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„It's much more pleasant to cut the end of your finger off than it is to make records for a major label.“

(Simon Petty from Minibar on their former experiences with Universal)

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Fine band, truly. My favourite is “Things I Left Behind”.
Listen to it on their MySpace site.

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One of my favourite sculptural artists: Jessica Joslin, creating phantastic creatures on the basis of animal bones and other found objects like feathers, shells, seedpods etc.

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OK, you’ve gotta have a sense (and affinity) for the darker side of beings…

So, for me, having played with barbie dolls in my early childhood for two reasons: a) fashion design (I invented the glued seams!) and b) playing funerals (with After Eight boxes being the ideal coffin, in their muted dark green color and with that coffin-like lid… - you just had to take their legs off, and place them besides, as otherwise they’d been too large for the case ;) …

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Terrific song from playful Micky Green. Hard to describe her style … funky trash-pop-chanson from Australia, always with the necessary edge to prevent a little blonde attitude ;) from drifting into cheesysweetness:

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If you like that, you should give her other stuff a try. E.g. that 'shoulda' video – lovely live acoustic chanson clash, or something like that…

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Ever wondered what they’re doing with those thousands of scissors being confiscated at airports all around the world every day? Well, here’s one solution - Christopher Locke’s scissor spiders:

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Already having praised The Big Bang Theory, here’s another hilarious example of science humor, by Brian Malow:

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Have you seen this unofficial (as: unplanned as such) music video to Barcelona’s breathtaking "Please Don't Go"? So intense it’s moving me to tears, due to the incredible beauty of this scenery, and also to some extent out of sorrow, as every animal should have the chance to live freely and unrestrictedly in it’s natural habitat. What the fuck is mankind doing to this planet..?

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Well, it's our task to take care and show responsibility.

Btw, the video’s been shot by Canadian filmmaker Jon Rawlinson

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Ever wondered what Donald Duck would look like after his life as a walking disaster area? Here you go: South Korean artist Hyungkoo Lee has brought famous comic figures to death... err … to skeleton – such as Tick, Trick and Track:

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… or Roadrunner …

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Amazing, huh?

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Being a huge fan of nature, and thus of hiking, I’m owning a couple of outdoor gadgets, and I got to know quite a lot more. Yet this one’s really aiming for the spearhead of trekking equipment:

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With 87 tools it’s pretty likely a powerful companion - not too handy, though, given it’s 1,345 kg (!) weight. So if you’ve got a spare 700-800 Euro in your pocket and your own porter when travelling, go ahead...

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Musicbiz and charts are crowded with annoyingly uninspired so-called cover versions - most of them, esp. when it comes to songs from the 80s, nothing but a bpm doubled copy with some blond bimbo chicks dancing around the wannabe-cool-boy at the synth.

Once in a while there are some fine exceptions to the rule.
Like that one:

Word Up, originally performed by Cameo, in a great interpretation by country singer Willis from London

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and even more seldom, there is a true pearl:
Placebo – Running Up That Hill

Kate Bush’s fabulous Hymn – Placebo impressively succeeded in preserving it’s haunting magic, yet enriching it by that very distinct brokenness Brian Molko’s so intensely radiating in all his work, and personality.

There’s never been an official video, so see below a great fan video by H. Saygılı. (you can also watch Placebo playing it live at Henry Rollins Show or a very passionate performance at Reading Festival 2006)

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And then there is Johnny Cash:

Covering genius Trent Reznor’s “Hurt” (will add a live version of his own performance sometime later). Being one of my perpetual top5 songs, and at the same time my no.1 music video. Still can’t keep my eyes dry while those four minutes

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