Izzy Stradlin: "It's Old Hat"

I love this song!



Izzy Stradlin: guitar,vocals
Rick Richards: guitar,vocals
Duff McKagan: bass
Taz Bentley: drums

From Izzy Stradlin's 1998 album, 117 Degrees.

This Made Me Smile

Classic Rock

New Music: Coldplay, Def Leppard

Yeah, I know, Coldplay and Def Leppard in the same sentance? Sue me.

I grabbed the new Coldplay single this morning, and I'm really enjoying it.

If you hate Coldplay for some reason - that's fine - good for you.

If you are a fan - then I'm gonna bet that you're enjoying "Violet Hill" as much as I am.

The band is back to their 2002 A Rush of Blood to the Head form, and although I haven't paid much attention to them in the past few years, I have to say that now I'm pretty excited for their new album.

Sue me.

I know it's never been in vogue to like Coldplay (or Maroon 5, Nickelback, etc.) but I just don't see where all the hate comes from.

Yes, they sound like a less-depressing version of Radiohead. Is that a bad thing?

Personally, I like to think of them as a fusion between U2, Radiohead and Pink Floyd (all bands I enjoy).



As for Def Leppard, well I stopped paying attention to them somewhere between the release of Hysteria and the video debut for "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

That is to say, I WAS A BIG FAN of Def Lep from High and Dry thru Pyromania, those being the first two cassette tapes I ever purchsed.

Those albums really crystalized the '70s-2nd-wave-British-Heavy-Metal sound.

And the man responsible for that sound was none other than "Mutt" Lange.

Also responsible for the sound on AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Back in Black (the twin cousins of High & Dry and Pyromania), Lange is one of the most successful record producers ever.

He was also responsible for Shania Twain, Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Huey Lewis and the News, Celine Dion, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, Lange was rumored to be involved with the new Leppard project, but it wasn't meant to be (scheduling conflicts - yeah, right).

But still, the hype surrounding Sparkle Lounge was that it was a return to the Mutt Lange sound.

Well, I listened to the "record" twice today and I must say that it sounds a lot like Hysteria.

Now, Lange did produce Hysteria, so technically these claims are based in fact.

Me? I was never a big fan of that album - but if you were - then you might enjoy this new one.

-Mack

Hendrix's Wild Thing

Vivid Entertainment plans to release what it says is a film from the vaults of classic rock: a sex film supposedly of Jimi Hendrix.

The film shows a naked man who resembles Hendrix wearing a bandanna in his Afro, having sex with two brunettes in a dimly lighted bedroom.

His full face appears on screen for only a few seconds, with his eyes closed.

In other portions there are flashes of his profile. But his hands, bedecked with rings, roam large on the screen at times. The film has no audio.

But the identity of the man in the film, which has circulated among Hendrix aficionados for years, is fiercely disputed by experts and former associates.

Vivid Entertainment said that after an extensive inquiry led by private detective agencies, it stands by the Hendrix film as the real thing.

Mr. Hirsch said he became convinced that the tape was authentic after tracking down the man who shot it with an eight-millimeter camera; they reached a monetary agreement “for his approval for us to distribute this.”

But Mr. Hirsch and his lawyers declined to say how the man was located or to put a reporter in touch with him, saying they were bound by a confidentiality agreement signed at the man’s insistence.

No one was able to identify the women in the film, Mr. Hirsch added.

According to the sex-film distributor Howie Klein, who sold the tape to Vivid, the film surfaced when a collector discovered a tin labeled “Black Man” in a box of rock memorabilia bought at an unidentified auction in London.

Source: The New York Times

Who Killed Kurt?

I remember reading this special double-issue of High Times back in 1996 and being totally convinced that Courtney Love and El Duce killed Kurt Cobain.

Read it yourself and see what you think.

Below is an excerpt; you can scroll down to get the link to the entire article.
-M.A.

Who Killed Kurt Cobain?
by Tim Kenneally & Steve Bloom

(Original transcript from the article published in a High Times special issue in April 1996.)

The scenario, according to Grant, goes like this Kurt was planning to divorce Courtney and simultaneously leave the music business. He had spoken to Rosemary Carroll, one of the couple's attorneys about having Courtney taken out of his will. The note found with Cobain's body, Grant asserts, was a farewell to his fans not a suicide note. "It was not addressed to Frances [his daughter] and Courtney, as the police report claims and it doesn't say anything in there about suicide." says Grant.

Of course, Cobain's retirement would have resulted in untold future revenue losses. His decision not to headline the Lollapalooza '94 tour had already cost somewhere in the vicinity of $9.5 million. And, no matter how generous the settlement, a divorce would have led to a further depletion of Courtney's coffers, certainly amounting to less than what she stood to gain from inheriting the Cobain fortune. With that kind of money at stake, Grant contends, the situation was ripe for murder.

You can read the entire article here at JusticeForKurt.com

Weiland Headed to the Slammer

Scott Weiland has just been sentenced to 192 hours in county jail for his November DUI arrest. This is Weiland's second DUI offense. He has until May 28 to serve the sentence.

Scott, who was not present in court today, entered a no contest plea through his attorney, Anthony Brooklier. The former Velvet Revolver singer was also ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol program and pay almost $2,000 in fine. He will be put on a four-year summary probation.

Weiland was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior conviction, and with an allegation that he refused a chemical test as required by law. We are told he was over the legal limit of .08%, but not by much.

According to the police report, he failed the field sobriety tests and refused to take a blood or urine test. He was booked for DUI and released on $40,000.

Source: TMZ

FEAR - MORE BEER

Slash's favorite punk band.

Thanks (again) to the folks over at Rock is Dead/RIP you can rock-out once more to this out-of-print gem!