Rock 'n' Roll News

Rock 'n' Roll News

If and when the current Jackson tour ends, Marlon Jackson has offers to play the lead in two different films. Universal Pictures’ The Cat is pretty much set, and a second project is currently in potential-director Richard Pryor’s lap, so to speak. Sez Marlon,-‘Film is in my future, but music is in my blood. I cut myself and musical notes jump out.” We’d like to see that up close sometime, amigo!

Perverted? That’s what the Stray Cats are, at least, according to Federal District Judge Pamela Meyer. The case involved some new lyrics the Cats added to Eddie Cochran’s classic rocker, “Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie.” Judge Meyer pointed out that the group changed 85 of 191 words in the song, replacing them with “booze and sex” references that “perverted the moral concept” of the tune, Cochran, of course, has been dead for well over two decades, so he won’t see much of the settlement. Copyright owners House Of Fortune Music will be the ones awarded a percentage of the take for the EMI album the song appears on, which grossed $8,646,742.

Undaunted by the legal setback, Brain Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom of the Cats joined old buddies the Alarm onstage at the Hollywood Palladium for a quick run through Woody Guthrie’s “Bound For Glory.” Seems the litter-bearers and the Alarm got to be pals when they toured Britain together, way back when the guys with the nutty haircuts were still called Seventeen. Allegations that Setzer twisted the lyrics into an ode to bondage and discipline have yet to be made!

More news on those innocent funboys the Alarm! After reading the captions beneath their pix in our July ’84 issue (‘7/ we can serve as examples to mops and brooms everywhere.. .so be it!” was the kindest), they remarked, “We stand to learn a lot from the American press,” Aw shucks, guys, you can sit if you want!

Have you caught DTV yet? Dirtee Television? Not exactly—the D is for Disney, as in the Disney Channel cable service. Latest duckstorm at Dis is pairing the music videos with cartoon snips instead of lip-synching artistes and female models chocking on lipstick. Plans are to match 300 DTV clips with music ranging from rock to classical, the first casualty being David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” At long last, Bowie’s cynical ripoff of Donald Duck’s every career move will be exposed!

And now, the news you’ve all been waiting for—Boy Howdy hires a proofreader? No such luck, but you’re close! Deep Purple originals Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan and Jon Lord have reformed the band for recording and a possible tour later this year.

Secret CREEM spy Robin Bud of New Orleans informs us that Big Country ran into a little trouble down in Mardi Gras territory. As the guys and their allies were partying down in their hotel suite, a disconcerted guest from the floor below inquired if the celebration could perhaps be kept to a quiet riot. Drummer Mark handled him with the old Scottish custom of slamming the door in the creep’s face. “Next thing 1 know,” sez Robin, “the cops come and cuff Mark and cart him* off to Orleans Parish Jail! Something about assaulting an off-duty officer.” Next time, Mark, kill the guy!

When U.K. anarcho-brats the Clash visited scenic East Lansing—merely a hop, skip, and a dump from CREEM World Headquarters—the guys had a cool $1,700 ripped off while they were onstage. Don’t worry, Joe, we’re sure it’s going to some acceptably revolutionary cause. CREEM Staffers Purchase Atomic Skateboards! (See page 894.)

Roll over, Ray Davies! Pretender boss Chrissie Hynde up and married Simple Minds’ leader Jim Kerr! See this issue’s Pretenders story for “details.”

Flour Power Rules! Fun continues on the Ozzy Osbourne/ Motley Crue tour front. As an initiation into Mr. Osbourne’s very special headbanger’s heaven, Ozzy’s light crew dropped several bags of flour on the Crue from above as they performed. At least, it looked like flour. The Motley’s returned the favor not once, but several hilarious times, leaving Ozzy looking almost good enough to.,.nah, no way!

The Curs, always on the lookout for something noo, have lined up trash artiste Andy Warhol to direct the video for “Hello Again,” an upcoming single from their Heartbeat City album. Andy, when he’s not busy sucking up to celebrities, has worked with Billy Squier, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground. He’s still a jerk, though.

Frida Longstocking of Swedish poop-kings Abba has elected Steve Lillywhite to produce her next solo LP.

Boy O. Boy! Fashion; slink Boy | George has been at it again, | making with those quotable quotes that’ve become almost as thrilling as his wardrobe. “I don’t particularly find Mick Jagger sexy,” the C. Clubber revealed to the all-ears English press, “but Princess Di is the most fashionable person in the world today!” Sorry; we can’t confirm what day of the week he made that statement. The loud O'Dowd also had some kind words for Gary Glitter, onetime English glam slam who’s making an attemped comeback: “He is charming and inspirational because he is pure entertainment on all levels.”

This month’s featured speaker is Culture Club clobberer Jon Moss, who told the NM£, “Over the last ten years, what’s happened to {old rock stars] and what do you see? That they’re into smack and cocaine, they’ve got fucked up and they’re not doing anything, not changing anything. All they’re doing is whipping up a lot of kids to say fuck this and fuck that, then they make all the money and piss off and that’s no good to anybody.” Jon, you’re too smart to be a musician!

Was (Not Was) cuz Don “Buzz” Was is in England producing Culture Club tweetette Helen Terry’s first solo record. Fellow clubber Boy George was reportedly so “taken” with Don, he might ask our fave hometown hero to produce the next Culture Club set.

We’ve been warning you that Billy Idol cart be a pret-tee tuff cookie when he forgets his stable manners, haven’t we? Well, here’s the proof—Billy pleaded guilty to assaulting a 20-year-old woman in a Henrietta, NY motel after a concert at Rochester Institute Of Technology. The victim reported that Idol bounced her off his motel room wall, perhaps thinking she was a very large handball. The brute received a hefty $250 fine, which will take him over three seconds to earn onstage at his next concert.

Former Bowie, Ian Hunter and David Cassidy collaborator Mick Ronson is producing a mint-LP for L.A. band Girls Next Door. The Girls have also signed a deal with Columbia Pictures for a movie based on their career. Gonna be a short flick, we’d say!;

That’s incredible! Terrible Ted Nugent’s newest squeezette is none other than TV star Kathy Lee Crosby! No, no, Ted— that’s inedible!

Ray Sawyer, the lowlife cowpoke with the eye patch, is leaving Dr. Hook after 15 years with the guys who foolishly never wished to see their picture on the cover of America’s Only. Not that we’da done it.

Integrity out the window, indeedy!

Onetime Teardrop Explodes kingpin Julian Cope is about to get hitched to novelist Dorian ... Basilty and move to Hawaii. Lotsa hot rocks out that way, . we hear.

ABC’s Martin Fry and Mark White are on the lookout for some new talent after the departure of sax player Stephen Singleton. The alphabetical andros want to add a new bassist, drummer, and keyboard killer to the band,

It’s official: all five original members of Aerosmlth, top dawgs in the ’70s heavy metal pound, are recording new tracks and rehearsing other material for a U.S. tour later this year. This includes lead guitarist Joe Perry, who was the first to depart. Where this leaves the Joe Perry Project is anybody’s guess, even Joe “Deli” Russo’s!

David Bowie is reportedly hounding director Robert Altman for the lead role in An Easter Egg Hunt, Altman’s updating of the Gillian Freeman book concerning fun ’n’ games at a girls school in 1915. “It’s sort of a Gothic thing about sexual obsession,” revealed the enormous director.

Threads-pushers Sasson will sponsor Elton John’s 50-city American tour later this year. Sasson bigwig Paul Guez says it will “create fashion history.”

Hot off the wire: Yngwie ‘‘God” Malmsteen, 20-year-old lead guitarist with Alcatrazz, is now working on a solo album with fellow Svenska Jens Johanson. Jen’s from Scandanavian hitmakers Silver Mountain, who to our knowledge have little or nothing to do with Swedish Christian Heavy Metal superstars, Jerusalem.

Fast rising film star Sting has signed on to play the. part of Dr. Frankenstein in another remake of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Cinematic Scoop: the role of the monster is still up for grabs!