COVER STORY
Does Fame Kill?
Wish you were famous? Wish again. Some reflections on fame and life expectancy.
By Tyler Cowen

INTERNET
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
The Lee Atwater Invitational Dead Pool
By Richard Abowitz

BOOK
The Man Who Would Be Muse
Speaking metaphorically with Ray Bradbury about the writing life
By Bobby Maddex

ART
The Darkness of Night: M.C. Escher
By Fred Schwertfeger

FILM
Thumbs Down, Mr. Ebert
A critical counterthrust
By Bobby Maddex

NEW ARTIST
What Kind of Thing Am I Looking At?
An interview with painter Lisa Yuskavage
By Jayson Whitehead

MUSIC
Alone in the Crowd
The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds
By Howard Kramer

IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Epiphany at Zuma Beach
Or Brian Wilson hallucinates me
By David Dalton

PERFORMANCE
House Arrest and the Art of Becoming
By Amy Nickell

FIRST WORK
Raymond Carver’s Will You Please Be Quiet, Please
By Richard Abowitz

ISSUES
Conspiracy World
By Johan Conrod

HOT SPOT
New York Mills, Minnesota
By Nick Taylor

REVIEWS
The Beatles, Bob Dylan at the 9:30 Club, Blind Willie Johnson, Art and Film Since 1945, Welcome to Sarajevo and more