"Men working on the river would move in time to the beat of the music. It was everywhere: on the street, in the church. In the tonks and barrelhouses where people went to be together. Like the beating of a big heart. It gave everyone a good feeling." The Cradle is Rocking is a delightful 12-minute film that, though somewhat damaged (Folkstreams has found what may be the only surviving print), is highly recommended viewing for anyone interested in American roots music: in this case, New Orleans jazz. The film's thoughtful and affable narrator is trumpeter George "Kid Sheik" Cola, who can be heard along with Captain John Handy serving up some fine old-school Dixieland jazz here and here.
posted by flapjax at midnite on Dec 9, 2009 - 13 comments

Meet Giuliano Stroe. At 5 years old, he broke a Guinness World Record for the fastest 10-meter hand walk with a weight ball between his legs. Opinions about weightlifting at an early age are mixed, to say the least. Either way, this kid must be a force to be reckoned with on the playground.
posted by DMan on Oct 26, 2009 - 46 comments

Tom Williams: Hired by Apple at 14. His full story? — not quite… What he doesn't mention in his monologue is that his current project is reminiscent of GiveWell, with similar origins in high finance. He responds. (via)
posted by blasdelf on Jul 7, 2009 - 45 comments

Meet Arlo Weiner, America's Most Stylish 8-Year-Old.
posted by miss lynnster on Mar 10, 2009 - 125 comments

Beepy, Fun, Cute - with flipflops.
posted by bigmusic on Sep 15, 2008 - 36 comments

Give it up for The Cramps and The Gun Club. Two of the greatest bands to come out of the late 1970s/early 1980s punk scene, they (wikis here and here) shared a few things in common: guitarist Kid Congo Powers as well as a penchant for re-invigorating the raucous, carnal, primal spirit of American popular music--i.e. early garage rock and rockabilly (what the Cramps dubbed "psychobilly") and blues. Start with this screamer from The Cramps, and this blistering classic from the GC's first LP. [more inside]
posted by ornate insect on May 5, 2008 - 48 comments

This must be the creepiest tv host ever (possibly NSFW). Perhaps it's a joke, perhaps the guy is sozzled? That is all. [more inside]
posted by krautland on Apr 23, 2008 - 105 comments

Kid Bailey was a Mississippi Delta bluesman blessed with the kind of slightly gravel-tinged voice that emanates authority. His recording career was a very short one, however, consisting of precisely one day, and yielding precisely two songs. Very little is known about Bailey himself, and the identity of the 2nd accompanying guitarist on his only known recording remains a mystery, though there has been some some speculation. I've been doing a little speculating myself, regarding some of Bailey's lyrics, and any of you blues linguists who might want to help fill in the blanks, please see the [more inside]. [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite on Feb 21, 2008 - 16 comments

Lilly - The world. Incredibly cute and quite amazing.
posted by Afreemind2007 on Dec 28, 2007 - 50 comments

Big Fish! 14 year old Bobby Capri Jr. catches a 52 pound striped bass in a kayak off the Atlantic City shore. But he's not the first kid to reel in a big fish. The adult world record for striped bass was also caught in New Jersey. So, who here has the best fish story?
posted by MsVader on Jun 30, 2004 - 20 comments

Step one: record an embarrassing video of yourself (WMV link). Step two: Let the video fall into the hands of the internet masses, and become the hero you've dreamed of(also WMV).
posted by malphigian on May 2, 2003 - 41 comments

A five-year-old kid from Minnesota has patented a way of swinging on a child's swing. More proof, if anyone needs it, that the government is veering from an institution of reason to an institution of control. At what point is a sufficient degree of absurdity reached that legitimacy is widely recognized to have been abandoned?
posted by rushmc on Apr 19, 2002 - 21 comments

Whatever happened to...
The Weblog of a Six Year Old. It was soo-o-o cute, and so precocious of a kid to practice typing on the Web, with parents' help, of course!
posted by rschram on Oct 13, 2000 - 1 comment

Training toddlers to compete. This reminds me of the Dilbert episode where Dogbert holds training sessions for toddlers. I know parents often want to realize themselves through their children, but aren't we going a bit overboard here?
posted by jedrek on Sep 5, 2000 - 4 comments