One love, one price
Where to begin? How about where the streets have no name? Not today-those streets carry a hefty, hefty price to ride down.
U2’s Bono, a hero to creatures of the universe everywhere (and locally, a lobbyist for the relief of developing nations’ debt, among numerous other “causes”) has sold his soul yet again-this time to Steve Jobs and Apple.
The new U2 iPod retails for $349, and comes fully equipped with the laser-engraved John Hancock of every member of the band on its back in addition to a $50 discount off of “The Complete U2,” a 400-plus songs download collection of all Bono, all the time. But is the idea ‘even better than the real thing?’ Probably not. We say: It sells because it’s black, which makes it different from all the other white iPods. Go figure. We could live with a black iPod, but we can’t live with the Bono-mania. (Say it with us: “Bonomania.”) The new video (“Vertigo”) makes us want to tell our Dad to sell the newly acquired sports-car/matching hairpiece and Spanish teach-tapes. Blech.
You don’t…want to mess with Bono…
In related news: Irony is making a comeback (as is Seth Cohen-Portland couldn’t handle the Jew-fro.) Both U2 and Eminem have new albums that have been uploaded onto the good ole’ Internet (no no no…thank you, Al Gore) by Internet music “pirates”/broke-ass college students before their intended release date. Both albums are going to be pushed up for earlier releases, and yes, both artists are upset about it.
Eminem has yet to be charged with hurting anyone, but he should be used to this by now, anyway. What kind of fan base would steal their hero’s music, anyway? Think hard-angry 15-year-old white boys from the Midwest whose parents happen to be rich enough to afford a military-defense speed modem for their overweight, spoiled sloth of a son to steal Eminem’s tunes of youthful anger after school instead of doing their homework. School’s in session, fo’ sho…sucka.
Rapid Whine Movement
In addition to everybody we know with a soul, REM is slightly upset about the results of 2004’s presidential election. (Toby Keith, it should be noted, is not.) The same band who tattooed John Kerry’s cause to its repertoire, in addition to the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam, were heard throwing a musical hissy fit earlier this month when starting off their Nov. 4 (blue state) Madison Square Garden show with “It’s The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” a song typically played as a show closer.
According to NME.com, it marked the first time the song has been played on the tour. Other set highlights included Michael Stipe giving the world the silent treatment in between songs, and filling the set with such the-world-really-blows anthems like “Losing My Religion,” “Welcome to the Occupation,” and “I Wanted To Be Wrong.”
Not that REM’s been red-flagged by homeboy Ashcroft or anything, especially after guitarist Peter Buck’s little air rage incident in early 2001. Way to keep a low profile, boys.
Boxer’s briefs
Those gossip queens over at Buddyhead.com haven’t come through with anything new since the beginning of October, but their last posting included notes on some guy they call “The Captain” (probably somebody in one of the bands they pimp, i.e, The Icarus Line) getting into a fight with screamo poster-boys Avenged Sevenfold as well as their crew.
Shortly thereafter, “The Captain” and members of TV on the Radio were escorted back to their buses after heading toward Avenged Sevenfold’s bus with intentions of “bring(ing) tha (expletive) ruckus.”
Buddyhead.com has also accused Interpol bassist Carlos D. of an “insatiable urge to pork (sic) multiple fat chicks.” Still, nobody really knows Buddyhead for anything but its gossip. Maybe they should consider a more profitable venture than music, since they don’t seem to be making any cash running a label, as is noted by their call for a voluntary Web designer in the latest Buddyhead posting.