MUSIC TO DO VOODOO TO

What we in the West call "Voodoo" is called "Vodoun" in its birthplace of Benin, West Africa. The rituals of this religion are always accompanied by music featuring multiple rhythms played on drums and other bits of percussion. In the 1970s a group of Beninese musicians swapped traditional Vodoun instruments for the electric guitar, psychedelic organ and funk bass. They became known as The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and they put out a heap of vinyl. Over intervening years, most of these records warped in the West African heat and were ruined. But thankfully the guys at Analog Africa have, during repeated visits to the record shops of Benin, hunted down some rare diamonds. They've since released a collection of this music entitled "The Vodoun Effect" 1972-1975 - Funk & Sato from Benin´s Obscure Labels. Have a listen.








THE VILENA POSE


There's a new kraze affecting Russian ladies interested in self-portraiture. It all started when Vilena - the shapely woman above - posted this photo of herself on a Russian social network. The pose proved popular and since then hundreds of copycat girls have assumed the position.



See more on English Russia.

CHRISTOPHER CROSS - "SAILING"



THING SPOTTED IN THE DESERT

A mysterious figure has been photographed in the deserts of Doha by an Arab lady who'd gone out for a stroll. Despite being terrified, she managed to take a photo of it. Upon raising the alarm, the lady was surrounded by a crowd who later verified her story. But when they tried to approach the creature, it scarpered sharpish ... via The Gulf Times

MASSIVE DEAD SNAKE



THE BABY BORN WITHOUT A BRAIN BLOG


My name is Myah. I'm 23 years old and a single mom to a very special little girl.

When I was 19 weeks pregnant, I was told that my baby had no brain. This condition is known as "anencephaly." I was told that my baby was only alive because she was attached to me, but that she couldn't survive on her own. The doctor said that I could continue the pregnancy safely, but that my baby would die shortly after being born...
* Read more about Faith Hope on her ma's blog

EAR WAX REMOVAL

Ahhhhhhhhhhh


Жанна Агузарова - Белые розы


Lyrics:
There's a warm behind the glass, but cruel morozy
This evening I'm moving very close to open the plant
You deep create in the winter time, but beautiful roses
And to get me inside of this cruel world, cold winter blizzard

The white roses, the white roses - shining in your eyes.
The white roses, the white roses - lovely lightingly light
People will take it to make much better holidays be for you
Counting on a few days of using, flowers disappeared.

They're celebrating life and life at angry disasters.
This evening I'm moving very close to open the plant
Do you want to be love me with your love, and my beautiful roses
Kiss kissing afront of all and all this ready to start

The white roses, the white roses - shining in your eyes.
The white roses, the white roses - lovely lightingly light
People will take it to make much better holidays be for you
Counting on a few days of using, flowers disappeared.


JACK THE RIPPER


Traditionally, Jack the Ripper is considered to have killed five women, all London prostitutes, during 1888. The Ripper generally killed by strangling his victims, then laying them down and cutting the arteries in their throats; this was followed by a varied process of mutilation, during which parts of the body were removed and kept. During the autumn and winter of 1888/89 a number of letters circulated among the police and newspapers, all claiming to be from the Whitechapel murderer; these include the ‘From Hell’ letter and one accompanied by part of a kidney. Ripperologists consider most, if not all, of the letters to be hoaxes. Over a century later Jack’s identity has never been wholly proven (there isn’t even a leading suspect), most aspects of the case are still debated and the Ripper is an infamous cultural bogeyman.

PIRATE TV ON THE WEB


Happily, I just found out that the people behind Trippin' Ballz make other shows which are as good if not better. Scrapple.TV are a Philadelphia production company that make unprocessed web TV. Highlights include The Good News Flower Hour (above), a weekly round-up of current events presented by Dave Easy.

Then there's Smut Cave, which explores the seamy underbelly of the internet...


and Breakfast At Sulimay's, a record reviews show hosted by elderly people sitting in a diner.



ALBERT COLLINS - HONEY HUSH



SIR DEADPAN DIES


Less than a week after blogging about how much I love Sir Clement Freud, the old bastard goes and dies on me. R.I.P.

CROSSROADS



THE BEST "SO BAD IT'S GOOD" THING EVER

Saying something is "So bad it's good" has become an upsetting cliche. But the bad/good description has never been more apt than in the case of singer/dancer Sara Carlson. Her performance on the Italian Saturday night show "AL PARADISE" is SO steeped in shit that you think it was handwoven from faeces, double-dipped in diarrhea, and finished in a fine layer of farts. Then you realise that you're actually watching the greatest exhibition of the human body in motion ever seen. There's such a fine line.




AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA


The appropriately named Awesome Tapes From Africa has just put out a mix titled Praises & Ballads, a selection of rare and magical music from Mali, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal. I don't have a clue what they're singing about, but the polyphonic synchopated harmonious vibes are  b l i s s  for the long weekend.

NEVER HAS A MAN WITH A MICROSCOPIC PENIS BEEN SO EASY TO SPOT YET SO HARD TO FIND

Despite being so un-well-endowed, he comes across as the world's biggest prick and I hate his everything - yet I am desperate to hear more. Does anyone know the name of the guy in the over-unbuttoned purple shirt? I need to be Facebook friends with him. 


THE MANY GUISES OF J-DAWG OUR SAVIOUR

Remember that power-packed painting of Jesus as a junkie? Well, Maya from My Little Apartment wrote in to say that she actually knows the artist and went to school with his son in Kentucky. She kindly enclosed a link to Stephen Sawyer's portfolio, which I'm happy to report is SEARING with Art 4 God and includes images of J.C. as a boxer, as a sailor, and as a cool dude bearing a tattoo. Here are my faves...







I CAN HEAL YOU THROUGH YOUR SCREEN

Just watching therapist Nelya Mikhailova will make you feel better. She can heal from distance through her supernatural ability to locate and cure toxic imbalances. As well as being able to see colour and radiate sun energy with her fingertips, Nelya can also blow "healing thought bubbles" that travel over time and space.


WEDDING PHOTO

This would be really romantic if it wasn't for that asshole ruining it.


SIR DEADPAN

Sir Clement Freud has made the same advancements in the field of deadpan comic delivery as his grandfather Sigmund did in the field of psychoanalysis.  Sir Clement was the UK's first celebrity chef and later an MP, but he's best known for being the funniest guy on the BBC Radio 4 quiz show, Just A Minute - which has had some pretty funny guys in the 40 years it's been on air. I'm currently  reading his autobiography and it's packed with edifying LOLz. I highly recommend anything this guy has ever touched.


INJECTING JESUS



KING OF RETARDS

This bragger looked familiar. 

Then I remembered. 

Is Mr "King Of Retards" the same person as Mr "I Am Serious Now"?




THE SEO RAPPER



KID CUDI - POKER FACE



KEEP DANCING TIGHT



ALL WE NEED TO FEED

Here's Minister Cleo Clariet and his fiancé Katherine Lane singing their "Breakfast Song" on local TV in Tupelo, Mississippi in May 2004. Unfortunately, Clariet passed away from heart disease in December of that same year. Lane said he would have been thrilled to know his song is now entertaining so many people.


STRIKE!



MIRANDA THE BEDROOM BANSHEE

At first I hated Miranda's homemade cover of Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)". I found her voice irritating - maddening even. But now, having had her idiosyncratic vocals echo around my unconscious for a few days, she has grown on me. It's like she's a mythical Siren or Banshee, beckoning me with her enchanting modulation. Or something.