[HN Gopher] Mr. Rogers' music was intricate (2020) [video]
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       Mr. Rogers' music was intricate (2020) [video]
        
       Author : CaliforniaKarl
       Score  : 96 points
       Date   : 2024-01-23 06:52 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
        
       | CaliforniaKarl wrote:
       | I shortened the title from "Mr. Rogers' Music Was Way More
       | Intricate Than You Remember"
        
         | duxup wrote:
         | I like the "Mr. Rogers' Music Was Intricate" title way better.
         | Thank you.
        
       | zwieback wrote:
       | I like Johnny Costa but always found Mr. Rogers himself creepy
       | and never more so than when he was singing.
        
         | mandmandam wrote:
         | You found Mr. Rogers creepy?
         | 
         | ... I guess that proves you can't please everyone.
         | 
         | Mr. Rogers is _literally_ seen as the incarnation of
         | wholesomeness, part of the holy secular trinity of positive
         | male role models with Levar Burton and Bob Ross.
         | 
         | You might consider not casting aspersions based on absolutely
         | nothing. If there were any allegations of creepiness they'd
         | have come out by now, so like... Keep his name out yo mouth.
        
           | zwieback wrote:
           | Sorry, man, just my personal reaction. I'm with you on Levar
           | Burton and Bob Ross though.
        
             | waynesonfire wrote:
             | What kind of response did you think you were going to get?
        
               | zwieback wrote:
               | I didn't have any expectation at all, just contributing
               | my opinion. I value all the feedback I'm getting and
               | totally willing to agree that he was a fine person and
               | I'm an outlier. Doesn't change my gut reaction, though.
        
               | turtlebits wrote:
               | The comment probably says more about you than Fred
               | Rogers, but why post something irrelevant to the article?
        
             | dylan604 wrote:
             | To me, any adult that was that friendly towards kids
             | probably had a panel van. It definitely comes across with
             | that vibe to me. It's a very fine line, and better safe
             | than sorry. I can get the ick vibe and make decisions on
             | that without making any possibly incorrect disparaging
             | remarks about someone. It's just the internal alarms do go
             | off when grown men are attracted to children that are not
             | their own. Yes, I'm painting with a very broad brush, but
             | again safe than sorry.
        
               | jjulius wrote:
               | >... any adult that was that friendly towards kids...
               | 
               | Treating children as people with basic love and respect
               | is all that he asked for, and all that he demonstrated.
        
               | klyrs wrote:
               | You say "adult" and then later "grown men." Which is the
               | actual problem?
               | 
               | Also, in what way did Fred Rogers demonstrate
               | "attraction" to children?
        
               | sbuttgereit wrote:
               | Your position sounds like the result of too much media
               | consumption and giving the media, the press, and
               | activists far more credence than they really deserve.
               | 
               | Are there bad guys in the world? Yes. But not nearly so
               | many nor as brazen as everyone wanting to yell their
               | story in your ear would have you believe.
        
               | lupire wrote:
               | Avoiding human friendship is a large cause of the
               | division and unsafety in our modern world.
        
             | ta8645 wrote:
             | There's a difference between having a negative personal
             | reaction, and sharing it publically. It's causing a public
             | harm based on nothing other than some vague internal
             | feeling. It's unproductive and irresponsible.
        
               | zwieback wrote:
               | What about publicly sharing positive personal reaction,
               | is that okay? If you answer yes to that and no to the
               | other then you've got a problem on your hands.
        
               | qwertthrowway wrote:
               | Theo problem is when you say bad things about someone
               | that isn't true it's called slander and if it's true then
               | it's backbiting. It's not good in general to malign
               | people or put a negative look on them without a good
               | reason.
        
             | doublerabbit wrote:
             | There could be worse.. Jimmy Savile here in the UK.
             | /shudders
        
             | jjulius wrote:
             | Have you ever considered learning about Mr. Rogers and what
             | made him the way that he was? There's extensive
             | documentation about how his childhood experiences basically
             | shaped him into the person that he became. I'd wager it
             | would perhaps alter your viewpoint a bit if you were to
             | understand the "why" behind Fred.
        
               | zwieback wrote:
               | Yeah, I've seen a few things and listened to the Fresh
               | Air interview way back when.
        
               | mlyle wrote:
               | I loved Fred Rogers as a kid, and I am still in awe of
               | everything he did.
               | 
               | I can also understand how someone could find the direct,
               | intense way he communicated with the camera uncomfortably
               | intimate and offputting (even though it was an important
               | part of his success). That's OK.
        
           | toast0 wrote:
           | I mean, I also found him creepy, so I don't think zwieback is
           | that unusual.
           | 
           | Like who is this guy who always wanted to have a neighbor
           | _just like me_. and always wanted to live in a neighborhood
           | _with me_. And with all the eye contact, it doesn 't feel
           | like a hypothetical you, it feels like me. Stranger danger
           | signs.
           | 
           | I mean, watch this episode[1], and tell me that opening
           | monologue doesn't feel creepy?
           | 
           | When I was young, this show felt a lot different than some of
           | other shows in terms of speaking to the audience directly so
           | much. Plus, it didn't have a cool pinball animation, I'd
           | rather watch Sesame Street and learn my numbers, thanks ;)
           | 
           | [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yujaPRM1PQo
        
             | timschmidt wrote:
             | Statistically, strangers were never the danger they were
             | presented as. Most terrible things which happen to children
             | happen at the hands of friends or family.
        
             | lupire wrote:
             | It's not for everyone. Mr Rogers was for children who
             | needed attention from a caring adult but didn't have it. He
             | was the original parasocial relationship, but he was
             | relentlessly focused on making it a healthy and rewarding
             | experience for children who had the television as a
             | babysitter.
        
         | wharvle wrote:
         | It might be the very-long takes without cuts (it's nuts, he
         | does the jacket-to-cardigan and oxfords-to-loafers getting-home
         | routine and launches straight into his first segment _all as
         | one shot_ in at least most episodes, the craft and skill on
         | display is really impressive) plus lots of looking straight at
         | the camera, which are intended to avoid confusion (people
         | aren't born understanding the "language" of film editing) and
         | make kids feel like he's addressing them personally. Some folks
         | find that kind of direct attention uncomfortable, and the
         | avoidance of film /tv editing artifice might make it feel even
         | more so.
        
       | duxup wrote:
       | Mr Rogers always seemed to be communicating with kids and adults
       | as a peer, never talking down to them "just as kids", and the
       | music selected for his show seems quite similar.
        
         | atleastoptimal wrote:
         | Similarly this is why I feel kids were drawn to Steve from
         | Blues Clues.
        
         | popmatrix wrote:
         | The Atlantic spoke about how intentional Mr. Roger's
         | communication was on his show which is an interesting read:
         | (google cache)
         | https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lXyHza...
        
           | WaffleIronMaker wrote:
           | Original Link:
           | https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/mr-
           | rogers...
           | 
           | Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20231227020506/
           | https://www.theat...
        
       | Neff wrote:
       | I really like his breakdowns of pop culture music. His videos on
       | The Peanuts and Cowboy Bebop are such fun dives into unexpected
       | intricacies
        
       | jzb wrote:
       | I'm always down for learning more about Fred Rogers and his show.
       | Such an amazing individual. Doesn't look like he recorded much
       | (outside the show), but definitely will be looking into what he
       | has recorded.
        
         | chimeracoder wrote:
         | > Doesn't look like he recorded much (outside the show), but
         | definitely will be looking into what he has recorded.
         | 
         | For anyone who hasn't seen it, one must-see video outside the
         | show is Fred Rogers testifying before the Senate in 1969, in
         | order to defend funding for public television. He is able to
         | win over an incredibly rude and hostile senator in just a few
         | minutes.
         | 
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7ljRr0AA
        
           | lupire wrote:
           | Why exaggerate and insult like that? The Senator was not rude
           | or hostile.
        
             | dwringer wrote:
             | I can only speculate, but I have seen this linked on social
             | media dozens of times, often including that detail of
             | "shutting down an extremely hostile senator" in the
             | caption. So whether or not one interprets the senator as
             | rude or hostile, people are getting exposed to that idea
             | pretty regularly.
        
               | zdragnar wrote:
               | That isn't a justification. "I heard someone else say it"
               | doesn't remove one's own personal accountability for
               | saying it as well.
               | 
               | I imagine this is a sentiment that Mr. Rogers would agree
               | with.
        
       | slugmass wrote:
       | Fred Rogers was a music composition major at Rollins College[1]
       | and his wife Sara Joanne Byrd majored in piano[2]. So it is no
       | wonder that he cared about the music on his TV show.
       | 
       | [1] <https://scholarship.rollins.edu/tomokan/67> page 69.
       | 
       | [2] <https://scholarship.rollins.edu/tomokan/66>
        
         | pimlottc wrote:
         | There's actually a really nice clip of Mr Rogers playing piano
         | himself in the video @ 5:29:
         | 
         | https://youtu.be/Z40SZ77CHK0?si=mo1WRUFcZyL4XH7h&t=329
        
         | 4d4m wrote:
         | Music theory power couple!
        
       | ljp_206 wrote:
       | All (or at least nearly 2000) of Mr. Rogers episodes are
       | available on Archive.org. It's really great to be able to share
       | these with our child, and us parents often appreciate the break
       | and quietness more than our kid does!
        
         | thinkingtoilet wrote:
         | When my son was young and had to go get his first hair cut I
         | thought of trying to find a Mr. Rogers episode to see if he
         | talks about it. I found a very old episode, so old it was in
         | black and white, and I was surprised to find he sat through the
         | whole thing. Hair cuts can be a big deal for young children,
         | but after watching that episode we've never had an issue with
         | hair cuts. It still works!
        
           | plussed_reader wrote:
           | There is power in the old magicks...
        
         | gregsadetsky wrote:
         | That's incredible, thanks for the reference!
         | 
         | Episode 1 looks so great. So so timeless..!
         | 
         | https://archive.org/details/tt0062588_202201/0001.mp4
        
       | mikermcneil wrote:
       | Such an interesting man. Quoted his mom in the company values
       | recently: https://fleetdm.com/handbook/company#empathy
       | 
       | """ When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my
       | mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always
       | find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of
       | "disaster", I remember my mother's words and I am always
       | comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so
       | many caring people in this world. --Fred Rogers """
        
       | tricky wrote:
       | I've always wondered how intentional Fred Rogers was when writing
       | these songs. I've been in a shitty ska punk band for years and
       | the hyperactive singer will be like, "Guys! I've got this great
       | new song and it goes like this." He'll sing a melody for a verse
       | or whatever and we'll piece together a chord progression then
       | he'll sing the chorus and we'll piece chords together that sort
       | of fit it but it will be in some bananas different key. The band
       | is all looking at each other like WTF is this nonsense? but the
       | crazy thing is the song winds up working and it is crazy complex
       | even though none of us have any idea what we're doing.
        
         | 0xdeadbeefbabe wrote:
         | How about covering "Everybody's Fancy"?
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My84I3ZjHv0 But come up with
         | other chords?
        
         | adzm wrote:
         | I mean, music theory is all about communication and describing
         | how things sound, not fitting everything in a box. Though once
         | you learn the theory behind why your stuff works despite the
         | clashing keys, you'll be able to describe it to other musicians
         | and more easily apply it intentionally.
        
       | thefourthchime wrote:
       | The same guy also breaks down the Thomas The Tank Engine theme
       | song.
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og1Pbn8OufI&t=486s
        
       | christophilus wrote:
       | I always loved the music on the show. It's probably why I still
       | turn on Bill Evans and similar to this day when I want to relax.
        
       | 72846hsidhdh wrote:
       | Rafa e Luiz
        
       | NoZebra120vClip wrote:
       | Mr. Rogers was a fully-qualified Presbyterian minister. He was a
       | televangelist who didn't directly mention Jesus Christ as his
       | savior.
       | 
       | One of the precepts of hymns and sung texts is that the music
       | imparts the mood and emotion, rather than the speaker imposing
       | his own interpretation on the text. Even if someone chants _recto
       | tono_ , the mode/key will elicit a less personal and more
       | universal feeling to the words.
       | 
       | Mr. Rogers was still part of that transition from vaudeville and
       | live musical theater. My childhood experience of his musicality
       | was that it was sometimes so well-integrated that we hardly
       | noticed he was singing, or accompanied, and sometimes it took
       | center stage, such as when the trolley bell sounded and the piano
       | imitated its travel along the tracks.
       | 
       | All that insight from this video, such as the improvisation and
       | originality of each recording, the mature nature of the
       | arrangements rather than a "childish" plinking of the keys,
       | that's all a confirmation of my feelings about Mr. Rogers being
       | an excellent father figure and an icon of what mass media can do
       | right.
        
       | kazinator wrote:
       | I'm now reminiscing about some conversation I had in a music
       | store circa 1988 or 1989, in which the other guy referred to
       | "that brutal jazz" in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
        
       | scelerat wrote:
       | Between Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street, there was
       | a ton of really good music -- good on its own terms -- for kids
       | growing up in that era.
        
         | seanc wrote:
         | Same guy did a video about the Sesame Street Pinball Number
         | Count song (one-two-thee-four-five...six-seven-eight-nine-
         | ten...eleven-twelve)
         | 
         | The song is teaching children to count, but the rhythm is very
         | advanced (7/4 time!) so trying to count the beats like a
         | musician is just bananas.
         | 
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMtGImlEmu0
        
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       (page generated 2024-01-24 23:00 UTC)