How is it that you folks in the UK have this remarkable love affair witht he ukulele...which, I hasten to add, I totally share these days.

My roundabout tale of how I discovered this:

You may know that there was a US version of the TV show "Life On Mars" done last year. It was pretty good and offbeat enough to get me to watch every episode. Looking things up on the internet, I got to see some of the clips from the original UK version...mostly prime quotes from DCI Gene Hunt who has obviously developed a cult following ("Don't move! You're surrounded by armed bastards!").

But searching on "life on mars" turned up one more thing. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's version of David Bowie's song "Life On Mars".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxCj2MO02AE

Fantastic! These guys are phenomenal! I look up all of their stuff on youtube and visit their website. Looks like we have to wait a loooong time before they come to the USA but if they do, I am there!

But searching youtube yields yet another UK treasure that I was totally unaware of: George Formby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w3X9...eature=related

Call me a square but I love old movies and, to the best of my knowledge, George Formby's movies just haven't been seen in the USA. The guy is great and his style of playing that little banjo-ukulele is totally cool and is now named after him. There's also a link to a documentary about his fans gathering in Blackpool with their own little banjo-ukes to play en masse and pay him tribute.

Apparently, George Harrison and Paul McCartney were great fans and George Harrison is supposed to have owned one of George Formby's banjo-ukes.

Now I see that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain played that notable event, the Last Night of the Proms Concerts.

Anyway...what a great ukulele revival. Looks like one of those things that the world needs...simple, fun and you just can't stay stressed while you're listening or playing ukulele's.

I'm ordering one later on today.


Best

AA