Saturday, June 16, 2007

Had an email chat about opera with a friend from the band Aspen Woods the other day and decided to write him the outline for a Bristol based rock opera (you know the sort of thing, a show cointaing niether rock nor opera!) regarding his life in the Bedminster area of Bristol:

So how long before we see the first Aspen Woods rock opera - The Boy from BS3?

It's the tragic tale, which follows the life of a boy, who's promise as one of the the elite Dame Emily Park skateboard team marks him out for greatness at a young age. Sadly the attention and fame start to turn his head and he is slowly seduced by the bright lights of North Street, leading to a serious addiction to Caramel Lattee's and Clarks Pie's.

It's a downward spiral for the young man, and the emotional ride comes to a head in the the tear jerking Aria "Get I some smokes, if your going to Asdal". In a stroke of genius the producer of the show employs hundreds of migrant East European smokers in as extras to furiously puff away, as a distraught Richy sings about the good old days of watching bands in smoke filled rooms. The emotion of the song coupled with peoples lack of tolerance for smoke, in the current smoke free world means that there is not a dry eye in the house.

Sadly his beautiful young girlfriend finally loses her battle with her spiralling addiction to kitch 2nd clothing from the numerous charity shops in the area and is suffocated by a pair of red velvet loon pants. Richy is distraught and plunges further into his own cafe society hell, now he living purely on Double Espresso's, his wild bulging eyes scaring off even the closest of friends, his skateborading career in tatters as his sells his last board on ebay, to pay for his own crippling addiction.

Then a miracle, stumbling along in search of the latest new cafe to open in the area, he loses his footing and slips into the healing waters of The Malago, the magical stream first cleanses his body, then miraculously his body starts to rejuvenate. Within weeks he back to his best, and is determined to give other people the same chance to start again that he had. He becomes Bristol's own John The Baptist type figure plunging hundreds of unsuspecting local chavs in The Malago and washing the Burberry and Stone Island clothing away.

He become such a local hero that George Ferguson decides to step down as king of Bedminster, bequeathing all his red trousers to Richy in the process. In an emotional finale Richy and George are on the roof of the Tobacco Factory, as a huge crowds cheer from street level. The trousers are exchanged and then tragedy - Richy attempts a fairly straightforward lap around the roof of the building, but his board gets caught up with the ill fitting hem of the newly fitted trouser. Richy plunges to his death.

As the crowds drift away Aspen Woods end the show with a dramatic 45 minute version "Get Happy", reminding everyone that we are all heading to are own judgement day.

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