A Moment Of Noise

Susan Visakowitz has posted a brilliant essay at Billboard.com that ponders Kurt Cobain’s upcoming 40th birthday. An excerpt:

Where have we gone as a society since Kurt’s death?

Fiercely radical in his politics, manifesting them in the way he lived his life and made his art, Kurt was able to convey his beliefs without having to resort to sermonizing. I doubt Nirvana would have ever taken the eventual Bruce Springsteen-Pearl Jam route of using the stage not only as a soapbox, but to promote some sort of “dialogue” with fans. Kurt was far too direct for an approach like that; he made it plain: if you had, in his words, “redneck” beliefs, he didn’t want you at his shows or championing his music. There was no room for negotiation, and no patience for trying to change your mind. You either got it or you didn’t.

Back in 1991, the times they were a-changin’ much like they had been 25 years earlier. A fired-up youth-driven movement was taking charge and you could join the cause or get the hell out of the way — nobody was going to wait around for you to make up your mind. Thirteen years later and it seems like all the progressive movement can do now is labor to “build bridges” and create “understanding.” It’s “P.C.” turned against itself — the most extreme expression of the “let’s not hurt anyone’s feelings, let’s work to unify” ethos.

In the midst of this pandering we’ve seen things go from bad to worse, from Clinton to Bush II, from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the Federal Marriage Amendment, from NAFTA to the Immigration Bill, from the Defense of Marriage Act to the Patriot Act. And youth culture has devolved into a billion-dollar industry founded on packaging and sustained by ease of use.

It feels wrong to think it, but Kurt not being here to turn 40 is somehow reassuring. Having lost him when we did, he’ll forever exist as an icon of youth, of rebellion, of never compromising.

Read the whole article here. And then do something.

[ via Metro Distortion ]

Apparently frustrated by their failure to write another decent song in nearly three decades, The Knack has decided to sue Run DMC for copyright infringement. Twenty years later. Reports MTV News:

The [lawsuit] asserts that, because of Run-DMC’s sampling of “My Sharona,” Fieger and Averre have “suffered actual damages, including lost profits, lost opportunities, loss of goodwill, lost publicity, attorneys’ fees and interest.” The suit seeks unspecified damages and related legal fees, and characterizes the “signature” riff sampled in “It’s Tricky” as “the essence” of the song.

“That [riff] is not only the essence of ‘My Sharona,’ it is one of the most recognizable sounds in rock and roll,” said Fieger through his lawyers.

Reached for comment at his current residence in Rock & Roll Heaven, Jam Master Jay replied, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

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Fourteen years without new Tom Verlaine material is too long! But your patience has been rewarded with former Television-man releasing two excellent albums on the same day. Joy! Where Around explores Verliane’s ethereal, instrumental side, Songs and Other Things revels in his love of idiosyncratic pop. By turns poetic, impressionistic and melodic — the disc aptly demonstrates what I’ve always maintained — Verlaine is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greats. Oh yeah, and there’s some really tasty guitar playing all over the place as well.

[ Click to buy it @ JoeRockhead.com! ]

The instrumental counterpart to the more song-based Songs and Other Things, Around recalls the legendary guitar slinger’s last solo album, the sublime Warm and Cool. At first blush these meditative tunes may seem raw, even fragmentary, but repeat exposures reveal a charming collection of considered guitar-playing craftsmanship. A must for any Verlaine, or for that matter electric guitar, fan.

[ Click to buy it @ JoeRockhead.com! ]

The Man just can’t stop hasslin’ ol’ Willie. The happiest tour bus on the planet got pulled over today in Louisiana, leading to misdemeanor charges for everyone aboard…

“When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana,” the news release said. A search of the bus produced 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana and slightly more than three ounces of narcotic mushrooms.

There were enough drugs to merit a felony charge of distribution if they had been found in one person’s possession, state police spokesman Willie Williams said. But all five claimed the drugs as their own, so each was charged with misdemeanors. All were released after the citations were issued.

[ Link ]

Had a bang-up time at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night. Folks being honored included Gregg Allman, Dallas Austin, Felice Bryant, Jermaine Dupri and R.E.M. Of course, we were there to see R.E.M., who played a three-song set with Bill Berry behind the drum kit: “Begin The Begin,” “Losing My Religion,” and “Man On The Moon.” Michael Stipe dedicated “Moon” to former Texas Governor Ann Richards, who passed away four days ago.

After R.E.M. was Gregg Allman, who played “Sweet Melissa” on acoustic guitar followed by a pretty song I’d never heard before on piano. Allman then closed the ceremony with “Georgia On My Mind” before being joined onstage by R.E.M. (minus Stipe) to cap the night with a joyously rockin’ version of “Midnight Rider.” Everybody — on stage and off — was grinning ear to ear.

An unexpected highlight of the evening was learning about Felice Bryant, a songwriter I’d never heard of before. But somebody performed a medley of some of her hits — recorded back in the day by artists such as Little Jimmy Dickens, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, and others — and that was very cool.

If you’ve never been to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, it is definitely worth a day trip to check it out.

[ Thanks to Jim Johnson for the photo! ]

The list was “selected by the curatorial staff and a number of rock critics and historians,” and then posted on the web for all the world to see by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s plenty of great stuff on the list, for sure, but I’d like to know who the loser is that nominated “Time (Clock of the Heart)” by Culture Club.

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone presents The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. No Culture Club to be found, but somehow R. Kelly sneaked into an otherwise decent list ’round about #406.

So I guess that maybe I’m a little late to the party when it comes to Luigi, who’s 2005 disc Found On The Forest Floor seems to have permanently wedged itself into my CD player as well as my brain. But even though they’re pretty well known around Atlanta, I don’t get the feeling that many people in the rest of the world are hip to them yet, so here I am to toot their horn a little bit. Luigi is made up of former members of Ultrababyfat and Magnapop, among others, and if you’re familiar with either of those two bands, you’ll sort of have an idea of what to expect. Found On The Forest Floor is an outstanding collection of bright, catchy guitar pop full of hooks that get stuck in your head and just won’t get out. Luigi is low-key, imaginative, smart, fun… Seriously, check ‘em out — they’ve got the goods. Hell, they even have a nutty video that apparently follows singer Michelle DuBois around at her day job working in, uh, the CSI lab or something. She can totally sing and look through a microscope at the same time — can your favorite band do that?

Jonathan Cohen reports for Billboard.com:

It’s shaping up to be a banner week for the original four members of R.E.M., who have reconvened to rehearse for a three-song performance at their Saturday (Sept. 16) induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

In addition to hitting an Athens, Ga., studio with producer David Barbe to record a song for an as-yet-unannounced purpose, the foursome turned up last night at the city’s venerable 40-Watt Club to join several local acts in performances of R.E.M. classics.

While there, vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry also took the stage themselves to perform “Begin the Begin” and “So. Central Rain.” Berry retired from R.E.M. in 1997 and has made only a handful of live appearances with his bandmates since then.

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Ole! Tarantula by Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3 will be released on Oct. 3rd by Yep Roc Records. The Venus 3 are Scott McCaughey, Pete Buck, and Bill Rieflin — aka “3/4 of The Minus Five and 1/2 of R.E.M.” In the words of Robyn himself:

“We sound like a smart garage band, to my ears, when we play live. The record is a little more tidy, but they still rock, and rock me along with them. This is the rockingest record I’ve made in years.”

We can’t wait!