aaron copeland never did that. you can see why i was drawn to the idea writing a biography of writing "pops." needless to say i'm not the person who have done so, but i am the first biographer to have had access to 650 reel to real tapes that armstrong made during the last quarter century of his life. many of which contain astonishly candid recordings of his private, o after hours conversations. armstrong switched on hess tape recorder, whenever the spirit moved him, so you can hear him chatting with friends over didn't are, getting high with an old pal in his dressing room after a show, even trying to coax his wife into bed at few a.m. for a little -- 5:00 a.m. for a little hangy panky. not only did these tapes shine a light on his bright personality, which was far more complex than most people realized but they also make it possible for us to know the full stories of such key moments in his life as his 1930 marijuana arrest. that was a big reason why i wanted to write "pops." most people know me as a drama contra