The Show Must Go On

Today I'm really missing the genius of Freddie Mercury. It's hard to believe he's been gone for 18 years.

I grew up in the same house my grandmother and uncle lived in, as well as my own parents and sister. My uncle is 12 years older than me and consequently more like an older brother than an uncle. I owe a lot of my musical education to him, as he constantly had the stereo blasting at all hours of the day and night. It's due to him that I was introduced at a young age to the brilliance of Queen. I clearly remember getting upset with him and his girlfriend once because they were going to see Queen in concert and they weren't taking me (I'm guessing I was around 8 at the time). My uncle used to take his camera and a huge lens into all the concerts he went to back then, and we pored over the photos he took at that show. It was classic Freddie in the black leather outfit.

I had access to all my uncle's albums any time I wanted them as long as I was careful, but I proudly bought The Game album all on my own. As I got older I thought no music collection was complete without copies of A Night at the Opera or Day at the Races. I've searched high and low for a copy of the soundtrack to the movie Highlander because of Queen's score. I sat through the movie Flash Gordon countless times because Queen's music was the absolute best part of it. The scene featuring "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Wayne's World is one of the best musical moments on film. And absolutely no one can deny that Freddie Mercury ruled Live Aid. When he got everyone in Wembley Stadium doing the hand movements in "Radio Gaga"..... brilliant. If you haven't seen it, check for it on YouTube.

Freddie Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45 from complications from AIDS. It shocked and upset a lot of people, not merely because he died, but because he didn't announce until the day before his death that he was gay and had the disease. Activists claim if he had come out earlier, more attention would have been given to the disease and more money raised for a cure, but Mercury was notoriously private. Personally, I didn't care. I was shocked and upset because one of my favorite singers was gone, and I knew his death would leave a huge hole in music that will never be filled.

I never got to see Queen perform live. But it wouldn't be wrong for me to say they have been, and continue to be, one of my favorite bands. I could go on and on about Freddie's musical abilities, his songwriting, his inimitable voice. I could wax poetic about how Queen incorporated all types of musical styles into their own style of rock music and carried it it off impeccably. The bottom line is that Freddie Mercury was the king of frontmen, leading the band with style, swagger and pure energy. I miss him.

God Gave Rock and Roll To You

The first time the death of a rock and roll performer affected me was back in 1991. Coincidentally, it wasn't just one person, but two who died on the same day that shook me up. The first person was Freddie Mercury, lead singer for Queen, but I'll deal with that tomorrow on the actual anniversary. The second was Eric Carr of KISS.

Anyone who's read any of my other posts or looked at the photos on the right knows I count KISS as influential in my life and in my love of rock music. I was a huge fan of Peter Criss, the original drummer for the band, and wasn't too happy when he was replaced in 1980 by Eric Carr. But eventually, Eric won me over and I rocked out to his beats just as much as Peter's.

Eric Carr died at the age of 41 of a very rare type of cancer, heart cancer. It was a shock to hear of his death, especially as he was so young. KISS is such a force of nature, it seemed like nothing could touch them, and then to lose their backbone.... It was a terrible tragedy.

Today, in honor of Eric, I pulled out all the recordings I had of him behind the kit and had a listen. I'm sure I'm not the only KISS fan doing that today.

And the saga continues....

Will the is he or isn't he Aerosmith story ever die?

Now it seems that Bradley Whitford and Joey Kramer have jumped into the fray. They are making allegations about Steven Tyler's sobriety and questioning his behavior, saying he's not acting like a "sober person." From what I've read, it sounds to me like they are actively pursuing a new singer.

Joey Kramer said the band has their 40th anniversary coming up and they want to be able to go out and celebrate that with their fans. Well, guess what, guys? Aerosmith ain't Aerosmith without Steven Tyler. From a fan, for the sake of all fans, pull it together.

I Wonder....

if anyone will care if we see Roger Daltrey's or Pete Townsend's nipple during their Super Bowl halftime show?

To Hell and Back

I love to read about as much as I love music. So it's only natural for me to love books about music and musicians. I've read lots of biographies and autobiographies, but none has stayed with me like The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx.

I wouldn't call myself a crazy Motley Crue fan, but I was definitely into them back in the day. I thought Tommy Lee was the hottie in the band and Nikki was the wacked out druggie. Intelligent, yes, but volatile and messed up. I remember when he overdosed and "died" before being brought back by a shot of adrenalin to the heart. My best friend Eye even used Nikki's overdose in a script for a video she made in our a/v class. I played the person who discussed how even though Nikki Sixx, my idol, used heroin, it wouldn't make me do it. My performance, of course, was Oscar worthy.

Nowadays, Tommy Lee is so sleazy that I feel like I need to scrape him off the bottom of my shoe, and Nikki, clean and sober, is still intelligent, but also compelling and let's face it, plain hot. I was really looking forward to reading his book.

The Heroin Diaries is a collection of diary entries between Christmas 1986 and 1987. The book chronicles the recording of the Girls Girls Girls album and subsequent tour, as well as his relationships with the rest of the band, friends, his then girlfriend Vanity and his family. It also features photos, lyrics and artwork.

The first thought that comes to mind only a few pages into it is how is this man still alive? On almost every page he is ingesting some sort of illegal substance and/or alcohol. He struggles on each page with the knowledge that he is slowly killing himself, but is in so much emotional pain that being high is the only way he can get through the day. There were times when I had to put the book down and walk away because it was too painful to read on. I really have to give Nikki credit for putting this out for the whole world to read. It is unflinching, gripping, and palpably painful.

The Heroin Diaries debuted at #7 on the best seller list, with a portion of the proceeds going to the charitable organization Running Wild in the Night. With the band Sixx A.M., Nikki also released an accompanying soundtrack with the stand out track "Life Is Beautiful."

Music may be Nikki's first love, and his art, and his chosen way to express himself, but let's face it, Motley Crue will never be Grammys' darling. Nikki is now turning towards writing and photography as other means of making his mark on the world, and I'm really interested in what he'll come up with next. It would have been a shame if this man had succumbed to his demons.

How Old Are You Guys, Five?

I hate he said/she said stories. I really hate he said/he said stories. I especially hate he said/he said stories when the he's in question are in their 60s.

Request to Steven Tyler and Joe Perry - cut the crap.

Is he or isn't he? Is Steven Tyler leaving Aerosmith? Well, get out your scorecards. After Tyler's accident this summer, the word was the band was taking a break. Then Joe Perry started talking, and things started to sound a little different. Next he took to Twitter and started tweeting about "certain band members" leaving. Oh really, who could that be? Steven Tyler's daughter Mia tweets that Joe needs to keep his mouth shut. Tyler himself then shows up at a Joe Perry solo gig in New York and gives Joe a verbal finger, telling him that although Joe's a man of many colors, he, Steven, is the whole effin' rainbow.

Enough. You are both acting like you're in junior high school.

And given the fact that Joe Perry just released a solo album called Have Guitar, Will Travel, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this is just a very poor excuse to get publicity for the CD.

But seriously. Just stop. You're nosediving into Britney and Lindsay territory, and personally, as a longtime fan, I don't want to see you go there. Aerosmith is better than that.

Okay.....

So Jon Bon Jovi is going to appear on the season premiere of "Inside the Actor's Studio" with James Lipton.

Um, did I miss something?

Go to http://www.imdb.com and search for him. Yes, he has acting credits. Yes, he's appeared in movies and on TV. But is he "Inside the Actor's Studio" material?

I would have to say no.

Granted, there have been other musical artists on the show, but we're talking people like Elton John and Diana Ross. People in another stratosphere of career longevity and contributions. And okay, Bravo is owned by NBC, and Bon Jovi is the "artist in residence" for NBC for a while. But I just can't see it.

Might have to tune in just for the fun factor (and to see him get blown off the submarine one more time).

Strong Women Rock

Rihanna finally broke her silence about the assault involving Chris Brown earlier this year. Although she says she was embarrassed and humiliated after it happened, she feels that she did the right thing by breaking up with him after it happened. Rihanna realized that she sets an example for other young women, so she felt that she needed to get out of a situation that others might find themselves in. She didn't want to be responsible for any young woman staying in an abusive relationship. Good girl.

Evanescence, with killer frontwoman Amy Lee, played a one-off gig in New York City as a warm-up gig for a South American tour. They rocked a full set and promised new material next year. Can't wait!

Baby, One More Time...

I'm feeling a hole in my life. There's something missing, something that's just not right with my universe. What could it be?

Oh, wait, I know. I miss Rock of Love.

For those of you living under a rock for the past two years, Rock of Love was VH1's "reality" dating show featuring Poison's Bret Michaels. Twenty women vie for his affections while living in a mansion or on a tour bus, and each week women are eliminated until one remains to be his "Rock of Love."

Bret searched for his Rock of Love not once, not twice, but three times. As far as I know, he's still searching. But while he was searching, there was lots of salacious fun to be had.

You know how when you drive by a car wreck, you want to look away but just can't? That's a perfect description for this show. Surprisingly, Bret turned out to be sweet and kind, while the women trying to win Bret's heart were quite a motley crew. Strippers, models, actresses and a few semi-normal girls dominated the show, and the ensuing sluttiness, cat fights, name calling, backstabbing and general bitchiness turned the program into must see TV for me. For millions of others too, judging by the ratings for all three seasons.

There's no doubt the show gave a boost to Bret's career. It showcased his solo music, including the theme song which he wrote especially for it. It brought bigger crowds out to his live performances and really turned him into a household name. He even made it into People magazine's "Sexiest" issue. But, I guess Bret is done. Since the third time was obviously not the charm, I guess he decided to hang up the ol' bandana. And I have to give VH1 credit. They're trying to fill the dating show void by introducing a new show with actor Antonio Sabato Jr., but it lacks the sleaziness of Rock of Love.

Come on, Bret, just one more time.