I heard JPW speak once. Sounds like a cool guy.
Barlow is amazing. I spoke to him once when I came across his website where he posts his cellphone number next to the statement “call him anywhere.” I was intrigued, but skeptical. I had read once that he did not have an unlisted number, and didn’t try to hide from people. One night I was working late and got bored so I called him on a whim. He answered the phone himself. He was at the counter negotiating with a ticket agent, but he talked to me for about 5 minutes. Very pleasant. I asked him if he didn’t get a lot of useless calls (like the one I made). He said, “no, you’d be surprised. Most people won’t bother you, and I like to be accessible.” Lyricist for the Grateful Dead, and founder of the EFF. What more could you want to accomplish in life? [Ernie the Attorney]