Yes, I'm on unemployment. This is actually a good thing. I get paid via a magic little credit card, to sit on my ass and watch TV, listen to music, and read. It builds brain power and allows me to come up with wonderfully astute observations about the things I love in the land of entertainment...this is evidenced in the whopping 500+ words I wrote this issue about your friend and mine, Shane Macgowan.

Yes, I'm on to bigger and better things. For example this whole new look, new attitude version of this here marvelous website. I like the way that we've migrated from a philosophy of "new is good," to a philosophy of "good is good." If that doesn't make sense to you than you probably haven't been paying close enough attention. Perhaps you need to take some Ginko.

Yep, I'm on the floor laughing at how absurd pop culture is getting. Britney Spears shaves her head and heads to rehab. Howard Stern holds American Idol hostage by having all of his listeners vote nightly for the WORST contestant….who they continuously save week after week from being voted off the show. Guns N Roses continues their now 4-year-old WORLD tour (it's done North America twice, South America, Europe and now next month Asia and Africa) supporting an album that still isn't out! Also news this month…MTV's flagship music countdown show "Total Request LIVE" is now taped twice a week. Then to top it all off…the singer from Boston offs himself with a barbecue grill….WTF?!?

Yeah…I'm on a deadline. The esteemed senior editor of this site has been bugging me for this lovely little intro for two weeks now. He just got off the phone with the art department, and apparently the whole world is going straight to hell if I don't turn this in TODAY! So with that said…on with the show….there's tons of new stuff this month…or none at all…I'm not sure which way it went at the end of the meeting…but I'm sure there's lots of good stuff for ya. Remember our new motto…."good is good."

Enjoy.
Mike D'Ariano007


1955 - Producer George Martin was promoted to the Head of A&R for the Parlophone label, owned by EMI in the U.K.

1962 - Stuart Sutcliffe died of a brain hemorrhage. He was The Beatles’ bass player before being replaced by Paul McCartney in 1961.

1967 - 18-year-old Steve Winwood left The Spencer Davis Group to form the legendary jazz/rock ensemble Traffic with Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood.

1968 - “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets climbed back into the top 20 in the U.K.

1985 - David Lee Roth quit Van Halen and released his recording of The Beach Boys’, “California Girls,” with Carl Wilson on background vocals.
 
New this month . . .
A new section featuring Ray D'Ariano & Leon Tsilis:
• Reflections on the First Platinum Error:
A Couple of 'Ol Record Guys Sittin' Around Talkin'
CD Reviews:
• Willie Nile – Streets of New York
•
 Yeti Rain – Discarnate
Concert Reviews:
• Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
• John Waite
• The Pogues
• Cheap Trick
Feature Articles:
• The Reject Records Project 2007
• MySpace Discovery Zone featuring Stuck Mojo
  April Birthdays
  Roy Orbison (4/23/1936)
  Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, 4/14/1945)
  Eric Clapton (4/30/45)
  Ronnie Lane (Small Faces, 4/1/1946)
  Mark Volman (The Turtles, 4/19/1947)
  Ace Frehley (Kiss, 4/22/1951)

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