John Wesley Harding

Your generosity is appreciated, Wes--13 original songs, plus two interesting fragments and a fun version of Tommy James' "Crystal Blue Persuasion." And your gift for instant composition and off-the-cuff couplets continues to impress. But you shouldn't have. Really. These amiable attributes are great on the stage, but on record a little judicious stinginess is called for.

Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer A Novel Wesley Stace Picador: 390 pp., $15 paper In "Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer," there is murder, but more important, there is the pretentious, erudite and dryly funny writer who tells us about it. In 1910, established music critic Leslie Shepherd befriends Charles Jessold, a young and promising composer. We know from the 1923 news clipping that kicks off the book what's coming: Jessold kills his wife, her lover and himself, leaving an infant son orphaned.

Folk singer John Wesley Harding is a man of vision, lots of them. Every time "It's a Wonderful Life" is on television, he gets these strange visions. "Did you know that John Sebastian and I are the same person?" asked Harding in a recent interview. "Did you know that Bob Dylan actually served in Vietnam during the mid-'60s? He used to play Jerry Lee Lewis records real loud from his bunker," Harding lied. "Hey, just make it up, I don't care." Now for the truth, and nothing but.

Amanda Palmer is certainly good with a bon mot. The Dresden Dolls diva is emerging as one of the more vibrant characters at this year's South by Southwest conference and festival, playing winning sets, offering quotable quotes and even storming the halls of the Austin Convention Center on Thursday when the keynote by Quincy Jones delayed her panel by over an hour. Palmer and her fellow panelist John Wesley Harding presented an impromptu mini-set, with Harding playing Palmer's ukulele as she belted out yet another take on Radiohead's "Creep," along with versions of Prince's "Kiss" and part of the immortal "We Are the World," when that single's producer, Jones, let his keynote stretch past its allotted time.

What do you say to an Englishman bold enough to drop out of a Ph.D program at Cambridge University to pursue his rock 'n' roll dreams, and one daring enough to take his stage name from the title of an old Bob Dylan album and then write his own '90s version of a Rolling Stones classic? The man is John Wesley Harding and the thing you say to him is, "How about a recording contract?" At least if you're Seymour Stein, the Sire Records chief whose discoveries include Talking Heads, Madonna, k.d.

Album titles are a big deal with John Wesley Harding. Born Wesley Harding Stace, the cheeky British rocker swiped his stage name from the title of a Bob Dylan record. Harding's own albums are called "Here Comes the Groom" and "The Name Above the Title," and the liner notes to each include the singer's comments on why he chose those particular titles from a plethora of possibilities.

John Wesley Harding, wise-guy British folk singer type, will be cracking musical jokes aplenty, temporarily turning the venerable Ventura Theatre into a laughing academy when he performs tonight. Usually just a guy and his guitar, Harding will be aided and abetted this time by award-winning bass player, Rob Wasserman. Native American activist, John Trudell will open. What would you expect from a guy who names most of his albums after Frank Capra movies?

John Wesley Harding stands widely accused of being a lesser version of Elvis Costello. Thursday night at the Coach House, he blithely pleaded guilty. The young British rocker launched his encore segment with Costello's "Miracle Man," lending new meaning to the song's pointed refrain, "Why do you have to say that there's always someone who can do it better than I can?" The delivery was raw, but it lacked the bitterness and gumption of a sarcastic self-defense. Harding seemed to be saying that the criticism doesn't bother him, that it hardly matters.

In your holiday guide to boxed sets ("Money for Something," Dec. 14), Robert Hilburn's "Dylan Option 2" is much better than the Columbia set of 15 discs, but it is hard to do without "John Wesley Harding." I just happened to be listening to this album the day before I saw Hilburn's column. It has some great songs. If I were to select 15 discs for a "Customized Dylan Set," how could I leave off an album that has one of Dylan's best, "All Along the Watchtower," the Hendrix version of which is right at the top of my all-time-favorite rock songs?

The Scene: A no-expletives-deleted gathering at the Arena nightclub in Hollywood for "Banned Together," the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California's Grammy night "celebration of artistic free expression" and benefit. The fete marks the second year of the ACLU's Generation X outreach. "At most of our events, we don't get many young people," explains ACLU executive director Ramona Ripston.

Chris Cornell "Scream" (Interscope Records) Baseball fans might remember the downfall of Rick Ankiel. The phenom pitcher led the St. Louis Cardinals to the National League division series in 2000, only to throw five wild pitches in one inning. He had mysteriously lost his ability to throw strikes, eventually ending his pitching career. Timbaland is having a Rick Ankiel moment. Throughout the '90s and into the 2000s, the producer had the most revolutionary ideas of anyone in hip-hop and pop music.

In your holiday guide to boxed sets ("Money for Something," Dec. 14), Robert Hilburn's "Dylan Option 2" is much better than the Columbia set of 15 discs, but it is hard to do without "John Wesley Harding." I just happened to be listening to this album the day before I saw Hilburn's column. It has some great songs. If I were to select 15 discs for a "Customized Dylan Set," how could I leave off an album that has one of Dylan's best, "All Along the Watchtower," the Hendrix version of which is right at the top of my all-time-favorite rock songs?

Joined by the musicians who backed him last month at Farm-Aid, Beck, right, will showcase his folk and country roots when he plays an acoustic show Nov. 19 at the El Rey Theatre. Tickets go on sale Saturday. . . . Oasis will be at the Universal Amphitheatre on Jan. 27. Tickets will be available Saturday. . . . Meshell Ndegeocello will preview a new band and new material Dec. 8-9 at LunaPark. Tickets are on sale now. . . .

John Wesley Harding, wise-guy British folk singer type, will be cracking musical jokes aplenty, temporarily turning the venerable Ventura Theatre into a laughing academy when he performs tonight. Usually just a guy and his guitar, Harding will be aided and abetted this time by award-winning bass player, Rob Wasserman. Native American activist, John Trudell will open. What would you expect from a guy who names most of his albums after Frank Capra movies?

The Scene: A no-expletives-deleted gathering at the Arena nightclub in Hollywood for "Banned Together," the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California's Grammy night "celebration of artistic free expression" and benefit. The fete marks the second year of the ACLU's Generation X outreach. "At most of our events, we don't get many young people," explains ACLU executive director Ramona Ripston.

John Wesley Harding stands widely accused of being a lesser version of Elvis Costello. Thursday night at the Coach House, he blithely pleaded guilty. The young British rocker launched his encore segment with Costello's "Miracle Man," lending new meaning to the song's pointed refrain, "Why do you have to say that there's always someone who can do it better than I can?" The delivery was raw, but it lacked the bitterness and gumption of a sarcastic self-defense. Harding seemed to be saying that the criticism doesn't bother him, that it hardly matters.

Joined by the musicians who backed him last month at Farm-Aid, Beck, right, will showcase his folk and country roots when he plays an acoustic show Nov. 19 at the El Rey Theatre. Tickets go on sale Saturday. . . . Oasis will be at the Universal Amphitheatre on Jan. 27. Tickets will be available Saturday. . . . Meshell Ndegeocello will preview a new band and new material Dec. 8-9 at LunaPark. Tickets are on sale now. . . .

Amanda Palmer is certainly good with a bon mot. The Dresden Dolls diva is emerging as one of the more vibrant characters at this year's South by Southwest conference and festival, playing winning sets, offering quotable quotes and even storming the halls of the Austin Convention Center on Thursday when the keynote by Quincy Jones delayed her panel by over an hour. Palmer and her fellow panelist John Wesley Harding presented an impromptu mini-set, with Harding playing Palmer's ukulele as she belted out yet another take on Radiohead's "Creep," along with versions of Prince's "Kiss" and part of the immortal "We Are the World," when that single's producer, Jones, let his keynote stretch past its allotted time.

Album titles are a big deal with John Wesley Harding. Born Wesley Harding Stace, the cheeky British rocker swiped his stage name from the title of a Bob Dylan record. Harding's own albums are called "Here Comes the Groom" and "The Name Above the Title," and the liner notes to each include the singer's comments on why he chose those particular titles from a plethora of possibilities.

Your generosity is appreciated, Wes--13 original songs, plus two interesting fragments and a fun version of Tommy James' "Crystal Blue Persuasion." And your gift for instant composition and off-the-cuff couplets continues to impress. But you shouldn't have. Really. These amiable attributes are great on the stage, but on record a little judicious stinginess is called for.