Author Archives: robert duffy

donewaiting.com’s very own Steve Miller gives a great column about Mercury Rev, and what the band meant to him in the early nineties. Here’s a morsel:

They played at a Bob Dylan gig once in those early days. Christ knows how it happened but a promoter somewhere in the States felt that they would be a good fit to play with the Bob in one of those massive Arena type things. There was a full page review of it in a UK magazine called Lime Lizard that was hysterical reading. Turns out it wasn?t such a good match after all. Turns out that it was only their seventh gig, or their ninth. Turns out that by this time, they already all hated each other. They didn?t play a Bob show again. (full story)

Great post from our great English Friend.

Last week I wrote about dropping an Obsession Bomb on the UK manchester scene, circa 1978-1992. The response from people on what I should listen to has been great, thanks.

This was all the result of watching the film, “24 Hour Party People.”

Well, looks like a legitimate documentary is coming out about the Britpop era of the 1990s. Titled “Live Forever,” this film creeps on about such bands as Oasis, Blur, Pulp, etc. You can read more about it here.

Hopefully it makes its way to the good ol US of A. We don’t want Steve Miller to be the only lucky bastard.

Who is Tatu? Here you go, perverts:

The New York Times ran a very lengthy piece about the band, about their influences in Russia, and how the world is handling them. Here’s a fun quote:

“People are saying that it’s a pity the country that gave the world Pushkin and Gagarin is now represented by lesbian nymphets,” said Artyom Troitsky, a music critic and founder of Russian Playboy. “But that’s garbage. Compared to how Russia is usually seen ? the dirty war in Chechnya, Russian mafia, corruption, money laundering ? these two teenage girls are nice and clean.” (full story)

I just think their music kinda sucks.

Good news for all you donewaiting.com geezers! A magazine that has a title worse than my own website is coming out towards the end of the year, and it’s called “Good Music.” WOO! Inspiring, yes.

Who won’t be in this magazine, you ask?

“The things we’ll most stay away from,’ said Mr. Light, the company’s editor in chief, “is the bubble-gum stuff,” such as Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and “the new metal” bands such as Limp Bizkit. (full story)

I always thought it was creepy 37 year old dudes who were buying all the Bubble Gum stuff, so maybe I was wrong.

Here’s my prediction of people who will be on the cover in 2004:

January: Norah Jones
February: Sheryl Crow
March: The Eagles (reunion time baby!)
April: David Gray w/ Enya
May: Norah Jones (summer blowout)
June: Neil Young
July: Ozzy Osbourne (season 3, season 3!)
August: Celine Dion, Dixie Chicks, Gloria Estefan (diva issue)
September: Back to School with Rolling Stones
October: BONO
November: Norah Jones (holiday shopping guide)
December: magazine is cancelled, no december issue.

It seems inevitable that I will be buying an Apple by the end of the year.

The new service, developed by Apple Computer, offers Macintosh users many of the same capabilities that are already available from services previously endorsed by the labels. But the Apple offering won over music executives because it makes buying and downloading music as simple and nontechnical as buying a book from Amazon.com, one source said. (full story)

iPod + cool new small laptops + Apple Music Downloading = YES.

Billboard is reporting that MTV has ordered up six episodes for a Snoop Dogg variety show scheduled to air in December, titled “Doggy Fizzle Televizzle”.

As a fan of all things Snoop, I’m pretty excited about this. His co-hosting gig on Jimmy Kimell was respectable, but I’m hoping this punches it to the next level.

My longwinded reviews of The Sun and 84 Nash CD release parties are now live and ready for your reading pleasures. GO GO GO!

Ambitious bands are slowly starting to understand the internet. Meet The Floating Men, a band from Tenn. that has generated enough money from their fans to pay for the recording and distribution of their next album.

Through its website, the band did two things. First, they pre-sold the album. Fans forked over cash for a record they hadn’t heard yet, based obviously on their love of the band alone.

Second, they offered a fan club membership for $80:

But those who paid The Floating Men a one-time fee of $80 got the ”Operation F.L.O.A.T. Action Kit,” a metal lunchbox stuffed with goodies including a DVD of a 12th & Porter concert, a VIP pass to a show and a pair of boxer shorts. Subscribers get their name in album liner notes and a password to a restricted access part of the Web site. The box also included five copies of the A Magnificent Man CD for the fans to distribute. (full story)

This is an idea for bands that have some sort of fan base, and it’s a pretty interesting one. As more and more bands start to understand marketing and the internet better, I’m sure we’re going to see a lot of crazy offers like this that actually work.

Slate.com says yes.

It’s true. For me, personally, that doesn’t make me much more excited. I’ve seen The Donnas twice, once in San Francisco, once in Hoboken. Hoboken show was awful, San Francisco show was pretty good.

Once you get to accepting the fact that every song is almost exactly the same, you’ve reached Donna Zen.