september's theme: close to you, explained.

This awesome twisted up drainpipe has been taunting me out in the yard for a while. I spent a few minutes with it today, but didn't get anything great. I'll be back, though. Really great subject for my typical workplace rusty abstracts.

Today's youtube Close To You selection is much nicer than yesterday's (although I think I made up for it with the other links). It's by Jake Shimabukuro, most famous for his cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Although philosophically, as a ukeist, I have a problem with anyone learning to play the ukulele this proficiently, I do enjoy listening to him.

I don't really believe in being a virtuoso, or even very good, but ukes are awesome. They're good for playing sappy Burt Bacharach standards, but you can probably make use of one in your life even if you don't like Burt (if life is even worth living if you don't like Burt...). You might be a German guy who likes the blues, an American Jazz singer passing the time in Barcelona, or a Bosnian CCR fan (I'm serious, it's great).

I just learned how to play Why Can't We Be Friends? this week, and it's great. Ukes make people happy. Randy Greer's Ukulele Jazz Show, btw, (the American singer in Barcelona) is a very cool resource.

edit: I just had to add this...who's got more soul - cover or original? (I think it's pretty close, myself - they're a couple of sassy frassy lassies).