2009

Going too far carries a gravitas that came to fruition in the excesses of 20th century rock. Hell, some of our favorite musicians have long straddled the line between life and death. Some, to such a degree (far too many great icons from Hendrix to Cobain), have died when that line was finally crossed. But this Rimbaud type tendency to burn across the poetic sky as some sort of mythical druggy superman before crashing down to earth as a lowly mortal dates back to the Dawn of Man (or the Dawn of Tripped-Out Man as I recently wrote, in reference to a heady band of new psychedelic warriors).

Johnny Depp has played many characters that willfully blur the line between life and death on a daily basis—characters as twisted and deformed as Raoul Duke aka Hunter S. Thompson, or the actor’s recent musical romp through the evil world of Sweeney Todd. But his characterization of John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet, sex fiend and scoundrel, gave film buffs a real taste of pure pirate-like behavior that far overshadowed his work as the loveable rogue in the Disney Caribbean trilogy. Yes, but I prefer the Bad Guy on film (Vader over Kenobi) as the bent mind seems more human.

Indeed, Depp behaves like a man on his last waltz through Dante’s Inferno. Every Day. Every Footstep. Every Drink from the Bottle. Every Leer and Sneer. He has contempt for ordinary society, and in his cavalier way, Depp’s character towers above the film that documents his sordid life in this week’s Hidden Flick, The Libertine.

READ ON for more on this week’s Hidden Flick – The Libertine…

On June 1, Pearl Jam will be Conan O’Brien’s first musical guest

When I watched Ozzy Osbourne’s reality show in the early part of this decade, I couldn’t look at the former Black Sabbath frontman without feeling sad. As happy-go-lucky as MTV

We’d like to welcome U-Melt keyboard ace Zac Lasher, who penned the latest installment of our Tour Diary series. Zac kept a journal for most of the band’s Spring Tour and we’ve divided his entries up into three parts.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

4/16 – Chicago, IL

First night of the Midwestern run. After a highly successful string of shows in our beloved Northeastern United States, we leave the comforts of home for the Central time zone and beyond. Tonight, I got to see a friend who I haven’t seen since high school, and who I probably would have never seen again if it weren’t for that website called Facebook.

I think about the technology that we have at our disposal in this day and age, that was only the stuff of fiction when I was growing up. Personal communication devices that we carry with us that not only allow for person-to-person voice conversation between two or more people anywhere in the world, but also give you virtually instant access to pretty much any bit of information that isn’t a closely guarded secret at the touch of a button – or the touch of a screen. Its pretty amazing what sort of stuff we humans can make. READ ON for Zac’s journal entries from Dekalb and Madison…

Wilco, the current most buzzed about band on the planet, has recently updated their website to add a number of cool features including a Gigapan photo of their famed loft

Here’s a clip of guitar gods Trey Anastasio and Joe Bonamassa taking turns ripping up Blues Deluxe at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont… Trey Anastasio & Joe Bonamassa –