Like the Timex Social Club, I spend a lot of time lamenting the rumors that surround me every day. How do they get started? And where do they get crazy? In Truthmongerer, I’ll try to suss out the kernels of truth in the rumors that are taking up airspace in gossip columns, blogs, and our tips inbox.
THE RUMOR: The new lead singer of Velvet Revolver is none other than Lenny Kravitz.
TRUTH THRESHOLD: 38%.
LIKELY TRUTHS: The “source” of the Sun story that broke this rumor is claiming that Kravitz has been spotted in the studio with Slash, Duff, and Matt Sorum, a scenario that isn’t all that far-fetched. Kravitz is no stranger to playing with many of the members of Guns N’ Roses, what with Slash appearing on his album Mama Said and Lenny jumping on stage to perform “Always On The Run” during a Guns N’ Roses show back in the day. That sort of pre-existing chemistry could definitely serve as a hedge from relations devolving into the sour sniping that marked Velvet Revolver’s end.
LIKELY FALSEHOODS: But would Kravitz want to subsume his identity into a band that wasn’t his? Kravitz’s latest solo effort, It Is Time For A Love Revolution, didn’t sell too badly, reaching the 189,000-scanned mark before it dropped off the Billboard 200 back in April. And his name recognition has, after all, led him all the way to the racks at Kohl’s.
Itz Lenny for Revolver [The Sun]
[Photo: Getty]
I don’t see Lenny Kravitz careening into Matt Sorum’s drum riser or singing that “masturbation kills” which means that the health and reliability factor of Velvet Revolver would rise exponentially were this proven to be true while the entertainment factor of Velvet Revolver (already pretty low) would hit an all-time nadir.
@Ned Raggett:
This album was in one rotation for a weekend or two and placed on my [now defunct]iPod thanks to the G-ma. It came out the same day as Michael Jackson’s Anniversary edition of Thriller or something and was also only 9.99 at Target [her record store of choice], so she swooped it up and passed it my way. [Cause I am one of the few grandkids who she knows for a fact is into that "punk rock shit". -Sigh- Oh Black Grandmothers from the South.]
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I heard something called a Gabe Supporter is dead, is it true?
Are you sure that ‘photo’ isn’t the cover of a new [i]Guitar Hero[/i] game?
Kravitz’s latest solo effort, It Is Time For A Love Revolution, didn’t sell too badly, reaching the 189,000-scanned mark
TOO MANY ZEROES
Maura, you just need some time/ some time to get away…
The thing is, this might not be any good, but it would still probably be an improvement for both parties. One of Lenny’s biggest problems has always been the kind of anemic self-production on his records and the band would probably gel better with him than they ever did with Weiland.
Interesting. I think it’s a better mix than those Sheryl Crow in Fleetwood Mac rumors, which stylistically sounded great but in terms of chemistry probably headed for trouble. The Kravitz - Slash thing does go back to high school and they’re not overly known for outsized egos. More a plus for Velvet Revolver’s music if it happens.
That would be a whole lot of suck on one stage.
I heard it was to be Cheryl Crow in Velvet Revolver. Or was it Joan Baez? Either way works for me.
@agolden: Did you really just write that Kravitz isn’t overly known for his outsized ego? Seriously? Are we thinking of the same Lenny Kravitz?