I've been having some fun with video lately, namely by covering other-than-original tunes and posting them on YouTube. Yes, the fun may end eventually, but hey, for now it is what it is. Buy Jonathan Coulton's music--at http://www.jonathancoulton.com. You won't be sorry!

Tom Cruise Crazy by Jonathan Coulton


RE: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton


Moe by Modern Man (George Wurzbach)


Stuck in the 90s by Moxy Fruvous


Drunk Again, Naturally--parody of Gilbert O'Sullivan tune

Since about 6th grade I have played the piano. I took lessons from Glen Crocker, who apparently also gave lessons to the keyboardist in The Cars. (My only link to fame.) Piano playing was something I did in between getting beaten up by the bullies at school. As I came into my high school years, I realized that even if songwriting never made me famous, at least it would get the attention of the opposite sex. Well, it got their attention, but not much else. That's OK. The attention was enough for me.

Along the way I became interested in guitar and bass. I am an incompetent guitar player, but an OK bass player. I should have known then that four strings was my upper limit for the fretted instruments. However, I was 31 before I realized the joy of the 'ukulele.

In college, I attempted a music major, but there were so many other interesting things to learn, that I ended up switching majors to English. Although I always maintained my interest in piano, I lost faith and interest in music in general. Pop music seemed increasingly banal, and although Kurt Cobain was slightly better than the synth-pop I grew up with in the 80s (and wrote for years), I wondered what ever attracted me to the musical arts.

After college, a dear friend of mine, Terry Boyles, convinced me that redemption could occur through folk music--music played by the masses for the masses; not for popularity, but to tell a story and to communicate big ideas to folks in deceivingly simple ways. His encyclopedic knowledge of popular and folk music helped me to discover the likes of Warren Zevon, Richard Thompson, John Hiatt and others.

In July of 2004, I discovered the 'ukulele. The uke has renewed my interest in playing and performing music. I can now attack songs with a new instrument that is disarming, simple, and yet ironically complex. The uke has added a new dimension of creativity to my life, and that is why I feel committed to a community of people who perform live music--for the people, and by the people.

Now that I teach high school, I find that the uke can be a part of my daily life. The students enjoy the impromptu performances (some don't, though) and it relaxes and prepares them for work.

I'd love to play uke for a living and get paid for doing shows, but I am happy to do as I do--play for fun and entertain a short list of people for free, either here on the internet, or at local venues (the houses of friends).

I have decided to treat this page as a sort of blog. The subject of my first blog is coffee house etiquette. I know two things about the folks on this site. I'd guess first that most do not commit many or most of the faux-pas that follow. So in a sense, I am preaching to the choir. I am also preaching to the choir in another sense. Most everybody on this site is involved in a genre of music that automatically takes care of the "performance three" as I now call them:

1. Entertain the audience.
2. Do something different.
3. Own the song.

OK. We've heard enough Pearl-Jammy-Post-Nirvanna-faux-bluesy sing through the top of your throat two chord songs. Folk singers, I believe, would be a welcome sight at some open mic nights. Also, the lament-songs about girls we didn't get to sleep with because we're too wrapped up in ourselves just doesn't work anymore. This is the modern age. Think of something new. How about the perils of love? Or maybe just stay away from love altogether and write a song about your kitty.

Folk music, as a form of (often) ironic song-storytelling is a refreshing change. Real folk like folk music. It's funny and light, and even though nobody is going to get laid from calling the wind Mariah, at least people will enjoy the differenct pace.

Here are a couple of conduct faux-pas:
1. Don't stay on stage more than 10 minutes TOPS--cut your songs. It's rude to later performers to go long. Besides, they're just waiting for you to finish so they can perform.
2. Don't sing unless the entire audience is singing or the singer says to. The show isn't about just you, you know. We'll get to hear you when you're on stage.
3. Don't leave right after you perform. It's rude. What if everyone left right before you performed? What if we had a show and nobody came?
4. Turn off cell phones.
5. Finally, don't go outside (at least not within stageshot) and continue your "show". It's likely that people could barely sit through your numbers, let alone hearing a night of it.