SFX

Do you ever think about how certain sounds are indelibly associated with certain events?

For example, the sound of a theramin automatically makes you think of spooks or creepy space aliens, and the sound of a bassoon instantly sends your imagination off to the fertile fields of Green Acres. For many of us, it only takes one timpani beat to get us started singing "George of the Jungle", and one rude outburst of apocalyptic flatulence to evoke memories of my college roommate.

I recently discovered a new radio station in town -- Comedy 103.1. All they play is standup comedy, so I occasionally tune in to find out why women are different than men, and which politicians are responsible for Global Warming. They broadcast out of the hinterlands (Greeley, I think), so I don't get very good reception. But I occasionally hear a joke or two that makes me laugh. (Example: Stephen Wright -- "When I was a kid, we had a quicksand box. I was an only child. Eventually.")

Listening to one-liners made me wonder which drummer first associated the rimshot with the punchline of a bad joke. Because of this nameless fellow, everyone who listens to standup knows when you're supposed to laugh. Heck, you don't have to be in a club, and you don't even need a drum to punctuate your efforts at humor. (Pah dum bum!)

I find it sad that someone who influenced our culture so dramatically remains forever obscure, while people who have made no contributions whatsoever wind up becoming well-known just because they sing for U2 or vote in Congress. Sheesh.

Can you think of other such examples? What about the guy who decided that doorbells should go "Bing bong"? Or that grown-up characters on Peanuts cartoons would sound like wah-wah muted trombones?

Well, OK--It probably is possible to discover who made that call. It might even have been Vince Guaraldi, himself. And I'm sure someone could tell us who came up with the Whooop Whooop red alert sound on the Starship Enterprise. But what about the wolf whistle? Who invented that distinctive melody? And who decided that banjo music must automatically denote the presence of inbred hillbillies breaking one or more Commandments? I just don't know.

Anyway, let me know if you think of any other culturally-shared audio cues whose origins are lost to history. Have fun with it, and have a great day!