Search Results for: Talking Heads

Guns N’ Roses’ surprise performance at Thursday’s 19th annual MTV Video Music Awards was easily the night’s highlight presentation, even though P. Diddy, Eminem and Justin Timberlake had more pizzazz and Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow had more heart. Click here for the complete 2002 MTV VMA Winners List. The group – which included longtime GN’R keyboardist Dizzy Reed and a batch of new faces like ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, ex-Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck and guitarist Buckethead – kicked off its medley with “Welcome to the Jungle,” the song that had thunderingly announced GN’R back on their first… 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 »

In some ways, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony is like a family reunion, giving loved ones a chance to reconnect and share loving memories. But as with many families, feuds can simmer and threaten to ruin that nice little gathering. The unknown element in the weeks leading up to the hall’s annual event is often whether hard feelings can be set aside. On Monday, the Talking Heads – the foursome that was part of punk’s first generation and stayed together for more than a decade before dissolving in acrimony and lawsuits in the 1990s – were… Read more »

Anticipation for the Talking Heads’ arrival backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night was high; reporters hung around waiting until well past midnight. And when David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison and Chris Frantz finally showed, there was only the briefest of silences before the question came up: “How did it feel to play together and are there plans for a reunion?” “One thing at a time,” Harrison said, diplomatically. “It was great tonight.” The band addressed the issues that had kept them from performing together for eighteen years, claiming that reports of acrimony… 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 »

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcomed its first members from the new wave and punk eras on Monday night, inducting The Ramones and Talking Heads along with classic rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, soul and R&B icon Isaac Hayes, versatile vocalist Brenda Lee and singer/songwriter Gene Pitney. Legendary guitar sideman Chet Atkins was also inducted, as was Jim Stewart, founder of and driving force behind revolutionary soul music label Stax Records. The hall’s 17th annual induction ceremony got off to a rousing start with Hayes performing his Oscar-winning “Theme from ‘Shaft.”‘ Hayes, who saw eight of his… Read more »

Eddie Vedder, Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante may have grown up believing the punk axiom “kill your idols,” but on March 18 they’ll be among the presenters honoring their forefathers at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. New York’s posh Waldorf-Astoria hotel will host the hall’s 17th annual induction dinner, which will air March 20 on VH1 at 9 p.m. Vedder will induct punk progenitors the Ramones – sans singer Joey Ramone, who died of cancer in April – and Kiedis and Frusciante will usher in alternative rock pioneers Talking Heads. Grammy darling Alicia Keys will do the honors… Read more »

Punk rock will get its proper place in music history as pioneers the Ramones and Talking Heads are among the inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2002, it was announced Thursday. Memphis icon and “Shaft” composer Isaac Hayes, rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and 1960s stars Brenda Lee and Gene Pitney where also voted in. Stax Records co-founder Jim Stewart was named the “nonperformer” inductee, and guitar legend Chet Atkins will be inducted in the “sidemen” category. Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Eligible artists who did… Read more »

Clear Channel has identified 150 songs that are considered to be “lyrically inappropriate” for airplay in the wake of the terror attacks carried out in the U.S. on Tuesday, September 11. A Clear Channel spokesperson has confirmed that the list has been circulated among its stations across the country. The lyrical content targeted by the list includes any references to death, flying, September, or general destruction. The popular (and highly political) band Rage Against The Machine received the dubious honor of having their entire catalogue on the list. Pam Taylor, a spokesperson for Clear Channel stations in the San Francisco… Read more »

The first glimmers of punk and New Wave have a chance to make their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the 2002 class. The ballot of sixteen candidates has been released from which next year’s class will be chosen; a group that includes punk pillars the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, as well as iconic Seventies New York scenesters the Talking Heads and Patti Smith. This year’s first-time nominees also include Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, Isaac Hayes, Gram Parsons, pop singer Gene Pitney, R&B ensembles the Dells, the Chantels and the… Read more »