5 Songs from the 90's that have Surprising Stories behind their lyrics

5 songs from the 90’s that have surprising stories behind their lyrics

By: Brian Cotnoir

     The 1990’s was an awesome time for music.  Alternative Rock dominated the airwaves and many underground bands rose up through the mainstream.  With so many awesome songs released by so many talented bands, it’s actually quite amusing how many people often don’t get some of the hidden meanings behind the songs they are singing.  Today, I hope to enlighten you on the hidden messages behind some of the 90’s Most Popular Songs.

1.) The Freshmen- The Verve Pipe

The first thing that I would like to say about “The Freshmen” by the Michigan Alternative-Rock Band, The Verve Pipe is that this is my favorite song.  For many years, I always thought that this song was about a guy who broke up with his girlfriend, and then she committed suicide, and everyone told him that her death was his fault, and then having to deal with the guilt of people blaming you for her death.  Much to my surprise, I found out that this song is not about a suicide, but rather an abortion.  The bands singer/guitarist Brian Van Ark wrote this song about the emotions he felt when he was 15 and he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and she decided to get an abortion.  I never would have guessed that’s what “The Freshmen” was about, and it’s my favorite song for crying out loud!  However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is a great song.

2.) If You could only See- Tonic

The song “If You could only see” by Tonic is the tail of the bands singer/guitarist Emerson Hart who was in a relationship with a woman that his parents do not approve of.  That’s not really all that shocking, but then you find out that this woman in this relationship was older than him.  How much older than him?  Around 15 years.  Hart wrote the song about when he was 17-years-old and was dating a 32-year-old woman!  She must have been one hell of a cougar, and we have her to thank for being the inspiration to Tonic’s only major U.S. Hit.

3.) Come As You Are- Nirvana

Kurt Cobain lied to us all; he did—in fact—have a gun.  That line in the song where he repeats “well I swear that I don’t have a gun/no I don’t have a gun/no I don’t have a gun/”.  This song is a popular today as it was when it was released back in 1991, and yet so many people overlook that one lyric.  Kurt Cobain sings about not having a gun and then three years later chooses to end his own life with a—you guessed it!—a shotgun.  Maybe, Nirvana’s fans should have paid more close attention to Cobain’s pleas in his lyrics, and then maybe perhaps this musical tragedy could have been prevented.

4.) Lightning Crashes- Live

     This song gets my vote for Best Hidden Meaning behind a song: According to sources close to the band, this song is about a woman named Barbara, who was a friend of the band Live before they were famous, and one night after seeing the band perform, she was killed by a drunk driver, and the same night that she was killed by that drink driver, her heart was removed—she was an organ donor—and was transplanted into a newborn baby that was born with a  heart problem.  That’s freaking beautiful, and truly is a wonderful meaning behind a song.

5.) Truly Madly Deeply and I knew I loved you- Savage Garden

Back in the 90’s if you had a crush on a girl and wanted to do something to make her remember you, you’d make a mix tape of songs, and if you really wanted to get her to like you back, you better have included at least one song by the Australian rock band Savage Garden.  What makes this song so much fun is to realize that this song was not written about a woman that the bands singer Darren Hayes was in love with...it’s actually about a guy.  For a great while, Darren Hayes, kept his homosexuality hidden from the public, and no one knew.  Hayes was and still is a very private man, and does not like to leak out his personal life to anyone.  So it was a big surprise to all when he did come out in the early 2000’s.  But really think about all those years that people thought he was singing about a woman, when he was actually singing about a man.  I think that’s pretty awesome don’t you? 

5 Reasons why Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty" is the Worst Disney Princess

5 Reasons why Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” is the Worst Disney Princess

By: Brian Cotnoir

So back in March I posted a review called “5 Reasons why Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is the Most Boss Disney Princess”, and ever since then it’s taken on a life of its own.  Like, that post is approaching 3,000 views on this blog.   Holy Shnikes!  Just to put that into perspective: my 2^nd most popular post on “Asylum for Nerds” only has 208 views.  Something that plenty of people have been asking me since I posted that review is when I am going to do an article on who I think the “Worst Disney Princess” is.  Well here it is: These are the 5 reasons why Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” is the Worst Disney Princess Ever.

1.) She doesn’t do a damn thing in the movie

How exciting...NOT!

One thing that most Disney Princesses do in their films is play an active role in the plot, Aurora does not.  For most of the film she isn’t even conscious.  She doesn’t help anyone, she doesn’t learn anything, she just lays their a sleep waiting for everyone else to come rescue her and do all the work.  That’s really not a strong role model as far as Disney Princesses go.  I mean, Snow White didn’t do much of anything either, but she at least took care of the Seven Dwarves, and domesticated herself, while waiting for her prince to come.  Even Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” had to learn that all of her actions have consequences, and that sometimes she needs to be less selfish and care about others.  But not Aurora, she just wakes up after the kiss from her Prince, and is all like “oh hey, thanks for rescuing me, did I miss anything”.  If I was that Prince, I’d be like: “Listen you sleeping b!tch, I just slayed a mother f*cking dragon to not only save you, but to save my own a$$.   Do you have any idea how difficult it is to stop a mother f*cking dragon with only a sword and a shield!  You Best be Loving me for all eternity, and hail me as your king!”.  Now, I know I shouldn’t let some silly plot-point infuriate me so much, but this actually makes a good segway for my second reason...

2.) Everything that happens to her could have easily been avoided

You only needed to avoid one thing!  Just one thing!

So a curse is put on Princess Aurora when she was just a little baby by the evil witch Maleficent.  Maleficent is furious that she was not invited to Aurora’s 1^st birthday party, so she casts a curse on her and tells everyone at the party that on her 16^th birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die before sunset.  That whole curse could have been avoided if the King & Queen had only invited Maleficent to the birthday party.  They invited everyone else in the kingdom (both magical and non-magical, but they had to go and snub Maleficent so she could get good and pissed off and place a curse on a little baby.  So the King concocts the brilliant idea to have every spinning wheel destroyed, so the prophecy cannot be fulfilled.  Not only that, but he decides that is best to send his daughter to live with the Three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, until her 16^th birthday has passed.  Even with all these precautionary measures in place, they still failed miserably and Aurora pricks her finger on that God d@mn spinning wheel and dies.  This is bad, the only worst security fail in History was JFK’s Security Detail at Dallas in 1963.  

3.) The stories main focus isn’t even on her

     Every other Disney Princess is the main focus of their own film, but Aurora is not.  If anything the films primary focus is on the Three Good Fairies.  Even Prince Phillip and Maleficent got more screen and story time then Aurora.  How can you even like Aurora when you know so little about her? 

The real stars of the film

4.) You never see little girls dress up like her for Halloween

    With such a wide range of beloved Disney Princess characters, it’s not surprise that Disney Princess costumes are among the most popular among young girls for Halloween.  But, I want you to think really hard about when was the last time you saw a little girl dressed up as Aurora for Halloween.  I bet you can remember seeing one dress up as Cinderella, or Ariel, or Snow White, but Aurora you probably don’t ever remember seeing one dressed up as Aurora.  It’s not really that surprising.  Even Mulan (who isn’t technically a real princess) is more beloved Disney Princess then Aurora, and that is saying something.  Aurora was such a bad Princess and that Disney waited 30 years before they would make or release another Princess Film.

5.) The Villain of the Film is 100 Times More Popular then Her

Everyone's favorite "Mistress of All Evil"

Yeah, you know you suck as a Princess/Heroine when the villain of your film is way more popular then you.  Maleficent is the Top Disney Villainess on Many Films Critics lists, and is one of the most widely recognized and popular of All the Disney Villains.  She is the self-proclaimed “Mistress of all Evil” and she is 100 times more liked then Princess Aurora.  Maleficent is so popular that Disney Studios is actually releasing a live-action reboot of the “Sleeping Beauty” story in 2014.  And what is the name of this reboot?  “Maleficent”—of course—with Angelina Jolie playing the title role.  According to many websites the reboot is the story of “Sleeping Beauty”, but it is told from the perspective of the antagonist “Maleficent” rather than Aurora or the 3 Good Fairies.  How bad of a princess do you have to be, to not even get your own reboot?  The only modernization that’s come of “Sleeping Beauty” was that absolutely God Awful 2011 Australian Film and it had absolutely nothing to do with the original fairytale.

These are 5 Reasons why Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” is the Worst Disney Princess.  If you liked this review then make sure to check out my other review of “5 Reasons why Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” is the Most Boss Disney Princess”.  Just click the link below. 

5 Reasons why Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" is the Most Boss Disney Princess

Christmas Nightmares

Christmas Nightmares

By: Brian Cotnoir

    One of my favorite Christmas specials that I like to watch every year is “A Christmas Story”.  Every year I get so excited when it comes on TV.  The one reason why I like it so much is because I think that everyone has had that one Christmas in their life time where there was one Toy that they wanted more than anything in the world.  That one special toy that you saw and you didn’t just want, but you saw it a vital necessity in your life.  You would do anything in your power to ensure that you would get that toy for Christmas; Ask Santa, beg your parents, go out of your way to be exceptionally good and ensure that you would be put on a “Nice List”.  There wasn’t anything you weren’t willing to do to get this toy for Christmas.              

     Then the big day comes.  It’s Christmas morning and you rush into your living room with excitement with your sibling(s) and you begin to scope out the massive pile of presents underneath the tree and see which ones are marked for you, and you sit there and wonder if that big present underneath the tree is the one thing you’ve hoping for that Christmas.  You begin to frantically rip open your gifts with anticipation that the next one you open will be your ultimate toy, and then it comes down to just one box left open the tree, it has your name on it, and you have yet to receive the toy you’ve wanted the most.  It all comes down to this:  Will Santa have delivered the goods and answered your pleas or will your Christmas day end with a somber disappointment and the dread of having to wait until next year to receive that present.                                         

     

    With zero hesitation you tear through the wrapping paper wishing and praying to God that it’s the Greatest Toy Ever, and when that last piece of the paper is torn off you sit there in astonishment and can’t believe your eyes.  That one toy that you did extra chores all month for, that one toy that consumed your dreams at night, that one toy that was going to make or break your Christmas was finally all yours!  You jumped to the ceiling in astonishment and praised Santa as your parents looked upon you with loving gazes at how happy you were to have received your final present, and without any hesitation you took that Ultimate Toy and you played with it, and it was the best Christmas ever...or perhaps the start of the most nightmarish Christmas of your entire life???                         

         

    You had reached the highest of highs, but then your parents introduce an idea to you that seems worst than anything you could have ever imagined...Sharing your gift with others.  And I’m not talking having to share the gift with your sibling(s).  Sharing a gift with a sibling(s) is easy. They live with you and they know how you like them to play with your toys, so as long as they’re careful enough you don’t mind as much sharing with them, but it’s when your other relatives come over that you start to get nervous.                              

              

    Cousins.  Is there any worst group of people you can think of to share your toys with?  Especially younger cousins.  I have this theory that in almost every family you always have that one cousin; the one whose parents may have gotten separated or the one whose parents didn’t make a lot of money at their jobs so they couldn’t afford really to give their own kids a nice Christmas.  The cousin who may have had a “rough life” and couldn’t always establish right from wrong.  The same cousin who every time he’d come over your house would take out all of your toys and play with them and then would leave with his family without helping you clean up the mess.  Forcing you to clean up after them, and your parents always made you be extremely nice to them whenever they came over.  It was this cousin we always dreaded the most especially at Christmas time.  The second they came in through the door and they saw you playing with your new toy they seemed to have this look of pure evil upon their face.  Then they would walk up to you and without even so much as a “hello”, would look at you and say “Can I play with that?”  And the same thought went through all of our minds; “No.  You can’t play with this.  It’s mine.  I went through hell to get this toy, I’ve only had it for two hours and I’m not going to let you play with it because you might break it”.  Then your cousin would always turn on the water works and run to his parents (or worst your parents) and say that you weren’t sharing with them.  Your parents would pull you aside and sharply tell you that you needed to share your gift with cousin because it was Christmas; a time of caring and sharing, and that you were acting a spoiled brat.  Then you pleaded your argument to your parents that your cousin should not be allowed anywhere near your new and favorite toy, not because of the fear that they might break it, but for the fear that they would most certainly break it if they were to play with it.  Your parents would most definitely ignore your pleas at this point and then submit you to the worst punishment imaginable as a child.                                             

    For failure to share your new toy with your cousin you were sentenced to sit between your parents and watch your cousin play with your new favorite toy until you could “learn to share”.  It was madness, it was unbearable, it was the worst form of torture you could ever think of for a child.  Watching your cousin play with your new favorite toy was like watching the one you love get tortured to death.  “Stop it!” you would say in your head “you’re playing too rough with it.  You’re going to break it.  Please stop being so rough with my new toy”, but your parents didn’t care.  They ignored the look of anguish upon your face.  In their eyes they were teaching you an important life lesson.  As for your cousin, they could care less about how they were playing with your toy.  They played with it and treated it as if it were their own toy, but it wasn’t; it was yours.         

    The came the moment of fate: your cousin in a horrific brain lapse tossed your new favorite toy way up into the air as you looked on with horror, praying, praying that he would catch it.  As they most assuredly missed catching the toy on it’s way down, your heart exploded as you watched that new toy hit the floor and break in two.  Your cries of anguish were ignored by your parents as you fell to your knees, heartbroken.  Your aunt & uncle told your cousin to apologize to you for breaking your toy and your cousin just looked down at the ground as they delivered the most insincere  “I’m sorry” ever.  And what started out as the Best Christmas Ever ended as one of the worst days of your childhood.  

Update from the Corseted Critic!!!

I know I know I know I suck at keeping a regular blog!!! I could blame it on work and time constraints, but those are crap given that the other people on this blog are very good at getting something out at least once a week. So let's just blame it on my extreme laziness and slight lack of ideas!
So, I am beginning to seriously think about relocating and a lot of changes will come with this, so forgive me if it takes me a little longer to get stuff out, but I DO HAVE IDEAS!!
Reviews of a few Japanese horror movies will come, a tribute to Guillermo Del Toro, and more.
Plus: I will be doing these in VLogs!! Yes you will get to see my pretty face every week starting next February! I have an idea for a show and am going to try it out!
I always felt I was a more visual person and my text reviews never seemed right. I love theater, acting and am pretty apt at editing. As of right now I have a few scripts in process, so let's see how it goes.
The late date is due to the fact that, should I move, it won't be until next year, so again, I appreciate your patience and can't wait to get started.

:D

The Corseted Critic

5 Songs that Annoying White Girls Love

5 Songs that Annoying White Girls Love

By: A. Aleister Sirrat

Hello Friends.  This is “Sirrat in the Hat”, and I’ve decided to take a break from reviewing French Exploitation films from the 1970’s and do a music Top 5 List like my dear friend Das Film Junkie.  Have you ever been one of those unfortunate souls who’s been out in public; maybe at a bar, or a club, and all of a sudden you hear the ear piercing screams of a group of Annoying White Girls as “their song” begins to play over the loud speakers.  You then have to bear the ungodly spectacle of watching them form a circle and scream every note of the song horribly off key.  It is site and sound that would make anyone envy the deaf and contemplate committing a Japanese ritualistic style suicide on the very spot where they stand.  Be forewarned people that if you are ever out in public where there is music playing, these are the songs that will send any group of Annoying White Girls into a manic frenzy and could cost you your sanity...or worst! @_@

5.) “Someone Like You”- Adele

All right, before you all start posting your death threats in the comment section, let me establish one thing.  This is an excellent song and Adele is a fantastic singer.  When she wrote and released this song it was an instant smash, and for good reason.  Adele revealed a sad personal experience from her life.  She is singing about her own personal heartache.  She is not singing a song about that 3-week relationship that you had with some guy where you stayed up to 2 in the morning chatting on Facebook.  She is not singing too you.  She is also not singing about you!  Oh and one other thing:  YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT HAS GOT DUMPED OR HAD THEIR HEART BROKEN!  Seriously, every person in this world has had their heartbroken at least once in your life.  That guy you met when you were 15 is not the only guy in the world who will ever love you.  There are plenty of people in the world, so stop posting this song’s lyrics as your Facebook Status every time you get dumped.  It’s cliché and it a bad use of a great song.

4.) “Mickey”- Toni Basil

Seriously, you're like old enough to be my grandmother

What girl didn’t secretly wish they were a cheerleader in High School?  It’s nothing to be ashamed of...you know, unless you’re a grown woman in the early stages of menopause who dresses up like a High School cheerleader and writes an annoying as sh!t song that causes annoying white girls to stomp their feet and shout every god d@amn line out loud, like Toni Basil.  Also, why the name Mickey?  When I hear the name Mickey, I don’t think some young, hot, football playing stud; I’m thinking of Mickey Mouse.  This is the kind of song teeny-bop trash that makes Radio Disney DJ’s get hard in the trousers.

3.) “Cotton Eye Joe”- RedNex

     The Most sure fire way to send a group of annoying white girls into a frenzy is to play this song at ever single school dance, wedding, traveling carnival, etc.  Whenever this song comes on you can be assured that every annoying white girl in a 3-mile radius is going to start doing that stupid line dance and start talking about how “Redneck” and “#White Trash” they are as the post pictures of them doing the dance from their IPhone’s on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

2.) “Barbie Girl”- Aqua

     From one terrible Swedish Pop Song to another: Every girl loved Barbie at some point in their life. Some even dreamed of growing up to be like Barbie.  Swedish Pop band Aqua wrote and released a song about the wish of so many girls...and blood still continues to hemorrhage out of our ears every time we hear that girl, who sounds like a hamster who swallowed a year supply of helium, sings.

1.) “Don’t Stop Believing”- Journey

     I don’t get the appeal of the Fox TV Show “Glee”.  All they do is take popular old songs and make a less good version of it.  No recording artist or band is immune to having their song covered this wretched off spring of Kidz Bop & High School Musical.  Not even the great Journey.  Journey is an awesome band, and they have wrote many great songs...but I swear to your God that if I hear one more girl tell me that “Journey’s cover  of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ is not as good as Glee’s, I’m going to drive a railroad spike through the thick, empty skulls! 
“Glee” does not come up with their own songs, people, they cover songs that were written and made famous by other more talented artists!  WHY DO SO MANY OF YOU NOT GET THIS?!?!?!??!?!?! 

This is good :)

THIS IS GARBAGE!

Old vs New: The Grudge

Recently, I have been watching a few Asian horror films like the Korean White, and the Japanese Sadako 3D (review to come!). These are the films that still scare me. Even after being watched a few times White remains my favorite and still gives me chills.

But why? Why do American films do so little while the Japanese have me using much more of my flashlight app on my phone?

Perhaps we can answer this by comparing a Japanese original and the American attempt. 

In the year 2000 Japanese director Takashi_Shimizu helmed the movie Ju-On. This is a film in a series of creations following a ghost, or curse as it affects those who come in contact with it. 

You see, in Japanese lore, if a person dies a tragic or violent death, then the place it occurs in becomes tainted with the evil spirits of the dead. Should anyone enter the place, then the spirit will some after them and, sometimes, harm their loved ones. 

Ju-On follows those who enter a house in which a horrific crime has been committed. The house seems innocent enough until those who enter it either die or vanish. 

The American remake starring Buffy the Vampire slayer's Sarah Michelle Geller and directed by the same man as the original follows a similar plot with similar characters, just changing a few to more relatable American characters. 

So if they are so similar why does one scare me and one is just meh?

One could argue that it's the foreign aspect. The fact that one of these films is in another language and must be read could, subconsciously be unnerving for me. To be placed in an atmosphere that is unknown to me could add to the effect the movie has. 

It could also be the way it is shot. I have seen most if not all of the Ju-On films (a sequel and two short spin off films were made) and they all have similar ways of telling the story. Sort of like end to beginning. 

The story begins not with how the curse begins, but with one of it's latest victims. You are then taken backwards to who they got the curse from and onwards until you are shown how the curse began. In this fashion you know only slightly more than the characters you see as they encounter the curse. This adds to the atmosphere and engrosses you into what is happening. 

The American remake loses both of these by making the main characters American and keeping a linear timeline (perhaps to not confuse some people). 

Plus I just kept seeing Buffy the whole time! This came out not soon after the show ended and I just could not separate the two just yet!

My advice? If you like one, check out the others! That is, if you don't mind a bit of reading!!

I'm Back!

Okay, so I haven't been posting to this blog very well, but I have some new things in the works that I want to share so you will hear from me a lot more!

First of all I want to explain why I was gone: I fell in love. It's a big sob story which is described in my other blog (you should check it out!), but for the past few months I have not had one 'actor kick'. Next one hasn't shown up yet, so I'm waiting for it to come up.

But now I am back and ready to get going again! I am watching a lot of Japanese and Korean horror movies so an Old Vs New of The Grudge is coming up, and what better time than Halloween! Also, I think an Old Vs. New of a few other remade foreign movies may come up as well!

We'll see!

Good to be back!

5 Songs that were popular in the 90's that you never hear played on the radio anymore

5 Songs that were popular in the 90’s that you never hear played on the radio anymore.

By: Brian Cotnoir

5.) Mambo No. 5 (A little bit of...)- Lou Bega

     Artist Lou Bega took a 50 year old song in 1999 and turned it into a hit with “Mambo No. 5 (A little bit of...)”.  With a great hook, and beautiful dancing girls in his video, “Mambo No. 5” propelled Lou Bega’s debut album A Little Bit of Mambo (1999) into Platinum sales status.  Unfortunately, for Lou Bega, the success that followed “Mambo No. 5” was nowhere near as close in terms of success and popularity.  What else is there to say about this song, other than: thank goodness for Ex-Girlfriends.

4.) Whoomp! (There it is)- Tag Team

     Miami Hip-Hop Group Tag Team found success in 1993 with their song “Whoomp! (There it is!).  This song reached #2 on the Hot 100 Charts and was very popular at Sports Arenas (especially Basketball).  Tag Team actually re-worked the song and released “Hoop!  There it is!” in honor of the Houston Rockets NBA championship in 1994.  This song is considered both one of the greatest “one-hit wonder” songs and also “one of the worst songs of all-time”.  Whether you like this song or not, you have to admit that this was a popular song in the 1990’s.

3.) Blue (Da Ba Dee)- Eiffel 65

     Remember the first time you saw the music video to this song back in 1999?  Wasn’t it one of the coolest things of the decade?  By today’s standards the CGI in this music video is very primitive and crude, but it was one of the things that helped Italian Techno Group Eiffel 65 and their debut album Europop (1999) into superstar status.  However, just like Lou Bega and Tag Team, Eiffel 65 failed to reach the same success with a follow up.  “Blue (Da Ba Dee) may have been the #1 song in over a dozen countries, and received two Grammy Award Nominations, but I’m afraid they are doomed to One-Hit Wonder Status (at least in America).

2.) Gangsta’s Paradise- Coolio

     This song appeared in the 1995 “Dangerous Minds” and propelled Rap Artist Coolio into superstar status in the 1990’s. This song earned Coolio the 1995 Grammy for “Best Rap Solo Performance”.  Later in the decade a feud would ignite between Coolio and Parody-Cover Musician, Weird Al Yankovic, over Weird Al’s parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise” entitled “Amish Paradise”. 

 

1.) Macarena- Los Del Rio

     Holy Shnikes!  This song was INESCAPABLE in the 1990’s. If there was one song the absolutely dominated the radio airwaves and if you went searching through the radio dial, chances are this song was going to be played on at least one of those radio stations.  The song was released Los Del Rio, a band that had been performing and touring since 1962.  It was #1 in the U.S. and many other countries.  From the time it was released it was one of the most successful songs—not just of the year—but of the entire decade.  Who cares if you didn’t understand or know any of the lyrics to the song, because white people were doing that stupid dance at every wedding, family reunion, and birthday party.  This song is what many people to be the “Greatest One Hit Wonder of All-Time”...and yet when’s the last time you heard it played on the radio?  Isn’t it strange?

5 Love Songs from the 90's that all guys secretly like

Character Analysis: P.R. Deltoid

Character Analysis: P.R. Deltoid

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Hey, it’s been a while since I talked about “A Clockwork Orange” on this blog so let’s change that.  So from the time I started doing this “Character Analysis” I’ve wanted to do one on a character from “A Clockwork Orange”, and to most people the obvious choice would be to do one on the story/films main character Alex, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to see that it wouldn’t be much of a challenge.

So sorry, little Alex.  You're just not challenging enough

You see there are literally dozens of articles, videos and analysis’s of Alex on the internet.  Pretty much everything that can be said about him—in both the novella and the film—has already been said, and I really don’t have a lot of new material or ideas I could bring to a “Character Analysis” of Alex.  Even, if I still wanted to write an analysis of Alex it would be far too long, and I’d probably have to break up the article into much shorter articles so as not to overwhelm you, the reader.  I really wish I could have done a character analysis on one of Alex’s cellmates, but unfortunately they were all left out of the film.  As for his Alex’s Droogs, well they were enjoyable, but just not as enjoyable a character Alex.  Plus, Director Stanley Kubrick did make some significant changes to the characters in the film that differ from Anthony Burgess novella, and I feel like I would have spent more time talking about the differences in the characters between the novella and the film rather than analyzing their character.                    

    However, there is one other character in “A Clockwork Orange” that I always enjoyed and he often get’s over looked at that characters is P.R. Deltoid, Alex’s Probation officer.

CHARACTER: P.R. Deltoid from “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)

P.R. Deltoid from "Clockwork Orange" (1971)

    P.R. Deltoid is Alex’s “Criminal Rehabilitation social worker” who was assigned to watch over Alex after an earlier incident (not mentioned in the novella or film) and keep him out of trouble and from making bad choices.  In the novella he’s kind of a dweeb who tries to see the good in everyone and just does a really bad job at trying to motivate Alex and keep him from doing bad things.  In the novel, we are first introduced to him after Alex skips school and he shows up at Alex’s flat to talk to him about working hard and staying out of trouble.  And what does Alex do right after this little “pep-talk”; why he goes out and drugs and rapes two 10-year-old girls of course.      

Bad Touch! Bad Touch!

However, in the film, he comes off more as cunning and is aware of whom he’s dealing with.  In the film you get the vibe that Mr. Deltoid is fully aware of what Alex is capable of doing and that he knows deep down he’s probably been doing some of those things.  His relationship with Alex in the film comes off as “I don’t like you, but I’m stuck with you!  So stay out of trouble and don’t cause me to lose my job!”.   I think this change to his character in the film definitely makes him a more enjoyable character.  He’s also kind of bossy.  At one point he lies Alex down on the bed next to him and grabs him by the balls as if he’s saying “don’t-let-these-impede-with-your-progress.  Don’t-let-these-get-you-into-trouble”.                                 

   The last time we see Mr. Deltoid—in both the novella and film—he is visiting Alex down at Police Station.  Alex has been arrested and charged with murder, and Mr. Deltoid says that he is at “the end of the line [with Alex]”.  He tells Alex that he is on his own from now on and that he no longer responsible for trying to make Alex a parting shot, he spits in the face of Alex and that’s the last we see of him in the film.

THE ACTOR

Actor Aubrey Morris

The Actor who plays P.R. Deltoid is Aubrey Morris.  Besides this the only other notable film that he’s appeared in was “The Wicker Man” (1973).  What I like about Morris’s portrayal of P.R. Deltoid is that he isn’t playing it with blind ignorance like in the novella.  He knows what Alex does and what he’s capable of doing and he lets Alex know that he won’t always be there to rescue him or come to his aid.  To which Alex scoffs.       I also really like the way he talks in this film.  He speaks with an upward inflection when he talks.  Everything he says, ends with him asking a question.  I can’t really explain it that well, but I thoroughly enjoyed how he read his lines.  So much so, that when I was in college the first production I was in required us to speak with English accents, and my opening monologue in the production was 3 pages long and my first 40-or-so lines were questions, and so at the first rehearsal I was reading my lines like Mr. Deltoid as a joke...well the Director and Stage Director thought it was really funny and I was required to talk like Mr. Deltoid through the whole production.  So Aubrey Morris has influenced my stage work some.

Character is similar to or Inspired By:

     I couldn’t find any characters in any film that P.R. Deltoid is similar to.  I do think he kind of sounds like Tim Curry in the film, but his voice was not inspired by Tim Curry because Tim Curry’s first film role didn’t come until 4-years after the release of “A Clockwork Orange”.

The way he talks is just so interesting.

Fate of the Character:

     We don’t really know whatever happened to Mr. Deltoid.  The last we see or hear from in the film and novella was when he spat in Alex’s face down at the police station.  Presumably, he went back to his job, to serve another misguided youth.  I think they could have done a lot more with his character though.  I think it would have been great for him to have been one of the guests at the Minister of The Interiors demonstration following Alex’s stint through the Ludovico Technique.  Maybe, then we could have gotten his opinion on whether he thought it was the best thing for Alex, or maybe he would have said something like “once a delinquent, always a delinquent”.  That really is a change I think Stanley Kubrick should have made in his film version.  I think Mr. Deltoid had a lot more he could have offered the film, but oh well.  It is what it is.   

Character Analysis: The Mad Hatter

Character Analysis: The Mad Hatter

By: Brian Cotnoir

The Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland"

Few tales have the influence and longevity of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”.  Since the story it was first published in 1865 “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” has gone on to entertain and inspire countless generations, and it makes sense.  With a bizarre story, in a bizarre setting, and characters who are just as bizarre, it’s should come as  surprise to know one that “Alice in Wonderland” has been adapted into many different mediums in television in films.  There have been animated adaptations, live action adaptations, musical adaptations, and a horror version.  Hell, in 1976 there was even a pornographic adaptation released called “Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy”.  So yeah, it’s a pretty popular story.  Of the many memorable characters, in Carroll’s classic tale, my favorite has to be the Mad Hatter.  Now like I said, there are many different adaptations, and a lot of different characters who played “The Mad Hatter” so save myself (and you the reader time) I’m only going to talk about the two Disney film versions of “The Mad Hatter”, but don’t worry I will talk briefly about some of the Mad Hatters from TV Mini-series and comic books as well.

CHARACTER: The Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland” (1951) (2010).

     So the Mad Hatter is quite the unique and unusual character.  In both films Alice first encounters the Mad Hatter holding a tea party.  Why is he having a tea party?  Why Because it’s his Un-Birthday of course!  The Mad Hatter is joined by his two close friends the March Hare (sometimes referred to as “The Mad Hare” and the Dormouse.  He is a very neurotic and—dare I say—a hyper-active fellow.  He is sincere in his eccentric mannerisms.  He is a very gracious host who is forever trapped in a tea party that—seemingly—never ends.          

    Is he really “Mad” though?  Eccentric? Yes.  Unorthodox in his mannerisms? Yes.  Mad?  Very likely.  He appears to have the symptoms of a person who is “mad”, but he is only a danger to himself.  When we see him acting high-strung and even a little crazy he only appears to be putting himself in danger.  What I like the most about his character is that everyone around him seems to be asking him “Why?” (or more specifically “Why do you do that?) and his reply simply comes off as “Why Not?!”.  I’ve kind of discovered that philosophy in High School and it’s something that’s stuck with me all the way to adulthood.  When those ask “Why?”; You ask “Why not?!”. He is one of my favorite characters of all-time (without me even realizing it), but I mean it’s not like there’s pictures of me going around in Public dressed like the Mad Hatter...

Ahh Hell!

THE ACTOR(S):

     The Mad Hatter was voiced by actor Ed Wynn in the 1951 animated film and was played by actor Johnny Depp in the 2010 Live Action version.  Even though both men are playing the same character they both have their own distinctive differences.  

The Mad Hatter voiced by actor Ed Wynn, 1951

Wynn did not get a lot of screen time in the film.  The first time we see The Mad Hatter in the film it’s past the half-way mark and even then it’s only for a few minutes.  He also makes a brief reappearance towards the end of the film.  Wynn’s Mad Hatter comes off as more feminine than Mad.  His character has a slight lisp and he just appears to do things that are more weird, rather than crazy.  The craziest thing we see him do in the film is destroy the White Rabbit’s watch.  Wynn had a number of disadvantages as the Hatter.  For one, the running time of the film is only 75 minutes long.  That’s only one-and-a-quarter hours; very short for a “Feature Length” animated film. Also, the Mad Hatter was more of a secondary character.  The majority of the 1951 version focuses on Alice and terrible songs numbers.  I’ll be perfectly honest with you all.  I think that “Alice in Wonderland” is the worst soundtrack of all the Disney films.  None of the songs were that good or memorable, but I digress.         

Heeeeerrreesss....Johnny!

     Now, in the 2010 version directed by Tim Burton, the Mad Hatter plays a much larger role, and it’s obvious why; it had a much larger budget than the 1951 version, it had a very popular director, and he was played by freaking Johnny Depp—one of the Best and most loved actors of the last 30 years—of course he was going to have a large role in the film.  I mean, he’s on the freaking Movie Poster for crying out loud, and the film is called “Alice in Wonderland”, not “The Mad Hatter in Wonderland”.  So—you know—don’t you think Alice should be on the poster instead of the Mad Hatter?  The 2010 version was actually based off of the sequel to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, “Through the Looking Glass”, but like the story and the 1951 film version we have our first encounter with The Mad Hatter at a tea party with the March Hare.  Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter is much taller than in the animated version.  His costume is also more outrageous and colorful, and he has a pale/painted face with outrageous orange hair and different colored eyes.  Also, Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter has two different voices.  He has his regular speaking voice (that sounds very similar to when he played Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and then when he’s talking about the past he has a Scottish accent, and to be honest with you all, I was really confused with when I saw it theatres because it came out of nowhere.  I remember thinking to myself the first time I heard Depp speaking in that Scottish accent; “Did Johnny Depp stop caring?”.  Later, I found out the different voices were done on purpose; though I have to be honest, I thought the Scottish accent was really stupid.

Oh, that Johnny Depp!

Character is similar to or Inspired by:

Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter

Obviously, the character is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s literary works.  Not only that, but Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter character has gone one to inspire character’s in other shows, comic books, and entertainment mediums as well.  The Mad Hatter character has been transformed into a villain in the Batman Comic Book and Television series.  The Mad Matter Hatter in Batman is actually Jervis Tetch, a Scientist who creates many different devices to control people’s minds.  His costume is very similar to the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s books.  In recent years the Mad Hatter has garnered a bit of a cult-following amongst Batman fans.                    

The Mad Hatter has been portrayed by Sebastian Stan on the ABC Primetime Series Once Upon a Time.  Actor Andrew-Lee Potts played the character “Hatter” on the SyFy Mini-series “Alice”.  His characters sort of like a “Drug dealer of Human Emotions” and he is a very enjoyable interpretation of the Mad Hatter.  There are over a dozen other characters on Television series based off of “The Mad Hatter” from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”.  Not only that, but musicians have also drawn inspiration from the Mad Hatter in their music videos.  Musicians such as Tom Petty and Dero Goi of Oomph! have both dressed up as the Mad Hatter in some of their music videos.

All Hail, Andrew-Lee Potts!

Dero Goi of Oomph! as the Mad Hatter

Fate of the Character

     The Mad Hatter still remains in Wonderland to this day.  He in the March Hare are forever trapped at 6:00 forever at Tea Party that will never end.