Here is Lin-Manuel Miranda talking about his past influences, and what he was planning to do with “The Hamilton MixTape” — from a video interview I conducted with him in May, 2013 at the Drama Desk Awards nominating reception. (That year, Miranda was nominated for the musical Bring It On.)

This may now count as a historical document (I’m at least hoping the poor quality of the video adds to its feeling of “you are there.”)

Hamilton the musical, after a hugely successful run at the Public Theater (and multi awards and nominations, is coming to Broadway in July, 2015.

For the hell of it, here’s Miranda’s own 2007 video semi-spoofing High School Musical, produced a year before his musical In The Heights debuted on Broadway and wiped everybody away.

Lyrics:

Everybody’s always talkin’ at me
Everybody’s tryin’ to get in my head
I wanna listen to my own heart talkin’
I need to finish In The Heights instead

Did you ever
Close a show to put it back on
Did you ever
Get on a stage and wanna get off?
Did you ever
Dance around the park and let it all go?
Did you make a video
Instead of writing your show?

I like to dance a lot
That’s who I am
The ladies think I’m hot
Check out my tan!
Will I be In The Heights
You know you can
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet on me)
And In The Heights is gonna
Be on Broadway
I wanna plug the show
Today is the day!
Am I the type of guy who seems kinda gay
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

Oh, hold up
Give me room to think
Bring it on down

Hi my name is Lin Miranda
I know you don’t know who I am but I
Wore these pants and I’m willin’ to dance
Like an idiot if ya just gimme the chance
To just plug my show and reach the people
Bust my flow cuz the flow is lethal
It’s called in the Heights and life is sweet yo
It helps that I get to kiss Karen Olivo
8 times a week, yo
The beat’s goin’ but we keep goin’ cuz we know
We movin’ and provin’ to Michael Riedel
We can have a hit show about Latino people
Who wake up at my Bodega
And sorry “Mr. Kenny Ortega”
You better tell Zac Efron that he gotta get off
Because he’s never gonna look like Jonathan Groff

Woo, damn he’s so cute . .
Heh, Okay, I’m sorry but it’s true

Don’t look in his eyes you’ll get taken in
You’ll be breakin’ in to Spring Awakenin’

And that High School Musical’s rakin it in
It was paper thin, but they made it again
I’m facin the end of this song the hard way
Is this what it takes just to make it to Broadway?!