Everyone from Malcolm McLaren to Paul Simon heard something in South Africa's Boyoyo Boys that they wanted to appropriate. Their '80s records are lively and surprising, both original and emblematic… Read the rest of the article: Boyoyo Boys, "Back in Town" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

"A $6,000 insulin pump with an on-board computer chip is not alluring. Neither is the white mesh adhesive patch on my naked abdomen or the length of nylon tubing that… Read the rest of the article: Sex, technology, and diabetes

When she's not dropping everything to catch up on Twin Peaks, transatlantic troubadour Amy Rigby sings, writes, and performs some of the funniest and some of the most heartbreaking songs… Read the rest of the article: Amy Rigby, "Balls" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

Over the past seven years, I've had the outlandishly talented country blues singer and guitarist Charley Patton looking over me. (Don't know Charley Patton? Hear him here and then buy… Read the rest of the article: Did Charley Patton play that way?

In the 60s, Columbia ran a "Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan" advertising campaign. It's absolutely true that Bob Dylan's unprecedented voice is the ideal way to deliver his unmatchable compositions,… Read the rest of the article: Nina Simone, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

A few years ago, I produced The Sandinista Project, in which 36 performers each covered one song from The Clash's Sandinista! It was a fun and crazy project. Last summer,… Read the rest of the article: Free download returns: Tribute to The Clash's Sandinista!

As Mark noted in his post introducing me, I'm winding down a stint as executive editor of MIT Sloan Management Review. One of my greatest pleasures during that assignment was… Read the rest of the article: Design thinking tips from the masters

Regular visitors to my blog are likely sick of my outsize enthusiasm for the songwriter, singer, and guitarist Ida Maria; now it's time for you to suffer. I've written about… Read the rest of the article: Ida Maria, "Oh My God" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

I should say upfront that I'm a big fan of Lawrence Lessig's causes and his presentation techniques. My favorite might be his 2007 tour de force at TED about John… Read the rest of the article: Lawrence Lessig scares a room of liberals

I fly a lot less than I used to (and I never flew that often), so I was surprised when I received this piece of mail that seemed to be… Read the rest of the article: Magazine marketers give up on marketing magazines

It's like Chic and Abba had a baby!

The back cover of the glorious compilation Best of Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, which I am unable to locate online, portrays four strangely attired people running around a… Read the rest of the article: Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, "Wooly Bully" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

Out of silence, a lone, distorted electric guitar begins its cry. The air around its wriggling notes swelters. Barroom shutters flutter in the dry wind, a stagecoach zooms out of… Read the rest of the article: Ennio Morricone, "Once Upon a Time in the West" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

Face it, music friends: plenty of times you come home from a club or theater convinced you've seen an amazing performance. The morning after, as evidence of the concert leaks… Read the rest of the article: Thomas Dolby and ETHEL: Music for the morning after

As digital sampling becomes more and more pervasive as a recording technique, the belief that anything is possible in a studio nowadays is also on the rise. But in 1981… Read the rest of the article: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

First, we take it for granted that, with the possible exceptions of Chinatown, Top Hat, and the upcoming A-Team movie (see David's preview) Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus is the… Read the rest of the article: The physics behind flying sharks who can destroy airplanes

There's Brazilian music, there's African music, and then there's the occasional genius who can fuse the two. Rio's Jorge Ben, who came to prominence during the Tropicalia era, mixes samba,… Read the rest of the article: Jorge Ben, "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

Some (OK, two) of my friends have written me to suggest that, since I mentioned in my intro guestblogging post that I'm working on a novel, I should include some… Read the rest of the article: "Ten Dollar Cover," an excerpt from a novel-in-progress/disarray

I love magazines, and not just because I've spent about half of my career working for 'em. I love what magazines can do: the mix of text and graphics, the… Read the rest of the article: Meat: The Magazine

Mark has written previously about DJ Frank Gossner's amazing podcast of 1970s West African pop music. That podcast is currently on hiatus, but Frank is keeping busy. In two weeks… Read the rest of the article: Lagos Disco Inferno!