"If you don't like it here, move ya ass to Fort Wayne!"
Forget Fort Wayne, former Muncie resident Chris Cox moved his ass to Los Angeles, but it's not because he doesn't like it here.
The advice Cox raps in his "Lazy Muncie" video, found at www.lazymuncie.com, reflects his nine years of his life in Muncie. Nine years were plenty for Cox to form an opinion about the city with a satirical kick.
"Muncie is not a city that I love to hate," he said. "Muncie is a city that I love in spite of myself and in spite of it."
Cox, 34, shot the parody of Saturday Night Live's "Lazy Sunday" skit Feb. 3 and 4, edited the video the following week then posted it on the Web site Sunday night. The video features jokes about life in Muncie and the Midwest along with a cameo by Garfield creator Jim Davis.
The "Lazy Sunday" video stars SNL's Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rapping about an afternoon in New York City while on their way to see "The Chronicles of Narnia." The December skit was followed by Los Angeles actor Mark Feuerstein's video "Lazy Monday," giving a West Coast response.
After seeing the two videos, Cox, an Ohio University alumni, said he thought something was missing.
"I saw ["Lazy Monday"] and you know what, that was cool, and there's a whole in-between part of the country that is left out, and I thought I would do a Midwest version," he said.
Cox works as a writer and producer in Los Angeles. Some of his work is in voice-overs and he has a sitcom premiering in March on Fox called "Free Ride," Cox said. He produces and writes for the show. Although he spent a short time in Muncie, Cox said he felt the city contained a big part of his life, which inspired the video.
"Muncie is always going to be home for me because on some level, it's where I grew up," he said.
His parents lived a good part of their lives in Indiana, and all of his sisters were born in the state. During the Cox's family time in Indiana, his parents took dance lessons and danced at the Elks Lodge.
"That was my childhood," he said. "We drove down to the Elks every night, and my parents would dance."
That part of his childhood turned out to be the mission of "Lazy Muncie" - to go to the Elks Lodge dance.
"That's the one element I wanted to keep, is that I wanted a story line," he said. "The only problem is they don't have dances at the Elks Lodge anymore."
Fortunately for Cox, his sister told him Slater Hawkins had a dance the Friday night he was in town.
McGalliard Road gets a few minutes in the video when Cox and his friend Kirby Heyborne rap, "McGalliard, McGalliard, McGalliard. Everything's on McGalliard ..." Trips to the Northwest Plaza theater were "an escape" for Cox, he said. When he returned more than 20 years later, he said McGalliard Road was the same.
"When I needed something, I could do five different things in a half mile because I was on McGalliard," he said.
Cox, who appeared in flannel in the video, met his writing partner Hayborne while working on "Free Ride." Cox said Heyborne worried "Lazy Muncie" might not come across well because he's from Wyoming, not Muncie.
"I more carried the legitimacy ball since I was so inherently close to Muncie," Cox said. "I told Kirby, 'Look, it doesn't matter, I got all the Muncieites we need.'"
The key to completing "Lazy Muncie" was connections, Cox said. Cox got Garfield creator Jim Davis to do a cameo in his video through his brother-in-law Mark Thurston. Thurston, owner of TK Constructions, has the same weight trainer as Davis, Cox said.
At first, Cox thought he would get Davis from his own efforts by calling Paws, Inc., Davis' production company. No luck.
"My brother-in-law's angle worked much better," he said.
With that connection, Garfield's creator agreed to appear in the video.
Davis found the video "hilarious," said Kim Campbell, director of public relations for Paws, Inc. Davis was unable to talk because he is writing scripts for a direct-to-video project due in June, she said.
Davis thought the video "would be a hoot," she said.
A line of "Lazy Muncie" containing a strong expletive surprised the company known to entertain children, but ultimately Davis was satisfied with the results.
"Jim is first and foremost a comic and an entertainer, and he appreciates humor of all kinds of levels," she said. "Though with Garfield, we are family-oriented in our approach, and I think he is happy with what these two guys did."
Cox said he thinks that when Davis agreed to appear, Davis understood he would be presented favorably.
"It was a nod to the fact that Jim Davis did keep it real," he said.
Also, Cox thought Davis did the right thing staying in his home state.
"He's worth more money than my brother-in-law, and he could have went anywhere, and he stayed here in Indiana," Cox said. "He turned out to be more than a good guy."
Paws, Inc., treated the video informally and didn't see the full script and didn't ask for approval rights for the script, Campbell said. Davis knew the premise of "Lazy Muncie" and has seen "Lazy Sunday," she said.
"The bottom line is that they were trying to say nice things about Muncie, and we got things here," Campbell said.
The video is popular around the Paws, Inc., office, Campbell said, but said she's not sure if it's going to go beyond Muncie's community into the national media.
"It could quietly go away, or it could explode or who knows," she said. "To be honest with you, we knew it would go on the Internet and to be in that realm, anything that would go on the Internet is fair game."
Cox said he spent about 50 minutes filming the scenes with Davis, who appeared in the video for about 10 seconds. He said Davis was into the video shoot and acted like he didn't want to stop. "What do you want me to do?" Cox said Davis asked.
"'The peace-sign sideways, that would look very 'Snoop Dogg,'" Cox told Davis.
Cox said he is enjoying success with his Internet video foray. Talent agency Brillstein-Grey Entertainment in Los Angeles contacted him, cell phone companies have asked him about developing content for cell phones, and organizers for Muncie Gras - Muncie's Mardi Gras celebration - are interested in his video, he said.
Other than wishing David Letterman would call, Cox said he is waiting for complaints so he can tell viewers to head north if they don't like Muncie.
"I'm really waiting for the call from Fort Wayne," he said.
Say What?
Wondering what some of the lyrics mean? Chris Cox explains "Lazy Muncie"
"East Coast, West Coast, Think you got the best coast? But you gotta see how we do it here, in the Midwest."
--Inspired by the East Coast West Coast battle that the "Lazy Monday" video tried to create.
"We start our day off right with a glass of Tropicana."
-- "I just wanted a weird word that rhymed with Indiana," Cox said.
"I heard that the Elks Lodge is having a dance."
--Cox watched his parents dance regularly at Elks Lodge during his time in Muncie
"Let's hit the Bob Evans for some biscuits 'n' gravy."
--Other than Muncie having a Bob Evans, it refers to Cox's love of Bob Evans food while attending Ohio University
Lyrics
Straight outta Muncie,
State of Indiana
We start our day off right
With a Glass of Tropicana
Yo Kirby, Yeah, C
Now what's the plan?
I heard that the Elks Lodge
Is having a dance
Yo, that's sweet
But right now I got a cravin'
Let's hit the Bob Evans
For some biscuits 'n gravy
Kirby love gravy
Like Heath love Jake
So fuck your Coffee Bean
And muthafuck ya cupcake!
The dance is at 6
We need boutonnieres!
We ain't got time for dat
We gots to get to Sears
'Cuz at the Elks
Suits is required
I check my nephew Chase
So's I can get inspired
Hells yeah!
Muncie Mall's where we shop
Forget ya Hamiltons
Two quarters gets you a pop
The midwest is wholesome
But we're not squeaky clean
I'd get with the Olsens
You see what I mean?
(CHORUS)
Lazy Muncie
The corn & the grain
Crazy Muncie
Man, you know it's insane
We stayz in Muncie
It's in our veins
If you don't like it here
Move ya ass to Ft. Wayne!!!!
Dope threads
Let's get our portrait taken
'Cuz tonight we're getting' footloose
Like our boy Kevin Bacon
We don't need no Google Map
What the hell's a Thomas Guide?
I been rollin' down McGalliard
Since I was 4 or 5
McGalliard, McGalliard, McGalliard
Everything's on McGalliard, McGalliard, McGalliard...
Yo Kirby, man, they ain't respectin' us man. You gotta tell 'em 'bout all
the homeys that's from Indiana. Break it down!
There's Letterman, Mellencamp, Scatman Crothers, Larry Bird
David Lee Roth, Axl Rose, Mrs. Brady...that's a word!
But the man we respect
'Cuz he stayed where w e at
Is our homey Jim Davis
He made Garfield the CAT!!!
Pull up to the club
It's off the h-zook
At the Elks
They be droppin' fresh beats
From Garth Brooks to Lawrence Welk
Look at all this parking
New York & L.A.
I take up three spaces
No need to valet
Slip to the back
And float to the floor-a
Who needs a snack attack
When you can dance with Dora!
(CHORUS)
Lazy Muncie
The corn & the grain
Crazy Muncie
Man, you know it's insane
We stayz in Muncie
'Cuz it's in our veins
If you don't like it here
Move ya ass to Ft. Wayne!!!!
Reprinted by permission of the author
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
