Today's '80s Instrument Spotlight - the Keytar

While searching for appropriate photo illustration for this entry, I could have searched long and hard for a prominent '80s musician to display, keytar slung over back. In fact, I did that. But when I stumbled upon a respected jazz musician's album cover (Alex Bugnon, if you're keeping score) that shamelessly displays the misunderstood instrument, it got me to thinking a bit differently. In short, why does the sight of someone playing a keytar tend to provoke amusement, frequently of the mocking or derisive variety? Is there something inherently goofy or even less than respectable about strapping one of these things on and rocking out onstage?

While the answer to the latter question seems to be unequivocally "Yes," the first question requires a bit more pondering. If you're thinking it all comes down to musicians embarrassing themselves by earnestly and vigorously working a keytar onstage with serious furrows in their brows, please remember that Jimi Hendrix playing his guitar with his teeth is pretty damn goofy as well. How come hardly anyone makes fun of that? And why did it take Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) playing his electric guitar with an actual violin in the great mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap for people to recognize the absurdity of what Led Zeppelin and other dinosaur rock bands had been doing for years during the '70s?

Wow, I didn't realize this was going to turn into the Great Keytar Defense of 2009 when I first conceived this entry, but I'll be damned if that's not largely what it's shaped up to be. In short, equating the keytar with '80s music excess and stylistic blunders has to qualify as one of the easiest pop culture targets running. I guess we all have to decide for ourselves if such a nearly cliched easy mark constitutes fine comedy or serious analysis. After all, I don't think anyone expects the fart joke to run out of steam anytime soon in its ability to squeeze out audience laughter. OK, Peake, just stop talking now.

• Spinal Tap Artist Profile
• Top 6 Spinal Tap Songs of the '80s

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Orpheus