Program Notes

Speaking of master guitarists, Ben Peeler is, as you probably know, officially out of the Mavericks. Manager Frank Callari has been weathering a rumor storm. "It was musical differences," he says. "There was no animosity. It was not a yelling and screaming match. His playing ability is excellent, but it didn't fit in the country genre. He's a great guy." Any noncountry band in the world should kill for a player of Peeler's caliber; his recent gig with the Volunteers wasn't, I hope, a one-shot deal. Callari also wanted to make it explicit that the dropping of Peeler was not MCA's decision. Austin, Texas, strummer David Lee Holt (Carlene Carter) looks to be the new guitarist.

Butthorn of the week: Atlanta Braves fans. Last year they all had bumper stickers that read, "Go Falcons! And Take the Braves with You." Now they're all doing the tomahawk chop, and scraping those stickers off their bumpers.

The media circus: Any chance Clarence Thomas is on the Kathy Willets list?