THE LEMONHEADS: Evan Dando tells London's Guardian why he wants to make a comeback on his own terms. Meanwhile, in Boston's weekly Dig, Juliana Hatfield finally shatters the myth that she was deflowered by Dando. You can stream four new Lemonheads tracks now from the band's website. YouTube hosts Dando playing “It's A Shame About Ray” unplugged for Regis and Kathie Lee, though my favorite song from that album may be “Kitchen” (this version live at the '93 Glastonbury festival). There's also the band's cover of Suzanne Vega's “Luka.” BONUS: Among my favorite Juliana Hatfield tunes is “My Sister.”
THE PIXIES: Frank Black is peeved with the way the band is portrayed in loudQUIETloud, the new documentary about the Pixies's 2004 reunion tour. London's Guardian says that while the film was conceived as a celebration, it “quickly veers into train-wreck territory.”
THE SADIES: Thanks to Frank at Chromewaves for rounding up interviews with bassist Sean Dean, and guitarist/singers Travis Good and Dallas Good, all talking about the two-CD set In Concert Volume one, includes songs by Roger Miller, Syd Barrett, the Band, Bob Wills, the Flat Duo Jets and the old hillbilly gospel tune “Higher Power.” We also discover the band, which became known backing Neko Case, is working with Ronnie Hawkins and Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, BTO) while preparing to record a new studio album with ex-Jayhawk Gary Louris. You can stream a bunch of tracks via the Hype Machine.
THE THRILL IS GONE: The CBC's Kevin Chong considers the death of the guitar solo.
COVER ME: MSNBC recently ran a list of timeless cover songs. The Village Voice has the first of two parts — with streaming audio — on innovative and subversive covers. There are a few covers performed by the Mountain Goats posted by The Rich Girls Are Weeping, including songs from Ace of Base and (yes) Thin Lizzy. Here's three more from the Hype Machine that may be none of the above, but offer up an A-B Boss Comparison: Fontella Bass singing “Rescue Me” and the cover by Aretha Franklin; the anthemic “Game of Pricks” by Guided by Voices, along with a twee version by A Sunny Day In Glasgow; and The Stooges' raucus “No Fun,” as stripped down by The Black Keys.
THE FRESHMAN MINDSET: The annual list from Beloit College, intended to help academics understand what college freshmen know — and what they don’t have a clue about — is out. Topping the list: “The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.” But further down the list, we discover: “They are not aware that 'flock of seagulls hair' has nothing to do with birds flying into it.” That's one I can fix right now.
TEXAS THUNDER SOUL! Gorilla vs. Bear has the background on the Texas Kashmere Stage Band, which may be “the best high-school stage band in the world.” He posted the band's take on the “Theme From Shaft,” but there's even more to be found via the Hype Machine.
CULT OF THE iPod: The AP wonders how long a few remaining big-name musical acts can hold out against the lure of iTunes.
SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE: At the Advanced Theory blog (which you should visit, if only to read the explanation of the “Advanced Theory”), Jason Hartley considers the epismetology of the word “pompatus,” as it appears in the Steve Miller classic “The Joker.”
PETE DOHERTY UPDATE: The troubled singer was rumored to have been working with ex-bandmate Carl Barat on a cover The Clash's “Janie Jones” to benefit Strummerville. Doherty also reportedly punched a nurse and trashed his own room in the Priory rehab clinic.
TOM-KAT UPDATE: While Paramount and Cruise-Wagner Productions debate their break-up, I have to note the thickness of the irony. Cruise is known for suing anyone questioning his heterosexuality, yet what did him in was the public display of his private life — not just the Scientology, but also his over-the-couch displays of heterosexuality vis Ms. Holmes.
KATE HUDSON-CHRIS ROBINSON BREAK-UPDATE: Though People claims that evidence linking Hudson and Owen Wilson continues to mount, Hudson bailed on the London premiere of You, Me and Dupree. Wilson had to settle for getting flashed by a fan much less attractive than Hudson.
BRADGELINA: The inevitable follow-up to the “Jolie has moved out” rumor is the “Pitt is still trying to reach out to ex-wife Jennifer Aniston” rumor.
GWYNETH PALTROW, explaining why she prefers living in London to the US, seems oblivious to the fact that there's a whole country between LA and NYC, though I suspect she would have an even lower opinion of flyover country.
JESSICA SIMPSON was apparently stopped from kissing the pregnant belly of Britney Spears at the Teen Choice Awards. Speaking of which, VH1's Best Week Ever has produced a clip imagining Simpson's awkward meeting with ex-hubby Nick Lachey at the show.
THE FRENCH HOTEL and others had their SpoofCard calling card accounts terminated for obtaining unauthorized access to voice mail accounts of well-known celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan.
SURVIVOR: The new season will be racially segregated. The quest for ratings seems boundless.
GEORGE CLOONEY is dating Ellen Barkin after the two worked together on Ocean's 13, according to the ever-reliable Star magazine.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE will be giving three or four members the pink slip in the face of massive budget cuts. This is on top of Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch leaving to work on Fey's NBC comedy 30 Rock, a parody of an SNL-style show.
JESSICA ALBA takes a break from terrifying Vancouver to talk about the upcoming Good Luck Chuck: “I've been waiting since I started acting to do something like this, and people just never thought of me as a comedic actress.” Apparently, her portrayal of a brilliant geneticist in Fantastic Four was unintentionally comedic.
IRAQ: ABC's World News Tonight noticed the 22-30 percent drop in attacks in Baghdad following a retooling of Coalition strategy; the video is even more dramatic. USA Today ran a piece on Col. Talib Abdul Razzaq, who patrols his Baghdad territory more like a tribal leader to win hearts and minds. As of Sept. 3rd, the first full Iraqi Army division will be operating without the mentoring of US advisors. And a senior US military official said there is “clear evidence” that Iran is funding, training and arming Shiite extremists to destabilize Iraq.
IRAN will soon announce an atomic breakthrough, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Other Iranian news sources suggest that Pres. Ahmadinejad is expected to announce Iran's “nuclear birth.”
THE MIDEAST and THE MEDIA: The Zombietime website argues that storiesaccusing Israel of intentionally targeting Red Cross ambulances attempting to rescue innocent victims perpetuated a hoax and is the most serious scandal surrounding the media's coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Kevin Sites, blogging from Lebanon, mentions that he cannot take pictures without Hezbollah's permission.
“EAT AT HITLER'S” UPDATE: The manager of the “Hitler's Cross” restaurant in Mumbai is miffed that his place is being singled out among the children’s fashion labels, liquor brands and tobacco products bearing Hitler’s name.
ARMED CLOWNS UPDATE: A clown hit another Arizona bank, this time in Phoenix. Police have no information on whether or not this incident is connected with previous Tucson robberies, or whether it's the work of a copyclown.
SNAKES IN A THEATER UPDATE: As I speculated yesterday, the snakes were trying to get in on their own.
COWS moo with a regional accent, according to British dairy farmers. Scientists don't dismiss the possibility.
A NEW SPECIES OF SEA URCHIN is discovered on eBay. No, really.
…AND THERE WERE PIGS ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY: Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance paramedics used lassoes to round up a truckload of pigs running loose on the M6 motorway after they escaped from a lorry involved in a road crash. “I never thought I'd be part of a pig rodeo,” said pilot Neil Parkinson. Smallish pic at the link.