This week's Bay Windows reviews the new DVD release of Absolute Wilson, the 2006 documentary about visionary theater director Robert Wilson—"a wonderful introduction to Wilson’s fascinating life and work ... and a must-see for theater buffs." Featured in the film are Wilson collaborators David Byrne and Philip Glass, each of whom worked with the director on his 1984 multi-act piece the CIVIL warS. Resulting from that project were Glass's music for its "Rome Section," A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down, and Byrne's Knee Plays, which Nonesuch reissued last week on CD. 

A new list of the world's 100 greatest living geniuses features an eclectic group, with Philip Glass, in the top ten, joining the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Stephen Hawking, and, yes, Simpsons creator Matt Groening. According to The Guardian, an international consulting firm compiled the list after polling 4,000 Brits, and ranked the winners based on how much their work "turned conventional thinking on its head, the popular acclaim they received, their intellectual power, their achievements, and their cultural importance."

In Sunday's New York Times, writer John Strausbaugh remembers Moondog, the avant-garde street poet/performer/composer who influenced the likes of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. This "Viking of Sixth Avenue" was a longtime fixture on the corner of Manhattan's Sixth Avenue and 54th Street through the early '70s. Though he passed away in 1999 at the age of 83, Moondog, a new book by Robert Scotto makes clear the artist's lasting influence. A festival featuring Moondog's work (along with Beethoven and Bach, among others) will take place this weekend at NYC's Advent Lutheran Church.

American Ballet Theatre will give the world premiere of C. to C. (Close to Chuck), created by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo, at New York City Center on October 27. The piece was inspired by Philip Glass's A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close, which the composer wrote for pianist Bruce Levingston in 2005. Glass is "the most inventive and innovative composer of my adult life," Close tells the New York Sun. The addition of Elo's choreography reminds him of those earlier collaborative days in the 1960s: "To get a good choreographer and composer and visual artist together," he tells the Sun, "it's like old home week!"

The Guardian honors Philip Glass with an editorial, on the occasion of his 70th birthday celebration, Glassworks, at London's Barbican Centre. The events included a rare performance—the first in London since 1985—of Glass's entire Music in 12 Parts by the Philip Glass Ensemble.

In today's Kansas City Star, music writer Paul Horsley recommends that runners prepping for a long-distance run, like this weekend's Kansas City Marathon, avoid the common mistake of training to disposable Top 40 hits ("simple carbs"). He recommends instead a healthy dose of "high energy" compositions to motivate through the long haul. On his list of Top 10 training tunes: Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians and Philip Glass's score to Koyaanisqatsi.