At CityBeat, we’re kinda big fans of our nation’s fine alweeklies (duh), so it’s been heartwarming to see the outpouring of support and outrage that comes each time one of our kindred-spirit publications is gutted or hijacked. In California, after longtime community voice LA Weekly was purchased by a group of conservative, anti-union Republican donors with possible ulterior motives (while also laying off most of the paper’s editorial staff and looking for “volunteer” writers), several music venues, record labels, concert promoters and record shops (among others) joined a boycott, which was initiated by LA Weekly contributors and laid-off employees in an effort to potentially buy the paper back. In response to the controversy, one left-wing investor who seemed caught off guard by the political thrust of the takeover announced he was backing out of the deal. One of the boycott's leading voices, former LA Weekly music writer Jeff Weiss, has been providing excellent updates about the boycott on Twitter here.
WARM: Congress Shout Outs Meat Loaf
During a debate over the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, several Meat Loaf quotes were bandied about in Congress after Sen. Sherrod Brown expressed the work he felt was needed on the act by saying, “As Meat Loaf used to sing, two out of three ain’t bad.” Brown’s apparently quick-on-his-toes colleague pulled out another quote from the same song — “There ain’t no Coupe DeVille in the bottom of a Cracker Jack box” — and the debate devolved into a Meat Loaf faceoff from there. Sen. Michael Crapo subtly called bullshit on the whole tangent, remarking, “I guess I’m going to have to learn a little more about Meat Loaf.”
COLD: Homme Kicks Photographer
Queens of the Stone Age frontperson Josh Homme exhibited some highly unusual behavior during a recent radio-sponsored festival in L.A., insulting the audience and headliner (Muse), intentionally cutting his forehead open and, worst of all, kicking credentialed photographer Chelsea Lauren as she took photos from the pit during QOTSA’s set. Lauren was treated for her injuries and said she was planning on pressing charges, while Homme followed up a half-hearted apology with a more sincere one in which he said he was sorry for being a “dick.” The following night at the festival, Brandon Flowers of The Killers pulled a photographer on stage and told him and his colleagues they were safe and respected. (UPDATE: Photographers have pointed out that The Killers were the only band at the fest that DIDN'T ALLOW PHOTOGRAPHERS TO SHOOT THEM.)