The Nü Trübadours

Every generation sees the emergence of new voices that challenge the stifling conformity of the pop kingdom and provide us with songs both beautiful and thought-provoking. In the 60s it was the likes of Donovan and Simon & Garfunkel; the 70s saw Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel; the 80s had Crowded House and Thomas Dolby; the 90s delivered Toad the Wet Sprocket and Sarah McLachlan—to mention just a few. This week’s wog features some of the most intriguing artists of the decade to date, with unique songs that capture the spirit of poetic freedom. It’s an ÜberWog, too—53 minutes of great music to walk and jog by. Check out Keane, Snow Patrol, The Shins, Fields, and others at Podwogging.com.

The Envelope, Please

No, I’m not talking about the Oscars (go, Milk!). I’m talking about the shape of your wog. In general, I like my workouts to be like a camel’s back: a brisk walk to start, followed by some jogging, a slower section to recover, and then another jogging section before a slowish walk at the end to cool down. But every playlist I have is different. Some may have a long, extended jog at the beginning and only a moderate jog near the end; others may be a one-hump camel instead of a two-humper. Wog-a-Thons are shaped like a sine wave, and some of my ÜberWogs may have three jogging sections instead of two. The most radically different are my Flatliners, which may have no jogging at all, or be nearly all jogging. As a result, the envelopes I push come in all shapes, in addition to all paces. Just more to choose from when I hit the trail. Or sidewalk. Or whatever. And the winner is...