In the fall of 1922, New York City was rocked by a riot over hats. A fashion rule decreed that no one could wear a straw hat beyond Sept. 1. Summer was over and it was time to put the straw hats away. Some disagreed and the accepted cutoff time crept to Sept. 15. Any straw hat-wearing beyond that, though, was verboten.
This rule was taken very seriously. Anyone seen in a straw hat beyond Sept. 15 was subject to extreme public ridicule. Groups of young men prowled the sidewalks searching for offenders, knocking their hats to the ground and stomping on them.
Things took a turn on Sept. 13, 1922, when a large-ish group of youths thought they’d launch a pre-emptive strike. They began by stomping on the hats of factory workers in the Mulberry Bend area of Manhattan. They then moved on to some dock workers. A brawl erupted and stopped traffic on the Manhattan Bridge before police moved in.
But it was not over. There were more attacks on straw hats the following night. The streets were filled with teenagers carrying large sticks, some of which featured a nail driven through the top, making it not only a tool for hooking the hats off people but also a weapon. On Amsterdam Avenue, a mob of about a thousand people went after people and their hats. There were fights, arrests and injuries. Several people were jailed.
And it didn’t stop there. There were more incidents in the fall of 1923 and 1924. At least one man was murdered for the crime of wearing a straw hat. Unrest continued until sometime in the early 1930s when straw boater hats went out of fashion.
This is the kind of history they don’t teach in school. I think if it were, people would have a greater understanding and appreciation of the world around us. I’d also like to apply the concept of Stupid History to the study of music. (Thanks to the TikToker who posted the Straw Hat Riot story and suggested the concept of stupid history. If I could find that video again, I’d give you credit.)
For example, many people just can’t get into classical music, maybe because they consider it such a dry subject. But if we use the Stupid History method, things perk up.
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Mozart is widely considered to be the greatest composer of all time with his symphonies, operas, chamber music and choral compositions. In his 35 years, Mozart composed more than 800 pieces that touched on all western classical genres. The Marriage of Figaro. Don Giovanni. Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The Jupiter Symphony. The Magic Flute. You’ve heard them all. It’s some of the most beautiful and complex music created by humans.
But Mozart was also cross. He loved to write songs about poop and weird sex. There’s a sizable collection of canons, the most infamous of which is this.
Rather pretty, isn’t it? The official title of that composition is Canon in B Flat for 6 Voices and was written in Vienna in 1782. The less formal title is Leck mich im Arch. Translation: “Kiss my ass.” I’d quote some of the lyrics, but I don’t need any email complaints about me writing about perversions.
Mozart probably wrote that as a party piece for friends, something to entertain them over plenty of alcohol. After he died, his widow sought to have these and other similar works published. But because of their grossness, the lyrics were sanitized for almost 200 years. It wasn’t really until 1991 that the original versions were made public.
Why is this important to music history? First, it shows Mozart’s sense of humour — scatological as it may be — which offers insight into his personality. Second, it reinforces the theories that this sort of humour was far more mainstream in the polite society of the 18th century than previously thought. Third, it helps us learn more about the Austrian and German culture and folklore of the period. And finally, it contributes to the study of a field known as “scatolinguistics,” which is the investigation into the origin and use of dirty words and off-colour language.
Stupid? Maybe. But it’s also fascinating, right?
Here’s a more modern example of Stupid Music History.
In the early ’70s, Iggy Pop was a voracious consumer of recreational drugs. Pot, LSD, PCP, heroin, cocaine — there wasn’t a drug Iggy wouldn’t try. And when you think of Iggy’s musical friends, Elton John isn’t a name that springs to mind. Yet the two are intimately entwined by The Gorilla Incident.
In October 1973, Iggy and The Stooges were booked to play Richard’s Club in Atlanta. They were struggling and were just months away from breaking up. Meanwhile, Elton John had just released his legendary Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album and was approaching the peak of his early career. He’d left clubs behind and was on a massive stadium and arena tour of the U.S.
Elton was also competing with David Bowie for the title of World’s Biggest British Rock Star. Bowie, as you might know, was friends with Iggy and had been working with The Stooges. Elton thought he’d have a little fun with Bowie and perhaps even convince Iggy to sign with his new record label.
A writer and photographer from CREEM magazine were somehow enlisted to help Elton show some support for Iggy and to boost the morale of The Stooges. How could such an endorsement from one of the planet’s most famous musicians hurt?
A few days before Elton played a show in Athens, Ga., he secretly made a trip to Richard’s Club to see Iggy and co. Iggy, however, was blitzed out of his mind that night, having disappeared with a local woman and downing her entire stash of quaaludes. With the band about to go on and their lead singer completely incapacitated, guitarist James Williamson injected Iggy with enough meth to get him on his feet and onstage in a semi-conscious state.
Meanwhile, in another area of the club, the reps from CREEM magazine were dressing Elton John in a rented gorilla costume. The idea was to surprise Iggy onstage, generating a story and some photos for the magazine.
A few songs into the set during Search and Destroy, Elton-as-gorilla bounded onstage and began dancing around. While the rest of The Stooges were not amused — James Williamson was ready to swing at the ape’s head with his guitar — Iggy, in his drug-addled state, was completely freaked out. He believed he was being attacked by a real gorilla. It wasn’t until the head of Elton’s costume was removed that he realized what was going on. Elton danced around for a few more songs before departing. Iggy never did sign with Elton.
Iggy Pop? Drugs? Elton John in a gorilla costume? That, my friends, is peak Stupid Music History. I move that we establish courses on the subject in major universities around the planet. We might not be better off for it, but at least we’ll get a laugh.