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Saturday, April 3, 2010

Atkinsonians take YouTube by storm with 'Granite State of Mind' NH parody

From the Eagle Tribune;

Locals take YouTube by storm with 'Granite State of Mind' NH parody takes YouTube by storm
By Jillian Jorgensen
jjorgensen@eagletribune.com




HAMPSTEAD — Last week, Christian Wisecarver of Hampstead was a video production specialist. This week he is a rapper, whose parody of a Jay-Z hit song has lit up the Internet and is getting airplay on local radio stations.

"If I write a rap song and I record a rap song, and a rap station plays my rap song, that makes me a real rapper," Wisecarver, 32, joked yesterday.

Maybe not quite a "real rapper," but his song has made Wisecarver famous on the Internet. His video, "Granite State of Mind," a parody of Jay-Z's hit single devoted to New York, "Empire State of Mind," had over 250,000 views on YouTube yesterday. It had only been online two days.

"It just started taking on a life of its own," Wisecarver said. "If you're from New Hampshire, or even New England, you'll get basically all the jokes. But if you're not from here, I think you can still enjoy it."

After all, there are plenty of obscure references to New York in Jay-Z's song that Granite Staters might not get. But the bulk of it, and Wisecarver's version, is pretty obvious. Some of Wisecarver's humor is pretty broad, poking fun at flannel shirts, a New Hampshire belt buckle, and cow-tipping. But there are other jokes only a Granite State fan could love.

"You can go to Bike Week that's up in Laconia, in the winter months hit the notch in Franconia," he rapped. "Home of B-O-D-E our Olympic ski champion, he faced high pressure like my man Al Kaprielian."

Wisecarver grew up in Atkinson and graduated from Timberlane Regional High School in 1996. He earned a film degree from Emerson College in Boston, and spent a brief time in Los Angeles working as a production assistant. But he tired of it and returned to New Hampshire.

"You don't really need to be in Hollywood," he said. "I can do it here and let the Internet get it to everybody."

Wisecarver started making short films after he got a job in a production company he said had lots of equipment and not too many customers. He also had a band, Super Secret Project, that played locally. After a while, and the advent of YouTube, he combined the two.

This isn't Wisecarver's first video to earn national popularity. An original song, "Ode to Zach Braff," caught the actor's attention. Braff showed it during an appearance on "The Tonight Show," Wisecarver said. But nothing ever took off completely on its own like "Granite State of Mind."

"I think if it was mean-spirited or something, it wouldn't have gotten any attention," he said.

Sure, the video pokes fun at some of the state's more eccentric characteristics — "Don't drink and drive here, listen to what I say, even though we put our liquor stores right on the highway." But it comes from a place of love, he said.

"People who are from New Hampshire love being from New Hampshire," he said.

Wisecarver, a Jay-Z fan, said he was watching the rapper's video when he realized it was ripe for parody. He printed out the lyrics and began looking for things to "New Hampshire-ize."

Harlem became Salem. Bed-Stuy became Bedford. Then he added jokes and began looking for someone to sing the chorus — finding Holly Winchell, who also grew up in Atkinson.

Winchell said Wisecarver e-mailed her the lyrics to the parody and asked if she wanted to be involved.

"I was like, 'Heck, yes! I definitely want to do this. This is going to be good,'" she said.

Winchell has sung for Gov. John Lynch and writes her own music.

"I think I'm going to start putting it out now that I'm already noticed," she said.

Wisecarver's friend and fellow Super Secret Project band member Billy Donohoe of Haverhill made a cameo as a "plow guy." Darby DeChristopher of Somerville, Mass., produced the video.

They shot the video on Hampstead conservation land, and Wisecarver painstakingly edited it, flashing black-and-white photos of New Hampshire spots the way Jay-Z's video showed New York pictures. The rest is viral video history.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very well done.

Anonymous said...

My son-in-law writes for the Boston Herald & he posted the rap song on facebook.....we all LOVE it!!!! Great job...loved the singing too!

Anonymous said...

Simply brilliant! It comes at a very good time when we all need a laugh!

adillon said...

Absolutely fabulous! Should be the state song! Congratulations Chris and crew!

Anonymous said...

For those that might like to have the words to the song, here they are.

Yeah. Yeah, Imma up at Conway
Now I’m down in Manchester
Next to Adam Sandler
But I’ll be woods forever.

I’m the new Salinger
Cuz I could live anywhere
But I choose to live here
The middle of nowhere

I used to shop in Salem
Next to Rockingham Park
Right there up on 28
Youll find Canobie Lake Park

Bring me up to Portsmouth
the saloon at State Street
Catch me up at Gilleys after closing for some late eats

Its not the kangamangus
The Kancamagus
Its a scenic byway
That I like to drive in August

Now Im down at Bedford
Home of Seth Meyers, yeah
Also Sarah Silverman
were funny motherxxxxas here

We like to say whatsup guy, its the way we say hi
In February it is good to know a plow guy
It is shaped like a key, also where I like to ski
Tell by my belt buckle that I most definitely from…
NEW HAMPSHIRE

LAND WHERE THERES NO INCOME OR SALES TAX
THERE S NOTHING MUCH TO DO
HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
THESE TREES WHERE LEAF PEEPERS DRIVE TO
MAPLE SYRUP IS PRO-DUCED
THIS IS NEW HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE

Catch me up at Loudin, at the Speedway for the race yo
I made the flannel shirt more famous than a scarecrow
Dont drink and drive here, listen to what I say
even though we put our liquor stores right on the highway+

You can drive Mount Washington
hike up Mount Monadnock
in 1787 we invented the alarm clock
Concord Coach, Dartmouth Coach, DowneasterAmtrak
On Squam Lake, Henry Fonda taught yall how to act
Derry’s Alan Shepard, first guy in a spaceship
Its a pity Christa McCaulliffe didnt make it

Didja hear about the ice storm in December of 08
I went without power for eleven straight days!
You can buy a handgun
You can buy some fireworks
Sandwich Fair, Rest in peace Daniel Webster
Americas Stonehenge, long live the dairy trade
Long live the old man
I’m from the Granite State thats
NEW HAMPSHIRE

PLACE WHERE STONYFIELD YOGURT IS MADE IN
AND COW TIPPINGS SO COOL
HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
DSL SERVICE IS BRAND NEW
YOU MIGHT EVEN SEE A MOOSE
HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

Thats some Robert Frost, hes our most famous poet
It was actually written up in Vermont but its associated with
The 603, where its a fact I
Dont know any Hispanics and just one black guy

You can go to Bike Week thats up in Laconia
In the winter months hit the notch in Franconia, home of
B-O-D-E our Olympic Ski Champion
He faced high pressure like my man Al Kaprielian

NEW HAMPSHIRE
IF YOU DONT WANT TO WEAR A HELMET
THERES NOTHIN THEY CAN DO
HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
MARKEYS VERSE BROWNS ON THE SEACOAST
TELL ME WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE
WHEN YOURE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE

NINTH STATE RATIFIED OUT OF ALL FIFTY
IT CAN GET COLD
BUT STILL THE AUTUMNS VERY PRETTY
WHEN THIS SONG MAKES ME RICH,
I’M A MOVE TO RYE
EVERYBODY PUMP YOUR FISTS AND YELL
LIVE FREE OR DIE! LIVE FREE OR DIE!
IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

STATE WHERE TRIPLE H THE WRESTLER HAILS FROM
THAT GUY WOULD DESTROY YOU
IF YOU KNOCK NEW HAMPSHIRE
ITS JUST LIKE OLD HAMPSHIRE BUT NEW
WERE OUT OF JOKES TO DO
ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE .

Anonymous said...

Yeah. Yeah, Imma up at Conway
Now I’m down in Manchester
Next to Adam Sandler
But I’ll be woods forever.

I’m the new Salinger
Cuz I could live anywhere
But I choose to live here
The middle of nowhere

I used to shop in Salem
Next to Rockingham Park
Right there up on 28
Youll find Canobie Lake Park

Bring me up to Portsmouth
the saloon at State Street
Catch me up at Gilleys after closing for some late eats

Its not the kangamangus
The Kancamagus
Its a scenic byway
That I like to drive in August

Now Im down at Bedford
Home of Seth Meyers, yeah
Also Sarah Silverman
were funny motherxxxxas here

We like to say whatsup guy, its the way we say hi
In February it is good to know a plow guy
It is shaped like a key, also where I like to ski
Tell by my belt buckle that I most definitely from…
NEW HAMPSHIRE

LAND WHERE THERES NO INCOME OR SALES TAX
THERE S NOTHING MUCH TO DO
HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
THESE TREES WHERE LEAF PEEPERS DRIVE TO
MAPLE SYRUP IS PRO-DUCED
THIS IS NEW HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE