CHRIS does it right and YUSUF just does it.

Chris Isaak has a new show on the Biography Channel. It's been on for about five weeks and if you like music and small talk with major musical personalities then you will love this show. Each show is an hour and could go much longer because of the format. Chris chit chats with a guest and then they either play a song with or without him and then they chit chat some more and then play another song and after three or four of those sessions the show is over...and it always seems over much too soon.....and that's the best review I can give.

Besides being extremely talented...Chris appears to be a really nice guy.

Last week the show got kinda personal for me because Chris's guest was Yusuf Islam.

Chris introduced him as Yusuf, which apparently is the name he will be using during his latest incarnation.

The names in his past

STEVEN GEORGIOU
CAT STEVENS
USUAF ISLAM
and now
YUSUF

I CAN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THAT THE REASON I WROTE THE CAT'S WIND HAS FINALLY COME TO PASS

THE ENTERTAINER, FORMALLY KNOWN BY THREE NAMES AND NOW KNOWN BY ONLY ONE....YUSUF....HAS REENTERED THE MAINSTREAM OF MUSICVILLE, EARTH.

HE IS SINGING AND PLAYING AT THE SAME TIME and apparently Islam doesn't have a problem with that....hopefully.

The rumor, I heard for years, was that Islam followers were not allowed to play an instrument and sing at the same time....which would make someone like Yusuf rather obsolete.

He tells the story about how his oldest son brought a guitar into the house and how everything just unfolded from that moment on.

What he didn't mention was an unsold script, THE CAT'S WIND, about Cat Stevens being kidnapped by two college students and then deprogrammed in Northern Scotland and a very cool double ending.

I guess he had other things on his mind.

Please keep in mind that when I finished the script, Sean Maximilian McAlevey was 13 years old (1992) and he told me, after reading it, that I should find Cat Stevens and let him read it. He thought he would love it and maybe even help make the film.

What a simple solution to film making.

FIND THE PERSON WHO MOTIVATED THE STORY AND THEN MAKE THE FREAKING MOVIE

Back to the infamous NOW. All I ever wanted was Cat to do what he does best and I didn't care what name he used. That was my total motivation behind writing the story and while watching Chris Isaak interview YUSUF....I found myself taking a very deep breath and relaxing.

I realize that YUSUF had been slowly reemerging himself into the music scene but until this interview I was always worried that it would be a temporary dealio.

I BELIEVE IT'S NOT TEMPORARY AND NOW THE QUESTION ARISES

CAN HE CREATE SONGS THAT STAND WITH HIS PREVIOUS CREATIONS?

THAT MIGHT BE IMPOSSIBLE....but at least we get to hear him try. At the same time he seems more than willing to share his previous works....and that might be enough for anyone who remembers how important his music was in the early 70's.

Kudos to Chris Isaak and I look forward to watching his show on a regular basis. It's on a 7 pm Thursday nights....Biography Channel.

Odd time for a great show....but with all the shows I like being canceled....BOSTON LEGAL, ELI STONE, JOAN OF ARCADIA and COP ROCK....I'll settle for an odd time. Plus the Biography Channel replays the show throughout the week at different times.

Michael Timothy McAlevey