Guitars Will Play, And Every Fiddle Shall Bow
Bluegrass veteran Peter Rowan’s new album is supposed to be a tribute to the late Bill Monroe, but it sounds more like the Weavers - the Randy Weavers, that is.
In one of the tunes, “Ruby Ridge,” Rowan sings: “They killed my good dog, they killed my boy/My only son, my pride and joy/They shot my wife dead on the floor/Holdin’ our baby in the cabin door/Don’t shoot me down, don’t shoot me down/Got a wife and kids on Ruby Ridge/Please don’t shoot me down.”
Not that he’s on the right wing himself, Rowan says: “I’m not waving their flag for them, and I have to talk to those people and I have to tell them my views, which are not their views. So if it engages dialogue among the people of America, then it’s an important song.”
Loose talk
Tony Bennett, on the Macarena (in USA Today): “What is that? I don’t mind mediocrity, but that’s insane. When I was a kid, you had to be one step away from Gene Kelly; today, it’s just amazing how simple it is.”
He’s one of those Americans we can’t stand
Dick Clark turns 67 today.
Smells like Stevie - stand back, stand back!
The Internal Revenue Service is seeking $85,887 in back taxes from former Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks, the Los Angeles Times reports, including deductions of $43,291 for clothes worn during performances. In court papers, a Nicks attorney says “much of this clothing is discarded immediately after use because it simply cannot be reused, given the energy levels of her performances and the heat generated on stage from lights and physical exertion.”
Guess he was the only one who didn’t volunteer
Former Jefferson Airplane lead singer Grace Slick has signed a $1 million deal with Warner Brothers to write her memoirs. Slick’s agent calls it “a very in-your-face” book detailing her doping, drinking and sexing, adding: “She slept with the whole band except Marty Balin.”
We suppose he’ll just have to play it by ear
Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes has been temporarily sidelined by a punctured eardrum he somehow suffered during the band’s recent tour. Which is even weirder when you consider that the cover of their latest album, “ElectricLarryland,” features a drawing of blood spurting from an ear with a pencil jammed into it.
And this is what it sounds like when doves cry
Weeks of speculation about The Artist Formerly Known as Prince’s baby boy has apparently ended on a mournful note, with the tabloids reporting that the child died on Oct. 23, one week after being born with a serious skull malformation. “It’s a tragic, terrible thing,” The Artist’s father, John Nelson, told the Globe. And The National Enquirer quotes the child’s mother, Mayte: “He’s listening to a more beautiful music than what we could ever play for him on Earth.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino