At a signpost by the railway tracks, a tidy little banjo-picking monster is trying to find her way. She sets out on a journey and finds what she is looking for...in a rather surprising way.

It's under 90 seconds, so make sure you stick around for the dancing pie.

(Thanks wormpicker)

Yes, that's a bacon sandwich in that thought balloon.

For best viewing, click here and watch it in a larger format in HD.

Here's how it started:

By the late 1960s [Herb] Menke was nearing retirement age, but his entrepreneurial spirit still was strong. After eating at a restaurant called the Big Banjo in Washington state, he was so impressed he decided to build a similar place. Menke bought an open fruit market on Roosevelt Road for the Big Banjo mostly because he liked the property's walk-in cooler. For the sign he dropped off his own banjo at a shop with orders to keep the instrument for the week and create a giant lighted version as big as possible. Turley remembered the day the sign-makers dropped off the giant banjo on a flatbed.

It was a roaring success, due in large part to the sign. But then...

In 1970 Menke fell out of love with his Big Banjo concept. A customer who had been drinking at the restaurant and then went on to drink for several hours at another tavern died in an accident, causing Menke a crisis of conscience, Turley said. He also disapproved of the idea of his 20-something children staying at work until 1 a.m. and then continuing the party in Chicago. To the disappointment of both his children and many loyal customers, he shut the Big Banjo just three years after it opened.

It's "Lydia Williams Holding Her Banjo," from the National Library of New Zealand.

Sadly, the video ends just when it was getting good.

(via Bifurcated Rivets -- who KNEW I'd post this)

$78.99. Bottle not included.

Being a big fan of R. Crumb, both as an artist and as a musician (I love the Cheap Suit Serenaders), I've been really anxious to pick up a copy of his recently published take on the book of Genesis. I got it last night, and I'm really enjoying it.

This morning, partly because it's what I listen to, and partly because it's what R. Crumb listens to, I started thinking of old time tunes that relate to the book of Genesis.

A few people contributed, including myself. Then I had a clever brainstorm and posted a second comment:

And then there's one tune that summarizes the entire book: "Fly Around My Pretty Little Myth."

It's only funny if you're familiar with an old-time tune called "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss." In any case, nine minutes later, a moderator closed the thread.

The Banjo Hangout doesn't allow religious posts, unless they are pro-religion. As an example, take a look at this one, about a tune called Baptist Shout. The original poster asked about the origins of this tune. The first reply was:

I love this tune as well. Great melody line and as believers in CHRIST, theres alot to "shout" about concerning this new life and the one to come.

I made this reply, and was accused of being intolerant:

C'mon Rob. Save it for church. I come here for banjos, not religion.

The Banjo Hangout is a great forum, but they sure don't enforce the rules consistently.

If anyone is interested, here are the details (left to right):

• 1880 H.C. Dobson Silver Bell
• No-name banjo uke
• No-name 1890s banjo, spunover rim
• Chuck Lee 12" Prairieville Vintage
• Jason Burns #11, with Dobson tone ring
• No-name banjo uke
• John Bowlin 1865 fretless
• Gourd Banjo #1 from Bisbee Banjo Works
• Ramsey Special 12"
• Jeff Menzies 14" Gourd
• Doc's Banjos 12" custom
• Jason Romero 11" custom
• Old Whyte Laydie 11" / Lo Gordon Neck

Hello! What have we here? Why, it's a lovely angel playing a banjo!

I found the banjo image at Flickr. I wasn't able to locate it in the cathedral diagram.

I wrote a song for my dog, Wally - and I think it needs a music video. That's where you come in. Visit the group Wally On The Run to download the track, and make your own music video for a chance to win $1000.

So far,16 entries have been submitted, and you can view them.

(Thanks David)

Very easy, just taped the decal in position inside the head and placed a folded paper towel soaked with hot water on top for a minute. It's important to rub the back of the sheet covering the decal gently from center to side to press out any small air bubbles that might get caught between the head and the decal. The image shows through the head fairly well.

I have a banjo with a Ren head. I might try this.

I tried holding my fiddle like that, but it's really uncomfortable.

It's a Goldtone CC-OT. He also scored an instructional DVD, Dan Levenson's Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch.

Happy belated birthday, Andy. And have fun with that banjo. During the first few months, your hands will seem like they have a mind of their own. But stick with it, and it will become more fun every day. And I've heard that Levenson DVD really works.

So I picked him up at the airport around 10:30. We played some music, and finally got to sleep around 1:00 am. At 5:00 am, he gets a call and must be at the airport in 90 minutes to fly a plane to Las Vegas. So, half-asleep, I drove him back the airport.

Now I'm waiting for Brad to pick up this nice hand-crafted mountain banjo.

I think I'll need a nap today.

It's missing everything except the wood. Hopefully, it will end up in a museum.

According to people at the Banjo Hangout who know about these things, somebody got a good deal on it.

No wonder everyone wore suits back then. They were really cheap. And I think you got a free banjo uke or mandolin with every suit.

(Thanks Rachael)

Building a banjo like that is your next assignment, Bisbonian. Well, I guess you need to find a gourd first.

Here's his web site.