There's been a dearth of good book-inspired rock of late, other than Mastodon's Leviathan which was back in 2004. Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service) hope to change that with a Jack Kerouac-inspired collaboration.

Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Son Volt's Jay Farrar are collaborating on a side-project inspired by '50s Beat writer Jack Kerouac.

The pair met while recording songs for an upcoming Kerouac documentary, One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur, which examines the writer's life in the years after he published On the Road, the dizzying, drug-fueled novel that announced him as the voice of a generation.

I'm still holding out for an Uncle Tupelo reunion, but given the animosity between Farrar and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, I'm not holding my breath. I'll pretend a collaboration with Gibbard about a writer I never really got into will suffice!

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(The Bonzo Dog Band - Cheerfully poking holes in credulity)

Vivian Stanshall was probably one of those most gifted, absurd, hysterical performers to come out of England in the 1960's. The band he helped form, The Bonzo-Dog (Doo-dah) Band gained an enormous cult following among musicians and lovers of theatrical insanity from 1966 to the eventual demise of their first incarnation in 1970. Many people attribute the rise of Monty Python to The Bonzo's influence and in fact, Neil Innes (another founding member of the band) figured prominently in the early stages of their success. The Bonzo's were also featured in The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, and their featured song "Death Cab For Cutie" became the namesake of a band currently on the scene (but with no other connection other than name).

But it was Vivian's contribution, his vision, that gave him such a cult following. One which continues to this day, some 14 years after his premature death.

There are a number of sites devoted to Stanshall and the work of The Bonzo's. This is one of the best sites. It's well worth checking out.

In 1971 Stanshall was recruited by John Peel to act as substitute DJ while Peel went on vacation. The result was a series of programs for the BBC entitled "Vivian Stanshall's Radio Flashes.

This show also features the talents of his pal and drinking buddy Keith Moon acting as straight man and foil.

The combination is perfect, the madness bounces out of the speakers and the genius behind it all is sorely missed.

Listen and enjoy - and tell your friends.