In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for the process of photosynthesis. Leaves are typically flat (laminar) and thin, which evolved as a means to maximise the surface area directly exposed to light. Likewise, the internal organisation of leaves has evolved to maximise exposure of the photosynthetic organelles, the chloroplasts, to light and to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide, in a process called photosynthesis. Most leaves have stomata, which regulate carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water vapour exchange with the atmosphere. The shape and structure of leaves vary considerably depending on climate, primarily due to the availability of light and potential for water loss due to temperature and humidity. Leaves are also the primary site, in most plants, where transpiration and guttation take place. Leaves can also store food and water, and are modified in some plants for these purposes. The concentration of photosynthesis in leaves makes them rich in protein, minerals, and sugars. Because of their nutritional value, leaves are prominent in the diet of many animals, including humans as leaf vegetables. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves.

Many plants retain their leaves for long periods but other plants periodically shed all of their leaves. In areas where winters are cold, deciduous plants shed their leaves in autumn. In areas with a severe dry season, some plants may shed their leaves until the dry season ends.

Not all plants have true leaves. Bryophytes (i.e., mosses and liverworts) are non-vascular plants, and, although they have flattened, leaf-like structures that are rich in chlorophyll, these are not considered true leaves by all botanists, since they lack vascular tissue. Vascularised leaves first evolved following the Devonian period, when carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere dropped significantly. This occurred independently in two separate lineages of vascular plants: the microphylls of lycophytes and the euphylls ("true leaves") of ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Euphylls are also referred to as macrophylls or megaphylls ("large leaves").

Anatomy

Large scale features

A structurally complete leaf of an angiosperm consists of a petiole (leaf stalk), a lamina (leaf blade), and stipules (small structures located to either side of the base of the petiole). Not every species produces leaves with all of these structural components. In certain species, paired stipules are not obvious or are absent altogether. A petiole may be absent, or the blade may not be laminar (flattened). The tremendous variety shown in leaf structure (anatomy) from species to species is presented in detail below under morphology.

The petiole mechanically links the leaf to the plant and provides the route for transfer of water and sugars to and from the leaf. The lamina is typically the location of the majority of photosynthesis.

Medium scale features

Leaves are normally extensively vascularised and are typically covered by a dense network of xylem, which supply water for photosynthesis, and phloem, which remove the sugars produced by photosynthesis. Many leaves are covered in trichomes (small hairs) which have a diverse range of structures and functions.

Small-scale features

A leaf is a plant organ and is made up of a collection of tissues in a regular organisation. The major tissue systems present are: # The epidermis that covers the upper and lower surfaces # The mesophyll inside the leaf that is rich in chloroplasts (also called chlorenchyma) # The arrangement of veins (the vascular tissue)

These three tissue systems typically form a regular organisation at the cellular scale.

Major leaf tissues

Epidermis

The epidermis is the outer layer of cells covering the leaf. It forms the boundary separating the plant's inner cells from the external world. The epidermis serves several functions: protection against water loss by way of transpiration, regulation of gas exchange, secretion of metabolic compounds, and (in some species) absorption of water. Most leaves show dorsoventral anatomy: The upper (adaxial) and lower (abaxial) surfaces have somewhat different construction and may serve different functions.

The epidermis is usually transparent (epidermal cells lack chloroplasts) and coated on the outer side with a waxy cuticle that prevents water loss. The cuticle is in some cases thinner on the lower epidermis than on the upper epidermis, and is generally thicker on leaves from dry climates as compared with those from wet climates.

The epidermis tissue includes several differentiated cell types: epidermal cells, epidermal hair cells (trichomes) cells in the stomate complex; guard cells and subsidiary cells. The epidermal cells are the most numerous, largest, and least specialized and form the majority of the epidermis. These are typically more elongated in the leaves of monocots than in those of dicots.

The epidermis is covered with pores called ''stomata'', part of a stoma complex consisting of a pore surrounded on each side by chloroplast-containing guard cells, and two to four subsidiary cells that lack chloroplasts. Opening and closing of the stoma complex regulates the exchange of gases and water vapor between the outside air and the interior of the leaf and plays an important role in allowing photosynthesis without letting the leaf dry out. In a typical leaf, the stomata are more numerous over the abaxial (lower) epidermis than the adaxial (upper) epidermis and more numerous in plants from cooler climates.

Mesophyll

Most of the interior of the leaf between the upper and lower layers of epidermis is a ''parenchyma'' (ground tissue) or ''chlorenchyma'' tissue called the mesophyll (Greek for "middle leaf"). This assimilation tissue is the primary location of photosynthesis in the plant. The products of photosynthesis are called "assimilates".

In ferns and most flowering plants, the mesophyll is divided into two layers:

An upper palisade layer of tightly packed, vertically elongated cells, one to two cells thick, directly beneath the adaxial epidermis. Its cells contain many more chloroplasts than the spongy layer. These long cylindrical cells are regularly arranged in one to five rows. Cylindrical cells, with the ''chloroplasts'' close to the walls of the cell, can take optimal advantage of light. The slight separation of the cells provides maximum absorption of carbon dioxide. This separation must be minimal to afford capillary action for water distribution. In order to adapt to their different environment (such as sun or shade), plants had to adapt this structure to obtain optimal result. Sun leaves have a multi-layered palisade layer, while shade leaves or older leaves closer to the soil are single-layered.

Beneath the palisade layer is the spongy layer. The cells of the spongy layer are more rounded and not so tightly packed. There are large intercellular air spaces. These cells contain fewer chloroplasts than those of the palisade layer. The pores or ''stomata'' of the epidermis open into substomatal chambers, which are connected to the air spaces between the spongy layer cells.

These two different layers of the mesophyll are absent in many aquatic and marsh plants. Even an epidermis and a mesophyll may be lacking. Instead for their gaseous exchanges they use a homogeneous aerenchyma (thin-walled cells separated by large gas-filled spaces). Their stomata are situated at the upper surface.

Leaves are normally green in color, which comes from chlorophyll found in plastids in the chlorenchyma cells. Plants that lack chlorophyll cannot photosynthesize.

Veins

The veins are the vascular tissue of the leaf and are located in the spongy layer of the mesophyll. They are typical examples of pattern formation through ramification. The pattern of the veins is called venation.

The veins are made up of:

Xylem: tubes that bring water and minerals from the roots into the leaf.

Phloem: tubes that usually move sap, with dissolved sucrose, produced by photosynthesis in the leaf, out of the leaf.

The xylem typically lies on the adaxial side of the vascular bungle and the phloem typically lies on the abaxial side. Both are embedded in a dense parenchyma tissue, called the pith or sheath, which usually includes some structural collenchyma tissue.

Seasonal leaf loss

Leaves in temperate, boreal, and seasonally dry zones may be seasonally deciduous (falling off or dying for the inclement season). This mechanism to shed leaves is called abscission. After the leaf is shed, a leaf scar develops on the twig. In cold autumns, they sometimes change color, and turn yellow, bright-orange, or red, as various accessory pigments (carotenoids and xanthophylls) are revealed when the tree responds to cold and reduced sunlight by curtailing chlorophyll production. Red anthocyanin pigments are now thought to be produced in the leaf as it dies, possibly to mask the yellow hue left when the chlorophyll is lost - yellow leaves appear to attract herbivores such as aphids.

Morphology

External leaf characteristics (such as shape, margin, hairs, etc.) are important for identifying plant species, and botanists have developed a rich terminology for describing leaf characteristics. These structures are a part of what makes leaves determinant; they grow and achieve a specific pattern and shape, then stop. Other plant parts like stems or roots are non-determinant, and will usually continue to grow as long as they have the resources to do so.

Classification of leaves can occur through many different designative schema, and the type of leaf is usually characteristic of a species, although some species produce more than one type of leaf. The longest type of leaf is a leaf from palm trees, measuring at nine feet long. The terminology associated with the description of leaf morphology is presented, in illustrated form, at Wikibooks.

Basic types

Ferns have fronds

Conifer leaves are typically needle-, awl-, or scale-shaped

Angiosperm (flowering plant) leaves: the standard form includes stipules, a petiole, and a lamina

Lycophytes have microphyll leaves.

Sheath leaves (type found in most grasses)

Other specialized leaves (such as those of ''Nepenthes'')

Arrangement on the stem

Different terms are usually used to describe leaf placement (phyllotaxis):

Alternate — leaf attachments are singular at nodes, and leaves alternate direction, to a greater or lesser degree, along the stem.

Opposite — Two structures, one on each opposite side of the stem, typically leaves, branches, or flower parts. Leaf attachments are paired at each node; decussate if, as typical, each successive pair is rotated 90° progressing along the stem; or distichous if not rotated, but two-ranked (in the same geometric flat-plane).

Whorled — three or more leaves attach at each point or node on the stem. As with opposite leaves, successive whorls may or may not be decussate, rotated by half the angle between the leaves in the whorl (i.e., successive whorls of three rotated 60°, whorls of four rotated 45°, etc.). Opposite leaves may appear whorled near the tip of the stem.

Rosulate — leaves form a rosette

As a ''stem'' grows, leaves tend to appear arranged around the stem in a way that optimizes yield of light. In essence, leaves form a helix pattern centered around the stem, either clockwise or counterclockwise, with (depending upon the species) the same angle of divergence. There is a regularity in these angles and they follow the numbers in a Fibonacci sequence: 1/2, 2/3, 3/5, 5/8, 8/13, 13/21, 21/34, 34/55, 55/89. This series tends to a limit close to 360° x 34/89 = 137.52 or 137° 30', an angle known in mathematics as the golden angle. In the series, the numerator indicates the number of complete turns or "gyres" until a leaf arrives at the initial position. The denominator indicates the number of leaves in the arrangement. This can be demonstrated by the following:

alternate leaves have an angle of 180° (or 1/2)

120° (or 1/3) : three leaves in one circle

144° (or 2/5) : five leaves in two gyres

135° (or 3/8) : eight leaves in three gyres.

Divisions of the blade

Two basic forms of leaves can be described considering the way the blade (lamina) is divided. A simple leaf has an undivided blade. However, the leaf shape may be formed of lobes, but the gaps between lobes do not reach to the main vein. A compound leaf has a fully subdivided blade, each leaflet of the blade separated along a main or secondary vein. Because each leaflet can appear to be a simple leaf, it is important to recognize where the petiole occurs to identify a compound leaf. Compound leaves are a characteristic of some families of higher plants, such as the Fabaceae. The middle vein of a compound leaf or a frond, when it is present, is called a rachis.

''Palmately compound'' leaves have the leaflets radiating from the end of the petiole, like fingers off the palm of a hand, e.g. ''Cannabis'' (hemp) and ''Aesculus'' (buckeyes).

''Pinnately compound'' leaves have the leaflets arranged along the main or mid-vein.

*odd pinnate: with a terminal leaflet, e.g. ''Fraxinus'' (ash).

*even pinnate: lacking a terminal leaflet, e.g. ''Swietenia'' (mahogany).

''Bipinnately compound'' leaves are twice divided: the leaflets are arranged along a secondary vein that is one of several branching off the rachis. Each leaflet is called a "pinnule". The pinnules on one secondary vein are called "pinna"; e.g. ''Albizia'' (silk tree).

''trifoliate'' (or ''trifoliolate''): a pinnate leaf with just three leaflets, e.g. ''Trifolium'' (clover), ''Laburnum'' (laburnum).

''pinnatifid'': pinnately dissected to the central vein, but with the leaflets not entirely separate, e.g. ''Polypodium'', some ''Sorbus'' (whitebeams). In pinnately veined leaves the central vein in known as the ''midrib''.

Characteristics of the petiole

Petiolated leaves have a petiole (leaf stem). Sessile leaves do not: The blade attaches directly to the stem. In clasping or decurrent leaves, the blade partially or wholly surrounds the stem, often giving the impression that the shoot grows through the leaf. When this is the case, the leaves are called "perfoliate", such as in ''Claytonia perfoliata''. In peltate leaves, the petiole attaches to the blade inside from the blade margin.

In some ''Acacia'' species, such as the Koa Tree (''Acacia koa''), the petioles are expanded or broadened and function like leaf blades; these are called phyllodes. There may or may not be normal pinnate leaves at the tip of the phyllode.

A stipule, present on the leaves of many dicotyledons, is an appendage on each side at the base of the petiole resembling a small leaf. Stipules may be lasting and not be shed (a stipulate leaf, such as in roses and beans), or be shed as the leaf expands, leaving a stipule scar on the twig (an exstipulate leaf).

The situation, arrangement, and structure of the stipules is called the "stipulation".

*free

*adnate : fused to the petiole base

*ochreate : provided with ochrea, or sheath-formed stipules, e.g. rhubarb,

*encircling the petiole base

*interpetiolar : between the petioles of two opposite leaves.

*intrapetiolar : between the petiole and the subtending stem

Venation

There are two subtypes of venation, namely, ''craspedodromous'', where the major veins stretch up to the margin of the leaf, and ''camptodromous'', when major veins extend close to the margin, but bend before they intersect with the margin.

Feather-veined, reticulate (also called pinnate-netted, penniribbed, penninerved, or penniveined) — the veins arise pinnately from a single mid-vein and subdivide into veinlets. These, in turn, form a complicated network. This type of venation is typical for (but by no means limited to) dicotyledons.

Three main veins branch at the base of the lamina and run essentially parallel subsequently, as in ''Ceanothus''. A similar pattern (with 3-7 veins) is especially conspicuous in Melastomataceae.

Palmate-netted, palmate-veined, fan-veined; several main veins diverge from near the leaf base where the petiole attaches, and radiate toward the edge of the leaf, e.g. most ''Acer'' (maples).

Parallel-veined, parallel-ribbed, parallel-nerved, penniparallel — veins run parallel for the length of the leaf, from the base to the apex. Commissural veins (small veins) connect the major parallel veins. Typical for most monocotyledons, such as grasses.

Dichotomous — There are no dominant bundles, with the veins forking regularly by pairs; found in ''Ginkgo'' and some pteridophytes.

Note that, although it is the more complex pattern, branching veins appear to be plesiomorphic and in some form were present in ancient seed plants as long as 250 million years ago. A pseudo-reticulate venation that is actually a highly modified penniparallel one is an autapomorphy of some Melanthiaceae, which are monocots, e.g. ''Paris quadrifolia'' (True-lover's Knot).

Morphology changes within a single plant

Homoblasty - Characteristic in which a plant has small changes in leaf size, shape, and growth habit between juvenile and adult stages.

Heteroblasty - Characteristic in which a plant has marked changes in leaf size, shape, and growth habit between juvenile and adult stages.

Terminology

Shape

Edge (margin)

''ciliate:'' fringed with hairs

''crenate:'' wavy-toothed; dentate with rounded teeth, such as ''Fagus'' (beech)

''crenulate'' finely or shallowly crenate

''dentate:'' toothed, such as ''Castanea'' (chestnut)

* ''coarse-toothed:'' with large teeth

* ''glandular toothed:'' with teeth that bear glands.

''denticulate:'' finely toothed

''doubly toothed:'' each tooth bearing smaller teeth, such as ''Ulmus'' (elm)

''entire:'' even; with a smooth margin; without toothing

''lobate:'' indented, with the indentations not reaching to the center, such as many ''Quercus'' (oaks)

* ''palmately lobed:'' indented with the indentations reaching to the center, such as ''Humulus'' (hop).

''serrate:'' saw-toothed with asymmetrical teeth pointing forward, such as ''Urtica'' (nettle)

''serrulate:'' finely serrate

''sinuate:'' with deep, wave-like indentations; coarsely crenate, such as many ''Rumex'' (docks)

''spiny'' or ''pungent:'' with stiff, sharp points, such as some ''Ilex'' (hollies) and ''Cirsium'' (thistles).

Tip

''acuminate:'' long-pointed, prolonged into a narrow, tapering point in a concave manner.

''acute:'' ending in a sharp, but not prolonged point

''cuspidate:'' with a sharp, elongated, rigid tip; tipped with a cusp.

''emarginate:'' indented, with a shallow notch at the tip.

''mucronate:'' abruptly tipped with a small short point, as a continuation of the midrib; tipped with a mucro.

''mucronulate:'' mucronate, but with a smaller spine.

''obcordate:'' inversely heart-shaped, deeply notched at the top.

''obtuse:'' rounded or blunt

''truncate:'' ending abruptly with a flat end, that looks cut off.

Base

''acuminate:'' coming to a sharp, narrow, prolonged point.

''acute:'' coming to a sharp, but not prolonged point.

''auriculate:'' ear-shaped.

''cordate:'' heart-shaped with the notch towards the stalk.

''cuneate:'' wedge-shaped.

''hastate:'' shaped like an halberd and with the basal lobes pointing outward.

''oblique:'' slanting.

''reniform:'' kidney-shaped but rounder and broader than long.

''rounded:'' curving shape.

''sagittate:'' shaped like an arrowhead and with the acute basal lobes pointing downward.

''truncate:'' ending abruptly with a flat end, that looks cut off.

Surface

''farinose:'' bearing farina; mealy, covered with a waxy, whitish powder.

''glabrous:'' smooth, not hairy.

''glaucous:'' with a whitish bloom; covered with a very fine, bluish-white powder.

''glutinous:'' sticky, viscid.

''papillate'', or ''papillose:'' bearing papillae (minute, nipple-shaped protuberances).

''pubescent:'' covered with erect hairs (especially soft and short ones).

''punctate:'' marked with dots; dotted with depressions or with translucent glands or colored dots.

''rugose:'' deeply wrinkled; with veins clearly visible.

''scurfy:'' covered with tiny, broad scalelike particles.

''tuberculate:'' covered with tubercles; covered with warty prominences.

''verrucose:'' warted, with warty outgrowths.

''viscid'', or ''viscous:'' covered with thick, sticky secretions.

The leaf surface is also host to a large variety of microorganisms; in this context it is referred to as the phyllosphere.

Hairiness

"Hairs" on plants are properly called trichomes. Leaves can show several degrees of hairiness. The meaning of several of the following terms can overlap.

''arachnoid'', or ''arachnose:'' with many fine, entangled hairs giving a cobwebby appearance.

''barbellate:'' with finely barbed hairs (barbellae).

''bearded:'' with long, stiff hairs.

''bristly:'' with stiff hair-like prickles.

''canescent:'' hoary with dense grayish-white pubescence.

''ciliate:'' marginally fringed with short hairs (cilia).

''ciliolate:'' minutely ciliate.

''floccose:'' with flocks of soft, woolly hairs, which tend to rub off.

''glabrescent:'' losing hairs with age.

''glabrous:'' no hairs of any kind present.

''glandular:'' with a gland at the tip of the hair.

''hirsute:'' with rather rough or stiff hairs.

''hispid:'' with rigid, bristly hairs.

''hispidulous:'' minutely hispid.

''hoary:'' with a fine, close grayish-white pubescence.

''lanate'', or ''lanose:'' with woolly hairs.

''pilose:'' with soft, clearly separated hairs.

''puberulent'', or ''puberulous:'' with fine, minute hairs.

''pubescent:'' with soft, short and erect hairs.

''scabrous'', or ''scabrid:'' rough to the touch.

''sericeous:'' silky appearance through fine, straight and appressed (lying close and flat) hairs.

''silky:'' with adpressed, soft and straight pubescence.

''stellate'', or ''stelliform:'' with star-shaped hairs.

''strigose:'' with appressed, sharp, straight and stiff hairs.

''tomentose:'' densely pubescent with matted, soft white woolly hairs.

* ''cano-tomentose:'' between canescent and tomentose.

* ''felted-tomentose:'' woolly and matted with curly hairs.

''tomentulose:'' minutely or only slightly tomentose.

''villous:'' with long and soft hairs, usually curved.

''woolly:' with long, soft and tortuous or matted hairs.

Adaptations

In the course of evolution, leaves have adapted to different environments in the following ways:

A certain surface structure avoids moistening by rain and contamination (''See Lotus effect'').

Sliced leaves reduce wind resistance.

Hairs on the leaf surface trap humidity in dry climates and create a boundary layer reducing water loss.

Waxy leaf surfaces reduce water loss.

Large surface area provides large area for sunlight and shade for plant to minimize heating and reduce water loss.

In more or less opaque or buried in the soil leaves, translucent windows filter the light before the photosynthesis takes place at the inner leaf surfaces (e.g. ''Fenestraria'').

Succulent leaves store water and organic acids for use in CAM photosynthesis.

Aromatic oils, poisons or pheromones produced by leaf borne glands deter herbivores (e.g. eucalypts).

Inclusions of crystalline minerals deter herbivores (e.g. silica phytoliths in grasses, raphides in Araceae).

Petals attracts pollinators.

Spines protect the plants (''e.g.'' cacti).

Insect traps feed the plants directly (see carnivorous plants).

Bulbs store food and water (''e.g.'' onions).

Tendrils allow the plant to climb (''e.g.'' peas).

Bracts and pseudanthia (''false flowers'') replace normal flower structures when the true flowers are greatly reduced (''e.g.'' Spurges).

Interactions with other organisms

150px|thumb|Some [[insect|insects mimic leaves (''Kallima inachus'' shown)]]

Although not as nutritious as other organs such as fruit, leaves provide a food source for many organisms. Animals which eat leaves are known as folivores. The leaf is one of the most vital parts of the plant, and plants have evolved protection against folivores such as tannins, chemicals which hinder the digestion of proteins and have an unpleasant taste.

Some animals have cryptic adaptations to avoid their own predators. For example, some caterpillars will create a small home in the leaf by folding it over themselves, while other herbivores and their prey mimic the appearance of the leaf. Some insects, such as the katydid, take this even further, moving from side to side much like a leaf does in the wind.

Bibliography

''Leaves: The formation, charactistics and uses of hundred of leaves in all parts of the world'' by Ghillean Tolmie Prance. 324 photographic plates in black and white, and colour by Kjell B Sandved 256 pages

Footnotes

See also

Abscission – loss of leaves

Cladophyll – a leaf-like stem (synonym: phylloclade)

Evolution of leaves

Guttation – beads of fluid forming at leaf margins

Leaf area index

Leaf protein concentrate

Leaf Sensor – a device that measures the moisture level in plant leaves

Phylloclade – a leaf-like stem (synonym: cladophyll)

Vernation – sprouting of leaves, also the arrangement of leaves in the bud

External links

''VASCULAR PLANT SYSTEMATICS'' Section B. General Characters and Character States: Position and Arrangement

Science aid: Leaf Leaf structure and transpiration resource for teens.

Category:Photosynthesis Category:Plant physiology Category:Plant morphology Category:Plant anatomy

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name	Glen Hansard
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
born	April 21, 1970Ballymun, DublinIreland
instrument	Vocals, guitar, mandolin
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Actor
years active	1983–present
label	Plateau Records (Ireland)/Overcoat Recordings (International)Island Records
associated acts	The Frames, The Swell Season, Markéta Irglová
website	Official Frames site }}

Glen Hansard (born 21 April 1970 in Dublin, Ireland) is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season. He is also known for his acting, having appeared in the BAFTA winning film ''The Commitments'', as well as starring in the film ''Once''.

His song "Falling Slowly" from ''Once'', co-written with Markéta Irglová, won the Academy-Award for Best Original Song in 2007, and earned him ten other major nominations or awards between 2007 and 2008.

Career

Hansard quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local Dublin streets. He formed The Frames in 1990, and they've been staples of the Irish music scene ever since. Their first album, ''Another Love Song'', was released on Island Records in 1991, and their most recent, ''The Cost'', was released in 2006.

Hansard first came to international attention as guitar player Outspan Foster in the 1991 Alan Parker film ''The Commitments'', after attending the New York Film Academy School of Acting. He has often stated that he regretted taking the role, because he felt it distracted him from his music career.

In 2003, he presented the television programme ''Other Voices: Songs from a Room'', which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ. On 22 April 2006, he released his first album without The Frames, ''The Swell Season'', on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin and viola, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello. Hansard also spent part of 2006 in front of the cameras for a music-infused Irish film ''Once'', in which Hansard plays a Dublin busker, and Irglová an immigrant street vendor. The film had its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Festival's World Cinema Audience Award. During the promotional tour, he and Irglová began dating. Said Hansard about his relationship with Irglova: "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid". One of the songs they wrote together for the film ("Falling Slowly") won an Oscar for Best Song in February 2008. Hansard became the first Irish-born person to win in that category. Hansard and Irglová also recorded a version of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the film ''I'm Not There'' in 2007. In 2009, Hansard said that he and Irglova were no longer romantically linked, and that they are now "good friends".

Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also took part as a member of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, ''The Cake Sale''. In addition, Hansard has recorded a few cover songs, both alone and with band member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, for the Today FM discs ''Even Better than the Real Thing''. Songs that he has recorded include Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on ''Vol. 1'' and Britney Spears' "Everytime" on ''Vol. 2''.

Outside music, he appeared on a ''Simpsons'' episode as a street musician in Ireland. A new album of original songs recorded as The Swell Season with Markéta Irglová and entitled ''Strict Joy'' was released on October 27, 2009 on the ANTI- record label.

On August 14, 2009, Hansard sang "Amazing Grace" at the funeral of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In December 2009, Glen was joined by Bono, Damien Rice and other Irish musicians on Grafton Street in Dublin, to busk in aid of the Simon Community. In January 2010, Glen and fellow musician Mark Geary auctioned off a house concert on eBay in aid of Haitian relief after the catastrophic earthquake left the country in dire need of assistance. The pair would travel anywhere within a 2 hour drive of Dublin and play a private gig in the highest bidder's house. In the end the two musicians played for the highest bidder and a selection of other fans in a central Dublin cafe. The auction raised in the region of €6,000 (six thousand euro) for charity.

From June 15 to July 15, 2011, he will join Eddie Vedder on his upcoming American solo tour in support of Vedder's forthcoming solo album, ''Ukulele Songs.''

Hansard plays a Takamine acoustic guitar, which is named "The Horse".

Influences

Hansard has remarked about his musical influences: ''"In my house, when I was a kid, there was the holy trinity, which was Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan with Bob sitting center."'' Hansard and The Frames toured as the support act for Bob Dylan in Australia and New Zealand in August 2007 and Hansard often performs Van Morrison's songs in concert. Two such songs include "Into the Mystic", and "And the Healing Has Begun" which were included on the collector's edition of the soundtrack for the film ''Once''.

Awards and nominations

Awards

Academy Award 2008 Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture (Original Song) - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Critics' Choice Award 2008 Best Original Song - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award 2008 Best Original Score - for ''Once''

Nominations

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - ''Once''

Discography

The Frames

Albums

''Another Love Song'' (1991) (Out of production, though available for download from iTunes)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1995) (as The Frames DC)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1996)

''Dance the Devil'' (1999)

''For the Birds'' (2001)

''Breadcrumb Trail'' (2002) (live album)

''Set List'' (2003) (live album)

''Burn the Maps'' (2004)

''The Cost'' (2006)

Singles & EPs

"The Dancer" (1991)

"Masquerade" (1992)

''Turn On Your Record Player EP'' (1992)

''Picture of Love'' (1993)

''Angel at My Table'' (1994)

"Revelate" (1995)

"Monument" (1996)

''I am the Magic Hand'' (February 15, 1999)

''Pavement Tune'' (1999)

''Rent Day Blues EP'' (1999)

''Come On Up to the House'' (1999—Compilation featuring "Star Star" by The Frames)

''Lay Me Down'' (2001)

''Headlong'' (2002)

''The Roads Outgrown EP'' (2003)

"Fake" (September 12, 2003)

"Finally" (August 20, 2004)

"Sideways Down" (January 28, 2005)

"Happy" (Radio Single Only – 2005)

"Falling Slowly/No More I Love Yous" (September 1, 2006)

The Swell Season

''The Swell Season'' (2006)

''Once Soundtrack'' (2007)

''Strict Joy'' (2009)

Films and television

''The Commitments'' (1991)

''Once'' (2007)

See also

''The Stars Are Underground'' – 24-minute film documenting the underground music scene in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996

'''' - The Frames: It's Just A Band, a 56-minute documentary on The Frames, in 2005

References

External links

The Swell Season - Myspace

theswellseason.com

Lyrics at Irish Music Central

Excreting Songs - Glen Hansard in interview

Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish guitarists Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Irish songwriters Category:Irish buskers Category:People from County Dublin Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters

ar:جلين هانسارد cs:Glen Hansard de:Glen Hansard es:Glen Hansard fr:Glen Hansard ga:Glen Hansard it:Glen Hansard hu:Glen Hansard no:Glen Hansard pl:Glen Hansard pt:Glen Hansard ru:Хансард, Глен simple:Glen Hansard sv:Glen Hansard

alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	}}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B;, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album ''Thriller'' is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Bad'' (1987), ''Dangerous'' (1991), and ''HIStory'' (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe.

The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.

Move to Epic and ''Off the Wall'' (1975–81)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25'' (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." ''Thriller'' was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the ''Bad'' album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for ''Invincible'' were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona. ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). ''Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson Live: Best Pics – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

Category:1958 births Category:2009 deaths Category:African American dancers Category:African American male singers Category:African American record producers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American beatboxers Category:American businesspeople Category:American child singers Category:American choreographers Category:American dance musicians Category:American dancers Category:American disco musicians Category:American male singers Category:American boogie musicians Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rock singers Category:American soul singers Category:American tenors Category:American vegetarians Category:Boy sopranos Category:Brit Award winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Child pop musicians Category:Drug-related deaths in California Category:English-language singers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Expatriates in Bahrain Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Legend Award Michael Jackson Category:Manslaughter victims Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People acquitted of sex crimes Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:People from Santa Barbara County, California Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jackson Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Young Artist Award winners

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name	VV Brown
background	solo_singer
birth name	Vanessa Brown
born	October 24, 1983Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar, percussion
genre	Indie pop, dance-punk, soul, rock and roll
occupation	Singer, songwriter, model, producer
label	Universal Records, EMI
website	www.vvbrownus.com
notable instruments	One-String Acoustic Guitar }}

Vanessa Brown (born October 24, 1983), also known as VV Brown, is an English singer, songwriter, model, and producer signed to Universal Records in the United Kingdom and to EMI's Capitol Records in the United States. The ''Los Angeles Times'' and UK newspaper ''The Independent'' both named Brown an artist to watch in 2009/2010.

Early life and career

Vanessa Brown was born in Northampton, England. She is the eldest of six siblings; Her mother is Jamaican and her father is Puerto Rican. She attended Overstone Park School near Northampton, which her parents own and work at. Brown learned to play the piano, developed her vocals and took classical and jazz piano lessons at a musical arts school, which she attended on weekends.

Brown was given her name "VV" from her peers as an MC nickname when she attended her middle school. Her love for hip hop and artists such as J Dilla and Q-Tip still exist.

Brown studied violin at the age of 9 but gave it up because she found she was better at the piano and trumpet. She completed her grade 8 jazz trumpet at the age of 16 and went on to play in jazz bands up to the age of 21.

Growing up, VV listened to jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. Brown earned four "A" grade A-Levels, studying at Kingsthorpe Upper School (now Kingsthorpe Community College) a year early; she was offered places at five top UK universities to study law including Oxford, King's College London, LSE and York. She declined the offers to follow a career in music.

VV Brown was first offered a deal by Gut records when she was 14 but due to educational commitments she decided to finish her studies.

She was then offered a deal by Danny Simms, the manager and mogul associated with Bob Marley. Brown declined to finish her studies.

She joined a punk band at 15 and had the opportunity to tour Japan.

Subsequently, P. Diddy attempted to sign her to his record label Bad Boy Records.

At 18, Brown was invited to an open audition for VH1 divas by friends and was stopped outside the venue by an executive from London Records. Brown was offered a development deal by London records. The development soon came to an end and, at 19, Brown was offered a deal by Polydor records in the UK and A&M; records in the US. Her debut single was "Whipped".

She relocated to Los Angeles to work on her debut album ''Back To The Music''. Brown wrote most of the lyrics on the album. The hook for track "Nobody Loves Me" was written when Brown was 11. In preparation she performed at LA's Mint Club. A five track promo CD was released to executives but the album was then shelved. : "It was a very traumatic experience. I validated myself by my music, I was a small girl who didn't know who she was and all I had were these little piano demos. I kick myself for not taking enough control of the situation, I got swept away in the theatrics of the biz and Los angeles, but it taught me a huge lesson about owning what you do and following your instincts"

Brown moved back to London and began performing in bars and clubs around London. She was rediscovered by executive Darcus Beese and signed to Island Records.

''Traveling Like the Light'' was then recorded in 2007-2008.

On her Twitter account, Brown said that she has already finished her second album, but it won't come out until early 2012.

Touring

Brown played many festivals and gigs in 2008. Brown was invited by Damon Albarn to play African Express tour. She sang with Fela Kuti's son Femi. Brown toured with Ladyhawke and The Ting Tings. She has been confirmed for ''Camden Crawl'', The Great Escape, ''Evolution Music'', ''Camp Bestival'', ''Supersonic'', and ''Turning Point'' festivals while awaiting confirmation on several others. In March 2009 Brown played for the Teenage Cancer Trust event at the Royal Albert Hall. In June she played the Glastonbury Festival. Throughout the summer she played every major festival including Glastonbury, at which she was the only new artist to perform on the main stage. She states " it was a massive achievement in my life to do such a big stage at such a early point in my career."

VV Brown has also toured with The Script, Ida Maria and collaborated with artists such as Babyshambles, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Chipmunk, N-Dubz, Reverand And The Makers, Q-Tip and many more.

VV Brown did a sold out tour throughout the UK. She spoke of being overwhelmed about how many people sang the words so loud in the crowd to the point where the band could not be heard. She was pleased about the fact that a core fan base was being created and she looks forward to that fan base growing. Her most recent performance was during the Young Voices concert tour, in which she was a guest star; venues for the tour included the O2.

Brown was also one of the last bands to play at the legendary venue the Astroria in 2009.

In 2009 Brown performed with Grace Jones and Sly and Robbie for the Island 50th event at Shepherds Bush Empire. This was a showcase of new and old talent on the label.

Brown supported Swedish electronic band Little Dragon on the US leg of their tour in 2010. and was an opening act for P!nk in her upcoming UK leg of her summer Carnival Tour in 2010 .

VV Brown's 2009 tour was an electric mix of music, fashion and entertainment with covers like 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon and one of her opening acts is actually her sister Jay Brown and up and coming band The Stow.

VV Brown toured as an opening act for Maroon 5 in 2010; this was her most extensive North American tour yet. She also did a small sold out club headline tour in the states to capacities of 500 and towards the end of the year was invited to perform for the National Grammy Committee in Los Angeles California.

In 2010 Brown also performed at the America festival SXSW at the British Embassy as well as a secondary gig with AOL. The AOL performance was a great success and led to huge support from the AOL team throughout Browns career.

Brown was requested by Q tip to perform with him at the Jack Daniel event in Los Angeles June 2010 which led to a further writing collaboration and friendship.

VV Brown also embarked a French headline tour in November 2010 and created a video art show collaborating with young installation artists curated, created and project managed by an art company called Jotta.

Due to the success Brown had in France and the association with the French/Morocon market Brown went on to perform a sold out show in Morocco for 20,000 people. " I cant believe that Im in Morocco and they know Shark in the water, its surreal and I never thought that it would be a gig this big, we landed and expected a small venue, my management didnt fill me in, or I didnt read the email, so when we got here we was pretty scared, we prepared a 30 min set and had to stretch it out to 90 minutes.. we pulled it off I think? "

VV Brown has also been a part of many high-end corporate gigs such as Cartier, Private Jet companies, Phone Brands and Fashion houses.

Brown is currently preparing for her first show in the UK at the South Bank of whom she is performing with Annie Lennox, Paloma Faith and Kate Nash. Her 30 minute set will consist of a quartet, omnichord and a stripped down version of the album and a possible new song.

Musical style

Brown describes her sound as "Alternative Pop Music." "I have always been in love with pop music but love to experiment and alter it so it is translated it in different ways"

Fashion

The most distinctive aspect of Brown's style is her trademark retro fringe, nearly always rolled into a flattop with the rest of her hair left long but lately she has experimented with other styles moving away from her trademark look " Im excited about the second album because fashion wise its a chance to grow" .

In November 2008 VV Brown took part in the Naomi Campbell charity fashion show at which she catwalked with the likes of models such as Tyson Beckford and Daisy Lowe with many others. On 20 February 2009 Brown also modelled and performed at the Ashish fashion for London Fashion Week.

VV Brown has been confirmed as one of the new faces of Marks & Spencer, starring in adverts alongside Twiggy, Lisa Snowdon, Ana Beatriz Barros and Dannii Minogue Her contract has been renewed and has been confirmed as the face of Marks and spencers alongside Danni,Twiggy,Ana and Lisa in 2011.

"As a black woman I hope I can do whatever I can to contribute to Blackness being more commercialised. We have so many parts of the media that focus on one type of beauty and I hope my little contribution adds to this.

Brown, who stands at 5 ft 11 in, was signed to Next Model Management after a chance meeting with one of their agents on a transatlantic flight. On 27 January 2009 Brown did her first shoot for ''Vogue'' magazine which is in the April/May issue.

On 30 June 2009 Brown's online vintage clothing store, called www.vvvintage.com, went live.

Brown has been in several international magazines with numerous spreads such as ''ID'', ''Paper'', ''LOVE'', ''Elle'', ''Cosmopoliton'', American ''Vogue'', ''Teen Vogue'', British ''Vogue'' and more. She has worked with top photographers like Rankin and continues to experiment with her love of photography and fashion.

Charity

Brown has been involved in various charities such as The Teenage Cancer Trust, Oxfam, NSPCC, Animal Rights, Recycling Foundation and the Bottle Top campaign and has done various works contributing to poverty in Africa and Fair trade. She also made a video for Global Cool.

Brown has also been involved in the Rockcorps shows which allows teenagers to work for there community in aid for a ticket to see a concert. Brown took part in both the London Rockcorps shows and did work in Paris with French young teenagers with a following concert.

Television

November 2010, VV Brown was featured on the MTV series World of Jenks. The documentary series followed her as she tried to break into the U.S. music scene.

Her music has also been synched in several American TV shows and movies across America such as CSI, Sex In The City, Ugly Betty, The Back Up Plan, Lesbian Vampire Killers and several more.

VV Brown had her TV debut in the UK on Jools Holland in 2008 and also appeared on other T.V shows such as The Alan Carr Show, The album Chart Show, T4, GMTV.

She made her French TV debut on Taratata in 2009 of which the following day the album debut at number 1 on the digital chart. It led to other TV shows such as Le Grand Journal and other huge French TV shows which solidified a strong success for Brown in this territory.

VV Brown is currently in talks for doing a voice over for a huge French animation movie. " I am absolutley excited about this. This is something that has been on my tick list for quite sometime"

Brown landed 2 huge advertisement deal with the French bank "BNP" and a very reputable French furniture company, off which her song LEAVE was used for 2 years contributing to her general awareness and success in France.

Brown's American TV Debut happened on the Rachael Ray show leading to several other TV shows such as David Letterman, Carson Daily and The Ellen Degeneres Show. She also performed on the BET show Black Girls Rock in 2010 performing alongside artists like Keisha Cole, Jill Scott, Keri Hilson and Mary J Blige. " Brown states " I found this a great opputunity as a black women to be positive about other black women in music and the general black community"

In February 2011 Brown's song, "Travelling Like the Light", has currently been synched in the new BT advert in the UK as well as landing a huge 2 year synch deal on Canadian television for a car advertisement. Despite a lack of enormous awareness internationally Brown remains to have a consistent career in synch ability and has been used in many advertisements, films, fashion shows and art exhibitions.

The song, "L.O.V.E." is currently being used in commercials for Unilever's Best Foods/Hellmann's Mayonnaise in the United States.

Brown is also one of the women to represent Marks & Spencer clothing alongside Dannii Minogue and other various women. She has appeared in their latest TV advertisements.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions	EMI publishing has been a huge support to Brown's career. She was signed to EMI publishing at the age of 18 and has a 10 year career with them to date. Brown's dream is to eventually move from Pop music and go into Film scoring. Future Projects VV Brown is currently working on a 150 page graphic novel called ''The City of Abacus'' with David Allain. "The comic has taken a while and we originally wanted to release it as a collection of series but we felt by concentrating on the whole book we would have more time to make it amazing. Now that its nearly finished we can market the whole book as a body of work." Brown is also looking to make a documentary about the symbol of the car in Los Angeles. Brown has contributed vocals and possible songwriting credits for The Bottletop Band's Charity Album on a track titled "Voices". Brown also has hopes to experiment with music and visual arts and has spoken about putting on exhibitions in the future. In 2011 it was said in an interview by soul culture from grammy nominee Jazmine Sulivan that " Someone that I do love is VV Brown. When I first heard her, I was surprised as her voice was so rich, I wasn't expecting that to come out of her. It surprised me and the fist thing I thought was, 'Wow we would sound great together'. To have two rich voices on a track would sound cool. References [[Category:English female singers">Music recording sales certification
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2009		*First studio album	*Released: 13 July 2009	*Label: [[Island Records	30	16	50
2012		*Second studio album	*Released: Early 2012	*Label: [[Island Records

Songwriting Credits

Brown has also been involved in writing songs for and with other artists such as UK band "The Sugababes". She wrote the song "Denial" and "No Can Do". She is also a writer on the Pussy Cat Doll record, writing the song "I Don't Need A Man" and was a main backing vocalist on the whole PCD record in 2007. She has many other writing projects that she has been involved in and Brown continues to write songs for other artists whilst being published by EMI publishing through president Guy Moot and Fran Malyan.

EMI publishing has been a huge support to Brown's career. She was signed to EMI publishing at the age of 18 and has a 10 year career with them to date.

Brown's dream is to eventually move from Pop music and go into Film scoring.

Future Projects

VV Brown is currently working on a 150 page graphic novel called ''The City of Abacus'' with David Allain. "The comic has taken a while and we originally wanted to release it as a collection of series but we felt by concentrating on the whole book we would have more time to make it amazing. Now that its nearly finished we can market the whole book as a body of work."

Brown is also looking to make a documentary about the symbol of the car in Los Angeles.

Brown has contributed vocals and possible songwriting credits for The Bottletop Band's Charity Album on a track titled "Voices".

Brown also has hopes to experiment with music and visual arts and has spoken about putting on exhibitions in the future.

In 2011 it was said in an interview by soul culture from grammy nominee Jazmine Sulivan that " Someone that I do love is VV Brown. When I first heard her, I was surprised as her voice was so rich, I wasn't expecting that to come out of her. It surprised me and the fist thing I thought was, 'Wow we would sound great together'. To have two rich voices on a track would sound cool.

References

[[Category:English female singers Category:British singers Category:Black British musicians Category:English people of American descent Category:English people of Jamaican descent Category:English people of French descent Category:Living people Category:1983 births Category:People educated at Overstone Park School

de:VV Brown fr:V.V. Brown pt:VV Brown fi:VV Brown

show name	Salad Fingers
genre	Psychological horrorDark humor
format	Flash cartoon
creator	David FirthChristian Pickup
developer	David Firth
writer	David FirthChristian Pickup (co-writer)Jimi Mwng (co-writer)
director	David Firth
voices	David Firth
composer	Boards of CanadaBrian EnoAphex TwinChris GladwinLustmordKris Kadwell
country	United Kingdom
language	English
num seasons	1
num episodes	9
executive producer	David Firth
runtime	1-9 minutes
company	Fat-Pie.com
channel	Newgrounds
first aired	July 1, 2004
website	http://www.fat-pie.com }}

''Salad Fingers'' is a post-apocalyptic psychological horror Flash cartoon series originally created by British cartoonist David Firth in July 2004 which gained rapid internet popularity in 2005. The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' ranked it in the "Top 10" pop culture phenomena for that year.

The cartoon revolves around the eponymous Salad Fingers (Ryan Ross), a thin, green, mentally troubled man who inhabits a desolate world. Already a well-known Flash animation series available on the internet, Salad Fingers premiered in Australia at the 2007 Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre. The first seven episodes were shown back to back, along with a variety of other animated short films, during the "Re-Animation" session.

Music

The eerie music featured in the background is the tune "Beware the Friendly Stranger" by Boards of Canada. The dark music in the soundtrack that appears when Salad Fingers is scared is actually Firth playing the guitar, slowed down and reversed. Other music included in Salad Fingers episodes includes work credited to Brian Eno, Sigur Rós, Aphex Twin and Lustmord. David Firth frequently inserts references to Aphex Twin in his flash cartoons; for example, the Aphex Twin logo can be found on the telephone in Salad Fingers episode five. Firth has also cited the works of David Lynch, ''South Park'', Tim Burton, ''The League of Gentlemen'', and Chris Morris as sources of inspiration.

Characters

; Salad Fingers : The main character is a bald hunchbacked humanoid with light-green skin, and no visible nose or ears, who speaks with a Northern English accent. His long, strangely-shaped fingers are his most notable feature. They were the focus of the first episode of the series, where Salad Fingers is shown getting pleasure from rubbing various objects, particularly rusty metallic ones such as spoons, taps and a kettle. Salad Fingers is unable or purposefully unwilling to distinguish between living beings and inanimate objects, and is frequently found talking to various inert articles (notably his finger puppets and in two cases a human corpse). Furthermore, he often assigns such objects proper names and appears to believe that they can communicate with him directly, sometimes voicing their perceived thoughts himself. He lives alone in a small shack (containing, among other things, an oven, bedroom, safety cupboard, radio, phone, and table) with the number 22 on the door. Salad Fingers appears to be somewhat masochistic, as he can be seen taking pleasure from impaling his finger on a hook or stepping onto a beartrap. His talents include playing the flute and speaking French. He also seems able to use Morse Code, as shown in episode nine. It is implied that the desolate world Salad Fingers inhabits is the aftermath of the "Great War", a conflict which is referenced several times in the more recent episodes that may have destroyed the world and the stability of his mind. Interestingly enough, he is quite articulate, however he often spouts peculiar English sayings and phrases in situations where they do not fit.

:Salad Fingers takes up various habits, including a regular measurement of the distance between his house and a tree, tasting of the dirt ("floor-sugar"), and listening to his radio. Sometimes he also displays a raspy asthmatic-like breathing when he becomes mesmerized at something or experiences extreme pleasure. The name "Salad Fingers" was invented by Firth's co-writer, Christian 'Crust' Pickup, who described Firth as having salad fingers while playing the guitar.

; Hubert Cumberdale, Marjory Stewart-Baxter, and Jeremy Fisher : Finger puppets who appear variously in episodes two, three, five, six, seven, eight and nine. They often appear in Salad Fingers' fantasies as life sized beings. Jeremy Fisher is thought to be named after the Beatrix Potter book The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. In episode 2, Salad Fingers tastes these puppets, claiming Hubert Cumberdale tastes like "soot and poo" and Marjory Stewart-Baxter tastes like "sunshine dust". Jeremy Fisher is not tasted, which is revisited in a later episode. Salad Fingers has also referred to Jeremy Fisher as having been out fighting "The Great War". In episode five, Hubert Cumberdale is temporarily renamed Barbara Logan-Price. In episode six, Salad Fingers eats Jeremy Fisher in a moment of forgetfulness, and the puppet has not appeared or been mentioned since, indicating that he was killed off. In episode eight, Salad Fingers calls Cumberdale a "dirty immigrant" after dropping him in a chamber pot. In episode nine, Salad Fingers talks to Stewart-Baxter as if she is his partner and the mother of their 'child', Yvonne. ; Harry/Milford Cubicle : Appearing in episode three, Cubicle is an aggressive, armless human-like being who wears an apron identifying him as being employed at a "BBQ". Though his nametag reads "Harry" and indicates that he is "Happy to help", Salad Fingers calls him Milford Cubicle. He bleeds to death after repeatedly banging his head on Salad Fingers' door. Salad Fingers then finds him and drags him inside his house and hangs him on a meat hook, believing him to be alive and conscious. ; Bordois : Appearing in episode four, Bordois is a pill bug which Salad Fingers accidentally kills by attempting to pet her. He refers to this bug as "little sister". Once he squishes her, he says "You've gone flat, little sister. And you're all gooey. I shan't play with you again until you've had a wash." ; Aunty Bainbridge : Appearing in episode one and episode nine, is a yellow bug-eyed creature who owns many rusty objects (which Salad Fingers strokes) and a small house. While Salad Fingers calls it Aunty Bainbridge in the ninth episode, he also calls it a "young child" in the first, intimating that he does not, in fact, know it at all. This is further evidenced when she backs away from Salad Fingers when he tries to hug her in the ninth episode. It is difficult to tell whether this is a person and what its gender is. ; Mable: Appearing in episode five, Mable is a scuffed, grubby, scarred young girl who goes to a picnic with Salad Fingers. She is the first character other than Salad Fingers who can communicate in English, and she is the first person other than Salad Fingers to actually speak— something that seems to shock and dismay Salad Fingers. When she sees Salad Fingers looking at her in dismay she says "What's wrong, Mr. Fingers? Do you not like my mouth-words?" While this is going on, she is seen with her eyes gouged out, although it seems unlikely Salad Fingers did this. ; Kenneth : A decomposing corpse found in a hole (one which was apparently dug up completely by Salad Fingers' finger puppet, Hubert Cumberdale) near Salad Fingers' house in episode seven; Salad Fingers claims that it is his younger brother, "back from the Great War," and invites him in for dinner before eventually putting him back while singing "We'll meet again". ;Roger : Appearing in episode eight, Roger is a broken radio that speaks in a robotic, aggressive manner (much like a Dalek) and scares Salad Fingers into the cupboard twice. Roger, according to Salad Fingers, must be given 'sustenance' (in the form of small brown pellets which appear to be beans or marbles). ;Horace Horsecollar : A toy horse with which Salad Fingers indulges his senses. ;Penny Pigtails : A character Salad Fingers' imagination created while hiding from Roger in the safety cupboard. She is nothing but Salad Fingers' hand 'walking' across the ledge. Salad Fingers imagines that she is denied raspberry jam by a market trader, who bases his actions on the grounds that her legs are "too long" and "made of cotton", which upsets him greatly. ;Mr. Branches: A tree 21 yards from the house. Salad Fingers measures this distance, and then comments to the tree that it's "barely shuffled an inch all week"—implying that it moves (or, at least, he perceives it to) and that he regularly keeps track of this measurement. In episode nine, Salad Fingers bites one of its branches, causing it to cry in pain (with Salad Fingers imagining it with a face). It begs Salad Fingers to be let inside in the voice of a young boy/young girl, but is told that it has to "grow out of [its] branches" first. Mr. Branches then proceeds to tightly wrap its branch around Salad Fingers' stomach - although, it is implied that this entire scene was a fantasy, and not reality. ;Yvonne : A black slimy object that Salad Fingers 'gives birth to' out of the front of his stomach in episode nine. It is implied that it is his long-awaited child, saying that he 'yearned for [the] day' it would arrive. He cradles it and reads it a poem, during which he names it "Baby Yvonne" and tells it that it has its mother's eyes, when in fact it has no human features at all. Unhappy with it, Salad Fingers decides to give it to Aunty Bainbridge, but ends up forgetting that it's his daughter. He then proceeds to clean Aunty Bainbridge's window, believing it to be a sponge.

Salad Fingers also ramblingly mentions he has an "old pal" named "Charlie" as well as a daughter, though neither of them are seen. It could be that neither of these characters are real, died in the supposed "Great War", or as they could be nothing more than the title character's delusions.

; Unnamed Characters :

A young, relatively normal looking child, wearing a varsity-type jacket whom Salad Fingers appears to have accidentally cooked in an oven in episode two.

A big-eyed, grotesque, small mutant creature who falls in love with Salad Fingers in episode four. This character was originally created by Jimi Hollis, who refers to it as the "bug-eyed kid". It uses a bear trap and a grubby tap to capture Salad Fingers, then cages him and proposes with a ring topped with a human molar.

Episodes

Each episode is 1–6 minutes long (with the exception of the ninth running for more than eight); the narratives themselves are quite oneiric, and each one only follows a semblance of a story.

Episode 1 - Spoons

Release date: July 1, 2004

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth and Christian "Crust" Pickup. Music by Boards of Canada (in particular, the song "Beware the Friendly Stranger").

This episode introduces us to Salad Fingers and his love of touching rusty spoons. He explains how touching any form of rust—including spoons, a door bell panel, and a kettle—stimulates him ("''The feeling of rust against my salad fingers is almost orgasmic''"), and that he holds a particular love of spoons. Salad Fingers walks to the house of a strange young boy to see if he has any rusty spoons; the child screeches two times, at which point Salad Fingers leaves, after asking to caress a rusty kettle that is on a table beside him.

Episode 2 - Friends

Release date: July 15, 2004

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth and Christian "Crust" Pickup. Music by Boards of Canada and David Firth.

Salad Fingers has a get-together with his "friends"—finger puppets—whom Salad Fingers introduces as Hubert Cumberdale, Marjory Stewart-Baxter and Jeremy Fisher. He appears to believe that his "friends" are real, living beings. Wondering what his friends taste like, he briefly inserts them into his mouth, exclaiming that Marjory Stewart-Baxter tastes like "sunshine dust", while Hubert Cumberdale tastes like "soot and poo". Salad Fingers then tells them that he has a fish cooking in the oven and speaks a nonsensical phrase in French: "Alors. Nabila. Comment t'appelles-tu? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?." This roughly translates to: "So. Nabila. What's your name? What's the matter?".

In the next scene, a frightened child responds to Salad Fingers's call for help. Salad Fingers cannot reach the fish cooking in his oven and asks the child to get it for him. As the child reaches into the oven, Salad Fingers sees a rusty nail jutting out of the wall and reaches to caress it, causing the oven door to close with the child still inside. Salad Fingers then impales his finger on the spike and begins bleeding, blissfully saying "I like it when the red water comes out."

Salad Fingers turns pale and passes out. Apparently dreaming, Salad Fingers walks through a large meat locker singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow to himself. While inside, he meets a full-size Hubert Cumberdale, who screams distorted electronic noises at him. When Salad Fingers awakens he sits in a pool of his own blood. The oven smokes as Salad Fingers states, "That fish smells about done," ignoring or forgetting the fact that it was the smoke from the "cooked alive" child that he'd forgotten about when 'dozing off'.

Episode 3 - Nettles

Release date: August 1, 2004

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth and Christian "Crust" Pickup. Music by Boards of Canada, Brian Eno and a yoga flute.

Salad Fingers is playing with nettles and has irritated blisters all over his hands. He then comes across an empty perambulator, which he calls a "nettle carrier" and then leaves with it. A deformed armless man wearing an apron labeled "BBQ" appears and chases after Salad Fingers, screaming and babbling unintelligibly. Salad Fingers is sitting on the floor at his home and brushing the nettle over his nipple (while appearing to have an orgasm), which makes him lactate, and says "It seems... Nettles... have made the milk... drop out... from inside my teat!", when the armless man runs to Salad Fingers' house and begins to bang his head on the door. Salad Fingers daydreams of "happy times" (in which he and a life-sized version of the Hubert Cumberdale puppet are getting hair-dried). Eventually, Salad Fingers comes outside and finds the man dead on the floor, his head bloodied. He names the man "Milford Cubicle", despite the man's name tag reading "Harry". Believing that the man is alive, Salad Fingers drags "Milford" inside and hangs him on a meat hook on the wall. Salad fingers then plays the flute, and offers "Milford" a "warm glass of milk", which presumably is the milk that came out of his teat when he milked himself using the nettles.

Episode 4 - Cage

Release date: August 20, 2004

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth, Christian "Crust" Pickup, and Jimi Mwng. Additional character design by Jimi Mwng. Music by Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin and David Firth.

Salad Fingers wears a beret and declares that he is going to try and find France. However, he is frightened by a mutated boy with disproportionately large eyeballs that has been "watching him for a while". Salad Fingers becomes uncomfortable with the child's proximity and begins to leave. The boy, who speaks only in growls and grunts, approaches Salad Fingers, having apparently fallen in love with him. Salad Fingers holds out his hand to stop the boy coming closer, but the boy licks his hand, much to Salad Fingers' disgust. Inside his house, Salad Fingers sees a gray woodlouse coming out from a hole in the wall. He addresses the bug as "Bordois" and his "little sister." After asking what "she" has been collecting, he acts as though the bug gives him a response. Salad Fingers announces his enjoyment in the bug's body and goes to touch it, accidentally crushing it and looking at it in curiosity which turns to disgust. He then says to Bordois that she's "gone flat" and become "all gooey", and that he "shan't play with [her] again, until [she's] had a wash." Salad Fingers then hears a knock on the door, which he opens to find a "grubby tap" attached to a string on the ground. Salad Fingers becomes excited about this "gift" and begins to fantasize about taps. He attempts to fetch it, but it is drawn away on the string as bait. He is caught in a bear trap which causes him to lose blood and consciousness while savoring the desanguination blissfully. He wakes up in a cage, and enjoys rubbing the rusted bars. The grotesque boy approaches the cage and holds out a ring (on which is mounted a human tooth) as if proposing marriage. Salad Fingers becomes distraught, states "I don't like this game" and announces that he is "going home now". This angers the boy, who makes an unintelligible noise that sounds like "You're my own now." A rope appears, hanging down from the ceiling, which Salad Fingers pulls to draw down a curtain. When the curtain lifts, the boy, seeing that Salad Fingers has disappeared, begins to cry. The episode closes with Salad Fingers, wearing his beret, flying away gleefully on a giant tap, presumably to France.

Episode 5 - Picnic

Release date: November 25, 2004

Credits: Designed, animated, voiced and written by David Firth. Additional writing and the voice of Mable by Christian "Crust" Pickup (who also plays MC Devvo). Music by Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin and David Firth.

Salad Fingers talks to an apparently broken and disconnected phone, asking the operator to connect him to his "old pal Charlie" so he can invite him to a picnic, but only garbled noises are heard. Whilst describing the picnic fare, Salad Fingers rubs his stomach in hunger, then claims to have been rudely disconnected. Hubert Cumberdale is on one of the fingers on Salad Fingers' other hand, but he seems dismayed to see him. Instead of referring to him as Hubert, he calls him "Barbara Logan-Price", and gives him a "friend-hat", which is a miniature captain's hat.

In the next scene, Salad Fingers wears a bridal train and talks to himself in a mirror, declaring "You look so beautiful". He then goes outside for his picnic, which is attended by a strange crow (which appears in other David Firth cartoons) that makes garbled noises and a little girl with scars on her face, a filthy, stained pink dress and orange hair. Salad Fingers asks the orange-haired girl a question and answers it for her (as he seems to think that only he can speak), ending with "replied Mable". Salad Fingers calls her his new playmate and compliments her on her dress, and as he does this, Marjory Stewart-Baxter is seen in the window, jealous. Salad Fingers offers "Mable" some "Pease Pudding", which he feeds to her with a dirty, rusty spoon. The crow then swoops down and steals Salad Fingers's spoon.

The little girl giggles and says that the crow must like spoons too. The shock of the girl speaking to him in English and not via Salad Finger's own voice (or the screeches his puppets and/or other living things made) drives Salad Fingers to temporary insanity, hallucinating, hearing screeching, distorted noises, and seeing the girl (complete with empty eye sockets) saying, "What's wrong, Mr. Fingers? Do you not like my mouth-words? Naughty mouth!"

Numerous fans believe the little girl to be Salad Fingers' daughter from before whatever calamity ravaged the land, however, there is no proof throughout the series to prove or disprove this theory.

The Aphex Twin Symbol Appears on his phone in this episode

Episode 6 - Present

Release date: July 24, 2005

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth and Christian "Crust" Pickup. Music by Boards of Canada, Chris Gladwin and David Firth.

The episode begins with Salad Fingers walking about his house. He sees Hubert Cumberdale on top of a cupboard, and instructs the finger puppet to come down at once. Hubert turns into a black, viscous, and apparently caustic fluid and oozes down the cupboard. A silhouette is then seen walking through the house and Salad Fingers asks if somebody is there; it is, in fact, the Jeremy Fisher puppet on his finger. Salad Fingers remarks that he thought Jeremy was out "fighting the Great War". Jeremy Fisher/Salad Fingers responds in garbled gibberish which Fingers can't understand, musing that Fisher seems "to have adopted a strange dialect."

Another perspective shot shows Jeremy Fisher (now with arms) handing Salad Fingers a toy horse. Salad Fingers is pleased with the present, and remarks on the pleasing texture. He then eats Jeremy Fisher and immediately forgets, wondering "Where have you gotten to?" He begins to play with the toy horse while making "neigh" sounds, walks outside with it, and goes to an abandoned toilet with which he initiates a conversation. Suddenly, the mood changes and the music becomes sinister; he grows concerned and he begins defending himself, saying "You've got the wrong bloke, squire." He then flushes the toilet to "wash those bad thoughts away".

Upon arriving home, Salad Fingers gasps and sees himself sitting inside. The Salad Fingers inside appears to be hallucinating, seeing the "outside" Salad Fingers as a life-size Jeremy Fisher. The "inside" Salad Fingers speaks in a slightly different voice and also has rougher text showing what he is saying. The conversation starts off just like the earlier one with Jeremy Fisher, but goes on to include accusations that Jeremy Fisher has been "tailgating [his] daughter with aspirations of deflowering her rose". This appears to be the other "side" of the conversation Salad Fingers had into the toilet.

The inside Salad Fingers is now seen with the Jeremy Fisher finger puppet. Fisher never responds verbally, but at one point unfastens a clasp over his mouth from which green ooze bubbles and drips to the floor. Salad Fingers caresses Fisher's hair and remarks that he never did "sample the delights of your flavor", a reference to when he tasted his other two "friends" Hubert Cumberdale and Marjory Stewart-Baxter in episode two. He begins putting the finger-puppet in his mouth, but the scene quickly changes to a bloody scene of the "inside" Salad Fingers eating the "outside" Salad Fingers' head/brains, suggesting that Salad Fingers is actually experiencing the personalities he invents. The episode ends with an external shot of the house panning back to reveal the toilet.

Episode 7 - Shore Leave

Release date: January 28, 2006

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth, Christian Pickup and Jimi Mwng. Music by Boards of Canada, Chris Gladwin and Brian Eno.

As Salad Fingers is digging holes outside with his finger puppets, occasionally tasting the sand (which he calls "floor sugar"), he finds the decomposing torso of an old corpse. Salad Fingers immediately "recognizes" the cadaver as "Kenneth," his "younger brother" who is back from the previously mentioned "Great War" on shore leave. Salad Fingers pulls the gruesome, dismembered corpse out of the hole, saying it was rude of him to leave for "the Great War" without him, but promises to draw him a hot bath.

The next scene shows Salad Fingers turning a cog which pulls a clothesline, drawing Kenneth out of a wardrobe, now dressed in a white dinner jacket. He starts to talk about life with the women of the great war. Salad Fingers has prepared a dinner of sand for his guest, saying "I—hope you like... ''SAND''". At one point Kenneth slumps forward, prompting Salad Fingers to suppose that he's sleepy and props Kenneth up by inserting a "wooden dent-rail" into his empty socket. Salad Fingers tells Kenneth of his life, keeping busy with "every shift I can... [and] sing[ing] at all the functions". There is a flashback in which Salad Fingers measures the distance from his door to a tree named "Mr. Branches" with a clickwheel and subsequently teases it for its slow movement.

It is now evening, and Salad Fingers is with Kenneth outside near the same hole he found him in. He cries over the fact that Kenneth has to go "back to the ghastly trenches". He salutes Kenneth and sings "We'll Meet Again" for him, after exclaiming, somewhat futilely, "I only ask that our creator return you unspoilt from the cruel hand of war". He then kicks Kenneth back into the hole. A dream-like sequence follows in which Salad Fingers sings the same song, in a white dress, on a stage in front of an audience of a theatre. After singing a few strains, he complains to the pianist - who is shown as the silhouette of a marionette, with strings attached - that the key is wrong, walks off the stage, and the screen fades to black.

In this episode Salad Fingers mentions the Scottish town of Cowdenbeath, indicating he is aware of real-life places.

Episode 8 - Cupboard

Release date: September 22, 2007

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth and Christian "Crust" Pickup. Music by Boards of Canada, Lustmord and dyzv0r

Salad Fingers is sitting in his armchair, trying to tune his radio which he calls "Roger." If he is lucky, Salad Fingers says he may chance upon a broadcast from "Croxley", which so happens to be a small town in Hertfordshire. "Croxleyheath" also occurs in Shore Leave. After feeding Roger his "sustenance" (which seems to be marbles, peas, rocks or beans), it begins to emit a strange, piercing frequency. A gurgling sound comes from Salad Fingers' own stomach, insinuating upset in reaction to the "unpleasant frequencies" coming from the radio. He decides to wait out the tormenting event in his "safety cupboard."

When in the cupboard, Salad Fingers begins to converse with his hands. One hand enacts "Penny Pigtails," the other a market vendor. The "market vendor" refuses to sell raspberry jam to "Penny Pigtails" on the grounds that her legs are "made of cotton" and "far too long" (an event that Salad Fingers finds most upsetting). After Salad Fingers cries for a bit, "Penny Pigtails" discovers a long strand of hair, which Salad Fingers rubs over his eyeball, apparently causing him great pleasure although it makes his eye red and inflamed. After emerging from the cupboard, he tapes the hair to a wall with four other hairs of assorted colours that he has collected. Salad Fingers speaks to the hairs, calling them "beautiple" and "a gay little quintette" Next, he goes to bed with the Hubert Cumberdale puppet. Before going to sleep, Salad Fingers sings "Three in the Bed," and instructs Hubert Cumberdale to "roll over"; as a result, the finger puppet is sent off the bed into a bowl of a filthy, brown substance (likely a chamberpot). Salad Fingers orders Hubert Cumberdale to "scrub that muck off at once!" as he doesn't want any "dirty immigrants" in his house.

Later that night, the radio begins to emit strange sounds again and wakes up Salad Fingers. Salad Fingers approaches it warily and threatens Roger with expulsion from the house. The radio replies it was rude of Salad to take his hair. The radio speaks in a static voice, instructing Salad Fingers to return its hair, as well as to tidy the house. Salad Fingers declares that he "shan't", on the grounds that it isn't "his turn" and that it is an extremely unpleasant job. The radio continues to torment him, causing him to eat all of the hairs from his quintet, tape and all, and return to his cupboard in tears.

Episode 9 - Letter

Release date: May 26, 2011

Credits: Drawn, animated and voiced by David Firth. Written by David Firth. Music by Markus Fjellström.

Salad Fingers is holding a piece of torn newspaper, imagining it is a letter from the Great War (presumably from his "brother") and reading it aloud to himself. As he reads, a tentacle-like branch snakes in through the door to Salad Fingers' bedroom. Salad Fingers picks up the branch and bites off the tip, resulting in something sobbing "Daddy, that really hurt!" off-screen. Salad Fingers goes to the window and sees the branch-tentacle being retracted into the tree outside. He walks out to the tree, calling it "Mr. Branches" and has a conversation with it about its injury, apparently forgetting it was he himself that bit it. The tree cries, calling Salad Fingers "Daddy" and asking to be let inside, but Salad Fingers refuses until it "grows out of those branches". The tree wraps a branch around Salad Fingers' waist.

Salad Fingers wakes up in his room, very pale and his stomach growling. Salad Fingers worries that he may be dying and taps out an S.O.S. on the metal fire grate beside him. Suddenly a strange gooey black mass bursts out of his stomach, causing him to pass out.

When he wakes up, he is overjoyed, and believes he has given birth to a daughter whom he names Yvonne. Sitting in a wheelchair and appearing to feel better despite his wound, he pulls back the skin of one finger revealing a strange solid tip and dips it in ink to write a "letter" consisting only of scribbles, saying he cannot attend the Great War as he is still feeling "under the weather". He keeps Yvonne (which appears to be a bundle of newspapers) down in a pit and tells her off for not doing her exercises.

The scene then switches back to Salad Fingers lying on the floor, pale, with his stomach still wounded, and seems to be pumping air into his chest, suggesting that he's relapsed into illness. He tells Yvonne he may be too ill to care for her and speaks for her as he usually does for his other inanimate characters, saying "That's a shame; you were doing a first-rate job". He then taps another message on the fire grate, requesting a home for "a meddlesome child".

Salad Fingers is then outside in his wheelchair with Yvonne in a bucket, telling her that "good old Aunty Bainbridge" has agreed to look after her. He arrives at the house from episode 1, where the small, yellow-skinned human-like creature with big eyes lives. Salad Fingers refers to the creature as "Aunty Bainbridge" and asks for a hug, but the creature takes a step back and makes an odd wailing noise. Salad Fingers recalls some memories of Aunty Bainbridge "all in faded days".

Salad Fingers then appears to forget his reason for visiting, and, noticing the bucket of black ooze on his lap, claims he has come to clean the windows. Using the bundle/Yvonne, he smears the windows with black ooze as the yellow creature looks on. Job done, Salad Fingers begins to eat a sandwich, implying that that was the object wrapped up in the newspaper and black ooze.

See also

Newgrounds

David Firth

Men from Up the Stairs

Adobe Flash

References

External links

Category:Lists of flash cartoon episodes Category:Flash cartoons Category:Animated characters Category:Animated internet series Category:Surrealist works Category:Internet memes Category:Black comedy Category:Fictional English people Category:Dystopian fiction Category:Fictional wars

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