Oh MAN! It’s like Siberia out there! Or like that movie, March of the Penguins. I will be one of those penguins braving the -15 degree wind chill factor with snow pelting my body. Looks to be a thermal underwearing day for this NYC gal! And to all the Crimson Tide fans, sorry……I know, I wasn’t really around to talk much about the Bowl games. But I am happy for Michigan State! Hello Lansing!…..Music news this time of year is bleak. But here’s a story from Pulse of Radio that I want to share. Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan has mapped out his own 24-hour film festival in an interview with The A.V. Club, saying it would include at least one cult classic, some weird arthouse fare and adding that it would have to include something starring Denzel Washington. About his fixation with Washington, Keenan said, “I guess I’m a product of American living. Germans love David Hasselhoff and I just love Denzel Washington. I can’t explain it. It’s that guilty pleasure. It’s almost like when you’re a kid and you have your blanket. He’s my comfort blanket.” Keenan cited the 1986 David Lynch classic Blue Velvet as a must for his festival, saying, “Blue Velvet was a game changer for me. It brought out some of the darker sides of my friends. They were more into Porky’s and Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and then, all of a sudden, they discovered Blue Velvet and it really flipped a switch.” The singer also cited two indie titles, 1997’s Gummo and 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite, explaining, “One is in Ohio and the other is in Idaho, but to me, having grown up in Ohio, there’s one side of the tracks where Gummo is happening and on the other side of the tracks, Napoleon Dynamite is happening.” Other films on Keenan’s make-believe festival schedule include Happiness, Videodrome, Repo Man and the Vin Diesel sci-fi bomb The Chronicles Of Riddick, about which he says, “It’s sci-fi but you have this one-liner dude that’s just awful. It’s so great.” As for his own acting, Keenan has appeared in a few indie films and as a dog walker in Crank 2: High Voltage, but has no plans to delve further into that profession. He explained, “I have no experience or natural acting ability, so I would have to stop everything I’m doing to justify being in a film. I’d have to really work at it.” Keenan has hinted in recent months that new music from Tool is finally coming out in 2014….Happy to hear this news! 
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has posted a message to fans at his official website, hinting that his next round of treatments for cancer might be his last for a while. Iommi has had to go back to England every six weeks for treatment ever since being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012, forcing him and Sabbath to work around both the treatments and the recovery time needed afterward. Now he has written, “We’ve some good things lined up for the coming year, firstly the Grammys, then some dates in the U.S. and Canada, and in the summer a quick trip round Europe. I should also be finishing my regular treatment and I’m hoping to not get so tired — all positive.” Doesn’t it seem that with all the years and millions of dollars spent on cancer research, we’d be closer to a cure? It’s a concept that has frustrated me for years. So many friends who have had cancer scares. Just wish it could be erradicated forever!….Hearing good things about the next Black Stone Cherry album. Really good things. Always liked those guys and maybe this is the record to really break them wide open. Didn’t realize Florida-Georgia Line covered their song “Stay.” At least they’re making royalties on that one! Stay tuned for more info on BSC in the coming weeks. Also can’t wait to hear some new Chevelle music! Also coming this year, new Dead Sara. So my wish for more great new rock is already being realized! :)…Celebrating birthdays! Today: Led Zeppelin and Them Crooked Vultures bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones turns 68, Beatles’ producer George Martin is 88, and NY Football Giant QB Eli Manning is 33. On Sunday, Marilyn Manson is 45, Bradley Cooper is 39 and Robert Duvall is 83. Have a great weekend and stay warm!
