Radosh.net

So how excited are you about the announcement of a Spider-Man Broadway musical directed by Julie Taymor with songs by Bono and the Edge?

Not very, right?

But wait — what if the show turns out to be based on the classic 1975 album: Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero?

It won't be, of course, but just the thought sends shivers down my spine. I loved this weird novelty record as a kid and a few years ago I bought the CD re-release in anticipation of a music club meeting that would never actually materialize on the theme of superheroes.

Sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment, although it was worth it just for the artwork of the backup band — Captain America on tambourine, Conan and the Barbarians on strings. One song that holds up (more or less) is the haunting ballad Peter Stays and Spider-Man Goes, written (it says here) by a 17-year-old kid.

For a limited time only, you can download the MP3 here. After that, you can find a low-fi clip here.

Maybe proto-emo song-styling should be a challenge on the next season of Who Wants to Be a Superhero.

Update: J tells me there's still a chance for you (Time magazine's person of the year!) to be in the Spider-Man musical.

There's also some suggestion on that page that the show might be better than a simple rip-off of the movies, notably the creation of a new character, Arachne (apparently not the Marvel heroine of the same name) and of a "geek chorus," that gives the show a meta spin.

Also from Superhero Hype, depressing news on the Y:The Last Man front:

We wondered whether Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men might make it easier for Hollywood to understand Vaughn's vision, to which Goyer countered, "But Children of Men didn't do well..."

Well, maybe if it's a hit on DVD, hint hint. Related: The entire first issue of Y is now free online.

Posted by Daniel Radosh

10:12 AM