Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
It used to be that the primary link between rock stars and models was that they dated each other. These days, the line between the two factions is blurred at best. Oh sure, they’re still dating each other. But check it out: Jon Bon Jovi and Madonna posing seductively for Versace ad campaigns while human clothes hangers Donovan Leitch and Milla sing their hearts out onstage.
Bassists everywhere are probably shuddering in horror as Local H climbs up the music charts. The Chicago-based duo is making a name for itself without the benefit of a bass guitar. “We have a big sound,” said drummer Joe Daniels, phoning from Rochester, N.Y. “Scott (Lucas) has a huge guitar sound, and our soundman is like the icing on the cake. He really makes everything sound good. People ask us all the time what we’d do if a cable went out or something, and the answer is the same for us as for anyone else in a band. You fix it and keep going on. We’ve been doing this a long time.”
There isn’t a rock fan out there who hasn’t fantasized about hanging with his or her favorite band for a few days. So when I was offered the opportunity to hit the road with Dishwalla, who are on tour with the Refreshments and Tonic, I said, “Yes!” I didn’t think it was going to be 100 percent fun all the time, but I also knew that thanks to the unions that regulate such things, I wouldn’t be allowed to lift any heavy objects. Heck. That’s a better deal than the MTV contest winner whose prize was to be a roadie for Bruce Springsteen.
Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky admit to having “great radio faces,” but the “Loveline” co-hosts will land on MTV starting Monday.
The Drag is the best Britpop band in America. Never mind that the musicians hail from Myrtle Beach, S.C., rather than Manchester, England. Unless you hear them speak with their slight Southern drawl, you’d swear this young quintet hailed from the U.K.
The three musicians in Ash are so young that when their record label signed them two years ago, their contract stipulated that the kids could finish their school exams. In fact, the Irish teens turned down the chance to tour with Pearl Jam so they could graduate.
The next wave of British music is riding on the slim shoulders of Kula Shaker frontman Crispian Mills. Who? Tall, thin and extremely blond, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist (son of actress Hayley Mills) is the latest hottest thing across the Atlantic.
“I’d hate for you to write this story and have everyone think I’m a happy, cheerful person,” Jakob Dylan said. “It’s not good for the image of the group.” He’s joking. The Wallflowers’ lead singer-songwriter-guitarist proved to be anything but a wallflower during a recent telephone interview from his Los Angeles home. His pensive songs may exude bittersweet longing, but in real life he is chatty and quick-witted and the first one to poke fun at himself.
Eye Candy keeps watch on music-related items worth a closer look: The shotgun reunion between David Lee Roth and Van Halen may have been a bust, but the original Van Halen lineup looks young and happy in “Van Halen – Video Hits, Volume 1” (Warner Reprise Video). The 64-minute home video also includes “Me Wise Magic,” a new track featuring Roth on vocals . . .
When the album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last fall, the Smashing Pumpkins seemed destined for a stunning future. Their previous works “Gish” and “Siamese Dream” had made them superstars, but no one in the band imagined that “Mellon Collie,” which has sold more than 7 million copies in the United States, would become the most successful double CD ever.