Free Republic

There's a new biography of Charles Manson out this month -- which seems like the last thing America needs, in light of the reams of print that have already been devoted to the wannabe pop star who led his "family" to commit nine murders in the summer of 1969, terrifying Los Angeles. And yet Manson: The Life of Times and Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn is riveting, a thoroughly researched biography that manages to be a breezy page-turner. Even those who've already read extensively about the Manson murders and their aftermath may find new insight into the pint-sized West Virginia-born...

OK, this is my second 'arts' post of the day, but since my Clint Eastwood one proved to be so rewarding, here is another one. I am a card-carrying Beach Boys nutter, I even take medicine to slow me down on that. I saw Brian Wilson three times live in the past years (two of them in the prestigious London Royal Festival Hall - best setting ever). Top stuff. A couple of weeks ago, the only solo album of the late Dennis Wilson was finally re-released, after decades of legal hassles. Suppleted with lots of bonus cuts from his unreleased...