Mining, PA, 1904 -- MG-1 Blues

YouTube via Goldenthrush. "My Woman Left Me And Took The Hammond, So All I Got Left Is A MG-1 Blues".
"This film, I'll warn you now, is in very bad shape. I did what I could with it with iMovie's filters, but it's a prime example of a piece of our historic record that is in dire need of restoration.

An "actuality" film, that is, footage of people doing normal people stuff, this documents aboveground work at a Pennsylvania coal mine. You'll see three explosions to start, one while the camera is panning; the second, two guys go running out of a mine while a third watches, then boom; and the third, a cool under-snow explosion.

Then it moves on to a horse drawing a dump wagon up to a steam shovel. It's amazing seeing how effortlessly the man running it managed the machine.

And finally, it shows the gravity rail that was moving coal up and out of the mine.

Tedd's father worked (briefly) as a coal miner in PA, with his father. This was where Tedd's Dad learned the old truism "you don't have to run faster than the explosion you just caused, just faster than your old man".

Yep, Tedd's dad's stint as a miner was pretty short.

Speaking of the misfits, the music is not a blues, and is actually titled: "My Woman Left Me And Took The Hammond, So All I Got Left Is A MG-1 Blues".

Synthesizer players hate it or love it, the poor little poly-synth enjoys a peculiar place in reality. Tedd loves his, obviously.

In this piece, the MG-1 is set to emulate our Hammond, and does so pretty well, I think.

And I really have no idea why it got the excessively long name. I suppose I should be happy he didn't come tear-assing out of the studio with an explosion on his heels.

Some rights reserved.

Welcome To Route 66"