Olympian1010

I think you have to turn in your Ontario ID now. Off to Quebec with you!

Don’t get too excited. We will likely only have scoreboards after each voting block tomorrow. @OlympicIRL has been very accommodating of my tech issues, and volunteered to make some scoreboards for tomorrow. I have the scores broken down by jury for the individual and team events though, so we should be good if there’s any questions about the voting.

It recently became popular here because of a meme. It was used in that Nick Cage/Pedro Pascal film. I tired to get my friends to watch Sex Education, but no dice. I loved the show.

A nice, tight runtime of 3 1/2 hours for the opening ceremony I'm very tired. I was still writing the ceremony while making the first few posts. I spent 12 hours writing the original, scraped it this morning and wrote this one in four hours.

The End (I Promise) I’ve been DJ Youth and Urban. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’ll use my last song to properly welcome all of you to California and declare the 2023 Totallympics Open International Song Contest open!

Opening Ceremony: TISC Anthem Of course, no edition of the Totallympics International Song Contest is complete without the TISC anthem.

Director's Note I must admit, designing tonight’s artistic segment may have been the hardest part of organizing TISC. California is so diverse: geographically, culturally, musically, etc. I’m not sure there’s a “right way” to present the Golden State. If the above songs prove anything, it's that Californians are constantly reinventing what it means to be Californian. Maybe reinvention, creativity, diversity, and the freedom to express yourself are the tenants of the California Dream. I’ll leave that up to each individual jury member to decide. Anyways, it seems fitting to end the artistic segment with the following classic tune.

Actually, IPC uniformly capped all team sports at 8 teams for Paris 2024. The IPC also pushed for more events that cater to athletes with more severe impairment.

Queen Status The emergence of alt rock nearly brings us to the present. Of course, popular culture was still consuming, consuming, consuming during all the eras we covered. However, there has been a fascinating recent trend of pop queens from Los Angeles. Billie Eylish and Olivia Rodrigo have both become intertwined with Gen Z. Their songs contain themes of female empowerment, anti-social behavior, and modern social commentary.

Yelling, Kicking, and Screaming At the same time urban, inter-city culture was developing, another social music movement was taking place in the white suburbs. Young people were feeling disenfranchised by the cookie-cutter houses, manicured lawns, 9-5 white collar jobs, and traditional religions. They were ready to break shit, scream, and bend the rules. Enter punk, hardcore, metal, and alt rock. The suburbs of Los Angeles became a hive of punk rock in the 1970s. If you were invited to a local gig, you might have heard the following. Of course, one can’t talk about hard rock bands from California without including Metallica in the conversation. The early 2000s would see the emergence of alternative music groups. Frustrated with the stagnating conservative policies of Orange County, groups like Rage Against the Machine rose to prominence.

The Rise of Hip-Hop and Rap Chicano Americans and Latin Americans were by no means alone in their marginalization. White families feld the cities as more diverse waves of immigration and settlement changed the demographics of California. Inter-city communities became synonymous with race, crime, gang warfare, and poverty. These communities were neglected by state and country, and left to solve their own problems. By the 1980s and 1990s, hip-hop and rap emerged and matured as genres of Black expression. Songs expressed anger with the social situation, served as party anthems, or detailed day-to-day life in communities left behind by middle and upper class America. Hip-Hop was known for bouncy/grovy beats. It transferred into a lifestyle that included fashion, art, dance, and music. Rap evolved out of the social scene in the Bronx, a neighborhood of NYC. However, it quickly traveled to the West Coast. Artists in Los Angeles put their own spin on the genre known as “gangster rap.” The songs were often explicit and honest in their protrial of inner-city life. If you were to cruise through South Central, Compton, Watts, or other LA neighborhoods in 1990s, there’s a god chance you’d hear some of the following. Overtime and rap and hip-hop merged to create a uniquely LA culture.

Spanish California and Chicano Rock Californios (Californians of Spanish/Mexican descent) and Latin Americans have had an up and down experience of California. They were the first European settlers of the state. They gained independence from Spain only to have Alta California taken by the Americans just over 25 years later. They went from ruling class to minority power in only a few decades. Their language was replaced by English, their music by American artists, and their land by American settlers. Immigrants were welcomed then shunned in a vicious cycle. Nonetheless, their communities survived every setback. Their artists even found commercial success in unlikely places. You wouldn’t think rock-n-roll and Mexican folk music were a match made in heaven, but Richie Valens proved otherwise with the following smash hit. He blazed a trail for other Chicano/Chicana artists to follow. Other genres of Latin American music continue to gain popularity in California. Spanish language radio stations are a dime a dozen in Southern California and major cities.

Vibe Check Alright, everyone ready to go? Let’s get a quick vibe check before we hit the road once more.

Intermission Phew! All that traveling has me exhausted. Thankfully, California has just about every kind of cuisine you could want. Of course, the state basically invented the concept of fast food, which might be your best option in the interest of time. We’ll take a quick snack break before resuming our tour.

In Pursuit of Gold When you think about country/western music, the image of the cowboy undoubtedly comes to mind. There is a long history of ranching in California, from Spanish immigrants to American settlers. The image of the “Wild West” popularized by the film industry embellished the truth of early settlement in California. Nonetheless, the era of cowboys, stagecoaches, and outlaws lives rent free in the minds of Californians. Of course, that era was largely fueled by the California Gold Rush. People came from all over the world hoping to strike it rich in hills, but many found few richies in the dirt. Instead, they planted roots and gave birth to modern California. You can still visit “Ghost Towns” throughout the state. Communities formed by mineral mining, but ultimately abandoned once the wealth was gone. Bodie State Historic Park accessible via state highway 270 is probably the best kept of these.

Country in the Central Valley While we’re in the Central Valley, we might as well talk about the music scene here. A new style of country/western music was being invented at the Southern end of the valley. Dubbed the “Bakersfield Sound,” this style of country music originated from the Midwest American migrants who settled in the area after the Great Depression. If you had the radio on while driving on the 99 from Sacramento to Bakersfield, you might have heard the following tunes.

Man in Black If the conclusion of that last segment has you feeling down, or maybe a bit blue, Johnny Cash has a song for you. Inspired by a film set in Folsom State Prison, the “Man in Black” wrote a song with inmates in mind. He would later play the tune live at both Folsom State Prison and Caliofornia’s most notorious state prison San Quentin.

The Fillmore Scene Wow! That got intense towards the end. Let’s cool things down and travel back in time to San Francisco's Fillmore District. In the 1950s, Fillmore Street was a beacon for jazz music. Black Americans had moved West pursuing manufacturing jobs during World War 2 and in the years that followed. They brought the sound of New Orleans with them, and created something special. Sadly, the jazz scene was only temporary. The neighborhood was viewed poorly by city authorities, and thus resigned to urban redevelopment. The clubs closed and music moved on.

Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out Hollyweed might not have graced the Valley long, but California is notorious for its attitude towards recreational drugs. The 1960s saw the emergence of the counterculture hippie movement at the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury street in San Francisco. Young people disenfranchised by the government, suburban cookie-cutter lifestyle, and the Vietnam War descended upon the city. They explored their spirituality, practiced free-love, embraced communal living, and experimented with psychedelic drugs. The movement culminated with the Summer of Love. The aesthetic was tie-dye and the goal was harmony. Of course, frustration with the established lifestyle was high too. It was a wild era of massive music festivals and vibrant artistic expression. It ultimately ended with violence and hatred sadly. A haphazardly organized music festival at the Altamont Speedway became synonymous with the end of the era. There were fights, a fatal stabbing, drug overdoses, and ultimately, chaos.

Down By The Beach Anyone fancy a trip to the beach? I’ve heard the wave sets are gnarly today. I'd advise caution dudes and dudettes, you wouldn’t want to wipe out in front of all the tourists. Surf Culture came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. It left an indelible mark on the way Californians speak, eat, and recreate. Cruise down state highways 1 or 39, and you’ll see plenty of remnants from the era. Check out a fifties themed diner, or find some radical dudes and dudettes to cut a rug with.

Main Artist Segment: The Journey What up! What up! What up! It’s your boy: DJ Youth and Urban. It’s been quite the ceremony so far, but we’re just getting started. Let’s hit the road and resume our artistic presentation.

Opening Ceremony: Oaths Competitors Oath - Monika Liu : "In the name of all artists, I promise that we shall take part in this Contest, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern TISC - committing ourselves to a competition that values respect and the true spirit of sportsmanship. We do so for the glory of music and the honor of our nations!" Jury Oath - @Roamingrover86 : “In the name of all the jury members, I promise that we shall adjudicate in our deliberations at this Contest with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern TISC in the true spirit of sportsmanship! We commit to this for the health of the Contest and the honor of our nations!" Host Oath - @Olympian1010 : “I promise that I will organize this Contest, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern TISC - committing myself to overseeing a competition that values respect and promotes the true spirit of sportsmanship. I do this in honor of artists and juries and for the continued success of TISC!”

Opening Ceremony: Parade of Nations (4/4) Romania Jury: @IoNuTzZ Artist: HAVANA ft. Yaar Serbia Jury: @NikolaB Artist: Marija Slovakia Jury: @hckošice Artist: Peha Slovenia Jury: @justony Artist: Siddharta Spain Jury: @Cobi Artist: Mecano Sweden Jury: @Belle Artist: Ghost Türkiye Jury: @Memo Artist: Jehan Barbur Ukraine Jury: @Illya Artist: Alyosha United States of America Jury: @Olympian1010 @dezbee2008 Artist: Beck

Opening Ceremony: Parade of Nations (3/4) Lithuania Jury: @Werloc Artist: Monika Liu Malta Jury: @Glen Artist: Red Electric Mexico Jury: @mrv86 Artist: Julieta Venegas Moldova Jury: @Ionoutz24 Artist: Carla's Dreams Netherlands Jury: @heywoodu Artist: Miss Montreal New Zealand Jury: @Wanderer Artist: Connan Mockasin Poland Jury: @rybak Artist: KORTEZ Portugal Jury: @kungshamra71 Artist: Madredeus Qazaqstan Jury: @Ruslan Artist: BN x Raim & Artur

Opening Ceremony: Parade of Nations (2/4) Germany Jury: @catgamer Artist: Robin Schulz ft. James Blunt Great Britain Jury: @Cinnamon Bun Artist: Ed Sheeran Greece Jury: @maestro @Makedonas @Yannakis Artist: Marina Patti Hungary Jury: @Vektor Artist: Paddy and the Rats India Jury: @Roamingrover86 Artist: Kishore Kumar Indonesia Jury: @Griff88 Artist: Geisha Ireland Jury: @OlympicIRL Artist: Thin Lizzy Israel Jury: @Dnl Artist: Not Listed Italy Jury: @Henry_Leon @Pablita @SteveParker Artist: Toto Cutugno