thought of this immediately #tin can bros #tcb #solve it squad #how the grunch cribbed christmas #htgcc #melchron the good book

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PAUL'S GREATEST DREAM IS TO BE A 4FT TALL ANTHROPOMORPHIC SQUIRREL??????????

#I BEG THY PPARDON #starkid #hatchetfield #dream machine #melchron the good book #npmd stream

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Wasn't Mariah going to play a character named Mrs. Lipschitz in tgwdlm? I wonder if Richie has any relation to her

#if he mentions having a dog im considering ms. lipschitz canon #starkid #hatchetfield #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #richie lipschitz #melchron the good book

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Melissa probably:

Okay... just please consider the following scenario.

It's five to ten years from now. You're sitting in a theater, enjoying a lovely musical, when I walk in accompanied by my human pets (whose genitals are covered as they enter on all fours and are wearing underpants).

My pets have been neutered (though you can't tell because their genitals have been covered up), they bark/meow, and they walk on all fours not by choice, but because their toes have been removed, along with their fingers.

#literally she's human pet guy #starkid #hatchetfield #hey melissa #npmd stream #melchron the good book

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besties I am going to be so annoying about jangle ball tonight

#melchron the good book

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Nightmare Time 2 Episode 3 Thoughts

I didn't get a chance to do this last time so I'm doing it now because I really do love these episodes

MIAH?!?!?!?

Can we talk about how good Jaime is at making music videos? This and Where I Wanna Be are amazing

Ok but where did Jaime get those Care Bear plushies? They look like they're from the iteration I grew up with and I want them

Jeff sounds SO good

If I remember correctly, Jaime said that Andrew noticed her nips in the bathtub scene and she had to edit them out. Thank god he caught that omg. And great editing on Jaime's part.

I love how passionate Frank is about Toyzone. He truly cares for this place.

OOOOUuUuUTT!!!

Death to Bezos

This is so TRAGIC!!!! Not Buddy please no!

I wish Miss Retro's was real so bad it feels like the most vibey place ever. This is the type of place teens in 80s movies hang out. Mutuals I want to be teens in 80s movies with.

STAAHP I'M SAAD

Jaime is so good as Sherman

Sugar Gliders seems like something I would have LOVED when I was little. Honestly I'd probably still enjoy it now.

Frank that is weird to say that right in front of Sherman

SHERMAN DON'T SAY THAT

I want his dino bowtie so much

Don't shame me!

Oh hello Lurch Marco

Ok but can we talk about how next episode we see how quickly the CaliforMIA trio had to grow up because of their financial circumstance. Like Sherman isn't wrong in his statement but his thinking behind it is

Call him out Holloway

Frank I love you but that was a douche move. She has mouths to feed at home!

"I'm not going anywhere." Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?

Oh uh uh I do not like this. Bad vibes. Bad vibes! Shelia stop that right now. Please don't treat Frank like your servant. Not the black man, you rich white woman.

Oh hi Becky :D

SheLIA WHAT THE HECK HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING

PLEASE HE'S SUFFERED ENOUGH

Why do I want all of Sherman's stuff? Gimme the dino jammies!

YES TELL HER OFF FRANK

WAIT STOP SHERMAN DID NOTHING WRONG! DON'T TAKE HIS STUFF!!

Do you think Sheila's ever gone "Pull the lever, Marco. WRONG LEVER!" Because I do

It's a nightmare TIME. Get it right Frank

BARRY SWIFT!?!?! This name works on multiple levels and I love it. It works as a pun and a Flash reference.

Stop I'm sad again

Two weeks and your done grieving?

I wish rich people would do more cool stuff with their money! They're so boring and stupid. Give me your money if you're not going to use it properly

Oh hello Feast Or Famine

#Barlen #Helry #OTPIAH

The acting skills Frank

This episode is making me miss Toys R Us. Or when I went on my monthly trips to Claire's for Shopkins

I do kinda feel bad for Sherman in all of this. It's not his fault he was raised to believe he deserved his privilege simply because he was born with it. Frank really could've made him better if Shelia allowed him to

Shelia is brutal. She really didn't need to kill Ted

Frank is so good. He meant it when he told Barry that they were both making it out. He really wanted to and tried his best. And him saying sorry to Lex-

M-Make?!

So is Shelia part of the cult herself or does she just have access to it through Sherman's father

"I did." SHE THOUGHT! GET HER!

Frank: 👁👄👁

So like. does he have to get re-enrolled into school or?

Sherman. Babe. I know you're experience with being parented isn't the best but they don't usually do whatever you want them to

Yall Corey killed it. Never did I think I'd care about Frank this much

I LOVE NEEDY BEAST SO MUCH!

THRASH IS SO FUNNY! THIS FIGHT IS SO FUNNY! LITERALLY NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING

Wait I just remembered the end! Kale's introduction is tragic actually. He just wants to die

Hey! Dennys is for the theater kids! Not the punk rockers!

This flirting is so awkward. They both think they're so edgy. Calm down sweeties

Not the "Hiya, Duke. Thanks for coming." Dblwjhslfnjd so he's that type of dad

I love Duke. He's trying not to overwhelm Rose and trying to make her feel comfortable with him. He's showing he has similar interests and trying to make her laugh and showing her that he'll listen. He's good at his job!

Rose looks like she's trying so hard to hide her fear. She looks so uncomfortable but she has to keep up the punk front. Guys she doesn't care at all trust her

What's wrong with Barbie, Rosarie?

Yo Holloway kinda scary ngl

She read you like a book and ripped you to shreds dang

Rose is adorable

God I forgot how demonic the killer track actually sounded. OOUOUUWAAHAHAHAH Jeff understood the assignment jeez

Shh bby don't think. Eat your pie. Everything's ok

The mess up in blowing out the candle

Duke. My guy. We all have the same knowledge you do.

DUKE! MY GUY! LISTEN TO HER!

Why doesn't he just like. move?

This must've been the craziest night for Rose. She met a witch and is now (in her eyes) responsible for her death

KITTY! So much pet lore this season

What??

Duke: :0

CAME TO HATCHETFIELD FROM WHERE?!?!???

Aww she keeps telling him even though she knows he'll never remember :(

Dude that's so much smoke!

HAILEY-

Wait why does she have honey for that?

Ted let me see you be kinder to your brother first and then we'll see about your own kids

POTSEED!!

THRASH IS SO FUNNY! I LOVE HIM AND COURTNEY! I LOVE THEIR VOICES!

Kale kinda cute ngl

Yes 👏👏 the character arc we needed. They're done being try-hard edgelords

Kale does not seem like he's strong enough to punch her that hard. Did the killer track give you super strength? I'm guessing since he also knocked out the audio guy

Skud looks like he has no idea what's going on (and tbf no one does). Thrash is stressed out of his mind. Needy Beast is funny

This music video is so great!!!!!

Noooo I don't want Kale to die :( I wanted him to get help!!

Rose: 👁👄👁

Holloway!!! Letting him have his moment of glory

This is SO. TRAGIC. Holloduke is tragic guys

Soooo what kind of potential do we have with Holloway Holiday working at Hannah's school?

I LOVE THIS VERSION OF THE THEME SO MUCH! I recorded the end of it back in November and I love listening to it every once in a while. The. Vibes. Also Irish Becky is back!

#starkid #hatchetfield #nightmare time #nmt2 daddy #killer track #nightmare time 2 #nightmare time spoilers #nightmare time 2 spoilers #mel thinks thoughts #long post #melchron the good book