November 21 - 30, 2008
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!
November 21, 2008
New Orleans boogie woogie piano legend Dr. John is 68.
On this day in 1967, The Who released their tribute to British pirate radio, "The Who Sell Out" album.
On this day in 1974, Jefferson Starship is reunited (for the first time) with singer Marty Balin on stage at San Francisco's Winterland.
On this day in 1980, Eagle Don Henley was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of marijuana, cocaine, and Quaaludes after paramedics treated a 16-year-old girl suffering from drug intoxication at his Los Angeles home. A truly great song, "Dirty Laundry," later resulted.
On this day in 1988, Pink Floyd released their live "Delicate Sound of Thunder" album.
This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of and conversation with Tom Petty.
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
Hey Guns N' Roses fans, it looks like Axl Rose's ridiculously overdue "Chinese Democracy" album will finally arrive on the marketplace this weekend. The entire 14-years-in-the-making, 14-song recording is streaming at GN'R's MySpace page until Sunday when the album officially becomes available as a CD, vinyl disc or digital download exclusively via Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com. Woo-hoo! You may now return to your regularly scheduled life.
Those Darn Touring Awards
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were among the big winners at the fifth annual Billboard Touring Awards Thursday night in New York. Springsteen and his band scored with the Top Tour and Top Draw awards for their "Magic" tour, and longtime Springsteen manager Jon Landau was named Top Manager. Most of the Touring Awards were based on data reported to Billboard Boxscore for the period of October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008, but there were special awards as well. The Allman Brothers Band were named Legend Of Live and Jon Bon Jovi was given the Humanitarian Award for his work with the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation.
Simmons Sets 'Em Straight
While we all occasionally razz KISS co-founder Gene Simmons over some of the things he says and does, you must give him the utmost respect for his business acumen. In his keynote address at the fifth annual Billboard Touring Conference in New York on Thursday (logically filmed for an episode of his A&E reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels"), the master entrepreneur stressed the duties of being a live performer. "I don't care if you're Axl Rose, or you forgot to tie your shoelaces or your father molested you when you were three — you're a bitch if you don't show up onstage when it says 9 o'clock," he said, drawing loud applause from the audience. "You need to have the integrity and self-respect to respect the promoter who paid you the money in advance, the hall and the people who make all our lives possible." He also expressed (in his own special way) his discontent with the fact that KISS, which he co-founded in 1972, has not yet been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. "There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Hall Of Fame, but not KISS. I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK." To all of that we say right so!
Felder's Ready To Fly
Looks like former Eagles guitarist Don Felder is emerging from his book tour. Don has started scheduling dates for his 2009 A Night at the Hotel California solo tour. The first announced gigs include two February shows in Niagara Falls and an April 11th gig at the Spotlight Showroom in Coachella. Stay tuned for more!
Live Earth India
Former Pink Floyd singer/bassist/mastermind Roger Waters has joined Bon Jovi and several others on the bill for the 2008 Live Earth concert in Mumbai, India on December 7th. Proceeds will benefit environmentally themed initiatives like Climate Project India and TERI's Light A Billion Lives campaign, which provides solar lighting to rural homes without electricity. The event's founder, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will also be on hand to talk about climate issues, and the concert will be streamed live.
Quotes Of The Day
It was David Dunham who said: Efficiency is intelligent laziness.
It was Henry Ford who said: "Whether you think you can or think you can't – you are right."
Let's Go To The Auto Show!
Today, Monday and Wednesday, 3pm - 7pm: Vroom! New dates — new cars! Like a kid in a candy shop, J.B. will be playing on the air from the newly rescheduled and revamped L.A. Auto Show!! See what it looked like last year.
November 24, 2008
Booker T. & the MG's bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn is 67.
Drummer Pete Best, who was replaced in The Beatles by Ringo Starr, is 67 and perhaps still just a bit bitter about the whole thing.
Lee "Do You Know What I Mean" Michaels is 63.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke is 53.
Chris Hayes, guitarist with Huey Lewis & the News, is 51.
On this day in 1964, having just changed their name from the High Numbers, The Who played the first night of their new residency at the Marquee club advertised as "The Who - Maximum R&B!"
On this day in 1966, The Beatles began sessions for the follow-up to their "Revolver" album by recording tracks that eventually evolved into "Strawberry Fields Forever."
On this day in 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their single "Merry Xmas (War Is Over)" in England.
On this day in 1985, blues/rock pioneer Big Joe Turner died from a heart attack at age 74.
On this day in 1991, Queen's Freddie Mercury died from AIDS complications at age 45, and KISS drummer Eric Carr died of cancer at age 41.
On this day in 1993, blues guitarist Albert Collins died in Las Vegas at age 61 of liver cancer.
Eagles Nada AMAs
Do you think that Don Henley really believes it's an honor just to be nominated? The Eagles were in the running for four big awards at last night's 36th Annual American Music Awards, but they were completely blown out. In fact, it's likely that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry received more face time when they presented the Artist Of The Year award to Chris Brown than the Eagles did for their noms. Let's just hope that Don and the boys got to enjoy the bountiful backstage spread!
John Is Forgiven (Like He Cared)
With Christmas right around the corner and the Catholic church looking for a little good publicity, the Vatican finally got around to forgiving John Lennon for his infamous March 1966 offhand comment that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." The Vatican's newspaper, in an article honoring the 40th anniversary of The Beatles self-titled "White" album (think about that for a moment), noted that today Lennon's words sound, "only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll." Duh! The paper also pointed out that Lennon and Paul McCartney's songs "have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians." Let's just hope they don't think their forgiveness would have mattered to John.
Rush Up Close (For Now)
Rush's new DVD, "Snakes & Arrows Live," hits shelves tomorrow, and bassist/singer Geddy Lee says that it offers an extremely close look at the trio's stage show, especially "for fans of the music who love to see what everybody's fingers are doing and how we interact back and forth with each other." As for Rush's recording plans, Lee says, "I think we're gonna stay quiet for a while and then start writing — when... I can't say just yet."
Copyright Problems
This may mean trouble for songwriters and copyright holders worldwide. Last Thursday Germany's highest civil court ruled that sampling a snippet of Kraftwerk's music does not "in principle" violate the group's copyright. That decision overturned an earlier ruling that said reusing even the shortest bit of a song infringed on a copyright. Kraftwerk had originally sued rap producer Moses Pelham for using a two-second sample from their 1977 song "Metal On Metal" in the rhythm sequence of a 1997 song. Perhaps the scariest angle on that two-second sample is that Jim Ladd recognized it right away.
R.I.P. Guy
Guy Peellaert, the Belgium-born pop artist responsible for the cover art on David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" and The Rolling Stones "It’s Only Rock N’ Roll" albums, died last week of cancer at the age of 74. You may recall that the "Diamond Dogs" artwork was especially controversial upon its release when Bowie was depicted as a half-man/half-dog with genitalia. (Those sure were the days!)
Quotes Of The Day
It was Ella Fitzgerald who said: "It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts."
It was Henry Ford who said: "Whether you think you can or think you can't – you are right."
Tis The Season For... Heartburn!
More than 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn each month — but it's far more prevalent during the holiday season. A recent survey by Synovate found that 66% of respondents experience heartburn during the holidays. The poll found that 94% cited overeating as the main reason for holiday heartburn, 18% said eating at non-meal times caused them heartburn and 16% pointed the finger at stress. Nearly 95% of respondents said they would enjoy the season a lot more if they didn't experience heartburn.
Turkey Time
As Americans get ready for a big day of Thanksgiving feasting, the University of Illinois Extension Program at Urbana has some interesting information regarding turkeys. On average, Americans consume 675 million pounds of turkey — that's 45 million birds — every Thanksgiving. They figure that 22 million turkeys are eaten in the U.S.A. each Christmas.
November 25, 2008
Drummer Bev Bevan of the Electric Light Orchestra is 64.
On this day in 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their first U.K. appearance. The show was at the Bag O'Nails club in London, just two days before Jimi's 24th birthday.
On this day in 1967, Arlo Guthrie released the album "Alice's Restaurant."
On this day in 1968, The Beatles released their incredible "White Album" Stateside.
On this day in 1969, John Lennon returned his M.B.E. to Queen Elizabeth with a note stating "Your Majesty, I am returning this M.B.E. in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag." Unfortunately, Her Majesty's response is lost to history.
On this day in 1974, Genesis released their classic "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" album, the last with singer Peter Gabriel.
On this day in 1976, The Band held a Thanksgiving farewell concert that attracted guest performers Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, among others. The whole gig was immortalized in the film "The Last Waltz."
On this day in 1984, Bob Geldof gathered up a veritable who's who of British pop royalty (including Duran Duran, Bananarama, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and U2) to record "Do They Know It's Christmas." Under the name Band Aid, the song was then released to benefit victims of the Ethiopian Famine.
On this day in 1989, Aerosmith's "Janie's Got A Gun" entered the charts.
On this day in 2007, Quiet Riot singer Kevin DuBrow was found dead of a cocaine overdose at his Las Vegas home. He was 52 years old.
On Stage
The incredible Australian Pink Floyd (who actually aren't from Australia) will be playing the Gibson Amphitheatre tonight and the Honda Center tomorrow night.
No Beatles/iTunes Yet
Sounds like the highly anticipated iTunes/Beatles catalog deal will be happening later rather than sooner. In a London press conference yesterday, Paul McCartney said that the iTunes negotiations have "stalled." He said that he, Ringo Starr, and the late John Lennon and George Harrison's widows "are very for it, we've been pushing it." But there are "a couple of sticking points," explaining that record company EMI execs "want something we're not prepared to give then. What happens is, when something is as big as The Beatles, it's heavy negotiations." Doesn't it remind you of the saying, "when they say it's not the money, it's the money"?
RED(WIRE)
U2, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Elton John, Coldplay, the Dixie Chicks and John Legend are contributing exclusive songs to RED(WIRE), a new digital music magazine launching on World AIDS Day (December 1st). With all proceeds from $5 subscriptions benefiting HIV-infected people in Africa, the project is the latest outgrowth of Bono's activist organization (RED). A new issue of RED(WIRE) will be released every Wednesday, featuring an exclusive song from a major artist, a song from a showcase artist, a multimedia piece and a look at how proceeds are directly benefiting Africans in need. The materials will be downloaded to a custom player and automatically loaded into iTunes. By the way, U2 recorded their track last Wednesday.
Steven Writes On Bikes
The motorcycles that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler designed for the Red Wing Motorcycle Company — of which he is a part owner — will be on display to the public for the first time at the New England International Auto Show in Boston from December 3rd to the 8th. And once those fully custom bikes start rolling off the production line, Steven says he'll be there to hand sign each one. No, really... that's what he said.
Quotes Of The Day
It was David Dunham who said: "Efficiency is intelligent laziness."
It was Yogi Berra who said: "The future ain't what it used to be."
November 26, 2008
Temptress/songstress/dancer Tina Turner is 70.
Fleetwood Mac's founding member/bassist John McVie is 63.
On this day in 1962, The Beatles recorded "Please Please Me."
On this day in 1968, Cream gave its last concert at Royal Albert Hall in London. At the end of the show, the crowd of 10,000 chanted "God save the Cream." Soon after, guitar god Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker rejoined to form Blind Faith. Unfortunately, no one ever chanted "God save Blind Faith."
On this day in 1969, John Lennon participated in his last session with The Beatles, finishing the B-side "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)." What a way to go!
On this day in 1983, "Crumblin' Down" by John Cougar Mellencamp peaked at #9 as Genesis' "That's All" entered the singles chart.
On this day in 1988, "Desire" by U2 peaked at #3 on the U.S. singles chart.
On this day in 1988, Def Leppard's album "Hysteria" logged its 62nd week in the Top 10 album charts.
This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Bad Company as well as more of Joe's conversation with singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke.
On Stage
The incredible Australian Pink Floyd (who actually aren't from Australia) will be playing the Honda Center tonight.
They're Selling A Few
Based on early numbers, it looks like first week sales for the 14-years-in-production Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" will be somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 units — about half the first week sales of AC/DC's "Black Ice" project. It's also worth noting that nearly 8.5 million people listened to "Chinese Democracy" during the four days it was streaming on MySpace, and at least 8 million decided not to buy it.
John Isn't Really Forgiven (Like He Cared)
Remember that story Monday about the Vatican finally forgiving John Lennon for his infamous March 1966 offhand comment that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus?" Turns out the Pope didn’t forgive Lennon — it was a writer at the Vatican's newspaper who made the judgement call! The same editorial team has given Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley high marks in recent articles, but forgiveness was never deemed necessary to their story lines. One might guess that right now there's a Vatican newspaper writer or two praying for Papal leniency!
Neil Joins The MGs (Sort Of)
Booker T. & The MGs frontman Booker T. Jones is recording a solo album backed by the Southern rockers Drive By Truckers with one Mr. Neil Young contributing searing lead guitar work. The instrumental project will be Jones' first solo release since the Eighties. Booker T. & The MGs, who backed Neil on his 1990 tour, were among last year's GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winners and were inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame in Nashville last month.
Sir Mick's Son To Star
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger's 23-year-old son James has landed himself a role in a film about the famed composer Vivaldi. In his first major film role, James Jagger will play one of the composer's pupils in "Vivaldi – The Red Priest." Jagger, whose mother is Texan model Jerry Hall, studied acting in Cambridge and won critical acclaim for his role in the London play "Lone Star" last year. He also studied with Susan Batson, a coach to Nicole Kidman and George Clooney.
Guess Axl Doesn't Like Him
He shouldn't have been surprised, but just because Tom Zataut signed Guns N' Roses to their first record deal doesn't mean he gets any respect from the band. Zataut, who brought GN'R to Geffen Records in the mid-Eighties, was unceremoniously kicked out of a "Chinese Democracy" listening party last week in Hollywood because Axl Rose simply doesn't like him. Ever the promoter, Zataut said (with a straight face), "I wear his hatred as a badge of honor as it would be far worse for him to not care at all." Tim should just be glad he never played guitar for the band.
Let's Go To The Auto Show!
Today! Today! 3pm - 8pm: You know that Joe will be goofing around like a kid in a toy store as he broadcasts live from the L.A. Auto Show! Here's a peek at last year's show.
Tidbits & Giblets
Ever since Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863, Thanksgiving has been a time to remember all the good things we have in life. It's also a good time to overeat in the company of family and friends. Here are some T-day T-Facts to digest:
1. U.S. turkey consumption has increased over 230% since 1970.
2. Of the 300 million turkeys raised annually, 45 million are consumed at Thanksgiving.
3. A full-grown domestic turkey averages 3,500 feathers.
4. Turkeys lived, died and were eaten almost 10 million years ago.
5. Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, nearby flocks of turkeys would drop dead.
6. A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour, and they can burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
7. Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.
8. Turkeys can see in color, and their heads change colors when they become excited.
9. The average person consumes between 2,000 and 2,500 calories each day. Researchers estimate that once Thanksgiving Day is over, the average American will have gobbled up over 4,000 calories.
10. Because Americans like white meat so much, turkeys are bred to produce large breasts. Our domesticated turkeys have such large chests that the male, "tom turkey" is not able to fertilize the eggs of the female, "hen turkeys" in the natural mating position. Sadly for today's "tom turkeys," turkey eggs are fertilized by artificial insemination for the hatchery.
11. The number of hours you can leave a turkey out without risking salmonella poisoning: Two.
12. Degrees Fahrenheit a turkey has to reach to kill harmful bacteria: 180.
13. Degrees Fahrenheit the stuffing should reach: 165.
14. Just remember that the person who cooks Thanksgiving dinner gets to put their tired feet up at the end of the evening and watch someone else do the dishes!
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
November 27, 2008
Martial arts god Bruce Lee would have been 68.
Guitar god Jimi Hendrix would have been 66.
On this day in 1969, The Rolling Stones opened their legendary four-night stand at Madison Square Garden. Recordings of the first two shows later became their classic live album, "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out."
On this day in 1970, former Beatle George Harrison released his solo album "All Things Must Pass." Produced by Phil Spector and engineered by Ken Scott, it featured lots of noted players like Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, Ringo Starr and Peter Frampton.
On this day in 1971, "Led Zeppelin IV," one of the greatest Rock albums ever, entered the U.S. charts at #36.
On this day in 1971, Don McLean's "American Pie" entered the singles chart.
On this day in 1995, The Beatles' "Anthology I" set a first-week sales record, selling 1.2 million copies in the U.S.
November 28, 2008
Wry songmeister Randy Newman is 65.
Drummer Matt Cameron of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam is 46.
On this day in 1964, the iconic "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks peaked at #7 on the charts.
On this day in 1969, The Rolling Stones released the "Let It Bleed" album.
On this day in 1970, "See Me, Feel Me" by The Who peaked at #12 on the singles charts as Elton John released "Your Song."
On this day in 1970, George Harrison released the song "My Sweet Lord."
On this day in 1974, John Lennon joined Elton John onstage at New York's Madison Square Garden. Lennon had promised Elton that if his song "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," which featured Elton's playing, reached the top of the U.S. chart, he would appear onstage with him. The two old friends performed three songs together on that Thanksgiving night concert, including: "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Sadly, it would be the final concert appearance of Lennon's career.
On this day in 1980, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's album "The River" hit #1 on the charts.
On this day in 1981, "Waiting For A Girl Like You" by Foreigner peaked at #2 on the singles charts as "No Reply At All" by Genesis topped out at #29.
On this day in 1992, Bon Jovi's song "Keep The Faith" topped out at #29 on the singles chart.
November 29, 2008
Blues legend John Mayall is 75.
Guitarist Barry Goudreau of the original Boston line-up is 57.
On this day in 1963, The Beatles released the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single in the U.K. Over the next three days, it sold over a million copies!
On this day in 1986, Bruce Springsteen entered the U.S. album charts at #1 with his "Live 1975-1985" box set. It was the fourth time in chart history that an album made its chart debut at #1, and the first time a box set had ever done so. Soon after, "Live 1975-1985" became the most successful box set ever, eventually selling over 13 million copies.
On this day in 2001, former Beatle George Harrison succumbed to cancer at age 58.
November 30, 2008
Mark Twain would have been 173 and still acerbic.
Sir Winston Churchill would have been 134.
Ageless Rock & Roll TV impresario Dick Clark is very alive and 79 — no, really!
Bassist Roger Glover of Deep Purple is 63.
The icon of sneering, Billy Idol, is 53.
On this day in 1977, veteran crooner Bing Crosby hosted his 42nd Christmas special on TV. David Bowie was his most notable guest, and the two performed a duet of "The Little Drummer Boy"/"Peace on Earth," which was then released as a single. You'll hear that duet and three more hours of Rock & Roll Christmas songs when 95.5 KLOS airs Uncle Joe's Rockin' Christmas Show later next month!
On this day in 1979, Pink Floyd released their classic double album "The Wall."
On this day in 1982, Ozzy Osbourne released his "Speak Of The Devil" album.