I hate to be a downer, but there's no way that download from earlier is real. "Sans_titre" translates to "Untitled". Also, the website has one of those famous few-seconds-of-fake-opening-credits sites like that always use to make you think they're real. I got fooled by one for Deadpool when it first came out.
I'm sure he has been messaged many times but I've sent him one more with a few questions to see if he can share any plot details at the very least. I've also been searching on some old vhs tape swap sites but haven't found anything promising.
Just got back from talking with him. (I'm pretty good FB friends with him since if you haven't guessed, i'm a die hard ChalkZone fan. But that's beside the point) I asked him what the plot was and he replied with "It's the same basic plot as the Pied Piper for the first half: A town is overrun by rats. The kids are aware of the rats, the elders dismiss the problem. Finally they can ignore it no more and hire a mysterious Jimi Hendrix like musician who gets rid of the rats, and then refuse to pay his fee. So he lures the kids away from home and up to his magic cave in the mountain.' At this point, Bill had to go. I told him to write me back as soon as he can. I'll keep you guys posted on when he writes back. Do you have any specific questions you would like me to ask?
Hm... Perhaps there's a way he can edit a copy removing the songs? It it's a legal issue. My main goal right now is to just see the animation. It's a really interesting style.
More info from Bill. Just going to get right with it with the copy-paste.
"So the original impulse for the Electric Piper came from me first adapting the Pied Piper. I had written about a third of an original animated musical using my own style, coming straight from my heart. I was drawn to the subject because it has a parallel to the experience of the 60s, when an entire generation was drawn away from what their parents wanted for them and their parents' values by music. Rock n roll and the culture that surrounded it seduced away a generation. And the parents could be said to have lost their values and failed to "pay the piper". I pitched my Pied Piper to Hanna-Barbera and they loved it and were going to do it for sure, but then Fred torpedoed it because of other problems he was having at Turner.
Later at Nick, the idea reemerged but the people in charge of producing (including Fred) didn't like my original music and wanted to hire a heavy hitter songwriter to do the music. Fred stood up for me and insisted they give me a chance. i knew they wanted hipper, more hit-like songs so I started emulating hit songs from the 60s, which went with the theme and was fun. I wasn't COPYING the songs though. I was writing a song LIKE Pleasant Valley Sunday by the Monkees or LIKE a Motown groove. But Fred said "Make it so it's an actual cop of those songs with just enough difference not to get sued." So I was kind of forced to start, well, plagiarizing. Our songs were nearly identical to the originals that inspired them.
But then the Nick Lawyers said "Whoa, you can't be that close to these songs. These are the biggest, richest M-Effers in showbiz and they will definitely sue." So we went back and UNcopied most of the songs. Took out recognizable intros and chords. This was kind of soul crushing to me. Not only was I NOT writing truly from my heart, I had gotten embroiled in a plagiarism thing and I have VERY high moral scruples about plagiarism. If I think I've come even remotely close to nicking someone's tune I freak and change it immediately. But, we did it, and meanwhile I was given 3 WEEKS to write the entire book and music and lyrics. This was due to the incompetence of Sherry Gunther, who is very high on my shit list right now."
Very interesting and sad his original ideas were corrupted that much. Does he still have the originals? (his originals, before making them almost copies, and after copying them?)
