On The Record »

• Incontinent pigeons 1, Kings Of Leon 0

  July 27, 2010 @ 2:16 pm | by Jim Carroll

  As most OTR readers will know by now, everyone’s favourite inexplicably popular faux-authentic rockers Kings Of Leon ran into a spot of bother at a gig at the weekend. Headlining the (wouldn’t you know?) Live Nation-owned Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St Louis, the Kings were forced to curtail their set after three songs when pigeons in the rafters of the venue decided to poo on the band.

  Obviously many people have similar feelings when they hear the band’s music and news of such direct action has sprouted wings. There has been a lot of follow-up pieces – Oliver Crowe from support band The Stills has his say, including the line “I bent over to do, like, a shoegazer move, and I felt something very substantial on the back of my head and down my back” – as the shit continues to hit the fan. That’s two pretty darn terrible puns in one paragraph.

  Naturally, the blame game immediately began in earnest with the band blaming the venue (“don’t take it out on Jared, it’s the fucking venues fault. You may enjoy being shit on but we don’t” tweeted band drummer Nathan Followill) and the venue issuing refunds.

  However, the venue claims that the band had been warned about this earlier in the day (apparently, there has been “a significant pigeon infestation problem” with summer shows at the venue) and obviously other bands have taken on the pigeons and not left the stage after three songs. Indeed, there was also an incident at the venue at a recent Tom Petty show when Heartbreakers’ guitarist Mike Campbell had to helped offstage due to dehydration but no-one is blaming the pigeons for that one. It really does seem as if the Kings Of Leon were well and truly given the bird.

• When music and politics collide

  July 26, 2010 @ 8:20 am | by Jim Carroll

  Here’s a grand sight and sound for a Monday morning in late July. While his peers headed for the MacGill Summer School, ex-government minister for parsnips Trevor Sargent, last in the limelight when he resigned his post In February, reached for his guitar and sang his heart out for the kids instead. A man’s got to do what a man has to do. Via the excellent Come Here To Me! blog. Anyone else have footage of other casualties from the current Dail (Willie O’Dea, George Lee, John O’Donoghue etc) armed with a guitar, cello, tuba or hurdy-gurdy?

  

• Another contrary aul’ fella disses the interwebs

  July 14, 2010 @ 12:58 pm | by Jim Carroll

  It must be the weather. Following last week’s assault on the internet by Prince, we now have Sex Pistol frontman, PiL instigator and everyone’s favourite butter salesman, the one and only John Lydon (nee Rotten), having a go at the internet.

  From an interview with The Word magazine: “I entirely mistrust the internet. It’s a world of chaos and lies, there’s no monitoring the truth there. Most of the innuendo and lies about me come from the internet. I don’t know how long it will last either. I suspect some sort of mind-shift is about to happen here.”

  So who’s next to join this pair of Victor Meldrews in the cranky corner? My money is on Chris de Burgh.

• Prince says internet is “totally over”, tells lolcats to chill

  July 8, 2010 @ 11:48 am | by Jim Carroll

  Quote of the year: “”The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it. The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.”

  You’d never think old Squigglehead had a new album coming out that he’s giving away for free next weekend via a newspaper (which has a website), would you?