« Right Brain Workouts

The Thomas Edison Blues

By Peter Lloyd

A long time ago, I took a History of Broadcasting course at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Jack, our instructor, spent a good deal of time on the story of the great inventor Thomas Edison.

So impressed was I with Tom's life, that I went home after the Edison lesson and wrote a song about him, most of it based on History of Broadcasting fact.

That is, I started with what Jack had just taught but elaborated. You might say I even projected, imagining that Tom Edison would have been sort of a mid- to late-19th century superstar. He would have had groupies and one might have followed him back to his lab late in the night, which would be the best time for an inventor to work, especially on something like a light bulb.

What better musical style to use, I decided as I picked up my guitar, than the talking blues. Aside from the fact that talking blues was one of the few styles I could manage back then.

Lesser-known Edison inventions such as the thomatrope, phantasmagorica, prakcinescope, and pharaktoscope populate my cat-and-mouse laboratory orgy. In my verses, Edison the ultimate geek seems more interested in his work than what the young woman has in mind. Seemed like a good story line to me then. And, in fact, the song has entertained friends for decades.

Later I added a chorus, which helped tie the story together and give it a
purpose beyond pure fun:

'Tain’t enough to create.
'Snot enough to invent.
You wanna do it right. Get your name in lights.
Gotta imp-a-lement.

Many years later, I was pleased to see the emphasis I placed on implementation in my song reflected in the layout of the Inventure Place in Akron, Ohio. Literally one half of the museum housed displays of inventions. The other half was devoted to what made inventions get up off the workbench and into marketplace—implementation.

If you listen to my song, you might conclude that the Inventure Place should be divided into thirds—a third for invention, a third for marketing, and a third for all the people who give the Edisons of the world the passion to invent.

Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.