Psycho Beach: A Digital Rock Opera
We made a 3-minute digital rock opera for the Baltimore Rock Opera Society’s Online Opera Series (OOPS). I could explain it to you, but I think just copying our notes in will give you a more interesting scope.
PSYCHO BEACH! A delightfully uncomfortable comedy/slasher that focuses on the short but intense emotional evolution of a panicked maniac.
by PATTERSON TRASH
Musical score written, performed, and recorded by the members of Patterson Trash
With additional vocal performances by Jenny Durkin
Produced and directed by Derek Vaughan Brown
Editing and Special Effects by Derek Vaughan Brown
Scopes head constructed by Jenny Durkin
Public domain footage from the Prelinger Archives include clips from the following films:
“Beauties on the Beach” 1950 by Almanac Films
“Beach Bathers” ~1920 by unknown film maker
“The Strange Ones” 1957 by Davis (Sid) Productions
“Driving the Super Highways” 1960 by Ford
“Fish From Hell” 1945 by Marine Pictures
Summary
The instrumentation in SCOPES is the heartbeat of our protagonist, a maniac who has just recently discovered his love of murder while vacationing to the beach with his family.
Requirements
3-Minutes in Length
Contains a Score of Original Music
Contains Discernable Characters
Song Parts/Themes
Verse (~30 seconds). Holding it all together and barely playing it cool.
Often serves to calm things down before building them back up again.
Evolves into a dooba dooba dooba dooba.
Creates a great deal of tension between explosions.
Solo (~10 seconds). Complete instrumental madness. Follows the same chords as the verse. The 2018 version has great solos, and I’d love to match that evil, menacing energy that crashes through.
Chorus (~20 seconds). Instrumental explosion of madness, bright exhilaration, and pleasure.This is a fantastic feeling, although it stems from a recently discovered murder fetish. Despite this section being bright, catchy, and poppy, it should have an eerie, off-tune kind’ve ambience looming behind it. “We’re going to the beach yeah, everything is great, one more time, to the beach, yeah! Everything is great!”
Finale/Bridge (~10 seconds). A car chase that ends with a fatal car crash. Synthesized by crashing drums, snare-hit gunshots, and sliding strings. An adaptation of SOLOS, but ends with a huge explosion before chirping static.
Characters
A Panicked Maniac (Derek Vaughan Brown)
The Homicidal Harmony in His Head (Derek Vaughan Brown)
Scopes Guy (Andrew McVey, voiced by Derek Vaughan Brown)
Scopes Guy’s Girlfriend (Jenny Durkin)
Worcester Police Officer. (Voiced by Derek Vaughan Brown)
Arrangement
INTRO. Kick drum, no instruments. Vocals begin at: “Oh my gosh, he’s dead!”
~00:00 - 00:05
VERSE 01. Scopes pitch/utter punchy violence/ calm stirring / wild guilt and contemplation
~00:05 - 00:30
SOLO. The plan is seen through to perfection in this silent-film horrifying instrumental
~00:30 - 00:40
VERSE 02. The calmness of victory lasts only moments before a cadre of girls comes skipping down the beach. One asks: Have you seen my boyfriend? Maniac thinks about killing her, but lies well enough that they skip off down the beach.
~00:40 - 01:10
CHORUS. The girls sing a song “we’re going to the beach, yeah, everything is great!” and the maniac joins in, giggling at his smooth victory. Sweet 4-part vocal harmonies.
~01:10 - 01:30
SOLO. This section has no words, but the menacing tones match the mania from before, and the audience can assume that the maniac murders all of them as well.
~01:30 - 01:40
VERSE 03. Pulled over the police, whom he also smooth talks.
~ 01:40 - 02:10
CHORUS. Gosh, life is great, I just got away with multiple murder. Choir of ghosts.
~02:10 - 02:30
SOLO x2. BUT THEN! “Actually, sir, can you hang on just one minute…” Double madness ensues as the car screeches off, gunshots are fired, and a crazy car chase scene ensues.
~02:30 - 02:50
CAR CRASH. The solo devolves into a clunkering cluster of madness and then explodes, perhaps literally, as our maniac crashes and dies.
~02:50 - 03:00
Lyrics & Dialogue
INTRO. Ext Ocean City Beach, panning
CONCERNED FEMALE VOICE: Wait… What’s that… out there in the water?
FRIGHTENED MALE VOICE: … Oh my gosh, they’re dead!
VERSE 01. Ext Ocean City Beach: MANIAC relaxing in a sun chair just enjoying himself with his vague family unit.
SCOPES GUY: Ohey, bro, would you like to buy some scopes?
MANIAC: No, thank you, we’re doing just fine… just relaxing on the beach with the family.
SCOPES GUY: It’s a great way to remember your trip though, dude, uh... sir.
MANIAC: Do you know how I would like to remember my trip?
MANIAC: In red!!!!!
VOICE: Kill him!
MANIAC: I should, shouldn’t I…
VOICE: Stuff rocks in his pants, he’ll just sink right down to the bottom of the ocean.
MANIAC: No one would find him then.
VOICE: And if you cut him up a little bit, the blood will draw sharks to take care of the remains.
MANIAC: Cackles maniacally. The solo happens the whole time he’s laughing.
SOLO. JUST LAUGHING THE WHOLE TIME UNDER EVIL GUITAR SOLO.
VERSE 02. Ext Ocean City Beach: MANIAC relaxing in a sun chair just enjoying himself with his vague family unit.
SCOPES GIRL. Ohey, have you seen my boyfriend around, he’s a scopes guy, dark hair, wears a lot of sunscreen?…?
MANIAC. Actually, I h-have seen him, I mean, I h-haven’t seen him. No. I mean, he went...
SCOPES GIRL. (Cuts him off) -Oh well, he must be… meeting us at the beach.
MANIAC. Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, he’s definitely going to meet you down there.
SCOPES GIRL. (Sings Over Him) -Oh, yeah … tell me where could that boy be?
SCOPES GIRL. Oh, oh, boy I’m running, running down the beach!
SCOPES GIRL. Oo, woo, woo, woo, woo, running down the beach!
CHORUS. (SCOPES GIRL and chorus of friends shimmy off down the beach.)
MANIAC. Oh, oh, hey hey, mama, he’s meeting you at the beach!
MANIAC. Oh, hold up now baby, I’m dreamin of psycho beach! (Harmony)
SOLO. This section has no words, but the menacing tones match the mania from before, and the audience can assume that the maniac murders all of them as well.
~01:30 - 01:40
VERSE 03.
VOICE. You know, you’re not really off to a great start.
MANIAC. What do you mean? I thought that was a pretty slick lie… Did you see? They just went off running down the beach...
VOICE. Yeah, but, uh... what happens when they get down there, and there’s no boyfriend
MANIAC. Well, I, uh, I guess…
VOICE. I, uh, I guess you need to kill’em
MANIAC. You mean chase after them? Down the beach? Right now?
VOICE. What. Would that be…
MANIAC...Crazy…?
VOICE...Crazy…?
MANIAC. Well, but...it would be kinda fun though…
MANIAC. Cackles.
CHORUS.
MANIAC & CHORUS. Hey Mamma, we’re headin home from the beach
MANIAC & CHORUS. Yeah, yeah, yeah baby, getting chased by police, yeah, yeah, one more time.
SOLO x2. BUT THEN! “Actually, sir, can you hang on just one minute…” Double madness ensues as the car screeches off, gunshots are fired, and a crazy car chase scene ensues.
~02:30 - 02:50
CAR CRASH. The solo devolves into a clunkering cluster of madness and then explodes, perhaps literally, as our maniac crashes and dies.
~02:50 - 03:00