Lyrics by Tim Young
Music and Vocals by Rain Elfvin
Video by Tim Young
He shunned the day
only loved the night
it seemed natural the way
he eventually took to flight
gazed from below
at the stars above
no one could ever know
that space was his only love
lost in space
he’s out-a this place
all that’s left is a video face
a hero gone without at trace
CHORUS
Flash Meridian
Milky Way citizen
he’s got to make it
back toward the sun
Pluto… Pluto…
SLINGSHOT!
©2000
Slack Action Demos
This Intro. was narrated by Lee Altermatt and recorded for the Volume 2 CD.
Our story begins in the year 2104 when Flash Meridian, a pioneer in the field of warp travel, is lost in the outer reaches of our solar system. With greater distances travelled at greater speeds than ever before, it soon becomes apparent that the margin of error is also much greater than it had been previously. As Flash hurtles ever outward from the sun to deep space beyond our solar system, a search and rescue party is formed to bring him home.
When US Astronauts Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth encounter trouble in the form of Major Sly Wormhole, our hero takes matters into his own hands, risking impact, to slingshot around Pluto, catapulting himself Earthward. Far from everything he has ever known on Earth, Flash is forced to confront his own demons as well as his guardian angel.
Travel now with Flash Meridian and his colorful cast of characters through space… or should I say cyber-space… and be transformed with him on your journey.
SPACE GIRL
she’s up,
she’s down
she’s flying all around
looting
computing
rebooting
she’s a space girl
crystal Weightless
refuting all but
routing for herself
(chorus)
a light beam, a puff of steam
an angel or a dream
she’s a space girl
crystal, Crystal Weightless
an unheard deep space scream
she flies,
she lies
vandalizing fly-bys
she spies
denies
realize
she’s a space girl
Crystal Weightless
unmanned,
she’s dateless
(chorus)
a light beam, a puff of steam
an angel or a dream
she’s a space girl
crystal, Crystal Weightless
an unheard deep space scream
(ends with echoing, fading scream)
Lyrics by Tim Young
Music and vocals by Rain Elfvin
Scream by Tricia Elfvin
Rain Elfvin aka Ray the Wolf From his EP entitled VISUALIZE. A video by Timouth. Contains Explicit lyrics. Rain played Sgt. Snowpants in The Adventures of Flash Meridian
Jeremy Chase wrote and performed this song which appeared on the Flash Meridian Soundtrack. We made this video in 2001. Jeremy played the role of Ash Lander in The Adventures of Flash Meridian
Eclipse: Words and Music by Jeremy Chase (at age 16), performed by Vanguard: Guitar and Vocals: Jeremy Chase, Bass: Justin Chase, Drums: Josh Rice. Music and Video produced by Tim Young. Slack Action Demos. This video was produced while we were doing The Adventures of Flash Meridian in 2001, and is part of the Flash Meridian Soundtrack.
for Debolorah
1
Long, long ago and far, far away, there was a planet which was occupied by only two people. Think of them as Adam and Eve if you will, for they were a male and a female, just entering adulthood. The planet Olo, however, had strict rules banning anything fun. The two remote occupants secretly rebelled in their hearts, against the harsh decrees under which they lived. No music. No touching anything, ever. No self actualization. Just the rulebook, the study of which, took up much of their time and permeated every thought, dictated how they felt and what they were, (and more importantly were NOT) to do. Below the surface, there lurked something big. Something loud. Something colorful and happy. They were both aware of it but denied that it was there. Like a whale, or a pod of whales, it threatened to surface on their tiny, tiny planet, shattering the only world they had ever known, breaching and blowing crystal fragments into the atmosphere and transforming their dull gray vistas into something resplendent and unrecognizable. They had both found tiny pieces of this crystal in the dirt. They would look at them, wipe the colorless dust from them and hold them up to see the light of stars refracted through the sparkling facets. Marveling at the beauty, they would put the jewels into parcels and send them to each other from a safe and acceptable distance. The tiny planet pulsed with a vibration that spoke to them. The rulebook said that they must stand very still and count the pulses with a waving arm outstretched before them in case they were ever to have to lead a crowd in appreciating the sound. But when they were alone, traversing the dusty surface of Olo, they instinctually responded by laughing, singing and something that almost felt like dancing. This, the rulebook forbade and so they looked away ashamed. “We have everything we need right here in the rulebook,” they droned into the monotonous air. “We are blessed and happy!” their voices echoed. “Happy! Happy!” they bellowed into the emptiness. “Blessed and happy!” they cried, long, long ago and far, far away.
This came to me along with the following song lyrics:
“So take a lesson from the strangeness you feel, and know you’ll never be the same. And find it in your heart to kneel down and say ‘I gave my love, didn’t I? And I gave it big sometimes. And I gave it in my own sweet time. I’m just leaving.'” – Jane Siberry, Love Is Everything.
2
The first fragment pulled from the colorless dust of Olo was a white tooth shape. On earth, teeth were generally considered a part of a face. A detail, really, of one feature of the face. What set this tooth apart was that it had a complete face of it’s own. This leads the viewer to contemplate the ramifications of having a complete face on a single tooth. Were a person, dentist or not, to examine the mouth part of the face within the tooth, would they find there a complete set of teeth? If so, would those teeth have faces of their own? One might be caught in a never ending sequence of faces and teeth, caught like the paddler on the river Styx. A green car was also among the initial fragments… The treasures unearthed and sent discreetly… Each holding the mysteries of what lurked beneath the surface. But there the di-inhabitants lived, on the surface, heeding the decrees to never go deeper. Still, they felt the rumbling vibrations, and they knew there was something there. Something wonderful. Perhaps something awful, yet they were entranced. While they sat still, as they were taught to do, they felt the tremors that threatened everything they had ever known. They dared not divert their gaze from the rulebook. While their faces stared, oblivious, their hearts raced in anticipation.
Face, upon tooth, upon face, upon tooth, upon face, upon tooth, upon face, upon tooth, upon face… And so they dared not move. They dared not divert their gaze. We are happy… Blessed and happy! they droned in spite of themselves.
3
A planet, even a small planet, is a big place for two people to live all alone. They had been told that they were never truly alone, but that the writer of the rulebook watched them every moment, keeping an account of their every deed so that one day he could judge them. And so they learned to act correctly at times. Still, a part of them wanted to act incorrectly, disturbing the tranquility of the planet with loud voices, blue jeans, laughter and tennis shoes. The young man even considered eating a Wednesday evening meal without wearing a tie, though of course he didn’t say this out loud. The steady, rhythmic waves were continuous and unchanging, though they seemed louder when there was no other sound to compete with them. The young Ololians sometimes wondered how it might be if a syncopated beat were added. Or a touch of discord every once in a while. “We choose rather to err on the side of boredom. We choose the bare minimum. We choose what is outdated because it has stood the test of time.” Heads bowed to the colorless dust that choked them, they chanted “Blandness… blandness… We are happy and bland… I mean blessed.”
It happens most in January
They rise from the frozen cemetary
Cars stall out on the prairie
They ate my best friend Larry
Rain Elfvin of Sgt. Snowpants in a video by Timouth
Ben Cervenka As the Snow Zombie
Heather McCollum as Larry
All was dark, still and quiet.
Flash was surrounded by a crowd of friends, service personnel, and officials. Reporters were held at bay while cameras flashed and film cameras rolled. Suddenly the exuberant tone of the meeting changed to frenzy as a warning alarm sounded.
Flash found himself being pushed, and was unable to differentiate the cacophony of voices, sirens and machine sounds. The entire scene turned to a blur where seconds seemed to last for minutes. A blinding light and intense heat seemed to push him upward.
All sound and movement dissipated as suddenly as they had begun. The silence that engulfed him stood in stark contrast to the pandemonium.
All was dark, still and quiet. It was such a peaceful feeling that Flash did not immediately question or fear the sudden change. The feeling was one of floating, or falling, but with complete sensory deprivation. There was no hint of wind or air.
Ash Lander was having a similar experience. Taking stock of his situation, he was puzzled to observe that he was wearing a helmet and space suit. As he peered off to the distance he could make out stars, and realized that he was in space. He knew, too, that he was being pulled in a particular direction.
After some time had passed, Ash Lander could see that he was being sucked toward a huge ship. It seemed to him that he was in some sort of a tracking beam, and could do nothing but watch as he was pulled toward it.
A portal on the ship opened and Ash was drawn inside. The doors closed behind him, and he found himself in a dark place. He could not make out any details, but could hear the door mechanism closing and air entering through unseen vents.
Back in Florida, a suspect was taken into custody for destroying Flash Meridian’s ship, the Trans-Neptunian Interloper. The suspect, dressed in a Nomicon uniform, apparently planted a large amount of explosives on or under the spacecraft and detonated it. He was apprehended later while calmly admiring the wreckage. The suspect, Dock Galaxy, was best known for his work on Mars with Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth. Galaxy had been a long time employee of Nomicon with an exemplary service record. His attack on the ship stunned the world.
Flash Meridian was dead. Or so it seemed. That feeling of being pulled, or sucked out of one dimension and into another was happening again.
Relieved to find himself still in his ship, he realized that he was waking from a dream. So often, he couldn’t be sure if he was dreaming or awake. The dream felt so real, yet here he was aboard the intact TNI. He could not maintain consciousness.
Celeste was intrigued by Crystal’s confession. The other man… she repeated to herself. Crystal, are you saying what I think you’re saying? Crystal’s face turned a bit red, and Celeste knew she was on to something.
So that’s it! That’s why you’re so desperate to get to Earth. Celeste was rather envious of Crystal and the exciting life she led. This was the first real adventure Celeste had ever had.
As P. J. Raygun stared at the glowing object, he realized that it was now very close to his ship.
The body, for that was clearly what it was, hovered right in front of the craft. P. J. didn’t know what to think of this, and just sat dumbfounded, still staring. Then the creature spoke.
Don’t do it. the voice advised. P. J. said nothing. The creature looked like nothing more than a child.
When it giggled, P. J. felt at ease and said Now you just git along little honey. Ol’ P. J.’s got a date.
It didn’t move. It just floated there, giggling as if to taunt him.
P. J. began to get impatient, and said in a stern voice Now I said you get out of my way! I don’t have time for this shenanigans! With an angry glare, he waved his hand in front of his face, signaling the creature to move away. The creature only raised it’s hand and said again Don’t do it!
When the creature raised it’s hand to P. J., he froze still in his seat, unable to move. At the same time, his evil deeds played themselves back on his radar screen like a movie, and P. J. knew that he was dealing with a powerful force. All the hidden things were brought to light. All his sneaky dealings, all the people he had cheated or hurt cried out for vengeance, and P. J.’s heart was filled with dread.
P. J. looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and glanced nervously at Nebula X. She showed no indication of seeing the childlike apparition suspended there in front of them.
Earth has enough problems without you adding to them.
Who are you, and how do you know my business? P. J. asked.
It doesn’t really matter, but my name is K-D. She said, still giggling. Your business is my business.
After P. J. watched the shady events of his life played out before him, his fear turned to remorse. The images were burned into his mind and P. J. buried his face in his hands, but could not erase them.
What should I do now? P. J. pleaded, still hiding his eyes. There was no answer. Raising his head, he saw that K-D was gone. He looked again at Nebula X and said Turn the ship around – let’s head back home.
“Miss,” he said to the droid, “what was your intended destination?”
She spoke in a mechanical tone, stating the coordinates of her intended recipient. She altered their course. His heart felt light. This was a new sensation for him, and he was grateful to the powerful being that had intervened on his behalf.
The ship flew itself, and PJ asked Nebula X to play some music. He expected to hear a recording from her archives, but instead, she sang. Her voice rang like a bell. She brought the same precision to her songs as she had displayed when navigating the asteroids. Her pitch and rhythm were perfect. Beyond the exactness of her performance, she brought a surprising emotional feature to her songs. Raygun was swept away by the music in his already devastated state.
Yes, he was devastated by seeing his own flaws, yet he was happy for the first time in his life. He was going to make things right. He would return the stolen property and turn himself in. He didn’t see any other option. He radioed ahead and confessed the whole story.
Nebula X was oblivious to human emotions, and just sang as she was requested to.
PJ felt the music enough for both of them. The mysterious little being hadn’t made him feel bad. He made himself feel bad. He was grateful for her interception.
When they finally arrived at the headquarters for the entertainment conglomerate, he was not met as a criminal, but as a hero. He hadn’t stolen the droid. He only returned it.
Nebula X followed his order without question.