Comments on: Get Your Shades On, This is Cool

Get Your Shades On, This is Cool

oneswellfoop — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:06:05 -0800

In 1967, Ken Nordine (previ-ously) did a themed album of his "Word Jazz" titled "Colors" that consisted of over 30 short poems/riffs about specific colors. Recently, cuts from that album have become popular soundtracks for exercises in animation... A lot of them use the currently-trendy "kinetic typography" - Black Beige Blue Brown (with a Brown Owl) Brown Green Mauve Magenta while others use paper cut-outs - Amber Azure Cerise Coral (starts at 1:00) Crimson Fuschia Green (again) Lavender Magenta (again) Maroon (a rhyming Cartoon) Mauve (again) Orange Russet. Plus three versions of Yellow, with J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs, with a character resembling PacMan and with blobby cut-outs and a cut-off ending. Finally Flesh, but without animation.

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:09:33 -0800

My introduction to Ken Nordine was the Video Toaster demo videos and those great dated Levis commercials. Whatta voice.

By: timsteil

timsteil — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:22:54 -0800

Ken Nordine does not blab the drab gab, he chatters the hep patter.

By: Faze

Faze — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:38:58 -0800

Reminds me of the Spectrum Song, which has been variously animated.

By: octobersurprise

octobersurprise — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:57:00 -0800

What's the use of puce?

By: Ad hominem

Ad hominem — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:12:23 -0800

Way cooler than I ever expected. Also that first Levis ad was great.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:15:03 -0800

Wow. MetaFilter reminds me from time to time about Word Jazz, and I'm always glad for the reminder. I look forward to digging through these videos. I miss his show appearing on NPR.

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:47:37 -0800

Personal anecdote: During my short radio career in the '70s, I got to meet most of my idols (Dr. Dememto, Gary Owens...) but not Ken Nordine, even though at one time I was answering the phones on a talk show on a station that used his voice on its station IDs. But he never came around to the station in L.A. (he did all his recording at his home base in Chicago) and I could never get the Program Director to send him a script that used the name "Wendell". Sigh.

By: calamari kid

calamari kid — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:06:45 -0800

Thank you, thank you, thank You! I heard a couple tracks from the Colors album some years back, and didn't catch the artist or album. I've been searching ever since for those two bits of information.

By: pupdog

pupdog — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:12:08 -0800

I had heard a few of these growing up, but Ken Nordine's contributions to the fantastic Hal Wilner 'Stay Awake' Disney tribute are the things that have been popping up in my dreams for a very long time now...

By: Lazlo

Lazlo — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:55:36 -0800

That second linked Levi's ad (where they're taking the logo for a walk) introduced me to Ken Nordine when I was a kid. 35(ish) years later, that ad and Ken Nordine are both still awesome.

By: Jezebella

Jezebella — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 08:39:12 -0800

Ken Nordine's "Yellow" contains nearly everything I like about Ken Nordine. His voice manages to wink with inside jokes and shared understanding.

By: peterkins

peterkins — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 10:21:12 -0800

i love ken nordine. years ago i was in a band that nearly collaborated with him. it didn't happen, but to think that was even a possibility gives me a wee glow. he'll be 91 this year. bless him.

By: Spatch

Spatch — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:01:37 -0800

but Ken Nordine's contributions to the fantastic Hal Wilner 'Stay Awake' Disney tribute Stay Awake also has Tom Waits' incredible version of "Heigh Ho" among others, but Ken Nordine's stuff completely kicked my ass. He is a national treasure as far as I'm concerned, and I am so glad to have had it growing up. Damn it all... damn everything... but the circus.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:40:26 -0800

Docu on Nordine here.