Mid-Week Music #13 - Cups

So... this is a song I've had in my head for a while. I know not why, and I know not whence it comes. All I know is that I've heard it before and it won't leave me alone. I think it's a popular song. My sister, Abigail, knows how to do the Cups beat (is that what to call it?), and will probably start practicing it once she sees this post.

You know, a couple nights ago, the idea occurred to me of what might happen if I combined this song with a certain other popular song from--I think it was 1984. The results seemed rather interesting, and definitely something strange. I may make a video of it... someday... a long time...from...now... *ahem* But there'll be time enough to show you that once it's done.

For now, I'll just show you this version. The actual song begins at around 1:15--well, the Cups beat starts there, which is the beginning of the song. The song is called... either You're Gonna Miss Me, When I'm Gone, or just Cups. I think it's Cups. Anyway, here it is!

***

I got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle  o' whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow--what d'you say?

(chorus #1)

When I'm gone

When I'm go-one

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

You're gonna miss me by my hair

You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

(chorus #2)

When I'm gone

When I'm go-one

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

You're gonna miss me by my walk

You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

**

I got my ticket for the long way 'round

The one with the prettiest of views

It's got mountains, it's got rivers

It's got sights to give you shivers

But it sure would be prettier with you

(chorus #2)

***

(chorus #1)

When I'm gone

When I'm go-oh-oh-one

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

You're gonna miss me by my ha-air

You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh

You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone

(chorus #2)

When I'm gone

When I'm go-one

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

You're gonna miss me by my walk

You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

DuckTales Reboot--First Episode Review

If you read my most recent Mid-Week Music post, you know that I recently watched the Pilot episode of the rebooted DuckTales. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Since when is Launchpad a pilot?"

I'm kidding. I just quoted a line from the show. I do that sort of thing sometimes.

But you're probably thinking that I already reviewed it. And I did, in very brief terms. But "I liked it" wasn't exactly a review--it's the Why You Liked It that makes a review. Therefore, I will put out my first review on this blog.

Where do I even start?

I suppose I should let you know that it was really more like a two-parted episode put together to make one episode. Pilot episodes are usually in parts. So the usual intro was not included until about halfway through. Just a note.

The plot itself was wonderful: Part One, where we are introduced to all the characters, was well done, and showed off the personalities of the characters splendidly. The entire Wing of Secrets part alone was fun, mysterious, and incredibly awesome. Part Two, where they head off on their first official adventure, was just as good.

The twists were interesting, and I did not see them coming. The adventure, the excitement, and the cleverness caught my attention. Seeing as this is an adventure show, it looks as if this is being done right. And since I'm just finishing listening to the Adventures in Odyssey episode, The Cross of Cortes, I have something else adventurous to compare it to. It stacks up well.

(Note: The Cross of Cortes is an episode where Whit and Eugene travel to Mexico to visit Whit's missionary friend, Dan Isidro. The episode includes an adventurous treasure hunt in an exotic land, maps, mysterious messages, temples, a lovely lady from said exotic land, and volcanos. If you are unfamiliar with adventure stories in general, perhaps consider starting there.)

Now, on to the characters. Of course, Scrooge McDuck is Scrooge McDuck--Scottish adventure capitalist. He's very awesome. Replacing the late Alan Young is David Tennant (most people know him as the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who). I was a little worried that the new actor wouldn't be able to capture the character as well as Alan Young. However, Tennant does a great job, and I am highly excited to see more of this character.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie: let me tell you, I could not tell them apart to save my life before. But now, it's quite clear who's who. Huey is more the booksmart type (and wears red). Dewey is the bold--not to mention reckless and a bit arrogant--ringleader of the kids, and loves adventuring (and wears blue). Louie is... well, known as the evil triplet. I don't know how else to describe him, but you'll be able to tell. He's the one that wears green. Some people say their voices sound off, because they're played by grown men, and sound nothing like the originals. And it did throw me off a little at first. However, I think it was a good idea: now, we don't have four characters doing the Donald Duck voice!

Webby, their first new friend at McDuck Manor, is a huge expert in the history of the McDuck family, and wants to go on adventures like her hero, Scrooge McDuck. We've got Launchpad McQuack, the crash-prone chauffer/pilot for Scrooge (aka, Mr. McDee). There's Mrs. Beakley, the housekeeper at McDuck Manor, Webby's grandmother, who is decidedly not the secretary. These characters are all fun characters, whether they're the same as their 1980s counterparts or not.

And then we've got Donald Duck. As I said in the last post, it took a couple of times to get what he was saying, and there are one or two parts I still don't understand. (This is rather unusual, since I can normally understand what he's saying in other cartoons). Still, I think Donald is great. The character's a little overprotective of the boys, but it seems this comes in handy later on. I won't say how, but I will say that the point of a laser death trap is not to touch every single laser while humming your own theme song. Donald is also still very... um, temperamental.

In short, the characters were great. They were well acted, and I loved them. Even the villains were simultaneously evil and funny, without becoming idiots. "He thinks he's SO rich and SO Scottish, when I'm wearing a kilt, McDuck--A KIIIIILT!" And not only that, but both the younger and older characters together play a role in saving the day: something that few cartoon shows have today.

Moving on, the show is well written, with several hilarious parts. However, it doesn't overdo the comedy or include unnecessary jokes. Its main focus is the characters and the adventure, which is done very well. But, when it does try to be funny, it is very, very funny. And this next point makes it all the more special to me: it has no bathroom jokes. Those get on my nerves so much, and even the best of cartoons have had them. But none are to be seen thus far.

But you know what the best part was? This was one reboot among many, many reboots--not just by Disney, but in general. Most of the reboots I've seen have been awful, feeding solely off of people's nostalgia for the original story, while also having no regard for those people or the original story. Others require a full knowledge of the original story to be able to understand it at all. DuckTales is neither.

Several fans of the original have said that this is a great show. Some have not liked it, but several have. I personally can vouch for the fact that people can enjoy the new show without any knowledge of the old one. It's a show that can stand on its own feet, and doesn't have to rely on nostalgia, while also appealing to it at the same time.

Oddly enough, there are similarities between this remake and another. We have the Old School Hero From the 80s, who's been out of the action for a while and doesn't do anything interesting anymore. He is called back into action by the antics of the Clever Tween Sidekick(s), who are his nephews/niece. They go to stop the Sworn Enemy Rival from evildoing. With the aid of the Smart Tough Helpers/Supporting Characters, they stop the Sworn Enemy Rival and capture the henchmen.

Sound familiar?

However, in Inspector Gadget (rebooted), the title character is an idiot and no longer the main character. The Clever Tween Sidekick does everything, and the Smart Tough Helper does nothing but get chased around. Even the Sworn Enemy Rival is an idiot. Over the top ridiculous humour takes the place of all storytelling and characters. At least in the original the villain was intimidating, and there was actual danger.

But in DuckTales, everyone has a point, and no one is boring. It has a great story, great characters, and a good balance between bold adventures, dramatic mystery, and hilarious comedy. There's a lot of potential to be found here. My only tiff I have is that the next episodes can only be watched on TV channels. However, I hear the show may come out on Netflix at some point, so I need to master the virtue of patience. In the meantime, I think I'll watch a few episodes of the original show.

My rating? Five stars out of five. Go watch it now.

Mid-Week Music #12 - DuckTales

Ah, now this time, I will be doing the theme song of a certain show. This is one of the rare instances where I will post two videos, simply because there are two versions. Allow me to tell you why I chose this song.

I've always loved Scrooge McDuck. I mean, he's Scottish, he's a capitalist, he's an adventurer, the creator of the character mentioned cathedrals and old-fashioned values when talking about the character--basically, there's a lot to like for someone like me. And when the first episode popped up on my YouTube screen, I felt like watching it. I knew there had been one of these back in the 80s, but I'd never watched it. So after a while--to be precise, this past Sunday--I watched it.

I was not disappointed. The show was awesome! I love the adventure, and the characters are a lot of fun. And when it was funny, it was very, very funny. There were a lot of reasons why I liked it, but guess what else? It was a reboot that was actually great. My family, who watched it with me last night, loved it too. I cannot wait to see the next episode. So now, here are the two versions of the theme song of... DuckTales! Woo-oo!

That was the original opening. I like the horns. I like the sound. Someone made a video combining the music of that one with the visuals of the next. Which is good, because I think the next one is more exciting, more befitting, visually. (Let me know which one you like better in the comments below!)

Life is like a hurricane
Here in
Duckburg
Racecars, lasers, aeroplanes
It's a
Duck blur

Might solve a myst'ry
Or rewrite hist'ry
DuckTales!
Woo-oo!

Every day they're out there making DuckTales
Woo-oo!
Tales of derring-do, bad and good luck tales
Woo-oo!

D-d-d-danger lurks behind you
There's a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab onto some
DuckTales
Woo-oo!

Every day they're out there making DuckTales
Woo-oo!
Tales of derring-do, bad and good luck tales
Woo-oo!
Not pony tails or cotton tails
No, DuckTales!
Woo-oo!

(OR:)
[Tales of daring, bad and good
[Not pony tails or cotton tails
[No, DuckTales!
[Woo-oo!]

Delays and Dragons

Hi there. So... I said in the last post that I was going to try to catch up on my posting. It looks like today is not going to be that day. It's getting late, and I know Mommy will need my help with supper-related things. Therefore, I will probably be posting something either tomorrow or on Thursday or the following days.

But there is some good news: I finally put something on my Writing Projects Page! I wrote something up, and there it is now! It will likely get updated at different points along the way. Scratch that--it will definitely be getting updated along the way. Now then...

Oop, yep, I am definitely getting called in there to help with things. So I will be going now. Here's a random picture, so you can laugh while you wait.

Funniest thing ever.

Gotta go. Bye!

Mid-Week Music #11 - Agenda

Hi there! Firstly, sorry I've missed a post. I usually seem to do one normal post then two MWMs. I will need to catch up a little. Second, I think I also missed a post on different kinds of iconoclasm. That will happen! Third, this week's Mid-Week Music is by an artist named Neal Morse.

You may recognize his name from a Mid-Week Music post from last month: Ways of a Fool. This song is very different, and a bit odd. Make sure the sound isn't really high, because it starts out loudly. But really, it is quite a weird song. Reminds me a teeny bit of this show called Phineas and Ferb. Go figure.

I had been trying to figure out which song to do today, and this was the one that stuck in my head. Come to think of it, I have been trying to figure out schedule things. And it does mention summertime, and this is almost the end of that. But, anyway, this funny little song is called... Agenda!

***

Agenda
My beautiful agenda
The one that never dies
I'll shout it in a megaphone
I'll wear it like a French cologne
I'll scream it in the telephone
Hey, hey-yeah

Agenda
My beautiful agenda
To give it all away
It's shockin' as a shootin' star
It's crankin' like a cable car
It's sweeter than the cookie jar

Hey, hey Joe!
There's a place I know
Where the grace won't blow away
And everything is fine
In the summertime
And the battle lines are grey

Remember
My beautiful agenda
I'll sing it to the skies
It throws you like a boomerang
It frees you from the chain gang
It's every song you ever sang

Hey, hey Joe!
There's a place I know
Where the grace won't blow away
And everything is fine
In the summertime
And the battle lines are grey

Agenda
My beautiful agenda

***

Agenda
My beautiful agenda
The one that never dies
I'll shout it in a megaphone
I'll wear it like a French cologne
I'll scream it in the telephone
Hey, hey-yeah

Hey, hey Joe
There's a place I know
Where the grace won't blow away
And everything is fine
In the summertime
And the battle lines are grey

Agenda
My beautiful agenda
The one that never dies
My beautiful agenda

(Agenda)
Agenda
(My beautiful agenda)
My beautiful agenda
Agenda...agenda...agenda
(repeat that a few times)

Agenda!

Mid-Week Music #10 - By Grace

This week, I'm going to show you a song by Christian artist Jamie Soles. He makes songs for children based on the Bible. And usually they're quite fun. Yet I felt like it would be appropriate to include this song now. What with Harvey and Irma, it really relates to the situation of millions of people. This song is about Noah and the Flood.

But there's also a reason why this song is called "By Grace". It's not talking about me, obviously. It's talking about the grace of God. You see, without it, we'd all be dead, or even nonexistent. If God hadn't given Noah his grace, Noah would've gone to the depths with all the rest. Good grief, if God hadn't given it to Adam, the human race would never have even existed!

Yet it goes even further than that. God's grace is at the back of everything, working a purpose, a plotline, a plan, in every little detail. And the story of our world--of all worlds--of everything--would not be except that God had the grace to tell it. For that's what it is: a story. This is something that I believe with every part of my being. Life is a story, and God is the Wondrous Storyteller.

And so you see, even this disastrous hurricane is part of that story. You may have heard stories like it before. I feel it's a comforting thought that we are characters in a story, and one that brings with it many other thoughts: what characters might we be? And whatever happens, we know that the Storyteller is at the back of it, telling our tales carefully, and constantly loving us. All we need do is love Him back.

Some people, though, do more than that. To do what is right is just plain gratefulness to God. And I couldn't mention the hurricanes without mentioning the grateful heroes who give grace to others in need. Because they are just that: heroes. That's the way my story goes.

So without further ado, "By Grace".

(That Noah! He's lost his mind!)
(Yeah, he's building this great big boat!)
(Yeah, and no water!)
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!)

In the days before the Flood came
There were many people who wouldn't leave
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
He believed

Riding waves above the mountains
With his wife and sons and their families
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
He believed

(chorus #1)
For by grace he was saved through faith
And that not of himself
It was the gift of God
The gift of God
God reserves all glory for Himself

When you come unto the Father
When you love the Son and you now believe
You have found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Be relieved

(chorus #2)
For by grace you are saved through faith
And that not of yourself
It is the gift of God
The gift of  God
God deserves all glory for Himself

(chorus #2)