Doctor Steel: Difference between revisions

[[File:180px-DrSteelMadScientist.jpg|frame|Doctor Steel]]

 

[[Visionary Villain|Visionary]].

 

 

Most importantly, however, is the music. Dr. Steel defied all genre, having been described by Rue Morgue magazine as "[[Hip Hop|hip-hop]] [[Industrial]] opera", but most importantly is the fact that all of them are So. Damn. Catchy. Though his music only spans about three dozen songs across five CDs, and that most online stores only carry them in .mp3 rather than physical discs, Dr. Steel put just as much love and care into each individual song as many artists do for entire discs. A very underground artist, he nonetheless made an appearance on the Jay Leno show and [http://www.mtv.com/photos/steampunk-style-and-fashion/1595808/3201113/photo.jhtml was even given a nod by MTV]. He later started to put more effort into clever and hilarious videos, which can still be seen on YouTube.

[http://www.youtube.com/user/DoctorSteel/videos His YouTube channel is here], and [http://www.myspace.com/drsteel his MySpace is here]. Listen, and then [http://www.toysoldiersunite.com submit yourself] to the movement he spawned, dedicated to taking over the world in his name!

 

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== Tropes A-C ==

* [[Acme Products]]: Dr. Steel seems to order some of his supplies from them; he can produce a large hammer or lit stick of dynamite at will...

** His public service commercials (as seen on Youtube and other places) focus heavily upon the power of imagination and of improving your general life; [[Anti-Villain|very anti-villainous.]]

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: "[http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Dr.+Steel/ War, destruction, genocide, mini-malls.]"

* [[Awesome Anachronistic Apparel]]: The Doctor's everyday apparel, when not in his [[Badass Longcoat|labcoat]]. (See [[Man of Wealth and Taste]] below.)

* [[Awesome McCoolname]]: Dr. Phineas Waldolf Steel.

* [[Badass Cape]]: Steel sometimes wears a black one... made of PVC.

* [[Badass Longcoat]]: Steel almost always wears a long PVC labcoat.

* [[Bad Santa]]: In ''The Dr. Steel Christmas Special'', Santa gives a little girl a Polly Pukes-A-Lot™ doll from [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|World Domination Toys]].

** To be fair, it's what she wanted...

*** Of course, he didn't have to ''sit'' on it...

* [[Bald of Evil]]: Presumably intentional.

* [[Beard of Evil]]: A big pointy goatee.

* [[Big "Shut Up!"]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKkcex6_Hg#t=3m20s STOP!]

* [[Bragging Theme Tune]]: His song, "The Doctor Steel Show". A small bump of this song is played at the beginning of each episode of ''The Dr. Steel Show'', and a slightly altered instrumental loop plays at the end of Episode 1.

* [[Brand X]]: Dr. Steel's "Ronald McRaygun" mentioned in his song, "The Dr. Steel Show".

* [[Call Back]]: "Bohemian Grove" is a callback to the song "Conspiracy".

* [[Camp]]: everything he or his fans do is done consciously and conspicuously [[Up to Eleven|over the top]].

* [[Cheshire Cat Grin]]: All of Dr. Steel's robots have one.

* [[Children Are Innocent]]: Dr. Steel loves children, for this very reason.

** The Toy Soldiers also celebrate [[Fictional Holiday|Toy Soldier Day]] every [[Incredibly Lame Pun|March 4th]], or the nearest Saturday to it (usually by going to the nearest Disney theme park).

* [[Conspiracy Kitchen Sink]]: Chemtrails, fluoridation, alien illuminati...

* [[Cover Version]]: The ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' theme song, ''Getting Directions'' (a quirky version of the [[Sesame Street]] theme song).

* [[Creating Life]]: Subverted in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgQEzR9WN5A Episode 2]. Dr. Steel begins to excitedly scream "It's working!" as his doll-robot experiment begins to walk around - only to have it stop when he [[Game Over|runs out of quarters]]. Played straight in [http://vimeo.com/14623042 the video for "Childhood (Don't) A-Go-Go"], when he breathes on a doll and brings it to life.

* [[Crowd Song]]: "Dr. Steel" is so catchy you may just start singing along in public places; especially good for picking up a chant of "Dr. Steel! Dr. Steel!"

* [[Crystal Skull]]

 

== Tropes D-F ==

* [[Dark Messiah]]: Dr. Steel wants to makeover this current [[Crapsack World]] into a Utopian Playland. By force of giant robots, if necessary.

* [[Dastardly Whiplash]]: one of Dr. Steel's steampunk outfits includes a black stovepipe top hat and black PVC cape ([[Coat, Hat, Mask|along with his ubiquitous goggles]]), reminiscent of 19th century villains.

* [[Death Ray]]: "The Doctor Steel Show" lyrics

Go away, go away }}

* [[Demonic Dummy]]: Dr. Steel used to have a ventriloquist dummy as part of his stage show; on the DVD with commentary of his live performance he says regarding it, "As you may already know, ventriloquist dummys, ''all'' ventriloquist dummys, are inherently evil."

* [[Diabolical Mastermind]]: Natch.

* [[Dressed All in Rubber]]: The [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Emperor Scientist]]: Dr. Steel's goal.

* [[Epigraph]]: A lot of Dr. Steel's songs start with quotes, either fictional or real. (See [[Radio Voice]] below.)

* [[Everybody Hates Mathematics]]: Averted so very much. "Fibonacci Sequence" is catchy as all hell.

** And it's one of his more popular songs.

** Also referenced in a line in his song, "On The Run": "‎Now I need a decoy, now where's that dancing monkey?"

* [[Evil Genius]]: Natch.

* [[Evil Is Hammy]]: Of course! If you're not having fun, what's the point?

* [[Evil Is Not a Toy]], but it makes and sells them.

* [[Evil Laugh]]: The Doc can be heard engaging in one near the end of his self-titled song, "Dr. Steel."

* [[Evil Tastes Good]]: Mind control cookies! And cupcakes! (Well, maybe not so much the cupcakes. Dr. Steel calls the batch he made in ''The Dr. Steel Show'' Episode 2, "disgusting".)

* [[Fake Band]]: Dr. Steel has a "mechanical (robot) band" - which never seems to work, so he uses real musicians on those rare times he does live performances.

*** Caleb Allen's masterful portrayal of "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvOJHyDypf8 Lament for a Toy Factory]".

*** Starkravenmad's Flash videos to "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVvlVHdLCx0 Back and Forth]", "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGlr9iNBejA Fibonacci Sequence]" and "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci9CCvTHvpM Build the Robots]", and, probably the best, "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ConLzMk-jg&feature=related We Decide It]".

* [[Fist of Rage]]: Steel is often posed in his propaganda art making one (and it's part-and-parcel of his trademark salute), and does it as he's suiting up for "Experiment Time" in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 2.

* [[Fourth Wall Mail Slot]]: Parodied in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 1, when Dr. Steel receives [[Vocal Dissonance|email from a fan]].

* [[Girl Scouts Are Evil]]: A segment of Dr. Steel's Army of Toy Soldiers are called "[[Scout Out|Toy Scouts]]". An [[Always Female|all-female]] regiment, they occasionally assist Dr. Steel during stage performances - and distribute [[Brainwashed|mind control]] cookies.

* [[Gloved Fist of Doom]]: Often.

* [[Growing Up Sucks]]: Dr. Steel's other primary motivation, besides revenge. Sung about in "Childhood (Don't) A-Go-Go."

* [[Happy Dance]]: Dr. Steel jauntily dances at the end of Episode 1 of ''The Dr. Steel Show''. There is also a section on his website where you can make him do several dance moves to some old-timey music. In Caleb Allen's [[Fan Vid]] of "Lament for a Toy Factory", the actor playing Dr. Steel breaks into these dance moves as the helicopter spotlight hits him - and the music from the website begins to play.

* [[Harmless Villain]]: Although having a villainous outer appearance, Dr. Steel's goals are really very positive and even kid-friendly. He just wants to make the world a better place (for himself). A running theme within his videos and songs (besides building giant robots/killer toys) is the virtue of independent thinking and imagination.

[[File:180-steelnurse.jpg|frame|Hello, Nurse!]]

 

* [[Homemade Sweater From Hell]]: Dr. Steel gets one in the ''Dr. Steel Christmas Special''.

* [[Hot Scientist]]: Quite a large number of women find Dr. Steel incredibly attractive.

* [[Mad Doctor]]: Not sure what he's a doctor ''of'', but he is attended by sexy nurses.

* [[The Mad Hatter]]: "I am crazy. And it's a great load off my mind."

* [[Mad Scientist]]: ''Duhurrrrrrr''.

* [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]]: In the music section of his site. Looks rather charming, too.

* [[Mass Hypnosis]]: Dr. Steel uses [[Brainwashed|mind control]] [[Evil Tastes Good|cookies]] and [[Subliminal Seduction|subliminal messages]]. And a particularly mesmerizing "hidden" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzHb4SErsWc Positive Affirmation track] on a few of his CDs.

* [[McDonald's]]: In one song, Dr. Steel sings that he has a "Ronald McRaygun".

* [[Milking the Giant Cow]]: "Damn thee, spam - DAMN THEE!"

* [[Minsky Pickup]]: In the beginning of his song, "The Dr. Steel Show."

* [[Mockumentary]]: Dr. Steel's "propaganda" film, ''Building a Utopian Playland'' is shot as a documentary.

* [[Motionless Chin]]: The hamster in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 2. ("God, you're weird.")

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Dr. Steel seems to invoke [[Squee|this sort of response]] in a great number of women. Especially when he takes his shirt off.

* [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly]]: Dr. Steel's music has been described as "Industrial Hip-Hop Opera."

* [[New Tech Is Not Cheap]]: In the song "Build the Robots", Dr. Steel laments about building a high-tech giant robot army:

Build the robots. }}

* [[No Animals Were Harmed]]: At the end of the credit crawl of ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 1.

* [[Now Buy the Merchandise]]: Dr. Steel's homage to the Home Shopping Network in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 1. (Dr. Steel is a toymaker, so what do you expect?) Also sung about in his song, ''Back and Forth'': "You can think for yourselves / Or you can buy all my toys ... Consume and gobble it up..."

 

* [[Public Domain Artifact]]: "Curse of the Crystal Skull".

* [[Public Service Announcement]]: Dr. Steel has made several of these and posted them on [[YouTube]]. He also has mock [[Public Service Announcement|PSAs]] within his films ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episodes 1 and 2.

* [[Radio Voice]]: The aforementioned epigraphs all have radio voices. (They are mostly sampled from old Public Service Announcements such as "Duck and Cover".)

 

** Technically, he has used the words "hell" (in "Marionette") and "bastards" (in "Lament for a Toy Factory"), but he is far less vulgar than most rappers (if he can even be called one).

*** "Ode to Revenge" contains one instance of "shit" and "Childhood (Don't) A Go-Go" has "cracker jack-ass," although the latter is rather difficult to make out without a lyrics sheet.

* [[Real Men Wear Pink]]: A pair of fuzzy bunny slippers are a part of Dr. Steel's lounging wardrobe. (He's also been photographed with a teddy bear.)

* [[Record Needle Scratch]]: In ''The Dr. Steel Christmas Special''.

* [[Renaissance Man]]: Dr. Steel is a musician, toymaker, roboticist, graphic artist, Internet personality - and has some great dance moves.

* [[Revenge]]: One of Dr. Steel's prime motivations.

* [[Robot War]]: Dr. Steel self describes himself as "The man with a plan and a mechanical band", has a song called "Build the Robots", and has a [[Humongous Mecha|giant robot army]] as one of his backup plans for world domination if the whole musical brainwashing idea doesn't pan out.

* [[Rushmore Refacement]]: In ''The Dr. Steel Show'' Episode 2, a team of Toy Soldiers call Dr. Steel from the top of Mount Rushmore, informing him of their plans to alter Lincoln's head to look like Dr. Steel. It doesn't quite go according to plan...

* [[Self-Titled Album]]: His albums ''Dr. Steel'', ''[[Numbered Sequels|Dr. Steel II]]: [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo|Eclectic Boogaloo]]'', ''The Dr. Steel Collection'' and the ''Dr. Steel Read-A-Long''. (Also extends to his video series, ''The Dr. Steel Show''.)

* [[Serious Business]]: The old lady on the phone in ''The Dr. Steel Show'', Episode 1 thinks she is calling about [[Beanie Babies]], not buzzsaw babies. She is obsessed with [[Beanie Babies]] and has every last one of them except "Little Puddin, the blue and white sea lion", and needs her collection to be complete so she can finally sleep at night.

*** ''Spaceboy'' itself is a shout out to [[Calvin and Hobbes|Spaceman Spiff]]

** ''Atomic Supserstar'' is about Godzilla

** ''Slapped By Moe'' is an ode to [[The Three Stooges]]

** Steel has also been interviewed by a transhumanist institute and authored a paper on the subject.

* [[Sinister Shades]]: He has yet to be seen without his thick black-lensed goggle-glasses. (In his music video for "Back and Forth", they [[Scary Shiny Glasses|reflect nonexistent flames]].)

* [[Start of Darkness]]: ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvOJHyDypf8 Lament for a Toy Factory]''.

* [[Station Ident]]: Many "station bugs" for stations such as CNN, NBC and VH-1 appear in Dr. Steel's propaganda film, ''Building a Utopian Playland'', giving it the illusion that it is a genuine documentary.

* [[Strange Salute]]: In several of his propaganda posters, Dr. Steel is shown saluting with his fist over his heart, looking up and (usually) to his right (toward a better future?). This has become the ''de facto'' salute of the Toy Soldiers.

* [[Subliminal Seduction]]: Dr. Steel uses subliminal messages and images in a lot of his videos.

** The multimedia displays during his stage shows also contained such messages.

* [[Subverted Kids Show]]: His video series, ''The Dr. Steel Show'' is largely this. Also his song, "Smokey's Theme". His live performances include [[Perverse Puppet|puppet]] shows, some of which are ''extremely'' subverted. (One of his recurring gags was he would be interrupted by a Lamb Chop-esque puppet, who was so annoyingly cute that he would eventually pull a revolver out and shoot it.)

* [[Super Villain]]: Obviously...

* [[Take Over the World]]: Dr. Steel's overall goal, to become [[Emperor Scientist|World Emperor]].

* [[Saving Christmas|Taking Over Christmas]]: Dr. Steel does this in ''[http://www.toysoldiersunite.com/media/mp3/adrsteelchristmasmp3.mp3 A Dr. Steel Christmas]''.

* [[Titled After the Song]]: ''The Dr. Steel Show''.

* [[Too Many Belts]]: The doctor has a three-belted cummerbund-like leather garment that he wears atop his waistcoat, in his [[Steampunk]] attire.

 

 

== Tropes U-Z ==

* [[Villainous Lament]]: "Lament for a Toy Factory".

* [[Villain Protagonist]]: He's a criminally insane mad scientist bent on world domination. What's not to love?

* [[Villain Song]]: Quite a few of them. As a supervillain musician, you know.

** His publicity is so good that his propaganda can be directly labeled "Propaganda" and we don't even give a slap because he's that awesome.

* [[Vocal Dissonance]]: In ''The Dr. Steel Show'' Episode 1, Dr. Steel [[Fourth Wall Mail Slot|gets an email from a fan]]. The voiceover as he reads the childlike letter sounds like a three year old boy. But if you read the screen closely at the bottom of the letter, it says, "Billy Ramos, 34 years old."

* [[Waistcoat of Style]]: When not in his labcoat, Dr. Steel often wears a cool leather waistcoat that buckles in the front.

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: See [[Utopia Justifies the Means]], above.

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: "Damn Thee Spam, DAMN THEE!"

** As the credits roll, he apparently sees it again, but this time only he sees it, and his nurses look at him like he's crazy.

* [[YouTube]]: You can find most of his propaganda videos and [[Public Service Announcement|PSAs]] here.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Science Fiction Web Originals]]

[[Category:Musicians]]