but Ween seems like a better live act for reasons I can't quite express.

They are supposed to be very good live. Dean's quite the guitar wizard.

Ween it is then! Though I agree, Robin, Death Cab are the forlorniest.

Have you seen the VU one?

I have not. But I've heard good things about it from the same people who were less thrilled with the Beefheart. For what that's worth...

I would like to see some stuff I haven't seen before. All recs welcome.

Is the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow performing at any point during the weekend? It's not music, but I highly recommend seeing Jim Rose, if he's there.

ETA: Doesn't look like he's there. I saw the JRCS for the first time at the second Lollapallooza, that had Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Ministry, and the Chili Peppers.

I just introduced my intern to GHP. He is so happy in his mash-up filled head right now.

Awww. Christgau's still a New York Dolls fanboy.

From Pitchfork:

Arthur Lee of Love Dead at 61

Arthur Lee, legendary frontman for the influential psych-rock band Love, has died. He was 61 years old.

As previously reported, Lee was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Several recent benefit concerts, including one at New York City's Beacon Theater featuring Robert Plant, Yo La Tengo, and Ryan Adams, among others, raised money to help pay Lee's medical expenses. Lee's manager, Mark Linn, sent out the following email just minutes ago:

"Arthur Lee died peacefully at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, a little after four in the afternoon Aug 3, 2006 with his wife Diane by his side. His death comes as a shock to me because Arthur had the uncanny ability to bounce back from everything, and leukemia was no exception. He was confident that he would be back on stage by the fall.

"When I visited with him recently, he was visibly moved by the stories and pictures from the NYC benefit concert. He was truly grateful for the outpouring of love from friends and fans all over the world since news of his illness became public. We watched the DVD of the great House of Blues concert from '03, and he told me how much he appreciated [backing band] Baby Lemonade's dedication to his music.

"Arthur always lived in the moment, and said what he thought when he thought it. I'll miss his phone calls, and his long voice messages, but most of all I'll miss Arthur playing Arthur's music."

So will we.

In a sad coincidence, my band has been planning for a while now to play a medley of "Live and Let Live" into "Interstellar Overdrive" at our show in two weeks.

Jon Langford & Co. are doing a children's album:

These Wee Hairy Beasties -- Cyril the Karaoke Squirrel (JON LANGFORD) Marjorie the Singing Bee (KELLY HOGAN), Monkey Double Dippey (SALLY TIMMS) and the amazing musicians of DEVIL IN A WOODPILE -- firmly believe that "Kids Music" NEED! NOT! BE! UNLISTENABLE! In fact, their dance-with-ants-in-your-pants blend of back porch country blues, hippity-hop country, and wiggly old-timey swing is bound to please any child or adult -- OR any insect, amphibian, reptile, mammal or other creature within earshot.

The Wee Hairy Beasties first performed at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago -- and being under the mistaken impression they would be playing FOR the animals, they wrote all their songs about animals. But there were children and parents there too, and -- from what the Beasties could tell with their highly-tuned instincts -- the humans seemed to enjoy the show great deal and so it was agreed that a CD of this music must be concocted. The resulting buggy-bumping Beastie music on “Animal Crackers” is mostly for kids but groove-inducing for parents as well.

Thrill your thorax with the sing-a-long tunes about ducks, squirrels, flies, newts, turtles and more! Let your inner music geek marvel at the dexterous harmonica and clarinet action -- and the waterbug-graceful National steel guitar playing! Move any number of legs and warble along with The Beasties' scientifically excellent vocals! All creatures great and small will benefit from the important lessons about road safety, keeping flies off your supper, and the perils of karaoke.

The Wee Hairy Beastie’s debut album, “Animal Crackers” will be in fine stores everywhere on October 24th. The band performs at Chicago’s Millennium Park on August 14th; the October record release party will be announced soon.

Ah, that's great. I have a bootleg of Langford, Tweedy, and Tim Rutili playing a benefit for their kids' school in Chicago a few years back, and it's not so bad. Probably be pretty good with some production value.