Uncle Joe's Update Archives - July 21

July 21 - 31, 2006

These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!

July 21, 2006

Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens is 58.
Comedian Robin Williams is 55.
Former Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein would have been 52.

On this day in 1979, Robert Palmer released "Bad Case Of Loving You," "My Sharona" by The Knack entered the charts as "I Want You To Want Me" by Cheap Trick peaked at #7.

On this day in 1980, AC/DC's "Back In Black" album was released.

On this day in 1986, The Police began trying to record an album that they never came close to finishing. When Sting opted for his solo career instead of working with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, the trio released a greatest hits package called "Every Breath You Take," and called it a day.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of the Steve Miller Band on the 30th anniversary of "Fly Like An Eagle" as well as Joe's brand new conversation with Steve.

The Return Of U2 (Sort Of)

As expected, U2 has rescheduled a number of concerts in Australia, New Zealand and Japan that were postponed this Spring due to an unidentified serious illness within the immediate family of a band member. Kanye West, who was scheduled to open the Australia and New Zealand shows the first time around, will fill that role for all the make-up dates in those territories. Pearl Jam will join U2 December 9th in Honolulu, marking the first time those two bands have shared a stage since 1993's Zoo TV tour. As it stands now, U2's Vertigo tour is the top-grossing tour in history at more than $333 million, which bests The Stones' $320 million Voodoo Lounge tour. The Stones' A Bigger Bang tour, however, is expected to top $400 million by the time it wraps (for this year) in November. Meanwhile, U2's "Zoo TV Live From Sydney" video will finally be released on DVD in September.

P.U.L.S.E. Debuts At Top

The release of the expanded version of Pink Floyd's 1994 concert film "P.U.L.S.E." on DVD had been delayed for years due to technical problems with the original recording. But the concentrated restoration effort proved worth it when the new DVD debuted at #1 in the U.S., U.K. and seven other countries.

John & Willy Hit The Road

John Fogerty kicks off his "The Long Road Home Summer Tour" this weekend. Most of the 32 dates booked by the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman include Country legend Willie Nelson on the bill. Lucinda Williams will open on the final two stops — our Greek Theater on September 2nd in Los Angeles and the Santa Barbara County Bowl on September 3rd.

Pat Does Candie's

Yes, that's Pat Benatar you're seeing in those TV ads for the Candie's brand of teen clothing! Pat, along with a new singer named Cheyenne, are launching the "Vintage" collection available exclusively at Kohl's. The print portion of the ad campaign will appear first in September issues of fashion and entertainment publications. But wait — there's more! Candie's is also launching a "Heartbreaker" fragrance this Fall.

Summers Tells All/Keeps Real Busy

At some point during his five decades in music, former Police guitarist Andy Summers has seen it all — and he's prepared to share the stories. Andy's in-depth autobiography, "One Train Later," will be out on October 3rd. A second book, filled with photos Summers shot during The Police's short but storied career, will arrive next Spring. The spry 63-year-old says, "I've had a fairly amazing life and I've been very lucky. I've been in on all the amazing moments and I've lived through very colorful decades." Meanwhile, he's completed a guitar duo album with Ben Verdery, with whom he performed last Fall at New York's Carnegie Hall, and he's scoring his first film in 15 years, the upcoming Danny DeVito star vehicle "One Part Sugar." And in his spare time...

Steve Miller & Uncle Joe In The O.C.

Last Friday night: Reconfirmed as the Mayor of Swingtown, J.B. hosted Steve Miller's sold out concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre. Here are a few shots of what it looked like!

Quote Of The Week

It was Woody Allen who said: "If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."

Hot Town — Summer in the City

The record-breaking heat will be with us for a few more days, so here's a warning. Children, older people and those engaged in heavy physical labor are most vulnerable to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. It's a lousy way to die.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is a less severe form of heat-related illness that occurs when the body is too hot. Symptoms include excessive thirst, profuse sweating, muscle cramps, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, uncoordinated movement, fatigue and fainting. The skin usually feels cold and clammy to the touch. If left untreated, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, a more serious condition that can be fatal.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke is the most serious form of heat-related illness. Symptoms include dizziness, confusion, combativeness, strong rapid pulse, dry skin or lack of sweating and possible delirium, unconsciousness or coma. Onset can be rapid, with progression to a life-threatening state within minutes. With heat stroke, the mechanisms for cooling the body simply shut down. The victims stop sweating, so their skin is dry; the blood vessels that are normally close to the skin constrict, not allowing blood flow to the skin, so there's less cooling. Their temperature rises to over 104 degrees, which can cause brain damage that interferes with breathing and circulation.

Thirsty?

If you are thirsty, you're already dehydrated. So, drink on!

July 22, 2006

Pianist/singer Rick Davies of Supertramp is 62.
Songwriter/singer/drummer/occasional Eagle Don Henley is 59.

On this day in 1967, The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" entered the charts as The Doors hit #1 with "Light My Fire."

On this day in 1972, "Take It Easy" by the Eagles peaked at #12 as "Rock & Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter entered the charts.

On this day in 1978, Bob Seger's "Still The Same" peaked at #4 as Bruce Springsteen's "Prove It All Night" topped out at #33 on the charts.

July 23, 2006

British movie star David "Rock On" Essex is 59.
Guitarist Blair Thornton of Bachman Turner Overdrive is 56.
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is 41.

On this day in 1977, Foreigner released the song "Cold As Ice" as Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" entered the charts.

On this day in 1977, Led Zeppelin's manager and drummer, Peter Grant and John Bonham, as well as three of their security guards were arrested in Oakland, California for severely beating three of promoter Bill Graham's employees after a concert in that city.

On this day in 1979, keyboard player Keith Godchaux of the Grateful Dead died of complications from head injuries suffered in a car accident two days earlier. Keith and his wife Donna had played with the Dead since 1972.

July 24, 2006

On this day in 1971, "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones peaked at #28 on the charts.

On this day in 1976, "Take The Money And Run" by the Steve Miller Band peaked at #11 as Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town" topped out at #12 on the charts.

On this day in 1982, Fleetwood Mac's "Hold Me" peaked at #4 on the charts.

On this day in 1987, The Grateful Dead's "Touch Of Grey" entered the charts.

Stones Top Another

The Rolling Stones have topped the "Billboard" list of the Highest Grossing Tours for the first half of 2006. "Billboard" says that The Stones raked in $147.3 million on the A Bigger Bang world tour, more than double what second-placed U2 earned in that time period. The Irish group's take of $73 million was low (for them) because of a number of shows that were postponed due to health problems. Other classic rockers in the Top 10 include Bon Jovi at #3 with $65 million, Billy Joel at #4 with $47.4 million and Aerosmith at #6 with $35 million (Aerosmith also had to cancel several gigs due to health problems). Last week, The Stones came in second place on "Pollstar's" mid-year concert tally, but that was due to "Pollstar's" list being compiled from figures spanning January 1st through June 30th, while the "Billboard" survey covered November 1st of the previous year through mid-May of the current year. No matter how you count it out, though, that's still a lot of cash!

Steely P.O.ed

Knowing what a bunch of jokesters Walter Becker and Donald Fagan of Steely Dan are on their web site, it's hard to say if they really want a public apology from Owen Wilson. But the boys have fired some strong words towards him over similarities between the title character in his new movie "You, Me and Dupree" and the Dan's 2001 GRAMMY-winning song "Cousin Dupree." "[The producers] didn't even bother to think up a new f**king name for the guy," the duo wrote in a hilarious, lengthy, obscenity-laden open letter on their website to Owen's brother, Luke Wilson. Don and Walt describe their "Cousin Dupree" as a "real dog sleeping on the couch." In "You, Me, and Dupree" Wilson stars as Randy Dupree, an unsavory house guest who settles in with his friend, (Matt Dillon) and his new bride (Kate Hudson). While The Dan contend that Randy Dupree was inspired by "Cousin Dupree," the classic rockers claim they were "totally out in the cold on this one," saying that they weren't offered any opportunities to contribute to the film or its soundtrack and received, "no phone call, no muffin basket, no flowers, nothing." Becker and Fagen also imply they're taking legal action over the matter, but coming from those pranksters, it's really hard to say.

Gillan Shares

Not only does Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan have a great sense of humor, he also has an interesting sense of adventure. Ian is holding an online talent contest that guarantees the singer and guitarist who submit the best rendition of Purple's classic song "Smoke on the Water" an expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to perform with Gillan during his September 17th solo show in the city. I'm guessing that someone other than Ian is going to listen to all those tapes, but I know for a fact that he'd say he's just sharing the adventure!

Roddy's Rockin'

As he mentioned a couple of months back, Rod Stewart is returning to his Rock & Roll roots on his new album "Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time," due out on October 10th. Confirmed tracks include John Fogerty's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" and Bob Dylan's "If Not for You," Bob Seger's "Still the Same," Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache" and Van Morrison's "Crazy Love. Stay tuned for more details!

Nash Is Glad

Graham Nash says he's glad to be singing songs from Neil Young's new "Living With War" album on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's current tour, even if some fans are staying away in protest. "There's no way we would go out there if we didn't completely support what [Young] was saying," says Nash. "Neil has touched a nerve here. He's saying what a lot of people wished they could say." You'll have a chance to see for yourself when those boys hit the Southland next Sunday and Monday.

Time Waits for No One

No, Mick Jagger didn't say it this way, but it's true: "Time is a great teacher, but it kills all its pupils."

July 25, 2006

Drummer Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 63.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles' album "A Hard Day's Night hit #1 on the charts.

On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival and played a few tunes he had just recorded. Outraged folkies booed him off the stage and accused him of becoming a "sellout." There was so much to be outraged by in 1965.

On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones played their last American concert with founding guitarist Brian Jones. Although Brian didn't really know where he was, San Francisco was the scene.

On this day in 1966, Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on his friend George Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The song — a true classic — was eventually released on The Beatles "White Album."

On this day in 1969 at Bill Graham's Fillmore East, Neil Young appeared onstage with Crosby, Stills & Nash for the first time.

On this same day in 1969, Led Zeppelin played in Milwaukee at the Midwest Rock Festival. Guitar god Eric Clapton, who played with Blind Faith the next day, caught the set by fellow former-Yardbird guitarist Jimmy Page's new band. Eric's observation: "They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought." Being a member of Cream, E.C. evidently never saw the original "overemphasized" band.

On this day in 1970, Chicago released the song "25 Or 6 To 4" as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children" peaked at #16 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Cinnamon Girl" topped out at #55 on the charts. Neil was a busy guy back in 1970.

On this day in 1981, Stevie Nicks released "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."

Macca Loses A Lodge/Gains A Familiar Neighbor

Word is that Paul McCartney not only has lost his legal appeal to keep a timber lodge on his U.K. farm, but authorities want it torn down as soon as possible. The community's district council is looking to preserve the quality of the country landscape, and has said there's, quote, "no compelling justification" for Sir Paulie to have the lodge on the property. Macca's soon to be ex-wife, Heather Mills, has reportedly been living in the now-condemned cabin since the couple announced their spilt in May. But land registry documents show that Mills bought a five-bedroom converted barn for a million dollars on May 26th, nine days before her divorce from the former Beatle was made public. Mills' new digs are about 15 minutes away from Macca's place. Supposedly, Heather will live there with the couple's two-year-old daughter, Beatrice. That should keep the paparazzi jumping!

Ozzy's Doubly Busy

He may be touring with OzzFest, but Ozzy Osbourne says that he and longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde are working on a pair of solo albums at his home studio. The fact that they're recording without a producer may be the reason no material has been tossed out — yet. Meanwhile, the Ozz-man and his wife, Sharon, will make a special appearance at New York's Hard Rock Cafe on Friday to unveil a T-shirt he designed to benefit the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program. Right so, Mr. & Mrs. O!

Pot Calls Kettle Black (Sort Of)

Of course Guns N' Roses started last Wednesday's concert in Newcastle, England over an hour late, but they still didn't play any encores. A press release said that the band exited the stage abruptly because singer Axl Rose had been hit twice by objects thrown from the crowd — typical behavior by unhappy British hard rock fans. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed called the show "one of the best gigs of the entire tour," and lamented its early ending due to "two morons who obviously don't know how to behave at a rock concert." Was he talking about people in the band who start concerts over an hour late, or someone who actually paid to see the show?

U2 Building/Recording/Publishing

U2 has been helping build up their hometown of Dublin for years now with hotels, studios, nightclubs and more. Their newest venture is said to be a new 35-floor building in the docklands area of the city. While a new studio for the band is a certainty, there's no word yet as to what the rest of the building will be used for. Meanwhile, as the band works up new material for their next album, September 22nd has been set for the release of their autobiography, "U2byU2." The 350-page book (with 1,500 photos) tells the story of the band by the band, from their early beginnings to present day. It contains insight not only from each band member but also from their longtime manager, Paul McGuinness.

Entwistle's DVD

"An Ox's Tale," a long-in-the-works documentary about late Who bassist John Entwistle, has been set for an August 22nd release on DVD. Narrated by Peter Frampton, the film features concert footage of Entwistle as well as interviews with him and his son, Christopher.

Need A Vacation?

Feeling worn out? Here's the average number of vacation days taken annually around the world.
Italy: 42
France: 37 days
Germany: 35 days
Brazil: 34 days
U.K.: 28 days
Canada: 26 days
South Korea and Japan: 25 days
And in the good old U.S.A.: 13 big ones!

July 26, 2006

Bugs Bunny is 66.
Mick Jagger is 63.
Drummer Roger Taylor of Queen is 57.
Van Halen III singer Gary Cherone is 45.

On this day in 1990, Brent Mydland became the third consecutive keyboardist to die while working with the Grateful Dead. He was 37.

Stevie & Bette

Last year it was Sir Elton John. This year, Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks will perform at Bette Midler's annual "Hulaween" charity event on October 31st in New York. The gala, which includes a celebrity auction, will benefit the Midler-founded New York Restoration Project — an initiative that funds the development of parks, community gardens and other green spaces in the city, particularly in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Right so, Bette & Stevie!

Leon Loses Again

Jimi Hendrix's brother Leon lost another court battle to win a piece of the late guitarist's estate. A Washington State Court of Appeals upheld the last will and testament of Jimi's dad, Al Hendrix, who had disinherited Leon, leaving the bulk of the estate to his sister Janie Hendrix. Leon was hoping to prove that Janie had unfairly influenced Al against him. In a statement about the ruling in her favor, Janie said: "All of us at Experience Hendrix are looking forward to continuing our efforts to maintain and protect the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, keeping his music alive for generations to come. That work is the fulfillment of my father's vision and we will strive to honor his wishes now and in the future."

Early R.E.M. Redux

R.E.M.'s earliest material will be chronicled on both a single-disc CD and a deluxe double-disc set, as well as on a DVD due on September 12th. Original members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry were heavily involved in the upcoming releases, including selecting their favorite studio tracks for the two-disc edition of "And I Feel Fine," which will also come with rare tracks, live cuts and previously unreleased tracks. The DVD, "When The Light Is Mine," will feature a mix of music videos and live TV performances. To coincide with the releases, R.E.M. will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 16th in Atlanta.

Macca On TV

A new Paul McCartney concert film will premiere in October on A&E. "Paul McCartney: The Space Within Us" will feature previously unreleased gig footage and off-the-stage action from the former Beatle's 2005 US Tour.

Another Bruce Book

A new Bruce Springsteen photo essay is on the way. Eric Meola, who snapped the cover image for Springsteen's breakthrough 1975 album, is releasing "Born to Run: The Unseen Photos." The book is filled with more than 100 black & white pictures that were shot during the original photo shoot — most of which have never been published. The book is due for release in September, and Meola says he'll donate his portion of the proceeds from the book to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

July 27, 2006

On this day in 1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd released "Sweet Home Alabama," a response to Neil Young's dissing of their home state in the song "Southern Man."

On this day in 1976, after a four-year court battle, John Lennon received his green card and was granted permanent residency status in the States.

On this day in 1977, Led Zeppelin called off the remainder of their '77 North American Tour after Robert Plant's 6-year-old son Karac died of a respiratory ailment.

On this day in 2001, Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson died of heart failure in his Florida home. He was 49.

On this day in 2002, The Who's bassist, John Entwistle, died of heart failure in his Las Vegas hotel room on the eve of the band's U.S. tour. He was only 57.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Pat Benatar, as well as more of Joe's conversation with Pat and her guitarist/husband Neil Giraldo.

Pete Goes Overboard Again

The Who's Pete Townshend doesn't do many things half-assed, nor does he ever refrain from talking incessantly about it. The latest "famous Who stalemate" involves giving away the band's performances. After The Who's European tour wraps up in Spain on Saturday, the band will stop offering live webcasts of its concerts. Pete identifies a number of issues with the process — including singer Roger Daltrey's objections to it. Of course, the guitarist admits that presenting Who concerts live online for free or for a fee earmarked for charity was entirely his idea, and that he and Roger never discussed the issue. He also says that while he and Daltrey are partners in The Who, "we do not discuss or share ideas, and we have no unified joint vision or strategy for The Who or for creative projects in general." He calls it "a dilemma," and promises to discuss the webcasting issues and resuming online broadcasts with Daltrey as soon as "they have sufficient time to talk." Sounds like someone needs a consultation with Dr. Phil to straighten out this little knuckleheaded spat!

Jackson & Michael

This should be a great show. Jackson Browne and former Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald will headline the 4th Annual Ventura Hillsides Music Festival on September 30th in Ventura. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, which is seeking to establish a preserve in the area. Right so, boys!

Metallica Finally Digital

After fighting the digital music revolution for years, Metallica is finally selling its entire back catalog on iTunes — all 10 releases from the group's 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All" to the 2004 EP "Some Kind of Monster." In a sharp move, previously unreleased live tracks have been added to each of the band's first four albums as bonuses only available at iTunes. Now, how long can The Beatles and Led Zeppelin continue to hold out?

Mysterious Hendrix Recording

A reel-to-reel tape containing a never-before-released Jimi Hendrix studio track, "Station Break," is supposed to be auctioned on October 26th in New York. The lucky purchaser will also receive half ownership under the New York common law copyright and half the proceeds from any future licensing. They say that "Station Break" was recorded in 1966 (before Jimi became a star) at Allegro Sound Studios in New York during the same session that yielded the instrumentals "No Such Animal," "I'm a Fool for You" and "Kato's Special" — none of which yer Unc has ever heard of. The tape was unearthed in 1994 by Celeste Simon, the widow of the song's co-writer/producer Jerry Simon, who was also president of the company publishing Hendrix's material at the time. Other master recordings from the session were offered on eBay last year, but evidently didn't sell at a high enough price to guarantee a comfortable retirement. Jimi's sister, Janie, is president of the Experience Hendrix company, which owns the rights to his recordings. She said that although she had acquired most of his unreleased work, there were still "a few stragglers. I did not know about this one," she said, and warned: "We will have to have discussions about this as there could be copyright issues." It's a wonder Leon Hendrix wasn't involved somewhere along the line.

What Are The Odds?

Cause of death/lifetime odds
Shark attack — 1 in 3,700,000
Amusement park ride — 1 in 920,000
West Nile virus — 1 in 520,000
Bear attack — 1 in 410,000
Plague — 1 in 240,000
Fireworks — 1 in 230,000
Hurricane — 1 in 220,000
Airplane accident — 1 in 40,000
Lightning — 1 in 39,000
Drowning in a bathtub — 1 in 11,000
Pregnancy and childbirth — 1 in 9,900
Being killed by an intimate partner — 1 in 1,800
Flu — 1 in 1,700
Homicide — 1 in 240
Automobile accident — 1 in 88
Pneumonia — 1 in 57
Diabetes — 1 in 53
All cancers — 1 in 7
Heart disease — 1 in 4

July 28, 2006

Keyboardist Richard Wright of Pink Floyd is 63.
Blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield would have been 62.
Drummer Simon Kirke of Bad Company is 57.
Guitarist Steve Morse of Deep Purple is 52.

On this day in 1973, The Grateful Dead, The Band and the Allman Brothers Band played for some 600,000 at the world's largest rock festival at Watkins Glen Raceway in upstate New York. All the mud counteracted the nudity, and in May 1974, the birth rate barely showed an increase. Trust me, this was a good thing.

On this day in 1973, Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" peaked at #4 as "Money" by Pink Floyd peaked at #13 and "Over The Hills And Far Away" by Led Zeppelin peaked at #51 on the charts. Grand Funk's "We're An American Band" also entered the singles chart, but it took the world a couple more weeks to notice.

On this day in 1995, James Al Hendrix, the father of legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix, won back the rights to his son's name, likeness, image and music. In the two decades between Jimi's death and this decision, countless businesses made profits off of Jimi. Now, it's his family that's raking it in.

On Stage Tonight

KLOS' own Cynthia Fox will be hosting a special performance by John Waite (of The Babys) and David Paich (of Toto) as well as drummers Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge) and Chris Slade (of AC/DC and Manfred Mann's Earth Band) at a special fundraiser for Jimmy Page's ABC Trust tonight at the REMO Recreational Music Center in North Hollywood. Also, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Paul Simon is playing at the Pacific Amphitheatre this evening.

On Stage Sunday

KLOS' own Gary Moore will be hosting The Moody Blues show at the Pacific Amphitheatre Sunday night as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young rock the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

Eddie Gets Porny

Now we know what's been going on in that dark studio. Eddie Van Halen is recording two new songs and some instrumental music for a porno movie called "Sacred Sin." Edward agreed to do the music for the adult film because he's a friend and a fan of the director. "Michael Ninn is like a Spielberg to me: the imagery, the way he makes things look, just... sensual." Eddie said the movie and his music is "some whompin-a** sh**" that is "the best work he's ever done, and me too. And more to come." The double-DVD film will be out on September 13th, with a toned-down, non-explicit version (with much shorter songs, no doubt) to be released at a later date.

Buy Macca's First Today (Or Not)

The first guitar Paul McCartney ever played is up for sale today in London. The Rex acoustic belongs to Ian James, Macca's buddy who taught him to play when they were teenagers. The guitar comes with a letter from McCartney verifying that this was the guitar he used when he first played for John Lennon, and the notes he taught Lennon were chords he'd learned from James. The 64-year-old James is selling the instrument to help fund his retirement. The Cooper Owen auction house is handling the sale, which is expected to bring in over $185,000.

Stones On Phones

Can't vouch for the sound quality, but you can use your telephone to listen to the 15 remaining stops on The Rolling Stones' European tour. Starting with tonight's concert in Paris, you can dial up a direct feed from the soundboard — via both cell phones and land lines — at the rate of $1.99 for seven minutes. That comes to just $35 or $40 per gig through the Listen Live Now! service. Well, $35 or $40 per gig plus all the other fees — a small price to pay to avoid having some drunken concert-goer barf on your shoes.

Mick On TV

It's official! The debut episode of ABC's sitcom "The Knights of Prosperity," which will feature a prominent appearance by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, will premiere on October 17th. When asked by members of the press, "Knights" star Donal Logue wasn't sure how much involvement Sir Mick will have in the program. In a classic understatement, Logue said, "Hopefully, he'll be in, like, four or five episodes this season... but that's completely up to his whim and fancy." Amazing how that works, isn't it?

Unreleased/Altered Lennon Songs

Two previously unreleased John Lennon songs will surface on the soundtrack of "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," a documentary focusing on the former Beatle's creativity and activism between the years 1966 and 1976. The soundtrack will feature some of John's most politically charged work as well as a previously unreleased live version of "Attica State" taped in Ann Arbor in December 1971. The other "new" tune is a music-only take of "How Do You Sleep?" — one of several Lennon songs in the movie that's had its vocal track stripped away. Filmmakers crafted the instrumental versions so they could use John's own compositions in the movie's score. The film will premiere on September 15th in Los Angeles and New York. The soundtrack album is due out on September 26th.

July 29, 2006

Keyboardist Neil Doughty of REO Speedwagon is 60.
Bassist/singer Geddy Lee of Rush and
Singer Patti Scialfa (Mrs. Springsteen) are both 53.

On this day in 1966, Bob Dylan crashed his motorcycle in Woodstock, NY. The legendary accident (which many still don't think really happened) allowed Dylan to disappear from public life at the height of his popularity. He reportedly suffered a concussion, a broken neck vertebrae, and suffered from paralysis and mild amnesia for the next month. For the record, he was riding a Triumph 55 motorcycle, which in 1966 was one hot machine.

On this day in 1966, The Beatles' second film, "Help," premiered in London. The event created chaos by attracting thousands of excited fans to the location, and even Queen Elizabeth herself was in attendance. No, she didn't stand in line.

On this day in 1966, Cream kicked off their first tour with a concert in Manchester, England.

July 30, 2006

Blues legend Buddy Guy is 70.
Jethro Tull bassist Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond is 50.
Eclectic songbird Kate Bush is 48.

On this day in 1966, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs hit #1 as Bob Dylan's "I Want You" peaked at #20 on the charts.

On this day in 1983, Talking Heads' "Burning Down The House" entered the singles chart.

On this day in 2003, Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records and the man credited with discovering Elvis Presley, died of respiratory failure in Memphis. He was 80.

On this day in 2003, the largest paid-admission concert in history came off without a hitch when over 450,000 fans gathered for the Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto (SARS-stock) concert headlined by The Rolling Stones. The 11-hour show featured 15 acts, including AC/DC, The Guess Who and Rush.

July 31, 2006

Singer/guitarist Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac fame is 60.
Drummer Bill Berry of R.E.M. is 48.

On this day in 1965, The Yardbirds released the song "Heart Full of Soul," which featured Jeff Beck's groundbreaking guitar work.

On this day in 1971, James Taylor hit #1 with "You've Got A Friend" as Lee Michaels released "Do You Know What I Mean."

On this day in 1976, Blue Oyster Cult released "Don't Fear The Reaper" as Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive" hit #2 and "You're My Best Friend" by Queen peaked at #16 on the charts.

On this day in 1985, John Mellencamp released his classic "Scarecrow" album.

On Stage Tonight

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young rock the Hollywood Bowl tonight as Santana grooves the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

Macca's First Brings $614,000

The first guitar Paul McCartney ever played was sold at the Cooper Owen's Music Legends auction Friday in London. The Rex acoustic belonged to Macca's buddy Ian James, who taught him to play when they were teenagers. The guitar came with a letter from McCartney verifying that this was the guitar he used when he first played for John Lennon, and the notes he taught Lennon were chords he'd learned from James. The final price was $614,000 — over three times the expected $185,000! The buyer, Craig Jackson, is no stranger to big auctions as he's the president of the famous Barrett-Jackson collector cars auction company. No matter whether Craig actually plays guitar or not, you have to admit that his official statement sums it up for all of us: "This is such an important piece of rock history... and I am an extremely happy man tonight. Without this guitar The Beatles may never have existed and it is a fantastic acquisition."

Slowhand/Moscow/No Go

Bad news if you were going to Moscow to see Eric Clapton perform this Thursday evening — the Red Square concert has been canceled. While the local promoter "reportedly" had the proper permit with approval from all necessary city and state representatives, Russian authorities retracted the permit last Friday. E.C. will now finish his European tour with a show in Helsinki tonight. After a little vacation (fly fishing, no doubt) he'll launch his North American tour in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 16th. Still no Southland dates on his schedule — and November is going to be pretty busy around here — but you know he's coming!

Brit Gov. Workers' Good Taste

When it comes the the Favorite Album Of All Time, Led Zeppelin's second album and The Beatles are the top vote-getters in a new poll of members of the British government done by the British Library. According to comments published in the U.K., one legislator said "Led Zeppelin II" is "metal as art. No one ever topped it. The opening riff is straightforward perfection," while another said, "Zeppelin made a new kind of music. They created a genre many have copied but no one has equaled. And 'Whole Lotta Love' is the greatest rock song ever." The Beatles earned the most votes, which were split between "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the "White Album." No word if the rocking government workers voted while on the job or on their own time during tea breaks.

Steely Dan/Owen Wilson Update

Seeing that the mainstream press was taking the whole situation seriously, Owen Wilson fed them another line in denying any connection between his new movie, "You, Me and Dupree," and Steely Dan. The band recently posted a typically impish letter on its Web site claiming that Wilson's "Dupree" character was based on their GRAMMY-winning song, "Cousin Dupree," about a couch-hopping house guest. In a statement released by his spokeswoman, Wilson said: "I have never heard the song 'Cousin Dupree' and I don't even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, 'Hey 19.'" What the mainstream press missed was that one of Steely Dan's biggest hits was "Hey Nineteen," and you know Owen's reply had the Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagan both snickering in the background. Touche'!

Macca Files For Divorce

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has filed the paperwork to start divorce proceedings against his second wife, Heather Mills McCartney. In what could be one of Britain's most expensive breakups, Mills is expected to file her own counter claims in courts in both the U.K. and the United States. McCartney, who has an estimated worth of $1.5 billion, could lose up to a quarter of his wealth because the couple did not sign a pre-nup. Of course the recent revelation of Heather's past career in German porn won't help her case much. McCartney and Mills have a two-year-old daughter together, and announced their split in May, a month before they would have celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.

Quote Of The Week

It was Andy Rooney who said: "Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."