The King and Dr. Nick: What Really Happened to Elvis and Me
Eric ClaptonThe early 1970s found Eric Clapton a mess. Heroin addiction sidelined him between the demise of Derek and the Dominoes (with the death of Duane Allman October 29, 1971 and the release of 461 Ocean Boulevard (RSO, 1973) (though he did appear at George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh (Apple, 1971) and Peter Townsend's Rainbow Concert (RSO, 1973)). Once off heroin, Clapton began drinking heavily as evidenced by his singing performance during this soundboard collected concert in Columbus, OH. Pleasantly hammered Clapton is not. He behaves in an arrogantly belligerent manner that can only be forgiven by his corrosive performance of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and his near supernatural guitar break in "Key to the Highway. This is Clapton in the '70s to be sure – bloated, lazy, and sloppy. But like Charlie Parker's Dial "Lover Man," Clapton summoned something special to this performance…or else he was just lucky.
Disc 1: Easy Now; Smile;Let it Grow;Can't Find My Way Home; Key to the Highway; Willie and the Hand Jive / Get Ready; Little Wing. Disc 2: Mainline Florida; Layla; Presence of the Lord; Badge; Little Queenie; Crossroads.
Joe Cocker and Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Elton John
Lowell George
Howlin' Wolf
HoardersJane Doe is a middle-aged mother of two who has been hoarding since the premature death of her dog, Bowser. Her house is filled with Bowser's feces and new and old doggy toys from floor to ceiling in every room, including bathrooms. Jane sleeps on the back stoop of her house in a sleeping bag as she can no longer get into her bedroom. Jane has had to rent a port-a-potty, which she is now filling the dog paraphernalia. Jane's children were taken from her long ago and have since grown up, retuning home to help their mother.Enter Dr. Kimberly K. Psychologist, and expert in OCD and Meagan Ann Organize, a professional organizer. The two meet with Jane and form a plan of action. Things start swimmingly, with Jane receptive to throwing away Bowser's feces. By midafternoon, Jane has become anxious, unable to choose which to keep among Bowser's 25 Bo-Boes. The staff of fifteen people stand by while Jane rationalizes, in a sing-song baby's voice, why she must keep Bowser's dog bowl full of 10-year-old Purina Dog Chow. By that evening, Jane has retrieved Bowser's feces and has barricaded herself in what space remains in her garage. The show ends with Jane sucking her thumb on her back stoop.
The Book of Eli
Duma Key is a most unlikely buddy story between the recently crippled Edgar Freemantle and the oddly omnipresent Jerome Wireman (King's most interesting creation since George Stark/Alexis Machine in The Dark Half (Viking, 1989). Add the elderly and mysterious Elizabeth Eastlake and the King staple themes of old age, physical and psychological damage and repair, and ancient evil, or course, and we have King's finest offering since Insomnia (Perfect Learning, 1994). Mad Men's own John Slattery provides the most convincing narration since James Woods in "Secret Window, Secret Garden" from Four Past Midnight (Penguin-Highbridge, 2008).

Sometimes a greasy dive-bar cheeseburger and a Schlitz are the only things that will satisfy one's near-carnal gastronomic requirements. The same is true for rock Music. The new Century has yet to produce bone-crunchin', ass-stompin', southern fried rock. Instead, we are treated to Coldplay, Hinder,Nickelback and any number of American Idol turds floating in the cultural punchbowl. Enter this 23-year old bootleg of the most primitive rock the 1980s could produce. The Georgia Satellites were a cracker garage band who scored big with "Keep Your Hands to Yourself." Here on their first Japanese tour, these sons of Georgia reach a Chuck Berry critical mass with Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells a Story." This ismusic written in your bones.