#thank you jonathan larson

[johnny-simpson]

I saw Tick Tick Boom. I met Brandon Uranowitz, Grey Henson, and Nikhil Saboo. What is life??

I’ve always wanted to see TTB (still haven’t seen the movie) since I was fifteen. As a teenager, devoured every clip and listened to the original cast recording over and over again. I never thought in a million years that I’d ever buy a ticket to see the musical. I had an orchestra seat and it was magical.

The blocking, choreography, and stage production was amazing to watch. I finally got to live my dream.

[jonathan-larson-archive]

The way we only have public access of 70 of Jonathan Larson's songs when he wrote over 300 in his lifetime....

[dunnewithyou-arch]

sometimes you scroll through the tick tick boom tag on your personal blog to remember why you're doing this

[shelfthe-reader]

Percy Jackson Characters as Theater Songs: Part 2

If you haven’t seen part one yet here you go

Now: Heroes of Olympus (and Apollo)

Jason: History Has Its Eyes on You from Hamilton. This song is SO JASON-Y I can’t put it into words. And it could be him talking to someone else or someone talking to him. You pick

Leo: One of These Days from The Jonathan Larson Project. While this isn’t a musical song per se, it’s from Jonathan Larson’s collection of songs meant for musicals he couldn’t write (since he died). Anyway this fits Leo because it has all of the Inventor’s Fury and thoughts of inadequacy he could think of.

Piper: I’d Rather Be Me from Mean Girls. It’s her “revolt against the system” mindset (thats my only defense for this one)

Drew: What The World Needs from Ride the Cyclone. Her TLH “pick me energy” is STRONG with this one. I love Drew but you can’t deny how terrible she was in that book.

Coach Hedge: God I Hate Shakespeare from Something Rotten. I don’t need to defend myself.

Hazel: Winter Blooms from Alice By Heart. This is all completely hypothetical and that is because I know within my HEART and SOUL that Hazel was an Alice’s Adventures girlie. So that means she gets a song from a musical about a girl that uses Alice as an escape (it’s really good look it up). And also the lyrics just seem like something she would say idk

Frank: Stronger from Finding Neverland. It’s his girlboss-glowup era after those Cows

Reyna: Dangerous to Dream from Frozen. Picture this song over her traumatic backstory. Thank me later

Octavian: My Friends from Sweeney Todd. It’s his shabby tendencies (rip Panda pillow pet you were a real one)

Apollo: Chorn from Firebringer. Enough said.

And thats all I currently have! What other Riordanverse characters do y’all want to see?

[hastill]

im gonna start crying in between classes while listening to the rent sound track,, what do you mean "there is no future, there is no past, thank God this moments not my last" and "there's only us, there's only this, forget regret or life is yours to miss" and "no day but today" Jonathan Larson you were amazing and i mourn all the works you could have written if you were still alive

[spacerockwriting]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

Thank you for the tag @energievie

---

Name: Comet

How do you pronounce your own Tumblr handle in your head? space rock writing like, it's literally just a space rock.

When you look out the window right now what do you see? My cube has no window

What is the most unusual profession someone in your family was in? All???? My dad's job is cutting up trees with a sawmill. My mom's an artist, and my brother works for this place that does stem cell research and stuff.

What hobby were you really into as a kid? I collected barbies, and I collected a lot of bunny stuff because of my bunny hyperfixation

First autofill google result when you type 'How can I...?' on my work laptop, so nah.

If you were the main character in a sitcom, what song would be playing during the opening credits? Maybe Kids From Yesterday, by My Chem.

What's the last movie you watched? Did you enjoy it? What genre is it? Not a movie, but I was watching the documentary series Quiet on Set, since I was a big nickelodeon kid.

What is your favourite movie genre? I dunno my fav genere, since I just like movies. Just not horror because I'm too chicken shit for that.

What movie would you recommend? Hmmm, We need to talk about Kevin is a great film if you're interested in a film where you leave feeling confused and empty, as you have NO emotional connection to the main character. The perks of being a wallflower is a fav movie and book of mine, because it's a good story for those who never really fit in. (both these films have Ezra Miller in them: but in Perk's he just a side character.) Bang Bang You're Dead is a good film, dealing with the point of view of the bullied and retaliation. (And it has Randy Harrison, my queer as folk blondie love) Umm, Tick Tick Boom for the life of Jonathan Larson, someone who was a huge deal in the theater world. It's a musical, as is the 2012 Les Miserable film. Ummm, If you're not that conservvative of a person, I'd suggest South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut as well as Orgazmo. Both are written & directed & starring Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who are absouute film idols of mine. Riding in Vans With Boys which is a fun Jackass-style film about this small band that goes on tour with Blink 182 & Green Day for their pop disaster tour. Umm...I've got a lot of films I can recommend, I was a film major lol. Boy Erased was used in helping to write Gay Wieners.

Do your IRL humans know about your fandom life? If you're a creator, do they know you create? Yeah, most of my friends IRL and a few coworkers know I at least go to comic cons and stuff.

If you could do one activity with your pocket/fandom friends what would it be? Gather them all and we're gonna have a fun night all together.

Tagging:

@transmurderbug @transmickey @stocious @ian-galagher @deathclassic @callivich @mybrainismelted

[casualhedonists]

what are you top 5 movies of all time and why? im too curious now :) love ur work btw ur wonderfully skilled, always love to revisit your page ❤️

AMAZING QUESTION 🤍🤍 and thank you so much!! <3

i’m suchhh an insane movie buff and i also love scores, like an insane insane amount so all these have fabulous scores rest assured. in no particular order:

meet joe black (1999)

Claire Forlani and Brad Pitt what can i say. the score is insanlely beautiful, i cry each time but it’s also funny and makes u think about life, also just

do you see the vision

la la land (2016)

like i was lucky enough to see this in cinemas a few days after it came out, and to this day it holds up. amazing incredible im so not normal about it and i never will be. the music the acting the talent the visuals the cinematography the story im. i need a minute

rent (2005)

amazing amazing adaptation of my all time favorite musical by jonathan larson. i weep. i laugh. i sing along. i have a rent tattoo on my arm so that this musical stays with me forever.

about time (2013)

are we sending a theme here perhaps?? read: emotional movies with a deep moral meaning?? but also funny and heart wrenching and perfectly cast w perfect scores? perhaps. it’s got time travel in a way i personally don’t think has ever been done before, or will ever be done again. it’s also a romcom i guess? it’s everything is what it is. here’s a gif for good measure

call me by your name (2017)

it’s just magic, perfection, everything and more. also gut wrenchingly sad and bittersweet. i used to watch it every single summer. the book is also amazing

notable mentions! bc i struggled to narrow it down lmao: music and lyrics (2007) is my fave like. i guess you could say traditional romcom. i know every single line by heart it’s actually concerning, a song from that movie is actually the first song i learned on piano/the reason i learned piano; the holiday (2005) also amazing and beautiful and holidayish and hans zimmer i love you; finally: sabrina (1954) i had a major audrey hepburn phase growing up and this movie remains an all time fave (you gotta watch the 1954 version though, the remake is good but not remotely as good as the original)

[ashwithapen]

url song tag game :D

thanks to @yesireadbooks and @fire-but-ashes-too for tagging me! i love music so much so i love little games like this :))

what you have to do is spell your url with song titles and then tag as many people as there are letters.

shout out to my playlist with literally all of my music for making it easier to find + pick songs lmao

A - Aerie by Lena Raine

S - Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA by Mom Jeans.

H - Hours Outside in the Snow by Modern Baseball

W - White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

I - It's Getting Wild Getting Older by Loupe

T - Theseus by The Oh Hellos

H - [The] Humours of Whiskey by Hozier

A - About You by The 1975

P - Polite Company by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

E - Everlong by Foo Fighters

N - Nervous Young Inhumans by Car Seat Headrest

TAGGING (11): @leisoree @enne-uni @caffeine-powered-aroace @palebdot @tea-and-mercury @holdmyteaplease @purplehandshumanfeelings @junypr-camus @guessillcallitar @desastreus @the-stray-storyteller

below the cut: me being unable to just choose one/two for each letter lmaoo

A:

All Eyes On Me (Song Only) by Bo Burnham

Alpha by C418

S:

Safe by Surf Curse

Safe and Sound by Capital Cities

Sarah by Alex G

Satisfied by the original Broadway cast of Hamilton

Seventeen by the cast of Heathers: The Musical

Sex by The 1975

Sober to Death by Car Seat Headrest

Somebody To Love by Queen

H:

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish

haunt me (x 3) by Teen Suicide

Heartache by Toby Fox

Here I Am (Classic Version) by Bryan Adams

Hide by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

History Maker by DEAN FUJIOKA

Home by Toby Fox

Hopes and Dreams by Toby Fox

Hysteria by Def Leppard

W:

Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

when the light turns red by Miki Ratsula

WORDS WORDS WORDS by Bo Burnham

Would That I by Hozier

I:

I Didn't Change My Number by Billie Eilish

IDK You Yet by Alexander23

I'll Be Good by Jaymes Young

I/Me/Myself by Will Wood

In My Room by Chance Peña

Into Númenor by Bear McCreary

Intro by C418

Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

I Say No by the cast recording of Heathers: The Musical

It's All Futile! It's All Pointless! by Lovejoy & by Wilbur Soot

It's Only Sex by Car Seat Headrest

T:

Take It Back by Darci, OZZIE

Taswell by C418

Teenager In Love by Neon Trees

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

Teen Idle by MARINA

Tell It to My Heart by Paris Paloma

Therapy by Jonathan Larson

Time Travel Kool Aid by Half an Orange Ephixa

Toothless Lost by John Powell

Two Time by Jack Stauber's Micropop

P:

Painkillers by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Passerine by The Oh Hellos

Poison Root by Alex G

Possum Queen by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Pothole by Modern Baseball

Privately Owned Spiral Galaxy by Lovejoy

Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi, MGMT, Ratatat

E:

Edge of the World by DESERT STAR

Edward 40hands by Mom Jeans.

Enterlude by The Killers

Eurus by The Oh Hellos

Everybody Gets High by MISSIO

Everyone but You by The Front Bottoms

Exitlude by The Killers

N:

Nellie by Dr. Dog

Never Coming Home by Scruffpuppie

New Person, Same Old Mistakes by Tame Impala

[A] New Victim by Nathan Hanover Synthonic Orchestra

Non-Stop by the original Broadway cast of Hamilton

Not Alone by Darren Chris & by the cast of StarKid's Apocalyptour

Notches by Crywank

notice me by ROLE MODEL BENEE

Now or Never by Halsey

[jayalaw]

What I Wish I Could Tell Jonathan Larson

Most of my friends know that tick, tick, boom! is one of my comfort films. It came out at the right time, when I have having an existential crisis over turning thirty and feeling like my creative drive had gone nowhere. A book had been rejected, and I was questioning what I was doing. And one of my friends got sick. I was scared for months.

Guess who else was dealing with these issues? Jonathan Larson, as the movie details. He was a bit of an ass about it, which the movie doesn't gloss over, but you could tell he truly cared about music. And he also had an existential crisis at thirty while friends were falling ill. He understood how it felt.

I wish that I could find a version of Jonathan, boot up my laptop, and tell him he did it. His work won a Pulitzer and inspired many new musicals, including those that aren't commercial shows done just for the money. I wish I could tell him that tick, tick, Boom! saved me. That I could thank him for understanding how it feels. And how sorry I am that New York's medical system failed him.

Thank you, Jonathan Larson.

[whenmemoriesfrost]

get to know you game

thank you to @getbreaded for tagging me, i loved reading yours because i would also kill to live in the cottage from the holiday. hope you have time to take up crochet and yoga again soon!!

🎶 moment's favorite — lately i've been revisiting the music i loved in my adolescence (so... my chemical romance) and listening to cafe / jazz lofi videos on youtube lol

😍 current obsession — my current read, jonathan strange + mr norrell! my edition is 1100 pages long and it's been so delightful to spend so much time in that world :)

👠 style — i wear a lot of brown, pink and green (my neutrals) and as much knitwear and corduroy as i can fit in one outfit

💖 celebrity crush — i don't have one as an adult, but when i was a teen it was brie larson in scott pilgrim and charlie from lost lol.

🍱 favorite meal — i make this lemon + chilli butterbean stew with courgette and tons of fresh herbs, and i have to stop myself from eating it every day

🏡 dream living — a nice bright flat above a bakery with a balcony overlooking a park in a bikeable european city

🤓 hobbies — i write short fiction and read as much as i can. i also love tennis and long walks. and knitting but i haven't made anything in a while bc i've been prioritising other things :)

i tag some new mutuals @teaandstruggles and @pianistbynight!

[incorrent-quotes]

hi!! ur account makes me so mf happy 🥹 all the quotes make so much sense. ive just gotten back into the rent brainrot after a few years of not listening and man idk why i stopped. my questions is what is your favorite, most human moment of the show to you? and when did you start loving the show? thanks!

Oh my thank you, this ask makes me so happy in turn!!🥹 I'm so glad you found your way back into Rent, it truly never leaves you❤️

I'm actually relatively new to Rent, though it's coming on 3 years soon, time flies! I first saw the movie in 2021 and it just stuck with me, I can't go a day without listening to some of Jonathan's music now lol.

As for my favorite moment, oh man, there are so many, but based on a convo I just had I'll go with "Will I" for several reasons. First I find the background of that song so touching, since Larson used to go to those meetings with his best friend who was positive and on one of them, someone said "You know, I keep wondering, will I lose my dignity?" and so he went and turned it into this beautiful song. Secondly it's the musical part, the way it keeps building is just so heavenly and touching even though the lyrics are so simple. Which brings me to the point that it always gets me that Mark joins in on only the second verse, willingly making himself one of them and feeling just as scared of what's going to happen. In the movie the cinematography makes it even better, since he actually lowers his camera when Roger comes and when they exchange a look, you can actually see in real time how proud he is of his friend and how relieved that he's finally coming out of his shell❤️ It feels like a deciding moment for both of them, Roger is at last willing to confront his illness and Mark seems to let himself feel the weight of their situation for once. So the combination of all of these, plus the fact that those characters are named after real people just does it for me.

Gosh this is such a long answer but thanks so much for the ask, I'm always down to chat about Rent!!❤️❤️

[heliotrope-journey]

Good evening, vampire hunters.

It was Gelliewich’s lucky day when he stumbled across two pots of gold during a stroll through the highlands surrounding Galicia. Thinking that he hit the jackpot, he stuffs his pockets with the riches he could carry. But when there are lone pots of gold, there’s a huge chance a group of leprechauns have set up camp inches away because no one just leaves a cluster of gold coins free for the taking. Just as soon as Gelliewich filled his pockets, Pwcca stands behind him with his wand handy, threatening to take the optimist hostage. His group has cornered July and an earth mage fifteen minutes prior and though they’re putting up a good fight, a lone leprechaun has them outmatched. The mage’s novice sorcery could not topple his opponent’s aggressive slashes and wolf-like thrusts. Gelliewich smiles, arms himself with a gilded sword he brought with him, and knocks Pwcca to the ground. If there’s anything he loves more than riches beyond his wildest imagination, it’s a good fight. The earth mage, noticing that the battle gained a participant fighting for him in July, gets the confidence to launch a boulder the size of his fist at the leprechaun, bringing him to his knees. Pwcca stands up and raises his wand toward Gelliewich just as the mage ran to his side. It won’t be a short St. Patty’s Day battle, but have you ever known Gelliewich to complain? ;) Photo by Dmitrii Shirnin on Unsplash.

We’ve made some final changes to The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1: Scars of the Past. The hub world has gotten an expansion to include interactions with Frederick’s compatriots and a new area to make room for a tribute to my late brother painted by my sister. These interactions may not spoil much of Episode 4, but it is recommended to play through the previous levels before exploring the new hub. Siegfried Croes has carved a handful of diamond-shaped gems for you to find in order to enrich your gaming experience. They’ve been previously added to Son of a Hustler Book 1 to challenge your platforming skills and we plan to add them in future updates to older installments. Photo by Jonathan Larson on Unsplash.

Hang on! We’re not finished with The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1!

That’s correct. Frederick and co. still have much to do in Baudelaire City before they flee the country. Unfortunately, the game’s executable has become too big to fit the upcoming levels and as a result, it takes a while longer for it to run. To ensure that it won’t overload your PC’s memory, we decided to split The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1 and larger installments currently in development into four-episode volumes. Volume I may have concluded and it ended on a good note, but there'll be plenty of time in Volume II give the Veiled Nocturne a swift kick in the rear.

Thank you for supporting the Heliotrope Journey series as always and we hope you enjoy this new hub. :)

Sincerely,

WN

[i-am-the-entertainer]

Tick, Tick... Boom! Filming Locations

Some people have too much time on their hands. I am one of those people.

One of the things I love about Tick, Tick... Boom is the obvious affection the filmmakers have for the NYC theater scene, an affection shared with the film's subject Jonathan Larson. To that end, I recently decided to try to identify some of the filming locations in the film.

One thing that was extremely helpful in this process was the "special thanks" list in the film's credits, which names a lot of the orgs that were used in location shooting and from which I was able to make some really good guesswork.

Note that this is mainly for location shoots. Things like the recreated Moondance Diner, which was done on a set, are not included in this.

508 Greenwich Street - Jonathan's apartment

(from MWhiteShelley on Twitter/X) This is probably the most obvious location: Jonathan Larson's actual address. While interiors of the apartment itself were filmed on a set in a soundstage, it is obvious on viewing the film that there was some location shooting at the building, most prominently in "No More" when Jonathan and Michael enter and climb the stairs.

The Underground Theater at Abrons Arts Center - The musical theater workshop scene

(from their website) You'll probably recognize this brutalist theater from the Stephen Sondheim workshop scene (which, according to this video, was one of the last scenes shot) – it also briefly appears a few shots earlier in the scene where Ira Weitzman is observing Jonathan rehearsing. The Abrons Arts Center is located in the Lower East Side and is part of the Henry Street Settlement.

The Strand Bookstore - "30/90" and Sextet

(From an article by The Guardian, photo by Bruce yuanye Bi/Alamy) The Strand is instantly recognizable to New Yorkers, maybe less-so for others unless you've visited as a tourist. It's a giant independent bookstore located two blocks from Union Square. Prominently featured in "30/90" and visited by Jonathan during the "Sextet Montage" where he tries to sell some of his records.

Teatro LATEA at the Clemente - Susan's dance recital

(from their Instagram) This one was a little harder, because obviously it's just a black box theater and how many of those are there in NYC? What clued me in was 1) the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, where Teatro LATEA is located, is thanked in the credits and 2) those chairs (a little bit more obvious in this photo). I've seen and worked a fair number of shows in that theater, and as soon as I noticed the very distinctive chairs for Susan's dance recital I was able to look more closely at the scene and immediately could map out the layout of Teatro Latea.

The Delacorte Theater - "Why"

Another easily recognizable location for locals, the Delacorte is the amphitheater where Jonathan sneaks in and sings "Why". It doesn't get named in the film but it does in the stage version.

Hunter College's Thomas Hunter Hall Sixth Floor North Dance Studio - The Superbia workshop

(from Facebook) This was, without question, the hardest location to find. In the film it's identified as being in the Theater District, specifically at Playwrights Horizons (an Untapped Cities article about filming locations even claims this, and uh, basically gets everything wrong). However, if you've ever been to the modern Playwrights Horizons, it looks very different, both on the inside and the outside, and while they do have rehearsal spaces in a slightly less-remodeled building on Lafayette Street, none of the spaces there look like that. The reference to Hunter College in the credits narrowed it down, and then it was just a matter of finding photos of the studios (this gallery of recent restoration work shows the different angles that you will recognize from the movie), discovering an architectural plan of some planned renovations in the building, and then looking out the windows of the building and comparing it to Google Maps street view to figure out which side of the building it was on.

...I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.

I do want to point out, Thomas Hunter Hall is actually located on Lexington Avenue between 68th and 69th, quite a few blocks northeast from the Theater District depicted in the film.

New York Theatre Workshop - The framing scenes

(from a New York Theatre Guide article) The real Jonathan Larson's artistic home, where he performed both Rent and the original version of tick, tick... BOOM! thirty years ago. Both the theater's exterior (at the start of "Louder Than Words") and interior (the tick, tick... BOOM! performance scenes) feature prominently in the movie.

Fun fact: when they were shooting the film in March, they originally planned to film the NYTW scenes inside a recreated set because there was a show playing at the theater at the time (though not referenced in the linked video, I happen to know that the show was Endlings by Celine Song, the writer/director of the recent Oscar contender Past Lives) but when filming restarted the theater was available again because of the shutdown.

Any other locations you recognized that I didn't include? Let me know! Currently trying to figure out where Michael's apartment building (Victory Towers) was located – the scene in the car leading to the arrival at teh building makes me think it's somewhere near Central Park, but that footage could also have been filmed separately.

[septembersghost]

jess, have you heard the song go tonight from the musical the mad ones? i feel like it'd be up your alley. (though i do warn it's very sad - the theme is grief.)

no, i hadn't! i pulled it up right away when you sent this, it's so good. (i have heard run away with me, which is beautiful too, but i can't remember where, which means i'm going to have to investigate!) the girls' voices are gorgeous and powerful, and i love the melody and the heartbeat-style rhythm and the twinkly piano. it makes me think of jonathan larson, jason robert brown, a sprinkle of lmm, and a little bit of sondheim in the instrumentation, all blended together somehow. 🥺💕 the lyrics are so evocative too (so i sit in the vacuum you left behind/and i sift through each phrase for an ember/for a spark that will light/'cause i can't rewind/i unravel until i remember...).

thank you so much for the recommendation, i love it!

[lightmycandle]

thank you, jonathan larson

[tiktaalic]

do you happen to have any recs for decent biology/chem/any other science books that you liked? thank you!

the only ones ive read recently are

isaac's storm - about the 1900 galveston storm

into the raging sea - about the sinking of el faro. not a ton of science but i really enjoyed it.

the authentic animal - about taxidermy.

i read "stiff" in high school for my anatomy class and i really liked it! about various things that happen to bodies (funeral homes, body farms)

the above arent super ology focused, but they are nonfiction and i did really like them all and there is discussion of storm patterns / biology / etc.

books on my shelf i havent gotten to yet that might fit the bill:

the scientist as rebel - freeman dyson

body bazaar - lori andrews dorothy nelkin.

the audubon ark - frank graham jr

the feather theif - kirk wallace johnson

the dinosaur artist - paige williams

the great apes - chris herzfeld

the beak of the finch - jonathan weiner

metazoa - peter godfrey smith

entangled life - merlin sheldrake

the soul of an octopus - sy montgomery

the universe below - william j broad

the wave - susan casey

thunderstruck - erik larson

the perfect storm - sebastian junger

first steps - jeremy desilva