Ken Schaffer
Encyclopedia
Ken Schaffer is an inventor and, in the late 1960s, a publicist for such rock stars as Jimi Hendrix
, Steve Tyler of Aerosmith
, Todd Rundgren
, Ted Nugent
, Alice Cooper
and for the Comet Kohoutek
(on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History
's Hayden Planetarium
). During this period, Schaffer designed and custom built the guitar John Lennon
used on his last album, Double Fantasy
http://nutcom.com/nyer and introduced John Lennon
's favorite movie, Alexandro Jodorowsky's El Topo
which ignited the cult of the Midnight Movie. El Topo (1970 film).http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40816FE3D5E127A93C4A9178DD85F458785F9&scp=3&sq=el+topo&st=p
A lifelong amateur radio
enthusiast, in the 1970s he invented a low-noise/wide dynamic range wireless microphone
and then a wireless guitar
system. He made more than a thousand microphones (at $4,400 each). Among the first bands to adopt the Schaffer system were the Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger
used when he danced around the stage, as did nearly every other major touring rock group in the 70s and 80s. What made a Schaffer mic and wireless guitar system worth so much was not just that it just kept rock stars from being electrocuted (KISS
switched to Schaffer after a band member was seriously injured), but that it had excellent reliability and sound quality. NASA
became a customer and used Schaffer's innovative preprocessing circuits to improve astronaut voice communication. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/technology/circuits/02inve.html?ex=1180324800&en=8c22c29db08966b0&ei=5070
In the 1980s, Schaffer, along with engineer Warren Musselman, developed a complex satellite tracking system that made it possible for US agencies to monitor the internal television of the then-Soviet Union
. The system tapped into the Soviet Molniya
non-geosynchronous satellite constellation, which carried Moscow television to the Far North. A system based on a red 3 meter dish on the roof of Columbia University
's International Affair Institute in Manhattan
allowed Soviet Studies graduate students to watch live Russian television. Other systems were installed at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, the University of Pennsylvania, and a private owner in Virginia. Schaffer then conceived and executed a project through which the then fledgling Discovery Channel
devoted a week to carrying Russian TV, for which it won the National Cable Television Association's Golden Ace award. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/CableACE_Awards/1988
Schaffer fell in love with Russia
and started a company to bring modern voice communication to western companies operating there, later selling that company to COMSAT Corporation, the biggest player in satellite
communications, now part of Lockheed Martin
. Concurrently, Schaffer conceived of a project which brought the iconic Boris Grebenshikov, often described as the "Bob Dylan
of Russia
" to the West, where he recorded an album for Columbia Records
produced by Dave Stewart
and featuring Eurythmics
's Annie Lennox
and The Pretenders
' Chrissie Hynde
. The year-long odyssey was documented by director Michael Apted
, who filmed Schaffer and Grebenshikov through St. Petersburg, Moscow, London, New York and Los Angeles for the film, 'The Long Way Home.' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097774/
In 2003, Schaffer invented a device called TV2Me
, which enables customers to access their cable TV channels from anywhere in the world via a broadband Internet connection. The concept TV2Me introduced became known as 'placeshifting', as opposed to 'timeshifting'. The first TV2Me unit was purchased by musician Sting, who used it especially to follow his team, Newcastle United as he toured. http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2004/pulpit_20041028_000461.html
Schaffer's ex-wife, Alla Kliouka, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0459853/ a popular Russian TV actress, appeared on The Sopranos
, playing Uncle Junior's one-legged Russian nurse who ended up having sex with Tony Soprano
.
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Steve Tyler of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and for the Comet Kohoutek
Comet Kohoutek
Comet Kohoutek, formally designated C/1973 E1, 1973 XII, and 1973f, was first sighted on 7 March 1973 by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek. It attained perihelion on 28 December that same year....
(on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
's Hayden Planetarium
Hayden Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium, part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, currently directed by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson....
). During this period, Schaffer designed and custom built the guitar John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
used on his last album, Double Fantasy
Double Fantasy
Double Fantasy is an album released by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1980. Though initially poorly received, the album is notable for its association with Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, whereupon it become a worldwide commercial success, and went on to win the 1981 Album...
http://nutcom.com/nyer and introduced John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's favorite movie, Alexandro Jodorowsky's El Topo
El Topo
El Topo is a 1970 Spanish language allegorical, cult western movie and underground film, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky...
which ignited the cult of the Midnight Movie. El Topo (1970 film).http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40816FE3D5E127A93C4A9178DD85F458785F9&scp=3&sq=el+topo&st=p
A lifelong amateur radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
enthusiast, in the 1970s he invented a low-noise/wide dynamic range wireless microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
and then a wireless guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
system. He made more than a thousand microphones (at $4,400 each). Among the first bands to adopt the Schaffer system were the Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
used when he danced around the stage, as did nearly every other major touring rock group in the 70s and 80s. What made a Schaffer mic and wireless guitar system worth so much was not just that it just kept rock stars from being electrocuted (KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
switched to Schaffer after a band member was seriously injured), but that it had excellent reliability and sound quality. NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
became a customer and used Schaffer's innovative preprocessing circuits to improve astronaut voice communication. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/technology/circuits/02inve.html?ex=1180324800&en=8c22c29db08966b0&ei=5070
In the 1980s, Schaffer, along with engineer Warren Musselman, developed a complex satellite tracking system that made it possible for US agencies to monitor the internal television of the then-Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The system tapped into the Soviet Molniya
Molniya (satellite)
Molniya was a military communications satellite system used by the Soviet Union. The satellites were placed into highly eccentric elliptical orbits known as Molniya orbits, characterised by an inclination of +63.4 degrees and a period of around 12 hours...
non-geosynchronous satellite constellation, which carried Moscow television to the Far North. A system based on a red 3 meter dish on the roof of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's International Affair Institute in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
allowed Soviet Studies graduate students to watch live Russian television. Other systems were installed at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, the University of Pennsylvania, and a private owner in Virginia. Schaffer then conceived and executed a project through which the then fledgling Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
devoted a week to carrying Russian TV, for which it won the National Cable Television Association's Golden Ace award. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/CableACE_Awards/1988
Schaffer fell in love with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and started a company to bring modern voice communication to western companies operating there, later selling that company to COMSAT Corporation, the biggest player in satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
communications, now part of Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. Concurrently, Schaffer conceived of a project which brought the iconic Boris Grebenshikov, often described as the "Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
" to the West, where he recorded an album for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
produced by Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
and featuring Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
's Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
and The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
' Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
. The year-long odyssey was documented by director Michael Apted
Michael Apted
Michael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
, who filmed Schaffer and Grebenshikov through St. Petersburg, Moscow, London, New York and Los Angeles for the film, 'The Long Way Home.' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097774/
In 2003, Schaffer invented a device called TV2Me
TV2Me
TV2Me is a device that allows TV viewers to watch their home’s cable or satellite television programs on their own computers, mobile phones, television sets and even a projector screen anywhere in the world...
, which enables customers to access their cable TV channels from anywhere in the world via a broadband Internet connection. The concept TV2Me introduced became known as 'placeshifting', as opposed to 'timeshifting'. The first TV2Me unit was purchased by musician Sting, who used it especially to follow his team, Newcastle United as he toured. http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2004/pulpit_20041028_000461.html
Schaffer's ex-wife, Alla Kliouka, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0459853/ a popular Russian TV actress, appeared on The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, playing Uncle Junior's one-legged Russian nurse who ended up having sex with Tony Soprano
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
.
See also
- TV2MeTV2MeTV2Me is a device that allows TV viewers to watch their home’s cable or satellite television programs on their own computers, mobile phones, television sets and even a projector screen anywhere in the world...
- placeshifting