Classic Rock 93.9

The long, strange trip of The Grateful Dead just got a little bit stranger with the news that Martin Scorsese has signed on to direct an as-yet-untitled biopic about the legendary jam band that will star Jonah Hill as the group’s late frontman, Jerry Garcia.

Sources tell Deadline that Hill is co-producing the project through his Strong Baby production company, and that surviving Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and Garcia’s daughter, Trixie Garcia, are serving as executive producers.

The film’s script is being written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski — whose credits include American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon and The People vs. Larry Flynt — along with Rick Yorn of LBI Entertainment.

The movie won’t be the first Grateful Dead-themed project that Scorsese has worked on. He also was an executive producer on the 2017 documentary Long Strange Trip that focused on the band’s history. Scorsese and Hill also previously worked together on Martin’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Hill reacted to the news of the Grateful Dead biopic by posted a screenshot of the Deadline article on his Instagram page, along with praying hands and skull emojis.

 

 

 

 

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Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder has premiered a new song called “The Haves,” a track from his upcoming solo album, Earthling.

“The Haves,” which is available now for digital download, is the second track to be released from Earthling, following the September debut of the lead single, “Long Way.”

Along with the new tune, Vedder has announced the release date for Earthling: February 11, 2022. The album’s available for pre-order on physical formats now.

Earthling, which was produced by Andrew Watt — who has collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Miley Cyrus and many others — is Vedder’s first solo album since 2011’s Ukulele Songs. He made his solo debut his soundtrack to the 2007 film Into the Wild.

For more Eddie content, the grunge icon just released a new audio project with Audible.com called I Am Mine. As part of Audible’s Words + Music series, I Am Mine finds Vedder telling personal stories from throughout his life in between exclusive performances of PJ and solo songs.

Meanwhile, you can catch all of Pearl Jam perform together on Thursday night’s Venture into Cures streaming concert, which will raise money for those affected by the rare genetic disorder Epidermolysis bullosa. For more info, visit VentureintoCures.org.

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Metallica will be taking over San Francisco next month to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

As previously reported, the metal legends are playing a pair of concerts in their hometown to mark the milestone, taking place December 17 and 19 at the Chase Center arena. Now, they’ve announced a series of events being held around the city that week to further enhance your Metallica experience.

Those events include various concerts featuring artists who contributed to the Metallica Blacklist tribute album, such as White Reaper and Kamasi Washington, as well as the bands OTTTO and Taipei Houston, which feature the sons of bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich, respectively.

Additionally, acclaimed rock photographer Ross Halfin will be hosting signings and Q&As for his The Black Album in Black & White Metallica photo book. There will also be a Metallica-themed film festival, cover band shows, and tastings for the ‘Tallica’s signature Blackened Whiskey.

If were lucky enough to score a ticket to the 40th anniversary shows, you can upgrade to the “Takeover the 40th” plan, which will get you into every official, ticketed Metallica event. You’ll also receive a merch package including a poster, a signed set list and a souvenir laminate.

Tickets to all the extra Metallica 40th anniversary festivities go on sale this Friday, November 19, at 10 a.m. PT. For more info, visit Metallica.com.

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Foo Fighters have premiered the video for “Love Dies Young,” the closing track off the band’s new album, Medicine at Midnight.

As previously teased, the clip stars Jason Sudeikis playing a mustachioed, accented coach of a synchronized swimming team. While that sounds a lot like his title character on Ted Lasso, this guy is basically the mean, evil version of AFC Richmond’s beloved coach.

As unsettling as it may be to see the man behind Ted Lasso be an unforgiving jerk to his team, things get even weirder when the swimmers turn around to reveal their faces are deep-fakes of Dave Grohl and company, giving everything a whole uncanny valley vibe.

The video then really takes a turn towards the end, when someone finds, well, something that rhymes with “Foo,” in the pool.

You can watch the “Loves Dies Young” video, which was directed by Grohl, streaming now on YouTube.

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As has been reported, Lily James and Sebastian Stan became perfect doppelgängers for Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee for the Hulu film Pam & Tommy, but now the buzzy Hulu series has a new teaser.

The clip serves as something of an origin story for one of the couple’s most infamous — and intimate — escapades: their stolen sex tape. 

Seth Rogen and Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman are seen scanning through a videotape that was stolen in a burglary of the stars’ Malibu home, when they strike gold: X-rated honeymoon footage of the pair.

“It’s so private,” Offerman’s Uncle Miltie says. “It’s like we’re seeing something we’re not supposed to be seeing. Which is kinda what makes it so hot.” 

The stolen footage was leaked online, prompting the Motley Crüe drummer and the Baywatch icon to sue the distributor, Internet Entertainment Group. After settling with the company, the footage was released legitimately in 1998, and made a reported $77 million in less than a year. 

Helmed by Stan’s I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie, Pam & Tommy tracks the couple’s whirlwind romance, their quickie 1995 wedding, and their turbulent marriage, which ended in 1998, amid reports of physical abuse. 

Neither stars were involved in the making of the series, which was produced by Rogen and his longtime collaborator, Evan Goldberg.

Pam & Tommy premieres Feb. 2 on Hulu.

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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Joan Jett‘s most successful album, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, which features the pop-punk legend’s signature song, her classic cover of U.K. glam-rock group The Arrows‘ 1975 tune of the same name.

I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll was Jett’s second album following the 1979 breakup of her influential all-female group The Runaways, and the first that she released with her longtime backing band The Blackhearts.

The original Blackhearts lineup featured guitarist Eric Ambel, bassist Gary Ryan and drummer Lee Crystal although Ambel was replaced early on during the sessions by Ricky Byrd.

The title track, which was written by Arrows members Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker, became a massive hit for Jett & the Blackhearts, spending seven consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the spring of 1982. It’s Jett’s only song ever to top the chart, and was the third-best-selling track in the U.S. in ’82 overall.

The album also included Jett & the Blackhearts’ second-highest-charting single, a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells‘ 1969 #1 hit “Crimson and Clover” that reached #7 on the Hot 100 for Joan and company.

The album, which was split between original tunes written or co-written by Joan and cover tunes, also included memorable renditions of The Dave Clark Five‘s 1964 smash “Bits and Pieces,” doo-woop group The Halos‘ 1961 hit “Nag” and the holiday classic “Little Drummer Boy.”

The I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and has gone on to sell more than a million copies in the U.S.

In 2016, Jett & the Blackhearts’ version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
“(I’m Gonna) Run Away”
“Love Is Pain”
“Nag”
“Crimson and Clover”
“Victim of Circumstance”
“Bits and Pieces”
“Be Straight”
“You’re Too Possessive”
“Little Drummer Boy”

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U2‘s Achtung Baby album celebrates its 30th anniversary today. Released on November 18, 1991, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified eight-times platinum by the RIAA.

Achtung Baby was the follow-up to the companion album to the Irish rocker’s 1988 documentary Rattle and Hum. Moving away from the Americana sounds of Rattle and Hum, the band went back to more of an alternative-rock sound for Achtung Baby, while also adding industrial and electronic music elements. The new sound was prevalent in songs like the funk-rock-inflected “Mysterious Ways” and the hip-hop-influenced “The Fly.”

U2 began recording Achtung Baby in Germany’s Hansa Studios just a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Though the band hoped to be inspired by German reunification, Achtung Baby became a very dark and personal album. U2’s members fought throughout the recording sessions, though things started to really come together when they wrote “One,” which has become one of the band’s most well-known songs.

Two singles from the album reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, “Mysterious Ways” and “One,” which peaked at #9 and #10, respectively. Achtung Baby also yielded two other top-40 hits — “Even Better Than the Real Thing” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.”

U2 supported Achtung Baby with the Zoo TV tour, which used elaborate visuals and other multimedia to emphasize the theme of “sensory overload.” Throughout the trek, Bono dressed up as different characters, and the band embraced a more humorous and ironic tone.

Considered by many to be one of U2’s greatest works, Achtung Baby returned the band to critical favor, and paved the way for the group’s continued musical exploration during the 1990s.

Here’s Achtung Baby‘s full track list:

“Zoo Station”
“Even Better Than the Real Thing”
“One”
“Until the End of the World”
“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”
“So Cruel”
“The Fly”
“Mysterious Ways”
“Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World”
“Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”
“Acrobat”
“Love Is Blindness”

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David Bowie‘s widow, Somali-born supermodel Iman, has just released a fragrance called Love Memoir that she says is an homage to her “epic romance” with and “everlasting love” for her late husband, who died of liver cancer in 2016 at age 69.

Iman tells People that creating fragrance, which is available now exclusively via the HSN network and HSN.com, helped to ease her sorrow as she grieved for her rock-legend husband during the COVID-19 pandemic while spending time at the home they shared in upstate New York.

“There is an alchemy and magic to it,” Iman says. “I put in the woodsy vetiver that reminds me of David and the cologne he wore the night we met [Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford], and then the bergamot of Tuscany [Italy], where we were married.”

Iman tells People that she knows Bowie would have been proud of her fragrance venture, noting that he was very encouraging during the 1990s when she started her Iman Cosmetics company.

“As much as I find myself confident, I’m actually very apprehensive of starting things, especially businesses,” she notes. “If David was not in my life, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to start Iman Cosmetics — he’s fearless in that way. He gave me the courage.”

The couple were married in 1992 and had one daughter together, now-21-year-old Alexandra “Lexi” Jones.

Iman says after losing Bowie, she won’t consider getting married again, something he told her daughter when Lexi asked her how she felt about the subject.

“I still feel married,” Iman explains to People. “Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband and I said ‘No, he’s not my late husband. He’s my husband.'”

Eternal love.. Eternal Memories
Love Memoir by IMAN#IMANLoveMemoir #LoveMemoir #BowieForever https://t.co/ThW9CLR9eZ pic.twitter.com/HG2F2IaOx6

— Iman Abdulmajid (@The_Real_IMAN) November 16, 2021

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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced a livestream performance to celebrate the release of their upcoming collaborative album, Raise the Roof.

The virtual event is set to premiere the same day Raise the Roof arrives, Friday, November 19. It will feature the debut performances of several of the album’s songs from Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville.

You can tune in to watch via both Plant and Krauss’ YouTube channels starting at 1 p.m. ET.

Raise the Roof is the Led Zeppelin singer and acclaimed country-bluegrass artist’s second joint album, following 2007’s Grammy-sweeping Raising Sand. The record is primarily a covers collection paying tribute to “legends and unsung heroes of folk, blues, country and soul music,” although it does include one original called “High and Lonesome” that Plant co-wrote with producer T Bone Burnett.

Along with the livestream, Plant and Krauss will mark Raise the Roof’s arrival with performances Friday on CBS Mornings and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Saturday on CBS Saturday Morning.

You can pre-order Raise the Roof now.

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The next Foo Fighters video apparently stars Ted Lasso’s evil twin.

The clip, which will accompany the Medicine at Midnight closer “Love Dies Young,” stars Jason Sudeikis as the coach of a synchronized swimming team. Instead of the warmhearted, folksy Midwesterner he plays on Ted Lasso, Sudeikis here portarys a gruff, mean coach with an accent of indeterminate origin whose harsh methods would make even Led Tasso blush.

You can watch a preview of the “Love Dies Young” video now via the Foo Fighters Twitter. The full thing is set to premiere on YouTube this Thursday, November 18, at 10 a.m. ET.

By the way, Sudeikis starring in a Foo Fighters video isn’t the first crossover between the two. The actor previously told Mark Hoppus‘ After School Radio Apple Music Hits program that the Foo song “My Hero” helped inspire the themes of Ted Lasso’s second season.

TOMORROW.
The most important competition of your lives.
3pm GMT / 10am EST / 7am PST https://t.co/c92KHKx6Ag pic.twitter.com/vO6yTTVbwH

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) November 17, 2021

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