"Finding Fela" is my personal memoir of a journey to Lagos, Nigeria, to film the legendary African musician and political firebrand Fela Kuti, the "Black President." In 1983, Fela was Africa's best-known performer: he mixed radical politics and pop music as they have rarely been mixed before. As a white man from Chicago, I experienced extreme culture shock and even got arrested and jailed. Eventually, I lived near Fela's commune, talked with him several times, became friends with many of h...

The Who were one of the most memorable and influential of the 1960s British Invasion bands—memorable because of their loudness and because they destroyed instruments during performances, and influential because of their success in crafting “Power Pop” singles like “My Generation” and “I Can See for Miles,” long-playing albums Live at Leeds and Who’s Next, and the “rock operas” Tommy and Quadrophenia. The themes that principal songwriter Pete Townshend imparted into The Who’s music drew upo...