Wizard People, Dear Reader
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Wizard People, Dear Reader (2004) is an unauthorized spoof soundtrack of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by Brad Neely, a comic book artist from Austin, Texas of the U.S..
"Wizard People, Dear Reader" is essentially a narrative reworking the lives of the characters of The Sorcerer's Stone and the world in which they live. Mr. Neely's unique use of appropriatied plot, characters and themes interlaced with his own brand of subversive humor have been called a "new art form" in an article by the New York Times. It is best described as the infusion of dissident subtext into a pop-culture phenomenon creating a suspension of art and reality.
Changes
As Neely re-tells the story, he changes many of the names of characters and places. Here are some of the more prominent changes to character names:
| Original Name | "Wizard People" Name |
|---|---|
| Professor Minerva McGonagall | Professor Hardcastle McCormick |
| Rubeus Hagrid | Hagar the Horrible |
| Harry Potter | H.P. |
| Dudley Dursley | Roast Beefy |
| Uncle Vernon Dursley | Uncle Gigglesnort / Pigfat / Saltporker / Porkflaps / Piggums / Porkstar |
| Professor Quirrell | Professor Queerman |
| Mr Ollivander | Ed Vanders |
| Voldemort | Val-Mart |
| Ron Weasley | Ronnie the Weasel / Ronnie the Bear |
| Hermione Granger | Harmony ("the Wretch") |
| Neville Longbottom | Upfish |
| Draco Malfoy | Mouthoil |
| Argus Filch | Dazzler |
| Professor Severus Snape | Professor Snake ("The Wicked Woman") |
| Madam Hooch | Professor Meowmers / Catface |
| Oliver Wood | Major Wood |
The CDs
This soundtrack is composed of two audio CDs. To enjoy Mr. Neely's version of the movie, one needs to have a copy of the movie (preferably a copy of US DVD), and play the DVD muted and the audio CD at the same time. The audio CDs could be obtained by downloading two free MP3 audio files from the author's website and converting them into CDs. One can also, of course, play the MP3 files directly on a computer or portable player (such as an iPod) while watching the muted movie.
Two versions of the CD set have been released. The first revision was released in summer 2004, and the second set released early-mid 2005. As of October 2005, only the second version is available on the Illegal Art website.
The first revision's CDs can be played completely continuously, and there is no need to alter the discs' timing or volume. In order to play the second revision continuously, a delay of approximately three seconds must be inserted between the CDs, and the tracks' volume must be normalized, as the first disc is significantly quieter than the second. This is of particular interest to those who wish to play the audio directly from a computer.
The two revisions' contents are largely similar. The differences mainly include "fixing" the weaker lines from the first revision, as well as a more "polished" and thoroughly-rehearsed performance by Brad.
External links
- Wizard People, Dear Reader by Brad Neely
- Wizard People, Dear Reader mirror of the illegal-art page above
- Text of the New York Times article
- LiveJournal community, with links to a two-part transcription of the original version
- 'Wizard People': The Underground 'Potter' from National Public Radio Weekend Edition