[HOT]
Biting the Hand That Pats Your Back?
When it was announced that Wisconsin’s Bon Iver (essentially singer/songwriter Justin Vernon) had scored several Grammy nods (including Best New Artist and Record and Song of the Year), Indie music pundits declared Bon Iver this year’s Arcade Fire, the Canadian band that shockingly took home Album of the Year last time. We were way more excited for a chance to play the “How many times will ‘Bon Iver’ be mispronounced” drinking game during the red carpet show. Now that The New York Times website has run outtakes from an earlier interview, we’re pulling even harder for Bon Iver. Though he’s slightly backed away from the comments, Vernon said if he ever won a Grammy (at the time he didn’t think he had a chance of even being nominated), he probably would accept by saying, “Everyone should go home, this is ridiculous. … we should not be gathering in a big room and looking at each other pretending that this is important.” Which would instantly become the greatest Grammys speech ever.
[WARM]
Love Rollercoaster
Historically debauched rockers Mötley Crüe announced they’ll be following in the footsteps of such entertainment legends as Celine Dion and Carrot Top by pulling a residency at a Las Vegas hotel this February. The band is to play four shows a week from Feb. 3-19 at Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel. Though the band members have talked about being excited for the “stationary concert,” which will allow them to pull off an even wilder stage show, details are vague (drummer Tommy Lee has suggested there’d be “nudity, or almost nude” women). But if the band expands on a recent genius stage prop, we’re so there. Lee has topped his ridiculous drum-solo stage presentations (usually involving some sort of rotating, flying “drum cage”) by rocking a “drum rollercoaster,” something that could surely be worked into the Vegas show on a huge scale. Apparently the only hurdle so far —
Lee requires a lot of spare (third) legroom. Lee has said his drum stunts stem from watching, in his youth, everyone hit the bathrooms or beer lines at the mere hint of a drum solo. Now, everyone will just have to wait until Mötley’s shitty ballads. [COLD]
When Anti-Pirates Pirate …
In the Netherlands, a group with ties to the film industry reportedly received permission to use music it commissioned by Melchior Rietveldt for an anti-piracy video. The deal called for a one-time use, so Reitveldt was shocked when he noticed the video on a Harry Potter DVD with his music still intact. The campaign had apparently used the music in videos tacked on to millions of DVDs sold across the country. Reitveldt approached a local royalty collection agency for help and it was offered — for a 33 percent commission! He’s now seeking well over $1 million dollars in compensation and Dutch residents, politicians and musicians are in an uproar over the alleged “shakedown.”
