Posts Tagged ‘mtv’

Weird Al Yankovic Looks Back on ‘Smells Like Nirvana’

YouTube After a string of successful parody singles in the ’80s, the career of Weird Al Yankovic hit a lull. However, he rebounded with ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ from 1992′s ‘Off the Deep End,’ and Yankovic recently  spoke with Spin about the parody of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ near the 20th anniversary of its release. The most difficult part of the process was tracking down  Kurt Cobain to get permission to do the song. “A friend of mine was in the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ [Victoria Jackson],” Yankovic recalls. “I told her, if you ever get Kurt Cobain alone in a room, put him on the phone, because I’d love to talk to him — and she did! Directly! He was sweet and he got it in like five seconds and said, ‘Of course you can do a parody.’” Yankovic continues, “The famous quote from him was, ‘Is it going to be a song about food?’ because at that point that’s primarily what I was known for. And I said, ‘Well, no, it’s going to be a song about how nobody can understand your lyrics.’ And he said, “Oh, sure, of course, that’s funny.” The song was a massive success, and the video for ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ was shot on the same soundstage as ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and used many of the same props and even some of the same cheerleaders and audience members. It ended up being nominated for ‘Best Male Video’ at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. After ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ was released, Yankovic had a chance encounter with Cobain. “I only met Kurt in person once at a restaurant in Los Angeles. He just happened to be eating at an adjoining table with his friends. This was after the parody had come out, so I got to go over and thank him in person. I just profusely thanked him and said, “Anything I can do for you, let me know.” Kurt extended his hand to me and said, ‘Polish my nails.’” Watch Weird Al Yankovic – ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ Video

10 Best Grunge Bands of All Time

George De Soto / Frank Micelotta (2), Getty Images Grunge — it was the sound that defined the early '90s, and with this list of the 10 Best Grunge Bands, we're looking back on the acts that started a musical revolution and turned the music world on its ear. As the '80s gave way to the '90s, there was a need to shake things up from the status quo, and the sound called grunge was there to not only fill a void but to engulf the music scene as a whole. It paved the way for a wealth of frequently overlooked acts and all of a sudden, harder-edged, gritty music typically only heard on college radio was finally making its way into the public lexicon. Seattle became the center of the music universe; sweaty concert halls were once again the place to be; and flannel became a fashion statement. So let's crank up some distortion and count down the 10 Best Grunge Bands: ? Sub Pop 10 Mudhoney ? ? Mudhoney are one of grunge's most consistently solid and enduring bands. The group had its roots in the '80s act Green River, a band that many point to as one of the pioneers of the grunge sound. Mark Arm and Steve Turner emerged from Green River to start Mudhoney and while they didn't reach the commercial success of some of their peers, tracks like 'Touch Me I'm Sick,' 'Let It Slide' and 'Suck You Dry' became well-respected grunge anthems. Listen to 'Touch Me I'm Sick' ? ? Frank Micelotta, Getty Images 9 Hole ? ? It took a while for Hole to emerge from the shadow of Courtney Love 's late husband, Kurt Cobain , but 1994's 'Live Through This' was the album that finally broke them to a mass audience. Courtney Love's raspy voice hit the perfect mark on 'Miss World,' 'Doll Parts,' and 'Violet,' and though the band's sound began to evolve with 1998's 'Celebrity Skin,' songs like the title track and 'Awful' still had their roots in that undeniably gritty grunge sound. Listen to 'Miss World' ? ? YouTube 8 Mother Love Bone ? ? For many, the brilliance of Mother Love Bone wasn't discovered until after the band was no more. Sadly, singer Andrew Wood died of a drug overdose just days before the release of their first disc. The album did produce such grunge favorites as 'Stardog Champion' and 'Crown of Thorns' (the 'Chloe Dancer' intro portion would be added for the 'Singles' soundtrack). The group was also notable for being the pre- Pearl Jam band for Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard. Listen to 'Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns' ? ? Facebook: Screaming Trees 7 Screaming Trees ? ? Screaming Trees may have hit it big with 'Nearly Lost You,' but the band was well versed in their sound long before most people picked up on grunge. Led by the increasingly deep vocals of Mark Lanegan and the driving bass and guitar work of brothers Van and Gary Lee Conner, the band emerged as one of the leaders of the grunge movement. While 'Nearly Lost You' became their calling card, tracks like 'Dollar Bill,' 'Shadow of the Season,' and 'Bed or Roses' were also favorites in the band's catalog. Listen to 'Nearly Lost You' ? ? Facebook: The Melvins 6 The Melvins ? ? The Melvins , led by singer/guitarist Buzz Osbourne and drummer Dale Crover, are considered one of the pioneers of what would become grunge and thus deserve their spot among the Top 10 Grunge Bands. Their slow-moving, trudging sound became an influence for up-and-coming Seattle bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden . The band is still going strong today, and songs like 'Hooch,' 'Honey Bucket' and 'Night Goat' are as solid as they come. Listen to 'Honey Bucket' ? ? Facebook: Stone Temple Pilots 5 Stone Temple Pilots ? ? Could grunge grow outside of Seattle? That was the question in 1992, when San Diego-based rockers Stone Temple Pilots arrived with their 'Core' album, leading the second wave of grunge. The brutal lead single 'Sex Type Thing' introduced the band and vocal style of Scott Weiland . But it was the second song 'Plush,' with its memorable rhythmic guitar lines that truly established the band. Though they would evolve into a more straight-ahead rock band over time, the 'Core' and 'Purple' records had songs firmly implanted in the grunge sound. Listen to 'Plush' ? ? Facebook: Soundgarden 4 Soundgarden ? ? After forming in Seattle in the '80s, Soundgarden finally broke through with the 1991 single 'Outshined,' followed by the spirited follow-up 'Rusty Cage.' Blending in some of their punk roots, Soundgarden provided a frenetic interpretation early on before settling into a moodier, more trudging sound. Singer Chris Cornell shined on such hits as 'Spoonman,' 'Black Hole Sun,' 'Fell on Black Days,' and 'Pretty Noose.' There's no doubt Soundgarden deserves their upper echelon ranking in the Top 10 Grunge Bands list. Listen to 'Outshined' ? ? LegacyRecordings.com 3 Alice in Chains ? ? Was there a more impactful partnership in the grunge scene than Alice in Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell and powerhouse frontman Layne Staley ? The pair's harmonies were unmatched, with Staley delivering the extra punch when things got really heavy. 'Man in the Box' put them on the musical map in 1991, and by the following year, they spawned the grunge masterpiece, 'Dirt,' which featured such classics as 'Would?,' 'Rooster,' 'Them Bones' and 'Angry Chair.' Listen to 'Man in the Box' ? ? Facebook: Pearl Jam 2 Pearl Jam ? ? Formed after the demise of Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam emerged from the ashes to soar with 1991's 'Ten' album. The rhythmically heavy 'Alive' set the tone for the group, while the hard-hitting 'Even Flow' cemented their status as a band to be reckoned with. And by the time 'Jeremy' commanded MTV's airwaves, everyone knew Pearl Jam. The 'Vs.' and 'Vitalogy' albums kept the grunge vibes going, and the band is still one of the most successful touring acts to this day. Listen to 'Alive' ? ? Facebook: Nirvana 1 Nirvana ? ? It's hard to argue against Nirvana as the No. 1 act of our 10 Best Grunge Bands list, as they essentially put the genre on the map with their 1991 classic, 'Nevermind.' But things didn't stop with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' as 'Come As You Are,' 'Lithium' and their 'In Utero' favorites 'Heart Shaped Box' and 'Rape Me' are as good as they come in the grunge world. Sadly, we lost Kurt Cobain in 1994, but the fact that the band reached iconic status speaks to the quality of the music and their dominance in such a short timespan. Listen to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' ? ? What Are Your Favorite Grunge Bands? So there you have it, the 10 Best Grunge Bands. What do you think of the list? Is there a band missing that should be included? Is there a group that should be placed higher or lower? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. ?

The Melvins’ Buzz Osborne Recalls Past Tours With Nine Inch Nails and White Zombie

Lucy Johnston, Getty Images The Melvins are in the midst of their ’51 States in 51 Days’ tour, attempting to set a Guinness World Record for fastest tour of the United States. Frontman Buzz Osborne has been keeping a tour diary at Spin.com , and had some interesting observations about previous tours with Nine Inch Nails and White Zombie . Playing Sioux Falls, S.D. on the tour reminded Osbourne of the last time the Melvins played there, which was with Nine Inch Nails in the mid ’90s. He remembers NIN smashing up the dressing room there, causing about $30,000 in damage. “This was NIN’s ‘Downward Spiral’ tour, which ended up being the bands zenith, meaning it was their biggest and most interesting album along with the biggest and most semi-interesting point in their career,” Osborne writes. “I honestly didn’t know much about NIN before this tour. I mean I knew they were popular with the MTV baby rock crowd and that they had sold a lot of records but I had never actually listened to one of them. Why would I? I usually have no interest in checking out what sort of bands the baby rockers dig. This is as a result of almost always hating whatever bands the baby rockers dig.” Osborne says at least Nine Inch Nails and their crew were nice to them during the tour.  He can’t say the same about White Zombie, and unloads with both barrels. He describes it as the worst tour experience of his life, due mainly to a road manager dubbed ‘Mr. Mullet.’ “Mr. Mullet told us straight up that he was going to see to it that we got fu–ed over every night PA-wise in order to not piss off his boss, the swollen White Zombie dictator Rob Zombie,” Osborne recalls. “And it just went from there. He openly told us that Rob acted a prick to him, and that’s how life on the road was going to go for us as well. Perfect.” He goes on to say, “One insane thing after another every day for the whole tour. On one of the few times we actually got a soundcheck, Mr. Mullet came on stage and pulled the plug because Rob was eating and that we were to “shut the f–k up” because he didn’t like the “noise.” The ’51 States in 51 Days’ tour isn’t even halfway done yet, with plenty more tour diary entries to come. Hopefully Osborne will spill more great stories from the good old days as the tour progresses.

Amy Lee Says Evanescence Will Take Extended Break After Current Tour

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Evanescence fans had to wait five years between ‘The Open Door’ and last year’s self-titled album, and now singer Amy Lee is suggesting that fans may have to wait a while for album number four. The band has done a lot of touring behind their self-titled effort, including the recent Carnival 0f Madness tour — we were there at the Boston show . They are now preparing for upcoming South America and European runs. Lee tells  NME that Evanesence will probably take extended time off after this tour. “I’m really not sure what I’ll do next,” she explained. “At the end of any really long tour you need to get your head in order. I think at the end of the run we’ll go on a break for a while and figure things out.” Lee says she doesn’t have a problem with long gaps between albums. “Taking long breaks is seen as a bad thing, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. People have the idea that you have to keep putting stuff out while people remember you. But I’d rather make something that’s awesome and then make people remember again. I hope it doesn’t take five years, but I don’t want to put a timeline on it either.” Evanescence were recently nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award in the category of Best World Stage. The band faces some tough competition, with artists such as Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Snoop Dogg and Taylor Swift also getting nominations. The awards ceremony will be in Frankfurt, Germany on Nov. 11. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/top-evanescence-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Evanescence Songs” align=”center”]

Green Day Unveil Details of Billie Joe Armstrong’s Recent Hospitalization

It’s been a whirlwind few days for the members of Green Day, who have gone from Italy — where they saw frontman Billie Joe Armstrong admitted to the hospital — to Los Angeles, where they’re prepping for their appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards tonight (Sept. 6). While Armstrong is apparently resting his voice for tonight’s festivities, his bandmates Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool found time to speak with

Green Day to Rock 2012 MTV Video Music Awards

Green Day will continue their ‘love’ affair with MTV. The band, who’ve played the MTV Video Music Awards several times in the past and are premiering their ‘Oh, Love’ video tonight on the network, will perform at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. They join previously announced pop stars Alicia Keys, One Direction, and Pink among those performing at the Los Angeles-based event. This year’s ceremony takes place Sept. 6

Keyboardist Adam Wakeman Talks Touring with Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne

It’s hard to escape the drama that seems to follow Black Sabbath around, but according to keyboardist Adam Wakeman, who also plays for Ozzy Osbourne’s band, the Black Sabbath bandmates are just a normal group of guys at the end of the day. In a new interview with MTV Hive the musician talked about his relationship with the legendary band, working for Ozzy, and his own rock star roots. When