This NBA lockout piece is all you need to know, even if Bill Simmons is lame therein.

My own interpretation of the NBA lockout remains unchanged from the beginning: the owners are asking the players to structurally save themselves from themselves.  They just can't get stop overpaying guys...giving solid contributors max deals,…

Beijing pollution: A Big in China excerpt

All reports from friends and news sources yesterday indicated that pollution in Beijing was realy, really bad. When I read the opening line of this WSJ China Real Time Report about how the pollution levels are actually downplayed by the…

Fully Baked

Your favorite stoners, all in one clip:

Happy 20th birthday Nevermind: a personal look back at my dealing with NIrvana

I was in my first year as Guitar World Managing Editor in 1991 when Nirvana's Nevermind was released. I remember well how we covered it - it was a Slash cover, with a massive Soundgarden feature, with sidebars on Pearl Jam and Nirvana, each…

Happy Birthday Bruce Springsteen

I always loved this haunting, acoustic version of "Thunder Road."

Japanese tsunami from point of view of a car

I found this rather gripping. From the description on Flixxy.com: Yu Muroga was doing his job making deliveries when the 11 March 2011 earthquake hit in Japan. Unaware, like many people in the area, of how far inland the Tsunami would travel,…

Lijia Zhang on Big In China

"Instead of complaining about China, a favorite expat pastime, Alan Paul embraced the country with child-like enthusiasm.  Big In China is a readable, human account of his China experience, and it shows how one can be richly rewarded in a…

Great China Photos

I feel lucky to have worked with some great photographers in China, including Ryan Pyle and Mark Leong. I am working on a project from afar with Tom Carter right now, who published a great book last year called China: Portrait of A People.…

Peter Hessler receives a MacArthur genius grant. Bravo.

Congratulations to Peter Hessler, who has written three great books about contemporary China, for receiving a MacArthur "genius grant." It is really well deserved. He and his wife Leslie Chang, who also wrote a fabulous book about China - Factory…

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Final Gig

  Stevie Ray Vaughan has played a large role throughout my career. Though I never interviewed him because he passed away before I started working for Guitar World, I have written many, many articles about Stevie, including a massive…