Ike Turner died today. Of his life, I say: was there another artist whose reputed assholishness was so purely, inversely proportional to the wonderfulness of his music?
To the spirit of Ike Turner, I say: thank you, and may you rest in peace, if that’s possible. May God have mercy on your soul, as I would have Him have mercy on mine.
HVB
From The Dead Milkmen’s “Serrated Edge”
Up on the hilltop where the vultures perch
That’s where I’m gonna build my church
Ain’t gonna be no priest ain’t gonna be no boss
Just Charles Nelson Reilly nailed to a cross
And for a full-fledged appreciation of the man’s finest collaborative work, click here.
Hurry! Book a flight to London! Producer Joe Boyd discusses the upcoming May 10 tribute to Syd Barrett.
On 10 May, a diverse group of singers and musicians will pay tribute to Syd. They – the list currently includes Chrissie Hynde, Vashti Bunyan, Kevin Ayers, Mike Heron, Robyn Hitchcock and others we’re not allowed to mention – will sing songs from all of Syd’s “periods”.
Sadly, Townsman The Great 48 found himself listening to Social Distortion’s “1945” because of this:
PLACENTIA, California (AP) — Brent Liles, a former bassist for the 1980s punk rock group Social Distortion, was struck and killed by a truck while riding a bicycle, authorities said Wednesday. He was 43.
Liles was hit on January 18. No immediate charges were brought against the driver.
Liles, who was from Fullerton, joined Social Distortion in 1981 and played bass on the band’s “Mommy’s Little Monster” recording two years later.
Fed up with turmoil inside the group, he and drummer Derek O’Brien quit the band during a New Year’s Eve performance in 1983.
Liles went on to play with other punk groups such as Agent Orange.
More from The Great 48.
The two surviving members of Crowded House have announced that they will reunite what was originally a trio, including now-deceased drummer Paul Hester. This news comes hot on the heels of Mamas and Papas singer Denny Doherty all but ensuring an end to rumors speculating that his group would reunite.
Chances are the reunited Crowded House will throw a bone toward leader Neil Finn‘s older brother Tim (in the Randy Quaid role), who was briefly a member of kid bro’s band. However, Crowded House will go down in history as a trio, which raises an important question: Can a rock trio be considered reunited if it’s missing one original/integral member?
