 by Tom Hallett
Hey, ho, 'Dial-heads, casual readers, and friends. No time to mess wit' the small stuff this week, so let's get right to it. We've got a couple of "Weird Rock News" items, then it's back to CD reviews ...
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “They're going on about me, saying
how I'm this and that and now I'm a superstar. Well, I say supershit! It was
like...they're looking for a symbol of all this that they think is going on.”
—Stevie Wonder
SONG OF THE WEEK: “Clear Day Thunder”
—Jay Farrar ITEM!
 Most of you have
probably heard by now that Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy has checked himself into
rehab to combat an addiction to painkillers, which he was taking to ward off
chronic migraine headaches. While addiction and rehab are no laughing matters,
I thought it was interesting that I found out about it (as many of you may have)
through one of those "News Flash" items that come up when you sign
onto your computer. I guess making great music for 15 years, breaking new artistic
ground and laying your life out in a film for the whole world to see wasn't
important enough to report on, since I never saw a word about the man there
before. Yep, all it takes is a good, juicy addiction and a trip to rehab to
get worldwide coverage these days. Hopefully, Jeff and the band will get a few
more record sales outta the deal, anyway. Here's to a speedy recovery, Mr. Tweedy,
we'll be thinkin' of ya ...
ITEM!
Talk about living up to your name. Platinum-selling rapper
Ludacris was late for a concert in St. Cloud last week when the airlines lost
his luggage. Seems ol' Ludey had his entire recorded backing music in one bag,
so he couldn't perform the show until it was found. After a two-hour wait at
the Mpls/St. Paul airport, the items were recovered and the gig went on, albeit
a tad off-schedule. A couple of things here. First of all, if it took two hours
for a platinum-selling recording artist to get his baggage, imagine how many
days it would've taken you or I. Second, what up with keeping your electronic
band in a bag? See, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Michael Frente', all those actually
talented performers who laid the groundwork for ridiculous "artists"
with names like Ludacris—they actually use(d) REAL BANDS onstage. Those
folks, being actual human beings, rode in the passenger section of the plane,
and as a result, never got lost with the luggage. You see where I'm going with
this, kids? HIRE REAL LIVE MUSICIANS AND YOU'LL NEVER LOSE YOUR BAND IN THE
LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT!!
ITEM!
 43-year-old Mötley
Crüe lead singer Vince Neil has been arrested again on battery charges
after he allegedly attacked a Moonlite Bunny Ranch prostitute by the name of
Andrea "TrixXxie Blue" Terry. The woman claims Neil choked her and
slammed her up against a wall, but didn't specify as to what the cause of the
outburst might've been. Neil pled no contest to the charges and received a 30-day
suspended jail sentence, was fined $1000 plus court costs of $132, and was ordered
to attend anger management classes (by correspondence) within sixty days. Upon
hearing about Neil's plea, Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof went on record saying
how badly he felt that Vince had been forced to cop to the charges, adding,
"... in my mind, this girl's an opportunist and I know that he didn't do
anything wrong."
OK, what's wrong with this picture? Let's start by reminding
ourselves that Vince just barely escaped jail time in Beverly Hills a few weeks
back, when, after completing an ordered 100+ hours of community service, the
charges were dropped. So the boy has a habit of beating up hookers. It's all
on the record, nobody can deny it, and suddenly all those images of misogyny
running through the Crüe videos ain't so funny no more. Especially to the
women on the receiving end of Vince's wrath. And what exactly is at the bottom
of that wrath, anyway? I'd say it might have something to do with sex (or perhaps
Vince's inability to perform properly), since his violence is directed at ladies
of the night, but who knows?
Next—the comment from the Bunny Ranch owner. What kind
of a shit-head is this dude, anyway? Not only is he a legal pimp, but he don't
even protect his own stable, man. That's cold. She's an "opportunist?"
Hmm—well, she is a HOOKER, right? And you're a PIMP, right? Jesus, people
are so fucked up.
Lastly, I'm surprised there hasn't been more of a fuss put
up by somebody about Neil's behavior. I'd think it would be glaringly apparent
to even the most liberal, mealy-mouthed judge out there that Vince has a problem
with beating up girls, and he should be doing some time for his crimes. Anger
management by correspondence course? What the hell!? Yep, a few months behind
bars with some big, bad, prison-scarred tough guys, and I bet Vince finds out
that he was never "Too Fast For Love" at all ...
ITEM!
 Finally, Round The Dial was saddened to hear of the death of
57-year-old actress Carrie Snodgress this past week. Keen music buffs will remember
that she was rocker Neil Young's significant other in the early ’70s.
Snodgress, who rose to instant superstardom for her role in the classic film
"Diary Of A Mad Housewife," was the mother of Young's oldest son,
Zeke. She also co-starred in Neil's experimental film “Journey Through
The Past.”
After she and Neil split when Zeke was still a toddler, Carrie
raised the cerebral palsy-stricken boy almost single-handedly. She eventually
fought her way back into the movie industry and had a respectable resume' under
her belt. She passed away April 1st of heart failure while awaiting a liver
transplant. Don't even get me started on the David Crosby (Young's former bandmate
in CSN and a liver transplant recipient who's done prison time for drugs and
weapons charges) thing again, especially since ol' Walrus-face was recently
busted for possession of dope and firearms AGAIN... I'll just say what a shame
it is when a hard-working, long-suffering mother dies of liver failure waiting
for a transplant when a guy who wasted his on dope and booze gets a second chance
and lives on and on and on and never seems to learn a lesson. Karma works in
strange ways sometimes, I guess ...
CD REVIEW
Eliza Gilkyson
Land Of Milk And Honey
Red House Records (2004)
Singer/songwriter Gilkyson delivers her finest effort yet on
Land Of Milk And Honey, her third release on St. Paul's Red House Records.
A well-balanced, tasteful, memorable batch of songs backed by the standard guitar/bass/drums
as well as a cornucopia of lip-smackin' instrumental extries like the dobro,
fiddle, steel guitar, dulcimer, cello, mandolin, trumpet, sax and trombone.
Gilkyson has the perfect voice for her countrified, rootsy numbers, and assistance
from pals like Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris Dement, Slaid Cleaves,
and Jon Dee Graham ensure that Land ... is an instant classic. Like Lucinda
Williams' breakthrough self-titled album or Dement's first couple albums, this
is a songwriter at her most vulnerable, honest, and listenable. Tracks like
the bouncy "Hiway 9," the sexy "Dark Side Of Town," the
soul-stirring "Tender Mercies," and the heart-breaking, thought-provoking
"Ballad Of Yvonne Johnson" prove that, although she may be considered
"mature" by modern industry standards, Eliza is one of America's brightest
rising stars, and somebody that any music fan worth their salt should be keeping
a close ear on. This is a great album that will only serve to add more great
songs to your inner music catalog, not to mention that it's on a kickass hometown
record label, so what are ya waitin' for? Available at your finer local mom-and-pop
music shops.
OTHER NEWS
One final note—don't miss Chicago-to-St. Paul transplant/guitar
tech-turned-rocker Chris Perricelli and his band, Little Man, as they open for
stage faves Ike Reilly & Band this weekend (Friday and Saturday, 4/16 &17)
at St. Paul's Turf Club. Chris tells me his latest CD (mixed by Reilly band-mate
Ed Tinley) will hit the streets sometime this summer, so do yourselves a favor
and come down to hear the new tunes live before the record's even out. Oh, and
that Reilly cat's been known to put on one helluva stage show, too. Check it
out! Call the Turf at 651-647-0486 for more info. That's it for me this week,
boyz an' girlz. Tune in next time for more rants, reviews, and rock ‘n’
roll rama-lama-ding-dong. Until we meet again—make yer own damn news.
If you have local music news/gigs/CD's you'd like to
see reviewed in this column, or you'd just like to (sigh) stick up for poor
ol’ Vince Neil, send replies to: (temporary e-mail) jamescrouch_1@juno.com
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