David Byrne Is My New Sting and BURNING WOOD'S "WEEKEND MIX"

Mention Sting, and most people, even Sting fans will snort in contempt. We the people, hate the man. Never mind the legendary output of The Police, or his better than average solo career, you say Sting, we say "Eeeuuuw!" How did he poison the well? Was it the whole tantric sex thing, or writing a modern day standard by rhyming "take, make, bake, cake, fake and wake?" Or how about that facocta lute record he put out? Good fodder, but hardly reasons for such universal loathing. Makes little sense that a good-looking guy, with obvious talent, mostly in music and occasionally in film, can evoke such a hostile response from so many. (Believe me, I know. Heh!)

Me, I don't hate the guy. Well...I used to, but I got over it. During that time of reconciliation, David Byrne became my Sting. They share many career similarites- -legendary early output, better than average solo careers (at least for a while), some dabbling in film. But lately, Byrne has committed what, to me, is the mortal sin of a musician, abandoning your fans. His non-musical side projects--playing a building, the bike stand, the release of The Knee Plays--all reek of self-absorption. His "big-suit" quirkiness is no longer cute. It's just annoying. For Pete's sake Byrne, if Sting, Andy and Stewart could do it, so could you Tina, Jerry, and Chris. I must admit, his new collaboration with Brian Eno is damn good. But I think it's time for a Talking Heads reunion. Small theatres, affordable tickets, and NOTHING off of "Naked" or "True Stories" please.

And now, still on a high from the sizzling Paul Weller show at the Nokia Theatre, I give you this weekend's mix, courtesy of "Weller Exclusives." This blog is devoted to the man and his music. They have created a full live version of Paul Weller's brilliant solo debut from 1992. Taken from various locations, Weller Exclusives has reconstructed the album and a few related b-sides into a live performance for your downloading pleasure. Go get it HERE!