Michael Jackson in Rifts or Pre rifts music & You

[keir451]

So your character has just come across the 2098 version of an MP# player (or other such device) that has all of MJ's music plus every slice of music from Mozart to Alien Ant Farm (and many, many, more).
What do you do w/it? Feel free to be as wacky as you want.

[taalismn]

I have to admit; the title of your posting horrified and revolted me, with sudden images of MJ emerging as a zombie to the strains of 'THriller', to visit his evil upon my Rifts.
Please don't do that again.

But to keep it on-topic; should 'Thriller' actually summon MJ, I shall subject the player and the immediate vicinity of it to a tactical nuclear strike, even if I have to personally contact the CS via Magic Pigeon and guide in the missile strike on my own position. I shall purge it with fire, and the limb of mine I used holding it, then possibly purge the rest of myself with fire, or by repeatedly hitting myself with a Holy Weapon(if that is not possible, I shall pick a fight with a congregation of demonhunters and priests militant to get them to do it for me).

[Bood Samel]

I used to have an NPC I would post about years ago MC Cyber Snatcha, complete with lyrics. He was a chi-town burbs cyber snatcher and MC that had to flee the area right before the siege on tolkeen and made it to Juarez. From there he made connections between his old gang in the burbs and pecos bandits. I described his music as a mix between the flow of rapper Thirstin' Howl -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQAAqqCU ... re=related
and beats along the lines of the digital hardcore style of atari teen age riot-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkb3r9filcM

In my games this mix of indie hip-hop and digital hardcore is popular with city rats and younger bandits whom I depict as having a style that a mix between squatter kids and hip-hop.

I'd imagine out in wastelands there'd be music along the lines of crash worship, who were this crazy squatter tribal percussion orchestra-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq5RamhrN2s
I got to see them play once, one of the best shows I ever saw.

I think people in rifts trade music. I make music myself primarily with editing field recordings, lots of sampling and I mostly do it with laptops, so I imagine doing so in rifts would be pretty easy. A lot of the material in this song was recorded in an abandoned warehouse when the photos used in the video were taken. The drumming in it was mostly us banging on old pipes and what have you inside the building-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pd071wFiKU


In rifts people on the road a lot who are concerned with music I'd imagine probably record regional music they encounter and trade it with people. I've always assumed that the optics in fully environmental armor could record video and sound. Adventurers, Mercs, etc. would be the primary spreaders of music and other types of culture through out rifts.

[drewkitty ~..~]

*chuckles at the first thought that came to mind*
With the coming of the rifts the amount of magic in the air did revive some of the restless spirits. On of them being MJ and he comes back as a sentient Zombie. However, he is stuck street performing "thriller" every night.

[taalismn]

*chuckles at the first thought that came to mind*
With the coming of the rifts the amount of magic in the air did revive some of the restless spirits. On of them being MJ and he comes back as a sentient Zombie. However, he is stuck street performing "thriller" every night.

'Sentient'...hmmmm...which would allow him to realize the existentalist trap of being stuck doing his old routines....FOR ETERNITY!!! BWHHAAHHAHHHAHHHAAA!!!!

[Balabanto]

See, I would run this a little differently.

Since the Coalition coopts everything, they REWRITE his songs as human supremacist drivel. Not that they weren't drivel in the first place, but you know, garbage in, garbage out.

Then Michael Jackson rises from the grave to seek one thriller of a revenge!

Do your PC's help the Coalition? Or do they help (Shudder) Michael Jackson the zombie.

Prosek's mouth is big!
His army too,
Better watch your mouth!
Or we'll censor you!
The word is out!
He never lied!
Prosek's the king
Of Xenocide!

When you're looking for an army
And they're dressed up like the dead!
You're gonna have to fight some real ones!
Can't wait to take your head!

Because I'm dead!
I'm dead,
I'm really, really dead!
I'm dead, I'm dead! You know it!
You know I'm dead!
I'm dead!
I'm really, really dead!
And I'll rip off your body parts one at a time
Let me tell you once again,
Who's dead!

[taalismn]

I'm afraid I'd have to side with the Coalition on this one.

[keir451]

See, I would run this a little differently.

Since the Coalition coopts everything, they REWRITE his songs as human supremacist drivel. Not that they weren't drivel in the first place, but you know, garbage in, garbage out.

Then Michael Jackson rises from the grave to seek one thriller of a revenge!

Do your PC's help the Coalition? Or do they help (Shudder) Michael Jackson the zombie.

Prosek's mouth is big!
His army too,
Better watch your mouth!
Or we'll censor you!
The word is out!
He never lied!
Prosek's the king
Of Xenocide!

When you're looking for an army
And they're dressed up like the dead!
You're gonna have to fight some real ones!
Can't wait to take your head!

Because I'm dead!
I'm dead,
I'm really, really dead!
I'm dead, I'm dead! You know it!
You know I'm dead!
I'm dead!
I'm really, really dead!
And I'll rip off your body parts one at a time
Let me tell you once again,
Who's dead!

That was "bad, really, really bad".
But aside from MJ what other groups/artists do you use and how does it affect things if at all?

[taalismn]

Lady Gaga...as evidence that there were d-bees on Earth even before the Rifts.

[taalismn]

I have a Mystic Ninja that collects pre-rifts music, movies and books. She breaks out in song on occasion and the rest of her Merc company looks at her like she's crazy.

"Okay. so maybe Tears for Fears' 'Shout' wasn't the best song to sing aloud to myself when we were setting an ambush?"

[Snake Eyes]

You went there didn't you.......

[taalismn]

You went there didn't you.......

Hell no; I hum show tunes to myself to drown out the commercial jingles in my head....

[drewkitty ~..~]

You wouldn't have those Jingles in your head if you didn't watch the mind blending Hypno-Tube.

[keir451]

I have a Mystic Ninja that collects pre-rifts music, movies and books. She breaks out in song on occasion and the rest of her Merc company looks at her like she's crazy.

"Okay. so maybe Tears for Fears' 'Shout' wasn't the best song to sing aloud to myself when we were setting an ambush?"

Or the Isley Brothers "You make me wanna shout"..." "A little bit louder now!"

[dark brandon]

depending on who I was playing.

If I'm looking to do fast money, I'd take it to a city state and sell it to a promising entrepreneur to re-mass market it. The more music (and type) the more I'd ask for it. Punk/metal music I'd defiantly sell higher because I know there'd be a want for it (Juicers and crazies would love it).

If I want to make serious cash and willing to invest time and money into it, I'd go back listen to the music, classify it and then release my own pre-rift CD's, and begin to distribute it. Maybe even try to make a music trade agreement with CS. If I'm still an adventurer, distributing it would just happen along my travels. Go to local radio stations and entertainment venues and sell it to them.

If i have someone who can do arts and business, try and basically become a producer of music. Cover bands, or just out-right lie and claim they are original artists, and manage them. This would be least likely because this would be a game all on it's own, but if the other players wanted to do a corporate game, this would be where I would start, or just start my own radio station (depending on how much I found).

[taalismn]

You wouldn't have those Jingles in your head if you didn't watch the mind blending Hypno-Tube.

*BBBRRRRAAAMMMMPPHHHHHHHH*
"You will obey the Hypno-Toad!"
"ALL HAIL THE HYPNO-TOAD!"

[Snake Eyes]

You went there didn't you.......

Hell no; I hum show tunes to myself to drown out the commercial jingles in my head....

[Vrykolas2k]

Erase MJ.

[Bood Samel]

When this topic comes up people never really stop to think about what music would be made by people in rifts, which always gets on my nerves a bit. The majority of posters on here over the years tend not to know a lot about music beyond top 40 stuff and major label bands, which I guess limits peoples ability to think about the topic.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Just like today, I would expect the music of the time to be "All over the Place".

[taalismn]

When this topic comes up people never really stop to think about what music would be made by people in rifts, which always gets on my nerves a bit. The majority of posters on here over the years tend not to know a lot about music beyond top 40 stuff and major label bands, which I guess limits peoples ability to think about the topic.

Ugh! How say Tal not know much music!? Music Loud Noise! LOUD NOISE!!! Bang rocks together! Make Rock Music! Bang heads together! Make Head Bang Music! You got good head! Maybe make loud music! Hey, come back here!

No, seriously, post-Rifts music is going to be return to folk art origins, using instruments that can be easily put together from non-strategic resources, and played on occasions when it isn't going to draw the attention of enemies/predators...like when you're safely behind a town's walls. Choral music too, if you can get people together to practice, and help cement community bonds.
Interestingly enough, with the proliferation of cybernetics and bionics, there's going to be a lot of experimentation with vocalization....a cyborg with an adjustable voicebox is going to find himself or herself asked to play a variety of voice roles(like the opposite gender) or psuedo-instrumental roles in music("Can you whistle like a slide trombone, mister Chrome?").
There's going to be a fair share of d-bee influences, too. And traveling minstrels are back in vogue.

Subjects? The blues, sure, but people are looking to escape, so there's going to be folksy upbeat stuff, and informative narrative song too...epic poetry set to song. Stuff along the lines of 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald', but also commemorating persons, battles, places, etc....

[dark brandon]

Get the MJ cd, find a very charismatic flooper.

Make new king of Pop.

[taalismn]

Get the MJ cd, find a very charismatic flooper.

Make new king of Pop.

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS!!! HIS ICON SHOULD WARN YOU OF THE TRUE AGENDA BEHIND THIS INSIDIOUS PLAN!!!!!

[calto40k]

Lady Gaga...as evidence that there were d-bees on Earth even before the Rifts.

lol that just made me punch the screen

[taalismn]

Lady Gaga...as evidence that there were d-bees on Earth even before the Rifts.

lol that just made me punch the screen

Not too hard, I hope.
I refuse liability for either your computer monitor or your fist.

[dark brandon]

When this topic comes up people never really stop to think about what music would be made by people in rifts, which always gets on my nerves a bit. The majority of posters on here over the years tend not to know a lot about music beyond top 40 stuff and major label bands, which I guess limits peoples ability to think about the topic.

I imagine it would be as eclectic as it is today.

[Saitou Hajime]

I have a Mystic Ninja that collects pre-rifts music, movies and books. She breaks out in song on occasion and the rest of her Merc company looks at her like she's crazy.

Are we talking full J-pop here?


*Saitou Hajime wonders if there ever been a Shinobi band in Japan*

[Bood Samel]

I do think that various strains of folk music would be big, with lots of regional varieties.

[Balabanto]

Half the fun of Pre-Rifts music is failing your roll to identify it with the Anthropology Skill

This could be extremely painful for people who are making the roll with bands like REM and Notorious BIG. I'll leave the rest to your already pained imaginations.

[keir451]

Half the fun of Pre-Rifts music is failing your roll to identify it with the Anthropology Skill

This could be extremely painful for people who are making the roll with bands like REM and Notorious BIG. I'll leave the rest to your already pained imaginations.

GM: "Roll your Anthroplogy to identify this song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gKhqU4mhSc"
Rogue Scientist: *sound of percentiles rolling* "I rolled a 60%vs my skill of 35%"
Gm: "You think this another of those songs by Michael Jackson or maybe it was Aerosmith?"
Gm:*In graveyard somewhere a headstone reads, Steven Tyler- lead singer of Aerosmith (yadda, yadda)* The ground at the base of the tombstone erupts as the skeletal hand of Steve Tyler thrusts upwards..."
Juicer's player to Rogue Scientsit player: "Dude you are soooooo screwed. Steven Tyler is sooo gonna pown your @$$ ."

[Balabanto]

Could be worse:

GM: Roll to identify this song (Failure)

Player: What song is it?

GM: "It's the End of the World as we know it!"

Player: !@#$$!!. This great psychic wrote of the might of Lenny Bruce, a hero of the people who would one day battle the creatures that poured forth from the rifts, with a rabbit by his side. So great was his telekinesis that he could cause earthquakes, so great his mind that he could improve morale just by thinking!

[calto40k]

Could be worse:

GM: Roll to identify this song (Failure)

Player: What song is it?

GM: "It's the End of the World as we know it!"

Player: !@#$$!!. This great psychic wrote of the might of Lenny Bruce, a hero of the people who would one day battle the creatures that poured forth from the rifts, with a rabbit by his side. So great was his telekinesis that he could cause earthquakes, so great his mind that he could improve morale just by thinking!

another screen punchingly good one here

[Balabanto]

Heh. The Cult of CNR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnapb-30hA

[Fyrpower]

Michael Jackson in Rifts, wow, all I can say is keep your d-bee children away from Neverland that's all I can say..sorry that was a bit below the belt but I couldn't resist!

[calto40k]

poor little D-Bees first it was uncle bad touch prosek now mj