HOT
“Fuck Tha Merlot!”
Game over — we have the greatest music-related headline of the year thanks to music site Stereogum and some recent Hollywood-casting news. The site announced the casting with the headline, “Paul Giamatti To Star in N.W.A. Biopic Straight Outta Compton.” Given the scientific fact (probably) that 93 percent of Facebook users “get their news” from social media yet only read headlines and look at photos when presented with news stories, this surely spawned some amusingly queries about who the balding, white star of Sideways would play in the film about Gangsta Rap’s Beatles. Alas, the celebrated actor will not be showcasing his Ice Cube impression; he’s been cast as the group’s demonized former manager, Jerry Heller.
WARM
Fear of a Sunny Planet
Though certain rappers seem willing to endorse anything (Snoop Dogg being the king, shilling for everything from chintzy pot vaporizers to shitty Hot Pockets), revolutionary Hip Hop group Public Enemy has never been the type to lend its name to many products. So it’s not surprising that it was somewhat gingerly announced that Public Enemy has teamed with Arnette Eyewear to sell a pair of higher-end sunglasses featuring the group’s iconic logo. Rolling Stone’s quotes from Chuck about the glasses are charmingly awkward and bitter: “We decided to do this because we were tired of not having things for people. We’re not going to go do some lucrative vodka shit, where it’s the rapper goes big and has his own vodka. I can’t do that. … But I hope these do well.” Should things go south for PE, “car salesman” is definitely not in Chuck’s future. Flavor Flav, on the other hand …
COLD
Mean Gene Strikes Again
Might KISS bassist/loudmouth Gene Simmons actually have a sliver of a conscience? Or did the brass at the AMC network decide that a couple weeks before Robin Williams’ death and the premiere of 4th and Loud, a stupidly titled stupid idea of a TV show about Simmons’ stupid band’s arena football team L.A. KISS, wasn’t the best time to insult millions of people who suffer from depression (or know someone who has/is)? Simmons apologized on Facebook for mocking mental illness during an interview with SongFacts.com, when a tirade about former KISS members and drug addiction morphed into an attack on “putzes” who are depressed and suicidal. Gene’s Facebook apology was of the “sorry if you misunderstood” variety — Simmons made it clear that when he said, “Fuck you, then kill yourself,” he was talking about depressed drug addicts.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.