WELCOME TO THE NEW AGE
May 17, 2016 7:17 AM Subscribe
When he first started working with Imagine Dragons, music producer Alex da Kid was looking for some inspiration for the Broadway musical, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark."--The songs that became Imagine Dragons' Night Visions are probably about Spider-Man.
"I thought they would be great to help me come up with ideas for U2," the Grammy-nominated English producer said.
There was just one problem: The demos they recorded were too good.
I guess at least one productive thing came out of that awful doomed production.
More like Turn Up The Suck am i right
posted by ZaphodB at 7:37 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
More like Turn Up The Suck am i right
posted by ZaphodB at 7:37 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
*JJ Jameson smashing his fist on the laptop keyboard when Radioactive comes on*
"Damn you webcrawler!"
*a tear runs down his face*
"So much suffering ...why"
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:37 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
"Damn you webcrawler!"
*a tear runs down his face*
"So much suffering ...why"
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:37 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Man, I do not even care whether this is true. It's a goddamn fact as far as I'm concerned.
posted by Etrigan at 7:39 AM on May 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 7:39 AM on May 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
I mean, at heart, aren't most songs about Spider-Man
posted by beerperson at 7:39 AM on May 17, 2016 [42 favorites]
posted by beerperson at 7:39 AM on May 17, 2016 [42 favorites]
I'm sure the failed musical was happy the music producer kept all the good music for himself.
posted by ShakeyJake at 7:50 AM on May 17, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by ShakeyJake at 7:50 AM on May 17, 2016 [10 favorites]
The very fact that U2 needed to outsource "their" ideas for Spider-Man from another band tells me that this was more of a marketing opportunity than a true artistic collaboration.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:50 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:50 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
My sixteen year old daughter, who is much hipper to current music than I am, relayed this story to me the other day after hearing the song on the radio. Fascinating.
posted by Gelatin at 8:05 AM on May 17, 2016
posted by Gelatin at 8:05 AM on May 17, 2016
Reminds me of the fallout from Jim Steinman's failed Batman Musical (WB got cold feet and pulled out). Proposed song list:
Steinman eventually released demos of a bunch of the other tracks on his blog. they seem to be online still here again with Meatloaf chipping in to sing for him.
This is the Batman / Catwoman love song.
posted by garius at 8:13 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
GOTHAM CITY / THE GRAVEYARD SHIFTSteinman ended up giving Meatloaf two of the tracks for Bat Out of Hell 3: The Monster Is Loose. In the Land of the Pig The Butcher Is King (apparently about corrupt Gotham businessmen) and Cry to Heaven which was a reworking of the opening "set the scene" song.
IN THE LAND OF THE PIG THE BUTCHER IS KING
NOT ALLOWED TO LOVE
THE JOKER'S SONG (WONDERFUL TOYS)
THE CATWOMAN'S SONG (I NEED ALL THE LOVE I CAN GET)
WE'RE STILL THE CHILDREN WE ONCE WERE
CRY TO HEAVEN
Steinman eventually released demos of a bunch of the other tracks on his blog. they seem to be online still here again with Meatloaf chipping in to sing for him.
This is the Batman / Catwoman love song.
posted by garius at 8:13 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ah wait - that Catwoman link might not work for everyone. Better version here. It's...
...unique.
posted by garius at 8:20 AM on May 17, 2016
...unique.
posted by garius at 8:20 AM on May 17, 2016
I'm sure the failed musical was happy the music producer kept all the good music for himself.
um
posted by dersins at 8:46 AM on May 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
um
posted by dersins at 8:46 AM on May 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
I'm still curious about Sparks' 25+ year-old, eternally in-limbo adaptation of Mai the Psychic Girl, which was going to be a Tim Burton movie at some point. Somebody unearthed some song demos and put them on YouTube:
"What Was That?"
"The Patchwork Symphony (The Wake-Up)"
"She Used To Be One of Us"
"That Looks Great On You"
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:01 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
"What Was That?"
"The Patchwork Symphony (The Wake-Up)"
"She Used To Be One of Us"
"That Looks Great On You"
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:01 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
I remember this like it was 3 years and 2 months ago.
posted by chococat at 9:44 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by chococat at 9:44 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
The band's debut album “Night Visions,” has reached gold status
Ah, yes, the status of gold. Too heavy to carry, too soft to be useful, excessively prized by gullible midwesterners.
posted by Grangousier at 11:06 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Ah, yes, the status of gold. Too heavy to carry, too soft to be useful, excessively prized by gullible midwesterners.
posted by Grangousier at 11:06 AM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fun fact: "Their name is an anagram for a phrase only known to members of the group, that Reynolds stated that each member approved of."
posted by mecran01 at 11:23 AM on May 17, 2016
posted by mecran01 at 11:23 AM on May 17, 2016
"Their name is an anagram for a phrase only known to members of the group, that Reynolds stated that each member approved of."
Best Guesses:
Imagined Organs
I Marinade Gongs
Groins in Damage
Romania Edgings
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:54 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best Guesses:
Imagined Organs
I Marinade Gongs
Groins in Damage
Romania Edgings
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:54 AM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
German dogs, Iain.
I am enraging sod.
Going mad in arse.
Dingo is a german.
posted by Grangousier at 12:02 PM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
I am enraging sod.
Going mad in arse.
Dingo is a german.
posted by Grangousier at 12:02 PM on May 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Is it widely accepted that Imagine Dragons is a terrible, insufferable band? I kind of feel like this is one of those "common knowledge" things (see also Coldplay) but I'm not sure.
posted by infinitywaltz at 12:06 PM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by infinitywaltz at 12:06 PM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
The phrase is "Dragons imagine". They're... not good at anagrams.
posted by Etrigan at 12:09 PM on May 17, 2016 [17 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 12:09 PM on May 17, 2016 [17 favorites]
Thing is, I don't want to be mean-spirited, but you might catch a terrible TV movie from the 80s, where an innocent young girl is swept up in to a world of inexpensive rock and roll excess with a band who have been lacquered with an entire ozone-layer-hole's worth of hairspray, make-up applied by a blind mortician. The band are the next big thing, despite sounding like an ageing session musician and his DX7. The girl is tempted into using drugs. Nothing specific - not heroin or cocaine or marijuana. Just drugs.
Anyway, the name of that band would be Imagine Dragons.
If they are as terrible as their name, I'm glad that I'll never have to hear their records. Imagine Dragons is a band name so bad it should only ever appear on photocopied fliers advertising bar gigs. If a band called Imagine Dragons were any good, one would hope that the A&R guy would have a word with them before actually releasing anything, as they did with On A Friday. Which is also a terrible name for a band.
Mandingo is rage.
posted by Grangousier at 12:32 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Anyway, the name of that band would be Imagine Dragons.
If they are as terrible as their name, I'm glad that I'll never have to hear their records. Imagine Dragons is a band name so bad it should only ever appear on photocopied fliers advertising bar gigs. If a band called Imagine Dragons were any good, one would hope that the A&R guy would have a word with them before actually releasing anything, as they did with On A Friday. Which is also a terrible name for a band.
Mandingo is rage.
posted by Grangousier at 12:32 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is now my favorite musical anecdote ever. It almost makes up for my life tragedy of never getting to see Turn Off the Dark on Broadway in all its spidery majesty. I can't wait to see the redoubled efforts to put Imagine Dragons lyrics on Spidey GIFs on Tumblr!
Allegedly the band's name "Imagine Dragons" was an anagram of another name the band first considered; I choose to firmly believe that name was Spider-Man related.
posted by nicebookrack at 2:04 PM on May 17, 2016
Allegedly the band's name "Imagine Dragons" was an anagram of another name the band first considered; I choose to firmly believe that name was Spider-Man related.
posted by nicebookrack at 2:04 PM on May 17, 2016
an Internet anagram generator informs me that one word contained within Imagine Dragons is "onanism," and I hope the possible relationship to your friendly neighborhood teen spider is obvious
posted by nicebookrack at 2:08 PM on May 17, 2016
posted by nicebookrack at 2:08 PM on May 17, 2016
He saw them on Onan O'Brien?
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:46 PM on May 17, 2016
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:46 PM on May 17, 2016
"Their name is an anagram for a phrase only known to members of the group, that Reynolds stated that each member approved of."
Just when I thought I couldn't hate the insufferable little jerks more....
posted by lumpenprole at 4:17 PM on May 17, 2016
Just when I thought I couldn't hate the insufferable little jerks more....
posted by lumpenprole at 4:17 PM on May 17, 2016
Indigo Managers
Ragged Insomnia
Goading Marines
Ordaining Games
Desiring A Mango
Gonad Migraines
posted by NMcCoy at 4:42 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Ragged Insomnia
Goading Marines
Ordaining Games
Desiring A Mango
Gonad Migraines
posted by NMcCoy at 4:42 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Gigs And Romaine
Media Gang? No Sir
Gonad Is Mangier
Adios, Raging Men
Egad I Am Snoring
posted by phantom powered at 10:26 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Media Gang? No Sir
Gonad Is Mangier
Adios, Raging Men
Egad I Am Snoring
posted by phantom powered at 10:26 PM on May 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
The writing style of this article, where a person's name is followed by a tangential list of random credits, is something that I'm only used to seeing done to expose hypocrisy, or throw shade. It was really distracting, trying to figure out if the author was implying that I should really hate Alex da Kid.
posted by GameDesignerBen at 8:45 AM on May 19, 2016
posted by GameDesignerBen at 8:45 AM on May 19, 2016
If they are as terrible as their name, I'm glad that I'll never have to hear their records.
Oh, they are even more terrible than their name. On Grantland (RIP), the rock critic Steven Hyden memorably described them as the musical equivalent of "a flaccid penis with male pattern baldness" and "rock music at its least rock-like."
On the other hand, the video for "Radioactive," while utterly baffling, is kind of entertaining in all its trainwrecky, can't-look-away, post-apocalyptic-muppet-cage-fighting glory.
I suggest turning your sound off, though, so you don't have to hear the actual music. It is perhaps their least-terrible song, but that's kind of like calling Bergen-Belsen the least-terrible concentration camp.
posted by dersins at 9:29 AM on May 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, they are even more terrible than their name. On Grantland (RIP), the rock critic Steven Hyden memorably described them as the musical equivalent of "a flaccid penis with male pattern baldness" and "rock music at its least rock-like."
On the other hand, the video for "Radioactive," while utterly baffling, is kind of entertaining in all its trainwrecky, can't-look-away, post-apocalyptic-muppet-cage-fighting glory.
I suggest turning your sound off, though, so you don't have to hear the actual music. It is perhaps their least-terrible song, but that's kind of like calling Bergen-Belsen the least-terrible concentration camp.
posted by dersins at 9:29 AM on May 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
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