#Debbie Seibert

[lifeneedsasoundtrack]

Bob Bergthold & Debbie Seibert: Girl In The Tower

Song of the Day: February 23, 2023

“ Girl in the tower I'm reaching out Please tell me what to do Girl in the tower I'm calling out My heart cries out for you ”

Additional Thoughts: I’m on a quest to watch every Game Grumps episode ever and I just finished the Kings Quest VI playthrough.

[fredalan]

The Talent Pool HA! TV Comedy Network 1990

"Performance Artist" was the term of art in the late 80s. As producer Christine Ecklund remembers co-creator Albie Hecht's definition, "...longer form material, no joke tellers. A downtown feel."

Monologist Spalding Gray had a hipster success with his performance piece (and eventual film) "Swimming to Cambodia." His recitation of his travel, writing and acting experiences, mixed pathos and humor to engaged audiences for several years in New York theater.  

When MTV Networks launched HA! in 1990 we pitched channel head Debby Beece that among Gray's contemporaries were humorists with the goods that would hone the network's reputation with up and coming talent.

"The Talent Pool", an anthology of performance artists, set up shop in midtown Manhattan's Lamb's Theatre, site of a beautiful gospel brunch, and started casting. Between Chauncey Street and the network we settled on a pretty stellar bunch (pictured above from the top):  

• John Leguizamo is a writer and actor who went on to win four Tony Awards, appear in over 100 films, and whose Columbian/Latino roots and community are always up front.

• Lewis Black, who's angry rants about history, politics, religion, and cultural trends eventually gave him a regular perch on "The Daily Show."

• Jim Turner became a star when MTV presented him as his creation ‘Randee of the Redwoods’, and later acted in movies and TV. 

• Frank Maya was one of the first openly gay performers to gain a foothold in mainstream stand-up comedy, who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1995.

• Danitra Vance was a comedian and actress who came to great attention in the 1985 season of "Saturday Night Live." She was on The Talent Pool during her diagnosis and eventual death from breast cancer. She was awarded with an Obie and NAACP Image Award. 

• Chucklehead was a troupe whose comedy addressed fears of the Cold War, entropy, mortality, and the likelihood not enough tickets would be sold at their shows.

• Julie Hayden was a delightful writer and actress who was later in Ben Stiller's "The Cable Guy" with Jim Carrey, She was finding her way in the TV pilot season when she died of cancer in 1997. 

• Jeffrey Essman (not pictured) is often referred to as avant-garde, but he’s a hilarious writer, an often costumed performer and, a Benedictine monk.

• Barry Yourgrau (not pictured), a South African born writer and performer, has published several books and whose fictions have appeared in the New Yorker, Paris Review, VICE, Bomb, Poetry, Film Comment.

The show wasn't particularly highly rated, but we were completely taken by each of our fantastic cast and heartened when so many of them went on to highly visible and acclaimed careers. ..... Created by Albie Hecht & Alan Goodman Producers: Christine Ecklund, Craig Coffman Directors: Craig Coffman, Dana Calderwood Business Affairs: Elliot Krowe, Jim Arnoff Executive Producers: Alan Goodman, Albie Hecht, Fred Seibert  Chauncey Street Productions, New York

[vivianvixen]

Just for reference, here's what I've got so far (not in order yet):

Warren Wiebe - Human Touch Penny Parker - My Die Young Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert - Girl in the Tower Shiratori Emiko - Melodies of Life Dan Smith - Sometimes When We Touch Lionel Richie - Stuck on You Chicago - You’re the Inspiration

Hive mind! I want to make a mixtape of slow songs for my girlfriend, and I welcome suggestions. Older and somewhat cheesier songs will be favored.

[sunlit-music]

Video title: Girl in the tower - King's Quest VI.

YouTube channel: Iamlemaussade

Song title: Girl in the Tower.

Video length: 4 minutes 26 seconds.

From: the computer game King's Quest 6.

Game company: Sierra Games.

Video uploaded to YouTube on September 17, 2009.

Song composed by Mark Seibert.

Song lyrics written by Jane Jensen.

Sung by: Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert.

Guitar played by: Ron Delarmon.

Song copyrighted to Sierra Games 1992.

This is one of my favourite songs. :) Easily one of the best songs I've heard from nearly all the computer games I know of.

[thedenfantasyleague]

The Den Fantasy League Weekly Recap: Week 1

Gentlemen,

We made it. Week One is in the books. I’m currently writing this intro during the first MNF game. Why am I doing so? There aren’t any games being decided on Monday night. Trust me, I hope I’m wrong. Anything can happen on Monday night. Yet here we are, winners are pretty much decided at this point. I’m sure this won’t be the norm but I’m just happy we have football back and seven hours of commercial-free football on Sundays.

Viking Quest v. Debbie Rowe

I called it didn’t I? At the beginning of the week, Jake tried the reverse jinx for him to win but felt it was in the league’s best interest if I took the loss this week. Didn’t feel right taking a win from Jake who is notorious for always being the bridesmaid when it comes to fantasy. As our own Scott Rowe says, “Jake can’t close”. Jake came out hot Thursday night with a near 20-point performance from his rookie CEH and the onslaught continued. 20+ games from Carson and JuJu with his high scorer Josh “Looks Good in Shorts” Allen hitting near 30. Did his team come out too hot? Verdicts still out. For me, I did the noble thing and asked my guys to take it easy in game one. I appreciate Cam, Kamara, Taylor, and Kelce for showing up when no one else was able to hit double digits. We’re on to Hank Mardukas.

Team Timshel v. Kalabar’s Revenge

Speaking of coming out hot, G was our highest scorer in week one which is unfortunate for Mike as he had the third-highest score on the week. G came out guns a-blaze-it (420) with only five of his players NOT in the twenties. Led by Adams with 34.6 (a career-high fantasy day, I’m told), he followed up with Dalvin and the wombo-combo of the attorneys of Ryan and Ridley. Also, his defense came up big against his beloved Bengals. Tough, G. Don’t let the near 20-point margin of victory fool you, our defending champ held his own this week. The Seahawks let Russ cook and he ended with over 30 points. The rest of his team showed consistency across the board as only two players weren’t in double figures. A tough loss for Mike.

Fire Jarn v. Tua Days

Is Robbie focused more on his golf game than this league? People are saying yes. Robbie was our lowest point-scorer for the week and the people aren’t shocked. A mere 70+ point outing is nothing to be proud as his best players both didn’t make it to 14 points. Unfortunately, he saw most of his production coming from his bench players Sloppy and his namesake, Rubbie. Where does he go from here? Does he revert to the Rob of old? Was last year a fluke? Speaking of flukes, Vinny is trying to prove his run last year wasn’t one. Vinny’s biggest production came from his combo meal of Lamar and Mark, a dangerous connection if it continues. He also continued in his love of Kenyan and got 13.5 out of him but the big surprise was his Saints D. Vinny wasn’t buying the Tompa Brady hype and rolled the dice on the Saints and it paid off. Tom was tossing picks like they were beads and the Bucs fell flat. Can Vinny keep this momentum?

11-4-1 PVO v. The Perfect Ten

I’ll state the obvious, there was tension at Drake’s on Thursday. Not one of malice but a competitive spirit filled the air. Dylan and E both wanted this one. Dylan was coming off the high of a successful draft and E wasn’t ready to be the one to bring legitimacy to Dylan’s new look. Like E and myself, Dylan bought in on the Lions on week one. We’re going to move on from the events of that game but the Lions did no favors to anyone that day. Dylan can find hope in Zeke, Julio, and Melvin but no one else put up double digits. In fact, his own heart hurt him. Seibert, who is now a former Brown and current Bengal, got him -3 points. This league is tough enough but add in negatives and you’re finished. E got things started on Thursday night with a 20+ performance from Mahomes. Add that to big games from CMC, DK, Crowder, and even Prater Zone got him 11. E’s biggest concern turns to his RB Conner with rumors swirling. No matter what is to come, E takes the Week One Dub.

Virginia Reel Rockets v. Hank Mardukas

Cabana Boy and Cabana Boy Contender from last year squared off in week one. In our closest game from the weekend, Scott “edged” out Al by a 12+ point margin. It seems like drafting in person may benefit Scott more than he knew as he was led by Dak, Mostert, Thielen, and his Buffalo D got him a solid 10. He also had some success on his bench that may turn some heads, especially when he snaked E for Benny. Smart move, Scott. Al, himself, put up a pretty decent game in his own right. Let by 20+ point performances from Kyler and his new teammate Hopkins were encouraging signs. It was also nice to see Gurley and AJ put up decent games between them. Not so encouraging signs? Le’Veon and Thomas. His first-round pick struggled to even put up four points in his week one debut and Le’Veon is now on IR. This is the time to keep your composure, Al.

Wilmore Cinderella v. Mr. Magorium’s Mixon It Up

An interesting matchup here. Do you remember the time that Gabe broke JP on MNF? Does JP hate Saquon? All I know is that this week, JP may have finally gotten revenge on Gabe. JP was led by a massive performance by Jacobs and Deshaun was no schmuck by contributing a 20+ outing himself. However, in typical JP fashion, his gamble of wanting someone to play on TNF almost hurt him after Hardman only put up 1.1 points. Not great. The other story in this game was Gabe’s history was Kurses. As I’m sure you’re all aware, “Mr. Magorium” was Kursed this year. His only way out? Change his name to Mixon It Up. Gabe didn’t the spirits would work their magic again this year (some reports are saying he called the spirits “Cowards”, not good if you ask me) but they came back with vengeance. So much so he was our second lowest point-scorer this week. Brees was “eh”, Jones had a good outing, Woods showed up on SNF, and his kicker got him a solid ten. Gabe’s Kursing also showed in OBJ’s tumultuous week and the alleged pooping fetish. Then his Flex tears his Achilles. Yikes. He has since changed his team name and the Kurses have backed off but there’s no way of knowing if a residual Kurse is still lingering.

Week Two Matchups

Hank Mardukas v. Viking Quest

Fire Jarn v. Team Timshel

Kalabar’s Revenge v. 11-4-1 PVO

Tua Days v. The Perfect Ten

Wilmore CInderella v. Virginia Reel Rockets

Mr. Magoriums Mixon It Up v. Debbie Rowe (Game of the Week)

Commissioner’s Chat

Kurse

Unfortunately for Gabe, the Kurse seems to be lingering. G has consulted the spirits and they want to test out the name change to see his commitment. 

--

Thank you all for a great Week One and don’t forget, Week Two starts this Thursday with the battle for Ohio. Set your lineups accordingly.

Your beloved Commish, 

Jared R. Mosqueda

[13thhr]

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An excerpt from “Girl in the Tower,” The ending credits ballad in the Sierra game King’s Quest VI, written by Sierra music director Mark Seibert, sung by Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert, with a great guitar solo by Ron Delarm. Delve into more Kong’s Quest VI and other games of this vintage in this week’s podcast with @blummer102 who joins as a guest. Part 1/2 - next week we continue reminiscing games of childhood. Check out the show notes for this week’s show for more details and to listen to the whole episode of The Thirteenth Hour (#179) directly. It’s also available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, Googleplay, and Tunein, all now easily accessible by clicking on the linktree bio in @the13thhr.ost. . . . . #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #kingsquest #kingsquest6 #girlinthetower #adventuregames #80sgames #8bit #nes #genesis #arcadegames #pcgames #sierraonline #90sgames #videogames #strangepullingsensation #gauntlet #defender #pacman #defenderofthecrown #markseibert #authorsofinstagram #author #soundtrack #writersofinstagram @applepodcasts @itunespodcasts @stitcherpodcasts @tunein @spotify @googleplaymusic 🎤 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsn83MXlWGZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h5g54h7drva8

[fredalan]

The Nickelodeon Music & Sound Box Set and CDs

The Nickelodeon Music & Sound Library 1996

In June 1984, Fred/Alan booked it’s first major job, the turnaround of Nickelodeon. MTV Networks boss, Bob Pittman, asked Fred and Alan to try and bring their perspective to helping the kids channel climb out of the ratings basement it in which it found itself. 

Aside from the strategic thinking we brought to programmers Gerry Laybourne and Debby Beece, we knew we needed some executional magic. And since we had a counter intuitive philosophy for a visual medium like television –that is, innovative visuals and programming should leap from the sound– we started a brainstorm as to what Nickelodeon should sound like. The amazing pictures would follow when the animators were inspired by the music.

We were fascinated with bringing back the jingle sounds of Top 40 radio. We finally got there in the early 90s on VH1, but at the Nickelodeon moment we were focused on a sound that in our little minds was a spin-off/adaptation of jingles. That is, the a cappella singing of Black Americans. We’d already experimented for The Playboy Channel and Showtime with our new friends Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five. We loved the results and realized Eugene’s group could be the perfect engine for Nickelodeon. (Most of the tracks on The Nick Nick Nick Collection below are the soundtracks of these aninmations.)

With little prompting, Fred will recall the moment that Alan improvised on the opening of The Marcels’ “Blue Moon“ ... “Ni Ni Ni Nick-el-o-de-oooonnn!” What kid could resist it?!

Alan went on to finish the now classic song with our colleague (and my former record company partner) Tom Pomposello and Eugene, and the rest is a small part of television history. (I can’t think of any other TV network that had such wonderful music [or any actual music] as its branding centerpiece.)

A decade later, Fred/Alan had closed, but Tom continued to produce  special work for Nickelodeon, Nick-at-Nite and other cable channels. And Nick’s super smart, super talented worldwide creative director, Scott Webb, commissioned song after sound after song, eventually there was enough that he thought it was time to collect it all for the then global Nickelodeons to use whenever they saw fit.

You can hear it all if you scroll to the bottom of this post, and right below here is the transcript of the essays by Tom and Scott included with the CD booklets included in the box set.

.....

When Geraldine Laybourne inherited the top position at Nickelodeon, the net­work had the unpopular reputation (with kids) of being the "good for you" channel. Parents thought the idea was great - but their kids wanted noth­ing to do with it. Her job was to tum Nickelodeon around and make it a place that really was for kids. For help she turned to one of the most media-savvy companies in the industry - the New York-based Fred/Alan, Inc. Partners Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman headed up a brain trust/consortium that specialized in creating network identities. Their track record was  impecca­ble, having helped launch the wildly  successful MTV (Music Television). At that time, I was a produc­er/creative director and composer associated with the company and the three of us immersed our­selves in our new Nickelodeon challenge.

Creating an identity for a network is almost like inventing a person. You have to decide what they'll look like, what they'll sound like and what they'll say. From the outset, we agreed to place equal emphasis on developing a visual style and an audio sensibility. Both qualities had to be appealing and unique to Nickelodeon.

Much of my work with Fred and Alan revolved around sound design ... and so began a series of great freewheeling conversations about what the sound basis of Nickelodeon would be. We started tossing around ideas and what kept coming up was doo wop music. The more we talked about it, the more sure we felt doo wop would be the ideal sound for a kids' network.

Doo wop developed as street-corner singing. It was a people's music. You didn't need expensive electronic studio equipment you just needed your vocal chords and a desire to make sound: a natural for kids. Anyone could sing along with those doo wop nonsense syllables. And the beauty of using "antique" doo wop harmonies as a signature for a kids' network was that, for kids in 1984, it was a brand new sound! Unlike what their big brothers or sisters were listening to on the radio, this music was just for them.

One of our friends, Marty Pekar, had recently start­ed a record label and was working on a revival of doo wop music. He was nuts about one of the groups he was recording: the Jive Five. We all remembered their hit records from our teen years - "My True Story" and "I'm a Happy Man" (the latter was perhaps the last doo wop record to make the charts, and was a hit in 1965 while the Beatles and the British invasion were in full swing). It wasn't long before I started working with the great gen­tleman of doo wop himself, the leader of the Jive Five, Eugene Pitt. 

Now, Eugene is one of the finest singers who ever emerged from the genre. He can sing baritone or falsetto, but he's as good a lead singer and doo wop balladeer as has ever been. Eugene truly is the unsung (pun intended) hero of the Nick sound and his contribution to Nickelodeon as a singer and lyri­cist can't be overstated. 

One of the best choices we made was to work with this real-life street corner rock 'n' roll group, rather than studio musicians or jingle singers. This was honest-rootsy-gritty-folksy-get-down-and-be-real a cappella singing. Kids intuitively know the difference between real and sanitized. And we committed ourselves to always be authentic in our communication to our audience.

The other coup was the decision to treat "Nickelodeon" as a sound rather than a word. (Who knows what a "nickelodeon" is anyway? To kids, it's just a funny-sounding word.) Entire songs were written in which "Nickelodeon" was the only word. Playing with the word "Nickelodeon" musi­cally turned it into the ultimate audio logo - as distinctive and infectious as a jingle, without any offensive sloganeering attached. Just pure, lively, good-time doo wop. 

Once our doo wop tracks were married with the also-celebrated animated IDs, the ftnishing touch was sound effects. The initial sound effect tone (this time no pun intended) was set by the wild English sound effects maestro, Tom Clack, of Manhattan's Clack Studios. Tom is a veteran of the BBC and has created sound effects for about a million radio com­mercials as well as for TV and film soundtracks and record albums.

It was in Tom's studio that we post-scored many of the 10-second tracks for the original animated Nick network identity spots. Though there aren't many of these tracks represented on these CDs, it was Tom's comic sensibility and wacky perspective that informed the whole evolution of the Nick sound. He knew just how and when to punctuate the tracks with a sonic A-bomb or a sublimely subtte splat. ("Sound effects are funny when they're in sequences of threes," he once told me. "Listen. It's 'boink-­thwap-plink:' If you just go 'boink-thwap,' it feels quite unsatisfying.") The "Doo Wop Meets Sound Effects" music style is mainly reflected on disc one of this collection [The Nick Nick Nick Collection]. Discs two [The Flotsam Collection, The Jetsam Collection] through four [The Original Collection] contain music inspired by those early tracks. 

I saw that a big part of our job was to develop an audio identity for a kids' network that really spoke to kids. Our solution was the marriage of doo wop and wacky sound effects. It was one distinctive, unique way we would communicate the "voice of Nickelodeon." 

Did it work?

I'll never forget the time I was walking down Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. It was the spring of 1985. On the street where these little girls jumping rope and keeping time singing "Nick-Nick-Nick:-Nick-N-Nick­Nick-Nick, Nickelodeon." I thought to myself: "Well, I always dreamed of producing a hit record, but lit­tle did I imagine it would be the theme to Nickelodeon!"

Tom Pomposello Music Director/Producer/Composer

…..

Tom Pomposello talks about successfully solving a problem using doo wop for Nickelodeon, but the real success was recognizing the power of sound. Sound is often over­looked in creating television and it is often more powerful than people think. For example, you can have your head buried in the refrigerator looking for a snack and miss what's on the screen, but you can't avoid the audio as easily. Sound and music also make a deep emotional impression, like the songs you learn as a kid and never forget.

It shoutd also be noted that it took guts for Gerry Laybourne and Debby Beece to approve the use of doo wop and wacky sound effects for the Nick sound. They originally wanted to go with something more traditional and expected. In any creative endeavor, it takes courage to take risks and be unconventional, but the rewards can be spectacular. 

Since the introduction of the Nick doo wop sound in 1984, many talented composers and musicians have built upon and diversified Nick's aural identity. We have always tried to stay away from mercilessly surfing the popular trends in kids' music. Instead, at the heart of our personality there has always been humor, surprise, play, and a love and respect for kids.

The music and sound on these CDs are powerful tools for communicating  Nickelodeon's personality. Consider sound as you go about solving your strategic and creative problems, whether you µse these CDs as tracks, elements or inspiration.

Have Fun!

Scott Webb Creative Director, Nickelodeon Fall 1995 

.....

Co-conceived by Scott Webb and Tom Pomposello  Executive producer, Creator Director: Scott Webb  Produced and Directed by Tom Pomposello 

MUSIC  Production coordination & management: Barbara Powers  Production assistance: Melody Ann Mora  Digitally remastered and processed for CD by Danny Cavacco, This Way Studios, NYC 

DESIGN  Art Director: Laura Hinzman  Designer: Masaka Moribayashi  Illustrator: Sarah Schwartz Project Manager: Wendy Larrabee Production Manager: Nancy Morelli  Mechanical Production: Kevin Gepford 

Pomposello, Inc. wishes to thank Eugene Pitt and the Jive Five, Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman, Tom Clack, Beldeen Fortunado, Marc Chamlin and Geraldine Laybourne  Nickelodeon wishes to thank Robert Farro, Tom Harbeck, Greg Harrell, Lisa Judson, Anne Kreamer, Kim Rosenblum and Dennis Shinners.  

…..

NOTICE TO NICKELODEON PRODUCER/PERSONNEL:  Use this music as much as you wish. And remember, each us requires you to file a music cue sheet or music usage report with MTV Networks, ASCAP & BMI title, timing, type of use, composer(s) & publisher(s). It’s a mandatory requirement of compliance. 

…..

©1996, Viacom International, Inc. All rights reserved.  For promotional use only. Not for sale. 

Fred Seibert

·

The Nick Nick Nick Collection

>

Fred Seibert

·

The Flotsam Collection

Fred Seibert

·

The Jetsam Collection

The Original Collection

[13thhr]

An excerpt from “Girl in the Tower,” The ending credits ballad in the Sierra game King’s Quest VI, written by Sierra music director Mark Seibert, sung by Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert, with a great guitar solo by Ron Delarm. Delve into more Kong’s Quest VI and other games of this vintage in this week’s podcast with @blummer102 who joins as a guest. Part 1/2 - next week we continue reminiscing games of childhood. Check out the show notes for this week’s show for more details and to listen to the whole episode of The Thirteenth Hour (#179) directly. It’s also available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, Googleplay, and Tunein, all now easily accessible by clicking on the linktree bio in @the13thhr.ost. . . . . #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #kingsquest #kingsquest6 #girlinthetower #adventuregames #80sgames #8bit #nes #genesis #arcadegames #pcgames #sierraonline #90sgames #videogames #strangepullingsensation #gauntlet #defender #pacman #defenderofthecrown #markseibert #authorsofinstagram #author #soundtrack #writersofinstagram @applepodcasts @itunespodcasts @stitcherpodcasts @tunein @spotify @googleplaymusic 🎤 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsn8s9EF6ox/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ibu6per9u15u