The News of Today

[Maschine_Man]

Edit:

The biggest star in the business has a new one:

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/tay ... department

"Open the schools"

[Live in Phoenix]

Edit:

The biggest star in the business has a new one:

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/tay ... department

"Open the schools"

Paste's Review of Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department' Publishes Without a Byline to Avoid 'Threats of Violence' From Fans
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/pa ... r-AA1nmFYT

I mildly agree with Courtney Love's recent quote that Swift is “not interesting as an artist,” not to say I actually find her boring, but her demigod status and rabid fans have become a little tiresome for someone whose work (that I've bumped into) I like but don't deify. I was just at Sprouts, a hippie-ish grocery store, and I probably could have come away with 3 or 4 different Taylor Swift magazines. Earlier this year, my Threads feed was like 95% about Taylor going to NFL games. (Maybe this was my fault though for being on Threads.) Like holy crap already, she has some good songs, and can we otherwise give it a rest?

Incidentally, the reviews for the new album (by way of Wikipedia/Metacritic) are overall very good.

[luvulongTIM]

Graeme Naysmith, guitarist to iconic shoegaze band the Pale Saints, has passed away. Not sure if he had already turned 57 as he was born sometime in 1967.

[Bang Jan]

Steve Albini, Storied Producer and Icon of the Rock Underground, Dies at 61

https://pitchfork.com/news/steve-albini ... ies-at-61/

[Live in Phoenix]

The Let It Be film is finally available again. (I found this out just trying to put on a Mickey Mouse show for my daughter.)

Coming off the too-long 468 minutes of Peter Jackson's otherwise-brilliant Get Back, 80 minutes seems too short, though of course the Get Back/Let It Be story has also been told in a handful of minutes for the band's general specials. There's always the issue of what could/should make the cut; at worst, it should be amusing having so many "special" or "essential" moments now absent. I'll likely write a review when I get around to watching this.

[Live in Phoenix]

2× NBA champion Bill Walton passed away today. He was such a Grateful Dead fan that Variety's headline for him is "Bill Walton, NBA Star, ESPN Commentator and Grateful Dead Superfan, Dies at 71." It looks like the band is trending on Twitter right now solely because of him. He wrote the liner notes for their live albums Dave's Picks Volume 5 and Dave's Picks Volume 48, and he apparently joined the band on drums when they played the Pyramids in 1978. (A live compilation was later released as Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978.)

[Live in Phoenix]

One year ago, new age pianist George Winston passed away (which I didn't know at the time). He was 74. He suffered from several forms of cancer, including thyroid cancer, skin cancer, and myelodysplastic syndrome. Unlike most new age instrumentalists, he racked up 4 gold albums (Summer, Forest, Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Plains), 2 platinum albums (Autumn, Winter into Spring), and a 3x platinum album (December). From what I’ve heard, Winter into Spring and December are my favorites. If you don’t like his most famous album, though, don’t assume his 16 solo albums were December times 16: Besides his glacially paced new age style (to simplify things), he also played stride piano and New Orleans rhythm and blues piano; for that matter, his Grammy winner, Forest, sounds fairly avant garde compared to his earlier albums.


New age musicians can be so non-rock star that it's practically bewildering -- Winston once told the San Diego Union Tribune, "It takes about three generations to forget about everything, so I have no doubt I’ll be forgotten, and that’s good. ... I had the privilege of playing for you all, now let’s move on. ... If people remember me for anything, I hope it’s for helping to make slack-key as visible as other guitar traditions." (His Dancing Cat record label featured Hawaiian slack-key guitarists such as Cyril Pahinui and Ray Kane.) He thought of Benny Goodman and his music as forgotten, and likened his destiny to Goodman's. Whether he wanted it or not, though, the music lives on (certainly if, uh, slack-key can sort of live on), even if the man is comparatively forgotten. My 4-year-old daughter loves his music at night, this cover of a Mark Isham song in particular, recently:

[Live in Phoenix]

Duran Duran's Original 'Rio' Girl, the Mona Lisa of the New Wave Age, Finally Found After 42 Years



The headline itself is from the following article:
https://www.musictimes.com/articles/104 ... -years.htm

Here is the text from Duran Duran's Instagram post:

Posted @withregram • @patricknagelarts Cherry Ice Cream smile!

Patrick Nagel fans today we publicly reveal Duran Duran’s “Rio” May 1982 album cover image source from Vogue Paris, February 1981.

This was a multi page editorial for Angelo Tarlazzi. The Model is Marcie Hunt & Thank you @ser.sarah.bastos for identifying her

Barry Hahn, Patrick Nagel’s technical art assistant, confirmed this indeed was the tear sheet used by Nagel. His reply : “Great Catch!” Indeed it is… Would you have put it together just flipping through magazines? I certainly would have missed it and it appears it has been missed for 42 years!

We suspect the model and maybe the band Duran Duran had no idea Nagel was influenced and used this image to create the cover of their musical masterpiece, “Rio”. He certainly changed many things, most specifically removing her glasses, but he obviously loved her smile. And that smile has been an iconic piece of Duran Duran history for decades.

[Live in Phoenix]

Françoise Hardy, French singer-songwriter and 1960s fashion icon, dies at 80

She wrote melancholy love songs, attracted admirers such as Bob Dylan and wore striking outfits designed by Paco Rabanne and André Courrèges.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituari ... hion-dead/

[Live in Phoenix]

Paul is 82

[Brad]

Paul is 82

We still need him, and we will still feed him

[Live in Phoenix]

Paul is 82

We still need him, and we will still feed him

Once upon a time I had to go through, "Wait, is he ACTUALLY 64, now?" Like it was some unreachable age.

[StevieFan13]

Paul is 82

We still need him, and we will still feed him

Once upon a time I had to go through, "Wait, is he ACTUALLY 64, now?" Like it was some unreachable age.

He apparently got reeeaaallyyy sick of people playing it when it happened!

[Pierre]

No wave figurehead James Chance (also known as James White), leader of the Contortions, passed away. He was 71.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 235042526/

[Blanco]

Rolling Stone is bringing back its 5 star rating system for album reviews.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 235042537/

[Live in Phoenix]

Yesterday's Home Run Derby national anthem singer, Ingrid Andress, has announced she's checking into rehab. (Her performance immediately began trending on Twitter last night, along with Roseanne Barr and Carl Lewis.)

[Live in Phoenix]

Standup/TV legend Bob Newhart has passed away.

His debut album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” soared past the pop and rock recordings of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley to stand at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 14 weeks in 1960. It was the first comedy album to sell more than 1 million copies, and Mr. Newhart remains the only comedian to win Grammy Awards for best new artist and album of the year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituari ... hart-dead/

I think Newhart and Richard Pryor are the only acts with comedy albums on our main site.

[Maschine_Man]

What is Kamala Harris's 'brat' rebrand all about?

Kamala Harris has overhauled her campaign's online presence by embracing a social media trend inspired by pop star Charli XCX's Brat album cover.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqqlgq7k374o.amp

Niche news crossover for the site.

[Blanco]

Krist Novoselic joined a Nirvana/Foo Fighters tribute band called FooVana for a handful of Nirvana songs during a show at Georgie’s Garage in Vancouver, Washington on Thursday night (July 18th).

https://consequence.net/2024/07/krist-n ... bute-band/

The Nirvana bassist performed with the Portland, Oregon-based tribute act on “Blew,” “Lithium,” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It was apparently the first time Novoselic played “Blew” live in more than three decades.

[Live in Phoenix]

Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, last of the original Four Tops, is dead at 88

https://apnews.com/article/duke-fakir-d ... f383838a94

[Live in Phoenix]

Amy Winehouse died thirteen years ago (alcohol poisoning).

[Live in Phoenix]

John Mayall, British blues pioneer, dies at 90

As the leader of the Bluesbreakers in the 1960s, he advanced the careers of Eric Clapton and members of Fleetwood Mac, Journey and the Rolling Stones.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituari ... lues-dead/

[Pierre]

I saw the Bluesbreakers in the mid-2000s, it was a small room with a small audience and the guitarist was Buddy Whittington. It was not the most important iteration of the band and it didn't leave me with the impression of the greatest concert I had ever seen, but I liked it, that old man with his soulful voice, professionalism and energy despite his age, and tangible passion. The Bluesbreakers have been, with the Yardbirds, one of the most important matrices in the development of British blues-rock. Eric Clapton, members of the original Fleetwood Mac, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, two members of the original Colosseum, Harvey Mandel (Canned Heat), Jesse Ed Davis (Taj Mahal), Aynsley Dunbar (many different bands), have all been in the band. Mayall's influence is fundamental.

Rest in peace John Mayall. I'll remember you.

[Live in Phoenix]

Snoop Dogg holds the torch as part of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Torch Relay, in Saint-Denis.
“I look at this as a prestigious honor and something I truly respect. I would have never dreamed of nothing like this.”

These Games mark Snoop’s first time as an on-the-grounds Olympics correspondent.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 235068731/

=====================================

Also, Mick Jagger is 81 today, and still has as much energy as several presidential candidates.

[DaveC]

Lead singer and guitarist of iconic Dunedin rock band The Chills, Martin Phillipps, has died.

Phillipps, who penned hits like Heavenly Pop Hit and Pink Frost, was 61-years-old.

On Sunday evening, a statement from The Chills’ manager, Scott Muir, said that it was “with broken hearts the family and friends of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly”.

[Brad]

Lead singer and guitarist of iconic Dunedin rock band The Chills, Martin Phillipps, has died.

Phillipps, who penned hits like Heavenly Pop Hit and Pink Frost, was 61-years-old.

On Sunday evening, a statement from The Chills’ manager, Scott Muir, said that it was “with broken hearts the family and friends of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly”.

crushed

[Live in Phoenix]

Not at all what I thought at the time…


Sinéad O'Connor's Official Cause of Death Revealed 1 Year Later: Report

One year after her death in July 2023, the Irish Independent reported — citing the Grammy winner's death certificate — that she died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

The certificate specifically said that O'Connor's death was a result of “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection," the outlet said.

https://people.com/sinead-oconnor-offic ... rt-8684949

[Live in Phoenix]

Aerosmith is retiring from touring as a ‘full recovery’ of Steven Tyler’s vocal cord injury is ‘not possible’

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/08/02/ente ... even-tyler

[Live in Phoenix]

Greg Kihn, rock musician and longtime Bay Area DJ, dead at 75
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/ne ... ead-at-75/

His giant hit was "Jeopardy" (1983). The Kihn song I knew best was "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" (by way of Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s - Vol. 4).

Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992) four-star albums: Rockihnroll (1981), Kihnspiracy (1983), Kihnsolidation: The Best of Greg Kihn (1989)

[Live in Phoenix]

Former Great White Frontman Jack Russell Dies at 63

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/gr ... 54482/amp/

This was about a month after Russell announced that he was retiring from touring and disclosed that he was suffering from Lewy body dementia (which Robin Williams also suffered from toward the end).

[Live in Phoenix]

65 years ago. Entertainment Weekly once said it had virtually no chord changes or tunes to speak of — but called it (in the same article) the 3rd best CD of all-time, in 1993, the first time I was clued in to its greatness.

[Pierre]

French progressive rock legend Catherine Ribeiro, leader of the Alpes band, died yesterday at the age of 82:

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/mus ... 82909.html

Her singing style could best be described as declamatory. She still sang very well and made probably the best Édith Piaf cover album ever in the late 1970s. Here's a short one from her "Paix" album, which will be added to AM in the next update.

[Live in Phoenix]

British rock band Oasis announce a comeback in reunion tour in 2025

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/08/27/ente ... 5-intl-hnk

On their Twitter account:

The guns have fallen silent.
The stars have aligned.
The great wait is over.
Come see.
It will not be televised.

[StevieFan13]

The cease-mard has been signed! My dad's already talking about venturing out to London or Manchester to see them. Somebody must've finally conveyed to Noel how much money he and Liam could be getting from this.

[Live in Phoenix]

This is my one post about Trump's unauthorized usage of music. (The article mentions a bunch of the other artists who have had issues with him.)

ABBA tells Trump campaign to stop using their music

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/entertai ... index.html

[StevieFan13]

This is my one post about Trump's unauthorized usage of music. (The article mentions a bunch of the other artists who have had issues with him.)

ABBA tells Trump campaign to stop using their music

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/entertai ... index.html

As others have pointed out, it's funny that Trump has musicians who probably would be fine with him using their music. He just doesn't either because they suck, don't fit the vibe, or both. There are only so many Kid Rock songs you can use.

[Pierre]

I'm sure Ted Nugent would give him his entire catalogue if he just so asked. Then again, "If You Can't Lick 'Em, Lick 'Em" might not give off good vibes as a campaign hymn.

[Brad]

I'm sure Ted Nugent would give him his entire catalogue if he just so asked. Then again, "If You Can't Lick 'Em, Lick 'Em" might not give off good vibees as a campaign hymn.

Grab 'em by the "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"

[VacantJoy]

not exactly the news of today although worthy of sharing

So my legend of a cousin Lorcan just realised he was kind of important to the creation of
@foofighters @FooFightersUK
He saw a video by Dave Grohl talking about why he got back to work after a visit to Ireland. Lorcan was out hitchhiking wearing his nirvana top when Dave stopped

https://x.com/eointighe/status/1824156995324092518 , https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/g ... 94801.html

[Live in Phoenix]

The MTV Video Music Awards are on?? That takes some fuckin’ balls…

[Live in Phoenix]

SOMETHING'S SHOCKING

Jane’s Addiction Concert Ends Abruptly After Perry Farrell Punches Dave Navarro Onstage

"Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night," singer's wife writes after tensions flare up between longtime band mates at Boston show

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 235102389/

============================================
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A little belated: Taylor Swift endorsed the Democrat nominee for president. This came in the wake of Trump essentially declaring himself the recipient of the coveted endorsement.

What to know about Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris

https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift ... baf014de76

Swift also said her endorsement of Harris was partially prompted by Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures suggesting she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”

[Live in Phoenix]

Jane’s Addiction cancels all remaining tour dates as Perry Farrell issues apology for on-stage altercation

Navarro, along with Jane’s Addiction band mates Stephen Perkins and Eric Avery, posted a joint statement to their respective Instagram accounts in which they said the cancelation of the tour is a result of a “continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/entertai ... index.html

[Live in Phoenix]

Sean "Diddy" Combs arrested, charged with sex trafficking in federal indictment

Sean "Diddy" Combs has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The charges were revealed after Combs was taken into custody by federal authorities in New York the night before, multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News, in connection with an ongoing investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.

Combs is expected to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, of the Southern District of New York, said during a news conference that federal prosecutors would be seeking detention for Combs.

In the indictment, prosecutors allege that Combs was part of a criminal organization that engaged in or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, obstruction of justice and other offenses.

Williams said there were multiple victims in the case, but he didn't provide a specific number and he urged others to come forward to authorities.

Combs is accused of assaulting women on numerous occasions starting in 2009 and continuing for years, according to the indictment.

"The indictment alleges that between at least 2008 and the present, Combs abused, threatened and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct," Williams told reporters Tuesday. "As alleged in the indictment, to carry out this conduct, Sean Combs led and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that used the business empire he controlled to carry out criminal activity."

According to the indictment, Combs "manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers." Combs also allegedly arranged for women and commercial sex workers to be flown to him.

Combs "ensured participation from the women by, among other things, obtaining and distributing narcotics to them, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and threatening to cut off the same, and using intimidation and violence," the indictment alleges.

Williams said the investigation into Combs was ongoing and that additional charges weren't off the table. He also said others could face charges in the case.

"This office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be," Williams said.

Read the indictment
The indictment refers to an incident caught on hotel security cameras in 2016. CNN aired the footage earlier this year, which appears to show Combs attacking the singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. In May, Combs apologized for the incident, saying his behavior was "inexcusable" and that he took "full responsibility" for his actions.

According to the indictment, Combs attempted to bribe a hotel security staff member who intervened in the incident to keep them quiet.

In recent months, the hip-hop mogul has faced multiple accusations of sexual abuse and physical violence. In March, Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by HSI agents and other law enforcement officers due to a possible ongoing sex trafficking investigation, U.S. officials said at the time, but no charges were filed then.

Homeland Security Investigations declined to comment.

"We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney's Office," Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, said in a statement.

He described Combs as "a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist," and said, "He is an imperfect person but he Is not a criminal."

Agnifilo said Combs "has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court."

The unsealed indictment lists the case as:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
V.
SEAN COMBS,
a/k/a "Puff Daddy,"
a/k/a "P. Diddy,"
a/k/a "Diddy,"
a/k/a "PD,"
a/k/a "Love,"
Defendant.

Combs has faced a number of lawsuits in recent months involving allegations of sexual misconduct, abuse and violence. Combs and his representatives have denied all the accusations.

In November 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of rape and abuse during their relationship; he denied the accusations. They reached a settlement the following day.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sean-diddy ... l-custody/

[FrankLotion]

Jesus Christ, I didn’t realize the charges were so extensive. Once upon a time i used to work at Portland’s Human Trafficking Unit and it is unbelievably difficult for a case like this to move forward, so the fact that they have enough evidence to arrest a billionaire is alarming. I know it’s innocent until proven guilty…but fuck this guy.

I guess Katt Williams was right that 2024 would be the year of reckoning.

[StevieFan13]

Jesus Christ, I didn’t realize the charges were so extensive. Once upon a time i used to work at Portland’s Human Trafficking Unit and it is unbelievably difficult for a case like this to move forward, so the fact that they have enough evidence to arrest a billionaire is alarming. I know it’s innocent until proven guilty…but fuck this guy.

I guess Katt Williams was right that 2024 would be the year of reckoning.

How long until the Embassy gets raided, do you think? It's only a matter of time...

[Live in Phoenix]

I knew he'd incurred his own sort of Surviving R. Kelly program (TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy, on Tubi). I remember thinking, I don't know what a show on Tubi amounts to, let me know when he's charged. Well, here we are...

(Incidentally, it looks like R. Kelly was charged a month and a half after Surviving R. Kelly, and Puff Daddy -- that's how I still think of him -- was charged around 5 months after the Tubi show.)

[FrankLotion]

Jesus Christ, I didn’t realize the charges were so extensive. Once upon a time i used to work at Portland’s Human Trafficking Unit and it is unbelievably difficult for a case like this to move forward, so the fact that they have enough evidence to arrest a billionaire is alarming. I know it’s innocent until proven guilty…but fuck this guy.

I guess Katt Williams was right that 2024 would be the year of reckoning.

How long until the Embassy gets raided, do you think? It's only a matter of time...

Honestly I’m still very hesitant to throw these suspicions too hard at Drake (yet) since his ties we know about are tangential at best.

Though I will say that reading through the P Diddy indictment makes me realize that there’s space in this industry for a surprisingly robust trafficking infrastructure that I thought would be impossible to hide at that level, so I guess who knows what goes on at Drake’s palace.

[Live in Phoenix]

Jesus Christ, I didn’t realize the charges were so extensive. Once upon a time i used to work at Portland’s Human Trafficking Unit and it is unbelievably difficult for a case like this to move forward, so the fact that they have enough evidence to arrest a billionaire is alarming. I know it’s innocent until proven guilty…but fuck this guy.

I guess Katt Williams was right that 2024 would be the year of reckoning.

How long until the Embassy gets raided, do you think? It's only a matter of time...

Honestly I’m still very hesitant to throw these suspicions too hard at Drake (yet) since his ties we know about are tangential at best.

Though I will say that reading through the P Diddy indictment makes me realize that there’s space in this industry for a surprisingly robust trafficking infrastructure that I thought would be impossible to hide at that level, so I guess who knows what goes on at Drake’s palace.

Not sure what this portends, but Usher’s Twitter just went totally blank.

[StevieFan13]

How long until the Embassy gets raided, do you think? It's only a matter of time...

Honestly I’m still very hesitant to throw these suspicions too hard at Drake (yet) since his ties we know about are tangential at best.

Though I will say that reading through the P Diddy indictment makes me realize that there’s space in this industry for a surprisingly robust trafficking infrastructure that I thought would be impossible to hide at that level, so I guess who knows what goes on at Drake’s palace.

Not sure what this portends, but Usher’s Twitter just went totally blank.

The one I'm nervous about is Busta Rhymes. I've never gotten bad vibes about him specifically, but he's collabed, in some cases relatively extensively, with a bunch of disgraced hip-hop and R&B artists (Diddy and Chris Brown immediately come to mind). Either the dude's in the wrong place at the wrong time or there are some skeletons in his closet we haven't heard about yet.

[Live in Phoenix]

Kris Kristofferson, country music legend and 'Blade' star, dies at 88
The Grammy-winning singer is also remembered for his role in "A Star is Born."

Kristofferson's resume was eclectic: Rhodes scholar, U.S. Army veteran, pilot, Golden Gloves boxer and award-winning actor. But it was his famous songs -- including "Me and Bobby McGee," "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" -- that made him a music legend.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/kris-kris ... =114337095