Pop Culture Buzz

I am so excited to hear this news I am jumping out of my skin! I am already making plans to visit New York to see this show and the premiere date hasn’t even been announced. The art work posted on this page is album art work from their c.d.’s done by Wayne Coyne. This is most likely not going to come out for a couple of years, but man am I excited! Check out the official word below from the website called www.pitchfork.com:

BELOW IS THE ARTICLE FROM PITCHFORK.COM:

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, but maybe those aren’t lights at all…maybe they’re laser beams from GIANT PINK ROBOTS! They say the women treat you fine on Broadway– but do they do battle with those diabolical pink machines? That’s right: Broadway will soon get just a bit battier, as Wayne Coyne revealed in a recent interview with EW.com that the Flaming Lips’ 2002 LP Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots will be transformed into a Broadway musical. The show will also incorporate songs from their last two albums “The Soft Bulletin” and “At War With The Mystics” but mostly “Yoshimi”.

Described Coyne, “There’s the real world and then there’s this fantastical world. This girl, the Yoshimi character, is dying of something. And these two guys are battling to come visit her in the hospital. And as one of the boyfriends envisions trying to save the girl, he enters this other dimension where Yoshimi is this Japanese warrior and the pink robots are an incarnation of her disease. It’s almost like the disease has to win in order for her soul to survive. Or something like that.”

“The West Wing”/”Sports Night” scribe Aaron Sorkin has signed on to script the Yoshimi musical, while director/producer Des McAnuff will guide the production, according to EW.com. “When Des heard the record,” said Coyne, “he heard a lot about death and loss and the triumph of your own optimism…he had an emotional attachment to it.” The musical, which may well include other songs from across the Lips’ catalogue, is still far from opening night, but the pink robot cogs have been set in motion.

BELOW ARE THE LYRICS TO THE SONG “YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS” BY THE FLAMING LIPS:

Her name is Yoshimi - she’s a black belt in karate
Working for the city - she has to discipline her body -
Cause she knows that it’s demanding to defeat these
Evil machines - I know she can beat them -

Oh Yoshimi
They don’t believe me
But you won’t let those
Robots defeat me
Oh Yoshimi
They don’t believe me
But you won’t let those
Robots eat me

Those evil natured robots - they’re programmed to
Destroy us - She’s gotta be strong to fight them -
So she’s taking lots of vitamins - cause she knows that
It’d be tragic if those evil robots win - I know
She can beat them - Yoshimi

Why are great pieces of camp/cult cinema becoming Broadway musicals? We now have Evil Dead the musical, Hairspray is a hit and Edward Scissorhands is out now. Just recently some Broadway producers made the announcement to adapt the cult groundbreaking documentary Grey Gardens into a stage song and dance spectacle.

If you have not seen the innovative and landmark 1975 documentary about Edie and Little Edie Bouvier than you must rent it A.S.A.P. It has elements of camp, true human vulnerability and genuine humor. There is no point or obvious story, you just become a passenger on this surreal trip through two delusional aging socialites lives.

I first saw this documentary when I was very young. At the time I was intrigued by the reclusive oddball mother and daughter team. Edie Bouvier is first cousin to Jackie Kennedy and when this movie was released there was drama over the depiction of the family. The Bouvier ladies live in a fantasy with no contact with the outside world. A friendly neighbor, an old friend, dozens of cats and a grocery delivery person are the only people in these ladies lives. It is obvious that both ladies suffer from mental illness, but seem to be content and happy with their eccentric lives. You cannot look away as Little Edie rambles on or her mother sings. They relish the old times as they share pictures and stories from their past. They both have such great personalities, you don’t mind the wacky behavior it’s endearing.

Little Edie has since become some sort of fashion icon and philosophical guru, her nuggets of wisdom and rationalization are shrewd and crazy at the same time. Check out the music medley mix from You Tube below, it will give you an idea about these strangely appealing and sympathetic ladies.

I am curious to see if the stage musical of this movie will be any good. It comes to San Francisco for a introductory run this winter. I have high hopes for this play. It could be a mess. I enjoyed “Hairspray” but the source material was ripe for that movie to become a musical. How will they pull off Edward’s plight on stage? I hope to catch the play when it arrives here in the bay area!