Joe Kavanagh's Music News

Led Zeppelin may have millions of fans around the world baying for their return but Jack Bruce is certainly not among them. The bassist for iconic rock band, Cream, caused somewhat of a sensation with his scathing comments about Robert Plant and company, during an interview last week. Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Bruce asserted: "F**k off, Zeppelin, you're crap. You've always been crap and you'll never be anything else. The worst thing is that people believe the crap that they're sold. Cream is 10 times the band that Led Zeppelin is. The thing about Zeppelin is that obviously it's a little bit of jealousy on my part... because the audience was created by Cream and Jimi Hendrix, this sort of very large audience. Then Zeppelin came along and had a very easy ride in that way. We were the pioneers and pioneers don't always get the recognition they deserve." Just for good measure he added: "Let's face it, Jimmy Page ain't no Eric Clapton, no matter what anybody thinks." Double negative aside, I'd have to agree with him on the last sentence because Jimmy Page actually has a personality, but the words "sour" and "grapes" certainly spring to mind...

Speaking of Led Zeppelin, former Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell, is the latest person rumored to be taking over vocalist responsibilities if, and when, the legendary 70s outfit take to the road next year, after Robert Plant claimed that he is not interested in rejoining the band for a world tour. This could get ugly and increasingly sounds like the worst comeback since Napoleon set sail from Elba...

In a quirky coincidence, Bruce was not the only member of Cream in the news last week, as drummer Ginger Baker also made the papers, after claiming that he would drop his pants in court in order to win an upcoming legal battle. Baker is taking legal action against bank clerk, Lindi Wienoko, because he claims that she swindled him out of almost $50,000. Wienoko claims that the money was a gift and that she and Baker were lovers, a charge that he strenuously denies. As proof of his denial, Baker claims that he has a scar on his nether region, which Wienoko should be able to describe as proof of their intimacy and he is willing to pull down his trousers to show the jury, stating: "I've a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It's there and she doesn't know it's there. I'm quite prepared to strip. It may well come down to it." Let's hope for the jury's sake that it doesn't come down to it but if I was working at the court that day I'd turn the air conditioning up full blast just for a giggle "I swear, it's twice this size normally your honor!"...

MTV held its European awards show in Liverpool last Thursday but this year's proceedings were decidedly low-key, given the financial malaise that is currently gripping the globe. Universal Records even went so far as to cancel a lavish post show bash that they had planned, due to financial concerns stemming from the ongoing decline in record sales and fears that we are all headed for a global recession. The most noteworthy news stemming from the night was an article in the UK tabloids that claimed Kanye West urinated on his dressing room floor, presumably because he thought that using the toilet was something that was beneath him. According to The Sun, West pulled down his fly and let fly, so to speak, in front of startled onlookers. Unluckily for the Ting Tings, they happened to be sharing the dressing room with the rapper, and drummer, Jules De Martino was quoted by the tabloid as saying: "We ask for a lot of unusual things on our backstage rider but that ain't one of them!" Next time they should probably put some newspaper down for the dirty git...

The Kinks are moving closer to a reunion after Ray Davies confirmed reports that they have begun working on new material, and hope to collaborate with modern acts like Razorlight and Snow Patrol. Speaking to the BBC, the singer claimed: "We've started a little bit of this and that. But it is too early to judge the quality. It depends if there's good music. We want good new music. I'd like to do it as a more collaborative thing than we used to do. I'd love to do something with Johnny (Borrell), but I'd like to find new bands. Unsigned even. I usually like the underdogs. We'll see how it works out - a mixture of Snow Patrol and Chuck Berry. It should be an interesting record." Davies also claimed that his brother, Dave, is almost fully recovered from the stroke he suffered in 2004, making the prospect of a live comeback even more likely...

Speaking of Johnny Borrell, the 28-year-old Razorlight singer is now reportedly dating Sting's 18-year-old daughter, Coco Summer, after the pair were spotted arm in arm at an awards show in London last week. Summer is carving out a name for herself as a singer/songwriter and recently signed a long-term recording contract with Island Records. Somehow I don't think Sting will be loaning Borrell any of his books on Tantric sex...

NME released its influential "Cool List" for 2008 last week and kooky singer, Alice Glass, from the band Crystal Castles was the surprising leader of the pack, capping off a successful year for the Canadian outfit. Rounding out the top ten were: 2. Jay-Z, 3. Andrew VanWyngarden, MGMT, 4. Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys/The Last Shadow Puppets, 5: Sam Dust, Late Of The Pier, 6. Ladyhawke, 7. Caleb Followill, Kings Of Leon, 8. MIA, 9. Liam Gallagher, Oasis, 10. Caroline McKay, Glasvegas...

Elton John has stepped down from his position as honorary president of Watford Football Club, citing his unhappiness with the direction the team has taken in recent months, which saw the sacking of manager, Aidy Boothroyd, last week. In a statement released to the media, a spokesperson for the singer claimed: "Elton wishes the team every success for the future. However, in the light of developments over the past few months, he feels he cannot remain in any formal position within the Club." John is famed for his fanatical support of the Championship side and has done two tours of duty as Chairman at the club...

Blur also took one step closer to a comeback, after singer Damon Albarn, met with guitarist, Graham Coxon, in a London restaurant last week. Blur have been on hiatus since the release of their album, Think Tank in 2003, and Coxon left the band under acrimonious circumstances in 2002. Albarn recently poured cold water on the idea of a reunion, saying that he did not see the point, as all the band members had more than enough money already and that he is quite happy with his own side-projects, which include everything from Gorillaz to Chinese opera, but he now appears to have had an about-face. Talking to the UK press last week, he maintained: "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur, it really is very possible. The truth be known Graham and I have been hanging out together a bit. We had lunch the other day. He's great; it's fantastic to get my old friend back. So it's good but I can't really say any more than that." ...

Legal proceedings began in a London court last week, against a member of Bon Jovi's entourage, who is facing charges that he recklessly drove over the leg of a security guard during a concert by the mullet-rockers in Milton Keynes two years ago. Security advisor, Sally Allen, is suing the band for almost half a million dollars as the result of an incident that occurred when a small fire broke out backstage at the gig. According to Allen, she was instructed not to let anyone backstage but Bon Jovi's security guard, Kevin McDonnell approached her and demanded to be allowed to the scene of the fire and called her a "f***ing whore" when she attempted to stop him, before uttering the immortal words: "Do you know who I am? You can't f***ing stop me." McDonnell then allegedly drove a golf cart over Allen's right leg, fracturing it and causing severe ligament damage. She claims that the resulting damage has "ruined her sex life" and I'm thinking that must be some pretty acrobatic loving she gets up to if a gimpy leg is enough to ruin her sex life. McDonnell should be sued just for using the "do you know who I am?" line alone because last time anybody checked, he's actually nobody. I can't blame him for panicking though. With that amount of hairspray about, the place could have gone up like it was rigged with C-4.