Sometime in the late 00's I first encountered a film called The Room in a college dorm. My then drummer, Mark Parker, was hosting a small screening for friends. Soon after, I shared it with my college a cappella group, and it quickly became an annual tradition. Drink scotchka, throw spoons, eat pizza (half Canadian bacon, half artichoke and pesto, light on the cheese).
So, sometime in 2011, I created a songwriting challenge for myself. Take as many famous lines from the film as possible, and string them together into a cohesive narrative. I made every effort to stay true to the odd intonation of the original delivery, and came up with a melody to match.
WATCH: YOU ARE TEARING ME APART LISA - a musical parody of THE ROOM
In 2014, during the Atlas sessions, we finally recorded it. Originally, I wanted to do it without the accent. Vocal producer and Room aficionado Annie Mitran convinced me otherwise. After recording, we patiently put it on the back burner until the time was right.
Years later, The Disaster Artist, has finally been released on film. It chronicles the unlikely story of Tommy Wiseau, The Room's director, screen-writer, and star... actor.
Thanks to my brother Chris (www.chrismastersonfilm.com), I'm proud to share my parody song & video, "You Are Tearing Me Apart Lisa" to celebrate.
Dan 🎹
