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The point is the book is getting a lot of attention than it probably would not have were it just another "this is what I did when I worked at the White House" book. These types of books do not usually get the crazy attention that McLellan's book is getting. It'd be interesting to see the Amazon ranking for this book compared to Ari Fleisher's book when it came out.

Cool. I think that's even better than a Smart Car.

If his book had been complimentary of the president, it would not be being discussed on this website.

Camper van Chadbourne might be the best staring point. I've heard 10 or 12 of his albums and seen him live five or six times. He's always been great live, but his albums are a crapshoot. Many of his records sound just plain bad. My favorite album of his might be "Dear Eugene What You Did Was not Very Nice...". Maybe I like that one best because it has a funny recording of him on the phone trying to book a show.

Having installed the brass pins, I can see how they'd do what you are describing. I might try out the buffalo tusk, or whatever they're called, at some point. I'll probably go another week with the brass and switch back to the stock (ebony) pins.

I installed the brass pins yesterday. The increase in sustain is noticable. Its tough to tell if the sound is brighter. It seems slightly brighter, but the strings are brand new compared to the one week old strings I replaced. Usually one week old strings would be virtually new on my guitars, but since this is a new guitar I've been playing it constantly and the strings were probably starting to dull a bit.

I saw these guys several times during the Picture of Nectar/Rift/Hoist era and they were always great. I saw their (apparently) legendary Roxy show in Atlanta where "Gene Simmons" joined them onstage and Page dedicated "Lawn Boy" to his parents who were in attendance. It's sad to hear that they went downhill. I remember reading about their unorthodox practice methods and finding them pretty inspiring. I really should have tried to rip off their ideas, but every band I was ever in either hated Phish and would be unwilling to try out their ideas, or was too undisciplined to try anything tha

My take...the dad is a lying creep. And would it have been so difficult to let the kid name what are supposedly her paintings? I'm pretty sure a four year old isn't going to name a painting "Ode to Pollock" or "Asian Sun".

This is a great one, but had it not been for Lennon, it would have been "You Can Buy Me Golden Rings" and it would have been horrible. Ugh. Anyway, thanks everyone for answering my question. I don't listen to the Beatles as much as I used to so it's easy to forget how many great songs are in their catalog. I still don't rank Paul as high as a lot of other "great" songwriters, but it's interesting to see what folks think of as his high point(s). To answer my own question, I'd probably list "Eleanor Rigby", "Blackbird", "For No One", "I've Just Seen a Face" for starters.

A question for those who put Paul McCartney at the top: Which song(s) would you name as Paul's absolute best?

Maybe. Definitely one of the best intros in rock history.

Here's one: Gary Rossington

You and I both know there are dozens and dozens of examples of Ray Davies songs that are stronger lyrically than "You Really Got Me". (Virtually every other song he wrote.) As I stated, Paul has written a number of great songs, but I'd put lots of songwriters above him...remember, I'm talking specifically about lyrics. John Lennon. Ray Davies. Pete Townshend. Stevie Wonder. Bob Dylan. John Fogerty. Willie Nelson. Hank Williams. Neil Young. Maybe George Harrison. Maybe even David Byrne. I think a very strong case could be made for Paul being the best all-around musician ever, because h

"Yesterday" is a beautiful melody, but the lyrics are so generic they are meaningless and could have been written by anyone. Maybe better examples would have been "Oh Darling" (a fantastic song, but lyrically it's as trite as you can get), "Let it Be" (dull), "The Long and Winding Road" (horrible in every possible way), or any number of other songs.

It has recently struck me that Paul wrote a bunch of songs whose lyrical sentimentality is so syrupy and generic they sound like they came out of a song writing factory. Musical Hallmark cards. "Yesterday" being a prime example. To his credit, he wrote his share of great stuff, too. I just find him to be the only one, even if you include Dave Davies, who had more than a brief dalliance with generic sentimentality.

Thanks, great insight! I ordered some brass pins yesterday, so I'll see how it goes. I'm happy with the sound I'm getting now that I put on a fresh set of strings. Next time I change strings I'll install the brass pins. I had heard that vibration could cause some issues, but I had not considered the metal-to-metal contact. I've never heard of buffalo horn pins. If the brass doesn't work out, maybe I'll try a set of those. Either way, I'll come back and report my thoughts on the brass pins once I've tried them out.

Oh ok. I thought you were talking about a band. I have no idea how they keep their enthusiasm. I know I woldn't be able to pull it off. I would think the cast of Wicked has a pool of understudies and subs to pull from when a performer is unable to work for whatever reason. Surely the knowledge that someone can step in for you and that shows don't have to be cancelled as a result of illness, injury or death helps boost morale. That luxury doesn't exist for bands, except for Kiss, maybe.

Jay Bennett seemed tired in the movie when he suggested they throw together a bunch of "easy rockers" for an upcoming show rather than working up live versions of their more elaborate tunes.

Hi all, I got my hands on a Larrivee parlor guitar last week...like the one below. It had a very dark sound when I brought it home (naturally, it sounded much better in the guitar shop). A new set of strings made it sound much livelier and now I'm thinking of replacing the ebony bridge pins with brass pins, which supposedly results in a brighter sound and slightly more sustain. The brass pins are only $15, so I'll probably try them no matter what, but I'd be interested in hearing about any experiences with brass pins compared to the typical plastic, bone, ebony, etc?

What's Wicked?

That's a good point. I had not considered that. Did any of those cities get shows last tour?

Last tour was his first US tour in what, 10, 15 years? Atlanta is still not sold out. Maybe that's because he was just here last year. He's playing a venue that's 1500 or 2000 seats larger than last tour. Last year he sold out very quickly. Is he playing small venues in some cities? That's the only way a 3 minute sell out makes sense to me considering the ticketing rules.

Considering the "beat the scalpers" ticket policy (2 per customer, no paper tickets, must show ID & credit card at venue, etc.), this is really surprising to me.

Probably because whoever made up the list(s) you read felt that they used guitars in an innovative, and not particularly "guitraistic" way (no blues licks or soloing). That tends to go a long way with people who write about music. Metal Machine Music probably wasn't on the list because, it being WAY out of print until very recently, there was no chance that it's inclusion on a "best of" list would result in increased ad sales.

That looks great. Any chance you can post side by side photos of both guitars? EDIT> Nevermind, I realized I could do it myself. I wanted to compare colors and other details. I see the saddles and the neck pickup are different. The colors look almost identical in these photos. I'm sure the difference is more pronounced looking at it through a human eye rather than a camera lens. Once again, great work! 1st project: 2nd project: