As you may have noticed, the ukulele has become a pretty hip little instrument these days. Phosphorescent plays one on his new album of Willie Nelson covers, Ratatat use it on their track "Mahalo," and there's even now a guy called Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele. Well, the musician once leading the charge of this whole sensitive-guys-with-ukuleles trend, Jens Lekman, is sick of it. In fact, the Swede says he's so done with the uke that he'll never pick one up again.
In a recent Guardian article headlined "Meet the New Dukes of Uke," Lekman pronounced his newfound hate for the instrument loud and clear, and even went as far as labelling the ukulele as nothing more than "another beardo instrument."
Lekman explains: "When I picked it up I was attracted by its appearance - it was an emasculated guitar. The sound was shit, but it was not important to me. It went very well with the straw hat I used to wear.
"It was never part of how I imagined my music and I watched in awe at how this ukulele troubadour image suddenly devoured the Jens Lekman I had planned so carefully. So I gave it away to a kid in Wisconsin.
"It's become another beardo instrument. If there's two things I will never do, it would be grow a beard and pick up the uke again."
As of yet, Stephin "this Little Ukulele" Merritt of the Magnetic Fields has yet to comment.
In a recent Guardian article headlined "Meet the New Dukes of Uke," Lekman pronounced his newfound hate for the instrument loud and clear, and even went as far as labelling the ukulele as nothing more than "another beardo instrument."
Lekman explains: "When I picked it up I was attracted by its appearance - it was an emasculated guitar. The sound was shit, but it was not important to me. It went very well with the straw hat I used to wear.
"It was never part of how I imagined my music and I watched in awe at how this ukulele troubadour image suddenly devoured the Jens Lekman I had planned so carefully. So I gave it away to a kid in Wisconsin.
"It's become another beardo instrument. If there's two things I will never do, it would be grow a beard and pick up the uke again."
As of yet, Stephin "this Little Ukulele" Merritt of the Magnetic Fields has yet to comment.