Date: August 1st, 2008

Hi all,

It's been quite a while since I sent one of these notes out, and if you've visited the no notes blog in recent months you've probably noticed it wasn't all that active. I was busy with other projects*.

But lately I've more or less returned to action. So I encourage you to visit the site if you have not done so in a while -- and enjoy, for instance, my liner notes to an imaginary CD compiling some of my favorite versions of "SJI." Another recent entry of note: Cassandra Wilson's take on the tune, one of the best new versions I've heard in quite a while.

Last but certainly not least, this highly exciting piece of "SJI" news: Robert W. Harwood is just about set to release his book I Went Down To St. James Infirmary, in which he breaks a lot of interesting new ground about the song. I've read it, and it's smart, it's original, it's interesting, and it's an entertaining read to boot. I encourage you to visit his site, Stjamesinfirmary.ca for details on being alerted the second the book is available and/or buying your own copy.

That's about it. Thanks for the patience during that minimal-blogging spell, and happy to be back.

--rw

* The main other project distracting me, if you're interested, is a book that has nothing whatsoever to do with SJI or New Orleans. But I wrote it, so it does have something to do with me: BUYING IN: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are.