1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the Artifact, 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: a short form series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 2: focusing on particular objects, ideas, and moments in time. During 5 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 2: a recent family trip to Arizona, I found myself strolling 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: the halls of the Fantastic Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 2: once more. If you've never been to it, I highly 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: recommend a visit. The museum features thousands of musical instruments 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 2: from all around the world to illustrate the rich diversity 10 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 2: of musical instrument design and innovation, as well as the 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 2: universality of music, and via a headset and video displays 12 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 2: all over the place, you get to see and hear 13 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 2: many of these instruments in their traditional use, from Polynesian 14 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 2: nose flutes to DJ Cubert's custom QFO turntable mixer. There's 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 2: a little something in there for everybody. I snapped numerous 16 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 2: photos and took several notes for possible artifact episodes here 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 2: on the show, and today I want to talk about 18 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 2: the spatzerstt Geika, a late nineteenth century walking stick fiddle 19 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: for Machnor Kirkeen in Saxony, Germany. This is a famous 20 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 2: musical instrument making region, so feel free to look up 21 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 2: images of the cane, but I'm going to go ahead 22 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: and describe it for you here as well. A short 23 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: wooden walking stick with a small, functional four string fiddle 24 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 2: built into one side of it. There's also room for 25 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 2: a fitted bow with which to play it. Now. I 26 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 2: wondered at the time, as I was looking at this 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 2: in the museum if there was some sort of panel 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 2: that could cover up or even hide the fiddle portion 29 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 2: of the cane. And while there wasn't such a panel 30 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: on display at the Musical Instrument Museum, subsequent research revealed 31 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 2: that such panels existed. So yes, you could have a 32 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: completely hidden fiddle in your cane. So what was the 33 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 2: point of all of this? Was it to sneak fiddles 34 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 2: into places where music was banned? There some sort of 35 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 2: secret musical spy war going on. Well, I'll refer you 36 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 2: back to a previous artifact episode I recorded on gadget canes. 37 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 2: As Michelle Debchak explored in a twenty seventeen Mental Floss article, 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 2: you can find various antique walking sticks and canes with 39 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: all manner of special gadgety features, ranging from possibly practical 40 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: to somewhat ridiculous. So there's a nineteenth century cane with 41 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 2: a coin weighing gadget built into the handle. There's a 42 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 2: magic lantern projector cane, a cider press walking stick, an 43 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 2: architect's cane with drafting tools hidden inside, a spy camera 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 2: from the nineteen eighties that fits in a cane, a 45 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: nineteenth century cane containing a miniature croquet set, a microscope cane, 46 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 2: and even a nineteenth century eagle headed crossbow cane. I 47 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 2: believe there's also a spitting cane that naturally reminds one 48 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 2: of the gimmick umbrellas favored by the batman villain the Penguin. 49 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: So all of these gadget canes most clear novelties. They 50 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: extended from the popularity of cane swords and swordsticks in 51 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 2: the eighteenth and nineteenth century in Europe. The basic appeal 52 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: of a hidden blade is of course understandable and to 53 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 2: our modernized hey, is there anything cooler than a cane sword? 54 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 2: I mean, I grew up watching Sherlock Holmes, and when 55 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 2: they busted out the cane swords, I got really excited, 56 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 2: But the popularity of sword canes at the time actually 57 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 2: had to do with just how uncool openly carrying a 58 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 2: sword had become in polite society. So basically the message became, hey, 59 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: by all means, carry a lethal blood letting weapon, but 60 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 2: be a gentleman about it and hide it away in 61 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 2: a nice walking stick. Then, as sword canes became fashionable, 62 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 2: the idea of hiding various other gadgets and curios in 63 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 2: a cane became the fat It was no longer about 64 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: hiding anything or even remotely being practical. In many case, 65 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 2: says gadget canes were just a curious luxury, and we 66 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 2: see that reflected in the musical instrument cane as well. 67 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: According to the Musical Instrument Museum, the walking stick fiddle 68 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 2: was more visually impressive than musically gratifying, and this was 69 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 2: largely due to its small sound box. Its maximum volume 70 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 2: was fittingly low for such a stealthy stringed instrument, but 71 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: again this was more fashion accessory than practical musical instrument. 72 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 2: Tune in for additional episodes of the Artifact, the Monster 73 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 2: Fact or Animalia Stupendium each week, and Hey go back 74 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 2: into the audio archives for Stuff to Blow your Mind 75 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 2: wherever you get your audio podcasts. If you want to 76 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 2: hear more about gadget canes and how Benjamin Franklin carried 77 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 2: one with oil inside of it, and how one factors 78 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 2: into the death of Edgar Allan Poe, and as always, 79 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 2: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 80 00:04:54,360 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: your Mind dot com. 81 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: Stuffed Blow your Mind is a production of iHeartRadio. For 82 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 83 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.