More things that are awesome

Number 1: this essay by Haruki Murakami. It appeared in the New York Times a while back, but I never got around to posting it up here. If you don't understand why I dig him so much now, maybe you will after reading this piece.

Number 2: this concert, performed by Q-Tip at this week's CMJ festival in New York City. The review I've linked to claims that "Q-Tip worked the crowd with the charisma of a young James Brown." I bet now you wish you saw it too, right? In fact, did any of you catch this show?

Number 3: this previously unreleased demo of Ms. Aretha Franklin singing I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You). This version is very different from the final cut, but really highlights Aretha's outrageously powerful attitude and voice. What a woman. (From the unparalleled Rhino label's new collection of rare and unreleased recordings from The Queen of Soul.)