Barbeque Man Unleashed is a ballet/piano concerto with action figures depicting the legendary rivalry between fictional professional wrestlers Barbeque Man Jr. and Baron Banks Gentry. It's in two sections, or wrestling matches, and reflects changes in wrestling story lines I witnessed growing up, from family-friendly morality plays as a child to more adult oriented and racy content during the so-called WWE ‘Attitude Era’ when I was a teenager. It features electrifying entrances, devastating bodyslams, chair shots, crashes through broadcasting tables, toilet submersion, and lots of other wrestling-related stuff. I wanted to write a story with a mentally ill hero. I made a miniature wrestling arena and my brother, Gray, did the photography. Samir Arora edited. It was written as part of my dissertation in music composition at Duke University. My funding was revoked because faculty thought it was inappropriate.  Contrasting entrance themes for the two wrestlers clash, resulting in overlapping key centers, rhythms, and tempos. I establish the themes of the two principals in Part One, and for the most part the music mimics the action on the screen (Mickey-moused Hollywood-blockbuster style). Part Two has a more free-flowing, continuous musical form with greater independence from the choreographic action. References Schoenberg's Op. 19 no. 6, imagining his 'bell-chords' in a kind of eternity. I tried to fuse various musical styles/techniques, such as serialization of pitch and rhythm, collage, cartoon music, Hollywood blockbusters, and Southern popular music (including several styles of country music and gospel). Though none of the borrowed tropes are immune from parody, they are valued equally in terms of their emotional weight in telling the story.

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Like much of the music I love, wrestling relies heavily on timing, but it’s also not monochromatic. Wrestling matches can go from serious to comedic in an instant, playing with emotions and failing if allowing the viewer to get too familiar and comfortable. Viewers are supposed to feel angry, surprised, sad, joy, disappointed, offended, scared, and amused, and sometimes in no particular order. You can’t categorize great wresting matches by a singular sentiment. 

 

Ultimately, my joy for professional wrestling is based on watching highly skilled performers create unforgettable stories through semi-predetermined choreography. The same can be said for music. - Paul 

 

For more in-depth notes, click on the PDF:                PDF of the condensed score: