Rest In Peace

[sandelic]

That surprised me, it was 30 year anniversary of in utero few months ago and he, dave and krist talked about making of that album (was it with conan? can't remember). 
He seemed fine, but looks are deceiving. 
Incidentally, I used to frequent one forum that steve used to posted on and was a witness to his huge homophobic rant.
I always liked his work, him as a person not so much. 

[Wolkenkrabber]

...Incidentally, I used to frequent one forum that steve used to posted on and was a witness to his huge homophobic rant.
I always liked his work, him as a person not so much.

I got into Pixies before Nirvana, and by the time they came along I was a little reluctant to jump on the bandwagon - they just seemed like a less witty/fun version of Pixies. But In Utero was the album that won me over. It was many years later before I actually bought Nevermind, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, I have been mostly unaware of Albini's pronouncements or opinions. The first comments by him that I paid particular attention to were as recent as June of last year. An 18-tweet thread which made a lot of sense to me (and discusses backmasking which, these days is a benign part of dance/electronic music, although Albini probably wasn't a fan).

https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505492630626307
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505497445711872
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505502353113091
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505506794885120
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505511257505793
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505515741335554
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505519918854147
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505524255703043
https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1670505528852639745

Certainly this thread spoke to me in relation to the anti-vxxers and their unproven alternatives.
"Just take Ivermectin + Vitamin D. That's the real Covid cure!"
"Proof? Hey prove me I'm wrong", they said.
So then actual scientists had to do research on Ivermectin and Vitamain D just...to prove the anti-vaxxers wrong. The same anti-vaxxers who said Covid was caused by 5G phone masts, and that Bill Gates wanted to inject everybody with microchips. Jesus wept!

As for the homophobic stuff, I just googled "Steve Albini Homophobic"
And found this NME article

Sort of a two parter where Albini praises Insane Clown Posse for owning their shit:

Violent J: "I was that stupid. I didn't understand the offensiveness in that. I was legit that stupid [...]I honestly can't tell you what the fuck was happening in my brain."
He added: "We were also crazy homophobic back in the day. And now my daughter says, 'Dad why did you say this?' And I say, 'Because your dad was a fucking fool'."

And suggests Joe Rogan should similarly own his own shit


And the second part (with a link to an earlier article) is about Albini also "owning his own shit" and looking back on his "ignorance". Maybe he improved as a person as he got older? Mind you, the stuff about touting his friends child porn magazine in 1978 kinda broadsided me.

"And I'm responsible for accepting my role in the patriarchy, and in white supremacy, and in the subjugation and abuse of minorities of all kinds."

[ThePumisher]

Françoise Hardy 

[Bosco]

Shelley Duvall

Watch The Shining NOW if you haven't

Spoiler

[ThePumisher]

As one who's really into the original Star Wars trilogy (and Rogue One), i'm sorry to hear about the passing of James Earl Jones

[Enjoyed]

Yeah. This was a real sad one. Mufasa too - an iconic voice and presence in film history for sure.


Another extremely sad RIP for me personally, is the shocking news of Danielle Moore's passing. She was the singer of Crazy P / Crazy Penis. I met her a handful of times and she was always so lovely, so full of energy, and she totally elevated the bands music when she joined the band for their second album.

I think this is the first musician passing that has really hit me - both as someone I had met but also who's music has made up a huge part of my life.

She will be missed.

[Bosco]

i'm sorry to hear about the passing of James Earl Jones

Big time sad. Absolute iconic voice. 

[sandelic]

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/david-lynch-tributes-death-age-movies-b2681085.html

There will never be another like him. 

[Wolkenkrabber]

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/david-lynch-tributes-death-age-movies-b2681085.html

There will never be another like him.

Just came here to post about this.
https://x.com/Variety/status/1879957169225048370

https://x.com/BladeoftheS/status/1879964674059563489

I bought the Mulholland Drive soundtrack CD just for this cover version of Crying.

@Explud Can you fix the embedding?

[Bosco]

also, there is this fantastic video trailer/promo (which I'm pretty sure I posted before) by my local film house who did a complete retrospective of David Lynch a few years back. Click if you feel like crying...

(darn it! playback was restricted, click the link to watch on youtube. It's worth it!)


and artwork for the event:

Please log in to view this attachment.

[Stefan]

Please log in to view this attachment.

[Explud]

@Explud Can you fix the embedding?

I tried, but they broke changed the API again.

[Bosco]

Cheers to Gene Hackman. Hoping the "suspicious" death (which is under investigation) is not a tragic one.  

Bracing for the rainfall of death to aging A list celebrities in the coming years... Feel blessed and cursed to understand the gravity of this.


R.I.P.

[sandelic]

I've read something today about pills found by the bodies.
I hope it is not what I think it was.
Great actor, one of the best. 
Such a sad situation. 

[Bosco]

R.I.P., VAL

[Wolkenkrabber]

One of my all time favourite rock drumers has died - Clem Burke of Blondie. I didn't even know he was ill. Blondie played Glastonbury in 2023, and there was Clem behind the kit. Today we find out he had cancer. It's not yet clear how long he had been suffering.

I was lucky enough to catch Clem with Blondie a couple of times when they reformed in the early 2000s (yes youngsters, Blondie was a band not a solo artist) - once at Hammersmith Apollo and once at a festival.
Parallel Lines is one of my all time favourite albums by any artist. A perfect concoction of New York punk, pop and disco. Every song a banger.
This has really caught me off guard and hit me hard. RIP Clem.

A tribute to Clem's drumming below. The "drumming project" bit at 7:51 about his research into drummers' health/fitness is worth a quick watch. But also the rest of the video!

[Wolkenkrabber]

Norm!
So many greetings but now it's goodbye.

[Bosco]

essentially depict your average Chicagoland Uncle, minus the generous beer belly

So to steal from my remark about the Pope... George Wendt is the Chicagoland version Uncle with the fully developed sausage and beer gut. Our Governor (and future potential Presidential candidate) has a familiar look.




R.I.P. George.

You'll always be loved as Norm on Cheers, your legendary SNL Bill Swerski's "Superfans" skits, and the Dad who gets blown away by Macaulay Culkin in the "Black or White" Michael Jackson music video.

Just a couple a years ago, my Mom ran into George Wendt at a restaurant in Michigan. 

[Bosco]

So long Sly, R.I.P.

[Wolkenkrabber]

So long Sly, R.I.P.

Ahh, the time I kinda sorta almost saw Sly Stone live...
The year was 2007, the place was Lovebox Festival in London's Victoria Park.
The time was 9pm...but then it was 9:50pm.
We had heard "mixed" reports about this comeback tour from Sly and the new "Family Stone".
We waited for the band to start - they did so nearly 50 minutes late. And with no sign of Sly.
Around three tracks in, the friend I was with said: "we've got a 2nd day of this festival tomorrow. May as well beat the crowd out the gates and on to the tube so that we can get home and recuperate in time for Day 2. Sly can't even be bothered to come on stage".
That all made sense, plus I didn't want to be left on my own, so I said "yeah ok", and off we went.
I definitely remember tracks 1 & 2 in the setlist, so it must have been during track 3 that we decided to leave.
According to this Uncut review Sly wandered on stage during track 4. I must have missed him by a matter of seconds.
Did I ever get another chance to see him? Nope. Do I regret not sticking around? Yep.
If the guy had just had the decency to come on stage for opener, Dance To The Music, I would have a different story to tell. I blame Sly!

He (they?) was certainly an influential artist - with over 1000 listings on WhoSampled.
One of these days I intend to properly dig into his back catalogue - something I might have done sooner if I didnt harbour a bit of a grudge against the guy.

Some other artists who I'm pleased I managed to catch while they were alive are:
Prince (2007). I caught two shows from his month-long residency at the O2 arena. The tickets were all priced at £31.21 -regardless of the seat. Why? Because he had an album out called 3121. Not making this up. He played loads of hits. Loved It.
David Bowie (2003), Wembley Arena, "A Reality Tour". God he was good. His voice during Ziggy Stardust and Heroes was really something. He looked fit and well. Engaged with the crowd, gave it his all. The next year he had a heart attack and never toured again.
Rory Gallagher, Dublin, a very long time ago. I got dragged along to this by a school friend; didn't regret it. A fantastic blues rock guitarist. If you've never heard of him, well your favourite guitarist certainly has, whether that's The Edge, Johnny Marr or Jack White.
The White Stripes, Alexandra Palace, 2004 or 2005. OK they're not dead, but the band is. It was everything I could have wanted from a White Stripes gig. They graduated to the O2 Arena after that, but their O2 gig never happened - because they split up.

Back to Sly, Here's a track I bought as a 12" white label, with no artwork or artist name on it at all. It has a discogs listing for a 7" release with artwork (same track length), and is credited to Medicine 8. I think my 12" pre-dated the 7" but I can't swear to it - there's no listing for it. Using Charles Manson for vocals was um, brave, but it does work, IMHO.

Medicine8 – Stupid (Charles Manson rants over Stand by Sly Stone)