Electrolarynx

November 11, 2007 1:59 PM

Cigarette? Cigarette? No disrespect to the seriousness of throat cancer, or to heavy smokers, but these devices may help the unlucky ones, and maybe you'll be more fun at parties. There's a few models to pick from. It was the precursor to the talkbox. Frampton and Stevie Wonder rocked it, But not before Pete Drake and his talking guitar rocked it first. Low on cash Make your own.
posted by greenskpr (17 comments total)

BLAST!

I had been sitting on that stevie wonder link for almost a year now. I kept telling myself I'd do a talkbox post, and never got around to it.

When he jumps in to Papa was a rolling stone, it's probably one of the greatest things I've ever heard.
posted by phrontist at 2:16 PM on November 11, 2007

Oh, and you have to include Roger and Zapp and Daft Punk.
posted by phrontist at 2:18 PM on November 11, 2007

1st post...little shakey.
posted by greenskpr at 2:31 PM on November 11, 2007

Yeah, you're usually living on a prayer in your first post.
posted by Kwine at 2:33 PM on November 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Don't feel to bad, phrontist. The stevie wonder link has been posted here before.
posted by puke & cry at 2:39 PM on November 11, 2007

so, so glad I quit smoking.
posted by parmanparman at 3:52 PM on November 11, 2007

I've heard them referred to as "cancer kazoos"
posted by vronsky at 4:29 PM on November 11, 2007

...may help the unlucky ones...

Does luck come into it? I know a fair bit of stupidity does.
posted by mattoxic at 4:32 PM on November 11, 2007

We had a talk box (we called it a mouth-wah) in a band I was in. Put the bass through it, blows your freaking teeth out.
posted by mattoxic at 4:34 PM on November 11, 2007

I think it's a pretty cool first post. I never really connected the smoking/vocoder angle before.
posted by fungible at 4:46 PM on November 11, 2007

Last night I had a dream
It scared the shit out of me
'Cause you were dying
Yeah you were dying
Talk Box L7
posted by Sailormom at 5:17 PM on November 11, 2007

Totally loved that! It's so neat when people figure out fun, affordable ways to do unexpected, interesting stuff. Amazing sounds he made. Cool. Thanks greenspkr, guess this is an eponysterical post, since the speaker box in the video was green.
posted by nickyskye at 5:52 PM on November 11, 2007

i heard jeff beck use one in 1972 at cobo hall in detroit. he made his guitar say "rock me baby, all night long" and electrified the audience.
posted by quonsar at 7:09 PM on November 11, 2007

It was also used on Rufus/Chaka Khan's Tell Me Something Good.
posted by rfs at 8:02 PM on November 11, 2007

WERE YOU IN DA NANG
posted by fandango_matt at 11:01 PM on November 11, 2007

smoke is dead...no way
posted by drift85 at 5:46 AM on November 12, 2007

The "ghetto" howto is rad. Want.
posted by everichon at 8:55 AM on November 12, 2007