RIP: Doug Fieger (1952-2010)

Vocalist, guitarist, and main songwriter for The Knack, Doug Fieger, died at his home just outside of Los Angeles on Feb 14th, after a 6-year battle with cancer.

A Detroit area native, Fieger is best known for co-writing his band's 1979 power pop classic "My Sharona", a six-week, #1 Billboard
chart hit and worldwide smash which became a staple of FM radio.

According to published accounts, Fieger fought a fierce battle against cancer the last few years and even had surgery to remove two tumors from his brain in 2006. At the time of his death he was 57 years old.

Those of you who are regular readers are aware of how The Knack's debut album was and continues to be a big deal 'round these parts...







We'd like to extend our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, band mates, and fans of The Knack at this time. Goodbye, Doug.

The Kiko Jones Experience: Episode 18

After a bit of a hiatus we've put together another podcast.
(The link to this episode is at the top right hand side of this page.) Enjoy!

1. AC/DC “Jailbreak" from the '74 Jailbreak EP [Atlantic]
2. DINOSAUR JR “Start Choppin'” from the album Where You Been? [Warner Bros]
3. DAVID PAJO “Cyclone Eye” from the album 1968 [Drag City]
4. THE BLACK CROWES “Wiser Time” from the album Amorica [American]
5. THE BLACK KEYS “Grown So Ugly” from the album Rubber Factory [Fat Possum]
6. THE BUDOS BAND “Ghost Walk” (self-titled album) [Daptone]
7. CORNELIUS “Star Fruits Surf Rider” from the album Fantasma [Matador]
8. LOS TRES “Jarabe Para La Tos” from the album Fome [Sony US Latin]
9. DADA “Posters” from the album Puzzle [IRS]
10. DEVO "Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)" from the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! [Warner Bros]
11. DON CABALLERO “In The Abscence Of Strong Evidence To The Contrary, One May Step Out Of The Way Of The Charging Bull” from the album What Burns Never Returns [Touch & Go]
12. FIREHOSE “Can't Believe” from the album Flyin' the Flannel [Columbia]
13. GUIDED BY VOICES “Bulldog Skin” from the album Mag Earwig! [Matador]
14. ELTON JOHN “Levon” from the album Madman Across the Water [MCA]

From Snoop Dogg and Soundgarden to Snooki and The Situation: MTV Removes 'Music Television' from its Name; Surprises No One

LA Times:

[T]his week the 29-year-old network bowed to the inevitable and finally scraped the legend "Music Television" off its corporate logo.

The change was a belated acknowledgment of what has been obvious for years: MTV has evolved into a reality channel that occasionally runs programs that have to do with music.

But the shift is significant because, in an era of rapid technological change and microscopic attention spans, how networks identify themselves matters more than ever, experts say.

MTV "realized being 'music television' was too limiting," said Dave Howe, president of Syfy, home of such series as "Stargate Universe" and the now-defunct "Battlestar Galactica." Howe says the right brand is essential "to cut through the noise and clutter of the media explosion" bedeviling the TV industry.

You know you've sunk to even lower depths when you're getting props from the dude who changed Sci-Fi's name to SyFy. Good grief, man.

The Real World...so much to answer for.

Pitchfork Reviews Sade's Latest (gives it a 7.0)

Too cool for school P-fork checking out the bedroom queen's new album? And giving it a good review?! Repent, the end is nigh!

Seriously, PF's Jess Harvell does bring up an interesting point:

For decades, pop fans have been mistaking reserve for repression, and composure for lack of soul. In 2010, though, things seem to be changing, at least a little. Describing something as "smooth" no longer sets off the same alarms for younger listeners, or younger critics. And Sade's Solider of Love is kind of a litmus test in that regard. Sade hasn't changed, and Solider of Love will likely be the year's most relaxing album. But will listeners reared to expect the immediate gratification of rock or rap go for music that hovers tremulously on the edge of both pleasure and pain?

We actually caught her appearance on Letterman this week, in which she performed the album's title track, "Soldier of Love", and were not immediately captivated by it. A couple more spins maybe? (Oh, and btw, Sade's last studio album, Lovers Rock [Epic] was released in 2000. And before that it was Love Deluxe [Epic] in 1992. Boy, have you been missed lady!)

But we did get a kick out of the still super hot 51 year old (!) being awkwardly ogled by Dave. ("I need a drink", he blurted after greeting her.) Man, not even with his recent sexual escapade scandal could he hide his horn dog nature. Ha!

[Did Dave actually say Craig Kilborn at the end?]

Remembering John Hughes

Matthew Broderick, Anthony Michael Hall, and the girl considered his muse, Molly Ringwald talk to Vanity Fair about working with '80s teen bard John Hughes, who passed away in August of last year.
The web exclusive conversation can be found here.

No. 9: Happy Birthday...to us

9 years ago we started a weekly e-mail newsletter that eventually became the blog you are reading right now. It's been a fun, frustrating, yet fantastic ride, so thanks for reading, especially to those of you who've been faithful "5"ers all these years. Cheers.
(Is an anniversary podcast in order? Hmm...)

Also, props to our anniversary twin, Glorious Noise, a knowledgeable bunch of righteous bastards we've been fans of for a very long time, and who keep it legit while sailing across this sea of online bullshit.

Who's Next?

We only caught the last 15 mins. or so of this past Sunday’s Super Bowl, so we missed The Who’s half-time performance. (We're not football fans but were rooting for the New Orleans Saints for obvious sentimental reasons.) By all accounts it was not up to par, and supposedly was not even close to the intensity they showed at the MSG Sept. 11th concert, shortly after the WTC tragedy.

But we have to take issue with the comments by former music industry shill turned contrarian, grumpy old man Bob Lefsetz, who goes off on The Who’s performance and then on classic rock in general; lumping Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey with Paul McCartney, U2, and The Stones in calling them all has-beens. (This is a new low for the trash-talking Lefsetz; if artists that can haul out 50,000 people to see them perform are has beens, who are the big stars? Lady GaGa? Please.) Aside from ragging on the physical age of these rockers—I don't hear anyone using that argument against Willie Nelson or Sonny Rollins, for instance—his biggest beef is that “[t]his music hasn’t mattered for a very long time. It’s truly classic. But it’s aged.” Well, yes. But that’s not the problem per se.

We don’t listen to classic rock radio unless were driving around with someone in their car. And whenever we do listen to classic rock radio, it’s the same tunes over and over: for example, instead of, say, “The Song is Over” or one of their other great deep album cuts, it’s one of The Who’s CSI songs; Jimi Hendrix has 3 official studio albums plus Band of Gypsys and plenty of posthumous releases, yet “Purple Haze” is on regular rotation. Of course these songs have lost much of their potency—they’ve been overplayed to death!

But there’s more to these artists than the 3 or 4 songs classic rock radio is stuck on. After all, the main reason why these artists are legendary and tens of thousands still show up to see them perform every night is quite obvious: a lengthy catalog of seminal tunes that will be around long after you, we, Bob Lefsetz and whatever nonsense the hipsters like this week have all departed from God’s green Earth.

Long Live Rock? - Favorite Super Bowl Half Time Quote

"How many people out there are thinking, 'I didn’t know CSI had a band. Why are they old?'”

- On The Who's performance at the NFL's Super Bowl XLIV

Ouch!

Delco: Visionaries or Clowns?

Madrid-based rockers Delco, are celebrating the release of their second album Radiohead-style: inviting fans to pay what they please, but for their live shows rather than a disc. Basically, after the band's performance, you place in a container whatever amount of money you think the boys deserve for the show.

Good grief.

Listen, everyone should be able to do as they like with their music, but we’ve always felt the stage is where the audience rewards you for being in agreement with your music; they liked what they heard on your record and now want to peel off a couple of bills to see your perform said music.

But like everything, there are always those rodents hoping to take advantage and not pay for the efforts of others. (Hence music piracy.) That's why in these times, when recorded music sales represent a less than ever reliable source of revenue, it seems crazy to embark on a live pay-what-you-want situation. What's more, after years getting little or no financial remuneration to speak of, to pass around the hat once again seems somewhat ridiculous and reminds us of the saying about being "more of a papist than the Pope.”

However, in Delco’s specific case we see it more as 'gimmick' to attract people than otherwise. Particularly since these shows were to promote the release of the album and it's doubtful they’ll try this in a continuous manner on the road without a sponsor of some sort.

Meanwhile, here's a track from their debut:

Robi Rosa - "Madre Tierra"

Unfortunately, he’s best known as the guy who wrote “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, “Shake Your Bon-Bon”, “The Cup of Life”, and the infamous William Hung vehicle “She Bangs” for his former Menudo bandmate Ricky Martin. But Robi Rosa is much more than that: his album Vagabundo [Sony-1996] is a dark rock and roll masterpiece sung in Spanish and one of the best albums of the decade in any language.
(If Alice in Chains' Dirt had been made by a romantic junkie poet with a feel for psychedelia, it would probably sound like Vagabundo.)

Here he is rockin’ out to Vagabundo’s first single and one of my favorite songs of his: “Madre Tierra” (Mother Earth) from the recent live album/DVD Teatro.