Backtracks offers the story of Bop City's construction, how and why it was built and its development in the fifty years since. We are indebted to miss Angel Black, longtime assistant to Sam Bop himself, for her invaluable memories and records.
Recent innovations at the Park include remodeling around the PINC. On the DIY side, you will find The Wall, a physical challenge for all ages as climbers are assisted by pushpacks using technology straight from Arrandem. On the Camelot side in Littlepool is Floyd’s Pink Pig where the flying floating oinkers are always a favorite. Finally, the Glimmerville side is now obscured by Clouds, a dreamy, misty waterpark of perpetual cool fog. Enjoy all these new attractions on your next visit!
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Without Dr. Amwerth’s Cassandra 6000, Bop’s continued success would have been quite different, if not impossible. The Cassandra was capable of analyzing historical, social, economic and others trends and predicting future directions. Not precisely predicting the future, but foretelling certain patterns or waves, particularly in music, which enabled Sam to prepare and provide themes and attractions to capitalize on those trends when they exploded. That was how Sam had Wheel City, Littlepool, and all the post-original themes prepared to open just as the styles they honored surged to prominence. It begs the question: if the doctor and Sam could foresee musical and financial trends as they did, how did the Great Change catch them unprepared? The answer, once revealed, is quite simple, and explains much more as well. The Great Change did indeed catch Sam by surprise...but not Amwerth. He was, in fact, its orchestrator, as well as the engineer of much of human history for at least forty years previous.
It remains unclear precisely when the being known as Dr. Franz Amwerth came to this planet. It is certain he was acquainted with Hitler before the biergartens and while he cannot be said to have engineered them, he did note their effectiveness well. He was active with the Third Reich but never joined the party, and the nature of his relationship kept him from being prosecuted as a war criminal. In fact, the Cassandra (which may have been brought from his home planet, rather than his own invention) allowed Amwerth the foresight to desert the Nazis and throw his lot with the Allies, specifically the U.S. The creation of the Navy Blues and the subsequent research and development done with them freed Amwerth to work with Sam. This suited the doctor well, because of his belief that the minds and hearts of the public would be better molded by popular culture than political rhetoric. Few might have agreed in 1945, but twenty years later it would become a strong argument; in fact, by then pop culture and politics might be said to have merged.
By using his influence with Sam, Cassandra’s forecasts, and various technologies, Amwerth pursued his assignment: the development of a stronger race to house the intellects of his dying planet. His association with Nazi Germany had been an early attempt, but he quickly recognized the many flaws there: too slow, too unsure, and, not least, the results tended to be no ‘stronger’ at all. Amwerth’s specimens, on the other hand, were universally superior to their base materials. Their problems were also manifest, however; the resultant beings would never acquiesce to giving up their own lives to house another lifeform; they were too strong to be forced to do so; and although no one but Amwerth knew it, his quantas were not ‘merely artificial’ creations, but were recombined (or as Amwerth put it, ‘remixed’) from the collected DNA samples of performers, the quanta-manipulative data of the Elgim and Quantum, and the physical bodies of runaways Amwerth collected from the streets of Bop and elsewhere. When Sam directed him to produce quantas to send beyond Bop, Amwerth saw it as a mandate and the numbers he produced skyrocketed. Although the Mystery Tramp was aware of this ghoulish practice, he feared a war between the many factions would not result in Amwerth’s definitive defeat. He continued to work in secrecy, tracking the strengths and weaknesses and waiting for the day victory could be assured.
As we know, the choice of that day would be made for him.
The reason Amwerth had been so intent on Sam basing his operations in Rockville was his knowledge of the area’s peculiar history. Rockville had been one of the few small towns before or during the war with meta-heroic activity. The Mechanic was Rockville’s first powered hero, but he was soon joined by the original King Cougar, the Prophet, the Rockville Warrior and the Thunder Road Irregulars, Man O’War, and others. This heroic tradition appealed to Sam also, and led directly to some of Amwerth’s later activities. The doctor really exploited the city’s pride in its native heroes by introducing new versions of the classics and originals of his own creation by the combination of his quantum research, genetic material collected over the years of his association with Sam, and one more element about which almost no one knew.
Everyone is familiar with Wacky Ranch, the theme unlike any other. Established in 1985 on the site of Junior and Maggie Yasgur’s farm, it is the home of Hillbilly Cat, DooWop Duck, and all Bop’s other cartoon mascots. What is lost on most people, though, is that these characters are actual living beings. They were once normal household pets, farm and wild animals, but were mutated and evolved by sudden exposure to radical energies.
And those energies? Beginning in the 1940s, there was a sharp rise worldwide in reports of UFOs, particularly in the US. There was a reason for this, but I have much more to tell you about Sam and the Park before we get to that. For now, it’s important to know that this ‘flying-saucer fever’ made the reports of August 1950 much easier to dismiss. Many reports came in that night not only of a flying saucer, but a flying saucer seemingly in distress, even crashing a few miles west of the Mississippi River in Rockville. Additionally, some sharp-eyed observers reported a second craft that appeared to be following, even chasing the first, but which seemed to wink out of sight before it passed over the river.
All of that was true. The first craft was the stolen escape vehicle of the Sheb, a notorious monster of the spaceways. The Sheb was an assassin and a cannibal, six feet four inches tall, 320 pounds, and best described as a demon: short horns protruded from his forehead and a spiked tail from his lower back. The second vehicle carried the agents sent to rehabilitate him: five members of an altruistic race who did not believe in punishment, but who had developed skills and abilities enabling them to benefit the inhabitants of any world. It’s unclear if they came from another planet, dimension, time, a combination of some or all of these...we would come to know them as the Little Green Men, or Elgim (LGM).
They landed normally in Memphis and approached the site of their quarry’s crash. The Sheb’s craft had been demolished, and only the creature’s inherent resilience prevented his death. As it was, the Sheb lost an eye and a horn in the crash. In a relatively fortunate development, however, he also suffered from amnesia, so the entire question of his rehabilitation could be set aside. His crimes had already made him the scourge of the galaxy, unwelcome anywhere his reputation reached. Because the Elgim had assumed responsibility for him as part of their mission, and also because of their own nature, they promptly decided to remain on Earth.
Now what has all this to do with Sam? The reason this particular group of Elgim was sent after the Sheb was the Sheb’s one weakness: music. Particular sequences, harmonics, tempos, progressions would render him vulnerable, malleable, even unconscious. These five Elgim were not only law officials, but musicians. With their primary mission no longer one of capture or containment, they elected to pursue their melodic mission along with the Sheb.
The influence of the Elgim and the Sheb cannot be overestimated. Their music electrified the Memphis area, while the energies leaking from the Sheb’s ruined ship flowed downriver and precipitated the rhythm & blues/rock & roll revolution. The energy also spread northward to St. Louis and Chicago, west and east: the vital waves were not restricted to the flow of the river. As the music prospered, more Elgim and other extraterrestrials came to Earth. Unknown to most Terrans, this influx of alien culture radically altered the sound of the music…and the face of law enforcement.
*Areas of culture-altering energy activity, 1950-1955
unaltered map © Mapquest
As promised, I want to bring you Sam’s own words whenever possible. Although it wasn’t the first time he touched the world’s stage, Sam’s appearance before the Rockville town council did mark a turning point in his career. It was the first instance of an increasingly familiar phenomenon, the successful media figure taking a serious role in politics. The derision Sam would soon face was merciless as his Park and his plan had to be successful to be taken seriously and the slightest misstep was judged catastrophic. For these reasons Sam tolerated no errors; his planning was complete and his execution flawless. The following is both a transcript and description of the recording Sam made of his proposal to Rockville. He insisted it be captured on film so there would be no misquotes, exaggerations, or elaborations later. Of course there were, but he squelched them quickly and the Park progressed all the better for it.
The Rockville Town Council meeting of November 18, 1953, began like any other, a little late, with the six members of the council and the mayor settling restlessly into their seats and talking about how soon it would be over so they could get home. They didn’t realize Sam had staff in the room already recording audio; he didn’t want to miss a thing. The regular business wrapped in a hurry—funds allocated to replace a bent road sign, committee meetings extended—then turned to the one new and curious item: the proposal from an out-of-state holding company to bring new commerce to their small town. The name of the company, Pandora Productions, was deliberately provocative and completely bogus. The address and phone number were mine, and I had a neighbor answer the only three times it rang. If Sam and a small handful of other strangers hadn’t been in town hall before the meeting started, I think they would have just redlined it altogether and headed home to Arthur Godfrey.
That wasn’t how it went.
Mayor Morris: Finally this evening, we have a representative from Pandora Productions with a business proposal for Rockville. Are you here, Mr. ...Nugetre?
Sam: Actually, Mr. Mayor, it’s Bop. Sam Bop.
(Naturally, this revelation met with a certain uproar from the council. There were only two other citizens at the meeting, one who had come about the sign and one who was waiting to be released for a DUI.)
Order, order! Well, welcome to Rockville, Mr. Bop! I’m sure we’re all eager to hear anything you have to say.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I hope the entire town will be as cordial toward my proposition.
(Sam ruffles some papers, clears his throat, and generally pretends he needs to prepare the pitch he’s had in mind for years.)
As I’m sure the council is aware, the nature of our country has changed since the war. Entertainment is becoming a higher priority for the American family. Automobiles are becoming a necessity for families, often two or more to a household. Those autos take the family to the drive-in, the theatre, visiting near and far. I propose to help Rockville seize an opportunity to bring those families here for fun with an entertainment destination unlike any previously seen.
(Here Sam unveils the first of several paintings of Bop City, with sweeping coasters and towering resort buildings looking like Monte Carlo. The council is stunned, then a couple members can barely contain their laughter. I still wonder if they thought Sam was delusional, or if one or both could see that if Sam thought it was a good idea, then Rockville had hit the jackpot.)
Gentlemen, this is Bop City, the world’s first Theme Park That is a City. It will employ every current citizen of Rockville, and several thousand more I anticipate attracting. It is fully self-sufficient, producing all the food, power, and other resources necessary to make a city thrive. Additionally, it will attract a half-million visitors in its first year of operation, with no practical upper limit.
Don Warren, Council member: Mr. Bop, forgive me interrupting here, but...what are you talking about? This is a small town! There aren’t two million people in the entire state! How do you arrive at those numbers, why would they come here, what would they do...what would we do with them?
(Mumbling among the council)
Mr. Warren, all your questions are quite valid, and believe me I’ve considered them thoroughly. If you’ll look over the brief I’ve prepared for each of you, you’ll see the numbers are not only accurate, but conservative. I offer Rockville a chance to be the vanguard of a new type of community, a new type of resort, for a new nation, and I offer this with no risk to the town. With the council’s blessing and the town’s cooperation, Rockville will be reborn as the prosperous community in which everyone longs to live.
Hezekieh Dinwiddy, Council member: Mr. Bop, what makes you think the good citizens of Rockville aren’t already living where they ‘long’ to?
Well put, Mr. Dinwiddy. Let me respond by sharing with you some numbers you may find interesting. Since 1945, the population of Rockville has dropped by 12%. That is measurable, but wouldn’t be alarming in a much larger town. As it is, it represents the loss of five graduating classes for Rockville. Interestingly, that is not far from the actual loss; Rockville is hemorrhaging its young people, and new people are not moving in. Between the loss of young natives, death, and lack of immigrants, this town will be abandoned in a generation. There will always be farmers, yes, but industrialization has passed Rockville by, and its youth are going elsewhere for better-paying jobs. I am offering those jobs: better pay, here at home, providing a stake in keeping Rockville alive.
But it wouldn’t be Rockville, would it, Mr. Bop? It would be Bop City. Your city.
True enough, Mr. Warren. Since I would be assuming the entire risk and responsibility for keeping the community alive, I would also like to position it with a name I believe would encourage its success.
Tavon Shields, Council member: I see your modesty has not been overestimated, Mr. Bop. In return for your generosity, what would be expected of the good people of Rockville--or Bop City?
Nothing and everything, Mr. Shields. I would assume full fiscal responsibility for the town for the generation I mentioned earlier; for twenty years I will guarantee every Bop citizen a higher standard of living than he or she would otherwise have experienced in Rockville. In return, I will be the decision-maker on the direction and future of the Park.
The Park? You mean the town? The city?
All of the above, Mr. Mayor. The town will become a city, and the City is the Park.
And you would be the emperor, huh?
Nothing so lofty, Mr. Dinwiddy. I believe you would find I have a reputation as a quite amenable employer and would hope only to broaden that reputation with this, the greatest undertaking my companies have ever considered.
Stackhouse Porter, Council member: And what if you fail, Mr. Bop? Where does that leave Rockville?
First, without becoming contentious, Mr. Porter, I would direct you to my business record. I have never experienced anything like failure. That said, again, I guarantee the future of every citizen with my personal assets. No one will suffer through this offer. If, after that twenty years, the Park is not seen to be a success, I shall happily withdraw and Rockville can resume its current path.
I think we all can see that a project such as you envision would be irreversible, Mr. Bop, but it is incumbent upon us as stewards of the town to review your proposal and share it with the citizens. Thank you for your time this evening. We will let you know something as soon as possible.
I’m sure of that, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, gentlemen.
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The abrupt way the mayor ended the meeting always puzzled me. I don’t know if he thought the other councilmen were going to become increasingly disrespectful to Sam or if he thought he needed to talk to them away from Sam before he lost every bit of his power. The story of the Morris family’s power is one for another day, however.
One of the worst-kept secrets about Bop City concerns its structure; specifically, how the land was developed and designed for the building of the Park. Many of the original residents, of course, refer to it as the “ruination,” “defilement,” or similar terms, because Sam’s plans required the removal of all the farmland and natural features of Rockville and the surrounding area to accommodate the Park as he saw it. If anyone but Sam had known or seen the complete blueprints before construction began, it would have been obvious that the region would literally have to be scraped clean and rebuilt from below the ground up, and that is exactly how it was done. To appease the farmers after they learned the extent of Sam’s plans, the soil was removed to the bedrock and moved miles westward to Bluegrass Acres, a new community Sam founded and developed for the express purpose of allowing the traditionally agricultural lifestyles of Rockville natives to continue. They were still displeased, but had no recourse; that had been the deal, after all, and like everyone else they ultimately profited from Sam’s actions.
Meanwhile, the Park was built on a substructure dug several stories below what would be ground level, in some places as much as 250 feet below. This allowed all the normal municipal services—utilities, garbage collection, emergency services—to be performed invisibly, while also minimizing parking problems by providing unlimited free parking spaces out of sight below the city. Sam understood and believed in the power of seeing cars cruising through the park and never intended to prevent traffic through the city, but by forcing parking underground, providing multiple forms of public transportation, instituting the sidewalk-overpass system, and eliminating exhaust pollution through the environmental processing unique to the Park, it became the best city on earth in which to drive. The efforts of the Elgim, the Dude, and others to prevent any traffic accidents also helped.
Any system so well planned and executed will have its problems and the Underground was no exception. Technically, logistically, it was perfect and has always functioned as designed. No guest has ever complained about emergency or city services; the Park’s health and accident record speaks for itself. All the services that any other city provides have always run smoothly, perfectly…except…
The Metal Guru, Cary Page’s quanta, had offered to oversee the operations in the Underground. He and his Electric Warriors were eager for the freedom they foresaw to develop their music and art out of the glaring spotlight of the Park, and the Underground offered a venue arguably larger than the Park itself, while remaining accessible to those who wanted to share in their dream and also offering the same access to the park if they chose. All was well for the Hobbits for years, but then they realized that the very same things they were doing without recognition were gaining attention aboveground for Randy Rubini, the Satin Scabbard, Hamp Kerr-Garr, in New York, the UK, and even right here in Bop. In 1972, there was the Revolt. The Guru mobilized his crew and attacked the surface with all the techno-garbage might at their disposal. It was a short, terrible struggle; despite their familiarity with the operation of the sub-Bop systems, the Hobbits had no real grasp on the size and complexity of the world above. There were, predictably, no casualties, other than the pride of the Undergrounders and the trusting relationship Sam had assumed existed. It did lead to a new appreciation for the workers who were subsequently rotated through duties like any others in the Park, and also to a greater understanding among all Bop’s citizens for one another’s stresses. The Metal Guru took his place among the Quanta-Heroes of Bop, no longer a revolutionary but a Metal Messiah, leading his people to a new paradise in the sun where their talents would be welcome and appreciated. The music the Hobbits and the Glams were creating continued to grow, earning its own neighborhood, Glamingham, in 1973, in Littlepool. As Glam progressed and metamorphosized, the neighborhood would become DIY in 1977.
As Sam traveled the world, seeking out the innovators and faithful practitioners of the music he loved, he always kept in mind that bringing his experiences to the Park faithfully involved much more than recreating the performers. That’s why the Park’s Innoventors were trained to think holistically, creating a total sensory experience for guests. The design and materials of buildings, landscaping, cuisine, dress, climate—no detail was omitted in producing the Park’s attractions. Often Sam would consult or employ the very architects and technicians who had created the elements on which the Park was based, resulting in not only a perfect recreation but frequently an improved version because of the resources Sam could bring to the project.
The recreation of classic Latium in Dolce Voce was Sam’s first triumph. Earlier works like the guitarchitecture in Berry Fields or the fantastic elements like Red Hot’s volcano in Rockville were too outlandish to impress critics, and the antebellum themes of Rockville and King’s Corners, pastels of Haley Heights, Cajun/creole of Vieux Carré, and other traditional architecture were not groundbreaking enough. In contrast, the recreation of the Colosseum as Ertegun Hall (the Doowopera House), the Parthenon, Coaster Coast inside a recreated Circus Maximus, diMucci’s and Valli’s resorts, and fountains and statuary throughout the theme showed the world that Sam was both sincere and capable of creating world-class attractions for artistic as well as recreational purposes.
Sam continued to impress when Love Island opened, using the styles of other, less familiar ancient cultures as inspiration. African and Asian ruins inspired the Khrystal Palais and other buildings on the island, but the restrictions on guest visitation made the success less well-known, and the carchitecture of Wheel City was a return to the fantastic.
It wasn’t until 1965 and 1966 that Sam truly opened the world’s eyes again to the possibilities of the Park. First with Littlepool’s towering castles and mind-expanding attractions, then with Soul City’s use of integrated landscaping and architecture as the buildings seemed to grow from the very earth, Sam’s Innoventors set standards not only for theme parks but for builders of any description.
Following this wax-and-wane pattern, the opening of neon wonderland 52 Acres was much smaller than Littlepool and Soul City. It wasn’t until the triumphant debut of Caliland’s Spanish-influenced design in 1978 that designers again flocked to Bop to critique and praise. A decade of low-key openings ended with a truly gigantic opening when Texasland bowed in 1989. The oversized theme extended everywhere: buildings, attractions, even the food, as Texasland became the favorite dining theme for quality and value.
Of course, literally no design on earth can compare to the innovations Sam brought to Arrandem, free as it is from the laws of physics we recognize. Floating cities, permeable stone, invisible construction materials—a trip to Arrandem is a visit to the limits of one’s imagination.
With the growth of participatory music in the last few years, Bop has heard requests for karaoke, music competitions, and other audience-involvement activities. I will look at some of the response to these requests in a near-future column dealing with many new attraction, but I will say that anything our guests have grown accustomed to enjoying at home will be available at the Park, bigger, better, and Bopper.
The riveting success of National Idol and other talent shows has also led us to inaugurate a new program on BopTVtm, Who’s That Bopping on My Door?, beginning this summer live from the Park. The winner--well, tune in or join us here and be amazed at the prizes.
Speaking of BopTV, I hope everyone has been enjoying BopBack, our special programming block of nostalgic shows that even predate the Park. From Clark Rich’s American Bopstand to The Adventures of George and Peggy Lou to BopTV RealSpace, your favorite shows from the rock era are back.
Changes are coming to this very site, as well. In the near future, we’ll be posting the tentative concert schedule for our entire year, as well as special events, extended hours, and more profiles, backgrounds, interviews--in Bop City’s 50th year, we’re bigger and better than ever!
Occasionally we must look at the ‘new’ in Bop City. Let’s start with the attractions, as the Park unveils its two newest rides in two of the oldest themes. First is the Sure Shooter in Dolce Voce. A 400-foot tower with a microphone-shaped turret, the Shooter rockets 20-seat cars to the top for a grand view of the Park, then spirals riders down a 1200’ track and on through the Park for an elevated tour of the central themes. Next door in Wheel City is the Grapevine, where riders use individual cars to rocket along invisible paths over and through the theme for a musical tour of the Detroit sound. Although not strictly new, the Rainbow Ranch in Tejasgärd at the bottom of the Rainbow Bridge has recently been renovated and is now open again, serving all your Viking Trail favorites--Cactus Sundaes, Armadillo Meatballs, and Tex-Mex mead.