] I know you’ve been thinking it. And if you haven’t, you probably
] haven’t been paying attention. The art we once called hip hop has
] been dead for some time now. But because its rotting carcass has
] been draped in platinum and propped against a Gucci print car, many
] of us have missed its demise.

Pretty much the same thing happned to every music movement that came out of the past decade or two. Its all boiled down to shit now. I wonder about the reasons often.. It seems to get easier by the day to point your finger at the Big Media say "stop fucking up our culture in the process of making your buck!"

When you turn on the idiot box and see all the thugz, playaz, and gangstas parading around MTV, who do you think the enemy causing our culture to go to shit _really_ is?

Fuck Hip Hop

] Small town, big sound. Four individuals with an undying,
] unconditional love for rock music, and an uncontrollable
] hunger for attention. The singer/guitarist is physically
] challenged (though he prefers to be called "crippled"),
] the drummer sings and makes sarcastic faces, and the
] bassist doesn't dance. He gets all the chicks though! The
] lead guitar player tries to dance, but it looks more like
] he is making love to the guitar, which isn't necessarily
] a bad thing!

I saw these guys open for Frank Black last night. The lead singer/guitarist is a cripple (and appears to prefir that title).. Dude must weight only 40lb. Looks like he could barely hold a guitar, let alone rock out. They had a decent sound too. Dirty alternative rock. These guys get two thumbs up from me.

This is the perfect opening act. It contributed perfectly to this David Lynch sorta vibe the entire night had.

The Bennies Artist Info

"That's it, I'm trashing all my GNR stuff," said fan Dana Claydon. "I've been waiting for this since '93 when Axl cancelled the last time. What a jerk."

Wow! I am taken back by this. Here we are, almost ten years later, and Guns N' Roses is still causing riots because Axl is pulling no-shows. This really amazes me.

Why?

Guns N' Roses: Still good for a riot

South of the Mason-Dixon Line:
November 15 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
November 16 - Atlanta, GA - In-store at Criminal Records 7 PM
November 16 - Atlanta, GA - Smith's Olde Bar

This is a reminder to folks in my neck of the woods, and you southerners too, that Mr. Black is coming to town.

You best be there, ya'll hear me?

I will be at the Stone Pony gig. Maybe the Bowery one too.

Frank Black: Website Link & East Coast Tour Leg Dates

LONDON (Reuters) - Icelandic singer Bjork, one of the most unorthodox figures in pop, is five months pregnant, her London management company said Wednesday.

The former singer of indie-band "The Sugarcubes," who had a string of solo hits in the 1990s and is renowned for her kooky dress sense, is expected to give birth to American boyfriend Matthew Barney's child in September.

I was too late.

Icelandic Singer Bjork Is Pregnant

Behind the smiles, a particularly troubling set of circumstances is plaguing the record industry, which is in dire straits on almost every front. The major record labels depend on three things to survive: the money of fans, the music of their artists and the support of the multinational corporations that own them. But the labels are suddenly realizing that they can't depend on any of these. ... "If the industry doesn't change the way we do business," said Val Azzoli, co-chairman of Atlantic Records, "we're going to be bankrupt." While it has been widely reported that music sales were down 5 percent last year, this is the least of the music business's woes. ....

Neil Strauss of the New York Times issues a report on the (sad) state of the music industry, including the tough economic tradeoffs faced by conglomerates like Sony.

Maybe we just don't need these people anymore! The recording industry as a whole can go up in flames for all I care. Its time we simply start building the REAL communication infrastructure necessary for artists to self-promote. More blank CDs are sold now then pre-recorded, the hardware is in place. This can't result in anything other then more choice for the consumer. I don't know _anyone_ who is truly happy with the crap that gets handed down the the corporate pulpits of American culture, otherwize knows as record labels. No sympathy for the devil, fuck em. Change can be painful, so don't well up with pitty when you hear the screams.

Make your money on performance folks.. And I'm not talking about ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.

Behind the Grammys, Revolt in the Industry