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Whether you're here looking for information on Subways, as well some cool links
or want to find some of the inside dope on the Getting Up Anthem - they're both
here. Subway riders scroll down the page for info & links.
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On 8/24/05, we went to Marc Ecko's Getting Up Graffiti Block party, took lots of pics & turned them into this slide show on youtube. Click the Getting Up pic to left to watch. Our song "Subway Surfing" was sampled for the "Getting Up Anthem" which is used in the game and online trailer. Talib Kweli & Rakim rap over TagYerit's chorus & samples. Charlemagne produced it. You wouldn't know it from the game & online credits, but we co-wrote it. We had a chance to meet Rakim after the song was completed and the first thing he said to me was "Respect". Is that cool or what?.
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In the fall of 2005, "The Getting Up Anthem"
was nominated for Spike Videogame awards for Best Original Song.
"Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent won, but it was a great feeling
to have been part of a song that had been nominated. |
| 8/31/06 MTV VMA's for Video game soundtrack: Marc Ecko's Getting Up (Atari) - While we don't get our own MoonMan trophy- we're definitely part of this cool acclaimed soundtrack!!! | ||
As city travelers, many of us have used public transportation
with all of the curses and blessings it offers. Much like Chaucer's Canterbury
tales we bring experiences from all angles of life. "Subway Surfing"
was inspired by my first twenty years of riding Boston's subway system. Although
they changed their name from the MTA to the MBTA to the T, my vision of it never
changes. The car pulls into the station with it's screeching and squealing. The
doors open. For every two people that step off another six hurry to fill the void.
Everyone brings on some little distraction to make life's travels a little more
pleasant. While hanging on to straps or poles, a little too close for comfort,
we pretend not to notice each other. Kids push and shove to get on or off. Boys
always enjoy the shoving a little too much... I'm sure you can fill in the rest
of the picture. One of the games that I invented, "subway surfing",
stuck in my memory waiting for Flo and I to put together our band, TagYerit. When
we began playing this song for others, I realized that I had not been alone in
inventing this game. So, for all of you who politely ignored my childhood antics,
I hope you get as much enjoyment out of this song as you do riding home after
a long eventful day at work or school.
Listen to Subway
Surfing
Public transportation via subways and buses is only a part of the picture. The
subway ride is often part of a daily commute. On my commute to school, besides
the subway surfing game, I often imagined that I could see individual air molecules
and that I could direct them to travel in a certain direction. What can I say
- sometimes I was a geeky teenager. Fortunately I didn't feel compelled to write
a song about that. The subway can also be a life saver. You can safely get home and avoid drinking and
driving if you have good public transportation.
Weekends and holidays might involve long car trips, for which we had many games. There were magnetic board games as well as counting "woodies" (wood
sided station wagons) and alphabet games - and a game of bingo where the first one to spot a specific landmark near the end of our trip would shout "Bingo". Every summer the landmark in question would be the wooden roller coaster at Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach. The park is long gone, but as the winding road curved left onto the peninsula, we 3 kids would strain our necks in anticipation until suddenly, as if by magic, the roller coaster would appear right. Somewhere else along the journey, though unrelated the landmark bingo game - we'd also sing the Bingo Song. Of course travel is much different now with the advent of laptops and video games as well as all the various phone apps. For those really long trips, air travel will get you there quickly enough
to have time to enjoy your visit. I don't fly much, but because the airlines
often have a movie on long trips and because most people bring a book or other
reading material it didn't inspire me to dream up any games. However, I do remember
that on the first flight I took, I wanted to see how smooth the taxiing and
climbing was so I ordered a cup of coffee ... held it on the arm of the chair
and watched the level of the top to see if I detected any turbulence. It was
a smooth flight, though I did have a long layover at OHare airport in Chicago
during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. But that's a story for another
day. Of course when you're planning to fly anywhere, the first game is to discover cheap airfare. SO - Happy and safe adventuring to you and if you indulge in any special travel game,
we'd love to hear about it, though nowadays, electronic games via smart phones and ipads etc. is S.O.P.
Northeast Performer (Shane McLaughlin May
1996) said "... the coolest 'T' song since the Kingston Trio lamented poor
Charlie forty years ago. "
Thoughts on other means of travel & the games we might play.
We are grateful for permission to use images and other help from The
Seashore Trolley Museum as well as individual contributors.
"The Green Line waves are calling me..."
If you love miniatures, check out the documentary Tiny Tracks. - How Boston's streetcar system ended up in basement of Toronto home
And then there's great footage of Boston as seen from the streetcar in 1907.
Eventually, the MBTA will replace their tokens with metro cards similar to
ones used in NYC. (please Contact
Us if they already have, so we can update this, as well as any
other info -since we no longer live near these lines.)
Excerpts - from Subway Surfing song lyrics, as well as others from TagYerit songs
World War I German Train Graffiti
