One night when I was walking the streets of New York City, a young panhandler confronted me and demanded five dollars.
“For what?” I asked.
“I’ll sing Stevie Wonder.”
I gave him two bucks, and he immediately delivered a surprisingly good rendition of “Superstiton.” When he was finished, he looked at me and said, “What’dya think?”
“Not bad,” I said. “But where’s the clavinet?”
He shook his head in disgust and stormed off.
I have always been fascinated by the fact that so many great works of art depend on a single, bizarre innovation—one that might have seemed ridiculous if described in writing. Like Jackson Pollock’s slinging paint onto the canvas, or The Kinks’ shoving knitting needles into their amplifier to create feedback. Who would have guessed that using an electrified version of a 19th Century instrument would be the perfect touch to make a classic funk song? Stevie Wonder, that’s who!
Ash Clifton, Writer 