TYRANNIA - Now "Wock Til You Drop" is the newest addition to the
group of bands which perform at the Tyrannian
Concert Hall. Although most of Neopia sees this as a new arrival, Wock
Til You Drop has had a long, long history of all of their attempts to even get
their faces in the Concert Hall, let alone perform there.
***
It had all started when a Tyrannian Wocky cub picked up its first rock off
the ground. Unused to the weight of the rock, the cub dropped it onto the hard
surface of the plateau. It made a noise. The cub, fascinated, picked the rock
up again, and dropped it. Again, there was a noise. Soon the cub found a different
rock, and dropped it. This time it was a different noise. Within minutes that
cub collected all of the different rocks he could find in the area and tested
them all one by one to see what kind of sound they each made. That cub was none
other than Uggrutha, one of the to-be-band members of Wock Till You Drop.
The cub Uggrutha was quick to share his fascinating new pastime with all of
the other Wocky cubs he knew. Some were disinterested from the start. Others
experimented too, but grew bored rapidly. After a month, only Uggrutha and his
three friends, Guggaky, Tersky, and Huncha were still playing with the noises
made by the falling rocks. They found many rocks, and experimented with different
materials to drop the rocks on. After they came up with many combinations of
surfaces and rocks, they started using more than one rock at once. In all of
their discoveries, they founds patterns and rhythms which were especially pleasing,
at least to them. Through this childhood fascination which grasped them throughout
their raising, the basis of their career arose.
When they were juveniles, and came up with some combos which even the most
professional of Neopia Central artists would have a hard time playing, they
finally decided to show the fruits of their work to the local community of Tyrannian
Wockys. At their humble cave they gave a rich performance of beats and movements,
despite the crudeness of their tools. The audience had never experienced such
music ever before. Though they didn't ask for any pay, but the end of their
night they players found themselves chock-full of donations.
It was then that it dawned on them that they could actually make a living
off of this. A month later and a few more successes in the Wocky community,
they put on another performance, this time for a band of Chias and Elephantes
from near by as well as the local Wockys, who were eagerly awaiting another
wonderful night. As the showing progressed, what had started as mild interest
from the strangers grew into surprise, then appreciation, and when the concert
was almost over they were roaring along with the Wockys for more and more. Three
numbers more than had been planned were played. This served to prove that not
just their tribe, but other Tyrannians, could love "their music" so much.
Over the next two years, the four Wockys went out together and traveled all
over Tyrannia to give performances. Everywhere they went they were met with
fan-ship, both old and new. When word spread around about the new group, the
Wockys got in great demand. It was in the Tyrannian village of Siggathug where
they got their band name, Wock Till You Drop.
Already some of the Neopets of Siggathug had heard them elsewhere, and as
soon as Huncha, Tersky, Guggaky, and Uggrutha they could feel the high anticipation
in the air. The listeners were not disappointed. In fact, when the four had
used up the extra numbers which usually satisfied other crowds, there was still
demand for more.
"What are we ugga, going to ugga do?" Tersky whispered when they had done
all of their prepared combinations. Only the other members could hear as the
audience was screaming so loud.
"Cough, we ugga can't ugga play more," Guggaky finally announced.
The Tyrannians went into an uproar. At the time they were simply known as
"the Wockys", and the audience kept screaming "WOCKYS, WOCKYS, WOCKYS" which
eventually slurred into "WOCK WOCK WOCK." Then, somewhere, a Siggathugan coined
the phrase "WOCK TILL YOU DROP, WOCK TILL YOU DROP". It spread through all of
the chants like wildfire. The Wockys couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the group
no longer, and played completely impromptu "the best they ever had so far" as
one witness said later.
After that night, the four became known as the "Wock Till You Drop". With
their rapidly rising popularity, it wasn't long before they considered the highest
place for any music group in all of Neopia.
"We ugga into Concert Hall," Uggrutha, who was the unofficial leader, told
the rest one day.
Only months after the night which had brought them their name, Wock Till You
Drop, an audition for the great Tyrannian Concert Hall was arranged. All four
of them looked forward to it, but it would turn out to be one of the great low
points into their life.
When they first arrived, they were surprised to see that they were to be watched
not by a crowd like they were used to, but to a panel of non-Tyrannians in the
oddest clothes Wock Till You Drop had ever seen. The Bruce in the center was
the oddest of all, plump and with a nice prim suit top hat. The Wockys soon
learned he was "Arthur McBrunsley" the "CEO of Tyrannian Concert Enterprises",
though they didn't have the slightest idea what that was.
Due to the unnatural environment, all four of them were nervous and uneasy
throughout the entire audition. Each time one of the panel wrote something down,
at least one of the group would look pleadingly, hoping that it was a good thing.
By the end, they felt like they had done three night performances in a row.
"We need time to consider this carefully," a Peophin on the panel said coldly
and calmly. "The results will be delivered to you in six weeks." Each of the
Wockys had a shudder of horror. Six entire weeks until they knew whether or
not they were in? The Peophin might as well have said they were sentenced to
six weeks of hard labour. Wock Till You Drop always knew what reaction they
got as soon as any performance was over.
During those terrible six weeks, they continued performances. Everyone who
they saw assured them that there was no way that they could be rejected. Over
the days their morale came back, and when the six weeks were up they were cheerful
as if they had already received the reply.
Due to their upbeat mood it was five times as hard a blow when the Uni messenger
came with the news that the panel had decided that Wock Till You Drop was "unsuited
for playing in the most prestigious music center in Neopia."
"I ugga quit!" Huncha said upon hearing the result. "We ugga make better music
than ugga Two Gallon Hatz and ugga Sticks and Stones combined. But they ugga
refuse us."
With that Huncha stormed out of the cave and the other three never heard from
him again.
To maintain a living, the not-as-united Wock Till You Drop continued informal
showings, but something about their spirit was broken. The only times they felt
good was when they heard the cheers of their fellow Tyrannians. At any time
when they weren't performing or practising, they were sulking by a fire in their
humble cave.
"We must ugga try again," Tersky said. At first Uggrutha and Guggaky met this
suggestion glumly. But at their next performance a Tyrannian Shoyru screamed
"Me want to ugga see you in ugga Concert Hall." That yell was enough to make
Wock Till You Drop try one more time.
And they failed. Their life fell into what they felt was hopeless pattern
of performing to meet their costs, and every now and then getting enough will
to audition again.
And not succeed again.
After quite a few turns of this cycle, the panel grew sick of seeing the same
faces over again. When Wock Till You Drop tried one more time to get in, at
the end Arthur McBrunsley yelled at them straight out instead of having the
Peophin telling them they would receive their results at the end of six weeks.
"You are dumb. You are scrawny with zero fashion sense. Your tools in your
music are primitive ad unprofessional. This Concert Hall maintains a monopoly
over all Neopia, and other Neopians don't want to hear your Tyrannian trash.
All Tyrannians are barbaric! And NEVER COME BACK!"
All three of the Wock Till You Drop were shaking with rage when they left
the audition room. So it wasn't because they were bad that they were never accepted.
These Neopians were prejudiced against them the moment they even applied. But
not only that, they had insulted their entire country in which they had spent
their entire lives.
The news spread like wildfire all over Tyrannia. The Kacheeks screamed in
rage, the Pteris wailing, and even the Skeiths muttered bitterly as they lazed
in the sun.
Only a few weeks ago did action take place. It started when a Scorchio blew
fire at a tourist trying to enter the Concert Hall early before the show. The
girl shrieked and scrambled with her baby Blumaroo away from the Concert Hall.
Other Tyrannians who could see it rapidly understood what was happening, as
the they too had feelings bottled up for a while. The Techo at the concert booth,
upon seeing this, shred all of the tickets to pieces. Grarrls let out their
roars of rage. A bunch of Tonus started charging the Concert Hall at full speed.
The "Tyrannian Band Riot" had begun.
The Tyrannian Concert hall was barred by a mob, laying siege on Arthur McBrunsley,
his panel, and Yes Boy Ice Cream which were supposed to perform that day. It
seemed all of Tyrannia came together to fight the force which had insulted them.
Even the Tyrannian council took the side against the Concert Hall. Sabre-X left
Myncha (Myncha was reluctant to be left out of the action) in guard of the giant
omelette while he went to the Concert Hall. True, the Lupe did bring order,
but he also ensured that those trapped inside did not get out.
As Tyrannians flocked to the Concert Hall to fight for their dignity, they
began uniting into one overwhelming chant: "Wock Till You Drop, Wock Till You
Drop, Wock Till You Drop...". That was all Tyrannians, except Wock Till You
Drop itself, who were sulking in their home cave. They felt there was no chance
anymore--they could ever get in, like they wasted efforts.
And them it seemed a stampede of Neopets headed toward their cave. At first
the Wockys panicked, wondering if they had been turned into outcasts or something.
But their cave offered no hiding places large enough, and the mob was arriving
so fast that they had no chance to run. Instead they just waited, like sitting
ducks, to see how fate decided to end them.
But it was Kyruggi, the head of the Tyrannian Council herself, who approached
Wock Till You Drop.
"Arthur McBrunsley has finally conceded to let you play in the Concert Hall,"
Kyruggi, informed them in a calm, but pleased, manner, "although he would like
you to drop the extra 'l' and be 'Wock TIL You Drop' for promotion purposes".
The crowd surrounding cheered, and the now Wock Til You Drop, with their mouths
dropping, figuring that it was a dream.
And now, thanks to the Tyrannians who stuck up for Wock Till You Drop and
their pride, all of Neopia can enjoy this unique band.
First of all, this is part of the Neopian
Times Appreciation Guild's "Beyond the Music" series. And you may wonder
why I even bothered to put in the bit about originally having two 'l's in the
original name "Wock TILL You Drop" as it is rather confusing. That is because
I have held their card for quite a few months now in my NeoDeck, and I remember
specifically that it used to be spelled "Till" instead of "Til". In fact, in my
NeoDeck, I think it's still spelled "Till" so you know that I'm not just making
this up ^.^ | 
