The Big Wu Awards torch this year has been passed on to a certain Wisco Jason
who will be working diligently to provide you with an excellent experience this
year as well as just plain old good collated results.  Below are the directions
for submitting your entry as have been passed on from collector to collector
through time..

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*RULES~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

1.     ALL votes must be sent to ME at THIS address: bigwu2004@hotmail.com
Or entered through the form on thebigwu.net.  You can post your choices to the
list as well but I will NOT COUNT YOUR VOTE UNLESS IT ALSO COMES THROUGH THESE
CHANNELS.  No exceptions.

2.      You must choose ONE song/guest/whatever for each category (except fav.
show)  Its fine if you have many favorite songs or favorite guests and you
can list all of them and talk about them all you want on the list, as long
as you tell ME which ONE song/whatever is your #1 choice.
Any voters who cannot choose between two songs will not get either
to count in the grand tally.

3.      All votes must be entered by 5 p.m. on January 25th, to allow for
plenty of list discussion before you cast your votes if you are unsure.
OK!  So now that everyone knows exactly how to vote, On
to the fun stuff!! Here I will list off each category with a description of
what they mean. Remember that these categories are not for all-time, ONLY
for the year 2004.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Categories~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1.    Rookie of the year - Best song that debuted in 2004.  Here are the
eligible songs for this category, taken from the big wu website: Shake Your Dice,
Love Handles, Kick in the Head (lyrics by Robert Hunter),
Rock n Roll Band (adapted from a poem by Shel Silverstein)
..and from 2003 (since we didn't do this last year): Got Me on a String,
Middle of Nowhere, No Place Like a Road, Stole My Girlfriend, Black Rain

2.    MVP - The song that was a consistent top performer in 2004.  Big Wu
originals only.  for cover songs see #3, 4, and 5.

3.    Most Improved Song - A song that took a new life in 2004.  Can be
original Wu or a cover.

4.    Most Improved Performer - That member of the Wu that has really stepped
up this year and shown us something new.

5.    Favorite cover song - Your favorite Wu cover of 2004. (Please give date)

6.    Best jam vehicle - This song lends itself to some awesome
spaced-out/jazzy/funky jams that you really loved hearing in 2004. Originals
or covers ok.

7.   Shortstop of the year - This can be anyone who sat in for a jam with the
Wu in 2004, such as Jeff from YMSB, Frank Leonovich from the Kung Fu Hippies,
etc.  Please include the song(s) that such person sat in for.

8.  Best Indoor Venue (of those played at in 2004 *ONLY)

9.  Best Outdoor Venue (of those played at in 2004 *ONLY)

10.   Favorite segue - This can be original or a cover or a combo but must have
actually been played in 2004. I will not look up each vote to make sure it
was played last year so please folks, vote for segues that actually
happened, not for your 'dream segue'.  That's a different thread for a
different time.

11.    Best Shows of 2004 - Vote for up to FIVE.  You didn't have to be there,
you only have to really like the show, for whatever reason you want (great
setlist, great musicianship, great venue, great crowd, great parking lot,
whatever).  One thing I ask is that you try very hard to find the ACTUAL
DATE of your show.  If you vote for "that barrymore show" or anything
ambiguous like that (there were several shows at the Barrymore in 2004) your
vote will not count.  It only takes you a minute to check the Petrified Wu
on the website and will save me LOTS of time if everyone votes for shows and
gives their DATE.   Also, for multiple night runs like the Reunion,
Mishawaka, or Lutsen please vote for individual shows, not the whole run.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That's it!  Thanks for listening to my blather about rules and stuff, and
thanks in advance for making my task of tallying votes as streamlined as
possible!  If you have any questions please email me.  I really encourage
every one of you to vote and discuss your choices on the list, even if
you're new or you don't think you know that much about wu songs/shows.  Your
opinion still counts, and trying to make informed votes is a great way for a
new wuster to learn more!

Peace and Wu "Have no expectations, get great expectations fulfilled!"
Nate