Genius on The Edge

Life after Ozzy is no easy task – just ask the many guitarists (Brad Gillis, Jake E.Lee, Zakk Wylde) who played with the metal legend after the tragic death of original six-string genius Randy Rhoads. Could it be that there's a post-Randy curse? If so, Lee's Badlands project may just take the cake as the most turbulent and ill-fated of the bunch. Yet it was also possibly the best and most original of them all…

Norman McLaren was a genius. That's not just my opinion, Picasso thought so too, as did Francois Truffaut. McLaren was an animator and experimental film maker who created works that destroyed the limits of what was thought possible through the medium of film. He would create animations by scratching shapes directly into the film emulsion, or use live models as stop-motion animation props, or create multiple exposures that used dozens of interlocking images. McLaren was the founding director of the National Film Board of Canada's animation division (a post he held for more than 40 years) and under his tutelage the NFB became the place for cutting-edge animation. Along the way hewon an Oscar, a Palm d'Or, and a zillion film festival awards.
The National Film Board has just released a stunning, seven-DVD set of McLaren's work, titled Norman McLaren: The Master's Edition.

Richard Clapton is - and probably will always be - the great undiscovered genius of Australian rock music. Not to say that he's completely unknown outside of his home country. Neil Young did specifically request him as as opening act for one of his Australian tours, and Jackson Browne has also admitted to being a Clapton fan…