Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac is online every Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: hip-hop, pop, alternative, country, alt-country, rock, reggae, reggaeton, R and B and whatever it is that Kevin Federline does.

The transcript follows.

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J. Freedom du Lac: Sorry about last week. Rupert Murdoch got carried away and cancelled me, too. So, what'd I miss?

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It's beginning to look a lot like....: J. Freedom,

What box sets are on your Christmas List ?

J. Freedom du Lac: The last thing I need is more music. I mean, I'd much rather have a fruitcake or something. Though I'd consider the gift of a live living room concert by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. You can even make it a combo birthday/Christmas gift. (No, really -- you shouldn't have!)

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Van Ness, Washington, D.C.: What did you think of the Hold Steady show on Saturday night? I found the Post review to be too cute in making its point. Since it wasn't "transcendent", it was disappointing ... huh??

J. Freedom du Lac: Funny, I was just talking to somebody who was also at that show and thought it was a perfect review. And no, that "somebody" wasn't the author -- who happens to be the producer of this very chat. I'll let Producer David respond to this one.

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Mom, MA: JF: What did you think of that article on Tupac last weekend? Did the writer have a grudge against Tupac's mom? It WAS good to see there are those who don't worship blindly, however.

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes, in fact, the writer, Dan Charnas, does have something against Tupac's mother: He doesn't care for the way she's treating her son's legacy. It's her prerogative, of course. But she's also fair game for criticism when she tarnishes her son's legacy by releasing substandard recordings.

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washingtonpost.com: For Tupac, a Dim Afterlife

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Anonymous: Other than Johnny Cash, whom you've canonized, what dead performer would you like to see?

J. Freedom du Lac: A lot of them, actually. Keith Moon, et al. Bob Marley. Jimi Hendrix. Marvin Gaye. Elvis. The Allman Brothers. Sam Cooke. Hank Williams. Bob Dylan. (Oh, wait...)

I actually got a chance to see Johnny Cash perform live. Twice. Best of the two was a show at the Fillmore, after Rick Rubin brought his career back to life.

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Washington, D.C.: Is the Clipse album as good as Chris Richards says it is?

J. Freedom du Lac: Every bit as good, yes. And I'm not just saying that because I sat next to Malice on a flight from California a couple of weeks ago.

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Arizona Bay, Ariz.: It's too bad too because I would've really enjoyed a Tool/2Pac compilation album. Would've been straight busey!

J. Freedom du Lac: Straight Busey? This is a new term that pays tribute to the wackjob actor? Or something else?

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Washington, D.C.: Here's a dumb question:

Have you ever wandered into a music store looking for something in particular, but then can't figure out what section it would be in?

Ex. I was looking for Cee-Lo yesterday at Barnes & Noble -- looked in Pop Rock - no. Looked in Soul - no. No rap section -- rap was filed under Soul. I left figuring I'd buy it online. Maybe now that some music's boundaries are becoming a little vague, stores should rethink their filing systems.

J. Freedom du Lac: Well, that's annoying. Cee-Lo should definitely be filed under rap. Gnarls Barkley, though -- not so sure.

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Washington, D.C.: Hey J. Freedom - Hate to be one of those whiny guys who seem to dominate this forum, but nothing from the Post on the Dylan/Raconteurs show? Excellent show. There, now I'm one of those whiny guys.

J. Freedom du Lac: Don't sweat it. Some of my best friends are whiny guys. We were going to review the show, but our Dylan beat writer, Chris Richards, left the country for the week. Do you blame him?

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Washington, D.C.: Have you heard the new +44 album? I found it the other day on iTunes and think it's pretty solid.

J. Freedom du Lac: Solid is about right. The best thing about it is the drumming. No question about it: Travis Barker is a god. Even with a busted wing.

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J. Freedom du Lac: Ohmygoodness: I think Arizona Bay actually meant what he typed. Check it out, rock fans: www.thestraightbusey.com

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Let's try this another way: J. Freedom,

What box sets might make a good gift for a rock snob who likes rock, country and particularly alt-country ?

J. Freedom du Lac: Rhino put out a Gram Parsons collection earlier this year that's pretty satisfying. "The Complete Reprise Sessions" f. "GP" and "Grievous Angel," plus some interview recordings and a whole bunch of bonus tracks. It's excellent. Rhino also did a Willie Nelson set, "The Complete Atlantic Sessions" with expanded versions of the "Shotgun Willie" and "Phases And Stages" albums plus a live recording. Can't go wrong with either, though for your purposes, I think the GP collection might be the better bet.

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New Haven, Conn.: What happened to the "Music" link from the Arts & Living pull down menu from the Post home page? Please have the powers that be reactivate it.

J. Freedom du Lac: Dear Powers That Be:

The people have spoken.

Regards,

The Writer Who Was

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Alexandria, Va: Does Windham Hill have another boxed set this year?

J. Freedom du Lac: We can only hope . . .

And by "we," I mean Chris Richards. Not sure he ever returned the first one to me, now that I think about it.

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Anonymous: Are you as sick of pop tarts doing cheerleader dancing routines as I am?

What do these stupid moves have to do with music? I'm sure Michael Jackson has regrets about his ground-breaking videos, as there's been NOTHING since of import.

Put your elbow up, shake yer booty,

bob your head, you've done your duty

Your thoughts on lame coordinated dancing as entertainment?

J. Freedom du Lac: On the one hand, they're annoying. On the other, Kevin Federline needs work, so let's not issue a phatwa against choreographed dance routines just yet.

Frankly, though, I think artists who insist on putting dance sequences in their videos should just hire Shakira and then get out of the way. The world would be a much better place.

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Arlington, Va.: True or false: Wilco occupies the same place in the pop music landscape in the '00s that R.E.M. held in the '80s.

J. Freedom du Lac: False. R.E.M. had hits. R.E.M. helped lead the alt/indie/underground/college rock scene into the spotlight. Wilco is ... the band that came after Uncle Tupelo. OK, so they're more than that. But they're not R.E.M. Hell, they're not even Son Volt circa "Trace."

By the by, go onto the Reliable Source chat tomorrow and ask Amy Argetsinger about her Wilco fixation. She's definitely a fan.

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Travis Barker: A drummer god plus he's got bad taste in women or is it good taste ? I'm not sure.

J. Freedom du Lac: Dunno, we need more data. Let's see what his next move is with regards to Pamela Anderson. Then we can discuss.

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Philly, Pa.: Did'ja notice that "music" has been removed from the Arts & Living drop-down menu at the top of the WAPO webpage?

As if your articles weren't hard enough to find already....

J. Freedom du Lac: You sound like my editor, who wonders why I haven't been in the paper since, like, July. Of 2005. Of course, I do have that big review of everybody's favorite rock band, Hinder, coming over the weekend. Rawk-n-roll!

Meanwhile, back at the dot-ranch, here's the word from the Powers That Be: If you click on Arts and Living, music will come up as a choice on the left-side menu. (And if you want the souffle, please order it now. The kitchen needs extra time to prepare it.)

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Bethesda, Md.: Maybe this Rob Pegararo's department, but I find the search engine on iTunes laughable. I mean, try typing in something with a slight error in it, like Narls Barkley, and you won't get anywhere. So now we consumers have to know how to spell what we're looking for?

J. Freedom du Lac: Which is especially annoying given that so many artists purposely misspell things.

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Los Lobos: I had to do a lot of driving this weekend, so I put Just Another Band from East L.A. on shuffle as I got on and off the road.

Damn. That's one fine band.

J. Freedom du Lac: It really is. And that's one fine album.

Speaking of great bands from SoCal, just got word that Ozomatli has a new album, "Don't Mess With the Dragon," coming out in March. I have fond memories of Ozomatli in the month of March: The first time I saw them live was at South by Southwest about a decade back. Seeing them lead a bunch of jaded music-biz people onto Sixth Street at the end of the set was nothing short of magical. It's hard enough just to get those folks to unfold their arms at the back bar, let alone follow a bunch of funky drummers out of the club. If you've never seen Ozomatli live, do yourself a favor and go the next time they're in your 'hood.

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California: Re: Deceased performers

Wise choices, Freedom!

I saw Dylan in 1965, saw Marley five times, and regret never having seen Duane Allman play. Not seeing Elvis in Vegas might be a blessing in disguise. The '68 show with him in black leather would have been nice though. To have seen Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers would have been ethereal!

J. Freedom du Lac: I think seeing Elvis anywhere would have been interesting. Vegas circa wheneveritwas maybe not have been the ideal place or period, but at least you'd have seen him. As for me, I'm stuck with memories of having seen Don Ho at a hotel in Waikiki. He sang Tiny Bubbles twice. And got drunk. (Not necessarily in that order.) That's about all I got for you.

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Pitchfork: Hi. What did you think of the Pitchfork article ("Die, Pitchfork, Die!") in Slate? I wonder if they still pay very little to their music reviewers while they have Nike advertise on their site...

J. Freedom du Lac: What's Pitchfork?

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Gideon, Ky.: Great show by My Morning Jacket last night. One of the best live bands in action this year. Your thoughts? Also, for those who can't make it, the Okonokos DVD is a decent substitute.

J. Freedom du Lac: That DVD is absolutely incredible. Highly, highly recommended -- though it's worth noting that Jim James' voice is something of an acquired taste. Producer David has a review of last night's show running in tomorrow's paper. His summary: "Absolutely phenomenal."

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Phoenix, Ariz.: I am almost 25 years old, but I can't seem to find any new rock music that does it for me. When will this fad with the black eye liner and dyed jet black hair on everyone finally die out? I notice some bands are starting to solo again, but it still ain't Gn'R.

J. Freedom du Lac: What, you're not down with Hinder?

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I've got a fun game: Who's the next musician on an embarrassing album cover to go to Congress? I vote for Barbara Streisand, for the "Guilty" album photo.

J. Freedom du Lac: Millie Jackson might have some issues if she runs. Can't you just see the opposition flyers featuring that "Back to the $#!^" cover on which she's sitting on the can? Actually, pretty much all of her covers are embarrassing. Look up the "E.S.P." cover, too. Then again, I don't think she's the type that embarrasses easily.

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Washington, D.C.: Don't the Grammy award nominations come out soon? Have you heard any buzz? Do you have any thoughts on who might be nominated for record or album of the year? I'm thinking Gnarls Barkley for either, "Promiscuous" and maybe "Be Without You" for record. It seemed easier to predict last year with U2, Gwen, Mariah, Kanye, and Green Day dominating.

J. Freedom du Lac: They're announced a week from Thursday. There will be a major revolt if "Crazy" doesn't get a record of the year nomination. I think Justin Timberlake will scoop up a fair amount of nominations (and I wouldn't be shocked if Nelly Furtado gets named a bunch, too -- could be a big day for Timbaland). I have a bet going with an editor that the Dixie Chicks are going to get an album of the year nomination. Some guy named Dylan is probably going to get one, as well. KT Tunstall is a big sleeper. Some combination of Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Brown, Gnarls, KT Tunstall and James Blunt is probably going to surface in the new artist category. I'm guessing that Blunt has a big day with a bunch of nominations in various categories big and small. And I think we'll hear the names Rascal Flatts and Mary J. Blige quite a bit, as well.

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Ozomatli @ SXSW: So you were there when the police arrested the manager and a band member for their street performance? A real black eye for the reputation of the Austin Police Department in that music-loving town. Not that they had a great rep to begin with.

J. Freedom du Lac: No, that was a later South By Southwest stop for them. I'd seen them a couple-few years earlier. But yes, a pretty bad episode for the Austin PD.

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Washington, D.C.: With regard to Travis Barker: he is a drumming god. I saw +44 on Letterman last week, and it reminded me of a want ad I saw in a music mag a couple of years back. It read: One-armed drummer required for Def Leppard tribute band. Call for audition. Just goes to show.

J. Freedom du Lac: But did you answer the ad?

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Washington, D.C.: Regarding cheerleader dancing: the one episode of Making the Band I saw featured the idiots in Danity Kane making a video. They got to the choreographed dance sequence and made a big deal out of it because this was their chance to show people that they are real artists. Too bad they didn't thinking about their music choices or singing that way.

J. Freedom du Lac: Still boggles the mind that they beat out OutKast for the #1 slot on the Billboard 200 earlier this year. I know "Idlewild" wasn't great, but come on -- Big Boi and Andre burping into a microphone would be more interesting than the prefab lameness of Danity Kane.

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To anonymous:: Everybody git dancing!

J. Freedom du Lac: Sorry, the Station Break Dancers are having lunch right now. Please try again later.

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RE: Millie Jackson: Don't underestimate the "Grimacing while on the John Crapper" contingent. Might be small in number, but they ALWAYS turn out on election day.

J. Freedom du Lac: Thanks. Now please, keep your Brown State jokes to yourself.

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What I'm Looking F, OR: J Freedom,

What's the best CD or two that you've heard that you haven't reviewed in the last couple of months?

Thanks.

J. Freedom du Lac: Well, We At The Washington Post reviewed it, but not me personally. So I'll say Solomon Burke's "Nashville." It's Top 5 for 2006.

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Washington, D.C.: Corinne Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall and James Blunt for new artist? That's quite a good showing from Britain this year. Nice to see them making a comeback on the American pop scene.

J. Freedom du Lac: My favorite new artist's album out of Britain this year remains the Arctic Monkeys' debut. But I don't think they'll be a player in that category.

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1989: Where did all of those kids in my high school class get all of their Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest t-shirts from? I've always wondered...

J. Freedom du Lac: That was pre-Urban Outfitters, right? So they had to come from their hesher uncles' closets.

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Danity Kane: Big Daddy should be ashamed.

J. Freedom du Lac: Ain't no half singin.

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Hollywood, Calif.: Why does everyone "emo" look like they swing the other way?

J. Freedom du Lac: They're just sensitive, man. Though apparently not sensitive to makeup products. Who do you think accounted for more cosmetic sales: '80s hair bands or the current crop of emodudes?

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Arlington, Va.: When will it be my turn to marry Pamela Anderson? I'm willing to get a neck tattoo if that will help me skip a few places in line.

J. Freedom du Lac: If it's all about the neck tat, then you've got no chance against that obnoxious dude who won "Project Runway."

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On the Record:: A little off subject, but I am guessing you can help! Where can a person get records around here - - good, quality vintage and new?

Also, Would You Rather:

The entire "band" of Good Charlotte or Hilary Duff?

Lou Reed or David Bowie?

The Walkmen or The Strokes?

J. Freedom du Lac: Joe's Record Paradise. Orpheus Records. My desk, where I have vinyl copies of "Pet Sounds," "Living in the Material World" and, for some reason, Diddy's "Press Play." Or, if you don't feel like leaving the office: www.ebay.com.

Speaking of Good Charlotte and Hilary Duff -- you heard that Joel and Hilary are single, right? Wait, what do you mean you don't care? Whatever.

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Annapolis, Md.: You know what? I love Son Volt. Still. Wilco doesn't quite satisfy.

You know what else? I watched that Madonna concert on TV last week, and I liked it. Yes, I did, and I made my 92 year old grandmother watch it too. Listening to her comments about shame, immodesty, gyrations, etc., just made it better. Tonight I plan to watch Charlie Brown on TV, just to get my jazz groove on.

So there, music snobs.

J. Freedom du Lac: I'm still torqued that Madonna skipped D.C. So I didn't even bother to Tivo the special. On the other hand, I did record Ludacris' not-very-good SNL hosting debut. Pretty lame show, but I loved the infommercial for his Young Douglas hype-man album. Worth looking up online. Especially funny Samberg impression of James Blunt. And the skit itself became even funnier in hindsight when Ludacris performed ... with his own hypeman. Oh, the irony.

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washingtonpost.com: To go back to the Hold Steady, if anyone still cares ... my thing with the show is that considering the kind of music the band plays, I was thinking they would take the songs to a new level in that environment, but honestly I think they sound better on record. I mean, they do make fantastic records (except the new one is just pretty good). It was still a very fun time, and I did say it was a great show, but unlike the My Morning Jacket show last night, it didn't totally floor me. --Producer David

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Choreography...: It's great for the likes of Ciara, Janet and no talents like Danity Kane and Britney Spears but Puffy, P.Diddy, Sean John or whatever he's calling himself should definitely leave it to the girls.

A "rapper" doing choreographed dancing in a video is NOT hip hop.

J. Freedom du Lac: But, you know, before anybody cared who Diddy was -- before he started changing his name(s) -- he was a dancer in videos himself. There's hope for KFed yet. (But not much.)

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Anonymous: How many depressed Weingarten fans do you think you will be getting next week, now that Gene is giving up his Tuesday chat? Can you talk about VPL and poop as well as music?

J. Freedom du Lac: I suspect that his chatters will wander aimlessly for the next five months, much like the Deadheads did after Jerry Garcia died. I can pretend as best I can, talking about Millie Jackson's poopy album cover every week and whatnot, but I'll still be no more than Phish to Gene's Grateful Dead.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you listened to Bloc Party's new single The Prayer yet?

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes.

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Glen Ellyn, Ill.: J. Free,

Now that we have John Hall as the first rock & roll congressman, who else would make a good representative? Courtney Love would certainly add some excitement to the House...

J. Freedom du Lac: Sen. Iggy Pop has a nice ring to it, don'tchathink? Rep. Busta Rhymes, too.

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Burlington, Vt.: The Hold Steady sounds mainstream.

J. Freedom du Lac: And?

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Pussycat Dolls: Would you loosen up their buttons?

J. Freedom du Lac: It's not in my contract. Sorry.

That's it for this week, folks. Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for your questions, comments and crabs. Well, maybe not the crabs. See you all at the Hinder show.

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