Behold, The Mighty Rhythm Pole!

Written by Dermot on Tuesday, 15 September 2009

“I first made one of these 30 years ago when I played with Thrash Skiffle outfit Daddy Yum Yum. The pole was inspired by a vague memory of seeing Bret Marvin and the Thunderbolts in the early 70s, and though I couldn’t remember exactly what their ‘Zob Stick’ had looked like I was impressed by the wild playing and the stomping racket that it made - so I drank some beer (for the bottle tops) and whittled a few sticks and about came up with the first Mighty Rhythm Pole. I’m now on the new improved #4, bigger, and better able to stand up to a good thrashing, but basically my same original design.

“After extensive research (hardly using Wikipedia at all) I now know that what I have is, if you like the ethnic version, a much improved (and I’ll fight any man who says different!) version of the Lagerphone, as used by Australian Bush Bands and based I suspect on an Aboriginal instrument. Or if you like the more classical explanation a mutant version of the early conductor’s baton, which far from being the fairy wand used today was sturdy stick used to beat time for the partially deaf and generally drunk and probably syphilitic orchestra.

“No change there then!”

Find out where you can see The Mighty Rhythm Pole in action by visiting The Curst Sons’ website.