Blogs | Rock Around the Town
Metallica San Diego Footage (pro-shot), plus Famous Dead Neighbors, More Misheard Lyrics, Weird Beatles
By Jay Allen Sanford | Posted January 6, 2009, 3:31 a.m.
Lars likes us! He really likes us! Well, unless you download his musical illegally, or publish an unauthorized comic book bio about him.........
NEED A [PRO]SHOT OF METALLICA FOOTAGE FROM COX ARENA 12-15?
Most major local concerts end up on YouTube or elsewhere, in snippets or their entirely, often before the drums have been loaded out the venue’s back door. Rare, tho, are the clips with decent sound OR vid ----
The Metallica San Diego footage streaming on the band’s website, however, is top-notch, pro-shot, and fairly impressive – I can take or leave Death Magnetic, but it looks like they still command and destroy on stage. They’ve been such cartoons of themselves, for too very long now – I still wince at recalling Lars gnashing his daddy issues throughout Some Kind of Monster (=shudder=) ----
The backstage San Diego meet-n-greet alone is well worth a gander – dig the guy who drove 27 hours from Mexico City, just to hear James Hetfield say “Right on!”
Blabbermouth reports: Official Metallica.com footage from METALLICA's concerts in San Diego (Dec. 15, 2008) and Los Angeles (Dec. 18, 2008) can be viewed on YouTube and on the band's website. The clips include footage from meet-and-greet sessions, backstage jams and the actual performances.
The band issued a new nine-minute video for the song "All Nightmare Long" from its latest album, Death Magnetic.
The clip, which premiered at Metallica.com, is a weird and creepy mix of animation and what is made to resemble old stock footage. It tells an alternate history story of mutant spores discovered by the Soviet Union and used as a biological weapon to turn U.S. citizens into zombies during the Cold War.
The band performed the song itself live for the first time on December 5 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Yep, it's archived online:
Frontman James Hetfield told Sun Media that the lyrical content of "All Nightmare Long" was "an attempt to get back to the H.P. Lovecraft mythos" which Hetfield referenced on the band's classic 1986 track "The Thing That Should Not Be".
The Cox Arena footage on the band website includes the Meet-And-Greet, and three songs - The Call Of Ktulu, Fade To Black, and No Remorse.
The band has had a long friendly history with San Diego, with many local concert recordings – both authorized and underground – turning up.
And of course there were several locally-produced unauthorized comic book biographies about the band...
(Revolutionary Comics)
When Metallica arrived at the Arena back in December, their 14-page backstage rider assured that they would put aside their widely chronicled differences long enough to play a full set, barring "sickness, inability to perform, accident, fire, failure of means of transportation, failure of power and technical difficulties, Act of God, riots, strikes, labor disputes, epidemics or any other act or order of any public authority" outside Metallica's control. "General liability" insurance must be purchased against the performance for $5 million.
Other requirements: Ten backstage or on-site rooms must be provided, including the band's dressing room, a "Food & Schmooze" room (with three banquet tables, a sofa, loveseat, and 12 chairs), a "Tuning Room" with four padded folding chairs ("no arms"), a separate "Wardrobe Room," a "Tech Room," offices for "Production," "Management," and "Accounting," and a "Pyro Room" for the fireworks crew ("no carpeting, if possible").
Metallica's dressing room needs two one-liter bottles of Schweppes diet tonic water ("please no two-liter bottles"), six 20-oz. bottles each of Glaceau brand "Revive" fruit punch mineral water and "Energy" tropical citrus vitamin water, six bottles of Hi-O-Silver oxygen water, six cans of Red Bull ("sugar free"), and 12-packs of Heineken, Corona, and Coors Light ("must be in cans, please"). Five "small containers" of yogurt must be provided ("1 raspberry, 1 blueberry, 1 strawberry, and two vanilla") as well as a bowl of fresh hummus, a bag of miniature chocolates, two bars of "good dark chocolate candy," and two boxes of "cube shaped" tissues. Guitarists Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield request side-stage refreshments: four 20-oz. bottles each of lemon-lime "original flavor" Gatorade.
At least 38 security guards must police the barricade between band and audience. And finally, "There shall be no announcements, no emcee, no welcoming speeches" from the stage before Metallica plays.
PEPPER & SUPERVILLAINS & PASSAFIRE AT HOUSE OF BLUES: 1-2-09
Nearly-famous former neighbors Pepper returned to San Diego for a homecoming set at the downtown HOB on Friday night, January 2, backing up their buddies in the Supervillains. Awhile back, Pepper relocated to Kailua Kona, Hawaii, but many locals still consider Pepper to be hometown heroes. The show was open to all-ages.
[NOTE: Pepper publicist Bari kindly sent this correction to above - apologies for getting it wrong: "Pepper relocated FROM Hawaii to the mainland over 10 years ago and is still currently living in Southern California (Orange County to be exact). I have attached a copy of the band’s full bio to this email so you have it for reference. We do thank you for giving some backstory to the band and their journey, but hopefully this will be able to give you more up-to-date information."]
“The first leg of the Law Records Tour was insane every night, and this one is shaping up to be even crazier,” emailed Supervillains singer/guitarist Scott Suldo shortly before the show. “Supervillains are direct-supporting Pepper, and our horn players make cameos all over Pepper's set. Being Slightly Stoopid’s hometown as well, there's a chance we might bring out Kyle [McDonald] because he appears on our new album [Massive], but I don’t know if they're gonna be in town or not.”
Our freelance photog-on-the-spot Sage Robinson (www.myspace.com/yourmoneylady) reported live from the concert, along with her friend Sylvia Snyder, though she says they didn’t think much of Pepper.
“Pepper’s drummer’s girlfriend made him take away our photo pass, apparently because she was jealous of us taking pictures,” according to Sage. “Pepper was not friendly to help us at all…they were complete a-holes! We were not even allowed to take photos of them!”
“Supervillains rocked, though Kyle from Slightly Stoopid didn’t show to play with them. Passafire opened the show, and they rocked. They were very down to earth, with great music!”
As this report was coming in, just after the show, Sage and her friend Sylvia were hanging out with Passafire backstage, and then at Sage’s place.
“I asked them if they Overheard in San Diego anything funny or dumb for your comic, and they said not until they got to my place!! Anyway, they were dancing prom style like a penguin with my girlfriend Sylvia. She is wasted right now…at the moment, she is singing Boys II Men’s ‘Legacy’ while dancing penguin style with Cliff (lead guitar for Passafire), who happens to play white reggae with the band.”
Pepper landed its first big break several years ago, when L.A. DJ "Jed the Fish" got his station (KROQ-FM) to play the reggae/rock trio's "Give It Up." That airplay spurred other stations across the country to play the song, which in turn launched a label bidding war over the band (which includes guitarist Kaleo Wassman and bassist Bret Bollinger).
"There were, like, five labels," Pepper drummer Yesod Williams told Blurt (June 30, 2005). "Columbia, Interscope, Maverick...we went with Lava/Atlantic because they only release, like, 13 records a year. Capitol releases, like, 300." Lava gave the band a three-album deal.
"Nowadays, no one gets huge advances," admits Williams. "But we're happy with the deal, to say the least."
Pepper moved to Vista from Hawaii in 1999, eventually landing a deal with Volcom Entertainment. They started working with Matt Phillips of Silverback Management (Slightly Stoopid, Fishbone) in 2003. Phillips took "Give It Up" -- originally released in 2002 -- to KROQ.
"It was similar to 'Date Rape' by Sublime," says Phillips. "That song was around for three years until it took off [via radio airplay]." The 2007 Warped Tour included Pepper and fellow locals As I Lay Dying.
In their ten-year existence, the Supervillains have taken their resurgent ska and reggae sound from Oakland CA to all over the world. Since the 2006 release of their debut album Grow Yer Own on Law Records, the band has logged over 400 shows.
Their patented sound is generated by a rock-solid rhythm section including two vocalists in band founders Scott Suldo (guitar) and Dominic Maresco (drums). Bassist Daniel Grundorf provides the low-end super-glue that paves the way for the fiery horn section of Jonathan Cestero (tenor sax) and Ricardo San Jose (trumpet). Their "anything goes" live performances give way periodically to their onstage musings and commentary, which often times is as memorable as the music. Capitalizing on the many different musical influences of the band members, their sets usually volley between Operation Ivy-style speed-punk and Studio One-era reggae punctuated with southern harmonies and Latin brass.
The Supervillains’ newest album Massive was released November 25 on Law Records, in conjunction with Silverback Entertainment's new umbrella Controlled Substances SoundLabs (Sony RED).
WORST PRESNADENT EVER
Local singer/songwriter Charlie Imes’ new album includes the song “Worst Presnadent Ever,” featuring the George W. Bush impersonator from Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. “James Adomian is also the guy always playing Bush on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” says Imes, who describes how the impressionist came to be on his album.
“I produced DemocracyFest at SDSU’s Open Air Theater awhile back, which included Cindy Lee Berryhill, Berkley Hart, Laurence Juber, and comedians like Al Franken and Marc Maron entertaining between speeches by politicos like Howard Dean and Maxine Waters. A year later, when I was recording ‘Worst Presnadent Ever,’ I contacted a couple of well-known Bush impersonators, only to discover they wouldn’t do this type of song, knocking Bush. I even bugged my connections at liberal talk radio stations, to no avail.”
It was DemocracyFest comedian Marc Maron who finally put Imes in touch with a Bush impersonator willing to spite the hand that feeds him. “So James Adomian was great, but now that I want to shoot a video of the song, he’s a lot harder to track down and schedule.”
On An Island features other locals like Chris Klich, Jeff Berkley (Berkley Hart), Brian “Nucci” Cantrell (Lady Dottie and the Diamonds), Bill Coomes (Citizen Band), Barbara Nesbitt, Cathryn Beeks, Cindy Lee Berryhill, and jazz trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos. Paul McCartney and Wings guitarist Laurence Juber co-wrote and plays on the song “Morning Birds.”
“As luck would have it,” reports Imes, “we did manage to get James Adomian to come down to San Diego and reprise his role as President Bush for the video. Filming went well and was knocked out in two days. By sheer coincidence, James was only available to come down and film his Bush parts on one day: Sept. 11th. Spooky.”
Several local musicians make appearances in the video.
Singer/songwriter John Katchur plays a street musician playing guitar in the park.
Delene St. Clair & Barry Cahill (Hot Pursuit Band, Cahill & Delene) and Marcia Claire (bass player for Citizen Band, Barbara Nesbitt, Cindy Lee Berryhill) play members of the White House Press Corps.
Barry Cahill appears as Richard Nixon.
Drummer Billy Wear (Bob Karwin Band, Falcon Mohawk, Scott Wilson) who teaches drums at Music Central in Clairemont, portrayed Karl Rove for the video.
Multi jazz instrumentalist and San Diego Music Award Nominee Chris Klich appears as a science teacher and his wife, singer Laura Preble plays a religous teacher who clobbers him with a bible in the video. J.G. Franklin (Gunner Jump) plays a seargent working in the NSA Operations Center.
According to Imes, “He’s singing Do Ya Think I'm Sexy as a chipmunk, in the scene where Bush has me captured, cuffed, and gagged.”
“Worst Presnadent Ever” appears on Imes’ new album On An Island, which is also the name of a recent high profile CD and DVD by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. “On An Island seemed to work better than The Wall Around An Island or Dark Side Of An Island,” jokes Imes. “Seriously, Gilmour’s album never entered into my thinking. My sound is more Jimmy Buffett than Pink Floyd, so it never really occurred to me there would be any association or downside. Besides, people who Google for me tend to use my name, rather than the CD title. At least I think they do.”
The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v00IFnQBNf8 and also at http://www.worstprez.com
MISHEARD LOCAL LYRICS
For anyone who ever sang “and there’s a wino down the road” during “Stairway To Heaven,” www.kissthisguy.com invites posts from those who’ve long mistaken or misheard song lyrics. Entries feature the actual lyric followed by listeners’ erroneous interpretations, with some contributors describing when and where they first found out the real words. Searchable by song title or artist, several artists with local ties evidently need diction lessons.
Blink 182 – real lyric from The Rock Show:
“I fell in love with the girl at the rock show/She said ‘What’ and I told her that I didn't know.”
Misheard as “I went down on the girl at the rock show/She said ‘What’ and I told her Garfield was a show.”
Also, blink’s title lyric to What’s My Age Again was misheard as “Where’s my Asian friend?”
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – real lyric from Woman, Woman: “Have you got cheating on your mind?”
Misheard as “Have you got cheese on your mouth?”
Iron Butterfly’s title lyric from 1968’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was variously misheard as “In a garage in Toledo,” “In the garden I pe-d in” and “I'm the god of Velveeta.”
Misheard as “You should see them coming, Hall & Oates in black & white.”
Real lyric from STP’s Big Empty: “Her dizzy head is conscience-laden.”
Misheard as “Her lazy head is constipated.”
Real lyric from STP’s Plush: “And I feel that time’s a wasted go.”
Misheard as “And I'm feeling like a ham and mustard shake.”
Real lyric from Foolish Games: “I got my eggs, I got my pancakes too.”
Misheard as “I got my AIDS, I got my backaches too.”
Real lyric from You Were Meant For Me: "I kinda like it in my brand new place."
Misheard as "I found a maggot in my bran-oat flakes."
Real lyric from Deep Water: “And when you're drowning in deep water, and you wake up making love to a wall.”
Misheard as “And when you're drowning in deep water, and you wake up making love to a whale.”
Jewel’s line in “The Morning Song” which says “We'll sit on the front porch, the sun can warm my feet” was misheard as “You’ll sit on the front porch sucking on my feet.”
From the same song, “Don’t worry about what your sister said” was misheard as “Don’t wonder about that ol’ Sister Sledge.”
Finally, Jewel’s title lyric to Who Will Save Your Soul? was misheard by one whimsical (or deeply disturbed) listener as “Who will shave your mole?”
Performers with local ties also have Misheard Lyrics listed at www.amiright.com:
A line from later in the song, “And if so, if so, who answers, who answers?,” was misheard as “And I smoke, smoke, Winstons, Winstons.”
From PJ’s “Animal,” the line “I’d rather be with an animal” was misheard as “I’d rather speed with an enema” and “I’d rather pee in a urinal.”
From PJ’s “Satan’s Bed,” the line “Jump off a cliff, don't need your help, so back off” was misheard as “John Bobbitt, please don't leave your nuts on my car.”
Eddie Vedder sang Glorified Version of a Pellet Gun, misheard as “Low-flying version of a pelican.”
Finally, from “Better Man,” the line “Can’t find a better man” was, despite the song title, variously misheard as “Can't find my bed again,” “Campfire or a Batman,” “Can't find the butter man,” “Can't find a beer again,” “Can't find a buttered ham.”
More misheard lyrics of performers with local ties can be found at ivillage.co.uk:
From their song “Sleeping Awake” (on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack), the line “explain these motions and metaphors, unlock these secrets in me” was misheard as “In pain this moping and metal force, unlock these sequestered inmates.”
P.O.D.’s real lyric from Youth Of The Nation “told the world how he felt, with the sound of a gat” makes a gun reference (gat), mistaken as a unique suicide weapon when misheard as “Took his own life with the side of a cat.” The title lyric itself was misheard as “use your imagination.”
Additional local-centric Misheard Lyrics can be found at www.iusedtobelieve.com:
Local casino shill Kenny Rogers sang of Lucille leaving him with “four hungry kids and a crop in the field,” misheard alternately as “four hundred kids had a crap in the field” and “four horny kids and a box of oatmeal.”
In “Hello I Love You,” onetime Clairemont Boy Scout Jim Morrison sang “Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel?” --- misheard as “Do you hope to f-ck this dusty Jew?”
Blink 182 seemed strangely enthusiastic about Judaism in “What’s My Age Again?” when “Why would you wish down on me?” was misheard as “While a Jew was down on me.”
Jason Mraz’ “The Remedy” confused several medically uninformed listeners, when the line “is sure to outlast his catastrophe” was misheard as “a sugar high blast of colostomy.”
In the same song, “We will cure this dirty old disease” was misheard as “She has the dirty hoe disease.”
Jim Croce played Lothario in the title lyric to “Time In a Bottle,” only to be misheard as the far less romantic “Mime in a brothel.”
In Croce’s “Operator,” the observation “Guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated” was misheard as the decidedly more troubling “Guy's just such a nude that sometimes I hate him.”
From Ratt’s “Round And Round,” the line “Tightening our belts, abused ourselves” was misheard as “Titanium bells appease the Celts” and “Taco Bells and pizza sells.”
Finally, POD’s attempt at a shout out for their old San Diego ‘hood in “Boom,” singing “I never knew that a kid like me could take his mic around the world and flash the big S.D” was misheard as the less local-centric “could take his bike around the world and flash a big ass Dee.”
One listener spent years thinking the Cal Worthington Ford TV commercial theme “Go See Cal” was actually a song about a “Pussy Cow.”
Famous Former Neighbors - The Article: Underground With The Celebrity Dead - Local gravesites of the rich and famous
Do It Yourself Music Television - A history of local public access music TV shows
Weird Beatles Merchandise - WTF were these licensors (and bootleggers) thinking... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
My Brunch With Yoko - Brunch with a Beatle bride... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
Yoko Ono Comics and Stories - When Johnny Met Yoko, with dialogue and captions paraphrased from published Lennon interviews. Plus John Lennon: A Life in the Day
Snotley Crue Comics and Stories - spoofing U-know-hooey
When Your Love Is Locked Up - On California women's prisons and the families and loved ones of prisoners. Focus is on my good friend Danielle Barcheers, the 2nd youngest female ever convicted of a capital crime in CA state history (now ten years into a 20-to-life sentence). Plus 100 Rockin' Local Lawsuits....
Like this blog? Here are some related links:
OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/
FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/
SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic
JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford
