October 1 - 10, 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!

October 1, 2007

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.

On Stage Tonight

The Dave Matthews Band will be jamming at the Hollywood Bowl for the first of two nights tonight.

Robert Says No Zep Tour

Robert Plant has confirmed there will be no Led Zeppelin tour. After news broke that Zep would reunite with Jason Bonham on drums for November 26th's Ahmet Ertegun tribute at London's O2 Arena, and 20 million fans immediately applied for a chance to nab tickets, speculation grew frenzied that the band would do a follow-up tour. Robert's exact quote to the U.K.'s "Daily Express" was, "Not for me but I can't speak for anyone else" — as if some fool would attempt to pitch the legendary band without their iconic singer. Plant also made it clear that his motivation for next month's concert comes from his assessment of the Zep's previous one-off dates, saying, "We need to do one last great show because we've done some shows and they've been crap." So that's what Robert said — but what do you think he really meant? Stay tuned!

Bruce Plays On

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's new CD "Magic" won't be available until tomorrow, but a limited edition vinyl version of the album arrived at select record outlets last week. The special release is an attempt to make "Magic" a viable GRAMMY Award contender for next year's ceremony. Yesterday (September 30th) was the cut-off date — recordings issued between today and the end of the year won't be eligible for GRAMMY consideration until 2009. And what about Springsteen's performance on NBC's "Today Show" on Friday? He and The E Street Band were only slated to play four songs, but rocked with seven tunes — drawing one of the largest crowds ever for a "Today" show morning concert on Rockefeller Center Plaza. Rock & Roll!

Henley's Cool Auction

Don Henley's Walden Woods Project is auctioning off a custom Steinway piano that has been played and signed by Elton John, Billy Joel and Bruce Hornsby, among others. The goal is to secure a minimum bid of $500,000. The Walden Woods Project preserves the birthplace of the American environmental movement and reaches an international audience of students and teachers to foster the next generation of conservationists. Both Joel and Henley will be performing at the auction on Thursday in Manhattan. Visit http://Walden.org for more info.

T.P.'s Four-Disc Film

"Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers," the story of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers filmed by famed director Peter Bogdanovich, will close the 2007 New York Film Festival on October 14th. On October 15th it will premiere for one night only in 21 cities across the country including Los Angeles, then the four-disc DVD/CD version of the film will be sold exclusively at Best Buy retail outlets beginning October 16th. But wait — there's more! The Sundance Channel will begin running the film commercial-free on October 29th. Over the past 30 years, T.P. & The H.B.s have sold more than 50 million records. Between his work with the band and his solo efforts, Petty has also picked up 18 GRAMMY Award nominations. He and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002, and there's a good chance they may announce another tour before long.

Quote Of The Day

It was golfing legend Gary Player who said: "The harder you work, the luckier you get."

Wally Parks, R.I.P.

Wally Parks, the man responsible for taking drag racing off the streets and making it the second most popular motorsport in the U.S., died Friday at the age of 94. The first editor of "Hot Rod" magazine, the man who formed the National Hot Rod Association in 1951 and was instrumental in legitimized American land speed records, also set the precedent of treating employees as associates and fans as friends. He was one of the nicest people I've ever dealt with in racing, Wally's greatest legacy goes beyond organizing the NHRA's 80,000 members, he was responsible for millions of friendships and careers among enthusiasts of the sport that he took from the streets of Southern California to modern facilities throughout the world. Click here for Shav Glick's final piece on Wally.

October 2, 2007

Don "American Pie" McLean is 62.
Guitarist Mike Rutherford of Genesis is 57.
The multi-tasking, multi-talented, bass playing singer named Sting is 56.

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. No other former Zep members were present.

On Stage Tonight

This evening the Dave Matthews Band will be jamming at the Hollywood Bowl for the last of a two night run.

Mick's Talking

NBC's "Today Show" host Matt Lauer is having quite the run of interviews! First Bruce Springsteen, now Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, and then Eric Clapton. Sir Mick will be featured on this morning's "Today Show," sharing memories of some of the tracks on his "The Very Best of Mick Jagger" compilation and opening up for the first time about his relationship with his father, Joe Jagger, who passed away at the age of 93 last November.

Woody's Book

Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood — a great storyteller and the newest member of the band with a mere 32 years tenure — will release his autobiography on October 30th. From what I've seen, "Ron Wood: The Autobiography" is quite juicy, covering his relationships with every Brit rock star and every kind of drug abuse during the past 40 years, lots of music, women of every sort, partying with guns and alcohol as well as immensely huge massive quantities of more drugs and drink. Not a pretty story, but very juicy — let's see how it compares to Eric Clapton's forthcoming tome!

Buffett Sues Bugs

Jimmy Buffett is suing Six Flags, alleging their Carrothead Club for "Bugs Bunny's" younger fans is too similar to his "Parrothead" following. A spokesperson for the parks said she's "not sure how the concept of children in foam carrot hats is going to be confused with significantly older Hawaiian shirt-wearing, margarita-swilling Parrotheads. Clearly imitation wasn't what we had in mind!" No word on how much Buffett is suing for, or if he's "just waiting for the volcano to blow."

Honoring La Police

The Police were honored by French Culture Minister Christine Albanel yesterday for their "contribution to music." Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were each named as a Chevalier Of The Order Of The Arts And Letters in a short ceremony in Paris. "We are very happy to be among your knights. We are very touched because we deeply admire French culture," Sting said in perfect French. It was also noted that The Police's first guitarist in 1977 was Frenchman Henry Padovani, who was ousted as soon as Summers was recruited. While Padovani actually joined the trio on stage in Paris on Saturday to perform "Next To You" — the first stage appearance of all four band members in about 30 years — he was not named a chevalier of any sort.

Eric Books Some TV

Guitar god Eric Clapton has scheduled three TV appearances to promote his new book, "Clapton: The Autobiography," and double-CD "Complete Clapton" collection, both of which go on sale October 9th. E.C. will appear on NBC's Today Show on October 9th, the next evening on CNN's Larry King Live and October 13th on NBC's Weekend Today. Hope that schedule doesn't wear him out!

Quote Of The Week

It was Oscar Wilde who said: "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

More Coffee Now!

New research suggests that if you're facing an extra-long workday or a late-night study session, don't tank up on coffee early in the day. Consuming small doses of caffeine frequently, beginning halfway through the workday, translated to greater alertness, better mental performance and a decreased likelihood of dozing off.

October 3, 2007

Texas blues guitar legend Albert Collins would have been 75.
Eddie "Summer Time Blues" Cochran would have been 69.
Twist meister Chubby Checker is 66.
Master musician Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is 58.
Guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been 53.
Drummer Tommy Lee of Motley Crue is 45.

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."

Rush Ringtones

Here's the ultimate way for a Rush fan to know their phone is ringing: Neil Peart drum-tones! Just $2.99 will give you a few glorious seconds of snare, tom-tom or a signature solo to let the world know you've got that multi-rhythmic thing going on!

Sammy's Party

Sammy Hagar celebrates his birthday at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico every year. In fact, they say that 1,500 fans slept on the streets in front of the nightclub last year just hoping to get in! Be assured that the former Van Halen frontman will celebrate hitting the big 6-0 this year with former V.H. bassist Michael Anthony for a two-week long birthday bash. Bands will take the stage every other day of the event, culminating with Hagar, his group The Wabos, Anthony and other surprise celebrity guests performing at a huge show that will also kick-off Sammy's 2008 tour. The festivities begin this week with the big concert taking place on October 13th. Tickets are handed out first-come, first-served every morning at 8am. So get down to Mexico, bring some cash and remember to wear a condom!

Mick/Zep Reunion

While publicizing the release of his solo greatest hits collection, Mick Jagger was asked if he would participate in next month's Led Zeppelin reunion gig. His answer: "If I'm here in London, I'll definitely go. Will I go on stage? Nah. They haven't done anything on stage for 20 years together, I'm not going to interlope into their big night out." What a thoughtful guy!

Crossroads #2 DVD

Look for highlights of Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival to be released on DVD on November 20th — just in time for Christmas! The double-DVD will feature 38 tracks from the July 28th show outside Chicago, with performances from Clapton, Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Steve Winwood, among many others. The performance I'll be looking for is former Blind Faith mates Clapton and Winwood's first on-stage collaboration in 25 years!

Macca Revamps LP

When Sir Paul McCartney released his "Memory Almost Full" album in June, you kind of figured he had finished more material. Sure enough, it turns out that three previously unreleased tracks and a live DVD will be included on the new deluxe edition of "Memory Almost Full" when it comes out on November 6th. The DVD will round up five tracks from Macca's intimate June concert at London's Electric Ballroom. You can be sure that KLOS' Chris Carter will be all over this one on Breakfast With The Beatles!

Nash Boxes Them Up

Graham Nash is been putting the finishing touches on a 65-song career-retrospective box set, "Reflection," due out in February. Nash says, "It starts in 1964 and ends in 2004. So it's the Hollies to the last record that David (Crosby) and I put out. And everything is in there. It's me solo, me with Crosby, me with Neil (Young), me with Stephen (Stills) and Neil, and me with Stephen, Neil and David."

Quote Of The Day

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

More Coffee Now!

October 4, 2007

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.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of the Scorpions as well as Joe's brand new conversation with the entire band.

Big Ass Stones Numbers

The final tally on The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang tour topped a half billion — $558,255,524 to be exact. The staggering total was accumulated between the Fall of 2005 and August 26, 2007 when the tour wrapped at the O2 arena in London. The box office gross figure makes A Bigger Bang the top grossing tour in history, moving well past U2's Vertigo tour which topped out at a mind boggling $389 million. The previous high mark had been The Stones' $320 million Voodoo Lounge tour of 1994-95. The 144 shows on A Bigger Bang drew a paid attendance of 4,680,000. And yes, I do believe you'll have a chance to see the boys again after the first of the year.

Felder's Book Is Back On

Remember how former Eagle Don Felder's juicy memoir, "Heaven And Hell: My Life As An Eagle," was dropped just days before its release due to his former bandmates intense legal objections? Word is that Don just signed with a new publisher in England and his book is about to hit shelves overseas, much to the chagrin of Don Henley and Glenn Frey. In the book, he discusses — in great detail — drugs, partying, encounters with women and what he calls an unjust split of profits among the band members. According to the New York Post, the current Eagles were able to stop publication in the States with drawn-out lawsuits over a nondisclosure agreement Felder signed as part of his settlement after being fired from the group in 2001. Sounds like a "must" read to me!

More Mellencamp

John Mellencamp has added a second Fall tour leg of East Coast gigs, but he still hasn't lined up any Southland dates. Not surprisingly, he has also recorded a new song called "Jena." Inspired by the disturbing current case in which six black teenagers were charged in the beating of a white teen in Jena, Louisiana, John wrote the tune last month during recording sessions with producer T Bone Burnett. Because of the timeliness of the subject, John is making the song available well before the album is finished.

Sampling The Beatles (Sort Of)

Anybody who wanted to sample any music from The Beatles has been doomed to failure — until now. The Wu-Tang Clan hip-hop group has secured permission to record an "interpolation" of George Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" for their upcoming album, "The 8 Diagrams." How you ask? The Clan's "The Heart Gently Weeps" actually features the Beatles track mixed with new recordings by George's son Dhani Harrison, as well as the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante and soul vocalist Erykah Badu. "(Harrison) himself helped secure the reuse license," Wu-Tang says. "The 8 Diagrams" album, the Wu-Tang Clan's first in six years, will arrive on December 4th.

Robby Does Berklee

He's finally made it into the Berklee College of Music! Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Robby Krieger, The Doors' legendary guitarist, will give a special interview and performance at the renowned Berklee in Boston on Monday. After a 90 minute question and answer session, Robby will perform a 30 minute set with Morrison Crossing, a band comprised of Berklee students. Right so!

O.C. Auto Show

Today! Today!, 3pm - 7pm: Time to shift into gear for another of those famous Uncle Joe remote broadcasts from the Chrysler/Jeep exhibit at the O. C. Auto Show in the Anaheim Convention Center! Here are a few snapshots from last year's show.

October 5, 2007

Space cowboy, gangster of love and guitar master Steve Miller is 64.
AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson is 60.
Sweet vocalist Brian Connolly is 58.
Live Aid founder Sir Bob Geldof, who marginally sang with the Boomtown Rats, is 53.

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 the Scorpions as well as Joe's brand new conversation with the entire band.

On Stage Tonight

George Carlin will be performing at the Gibson Amphitheatre as Jethro Tull plays the Lancaster Performing Arts Center tonight.

On Stage Saturday

Steve Miller will be performing at the Greek Theatre as Heaven & Hell, Alice Cooper and Queensryche rock the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and Jethro Tull plays the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center Saturday evening.

On Stage Sunday

The Black Crowes will be rocking the Orpheum Sunday night.

Nirvana Unplugged Again

Nirvana's legendary "Unplugged In New York" performance will finally be released on DVD 14 years after the fact on November 20th. Most of the audio from the November 18th, 1993 concert was released as a CD/LP one year after it was filmed, but the new DVD features the full unedited 66-minute concert that includes stage banter and two songs not aired on the original MTV Unplugged broadcast. Special features include previously unreleased rehearsal and documentary footage, but absolutely no shots of Courtney Love and Dave Grohl mud wrestling.

Rick's Trick Hotel/Museum

Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen has announced plans to build Rick's, a $25 million hotel/restaurant/museum complex in his native Rockford, Illinois (about 50 miles from yer Uncle Joe's hometown). Construction hasn't begun yet, but once complete, the structure will be home to many guitars from Rick's huge collection, including some he's played as well as others played by the likes of Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Eric Clapton. The head Trickster says that he'd like to see the facility host a number of events, including classes, conferences and weddings. Sources also report that Nielsen's in negotiations to turn the creation of "Rick's" into a reality TV series.

Macca/Ringo/Yoko/Giant Beacon Of Light

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono will all be in Iceland next Tuesday for the unveiling of the Imagine Peace Tower. The giant light beacon will shine the words "imagine peace" in 24 languages into the Northern skies every year between October 9th and December 8th, the anniversaries of John Lennon's birth and death.

Bruce Tutone

Many people have compared Bruce Springsteen's new single, "Radio Nowhere," to Tommy Tutone's 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny." This hasn't gone unnoticed by Tommy Tutone's frontman, Tommy Heath. Heath says, "I'm really honored at a similarity, if any... and I'm writing Bruce's manager a letter to assure him that I'm not taking any action." Don't you think Tommy's no doubt asking for backstage passes, too?

More Bowie In A Box

If you, like hundreds of millions of other world citizens, didn't pick up on David Bowie's last five studio albums, you'll get another chance on November 27th when they'll all be available in a neatly arranged box set. Of course the albums — 1995's "Outside," 1997's "Earthling," 1999's "Hours," 2002's "Heathen" and 2003's "Reality" — will be supplemented with a bonus disc of rarities, B-sides and remixes, including a very tasty cover of The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset."

Thought For The Weekend

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

Steve Miller!

This Friday/Saturday: Time for some rockin' fun! First, Steve Miller will check in during his old buddy's Friday afternoon KLOS show to talk about music and Steve's new DVD. Then Saturday evening, Uncle Joe will set the mood for the Steve Miller Band to rock the Greek Theatre! Here are a few snapshots from Steve's gig last year.

October 8, 2007

Johnny Ramone, the Ramones original guitarist, would have been 56.

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.

Van Halen Extends

Van Halen have tacked on a pair of Las Vegas shows onto the end of their current tour. The semi-reunited rockers, who hit the road on September 27th, will now complete their 2007 itinerary with MGM Grand Garden Arena gigs on December 28th and 30th.

Styx Will Return

Styx are on the road following up their opening stint on Def Leppard's recently wrapped tour with a headlining run of their own. The boys are currently scheduled through a February 13th show at the House Of Blues on Sunset, a February 15th show at the House Of Blues in Anaheim and a February 17th show in Las Vegas. A handful of gigs — but not the Southland shows — will feature co-headliners REO Speedwagon.

Van's Greatest Greatest Collection

More than 40 years since breaking out of Belfast with Them, Van Morrison continues to make music and tour the world. But collecting his greatest hits has always involved a nightmare of legal entanglements with his many, many recording contracts — until now! "Here On Still On Top – The Greatest Hits features 21 classic Van Morrison tracks covering his entire career from 1964 to 2005. Definitely a "must have" collection!

More New Boss?

Bruce Springsteen isn't known for working quickly, but it sounds like he may have another new album already in the can on the heels of last week's release of his new "Magic" album. "Magic" producer Brendan O'Brien says, "There's another group of songs that exist that I think are great songs and should end up somewhere, but they just didn't quite fit with this group." Before 2002's "The Rising" — also produced by O'Brien, Springsteen hadn't made a new studio album in seven years, and hadn't recorded with The E Street Band in nearly 20. This time around, the producer set Springsteen up with a pared-down core band of drummer Max Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent and pianist Roy Bittan to record basic tracks. Contributions from other E Streeters — guitarist Steven Van Zandt, keyboardist Danny Federici and saxophonist Clarence Clemons — were added later, resulting in a very focused sound. That another collection of songs is also ready to go is almost beyond belief. Stay tuned!

Sunday's NASCAR Race

Blatant stupidity is the only reason I can think of for KABC Channel 7's dropping the final minutes of live network coverage of Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race from Talledega to switch to a canned NBA preview show.

Quote Of The Day

It was William Feather who said: "Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious."

Earth Germs More Deadly After Space Travel

Here's one for your Monday morning coffee break discussion. When sealed flasks of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria were sent into space on the Shuttle Atlantis for 12 days in 2006, the microbes became 3 times more lethal than their earthbound counterparts. Researchers discovered this after feeding mice identical strains of the bacteria, varying only whether the Salmonella had traveled to space or remained in similar temperature conditions on earth. After just under a month, 90% of the mice that had been infected with the space germs were dead, as compared to only 60% of the Earth bacteria group. Not only did the space Salmonella kill more mice more quickly, it also showed different genetic activity than non-traveling bacteria.

October 9, 2007

John Lennon would have been 67.
Bassist John Entwistle of The Who would have been 63.
Jackson Browne is 59.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's wife/manager, is 55.

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.

On TV Today

Eric Clapton will be talking about his autobiography with Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today Show" this morning.

John's B-day/Peace Tower

In honor of what would have been John Lennon's 67th birthday, Yoko Ono is in Iceland today for the official unveiling of the Imagine Peace Tower. The phrase "imagine peace" has been engraved in 24 different languages around the light tower's base, while nearly 500,000 messages, prayers, and hopes for peace are buried in capsules surrounding the base. Ono explains that the light is drawing the underground peace wishes up from the well and beaming them out into the universe. The Imagine Peace Tower will remain illuminated through December 8th, the anniversary of Lennon's death.

Plant Plays Out

Just a few weeks ahead of his highly anticipated reunion show with Led Zeppelin, singer Robert Plant took the stage Saturday at the Birmingham, England Town Hall Re-Opening Festival. Closed for over a decade and restored at a cost of $70 million, Town Hall Birmingham is believed to be Europe's oldest remaining purpose-built concert hall. The fundraising concert for the Birmingham Children's Hospital Red Balloon Appeal also featured Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan, former Jethro Tull/Fairport Convention bassist David Pegg and Moody Blues mainstay John Lodge.

Macca Wins Another "Q"

Paul McCartney scored at the British "Q" Awards 2007 last night. In accepting his Q Icon trophy, Macca saluted his late wife, Linda, expressed appreciation to the other members of The Beatles, and gratefully acknowledged his kids. Previous Q Icon recipients include ELO's Jeff Lynne and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. This was Sir Paulie's third "Q" award. Ten years ago he won the Q Songwriter Award, and he received the Q Merit Award at the first "Q" event in 1990.

Ozzy Working/Selling

Ozzy Osbourne says that he'll be headlining the 2008 OzzFest "as far as I know." He did not indicate whether the annual heavy metal summer trek would remain free for attendees, as it was this past Summer. That's his wife, manager and OzzFest creator Sharon Osbourne's decision. Meanwhile, an auction of items from the Osbourne's homes will take place in Beverly Hills on November 30th and December 1st. More than 600 items will be sold, including artwork, jewelry, furnishings, costumes and other memorabilia taken from the couple's residences in Beverly Hills, Malibu and Buckinghamshire, England. Some of the proceeds from the sale will go toward the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation.

Cool Stones Photo Exhibit

There's a great photo exhibit called "Sorry, You Missed The Rolling Stones" running through November 12th at the Fred Segal Mauro Café at 112 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The rarely (if ever) seen prints by legendary British photographer Philip Townsend includes photos taken in April 1963 before the young band had a recording contract. As Townsend recalls, "They had never been photographed before so they didn't even know how to pose." There are also pictures from their first performances and their first TV appearance. It's a pretty cool view of a young group that was to become one of the most impressive rock and roll bands in the world.

Quote Of The Day

It was Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who said: "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius."

October 10, 2007

The legendary David Lee Roth is 53 (and yes, that is his real age).
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is 33.

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.

Sting's Down

Amazing but true — the three A-type personalities in The Police are still getting along better than ever, but they've been forced to postpone a pair of concerts in Belgium and Germany because Sting is "suffering from a throat infection and doctors have advised him to rest." The trio's next gig (assuming Sting's voice returns) is in Dusseldorf on October 13th, before they head to Britain to wind up the European leg of their reunion tour. The Police's world tour, which currently runs until mid-2008, will hit the U.S. again before the Holidays, then roll through Latin America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Macca/Heather Settling

Word from London is that Paul McCartney and Heather Mills will agree on a divorce settlement at a private court date today or tomorrow. Family lawyers speculate that the appropriate settlement range in this case would be in the $50 million to $60 million range, made up of a big ass lump sum plus annual payments for the couple's daughter, Beatrice. But Sir Paul may pay much more to avoid the unpleasantness of allegations being aired in public. A source close to the case has been quoted as saying: "This case ought to settle. It is absolutely straightforward."

New R.E.M. Debuts

A previously unreleased R.E.M. song, "Until The Day Is Done," will premiere today on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." The song is synced to clips from the CNN special "Planet In Peril," which airs October 23rd and 24th. No word if "Until the Day Is Done" will appear on R.E.M.'s next album, due in the Spring.

Bryan Will Play For Peace

Bryan Adams has announced two shows that will take place in Israel and the Palestinian portion of the West Bank. Both gigs are set to happen on October 18th — one at a soccer stadium in Jericho and the other in Tel Aviv. The shows are being put on to help the OneVoice Movement, which has already garnered 600,000 signatures on a petition asking Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work toward peace. Television viewers in the U.S., England and Canada will also be able to watch the performances.

Johnny Compiles

Guitarist Johnny Winter has amassed an impressive repertoire in his 40+ year career. He's finally compiled some unique recordings from his career into one album, "Johnny Winter – Live Bootleg Series Volume One," which comes out today. The songs include the legendary bluesman's interpretations of The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and Freddie King's "Hideaway" as well as his cover of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now."