Wednesday 4pm in L.A...PST.

Cool...but to keep things streamlined and less cluttered around here, you should've posted this on the FOR BADGEHOLDERS ONLY Thread just below.

The CLICK of Destiny!

Naw, Melanie...too risky.

Why does it still say III then?

Sorry Brad, Texas is broke, too...they're $27 billion in the hole, I believe. Meanwhile, I planned my whole weekend around avoiding Will & Kate. It's not that I have anything against the Royal Couple...they're a cute pair and seem nice and pleasant people. It's more that I don't like the crowd of looky-loos they attract and the traffic that entails. I hope they had fun in the sun while they were here, and I hope they weren't stuck eating at touristy places...someone should treat them to a real Carnitas taco, or an honest-to-goodness LA Danger-dog. Or a Langer's hot pastrami sandwich...I recommend the #12.

I've already had 4 different people forward that petition to me. How many laws does that make? Lessee, we already have Megan's Law, Jessica's Law...is there a Jon Benet Ramsey Law?

US vs. Brazil, quarterfinals of Woman's World Cup. Don't often watch soccer, but I've gotta support the women. Go USA! That Marta on the Brazil team is a helluva player, tho. Meanwhile, my phone is about to die...I thought I had charged it last night as I was sleeping, but I guess the cord wasn't plugged in. Edited three hours later... USA! USA! USA! What a THRILLING win by the US women over Brazil on penalty kicks, after the US tied it at 2-2, with mere seconds left in extra-time. Some curious calls by the ref, but I'm used to that when the US plays in international events. Next up is France in the semis...it's Japan vs. Sweden in the other semi. I had a flashback, too, watching the match. I've skateboarded the plaza where the ESPN crew was set up today.

Hi KB, Apparently you got so distraught at my statement that you neglected to read the rest of my post, where I pay tribute to the OG's of rock in the 50's. Or you're so much older than me, that your eyesight isn't what it used to be. My point was that in the immediate period before the Beatles, rock was stagnant. Let's take roll call, shall we? Elvis Presley: in the Army and upon his release concentrates on making dodgy movies. Little Richard: found religion, joins bible school and renounces rock n roll. Chuck Berry: in jail for transporting girl across the state line; exactly how "the man" screwed the legendary boxer and first black champion, Jack Johnson. Jerry Lee Lewis: in discrace for marrying his 13-yr old cousin. Buddy Holly: dead...along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Eddie Cochran: dead...in a car crash with Gene Vincent, who is severely injured, and would never regain his career momentum. Yeah, rock and roll is in GREAT shape by 1961. There were only two labels that could say they had the ears of young people: Motown and Stax. And even then, because of racism, their reach was limited in certain regions. Plus, their musical focus wasn't on vocal guitar groups. The same with Stax. If you played guitar, chances are you played in a surf rock band. Again, these were mostly instrumental groups. The Beach Boys wouldn't have their first hit until 1963, long after the Beatles had got going. THAT is the state the world of rock n roll was in as the Beatles got going. So as much as everyone may be sick of hearing about the Beatles and how great they were, they really did usher in a sea-change in music and popular culture. Take the Beatles out of the equation, and who knows how the rest of the 60's would turn out. Anyway, back to Klosterman...I found some more of his Led Zeppelin essays, and will try and post later. Right now my phone is dying.

Prince ROCKED the LA Forum the whole month of May! He's still got IT! And his guitar-tone is to die for. I suppose if I'd given my list more thought, I could've squeezed more bands in like Brad did. I suppose there was a time in the late-70's, when Zeppelin was on haitus, that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were my favourite. And there were a few months in 1984-85 when I thought Iron Maiden was the best band of that time. But I wanted to keep my list clear and easy to follow.

Okay, I can see I'm gonna have to nip a few things in the bud before this thread gets derailed. First off, I am NOT paraphrasing Chuck Klosterman. Everything in bold black are his actual words taken from his book, "Killing Yourself to Live"...I forgot to put quotation marks surrounding the entire passage. It's too late now as the edit button is gone. Second, and most important, for the purposes of the article and the discussion, the Beatles are a ROCK band...and always have been and will always be, and this annoying attempt by the younger generation to classify them as a pop boy-band along the lines of the Jonas Bros. and other teen pop idols of today is ludicrous. The Beatles had their records burned, they were considered a danger to the establishment and a menace to be squished like a bug. Before the Beatles, rock n roll was in the hands of poseurs like Pat Boone and Fabian. The naysayers of the 50's who said rock n roll was just a passing fad looked like they would be right. A guitar-playing rock n roll group could hardly get arrested in the early 60's...record labels weren't signing guitar groups. They were considered on the way out. So everybody that came after, from the Byrds to the Rolling Stones, from the Who to Led Zeppelin, owes a debt of gratitude to the Beatles for paving the way and opening the floodgates of rock and youth culture. What began with Elvis and Chuck Berry et al in the 50's would now grow exponentially farther than anyone dreamed with the Beatles. Rock and roll was definitely here to stay. And by sheer talent and force of personality, the Beatles were able to win over the Establishment...much as Dylan and the Stones did later. Which brings me to another matter...when Chuck Klosterman writes that Zeppelin is third after the Beatles and the Stones in the rock heirarchy, he means among the official gatekeepers of rock history and the casual fan. Obviously most people on a Zeppelin board are gonna think Zep is #1. But do you really think Rolling Stone magazine, or anyone writing a book on rock and roll history is going to put Led Zeppelin ahead of the Beatles and the Stones? And because of the fact that they came first, and the sheer size of the baby-boomer generation, people will always consider the Beatles and Stones linked in rock history...they are the yin-and-yang of rock culture, and there's nothing you can do to change that.

Nope, another one who didn't quite get the point of the thread. I'm sorry bouillon, I don't know why people are having a hard time with this...it's not like you're speaking gibberish. I'll add my list now...maybe that will help. 1965-1969: The Beatles 1970-1980: Led Zeppelin 1981-1984: Van Halen 1985-1987: Prince 1988-1991: Jane's Addiction 1992-1996: Sonic Youth 1997-2001: Radiohead 2002-2006: Wilco 2007-2011: Radiohead

SuperDave, check your pm box...you've got mail!

Bouillon's right SuperDave...part of the rehearsals have come out and someone posted the link here this morning. The thread was gone in a nanosecond of course. But it's real...4 songs: Good times...for your life...sibly...and I can't remember the fourth.

Here's a fact: 99.9% of the world is sick of Woodstock, sick of hearing about it, sick of the imagery used from it, sick of hearing about the mud, sick of the endless and pointless and inevitably embarrassing anniversary celebrations. Especially after the massive vomiting of nostalgic hippie euphoria in 2009 for the 40th anniversary. Oooh, I bet you just can't wait for the 50th anniversary Woodstock concert where they'll wheel out Wavy Gravy, David Crosby, Joan Baez, Melanie...and for the kids, Justin Bieber and the latest American Idol clown, all dressed in tie-dyed hippie finery from Old Navy. Barf.

Close! No...you fooled me...I thought you were going to start a "Band with the Shortest Reign as a Big Band" thread, and that obviously was Dire Straights, who became massive with Brothers in Arms. Then swept to obscurity and cut-out land as everyone got sick of the record, the endless videos, and finally, the band themselves. Within a year, their popularity plummeted. And millions of used copies of Brothers in Arms gather dust in record stores across the land.

You completely missed the point of the thread. It's about what band you thought was the best active band throughout your life. Bouillon is right, most of us have different favourite bands thru different periods of our lives, as bands get old or break up, etc. And Kiss was not as big as Kiss would have everyone believe...they have been the beneficiary of a massive revisionist campaign, thanks to MTV and VH1 and the ceaseless marketing by Gene Simmons. Kiss were the kings of the unnecessary "hold date" in the 70's. Sure, they had regions where they were popular(Detroit and NYC), but they were never as massively popular as Zeppelin, Stones, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Madonna. Even Aerosmith and Jethro Tull in their heyday were probably bigger on a national scale than Kiss. Jethro Tull played 5 nights at the Forum in 1975. The most Kiss could ever do was 2 nights. Anyway, I'll do my list later when I have time to think about it. Izzoso, I find it hard to believe you were alive during Robert Johnson's time.

I bet I know what it is...and the answer is Dire Straits.

Hey Stryder1978, I have all of Chuck's books and I heartily recommend them all, but you can start with: Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs and Chuck Klosterman IV. He's so entertaining that I'm willing to forgive the fact he likes kiss. By the way, if you enjoyed this, I started a Chuck Klosterman thread over in the Led Zeppelin Master Forum for his essays on Led Zeppelin and readers reactions. The first essay I've posted is his take on why Zeppelin is eternally popular from his book "Killing Yourself to Live". Check it out.

Picked up the new soundboard of March 17, 1975 Seattle last Sunday. Listened to it first on the 4th of July. Giving it a second listen on way from work to the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" screening across town. An "average" 75 show so far...great sound, tho.

This was in the paper July 4th, but I'm only now getting the chance to post it...sadly, another Dogtown Z-Boy bites the dust. Chris Cahill dies at 54; skater with Dogtown Z-Boys He joined up with the trailblazing skateboarding group at the Zephyr surf shop in Santa Monica in the 1970s. Chris Cahill at the 1975 Del Mar Nationals competition, where he and the Z-Boys first competed against more traditional skateboarders. (Craig Stecyk / Z-Boy archives) July 04, 2011|By Keith Thursby, Los Angeles Times Chris Cahill, one of the original Dogtown Z-Boys who brought seismic changes to skateboarding with their style and attitude, has died. He was 54. Cahill was found June 24 at his Los Angeles home, said Larry Dietz of the Los Angeles County coroner's office. A cause of death has not been determined and tests are ongoing, Dietz said. The Z-Boys came together in the 1970s at the Zephyr surf shop in Santa Monica. Dogtown referred to a coastal area of south Santa Monica and Venice. "Skateboarding was always kind of about surfing," said Keith Hamm, who wrote "Scarred for Life," which he called a cultural history of skateboarding. "The Zephyr team skated like they surfed," Hamm said, so as surfboards got shorter and more maneuverable the Z-Boys brought a "sharp-turning, faster, aggressive style" to skateboarding. The Z-Boys, originally 11 boys and a girl, were the subject of the 2001 documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" and their story was fictionalized in the 2005 film "Lords of Dogtown." The documentary, co-written and directed by Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, only briefly mentions Cahill, saying he had been last seen in Mexico. Cahill was an accomplished kneeboarder and "at one point was the best in the world," said Nathan Pratt, another original Z-Boy. "Chris was kind of the super feisty guy on the team. He definitely had the most spit and vinegar," said Pratt, who has curated exhibits about skateboarding and surfing including one opening this month at the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica. Cahill was born Dec. 5, 1956, according to the coroner's office. In an interview with Juice magazine, Cahill said he had lived in Santa Monica since the third grade. He said he was airbrushing surfboards at the Zephyr shop in the 1970s and talked his way onto the skateboarding team. He was with the Z-Boys at the Del Mar Nationals in 1975 where they first competed against conventional skateboarders. "The Z-Boys, they didn't really go with trick-based contest runs. It was very hard for people, especially the judges, to figure it out," Hamm said. "They definitely represented a shift in the way skateboarding was performed and the attitude that went along with it." Cahill told Juice that his "competitive nature wasn't that strong in skating." He later worked for Pratt at Horizons West surf shop in Santa Monica before starting his own store. Cahill also lived in Hawaii, Brazil and Mexico and "was an accomplished fine artist," Pratt said. Bob Biniak, another original Z-Boy, died last year. A complete list of Cahill's survivors was not available. keith.thursby@latimes.com

Clueless and "utter crap".

:hysterical: :hysterical: Hahaha, Gary Cherone, the LAMEST FRONTMAN EVER!!! If he's not, he's pretty damn close. I remember a friend and I watching some award show or something and VH Mk III was playing, and he did that same move...we both fell out of our chairs laughing. What a putz!

I'm going for sure, as well as a friend of mine and maybe his kid.