Nothing major is being changed, and we’re only making a couple of little fixes to annoying babybugs. If you notice anything going crazy during or after this time, however, be sure to let us know!

Resume regular transmission.

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The one where Beth is a dorky Thespian, Devin rifles through the lost songs and Grace buys everything in bulk.

Beth

“Popular” - Wicked

“Defying Gravity” - Wicked

“Tango Maureen” - Rent

Because I have my degree in Theatre. And I’m a dork.

Devin

“Shakedown on 9th Street” - Ryan Adams

“Dio” - Tenacious D

“Clarity” - John Mayer

All songs I hadn’t listened to in quite some time. Now I have.

Grace

“1st of tha Month” - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

“Home” - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ft. Phil Collins

Sam’s Club was spinning these tunes while I was shopping there earlier today. Weird. Anyways, I was thrilled to read that Bone Thugs has reunited and will stage their hip-hop comeback when group member Flesh gets out of the slammer this month. Yay!

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Poet, lyricist, and philosopher, Jim Morrison (supposedly) died this day in 1971. He leaves behind a legacy of music that has influenced countless artists and the path of rock music in general. A child of a navy officer, his nomadic experience growing up as well as the influences of beat poets and surrealist artists would provide this musical icon with the tools he would later use to stand the world on its ear for decades to come.

Known in passing to the masses by haunting organ music and perhaps a few lines of the chorus from Light My Fire, Jim Morrison actually started out studying theatre and, in fact, graduated from UCLA with a degree in the field, taking a special interest in the surrealist movement from the decades of his birth. Before a chance meeting with the other man that would help form The Doors, Ray Manzarek, Morrison had already begun producing several films, some of which have been finished posthumously. It wasn’t until after he graduated in 1965, that his interests turned more toward poetry and music as a form of expression for that poetry. Later that year, John Densmore and Robby Krieger would join the band as drummer and guitarist, respectively. This collaboration would, for the next six years, become renown for its cryptic and haunting messages and the seemingly architected deconstruction of the lead singer, Jim Morrison.

Within a year of forming, The Doors were the house band of Whisky-a-Go-Go, a veritable breeding ground of stellar rock music that helped propel the likes of Hendrix, Zappa and The Who. However, within a week of being discovered by Elektra Records, The Doors were fired for Morrison’s modernized literative of Oedipus Rex that he tagged on the end of, well, The End… “Father, I Want To Kill You… Mother, I Want To Fuck You”… This theme of unpredictable stage behavior was a recurrent theme that would mark his performances until his last. The Doors self-titled debut hit the market in 1966, and featured a music video (above) for Break On Through, which was actually directed by Morrison and Manzarek. But it wasn’t until the release of their next single, Light My Fire, that The Doors secured themselves as a rock staple, selling well over a million records and reaching #1 on the Billboard Charts.

Their second LP, Strange Days, carried on their penchant for creating rock symphonies and featured another lengthy and dramatic piece, When The Music’s Over. This album held another staple of classic rock, People Are Strange, and could also be considered the turning point for The Doors and Morrison - the music afterward becoming more mainstream and Morrison falling deeper into alcoholism and drug abuse, at times to the point where he would be rendered incapable of performing. The third album, Waiting for the Sun, was marred by riotous performances and debate over whether The Doors had exhausted their musical portfolio - at times accused of outright plagiarism. It was also for this album that The Doors began to tour Europe, where they would end up creating most of the music featured on their fourth album, The Soft Parade.

1970 saw a return to The Doors harder rock sound, with other classic rock anthems such as Roadhouse Blues and Indian Summer featured on the fifth album, Morrison Hotel. This was also the album that featured the almost complete breakdown of Morrison. It was during the tour for this album that the band decided Jim’s time in performance should close. At this point, he was prone to breaking equipment, walking out in the middle of concerts, arguing and at times fighting with his own audience.

The final CD from The Doors, LA Woman, provided a comeback of sorts - producing songs like Riders on the Storm and LA Woman, and would prove to be the final death knell of Morrison. Within months of the April recording, Morrison was found dead in a bathtub at his home in Paris. The cause of death has been widely speculated, due in no small part to the varied stories produced from his girlfriend who found him, Pamela Courson. He died of a heroin overdose, he died of a lengthy respiratory infection, he died in a bar and was drug back home… Whatever the reason, his face is emblazoned on walls and ceilings, in galleries and bars, t-shirts of kids harking back to the time of their parents and (much to the chagrin of anyone with a fucking iota of artistic integrity) soon to be on a shoe by Converse.

Despite the commercial success he has brought the family of his common-law wife, Pamela (Who, thank god, killed herself with a heroin overdose a couple years later — and believe me, they’re the ones responsible for how shamelessly an artist of his stature was turned into a posthumous commercial whore - I hope they choke on the coins), his artistic contributions to rock music will be felt in every dramatic chord and cryptic lyric for generations to come.

“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps “Oh look at that!” Then- whoosh, and I’m gone…and they’ll never see anything like it ever again… and they won’t be able to forget me- ever.”
-Jim Morrison

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We arrived at the site of the inaugural Rothbury festival tired, broken, and confused. We’d just spent the better part of 20 hours cooped up in a car that seemed to be moving at the speed of a geriatric with a broken hip. We got lost 4 times in Kentucky. Indiana lasted for days. Michigan seems like a dream to me now (we hitchhiked the rest of the way from Saginaw).

We’ve only been on the festival grounds for a few hours now, but already there is a palpable energy in the air. There is a sense of community here at Rothbury that is unlike any of the other festivals we’ve attended in the last months. Almost every festival goer is taking a concerted effort to respect and assist the festival’s goals of promoting environmental awareness. People are discussing the various methods of environmental protection instead of the requisite topics pertaining to the availability of illegal substances. For a festival that’s geared to a largely hippie demographic, it’s pretty cool.

We’re currently ensconced in the press tent attempting (and failing) to upload some of the videos we’ve shot today. Apparently Kyle Glass of Tenacious D will be here tomorrow to interview bands for GMNext, so maybe we’ll ask him for some tips on how to get a video site to work. When we do, expect to see several interviews with artists on the bill and ample crowd shots of the bedlam that will undoubtedly occur.

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The rumor is Amy Winehouse was groped by a fan and she fought back. The incident took place at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England. I’m amazed at how she kept singing and punching at the same time.

Listen: Addicted by Amy Winehouse

Gym Class Heroes Sing About Unity, Breaks Mic Over Racial Slurring Fan’s Head

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Travis McCoy, lead singer of Gym Class Heroes, assaulted a man in the audience this weekend at Warped Tour after the unidentified man called him a “f***ing ignorant ni**er”. McCoy was arrested and released on a $500 bond.

Listen: Shoot Down the Stars by Gym Class Heroes

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones…

After a fan bottles Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Homme fires back with some fierce language at this Norwegian Wood Concert. **Warning: Crude Language!**

Listen: If Only by Queens of the Stone Age

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In a development of excruciatingly unsurprising nature, folk-country-rocker Ryan Adams and singer/actress Mandy Moore have officially ended their seven month relationship.

As is sometimes the case, the split was not caused by a difference of opinions or loss of that lovin’ feeling. According to a statement made by the “Gonna Make You Love Me” singer, the two were forced apart by the incessant encroachment of the dreaded paparazzi.

“Unfortunately I am allergic to paparazzi and have found the best antidote to that sort of nonsense is staying behind the guitar and typewriter, staying close to my support group of friends and band mates and not engaging in activities that prevent me from taking care of myself or others,” he says.

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“I found the entire speculation and subsequent photographs and intrusions terrifying and only wish to live as normal a life as possible, so that I might always remain punk as f*** AND sober,” Adams added.

To those who have never seen pictures of the two together, the breakup may be a bit startling. To the rest of the world, it’s been a foregone conclusion for some time.

Adams has now become another in the laundry list of celebs dispatched at the hands of Mandy Moore, including Wilmer Valderrama, Zach Braff and U.S. tennis star Andy Roddick.

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Sharper Image has brought to you a brand new music performance system that combines two things nobody can get enough of — the emotional satisfaction of music and the stunning futuristic awesomeness of lasers.

The beamz system is perfect for somebody who wants to make music without the popularity hoopla that comes with looking cool doing it. Several examples of exactly how goofy you’ll look performing with the beamz system include:

1. Mr. One Man Rock Band

Indoor sunglasses? Check. Slight unrhythmic bounce? Check. Biting down on bottom lip during air-drumming for added rocker-ness? CHECK. He’s got everything one needs to not be taken seriously during a fake performance.

2. Mr. Quiet Reverie

Why is he wearing headphones around his neck? He’s not in the recording studio, laying down a fresh track. And that fanning motion — is he playing fake smooth jazz or redirecting a particularly smelly bout of flatulence?

3. Island Jam Session Duo

These guys have incredible chemistry. The way they pass the beat back and forth — uncanny. If the man on the right didn’t have the world’s creepiest look on his face, they’d probably already be playing fake laser music to sold out arenas worldwide.

Every day, the beamz music performance system is turning ordinary people with ordinary living rooms into music virtuosos. Wouldn’t you like to be one too?

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Filth and Wisdom, Madonna’s directorial debut, written by Dan Caden, and starring Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, will open October 16th. The comedy is about three roommates, all dreamers living in London who end up in the sex trade.

It was the official selection at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival. The film has received mixed reviews; one review telling her to “hang on to her day job.” Ouch. I’m not a big fan of movie critics, so I’ll wait till October to make my own opinion. Personally, I’m excited, I think it will be a lot better than what these griping critics write.

Listen: 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) by Madonna
Listen: Passport by Gogol Bordello

David Bowie plays Andy Warhol in Basquiat

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I just watched Basquiat, written and directed by Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). The movie was made in 1996 and was Schnabel’s debut as a director. It’s based on the true story about a revolutionary young grafitti artist in New York in the ’80s who goes from living in a cardboard box in Thompson Square Park to becoming an art celebrity and best friends with Andy Warhol. Schnabel himself was a painter before becoming a filmmaker and was good friends with Basquiat. Jean-Michel Basquiat became famous at 23 and died at the age of 27 due to a heroin overdose.

I love this movie for many reasons. I’ll let you watch it to see why. One of my favorite reasons is that David Bowie plays Andy Warhol. And that cracks me up. Courtney Love is also in this movie! In real life, Basquiat dated the then unknown Madonna for two months. Love’s character is only in the movie for a few minutes and is referred to as the “Big Pink.” My guess is Courtney plays Madonna in the movie.

Listen: Andy Warhol by David Bowie
Listen: Malibu by Courtney Love

Christmas on Mars

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Seven years in the making, the Flaming Lips have finally finished Christmas on Mars. The DVD, at about 90 minutes, will be released in December. There have been a few screenings, including one at the Sasquatch Music Festival.

Wayne Coyne plays an “alien super-being” along with his band mate, Michael Ivans.

I hope its good. If anything, it will be considered a cult classic. Take a look:

Listen: Christmas at the Zoo by the Flaming Lips
Listen: Free Radicals by the Flaming Lips

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