October 1 - 10, 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!

October 1, 2006

On this day in 1969, The Beatles' "Abbey Road," the last album they ever recorded, was released in the United States.

On this day in 1970, Jimi Hendrix was buried in Seattle, his hometown. The mourners included Miles Davis, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and all the members of Derek & the Dominoes, including Eric Clapton.

On this day in 1973, Elton John released his classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album.

On this day in 1973, John Lennon and Yoko Ono separated, and John began living in Los Angeles with Yoko's secretary, May Pang.

On this day in 1976, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Night Moves" album was released.

On this day in 1988 , U2 released the "Desire" single.

On this day in 2004, Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer died of a heart attack at the age of 58.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of The Grateful Dead as well as conversation with Mickey Hart and Jerry Garcia.

Farm Aid Tomorrow

Farm Aid co-founders John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson staged the 21st annual edition of the fundraising concert at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey yesterday. Jerry Lee Lewis performed with Roy Head, while guitar god Wayne Haynes' Gov't Mule joined Farm Aid board member Dave Matthews and Los Lonely Boys on the multi-artist bill. Farm Aid was established in 1985. Over the decades the organization has worked to promote family-owned farms and raise money to help the people who continue to till the land. The message of this year's event is aimed at consumers, urging them to buy food cultivated from family farms to help to generate more business for family farmers.

Bono Will Be Dave's First

U2 frontman Bono will be the first guest on musician/producer David A. Stewart's upcoming music-themed interview show for HBO. The "musicians on musicians" show will feature the male half of the Eurythmics (known back then as simply Dave Stewart), interviewing fellow artists about their craft. Six half-hour episodes of the show will air early next year.

Romantics Resurface

Detroit's own Romantics will headline the second leg of E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt's garage rock-themed Rolling Rock & Roll Show tour. And Little Steven is keeping the bands hopping! The first leg of the tour, featuring The Zombies, wraps this weekend and the Romantics line-up — also featuring Chicago's Shadows of Knight — kicks off next Tuesday in San Diego. The traveling festival will hit the Avalon in Hollywood next Wednesday and finish on October 27th in Nashville.

Rodgers Hires 'Em Young

With Queen + Paul Rodgers on hiatus, singer extraordinaire Paul Rodgers is gearing up for his first solo U.K. tour in five years. Rodgers surprised everyone by asking 17 year-old guitarist Kurtis Dengler of the Washington state band Electric Shades of Blue to join Paul's band of Collective Soul drummer Ryan Hoyle, guitarist Howard Leese from Heart and bassist Lynn Sorensen. Coincidentally, Dengler is the same age as Rodgers was when he formed Free with Paul Kossoff. No word on any Stateside dates yet, but let's hope Paul can keep this guitarist alive longer than Kossoff.

Now You Can Buy Billy's House

Four years after purchasing an estate with picturesque views of Oyster Bay Harbor, 57-year-old Billy Joel is moving out. Joel paid $22.5 million for the property in 2002, but will sell it to you for a mere $37.5 million. For that, you get a 40,000-square-foot brick, gabled house containing five bedrooms with three full baths, three half-baths and eight fireplaces on 14.26 acres with 1,550 feet of shoreline on Oyster Bay. There's also a guest cottage and a pool house by the beach. Other amenities include a gym, music room, wine cellar, outdoor pool, bowling alley and tennis courts, and a domed-roof indoor pool room, which has been converted into a space for Joel's grand piano. Billy's 20-something wife was too busy packing to comment on what she'll miss the most.

Top 10 Advantages Of Being Over 40

1. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
2. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
3. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
4. Things you buy now won't wear out.
5. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
6. You sing along with elevator music.
7. Your eyes won't get much worse.
8. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the National Weather Service.
9. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
10. You can't remember where you saw this list.

October 2, 2006

Don "American Pie" McLean is 61.
Guitarist Mike Rutherford of Genesis is 56.
The multi-tasking, multi-talented, bass playing singer named Sting is 55.

On this day in 1971, Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" hit #1 on the charts.

On this day in 1975, yer Uncle was there when a bomb scare cleared out Milwaukee's Uptown Theatre where Bruce Springsteen was performing with his E Street Band. [They actually finished three songs before the police made everyone leave.] Bruce went back to the Pfister Hotel to wait for the gig's rescheduled midnight commencement. Making use of the bar, the usually conservative Springsteen got — in his own words — "a little loose." The rescheduled show was a wild two-hour performance. But the most lasting impression was the comment of a British writer along for the ride back to the hall when Bruce got out and rode on top of the car: "I have seen the future of rock & roll and he is on my windshield." Rock on!

On this day in 1976, Rod Stewart released the song "Tonight's the Night."

On this day in 1982, John 'Cougar' Mellencamp hit #1 with the song "Jack and Diane."

On this day in 1982, vocalist Peter Gabriel performed with Genesis for the first time since leaving the band in 1975. Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and their crew helped out with a concert to benefit WOMAD, thus saving Gabriel's ailing world music organization.

On this day in 1985, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band brought their "Born in the U.S.A." tour to a close with a four-hour show at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

On this day in 1987, Bruce Springsteen released his "Tunnel Of Love" album, which seemed to document the collapse of his marriage.

On this day in 1994, drummer Stan Lynch performed with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers for the last time. The gig was part of Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit Concert.

On this day in 1994, John Mellencamp admitted that he had suffered a mild heart attack, which was caused by high cholesterol and a four-packs-a-day cigarette habit. Sharp, John, real sharp.

On this day in 1998, singing cowboy Gene Autry died at the age of 91. His biggest hit was, of course, the original version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

On this day in 1999, former-Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones played his first solo concert ever in Galway, Ireland.

Farm Aid Update

Farm Aid founders John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson each offered up a set at last Saturday's 21st running of the annual event, as did board member Dave Matthews and iconic rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. Folk hero Arlo Guthrie was forced to drop out of the line-up at the last minute for undisclosed health reasons. Farm Aid 2006 was staged at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden, New Jersey. Over the decades, the organization has worked to promote family-owned farms and raise money to help the people who continue to make their living from their independently-grown products. This year's event was aimed at consumers, urging them to buy food cultivated from family farms to help to generate more business for family farmers. An official figure for the monies raised is not expected for a few more days.

Old Way Is New Way

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson says the band is taking a different, retro approach to the group's new album. He says that instead of writing songs in the studio and cutting them immediately, they're crafting the tracks in advance and rehearsing them — just like the old days when they worked out new material on stage before recording it. He explains that the trio, "wanted to get really inside it before we actually recorded it." The still untitled album will be the follow up to Rush's 2004 collection of covers, "Feedback," and the group's first set of original material since 2002's "Vapor Trails." You can expect a full tour after the new album is released early next year.

Really Old Bob For Sale

Some of the earliest-known Bob Dylan recordings will hit the auction block in Dallas on Friday. Heritage Auction Galleries will be selling a reel-to-reel tape made in May 1959 that features four songs that a teenaged Robert Zimmerman cut with hometown friend Ric Kangas. The songs include the Dylan compositions "I Got Trouble" and "I Got a New Girl," which are featured in the Martin Scorsese documentary No Direction Home. The tape also captured the two performing the Kangas tune "I Wish I Knew" and Bob's "The Frog Song" — a track that didn't make it into the Scorsese film. Along with the recordings, the lot includes a 1957 yearbook with two pictures of the legendary singer/songwriter as a high school sophomore and 18 or 19 other pieces of Dylan-related memorabilia.

Robert's DVD + More

Robert Plant is finally releasing a performance DVD. The 66-minute show — which was taped last year for the PBS program Soundstage — features some reworked Led Zeppelin classics as well as some selections from Robert's solo career. Ever the poet, Plant said: "The spirit of rock'n'roll is live performance. Studio recordings can be captivating, and live albums can capture some of the synergy in a concert, but there is really nothing like being in the moment when the music is connecting you to the people – it's truly a communion." You can finally buy your own copy of "Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation" DVD on October 24th. Robert's first box set, "Nine Lives," will be out on November 14th. That package boasts all of his post-Led Zeppelin albums, along with a DVD of interviews, music videos, and other material.

More Jimi Stuff For Sale (Maybe)

This Summer's legal fireworks over the proposed auction of Jimi Hendrix recordings and memorabilia are just hitting the courts, and the New York auction house at the center of the dispute has added more than 15,000 rare and exclusive pieces to an October 26th auction. Among the newest items are 45-50 unreleased reel-to-reel recordings of studio mixes, jam sessions and rehearsals. Other new additions to the sale include vintage film footage, photographs, clothing and other unique memorabilia. And lawyers, lots and lots of lawyers around every corner. Before you ask if the Hendrix estate has ever lost a court case over Jimi's recordings — the answer is no.

Quote Of The Week

It was the astronomer Galileo Galilei who said, "You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself.

Seven of Steven Wright's Best

1. 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

2. A friend of mine once sent me a postcard with a picture of the entire planet earth taken from space. On the back it said, "Wish you were here."

3. All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.

4. Do you think that when they asked George Washington for ID that he just whipped out a quarter?

5. Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

6. I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

7. Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.

October 3, 2006

Texas blues guitar legend Albert Collins would have been 74.
Eddie "Summer Time Blues" Cochran would have been 68.
Twist meister Chubby Checker is 65.
Master musician Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is 57.
Guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been 52.
Drummer Tommy Lee of Motley Crue is 44.

On this day in 1967, legendary folk musician Woody Guthrie died at the age of 55 after years of suffering from Huntington's Chorea.

On this day in 1969, Mississippi acoustic blues guitar legend Skip James, whose influence extended from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton, died at age 67.

On this day in 1970, "Lookin' Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival hit #2 on the charts.

On this day in 1970, while working on her "Pearl" album, Janis Joplin listened to a playback of the instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues," fully intending to cut a vocal the next day. Instead, she went back to her hotel room and died of an overdose.

On this day in 1980, Bruce Springsteen launched his "River" tour in Ann Arbor, Michigan by immediately forgetting the words to "Born To Run." Later in the show, Bob Seger joined the Boss on "Thunder Road" (and Bob remembered the words just fine, thank you).

On this day in 1981, Journey's "Who's Crying Now" peaked at #4 as Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin' For You" topped out at #40 on the charts.

On this day in 1987, Heart's "Who Will You Run To?" peaked at #7 and John Mellencamp's "Paper In Fire" topped out at #9 as Bruce Springsteen's "Brilliant Disguise" entered the singles charts.

On this day in 1996, David Lee Roth and Van Halen parted ways for a second time. The band and Roth had gotten back together in June after an 11-year separation, recorded a couple of songs for a greatest hits album and then they fired him.

On this day in 2000, The Cars bassist/singer Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 53. Among the many songs he sang lead on were "Just What I Needed" and "Drive."

On Stage Tonight

Former Doobie Brother/Steely Dan vocalist/songwriter Michael McDonald is performing at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills tonight.

Seger's Dates Dribble Out

Bob Seger has finally announced the initial dates for his long-anticipated tour in support of his new album, "Face the Promise." As expected, the tour kicks off in Grand Rapids on November 8th and — so far — includes dates in Saginaw, Milwaukee and Indianapolis. Someone evidently figured that we couldn't handle too much information at once, so more Midwestern dates will be announced shortly.

Lindsey's New One

"Under The Skin," Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham's first solo album in nearly 15 years, is out today. The 57-year-old birthday boy describes the material as "musically very sparse" with lyrics that reflect his overall sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. He says he's in "the best time in my life," and credits his wife and three young children for his upbeat and serene attitude. Of course, he'll be leaving them at home when he kicks off a short tour in support of the disc on Friday.

Stones To Do N.Y.C. (Again)

It's finally official. The Rolling Stones have booked shows on October 29th and 31st at New York's Beacon Theatre. The first of the new dates will be a part of the celebrations in conjunction with former President Bill Clinton's 60th birthday. Meanwhile, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood joined Rock & Roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis in New York last Thursday for a star-studded jam session for an upcoming episode of PBS' Great Performances. Other guest performers included the Eagles' Don Henley.

Macca's Oratorio

We've known for weeks that the live debut of Paul McCartney's new classical album, "Ecce Cor Meum," will take place on November 3rd at London's Royal Albert Hall. Now, Macca's scheduled a Stateside performance of the four-part oratorio on November 14th at New York's Carnegie Hall. The piece will be performed by soprano Kate Royal, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Concert Chorale of New York and the American Boychoir. Meanwhile, the soundtrack that accompanies Cirque du Soleil's Fab Four-themed Las Vegas show, Love, will be released in November.

Supremes Reject Vinnie

A legal action that one-time KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent brought against his former bandmates over alleged unpaid royalties has been thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court. The axe-man, who replaced founding KISS member Ace Frehley in 1982 and played with the group until 1984, sued for money he said he was owed for co-writing several songs that appeared on the band's 1983 effort, "Lick It Up." On Monday, justices upheld lower-court decisions dismissing Vincent's claims. Wonder if it was his make-up?

Smell Like An Elty

Sir Elton John has managed to find time between releasing a new album, performing live and voicing his opinions about various people in the news to make his way into our noses. Teaming with Bath & Body Works, John has created a line of candles and other home fragrance products called The Fireside Collection. The olfactory stimulants will be in stores just in time for the holidays, with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Orange County Auto Show

This Thursday, 2pm - 6pm: Uncle Joe will do another of his famous remote broadcasts from the Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center! Here are a few photos from last year's event.

October 4, 2006

On this day in 1961, Bob Dylan made his concert hall debut at New York's Carnegie Hall. About 50 people attended, mostly friends, and he reportedly earned $20.

On this day in 1963, The Yardbirds invited Eric "Slowhand" Clapton to replace guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham. Clapton was an art-college friend of vocalist Keith Relf and a real sharp dresser, so it only made sense!

On this day in 1968, Paul McCartney recorded "Martha My Dear" for The Beatles' "White" album.

On this day in 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" album was #1 on the American charts, while The Beatles' "Abbey Road" held the top spot on the British charts.

On this day in 1970, Janis Joplin was discovered dead in Hollywood's Landmark Hotel from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, who both died earlier in 1970, she was only 27.

On this day in 1974, Irish rockers Thin Lizzy played their first date with the twin-guitar lineup of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. The crowd in Aberystwyth, Wales went crazy (but then it was in Wales).

On this day in 1980, Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" hit #1 on the singles chart.

On this day in 2005, Badfinger drummer Michael Gibbins died in his sleep of natural causes at his home in Florida at the age of 56.

On TV

Rod Stewart is scheduled to perform on NBC's Tonight Show With Jay Leno this evening, and the loosely organized supergroup Camp Freddy (featuring Dave Navarro, Slash and Rick Nielsen, among others) will be playing Cheap Trick's "Surrender" on Jay's show tomorrow night.

Eddie's Porn Party

In another career milestone, Eddie Van Halen performed several Van Halen hits at a party last Saturday for the new adult movie — "Sacred Sin" — for which he wrote the soundtrack. The bash at Edward's Hollywood Hills mansion reportedly featured scantily clad and/or naked women/XXX actors everywhere, half-naked Cirque du Soleil-type performers doing acrobatics, a few rockers like Guns N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and many gawkers. During the festivities, Eddie rocked out with a backing band called the Star F**kers, and later, gave an intimate piano recital. No word if the piano recital was so intimate that it included a naked Eddie, but there are some things we really don't want to know. By the way, Alex Van Halen and Billy Idol were among the no-shows.

All Hail Mr. Davies!

Ray Davies is officially an "Icon." The former Kinks frontman was on hand to receive the BMI Icon Award at the performing rights organization's annual awards dinner in England last night. In accepting the trophy Davies acknowledged his one-time musical partners, saying it was, "great to be able to accept things like this for the guys in the band as well." He also called his former Kinks mates "my muse." Too bad he can't call up his "muse" to do a reunion tour.

E.C. Brings Back Cocaine

Sure Eric Clapton stopped performing his hit "Cocaine" when he stopped doing drugs and alcohol, but now he's added the J.J. Cale song back into his setlist. Clapton says the song "might be giving the wrong message to people who were in the same boat... but the song, if anything, if it's not even ambivalent, it's an anti-drug song." He quoted the lyrics that say: "If you wanna get down, down on the ground," and said the message of the song is actually that "there's a price" to doing drugs. Clapton is still working with J.J. Cale — in fact their duet album, "The Road to Escondido," will be out on November 7th. Too bad Eric hasn't scheduled any Southland shows for the current leg of his tour.

Hamilton Reflects

Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has missed the first several weeks of Aerosmith's collaborative Route of All Evil Tour with Motley Crue because he's still recovering from radiation and chemo treatments for throat cancer. But Tom says he's glad he joined his bandmates for their concert last week in Boston. His first impulse was to decline when frontman Steven Tyler invited him to sit in to perform "Sweet Emotion." Hamilton says he was feeling "No way. Not only do I feel like crap, I look it too." He only reconsidered when he was feeling better on the day of the gig. Tom says being on stage was rather surreal, but "everything sounded, looked, and felt amazing," and it made him eager to get back to performing with the band again. Although he originally anticipated rejoining the group later this month, a specific date for his return hasn't been announced. The boys will hit the Southland next month.

Join Green Day's Party

Here's your chance to see Green Day receive the Spirit of Liberty Award in Beverly Hills next Tuesday. The trio will be given the award by People For the American Way for lending their time and music to numerous charitable causes such as Live 8 and Hurricane Katrina relief, as well as for raising political and social awareness with their "American Idiot" album. Fans who donate at least $20 to the Blue America PAC Online at http://actblue.com will be entered in a random drawing to win a pair of tickets to the event. Entries are $20 each, and more information can also be found at http://greenday.net. Hurry — the deadline for entries is tonight at midnight!

Clash Exhibit/Release

An exhibit called Revolution Rock: The Story of the Clash will feature a variety of memorabilia associated with the London punk band at Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Ex-Clash guitarist Mick Jones and drummer Terry Chimes will attend a private reception at the facility the evening before the grand opening on October 21st. Meanwhile, a multi-CD Clash box set titled "The Singles" is due out on October 31st.

October 5, 2006

Space cowboy, gangster of love and guitar master Steve Miller is 63.
AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson is 59.
Sweet vocalist Brian Connolly is 57.
Live Aid founder Sir Bob Geldof, who marginally sang with the Boomtown Rats, is 52.

On this day in 1969, Cream kicked off their highly calculated farewell tour — the first of its kind.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Heart as well as more of Joe's conversation with Ann and Nancy Wilson.

On Stage Tonight

Roger Waters is playing the first of three nights at the Hollywood Bowl as Queensryche hit the Gibson Amphitheatre.

On TV Tonight

The loosely organized supergroup Camp Freddy (featuring Dave Navarro, Slash and Rick Nielsen, among others) will be playing Cheap Trick's "Surrender" on NBC's Tonight Show With Jay Leno this evening.

Smell Like Gene

Some smells, like some sights, defy our powers of imagination. To help each of us through life's olfactory jungle, Gene Simmons is doing a series of in-store appearances at record shops and department stores to help plug the new line of KISS perfumes and colognes. It should come as no surprise that the perfume and cologne both come in four different bottles — one representing each member of KISS. A list of the smelly places Gene will be visiting to sign perfume bottles is available at http://GeneSimmons.com.

Scorps In Town

Bolt down the furniture! Word is that The Scorpions will begin recording a new album next week in a famous L.A. studio. They're said to be working with the popular songwriter/producer Desmond Child, who has worked with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and KISS. Wonder if he enjoys eating wursts?

Keef's True Tree Story

Talk about a nightmare of embarrassment. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is calling his tree incident in Fuji earlier this year "embarrassing." He says that he wasn't actually climbing a palm tree when he fell, but was, "sitting on this gnarled shrub about six feet off the ground. I was wet — I'd been swimming. I slipped, I hit the ground the wrong way, my head hit the trunk, and that was that." The accident landed Richards in a New Zealand hospital twice, but he has since made a full recovery. Keef notes it's, "not the first brush with death I've had," adding that the moral of the story for him is, "don't sit in trees anymore." Right so!

Jovi Action

For many years, the term "action" was synonymous with the band Bon Jovi. Now, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are set to be immortalized as action figures by McFarlane Toys. The models of the singer and the guitarist will hit stores next July. Meanwhile, McFarlane is releasing a 3-D sculpture of the U.S. cover art for the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1967 debut album, "Are You Experienced," later this month.

Big Brit Winners (Sort Of)

BMI, the performing rights organization, held its 2006 London Awards to recognize Europe's leading songwriters and composers this past Tuesday evening. The big winner was Pete Townshend, who received TV Music Awards for penning The Who songs used as the themes to the three CSI TV series. Sir Elton John, the Zombies' Rod Argent, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Paul Rodgers, Sting and Peter Gabriel all received Million-Air awards for writing songs that racked up the most plays on American TV and radio.

Green Day Make U2 Best Of

The studio version of U2's recent duet with Green Day will be included on the legendary Irish band's upcoming "Best Of" album. The cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" as well as a new song recently recorded at Abbey Road studios with producer Rick Rubin will be included with 14 songs on the still-untitled compilation due out on November 21st.

John Finally OKs Live CD

John Fogerty will finally issue his live album "The Long Road Home: In Concert" on October 31st. The double-CD, 27-track set is the audio companion to the DVD package that was released in June — a show shot at the Wiltern LG with many KLOS listeners in the audience.

Orange County Auto Show

Today! Today!, 2pm - 6pm: Uncle Joe will do another of his famous remote broadcasts from the Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center! Here are a few photos from last year's event.

October 6, 2006

R.E.O. Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin is 55.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles recorded 13 takes of "Eight Days a Week." That marked the first time that they took an incomplete song into the studio, then finished it while recording it.

On this day in 1965, promoter Bill Graham opened his San Francisco club, the Fillmore Auditorium, for business. For the debut concert at the venue, Graham lined up the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. Very, very trippy indeed.

On this day in 1973, The Doobie Brothers' "China Grove" peaked at #15 on the charts.

On this day in 1975, The Who released the album "Who By Numbers."

On this day in 1979, Fleetwood Mac rush-released their double album "Tusk" after tracks were leaked to radio stations.

On this day in 1979, the Eagles released "Heartache Tonight" and Styx released the song "Babe" as Van Halen's "Beautiful Girls" peaked at #84 on the charts.

On this day in 1992, R.E.M. released their "Automatic For The People" album.

On Stage Tonight

Roger Waters will be playing the second of three nights at the Hollywood Bowl as Foghat blasts the Orange County Auto Show, Jonny Lange hits the House Of Blues on Sunset, Carlos Mencia cracks 'em up at the Gibson Amphitheatre and the Jeremy McGrath Invitational rocks the Home Depot Center.

On Stage Saturday

Carlos Mencia will be cracking 'em up at the Gibson Amphitheatre and the Jeremy McGrath Invitational rocks the Home Depot Center.

On Stage Sunday

Roger Waters will be playing the last of three nights at the Hollywood Bowl as Carlos Mencia finishes his three-night run at the Gibson Amphitheatre.

David Expands

An expanded version of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's latest solo album, the stunning "On an Island," will be released November 21st. The new package will include a DVD featuring six live performances that Gilmour filmed in April, as well as a rendition of the Syd Barrett-penned Floyd tune "Astronomy Domine" recorded in August at London's Abbey Road Studios. Unfortunately, no further live dates are planned.

Slowhand Slowing?

Always his own harshest critic, Eric Clapton believes that his guitar skills are deteriorating. The 61-year-old says, "I think I'm definitely on the decline." After watching video footage of his 1997 blues tour, Slowhand says he was "shocked by how much more proficient I was then than I am now." While conceding that fans may not notice the difference, Clapton insists that his playing on his current North American tour is "a little bit lumpy." Is that why he hasn't booked any Southland gigs yet — he wants to practice more to pick up speed?

Rare Photos For Charity

Rare images of Mick Jagger and Janis Joplin are among the photos that will be for sale Tuesday in New York at the second annual Rock for MS benefit exhibition. Cool shots of The Stones' Keith Richards, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and Crosby, Stills & Nash will also be featured at the event, which will raise money for the multiple sclerosis charity MSFriends. Check it out at http://www.msfriends.org/ as soon as you can!

Watch/Hail Van The Man

First you can watch him sing. An episode of PBS' Austin City Limits featuring a performance by Van Morrison will premiere on November 24th. Then you can watch the singer/songwriter/Irish icon be honored at the U.S./Ireland Alliance's second annual Oscar Wilde: Honoring Irish Writing in Film pre-Academy Awards bash. That wild event will be held February 22nd in Los Angeles.

Cooper Strips Down For Stones

Alice Cooper says he didn't have to think twice when offered the opportunity to open for The Rolling Stones on their latest North American tour — even though it meant working without his props. He credits The Stones with inspiring him to pursue a career in music. Even though he's been a headlining attraction for decades, Alice says, "Any time that you get a chance to be on the same bill as The Rolling Stones, I mean, you immediately drop your headliner status and say 'Absolutely, we'll open for the Stones.'" Cooper was on the Stones ticket for two dates last month, and he and his band will warm up the crowd for The Stones in Phoenix on November 8th.

Colorful Factoids

Blue is America's first choice for toothbrushes. Lilac is the runner-up.

A spider's blood turns blue when exposed to oxygen.

According to Cynthia Fox, nothing rhymes with the words "orange" or "purple."

October 7, 2006

Kevin Godley, one-half of 10cc, is 61.
Dave Hope, the original bassist for Kansas, is 57.
The ever ornery and sometimes melodic John Mellencamp is 55.
Drummer Tico Torres of Bon Jovi is 53.

On this day in 1975, John Lennon's fight to remain in the U.S. finally ended when a three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the deportation order against him, noting that "Lennon's four-year battle to remain in our country is a testimony to his faith in [the] American dream."

On this day in 1977, guitarist Steve Hackett left Genesis. Drummer/vocalist Phil Collins, guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks responded with an album called "And Then There Were Three."

On this day in 1978, Toto released "Hold the Line" as "Don't Look Back" by Boston peaked at #4 on the charts.

On this day in 1983, Genesis released their "Genesis" album.

October 8, 2006

Johnny Ramone, the Ramones original guitarist, would have been 55.

On this day in 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his classic "Great Balls Of Fire" after a lengthy dispute with his producer over whether he was supposed to be playing the devil's music. Kinda makes you wonder who won the argument, doesn't it?

On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones released "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby (Standing In The Shadows)." To this day, no one is quite sure what the song is about.

On this day in 1971, John Lennon recorded his classic song "Imagine."

On this day in 1983, "King Of Pain" by The Police peaked at #3 on the charts.

On this day in 1988, Cheap Trick's cover of "Don't Be Cruel" peaked at #4 on the charts.

October 9, 2006

John Lennon would have been 66.
Bassist John Entwistle of The Who would have been 62.
Jackson Browne is 58.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's wife/manager, is 54.

On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones' "Get Off Of My Cloud" entered the charts as The Beatles hit #1 with the song "Yesterday."

On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones recorded their first (of what seems like 50+) live album, "Got Live if You Want It," at London's Royal Albert Hall on the last date of a tour of Great Britain. The recording was so bad, the din of the audience (some of which was overdubbed) drowned out almost all of the music.

On this day in 1967, the "Fifth Beatle," Murray the K was fired from his DJ slot at WOR in New York because of his "inability to live with direction." Kind of ironic that it took Tom Petty 35 years to write about it.

On this day in 1975, after the U.S. immigration ruling in his favor two days before, John Lennon and his wife Yoko celebrated his 35th birthday with the birth of their only child, Sean Ono Lennon.

On this day in 1976, "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs peaked at #3 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1993, "Cryin'" by Aerosmith peaked at #12 on the charts.

Tributes For Lennon

The late John Lennon's widow is spending what would have been the former Beatle's 66th birthday in Iceland today. Yoko Ono is on hand for the dedication ceremony for the site of the IMAGINE PEACE Tower in Reykjavik. The structure will serve as an international peace monument. Its base will be filled with wishes and prayers for peace, including contributions from people from around the world. Closer to home, various events are scheduled across the U.S., including the annual gathering of fans at Strawberry Fields in New York's Central Park and the 25th annual John Lennon Birthday Remembrance at Lennon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Capitol Records building.

Andre & Phil For The Kids

Former Genesis singer/drummer Phil Collins was among those who took part in Andre Agassi's annual Grand Slam for Children fundraiser over the weekend. The event raised more than $8.6 million. Other performers included the Counting Crows and Tears For Fears, singer/songwriters John Mayer and Sarah McLachlan, and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. The money goes to the Andre Agassi Foundation, which helps abused, underprivileged and at-risk kids in the Las Vegas area. Since its 1995 launch, the Grand Slam for Children has now raised nearly $61 million for the cause.

Boston For Flutie

Tom Scholz and his band Boston will perform at the Red, White & Blue Concert on November 13th in Boston's Symphony Hall. The show will honor retired pro quarterback Doug Flutie for his services to the community, and will benefit Doug's charity for autistic children. For the record, this will be Boston's only live appearance this year.

A Tall One For U2

Dublin is about to join the skyscraper club with the U2 Tower, a 30-story building to be named after its owners. Plans for the proposed twisting 430 feet tall structure, which will house the band's new recording studio in its penthouse, were submitted to the city of Dublin's Docklands Development Agency last week. The landmark will be built on docklands in south Dublin, and contain 182 apartments selling for $1.4 - $2.1 million each. The project should be completed in early 2009 — just as the Irish lads are coming off their latest tour.

Bill Joins Jovi

When Jon Bon Jovi told former President Bill Clinton about a plan to restore homes in one of Philadelphia's most blighted neighborhoods, Clinton "was intrigued enough that he offered his services, saying, "If I can help you in any way, don't hesitate." And Jon didn't! With Clinton by his side in Philadelphia last Thursday, Jon announced the Phase V Homeownership Project to renovate 15 decaying homes on two blocks on the city's north side. Bon Jovi, co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League and creator of the team's charity foundation, teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, the Saturn automobile company and a local charity for the effort. Last year, Jon and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora surprised Oprah Winfrey with a $1 million donation to her Angel Network and Habitat for Humanity to build 28 homes in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged town of Houma, La. "It gives me great joy," Jon says of his charity work. "There's just too many haves and have nots in the country." Right so!

Mark & Emmylou

Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' June 28th performance at the Gibson Amphitheatre will be released on the "Real Live Roadrunning" CD/DVD on November 14th. The package will feature seven songs from Knopfler and Harris' "All the Roadrunning" album, plus Harris' "Red Dirt Girl" and "Boulder to Birmingham," the Knopfler solo tracks "Song for Sonny Liston" and "Speedway at Nazareth" and the Dire Straits classics "So Far Away" and "Romeo & Juliet," among others.

Quote Of The Week

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished."

Bug Smelling/Shrimp Swimming/Pigs Burning

* A snail breathes through its foot.

* An ant's sense of smell is stronger than a dog's.

* Shrimp can only swim backwards.

* Pigs get sunburned.

October 10, 2006

Sharon Osbourne is 54.
The legendary David Lee Roth is 52 (and yes, that is his real age).
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is 32.

On this day in 1981, "Waiting For A Girl Like You" by Foreigner entered the charts.

On this day in 1987, Bruce Springsteen released his ninth album, "Tunnel of Love" as Whitesnake hit #1 with the song "Here I Go Again."

On this day in 2001, Styx's Dennis DeYoung sued the rest of the band for going on tour without him and for allegedly misusing the Styx logo. Those were litigious times, indeed.