Kid Rock and John

I have some sad news to share with you.

This morning my wife’s uncle,  John O’Donnell, passed away due to his struggle with brain cancer.

It’s hard to write this post for many reasons.

But I write regardless because it helps to cope. 

But most of all, I write this post as a tribute to John and the great conversation we had about the power of live music.

My eyes well up every time I think about how much fun I had talking with John about his love for live music and how he met Kid Rock backstage earlier this year. 

As a tribute to that conversation here’s a link to the original interview.  

I haven’t listened to Rock N Roll Jesus the same way ever since my chat with John.

And I know, after today, I will continue to feel the same complex mix of grief, loss and joy each time I listen to the album going forward.   

Speaking of emotions, I invite you to check out a recent post about experiencing grief, joy and community in live music.  Many Live Fix readers have enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy it, too.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the O’Donnell family.

Giselle hits up London Fog, while her baby bump has been photoshopped out. Supermodels are in demand, pregnant (or not!). Horiwood’s Top 10 Today are:

1. CSI COMIC STRIP TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON

2. MEGAN FOX RESENTS HOLLYWOOD STEREOTYPING

3. SUSAN BOYLE HAS RECORDED HER FIRST TRACK

4. NEW TAYLOR LAUTNER, NEW MOON: JACOB BLACK SMOULDERS

5. OK! MAGAZINE SAY KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON ARE HAVING STEAMY NIGHTS TOGETHER

6. JERMAINE JACKSON’S STATEMENT ON BROTHER’S DEATH

7. DEMI LOVATO HAS THE #1 ALBUM IN AMERICA

8. SAVED BY THE BELL’S PEOPLE MAGAZINE COVER IS HERE

9. KID ROCK THINKS TWITTER IS SO GAY!

10. ADDRESSING THE MEGAN FOX MEDIA BLACKOUT DAY ISSUE

horiwood’slatest tweet on twitter is: “friends are wonderful gifts in life. human treasures who warm the heart.” [thnx dk. xox]less than 5 seconds ago from web

Kid Rock has opted to put his support behind more traditional media outlets for his publicity and fan base.

The Rock N Roll Jesus singer told Rolling Stone of Twitter’s microblogging website popularity: “It’s gay.  If one more person asks me if I have a Twitter, I’m going to tell them, ‘Twitter this sh*t, motherf*cker.’”

Very angry words from the rock gospel-esque singer. 

Kid Rock adds: “I don’t have anything to say, and what I have to say is not relevant.  Anything that is relevant, I’m going to bottle it up and the squeeze it onto a record somewhere.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I  was raised to believe that the original Rock N Roll Jesus, loves the gays too as all people are the same in the eyes of God and are worthy of love, respect and dignity.

I guess audience research shows the blokes who buy Kid Rock’s beer and albums, don’t know how to Twitter yet. That’s the only way to explain this douchery today from Kid Rock!

horiwood’s last tweet is: courage to love what’s important. strength to shift perceptions where attention is needed. may all people never go hungry in this world!about 7 hours ago from web

Yep. He really is. Some may have already quit reading. That’s fine. But Kid Rock represents an important aspect of the musical spectrum.

Many seem “embarrassed” by Kid Rock and communicate their displeasure via comments that reek of “not smart,” “red neck,” “can’t sing,” “womanizer,” “white trash,” et al.

Maybe his personal style is not quite up to your standard(s), but I say he represents a strong portion of America: a never-ending, whirling, twirling, amalgamation of cultures, backgrounds, musical styles, likes, dislikes, values, standards and sometimes the lack of every single one of the aforementioned.

We are a vast people. Whether we want to deal with it or not, we are mixed together, constantly. How do you think we got nearly every genre of music we have today?

Robert James Ritchie, a.k.a. Kid Rock,  has had plenty of success simply being himself. A white dude, born in the north, who sometimes performs with Lynyrd Skynyrd, was married to Pam Anderson, owns a “General Lee” Dodge Charger (Dukes of Hazzard), opened a tour for Ice Cube, hangs out with Hank Williams, Jr., has worked with Eminem, owns his own American Badass Beer company and has sold millions of albums.

Maybe if you are a self-proclaimed “musical purist,” you can call him a musical whore…

But I assure you he’s having more fun than you.

 Why were you so amazed?  What did the album make you think about?

I was amazed because listening to the album after my diagnosis made me appreciate life more. It also made me think about how I used to love going to the Chicago Amphitheater to see Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. I saw every group from 1968 until 1973 when I joined the Marine Corps. During a four day leave I went to Iwakuni, Japan to see Jethro Tull. I knew they were playing because I saw a concert poster but it was in all Japanese and the only thing I could read was Jethro Tull. So I went there by myself. Paid 10 bucks for the ticket. The concert hall was small and about  300 other Marines where crammed in there, too. To start the show, Ian Anderson grabbed the mic and joked, saying even though he was oversees this was still his 250th U.S. show. The show was 3 ½ hours. He played the entire Aqualung  and Thick as a Brick albums. It was unbelievable! The spit from his flute was going right over my head.

Did you think about that concert when you were watching Kid Rock in Las Vegas?
Not a whole lot. I was really thinking about how thankful I was to have my friends and family put the whole thing together. Because I wasn’t in any financial place to do anything like this.  It was a blast and I’m truly and deeply thankful that my family and my friends did and that they were all staying at of the hotel with me.

The Kid Rock concert was suppose to be a surprise, right?
Yeah, [chuckles] but I’m a hard guy to keep a surprise from. They had a party and sold raffle tickets to help me get there.

Have you thought more about the affect of the tumor on your ability to enjoy the Rock N Roll Jesus and understand it more?
Yes, I have. I’m not a fanatic who just goes crazy over a song right away for no reason. I love music and I take time to learn it and understand and appreciate it. And I was inspired by Rock N Roll Jesus, especially the song role “Roll On.”

How so?
I’m not an emotional guy. So I started to wonder and ask the doctors if the tumor—that was the size of a racquetball— might’ve unlocked some areas inside my head that would’ve made me feel certain emotions that  I hadn’t felt before, or maybe express certain feelings in new ways?  I started to think about the truth Kid Rock was saying when he says “you know it’s real when you can feel it.”  My friends at the tavern thought that I was a little crazy listening to that CD all the time. I’m definitely not a fan of womanizing or the rockstar lifestyle either. I just wish Kid Rock would utilize his talent in a more positive way. If you take two songs out of the album, I know most catholic high school choirs would be singing those songs like angels. Again some of his lyrics I’ve dismissed, but for the most part, his words really drove me on and inspired me to keep going. I’ve never been a big fan of country, but now I listen to it for the story instead of just listening to the beat and melody.

When we got there we hadn’t gotten an type of confirmation from the emails or calls we made. All I knew was that somebody told me was  he there at the Palms hotel. So I thought maybe that I could run into one of his contingent people. I went to the concierge and showed them the drawing and told them that I wasn’t trying to sell anything. The staff of Palm’s really tried to do all they could hook me up with his people so at about 7:30 this guy with an earpiece comes up to us. I told him I had a charcoal drawing to present to Kid Rock and I was refusing to give that drawing to anybody when they said they would take it  to him on my behalf.

So this guy took the drawing and told me to stay there and that he’ll come back. Two minutes later Kid Rock’s backup singer came up to me. She asked me if I was John and she told me to come with her. So I stood backstage with the two other backup singers as we waited to see  what would happen.

So a few minutes later Kid Rock comes from behind the curtain and he shook my hand. I asked him if he had read any of the letters, he started to say yes, but I knew that he didn’t. But I did know he definitely looked at the charcoal drawing. I asked him if he had a photographer here. He said no. and I said ‘what you don’t have a professional photographer with you on tour?’  So I had the backup singer go and get Cindy’s camera.

What did you guys talk about backstage?
I told him what I thought about the record and that if you cut a couple songs off it would be a great one for kids, too.  He was really friendly and asked me if I was okay, or if there was anything he could do for me. I said no, and that I was just here to thank him. He asked if I had ever seen him live before and I said no. I wasn’t looking for anything, but he upgraded our seats to the main floor which was very nice of him. He did give me a wink and waved to me during the show, too.

It was great way to spend my birthday. Even if I didn’t get to meet him, I felt that as long as I tried that’s all that mattered to me. It always better to try than to not try at all. But I had a feeling that I was going to meet him. 

What was it like for you during the concert? What was going through your mind?
I hadn’t been to a concert in a long time.  We were on the main floor about fifteen feet away from him. I was amazed at the musical ability to saxophone players. The backup singers were was amazing, too. Such powerful, soulful voices. At one point it felt a little bit like a Catholic ceremony because Kid Rock had a moment where he stopped the show and encourage everyone to shake hands and say hello to people around you. He really encouraged everybody to have fun. It really showed how he has a good heart. His music reminds me in a way of how Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers were everyman inspirational to me.

You mentioned you hadn’t been to a concert in a long time; what was the last concert you went to? Do you have any favorite concerts?

I think the last show I went to was Pink Floyd, about 15 years ago, when they played at the old Rosemont Horizon their last time around in Chicago. I’d have to say some of my favorites are seeing Black Sabbath in 1971  is was one of my favorites.  They played the Arie Crown Theatre at McCormick Place. 2000 people. I’venever forget. I was 15 or 16, and Paranoid had just come out. The show started. The lights went out. And then came my first experience of seeing big clouds of smoke from all the pot smoking.
I started going to concerts in 1968. My friends and I did every trick in the book to get in to shows for free to see it all the acts we wanted to. From 1968, until I joined the Marine Corps in 1973, I saw everybody I could. Frank Zappa, Deep Purple and Alice Cooper put on some great shows.

So how have people responded when you tell them how you accomplished your goal of meeting and thanking Kid Rock?  How has the experience helped you “Roll On?” 

People are really amazed when I tell them about the Kid Rock story and they’re also surprised at how well I’m doing even though I have Stage Four brain cancer. Everyday I see new meaning and the bigger picture of having brain cancer and meeting Kid Rock.  When my family asked me what I want to do for my birthday,  I told them I wanted to be with my family and see Kid Rock. So that’s what I did. I’m really thankful that I had the chance to do it on my birthday and that my family was there with me.  I know most guys would think I was crazy for getting this into a Kid Rock album. But then again, most guys are too busy in their lives to think about these things, or to really listen to the message in the music and really let it soak into their heart and mind. 

This is the first Live Fix fan interview and more are to come. If you would like to tell your story please contact Chris.

What a week this has been. I have gotten stuck in traffic from two separate tractor-trailer wrecks. I have dealt with not getting enough sleep. Little Harry has not been feeling well and has spent/will spend more time at the friendly neighborhood doctor office. I can’t think of much to write about and work has dragged on and on and on…you get the idea.

I am sure that I am late getting to this party but I heard a song just yesterday that I fully enjoyed. Lots of people claim that rock and roll is either dead or dying and at times it is hard to argue. Fifteen years ago this young man was not headed in the “saving rock music” direction but is fully ensconced in that area nowadays. Yep I am talking about Kid Rock. Check out this new (at least to me) track from his latest album.

So it has a nice old school feel, right? Okay, now let’s all get hyped for the Super Bowl this Sunday!

Memo to Kid Rock: Shut up about Pam Anderson.
Kid Rock and Pam Anderson filed for divorce after five months of marriage in 2006.
He punched Tommy Lee, Pam’s soul mate, at the 2007 VMA awards show and then told a radio station it had nothing to do with Pam.
In 2007, he dissed her on the Late Show With David Letterman. His album in 2007 “Rock N Roll Jesus” has a song called “Half Your Age” that is an obvious shot at Pam Anderson.
Kid. I’m with you here. I’m on your team.
But shut the fuck up.
Here’s a tip: When you write a song about the old lady, you’ve lost.
And when your song says you are dating another girl whose “twice as hot” as Pam Anderson, everyone knows you are full of crap. Nobody is twice as hot as Pam Anderson. It just SCREAMS “broken.”
Pam 1, Kid 0.
We are better than that.
You are a millionaire rock star.
Not a whiny, crybaby pussy.
You can find other Pam Andersons out there.
Do it.
And here’s another tip.
You don’t marry the stippers, you just nail them.
And then find another.
Because if you can’t get over a piece of ass, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Elmo: New video and song called Roll On by Kid Rock from his eleventh studio album “Rock N Roll Jesus” in stores now. I like the track so check it out:

Roll On

“Gotta make this money and I make this money
This money is me this money is everything I do and see…”

Kid Rock, Fist of Rage

According to recent research, iTunes has become the largest retailer of music in the United States, passing up Wal-Mart.

According to Kid Rock, he can live without it.

The artist kept his new album, “Rock ‘n Roll Jesus” off of iTunes because he feels that it’s crippling overall sales. Other artists are following suit and keeping their songs out of the Apple store. You can read more about the story here.

Why It’s Important

Although this isn’t a complete blow to the stomach for Apple, it may be the start of a new trend for artists who are sick of minimal profits. Songs are locked at 99 cents, and 30% of the profit is pocketed by iTunes, so rather than make money through the cyber business, artists are losing it.

In addition, fans are only buying hit singles rather than entire CDs, so profit is only made on a few tracks rather than a loaded disc.

Apple’s iOptions

So what does Apple do about all of this? It can’t really be categorized into a “crisis, call the press and sound the alarms” sort of situation, but definitely needs some action. You want to maintain the relationships with those particular artists in order to keep peace with all of them, but at the same time, if you tweak the price on iTunes songs, the public is going to flip.

My advice?

Keep the prices as-is, but rather than hoard 1/3 of the profits, cut that down to 1/4, maybe even 1/5. Apple, you have more than enough money, and in order to keep both customers happy, you have to be willing to crunch. If the artists see that you are willing to adjust in order to help them, they will keep their tracks in your store to help you. It’s a pretty simple tactic.

In the meantime, I wouldn’t worry too much about Kid Rock taking his songs and hitting the road…I still can’t get over the fact that he rhymed “And we were trying different things,” with “We were smoking funny things.”

Music fact #89834: You shouldn’t rhyme the same word. Ever.

Robert James Ritchie known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American musician, actor and rapper. He broke through into the mainstream on his Atlantic Records debut album “Devil Without A Cause”. He is currently enjoying huge success in the U.S. and across Europe with his latest release, Rock N Roll Jesus, backed in particular by the album’s third single, “All summer long”. As of the week ending August 30, 2008, that single sat at number 25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and it has also gone number one in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The album has been certified double platinum in the U.S. and gold in Canada.

Kid Rock lyrics
Rock N Roll Jesus was released on October 9, 2007. The album became Kid Rock’s first album to go number 1 in his career, selling 172,000 copies in its first week. He made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the second time of his career, and appeared for the first time ever on Larry King Live to discuss the new album.

The album’s lead single “So hott”, described as a strip club banger by Rolling Stone magazine, was his best charting rock song of his career, as it climbed all the way to Number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Number 13 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks.

“Amen” was the second released single off the album, peaking at number 11 on Mainstream Rock and number 27 on Modern Rock. Kid Rock boasted it was the greatest song he had ever written.

“All summer long” is the third single from Rock N Roll Jesus. The song samples the music from Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, with new lyrics by Kid Rock. The song has become Kid Rock’s biggest hit to date charting on every major U.S. and Canadian chart (outside of the Rap and R&B charts), as well as going number one across Europe in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and also Australia. The song has also placed in the Top 10 in Sweden and the Netherlands. It is currently at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also his highest charting song in the United Kingdom, charting at #1 four weeks after its release. The song was used as the WWE’s theme song for Backlash 2008.

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

SDT Waste and Debris owner Sidney Torres IV loves using rock stars in his garbage company’s commercials.

Kid Rock is the latest rocker to appear alongside Torres in a TV ad. Rock is a Detroit native whose albums include “Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast,” “Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp” and “Rock N Roll Jesus,” among others.

The commercial, which SDT said begins airing in New Orleans this week, shows Rock, sometimes without a shirt on, in New Orleans as he hangs out with people eating crawfish and cruises around the city with Torres.

Torres, who is friends with Lenny Kravitz, used Kravitz in an earlier commercial.•

…and before you know it you are back with a bump.  Reality smacks you in the face and it’s the same old, same old.  What happened to all of those changes you promised you’d make whilst you were basking in sunnier climates? 

I promised myself I would throw myself in to my work, regardless of the fact that redundancy is hanging over me like a big black could.  Really? Big black cloud?  I’m not sure if I really think of it that way. What will be, will be.

I promised myself I’d keep in touch with my friends.  I’ve been a little bit lax on that score lately.

I promised myself I would do more things that I enjoy.  (excluding eating) Perhaps that would be writing, walking and swimming.  I’m sure with a little extra motivation I will achieve some of the above.

I do need to say Thank You to a few people though…

Flighty – You are a friend above and beyond any conceivable idea we have of what ‘friends’ are.  I want to thank you for being that special someone and to thank you for my lovely birthday entry.

Nikkipolani – What a lovely lady, I love your creativity, your energy and your talent to get my attention and allow me to look on in awe.  Thank you for a lovely birthday entry too and for the perfectly timed birthday card.  You obviously don’t use the same pigeons that I do! )

Divar Star - You are one in a million! No matter what is happening with you you always manage to still think of others.  I received a brilliant book of mother/woman-isms.  Cheered me up and a brilliant card which I will post a pic of as soon as I can! (You’ll love it!)

Cha0tic – I want to thank you for the postcards, they cheer me up and I love to find out what you are up to! It all helps to make me even twice and nosey!

Glo – another wonderful friend that I would never have ‘met’ if it weren’t for this ‘ere interwebby thing.  You are a match for my humour and your creativity, as Nikkis’ is wonderful to see.  Thank you for my birthday entry.  As you can see, she didn’t save me any blushes whilst she put my age up in flashing lights! hehe

If I have missed anyone I am sorry but you have to excuse me, I’m not as young as I was last week.  I’m rapidly approaching 40 now! In fact I’m hurtling towards it at a grand old rate of knots!!

New Blog Titles suggestions on a postcard please. )

Books

On holiday, collectively, we took with us the following books.

Benny by John Burrowes

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Coming up Next by Penny Smith

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Yes Man by Danny Wallace

I can highly recommend them all!!!

*Especially the Mark Haddon book.  Books aimed at a teenage market are not just for teenagers.  I loved this book. 

Lastly, my lovely, sweet, adorable daughter bought me the new Kid Rock Album.  I urge you all to seek out track 08.  New Orleans.  I defy you to listen to it and not be instantly lifted!

I flipped open the new issue of Rolling Stone to the charts page on the back page I was pleased to see this blurb on the Top 40 Albums chart.

Ten months after its release, Kid Rock’s Rock N Roll Jesus is back in the Top Five thanks to the success of the single “All Night Long,” a mash-up of “Sweet Home Alabama’ and “Werewolves of London.”

Truth be told that song and album are the reason for this blog.

I picked up Rock N Roll Jesus one afternoon after reading the review for it in Rolling Stone.  The magazine gave the record (yes I said record) rave reviews.  I enjoy Kid’s schtick so I gave it a shot.

Those old hippies were right.

Rock had put out the best pure rock record I had heard in a long time.  As usual he wore his influences on his sleeve.  He’s not a great singer, but his swagger more than makes up for his vocal shortcomings.

Then I hit track 3, the aforementioned “All Night Long.”  It starts with the piano intro from Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Kid Rock looking back on his days growing up in Michigan.  Then the really genius part happens.  Rock figured out that he could lay Werewolves right on top of “Sweet Home Alabama” and create magic.  The songs mesh perfectly and create the perfect accompaniment to the song of those special summer days gone by.

I couldn’t decide if this was the greatest act of thievery in recorded history or the single greatest homage of all time.  Months later I still can’t decide.  It doesn’t take a genius to rip off two of the greatest riffs of all time and shove them into a song.  It does take some genius to meld them together so seamlessly.  Months later, I still can’t decide, but I still love the song.

I told all of my friends who would listen to get the record.  I couldn’t say enough good things about it.  Eventually I ran out of friends to tell and wanted to tell other people.  I didn’t have a way to do that.

So I gathered together a bunch of those friends and put GonzoGeek together.

I saw the tail end of the video for “All Night Long” a couple of weeks ago and at the end the boys from Skynyrd and the dearly departed Mr. Zevon are listed as co-writers so I guess, in the end, its an homage.  That makes me like the song even more.

Chris and I are taking the wives to the Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd concert next weekend.  I’m hoping I can get some pictures to post here with a concert review.  More importantly, I’m hoping that Skynyrd hits the stage to play “All Night Long” with Kid Rock.

That would be a great hot summer night moment.

Keine Frage, es gibt Songs, deren einzige Daseinsberechtigung ist es, einen prima Sommerhit abzugeben. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Jedes Jahr gibt es wieder so etwas. Das ist so sicher wie Last Christmas zu Weihnachten.

Dass grade Kid Rock dieses Jahr den goldenen Blumentopf damit gewinnt, hätte wohl niemand gedacht. Er wahrscheinlich auch selber nicht, war doch sein All summer long nicht mal als Singleauskopplung geplant. Aber erstens kommt immer alles anders und zweitens als man denkt und so wurde das Lied, das eigentlich ein Mischling aus Sweet home Alabama von Lynyrd Syknyrd und Werewolves of London von Warren Zevon ist, solange von irgendwelchen Radiostationen gespielt, dass es einfach herausgebracht werden musste.

Natürlich kann man nun darüber streiten, wie gut oder schlecht der Song ist. Dazu aber nur eins: er ist von Kid Rock. Das sollte man immer im Hinterkopf haben. Nach gefühlten 385621013558 Mal Hören weil Dauerbeschallung durch sämtliche Radiosender der Republik ist einem aber selbst das egal. Fertig ist die Gartenlaube.

[Kid Rock Webseite MySpace]

Kid Rock, he of the wispy mustache and late rapping midget, was arrested over the weekend for engaging in some late night pugilism. The interesting part?

A few hours later, Kid Rock,
who calls his genre-bending blend of country, rap and southern rock
“hick-Hop,” was arrested after police said he and his entourage beat up
a customer — at a local Waffle House.

Yes, Kid Rock decided to throw dem ‘bos at the Checkered Breakfast Pastry Emporium. How appropriate.

Now, Kid Rock is either genuinely a white trash hillbilly who drinks out of jugs with ‘XXX’ written on the side and plays a mean washboard, OR Kid Rock is one of the savviest businessmen in the music industry.

Think about it. He’s got a new album out, “Rock N’ Roll Jesus,” and he’s currently on tour promoting the leatherclad bejeezus out of the thing. What better way to drum up some hard-rockin’ publicity than getting into a good ol’ boy Waffle House brawl?  That’s what we call synergy.

Somehow, “Kid Rock arrested after late-night oxygen bar brawl” doesn’t carry quite the same cache, know what I’m saying?

Kid Rock arrested in DeKalb after fight at Waffle House | ajc.com