QBert is a perfect example for Wacky Wednesday… this dude is a complete nutcase. Originally from the Bay Area, he went to school with Mix Master Mike (from the Beastie Boys) and they joined Rock Steady Crew together, then won the DMC World Champs together too. And has had a long musical career since, of which you can read about on Wikipedia.
Reasons for the wackiness: 1. He doesn’t use headphones, it’s all by feel and he’s insanely good. Watch the clip to see how uses his elbow to effect the drumbeat, uses the test sound in the centre of the vinyl for new sounds, and drills holes outside the centre of the record to give it a ‘bounce’. He even moves the record boom arm to scratch! Radness. 2. He’s invented a musical annotation (like written score) for turntables. 3. He’s honestly believes his scratching is a language that can communicate with aliens and that they watch him when he scratches, even though he can’t see them.
So, complete nutcase. But god-damn, Wave Twisters (1998) blew my mind when I first heard it in the early Noughties…
Some interesting interviews:
