I love Pearl Jam's version of that song.

I'm not sure if it was or not. Funny, I could find his musical performances from SNL online but not the skits. There was one site that had apparently posted Freak Mountain at one time but it had since been removed.

You mean if it's made by Fender or Gibson it's not a guitar? Didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest, I just thought it was pretty obvious the post you replied to was in reference to a guitar. Yes, it was a 12 string but to anyone that's read any of the numerous posts about the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame performance and seen the video clips, it's very clear.

While I admittedly was never a big Nirvana fan my view definitely varies. It was amazing to watch from the sidelines as Teen Spirit went from MTV's 120 Minutes to heavy rotation and the song hit mainstream rock radio. Without a doubt that song and Nirvana themselves certainly struck a nerve, not just with teenagers but with many music fans across the age spectrum in general. Not many have the opportunity to have a song (and album) like that to come along at such a perfect moment in time. Of course that level of success would prove to be a huge part of Cobain's undoing. Thank goodness for Nirvana and all of the bands that followed in their wake as they helped to purge the airwaves of the Godawful hair metal that then reigned supreme and helped to bring rock n' roll back to it's primitive roots. Of course the downside to all of that success is the music media that came swooping in like vultures in search of the "next big thing" and the copycat bands, some of which are still trying to approximate that sound to this day.

I'm far from a Toby Keith fan but it was cool to see him poking fun at himself on Colbert's Christmas special last year. At least it showed he has a sense of humor at the public's perception of him.

There's no problem, I just didn't understand that post needing any further clarification. 6 string, 12 string, bass, electric, acoustic, double neck, triple neck, it's still a guitar.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't notice anyone, much less Joe Perry trying to "hog" the spotlight or "upstaging" anyone. As for the scrutiny of the performance, yes, the over analyzing is a bit much but that's comes with the the territory on sites such as this that are devoted to a single band. Plus, it's much more refreshing to be able to read honest commentary rather than sites where such posts are censored so all you're able to read are comments that blow smoke up the performer's ass.

Even if it's a 12 string isn't it still a guitar?

The one and only time I ever saw Let's Active is when they opened for R.E.M. at Duke on the Pagentry tour in '86. It was Mitch's birthday so R.E.M. came out to sit in on their last song which was Hush. I've since seen Mitch a few times since then (including sitting in with R.E.M. last summer) but not a full on Mitch show, I need to fix that. Not sure I've heard any music by either Tiny Lights or Winter Hours but they do ring a bell. I'll have to do some reading up on them. I guess I understand Twitter but it hasn't gotten my attention enough yet to sign up or check it out. It is definitely everywhere these days though. Maybe things like that, MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, etc. are what Andy Warhol meant when he said in the future everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame.

I know exactly what you mean but even though they rehearsed it was still live and anything could happen. And it did, even if it was just Page's strap coming loose. No amount of planning and rehearsal can stop the inevitable from occurring once you get up in front of a live audience.

Yet another reason why I don't miss Classic Rock radio. Just like their playlists, those 500 best rock n' roll songs of all time countdowns are just as predictable.

I think Kiss is up there with several others for the amount of "farewell" tours they've done. I saw them back in '78 on their Rock n' Roll Over tour which was quite enough for me. Not that I didn't like it because I most definitely did. I just feel like there's probably nothing that's going to possibly ever surpass seeing them in their prime with the original lineup. Not to mention, they're one of the few groups I grew up listening to who's albums I don't own on CD. As a teenager in the 70s they were a perfect band to be into. Not so much now. I still listen to my old Alice Cooper albums fairly frequently but something about Kiss' records didn't translate too well to adulthood.

Even though I have a soft spot for a good portion of Draw the Line and Night in the Ruts, I think the last truly great Aerosmith record was Rocks. Just like Zep, Sabbath, Foghat, and all the other artists I grew up listening to in the 70s I always return to those albums. As for ZZ Top, their Tres Hombres record was one of the very first I ever owned so they were a favorite early on for me.

I first stumbled upon the local scene via the Mondo Montage, More Mondo and Welcome To Comboland (which have sadly never been made available on CD) compilations which led me to the Db's, Let's Active, Arrogance, the Connells, Southern Culture on the Skids, and tons of others, including R.E.M. Even though R.E.M. aren't from here they frequently gigged in the area and got lots of airplay on WQDR out of Raleigh. I have a friend that's been on Twitter for at least the last couple of years. Amazing how it's taken off so much lately. I guess it has to do with the Facebook/social networking craze that's taking place. I may look into it eventually but right now I've already got enough web sites/email lists to keep me busy.

The way I've always understood that is that Cobain shot himself up first, then pulled the trigger but who knows? Truth be told, I've never been the world's biggest Nirvana fan but I did like a song here and there but really liked their Unplugged performance the best (especially the Meat Puppets songs). Mainly I've been interested in them just because I'm a fan of rock n' roll in general. In that regard I highly recommend checking out the special Mojo Classic edition devoted to grunge as well as Last Days, a movie loosely based on Cobain's last few days in Seattle. I say "loosely based" since no one knows for sure what exactly happened except for Cobain himself. Due to legal reasons there is no Nirvana music in the movie and the main character does not go by the name of Kurt Cobain. It's not the most fast moving film I've ever seen but it still makes for some pretty compelling viewing.

I've never been sure exactly what to make of that. Years ago I heard one of the Cobain conspiracy theorists on a local rock n' roll radio talk show and while some of his arguments seemed pretty convincing, so have some of those I've heard about Jim Morrison living on a desert island and Elvis being spotted at various Burger King's over the years. As someone else mentioned, sometimes I think it just boils down to some hardcore fans not wanting to accept the fact he's dead. In the end, I think that's all that matters.

Even though I'm a Db's fan I've only seen him two or three times over the years (once in an impromptu version of Whiskeytown at one of their reunion shows). Most recently he and Holsapple debuted a song from their upcoming record at the 40 anniversary celebration for Arrogance (which includes Don Dixon who co-produced R.E.M.'s Murmur and Reckoning along with many other albums) in Durham a few weekends ago. In case you're interested, No Depression's website has a list of upcoming releases here.

Very true but even though it was rehearsed I still think of it as a "jam" since it was the end of the night finale where all the musicians that were honored that evening (and some that weren't) got onstage to perform with one another. As far as rehearsals go, I'm not sure what all goes into that but I would think (especially judging by Rock n' Roll Hall Fame grande finale jams of the past) that at least some room was left for improvisation. As has been mentioned, perhaps Page will address what went wrong (if indeed it did) in upcoming interviews about the induction ceremonies. It could all very well come down to a technical glitch throwing everything off. As for the complaints about sound quality in general, live (and otherwise) music broadcasts over television have always suffered in this regard.

Any band? The Beatles are my favorite but that doesn't mean I think they're the best or superior to all other artists, they just my favorite. I'd say they both do "art-rock" (for lack of a better word) so I don't really see it as that much of a "mismatch". The most mind boggling thing is that people get so worked up over what boils down to a pissing match. Why does it even matter what artist wins? If Zeppelin is your favorite, so be it. It doesn't mean they have to win every contest of this nature by all means necessary. Music to me has never been a competition, my listening choices are driven by what mood I'm in at the time. That may mean I reach for some John Prine or it may mean I select some Sabbath. It's never a matter of who I think is the "best" at any given moment.

Though I'm also looking very forward to new albums from Wilco (as well as their Ashes of American Flags DVD), Booker T. w/ Neil Young and the Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, Rhett Miller, Chris Stamey/Peter Holsapple, Tim Easton, Elvis Costello, R.E.M's Reckoning Deluxe Edition and the official release of their working rehearsals from Dublin that led to Accelerate, etc., the new Dylan is among my most eagerly awaited new records of 2009 so far.

Aerosmith or ZZ?

From Billboard

I've been tobacco free since October of last year. I did it through a combination of willpower and nicotine gum but there's few stronger incentives than seeing a loved one slowly lose their life due to cancer. Different things work for different people; I tried Chantix and was unsuccessful. I just saw on the news that they've developed a nicotine substitute, maybe that'll help. The hugest struggle lies ahead as I still get very strong cravings for tobacco from time to time but I've come this so far after trying to quit many, many times before. Plus, it is so very hard trying to get yourself to a place where you're ready to quit, I just don't want to have to go through that again.

Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, etc., a huge part of what's wrong with country music today. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, etc. now that's country. Shame is, none of them would stand a snowball's chance in hell at getting on the radio today because they're too country.

Another tune from the new record plus Part 3 of the Bill Flanagan interview here.