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Jonathan Valin is probably not a household name, even among fans of the Hammett-Chandler-Macdonald lineage. Pity. Because Valin and his Harry Stoner series (six capers thus far) are major league. Life's Work (Dell, $3.50), the latest in paperback, is more than just a bang-up page-turner; it's also an unblinking scrutiny of the curious breed that plays professional football. Harry Stoner works out of Cincinnati. He's hired by Hugh Petrie, an executive of the NFL Cincinnati Cougars, to find a missing player, Billy Parks.

Wiseblood, the rock act appearing at Revival on Sunday, is the latest incarnation of Jim Thirlwell, best known to fans of underground rock as the man who recorded a few records under the appalling name Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel. Thirlwell's Wiseblood has just released an album titled Dirt Dish (Relativity), which includes the remarkably scary "Stumbo" and the remarkably offensive "Fudge Punch. " It's clear that Thirlwell's mission in life is to provoke as many people as possible; to that end, his music has succeeded.