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Drop some LSD and crank up this psychedelic freak-out that had squares covering their ears in 67
09.16.2015
09:33 am
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This is one of those “drop whatever you’re doing and WATCH THIS” posts that we do sometimes here at Dangerous Minds. Not much needs to be said other than “holy shit, this is raging.”

What we have here is The Blues Magoos appearing in 1967 on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall television show, hosted by Jack Benny. This had to have been some majorly mind-blowing stuff in 1967. Hell, it’s pretty freaking mind-blowing watching it today.

By 1967 Jack Benny represented the squares of the establishment, though he plays it up a bit in this clip—first, covering his ears with his hands as the band launches into their scorching version of “Tobacco Road,” and later as he attempts to “connect” with the hip, young group.

Benny’s brief interview with the group after the performance is actually pretty funny, with Benny making a very straight declaration after the performance’s noise-freak-out climax: “That was a marvelous number, tomorrow everybody’ll be humming it!”

Benny goes on to have a bit of fun acting as the out-of-touch Normie, when he explains that he thinks he “gets it” before having a member of the group explain what their music represents:

“We’re trying to create the electrical sounds of the universe using the newly attained music of inner-space to give you the re-creation. Our re-creation music is absorbed by all the senses, constantly reshaping the environment in which it is performed. With the addition of our visual impact we attempt to meld the music and the performers and the audience into one being. This is the true expression of our endeavor.”

Benny’s pitch perfect response: “Then I was right!”

Jason Hartley at the Advanced Theory Blog hipped me to this jaw-dropping clip and rightly pointed out that this could have been a highly influential performance, as so much that came after can be heard in this jam. It’s as Hartley states: “Another reminder that things that sound like they came from nowhere have some precedent that will make you question everything you ever believed.”

Seriously crank the volume on your speakers and imagine 1967 nuclear families in front of their televisions witnessing this shit for the first time. By the end of the performance when the guitarist is making space noises with his theremin, I can imagine lots of dads getting up out of their La-Z-Boys and switching the channel to CBS.
 
Together we’ll all FREAK OUT:

 

Posted by Christopher Bickel
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09.16.2015
09:33 am
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