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An attempt to rewrite DaVinci's Notebook to become a Paul and Storm article.
'snot done.
Contents |
Paul and Storm
 | |
| Origins | Arlington, VA |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Comedy rock |
| Members | Paul Sabourin Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo |
| Discography | Opening Band (2005) News to Us (2006) Gumbo Pants (2007) Do You Like Star Wars? (2010) Ball Pit (2014) |
| Producer | N/A |
Paul and Storm are a comedic musical duo, consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. The duo has contributed the songs Ballad of The Sneak and Theme from Stinkoman to Homestar Runner.
Sabourin and DiCostanzo are former members of a cappella comedy music group DaVinci's Notebook, where they performed alongside Bernie Muller-Thym and Richard Hsu. The group was active from 1994 through 2004.
Contributions to Homestar Runner
Although it is a point of contention which band member first discovered homestarrunner.com, DaVinci's Notebook became fans of the site after seeing a 
content warning July 4, 2001 post on Memepool.com. Paul used his "mad Interwebs stalking skills and a phone book" to get in touch with The Brothers Chaps — finding Don Chapman's information through a WHOIS search and eventually convincing the brothers to come see a DaVinci's Notebook performance in Atlanta. Remarking that "it was early enough in their career that they were more flattered than creeped out when I tracked them down," a friendship was born.
"Ballad of The Sneak"
The Brothers Chaps asked DaVinci's Notebook to write a theme song for The Sneak. Aside from describing it as the Old-Timey version of The Skate Party's The Cheat Theme Song, The Brothers Chaps gave free rein in the songwriting.
Storm drove the direction, structure, and writing process, and passed lyrics back and forth with Paul (mostly over email). The line "The Cheat, The Cheat" from the original song was used as a starting point, and the song structure roughly follows the original. The chronological inconsistencies (references to Tammany Hall, the Hully Gully, the Kaiser, prohibition, etc.) were, for the most part, intentional; partly to keep with the overall feel The Brothers Chaps had established with the toons, and partly to see if people would point them out. The trumpet instrumental at the one-minute mark was originally made for a previous Paul and Storm project that similarly used an old-timey style.
Paul did much of the vocals and recording on a Gateway 2000 PC. A long Christmas wrapping paper tube was used to make it sound like it was being sung from a megaphone. Storm recalls that they finished fairly quickly; though they worked on it in between a lot of other projects and tours over a month, the actual work time was only a handful of hours. Paul and Storm gave no input on the animation; even the random sound effects were added mainly to see what visuals The Brothers Chaps would create to accompany them. The "Ballad of The Sneak" toon appeared on the Homestar Runner site about a month after the song was completed.
Paul and Storm consider "Ballad of The Sneak" to be inadvertently the first "Paul and Storm" song, as the other two members of DVN had no involvement in its production. It was later released on the Paul and Storm compilation EP Shame and Cookie Dough. When rereleased on Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 1 in 2020, the song is credited to "Paul & Storm" rather than "Da Vinci's Notebook".
"Theme from Stinkoman"
A theme song for Stinkoman was briefly played at Georgia Tech in 2007, remarked as being from "The guys from DaVinci's Notebook [...] the same guys who did this cartoon called 'The Ballad of the Sneak' on the website". The full song would not be released until 2020, first on Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 2 and then in the Stinkoman 20X6 Intro Cinematic later that year; both releases credit the song to "Paul & Storm".
Other work with The Brothers Chaps
The Brothers Chaps also helped with animation, writing, and voice work for Paul and Storm's 2014 parody holiday special "The Paul and Storm Nondenominational Perennial Holiday Special".
Matt Chapman also appeared onstage at their shows to perform such songs as Trogdor and the Strong Badia National Anthem.
Dragon Con 2008
Strong Bad introduced Paul and Storm at Dragon Con 2008:
STRONG BAD: Ladies and gentlemen! Klingons and Daleks! Bobas and {disappointed} Jangos. B-list celebrities and their entourages of hangers-on! I am called Strong Bad! I urge you to take a moment, put down that vinyl bust or that pewter figurine you're thinking of buying, and give a warm, sweaty welcome to Stormy Paul and the Forecasts! ...What? Paul and Storm? Well that's a huge waste of one cool name and one Paul name. I'm outta here. Anyways, give it up for Paul and Storm.
External links
- Paul and Storm
- Paul and Storm walk through "The Ballad of the Sneak" on the podcast "Come On, Fhqwhpods"
- DaVinci's Notebook (archived)
209 Seconds (Rough Estimate)
(The entirety of 160 Seconds, but with "160" in the intro replaced with "209")
4 branches: HOMESTAR: Chinese b-
the chair: STRONG BAD: Class!
what i want: MARZIPAN: Forgettably precious.
looking old: MARZIPAN: Up to your chin right
strong badathlon: STRONG BAD: To the wrong athletes
unnatural: STRONG BAD: Kill him? STRONG SAD: We do-
the movies: HOMESTAR: -tuce. Throw
your funeral: HOMESTAR: Abraham Lincoln
from work: HOMESTAR: -veges. It helps
rough copy: STRONG SAD: -tellectual property.
underlings: STRONG BAD: Get Mrs. Hard-
more armies: HOMESTAR: Saaay
the paper: STRONG BAD: Doesn't quite
mini-golf: STRONG BAD: In this infernal pl-
concert: STRONG BAD: Nope. They're a
hygiene: STRONG BAD: No matter what he does.
original: BUBS: B'zuh!
bike thief: STRONG BAD: Side of this couch
pizza joint: MAN IN PIZZA COSTUME: It burns!
slumber party: STRONG BAD: Can you guys start
web comics: TAKE DAGGER: Hiya
business trip: THE KING OF TOWN: Units? STRONG BAD: What
yes wrestling: HOMESTAR: The power... of
diorama: STRONG BAD: -lupe Hidalgo
nightlife: HOMESTAR RUNNER: More...more
environment: STRONG BAD: -pliant sticker!
winter pool: HOMESTAR: You're such a good
fan club: STRONG BAD: (screams)
pet show: HOMESTAR: Potion. A taste
licensed: (Strong Bad slides) STRONG BAD: What's
buried: BUBS: Is! STRONG SAD: Uh
shapeshifter: COACH Z: Coming to your concession
rated: BUBS: Bake sale!
specially marked: (The Deleted buzzer, and a message reading "SBEMAIL 194 IS NOT INCLUDED BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A 194th SECOND")
love poems: HOMESTAR: Apples!
hiding: STRONG BAD: Coma!
your edge: STRONG BAD: Where'd you check?
magic trick: STRONG BAD: But now, not only does
being mean: HUNGRY SHARK: Makes me wanna
email thunder: (Strong Bad runs out of Homestar's computer room)
hremail3184: COACH Z: Bad! I was gonna
imaginary: LIL' STRONG BAD: -ti! I'd like you to meet
independent: STRONG BAD: Solid gold sc-
dictionary: STRONG BAD: To Z
videography: STRONG BAD: (chuckles)
sbemail206: ANNOUNCER: For all your consummate
too cool: STRONG BAD: Mysteriously with no return
The Next April Fools Thing: STRONG BAD: -low lives, and this
parenting: THE KING OF TOWN: I've got this seven-
Alternate HRWiki
1936
While Homestar and his friends have nearly limitless potential for innovation and originality, it is sometimes enjoyable to stretch in a new direction. One can only assume it was on a flight of whimsy that the Chapman Brothers decided to transport the characters to an entirely different time: to 1936, to be precise. Homestar, and Flash animation, didn't exist in 1936, of course, but the 1936 cartoons provide a charming take on what the results may have looked like if they did exist at that time. The cartoons are dreadfully accurate caricatures, parodying both the plain-faced surrealism of 1930s animation, as well as the blandness of the earliest depictions of Homestar and his co-stars.
The cartoons bear all of the hallmarks of 1930s animation. They are displayed in black and white, and the screen is marked with lines simulating scratches on the film negative. The soundtrack scratches and groans on its ancient sound system. Animation cels shift unsteadily against the background. These features are all cosmetic, however. The true triumph of the 1936 cartoons is their accurate portrayal of the mien of the cartoons of the day.
The 1936 cartoons take place in that romantic late-Depression era that typifies the 1930s in most modern viewers' minds. It is a world of dirt roads, picket fences, carnival tents and antiquated Industrial Revolution-era factories, stretching as far as the eye can see. The plots seem to go nowhere, and the jokes are not, by design, funny. The characters are designed to be simplistic, but at the same time suffer a slight unnerving vulgarity that is difficult to place, but definitely exists nonetheless. Another nice touch is the deliberately poor editing; it is virtually impossible to tell where two characters are in relation to one another unless they are occupying the same frame. The voices, as with the old days, are either so stiffly delivered or so zestfully over-the-top that they can never reconcile with the bland, featureless characters. It would be interesting for future 1936 cartoons to attempt to emulate the fluid, intensely spatial chaos of the Fleischer Brothers cartoons of the period, but bearing in mind the low frame-rate of Flash animation, it seems unlikely. A final link to the past is the banal but nearly sadistic portrayal of violence and death as everyday occurrences. These depictions are far too simple to be gratuitous, of course, but the underlying morbidity is simultaneously unsettling and farcical.
The first 1936 cartoons were a series of two-reelers starring a prototypical Homestar. All of these cartoons are virtually identical, save the last few seconds. Each cartoon ends with a gag that, like the real two-reelers, is not funny in the slightest, except in the fact that it depicts something that cannot be done in the real world. The gags are all incoherent, and while some of them are patently the product of modern minds, many of them come hauntingly close to the low-tech abnormalities in the early Laugh-o-Grams. It is difficult to believe that cartoons were once like this, and the parody merely portrays them for what they are, rather than exploiting them, which makes the humour that much richer. After the two-reelers, the 1936 series moved to full-length "talkies" and has continued in that vein ever since.
The characters, as noted above, are mostly portrayed as throwbacks to their earliest incarnations, with a mix of 1930s sensibilities. The result is a gamut of characters that are recognizable, but only just. The nominal main character is, of course, the Homestar Runner (note that he retains the original "the" preceding his name). His curved lower lip, shapeless body and spindly legs hearken to his earliest designs. Even his star is amateurishly skewed. If the early Homestar was a rather bland and unsympathetic character, his 1936 version is even more so. The Homestar Runner maintains a facial expression so utterly, apathetically vacuous that he barely seems to have any neurological activity whatsoever. His voice is realized with a muted, side-of-the-mouth delivery that lacks any sort of conviction, or even enthusiasm. Whatever he does, the Homestar Runner seems to be merely going through the motions. This, of course, makes it doubly hilarious that the Homestar Runner is the appointed hero of the day, despite the fact that he does absolutely nothing towards any sort of goal. He is the hero for no other reason than the fact that he is written as such.
If the Homestar Runner lacks personality, the same cannot be said about 1936's version of Strong Bad (who has also been referred to as "The Strong Bad", "Sir Strong Bad" and "Uncle Strong Bad"). While the Homestar Runner is the "good guy" by default, Strong Bad is a deliciously realized character. He constantly schemes and plots to do away with the Homestar Runner for once and for all, even though, of course, he has no real reason to. Like his modern counterpart, Strong Bad is very dialogue-based. However, while the modern Strong Bad is disreputable in an ill-educated manner, his 1936 version is disreputable in a cultured and sophisticated manner. 1936's Strong Bad is a very educated villain, and his old school accent and cadence remind the audience of the "cad" and "scoundrel" types of the Hollywood pictures of the day. Finishing this image, Strong Bad sports a well-groomed (and oiled) head of centre-parted hair and a handlebar moustache to match. There are some remnants of his old design (specifically, his much smaller gloves and simpler mask design), but the 1936 Strong Bad emerges as his own character more than any other. Villains in the old theatrical cartoons were usually more enjoyable than their heroic foils, and this case is no different.
Both the Homestar Runner and Strong Bad have a set of allies that would have presumably been intended to increase the variety of the cast but in fact do nothing more than swell the ranks. In the Homestar Runner's camp are analogues of Marzipan and Pom Pom. 1936 Marzipan has none of her modern version's characterization; she is merely a vaguely feminine lump who stands around in awe (we presume; these characters do not emote in the slightest) of the Homestar Runner's questionable nobility. Her voice is as light and inconsequential as her personality. Marzipan sports pigtails and a slightly more human form, an echo of early character designs that were long discarded. Her essential sweetness, however, is slightly offset by her protruding upper row of teeth. Pom Pom's apparition is known as Fat Dudley, and looks rather like him, albeit with clothes, shoes, gloves and a hat. While Fat Dudley is nowhere near as intelligent and perceptive as Pom Pom, he at least appears to have a halfway clue regarding the current goings-on, which is much more than anybody could say about the Homestar Runner. It is often after Fat Dudley's prompting that Homestar actually makes the appearance of preparing to do something, anything. Without Fat Dudley, the Homestar Runner would be almost incapable of doing anything. An odd note is that Fat Dudley's voice is not the subtle bubbling sound of Pom Pom's voice, but rather a vocalized "Bub bub bub bub" which sounds curiously like scat.
The Strong Bad counts two villains, Strong Man and The Sneak, as his allies. Strong Man is of course 1936's answer to Strong Mad. While his design is subtly different from Strong Mad's, Strong Man is more of a caricature of Strong Mad than anything else. While Strong Mad is largely defined by his physical presence, Strong Man is nothing but physical presence. He never does anything towards aiding Strong Bad's schemes beyond lurking in the background and growling inarticulately. Comically, even when the plan involves feats of strength or fighting skills, Strong Man still does absolutely nothing but stand around, while Strong Bad does all of the work himself! The utter worthlessness of the character is richly comic, but it is so subtle that most audiences do not initially notice. True to his name, Strong Man dresses in the style of a circus strongman, with an off-the-shoulder leotard and a perpetual barbell in his hand. The final member of the triumvirate of villains is The Sneak. The Sneak retains all of The Cheat's rodent nature and none of his appeal. Instead, he is a grotesque little creature with a drooping snout, upturned fangs, coarse fur, claws and a rat's tail. A subtle touch is that The Sneak crawls around on all fours rather than walking upright, making him look less anthropomorphic (and thus less personable) and more animalistic. Like the Homestar Runner, The Sneak's reputation is far more impressive than anything he does on the screen is. Tales fly of The Sneak's dastardly deeds, villainy the likes of which not even Strong Bad can compare. However, virtually all The Sneak does when the audience actually sees him is stand around blankly, occasionally rushing off for some off-screen thievery at Strong Bad's behest. Strong Bad seems to appreciate The Sneak's presence, but what sort of asset the little rodent could possibly provide remains to be seen. The comedy of the situation of course is that Strong Bad benefits not one whit from the presence of his companions, but they are forcibly inserted into his scenes by the 1936 animators simply because it is felt that it must be that way.
The rest of Free Country's citizens have made their appearances in 1936, but are noticeably less recognizable. Perhaps the most notable is Sickly Sam, the 1936 analogue to Strong Sad. While Strong Sad is routinely mistreated by his fellows, Sickly Sam seems to be hated by the entire universe. Rather than retaining Strong Sad's portly form, Sickly Sam is an emaciated skeleton, a potato sack pitifully wrapped around his midsection. All Sickly Sam desires is a modicum of comfort and nourishment, which his fellows casually, and offhandedly, refuse him. Thus repudiated, Sickly Sam then proceeds to "die", disappearing in a cloud of cadaverous dust. However, he somehow returns in every episode, only to once again be refused and die, trapped for eternity in an endless cycle of pain and rejection. Presumably the 1936 animators expected the audience to find this hilarious.
1936's Bubs has yet to receive a proper name. Bubs' form is recognizably similar, but with a few changed details: his eyes are hidden by dark glasses, his teeth are crooked and rounded, and his hands are contained in gloves with a full number of fingers. However, there are far fewer differences between the two versions of Bubs than between the rest of the characters. Bubs is still a merchant (albeit at a market rather than a concession stand) and still shows all the signs of being generally friendly and helpful. Strengthening the connection, 1936 Bubs even shows proficiency with musical instruments. The main difference is that this version of Bubs sports a wooden leg and is presumably blind, which rather diminishes his ability to be helpful to the endeavours of Homestar and friends. Also, 1936's Bubs forgoes his traditionally loud and rich voice in favour of a hoarse, pitiful whisper. Despite the differences, Bubs plays a part very similar to his regular role, if a rather muted one.
Extremely minor roles are given to the rest of the characters. 1936's Coach Z is depicted as a 1930s style varsity quarterback. While there are changes to his uniform (and his face sports the old-fashion "Coke bottle" eyes), the character's mien and voice are instantly recognizable. However, the character has yet to be given any sort of role in the proceedings. A rather curious character is The Kaiser of Town, presumably a stock villain held over from cartoons produced during the First World War. Like the King of Town, on whom he is based, the Kaiser is little more than a fat buffoon who is the constant target of pranks and misfortune, although the Kaiser has only appeared infrequently. The Kaiser's features are more delicate and refined than the King, and he wears the traditional pointed helmet in the place of a crown, but the resemblance cannot be denied. Whether or not the Kaiser shares the King's other traits, like a flighty nature and deep love of food is impossible to tell from his few brief appearances. It is presumed that a rather different villain took over the Kaiser's role a few years later. One of the Kaiser's appearances saw him loafing rather nonchalantly in the fires of Hell, which was staffed by a devilish version of The Poopsmith. The Poopsmith/Devil is virtually identical to his predecessor, save the obvious additions of horns, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork replacing the customary shovel. The character has only appeared once, leaving the audience to dwell on the symbolism, intended or unintended, of a handler of waste and refuse being incarnated as a handler of the souls of the damned. As it stands, all of the main characters have made at least brief appearances in 1936, except for Homsar.
A few minor characters also boast their own versions of 1936 characters. The Announcer has been incarnated as all three members of DaVinci's Notebook, a singing trio with barbershop-like harmonies. So rudimentary is the Announcer's design that there is virtually no difference between himself and the singers, although they are cultured in a very American way, rather than in a British way like the Announcer.
Marshie's analogue is perhaps the closest there has ever been to an original character in the 1936 oeuvre, for Mr. Shmallow is utterly unlike Marshie in every conceivable way. Unlike Marshie, Mr. Shmallow is a rather dignified marshmallow, and is dressed in a top hat and monocle reminiscent of Mr. Peanut. While Marshie always occupies the manic energy of his commercials and drives himself insane with exuberance, Mr. Shmallow is rather more like the eye of a hurricane, hardly batting an eye at the bizarre and grotesque goings-on in his commercials and speaking in a clipped and refined voice. If Mr. Shmallow indeed has a flaw, it is the unfortunate fact that commercial messages became commonplace in the 1950s, and his huckstering of "Fluffy Puff Air-Puffed Sugar Delights" seem like too much of a distracting anachronism in 1936.
