Author: Deb Medsker (Page 11 of 14)

Sometimes Bad Is Bad

Okay, over the years there have been innumerable concert tours featuring a variety of similarly-themed (or even not-so-similarly-themed) artists sharing a single lineup: Rockfest. Lollapalooza. Monsters of Rock. You get the picture.

The demand for these types of shows is both reliable and understandable. What is not so understandable, however, is why anyone thought it would be a good idea to trot out bland vanilla-pop white-boy wannabe soulsters Huey Lewis and the News, pair them with sappy overwrought overrated snooze-inducers Chicago, and send the whole boring kit and caboodle out on tour.

Never mind that the Boys of Blah will be launching fits of narcolepsy left and right all across the country, disappointing legions of the former forensics team captains and Glee Club members who used to listen to them. The real problem here is one of marketing: What do you call a tour this achingly, willfully, obscenely boring?

Many options come to mind. None of them, however, seem particularly encouraging with regard to drawing ticket buyers:

The Heart of Rock & Roll Is Not Here
Snoozefest 2006
Critters of Crap
Kings of the Wuss Frontier
Government-Approved Purveyors of Rocklike Auditory Modulations
25 or 6 to Snore

I’m sure you can come up with several better ideas than these. I’d love to hear them. Whoever submits the best suggestion will receive a free copy of Chicago’s “XXX,” or a bottle of Lunesta, whichever I can track down a free copy of first.

Replacements: “We’re Comin’ Out…”

“…well, maybe. Sort of. But don’t quote us on that.”

Billboard.com reports that a long-awaited Replacements reunion may be in the works:

“Details are scant right now, but Jaded Insider has heard that Replacements members Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars recently hit the studio with session drummer Josh Freese to record some new tracks, which might just be the closest we’ll ever get to a full-on reunion from the legendary ‘Mats.”

Hey, rumor or not, any day that offers even a glimmer of hope that these boys might settle their differences and record some more great music…is a very good day, indeed.

Prince paints the town–er, rented mansion–purple

Those pesky renters: bane of every decent, hard-working landlord’s existence! Even after they agree to fork over a hefty security deposit, you just know they’re still going to put a bunch of nail holes in the walls, stain the carpet, and paint the exterior of your 10-bedroom mansion with brilliant, gleaming purple stripes.

It doesn’t matter how much rent you charge; even at the lofty price of $70,000 a month, there’s always going to be some scrawny musical genius who thinks he can just install extra piping in the downstairs bedroom to allow water transfer for beauty salon chairs, and then rip up the carpet in the master bedroom and replace it with monogrammed purple shag.

When are these irresponsible kids going to grow up, earn a respectable living, and buy their own damn houses, fer chrissakes?

Chuck Klosterman: “I’m outta here!”

Just days after his high-profile Brandweek piece exposed best-selling author and Spin magazine senior writer Chuck Klosterman to an even wider audience…Chuck has cleaned out his desk at the offices of Spin. The magazine was recently sold (reportedly for less than its market value) to new owners, and Chuck apparently didn’t care for the writing he saw on the walls. So, he’s off to new ventures which have yet to be decided upon. Best of luck to him.

In the meantime, Media Bistro has trotted out an earlier Q&A with Chuck, during which he discusses (among other things) how being attacked by critics is like being vomited on. Good times!

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