Wednesday Intermezzo: Down The Tube

Whenever I visit my parents’ house and flip through the channels on their flat screen, I’d often land on The Tube Music Network. I’ve been waiting for my shitty cable operator to add the channel, but that’s not to be: The Tube has folded.

The Tube showed an incredible range of videos from the past and present plus tons of clips from live performances, without any of the reality shows and other bullshit that currently litter VH-1 and MTV. It’s sad that a network that actually focused on good music couldn’t survive in the current landscape.

• The Village Voice profiles Sam Champion
• Led Zeppelin is finally making their catalog available online
• Pro cred! David Fricke and Richard Gehr both have high praise for Umphrey’s McGee’s new live album
• Amy Winehouse struggled through the first night of her European tour
• Adrian Belew reminiscences about his last visit with Frank Zappa
• You won’t have to pay extra for DRM-free files from iTunes anymore
• Neil Young has added a fifth NYC gig to his tour
• Glenn Kotche picks his favorite Wilco songs

And lastly, Cracked asked John Frusciante to list the 15 most ill-advised career reinventions in music history. What, no “post-hiatus Trey tone?”