A weekly audio postcard from the wide musical world of America’s best-loved band!
My friend Scott Underwood posted a tribute to Roger Ebert on his blog, and I love this quote so very much: “I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is … Read more
I still think the only meaningful change is perhaps the most difficult one: a change of consciousness. We need more models of compassion, and we need to shrink the distance between the havest of the haves and the have-nottest of the have-nots. And we need to see more accountability throughout the system. Rich criminals get … Read more
Jon Carroll in today’s San Francisco Chronicle: Marco Rubio is a Tea Party Republican and a senator from Florida. He is mentioned as one of the hopes of the party for 2016. Recently he was asked an interesting question by Michael Hainey of GQ magazine: “How old do you think the Earth is?” This was … Read more
The celebrated poet Jane Hirshfield, a friend and cyber-neighbor in The WELL, posted a poem by Jack Gilbert following the announcement of his passing last week. The poem is titled “A Brief for the Defense.” These lines were especially powerful and important, to my eye and heart: We can do without pleasure, but not delight. … Read more
The deadlines to register to vote are coming! If you have moved since the last time you voted, or never registered, now is the time. Just visit to complete a voter registration application online. It takes only a couple minutes! If you need more information about ID requirements, absentee balloting, early voting or anything else, … Read more
As is so often the case, Jon Carroll speaks my mind: I have no investment in my beliefs. They’ve changed over the years, but not much. I really don’t care whether you believe what I believe or not. If you don’t believe what I believe, you are not a bad person. “Belief system” is way … Read more
And I’m doing great!
Very sorry to learn of Tom Davis’ passing yesterday. He was 59. I met Tom and interviewed him the spring of 2009 when he was promoting his very funny memoir, Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss. The 66-minute interview is posted here. I’m at the Gathering of the Vibes this weekend. Tom came to the … Read more
A piece of music for our beloved cat Hugo, whose life must end today. He has been “Looking into the Next World” for a while now, and the time has come. We love him intensely and we will miss him terribly.
I have nearly six hours of tape from my January 1991 interview with Owsley Stanley. I’m about to go on tour for two weeks, and I will be reviewing and excerpting the recording as time permits, with the aim of broadcasting a large portion of it on Dead to the World March 30 and the … Read more