Coty's Weblog

MC Marc F?

Among other more significant bits of inside info regarding Red Hat and JBoss in his JBoss revenue for Red Hat is significant post, Jeff Haynie also reports that JBoss founder, Marc Fleury, will be DJing at a local club tomorrow night. Jeff mentioned this over dinner the night before last, too. I wonder whether this might be a first. I mean how often does a DJ have a net worth greater than his entire audience? (Of course, I’m just speculating on the composition of the audience. Maybe Chris Klaus will be in the house [I couldn’t resist the rhyme.], and I’ll be mistaken.)

Anyway, on a more serious note, it occurred to me how screwing up an acquisition can really burn you twice. First, you don’t get the value that you expected. Second, you eliminate a competitor from the market. Sure, that reduces competition for you, but it does for your competitors, as well. And when you screw up the acquisition, then the benefit arguably nets to your remaining competitors.

B. B. King at Chastain with The Neville Brothers and Dr. John

My wife got us tickets to see B. B. King along with The Neville Brothers and Dr. John at Chastain last night. It was part of the Classic Chastain series. It was kind of last minute, but the concierge in my wife's office building had tickets free up.

It was really a terrific show. Three things really made an impression on me.

First, B. B. King is 80 years old, and he is still working hard. This was my first time seeing B. B. live, but I have seen a number of other old bluesmen, and I have to say that you will not find a harder working group of entertainers. B. B. did play from a chair, but he was still working.

Second, having New Orleanians Dr. John and the Neville brothers there just reminded me of what a tragedy Katrina was. That anyone even talked about not rebuilding makes me furious. New Orleans is a national treasure. There is nothing else like it.

Finally, The Neville Brothers closed their session with Aaron singing Amazing Grace. I found it profoundly moving. It may have been because I was in an especially religious frame of mind as a result of following too much of the negative response to the election of Bishop Jefferts Schori. Aaron Neville's singing was just so unaffected, so beautiful, and so clearly in touch with his deep faith, that it really moved me.

Ali Farka Touré Passed Away Yesterday

Jeff IMed me to let me know. I didn't even realize he had been ill. If you haven't heard his music, then you owe it to yourself to give it a listen: Ali Farka Touré.

I think I first heard Ali Farka Touré on a PBS documentary. It was a while before I found one of his CDs in a music store, but once I got it I listened to it over and over. I can still listen to his music and never tire of it. He is without a doubt one of my favorite artists.

Driving home last night, there was a piece on NPR about his passing. Hearing his music gave me chills. The music critic that was interviewed picked Goye Kur as his favorite Ali Farka Touré song. I think Dofana would have to be mine—though it is a fine distinction.

In his IM, Jeff sent the URL of this BBC News article:

African star Ali Farka Toure dies

The article is nothing special, but there are some wonderful comments there.

I notice that Bill Bumgarner posted RIP: Ali Farka Touré 1939-2006, yesterday. I'll be buying Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabate’s In the Heart of the Moon based on Bill's recommendation.

More Cowbell

I knew about the SNL skit and knew about the shirt, but I learned about Wilco's cover and the music blog from Fred's More Cowbell post.

Always learning from Fred.

Found it!

I've been searching on and off for an infectious tune that I heard while it was on frequent rotation on MTV UK two summers ago. I finally heard it being played on WRAS a couple of days ago. It turned out to be It Won't Do by Tim Deluxe. Easy to find once I knew that. Not on ITMS, alas, but the Tim Deluxe web site was easy to find and MP3s of It Won't Do were easily downloadable from trax2burn.com. You can listen to it and a couple of other tracks right on the Tim Deluxe site, as well.

That was unexpected

Very excited to see the new OutKast (double) album Speakerboxx/The Love Below [iTMS] in my latest iTunes New Music Tuesday e-mail. Very surprised to find Norah Jones joining Dre and Big Boi on "Take Off Your Cool". Too cool.

I'd be buying and downloading from iTMS right now, but only the "clean" version seems to be available right now. Damn.

Justin on Johnny

Didn't see the MTV Video Music Awards but I was just reading an article on Johnny Cash that noted that when Justin Timberlake beat out Johnny for best male video he said:

This is a travesty! I demand a recount. My grandfather raised me on Johnny Cash, and I think he deserves this more than any of us tonight.

True. And I have some newfound respect for Mr. Timberlake.

Johnny Cash Passes

Having recently mentioned his cover of Hurt and Hank Williams' "I Dreamed About Momma Last Night", I was greatly saddened to hear of Johnny Cash's passing away. Like Todd, I can remember listening to Johnny Cash on my dad's old 8-track. Unlike Todd, I hadn't listened to him again much since until recently. I think that his recent work is going to expose him to a new generation, and I am glad he could do that before leaving.

Hurt

Brent's mention of some new NetNewsWire stylesheets took me by Dave Walker's Freeform Goodness and this post pointing me to this site hosting the video for Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" (off his album American IV - The Man Comes Around [iTMS]). I love Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor, but I have to say I think I like this cover even better than the original. When I heard about it, I couldn't imagine it. When I heard it, I thought it was perfect. After seeing the video, I feel that even more strongly. Worth a watch/listen.

Coincidentally, I was listening to Johnny Cash covering the Hank Williams song "I Dreamed About Momma Last Night" yesterday. Another great cover by Cash and well worth hearing. It is on the Hank Williams tribute album Timeless [iTMS].