Search Results for: decade

When former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha got an email a month ago from A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel asking if he’d like to audition for the group, the last thing on Iha’s mind was joining another band. “I really didn’t see myself joining another band too soon after the Pumpkins broke up,” said Iha, who has kept a low profile since the Pumpkins’ December 2000 split. “I was recently saying to someone that it would have to be a pretty good band to bring me back – this is the band.” Iha was also reluctant to hit the road… Read more »

Pink believes one of the best ways to make sure fur isn’t in vogue is to make sure it isn’t in Vogue. The singer has written to Anna Wintour, asking the famously fur-wearing editor to stop promoting fur in her trendsetting magazine. Pink’s handwritten note, faxed Tuesday afternoon, urges Wintour to “modernize your magazine and stop promoting fur.” If that isn’t possible, Pink asks that Vogue at least allow organizations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to run anti-fur ads for balance. The singer also writes that “many designers, unaware of my respect for animals, have… Read more »

Need a reason to go on a road trip? How about Bumbershoot? No, we’re not talking gibberish – we’re referring to the infamous Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, WA, which is taking place at the Seattle Center from August 29 to September 1 this year. From 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day, over 2,500 artists will be showcasing their various artistic and musical talents. The festival, which was originally dubbed “The Festival of ’71,” has been gaining momentum since its initial inception over three decades ago. Bumbershoot Festival-goers can enjoy poetry, comedy, acrobats, theatre, graphic art, film, painting, sculpture and… Read more »

The race for governor in California is beginning to look like an episode of “Hollywood Squares.” After weeks of “will he or won’t he?” speculation, “Terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Wednesday that he is running for the state’s top office. The 56-year-old former bodybuilder and action movie star said he made his decision because politicians in his home state are “fiddling, fumbling and failing.” The burly pop icon said he aims to bring “California back to what it once was” following what he said was the failure of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis’… Read more »

“It’s a huge part of history and it’s still as good a comedy as anything out there,” MxPx lead singer Mike Herrera says of Animal House. Herrera understands the importance of the film, which starred John Belushi. Released in 1978 – four years before Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and two decades before American Pie – Animal House is arguably the movie that launched the teen comedy genre. So for Herrera and his MxPx band mates, it was a huge honor when they were invited to re-record the movie’s theme song and the Isley Brothers’ classic “Shout,” a staple of… Read more »

Long an artist’s sanctuary, the commercial recording studio is becoming a virtual fortress, guarding against the potentially devastating consequences of theft. The thieves’ targets are the rough mixes, outtakes, alternative takes and finished masters that traditionally have been loosely handled, even by the artists themselves. Leaks of this material are nothing new, but the advent of unauthorized file sharing on the Internet has greatly increased the consequences of this phenomenon. Recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn and Radiohead were all available online prior to release, because unauthorized copies were leaked to unknown parties. In such cases, marketing strategies are… Read more »

Ozzy Osbourne may have weathered the lowest lows that drug addiction has to offer, but the news that his son Jack was seeking treatment for substance abuse taught him a lesson that his own decades of addiction never did. “I used to think they should legalize pot, but you know what? They should ban the lot,” Osbourne told MTV News, addressing Jack’s battle for the first time. “One thing leads to another. Coffee leads to Red Bull, Red Bull leads to crank. “When I found out the full depth of him getting into OxyContin, which is like hillbilly heroin, I… Read more »

Assembling a promotional campaign for a veteran band that has been out of the spotlight is a tough enough feat. But Capitol Records is facing the daunting task of reintroducing a group that hasn’t released a new album in 13 years. Luckily, the campaign behind pioneering alternative rock outfit Jane’s Addiction’s “Strays,” due July 22, has had a huge prerelease boost from first single “Just Because.” The song is No. 4 on Modern Rock Tracks after four weeks, returning Jane’s Addiction to the top of the format at which it scored five top 15 hits between 1988 and 1991. The… Read more »

Their profanity-laced rock shows in the 1970s and ’80s drew the ire of the U.S. Senate, where Al and Tipper Gore accused them of endangering the morals of America’s youth and undermining parental authority. Two decades later, Twisted Sister is playing New Jersey’s two most family friendly venues – the Meadowlands State Fair, and Six Flags Great Adventure – and the “F” word is strictly off limits, by mutual agreement. Lead singer Dee Snider, who uses it dozens of times in a 90-minute concert, said the costumed, mascara-wearing band best known for hits like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and… Read more »

Ozzy crooned, mooned and squirted his water guns, Disturbed bellowed, and Marilyn Manson vamped it up, but Ozzfest has always been just as much about the lesser-known acts, and Sunday’s show was no exception. Though bands like Kilgore, Pushmonkey and the perhaps aptly named No One have proven that Ozzfest exposure alone won’t make you famous, second-stage alumni System of a Down and Slipknot can attest that it certainly doesn’t hurt. Killswitch Engage’s potential spot in the Slipknot category seemed all but assured even before they appeared at Dallas’ Smirnoff Music Centre. Even though it was only the second show… Read more »