Is There a Twitter Anonymous Dave Navarro Can Go To?

I am starting to think that Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro is addicted to Twitter in the worst way. He is as wired as any one musician can be. He would be giving Trent Reznor a run for his money, if Trent didn’t drop out.

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Navarro, but it’s getting to the point where his tweets fill up my box like an overflowing toilet. As soon as I see that little girl avatar (above right) I think clean up time again. Here’s just a small sample today, one right after the other:

davenavarro6767 Headed to the gym for cardio day. Dave Navarro resents this.

davenavarro6767 It’s Facebook talk, eg: Dave Navarro likes this.You like this. etc

davenavarro6767 Facebook really needs a “hates this” option…

davenavarro6767 The sun is out. Dave Navarro hates this.

davenavarro6767 And parking attendants who wave you in the direction yur already going? DNHT!

Hold on, is he twittering while driving?!

davenavarro6767 DNHT: Sparkle Tags on MySpace

and so on…

Intervention needed.

Matt Sorum Disappointed with Second Velvet Revolver Release

“The second album (Libertad, at right), I think, we fell prey to more of what Scott (Weiland) wanted to do and we wanted to straight-up rock and roll. I think this time around we would like to make a real strong rock album and stick with more of our roots.”

These are the words of Velvet Revolver drummer, Matt Sorum. And speaking of the words “fell prey,” is singer Scott Weiland really this big bad bully that preys on his fellow bandmembers? Poor little Slash, Duff, and Sorum sulking in the corner like frightened mice? I can see it now: “Write songs this way!” yells 90-lb Weiland to his emasculated underlings. … C’mon!

And the second album of Velvet Revolver, Libertad, is really strong, IMHO. I like it better than the first. In fact, Slash shines on the album. I may be just a fan — on the outside looking in — but I don’t know what Sorum’s talking about.

But he goes on:

When we went to write the second album, it seemed to take different road, which I always wanted to make a harder record, but I think we went a little lighter and the fans didn’t really care for [it] that much. I think the second record is a good one but we did what we did. I think it was a weird chemistry between us.

At least Sorum says there’s a possibility of Velvet Revolver having a future in rock and roll. Once they find the right singer, of course. One that obviously doesn’t “prey” on them. ;)

Did Marilyn Manson Lie About Getting Swine Flu?

H1N1 no more.

According a statement issued by MM promoters:

“The Gillett Entertainment Group and Live Nation confirmed today that contrary to rumours circulating, Marilyn Manson is not suffering from swine flu.”

I love how they call it a rumor. It was posted by the Manson man himself! And, magically, coincidentally, Manson’s online post about it is now gone. Poof!

Maybe it was just a creative way of slagging his ex-girlfriend(s). Who knows. And some may say, who cares.

Lemmy of Motorhead Still Drinks a Bottle of Jack a Day

Me thinks Lemmy be kidding. Butchya never know.

The 63-year-young Lemmy Kilmister told the Calgary Herald:

“I do still drink a lot. About a bottle of Jack (Daniel’s) a day.”

And drugs?

“I steer clear of talking about it.”

He then goes on to tell the public the difference between bands like Motorhead and Metallica:

“Have you seen (Metallica’s) “Some Kind of Monster”? We don’t do that stuff. We don’t hire expensive psychiatrists to tell us bullshit, either.”

Yes, but I am willing to bet that Metallica members have slightly leaner livers.

Brandon Flowers Once Again: Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Brandon Flowers of The Kllers loves to talk and offer up his cerebrally unedited opinions. That’s fine. But then we get to offer our opinions on his opinions.

In a recent issue of Rolling Stone, the Flowers man commented that:

“…if you’re an actor, you have no business making an album, no matter how good you sound in the shower.”

Hmnn. “No business”? Who planted that edict? I can’t wait til Brandon Flowers bumps into Russell Crowe. I’m sure Russell has some opinions of his own on that quote — ones that are not necessarily verbal.

Muse Protest Lip Synching in their Own Way

Not very fond of lip synching, Muse switched instruments and had fun when performing “Uprising” on a European TV show. Pretty funny. Check it out below.

Able to perfect many instruments, Matt Bellamy does not look like a natural drummer, however.

The Times Of London Profiles Kraftwerk

Yesterday’s (Friday, September 25th) edition of The Times of London featured a profile of the legendary German digital pop band Kraftwerk. The profile included quite a few comments from Kraftwerk mainstay Ralf Hütter. Among other topics, Hütter, now 62, discussed the departure from Kraftwerk last year of Florian Schneider, a founding member of the band. Hütter said:

“What can I say? We have worked together for so many years but he has other projects. I’m a free artist so I can continue.”

Hütter added:

“We don’t understand, but it’s his private decision. He’s done a couple of other projects, lecturing at university, things like that. Sometimes in life you take a different direction.”

Hütter also discussed his disdain for the Internet:

“I am not a fan of the Internet, I think it’s overrated. Intelligent information is still intelligent information and an overflow of nonsense does not really help. In Germany it’s called Datamoll: data rubbish.”

To read the profile, which was written by Stephen Dalton, click here.

To watch a profile on Kraftwerk from BBC Two’s The Culture Show from July 8, 2009 in which Miranda Sawyer “interviews” Ralf Hütter’s robotic persona, click below:

To watch Kraftwerk perform “Pocket Calculator” live in 2004, click below:

For more on Kraftwerk, see:
http://www.kraftwerk.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kraftwerk

Powerline A.D. Debuts The Media And Their Music Series With MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer

Powerline A.D. has debuted what we hope will be a regular feature on the Web site. In The Media and Their Music, we will ask members of the media from the US and the UK about their musical tastes, how music fits into their life, and what music artist would they most like to interview.

The feature debuts with a Q&A with Contessa Brewer of MSNBC (pictured above). Contessa discusses the music she likes, playing the piano, singing karaoke, and an interesting experience at a Milli Vanilli show when she was 16.

To read the first of our The Media and Their Music series with Contessa Brewer of MSNBC, click here.

Metal Hammer Calls Pop Star Stefanie Heinzmann’s Version of Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” the ‘worst cover ever’

I’ve heard worse. It’s not great. But it’s not horrible either. Sounds like typical stuff played on Top 40 stations here in America. Mostly, Metal Hammer hates it because the song was turned into a fluffy pop song. Sacrilege for them. But, really, who cares that much about it? It is weird, though, to hear a song with this kind of depth dipped into such high-fructose corn syrup.

However, I’m sure Metallica digs it. Cha-ching!

And the Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann is no different than any of the other hundreds of pop singers around the world. Looking for a hit. Not sure this will be it, though.

www.myspace.com/stefanieheinzmann

Lily Allen Calls Time Out In Her Battle Against File Sharers . . . And Quits Music?

Lily Allen declared that she is ceasing her battle against file sharers because today’s meeting of the Featured Artists Coalition in London to decide on a unified strategy in regard to file sharing was the outcome that she had hoped for. On her Twitter page, Allen wrote:

“I won’t be attending the meeting because it’s going to be a press frenzy and I don’t want to detract from the issues. I’m proud of the fact that that I’ve been involved with this debate but I’m passing the baton on to other artists.”

Allen also claimed that she was quitting music, stating:

“I have not renegotiated my record contract and have no plans to make another record. The days of me making money from recording music has been and gone as far as I’m concerned, so I don’t (at this point) stand to profit from legislation.”

Allen’s spokesperson has denied that she is quitting music.

Earlier this month, Allen said that she was considering a career in acting following the conclusion of her current music commitments. (She has live dates scheduled through mid-December.) Allen’s father, Keith Allen, is an actor. Lily Allen has also hosted a talk show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC3.

For more on this story, see the articles from XFM London and NME.com.

I hope that Allen was only speaking out frustration and wasn’t serious about quitting music. She is a great live performer, and her second album really showed her growth as an artist. It would be a real shame if her music career came to a stop at this point in her career.

But not everyone agrees with my feelings on the matter. Luke Lewis wrote a somewhat scathing blog on NME.com about the possibility of Allen quitting music. Lewis wrote:

I think she’s making the right decision. Let’s be honest: it’s hardly The Beatles splitting up. It’s not even Noel quitting Oasis. Lily’s second album was less good than her debut, and her debut only had a few good tracks on it anyway. In ten years time, will mystic-minded stoners sit around and say of Lily, as they do of Jimi Hendrix: “Woah, just imagine, what kind of music would she be making now…”?

No they won’t, because Lily Allen’s music is profoundly of its time: her songs delineate a distinctly noughties world of Heat magazine, mild drug use, easy swearing and emotional over-disclosure.

I thought that was a bit harsh. A Lily Allen show won’t change your life, but it will keep you entertained for 90 minutes. If you want to read Lewis’ blog piece on Allen in full, see NME.com.