Oooh. Ahh. Throw down a blanket. In the spirit of Independence Day, asap's HILLARY RHODES collected AP pictures of fireworks from around the world and spoke to a pyrotechnics master.
On July 4, we celebrate every American's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of catching a sweet fireworks show.
We spoke with Eric Tucker, a fireworks choreographer and designer who spends his life in a dream career: traveling the world collecting explosives to use in large-scale pyrotechnics shows.
"Ever since I can remember, I have heard music in colors and textures," he said. "This is the perfect job for me."
After training in Europe, Tucker has emerged as one of the leading artists and technicians in his field, contracting for Disney World and trekking the globe for gigs. One of his biggest shows is the Liberty Mutual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, telecast nationally on CBS on Wednesday from 10 p.m. to 11.
"We're going to celebrate the United States of America," he said. "That's the first job. The second job is to entertain while we're doing it."
But while fireworks on this day represent patriotism and pride for our national identity, the art of fireworks and the technology behind them has been borrowed from all over the world.
"The personality many times reminds you of the culture that it comes from," Tucker said. "I love the fact that all of these things have this cultural heritage and I can mix them. It's like I can pick the paints I want from all over the place to use in a show."
According to Tucker:
_ Italian fireworks are expressive and chatty.
_ French fireworks are quiet and beautiful.
_ Japanese fireworks are flowery and precise.
_ Chinese fireworks were originally used to scare away evil spirits, so they can't be feeble.
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Hear Tucker explain how fireworks differ from country to country in the audio clips above (He also discusses the emotional elements involved in a show, and gives a preview of what audiences can expect this year from the Boston event.)
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And watch this video for a very special asap fireworks spectacular: .
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Hillary Rhodes is an asap reporter based in New York.
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