Rockin’ Rev’s a world beater
QUESTION What is the largest drum kit ever assembled?
In 2011, Dr Mark Temperato, a minister at the non- denominational Breath of Worship Church, in Lakeville, Minnesota, was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as having the world’s largest drum set. It had 340 individual pieces, but he has since added a further 473 pieces, so that it now has 813. He stopped at that number because August 13 is his birthday. He created his kit to attract people to his church.
The monster set weighs around 5,000lb and requires 17 hours of maintenance a week. It takes four people 15 hours to assemble the drum kit, and another ten to break pack away. To take it on the road, Temperato uses a customised 18-wheel trailer truck fitted with compartments for every drum and cymbal.
To prove the kit is fully functional and claim the record, the pastor, who uses the stage name RevM, had to be able to hit all 813 drums and cymbals from either a sitting or standing position without taking a step to either side.
The kit was put together using drums from 50 separate companies and has taken more than 20 years to assemble. Temperato says: ‘I love God — but I really like drums’.
M. H. Richards, Newark, Notts.
QUESTION How does a small blob of shaving gel on the end of a finger turn into enough shaving foam to cover a whole face?
In 1993, The Procter & Gamble Company patented the f i rst post- f oaming gel composition, which turns the gel into a foam after application to the skin.
The ‘post-foaming agent’ may be any volatile hydrocarbon or halohydrocarbon with a sufficiently low boiling point that it will volatilise (rapidly become gaseous) and foam the gel on application to the skin, but not so l ow that the gel f oams prematurely. The typical boiling point of such an agent is between −20c and 40c.
Preferred post-foaming agents are selected from saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having four to six carbon atoms, such as n- pentane, i sopentane, neopentane, n-butane, isobutane, and mixtures thereof, although a combination of isopentane and isobutane is most common.
The post-foaming agent will normally be selected to provide a vapour pressure at 20c of about 5psig to 15psig (pounds/ square inch). The post-foaming agent will be present in an amount to ensure the post-foaming gel turns to foam when contacted with the skin in about five to 15 seconds.
other chemicals commonly featured in shaving gel are palmitic acid (a long-chain lipid found in palm oil and animal fats that helps create a thick, stable lather that enfolds follicles and holds them upright); and triethanolamine (a thickener that allows water to flow more freely by reducing the surface tension holding droplets together.
Also included are various sunflower oil monoglycerides (fatty acids that provide the carbon backbone that keep the product i n gel form); stearic acid ( a waxy l i pid t hat softens t he skin); glycerine (a skin moisturiser); and aloe vera (a skin softener.
David Shannon, Manchester.
QUESTION My husband recently commented on how strong my perfume was, but I couldn’t smell it at all. Why is it not possible to smell one’s own perfume?
COGNITIVE psychologists refer to this phenomenon as ‘nose blindness.’
When you first smell an odour, your scent receptors send a signal to your brain’s limbic system, which determines how you process that particular scent. Receptors in your nose essentially soon turn off and the smell begins to fade.
This ability to ‘turn off ’ familiar smells enables us easily to pick up on unexpected or strange scents. It lets us detect even the subtlest change in the scent of our environment without being overpowered by familiar smells.
For our ancestors, this function might have helped them notice a change in smell when a predator or other threat had entered their domain, or detect some change in food, perhaps signifying that the meat was rotting and unsafe to eat.
nose blindness is problematic for those working in the perfume i ndustry. Increased bloodflow appears to be one way in enabling t he nose to s t art smelling familiar scents once again. Perfumers often run up and down stairs or do press-ups t o wake up t heir olfactory senses.
Patricia White, Whitby, N. Yorks.
QUESTION Did one of David Bowie’s band mates create children’s robot Metal Mickey?
CONTRARY to the earlier answer Metal Mickey was built in 1979 not to perform Lollipop but to be a star — and his ratings prove that he became one.
Ten major record labels’ A&R men accepted invitations to hear his work and meet the new star-in-the-making. As his manager, I wrote to Tv presenter Humphrey Burton hoping would interview Mickey. He passed the request to head of comedy Humphrey Barclay.
The first six episodes were screened immediately, and the positive press and public reaction led to a further two series. A total of 39 shows were aired, screened every Saturday at 5.15pm.
Mickey was built by Andrew Thompson who, 40 years later, is still called upon for updates and general servicing.
Famous guitarist Jimmy Page wasn’t a session musician at the Manish Boys recording session. He played lead guitar, having been specifically booked for his ‘fuzz box’ guitar sound, which was new in from the u.S. We also recorded Duke of earl at that session.
I wasn’t billed on the record as ‘Purpleknees’ edward. That was made up by a reporter because I had been cycling down Boxley Hill on the way to Maidstone where we rehearsed, was going a little too fast to corner at the bottom and sailed into the bushes and stinging nettles. I pushed the bike home and my dear old mum applied a purple lotion to my badly stung knees . . .
Johnny Edward, London.