| CMU Daily - on the inside 3 Jul 2002 |
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What part of New York, nick-named by the Wu Tang Clan ‘Shaolin’, do Run DMC come from – and, for a bonus point, what university did they go to?
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ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES GOES TO SPRINGFIELD
Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, has been confirmed as curator of the 2003 US All Tomorrow’s Parties, which will take place at the University of California in LA next June. The promoters behind ATP have always appointed a curator to lead the artistic planning of the underground music festival, though Groening is the first non-musician to be picked. Word is that, for the first time for an ATP event, tickets will be sold for individual gigs rather than the whole weekend, after the first come first served admission policy for weekend ticket holders this year meant some fans missed the bands they has specifically come to see. Though the man behind ATP, Foundation’s Barry Hogan was unsympathetic at the time saying, "If anyone bought a ticket just to see one act then you totally didn't understand what ATP was offering and you need your head checked,” it seems UCLA management want a more organised ticketing approach. Groening is a former rock critic who has repeatedly said music is his main passion. Artists he has championed as a journalist tend to of the more experimental type, including Pere Ubu, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Diamanda Galas, the Minutemen, and the Residents. It’s a list that should make him popular with ATP regulars.
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MICHAEL JACKSON’S PUBLISHING COMPANY BUYS COUNTRY CATALOGUE
One of Sony’s US publishing companies - Sony/ATV Music Publishing – have bought one of the oldest and richest country music back catalogues from Gaylord Entertainment for a reported $157 million. Acuff-Rose Music Publishing, which counts Michael Jackson amongst its shareholders, was founded in 1942 by country singer Roy Acuff and songwriter Fred Rose. It’s catalogue includes classics like ‘Oh Pretty Woman’, ‘Bye Bye Love’, ‘Your Cheatin' Heart’ and ‘Tennessee Waltz’. Sony/ATV Music Publishing already owns a vast catalogue of songs, with the work of the Beatles, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, and Babyface. ATV Music boss Paul Russell told reporters: "We have been entrusted with a real treasure. Our first priority will be to maintain the integrity and quality of the Acuff-Rose catalogue while raising its profile with new generations of performers." The deal still needs to be approved by US federal antitrust regulators and, if all goes to plan, should be completed by the end of August.
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VIVENDI BOSS GETS MULTI-MILLION POUND PAY OFF
As the chaos at Vivendi Universal continues its former-CEO Jean-Marie Messier, who resigned last week, has secured a multimillion-pound payoff. The group’s board is expected to sign off a £11.5 million pay off today. The size of the golden handshake is ironic because in his autobiography, ‘Moi-Meme Maitre Du Monde’ (Myself, Master Of The Universe), Messier criticised grand pay-offs for sacked bosses, saying that chief executives who failed to deliver should not receive grand rewards. The Group is expected to announce a successor to Messier later today. It will be a tough task - the new chief executive will have to secure bridging finance for the group after the financial crisis at Vivendi, caused by reports of false accounting, caused the Group’s credit rating to be cut raising the cost of servicing its £12bn debt burden. It is still likely that the only solution will be the break up of the Group which would means its music concerns – the Universal Music Group (Mercury, Polydor and Island in the UK) – would be up for sale.
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ASHCROFT HAS TWO ALBUMS WORTH OF NEW WORK
Richard Ashcroft has told NME.com that his forthcoming album ‘Human Conditions’, due for an October release, will be followed by a third solo album less than a year later. "The creative process ain’t going to stop now,” he told the website, “So I’m aiming to release this album in early October and then, in 11 or 12 months time, the next one will come out.” He was philosophical about the demands on him in the release of his second long player. “I’d love it if there was a more realistic creative approach to making music rather than feeling that every record is some kind of comeback, or another chance. Another chance at what? I’ve already succeeded! I’ve got nothing to lose."
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LATEST R KELLY VIDEOS REJECTED
Chicago police have returned four alleged R Kelly sex tapes claiming they have no bearing on the current child pornography charges against the singer. Dave Bayless, of the Chicago Police Department told reporters: "We have found no new evidentiary information relevant to our investigation … there was no content relevant to what we're doing up here." R Kelly is currently in court after tapes allegedly showing Kelly having sex with under-age partners appeared earlier this year. The star, who protests his innocence, claimed the new set of tapes, which appeared last week, were given to the police at that specific time to cloud the judgement of any jury judging on his case.
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CABLE TV ON BBC WALES
Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable has been given his own music TV show on BBC Wales. The programme will feature acoustic sets from bands who will be interviewed by Stuart in the back of a 1970s vintage New York cab. There will also be a feature involving his Mum called 'Mable Cable's Words of Wisdom'. If a success in Wales the show may get a UK-wide airing. Welsh viewers are doing very well for local music shows at the moment. ITV in Wales are about to broadcast a second series of This Way Up, an excellent music show hosted by Xfm’s Eddy Temple Morris. We’re crossing our fingers that ITV bosses will see sense and give it UK network airing too.
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COWELL FALLS OUT WITH FELLOW JUDGES
While his UK colleagues just smiled when BMG’s Simon Cowell laid into Pop Idol contestants, his brutal comments on the US version of the show have almost seen him come to blows with fellow judge Randy Jackson. A particular moment in this week’s show saw Jackson take issue with Cowell’s criticism that contestants were being let through on a ‘sympathy vote’. Randy replied: “If he keeps insulting people like that he's going to have a tougher day,” to which Cowell replied, “Can I take a happy pill and we'll deal with this later?’” The twenty stone Jackson clearly wanted to “talk about this right now”. It was up to fellow judge Paula Abdul to keep the peace. Word is US contestants have not dealt with Cowell’s famous put downs too well – so much so the show is rumoured to have hired a psychiatrist to offer counselling to upset singers. With Cowell and the Weakest Link’s Anne Robinson having both fronted rating topping shows in the US this year English actors should be guaranteed every Hollywood bad guy role for the next three years.
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Answer to Tuesday's CMU pop quiz:
Led Zeppelin remain one of the most important, influential and best selling bands of the rock genre. How come they never had any hit singles?
As one of our readers said – “Because they never RELEASED any fucking singles!”