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Subject: The Creative Process

Written By: Stray_Pooch on 02/01/04 at 07:29 a.m.

How do you go about creating your work?  Maybe it's just ego but I am fascinated by the process it takes to create a piece of artwork.  In the case of this board it is parody but I also write poetry, short stories, music and essays.  Sometimes, after I finish creating, I am amazed at what I just did.  Sometimes I read something someone else has written and think "Damn, I wish I had done that!"   It might be interesting to get a glimpse into how people create.  Take a pardoy you have written (or another piece of work) and dissect it a bit.  Case in point, I just wrote a parody (which will post a little later today) called "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!"  I did it in about half an hour.  In retrospect, I should have taken a little more time to tweak it before posting it but how it came about surprises me now.  I got the idea from a similar long-word parody by Guy DiRito.  The thought came when I teasingly challenged Guy to write a parody based on my big word.  But strangely enough, as I was typing the comment I suddenly heard in my brain Mari Duncan's beautiful voice singing the word to "Yesterday" (like she had to Phil Alexander's "'Postrophe" in the Amiright Tribute).  Incredibly, the pacing of "Yesterday" fit that word perfectly for internal syllable rhyme.  How many songs are going to fit that criteria for that word???  So I quickly said "No, wait, I'll do it!" and dashed off the thing in a short while.  Sometimes when I create I have to really work hard.  But this one was a breeze.  How that particular relationship between the song and the word popped into my head I cannot begin to say.  Similarly, I had wanted to parody "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a rite of passage for some time.  But I could not think of an idea.  I decided to go for it for number 25 and tossed a few ideas around in my head.  Why I settled on the Flintstones I cannot say, though my wife is a huge fan of the show. But the first line that came into my mind I didn't even use. I thought of taking "He's just a poor boy from a poor family" and trying to squeeze in "He's just a man from a modern stone-age family."  I knew that just couldn't cut it on pacing so I thought "What if I started the song with the modern stone-age refererence?" and it went from there.  As fascinated as I am with my own warped mind, I would really be interested in getting some input from other authors who are introspective (and perhaps self-obsessed) enough to dissect or otherwise explain their thought processes.  Anybody else want to reveal their innermost creative thoughts for possible future evidence in competency hearings??

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: adagio on 02/01/04 at 09:42 a.m.

I liked your in-depth musing of the subject.  Mine will be simplistic by comparison.  With me, it varies with each parody, sometimes I come up with a song that has captured my attention, then the subject next.  Other times, I come up with a subject first that I want to do, then search around for a suitable song.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Claude_Prez on 02/01/04 at 09:44 a.m.

Hey, welcome to the message board SP.  I'm glad you brought this up because I really was wondering how the heck you came up with that song so quickly (I've read it but haven't voted yet; I'll do that later). I think we've all had ideas that come easily and almost "write themselves", but they don't usually involve eighteen-syllable words.  Not for me anyway.  I'm just really impressed.  Most of the songs I write now are ideas that percolate for days or weeks before I sit down to write anything down. I work delivering mail and spend a lot of time walking around thinking about song ideas, coming up with couplets and stuff.  My song from yesterday, "Smells Like That Other Parody", came one day last week when all the comments were being made and I found myself wondering if there were any way a dead baby parody could be funny.  I quickly found an easier source of humor in people who think that sort of thing is funny and had most of the couplets for the choruses by the time I clocked out that day.  I sat down Friday night to work on it not knowing what to do for the verses and half an hour later it was done (I skipped the third verse when I realized I'd said what I wanted to say, plus the rhyme scheme was different so I was like "Oh well, whatever, nevermind").  
Also, I'm particularly impressed by well done Bohemian Rhapsody parodies (like yours) because there are so many memorable lines in the original you almost have to play off them as opposed to just copying the meter which jumps all over the place to begin with.  That's why I think people like Guy and Johnny do so well with Bo-Rap; they're usually sticklers for matching the original lines anyway.  Good topic Stray; see ya round.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: adagio on 02/01/04 at 09:47 a.m.

P.S.  A lot of times I feel like just writing a parody that has a personal message for me, and in such cases, I don't really care about the votes.
 

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: MarthaDTox on 02/02/04 at 03:42 a.m.

Hi

Interesting points you have raised. I wrote a version of Bohemian Rhapsody .. have just submitted it but it was to fit into the themes of a satirical musical review that I wrote to enetrtain  poeple attending a book launch party .. so it was all connected. I first got into writing parodies by accident .. I was grading term papers on the subject of business crime.. I teach at a University) and I was rather bored and started scribbling the song on the back of an envelope .. while listening to the track that I was parodying (its called when the wall came down I submitted it yesterday) Since then I just kind of got addicted and write stuff either cos I hear something on the news or I need it for some other purpose like a review, or randomly when something just pops into my head.

Quoting:
How do you go about creating your work?  Maybe it's just ego but I am fascinated by the process it takes to create a piece of artwork.  In the case of this board it is parody but I also write poetry, short stories, music and essays.  Sometimes, after I finish creating, I am amazed at what I just did.  Sometimes I read something someone else has written and think "Damn, I wish I had done that!"   It might be interesting to get a glimpse into how people create.  Take a pardoy you have written (or another piece of work) and dissect it a bit.  Case in point, I just wrote a parody (which will post a little later today) called "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!"  I did it in about half an hour.  In retrospect, I should have taken a little more time to tweak it before posting it but how it came about surprises me now.  I got the idea from a similar long-word parody by Guy DiRito.  The thought came when I teasingly challenged Guy to write a parody based on my big word.  But strangely enough, as I was typing the comment I suddenly heard in my brain Mari Duncan's beautiful voice singing the word to "Yesterday" (like she had to Phil Alexander's "'Postrophe" in the Amiright Tribute).  Incredibly, the pacing of "Yesterday" fit that word perfectly for internal syllable rhyme.  How many songs are going to fit that criteria for that word???  So I quickly said "No, wait, I'll do it!" and dashed off the thing in a short while.  Sometimes when I create I have to really work hard.  But this one was a breeze.  How that particular relationship between the song and the word popped into my head I cannot begin to say.  Similarly, I had wanted to parody "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a rite of passage for some time.  But I could not think of an idea.  I decided to go for it for number 25 and tossed a few ideas around in my head.  Why I settled on the Flintstones I cannot say, though my wife is a huge fan of the show. But the first line that came into my mind I didn't even use. I thought of taking "He's just a poor boy from a poor family" and trying to squeeze in "He's just a man from a modern stone-age family."  I knew that just couldn't cut it on pacing so I thought "What if I started the song with the modern stone-age refererence?" and it went from there.  As fascinated as I am with my own warped mind, I would really be interested in getting some input from other authors who are introspective (and perhaps self-obsessed) enough to dissect or otherwise explain their thought processes.  Anybody else want to reveal their innermost creative thoughts for possible future evidence in competency hearings??
End Quote

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Rick D on 02/02/04 at 10:51 p.m.

I like this subject. I like Mari's voice also, that one reason I write from the female point of view so much, I don't have to sing it. There are all kinds of inspirations for writing, but for parody mine is based on three things. Title, punchline and character. It's time consuming to pick a subject and then look for the right song. I find if I peruse enough songs, all the subjects will eventually pop out. Then have a destination/joke for the end. Sometimes where you wind up is a different place, but at least have a direction. So many parodies have funny ideas that fizzle out near the end. And then character. This is what I've always done in my own songs, which keep people guessing. Try to put yourself in this persons place and go where he'd go. Even if he's an Albanian Republican Transvestite. Believe who you are for the length of the song.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Mari D on 02/03/04 at 01:29 a.m.

First, note to Stray -- awwwww!  That's very flattering --  really!  Thanks!  As far as my creative process... hmmm... well, I live with a compulsive parody writer, which makes me think of this stuff more than usual.  I've gotten inspiration in really screwy ways, like at the party last New Year's Eve, listening to two guys tell a story about a guy being eaten by a snake and then tuning out while thinking of lines.  I look for ironic combinations -- using a Pink Floyd tune as the basis for complaints about the silliness of matching up their "Dark Side of the Moon" with "The Wizard of Oz" or waxing nostalgic about the way the pop charts used to be, with the original song being an Eminem rap.  Sometimes things just pop into my head for no apparent reason.  I also pick songs that few (or no) people on the site know, just because I just have to do it that way -- like "Epistle to Dippy," "One Note Samba," and the extremely obscure "Wilder Than Her."  The latter was written by a popular Northern California musician that a friend of ours likes.  I had a dream where he was singing the chorus with different words, then I awoke and finished it.  Some are a real challenge and require work, while others seem to write themselves and a fun to do, like my "I Will Survive" parody.  And as I ruminate, my husband will say "I haven't written anything today," go away, and then return ten minutes later with a parody...

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Stray_Pooch on 02/03/04 at 05:49 p.m.

Thanks for the replies, folks.  Adagio: I, too, often write my own thing.  "Both Sides Now" was a little introspective piece that turned out pretty well.  Claude: Thanks for the welcome.  I do prefer parodies that are tight compared to the original - it makes them easier to read and to sing.  Martha:  Hey, if Abe Lincoln can write the Gettysburg address on the back of an envelope . . .  Rick:  HEY!! I'M an Albanian Republican Transvestite!!!  Oh no wait, I'm not Albanian.  Mari: The compliment was sincere.  I like that you do obscure songs.  I just settle for being obscure myself . . .

Thanks for all the great insights, guys!  See ya on the boards!!

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: David Chrenko on 02/03/04 at 08:04 p.m.

There's this little old blind man in my town, who sits in front of Rexall Drugs every Saturday night, inventing very clever parodies of all kinds of songs. Going back to probably when I was a little kid, whenever I was downtown I'd make a point of hanging out, listening to him. I still do it to this day. He really inspired me. Knowing that he's well past eighty now, and may not be around much longer, about two months ago I began recording him in front of the drugstore. Being blind, he has no idea I'm doing this. And he's such a sweet old guy, I don't have the heart to tell him I've been submitting them to Am I Right under my name.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Stray_Pooch on 02/04/04 at 05:11 a.m.

David:  COOL!  Plagiarism AND taking advantage of the helpless!  Steal a few lollipops from babies and you're the Monty Burns of parody - lol!!

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Agrimorfee on 02/05/04 at 09:23 a.m.

Sometimes it just hits me like a ton of bricks (or at least 100 lbs.!).  Sometimes I just have to work at it.  A parody inspiration often comes just from one line that I can't help but "hear" differently (examples--"From A Donut Maker To His Son"--"every person gets a chocolate donut" or "Drunken Sports Fans"--the "32 Beers" refrain had been in the back of my mind for YEARS).

Sometimes I have forced a parody out of something, just to kick a well-respected song in the teeth, or for conceptual continuity's sake (see my Pile of Bricks or White albums for examples of this).

The Internet has been a blessing for parody writing now. I need to have the lyrics nearby me to refer pacing and ryhme schemes, so prinitouts from many Lyrics websites have been most helpful, where before I would have needed to attain a copy of the song on cassette so I could go back and forth.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: adagio on 02/05/04 at 11:14 a.m.

Agrimorfee, I was given this hint about lyrics.  Find them, copy and paste to notepad, then write one verse or one line at a time above the respective line or verse (the number of paces can be written at the end of each line).  Save the work often and listen to the progress often on whatever mode of song you have.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Johnny_D on 02/05/04 at 02:40 p.m.

Various techniques...among them, in no particular order:

(1) Switch-around and/or replace one or more of the letters of the original song's title and see if the new title gives me an idea...example: I did a parody of "Hitchin' A Ride" called "Rich 'An I Hide", a parody of "Hair" called "Nair", a parody of "Help!" called "Kelp!", a parody of "Get Back" called "Jet Pack", and so forth...

(2) Come up with a parody-title that sounds a lot like the original song's title and that leads to humorous parody-possibilities....for example, I did a parody of "Hey Jude" called "Hay Chewed".

(3) I think about the original song's lines, and if I come up with some good internally-rhymed replacement-lines that lead me to additional ideas for the other lines, I just kind of go with it.... for example, in my parody of Elton John's tune "Rocket Man" that I titled "Rocket Spam", I sort of combined techniques (1) and (2) listed here above to come up with the title "Rocket Spam", and then the lines just kind of fell into place from there..... and after I got my internally-rhymed replacement lines for the original chorus line "Burning out his fuse up here alone", I was on a roll that led me to my internally-rhymed replacement for "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids / In fact it's cold as hell / And there's no one there to raise them", which came out as "Laws ain't the kind of way to faze these kids / In fact they're bold as hell / And so no one dares to faze them".  One line just leads to another...

(4) As for parodies about flatulence and/or excrement, I just pull those out of my ass.

*********************************
*********************************
*********************************

Added March 1, 2004:

I also use text editors in ways similar to those described by other parody authors on this thread.  I will get a copy of the original song's lyrics, and put it on the screen next to (in another editor, or above or below) my parody's lyrics, and then go line-by-line, comparing with the original, counting syllables to match the original's pacing, and looking for internal rhyme possibilities wherever they present themselves.  :-)

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Paul Robinson on 02/06/04 at 06:15 p.m.

Boy, are you guys lucky I'm at a Public Library that just announced they were closing in 1 hour!  Now, first of all you must understand what an absolute three-ring circus/zoo is going on upstairs here in my head....hmmm....think I'll leave it at that for tonight and get back on tomorrow closer to home.  I better get the hell out of the South Bay pronto or I'll get stuck big time on the dreaded 405 freeway.  Well,  at least my "amiright" addiction has been given a small dose of treatment and the withdrawl pains in my brain are draining out thru my....ahh....ahh...OH HELL, you guys are all imaginative, creative parody writer's, so YOU figure out where the main drain of my ingrained insane train of thought eventually dribbles, oozes, blasts or otherwise exits my cranial domain. So for now I remain....restrained and as such shall refrain from further comment at this time.

Quoting:
Various techniques...among them, in no particular order:

(1) Switch-around and/or replace one or more of the letters of the original song's title and see if the new title gives me an idea...example: I did a parody of "Hitchin' A Ride" called "Rich 'An I Hide", a parody of "Hair" called "Nair", a parody of "Help!" called "Kelp!", a parody of "Get Back" called "Jet Pack", and so forth...

(2) Come up with a parody-title that sounds a lot like the original song's title and that leads to humorous parody-possibilities....for example, I did a parody of "Hey Jude" called "Hay Chewed".

(3) I think about the original song's lines, and if I come up with some good internally-rhymed replacement-lines that lead me to additional ideas for the other lines, I just kind of go with it.... for example, in my parody of Elton John's tune "Rocket Man" that I titled "Rocket Spam", I sort of combined techniques (1) and (2) listed here above to come up with the title "Rocket Spam", and then the lines just kind of fell into place from there..... and after I got my internally-rhymed replacement lines for the original chorus line "Burning out his fuse up here alone", I was on a roll that led me to my internally-rhymed replacement for "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids / In fact it's cold as hell / And there's no one there to raise them", which came out as "Laws ain't the kind of way to faze these kids / In fact they're bold as hell / And so no one dares to faze them".  One line just leads to another...

(4) As for parodies about flatulence and/or excrement, I just pull those out of my ass.


End Quote

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Robert J. Pagliaro on 02/07/04 at 08:43 a.m.

I'll get a line in my head and then write around it.  Ex: "Walked from Kabul to the Kandahar Hilton", "He's Gonna Bomb Japan", "They'd Like to Thank Ralph Nader fer helpin' them to win," etc.  I put two copies of the original lyrics on the screen - one to change the other to refer to in case I stray to far from the original - and then I write line-by-line (not necessarily in order).  So my approach is more crossword-puzzle-like.  If it works, I post it; if it doesn't I toss it (except for a few that I've posted under an alias).  And I don't spend more than two nights on a parody - if it doesn't write at the end of night 2 - it gets tossed.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Mari D on 02/28/04 at 06:58 p.m.

Does anyone else use Excel spreadsheets for parodying particularly challenging so :Pngs?

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Johnny_D on 02/28/04 at 07:06 p.m.


Quoting:
Does anyone else use Excel spreadsheets for parodying particularly challenging so :Pngs?
End Quote



Mari D,

Now you've intrigued me!  How DOES one use an Excel spreadsheet to facilitate the writing of a song parody?

I'm always on the lookout for new tricks and techniques...please explain!

Thanks!

JD  :) ;) :D ;D

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: PRobinson on 02/28/04 at 08:07 p.m.

Man,  now I AM intrigued...I've given it some serious thought (a big mistake for me, by the way) and I have absolutely no idea!!  Seriously, inspiration occasionally strikes and a whole parody will almost pop right out of my pen at once. Often I will have parts of several verses and have to work through the missing lines by searching for rhymes or matching pace/end word sounds, etc until something clicks.   Other times I'll come up with just a piece and hit a roadblock.  Suddenly, on the way to nowhere I'll make a change in premise or jettison some words I thought "HAD" to be there,  find something new and all of a sudden things are flowing again.  For more complex, lengthy pieces I sometimes copy & paste the original lyrics and change the font color of those lyrics to Red and then try to work through each verse line by line below that, then move the original lyrics I've just parodied down below the remaining unworked parts.  I've done this a few times and it works, although it is not particularly a fast way to work.  Of course, so far I've written most of my parodies with Pen & Ink on paper,  drafting, modifying, doing the changes without a computer at home, then transposing the written on a computer word processing program to finalize it.  I think I will be mostly retiring that method now that I finally have a new home PC.

Quoting:


Mari D,

Now you've intrigued me!  How DOES one use an Excel spreadsheet to facilitate the writing of a song parody?

I'm always on the lookout for new tricks and techniques...please explain!

Thanks!

JD  :) ;) :D ;D
End Quote

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Meriadoc on 02/29/04 at 01:46 p.m.

Writing as a duo can get very complicated!

We write using a two column table in MSWord with the original song on the left and the parody on the right. As we change the words we color code them, Pip usually uses blue and I use green or red, depending on my mood. Then we email the parody back and forth until it is finished. Any changes we make to each other's contributions are done in pink.

Generally one or the other of us goes thru likely song titles and comes up with a clever parody title. In the beginning most of our stuff was close to 50/50, but the percentage varies a lot now. Occasionally one of us will completely redo the other's idea, or change it in mid-song. On one of our earliest parodies: "Cover of the Next Playgirl" I started out with a song about a fellow who thought he was really hot with the ladies, then Pippin turned the guy gay in the middle of the song! ;) Another good example is "Stealing Things from Sears" which Pippin started as a generic sort of song about a fellow lecturing a friend about stealing. I had an ex-neighbor who used to steal flashlights from hardware stores and sell them for drug money, so I re-wrote large sections of the song, using that as an inspiration.

Sometimes we have a song that is almost a solo effort. Pippin wrote "Lead the Jack" and "Who Stopped Your Brain?" in their entirety and I merely made a few pacing changes or changed a word here or there. I wrote "Burning Fridges" in about 15 minutes (my fastest parody record ever) and Pip put in one line. "Wrong Wrong Car to Tow" was another of my 'solo' efforts.

As for the process itself, we usually make lists at the bottom of each parody of words that would fit the subject matter, then look for places where they would fit into the song and build the parody around them. A parody may take us days or even weeks to finish, since it requires dual input. I usually put in about 2-3 hours when 'finishing up' a parody.

And lastly, we now usually try and include one rogue 'postrophe' somewhere in the parody, just for Ethan! ;)

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Kalor on 02/29/04 at 04:41 p.m.

Dagnbabit, my secret is out!
I usually use excel. Original on the left, parodies in one or more columns on the right (there's a bad spoof on the right?).

Sometimes one just pops into my head (like my last two songs that strangely received no comments), sometimes it percolates over days or even weeks (with more complex writing like "The Merchandise Collector" or "Master of the Force". They're the most fun to write.

And don't you hate it when something you spent days on gets an average response but a 5 minute job busts a truckload of fives? We live in a fallen world...

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Rice Cube on 02/29/04 at 04:45 p.m.


Quoting:
Dagnbabit, my secret is out!
I usually use excel. Original on the left, parodies in one or more columns on the right (there's a bad spoof on the right?).
End Quote



We actually use multiple Internet Explorer windows and overlay the mp3 as we write :)  Each Explorer window has one version of the lyrics and the mp3 definitely helps.  We use a Weird Al-style writing scheme where we sorta stretch the words sometimes...so it really is a good idea to record some of our stuff but we don't have the software or equipment or musical ability :P

Quoting:

Sometimes one just pops into my head (like my last two songs that strangely received no comments), sometimes it percolates over days or even weeks (with more complex writing like "The Merchandise Collector" or "Master of the Force". They're the most fun to write.
End Quote



Ditto :)  I loved Master of the Force ;D

Quoting:
And don't you hate it when something you spent days on gets an average response but a 5 minute job busts a truckload of fives? We live in a fallen world...
End Quote



I do it mostly for fun rather than for votes.  I know Watt is busy doing one of his many things so he couldn't really care less about vote totals, but it certainly is a good feeling to know that whoever does vote enjoys our stuff :)

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Kalor on 02/29/04 at 08:37 p.m.

I'm not expecting showers of confetti, I just treat good votes and comments as "I got it right", and of course we love giving people a laugh.

Something else that may help people is the idea to use a rhyming dictionary, eg http://www.rhymer.com/.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: 2nz on 03/01/04 at 10:52 a.m.

While the approach that Pippin and Merry use is much more detailed, I use some of the same techniques on a solo level. I usually get inspired by an 'idea' or several lines. An 'idea' would be combining Manfred Mann and dentistry, as both involve smoking objects and lots of precise action. By contrast, every Beatles parody that I've done so far was inspired by one specific misheard lyric somewhere in the song.

For harder songs, especially those themed about a group, whether it be X-men (my current project), or authors at Amiright ("Scenes from a Chalupan Restaurant"), I keep a list of key words that I would like to fit somewhere into the parody. I do the majority of creation in front of my computer, listening to  a sample of the song over and over, trying to match my parody to how the song sounds and the phrasing used just as much as to the lyrics themselves. How the original performers pause and phrase different lines has a lot to do with how easily a parody can be read on top of the original lyrics, and helps out very much if it ever gets recorded.

My current X-men parody project is proving to be quite huge, so if anyone here who considers himself/herself a huge X-men geek (i.e. someone who knows who Henry McCoy, Warren Kenneth Warthington, or Ororo Munroe are without giving it much thought), let me know if you wanna do a duet.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Old_Comedywriter on 03/01/04 at 11:04 a.m.

I copy and paste the lyrics into Notepad, and open another Notepad window beside it.

The process:  I hear a song I'm familiar with (and usually have already made fun of) and start singing really bad lyrics.  If and when I hit on something good that works, I reach for the nearest computer/tape recorder/napkin.  Next time I'm near the internet, I look up the real lyrics and make a decision to parody or not.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: neminem on 03/01/04 at 02:12 p.m.

Quoting:
Something else that may help people is the idea to use a rhyming dictionary, eg http://www.rhymer.com/.
End Quote



Yeah, I use AnalogX's. When I'm stuck on something, I'll generally come up with one line that I like, and then use the dictionary to see if there's anything good for the matching line.

As for programs, I just use notepad. Copy and paste the original into a text file and start changing lines; I generally use <>s to designate which parts haven't been changed yet.

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: PRobinson on 03/02/04 at 01:36 a.m.

Neat system...having a team is certainly a +,  as long as the wave-lengths mesh at some point...Otherwise one could be flirting with homicide...

Quoting:
Writing as a duo can get very complicated!

We write using a two column table in MSWord with the original song on the left and the parody on the right. As we change the words we color code them, Pip usually uses blue and I use green or red, depending on my mood. Then we email the parody back and forth until it is finished. Any changes we make to each other's contributions are done in pink.

Generally one or the other of us goes thru likely song titles and comes up with a clever parody title. In the beginning most of our stuff was close to 50/50, but the percentage varies a lot now. Occasionally one of us will completely redo the other's idea, or change it in mid-song. On one of our earliest parodies: "Cover of the Next Playgirl" I started out with a song about a fellow who thought he was really hot with the ladies, then Pippin turned the guy gay in the middle of the song! ;) Another good example is "Stealing Things from Sears" which Pippin started as a generic sort of song about a fellow lecturing a friend about stealing. I had an ex-neighbor who used to steal flashlights from hardware stores and sell them for drug money, so I re-wrote large sections of the song, using that as an inspiration.

Sometimes we have a song that is almost a solo effort. Pippin wrote "Lead the Jack" and "Who Stopped Your Brain?" in their entirety and I merely made a few pacing changes or changed a word here or there. I wrote "Burning Fridges" in about 15 minutes (my fastest parody record ever) and Pip put in one line. "Wrong Wrong Car to Tow" was another of my 'solo' efforts.

As for the process itself, we usually make lists at the bottom of each parody of words that would fit the subject matter, then look for places where they would fit into the song and build the parody around them. A parody may take us days or even weeks to finish, since it requires dual input. I usually put in about 2-3 hours when 'finishing up' a parody.

And lastly, we now usually try and include one rogue 'postrophe' somewhere in the parody, just for Ethan! ;)
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Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: Meriadoc on 03/03/04 at 00:45 a.m.


Quoting:
Neat system...having a team is certainly a +,  as long as the wave-lengths mesh at some point...Otherwise one could be flirting with homicide...

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Heh heh - it's come close a few times! Take one very competitive person and one control freak and put them together and it can occasionally get hairy.... ;D ;D

Subject: Re: The Creative Process

Written By: songdiva on 03/03/04 at 12:42 a.m.

I store all ideas in my pc notepad from song tittles, misheard lyrics, to topic ideas. I only write when I have the time and inclination to do so. Sometimes, I'll pick up where I left off an old idea in the note pad; and sometimes I'll start from scratch with a new parody idea. It's hard to say what the prompt will be, but when the energy flows it's time to go to the pc and enjoy the process. I'm sure many of you do the same.

I always enjoy challenges of the writing of parodies, and the total number of posts, that I collect is not real importaint to me. I move at my own pace.  The first few parodies I posted were very experimental... testing the amiright waters before jumping in. ( And they were not my bestworks... I'm not ashamed to admit )

It's wonderful to post them and have them read by others, who enjoy the same.

I enjoy reading eveyone elses parodies , too!
You've  made me laugh, and you've made me think!
And sometimes, you have made me think... What am I laughing at? :)  

This is an art, and you all...artists!  
Thanks for sharing your insight!