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Handlebars as flute

David Pescovitz at 11:35 am Tue, Oct 14, 2008

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Over at Laughing Squid, guestblogger Doctor Popular posted a video he shot of accordionist and experimental musician Mark Growden playing a haunting tune on a set of handlebars. Mark Growden plays the handlebars

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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  • adamnvillani

    I saw a documentary once about Cambodian refugees where one monk/flutist told of how the Khmer Rouge were going to let him live if he could play music for them, but he didn’t have a flute. So he took a bicycle and fashioned a flute out of it, and he played it, and (obviously) they let him live.

  • Wingo

    Whoa – that is fascinating. I’m still fuzzy on how he achieves the overtones, but that is seriously cool.

  • Wally B

    Extremely cool. Just… wow.

  • Dan

    The original master:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

  • otherthings

    Aw yeah! I saw him do this live at the Odeon a couple of months ago, at the Monsters of Accordion show. Growden’s an amazing talent!

  • doktor tchock

    darn, i was totally hoping that it would have to utilize the wind while biking to be played.

    still awesome.

  • moustache

    Although I’ve been beaten to it twice over, I feel compelled to point out Zappa’s fantastic “Bicycle Concerto” on the Steve Allen Show. Some of the best awkward TV footage ever, not to mention a fantastically rare and early display of experimentation.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

    Mark definitely rocks the handlebars though. Well done on his part!

  • Doctor Popular

    This would be a great spot to see/hear more bicycle related music. My friend Meredith, from SteamPunkWorkshop, built a bicycle guitar instrument that plays while you ride. Here is her concept sketch http://www.flickr.com/photos/satiredun/298399996/
    I can’t find any audio/video though.

  • Anonymous

    A very young Frank Zappa playing a bicycle on the Steve Allen Show…

    http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/48434/detail/

  • Ghede

    Goddamnit. I’m beginning to regret ever hearing that song. No, not the handlebar solo. While I was watching/reading/seeing this, all I could think was “I can play my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars”

  • Brookelynn23

    I love how he explains the traditional concepts that clearly inspire his innovative style! This is a great video.

  • sammich

    LOL – Puts me in mind of when my kids, at Glastonbury (’95 I think), insisted on going to see the Saw Doctors, only to be disappointed thet they weren’t playing saws…

  • guvnor

    It’s always a thrill to hear Mark Growden play when he passes through Sacramento.

    It’s a shame to hear about 12 Galaxies though… seems like the half-life of decent venues is getting shorter and shorter. (On the other hand, there’s never any shortage of sports bars with enormous flat-panel plasma screens mounted on every available surface)

  • Icky Bob

    Nice to know we can find something to make music with after the apocalypse…

    Someone saw Mark at the Odeon a couple months ago? Strange, chicken shut that place down a few years back.

    Must mean 12 galaxies back in August. That place is shut down now too…

  • ctp

    YAY Mark!!!

    And 12 Galaxies closed??? Sheesh, where have I been?