Vaca

SMBL is going on vacation! It's wedding time, bitches. While I'm gone (til Monday), I leave you with Roy Orbison singing for the lonely.

Live Review: The Police

A week ago, I had the honor of seeing an atmospheric, no-frills show by the Police, and they knocked my socks off.

As we walked up to the behemoth that is the Staples Center, it was clear this wasn’t going to be any ordinary show. We found ourselves amongst hordes of twentysomething hipsters, mid-forties soccer moms who wanted to get in Sting’s pants, and dudes in their late fifties who still think they’re in their mid twenties. Eclectic doesn’t say enough.

Sting’s a nice guy, so he let his son’s band, Fiction Plane, open. Personally, I think this is a bit harsh. They got to play to a 20,000+ seat arena that had maybe 1,000 people in it. I could have had a conversation from the upper tier with them, if they’d wanted. Staring them in the face was 19,000 empty seats, screaming: “we don’t care, give us The Police!”

And just before 9:00, we got ‘em. Sting, Stewart Copeland (aka Badass), and Andy Summers appeared, three individuals together. Sting wore his classic sleeveless muscle shirt, Copeland was looking geeky cool in a t-shirt and headband (and awesome grey hair), and Summers tried to hide his age with a slick suit. After a moment acknowledging the crowd, Copeland smashing his giant gong, they burst into Message In A Bottle, and that crowd acknowledged them back.

You couldn’t help but smile. This was a no-frills rock show, just three guys playing all the songs that made them one of the biggest bands in the world. No backing musicians, no piped in music, no stage extending into the audience (it was a simple oval), no lazer light show, no bullshit. Just rock. And damn good rock.

For the most part, the songs were only slightly changed, and generally for the better (at least in terms of the live experience). I’d list the highlights, but there were too many. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” saw Copeland retreat to a wall of chimes and control the arena. Summers let loose on a variety of guitar solos, including “Roxanne,” and Sting’s voice pounded through hits like “So Lonely.”

It wasn’t perfect, in the technical sense, anyway. But the imperfections made it better. Sure, Sting’s voice cracked a bit on “Every Little Thing,” but they had the crowd so enthralled (wrapped around their finger?) that we picked up the slack for him, and he regrouped by the end of the song.

In fact, there was a ton of audience interplay. Whether offering call-and-receives (on at least three songs) or illuminating the arena with spotlights (which they did constantly), they were very aware of their adoring fans and made sure we knew it. The back of the ovular stage was raised, allowing Sting and Summers to walk back and play to the crowd with the shitty rear-view seats; every time Copeland moved, he’d speak to or motion to the audience. This is a band that respected its fans, and it made the show feel like a communal ceremony.

Now, a disclaimer: I was once a Police hater. That is, I didn’t like Sting’s voice, at all. Then, this January, I decided to give them another chance. I got Synchronicity, and I listened to it on repeat for months. I got Ghost in the Machine. I got it. Stewart Copeland’s pounding, fresh beats; Summers’ jumping guitar; Sting’s powerful, emotive voice. I got it.

But even if I didn’t get it before this show, I would have after. When you see people in the upper deck at the opposite end of a huge arena like the Staples center dancing their asses off at the end of a two hour show, it tells you something. This is a band that connected last Wednesday, and did so on their own, their way, without any of the gimmicks that plague modern arena shows. It was a refreshing reminder of what rock can be.

Without a Doubt, Today's News

I should get paid for this shit.

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(The) Pixies aren't planning to release a new album. I couldn't really care less, as I only like a couple of their songs, but I know some of my readers might care. That said, they do put on a sweet show - they're so much better live - and I do feel a touch guilty having seen them while none of my pixies-loving friends have.

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The Apple iTunes store is officially the nation's third largest music retailer, after Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

In related news, Rolling Stone's got an interesting article about the fall of the music industry. It's true. They really fucked up when they sued Napster into irrelevancy.

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The biggest news of the day - No Doubt reunited for four songs at Gwen Stefani's recent show in Irvine. They came out for her encore, performing "Just A Girl," "Sunday Morning," "Spiderwebs," and "Hella Good." Excepting the last song, a solid treat for anyone there.

They've got a new album on the way. All of this hopefully means solo-Gwen will disappear for awhile.

Video of "Just A Girl" below:

Bonnaroo-porting, Concluded

Here's the final installment of the report from the field at Bonnaroo in Tennessee. My apologies for not posting on Friday; 'twas a busy day. Similarly, my apologies for leaving a note clarifying that no, Franz Ferdinand is a dead man, and the band is named after him.

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SUNDAY DAY

By now we are all completely exhausted. We are content to find a spot further from the stages, where we can lay out a tapestry and nap through shows. Wolfmother and The Decemberists both please (though The Decemberists is another band I wish I could see at a smaller venue). The steal comes with Wilco however, who obviously enjoy their time on stage. I don’t think I have ever heard a better live sound, and Jeff Tweedy is the songwriter of this generation.

CONCLUSION

It’s tricky to cover Bonnaroo with four pages of shitty journalism. You have to be there during the day, and you have to be there during the night (because they are distinct universes). You have to be there, losing count of how many times you are offered drugs. Losing count of the topless hippies. You need to realize just how divine an intervention a cold cup of freshly squeezed lemonade is.

The only thing I really want to impress is that though there were well over 100 performances, the music is only half of the experience. The other half is being completely removed from modern America for four days. The culture is so wildly removed that it really does seem that you are in another universe. Have you ever turned in a circle and seen literally tens of thousands of people walking around you, every one enjoying themselves? One hundred thousand strangers instantly turned neighbor by virtue of Bonnaroo. That’s one hell of a drug.

-jpm

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Hope everyone enjoyed that. Tomorrow, I'll have my write-up on the no-frills Police show I saw last Wednesday. Until then, it's back to the daily groove in the office.

Today's News: Lunch, Fire, and Ozzy

It's been slow in the news lately. Here's what we got:

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I want a Kurt Cobain lunchbox...

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Amy Winehouse may sing the next bond theme. She would be my favorite bond singer in recent memory.

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Arcade Fire are touring with LCD Soundsystem. This tour will sell out about 1 second after it goes on sale, no joke. And it'll be the greatest show ever. Because while I love AF, they truly are so much better live.

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Ozzy Osbourne sold his house to Christina Aguilera.

“I don’t want to stay in that house any more,” Ozzy reportedly said. “The house holds bad memories for me because it reminds me of the terrible time Sharon got cancer and of times when me and the kids were doped out of our minds.”

Oooookay.

Bonnaroo-porting, Take 3

Back again with the word from the 'roo on Saturday. Our epic journey concludes tomorrow.

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SATURDAY DAY

We really do mean to catch Dr. Dog and Gogol Bordello, but we’re just too exhausted. Never mind that the temperature in the tent makes it impossible to sleep past 9:00 AM, we simply sag in the shade, in our folding chairs, and talk until the afternoon.

I am happy in a guilty way that Annuals are still somewhat underground. For this reason we were able to get a spot in the front row despite only getting to the tent half an hour early. There were obvious problems with the mic levels for the first few songs, but the youthful band were good sports and obviously elated to be playing a set at Bonnaroo. Boy, did they play at Bonnaroo. The lead singer, Adam Baker, especially was a lightning rod of musical energy; watching Baker made you want nothing more than to be on stage beating the shit out of a drum right next to him (and he can play a drum like it’s the end of the world). Amateurs they may be, they are Bonnaroo level amateurs, and in a few years they will be giants.

After Annuals I was able to catch a few songs of The Hold Steady, who lived up to their reputation of the nation’s best bar band (except now the bar is a tent at Bonnaroo). I actually regretted leaving the tent to make sure I caught some of Damien Rice; I may have even stayed had I not been all the way in the back. Damien Rice was…Damien Rice. While I would much rather see him at a smaller, more intimate venue, he somehow managed to make a 90º field in Tennessee feel personal. Much more of a set than I was counting on; again, I wish I had been closer to the front (this Bonnaroo made me realize how much of a difference it makes to be in the front, just like on a roller coaster).

I was then able to catch some of Spoon and Ben Harper (Spoon is even greater on stage than in the studio, which is exceptional), but I put aside most of my schedule to accommodate Franz Ferdinand. Franz was nothing like I expected him to be in real life; he is perhaps the nicest rock star I have ever seen, and now officially my favorite Scotsman. The show was, naturally, incredibly fun in a way that only a contemporary band can provide.

SATURDAY NIGHT

We buy some more acid. More fake acid.

We miss The Police set because a) we knew the crowd would be superhuman and b) we can hear the entire thing from anywhere in Bonnaroo anyway. We decide instead to head to The Flaming Lips show a whole two hours early to grab good spots.

Well, it turns out that a few thousand people had the same idea! The good spots are gone, but we fight our way as close as we can get. Wayne and his buddies are already on stage setting up; then, an entire hour before the scheduled set they play some Black Sabbath simply to appease the swelling and voraciously enthusiastic crowd. When I look behind me at this point, I don’t see the end of the crowd (and this isn’t a tent, this is the second stage).

The show opens with a giant UFO made of lights and mirrors descending from the top of the stage…with Wayne Coyne in his crowd surfing bubble waiting on top. Cue: confetti cannons. Cue: balloon cannons.

He opens with Race For The Prize, and after that it’s hard to keep track. He definitely played crowd favorites, but then there were also instrumentals and a song that they had not performed live since 1996 when they were still a punk band. Vein Of Stars was made even better by the hundreds upon hundreds of laser pointers handed out to the crowd before the show, and this is to say nothing of the laser light show that was controlled from on stage.

There were two encores.

-jpm

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Stay tuned tomorrow for a wrap-up, the real drug, and the songwriter of this generation

Day 2: Bonnaroo-porting

The report from the field on day two of the 'roo:

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FRIDAY DAY

The day begins with a solid performance by Cold War Kids; nothing life-changing. Then Kings of Leon prove that they are the South’s next huge rock band—their sound was a blast, and everything from Aha Shake Heartbreak turned into a dance song. The entire PA system actually cut out during one song, but the band didn’t realize it until afterward because the entire crowd was still clapping on beat and screaming so enthusiastically (and when they were informed, Caleb Followill angrily stormed off stage, to return shortly thereafter).

I was able to catch the last bit of The Nightwatchman. I have to say that Tom Morello sounds better in studio than live on stage. He still riled up the crowd however, with his anti-Bush rhetoric and libertarian platitudes.

On Brian’s suggestion, I skipped the beginning of The Roots show to get a good spot for the upcoming Manu Chao and the Radio Bemba Soundsystem set. This is a perfect example of how it sucks to have to choose between two great bands at Bonnaroo: Manu Chao rocked the crowd to pieces, but David later told me that The Roots performance literally brought tears to his eyes (ed.: I've read this kind of reaction a lot. Apparently the Roots' show was one for the ages, and a highlight of the festival. Sorry, man). I have to give props to Manu Chao, at age 46, and his insanely fun lead guitarist for putting out such a great show.

FRIDAY NIGHT

The enormity of Bonnaroo starts to set in. With your senses constantly being bombarded by the Tennessee heat, dust, and the souls of 100,000 other attendees, you start to wish for a shower. But onward!

We eat dinner at our tent, clearly hearing every beat of Tool though they are playing over a mile away. Since there are multiple DJs performing tonight, we plan on taking our Mali and dancing our asses off with hot strangers until the wee hours of the morning. Sounds like the greatest time ever, right? Well I bet it would have been, except that the mali turns out to be just Advil. Who cares! We still make it to the last of Aesop Rock, and enjoy the entirety of El P. El P is everything I have ever wanted out of a hip hop show and more, and perhaps the single reason that I will by the Bonnaroo 2007 DVD. David is in physical pain from the toils of Bonnaroo at this point, so we decide to return to the tent relatively early; Matt and Wil later tell us how sublime the SuperJam and DJ Shadow performances were.

Oh, and on the way to Centeroo that evening I buy doses of acid; after I realize the mali wasn’t working, I take the acid. The acid was fake too.

-jpm

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Stay tuned tomorrow for Saturday, the Flaming Lips, and more searching for drugs!

List: Car Music for Twentysomethings

Since the Third Eye Blind concert, I've been listening to their self-titled debut a lot. Which got me thinking the other day: Third Eye Blind is an album that, if you put on in a car full of like-minded twentysomethings, you'll find everyone bobbing their heads and joyously singing along to. What else would do that?

So here's a list of what I think -- off the top of my head -- are the five best CD's to have in your car if you're a twentysomething. The five best songs to joyously sing along to with your friends (note: joyously. nobody will ever joyously sing along to Nirvana, or Pearl Jam, or Smashing Pumpkins, great as they are). Put these on when your friends hop in, and as long as they're not too pretentious and above mid-90's radio, you'll make a happy fucking car.

[EDIT: It was pointed out to me that I missed DMB. So DMB knocks Matchbox 20's "Yourself or Someone Like You," which was a questionable decision, off the list. Sorry, Rob. Dave wins the battle of the mimic-able voices.]

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Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind, 1997

The one that got me thinking of it in the first place. With five singles that hit the Billboard Charts, this band was inescapable. If you lived in America, you knew "Semi-Charmed Life," you knew "Jumper," you knew the rest. One of the best car ride albums I've heard.

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Sublime - Sublime, 1996

This was an odd choice, because it's a long album with really only a few key tracks that you'll skip to over and over. You'll definitely discover that yes, you know most of the lyrics (or at least what you thought he was saying) to "What I Got," "Santeria," and "Wrong Way." Chances are, you or your friends know "Pawn Shop," "Caress Me Down," and "Doin' Time" also.

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Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill, 1995

One of only three albums to remain in the billboard top 10 for over a year; the 13th-best selling album of all time. And you know why? Because you know every word. You'll make fun of how god damned angry she is, you'll laugh at her misinterpretation of the word "Ironic," and you'll love every second.

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Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming, 1994

Um, how did I miss this when I was first making the list? Who doesn't love singing like that drunkie Dave Matthews, the crazy lyrics of "What Would You Say," the and generally, the album that made Dave the phenomenon he became. This is, for most of the album, as upbeat as Dave gets. If you're listening to these albums on an all-day road trip, this is the one you save for nightfall.

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Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View, 1994

C'mon. You knew it'd be here. And you know when you put it on, the only thing that might stop people from singing along to every single song will be the occasional comment: "I totally thought the guy's name was Hootie."




Disagree? Think I missed something? Have a memory of long drives to other albums? Please, share, I'd love to hear about it.

Ode: "(Antichrist Television Blues)"

So far, Arcade Fire's Neon Bible is my favorite album of the year. Listening to it on the way home, I was again blown away by how amazing each and every song is.

But my favorite might have to be "(Antichrist Television Blues)," a Springsteen-esque march of a song about Joe Simpson, father of Jessica and Ashley, the former minister who sold his soul (and his daughters' bodies) to make a few bucks.

It's just so damn good. And as I said, hearing about Bonnaroo made me nostalgic, so here's your crappy sound-quality video of them playing it at Coachella, courtesy of the AT&T Blueroom.

Bonnaroo-porting

As promised, my spy in the field has returned from Bonnaroo with his report of what happened, or at least what he thought was happening. He sells himself short -- this is what I imagine the experience to be like, and it made me really nostalgic for Coachella.

I'll be posting an update each day, one for each day of the festival. Stay tuned for the full story.

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MY BONNAROO 2007

When Brian asked me to review Bonnaroo 2007, I had two immediate reactions: a) I am not a journalist, and b) I am on shrooms.

Intrinsic to a psychedelic trip is the inability to ever, ever be able to relate the experience afterwards to someone who hasn’t been there. Thusly is it with Bonnaroo.

But whatever. During their second (read: second) encore, The Flaming Lips played a song that Wayne Coyne described as a song that was written for Bonnaroo. Youtube that shit, and maybe you will begin to understand.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

We—myself, Matt, David, Wil, Phil—set up base camp about a mile and a half from Centeroo. First order of business: breaking out the mini-keg of Heineken that we had in the cooler, and lamenting that we hadn’t bought at least two more. We survive, somehow, on the additional two boxes of wine and handle of vodka. Three separate drug dealers solicit us within the first hour. It is decided to relax for the afternoon, and head to the attractions later at night.

THURDAY NIGHT

Somehow the shrooms that were meant for the next day are consumed already. Matt, David, and I spend the evening on an epic journey. That’s all I really know how to say.

-jpm


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Stay tuned for tomorrow's report on Friday, fake drugs, and Southern rock.

New Week, New News

Back again with the daily news update.

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The Go! Team has signed to Sub-Pop records, the former home of Nirvana and current home of The Shins. This also means their new album has a title and a release date. Proof of Youth hits on September 11, and if it's half as good as Thunder, Lightning, Strike, I'll be impressed.

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Apparently The Police ended their set at Bonnaroo an hour early. Weird. Meanwhile, jazz legend Ornette Coleman collapsed from heat stroke (sad), Lily Allen downed half a bottle of Jagermeister on stage (badass), and it was dry and dusty as hell (sucks). You'll get the full, trippy report from my friend John in the field when he returns to civilization.

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Sonic Youth are recording a new track for a Starbucks compilation cd in their honor. If it follows the style of Rather Ripped, which I loved, I'll be a happy camper.

Today's News, and some from past days that I neglected to mention

A late start to the day, but here's some of the news from today and yesterday (post-news-update):

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Akon's back. Check out his new track, "Put the Blame on Me," in which he apologizes for "things that I’ve done; things that haven’t occurred yet; things they don’t want to take responsibility for." Almost like he planned to go crazy over the last few months, in anticipation of this track.

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In case you by some chance haven't seen already, the first songs on Guitar Hero III have been revealed. I'm particularly psyched for Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock," Weezer's "My Name Is Jonas," The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," and Pearl Jam's "Even Flow."

Though honestly? Of the 13 songs named, there are only two I don't love. This is already my favorite guitar hero songlist. I can't wait to own it on my Wii.

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Britney Spears has gone crazy...er. On her website, she's got a poll, where her most diehard fans can vote for the title of her new album. Option #1? "Omg is Like Lindsay Lohan Like Okay Like". I'm still trying to understand what that means. I hope it wins.

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Finally, I like the Ramones, though I don't know them that well. And I'd definitely love to own a pair of their new Converse shoes. That's awesome.

Advance Review - Hanson's "The Walk"

I love me my Hanson. I'll never lie about that, I'll never add a "but" or qualify that statement in any way. I fell in love with their most recent release, Underneath, a collection of incredibly fun pop/rock songs; I went back and realized the joys of This Time Around, a bluesy romp of a follow-up to their debut. And I appreciate Middle of Nowhere, which established Hanson as the only boy band, a collection of barely-teens playing their own instruments and writing their own songs, one of which was arguably the biggest pop hit of the 1990's.

So naturally, when I hear they've got a new album, coming out, it's exciting, and nerve-wracking. What if I don't like it? What if it bores me? What'll I do? What can I expect?

Well, The Walk feels like a departure, and kind of threw me off at first. The first true song, "Great Divide," is one of my favorite songs they've ever written. But it feels at first less like Hanson and more like a really good Matchbox 20 or Maroon 5 song.

This album is darker, more mature, more adult. The kids are growing up more and more with each album, and their talents are developing in kind. "Great Divide" highlights Isaac's now excellent guitar skills, confident and powerful, "The Walk" is a vritually a solo piano song for Taylor, and Zac's drums come in in surprisingly subtle ways throughout the album.

But they've reduced the impact of their harmonies, one of the elements that made Hanson the unique band it was. This is good and bad. On Underneath, I'll admit, the melodies could get lost, but you didn't notice, because it was all so singable. Here, everything's more complex - so while the melodies are highlighted, they seem harder to sing along to on first listen, and they don't stick in your head quite as forcefully.

I love the album, but it did feel like a departure. Listening to it all day, I've come to this view: Underneath is a party album, the kind you stick in the car and sing with your friends, and dance to at parties. The Walk is more personal, something ultimately more rewarding for when it's just you in the car.

Download: Hanson - Great Divide

Morning News Roundup

It's a good time to recap some of the random, cool stuff going on, so let's dooo eeet.

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Got $500? Want to go on a cruise with Ben Folds? Now's your chance! It's the Ben Folds Experience!!

(Note: this is over my birthday next year. Mom, Dad? Take a hint?)

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Spoon has spent the last week releasing a song from their new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, every day. All but two are available here. I'm a big fan of "The Underdog."

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Radiohead's new album is "nearly there." I guess that's really all there is to say about that.

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Bonnaroo starts today. I've gone from indifferent to madly jealous. I'd kill to be seeing The Police, White Stripes, Spoon, Ben Harper, The Hold Steady, Annuals, Lily Allen, Superjam (feat. John Paul Jones, Ben Harper, and ?uestlove), and The Flaming Lips (2.5 hours at midnight! Even better than My Morning Jacket last year!).

And I wouldn't complain about getting to see Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Manu Chao, The Roots, Kings of Leon, Regina Spektor, or Rodrigo y Gabriela again.

Catch the live feed here, at the AT&T Blueroom (which is pissing me off, because they aren't re-posting the acts from Coachella I really want to watch).

I'm sure I'll be feeling the same jealousy again when the V Festival starts.

Video Pick of the Day/Week

Oh man.

This is brilliant. I hope you enjoy my video pick of the day. First it was the re-made Apple ad. Now, it's Obama Girl singing "I've Got A Crush...On Obama."

And I think it's amazing. As Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone wrote, nobody's giggling for Guiliani, that's for sure.

Today's News That I Care About (yesterday's, too)

Sorry I didn't update yesterday, besides the advance review. It was the first day at the new job, and I didn't feel like slacking...too much. Luckily, it was a slow news day. So is today.

But Chris, I've been plugging in phone numbers and email addresses like a maniac since the internet went back up today, so pardon me for wasting my time with this for 5 minutes.

IT'S THE NEWS!

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Have you seen the Smashing Pumpkins' new website? It's largely user-controlled, where they invite people to upload bootleg concert footage and photographs. Apparently, you can find many of the tracks from their new album, Zeitgeist (due out 7/7/07) there, though I haven't had the time to listen to them. Still, cool website.

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Good Charlotte are going to be opening for Justin Timberlake for a number of his upcoming tour dates. Jigga what? Why does this band still exist? And why are they opening for Justin Timberlake?? He can do better than that...

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That's it so far. There's a 28 inch pizza in my office, and I haven't watched the Sopranos, but I want to, and I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers on the ending, so SAY NOTHING to me. I already know it uses Journey. Which is weird. And makes me want to watch it just to see what all the controversy's about.

Advance Review - Ryan Adams' "Easy Tiger"

I got a really good heart / I just can't catch a break / If I could I would treat you like you want me to / I promise

I'm sitting on the couch at 2am waiting for the new Hanson album to continue downloading, and so it's time to talk about my new candy that I got today: Ryan Adams's new album.

After releasing 3 albums in 2005 and 11 albums worth of mostly-joke material on his website last year, this was an unexpected project, and from the ears of a Ryan Adams fan, a much-appreciated one.

Easy Tiger has Adams continuing to work within the alt-country mode he has so eloquently dominated with Gold (one of my all time favorite albums), Heartbreaker, Demolition, and more. And like many a Ryan Adams album, it truly gets better with each listen.

It starts out pretty damn strong, though. "Goodnight Rose" rollicks into "Two," the masterpiece of the album. It's a slow, sweet song, one I always struggle to get past, but by the time I reach the rock of "Halloweenhead," I'm glad I did.

The lyrics are focused and simple. The music isn't breaking new ground, but continues to subtly twist the country genre to fit Adams's alternative leanings. It's not the freshest album of the year, but it's one of the best. If you're already a fan, you're probably picking it up regardless of how I feel. If you're not, you need to listen to Gold, get over your pretensions, listen to it again, and then give this a chance. You won't regret it.

Download: Ryan Adams - Two

Video Pick of the Day/Week

Today's Video Pick of the Day:

Oh, those crazy Canadians from Arcade Fire. Two of them went on The Price Is Right while in LA on tour. While on the show, they decided to participate in some viral marketing. Note, if you can: they're wearing shirts that read "1-800-NEON-BIBLE" (promoting the new-ish album).

Crazy, crazy canadians.

Paris News

Again, not exactly music news, but I'm strangely obsessed with this Paris Hilton fiasco, so here's the latest.

Looks like she called Barbara Walters collect from jail. She's dropped her appeal and instead, found God.

Yup. Some choice excerpts:

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"I'm not the same person I was," she said. "I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. [...] I know now that I can make a difference. [...] I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become muchh more spiritual."

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She thought she might get toy companies to build a Paris Hilton playhouse, where sick children might come, and the toy companies would donate toys.

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"My spirit or soul did not like the way I was being seen and that is why I was sent to jail"

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"God has released me."

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"I feel that the purpose of my life is to be where I am. However, usually with a situation like mine, the person serves 10 percent of their time. I have already served 30 percent of my time. I hope if there is overcrowding, I would be let out before someone with a much more serious crime."

...

So basically, she's pulling the same lame "found god" excuse many celebs pull, but really, it's just an act so she gets out early for good behavior. I hope her publicist is getting paid overtime for this.

Monday's News

Wake up, kids! It's time for a new week, and your friendly neighborhood b-digs has a job!

Let's celebrate with some news.

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Kanye West and John Mayer have been working on a collaboration for years. It's finally done, and it'll be on West's new album, Graduation. Check it out here.

I love West and Mayer, but I'm mixed on the song. It's certainly no "Stronger"...

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In other Kanye news, it appears they're still mis-spelling his name Kayne on more than just his plastic.

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Did you miss the big Rage Against The Machine reunion at Coachella? Don't have tickets to their Rock The Bells shows? You're in luck.

They've just announced their first independent show...and it's in Wisconsin. Yep. Wisconsin.

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The greatest of all supergroups, The Traveling Wilburys, are getting their two albums reissued. The albums - Volume 1 and Volume 3 - will be released along with 4 bonus tracks and a DVD featuring home movies. Home movies of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison? That's just awesome.

In honor, check out the video for "End of the Line." Like everything about the band, it's never in-your-face. They could have really overdone it, as Orbison died briefly after the album was released and the lyrics are totally fitting. But instead, notice how subtly they work his part in -- just the occasionaly glance at the side of the screen of his guitar sitting in a rocking chair, and a single look at a framed photo of him. It's very poignant.

Weekend Update

I'm lazy on weekends, and I try to do things with my life, so expect one update per weekend or so. Here's today's:

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That 15 year old kid Akon threw off stage? He's fine, but the woman he landed on isn't, and she's pissed. Seriously, how is this not something he can be sued for??

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I leave you with a video long enough to last the weekend. A (somewhat) oldie, but a goodie.

I give you Weird Al's "Trapped In The Drive Thru"

Today's News That I Care About (and you should too)

I would say today's music news was dominated by Paris Hilton's triumphant return to prison, but we all know she doesn't make music. I'd bet those cries of "help, mom!" were about as melodic as she gets.

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Common's in the midst of finishing up his new album, which has me totally psyched, because I love every second of Be. Plus, he gets some help from my favorite little British girl, Lily Allen, who sings the hook on one of the songs. Common claims to have some songwriting inspiration from his recent film work, which has him focusing more on the characters in his rhymes.

Which leads me to the trailer for American Gangster, a movie I'm immeasurably psyched for, in part because Common appears to be wearing...exactly what he always wears. Costuming and casting departments went balls-out with that one.

But seriously, it's got Denzel and Russell Crowe, as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor and Common, and it's directed by Ridley Scott. It'll be awesome.

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Andre 3000's set to play Sammy Davis, Jr. in a biopic. I guess this is the 4th Sammy Davis, Jr. biopic currently in production? Overkill? Maybe?

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Biopics in general are in overkill. Off the top of my head, there are the 4 about SD, Jr.; there's Control about Joy Division's Ian Curtis; there's the James Brown biopic with Spike Lee, the two Janis Joplin biopics with Renee Zellweger and Zooey Deschanel, the Debbie Harry biopic with Kirsten Dunst, and a recently greenlit Mamas And The Papas biopic (really? we really need a Mamas And The Papas biopic?). And I'm sure there are many more I'm not thinking of.

God damn you, Ray and Walk The Line. This is getting worse than comic book movies.

Video Pick of the Day/Week

I'll also try to offer a video of some sort for your viewing pleasure each day. That said, I love self-handicapping, so I'll leave open the possibility of not posting a video every day.

Today, I offer everything that's wrong with hip hop: Akon.

Last week, he threw a 15 year old kid off stage.



And of course, in April, he dry-humped a 14 year old minister's daughter on stage in Trinidad during a performance of his witty hit "Smack That."



Classy, Akon. And fabulous.

Today's Juiciest News

Every day or so, I'll run down what I think are the most interesting news items I find out there on the interwebs. I do the work so you don't have to. SO:

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No Doubt is going back into the studio for their first album in 6 years. Apparently the band will record music while Gwen finishes her tour, then they'll finish the album together. I'm not a big fan of some of their later stuff, but anything that gets her yodeling solo act off the radio gets props from me.

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If you're going to Bonnaroo, don't miss this year's Superjam. It's just been announced - Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Ben Harper, and ?uestlove from The Roots. That's so cool in so many ways.

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The Spice Girls are almost officially reunited. "We’ll see what turns out, but between you and me, I’m really hopeful that it definitely will happen," says Victoria Beckham. My roommates will be excited about this.

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I learned "Stuck Between Stations" on the guitar today. This is big news.

In which Brian gets off his ass and starts writing...

If you know me, you know I like my opinions. I like yours too, probably more than most people, but I do like mine more. So I'm breaking away from livejournal and hitting the big time with this pop music-flavored blog.

So, stick around. Be enlightened. Discover new music. Or just call me names, that's fine too. I just want some attention.