Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

Tomorrow is Institute for the Future's "Robotics Renaissance" conference. We developed a slew of materials to present our research on the topic, including a visual map that summarizes our forecasts about the future of robotics. As with a lot of IFTF stuff, the map will be released under a Creative Commons license, and I'll post it here when it's available. To get geared up for the conference, I forced my colleagues to enjoy the above bit of sci-fi rock opera bombast with me. Boy, were they delighted. This track is just classic. Dig some of the lyrics:

You're wondering who I am - Machine or mannequin
With parts made in Japan, I am the modá´™en man.

I've got a secret, I've been hiding
Under my skin.
My heart is human, my blood is boiling
My brain IBM.

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.

MORE: Entertainment

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Derek C. F. Pegritz

I LOVE THIS SONG. I used to tell everyone I was Mr. Roboto when I was in third grade.
Anonymous

I remember this song being really cool as a kid. Interesting to listen again and see how poorly it has aged. Maybe I’m remembering dance remixes?

My 4 year old was intrigued by the video and is now humming the chorus…
Beelzebuddy

Second of all: “They go past so bad it’s good back to bad.”

I don’t know what this means. I really don’t. So I have to ask you, Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do?

Allow me to elucidate.

There are songs that are great. Classics, that never grow old.

There are songs that are so good they’re bad; catchy, but they’ll quickly grate once the radio plays it for the tenth time that day.

There are songs which are good.

There are songs which are okay.

There are songs which are bad.

There are songs which are so bad, they’re good. Camp, narm, and bathos occupy this niche.

There are songs which are so bad, they’re terrible. You can’t even enjoy them ironically, they’re that bad.

It was the last group to which the poster was referring, though I too disagree with his classification.
- speedreeder
  
  Beelzebuddy, Thank you for clarifying.
  Yes, the last one.
  
  This is the god-awful-mainstream-derivative-watered-down music that was designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. STYX even somehow managed to go one step worse, and somehow managed to be no-fun, self important, and pretentious too! When you always hear about how bad music was before punk or whatever, STYX is it. There is nothing redeemable about STYX, and yes, this goes for early STYX too.
  
  An Anonymous poster commented,
  “The chorus became one of the most recognized phrases in pop culture history.
  One could argue that “Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto” was the first “meme”.
  
  That is completely beside the point. Not all memes are good, in fact many of them are bad.
  Using your logic, McDonalds is the recognized place to eat, it’s was the first fast food meme.
  
  Gabriel, I’m not saying Punk is the end all of music. The Ramones and other punk bands just cleared the air, and allowed some great new music to be heard. (I disagree that punk is just three chords, a lot of punk bands had fantastic musicians, just look at the Clash) I like a lot of other stuff, I have pretty broad musical tastes, and you are right there is a lot of great 70′s experimental stuff, there is some completely awesome disco music, and even great prog music.
  
  There is just a point where one has to draw a line in the sand, and say, this crosses the line into awful, Styx crosses that river. If someone likes Styx, they have bad taste in music. End of story.
  - NoWayJose
    
    “This is the god-awful-mainstream-derivative-watered-down music that was designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. STYX even somehow managed to go one step worse, and somehow managed to be no-fun, self important, and pretentious too! When you always hear about how bad music was before punk or whatever, STYX is it. There is nothing redeemable about STYX, and yes, this goes for early STYX too.
    [...]
    There is just a point where one has to draw a line in the sand, and say, this crosses the line into awful, Styx crosses that river. If someone likes Styx, they have bad taste in music. End of story. ”
    
    We are both too old to be drafted into the Music Holy Wars, so cleary, you’re a Lifer. Back when I was fifteen, I could’ve matched your screedy manifesto with something equally passionate about my pet Bands Whose Music Would Change Commercial Radio Forever If People Would Just Listen, but honestly, at this stage of the game I believe in “Like and let like.” You should try it.
    
    I’m sure your Musical Superiorty Complex brings all the boys to the yard, but it’s just not working on me. In the meantime, maybe someone in your life who finds your pedantric presentation of opinion more endearing than I do can buy you this for Christmas: http://www.zazzle.com/your_favorite_band_sucks_tshirt-235103613087006265
    - Anonymous
      
      NoWayJose, I actually have good reason for raising a stink about this. I want to raise a toxic stink around the remote possibility of a STYX revival, the saddest thing I can imagine is teenagers and college kids: A. liking this stuff ironically, or B. not even having the good taste to realize that STYX are terrible.
      I’m actually pretty tolerant of most people’s musical tastes, but there are certains things that are just awful. There is just a certain point where you have to let people know, this really sucks.
      Y’know there actually is such a thing as good and bad taste, it’s real, and it’s not as subjective as everyone thinks. Over the years, I feel as if I have “saved” numerous friends from liking shitty music, by making them personal and completely awesome mixtapes.
      I don’t know what planet you live on, and what music you grew up listening to, but I’m pretty damn proud to be the old punk rock/music collector guy.
      I deserve my musical superiority complex, because I know a boatload about music. I’ve spent a good amount of time researching the subject. I even know a decent amount about STYX, a band I can’t stand.
      And maybe I am too old to be arguing on the internets, about lame music from the 80′s. I’ve got better things to do with my time. I thought the whole thing was actually pretty ridiculous. But even at my great age (around 40) I will never be a defender of mediocrity and the lowest common denominator. I find that, on occasion, one needs to consult their inner 15 (or in my case 25) year old music-geek/snob and check in with them from time to time, if only to make sure one is not completely brain dead.
    - speedreeder
      
      Somehow it posted my reply anonymously, I’m the 28th Anon, not the 29th.
      But here’s the important part.
      Maybe I am too old to be arguing on the internets, about lame music from the 80′s. I’ve got better things to do with my time. I thought the whole thing was actually pretty ridiculous. But even at my great age (around 40) I will never be a defender of mediocrity and the lowest common denominator. I find that, on occasion, one needs to consult their inner 15 (or in my case 25) year old music-geek/snob and check in with them from time to time, if only to make sure one is not completely brain dead.
Etchachan

God that is awful! Try the Polyics version… it’s far better :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh-7eZyPWtE
Gabriel

I don’t care for the song, but it’s nice to see people admitting to like it. As much as I like punk, it did a huge disservice when it pushed the notion that everything with more than three chords was pretentious and antiquated. A lot of good 70s experimental stuff awaits to be rediscovered, and a lot of good proggy stuff needs its rehabilitation.
Xenu

It’s like Kraftwerk meets Queen meets 500 pounds of cheese.
- hermia
  
  THIS.
  
  Wow, I loved this when I was 11. Now I find it incredibly painful. o.O Damn.
  
  Early Styx is still rockin, but this… wow. So much worse than I remembered.
- jackie31337
  
  I think that sums this up perfectly.
- knoxblox
  
  Well put. This album was the beginning of the end for Styx, and I sensed it even then. I turned down my dad’s invitation to the concert.
  
  Mainly, I was too occupied with bands like Kraftwerk, Devo, and the new sensation known as the Butthole Surfers to care about Styx. So I wonder exactly where the tipping point occurs between cheese and art?
Anonymous

The lyric is even better than that.

It’s actually “With parts made in Japan, I am the mod Ren man.” As in, the mod Renaissance man.
ranjit

“This video contains content from UMG. It is not available in your country.”
No video for people im Germany I’m afraid. Thanks Universal Music Group.
- speedreeder
  
  Ranjit, for once you should be glad the video isn’t available in your country, you’re being spared.
  It’s funny though, because I’m in Austria, and the video worked fine.
artomatic

Yikes. That was pretentious.

Now if you really have to subject me to that song, I prefer my robots to be cute, red and working for tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcIlTKoDPGI
hardcle

Two things: First, you’ve got the lyric wrong it’s not “modern” it’s “modá´™en” (mod-ren). I just pulled out my cassette(!) copy and that’s how it’s written, including the backwards “r”.

Second, when I was in high school I remember typing in a program for the Apple II that would let you digitize audio from a cassette player. When we got it running, this is the song we tried it out on. About 20 seconds of audio filled a 5.25″ floppy.

Awesome song.
- David Pescovitz
  
  Thanks for checking that, hardcle. He clearly says that, but I didn’t have my LP handy to confirm it on the lyric sheet.
  
  (Also, I too caught Styx live on the Kilroy Was Here Tour and they rawked! Dennis DeYoung playing Come Sail Away on a glistening white grand piano!? Paradise, baby!)
  - Bavi_H
    
    Merriam-Webster’s entry for modern shows “ma-dren” as a pronunciation variant (see the Pronunciation Guide), so I’ve always assumed the lyric really was “modern”, but with an unusual pronunciation. Perhaps the funny spelling in the lyrics sheet is there to aid singers who would otherwise pronounce modern in the more usual way?
Michaelchr

This song is just so bad it makes me cringe. It does boggle me that this song got as popular as it did, particularly since the lyrics only make any sense in the context of the rest of the album and accompanying rock opera. There’s a whole movie out there somewhere for the rest of this album that most of the Mr. Roboto video is taken from.

Prior to this album though Styx were pretty good.
Cigarsam

Secret secret, I’ve got a secret.

I saw this when I was 15 and had a BLAST! Met a very cute girl I never saw again. I felt a boobie and it wasn’t a robot’s!

Ahhhh, memories….
Anonymous

whether you liked this song or not…

whether you liked Styx or not…

The chorus became one of the most recognized phrases in pop culture history.

One could argue that “Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto” was the first “meme”.

Thank you, Styx. :)
Anonymous

I saw the Styx tour to promote this album (in’84?)…. It was HILARIOUS — a rock group trying to turn their concept album into something like a broadway show…. Pink Floyd they aint
Anonymous

No, Styx did suck. Even my 12 year old posse knew that they sucked and were years late to an amazing prog party that roughly spanned from 1969 to 1976. Unlistenable…….and don’t give me that “early Styx shtick.”
coverandwait

Don’t get me wrong, the song is classic, but that is, without a doubt, one of the worst music videos I have ever seen.
- Anonymous
  
  Come on, now. A viewing of “Separate Was (Worlds Apart)” by Journey will disabuse you of that notion. There are *far* worse videos :)
speedreeder

Oh geez, STYX sucks so bad, I remember this song sucking when I was a kid.
Please don’t listen to STYX, don’t listen to them ironically or as a guilty pleasure.
They go past so bad it’s good back to bad.
Don’t do it.
- NoWayJose
  
  “Oh geez, STYX sucks so bad, I remember this song sucking when I was a kid.
  Please don’t listen to STYX, don’t listen to them ironically or as a guilty pleasure.
  They go past so bad it’s good back to bad.
  Don’t do it.”
  
  Okay. First of all, Styx didn’t suck UNTIL this song. Grab Styx Classics, skip this song, and you’ll be fine, more or less. And the biggest problem with this song is that despite it sucking so incredibly and pretentiously bad, it’s got just enough of a hook to it that it’s hummable. Damn shame. A lot of solid 80s rock bands sold out or otherwise went to hell on a shark-jumping hit; this is Styx’s.
  
  Second of all: “They go past so bad it’s good back to bad.”
  
  I don’t know what this means. I really don’t. So I have to ask you, Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do?
  - speedreeder
    
    Jose, Sorry for my bad punctuation it should read: They (Styx) go past, so-bad-it’s-good, and back to bad. Let me explain with a thought experiment, Imagine a running track, with 2 points. Point A = Bad, Point B = So-Bad-It’s-Good. Halfway is Point B = So Bad it’s good.
    Now let’s say, the band Styx is running on the track starting at Point A. they make it half-way to Point B., Instead of stopping there, they keep going past Point B. and end up back and Point A.
    
    I don’t know how old you are, but I grew up in the midwest and southwest in the 70′s and 80′s and I heard STYX all the time, and they completely sucked, this is the lame mainstream AOR, MOR radio I heard growing up. I know the STYX’s greatest hits, and it’s terrible, sorry dude.
    Thankfully the Ramones came along and made music listenable again.
    - NoWayJose
      
      “I don’t know how old you are, but I grew up in the midwest and southwest in the 70′s and 80′s and I heard STYX all the time, and they completely sucked, this is the lame mainstream AOR, MOR radio I heard growing up. I know the STYX’s greatest hits, and it’s terrible, sorry dude. ”
      
      We are of an age. They’re not my favorite band, but sensible people can have different tastes, it’s all good.
Beelzebuddy

Y’know, I like futurism, but it needs to be tempered with realism. Everything I can see on that site is just a jumble of buzzwords and stylish infographics.
Anonymous

Is it true Freddie Mercury sang the “secret secret I got a secret” line? Or is that just a rumor?