Brian Williams

Brian Williams and Dan Harris have unusual new side gigs as music bloggers. Williams' "BriTunes" — a name he quickly found was already in use by a 27-year-old blogger — launched last week with the NBC News chief anchor's talk with Deer Tick. That's the indie rock buzz band from Providence, R.I., not the insect whose bite can carry Lyme Disease.

ABC News' Harris has for the past few months operated "Amplified," a Web site that features his interviews with such artists as Superdrag, Neko Case, Amadou and Mariam, the Virgins and Bon Iver. They appear to be passion plays, rather than calculated attempts at reaching younger audiences. For anyone whose vision of a network anchor runs to Tom Brokaw or Walter Cronkite stateliness, the sight of Williams on camera comparing the styles of White Lies and Interpol is jarring. His current playlist includes Great Lakes Swimmers, Dead Weather, the Knux and Jason Isbell.

"Since my earliest memory, I've never been able to drive without music, write without music or be alone for too long without a song playing. This, I guess, is an extension of that," said Williams, whose plans this past weekend included taking in Green Day and Leonard Cohen concerts. Harris was hooked when the goth kid in his high school class handed him a tape of the Minutemen and Sonic Youth. Harris, 37, anchors ABC's "World News" on Sundays and is a general assignment reporter who spent six months in Iraq.