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justarandombrit · 11 months ago

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Well. Here you go, I guess. (To avoid the massive amount of preamble skip to "The return of lines from Spies Are Forever...")

Spies Are Forever is a 2016 spy-parody musical set in 1960s America. It's by the Tin Can Bros and is all professionally recorded on YouTube for free, so I recommend watching it before reading this, as I will be talking about the penultimate in-character song from this musical, which, despite being a parody, is very much also a serious spy story, with a lot of twists and turns.

It is probably my favourite musical of all time, so I'll give you an hour or so to watch it.

…

Back? Has your brain chemistry been fundamentally changed? Yeah, that happens.

Anyway, just in case you decided that you didn't care about spoilers, I'll give you a quick overview of the plot you need for this essay.

Agent Curt Mega has been retired from spying for four years, since his partner (Owen Carvour)’s death due to a mistake Curt made. He decides to get back into the field to fight the enigmatic Deadliest Man Alive and ridiculous Baron Von Nazi, and stop the construction of the “Nazi Super Castle”. Along the way, he works with Cynthia Houston, head of the American Secret Service, Barb Larvernor, scientist, Tatiana Slohzo, Russian spy and the Informant, informant.

Despite being a comedy first and foremost, a lot of the musical hinges on the villain’s plot, and that is important in this overview.

We are led to believe that Von Nazi is the “brains” behind the operation, so to speak (despite him having none himself), up until a confrontation where, after killing the prince of The New Democratic Republics of Old Socialist Prussian Sloviskia and convincing the country's government to sign off on the plans for the Super Castle, the DMA literally and figuratively stabs Von Nazi in the back.

This, like many of the DMA's actions throughout the show, seems completely unmotivated. The main characters question this, and, in a suspenseful, absolutely devastating moment that I cannot do justice through the medium of writing, the DMA is revealed to be Owen.

I could write pages and pages about this moment, about the foreshadowing leading up to it, about Curt's reaction, Tatiana's reaction, Joe Walker and (actor) Curt Mega’s acting, how it's Joey Richter (Owen’s actor) who says the line “Personal history does have its benefits, Mega”, that line itself! This scene keeps me up at night, but this essay isn't about that.

This essay is about the song directly following this scene.

As Owen predicts in his speech, Curt goes after him instead of the information warehouses created by Owen’s agency, Chimera. This song serves as a villain song for Owen, no longer disguised as the Deadliest Man Alive, and also a duet for Owen and Curt.

Although up until now I have been explaining the plot in order, a good chunk of this analysis requires the context of retrospect. So, again I implore you to watch it. It's only 8 minutes long and would really make my job easier. Act Two, Part Six.

https://youtu.be/yMBi9hp2QVQ?si=IUz42a_1DTMi4eNS

So. Curt and Owen were lovers. Even though that moment (along with Curt shooting Owen) had been spoiled for me before watching, I still gasped at that scene. Anyway, with the added context of what sort of “partners” they were, we can now move into the analysis.

I'm no music theorist, as evidenced by most of this essay being about the depth of the lyrics, not the music, but, as YouTube user ConsiderableColors pointed out in their video-essay “Motifs Of Remembrance In Spies Are Forever”, One Step Ahead does not have a single use of the common leitmotifs throughout the rest of the show, symbolising how Curt has moved on from mourning and feeling guilt over Owen, and accepted what he has to do.

(Sidenote; that video is incredibly good, and I'll be linking it at the end along with another SAF video-essay I love)

The return of lines from Spies Are Forever (song), specifically, “Who do you trust, who do you betray?”, really highlights TalkFine’s amazing lyric writing, recontextualising lines from the opening song, which clearly parodies the famously nonsensical Bond songs, because, as we all know:

Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot point is mentioned earlier in the story to return later in a more significant way...

I hope somebody got that reference.

Anyway, one important aspect in the structure of One Step Ahead is, for the most part, Owen always sings his lines before Curt, reflecting how he is, a, literally ahead of Curt, as he is being chased throughout most of the song, and, b, was figuratively ahead of Curt for most of the show, knowing and predicting his every move.

Owen sings “One step ahead, that's how it's always been”, to make out that Curt is incompetent, as we see him do multiple times in the previous scene. Of course, at this point, the audience should realise that this is untrue, but it makes complete sense why Owen, the man who almost died because of a mistake Curt made, should think this.

In the next verse, Owen continues with the much softer, although arguably more hurtful to Curt, “One step ahead, I'm sorry my old friend / But I'm still here / After all those years when you thought I was dead / I was one step ahead”

When listening to the song for the first time, “old friend” may sound like a bittersweet term of endearment, but with the context of the true nature of Owen and Curt’s relationship, this can be read more as an insult, as Owen disregarding their relationship, and pretending nothing ever happened between them.

Curt, still reprising lines from Spies Are Forever, next sings “It's time to save the world again”, making no mention of beating Owen or “overthrow(ing) (...) an evil power” like the ensemble sings at the start of the song, because at this point, Curt still has hope for Owen. He still believes he can get Owen to leave Chimera and he can get the Owen he knew in the opening song back.

Owen quickly shoots down this idea with “Typical Curt / And pretend to be a hero again”, which both takes a shot at Curt’s saviour complex, but also all of the duo’s previous beliefs, which we know Owen now believes were not really the right thing to do. Thus, this line could also be read as Owen showing his disdain for both A.S.S and MI6, and, by proxy, who he used to be, and who Curt still is.

Curt retaliates, now giving up on reprising SAF and instead following the tune Owen sang, with “Typical jerk!”, showing that he's now somewhat accepted that he won't be able to easily get Owen back, and has fully joined in on the fight. (Also I don't know how to include this but, after this line in the live version of the song Joey (Owen) says “Ooh, sick burn” in the most sarcastic way you've ever heard and it's amazing)

He then asks “What happened to the man I knew?”, implying that he's realised that Owen is no longer “The man [he] knew”

Owen gives a snarky response in, “It's a little late for an interview”, further showing his hatred of the man he used to be, and refusing to defend himself and his beliefs, despite going on to do exactly that after this song.

“Feelin’ a lot of déjà vu again” This line is sung one inch away from each other’s faces… I'm just saying, they knew what they were doing.

We can see that all of the quipping in the previous lines got to Curt, as he sounds much angrier than at the start when he sings “It's time for you to feel the heat”

Of course, Owen retorts with the much calmer “Revenge is going to taste so sweet”, once again reminding Curt, and us, the viewers, of his motivation throughout this song. In this song, Owen doesn't attempt to hide or downplay how much his trauma from Curt leaving him to die, or his desire to get revenge influenced his actions, unlike later, in The Staircase Scene, where he seems to genuinely believe he is acting for the good of spies, and humanity as a whole.

In fact, pretty much the only time revenge seems to play a factor in his choices when he's monologuing in The Staircase Scene, is when he says “I'm going to single-handedly dismantle everything you've ever believed in”. This, along with how his voice breaks when he says that line, tells us that he may be being more honest about his true motivation during this song, and lying, to an extent, about it afterwards.

They both proceed to call each other platonic, and slightly condescending nicknames (e.g. pal, buddy), both to try and undermine each other, and also possibly because they're still rightfully cautious to admit that they were anything more than that, in a society that demonised and criminalised homosexuality, especially for government workers, like secret agents.

Afterwards, Curt tries to retroactively justify Owen’s betrayal to himself, as we see in “You played me from the start”. He tries to convince himself that the betrayal was inevitable, and that Owen had been lying since they met, unable to accept that Owen really had changed because of Curt’s own actions.

“Well look at you / Without a clue” Owen quickly refutes this, unwilling to let Curt believe he is completely innocent, by reinforcing that he really did love Curt once.

Instead of doubling down, Curt goes with what Owen said, attempting to appeal to his emotion with “You know you broke my heart”.

“Don't deny I was the better spy” This line breaks me. Genuinely, I've spent hours thinking about this line. Think about the implications. PROMISE ME YOU'LL THINK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS.

See, the reason I love this line so much is that Owen is right. Objectively speaking, Owen is the better spy. And not in the way that Cynthia thinks, and not in the way he implies throughout the show. Curt is not incompetent by any means, but he is reckless. Owen is not.

The only reason Owen even survived at the start of the musical was because he took the proper safety precautions to limit the blast of the (completely unneeded) bomb Curt set the timer purposefully too short for. It makes complete sense why Owen would think he's better at spying, however I don't believe that he does. Maybe to an extent. But not fully.

“Don't deny” shows he really wants validation via this statement. He wants Curt to admit that he's better. That what happened was Curt’s fault. Maybe Owen does believe he's the better spy, maybe he doesn't, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that Curt believes he is.

(I had a lot more to say about that line than I thought…)

Instead of succumbing to Owen’s demand, Curt retorts, “I liked you better when you were dead”, which seems harsh, but utterly understandable. Owen’s betrayal hurt Curt so deeply, so intensely, that he preferred the years spent in mourning for his lover, quitting his job and drinking so much he hallucinated Owen’s ghost, because at least that Owen was the one he knew. The Owen that died a hero, rather than the one who lived long enough to become the monster.

Please forgive that cliché, but it seemed applicable.

After this, Owen reiterates “One step ahead / It's how it's always been”, but this time, Curt responds directly to Owen, with, “Can't let you win”. He's now outright saying that he and Owen are on opposite sides, rather than speaking vaguely about “saving the world”.

Owen, while still angry, again seems to be more interested in reminding Curt of his mistake and making him suffer emotionally. The “I'm still here” has an unspoken “Even though you weren't”.

Then, after Curt’s line, he goes back to the superiority idea, “And I'm better than you again”.

Interestingly, Curt doesn't attempt to appeal to Owen’s emotions again, or even insult him, instead just responding, “This is the end”. Either, at this point he has fully given up on reasoning with Owen, or, the earlier “You know you broke my heart” was a mistake, an accidental show of vulnerability Curt didn't mean.

My personal interpretation was that the line was a last-ditch effort from Curt, a sort of hail Mary to try and get Owen to see sense by alluding to their relationship. We see him do this later on in The Staircase Scene, by outright stating it, and it almost works. Almost.

Owen's line, “No one's innocent” shows a lot about his character. Even though he's trying to shift blame onto Curt, he still acknowledges wrong-doing. After all, he can't pin the over 1,000 people he killed as the Deadliest Man Alive on Curt, that was all him.

“My friend, you lost your mind” Here, Curt does the exact opposite of what he was doing before. Instead of making it out that Owen never loved him in the first place, e.g. “You played me from the start”, he disregards the reasons Owen joined Chimera, blaming it on Owen “going insane” or “losing his mind”.

As we've now come to expect, Owen immediately shuts this down, determined to make Curt feel the full gravity of what Owen sees as his original betrayal. When he says, “And you've been blind”, Owen is talking about how, in his opinion, Curt is blind to all the pain he caused, which we know is actually untrue, and we also know that Owen knows this, see “I spent as much time hating you as you did”. This, like so much in this song, is a way to guilt trip Curt, despite being an obvious lie.

This line could also be interpreted as Curt being blind to Chimera, and being so enamoured by spying and taking down governments that he is forgetting to notice (what Owen thinks is) the bigger picture.

“Now we're at the end” is pretty self-explanatory. This is the climax of the show, the point all of this has been leading up to.

The line “This is what you made me do” is sung by both Curt and Owen and has different connotations for each. Owen is once again referring to Curt abandoning him in the warehouse, causing him to join Chimera. Curt is talking about the fight itself, as he's tried to reason with Owen, but, after all of this, he's now at the end of his tether.

In the lines

“We're done”

“We're through!”

Owen sings first, symbolising how he moved on faster (well, visually, but I stick by the “Owen still had feelings for Curt until his real death” headcanon - I mean, he could've shot Curt at basically any point throughout The Staircase Scene, he chose not to). But Curt shouts louder, showing his anger about how Owen has acted after “coming back from the dead”. Also, this is their official breakup. Just think about that for a second.

These lines could also link back to the fact that this is the climax of the show, the writers are sort of telling you “This is it guys, we’re almost finished”.

The finality of the moment is emphasised by “I've nothing left to say to you”. They've both made their cases, neither was convinced, but they've said all that was needed.

After this, there's a direct homage to The Sound of Music,

“So long

Farewell

Auf Wiedersehen

Adieu

Goodbye”

…only in a minor key, taking the music from a romance and altering it slightly, depicting Curt and Owen’s own relationship. Furthermore, this is the goodbye hinted to in both Spies Are Forever and The Coldest Goodbye. This is the coldest goodbye. Why did I reread that in Eleanor Shellstrop’s voice

In conclusion, One Step Ahead is a song about truth, betrayal, tragedy and love. Curtwen is one of my top ten ships (and just character dynamics in general) of all time, and I hope this essay did them justice. Hopefully I didn't repeat myself too much? I love this song, show and characters so much that I got incredibly overexcited for massive parts of this.

I hope you at least got something out of reading this, and so one last toast. To honour-

Links:

ConsiderableColors’ essay: https://youtu.be/cS05pAQAFaY?si=16BHM3eU-gEUkxXE

Spies Are Forever: Decoded:

https://youtu.be/OYAbmbKoaqc?si=9EpZ1wYr_SMBPCP0

Ooh! New one!

How Spies Are Forever Defies Cliché With Parody

https://youtu.be/QhIwDhZKPvM?si=h6IFpKoFCHR0T-iK

(I can't believe this is also about Argylle lmaoooo)

#well enjoy this #this is the biggest analysis ive ever done... if it does well i might continue my grace chasity analysis...#or the one about starship's soundtrack #let me know if anybody would actually be interested in those #spies are forever #saf #tin can bros #tin can brothers #tcb #one step ahead #agent curt mega #owen carvour #tcb spies are forever #curtwen #tcb analysis

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chitaprrrrrrrr · 5 years ago

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LGBT+ Fiction Rec

Carol // movie, book, nsfw, wlw

Therese Beliveit sees Carol at a department store and is instantly drawn to her. The two women become close but are faced with the challenges of Carol’s rocky divorce and the struggles of being gay in the 1950s.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue // book, mlm, ace

Follows the story of Henry Montague, the son of a lord in eighteenth-century England, his sister, and his childhood best friend as their trip to Europe turns into a manhunt when he accidentally steals something more valuable than he could have imagined. Lots of great representation including a main interracial couple. There’s also a sequel called The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which focuses on his aro/ace sister.

Maurice // book, movie, nsfw, mlm

It’s the early twentieth century England, there are some rumors about a war that may be coming up, and Maurice Hall has realized that how he feels about his very attractive male friend is not just friendship. I’m talking vintage gays, repression, commentary on class struggles, and more vintage gays. When I say that this book/movie was ahead of its time, I mean it.

Spies Are Forever // musical, mlm

After Agent Curt Mega’s partner Owen dies while trying to escape a Russian facility, he takes a break from the spy life. But when he becomes a spy again, he finds out that his past is harder to escape from than he thought. Spies, gays, the Cold War, and a killer soundtrack. What more do you need? Uploaded by the creator on Youtube for free.

The Handmaiden // movie, nsfw, wlw

Sook-Hee’s a Korean pickpocket posing as a handmaiden to steal a Japanese heiress of her fortune. The plan gets complicated when Sook-Hee starts getting close to the heiress.

Good Omens // tv show, book, mlm, trans

If you were on Tumblr in June 2019, you probably already know what’s up. If not, an angel and a demon fall in love with humanity (and maybe a little with each other) and decide to stop the end of the world together. The creators have confirmed that seeing the main characters as trans (or basically every other LGBT identity) is valid.

I Love You, Philip Morris // movie, nsfw, mlm

Be Gay. Do Crime. And watch Jim Carrey and Ewan Mcgregor fall in love in prison. A very good romantic comedy that’s also based on a true story.

The Adventure Zone // podcast, book, mlm, wlw, trans

A roleplaying podcast done by the McElroys. The first campaign, Balance, is a fantasy story with things like elves and dwarves. The second campaign, Amnesty, is a modern-day story in West Virginia with things like Bigfoot and the Mothman. Both of them are very good and very gay. The Balance arc also has a graphic novel adaptation.

God’s Own Country // movie, nsfw, mlm

Think British Brokeback Mountain but instead of the main conflict being homophobia, it’s commitment issues. Has some more graphic sheep farming veterinary scenes. Overall, it’s very good.

Check, Please! // webcomic, mlm

Eric “Bitty” Bittle, former figure skater, decides to join the hockey team at Samwell University. The main problem being that the whole concept of checking (physical contact on the ice) terrifies him. That, and the team captain is as hot as he is intimidating.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show // movie, mlm

Straight-laced Brad and his fiance Janet’s car breaks down during a storm. Luckily for them, they stumble upon the mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a drag queen scientist, where they meet several other interesting characters, including Frank-N-Furter’s new creation, a man named Rocky, and lose their innocence. Think 1950s sci-fi meets 1970s sexual revolution or if Frankenstein was a musical.

Firebringer // musical, wlw

You probably know about this musical through the whole “I don’t want to do the work today” vine. What that vine leaves out is that the show is about prehistoric bisexuals and their discovery of fire. Uploaded by the creator on Youtube for free.

Call me By Your Name // book, movie, nsfw, mlm

Elio Perlman was expecting to have a normal summer in Italy where he would work on his music, read books, and spend time with his girlfriend. What he was not expecting was getting close to the handsome intern working for his father.

Carry On // book, mlm

Enemies-to-lovers slow burn about a vampire and the Chosen One. Takes typical YA tropes and spins them on their heads. The sequel Wayward Son has just come out and the final book in the series, Any Way the Wind Blows, was just announced.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert // movie, mlm, trans

Two Australian drag queens and a trans woman go on a road trip through the Australian desert together. Some racist/transphobic scenes that have not aged well since the 90s but besides those it’s a pretty heartwarming story.

Welcome to Night Vale // podcast, book, mlm, wlw, trans

A sci-fi horror podcast about a strange Western town called Night Vale and what goes on in it. Features a main gay character and lots of the side characters are also LGBT. There are several books that focus on different parts of the universe that you can also read.

Brooklyn 99 // tv show, mlm, wlw

Weirdly, I haven’t seen this show put on any LGBT media recs before. The show follows the 99th precinct of the New York police department. While the main character is not gay himself (although he is either bi or EXTREMELY comfortable in his sexuality), his boss, the police captain, is an openly gay black man married to another man and one of the supporting characters later comes out as bisexual and has relationships with women. Overall, a very funny show that also offers a good commentary on issues that we deal with in society today.

Rock and Riot // webcomic, wlw, mlm, trans, ace

Follows two rival gangs from the 1950s and their struggles with understanding their sexual orientation and gender identity. A little bit of period typical homophobia and racism but not so much that its a bummer.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman // movie, nsfw, wlw

Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, this is not a DC Universe movie. It’s actually about the creator of Wonder Woman and the lie detector and his polyamorous relationship with the two women who inspired Wonder Woman.

Shameless // tv show, nsfw, mlm, wlw, trans

Focusing on the Gallager family, a low-income family from Chicago and their struggle to survive. One of the main characters, Ian, is openly gay and has had many relationships throughout the series, most notably his on-again-off-again relationship with Mickey Milkovich. Disclaimer: there are some scenes with some pretty brutal homophobia that can be very hard to watch. Also let’s just say that when Ian was a minor, not all of his relationships were with other minors.

Alice Isn’t Dead // podcast, book, wlw

Keisha becomes a truck driver to find her missing wife who had been presumed dead (Alice). Because as it turns out, Alice isn’t dead. A very good horror mystery that captures American road trip gothic better than most pieces of media. Also has a book adaptation.

The Favourite // movie, wlw

Abigail has lost everything. She has no money, no title, and no status. Lucky for her, she has a cousin, Sarah, who is very powerful and close to the Queen. She then begins to work at the palace and the two cousins compete for the favor of the queen, but their motivations to be close to the Queen are very different.

Shaderunners // webcomic, mlm, wlw, trans

A 1920s style webcomic except homophobia doesn’t exist and neither does color, at least not for the proletariat. A group of people join together to change that (the color thing, not the homophobia thing). A very good representation of a variety of identities.

Kill Your Darlings // movie, mlm

About the famous American poet Allen Ginsberg, his relationship with Lucien Carr, the beginning of the Beat generation of poetry, and the murder of David Krammer. Again with the period typical homophobia but nothing too extreme or disturbing.

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makesanexit · 6 years ago

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A few underrated musical recommendations:

1. Spies Are Forever.

This show is about Agent Curt Mega set 4 years after an incident which involved his partner Owen dying in an explosion which was happened to be his fault. The show is about him coming to terms with the death and becoming a spy again and trying to keep a bomb out of the hands of The Deadliest Man Alive. It is there where he meets a russian spy who takes the bomb and the show is about him going after the spy and trying to get the bomb back from the villains. I love this show because its so well written and the songs are all bops. Each twist and turn is well brought up and there's a BIG twist at the end which works really well. The entire thing is on YouTube on the Tin Can Bros channel and the cast album is on spotify so if you have some free time you should check it out.

2. Six.

This was one of the first professional musicals I saw live so obviously this is going to be on the list. This show is about the six wives of Henry VIII coming together to perform a pop concert. One of them decide to put on a competition that the queen with the saddest story will become the leader of the group. One thing: this show is short. The writers made it so this show doesn't bore the newer generations so its only 75 minutes and features heavily pop-influenced songs (which also plays into the fact that it's set up like more of a pop concert than an actual musical). I just love it and the atmosphere in the theatre is unlike any musical I've been to since then. The cast album for this is on spotify so check it out and dance along!

3. The Lightning Thief.

This show is the Percy Jackson adaptation fans have been waiting for for so long. It follows 12 year old Percy Jackson who finds out he's the demigod son of the greek god Poseidon and has been wrongly accused of stealing Zeus' master bolt. It follows him going on a journey across the US to return the bolt he didn't steal. It's funny, heartbreaking and there's a huge theme about parent abandonment which fits the show perfectly. The music is largely rock based which (in my opinion) fits the character and story of Percy Jackson perfectly. Idk what else to say, the cast is talented and plus I've stanned this for over a year but yet its still underrated. Plus it's on a North American tour right now! The cast album is on Spotify so go check it out!

4. Twisted.

This show isn't exactly underrated but I love it. It's a Wicked-style retelling of Aladdin from Jafar's perspective by Team Starkid (the company behind A Very Potter Musical) with Aladdin being a surprisingly fitting antagonist. It shows the development of Jafar as he comes from a place where all the people of the Magic Kingdom (yes it's set in the Magic Kingdom and yes they take advantage of it) love him and support him but after he's elected to work at the palace they all turn on him while he tries to fix all the economical problems in the Kingdom. This thing is chalked full of Disney and Wicked references and is funny as it is emotional. The performances are exceptional and the songs are incredibly catchy and the entire musical is extremely quotable. The whole show is free on youtube on the Team Starkid channel so if you have nothing to watch this is a recommendation to waste a good 2 hours without actually wasting it.

#spies are forever #six the musical #lightning thief musical #twisted #musicals #underrated #tin can bros #starkid #broadway #west end

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isaidnotostatusquo · 7 years ago

Link

******** VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ ************

So ... I think this is the first original post I’ve written in four whole years of having this Tumblr, but I legitimately can’t think of a better reason to break my internet silence! For those of you who have been living under a rock/have an actual life outside of social media, the Tin Can Brothers (Corey Lubowich, Joey Richter and Brian Rosenthal) are currently in the midst of Kickstarting their latest project: a 10 episode webseries/podcast called ‘The Wayward Guide for the Untrained Eye’! This project is sure to be incredible and you can find out more specific details by following the link below!!

The Tin Can Brothers are the same guys behind the smash-hit musical: ‘Spies Are Forever’, which has amassed hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube (if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s pretty dang good, and you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd3aJl930YE&list=PLlF0gFzOX4tD1KJ5ZEnvhD55Qhnz-K0X2)!

This year, they also released their first ever short film, ‘Flopstoppers’ (again, you can watch it for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lipp_4fco3w).

On top of Kickstarter campaigning, they’re currently uploading weekly episodes of their hilarious one-act play, ‘The Solve-It Squad Returns’. You can watch the first six scenes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEA0hNs0M98&list=PLlF0gFzOX4tDiqbhfmx5036ZFKD6LAoQN and/or you can purchase the show in its entirety (along with Behind the Scenes content) here: https://www.tincanbros.com/stage-productions!

Marketing aside, these guys are wholeheartedly committed to producing consistent, quality content that their fans can access easily and cheaply. Their work is witty, original and extremely engaging! Additionally, their projects always include badass female characters with distinctive personalities and independent motivations, who are allowed to be vulnerable AS WELL AS strong; just like real human beings! As a long-term fan of the TCB, I’m 100% positive that ‘Wayward Guide’ will live up to these standards!

However, at the rate that the Kickstarter is moving, ‘Wayward Guide’ is NOT currently projected to be fully funded by its final day (24/09). If it doesn’t reach its $100,000 goal, it ain’t happening! No cards will be charged, no rewards will be given out, and it’ll be like the whole concept never existed! But YOU can change that! By donating just $1 (approx 70p for my fellow Brits), you’ll be helping this project come to life! If you donate $5 (approx £3.80) you’ll not only play a key part in the creation of ‘Wayward Guide’ but you’ll also receive exclusive updates on its progress, right up until its release; all for the price of a Starbucks! There are additional rewards available at increasing price tiers, so the more you donate, the more you will receive! At the moment, the Kickstarter needs to be making around $4000 per day in order to reach its goal! It’s a lot of money, but I’m confident we can do it! As Tescos say - Every little helps!

And if this hasn’t got you convinced, here’s a list of the people who we currently know to be involved in the project, and some things you may know them from! (Additional cast members are constantly being announced as various Kickstarter goals are met, so this list is by no means definitive):

- Benji Dell is Director of Photography!

If you’ve watched ‘Flopstoppers’ or the ‘Spies Are Forever’ Kickstarter video, he was also DP for both of those! His work is BEAUTIFUL and based on what I’ve seen of him in the ‘Flopstoppers’ BTS featurette, he seems like a really chill guy!

- Chuck Criss is Composing!

He’s in the band ‘Computer Games’, along with his brother, Darren, who you mayyyy have heard of before! He’s also in indie rock band ‘Freelance Whales’. His musical style is EXTREMELY cool, and if you watch the Kickstarter vid for this project, you can hear some of his tunes first-hand!

- Corey, Brian and Joey!

In addition to writing and producing ‘Wayward Guide’, the Tin Can Brothers are taking an even more active role! Corey is also going to be directing the project, whilst Brian and Joey will both be acting in it!

- Mary Kate Wiles!

You may know her as Tatiana from the TCB’s previous project, ‘Spies are Forever’, or from her prolific work with fellow internet comedy group, ‘Shipwrecked Comedy’! (’Kissing in the Rain’, ‘Poe Party’ and the upcoming ‘Case of the Gilded Lily’) She also appeared as Lydia Bennet in Pemberley Digital’s Emmy Award winning webseries ‘The Lizzie Bennet Diaries’, and has enjoyed starring roles in the short film ‘I Ship It’, and in the webseries ‘Muzzled the Musical’ amongst many others! (Basically she’s done almost everything there is to do and I’d be here all day listing her credentials!) She also has a YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcw3_LYw-SuTdOaWjEJSvHQ, which you should definitely check out because she’s great and posts weekly! She’ll be taking a lead role in this project as podcast host, Artemis Schue-Horyn, and I for one, can’t wait!

- Steve Zaragoza!

Steve was an original member of the popular YouTube channels,‘SourceFed’ and ‘SourceFedNerd’, which have amassed over 2 million subscribers in total! He’s also starred as Iggy DeLacey in Pemberley Digital’s ‘Frankenstein, M.D’ and has recently appeared in some Disney Channel and Disney XD shows. He’s a new addition to the TCB universe, and is sure to be wonderful!

- Dylan Saunders!

You’re sure to know Dylan from his work with Team StarKid! He’s appeared in the ‘Very Potter’ trilogy, ‘Starship’, ‘Holy Musical B@man’ and, most recently, ‘Twisted’! I think we can all agree that he has one of the best voices on the planet, and he’s also one of the most laid-back and friendly guys I’ve ever had the privilege to meet! I’m so excited to see him working with these guys again!

- Joanna Sotomura!

Another Pemberley Digital star, Joanna appeared as the title character, Emma Woodhouse, in the series ‘Emma Approved’! She’s also a new addition to the TCB world, and I can’t wait to see more of her!

- Jon Cozart!

Yep, that’s right - ‘Paint’ himself is going to be involved in this project! Jon is probably best known as the creator of ‘Harry Potter in 99 Seconds’, a.k.a one of my FAVOURITE videos of all time! He’s amazing and extremely creative and you should definitely subscribe to his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Paint

- Nick Lang!

One of the founding faces of Team StarKid, Nick has been involved in some way in pretty much every creation of theirs to date! Also, he once taught my Dad a magic trick, which my Dad has never managed to accurately recreate. Further proof that Nick is the best!

- Clayton Snyder!

You’ll probably remember Clayton from his wonderfully intense portrayal of Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Shipwrecked Comedy’s ‘Poe Party’ (as members of Shipwrecked have said, he was basically in his own movie). Also, he’s Ethan Craft from ‘Lizzie McGuire’ so that’s pretty dang cool!

- Sinead Persaud!

A founding member of Shipwrecked Comedy, Sinead has co-written, produced and starred in every single one of their projects to date! Last year, she appeared as sassy ghost, Lenore, in ‘Poe Party’, which was a perfect role for her! In this, she’ll be appearing as a ‘Macabre Mortician/Taxidermist’, which is an EVEN MORE PERFECT role for her!

- Titus Makin Jr!

Titus has done a looottttttt of TV work over the years, (like seriously, so much!) but you’ll probably remember him best as David the Warbler from ‘Glee’! He’s also got a budding music career going, so he’s very talented! Another TCB newbie!

- Tara Perry!

Perhaps you’ll remember Tara from when she coughed a lot and was reallllly into trees on Shipwrecked Comedy’s ‘Poe Party’. If not, she also played boss lady, Vivian DeMarco, in the Tin Can Brothers’ short film ‘Flopstoppers’! I’m also pretty sure that I saw her once in an art gallery in Glasgow, but was 100% too scared to approach her, so who knows?

- Gabe Greenspan!

If you’ve been keeping up with the Tin Can Brothers recently, then you’ll for sure know Gabe from their most recent show, ‘The Solve-It Squad Returns’! He plays a complete a*sehole called Keith, but somehow manages to still make him loveable! Also, he’ll be appearing in Shipwrecked Comedy’s upcoming ‘The Case of the Gilded Lily’, so keep your eye out for that!

- Ashley Clements!

Ashley is probably best known for her titular role as Lizzie Bennet in Pemberley Digital’s, ‘The Lizzie Bennet Diaries’. Other webseries she’s appeared in include ‘Poe Party’ and ‘Muzzled the Musical’ (as a well-dressed villain both times)! Most recently, you might have seen her in the Tin Can Brothers’ ‘The Solve-It Squad Returns’ where she acted opposite Gabe Greenspan. She’ll be doing that again and it’s sure to be hilarious!

- Corey Dorris

You’ll probably best remember Corey as Big Tallywacker in ‘MAMD’, Yaxley in ‘AVPS’, Kingsley Shacklebolt in ‘AVPSY’ and the Grandpa in ‘The Trail to Oregon’! When I saw the show in New York, his character was called ‘Ol’ Man River’, which is, in my opinion, the BEST NAME HE COULD EVER HAVE HAD! He’s also Juilliard trained which is prettttyyy cool!

- Sean Persaud

Another founding member of Shipwrecked Comedy, Sean has also co-written, produced and starred in each of their projects, along with his sister, Sinead. He played the titular role of Edgar Allan Poe in ‘Poe Party’ last year, where he exhibited his uncanny ability for deadpan hilarity! He’ll be playing a ‘Desperate Pastor’ in this project and I can’t wait!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND DONATE IF YOU CAN SO THAT THIS PROJECT CAN HAPPEN!!!

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