In 2017, Seb Skelly, a very talented 22 year old musician who lives in North London, performed an amazing multi-track, brass sextet cover of the much-covered song “Africa” by Toto using five different horns (the same horn was used twice.) Instruments used Left to Right: Trumpet | Solo Horn | Flugelhorn -2 octaves | Soprano…
David Gilmour of Pink Floyd Shares How He Creates His Brilliantly Distinctive Sound on a Guitar
In a wonderful clip from a BBC documentary, the legendary David Gilmour of Pink Floyd talks about his brilliantly distinctive sound that he creates on guitar. Widely known amongst musicians as “The David Gilmour Sound“, this particular technique has been copied thousands of times, but never perfectly replicated. It only takes one note to know…
How XOXO Became the Accepted Shorthand For the Affectionate Phrase of Hugs and Kisses
In a osculate episode of Today I Found Out, host Simon Whistler explains how XOXO became the accepted shorthand for the term hugs and kisses. While the the origins of the “O” in the formula are nebulous, the “X” is on far more solid ground. You’ve seen XO as a sign-off representing love, affection, or…
Why People Find Comfort in Lonely, Desolate Places
In a geographic episode of their wonderful animated series, the very perceptive School of Life explains why certain people eschew more populated places for more lonely, desolated locations in order to find a sense of comfort, happiness and peace within themselves. They posit that these empty places offer a person the necessary space for getting…
How an Effective Story Can Be Told in a Film Without the Main Character Undergoing a Life Changing Arc
In a cinematically defiant video essay, Sage Hyden of Just Write explains why, despite common teachings, a good story doesn’t have to require the main character undergoing a life-changing arc. Hyden backs it up with a number of popular films that prove the point including Gladiator, Star Wars, Inside Out, Back to the Future, The…
The Hard Driving Riffs That Make ‘Killing in the Name’ by Rage Against the Machine So Powerful
The very talented doodling music theorist 12tone braved the hard driving riffs of the anthemic Rage Against the Machine song “Killing In the Name” in order to explain the other techniques used to make the song as powerful as it is. He specifically points out how the use of guide tones, tempo changes, muted note…
Seth MacFarlane Hilariously Sings Cyndi Lauper Songs in ‘Family Guy’ Voices As He Sits Beside Her
While appearing on the wonderful Graham Norton Show in 2015 and seated next to the legendary Cyndi Lauper, actor, writer and comedian Seth MacFarlane hilariously covered a couple of Lauper’s greatest hits in the distinctive voices of the Family Guy characters Stewie and Peter Griffin. The songs McFarlane covered were “Time After Time” as Stewie…
A Tiny Island In the Gulf of Maine That Remains a Disputed Gray Zone Between the U.S. and Canada
We recently posted about the tiny country that once existed between the United States and Canada which was thought to be resolved in 1835 and ratified in 1842. Yet despite this deal, there is still a tiny island in the disputed waters of the Gulf of Maine called Machias Seal Island that remains an official…