Jeff Beck has publicly slammed  members of Led Zeppelin for even discussing a tour without Robert Plant.

Beck -- a former bandmate of Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds -- said "I really don't think it's a good idea."

Amen to that.

"I was there at the one-off show at the O2 Arena [last December] and it was fantastic," said Beck. "But I think they should just leave it there. They will have been offered loads of money and it'll be tempting but that's not a good enough reason to me. 

"It would be different if they all wanted to do it and record new material but that's not the case."

Plant put rumors of a full Zeppelin reunion tour to rest in September when he said he has "no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years."

What do you think? Should JPJ and Page go on without Plant?

This new video for Metallica's "All Nightmare Long" is rad.

And it's pretty fuckin' scary too!

Guitarist Kirk Hammett explains on a vlog that the footage in "All Nightmare Long" is taken from a strip of film he bought from a market while on tour in Russia a few years ago. 

He'd bought the film simply to calm down an excited merchant, but then realized that he had gotten a hold of something special (for five bucks!). He's not sure if the footage is legitimate propaganda or something even more sinister. 

To hear it straight from Hammett, and to check out more vlogs from the boys of Metallica, head over to their YouTube channel.

The Daily News is reporting this morning that Scott Weiland has fallen off the wagon. Despite the fact that he was in the midst of a court-ordered, 18-month rehab program (stemming from an arrest in 2007) the paper said Weiland showed up to his solo gig at the Fillmore in New York on Friday night, "noticeably drunk." 

Weiland hit the stage an hour late, and when the audience was not booing him or shouting out STP songs, they were commenting on how "drunk and sloppy" he was. 

The singer got the same reception at the Borgata in Atlantic City on Sunday night. Once again, he took to the stage late (40 minutes) and refused to play any STP songs, except "Interstate Love Song." 

Weiland just released his second solo effort, Happy in Galoshes, to mixed reviews. (Meaning, it sucks balls). 

Photo: Fergusson/Getty

Brooklyn's the Walkmen just announced dates for a short run through the West coast, supporting their latest rad album, You and Me. 

The Walkmen - "In the New Year"

(more...)

Photo: Kitwood/Getty

London's Snaresbrook Crown Court has found Boy George guilty of false imprisonment and assault, and Georgie  now faces up to fifteen years in prison! Sentencing begins on January 16th.

George kidnapped Norwegian man-whore Auden Carlsen after the two participated in a pornographic photo shoot in the singer's home. Later, after accusing Carlsen of hacking into his computer system, George handcuffed Carlsen to a wall. 

When Carlsen freed himself and raced for the door in his undies, Georgie beat him with a metal chain! 

He may be a fuckin' psycho, but we still love him. Culture Club were awesome!

(more...)

Lewis Black is pretty goddamn excited about Bonnaroo 2009. 

Heed his advice and get yourself a ticket.

The Body Shop, the seedy old titty bar on the Sunset Strip where Motley Crue filmed their cinematic classic, "Girls, Girls, Girls," went up in flames this morning.

Photo: Dominic DiSaia

Talk about the dream gig of a lifetime...

Everest, an up-and-coming alt-country outfit from Los Angeles, are currently in the midst of opening a string of dates with Wilco and Neil Young!!!

"It's the most amazing thing we've ever done," says frontman Russell Pollard, who we caught up with at a tour stop at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. "We get to watch two of our favorite acts perform every night."

Veteran players on the L.A. scene, the five dudes in Everest hooked up in 2006. "One day, we all just sat around my house listening to records and we started playing demos for each other," says Pollard. "A week later we were in the studio."

Everest quickly got picked up by Neil Young's record label, Vapor Records, after Young got a hold of some of their demos. "It didn't involve the stereotypical big label signing bonus BS that never works out," Pollard said. "It really worked out well for us, man." They put out their debut LP, Ghost Notes, last May, and by summertime, they were on the road with My Morning Jacket. 

But nothing compares to sharing a stage with Wilco and Young. "It's surreal! It's an honor!" says Pollard. "It's a dream come true for us."

The cherry on top might come at the final tour stop in New York, where the triple-bill will play Madison Square Garden on December 15th and 16th. "We're planning on playing a song with them," Pollard says. "It's in the works!" 

For your listening pleasure, check out their tune "Trees," from Ghost Notes. 

Everest - "Trees"

(more...)

Photo: Walter/Getty

Catch 'em while you can, kids.

Trent Reznor posted a regretful blog entry on the Nine Inch Nails website today. He expressed his dismay at being unable to collaborate with James Cameron on a DVD that captures the vitality of their current tour. He blamed "a certain record company" for fucking him, and the project, like an animal.

He also dropped one hell of a bomb: the tour dates set for 2009 will most likely be their last gigs for the foreseeable future.

"This was an amazing tour and production - certainly the best thing I've ever been involved with and likely the final tour for NIN on this scale," he writes. "The shows we have announced in 2009 and any more that may be announced will be a completely different approach with some different personnel and will likely be the last for the foreseeable future."

Reznor also blog-bragged (brogged?) that NIN's '08 tour could not be topped!

"Forgive me for having a Kanye West moment, but this was FOR SURE the best show of the year," Reznor wrote and any bullshit end-of-the-year poll you may read in the next few weeks that says otherwise simply has it wrong."

Photo: Getty

Year after year, "What the fuck?" is the thought that runs through our heads after Grammy nominees are announced.