'Death’s Door: Ignorance Likes Company' Illustrated and Written by Jag Lall Comic Review by Anthony Kuzminski

‘Death’s Door: Ignorance Likes Company’ Illustrated and Written by Jag Lall Comic Review by Anthony Kuzminski
{Amazon UK Link}

The callous realities of life often sweep in and leave you emotionally paralyzed. Post 9/11 in America, I often encountered people who were combating depression before the terrorist attacks and after that dreadful day, they fell deeper into their own abyss. Something as senseless as a terrorist attack may forever blemish someone. Their faith may disappear into the ether and nothing short of a miracle may ever allow it to flourish again. In July of 2005, another act of madness occurred in London. Events like the ones of 7/7/05 and 9/11/01 are severe enough to everlastingly alter one’s viewpoint. Often overlooked in the wake of calamity are the long term effects on one’s psyche.

Once someone is violated, it has a long term effect. Said person looks upon the world and most of its inhabitants with a glaring inquiring eye. Once you surrender to a life of fear, your life may as well be over. People let headlines and media blips form their opinions and often prejudices are exasperated as a result. The irony of all of this is that the victim falls into a trap of their own that will imprison them forever. Artist Jag Lall has created a graphic comic inspired by the events of 7/7/05 and the forty-page comic leaves you questioning your own fears, doubts and prejudices. Encased inside this mere comic are intense lessons that anyone could learn from.

Death’s Door: Ignorance Likes Company is more than a mere comic but a tool that could be used in schools and youth centers to assist the fragile minded work through fury and belligerence. The eye-catching and visceral images help bring the issue of racism and prejudice to the forefront in a manner that will leave you breathless. Fear is something that can be more violent and deadlier than any bomb as it’s not something that can ignite once, but multiple times throughout one’s life. Lall’s story is one that hits right at the heart of paranoia. The opening pages are tense and put the reader right in the midst of the chaos. Despite knowing what the comic moral was, I was still engrossed and carefully turned each page to see how his story would unwind. Needless to say, lashing and uninformed comments can be life altering and even worse, they instill fear in others. The characters of the story face situations that aren’t easy on the eyes but are necessary to drive the point home.

Jag Lall’s comic is filled with engrossing images that compliment its text. By providing striking images that stick with you they may just shock someone into a new philosophy. It’s a learning tool of sorts that forced people to reconcile inner prejudices without hurting anyone in the process. The world is filled with history texts and films focusing on prejudice, but the form with which Lall uses to tell his story, a comic, is more tangible. It can help enlighten one and younger people may be more accepting and open to it. In a world that heralds gore and sound bytes of information I am thrilled to see an art form I love be something more than mere entertainment, but a moral tale we can all take something from.

Buy the book at this link.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Bon Jovi-“We Weren’t Born To Follow” (Single review)

Bon Jovi-“We Weren’t Born To Follow” (single review)
By Anthony Kuzminski
I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t conflicted about the lead single from Bon Jovi’s 11th album, The Circle. Debuting on radio airwaves this past week, “We Weren’t Born To Follow” has a lot going for it; a pristine sound ready-made for radio, a catchy chorus and hook after hook. Then why am I conflicted over it? I hate to say it, but it feels like this ground has been walked down before. Bon Jovi has managed the impossible; they have made more money in the last decade than they did during their initial commercial prime. Most of this money has stemmed from concert revenues, which has been punctuated by yearning need for nostalgia and two monster singles, “It’s My Life” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora have a gift of melody that almost any artist on the planet would give up their limbs for. My issue is that ever since the eruption that was “It’s My Life” in 2000 they have followed the same template time and time again. “Everyday”, “Complicated”, “Have A Nice Day”, “Summertime”, “I Love This Town” are all cut from the same cloth and with each new release, it becomes less and less novel and doesn’t just border on clichéd, but shows a lack of sophistication. This was a band that evolved on every record through the release of Crush in 2000. Listening to songs like “Dry County”, “Hey God”, “Stranger In This Town”, “Destination Anywhere” and even “Next 100 Years” was an aural rollercoaster that took me to parts of my soul I didn’t know existed. Bon Jovi strove to be an act that mattered and provided an ethereal experience for its fans. Now days, I feel like they strive to be part of the pop landscape instead of the rock one. Rock N’ Roll is about defying expectations, pushing boundaries and sending chills down your spine. The banal lyrics, performance and production borders on pedestrian and makes me feel like the band has more in common with pop stars (Jason Mraz, Rob Thomas, Kelly Clarkson) than their rock counterparts (U2 & Metallica) which is perfectly fine…but they can’t complain with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame comes out with a padlock so large it will forever remain locked and no amount of picking will ever open it. “We Weren’t Born To Follow” isn’t the type of song that is strong enough to be considered among the band’s best and it won’t force anyone who isn’t a fan to stand up and take notice.

Bon Jovi has always been a guitar band and it appears that on recent albums Sambora’s signature licks are relegated to the side. Why, because it’s a radio trend at this moment in time? Music should be timeless striving to be hip to that moment in time. Whenever one sits down and attempts to write a universal anthem they most often fail. One has to remember that “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “It’s My Life” were initially not deemed worthy of release. I have a feeling the band wants to remain relevant and on top of the commercial heap and they are trying to figure out what will attract the largest audience. What they don’t seem to understand is that if they followed their own muse and if it’s truly great, the audience will seek them out, instead of the band trying to the point of force-feeding it down everyone’s throats. With the album ten weeks away, I have a feeling I will never want to hear this song again by November 10th (the album’s release date).

The business aspect of music has evolved centuries in the last decade and it feels as if Bon Jovi is playing the same game as if it were 1988. Terrestrial radio means nothing these days and more often than not captures people who are very casual fans of music. I have nothing wrong with anyone creating a song for the masses, but it has to be truthful, honest and from the heart. At this moment in time, I’m just not feeling it. It feels manipulative. Have you ever gone out to breakfast with a sweet tooth and ordered chocolate chip pancakes? When the plate arrives, you dive in, devour what you can, but about half way through you begin to feel full and dosed with far too much sugar. You don’t finish them and at the end you vow to never order them again because they’re just too darn sweet. That’s what “We Weren’t Born To Follow” feels like. It has a welcoming chorus with universal themes that won’t make you turn the dial, but it is too safe to be revealing in the future. The song has been out only a week and I reserve the right to change my mind, but I can’t see that happening at this moment in time. No band provides me with a more emotional release than Bon Jovi and they are largely responsible for my love of music in general, but I want my artists to challenge me and it’s not happening with Bon Jovi over the last few records and from what I have heard from The Circle, I have doubts they ever will again.

I love pop music. It makes you feel good and gives you a brief high (much like chocolate chip pancakes), but what happens when that high wears off? There is a reason that the catalogs of Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Guns N’ Roses continue to sell by the millions every year because even decades after they were released, people are discovering the intricate beauty of their music because these were acts who forged their own sound, didn’t play by the rules and defiled the status quo. The irony of “We Weren’t Born To Follow” is that the band appears to be doing just that; playing it safe following trends instead of creating their own.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Bon Jovi 2010 Tour Date Rumors (20 Dates at the O2 in London) and Hoaxes

Lots of Bon Jovi tour rumors are rumbling about and all appear to be fake. No one can be sure until there is an announcement on the official site.

The first is under the guise of "Bon Jovi Live" website is reporting tour dates at this link. I am pretty sure it is below is a hoax.

The second is coming from the New York Post. While I don't trust anything I read in the Post, I have to admit, this one is interesting (see image above). What's interesting about it is that the 02 arena is owned by AEG and they stand to lose millions if they do not book fifty dates which are missing due to the death of Michael Jackson. The arena needs to house approximately 150 dates a year to turn a profit and with Jackson's abrupt death, it leaves a lot of open dates and the need to fill them. Bon Jovi is part of the AEG empire and they are a draw in London, so this would make sense. I'm not sure if I could see the band spending 4-6 weeks away from their families in London, but it's not as if they haven't done this before. I guess it will be a waiting game and we'll have to wait and see.

antiMusic Reviews for Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam and Metallica "Club Dayz" Book and more!

I'm still catching up from a rather insane week. But in the meantime, antiMusic is running several features of mine:

Bill Hale's Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984 review can be found here.
Buy the book here

Bon Jovi - These Days Part II (A Personal Journey). This ran on the blog back in June, antiMusic ran part one then as well and they are finally running part 2 now at this link.

Pearl Jam's concert review from Chicago this past Sunday on 8/23 is here.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer has a great new book out as well, Hit Hard, read my review here.

(500) Days of Summer Soundtrack review is here

Pearl Jam: State of Shuffle (Chicago Concert Review 8/23/09)

Pearl Jam: State of Shuffle (Chicago Concert Review)
Chicago, IL-United Center
August 23, 2009
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Photo Credit}
Pearl Jam hit the windy city in all their glory Sunday night for what was originally supposed to be one of a handful of US appearances that has now evolved into a larger scope tour in support of their newest record Backspacer. The last time Pearl Jam played here, it was the headline spot on Lollapalooza in 2007. This time they brought their no-holds barred show indoors to the United Center (although it appears the band was attempting to have these shows at Alpine Valley). For over two hours, the band ripped through a muscular twenty-seven song set that left the heavy-in-attendance Ten Club (Pearl Jam’s fan club) crowd in pure ecstasy.

Opening with “Long Road” from 1995 (done for the Merkin Ball/ Mirror Ball project with Neil Young) was especially poignant and featured Vedder capturing magic inside of an arena. From the first goose bump inducing notes to the final note of Mike McCready’s “Star Spangled Banner” coda to “Yellow Ledbetter” the band hit all the right emotional notes for the fan club intensive crowd. However, it doesn’t mean the evening was not without some pacing issues.

The show featured confounding highs; a deafening “Corduroy”, the raging “God’s Dice”, the melancholy “Small Town”, the spiritually soaring “Given To Fly and a longing “Dissident” where Vedder’s vocals proved to be as incandescent as they ever have. “Come Back” featured the band evoking Motown soul in the 2006 track in a way to oozed, drained and dripped soul. “Rearviewmirror” was received with a tidal wave of rejuvenation as the arena shook while “Smile” (which featured Gossard and Ament switching instruments) was pining and passive. During a particularly concentrated performance of “Insignificance” it became evident what a tight knit group of musicians they are. When they hit the stage, they have the sway and the leeway to pull anything out from their back pocket and convey it in a performance that most acts would fall on their face doing. “Sad” reverberated with the crowd on this lost track from Lost Dogs. “Man of the Hour” was tender while a pair of Who covers lifted the roof; “Love, Reign o'er Me” and “The Real Me”. Artists will often rely on covers for a money shot of sorts, but not Pearl Jam. You can tell when an artist is performing a song for a reaction or trying to emulate its inner soul. Pearl Jam does the latter. Vedder spoke of listening to Quadrophenia while waiting for the train to take him home to Evanston as a youth. The whole evening was sprinkled with cool stories and anecdotes from Vedder about his childhood and hometown adding to the intimacy. The second encore opened with Vedder performing a stunning rendition of the Neil Young song “The Needle And The Damage Done”, a fresh cover which found Vedder talking about Michael Jackson and listening to him in Evanston.

The new songs had mixed results. The lead single, “The Fixer” has a stadium ready chorus with a trifecta of yelping “yeah’s” in the chorus while “Got Some” and “Supersonic” were played well, but are lacking the emotional connection from the crowd. This should be alleviated once the album is released. The evening found the band is high spirits and it reflected in their performance. Drummer Matt Cameron pounded the drums like a prize fighter while bassist Jeff Ament complimented Cameron with his four finger finesse as Stone Gossard laid down the guitar grooves cementing the foundation of Pearl Jam which has never been stronger or more melodious. Guitarist Mike McCready flexed his six-string prowess with stinging solos and occasionally stealing the spotlight from Eddie Vedder. While the show was full of illustrious highs, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something lacking. While the band played their hearts out and the crowd ate up every last serving, I had the overriding sense that I had seen this show before. Almost as if the band is too comfortable with the non-structure formula of their show. Pearl Jam is a band that is our generation’s Grateful Dead; no two shows are alike and their fanatical fans can fill arenas alone. Pearl Jam plays their concerts like a chess game. They carefully make their moves with a free style set list while the audience makes their moves in emotive reactions. Much like the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam play to their core fans which is beyond admirable and I walk away wanting to do a deeper dive into their catalog. I can’t tell you the last time I listened to “Sad”, but it will now be in full rotation on my iPod. That being said, I’d like to see them branch out, try to weave themes, arcs and structures into a cohesive set list that would still allow for golden nuggets to be aired nightly. What I witnessed was powerful, but felt like listening to Pearl Jam on shuffle, which isn’t bad at all, but it lacks direction and the emotional wallop their shows usually provide was missing as a result.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Pearl Jam: Chicago Night 1
Aug 23, 2009 Set List
01. Long Road
02. Corduroy
03. Why Go
04. God's Dice
05. Dissident
06. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
07. Sad
08. The Fixer
09. Given To Fly
(Happy Birthday To Mike Richter)
10. Come Back
11. Even Flow
12. Save You
13. In Hiding
14. Man Of The Hour
15. Insignificance
16. Got Some
17. Spin The Black Circle
Encore Break 1
18. Love, Reign O'er Me-(Townshend)
19. Life Wasted
20. The Real Me-(Townshend)
21, Alive
Encore Break 2
22. The Needle And The Damage Done
23. Rats
24. Supersonic
25. Smile
26. Rearviewmirror
27. Yellow Ledbetter (Star Spangled Banner)

Rock Reads: ‘Hit Hard’ by Joey Kramer of Aerosmith (Book Review)

Joey Kramer Book Review: Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top
{Buy Book here}
{Photo Credits Courtest of JoeyKramer.com and Ross Halfin}
By Anthony Kuzminski

A rock bio’s significance is determined in its capacity to spew forth the truth. Almost immediately, within the first fifteen pages you can tell whether the book will be a PR infested puff piece or something far more revealing. Rock stars are encircled by hordes of people who are petrified that any minute derailing detail will impact how much money ends up in their pockets. As a result truly scandalous tales never make it into print. However, the foreword to Joey Kramer’s recent autobiography, Hit Hard notifies the reader that what they are holding in their hands is more than a conventional chronicle of one’s life. Nikki Sixx, who did the foreword, sprinkles it with a sentence that sums up the book almost better than any review ever could; This is an important book, because it’s not bullshit. It may seem peculiar that the drummer of Aerosmith is writing his own biography when a detailed bio of Aerosmith already exists, Walk This Way from a decade back. However, after reading Hit Hard you begin to realize that Walk This Way, authored by Stephen Davis, focused on excess and success and not the personal individual journeys of the members. Don’t get me wrong, it’s full of remarkable nuggets and gives the overall history of Aerosmith but Kramer’s book is so much more endearing, unforgettable and as Nikki Sixx said, “important”.

I have read a few dozen authorized rock biographies in the last few years and these books straddle between two types; those trying to emulate or top Motley Crue’s The Dirt or books that come from rock stars who I firmly believe don’t remember a single thing from their past but rely on myths and legends which means you are left with half truths. Hit Hard is neither, yet when you conclude reading the book, you will be shattered emotionally. What you will find is a tailored history of Aerosmith’s career, but more extensively, you will read the story of a survivor. Rock stars often try and make excuses for their inexcusable behavior and all too often lay the blame on other people for their predicament in life. Kramer does this to a small extent, but unlike so many other people in his position, he finds a way to take his alarming experiences and relationships and put them into perspective for the reader. A good friend of mine often chats about how every band break-up and downfall is often the musician’s own fault and they alone hold the keys to their own destiny. However, few people I meet in life ever believe in this and often blame outside sources never looking at themselves. Kramer’s book is an introspective and on-going confessional where he comes off as brutally candid and earnest.

Joey Kramer was your archetypal kid growing up in the fifties and sixties who always seemed to be in trouble. Nothing he did could ever please anyone. Most biographies spend an infinite amount of time on one’s childhood and while I often deem these sections tedious and at times unnecessary, Kramer’s is essential and is at the heart of the whole book. Something most people never discuss is that we are who we are as a result of our upbringing. Our parents mold us and whether we like it or not, we carry many of their traits. We inherit our parent’s insecurities, habits and ultimately everything we set out to do in life is a result of our upbringing. Some people are blessed with affectionate households and others aren’t. Kramer was one of these kids who spent his entire adolescence running away from his family and the rest of his adult life trying to make peace with it. Even when he achieved success, he still yearned for a father figure and as a result, often found himself in abusive relationships. Whether it is with women, managers or his band, he always seemed to let people walk over him because he never found a way to stick up for himself as a child. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is how the band almost fell to pieces in the mid-nineties because of manager Tim Collins. Walk This Way touched on this era of the band, but not to my satisfaction and here Kramer lays out many of the intricate details. Kramer was dealing with depression at the time and was at a facility seeking help when the band truly learned about the backstabbing that occurred. The details and analogies that Kramer intersperses his life story with are tremendous. I’m a music junkie so I enjoy reading any and all music books, but six-months down the line I often struggle to remember details of most of them. Kramer’s book will stick with me for a long time because he doesn’t merely narrate anecdotes and stories but the people jump off the page. When speaking about his family, band mates, wives, girlfriends and friends in general, it was as if these people were right next to me reading the story with me. Kramer remembers the art teacher who took a liking to him when no one else would. It’s admirable that Kramer remembers the people who made a difference in his life. A life is made by the people you share it with and for better or worse Kramer shares all of the intricate details of these relationships.
{Above Photo Credit}

As mentioned previously books carefully tip-toe around thorny encounters so as to not offend certain people. Kramer does no such thing here. He casts his relationship with Steven Tyler in a light that is so intense yet frank; it may be too much for some to handle. Tyler is a rock God and one of the most recognizable American rock stars ever. Yet Kramer doesn’t hide his viewpoint. Tyler’s off hand remarks sometimes cut too close to the bone for Kramer and the reader Can literally feel the knife being thrust into their stomach for some of these instances. The paradox of this is that while Kramer shares these stories, it makes Tyler feel more human to me. Hearing one cleanse their mind, body and soul of their demons was inspirational. A mistake that rock bands have made since the release of The Dirt is they misunderstand debauchery with accuracy. What made The Dirt so definitive wasn’t the sex, drugs or rock n’ roll but the straightforwardness of all four members. The chaos played a part make no mistake but here was a band that revealed everything and left nothing unsaid. Hit Hard lives up to its title with an in-your-face truthfulness missing from most memoirs.

As a new parent, the book had an overpowering effect on me, because it illustrates how precious and crucial one’s childhood truly is. By 1978, Joey Kramer was performing to tens of thousands nightly, had multiple platinum albums, could have any girl of his choosing and a boundless supplies of booze and drugs and yet none of it was able to overshadow the nightmares of his childhood. Fifteen years onward when the band was in the midst of colossal success with Get A Grip, Kramer was healthy and sober, yet he was still living in the past. Aerosmith had a series of albums over a seven year period that sold upwards of twenty-million in the US alone and yet reclaiming his sobriety and his career wasn’t enough to bury the images of being beaten by his father. I’m not trying to go all Oprah here, but it reinforces the monumental task of raising a child and surrounding them with as much love and reinforcement as you can. I’m leaving out many wonderful and heartbreaking stories on purpose because this is a book that one should discover and read on their own. Joey Kramer has got balls, plain and simple. He expunged his demons to us in the hopes that we learn from his own battles. Some people think it’s sexy and cool to brag about success and conquests, but for Kramer, peace of mind is something that no amount of platinum records, seven-figure checks and sold-out stadiums can ever replace. Internal peace is something we seek throughout all of life and there is no recipe for it. What I took away from the book is that one should not seek it out, but find it within.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Bon Jovi single artwork for "We Weren't Born To Follow" Revealed

The picture is worth a thousand words. While you are at it, check out my two part reflection/review of their 1995 These Days record which I published earlier this summer.

Part one is here.

Part two is here.

New Weezer song (with Butch Walker) released: “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”

Butch Walker apparently has co-written and produced the latest Weezer single, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”. There is an audio sample at this link and the YouTube link (with lyrics) below.

Let's hope this is the beginning of a beautiful marriage between this band and producer. It's more in line with Walker's music than Weezer's but Walker manages to infuse just enough of his penchant for melody with Rivers Cuomo's geek-like lyrical presentation. Weezer's new disc is due before November. Take a listen below:

New Bon Jovi song "We Weren't Born To Follow" Receives Radio Airplay-Can Be Heard Here

Subject line says it all. Listen to it at the YouTube link below before Universal gets it removed.

The Crunch-Crunching

I am reminded of the crunch-crunching of hard snow underneath my feet as I make my way to wherever I am going, wearing heavy boots, the ones with furry tops on them. My winter coat is similar in its furry glory; I think that I look like an Eskimo when I pull my hood up over my head (it’ll be several years before I learn the term aboriginal or native people.)

In my mind I can hear the sound of the thin blue piece of plastic that I have dragged along the white streets to the hill. I will soon sit on top of this ‘vehicle,’ place my small hands into the two designated slots and try to go as fast as I can down the hill. The sky is black, the stars are countless, and I can see my breath. I think that it looks like I’m smoking, and that’s so cool.

I am reminded of just how early I would wake up on that morning. There was no going back to sleep, only laying there with my eyes wide open, straining to hear any sound of my parents finally – finally – getting out of bed. It truly was the most wonderful day of the year.

Briefly I remember that thick furry coat again. I can’t be older than 7, and I am on the schoolyard at recess. The girl I had a crush on gives me a kiss on my half-frozen cheek, and I am in heaven. My first reaction, though, is to run.

Fast.

As. Fast. As. I. Can.

In my mind and with my heart I can remember the Sunday School pageants. The requirements for being a wise man are very few: a bathrobe - a multi-colored striped one, easily borrowed if you didn’t have one, a long stick, and something resembling gold, frankincense, or myrrh. A small blue bottle of Aqua Velva sufficed one year.

I am reminded of that night, those nights. Because before there can be a most wonderful day of the year, there has to be a most wonderful night. The oven has grown cold after warming the cheese and crackers that were enjoyed earlier, only an hour or so after returning from the service. The last piece of chocolate from the advent calendar is hanging there, just waiting to be eaten (or it could be hanging there, just waiting to be ate, I’m not quite sure.) And the lights. The lights on the tree that have been there to open a happy, magical place in my heart for a few weeks now, they are unplugged one last time before the day. All that is left in the house by the lake is stillness. But just behind my eyes lay the dreams. The dreams and the absolutely uncontainable anticipation.

Merry, Merry Christmas, Everybody.

Bon Jovi Single Title Announced: "We Weren't Born To Follow"/ Album Title 'The Circle'

It appears that producer John Shanks has confirmed the title of Bon Jovi's new single "We Weren't Born To Follow" from their upcoming record due out on or around November 10th which will be entitled 'The Circle'.

Shanks did so via his Twitter feed which can be found here. If I am a betting man, this means an official press release is around the corner. We'll have to wait and see.

Here's a clip of Jon Bon Jovi singing "Work For The Working Man"

Samantha Fox To Marry Her Female Partner and Lemmy (of Motorhead) To Give Her Away

This is the type of stuff you couldn't make up in your wildest imagination. Your horniest imagination. Your most twisted and insane imagination. Imagine back in 1989 telling someone that Samantha Fox would one day marry another woman, (possibly in Siberia no less) and that Lemmy would give her away.

Well, it's happening. According to this report, Samantha Fox plans on marrying her long time partner/manager Myra Stratton (pictured above). Fox, told OK! magazine: "I'll tell you who's definitely coming - Lemmy from Motörhead. We might get him to give me away, and we might get Liz Mitchell from BONEY M to do the ceremony - she's a pastor now."

There was never any doubt that Lemmy may be the collest cat to ever live, but I'd be lying to you that I'm a tad jealous I don't get to go. If for no other reason than to just be a fly on the wall to see this go down. Seriously, is there anyone alive on the planet who is cooler than Lemmy?

Jon Bon Jovi Vs. He-Man (Seriously): The Greatest Concert T-Shirt Ever!

My friend Jay over at The Sexy Armpit Blog may have the post of the year going on. Before you go any further here, head over there and read his insightful prose about the wonders of the internet.

I'm not sure if this is the greatest concert T-Shirt ever to be created or the worse? But damn if it isn't a lightning rod for conversation. Apparently it went for over $200 on eBay. While this may seem insane for a old and worn t-shirt that is two decades old, upon further review, it may be a bargain. The average Bon Jovi concert ticket is over $100 with all of the added service charges, parking, etc...so you figure you and a friend or significant other sit in the rafters for 2 hours of entertainment for $200.

When the show is over, for about a week, friends will ask you:
"Hey, how was that Bon Jovi concert?"

You reply with:
"You know, it wasn't bad. The band played over two hours, they sounded good and they played all the big hits. But no album cuts except "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (which I wish would die) and stuff from 'Lost Highway'. Oh yeah and I hate Jon's new hair!"

That will be all that you get from your investment of $200. But this t-shirt will engage people for not just hours, days, weeks, months or years...but decades.

First off, a roid version of Jon Bon Jovi will bring about endless amounts of laughs, questions and puzzling looks. First off someone may ask:
"Is that Jon Bon Jovi...and why does he have a codpiece?"

Then if you went to a comic book convention, some may think it's Thor, Beowulf or He-Man. "Dude, that He Man shirt is bad-ass, do they have one for She-Ra?"

Then in some bar in New Jersey, some guy will see it and go:
"Man, I hope they do a shirt like that when Springsteen closes out Giants Stadium this fall. Seriously, you could have Bruce with his guitar around his back and the Big Man on top of the stadium, how bad ass would that be?"

This may be a greater conversation piece than an original Picasso hanging in your house. Seriously, how many people will you allow to see a Picasso? But this shirt....this shirt, you could wear it everywhere and random strangers will come up and talk to you about it. You could go to Germany, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Third-World countries and it's inevitable that someone will say something about it. In my opinion, this is the best $200 you could ever spend.

So what does this say about Bon Jovi? I have no idea. But if they had mass produced this shirt for the Jersey Syndicate Tour, they should have possibly changed the opening of the show.

Instead of opening every show with "Lay Your Hands On Me" and having Jon Bon Jovi erupt through the stage amidst a flurry of pyrotechnics, Jon Bon Jovi should have gone to center stage pulled out his sword and said "By the Power of Grayskull", have a bombastic pyro blast and then begin the show. That would have been awesome. Plus think of the cross promotional possibilities (relating the kids, comic geeks, etc.). It could even give new meaning to "on a steel horse I ride". Man, the possibilities are endless for a mere $200.

Original post at this location.

He-Man Intro


Lay Your Hands On Me

Bon Jovi 'When We Were Beautiful' Book Cover?

The Australian book segment of Harper Collins is showing an image of what may or may not be the cover of Bon Jovi's upcoming book. I've attached it here for your viewing pleasure

• In other news, it looks as if a song will be delivered to radio before the end of the month.
• An appearance on Oprah appears to be in the works for late October.
• The film may have a theatrical release and be released via Showtime.
• New album on 11/10? (Rumored).
• Book on October 27th with tickets for the 2010 tour to go on-sale around the same time.

All in all, it's shaping to be a busy fall for the band. Check back here for more details.

‘(500) Days of Summer’ Soundtrack Album Review

In a time not terribly long ago soundtracks were glorified mix tapes for our favorite fictional film idols. The marriage and music and film may be amongst the most inexplicable and exquisite pairings the world has ever known. Wes Anderson, Cameron Crowe and Martin Scorsese are the masters of weaving narratives with the music taking the scene or moment to a heightened emotion or forcing us to look at a song in a way we never imagined. During the 1990’s soundtracks started selling by the millions enticing record executives to exploit the art of it. Music lovers were tired of buying cd’s full of only one or two songs they loved and turned to soundtracks to get a better variety and a higher hit percentage. Someone along the line decided that the soundtrack should be whored out and even if the film didn’t have any pop songs, in it they could find a market for one. Superhero flicks began to have compilations full of b-sides and leftover tracks and as a result (along with the invention of mp3’s); people stopped caring and stopped buying them. Unless the filmmaker infuses the music into the film to hit you with a wordless feeling, there’s no point to releasing one. A few years back, Zack Braff concocted a diverse array of artists for his Garden State soundtrack. The film touched a nerve with people because it was authentic and the songs used in the film helped further the story, not to mention a soundtrack that sold over a million copies. As a result, we had a bona-fide mix tape full of superb discoveries. We now finally have a soundtrack up to par with Garden State, (500) Days of Summer. The film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel is just hitting theaters and these songs help you sense the visceral emotions of the characters through the album’s fifteen songs (and one spoken intro).

Finding middle ground between uber-indie pretension and sing-a-long pop epiphanies the soundtrack has a little bit here for everyone and never drowns in its own self importance. The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” has an elated beat that spirals like a flaming arrow, while Carla Bruni proves herself to be more than a pretty face with the French song “Quelqu’un m’a dit”. Even though I don’t understand a word she’s singing, I hear the ache in her voice. There’s even a few crowning classics thrown in for good measure; Hall & Oates’s “You Make My Dreams” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bookends” verifying that even indie treasures can sit side by side with commercial hits. Wolfmother’s “Vagabond” mashes their strengths for a hybrid of Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan that feels like a long lost cut from vintage album.

The soundtrack houses a few artists I will be seeking out beyond this soundtrack including Mumm-Ra’s “She’s Got You High” which is downright luminous with its pensive and echoing guitar which sounds more like a choral chamber than a six string. I’m not sure if I would have found Meaghan Smith’s cover of the Pixies “Here Comes Your Man”, yet it is charming and quixotic as a standalone song but as the album’s penultimate track, it feels like you’re coming around the bend at the completion of the journey with its all too one-dimensional keyboard rhythm. There are two songs by the Smiths that amplify the intricacies of the boy meets girl story with easy on the ear melodies and Morrissey’s all too heartrending lyrics that puncture one’s soul (“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”) and yet with another, make them want and need to fall in love (“Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”). Without seeing the film, I have a sense the relationship is doomed because as the spoken intro explains, I’m not sure if anyone who truly loves the Smiths could ever truly find love because what they think love is and what is truly is are two different entities all together. No band has ever made the sweet so saccharine and the sour so resentful. The closing track finds Deschanel giving her own rendition of “Please, Please, Please…” with M. Ward as part of their group She & Him. Deschanel occupies the lyrics with fervor and this is what differentiates it from a run of the mill cover.

Even if the novelty of this soundtrack eventually wears off, I’ll always revisit to it for Regina Spektor’s “Us”. At the songs musical core is a dashing piano lead paired with doting lyrics exuding the sensation of falling in love, falling out of love, loving to be loved, happy to have loved and the overall belief that love is really all you need. Spektor has a voice that is earnest, tear-jerking, compelling and sexy concurrently. She exudes so many acute emotions with her piano playing and vocal delivery that I can’t help but want to fall in love with her and her music immediately. As the violins shutter together as Spektor sings without words, I felt effervescent and this is what enlightening music is all about, crawling into your soul and turning everything inside of you upside down. My advice, stop reading my writing and go out and experience the music for yourself. Every year people buy a book, travel to a foreign land, discover a new restaurant and so on in search of something fresh, new and exciting. Despite the fact I have not seen the film, I can’t imagine a more rewarding or varied listening experience than the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. Its discoveries won’t just be the soundtrack for a car ride, but songs that will sweep you away.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

What John Hughes Means To Me

Writer's Note: I highly suggest you read "Sincerely, John Hughes". No other tribute will do him justice as well as this piece. My thoughts are below.

I’ve lived in Chicago my entire life. I love this city more than I could ever express. Even when the daily grind of commuting gets to me, I see the city skyline and well, the sight is enough to make the stress of work evaporate. Chicago has always been a big city that can sit next to New York, yet has a community that feels like a small town. The city as whole bonds, even if we are divided by north side and south side rivalries. A girl who had moved here post-college once asked me that whenever people from Chicago met one another for the first time, we always asked “What high school did you go to?” College didn’t matter, neither did your job, but we wanted to know if our lives or the people we knew intersected. When I mentioned Loyola Academy, it always had a flurry of responses, but every once in a while people would say, “Hey, didn’t they film The Breakfast Club at that school behind Loyola”.
Chicagoans are proud people, ready to fight to the death when someone says it’s the second city to New York and equally defensive when they put down our beloved Cubs. The truth is, no matter how much one person visits Chicago; they’ll never really know what it’s like to be a Chicagoan without living here. It’s tattooed in our souls and despite the horrific winters, the damn expressways, commuting to jobs far and wide…well, few of us ever think of leaving unless it’s absolutely necessary. However, whenever people do come to visit me, I always tell them to bring a list of things and places they want to see. I’m always prepped for the worse. The Sears Tower (or whatever the hell it’s called now) is usually a bore of a trip and some of the other landmarks are often tourist traps that never interest a true Chicagoan. However, in recent years one of the things people often ask about are the landmarks seen in the Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller and The Breakfast Club. No one is more surprised by this than me. But there’s something about Chicago that’s sweeping and dreamy. New York has it, Paris has it, Tokyo has it…dozens of cities have something that beats within that’s inexplicable, yet John Hughes breathed life into the Chicago though his characters, scripts and films and the world wants to experience what his characters experienced as a result.

The first time journalist Lonn Friend ever came to visit me was to see the opening night of Peter Gabriel’s Up tour in November of 2002. The day after, we had time to kill with no agenda and he asked me “What would you do if you were Ferris ditching school? Where would you go?” I said, "I know just the place". We hopped in my car, drove north on the Edens Expressway and I drove him up and down Lake Avenue. I took him to the beach, the Baha’i Temple, my old high school, the high school they films The Breakfast Club at, the legendary Ferris tower and a number of other North Shore landmarks used in John Hughes films. I could tell Lonn appreciated it because the average Chicagoan would not have ventured to the burbs when there is so much life in the city. He still mentions my tour when we talk.

Just last year my friend Adam came from Australia for a much needed vacation. He went coast to coast seeing something like thirty-plus concerts in as many days. It was insane. His stop in Chicago was early in the trip and he and his mate (now my mate as well) Paul stayed with my wife and I for four days. Adam’s like me. He has a big heart and when life challenges him, he looks inward and finds solace in the form of music…or a film. His two favorite films of all time are The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, both of which were largely filmed in and around Chicago. One of the Blues Brothers scenes is mere blocks from me in Park Ridge and the North Shore of Chicago had plenty of Hughes sites. I drove him down to Wrigley Field not because it is a legendary ballpark, but because Ferris Bueller had a scene there. We had to come downtown at 5am one morning for a John Mellencamp concert and on our way home; I tried to zigzag around the city to show them as many landmarks as I could. When Adam made it to LA, he found the exterior of Ferris’ house as well. History be damned, these two guys came half way across the world and wanted to see the sights and sounds of my city because of John Hughes.
John Hughes had a pulse on what it was like to grow up. He understood the alienation, the difficulty and the challenges we all experience. No film better showcases this than The Breakfast Club. Back when I was a peer counselor in high school we had to show our groups the film and discuss it. It was almost a template for what we hoped we would get out of the underclassmen circumventing the waters of high school. Even in a film like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, people saw more than a comical film with a few laughs. They saw rebellion, living every day like it was your last and complete and total surrender of the outside world in which you found a way to truly live life. The shadows that surround Cameron are there to be seen and hopefully was an inspiration for kids to find their own path despite the deck they have been dealt. The truth is that for my generation John Hughes was more than a man behind a camera, but someone who was integral to our lives regardless of age. As people come to visit me, his films and my showing of the landmarks are a source of bonding for us and in some ways through these films we realize our struggles, demons and desires are all the same. John Hughes was a voice of optimism much like a great book, a really enlivening song or a best friend. He was a teacher who “got it” and as a result, our lives our better for it. He will be missed, but his films will live within all of us forever.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Rock Reads: ‘So What! The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly: The Official Metallica Illustrated Chronicle’

‘So What! The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly: The Official Metallica Illustrated Chronicle’ (Edited by Steffan Chirazi)
Book Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
Buy the book at this link
See a preview of the book at this link
If you are a consistent million seller in the music business, it is fated that a coffee table book will be made about you. There are dozens released every year (notably in the fall in the lead up to Christmas) and invariably the next spring and summer when I venture to my local Borders, I almost always see it in the discount rack for less than $10, even though it originally carried a price tag of $50. Why is this? These types of books usually only appeal to a narrow core of fans. A multi-platinum band will be fortunate to sell 100,000 copies of the book and that’s if it’s really good. I felt burned in the last few years buying hard cover books the size of the Ten Commandments and to find them mere months later for a fraction of the price I paid. A general rule of thumb is that unless it’s one of your favorite artists and you want to tear through it on the first day…wait. So why is it so many of these books sit on store shelves never moving out the door until they have been heavily discounted? These books don’t even turn a profit more times than not and it’s because the content lacks human touch. You can immediately tell when an artist has shed blood over a book or whether they showed up to approve the cover with no further insight. Most acts try and appeal to the widest potential audience with these projects, when the truth is that not only will a mass audience not care, but in the process trying to please casual fans the act will alienate their most steadfast factions. You flip through these mammoth books once and they sit on a shelf for an eternity collecting dust never to be looked at again. It’s almost as if the artist had nothing to do with the book because they were too busy counting their money from the advance. However, every once in a while there’s always a diamond in the rough that never makes it to the discount rack, because it’s geared with the fan in mind.

One of the few hardcover books I have returned to time and time again in recent years is So What! The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly: The Official Metallica Illustrated Chronicle. What makes So What!... so exceptional is the minutiae detailed in the book. Originally published in 2004 (when I bought it) I recently returned to it amidst a new reborn fascination with Metallica. To my surprise, I was in complete awe at not just how well it’s laid out but how much of the book I am still unearthing five years later. Edited by journalist Steffan Chirazi (and in-house Metallica scribe), the book is a labor of love. Focusing mostly on the 1994-2004 period of the band, it houses every trivial aspect one would ever want to know about Metallica. From playing Donington in 1995 to the recording of the Load record to headlining Lollapalooza to band member’s personal lives, vacations and inner strife. It’s all here, warts and all. The fan club started earnestly in the mid 1990’s and as a result, there isn’t a slew of material from the early days, but once you dive into this book, you won’t care. There is the Sounds article from 1984 that a teenager Steffan Chirazi wrote. Reading it now makes me feel useless, because even at seventeen he could write better than I can write today. There is also a tribute section to Cliff Burton, "A Day in the Life of Bob Rock" (written by Lars), a number of Q&A’s, a piece by Lars father, some revealing and thorny interviews from the 2001-2003 period and more Metallica information thank you could bang your head to. I won’t lie, the average person may not want to read every hand written note by James Hetfield, or read about Kirk Hammet talk about surfing, but then again, would your archetypal music fan even buy this book? My point being that Metallica made this book unlike any other and as a result, it stands out from the rest. Once again, by not following anyone’s muse other than their own, they have made something wholly exceptional.
When one sits down to do a book like this, they often make the mistake of wanting to re-write the past. Metallica looked at the output from the decade the fan club had been in existence and pulled the best of the best to compile So What! regardless of how they may have come off. If you are unaware of Metallica or their fan club and are merely expecting a run by numbers book, then you are in for a treat. The book is laid out in a chronological manner with hundreds of pictures, handwritten doodles and current day comments (all done in 2004) on previous interviews. These are especially enlightening as it allowed the band to look back and if they were lying through their teeth in certain interviews (hiding emotions, putting on a good face, etc), they cop to it. Few rock stars out there will allow old interviews and quotes to be re-published, but Metallica did this and even commented on specific sections and interviews, years later, with new eyes and a different perspective. This book has more spirit than your conventional fan club book and yet it’s a scrapbook of sorts finding the band at their most zealous creatively. Even if you are not a fan of the 1996 to 2003 output of the band, you have to admire the boldness with which they attacked their music whether it is new material, covers or doing an album with a symphony. They were always taking chances, doing things other bands wouldn’t dream of and this book not only captures the exploration, but it is a voyage in itself. I promise you, if you go to the music section of a book store, no other book will look or feel like this one. It’s almost a journal of sorts for Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo. Not only will fans pull this out and page through it like a family photo album, but the five members of Metallica will as well.
There’s humility to the interviews contained within the book and credit must be given to Steffan Chirazi, who conducted most of the interviews and edited the book. He came up with the ideas for some of the more ingenious interviews (roundtable of all four members, each member interviewing Jason Newsted, etc.). In a day and age where dialogue in rock journalism if stiffer than someone six feet under, Chirazi crawls under Metallica’s skin. His history with the band goes back decades and as a result, they will reveal things to him that they would not divulge to any other interviewer on the planet. If there was anything other music acts on the planet could take away from this book, it would be to hire someone close to the band or who at the very least understands not just the band and their music, but the fans as well. Chirazi made his mark writing for Kerrang, Sounds and RIP magazine back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He was a rock star himself of sorts as bands yearned for his attention because they knew if he would shed a light on the act in a way no one had before. In So What!... you find the journalist at the peak of his powers. As a result, this book, the fan club and Metallica all benefit greatly.

There’s freshness to all of the proceedings and what was initially believed to be for the most die-hard fans, it’s now housed in a stunning book for the whole world to read and reflect on for all of history. The typical sense of falseness that usually embodies books of this nature is absent. By re-reading many of these interviews you can see the growth and maturity of this band. These aren’t merely boys playing music we love, but friends, fathers, sons and musicians always trying to push the envelope. Reading interviews conducted over the period of a decade shows the many intricate layers of the band and as a result, makes them all that more real to us…the fans.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Metallica’s Hall of Humanity

Metallica’s Hall of Humanity
By Anthony Kuzminski {Picture Link}

Before we get started, I would highly suggest reading the following three accounts of Metallica's Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame weekend:

Steffan Chirazi's piece on the whole weekend as reported on Metallica.com

Umlaut's inside track on the weekend and how it came together.

John Marshall's perspective on the weekend. Marshall was once the guitarist in Metal Church and was a guitar tech for the band for years and even filled in for James in 1992 when Hetfield burned his arm on the GNR/Metallica stadium tour. Without further adieu, let's begin...

Rock N’ Roll is a repulsive and sadistic business. I don’t have the stomach for it, plain and simple. I love the way it makes me feel, what it does for my mental state, but over the past few years, I have found that the closer you get to an artist or their organization, the more disillusioned you will become. I have seen acts that have make upwards of nine-figures in a matter of months yet they shortchange numerous people along the way. If this wasn’t enough, their holier than thou attitudes and the way they treat and speak to those (PR people, road crew, assistants, etc) who make their life possible, is downright sickening. This is one of the reasons as to why I often decline most backstage invites and don’t do as many interviews as I would like. These acts request the questions to be submitted ahead of time, they will grant you ten minutes for the interview and then the act shows up ten minutes late and they tell me I can have three questions. I have far more important things in my life than interviewing someone who doesn’t respect me or my time. However, the one thing I will never understand is the lack of respect often displayed by these acts and their management. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff and if you are a multi-millionaire, is it worth losing a friendship over non-payment of services delivered (ex. Photo shoot, writing of press releases, remixing singles, etc.)? I’ve become a huge cynic because I’ve seen firsthand how these acts work and it’s beyond infuriating. Trust me, this isn’t the type of stuff that makes it to the public consciousness and it should be that way, or else you would never listen to any music whatsoever. However, there is one act who recently has risen above the rest and has shown their compassion to those who helped them become one of the biggest bands on the planet; Metallica.

A friend sent me a message in February about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and what Metallica was planning. They decided to invite over 150 friends who have made their career possible. From former members, to roommates, rock scribes, photographers and ardent supporters of the band going back thirty years, the band took care of all of them; all expenses paid. This immediately struck me as something incredibly gracious. I don’t care how much money Metallica has made in the last two decades, this was an act of thoughtfulness and as far as big rock n’ roll bands go, this one ranks near the top. They didn’t have to do this, they just chose to. As far as I know, no other band of Metallica’s stature has ever tried to even attempt what they did in Cleveland last April. I’ve never met any of the members of Metallica and probably never will and that’s fine by me. Everything I need to know I’ll take from the music. But I have friends who have broken bread with them over the years and the humanity on display at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t an act or a well publicized stroke of PR wizardry, it was real.

The Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame has always been a conformist institution, full of holier than thou posturing that have kept the likes of Alice Cooper, KISS, Neil Diamond, Rush and Peter Gabriel out for years. What made this year’s induction so captivating was the fact that the force with which Metallica invaded the music landscape was so colossal that no one could deny them entry. Ditto Run DMC. These two acts forged entire genres and their impact can still be felt to this day. By not inducting both would have been tragic and not acknowledging any music from the last quarter century. As mentioned earlier, as impressed as I am with raw natural talent that can elevate souls; I’m disgusted when acts rear their ego. Watching induction speeches by the Beach Boys, Van Halen, Blondie, the Ramones and even the Beatles over the years were all disheartening. Certain members were not there, and in some cases, egos got out on control on stage. Metallica wouldn’t allow this to happen and did it right. All three bass players were inducted and any and all bad feelings from the past were buried. I’d be lying to you if watching Jason Newsted and Rob Trujillo both play bass on the same stage didn’t send a shiver up my spine; it did. But what made it so enlightening for me was that the five members who took that stage accomplished so much together and were there to celebrate shoulder to shoulder. Award shows are a joke and ultimately nothing more than a pat on the back by some elitist telling you “Good job”. This type of stuff is needed when you’re in grade school, but as adults, the work should suffice. But what made the Metallica induction an entirely different animal was the fact that this wasn’t merely an induction, it was a gathering of family.
They made sure those who helped them along the way were there to witness it. Even better, they made peace with their past. The elephant in the Metallica camp over the last decade has been the absence of Jason Newsted. Seeing him on stage with no hard feelings was a relief. As deafening as the two songs (“Enter Sandmen” and “Master of Puppets”) were, it was the inductions that were truly incandescent, making you feel proud to be a fan. I’m not sure how anyone kept their eyes dry when Ray Burton (Cliff Burton’s father) made his speech in honor of his late son. His father was just like his son, cool and collected. Jason Newsted received quite a roar as he approached the podium because he did the impossible; he stepped into Cliff Burton’s shadow. To be as welcomed by the fan community as he was is no simple feat. It also felt like this was closure to any possible bad feelings that may have still been there from the aftermath of what went down earlier this decade. The members of Metallica thanked their families, their management and the very people who made it all possible. Far too many people say things but don’t mean it, but every word uttered on that stage was inspiring and a reminder to all of us that we probably should tell those close to us what they mean to us. When James Hetfield thanked his children for “teaching” him how to love, I felt an overwhelming emotional response. I recently caught the film (500) Days of Summer and the lead character writes greeting cards for a living. He speaks of how his industry enables people to never express how they feel, because the card does the work for them. People I speak to often say how hard it is to truly express one’s love and to see the mightiest of metal bands do it, well, it made them feel like long lost friends. Witnessing the overflow of emotions was profoundly poignant and anyone who tells you otherwise is sadly mistaken.
Metallica has taken its share of beatings in the press ever since the ascent into the big leagues with the Black (Metallica) album in 1991. Some of it is deserved and most of it is not. As a writer, one of my favorite lines when requesting an interview is that “we are granting daily newspapers only at this time” which always makes me chuckle and when I read said interview, there’s something about their hair and a controversy from a decade back. One of the acts who recently didn’t do this was Metallica. Whether you were a print publication or an online magazine, they granted you the same amount of time. Since the release of Death Magnetic the band has done hundreds of interviews with everyone imaginable. You don’t see them pulling prestige and denying online and metal zines credentials. They give these writers the respect they deserve. Not only that, but from what I have heard and been told, they have treated their opening acts like gold on this tour. James Hetfield even got up on stage and jammed with Machine Head one night and the next Lars did the same with The Storm. I have heard behind the scenes that Metallica have gone out of their way to accommodate these bands who otherwise would be performing to smaller crowds. If you know anything how most opening acts are treated, this is a breath of fresh air and almost renews your faith in people. One person who people often speak ill of is drummer Lars Ulrich. I think this came from most of the interviews he did around the year 2000, but let me tell you, those who have interacted with him in recent years don’t often to get to speak publicly about everything he has done for them. I’ll share one story here. Back when I was helping Lonn Friend out with his memoirs, Life on Planet Rock, Lars stepped up and volunteered the forward when no one else would. The experience of putting that book together with Lonn was eye-opening to me, because so many people promised Lonn things like quotes for the jacket, a forum to help sell the book and virtually no one came through with their promises. Lars Ulrich did and even delivered it ahead of time and let me tell you, of the people who didn’t pull through for Lonn, none of them had as much going on in their lives as Lars did. This wasn’t my book but it was really a charge to see what he wrote about Lonn. Trust me, being a writer is a lonely gig and it’s nice to be told that you matter, it’s even better when you hear it from a friend. Anytime someone has a bad experience with an act like Metallica, they are out badmouthing them in the press and I’m here to tell you that by all accounts, Metallica appear to be doing everything the right way at this point in their career. They embrace the very core of fandom that made all of this possible. In some ways, it’s a full circle for them.

As I watched Metallica’s speeches, I sat on my sofa with my daughter, a mere three weeks old on the night of the induction, and all I could think about was how I hoped she one day finds people in her life to share experiences with. I want her to feel like she matters, that she finds work that fulfills her and that she makes an impact to those she encounters. By no means was Metallica angels throughout their career, I know this. But the fact that they saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a celebration for everyone who shared in the history and not just themselves is astounding. Corporate America doesn’t even treat their employees this well. They may give you a free trip, pad your bank account, but by making sure someone knows that they matter is another thing entirely. As mentioned earlier, this is not what most bands do, in fact, none of them do this type of thing. Induction ceremonies have become carefully erected PR events usually as a set up for a summer tour or a new album, this wasn’t the case. Despite records sales north of 100-million, they have not forgotten where they came from. It serves as a reminder to me that there is a reason for Metallica’s worldwide success and it may have to do with more than just the songs, but how they run their business and the respect they have shown over the years. We all could learn a thing or two from their graciousness at the Rock Hall; Life is short and you want to make sure that those around you know how they impacted your life before they fade to black.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.