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Thirty questions about the top thirty artists on my chart, as of this date.

1. How did you get into 29?
I got into John Zorn when a friend recommended his work to me. That's what got me interested in the experimental and avant-garde scene.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22?
A different friend of mine, an avid fan of The Residents, was listening to the "Fingerprince" album, not sure which song, but I was hooked.

3. How many albums by 13 do you own?
I own all of Rancid's full-length albums, and the BYO Split they did with NOFX.

4. What is your favorite song by 15?
My favorite Pink Floyd song would be the tasty and whimsical yet strangely dark "Corporal Clegg."

5. What is your favorite song by 5?
My favorite Melt-Banana song is "Cracked Plaster Cast." I heard that live and I became an instant fan.

6. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
Just pop in any song from R.E.M's album "Tales of the Reconstruction." Those are pretty awesome songs.
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There are few instruments in the world that can compete with the ukulele. It's inexpensive, portable and easy to learn. It can be used as a cheerful novelty or to express heartbreak. It can give a simple strummed accompaniment or for displays of great virtuosity. It's the greatest instrument the world has ever known.

If you're one of the cheery souls who love to play and listen to the ukulele, then join the Ukulele Disco.


Hawaiian

"King" Benny Nawahi
Ernest Kaai
Eddie Kamae
Ohta-San
Bill Tapia
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Eddie Kamae


Old School

Roy Smeck
George Formby (yes, I know. It was a banjolele but he did also play the standard uke on occasion).
Tiny Tim
Cliff Edwards/Ukulele Ike
Jack Pepper
Buster Keaton

New School

Jake Shimabukuro
Bob Brozman
Herman Düne/Yayahoni
James Hill
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Mareva Galanter
Ukes of Hazzard
The Bobby McGees
Uni and her Ukulele
Miranda Mahalo
Petty Booka
Michael Leviton
Charlot Webster
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Richard Thompson - 1985: Thompson's 1000 Years of Popular Music is almost certainly the best album inspired by a porn magazine. He was asked, along with a slew of other musicians, by Playboy to make a list of the best songs of the last millennium. While most struggled to find songs over 100 years old, Thompson went back to the 11th Century.

Playboy decided not to print Thompson's list - that's what happens when you leave editorial decisions to a bunch of fake-boobed half wits in bunny costumes. However, it inspired him to record an album of the songs. There are some great tunes on it: Sumer Is Icumen In, Black Leg Miner, Orange Coloured Sky. Which makes it even more surprising that the standout track is a cover of Bowling for Soup.


George Formby - Ain't Nobody's Biz'ness/Goody Goody/I Like Bananas: This little medley neatly shows all sides of George. The first contains the obligatory window-cleaner reference; the final part is willfully stupid, "I like bananas/Because they have no bones." Of course you do, George.
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I've decided to put together a compilation of the music I've been listening to in 2006. This is always tricky for me, as I've almost never listened to much music in the year it came out - stuff takes a while to grow on me. As a result, most of the 'recent' stuff on here is from about 2000. However, a lot of this is music I've only really grown to love this year. To hear it, download the zip file from here. Watch out - it's big (128mb).

This was meant to be about the length of a single CD, but there's just too much stuff to cut down to that length - this is nearly two hours.

Meant for You should be the opening track of every CD ever. Only 40 seconds long, it's just a gorgeous little Brian Wilson sketch.

Think Carefully For Victory is the opening track of Citizen Gomez by my own band The National Pep, our first EP. I've had the music knocking around for years, but this is the first time it's been done justice. It's an attempt to be The Beatles and The Flying Burrito Brothers at the same time…

it's time to review my weekly listening with the same kind of half-arsedness you'd expect from someone who's already tried this once, abandoned it (i was listening to the same stuff every week) and then decided it would be better to start again because Toxxi was doing it much more successfully. meh, never mind.

1. Cheer-Accident 289
Very pleased to this extremely odd Chicago ensemble take the top spot for this week's listening. Partly it's due to a systematic listening attempt at playing all of their tracks (on the albums of theirs i own, anyway) back to back in order of length. (NB: never do this with Merzbow) i was trying to put together a kind of 'Best of Cheer-Accident' covering everything from the cerebral jazzy pop of The Why? Album (1994) to the prog-grunge of Dumb Ask (1991) to the hard math-rock of Not a Food (1996) to the bizarre film soundtracking of Gumballhead the Cat, twisted melodic retrospectives of Variations on a Goddamn Old Man and Situationist prog-pop of Introducing Lemon (all 2003). …

It's been a while, finally the charts are updated.

Gene and Elbow have been battling it out at the top spot of the alltime chart for months now, sometimes one on top, sometimes the other. Sneaking up into third place though, while no one was watching, overtaking Badly Drawn Boy and Super Furry Animals come Saint Etienne! I hadn't even realized how much I love them!

Other top fave raves & hit picks of the moment: Art Brut, Lily Allen, Pizzicato Five and George Formby.

Also a big-up and "go-out-and-get-'em-boys" for the Cud reunion and rereleases. I won't make it to any of the August gigs, being too many thousands of miles away, but I'll be there in spirit! Good luck!

It was a disturbing night of tele last week: Eammon Holmes using little Sarah Cawood as a human shield, Paul doing his best monkey trouser impression and, best of all, Lordi winning Eurovision with their performance of Hard Rock Hallelujah despite, or possibly because of, wordplay that isn't acceptable even if English isn't their first language ("It's the a-rock-olypse" "On the day of rock-oning"). Easily the best Eurovision entry since France Gall's Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son. So, in tribute, here are some of my favourite moments of collision between the worlds of music and television.

1. Chris Nappier wins Stars in Their Eyes Kids as George Formby - A family, Saturday night TV show is won by a 9 year old playing the banjo-le and singing a song about getting his knob out in public.

2. The Stoneman Family on, I believe, The Hollywood Palace - I didn't since this air originally, what with being born 13 years too late and on the wrong continent, but by the glories of YouTube I can revel in its brilliance.
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