As if Billie Joe Armstrong doesn't have enough on his mind . . . Not only is the Green Day vocalist/guitarist demoing new songs for the follow-up to 1997's Nimrod, and explaining why he didn't want to open up for the Rolling Stones, somehow he's found time to finish recording an album with his other band, Pinhead Gunpowder. The record, titled Shoot the Moon, will see the light of day on Adeline Records, the label Armstrong co-owns with Limp (and former Screw 32) guitarist Doug Sangalang and Jim Thiebaud, a founder of Real Skateboard, one of the pre-eminent board makers in the world. Perhaps to prove their punk mettle, the label's offices are located at the Real Skateboards warehouse, on Adeline Street, in Berkeley, California. If you don't believe us, their logo is a street sign. The album will contain six originals and a Replacements cover . . .
When Lucinda Williams released her critically acclaimed Car Wheels on a Gravel Road last year, she spent a lot of interview time defending why the album was so long in the making while steadfastly denying that she was a crazed perfectionist, decrying one New York Times Magazine profile of her in which she felt unfairly portrayed as "this neurotic nut." Now, we were willing to side with her until her sold-out show last night at New York's Irving Plaza. After flubbing a minor line in two songs ("Drunken Angel" and "Greenville"), Williams joked that she'd probably get a bad review that would read: "After a couple of false starts ..." The audience, which earlier had sung a belated happy birthday to the singer/songwriter (who turned forty-six on Tuesday), laughed along with her and probably didn't even notice or care about the slight slip-ups. But they must have bugged Williams crazy for the rest of the evening, because when she came back for a long encore, she ran her band through both songs again. "Sometimes it pays to do things twice," she beamed afterward. And sometimes you seem like a nut. But it's all part of the charm -- and repeats notwithstanding, the show rocked . . .
Watch out, Ken, you've got competition -- and he's a madman. On Feb. 8, Todd McFarlane Toys will proudly unveil the action figure that every cookies-and-milk mommy wants her impressionable tyke bringing to the playground this spring: Ozzy, and we ain't talkin' 'bout the better half of Harriet. Just months after introducing a set of Kiss figures, the Spawn animator is returning with a pliant Ozzy Osbourne, complete with manic looking eyes and black cape. Edible bats and snakes are not included, however the plastic Iron Man will be sold with a comic book and limited edition magazine based on the Iron Man's current tour. And with just the right amount of hair spray and magic marker, industrious little rockers can transform Barbie into Lita Ford for a recreation of the "Close My Eyes Forever" duet.
In other Ozz news, the legendary frontman has cancelled three dates of the Sabbath Reunion tour to rest his vocal chords, according to his publicist. The dates are as follows: 1/28 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia (rescheduled for 2/18); 1/29 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. (rescheduled for 2/19); at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. (until further notice). Despite the problems with his vox, the Ozzmeister isn't suffering too much. SFX, the behemoth concert promotion company, just purchased half of his wife Sharon Osbourne's management company and, in addition to guaranteeing to promote the Ozzfest for the next five years, they will also bankroll Osbourne's new label. It isn't the first time Mr. and Mrs. Osbourne have had their own imprint. The couple launched Ozz Records in 1997 and released just one record, Ozzfest Live, before folding their tent eight months later when their distributor, Red Ant, reportedly pulled financing . . .
What sets When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens apart from the scores of other self-help books on the shelf of your local Barnes & Noble? The writer is one Bev Cobain, a psychiatric nurse specializing in teen depression and the cousin of yes, the late Kurt Cobain. And yes, Kurt's suicide did play a role in inspiring Bev to write the book. Published by Free Spirit Press, it carries a list price of $13.95 . . .
The RSN Staff(January 30, 1999)
