Artis the Spoonman

Who has collaborated with Frank Zappa, Soundgarden, Phish, Aerosmith, appeared on Letterman and other tv shows.... and plays the spoons? "Spoons?" You say? Yes. Spoons.

I bet if I had said that this musician played the violin, cello, guitar, or any other mainstream instrument, you would have been less surprised. It's an interesting thought: As much as most of us claim to judge music and artistry on its own merits, we still harbour prejudices against non-traditional instruments. The classical instruments seem to get the most respect, then modern rock band instruments, and then perhaps electronica and DJ equipment, and then ....others, such as the spoons, get a bad rap for being a "lowly" instrument. I wonder why that is...

It's unfortunate that this prejudice exists, because Artis the Spoonman is an awesome musician. He is a street performer who is based in Seattle. Again, I believe we have a prejudice against street musicians as well, compared to "real" musicians who play in concert halls, or even bars. ...but I'll talk about that in another post...

So why is Artis the Spoonman so amazing? Well take a look for yourself! You'll be blown away by what can be done with a few utensils.



By the way, if you're a 90's kid, you will undoubtedly know a song that's actually about him. Ever wonder what "Spoonman" by Soundgarden was about? Here's what Chris Cornell had to say:

"It's more about the paradox of who [Artis] is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play."

He's quite prominently in the video as well, so if you've never noticed before, here it is!