Twenty-nine years ago today, John Lennon died. I was 7 years old. A first grader. I didn't learn of his death until the following evening while my parents were watching "ABC World News Tonight." Too young to be a real fan of rock music (my favorite band at that time was KISS, because they scared the crap out of me), the event was a small blip on my radar. Full Story »

As the film's end credits rolled, drummer Hal Blaine appeared on screen playing an impressive drum solo as part of a 1970 performance with Nancy Sinatra in Las Vegas. As the clip ended, a voice shouted from the audience, "What an incredible drummer!"

The voice was Hal Blaine's. Full Story »

I've been a pretty faithful fan of Counting Crows since they released their first CD 15 years ago, and I've always noticed a lot of recurring people, places and cultural references in the lyrics of their songs. Full Story »

More sad news for Grateful Dead fans...

Vince Welnick, the Grateful Dead's last keyboard player and a veteran of other bands, including the Tubes and Missing Man Formation, has died, the Grateful Dead's longtime publicist said Saturday. Welnick died Friday, said Dennis McNally, who would not release the cause. The Sonoma County coroner's office said an autopsy would be performed next week.

Welnick is the 4th Grateful Dead keyboardist to die, following Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (d. 1973), Keith Godchaux (d. 1980), and Brent Mydland (d. 1990). Welnick played with the band from 1990 until the death of Dead frontman Jerry Garcia in 1995. Sadly, reports suggest that Welnick may have taken his own life. My favorite Vince story comes from McNally's 2002 Dead bio, A Long Strange Trip, when Welnick learns firsthand how erratic his new bandmates could be...

Vince's real introduction to the Dead may well have been at the next show after the Garden run, in Stockholm, a truly abysmal night. Despite three days' rest after the flight from home, the band was jet-lagged. Garcia had eaten a chunk of hashish and was useless. At the drum break, Vince went to visit the facilities and then stood backstage, wretched, when [I] came up to him and recognized his dismay. "Vince, you don't understand. It's not you. This is a band that really sucks sometimes, and tonight's the night. Don't worry about it."

Vince Welnick was either 51 or 55 at the time of his death (reports vary). [MyWay] Grateful Dead's Last Keyboardist Dies

If you haven't had a chance to catch all four parts of "Heavy: The Story of Metal" on VH1 yet, do yourself a favor and make it a priority. I'm not even much of a metal fan, but this documentary is converting me quickly. (I even made a special trip to the music store last night to pick up the first two Black Sabbath albums.) Watching interviews with people like Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, and Quiet Riot's Frankie Banali is simultaneously hilarious and enlightening. These guys worked so hard for so many years to be dark and menacing and all things metal. Now they're articulate upper-class middle-aged men who can look back in amusement at the lives they once led. The series is doing little, however, to make me like 1980s hair metal bands. I don't like Mötley Crüe, I despise Poison, and I have no use whatsoever for the Scorpions. But if I had to pick just one band as my least favorite of all time, it would be Warrant. And if I had to pick just one song as my least favorite, it would be "Cherry Pie." And it wouldn't even be close. Just the sight of Warrant lead singer Jani Lane makes me cringe. And I mean really cringe. As it turns out, however, I have an unlikely ally in my hatred for all things "Cherry Pie:" Jani Lane. Here's what he had to say about the song during part 3 of "Heavy:"

I hate that song. I had no intention of writing that song. The record was done. The record was called "Uncle Tom's Cabin." And Donny Inner [president of Columbia Records] called up and said, "I don't hear the single. You gotta give me a fucking single like 'Love in an Elevator.' I need something like that." So that night I wrote "Cherry Pie." Sent it to him. He lived with it over the weekend. Then all of a sudden the album's called "Cherry Pie." The record's called "Cherry Pie." I'm doing cherry pie eating contests. The single's "Cherry Pie." Right? If I'm lying, I'm dying. And my legacy's "Cherry Pie." Everything about me is "Cherry Pie." I'm the "Cherry Pie" guy. I could shoot myself in the fucking head for writing that song.

I actually feel bad for him. Hell, I've hated him for 16 years because I thought he wanted to be the "Cherry Pie" guy. Some people might see his comments as sour grapes from a has-been, but I think it takes pretty big balls to trash your own legacy with such panache. Of course, as much as I admire Jani for his comments, this still isn't enough to make me like any of Warrant's music. Not even close.