ND: Yeah, airports or rest stops. I remember running into John Wesley Harding in a rest stop along I-95 one time, oh, this was a couple years ago or so. It was just like, "Oh, hello." I was working with Julian [Dawson, British singer and songwriter; opened for Stewart at the Bottom Line in New York in 1998] at the time and he had just done a double bill with Wes in upstate New York. He split for his next gig; we split for Julian's. Two days later, we're going in different directions along the east coast but bump into each other at the Joyce Kilmer in New Jersey. Too much.

AS: You know, Wes has become an author now. He had a book published.

ND: Yes, I heard. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. He's so talented and he has an interesting way with words.

AS: Yeah...he didn't tell anybody about [the book project]. I see him every now and again and I talk to him on the phone, but he never mentioned it until one day when he said, "I've written a book." (Laughs.) It was out of the blue, you know? Lo and behold, he has. And lo and behold, I hear it's getting good reviews. Actually, I feel a little guilty because I haven't read it yet either. The very next time I see him, he's going to want to know if I've read his book. I probably should.

ND: I should too, and I will.

AS: The trouble with knowing people is that when they do things like make records and write books, you feel obliged to try and keep up with them.

ND: I'm in the habit of making lists of things that I will get to when I have some time, but unfortunately, things keep piling high...

AS: I know...

ND: ... and the list just grows and grows.

AS: I reached a point where I thought of at least 50 books that I was supposed to have read. Eventually, I gave up and said, this just isn't gonna happen. What are you going to do?

ND: In terms of playing with words, I have to bring up "Royal Courtship."

AS: Yes! (Laughs heartily.) That's exactly what it is — my assault on the English language.

ND: A loving assault...

AS: Oh, yes - a loving assault. I always try to put at least one or two words in my songs which, as far as I know, have never been used in songs before. It's like you're walking into a football stadium that's full of words instead of people. Some of them are popular - they're Madonna or whatever. "Love," that's a really popular word; it appears in about, say, 50,000 songs. And then there's "plenipotentiary." (Both AL and ND erupt into laughter.)