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Gosh. Whoever would have thought that any member of the legendary Spike Jones and his City Slickers troupe - who entertained the world in the 1940s and 50s - might still have been alive?
Sadly - a mere few months short of his centenary - the last survivor Joe Siracusa bashed his last kettle drum and blew his last kazoo and departed for Fabulon last weekend, leaving behind a faboo legacy of inspired anarchic musical madness. Without the Spike Jones combo, where would the likes of The Goons or Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band have been?
Once the novelty began to wear off, however, Mr Siracusa turned his talents to something completely different (well maybe not quite so different): kids' cartoons. As editor (and of course, sound effects man), he was famous for his work on myriad shows including Popeye, The Cat in the Hat, Mr Magoo, Bugs Bunny and The Pink Panther, and a slew of Marvel cartoons including The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. En route, he counted among his friends Dr Seuss, Henry Mancini and Stan Lee!
Such was his repute, he was invited to become a member of the Oscars judging panel, a role he kept until his death.
A remarkable man! And here, for your delectation, are just two of the many crazy numbers in which he was involved...
RIP, Joseph James Siracusa (3rd February 1922 - 13th November 2021)
I'd kill to own Spike Jones' suits. How much fun. I wonder if he was a nice person. Really inspired stuff. Thanks for sharing, dear. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteHe was a snazzy dresser, indeed! I always found Spike a bit off-putting, but you can't always judge on appearances. Jx
DeleteMy dad used to like Spike Jones - and then The Goons - we had many a disturbing Sunday morning with this sort of thing going on!!
ReplyDeleteSx
Ah, yes. The days before telly... Jx
DeleteLove the drag, It knocks RuPaul's Drag Race into a cocked hat !
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a drag show I once saw in The New Penny in Leeds in the 1990s. Jx
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