Morning, readers.

*À propos of EVERYTHING, here’s Anthony Burgess on the Beatles, the Youth, and the dangers of trusting “pop prophets.” (Keep an eye out for Zappa in the last frame):

[youtube:”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fznr2ulZd1Q”]

*The New York Times asks, and Christopher Hitchens responds to, questions about 1) memoir vs. autobio; 2) “male hero worship”; 3) “confusion” vs. “punctuated consistency”; 4) the telephone number he most covets; and 5) whether we’re all “a little bit gay.”

*The Life of Brian, they tell me, was once banned in Norway.

*Nicely written review of the new Teenage Fanclub record by erstwhile City Paper fellow-traveler Aaron Leitko.

*Tonight in City Lights: The Dave Rawlings Machine at the 9:30 Club. I will be there, and if that’s not enough enticement, I’m pretty sure Gillian Welch will be, too. (For a less rhapsodic take on Rawlings’ current doings, check out Ben Ratliff‘s recent analysis, in which he gives due props to the fellow’s inventions on the guitar but cluck-clucks at his singing voice. “A misuse of resources,” Ratliff says of having Welch back up Rawlings, rather than the other way ’round. Ratliff’s parsing of the duo’s eerie, sinuous harmonies is certainly evocative. I nevertheless happen to enjoy Rawlings’ voice…but different strokes, &c.; and, as Perelman says, “De gustibus ain’t what dey used to be.”)

*Hey, here’s a YouTube video that I get a kick out of. Go, Dave, go!

[youtube:”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzp6pmHbYb4″]