Author: Uke Guy

Video: The Escalating Electric Fence Wager (part 3)

Heh, I forgot I was uploading these videos. I think there are two left and, as you can see here, the stakes are going up. This video takes places literally seconds after part 2 (where I touch the fence for the first time). What we didn't know at the time (although I suspected) was that it takes some time for the capacitor in the fence to fully charge up. So, if you touch it and then touch it again shortly thereafter, the shock isn't so bad.

So, after this video was taking, Colin decided he wasn't paying me $20 for my touching of the fence. However, we do come up with a compromise that you'll see in part 4 of the video. Let's just say that Colin attempts to "double up" by touching the fence again.... with a more sensitive part of his body. Ahhhh yeah!

You might be asking yourself, "What the hell does this have to do with Ukuleles?". Yeah, I'll admit, it's a stretch, but in part 2 of the video I was holding my Eleuke electric ukulele when I touched the fence. I say that counts. 😉

Video: Mystery TV Show Theme (It’s a Quiz!)

Ok, so it's not really that much of a quiz. My wife and I were just watching this show the other night and we both commented that we really dug the intro music. I thought I recognized it from someplace but I just couldn't put my finger on it. So, I spent a few minutes unraveling it enough so I could sort of recreate it on my aNueNue Banjo Ukulele.  It's a little rough, but this is about as polished as anything I do.  I'm not really much of a perfectionist, I just want to capture and idea and then move on.  Anyway, the theme song is a condensed version of a Brian Jonestown Massacre song.  And, if you aren't already watching this TV show, you need to be.  It freaking rules!

Video : You Must Be Out of Your Mind by The Magnetic Fields

Well the good thing about my new aNueNue Banjo Ukulele is that it doesn't take much convincing to get myself motivated enough to do a video.  I mean, chances are the uke is already in my hands, so I just have to turn on the camera.  I seriously cannot get enough of my aNueNue!

Anyway, the song I did today was You Must Be Out of Your Mind by The Magnetic Fields.  This is definitely my favorite song of the Realism record.  On an only somewhat related note, does anyone know when the Magnetic Fields movie is supposed to come out?  When my wife and I saw them in Seattle they had some cameras with them so I'm kind of hoping the footage from that show makes an appearance.  Maybe you'll even be able to see when Stephin Merritt walked offstage and right over to the person who had just finished videotaping "Papa was a Rodeo".   That guy got some harsh words, no doubt.

Anyway, you might notice that I switched the 2nd and 3rd verse.  This wasn't intentional, but I didn't feel like doing it over just because of that.  So, consider it an alternate rendition.

Here's the tabs:


You Must Be Out of Your Mind
by Magnetic Fields

F  - 2010
C  - 0003
Bb - 3211
Gm - 0231
Dm - 2210

INTRO: F  C  Bb  F

F           Bb            C         F   C   Bb   F
You think I'll run, not walk, to you

F           Bb            C         F
Why would I want to talk to you?

Gm                Bb
I want you crawling back to me

F                   C
Down on your knees, yeah

Gm           Bb
Like an appendectomy

C
Sans anesthesia

F         C       Dm          Bb
If you think you can leave the past     behind

F           C            Bb    F
You must be out of your mind

F         C     Dm      Bb
If you think you can simply press rewind

F           C            Bb
You must be out of your mind, son

F           C            Bb    F
You must be out of your mind

You want what you turned off turned on
You call it sunset, now it's dawn
You can't go round just saying stuff
Because it's pretty
And I no longer drink enough
To think you're witty...

You want to kindle that old flame
I don't remember your real name
It must be something scandalous
Lurks in your shallows
If you need a Santa Claus
To buy your gallows...

Video: CPUnit – Times Like These (EleUke 2010 Contest Entry)

Holy smokes.  These guys are real go-getters.  I had an e-mail this morning asking to post something about the video they made for the EleUke 2010 Contest.  Also it looked like they posted a video response to one of my EleUke videos (although I couldn't approve it because it wasn't in my Youtube inbox for some reason).

So, of course I checked out the video today.  Dang!  It's wicked professional looking.  These guys take ukulele contests seriously!  Anyway, give it a look and a listen.  It's a catchy little song and the giant animals are pretty great.  Best of luck in the contest, guys!

Video: The Eleuke Escalating Electric Fence Wager (part 2)

Ok. If you just came into this sequence of drunken buffoonery, make sure and check out Part 1 so you aren't lost. Actually, I guess you'll probably get the gist of it.... unless you are currently drunk, in which case you probably better watch Part 1.

Anyway, I should fill you in here.  My brothers and I are pretty competitive.  I can't really explain it because none of us really did much in the way of sports growing up (Bryan, your football season doesn't count).  Yet, if you get all three of us in one place, playing cards or (God forbid, Monopoly) and there is bourbon nearby, you can expect it won't end well.

As part of this we have a running gag about staging an eating contest.  So, let's say we're at a BBQ or picnic or something and one of the brothers remarks, "Man, I love deviled eggs!"  Within seconds, one of the other brothers will respond with "Yeah?  How many do you think you could eat in an hour".  And off we go.

So, with all of this in mind, it should come as no shock to you that as soon as I put an electric fence in my backyard (to keep marauding black bears from effing up my compost bin and childrens' faces) it was less than 20 minutes before the conversation steered to, "How much money would it take for you to touch the electric fence?".  If I recall correctly, Bryan started high with something like $1000 and then worked his way down to $125 or something.  Colin started at $85 or something.  I said $40 and then was somehow talked down to $20.  And so the story begins.  Don't worry though, there's quite a bit more video to come still.

To make this video acceptable for UkuleleGuy, you'll notice that I'm holding my Eleuke Electric Ukulele. Ahh yeah! Apparently I should have been playing it though, Eleuke is having a contest right now.