So Wait, Are Kazoos Cool?

Though its roots hail from jug bands and comedy tunes—and its known for being the easiest instrument to play—the kazoo is no stranger to tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Beck, and David Bowie. There's even a Kazoo Museum in South Carolina and the Kazoo Funk Orchestra from Scotland (with another one in Temple City).

Over here in Berlin, the kazoo is making a comeback. At least, in the songs of The Snøffeltøffs, a pair of German garage "shit-fi" rockers who use the kazoo proudly. Whether it gives a waspy buzz to a guitar solo or sounds like "a cheap sax," the kazoo, they'll assure you, is more than just a children's toy.

But could it actually make a comeback? Multi-instumentalists Julian and Florian think a niche comeback is a more accurate description, that is, if you stick with the tin-made kazoos in England.

The kazoo apparently helps unleash "the absolute power of garage punk and rock 'n' roll," and the kazoo (along with gaffa tape) is played by both band members (one which already plays the drums with his feet as he plays bass, Florian). Embracing imperfection, The Snøffeltøffs can explain why the kazoo is deeply misunderstood and how it all began with the beautiful influence of skiffle music

The Snøffeltøffs - "High School Teen."

Noisey: Guys. Why do you love the kazoo?
Julian: Crazy ass instrument nobody really understands!
Florian: The sound is just plain awesome and it’s probably the easiest instrument to play, which is essential when you're playing several instruments at the same time.

How often do you use the kazoo in your songs? Is it every third track? When do you know to bust it out? Who plays it?
Julian: Right now we use it only on a few songs in our live set, as it’s a hard to handle instrument in terms of its wasp buzzing sound. We started using it on our first song which was kind of a tribute to the skiffle music back in the 20s and 50s and loved it right away. As we both play it at the same time, we always use it when we think a simple guitar or bass solo is just too boring to play. It’s a bit more special.

You said it unleashes the power of garage punk, along with the organ, guitar and drums onstage. How do you do this and why?
Florian: The problem is that our standard setup on stage is quite minimalist. Basic drum beats, bass guitar, electric guitar and some organ sounds from time to time. Sometimes, when you play a guitar solo you just need an extra rhythm guitar in the background for the solo guitar to really shine out or for the crowd to go nuts, especially when you play a "wilder" song. The kazoo is a great solo guitar mimicking instrument. You can play rhythm guitar while rockin’ out on your kazoo. It almost sounds like a fuzz guitar or a cheap sax. This is quite ironic, as the original fuzz box was invented to mimic the sound of a sax using a guitar. We are kinda like doing a fuzz box/sax in reverse thing. Both instruments are essential for "THAT" garage and garage punk sound. Needless to say, we use fuzz boxes for our guitar sound as well (big news, we’re a garage band).
Julian: Word!

Where did you get your kazoo? What kind is it? Children’s plastic or professional steel? How much did it cost? Is it a German brand?
Julian: It's a metal or actually a tin kazoo made by "Clarke Thinwhistle Company" (endorsement?) which is a company from the UK. It's based on the first one ever made in the 1930s and is better than all the kids plastic ones you usually get. It only costs around €5, so don't buy shitty plastics, get the "original tin kazoo."
Florian: Yes, please don't buy the cheap shit!

Wait a second. Do you think the kazoo is making a comeback?
Florian: Why should it, most people think it's a joke or a kids toy anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love kazoos, in fact the kazoo was the first instrument I ever had. I just think most people don't know how to use it or even worse, reject the idea that an instrument anyone could play can be any good. I'm not trying to get all philosophical on this; I just think it's a nifty little invention. It has its niche, but that's it.
Julian: Yeah, people see it more as a toy than an actual instrument and don't take it serious even though it’s a really old instrument and I think there is even a kazoo museum in America. And there is a band called Temple City Kazoo Orchestra who did a funny cover version of "Stayin Alive."

How does it function live? Easy with a mic? I wonder how you keep the kazoo strong in such a high-energy performance with so much going on.
Julian: We use tape to attach it to our microphones. Combined with lots of reverb it creates a big buzz and makes the sound guys really "happy" every time!

Do you love to keep things lo-fi? Why or why not?
Florian: I don't really think it has anything to do with the amount of instruments we use on stage. It's got more to do with the sound we want to achieve by using certain instruments and recording techniques. It also has a lot to do with our musical approach and attitude on- and off stage. We don't have much money to always repair our gear, so when there's a problem with an amp or a guitar we try to fix it the cheapest way possible, say with gaffa tape, until it really falls apart. We call it "playing Russian." We're also not perfectly proficient on our instruments, which is something we don't really care about as long as it sounds good to our ears. There's lots of imperfection involved, on stage and in the studio, but this actually makes us smile and laugh. It's part of our sound and we constantly mock ourselves, even on stage like, "Yeeeah, that solo you just played was reallllly awesome, keep up the good work douchebag." People always have fun when they see us live.

This is probably the essence of the whole lo-fi thing. Not striving against imperfection but rather embracing it. Look at the bands we love, Gories, Mummies Teengenerate, Ramones, Black Lips…the whole cali garage and Burger Records scene craze at the moment. Loving imperfection… that's probably what the whole lo-fi culture is all about. It probably borrows a lot from punk but without the torn clothes and political bullshit thing.

Julian: Ok, now I can work with it but I still see ourselves more like being "Shit-Fi."

Just enjoying a pint of beer in the long grass… What’s next for you kids? Keepin’ it real?
Julian: We recently recorded our first album (recorded and produced by the drummer of KADAVAR) incl. a new track with kazoo and currently work on another EP, which we hope to release in the U.S. as a warm-up for the album.
Florian: Keeping it real!

Nadja lives in Berlin and writes about weird and wonderful gear all the time. She's on Twitter - @NadjaSayej.