Red Hot Chili Peppers Are Back

At Los Angeles Times, "A new beginning for the Chili Peppers: After a rough patch, the veteran L.A. band is back with a new guitarist and a new album due out this month."

'Hey Jude'

It's ranked #8 at Rolling Stone's all-time best song list, "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

I'm taking my boys to see the Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil in a couple of weeks, so bear with me on the continued Beatles postings, LOL!

'Nervous Breakdown'

This is gold!

If you were into punk, late-1970s, this was THE song of youth alienation and anarchic abandon.

Note though, I think this is OFF! at the clip, Keith Morris' new band (not the Circle Jerks). Off! launches a European tour this week.

Keith Morris sang the original "Nervous Breakdown" on Black Flag's breakout EP in 1978. Totally cool:

I'm about to have a nervous breakdown
My head really hurts
If I don’t get the hell outta here
I'm gonna go berserk,

Cause I'm crazy and I’m hurt
Head on my shoulders
I'm going berserk

I hear the same old talk talk talk
The same old lines
Don't do me that today, yeah
If you know what's good for you you'll get out of my way 'cause
I'm crazy and I'm hurt
Head on my shoulders
Going ... berserk

I won't apologize
For acting outta line
You see the way I am
You leave any time you can 'cause
I'm crazy and I'm hurt
Head on my shoulders
Going ... berserk

Crazy! crazy! crazy! crazy!

I don't care what you fuckin' do!
I don't care what you fuckin' say!
I'm so sick of everything
I just want to... Die!

'No Matter What'

Badfinger, rocking:

Singer Pete Ham committed suicide at age 27, same age of death as Amy Winehouse and so many others.

30 Years of MTV

At Independent UK, "It's 30 years since MTV launched and in its three decades, it’s changed the way we think about – as well as watch – music."

I just miss JJ Jackson and Martha Quinn. See, "MTV at 30: Original Veejays, Where Are They Now?"

Historic Chelsea Hotel Closes to Guests

At New York Times, "A Last Night Among the Spirits at the Chelsea Hotel":

Part of the allure of the Chelsea, beyond the creepy yet tantalizing feeling that the place is thick with spirits, is that from the inside looking out, New York can still feel gritty. Its cavelike hallways are lined with paintings, striking collages and old electrical wiring caked with innumerable coats of paint. A palpable heaviness lingers, especially in the first-floor room where Nancy Spungen was staying with her boyfriend, Sid Vicious, when she was stabbed to death in 1978. Artists, photographers, composers and producers still live there, making the place part art colony, part living museum.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Mick Jagger's Conservative Side

Another progressive rock icon comes out as conservative. At CSM, "Mick Jagger: closet conservative?" (via Instapundit):

Lady Gaga on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

I didn't even know she was in L.A.

At Los Angeles Times, "Lady Gaga takes over Hollywood Boulevard, peacefully."

Here's the clip. It might be taken down for copyright violation, so enjoy it while it lasts:

And at MTV, "Lady Gaga Finally Confirms 'You And I' As Her Next Single."

RELATED: At Daily Mail, "Lady Gaga takes the plunge in a daring low cut number slashed to the thigh", and "Forget your skirt Lady Gaga? Cheeky singer leaves little to the imagination in a pair of see-through tights." Gaga looks a little chunky at that last link.

'Piece of My Heart'

Well, I've been reflecting back a bit since Amy Winehouse passed away. It's the 27 Club, and I'm not the only one. See Vanderleun, "Someone Wonderful: Janis 'Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man —yeah!'":

With Janis Joplin I just want to teleport back to late 1960s to see her sing. Look at the clip. She makes love to the music at the guitar interlude. And as always, beholding her emotional pain is crushing.

Oh, and check the comments at the blog. An interesting discussion.

Dan Peek, 1950 – 2011

Just learned of Dan Peek's death, at Wizbang, "Dan Peek, RIP."

I posted this clip last year, "This Is For All the Lonely People..."

See the write-up at Ultimate Classic Rock, "FOUNDING AMERICA MEMBER DAN PEEK DIES AT 60." Also Aaron Goldstein at American Spectator, "Dan Peek, R.I.P."

Plus a news report at Kansas City Star, "Dan Peek, founding member of soft-rock trio America, dies at 60."

Sixties too young. God bless Peek's family.

'Love Me Two Times'

Jim Morrison was 27 years-old when he died, as was Amy Winehouse. Heard this one yesterday afternoon on The Sound LA. Part of a great set while on the road:

2:01 - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman Turner Overdrive

2:05 - Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend

2:08 - Love Me Two Times by Doors

2:47 - You Got Lucky by Tom Petty

2:50 - Crossroads (live) by Cream

2:55 - All Along The Watchtower by Dave Mason

2:59 - Empty Spaces / Young Lust by Pink Floyd

Amy Winehouse, 1983 – 2011

I got a sharp hit to the stomach upon seeing the news, at Bob Belvedere's, "NO SURPRISE: Amy Winehouse Found Dead – Overdose Suspected," and following the link there to Joy McCann, "Amy Winehouse Found Dead in Her London Flat."

I wasn't the biggest fan, but her substance abuse was troubling to me. A beautiful and talented woman, now lost to a blues singers' ugly death.

See New York Times, "Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Destructive Image, Dies at 27":

Amy Winehouse, the British singer who found worldwide fame with a smoky, hip-hop-inflected take on retro soul, yet became a tabloid fixture as her struggles with drugs and alcohol brought about a striking public career collapse, was found dead in her home in London on Saturday. She was 27.

The cause was not immediately known. The London police said that they had been called to an address in Camden Square in northern London on Saturday afternoon and found a 27-year-old woman, who had been pronounced dead at the scene. The police did not identify the body, but according to a report by The Associated Press, the London Ambulance Service said it was Ms. Winehouse.

The police said that they were investigating the circumstances of the death, but that “at this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.”

Ms. Winehouse’s American record label, Universal Republic, said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer. Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”

Instantly recognizable from the heavy makeup and high beehive hairdo she borrowed from the Ronettes, Ms. Winehouse became one of the most acclaimed young singers of the 2000s, selling millions of albums, winning five Grammy Awards and kicking off the British trend of retro soul and R&B that continues today.

Yet from the moment she arrived on the international pop scene in 2007, Ms. Winehouse had an image that seemed almost defiantly self-destructive. In songs like “You Know I’m No Good,” she sang alcohol-soaked regrets of failed romances, and for many listeners the lyrics to the song “Rehab” — which won her three of the five Grammys she took in 2008 — crystallized her public persona. “They tried to make me go to rehab,” she sang, “I said, ‘No, no, no.’ ”

I'll have more later. Fausta blogs Winehouse as well.

Added: Now a Memeorandum thread.

Fans First Coalition

I've dealt with this issue for years. I even had a buddy who did a pretty good job scalping tickets. The trick is to get them when they're first issued. But who gets them?

A report on concert middlemen, at New York Times, "Scalping Battle Putting ‘Fans’ in the Middle":

It’s the summer concert season and, as usual, many fans are frustrated that rampant ticket scalping online has made seeing their favorite performer almost as much a frustration as a thrill. But now a new group says it wants to help.

This week a new nonprofit group, the Fans First Coalition, announced itself with a mission of protecting ordinary consumers from predatory ticket scalpers. The group appeared to have broad support from the industry, including prominent artists like R.E.M., the Dixie Chicks, Maroon 5 and Jennifer Hudson.

What fans might not know is that the coalition is financed by Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, and that it has grown out of a lobbying fight between Live Nation and StubHub, the biggest legal online ticket reseller, over control of the multibillion-dollar secondary ticketing market.

Muddying the waters further, there is another group with a confusingly similar name, the Fan Freedom Project, which also claims to represent the interests of consumers. But it is largely financed by StubHub, a division of eBay.

The organizations, which were introduced with the help of Washington public relations firms, are of a sort typically referred to as astroturf groups. They are unusual for the entertainment industry but to political watchdogs, the idea of powerful interests creating apparently populist nonprofits is all too familiar.

I'm old fashioned. I like to have ticket in hand when I head out the door. All I've got to do is get to the concert and get inside. But RTWT. The issue is how are markets for concert tickets organized. There's just a couple of big players, and few outlets drive up prices. Interesting, in any case. I'd like to see more concerts, especially with front row tickets.

'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'

A really well-done video montage, a wakerupper:

Paul McCartney at Yankee Stadium

A music review, at New York Times, "A Gentle Reminder of Paul McCartney’s Survival and Vitality."

Rob Grill, 1943 – 2011

Rob Grill, a singer and bassist with the Grass Roots, has died. The Washington Post has an obituary, "Rob Grill, lead singer of the Grass Roots band, dies at 67." There's a brief write-up at the Los Angeles Times as well.

The Lords of the New Church had a hit with their remake of "Live for Today." Sometimes K-Earth 101 plays the original version by the Grass Roots.

'Don't Let Me Down'

I've been blasting The Beatles whenever I get in the van.

And I'm learning a lot too. Here's a bit on "the rooftop concert," at Telegraph UK.

'The Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell' — at Christie's

I saw this on ABC News last night, "Unseen Photos of The Beatles' First US Concert."

And at Christie's: "Sale Information."

And staff members at Christie's share their memories of The Beatles, from surprisingly profound (Kerry Keane) to embarrassingly lame (John Hays). And from Laura Paterson, insightful honesty:

I love the early albums and movies, Hard Day’s Night and Help! This was the Fab Four at their most carefree and surreal (Yellow Submarine notwithstanding). By the time I reached my teens, they simply weren’t cool (Granny liked them, after all), and I switched my allegiance to their rivals, the much edgier seeming Rolling Stones (Granny hated them). Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate their immense influence on popular music and culture. The Beatles define superstardom; from L.A. to Ulaanbaatar, everyone knows who they are.

Impressions: The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil

I mentioned previously how moved I was by the show in Las Vegas. Charles Spencer, writing at The Telegraph UK in 2006, really captures the feeling:

Everything that was bold and beautiful, fresh and funny, sad and just plain silly about the Beatles comes together in this ravishing and almost indecently spectacular show. It's what old hippies call a head-trip, a constant 90-minute rush of dazzling sights and sounds.

But for those of us who grew up with the Beatles - and the first record I ever bought was She Loves You, aged eight, in 1963 - this latest piece from Cirque du Soleil is also overpoweringly moving. For it achieves the apparently impossible, allowing you to hear the Beatles with fresh ears. At times you seem to be listening to the music of your childhood and youth as if for the first time.

Spencer's a progressive, but folks might put aside ideological reservations and just enjoy the show. We were kids once. "Let It Be" is my most powerful Beatles memory as a child (and "Hey Jude" is right up there), and sometimes nostalgia is overpowering. And recall that recently I've been moved by George Harrison's songs, and it turns out that the one entirely original song at LOVE is Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It's just so impressive all around.

I'm taking my kids to see LOVE next time we're in Las Vegas. They'll have to listen to some of the CDs, but they're already familiar with a whole lot of The Beatles from hanging out with me, my musical tastes, and from just the radio environment.

Leftists Freaked Out Over News of John Lennon as Republican

Well, mostly Jon Wiener at The Nation, although Joel Achenbach, at WaPo, "can't imagine" John Lennon as a Republican. Cute, isn't that?

But see James Delingpole, at Telegraph UK, "Was John Lennon a secret Reagan Republican?"

Over at the leftie Nation, historian Jon Wiener is having a massive sense of humour failure at this outrageous slur on a man probably second only to Che as an icon of international left-wing street credibility.

Exactly.

This story is so last month, but I couldn't get it out of my mind this week while visiting The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil.