ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

MY, BUT THAT’S AN EXQUISITE BERET

The new Billy Idol album, Whiplash Smile, is slated for a January release—and Idol is describing it as a very personal album, coming on the heels of his break-up with his girlfriend of seven years, Perri Lister. Some of the titles reflect that mood: “Ain’t Too Tough To Cry,” “All Summer Single,” “World’s Forgotten Boy,” “Beyond Belief,” “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” “Man For All Seasons,” and “Don’t Need A Gun” are all tracks to be included.

“When you’re hurt, it’s hard to write about it,” Idol said. “But you have to be able to show in your songs the person you are—a person with feelings. I wanted to get my exact emotions down, get them in songs, then give them a twist.”

In other recent Idol doings, a bereted Billy snuck into the Ritz in New York, where he joined Mars Williams onstage, running through some familiar favorites and also trying out the Iggy-inspired “World’s Forgotten Boy” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.”

Having produced Marshall Crenshaw’s Downtown, TBone Burnett has turned to masterminding the new Elvis Costello album. The active Burnett has also directed a TV show for ABC—Spanish Kitchen—starring John Doe of X. Doe, of course, is following the lead of his estranged wife, Exene, who was featured on a Twilight Zone segment earlier this season.

Filming will begin in early spring for Blind Date, starring noteworthy newlyweds Madonna and Sean Penn. Yes, the He’p and the Heee Desks are back—and CREEM’s got ’em!

Secretly tying the knot in Bisbee, Arizona, was Rickie Lee Jones. The groom was Pascal Nabet-Meyer, a French school teacher.

While we’re on weddings ’n’ stuff, congrats to Richard Hell and Patti Smyth on the birth of their baby daughter, Ruby. Hell, by the way, has written a book that has been described to this Bureau as “terrific.” No publisher yet.

Little Richard continues to recover on schedule from surgery for a broken leg he suffered in a recent car crash. Although he was driving with a suspended license, blood tests showed no trace of drugs or alcohol in the evangelistic Richard.

Philip Bailey’s contribution as a back-up vocalist on Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover” did not go unappreciated.

Whilst the two were in the Mayors eat oats and does eat oats and Hall and Oates, etc.: The Parent’s Music Resource Center—those Washingtonian ladies whose interest in rating records by lyrical content has been well-publicized—have been doing battle of late with the Musical Majority, founded by Danny Goldberg, president of Gold Mountain Records. Musicians involved in Goldberg’s group include Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, Hall & Oates and John Mellencamp. Most recent to join the anti-ratings group is Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. “The would-be censors have lost almost every round against American popular music over the years, and generations of Americans have grown up with the legacy of free thought and unfettered expression guaranteed by the First Admendment,” Bradley said at a recent news conference. If only this man would marry a Senator...

REMBO:FIRST BINK, TOO!

>ck ’n’ Roll News sh eternally grateful to offic favorite Steve Stuka for passing on this clipping from ; well-known supermarket weekly: “Nobody escapes names in childhood, and stars are no exception. Sylvestc Stallone’s mother, Jacqueline, says her son pickec his himself. ‘Once he called himself Binky, and it just stuck after that,’ she says.” Next month: In Search Of The Historical Bobo.

We’re sorry to note that Ricky Wilson, guitarist of the B-52s, has died of cancer.

Our condolences. studio, Stevie played one of his unfinished songs for Bailey, and the two sat down at the piano and finished off the lyrics. The tune—as yet untitled—should appear on Bailey’s next LP, due out in early ’86.

JOYEAUX NOEL! DURANS RETURNETH!

tg Duran Duran. Culture Club According to plans, the groups \ en masse for the traditional and tssion.

[one night only) on a pay-per-view turally, de rigeur radio simulcasts ted in a larger screen and an even —and with this line-up, who in the yipping will be shown in theaters

3 brainchild of Brad Borison— jsents the future of visual music.” the future of musical music. Who jrkey?

DEBBY BOONE ON SIMMONS & KEEL!

More on the rock lyric brouhaha, from some rather unlikely sources. “The suppression of a people, of a society, begins with the censorship of the Written or spoken word,” according to John Denver. “If certain people are weak in fiber and need some kind of crutch to lean on, they will turn to anything readily at hand, be it drugs or music, or food... or even reruns of The Twilight Zone,” said Paul Anka, in a redefinition of lucidity. And our favorite, culled from L.A.’s afternoon talk show, 3:30, when the guests were Kiss’s Gene Simmons and Ron Keel. “I don’t know if ratings are the answer,” said guest-host Debby Boone. “I don’t know who would be doing the ratings. I agree with Gene and Ron that it’s important for parents to take a real active interest in what their kids are listening to and use it as an opportunity to discuss what’s happening.” If any parents can use Keel’s The Right To Rock to discuss “what’s happening,” please let this Bureau know immediately.

According to the London Daily Mail, Princess Di’s favorite song of all time is Spandau Ballet’s “True.” More on this as all time continues...

Maybe almost the ultimate super-session, sort of: Nationally syndicated radio host Richard Belzer “treated” his listeners to an impromptu live jam session not long ago. As the show was closing, the house

band began playing “Johnny B. Goode,” and guests Kevin Cronin, of REO, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, of the Talking Heads, and Joe Lynn Turner, ex of Rainbow and the much more famous Fandango, just couldn’t resist. Joe Lynn took the first verse and Kev the second, with the two Heads joining in on the chorus. In a tragic denouement, Turner said this: “The number of gold and platinum hit records between the four of us is enough to make us consider forming an all-star band of our own.” We’d wait for Springsteen and Prince’s bids were we you, J L. k Royalty? The newlyblished Rock ’n’ Roll Hall :ame has announced their inductees. And the winners Elvis Presley, Little hard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Idy Holly, the Everly thers, Fats Domino, n Cooke, Ray Charles, nes Brown and Chuck ry. They’ll all be inducted gala black-tie dinner lanuary 23 at the Waldorfiria in Manhattan—it is scted that the deceased be represented by ly members.

lie Kendrick and Id Ruffin are in the studio pals Hall & Oates producing. The LP is slated to be released on a CBSassociated label started by H&O’s management team.

When REO Speedwagon appeared at a radio station in Tokyo, they were showered with gifts—sort of a Japanese tradition. Little did the globetrotters realize that tradition further requires that the guests reciprocate. When their interpreter asked ol’ Kevin where in the heck REO’s goodies were, Cronin was stuck. But not for long: “In America, if you give a deejay a gift, you end up in jail,” he cunningly explained. Talk about thinking on your feet!

YET ANOTHER SOULWINNING TREK

Not exactly rolling out the wecome mat was the town of Springfield, Illinois, as AC/DC prepared to play the Prairie Capitol Convention Center there. Members of local churches pressured the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority to fail to approve the contract for the show, effectively banning the Aussies from town. The basis for the pressure, of course, was the belief that Angus &

Co. are heavily into satanism.

Attorneys for the band then filed suit against the Auditorium Authority’s members, charging them of violating AC/DC’s constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection. And 30 minutes later—it must have been a tough decision—a Federal court issued an order requiring the Auditorium Authority to allow the show to go on as scheduled.

In an all-American ending, the concert—was a sold-out success. And in another nice touch of Americana, four Springfield hotels initially accepted reservations from the band, then called back to cancel.