A short Big in China Excerpt, with video: What the Chinese blues mean to me – “Wo De Baobei”
An appreciation of Woodie Alan's great bass player Zhang Yong, whom I am proud to call a friend.
From Chapter 22, The House Is Rocking.
Wanting to feature more Chinese singing, I translated verses from “Beijing Blues” and “Come…
“Big in China inspired me to be a better husband and father.”
"I’ll admit I felt a vicarious thrill while reading about some of his on-stage experiences. To have a large crowd chanting your name and rocking out to your music is still an unfulfilled dream for most of us. Alan lived that dream and he takes…
RIP Allen Woody – a woolly mammoth of a man
“It’s hard to imagine a better American musical ambassador than Alan Paul. After spent crafting words, he found himself in a situation where words didn’t work anymore and was able to transcend them and make a deeper emotional connection…
Rebecca Blumenstein – feminist icon
"There’s this feeling that women can’t do it all, and I would like to humbly submit that I disagree."
-Rebecca Blumenstein, Wall Street Journal Deputy Managing Editor
I'm sure you know this, but Rebecca is also my wife.
I stumbled…
How music saved my life – again.
"I hit the city and I ost my band. I know that some of you don't understand..."
-Neil Young
It was really disorienting to return from Beijing and suddenly be stripped of everything I had so loved about my life in China, probably the band…
A Labor Day roundup of corruption in sports
The NCAA is so far gone that it needs to be blown up,says the Washington Post's John Feinstein.
"The NCAA needs to go away, the same way all corrupt organizations must eventually go away. The Berlin Wall fell, and so did the Soviet Union.…
Hiking Electric Pass, Aspen CO – with original music
What a great hike this was... original music is "Come to the Edge," from Woodie Alan's Beijing Blues CD. Listen to Woodie's mournful, beautiful lap steel slide playing. This is the last song on Beijing Blues, and I like it more than I r…
The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos on Big In China
“Generations of adventurers have daydreamed about seeing their names in lights in the world’s biggest country. But Alan Paul-musician, writer, and stay-at-home father of three-actually achieved it through sheer will and talent.”
-Evan…
Larry Bird – Legend of the Ball. An interview.
Legend of the Ball
Larry Bird is one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Originally published in SLAM 118. You can read the article, with over 100 comments, at Slam Online.
by Alan Paul
The Legend of Larry Bird is so great that…
Kids Krumping; 6 and 9 year olds break it down
This is a pretty great video. 6 and 9 year old kids getting down and dirty.