From the Billings Gazette: "Dozens of computer monitors and printers, dozens of office chairs and desks, cell phones, watches, surplus police cars -- and one new ukulele, still in the box -- will be auctioned off by the city of Billings on Saturday." Maybe it's a Kamaka, maybe it's a Hilo. If you live in Billings, check it out! Link

There's a great new installment of musicologist Ian Whitcomb's semi-monthly "Letter from Lotusland." This time, he talks about working with director Peter Bogdanovich on the forthcoming movie, The Cat's Meow starring Kirsten Dunst. Last time I saw Ian perform, he played a tape recording of an amazing song ("After You've Gone") that Dunst sang to the accompaniment of Ian on the ukulele. The song will play as the credits roll at the end of the movie. Link

1998 NPR interview with Jim Beloff, proprietor of Flea Market Music. (Real Audio) Link

Make a uke out of Tupperware for $12. (It doesn't look pretty.) Link

A bunch of adorable ukulele icons for your desktop. Link

I like Ukulele Man's songs. They combine old-style arrangements with contemporary subjects. Sample titles: "Pee-Wee, Where Have You Gone?" and "Facist Girl." Link

Article about Tom Harker, aka Ukulele Man.

"I told someone once that a lot of the songs are a Carl Jung/Gestalt kinda thing," explained Harker. "Things bother me, get my interest, toil around inside me, then gush out." That speaks partly to Harker's more topical tunes, like I've Never Been to Stuckey's, Jesus Chrysler and Fascist Girl.

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Comedienne Victoria Jackson has made a couple of kids' CDs that feature some ukulele playing. Link

Steve Arbuss sent me these Israel Kamakawiwo'ole links:

Good .ram of Rainbow/Wonderful World

"Farewell" articles

For the Iz otaku

Nice MP3 of "Georgia on my Mind" live performance by King Ukulele. Link

If you live in Southern California, then mark your calendars for two ukelele extravaganzas on Sunday, May 27, at McCabe's music store in Santa Monica. There's the Uke workshop from 2-4 pm, where you'll learn new strumming and picking techniques. I went to the last one and had a blast. Then, at 7 pm, it's the UKEtopia concert featuring Ian Whitcomb, Janet Klein, and Jumpin' Jim Beloff. Call for reservations. (310-828-4497)

If you can play ukulele this well, I officially hate you. Link

Tiki King has a nice MP3 of his rendition of "Princess Pa-Poo-Ly." Link

Ukulogist Ian Whitcomb wrote this great story about the "Father of Surfing" for American Heritage magazine. Lots of good stuff about Jack London and his wife in old Hawaii. Link

March 2001 article about Tiny Tim's chances of making it into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. Link

Does anybody have an idea if or when the movie Stanley's Gig, about "an emotionally dysfunctional ukulele minstrel," is coming out? It stars Faye Dunaway, and British-Invasion-pop-star-cum-ukologist Ian Whitcomb as "Smiling Jack."Link

Ukelele player commits murder/suicide. Link

Here are two cool freeware programs called UKE and UKEPIX for IBM-compatible PCs. "UKE adds ukulele chord fingerings to ASCII files of chords and lyrics while UKEPIX adds chord fingering diagrams, too." Link

Sunday night marked the debut appearance of The Studio City Islanders with Mark and Carla on uke, and Grant on Bongos. We played two songs ("On the Beach at Waikiki" and "The Hawaiian War Chant") at the Poe Zone in North Hollywood. Here's a picture of us. Link