It beggars belief that whether the Beatles were a rock band or not is actually up for debate. These fools should be condemned to a lifetime of listening to nothing but Fabian, Perry Como and Pat Boone.

"True Grit" was actually a book before it became a John Wayne movie, and the Coen's version is truer to the book than the first filmed version. That said, I liked both the John Wayne and the Jeff Bridges versions. But, with 10 nominations it came away empty handed, so I am sure that made you happy. I thought for sure Roger Deakins would FINALLY win for Best Cinematography and had him in my Oscar pool, but he lost to "Inception"'s Wally Pfister. Check out Roger Deakins' amazing credits here:Deakins Cinematography credits How is it possible he's never won? Has Hollywood gone bad? Well, there's always the usual amount of crap...but I don't think you'll find a lot of the "high tech garbage" you complain about among the nominees. "The King's Speech", "Social Network", "True Grit", "Winter's Bone" are not high tech garbage. Even "Inception" is an exception to the usual Hollywood summer blockbuster-type film in that most of the effects were done in-camera and not using CGI, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cool weightless fight scene. Was I happy with the Oscars this year? Not any more or less than I usually am...like the Grammys and Emmys and other award shows, I have long made peace with the fact that the voters will go with the conservative safe choice most of the time. Plus, add in the fact that this year "The King's Speech" had Harvey Weinstein behind it and that it was one of the few movies where "screener copies" were sent out to everyone(Social Network being another) and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that it would at least win Best Picture, Actor and Original Screenplay. Best Director was a mild surprise as the thought was that the Academy would give a nod to Social Network by choosing David Fincher for Best Director. For me, I won't remember 2010 for "The King's Speech", "Black Swan", "The Kids Are All Right" or "True Grit". No, the 10 films that made the year memorable for me were criminally overlooked Gaspar Noé's "Enter the Void", Clair Denis' "White Material", Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", Mike Leigh's "Another Year", and Olivier Assayas' 5-and-one-half-hour-epic "Carlos"...along with "Inception", "Winter's Bone", "Animal Kingdom", "Toy Story 3" and "Social Network". I was 16-8 this year on my Oscar ballot, my lowest win percentage since the year Crash won. My biggest disappointment and disgust of the night was how they forgot about the iconic Tura Satana during the In Memoriam segment. BOO Academy! HISS!

One of the key early decisions in the history of the band was when Jones and Page talked Bonzo out of the second kick drum. It would have been superfluous. With Bonham's right foot, one kick was enough.

I was running with an older crowd at those 1975 LA Forum gigs, and they were all drinkers and stoners...they kept trying to get me to take various stuff, and except for a hit off a joint or hashpipe now and then, I mostly refused all the various other drugs they tried to get me to take. But there was this one sun-kissed girl who I had the hots for, and she kept saying the Zep show would be far out on ludes. She finally wore down my resistance, and so she wouldn't think I was a wimp, I told her, okay, I would try some and she gave me a tab of Rorer 714. I was still kind of worried, though, so I sneakily broke the tab in half and downed it with a slug of Southern Comfort and OJ that someone had snuck in a Bota bag. It was the first and LAST time I ever took a lude...I just didn't like the effect it had on me. I was not someone into "downer" drugs. I liked the natural buzz from marijuana and hash...didn't like the idea of snorting something up my nose so I stayed away from coke for the most part. Later, as I got into high school, I would try mushrooms and LSD at various Pink Floyd and Zeppelin concerts, and liked the euphoric hallucinagenic-high they gave me. So, during the 80's and 90's(which was my prime partying period), I mostly stuck to these four drugs: marijuana, hash, mushrooms, LSD...with an occasional peyote bud or Ecstacy tab(during the rave-era)thrown in for good measure.

Yep...the very same. Here's the poster for the event.

Got the following e-mail sent to me yesterday by my friends at Largo...thought you bluegrass fans would enjoy knowing about this...I've seen John Paul Jones pop up at numerous Watkins gigs at Largo over the years. Hello Everyone, Here's the announcement we've all been waiting for! Ed Helms and Largo are very happy to announce the line up for the 2nd Annual L.A. Bluegrass Situation coming this April. Last year's festival featured amazing Bluegrass and fun from a fantastic group of artists and special guests including Andrew Bird, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, John C. Reilly, Tom Brosseau, Will Arnett, Paul Scheer, Vince Gill, Sarah Silverman, Dave (Gruber) Allen and many others. This year's L.A. Bluegrass Situation will feature evenings of music and merriment hosted by The Watkins Family, Punch Brothers, Ed Helms' Whiskey Sour Radio Hour featuring The Lonesome Trio, and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Steve Martin. To find out more about each band/artist, check out links to their websites at the bottom of this email. All shows will start at 8pm. Arrive early to shop limited edition merchandise and to enjoy a drink with us before the show. Below you will find a complete festival lineup and links to purchase tickets. Tickets are now on sale and we anticipate that they will go very fast so don't delay. Click here or on any of the links below to purchase tickets online. Or you can call the Largo Box Office at (310) 855.0350. The 2nd Annual L.A. Bluegrass Situation Thursday, April 28th: Watkins Family Hour with Sara & Sean Watkins and very Special Guests. Join long time Largo favorites Sara and Sean Watkins and their 'family' of musicians. They will take the stage with their unique energetic blend of Americana music and Bluegrass along with special guests. Showtime 8pm, Tickets $30. Click here to purchase tickets. Friday, April 29th: Punch Brothers with very Special Guests. These Largo favorites feature some of the best in modern alternative Bluegrass. Consisting of five virtuosic musicians, Chris Thile (mandolin ), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass), Punch Brothers have been described as integrating "bluegrass instrumentation and spontaneity in the structures of modern classical." Showtime 8pm, Tickets $30. Click here to purchase tickets. Saturday, April 30th: Ed Helms' Whiskey Sour Radio Hour featuring The Lonesome Trio. Ed Helms hosts his own twisted take on the old-time, radio variety show and will be joined by The Lonesome Trio. Music and comedy have long been separate pursuits for Ed, but here they collide in a dastardly mash-up that can only be described as Prairie Home Companion on crystal meth and moonshine. Expect to see Ed and his all-star comedy pals sharing the stage with truly stellar musicians plucked from the amazing LA Bluegrass Situation line-up! Showtime 8pm, Tickets $30. Click here to purchase tickets. Sunday, May 1st: Steep Canyon Rangers with Steve Martin and very Special Guests. Join this premier bluegrass group and very special guest Steve Martin for an evening of down-home Bluegrass! Steve's a mean banjo picker his own self! Showtime 8pm, Tickets $30. Click here to purchase tickets. For complete schedules and more detailed information about Largo at the Coronet please find us online: www.largo-la.com. Stay tuned for more announcements and thank you for your support. Cheers, -Largo Band/Artist Websites Sara & Sean Watkins Punch Brothers Ed Helms' Whiskey Sour Radio Hour The Lonesome Trio Steep Canyon Rangers with Steve Martin

The lines in my sig paying tribute to Trish Keenan are from the Broadcast song "Man Is Not A Bird"...you can hear it here:

Yes, trombone, if you like the other White Stripes records, you need to get "White Blood Cells". "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground", "Hotel Yorba", "The Same Boy You've Always Known", "We're Going to be Friends", "Fell In Love With A Girl", "Aluminum", and "I Think I Smell A Rat" all make it worthwhile.

Yeah, didn't Lawrence Welk cover this?

Hmmm, I thought I had already responded to this but I don't see my post anywhere, so maybe I goofed and was thinking of the old board before everything changed. Yes, ledbagelz, I saw Led Zeppelin pre-1980...here's the list of shows that forever seared their way into my mind and soul: 1972 1. June 25, 1972 Los Angeles(Inglewood) Forum, California...just shy of my 10th birthday...MY HEAD EXPLODES FROM THE THRILL AND EXCITEMENT! 2. June 27, 1972 Long Beach Arena, California...so great on the 25th I just had to see them again! 1973 3. May 31, 1973 LA Forum, California...Happy Birthday Bonzo! 4. June 2, 1973 Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California...thank goodness for relatives in the Bay area! 5. June 3, 1973 LA Forum...the last Thank You! 1975 6. March 12, 1975 Long Beach Arena...still my favourite 75 show...release the soundboard NOW! 7. March 24, 1975 LA Forum...ran away from home for these Forum shows...not as good as Long Beach but still plenty heavy! 8. March 25, 1975 LA Forum...my first time taking quaaludes...also drunk on southern comfort and oj. 9. March 27, 1975 LA Forum...who let that skank Linda Lovelace on stage? The first appearance of the BLACK DRAGON PANTS! 4 straight days of partying were taking their toll on me by now...but while by 75 cracks were beginning to show, who can ever forget the impact of hearing Kashmir for the first time or the smoke curling up Jimmy's legs during the bow segment? 1977 10. June 21, 1977 LA Forum...a fucking week full of Zeppelin and NO WORRIES about school nights! Kashmir! Do you hear me? FUCKING HELL KASHMIR EXPLODES ON THIS TOUR! Forget Stairway...Kashmir is now the song everyone most wants to hear! 11. June 23, 1977 LA Forum...yep, the famous BADGEHOLDER night...Moonie the Loon in the house...sadly the last time most of us would see him. 12. June 25, 1977 LA Forum...3 shows in...so far everything is EPIC! 13. June 26, 1977 LA Forum...right about now I was wishing their setlist was more varied from night-to-night...at least we get a cool encore: It'll Be Me! 14. June 27, 1977 LA Forum...maybe not the best of the LA run but it would prove to be the last ever show LZ would perform in LA, so at least I can say I was there...turned 15 a month later. So there you have it...14 LZ concerts in 5 years.

I totally understand what you are saying MSG, and I give a pass to the younger fans. My comments were directed at those who should know better...I can't tell you how many times I've picked up a Zeppelin book only to see photo after photo mis-dated. And when one book has an error, the error reverberates because the next book picks it up and passes it along as fact. So now we have a whole bunch of Zeppelin books out there with screwed up facts...there are even people out there who claim to have seen Zeppelin in concert in 1974 and/or 1976.

Now, that is DEDICATION!!!

All well and good, I suppose...but I don't even have a cellphone. Funny, I clicked on the link you provided, and reading the comments left by people who rated the app, I was struck by one guy who said he didn't realize Sandy Denny sang on Battle of Evermore. Really?!? it's written right there in the song credits...doesn't anybody read anymore?

Hmmmm....Alison and Percy both on the bill. Think we might get a special "hookup" that weekend. Imagine, both Alison AND Patty harmonizing with the Golden God?!?

Did Robert Plant learn NOTHING from the 1975 tour? If you're going to tour the States in Jan-Feb, at least start on the West Coast and then by the time you arrive to the midwest and eastern dates, it's closer to spring time and everyone's not trudging through snow. Looking at recent setlists, I am saddened to note that Silver Rider has gone missing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add Silver Rider to the setlist when you play the Greek in L.A., Mr. Plant!!!! This longtime fan begs you on bended knee!

Yes...but since this thread specifically addressed Scientology, I wanted to just keep my response to the topic at hand. Funny, looking at the Scientology building is like looking at the Towers of Mordor.

Everyone always talks about Seven Nation Army...it's not even close to being my favourite WS song. I much prefer Ball & Biscuit, Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, and Hotel Yorba just to name a few. Why do I get the feeling that in a few years, Jack and Meg will get the itch to play together again? So, no, I am not quite taking this "White Stripes calling it quits" thing seriously. But in the interim, I'll bide my time with Dead Weather or whatever the latest project Jack White busies himself with...whatever you might think about him, the man sure knows how to apply himself industriously! Not one, not two, but THREE bands(White Stripes; Raconteurs; Dead Weather) and still had time to resuscitate the careers of two legendary singers: Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson. Plus, build a home studio, start a label, and collaborate with multiple artists and do soundtrack work and appear in the It Might Get loud documentary. Jimmy Page could learn a thing or two from Mr. White about focusing your energies. I mean, it's been at least since 2003 that Jimmy's been talking about doing a solo record. If this is really it for the White Stripes, I feel for the kids who got into the band too late to see them live, which was where they truly shined. I had the good fortune to see the White Stripes many times, starting way back when they played Spaceland in 2000. There are many words you could use to describe their shows...and "wimpy' is not one of them. Actually, "garage rock" has been with us since almost the beginning of rock n roll. Bands like the Sonics and the Seeds were part of the garage rock scene in the 60's. I'm not picking on you...I just didn't want you to get the notion that garage rock was some sort of post-grunge thing.

In time-honoured internet fashion, I was gonna reply "FAIL" to your remark, but even "EPIC FAIL" doesn't do justice to your incredibly lame-brained viewpoint. "Not big in the UK...WE never fell for the hype"? Are you nutters? It was precisely in the UK that Beatlemania began before crossing the Atlantic to the US. Yours is an early contender for the "stupidest post of the year". And enough with the revisionism...the Beatles WERE a rock'n'roll band, case closed!

Has anyone heard from this person? I sent her an e-mail stating I saw the band and would be willing to offer my perspective and never heard back.

Damn...this is sad news. I always wanted to meet her...never got the chance. Rest in Peace Joan Bonham. Thanks for giving us a talented family, headed by your inimitable son, John Henry.

:blink: These lists are usually a waste of time no matter who does them...Rolling Stone, NME, Q, Uncut, Time, etc...but THIS list is SPECTACULARLY INEPT!!! The Cars?!? Journey!?!? What kind of crack are they snorting over there at Parade?

I'm not an Arcade Fire fan...they're a little too much Dexy's Midnight Runners crossed with Up With People for my taste...but if you haven't heard of them then you can't really call yourself a serious music fan. They draw massive and passionate audiences whenever they play. Their last two albums, Neon Bible and The Suburbs have received tons of attention and reviews around the globe. Like I said, they are not to my liking...but to say"Arcade who?" is rather like admitting you've been living under a rock the last few years. It's the equivalant of claiming ignorance of Radiohead when Kid A was nominated in 2000. So those people in Jahfin's clip are pretty much like the idiot Bieber fans who defaced Esperanza Spalding's wikipedia page...clueless. TOP PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT: Cee Lo Green by a mile!!! With his Elton John inspired costume and the muppet band and even Gwyneth Paltrow slinking around the piano like Michelle Pfieffer in The Fabulous Baker Brothers, this was easily the highlight of the night! It's a great song, too...both versions, "Fuck You" and "Forget You". I had a smile on my face the whole time...loved the way the back-up muppet singers would sing "Shhhhhh!" Watch the awesomeness here: Cee Lo Green 2011 Grammys Also of note was the Eminem/Dr. Dre/Rihanna performance of "Love the Way You Lie". That was pretty intense and the people here who knee-jerk respond with "rap sucks" any time rap is mentioned need to get over themselves. Yes, there is some bad rap out there; just as there is bad pop, bad rock and bad country. But, when it is done right, rap can be an amazing musical almagam. It is no accident that rappers frequently look to Led Zeppelin, another musical entity misunderstood in its time, for its beats. And Rihanna certainly faired better during this performance than she did on her own later in the show...that was ghastly. The third performance I liked, and was most surprised by, was the trio of Norah Jones, John Mayer and Keith Urban doing a nice job on "Jolene" as a tribute to Dolly Parton. I usually can't stand either of these three, especially John and Norah, who to me epitomise the very essence of the dreaded "Adult Contemporary" genre. Another surprise was that I actually enjoyed Mick Jagger's tribute to Solomon Burke more than I did Bob Dylan's tribute to William "Froggy" Laughlin. The rest of the performances were the usual dreck...and who let Michael Bay in the house? Seriously, does EVERY performance need fire and explosions and 1000 dancers dancing nonsensically? Please kill me before I ever have to hear another Katy Perry or Train song again. But my biggest disgust of the night was directed at the ignoramuses who, during the In Memoriam segment, when they paid tribute to the music figures who passed away the past year, left out both Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse AND Trish Keenan from Broadcast! FOR SHAME!!!

The Grammy Awards, like Rolling Stone magazine, have loooong ceased to have anything to do with good music, and the fact that they hardly give out any awards on the air(I think only 10 were given out in 3 hours on last night's telecast) means that the only reason to watch is for the possibility of train-wreck performances. Since the Grammy's were on the same time as the BAFTA's on BBC America, I tivod the Grammys and watched them later after the BAFTA's(hooray for Sir Christopher Lee for getting a Fellowship award...King's Speech won Best Picture and Best Actor while Social Network garnered the Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay). Bob Dylan was horrible...sounded like a sick frog and off all the songs he's written, we get yet ANOTHER "Maggie's Farm"?!? Yawn. I have more to say...but I gotta Valentine's date to make. Ciao!

It still boggles my mind how many people fall for this Scientology mumbo-jumbo...not just the celebrities that you find out are involved, but regular people that I know and think/hope would know better. I can see the Scientology Celebrity Center on Franklin and Bronson in Hollywood from my place...what a waste of prime real estate.

CONGRATULATIONS PACKERS and Packer fans! Like I said before , I was leaning Green Bay's way yet I was still surprised that the Packers were favoured. Guess experience doesn't count for much in Las Vegas' eyes. So I am happy for Clay Mathews(USC alum) and Aaron Rodgers(Brett WHO?) and that Ben Roethlisberger got a little Karmic retribution. Steelers missed field goal screwed up the spread and likely caused much anguish among bettors. Oh, and this Super Bowl proved yet again why the NFL is SO FAR AHEAD of the NBA and baseball in popularity in the U.S. Think about it...Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh this year; last year it was Indy vs. New Orleans. Care to imagine if we'll ever see the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates in a World Series in our lifetime? Didn't think so. Buffalo has a better shot at getting back to a Super Bowl than Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee and other small-market clubs do at getting to the World Series.