Matlock
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thread 1/16
Time to share the demo of this show that I wrote just in time for COVID. I'll link the full album on Bandcamp in this post and then elaborate in the thread, but be warned, this show deals with heavy issues and is designed to be provocative
#keyofw #keyofwMusic #keyofwMusicCatalog
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 2/16
The germ of this idea came in late 2011. At the time I was purely fixated on the idea of exploring two main ideas: (1) what makes edgy "neckbeard" type edgelords (as the term was in 2011) and (2) how to define masculinity in a society that pushes the manly bacon-eating truck-driving dudebro.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 3/16
It's worth noting that at the time I did not identify as liberal or leftist or anything. I was still living fully in a conservative social circle, but was part of a group of self-identified guys who did not outwardly or inwardly conform to gender roles. The term #NonBinary wasn't in my head yet.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 4/16
Which makes this show rather personal, even though it is not strictly autobiographical. But I never really got to committing to the idea until much, much later - 2019. By this time I had a much better idea of who the character was and her struggle.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 5/16
2019 was when I realized this was specifically the story of a trans woman. (Even in the original drafts she was a """man""" who expressed herself through various imaginary personae, all of whom were female.) That's when it all clicked together.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 6/16
Musically, I was aiming for prog rock and metal - which are definitely not common in musical theatre - being a mix of Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Ayreon (I always have to check that spelling every time I write it lmao)
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 7/16
The first real draft was finished Christmas Eve 2019. You can guess what happened next. Not to say I was on a trajectory to get this show staged for certain. You gotta be made to get made, and no matter what it would be an uphill battle for a complete unknown to get a show of this nature mounted.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 8/16
But COVID really tanked any momentum I had going in. So during lockdown I created the demo I've linked. It's not the greatest mix ever, and I am the one singing (badly) on all the songs, but it IS a demo and it IS the entire show, minus one or two dialogue breaks.
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 9/16
Some of the songs I'm proudest of:

"I'm In Love With A Genki Girl"
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 10/16
"Nekomimi No Uta"

(No I'm not saying what's happening in each song - don't want to make this thread too long. Maybe some other time.)

Also this is the one that by far got the most streams, for some reason (catgirls)
03:41 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 11/16
"Why Is There A Beautiful Girl In My Bed"

Contains maybe the crux of the show's philosophy in one of the few bits of dialogue I did record, toward the back half of this song
03:42 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 12/16
"I Can See The Light"

The closer, and by this time I had 100% blown out my voice, but I made it through.
03:42 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 13/16
My short version of the synopsis is that this is a harem-anime-meets-A-Beautiful-Mind where a trans woman has to murder the revived corpses of her parents who are trying to drag her back down into hell. You know, standard musical theater plot.
03:43 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 14/16
I have no idea the future of this show. I've applied to a few places for it to be looked at, but competition is fierce and post-COVID everyone is still hesitant to mount anything new. The only place this *has* been accepted so far is the New Works Collaboration Catalog, which guarantees nothing
03:44 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 15/16
Doesn't help that the show is designed to push buttons in a lot of ways. It contains sex (including graphic sexual assault), violence from a father to his wife and child, foul language, plus a hateful bigot of an antagonist. Not family friendly in the slightest.
03:45 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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Matlock
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thread 16/16
I'll be keeping my eye out on any way to get this story out there but I'm not holding my breath. It's a difficult sell. But I'm sure someone out there is interested in a pro-trans edgelord heavy metal show, so you never know.
03:47 PM - Apr 16, 2024
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