Music Blog

Live 8, which coincides with the G8 summit in Scotland, is not a fundraiser. It's intended solely to raise awareness of world poverty.

It's funny how having Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson as patrons suddenly allows a shop to hike up prices by almost $50. The gold leather toe-loops on the left are $78 at celeb haunt Intuition. The gold leather toe-loops on the right are £18 at Faith. Who's going to know the difference, really?

Jessica Hopper writes an excellent missive about male privilege, as does Julianne Shepherd. Good reading for people who have ever wondered how, for some reason, black rappers slip under the radar and we can only call out Eminem for his shit, lest we look like crazy honkies who don't get it, and especially good reading for those who haven't.

I'll be the first to admit it, I hate Jessica Simpson. I was always taught that hate is "such a strong word" and "should never be used" except when referring to dictators like Stalin or Hitler - but I definitely hate her. "Yeah but she's hot!" Is she attractive? Depends. If I saw her on the street, yes, I'd probably look twice. However, in the words of Joey Tribbiani after spending 10 minutes with her I'd want to "tear off my arm just to have something to throw at her." Any guy that says intelligence is not desirable quality in a woman is either...

America's media and entertainment industry has a gross (as it were) revenue of $316.8 billion a year. If we subtract the income derived from worthy journalism and the publishing of serious books, that leaves $316.8 billion. Surely this money can be put to a more socially useful purpose than reportage on the going forth and multiplying of Britney Spears.

Nikka and I were surprised to be seated that close to Ashanti. Our seats were A3 and A4. We were so close to her that when we shouted she would reply back!

6. Eats at Hooters, then calls the FCC over Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction.

In the past week Eminem a rap artist has broadcasted his new music video “Just Lose It” , the video features many images including embarrassing one's of the “King of Pop” Micheal Jackson. After viewing the video himself Jackson has become very upset and wants to see the video banned. He has expressed this anger by threatening to sue Eminem and those who display the video. As a result BET has pulled the plug on it.

So where did all the Rock and Roll go? Music over the past 10 years has gone down hill. Rock and Roll had a huge impact on modern culture as we know it. Where would be if there were no Elvis, No Beatles, no Greatful Dead, or no Rolling Stones? Music lately has consisted of pop stars who sing cheerful songs that all seem to sound alike. The last time hard a hard rock band became famous was in the early 1990’s. Bands like Nirvana and Green Day were topping the charts. That was more than 10 years ago. Since then we have been plagued with boy bands like “The Backstreet Boys,” “NSYNC,” and “98 Degrees.” And pop icons like the annoying Britney Spears and the “dirty” Christina Aguilera. I personally don’t even consider “pop” real music.

All though I have not fully seen the new video by Eminem for the song Ass Like That, I know how most of his videos are a beyond just being a little controversial. Many parents feel that Eminem is rude, obnoxious, and is crossing the line and actually getting paid for his nonsense. It is one thing to express yourself and completely another thing to be making money by expressing your views about others such as, Janet Jackson, Brittany Spears, and Gwen Stefani just to name a few.

My friend Mieke, who also happens to be a frequent visitor to this blog AND a big blabber mouth ,name droppin' liberal (not that there's anything WRONG with that), needs our help. Her client's movie, THE PERFECT MAN, staring Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, and Chris Noth, is opening on June 17th against Batman and they are going to get their asses kicked. It is really important that they have a strong opening weekend and week so please spread the word and get out and see it. You can even buy a ticket to see it and then slip into another movie playing...

Britney Spears has reportedly had to give one of her dogs, a Chihuahua named Lucky, to an assistant because the pooch took a dislike to the singer’s husband, Kevin Federline, growling and snapping at him.

Now I'm all for using popular culture as a way of inspiring people to get into philosophy. But now things may have gone too far with this Call for Abstracts:

Question: If Jessica Simpson is from Texas, why is her southern accent as Daisy Duke so painfully unbelievable? Check out the trailer for yourself. That is really a redefinition of terrible acting.

Coolz0r wants me to pass the musical baton, continuing the meme where we let everyone know about our musical tastes. Sorry I can’t be much help, since I don’t listen to a lot of music. I don’t like a whole lot of new music, choosing to search among classic rock to make me happy. Big fan of The Who, Zeppelin, Steppenwold, AC/DC, Skynyrd, Blue Oyster Cult, and the few modern bands that have a nice sound, like Fuel and Green Day. I also have a perverse attraction to 80’s pop rock, and can be sometimes obsessed with pissed-off...

Another favorite of mine is DJ Earworm… check out his site for a full list of songs, and if you decide to download, go for “No One Takes Your Freedom” first. Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama vs. The Beatles - For No One vs. George Michael - Freedom ‘90 vs. Aretha Franklin - Think. Good stuff.

I’m a fan of both Audioslave and Velvet Revolver. I am a bigger fan of Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N Roses, and Stone Temple Pilots. Audioslave and Velvet Revolver are hybrids of all these bands. While Audioslave and Velvet Revolver don’t hold a candle to their predecessors, they still rock and are better than 99% of the shit that is on radio these days. Turn on any rock radio station these days and you’ll be bombarded with the putrid sounds of Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Blink 182, and other bullshit. The early 90s were a magical time in music history. Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains ruled the roost. Music was at an all-time high.

In the song, the rap genius jokes about Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl incident, where she (accidentally or not) bared a jewel-studded breast. The lyrics also says that Britney Spears has “shoulders like a man”, and makes a rude proposition to “No Doubt” frontliner Gwen Stefani.

Beyonce Knowles has given her manager/father Mathew Knowles his walking papers amidst charges of harassment from one of her dancers, according to sources. Meanwhile, contacts close to his label Sanctuary Urban Records Group say Mathew has been AWOL from the office for about a month, leaving the imprint in complete disarray and its parent company Sanctuary in charge of day-to-day decisions.

He's been likened to this generation's Marvin Gaye a Grammy winner and multi platinum recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actor and activist. At the age of only 25, he's entering his second decade as a successful artist, riding the top of the charts with his fifth album, Confessions, and selling out concert venues as soon as the dates are announced. Yes, Usher's doing well.

Most of my younger students are into the Post-Punk bands like Blink 182, Bowling for Soup, Sum 41, All American Rejects, Good Charlotte, and of course, Green Day. Unfortunately, most require power chords, which are easy to play after a few months of practice, but what do you do in the mean time? Most easy songs sound like Mary Had a Little Lamb to these kids’ ears. Thank goodness for Good Riddance–a four-chord acoustic song that, when slowed down and strummed using the folk strum, is easy but still rocks

I had a very busy day today and didn’t get a chance to post. I just got back from grocery shopping and am currently watching the Britney Spears reality show. It’s a bit of a train wreck. She doesn’t use language very well. Plus so much of it is filmed on hand-held cameras that it’s making me a little nauseated. In fact, it’s much like The Blair Witch Project in many ways.

So contiuned the singing and harmonising..mostly to Karen Carpenter, The Beatles and anything within my range with strong harmony lines. I would always be the 5th Beatle..Adding a 5th harmony line to "No Reply" or anything that they did. I had no idea what I was doing..I just heard lots of melodies and it seemed to fit in........

Roger Ebert: Faithful readers will know I’m an admirer of Jennifer Lopez, and older readers will recall my admiration for Jane Fonda, who I first met on the set of “Barbarella” (1968), so it has been all uphill ever since. Watching “Monster-in-Law,” I tried to transfer into Fan Mode, enjoying their presence while ignoring the movie. I did not succeed. My reveries were interrupted by bulletins from my conscious mind, which hated the movie.

I also share it with the kids (7 and 11) so I was fully expecting Pokemon and Hilary Duff to lead the list, but here's what I got:

Eminem is just a gimmick, while 2Pac was the realest rapper ever. Not to mention an actor, poet, revolutionary, activist, and leader.

The musical, said to be based on the Supremes' career, followed three friends who strike it big as a singing group. Beyonce knows a thing or two about singing groups, so this project could be classified as "being in her wheelhouse." Alternately, it could be noted as "not much of a stretch."

The possibility of watching Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda tear each other apart in "Monster-in-Law" inspires a certain morbid curiosity — something akin to Godzilla vs. Mothra, with bronzed skin and blond highlights.

Green Day vs. Oasis: Boulevard of Broken Dreams (check out the comments here -- unbelievable)

“About A Girl EP” is a DualDisc EP by Cibelle, featuring 4 new tracks and 4 videos. Her debut album established her as one of the most original and seductive young artists to come out of Brazil. “About A Girl” is Cibelle’s very personal rendering of an early Nirvana song. This video was directed by Elsa Dahmani.

But it's also possible that Britney Spears is finally growing up. Perhaps her impending motherhood is helping Britney become more mature. But don't grow up too fast--Kevin may not be able to catch up.

What's even more sad...Sis #2's (age 7) favorite CD to listen to on when driving around with my dad is The Royal Guardsman - Snoopy vs the Red Baron. She can sing every word of that CD! All of her friends are singing Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, Backstreet Boys...and my sister is singing the freaking Royal Guardsman! I love it!

The interviews have been handed over to the network by journalist Jack Jones, who quizzed Chapman on three separate occasions for his book Let Me Take You Down - published in America in 1995. The title of the controversial tome is a chilling play on the first line of psychedelic Beatles classic Strawberry Fields Forever.

"A film inspired by the final days of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain gets its world premiere at Cannes on Friday. Last Days, by former Palme d'Or winning director Gus Van Sant, portrays the inner turmoil that engulfs a troubled musician in the final days of his life."

Thanks to a certain TV show, the phrases "pimp my", "pimp your", and "pimp the" have achieved currency as slang for "customize, often in a flamboyant or ostentatious manner". I read them in the mainstream press all the time these days. For instance, Britney Spears is pregnant--title of the article is "pimp the crib". I'm sorry, but I find this phrase, used as a commonism, appalling.

But as cheerleading continues to gain in popularity across the country, and especially in Texas, some want to make sure it doesn’t go the way of Britney Spears and MTV.

It was an early birthday present for MoonChild: her first rock concert. As soon as tickets were on sale for last night’s Green Day concert, I nabbed three. One for Moon, one for her best friend and one for a parental chaperone (me). The concert was sold out, and it was general admission, so we arrived a half hour before the doors opened. After we were searched and all that jazz, we went into the coliseum where I grabbed a few seats while the girls went to talk to a friend in the mosh pit.

"Forsake The Troops politely suggests a boycott of heavy metal group Metallica, due their obvious pro-military stance."

As a little note of irony, while I was building the air compressor shed at the nose hanger today, the song that kept running through my head was Metallica`s "Don`t Tread On Me".

Yes, Jessica Simpson is playing the role of Daisy Duke in the movie version of The Dukes of Hazzard, one of my favorite TV shows from my junior high days.

Jessica Simpson beat out Britney Spears, Mandy Moore and Jessica Biel for the role of Daisy Duke (don’t know who Jessica Biel is, and the only thing I know about Mandy Moore is that she is from the area where I reside).

In the midst of these, I could count my uncle and aunts in influencing me in popular music. I could still remember my aunts with their ears glued to the radio. Changing stations without looking at the dial which I thought was really cool. I had the notion they could recognize the radio stations just by listening to it. Turned out they were just looking for Beatles, Dave Clark Fives, and Beach Boys music. They introduced me to my lifelong admiration of the Fab Four.

First stop was the Banana Cafe, where upstairs in the piano bar, Gordon, the blind, piano playing, trumpet toting, saxophone blowing, cover song singing life of the part was doing his thing. On this night we heard selections from Usher, The Beatles, and Don McLean.

Jennifer Lopez was pretty good. She seems very normal and I didn't detect any traces of the bad behavior that she's rumoured to exhibit off-camera. Perhaps the current marriage is good for her. The way she speaks is very much "Jenny From The Block," for lack of a better term. It's doubtful she's gone through any speech or elocution classes to clean up her grammar or phrasing. She was promoting her new movie with Jane Fonda.

After the doors opened, we waited for another half hour to get down to the floor, where we grabbed our spot about 20 feet from the stage. By the time the lights dimmed for the opening act, the crowd had pushed us up another 5, and when Green Day took the stage we got close enough to see inside Billie Joe's nostrils. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

They don’t quite understand what kind of place the world is or what kind of animal human beings are. One sweeping generalization we can make about mankind is that at least 50% of all human being are outrageously crazy, prone to impulsive stupidity and dangerous acts of irrational self-destructive violence. This is more true of the audience of children raised on Eminem than some backwater in the Middle East. Nobody is more incredibly stupid or vicious than highly civilized people.

Christina Aguilera is refusing to invite Britney Spears to her wedding - in retaliation for being snubbed when her pop rival married Kevin Federline.

30 days in jail is a small price to pay for Avril Lavigne’s stalker. The interesting part of this story is that the stalker is married and that his wife encouraged him.

The "High Fidelity" Soundtrack, the "Moulin Rouge" & "Moulin Rouge 2" Soundtracks, Blue Man Group's "The Complex", Collective Soul's "The Seven Year Itch", Five For Fighting's "The Battle For Everything", Frou Frou "Details" (D and I listened to this constantly for about six months. Seriously!), Loreena McKennitt's "The Book Of Secrets" (The only Honorable Mention that ever had a shot at knocking Guster off the top five...), Maroon 5 "Songs About Jane", Moby "Play", The "Ray!" soundtrack, The Scissor Sisters "Scissor Sisters", Dave Matthews'...