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The thing about Garth Brooks, is that he's a triple threat. He does hearfelt (and often tragic) love songs ("If Tomorrow Never Comes", "The Dance"). He does inspirational songs about the downtrodden ("We Shall Be Free", "Standing Outside the Fire"). And, of course, he does the rowdy drinking songs ("Two Pina Coladas", "Friends in Low Places"). Also, the other thing about Garth Brooks is that EVERY song is "Build My World" -- meaning that every song requires melodramatic overacting and singing along1. Something I defintely enjoy.
Garth has a few main motifs/themes. There's thunder/storms and fire, both representing desire of any type. There's booze, representing most often a sort of bittersweet defensive happiness. And then. Then there's the RODEO. The rodeo seems to represent a rebellious uncontrolled obsessive passion that is exhilarating, but ultimately tragical. If robots from the future unearthed and listened to the work of Garth, they'd probably surmise that the leading destroyer of relationships in late twentieth-century America was the rodeo. I know this may seem crazy at first2, but I think symbolically, they might just be right.
We were in the car on Sunday, driving home from Target and listening to "Rodeo"3 and, as is my wont, I immediately outlined a LotRPS AU where the rodeo would hold its rightful place. Picture it! Orlando is a young man living in a small town, just finished with school, unsure of his place in the world. He spends his days flopped across a sofa in his friend Billy's basement, smoking up and listening to Billy fuck around with his guitar and wishing he had something exciting to do. Then. The Rodeo comes to town. Billy's not really into the whole thing, but they live in fucking Wyoming or something, and Orli keeps saying it'll be fun, so what the hell? So off they go, everyone's there, it's dusty and loud and they shove their way to the front of the stands. And then it happens. Orlando finds his Reason. In the ring-- being tossed around by the noble bronco, holding on for dear life, chap-clad thighs clenching-- is the most fascinating thing Orlando has ever seen.
Viggo is a hardened, passionate, obsessive cowboy4 (often associated with both thunder and fire), this has been his only dream since he was a boy. He thinks about nothing but the bulls and the blood, the dust and the mud, the roar of a Sunday crowd. The only person who he considers a friend is Sean Bean, another cowboy, but just a working rodeo man, not anything matching Viggo in his level of committment. Sean knows that someday he'll leave the rodeo and have a family, but he knows Viggo never will, he'll die like he lives, on the back of a bull.
Orlando makes his way to the stables, dragging Billy along. There they meet Dom, the kicky, witty, comic relief stable hand. He and Billy hit it off instantly5. Orlando asks about Viggo and Dom just shakes his head, says "many a pretty boy has had his heart broken. he only loves the rodeo, mate." Orlando is not daunted. He's been waiting for this to arrive, waiting for the thing to bring thunder and fire into his life of steady grey-blue skies. So they make friends with Dom and Sean and eventually Viggo. Things happen, as they do. Viggo and Orlando fall in love. Viggo is everything Orlando expected. But soon, as always happens, it comes time for the rodeo to move on to the next town.
Now here, here is where the story becomes a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure psychotic break.
Ending One (aka the tragedy): Viggo refuses to stay, breaking Orlando's heart and traveling on to the next city. Orlando soon realizes that his life means nothing now without Viggo. He follows the rodeo to meet them in the next city. He reunites with Viggo and they watch the storm rage in each other's eyes. Then Viggo goes out and draws a bull no man can ride. Orlando is devestated, unable to go on because if life without Viggo was bad at least he knew that the Man was out there somewhere, taming a bull with his thighs of steel. Now, he's just more dust under the hooves. Orlando returns home and his life is even emptier than before.
Ending Two (aka the happy): Viggo won't stay, he can't give up the rodeo, but of course, Orlando would never want him to. Orlando has nothing in this town except Billy and his pot and with a little help from Dom, he can take both of those with him. He hitches his wagon to the rodeo and even if he is second to the rodeo in Viggo's heart, that's enough for Orlando.
Ending Three (aka the realistic6): Orlando's life is changed by Viggo and it's like there are colors he never saw before. But, in his new, wiser state, Orlando knows that Viggo can never love him like he loves the rodeo, and Orlando deserves more than to be second best. He turns and there, just over Viggo's leather-clad, manly shoulder is the warm grin of Sean. And Orlando gets it now, Viggo changed him, but Sean is what he was waiting for. Sean leaves the rodeo and they move to a larger town and start a life together. They see Viggo when he passes through and they miss him, but they do it together and they know that they're first in each other's hearts.
So, WHAT DO YOU DO?
And I know this story has been written in at least three other fandoms I've been in (most notably popslash, possibly twice), but I don't care because every cracked out AU is special in the eyes of Allah.
1. Just as I said this, k8 commented that Hoobastank's "The Reason" was compelling her to sing earnestly and pound the air like me listening to "BMW". Really.
2. And all subsequent times as well, I'm sure.
3. Which, btw, is followed immediately by "The Beaches of Cheyenne"-- a song in which the rodeo kills a man, drives his widow to suicide and apparently causes the entire state of Wyoming to flood like Noah's Biblical homeland. Not that anyone seems to miss the state.
4. Because I too saw Hidalgo, thanks.
5. In case you were worried, I haven't forgotten my beloved OTP. They're still the one, the only.
6. Yes, I said REALISTIC. Do you have a PROBLEM WITH THAT!?
Also, new journal colors/default for Feb. New entire layout, actually. And now, I think food and then Alias. Tomorrow I might even make an actual coherent post about something that isn't completely insane.
Garth has a few main motifs/themes. There's thunder/storms and fire, both representing desire of any type. There's booze, representing most often a sort of bittersweet defensive happiness. And then. Then there's the RODEO. The rodeo seems to represent a rebellious uncontrolled obsessive passion that is exhilarating, but ultimately tragical. If robots from the future unearthed and listened to the work of Garth, they'd probably surmise that the leading destroyer of relationships in late twentieth-century America was the rodeo. I know this may seem crazy at first2, but I think symbolically, they might just be right.
We were in the car on Sunday, driving home from Target and listening to "Rodeo"3 and, as is my wont, I immediately outlined a LotRPS AU where the rodeo would hold its rightful place. Picture it! Orlando is a young man living in a small town, just finished with school, unsure of his place in the world. He spends his days flopped across a sofa in his friend Billy's basement, smoking up and listening to Billy fuck around with his guitar and wishing he had something exciting to do. Then. The Rodeo comes to town. Billy's not really into the whole thing, but they live in fucking Wyoming or something, and Orli keeps saying it'll be fun, so what the hell? So off they go, everyone's there, it's dusty and loud and they shove their way to the front of the stands. And then it happens. Orlando finds his Reason. In the ring-- being tossed around by the noble bronco, holding on for dear life, chap-clad thighs clenching-- is the most fascinating thing Orlando has ever seen.
Viggo is a hardened, passionate, obsessive cowboy4 (often associated with both thunder and fire), this has been his only dream since he was a boy. He thinks about nothing but the bulls and the blood, the dust and the mud, the roar of a Sunday crowd. The only person who he considers a friend is Sean Bean, another cowboy, but just a working rodeo man, not anything matching Viggo in his level of committment. Sean knows that someday he'll leave the rodeo and have a family, but he knows Viggo never will, he'll die like he lives, on the back of a bull.
Orlando makes his way to the stables, dragging Billy along. There they meet Dom, the kicky, witty, comic relief stable hand. He and Billy hit it off instantly5. Orlando asks about Viggo and Dom just shakes his head, says "many a pretty boy has had his heart broken. he only loves the rodeo, mate." Orlando is not daunted. He's been waiting for this to arrive, waiting for the thing to bring thunder and fire into his life of steady grey-blue skies. So they make friends with Dom and Sean and eventually Viggo. Things happen, as they do. Viggo and Orlando fall in love. Viggo is everything Orlando expected. But soon, as always happens, it comes time for the rodeo to move on to the next town.
Now here, here is where the story becomes a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure psychotic break.
Ending One (aka the tragedy): Viggo refuses to stay, breaking Orlando's heart and traveling on to the next city. Orlando soon realizes that his life means nothing now without Viggo. He follows the rodeo to meet them in the next city. He reunites with Viggo and they watch the storm rage in each other's eyes. Then Viggo goes out and draws a bull no man can ride. Orlando is devestated, unable to go on because if life without Viggo was bad at least he knew that the Man was out there somewhere, taming a bull with his thighs of steel. Now, he's just more dust under the hooves. Orlando returns home and his life is even emptier than before.
Ending Two (aka the happy): Viggo won't stay, he can't give up the rodeo, but of course, Orlando would never want him to. Orlando has nothing in this town except Billy and his pot and with a little help from Dom, he can take both of those with him. He hitches his wagon to the rodeo and even if he is second to the rodeo in Viggo's heart, that's enough for Orlando.
Ending Three (aka the realistic6): Orlando's life is changed by Viggo and it's like there are colors he never saw before. But, in his new, wiser state, Orlando knows that Viggo can never love him like he loves the rodeo, and Orlando deserves more than to be second best. He turns and there, just over Viggo's leather-clad, manly shoulder is the warm grin of Sean. And Orlando gets it now, Viggo changed him, but Sean is what he was waiting for. Sean leaves the rodeo and they move to a larger town and start a life together. They see Viggo when he passes through and they miss him, but they do it together and they know that they're first in each other's hearts.
So, WHAT DO YOU DO?
And I know this story has been written in at least three other fandoms I've been in (most notably popslash, possibly twice), but I don't care because every cracked out AU is special in the eyes of Allah.
1. Just as I said this, k8 commented that Hoobastank's "The Reason" was compelling her to sing earnestly and pound the air like me listening to "BMW". Really.
2. And all subsequent times as well, I'm sure.
3. Which, btw, is followed immediately by "The Beaches of Cheyenne"-- a song in which the rodeo kills a man, drives his widow to suicide and apparently causes the entire state of Wyoming to flood like Noah's Biblical homeland. Not that anyone seems to miss the state.
4. Because I too saw Hidalgo, thanks.
5. In case you were worried, I haven't forgotten my beloved OTP. They're still the one, the only.
6. Yes, I said REALISTIC. Do you have a PROBLEM WITH THAT!?
Also, new journal colors/default for Feb. New entire layout, actually. And now, I think food and then Alias. Tomorrow I might even make an actual coherent post about something that isn't completely insane.
