BALLBREAKER Digital Cassingle Out Today!

The new "digital cassingle" (the hottest new format to hit the music world) from Darren Robbins is out now. It contains the super-smash hit "Ballbreaker", as well as two nifty B-sides ("Nobody Gets Out Alive" and "Permanently Broken").

BALLBREAKER
NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE
PERMANENTLY BROKEN

Being that Robbins is one of our fave artists (come on, play along), we were psyched when he sat down with us for a brief interview to promote the release of his new "digital cassingle".

HE'S A WHORE (HAW): So, what led you to release, of all things, a cassingle, much less a digital cassingle at that?

DARREN ROBBINS (DR): As much as I have always loved the album format, I've also come to terms with the complete lack of practicality of the format these days. Generally speaking, people are bombarded by music, images, and a general attack on the senses each and every day. Expecting someone to stop sexting long enough to absorb an entire album is asking a lot. Thus, the cassingle makes a lot of sense.

HAW: Were you a fan of cassingles back in the day?

DR: Being an album guy, I didn't own too many cassingles. I actually only bought two; Cheap Trick's "The Flame" in order to get the non-album B-side "Through The Night" and Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" because I didn't want to buy the "Greatest Hits" album just to get the one song (there were two new songs, actually, but the other one wasn't nearly as good).

HAW: So, tell me about the new songs.

DR: "Ballbreaker" is a somewhat humorous take on being in a relationship with a girl who generally makes your life a living hell, but you love her anyway.

"Nobody Gets Out Alive" is my attempt to write a tune that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Dandy Warhols album like "Come Down" or "Thirteen Tales".

"Permanently Broken" is a car-crash between early Jesus & Mary Chain and David & David; a song sung from the point-of-view of an L.A. druggie whose choice of lifestyle has taken him down a decidedly different path where he now feels disconnected from the world, almost invisible.

HAW: You produced the songs yourself, rather than work with longtime producer Adam Schmitt?

DR: I'd always rather work with Adam, but my schedule and his schedule don't always line up. Thus, I found myself deciding to either wait for Adam to become available, or cut the songs myself with the idea that we can always re-cut the songs at some point. The digital cassingle idea is a great way to put out a few songs at a time, get some feedback, and then take a batch of the best ten or twelve songs and do them with Adam.

HAW: So when will you be putting out the next digital cassingle?

DR: My next digital cassingle comes out in May. I will be introducing digital cassingles by other artists as well via He's A Whore, so stay tuned.

Jane's Addiction In-Fighting: Why Is This News?

SOURCE

A Reuters story that has been picked up by Billboard.com today says that the current Jane's Adiction reunion has been marred by a feud between frontman Perry Farrell and original bassist Eric Avery.

Of course, the band's tour dates are still on and new material will soon be released by the band via their website, according to Farrell.

So, why is this news?

The answer, of course, is because it seems the media (and public) only care about you if you're fighting, or in danger of imploding, I guess.

Sad, really.

Of course, even sadder is that the band employed Trent Reznor to produce their new tracks. According to Farrell, he also attempted to help resolve the differences between Farrell and Avery. The only problem is that Trent is a complete passive-aggressive wuss-bag, himself. After a day of being in the same room with Perry and Eric, the body-building NIN leader high-tailed it straight out of dodge.

Nice.

Now, if Jane's Addiction had thought to call me in (hey, man, hear me out), Perry and Eric would still be tongue-kissing each other, but, hey, that wouldn't be as "newsy" as the idea of the band being on the brink of collapse.

See, Eric still has the same reservations about rejoining the band as he's always had (remember, this was a guy who had repeatedly turned down invitations to rejoin the band, choosing instead to be a hired gun for Alanis and others), but he also NEEDS THE MONEY.

Thankfully for him, Perry fully understands the added value of finally having the original Jan'e sline-up together again. Another tour with only 3/4 of the original line-up would most certainly fall into the "been there, done that" category.

So, wanna know how to heal the rift between Farrell and Avery?

Okay, here goes:

Fire Avery.

Wait a second, did I just say "Fire Avery"? Yep, looks like it.

See, Avery's a total prima donna who is still married to the belief that he's been chasing some pure artistic vision all these years while the rest of his ex-bandmates have been selling out. While he may have a point about Jane's selling out, he's in serious need of a major reality check regarding his dedication to "artistic vision".

I've been there, believe me.

If Eric were sitting here right now, I'd look him straight in the face and say, "Eric, you're a bass player. Nobody wants your fucking solo records, or paintings, or ceramic ducks, or whatever else you've been working on in that house you bought with money you made as one-fourth of Jane's Addiction."

I'd then tell him that there are but a handful of guys who can pick up the bass guitar and make it sound like this one-of-a-kind, otherworldly thing. Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Peter Hook...Jaco (although I don't personally vibe on much of his output, but respect the level of reverance others have for his work)...and that he's one of them. For that, of course, he should be congratulated and thanked. But he also needs to recognize that Peter Hook outside of New Order is nowhere near as great as Peter Hook within New Order no matter how hard he tries. And, as great a bass player as John Entwistle may have been, no John Entwistle solo album ever sat the world on fire.

Cruel? Not at all. Truth hurts at first. More times than not, though, it starts the process from which the greatest growth can come. Once one knows their gift and comes to terms with the context of that gift, they are able to realize their place in this world.

By getting canned, Avery will see the heightened interest in his existence decline considerably. The emails will stop flooding in, hits to his MySpace page will drop off, and it'll quickly dawn on him that he isn't going to get any of the cash he's more than likely already got a place for and begin the process of realizing his place in this world. Most people go their whole lives looking for such a place. He's got one and has spent most of his adult life denying it.

Let him stew in his own juices for a couple days...alone in front of his swimming pool that hasn't been cleaned since L.A. had a football team, wondering "crap, what do I do now?"...then give him a call, invite him back into the fold, and he'll be a total team player.

Problem solved. :)

Senseless Attack On Denim's Character

[Denim rocks when worn correctly.]

For as long as I've been paying attention, George F. Will has been a fixture of most Sunday mornings - turn on the TV and chances are his face will be one of the first you see. If you're like me, nothing makes you grab the remote control faster.

It isn't so much that I haven't the mentality for such shows as "Face The Nation" (or other shows of their ilk) but that I lack the patience for mindless political chatter. After all, arguing the absurdity of the latest political machinations nary does little to change them.

Still, I've always given George F. Will the benefit of the doubt. He looks stuffily smart in ever-present bow-tie and suit, speaks in a studied manner devoid of any emotional investment whatsoever, and, perhaps most importantly, has been around FOREVER.

After reading his latest column, entitled "Demon Denim" , maybe dear George needs a breather.


[George F. Will: "If you guessed my sphincter is puckered, you win."]

In this particular column, Mr. Will states: "Denim is the carefully calculated costume of people eager to communicate indifference to appearances". He then goes on to state that jeans are the "infantile uniform of a nation in which entertainment frequently features childlike adults", then notes that a large percentage of computer gamers are over the age of 18.

Um, so?

Mr. Will, of course, didn't let the simple fact that only a very small percentage of people over the age of 18 are gamers at all stop him from leaping to the conclusion that denim is somehow indicative of society having gone to Hades in a hand basket.

I would not disagree with Mr. Will regarding society's rampant embrace of all things "trailer park". Trucker caps, tramp stamps, et al are the uniform of a society that has simply chosen to shun sophistication before it shuns them. But why attack denim as something that only "society's most slovenly" would wear?

I would direct this question to Mr. Will, but the majority of his column isn't so much a first-hand criticism of denim, but merely a reporting of a Wall Street Journal column on this same subject by writer Daniel Akst, who willfully plants head up arse with the mortal words "If hypocrisy had a flag, it would be cut from denim".

Admittedly, I've never even heard of Daniel Akst and, first impressions being what they are, so far I'm not a fan. Turns out he's a regular contributor to Slate.

Rather than come up with an original thought on his own, Will actually regugitates large portions of Akst's column. What few comments of his own that are offered by Will add up to little more than verbal "piling on".

Regardless, both Will and Akst are both out of their friggin' minds. Sure, I think it'd be cool to get dressed to the nines to attend a ball game like people used to "back in the day", but the fact that jeans are now a widely accepted mode of attire doesn't mean any disrespect to appearance or protocol.

And, hey, who's gonna tell Daisy Duke not to wear short shorts anytime she damn well pleases?

There are a ton of bigger problems in the world, guys. Loosen your bow tie and

View From Space, 4-16-09

A reliable source tells me Irving Azoff is brokering a North American tour for a reunited Simon & Garfunkel, who have already confirmed Australian dates for June 2009.

Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus has six songs in the Top 100. Sigh.

Wondering if tickets are still available for the reunited J. Geils Band's 4/28 gig at Boston's intimate House Of Blues? They are as I am typing this. Um, isn't Boston their hometown?

A friend of this site who works in the medical office in question (er, I mean, an "insider") tells me Bret Michaels is undergoing some "minor" cosmetic surgery today in Pacific Palisades, CA. Those who wonder how tight fake-tanned leather can be stretched are about to find out.

View From Space, 4-13-09

Just some general observations as of late...

Phil Spector = guilty. About time.

Whew, did that last Snow Patrol CD tank, or what? Little did I know how much clout my rather lukewarm review would have. ;P Sad to see them reduced to opening for Coldplay this summer, although I'm sure the money's good. I mean, it's a high profile tour, no doubt - such an opening slot would be a great coup for an up-and-coming band - but it just seems a little "oh crap, what do we do now that our record has been certified aluminum". My advice: get back into the studio ASAP, even if just to record an EP or something, so as to erase the taste of "a hundred million suns" in time for their opening slot at U2's Chicago show in September '09.

Anybody take this whole Chickenfoot thing seriously? Didn't think so. Sammy Hager is rock & roll kryptonite and will go back to trying to be Jimmy Buffet by next summer.

Why is the Cheap Trick camp keeping so mum regarding the details of their new album? My hunch/fear is that releasing such details might let all the air out of the balloon, so to speak. Perhaps they're finally releasing that long-shelved re-recording of the In Color album.

Pal Adam Schmitt is currently trying to prevent some apparently thick-headed kid in Minneapolis, MN from continuing to record under the name Adam Schmitt. Apparently the kid either didn't do a proper (and easy) net search, or is just another one of these young schmucks who think the rules don't apply to them. The REAL Adam Schmitt, of course, has a couple new albums in the works. Stay tuned.