1. Harvey Weinstein thinks that Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels should replace Brett Ratner as the producer of this year’s Oscars, and that Tina Fey should be involved with writing material for host Eddie Murphy. No objections here. [via Deadline]
2. Exciting news for fans of Alison Bechdel’s excellent work: Her graphic novel Fun Home — which focuses on her upbringing in a small town in Pennsylvania — is going to become a stage musical thanks to the Sundance Institute Theater Program. [via SheWired]
3. Pitbull is now suing Lindsay Lohan after she sued him over the line “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan” in his song “Give Me Everything.” In his countersuit, the rapper claims that her multiple prison sentences support his words. Touché. [via Vulture]
4. Pixies frontman Frank Black has decided to launch his own record label called The Bureau in order to put out is own material. He also plans to issue records by other artists, including Jeremy Dubs and former Captain Beefheart collaborator Eric Drew Feldman. [via Guardian]
5. Check out the promos for this week’s Emma Stone-hosted episode of SNLhere.
In the late 1980s and early ’90s, the Pixies redefined the alt-rock genre with stripped-down tunes, biting lyrics, and an unguarded attitude that inspired bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, and the Strokes, just to name a few. Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering formed the band in Boston, but as is usually the case with music-industry vanguards, the Pixies were originally more successful overseas than in their homeland. Since a 2004 reunion tour, however, they’ve appeared in a feature-length documentary: loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies (2006), and a new exhibit at LA’s C.A.V.E. Gallery proves that the Pixies are finally earning the credit they deserve in the US. Dig for Fire: Art Inspired by the Pixies honors their role in rock history, as well as their cultural legacy, featuring more than 30 artists’ visual tributes to the Pixies’ music. Click through below for more artwork inspired by the band.
We’ve always had a soft spot for Shakira, and we were thus interested to see this week that she’s planning to record an album in Arabic. Of course, she already speaks (and sings in) Spanish and English, so adding a third language will be yet another string to her lingustic bow, although she has to actually learn Arabic first – apparently her command of the language is currently limited to saying, “Can I have a kiss?” Which is obviously the first phrase you learn in any language. Anyway, she’s only one of a bunch of interesting musicians whose use of language in their music extends beyond a single native tongue – here’s a selection of ten of our favorites.
If you’ve seen Stephen Cantor and Matthew Galkin’s most excellent Pixies documentary loudQUIETloud, you probably came to the same conclusion about the Pixies that we did – they largely hate one another, they’re not going to record again, and that’s probably not such a bad thing. So it was with some surprise that we read the news this morning that the band are apparently planning to head back into the studio after their Doolittle tour finishes later this month. Their last album was 1991’s Trompe Le Monde, and if their new material even vaguely approaches the quality of that record – let alone the majesty of their opening trio of Surfer Rosa, Doolittle and Bossanova – it’ll be welcome indeed. But the record of bands who’ve recorded new material after long breaks is patchy, to say the least. So will this new album be the Pixies’ answer to the Stooges’ The Weirdness, or a triumphant return? All we can do is wait and cross our fingers it’s the latter.
Rolling Stone, bless them, republished their list of “The 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s” on their website this week. The feature – originally published in 1989 – makes for strange and occasionally bewildering reading. For a start, it’s topped by The Clash’s London Calling, which is undeniably a masterwork but also was undeniably released in 1979 (and no, we’re not buying the January 1980 US release date as an excuse here). Now, we know better than anyone that lists are always subjective, and whatever you include people are going to complain (hey, it’s actually nice to be complaining about someone else’s lists for once). And admittedly, we’re evaluating this list with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight. But even so, there are some glaring omissions from RS’s selection – here are 10 records that really should have featured somewhere near the top, but didn’t feature at all.
It was with great joy that we learned yesterday that Roxy Music really is reuniting… with Brian Eno! Although Bryan Ferry and co. had been working on new material and racking up tour dates for quite a while, and there had been talk about Eno contributing, we finally got a release date for the record: Bryan Ferry’s Olympia , which also features Roxy members Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay, will come out October 25 via Virgin. Flea, who is in just about every band at this point, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, and Nile Rodgers of Chic will appear on the album, which also boasts guest spots by Scissor Sisters, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and Primal Scream’s Mani. Not too shabby!
For glam-rock fans, this is especially notable because Eno’s departure was the result of a major feud with Ferry. We never thought we’d see them together again, but stranger things have happened. While holdouts still abound (The Smiths, for one), even bands that promised they’d never reunite are touring and recording again. After the jump, 10 bands that claimed they were done for good, only to return months, years, or decades later — with varying results. Watch the reunion videos and tell us which reunions you think were and weren’t mistakes after the jump.
That’s right, folks: Even rock stars need their daily affirmation. We assume that’s why the Pixies’ Frank Black agreed to be a guest on Morning Prayer with Skott and Behr, which you may recognize from the venerable Tim and Eric universe. The hosts, who have not (of course) heard Black’s music, pose existential questions such as, “What is music?” and “What is sound?” And then Black performs — er, tries to perform.
Why is it that when times are tough, things like movie and concert tickets only seem to get more expensive? Well, don’t worry: We feel your financial pain. As cities across the country gear up for summers packed with free shows and screenings, we want to make sure you know that you don’t have to live in a major metropolis (or risk bug bites and butt numbness) to get your gratis film and music fix. The internet abounds with excellent music documentaries you can watch right on your computer. Check out ten of our favorites, from the Pixies to the Flaming Lips, after the jump.
This is an exciting week for Smashing Pumpkins fans. Billy Corgan and, um, whoever else is in his band these days, have released the first volume in their 11-EP Teargarden By Kaleidyscope series. To be totally fair, the group is generously allowing its fans to download all songs from the project free. But if you want a physical version, be ready to shell out some major cash for a painstakingly crafted special edition. Insound notes that the debut installment “is packaged in a silk-screened wooden box (7 1/4″ tall x 8″ wide x 1.05″ thick). Each box contains: a 4-song CD (with four new Smashing Pumpkins songs and instrumental intros), a 7″ vinyl single (containing a new song and a B-Side), and a hand-carved “leopard stone” obelisk, about 2″ tall, similar to marble.” Considering that there will eventually be 11 $33 EPs to buy, Pumpkins completists stand to spend upwards of $350 to own the entire set.
Think that’s bonkers? Well, it’s nothing compared to some of the other insanely expensive (or just plain over-the-top) box sets and special-edition albums we’ve seen. Check out 10 of the weirdest and most expensive after the jump.
Scrabble is where board game nerds and word nerds meet, a place where Dungeons and Dragons strategy combines with spelling bee prowess. And it’s not just for people who aced their vocabulary quizzes or spent all night playing Risk — Scrabble, indeed, is a music nerd’s paradise. Why? Well, from Gwen Stefani (“That shit is Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”) to the Kinks (“L-O-L-A, Lola”) some bands just love to spell it out. In the grand tradition of our mixes for English majors and science nerds, we present 15 songs that will help you out at your next Scrabble tournament.
