Sweet Zombie Jesus! We've Traveled Through Time!

August 6, 2007 9:20 PM

"Psyche Rock," by Pierre Henry (1967) vs. "Theme to 'Futurama'," by Christopher Tyng (1999ish). Fatboy Slim remixes "Psyche Rock" (also featured 9:20 into here) vs. "Theme to 'Futurama' (Remix)". Discuss amongst yourselves.
posted by WCityMike (26 comments total)

Yes, they are quite similar-ish. See also Coldcuts Atomic Moog.
posted by Artw at 9:22 PM on August 6, 2007

Ah, someone else noticed Teen Spirit then eh?

(Nirvanarama - Smells like Bender)
posted by BobInce at 9:37 PM on August 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

wayne fontana and the mindbenders, 1965
posted by pyramid termite at 9:38 PM on August 6, 2007

Wow, "Psyche Rock" is one of my favorite songs (it's those damn bells that do it) and Pierre Henry deserves a lot more acclaim than he's ever gotten. Thanks for the post. FYI, the Fatboy Slim remix is on this comp, which is really sweet overall, including St. Germain's beautiful, beautiful "Jericho Jerk." Great stuff.
posted by mediareport at 9:42 PM on August 6, 2007

When "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came out, I posited that it would make a fine medley with "Louie Louie" and "More Than a Feeling". Then "Futurama" came along, and I added that to the list. A hundred years from now, we'll all be dead, but this chord progression will live on.
posted by jjg at 9:42 PM on August 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Kids with Guns.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:08 PM on August 6, 2007

First, rendering the astounding and richly detailed Futurama opening on low-res YouTube is nastier than a green snake in a sugarcane field.

Second, have you ever wondered how odd it must be for Billy West to have whole scenes where he just talks to himself (as Fry, Prof Farnsworth and Dr. Zoidberg, for starters)?
posted by SPrintF at 10:24 PM on August 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

basically futurama could not license psyche rock so sorta stole/ad-libbed-from-memory.

I like the quentin cook version.

good post.

I miss phil hartman
posted by dorian at 10:36 PM on August 6, 2007

And talking about Nirvana, there's of course this (1985) and this (1992).
posted by effbot at 12:06 AM on August 7, 2007

I vaguely remember them saying that on the DVD commentary. They desperately wanted to use psyche rock as the theme song, but they couldn't get permission. So, they winged it as a kind of tribute.
posted by generichuman at 12:07 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Aha. So all the answers are in the DVD commentary. Always worth a listen, unless it is the commentary on Shrek or Conan the Barbarian.
posted by asok at 3:02 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Warning on the Futurama DVD commentary: The guy who voices Bender is essentially a human form of Bender, minus the awesomeness and of course not a robot.
posted by DU at 4:24 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

> Pierre Henry deserves a lot more acclaim than he's ever gotten.

Um? He's pretty well known, for an obscure taste. Variations for a door and a sigh (which should more properly be called Variations for a door, a sigh, and a musical saw) caused quite a bit of talk when it came out, among folk inclined to like avant garde French electro-acoustica. It had everything you could possibly want from a musical saw, a great squeaky French door (barn door? it's a veritable pipe organ of a door) and a lady going oh. oh Oh. OH OH OH OH! Ohhhhhh." Imagine that combo plus enough inventiveness to make you want to listen to an hour-long piece by such an ensemble, frequently with a large shit-eating grin on your face. Mérite un détour.
posted by jfuller at 4:25 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

P.s. a small non-musical pleasure, the Biography in the "Pierre Henri (1967)" link is the best Frenglish I've seen in a while. p.p.s Pierre Henri (1927). But great links, thanks.
posted by jfuller at 4:44 AM on August 7, 2007

Ok, that's just bizarre, I have the album, the fat boy slim remix single as well, and just last night I found that one of my fave DJ's was sampling a bit of it in a Missy Elliot mashup.. and now, this post.

y'all have been spying in my headphones haven't ya?
posted by dabitch at 4:52 AM on August 7, 2007

y'all have been spying in my headphones haven't ya?

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
posted by grubi at 6:27 AM on August 7, 2007

Let's not forget how nicely Psyche Rock plays with Purple Haze.
posted by 40 Watt at 6:30 AM on August 7, 2007

I have the remastered Perry and Kingsley collection "The Out Wounds From Way In!" and there's a song on there I always hear and immediately think of the Futurama theme -- it has the bells and everything. Yet the song Psyche Rock isn't listed on the discography.

I'll check it out when I get home and follow up.
posted by davejay at 1:31 PM on August 7, 2007

Er, PerrEy.
posted by davejay at 1:31 PM on August 7, 2007

The Avant Garde Project has two early OOP albums from Pierre Henry available here and here.
posted by InnocentBystander at 1:56 PM on August 7, 2007

WTF asok? THe commentary on Conan the Barbarian rocks! "Here I am making the sword, and here are some dogs, and here I am punching the dogs"
posted by Artw at 2:13 PM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Actually guys, maybe you can help me out. There are certain pieces of music I like, but I have no idea what you'd even call the genre or where I can find more like them.

But included among them would be this Psyche Rock Piece, the Futurama Theme, and also Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" (AKA the Austin Powers theme) and a Mint Royale tune called "From Rusholme With Love." (if you remember the Tom Cruise version of Vanilla Sky, it played over the scene of the empty Times Square)

I know this is kinda vague, but every now and then I encounter a piece I *really* dig and I have no idea how to describe it or find more.

Any idea?
posted by InnocentBystander at 2:34 PM on August 7, 2007

WTF asok? THe commentary on Conan the Barbarian rocks! "Here I am making the sword, and here are some dogs, and here I am punching the dogs"

Exactly what I was thinking! The Conan commentary may actually be better than the original film. The highlight for me is when one of Conan's trainers first cusses Conan out and then slaps and knees in the nuts one of his fellow students, who's pointing and laughing and totally not expecting it; Ahnuld explodes into deafening laughter and says something like, "Oh, he is not laughing now!"

Comedy. Gold.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:31 PM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

OK, it has an appeal all of it's own then. 'Now I am running'.

Also the directors dirty-old-man asthmatic breathing whenever a lady appears on screen is amusing/deeply disturbing.

Personally, I turn off the sound and pop on an album if I find myself watching a film such as this as the loss of dialogue tends not to detract from the enjoyment of the film.
posted by asok at 3:00 AM on August 8, 2007

You're completely bonkers. Conan has an awesome soundtrack in addition to it's awesome comentary track, and some of the best dialogue ever.

I will now listen to the lamentation of your womenfolk.
posted by Artw at 9:52 AM on August 8, 2007

Thanks for connecting the dots for me WCityMike, it drives me nuts when I watch the show every night on Adult Swim.
posted by haunted by Leonard Cohen at 6:39 PM on August 8, 2007 [1 favorite]