 
By Eliot Van Buskirk
Back in the early days of the World Wide Web, people were flush with excitement about the Internet's ability to let anyone publish their content online. Ostensibly, this would lead to some sort of cultural revolution against the traditional forms of media. The hype was justified, to a certain extent--the blog phenomenon comes to mind as one of many examples.
Senior editor, CNET Reviews (10/02/02)
Earnest dissections of current events and serious accounts of peoples' lives have their immortal place in blogs and other personal Web pages, but in my opinion, some of the best stuff out there is incredibly goofy. (Mahir, I'm talking to you.) If the number of URLs that I've received since I've been online is any indication, most people really seem to like crazy Flash animations set to music. Like the mash-ups that I talked about back in April, these strange creations are a new populist art form, worthy of our respect and admiration. The people behind such sites are keeping the silly aspect of the Web alive, and for that we owe them a great debt. So this week, I've decided not to cover the debate currently raging in Washington about whether entertainment companies should have the right to delete our hard drives and sever our Internet connections if we're suspected of infringing copyright. That's not to say it's not important; if you want to stay informed, check out CNET News.com's excellent coverage of the proceedings. But as for me, I've had it--for the moment--with all the lobbyists, politicking, and analysis of corporate shenanigans. This week, I'm concentrating on the goofy, anarchic aspect of the Web that thankfully has not been a victim of the dot-com crash or the RIAA's war against online music. The following is a list of some of the funniest and most bizarre music/animation Web pages around. I hope that some of them are new to you. (Note: CNET assumes no responsibility for copyrighted material used without permission.)  Mother Goose Rocks This site is all about parody. It features Mother Goose rhymes performed by soundalike bands such as the Tallflowers, Lana Moreisless, the Nice Girls, and more. All of the tunes are actually really well done. After you click the Music tab, you'll be presented with a nice, cartoonish interface where you can download three songs or choose from among a number of streaming options. It's hilarious, if you're into the whole Weird Al thing. Punk kittens I love this site--courtesy of the excellent B3TA Collective newsletter--which features two kittens rocking really, really hard. The felines are playing The White Stripes' hit "Fell in Love With a Girl." To my ear, the White Stripes sound a bit like an indie update to Led Zeppelin, so it's fitting that the same site features a video of some different kittens singing the Zep's "Immigrant Song." It's priceless to hear the cats sing the line "We are your overlords." Compare prices on The White Stripes CDs and posters Compare prices on Led Zeppelin posters, CDs, videos, and calendars Dancing queen Barring developments too bizarre to envision, this might be your only chance to see Prince Charles fronting a Sex Pistols cover band backed by Prince William and the Queen Mother herself. The tune that they're performing is, of course, "God Save the Queen." You can even change the backgrounds and lighting (courtesy of the British MTV site). Compare prices on Sex Pistols posters, CDs, videos, books, and T-shirts Compare prices on books and videos about the Royal Family Eugene, the marvelous crooning child This kid is really creepy-looking, but he loves to sing cover versions of popular hits in his unique, flailing style. I can listen to one of these songs for only a few minutes before I can't take it anymore, but if you haven't seen this site before, take a look. I've never seen anything like it, but I guess that goes for most of the stuff in this column. Dictionaraoke.org You know how some online dictionaries have audio samples of word pronunciation? Well the geniuses behind this site decided to use those clips to make cover songs and have achieved bizarre-sounding results. As the site says, "The fun of karaoke meets the word power of the dictionary." Personally, I'm partial to the cover of The Beatles' "Martha My Dear." Compare prices on The Beatles action figures, wigs, posters, calendars, and videos Like, trippy, man If you missed the '60s, never fear--this groovy Web site will make you feel like you just hung out with Jefferson Airplane all weekend. Enough said. Compare prices on Jefferson Airplane CDs Jungle music and kung fu This is a nice, little animation with a humorous ending. It also has big jungle beats in the background. Weebl and Bob I love Weebl and Bob. The allure is a combination of their garbled pronunciation, strange timing, and overwhelming fixation with pie. Rumor has it that MTV has signed them on to do something or another, although the name will have to change to avoid infringing the infamous Weeble toys, which wobble but can't fall down. The animation has some decent beats in the background, too. Skeletons and Skeletor dancing to Cantonese version of "YMCA" The title above pretty much sums up this site--it's like Night of the Living Dead meets the Village People, as narrated by the enemy of He-Man. Compare prices on He-Man action figures, music, comic books, and camping accessories All your base This one is almost as old as the Mahir site, and you've probably seen it. But if not, get ready for one of the finest animations ever. The best part? Many of the graphics are real, from a Japanese video game that didn't have the benefit of a translator who was fluent in English. The tune is strangely catchy, too. Indeed, all our base are belong to them. MP3 Nugget: Randomize your MP3 collection
A hard drive full of MP3s is both a blessing and a curse; there's so much music that sometimes it's hard to figure out what you want to listen to. You could just hit shuffle in your music player, but I have a better idea. Download OneClickPlay. It takes a while to figure out the program, but once you do, you can launch instant playlists based on folders. Even better, the app will include any new content that has been downloaded into those folders; that way, you don't have to rebuild static playlists all the time in order to get fresh downloads included in your mix. Plus, any folder organization that you've done pays off since whole folders can be toggled in or out of the playlist.
 Download OneClickPlay
Senior Editor Eliot Van Buskirk covers portable audio and music-related issues for CNET Reviews. Have a question for him? Let him know!
  Downloads over subscriptionsAccording to a recent study, most people would rather pay for downloadable music online than subscribe to streamed content. Summary of Ipsos-Reid's study CD companies settle price-fixing suitThe conspiracy to inflate CD prices artificially has supposedly been solved, now that a federal judge has ordered the largest five music distributors to repay consumers $143 million. Salon.com's article  Artists' view of file sharingSome established recording artists think that it's OK to download music, but most would prefer that you continue to go to the record store. MusicUnited.org's artist page The Verve Web site: a true Internet storyIf you don't think that the Internet can work for recording artists, check out this interview with Nick McCabe, formerly of The Verve. Excellent Online's story The Onion spoofs lawsuit-happy RIAAAccording to the masterful satirists behind The Onion, the RIAA is suing radio stations for broadcasting copyrighted music. Brilliant. The Onion's article
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