Well yeah. I mean she was towards the top, right?

Yeah, Le Guin was one of the smarter and more popular authors. I’m just saying that I don’t see her as an outlier.

Are you big on Brando otherwise?

He’s not someone I’ve tried to see everything by. His big classic performances are great though. I don’t really think he was the best choice for Apocalypse Now.

I don’t really listen to Aoxomoxoa or Anthem of the Sun much compared to the straightforward live albums. Have you ever listened to Live/Dead, or at least the version of Dark Star on that one?

Clapton dying at 27 would make Layla his last album. He probably would have died around that time if he hadn’t kicked his heroin habit (he wouldn’t stay clean, his drinking problem would come later). I know Pete Townshend helped him organize The Rainbow Concert to pay for rehab. If nobody had intervened at that point he’d probably have died.
He would be less popular without his career up through Unplugged, and From the Cradle was a well liked album that sold well and came out a little after that, although I don’t know that it drew in new fans.

I think that the last time he actually had an impact on music was when he covered I Shot the Sheriff, and helped bring more exposure to Bob Marley and Reggae in general. That was in 1974, when he was 29.

Personally I always found Badmotorfinger really accessible. I actually used to like it more than Superunknown, but not anymore.