Entries by AlanPaul
Q+A: Jim Yardley My friend the author on Yao, Lin and the Chinese basketball system. Originally posted Friday, March 9 on Slam Online. Jim Yardley was my friend and neighbor throughout the three and a half years I lived in Beijing. We ate, drank and hung out together often, usually sharing our tales of adventure. […]
Jimmie Vaughan on the blues greats he loves, and the brother he lost 20 years ago
Jimmie Vaughan: Powerful Stuff Originally published in Guitar World, July 2010 As he releases his first new album in nine years, Jimmie Vaughan celebrates the music he loves and remembers the brother he lost 20 years ago. It’s been nine years since Jimmie Vaughan released his last album, 2001’s Do You Get the Blues? But when it came […]
From the archives: Mel Daniels, Slam Old School – A classic ABA interview
I just got word that the great ABA player Mel Daniels will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. A well-deserved, far-too-late honor. To celebrate, here is a Slam Old School interview with Mel, conducted…several years ago. I WAS A NUT. With these four words, Mel Daniels is trying to explain what […]
B.B., Buddy, the Allman Bros, Pres. Obama and me
I was enthralled watching the live stream of last night’s White House celebration of the blues, the music which has been so central to my career and my life’s soundtrack. Mick Jagger was a big draw, of course, but he doesn’t mean that much to me, especially in light of the other artists there. Buddy […]
An inside look at Chinese hoops
Once again inspired by Jim Yardley’s wonderful new book Brave Dragons: A Chinese Basketball Team, an American Coach, and Two Cultures Clashing, I present my own experiences with Chinese basketball. I am in the process of interviewing Jim and in the next week, our conversations will be popping up in a couple of different places, covering […]
Thank you Canadians – check out this CBC broadcast
I suddenly started getting emails from Canadians; notices of new YouTube comments on “Beijing Blues” videos from Canadian readers; and CD purchase orders from Canadians. All of them said they had just heard a CBC broadcast about me, Woodie Alan and Big in China. You’ll have to scroll down the page to hear it once […]
RIP Jeffrey Zaslow – updated with eulogies and links to his columns
I was devastated to hear yesterday about the death of Jeffrey Zaslow, the great Wall Street Journal columnist and reporter and the author of many best-selling non-fiction books — a remarkable four in the last two years. I never met Jeff, but we exchanged a lot of emails over the past couple of years. When […]