The Kleptones present Hip-Hopera. Green Goose Theater presents Sniff

"Without Free communication you don't have Free Society. Democracy is based on it."

"A Night At The Hip-Hopera" by The Kleptones gets my vote for the best album of the year. It's Queen meets Hip Hop and more. 23 tracks. The first and last named with a noun, all the rest having a verb for a title. Each track twists Queen's creation and makes a new batch to experience old as new but it is the last track titled "Question" which renders me speechless. One must hear this piece alone to know the entire album is a work of creative genius. A complex sound collage. On top of a disgusting vomiting background sounds a symphony of social commentary on Copyright, All Rights Reserved culture, freedom and democracy. A commitment to the future not only of music but of freedom of expression, freedom to explore other people's artistic creations by mixing, reusing, bending, twisting, questiong, playing, toying with, ridiculing and being inspired by them. I will say nothing else about this last track. No words can describe it. Hear it and experience it for yourself. And you can because this album is free and only available on the internet as an mp3 download,(all info here) it seems like by that alone The Kleptones offer the best commentary on Copyright and freedom of creative process. These guys are breaking up the entire music creation tradition. They are doing to music what James Joyce and George Orwell did to the English language. They are dissolving it. This album is a delicious creativity in the dark times of second coming of Dubya.

The opening of the album is pure Carnival Audio Collage, like a parade of car crashes, it's so beautiful. A glimpse into a noise freak show, a guy screaming "Let's have some life. You can't have a good time sitting on your ass" and then as the Queen's opening guitar chords are about to rock the whole track starts slowing down to a crawl, a crawwwllll.... - vibrant music gives to impotence, simply disappears within itself, disolves, folds onto itself introducing "Vision" which begins with what I think is Matthew Broderick from Ferris Bueller saying "The question isn't what are we going to do, the question is what aren't we going to do" and The Kleptones do some amazing things on this album. Hearing Brian May's guitar in the background of "My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like it's better than yours, Damn right, it's better thank yours" is so fucking good and as I heard it ends with a phrase "fried chicken". if it does then how more DADA can you get with Queens Vision? (Update: My ignorance was exposed by Spudulike in his comment. I am sorry. "Fried Chiecken" has always been there"

Track 10 Play, another car crash of "I want to take you to the gay bar" with "Play the game", lyrics mixing "Play the game, let's start a war, play the game, let's start a nuclear war at the gay bar, it's a free world, you're superstar, at the gay bar". If that wasn't enough the next track 11 Ride mixes Eminen's "Slim Shady" with "I want to ride my bicycle". "All I want do is. My name is. Bicycle. My name is. Bicylce, Slim Shady" with "Beuller, Beuler, Beuller, Beuller" thrown in there in the middle. Track 14 Plan is too fast for me to understand. A Plan. A Manifesto. I need to get lyrics for this piece. Fucking funny social commentary on track 17 Work "Machines should work. People should think". And I think that's Missy Elliot rapping there with "she's a bitch". And could track 19 Expose be a commentary on Narcissism? "Cause I am gorgeous"?

Track 12 Sniff just floored me with it's hypnotic "I want some more! I want some more! More than you know it" on top of the powerful musical odyssey "Under Pressure" so I became inspired to write my own commentary in a form of play in one act. It definitely helps to hear the album before reading this.

Green Goose Theater Presents "Sniff". A Play in One Act.

Actors:

Citizen
President
Chorus of Citizens

Act One.

Curtain opens. In the middle of the stage a small table with two chairs at opposite ends. In the middle of a table a white powdery substance. Citizen and President walk to the table and sit facing each other. Chorus of Citizens gathers around.

(Citizen points to the substance on the table)

Citizen: Mister President? Put your nose right here. Now. Sniff.

(President sniffs as instructed and looks likes he really likes it)

Citizen: That's power. Sniff Again Mister President. Go ahead. Sniff?

(President sniffs vigorously until all white substance is gone form the table. Music begins to play in the background. We hear the opening of "Under Pressure" by Queen with David Bowie)

President: I want some more! I want some more!

Citizen: Stop!

President: I want some more! I want some more! I want some more!

(Citizen begins shouting at President)

Citizen: Stop! Stop! Stop!

President: I want some more! Your Votes. I want some more! Tonight I have the power. I want some more! I want some more! God Bless Amerika. I want some more!

Chorus: We the people in the streets. We the people in the streets on the edge of night. We urge you to start caring about US!

President: Need to get up up up higher again! I want some more! Your Money! I want some more! Your Fears! I want some more! Your Children in Black Body Bags. I want some more! More than you know it! Let's Roll!

(Chorus of Citizens remains Silent. Curtain Falls)

Play Ends

And as The Kleptones write about their own music "Constructed as always with love and respect to those who deserve it." I remain grateful for the gift of Art.

Comments

[bmo]

Listening. Now. Presently.

Wie geist es eminem?

[severed talking head]

This is Firesign Theater, and did we need it. Upon first listen, joyous and enjoyable, and way more fun than podcasting. (podmashing, anyone?) love - t

[Spudulike]

Queen's One Vision always ended with 'Fried Chicken'.

[K!]

Mea Culpa. Spudulike. I didn't know. Never bothered to check about Fried Chicken. Thanks and sorry.