I was never much of a fan of Gwar. I do know they have been around for years. I never bought their records but I’ve heard their songs on the radio, seen their videos, etc. The main founder and frontman of the thrash metal band, Gwar, has passed away. Gwar is a controversial band known for it’s crazy costumes inspired by science-fiction/horror films. They are also known for obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances. Gwar have been around since the 80’s and they have released 13 studio albums in their career. This is the band’s second death as their member, Corey Smoot who passed away in 2011.
I wonder what’s gonna happen to Gwar now? Will the band continue on or will they call it quits? It’s pretty likely that the band will have to end it ’cause Dave was their main guy. I can’t see Gwar go on without their leader.
This is sad news, though. I never bought their music but I do respect the hell out of ’em, though. RIP Dave!
Harold Ramis, actor/director/writer/comedian have been directing/starring/acting in movies since the early 80’s but he first got recognized to national fame w/ his iconic role of Egon Spengler for the first “Ghostbusters” film released in 1984. After the first “Ghostbusters” movie which became a huge hit and it’s still a huge movie to this day, Harold continued acting/directing/writing for other films. He directed other films such as “Groundhog Day”, the first “Caddyshack”, “Analyze This/That”, “Multiplicity”, “Bedazzled”, “Year One”, etc. He also had acting roles in films like “Stripes”, “As Good As It Gets”, “Airheads” and “Orange County”.
This passing really is too bad. Harold had health problems for a long while now… he had something called autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. He was a very talented and funny man. Throughout his life and career, he put his career on a positive note so that made him a great guy.
I wonder what’s the fate going to be for “Ghostbusters III” now? Him and Dan Aykroyd have been planning for years. Will Dan continue on with the film or will he cancel the whole project? I’m sure we’ll hear from Mr. Aykroyd soon.
This really sucks. Harold was a talented and funny man. I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time.
I was never a big fan of the “Fast and Furious” franchise ’cause I find the franchise a bit overrated and nothing special. They all seem the same to me… just fast cars and hot women all over those films. Just your typical popcorn action films with bad writing. I didn’t see all “Fast and Furious” films but only very few of them. I did see the last “Fast and Furious” movie, “Fast 6” in a theater and I actually kind of liked that one admittedly.
With all this being said, Paul Walker’s death yesterday was tragic and a huge shock. I had a hard time believing it at first ’cause you know how “celebrity death hoaxes” are big on the internet these days. Turns out this death wasn’t a hoax at all and turned out to be real. His coroner confirmed it and so has his lawyers/publicists. He was mysteriously killed in a car crash and explosion which is kind of weird ’cause that’s something that you see in the “F & F” films.
He was a great actor though, and a talented man… I always respected him even if I wasn’t a fan of “F & F” films. He was good in other movie roles though like “Running Scared”, “Joy Ride”, and “The Lazarus Project”. Those were great films.
Now we gotta wait for official word on what’s gonna happen with “Fast and Furious 7”. They were still in the middle of filming the movie. Not sure how much Paul filmed the new film. Not sure if they plan on continuing without him. I’m sure the film makers will continue on without him ’cause I’m sure that’s what Paul would have wanted. The movie wasn’t really made for him anyway as Paul was just a co-star. Will Vin Diesel be willing to continue to make these movies without, Paul?
This is sad and tragic. Paul was a young guy, 40. Too young to go. He has a young 15 year old daughter named Meadow and this is gonna be tough on her ’cause she’s gonna have to grow up without her father now.
Like most, I am pretty heartbroken, shocked, and saddened by learning about the sudden passing of one of my favorite singer/songwriters of all time… Lou Reed. I have loved the music of Lou Reed for many years. Everything he did from the Velvet Underground & Nico, his solo career, Metal Machine Music, and yes, even his “Lulu” album with Metallica was all inspirational stuff to me. Loved him or hate him… Lou Reed was a musical genius.
Lou was a man who wasn’t afraid to do what he wanted to do musically… not giving a shit what the public thinks. That’s one reason why I respected him so much. Lou was also proof that you don’t need to be a good singer to play rock n’ roll music. That’s another reason I respected Lou. Most importantly, I respected Lou because of the genius songwriter that he really was. He wrote too many incredible songs.
Lou was also a very honest man. He wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted to the media and the press. Proof of that… he praised Kanye West’s newest album and gave it a positive review so that was pretty ballsy of Lou to do.
Another ballsy thing Lou did was that he collaborated on an album with Metallica… an album titled “Lulu” which is an album full of songs based on a play in Germany. The album got mostly negative reviews by music fans but no matter what you think of the album… Lou Reed was very proud of the album, “Lulu”. He didn’t care what the public thought. Lou just did what he wanted to do in the music industry. “Lulu” is now his final album before his death. Many of you would think it would be pretty weird that this would be his final album but I’m 100% sure Lou would have wanted this to be his final album. Metallica made Lou’s dream come true that the band accepted to collaborate with him so you should at least respect that.
Lou was one of the rock n’ roll greats. He was a great inspiration to my own guitar playing and songwriting.
In the song below, “Junior Dad” from his album Lulu… the song is about somebody’s dead father. Well, Lou Reed was a pretty much like a father to us musicians and rock n’ roll lovers. Lou was a rock n’ roll pioneer so I guess you can absolutely call him the father of rock n’ roll. I’m posting Lou’s song “Junior Dad” in dedication to him.
RIP Lou… and thanks for the great music over the years. My condolences go out to his wife Laurie Anderson and their families.
Kev
————————————————————————
“Junior Dad”
Would you come to me
If I was half drowning
An arm above the last wave
Would you come to me
Would you pull me up
Would the effort really hurt you
Is it unfair to ask you
To help pull me up
The window broke the silence of the matches
The smoke effortlessly floating
Pull me up
Would you be my lord and savior
Pull me up by my hair
Now would you kiss me, on my lips
Burning fever burning on my forehead
The brain that once was listening now
Shoots out its tiresome message
Won’t you pull me up
Scalding, my dead father
Has the motor and he’s driving towards
An island of lost souls
Sunny, a monkey then to monkey
I will teach you meanness, fear and blindness
No social redeeming kindness
Or — oh, state of grace
Would you pull me up
Would you drop the mental bullet
Would you pull me by the arm up
Would you still kiss my lips
Hiccup, the dream is over
Get the coffee, turn the lights on
Say hello to junior dad
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad
Psychic savagery
The greatest disappointment
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad
This is pretty sad news that I felt was worth posting here. I haven’t read too many Tom Clancy books. I wasn’t that big of a fan of his but I admired him and respected him. I’ve only read a few of his books. “Patriot Games” and “The Hunt for Red October” were just a few of them I’ve read. Both of those books were my favorite and of course, I love the movies that were made for those. As a matter of fact, I just got done re-watching, “Hunt for Red October” film on Netflix just a few minutes ago. Great movie!
Tom was an author who wrote fictional stories based on military kind of stuff. He liked to write stuff about planes, and other military weapons. He is most famous for the Jack Ryan novel series which are being made for Hollywood film. Alec Baldwin played Jack Ryan for “Hunt For Red October”, Harrison Ford played the character in “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger”, and Ben Affleck played the character for “The Sum of All Fears”. Chris Pine will next star as Jack Ryan for the film, “Shadow Recruit”.
Tom not only had a huge influence in the Hollywood industry, he had an influence in the video gaming industry as well with games like, “Splinter Cell” and “Ghost Recon”.
Tom Clancy, passed away today with a cause of death not yet known, he was 66.
The world of rock n’ roll music lost another great one. JJ Cale, a singer/songwriter mostly well known for his work with, Eric Clapton. JJ is Eric’s longtime friend, collaborator, songwriter, etc. Eric Clapton has covered JJ’s song, “Cocaine” for his solo album, “Slowhand”, which the song helped make that album become so famous and iconic. You can still hear Eric’s version of “Cocaine” on classic rock stations to this very day. JJ even collaborated on an album with Eric for, “The Road to Escondido” in 2006. JJ collaborated with Eric again for a song on Eric’s latest album, “Old Sock”. While JJ recorded a large number of his own solo albums… other bands & artists have covered his work too such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, and others.
JJ Cale is an important figure in rock n’ roll music so I thought this one would be worth posting. He doesn’t get a lot of recognition when he should but without him Eric Clapton’s solo career wouldn’t have mattered. Eric must be devastated over his passing — I would think he would be.
Today, is a sad day for music. JJ was a talented guy and underrated. I personally find JJ’s version of “Cocaine” is better than Eric’s version. Eric’s version is good but JJ’s version is more intense, in my opinion. JJ’s version has more passion and meaning.
Like everyone else, I am shocked to hear the death of “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfi who is most famous for his role as, Tony Soprano. I haven’t watched the whole series of, “The Sopranos”, I only saw the first season ’cause I have it on DVD. I was meaning to catch up with the rest of the show soon. I was planning on getting HBO GO for the Ipad and I’ll be able to watch, “The Sopranos”, on there. The Sopranos was a great show, though, even if I haven’t watched the whole thing yet.
I also remembered Gandolfini in several movie roles especially the Coen Bros. movie, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”. I also remembered him in “8MM” w/ Nicolas Cage. He was also in “Get Shorty” and “Crimson Tide”.
Gandolfini also did a lot of work for the US troops. He did stuff for the Wounded Warrior Project charity, and produced two documentaries on US Troops/War Veterans. He showed a lot of support and respect for US Soldiers over the years.
Today is a sad day for the entertainment industry. I was a fan of him too.
James Gandolfini died of cardiac arrest in Rome, Italy, he was 51 years old.
Today is a sad day in the world of rock n’ roll music. Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist for the Doors has passed away today. Ray Manzarek was an important member of the Doors because he was the one who started the band himself and wrote most of the Doors song catalog. The formation of the Doors all started when Ray first met Jim Morrison on Venice Beach in California where the two met for the very first time. Jim had written some songs and Ray wanted to hear them so Jim sang them to him. Ray loved them too much that he wanted to form a band with Jim. Then they met drummer Jon Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger later on. Ever since Ray’s first meeting with Jim, the two have been best friends ever since. When the Doors first formed, they didn’t have a bass player and didn’t know where to find one, so Ray used his piano for the bass lines, and he used an organ as well.
The Doors have made a total of 9 successful studio albums and have made tons of radio hits: “Break On Through The Other Side”, “L.A. Woman”, “Riders On the Storm, “People Are Strange”, “The End”, “Moonlight Drive”, etc.
After the Doors broke up in 1973, a few years after Jim Morrison’s death, Ray Manzarek brought the Doors back (minus, Jim Morrison, of course) in 2000 for a special VH1 Storytellers performance where they would have a variety of special guest singers from Ian Astbury, Travis Meeks, Scott Weiland, Scott Stapp, and others.
This is a real shame, and this passing devastates me, ’cause I’m a huge fan of the Doors. The Doors happened because of Ray, there wouldn’t be a Jim Morrison without him. I’ve listened to the Doors for years, and they were an inspiration for my own music as well. Ray was a genius of a pianist and keyboardist. He really was proud of the Doors music and loved what he did which is part of why he got my respect. He may have not gotten along well with the surviving members of the Doors over the years, but he was a talented musician no matter what you think of him. I’m sure Ray will be up in heaven with Jim now. There are two members of the Doors left; they are Robby and Jon. This really sucks. The music world lost another great one. Ray Manzarek died of cancer at a hospital in Germany, he was 74 years old.
Today’s a sad day in the world of music, especially for the metal industry. The iconic thrash metal band, Slayer, has lost their founding member and longtime guitarist. I am a fan of Slayer. I absolutely love them. I own several of their albums in my Itunes library. They are good to listen for my workouts at the gym and doing outside cardio. I own their latest album, “World Painted Blood”. I also own their albums “Season of the Abyss”, “Reign In Blood”, and maybe a few others; I forgot the names of them. I also have the Big 4 DVD with Slayer performing on it. I’m devastated of this passing; kind of heartbroken about this one.
In 2011, Jeff left Slayer to cut down on full-time touring because he started to have health problems but he did play at Metallica’s Big 4 show, though. It was a disease called nercrotizing fasciitis. Even though he has died of liver failure, it is not known if this is related to that disease. I don’t want to jump to conclusions on anything.
Slayer has always been a favorite metal band of mine as well. That band can be pretty addicting to listen to and you always found yourself going back to listen to their music. That’s how I always been. I never got to saw them live but always wanted to though. Now, I wonder if Slayer will continue on without him. They probably will ’cause they continued to tour without Jeff because of his health problems. If they decide to break up and call it quit in honor of him, that would be understandable.
In my opinion, Jeff Hanneman is irreplaceable. The guy was a genius metal guitarist. He could play both lead guitar and rhythm guitar amazingly. There are no other metal guitarists like him these days. Jeff Hanneman is Slayer. While the other guys in the band are great musicians too, Jeff would be the one to pay attention to the most. My condolences go out to the band Slayer, Jeff’s family/friends, the fans and the rest of the metal community. Jeff Hanneman was 49 years old.
I wasn’t even born yet when Woodstock ’69 happened. The world’s most famous 3 Day rock festival that happened here in Upstate, New York. The festival featured some famous acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Grateful Dead, CCR, Joan Baez and the list goes on. Richie Havens was also booked for the lineup. He wasn’t just part of the lineup, he was the festival’s opener. He was the first performer to hit the stage there. It was his iconic performance at Woodstock ’69 which launched him into fame.
Even though, I wasn’t around when Woodstock happened — I did watch the Woodstock movie, however. The first performer was some dude on stage with an acoustic guitar and conga players, screaming, “Freedom, Freedom” through the microphone at the top of his lungs with his aggressive acoustic guitar playing. In my eyes, Richie was the best part of the Woodstock ’69 movie. It was him that made me want to watch his performance over and over again.
His aggressive and percussive like guitar playing is a huge inspiration for my own playing. You notice how I play my acoustic aggressively on stage? Well, most of that came from him. I love playing acoustic guitar aggressively and hard. Pounding on the strings and playing fast rhythm. I can play like that too.
Even though, “Freedom”, is a simple song — it’s still powerful. It sends a clear message about world freedom, and peace. You shouldn’t really look at him just for his “Freedom” song though — his other music is great too. Before Richie’s death, he continued to perform live and release studio albums. He never gave up what he did. He played music until the day he died, and that’s exactly what he did. This really sucks. I’m kind of devastated about his passing ’cause he has been a favorite of mine for years.
In honor of Richie Havens, I’m planning on learning his song, “Freedom”, and I’ll cover it myself for a tribute video. Richie Havens was 72 years old.
Kev
The Official Music Website of Kevin Brock – Brocking N' Rolling
K'Brocking 
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