9-2-10
GUESS WHAT?
A $4,000 acoustic guitar belonging to Canadian rockers The Guess Who was stolen during the Taste of Blue Ash festival over the weekend in Cincinnati.
Since the crime took place in Ohio, it had to have been an American Woman, then.
Apparently a Guess Who roadie put a Gibson EC30 acoustic guitar into a case and left it unattended. When he returned minutes later, the sunburst-color guitar was gone.
The roadie is now looking for a new gig. Maybe next time he'll double-check to make sure the lock on the case didn't come Undun.
This guy, who should have been Takin' Care Of Business, gets no sugar tonight in his coffee and no sugar tonight in his tea.
Meanwhile, the only two Guess Who members left from the original band have come completely Undun.
They're saying that These Eyes cry every night for that very special guitar bearing the serial number 782027.
Guess what it says on the back?
"Guess Who's Back"
Thank you. I'm leaving now.
9-1-10
TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL?
Apparently Robert Plant is no longer a fan of heavy rock music, his ears can't take it and he hopes to continue further down the path of world music, country and blues that has characterised his solo career so far.
Recently, the former Led Zeppelin singer went to a concert by Them Crooked Vultures, featuring his former bandmate, John Paul Jones. Plant admitted that his ears "bled for two days" due to the extreme volume and added, "I feel so far away from heavy rock now."
Robert has a new album called Band of Joy coming September 13th, his first solo record since 2005's Mighty Rearranger, though in 2007 he released Raising Sand with bluegrass star Alison Krauss, receiving a Grammy in the process.
"For me, it's no longer to do with vanity, ego and visible success," he said. "It's just about getting down into the earth of music. I spent three or four years never playing a Zeppelin song from 1981 onwards, because I didn't want to lean on Zeppelin. I've gone from being in that huge band to picking up the pieces of my own gift."
Now get off my lawn.
8-31-10
LATE AGAIN, NOW AXL WANTS AN APOLOGY
Last week we reported that the promoter of the Reading and Leeds Festivals over the weekend in England warned Axl Rose that if Guns 'N Roses went over their 11:30 curfew time, he would pull the plug.
They did (go over) and he did (pull the plug) at both Friday and Sunday's gigs.
Aging Axl, who should apply for a slot on the next MTV Diva Tour, is calling it a "con-job." He tweeted, "So u know, we allegedly had a deal in place pre show w/the city at least at Leeds to do a bit longer performance that was either miscommunication, someone wasn't informed, changed their mind, didn't care or (it) was a con."
The promoter correctly noted, "bands often say things like that when they are curtailed," saying that his "feud" with the band was "not personal" and he would "definitely book them again."
Hey, Axl.......speaking of apologies, you still owe us one for Chinese Democracy.
8-27-10
THE SKY IS CRYING
In June of 1990 the remarkable blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan played a gig in his birth town of Dallas, Texas. He could easily have been electocuted that night as he was playing in a downpour until his roadies cut the power and made him stop.
The very next month, sound baffles crashed down on his guitars and if he hadn't just left the stage, would have fallen on him.
One month later, less than a day before his death, Stevie had a premonition of the end; what was described as a "horrible" nightmare. He dreamt that he was at his own funeral and saw thousands of mourners. He said he felt "terrified, yet almost peaceful".
20 hours later, after performing at a concert with his band Double Trouble, a show that also featured the Robert Cray Band and Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan headed to his next gig.
He was supposed to leave by bus, but Clapton's crew had a helicopter with an extra seat and he took it. Moments later it crashed into the hillside.
20 years ago today.
The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
-Blade Runner, 1982
8-26-10
DEREK IS ERIC - DUANE IS INSANE
It was on this date in 1970, exactly 40 years ago today that Eric Clapton first heard the great slide guitarist, Duane Allman, play.
Tom Dowd, who was working on Clapton's Layla album and also producing the Allman Brothers record Idlewild South, invited Clapton to an Allman's concert in Miami. After working in the studio earlier that day the band was sneaked into the show and sat between the riser and fans below. At the concert, Dowd distinctly remembered: “Duane was in the middle of a solo; he opens his eyes and looks down, does a dead stare, and stops playing. Dickey Betts is chugging along, see Duane's stopped playing, and figures he'd better cover, that Duane must've broken a string or something. Then Dickey looks down, sees Eric, and turns his back. That was how they first saw each other.”
The next day, Duane Allman arrived at the recording studio and became instant friends with Clapton. They jammed for 18 hours straight.
You can find those jams on the second CD of The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition. Afterwards Clapton invited Allman to become the fifth and final member of the Dominos.
8-25-10
GOT AN AXL TO GRIND?
In spite of the fact that a phenomenal demand for tickets for Guns N' Roses first UK tour in four years has allowed them to add a second date at London's O2 Arena, the promoter for this weekend's Reading and Leeds Festivals in England has told Axl Rose that, he doesn't care what he sells out, his band better be on time for the shows or he can just forget about showing up at all.
Axl, notorious for showing up way late, was two hours late for the Gunners set at the same show in 2002.
Melvin Benn, the organizer of the Reading and Leeds Festivals, says he has to be strict due to neighborhood curfews, never mind that it's just plain rude to keep your fans waiting that long.
"If Guns N' Roses decide to take the stage as late as they did in Leeds some years ago then the performance just won't happen," says Benn.
If you got a hunger for what you see
You'll take it eventually
- Axl Rose, 1987
8-24-10
SAVE THE DATE
Pearl Jam played their first concert in Seattle, Washington, as Mookie Blaylock, on October 22, 1990. Mookie Blaylock was a basketball player and Pearl Jam fan who ended his career with the Golden State Warriors.
P-Jam took Mookie's number, ten, as the title of their first album and now, exactly 20 years later, will celebrate their anniversary by playing at their pal, Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit concert at Shoreline.
Pearl Jam Guitarist Stone Gossard says the show (their eighth appearance at the Bridge School) will be "really special," adding, "It's perfect - not too blown up. It's not about us, it's about all those kids that are onstage with you and about Neil Young and his commitment, his influence."
How does a band last 20 years? "'Just stick together,' that's the advice we got from U2's manager Paul McGuinness, back in the early 90s," says Gossard.
8-23-10
BLACK SWANS AND WORMHOLE WIZARDS
No, not the title of a new HBO series, but the name of guitarist Joe Satriani's new album, due for release October 5th. I have no idea what Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards actually means, but next time I talk to Joe, we'll get to the bottom of it.
Btw, Joe says "I love this new record, and I know you will too!"
The Satch Man also announced an upcoming big screen movie appearance. "Last week I spent the day at Oakland Stadium with Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They're filming a movie called Moneyball about the Oakland A's. I was asked to re-create my 2002 season opener National Anthem for the film. It looks to be a very cool movie focusing on the A's executive Billy Beane. I dressed in 2002 gear, and even used my older equipment. All in the name of authenticity."
Catch Joe Satriani with his other band Chickenfoot at Harvey's Lake Tahoe on Sept 11th and then solo here in the Bay Area in early 2011.
8-20-10
THE NUMBER OF THE BAR BILL
Why is everybody so shocked at Iron Maiden's bar tab at Finnegan's Pub in Norway the other night?
Why are 27 Slippery Nipples, 78 pints of Guiness, 13 shots of Jack Daniels, 2 Red Bulls and 10 glasses of Fransk Hvitvin among many other items, such a big deal?
You and I would call this a pretty epic night out (convert the Norwegian krones at the bottom of the receipt and these guys paid roughly $3,250).
For The Maiden, it was just another night in between gigs.
8-19-10
NOT TONYA HARDING
No, it's not the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Champion who was stripped of her title for having her boyfriend whack a rival skater in the knee, Tonya Harding.
It's the girl who got the Bronze Medal at those Championships that year, Nicole Bobek, who is in trouble with the law.
Bobek, 32, recently plead guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, facing up to a year in prison.
Knowing she was skating on thin ice (sorry), meth dealer Nicole got off relatively easy with five years probation, 250 hours of community service and a $2,500 fine.
Apparently Ms. Bobek is on the road to recovery. She’s living with her mother in Florida, and says she has been drug free for more than 13 months.
“I’ve been given this opportunity to make a change and also prove to myself that I can come out of the hole I dug myself into,” she said.
Meanwhile over at TonyaHarding.com, a posting announces that, "Tonya spends much of her time alone."
8-18-10
SHOT THROUGH THE HEART AND YOU'RE TO BLAME
Former star of Bone Bash, George W. Bush neighbor and celebrity meat hunter Ted Nugent is facing a $1,750 fine after pleading no contest in Marysville to baiting a deer and not having a properly signed hunting tag.
A California Department of Fish and Game spokesman said game wardens saw Nugent kill an immature buck on a February episode of his Outdoor Channel TV show "Spirit of the Wild."
Investigators found that the young deer had been eating bait called "C'mere Deer." Baiting wildlife is illegal in California.
"Terrible" Ted originally faced 11 charges, including killing a deer too young to be hunted. In a deal with Yuba County prosecutors, his attorney entered no contest pleas Friday to the two misdemeanors on behalf of the Nuge, who did not show his executioner face in court.
8-17-10
BOUNCED CHICK
A businessman met a beautiful girl and agreed to spend the night with her for $500. They did their thing, and, before he left, he told her that he did not have any cash with him, but he would have his secretary write a check and mail it to her, calling the payment "RENT FOR APARTMENT."
On the way to the office, he regretted what he had done, realizing that the whole event had not been worth the price. So he had his secretary send a check for $250 and enclose the following note:
Dear Madam:
Enclosed find a check for $250 for rent of your apartment . I am not sending the amount agreed upon, because when I rented the place, I was under the impression that:
#1 - it had never been occupied;
#2 - there was plenty of heat; and
#3 - it was small enough to make me feel cozy and at home.
However, I found out that:
#1 - it had been previously occupied,
#2 - there wasn't any heat, and
#3 - it was entirely too large.
Upon receipt of the note, the girl immediately returned the check for $250 with the following note:
Dear Sir:
#1 - I cannot understand how you could expect a beautiful apartment to remain unoccupied indefinitely.
#2 - As for the heat, there is plenty of it, if you know how to turn it on.
#3 - Regarding the space, the apartment is indeed of regular size, but if you don't have enough furniture to fill it, please do not blame the management. So, Please send the rent in full or we will be forced to contact your present landlady!!
8-16-10
SILLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS
When Beach Blanket Babylon birthed itself in 1974, the producers we're looking at maybe a 6-8 week run. 36 years later the show is still rockin' San Francisco like nothing on the planet, or the universe for that matter.
Btw, it's taken me all of those 36 years to finally catch the show, which I did over the weekend (along with a Giants game earlier in the day....win!)
Beach Blanket Babylon follows a virginal Snow White as she travels the world searching for her elusive Prince Charming, while encountering all sorts of wacko's along the way.
You might have heard that there are a lot of big hats in Beach Blanket Babylon. Monstrous hats, actually. Everybody's got 'em and sometimes they barely fit on stage.
That, and there are more pop cultural references than fans at a Giants game.
Fast-paced, big fun, big hats, big laughs and they must have a rocket scientist running the backstage costume changes.
Hats off to a great San Francisco tradition.
8-13-10
THE HIGHEST PAID ATHLETE OF ALL TIME
Not Tiger Woods. Not Michael Jordan. Not Kobe or A-Rod.
No, the highest paid athlete in the history of the universe was a Lusitanian Spaniard named Gaius Appuleius Diocles, a chariot racer of rock star proportions in ancient Rome.
Don't forget, those old Roman dudes we're a wealthy bunch with tons of discretionary cash to spend on stuff like elaborate stage plays, to-the-death gladiator fights, and the ancient equivalent of Nascar, chariot races!
A quarter million people would show up at the legendary Circus Maximus in Rome for a seven lap battle of badass brutes and their beasts. You had to be a badass even to finish the race, which adhered to the same winning formula we use today: going fast and turning left makes for a great sport and an even grander spectacle.
Twenty-four years of winnings brought Diocles - an illiterate man whose signature move was the strong final dash - the staggering sum of 35,863,120 sesterces in prize money.
Modern equivalency: about $15 billion.
8-12-10
DEJA VOODOO
In 1972, Joe Miller was on holiday in Kenya after graduating fromTulsa Junior College.
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Joe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Joe worked the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.
The elephant turned to Joe, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Joe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Joe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Thirty years later, Joe was walking through the Tulsa Zoo with his family. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Joe and his family were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Joe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.
Remembering the encounter in 1972, Joe could not help wondering if this was the same elephant.... Joe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing, and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Joe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
8-11-10
THEATRE OF PAIN
Sonisphere is Europe's biggest touring festival and Sunday was the final date of the final weekend, taking place in Pori, Finland, birthplace of the sauna.
Among others, the Sonisphere lineup included Iron Maiden, Heaven & Hell, Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, Slayer, Anthrax, The Cult, Iggy & The Stooges and Alice in Chains.
Things we're going quite well among head-banging Finns until a severe thunderstorm blew in from the Baltic Sea and, in five brief minutes, kicked the shit out of all the stages, rigging and equipment, leaving forty people with injuries, 2 serious.
Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe tweeted: "Our stage and equipment was just destroyed here in Finland by a huge storm.We are so sorry but were told we cannot play tonight. FUCK :("
Even though Iron Maiden’s equipment was also badly damaged, they made an appearance two hours later than planned to a huge response from the fans. Alice Cooper also played a full set, using equipment borrowed from Slayer.
Iggy Pop even jumped onstage to provide an impromptu four-song acoustic set with his guitarist.
Ironically, Nikki Sixx sent out a tweet last night from home that said, "Suggested reading....One of the books i had my nose in while on tour in Europe. I found it very Inspirational ."PAIN" By Yehuda Berg."
8-10-10
EXOTIC AMAZON VACATIONS ARE WAITING
Three years ago a 52-year-old Slovenian marathon swimmer became the first person to swim the entire length of the Amazon River. He was immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition after swimming 3,272 miles in 66 days.
Over the course of the swim he battled delirium, exhaustion, and infected sores on his legs. He also conquered fears of attacks by crocodiles, piranha, and bull sharks.
That's nothing.
There's a guy who just finished WALKING the Amazon in 859 days! That's 2 1/2 years! And due to prolonged floods he was forced to hike an additional 2,000 miles!
The British man had been: “wrongly accused of murder on two separate occasions, been imprisoned, had concrete stuffed in his mouth by hostile tribes people, been chased by Ashaninka Indians with bows and arrows, been stung by hundreds of wasps, endured 50,000 mosquito bites, lived on a diet of piranha fish, rice and beans, and dodged a variety of snakes, electric eels, scorpions, and ants, contracted a skin disfiguring disease AND collapsed from exhaustion with only 52 miles of the 6,000-mile journey to go.
NOW who's the badass?
8-9-10
JERRY DAY!
Jerome John Garcia died fifteen years ago today.
His parents named him after composer Jerome Kern, one of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century.
Kern died of a cerebral hemorrhage while in search of a drugstore for the pills he depended on, but had forgotten to bring with him.
Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack at a drug rehabilitation facility while also in search of a way to keep on living.
So, the celebration began a week ago on Jerry's birthday, August 1st, and it ends tonight on the anniversary of his death with Jerry Garcia Tribute Night at the Giants/Cubs game.
Jerry bobbleheads, baby!
In remembrance of Jerry Garcia, one of the most important American rock composers of the late 20th century.
Dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes.
-Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter, 1968
8-6-10
AGEING GRACEFULLY
Going through the mail the other day and look what I found….the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Botany!
And lcheck out the lead story: World's Oldest Marijuana Stash - Two pounds of still-green weed found in a 2,700-year-old Gobi Desert grave.
Actually it said, "Phytochemical and genetic analyses of ancient cannabis from Central Asia," but I'm trying to spare you from actually having to RTFA!
So here is the Weed Notes version of the study:
"The excellent preservation of the cannabis from this tomb allowed an unprecedented level of modern botanical investigation through biochemistry and genetics to conclude that the plant was cultivated for psychoactive purposes."
See? While they were making rope and stuff from the hemp 2,700 years ago, they were also getting high!
Makes me wonder why my just-received copy of the Journal of Experimental Botany was dated November, 2008.
Stoners.
8-5-10
NEW SCHOOL DA VINCI LIKES 'EM BIG
Whats wrong with these Rock Stars nowadays? Like this Brian May, guitarist for Queen?
Sorry.....that would be Doctor Brian May. He finally got his PhD in astrophysics three years ago with a thesis entitled "Interplanetary Dust, A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud."
Yes, the same guy who sang "Hey big woman you made a bad boy out of me!"
Dr. May is also the Chancellor of a University in England and recently released a historical book entitled A Village Lost and Found: Scenes in Our Village, which is an annotated collection of stereoscopic photographs (best described as "old school 3-D.")
Brian May, the biggest under-achieving, non-groupie banging egghead on the planet is worth over $100 million.
I seen ev'ry blue eyed floozy on the way
But their beauty and their style
Wear kind of smooth after a while
Take me to them lardy ladies every time!
-Brian May, 1978
8-4-10
OBAMA ABANDONED ON BIRTHDAY
The so-called "birthers" are saying that today isn't even the President's birthday. Head birther Orly Taitz speaking at a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, said that she had traveled "to the land of the President's birth" to find his original birth certificate, but just couldn't locate it.
"Unfortunately, the tribal shaman in the President's village didn't keep very good records," she said. "It's probably hidden away in a mud hut somewhere."
Or somewhere in the back of that lunatic's mind.
The wife and kids won't even be around for Barack Obama's 49th today.
Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha are vacationing in Spain and their other daughter, Malia is at summer camp.
The White House says the President plans to celebrate his birthday quietly with friends and his dog, Bo, aka Man's Best Friend.
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy Birthday to you.
-Lennon/McCartney, 1968
8-3-10
KING EVERYTHING
Happy Birthday to James Hetfield of Metallica.
Just so he wouldn't forget, James inked his birth year on his left bicep in the form of four playing cards - an ace (1), 9, 6 and 3 - along with the words "Carpe Diem", or "seize the day", which is also part of the title of the track Carpe Diem Baby off ReLoad.
The flames from the tattoo are in reference to the pyrotechnic accident from which he suffered severe burns onstage in 1992.
Btw, the song he was playing during the accident, Fade To Black, gets a spin on Classic Vinyl this morning at 10:20 on the Bone.
Happy Birthday James! You're not old, you're Classic.
8-2-10
TWITTER TONGUE TWISTER
How many tweets can one twit tweet if only 1 twit tweets at a time?
But if 1 twit tweets twice then 2 more twits can twitter twice and do just fine
Then if those 2 twits tweet and retweet then even more twits can twitter thrice at a time
Then the first twit twittered back to the second twits re twitter and they were all tweeting and re tweeting the same line.
7-30-10
STILL SHOOTING IN THE FACE
In 1990, 16-year-old Amy Elizabeth Fisher dinged up the family car and took it to a local body repairman named Joey Buttafuco to make repairs without her family knowing about the damage.
Joey was 34, Amy was underage, and they apparently worked out a deal and that was that.
You know the rest of the story.
When Joey Buttafuco's wife, Mary Jo found out that her husband was banging young Amy (the "Long Island Lolita"), Amy shot Mary Jo in the face. You know….with a gun.
Mary Jo survived, Amy went to prison for 7 years initially for attempted murder, Joey did 4 months for statutory rape.
That was then. Nowadays, 35-year-old Amy Fisher has been trying her, uh, hand at porn and she plans to strip until her fans tell her, "Dear, please put your clothes back on. You're too old."
Dance The Night Away
-Van Halen, 1979, the original title being "Dance Lolita Dance"
7-29-10
WIPING OUT A FISCAL MESS
With the wildly popular MTV hit, Jersey Shore set to premiere its second season tonight on your television, there’s a pretty crappy mess brewing on not only the shores of Jersey, but the entire state.
Flushed with humiliation, New Jersey’s state budget deficit could reach $11 billion, and New Jersey's largest city, Newark, is wiping away workers' hours by 20% and even eliminating the purchase of toilet paper to close a $70 million budget deficit!
In an effort to avoid the embarrassment of staffers having to bring their own toilet paper to work, Marc Polish of justtoiletpaper.com is donating his company's designer TP to city employees in order to keep City Hall sanitary.
The company plans to pull up into the bowels of Newark City Hall in their tractor-trailer full of "just toilet paper" and hand out 50,000 free rolls to people who show their city ID.
And, in an extreme case of generosity, Mr Polish says that whoever buys his four-pack of festive holiday toilet paper featuring Santa Claus will be given an extra roll for free, thus serving two purposes, since the Mayor of Newark also plans to cut down on Christmas decorations around the city this year too.
7-28-10
TIE THE KNOT AT OZZFEST
Seriously. You can actually get married at Ozzfest this summer.
Better hurry, though. Three of the six "Unholy Matrimony Packages" are already sold out.
Even though you're required to provide your own marriage certificate AND you don't even get a hug from Ozzy, here's what you two headbangers will actually receive on your "special day":
. Ten general admission pit tickets (bride/groom and 8 guests)
. Ozzfest Wedding Ceremony by ordained minister - Big Dave
. Ozzfest Cake and Champagne Toast
. Early entry into the venue
. Exclusive pre-show Backstage Tour hosted by Ozzfest MC - Big Dave
. Access to the Ozzfest VIP lounge
. Specially Designed Ozzfest Tour Shirt
. Collectible Tour Poster (numbered, limited)
. PIIQ - Bass Masq Earbuds by Sony
. Official Ozzfest Guitar Picks
All aboard!
7-27-10
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO RETIRE (WE SALUTE YOU)
Just announced - AC/DC's Black Ice tour is the second-highest-grossing concert tour in the history of the universe.
After 168 shows, with an attendance of nearly 4.9 million and a gross of roughly $441.6 million, AC/DC's 2008-2010 Black Ice tour is second only to the Rolling Stones' 2005-2007 A Bigger Bang tour, which grossed 117 million more dollars with 21 less shows.
AC/DC would like to take this opportunity to thank you for contributing to their retirement fund. Average ticket price on the Black Ice tour: $90.
Also just announced - 70 percent of adults think "concerts are priced too high"! This, according to the Rasmussen Report which also noted that only 35 percent said they "went to a concert" in 2009. What’s puzzling is that 62 percent reported they "had not attended a concert" in 2009.
35% went to a concert + 62% who didn't = 97% ???
Stoner math…..put down the vaporizer.
Black Ice
End of it all
End of the line
-AC/DC, 2008
7-26-10
PEEPING TOM…..ERR, PEEPING BARBIE
Last we checked, Barbie the Doll was going all nerdy as a computer engineer, and now, with the recent release of Barbie Video Girl, she's packing a video camera in her cleavage!
The Barbie Video Girl Doll ($50) looks just like your run-of-the-mill Barbie, but a closer look reveals a hidden camera in a pendant hanging seductively in the middle of her chest, and a postage-sized color screen on her back.
Barbie's people rave about her; "Budding filmmakers, take note: Barbie® doll now doubles as a video camera! Talk about making movies in style!"
Can't wait for the next Ken and Barbie sex tape.
7-23-10
A TOUCH OF JERRY
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was an early proponent of pot smoking, taking his first toke way back in 1957 at the age of 15.
"Me and a friend of mine went up into the hills with two joints, the San Francisco foothills, and smoked these joints and just got so high and laughed and roared and went skipping down the streets doing funny things and just having a helluva time," he later said.
Coincidentally, 53 years later a group of Deadheads will be having a helluva time in that very same place when "Jerry Day" is celebrated at McClaren Park here in San Francisco.
Sunday August 1st is the day Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia would have turned 67.
But the day that really counts for Garcia groupies is Monday, August 9th. It's "Jerry Garcia Tribute Night" out at AT&T Park for the Giants/Cubs game! (sponsored of course by Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream….love the Cherry Garcia!)
Bob Weir and Phil Lesh of The Dead will sing the National Anthem, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman also of the Dead will work the 7th Inning Stretch, "members of the Garcia family" will throw out the first pitch and YOU get to walk away with an exclusive Limited-Edition Jerry Garcia Bobblehead.
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey
-Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter
7-22-10
HIT AND RUN
A couple out on a quiet boating trip off the coast of South Africa got the shock of their lives when they were suddenly joined on deck by a 40-ton southern right whale.
Yacht skipper Ralph Mothes, 59, is seen in this amazing photograph dwarfed by the whale as it breaches right next to his yacht Intrepid.
A split-second after the picture was taken the 30ft-long whale slammed into the deck, snapping the steel mast like a twig and crushing the cabin roof and rigging.
They managed to turn the engine on and made it back to the marina without assistance.
7-21-10
STAGE IS SET - BLACK SABBATH REUNION
Lovers quarrel over! Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi have settled their disagreement over ownership of the name “Black Sabbath.”
Last year Ozzy sued Tony saying that his former Black Sabbath guitarist had done a disservice to the collective efforts of the group to “restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name ‘Black Sabbath’” by selling Sabbath t-shirts and stuff and claiming he owned the name.
Never mind that of the twenty-two musicians that have at one time been members of Black Sabbath, Iommi has been the only constant presence through the years.
So the "feud" is over.
We were hoping for some sort of blood sacrifice; instead we get only lawyer-speak: "Both parties are glad to put this behind them and to cooperate together for the future and would like it to be known that the issue was never personal, it was always business.”
Allow me to translate. “cooperate together for the future” means that maybe there could quite possibly be a second reunion for the mighty Black Sabbath conceivably for all one knows before we die.
Iron Man lives again!
7-20-10
YOU WANT FRIED WITH THAT?
Last month, the Oakland City Council voted to cut nearly 10 percent of the city's 776 police officers to help close a deficit of more than $31 million in next years budget. A week ago, 80 Oakland cops were laid off.
They're already working on a solution.
Reefers.
Oakland's four retail marijuana stores did $28 million in business last year, and if sales remain constant, the city should get $1.5 million this year from a dispensary business tax that voters adopted last summer.
Today the City Council will look at licensing four production plants where pot would be grown, packaged and processed into items ranging from baked goods to body oil. Winning applicants would have to pay $211,000 in annual permit fees, carry $2 million worth of liability insurance and be prepared to devote up to 8 percent of gross sales to taxes.
2010. The McDonald's-ization of pot.
7-19-10
LOVE BITES
Def Leppard lead guitarist Phil Collen is taking another stab at marriage.
Just nine days after finalizing his divorce from second wife Anita, the notorious bad-boy rocker Phil, 52, tied the knot with costume designer Helen L. Simmons, 42, on the beach at a Florida resort in a sunset ceremony on Friday.
Guests received guitar picks bearing the lovers’ names, before choosing from organic vegetarian and vegan menu options. Phil himself has not eaten meat for 27 years.
Def Leppard bandmates Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell were on the guestlist and, not to drum up any controversy, but Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen, apparently was not at the wedding.
I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that he didn't mean any 'arm in not attending.
Collen, who has said that Def Leppard plan to be on the road in 2011, was on cloud nine on his 3rd wedding day, saying "We've been looking for each other our entire lifetime. To say we're ecstatic this day has finally come is putting it mildly. It could only be us for each other."
Love bites, love bleeds
It's bringin' me to my knees
-Def Leppard, 1988
7-15-10
DEATH TO MAGNETIC TOUR
The Metallica boys have been pushing hard to unseat Blue Oyster Cult as The #1 Band That Can't Stop Touring.
Metallica has been on the road more or less continuously since May of 2008 for a total of 212 shows in 153 cities and now the end is in sight.
They've just added a final date in New Zealand and, according to metallica.com, "All of our play dates have now filled up with the addition of this show...that's right boys and girls, this will be the last date added to the 'World Magnetic Tour'! So if you're waiting for us to come to the Polar Ice Caps, your undiscovered planet or even your basement, sorry, this is as good at it gets."
Not even a final hometown Metallica gig?
Not even. The last show on the trek will be November 21 in Melbourne, Australia.
We're off to never never-land
-Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
7-14-10
WHOLE LOTTA REAL ESTATE
Jimmy Page's former Elizabethan home is on the market for $12 million.
Plumpton Place manor house comes with six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a tennis court and its own moat.
Set on 62 acres, the historic country manor has three lakes, two cottages and a three bedroom mill house with its own working water wheel.
The original house was built in the mid-16th century and Page, who owned the property from 1972 to 1982, sold it to American venture capitalist Tom Perkins for just over $1 million dollars.
Would you like to venture a bid?
7-13-10
THIS GUY IS SMOOTH
Ten years ago in a Rolling Stone magazine cover story, Carlos Santana said his wife was his spiritual, emotional and financial "guiding light," adding that he would "probably be a hobo" if she hadn't straightened out his business affairs in the 90's.
Seven years later it was the marital affairs that needed straightening, and the Santana's filed for divorce.
Three years after that (which would be now), Carlos is getting all marital again, proposing to his girlfriend onstage!
The girlfriend is also the Santana drummer, Cindy Blackman.
Cindy, an organic eater who practices yoga and karate, is best-known for recording and touring with Lenny Kravitz.
The impromptu marriage proposal came during a Santana concert on Friday near Chicago. Apparently Carlos popped the question four songs into the set, right after Cindy’s virtuoso drum solo on the Santana hit Corazon Espinado which, if it was Bon Jovi singing the song, would mean "shot through the heart."
Santana says that he and Blackman are blessed to have found each other and says being in love "is a gift from the universe."
Btw, she said yes. It was so smooth. They sealed the deal with a kiss. The crowd went nuts.
Give me your heart, make it real
Or else forget about it
- Rob Thomas, 1999
7-12-10
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
My three word review of Saturday night's McCartney concert at AT&T Park…..YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!
Set list:
1) "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show"
2) "Jet"
3) "All My Loving"
4) "Letting Go"
5) "Got to Get You into My Life"
6) "Highway"
7) "Let Me Roll It"
8) Jimi Hendrix tribute/"Foxy Lady"
9) "The Long and Winding Road"
10) "Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty Five"
11) "Let 'Em In"
12) "My Love"
13) "I'm Looking Through You"
14) "Two Of Us"
15) "Blackbird"
16) "Here Today"
17) "Dance Tonight"
18) "Mrs. Vanderbilt"
19) "San Francisco Bay Blues"
20) "Eleanor Rigby"
21) "Something"
22) "Sing the Changes"
23) "Band on the Run"
24) "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
25) "Back in the U.S.S.R."
26) "I've Got a Feeling"
27) "Paperback Writer"
28) "A Day in the Life"
29) "Give Peace a Chance"
30) "Let It Be"
31) "Live and Let Die"
32) "Hey Jude"
Encore #1:
33) "Day Tripper"
34) "Lady Madonna"
35) "Get Back"
Encore #2:
36) "Yesterday"
37) "Helter Skelter"
38) "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
39) "The End"
7-9-10
YOU SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY?
All the big stars showed up for Ringo Starr's 70th birthday party in New York City Tuesday night: Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Miami Steve Van Zandt, Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Jeff Lynne from the Electric Light Orchestra, Nils Lofgren, Max Weinberg from the E-Street Band and Foreigner's Mick Jones.
Btw, when Foreigner was in town a few weeks ago, Mick Jones told me that he first met the Beatles while playing on the same bill with them at a series of concerts in Paris in 1963!
Mick was 19; Ringo was 23. But that was then, this is now. Mick 66; Ringo the big 7-0!
Anyway, everybody joined Ringo onstage for With A Little Help From My Friends as kind of a grand finale.
Not so fast.
Suddenly, a roadie brought out Paul McCartney's signature Hofner bass and you would have thought you we're in the middle of a horde of screaming Beatlemaniacs from back in 1963!
You know what happens next. McCartney runs out on stage and, with Ringo on drums, they bust out a Beatles classic from the White Album, Birthday!
Hey Sir Paulie, you're more than welcome to play that song tomorrow night at AT&T Park.
7-8-10
ADDICTED TO LOVE
Might as well face it, those two crazy kids up in Alaska, Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston, are headed towards a reconciliation.
Levi now says he's sorry for all the trash talking he did about Bristol's mom, Sarah.
Stuff like the Palins are headed for divorce or she made me cut off my mullet right before the convention or she didn't want my mom around all the cameras because she'd just been arrested for selling prescription medication.
"I publicly said things about the Palins that were not completely true," says the former Playgirl model and would-be actor.
"Not completely true" is sometimes known as "a lie."
Besides, now that Bristol Palin gets $15,000 or more to speak about preventing teen pregnancy and whose out-of-wedlock baby has turned her into a national celebrity and gotten her a cameo role on a popular TV show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, young Levi, who it appears has not actually been able to turn his failure to use a condom that night into a permanent career, is hoping that the Palins will “forgive my youthful indiscretion” and invite him back on to the frozen tundra.
These two lovebirds will be back in the sack in no time.
Your heart sweats, your body shakes
Another kiss is what it takes
-Robert Palmer, 1986
7-7-10
MOTHER'S LITTLE QUEENIE
You knew it had to happen.
Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones has finally completed his autobiography, entitled Life.
Because of our deeply placed mole in the music business, we have been able to obtain exclusive tidbits of debaucherous gossip and a shocking revelations or two about (especially) Keith's relationship to Mick Jagger, described by a friend as "completely dysfunctional" the two being "a couple of soap-opera queens."
*** Ever since the seventies, Keith has been in the habit of referring to Mick as the Queen Mother - an expression of contempt for Mick's social-climbing and faintly effeminate manner.
***Keith went "berserk and bananas" when Mick accepted a knighthood in 2003. He said, "I don't want to step out on stage with someone wearing a coronet and sporting the old ermine. I told Mick it's a paltry honour . . . it's not what the Stones is about, is it?"
***An outbreak of genuine hostility came in the 1980's, when Jagger made a solo album. Keith was furious and described what followed as World War III. He even tried to get The Who's Roger Daltrey to replace Mick in the Stones.
***My friend jj325 has the best take of all on the tumultuous Jagger/Richards relationship. He claims Mick has needed Keith more than Keith has needed Mick for the past 30 years, adding "whatever is cool about Mick is just slop over from the ultimate, timeless, cool that is Keith."
7-6-10
CRAZY HEART MEETS CRAZY TRAIN
Just getting word that Irish actor Colin Farrell has reportedly agreed to star as Ozzy Osbourne in a upcoming biopic of the Ozzman's life.
Great casting. Put 70's long hair on Farrell and he looks like a young Ozzy!
Besides, Colin Farrell is as much of a bad boy as Ozzy was. I say "was" because, lets be honest, nowadays Ozzy (in a twisted kind of way) is pretty much a spokesperson for family values.
So a guy with a crazy heart who smokes, drinks, womanizes and has a sex tape he's so far kept off the internets will be playing a guy who was fired from his own band, by his wife, who he nearly killed, but had the heart to stay with for 40 crazy years?
All Aboard!!!
7-3-10
HAVE AN "L" OF A 4th
7-2-10
HOLE LOTTA LOVE
The former Mrs. Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, had another meltdown the other night at the 9:30 Club in our Nation's Capitol.
The Washington Post called her band Hole's performance, "a three-hour train wreck highlighted by strange between-song stage banter, attacks at her critics, endless celebrity name-checking and, by the show's end, (Courtney) Love stripping down topless to perform the encore."
At various times, Ms. Hole, err…..Love, admitted that she'd forgotten how to play certain songs, but played them anyway (roughly 30 total, mainly just fragments with only a handful actually completed) and said she couldn't tell if she was "really terrible" or not, perhaps forgetting that earlier in the year, she announced that her appearance at SXSW in Austin was the "worst show" of her career.
And the topless encore? One of her people announced that in order to coax Courtney back for an encore, the crowd would have to cheer loudly because, "there was someone who was waiting to have sex with Love and it would take lots of applause to get her to delay that appointment."
I'm so ugly.
But that's ok.
'Cause so are you.
-Kurt Cobain, 1992
7-1-10
SECURE THE BORDERS!
A 94-year old woman almost made it through the border checkpoint at Nogales, Arizona!
With 10.45 lbs of marijuana strapped to her broken down old body!
A senior citizen smuggler almost succeeded in pirating the purple plant into a place full of paranoid paranormals!
Too bad this absent minded granny violated the first rule of smuggling - don't forget to pay off the border guard!
I've done a bit of smugglin'
I've run my share of grass
-Jimmy Buffet, 1974