Man in a Box

I’m the man in the box
Buried in my ****
Won’t you come and save me, save me
Fear in my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Fear in my eyes now you’ve sewn them shut

I’ve mentioned how Alan Parsons’ song Turn It Up inspired the ’98 movie City of Angels in my previous post.  Michael Jackson’s ’88 hit song Man in the Mirror and the music video for Turn It Up inspired me to write the ’91 hit song Man in a Box performed by  Seattle band Alice In Chains.  Again, the Def Leppard song Wasted is mentioned in the lyrics. 

Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay
Come Mr. DJ won’t you turn the music up
All the gyal pon the dancefloor wantin some more what
Come Mr. DJ won’t you turn the music up 

The title “Turn It Up” inspired the lyrics when I wrote Pon de Replay, the debut song for Rihanna. 

Ricky Martin and Robi “Draco” Rosa of the Puerto Rico boy group Menudo showed up in my life about 1984.  The music video for Turn It Up  inspired the music video for Ricky Martin’s 2000 song She Bang.

Uninvited

Like anyone would be
I am flattered by your fascination with me
Like any hot-blooded woman
I have simply wanted an object to crave
But you, you’re not allowed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight

The 1944 movie starring Ray Milland was inspiration for the title and the idea for the song Uninvited, eventually performed by Alanis Morissette.  This is one of my favorite movies.  

In the movie they perform a séance to speak to the ghost haunting their home.  It reminded me of when I had a sleep over with friends, we were about 13 years old, and for some reason there was a Ouija board in the house.  My friends and I decided to see if we could talk to Elvis Presley who died in Aug. of ’77.   Michael Jackson knew I was a fan of Elvis and eventually brought Lisa Marie Presley to meet me after I told him we were the same age, born about a month apart.

All the artists were surprised to find that I was a fan of The Alan Parsons Project.  Parsons who worked on the Beatles’ Abby Road and Let It Be, and engineered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.  From the ’76 album “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” I learned to appreciate and recite Edgar Allen Poe’s dark Gothic poem “The Raven”.

The ’77 album titled “I Robot” inspired the 2004 movie starring Will Smith of the same name.   The song Day after Day (The Show Must Go On) from the “I Robot” album inspired me to write The Show Must Go On for Queen’s 1991 album Innuendo and Def Leppard’s song Day after Day released in 2000 on the Euphoria album.   Other albums and songs by The Alan Parson’s Project and Parsons solo albums inspired other songs and much more.

In 1993 Alan Parsons released a solo album titled “Try Anything Once”.  The one song which I loved to use as inspiration from this album was “Turn It Up”.  The surrealistic music video for the song was inspiration for the ’98 film City of Angels starring Tom Cruise’s Top Gun co-star Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage (who would be briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley).   The song “Uninvited” performed by Alanis Morissette was featured in the movie. 

Theory of a Deadman

In ’78 my family up and moved to Mesquite, Texas where I attended J.C. Rugel Elementary and my older brother attended  North Mesquite High School, where model Jerry Hall went to high school.   I was put into advanced classes and Spanish was a required course.  My best friend was a little Mexican boy named Jose.  We would sit on the curb after school and I would try to speak Spanish. 

The Mexican culture affected me greatly.  Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a celebration on November 1st and 2nd where family and friends gather to remember loved ones who have died.  Tradition includes building alters honoring the deceased placing sugar skulls, marigolds (inspiring Dave Grohl of Nirvana to write the song Marigold), and the favorite food and beverages of the departed, as well as, visiting graves with these as gifts.

While sitting between Michael Hutchence and Adam Ant I made up the song Deadman’s Party and No One Lives Forever which I mentioned in an earlier post.  Both bands  had a very distinctive sound, INXS being more Ska New Wave with Adam & The Ants being Punk Rock and New Wave.  Once I had an idea, a song most of the time would just spill out.  It was my way of conveying what I really couldn’t vocalize and veil it in song.  They would record me singing it and I would go over the rest (the instrumental part) with the other artists like Kurt or members of Def Leppard.

We talked about my brother coming home one day loaded with test tubes, I always figured he stole them from school.  My dad and brother set off to buy a bushel of grain to try their hand at making grain alcohol.  What they produced was a clear almost tasteless liquid.  From this conversation I made up the song Weird Science.  

Weird science!

Plastic tubes and pots and pans

Bits and pieces and

Magic from the hand

We’re makin’

Weird science!

Things I’ve never seen before

Behind bolted doors

Talent and imagination

Since Joe Elliott was standing in the doorway of a dressing room behind me as I made up songs, there was a reference to Def Leppard’s song Bringin’ On The Heartbreak and Photograph  as pictures.

 Weird science!

Pictures from a magazine

Diagrams and charts

Mending broken hearts (and makin’)

Weird science!

Something like a recipe

Bits and pieces . . . .

Bits and pieces . . . .

Bits and Pieces is a 1960’s song originally written and performed by members of  The Dave Clark Five.  The Supremes recorded a cover in 1964 (Diana Ross being a member who was a longtime friend of Michael Jackson), and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts recorded a cover for their 1981 album.  I am a huge Joan Jett & The Blackhearts fan.

Later I learned from a girlfriend about Alabama’s history in NASCAR racing starting with bootleggers.  Her family had a long line of bootleggers back in the day and most of my friends were known to go to Talladega Superspeedway for the races.   NASCAR racers Bobby Allison, Neil Bonnett, and Red Farmer were known as the Alabama Gang.  I told Tom Cruise about my friend which inspired Days of Thunder.

The idea for the band Theory of a Deadman came years later while I was writing songs which the band performs, including Low Life.  The band name came from talking to Michael Jackson about the Big Bang Theory and from the song Deadman’s Party.

Low Life performed by Theory of a Deadman even mentions Joe Elliott with me referring to him as Joe Dirt which inspired the 2001 movie.

Eye On You

I watch you on the tv–you’re with me every place I go
I’m caught up in the daydream–I’m into everyone you know
Turn on the action–grab every minute
Learn every lesson–then live to regret it
I’m so distracted–my mind’s disengaged
Sharin’ the moments when you’re all the rage

I got my eyes on you
Got my eye on you… – Eye On You performed by Billy Squier

The idea for Eye On You came from Def Leppard’s groupie pass (shown).  It actually became quite the theme for cover art for other artists as well, other’s I wrote songs for.

It was used as cover art for the movie ’90 Frankenstein Unbound which Michael Hutchence of INXS had a small role as poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Hutch knew I was a Shelley fan and actually have a collection of his poetry which was collected by his wife Mary Shelley author of the original Frankenstein.

Def Leppard used the eye on the cover art for their ’92 Adrenalize album.  

Nickelback used it on the cover art for their 2001 album Silver Side Up which includes songs I wrote.

And, the band Skillet’s 2009 album which includes the song “Awake and Alive” which I wrote.  I named the band Skillet for that oh, so southern of accessories which comes in hand when you need to beat some lousy jerk over the head with it.  Next time I promise to make sure there is not hot oil in it.

Kurt Cobain’s Down Syndrome Girl

I have mentioned in “About A Girl” above that my grandfather, Miles Edward, was an Evangelist who started his ministry in the 1930’s and his name was inspiration for Edward Lewis’ character name in the movie Pretty Woman.  Lewis being his grandmother’s maiden name.    

Courtney Love claims her birthday is the same day as my grandparents wedding anniversary of July 9th and Trent Reznor claims his grandmother’s name is the same as mine, Clara.   

Russell Brand’s stage name is for the Russell Brand Athletic wear in Alexander City, Alabama where my grandfather married his 2nd wife in October ’84 after Clara passed away in October ’83. 

These, of course, are my adopted grandparents (mother’s side).  I was adopted at the age of 6 months old after having been withheld from adoption by physicians who were concerned about my physical appearance and the possibility of having been born with Down Syndrome.  Kurt Cobain wrote a ficticious story about me in his journal under the title Down Syndrome Girl.  

In 1974, the adoption agency sent my parents a family history which Mom kept in my baby book and Kurt and Joe read.  My background/family history was used as inspiration for background for future artists (including Amy Lynn Hartzler and Courtney Love) and for movies.  One such movie was Susan Sarandon’s 2006 movie Irresistible set in Australia and also starring Sam Neill.  Sam Neill starred in the ’89 movie Dead Calm with Nicole Kidman who went on to marry Tom Cruise and Billy Zane who also starred in the ’97 movie Titanic. 

“It’s bigger than Germany!” Love Bites, Def Leppard, was inspired by the fact according to my family history I am of English and German descent.

Lacrymosa Origin

 I can’t change who I am.

Not this time, I won’t lie to keep you near me.

And in this short life, there’s no time to waste on giving up.

My love wasn’t enough.

As usual, I used a Def Leppard song in the lyrics.  Wasted is a song from their ’79 debut album On Through The Night.  The lyrics were a message to someone who I truly never got over having feelings for. 

Kurt Cobain’s friends in the band The Melvins had just released a song by the name Lacrimosa on their Stag album (released in ’96).  This is where the idea for the title and to use Mozart’s movement from the Requim Mass in D minor came from after I wrote the lyrics.

Lithium is My Chemical Romance

“Love is like a bomb” – Pour Some Sugar On Me, Def Leppard

In 1958, Scientist developed a cheap H-Bomb using Lithium, atomic #3.  

In 1959, musical humorist, Tom Lehrer, recites the names of all the chemicals known at the time, sung to the tune of the Major-General’s Song from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan.  I could nearly sing the whole song as a kid and recite each chemical with it’s atomic number.  

PRETTY WOMAN QUOTE: 

Old Lady at Opera: Did you like the opera, dear?

Vivian: It was so good, I almost peed my pants

Edward Lewis:  She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance

The character Edward Lewis was named for my grandfather, who started his ministry in Georgia the 1930’s, his middle name was Edward and his grandmother’s maiden name was Lewis.  The character Vivian for Vivian Leigh who starred in A Street Car Named Desire (which inspired Heart Shaped Box) and as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind (which partly was my inspiration for the Goth meets Scarlett look for Amy Lynn Hartzler).  Michael Hutchence’s brother’s name is Rhett.  

My grandfather’s first name was Miles and in Kurt Cobain’s journal under the title Uncertainty wrote “I wish someone could explain to me why exactly I have no desire to learn anymore, why I used to have so much energy, and the need to search for Miles…” 

When Michael Jackson brought Madonna to meet me and talk about the songs, we also discussed her fashion.  I had mentioned after seeing her first music video for “Everybody” I was concerned her fashion did not only match her voice, sound, or dance style, but also did not have national appeal for girls who would want to imitate her.  I was a fan of Prince’s girl group Vanity 6 and the Goth girl at heart loved Billy Idol’s music video for the ’82 White Wedding. 

I told her about an article titled “Boy’s Toy turns out to be a bomb” in Oxford, Alabama and bombs being a “theme” of some sort in my songs.  At first we discussed making a necklace that said Boy Toy.  Instead we decided it would not be large enough and talked about it being a belt.  She agreed to think about it.

Even in the best families bad things happen.  My adopted father had been the one who had hoped for stardom as an artist.  He went to college on a music scholarship playing the drums and had been in a jazz band.  His true wish, which we all thought was silly, had been to become the next Pat Boone.  Over the years he seemed to disappear more and more into a bottle of vodka as reality set in on him and the most he could hope for was to lead the service at church in song.  Most of the members at church did not notice his behavior.  Finally, my parents divorced in the Spring of 1983 before the Def Leppard concert in May. 

While scouring news articles for ideas to write songs I came across one mentioning Lithium as a way to reduce alcohol craving.  I was interested in the study for my dad.       

 All these things inspired the idea for the songs Lithium both performed by Nirvana and by Evanescence.  

I also tended to use the number 3 in songs, actually I liked using numbers in songs, eventually even making up the song “3” performed by Britney Spears.

Yes, I even named the band My Chemical Romance.

Oh! Pretty Woman

In ’82 Van Halen released a cover of Roy Orbison’s song Oh!, Pretty Woman on their Diver Down album.  This is one album my brother had and I loved.  My favorites being the cover of Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) and Hang ‘Em High.  But, my all time favorite cover of Van Halen’s is Ice Cream Man, which Tommy Lee seemed to enjoy whenever I would sing it. 

Joe Elliott started paperwork getting a passport for me in the summer of ’83.  It was unknown to me his intentions, but when I returned from my grandmother’s funeral, my adopted mother’s mother, in Georgia the first of Oct ’83 everyone seemed to be upset about my disappearance. 

I told them of my grandmother’s long battle with Leukemia which she had been in remission with for years.  Joe wanted to do a movie about it, knowing I had also been babysitting off and on during the summer for a little girl in remission from Leukemia.  Kurt Cobain spoke up knowing my cousin had Type 1 Diabetes and worked for Xerox.  Of course, Kurt was a walking Encyclopedia of music and knew that Zerox was an early Adam & The Ants song.  There is actually an early home movie of Kurt trying to tear up a copy machine.   http://youtu.be/NxS_55Ql1Ks  While discussing the idea Joe came up with the title naming it Steel Magnolias released in ’89.

My adopted father’s mother, Isabel, a redhead herself, once owned a  beauty shop named Belle’s House of Beauty in Texas.   The picture is of my brother getting his first haircut.  This is where they got the idea for the beauty shop in Steel Magnolias and also name the character Belle Marmillion.

Tom Cruise would go on to adopt a little girl with Nicole Kidman and name her Isabella.

Kurt Cobain later would talk about how Nirvana would practice above a beauty shop in the early years.  My grandmother’s birthday, February 24, also happened to be the day Kurt and Courtney got married in 1992.

(My grandmother’s Social Security Card application)

 Michael Jackson knew I loved the tv show Beauty and the Beast which ran from 1987 to 1990 starring “Linda Carroll” Hamilton (Courtney Love’s mother’s name is supposedly Linda Carroll) as Belle and Ron Perlman as the Beast Vincent.  Linda Hamilton is the ex-wife of film director James Cameron (this is important and will post about the development of Titanic later).  Disney put into production the development of Belle about this time and released the animated Beauty and the Beast in 1991. 

Sometime during all of this the actor Eric Roberts found out what was going on and invited to Alabama to meet me.  His motive was in looking for scripts for his sister, Julia, another redhead. 

Plans for a trip were rescheduled for the weekend before Halloween which fell on a Monday.  I didn’t know this would mean skipping a day of school.  They dressed me in a brunette wig and large sunglasses and we left on Joe’s private plane.  We arrived in Dublin and Joe took off through customs and the airport ahead of us being mobbed by paparazzi.  I heard Kurt ask if Joe had let them know he was arriving.  Joe gave a quick interview distracting them while we finished in customs then climbed into a Range Rover.  We climbed into the Range Rover parked behind his.

The home was large, but not quite what one would call a mansion by today’s standards.  It had a mortar and rock facade in a very European style.  Joe met us at the door and came up behind me putting his hands over my eyes leading me through the front hall into the main living area.  When he took his hands away I was staring at green rolling hills through a window that spanned the length of the room.  The window was made up of panes of beveled glass which obscured the view some.  I gasped as a white hairy beast rounded one of the green mounds charging toward the home.  At first I thought it was a horse.  A few seconds later this mud covered behemoth was sitting on the white marble in front of me.  This is when I realized it wasn’t a horse at all but a dog, a Great Pyrenees actually.

Development of the script for the ’90 movie Pretty Woman was well under way on this trip and changes were being made.  Joe decided to use Lauren Bacall’s dress in the 1944 film adaption of Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not as inspiration for the “hooker dress”.

Born on the Fourth of July !Because baby you’re a firework!

“I am your living dead. I am your Memorial Day on wheels. I am your Yankee Doodle Dandy.  Your John Wayne come home.  Your Fourth of July firecracker exploding in the grave.” –  Former U.S. Marine Sergeant Ron Kovic, July 16, 1976

I really have nothing to say about the ’89 movie Born on the Fourth of July inspired by the life of former U.S. Marine Sergeant and activist Ron Kovic, except that it is a brilliant movie beautifully portrayed by my friend Tom Cruise.

The articles about Kovic did inspired me to write the song “Firework” portrayed by another of my alter egos Katy Perry.  She was given the stage name for singer, songwriter and music producer Linda Perry who claims to have written songs for artists which I actually wrote.

 This is a part of the article which I quoted above and inspired the song Firework and also Living Dead Girl performed by Rob Zombie.  His stagename “Zombie” comes from Michael Jackson’s zombies in the music video for Thriller and Rob for my dad’s name Robert.

The story behind the song Dragula released in ’98 and performed by Zombie is actually true except that I had already used “monsters” in the song Imaginary.  For some reason I started watching reruns of The Munsters, I was still just a kid.  I did suggest the jesters in the music video because of Motley Crue and for Jester call name in Top Gun.  

“Dead I am the sky, watching angels cry”

“Angels cry” was a reference to the ’98 movie City of Angels which I wrote the song Uninvited performed by Alanis Morrissette.  I will talk about the inspiration behind the movie and the song later.

“Dead I am the pool, spreading from the fool”

The pool is a reference to Def Leppard’s ’81 album cover for High ‘n’ Dry.  Kurt Cobain used this as inspiration for Nirvana’s ’91 album cover for Nevermind.  The fool is a reference to Def Leppard’s song Foolin released on their ’83 album of Pyromania.

Broken Origin

The idea for the duet Broken came directly from the lyrics of one of my favorite Def Leppard’s songs, Bringin’ On Heartbreak.

Gypsy, sittin’ lookin’ pretty
The broken rose with laughin’ eyes
You’re a mystery, always runnin’ wild
Like a child without a home
You’re always searching, searching for a feeling
That it’s easy come and easy go  –  Bringin’ On The Heartbreak, Def Leppard

Even in the lyrics for Broken I make mention of another Def Leppard song, Photograph.

I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain  –  Broken, Evanescence

This was not the only time I made reference to Def Leppard’s song Bringin’ On The Heartbreak, but also when I wrote Mystify for INXS

All veils and misty
Streets of blue
Almond looks
That chill divine
Some silken moment
Goes on forever
And we’re leaving broken hearts behind

Evanescence 2003 Mystery EP takes it’s name from lyrics in Def Leppard’s Bringin On The Heartbreak.  The EP  also takes it’s name from The Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii, Italy.

In 1978, The Pompeii exhibit was touring the U.S.  My parents took me to the exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art when I was 10 years old. 

(The article to the right is a review of the exhibit in Chicago before it left for Dallas).

 I was fascinated by the exhibit and fell in love with the frescos in The Villa of Mysteries.  One particular fresco inspired Kurt Cobain’s winged mannequin on the In Utero tour.