One more thing: You guys are talking about the careers of bluesmen. I'm talking about these specific recordings. Clearly, these guys were capable of playing all kinds of music. But part of the appeal of these recordings (for me anyway) is how they sound. I'm sure these guys could've possibly made great records today.…

Read that Wald book years ago and really liked it. Want to clear something else up here: As I noted in the story, Johnson recorded his sides on what was considered state of the art equipment at the time. He wasn't "making his poverty work for him"; he was working for a record company. It's just that the technology at…

It was recorded as demos, but obviously the demos were put out because they had a certain quality that the band/studio recordings didn't.

Yep, that's a pretty bald rip-off … and both songs rip off "I Will Follow Him."

Could you be a little more specific?

Er, WITHOUT overlapping.

"I think that maybe the better metaphor is one original circle that actually split into concentric circles, so they have different lengths and sizes but all have the same center."

Even if you think DOTU is Soundgarden's best—I like the record, but NO WAY is it the band's best IMO—I'd still recommend against getting this, since only a handful of songs are from that record.

I can't say I'm a big Styx fan, either, but I love talking to classic-rockers like Tommy Shaw because (1) they have great stories and (2) they have nothing to lose by sharing them. (Tommy was also just really nice and articulate, which isn't always true of younger musicians already jaded by the interview process.)

I think R.E.M. would still beat The Decemberists in a coolness contest. But I don't care. I like THE KING IS DEAD more. But I think both records are worth checking out.

Have you heard the record? It sounds a lot like R.E.M. (And Peter Buck sounds great on it.)

I'm definitely telling the wife that someone commented as "Steve Hyden's wife" today. She will be honored.

Ha! I only back-pedaled on one of my claims, dude!

A dozen equals 12. Dozens equals at least 24. Have you read any book that many times?

So, you just read the same books over and over? What books have you read dozens of times? I'm honestly curious about this.

I'm doing a new column! Expect it to show up here on AVC in a month or so.

That's not exactly what I meant. Here's what I meant: The original Woodstock was considered an historical event because it was this enormous gathering of young people in one place, which wasn't a common thing in the late 60s. From then on, the rock festival took on a special significance as a signifier of youth…

Birthday Boy was one of my favorite songs of 2010. Cooley kills me every time.

The soul-country influence on this record has been played up by the band, but I honestly don't hear it beyond the two Eddie Hinton covers. I disagree that those songs are the heart of the album, because to me they don't really reflect the dark strangeness that surrounds them.

They're not Muppets, they were just made to look like Muppets. Hence "faux-Muppets."