At 58, George Thorogood is thinking about the end of his career. Talking to Spinner about his new album, 'The Dirty Dozen,' which mixes new material with some rarities, Thorogood says, "That's it, I'm going out with style, baby." Does that mean this is the farewell album? "You never know, it might be," he says. "You never know how long you're gonna live. You don't know what the world's going to be. I'm just saying if that is it, then I finished on a high note."

Despite his age, Thorogood admits that now that he sees some of his peers keeping at it, he's not ready to hang up his guitar just yet. "I kind of look at Mick Jagger as the barometer of how long I'm gonna go," he says. "He's about seven or eight years older than me, and Eric Clapton's five years older than me. look at those guys and I say, 'Well, they're still going, which means I have no right to retire.' Mick Jagger's gonna be 66."

This past August, Steve Winwood told Spinner that he and one-time Blind Faith bandmate Eric Clapton remained "in touch" following a few reunion-ish shows at Madison Square Garden in NYC, but that "as of yet, no plans have been made" for additional shows.

That was then, this is now. Three nights just wasn't enough to time to revisit Blind Faith's sole album, the self-titled release from 1969 featuring 'Can't Find My Way Home' ... and a topless young girl on the album cover. The reunited pair -- touring under their names, not Blind Faith's -- will hit the road for a 14-date tour which kicks off on June 10 in East Rutherford, NJ, and winds its way to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, on June 30.

That's almost as long as their band lasted the first time around.

Eric Clapton credits guns with increasing the value of his social interaction. Well, sorta. The guitar legend doubles as the co-owner of the Mayfair shop, Cordings, which outfits clientele of the hunting, shooting and fishing variety.

"I'm not really that gregarious," the 63-year-old musician told the Art Newspaper. "And shooting with groups of people up and down the country has taught me a lot about how to get on with my fellow human beings."

On This Date in 1974: Eric Clapton's version of Bob Marley's 'I Shot the Sheriff' hits the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.

The Almanac Advises for September 14: "Due to the added risks police officers take in protecting the populace, the penalty for assaulting or shooting a law enforcement official is usually higher than if the same crime were perpetrated upon a civilian."

When 'The Daily Show''s John Oliver tried to boogie with conventioneers at least week's Democratic National Convention, he lampooned one of the most glaring weaknesses in supporters of either party. Almost by definition, political conventioneers couldn't clap on the beat if the fate of the free world depended on it.

The Democrats tried mightily to put some sway in their persuasion, at one point trotting out Stevie Wonder. This week, the Republicans have countered with ... Mike Huckabeee.

The former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate's band, Capitol Offense, rocked a convention party with some of the preacher man's favorite family values numbers, including the Stones' 'Honky Tonk Women' ("she blew my nose and then she blew my mind") and Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine,' which was recast, naturally enough, as a campaign song: "He's all right, he's all right, he's all right -- McCain!"

According to the Star Tribune, Huckabee and friends also reworked ZZ Top's naughty swamp-crawl 'Tush' into a blues-rockin' ode to the outgoing president. "I'm just looking for some Bush" -- now there's a sentiment that could make Bill Clinton cross the aisle.

In anticipation of Outside Lands (a first-year major music festival that takes place in San Francisco, August 22 through 24) several key artists participated in a recent a press conference, including Steve Winwood. During his part of the conference, the iconic musician -- who, some would say, is a living relic from the music scene that San Francisco birthed in the '60s -- said he was looking forward to returning to the Bay Area not only for the weather but also to recognize his roots. The city was his U.S. first market and, in fact, the first place he visited in America. His career has careened in all sorts of directions since then, including a foray into mainstream pop with a string of 1980s hits such as 'Valerie,' 'Higher Love' and 'Back in the High Life.' He's come a long way since his days in Traffic or Blind Faith. But one thing that's remained from his hippie roots is an eco-consciousness that is suddenly back in style.

While Rothbury wins in the race for green this summer, Outside Lands will have a considerable green effort in its own right, including solar and wind powered cell phone charging stations and generators that run partially on biodiesel. Winwood says his own bus does not use biofuel, however the band has taken steps to make their touring lifestyle greener. "In fact, I was just today trying to buy biodegradable plates to take on the bus, and we recycle at every stop," Winwood said. "And so yes, we do think about it. Whatever happened to rock 'n' roll, I wonder? But there we are."

Meanwhile, when asked by a journalist if Winwood and one-time bandmate Eric Clapton had any additional plans to reunite following a few shows earlier this year, Winwood seemed optimistic. "We are in touch and I would think that there is a good possibility that we could do something else," he said. "But as of yet, there's no plans have been made."

On This Date in 1999: Eric Clapton auctions off 100 of his guitars, raising $5 million to benefit the Crossroads substance-abuse treatment center.

On This Date in 2004: Clapton puts 56 more guitars on the auction block, garnering $7 million for the same cause.

The Almanac Advises for June 24: "If you scour your attic or your basement, you may find that some of what seems to be trash may actually be a hidden treasure."