Love, love, love, looooooooove. He is one of my idols.
There are very few people on this Earth that I love more than Eddie Vedder. No shame.
He is a 90's alternative/hard rock icon. He is my 90's alt/rock God. I have always been on Team Pearl Jam and Team Eddie Vedder... and that's something that will never change. He inspires me. His lyrics can be somewhat dark... very personal... often bizarre, and sometimes don't make any sense... they can be a bit political at times... but they are beautiful. And wonderful. And often thought-provoking. His lyrics are meaningful. I think he is a lyrical genius. I love that he is not afraid to speak his mind (even if I sometimes don't agree with what he has to say). I admire his charitable work and the fact that he supports a lot of causes. I think his voice is amazing and the music he creates (and helps create) is superb (yes, even his ukulele album!). He's just one of my favorite people... one of my favorite people of all-time. I admire him as a musician and I admire him as a person.
Yes, I am an Eddie Vedder fangirl... again, NO SHAME!! ♥
John Graham Mellor aka Joe Strummer (August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002)
One of the most iconic figures of the British punk movement.
Ten years ago today, the music world suffered a huge loss with the death of Joe Strummer. We lost a legend. A true legend. He was only 50 years old... died of a heart attack. I remember when I first heard the news of his passing... it felt like someone kicked me in the gut. We had just lost Dee Dee Ramone 6 months prior... and Joey Ramone about year before that. All such tragic losses...
Joe Strummer wasn't just the lead singer of The Clash. He was also the band's the co-founder, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist. He was also in a long list of the other bands: The Vultures, The 101ers (the band he was in before the The Clash), Latino Rockabilly War, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, and he was briefly in The Pogues. Joe also explored some other interests, which included acting, creating film scores for television and movies, songwriting for other artists, radio broadcasting, and a position as a radio host.
His father was a British foreign service diplomat... you can probably imagine what his childhood/upbringing was like... actually, the majority of The Clash members had not-so-nice upbringings. That fueled a bit of their angst. Here's an interview from 1976: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/dec/21/rocks-backpages-clash-joe-strummer
This blog isn't mushy enough... let's get mushy. I love Joe Strummer. Love. Joe Strummer was the truth, and he will always be the truth. Always. He's inspiring. The Clash is inspiring. They are one of the greatest bands of all-time. Their music is meaningful. They knew they had the power to change things... and even if they didn't change anything, they knew they'd be spreading awareness of what was going on in the world. Their message was that of a political one... I know politics isn't a popular subject to most people (I know it isn't to me) but when The Clash speaks... or Joe Strummer speaks, YOU LISTEN. Just like Rage Against the Machine. Even if you don't care... after listening to those bands, you will care. You want to fight the power and the injustices alongside them. The Clash was a powerful band. They opened ears, opened eyes, and opened minds. Their songs bring up the issues of racism, police brutality, unemployment, social decay, political and social repression, and militarism... in great detail. Joe and the boys were sick of it... so Joe wrote about it. You can tell that Joe Strummer was passionate about these issues. You believed him. He was genuine. Sincere. There was nothing fake about Joe Strummer. He was legit. There was no BS... and he never tried to be anyone but Joe Strummer. That is inspiring.
Know your rights.
RIP Joe Strummer ♥
You were taken too soon...
"All of you who think violence is tough – why don't you go home and collect stamps? That's much tougher,"- Joe Strummer
“People can change anything they want to.
And that means everything in the world. People are running about
following their little tracks - I am one of them. But we've all got to
stop just following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything -
this is something that I'm beginning to learn. People are out there
doing bad things to each other. That's because they've been
dehumanized. It's time to take the humanity back into the center of the
ring and follow that for a time. Greed, it ain't going anywhere. They
should have that in a big billboard across Times Square. Without
people you're nothing. That's my spiel.”- Joe Strummer
I wish I could have attended that. Ugh. I wish. The lineup was absolutely phenomenal (except for a few individuals). It blew my mind. Actually, my mind is still blown... and probably will be for a while. It was just too much epicness to take in, in one night. Holy crap!!
The lineup
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Roger Waters (with Eddie Vedder later appearing)
Adam Sandler with Paul Schaffer
Bon Jovi
Eric Clapton
The Rolling Stones
Alicia Keys
The Who
Kanye West
Billy Joel
Chris Martin
Paul McCartney
(I'm really surprised U2/Bono didn't make an appearance on this. I know it was put together on short notice, but you would think Bono would have contributed something to this... whether it be live in the flesh or viaSkype or something?! Also, Led Zeppelin would have been perfect for this. Don't ya think? Having Zeppelin perform would have made this 1 billion times more epic than it already was!)
Starting the concert off with Bruce Springsteen was absolutely brilliant. Bruce killed it!! Bruce's set consisted of: "Land of Hope and Dreams", "Wrecking Ball", "My City in Ruins" › "Jersey Girl", and "Born to Run" with Jon Bon Jovi. My personal fave was "Wrecking Ball". I also really loved "Born to Run"... Bruce and Jon Bon Jovi singing together was absolutely amazing! Jersey boys unite... haha! Next came Roger Waters. Anything Roger Waters does is amazing... and weird. He opened with "In The Flesh?" Then he did "The Happiest Days of Our Lives". "Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2."... and it was amazing... until the hip-hop dancers came on. The dancers weren't necessary. It was actually kind of stupid. Although, I did like the saying on their shirts: "Fear Builds Walls." But yeah, no. "The Ballad of Jean Charles de Menezes" was next. "Money" was absolutely fantastic. "Us and Them" was also superb... but I'm not going to lie, I was waiting for Eddie Vedder to make an appearance. I knew it was coming. Actually, before I get to Eddie Vedder, Roger had this dude singing with him... I have no clue who he was, but the dude had pipes! Okay, now for Mr. Vedder! He sang with Roger Waters during "Comfortably Numb", which was the last song of his set. It was magical. It really was. I loved it. I also thought Eddie Vedder was going to do some solo stuff, because they kept hyping his name. I was a little disappointed to find out he was only doing this one duet. Adam Sandler took the stage next, but only for a few minutes. He re-wrote "Hallelujah" and turned it into a comedic spoof titled "Sandy, Screw Ya!" I thought it was hilarious, and much needed. Paul Schaffer played the piano, of course! Up next: Bon friggin' Jovi. Say what you will about Bon Jovi, but I friggin' love Bon Jovi. They started their set with "It's My Life"... I was all over that. All over that. "Wanted Dead or Alive" came next... I love that song, but it's not one of my favorites. I was still giddy with glee, though. Oh yes, very much so. Bruuuuuce! Did someone say Bruce? Jon Bon Jovi did! Those Jersey boys reunited for the second time! Bruce came in and sang with JBJ on "Who Says You Can't Go Home"... I liked that duet way better than the Bon Jovi/Sugarland chick's duet. Her voice annoys the f*ck out of me. They ended their set with "Livin' on a Prayer". That song is absolutely perfect. ♥
Eric Clapton was up next... but I was eating dinner. I know a lot of people think that Clapton is the shiz, but I've never been one of those people. I'm sorry. It was a totally stripped-down performance, there was no glitz or glamour. It was just Clapton, a drummer and a bassist. That's it. He performed three songs: "Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out", "Got to get Better in a Little While", and "Crossroads". I'm not familiar with those first two songs, but I know that last one! "Jumpin' Jack Flash, it's a gas, gas, gas!" The Rolling Stones were next... but they only played two songs. TWO SONGS. "You Got Me Rocking" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". I'm not a huge Stones fan... I'll leave that up to my Mother, but how are they only going to play two songs? That was a tease. A massive tease. Alicia Keys and Kanye West were on longer than the Stones... that's just gross. Also, how in the hell does Mick Jagger still have the body of a twenty year old? Let alone all of that energy? I'm twenty-six, and I'll probably never have half of Mick Jagger's energy. That's also gross... haha! Alicia Keys. Okay, I think she has a great voice and everything... but how does she come after The Rolling Stones. Technically, the Stones "opened" for Alicia Keys. How does that happen? How? She also performed two songs: "Brand New Me" and "No One"... but it didn't seem like a concert performance. It seemed more like a church sermon or a motivational speaking rally.Speaking...singing...speaking...singing...speaking while singing... but all in all, it was beautiful. And it was waaaaaaaay better than Kanye.
Before I get to The Who, I think I need to share this!
These were trending topics on Twitter last night, during/after The Who's performance!
Okay, so, The Who kicked ass and took names. Seriously. However, I must say this: Roger Daltrey, please keep your shirt buttoned up. Please? This isn't the '70s anymore. That was just too much... and kinda scary. But my gawd did they kick ass!! "Who Are You" was the opener, and it was a damn good opener! "Bellboy" was next... yes, Bellboy!!! Fully equipped with Keith Moon on the jumbo screen!!! It was absolutely epic!! Up next was "Pinball Wizard" › "See Me, Feel Me"... I absolutely adore "Pinball Wizard"!! Buuuuut I adore "Baba O'Riley" much, much, more... and that was the next song they played! ♥ "Love Reign O'er Me" was next!! They ended their set with "Tea & Theatre... I missed half of that, but I got "Baba", so I was good. Of course it didn't end there... no, sir! As they were finishing up/leaving the stage, Pete Townshend took to the mic and told everyone to "Have a fucking beer!!!" So much for censorship... d'oh!
But wait! There's more! Brian Williams served as a correspondent throughout the show, and as soon as The Who walked off stage, he thought he would be comical and make a few remarks on Roger's unbottoned shirt and Keith Moon dropping the f-bomb. Yeah, you read that right. Brian Williams called Pete Townshend, Keith Moon. Epic freaking fail. Half of Twitter knew the mix up but the other half clearly did not. I saw a few tweets from people blasting "Keith Moon" for 'cursing during such an important event'... okaaaaay then. Keith Moon has been dead for about 34 years now, but yeah, okay. Stick to talking about the nightly news, BW. Oh, and also, what's with Brian Williams and 'flinging dead cats around the room'... I mean, really? He couldn't have used another example? What a f*cking tool.
Up next was Crapye Trash. I mean, Kanye West. Get that shit out of here. And what in the frack was he wearing? A leather skirt? A leather kilt? With leather pants underneath? Leather leggings? I don't friggin' know, but he looked absofuckinglutely ridiculous. How does someone like that get to be on the same bill as Springsteen, Roger Waters, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Billy Joel, and Sir Paul McCartney? How? That should be a privilege... and Kanye is so not deserving of that privilege. I immediately hit the mute button and turned my back to the TV screen... I would've had zero knowledge of what he was wearing, if it wasn't for a friend asking me what he was wearing. (Thanks, Chee! I loved those nightmares.) Here's the setlist, abbreviated versions of: "Clique", "Mercy", "Power","Jesus Walks", "Run This Town", "Diamonds From Sierra Leone", "Touch the Sky","Gold Digger", "Good Life", "Runaway", "Stronger". Yeah, he got to play a zillion songs... ummm less Kanye and more Stones. Please? Also, The Who should never "open" for Kanye West. Ever. Billy Joel. I don't love Billy Joel but I don't hate Billy Joel, either. When it comes to Billy Joel, I think I am on team neutral. Yeah. I absolutely adore "Piano Man"... but that wasn't in his setlist. These songs were in the set, though! "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "New York State of Mind", "River of Dreams", "You May Be Right" and "Only the Good Die Young". Billy Joel was 500x better than Kanye... and all Mr. Joel had was a piano. No auto-tune was needed. It's called realtalent. Chris Martin (for those who don't know, he's the lead singer of Coldplay) performed nexy... that was only a tad awkward. He sang "Viva la Vida" while playing an acoustic guitar. Then, he brought Michael Stipe on stage, and they sang "Losing My Religion". That was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night... as Michael Stipe wasn't even listed as a performer... nobody knew he was appearing! Chris ended with "Us Against The World". He also gave us one of the best quotes of the night: "I know you really wanted One Direction, but it's past their bedtime."
Three words: SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!!! I know his performance at the Olympics was a bit rough... but I thought he did a superb job at this concert. Superb. His voice cracked a little during "Blackbird"... but at least he wasn't wearing a black leather skirt. Ha! Okay, so, Paul opened up with "Helter Skelter", which was totally badass. Absolutely badass. "Let Me Roll It" came next, followed by "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" ♥ Diana Krall joined him in singing "My Valentine". "Blackbird" was next and it made my heart flutter! I absolutely adore that song. Then came the moment a lot of people were waiting for. A moment that could have been really epic... or a moment that could have been epically bad. For me, it was an epic moment. The surviving members of Nirvana (Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic) and Pat Smear took to the stage to perform "Cut Me Some Slack". My mind was blown. My mind is still blown. You either loved it or you hated it. Courtney Love hated it and I loved it. The Nirvana boys left and it was back to being Paul and his band... "I Got a Feeling" was performed next, and "Live and Let Die" was the final song of the set. Paul McCartney at 70 can still sing way better than Axl Rose... just sayin'. Alicia Keys came back out and sang "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" with Paul McCartney for the finale.
I cannot get enough of this concert. I watched anencore this morning and I'm watching one now. Where else are you going to find all these classic rock legends on one stage?
The money raised from the Wednesday night performanceat New York’s Madison
Square Garden is going to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which aids East
Coast families in need with their recovery from Hurricane Sandy’s
destruction.
On this day, 11 years ago, we lost George Harrison to lung cancer. He was 58 years old. (February 25, 1943 – November 29, 2001) Sad, sad, day. Actually, "sad, sad, day" is an understatement. Devastating is more like it. Massively devastating.
I'm not going to get all mushy and write a novel. I might save that for his birthday in February... ha! George Harrison is one of my all-time favorite musicians. He was one of those quiet geniuses. Those are the best. He was just brilliant. A Brilliant musician, and he had a brilliant mind.George was just amazing.
On this day, 21 years ago, the world lost one of rock's greatest legends.
Don't worry, I'm not going to get all mushy with this post. I will say this, though: Freddie Mercury was the greatest frontman ever. And he'll always be the greatest frontman ever. It doesn't get much better than Freddie. A few people might come close... close, but no cigar. His powerful vocals, his flamboyant stage persona, and his genuine enthusiasm... he was just the greatest. Legendary. One of a kind.
Whenever I complete my time machine, I am definitely going back and seeing him perform live and in the flesh. I seriously envy anyone who had the opportunity to attend a Queen show with Freddie Mercury. I know that HAD to be an incredibly epic experience. Absolutely epic. Hell, I get goosebumps and teary-eyed just from watching "Queen Rock Montreal"... it happens every time I watch it. Every time. Green with envy. And not just "Queen Rock Montreal"... all of that occurs whenever I watch any Freddie Mercury/Queen performance. The rock world music world suffered a HUGE loss when Freddie died. We need Freddie Mercury... can we please have him back? Please?
Yes, I know... the obvious choice. But "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the greatest song EVER.
I had to post this one!!! I had to!!! Haha!
The show must go on...
Rest In Peace, Mr. Mercury. We miss you. Dearly. ♥
This is rather long... almost an hour, but it's worth watching!
The majority of what is shown here is concert footage (taken from various performances). It also shows them walking around/hanging out on the streets of New York, as well as "Yoshiki in Paris". It would have been fun to experience that in person! During the New York part, a few people actually stop dead in their tracks. They get a lot stares and "WTF" looks... and at the end , one guy actually lifts up his sunglasses! haha! No dude, you are not looking at a pretty Japanese chick walking by... you're looking at a pretty Japanese dude. There are also random sequences (like the opening scene) that occur a few times throughout all of this, that serve as fillers? Or maybe it's supposed to add to the "visual shock"? It's a bit weird... but interesting. Towards the end, they show the music video for "Endless Rain", and it ends with more concert/fan footage behind the ending credits, as well as a thank you message to the fans.
A little background information for those who have zero knowledge about this band
X = X Japan. They changed their name to X Japan in 1992. This was made (or released) in 1989, so they were still under the name X.
If you saw a picture of them without hearing their music first, you would probably think they sounded like Poison or Enuff Z'Nuff (or any of the other U.S. glam/hair metal bands... nope! They started out as a speed metal band... but later progressed into a rock band emphasizing on ballads. Their outer appearance/look does not match their music. Guys with big hair... and I mean BIG!!! Makeup galore... in glammed out clothing... playing speed metal. Ha! That makes for some interesting stuff!
They achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album, Blue Blood.
They're massively f*cking huge in Japan (my brother gave his approval of this statement). In Japan, they're what The Beatles, U2, and The Rolling Stones are to the West, combined. They were at their hugest peak during the mid-90s. However, they are still massively important/popular over there.
SO massively huge that drummer Yoshiki had to move to the States because he became too huge/popular. He couldn't go anywhere or do anything without being swarmed by a sea of fans. Yoshiki is the head honcho, by the way. He's their songwriter and does almost all of the interviews.
hide and Taiji are no longer with us. R.I.P. (hide died in 1998 and Taiji died in 2011.)
Going back to their hugeness and massive popularity, hide's death practically shut Japan down for a while. Seriously. Fans mourned outside of the gates for miles. MILES! Thousands of fans gathered on the streets and sidewalks... if not more. I've seen stuff on youtube... it's massively depressing. My brother is the huge X / X Japan fan around here, but watching all of that still gave me the sniffles. Sad, sad, stuff, man. Sad, sad, stuff. Think of Kurt Cobain's death + John Lennon's death times 50. Maybe even more.
Although hide is deceased, the band still considers him a member and introduces him at every concert. The group also goes as far as playing audio/video of his voice/guitar for some of the songs. Also, I believe they've even used a hide hologram? That's massively rad... yet massively eerie.
That concludes the brief X / X Japan 101 lesson. Class is dismissed.
We can all thank my brother, Nick, for the lesson... haha!
Now that I've completely bummed everyone out with my previous post (Remembering Michael Hutchence), I think we are in dire need of a good time!! Well, maybe not in dire need... but a good time is a must. So here we go!!
Australia and the U.S.A. now share the same date. November 22nd.
This post is not going to focus on text, like the previous one... this post will consist of pictures of Michael as well as INXS, and an INXS Spotify playlist that I've made. We're going to honor/remember Hutch, as well as honor/remember INXS with Michael. No mushy stuff... just some visuals and some rad tunes. It's what we need. I want this blog to load as smoothly as possible, so I will limit the pictures to only a few... or maybe just set them all as 'small'. haha!
Let's have a good time...
(I do NOT own any of these photos... please don't sue my ass!)
♥♥♥♥♥♥
Peace, Love, & Michael Hutchence,
~Lizzy Lepp
P.S. - Spotify doesn't have "Elegantly Wasted"... that's why the playlist lacks songs from that album!
Michael Kelland John Hutchence January 22, 1960-November 22, 1997
I'm wearing my INXS shirt today. It's November 21st here in America, but it's November 22nd in Australia. Michael Hutchence died sometime in the A.M. (somewhere between 7am and 11:50am) on November 22nd, 1997 (Australian time)... which
still would've been November 21st our time. Make sense? Yes? No? Maybe?
Well, we're in the same boat... because for the most part, this confuses me
too. I start the honoring/remembering (whatever you prefer to call it)
on the 21st... and it lasts for two days. This year, Thanksgiving
"turkey day" lands on November 22nd, so I have to write this blog today instead, and do all of the core
festivities today. That should be okay, because of the time difference... I think?! I'll try to do as much as I can tomorrow... but we'll
see how that goes.
I hate the feeling I have during these two days. It feels like someone has kicked me in the gut. For the entire two days.
Every year, it's the same tradition: I wear an INXS shirt, listen to INXS for most of the two days, watch their music videos, and watch their "Live Baby Live" concert DVD. Yeah, I take this very seriously. As much as I hate this day and the
22nd, it's all about keeping Hutch's memory and spirit alive, as well as
his legacy. Just because he's gone, he shouldn't be forgotten. I usually get some sort of flack for it, but zero f*cks are given.
INXS is one of my favorite bands... Michael Hutchence INXS. I love a lot of bands, but INXS will always, always be in the top 3. Mhm! Always. Michael Hutchence was f*cking fabulous. FABULOUS. Where should I begin? I'll start with his voice. His voice = sex. If sex had a voice, it'd be Michael Hutchence's. I'm pretty damn sure of it. Not only did he have sex for a voice, but he also had the voice of an angel. It's just perfect. It's smooth, silky, sexy/sensual, sultry... and at times, haunting. He will forever be my favorite vocalist. I have a few favorite vocalists, but he's definitely #1. As far as overall frontmanship goes, Michael will forever be near the top of my list for that, too. Very few frontmen beat him in my world, I would say Freddie Mercury being the only one. He gets compared to Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger... and I see the comparisons. But they're only minor comparisons; he wasn't either of them, he was just Michael Hutchence. A white dude who had soul and swagger. Songwriting... let's go in that direction! His lyrics are absolutely amazing, and absolutely beautiful. Between him and Andrew Farriss... that is some superb songwriting right there. Hutch and Andrew are my 2nd favorite songwriting duo... only behind Lennon/McCartney. I am dead serious.
I guess I can talk about his looks... he was alright. ha! NO! That man was absolutely gorgeous. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! He was sex on a stick. Just... beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful; inside and out. He was just special. Unique. He was one of a kind.
I also liked his personality. I like the adorably mysterious thing he had going... the sexy yet sweet
charm... wild yet shy... his sensuality, and the way he moved. Just, everything. He was just it. He was the ultimate rock star. Whenever someone asks me what my definition of a rock star is, I tell them, Michael Hutchence. He was a rock god and will always be a rock god.
He's gone, but I will always adore him, and he will always fascinate me. He was just so cool. Too cool.
Rest In Peace, Hutch... my Aquarian brother ♥
Now let's jam!! Here are just a *few* of my fave tunes :)
(I'll be posting my INXS Spotify playlist tomorrow!)
