Search Results for: Fame On Fire

Dee Dee Ramone, a founding member of punk pioneers the Ramones, died Wednesday night in his Hollywood home, according to a spokesperson for the L.A. County Coroner’s office. The bassist was 50. Ramone (born Douglas Glenn Colvin) was found unresponsive by his wife at approximately 8:40 p.m. PT. She then called the Los Angeles Police Department, and L.A. City Fire Department paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. A cause of death is yet to be determined by the coroner, whose spokesperson said the case will be worked as a possible accidental drug overdose. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday… Read more »

Trey Anastasio spent 17 years ripping genres apart and sticking them back together at odd angles with the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink uber-jam band Phish. So maybe it’s no surprise he’s whipped up another unusual concoction: a jam/swing hybrid dotted with sugary-sweet love songs and chamber music. The self-titled release has the elements you’d expect from Anastasio, from the drawn-out, frenetic jams to the catchy guitar riffs. But it’s also a departure: It’s got horns, it’s got soul, it’s got more horns. It’s clearly not a Phish album hiding under a different name. “I’ve been listening to a lot of big band music,”… Read more »

For once, Eminem can breathe easy when he hears that people are rallying to have a rapper’s album banned. The usually lovable Nelly – who is dropping Nellyville on June 25 – has made an enemy of KRS-One, and the Blastmaster is calling for a boycott of the rapper’s album. “Nelly challenged a sovereign power,” KRS said Wednesday of his latest vocal adversary. “The MC part of it, I can slap him around for days. I got joints for days!” The microphone legend is certainly not inhibited, especially when talking of his iconic battle-rhyme dexterity. On “Ova Here,” the incendiary… Read more »

So you’re too young to be sweatin’ to the oldies with Richard Simmons. And with musical tastes that lean closer to the Buzzcocks than Britney, you’ll feel a bit dorky getting your body started with the Pink-inspired Bally Total Fitness Center cardio-workout. The beach season is creeping up faster than you can say “Gabba Gabba Hey,” so what’s a self-respecting rocker who wants to get toned to good tunes gonna do? If said rocker can get their flabby butt to Boston or New York, they can shed their spare tire to the sounds of the Sex Pistols, the Stranglers and… Read more »

The Cape Cod home of Aerosmith bass guitarist Tom Hamilton was destroyed in a fire, authorities said. No one was in the house when a fire started just before 7 p.m. Saturday, firefighter James Murphy said. An addition to Hamilton’s home was under construction. Minutes later, a second fire was reported at a barn about a mile away. Horses inside were rescued before flames engulfed the building, Murphy said. The barn is not owned by Hamilton. Authorities were investigating both blazes, which caused an estimated $500,000 worth of damage. One firefighter was treated for minor injuries. The Boston-based band was… Read more »

C. Michael Greene has resigned as the head of the organization that hands out the music industry’s most prestigious award, the Grammys, following an emergency board of trustees vote to remove him from office. Greene resigned Saturday night at an emergency meeting attended by more than three dozen trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Greene, 52, had three years remaining on his contract and will receive a severance package of $8 million, much of which will be covered by insurance and includes his bonus from the CBS Grammy contract. He is… Read more »

Singer Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife, Kerrie, announced they will divorce, but will continue their business relationship. In a statement, the couple said the divorce will be amicable and that Kerrie Lewis will remain as president of their company, JKL Enterprises. The statement was issued Monday. Both will continue to live at their ranch near Memphis in Nesbit, Miss. Kerrie Lewis, 39, is the sixth wife of the 66-year-old Lewis, famed for hits such as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.” They have been married for 17 years.

One of U2’s chief collaborators has confirmed that the band will release a second best-of compilation this fall. Daniel Lanois, who co-produced five of the Irish group’s albums-The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), Achtung Baby (1991), Zooropa (1993), and All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)-has reported that in a recent visit to his home in Los Angeles, U2 guitarist the Edge discussed the anthology, which is slated to be released as a stopgap while the band continues work on its next studio album. “To my knowledge, there’s a ‘best of the ’90s’ that’s going to come out… Read more »

A mohawked Eddie Vedder put the regal Waldorf-Astoria hotel in a punk rock state of mind Monday night when he inducted the Ramones into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nearing the end of his 17-minute speech, Vedder said, “After this, I’m sure the evening will move quickly, but it’s the Ramones and it’s punk rock and I’m just about finished and I hope you’re OK with that.” The crowd’s response included some jeers and boos. “Apparently you’re not. F– you,” he replied. But overall, the night was filled with special moments – including a Talking Heads induction and… Read more »

They represented the anti-establishment, so it was a bit odd to see the Ramones so happy to become part of the music establishment as members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But for the remaining members of the punk rock originators – whose lead singer, Joey Ramone, died last year – Monday night’s induction at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel represented long-overdue respect for the band that helped revolutionize rock with their rapid-fire, guitar-heavy songs. “I’d like to congratulate myself, and thank myself, and give myself a big pat on the back,” joked Dee Dee Ramone. “Thank you Dee Dee,… Read more »