August 18, 2011

Last Lap: Thursday’s Odds And Ends In Music News

Beck And Stephen Malkmus Riff In The Paper Of Record
In a Sunday New York Times feature posted today, Beck and Stephen Malkmus (formerly of Pavement) talk to Dave Itzkoff about the forthcoming Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks record Mirror Traffic, which Beck produced. [NY Times]

One Third Of Nirvana To Participate In Nevermind Anniversary Tribute Concert
Krist Novoselic is the latest performer added to the bill of a Nirvana tribute concert to be held on Nevermind‘s 20th anniversary at the Experience Music Project. He’ll be playing bass with the Presidents of the United States of America on one of the songs. [107.7 The End via Pitchfork]
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Tags: , , Paul Wall, Presidents of the United States of America, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Stephen Malkmus, Mac Miller, Beck, Nirvana

August 1, 2011

MTV Memories: 30 Of The Most Memorable Moments In MTV History

As we near the end of our celebration of MTV’s 30 birthday, we figured it would be apropos to look back at thirty of the moments that defined the channel. Now, we easily could’ve listed 30,000 reasons why we love our MTV, but we’ll just have to wait until MTV’s 30,000th birthday to publish that list. For now, enjoy this cornucopia of memorable reality shows, groundbreaking music videos, hilarious interviews, jaw-dropping moments of violence, and celebrity beef.


30) Kurt Loder Prevents A Full-On Brawl Between Madonna and Courtney Love
The scene: The 1995 Video Music Awards. During a post-show interview with the unflappable Kurt Loder, Madonna gets pelted with a compact thrown by the Queen of Grunge, Courtney Love. (Heroin-fueled) hilarity and awkwardness ensues.

29) “Paint The Mutha Pink”
This memorable promo for a 1984 MTV contest was pegged to the release of John Cougar Mellencamp’s album, Uh Huh, which featured the eighties heartland anthem “Pink Houses.” The grand prize winner received a house in Bloomington, Indiana (Mellencamp’s hometown), which came with a special paint job: Pink.

28) Totally Pauly
Hey buhhh-deeee, don’t go weezin’ all the juice! After landing a gig as a VJ in 1989, Pauly Shore went from being an unknown stand-up to a major motion picture star inside of two years.

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Tags: , , , , , John Cougar Mellencamp, Courtney Love , Dire Straits, RuPaul, LL Cool J, Jessica Simpson, Nirvana, Nick Lachey, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears

July 29, 2011

MTV Memories: Nirvana Spaces Out On Headbanger’s Ball

When Nirvana first appeared on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball in the fall of 1991, they weren’t yet the cultural phenomenon they would become just a few months later. At the time, the word “grunge” had not yet percolated in the mainstream, and Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were just two-thirds a well-regarded (if little known) band from Seattle, not international superstars nor rock icons. So, it’s little surprise that Headbanger’s Ball host Riki Rachtman –whose allegiances to the LA hair metal scene made him “the enemy” for these Seattle upstarts– treated them as curios rather than the megastars they would eventually become. And who can blame him, really, with Kurt Cobain all but refusing to engage in conversation and dressed in a ridiculous yellow ball gown?

You can catch highlights from the early days of MTV during this, the 30th anniversary of the channel’s launch, all weekend long on VH1 Classic.

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Tags: , , , , Riki Rachtman, MTV2 HEADBANGER'S BALL, Nirvana

July 26, 2011

Last Lap: Tuesday’s Odds And Ends In Music News

Robyn Covers “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” For BBC
Listen to Robyn‘s rendition of the Coldplay single, on BBC’s Radio 1 Live Lounge, on YouTube.

Anniversaries: Nevermind Reissue To Contain Demos; Is This It Tribute
The 20th Anniversary reissue of Nevermind, due out September 27, will come in 1-CD, 2-CD, and 4-CD/1-DVD formats, the lattermost of which will contain all of producer Butch Vig‘s original mixes as well as boombox recordings. And here we thought there was no unheard Nirvana in the vault. [Spin]

Meanwhile, Stereogum celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Strokes’ Is This It (released July 30, 2001 in Britain) with Stroked, a front-to-back tribute to the album (in its original form; there’s no cover of “When It Started,” the song that replaced the critical “New York City Cops” when the album was released in the United States less than a month after the September 11 attacks). [Stereogum]
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Tags: , , Robyn, The Strokes, Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Nirvana

July 19, 2011

Nirvana’s Nevermind Is About To Turn 20, And Spin Got Thirteen Bands To Celebrate

Nevermind 20th Anniversary coverage dominates Spin‘s August 2011 issue, which hits newsstands in a week. Cover story “What Nevermind Means Now” is supplemented by Newermind, a track-by-track cover version of Nevermind. Cobain favorites Meat Puppets and The Vaselines share billing with new kids on the block like Surfer Blood, whose guitarist told the magazine, “Kurt Cobain was dead before I could tie my shoes,” and Jessica Lee Mayfield, who admits, “I found out about Nirvana through the Foo Fighters. I’m sure I’m not the only one who walked that discovery trail.”

The bands who have been most directly influenced by Nirvana are the most reverent in their takes, although Telekinesis, at least, has an excuse: their contribution was last-minute, “when one someone—no need to name names, so let’s just say it was Wavves—went AWOL.” On the other end of the spectrum, we’re rather fascinated by Foxy Shazam‘s transformation of “Drain You” into a glam epic complete with horn section.

The album is available for free download now in exchange for “liking” Spin on Facebook and giving an email address; non-Facebook users can get the tribute directly from Spin‘s site on July 26 when the issue streets.

Free Album: Spin Tribute To Nirvana’s Nevermind [Spin]

[John Paul Pitts (Surfer Blood guitarist) Image: Getty Images]

Tags: , , , , Nirvana

June 22, 2011

Last Lap: Wednesday’s Odds And Ends In Music News

KATY PERRY‘S NEXT RECORD, THE BALLAD OF BROOKSLEY BORN, SET TO BE A ROCK OPERA ABOUT OTC DERIVATIVES
We kid, we kid. However, in the new issue of Rolling Stone, which hit newsstands today, the California Gurl talks at length about her newfound awareness of what makes this great land of ours tick. “It just feels like the thing running our country is a bank, money,” she tells RS contributing editor Erik Hedegaard. “I know it sounds like an intense viewpoint, but I’m only slowly but surely getting the wool taken off my eyes. When I was a kid, I asked questions about my faith. Now I’m asking questions about the world.” Lest you think she’s totally lost her way and turned into a stuffy economics obsessive, she then goes on to talk about her boobs. [Rolling Stone]

BEYONCÉ RUMOR MILL CONTINUES TO CHURN
Hot on the heels of last week’s rumors that Beyoncé‘s new album, 4, was going to be pushed back to September, this morning’s New York Post contained a juicy item planted by someone who clearly isn’t on Team Bey. According to the snitch source, Columbia Records execs are “very nervous about Beyoncé’s new record” because “it doesn’t have the hit songs that her fans are used to. They asked her to make changes, but she said no.” The last time we remember this much behind-the-scenes drama playing out in the gossip rags before a record came out was when Kelly Clarkson and Clive Davis got into a very public beef before My December hit shelves. [Page Six]

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Tags: , , , Katy Perry, Nirvana, Beyonce

June 17, 2011

Sneak Peek: Weird Al Yankovic, “Perform This Way”


 
With previous Weird Al YankoVICTIMS including Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Madonna, Nirvana, Coolio, Dire Straits, and the late, great, Michael Jackson, it would appear that Lady Gaga is in good company. On the heels of last night’s “The Edge of Glory” video premiere, we’re happy to present you with an exclusive 30-second sneak of Weird Al’s latest masterpiece, “Perform This Way.” If you’ve been living under a rock, the song is a parody of the pop matriarch’s hit, “Born This Way,” and like us, you should be mega-stoked that Gaga and Weird Al were able to squash their alleged beef and come to a mutual understanding to officially approve and greenlight the song.
 
While the lyrics were imagery-inspiring on their own, you’ll see in the sneak that Weird Al has delivered true-to-form visuals that manage to simultaneously mock and salute Mother Monster. Snatching Gaga’s signature looks and making them his own, Al transforms to perform, dancing around to her choreography (albeit with his head on a female body) and flaunting grossly exaggerated versions her outfits — a feat we didn’t think was possible! The full broadcast premiere of “Perform This Way” hits television airwaves Monday morning on VH1′s Big Morning Buzz Live, and will no doubt join the ranks of Weird Al classics like “Eat It,” “Like A Surgeon,” and “Amish Paradise.” The parody wizard himself will be a guest on the show, so tune-in and check back with us then; we’ll have the full scoop on all things Yankovic!

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Tags: , , Big Morning Buzz Live, Dire Straits, Weird Al Yankovic, Coolio, Lady Gaga, Nirvana, Madonna

June 17, 2011

Shearer’s Spotlight: When Father’s Day Turns Sour

Each Friday here on the VH1 Blog, our VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown host Jim Shearer (@jimshearer on Twitter) will be sharing his Shearer’s Spotlight with us. This feature will include three things —sometimes related, sometimes not!— that Jim is obsessing over this week. Be sure to tune into the Top 20 countdown when it airs on VH1 at 9 a.m. ET/PT tomorrow morning; this week’s special guests is none other than American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook!

Father’s Day weekend is almost upon us, and while popular music has given us goodies like “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and “Papa Has a Brand New Bag”—surely inspiring musical monikers like Big Daddy Kane, Daddy Yankee and even Kris Kross’ Mack Daddy & Daddy Mack—Father’s Day can sometimes be a sore subject with musicians.

If you’re looking to put a smile on your dad’s face this weekend, please DO NOT include these tracks on your Father’s Day mix:


“Cat’s In The Cradle” by Harry Chapin

The mother—or, I guess the father—of deadbeat dad anthems. It’s a classic tale of what goes around comes around, teaching us all that if you don’t play catch with your young son, he won’t want to hang out with you when he gets older.

Ironically, most of your fathers probably enjoy this classic tune, so if you’re thinking of incorporating it into a playlist for him, just make sure you don’t accidentally download the cover version from Ugly Kid Joe.

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Tags: , , , , TOP 20 VIDEO COUNTDOWN, Everclear, Ugly Kid Joe, Harry Chapin, Nirvana

June 6, 2011

The Top Five Musical Feuds Of The Last 20 Years (Not Involving Moby)

Moby‘s comments last week about what types of pop are and aren’t music isn’t the first time he’s taken shots at other artists. At the 2001 Grammy Awards he called Eminem ”a racist, a homophobe, and a misogynist.” But he’s not the only artist who’s feuded over art (and, implicitly, integrity). Here are the five most notable feuds of the last 20 years.

FEUD: Nirvana vs. Guns N’ Roses
HOW IT STARTED: Nirvana never liked the lyrical misogyny and homophobia of Guns N’ Roses, but the feud officially got underway when Nirvana turned down an offer to open for the band on tour.
KEY NIRVANA PULLQUOTE: Kurt Cobain, interviewed by Kevin Allman in the February 1992 issue of The Advocate:

I can’t even waste my time on that band, because they’re so obviously pathetic and untalented. I used to think that everything in the mainstream pop world was crap, but now that some underground bands have been signed with majors, I take Guns N’ Roses as more of an offense. I have to look into it more: They’re really talentless people, and they write crap music, and they’re the most popular rock band on the earth right now. I can’t believe it.

KEY GUNS ‘N’ ROSES PULLQUOTE: Axl Rose, on stage in Seattle: “Nirvana would rather stay home and shoot drugs with their bitch wives than tour with us.”
WINNER: At the time, Nirvana by a mile, but as time has gone on and Cobain-as-icon has lost some of its political edge, it’s now closer to a draw.
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Tags: , , Pavement, Moby, Lady Gaga, Blur, The Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Nirvana, Nas, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Guns N' Roses, Eminem

May 3, 2011

Now That Miley Has Covered “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Which Artist’s Nirvana Cover Reigns Supreme?

Miley Cyrus has been catching some flak for her cover of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Friday night in Ecuador. But the criticisms aren’t really about her rendition—which was not great, but not terrible, and let’s remember that the audio quality is pretty low—but about the difference between what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” means to Miley Cyrus and what it means to those who were alive when the song was recorded. Miley has said that Kurt Cobain is her “dream boyfriend” but there’s no indication that she sees much of a difference between him and, say, Bret Michaels, with whom she recorded an unreleased rendition of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”

And so what? News flash, Generation X: Kurt Cobain isn’t ours anymore. He entered the pop imagination almost twenty years ago. Learn to share. (At the same time, that doesn’t mean you have to like the covers.)

In that spirit, here are the ten most notable reimaginings of the classic Nirvana single, in chronological order. Classic? Misguided? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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Tags: , , Behind The Music, Marius de Vries, Casey Abrams, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, The Bad Plus, Leif Garrett, The Melvins, Weird Al Yankovic, Patti Smith, Paul Anka, Miley Cyrus, Tori Amos, Bret Michaels, Nirvana, Kurt Cobain

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