MYLO XYLOTO similar to KILROY WAS HERE by STYX?

[TraceOddity]

A friend of mine who is a HUGE Styx fan and also a Coldplay fan brought this to my attention. While the Two stories are not identical, and the motives of the 'bad guys' are different, there are some remarkable similarities between MX and a Styx concept album that was released more than 30 years ago.

 

Kilroy Was Here takes place in a futuristic society where Rock music is banned and machines dominate, but it's basically about suppression of thought. The society is controlled by the 'Majority for Musical Morality (MMM? Major Minus Media?) and the hero Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (R.O.C.K.) disguises himself as one of the machines that control the masses in order to infiltrate and sabotage the system (Similar though not identical to Mylo).

 

Oh, and, iirc, it's set in Japan.

 

The love story is there too, with the song 'Don't Let It End'

 

And even the title is a Graffiti reference...

 

These are very random points, and nobody is accusing Coldplay of stealing the idea. It's just a convo I found interesting, so I thought I'd put it here for anyone geeky and interested enough to check it out.

 

KWH Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_Was_Here_%28album%29

 

Here's the story from the album liner notes:

THE PAST

Dr. Everett Righteous, founder and leader of the MMM, (The Majority For Musical Morality) became influential in American politics through the use of his own cable T.V. network. He spoke about the evils of rock 'n' roll music, and how it's permissive attitudes were responsible for the moral and economic decline of America. He was charismatic, entertaining, and above all, he understood the media. The MMM soon gained enough power to have rock 'n' roll banned.

 

THE PRESENT

is a future where Japanese manufactured robots, designed to work cheaply and endlessly, are the caretakers of society. "Mr. Roboto's" are everywhere, serving as manual labor in jobs that were once held by humans.

 

Dr. Righteous enforces his own morality by holding nightly rallies where crowds hurl rock 'n' roll records and electric guitars into huge bonfires...Jonathan Chance, the rebel leader of an underground movement to bring back rock 'n' roll, has made Kilroy the symbol of his cause. Meanwhile, Kilroy has spent a number of years in prison. With no hope of release, he is subjected to the humiliation of mind control via the MMM cable network. In an attempt to contact Kilroy, Jonathan jams the airwaves of the MMM network, replacing a mind control session with outlawed footage of a Kilroy concert. Inspired by Jonathan's message, Kilroy plots his escape. Late one night, he makes a daring attempt to free himself by overpowering a Roboto guard. Disguised as a Roboto Kilroy moves freely throughout the city leaving graffiti coded messages for Jonathan. Jonathan discovers the "rock code" which leads him to the old Paradise Theatre, now the site of Dr. Righteous' Museum of Rock Pathology. There he sees the last Kilroy concert mechanically depicted by Kilroy look-alike robots as the violent end of rock 'n' roll...and there, he and Kilroy meet for the first time.

 

(This thread was made for fun and for music geeks with a sense of humour, so please don't get offended!:))

 

EDIT: Oh, and Styx fans universally agree it's their worst album ever,lol. Having listened to it to make this thread, I have a new appreciation for the MX production values!:D

[tutegarra]

noooooo not again!!! well to be honest, it's not like an unique idea. i came up with something similar to that a couple of years ago so why not them on their own? it feels sad to be suspicious really but i have to keep in mind that we're talking about jonny chris guy and will and that they wouldn't steal anything ever :smug:

[27]

Well both are based on 1984 by George Orwell. All have the themes of oppression, suppression, the "main" omniscient villan and a love story mingled in.

Just some similarities btw 1984 and MX:

Telescreens= Hypnofeed

Thought Police= Silencers

Big Brother= Major Minus

 

Anyways, I'm just tying to say both are remixed stories, and they may bear resemblance to each other, but in fact have a common literary origin. Personally, I like the MX story because it is much more colorful and immersive.

[aschall]

Hmm.... Interesting. Nice find.

[TraceOddity]

Well both are based on 1984 by George Orwell. All have the themes of oppression, suppression, the "main" omniscient villan and a love story mingled in.

Just some similarities btw 1984 and MX:

Telescreens= Hypnofeed

Thought Police= Silencers

Big Brother= Major Minus

 

Anyways, I'm just tying to say both are remixed stories, and they may bear resemblance to each other, but in fact have a common literary origin. Personally, I like the MX story because it is much more colorful and immersive.

 

Agreed, and well said.

 

As I said, I'm not accusing them of 'stealing' the idea at all, just pointing out a coupe of really cool coincidences.:)