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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

"Speaking of Formby, the combination of buck-toothed grin and ukelele calls to mind Thomas Pynchon, a buck-toothed kid with an affinity for ukeleles. Sure enough, Formby is mentioned on page 17 of Gravity's Rainbow, describing Tyrone Slothrop:

'He does have some rather snappy arrangement,' Tantivy reports, "he's a sort of American George Formby, if you can imagine such a thing, but Bloat's decided he'd rather not.

"Our information about Pynchon comes from a 1977 article by Jules Siegal: '[Pynchon] could carry a tune well and made up ribald parodies of popular songs, which I seem to remember-- surely I am imagining this-- were accompanied on a ukulele.' "

"Spanning the period between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I, this novel moves from the labor troubles in Colorado to turn-of-the-century New York, to London and Gottingen, Venice and Vienna, the Balkans, Central Asia, Siberia at the time of the mysterious Tunguska Event, Mexico during the Revolution, postwar Paris, silent-era Hollywood, and one or two places not strictly speaking on the map at all.

"With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places. No reference to the present day is intended or should be inferred.

"The sizable cast of characters includes anarchists, balloonists, gamblers, corporate tycoons, drug enthusiasts, innocents and decadents, mathematicians, mad scientists, shamans, psychics, and stage magicians, spies, detectives, adventuresses, and hired guns. [Clearly, all uke player references. -- ed.] There are cameo appearances by Nikola Tesla, Bela Lugosi, and Groucho Marx.

"As an era of certainty comes crashing down around their ears and an unpredictable future commences, these folks are mostly just trying to pursue their lives. Sometimes they manage to catch up; sometimes it's their lives that pursue them. Meanwhile, the author is up to his usual business. Characters stop what they're doing to sing what are for the most part stupid songs [Again, a uke reference!]. Strange sexual practices take place [!!]. Obscure languages are spoken, not always idiomatically [!!!] . Contrary-to-the-fact occurrences occur. If it is not the world, it is what the world might be with a minor adjustment or two. According to some, this is one of the main purposes of fiction."

"Let the reader decide, let the reader beware. Good luck."

-Thomas Pynchon

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UKE MUSIC BOOKS

Ian Whitcomb Songbook Arranged for Ukulele and Easy Keyboard

Jumpin' Jim's Gone Hawaiian

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Tips 'n' Tunes

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Favorites

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Gems

Jumpin' Jim's '60s Uke-In

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Spirit

Jumpin' Jim's Camp Ukulele

Jumpin' Jim's Gone Hollywood

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Beach Party

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Masters: Lyle Ritz

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Masters: Lyle Ritz Solos : 15 Chord Solos Arranged by the Ukulele Jazz Master

Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Masters: Herb Ohta

Jiminy Kokopo's Ukulele Sing and Strum Fun Book

Roy Smeck: Ukulele Method

UKE HISTORY BOOKS

The Ukulele: A Visual History, by Jim Beloff

UKE VIDEOS

Bob Brosman's Ukulele Tunes and Techniques: Hawiian and American Styles

Jumpin' Jim's Joy of Uke

Ukulele for Kids: Volume 1

Ukulele for Kids: Volume 2

UKE CDS

Cliff Edwards: Singin' in the Rain

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FAVORITE UKE SITES
Flea Market Music
Best source for songbooks and the incredible Fluke ukulele. (Seen below.)



Kamaka
One of the best uke makers around.

King David Ukulele Station. Like Ukulelia, only in French!

Ukulele Hall of Fame Has a large catalog of books, music, videos, ukes and other stuff. All proceeds go to support the mission and activities of the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum.

Uke Hunt News, tabs, lessons, forum...the works! From across the pond.

UkeFarm The home of UkeFarm Radio! Tabs, too.

Ukulele Diner The Happy Fun Ball of ukulele sites!

UKE DISCUSSION BOARDS
UkeTalk
Flea Market Music Bulletin Board
Collectors Uke Yak
Ukulele Madness

UKULELE SOFTWARE
Guitar Learning Uke Software
Ukepix
Fretboard PalmOS App

UKULELE MAKERS
Talsma String Instruments
Kawika
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Mele
Marc Silber Music
Maui Music
Young Handcrafted Ukuleles
Pegasus Guitars and Ukuleles
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Lehua Ukuleles
Shimo Guitars
3rd Wave Ukuleles
Kanile'a Ukulele
Timberline Ukuleles
Beltona Resonator Instruments
Earnest Instruments
National Resophonic Ukuleles
Hana Lima 'Ia Ukulele Making School
O Kona Ukuleles
GString Ukulele Co.
Risa Musical Instruments
Tony Graziano Ukuleles
KP Ukuleles
Island Ukuleles
Talsma String Instruments
Glyph Custom Ukes
Moore Bettah Ukes

UKULELE INFORMATION
Tiki King's Ukulele Stuff
Brudda Bu's Ukulele Heaven
The Ukulele Freedom Front
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Honolulu Star Bulletin
The Banjo Ukulele
Ukulele World
Ukulele Klubben
Bounty Music Ukulele Links
Ukulelink
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Island Legends
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Roy T. Cone
Stringed Instrument Division
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Bernunzio Vintage Instruments
Barbara's Guitars
Bounty Music
Freedom Guitar Inc.
Homewood Musical Instrument Company
Lahaina Music
Play It Again Sam
Spruce Tree Music and Repair
Ukulele Made In Hawaii
Ukulele
Guitar Tex
Uke Lady Music

UKULELE INSTRUCTION
ezFolk.com
Jerry Moore's Ukulele Made Easy
Jazz Improvisation Primer
Laiya and Louis Ukulele Chordfinder
Tim's useful Uke chord site
1914 Ukulele Instruction Manual
Chord Generator
HUI Ukulele Instruction
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Yahoo's Music Theory Section
Tab-U-Learn Uke Tabs

UKULELE PEOPLE
Howlin' Hobbit
Uke Jackson
Cliff Edwards - Ukulele Ike
Ian Whitcomb.
The George Formby Society
Hal Brolund
Roy Sakuma
Miner Museum
King Ukulele Webworld
Shorty Long - the official website
Ukulele Club of Ventura County
Ralph Shaw - King of the Ukulele!
Brooklyn's Own Ukulele Lady
Robyn's Ukulele page
Ukelin
Hawaiian Storyteller "Uncle Charlie"
Da Barefoot Warrior
Joanna Spinoza
Joe Zsigray's Ukulele Page
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
uke Fink
Jerry Dallal's Uke Page
Wink's Webpage
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Robert Armstrong
Bill Tapia
Janet Klein
James Hill
Dan Scanlan
Trefor Bazett
Paul Moore
Metropolitan Ukulele Association
Lil' Rev
Waste of Aces
Bliss Blood
Tokyo Ukulele Afternoon Club

UKULELE MUSIC AND HAWAIIANA
Flaming ukulele radio hour
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Aloha Plenty
Hawaiian Slack Key & Ukulele
NahenaheNet, The Sweet Sound of Hawaiian Music.
Hawaiian Music Guide
MGC Records Hawaii
Ukulele Beatles Fun!
Booklines Hawaii