So anyone whose got a facebook are free to add me there aswell. Just search for Jeanette Solem.

I took a stroll down memory lane and read all of my old notes, journals and messages and I realised that a lot of the people I used to talk to when I first came to Buzznet are gone. Just gone. The profiles are no longer in use. I feel kinda sad because I miss them. I suppose thats normal though, considering I talked to these people a hell of a lot when I first created my buzznet account.

I remember the conversations getting fewer and fewer with some, until it came to the point where there was no communication at all.

I've been looking through my friends list trying to figure out exactly how many profiles that arent in use, or havent been for over 10 months, and its quite a lot. Flipping through all of my notes made me aware of the fact that ive lost contact with a lot of people. Too many. Some of you are still on BN and some of you arent. Unfortunately ive been gone for quite some time, but now im back. And i'd like to re-connect with you who had a big part of my BN life. Maybe im just hoping for things to be as they were, knowing that they probably wont. But that doesn't mean loosing complete contact should  be "just" fine. Not on my part.

I miss the conversations, the laughs. But most of all I miss the connection.

Should you sometimes just let memories be exactly that - good memories and nothing more?

And sure you get new friends, but does that make it okay to forget about the old ones? Its probably not such a big deal to many of you, but it just hit me...   Do you ever wonder?

It's been hell.

But now i'm back, full - time.

buzznet is my only love<3

On Tuesday afternoon, Gustav Schafer crashed his BMW 3-Series into a tram in Madgeburg, Germany.

Apparently, he "overtook a line of traffic and drove straight over tram tracks which had been blocked off. His car was then hit by an oncoming tram, skidded into the right lane of traffic and hit two further cars."

Schafer and his two passengers had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital.

But, thankfully - and miraculously - they only suffered minor injuries.

As for Schafer, he's going to be charged with bodily harm due to negligence.

PerezHilton

When Mötley Crüe's publicist pitched us on the band, she was trying more to make conversation than to actually get press for the Crüe. When we said yes, she thought we were kidding. Convincing her otherwise took nearly three weeks.

Once we cleared that hurdle came the question of what to do with the band. This is probably what upsets publicists most about POPsmear: we like to actually do something. That's one of the reasons most publicists won't even take our calls. They like to coordinate phone interviews, not set up events. We are considered a pain in the ass; while the phoners are simple and easy, we have the nerve to ask for, well, a little much. Most publicists are focused on filling a three-ring binder full of dull stories about guitars, lyrics, and those always-funny tour stories, and they can usually do that without having to deal with a smart-ass magazine that they figure is just going to make fun of their band anyway. ("Why can't you just talk to them about their music?")

These guys in Mötley Crüe have endured 18 years of those interviews, and since they're on tour supporting their Greatest Hits cd, the boys are going through the motions one more time. Dull journalists asking dull questions for their dull copy.

Our first idea--actually, it was the publicist's idea--was to stick James on the tour bus for a couple days. He would be able to hang out, interview at his leisure, and even partake in the leftovers. But James, the resident Crüe fan, claimed to be "too busy." We considered sending Pete, but we weren't sure he'd come back, and there are ads to sell. We slid a note under Fuss' door, and his interpreter came out a few minutes later to say that "Sr. Fuss would not be able to attend due to a prior engagement." We were running out of options, but we knew there was someone who could do it. Someone who could do something different, something fun, something more, something...Nardwuar.It was time to unleash Nardwuar the Human Serviette. We think we can safely say that in the hundreds of interviews Nikki Sixx has done over the years, this is one he will never forget. Nardwuar made sure of that.

Starring:
Nardwuar the Human Serviette, journalist, musician, radio personality, Canadian
Mark "Kleinz" Kleiner, Vancouver's #1 Mötley Crüe fan, member of the band Jungle
Nikki Sixx, bassist for American bad boy rock band Mötley Crüe, pastry chef

Nardwuar: Who are you?
Nikki Sixx: Who am I?

Nardwuar: You are Nikki Sixx!
Nikki Sixx: Am I?

Nardwuar: You are Nikki Sixx! You have the best name in rock 'n' roll, don't you?
Nikki Sixx: I don't know, I always thought Johnny Thunders was a pretty good name.

Nardwuar: Nikki Sixx, though, is the best. It is the basis from which all metal names are built upon! Sixx, drugs and rock 'n' roll! Like, Nikki Sixx! I love the k's and the x's! It is amazing, Nikki!
Nikki Sixx: Well, thank you very much. Of course, I was born that way.

Nardwuar: You certainly were!
Nikki Sixx: Ya ha ha!

Nardwuar: Wasn't "1958" the name of your solo album? Is that when you were born, Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: Well, 1958 is the name of a side project I have with a guy named David Darling. It will be coming out this year. But, yeah, that was the year I was born, and the year that David Darling was born.

Nardwuar: Your name is so awesome, Nikki, that a friend of mine named her daughters Nikki and Brandi, after you and your ex-wife, Brandi Brandt!
Nikki Sixx: Well, hopefully, she won't--hopefully the bad name won't instill some badness in her!

Nardwuar: Now, Nikki, wasn't there a Nikki Sixx imposter a few years ago? Like, I'm saying how much I love your name--wasn't there some guy that went around and aped you?
Nikki Sixx: Uh, yeah, I actually got sued by myself.

Nardwuar: Were there any parallels to the Peter Criss impersonation at all?
Nikki Sixx: I thought it was closer to the McCartney one, but, you know, all the guy basically wanted was his royalties, which were my royalties, but it was me who was suing me. It's very confusing.

Nardwuar: Did you ever play bass on a Jon & the Nightriders LP, a surf band called Jon & the Nightriders?
Nikki Sixx: No, I've heard there's another--there's some guy who had that name (Nikki Sixx) in a band called Jon & the Nightriders. I've heard that for years because there are guys who would come up to me and go, "Hey, man, do you remember me from the Blues Bar in Poughkeepsie?" And I'd go, "Huh?"

Nardwuar: Because it was around the punk time about in 1980--were you guys friends with the Circle Jerks when you started out? Were Mötley Crüe friends with the Circle Jerks at all, Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: They used to hang out with us and stuff, yeah.

Nardwuar: Were you much into the punk scene? Like, did you see the Germs?
Nikki Sixx: Oh, God, man, that's like my roots.

Nardwuar: When was your first punk gig? Because a lot of people probably don't usually equateMötley Crüe nowadays with the punk scene, but you guys used to hang out with the Circle Jerks--that's pretty cool.
Nikki Sixx: I mean, I grew up with the Dolls, the Stooges. I grew up with the '70s punk bands like the Ramones. I loved that whole movement out of New York, CBGB's music scene and stuff, Television, that whole underbelly thing, you know, even J. Geils Bandand old Aerosmith. I loved all that stuff. It's all got a bit of a snotty attitude.

Nardwuar: Are you from Seattle?
Nikki Sixx: Yeah.

Nardwuar: When did you move out of Seattle?
Nikki Sixx: When I was about 17, no maybe 16.

Nardwuar: Because Duff from Guns N' Roses is of course from Seattle--did you ever see the Fartz or any of his earlier bands? Were you into the music scene at all back then?
Nikki Sixx: Well, me and Duff are kind of like the pimple on alternative's face.

Nardwuar: That's ready to be popped and explode!
Nikki Sixx: They like to write about Seattle, but they leave out Hendrix, they leave out Heart, they leave out me, and they leave out Duff.
Kleinz: And the Electric Prunes!
Nikki Sixx: But they talk about Pearl Jam a lot.

Nardwuar: Well, Mick Mars, I heard, Nikki Sixx, that Mick Mars, just between you and me, is from Canada, that he really is from Newfoundland! Is that true?
Nikki Sixx: No, Mick told somebody that because Mick always--Mick lies. Mick likes to tell everybody a different story. I never even know when his birthday is. People email me and say, "Tell Mick happy birthday for me." And I'll go up to Mick and go, "Dude, is today your birthday?" And he'll go, "No."

Nardwuar: This guy told me that Mick Mars--this guy, this guy, don't you love that expression, "this guy"? This guy told me that Mick Mars from Mötley Crüe--and this is Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe--I can't believe this is Nikki Sixx! You really are Nikki Sixx! You really are Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe, aren't you, Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: Well, I might be the fake Nikki Sixx, but it doesn't matter; I'm one of them.

Nardwuar: But this guy told me that Mick was from Newfoundland and that he was embarrassed of his Canadian roots. He always tried to hide them. And all his Canadian friends would go, "Hey, Mick, how are you doing?" And Mick would go, "No! I'm not from Canada! I'm not from Canada!"
Nikki Sixx: (laughs) Well, you know, he's not from Canada.

Nardwuar: Gene Simmons' wife, Shannon Tweed, is from Newfoundland, Canada originally!
Nikki Sixx: Well, they grow 'em big up there!

Nardwuar: What do you think about Gene Simmons? Does he wear a wig at all, Nikki Sixx, at all?
Nikki Sixx: You know, you'd have to ask his hairdresser.

Nardwuar: Because Tommy Lee apparently says that Gene wears a wig--
Nikki Sixx: Well I guess you'd have to ask Tommy Lee.

Nardwuar: Is Axl Rose bald? You've seen Duff. Is Axl bald? Is he going bald?
Nikki Sixx: That I don't know either. You are going to have to take this interview up with the hairdressers of Hollywood.

Nardwuar: Nikki Sixx, didn't Tommy say some mean things about wigs and sexuality in Spin recently about Paul Stanley? Like he said, "You see Paul Stanley going out with two blondes, but he's not really into that!"
Nikki Sixx: Mmm. You know, I don't know. I guess I'm going to have to stop reading William Burroughs and start reading very educational papers like...Spin.

Nardwuar: Well, it just seemed kind of strange--it's weird that you people seemed to have some sort of personal crusade to put down the Kiss revival, whereas Kiss had, like, your song "Hooligan's Holiday" on their pre-gig tape!
Nikki Sixx: Well, they've got good musical taste.

Nardwuar: Why were you dissing Kiss?
Nikki Sixx: I didn't dis Kiss.

Nardwuar: Well, Vince Neil dissed Kiss, and Tommy--I guess you didn't personally. What would be Vince or Tommy's impetus to diss Kiss, Nikki Sixx?
Nikki Sixx: What was that again?

Nardwuar: What would be their impetus? Why would anybody want to get mad at Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley?
Nikki Sixx: You know, I really have no idea what you're talking about.

Nardwuar: Well, I was curious though. I thought perhaps, Nikki, that you were mad at Kiss because John Corabi is in a band with Bruce Kulick called Union and I thought maybe there was some bad blood between Kiss and the--
Nikki Sixx: Actually, I was the guy that set that up!

Nardwuar: Because Union does a Mötley Crüe song. Would you ever return the favor by doing a Union cover at all?
Nikki Sixx: Yeah, you know, I think that's something we would probably do. We would open our concert with a Union song.

Nardwuar: Nikki, describe the moment that you knew originally you had to boot Vince in the first place. Like, you know, Vince Neil had to leave the band. What went through your head at that point, Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: What went through my head? God, dude, who knows? That's so long ago.

Nardwuar: Like when you did the auditions for the new Mötley Crüe, if Mark from the Bullet Boys had got the gig, do you think there would have been a need for Vince Neil to rejoin the band?
Nikki Sixx: Dude, you're asking some odd questions that I don't have answers to, you know.

Nardwuar: Well, check this out, Nikki Sixx: believe it or not, there is a Mötley Crüe tribute band out of Passaic, New Jersey that only does stuff from the 1994 John Corabi period called Mötley Corabi!
Nikki Sixx: Cool!

Nardwuar: Mötley Corabi! In fact, Mötley Corabi--this is their big thing on their resume: they recently played warmup on the Shark Island/Sleez Beez co-headliner tour!
Nikki Sixx: (laughs) Sounds like a big gig. Were they playing a phone booth?

Nardwuar: I'm not sure where it exactly went! Now, there is a rumor, Nikki Sixx, that we're all excited about, that Bob Rock brought in Paul Dean of Loverboy to overdub guitars on "Enslaved."
Nikki Sixx: (laughs) Well, I've got to say that even though that probably would have been a great moment in musical history, that it did not happen.

Nardwuar: John Corabi is now suing you guys. Has any of that been resolved, because, you know, you got him set up in that Union thing. How is that all coming together?
Nikki Sixx: Um, well, you know, it's not going good, you know. Unfortunately, when, you know, people don't have any money and then they get into a situation where there is money, and then their money is spent and their time at that job is gone, they go, "Well, I don't want to be broke again." But it's not really my job to financially support people so all they can do is sue the company they worked for.

Nardwuar: Did John Corabi, Nikki Sixx, get a Mötley Crüe tattoo at all?
Nikki Sixx: Did he get a Mötley Crüe tattoo? I don't think so.

Nardwuar: So did Vince Neil have any of his Mötley Crüe tattoos removed when he left the band?
Nikki Sixx: I don't think so, either.

Nardwuar: So they were stuck with him! That's good! Now, Bruce Kulick. You love Bruce Kulick, don't you, Mark?
Kleinz: I love Bruce, yes.

Nardwuar: He's kind of had a hard time, hasn't he?
Nikki Sixx: Bruce is a great guy, a great player, actually.

Nardwuar: But it seems that he's had a hard time, Nikki. He was kicked out of Kiss after like 12 years. He's now sharing a house with the Dream Theater guys. He lives with a stray dog called Joe. It seems like metal's been tragic to Bruce Kulick, hasn't it?
Nikki Sixx: Bruce is just fine. He's very resilient.

Nardwuar: What do you think about the metal tragedies that have happened? Like, the poor thing that happened between Vince and Razzle of Hanoi Rocks. The drummer for Warrant now packing video boxes, you guys tour with Ratt and after you tour with Ratt, Robin Crosby of Ratt ends up on the streets. You guys do some more touring, you produce Poison. Are you responsible for Poison, Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: Who produced Poison?

Nardwuar: You guys! Because you guys set the stage and then you upped the glam ante with Theatre of Pain. You guys had Theatre of Pain! You upped the glam ante. You spawned Poison. Are you responsible for Poison, Nikki Sixx?
Nikki Sixx: God, wouldn't that be a horrible thought?

Nardwuar: That's what I was curious about.
Nikki Sixx: (silence)

Nardwuar: And, Nikki, I was also wondering, were you declared dead on the operating table of a Persian smack overdose?
Nikki Sixx: Yeah, it was Persian smack. Yes, it was.

Nardwuar: And did you have any near death experiences?
Nikki Sixx: Um, you will have to watch the VH-1 Behind the Music special to find out.

Nardwuar: It seems that Mötley Crüe have taken a lot punches. You've taken a lot of punches. Well, you've given out a lot of punches too, Nikki, but Mötley Crüe have taken a lot of punches. In Musician magazine in 1992, do you remember that cover shot? There was a cover picture of Vince lighting a cigar with a 1000 dollar bill that said, "What kind of idiot would sign Mötley Crüe for 25 million dollars?"
Nikki Sixx: His name was Bob Kraznow.

Nardwuar: That's the idiot who signed you guys?
Nikki Sixx: Yeah.

Nardwuar: But you proved them wrong! And in the little subtitle on the corner of the same mag there was a tiny headline that read, "Nirvana breaks through." What happened there? What did you feel like when you saw that magazine cover?
Nikki Sixx: Uh, what--if I even remember seeing it. I don't know, dude. You know, the thing is, a lot of people put a lot of importance on stuff that I don't. I kind of put importance on things that don't really have to do with the band.

Nardwuar: Nikki, Mark actually knew a guy who had all of Vince's tattoos exactly!
Nikki Sixx: Really?
Kleinz: He lived in a shack behind my old house.
Nikki Sixx: He lived in a shack!
Kleinz: He did.
Nikki Sixx: Ah, that's pretty funny stuff!

Nardwuar: It's wild also that Pamela Anderson played Vince Neil's sister in his video two years before she met Tommy Lee!
Nikki Sixx: Well, there you go.

Nardwuar: Like, she's friends with Vince Neil, and then she marries Tommy. Tommy should have been mad. Like, you know, "Pamela, you're a traitor, you hung out with Vince Neil!" It's weird.
Nikki Sixx: It's such an incestual little world, isn't it?

Nardwuar: Have you guys done any guest spots in movies? Like Bret Michaels of Poison has a partnership with Charlie Sheen.
Nikki Sixx: Right.

Nardwuar: Have you ever done anything with Charlie Sheen at all, NIkki Sixx?
Nikki Sixx: No, I haven't.

Nardwuar: You never went to Heidi Fleiss' house with Charlie Sheen?
Nikki Sixx: Who?

Nardwuar: Heidi Fleiss. You never went to her house with Charlie Sheen?
Nikki Sixx: No.

Nardwuar: Were you ever a bad boy with Heidi Fleiss? Come on, Nikki!
Nikki Sixx: No, I'm an angel.

Nardwuar: Like, you never used any wine bottles for wild sex?
Nikki Sixx: Not me, dude.

Nardwuar: This friend of mine, the Metal Queen, once used her big and beautiful babe friend as "bait" to get backstage at a Crüe gig. Like she offered her friend to the guys in return for backstage access, and she said your road crew was "easy."
Nikki Sixx: The road crew was easy?

Nardwuar: Indeed!
Nikki Sixx: Well, those guys are bad boys, you know. But not us. We're good.

Nardwuar: What does it take to get backstage now at a Mötley Crüe gig, Nikki Sixx? Like, fishnets, white fake fur, a big black cowboy hat? What does it take to get backstage at a Mötley Crüe gig?
Nikki Sixx: Only Bob Kraznow's back there with his 25 million dollars. We sit backstage and count our money.

Nardwuar: Have you ever thought, Nikki Sixx, that it's time to just take the bull by the horns? Like stop being seriously devoted to your marriage and start partying again with girls in cowboy hats? Ever thought, "Let's screw it and go for it?"
Nikki Sixx: Uh, no, absolutely not.

Nardwuar: Like the other night in Toronto, a friend of mine was really upset because you cancelled a private party for Rockline! You cancelled it--she was all stoked to meet you--and you cancelled it to do Rockline! You guys did Rockline instead of partying? What about the olden days? That's kind of bullshit. Canceling a party for Rockline?
Nikki Sixx: Yeah, I mean, can you imagine? We should have hung out with strippers and bimbos and done some cocaine instead of, like, promoting our record.

Nardwuar: Nikki, have you ever "honked the horn" at all? Because in the Tommy Lee/Pamela Anderson sex video, the best part is when Tommy honks the horn with his cock! I love that! That's the best part, isn't it?
Nikki Sixx: Uh, I don't--what do you mean?

Nardwuar: You know, when Tommy honks the horn of the speedboat with his cock, Nikki Sixx.
Nikki Sixx: What? He did what?

Nardwuar: Like he takes his cock--during the Pamela Anderson vid--and he honks the horn of the speedboat. Like, he uses his cock like a finger and honks the speedboat's horn!
Nikki Sixx: I haven't seen it, bro, so I don't know what you're talking about.

Nardwuar: Well, you do get dirty though. Didn't Mötley Crüe get pretty dirty, Nikki Sixx? You guys had that contest a few years ago to see who could have the most groupies without bathing? And you went, like, six months! Is that true?
Nikki Sixx: Sure.

Nardwuar: Sure? That doesn't sound too definite, Nikki Sixx.
Nikki Sixx: Well, anything you say.

Nardwuar: No, we read about that in a magazine, right Mark?
Nikki Sixx: Well, see, that makes it true.

Nardwuar: I was just curious about verification on that. Ok, how about this, Nikki Sixx? There were those dirty promotional urinal mats that said, "We're back!" Like, you're taking a piss and you look down in the urinal and there are promotional urinal mats saying, "We're back!" to signify the return of Vince Neil. Do you remember having those authorized at all?
Nikki Sixx: Yes, I do. Those are beautiful.

Nardwuar: So there you go! There is some dirtiness to Mötley Crüe!
Nikki Sixx: There you go. I guess we'll have to end it on that. Hey, listen, thanks a lot.

Nardwuar: Oh, Nikki, just a few other quick questions here.
Nikki Sixx: I've got to go, bro.

Nardwuar: Please? Just a few other quick questions. A few other quick--
Nikki Sixx: Dude, I've got another interview waiting right now, all righty?

Nardwuar: Just a few other quick questions. Nikki?
Nikki Sixx: Dude, I've got to go.

Nardwuar: Please Nikki, can we just ask you a few other quick questions here?
Nikki Sixx: Hey, dude, there's another interview waiting. I've got to go.

Nardwuar: Please, can we at least go "doot doola doot doo" to you ? Nikki Sixx?
Nikki Sixx: (click)

Nardwuar: Nikki Sixx?
(dialtone)

(www.popsmear.com)

1. What is Motley Crue currently up to? (This is your only chance to plug you shit, merchandise, websites, etc.)
NIKKI: 8 albumcoming out in 2 months((on motley records))...one unreleahed stuff...that ones called..___supersonic and demonic relics____ also have a box set an live album planned....3 bands on my indie label will be released as well...>>1958<<<>>flash bastard<<>>laidlaw<<<

2. How old are your kids now & are they into any California fads yet? (Skateboarding, gangs, baggy pants, rollerblading, fighting, drugs, car jacking, etc.)
NIKKI: gunner 8 rhyan 6 storm 5 decker 4..my kids are unique..they dont really follow

3. What rock star deserves the biggest smack in the mouth?
NIKKI: me??

4. If you had a gun to your head and HAD to take 2 out of these 3 bands out on tour, who would it be and why: Slaughter, Warrant, or Poison?.
NIKKI: i would die

5. What's the most violent thing you ever did on tour?
NIKKI: start a riot that ended in burnt police cars an blood on the streets....

6. How many wigs have you seen Mick wear since 1990?
NIKKI: none...silly rumor

7. Two old road tales questions! Is it true you guys would make groupies get on their knees, lick cum out of your hands backstage and tell them to make a cat sound (Meow-meow) while doing it?
NIKKI: yes

And what's the sickest thing you've ever done to a groupie, providing our previous question isn't your answer?
NIKKI: refer to my book coming out in a few years

8. What are the top 3 Best & Worst memories of Motley Crue for you?
NIKKI: i cant type good enuff for this answer

9. If you could be a tampon for a celebrity, who would you choose?
NIKKI: sofia loren

10. Were you bummed out that the Motley S'crue store closed it doors after only being open for 2 months?
NIKKI: no, cause it was never gonna be open longer..its was just a quick lease..it went internet as planned..

11. Has Tommy ever smacked either you, Vince, or Mick?
NIKKI: never me or mick..but ive seen him an vinnie get into alot

12. What hard rock band should call it a day and get real jobs?
NIKKI: hmmm...not my call <<< but they can smell there own shit..i need not point it out to them

13. When was the last time you drank alcohol or smoked pot?
NIKKI: i got really fucked up in the bahamaas with my wife about 5 months ago...before that...6 years....

14. During your last tour, what percentage of the time would you say that Vince was singing in key?
NIKKI: 90%

15. Who fucked the most fat chicks in the Motley Crue? (Definition: Fat Chicks are chicks that are 150 pounds and over, unless they are over 5'10" then 150 is acceptable!)
NIKKI: the road crew

16. Who is a bigger bitch: John Corabi, Gerri Miller, or Tommy Lee?
NIKKI: Didn't say anything cause he didn't answer this question.

17. Is you HAD to have sex with any animal, what would it be and why?
NIKKI: chicken...it would be tight..

18. Typical Stupid Ass Metal Edge Type Question: How do you feel about Tommy leaving the band so suddenly and have you talked to him at all since he left?
NIKKI: i got no problem with it...im on my own path...rock n roll

19. The next questions are ones that many Motley fans have been wondering for years. Why does Vince sing every other word and why does he still use the same stage raps from 1985?
NIKKI: he runs alot.... thats just him...

20. Lately, we have heard that many Motley fans are upset that there hasn't been any backstage passes for the last two tours. And when there are passes, it's only for females or none of you show up. Some are saying your not as fan friendly as you use to be. How do you respond to this and is Motley's motto still "It's all about the fans."?
NIKKI: fans backstage??? thats my home....the street is cool..but backstage is where we hang. if there are any chicks its for the singles guys....an they have there own lil room...they dont hang with us....

21. How the Fuck did you guys end up with the Scorpions? Why tour with them and not a huge arena band like Pretty Boy Floyd?
NIKKI: we like there songs...

23. Here is some word association. We mention a word, and you give us your thoughts. For example: Yoko Ono / Pamela Anderson
Gerri Miller: true fan
Britney Spears: who??
Dana Strum: im not sure who that is
Lars Ulrich: ego boy
Pamela Anderson:
Jani Lane: nice guy
Gene Simmons: rich guy
Sebastian Bach: funny guy
Aerosmith's Nine Lives Album: get your wings
John Corabi: lost guy

(www.metal-sludge.com)

November 2, 2007. Jacki Stone (drummer) met me by the back door of Roseland Ballroom and Nicki Kin (lead guitar) escorted me to the Vains of Jenna dressing room where Lizzy DeVine (vocals, guitar) and JP White (bass) huddled in their respective sweatshirt and leopard print coat, cursing the chill weather.

Vains of Jenna was formed when in a town of Falkenberg, Sweden two rival bands fell apart, bringing their most dedicated members together. The year was 2005. The band was eventually called Vains of Jenna. Dictionaries began arriving in response to the spelling choice, but they were discarded with sly remarks. VoJ, whose influences are Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, the Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith truly began their career when they played Crufest in Hollywood, in 2005. There, Stevie Rachelle, owner of Metal Sludge and former singer of Tuff, noticed them and quickly became their manager. A week later they were recording in a studio with Gilby Clarke (former guitarist of Guns N Roses). In 2006 they met Bam Margera who signed them to his label, Filthy Note, and they’ve been touring the U.S. ever since supporting their album Lit Up/Let Down.

Back at Roseland, JP and Lizzy are both rubbing their eyes and yawning. Although obviously tired, they are affable guys and after shaking my hand and introducing themselves settle down into their chairs. Torn between the desire to smoke and the intense dislike of the cold weather conditions outside, they eventually lay the cigarette dilemma aside and we launched into our interview.

Meandering Entertainer: So, how did you guys spend your Halloween?

Lizzy DeVine: Played a show in Philly…

JP White: Philly. Yeah.

Lizzy: Philadelphia. So, we didn’t party much.

JP: (Laughs) Not at all. Yeah, it was a party night but we didn’t do much.

Lizzy: Yeah, felt like every other night.

JP: But every night is Halloween night when we play with GWAR.

ME: That’s true. You’re not exactly lacking for costumes or anything. [laughter and smirks] So being here now, in comparison to two years ago, your careers have sort of skyrocketed. What do you attribute your success to?

Lizzy: We’ve been pretty lucky. We’re not that successful yet, but we’ve been lucky. Have been doing a lot of tours with a lot of bands we never thought we would do it with. We played with Poison and Ratt, and now with GWAR. It’s crazy. Just have to be in the right place in the right time, have a little bit of luck and be ready to sacrifice and take chances in life and not sit around waiting for stuff.

ME: I read an interview somewhere where one of you said that you sold all your shit, dumped your girlfriends and just got going.

JP: Yeah.

ME. Was that you [JW] by any chance?

JP: No, it was everyone. Everyone had dumped girlfriends in Sweden.

Lizzy: I didn’t have a girlfriend at the time.

JP: Lizzy sold his apartment, and we sold all our cars and just left everything at home, ready to do this.

Lizzy: we didn’t know if it was going to work or not but so far we’re surviving and having a lot of fun, so it was all worth it. It would have been worth it even if he hadn’t gotten this far.

ME: It would have been a mighty adventure one way or the other.

Lizzy: Yeah, that’s the way we see it. So far, so good.

ME: So you’ve played all kinds of venues: hole-in-the-wall and amphitheaters. How do you feel about that? Which is your favorite?

JP: I like everywhere, it’s cool. I like the small club shows. The crowd gets very close to you and that’s cool. And of course the amphitheaters, the sound, and you know the sight of the whole thing. It’s amazing.

Lizzy: Doesn’t really matter how big a venue we play is as long as there are some people that will like it. Can’t please everyone, but if there are a few people that like it, that’s all we’re looking for. But playing amphitheaters… that’s a dream come true. We never thought we would get to do that.

ME: Not when you sold all your shit and just got on the plane?

Lizzy: [laughs] No, no.

JP: Didn’t know that then…

Lizzy: Sometimes a smaller club can be a lot more fun than an amphitheater. It depends on the crowd, depends on the day… As long as we get to play, that’s all that matters.

ME: that’s really cool. But in small places, the crowd is all over you. But at a large place, everyone is sitting down in a seat, how much energy can you get up?

Lizzy: It’s hard and it’s the same everyone because we’re not that famous quite yet, so we always have a new crowd to try to impress every day. So that’s the challenge, and that’s what makes it so fun.

ME: How’s the crowd that’s coming with GWAR and Cradle of Filth?

Lizzy: It all depends on where we’re at.

JP: Some places they fucking love you and are like, holy shit and some are just, you know… it’s different, totally different every time

Lizzy: But somehow, we always seem to like, convince a few people.

JP: And that’s what matters

Lizzy: And we’ve always been on weird tours. Like we’ve toured with Ministry of Metal, a big biker crowd and now GWAR has a weird crowd too…

ME: I bet.

Lizzy: But it’s more fun, because people always try to label us like a glam 80’s band, which we’re not. And people that see us they probably say, “Ah, it’s a lame, White Snake wanna-be band,” but we’re totally different. We just have that look perhaps. But we’re a Rock n Roll band and if we can entertain biker guys and GWAR fans aline, then that’s fucking more fun than impressing some 80’s Rock guy who think we’re an 80’s band.

ME: In which case he’s just gonna say that you’re not living up to his 80’s expectations.

Lizzy: Exactly, and that’s the way it is. It’s better not to label anyone and not go in with any expectations at all. That’s how I act when I stand in front of the crowd: Don’t have any expectations at all, just go with it.

ME: So you guys have been to shows all over. You’ve been to Sweden, around Europe?

Lizzy: We’ve not done that many shows around Europe at all.

JP: Fifteen shows…

Lizzy: Fifteen shows in Europe and like 300 in the States.

JP: So we have not really done shows in Sweden. Maybe ten gigs in Sweden. We did five shows in the rest of Europe, mostly in the UK.

ME: Definitely preferred in the United States it looks like?

Lizzy: Yeah, we gotta chance to come over here, so we took it. So many people dream about coming over here and they don’t get a chance to do it. They sit around and wait. We got a chance and it worked out. We are going to try to stay as long as we can because one tour won’t do it. You have to get out there over and over again.

ME: Yeah, you guys have been touring for like over two years now, more or less non-stop.

Lizzy: Yeah, at least the last year has been non- stop and now we’re getting a little tired. But still, that’s the way to do it.

JP: Yeah, you go out there and you show yourself.

Lizzy: You can’t expect to get anything out of just doing one tour that lasts a few weeks, like some people think.

ME: I think you guys are getting great exposure, especially because you are touring with such versatile bands.

Lizzy: Yeah, that’s what we like about it too.

ME: Honestly, I didn’t know who you guys were at first, but when I saw that you were on this tour, I decided to check you out. And I really liked you, although the only music I really heard was what you had on your MySpace, which isn’t a lot.

JP: Yeah, in fact, those are the first songs we ever wrote as a band and that’s on our CD [Lit Up/Let Down].

Lizzy: So that’s what we’re going to do now, after this tour: record a new album.

ME: That’s what I heard.

Lizzy: Yeah, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

JP: We’re getting kind of tired of playing the same songs for the whole year.

Lizzy: We kind got thrown into it and didn’t expect to get this far with those songs, which we didn’t take very seriously at all [general merriment]. We just had fun! We just did them in our rehearsals, we rocked out and it worked out, for some reason.

ME: Maybe it worked out because you guys stuck with it. But now you’re excited about new material.

Both: Oh yeah

ME: Are excited about taking a break to write the new material?

JP: Oh Yeah.

Lizzy: We’ve been writing a lot, but still, it’s gonna be nice to do something different. When you get into that loop when you do things the same every day, like touring, you need something different in life all the time otherwise you get bored by it. Not really bored, but you get into a routine and that’s not as fun. So, a new album: fuck yeah! And then we’ll see how many tours we will do. Probably a lot.

JP: Hopefully a lot.

ME: Seeing as how one album got you two years, what’s two albums gonna do? And as far as this new album, where are you going to record it?

Lizzy: In L.A. That’s the plan. Probably where we recorded our last song, “Enemy in me.” We have a producer, Brent Woods, he’s cool as hell, he knows what we’re about. So he’s the one we will probably work with, and the studio will probably be the same. It will probably sound better than our first album, because we recorded that one on our own.

JP: Yeah, in a week!

Lizzy: In a week!

JP: We thought we were throwing together demos!

Lizzy: Yeah, we did it in a week because we didn’t plan to release it at all we just wanted songs to show people and release online. We met Bam [Margera] and he liked it and put it out.

JP: It’s really just a demo CD.

Lizzy: Yeah it is, but a demo CD that has been released through the label.

ME: And how is the label thing going? Is there still a search on or are you sticking with Filthy Note, with Bam?

Lizzy: It all depends on who… our contract was for a year, just to launch the band. If they want to continue working with us, that’s fucking great. If they don’t want to do it, we’ll find something else. If we don’t find something else, then we’ll do it on our own!

ME: Just like the first one.

Lizzy: Yeah, because we found out that’s the best way to do it. If you want something done, gotta do it yourself. Don’t sit around waiting for something to happen. We’re not planning to wait around for years for a big big label or for the label we have now to put in money to put it out. We’ll just sell more stuff and put it out ourselves.

ME: Though you’ve been doing this for some time, do you still get out on the floor after a show?

Lizzy: Yeah, we try to do it. We try to go out and talk to people all the time! Because so many bands just go backstage and sit there, and it’s like, what’s the point?

JP: We hang around for at least 10 minutes, just say Hi to the fans. You know, all that.

Lizzy: Yeah, and you get so much more out of that too. Because I remember when I was younger. I try to talk to the bands and they just ignored you and you sometimes start to hate them afterwards.

ME: Yeah, to be rejected like that by someone you look up to…

Lizzy: Yeah! You can be so fucking let down by that! And I don’t want to be, we don’t wanna be that band, that’s not what it’s about. We’re not rock stars, we just want a chance to be up there and if it wasn’t for the people out in the crowd, we couldn’t be up there.

ME: So what kinda fans do you guys get?

JP: All different types. Big bikers guys. Fourteen-year-old girls screaming and crying in the crowd.

Lizzy: Yeah, it’s so different. Anything from kids to old people. And it’s like, some people kill for the young MTV crowd, they sell their souls. I don’t care who listens to us, as long as someone does it. Like I said earlier, you can’t please everyone and it’s best not to plan on it. We just want people to have fun with us.

ME: Let me ask you guys, did you just wake up?

Lizzy: Yeah, we did just wake up.

JP: yeah, is it obvious? [laughs] Yeah, we’ve been partying. Not even partying, it’s just the tour. Doesn’t matter how much you sleep, you’re still tired.

Lizzy: especially at the end of a tour. You know there are only a few days left. Somehow your body gets just KHHhhh.

ME: Your body gives up before the rest of you.

Lizzy: Exactly, I’m so sick I’ve hardly been able to sing this past week. But gotta do it anyways. It’s what I love to do even though I will sound a little… like crap…

ME: Different voice, but the same energy behind it?

Both: Yeah.

ME: What do you do for your voice? Herbal tea with honey?

Lizzy: Tea and honey, yeah, even though I HATE it, but you gotta do it, gotta try to keep it up. The cold weather isn’t helping either. It’s why we left Sweden, but it found us here too. Can’t get away.

ME: So is there anybody back in Sweden? Do you guys keep in touch?

JP: Oh yea, we have our families back there we talk to them. A lot of bands that we know that we talk to.

Lizzy: even though they haven’t bothered to write or talk about us at all, but now we’re going to be in some TV thing.

JP: Yeah, a TV show.

ME: In Sweden?

Lizzy: Yeah. So now, FINALLY, they’re opening up…

JP: They’re finally opening up their eyes. Oh! They’re doing something!

Lizzy: Because we’ve done so much more than most Swedish bands, but no one seems to care because we’re not on a big label, we’re not on a Swedish label, and we don’t have anyone whom we can pay to do it. That’s how the industry works these days. If you have the money, you get the publicity and you get whatever you want. And that’s fucked up. That’s why I hate mainstream radio and mainstream media and all that shit. Because they only go for the people who don’t really need it, who already have the success.

ME: And that’s how you end up with the same exact sound everywhere.

Lizzy: Exactly, and that’s how people get brainwashed and buy into it…

ME: And seek out bands that sound EXACTLY like the bands that they already like and that’s exactly how everyone ends up sounding generic, and it’s a vicious cycle.

Lizzy: And that’s why a perfect world would be just people using their own brains to pick what they like. Go to shows even when they don’t know the bands that are playing and search online to find something that’s out of the ordinary. But too many people get brainwashed. Fuck ‘em all.

JP: It’s the same shit all over.

ME: So, let me ask you a question you get all the time. Vains of Jenna. It’s an arbitrary name. Did people stop sending you dictionaries yet?

Lizzy: Some days they still come. And some people make comments that “you misspelled it” Yeah, we know, we heard it from the beginning.

JP: But it sticks out, so that’s good

Lizzy: It’s a name that people either don’t understand, like, what? Or it’s a good subject to talk about, because it is confusing.

JP: It doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just a name.

ME: Tell me a little about your new album, how different is it going to be?

Lizzy: It’s probably going to be a lot different.

JP: Still Rock n Roll.

Lizzy: I don’t want people to know what they’re getting. We don’t want to be stuck in one genre of music. It’s Rock n Roll. And that’s a big genre and you can do whatever you want. We want the next album to be a little more serious and to come more from the heart, not just try to be like cool rock stars. And probably, a lot of our fans are going to hate it and a lot of new people are probably going to love it. We’re only doing it for ourselves and what we believe in. There is no point to write something that would sell because that’s not what we’re about.

ME: How is it touring with GWAR and Cradle of Filth?

JP: Interesting.

Lizzy: It’s a lot of fun. The guys in the bands are fucking awesome. Their crowds are hard sometimes. But it’s no different from playing with any other bands.

JP: We hang with the GWAR guys a lot. They’re cool people.

Lizzy: What’s good about this tour is that nobody thinks that they’re big rock stars. That’s the one thing I hate the most, when people think they’re bigger and better than everybody else. No one is bigger and better and if they think they are I’ll beat their ass… kick them to the ground… No! But we’ve been lucky. Everyone we toured with has been cool. We’ve not run into any bands that were total assholes.

ME: Last words?

JP: Be sure to check out new rock bands. We have a lot of friends on our MySpace page who are rock bands you can check out. We can’t do this on our own. There need to be more cool bands out there.

Lizzy: Just go online and do your own search. Don’t listen to the bands we listen to. Listen to anything and help them out and promote the shit out of them, bands you like, and turn down Nickelback and shit like that.

Mere hours after our interview VoJ got on stage and played a great, albeit short, set. The crowd was considerable and reacted with screaming and moshing until VoJ were chased off stage by one of the GWAR guys wielding a huge styrofoam axe.

My thoughts are with her and Matilda.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren’t many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

One time he and another actor were shooting a complex scene. We had two days to shoot it, and at the end of the first day, they’d really found something and Heath was worried that he might not have it if we stopped. He wanted to carry on and finish. It’s tough to ask the crew to work late when we all know there’s plenty of time to finish the next day. But everyone seemed to understand that Heath had something special and that we had to capture it before it disappeared. Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they’d given him.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He’d brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he’d made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I’ve never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn’t take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we’d have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we’d done with all that he’d given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it’s Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can’t help but smile.

 --- This made me cry all over again.

She is so delusional, it's hilarious!

Shirley is one of the daughters of Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church (aka God Hates Fags).

Phelps lost her shit when she was given a taste of her own medicine on the Kane morning show on 99.5 in Washington, D.C.

Shirley was being interviewed about her fanatical church's decision to protest the funeral and memorial for Heath Ledger.

She did not take it very well when the radio hosts brought up her illegitimate sons.

Perezhilton.com