VH1 is gearing up for our inaugural National Metal Day that will see VH1 Classic host an entire day of metal-only programing. Fear not, though: This day isn’t solely for hardcore headbangers! National Metal Day will see the debut of of several revealing documentaries about the genre, and will celebrate metal’s seminal artists, both past and present. Full press release as follows:
VH1 CLASSIC AMPS UP FOR “NATIONAL METAL DAY” ON 11-11-11
Banger Films’ Groundbreaking 11-Part Documentary Series Metal Evolution Premieres Friday, November 11, 2011 at 10 PM ET/PT
11 Days Of Metal Programming Begins Tuesday, November 1, 2011 On VH1 Classic
NEW YORK, NY – October 24, 2011 – As previously announced, VH1 Classic has proclaimed 11-11-11 as “National Metal Day” and will celebrate with a slew of exclusive metal programming, including three major metal premieres: Behind The Music Remastered at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the exclusive debut of Banger Films’ groundbreaking documentary series, Metal Evolution, at 10 p.m. ET/PT and the ninth season premiere of a VH1 Classic original That Metal Show at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
The frequent emails that irascible music industry veteran Bob Lefsetz sends to his list of well-connected music biz types are pretty hit or miss. Oftentimes, they present passionate, well-thoughted arguments about the past, present and future of the music business, but just as frequently, they seem to be repetitive and somewhat curmudgeonly in nature. Last night, however, he sent out an email that contained an idea we initially shrugged off as preposterous, but ultimately, one that we couldn’t get out of our head. He writes:
“Best piece of gossip I ever heard about Train? Pat Monahan was suggested as a replacement for Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin. The idea was dismissed out of hand, but it’s a brilliant one, one Jimmy Page should still act on.
Pat Monahan can sing those Zeppelin tunes, he’s got the pipes, he does them in the Train show. And he can write.
Everyone—even Howard Stern!—knows that Monahan is one of the strongest singers working these days. That said, it wasn’t until we watched this bootleg footage of Monahan belting out the Led Zep classic “Ramble On” that we thought this idea had legs.
As the Red Hot Chili Peppers release their tenth studio album this week, we can’t help but daydream ruminate about how much of a sex symbol frontman Anthony Kiedis was—who could forget the sock?!—and still is. Time has been kind to Mr. Suck My Kiss, and he is definitely not alone in that regard; there’s an entire legion of men in music whose good looks and sex appeal have fermented in the manner of a perfectly-mature wine.
Whether you grew up with one of their faces taped to your Trapper Keeper or you’re old enough to be their mom, there’s a hunk on this list for you. From rock to hip hop, songwriters to bass players, we’ve got Arena Gods, men who are Good With Their Hands, Smooth Operators, International Flavors, and like the Chili Peppers’ singer, Spicy Sex Symbols. Keeping it simple, we’re celebrating the 45 to 70-year-old vintages by exhibiting their physical evolution through their respective careers. You’ll be taking in images from when they got their start, their “middle years,” and how they look in the present. Take a moment to step into the wine cellar and relish in each man’s beauty of the past and, at the end,toast to their continued maturing in the future by weighing in on who you think has aged best. Apologies in advance for the ladyboners!
Over the long Memorial Day weekend, we’re guessing that most of you probably took advantage of the good weather and went outside to barbecue with friends and family. However, those of you who are either heliophobic or addicted to air conditioning likely took to the Internet instead, where one of the weekend’s biggest stories revolved around the supposed “leak” of the redband trailer for the upcoming film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The highly-anticipated adaptation of the best-selling book by the late Stieg Larsson not only stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, but is also directed by the maestro of gloomy psychological thrillers, David Fincher.
The trailer is somewhat unique in that it doesn’t contain a single line of dialogue, but that doesn’t mean that the tone of the film isn’t readily apparent. Keeping in line with the graphic content of the novels, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo looks to be Fincher’s most ominous and scary film since Se7en, thanks in large part to the decision to score the trailer with Trent Reznor and Karen O‘s hauntingly driven cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Immigrant Song.” There’s a certain mystical feel to the Led Zep original, but Rezner and O’s swaps that essence for something, well, colder; it’s got a sonic aura that’s as icy as the Scandinavian landscapes contained within the film and, frankly, gave us nightmares when we went to sleep last night.
Even though this trailer only contains a small portion of the song, this new take on “Immigrant Song” already ranks among our all-time favorite Led Zeppelin cover songs. Do you feel the same way? What Led Zep cover songs are your favorites? Hit us up in the comments below!
Certain Led Zeppelin tunes are played to death, and others languish in the background. Here are 10 that deserve to be spun a bit more often then they usually are. Whether you’re making a last ditch attempt to win tickets to the band’s reunion show, or getting psyched for next Tuesday’s DVD release of The Song Remains the Same, or hanging out watching earth-shaking videos, you should get familiar with the following 10 tunes. By the way, which Zep track do you think deserves more dap?
1. Black Mountain Side
This acoustic ditty from the band’s first album vibes like a jukebox raga, illustrating Jimmy Page’s other interest besides the blues: Celtic folk tunes. Played by Bert Jansch, the endlessly rippling tune was called “Blackwaterside.”
2. Living Loving Maid
We all know that the band liked to stretch the hell out of its songs – melodrama was its middle name. But for every “Dazed and Confused” there was a compact ass-kicker. The first album had “Communication Breakdown.” On the second, it’s this nugget.
3. Celebration Day
It’s the giddy side of the blues, with Plant singing the praises of New York street scenes and Page working the slide guitar like it was his own private joystick. Good helium vocals by the blond god on this III track.
If you’re a hard rock fan, you now know that Jimmy Page’s recently fractured finger has pushed back the date of the much buzzed-about Led Zeppelin reunion. Ouch for him and ouch for fans who’d made travel plans to go to London in late November. The show’s current date is December 10, and last night, while accepting a lifetime recognition from the Classic Rock Awards in London, the superstar told reporters how his left pinky was hurt when he stumbled over a stone slab in his garden – at least there wasn’t a bustle in his hedgerow. The ever-popular guitarist’s finger was bandaged. Here’s what he said about the fall in a formal statement last Friday.
Page also mentioned that fans can expect the group to play “a lot of the songs that people really want to hear” at the upcoming show. I wonder which one he’s refering to? If you’d like to suggest some, or WIN TIX TO THE SHOW, make the jump and weigh in.
Reunion You Want: Admit it — you’ll pony up the $60 (plus surcharge) to see Baby, Scary, Sporty, Posh and Ginger zigazig ha, transporting you back to those heady pre-Y2K days. Lucky for us Sporty cleared her calendar.
Reunion You Want But Don’t Get:Led Zeppelin. After days of rumors reporting they’re getting the old band back together, Rock Banshee Robert Plant has rubbished rumors, claiming "If there was one, then there wouldn’t be enough doctors to support it!”
Reunion You Don’t Want But Get:Bush. You know, Gavin Rossdale. He was in a band. Still nothing? Gwen Stefani‘s husband. Anyway, he misses "the band thing." He’s threatening a Live Earth reunion.
