Emberglow
Emberglow, AKA Teddy Sane, is a Delos who has achieved fame through the recording and release of heavy metal rock albums.
Contents
Arrival
After falling into this dimension during the events of the Delosian Exodus, Emberglow found himself wandering the streets, homeless and broke. He eventually fell in with Vince Starlight, a down-and-out former rock singer, then lounge singer, whose star had long since faded into obscurity. Vince had been a golden boy about forty years previously, but changing tastes and changing fashions had all but ended his career. Now in his twilight years, Vince lived in the beachfront property that he had once used as a weekend retreat, after having sold off all the trappings of his former fame and glory.
Seeing something special in Emberglow, Vince took him under his wing as an apprentice, and gave him carte blanche to make use of any of the instruments and antiquated recording equipment that rested under a layer of dust in the now-abandoned private recording studio in the basement.
Early Recording History
Teddy Sane
Emberglow used the collection of dusty equipment supplied by Vince to begin experimenting with music, and began to record demo songs. Vince wrote him several letters of introduction to various people he still knew from the recording industry, and Emberglow began to submit his demo tapes to various studios. After multiple rejections, Triple-G Records took a chance on him, and signed a contract for three albums, to be released under the name Teddy Sane - a name created by their marketing department, and deemed "hip, with-it and now" which would play off of a "demonic teddy bear" public persona.
Using his demo recordings as a foundation, Emberglow began to write and record new material, performing all the parts himself. Laying down a drum track, then a bass track, then individual guitar and keyboard tracks. For vocals, he sang both lead and by multi-tracking himself, he also did his own backup harmonies. Vince guided him through the mixing of the songs into a cohesive whole, and eventually the first album was complete and delivered.
At this point, a snag occurred. While Triple-G had signed him on entirely on the strength of his demo recordings, they had assumed they were dealing with a band made up of multiple members. This became apparent when the studio indicated that they wanted Teddy Sane to go out on tour in support of the album. Emberglow balked at this, since it would be impossible. However, by that time the Teddy Sane album had already been released, and was on the verge of going platinum.
Teddy Sane, the album, featured ten songs (five per side) with an album cover showing a cartoon drawing of a demonic teddy bear with glowing green eyes climbing up out of an open manhole. It was well-received, with its first single shooting up into the top 10 almost upon release.
Unsatisfied with the lack of a tour, but willing to put up with it for now due to the influx of cash from the album, the record company allowed the situation to rest for the time being.
It was around this point, that Vince finally succumbed to old age and passed on. He left Emberglow his estate, which primarily consisted of the beach house, the basement studio, and a collection of vintage sports cars out in a barn. Emberglow would sell these off one at a time to keep the bills paid, while working on his second album.
Toys In The Basement
The second album was recorded much as the first was, by Emberglow, on his own, in the basement studio. Originally expected to be titled Teddy Sane II, the name was later changed to Toys In The Basement, a term that Vince and Emberglow had used between them to refer to their collection of aging recording equipment and instruments. This change was done as a tribute to Vince, and the album is dedicated on the back to his memory.
The cover would also be the first to depict an actual photo of Emberglow, giving many fans their first actual look at him. It was taken in a dusty, cobweb-bedecked corner of the studio, showing Emberglow dressed up like a rock star, down on one knee and leaning back against a wall of amplifiers. As an in-joke, and a bit of a dig at the fact that he was the only one really on the album, he was surrounded by a "band" made of plush toys who were propped-up at, and seemingly performing on toy musical instruments.
The musical content was essentially a continuation of the style and quality of the first album. And while it did well in sales, Triple-G's board of directors were growing impatient.
It's a well-known but unspoken secret inside the recording industry, that one of the things big studios will do to maintain their profit margins, is charge back every cent they spend on advertising and promotion of an album, against an artist's take from sales. This creative accounting allows these studios to grab back most of the profit from a successful album, cutting deeply away at what they owe to the artist. Concert tours are a big chunk of this, and with Teddy Sane refusing to go out on tour, Triple-G were starting to feel that the band weren't pulling their weight financially. Too much of the profit from the sales of Teddy Sane albums was being paid out to the band, rather than going into the company's own pockets. So they decided to force the issue for the third album.
Almost Alive
For the third album, Triple-G demanded that Teddy Sane record it live, in front of an audience. They had arranged a series of shows at a number of stadiums, concert halls and other large venues which would form the basis for a tour, which they would record through a direct feed on the soundboard, with the best performance of the song from each show used on the final record. All they needed from Emberglow were two new songs, and a setlist of popular tracks from the previous two albums to be drawn up for the tour. It was all arranged, and it was entirely out of Emberglow's hands. They had a signed contract, and he was legally bound to honor it, by performing.
Artwork had been created for the album showing a Frankenstein lab, with the demonic teddy bear from the first album's cover, strapped in amongst a sea of crackling electrodes.
In order to maintain the myth that Teddy Sane was an actual band, and not just one mad genius in a basement, Emberglow needed musicians he could quickly hire to "be" the band. Reaching out to a couple industry associates, he was soon introduced to the world of studio musicians. It was another one of those unspoken secrets in the recording industry, that there existed these talented artists who performed secretly on multiple albums from multiple bands, without recognition, and purely for the paycheck.
It was at this point that Emberglow, Cobalt and Talboc crossed paths. Cobalt was working as a studio musician, and had been recording with the group that Emberglow eventually hired on to perform as Teddy Sane at the live venue. Talboc had followed along just to annoy Cobalt. With the three of them in the same building at the same time, they found themselves drawn together.
This meeting would be the initial spark that led to the Delos being brought out of their transdimensional hibernation, during The Return Of The Delos.
The Breakup and The Breakout
Emberglow
Having completed the terms of his contract with Triple-G studios, and after being reunited with the Delosian race, Emberglow decided not to renew his recording contract and instead followed the Delos to Boink where he set up a new personal recording studio, on a new beach, and prepared to sign-on instead with Bop Studios: the newly formed recording company that Foozle Bop had put together to promote Boink's artists.
However, upon learning of this, Triple-G's legal staff sent him notice that by doing so he had forfeited any right to use of the Teddy Sane name and brand. The name and "demonic teddy bear" persona had been created by their marketing department, and they retained all legal ownership of both. Should Emberglow attempt to cash-in on his former identity in any way, he would immediately be sued.
And so, Emberglow signed on to Bop Studios under his own name, and constructed a new public image: that of a heavy metal rock warrior. This included a bare-chested and far more revealing costume consisting mostly of a brief, ripped, leather loincloth.
And for his first record with Bop Studios, he would, for the first time ever, put his own name on it.
Emberglow, the album, featured cover art of Emberglow posed atop a mountain peak in his revealing rock warrior costume, flanked by a pair of monolith-like amplifier stacks, and holding his trusty purple Charvel guitar in the air as lightning arced across a stormy sky behind him.
The musical content would drive this new album to the top of the charts, and form an effective comeback for his career.
Harder Than Rock
Emberglow's second album for Bop Studios would go on to stir up a bit of controversy, after the cover art was deemed obscene. The cover, which had been created to appeal to the newly developed sensibilities of the Boink Rock movement, featured a nude Emberglow, in a suggestive pose.
This cover would be replaced in certain more prudish markets with a black cover with just the name and album title printed on it.
Reclaiming The Name
After numerous rounds of legal problems, including having the CEO and several members of the board arrested on charges of drug smuggling, Triple-G Records was in rocky financial shape. With legal expenses mounting, slack sales, artists defecting to other companies and no end to their troubles in sight, the company went into bankruptcy and then was put up for sale. Bop Studios then purchased it, along with all its remaining assets.
Bop Studios then presented to Emberglow the rights to the Teddy Sane name and branding, along with the original master tapes for his entire back catalog of albums, along with the full rights to his recordings. Now under the banner of Bop Studios, the original master tapes were used to produce new, better quality reprints of his first three albums. These included an expanded release of Almost Alive restoring all the songs that had originally been cut for length.
The Teddy Sane name is also merchandised on various products, including t-shirts, and posters, through Bop Studios, with all proceeds paid into Boink's public fund (At Emberglow's request).
