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tyrantisterror · 6 years ago

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Thoughts on Song For Spider-Man

Remember that Song of Spider-Man book I bought a while back? The tell-all book by the co-writer of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark? The one that I hoped would be what I’ve wanted since news of that play’s disastrous production started - i.e. an in depth explanation and analysis of the production, detailing every creative decision and disastrous misstep?

Well, it’s not quite that, unfortunately. It’s more of a new piece of the Turn Off the Dark puzzle, rather than completed puzzle that I’ve been looking for. The world has yet to produce the exhaustive documentary on that musical that I crave. But as puzzle pieces go, it is a fairly large and enlightening one, albeit one that’s also deeply biased. It’s the story of a disaster from the perspective of one of the key players in that disaster, and, as you’d expect, is full of “this wasn’t my fault!” explanations and pleas of ignorance. I don’t know how much you can trust the narrative, even though (and honestly, because) it’s an enthralling and emotionally gripping read.

The biggest disappointment about the book for me is that it doesn’t go very deep into the creative journey of the musical, which is the aspect I’m most interested in. Instead it focuses more on the managerial aspects of it, which is admittedly where the drama is. There’s money woes, conflicts of personality, miscommunication, backstabbing, and negligence that leads to a lot of good people getting hurt - the juicy gossipy shit that drew most people in. As trainwrecks go it’s pretty compelling stuff, and the author uses the benefit of hindsight to foreshadow eventual dooms well in advance.

It’s a fun read and sheds some light on how that infamously troubled production became “a machine that teaches humility,” but it’s not the whole story, and as such my lust for the ultimate Turn off the Dark autopsy remains unsated.

Some scattered notes:

Julie Taymor was really only in this to tell the story of Arachne, and in fact was only sold on the idea when one of the producers showed her a page of a Spider-Man comic that mentioned the myth. The Arachne character and plotline was what ultimately got Julie fired, because not only did it shift focus from Spider-Man to an obscure Greek mythological character, but it also was built upon the musical’s worst songs AND required the most complicated set piece that no one could figure out how to accomplish, and yet Julie refused to let it go.

Incidentally, I’m nerdy enough to recognize from the brief description given in this book which Spider-Man comic the Arachne reference came from. It was Ultimate Spider-Man #1, and is made by Norman Osborn, who in the context of that comic is presented as a pretentious ass who uses bullshit philosophy to cover up his delusions of grandeur. There’s a bit of irony here is what I’m saying.

Another “oh god I AM a nerd” moment the book made me have: the writer claims that Green Goblin has used his goblin glider since his first appearance, but, um, ACTUALLY Green Goblin used a flying broomstick in his first few outings, and didn’t get the goblin glider until later. I remember this fact because it was in the Complete Guide to Spider-Man book I got when I was thirteen, and because the picture of the Green Goblin riding a mechanical jet-powered broomstick was delightfully stupid.

The above two facts are why I desperately want to know more about the creative process of this play - on the one hand, it has some obscure elements of the Spider-Man comics in it, like Swarm, the nazi-made-out-of-bees supervillain. On the other, it fucks up key aspects of the story, like having Uncle Ben get killed in a car crash that has nothing to do with Peter Parker whatsoever.

One of the things I gleaned was that most of the people involved - Julie Taymor, Bono, and the Edge specifically - seemed far more familiar withe the Sam Raimi movies than the comics, and also seemed more interested in their vague notion of what a superhero means rather than any actual pre-existing superhero story. There’s an air of condescension towards the source material, but I’m not sure how much of that is my own biased assumptions at work, the author’s definite bias, or an actually true analysis of the creative team. Again, I want a deeper look at what they were thinking!

One part of the creative process that was explained in an illuminating way regarded the music. Apparently, part of Bono’s process in songwriting involves him writing lyrics in “Bonoglese,” where the lyrics are just random words and Seussian things that sound vaguely like words but are actually nonsense, all mixed together in a way that does make a coherent thought at all. This explains why the lyrics in Turn Off the Dark’s songs are either instantly forgettable (and by that I mean you forget what the words were literally one second after they are sung) or, when memorable, are just... really bad, forced attempts at rhymes.

At one point Julie, Bono, the Edge, and the other writer agreed that they weren’t trying to make a musical so much as a “rock and roll circus experience,” which, y’know, is accurate.

The guy they got to replace Julie as director was actually FROM a circus. That’s not a joke, he literally directed a bunch of different circus shows, including ones with live animals and shit. So in some way an aspect of the original artistic vision remained.

As much as I love to make fun of this horrible show, reading the book did inspire some compassion in me. These people were all passionately dedicated to a very grand artistic vision, and they accomplished a lot of stuff that has never been tried in theater before. While a lot of horrible failures occurred, the amount of stuff they got right is still pretty notable, and a part of me wished they could find a way to make it work.

I felt especially bad when the book gets to the initial fan-reaction early in the musical’s production process, where I realized that the fan’s initial criticisms of the musical’s concepts did look kind of shallow and petty. I felt like a bit of a jerk for a moment.

Then another part of me remembered that the one song Julie Taymor refused to cut, comparing the demand for its excision to having a mastectomy, was the song where Arachne tells her minions to go buy her hundreds of shoes so she can seduce Peter Parker, because lol women love shoe shopping and if they had eight legs they’d love it even more AMIRITE? So, y’know, guilt rescinded, we were right to be skeptical.

That said, I am legitimately pissed that the producers adamantly refused to tape a single recording of the first version of Turn Off the Dark, aka Spider-Man 1.0, aka Julie Taymor’s (approximate) vision. Julie herself begged them to do so before and after she was fired and they didn’t listen and that sucks. I mean, it sounds like a trainwreck of a show, but it’s a trainwreck that’s BROADWAY HISTORY. It should be preserved! It belongs in a museum!

The tell-all book draws an obvious parallel between the relationship of Arachne (the brilliant and misunderstood but also megalomaniacal and controlling artist) and Spider-Man (the geeky young man who suddenly has great power and responsibility thrust onto him by the aforementioned older female artist, who he also has the hots for) and the relationship of Julie Taymor and himself. It’s pretty clever but also, like, a huge dick move since it implies Julie Taymor is a tragic villain that the author was forced to destroy just like Spider-Man is forced to destroy Arachne. Good writing, sure, but fucked up man.

“Spider-Man was not a musical, but rather a machine built to teach humility.” A fuckin’ excellent description, even if the account of that machine’s creation is pretty heavily biased.

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ffsvalkyrie-blog · 7 years ago

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... woo, another trash child from yours truly.

━★ ( jessica parker kennedy, cisfemale, she/her ) hey, that’s ( valkyrie blythe ), who’s lived here for ( fifteen years ). the ( thirty-three ) year old is known to be ( observant & compassionate ) but you’ll find that they can be ( outspoken & strong-willed ), too. i heard they work as a ( manager at oasis ) and ( bad girlfriend ) by ( theory of a deadman ) always seems to be playing around them. ( bad decisions, jeans, whiskey, rock'n'roll, classic cars ) ━★ ( sunny, 23, est, she/her ).

Okay, so... about Val. This is a character I’ve had, now, for almost two years, so you can imagine she’s VERY well-developed, lol. Get ready for a novel but if you don’t feel up to reading said novel, feel free to just skip to the bottom.

five traits:

COMPASSIONATE: She's always been a compassionate individual, to a degree. She would be the sort to piss on you if you were on fire but only if it benefited her in some way. In that sense, perhaps, she's more opportunistic than compassionate but under the right circumstances, she can be compassionate, just because it's the right thing to do. It's a rarity, but it does happen. Overall, though, she's a sweetheart.

OBSERVANT: She's what most would call a people watcher. She can tell you, just by observing you for a few moments, what your malfunction is and how you can best rectify said malfunction, even if you don't want to hear it. She might not be book smart or even tech smart, but she knows her way around people. Some would call it a gift, but she calls it a curse. It certainly doesn't make people want to be around her.

MATERNAL: Despite her flaws, she's got a mothering instinct like no other. She's been in a position where her own mother couldn't care for her and thus, she's more attuned to the problems of children, teenagers, and young adults. Even if you don't fall into one of those three categories, chances are she'll still mom you to death. She doesn't care if you don't want her to. Happy mama means happy you.

OUTSPOKEN: Whether or not you want to hear it, she's going to state what's on her mind. Yes, even at the risk of being completely out of the ballpark. She doesn't beat around the bush and while she isn't the most educated individual, that doesn't mean you should rule out what she has to say. There are occasions when she's extremely insightful and other times, she's completely off base. She doesn't wake up every morning with a set goal to piss people off, but she does tend to point out when she thinks you're being a fucking moron.

STRONG-WILLED: She's exceptionally stubborn. Once she sets her mind to something, there's virtually no changing her mind or stopping her. You'd have better luck turning a whore into a housewife or even turning a nun into a whore. She's not what you'd call pliable by any stretch and if you try to tell her what to do, chances are she'll do the exact opposite, especially if she doesn't agree with you. In that regard, it's easy to understand why some people probably wouldn't find her all that appealing, moreso when you combine her other traits.

five strengths:

ARTISTIC: What she lacks in book smarts, she makes up for in creativity. She might not be Picasso or even van Gogh but that doesn't mean she doesn't add her own flair to everything she sets out to do. You can almost always find her signature on whatever it is she does but whether that's a literal signature or a metaphorical signature depends on what it is she's signing. Some have said she's a bit out there, simply because of just how creative she is. She knows how to express herself, whether that be through her speech or less conventional means.

TIME MANAGEMENT: She's always been particularly skilled at managing her time. No matter how late she wakes up, she's always on time and presentable. Sure, she might have to cut a few corners like skipping breakfast and taking a whore's bath, rather than a legitimate shower, but she does everything she can to be punctual. She hates being late and especially hates to be kept waiting. It's not at all unusual for her to bitch at people for keeping her waiting.

WRITING: She's not just creative with a paintbrush or drawing/coloring materials. She also has a way with words and often opts to write longhand. She finds that her words flow better when she writes longhand and you can sense the emotions behind her words better that way. Newfangled technology, in her mind, just makes words seem cold and without expression. In any case, she is striving to write her own book someday and hopes that it'll be something worthwhile.

EFFECTIVE LISTENER: Because she's an observer, she oftentimes prefers to listen, rather than speak. She will listen to your woes until the cows come home and if you ask her for it (and, sometimes, even when you don't), she'll freely give of her opinion on the matter when you've gotten it all off your chest. She'll only speak when she's sure you've finished, however, and even then she might not offer much. She might be good at listening, but she's not so good at comforting people as time has proved to her time and time again. All the while you're speaking, she's pulling apart everything you say and comparing it to how you come off.

NEGOTIATOR: She's always been an excellent negotiator. She might not always play well with others, but she's great at problem solving and coming to a solution. It might not always be a typical sort of solution, but it's a solution all the same. She can help you solve your problem and if you don't listen to her the first time, she won't offer you a solution ever again. She doesn't speak for her health and refuses to waste her time on stupid, stubborn people... Pot calling the kettle black, amirite?

five weaknesses:

NOT A TEAM PLAYER: She doesn't play well with others. In fact, if it were up to her and she didn't fear being alone, she wouldn't deal with people at all. She hates most of the people she comes into contact with almost straightaway and usually comes away from most interactions with the other party pissed off at her to some degree. Again, it's not like she sets out to piss people off. It just kind of... Happens.

TECHNOLOGICALLY ILLITERATE: One of her biggest weaknesses is that she's technologically illiterate. She barely knows how to operate her smart phone, beyond the basic features. She hates using apps and hates using more advanced technology even more, if only because it makes her feel inadequate. She can't use anything on her phone more advanced than basic texting and the occasional social media update and as far as her computer is concerned, she only uses it when she absolutely has no other choice. For the most part, it collects dust.

UNABLE TO DELEGATE: She has it in her head that she needs to do everything herself. She often believes she doesn't need the help and by the time she finds out she does, it's usually too late to ask for help. Most of the tasks she sets out to do are done slowly but in the long run, they're done right. In her mind, no matter how many times it's been proven that help will make it go faster, things only get done right the first time if you do them yourself.

NOT BI-LINGUAL: She only speaks English. It's not for lack of trying or even that "America first" load of bullshit but rather, lack of patience. She doesn't see the point in speaking another language when all she's ever going to do is work in a restaurant for shitty tips and equally shitty people. Most of the people she associates herself with speak English and those that don't, she fakes it with them. She knows bits and pieces of Spanish but not enough to carry on a conversation. She basically knows enough to order somewhat confidently at a Mexican restaurant and not fear that what she's getting will make her physically ill.

PAYS TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO DETAIL: By nature, she's a perfectionist. She takes much longer on tasks that should be simple and relatively painless, especially if it means not half-assing it. She might take longer, but the results are almost always more desirable. She tends to overthink things and when she does that, it leads to a slew of doubts. She prides herself on a job well done and often takes that a bit too far.

five aspirations:

TRAVEL: She'd love to travel outside of the contiguous United States. She's already seen all forty-eight states and would love to see the last two, as well. She'd also love to see the world in general. Unfortunately, though, she can't afford it. All of the money she'd saved up, prior to coming to Seagrove, was spent on her trip through the contiguous United States.

ASSEMBLE A GOOD ART COLLECTION: She'd love more than anything to be able to see her home, no matter where that might be, lined with art displays. She wants only the best, though, and unfortunately, much like traveling, that costs money. She tends to find herself in art museums and places that have art displays when she's not working or holed up at a watering hole. She envies those that have become famous through their art. She also knows, however, that if she took up art, it'd only be as a hobby.

LEARN TO PAINT WITH OILS: She'd love to paint with oil-based paints but doesn't know how or where to begin with that particular endeavor. She's watched almost every video she can find on the subject and still doesn't know where to begin. She doesn't really want to keep painting with water-based paints but does so only because it's what she's grown accustomed to. She knows in order to succeed she'll need to deviate from her comfort zone but that's what scares her the most... That and fear of failure. She knows, logically, that you have to get knocked down a few times to succeed but she strives for perfection in everything she does the first time around or as close to it as she can get.

LEARN TO PLAY THE GUITAR: She's endlessly fascinated with guitar-driven music and has studied video after video and taken note after note. Still, it seems to pale in comparison to the actual thing. She'd love to find someone to teach her but doesn't want to rely on anyone for that sort of thing. Not to mention, she believes she has it in her to teach herself. After all, people teach themselves how to play the guitar all the time... Right?

PUBLISH A BOOK: She wants to publish a book for children. She figures it's probably as close as she'll come to being around children in any sort of capacity. She'd also like to publish a book in general but isn't quite sure how to go about doing that without the proper funds. She's thought of taking up a second job, but where would the time be for writing and drinking? The more she thinks about it, the more it makes her head hurt.

five fears:

SPIDERS: She's really afraid of spiders. She has a freeze response whenever she sees one and if said spider happens to venture too close, she's quick to flee. It's not a logical reaction and she knows that better than anyone, but she can't ever get up the stones to kill a spider, let alone get close to one. She doesn't even have a good reason for her fear. It just exists in the back of her mind and no matter how many times she's confronted by a spider, it never seems to make her fear go away.

SNAKES: Much like with her fear of spiders, her fear of snakes has no real logic behind it. It's not like she's ever even seen a snake in person before. She's always lived in concrete jungles, save for when she was traveling. Even when she was traveling, the only snakes she saw were dead ones. She supposes part of her fear comes from the fact snakes just can't be trusted.

HEIGHTS: This fear has a bit more logic behind it but not much. She was stuck on a ferris wheel for several hours and the person she was stuck with thought it was funny to constantly rock the boat, so to speak. She thought she was going to plummet to her death and looking down to see how far up she was certainly didn't help matters any. She knew the golden rule of don't look down and now, she knows why that rule exists. When she got off the ferris wheel, she promptly lost the contents of her stomach.

CROWDED SPACES: As much as she fears being alone, she fears crowded spaces even more. Anything can and will happen in a crowd. She needs room to breathe, besides. It's not that she fears the people in the crowd as much as she fears stupidity in large numbers. When you get that much stupid together, there's virtually no telling what will happen.

BEING ALONE: She's deathly afraid of being alone. It's part of the reason why she'll do things like fall asleep on the phone or with music playing in the background. She'll do everything she can to feel like she's not entirely alone. At night, she'd love nothing more than to have someone to cuddle and during the day, she'd love to have someone to talk to but getting her to admit to any of that is like pulling teeth. She's also afraid of what people will do, once they obtain that particular knowledge, but she won't admit to that, either.

five moments:

MOTHER GOT SICK: Her mother got sick when she was a young girl. The woman was a beacon in the dark and a pillar of strength in Val's eyes. Seeing her waste away, though, it broke a part of Val that's still broken to this day. It proved to her that no matter how strong you might be, someday, you will waste away and it also proved to her that your efforts to fight it are futile at best. It took her until just recently to forgive her mother for getting sick and being unable to care for her.

FATHER LEFT: Her father couldn't handle her mother's illness and bailed. He made no attempt to take Val with him or even stay in contact with his wife or daughter. Val has hated him ever since. She blamed him for a lot of her problems. Even though she normally wouldn't have had such an adverse response, she wished misery and death upon her sperm donor.

WAS MADE A WARD OF THE NY STATE: When social workers found out her mother wasn't properly caring for her and there wasn't any family around to take her in, she was made a ward of the state. From that point on, she wanted to run away and never look back. To a point, that was exactly what she did. After dropping out at seventeen and going through the ropes to have herself emancipated, she got her GED and left the big apple. She never looked back.

DROPPED OUT AT SEVENTEEN: At only seventeen, she dropped out of school. She was a senior in high school and was close to graduating but just couldn't take anymore bullshit. She wanted out like a heart needed a beat. She absolutely abhorred her life circumstances and did everything she could to rise above certain aspects of her life. In the end, though, she became a statistic.

RECEIVED HER GED After dropping out, she went to a community college to obtain her GED. She barely passed and not for lack of trying. Schooling just wasn't her cup of tea, so to speak. She tried many different ways to cheat the system and basically bullshitted her way through the test. She had to retake it twice and with the threat looming over her that if she failed a third time, they wouldn't let her retake it again, she barely managed to pass.

five facts:

BARELY MANAGED TO OBTAIN HER GED: As mentioned above, she managed to get her GED by the skin of her teeth. She failed the test twice and with the threat of not being able to retake it after a third time, she finally managed to pass. She barely scraped by, however, with a D. She was only a few points away from having another failed test attempt. She hates that that's the case but when schooling's not for you, it's just not for you.

RESENTS HER FATHER: She hates her father with every fiber of her being. Not only was he selfish by abandoning his ailing wife, but he abandoned his daughter who still very much needed him in her life. She knew it was coming, though, as he was increasingly distant. Just before he left, he made it a point to tell both his wife and daughter not to contact him for any reason whatsoever. Val was more than happy to oblige.

GHOST-WRITING FOR FAMOUS AUTHORS: Even though her dream is to be an author, she has started off with ghost writing for other authors who are probably far more famous than she could ever hope to be. Her work is critically acclaimed and she knows better than anyone she'll look fucking nuts if she tries to claim credit for what she's written. She just stews in silence while these moochers take credit for what she worked so hard on. She's too afraid to set out, writing her own authentic works, even though she now knows she could make it. She knows she couldn't afford the cost of being published, though, so she'd rather have people enjoy her work, even when they don't know it's actually her who's writing it.

SHE DOESN'T HAVE HER LICENSE: She's scared to get her license. She knows there's no real logical reason behind it but having come from NYC, where there was literally no need for a license, she just abides by habit. She either uses public transportation or walks everywhere she goes. She tries to walk more than anything else, if only because it keeps her in shape, which she needs, especially considering how much she eats. Overall, she's content with her life, even though she spends more on public transit than she probably would a car of her own.

READS THE SUNDAY COMICS: It's more of a guilty pleasure, really. She looks forward to getting the Sunday paper for the sake of reading the comic strips. She knows it's kind of childish, but so fucking what? She enjoys it, and that's all that should matter. For her, the comic strip reminds her of happier days gone by and she would love nothing more than to hang onto those memories.

platonic:

FRIENDS: She likes a lot of people, despite her claims, but feels like she can't show it to the world around her. She lives in a near constant state of fear and does her best not to poke the hornet's nest. She often gets the notion she'd love to have friends but knows that she's not everyone's cup of tea. She'd rather be alone, as much as she fears it, than change who she is for the people around her. She's never been one who enjoyed change, and you can imagine how she'd feel if she wasn't true to herself.

FAMILY: As far as she's concerned, she doesn't have any family to speak of. Her father abandoned her and by now, her mother is either dead or withering away in hospice. She has no siblings and her grandparents are in senior living complexes, as far as she's aware. Nobody came to claim her when the state came calling, and she thinks she's better off. She'd love to have a family of her own someday but is afraid of getting sick like her mother did.

romantic:

CASUAL: While she might be too old for casual sex in the eyes of some, she still rather enjoys it. It makes her feel remotely human and feeling human, to her, is about all she has at the end of the day. She doesn't stick around and chances are, she'll probably kick you out of her bed, no matter how much she might want to cuddle afterwards. You're going to leave in the morning if you stayed, so why delay the inevitable? At least, that's how she feels on the matter.

COMMITMENT: She's as free as a bird, as far as romance goes. She could do with pretty much anything and everything. Once you sink your claws into her, she won't stray. She's a loyal and loving partner and will do anything under the sun to make sure her relationship remains light and breezy, even if it means avoiding conflict at all costs. She does, however, believe in individuality and the heart growing fonder in one's absence.

others:

RIVALS: I don't really see her having rivals, if only because she doesn't really have anything enviable about her. In fact, she's probably as far from enviable as a person can possibly get. I do, however, see her having enemies and probably quite a few of those. Her mannerisms are rather abrupt and oftentimes unpleasant. People will probably dislike her, just on principle, alone.

LOOKING FOR: I'm not really sure what I'm looking for at this point in time, honestly. I do know that friends and the usual connections would be nice. She's been in Seagrove for about fifteen years. She went on a road trip and landed here in Seagrove when she was eighteen. She's been working the same dead end job ever since and perhaps, roommates would also be nice but again, totally not mandatory, as I can just NPC her roommates.

#sgrove:intro #sgrove:ooc

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