# And in the blue corner... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2006-09-18 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2006/09/and-in-the-blue-corner/ Analog Industries Painful Virtuosity Day continues. Although, it's worth noting that the siren song of Mario trumps all other considerations. Blame Cody Gratner for the fact that you'll be humming this the rest of the day. ## Comments (20) **jeddak** (2006-09-18): It's a relief knowing that there's at least *one* successor to Michael Angelo http://www.angelo.com/ **bleen** (2006-09-18): meh. i'd rather watch/listen to michael manring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ3XksTJeA8 i also never played any of the mario variations, so there's no nostalgia there for me. **Chris Randall** (2006-09-18): That dude is pretty impressive. At least it's musically interesting, until it turns in to the St. Elsewhere theme about midway. -CR **Diamond Dave McAnally 103** (2006-09-18): The underground music from Super Mario is the best. But that guy/girl (can you really tell?) would be a straight PIMP if he played the dungeon (4th level of each world) music. **john_o** (2006-09-18): But of course our man from Sweden manages to put them all to shame with his blistering "chops." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX0bcZjnjaM that pretty much sums it up, especially when you compare it to the real thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTowzVb2PII **meto** (2006-09-18): phew... heavy stuff! Fortunately i found a link which helped me to recover from this vids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rTO9kHmU8A&NR sorry, this is fairly "off topic" supaduper outfit, too! **hyperjed** (2006-09-18): Suerduper outfit?! Are you kidding me? The man's wearing a kimono, a scarf, and his ever present funky hat. It's horrible! And whoever sold him that guitar strap should be shot. **ecallender** (2006-09-18): That Michael Manring thing is hilarious. Maybe I'll just get rid of my Ultimate Support stands and replace them with music school dropouts. **Jaysen** (2006-09-18): Pretty impressive... until you watch someone do the mario theme - both parts- on an 11-stringed bass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpKMtH9RlSI **Chris Randall** (2006-09-18): I knew the 11-stringed bass was good for something! -CR **Jaysen** (2006-09-18): On that Michael Manring video... i'm pretty sure i saw him pluck that guy's crotch at least 3 times. The smile tipped me off. **americanjunky** (2006-09-18): what do you call a 11 string bassist? waiter. **hyperjed** (2006-09-18): Okay, so I'll admit to just having watched about 10 other wankers playing the Mario. But then I came to this, which pretty much takes the cake for biggest waste of talented muscianship - at least on the current subject matter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9qns423sQ **Chris Randall** (2006-09-19): I've said it before and I'll say it again. Symphony orchestras can't swing for shit. -CR **nousrnm** (2006-09-19): "But then I came to this, which pretty much takes the cake for biggest waste of talented muscianship" I don't know, that's not really any worse than your typical movie score. I'm actually developing an appreciation for the Mario Theme song! **Jaysen** (2006-09-19): Dont know if you could call the guy (Jean Baudin) a waiter- his band (which no one is guaranteed to have ever heard) has supposedly played with some pretty notable bands: System of a Down, Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm, Deftones, P.O.D., Linkin Park, AFI, Green Day, Mindless Self Indulgence and Bad Brains. Don't ask, i dont know how either- maybe they are all fans of Super Mario Bros. And i remember reading that bass he's playing was a custom that cost around $4k. Not bad for Z Frenchy, oui oui? **Aahzekiel** (2006-09-19): Baudin amp stack is pretty impressive too... big subs to handle those lowest of his 11 strings. Does anybody know what kind of rig the Mario Brothers theme was originally composed on? **Chris Randall** (2006-09-19): Actually, while we're on the subject, I have a bit of a funny story about the Mario Theme. I live in a _very_ small town in the Cascades in Oregon. My mother (whos impulsive nature makes me look positively staid by comparision) bought an ice cream truck last summer. The ice cream truck, while an otherwise going enterprise, didn't have any ice cream truck music. It had a CD player in it, but the previous owner didn't supply a CD of typical ice cream truck music. (I didn't know there was such a thing, but there you go.) My mom, who was in something of a hurry to get selling the ice cream, asked me to whip out a little ditty for her. It's worth noting that this is probably the only time she's found having a son that is a musician even remotely handy. In any case, I sat and thought about it for a while, fired up the Blacet, and gave her a 1-hour-long iteration of the Mario Bros theme, performed entirely on the Blacet modular in a single pass. I just looped the main section over and over again, and at the bitter end, it does the little speed-up bit. Now, my mother has since sold the ice cream truck (it wasn't as fun as she thought, I guess) and the CD went with the truck. It is still driving around Mill City, blaring out the Mario theme, and I imagine will be for some time. So I guess I've done my part for the cultural identity of Mill City, Oregon, as that theme will forever be linked to ice cream in the minds of all the children here. -CR **Chris Randall** (2006-09-19): I just found a 4-minute test pass of the Mario Modular theme. If you're curious, I've uploaded an MP3 here: http://www.analogindustries.com/samples/Mario.mp3 Now, keep in mind that was done in a single pass. Sound-wise, it's underwhelming, but funny if you know how it was made. -CR **cacealian** (2006-09-19): Hilarious story, and that's the best ice cream music ever Chris.