The Grateful Dead are increasingly living up to the latter half of their name, with the passing of Bob Weir. It must be said that he did pretty well out of that group considering he got kicked out of it briefly early on, though since the rest of the band played under a different name for those gigs without him that meant he still played every show the Grateful Dead ever did…
I’d only just bought Blackstar that afternoon. Didn’t even have time to listen to it before the news broke (indeed, my first hearing of the album would be on Double J that evening when they played the whole thing). Dave’s timing was impeccable. In memoriam ten years later, duke.
Happy slightly belated 50th anniversary to Punk magazine, which apparently first burst onto the world on January 2nd 1976. The term “punk” had been circulating for a few years but mostly in relation to 60s garage rock; I gather Punk was a big player in drawing attention to a certain contemporary scene in New York (and other US cities and, lest we forget, Australia) that had been percolating around that time and the term “punk” being used to describe that new music. Plus it wound up originating thousands of print followers of its own. I wonder if messrs Holmstrom and McNeil ever thought that music would become a kind of “classic rock” in the way that certain strains of 60s and earlier 70s rock became thus enshrined during the 80s, though…
All those tedious people who whine about The Kids These Days talking about “vinyls”? Now you’ve REALLY got something to complain about…
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81
A message from his wife Latifa Chambers on Instagram reads: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career … Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes.” Her message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.
With hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want, I Can See Clearly Now and Wonderful World, Beautiful People, Cliff’s upbeat musical temperament brought him a large and longstanding fanbase. His lead acting role in 1972 crime drama The Harder They Come was also acclaimed, with the film seen as a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema.
He is one of just a handful of musicians, alongside Bob Marley and others, to be awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness was among those paying tribute to Cliff, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world … Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul. His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”
Indeed, an anniversary pretty much everyone I follow online seems to have missed. Have I just not been paying attention? Anyway, let’s rectify that lack of recognition. Apart from the historical importance of it being their first show, it was also noteworthy for causing a fracture in the headline act, a mob called Bazooka Joe, who hated the Pistols with their bassist being the only one who enjoyed them, and the latter went off to form his own band, which turned into Adam and the Ants about 18 months later. Da diddly qua qua indeed.
Ace Frehley’s comet has gone back to the stars. Really, it’s kind of surprising in some respects that he lasted this long, given his propensity for substance abuse when he was in Kiss, but all credit to him for finally getting off the shit and managing fine without those other two guys. People are sorry to see Ace go. I don’t think they’ll miss Paul or Gene the same way (especially not the latter).
Going through my download folder, I was reminded that I grabbed this off Bluesky a few months ago… two of my favourite 1960s British pop culture icons together? Amazing. But today I suddenly had an attack of “oh no, what if this is actually a Photoshop job or, worse, AI?”; I couldn’t imagine why someone would do such a thing, but at the same time it also feels like the exact sort of thing someone would do… So, quick research ensued, and lo, this bloody thing is apparently authentic; apparently it was taken at the Cannes Film Festival, the Fabs had just finished making Help! so they had a film to promote… and so did Milton Subotsky, that being Dr. Who and the Daleks, the big screen version of a certain BBC show that I suppose Amicus/Aaru thought they should make a film of while it was still popular and before it faded from TV screens, never to be remembered again… So yeah, evidently a Dalek did have a close encounter with Lennon, at least; both films came out within a few weeks of each other, too. I just wonder now who the guy lurking ominously to the back and left of the photo is…
Oh look, it’s Morrissey cancelling shows again! Who’d have ever thought? This time, though, he apparently has a good excuse:
Morrissey has cancelled two shows in the US over a “credible threat on his life”, according to his official Facebook page.
The former Smiths singer, 66, was due to appear at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, on Friday night, and at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
But a statement posted on his Facebook account on Friday evening said: “In recent days, there has been a credible threat on Morrissey’s life. Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of both the artist and audience, tonight’s engagement at Foxwoods has been cancelled. We appreciate your understanding.”
A second post said both the shows had been cancelled due to “recent events and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of both the artist and band”. […]
Earlier this week a 26-year-old man from Ottawa, Canada, was released on bail after allegedly threatening to kill Morrissey at his performance in the city.
The man is accused of issuing a threat against Morrissey on Bluesky on 4 September, the Ottawa Citizen reported, citing court documents.
According to the news outlet, a post on the social media platform read: “Steven Patrick Morrissey when you perform at TD Place here in Ottawa next week on the evening of September 12th, 2025 at about 9pm, I will be present at the venue in the audience and I will attempt to shoot you many times and kill you with a very large gun that I own illegally.”
I’m not sure what difference the legality of the very large gun makes here, and I just find that a very odd statement. But, as the article also notes, the Ottawa show went ahead as normal, unlike these other two shows he’s pulled out of. Is Moz just full of shit, or was the American threat more credible than the Canadian one? Admittedly I feel like he’s more likely to be the quarry (sorry) in the US than in Canada, because, let’s face it, America, but still… Anyway, I think if someone really wanted to hurt SPM, they’d do it by going up to him and rubbing a steak in his face…
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