I guess you know you’re getting old when the musicians of your generation start dying of old people diseases.
Adam Yauch, co-founder of seminal rap/rock hybrid Beastie Boys, succumbed to salivary gland cancer today. He was just 47 years old.
The Beastie Boys were largely responsible for bringing rap to white kids and suburban malls, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it’s still a thing. Yauch was never the flashy one – that would probably be Mike D – but Yauch and his bandmates created some of the most experimental rap music of the nineties. I especially loved their eagerness to play their own instruments on punkish songs like “Sure Shot” and “So What’cha Want.”
Yauch was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland in his neck in 2009 and underwent therapy. I thought he was improving in the last few years, even to the point of releasing an album last year. However, when Yauch failed to appear at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame ceremony two weeks ago, eyebrows were raised and concerns renewed.
When Whitney Houston dropped face-first into a bathtub and died last month, many people were worried about young Bobbi Kristina Brown-Houston, the gap-toothed daughter of the pop singer. Already a child born into a fractured family full of drug abuse and scandal, many wondered if Bobbi Kristina would survive her mother’s sudden death.
Oh, don’t worry. She’s doing just fine.
Bobbi Kristina mourned her mother during the one hour that it took Whitney’s body to become lukewarm before deciding to cash in and get on with her life. First, Bobbi Kristina talked to Oprah Winfrey about being haunted by Whitney’s ghost: (more…)
Monkees fans, take an extra dose of Metamucil and crank that oxygen tank all the way up, because your pinup idol has passed. Davy Jones died today of a sudden heart attack. He was (shockingly) just 66 years old.
Once known as the “cute” Monkee, Jones’ good-natured boy-next-door looks helped propel the Fake Beatles to a hit series and several huge, chart-topping songs. Then, after gaining worldwide fame and becoming filthy rich by the time he was 21, Jones proceeded to sit on his ass and do nothing for forty years. No wonder he had a heart attack.
I just hope Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia “Ow, my nose” Brady) shows up and drapes herself on his casket in gales of grief. That would be a pop culture masterpiece.
Don’t worry, though – Mickey Dolenz is still alive for some reason.
America was founded on intense public discourse and rebellious rhetoric. The way to the American dream has been paved by brave public speakers like Thomas Paine, Frederick Douglass, and that homeless guy who gets naked and screams on the subway. We all have a point to make, and we should do so with gusto!
And so it was that James Inman of Seattle took his place among the greats in American political speeches last week. He stood up at a council meeting to protest his arrest at a protest. Or something like that. Anyway, the clearly agitated man went to the microphone and delivered a scorched-earth speech worthy of Les Grossman. From what I can gather, he’s pissed because he was arrested for saying the word “fuck,” which admittedly does sound a little harsh.
Check out the hilarity and the brilliance: (more…)
Did you guys catch the Whitney Houston funeral? I know Bobby Brown didn’t, because he wasn’t allowed in the church (ooooh, snap!). I tried, but I missed most of it due to hysterical fits of laughter interrupted by sudden bouts of nausea. There’s just something about the speakers at the funeral comparing Whitney to Mother Theresa that really sets off my gag reflex.
Frankly, out of all of the words spoken about Whitney Houston over the last week, none come close to honoring her wasted talent like this simple tribute by former Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell. He took a moment out of a concert to perform this excellent version of Whitney’s signature tune, I Will Always Love You.
Beginning with a PRAYER offered up by LL COOL J (which seems appropriate and such an obvious thing to do) and ending on a stripped-down performance of I Will Always Love You by Jennifer Hudson, the 54th Grammy Awards was basically one long in memoriam to departed pop superstar/drug addict Whitney Houston. But, in between the tributes to Houston, Adele won approximately 2,000 awards to become the next great superstar vocalist.
There was definitely electricity in the air due to Houston. Even on television, the somber and reflective mood was obvious. Still, the show seemed less lightweight than usual. So maybe it was good that she died (kidding).
Here is Jennifer Hudson’s simple and effective tribute to Houston: (more…)
I guess you know you’re getting old when the musicians of your generation start dying of old people diseases.
