Documents from Gilberto Gil's Private Archive

you could change it to, 'I'm old.'") "There's something to age that deepens your experience of love," she said. "Your compassion deepens, and when you're hurt, it's deeper. Every major religion tells us that life is suffering, but that's part of the gift of being alive." Amen.... Is Marlboro the secret sponsor of this year's South by Southwest? Are armies of promo people handing lit cigarettes to everyone who gets off a plane? Signs everywhere warned out-of-towners not to smoke inside, but outdoors, nonsmokers seemed to be an endangered species – in lines, under tents or just trying to walk down the sidewalk without drawing in a lungful of tar and nicotine. Forget those Texas coal plants coming on line: The more imminent danger to Austin's air quality comes from those cigarette-waving hordes from Los Angeles or Chicago or wherever it is that people still like to go home at the end of the night smelling like ashtrays. Sorry, we're just irritable because our eyes sting. ... Cameron McGill's guitar is defective. It was written on his hollowbody electric: "This machine kills hipsters." But everyone walked away unscathed from Chicago's Metro party at Emo's on Wednesday.... "Rome is burning." That's what Pete Townshend said a record executive recently told him about the music biz. The Who guitarist talked about this during his keynote conversation Wednesday with Bill Flanagan. But Townshend said current technology bodes well for the future of rock 'n' roll. "We've got more information, more power, than we've ever had before. My generation was driving blind."... If you can't get into that buzz-band showcase, or you bail on an act that turns out to be a bust and need to kill some time, try checking out the corner of Sixth and Brazos streets, where something always seems to be happening Around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a group of kids played old-timey music in front of the Driskill Hotel with an older mentor on stand-up bass. The kid on banjo was pretty decent, but not as amusing as the little girl in an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt absently strumming a mandolin while chewing her gum with fierce concentration. An hour or so later, on the opposite corner, a bagpiper in his 20s – who knew twentysomethings played the pipes? – raked in the tips with his fleet, bold playing. Right next to him, a bus driver had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a wobbly posse of scantily clad young women crossing against the light, and the driver blared his horn in what turned out to be a perfect interval for a long, mournful bleat from the piper. Just down from the corner is B.D. Riley's, where the acts play in an open window – no waiting in line, no wristband necessary if you don't mind watching someone's back. Australian Andrew Winton drew an outdoor crowd that included a couple of locals just passing by on their way to the bus stop across the street, marveling at his driving, percussive lap steel guitar. Later, the rollicking Blackie & the Rodeo Kings from Toronto had their own indoor-outdoor assemblage.... Seattle's the Trashies were a no-show for their 10:30 p.m. Wednesday slot at the Mortville/Super Secret Records showcase at Beerland. AI G, guitarist for Austin's 1978-style punk rock band the Ends, picked up an acoustic, rigged a mike together and played about 30 minutes of songs off the cuff. Turns out Mr. AI G is not just a crunchy punk rock power chord maestro; he's also steeped in 1960s psych-pop. He got applause from those in the know when he played a Flamin' Groovies cover with understated quietude ... at a punk rock show!?!....