The erratic adventures of shay & jax
No, not the ones in your head, telling you to kill (although goodness knows that we all have those, right?) but your character's voices. I was having a chat the lady behind Morgan (and Sioux, and Kira, and Zero, and Zoey, and... well, you get the picture!) about how to juggle multiple characters. It's not something I've ever been very good at, but it is something I'd like to push myself on more. The last 4-6 months or so I've managed to write both Shay and Jax at a reasonable pace, which is a small achievement for me. The problem is that I'm in danger of writing them as the same character, with Jax heading towards Shay, who's closer to my own personality. I probably made a rod for my own back by not making them wildly different to begin with, but Shay's supposed to be an awkward, over-thinker, who gets around it by acting the fool and flip-flopping between comedy swagger and self-deprecation. Jax, on the other hand, is meant to be a genuinely cocky so-and-so, only really reigned in from out-and-out arrogance by a sense of guilt about how he's treated people in the past. So getting some cocky swagger back into Jax is a priority. I'm also having a proper stab with Al, who might be a bit of a dick (TBC). So, as this is all nerdy navel gazing so far, who wants to talk about rhyme schemes? You do? Good! Hey, wait! Where are you all going? Come back - this is gonna be fun! Fuck around and catch {wreck in the spot}, {sket'll go pop} Regular readers will know I'm a Sean P fan. I've added the curly brackets to pick out the little 4-syllable rhyme scheme he's used in the last two bars of the first track from his debut solo album, Monkey Barz. Stuff like this is why, for me, Mr P was a great rhymer. Using lots of multi-syllable rhymes is something a lot of people do, but here he works the scheme in five times in two lines, while making a coherent little diss of other rappers credibility on the streets, or with the laydeez. Okay, so you either have to be from Brooklyn or listen to a lot of Hip Hop to understand the slang, but that's not the point! Great lyrics don't have to rhyme at all, or course, but my very favourite stuff usually rhymes quite intricately. Especially with Hip Hop tracks, where rhyming is pretty much the whole point. that's why I'm giving myself a chufty badge (well, no-one else is going to, are they? :P) for Shay's last effort. I was particularly pleased with: {I murder verses}, and I [place ‘em in Hearses] Shay Williams, blog freestyle, Yr87 Okay, so I didn't work in the first syllable of the forth line (I guess I could've gone with 'thy words', if I wanted to sound like a Viking) but I'm pleased with that. Four bars which, pretty much, rhyme all the way through - all at least semi-coherent, with no resorting to random words. Yes. Yes I do.
8 Comments
...Is the future. Bashed out 32 bars and a hook to this over lunch: To those of you that write lyrics: do you have a beat or melody in mind when you write? Are you listening to things as you write? Or is it more like poetry writing?
It seems like as soon as I semi-retired V, inspiration struck again. Admittedly much of this took the form of teasing Mason and Phil, but that's what they are there for, right? Anyway, this has led to me completing a song for the much talked about, will-probably-never-be-delivered horror album. On top of that, I'm really pleased with it. I want the album to veer between quirky, fun and creepy, and I guess this one's at the creepy end of the spectrum. Knife in My Hand (The Red) It almost feels like it would work as a folk song, but as V doesn't know folk, it won't be. :P In other news, I'm waiting to find out whether Ghostbusters will get a cinematic re-release in the UK. I really hope so; this will be the best combination of geeking out and feeling older than God's dog in years. And then next October we have Back to the Future II Day. I gotta start working on my hoverboard. Although being a year older and fatter, maybe I should go as Biff? Looks like Marty's covered: (If you're not already following Ayria Lovett on the social medium of your choice, you should go do that. Her shoots are always super-cute, and her photography is spot on. And she's geeky as eff - what's not to like, fanboy/girl/rootvegetable?)
Tasks for the weekend? Get tipsy, listen to a fun local band, watch England/Italy. Oh, and treat Bread Sr to dinner. Peace! Just a couple of quickies: I added It's a Mad House back to the links section. I'm thinking of yoinking her idea for Favourite things lists.
Secondly, I finished a song. Not for V's horror album, although that is coming together in drips and drabs, but about the tin-foil hat-wearing numpties that infest the forums. It also doubled as a handy birthday present for everyone's favourite Evil Mod. It'll appear in someone's blog dreckly, I'm sure. And that someone is Vera. I may have pretty much stolen Joni's gimmick for this blog... Fair enough, they're shit - but so are all the other ones I write! The important thing is that a little inspiration has finally struck. Vera had to release two (yes, a whole TWO!) songs with no lyrics. I feel dirty. And not in that good surfing-the-internet-for-pictures-of-sexy-robots kinda way... I have been spoiled for my birthday. The trip to Falmouth was wonderful, with great food, good beer and fantastic company. I even broke my PB for running a mile. I won't tell you what that PB is, because then I would reveal that I'm a tubby, unfit oaf. No, better to let you thing that is was something good. :P On top of that, and the real-world gifts, Butters has been posting pics of cute, heavily tattooed redheads (I honestly have no idea how she knew I was a fan; perhaps she's psychic?) and Bobzilla wrote a convoluted gushing blog that, while ostensibly from Fay to V, renders the lines between IC and OOC more blurry than a glaucoma sufferer's vision, and reveals how wildly in love with me she truly is. I know, Bobs, it's ok - you're only human, after all. (NOTE: If I stop posting suddenly, it's safe for you all to assume that Bobs has killed and eaten me for posting the above... :D) In fact, I think the only people not pulling their weight are Roger (no rants, Phil is still, well, Phil) and Ricicles, who ruined Butters' photo opportunity. I'm not entirely sure why, but I suspect that it's something to do with how wildly in love with me she truly is. It's ok, Rice- you're only human, after all. (NOTE: Of course, it could've been Rice that mirked me. I do tend to piss a lotta people off. :P) So I'm a little behind, but catching up. What haven't I done in a while? Pictures of tattooed women? Check. Links to obscure Hip Hop? Check. Cricket references? Well, the Aussies look a lot more competitive at pyjama cricket than the long form, and as they were better in the tests than I thought they would be, we might just get a shoeing in the one-dayers, especially if Michael Carberry doesn't fire at international level. Check.
If I've missed any of your favourite regular features, gentle reader, do let me know. And if Bobs and Rice catch up to me, I would like my ashes scattered in the Dr Snuggles forum... A Lyrical Wanker, that is. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is behind this social club, but it'll probably be just as fun as the Playboy social club (with less creepy pedo-bear vibes...) Anyway, I'm a sucker for anything that promotes lyrics in the game, so V has signed up. Shay may follow, I suppose, but I would've thought that one character in the club is enough (they can always ask me to pass info along. :P) While we're on the subject, V and Shay came second in the recent NYC lyric contest, that I'm sure you've ALL heard of, what with everyone giving a flying one about such things. She was beaten into 2nd place by this lady's efforts. V was her usual magnanimous self, but I will be blunt and say FUCK THAT BINT, I SHOULDDA WON!!11!!!eleven!! I jest, of course - her entry was much more New Yorky. It's all looking very tight in the 4th test. I think it might be squeaky bum time soon, if we don't nick a few wickets soonish. Hmm, anything else? Oh yes - I think I've found the perfect redhead for Ricicle's new character: Maybe wait for Xoxo to grogrow up a bit... Here endeth the perv. [/perv]
So, the weekend was full of beer-related fun for your host. Alas, that meant that V missed meeting up with Fay in Moscow. They've barely seen each other since the wedding, which, combined with hearing the following on the radio on Sunday, lead me to writing the song currently languishing in Vera's blog. Disgusting... I also have a couple of ideas for songs for Shay that I will work on.
I found out on Friday that this site has another reader, which I believe brings the total readership up to the dizzying heights of 2.5 people! World domination surely beckons… And, lastly, how exciting was that first test match? The answer you’re looking for is ‘very’. Otherwise, you’re wrong. Is pretty much what writing V and Shay's entry for the NYC lyric competition was like. Ah well, 'tis done now. Plans for the immediate future of V and Shay? Fucknose. I'm taking suggestions. For the last couple of days, I've been blaring out an old (2006) album from a local Hip Hop crew who've since gone their separate ways. Milo is still releasing top quality stuff, but DJ Locktite and the rest seem to have disappeared. Shame. You know it's a good album when you get to track 6 before you even think about skipping. There's plenty of belters on there, but probably my favourite features two MCs who also seem to have vanished - Probe Mantis and Turrock/Steve Gough, who has the best Bristolian accent you will ever hear! :) And I also finished that song for V. My fears were unfounded, and I actually quite like it. Could maybe do with a chorus/hook. See her current blog for details, if you feel inclined.
|
WTF?!This site contains out-of-character information for characters and events in the MMO Popmundo, as well as general navel-gazing and apologies for never updating. "If you are offended by words like: Shit! Bitch! Fuck! Dick! Ass! Whore! Cum!" Ice-T
Who the Hell?!
The author is a professional person in his mid-30s, old-school Hip Hop head, Punk Rock fan, Plymouth Argyle supporter, comic book reader, and general lo-fi nerd. He lives in the countryside with two cats and newly-wed wife, all of whom seem to be above him in the pecking order. He is a big fan of tea, fig rolls, H.P. Lovecraft, facial hair and quiffs. While MPB robbed him of his quiff-rocking dreams, he does sport a dope handlebar moustache. Categories
All
|