OZZY: BBC Sets Home Doc, Biopic Still Going
The BBC has announced that Ozzy Osbourne documentary about his move back to England will debut on August 18th. Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home is an hour-long film the broadcaster calls "the moving and inspirational account of the last chapter of Ozzy’s life." It will feature never-before-seen footage of the Osbourne family as they move back home to the UK from America and Ozzy prepares for the Back to the Beginning concert. Coming Home was first announced in 2022 as a 10-part BBC series called Home to Roost, but even before Ozzy's passing last month the show's producers were looking to abandon the long-form series to do something shorter.
And Polygram Entertainment has announced that the long in the works biopic about Ozzy and Sharon is still moving ahead and that they're "currently in negotiations with a director, which could be confirmed very soon." This project was first announced back in 2021.
GHOST, STONES, SABBATH: Is Four Inches Big Enough?
Ghost, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Lola Young and Kacey Musgraves are among the first batch of artists to have their songs released in the latest vinyl novelty format -- the four-inch single. The company releasing these singles is called Tiny Vinyl and the founders
Neil Kohler and Jesse Mann told Billboard. “We knew we needed our vinyl format to play an overwhelming majority of popular music, which happened to be trending to less than four minutes per song." "It was always important to us to make Tiny Vinyl play at 33 rpm on a standard turntable. That’s the most common format, so we made that our standard. Lastly, to engage fans at this scale, we knew the jacket and art had to feel authentic, just like 12-inch vinyl -- only at the 4 inch diameter." The records are available to preorder through Target. The singles include:
·The Rolling Stones - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"/"The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man"
·Kacey Musgraves - "Deeper Well"/"Too Good To Be True"
·Lola Young - "Messy"/"Messy (acoustic)"
·Motley Crue - "Home Sweet Home (featuring Dolly Parton)"/"Home Sweet Home"
·Ghost - "Lachryma"/"Mary on a Cross"
·Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"/"The Wizard"
DEAD & COMPANY: A "Profound" Weekend
Bob Weir and Mickey Hart have both taken to social media to share their thoughts on Dead & Company's three shows last weekend in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park as they celebrated The Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary.
Weir writes, "What big fun it was playing with Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson, and Trey Anastasio…stylistically, the three couldn’t have been more different, and that was the real treat! We were honored to have these special guests opening for us and sitting in throughout the weekend."
Hart adds, "This weekend was three days of coming home and in those final moments of the weekend, it was truly profound. I saw 60,000 people sparking light, in love, entrained big time and coming our way. Different than applause after a song, it sounded more like an ahhhhhh. All the peace and love in proximity generated a collective energy that was shared by all. Very rare stuff indeed. "I saw [the late Grateful Dead members] Jerry [Garcia] and Phil [Lesh] and [Ron] "Pigpen" [McKernan] hovering over the crowd smiling like Cheshire cats. I saw [our lyricist Robert] Hunter and [president of Grateful Dead Productions Laurence] "Ram Rod"
[Shurtliff] through the beauty of the fog and lights. "In the final moments of the weekend standing right next to Bob [Weir] and feeling the raw emotion coming our way from our fans, I felt Bob’s heartbeat, along with mine, and the deep connection we have with all of you. "All the years combine. They melt into a dream."
Dead & Company have no other dates on the docket. Saturday (tomorrow) marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Jerry Garcia -- August 9th, 1995.
JERRY GARCIA: Went Truckin' 30 Years Ago
With music fans still mourning the recent deaths of Ozzy Osbourne, Terry Reid, Mick Ralphs, Brian Wilson, and Sly Stone comes the 30th anniversary this Saturday of the death of Jerry Garcia.
He was found dead on August 9th, 1995 at 4:23am PT in his room at the Serenity Knolls residential treatment facility in Forrest Knolls, California, eight days after his 53rd birthday.
Grateful Dead spokesman Dennis McNally’s statement said "We've lost our greatly beloved fearless leader. Every band member is shook up and has no desire to speak to the press. We ask Deadheads to mourn individually and privately and with the style and the privateness that Jerry would have wanted. And we don't have any comment on any plans. We don't have any plans at the moment. We're just getting through this day."
Garcia, who had a long history with substance abuse, diabetes, smoking and a poor diet, had checked into the facility shortly after the Grateful Dead finished their summer tour on July 9th, 1995 at Soldier Field in Chicago on a bill with The Band. Dead drummer Mickey Hart was home in Northern California when he found out. Grateful Dead Phil Lesh joined Garcia in the afterlife last October. And Bruce Hornsby, a part time member of The Dead, was in Houston when he heard the news. Later in the day he flew to Boston for an in-store appearance at Borders Books. Plugging his Hot House album, Deadheads crowded into the store, turning it into what he says was a "de-facto wake. "They were clearly looking for comfort wherever they could find it. I guess they figured I was a sympathetic kindred spirit and was there for them. And I was, and they were there for me. I played songs and talked to the audience. It was very collegial and very interactive. I might have played my favorite Grateful Dead song, 'Wharf Rat.' It seemed appropriate for that moment..."I miss him so much. He was such a deep soul, but also a really funny guy. He ready to laugh and had the sharpest wit and just a great recall. Great memory, great knowledge of the world. He was a great hang."
A private funeral was held on August 12th at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Belvedere, California, followed by a public memorial the next day at the Polo Fields in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. His ashes were scattered by his widow, Deborah Koons, and Bob Weir into the Ganges River at the holy city of Rishikesh, India, and into the San Francisco Bay. In addition to Koons, Jerry was survived by four daughters, three ex-wives and his brother, Clifford.
Since his passing, the surviving members of the Dead have reunited on several occasions under an array of names including The Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur and their current incarnation, Dead & Company with John Mayer. Garcia was the fourth member of the Dead to die after:
1.Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – 1973
2.Keith Godchaux – 1980 (he left the band in 1979)
3.Brent Mydland – 1990
And following Garcia was Vince Welnick in 2006
Peter Gabriel Releases "Live At Womad, 1982"
A new Peter Gabriel live album is out. Released digitally today, the collection documents Gabriel's performance at the very first Womad festival, a gathering of musicians and artists from around the world whose work was generally considered outside the mainstream. "I remember this gig well," says Gabriel. "We played a mix of old and brand-new material. I would normally be very nervous about playing some of this stuff for the first time; however, my mind was very preoccupied with the running of our very first Womad festival and the potential financial disaster that it was heading towards." Check out the track list:
1."San Jacinto"
2."The Family and the Fishing Net"
3."I Have the Touch"
4."Lay Your Hands on Me"
5."Shock the Monkey"
6."I Go Swimming"
7."The Rhythm of the Heat"
8."Kiss of Life"
9."Biko"
Nine Inch Nails Kick Off North American Tour With Josh Freese On Drums
The North American leg of Nine Inch Nails' "Peep It Back World Tour" is officially underway. The trek kicked off on Wednesday night with a show in Oakland, California, where they delivered a 20-song setlist. The show featured the return of drummer Josh Freese and the live debut of their song "Alive As You Need Me To Be." Nine Inch Nails' next stop is tonight in Portland, Oregon.
BRIAN WILSON: Finally Laid to Rest
Brian Wilson was laid to rest Wednesday, almost two months after his death. He was buried next to his wife Melinda at a private service in Los Angeles. She died in January 2024.
His oldest daughter Carnie, from his first marriage to Marilyn, writes on Facebook, "It was incredibly difficult to see that happen, but at the same time it gave more closure and more of a feeling of restful peace. "The last eight weeks have been extremely challenging and like nothing I've ever experienced. I love and miss him so much and I wish he could come back. There's so many signs that he gives me every day and I know that he's around ... he can hear me and he can see me. He makes that apparent. I'm so grateful for this. "[At the gravesite] we had a couple of monarch butterflies that just would not leave... It was comforting and beautiful. I'm trying to deal with my emotions -- they're so up and down. I know that he would want everybody to feel happy and not sad. He didn't like it when I cried. "I was talking with my dear friend Gunnar Nelson [Wednesday] who lost his Pop Ricky Nelson years ago and he reminded me that the world will have his music to sing to and remember him every single solitary day until we are all gone. This is a really special and a real heavy duty thought. It's much bigger than I can wrap my head around. For this I am grateful \ because I know it's the truth. "So I just wanna say thank you... thank you Daddy for your beautiful contribution to so much happiness and real raw emotions that you have brought to people. Thank you to all the beautiful loving and supportive fans out there for honoring him. We share this together. God knows what we'd be without him."
Wilson died at his Los Angeles-area home on June 11th from respiratory arrest. The L.A. coroner's report also said that the 82-year-old had Sepsis and cystitis -- both infection issues.
In addition to Carnie, Wilson is survived by his daughter Wendy, also from his first marriage, five children he adopted with his second wife Melinda, and six grandchildren. Plans are underway for a public concert/memorial.
Odds Announced For Super Bowl Halftime Show
The chances of a rock act headlining the next Super Bowl halftime show are a longshot. That's according to Kalshi, a "prediction market" that allows for legal betting on real-world events ranging from sports to politics to the weather and virtually everything else. Kalshi listed the 23 most likely acts to headline the halftime show at Super Bowl 60 in February. Metallica is given the best chance, coming in fifth place. Oasis was 13th and Foo Fighters were 21st. Rapper Jay-Z is listed as most likely to headline, followed by Post Malone, Miley Cyrus and Bad Bunny.
IN OTHER NEWS
Disturbed have shared a video of their cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" that they did Tuesday night at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Watch it on Facebook.
Saving Abel have released a video for their new single "Keep Swinging." Check it out on YouTube.
The first date of the North American leg for Nine Inch Nails' Peel It Back tour Wednesday night in Oakland, California was not only the first show with drummer Josh Freese in 17 years, it also featured the live debut of the Tron: Ares track "As Alive as You Need Me to Be." Check out the performance on YouTube. Near the end of the show Trent Reznor told the crowd they’d rehearsed with Freese for one day and that “it took us months to learn this [crap] and [him] just one day.”