This month I'm doing a tribute to rock and roll iconoclasts. Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos and even to some extent Chris O' Conner of Primitive Radio Gods. The three first artists have stood outside the mainstream, criticizing it and never conforming. They are often critically praised but rarely sell many records. They keep their own counsel and aren't influenced by trends. They have all been in the music business in one way or the other for about 20 years. I think this is a great batch of records and I want to thank everyone at Columbia, Warner Bros. and Arista for their help. I hope you dig it.

P.S. How am I driving? Questions? Answers? levinedv@is.nyu.edu