Top 40 or Die Trying

Having sought therapy, Shane returns in a more positive mood. With renewed energy, he makes one last push for stardom by creating his own supergroup and recording an ill-advised, tone-deaf charity single aimed at "solving" all that’s happening out there in the Middle East. Focusing on the most serious of conflicts and making it all about himself, his ego and lack of principles reach new depths. To...

There is only so much that one man can take. Having been humiliated and taken advantage of at every turn during his journey, Shane finally loses his famously good temper and decides to enact revenge on all of those who have crossed him. Using Kendrick Lamar as his inspiration, he records his very own diss track as a form of retaliation and burns every bridge available to him. Top 40 or Die Trying...

Shane examines the success of Taylor Swift and goes on to create his own country and western song aimed at fighting the heteronormative structures that have plagued the genre for too long. The LGBTQ+ inclusive nature of the track also just so happens to be a commercially attractive option. Pure coincidence of course.   Our hero works with expert erotic writers, leather chapped cowboys and AI music...

Since we are living in the absolute worst moment of history, it is only natural that we should reminisce about the greatest living age: the 1990’s. The nostalgia market is a very fertile one and Shane tries to mine this by creating his own 90s-influenced boyband. Unfortunately, it appears that the times have changed and our protagonist struggles to find appropriate members to be part of his team o...

Infuriated by the success of the Kabin Crew, Shane embarks on creating his own drum and bass track designed to warn today’s youth of the misery and disappointment that they have coming their way. He selflessly puts aside his hatred of all electronic music and forms a team of inspirational figures to guide these rough street kids onto the right path. If you're enjoying the series and would like to...

It might seem a strange time to find inspiration from the work of P Diddy / Puff Daddy but that’s exactly what our hero does. Writing a song to cash in on the “recently transitioned” market, Shane creates a track vague enough to be played at the funeral of any grandmother ever.   Working with a professional eulogy writer, an enigmatic crooner and a gospel choir, he leaves no stone unturned in his...

Disgusted by the success of Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Galway Girl’, Shane decides to create his own St Patrick’s Day song; a song for the Irish, by the Irish. Unfortunately, his plans are derailed slightly by the cost-of-living crisis and he is forced to outsource the making of his song to more affordable, foreign workers.   He overcomes all hurdles to create a rap-folk song to grace beer-sodden danceflo...

In our opening episode, we are introduced to our protagonist Shane Vincent McDermott and learn of his dream to have a Top 40 hit single. We listen as he creates his first song: an attempt to cash in on the lucrative Chinese hip-hop market with a combination of rap, heavy metal and opera.   The journey takes us around the world and Shane makes his first enemy when he gets embroiled in a beef over €...

Episode on of 'Top 40 or Die Trying is out on Wednesday the 15th of October. “Top 40 or Die Trying” is the (mostly) true story of Shane Vincent McDermott’s attempt to have a hit single somewhere, anywhere in the world before turning 40 years of age. The journey takes us all around the world and introduces us to a host of wonderful, inspiring artists who teach us that the notion of success is somet...