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TED Talks and Tom Thum teamed up to get to the heart (or rather, the throat) of the matter — what are the ins and outs of beatboxing? Hint: it’s mostly about the ins.
In June of last year, beatboxer Tom Thum gave a TED Talk that didn’t feature much talking. Instead he offered himself up for an experiment that many wouldn’t and/or couldn’t do. Tom volunteered to have Dr Matthew Broadhurst of the Queensland Voice Centre insert a camera through his nose to see what his throat looked like while he beatboxed.
If you’re like me and you don’t particularly enjoy seeing medical images, proceed with a bit of caution. However, it is fascinating to see how the bizarre sounds of beatboxing affect the throat. Even if it’s a hard pass from the most squeamish of you, watching the first part of the video is worth it just to hear Tom Thum’s amazing talent and nervous exclamation of “spicy boy!” when Dr Broadhurst unveils the rigid laryngoscope.
Without further ado, here’s the video:
Still with us? Great. This video is the first in Tom Thum’s new Live From The Larynx web series. He tends to stick with the medical theme, featuring an endoscope and MRI scan in episode two. If you enjoyed that video and you love anything that walks the line between weird and wonderful then it’s definitely for you.
If, on the other hand, you just showed up for the beatboxing and you don’t particularly want to see Tom Thum’s Larynx every time you blink, check out this article.
