Amid all the Manson mania these days—this week marks the 40th anniversary of the Tate/LaBianca murders—John Waters wades into the fray to advocate for the release of Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted in the LaBianca killings. Waters closely followed the Manson trials and eventually befriended Van Houten. In his upcoming book, Role Models, Waters writes about Van Houten, and that chapter has been serialized on the Huffington Post website all this week. Waters also turned up on NPR this week suggesting that Van Houten be paroled. He points out that the sensationalization of the Manson murders has worked against Van Houten, who might otherwise have been released years ago. Overall, it's a provocative stance, but it's measured, thought out, and based on a belief that...

What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you? Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica had a huge impact on me. It was so different from everything else. My brother bought it when it first came out. I listened to it a lot. It made it clear that musicians can choose their path. Most musicians try to sound like someone else. I think it's best to do what comes natural and sound like yourself. Jad Fair's legendary band, Half Japanese, plays the Ottobar tomorrow night. Double Dagger is also on the bill.

Thinking about Larry Scott recently—he would have turned 52 on July 9—I visited the blog for Blood on the Wall$, Barry Michael Cooper's 2005 film starring the late artist. The film, shot mostly in Baltimore using untrained actors such as Scott, was directed by Cooper, who wrote the screenplays for New Jack City, Sugar Hill, and Above the Rim. Cooper also profiled Scott in the May 2004 issue of Baltimore. As a directorial debut, Blood... shows plenty of promise. As something of a posthumous tribute to Scott, it shows plenty of heart. In the segment posted above—there are 21 parts in all—it's great to see Scott riffing with Jonathan Peter Jackson in the Contemporary Wing of the BMA. It would also be great to see Scott's work there, someday.

Becoming Billie Holiday, by Baltimore's Carole Boston-Weatherford, has won the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King Award. According to the ALA website, the award is "given to an African American author for an outstandingly inspirational and educational contribution. The books promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The Award is further designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood."

Weatherford considers Holiday her muse and has said she felt the iconic singer was whispering in her ear as she wrote the book, which is comprised of nearly 100 poems named after Holiday's songs. Weatherford will read from the book on July 17th, at the re-dedication of artist Jim Reid's Billie Holiday statue on Pennsylvania Avenue. The event, which...