ChibiGeeBee
One Spoony Bard
It's that time, kiddies! Time for Gennifer to get off her butt, then sit back on it so she can actually type out a post here... 
After listening to "Hang Cool", I figured I'd make a stab at figuring out the plot of this little concept album.
Be prepared for a certain amount of randomness, sillyness, and a good dose of WTF. As always, I keep up to my standards. How else would you know it's me?
So, let's see if we can't crack "Hang Cool Teddy Bear".
"Peace On Earth"- We begin at the end of the story, with our hero- we'll call him The Fallen Star- making his final case to the Powers That Be, presumably on his deathbed, or something similar. At this point, all he wants is to go back home, a place he left a long time ago.
"Living On The Outside"- The Fallen Star grew up as The Star, in an unnamed, presumably Midwest, podunk, in-the-middle-of-nowhere town. We'll call it Home. it's a beautiful place, but he hates it. He convinces his friends to form a band and get the hell out of doge, out of LA. On the way, he asks his girl, his True Love, to go with him. She goes, and as they leave, he pledges that if he ever returns Home, it's to be buried there.
"Losangeloser"- Times are tough for The Star and his band. Even when they make some money, The Star spends it on parting. He can't resist the temptations of LA. Despite his promises to his True Love, he begins to cheat on her right and left.
"If I can't have you"- The Star realizes things are falling apart. The True Love realizes that he has been unfaithful. She packs up her bags and leaves. Both their hearts are broken. The True Love decides to go back Home. The Star remains, because, really, what else has he got?
"Love is not real"- Growing more and more bitter, The Star rants and raves about the cruelty of love. His antics grow crazier and crazier, until finally the Band starts to worry about him. Ironically, it's this bitterness and anger that gets The Star and his Band noticed, even though it was the True Love that inspired The Star in the first place.
"Like a rose"- As The Star grows into ever greater and greater fame, he falls into decadence, like so many before him. He makes a complete ass of himself, drinking and drugging like there's no tomorrow. And the whores. Oh, yes, there are whores. He takes a new one every night, and all of them just want his money and his drugs.
"Song of madness"- All this decadence has a price. The Star overdoses one night, and has a hallucination of the Song of Madness- he plays for God and the Devil. A host of angels form the audience. His True Love is there. When he awakes, he realizes that his hallucination was a vision of heaven, a near-death experience.
"Did you ever love somebody"- The Star decides to turn over a new leaf. He knows he can never have the True Love back, but he can be inspired by love anyway. He puts it all into a new album, an opus of hope, love, and Rock-n-Roll.
"California isn't big enough"- It fails spectacularly. The Star is ruined. He becomes the Fallen Star. He plays worse and worse venues, eventually ending up as a has-been. The groupies are gone. He keeps up the decadence, but now has to pay for the sex. He thinks back over his life, his regrets.
"Running away from me"- The Fallen Star realizes that his life of hedonism was entirely his fault. He can't blame women, California, or the True Love. It was all an act of self-hatred. Even leaving Home was just trying to get away from himself. The years have passed, and the Fallen Star knows he has only a short time left...
"Let's be in love"- The True Love gets a call. It's the Fallen Star. He asks to see her one last time. He wants only one night with her, to remember the love they once had. She agrees, and meets at a hotel outside Home. They spend the night, honoring love, having one last timeless moment. For one night, they are young again, True Lovers together.
"If it rains"- The Fallen Star is alone in the hotel room. He knows what he has to do. It's time for him to step aside. There are other Stars in the sky. Even if people weep for his passing, maybe they can learn from his life. Maybe his mistakes, his triumph, and his fall will inspire another. He prepares to go Home.
-And the story comes full circle. We realize "Peace on Earth" is the Fallen Star preparing for death. It's unsure if he's dying of disease, old age, hard living, or by his own hand. He's returned Home. A place he would never return to, unless it's to be buried there.-
"Elvis in Vegas"- As the end approaches, The Fallen Star remembers, in his last moments, the start of it all- how he ran away from Home at 15. How he crossed the USA, seeing all the country's potential. How when he reached Las Vegas, he saw Elvis live. How it inspired him. He ruefully admits that his life has mirrored the King's, down to the fall, the ignominious death. He passes, having a vision of the King himself coming to take him Home.
Well, I hope I got at least some of this right. It's music, it's to be interperatd. This is the first concept album I feel I got even a little right.
If anyone knows what story Mr. Loaf was really telling, let me know.
-Genn
After listening to "Hang Cool", I figured I'd make a stab at figuring out the plot of this little concept album.
Be prepared for a certain amount of randomness, sillyness, and a good dose of WTF. As always, I keep up to my standards. How else would you know it's me?
So, let's see if we can't crack "Hang Cool Teddy Bear".
"Peace On Earth"- We begin at the end of the story, with our hero- we'll call him The Fallen Star- making his final case to the Powers That Be, presumably on his deathbed, or something similar. At this point, all he wants is to go back home, a place he left a long time ago.
"Living On The Outside"- The Fallen Star grew up as The Star, in an unnamed, presumably Midwest, podunk, in-the-middle-of-nowhere town. We'll call it Home. it's a beautiful place, but he hates it. He convinces his friends to form a band and get the hell out of doge, out of LA. On the way, he asks his girl, his True Love, to go with him. She goes, and as they leave, he pledges that if he ever returns Home, it's to be buried there.
"Losangeloser"- Times are tough for The Star and his band. Even when they make some money, The Star spends it on parting. He can't resist the temptations of LA. Despite his promises to his True Love, he begins to cheat on her right and left.
"If I can't have you"- The Star realizes things are falling apart. The True Love realizes that he has been unfaithful. She packs up her bags and leaves. Both their hearts are broken. The True Love decides to go back Home. The Star remains, because, really, what else has he got?
"Love is not real"- Growing more and more bitter, The Star rants and raves about the cruelty of love. His antics grow crazier and crazier, until finally the Band starts to worry about him. Ironically, it's this bitterness and anger that gets The Star and his Band noticed, even though it was the True Love that inspired The Star in the first place.
"Like a rose"- As The Star grows into ever greater and greater fame, he falls into decadence, like so many before him. He makes a complete ass of himself, drinking and drugging like there's no tomorrow. And the whores. Oh, yes, there are whores. He takes a new one every night, and all of them just want his money and his drugs.
"Song of madness"- All this decadence has a price. The Star overdoses one night, and has a hallucination of the Song of Madness- he plays for God and the Devil. A host of angels form the audience. His True Love is there. When he awakes, he realizes that his hallucination was a vision of heaven, a near-death experience.
"Did you ever love somebody"- The Star decides to turn over a new leaf. He knows he can never have the True Love back, but he can be inspired by love anyway. He puts it all into a new album, an opus of hope, love, and Rock-n-Roll.
"California isn't big enough"- It fails spectacularly. The Star is ruined. He becomes the Fallen Star. He plays worse and worse venues, eventually ending up as a has-been. The groupies are gone. He keeps up the decadence, but now has to pay for the sex. He thinks back over his life, his regrets.
"Running away from me"- The Fallen Star realizes that his life of hedonism was entirely his fault. He can't blame women, California, or the True Love. It was all an act of self-hatred. Even leaving Home was just trying to get away from himself. The years have passed, and the Fallen Star knows he has only a short time left...
"Let's be in love"- The True Love gets a call. It's the Fallen Star. He asks to see her one last time. He wants only one night with her, to remember the love they once had. She agrees, and meets at a hotel outside Home. They spend the night, honoring love, having one last timeless moment. For one night, they are young again, True Lovers together.
"If it rains"- The Fallen Star is alone in the hotel room. He knows what he has to do. It's time for him to step aside. There are other Stars in the sky. Even if people weep for his passing, maybe they can learn from his life. Maybe his mistakes, his triumph, and his fall will inspire another. He prepares to go Home.
-And the story comes full circle. We realize "Peace on Earth" is the Fallen Star preparing for death. It's unsure if he's dying of disease, old age, hard living, or by his own hand. He's returned Home. A place he would never return to, unless it's to be buried there.-
"Elvis in Vegas"- As the end approaches, The Fallen Star remembers, in his last moments, the start of it all- how he ran away from Home at 15. How he crossed the USA, seeing all the country's potential. How when he reached Las Vegas, he saw Elvis live. How it inspired him. He ruefully admits that his life has mirrored the King's, down to the fall, the ignominious death. He passes, having a vision of the King himself coming to take him Home.
Well, I hope I got at least some of this right. It's music, it's to be interperatd. This is the first concept album I feel I got even a little right.
If anyone knows what story Mr. Loaf was really telling, let me know.
-Genn
