Grimes Poznikov
Encyclopedia
Grimes Poznikov known as "The Human Jukebox," was a fixture of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a street performer
, who would wait in a cardboard refrigerator box until a passerby offered him a donation and requested a song. He would then pop out of the box and play the requested song on a trumpet
, kazoo
, or one of a number of other instruments.
Poznikov, AKA 'Sergeant Grimes'created "THE AMERICAN LOBOTOMY MACHINE" Art/happening/sculpture with sound, with fellow Anti-War Artist Aristedes Philip DuVal for exhibition @ Charlotte Moorman's 9th Avant-Garde Festival October 28, 1972, aboard the Staten Island Ferry Alexander Hamilton, & 'Camp Nixon' in Miami Florida as a protest piece against Richard Nixon & the GOP during the Republican Convention in August of 1972.
Poznikov was arrested several times for selling marijuana. His teeth were knocked out by police during the last arrest in the late 1980s, ending his ability to play trumpet. He later suffered from schizophrenia
, began abusing drugs heavily, and ended up living on the streets. He died on October 27, 2005, of alcohol poisoning.
"He was an original, creative, & funny human being. We miss him."- A.P. DuVal
Poznikov attended high school in Neodesha, Kansas
.
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, who would wait in a cardboard refrigerator box until a passerby offered him a donation and requested a song. He would then pop out of the box and play the requested song on a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
, or one of a number of other instruments.
Poznikov, AKA 'Sergeant Grimes'created "THE AMERICAN LOBOTOMY MACHINE" Art/happening/sculpture with sound, with fellow Anti-War Artist Aristedes Philip DuVal for exhibition @ Charlotte Moorman's 9th Avant-Garde Festival October 28, 1972, aboard the Staten Island Ferry Alexander Hamilton, & 'Camp Nixon' in Miami Florida as a protest piece against Richard Nixon & the GOP during the Republican Convention in August of 1972.
Poznikov was arrested several times for selling marijuana. His teeth were knocked out by police during the last arrest in the late 1980s, ending his ability to play trumpet. He later suffered from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, began abusing drugs heavily, and ended up living on the streets. He died on October 27, 2005, of alcohol poisoning.
"He was an original, creative, & funny human being. We miss him."- A.P. DuVal
Poznikov attended high school in Neodesha, Kansas
Neodesha, Kansas
Neodesha is a city in Wilson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,486. The name is derived from the Osage Indian word, Ni-o-sho-de, and is translated as The-Water-Is-Smoky-With-Mud.-19th century:...
.