Madonna, Mellencamp, Cohen Honored at Emotional Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

As Iggy Pop and the Stooges pounded through punked-up reinventions of inductee Madonna’s “Burning Up” and “Ray of Light” Monday night at the 23rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, it was only the most extreme example of what the show did all night long: find unexpected common ground between disparate genres and eras of music. The broad range of newly inducted artists included John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Leonard Cohen and the Dave Clark Five, the last of whom inspired the evening’s most impassioned speech: fan Tom Hanks vividly described hearing the British Invasion band’s hits coming out of a “speaker the size of a soda can” as a kid. “Joy is eternal,” Hanks said. “Joy was in the music of the Dave Clark Five. Their records still jump out of any speaker.” (Click here for photos from last night’s ceremony.) Justin Timberlake inducted Madonna with a light-hearted, flirtatious speech. “The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple. But there truly is only one Madonna,” he said, adding, “Though I’m pretty sure Little Richard would disagree, the truth is that nobody has ever gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while still looking this damn fine.” He also told a story about Madonna giving him a B-12 shot: “That’s what Madonna was and will continue to be for all of us: A shot in the ass when we need it most,” Timberlake said. Madonna seemed moved by the occasion, appearing close to tears at a couple points as she gave a lengthy, heartfelt talk. She offered a brief history of her career, describing her first stabs at music: playing drums along with Elvis Costello records, and strumming four chords on a guitar. She thanked an old ballet teacher “who told me I was special,” and talked about songwriting in mystical terms: “Luckily, I have been miraculously and mysteriously possessed by

Published: 2008-03-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Michael Stipe Reveals R.E.M. Has Had “Tough Ten Years”

On Friday, Michael Stipe appeared on Jane Pratt’s SIRIUS show Jane Radio and discussed R.E.M.’s well-hidden decade-year struggle to communicate with each other. (Don’t fear, R.E.M. die-hards: Stipe also chatted about how the band’s March album is bringing them closer than ever). “It’s been a really tough ten years for us,” Stipe revealed. “We were trying to keep a real brave face publicly, and kind of hold through it. But I have to say I think we finally found a place of communication. We’re talking to each other, we’ve written a bunch of great songs … I’ve got another four songs to present to the guys next week when we go back in the studio and one of those is really going to surprise them. I can’t wait to see them.” Stipe added that he’s using a high-tech songwriting trick he picked up from Bono. “I use the memo on my cell phone to [record lyrics and melodies]. … I love technology.” Not that the twenty-first century is all it was cracked up to be. “I thought we would all have jet packs, and clean energy, and the world would be a great place, and there would be no wars. That’s not really quite how it turned out,” he lamented. The singer also proclaimed himself an eternal optimist, praised Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild (for which Eddie Vedder provides the soundtrack), and said he was heading off to catch Interpol’s Madison Square Garden debut Friday night: “I love those guys so much.”

Published: 2007-09-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Punk Band Joy Division Left a Legacy That's to Die For

Thanks to "Love Will Tear Us Apart," upcoming reissues, and the October release of director-photographer Anton Corbijn's biopic Control, Joy springs eternal.

Published: 2007-10-10 Provider: Wired

Louise Redknapp talks about fertility struggle

Endometriosis prevented Louise Redknapp -- former member of the band Eternal, wife to footballer Jamie Redknapp and mom to 3 1/2-year-old Charley -- from having a baby after several years of trying.  But it was Louise, herself, who very nearly prevented the couple from ever finding out that endometriosis was to blame in the first place.  The 33-year-old says that she was somewhat in denial about having a fertility problem and was reluctant to seek treatment.I put it to the back of my head and blocked it out; I thought it’s nothing, it sometimes takes a long time. People tried to talk to me about it, but I convinced myself that I was having a great life and it wouldn’t be the right time to have a baby anyway. So I never went through that whole thing of investigating it or looking for alternative treatments. It was Jamie who said let’s find out what’s going on here.  After a laparoscopy revealed extensive endometriosis, a condition which causes infertility in 30-40% of all women who suffer from it, Louise was told that her own odds of having children were diminished.  The news was "a big shock" for the couple, Louise says, adding,It was the biggest wake-up call; it made me realize how much I wanted to be a mum. At times, I felt terribly sorry for myself, but I think it was harder for Jamie because he just had to wait and hope while I had treatment.Charley was conceived after Louise underwent two separate surgeries to treat her condition over six months, and although the couple was thrilled to finally be pregnant, Louise soon thereafter developed chloasma that only worsened upon giving birth.  A skin disorder -- commonly referred to as "the mask of pregnancy" -- chloasma caused pigmentation patches to appear on Louise's face that took two years to fade.  Despite her life as the wife of a footballer and a fashion presenter on television, Louise has been humbled by all that she endured in her quest to become a mom, sayin

Published: 2008-01-26 Provider: Celebrity Baby Blog Keywords: Fertility issues, News, Quotable quotes

The Great “Greatest Hits” Debate

Forbes brings us this rather interesting article about Greatest Hits albums, fanning the flames of the eternal hardcore fan vs casual fan vs convenience vs integrity vs whateverthehell debate: are Greatest Hits albums useful capsules to distill the output of a prolific band, or are they money-making endeavors that in some way lessen the integrity of a band's prior albums? Swallow this double-edged sword: Other bands like U2 and Aerosmith have been criticized for their seemingly unceasing parade of greatest-hits albums. U2 followed 1998's "The Best of 1980-1990" and 2002's "The Best of 1990-2000" with 2006's "U218 Singles." Last year's "Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith" was the band's eighth compilation over the course of their 27-year career. If this article is insinuating that U2 and Aerosmith have in some way sold out, this is certainly the first I've heard of it. On the other hand... Still, there are several notable holdouts, including AC/DC, Radiohead, Phish and Metallica. Many artists feel greatest-hits discs corrupt the integrity of their prior albums. For the same reason, Radiohead and AC/DC have thus far resisted putting their music on iTunes, where albums are chopped into single tracks. While I obviously understand Radiohead and Phish holding out on the Greatest Hits front, how can AC/DC possibly argue with a straight face that their music is better when listened to in album form? Could this perhaps be because Back In Black still sells a thousand copies a week, or do they honestly believe fans stand to gain by unearthing the spectacular deep tracks on The Razor's Edge, which involve a slightly different power chord while the singer screams about electric hell? Even Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, two of the most album-centric bands in history, have caved under the robust earnings potential of the Greatest Hits cds; Zeppelin continues to withhold their material from iTunes, however, in some apparent bid to retain some flimsy, misguided int

Published: 2007-08-20 Provider: Best Week Ever Keywords: Entertainment