Theme Music for Cephalopods

[Clem]

A few months ago, I surprised an old friend with an e-mail. He replied, "And just like that, Clem resurfaces. How come I didn't here your theme music?" When we were at school together, he shared my interest in sharks and decided that John Williams' cello signature should be mine as well. Since my interest shifted to big squid in the intervening years, I replied, "I'm gonna need a different theme."

This made me wonder: what would a musical signature for a giant squid sound like? Is there an existing composition that could serve as a squid's theme? An artist well-suited to the task?

For Mesonychoteuthis, I nominate "Antistar" by Massive Attack. Nothing and no-one springs to mind for Architeuthis, yet.

What do you all hear?



Clem (got nine turntables and a microphone)

 

[tonmo]

Interesting... listening to it right now, after muscling through the navigation at http://www.massiveattack.co.uk/. It's good to see these young whipper-snappers producing songs 19 minutes and 30 seconds in length, just like the old days of Pink Floyd's Echoes or Led Zeppelin's live Dazed & Confused performances.

I'm about 5:30 into it, and sure, I can see the underwater scene unfolding here just fine.

I myself am partial to the instrumental The Love Life of the Octopus by Hoboken band Yo La Tengo. Very pleasant listening, says I. Here's the link:

The Love Life of the Octopus

A nice 12-minute number. I really like it. Very deep seaish.. and tribal; ancient. In fact, I like to improvise along on guitar while listening. I tend to imagine the octopus while listening to this, but a giant squid easily applies as well.

 

[tonmo]

Well I had a friend come over this weekend so we played our guitars a little bit along with a drum-machine. Here's our interpretation (such that it is) of a Colossal Squid theme song (ok, actually I decided to make it our interpretation after recroding it and listening to it, so it's really not that inspired). Just be very aware up front that I am not a musician, which really goes without saying once you hear it. But, hey, it's fun! (and funny) It's about 2 and a half minutes long... though it seems to go on FOREVER.

Colossal Squid Theme Song (large .zip file ~ 2megs -- unzip to get to mp3 file)

 

[WhiteKiboko]

everytime i read this thread, i keep thinking of a scene from "i'm Gonna Get You Sucka" where Slade has a bunch of musicians following him down the street.... "theyre my theme music....Every good hero should have some"

plus i like that 70s-ish guitar

 

[Clem]

Fearless Leader,

Very good. Much less menacing than my musical association (and therefore less judgmental). Somewhere between the Grateful Dead and the Beasties.

Clem

 

[Phil]

Very good, Tony.

Mind you, it calls out foir some dubiously rhyming lyics. I wonder how it would go?

When you think of appropriate music for cephs it really tells much more about yourself and your attitudes than the cephs themselves. Doubtless many octo owners would pick playful light music for their pets.

Personally I can't shake the feeling that cephs are slightly sinister; in my mind something like Siegfrieds Funeral March by Wagner fits Mesonychoteuthis. Totally OTT, evocative and mysterious sounding.Vampyroteuthis should have a goth soundtrack; The Cure or The Damned should fit.

 

[tonmo]

Well, I'm glad it was so well received! I can share with you the other 3 hours of raw footage if you like? I'm afraid that was the cream of the crop... We'll have to take another shot at that... the next recording I share will be much better, I promise. In fact it'd be quite hard not to improve on this.

Between the Dead and the Beasties? I was thinking more between The Shaggs (My Pal Foot Foot, anyone?) and a landing airplane.

We're accepting any and all input for "dubious lyrics" to work with... :P

 

[Clem]

We're accepting any and all input for "dubious lyrics" to work with... :P

Seems to me you have a ready supply of dubious lyrics, already. It's called "Cephaikus."

 

[tonmo]

Good point! Most don't rhyme, but somehow that seems appropriate here.

 

[Colin]

good job cephs dont have ears eh?



very good tony, I think that lyrics would waste the tone of the song though, its more of a 'watching it cruise along in the sea' kind of number... kinda squidpimping its way along?

 

[tonmo]

I think that lyrics would waste the tone of the song though, its more of a 'watching it cruise along in the sea' kind of number...

Yeah, that's probably a good thing, too... it would seem I need to concentrate on my guitar playing before I try adding anything else into the mix. By the way, I'm the guy playing the guitar that is a bit too loud and takes that ill-advised tangent about 18 seconds in.

...but the fun that's had playing it can't be matched!

 

[Clem]

Leave it to the good people of Newfoundland to sing songs about squid. Here are the lyrics to the traditional folk song "Squid-Jiggin' Ground," as collected by Mr. Michael Mitchell at www.songsforteaching.com:

Oh this is the place where the fishermen gather
In oilskins and boots and cape anns battened down
All sizes of figures with squid lines and jiggers
They congregate here on the squid-jiggin ground

Some are working their jiggers while others are yarning
There's some standing up and there's more lying down
While all kinds of fun, jokes and tricks are begun
As they wait for the squid on the squid-jiggin ground

There's men of all ages and boys in the bargain
There's old Billy Cave and there's young Raymond Brown
There's a red ranting Tory out here in a dory
A-running down squires in the squid-jiggin ground

There's men from the harbour; there's men from the tickle
In all kinds of motor boats, green, grey and brown
Right yonder is Bobby and with him is Nobby
He's chawin hard tack on the squid-jiggin ground

God bless my sou'wester, there's skipper John Chaffey
He's the best hand at squid-jiggin here I'll be bound
Hello! What's the row? Why he's jiggin one now
The very first squid on the squid-jiggin ground

The man with the whiskers is old Jacob Steele
He's getting well up, but he's still pretty sound
While Uncle Bob Hawkins wears six pairs of stockings
Whenever he's out on the squid-jiggin ground

Holy smoke, what a scuffle, all hands are excited
'Tis a wonder to me that there's nobody drowned
There's a bustle, confusion, a wonderful hustle
They're all jiggin squids on the squid-jiggin ground

Says Bobby "The squids are on top of the water
I just got me jiggers about one fathom down
But a squid in the boat squirted right down his throat
And he's swearing like mad on the squid-jiggin ground

There's poor Uncle Billy, his whiskers are splattered
With spots of the squid juice that's flying around
One poor little boy got it right in the eye
But they don't give a darn on the squid-jiggin ground

Now if ever you feel inclined to go squiddin
Leave your white shirts and collars behind in the town
And if you get cranky without your silk hanky
You'd better steer clear of the squid-jiggin ground

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

Yo!

In the album "Sex Packets" my homies from Digital Underground have a rap called "Underwater Rhymes" where "...while the octopus cut nine records at a time". Cool beat, kickin' lyrics those guys.

Oh, and in the music video category, the octopus makes a cameo in one of the most brilliant music videos ever done - "Tonight, Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins.

I'll scan the music scene for more cephalofreshness, peeps.

Sushi and Sake - I'm out, yo

John

 

[WhiteKiboko]

In the album "Sex Packets" my homies from Digital Underground have a rap called "Underwater Rhymes" where "...while the octopus cut nine records at a time".

Nine? is that 8 arms and humpty's nose doing the work?

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

Like I said: "Both how I'm livin' and my nose is large!"

8)

John