My only hope is Kiefer Sutherland

24
Jónsi - Go (streaming at NPR)
Big Star - Keep an Eye on the Sky (lala)
Sun Ra and His Arkestra - Sun Ra and His Arkestra Playing "Horizon" (via ROOT BLOG)

Media announcements: My interview with justifiable populist darlings Vampire Weekend as well as a short profile about Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and his new album in preparation of his upcoming Preservation Hall appearance are online and in this month's issue of Offbeat.

In this month's Country Roads Magazine, I visit the Richard Sale Barn, an old cattle auction barn turned roots music venue in Arnaudville. It is one of the coolest places I've ever been. The photo above, of the Fellini poster next to the cow skull right by where I was sitting, is a perfect metaphoric talisman for this place. Here is a video of former Howlin' Wolf pianist Henry Gray performing "Little Red Rooster" on the stage where the auctioneer used to stand.



24 is the only show that only I in the house like, and I don't even really like it that much. It is the weak mongrel child of Wild, Wild West and a decade of cell phone commercials but it is still big fun. What is more fun is how my daughter has a running gag about trying to convince me that it is not running on any given Monday night. She'll try to trick me into missing it by saying the Olympics are on again, or instead there's "a show about man-eating babies" which I said sounded pretty good to me. I think she was more crestfallen than I was that it got canceled. My only hope is Kiefer Sutherland will "go rogue" to see the mission through in the space between television and life.

The Jónsi record is a jittery, twittery wonder of a thing, like a breathtaking surprise ending to the Neverending Story. When did NPR get hipper than us all? I have heard more good new music first from them in the past year than through my carefully maintained underground channels. Those guys should do a radio show!