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A careless whisper has brought Wham singer George Michael out of hiding onto Twitter. Michael Tweeted today that despite a report in the UK Press, he is not dying from crack addiction.
Michael wrote: “To my lovelies, do not believe this rubbish in the papers today by someone I don’t know anymore and haven’t seen for nearly 18 years…”
To my lovelies, do not believe this rubbish in the papers today by someone I don't know anymore and haven't seen for nearly 18 years…
Michael added: “I am perfectly fine and enjoyed Wimbledon like the rest of you. Wish it went to 5 sets though!…”
His first Tweets in some time (just a couple recently, and then nothing for about a year) caused newly minted star Sam Smith to exchange greetings with him.
Michael’s cousin’s wife told the Sun, a UK tabloid: ‘He was smoking crack. Before he went away he was he got to the point where he would be shaking, saying, “I need it.” The paper used a picture of Jackie and her husband, George’s first cousin, from 1998. Haha.
Making money off of George Michael by selling stories to tabloids is an easy business. The singer has had numerous drug arrests, has been in and out of rehab, and is scarcely seen. He released a new album last year called “Symphonica,” but it didn’t sell too well. He toured only in Europe, and didn’t do promotion in the US.
In June, Michael’s reps denied a report from a German tabloid saying he was in a very expensive Swiss rehab clinic.
I’ve been writing about rock music pretty much my whole life. Let’s say 40 years and leave it at that. The best movie ever about the rock life, and certainly the most honest and accurate? Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous.” There isn’t a false note in it.
The worst? Even worse than that Russell Brand movie, “Get Me to the Greek”? Denis Leary’s new FX show “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.” There’s barely a real note in it, starting with the show not using the original, real punk rock song it’s based on as a theme– Ian Dury’s classic and memorable “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.” This is where the title comes from for the TV show. But I guess it was more important for Leary and co. to write their own song, and collect the royalties.
So strike one.
Leary plays a washed up rock singer called Johnny Rock who insists he’s 50 (he’s 58 in real life). He had a band called the Heathens. It’s unclear if they ever had a hit or not, or whether the band was briefly successful at all. It’s also unclear what Johnny’s been doing for years and years. Has he been walking around dressed like a 70s rocker for 40 years? Or working at Bleecker Bob’s Record Store in the Village?
His former Heathens bandmate, “Flash” (think Slash) is played by John Corbett. They’re supposed to be a Steven Tyler-Joe Perry combination estranged for some time. Flash is now playing in Lady Gaga’s band and considered a great success. (Haha. Can you name in anyone in Gaga’s real life band? No. But on this show, Flash is consequently a “star.” Ok, why not?)
Unlike Leary, Corbett is actually a musician in real life. That helps since it’s a music show. But music is not the strong suit of this show. It’s kind of generic rock, circa 1985, and not often heard on the show. You almost don’t want to hear it, because you know that the standard here is somewhere between Quarterflash and Poison. (You may wince here.)
Into Johnny Rock’s sort of miserable life comes a 25 year old illegitimate daughter named Gigi, the product of an old fling. She wants to be a rocker and has a salty lexicon– she curses like a sailor. But she can’t write songs, so she’s moved to New York from Peoria to get Johnny and Flash to write her hits– even though they haven’t had hits. (It’s amazing they never had one–even REO Speedwagon had hits.)
If this show were set in 1985, you might believe it. But I can’t think of a young female singer in 2015 who would come to New York in search of wrinkled, pickled ne’er do well rockers to help her make it in the business. It makes no sense. And Gigi is also arriving in a music business that has no black people. Because Leary’s idea of rock is totally circa 1985– hair bands. It makes no concession to the massive changes in the business. Where are the rappers, samplers, hip hoppers, producers etc? Gigi aspires to be Pat Benatar or the Wilson sisters, not Taylor Swift or Katy Perry. The show should been set in 1990.
Meanwhile Johnny Rock sports a Linda McCartney haircut from the 70s. I am not sure what they were going for here. If Johnny Rock really existed, he’d have long given up the music business because it gave him up. He’s sort of like the “Encino Man” of rock music.
I watched five episodes. I have no idea why Gigi is considered a rock star. Like Johnny, she talks and talks and talks. Her singing is average and she looks ok, but nothing special. At 25, she’s also a little long in the tooth to be just starting out, also a little old to be now looking for her father. If she were 18, you might buy it. The one concession to 2015 is that Gigi is constantly on her phone discussing her “followers” and things that have gone “viral.” (She sounds like a grandmother when she talks like this, too.)
Denis Leary knew a lot, I guess, about firemen. That’s why “Rescue Me” worked. He doesn’t know much about rock or the life around it. The show’s consultant is Greg Dulli, of the Afghan Whigs. Who? Exactly. Johnny keeps going on and on about the Afghan Whigs. This was a very obscure group (1986-2001) that never had a hit, just a small cult following. Really small. I actually burst out laughing every time their name was invoked as a measure of success. ( On the imdb, Episode 1 is described “While watching a sold out Afghan Whigs reunion show leads Johnny to try and get his old band back together.” A sold out Afghan Whigs show? In your dreams.)
Mostly, “Sex and Drugs”– as it drags on and on– wraps itself in a very shmaltzy father-daughter blanket. Gigi doesn’t know Johnny and he didn’t know she existed, but she’s immediately calling him “Dad.” The episodes start to take on a Father Knows Best feel. I thought he was almost going to call her “kitten” or “princess.” The point is supposed to be rock bands are like a family, and with Johnny’s new daughter, it’s all covered in a warm family fuzzy glow. But really? Yikes.
And there are logistical things you start to wonder about: Gigi’s mother gave her $200,000 to come to New York and find her bliss? WTF? And also, Gigi’s mom never told Johnny she’d had a kid? This was born in 1990, not 1950. So the mother was rich? So rich that she didn’t want her kid to know her father?
No, I really didn’t like “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll” and I don’t want to hear about it again. I am hopeful that the Mick Jagger produced HBO show written by Terry Winter, set in the 70s, is great. I still have high hopes for Cameron Crowe’s “Roadies.” But really, this was not very convincing and sort of painful.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” at number 1 on the US charts. The Stones had already been on the charts, but this was their breakthrough moment. “Satisfaction” is their signature song. For years I thought maybe it was also the greatest rock song of all time. Maybe it’s equal to “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles, but the latter is much more pop. “Satisfaction” is the simplest expression of rock. The debate goes on and on…
ABKCO is selling a new 12″ vinyl of “Satisfaction” you can get on Amazon, etc. and all the usual places. It’s a cool souvenir whether or not your turntable is set up. Kids, if you’ve got one from Urban Outfitters, you want this record.
In the meantime, here’s the group performing live back in the day, as well as Otis Redding’s amazing cover, which was also a hit:
The Stones:
Otis Redding’s cover version:
The indefatigable Bob Merlis sends this message about “Satisfaction” and its B sides:
The iconic guitar riff that opens the song was composed by Keith Richards who recorded the sequence of notes on a home tape recorder while in a dreamlike state in the middle of the night when the band was on tour in the U.S. After listening to his own recording and devising the song title “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” he played the riff for Mick Jagger by the pool at the Gulf Motel in Clearwater, FL in early May, 1965. Jagger immediately composed the lyrics.
Having scrapped a version of “Satisfaction” that was recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago on May 10, the group re-recorded the song at RCA Studios in Hollywood, CA on May 12. It was this version that would take over the airwaves and shoot up the charts the following month.
Textured by the aid of a Maestro Fuzz-Tone pedal, Richards’ riff was originally intended to be replaced by a horn section, but the recording sounded complete to producer/manager Andrew Loog Oldham and engineer David Hassinger. Jagger’s lyrics, simultaneously expressing sexual frustration and disdain for consumerist messages, would strike a nerve with the mostly young, rock ‘n’ roll buying public. Ironically, the only two people in the Stones’ camp who were initially against turning “Satisfaction” into a single were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man,” credited to Nanker Phelge (a pseudonym used on compositions written by the entire band), is a lighthearted jab at George Sherlock, an employee of London Records at the time, who accompanied the group on their first U.S. tour. The Stones saw Sherlock as a vain, toupee-topped, seersucker suited music biz flunky who was ultimately harmless. In later years, Sherlock expressed pride in having been the subject of the song. Loosely based on Buster Brown’s hit “Fannie Mae,” it is the lyrical content that gives the tune historic importance; the prodding of authority figures through song was almost unprecedented at the time. In the UK, Decca decided to instead use the country-blues composition “The Spider and the Fly” (also by Jagger/Richards) as the B-side to “Satisfaction,” the company assuming that the abundance of American references on “The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man” may have gone over the heads of British listeners.
Pressed by Quality Record Pressings in Salina, KS, and limited to 10,000 numbered copies in North America, ABKCO’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” 12-inch single will be released a half-century to the day after the landmark song dominated U.S. charts and helped transform the course of pop music history.
UPDATE “Minions” finished with $115.2 million, making it the second biggest opening for an animated film behind “Shrek the Third.”
Earlier, and wrong: “Minions” pulled in $46.2 million last night. Universal Pictures says it’s headed to a $120 million opening weekend. But just passing $104 million, which “Minions” will do– the number for “Shrek” in 20o4– makes it the biggest opening ever for an animated film.
“Minions” is the prequel to “Despicable Me” and “DM2,” which were monster hits for Universal. “Despicable Me” and “Minions” come from Illuminati Entertainment.
“Minions” cost just $75 million. Universal can really celebrate. They’ve had an extraordinary year so far.
Greetings Mr. Phelps. Your mission, if you choose to accept it: distance Tom Cruise in the public eye from the cult of Scientology before the $200 million “Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation” hits theaters on July 31st.
Tom Cruise leaving Scientology? Not on your life. But someone is orchestrating a media campaign to make people think the “Mission Impossible” star is bravely choosing his 9 year old daughter Suri over the group depicted as crazy and creepy in the HBO doc “Going Clear.”
The doc was so damaging in portraying Cruise as a nutty robot who ordered the bugging of Nicole Kidman that again someone– Cruise himself, his reps– is trying to change the conversation.
It started with supermarket tabloid The Star. Strangely, both Esquire and Redbook– Hearst magazine websites– then quoted The Star. The lemming like Hollywood Reporter turned it into a video report. The gist? That Cruise, who hasn’t seen Suri in almost two years, will leave Scientology because the cult won’t let Cruise be involved with her.
Hogwash.
Cruise isn’t leaving. He’s so embedded in Scientology, a minor thing like not seeing a 9 year old girl isn’t going to pry him away. Over the years he’s involved his entire family– sisters, mother, adopted children, nieces etc– in the cult. To leave would mean something akin to removing US forces in their entirety from every foreign outpost. Not happening.
And why isn’t Cruise talking to Suri? Well, Suri and her mother, actress Katie Holmes, have been “disconnected” from Cruise by Scientology. They are enemies. Cruise cut Kidman off the same way, and cut her off from their adopted kids.
Last year, Holmes moved from New York to Los Angeles to try and get closer to Cruise geographically for Suri’s sake. It didn’t work. Now Holmes is living in New York again with Suri as she prepares to direct her first film for Tribeca Productions.
The timing of it all couldn’t be better: Holmes is in pre-production to start shooting the first week of August. Cruise is coming to New York the last week of July to promote “Mission Impossible 5.” They are all descending on the same point at the same time. Who will be the first brave person on the red carpet to ask Cruise if he’ll see his daughter while he’s in town? What possible explanation could he have to keep ignoring her?
More importantly, where is all this Tom is leaving Scientology crap coming from? Last fall, Cruise was photographed wearing his Scientology Freedom from Sanity medal at the group’s UK gathering. Sources who monitor Scientology in general say Cruise has never been deeper into the group or more behind his BFF David Miscavige, the group’s leader.
Star, Esquire, Redbook, Hollywood Reporter– who’s next to pick up this phony baton? Wait and see…
Tonight (Friday), Tomorrow night, Micky Dolenz at 54 Below is the surprise of the season. I saw him Tuesday night. Wow.
You want good things for your childhood heroes. I knew the Monkees when they were the One Direction of the world, 1966-67, just in that nook between Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, the Monkees came on like a tsunami as the American version of the Beatles.
Now Micky is 70, Davy Jones is dead, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith sometimes tour. But you know Micky sang lead on so many hits. On Tuesday night he sang a lot of them with a hot Broadway combo at 54Below, as well as show tunes and some Broadway songs you wouldn’t expect like “Some Enchanted Everning.”
Micky still has his voice, with a solid range; he’s forgiven for a little wavering. He’s human. He also told me he was scared as hell getting up in that intimate venue and telling stories about his family, about Monkee times, about shows he’s done like “Aida” on Broadway. He looks great– certainly not 70– just an older Micky. He doesn’t play the drums, as “Micky” did on “The Monkees,” but he plays guitar and rocks out admirably.
The main thing is that Micky is so endearing, and he sells the songs with tremendous honesty. He remembers meeting John Lennon, who said, “So you’re the Monkee Man” in a Liverpool accent. (Micky does great accents.) He performs “Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” with a sharp sense of updating, and takes Davy’s lead on “Daydream Believer.” He cites all the amazing writers of Monkees songs especially Carole King, and sings her little known “As We Go Along” from the failed Monkees movie “Head.” (Did you know that Jack Nicholson co-wrote the screenplay and curated the soundtrack?)
Micky’s “A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll” is already such a hit, 54Below has asked him back. Try and get in there tonight or tomorrow. Micky is such a perfectionist he’s really rehearsed and the put the time in. It shows. This is no slapdash appearance by a former pop star. He’s a serious, engaging performer. When he was in the Monkees, no one believed that Micky actually sang and played instruments. He surprised everyone. And this weekend, he does it again. Big kudos!
PS Someone tell Harvey Weinstein– Micky would be the perfect replacement or alternate for Kelsey Grammer in “Finding Neverland.” Spot on!
Princess Leia kept a diary! Or, rather Carrie Fisher did, thank goodness when she made “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi” playing the muffin-eared Princess Leia. The actress, writer and pundit Tweeted a few days ago that she is editing her “Star Wars” diaries for publication. There’s no word yet on when they’ll see the light of day. But Fisher– who has a few bestsellers to her name– isn’t going to sit around let the new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” come and go without mention. “The Force Awakens” appears on December 18th. So I’d say “The Princess Leia Diaries” (my title) should be coming right around then. All of Fisher’s books have been published by Simon & Schuster, so they’re probably the publisher of this, too. Will there be some juicy details of the making of those movies? And “Shampoo” too? You know the observations– especially from way back then– will be very funny in hindsight.
While we’re waiting, let’s re-read “Surrender the Pink” or “Postcards from the Edge,” still hilarious and wonderful.
A handwriting sample from The Princess Diarist…..tweeted to tantalise you with some early, insecure scribblings pic.twitter.com/KQ3UEUuBvZ
So much for “Love and Mercy,” Bill Pohlad’s fine film about the life and times of Brian Wilson. After four sleepy weeks, the John Cusack-Paul Dano starrer concludes most of its run with just under $11 million in the bank. What could have been a real hit, with awards potential, now sinks into the horizon just beyond the Sloop John B.
Roadside Attractions, which I like to call “Roadkill,” blew this film just the way they did Robert Redford in “All Is Lost” directed by JC Chandor. They will argue that “Love and Mercy” is their biggest hit so far, but that’s a left-handed compliment. All of their movies would have benefited from actual publicity and marketing.
“Love and Mercy” never really capitalized on Brian Wilson and his music. Where was Brian Wilson Week on Jimmy Fallon, for example? Or the Today show? Where was the big live launch in NY with a concert, even three or four songs?
Strangely enough back in April the movie hosted a private advanced screening with the stars– and no press. Does a tree make a noise when it falls in the forest if no one is around? That whole episode cinched the deal, and was typical of Roadside’s deafness when it comes to press.
None of it made sense. The Beach Boys are still a huge touring presence on the road. Their music is incredibly popular. So much more could have been done for “Love and Mercy.” But that ship has sailed.
A rolling stone gathers no moss. And Keith Richards has no moss. He will go from this summer’s Rolling Stones tour right into the release of his first new solo album in 22 years. “Crosseyed Heart” features a lot of guest artists including the amazing Sarah Dash and late horn player Bobby Keys. The single, called, Trouble, comes next week.
“Crosseyed Heart” does sound like a riff on “Crossfire Hurricane,” from “Jumping Jack Flash.” That title was used for a Stones documentary a few years ago on HBO.
Exclusively, I can tell you that “Crosseyed Heart” may not be just a CD. A full documentary about Keith has been shot and may very well be part of the package. Decisions are being made about that, and about touring to promote the album. I’m told a tour is likely. At the very least, Keith will be promoting the album strongly with lots of appearances around the September 18th release date.
Keith fans, among whom I count myself, are psyched! In the meantime, check out one of his best solo tracks:
MARISA TOMEI, who’s 50 and looks 40, will play Aunt May in the next Spider Man movie. Sally Field, 68, was the last Aunt May. Rosemary Harris preceded Sally, and was considerably older. That Marisa has to take this role says a lot. Aunt May is supposed to be, uh, matronly. Marisa, still the object of George Costanza’s lust, is most definitely not that.
Also, I will not see another Spider Man movie that rehashes the same story again of how Peter became the super hero. This story is now told more often than “Hamlet.” There have been FIVE movies plus the Broadway musical. Enough! The second one with Tobey Maguire was the best. I’m satisfied.
MICHELLE COLLINS is a comedian whom I do not know. Today she joined “The View” as a host while Rosie Perez announced she’s leaving after one season. This show is OVER. I don’t care who is on it. Whoopi Goldberg is an Oscar and Tony winning superstar who has better things to do than oversee this continuing debacle. The original spirit of “The View” is dead. Kill it.
Poor JARED FOGLE. Is he a pedophile? A child pornographer? The public has been convinced over the last 24 hours that he must be. If he’s not, Subway and a lot of other people will have a lot of apologizing to do. If he is, then Subway really did not know their best known pitchman. What a mess!
