I’ve always loved the fiddle, and I really don’t know why. I must have inherited the interest from my dad when I was a kid. I suppose I got off easy, as I very well could have picked up his passion for fanny packs and Roger Whittaker.

I also love Primus, claymation, and all things devilish, so I was very happy to find this video just now.

Looks like it has a lot of potential, as long as Indiana doesn’t suddenly become Spider-man.

This about sums up my thoughts on the subject.

Bill Bailey’s fantastic.

And for the less jaded out there, here’s ‘Love Letter’ from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, from their And No More Shall We Part album. Nick Cave appeals to my over-dramatic side. He’s a really creative writer, and his songs are usually fairly intense and contain a lot of interesting imagery. His solo stuff seems to dip into a weirder zone that I really like, so it’s worth checking out if you haven’t heard any of it. It has an almost Tom Waits-ish vibe. Not that anyone can really be like Waits, but he has a similar uncompromised vision in his work.

I’ve somehow fallen into a half-assed polyphasic sleep schedule this week, so I’ve just been watching silly videos tonight in an attempt to stay awake until a decent hour, instead of sleeping through the evening and staying up all night.

It may be the sleep deprivation, but I thought they did quite a good job with this:

Seems like a fun office!

Bat For Lashes is a singer-songwriter from England. Listening to her album, Fur and Gold, is like walking through someone else’s creepy dream. I really enjoyed the whole album. She reminds me of a more mellow, less naive-appearing Bjork.

I really love this video for ‘What’s a Girl to Do?’ It was posted on Digg a while back, and I forgot about it until Motel De Moka posted the song in a playlist. It has an eery Donny Darko feel to it.

I bungled the timing for my trip home and arrived at the airport only 30 minutes before my departure time. I didn’t think this would be a problem, as our small airport is rarely busy, but I guess everyone is on their way home today too.

The security line-up was too long, and multiple flights were departing simultaneously, so I missed my plane. I now have three hours to kill before the next flight leaves.

I hate it when issues arise at the airport, especially when they’re my fault. This is, however, the perfect opportunity to waste away the afternoon on YouTube.

A couple of years ago, when I was traveling, I entertained myself on the trains by listening to podcasts. My favourite podcast at the time was The Ricky Gervais Show, where Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, creators of The Office and Extras, sit down and chat with their friend, a radio producer, Karl Pilkington. The three of them together produced hilarious results, and I often had to pause my MP3 player and try to stop laughing because people were starting to stare.

Gervais and Merchant are both interesting and funny, but the star of the podcast is, by far, the then unknown Karl Pilkington. I wouldn’t say Pilkington is stupid, but his brain works in mysterious ways. He says whatever comes to mind, and it’s usually so off the wall it’s impossible not to laugh. He sees the world as a child sees it, full of wonder and naive charm. He does come across as prejudice, but there doesn’t really seem to be any hate behind it, just simple, elegant ignorance.

I really only listened to the first season of the podcast, as they were free and I stopped listening to podcasts after I returned to Canada, but I’d definitely recommend it for those interested.

Here’s a clip of Ricky Gervais interviewing Karl Pilkington. It’s from Gervais’ live comedy DVD, and it’s pure brilliance.

Keep in mind, Gervais and Merchant swear they don’t write anything for Karl Pilkington. He’s apparently always like this. I’d probably be skeptical if I’d only watched this clip, but after listening to their podcasts, I think he’s the real deal. If there’s someone out there who could purposely write an hour’s worth of Pilkington dialogue for their weekly podcast, they deserve every award available.

Now that I’ve gotten my Bah Humbugs out a little, here’s a Christmas special I really enjoyed. It aired a few years ago on BBC Three, but I only just found it recently. It’s a ridiculous rock opera of the birth of Christ, written by Matt Berry and Richard Ayoade, done in the style of the original rock operas of the seventies.

The special is full of great comedians, but most of them are basically unknown in North America. I’ve been trolling through BBC comedies lately, so I’ll probably be posting more of their work in the future. Everyone does a great job in this, but I found Julian Barrett, of The Mighty Boosh, particularly hilarious.

Here it is in its entirety:

Beck is one of my favourite musicians. He just continually blows me away. This is ‘E-Pro’ from his Guero album that was released a few years ago. I’d never seen the video before, and I love it. The ending is the best bit.