Ozzy could write "four fucking books, y'know" - My Boston Herald interview

Since the Herald is a family newspaper, the "fucks" had to be replaced with "(expletive)". But trust me, Ozzy is one of those dudes who uses the word "fuck" like a comma - in every sentence.

Diary of a madman

Ozzy Osbourne takes readers for a ride on the crazy train

By Dave Wedge
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Updated 1h ago
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Any rock book worth its weight in groupies is littered with sordid tales of sex, drugs and excess.

But few rock star tales can measure up to the war stories of the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.

“I could sit down and write four fucking books, y’know,” said the 61-year-old heavy metal icon, who will be signing copies of his new autobiography, “I Am Ozzy,” at the Kenmore Square Barnes & Noble Thursday at 7 p.m.. “At the end of it, I said (to ghost writer Chris Ayres), ‘You think you’ve got enough?’ He said, ‘I’ve got enough for two books.’ ”

Ozzy’s long-anticipated tome is chock-full of tales of death-defying drug binges, STD-transmitting groupies, deadly road incidents and other madness.

“They said I would never write this book,” “I Am Ozzy” begins. “Well fuck them. All I have to do now is remember something.”

Read the rest here . . .

I Love the Pizza at the Lit

Some dude got capped at The Lit, an infamous Brockton drinking hole that has great pizza. Used to love going there but won't be returning anytime soon. The new mayor in Brockton has a lot on her hands as the city is spiraling out of control.

Shootings are up again and driving around there the other day, I've never seen more boarded up, vacant buildings in my hometown. Starting to look like Detroit . . . sad . . .

Check this out from the Boston Herald:

The newly inaugurated Brockton mayor this morning vowed a crack down on youth violence after two separate shootings last night left one man dead at a city bar and injured a teenager at the Westgate Mall.
“Brockton is a safe community,” said Mayor Linda Balzotti, who promised to combat youth violence during her inauguration as the city’s first woman mayor on Monday. “These are targeted incidents and the individuals are known to each other. These are not random acts.”
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz told The Enterprise of Brockon a man was fatally shot at about 6 p.m. at The Lit bar on Ames Street.
Shortly before the bar shooting, a teen was shot in the leg at a Westgate Mall entrance during an altercation with the alleged shooter, said mall General Manager Luciano Villani.

You Must Know Kraftwerk - Big Shot review

Album review: Kraftwerk / ‘The Catalogue’ (Kling Klang/Astralwerks/EMI/Mute)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by admin

An electro kid who hasn’t listened to Kraftwerk is like a guitarist unfamiliar with Hendrix. Or a porn star who doesn’t know who John Holmes is. Point is, you’ve gotta know your roots.

And these quirky German synth dudes—like a mix of Devo and the band in Revenge of the Nerds—were true pioneers, using primitive electronic gear to craft bleeps and blips, funky beats, and vocal snippets into songs that have influenced the likes of Jay-Z, Duran Duran, Coldplay, and Radiohead. It was their unique sound that helped Afrika Bambaataa launch American hip-hop when he famously sampled Kraftwerk’s classic “Trans Europe Express” for “Planet Rock.” The remastered version is a reminder of the original song’s undeniable allure. And much like Hendrix created some of rock’s greatest riffs, the main keyboard line in “Trans Europe Express” stands today as one of the best in the history of electronic music. From “The Man Machine” to 1981’s “Computer World” to the video game bounce of “Techno Pop” and “The Robots,” this comp should be a staple in any self-respecting minimalist or breaks DJ’s record bag. But more than that, these remasters serve as an analog and digital reminder that the group was light years ahead of its time.
Dave Wedge
File under: Brian Eno, New Order, Tangerine Dream

Link

The Penelopes - Big Shot feature!

The Penelopes: French Toast

Posted on October 28, 2009 by admin

Some may view The Penelopes’ chill room cover of The Beastie Boys’ rap-rock classic “Sabotage” as sacrilege. But the French dance-rock duo says their downtempo, atmospheric overhaul embodies their fearless approach to track making. And if you don’t buy that, just blame it on the weed.

“We like to be surprised and we like to surprise people too,” says Axel Basquiat from his home in southern France. “And we wanted to make something more stoney. We smoke a lot of joints. We wanted to do something very slow, very strange for us. We wanted a new interpretation of it.”

Basquiat and his electro-pop partner, Vincent T, are the latest to emerge from Paris’ digital renaissance—an inspiring movement that’s given the electronic music world Justice, Air, Daft Punk, and Sébastien Tellier, among others. The duo’s U.S. debut, Priceless Concrete Echoes, produced by Black Strobe’s Arnaud Rebotini, is a melodic mix of New Orderish dance rock, disco, pop, shoegaze and the sexy synth-wave purveyed by their fellow Francophiles.

“When we have an idea, we follow the idea to the end. It’s also the sophistication of the music. It’s not rock. French music is very sophisticated. We try to keep that in our minds to be demanding and to be strange and unique.”

Words: Dave Wedge

as featured in Issue 29

Read the rest here

What Do Tiesto and KISS Have In Common?

Not much really, except that both put on massive spectacles in the past week in Boston that were part of a whirlwind run of incredible shows I've checked out. I'm amazed I'm not deaf like Pete Townsend by now . . .

Saw Tiesto at an arena in Lowell, Hatebreed at Harper's Ferry in Boston, KISS at the Boston Garden and Shadows Fall and Five Finger Death Punch at House of Blues in Boston. All great shows but I was especially amazed at the majesty of the KISS and Tiesto shows. Tiesto's massive wall of video, lazers, spasm-inducing lights and pulsating house nearly rivaled the sensory overload of KISS' gargantuan set. At the very least, Gene Simmons would have been proud of Tiesto's production and probably said, "This guy gets it."

But I have to say, the KISS stage show was awesome - colored fire, giant flash pots, explosions and confetti showers. That's how you put on a show. Anyone who says otherwise is a tool.

Here are links to my reviews of some of these shows from Lime Wire Music Blog and the Boston Herald:

Tiesto

KISS

Hatebreed

I'll be at Airborne Toxic Event Tuesday at HOB. If this keeps up, I may need hospitalization . . .

7 Years Ago Today - Still Miss Her Every Day

OBITUARIES

Obituary; Arlene Wedge, 60, Brockton native a seamstress

224 words

4 September 2002

Boston Herald

© 2002 

BROCKTON - Arlene Grace (Cornelius) Wedge, 60, of Brockton died Tuesday morning at her home in Brockton after a courageous battle against cancer.

Born in Brockton, she was the daughter of the late Roy G. and Laura S. (Jones) Cornelius.

She was educated in Brockton public schools and received a degree from the former Pierce Secretarial School in Boston.

She was a homemaker and a lifelong resident of Brockton. For the past several years, she had worked as a seamstress for Katina Katoo in Easton, making handmade christening gowns. Among her proudest achievements was a custom gown she made for the newborn son of pop singer Celine Dion. She also enjoyed knitting, traveling and spending time with her family.

She is survived by two daughters, Allyson G. DeMaggio of Burlington, Vt., and Nancy K. of Brockton; a son, David M. of South Boston; a brother, Roy G. Cornelius of Franklin; and four grandchildren, Kelsey Wedge and Danielle Wedge, both ofBrockton, and Drew and Michael DeMaggio of Burlington, Vt. She was the wife of Roger P. Wedge for many years and the sister of the late Albert G. Cornelius of Lakeville.

Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday from Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home, 647 Main St., Brockton. Burial will be in Melrose Cemetery, Brockton.

UPDATE: Cops Searching for Woman Accused of Setting Her Man on Fire

This story is insane - and now the cops have named the woman who allegedly doused her husband in alcohol and torched his sorry ass. She is Sharon Jones, 38, of Brockton.
Read more in the Enterprise . . .