Fascinating: a history of the electronic musical instrument, from 1870 to 1990 (including the Synclavier). (via Bernard)
Category: Pop Cult
The Future Of Pop?
Essex rock band Koopa could become the first unsigned group to land a UK top 40 hit thanks to new chart rules.
The bulk of Koopa’s followers are teenagers who are buying the single using a mobile phone rather than an online store, Mr Raymond believes. It costs £1.50 to send a text message and receive a code to download the song on a computer. “The average 16-year-old doesn’t have a credit card but they’ve got a mobile phone,” the manager explains.
Who needs a record deal anymore?
Bozzio in KoRn
Terry Bozzio is replacing Korn drummer David Silveria during his temporary hiatus from the band, as reported by Martini Republic.
For an album and a tour.
Velvet Acetate
A rare acetate of the Velvet Underground’s lost Scepter studio sessions was recently sold on eBay for $25,000. Care to have a listen? The mp3’s are available here.
Jaws & The Rite Of Spring
Joe Queenan’s A-Z of classical music: Q is for quirkiness, R is for Rite of Spring:
It is impossible to list the number of movie scores whose soundtracks are either influenced by or lifted from The Rite of Spring (only Gustav Holst’s The Planets is more routinely borrowed from), but let’s just say this: when that shark showed up in Jaws, Stravinsky helped him get there.
That’s sort of how I perceive much of Zappa’s music: a quirky, hyper-cinematic soundtrack to a movie that is being written by nothing more than your imagination. And with that profound statement out of the way, I think what we need now is giant rabbits.
Hicks Loses It
WFMU has mp3’s of Bill Hicks’ “Loses It” show. When Hicks goes after some hecklers, Michael Richards will need to take some notes…
the “Bill Loses It” show also serves as a reminder of how much has changed since 1989. If Hicks had given this performance in a post 9/11 America, he would’ve faced far worse than Michael Richards did when he lost it onstage. Hicks might’ve been deported or jailed.
Year In Review
You like end-of-the-year lists? This list of lists should keep you busy until, oh, mid January I reckon. A tiny sampling:
Zappaccino
Waiter, could I have some Salsa Verdi with my Oysters Rachmaninoffefeler? Oh, and I’ll have the Crème Boulez for dessert, thanks. Your steakhausen was delicious by the way.
Hot Tamales!
Ready to sell your soul to the Devil? Robert Johnson’s Gibson L1 is being sold — for a mere $6,000,000 no less. The sellers claim this is Robert Johnson’s actual Gibson L1 guitar, as seen in the iconic studio portrait.
Cheesy Vinyl
A photoset on Flickr. I want this guy’s shirt!
William’s Special #2
Christie’s will be holding a Rock and Pop Memorabilia Auction on December 4th featuring “some of the more choice lots to hit the lots in quite some time”. One item, estimated at 5,000 to 7,000 USD, is this abstract painting by Frank Zappa entitled William’s Special #2.
Lizard Queen
Meet Patricia Kennealy: author, Celtic priestess, retired rock critic, wife of Jim Morrison. She had a brief relationship with David Walley — “probably the closest friend I have ever had“.
Ben Takes A Photo Of Himself Everyday
Sure he does.
The Howard Kaylan Auction
Press release: Howard Kaylan to offer up rare and one of a kind memorabilia in an auction which will feature over 4 decades of historical artifacts direct from his personal collection.
Among the many notable pieces being offered are rare artifacts that were saved from the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival fire, original movie scripts from Zappa’s “200 Motels” and “Billy the Mountain”, Marc Bolan (T.Rex) stage worn shoes, original handwritten lyrics, rare photos and slides, recordings and an amazing collection of vinyl, acetates and test pressings.
Tribute Beers
We’ve had the Freak Out Ale, but did you know about the Brother Thelonious, the Gonzo Porter or Lenny’s Bittersweet R.I.P.A.? I’ll leave you with a little quote from the article:
Lagunitas co-founder Tony Magee has been a Frank Zappa fan since studying his compositions in a college course. He plans a new Zappa tribute beer every nine to 10 months as anniversaries of successive albums occur.
Yes, you read that right…