The opening to "Highway 61 Revisited"

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Does anybody know what that whirring thing is at the beginning of "Highway 61 Revisited"? I can't figure it out for the life of me.

― Moses (Moses), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

i can't remember what they are called but its like a kazoo but its got like a little turbine-like thing in it that whirs like that when you blow in it....
someone figure out what those things are called, i used to have one but i couldn't remember what they are called to save my life

― J. Lamphere (WatchMeJumpStart), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:25 (twenty years ago)

they used to sell them at 7-11! endlessly fascinating to the user, endlessly obnoxious to EVERYONE ELSE

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:28 (twenty years ago)

they worked when you breathed both in and out, so you could do it forever.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:29 (twenty years ago)

yeah yeah it was like a diffrent pitch when you breathed in then when you breathed out

― J. Lamphere (WatchMeJumpStart), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:31 (twenty years ago)

I WROTE THAT ON MY LAST POST, BUT EDITED IT OUT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID IT WAS "TMI"!

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:33 (twenty years ago)

it was a police whistle. al kooper used to carry it around with him...he was kidding around with it in the studio and dylan took a liking to it...or kooper just did it and bob decided to leave it in.

but yeah basically one of those little barrel whistels with a rotating blade.

― bb (bbrz), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:38 (twenty years ago)

we called it a Party Whistle when i was a kid. they came in christmas crackers sometimes.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

Thank you so much, bb! That question's been driving me nuts!

― Moses (Moses), Friday, 10 February 2006 15:42 (twenty years ago)

The HWY 61 liner notes referred to it thusly: Bob Dylan, guitar,
harmonica, piano and police car. Not exactly helpful information.

Roland Kirk was fond of the little thing too, of course.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 11 February 2006 17:40 (twenty years ago)

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