Cock rock was dealt a blow when Darkness front man Justin Hawkins, while being pulled by a speedboat at high speeds on a giant inflatable tube, came “unstuck” and hurt himself. He suffered broken ribs and torn muscles in his legs sayeth the Sun. Ouch. The image of the lamb’s wool-afro’d singer skimming on the surface of the water in his sequined catsuit until he slows down and you hear the groaning is too much. Ribs broken…leg muscles torn… Can someone say “groin region” dealt a blow. No word on how Justin’s ego is doing.

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I wonder if he’ll be playing “When I’m 64″ seeing that he is in his 64th year? [birthday is June 18, 1942] Sir Paul McCartney is bringing his show back on the road for those scant few Beatles fans out there. I keed. Mixing up solo stuff with his Wings and Beatles catalog, you can pretty much hum every single melody the guy has ever written. And considering the Beatles stopped touring after 1965, anything he plays off Revolver on is being played for the first time live, aside from his last tour that is. Still, it’s amazing when you think about it. The most famous songs you can imagine being played live for only the first or second time.

Dates off ProductshopNYC are:

09.16.05 – Miami – (American Airlines Arena)
09.17.05 – Tampa, Fla. – (St. Pete Times Forum)
09.20.05 – Atlanta – (Philips Arena)
09.22.05 – Philadelphia – (Wachovia Center)
09.26.05 – Boston – (FleetCenter)
10.04.05 – New York – (Madison Square Garden)
10.05.05 – New York – (Madison Square Garden)
10.08.05 – Washington, D.C. – (MCI Center)
10.10.05 – Toronto – (Air Canada Centre)
10.14.05 – Detroit – (Palace at Auburn Hills)
10.18.05 – Chicago – (United Center)
10.22.05 – Columbus, Ohio – (Value City Arena)
10.23.05 – Milwaukee – (Bradley Center)
10.26.05 – St. Paul, Minn. – (Xcel Energy Center)
10.27.05 – Des Moines, Iowa – (Wells Fargo Arena)
10.30.05 – Omaha, Neb. – (Qwest Center)
11.01.05 – Denver – (Pepsi Center)
11.03.05 – Seattle – (Key Arena)
11.04.05 – Portland, Ore. – (Rose Garden)
11.07.05 – San Jose, Calif. – (HP Pavilion)
11.11.05 – Anaheim, Calif. – (Arrowhead Pond)
11.16.05 – Sacramento, Calif. – (Arco Arena)
11.19.05 – Houston – (Toyota Center)
11.20.05 – Dallas – (American Airlines Center)
11.23.05 – Phoenix – (Glendale Arena)
11.25.05 – Las Vegas – (MGM Grand Garden)
11.26.05 – Las Vegas – (MGM Grand Garden)
11.29.05 – Los Angeles – (Staples Center)

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Perhaps the best interviewee of his time, Noel Gallagher will be unleashing some quality soundbytes in a webchat answering questions from Oasis fans from all over the world reports Gigwise. The webchat is to celebrate 10 years of the bands website oasisnet.com. Fans are asked to email their questions to Noel prior to and during the webchat. The cyberchat will take place in London and will be transmitted live over the interweb on Friday 22nd of April at 7pm UK time, (so that’s 2pm in New York, 11am in LA and 1am on 23rd of April in Tokyo).

No word on the webcam for your voyeurs out there. Leave that to the pros.

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Bloc Party are a lot of things. They are the “Next Big Thing”, they’re on the cover of all the magazines including the FADER, they have hit singles, they over-saturated the SXSW weenie-fest, they have no commercial radio station in New York to play them [what up, Gary Gorman?], they are still unknown by most people in the US, but at their very core, they are four young kids having fun and a whole industry is in on the ride with them. They could just as easily be playing their up-teenth unknown club show in London, but instead they are playing their third sold-out US mini tour and are signed to Vice/Atlantic playing in front of ever growing crowds day after day. That’s big. Last night they crashed down at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. The band entered to 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop”, the choice was probably the first time the NYC bloggerati have heard the song at a venue. Kicking off with “Like Eating Glass” off Silent Alarm, they rambled through their cavalcade of jaunty,Telecaster-ific, crisp “drums-for-math-students”, dance-rock including mega hits “Banquet”, “The Marshals Are Dead”, “She’s Hearing Voices”, “Staying Fat” and “The Answer”. Showing that youthful charisma, they charmed the crowd with little homages to fellow “it bands” like the Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Interpol in the form of quick guitar hooks in between songs as they tuned up. Lead singer Kele Okereke, the slight instigator [mockingly defending Coldplay at one point] is a great front man. Considering he is just a young kid from England living out his dream in front of a dreary, cross-armed NYC crowd, he had that perfect blend of guys respecting him and girls wanting to bang him. Get some penicillin, bro. My personal fave is bassist Gordon Moakes, he lays it down but also provides the harmonies and backing vocals that really highlight a song. When you think about it, each guy has something about him. Like a mini Beatles. Drummer Matt Tong is Ringo [is it Tongo?] and guitarist Russell is the silent George. The expectations are high but isn’t that just the place every band wants to be in? Yeah, maybe they are sloppy at times and out of tune, but that all seems like player-hatin’ when you look at the bigger picture. Ultimately, compared to all the other new bands out there who take themselves a little too serious, it’s refreshing to see Bloc Party honestly bring it to the masses. Other standouts were the ectasy ballad “So Here We Are”, “Luno”, “Price Of Gas” and the unreleased track “Little Thoughts” which is on the Player #53.

Now if only a radio station in New York would play them.

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This day always stands out in my mind. April 8, 1994 to be exact. I was in San Diego, CA working at a sound stage for a production company. I was driving the company van to work and the radio was reporting that Kurt Cobain was believed dead. [His death would later be changed to April 5, but the 8th stands out in my head]. I think it was a Friday, too, and I decided to take the day off. Part because my j-o-b was stale and part because I had to get my personal tribute going. I remember playing the songs that day and then all the lyrics took on a new life and meaning. “Oh, was that what he meant?” I kept on saying to myself. The media propped him up as a generation’s lost true genius. No longer a whiny, flannel wearing husband to succubus Courtney Love, but a true member of the “27 year old” club that included Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison, among others. There is a band from the ’90s called Urban Dance Squad who had a song called “Famous When You’re Dead” that I always associate with the phenomenon of loving the departed. It’s the reason why we celebrate December 8 instead of October 9 for John Lennon. His death date is bigger than his birth date. Maybe because it’s the shock of losing someone in their prime that makes the death stand out against their birth. I don’t mean to get all philosophical on you, take it for what it’s worth. As Cinderella once said, “you don’t know what you got, until it’s gone”. But if reflecting back on Kurt effects an emotional pygmy like myself, it probably would do the same for you if only someone reminded you. And that’s what I’m doing.

Crank up some Nirvana, I know I am.

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