Week 8 Radio - Protocol to Free Britney
by Tessa Feline Charlie Imre Zuhui
Setup
Set-Up at Radio Worm
Since their were some unresolved technical difficulties at the radio studio, we were only able to use one laptop (Zuhui's) for the audio input.
We made two soundboards with all the .mp3:
With each soundboard open in two windows.
References
Protocols
Scripts
Gimme Lore | Charlie's script
A 'folkloresque' retelling of the history of the Princess of Pop Britney Spear's Gimme More
Based on: Gimme More (Britneyspears.fandom) Songfacts References: Lyrics Britney Spears Songs
Once upon a time in Las Vegas, there was a princess, not yet queen, called Britney. Princess Britney was lucky, for she was much beloved by the folk and commanded all their attention. Especially for her beautiful singing voice, musical talent and sexy moves known to all in the Kingdom of Pop, and beyond.
More so, she was in love herself. With a prince she had married and with whom she had had, soon after, or before, given birth to a perfectly healthy boy.
Oh, she was a happy one, and born to make everyone happy.
But, however much beloved, as was the custom with any heir to the kingdom, the princess's life and action had always been subject to the watchful eye of the folk. After all, the title of a true pop royalty had to be earned and be bestowed by the folk, through vigorous democratic census. As such, a pop princess had to perform as the perfect and proper ICON at all times. So, to make sure the princess didn’t fall short of her title, a dedicated league of chaperones was appointed, to follow and surveil her at all times of the day, and night, and report to the folk, any public display of misbehavior.
Oh to live under such scrutiny, only a true rightful princess could bear it! For Britney however, the incessant patronage by the folk, with their chaperones always around, drove her up against the wall of torment. Especially, since she had become a mother. And as everyone knows, a mother HAS to be judged even more so! And as it happened, the princess had just fallen pregnant, one more time.
To quench all doubt and judgement by the folk, therefore, Princess Britney resolved to prove herself worthy of her position, once and for all! Henceforth, she set out on a mission to compose the most beautiful, most delicate and most splendid of songs the world had ever heard. One song to prove them all. One song will find them. One song to give them all, and when the lights are down to blind them; In the Kingdom of Pop where they always want more.
And so she did happily ever after till the world end. And the rest is history.
Stolen and adapted from "Unlicensed: Bootlegging as a creative practice", Ben Schwartz, Valiz, |Tessa's script
Stolen and adapted from "Unlicensed, bootlegging as a creative practice"
I. Cover Version
A cover can envelope the work, but it can also open it up. The best covers tend to create space; between the original and the copy or reproduction, between the artist and the artist, between the thing and everything else. A cover ask what is possible within what is given, a theft shows what's possible within what's given. Cat Burns recently stole "Teenage Dirtbag", made it black, female, queer. Is that even the same song? Maybe we're asking the wrong questions. Maybe it was never about copying. Maybe it was about stealing all along.
Maybe she just translated language through feelings. Because lately, I, Ben Schwarz/ Tessa/ Anyone reading, have been thinking of theft as a translation. A translator must find what is "unfathomable, mysterious and poetic" in the original and interpret this as the essence of a new language.
Coleman Barks, rumi translator, is known for his translations that prioritize feelings over fidelity. As such, a bootleg, a cover, a theft, must aspire to be greater than a reproduction. It should open up space for the possibility to transform, and even transcend.
However not all of them are created with such noble aspirations, as some people see covers as a mimetic practice. In the global subculture of celebrities impersonations, which involves an intense competitive circuit, greatness is defined by how closely one can get to becoming Michael Jackson, the king of pop, or Britney Spears, princess of the same kingdom. There's no intent to adjust or update, rather the self disappears and in its place, is a red latex jumpsuit, blond hair, and a bright smile. At the core, a mimetic cover is an homage. But a cover's ability to celebrate its source can go further, and in doing so can become something else, such as an interpretive cover.
According to Anthony Huberman, an homage falls somewhere between admiration and research. A tribute maybe? A cover opens up the possibility to express admiration in a way that emphasizes affect over effect. I love it over I get it. We find things that other people wouldn't think of finding there.
"Respect" was originally a song by Otis Redding, in which he demands respect from "his woman" after a long day at work. But the "Respect" most of us are familiar with is Aretha Franklin's rendition. The track surpasses a stylistic interpretation; the most powerful change for the track is actually the context of the word respect, considering the realities of Franklin as a black woman in the late 60s, early 70s. The song became a demand for something that could no longer be denied. She had taken a man's call for respect from a woman, and flipped it. The US had never heard anything like it.
The track demonstrates that even in repetition, there's always a "quality of difference". A cover is never just the same thing, but rather a progression or regression. If a mimetic cover repeats and a transformational cover shifts, then a transcendent cover stutters. Despite the necessity of a cover to work within the limitations of its predecessor (it said original but we've established before there's no such thing as an original piece of work), there remains a possibility for these structures to be manipulated.
Feline's Script
The script is on this wiki page!
Ownership of identity script | Zuhui's Script
https://pad.xpub.nl/p/ownership_of_identity
inspired by the monologue from The Fall of the House
+ stealing lines from k-pop industry forum
**read it with a tone of jaded, pop industry sociopath with the lack of humanity on steroids**
"When you find an artist, don’t just make them a star. Stars burn out, stars fade. No, make them a channel. Something you can tune into, subscribe to, binge-watch. Get the fans hooked on their content, not just their music. You’re not just creating a musician—you’re crafting a 24/7 stream of brand identity, a character arc you can control, a personality you can update, reboot, and reformat whenever the metrics demand it.
First, build the ‘backstory.’ Get the fans to feel like they discovered them, saw them raw, saw them 'before they were polished'—because, of course, we want to think they’re real. But filter it, sculpt it. Get them singing in their bedroom, voice notes in the shower. They’re ‘just like us,’ but on-brand. Every little imperfection, every hint of vulnerability should be carefully curated, because authenticity is the premium package these days.
Then? Optimize. Decide what’s trending and wrap it around them. Are people nostalgic for the ‘90s? Put them in vintage tees and scrunchies. Are they craving dark, edgy vibes? Send them to a therapist for ‘rehabilitation’ and make sure they’re caught reading existential philosophy book on a park bench or something. You’re crafting a lifestyle, something the fans can live vicariously through. They’re not just an artist—they’re an aesthetic.
Now, give them a show. Not an actual show, of course—people don’t come for the real story. Give them an ongoing soap opera, something that the fans can’t look away from. Stage every relationship, every heartbreak, every tweet that ‘accidentally’ goes viral. Let them unfollow and re-follow their exes, post cryptic lyrics that fans can analyze, make every week feel like an episode with cliffhangers. And always make sure they’re a trending topic, like they’re part of your daily news feed.
Then spice up the narrative. Create a storyline for their life, how hardworking young artist struggling in the pop industry, the tears, blood and sweat. Or blood, tears and sweat. The pain of clawing their way up to to ‘make it’. Every long studio night, every little setback, every ‘candid’ moment of self-doubt—it’s all part of their climb, their heroic rise. Then package it, make it look authentic, make it feel real.
And to cement it? Make it cinematic. Plan a 3 episode worth Netflix documentary, or a 4 part YouTube series. Title it something like "Homecoming," “Raging fire" or “Break the silence"—something that sounds brave and monumental. In Episode 1, they’re a raw talent, innocent, humble beginnings. Episode 2, they’re struggling, battling through the industry machine. Episode 3, the triumphant rise, the tears, the crowds chanting their name. Capture every tear, every raw moment as if it’s a revelation, like it’s truth.
By the end, the fans aren’t just watching an artist—they’re following a hero. They’re invested in the dream, hooked on the storyline. Every song, every lyric feels like a chapter in this grand epic you’ve orchestrated, every concert a triumphant return to the stage. People buy tickets to feel the victory, buy merch to feel part of it. You’ve made their life a myth, and the audience is paying to be part of the legend.
Now monetize. Their name? Trademark it. Their image? Copyright it. Release limited-edition merchandise every time they wear a new outfit. The only way the fans can ‘really’ get close is if they buy the backstage passes, the personal livestreams, the VIP meet-and-greets. People want access, and you make them pay for every inch. Release “exclusive” content on a premium platform, where they can read the artist’s personal journal or get a front-row seat to their self-care routine. Why not charge a monthly subscription? 7.99 to ‘follow their journey’— 12.99 for the deluxe tier. Depends on how much they care for their star.
But don’t just stop there. Expand. A product line, a skincare brand, maybe even their own fragrance. Because the fans don’t just want to hear them—they want to smell like them, live like them. Every piece of them is a potential market, every part of them something you can package, promote, and profit from. And if they ever get tired? Remind them that this isn’t just a career—it’s a community. Tell them they have a ‘responsibility to their fans.’ Make them feel guilty for wanting space, for wanting something real. Because they’re not just a person anymore—they’re a full-scale media ecosystem.
And if they ever try to escape it, ever try to post something unapproved, or say something that doesn’t fit the ‘brand’? Remind them of the contract. Remind them that their very name, their likeness, is company property now, like an algorithm you can turn on and off. And if they still want to leave? Start a rumor, leak a scandal, say they’re ‘difficult’ or ‘burnt out’—spin their exit as a plot twist, something you can use to rebrand them later. Make them a hashtag. ‘Free Britney.’ Start a petition. Because even rebellion, even freedom, we can monetize.
And then, once you’ve stripped away everything that made them real, everything that made them 'them'—you don’t even have to keep them. Because now you’ve got the blueprint. You can just create the next one. The perfect artist, but more streamlined. A new face, a new story, built exactly to spec. Because in the end, the artist isn’t the point. The story is the point, the brand is the point. And you can tell that story again and again, endlessly.
So sit back, watch the ad revenue roll in, and remember: you’re not just selling music. You’re selling a feeling, a fantasy, a carefully manufactured dream that keeps people coming back. And all it costs is a person."
Immortalized Imprisonment and Transforming Identity | İmre's Script
In cultures with oral history, folklore is how information is passed down, by elders after dinner surrounded by people drinking tea. The stories of creation, war love and redemption pass like biscuits shared and bitten. They mark the identity of the people, not only their victory and loses but their morals, virtues and those that are valued. They didn't belong to anyone but the people, they weren't a property to be owned or created, they were neither original not unique. Identity can never be fixed, will never sit still, it is made and remade with every second, every new information every instant of a new encounter. As the identity of the culture changes so does the stories, as the myths are told and retold new customs enter in between speeches, the values pick from the hands of the heroes and reshapes their journey. The transformative nature of folklore grants cultures control over their identity. One such encounter that shaped and reshaped the stories of the old were religion. As Christianity spread the story of Eve, a women's first action became sin, the consequence pain and suffering. As Islam started mingling with Dede Korkut, the women who took arms and fought on horseback turned into damsels to be saved or disappeared all together. Change is the only constant, transformation can sometimes means censor.
Copyright was first borne from the need of censoring dangerous information spreading. Printed work had to be licensed by those chosen by the rulers. The license gave the print-houses the right to copy. The licenses were granted not to the authors, but to print-houses and publishers. It was meant to stop the spread of those ideas deemed dangerous, not to protect the rights of their creator. In time our understanding of copyright changed, and was adjusted, now it needs the creation to be fixed and stable.
To be transformed into a saying, even at the price of her/his life. To lose the chance to transform by becoming writing, writing that remains folklore changes with the culture, doesn't stay constant, it is allowed to live and breath and go through its own journey. However the record of what was will be lost. Immortality of a singular moment a specific arrangement of words speech flies, writing remains if you are defined by your work, do you chose remembrance over transformation to turn yourself into a statue to be consumed for recognition "active invisibility to provide the freedom of not being tied to your creations" forced visibility, being made a property, held responsible with no decision making power. being immortalized in your imprisonment. It's Britney Bitch.
Can I steal what has never been yours? play with it? Burn it, shuffle, sample, elongate? can I make it mine (ours), color the walls of your cell? Steal your voice, use your name? Take your story from online sources, and rewrite it myself
Its never about my own position to reclaim my name, but always about my name being reclaimed by the agenda of the people that I'm associating with I am sorry Britney, I can't free you, I couldn't even steal your name, song or story since none belonged to you, but hey, maybe your name can free me?