Slim Gaillard

I thought a little break from politics was in order and a friend of mine brought this video clip to my attention.

"One of the most eccentric vocalists ever to hit the jazz scene, Slim Gaillard became a legendary cult figure thanks to his own privately invented jive dialect “vout," a variation on hipster slang composed of imaginary nonsense words (“oreenie" and “oroonie" being two other examples). Gaillard's comic performances, laid-back cool, and supremely silly songs made him a popular entertainer from the late ‘30s to the early ‘50s, especially on the West Coast, and several of his compositions became genuine hits, including "Flat Foot Floogie" and "Cement Mixer." Versatility was not Gaillard's stock in trade, but he was highly effective at what he did, and his musical ability as a singer, Charlie Christian-style guitarist, and boogie-woogie pianist was perhaps a bit overlooked in comparison to the novelty value of his music."

Apparently he was good friends with Jack Kerouac and a performance of his is described in "On The Road". I can't say for sure that he invented the beat generation lingo, but I'm certain he had a major hand in it. Enjoy the videoroonee, McVootee.