Joe Kavanagh's Music News

An online petition has been launched to "get Bono to retire from public life (so he'll stop leading misguided counter-productive philanthropy efforts)... and, simultaneously... to make a huge donation to fight AIDS." The petition, at Thepoint.com, was initiated last week and is accepting pledges from those likeminded souls who would rather that the U2 front man stands down from his job as savior of the world. All the money raised by pledges will be donated to combating AIDS. According to those behind the petition, the Bono inspired RED products have spent $40 million more on marketing than they have actually raised, and they go on to say: "Many involved in the global fight against AIDS worry that RED will make it harder to raise funds, and that the oversimplified and disempowered image of Africa that Bono perpetuates, as exemplified in the incredibly condescending lyrics from the Band Aid Xmas song Bono helped create, obscures and undermines the assets African nations must focus on to defeat AIDS and poverty." Pledges do not have to be paid until Bono steps down from public life, although he had yet to remark on the matter at the time of going to print...

Rod Stewart has lashed out at Ron Wood, over the Rolling Stones guitarist's comments a while back claiming that the Maggie May singer is a tightwad. Speaking to the media last week, Stewart claimed: "I am not tight or mean. Ronnie Wood, who is a great mate, keeps saying I am. He's such an a***hole, Ron. He says I'm tighter then two coats of paint. I am careful with money, Ronnie isn't. He doesn't keep his eyes on the accounts like I do. He's got no Scottish blood in him. But I'm not tight. I do lots of work for charities. I just don't make it public." I have no idea whether he is a miser or not but his decision to have a pop at Ron Wood when he's tucked away in a rehab facility is a little bit curious, and I'm guessing that this puts the kibosh on the rumored Faces reunion...

Speaking of reunions, Led Zeppelin will not be performing at Wales' Millennium Stadium, after spokespeople for the band declared that the notion was "dead in the water." According to the UK media, representatives for the Cardiff stadium were in talks with Led Zeppelin's business manager, Harvey Goldsmith, so the door was at least opened a crack on the notion. At this point, however, Led Zeppelin are the subject of more rumors than Richard Gere's pet hamster...

At the time of going to print, fears were rising for the safety of Scottish singer, Gerry Rafferty, who had gone missing after walking out of a London hospital, leaving all of his personal belongings behind him. Famous for hits such as Baker Street and co-writer of Stuck In The Middle With You, the troubled singer has allegedly been on an epic drinking binge of late. He was recently asked to leave London's upscale Westbury Hotel, after staying in his room and drinking whiskey for five days solid. In fact, it was only when Rafferty nipped out to go to a local pub that staff entered his room, and found it to be utterly trashed and stinking of urine. Upon his return, he was asked to leave and the whole incident led to such cheeky tabloid headlines as "Stuck In The Widdle With You". Rafferty has long been known as a serious drinker and famously fell out with his brother so badly that his sibling set up a website solely for directing abuse at him. Hopefully this one will have a happy ending...

Simpering Irish singer, Chris De Burgh, has confirmed that he will play a concert in the Iranian capital of Tehran, this coming November. It will be the first major concert by a western act in the Islamic state since the 1979 revolution, which saw the Ayatollah Khomeini sweep to power. De Burgh will be supported by Iranian act, Arian, with whom he has written a single titled, A Light For Eternity. Iran has all but outlawed western music since the revolution and while De Burgh might view this invitation as a compliment, the fact that he passed the myriad artistic constraints in Iran is actually more of a testament to how hopelessly bland and soulless his muzak actually is...

Snow Patrol have finished recording the follow-up to 2006 multi-platinum-selling Eyes Open and expect to have it on shelves this coming October. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, drummer, Johnny Quinn, revealed that the album will be called One Hundred Million Suns, and is "very much melody-based, but it's different too in ways from the other albums", adding "It's hard to know what everyone will make of it but we're happy. I'd go as far as to say I think it's our best album yet."...

George Michael poured cold water on speculation that Wham! were on the cusp of reuniting for a series of performances, as part of Michael's ongoing solo tour. Rumors had been flying around the press saying that the duo would put in a surprise appearance at one of Michael's London gigs later this month, but he claims that there is no chance of it happening. Thank goodness for that but I'm sure that Andrew Ridgeley had already dusted off the old suits and is probably crying into his pint right about now...

Christian Bale has revealed that the late Heath Ledger, used the equally late Sid Vicious, as inspiration for his portrayal of the Joker. Speaking to Empire magazine, Ledger claimed: "Heath's created an anarchic Joker unlike any ever seen before. He modeled the part on Sid Vicious which made this punk-like character. I think it is a classic portrayal of a great villain." Who'd have believed their fates would end up so similar? ...

Ordinarily, I deal exclusively with European music matters but every now and then something comes up that is just too tasty to pass over. I'm speaking of some redneck named John Rich, who has just released a track titled, Raising McCain, which is evidently aimed at assisting John McCain in his presidential bid. Here is a sampling of the lyrics: "He stayed strong, stayed extra long til they let all the other boys out. Now we've got a real man with an American plan, we're going to put him in the big White House." I would laugh at it but for the fact it actually scares the life out of me that people like this exist. Asked by a reporter to expand further on his reason for entering political discourse, Rich replied: "The entire world is looking for a way to sucker punch us." What an astounding grasp of the nuances of global relations this man has, I mean, here was me thinking that the relationships between countries were finely calibrated and fluctuating, when all the while it was as simple as this man's tiny brain. According to this clown, even the Irish are currently planning an invasion of America, along with the Shetland Islanders, Ukrainians, Polynesians etc., etc. It is idiots like him that we would like to sucker punch and I honestly wish that Mr Rich would just climb back into his tree and stick to playing banjo because if idiots like him get their way, we are all looking at perpetual war. Whew, now I feel much better!