What’s going on in the world these days…

I’m glad to see that Nas’ protest of Fox News and Bill O’Reilly isn’t hurting his record sales as he debuted this week at #1 with sales of 187,000. Did anyone else The Colbert Report last night? If not, you can see a clip of his interview here and performance here.

50 Cent is suing Taco Bell for devaluing his good name. Did they make some sort of “Get Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes or Die Tryin’” commercial or something? I love 50 Cent, but I also love 7-layer burritos so it’s hard to know who to root for on this one.

Kanye West’s visits with returning veterans are being filmed for an MTV Choose or Lose documentary entitled Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming. Said West, “I teamed up with MTV and took the opportunity to share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories. I went to their homes to listen and get their firsthand experiences. I wanted to hear their stories.” Each veteran will receive a financial gift on behalf of MTV and the Dr. Donda West Foundation.

Slayer are considering retirement after their final record on their contract is released. Sad to hear that perhaps it will rain blood no more as soon they may be haunting the retirement home. In honor of Slayer, please enjoy this video of their “Born to be Wild” cover. Steppenwolf never sounded so good.

That’s all she wrote for today. I’m off to Whistler tomorrow to hang with the mooses whilst watching Jay-Z at Pemberton.

As always you can email us at musicblog@sxsw. Subscribe to the feeder here and get all your good time SXSW blogposts delivered straightaway.

Toodles, lp

I’m back with mix #2 from SXSW 2008 showcasing artists, this time featuring artists who played on Thursday March 13. It’s just a taste of the variety of sounds heard emanating from various stages in lovely downtown Austin. Norwegian hip-hop, Quebecois lazer-bass, Swedish songcraft, weirdos from Athens GA, and much more await your ears, dive in. These mixes were made via www.muxtape.com, and you can post your own mix, too.

Last week I posted one of these for Wednesday. Any guesses what’s up next?

SXSW 08 Thursday Mix

In honor of Mamma Mia! opening (it’s totally uneven but pretty joy inducing, not despite but because of its kooky awfulness), here’s a truckload of Abba.

SOS

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME

SUPER TROUPER

FERNANDO

KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU

It’s 3 am. I apologize for the not overly informative post, but then again, I’ve gifted you with Abba. No apology needed, right?!

I’m off to the Pemberton Festival in Canada on Friday. Are you? Death Cab for Cutie! The Flaming Lips! My Morning Jacket! Jay-Z! Canadians! I once saw some bears frolicking on the side of the highway en route to Edmonton!

What’s your favorite Abba song? The band your most looking forward to seeing at Pemberton? Email us at musicblog@sxsw.com.

Aprapo of nothing, lp

Imagine my surprise when I commanded my Video Recording Apparatus (VRA) to replay the Neil Young interview on Charlie Rose that I blogged about last week, and learned that Charlie re-scheduled the airing. I was crushed, and didn’t catch it when it aired the next evening. Luckily, Charlie archives his shows online, and you can watch the interview here. The genesis of 2006’s “Living With War” and the subsequent tour with CSNY is covered, events which came right after his 2006 SXSW keynote.

This photo, shot by Gary Miller, captures the moment I met Neil as he made his way down the service corridor of the convention center before the keynote. That’s Jonathan Demme in front, with me to his left and Neil to his right. I can’t remember what I said, but I’m pretty sure it was dorky. Most of my brushes with greatness have happened in this service corridor.

SXSW ‘08 Keynoter Lou Reed is in the news as Julian Schnabel’s film ‘Lou Reed’s Berlin’ has opened in theaters in New York and Los Angeles. The NY Times gave a positive review here. The film has its own website, and fans should also have Lou’s home page bookmarked.

Relive highlights of the SXSW keyote via the SXSW 2008 Player. Scroll down to select the Lou footage, or download/watch directly here.