"I had no idea when you interviewed me that you considered much of my later work to be `sentimental rubbish', or that you thought songs like "Uptown Girl" and "We Didn't Start the Fire" were `abominations'. And your back-slapping, buddy-buddy style of conversation betrayed no indication that you actually compared talking with me to `sleeping with an inflatable girlfriend'," Joel fumed.

"You didn't bring any of this up during the interview, and I certainly would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss those kinds of things, person to person. I believe that it's always best to be upfront with someone when you have strong opinions about their work or their image, simply as a gesture of respect, or if the respect isn't there, then purely as professionalism. Had I known you felt this way, I still would have done the bloody interview, but your comments reveal you to be already critically predisposed and somewhat insincere. You are still welcome to attend our concert in Auckland, but just as a safety precaution, please wear a hockey mask."

Smithies, as it turns out, will not be attending the Auckland show. But Joel's objections do raise a good point about the line between "critic" and "profiler" being blurred, and what a writer should do when faced with covering a subject who may not be all that appealing. Do you ask, head-on, "hey, so what were you thinking when you wrote 'River Of Dreams,' because that shit is straight-up garbage?" Or do you keep your mouth shut and save your opinions for print? Or do you just keep your mouth totally shut in your "professional" capacity, and spill your guts on a friends-only Livejournal? While the first option obviously seems more straight-up—the "stabbing a subject in the face" option, as opposed to putting the knife in one's back—it does open the door for things like being hung up on. Or punched out.

Billy Joel's fuming: We've gone and started a fire [Sunday Star-Times via Gawker]

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]

"I had a third row seat I paid $120 for," Nirschl told CMT.com during an interview Thursday (June 26). "And I was just making my way up to my seat because I wanted to be up there when he started 'Indian Outlaw.' I was getting shoved up against some empty seats, and I may have pushed some people when I was trying to get my balance. But I didn't grab nobody's hair, and I didn't hit nobody. I'm the nicest guy you'll ever meet."



What happened next is still confusing to Nirschl. His cowboy hat fell off in the chaos, so he bent down to grab it.



"Next thing I knew, Tim was saying, 'Get rid of this guy,'" he recalled. "But when he reached out for my hand, I thought he recognized me, because I've been to about six of his shows. I really thought he wanted to pull me onstage for some dancing and stuff."

So this guy is either a manipulative bastard, or one of the most tragic souls on earth. He thought Tim McGraw wanted to dance with him? It's almost enough to offset the dubiousness of his "I'm the nicest guy you'll ever meet" comment.

He added that while he'd had a couple beers, he was not drunk.

"If I was, I wouldn't remember any of this," Nirschl said. "But I remember it all."

After security escorted Nirschl backstage in a headlock, he had to tell his story to six law enforcement officers waiting for him. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.

"I showed them my ticket, but they still made me leave," he said.

Nirschl says he'll go back when McGraw's next tour stops near Seattle.

"I still like the guy," he said. "The music's still great. I just don't know why he wanted to punch me."

Well, judging from his difficulty getting up on stage and excessive and inappropriate hat waving in the video, he just might have meant "a couple of beers" in common Bubba parlance (i.e. he was drunk, y'all), which either makes the whole thing more satisfying or more pathetic. Either way, it's nice of Mr. Nirschl to let bygones be bygones. Maybe at the next concert he and Tim can do a romantic two-step.

Ejected Audience Member is Still a Tim McGraw Fan [CMT.com]

"Personally speaking, I choose to look forward to the future and performing with a group of friends I have known my entire life, people who have always had my back," Weiland continued. "This also speaks to my commitment to my music and my fellow bandmates in [Stone Temple Pilots] and to the fans who I feel would much rather watch a group of musicians who enjoy being together as opposed to a handful of discontents who at one time used to call themselves a gang."

In conclusion, Weiland warned fans not to be "fooled by veiled trickery," and even wished Velvet Revolver his best. "Good hunting, lads — I think Sebastian Bach would be a fantastic choice."

C'mon, Scott, there's no way they're going to court such an ardent Axl-supporter, even though a Velvet Revolver album of Broadway standards would be...something.

Scott Weiland Fires Back At Velvet Revolver [MTV]

"I'm a freelance writer. I was assigned to write previews of the Black Crowes and Nas albums. I did that. When the issue came out, the previews were laid out as reviews complete with star ratings. I never at any point or to anyone claimed to have heard these albums in their entirety. Whatever decisions Maxim made after I turned in my work were beyond my control."

While anyone who writes professionally knows how little control you can have over your own words once they're in the hands of an editor, the Times does note that the "previews" Peisner was purportedly contracted to pen were written in a voice that sounded kinda like opinion, opinion rendered by someone who had at least given the albums a desultory spin or two, rather than a guy issuing an "educated guess." But surely that confusion merely confirms the more jaded responses to this (sadly not much of a) "scandal," that the Black Crowes getting uppity over a middling review just (needlessly?) re-underlined how little difference there is between one brand of generic music mag blurb and another these days, that the blandishments and limp digs passed off as "criticism" are largely differentiated from "previews" by that blurb's location in the publication and whether or not it's got little stars or a number grade with or without a decimal point. As this story drags on, the Crowes are rejecting Peisner's attempts to disassociate himself with his employer's actions, and Maxim has yet to issue an official response to its writer's claims.

Exclusive Maxim Scandal Updates: David Peisner Speaks! [LA Times]

for your information>>>


we did not ask for a load of cash from our old record label EMI to re- sign.
that is a L I E.
The Times in the UK should check its facts before it prints such dirt.

whAT we WANTED WAS some control over OUR WOrK and how it was used in the future by them- that seemed REASONAblE to us,
as we cared about it a great deal.

Mr Hands was not interested.
So neither were we.

We made the sign of the cross and walked away. Sadly.

We are extremely upset that this crap is being spread about.

To bedigging up such bullshit, or more politely airing yer dirty laundry in public, seems a very strange way for the head of an international record label to be proceeding.

On a happier note we took no 'BRead-HEAd' advances at all from both independent labels XL and TBD for our new record.

So judge for yourself.

AND we are really excited to be working with them. SHock!

AT least they do not behave like confused bulls in a china shop.

much love

thom
x

So there you go. Also: Did a British tabloid really use the appellation "Bread-head" in a headline? Because that makes me feel a little less guilty about all the lame-ass puns I've used over the past year and a half.

F Y I_____ if you care [dead air space]
Earlier: EMI: Radiohead Demanded £10 Million Payday At The End Of Its Rainbow

"The action taken earlier this week was not to shut down fansites, or control comment in any way. The issue was simply to do with in regards to copyright and trademark of images and only images, and no lawsuits have been filed.

"The three sites in question have falsely positioned themselves as representatives of millions of Prince fans. In fact, many have come out in support of Prince at his official site and even on the message boards of the unofficial sites in question.

"Mediation between the parties is currently resolving the matter."

It's probably good that Prince has decided to back off suing the people who attend his concerts and buy his merch, because he's going to need the full brunt of his legal team for his next endeavor:

"Prince is breaking new ground as the first artist to take on the world's largest internet pirates bootleggers, including the notorious The Pirate Bay who have been misrepresenting themselves as a site for 'the fans'.
"They are in fact exploiting copyrighted material for their commercial gain. The site has flouted constant legal notices from artists and corporations throughout the world while cashing in on advertising monies. All the time, they keep up the pretence of being an anarchist, 'free music' fansite when it is really a massive money-making venture."

"We should have known it was Prince that tipped off the authorities to our existence after we got that email that simply read, 'I'm comin 4 U.'" This should be almost as entertaining as when Cam'ron went after child predators on the Internet. Ready the paisley battering ram.

Prince "Not Suing Fans" [NME]