Idolator: Feuds

The Oasis/Jay-Z feud reaches the perhaps-inevitable ...

Maura Johnston — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:45:00 EDT

The Oasis/Jay-Z feud reaches the perhaps-inevitable "mash-up of 'Jockin Jay-Z' and 'Wonderwall'" phase. It's actually quite well-done, particularly the bits where it sounds like Jay-Z is toasting Oasis' original performance of the track. [Sharebee via PTW]

Radiohead Vs. The Hold Steady: Whose Side Are You On?

Maura Johnston — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:00:20 EDT

Hold Steady guitarist Tad Kubler has caused the Internet to go nuts with his comments on Radiohead, which he made over the weekend to BBC6 Music. "I think they've lost the plot," Kubler said when asked the now-standard-in-every-music-interview question about Thom Yorke et al's recent album In Rainbows. "What are they doing? Where are they going? What's happening? I don't get it any more. They lost me. I still appreciate what they're doing, or what they're trying to do. But I think they're trying too hard not to be Radiohead. That seems a little ridiculous to me." Kubler then went on to praise... Oasis. Ooh, burn! Yorke and his bandmates were unavailable for comment, but the Internet was more than happy to rush in and fill that particular void.

Perhaps my favorite reaction came from former Idolator guestblogger Matthew Perpetua, who wrote—in a post titled "Apples vs. Dim-Witted No-Talent Hacks"—"The most charitable description of The Hold Steady would be 'a glorified bar band with a tone-deaf asshole shouting over the top.' ... [they] are essentially just Nick Hornby as a rock band." (Which isn't far away from others' assessments of the group.) Meanwhile, Pitchfork's Marc Hogan referred to Kubler's quote as the band's "Sister Souljah moment."

Somewhat surprisingly, not all the reaction I've seen so far has been pro-Radiohead; another former guest of this site, Sam Yurick, said that he's kind of tired of the Radiohead hoopla and that praising In Rainbows for its distribution scheme is not unlike saying that Cloverfield should get an Oscar for its ads.

So readers, once and for all: How do you feel? (I was going to write "who could win in a fight," but if we're talking about sheer brawn, I think the winner is obvious.)

Hold Steady vs Radiohead [BBC6 via half of my Tumblr friends]
Apples Vs. Dim-Witted No-Talent Hacks [Fluxtumblr]

Ryan Adams Takes On "The Possibly Reality-Challenged" Using The Power Of Hypertext

Maura Johnston — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

So Ryan Adams has sort of responded to Courtney Love's accusation that his album Rock N Roll was recorded with $868,000 of Francis Bean Cobain's money, posting a "personal statement of clarity" on his Web site that talks about how he's working hard to become a better person, how he regrets his past mistakes, etc., etc. (There's also a peace card linked in the source code of the page, but it's not visible.) At the very end of the statement, he pretty much takes Courtney head-on, saying that he never meant anyone any harm intentionally, especially anyone who goes airing dirty laundry about him online; sure, he doesn't name any names, but the descriptions "possibly reality-challenged," "unreliable" and "outlandish" make the target of his ire pretty obvious. Full statement after the jump

these days i find myself working harder than ever at being at my best, overcoming my fears and pushing myself creatively in my every endeavor. my only wish after the work is completed is that it may prove further evidence that no matter how isolated we all may all feel at times, as sad or misrepresented, we are not alone. there's hope for and within each of us.

I've been dealing with the truth that i have at times been a bad example and/or glorified self destructive behavior. this was never intentional, but rather a consequence of leading a public life in plain sight and never expecting any sort of preferential treatment, isolation or protection.

Regardless of varied judgments as to my cultural relevance, i am thankfully alive and exercising my joy in creating. i only hope anyone who hears, reads or sees any of my contributions will permit the work to speak where i cannot.

i've realized and accepted that if people decide to dislike me, they're going to find reasons to justify disliking me. there's nothing i can do about that. that said, it still does pain me to be accused of fictional crimes against innocents or to be implicated in romantic gossip involving the possibly reality-challenged—however unreliable the source or outlandish the accusations. in the end, however, i know that i have never done or even meant anyone any harm.

anyway, the lives of public figures are so much more boring than anyone can imagine. honestly.

and also i like metal. A LOT. (even more than last time).

It kind of reads like one of Courtney's chant-filled blogs doesn't it? Except with fewer typos.

A Personal Statement of Clarity for Anyone in Doubt [Ryan Adams]

Miley Cyrus Is Really Kind Of A Brat, Huh?

Maura Johnston — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EDT

I mean, not that i'm the type to defend Katy Perry and her "bi-curious until last call" ways, but doesn't the Hannah Montana star's response to a question about Miley and Katy sharing a girl-on-girl kiss at the forthcoming Video Music Awards smack of... well, something that's worthy to be smacked over? "No thanks.... She sang on my record. So I think she's kind of getting back at me, because she was doing harmonies and backgrounds." I don't even like Perry, but between this and the video Cyrus made where she tried to mock a video-blog made by her Disney-demographic successors Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, I'm starting to think that Miley's inevitable denouement into D-list Celebreality hell is going to inspire a lot of schadenfreude. [E!]

John Lydon Gets Less Interesting By The Day

Dan Gibson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

This weekend's Summercase festival in Barcelona should have been what most festivals are: A celebrations of commerce intermixed with music you sort of enjoy. But John Lydon apparently couldn't let people enjoy their three-euro water bottles and Bloc Party.

Details are still shaky and confusing on several levels, but according to Bloc Party lead singer Kele Okereke, after he asked Lydon if he would ever consider reforming Public Image Ltd., the real excitement kicked in.

Lydon then allegedly became intimidating and aggressive while members of his entourage responded with a racist tirade including the statement "your problem is your black attitude".

Okereke claims he was subsequently punched in the face and head resulting in severe facial bruising and cuts to his face and body.

Lydon claims that the entire incident has been manufactured for publicity, saying that the other bands on the festival's bill were jealous of his three-hour autograph session. Whether someone in Lydon's entourage made a racist comment or not is unclear, and likely not to be resolved, but imagining Lydon as a jackass isn't terribly difficult. Somehow, I think he's going to be shouting profanities while pushing his walker around a stage well into the future. Sure, I'm thankful for what Lydon provided to music at some point in time, but is there any chance we could have him sent away somewhere? Maybe not for being an alleged bully, but at this point, for being boring?

Sex Pistols star John Lydon denies racist abuse allegations [Telegraph]

Courtney Love Takes On The Internet, Kind Of Wins

Maura Johnston — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Over the weekend, Courtney Love took to her MySpace page for the purposes of calling out fellow blogger Ryan Adams, thanks to some mysterious American Express bills from 2003 that she believes are evidence that some $858,000 that went into the making of his 2003 album Rock N Roll was funded by Frances Bean Cobain's inheritance. (I guess that's why Frances is trying her hand at journalism-type stuff this summer.) Not only is she appalled by the theft, which was apparently part of the identity-theft issues she's been blogging about and facilitated by her ex-boyfriend/Rock N Roll producer James Barber, she's irritated that her funds were used to make such a crappy, poorly named album: "Ryan Adams worst record and one of the worst records i can think of in rock and roll history ironically called'Riock and Roll '... yeah you listen to this shit im listening to my i tunes on right now who names a record 'Rock n Roll' what assholes do that? ... with these trebled up guitars my bandmate said sounded like 'really horrific rem on steroids' all treble and compresssion and shit wirtten songs - but so what?"

Love's post concluded with a call for Adams to pay back said $858k and let her know how his heroin habit was holding up. The post was picked up by the likes of Gawker over the weekend, and after deleting it she got into a bit of a back-and-forth with the commenters on that site and others who were so quick to defend Adams' music (why??) and write her off as drug-addled, crazy, etc. Which, you know, sure she's kind of nutty—most people who blog even semi-regularly are! But I also think that she has a bit of a point here, at the end of her latest missive:

I'm making a resolution to do a two hour tozo a day, every day somehow and yoga FIVE times this week. I want to be in-flow but the only flow that I know is when I chant and that just makes everything so much better- I perceive things and even receive shocks, like the Ryan one... I get them daily but I don't care as long as it stops. I just want to move on into the future and forget this financial shit - As Marie Antoinette said, "let them eat (their stale) cake. I cant blog a trial, it's something only lawyers can work out, so it's just something that I have to suck up. One thing that DOES enrage me is when urban sophisticates with great breeding and cynical cognition of life make FUN of being robbed blind. I wasn't raised to understand wealth, or even a fico score , or entities or be a forensic accountant and if I don't do most of it myself it won't get done, and so I've learned a lot and I share a 100000th of it occasionally, if it can help anyone that's great. But to make fun of stealing and to imagine that lawyers and cops and loan officers are these fucking saints who don't steal from uneducated rock musicians rap musicians and athletes is just plain fucking stupid? Got it?

Okay , now I don't have to mention it again, ignorance will do your ass in , so when the media members who subscribe to my blog revive them they need to think really hard before stating I'm "crazy" or "high" because I didn't major in English or Medieval History at Brown or Yale. I never said I did, nether do I eat fine food with my fingers or not have my own personalised stationery. I'm rather ....errr...gracious, I guess, in how I like to l.ive, and the people i like to be around. I like to learn from and I like to be ethical and simply not a thief or liar or denier or obstructer. Just let's all get the fuck on with it, life is too short, i chose to continue working on this record for a lot of complex but very easy reasons, i fell into the luck of being in a truly monstrously great band, for the first time in my life although Hole was great on occasion there's an innocence to this and a beastliness to this that I'm honoured to have the shamanistic moments o have ive been ripped apart and orgasmic at the things we come up with and I'm far more musical than any other thing. In fact, i care more for music than for anything else except my child. Music is all there is to me when the fire has died and you've got a nickel a tin cup and a pencil there's always music , and that's all I care about in the end in the beginning in the alpha and the omega, if you want to know me know my music and draw your conclusions from that- the rest is dross. That's hard to say when I'm not exactly prolific, but i hope when i do rise up with new songs that are sonically the way i want them - then fuck it. judge me on that and that alone, I'm a musician first and foremost and I'm enormously slow but that's just too bad cause i won't go through another record that doesn't t slake me slay me and i know is my voice. i have far too much to say in fact we have 34 songs and i have to [part with some , none are shit, and its l.ike losing a child, ii went for about 5 years without writing a real song and 3 years without writing one at all, the other 2 just struggling to care enough then a gush went off and im like a waterfall of mojo, and thats just the reality of my life given that statement its past midnight and i need to read write and make lyrics that will astound, spin em around and rub em in my skin like cobwebs.

I'm not saying she's not flawed, but that bit about the "urban sophisticates" who were so quick to just write her off without going into the lengthy backstory of what happened really rang true to me. Especially since most of those "sophisticated" comments are basically wordier equivalents of "RYAN ADAMS ROOLS U R A DUM," which, no matter how you might feel about Love or her music, is just wrong.

The raven himself is hoarse [Courtney Love's MySpace Blog]
Dante's Inferno [Courtney Love's MySpace Blog]
Courtney Love Would Like Her Money Back, Ryan Adams [Gawker]

Bret Michaels And Rikki Rockett Think Joe Elliott Is A Lip-Syncing Jerk

Maura Johnston — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Last month, Joe Elliott told an Irish newspaper that he thought his former Headbanger's Ball cohorts Poison, Winger, and Warrant were "shite bands," and that he was too busy chasing after the latest tunes by the Stereophonics to even think about touring with them. Well, Poison members Rikki Rockett and Bret Michaels were not happy to hear that news, especially since they've been doubting the veracity of his band's live performances as of late. And Rockett wasn't afraid to say something about that on his blog!

I was talkin' with some friends last night and we were shaking our heads wondering when Joe became a rock historian. Well, Joe, when did ya? Do you think saying bad things about another band makes people like your band more? Oh, no. Can't be it. Let me guess, "You were JUST being honest." Look, I have always enjoyed Def Leppard. But, as of late that pre-programmed, Mutt Lang live record you guys are doing out there on tour is anything but "substance". JUST being honest.

Joe! I'd be hurt if this were coming from John Lennon. Listen up, you are not quite that important there fella! Ya know, just like you I put my pants on one leg at a time, but when I put mine on Joe, they are cooler than yours! But, does it really matter? So it takes about 1 minute and 45 seconds to put on eyeliner. I suppose during that same time you were writing the next "Imagine". In the words of the great Aerosmith, "Get a grip!" Oh, and by the way, just to add to your royal information pool of rock history, Sir Joe, in the 70's it was "Glitter Rock", in the 80's it was Glam Rock.

"Pre-programmed, Mutt Lang live record you guys are doing out there on tour"—those are (misspelled) fighting words! (Albeit probably true ones, since I doubt Elliott and his cronies can hit those multi-octave harmonies the extra octave every night.) Meanwhile, Bret Michaels responded to Elliott's allegations by slamming his lip-syncing on Dancing With The Stars and, perhaps more damningly, not saying that this fight was "turning him on a little bit":

Clearly, there's only one way that this will be solved: A Rock Of Love-off where the women have to choose between members of Def Leppard and members of Poison. (Oh, you know it's inevitable. Just give Vh1 a season or two.)

Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) Slams Poison! [Rikki Rockett's MySpace Blog via Sleaze Roxx]
Michaels (Poison) answers to Elliott's comment (Def Leppard) [YouTube]
Earlier: Def Leppard Will Not Be Tackling "Seventeen" On Its Next All-Covers Album

Khia Hates On Janet And Broke-Ass Record Execs, Craves Lil Wayne's Lollipop

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Khia, disqualified Miss Rap Supreme contestant and author of "My Neck, My Back," has launched a busload of blog beef, occasioned in part by her leaving Big Cat Records two weeks before the release of her new album, Nasti Muzik 08. She claims that the label wrote her a bad check and gave her nothing in the way of promotion. "So guess what????? Say hello to my little Jewish friend........ You know dat Im gonna laugh all the way to the bank dontcha??? Yall betta have all yall receipts, invoices and budgets together.... Cuz Im bout to sue the hell out yall assess!!!!!!" Khia also takes issue with those who haven't signed her, like Jermaine Dupri, who claimed on Hot 97 that Khia was "ungrateful" for the attention she received from being on Janet Jackson's 2006 flop "So Excited." Khia, unsurprisingly, thinks the real problem is that Dupri's gay and Jackson's menopausal. "Now run and tell dat!!!!!! Nasti Muzik 08!!!!!"

Nowwwwwwww...... Jermaine Dupri...... I hear you was on Hot 97 in New York... Talking bout how I was ungrateful............. And Miss Jones was FIRED right after dat!!!!!! If I'm ungrateful about anything its about the fact of how I SAVED the day for JANET..... And I couldn't even be in the VIDEO.....But dats old news so why are we even still talking about it????? Janet's album Flopped and DATS dat!!!!! I'm sorry....... Janet.....I hear you been going thru the CHANGE.... So maybe dats why you were MOODY and didn't want me in the VIDEO dat day!!!! I guess 40 is not the new 20????

If I am disappointed about anything......... Its because you DIDN'T sign me, after I had already proven to you that I can sell records!!!! Is it because I am not little like BOW WOW??? Is it because I don't wear my pants backwards with my boxers showing like Kriss-Kross??????..... You are Michael Jackson's little sister's boyfriend!!!!!! Is Chris Stokes your cousin??? Now dats the REAL disappointment!!!!! Are you gonna join Janet at the Jungle dis weekend, the hot GAY bar in Atlanta?? If so, I will see you then!!!! SOUND OFF....... And Noooooooo...... I don't wanna buy no DAMN BOY SCOUT COOKIES!!!! It's something funny bout GROWN men running around with little boys in uniforms..... Tell Janet to lay off the HUSTLER and COCO DORM SEX Tapes!!!!! Another man is beating YOUR TIME!!! Give it to em raw and RINSE dat strap off.........Now run and tell dat!!!!!! Nasti Muzik 08!!!!!

While Khia may be "sick and tired of FUCK Niggas claiming to produce albums and take credit for shit dat dey wish dey could do," she does still dream that someday her prince may come.

50 cent where you at??????? At least then I couda got a DAMN VIDEO!!!!!! GGGGGGG-UNIT!!!!!!!! Im da BITCH ya need... But dats okay cuz after Nasti Muzik drop on July 22nd, I aint gone need nann nigga for shit!!! If I make it....... We all make it.... Nasti Muzik 08!!!!!!

Hell, her prince may have already came.

...All yall dats leakin the album.... Thank you.... Cuz all yall leakin is dat straight fye.......... Yall haterz leaked my baby's album too and he sold a 1Million copies the first week!!!! Yall heard what my baby Weezy said......... Yo neck, Yo back..... It's funny how dat song aint got old yet????? To us......It's only just begun....... Thank you for the plug.... DADDY!!! I love licking the RAPPER....... Forward and backwards.......Nasti Muzik 08!!!!!!!!

Trina has yet to comment on that one.

Big Cat BROKE ASS RECORDS, Jermaine Dupri and Wacky Hoe done tried the QUEEN!!! [Khia's MySpace]

Jay-Z To Oasis: "Are Your Songs 'Appropriate' Glastonbury Material? Just Checking"

Maura Johnston — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:45:00 EDT

After months of buildup, Jay-Z played his much-discussed headlining set at the Glastonbury Festival last night, and he opened it with a special dedication to Oasis' Noel Gallagher, who had said that Jay was an inappropriate addition to the Glasto bill because it was "built on a tradition of guitar music." Jay strolled out with a guitar, strumming and warbling along to "Wonderwall," last-call-on-a-long-night-style, before breaking into "99 Problems." I think this is a way to tell Gallagher "your move," although I shudder to think what an Oasis cover of "Big Pimpin'" might sound like. (There's a download of his full set from last night here.) [YouTube / HipHopIsRead via madeupmemories]

Ne-Yo is denying claims that his pretty decent ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Ne-Yo is denying claims that his pretty decent "A Milli" freestyle was meant as a shot at Chris Brown. "That is not a Chris Brown dis," he told MTV. "I'm not shooting at nobody... Chris, I ain't shooting at you. That's my homeboy. It is not a Chris Brown dis!" OK, so then who is the opening line "To whom it may concern, you might sell a million more than me/ But you ain't got a million more than me, let's be real" directed at? Taylor Swift? Chad Kroeger? [MTV Newsroom Blog]

Anybody Know If Soulja Boy Stayed In To Watch TV Last Night?

Maura Johnston — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:53:00 EDT

So here's a little conspiracy theory for you: What if Ice-T started that whole verbal slapfight with Soulja Boy last week because he wanted to put the word out there that he was ready to feud with anyone .... including Joan Rivers, who led the family opposing his clan on last night's Celebrity Family Feud? Of course, Ice kept it real by working blue on the first question, but you do have to admit that "name something that's slippery and hard to hold on to" is something of a Match Game-sized opening for that sort of thing. [RedLasso]

The Ice-T/Soulja Boy Feud Gets Animated

Maura Johnston — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:15:00 EDT

Ice-T may be slowly backing away from his fight with YouTube's top rapper/shoe mogul/dance-craze originator, but that's not stopping Soulja Boy, who apparently has a lot of time and bandwidth, from releasing yet another clip going off on his elder and any other "50-year-old" types out there. And this time, it's a cartoon! Really, if you want to get to the only part of the video that sort of goes beyond "LOLd" jokes, just fast-forward to around 4:10 and watch as Soulja Boy uses some video-editing trickery to come up with a new dance, the—wait for it—"Crank That Ice-T." I predict that 10,000 tributes to Ice-T's breakdancing style will be online by sundown. [YouTube]

Ne-Yo tries an "A Milli" freestyle of his ...

Maura Johnston — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EDT

Ne-Yo tries an "A Milli" freestyle of his own, and the apparent target of his rhymes is none other than Chris Brown. Yes, he raps; he did say he was bored with R & B, after all. He has kind of a high voice, but I like how unhinged he sounds. [Year Of The Gentleman Blog]

Ice-T Backs Down Further As Kanye Weighs In On Soulja Beef

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Oh, this Internet age! The Soulja Boy/Ice-T beef may already be over before a single battle track could be laid down, judging by Ice-T's interview with AllHipHop.com. "Soulja Boy, you killed hip-hop" has now become "Soulja Boy, you could try harder," as Ice-T acknowledges the long list of corny-ass dances in hip-hop's career, including Ski Love's "Pee Wee Herman," the video for which just happens to include Ice-T. "That s**t was corny too...so I have a corny strike on my resume. But now it seems like the game is being overtaken by less skillful Hip-Hop. And you notice Joe Ski didn't have a real long career in Hip-Hop." But while he may accept Soulja as an underage Joe Ski, it's going to take a lot more than Kanye West references a bonus track on It Was Written... to make Ice-T think he's the new Nas.

From Kanye's blog (which is updated with impressive frequency — eight posts on Sunday alone!):

Soulja boy is fresh ass hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip hop is sposed to be. He came from the hood, made his own beats, made up a new saying, new sound and a new dance with one song. He had all of America rapping this summer. If that ain't Hip Hop then what is? A bunch of wannabe keep it real rappers that ain't even relevant, recycling samples trying to act like it's 96 again and all they do is hate on new shit? N***as always talk about the golden age but for a 13 year old kid, this is the golden age!!! That song was so dope cause everything he said had a hidden meaning... that's Nas level shit... he just put it over some steel drums which is also some Nas shit if you had the 2nd album cassette with the bonus track "Silent Murder" on it. In closing... new n***as get ya money$$$$$$$$$$ Keep this shit fresh and original.... ain't no fuckin' rules to this shit and that's what real hip hop is to me.

Responds Ice:

I respected his comment. At least the discussion has begun. But the discussion won't go on if people feel I'm hating. It's more about Hip-Hop. When you go in the studio, you're supposed to really try and do something. It's not someone's fault they got a hit record, but when you try to compare that to Nas, you're gonna get a dramatic response from a real Hip-Hop n***a.

What, like an incredulous YouTube? The shaking of a cane? Maybe a subliminal dis on SVU?

Ice-T Explains Soulja Boy "Beef" [AllHipHop]
Joe Ski Love Peewees Dance [YouTube]
I AIN'T GOT NOTHING AGAINST ICE T OR NOBODY FOR THAT MATTER BUT I GOTTA RIDE WITH SOULJA BOY.. [Kanye West's Blog]

50 Cent And Taco Bell, Continued: Now With Extra Beef

Maura Johnston — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:53:00 EDT

So that lighthearted, if kinda stupid, offer from Taco Bell to 50 Cent, in which the MexiMelt pushers offered to feed a restaurant and given $10,000 to charity in exchange for a 24-hour name change and a widget-inspired freestyle? Curtis has gotten wind of it, and he is is not pleased. "This is a sleazy and ill-conceived publicity stunt by Taco Bell's president, Greg Creed, whose disingenuous offer was leaked to the press before it was even presented to 50 Cent's agent yesterday," one of 50's PR reps told AllHipHop.com. Yes, how dare anyone try to garner attention from the use of your client's name without his permission! I mean, talk about nerve!

"When my legal team is finished with them, Taco Bell is going to have a new corporate slogan: 'We messed with the bull and got the horns,'" 50 Cent told AllHipHop.com in a statement.

While I'm all for people backlashing against things that are aggressively dopey—and reading the "offer letter" to 50 confirms that this stunt definitely falls under that rubric—I don't know if 50 should be talking about adding lawyers to this bad-publicity burrito. First of all, I'd think they'd be somewhat busy with his other problems; secondly, if there's anyone who right now should not be talking about things being leaked to the press against his will, it's Curtis Jackson.

Taco Bell Offers 50 A Deal; Rapper Not Amused [AllHipHop; HT Nah Right]

Is Gene Simmons Really Pissed Off At Radiohead?

Anthony Miccio — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Several Web sites are reporting that Gene Simmons is angry at Radiohead, based on this quote: "The record industry is dead. "It's six feet underground and unfortunately the fans have done this. They've decided to download and file share. There is no record industry around so we're going to wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilized. As soon as the record industry pops its head up we'll record new material." OK, so greedy fans are keeping us from songs that rhyme "hot" with "got," but what does that have to do with Radiohead? Are we taking his disappointment with the band on faith?

It's not like it's hard to get Gene to discuss the band. Recently, Gene even claimed to admire Radiohead, even as he wishes they'd buy some fireworks and get the hell over themselves.

I admire bands like Radiohead, but the idea of being that serious? Fuck that, get up on stage and blow shit up. If you're not fulfilling the visual part it's like watching a movie with your eyes closed. One of the biggest compliments we get is (when people say), 'I f**king hate their music but that's the best show I ever saw in my life.'

Thom Yorke, undoubtedly distraught by these critiques, has yet to comment.

Kiss Star Gene Simmons Slams "Boring" Radiohead [Gigwise]

Ice-T: "Soulja Boy Killed Hip-Hop!"

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Just in case you thought "farm boys from Iowa" contributing to Salon were the only people livid about the effect of Soulja Boy on hip-hop^*, SVU veteran and creator of my favorite rap album of all time Ice-T wants you to know that he has no respect for the snap superstar. "We came all the way from Rakim, we came all the way from Das EFX, we came all the way from motherfuckers flowing like Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube, and you come with that Superman shit? That shit is garbage."

Almost as if he knew the attack was coming, Soulja Boy released a new "freestyle" earlier this week, allegedly delivered as payback for half a million visits to his YouTube page. Watch as he brilliantly rhymes "on" with "on" and "on" with "on."

Is there a reason he keeps looking off to the side between each line? Or why he stares to the left when zooming through the speed-rapping part of this "freestyle?" At the beginning of the clip we can see a video game on a giant TV screen to his right, and the same image appears to be on the computer he starts the music on. So did he have some giant digital cue cards set up for the "freestyle?" Or is he just simply checking on the game? Either way, I doubt this will help him regain Ice-T's respect.

Ice T Says Soulja Boy Killed Hip Hop [YouTube via RealTalkNY]
Soulja Boy - Another Freestyle 500k Part 5 [YouTube]

^* I'm still boggling over the phrase "since when did young black men, heretofore the arbiters of pop culture, become so lame?"

50 Cent Has Beef With T.I. (Big Surprise)

Dan Gibson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

50 Cent—who apparently still records music, despite what he might have said previously—has decided to take on T.I., because the Atlanta MC isn't going to spend as much time in prison as Curtis would like. To spare you the trouble of picking up the new G-Unit disc, the "controversial" lyrics regarding T.I. are below the cut.

So, what does Mr. Cent have to say about T.I.? According to blogger "That Bitch", here are his insights.

Nowaways this rap shit ain't adding up/ How n—--s get caught with 10 machine guns, only get 12 months?/Oo-weee, don't talk to me/ If you talking to him, you talking to them.../I got the best lawyers that money can buy/ they say at best they woulda got me 10 or maybe 9./I said, how do you explain how the homie breezed?/They said, you keep your mouth shut or you eat the cheese.

Now, why would 50 Cent have called his lawyers recently? One can only guess.

In any case, a comparison of recent material from both parties might be in order:

T.I., "You Know What It Is":

50 Cent, "Get Money":

Stay tuned, at very least, for a week or so, until the entire affair becomes dull and 50 Cent puts out another boring record.

50 Calls T.I. A Snitch [Rhymes With Snitch]

Lily Allen Learning That Most Labels Only Have Time For One Spunky Chick Singer At A Time

Maura Johnston — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:15:00 EDT

Lily Allen, who's in LA recording her new album right now, is apparently ticked off that Capitol Records is putting all of its weight behind Girl Gone Wild of the moment Katy Perry, including—oh, the humanity!—a big picture of Allen being taken down and one of Perry being put up in the halls of her label, Capitol Records. Picture replacements, having to downgrade her LA hotel room out of concern for expenses... it all sounds lifted from the end of Soapdish, except I would definitely consider Perry more of the blowhardy Montana Moorehead type. (Look for her at a dinner theater near you soon!) [Page Six / Lily Allen's MySpace Blog / Photo: WENN]

Jill Sobule on Katy Perry's deathless "I ...

Maura Johnston — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:45:00 EDT

Jill Sobule on Katy Perry's deathless "I Kissed A Girl," which nicks the title of her 1995 alt-rock hit: "Katy Perry's song is a kind of catchy party song, although I will admit that I do smile when a critique mentions my version in a more favorable light. Is that wrong?" Not at all, Jill, but just be aware that any "favorable light" shone your way by this site is the result of Katy's song being the worst thing ever (summer '08 edition), and yours being a mildly aggravating bump in the radio road while waiting for "Lump" to come on. [Hollywood Insider]

Disturbed Vs. Dillinger Escape Plan: The Crankiness Continues

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EDT

It all started when Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman mocked Disturbed's sound check, claiming the body-modification champions were "practicing where they were going to walk and when they were going to put their leg up on the monitor and pose." Disturbed has since responded, saying a) all they do is make sure the guitarist is under the spotlight for his big solo and b) how the hell did some dillweed punk guitarist get into the room during their sound check anyway? Sez the happy dude pictured to the left: "It's called production — it's what any big professional band that isn't just punk rock... Not to say that there is anything wrong with punk rock, because I have my roots in it, but you can't compare the two styles of a show." But Weinman isn't buying it.

First Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan protested to MTV (a little too much) that he didn't give a shit about these punkers:

"When we do a bigger production, there may be certain lighting cues for certain highlights of the show, but I wouldn't call it 'posing,' just a cue for our lighting guy, so he can add more drama to the set. If [Dillinger] sold some records, and were at the level we're at, maybe they'd see that, for bands like Kiss and Metallica, there are certain highlight points during a set that you want to focus on. If I'm going to go over to one spot and do a guitar solo, my lighting guy may need to know that, so he can focus in on that.

If that's posing, then so be it. To me, I don't think we talk about when we're going to put our foot up on a monitor. That's just silly. It's a natural thing we do. Those guys can say whatever they want. If that's supposed to be a jab at us, am I offended? I don't give a shit. If they're saying it because they're haters, why? Because we sell millions of records and lots of tickets? It sounds more like jealousy to me."

Then Weinman made fun of Donegan on Myspace for giving a shit:

The guitar player Dom Deluise or whatever his name is with the little peen complex from that band Disturbia or whatever they're called thinks that we care about them. Old news, but still funny. Check it. "My Ferrari is better than your Honda!!! Our stages come apart and travel with us and yours don't!!! We have thirty guitar techs and you have one!". Coooool self esteem barometer douchebag. Wait...what's that I hear? The sound of your band still sucking? Oh, right. Gotcha there, bud.

Now Draiman's trying to bring the peace on Rockline:

The Dillinger Escape Plan are more punk and I respect them for what they do — I'm not even calling them out on any level, in any way shape or form. I like the style of what they do. I don't understand what the hell they think they saw with us, but gentlemen, let me give you a little bit of education: This is what the big boys do who play stadium shows — they wanna worry about how the lights look that they spend so much money on."

The video for "Inside The Fire," from Disturbed's recently released Indestructible, opens with a suicide prevention spot by Draiman, followed by a woman hanging herself in her apartment before Three Times One Minus One could make it a'ight. Instead, Draiman enters her apartment, drops his groceries and yells "no!" as he and the band pose for a while before covering themselves with her blood. Draiman puts a shotgun into his a mouth, only to appear straight-jacketed in a loony bin, as the suicide prevention number is shown again.

I don't think you have to be Dillinger Escape Plan to find this totally ridiculous.

DISTURBED Frontman Is 'Confused' By THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN Guitarist's Comments [Blabbermouth]
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN: DISTURBED Guitarist Is A 'Douche Bag' With A 'Little-Peen Complex' [Blabbermouth]
Disturbed - Inside The Fire (FULL VIDEO) [YouTube]

Lil Wayne Album Leak Gives Mixtape DJ Opportunity To Hop On The Feud Train

Maura Johnston — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:55:00 EDT

Apparently the legal wrath of Cash Money Records parent company Universal Music Group isn't too much of a concern for South Carolina mixtape DJ Chuck T, who said that he was responsible for this weekend's leak of Lil Wayne's The Carter III as revenge for DJ-disparaging comments Weezy made to the mixtape-centric magazine Foundation. (When the mag asked him about the first mixtape DJ he enjoyed listening to, Lil Wayne replied "I don't remember the mixtape deejay—tell this dude who he talking to. I'm not into all that shit. I don't know no mixtape deejay. I am the originator.") Carter's release date is next Tuesday, so the likelihood of Chuck T being the sole source of the leak is, to put it mildly, a little low. But that didn't stop him from sending an e-mail blast inviting his fans to drink from Wayne's 192kbps milkshake.

"Lil Wayne said 'fuck mixtape DJ's'...so now i'm about to show that boy the meaning of bootleg...I'll be damned if I let [anyone] get away with saying fuck me without him facing some type of repercussions, including [him]."

He's also taken to his MySpace page:

I would have figured that he'd have at least put "The Carter III" somewhere on there, given that it was such a popular search term this weekend. How can you properly engage in a publicity stunt in 2008 without the right search-engine optimization tactics?

DJ Chuck T Claims Responsibility For Carter III Leak [HipHopDX]

Yep, Kanye Might Be Going Completely Insane

Dan Gibson — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

We used to have daily "Britney=crazy!" news to fill the blogging day, but her time encamped in the psychiatric bunker has reduced the volume of her news output. I just want to take a second to thank Kanye West for picking up the slack. Crazed rants against Entertainment Weekly? Playing Connect Four with other celebrities? Rumored fights with collaborators? Thank you, Kanye, from the bottom of my bloggo heart.

This time, Kanye is rumored to have had it out with Lupe Fiasco, for stealing his rhymes or something:

Word on the curb is that Kanye West threw an epic temper tantrum at the Neptunes studio this weekend.

According to one lil birdie, here's how it went down:

The Neptunes were working on a remix to their single "Everyone Nose" with a verse from Lupe Fiasco. All was going fine until Kanye enters and hears Lupe's verse, which was all too similar to one he had spit not long ago. Ye lost it, accusing Lupe of stealing/finishing his verse — and that Lupe had the opportunity when he'd looked in Kanye's rhyme book previously. Everyone in the crowded room was laughing, thinking it was a joke, but Ye continued on, basically causing a massive, Naomi-worthy row and P had to calm everything down.

We're still fuzzy on how this was resolved but said source tells us all this hateration was part of the reason Lupe was in a rush to get his part of the concert over with yesterday.

While this incident almost seems banal as far as Kanye temper tantrums go, there's a part of me that says we're going to look back on these days and think, "That's when it all started to go wrong for Kanye, wasn't it?"

Post-show gossip [Hampton Roads]

Slash Getting Rather Catty About Weiland's Dismissal

Anthony Miccio — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:30:00 EDT

"We gave him the cold shoulder in the UK like nobody's business. There were a couple of arguments around the stage, but other than that, nobody spoke to him. I imagine he was quite uncomfortable. No wonder he didn't have a good time. Then he told everyone in Glasgow that the whole band was over. We were like, 'Oh, well, I guess we've got a surprise coming for you, Scott.'" Oh, snap! Hey, making fun of Weiland is our job, Slash. You don't see me shirtless, wearing a top hat and playing the theme from The Godfather in front of Matt Sorum's drum kit. Yet. The new issue of Kerrang! features even more bon mots from the toxic hairball about Weiland's "extradition" from Velvet Revolver.

[Scott] didn't know that we were already planning on extraditing him. When we started touring the second record, it just felt like we were losing Scott as far as our connection went. During the tour with Alice In Chains [in August 2007], he was just out to lunch. When he came back, he was supposed to go to rehab, so we postponed our Austrailian tour but he didn't really go to rehab. That was the final blow. We had a lot of commitments, like the tour in the UK, which we didn't want to go back on, so we wanted to finish those before telling him.

...No, I never called him ["Junior Axl"]. There were a few similarities though. What became really irritating was that I had the same problem with Scott as I had when I toured with Axl. I just couldn't get the guy onstage on time. That I can't accept. I will not do it again. I will not be in a situation where a guy is making the audience wait half an hour or an hour or more. It's criminal. I don't know who someone thinks he is when tries to get away with that sort of thing.

Ultimate proof that Slash is still an utter fucking rock star? "We flew to Dubai together, I think, when we played recently. Well, I think I remember him being on the plane, anyway."

I'm totally stealing that.

SLASH On Last Tour With SCOTT WEILAND: 'We Gave Him The Cold Shoulder Like Nobody's Business' [Blabbermouth]

Full Lollapalooza Line-Up Announced, Perry Peeved At "Pepe Le Pew"

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Perry Farrell thinks little of Jim DeRogatis, the Chicago Sun-Times writer who leaked this year's headliners for Lollapalooza. "This guy, he's a stinker, so it was kind of like having a skunk at the party. So what do we do? Well, I think we should make him the stinky mascot. ... That's what I'm going to do. ... Pepe LePew," sneered the festival figurehead and lost cause. Responded Jim, "Wasn't Pepe the one who always got the girls? What the heck is wrong with that?" Actually, Pepe didn't get the girls, DeRo. Pepe was an overly amorous skunk that pathologically assaulted cats that had accidentally walked against wet paint. And the cats didn't like it. Anyhooo, the full line-up for Lollapalooza, which takes place Aug. 1-3 in Chicago, is out now. Behold!

Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Kanye West
Wilco
The Raconteurs
Louis XIV
Love and Rockets
Gnarls Barkley
Bloc Party
The Black Keys
Broken Social Scene
Lupe Fiasco
Flogging Molly
Mark Ronson
Cat Power
The National
G. Love & Special Sauce
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Explosions in the Sky
Brand New
Gogol Bordello
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Dierks Bentley
Okkervil River
Amadou & Mariam
Blues Traveler
John Butler Trio
Girl Talk
Your Vegas
CSS
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
Battles
Steel Train
Jamie Lidell
Bang Camaro
Butch Walker
The Blakes
Mates of State
Tally Hall
Spank Rock
White Lies
Brazilian Girls
Magic Wands
Chromeo
Electric Touch
Duffy
Innerpartysystem
The Kills
The Postelles
Rogue Wave
The Parlor Mob
The Go! Team
Bald Eagle
Mason Jennings
Krista
The Gutter Twins
Ha Ha Tonka
Yeasayer
Witchcraft
Grizzly Bear
We Go To 11
MGMT
Sofia Talvik
The Weakerthans
Booka Shade
Santogold
Black Kids
Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Ting Tings
Kid Sister
Office
The Cool Kids
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
The Whigs
Manchester Orchestra
Foals
Uffie
The Octopus Project
Cadence Weapon
Ferras
De Novo Dahl
Noah and the Whale
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
K'NAAN
Serena Ryder
Newton Faulkner

Perry Farrell is also excited to make some "unique content" for iTunes.

This year, we have an amazing concept going. For the first time ever, we're going to be working with iTunes, and we're going to be creating unique content, so we're going to have collaborations — people collaborating on songs — and then put them on iTunes, and then they'll perform them at Lollapalooza for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. These will be recorded in a studio, but of course because we can share files online, we don't have to be in the same place at the same time — we have finishing studios all over the world for the artists to finish the piece off. We'll start to talk with Radiohead about putting them with someone they'd like to collaborate with, tell them how it's going to go down.

You're going to tell Radiohead how it's going to go down, Perry? Radiohead answers to no one, dude.

Lollapalooza Mastermind Perry Farrell Reveals That Lupe Fiasco Will Perform, Calls Lineup Leaker 'The Evil Mascot' [VH1]
Perry, Pepe and the full Lollapalooza lineup for 2008 [Chicago Sun Times]

Khia Unimpressed By Trina's Latest Demands For Cunnilingus

Anthony Miccio — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:40:00 EDT

"U STILL THE HOE U ALWAYS BEEN. AND HOES DONT GET NO RESPECT!!!!!! PUPPETTTTTT!!!!" Harsh! Looks like the vicious feud between sexually demanding rappers Khia and Trina didn't end in 2006. Khia, author of "My Neck, My Back" and ringer on VH1's upcoming Miss Rap Supreme, went to Target Tuesday and bought Trina's new CD, Still Da Baddest, just so she could give it a track by track review (hopefully the only one that will mock Trina's '06 miscarriage and contain the phrase "I OUGHT TO TAKE OFF MY BIG RED CLOWN SHOE AND KICK U IN UR BIG BOBBLE HEAD!!!!!!!!").

ONCE AGAIN ON APRIL FOOLS DAY, EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WAS A JOKE. I GOT OUT OF MY BED, PUT ON MY STILLETTO'S AND WENT TO TARGET TO GET DA NASTIEST BITCH'S ALBUM!!!!!! I HOPE DAT BITCH DOES DA SAME. SEE...... WE HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER!!!! REMEMBER??????? SO I DID..... I BOUGHT IT!!! AND ONCE AGAIN IT WAS A DISSAPPOINTMENT!!! MY RECOMMENDATION...... PLEASE DONT WASTE UR TIME OR UR MONEY!!! BURN IT, BOOTLEG IT, RIP IT BUT PLEASE DONT WASTE UR MONEY. GO GET A 7 WIT DAT!!! I SUFFERED FO YALL.....ITS OK..... I GOT YALL.... NASTI MUZIK O8!!!!! HERE IS MY REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

...TRACK 4: SINGLE AGAIN

HATED IT!!!! WE GIVE DAT SHYT TWO THUMBS DOWN!!!! U SINGLE AGAIN BUT NOT BY CHOICE...... HOE WEEZYYY WOKE UP!!! HE DONT LUV U HOE!!!! U SINGLE AGAIN CUZ HE LEFT UR DOG ASS!!! HOE WHAT U GONE NAME YA BABY? BABYYYY? CUZ IN 98 U WAS FUCKING BABY!!! U AINT MARRIED YET????? U CANT TURN A HOE INTO A HOUSEWIFE. CUZ U LOOKED A HOT MESS IN DAT WHITE WEDDING DRESS!!! ALL WHITE IS NOT FO U!!! STICK TO DA STRIPPA SHOES!!! OR WRITE A BOOK LIKE UR TWIN SISTA....SUPAHEAD!!! CUZ ITS OBVIOUS U CANT SELL NO RECORDS. MY RECOMMENDATION..........PORN!!! OH, MY BAD, UR BODY IS DETERIORATING AND NOBODY WANNA FUCK U NO MOE!!! TRY A BLOW UP BOBBLE HEAD TRINA DOLL!!! CUZ UR PERFUME AINT SELLING EITHER!!!

Why couldn't Biggie and Tupac have settled it like this? Maybe Trina will walk down to Best Buy later this spring and give Khia's Nasty Muzik similar consideration.

TRINA STILL DA NASTIEST ALBUM REVIEW [Khia's Myspace Blog, via Oh No]
What's Beef? (NSFW) [Shan2001's Journal]
[Photo: Getty Images]

Like many of us, last year's beatboxing Idol ...

Maura Johnston — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:15:21 EDT

Like many of us, last year's beatboxing Idol runnerup Blake Lewis thinks that this season's lip-licking chosen one, David Archuleta, is kind of boring, an opinion that's led to a firestorm in the comments section of American Idol oracle rickey.org. Given that one of the combatants in this sorta-feud has Doug E. Fresh in his corner and the other has a scary stage dad in his, I'd think that the side of righteousness would be easy to pick out, but apparently there are lots of people out there who disagree. Vehemently. And they're not afraid to make fridge magnets to show which side they're on. [rickey.org]

Sparks Are Not Starting Any Sort Of Beef With Morrissey

Maria T Sciarrino — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:30:47 EDT

Fans thought that Los Angeles pop group Sparks had some sort of issue with The Last of the International Playboys, what with "Lighten Up, Morrissey" being a song title on the group's forthcoming album, Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. But it's totally not like that:

Sparks have refuted speculation that a new song attacks Morrissey.

"Lighten Up, Morrissey" is actually about a man who is unlucky in love, because his girlfriend doesn't think he'll ever match up to Moz.

Sparks' manager Sue Harris told PS: "It's a tribute to Morrissey. The Maels are big admirers of Morrissey—he's been a Sparks fan for years, and the feeling is mutual."

While I am a little bummed the two camps won't be coming to fisticuffs anytime soon, I'm glad that I've been given the chance to post Sparks' 1975 Top of the Pops performance.

Sparks' New Album (With Morrissey related title) [Morrissey-solo.com / HT: Paul Cox]

Mathew Knowles has responded to Aretha Franklin's ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:50:39 EST

Mathew Knowles has responded to Aretha Franklin's miffedness over his daughter calling Tina Turner "the Queen" during Sunday night's Grammy ceremony. Quoth the dad of Beyonce: "As a manager I am not taking something this ridiculous to Beyonce. Beyonce referred to Tina Turner as a 'queen,' ... not queen of gospel, queen of soul, queen of blues, Queen of England. I consider my wife a queen and sometimes call her that. Does Aretha have a problem with that?" Well, now that you mention it... [CelebTV.com]

Vince Gill on his "na na, I got a Grammy ...

Maura Johnston — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:20:22 EST

Vince Gill on his "na na, I got a Grammy from a Beatle and you didn't" dig at Kanye West during Sunday night's Grammys: "He had said something about how he was gonna win Album of the Year later, and if not him, then Amy Winehouse was most deserving and not me or the Foo Fighters. So I decided to have a little fun. ... I just saw him out of the corner of my eye when I was up there, and I decided I had to do it. He took a shot at Gretchen Wilson when he lost Best New Artist to her a few years ago, and so us rednecks stick together." [MTV / Photo: AP]

Aretha Franklin More Annoyed With Grammy Writers Than We Are

Maura Johnston — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:53:00 EST

Those of you watching the Grammy telecast on Sunday night may remember the middle-school-caliber speech Beyonce gave as an introduction to Tina Turner, where she ran down all the icons of the past who she wanted to be like before instructing the audience to get on their feet^* for Turner, who she referred to as "the Queen." Well, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin—lumped in as one of the "historical women" who didn't quite measure up to Turner for whatever reason—was not happy with the slight, going so far as to issue a statement: "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé, however I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy. In addition to that, I thank the Grammys and the voting academy for my 20th Grammy and love to Beyoncé anyway." I seriously doubt that anyone else saw Beyonce's coronation of Turner as a "cheap shot" (I saw of it as yet another indication that the show's writers were clearly scrambling for last minute material), but judge for yourself with the YouTube of the performance—and the cringeworthy text of Beyonce's intro—after the jump.

"Sarah Vaughn, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan ... historical women who have performed on this very stage. When I was a little girl I dreamed of being on this stage. But I knew I needed all the right elements. Like the beat of Donna Summer, the spirit of Mahalia Jackson, the jazz of Ella, or Nancy—band, gimme some! ("jazzy" bit of "Deja Vu" plays) Lena Horne, Anita Baker, Diana Ross, Gladys, Janet, and the beautiful melodies of Whitney. The legacy they have bestowed are simply irreplaceable.

"But there is one legend who has the essence of all of these things. The glamour. The soul. The passion. The strength. The talent. Ladies and gentlemen, stand on your feet and give it up for the Queen."

Aretha at Grammys: Not Feeling The R-E-S-P-E-C-T [People]
[Photo: AP]

^* B really likes instructing people to stand up—a Destiny's Child show a few years back was marked by her telling us to "Get up for God." Perhaps she was a second-grade teacher in a previous life?

Oh, Sebastian Bach. I understand why you ...

mjohnston — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:10:46 EST

Oh, Sebastian Bach. I understand why you would think that the group currently touring as Skid Row—i.e. the band that doesn't have you in it—is "wrecking the [band's] name worse than can ever be wrecked." But considering that your Rock Band-touting appearance on today's TRL is being touted as a guest spot by "Celebrity Rap Superstar's Sebastian Bach," I don't know if you have all that much leeway to complain about these sorts of things, you know? [Live-Metal.net]

Jimmy Buffett alleges that Six Flags' Bugs ...

mjohnston — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:30:26 EDT

Jimmy Buffett alleges that Six Flags' Bugs Bunny-themed "Carrothead Club," where kids wear foam hats and have the occasional brunch with the wascally wabbit, is infringing on the term "Parrotheads"; Six Flags rep calls Buffett's fanbase "significantly older Hawaiian shirt-wearing, margarita-swilling Parrotheads" in response. Could this be the start of perhaps the greatest copyright-related beef ever? [NYP]

Gerard Way Is So Over It

Kate Richardson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:10:05 EDT

In a recent Q&A session published in The Maine Campus, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance got sassy about the the much-disputed "emo" label:

Basically, it's never been accurate to describe us. Emo bands were being booked while we were touring with Christian metal bands because no one would book us on tours. I think emo is Fucking garbage, it's bullshit. I think there's bands that unfortunately we get lumped in with that are considered emo and by default that starts to make us emo. All I can say is anyone actually listening to the records, put the records next to each other and listen to them and there's actually no similarities. I think emo's a pile of shit.

This got me thinking: How would Gerard's hostility play out in the bandom universe? Here is my rough estimation:

Gerard: *Rolls over onto his side, annoyed."

William (from The Academy Is...): Was that good for you?

Gerard: Eh...

William: What's wrong, Gerard? Are you upset that Mikey's out with Brendon?

Gerard: No, that's not it.

William: Is it me? Was it the blowjob? Tell the truth.

Gerard: Goddamnit, William, for the last time, it wasn't the blowjob! I'm just going through some shit right now...it's hard to explain.

William: *Gently caresses Gerard's shoulder.* What can I do to help?

Gerard: Just...don't touch me.

My Chemical Romance talks to The 'Campus' [The Maine Campus]

David Lee Roth To Zakk Wylde: "Sir, You Are No Wolfgang"

mjohnston — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:01:20 EDT

More from that last Van Halen rehearsal: Apparently a lot of Metal Edge boldface names were in attendance; while some were content to just watch the show and pump their fists along with "Panama," others apparently thought that their invitation to the festivities was also an invitation to jump on stage and let people in attendance know that they were, in fact, still alive, and available for guitar-playing/high-heel-wearing duties should any of the current members of Van Halen be struck down:

Some of the people in attendance were Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and Zakk Wylde. About two songs into the show, Zakk — who was front row — tried to get onstage with Eddie [Van Halen]. The security were wrestling to pull him off and David Lee Roth came over and said, 'Nah, nah, nah. Are you in show biz? Then get off the stage. Get off the fucking stage.' At that point Eddie came over and acknowledged Zakk, saying something to the effect of, 'Hey, man, I can't do this right now.' Throughout the show though Eddie was smiling at Zakk. At one point Zakk swapped shoes with one of his guests (a girl who was wearing high heels) and spent a good portion of the show wearing these!!

You can see the DLR dressing-down in the above clip; it's kind of sad to just see Wylde standing there, Courteney Cox-in-"Dancing In The Dark"-style, waiting to be held aloft by his heroes, only to get a dressing-down from one of them. On the bright side, his foray into high-heel-wearing—while at a show! what a trouper!—has probably all but guaranteed him a spot in Roth's next home video, or at the very least season 12 of The Surreal Life.

OWNED David Lee Roth Style [YouTube]
ZAKK WYLDE Gets 'Owned' By DAVID LEE ROTH At VAN HALEN Rehearsal; Video Available [Blabbermouth]

Warped Vs. Ozzfest: Let The Beef-Flinging Begin

mjohnston — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:05:57 EDT

Is this what rock and roll infighting has come to—a war of the words between the organizers of touring summer festivals? Apparently, yes. (Man, between this and the WaMu news, today is a pretty wan day for rock and roll.) Here's the first quote that runs in a Kansas City Star piece on the free edition of Ozzfest, which hits town next Monday:

"It allowed Ozzy Osbourne to get one more paycheck out of (Ozzfest), to be 100 percent honest," said Kevin Lyman, organizer of the Warped tour that will be at Verizon Aug. 15. "Sharon's a smart person, but basically that's what it is. It's a ploy, straight up. Ozzy's getting paid to do that show. She was struggling to put (together a bill) because she keeps charging more and more and selling less and less tickets. The attendance of that tour has been dropping for many years, and she keeps having to spend more on the talent to get people to the shows."

While Ozzfest organizers are claiming that every venue has "sold out" (not really sure how that happens when there's nothing to sell), tickets to each Ozzfest show get released the morning of every show, just in case people have a last-minute urge to see Static-X.

Also of note: We've seen reports claiming that organizers are expecting about half of concertgoers to stay home, an estimate that was presumably revised upward after Gwar announced its war against the Eurovision-winning metal band Lordi.

Ozzy Osbourne's free Ozzfest comes to town [Kansas City Star, via The Daily Swarm]

Ted Nugent Mad About 2 Zillion Things, Including Paul McCartney

Brian Raftery — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:31:54 EDT

We'll say this for Waco Tribune-Review columnist Ted Nugent: The man knows how to hook you in with the very first sentence:

I like sizzling meat on the grill. Wild, huh? Anybody? Now, we all know ol' Nuge isn't by any stretch of the imagination a weirdo when it comes to an omnivorous diet.

Especially here in the great Republic of Texas, a smiling, drooling preference for succulent, protein-rich, nutritious backstrap over aromatic mesquite coals is as American and natural and right as Mom, apple pie and the flag. It's beautiful, really.

But a culture war rages against such universal, self-evident truths. It would be laughable if it were not so deranged. Some weirdos actually are on a crusade to outlaw the consumption of flesh.

I have musical touring associates who have been fired from their jobs with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney for sneaking a hamburger.

The only problem is that Ted doesn't really elaborate, nor does anyone at his newspaper insist on double-checking to see whether the story about the disgraced McCartney employee (who may or may not be Valerie Plame) is actually true. But it doesn't really matter, because within a few sentences, the Nuge is jumping from topic to topic, tying together everyone from Mao Tse-Tung to Danny Glover to Texas Congressman Chet Edwards. The whole column feels phoned in: Not because Ted was lazy, but because it literally reads like he literally talked into a phone for two hours straight about random topics. It would be laughable if it were not so deranged.

Ted Nugent: 'Live and let live' foreign idea to left [Wacotrib.com]

Clay's Fans Are Aiken To Get Into A Scrap

mjohnston — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:45:47 EDT

Long known for shutting out those who disagree with them, Clay Aiken's fans, no doubt because of their insularity, have now turned on each other:

Clay Aiken's rabid fans - who call themselves "Claymates" and say they live in "Claynation" - are at odds with each other over their former Idol. An insider said, "The war is between the batty members that are still clinging to their heterosexual fantasies of him and others that don't harbor such illusions." Aiken's sexuality has been a subject of speculation ever since several men came out publicly and said they'd met him in gay chat rooms and had relations with him.

The board was shut down on Thursday and it's remaining closed "until further notice," an enforced cool-down that's probably for the best, given that the Claymates are apparently not above using virtual violence against their enemies.

AIKEN SITE TOO HOT TO HANDLE [NYP]

Clive Davis Still Giving Kelly Clarkson's "My December" A Chilly Reception

mjohnston — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:15:47 EDT

The Kelly Clarkson-Clive Davis war of words is clearly not going to end anytime soon—or at least not until Clarkson's next album, My December, comes out later this month. A brief recap: Rumblings about December being pushed back from its late July release date surfaced a few weeks ago, after Davis allegedly panned the largely Clarkson-penned record in a company meeting; the album's release date was then pushed up to June 26; then, during the American Idol finale, Davis took to the podium and neglected to plug Clarkson's album, instead extolling the virtues of professional songwriters.

The skirmish continued last week, the New York Post ran a piece claiming that Davis was out of touch and cramping Clarkson's style; today, in a sorta-surprising show of corporate dissonance, Fox 411 columnist Roger Friedman ran an item that opened with a comparison between Clarkson and Courtney Love (!), and went on to blame Clarkson's manager, Jeff Kwatinetz, for a good portion of the friction:

It was only this past weekend that RCA learned Kwatinetz is being listed by Clarkson as "executive producer" of the album. This indicates a new role for Kwatinetz, who is not the most popular member of the recording industry. Managers generally do not receive "EP" credits on albums. They are listed as managers.

In this case, though, Kwatinetz may regret what he's wished for. "My December" has already spawned one non-starter single in "Never Again," a kind of tough-chick rock song that failed to penetrate radio or video. After six weeks, it's already being pulled from rotations after not catching on.

Even though "My December" isn't ready for press copies, three of its songs can be heard on AOL (all of its lyrics are available, too). None of them has the bright catchy pop hooks of Clarkson's previous hits like "Since U Been Gone." One of them, "Sober," is kind of a rock dirge that boasts the refrain, "Three months ... and I'm still sober!"

Now, you'd think that someone with such "inside connections" would at least be able to get his hands on an advance copy of the album—or at least a copy of last week's Billboard, in which the charts show that "Never Again" was up from No. 17 to No. 9. Sure, that bounce is probably attributable to Clarkson's performance of the song on the American Idol finale, but the rush to bury "Never Again" after six weeks on the charts seems a bit premature—look at Pink's "U & Ur Hand," which possesses a similar chick-rock ferocity and had its own yo-yo ride up and down the charts.

Obviously, December is a big release for Sony BMG, although their expectations may be a bit too high in the current climate of depressed record sales. Breakaway, Clarkson's previous album, sold 5.7 million copies; an anonymous exec quoted in the piece is fretting that "Kelly will not sell anywhere near her previous numbers" with December, but then again, Norah Jones hasn't hit her previous-sold target, either. Is this fight really one between Kwatinetz and Davis, and Kelly is just caught in the middle? The piece's final anonymous quote—"Even if [December] fails, he'll work with Kelly again if she's ready to listen."—makes us wonder if the struggle here isn't executive-artist as much as it is executive-manager.

FOX 411: Kelly Clarkson: 'My December' Trouble [foxnews.com]

Listening Station: Eminem Gets A Cranky Crank Call

mjohnston — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:05:09 EDT

Last week, the tale of one Kyle Spratt—an overzealous Eminem fan who snagged his hero's phone number after stealing Kim Mathers' cell phone from her while she was at a Windsor, Ont., bingo hall, then called him to request a tete-a-tete—made its way around the Internet, prompting many pundits to dub the 18-year-old aspiring rapper "the real-life Stan." Over the weekend, the incensed Spratt released "Slim Sellout," an Eminem diss track where he samples Em's attempts to disguise his voice and claims that Encore was a crap album, on his MySpace page; he's since taken it down, perhaps because of the murky legality of Spratt's recording his phone conversations with Eminem and the Detroit police. Thankfully, Nah Right snatched the MP3, so you can hear Em's admittedly hilarious attempts to disguise his pipes and see just how angry a scorned fan of Marshall Mathers can get.

UPDATE: As gregcoff noted, the speed of our modern age has allowed Spratt to post a follow-up track—which is, in a case of meta crashing down upon itself, all about the furor he's caused—on his MySpace page.

~~Kyle Spratt - Slim Sellout~~ [MP3, link expired; via Nah Right]
Kyle Spratt [MySpace]
Fan Steals Kim Mathers' Phone, Calls Eminem [wxyz.com]