

Mr. Rogers Introduces Kids to Experimental Electronic Music (1968) - tintinnabula
http://www.openculture.com/2014/05/mr-rogers-introduces-kids-to-experimental-electronic-music.html

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sahara
Bruce Haack was a genius. There are songs on _The Electric Lucifer_ [1] that
would sound ahead of their time if they came out today (and that record was
released almost 50 years ago). Of late he seems to have been canonized as one
of those auteurs who is totally unappreciated in his time but winds up
influencing everybody.

The experimental children's records mentioned in the article are absolutely
worth your time, as well as the aforementioned _Lucifer_ , but anyone
interested should also hear "Party Machine"[2] (co-produced by Russell
Simmons) and the 32 minute epic "Icarus"—both bonus tracks on _Haackula_ [3],
a 2008 collection of previously unreleased material. There's also some really
good stuff on _Bruce Haack Remixes_ [4] which came out on Stones Throw in
2012.

One of my favorite rap songs in recent memory is Micah James' "Blow Job (Give
Up)"[5] which samples and builds on a Haack song by the same name.

[1] [http://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Haack-The-Electric-
Lucifer/mast...](http://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Haack-The-Electric-
Lucifer/master/68462)

[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cox-6Lwx0Nw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cox-6Lwx0Nw)

[3] [http://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Haack-
Haackula/release/1377215](http://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Haack-
Haackula/release/1377215)

[4] [http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/various/bruce-
haack-r...](http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/various/bruce-haack-
remixes)

[5] [https://micahjames.bandcamp.com/track/blow-job-give-
up](https://micahjames.bandcamp.com/track/blow-job-give-up)

~~~
MrBuddyCasino
Well that was quite cool. Theres that drum beat that you expect to kick in any
moment but never does, which is kind of disappointing, but still its a cool
track (just begging for a remix).

I have to say though, that video was weird. You've got Mr. Rogers who, judging
by the looks, sells vacuum cleaners for a living, joined by Mr. Bruce, who
would not look out of place in a Tarantino movie about a guy selling drugs in
Las Vegas truck stop parking lots. Then in waltzes a scantily clad lady that
proceeds to perform weird movements with kids who have apparently no idea
whats going on, but decide to play along due to a lack of other options. I
feel I've been missing out in my youth.

~~~
sp332
She's not scantily clad. Her leggings go almost down to her ankles. Her suit
is probably brightly-colored and only looks scandalous in your brain when you
fill in a different color. e.g.
[http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/leotards/cl1270.aspx?posit...](http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/leotards/cl1270.aspx?position=29)

~~~
MrBuddyCasino
I will not let facts mess with the scandalousness of my memories. At least
I've Learned Something Today about leotards.

------
51Cards
Mr. Rogers' enthusiasm and curiosity was so genuine it pulls you in. He was
just as enthused about what was being taught as any of the kids watching. No
wonder he connected with kids in such a unique way.

~~~
dopamean
I worked as an instructor at a coding bootcamp for a year (the past year
actually) and I always felt a little like I was channeling Mr Rogers. I loved
him as a kid and as an adult it was very apparent to me that the reason I
loved him was because he was so enthusiastic about what was going on. I taught
with similar enthusiasm and got great feedback from students and my employer.
I think that it held the students' attention and help them grasp new and
challenging material. Enthusiasm is often lost in education because at the end
of the day it is a J-O-B and it can be difficult to maintain a certain level
of enthusiasm.

------
mturmon
"[Mr. Rogers' guest Haack composed] several more, all them weirder and more
wonderful than maybe anything you’ve ever heard. (Don’t believe me? Take a
listen to “Soul Transportation,” “EIO (New MacDonald),” or the absolutely
enchanting “Saint Basil,” with its Doors-y organ outro.) A psychedelic genius,
Haack also made grown-up acid rock in the form of 1970’s The Electric Lucifer,
which is a bit like if Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice had written Jesus
Christ Superstar on heavy doses of LSD and banks of analog synthesizers."

Another piece of 1960s kiddie psychedelia was H.R. Pufnstuf. The "straight
guy" (Marty) of the two Krofft brothers always said that there was no LSD
involved, but others there at the time disagree.

~~~
diggum
So "Syd" Krofft could have been a nickname for "acid"?

~~~
mturmon
Heh. Neat idea, but I don't think so. I just think it was a thing creative
people did back then.

I sold my old Klipsch speakers to Sid and visited him a couple of times at his
very funky Mulholland Dr. house. There was a stool there, made of chunky wood,
that he said, with a boyish smile, he had carved out "in the shape of Marilyn
Monroe's rear." It was not a good fit for my own posterior.

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whatgoodisaroad
This reminds me of the "Experimental Music on Children's TV" Tumblr.
[http://emoctv.tumblr.com/](http://emoctv.tumblr.com/)

Honestly, it's one of my favorite Tumblr feeds.

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avolcano
There's a similar, and also very adorable, video of Herbie Hancock (of
"Rockit" fame) on Sesame Street 15 years later:
[http://www.openculture.com/2012/10/watch_herbie_hancock_rock...](http://www.openculture.com/2012/10/watch_herbie_hancock_rock_out_on_an_early_synthesizer_on_sesame_street_1983.html)

~~~
meepmorp
> Herbie Hancock (of "Rockit" fame)

I'm just being a grumpy old jazz fan, but it bothers me that he's not known
for anything but Rockit. Even if it's just to note that he was sampled in
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia),").

I know, it's not a culturally salient genre anymore, and I should shut up.
Sorry.

~~~
leephillips
Well, I'm an admirer of Herbie Hancock and I don't know what "Rockit" refers
to. I hope that makes you feel better.

~~~
teddyh
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHhD4PD75zY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHhD4PD75zY)

------
bstar77
Kinda think Mrs. Nelson in underdressed for the occasion....

With that said, I've always found that the greatest musical works are created
under great constraints. Eddie Van Halen did amazing things with his
electronics to get extra performance out of them that just didn't exist back
then- everyone just sounded like eric clapton or jimmie page.

When I first began recording in the mid 90's I had to rig up two computers to
do a digital 8 track recording because I couldn't afford a real one. Refining
my process within those constraints I believe made a much better result than
if I had something like Garage Band. It required a ton of creative engineering
and that excitement that was reflected in the music.

The guy in this video is doing some really amazing stuff with such simple
electronics.

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gtani
Huh, I have a reading a few books on the history of synths and I've never
heard of this guy

_________

If anybody's interested, some of the better books are

\- Synth Gods (Rideout)

\- Electronic Music (Collins/Schedel

\- Listening thru Noise (Demers

\- Electronic/Experimental Music (Holmes

(there's a complete book listing in the back of Burkholder et al, History of
Western Music)

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gits1225
Mr. Rogers' curiosity and enthusiasm is inspirational. This video by PBS is a
lovely tribute to a great human:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM)

------
icholy
This video is begging for a remix.

~~~
yellowapple
For what such a remix would probably sound like, check out Ruckus Roboticus
(particularly his "Never Play with Scratches" album). Lots of mixing on mid-
century children's records (among other things).

