Superhero by The Atomic Kid

Q: And he gets his wish right?

Parker: Oh yeah and then some. That's the trouble with wishes, when they come true you have to deal with the changes they bring. In my book John Smith, the main character, gets his wish in a roundabout way, by accident. But it's one of those mysterious accidents that fate concocts, because a certain skill is needed in the universe to save it from destruction

Q: And that skill is?

Parker: Well basically the ability to change his shape. But in reality it's much more than that, because in order to change shape his atomic structure has to be replaced by antimatter, and his whole being is sucked into a parallel world, the Antiworld. A place where he has to learn to mature very quickly, because he has this talent to change just by thinking about it, so he has to watch what he thinks.

Q: Which brings us to Dance with the Universe, the second song on the CD.

Parker: Yeah, cause that's his experience of his journey to the Antiworld. Now is it real or is it in his imagination, and what does it matter! It gives him the power to change both himself and the circumstances around him. It's a powerful message for everyone young or old. One I wish I'd have gotten a lot earlier in life.

Q: What was your inspiration for that song?

Parker: Tai Chi, I practice Tai Chi, and it always gave me a feeling that I was dancing with the universe. But for John it's different, he actually gets to travel down an antimatter stream and his body's no longer there. It's just his atomic structure and his consciousness hurtling through the space between worlds to an unknown destination at infinite speed.

Q: It sounds scary.

Parker: Yeah it sure does, but I wish I could do it.

Q: Which brings us to the third song.

Parker: The Master of the Perfect Word, John's mentor in the Antiworld, the guy with all the obscure answers.

Q: Are they obscure answers?

Parker: No not at all. But if you want to stay exactly where you are and never go with the flow and change as nature dictates, they are probably incomprehensible. At one point he tells John to think of him as a thought in his head, because that's closer to his trueness, and let's face it, it's unraveling the thoughts in our head's that leads us to greatness.

Q: And at the prompting of The Master of the Perfect Word he becomes the Atomic Kid doesn't he?

Parker: Yeah, and that's the next song on the CD, but you see The Atomic Kid is in all of us. We all have the power within us to create change, change that has a positive affect on ourselves and others. John has to defeat the two evil brothers that are messing with the stuff of the universe, and save his three friends who have no powers. Therefore he has to move cautiously, plus he's being pursued by an ex government agent called Hunter, a real interesting character.

Q: Does he have a song?

Parker: He does, but that and other songs are in production at the moment.

Q: Who produced the CD?

Parker: Ted Scarlett produced, arranged, and mixed it.

Q: And how did you meet Ted Scarlett?

Parker: We met over the internet, in fact this whole project has been done over the internet, apart from the recording and mixing. That was done in studios around Los Angeles.

Q: And Martin Klingman, the vocalist on Superhero, and Dance with the Universe. How did you find him?

Parker: Through Ted, Ted was aware of his work, and his vocal style is perfect for those songs.

Q: How do you write your songs?

Parker: I write and play them acoustically. I have a Taylor 712 and it's always my belief that if the lyrics and the chord structure work on an acoustic guitar it's only going to sound better when it's produced.

Q: Does that mean you'll release an unplugged version someday?

Parker: Maybe, who knows. We wanted to release these songs to coincide with the publication of the book, and now we're busy working on another 12 songs to be released soon.

Q: Tell me about the remixes of Superhero, and Dance with The Universe?

Parker: Well I love remixes, you don't have to conform to any particular length or format, and you can play with the musical structure, it's fun, an opportunity to dance, and I think Ted did an excellent job remixing those songs.

Q: Where is the book and the music available?

Parker: The book is available through a secure link at www.TheAtomicKid.com and you can buy the music at CD baby.com

Q: Is their anything else you'd like to say?

Parker: Be good, spread love, and never cease to wonder. That about says it all I think.

George Parker is an author, a songwriter, and an artist. He is best known for his award winning animation, "The Yellow Submarine Sandwich," included in "The Rutles - All You Need is Cash," Eric Idle's famous film spoof of the Beatles.

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