Lecture Notes: The Perfect PokéRap Presentation

Introduction

• Presenter begins by setting a serious tone, emphasizing this is a lecture focused on education, not entertainment.
• The goal is to perform a perfect PokéRap, covering all 812 Pokémon names.
• The presentation is structured in three sections:
  1. Shortcomings of the original PokéRap
  2. Development of a better PokéRap
  3. Performance of the perfect PokéRap

Shortcomings of the Original PokéRap

• Flow and Rhyming: Criticized for poor rhyme schemes and flow, likened to a "mid-2000s suburban mother’s conception of rap."
• Grocery List Format: Simply lists Pokémon without differentiation, lacks thematic cohesion.
• Gesamtkunstwerk: Original PokéRap is not a unified, all-encompassing artwork.

Development of a Better PokéRap

• Challenges: Contracted to list all 812 Pokémon; original PokéRap's pace would result in a song over 16 minutes long.
• Solutions:
  • Increase Pokémon per minute (PPM) rate to reduce song length to 8.5 minutes.
  • Use metrical feet for better flow; specifically uses 'dactyl' for triplet flow.
  • Group Pokémon by elemental type while maintaining quality distinctions.
  • Incorporate different theatrical disciplines for each Pokémon type.
• Artistic Enhancements:
  • Educational rap section.
  • Contact juggling, eulogies, live sandpainting, interpretive dance.
  • Various artistic and theatrical elements (e.g., Blue Man Group, Paul Giamatti).

Performance of the Perfect PokéRap

• Interactive Participation: Audience enlisted to fill in Pokémon names during performance to ensure contract fulfillment.
• Completion and Reflection: Emphasizes the importance of loving the Pokémon one has rather than just catching them all.
• Emotional Undertones: Personal story involving sacrifice of favorite Pokémon, Terry the Tangela, to complete Pokédex.
• Ending: Concludes with a combination of rapping and interpretive dance, paying homage to the lost Tangela, Terry.

Conclusion

• Audience thanked, acknowledging the collaborative effort in achieving the presentation's goals.
• Emphasizes the shift from achieving a perfect PokéRap to creating a perfect song and experience.
• Final note on personal growth and acceptance of what is truly important in life and art.