LISTEN
Derek is truckin' again
Back in the 1990s, when a 12-year-old Derek Trucks was channeling bluesy banshees on his slide guitar in Daytona clubs, folks were whispering such accolades as "the best since Duane" -- as in Allman, as in the Allman Brothers Band (in which his uncle Butch Trucks played drums).
Yes, Derek Trucks (who lives in Jacksonville) became an official Allman Brother some years ago. But the 29-year-old guitarist also has been stupefying the music world with his own Derek Trucks Band. Yes, the DTB whips up some eyebrow-scorching blues. But the band's not-so-secret weapon is their fondness for throwing jazzy stuff, African rhythms, qawwali (Sufi Muslim mystic music) and Asian-Indian vibes into the mix.
Look for such sonic colors on the DTB's new album, "Already Free," which came out this week.
TV on the Web? Analyze, Mr. Spock!
Do you wonder exactly how the bad guys managed to kidnap Spock's brain on the original "Star Trek" series? Do you think Mary Ann was hotter than Ginger on "Gilligan's Island"? And just how did the Professor convert bamboo and coconuts into an exercise bike?
Those mysteries and more can be solved at fancast.com. It's a TV video site that features full episodes of "Star Trek," "Gilligan's Island," "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Sliders," "The Rockford Files" and dozens of other TV shows, from ye olden days of the '60s up to modern times.
The site also includes movie trailers and video clips from "Saturday Night Live" and other shows.
READ
This book is required
Any collection titled "The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008" is begging for a snarky review that goes, "Yep they nailed it in the title."
But this annual collection is, once again, required reading. Edited by novelist Dave Eggers, "Nonrequired" collects fiction, nonfiction, essays, journalism, comics and assorted literary flotsam.
A few nobles of the writing world appear here: Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, a piece from the New Yorker. But they are required to rub elbows with bizarro police blotter items from Kensington, Calif., some puzzling 1907 New York Times headlines, and a hilarious, post-apocalyptic ... er, thriller by Jake Swearingen titled "Diary of the Living Dead or: Are You There God? It's Me. Also, a Bunch of Zombies."
"Nonrequired Reading 2008" is in stores now.
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