Plumplechook

One of the most confounding things about this election was the way the right wing turned on Nate Silver for daring to produce polling stats that showed a consistent Obama lead. The guy is basically a money-ball stats nerd who relentlessy crunches numbers. Among other things he predicted the GOP gains in the mid-terms with uncanny accuracy. But because his stats for this election didn't fit the Republican narrative about Romney's ''momentum'' he was lambasted by almost every right wing commentator for some imagined liberal bias in his modelling. It's bad enough shooting the messenger -

From the Guardian: On Fox News, Republican strategist Karl Rove is refusing to accept reality, calling Fox's own call of Ohio "premature".

Take a bow Nate Silver. Meanwhile Donald Trump calls for a 'revolution'.

Beautiful but creepy at the same time:

Haven't seen recent episodes - but this clip from last year featuring Todd Rundgren and Daryl is mighty fine. Great version of this perfect-pop classic - and what a beautiful setting!

Looks like a few folks who were at the Celebration Day premiere in London on Friday night video'd the screen and have started uploading clips to Youtube. This has got me juiced for next Wednesday when I am seeing it at my local cinema (try and ignore the guys head in the row in front of the person filming!).

Since this has slipped off topic...I was at Zep's last ever show in July 1980 in Berlin. A few months later Bonham was dead. I had been a huge fan but this was my one and only time seeing the band. It was a disappointing performance with Page not on his game (in hindsight I think it may have coincided with the height of his drug issues). Got to see Page and Plant together again in the mid-90s and they totally redeemed themselves!

A rock-n-soul act from LA. Saw them in concert earlier this year at a small venue in Sydney and they put on a great show. Nothing particularly innovative but fun and energetic - especially their front man Ty Taylor who has a James Brown/Otis Redding thing happening. Kind of a surprising choice as an opening act for The Who I would say because their act seems taylor-made (ha!) for small clubs rather than arenas. Here they are on the Jools Holland show last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsw4ipHcMvY

Pavement. Used to love them but listened to a couple of their albums recently and they had lost all their charm for me. The slacker-inflected vocals and shambling intros which I used to enjoy now sound annoying. Of-their-time for me I guess.

I'm a big fan of Albert Lee. Seen him twice in Sydney in the last few years (at The Basement) and he puts on a terrific show. Really engaging personality - and of course a brilliant guitar virtuoso. Certainly one of the fastest players I've ever seen - but can also do lovely subtle stuff. Also a fine singer and piano player. I'd never miss an opportunity to check him out in concert.

Twin Peaks

Wishbone Ash pretty much built their career around the dual lead guitar.

And Chuck's pupil Dave Edmunds.

Chuck Berry

I would start with Spring Hill Fair - which is the album that first turned me onto to these guys - although Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express is probably their masterpiece. Another couple I would strongly recommend are Oceans Apart - a terrific album released in 2005 not long before the untimely death of Grant McLennan - and Before Hollywood from early in their career. Quiet Heart, which has just been released here in Australia, is the first compilation to span the band's whole career including songs from the albums released after the band reunited in 2000. It's a great collec

Slighty OT, but Glenn is one of the musicians quoted in an NPR piece on the 100th anniversary of John Cage's birth. http://www.npr.org/2012/08/30/160327305/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates?sc=tw&cc=twmp

This book by James Young, a one-time keyboard player in Nico's touring band, is the best music-related book I've ever read. Part tragic, part hilarious - but consistently fascinating.

Glad to hear that. Maybe I caught him on a bad night last year. But I am finding his voice hard going on this new song in a way I didn't on any of the songs on Modern Times (was sort of OK on Together Through Life - but don't listen to that album much because I don't think it is a great collection of songs).

Got to agree with you unfortunately. We all know that Dylan's voice has been shot for years. But I actually thought his voice worked well on Modern Times - coming off like an old blues growler on some songs yet still able to hold a tune on the croonier songs like Spirit on the Water. Saw him in concert on the Modern Times tour and his voice still held up pretty well. Saw him again in concert last year touring Together Through Life and the deterioration was significant. Almost unlistenable. I thought at the time that Dylan should really think about giving up touring - or at least cut ba

Video of the song previewed today on The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/video/2012/aug/29/bob-dylan-duquesne-whistle