Johnny Sixarms

Johnny Sixarms is the name of an anti-folk music band that initially formed in Goshen, Indiana in 1998, although the band has roots in the folk music band which was billed as Strangely Anointed for their one and only performance in 1997 in Hesston, Kansas. That performance was not strictly a music performance, as it additionally featured readings of comedic poetry written by Leichty, Owens, and other students.

The members of Johnny Sixarms, Matthew D. Leichty and Geoffrey Owens, met as students at Hesston College through their roles in the Agatha Christie play A Murder is Announced, where they filled the roles of Inspector Craddock and Sergeant Mellors, respectively. As an homage to that experience, the characters of Edmund and Mrs. Swettenham appeared briefly in the musician's/filmmaker's first film collaboration: Mason (Film).

The members continue to perform on rare occasions.

Origin of the Name

The name Johnny Sixarms had its origins in a series of sometimes-comedic, sometimes-nonsensical poems primarily written by Jeffrey Weber (sometimes referred to as "Joe" in published poems) and Matthew D. Leichty (sometimes referred to as "Kermit"), both students at Hesston College. The poems often had other contributors, and an entire collection of poetry was mailed out at various times to Hesston College students.

The origin poem appeared as follows:

WHY I WISH MY NAME WAS JOHNNY SIXARMS
Someone comes up to me and says,
“Hey, what’s your name, boy.”
“It’s Johnny Sixarms,” I say.
“That may not mean much to you,
But I can guarantee it means less to me.”
Then I’d probably get beat up.
You know, I think it would suck
If my name was Johnny Sixarms.
(But it would make a good TV show, especially if the actor really had six arms, like Harrison Ford does.)

The poem employs a comedic convention of a turn of expectation that is far beyond any reasonable expectation of the audience to a point of extreme non-reality. The moment is delivered without explanation--a reference to the "fact" that Harrison Ford has six arms--and passed by again without explanation. This type of comedic device was often used in Monty Python sketches and movies, such as when the character of Brian in Monty Python's Life of Brian is attempting to escape from Roman guards and falls from a building and into a passing spaceship.

Alternate Mythological Origins of the Name

In 2005, the band updated their profile on C-Net's music download site to include a mythological account of the origins of Johnny Sixarms, discarding the poem-based origins entirely. It reads:

Long ago there was a Mayan man of legend named Uac Chon. (Uac is the Mayan word for "six".) He was not always called Uac Chon. In fact he was not called Uac Chon until after he died fighting the Bocol Beast of Kukul Can. Originally he was called Kaz Chon or Zudz Chon which, as we all know, is not very flattering.

Chon was a bit of an outcast, thought to be of a sour disposition (hence the nickname Zudz Chon). Yet unbeknowst to the people of Tikal, he was the masked hero they had seen at night, fighting thieves and prowling predators.

Many times he would call out the evildoers of the city with his familiar battlecry: "Xen cħa ten a uex utial in uic u boc uaye!" Literally, it means "Go and bring me here your loincloth so that I can smell its odor!" It probably loses something in the translation, but it was very moving for the people.

Of course, Chon's special talents lay in his knowledge of the secret Mayan martial artistry known as "Ekel Nal". His arms were said to move so fast that it was rumored that he had mystical appendeges which would emerge when crime fighting.

After succumbing to the Bocol Beast of Kukul Can, his identity was revealed and from then on he was referred to Uac Chon. And of course his heart was ingested by the people there so they could share in his magical gifts.

As a side note, Kukul Can was fined for not properly securing the Bocol Beast on his property.

Discography

* Happy
* Dr. Pepper
* Julia
* Better Than You
* Parallel Universe (3:55)

External links

* [http://www.download.com/johnnysixarms Download.com Artist Page]