Will Apple Be Sirius?
Is Apple interested in getting into the satellite radio business? Why not?Nobody's made money at it yet—that makes it a natural for Cupertino.
Will Texas Get Kinky?
Kinky Friedman is running for governor of Texas. He admits that musicians don't tend to get much done in the morning, but he promises to work late.
William Carlos Williams
Sound recordings of W. Carlos Williams reading his poetry.
William Gibson's Magical Season
Great, readable essay by William Gibson on the season that changed his life. He has some fascinating thoughts on H.G. Wells that have made me want to dip back into that writer's work.
William P. Gottlieb, R.I.P.
I just learned that William Gottlieb died last night. Like every jazz fan, many of my images of the jazz greats come directly from his photography. Billie Holiday with her head back, eyes closed; Django Reinhardt, cigarette a-dangle, fretting a run; a skinny Frank Sinatra looking beyond the microphone . . .all are indelible Gottlieb images. You'll probably see lots of obituaries in the next few days, but a visit to the Gottlieb collection at the Library of Congress might be the best place to remember him.
Wish I'd Said That!
This article has the best lead ever—or, to use the jargon of my tribe, "lede."
With a Hey, and a Ho, and a Hey-Nonny-No
"These syllables might be nonsensical, but they are telling and resonant."
Wolfgang's Vault
Unreleased Fillmore East, Fillmore West, and Winterland performances available as 128kbps streams. I haven't been able to get it working completely glitch free, but some of these performances are pretty amazing and I'd buy 'em if they were available in a non-compromised format. Wolfgang, BTW, was Bill Graham's birth name.
Wolfie & Sid?
Stephen Brown argues that Sid Vicious and Mozart shared the quality of primitivism, by which he means the winnowing away of unnecessary complications. I see his point with Sid, but in Mozart's case, I see it as the essence of the refining fire. Still, a good read and well-argued, even though, IMHO, wrong.
Wombat Courtship
"Complete with chasing, biting, grunting, and loads of heavy breathing." Sound familiar?