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Today’s Strangest SPIDER-MAN Story! Details Leaked On The Julie Taymor/U2 Musical!

First by ECUPirate71	Apr 16th, 2007 09:59:38 PM
Oh yeah!!!
Celtic & Balkan style... by LUZER	Apr 16th, 2007 09:59:39 PM
STRAIGHT FROM THE PAGES OF MARVLEL!
I am more excited about this than Spider-Man 3 by OnomatoPoet	Apr 16th, 2007 09:59:46 PM
Anything this bizarre deserves my money.
by one second by ECUPirate71	Apr 16th, 2007 10:00:20 PM
I am proud. Plus, I agree that U2 rocks.
... by LUZER	Apr 16th, 2007 10:00:26 PM
...and Marvel.
WTF? by johnnykool	Apr 16th, 2007 10:01:49 PM
As long as he doesn't have flames, nipples, or jumps sharks. PS: The station I work at plays U2...I hate them with a passion at this point. OVEREXPOSURE!
DAMN YOU JULIE TAYMOR! by jabbathegriffin	Apr 16th, 2007 10:03:00 PM
Someone had to do it. Seriously though, if she's as whacked out as recent events suggest, this could be one of the most interesting train wrecks in a long time.
Spider-Man 3 by wadi77	Apr 16th, 2007 10:05:03 PM
in my country opens 3 days earlier than the US!!
Unless Kirsten Dunst is cast, this is gonna flop ! by Pound Sand	Apr 16th, 2007 10:07:12 PM
And what's a Julie Taymor?
Maybe they'll cast Kirsten dunst the fuggo and keep her by wolvenom	Apr 16th, 2007 10:07:32 PM
away from spiderman 4
THIS IS NOT A REBEL SONG! THIS IS SPIDER, BLOODY SPIDER by Pound Sand	Apr 16th, 2007 10:08:38 PM

MICHAEL FLAHERTY AS THE GREEN GOBLIN by Pound Sand	Apr 16th, 2007 10:09:37 PM

To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything. Julie Taymor? by Pound Sand	Apr 16th, 2007 10:10:40 PM
nah, that's not it either..
hmmm by maluquiro	Apr 16th, 2007 10:11:22 PM
i'm excited by new U2 music. bono is my hero.
Must have Organic Webshooters. And Jazz Hands ! by Pound Sand	Apr 16th, 2007 10:11:52 PM

seriously by maluquiro	Apr 16th, 2007 10:12:33 PM
this is awesome. it's madness. it's so weird that i can't help but be very excited.
U2 by OnomatoPoet	Apr 16th, 2007 10:12:36 PM
Perhaps I've been out of the loop for a while, but what the fuck have U2 been doing since 'Everything You Can't Leave Behind'? I love their early stuff ('Boy', 'October', 'War') and to some extent their '90s misadventures, but lately I feel like a once-great stadium band comparable to the epicness of Led Zeppelin has been arsing around like the Pope's bitch and supporting undeniably worthwhile causes yet neglecting the true rock staples of drug-induced self-destruction and wrecking of hotel rooms. With age comes grace? Tell that to Richard Harris, who told Bruce Willis to fuck off. That said, Irish punk still stirs my blood and this Taymor woman is a demented genius. Slightly off-topic but because I mentioned the sadly-deceased demigod, let's everyone raise a glass to Richard Harris, who maintained and emboldened the spirit of rock until his demise. Well done, sir.
Yeah... by Theta	Apr 16th, 2007 10:12:40 PM
Taymor is talented, but she's also profoundly pretentious and she probably should not be in charge of a Spider-Man musical, which is a a bad idea in the first place. She will NOT be satisfied with Spider-Man's pulp roots; she will want to justify doing a musical based on a comic book character in as intellectual a way as possible. This is why A) I believe this story and B) why, if we have to have a Spidey musical, that Taymor should not, ultimately, be in charge; she's still afraid about what "intellectuals" will say about her. Get Andrew Lloyd Webber; not only is he immune to criticism, his name lends itself to the bad puns a Spidey musical demands.
who cares if it's true to the roots? by maluquiro	Apr 16th, 2007 10:15:05 PM
it's a freaking spiderman musical directed by julie taymor with music written by bono and the edge. of course it's not going to be like the comic. it's gonna be awesome!
U2 by maluquiro	Apr 16th, 2007 10:17:29 PM
they did an okay album called 'how to disassemble an atomic bomb'. my favorite song on it is 'original of the species'.
TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION...good one! by Bob Cryptonight	Apr 16th, 2007 10:18:59 PM
HA! "Bug.." How fitting!
I've just remembered... by OnomatoPoet	Apr 16th, 2007 10:20:50 PM
that U2 churned out a song for Batman Forever that was infinitely better than the film. I don't give a fuck about Spider-Man but new music by U2 and more madness by Julie Taymor has me intrigued. She can be as pretentious as she likes: she made a version of Titus that was better than the fucking play. By the way, Pound Sand... thanks for making me laugh! Nicely done, sir.
Umm... by phaedrus007	Apr 16th, 2007 10:37:19 PM
Does April Fools Day fall on the 16th this year? They're kidding... right?
This has all happened before... by Lazarus Long	Apr 16th, 2007 10:47:30 PM
As a long-time U2 fan, this story has a bit of deja vu. Back in 1991 Bono and Edge composed and recorded a piece for a London stage adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, and it's one of the strangest (and coolest) things I've heard them do. If you can hunt down the CD single for The Fly off Achtung Baby you'll find it as a b-side, with the title "Alex Descends into Hell For a Bottle of Milk/Korova 1". Worth looking for. U2 aren't quite that creative or daring any more, but you never know what these guys might come up with outside the auspices of the band proper. Taymor is pretty brilliant herself, so despite how awful this sounds on paper my interest is definitely piqued.
"outside the box ideas are welcomed." by JonQuixote	Apr 16th, 2007 10:54:12 PM
Yeah, no shit.
groan by mr. brownstone	Apr 16th, 2007 10:55:07 PM
see above.
This is not bizarre enough by erikharrison	Apr 16th, 2007 10:58:09 PM
Seriously. This is a musical, it's about big gestures. Arachne certainly fits both the comic book and the musical world. Okay, U2 is a little strange, and Julie Taymor is perhaps too much style, not enough story for this kind of thing. But Glen Berger? Seriously? Underneath The Lintel Glen Berger. THAT'S bizarre.
u2 clockwork orange song... by mr. brownstone	Apr 16th, 2007 10:59:53 PM
can be found on itunes.
If you are planning on buying a ticket to this musical- by WYLD STALLYNS RULES	Apr 16th, 2007 11:03:19 PM

DON'T! by WYLD STALLYNS RULES	Apr 16th, 2007 11:03:34 PM

Sounds like its for assholes to me. by superninja	Apr 16th, 2007 11:09:41 PM
Seriously now.
Why does Spider-Man have to get his powers by superninja	Apr 16th, 2007 11:12:46 PM
from some kind of grand female archtype? Sounds like she took some women's studies class, did some drugs, and watched Spider-Man 1, in that order!
And then she promised to donate the BO sales by superninja	Apr 16th, 2007 11:13:42 PM
to 3rd world debt relief, so Bono said he would write the music.
Huh? by jimmy_009	Apr 16th, 2007 11:16:05 PM
Perhaps someone could actually explain what the article is talking about? Nothing in this post makes sense.
Webby Headed Ho by ArcadianDS	Apr 16th, 2007 11:16:49 PM
You know they want one
Julie Taymor does drugs. That sums it up, jimmy. by superninja	Apr 16th, 2007 11:21:05 PM

Arachne was in the comics. by themanwhojaped	Apr 16th, 2007 11:27:21 PM
Arachne was in the comics. It's not that amazing or weird. You can see the character profile on Marvel.com Or just wiki Julia Carpenter (comics).
Greek Choruses are Gay. by kevinwillis.net	Apr 16th, 2007 11:38:52 PM
Seriously, they are. "Also, a'Geek Chorus' consisting of 'three teenage boys and one girl' are described to 'meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories.'" Uh-huh. Sounds like "Spider-Rent".
What if it's good? by CherryValance	Apr 16th, 2007 11:43:41 PM
I mean it sounds ridiculous but it can't be worse than the movies as far as I'm concerned. As I was reading the article it didn't seem so bad actually. And besides I liked Titus and Frida and was impressed with the Across the Universe trailer. Hmm... I'm interested to see what happens with this.
But, will it be as good as the Evil Dead Musical? by S-Mart shopper	Apr 16th, 2007 11:56:32 PM
http://www.evildeadthemusical. com/ Me thinks NOT!
madame web? by SaintX99	Apr 17th, 2007 12:02:07 AM
I remeber some bizarre ass character from the cartoon named madame web, she was kinda like spidey's watcher. It was weird, but in the world of Taymor, if it's this kind of character, it'll work
O.K..... by RedwingsHoolihan	Apr 17th, 2007 12:07:38 AM
Did Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch write a spidey script in the hot tub? My other worldly lover?
Work in some COSMPIC POWERS and I'm there by Laserbrain	Apr 17th, 2007 12:21:38 AM
!!
For you literary types by Maceox	Apr 17th, 2007 12:23:21 AM
Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote a short short story called "The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" which feturw a girl tuened into a spidewr for not obeying her parents.? Maybe related. Great Short Story
Random extra Key Strokes Sorry by Maceox	Apr 17th, 2007 12:25:06 AM
Dont flame me my keyboard is black and my light is dim.
Arachne is what they redubbed Spider-Woman II by superninja	Apr 17th, 2007 12:25:12 AM
and it still has nothing to do with Spider-Man's origin story, and she's not a mystical character. It sounds like the Lion King mixed with Bat Boy.
Just kidding- this sounds like absolute shit by Laserbrain	Apr 17th, 2007 12:27:45 AM
!!
Arachne is a greek myth by buckarez	Apr 17th, 2007 12:52:48 AM
It is about a woman who weaves beautiful cloths. She defies the gods by saying her weavings are more beautiful than Athena's. Athena challenges her to a weaving competition, and when Arachne wins, Athena goes ballistic. She turns arachne into the first spider as punishment. Arachne is turned into an ugly and dreaded insect that weaves beautiful webs. Her name became the basis for the work Arachnid. You can read more about her here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A rachne
Here's a cautionary tale about superhero musicals.... by CokeMachineGlow	Apr 17th, 2007 12:59:08 AM
Remember the aborted Batman musical? - http://tinyurl.com/3asvco.
good idea by darwinwins	Apr 17th, 2007 01:16:27 AM
so it'll piss off the fanboys. big deal. it's not like they have good taste anyway -- if it's a comic book, they'll see it with very few exceptions. very few. ghost rider for instance. so this movie might exist, it's a fantastic idea and if you don't like the idea of it, don't see it. it's not like the idea of a musical spider-man was high on most of your radars anway.
organ webshooters. by dr.bulber	Apr 17th, 2007 01:47:43 AM
its a musical.
Well it worked for Lion King by Barl	Apr 17th, 2007 02:13:18 AM
so why not spider man....:-P
Hey Morons - Arachne is a legend... by Bones	Apr 17th, 2007 02:57:06 AM
The legend of Arachne will be told, probably as a prologue to the play, then the same actress will appear as different characters representing Arachne to Peter Parker throughout the play...the final character she appears as will be the only real person she plays...a fragile young woman who Peter saves. The Greek Chorus will be used to talk about all the Superhero battles that Spider-man has fought, in order to keep the budget down and focus on the human problems (Is he cursed by the gods to become a spider? Is he blessed?) that Peter faces. The more you think about it--this is kind of a cool take on it--to make it Mythological. And as composers, Bono and The Edge rarely disappoint--my only regret is that U2 isn't performing this as they still KICK ASS as a live show.
This'll be great! by Calico Pete	Apr 17th, 2007 03:32:45 AM
I have no doubt this will be imaginative and have moments of great beauty. Taymor bringing her puppeteering and visual styles to the mix will make this as interesting a reinvention as The Lion King. I have no doubt Marvel will keep a close eye on the material, same as Disney did, so that'll be, you know, whatever. The exciting thing will be how Taymor brings the web-slinging and swinging to the stage. I have no doubt that she will, and that it'll be visually unique and interesting.
Sounds like Britney Spears... by Napolean Solo	Apr 17th, 2007 04:32:30 AM
Just saying.
Madame Webb by Anna Valerious	Apr 17th, 2007 07:08:27 AM
It sounds like Madame Webb from the comics, only as a hottie. And I always felt bad for Arachne because of how Athena screwed her over in the story. Athena screwed a lot of women over...
THIS YEAR'S LITTLE MISS ARACHNE! by Err	Apr 17th, 2007 07:13:33 AM
Arachne pissed off Athena (I believe) and Athena turned her into a spider. But, I'm pretty sure that the greeks never mentioned Peter Parker in the original story.
So how about the U2-3D concert film coming out this by Frijole	Apr 17th, 2007 07:18:23 AM
fall? They had a trailer for it in front of MEET THE ROBINSONS... and as a fan (who didn't care for most of their 90's output post-Achtung Baby) it looks and sounds AMAZING!
As Jesse Ventura Once Said in "Predator".... by uss cygnus	Apr 17th, 2007 07:39:00 AM
"What the FUCK?!?"
Ventura also said: by triplefive	Apr 17th, 2007 07:46:58 AM
I aint got time to bleed!
Isn't this post about 16 days late by ATARI	Apr 17th, 2007 08:20:05 AM
if you know what I mean (or rather hope)
Organic Webshooters by Barron34	Apr 17th, 2007 10:06:28 AM
Off-topic, but wouldn't it be interesting if in Raimi's Spiderman movies Parker starts to lose his organic web-shoting powers and has to use his scientific genius to re-place them with mechanical ones? I thought this is what Raimi might have been leading up to when Parker/Spiderman started to lose his powers in Spiderman 2. Maybe Parker will just have a natural decline in his powers, and then he could put together the classic comic-book mechanical web-shooters. That all said, I have little interest in a Julie Taymor Spiderman musical. Just seems odd.
Spiderman: Beyond Thunderdome! by uss cygnus	Apr 17th, 2007 10:22:33 AM
Tina Turner as Arachne...Nathan Lane as Blaster...And bungee fighting inside a geodesic dome Jungle Gym! "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls...dancin' time's here!"
Early U2 is the way, the truth and the funk... by uss cygnus	Apr 17th, 2007 10:30:07 AM
October, War, Boy, Wide Awake in America, Under a Blood Red Sky, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree & Rattle & Hum are just hardcore kick-ass stuff. Everything else is just window dressing.
Greek Drama--Madame Web and Spider-Woman by gambit2001	Apr 17th, 2007 10:55:38 AM
It seems they are trying to incorporate an element of classic Greek drama into the story with this mysterious character who "comes from another time to inspire Peter." Much like a Muse or the role of the Greek Chorus. And perhaps Madame Web and/or Spider-Woman 3 (Mattie Franklin) were part of the inspiration. I hope it does well. It would be nice to see a popular marvel hero like Spider-Man in a unique medium.
what the hell? by jrbarker	Apr 17th, 2007 12:18:33 PM
sounds stupid
You know, the groundwork for a Spidey musical... by Childe Roland	Apr 17th, 2007 12:23:42 PM
...has really already been laid. Spider Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero was something of a rock opera released back in 1975 (on LP). It was in my older brother's collection and I listened to it pretty endlessly as a kid. The music wasn't half bad, either. They should go ahead and wirte a semi-campy musical around those tunes and leave the high art concept to the high folks.
U2 did NOT try to destroy Negativland! by Lazarus Long	Apr 17th, 2007 12:25:01 PM
U2's record label sued the band without U2's knowledge. If I'm not mistaken, U2 attempted to either lend financial assistance for the legal troubles, or at least convinced their own side to back off. There's actually a recording of the guys from Negativland surprising Edge on a radio talk show, not knowing they were going to be on the air. An intelligent discussion about fair use ensued, and I think anyone who listened that broadcast would say that Edge was honestly sympathetic. Also, Edge has been very vocal about being favor of downloading and music sharing, though I imagine with the amount of money he has at this point it's not a tough stance for him to take. The only thing U2 is guilty of is being a a popular band on a major label (this combined with their media saturation makes them an easy target), and I assure you they've taken more chances with their sound and fans over the years than any other you might try to name. While many only seem to like the 80's, self-righteous version of the band, they explored much more sonic and thematic territory in the 90's than they are given credit for, much of it ahead of its time in pop music. The recent "back to basics" incarnation of the band does seem slightly watered down, but they're a hell of a lot more vital 25+ years into their career than the Rolling Stones were at the same time. And as noted by others, they still KILL live. The 3-D film is going to sway a lot of non-believers.
Springtime For Spider-Man, Superstar. by Napoleon Park	Apr 17th, 2007 01:22:36 PM
Combining Greek mythology with the origin of Spider-Man actually elevates the comic character to the level of modern mythos as part of our shared cultural consciousness, not 'just' a comic book character known only to comics fans. *** On the other hand, for those comics fans, the idea of the cliche of a super-hero origin being related to Greek Mythology (Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman) for a character who exists in a universe with mythological entities such as Thor, Hercules, Ares and Toomazooma seems... well, no, that's perfectly acceptable. But ret-con altering Spidey's origin at this point is like adding Mopee to the origin of The Flash (Or Krypto to Superman). So this may be intrusive for comics geeks, but for the mainstream majority using the iconic Spider-Man as a character in a play not directly inspired by the Steve Ditko/Stan Lee comics is not that much weirder than "Jesus Christ, Superstar" or "Springtime For Hitler". (Or the use of such non-canon, non-Ditko-created villains as "New Goblin/Black Goblin" and "Veman" in the as yet unnamed third entry of the Spider-Man film franchise.)
I love SPIDEY. i love U2. But this.. by Kubla_Khan	Apr 17th, 2007 02:01:29 PM
..is fucked up. Oh, well. It might be awesome!
The Fly versus The Spider! by Shaner Jedi	Apr 17th, 2007 02:09:46 PM
Thank you Lazarus for someone who knows the story behind Negativland. They were sued by their own record company after Island records, U2's label, sued the label that released their single. They wnet on a radio show disguised as journalists and then confronted The Edge about it. He was cool about it all and expressed sympathy towards the band........who btw re-released the single again. Go to their website and it's there.
Tamor does drugs? Hell, I do drugs by Harry Weinstein	Apr 17th, 2007 02:43:47 PM
and this still sounds completely retarded.
The movies have already been faithful to the comics.... by Demosthenes2	Apr 17th, 2007 03:10:52 PM
...for the most part. I couldn't imagine a straightforward version of the movie with your simple-minded Rodgers & Hammerstein-style songs inserted in. I would want a stage musical based on a comic book to be pretty out there. Otherwise it would be pretty hokey, since a story in the tradition of Spider-Man's origin, which is basic good-evil fight, would just come off as Oklahoma! with webslinging. Even though I've only seen her two movies, I believe that Taymor is a very gifted artist, on her way to genius, so I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt, at least until we've heard more.
Thanks Lazarus... by Frijole	Apr 17th, 2007 05:02:03 PM
I was going to go into a nice little diatribe about all that myself... but you covered that ground quite well. And to the previous U2-basher... what the fuck does it have to do with ANYTHING that they are christian? They're Irish for fuck's sake. It's not like they're running around preaching like Underoath or Creed (were) or a zillion other shit bands.
The web of the spider woman... With her velvet cape... by Flim Springfield	Apr 17th, 2007 06:15:08 PM
You can run, you can scream, you can hide... But you cannot escape!
.... by GiveMeAnFinBreak	Apr 17th, 2007 06:26:51 PM
First she screws with The Beatles, now this. That's it. I'm calling FATWA on Taymor.
Sounds like Stracynski wrote the screenplay by Calculon	Apr 17th, 2007 06:57:36 PM
Lame. Bono is actually going to play the lead, running around in blue and red tights with his "fly" shades.
Eh, I think Bono writes good lyrics. by superninja	Apr 17th, 2007 07:49:29 PM
They have a unique sound, love them or hate them.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS MADAME WEB by CornsilkSW	Apr 18th, 2007 02:09:52 AM
seriously, whom else could it possibly be.
i LOVE Taymor by shogunshin	Apr 18th, 2007 08:30:50 PM
if this is true, then we are in for a treat. i know everyone will think not, but watch TITUS. i also saw Lion King on broadway, make fun of me all you want, but the production designs were mind blowing. i cannot wait, if this is true.
You're the one who's wrong, Batir. by Lazarus Long	Apr 18th, 2007 10:36:12 PM
If you'd like to check out the Wikipedia page about the incident (created I'm sure by one of Negativland's fans, as it's part of their entry)you'll see that I'm right about The Edge's reaction and the band's actions following the surprise discussion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Negativland#The_U2_record_inci dent] The only thing that you have right is that it was for Mondo 2000. You clearly have a long-standing dislike of U2, which is fine, as I understand that their desire to be a huge populist band doesn't appeal to a lot of people. But there's no excuse for using that personal bias to distort the reality of that controversy just to justify the feelings you have about the band. As for The Beatles, I'm a huge fan of them as well, and while they certainly pioneered a lot of things in pop music, including backwards instruments, samples, sound collages, etc., I feel that what U2 explored on Zooropa and Pop specifically are even far more removed from their classic sound than The Beatles's GRADUAL move toward psychedelia over the course of Rubber Soul through Magical Mystery Tour. The fact that U2 lost legions of old fans isn't proof that the albums themselves sucked (as they were both critically acclaimed and went multiplatinum in sales in the U.S. and abroad), but that many weren't ready or opened-minded enough to follow them into these experimental territories. U2 doesn't need your appreciation, though. The list of artists they've worked with from Johnny Cash to Underworld to Bob Dylan to Trent Reznor, not to mention non-musicians like William Gibson, Roy Lichtenstein, Allen Ginsburg, William Burroughs, Wim Wenders are far better credentials than your approval.

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Today’s Strangest SPIDER-MAN Story! Details Leaked On The Julie Taymor/U2 Musical!

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