May 11 - 20, 2010
These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!
May 11, 2010
Eric Burden of The Animals and War is 69.
Drummer Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band is 63.
On this day 1970, The Who unleashed their "Live At Leeds" album and The Beatles released their "The Long And Winding Road" single.
On this day 1981, reggae legend Bob Marley died of a brain tumor at the age of 36.
On this day in 2003, Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding died in Ireland at the age of 57.
Poor Diamond Dave
Since we've all been accused of doing something that we didn't do, we can feel sorry for David Lee Roth as we snicker to ourselves about life's inequities. The occasional Van Halen singer has been sued for divorce by a woman he's never met, and who can't produce even one photo of the two together much less a marriage certificate. Allentown, Pennsylvania resident Jo Ann Fonzone — who has targeted 18 different defendants in nearly two dozen lawsuits since 1997 — claims that she wed Roth when he went by a different name in the Seventies and that she left him in 1993. Wonder if she knows he's also a scalawag?
Queen On The Move
Word is that the surviving members of Queen are not renewing their contract with longtime British distributor EMI. Drummer Roger Taylor, guitarist Brian May and bassist John Deacon will reportedly move over to Universal in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. In addition to their iconic hit singles and albums, Queen music has also had extensive use in commercials and marketing. Bucks up indeed!
McCready Goes Sci-Fi
When the producers of the Fox show "Fringe" reached out to Pearl Jam to use the song "Just Breathe" on Thursday night's episode, they ended up getting guitarist Mike McCready to compose the entire score for the show! The fact that McCready is a big fan of the sci-fi series helped convince him to make his first venture into television soundtracking. Having previously contributed to the incredible Cameron Crowe Rock & Roll film "Almost Famous," McCready was surprised to find the TV gig required "a completely different kind of songwriting than what I'm used to." Still, he really enjoyed the gig and hopes to write more for TV and film in the future.
Chilis Prepping
The latest from Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is that, "We have a lot of material, probably about 20 songs." And while the band was sad to see guitarist John Frusciante leave, Josh Klinghoffer has been, "a real creative force... He's going to play guitar, he's going to write music, he's going to sing and play keyboards." Once they start recording in July, the band will be working with producer Rick Rubin. Rock on!
It was Mae West who said: "It's not the men in my life that counts — it's the life in my men."
It was Robert Anthony who said: "When you blame others, you give up your power to change."
It was Kin Hubbard who said: "Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation."
May 12, 2010
Comic genius George Carlin would have been 73.
Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan is 65.
Multi-instrumentalist/singer extraordinaire Stevie Winwood is 62.
Guitarist Billy Squier is 60.
KISS/Alice Cooper drummer Eric Singer is 52.
On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones recorded "Satisfaction" in a 30-minute session at RCA Studios in Hollywood. Two days earlier, they had unsuccessfully attempted to record the song at Chess Studios in Chicago.
On this day in 1967, Pink Floyd played one of their first experimental concerts in quadraphonic sound at the "Games for May" event at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall.
On this day in 1969, Santana recorded "Evil Ways," which went on to become their first Top 10 hit.
On this day in 1971, Mick Jagger married his first wife, Bianca, at the St. Tropez Town Hall. The large Roman Catholic service was attended by the other Rolling Stones, as well as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Steven Stills. Think any of that group caught a buzz?
On this day in 1972, The Rolling Stones released their classic "Exile on Main Street" album.
On this day in 1973, Steely Dan's "Reeling In The Years" peaked at #11 on the singles chart.
On this day in 1979, singer Mickey Thomas made his debut with the Jefferson Starship at a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Eagles Problems?
This might not be good. In the midst of their highly successful, long term "Long Road Out Of Eden" tour, Eagles singer/drummer Don Henley is saying, "I had hoped that we could go for two more years and reach the 40-year milestone. But it's looking more and more like the end of the trail is imminent." Of course, this is the same songwriting master who famously announced in 1980 that the Eagles would reunite "when hell freezes over." Sure it took them 14 years to regroup for a tour and live LP called "Hell Freezes Over," but they've been thrilling audiences and raking in millions ever since. Let's just hope that Don was having an off night.
Waters Selling Tix
You can't be surprised that the demand for tickets to Roger Waters' performances of "The Wall" in its entirety has been so overwhelming that he has added 12 more shows to his tour. In addition to second shows at our Staples Center and the Honda Center, the former Pink Floyd mastermind has added 30th anniversary "Wall" concerts in Toronto, Boston, Montreal, Fort Lauderdale, San Jose, New York, Long Island, Philadelphia and Chicago. Want to bet there'll be more?
Buy The Magic Bus
Volkswagen's 60th anniversary event in Germany in 2007 included a huge concert by The Who. Afterwards, Who frontman Roger Daltrey teamed up with VW to create a real version of the band's Magic Bus for his Teenager Cancer Trust charity. The fully restored 1965 VW van — painted by Richard Evans, The Who's renowned graphic artist — was sold for $42,000 with the proceeds going to the charity. Now, the multiple award winning vehicle will be auctioned at the Coys sale in Ascot, Berkshire, England on May 23rd. Guaranteed it's not near as loud as the band!
Supertramp (Sort Of)
The Supertramp PR battle isn't exactly heating up, but singer/keyboardist Rick Davies has finally broken his silence. Rick says that after 15 months of discussion, he and Roger Hodgson (who co-founded Supertramp with Davies in 1970) could not come to an agreement on a reunion. So with "much encouragement and support from Supertramp's longstanding promoters," Davies decided to put the band back on the road. His official announcement said, "The '70-10 Tour' is a celebration of 40 years of Supertramp, but it is not a reunion with Roger Hodgson. We wish Roger well and look forward to playing for you this Fall." And that's that. You may now return to your regularly scheduled life.
It was Goodman Ace who said: "Familiarity breeds attempt."
It was Martin Van Buren who said: "It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't."
It was Art Buchwald who said: "Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got."
Hot Rods In Costa Mesa
This Saturday! 10am - Noon: Uncle Joe will be right back in the middle of the 4th Good Guys Orange County Get Together Hot Rod Show, chatting with fans and admiring the best Hot Rods the O.C. has to offer! Here's a sample of what it will look like.
May 13, 2010
Rock & Roll pioneer Ritchie Valens would have been 69 today.
Magic Dick, trumpet and harmonica player with the J. Geils Band, is 65.
The amazing Stevie Wonder is 60.
Danny Kirwan, guitarist and vocalist in the first successful incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, is 60.
On this day in 1966, The Kinks recorded "Sunny Afternoon."
On this day in 1970, The Beatles' pseudo-documentary "Let It Be" premiered in New York.
On this day in 1989, Tom Petty's classic "Full Moon Fever" album entered the charts.
This weekend, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of, and Joe's brand new conversation with, Peter Frampton. Stream on!
T.P. & H.B.s/S.N.L.
You don't want to miss Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' performance on this week's "Saturday Night Live"! This will be the warm up for the launch of the Hall Of Famers' national tour on June 1st and the release of their new album "Mojo" on June 15th.
Supertramp Update #312
Heads up! It's time for another salvo between Supertramp co-founders Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies! As Davies and his "new" Supertramp prepare to launch a "reunion" tour, Hodgson — who is not a part of the deal — has issued a list of his songs that he says the band should not play. Among the 20+ classics are "The Logical Song," "Dreamer," "Give A Little Bit" and "Breakfast In America." Baring any legal action, Davies' 40th Anniversary Supertramp Reunion Tour will launch on September 2nd somewhere in Germany.
History Lost In Nashville Floods
Along with taking over 30 lives and damaging thousands of homes and businesses, the recent horrible flooding in Nashville has affected many musicians. Hundreds of instruments and tons of equipment were lost when the Cumberland River flooded the Soundcheck Nashville rehearsal and storage complex, and many artists like Vince Gill and John Fogerty lost everything. Likewise, virtually all of the Musicians Hall Of Fame & Museum instruments stored there spent days underwater. Relics like Jimi Hendrix's 1966 Fender Stratocaster, Pete Townshend's guitar from The Who's first "Quadrophenia" tour, the drums Kenny Buttrey used on Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold," the bass that Joe Osborne used on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and all of the Johnny Rivers records — the bass signed by Osborne fans Karen Carpenter, Neil Young and Paul Simon among others — as well as hundreds of other one of a kind instruments are irrevocably altered, if not totally ruined. Of course these are things, not people. But these instruments were the holy grails of musicians, and with their loss, we've lost part of our history.
Viv Joins His Heroes
With Def Leppard on a hiatus of sorts, longtime Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has joined the latest version of his childhood idols, Thin Lizzy. The new Lizzy line-up will mark the 25th anniversary of singer/songwriter Phil Lynott's passing with a special show in Dublin on January 4th, then kick off a British tour on January 6th. In addition to Viv, the group will include original guitarist Scott Gorham, drummer Brian Downey and keyboardist Darren Wharton, along with former Whitesnake bassist Marco Mendoza and The Almighty's Ricky Warwick on vocals and guitar.
It was Dave Barry who said: "You should not confuse your career with your life."
It was Jay Leno who asked: "How come you never see a headline like 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?"
It was Charles Swindoll who said: "The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it."
May 14, 2010
Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce is 67.
The head Talking Head, David Byrne, is 58.
On this day in 1955, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets entered the Top 40 on its way to becoming the first #1 record of the rock era.
On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones' cryptic "Paint It Black" entered the American singles charts.
On this day in 1966, The Yardbirds' "Shapes Of Things," driven by Jeff Beck's mind blowing guitar work, peaked at #11 on the charts.
On this day in 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the song "Ohio," only 10 days after the fatal Kent State University shootings that inspired the song.
On this day in 1976, former Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf electrocuted himself while tuning his electric guitar in the bathtub.
On this day in 1988, Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary celebration at New York's Madison Square Garden saw the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunite with John Bonham's son Jason on drums.
On this day in 1998, Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82.
T.P. & H.B.s/S.N.L.
You don't want to miss Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' performance on this week's "Saturday Night Live"! This will be the warm up for the launch of the Hall Of Famers' national tour on June 1st and the release of their new album "Mojo" on June 15th.
Buy Lennon Being Embarrassed
Not that you've been dying to get your hands on this, but a rare reel-to-reel recording of the August 1966 Toronto press conference in which John Lennon was drilled for his comment that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus" will be auctioned next month by Bonhams & Butterfield. The 14 minute original recording is expected to pull in somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 dollars on June 13th. Good luck!
Sir Elty Gets Morocco OK
If you were debating a trip to Morocco, know that Sir Elton John will be there next week! Despite demands by Morocco's main Islamic party that he be banned from performing, Sir Elty will join Julio Iglesias, B.B. King and Carlos Santana at the Mawazine festival. The festival's artistic director said that banning John on the grounds of his homosexuality would "breach certain values that the international Mawazine festival is based on. We invite artists on the basis of the quality of their performance on stage and according to their artistic career. [John is] one of the world's top pop singers and composers. His private life is none of our business." The festival in Rabat will run from May 21st through 29th.
Even If They Prop Him Up In His Chair
Ever the promoter of his own events, Donald Trump has declared that Poison frontman Bret Michaels will make an appearance on the finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice" — despite suffering a near fatal brain hemorrhage a few weeks ago. Trump said, "What he's done is amazing... He had, essentially, an explosion in his brain and he's really doing better. I don't know if it's going to happen, but he wants to be — in two weeks — on the finale of 'Celebrity Apprentice.' He wants to be there." So now we know!
It was Tom Waits who said: "I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy."
It was David Letterman who said: "The worst tempered people I have ever met were those who knew that they were wrong."
It was Bill Walton who said: "A lot of people understand what not saying anything means, so, in effect, not saying anything is really saying a lot.
May 15, 2010
Former Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno (Uber-producer for David Bowie, Talking Heads and U2) is 62.
On this day in 1965, The Byrds made their first entry into the charts with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Three months later, the song peaked at #1, and was a strong factor in Dylan's decision to switch from acoustic to electric music.
On this day in 1965, "For Your Love" by The Yardbirds entered the charts. The song featured Eric Clapton on all the guitar parts except the solo, which was recorded by his replacement, Jeff Beck.
On this day in 1967, Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman for the first time at the Bag O' Nails nightclub in London. They clicked big time and married on March 12th, 1969.
On this day in 1970, Pink Floyd played a concert in front of a large lake at the Crystal Palace Bowl in South London. Not only were a great number of fish in the lake killed by the loud music, a full one-third of the audience blew their minds!
On this day in 1970, Black Sabbath released its self-titled album.
On this day in 1971, The Doors' "Love Her Madly" peaked at #11 on the singles chart.
On this day in 1971, two truly classic albums, The Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers" and Jethro Tull's masterpiece "Aqualung," both entered the charts on their way to #1.
On this day in 1975, the most famous Fleetwood Mac line-up (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, and John & Christine McVie) made their live debut in El Paso, Texas.
On this day in 1976, Steve Miller released his "Fly Like An Eagle" album.
On this day in 1976, Thin Lizzy's classic "The Boys Are Back In Town" entered the singles charts.
On this day in 1984, guitarist Nils Lofgren was drafted into The E Street Band by Bruce Springsteen to replace "Little Steven" Van Zandt.
May 16, 2010
Foghat drummer Roger Earl is 64.
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is 45.
On this day in 1970, Randy Bachman left The Guess Who.
On this day in 1987, U2 topped the charts for the first of three weeks with their song "With Or Without You."
May 17, 2010
Drummer Bill Bruford, who rose to fame with Yes and King Crimson, is 62.
On this day in 1846, Antoine Sax patented the first Rock & Roll instrument: the saxophone.
On this day in 1969, the Chicago Transit Authority's debut album entered the charts — the first time a group ever debuted with a double album. In short order, they were sued by the real C.T.A. and were forced to shorten their name to Chicago.
On this day in 1987, Tom Petty's Encino home was torched by arsonists. That directly inspired Tom to write "I Won't Back Down."
On this day in 1999, producer Bruce Fairbairn (who had worked with Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Yes, among others) died at the age of 49.
Dio R.I.P.
Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of the struggle between good and evil made him a Heavy Metal god, lost his battle with stomach cancer yesterday morning. The 67-year-old was best known for fronting Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne split the iconic heavy metal band, but Ronnie also fronted Elf, Rainbow and Heaven & Hell, as well as his own Dio band in a 53 year career. He was diagnosed last Fall with stomach cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. He had recently undergone his seventh chemotherapy treatment and was hoping to take the stage again soon. Truly one of the most powerful voices and personalities in Rock & Roll, he will be missed. Rest in peace music man!
Bruce & GaGa
Guaranteed that never in a million years would you have imagined that Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Debbie Harry and Shirley Bassey would join together to cover Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" live on stage! Turns out that Bruce was the big unannounced special guest at Sting and his wife Trudie Styler's 21st annual Rainforest Foundation fund-raising concert at Carnegie Hall last Thursday night. On his own the Boss sang his "Dancing In The Dark" followed by a soulful cover of Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like A Knife." You need to check out YouTube for the grand finale!
Keef's Booked
Oh, he's been one busy Keef! After months and months of racking his brain, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is set to release his autobiography in October. The Rock & Roll icon says, "It's kind of weird writing about your own life. Who'd be interested in that? But then, I realized there is a lot of interest, so... Talking to some of the people that were there for their version of events to try and correlate it all was very interesting, a kind of kaleidoscopic bunch of experiences." A "kaleidoscopic bunch of experiences" of a different sort — the deluxe edition of The Stones' classic 1972 "Exile On Main Street" double album — will be out tomorrow.
Life In U2's Spidey Show
Despite historic production and financing troubles, the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" — with music from Bono and The Edge — has been scheduled to enter previews in October, and then open for real in November. Reeve Carney is set to play the web-slinger and Patrick Page, who rose to fame as the Grinch in the Broadway production of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," will play the Green Goblin. The role of Spidey's hottie/love interest Mary Jane remains unfilled (as opposed to unfulfilled like so many hottie/love interests).
It was Jack Handy who said: "I hope that after I die, people will say of me: 'That guy sure owed me a lot of money.'"
It was Kin Hubbard who said: "Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature."
It was James Thurber who said: "There are two kinds of light: the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures."
Does Size Really Matter?
Ever wonder why that outfit doesn't look the same on you? While the average American female model is five feet 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds, the average American woman is five feet four inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.
Although most people think that Napoleon was short, he was actually five feet, six inches tall, an average height for a Frenchman in those days.
A ten-gallon hat actually holds 3/4 gallon or three quarts. So why did they call it a ten-gallon hat? Because everything's bigger in Texas — especially the lies!
May 18, 2010
Keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman of Yes is 61.
On this day in 1963, The Kingsmen recorded their classic "Louie Louie" in a small room with one microphone.
On this day in 1966, The Animals recorded the old American blues classic "House Of The Rising Sun." It became their first #1 hit in the U.S. four months later.
On this day in 1974, Bachman Turner Overdrive released the "Taking Care of Business" single.
On this day in 1985, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Don't Come Around Here No More" peaked at #13 on the singles chart.
On this day in 1992, Ozzy Osbourne announced another in a long series of retirements from touring.
Still No Beatles/iTunes
Did you ask why aren't The Beatles available on iTunes? Paul McCartney says it's because of their record label, EMI. "To tell you the truth I don't actually understand how it's got so crazy. I know iTunes would like to do it, so one day it's going to happen." "It's been business hassles," the miffed Macca added. "Not with us, or iTunes. It's the people in the middle, the record label. There have been all sorts of reasons why they don't want to do it."
Original Ozzy Again
The glorious 30th anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albums will be marked with the release of upgraded versions of "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" later this year. But the best (and most surprising) news of all is that the reissues will include the performances of original bassist Bob Daisley and original drummer Lee Kerslake. When we last checked, those tracks had been totally erased from the 2002 Ozzy re-releases. Evidently the nasty little business spat those two guys got into with Sharon Osbourne has been amicably resolved.
Scorsese's Harrison Film
We now know that legendary director Martin Scorsese has finished filming his "Living In The Material World: George Harrison" documentary. Scorsese and George Harrison's widow, Olivia spent last week shopping the flick to potential distributors at the Cannes Film Festival. As you'd expect, the documentary tracks Harrison's legacy from his Beatles days through his solo career, and features new interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton and more of The Beatles' contemporaries. The project is the latest Scorsese's journey into the world of rock. His filmography includes The Band's final star-studded concert "The Last Waltz" as well as Bob Dylan's "No Direction Home," the "Feel Like Going Home" segment of the 2003 documentary "The Blues" and The Rolling Stones' all-star 2006 Beacon Theatre performance "Shine A Light." Stunning stuff indeed!
Chickenfooting Again
Guitarist Joe Satriani reports that Chickenfoot will spend September in the studio, working on their second album. They're figuring to finish recording and mixing in late January or early February, and release the album next Spring, via Best Buy like their first set. The supergroup, which includes frontman Sammy Hagar, drummer Chad Smith and bassist Michael Anthony, are currently zeroing in on a producer.
Carlos Heads Back To The Casino
After guitar god Carlos Santana finishes his U.S. tour with Steve Winwood in early August, he'll return to his residency at the Hard Rock Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. His next round of "Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits" shows at the casino's music venue, The Joint, will roll between August 25th and September 5th.
It was Yogi Berra who said: "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."
It was Robert Brault who said: "The trouble with 'A place for everything and everything in its place' is that there's always more everything than places."
It was Jay Leno who said: "Politics is just show business for ugly people."
May 19, 2010
Guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who is 65.
ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill is 61.
Singer Joey Ramone would have been 59.
Longtime AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is 56.
On this day in 1969, The Who released the classic "Tommy" album.
On this day in 1979, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr reunited for an impromptu jam at a wedding reception for Eric Clapton and his new wife, Patti (George's ex). The couple got married in March while Clapton was touring, so the reception doubled as an end-of-tour party as well.
On this day in 1984, "Legs" by ZZ Top entered the charts on its way to becoming their first Top 10 hit.
On this day in 1986, Peter Gabriel released his landmark "So" album.
On this day in 2000, The Allman Brothers Band fired founding guitarist Dickey Betts over "creative differences."
This weekend, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of ZZ Top and more of Joe's extensive conversation with guitarist/singer Billy F. Gibbons. Stream on!
Delayed Beatlemania
You're probably wondering what in the world hasn't Paul McCartney done in his 50+ year superstar career. Well, evidently performing in the state of Utah is right at the top of his list! Sir Paulie will be playing his first-ever concert in the Beehive State at the new Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on July 13th. You see Macca claims that the goal of his "Up and Coming Tour" is to take him and his hearty little band to new cities and markets. That includes his first San Francisco concert since The Beatles played Candlestick Park in August 1966! But would the world's most successful (and richest) musician take on the expense of touring if he were just going to do two shows in July? A smarter bet would focus on the reissue of his classic "Band On The Run" album arriving in August. Stay tuned!
Send Lawyers, Guns & Money
Oooo! Two super antagonists spending mega money on lots of lawyers! Yes, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose and his former manager, music mogul Irving Azoff, are suing and countersuing the bejesus out of each other for millions and millions and millions of dollars as well as control of the Free World (or something like that). The feuding will definitely get more ugly before it's resolved, so let's just hope that there won't be any TMZ-type pole dancing photos of either litigant before they run out of money!
Austin City Limits Goes Big
The massive line-up for this year's three-day Austin City Limits Festival is set. Three polar opposites — the Eagles, the Muse and Phish — will headline the October 8th to the 10th shows with ample support from over at least 130 other groups. But before you book your flight to that little Texas town, be aware that the three-day passes are sold out.
Brett Michaels TV (Again & Again)
Of course he still hasn't fully recovered from last month's near-fatal brain hemorrhage, but Bret Michaels' is set to star in a new VH1 reality series, "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It." The series will focus on the Poison frontman's home life "when he isn't touring, shooting, partying and rocking out." Unknown at this time is the launch date for the 10-episode series, and whether Brett's ever-present trademark boobalicious fans will be wearing (albeit ever so briefly) old school nursing uniforms or the more traditional loincloths.
It was Dr. Seuss who said: "Adults are obsolete children."
It was Fats Waller who said: "If you don't know what it is, don't mess with it."
It was Erma Bombeck who said: "The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one."
May 20, 2010
Singing icon Joe Cocker is 66.
Diva Suprema Cher is 64.
On this day in 1960, Johnny & The Moondogs changed their name to The Silver Beetles for their first tour of Scotland, backing pop singer Johnny Gentle. The Silver Beetles were made up of John Lennon, Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison, and Stuart de Stael. The last three were actually pseudonyms for Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe.
On this day in 1965, The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" hit #1. It was the first Beatles single to feature Paul McCartney on lead guitar.
On this day in 1968, Janis Joplin recorded "Piece Of My Heart" with Big Brother & The Holding Company.
On this day in 1970, The Beatles released the movie "Let It Be" in London and Liverpool. None of them attended the premieres.
ZZ TV
ZZ Top guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons is returning to the Fox drama "Bones" tonight. The Reverend Billy G. is reprising his role as the father of Michaela Conlin's character Angela Montenegro, the forensic artist at the Jeffersonian. This is actually Gibbons' fourth appearance on the show, and his second TV appearance of the week. He and bandmates Frank Beard and Dusty Hill played a three-piece rock band called ZZ Top on Monday night's episode of "Two and a Half Men." As Billy said, "If that's acting, I guess we're full-time actors when we're on tour."
A Public Dio Memorial
Ronnie James Dio's friends and family have set up a public memorial service for the legendary singer on Sunday May 30th at The Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. It will be "a celebration" of the late frontman's life and music. Dio — whose career included work with Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf and Heaven & Hell — lost his battle with stomach cancer last Sunday. For more details regarding the memorial, please check out http://www.ronniejamesdio.com.
Stones #1 Again?
The Rolling Stones' reissue of their classic 1972 "Exile On Main Street" album is selling so strong in the U.K. that it may debut at #1 on the charts! For the record, The Stones haven't had a #1 album in the U.K. since the release of "Voodoo Lounge" in 1994.
Timothy's Return
Now we (sort of) know why the Eagles had to cancel their last four shows. Bassist Timothy B. Schmit underwent unexpected surgery last Friday and the group couldn't continue without him. No word yet on what the operation was for, but they'll be back on stage tonight in Denver.
It was Goodman Ace who said: "I keep reading between the lies."
It was Steven Wright who asked: "If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?"
It was Robert Anthony who said: "If you let other people do it for you, they will do it to you."
Lowe's In La Habra!
This Saturday (May 22nd), 11am - 1pm: Check out J.B. and the KLOS Cool Patrol at the La Habra Lowe's Home Improvement Center at Beach & Imperial! You may win Steve Miller or Ratt tickets, and fun will be had! Here's what a previous Lowe's Meet & Greet looked like.