The Brian Wilson tale one is a strange, sad, but ultimately uplifting one. Against all odds, the troubled genius of the Wilson family, 62, has outlived both of his brothers, returned to writing and performing, and now in two weeks will finally present to the world, if not “THE,” then …

This is one of those seasons that makes the Caribbean and environs look a lot less attractive, with storms piling up on top of one another, taking the fun out of the sun and reminding us who the REAL superpower is: Mother Nature. With concern and best wishes centered on …

The big brassy strut begins – everyone knows this means the end. I wore out three copies of the single (bigger sound, brighter mastering) of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” putting the final exclamation point on literally thousands of parties in ’80s and ’90s. When Frank came in, the …

9/11 was an event of such magnitude that it altered time itself, sitting like a gigantic roadblock on the normally smooth procession from the past to the future. I wrote the following on the 6-month anniversary of 9/11, on 3/11/02: The six months passed since September 11 seem paradoxically both …

I love, no, I ADORE the title of this story in the Chronicle of Higher Education: “How Social Science Can Reduce Terrorism.” I can picture ever so vividly a phalanx of tweedy, tastefully mustachioed psych, sociology, history, and poli sci profs locked arm-in-arm, meerschaum pipes perpendicular to resolutely clenched jaws, …

Jon Pareles of the NY Times put together an excellent list of resources for free, legit, digital music on the Internet – hey it’s the kind of thing big-time journalists are paid the big bucks to do: Epitonic The first and best place to look for any band with an …

Queen Latifah’s latest album, out September 28th, is an excursion into classic covers (and the cover above isn’t so bad either). Having conquered hip-hop, television, and film, the Queen is now taking on herself, so to speak, with The Dana Owens Album (produced by Arif Mardin and Ron Fair), wherein …

The City of Memphis will honor the great producer, bandleader, musician, and 73-year resident of Memphis, Willie Mitchell, by changing the name of Lauderdale Street between McLemore Avenue and South Parkway to Willie Mitchell Boulevard On Monday, September 20, 2004. Though such figures as Atlantic Records mogul Jerry Wexler and …

When I was a DJ on Cleveland commercial modern-rock station The End in the mid-’90s, I could never for the life of me figure why we played Hootie and the Blowfish. What on earth is “modern-rock” or “alternative-rock” about the chronically pleasant, strummy, poppy folk-rock of Blow and the Hootiefish …

How exceptionally cool is this? Um, exceptionally. OldVersion.com provides “heritage” versions of popular Windows-based programs that give you an option against being railroaded into “upgrades” that may not meet your needs or desires. They provide 489 versions of 51 programs. The service is free but donations are accepted. Why? Sometimes …