THE SYMPHONY OF SCIENCE

The Symphony of Science is a musical project headed by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form. You are free to disagree that their reverence for the material and its message combined with their "irreverent" presentation constitutes a very subtle form of highly educational clowning...

Symphony of Science

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Symphony of Science is a music project created by Washington-based electronic musician John Boswell. The project seeks to "spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes." Boswell uses pitch corrected audio and video samples from television programs featuring popular scientists and educators. The audio and video clips are mixed into digital mashups and scored with Boswell's original compositions. Two of Boswell's music videos, "A Glorious Dawn" and "We are All Connected", feature appearances from Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and Stephen Hawking. The audio and video is sampled from popular science television shows including Cosmos, The Universe, The Eyes of Nye, The Elegant Universe, and Stephen Hawking's Universe.

Unruly Media, a viral video tracking service, first charted "A Glorious Dawn" on September 21, 2009. A month later, the video had received more than a million views and was ranked in the music category on YouTube as one of the top rated videos of all time. On November 9, 2009, Third Man Records released a 7-inch single of "A Glorious Dawn" for the 75th anniversary of the birth of Carl Sagan.

John Boswell

Composer John Boswell had been experimenting with sampling and remixing for some time before creating his first YouTube videos. Boswell had worked with Auto-Tune in the past and thought people might be interested in hearing American astronomer Carl Sagan sing. He first saw Cosmos in 2004 and soon after bought the set of DVD's. Boswell looked through these episodes for "profound quotes" that lacked music in the background. Once he found these quotes, Boswell Auto-Tuned Sagan's voice and picked from the best ones. After completing what became "A Glorious Dawn", Boswell posted the video on YouTube in September 2009, thinking he might get a few thousand views at most. Surprisingly, the video went viral within a week.^[1][2] To date, the video has received more than two million views and is ranked as one of the top rated videos of all time in the music category.^[3]

John Boswell attended Gonzaga Preparatory School^[2] and graduated from college with a degree in economics. Soon after, Boswell started Colorpulse, an electronica music project, and began to focus on production.^[4] Boswell lives in Bellingham, Washington.^[2] His current music project, Symphony of Science, "aims to spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes"^[5] and to "deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form".^[6]

Music and video

A Glorious Dawn

Boswell's first video in the Symphony of Science series is 3 minutes, 34 seconds long and features Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Samples include clips from Cosmos (1980) and Stephen Hawking's Universe (1997).^[6] On September 21, 2009, Unruly Media, a viral video tracking service, began to chart the popularity of the video.^[7] At the end of the first week of October, the video had received 800,000 views,^[2] and by the end of the month, more than a million. By the end of 2009, the video had surpassed 2 million views.

The title takes its name from the chorus spoken by Carl Sagan, remixed from an episode of Cosmos:

A still more glorious dawn awaits

Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise

A morning filled with 400 billion suns

The rising of the milky way^[6]

Third Man Records released a 7-inch recording of "A Glorious Dawn" on November 9, 2009, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Carl Sagan.^[8] The one-sided single was created by United Record Pressing in a unique "Cosmos Colored Vinyl", limited pressing of 150 copies; it was then re-pressed on regular vinyl in a larger run. The flipside is etched with a copy of the diagram found on the Voyager Golden Record.^[8]

We are All Connected

The second video in the series is 4 minutes, 12 seconds in length and features Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Bill Nye. Audio and video samples are taken from The History Channel's Universe series, Carl Sagan's Cosmos, interviews with Richard Feynman in 1983, Neil deGrasse Tyson's cosmic sermon, and Bill Nye's The Eyes of Nye series. Additional visuals come from NOVA's The Elegant Universe, Stephen Hawking's Universe, and Cosmos, among others.

The title comes from the chorus spoken by Neil deGrasse Tyson and remixed by Boswell:

We are all connected

To each other, biologically

To the earth, chemically

To the rest of the universe atomically^[6]

Our Place in the Cosmos

The third video in the series is 4 minutes, 21 seconds in length and was released on November 23, 2009. "Our Place in the Cosmos" features Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Michio Kaku and Robert Jastrow. Samples were taken from Cosmos, Genius of Charles Darwin, a TED talk, Stephen Hawking's Universe, interviews and visuals from Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi, History Channel's Universe series, and Cosmic Voyage.

The title comes from words spoken by Carl Sagan and remixed by Boswell:

The exploration of the cosmos

Is a voyage of self discovery

As long as there have been humans

We have searched for our place in the cosmos

The Unbroken Thread

The fourth video in the series is 4 minutes in length and was released on January 6, 2010. "The Unbroken Thread" is themed around biology and evolution rather than the cosmos, and features Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and Jane Goodall.

The video uses clips from Cosmos, several David Attenborough documentaries (Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, The Life of Mammals, The Living Planet, BBC Life), XVIVO Scientific Animations, IMAX Cosmic Voyage, Jane Goodall's TED Talk, and a Guinness commercial.

The title comes Sagan's Cosmos, and features in the refrain:

The secrets of evolution

Are time and death

There's an unbroken thread that stretches

From those first cells to us

Reviews

Musician Carrie Brownstein found the idea behind Symphony of Science "quite beautiful and amazing in both its sincerity and aims". She also enjoyed the "hip-hop stylings" of the camera angle on Bill Nye while he is moving his hands around and expressing himself on "We Are All Connected".^[9] Writer Nick Sagan, son of Carl Sagan, was impressed with "A Glorious Dawn", giving it a favorable review and stamp of approval. Sagan writes: "John Boswell over at Colorpulse Music is a mad genius, sampling both Cosmos and Stephen Hawking's Universe series into three minutes and thirty-four seconds of pure, concentrated awesomeness...Love it, love it, love it. Dad would have loved it, too."^[10]

Columnist Franklin Harris argues that Boswell's videos show that science can arouse the minds of artists just as much as religion and mythology have in the past. Harris calls the videos "art for the Information Age, inspired by science".^[11]

CERVANTES QUOTE

The most difficult character in comedy is that of the fool, and he must be no simpleton that plays that part.

- Miguel de Cervantes

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling Red Unit (1979)

Photos courtesy of Gigi Paul and Jeri Cannon

Cowboy Mike Keever, Gigi Paul, Chuck Sidlow, Jeri Cannon

Garry O. Irvingwhite, in performance and in Central Park with Jeri

Chuck Sidlow, on the train and in the ring (as the ref, in black pants)

CLOWN ALLEY: Free Ringling Ticket

Photo courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center

Clockwise -Jim Howle, Duane Thorpe, Frosty Little, Billy Ward, Bobby Kaye, Mike Brown, Keith Carey, Eric Braun.

TOUGH CRITIC

SACHA: The Photographer

THE BLUE TIE GUYS: Andrew Scarff and Bryan Fulton

ERNIE "BLINKO" BURCH: Auguste Makeup

Photo courtesy of Mark Newgarden

JIM DALE QUOTE

"We talk about theatre museums filled with old costumes and things. What we also need is a theatre museum of the old routines on videotape. We are only the custodians of those techniques, and they should be preserved."

Jim Dale

JEFF "GORDOON" GORDON: Ringling Red Unit (1979)

Photos courtesy of Gigi Paul and Jeri Cannon

Le Clown Gordoon out of makeup, riding the train

Gordoon's "Ballantinian" whiteface, before his iconic character emerged.

HEY YA BROTHERS: Joel Jeske & Christopher Lueck

SAGID ALI DESTA: Comedy Plate Spinning Act

THE ABBOTTS OF UNREASON: Pas de Trois

The Abbotts of Unreason (Joe Dieffenbacher, Mark Renfrow and Bob Scheile) were all graduates from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College Class of '83.

They were a huge hit at festivals and clubs in the USA, combining strong comic characters with circus skills and slapstick. For more info, please visit www.nakupelle.com.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations go out to the new Vice-President of Showfolks of Sarasota, Mr. Yankee Doodle Circus himself... Mike Naughton.

To the best of my knowledge Mike is only the second Clown College graduate (after the late Dale Longmire) to hold elected office in the organization.

CUSTOM LEATHER CLOWN NOSE MAKING WORKSHOP

Just wanted to let people know there are three spots still open for the leather clown nose making workshop this January 5th and 7th at 7 PM. If you would like to participate let me know tonight as I will be buying tools tomorrow morning.

Have a great and healthy 2010
Stanley

Want to make your own Custom Fitted Leather Clown Nose?

CUSTOM FITTED CLOWN NOSE MAKING WORKSHOP

TUESDAY JANUARY 5TH & THURSDAY JANUARY 7TH, 2010
FROM 7:00 PM TO ABOUT 9:30-10:00 PM

"I just want to give a plug for Stanley's leather clown noses. I bought one twenty-two years ago and it's still in good shape. I used it a lot in performance the first ten years and still use it in rehearsal. It has
such a distinct (and comfortable) feel when I wear it, that I'm ready
to play as soon as I put it on (Pavlov's fool)."
Foolishly,
Drew Richardson January 5, 2007

One great thing about the leather clown nose is they do not sweat like rubber or latex, you can breathe and they have a much more natural look than rubber. From what clowns have reported to me their leather clown noses have lasted on an average of 8 to 10 years. Ooops it is longer - Drew Richardson's nose is going on 22 years.

Finished Leather Clown Noses: Ariane Anthony, Golan Reinitz, Jeff Seal, Lynn Berg andPat Cashin

How to make your own leather clown noses?
Making well over 100 custom clown noses for clowns in the New York area and around the world, Stanley will teach a two-day workshop...

In the class you will learn how to:

• Choose leather for your nose
  
• Prepare the leather
  
• Mold leather into your clown nose
  
• Sharpen the knife blade. (Very important, you cannot cut leather with a dull knife).
  
• Fit the clown nose
  
• Cut the clown nose
• Punch the clown nose holes under your nostrils so you can breathe
  
• Paint and finish your clown nose...(You can custom color your nose, any color you wish)
  
• Prepare and fit the elastic and string

TUESDAY JANUARY 5TH & THURSDAY JANUARY 7TH, 2010
FROM 7:00 PM TO ABOUT 9:30-10:00 PM

Class size is limited

Price: $100 for the class
Tool and material fee: $89 (you get to keep the 7 tools)
Total: $189.

To reserve your spot you must pay the full fee in advance by October 29, 2009, because I need to buy the tools and supplies in advance. (Will accept 50% deposit from those people with financial needs. Now accepting credit card payments in advance with Google Checkout).

To sign up or find out more info Contact Stanley Allan Sherman
or call 212-243-4039
Mask Arts Home Page

YOGI BAIRD: Violinist/Contortionist

HALLELUJAH

SLIVERS OAKLEY: New York Times, March 9, 1916

Scan courtesy of Melanie Carty

HIGH NOTE: Chuck Jones, dir. (1960)

High Note is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Chuck Jones. It was originally released on December 3rd, 1960 and is performed without dialog, relying solely on the animation and music to carry the plot.

TIM BURTON QUOTE

“Why do I like clowns so much? Why are they so powerful to children? Probably because they are dangerous. That kind of danger is really what it’s all about. It’s that kind of stuff that I think gets you through life. Those are the only things worth expressing, in some ways: danger and presenting subversive subject matter in a fun way."

Tim Burton

EUROCLOWNS 6: Finale

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling Red Unit (1979)

Photos courtesy of Gigi Paul and Jeri Cannon

Lou Jacobs about to pass under the net, Jim Vogelsang headed down the track, Bucky Dussel passing him with what looks like a stack of cups and saucers and Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes about to take a seat on the track in front of Ring Three.

FUN FACT: There are more clowns on end track in this photo then there has ever been on the Gold Unit.

Mitch in distress down front with Mike Oster about to pass behind.

Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes sporting an early version of "The Donald".

And just who is this glamorous young rockstar, you might ask? Eric Carmen of the Raspberries? Paul McCartney and Wings' guitarist, Denny Laine? Bowie sideman Mick Ronson? Seals? Croft? Mott? A Hoople? Some extraneous Bay City Roller? No!

Folks, this is the one and only Mr. Mitch Freddes.
That's right everybody, once upon a time our pal Mitch was a world-class chick magnet.
And don't you forget it!

Guinness World Record holder, John Russell and Guinness drinker, Mitch Freddes.

MOROCO: Circo Beto Carrero, Brazil (2009)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LOU!

Today marks the 107th anniversary of the birth of Jacob "Lou Jacobs" Ludwig.

Happy Birthday, Papa Lou!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2010!
May the new year be hold health and happiness for one and all as we begin an important new chapter in American clown history and research.

ALAN MOORE QUOTE

“I think there is much to be said from having an artifact that you can hold in your hands. That is perhaps a mark of the generation that I grew up in, but I believe it’s true. In an increasingly virtual world, artifacts, beautifully made things, are at a premium."

- Alan Moore commenting on magazines that exist only on the internet

A SNEAK PREVIEW...

We have some really great late 70s Ringling Red and Blue Alley photos that we can start posting tomorrow courtesy of Gigi Paul and Jeri Cannon...

Tom Dougherty

Michael Goudeau

Peter Pitofsky


MORE PHOTOS TO COME...

AS WELL AS A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT HAS BEEN 18 MONTHS IN THE MAKING!!!

LEONID LEMI: The Fly

GINO FRANKINI: Circo di Stato Baku, Azerbayjan (December 18, 2007)

LOS TACHUELAS

WILLIE HOWARD: Pardon My Accident (1938)

RAYMOND CROWE: The Unusualist

Thanks to Tom Piccard

GEIST: Wacky Waiter Corporate Show

LEONID LEMI: Juggling

CHARLIE CAIROLI & SON

Photo courtesy of Clown Bluey

I wonder if Charlie Jr got a slapstick for Christmas when he was seven?

LEONID LEMI: Mannequin

TITANS OF THE BIG TOP: Entire Film

I've posted the clown segments from this before but here, thanks to the National Archives, is the whole television program, presented in it's entirety.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

Shane, the proud owner of the coveted Red Ryder 200 shot range model air rifle.
(Santa did not bring any BB because, of course, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!")

Jamie talking comedy with some pals

Shane bustin' a Buster.

HAPPY BOXING DAY!

V.Kashkin & V.Rumyantseva

The Rivelinos

Otto Griebling & Freddie Freeman

LOS PITUTOS

PLATANITO: Circo Hermanos Vazques

PITILLO: Violin Entree, Circus Tihany (2006)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Peace on Earth,
Good Will to All!

(For those waiting patiently for this year's Video Christmas Card, technical
snafus have caused a delay. We hope to have it ready later this weekend)

G. FRANCESCO SHEPPERD: Circus Maximum (2009)

NINO & NINETTO: Wilkes-Barre, PA

Giovanni "Nino" Zoppe and young James "Nineto" Hamid at the Hamid Shrine Circus in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I know the YouTube post says that the video was shot in Hamburg, PA but I don't remember the building in Hamburg having windows like that. I'm pretty sure that this was shot at the National Guard Armory in Wilkes-Barre.

LEONID LEMI (2009)

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS STORY...

Shane is finally embracing his resemblance to Ralphie,
much to the delight of his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

COCO TRIBUTES: Continue...

Keith Crabbs at the local Perkins' in Delaware for Kid's Night.

A close up of Graham's tribute board from the lobby of the Robarts Arena for the Showfolks Circus.

CLOWNS TROYAN (1981)

MICKEY: Circo Rolex

This reminds me of something...

Jamie is still sleeping. I'm surprised. He's usually awake by now.

Maybe I still have time to fix myself a bowl of oatmeal.

Shane has a half day of school today. Maybe we'll see Avatar and then watch some Christmas DVDs.

ALI BONGO

Not "Politically Correct", and would probably be stronger without his character's negative cultural stereotyping (that was downplayed later in his career) but...

From Wikipedia...

Ali Bongo (8 December 1929 – 8 March 2009) was a British comedy magician, and president of The Magic Circle who performed an act in which he was known as the "Shriek of Araby".

Born as William Oliver Wallace in Bangalore, India, where his father (also called William ) was serving as a Sergeant Major with the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, he spent his early years on a British station in Trimulgherry, Secunderabad, going to Britain with his mother Lillian at the age of seven.

After William Wallace senior had ended his army service, the family moved to Sutton Valence in Kent and young William won a scholarship to Sutton Valence School, leaving at 16 to begin his career as an entertainer. His time in the National Service was spent with the Royal Army Pay Corps. He worked for Harry Stanley's Unique Magic Studio and was manager of the magic department on Hamleys toy shop in London's Regent Street.

He created his Shriek of Araby character with a cod oriental costume (robes, golden curly-toed slippers, horn-rimmed spectacles and a headgear that incorporated a fez and a turban) and took the name Ali Bongo from a character he had created for a youth club pantomime he had co-written and appeared in while in his teens. The original character had sung a song which began: "My name is Ali Bongo and I come from Pongo, pong-tiddley-pongo land." Among his later magic catch-phrases were "Uju Buju Suck Another Juju", "Aldy Bority Phostico Formio", "Hocus Pocus Fishbones Chokus".

He made his British TV debut on The Good Old Days in 1965 on a bill topped by Tommy Trinder.

Ali Bongo wrote many books on magic, many containing tricks of his own. He also illustrated them in his instantly recognisable style. He acted as magic consultant for many plays, opera, ballets and TV shows including David Nixon's Magic Box, The David Nixon Magic Show for Thames Television and The Paul Daniels Magic Show for the BBC.

Ali Bongo was the presenter of the Ali Bongo’s Cartoon Carnival, which featured himself and his assistant Oscar. It aired on UK TV BBC1 on Saturdays between 23 October and 18 December 1971, a total of nine episodes.

Bongo was featured in an episode of Children's TV show Rainbow, appeared in the science-fiction show The Tomorrow People in the serial "Revenge of Jedikiah" and had a slot in Zokko. He also acted as the magical advisor on the TV show Dr Who and the 70s cult series, Ace of Wands. His legendary ability for devising tricks and illusions and solving magical problems inspired the TV writer, David Renwick, to create a character who was a magician's assistant and amateur sleuth in the series Jonathan Creek. Bongo was magical adviser to the series.

Bongo joined The Magic Circle in 1960 and, two years later was made a Member of The Inner Magic Circle. He won The Magic Circle Magician of the Year in 1972, the Carlton Comedy Award in 1983 and the David Berglas Award in 1991. He served twice as vice-president of The Magic Circle before being elected president on 8 September 2008.

At the beginning of February 2009, Bongo collapsed while giving a lecture in Paris. He was taken to hospital and, whilst there, suffered a stroke. Bongo was subsequently returned to the United Kingdom and cared for in St Thomas' Hospital, London, where he later died from complications arising from pneumonia on March 8.

Ali Bongo was cited in a song by the band Half Man Half Biscuit in the mid 1980s, reflecting his status in UK popular culture at that time:

"My story seems so tragic, Ali Bongo's good at contortionism. He's much better Than David Nixon ever was..."

BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT... EVER!!!

Shane came home from school today to find a box from Elmo Gibb waiting on the dining room table. In it, a custom made "Cashin Comedy Co." slapstick! We spent the afternoon whacking each other (and fighting the urge to give Jamie a swat on his diaper-protected rump).

It's the perfect Christmas gift, a blow-off to the Elastic Gag!

(Shane, pictured above in his new Christmas Story "Ralphie" glasses)

Thank you, Elmo! Merry Christmas!

IN MEMORIAM: Arnold Stang (1918-2009)

ARNOLD STANG

Arnold Stang (28 September 1918 – 20 December 2009) was an American comic actor who played a small and bespectacled, yet brash and knowing big-city type. Never known as a solo performer, he worked best in an ensemble cast in which he played one of a diverse group of comic characters.

Early life

Stang was born in New York City in 1918, but often claimed Chelsea, Massachusetts as his birthplace and 1925 as his birthdate.

Career

He was popular on radio in the 1940s as a sidekick to cantankerous comedian Henry Morgan. That led to a recurring role in the TV show The School House on the DuMont Television Network in 1949. Then, during television's Golden Age, Stang became a supporting player on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater, often berating or heckling the big-egoed star for big laughs. Stang also had guest roles on several variety shows of the day including The Colgate Comedy Hour.

In films, he played Sparrow in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) with Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. In It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) he played Ray, who along with his partner Irwin (played by Marvin Kaplan), owns a gas station that is destroyed by Jonathan Winters. He appeared in Hello Down There (1969). In one of the oddest movie pairings, he partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger (billed as "Arnold Strong") in the latter's first film, the camp classic Hercules in New York (1970).

As a voice actor for animated cartoons, Stang provided the voice for Popeye's pal Shorty (a caricature of Stang), Herman the mouse in a number of Famous Studios cartoons, Tubby Tompkins in a few Little Lulu shorts, the famous Hanna-Barbera lead character Top Cat (modeled explicitly on Phil Silvers's Sgt. Bilko), and Catfish on Misterjaw. He also provided many extra voices for the Cartoon Network series Courage the Cowardly Dog. On television, he appeared in commercials for the Chunky candy bar, where he would list all of its ingredients, smile and say, "Chunky, what a chunk of chocolate!" He provided the voice of the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee in the 1980s and was also a spokesman for Vicks Vapo-Rub.

Stang appeared on an episode of The Cosby Show with guest star Sammy Davis Jr. In one TV ad he played Luther Burbank, proudly showing off his newly-invented "square tomato" to fit neatly in typical square slices of commercial bread, then being informed that the advertising bakery had beat him to it by producing round loaves of bread. He played the photographer in the 1993 film Dennis the Menace.

Family

Arnold and his wife, the former JoAnne Taggart, lived until his later years in New Rochelle, New York, moving toward the end of his life to Needham, Massachusetts. He died of pneumonia in Newton, Massachusetts on December 20, 2009. The Stangs had two children, David and Deborah.

And another holiday gem (featuring the voice of Mr. Stang at Herman) courtesy of Drew Friedman...

CRICKET & SON: Aladdin (2004/05)

Jimmy Cricket and son, Frankie Doodle do some slapstick in the pantomime Aladdin at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre.

SALTO MORTAL: Eliseu & Katina

SLAVA: Pre-Snow Show

COCO TRIBUTES: Mr. Bill on the Slopes

From my friend Bill "Mr. Bill" Machtel...

"I'm loving all the Coco hats on everyone.

I didn't know him, but it was fun seeing him laugh at our slap stick routine in Baraboo last year at the reunion. I feel privileged to be doing many of the things that he did so well, stilt walking, performing all around the globe and adding my own skiing skills to the clown world.

Here are three photos that I took today on the mountain with the race team and in my Kinderkids class. This is my 20th season at Alpine Valley in East Troy WI. Alpinevalleyresort.com Then check out ski school. I'm booked through March so between teaching 3rd grade in Milwaukee and Skiing all weekends and holidays I don't get a single day off until spring break when I take my family to Mexico for 10 days.

Let's hear a big Awwwwwww for Mr. Bill who is so busy working. Stinking skiing and getting paid to ski and clown? Not a bad gig!"

BELLO NOCK: Big Apple Circus' "Bello is Back (2009)

VIVA VARIETY!

SHOWFOLKS CIRCUS 2009: Photo Club Photos

The local photo club came out and took some beautiful photos of the clowns as we made up. Please click the title of this post to see 177 shots of us and the rest of the show.