{"id":2501,"date":"2011-01-26T22:55:26","date_gmt":"2011-01-27T05:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/?p=2501"},"modified":"2011-03-02T00:25:32","modified_gmt":"2011-03-02T07:25:32","slug":"zippy-the-pinhead-for-precedent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/?p=2501","title":{"rendered":"Zippy the Pinhead for Precedent!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somedays I just love Facebook for the way it helps me connect me with friends and the good stuff. Today’s one of those days. David J. Coyle<\/strong> sent me this little image from cartoonist Bill Griffith<\/strong>‘s Facebook page:<\/p>\n

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Here’s the original caption:<\/p>\n

And when he’s not into King Curtis<\/strong> or Charlie Parker<\/strong>, Zippy channels The Kingsmen<\/strong>‘s version of “Louie, Louie” (original: Richard Berry<\/strong>, 1955) on his tenor uke.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This cartoon is really nice, but you know what’s really cool about this?<\/p>\n

The ukelele was the very first instrument Richard Berry ever learned to play<\/strong>. He was at a summer camp for disabled kids, and it was there that he picked up the ukelele, learning such songs as “John Henry.”<\/p>\n

When he went back to school, he used to walk around campus with his ukelele. He stopped carrying it around when he decided he wanted to look more “badass.”<\/p>\n

The high school he went to was Jefferson High<\/strong> in Los Angeles. A lot of great musicians came out of that school – Dexter Gordon, Big Jay McNeely <\/strong>and a whole bunch of other very talented musicians. One of his earliest bands he was in, formed during high school, got a record contract, signing with the Bihari Brothers<\/strong> as the Flairs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Bihari Brothers signed a lot of new talent – John Lee Hooker, BB King, Etta James<\/strong>, and many others you’ve heard of.<\/p>\n

So, yes… LOUIE LOUIE, Richard Berry, ukeleles and Zippy the Pinhead are all connected in a wonderful web of synchronicity.<\/p>\n

Just to add more levels of unlikely associations to a bigger picture, when I first started taking television production courses at De Anza College, my friend Craig Scoffone<\/strong> had a crazy idea of doing a fake TV talk show with Zippy the Pinhead. We talked our friend Bill Hoffman<\/strong> into wearing a Zippy suit, and another friend Chris Robbins<\/strong> into wearing drag to play a talk show hostess. I wound up as a camera operator for this thing.<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, I think I’m the only one with a copy of this TV show.<\/p>\n

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Having watched this video again, maybe it’s for the best…..<\/p>\n

Bill Hoffman, Chris Robbins…. wherever you are…. I would love to hear from you guys!<\/p>\n

Anyways, the “Zippy Pinhead LOUIE LOUIE connection” continued with other cartoons created by Bill Griffith<\/strong>, like this one….<\/p>\n

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In fact, you can even order a rockin’ print that features the theme of LOUIE LOUIE<\/a>, personally autographed by Mr. Griffith. Pretty cool, eh?<\/p>\n

So why not visit ZippyThePinhead.com<\/a> and buy something good for yourself, why don’t cha? Or how about a gift for a friend that deserves something nice to decorate their plain-looking walls?<\/p>\n

Let’s give it to ’em… right now!<\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: Bill Griffith<\/strong>, creator of the Zippy the Pinhead, contacted me after this blog posting, very anxious to see this silly video performance. <\/p>\n

With a request like this, how could I refuse? So, by special request, here’s the video I worked on …. a long, long time ago…<\/p>\n