ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

DEPARTMENTS

For the hundreds of thousands of CREEM readers who've made this service's life a living hell with their constant inquiries, we've got a feisty bit o' news. The Stray Cats are indeed reforming. Cub reporter Sharon Liveten's chat with front puss Brian Setzer took place before the third coming was announced, so don't drop by our offices to punch and taunt her or anything.

First the Marshall Plan and now this. In a suitably American display of taste, Van Halen, Metallica and Dokken have entered negotiations with concert promoters around our great land in order to refund parts of their fees for the, er, less

than successful Monsters of Rock tour. The holdouts, the Scorpions, it should be noted, are foreigners who're undoubtedly hellbent on keeping all their deutschmarks and using 'em to enslave American workers to make 'em eat schnitzel and stuff.

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MTV, which in the eyes of Rock 'n' Roll News was the last bastion of true rock 'n' roll credibility, has gone and sold out. Yep, as shocking as that may sound, the network has refused to air Neil Young's 'This Note's For You,' except of course, as part of its own plagiaristically titled news show about how 'controversial' and 'daring' the video is.

Fans of gore will be dismayed to hear that Herschell Gordon Lewis, legendary filmmaker/ 10,000 Maniacs godfather, has turned to an illegitimate lifestyle. The latest issue of Folio magazine reports that the one-time Wizard Of Gore is now 'one of the nation's leading speakers on creative ad and marketing copywriting.' His follow-up to The Gore Gore Girls, the rather graphically dubbed Direct Mail Copy That Sells, should be available soon in your hometown.

This service, having received what we fondly refer to as 'one of those pieces of paper,' can inform you that, 14 years into their careers,.those lovable Ramones are finally admitting their southern rock roots. This particular slice of tree, which laymen may refer to as a press release, was notable only for its headline, which screamed; 'Ramones Pay Tribute To Irving Berlin . . . And Head East.' We, of course, read no further and deemed this a newsworthy event. Neither Irv nor members of the latter group could be reached for comment.

Our Double Bacon Cheeseburger Desk reports that WCVG-AM in Cincinnati has changed to an all-Elvis format, complete with news, interviews and the soon-tobe-world-famous Burger King of the day report. In a related event, Marvenco records has released a disc that contains what is purported to be the King's earliest recorded concert— dating from March, 1955. It, along with a nifty photocopy of the then underage Presley's first management contract, an annotated photo booklet and a relief map of Kalamazoo, Michigan, can be yours for a mere 25 smackers.

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MOVE OVER MICKEY ROONEY!

This service is shocked, yet somehow tickled, by the news that the epic marriage of Vince Neil and the legendary Sharisse may be over after a nine-day run. Splitsville Annulment City. We won't even discuss what all good Catholics know the most frequent grounds for annulment are—since we're not sure if Vince would be up for such discussion.

In the meantime, Sharisse has been keeping company with Kelli, the bassist for west coast art-rockers L.A. Guns. Vince Neil probably hasn't been spending a helluva lot of time with Kelli's bandmate Philip Lewis, but we're not entirely sure. And where this leaves Robin, our receptionist, is anybody's guess.

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Tru-Value hardware stock is way up, following Eugene Chadbourne's recent rash of releases, and it seems that the ol' rake master's influence is spreading. One Frank Perkins of Holderness, N.H., for example, was so flushed with excitement at news of Chadbourne's success that he put together a one-man musical thang based on the commodophone. For our handful of readers without extensive musical training, the instrument is a vacuum cleaner hose hooked up to a toilet.

After a full decade as perhaps the world's most prominent Doors tribute band, Echo And The Bunnymen have broken up... UK popsters Microdisney have also split.

Sweatiness, it's been said, is next to Godliness. At least according to Michael and Stormie Omartian, whose Exercise For Life is the first Christian aerobic video to be certified gold. The video features such ample talents as Lisa Whelchel and Charlene Tilton genuflecting, flagellating and snakehandling themselves slim. Rumors of an answer vid, Burn Those Pounds Off—ln Hell were unconfirmed at presstime.

Condolences to the family and friends of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in Los Angeles at the age of 25.

FAREWELL TO A FEMME FATALE

We're saddened to report the death, on July 15, of chanteuse/Chelsea Girl Nico. Nico, who began her public life as a fashion model, soon gained notoriety due to her relationships with Jim Morrison and Jackson Browne. But she's still best known for the part she played in the Warhol Years of the Velvet Underground. Even though she only performed with the band for a relatively short time, and appeared on just one VU LP—which bore her name as part of its title—she's been forever linked with the legend of the Velvets.

Of course, her erratic but peak-filled solo career also gained her a considerable following. As CREEM's John Neilson wrote in this magazine's November 1987 issue, 'Nico and her producer/arranger John Cale struck out into a parched musical landscape that is totally her own, defining it with a trio of albums entitled Marble Index, Desertshore, and The End. Combining intricate and abstract arrangements with a moaning, wailing voice that hints at herGerman-Turkish background, these LPs sound timeless and instantly recognizable.'

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Through the '80s, Nico drifted in and out of performing and recording—the periods of activity broken by long stretches of self-imposed solitude, largely spent on Ibiza, the island where she died. She was an ethereal presence, a unique voice, and she will be missed. Nico was 49.

FIVE YEARS AGO

Darn that Michael Jackson. The kid's always gettin' into some kinda trouble. That thing with the chimp. And wantin' to buy the bones of David Bowie or somethin'. In 1983, he even got on his dad's nerves. Seems Joe Jackson was quoted as saying 'There was a time when I felt I needed white help in dealing with CBS Records. But they (referring to co-managers Ron Weisner and Freddy DeMann) never gave me the respect you expect from partners.'

Michael, on the other hand, blanched at his pop's paean. 'To hear him talk like that turns my stomach,' whispered MJ. 'I don't know where he gets it from ...'

TEN YERAS IENII^I¶*

St. Paul Minnesota concert-goers got a big thrill when Bill Wyman threw all caution to the wind and actually moved onstage, only to end up unconscious in the orchestra pit for eight minutes with a slight concussion. The 'deed' was done when Wyman leaned against a wall that turned out to be a curtain. Gravity did the rest.