| CMU Daily - on the inside 9 Dec 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Unrest after another G’N’R no show,
• Club venues among Edinburgh’s burned out old town,
• Choice FM settle out of court,
• Benzino continues with Slim Shady jibes,
• Oasis back on the road,
• Review: Lemon Jelly – Nice Weather For Ducks,
• ACDC switch to Sony,
• Alien Ant Farm back on stage,
• REM best of planned,
• Houston senior on his lawsuit against Whitney,
• Photek confirms final 2002 gig,
• More wacko court news,
• Elvis comedy planned,
• Moby goes Duran Duran
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Cryptic Christmas songs - which festive number is this clue referring too?
"Snow White, only with bigger fruit"
Answer tomorrow
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LAST CHANGE TO VOTE! WHAT'S THE BEST SINGLE AND ALBUM OF 2002
Vote now in the CMU chart of the year. Email your name, where you work / study and the name of your favourite single and album of 2002 to [email protected] Closing date for votes - Friday.
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CHART UPDATE
As predicted Eminem stormed to number one in the singles chart yesterday with ‘Lose Yourself’. EMI probably won’t lose any sleep that Slim Shady beat Robbie’s latest single ‘Feel’, though they might be concerned that both the Cheeky Girls (with ‘Cheeky Song’) and Daniel Bedingfield (with last week’s number one ‘If You’re Not The One’) pushed Mr Williams into number 4.
Otherwise little interesting going on in the singles chart this week. Liberty X go in at 5 with ‘Holding On For You’, the Rainbow team (oh yes) go in at 15 with ‘It’s A Rainbow’ while Ms Dynamite enjoys less success than previous single releases, entering the chart at 19.
With the exception of Liam Lynch, Coldplay and Sum 41 there’s very little worthy of mention in the whole top 40 this week, and with the Popstar’s debuts due for release next week, I’d give the singles chart a wide berth until the New Year myself.
Same could be said about the albums chart (albeit with more exceptions!). Robbie may be disappointed in the singles chart but he’s still number one here, while Daniel Bedingfield, performing well in the singles chart, only manages a new entry at 31. The top three remains unchanged (Robbie, Blue, Westlife) – in fact the only interesting change is a new entry for Darius’ debut album at 6!
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UNREST AFTER ANOTHER G’N’R NO SHOW
More crowd trouble as another Guns ‘n’ Roses gig is cancelled. Just one month after fans rioted when the Vancouver date of the G ‘n’ R tour was cancelled at the last minute, there was more trouble in Philadelphia when the band’s gig there was called off even later in the day. Fans were already in the Philadelphia First Union Center, and Beastie Boy DJ Mixmaster Mike had delivered his support set, when they were told the headline act would not be performing due to the illness of a band member. Police were on hand as the announcement was made. Although no one was arrested, officers reported unruly behaviour, claiming two people were hospitalised. Though Peter Luukko from the company who owned the venue felt his staff handled the situation well: "It's very simple. We were informed Axl was ill and wasn't going to appear in the building, and we made an announcement. We emptied the facility and everybody went home...damage was minimal."
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CLUB VENUES AMONG EDINBURGH’S BURNED OUT OLD TOWN
Some of Edinburgh’s key club venues were affected by the large fire that ripped through the city’s Old Town on Saturday night. In particular La Belle Angele, one of the city’s most established small gig and club venues, was burned out. The fire also destroyed the home of Gilded Balloon, one of the major theatre and comedy venues during the Edinburgh Festival each August. With the fire still burning in places and talk of some of the burnt out buildings needing to be pulled down, it is not yet clear how much of the area will be affected long term, and how quickly the Cowgate, a popular student haunt, will return to normal.
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CHOICE FM SETTLE OUT OF COURT
Leading black station Choice FM has reached a settlement with media studies graduate Wendy Browne-Osibo, who, as we reported last week, had alleged the station had a culture of institutionalised sexism. She claimed that she was forced to resign after being subjected to groping, sexual images and comments. The station denied all allegations and Browne-Osibo’s lawyer admitted that in the settlement, reached out of court last week, Choice admitted no liability. She told reporters: "Wendy's case was settled on Wednesday for an undisclosed sum and the details were confidential. They did not admit any liability."
Choice’s sales director Neil Kenlock, when asked about the case, and that of Audrey Atkinson, who won compensation of £2500 when her allegations of sexual harassment at the station reached court last June, told the Media Guardian: "I cannot comment at all on the matter. I have no comment to make whatsoever."
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BENZINO CONTINUES WITH SLIM SHADY JIBES
Co-founder of hip hop magazine The Source, Ray Benzino, has been talking to reporters about his recent assault on Eminem (which appeared in his own rap record ‘Pull Your Skirt Up’). He now claims his criticisms of Eminem were more an attack on the modern machine behind rap music that of Slim Shady himself.
“It wasn't so much about Em,” he says. “It was about the machine. The way media outlets are taking what Eminem is doing and using it as a double standard for what other artists are doing. Eminem gets to do songs that we would never get to do. Eminem gets to talk about his issues and his pain ... killing his mother, beating his girl, drugs. We have to rock the party in order to get spins and burn on the radio. We have to entertain more than expose our true issues. When black and Latino people try to give our pain on there we couldn't get burn. The machine doesn't want our pain to be out there."
That said, the feud continues. Eminem and his Shady Record comrades responded the ‘Pull You Skirt Up’ by recording tracks slagging off Benzino. In reply the Source founder has recorded ‘Die Another Day’ where, among other things, he slates D12 ("The so-called kings steady going at each other/ Doing songs with the devil while they fighting with their brother"), and compares Shady to racist figures ("You're the rap David Duke, you're the rap Hitler ... I'm the rap Malcolm [X], the rap Martin [Luther King]").
Commenting on the latest song Benzino said: "I don't want to bring any harm to Marshall Mathers. At the same time, my message got across. I think he feels that nobody should go at him. To me, he was just the hood ornament for the vehicle. By me going at the hood ornament, maybe I could put a small dent in the vehicle. I just wanted to raise consciousness. It's not like I'm hating on Eminem, its just a situation that had to be brought up."
Eminem and the Shady Records camp have refused to comment on the matter – though more response raps may follow.
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OASIS BACK ON THE ROAD
With the teeth fixed Oasis continued their European tour this weekend with their first UK date in Cardiff. Liam even dedicated a song to his new teeth saying, before performing ‘Live Forever’ "This next one is for my teeth." Assuming they can stay out of trouble, the band play a second Cardiff date tonight.
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REVIEW : Lemon Jelly – Nice Weather For Ducks (Beggars/XL)
My favourite track off my favourite album of the year (well, this bit of the year anyway). Lemon Jelly’s ‘Lost Horizons’ is still finding its way back into my CD player after I’ve been through the new arrivals each day, it’s refreshing sound all the more welcome as the days get colder and darker. And even though this track starts off with a the sound of rain its up tempo nature makes it the liveliest of the tracks featured on the album - making it my favourite. Although the single release cuts down the track from full album length glory, if it means we get to hear it on the radio that’s fine by me. B-side ‘Soft’ is a less lively number, sampling Chicago’s ‘If You Leave Me Now’. It’s a little repetitive on first listen and not up to the standard of those eight album tracks – though I’ll be giving it a few more listens because I have a feeling it might just grow on me. Either way, play, promote and write about this record – it’s what pop music should be about (but never will be). CC
Release date: 20 Jan
Press Contact: Beggars IH [all]
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ACDC SWITCH TO SONY
After 25 years with Warners label Atlantic Records, rockers AC/DC are crossing sides and signing up with Sony. As part of the deal Sony label will reissue the entire AC/DC back catalogue in 2003. The reissues will feature restored album art, enhanced packaging with additional rare and historic photos, new liner notes, and comprehensive track information. Each release will also have a special website which can only be accessed with the CD in your computer. A new studio album is also expected to be ready for release next year.
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ALIEN ANT FARM BACK ON STAGE
Alien Ant Farm performed live for the first time since their bus accident in May this weekend. They performed a set at Drum Day, an LA benefit gig organised by drum manufacturer Drum Workshop. Although the band stressed it was drummer Mike Cosgrove's day – with tracks picked based on which have the best drumming in them – it was also quite a day for singer Dryden Mitchell, who broke his back in the accident and who at one point was told he may not walk again.
"I'm not really nervous," he said in an interview prior to the gig. "I'm kind of more antsy to just do it. I think differently now about everything. After what happened, it's hard to be nervous about something that's fun and trivial."
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REM BEST OF PLANNED
NME.com has reported that REM are planning a ‘best of’ album for 2003 which, as is the trend these days, will feature some new material too. A release date is not yet set, though it will be timed to fit in with a hectic year for the band which will include an extensive world tour (they’re rumoured to be headlining Glastonbury) and a new studio album.
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HOUSTON SENIOR ON HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST WHITNEY
Whitney Houston’s father has been talking about his legal suit against his daughter, an attempt to secure fees he claims Whitney owes his management company for legal representation a few years back. On US TV show Celebrity Justice he urged Whitney to "pay me the money that you owe me." The interview came just days after Whitney told ABC show Primetime that her father's suit was hurtful and motivated by someone who "has put fear in his heart."
Houston senior continued: "I never thought about suing my daughter. I thought about suing the corporation that belongs to Whitney and she happened to be right in the middle of it."
Addressing his daughter he went on, "You get your act together honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me. If you do that, you haven't got a lawsuit. At my age, I haven't got that long. Now if you think I got that long, you think about it. You step into my shoes. I would like to spend the last years of my life on a boat some place."
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PHOTEK CONFIRMS FINAL 2002 GIG
Drum & bass pioneer Photek has confirmed his final DJ appearance of the year will be at Vauxhall’s Club Colosseum this Saturday. Photek, real name Rupert Parkes, who will fly in from his LA base for the gig, will DJ alongside drum ‘n’ base’s finest, including Fabio, Krust, Total Science, Future Thinkin DJ's DM C.U.T, Danny Exile and Forte and MCs Dynamite, GQ and Fats. More info at www.clubcolosseum.com
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MORE WACKO COURT NEWS
We’re getting bored of all the Michael Jackson stories just now so, to cut a long story short, after showing up at court last week hobbling after a ‘spider bite’ incident, Jacko failed to show up at all on Thursday. He is in court facing allegations he cancelled two gigs back in 2000 costing promoter Marcel Avram millions.
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ELVIS COMEDY PLANNED
British film director Stephen Frears – the man behind High Fidelity and Dangerous Liaisons - is considering making a new comedy about one of the Elvis Presley conspiracy theories. According to Variety the film, working title ‘The Importance of Being Elvis’, would follow the story that Elvis was shot in the throat by a fan while serving in the US army and that, while he recovered, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with the collusion of the American government, found an impersonator from Newcastle to replace him!
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MOBY GOES DURAN DURAN
Moby has told The Sun he is planning to cover Duran Duran’s ‘Planet Earth’ when he next plays a gig in the band’s home town Birmingham. He told the paper he has a lot of respect for the eighties band saying "I love their music.”
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Answer to Friday's pop quiz:
Which bands started off their careers with these names?
On A Friday, The Patrol and Tragic Love Company
Radiohead, The Stone Roses and Stereophonics respectively.