Music News Blog tag:musicfanlubs.org,2007-07-02:/blog//1 2007-07-10T10:52:46Z Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.0-beta4-20070627 Ozzy Osbourne is ready for his slippers tag:musicfanlubs.org,2007:/blog//1.188 2007-07-10T10:51:49Z 2007-07-10T10:52:46Z Amid a blizzard of riffs and interminable screaming solos from guitarist Zakk Wylde (possibly the hairiest man I've ever seen), Osbourne hollered and wailed in his shrieky voice. It was loud, frantic, and dull. He even resorted to that dreary old cliché: which side of the audience can shout loudest? (Answer: neither.) And I've seen more impressive displays of collective arm-waving from an audience at a Steps concert. To be fair, there were moments - notably Not Going Away (from his recent Black Rain album), Suicide Solution and a couple of old Sabbath tunes, Paranoid and War Pigs - when things almost became exciting. And to be fair to Osbourne, who earlier that day had become the first inductee into the city's Hollywood-style "Walk of Stars" on Broad Street, he did his best to try to whip the crowd into a frenzy. But that amounted to jumping on the spot like a child at a birthday party and dunking his head in buckets of water and then chucking the water into the crowd. In a world where groups such as Muse and Metallica have injected new life and new energy into the heavy-rock genre, Osbourne and his band looked and sounded like a circus sideshow. The years of drug abuse, alcoholism and bat-chewing - not to mention the 2003 quad-bike accident that almost cost him his life - have clearly taken their toll on Ozzy Osbourne: the figure on stage in his home town, the heartland of heavy metal, was a pale and rather pathetic shadow of the man who used to be the charismatic frontman of the world's most awesome heavy metal band, Black Sabbath.

Once upon a time, Osbourne used to channel the ferocity of his band's dark riffery like a maestro of malevolence; here, he had about as much charisma as Timmy Mallett, and walked the stage with the shuffling gait, familiar to viewers of The Osbournes, of someone who has lost a great many neurons.

"Are you ready to go crazy? Come on then, let's go crazy," he yelled at the crowd at the start of the Birmingham leg of his world tour. The crowd went a little bit wild for a while, but although Osbourne kept shouting at us, with increasing desperation, to "go f***ing crazy", there wasn't a lot to go crazy about.

]]> Eve sentenced to probation tag:musicfanlubs.org,2007:/blog//1.187 2007-07-02T14:20:40Z 2007-07-02T14:23:18Z Eve was arrested back in April after she was apprehended after her gold Maserati hit a road center divider which caused damage to her car. In a court room last Thursday, the singer/actress pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of drunk... Eve was arrested back in April after she was apprehended after her gold Maserati hit a road center divider which caused damage to her car.

In a court room last Thursday, the singer/actress pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of drunk driving where her alcohol blood level was recorded at an amount above 0.08 percent.

As her punishment she was ordered to wear a SCRAM alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet for 45 days.

She was also order to enroll and attend a three month first offender alcohol education program, attend at least ten Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Her probation will last for about 36 month where she will have a set of laws she must follow but does not have to report to a parole officer.

Not that she has enough as a punishment as a first time offender but of course she had to be fine as well at an amount of $1,400.

The performer, whose full name is Eve Jihan Jeffers, was not injured during the April accident, in which she drove her car into a center divider on Hollywood Boulevard at 2:40 a.m.

At the scene police officers administered a Breathalyzer test and then took her into custody and booked her on suspicion of driving under the influence.

A hearing has been set for later this month as a followup, at which time Eve's lawyer must prove that the rapper has enrolled in an alcohol-education program and is still wearing the monitor anklet.

If she fails to complete any of the tasks she was ordered she may face jail time.

Our Thoughts
Seemingly this may seem too much of a punishment for a celebrity, but the judge treated the case like another other normal DUI case and dealt with it accordingly.

]]> Pop music veterans The Bats return tag:musicfanlubs.org,2007:/blog//1.186 2007-07-02T14:15:24Z 2007-07-02T14:16:30Z VETERAN music group The Bats will present a lively show at the Vodacom Amphitheatre at The Boardwalk on Sunday. The Bats' brand new two-hour "loudly South African" show promises to take audiences on a taxi ride from the Cape to... VETERAN music group The Bats will present a lively show at the Vodacom Amphitheatre at The Boardwalk on Sunday.

The Bats' brand new two-hour "loudly South African" show promises to take audiences on a taxi ride from the Cape to the Townships, from the 1950s to the present and guarantees laughter and hair-raising moments. Originally formed in 1964, The Bats became South Africa's answer to The Beatles.

Some of the members of this legendary group are still well-known in South Africa's entertainment circles.

Popular South African comedian and actor Eddie Eckstein is the band's drummer and provides vocals, while guitarist, vocalist, keyboard and bass player Paul Ditchfield, recently acted in the remake of The Flight of the Phoenix. The other two band members are guitarist Pete Clifford and newcomer Derek Gordon. In the early 1970s, the band won a Sarie Award for their single, Who's that Girl.

In the 1980s, The Bats released a number of hit singles such as In a Shabby Little Hut and Vat hom Dawie.

]]> Duran Duran Guitarist Quits tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.185 2006-10-26T16:40:58Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z Duran Duran have parted ways with guitarist Andy Taylor. The band are currently touring the US, and a session guitarist is set to replace Taylor on remaining dates. A statement from the remaining four reads: "We know that there has... Duran Duran have parted ways with guitarist Andy Taylor. The band are currently touring the US, and a session guitarist is set to replace Taylor on remaining dates. A statement from the remaining four reads: "We know that there has been a tremendous amount of speculation over the past few weeks regarding Andy Taylor's continued involvement with the band and we are sorry that we've been unable to provide you with more information until now. The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all - and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time. "As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together. "Although obviously disappointed and saddened about this, we are excited about the next chapter of the Duran Duran story and look forward to seeing you all soon." Evanescence Tops Euro Chart For Second Week tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.184 2006-10-19T20:25:19Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z Evanescence starts a second week at the helm of European Top 100 Albums with "The Open Door" (Wind-Up). Although it loses its chart-topping berths in Germany and Switzerland, falling to No. 2 in those markets, the album adds a No.... Evanescence starts a second week at the helm of European Top 100 Albums with "The Open Door" (Wind-Up). Although it loses its chart-topping berths in Germany and Switzerland, falling to No. 2 in those markets, the album adds a No. 1 debut in Greece and a No. 2 entry in Sweden, holds at No. 2 in Italy and Holland and climbs 4-2 in Portugal. The single “Call Me When You’re Sober” dips 10-16 on Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Scissor Sisters’ former pan-European No. 1 album “Ta-Dah” (Polydor) moves back 3-2 overall after making that same move in the United Kingdom, where it’s already double platinum for 600,000 shipments. The set also rises 11-5 in Greece. The band completes its American dates on Sunday in Boston before beginning a new U.K. tour Oct. 30 in Manchester. The single “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” tops the Eurochart for a third week, holding at No. 1 in Norway and Austria. The track also climbs 6-3 in Sweden and 12-5 in Italy. The highest new entry on Top 100 Albums, at No. 5, is stalwart Gerrman punk band Die Ärzte’s “Best Of” (Hot Action). That’s after the compilation opened at No. 1 in Germany and Austria and No. 4 in Switzerland. The two-CD set features all of the band’s singles since 1993 on the first, 25-track disc and all the b-sides on the second. Sting’s album of 16th-century lute music, “Songs From The Labyrinth” (Deutsche Grammophon) opens at No. 12 on the pan-European survey. Featuring songs by King James I's favorite musician, John Dowland, it debuts at the top of the classical chart in the United Kingdom and No. 24 on its pop album list, also entering at No. 10 in Italy. New at No. 18 on Top 100 Albums is Florida metal band Trivium’s “The Crusade” (Roadrunner), after a No. 7 start in the United Kingdom on sales of 25,000. The single “Anthem (We Are The Fire)” debuted at No. 40 on the U.K. chart last week, but now falls to No. 60. Swedish pop-jazz singer and actress Lisa Nilsson enters the album chart there at No. 1 with the Swedish-language set “Hotel Vermont 609” (Columbia). Nilsson has been having hits in her home country since the early 1990s and more recently has appeared in the Swedish TV sitcom “Cleo” and film “Paradiset.” “Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)” (Yellow Production) by Bob Sinclar featuring Cutee B moves to a new pan-European peak, 4-3. The track has been in the composite top ten for six of the last seven weeks and now climbs 5-4 in the United Kingdom, 22-5 in Ireland and holds at No. 7 in France. Hot U.S. emo band My Chemical Romance has a triumphant week, securing its first U.K. No. 1 single by climbing from No. 23 with weekly sales of 33,000 for “Welcome To The Black Parade.” The group’s previous best showing on the British charts was a No. 19 ranking for the 2005 single “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” The band’s “The Black Parade” album is out in Europe next Monday, the day before its North American release. Michael Jackson, ex-wife end child custody dispute tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.183 2006-09-30T09:35:55Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z Pop star Michael Jackson and his former wife Debbie Rowe have reached a settlement in their long-running child custody dispute, her lawyer said on Friday. Attorney Marta Almli, who represents Rowe, did not disclose the terms of the agreement, which... Pop star Michael Jackson and his former wife Debbie Rowe have reached a settlement in their long-running child custody dispute, her lawyer said on Friday. Attorney Marta Almli, who represents Rowe, did not disclose the terms of the agreement, which she said must be signed by a judge in the coming weeks. The judge's approval was expected to be a formality. Almli said the agreement also settles a lawsuit Jackson filed against Rowe in 2004 claiming that she violated a confidentiality agreement. "There is a settlement of all of the disputes between the parties," Almli said. "It's a done deal." Jackson's attorney, Michael Abrams, confirmed that the agreement had been reached. He said Jackson was not in Los Angeles but had approved the deal. "He wasn't in L.A. when we resolved it but that didn't prevent us from talking about it with him and having him sign it," Abrams said. Jackson and Rowe, who met while she was working for his dermatologist, were married in 1996 and had two children, Michael Jr. and Paris, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together. Jackson has since had another son but has not disclosed the name of the boy's mother. In 2001, Rowe gave up her parental rights but filed for custody after Jackson's 2003 arrest on child molestation charges, citing in part his association with the Nation of Islam. Prosecutors called Rowe as a witness in Jackson's trial last year, but she testified about Jackson in glowing terms. Jackson was acquitted of all charges in June of 2005. Banksy “Remixes” Paris Hilton CDs tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.182 2006-09-05T11:35:40Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z Notorious UK guerrilla artist Banksy has sabotaged 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s debut CD. The graffiti/stencil artist and agitator Banksy has replaced five hundred copies of Paris Hilton’s debut album with a “remixed” version in stores across the UK. The... Notorious UK guerrilla artist Banksy has sabotaged 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s debut CD. The graffiti/stencil artist and agitator Banksy has replaced five hundred copies of Paris Hilton’s debut album with a “remixed” version in stores across the UK. The album looks virtually identical but track titles have been replaced with ‘Why am I Famous?’, ‘What Have I Done?’ and ‘What Am I For?’ and inner sleeve art has been doctored. The music was also remixed by “DM”, some suggesting it’s Gnarls Barkley beatmaster Danger Mouse. The barcode was retained, so the new versions have sold as normal. Many retailers have been hunting for the doctored copies but copies are currently attracted bids up to US$700 on eBay. Banksy has a long history of stunts, recalling a Situationist ethic of detournement. He surreptitiously included his own artwork on the walls of the Tate Britain gallery, MoMA, the British Museum and more. He’s scrawled slogans inside animal enclosures in two British zoos. He also painted trompe l’oeil style images representing holes and ladders on the Palestinian side of the Israeli West Bank wall. He has previous musical connections; he painted the cover of Blur’s ‘Thinktank’ album and Green Day’s Tres Cool reportedly has two tattoos of Banksy’s designs. BEATLES' LSD DENTIST NAMED tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.181 2006-09-05T11:27:34Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z The identity of the dentist who first introduced THE BEATLES to LSD has finally been revealed in a new book about the band. THE FAB FOUR: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE BEATLES by STEVE TURNER claims the man referred to... The identity of the dentist who first introduced THE BEATLES to LSD has finally been revealed in a new book about the band. THE FAB FOUR: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE BEATLES by STEVE TURNER claims the man referred to by the late GEORGE HARRISON as "the wicked dentist", was JOHN RILEY, a distinguished professional with a practice in London's Harley Street. Riley's identity has been shrouded since that fateful occurrence in 1965, but now, 20 years after his death, Turner has decided to life the lid on the sneaky dentist, who spiked the stars' coffees with the drug when they went to dinner with him. JOHN LENNON's first wife CYNTHIA reportedly has still not forgiven him. An insider says, "The book is significant as drugs went on to have a big effect on the band. "When you go for dinner with your dentist, you don't imagine a professional man would do something like that." Jermaine Dupri Promises Mariah, Janet Duet On New Album tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.180 2006-06-22T09:52:50Z 2007-07-02T13:48:59Z 'I got a mean idea, so look for it,' JD says about planned duet on Jackson's 20 Years Old. Earlier this month, Jermaine Dupri demonstrated he's a true showman by bringing out Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson during his set... 'I got a mean idea, so look for it,' JD says about planned duet on Jackson's 20 Years Old. Earlier this month, Jermaine Dupri demonstrated he's a true showman by bringing out Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson during his set at the Summer Jam radio festival in New Jersey. Now, Dupri is thinking about how to pull the ultimate trump card and get the two legends on the same song. In April, Carey hinted that she was very open to the collaboration (see "Mariah Down To Work With Janet; Eve's Loss Is Busta's Gain"). "He never talked to me about that, but if Jermaine has a concept, we should go and write something," she told MTV Radio. "I love Janet. I've been a big fan of Janet since 'Con-tro-ol!' " On Friday, JD said he is, in fact, developing an idea for Carey and his longtime girlfriend to do it up right on a song. "It's gonna happen on this record," he said about the collaboration. "Please believe that. I got a mean idea, so look for it. We definitely gonna do a repackage on [Janet's 20 Years Old] once it comes out. Hopefully it's successful and people buy into it, then I'm going back in the studio.]]> What happened was, when I was working with Janet, I got into the zone. This was my first time ever working with her. When I get into my zone with artists, I just want to create and create and create. That's what happened with me and Mariah [on The Emancipation of Mimi]. We don't run outta ideas; we keep coming up with sh--. The closer I get to that idea [for Janet and Mariah], the more I know where it should be at. It's feeling like it's gonna happen." Dupri also said the Janet and Mariah record — if he pulls it off — could appear on the initial run of 20 Years Old. "It depends on how quick my mind moves," he said. "We're mixing records for [20 Years Old]. We're not done yet. When I did Usher's My Way album, the last record I created was 'You Make Me Wanna ... .' I'm thinking I might go back in, and I might tamper with it. ... We gotta try to figure it out." JD hopes to have the Janet and Mariah duet mapped out and recorded before Carey goes on tour this summer. Dupri also said he's accepted Mariah's invite to go out on the road with her. He won't be at every single date, but he promises to pop up here and there and support his homie. "I'mma go to the hot spots," he said of the tour. "She's going to Miami first. I'm definitely gonna be at that show. I'm definitely gonna be in New York, in Atlanta. That's my partner. Whatever she needs me to do, I'm there." When he's not onstage, Jermaine already has a full plate of production scheduled for the rest of the year. He's working on a slew of his So So Def artists, including Johnta Austin, Manish Man, T. Waters and Young Capone. Bow Wow's next album is on Dupri's to-do list, as are records from 3LW, JoJo, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Frankie J, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Nelly, Usher ("We gonna start on his record at the end of the year") and Mariah Carey once she gets off tour. Janet's JD-produced "Call on Me," is the first single from the September 26 release 20 Years Old, and made its official debut Tuesday (June 20). "It's a duet between her and Nelly," Dupri said. "It's the jump-off. It's really just a record about when you need a friend, somebody you need to talk to, just call on a person. It's a friend record. It ain't really a boyfriend/girlfriend record. The way Nelly and Janet is talking is more girlfriend/boyfriend, but it really goes out to friends." Nelly being a close friend of JD made him a perfect candidate to rap on the song. Well, that and the fact that Nelly and Dupri have a super-smash under their belts already. "Nelly, I try to do what I do with my friends," Dupri explained. "Me and him had just come off the success of 'Grillz' at the time I made this record. He was the person on my mind. "Especially since Janet only made records, not to disrespect Q-Tip or Heavy D, but as far as popular rappers in this day and time, Busta Rhymes was the only one. We was trying to go to the radio and not do the typical R&B featured record. I was trying to be more creative and find somebody who can do melody as well as rap on the record. Nelly don't really rap on this song, he's singing. He has that different style. That's kind of what the record is. We see that enough: R&B with a rapper feature. That's why I call this a duet as opposed to a feature." With new singer/rapper collaborations in abundance, like Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Deja Vu" and Ciara and Chamillionaire's "Get Up," JD said he really wanted Janet and Nelly to have their own lane. "I never really pay attention to anybody else's record when I'm doing what I'm doing," he said. "I was just trying to give her the look she hasn't had in a minute. That would be both an incredible look on TV as well as a star moment, as well as a big record on radio. That's all the elements I was putting into making this record. We don't just have a record that's just a Nelly and Janet record. I believe this record is gonna be one of the biggest records on radio this year. Outside of who it is, it's a well-put-together song." African Hip Hop Radio - new show June 2006 tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.179 2006-06-22T09:49:43Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z it's been a long wait since the last show in February, but the African hip hop radio deejays are back to broadcast their all-new tunes, news and interviews straight to your pc. This month's show features a number of very... it's been a long wait since the last show in February, but the African hip hop radio deejays are back to broadcast their all-new tunes, news and interviews straight to your pc. This month's show features a number of very special guests including Professor Jay (Tanzania) live in the studio with Drew & J4 and an interview with Somali-Canadian emcee K'naan. Then we have the full recording of our African hip hop discussion at Black Soil film festival (Amsterdam) last year with Das Primeiro (Angola), Don Klemente & Guderian (Congo) and Liberian-American filmmaker Dante Kaba. Our Egyptian cornerstone Karim is back with a new co-host, dj Sphinx, and Mustafa Maluka mixes tracks from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Joburg. The next show is already finished and will be up in the next few weeks and will feature interviews with Saian Supa Crew (France/west Africa), Emmanuel Jal (Sudan/Kenya), Nameless (Kenya), Writers Block and Jitsvinger (South Africa)... Maluka's show takes you on a journey from the streets of the Cape Flats through to the heartbeat of the inner city of Cape town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. The tracks featured represent artists, producers and labels like Jitsvinger (High Voltage), Jean Grae (US artist but of South African origin), Lebo Mashile, Granville Williams (High Voltage), D Planet, Archetypes (Third World/Aevenger Camp), True Senz, Terror mc & Rapbels (Terror-story productions), Writers Block, J-Bux, Shaheen Ariefdien, Ancient men, Hipe (Hyperdelic productions/Aevenger camp), Driemanskap (Aevenger camp). The format of this month's show is slimmed down and tight: more music, less talk, higher quality... You know how we do! Drew & J4's show of this month focuses almost entirely on Tanzania as they have a very special guest in the house: Professor Jay, one of the pioneers of Tanzanian hip hop and to this day one of the most popular names. He dropped by in the studio while on tour in Europe and commented on the current state of affairs in Tanzanian rap, the name 'bongo flava' disliked by some to describe Tanzanian rap, and explained some of the subject matter of his rhymes. Juma4 also visited Arusha (Nothern Tanzania) in April and reports on the funeral of Faza Nelly, a conscious emcee who was part of the group X Plastaz. A collective of Arusha emcees has recorded a tribute which is played alongside tracks by AY, Nako 2 Nako (Tanzania), Harry Kimani & Bamboo (Kenya), Middle Finga (South Africa)... Backstage at the Amsterdam show of Damian Marley, our correspondents Amal and J4 met with Somali-Canadian emcee/poet K'naan who has been touring with Damian. After a mindblowing show which converted the sold-out Paradiso venue to African hip hop, K'naan enlightened us about the radical changes between his first album which he recorded in 1997 and the current release. He also speaks about the relationship between traditional Somali poetry and rap, and his views on whether hip hop can be used in solving poverty and bringing about sustainable developent in the way that the United Nations have tried with their Messengers of Truth project. This interview comes with a free soundtrack by Damian Marley in the background! The Egypt show is overseen by the Arabian Knightz' Karim who from this show on is joined by dj Sphinx, an Egyptian who recently returned from the US where he spent many years. Together they venture on a trip through the Arab world, from the Maghreb (North western Africa) al up to Lebanon and the Arabian peninsula. As they say: Arabs doing hip hop in all languages. This recording was also a birthday dedication for Karim's girlfriend's and it's long overdue but that's really the African hip hop editors to blame ;) We still owed you the full recording of last year December's African hip hop discussion which we organized as part of the Amsterdam based Black Soil hip hop filmfestival. Led by African hip hop radio's presenter Drew (Uganda/Netherlands), the panel consisted of Dante Kaba (Liberian/US film director), Das Primeiro (rapper from Angola/NL), Don Klemente (rapper from Congo/Belgium), Guderian Bakielemeso (hip hop promoter from Congo/NL) while filmmaker Jeroen Koolhaas was invited into the discussion. With exclusive freestyles by Das Primeiro & Don Klemente. Poor health leads Domino to cancel appearance tag:musicfanlubs.org,2006:/blog//1.178 2006-05-02T21:53:11Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z Legendary musician will still perform at New Orleans Jazz Fest NEW ORLEANS - Poor health led Fats Domino to cancel an autograph session Monday to raise money for a music charity, but he is still scheduled to perform Sunday at... Legendary musician will still perform at New Orleans Jazz Fest NEW ORLEANS - Poor health led Fats Domino to cancel an autograph session Monday to raise money for a music charity, but he is still scheduled to perform Sunday at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. “It’s not any major ailment, but he wanted to rest up for Sunday,” said Adam Shipley, music director for Tipitina’s nightclub. “He’s not feeling well, and his first priority is getting ready for Jazz Fest.” The 78-year-old musician had been scheduled to sign autographs for his new album, “Alive and Kickin,” just before the Tipitina’s Foundation benefit concert.]]> The album was released as a benefit for the foundation. Tipitina’s Foundation helped local musicians find housing and new instruments after the storm. Money raised from the concert and silent auction will go toward getting instruments for the city’s school music programs. Foundation director Bill Taylor said one of Domino’s biggest concerns, especially since Katrina displaced more than half the city’s musicians, has been the next generation of musicians. “He’s always asking about the kids, how they’re doing,” Taylor said. So far the foundation has provided more than $500,000 worth of donated instruments to the next generation of New Orleans musicians. Domino’s public appearances have been scarce since he was famously evacuated from his flooded home after Hurricane Katrina. His first public performance since then will be Sunday as he closes out this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with Paul Simon, Irma Thomas, Lionel Richie, Ellis Marsalis and Pete Fountain Michael Jackson slams drugs allegations tag:musicfanlubs.org,2005:/blog//1.177 2005-12-18T07:31:30Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z "Michael Jackson slams drugs allegations", "Michael Jackson's overdose in Bahrain" and etc headlines have recently flooded the chats and news blogs as if it still interests anyone what is going on with the celebrity of a world class like Jackson.... "Michael Jackson slams drugs allegations", "Michael Jackson's overdose in Bahrain" and etc headlines have recently flooded the chats and news blogs as if it still interests anyone what is going on with the celebrity of a world class like Jackson. Perhaps it does, though the reason for such curiosity has changed, I suppose. If previously all expected new music achievements, hits or any other tricks, then today all are wondering how far can Michael's trite fantasy go and what a scandal he may think of. If all used to search for his marvelous performances, then nowadays what is left is a mere skimming the net for another scandal launched as a promo for a pop singer. No matter what his promoters and spokespeople may say to justify their employer and to stress how hard the great star is presently working at his new single Katrina Relief, hardly anyone is hoping to get a proof of his talent (namely, gone), 'cause what Jackson succeeds in is just legal actions. So, it is even confusing what he actually is - a singer or a prosecutor. Looks like taking up a new field. Well, at least better than to vanish into musical obscurity. Bastard Pop tag:musicfanlubs.org,2005:/blog//1.176 2005-12-02T16:29:05Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z Dear contemporaries! I think you’ll never call in question all the advantages of our century. I’m now talking about the possibilities it opens for creation. Previously, to say your word in any form of art you first of all had... Dear contemporaries! I think you’ll never call in question all the advantages of our century. I’m now talking about the possibilities it opens for creation. Previously, to say your word in any form of art you first of all had to possess special talent or gift, at least the smallest amount of it. People who stepped into the water of arts without special merits were ciphered as losers. Today you may forget about all your complexes and unleash all your desires to create. Want to be an artist but have no skills? No problem. You may copy the outlines of any shape, paint them into the most unbelievable colors, just like Andy Warhall did, and you’ll get the outstanding masterpiece. Or you may come up with an innovation – say, take a hamster, put it into a can of paint and then make in run on the paper – I bet you’ll get the label of genius. The same with music. Want to play and sing but are voiceless or tone-deaf? Not a trouble at all. You can arm with the punk motto that “punk may be played by anyone” and g ahead. You may construct any music using special programs and loops, ‘cause today it is more honorable not to compose your own music but to remake or disfigure already existing pieces of music. Though for the more profound creators there is another approach – bastard pop. Despite such angry name bastard pop is a pretty lovely amusement. The technology is rather simple – you take any fashionable music and mix it with another famous verse. In order to eliminate the original voice you can use the karaoke system. To get the pure voice from the other track you may take trouble of searching for the vocal version, but in case you fail you may sit up at your pc and extract the voice from the A-track and deafen the accompaniment. The brilliant illustrations of this method are the mixtures of Rammstein with Tatu or Zemfira along with other millions of the like. The only thing you should mind is that it is better to mixture the absolutely opposite trends, like an allegro tempo with a legato. You speed up one, slow down another and you get a masterpiece. For those who are in love with difficulty and challenge there is a more profound approach. Americans have introduced their kind of classical bastard pop – Donna Summer. Yeah, this is just what you think – the black disco clubber. This brand-name harbors the male, not a switched, named Jason Forrest. His tracks mixture simultaneously several compositions which either sound separately or simultaneously interfering with one another. He cut out some element of different songs and combines them in a rather extraordinary way. Here you should mind that it is not just a mere mixing of music elements. The clue to success is to pick the peculiar pieces and join them into a comprehensible puzzle. In case you are ready to spend a couple of weeks in front of a studio pc you will be able to challenge Donna Summer and her famous bastard pop “lap-top show”. So, if you still wish to get fame in the world of sounds – get a pc with corresponding installations and hurry up until the times when the talent is essential for performing music is back again. Have A Nice Day by Bon Jovi tag:musicfanlubs.org,2005:/blog//1.175 2005-11-21T12:38:45Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z Whatever you say, Bon Jovi is only getting better with age – both he and his jeans band. Luckily, the days when the success of their music depended entirely on the length of strings of Richie Sambora and on the... Whatever you say, Bon Jovi is only getting better with age – both he and his jeans band. Luckily, the days when the success of their music depended entirely on the length of strings of Richie Sambora and on the quality of antidandruff shampoo of John himself has gone forever. Now it’s got clear that Bon Jovi is the classicist of American rock and the nearest relative of Bruce Springsteen. In the new album Have A Nice Day they have jumped over their own heads. Whatever is possible may be traced in the album. Anti-Bush message and other issues of the day are strengthened by musical links and allusions to Bob Dylan, whose immortal hits like Chimes Of Freedom and Like A Rolling Stone are cited all over the Bon Jovi’s new hits Bells of Freedom and Who Says You Cant Go Home correspondingly. Closer to the second part of the disk the band has obviously decided to relive a bit of the hair-metallic past. The liveliest ballad Complicated makes you want fit it into the album like Living On A Prayer, and Novocain just causes the storm of emotions by explicit panmixia of Def Leppard, Soundgarden and Guns N’Roses. As for the hit power, Bon Jovi has got it innate – just count how many times you have wished a dice day to others and yourself the other days. Science has spoiled Philip Wylie’s supper tag:musicfanlubs.org,2005:/blog//1.174 2005-11-18T20:01:29Z 2007-07-02T13:48:58Z Philip Wylie has introduced nice and laugh-out-loud essay Science has spoiled my supper. His essay has an informal, very personal tone; his attitude towards his material is obvious. The tone helps him to enlist the reader against the enemy, a... Philip Wylie has introduced nice and laugh-out-loud essay Science has spoiled my supper. His essay has an informal, very personal tone; his attitude towards his material is obvious. The tone helps him to enlist the reader against the enemy, a coalition of economics and science. He addresses his reader directly by using the pronoun “you” and “we”, for instance: “…We called them American cheese, or even rat cheese…”; “… Perhaps you don’t like cheese – so the fact that decent cheese is hardly ever served in America any more, or used in cooking, doesn’t matter to you…”; “… We are getting some varieties, in fact, that have less flavor than the water off the last weeks’ leeks…”; “… When things had flavor, we knew that we were eating all the while – and it satisfied us…”; “How can you feel you’ve eaten if you haven’t tasted, and fully enjoyed tasting?…” Moreover, the author retorts to the rhetorical question to enlist the reader as well: “What matter if such peas taste like boiled paper wads?”; “Yet, the people don’t eat onions because they taste like onions, what in the name of Luther Burbank do they eat them for?”; “Why… don’t people who want to reduce merely give up eating and get the nourishment they must have in measured doses shot into their arms at hospitals?”; “How can you feel you’ve eaten if you haven’t tasted, and fully enjoyed tasting?”; “But who eats with his eyes?” Wylie also employs imperative sentences, such as “Take cheese, for instance”;