New Updates Below:
Well Derek Webb is at it again with his new marketing campaign for his latest album “Stockholme Syndrome”.
He is releasing bits of information all over the internet, using codes, twitter and coffee shops around the country.
I will be updating this page with what I’ve figured out or found the answers too. This post will contain spoilers so if you want to figure this all out for yourself then go to DerekWebb.com and start there.
Update 6/23:
Two new videos can be found at SSyndrome.info
http://www.ssyndrome.info/ok.mov
http://www.ssyndrome.info/giveup.mov
The “OK” movie has more Morse code in it which says 36.1566501 -86.77181 which are GPS coordinates to Nashville.
Update 6/16:
In each stem you download from Paradise is a Parking Lot you will find a picture. The picture from the Lexington Stem is of the ball on top of the building where the Dallas stem was found. In the Dallas stem there is a picture of the Grand Rapids Speedrome which doesn’t exist anymore. Here is a link to where it used to be.
Instructions should be coming today, we’ll see if the theory is correct. Stay Tuned
P.S. people on twitter are saying the next stem will be at Vertigo Records in Grand Rapids MI. Which doesn’t open till noon on the 17th.
Update:
Three new tweets with clues
You have 12 hours starting now, until Waco time (PM)
thi_s is s_tupid. who car_es. i’_m leaving. i’m only going to say this _2 times.
am i _r_eally trouble_d? are y_ou? _what does that mea_n? te_ll me y_our truth _an_d i’ll tell you mine.
Code reads “Re download Stem 2″
Go to Paradiseisaparkinglot.com and download stem 2, inside the zip file is another song called “Freddie Please”
The song is about Fred Phelps
freddie, please
how could you do this to me?
how could you tell me you love me
when you hate me?
freddie, pleaseyou know i love you, honey
i’ll bleed you dry with money
i’ll talk where i know you can hear
cause freddie, can’t you see?
brother, you’re the one
who’s queerfreddie, please
how could you do this to me?
how could you tell me you love me
when you hate me?
freddie, pleasethe stone’s been rolled away
but your picketing my grave
for lovin’ the things you hate
but why do you seek
the living among the dead?freddie, please
how could you do this to me?
how can you tell them you love me
when you hate me?
freddie, pleasewhen you hate me
freddie, pleasewhen you hate me
freddie, please
Websites
DerekWebb.com email #1 links to SSyndrome.info which has two links to two movies embedded at coordinates
419,75,433,221 and 106,75,122,221
Movie 1 “The End”
Movie 2 “Simple”
There is Morse code in the videos “Simple” says “6 PM, GPS TO FOLLOW” “The End” says “BNA 07/03/09″
Theories: I’m assuming GPS coordinates will come at 6 PM in “The End” BNA could be the airport code for the Nashville International Airport and the date 07/03/09 could be a plane arriving or departing. Perhaps the beginning of a music tour.
Less probable theory, the coordinates in the HTML could be converted to GPS coordinates +10.675122 +41.975433
The main website for clues to find artifacts is ParadiseIsAParkingLot.com, you can download any artifacts that have been found and you can click on the RSS button and get access to several other videos and pdf’s
Wikipedia Article Stockholme Syndrome
The names of the .wav files from ParadiseIsAParkingLot.com are all taken from the wikipedia article on Patty Hearst someone put them into a spreadsheet over here.
http://www.derekwebb.com/ssyndrome.php (or click the ellipses at the bottom of the page) and enter them in order followed by “Kickdrum” you see a picture of derek webb with a black eye and written on the picture is the link to…
Asks what time is it? Enter the answer “youneverknow” and you get another video with a snippet of a song “Black eye, *garbled something* through a keyhole at my lover”
DerekWebb.net has a few posts about this as well and pictures of a found artifact.
Free Songs
Paste Magazine is having a “Save Paste” campaign and if you donate money you can download a bunch of free songs, one of which is called “Heaven Pre-Mix” and is from the new Stockholm Syndrom Album by Derek Webb.
Lyrics to Heaven
I was killed in a shopping cart.
Turned upside down and left for dead
I saw a clown try to speak to me
As I floated over him.
I found my way to a familiar place
I swear I’ve been some time before
I would have thought it was the marketplace
But I could not find the door
Oh I have been to heaven
And I have walked the streets
Cause I couldn’t find the hand to hold
To keep me on my feet
So paradise is a parking lot
A spot up front is your reward
All the rest walk down streets of gold
To the house they could afford
I got lost in swelling crowd
And I could not afford to eat
You only have what you came in with
So I’m living on the street
Oh I have been to heaven
And I found no relief
Cause I couldn’t find the hand to hold
To keep me on my feet
I heard Jesus Christ was there
He had a car that’s bulletproof
That way everyone is safe
From the man who tells the truth
Oh I have been to heaven
And I have walked the streets
But I couldn’t find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet
I couldn’t find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet
Relevant Magazine posted an article saying
Sure, color us jaded, but the whole “controversy” Derek Webb is “having” with his “label” seemed a little fishy to us. And, it turns out the masses are being duped.
If you take the three words in quotes “Controversy” “having” and label” then go to http://www.derekwebb.com/r_eal.php and enter them in order you can download the mp3 for the song “Spirit Pre-Mix”
Lyrics to Spirit
I don’t want the spirit; I want the kickdrum
I don’t want the spirit; I want the kickdrum
I know how it works, so I’m not dumb
I don’t want the spirit; I want the kickdrumLike sex without love
Like peace without the dove
Like a crime scene without the blood
I don’t want the spirit; you know I want a kickdrumI don’t want the son; I want a jury of peers
I don’t want the son; I want a jury of peers
Stares go low when you see my tears
I don’t want the son; I want a jury of peersLike lies without the truth
Like wine without the food
Like a skydive without the chute
I don’t want the son; you know I want a jury of peers
I don’t want the spirit; you know I want a kickdrumI don’t want the father; want a vending machine
I don’t want the father; want a vending machine
I know, what’s your point if you know what I mean
I don’t want the father; want a vending machineLike heaven without gates
Like hell without flames
Like life without pain
I don’t want the father; you know I want a vending machine
I don’t want the son; you know I want a jury of peers
I don’t want the spirit; you know I want a kickdrum
Controversy Ideas
Derek Webb apparently owns the domain www.GiveAShit.org and according to this blog is planning a campaign to dig latrines in Africa
“The twin towers fall every day in Africa for lack of clean drinking water—7,500 or 8,000 people dying every day and the church does not appear to give a shit,” said Webb, echoing evangelist Tony Campolo’s provocative challenge to churches.
Patrol Magazine has this to say (
Apparently most of the controversy surrounds one song, the most important on his most important record, he says. Given the name of his new charity/activism website (not active yet), it’s reasonable to guess that it might be the first Christian song ever to feature the s-word. (Update, May 14: We have confirmed, via someone who has heard the song, that it deals with Christian treatment of gay people, and, sure enough, includes the word “shit.”)
This patrol Mag article has a huge comment thread with info in it.
Personally I think it’s Derek Webb doing some crazy cool experimental marketing and perhaps there is a little controversy as well, who knows. All I know is I’ll keep following this story and I can’t wait for the complete album.
That’s all I have for now, if you find anything else out post a comment
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I wouldn’t say “marketing genius” – he’s hardly the first person to come up with the viral marketing campaign. Check out Nine Inch Nail’s “Year Zero” campaign (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Zero_(alternate_reality_game)) or “The Dark Knight’s” Joker/Harvey Dent campaign (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_So_Serious#Marketing) – both of these were actualized by 42 entertainment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_Entertainment).
Reasons I think if Derek Webb as a Marketing Genius build off his previous campaigns, not just this one.
Sure other folks have run viral campaigns, but anyone who can successfully pull one off is doing well. To pull several off puts you in the genius category, especially a low budget viral campaign.
Derek wins on this one no matter what happens
thanks for the link Ethan! where exactly in Lancaster do you live? Crazy that we probably only live 10 miles from each other.
You missed one. Go to Derekwebb.com or whatever, scroll to the bottom of the blank page, there is an ellipses (“…”), and it is hyperlinked. You click on that and end up on a page with a search box and a cryptic message up top that says possibly “Twt (tweet)” and then a series of numbers. I tried to tweet those numbers to derek webb at @ssyndrome. But have so far recieved no reply of any kind. I can’t figure out that search box either.
Oh, and I sent my boyfriend on a trip to go get the artifact at a cafe. Supposedly he won concert tickets by emailing Derek with the code in the usb stick he was given with the stems. I guess there is a tour (I forget the name of the tour, I’m so sorry) that isn’t officially announced, but it’s coming soon. Maybe tickets will be available on 7/3? I have no idea.
re: Allison the ellipses link takes you to http://www.derekwebb.com/ssyndrome.php and enter Kickdrum to see the picture of Derek with a black eye
I think the black eye lyrics say “Black eye from staring through a keyhole at my lover…”
I should have just came here before I looked all over this morning. I found out everything you talked about in this article just a few hours ago. I did discover one thing on my own, however!
The release date of the album is 09/01/09. If you want proof and want to see the album cover (which is the black eye picture), or if you just want to preorder it, you can go here:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=CD46902&item_code=WW&netp_id=636121&event=ESRCN&view=covers
If you go to http://www.derekwebb.com/ and click “all,” “need to,” “be,” or “there,” there is a new link when you click the 7th line from the right. It takes you to a video titled “giveup” which shows The Rutledge where he’ll be playing a show on the 3rd of July.
Also, on http://twitter.com/ssyndrome it shows that all five Chicago artifacts have been found and a new stem is up on http://www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com/ which includes a picture of Joel Osteen and the sound files titled “$70 worth,” “4, 1974,” “Bank at 1450,” “been of poor,” and “jailed SLA.”
Thanks Raymond,
There is another movie called “ok” on the same site, haven’t decoded the morse yet.
http://www.ssyndrome.info/ok.mov
http://www.ssyndrome.info/giveup.mov
and here’s the link to the Rutledge
http://www.therutledgelmv.com/
If you want to know the rest of the story, go here:
http://guido27.xanga.com/706396388/the-end-is-the-beginning-is-the-end/
Webb just released the album for pre-order yesterday and I jumped on it since it came with the instant digital download (man, were the servers ever jammed!). Anyway, as I suspected, the main reason DWebb ran this “marketing campaign” is not, in fact, to sell albums. Well, I take that back. It is designed to sell albums…because this stuff needs to be heard. I really came to this site looking for some lyrics, but since it is the first day, there are really none to be found. I think the lyrics are probably some of his most important, but I get caught up in listening to the music, but not really listening to the words. Thus, the quest for lyrics.
Anyway, I suspect the controversy is real (the song “What Matters More” definitely includes the S-word). On top of that, he is releasing both an “explicit” album and a “clean” album in September. I think he is a marketing genius, but for reasons other than making money. Remember, this is one of the first and biggest artists to put music on NoiseTrade. Brilliant marketing, but for the purpose of getting a message out there. “The Spirit vs. The Kick Drum” is probably my favorite right now, both musically and lyrically. Granted, I had a little more advanced listening on that one
Check it out at http://www.derekwebb.com and get the songs. Then maybe somebody can get me some lyrics!
Sadly, for me anyway, the whole bit of him whining over the something as childish as this, has kinda killed my desire to run out and get it.
Wondered if lawyers were called, and how many Africans could have lived off those fees.