I'm going to make you squeal like a scruffy nerf herder.

July 27, 2006 6:18 AM

Here is a guy playing the "Star Wars" theme on a banjo.
posted by ND¢ (60 comments total)

Okay. Maybe I shouldn't have posted this. I know that it is Youtubefilter. I know that it is a single link. I know that I mentioned it yesterday in a comment in an unrelated thread. I know that it is just some dude playing the “Star Wars” theme on a banjo. But my two favorite things in this crazy mixed up world that we live in are “Star Wars” and banjos, and I never thought the two would ever be combined, but now that they have been, I will be goddamned if I am not going to shout it from the rooftops. Previously.
posted by ND¢ at 6:20 AM on July 27, 2006 [2 favorites]

uh huh.
posted by exlotuseater at 6:22 AM on July 27, 2006

The topic pre-emptively redeemed this thread.
posted by slimepuppy at 6:30 AM on July 27, 2006

Pretty much anything banjo is ok by me, Star Wars related or not.
posted by greasy_skillet at 6:30 AM on July 27, 2006

I hear Matt plays a mean Banhammer.
posted by Optamystic at 6:31 AM on July 27, 2006

Okay. Maybe I shouldn't have posted this.

Dude, you posted this yesterday in a thread about one of the NSync boys being gay. As non sequitur, it was funny. Witty even.
posted by three blind mice at 6:35 AM on July 27, 2006

Sorry ND¢. I didn't see your comment inside.
posted by three blind mice at 6:41 AM on July 27, 2006

I think I hate you for this.
I think I also kind of love you for this.
posted by zerokey at 6:41 AM on July 27, 2006

It's Star Wars and a banjo. I can enjoy the frisson...
posted by ob at 6:43 AM on July 27, 2006

Here is a guy playing "Ramblin' Man" on a banjo.
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:49 AM on July 27, 2006

I wouldn't mind at all if this thread turned into a series of links to our favorite covers of the Star Wars theme.

Here's mine...
Masayoshi Takanaka - Star Wars Samba <--Windows Media, sorry
...taken from the comp "Samurai Era: 15 Lost Grooves from the Land of the Rising Sun" on Bonjour Records
posted by Rattmouth at 6:52 AM on July 27, 2006

This is so fucking awesome! Don't doubt yourself, this is the perfect post for a summer's day.
posted by OmieWise at 6:53 AM on July 27, 2006

I was disappointed that he didn't do the fanfare at the start. Come on, dude.
posted by teleskiving at 6:58 AM on July 27, 2006

Don't tell me - Sufjan Stevens has given up on doing every state and has now decided to release an album consisting of 1970's blockbuster movie theme tunes.

I await the banjo version of Jaws with baited breath.
posted by longbaugh at 7:01 AM on July 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't mind at all if this thread turned into a series of links to our favorite covers of the Star Wars theme.

Here's Mine
posted by mcroy at 7:03 AM on July 27, 2006

And now its time to say goodbye to Jedi and all his kin...
posted by hal9k at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2006 [2 favorites]

I like the post. Thanks. You are brave. This is such snarkbait, I am surprised it's been up for an hour and the pile-on hasn't begun.
posted by RussHy at 7:34 AM on July 27, 2006

ND¢, have my retarded internet babies.
posted by boo_radley at 7:35 AM on July 27, 2006

All I ever wanted to do is to make people as happy as the "Star Wars" theme being played on a banjo made me.
posted by ND¢ at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Well, it made me laugh. Best Of The Web is Best Of The Web, whatever site you find it on.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:57 AM on July 27, 2006

I wouldn't mind at all if this thread turned into a series of links to our favorite covers of the Star Wars theme.

"If they should bar wars,
Please let these Star Wars stay"
posted by PlusDistance at 8:04 AM on July 27, 2006

Now I want a banjo version of the Imperial March.
posted by grubi at 8:05 AM on July 27, 2006

I am Star Wars!
posted by hydrophonic at 8:55 AM on July 27, 2006

You know, I wanted to hate this, but he's an excellent banjo player :)
posted by rmm at 8:59 AM on July 27, 2006

There's also this list of mp3's.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:01 AM on July 27, 2006

"... and hey, how about that wacky star wars bar...."
posted by imaswinger at 9:04 AM on July 27, 2006

is that OUR delmoi hating on the starwars guy down in the comments?
posted by casconed at 9:51 AM on July 27, 2006

Nice choice, hydrophonic! My favorite Smog song.
posted by shoepal at 10:07 AM on July 27, 2006

ok, it's growing on me a little. like a fungus.

I kid.
posted by exlotuseater at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2006

While My Ukelele Genty Weeps
posted by Western Infidels at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2006

You know, as a single-link to a YouTube video, this is perfect. If you don't want to see it, it's so easy to skip.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:28 AM on July 27, 2006

This is my friends bluegrass band that does covers of old punk songs and others like public enemies "911 is a joke".
posted by andywolf at 10:30 AM on July 27, 2006

I'm waiting for someone to post someone playing the Star Trek theme on the accordian, hopefully a guy wearing the same short-sleeved plaid shirt.

Seriously, though, the Weeping Uke guy was good.
posted by kozad at 10:46 AM on July 27, 2006

is that OUR delmoi hating on the starwars guy down in the comments?
posted by casconed at 12:51 PM EST on July 27 [+fave] [!]

From the Youtube comments:

delmoi:

Uh, that doesn't sound much like the Star Wars theme to me. Maybe in a few parts. The first thing that sound anything like it was 40 seconds in.

Oh no! I tried to introduce the snark-infested waters of Mefi to the unspoiled beauty of a dude playing the "Star Wars" theme on a banjo as a means of attempting to convert all you cynical misanthropes into people who can enjoy life by exposing you to greatness, but instead I introduced the Mefi playa-hating virus into Star-Wars-on-a-banjo-land.

I don't know if this was a twilight zone episode or not, but it should have been: an astronaut discovers a beautiful utopia that is perfect in every sense, and then he flies home in his space shuttle to tell all the earthlings about it, and they all go to the eden planet and ruin it, and the astronaut returns to the formerly perfect planet that is covered in trash and radioactive waste and looks up at the sky and yells "Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

They paved paradise and put up a snarking lot.
posted by ND¢ at 10:58 AM on July 27, 2006 [7 favorites]

This would be a guy who doesn't know any of the words or even the language singing Ramblin' Man without a banjo, but all of the links to Dokaka's works seem to be down. Damn. Glad I grabbed them when I did.
posted by darksasami at 10:59 AM on July 27, 2006

Jake made this a capella version singlehandedly. It's got the fanfare you guys were hankering for.
posted by aubilenon at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2006

Heh. Snarking lot.

The Force be with y'all now.
posted by Saydur at 12:51 PM on July 27, 2006

Long ago, in a holler far, far away . . .
posted by jason's_planet at 1:29 PM on July 27, 2006

Hey, that's me. My friend emailed me and said "I saw you on metafilter today", which caused me to poop in my chair, so I came here to look. Now it stinks in my office. I originally posted that on my other site.
posted by willc at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2006

Awesome. Good job. I met a buddy of mine for a drink Tuesday night and we are both nerds, so we were talking about cool things on the internets, and he told me that there was a guy doing the "Star Wars" theme on a banjo and that I should check it out. It made my day yesterday, so I decided to post it to Mefi today. I also have a phone that lets me record sound to make it a ringtone, so it is my main ringtone now too (not to come off like a stalker or anything). Anyway, thanks for rocking dude.
posted by ND¢ at 1:50 PM on July 27, 2006

Uh...yeah...

arms the house alarm

Seriously, thanks...glad you liked it. It got Farked last week and I've had many interesting experiences since then. Lucasfilm contacted me and want me to come play at the Star Wars Celebration 30 year reunion in May!
posted by willc at 1:52 PM on July 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Very cool. If you happen to be given more free guest passes than you can use...
posted by ND¢ at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2006

They paved paradise and put up a snarking lot.

You get a sticker and a check plus for that one. Ell oh Ell.
posted by kosem at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2006

Use the Four String, Luke.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:44 PM on July 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

WillC: I hope you get on the imperial march, man.
posted by boo_radley at 2:49 PM on July 27, 2006

This is your destiny, Willc.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 2:55 PM on July 27, 2006

If you meet Lucas, give him a nice smack in the head for me.
posted by brain_drain at 3:01 PM on July 27, 2006

willc, meet music.metafilter.com. Music, this is willc.
posted by cortex at 3:04 PM on July 27, 2006

Seconded, cortex. Music needs bluegrass and seems to have none at all.
posted by kosem at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2006

I've actually submitted to Music before, but not bluegrass. I shall start on bluegrass as soon as I get a decent mic.
posted by willc at 3:42 PM on July 27, 2006

Get a decent mic, dammit.

I've put up a some bluegrass right this minute, but I'm not half the banjo picker you are, sir.
posted by cortex at 3:43 PM on July 27, 2006

Now if only someone would post the John Williams Orchestra playing "Shuckin' the Corn," my life would be complete.
posted by staggernation at 3:50 PM on July 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Hot Corn, Cold Corn, Bring Along The Semiquaver
posted by cortex at 3:54 PM on July 27, 2006

staggernation: that made me laugh...a lot
posted by willc at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2006

Lucasfilm contacted me and want me to come play at the Star Wars Celebration 30 year reunion in May!

Haha, that is so awesome. Nice one.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:02 PM on July 27, 2006

Respect for the impressive playing, but I'm with delmoi on the didn't-recognise-it-until-40-seconds-in bit. Where in the the original does it descend three notes in straight succession?
posted by bonaldi at 6:04 PM on July 27, 2006

I know this isn't adding anything to the conversation, but jesus, great link. Made my day.

Also, they paved paradise and put up a snarking lot? I'm stealing that.
posted by kdar at 6:30 PM on July 27, 2006

bonaldi:
The very beginning is just a typical banjo walk-up. It's not exactly like the original theme, and I didn't intend it to be. Unless you are accustomed to listening to banjos a lot, it can be hard to pick out the melody, but it is there. It's a little different of a time signature, which was necessary to make it bluegrass and not an imitation of the original.
posted by willc at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2006

It has to be done:

Metafilter: They paved paradise and put up a snarking lot.
posted by shoepal at 10:14 AM on July 28, 2006

And here I was thinking Metafilter: caused me to poop in my chair

WillC, well done.
posted by theora55 at 5:12 PM on July 28, 2006