Out plan is beginning to work

[Gonz]

After years & years of being the butt of the jokes, the slow retaking of our country is beginning to show dividends.

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN DEC 19, 2004 21:00:38 ET XXXXX

BACKSTAGE CONTROVERSY AFTER NBC DEPICTION OF LIMBAUGH

NBC's comedy depiction of talkradio king Rush Limbaugh passed-out in vomit from drug abuse ignited backstage outrage at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

The animated sketch left one senior production source stunned and outraged, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

"Would we have done this to [John] Belushi? [Chris] Farley?" the source said on Sunday from New York.

The source asked not to be identified fearing retribution from SNL's executive producer Lorne Michaels.

"We've had more fu**ing drug addicts on this show through the years... more tragedy. I have lost count. Did we ever have some laughs about Robert Downey Jr.'s serious drug addiction?"

The crass montage which aired on NBC featured Limbaugh vomiting from drugs on a bathroom floor, in an apparent overdose.

Last year, Limbaugh announced to his radio audience that he was seeking treatment for an addiction to pain medication.

Calls to Michaels office went unreturned late Sunday.

Developing...

Granted, it's a small victory, but the beginning seldom begins with a bang.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

I ain't a big fan of Rush, and I'm all for parody and comedy, but that does seem in poor taste on SNL's part given their own former cast members' issues.

Then again, I don't watch SNL, so it didn't bother me one way or the other. Can't get pissed about what you don't see. SNL has been a waste of time for many many years IMO.

 

[Inkara1]

Hey, remember when SNL was funny?

 

[Winky]

Yeah and I remember Disco too.

 

[Gonz]

DON'T EVER SAY THAT DIRTY WORD AGAIN.

Now this thread must be cleansed.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

DON'T EVER SAY THAT DIRTY WORD AGAIN.

Now this thread must be cleansed.

I've seen that dude before...brings a certain Piece Of Mind to the Real World...

And Winky? Gotta watch that five letter d word...some of us have flashbacks connected to that sorry saga.

 

[Gonz]

It started, stayed, ended & returned as crap. It did almost as much damage to real music as Nirvana.

 

[Winky]

Yes for those of us that were there it was the worst of times it was the best of times.

 

[Gato_Solo]

It started, stayed, ended & returned as crap. It did almost as much damage to real music as Nirvana.

Bite your tongue, Gonz. Until the BeeGee's, and mass marketing, disco was just as viable a genre as rock music. Came straight from soul and R&B. Untwist your knickers, and climb off your pedestal of rock.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Bite your tongue, Gonz. Until the BeeGee's, and mass marketing, disco was just as viable a genre as rock music. Came straight from soul and R&B. Untwist your knickers, and climb off your pedestal of rock.

I refuse to call any genre in which the performers do not a) play an instrument or b) write their own songs "viable". Cover tunes are fine for a change of pace. Special tribute albums are fine also. But nobody will ever convince me that a bunch of dancers gyrating about to canned synthesized generic pop drivel is a viable genre of music. (Hear that, Brittany?)

To bolster my opinion, when was the last time you turned on the radio and heard a commercially successful station playing classic dXXXo? (I still can't bring myself to say the word.) Classic rock stations are thicker than ticks on a dog's ass, but I don't think anyone is in line to hear those golden Leo Sayer cuts these days; Brownsville Station, one hit wonder they were, still gets airplay daily; Chic couldn't get a gig singing the national anthem at a AA minor league baseball game in Armpit Flats, Missouri.

dXXXo is precisely the reason I locked myself in my bedroom for 5 years and wore out AC/DC, KISS, Judas Priest, and Rainbow LPs. It sucked mightily, and the public finally came to their senses, threw out the leisure suits, and grew up. With a little help from Johnny Rotten, Joey Ramone, and the like.

 

[Gonz]

 

[HomeLAN]

Careful about Nirvana, now. There's at least one member here who'll argue that they were bigger and better than the Beatles.

 

[Gato_Solo]

I refuse to call any genre in which the performers do not a) play an instrument or b) write their own songs "viable".

So the O'Jays, Parliament Funkadelic, Rick James, Bootsy Collins, Earth, Wind, and Fire, don't do 'a', or 'b'? Not enough? How about the GAP Band, The Isley Brothers, Wild Cherry, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes? Don't hate the player, hate the game...

Cover tunes are fine for a change of pace. Special tribute albums are fine also. But nobody will ever convince me that a bunch of dancers gyrating about to canned synthesized generic pop drivel is a viable genre of music. (Hear that, Brittany?)

This doesn't deserve a response, but I'll give you one, anyway......Don't confuse disco with 'bubblegum'.

To bolster my opinion, when was the last time you turned on the radio and heard a commercially successful station playing classic dXXXo? (I still can't bring myself to say the word.)

Must be the area you're living in. I hear music from the people I mentioned above all the time...driving to and from work, even.

Classic rock stations are thicker than ticks on a dog's ass, but I don't think anyone is in line to hear those golden Leo Sayer cuts these days; Brownsville Station, one hit wonder they were, still gets airplay daily; Chic couldn't get a gig singing the national anthem at a AA minor league baseball game in Armpit Flats, Missouri.

Don't blame Chic...blame the BeeGee's and ABBA.

dXXXo is precisely the reason I locked myself in my bedroom for 5 years and wore out AC/DC, KISS, Judas Priest, and Rainbow LPs. It sucked mightily, and the public finally came to their senses, threw out the leisure suits, and grew up. With a little help from Johnny Rotten, Joey Ramone, and the like.

I almost forgot...you are/were a KISS fan. Aren't they dead...

























or is it just their career?

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

One of them is dead. They have all outlived their prime commercially. But I challenge anyone to imagine what live concerts would be without their contributions to stage sets, showmanship, and touring.

No, I honestly can't say we have a classic dxxxo station around here. Thank God for small favors.

dxxxo was the bubblegum of the late 70s. Sure, it had help, but it was what it was...fluff with no substance underneath.

And I'll stand by my statement. A bunch of dancers with canned background generic drivel is not worthy of being remembered for anything positive. To do so is a slap in the face to every musical pioneer we've ever had. The thought of including a Bob Dylan in the same paragraph with a Donna Summer gives me hives. To lump Jimi Hendrix with A Taste Of Honey is nothing short of heresy.

I'll betcha a survey of any random day's programming will show that "Magic Bus" outplays "Dancing Queen" 25 to 1.

Face it, the whole fad was forgettable and useless musically. I ain't heard too many influential musical artists cite Gloria Gaynor as a life-altering influence lately.

 

[Gato_Solo]

One of them is dead. They have all outlived their prime commercially. But I challenge anyone to imagine what live concerts would be without their contributions to stage sets, showmanship, and touring.

Guess you've never seen any of the 'real' groups I've mentioned live...

No, I honestly can't say we have a classic dxxxo station around here. Thank God for small favors.

dxxxo was the bubblegum of the late 70s. Sure, it had help, but it was what it was...fluff with no substance underneath.

Mostly because disco is usually lumped in with 'urban contemporary'. As for being 'fluff', you have to go back to ABBA and the BeeGee's to find that.

And I'll stand by my statement. A bunch of dancers with canned background generic drivel is not worthy of being remembered for anything positive. To do so is a slap in the face to every musical pioneer we've ever had.

Like Robert Palmer?

The thought of including a Bob Dylan in the same paragraph with a Donna Summer gives me hives. To lump Jimi Hendrix with A Taste Of Honey is nothing short of heresy.

I'll betcha a survey of any random day's programming will show that "Magic Bus" outplays "Dancing Queen" 25 to 1.

Face it, the whole fad was forgettable and useless musically. I ain't heard too many influential musical artists cite Gloria Gaynor as a life-altering influence lately.

Nope...mostly because Gloria Gaynor was a, and I'll put this in caps, so you'll fully understand the message, SINGER. She never claimed to be anything else. That's like saying you don't like opera because none of the performers wrote what they're singing. Don't mix apples and oranges here, because you'll find both getting handed back to you.

 

[chcr]

Actually, probably 90% or more of the music you hear in any popular vein was not written by the performer. Singer/songwriters are the exception, not the rule.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Actually, probably 90% or more of the music you hear in any popular vein was not written by the performer. Singer/songwriters are the exception, not the rule.

Popular, maybe. I don't listen to pop, so I have no idea.

I know that the overwhelming majority of "country" is written by professional songwriters. With rarae exception, a country artist might have one song per album they wrote or co-wrote.

Rock on the other hand is almost exclusively written by the performer, with the obvious exception of cover songs.

GS, I am well aware of Gloria Gaynor being a singer. She is also the artist listed on the single. Hers is the name on the Billboard chart. Compare to Ted Nugent, also a singer who happens to play a mean guitar and write most of his own material. That in my eyes carries a higher degree of earned respect. Obviously, others do not agree with that formula. That's OK too. But it strikes me as funny that Ted Nugent is still getting airplay for his material from the late 70s (and before) while Gloria Gaynor is a trivia answer. I'd wager that most people who liked her hit couldn't name her today if you asked them to; compared to a well over 50% of people who know who did Cat Scratch Fever. Coincidence? That's every listener's call I guess, but my vote is cast.

This is not quantum physics, guys...it's really a simple statement. If anyone feels the need to dissect it, be my guest. Meanwhile, I'll be over here in the corner with headphones quietly listening to some kick-ass Blackfoot tunes. Y'all have at it, I got a Train-Train to catch.

 

[Gato_Solo]

GS, I am well aware of Gloria Gaynor being a singer. She is also the artist listed on the single. Hers is the name on the Billboard chart. Compare to Ted Nugent, also a singer who happens to play a mean guitar and write most of his own material. That in my eyes carries a higher degree of earned respect. Obviously, others do not agree with that formula. That's OK too. But it strikes me as funny that Ted Nugent is still getting airplay for his material from the late 70s (and before) while Gloria Gaynor is a trivia answer. I'd wager that most people who liked her hit couldn't name her today if you asked them to; compared to a well over 50% of people who know who did Cat Scratch Fever. Coincidence? That's every listener's call I guess, but my vote is cast.

Well...having met them both, I can say this with authority. Ted Nugent and Gloria Gaynor are both insufferable...but Nugent is an insufferable asshole. The bassist from Motley Crue, however, is quite a likable fellow. Down to earth, and pleasant to be around. I need to start collecting autographs, and having pictures taken. You'd be surprised on who turns up in the desert on a USO tour...

This is not quantum physics, guys...it's really a simple statement. If anyone feels the need to dissect it, be my guest. Meanwhile, I'll be over here in the corner with headphones quietly listening to some kick-ass Blackfoot tunes. Y'all have at it, I got a Train-Train to catch.

Who?

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

I too have met both Ted and Nikki Sixx, along with dozens of others. Ted is a tee-totaller and one of the nicest people I have had the honor to spend time with (over an hour backstage before a show in 1986.) Nikki Sixx was OK, cocky but otherwise fan friendly enough. Met him after a show in about 1990 or so...supposedly their "clean and sober" Dr. Feelgood tour. I have never seen as many drugs in one place in my entire life.


The nicest ones I have met would include:

Sammy Hagar
Kix
Tom Hamilton and Joe Perry of Aerosmith
Ted
Every Mother's Nightmare
Every bluegrass performer (about 12 so far) I've met has been super towards fans.
Def Leppard - far and away the most fun big name band I ever spent time with. Them boys can par-tay!


The least pleasant:

Kip Winger
Dolly Parton
Alan Jackson
Mama Judd (can't keep 'em straight which is which)
Bela Fleck
The bass player from Poison - very snotty

Personal experiences vary. They're human like the rest of us (Well, maybe Dolly ain't quite human...) and have their good and bad days.

 

[Gonz]

Let's see how many dance bands are in the top 10 concert money makers in 2004...

Prince is the concert tour king. He's in the No. 1 spot on Pollstar's Top 25 tours chart for 2004, grossing $87.4 million.

His 69-city/96-show tour was "by far the biggest tour he has ever done," Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar, the concert industry trade publication, told The Associated Press. "It's kind of a renaissance for him."

Celine Dion, who's been appearing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a long string of shows, was in second place, coming in at $80.4 million, followed by Madonna, $79.5 million; Metallica, $60.5 million; and Bette Midler, $59.4 million.

Other acts in the top 10: Van Halen, Kenny Chesney, Sting, Toby Keith and Elton John.