Been flipping through a book I bought on sale at the Strand not too long ago, Annie Leibowitz's American Music. Finally found it for under $30. Photo books tend to be expensive, but when I can get one that cheaply, I have to splurge. I think the layout of the book is incredible, and love how her striking images of that passion which we call music are interspersed with personal essays from some of music's biggest names. Definitely check it out if you haven't already. My local library has a copy in their possession... I kinda lusted after the book for so long, that I finally had to buy a copy of my own.

I was recently in Rutland, Vermont and happened upon this sweet bookstore called The Book King. Great atmosphere. While there I picked up an anthology of music writing from 2005 - the anthology is part of the Da Capo series, edited by "JT Leroy" (more on this in a minute). I have yet to start it, but upon reading the reviews on Amazon I'm now just a little apprehensive. I've had luck with the Da Capo anthologies in the past, they've featured some great pieces of music journalism.

JT Leroy for those who may not know, is a hoax persona created by Laura Albert in the mid-90s in order to publish writing that she might not otherwise have been able to. It inspired a Law & Order episode, actually. For more on that, I give you the Wikipedia of it. For the time being, I'll just be reporting on the actual literature and not the deceit behind its publication.