The waiting is over. The Magazine Publishers of America announced the winners of this year’s digital awards (I know – who did what to the what now?) and guess which Contributing Troubadour took second place in the Best Magazine Podcast category? I don’t know what’s up with this National Geographic “walking around” podcast that took first place, but I’m totally going to trip that guy with my walking stick if I see him.

This week I did an interview with one of Will Wright’s game designers, the guy who built the creature editors. You know, if you want to hear how awesome second place can sound…

Randy sends me this simply beautiful video for Baby Got Back – it’s Mix-a-Lot’s original MTV video speed-treated and time-warped so that he appears to be singing my version (must have taken forever). Even with the giant butt set piece, when you slow things down all the rump shaking takes on this really graceful quality that makes me cry.

A monkey. A monkey who is willing to upload all of my songs to the podsafe music networks. I consider all my stuff podsafe, but I just haven’t had the time to upload everything in the catalog. I’ve got an account and a few songs up at Podsafe Music Networks, but I know there are others out there. If there’s anybody out there who wants to work for me for free doing this (and who has all the music already) email me and you’ve got the job. Ha! “Job.”

You do not have to be an actual monkey.

Update: got one already. I love the internet. Thanks Muncher!

When I was playing at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco, I agreed to do an interview with Merlin Mann, the supergenius behind 43folders and 5ives and other things, for his new internet TV show The Merlin Show. Imagine my surprise when I showed up and there were two cameras, a couple of lav mics and a couch. It’s like a real TV show! Who knew?

We talked about Thing a Week, Hodgman, and my terrible inbox management skills, which I thought were pretty good until Merlin got his hands on me. As I say, I’m trying to get better, and so far his suggestions are totally working. He is a wizard (not literally).

I’m going to get better with email, I swear it. Stuff has really been piling up, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to resort to another episode of Quicklinks to get all these things about me out to you, the viewing public. If you sent me something and nothing happened, I’m sorry. But still:

Funny Music Project’s Rob Balder did this Skullcrusher Mountain parody song about a certain muppet scientist.

Mike sends this video for “See You All in Hell” – flashy.

Spiff marches into new territory by doing a video for a REMIX of Code Monkey from the remix contest. This is Speed Monkey, and he is very angry.

Len has posted a video of him creating a zombie image accompanied by a live version of Re: Your Brains. It’s instructive, but also kind of creepy for some reason.

Natalie sends this illustrated slideshow video for Skullcrusher Mountain (the acoustic version).

Denise’s 3-year-old sings Shop Vac. I am speechless.

This free game called Power Monkey uses Code Monkey somewhere in there. I know not where because I am on a Mac and can’t even play the damned game!

Jade sends in this sorta fan fiction thing about Skullcrusher Mountain – slashy.

Jen, of A Thousand Times No podcast put together this compilation of live stuff from a long-ago show I did in PA with Paul and Storm.

And finally, Len put me in his Wii, which sounds dirtier than it is.