Apologize for the inevitable lateness for this one, kids. Schedule conflicts being what they are made this into what it was for today. Hope all of you Stateside are having an excellent Memorial Day long weekend.
Nothing all that new or shocking with your humble servant this week. I ended up picking up the final volume of Warren Ellis’ and Darick Robertson’s epic comic series, Transmetropolitan. For those of you who don’t really frequent the Funnybook Zone here on 411, Transmet was a comic book that was put out through DC imprint Vertigo. The series wrapped up a couple of years ago, although it’s been released in trade paperback format for those who weren’t able to get into it the first time around.
The book itself deals with outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem (who happens to bear quite the resembalance to one Dr. Hunter S. Thompson…) and his dealings with The City. The book is very political and filled to the brim with black humour of all kinds. Ellis and Robertson did an amazing job in creating a futuristic world to play in and the storywriting, done by Ellis, is just…brilliant. If you enjoy the political rants I go on here in this column, or if you just like dark humour, Transmetropolitan happens to be one of those comic books that you’ll be able to show off to your less understanding friends and co-workers and come off as being sort of cool as a result.
Aside from that, not much else has been going on with me. So, with that said, let’s get down to covering…
Da News
– Madonna, the Grandmother of Pop, cancelled three gigs in Israel after recieving death threats made against her, as well as her children. It’s believed that a Palestinian extremist group were the ones to make the threats, as Madonna has practiced a sect of Jewish mysticism called Kabbala. However, Madonna has stated that the reasons for cancelling the shows were because of the violence in the region…not because of any death threats made against her personally. Yeah, violence in Israel. That NEVER happens. Look Madonna, I know you realize that your entire fanbase is built up of retards who are desperately clinging to the time when you were considered to be a passable pop act, but could you at least be a little bit more subtle when insulting our intelligence? And if all it takes to get her to stop performing are a couple of death threats, let’s organize a ‘letter writing campaign’ to Madonna’s record label and force her into retirement.
– Courtney Love pleaded guilty to being a cracked out whore of a drug addict earlier this week and will enter rehab. To further curtail against having Courtney Love ever being a menace to the general public again, a judge has also ordered the widow of Kurdt Cobain to never set foot into a recording studio for as long as our solar system’s sun burns…and THAT, Ladies & Gentlemen was YOUR Courtney Love Jab Of The Week!
– Libertines frontman Pete Doherty has apparently left the band, as well as rehab, and fled to France with his girlfriend. Claiming that rehab was making his life unbearable, Doherty stated that he firmly believes that his girlfriend will be able to free him of his junk addiction where many high priced and knowledgable professionals have failed. You know, I’m not one to participate in Deadpools at all, but I give this guy until September, October if he’s lucky before he finally kicks the bucket. I’m beginning to wonder, too, if perhaps Doherty is suffering from some sort of Jim Morrison complex, but I’ve yet to see him in leather pants or singing about his sister in rather obvious sexual tones, so I’ll hold off on commentary about THAT for now.
– Taking Back Sunday, who’ll be performing on the Warped Tour this summer, have released their new single online. Go here to take a listen to the new track, entitled ‘A Decade Under The Influence’. TBS’s new one will be due out July 27th.
– Apparently P Diddy has entered into a partnership with cosmetics company Estee Lauder to create a new line of fragrances under Diddy’s ‘Sean John’ brand. Umm, okay then. Correct me if I’m wrong, but once upon a time rap artists DID actually have some sort of machismo complex going on, right? I mean, Christ, I understand that musicians and performers (of whom Diddy qualifies as only ONE and not both…) have to become corporate shills now, but does anything and everything have to be endorsed by a musician now? And by Puff f*cking Daddy of all people, too. Of all the famous musicians out there who might’ve done a cosmetics endorsement, I would’ve pegged maybe Marilyn Manson or KISS or something.
– Good Charlotte sucks, and their leadman should follow his namesake and be put down and/or given rabies. That is all.
– Static X will be releasing a rarities album sometime this coming July. No word yet if the upcoming album, entitled, Beneath, Between, Beyond, will feature all of the material from their existing albums, or if they will go the route of more conventional, well known, good groups and feature b-sides, demos and the such.
– For you Nine Inch Nails fans out there, you’re going to have to wait a little while longer to hear new material from Mr. Reznor. In a story that was making the rounds last week, it was determined that the soundtrack for the upcoming Chucky film, entitled Seed Of Chucky, was going to release some new material from Nine Inch Nails. However, it’s been determined from none other than Rob Zombie, who was one of the other artists featured as having new material on the OST, that the tracklisting was bogus. So, you heard it here, kiddies, No NIN for Chucky!
– The RIAA have sued another 493 people, lest any of you forget out there that file sharing is bad, bad, BAD! This really isn’t….um, news. It’s more like saying that the ocean is still wet, or that oxygen is still breathable. Yeah. I got nothing here. Sorry.
– Avril Lavigne isn’t a manufactured pop-product unleashed upon the world by angry, bitter, shelves-of-their-former-selves producers and ‘songwriters’. No, she’s actually a far more intellectually deep and engaging person than the media would, like, have you to believe. In a recent interview, she said ‘I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. I’ve been playing guitar since I was a little girl. I’ve been writing full-on songs since I was 14 (Wow! Since last year? Get out of here!); like, full-structured songs.’
Okay, slow down there for a second. If Avril Lavigne is a full-blown, grown up ‘songwriter’, why the f*ck does everything she write have co-writing credits slathered all over them? Also, why does every song on your new record (yes, I’ve listened to it…the things I do for you dear readers) sounds an awful lot like something Raine Maida would do if he was 14 years old and female? Why do the vocal stylings sound an awful lot like Chantal Kreviazuk? Oh right, forgot they more or less wrote this entire album for you. How SILLY of me!
– Fans of the Travelling Wilburys might have cause for celebration in the near future. For those of you that don’t know who I’m talking about, imagine a group like, say, Audioslave, but instead of the Rage and Soundgarden guys, throw in Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Roy Orbison and set the Wayback Machine to the 80s. With that said, the wife of Roy Orbison, Barbara Orbison, is looking to release a Travelling Wilburys audio/video set later on this year. Working in conjunction with Olivia Harrison, they’re also looking at releasing a bunch of Wilburys material that hasn’t been available for public consumption for nearly 10 years.
Now, I’m going to admit to being a little hazy here, and my frantic searching online for information have proven fruitless, but wasn’t the reason why TW material wasn’t available to begin with because of Barbara Orbison, who was suing the remaining members of the band/the record label for royalties? That’s the story that I had known/heard for quite some time, so I’m a little confused as to why she’s doing what she’s doing, as the information I’ve gotten on this story have made no mention of any lawsuits or settlements or anything.
Anti-Pop: He’s A Real Nowhere Man…
– An offsite link first. If you’re looking for one more reason that might push for you to vote out the Bush Administration, or if you’re looking for another reason to get your hate on, and happen to be a creatively inclined person like yours truly, you might want to consider checking this out. Apparently the FBI can now take command of your house, your wife’s body, your art supplies and detain you illegally because the government is apparently too stupid to realize that ART != BIOTERRORISM. I’m not one to advocate PayPal or ‘donation’ sites, but really, this guy could use any spare bucks you might have lying around. Of course, it’s not like Kerry is going to be a viable alternative, given how things are going with him, but getting Bush out of the Whitehouse should be every American’s priority come November.
– Secondly, I meant to do this last week, considering I had some rather horrible spyware problems of my own, but better late than never, right? Anywho, Eric S, has taken the issue of Spyware, specifically that which is featured through advertising on 411, as his own personal Crusade, and I have no qualms with spreading the gospel, if you will. Check out Eric’s latest Black column for some outstanding commentary about the state of affairs in the world today, as well as the aforementioned Spyware information. Surprised Eric didn’t cover the rumours of a possible Draft in June 2005 if Bush gets re-elected, considering the Internet went batshit insane over it this week. If it’s not considered Old Hat and you’re reading this Eric, would you care to comment on this?
For the other plugs this week, I thought I’d take the first little bit from everyone’s column, run it through Internet translation site a half dozen times and let the results sort of speak for themselves.
– Jeff is talking about her. Who she is, we have no clue, but the one mountain is behind her:
It is good in order to give to the sheet of the swindle of Saturday. The column of this week there will there be capienza you from dew Livewire, after this of one mountain behind for her there will be. It fused the real sapore as popsicle pomerayets!
– Aaron Cameron, member of the Minority Report and the 411 Music Zone’s Conn Smythe winner likes his kokers:
Onthaal to illegitimate. I hope everyone chance get to enjoy since this commemoration day semi-offciele the beginning it zomerweekend, it happens, unless you line in or around New England. I caught a couple red Sox/game A’s on ESPN and between cooling wind, breathing long kokers and visible, I helft-verwactche Ted Williams’ in the cabin to head roll which concerning how cold was was complain.
– Mr. YOU is jealous of Mud of Metals and wants his:
I am to leave what here up to o’toy I take because goddammit I want my XM radio I present. If the f*cking mud of metals takes one, then I want this solo. Who turn wouldn’t in for ekej’no.ton. the type of chaos shjzofrenoy’? No doubt.
– Tom likes his numbers, apparently
:
Friend of Michelle is 21, weeks of TWO of does of and, St. Juan of the mile of THE ONE of as the university of as he graduated as she.
Sound Advice
Other artists featured in Sound Advice: Tons! Check out older editions of Sunday Bloody Sunday to get the goods on some more Canadian artists.
If you’d like to see an artist featured in Sound Advice, you can contact me on MSN Messenger or e-mail me at trevor411music@hotmail.com or catch me on AIM as flinch311.
The End Is The Beginning Is The End
This week’s new release schedule is pretty timid as well, coming hot off of the heels of the double whammy of Return of the King and the Bitch Queen of MTV’s releases. If you’re a fan of Irish pop music, The Corrs have their new one coming out and, um, there’s the Deluxo Edition of Spiderman for DVDs. Supersize Me came out in theatres this past Friday, and is worth checking out if you’re wanting to see another fairly interesting documentary. Not that the premise of a guy eating nothing but McDonald’s for a month was going to come up with a SHOCKING conclusion or anything, but it’s been getting rave reviews everywhere, so check it out.
Pick up Transmetropolitan per my suggestion earlier in this column, and I’ll see you all next week. Check out for quadruple M tomorrow, as Michael Melchor Makes Memorial Day. I’m out!
