July 11 - 20, 2007

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 11, 2007

Guitarist Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi is 48.

On this day in 1969, The Rolling Stones released "Honky Tonk Women."

On this day in 1969, David Bowie's single, "Space Oddity," was released to coincide with the first lunar landing. Producer Tony Visconti (who also worked with T. Rex and later The Moody Blues) disliked the song so much, he refused to produce it for his friend David. Instead Elton John's producer, Gus Dudgeon, stepped in and turned it into a classic.

On this day in 1970, The Who released their version of "Summertime Blues."

On this day in 1975, Gary Wright released his "The Dream Weaver" album as Fleetwood Mac released their first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, simply called "Fleetwood Mac." One of those albums went on to sell millions and millions and millions of copies.

On this day in 1979, Neil Young's concert film "Rust Never Sleeps" debuted at the Bruin Theatre in Westwood as the album of the same name was released nationwide.

On this day in 1987, "Alone" by Heart peaked at #1 on the charts.

Finally Honoring The Fab Four (Or Five)

The city where The Beatles honed their performance skills — Hamburg, Germany — is finally doing something to honor the legendary group. A $620,000 Der Beatles-Platz monument will be erected in the St. Pauli district where the band performed in nightclubs during the early Sixties. The structure will feature a giant platter of black granite, grooved like a vinyl album, and a steel sculpture of the Fab Four when the group had five members. The strange part of this project is that images of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and the late Stuart Sutcliffe (The Beatles' bassist during the boys' Hamburg tenure) will be featured in the monument. Actually, The Beatles did their three extensive/grueling engagements at clubs in the West German port from 1960 to 1962 when Pete Best — not Ringo — was their drummer. Maybe the Hamburgers figured that after 45 years no one would notice.

Three Rare Ones

Want to see something cool and very rare? Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 28th in Chicago will feature three of the most famous (and valuable) guitars ever: Clapton's legendary Blackie, his 335 and Stevie Ray Vaughan's Lenny will all be on display. The festival partnered with the Guitar Center to bring the big three instruments on site for fans to check out. Proceeds from the event — with daylong performances live on stage — will benefit The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons.

Gilmour On The Big Screen

Footage from David Gilmour's upcoming concert DVD, Remember The Night, will be shown in select theaters in North America and Europe on September 6th. Gilmour and his band will perform live prior to a screening in London, and his appearance will then be fed via satellite to the other participating theaters. The DVD, which chronicles the Pink Floyd singer/guitarist's three May 2006 shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, will be released on September 18th.

Now It's Doctor Mark

Former Dire Straits singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler is being awarded an honorary degree today by England's University of Sunderland. Mark, who grew up in nearby Newcastle Upon Tyne, will be presented with an Honorary Doctorate Of Music in recognition of his 30-year career. Knopfler's upcoming album, "Kill To Get Crimson," is due out on September 18th.

Quote Of The Day

It was Coach John Wooden who said: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

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 12, 2007

Comedic god/actor Bill Cosby is 70.
Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac is 64.
John Wetton, bassist for Uriah Heep and Asia, is 58.
Eric Carr, KISS' second drummer, would have been 57.

On this day in 1962, The Rollin' Stones played their first gig — the Marquee Jazz Club in London was the site. That first line-up included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, piano player Ian Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Mick Avery (who later gained fame as a member of The Kinks). Drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman were recruited into the band by the end of the year.

On this day in 1969, as his song "Lay Lady Lay" entered the Top 40, Bob Dylan learned that you can't go home again when he attended his high school reunion in Hibbing, Minnesota. He and his wife Sara were forced to leave after a drunken fool tried to pick a fight with the singer.

On this day in 1969, Blind Faith made their U.S. debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City, well before they were ready to be seen by anyone. Singer/keyboardist Steve Winwood of Traffic, guitar-god Eric Clapton & drummer Ginger Baker of Cream, and bassist/violinist Ric Grech of Family barely survived as a group until the end of their first tour when they disbanded. Ultimately, they left us with a few beautiful songs from their only album.

On this day in 1983, sax player Chris Wood of Traffic died of pneumonia at age 39.

On Stage

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo will be rocking the House Of Blues in Anaheim tonight and tomorrow.

A Beatles iPod

How many Beatles iPods do you think they could sell? Rumors are circulating that Apple will offer a new music player that's visually based on "Yellow Submarine," and contains all of the Fab Four's albums. The Beatles iPod would be the next big project for the company, following the recent high-profile introduction of the iPhone. It will supposedly be issued later this year, in conjunction with the digital release of The Beatles catalog. Nothing official has been revealed about the proposed music player.

Police Unplugged Bumped

Maybe scheduling on Friday the 13th wasn't such a good idea. The Police's MTV Unplugged performance, slated to be held Friday at an undisclosed location in South Florida, has been postponed. No reason for the cancellation has been given and no new date for the event has been announced.

Heather Wins One

Good news/press for Heather Mills McCartney! Paul McCartney's estranged wife has just won her first court case against the paparazzi. Photographer Jay Kaycappa (a photog with 132 prior criminal convictions) was convicted on an assault charge in connection with an incident in England last Summer. It seems that Heather was on Brighton Beach with friends when Kaycappa began chasing her to take her picture. She ducked into a subway to escape him, but he followed her and eventually grabbed her by the shoulder to spin her around and snap the photo. Mills' spokesman said that Heather is, "delighted that justice has been done," and adds that she's hoping this case will keep photographers away from her and daughter Beatrice (her child with McCartney).

New/Old Stills

Stephen Stills has just released a new album of old material. "Just Roll Tape — April 26th 1968" features demos for a number of now-classic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young hits recorded on a whim in a New York City studio. The album includes the first-ever recordings of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," "Wooden Ships," and "Change Partners." After the session the tapes were left seemingly forgotten in the studio until it closed 10 years later. Stephen was finally reunited with the recordings in 2003 through a good friend of Graham Nash.  Stills is currently on a solo tour, during which he's performing songs spanning his lengthy career.  His next show will be at the House of Blues on Sunset tomorrow night.

Guitarist Makes Good

Behold Dr. Brian May, who received his Honorary Doctorate of Science Honoris Causa from the University of Exeter on Tuesday. During the proceedings, the other esteemed guests left the stage to the strains of a brass band playing a series of marches. More appropriately, after Brian's ceremony the brass band played "We Are The Champions." No word if the guitarist's other band, Queen, will collect any royalties from that performance, but do check out http://brianmay.com for more pictures and a transcript of his speech!

Quote of The Day

It was Mike Konda who said: "The fastest way to succeed is to look as if you're playing by somebody else's rules, while quietly playing by your own."

July 13, 2007

Roger McGuinn, guitarist and singer for The Byrds, is 65.
Drummer Stephen Bladd of the J. Geils Band is also 65.
Comedian Cheech Marin of Cheech & Chong is 61.
Director/writer Cameron Crowe is 50.

On this day in 1968, Steppenwolf released "Born to Be Wild," the song responsible for the term "heavy metal."

On this day in 1973, Queen released their self-titled debut album.

On this day in 1985, over a billion-and-a-half people around the world witnessed the Live Aid concerts, held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia. The benefit raised money for the starving people of Africa. Bob Geldof, the former lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, organized the event. Live Aid performers included U2, Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, and a reunited Led Zeppelin, among others. The show ran 16 hours and raised over $100 million for the cause.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Def Leppard as well as Joe's new conversation with singer Joe Elliott and guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell.

On Stage

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo will be rocking the House Of Blues in Anaheim again tonight. Stephen Stills will be performing at the House Of Blues on Sunset.

Busy Busy Genesis

There's no new music in the offing, but the reunited Genesis have a parade of product coming our way. A new book, "Genesis Chapter and Verse," which will present the official biography of the band including interviews with Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett, plus managers and others associated with the group. The late Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun gave one of his final interviews for the tome. Saturday night's Genesis concert at the Circo Massimo in Rome, which closes out the European leg of the Turn It On Again Tour, will be filmed/recorded for a new DVD and live album. Like The Who and Pearl Jam have done, Genesis is also releasing soundboard CDs from each concert via the Encore Series at the web site http://themusic.com.

Jacko Sells Another Beatles Song

Another Beatles song is surfacing in a new advertising campaign. A New York-based agency has adapted the Fab Four's "All You Need Is Love" for a series of Luvs' Bear Hug Stretch diapers commercials. Thankfully, while the soundtrack to the 30-second spot is the John Lennon/Paul McCartney composition, the original Beatles song isn't used. Instead, a light rock cover version conveys the message. Why? Because The Beatles still own their performances; Michael Jackson owns the publishing. I think that you'll agree that there's got to be a special place in hell...

Little Steven's New Gig

Steven Van Zandt of The E Street Band has been named the head of the advisory group being consulted to select music for the upcoming Rock Band video game. The game, which is due out in time for Christmas, will offer a competition level featuring The Who's entire "Who's Next" album as well as songs by Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Rush, Bon Jovi, Mountain and Blue Öyster Cult.

Pete's Newest

Pete Townshend of The Who has a new musical making its theatrical debut tonight. The world premiere of "The Boy Who Heard Music," based on the legendary rocker's online novella, will take place at the Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York tonight. If all goes well, there'll be a second staging of the production tomorrow. Maybe he'll take it on the road after that.

Queensryche Best Of

"Sign Of The Times: The Best of Queensryche" will be released on August 28th in single-CD, double-CD Collectors Edition packages and digitally. The new career-spanning hits collection features 17 of Queensryche's best singles and album tracks packaged in a jewel case with a 16-page booklet featuring custom artwork, a discography and track notes from the band's singer, Geoff Tate. The Collectors Edition will include a second disc of 15 rare and previously unreleased demos, outtakes, remixes, live recordings, television performance audio, recordings for soundtracks and a new, never-before-heard song making its release debut on this collection. Queensryche and Alice Cooper will be supporting Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice on the Heaven And Hell Tour this Fall.

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."

Knickers In A Twist?

Americans do care about underwear. Consumers spend $13 billion annually on intimate apparel. Here's a couple of underhosen factoids gleaned from a new survey:

* 32% of male respondents say they favor briefs, compared to 28% who wear boxer briefs and 25% who don boxers. Eight percent go with thongs or other styles.

* Panties are preferred by 49% of the women polled, with thongs at 28%. Another 13% go with boy shorts, while 4% wear other styles. Six percent opt out of wearing anything down under.

July 14, 2007

Folk legend Woody Guthrie would have been 94.

On this day in 1967, The Who began their first full-scale U.S. tour. As the opening act for Herman's Hermits, they really didn't go over all that well.

On this day in 1979, "Dance The Night Away" by Van Halen peaked at #15 on the charts.

On this day in 1982, Pink Floyd's film version of "The Wall," directed by Alan Parker, premiered in London. Maybe he understood it. Maybe he didn't.

July 15, 2007

Linda Ronstadt is 61.
Drummer Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd is 59.
Singer David Pack of Ambrosia and
Guitarist Jeff Carlisi of 38 Special are both 55.
Drummer Marky Ramone of The Ramones and
Guitarist Joe Satriani are both 52.

On this day in 1958, John Lennon's mother, Julia, was killed in a car accident in Liverpool, England. She was only 34, and he just 17.

On this day in 1967, Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" entered the singles chart.

On this day in 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival released their self-titled debut album.

On this day in 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival released their fifth album, "Cosmo's Factory." Most fans still consider it to be their best.

On this day in 1989, Don Henley's "The End Of The Innocence" album entered the charts.

On this day in 1989, Pink Floyd performed on a floating stage in Venice, Italy. Unfortunately, the partying audience of 200,000 damaged many of the city's bridges and caused marble to crumble from centuries-old buildings.

July 16, 2007

Percussionist Stewart Copeland of The Police is 55.

On this day in 1966, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton formed the first bonafide supergroup. They chose the name Cream because they were considered to be Britain's best rock musicians (the "Cream" of the crop). It wasn't until later that someone suggested the moniker "Grouchy Egomaniacs."

On this day in 1969, The Who released the song "I'm Free."

On this day in 1976, Loggins & Messina broke up when Kenny Loggins sensed a successful solo career was right around the corner.

On this day in 1981, songwriter/storyteller Harry Chapin was killed in an auto accident on New York's Long Island Expressway.

On this day in 1996, Styx drummer John Panozzo died of bleeding ulcers and cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 47.

Aerosmith's Top Brit Wedding Song

Aerosmith's love song, "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" has been voted this year's favorite wedding tune in the United Kingdom. The Armageddon theme song beat out Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and Elton John's "Your Song," among others, to claim the top spot.

Roddy Gets One

Rod Stewart collected his Commander of the Order of the British Empire medal from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace last Wednesday. Opting against wearing the traditional morning suit for the occasion, Stewart wore a skull and crossbones tie, white trousers and a stripy shirt. The singer, who was recognized for his musical contributions to the United Kingdom, proudly observed: "We're the only country in the world to honor the common man." Roddy, one of the star acts at the Concert For Princess Diana earlier this month, was joined by his newest wife, Penny Lancaster. "We married two weeks ago, so what an amazing two weeks it's been," he declared — with a smile on his face, no doubt!

Mods & Rockers

After seven years of emphasizing the fantasy and frivolity of the Sixties, the The Mods & Rockers Film Festival is getting real. This year Martin Lewis, the annual American Cinematheque film series co-founder/producer/host, has assembled some of the era's top music documentarians. The series, running through August 1st at the Egyptian Theatre (for the main part), will mostly focus on real events. An ultra-rare showing of "What's Happening" will be one of the highlights. That inside documentary of The Beatles' first visit to America was held back from a wide release so as not to compete with "A Hard Day's Night." It was shot with a handheld camera by the Maysles Brothers, who later documented The Rolling Stones 1969 tour with the very dark "Gimme Shelter."

A New Jersey Sgt. Pepper

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," Glen Burtnik & Friends will be recreating the classic album in its entirety — note for note — on August 17th at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Performing alongside the former Styx bassist will be a small army of musicians including former Paul McCartney's Wings drummer Steve Holley. Also on the bill, The Smithereens will perform their recent release, "Meet The Smithereens!," an homage to The Beatles U.S. debut album.

Simpsons/Jackson Browne/Talking Heads

Songs by Jackson Browne and former Talking Heads singer/songwriter David Byrne are among the tracks on "The Simpsons: Testify" album that's due out on September 18th. The compilation will include a variety of performances that were featured during the first nine seasons of Fox's The Simpsons animated comedy powerhouse.

A Carlos Update

Guitar god Carlos Santana will release a new Santana retrospective called "Ultimate Santana" on October 16th. The compilation will feature three previously unreleased collaborations including one with Tina Turner. In addition, a double-disc set of reworked versions of his older tunes should be out next Spring. The tentatively titled "Multi-Dimensional Warrior" will be supported by several months of touring.

Quote Of The Day

It was Katherine Whitehorn who said: "The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any."

I Scream, You Scream...

From "Health" magazine:

* 44% of women and 30% of men feel guilty for eating ice cream.

* Americans eat an average of one ton of ice cream in their lifetimes.

* One ton is the approximate weight of a baby elephant.

Now, enjoy!

July 17, 2007

Guitarist/group leader Spencer Davis is 67.
Bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler of Black Sabbath is 58.

On this day in 1917, the British royal family changed their surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, adopted from their largest castle (especially for the royals, bearing a German surname during World War I was considered in bad taste).

On this day in 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for The Monkees in Forest Hills, New York. What were they thinking?!?

On this day in 1968, The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" movie premiered in London. What were they smoking?!

On this day in 1971, Creedence Clearwater Revival's final Top 10 hit, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker," entered the charts.

On this day in 1971, The Who released "Won't Get Fooled Again" and Rod Stewart released "Reason To Believe."

On this day in 1976, Heart's "Magic Man" entered the U.S. singles chart.

On this day in 1996, Chas Chandler, the bass player for The Animals who later became Jimi Hendrix's manager, died in a British hospital at the age of 57. He had been undergoing tests related to an aortic aneurysm.

Roddy Tops First Half

Rod Stewart's lengthy road trip earlier this year made him the top grossing act on Pollstar's Top 100 North American Tours with $48.1 million in sales. The Police brought in $41.9 million to take the #3 spot. Smaller tours by Roger Waters ($30.9 million) and Eric Clapton ($25.8 million) ranked them at #6 and #9.

Lennon's Glasses

While on The Beatles' 1966 Japanese tour, John Lennon became friends with the band's translator. When it was time to go, the two exchanged gifts; Lennon got traditional copper cups and his new friend received John's sunglasses. Now the frames from that pair of sunglasses are up for auction and bidding has already reached $1.5 million. You can check out it out at http://991.com.

See Steve's Throat

Steven Tyler's vocal cords will star in the Incredible Human Machine National Geographic Channel special airing on October 21st. Among other internal shots of the human body, the program will feature high-definition footage of the Aerosmith frontman's larynx taken during his Spring 2006 throat surgery. Tyler underwent an experimental operation to repair a burst blood vessel in his throat that resulted in the cancellation of a number of tour dates.

Who Documentary Is Near

Clips for "Fragments," the upcoming documentary on The Who's most recent tour, can be seen on director Justin Kreutzmann's http://rockandreel.blogspot.com. Justin is the son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and a close friend of Pete Townshend's daughter Emma. So far, there is no release date set for what is being dubbed a "fan club DVD," but you can expect it before the end of the year.

Cruising With Heart

Heart will perform on a cruise next year to raise money for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation to aid in the fight against breast cancer. The Cruise For Our Cause will visit several Caribbean locations between March 30th and April 6th.

A New/Old Compilation

The triple-CD "Get Ready, Here Come... the '70s" will be released on August 14th. The 57-song collection will include remastered tracks from Fleetwood Mac, Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart, the Jefferson Starship, the Marshall Tucker Band and Elton John, as well as various Pop, Disco and Soul hits.

Quote Of The Day

It was John Lennon who said: "There's a great woman behind every idiot."

July 18, 2007

"Screaming" Jay Hawkins would have been 78 (the exact number of children he's believed to have fathered).
Keyboardist Ian Stewart, a founding member of The Rolling Stones, would have been 69.

On this day in 1953, Elvis Presley made his first recording, "My Happiness," as a gift for his mother.

On this day in 1960, Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" was released. That evening marked Jim Ladd's first karaoke performance of said song in front of real people. Fortunately, Jim later made bail.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles album "A Hard Days Night" was released. It yielded two #1 hits, the title track and "Can't Buy Me Love."

On this day in 1964, The Rolling Stones first hit single, a rockin' cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," peaked at #48 in the States.

On this day in 1981, Journey released "Who's Crying Now" as Santana's song "Winning" peaked at #17 on the charts.

Zeppelin Coaster Complete

Construction has wrapped on the Led Zeppelin roller coaster at Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The first completed ride in the Rock & Roll theme park due to open next Spring, Led Zeppelin – The Ride reaches 150 feet high. The six-and-a-half-minute looping ride will hit 65 miles per hour with speakers behind each rider's head blasting the Zep's "Whole Lotta Love." Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones were all involved in the coaster's design. The 140-acre Hard Rock Park will feature more than 40 attractions, including shows, children's play areas, restaurants, cafes and retail stores. Wonder if there'll be a die-before-you-get-old section?

Bad Bad Sting Must Pay

You might recall that their former chef won a sexual-discrimination claim against Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler back in May. Yesterday, an employment tribunal finally ordered the power couple to pay the chef $51,000 in compensation. Jane Martin had worked for the 55-year-old pop star and his wife for eight years, cooking meals for them and guests including Madonna and Elton John. She said Styler grew unhappy with her after she became pregnant in 2005, making her work long hours and growing angry when she took time off work because of illness. Martin, who accused Styler of having a "grandiose ego," left her job under disputed circumstances in April 2006. Evidently the money isn't a problem — Sting and Styler have already launched an appeal that will cost them waaaay over $51,000.

Stones Take Big Bucks From Bankers

It's not totally surprising that The Rolling Stones were paid over $5 million to play an intimate gig for 500 bankers in Spain last week. Nor is it surprising that Mick Jagger told the crowd that he was delighted to be earning so much from wealthy bankers, saying, "The best part is, it's coming out of your bonuses!" Right so!

Own John's Guitar (Sort Of)

Gibson Guitar has introduced a reproduction of John Lennon's legendary Gibson single-cutaway Tobacco Sunburst Les Paul Junior. The guitar manufacturer recreated the former Beatle's famously altered Les Paul Junior with his widow, Yoko Ono. The instrument's mahogany body has been aged to look like Lennon's original, and it boasts aged chrome hardware along with Lennon's choice of Charlie Christian pickups. Each of the 300 limited edition instruments comes in a Custom Shop guitar case, while a certificate of authenticity is placed in an army green cloth folder with Lennon's signature embroidered on the cover. More info (but not the price) on the guitar is available at http://www.gibsoncustom.com.

New/Old S.F. Bands On Video

Ever wonder what the original Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and Santana really looked like? The Ralph J. Gleason Presents A Night At The Family Dog DVD — due out on August 7th — documents a September 1970 private party/concert. Never seen by the public, the 60-minute DVD features two or three songs from each of the big three San Francisco bands as well as a psychedelic jam with members of Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Steve Miller Band. Now you can see what they really looked like when they were really "stoney"!

Quote Of The Day

It was Coach John Wooden who said: "It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

Blowing The Grocery Shopping

From "Health" magazine survey:

* 30% of consumers admit to buying groceries for a recipe that they never made.

* 12% of the groceries consumers purchased weren't used, and only 7% of those groceries were bought because they were on sale.

July 19, 2007

Guitarists Bernie Leadon of the Eagles and Brian May of Queen are 60.
Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux would have been 59.
Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd would have been 55.

On this day in 1954, Sun Records released the first Elvis Presley single, "That's Alright (Mama)."

On this day in 1966, The Monkees recorded their TV theme song.

On this day in 1980, Billy Joel hit #1 for the first time with "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me."

On this day in 1980, the stage adaptation of "The Elephant Man," starring David Bowie, opened in Denver. The non-musical part gave Bowie his first dramatic stage role, and when the show eventually moved to Broadway, fans could see The Thin White Duke on The Great White Way!

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of The Doors as well as more of Joe's conversations with engineer Bruce Botnick, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

The Mods & Rockers Festival Continues

A 40th anniversary celebration of the Monterey International Pop Festival takes place at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood tonight. A special presentation of filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker's "Monterey Pop" documentary will be hosted by the director. Sixties legends like The Mamas & The Papas' Michelle Phillips (who helped organize the Pop Festival), the Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, Eric Burdon, members of Big Brother & The Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape and Buffalo Springfield will all take part in a reunion of those involved in the landmark three-day concert and film.

Honors To Scholz

Boston mastermind Tom Scholz will receive the Celebrity Animal Advocate Of The Year award at the 2007 Animal Rights National Conference at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel on Sunday. You can expect the semi-reclusive guitarist to dedicate the honor to his collaborator of the past 35 years, singer Brad Delp. Tom says, "[Brad's] commitment to ethical vegetarianism over 30 years ago was a major factor in my emerging awareness of the unnecessary cruelty to animals in our society." Many feel that Scholz's performance at the August 19th Brad Delp Come Together tribute concert at the BOA Pavilion in Boston may be the final live show for the legendary band. Stay tuned!

Miss Pamela Resurfaces Fully Clothed

Remember how, after retiring from the scene several years back, famed rock groupie Pamela Des Barres retold her adventures in her memoir "I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie"? Well, she's moved on. In her new book, "Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets Of Rock Muses And Supergroupies," Pamela shares the experiences of 24 others who made names for themselves performing acts of daring-do with rock stars. The groupies, including Bebe Buell, Patti D'Arbanville, Miss Japan Beautiful and Cynthia Plaster Caster, dish on quirks and habits of such stars like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Tom Jones, Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson. Des Barres — along with several of the featured groupies — will be at Book Soup in West Hollywood signing copies of the book tonight.

Townshend's Latest

A workshop performance of Pete Townshend's latest theatrical effort — "The Boy Who Heard Music" — was performed last Friday and Saturday at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Being a workshop, the performers read from the script with very few props in the intimate 375-seat theater. The score featured most of the songs from The Who's latest album "Endless Wire." The musical, based on Townshend's novella of the same name, is connected thematically to Pete's other multimedia projects, including "Lifehouse" and "Psychoderelict." The show's producers are hoping for an extended run (ala the "Tommy" Broadway show).

New Scorps

Several people have mentioned the new Scorpions song ("Humanity") that we're playing on KLOS. The new album, "Humanity – Hour 1," was recorded earlier this year here in Los Angeles with producer Desmond Child, who's famously worked with Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and KISS, as well as Kelly Clarkson, Ricky Martin and LeAnn Rimes. Scorps guitarist Matthias Jabs says, "Desmond is a fabulous visionary who took us to musical levels we had never reached before." One of yer Unc's favorite Southland guitarist/songwriters, John 5, was also involved with the project. "Humanity – Hour 1" will receive a U.S. release on August 28th, and the German boys will be rocking the Gibson Amphitheatre on September 15th.

Quote Of The Day

It was Dave Barry who said: "You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."

July 20, 2007

Bassist John Lodge of The Moody Blues is 62.
Guitarist Carlos Santana is 60.
Singer Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave is 43.

On this day in 1968, actress Jane Asher told a BBC TV reporter that her engagement to Paul McCartney was off. Paul was watching the television with some friends at the time, so he found out about the breakup at the same time as millions of other Britons.

On this day in 1969, contrary to anything Timothy Leary later said, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.

On this day in 1974, Joey Ramone moved out from behind the drums to become the vocalist and frontman for The Ramones. Gabba, gabba, hey!

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of The Doors as well as more of Joe's conversations with engineer Bruce Botnick, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

On Stage

Is it Saturday yet? OzzFest will be rocking the Hyundai Pavilion. Congrats to all the KLOS winners — you rock!

GN'R Rumor #793

I have absolutely no idea how much (if any) of this story is based on fact, but it is a pretty cool story! Four-fifths of Guns N' Roses' original lineup may be on hand to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Appetite For Destruction" at a Key Club show on July 28th. Founding GN'R drummer Steven Adler's band Adler's Appetite is scheduled to perform at the gig, and Adler is telling everyone that "Slash, Izzy [Stradlin] and Duff [McKagan] will be there, too. It's gonna be great." Steven also says he believes "there's a chance" for a full Gunners reunion after having recently met with frontman Axl Rose. And if he can't fill the club with this kind of a rumor, then he needs to go back to gardening!

Jovi Not Very Jovial

Lawyers for Jon Bon Jovi have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the manufacturer of a new coffee-based energy drink called Mijovi, partly because Jon feels that the beverage's name is too similar to his own. Mijovi founder Marcos Carrington has vowed to continue marketing his product, arguing that it is named after his girlfriend, Jovita Saenz. Wonder if he's considered the brand name Saenz Sauce?

More Mods & Rockers

The Mods & Rockers Festival continues tonight at The Egyptian theater in Hollywood with a special presentation of filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker's "Bob Dylan Revisited." That movie was created from the outtakes of Pennebaker's classic "Don't Look Back" documentary of Dylan's 1965 U.K. tour. Famed singer/songwriter Donovan, who was also part of that tour, will join Pennebaker for a question-and-answer session at the screening.

Brit Series To Air

This should be interesting. The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, Queen's Roger Taylor, The Police's Stewart Copeland, David Bowie and former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters were among the many artists interviewed for the seven-part British Seven Ages of Rock series. The documentary about the history of rock, which recently aired on British television, will air on VH1 Classic in December.

A Thought For The Weekend

Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?

The Best Place To Live

"Money" magazine has named a small town near Madison, Wisconsin as the "Best Place To Live" in America. Middleton, Wisconsin tops the list this year. The magazine says Middleton has small town charm, a booming economy, extensive parks and bike trails. A hellish-nothing-going-on-small-burg when my band played there (37 years ago), the town of 17,000 is also praised for its beer garden and good restaurants. The downside is what the magazine calls its "tough" winter. Duh! Second place went to Hanover, New Hampshire, while Louisville, Colorado came in third.