Thom Yorke
Jonny Greenwood
Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood
Phil Selway
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Just in case there was any doubt as to how much the band Stillwater in Almost Famous was inspired by the real-life rockers a teenage Cameron Crowe traveled with in the 1970s as a budding journalist for Rolling Stone, the director sat down with Jonsi — the man behind the score to Crowe’s latest directorial effort, We Bought A Zoo — to discuss a story mirrored in the 2000 film. Back in 1975, Led Zeppelin were initially reluctant to pose for the cover of the magazine, having memorized and fumed over RS‘s negative review of their debut LP. With a little encouragement from Joe Walsh to help the then 16-year-old Crowe land a cover story and the agreement of all members (including the final standout, Jimmy Page), they agreed to be feted on the publication. Check out the full video of Crowe’s story above, and Led Zep’s first Rolling Stone cover to the left.
33 Christmases ago, Tom Waits performed for an episode of Austin City Limits, honoring the holiday season with his trademark world-weary troubadour take on “Silent Night” alongside one of his own classics, “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis.” Today, ACL shared this wonderful clip on the eve of Christmas Eve — a perfect time to reflect on both the holidays and the year that brought us yet another stunning Waits record, three decades later. Enjoy the 1978 clip above.
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Back in December of 2002, Radiohead performed an unusual, partially holiday-themed webcast from their official site called “Inside Out Night,” debuting this year’s The King of Limbs cut “Morning Mr. Magpie” among other impromptu takes and in-studio banter. While this version doesn’t bring the cheer of most holiday tunes, “Winter Wonderland” is morphed into a tripped-out, jaunty number that finds Thom Yorke and the boys loosening up from their usual self-serious approach. Radiohead completists and curious Christmas covers aficionados alike might want to check out the gloriously odd version above.
Meanwhile, in recent Radiohead news, a recording surfaced this week that many believe is an unreleased, previously-unheard song from the Bends era. Though some publications and fans aren’t entirely sold on whether the tune is real or not, the band have yet to confirm or deny either way. In fact, the title of the track itself is up for debate, with some calling it “How Do You Sit Still” and others dubbing the cut “Putting Ketchup in the Fridge.” Regardless, this is a pretty catchy number and worth checking out:
“How Do You Sit Still / Putting Ketchup in the Fridge”
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We’ve seen the Nine Inch Nails mastermind lead his former band Exotic Birds and play keyboards for Slam Bamboo, but now some more footage from the ’80s has surfaced of a younger, endearingly cheesier Trent Reznor. This time, he not only further proves his prowess in that decade’s pop music, but he takes on one of its iconic hits as well: “Eyes Without A Face.” Watch some blurry footage of the future Oscar-winning industrial game-changer channeling Billy Idol below:
]]>One of the best and retrospectively important scenes in the White Stripes’ tour film Under Great White Northern Lights is when Meg White cracks under the pressure of the duo’s whirlwind Canadian tour — a jaunt that found the pair visiting every province in the country before later U.S. dates were canceled due to Meg’s anxiety.
Not only does this scene show the former married couple in the final moment of what would become the end of their touring relationship, but it’s arguably the most raw and vulnerable state fans had seen either Jack (who stops to console her) or Meg (who finally cries after trying to hold back tears throughout the performance) before. Though the pair reunited for a performance on Conan O’Brien’s final episode of Late Night and didn’t formally split until much later, I like to imagine this scene as the appropriate, bittersweet conclusion to one of the most compelling rock collaborations of the past decade.
One of many memorable Tom Waits television appearances over the years was this funny performance and interview on Fernwood Tonight, aka Fernwood 2Nite, a short-lived parody talk show hosted by Martin Mull and Fred Willard set in the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio. Watch Waits sing 1976 Small Change cut “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (an Evening with Pete King)” before riffing with the hosts while smoking like a chimney above.
Classic Waits Pull-Quote: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
]]>Humble beginnings of The Boss, opening for former Bob Dylan mentor Dave Van Ronk in Dylan’s old stomping grounds, Greenwich Village, at just 23. This was the same year Springsteen was first signed to Columbia by John Hammond, the same guy that discovered — you guessed it — Bob Dylan. Note the physical resemblance as well.
]]>52 years ago today, we lost the great Billie Holiday after only 44 years amid incredibly sad circumstances. Rather than mark the occasion with some of her most infamous recordings — “Strange Fruit,” “Summertime,” “Gloomy Sunday,” et al. — I thought it best to recall this lesser-discussed footage of Holiday performing alongside Louis Armstrong in 1947’s New Orleans, her only major film appearance.
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