When you can’t sleep, the mind wanders. For Australian musical comedian Gabbi Bolt, it wanders to songs absorbed into the soul through a childhood in Australia in the 1990’s.
It then wanders to Mario Paint, where Gabbi has been dutifully recreating them using the Danielx Mario Paint Composer web app. Mario Paint Composer was, of course, a program found in the SNES-era game Mario Paint that let users create sheet music where the notes were replaced by sounds taken from the platform’s beloved Mario titles. There’s been a bustling trade in Mario Paint covers on YouTube over the years, but no-one has ever used it quite the way Gabbi has. You see, Gabbi has decided to cover Australian icons, songs that make us misty-eyed with nostalgia, even when we’re not quite sure why.
Take, for example, this flawless arrangement of the Nine’s Wide World of Sports Cricket theme.
Cant sleep again but y’know what I can do, make the old channel 9 cricket theme on Mario Paint Composer. pic.twitter.com/ZcUOc8YpyZ
— Gabbi Bolt (@GabbiBolt) March 10, 2023
A reminder of what this piece of pristine Australian art sounds like:
(Full disclosure: Nine is the owner of this masthead. No, I am not under any obligation to say that the song rocks because Nine owns it. It simply goes hard all by itself.)
But Gabbi’s not done. She still can’t sleep. Further songs haunt her in the early hours of the morning. That’s why she made the VB theme too.
Sure, with a natural ear for music and 15 years of music theory under my belt, I could strive for greatness.
Or I could make the VB Theme on Mario Paint Composer. pic.twitter.com/P15f7X47Jk— Gabbi Bolt (@GabbiBolt) March 9, 2023
Unbelievable. For those with perfect pitch, yes, Gabbi’s version of the song is in D major, not the original’s key of C major. She sends her apologies.
In case you’ve forgotten one of the greatest theme songs ever recorded, made for one of the most mid-tier beers in the long history of the nation, here it is in full.
Yes, VB is mid-tier. Meet me in the comments to fight about it. The theme song, however, is frankly unmatched.
But Gabbi’s god-tier run of Mario Paint success still wasn’t over. She threw in one for the kids as well.
Let Joff Bush know I unreservedly apologise, (also I would very much like to voice an unhinged dog on Bluey one day but please don’t let this abomination affect that future manifestation for me okay) https://t.co/pPBCPEYwVr pic.twitter.com/qSArF477k7
— Gabbi Bolt (@GabbiBolt) March 10, 2023
Yes, that’s the theme from the wildly popular Australian children’s show Bluey.
If you like what you heard, and I know I did, Gabbi’s new show Odd Sock is playing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from Tuesday, March 28 through to Sunday, April 23. You can get tickets here. In addition to her own excellent songs, I hope she plays more Mario Paint gear. If she really does use her creations as pre-show music, I will be very happy indeed.
Look I guess while you’re here, come see my MICF show Odd Sock. This song isn’t in it, but if you buy a ticket I can always put it in as the pre-show music? What a cursed vibe to get seated to. https://t.co/WmWhUb2p0Z
— Gabbi Bolt (@GabbiBolt) March 9, 2023
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