I was rooting around for Spoon videos to post with our preview of the band online (found a rad Paul Simon cover), and I found these beguiling videos of a Japanese robot dancing to a couple of recent Spoon hits. The robot is called Keepon, and it consists of two conjoined yellow spheres, with perky, rudimentary eyes and a black-button nose on the upper sphere. (I don't know why, but it reminds me of Baron Silas Greenback's pet caterpillar Nero from DangerMouse.
I'm not usually the type to give two farts about some Japanese toy, but this little critter is compelling -- hell, it dances better than every single white person in midtown. And then I think, how it is it even possible to communicate "dancing" with a squiggly little ball-like creature, much less higher emotions like "curiosity" and "look at me I'm cute and quirky"? That question's for the behaviorists, I suppose. I do know the music helps, because Spoon, of course, gots the groove.
Here it is, dancing to "I Turn My Camera On"
Follow the link to robot heaven.
And here's a link to a whole story-themed video, with a scientist taking the Keepon out into the street while "Don't You Evah" from GaGaGaGaGa plays. The folks who posted it don't want the video embedded, unf. Go: Cute Dance Science Revolution. Watch for the Britt Daniel cameo and stick around for the ending dance-jam, featuring robots like those from the greatest ever dancing robot video: the one for "Hell Yes" by Beck
Or if cute robots ain't your thing, here are some scenes from the gayest of all fighting-robot movies, Robot Jox.
The villain's accent makes no goddamn sense.
Spoon plays the Uptown next Wednesday, April 2, with openers the Walkmen and White Rabbits. No robots expected.
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