I Love Barbie

It's an obsession I've had since childhood: Barbies. I'm a girl, so it's only natural. Barbie dolls were a major part of my life growing up. I didn't have the Barbie Dream House, but I did get a rad, purple Corvette. I had all kinds of Barbies and I still collect them to this day. As a matter of fact, I get a Barbie every year for Christmas. No joke.

Today, I found out that Mattel has created a "Ladies from the 80's" Barbie collection, which includes Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and...drum roll please...Joan Jett! Although I hope to own all three of these Barbies, the Joan Jett Barbie is numero uno on my Christmas Barbie wish list. This lovely collection is due out in December just in time for the holidays. No doubt Mattel also decided to release the Joan Jett Barbie since the Runaways movie is coming to a theater near you very soon.

How badass is this Barbie? I love it!

Country Music Awards?

OK, I'll admit right off the bat that I didn't watch the 2009 CMA Awards. Why? Mostly because my husband refused to watch it. I would have been open to watching it, but the hubby can't stand the current state of country music and would have just screamed at the television all night long. So to avoid a shoe through our TV, we just skipped it. Unfortunately, my true love wasn't able to hide from it for long.

The next morning he said, "Baby, do you know who won Entertainer of the Year on the CMA's? Taylor f-ing Swift! What the f*ck! She doesn't even sing country music!" That was promptly followed by, "And do you know who won Best New Artist? Darius Rucker! Are you kidding me? Not only is he not new, he's NOT country! What the hell is going on?" Good question. What the hell is going on, Country Music?

Taylor Swift is cute and sweet and innocent, and we all feel sorry for her because Kanye West was a douchebag and ruined her moment in the spotlight, but her Entertainer of the Year award would have made a lot more sense if the win was at the Pop Music Awards. Can someone please tell me exactly what about her music makes it country? It doesn't even resemble country music. There's no twang. There's no pedal steel. There's no fiddle. Being a pretty girl with blond, curly hair and an acoustic guitar shouldn't automatically put you in the country music slot (although most of the time it does). I don't think she can sing to save her life (just from the live performances I've seen), and I can't quite figure out how she became the country music phenomenon that she did. Perhaps I could wrap my mind around it if she was this big in the pop music scene. Oh no wait....she is.

You know it's bad when a country music legend is ripping you apart. George Jones made it known in an interview with the Associated Press that he wasn't too happy with the likes of Taylor Swift and her blond peers, "They've stolen our identity. They had to use something that was established already, and that's traditional country music. So what they really need to do, I think, is find their own title, because they're definitely not traditional country music." Ouch! When George Jones doesn't like you, what do you do?

And then there's Darius Rucker. He made the ol' switcheroo to country music and won that crowd over because the pop music world was done with him. I didn't like him in Hootie and the Blowfish, and surprise, surprise...I don't like him now. Perhaps his music has a little more twang than Ms. Swift's, but I don't think he's quite as impressive as everyone seems to think he is.

It just floors me that there were other, more talented people who were nominated that were passed up so these two could go home with awards. Even if you don't like country music, you would have been impressed with the performance from the Zac Brown Band. They did a rendition of the Devil Went Down to Georgia that could rip your face off. Anyone could appreciate the pure musicianship of these guys. They can sing, play amazingly well and put on one hell of a show. Now there's a band that deserves to win New Artist of the Year! But did they even win one award? Nope. At least they were nominated. Sigh.

The only highlights from this award show? Jamey Johnson won, and deserved to win, Song of the Year and Kenny Chesney didn't win anything.

Look, if you like Taylor Swift and thinks she's super duper talented and think she's the greatest singer in the world, then great. All I'm saying is that title would work better over there with the pop singers, not mingled in with real, great country singers like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn or Patsy Cline. Taylor Swift couldn't even come close to those ladies on her very best day.

Queensryche/Lita Ford - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH

When I was in middle school, I can remember my brother and I bugging the crap out of our parents to get us the Operation LiveCrime box set for Christmas. Lucky for us, Santa was good to us that Christmas. My brother actually got to see Queensryche live back in the day, but since I was younger and a girl, I never got the opportunity. So last week was finally my time to see Queensryche live. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally hear Operation Mindcrime live. I was almost giddy with anticipation!

We got to the venue as Queensryche started playing. The first thing that I noticed was Geoff Tate's voice. It is still incredible; he sounded fantastic. I wish I could have said the same for the sound in general, which was kinda crappy (but not the fault of the band). Then I got my grimy little hands on the set list (thanks Amy). I kept looking at it over and over and over again. I turned it over and looked on the back of the piece of paper and I still couldn't find it. There was a set for Rage for Order, American Soldier, and Empire...but I couldn't find Operation Mindcrime. That's because they weren't performing Operation Mindcrime! Pissed couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling at that moment. How could they not perform Operation Mindcrime? Seriously? That just irritated me for the rest of the night.

I tried to enjoy the rest of the show, but it was hard. I know I shouldn't have let the lack of Operation Mindcrime piss me off so much, but it really did. Then a great moment happened that made me forget about that crap for just a few minutes: Geoff Tate's duet with his daughter on "Home Again." It was absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. He looked so enamored with her, and she looked like she was scared to death. She was cute and sounded great.

I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the songs from American Soldier. Not sure what I was really expecting, but it sounded like the Queensryche I grew up loving. I'm glad they didn't stray from their standard sound on this new album.

Then it was time for Lita Ford. This transition was a bit awkward. It kind of threw me off when I found out she wasn't opening but instead doing a little set in the middle of Queensryche's set. She looked as hot as ever and sounded really good. Her hubby, Jim Gillette, came out and sang along to "Crave." It was so fun to watch the two of them interact with each other and grope each other non-stop. Then she performed "Patriotic SOB." Of course she ended her tiny set with "Close My Eyes Forever" with Geoff Tate filling in on Ozzy's part, and Geoff did a pretty fine job. And that was it for Lita, which I thought was pretty lame. She should have had way more time to perform. And I can't even lie...I was sad that she didn't play Kiss Me Deadly.


Queensryche ended their set with a few songs from Empire. Surely they didn't leave out "Silent Lucidity" but they did leave off "Jet City Woman" even though it was on their set list.


Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. I was heartbroken that Queensryche didn't play Operation Mindcrime. Sure, they sounded pretty good and Geoff still sounds amazing, but it wasn't enough to make up for them totally blowing off their best album. I think they should have had Lita open, cut a few songs from the American Soldier set and added songs from Operation Mindcrime. Is that too much to ask?

I Suck

Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's been a while. I'm a slacker. I apologize to all of my loyal readers (like...all 2 or 3 of you). Sometimes, life just gets in the way. New stuff is coming, I promise. In the mean time, listen to Blackberry Smoke. Why? Because they kick ass. Go buy their CD at Best Buy or Walmart.

Lita Ford Interview

She took a long hiatus from rock, but Lita Ford is back on the scene with a vengeance. The mistress of rock has a new album coming out, Wicked Wonderland, on October 6th and it's heavier than anything you've heard from her yet. Lita was kind enough to answer some questions and talk very frankly about sex, music, her family and...well...sex.

It's great to have you back! What have you been doing these past few years? Why the long hiatus? And Why the Caribbean (aside from the fact that it's amazing)?

Just wanted to concentrate on my family. Jim and I are extremely close and our boys are our life! Living on a deserted island is not for everyone! It works for us though - we love it. Our boys catch fish and lobster. They grab conch right off the beach. It's an amazing environment. It's also wonderful for your sex life - there's nothing to do but have sex!!!!

How did Wicked Wonderland come about? Have you been working on it for a long period of time, or did it just come to you?

We started writing it a year ago and now it's coming out! We had a lot to say after such a long break! We wrote this album from our hearts. Jim and I don't have to do this. We did it because we wanted to and it's very pure. It's a lot more fun not having to listen to a bunch of suits from the label trying to tell you what's cool when they wouldn't know cool if it bit them on the ass!

What I've heard so far is really heavy. To me, it's feels more dominatrix as opposed to seductress. Do you feel more in control with this album?

Jim and I controlled every single aspect of this album! We hire who we want and fire who we want. It's the most control I've ever had and I must say that I love it! This is what I sound like not what someone else thinks i should sound like! And by the way - we are endorsed by the coolest bondage shop on the planet - http://www.stockroom.com/. We have quite a few of their toys and use them regularly! So you were pretty spot on with the dominatrix referral....

The songs on Wicked Wonderland are super sexual. A lot of women are afraid to be so open about their sexuality. Was it easy for you to be so open and free with your sexuality on this album?

When Jim and I started writing the songs they just kept coming back to our sex life. We have an incredible love life. Jim is the first man that has been able to satisfy me sexually. Our marriage is wonderful and sacred and our sex is a huge part of that. We just wrote what came naturally and I guess when you have a relationship like we do you tend to think about sex a lot! We talked about being so open and decided to just go for it. If more people had great sex the world would be a better place!

How has it been working with your husband?

Incredible! He's the best singer I've ever known. He does things vocally that still blow me away after 15 years! We're soul mates - it's kind of like twins... You know how sometimes twins will finish each others sentences and stuff like that? Well that's how me and Big Daddy (that's one of my nicknames for him - the other is Meat Whistle) are. We really freak a lot of people out that way. We're very connected and it was a blast writing and recording with him. We have a home studio and Jim would engineer so it was just us while we'd record... I bet you can guess what that was like!!!! No clothes and lots of sex!!! Definitely gave the album some intense energy!

Have your children influenced your music in any way?

Our children have influenced every aspect of our lives. - They've made everything better! We love our kids with all our hearts. They're such cool kids! They box, teach Gracie Jiu Jitsu, hunt, fish.... They kick ass!
Do you see your kids following in your footsteps?

They sure are starting to that's for sure! They've been training to fight in the UFC since they were 2 years old! Now they are starting to jam. James is really getting good on guitar and Rocco is picking up the drums. It would be so cool if they walked out to the octagon in the UFC to one of their own songs!

How did it feel returning to the stage at Rocklahoma last year? Did it get you more motivated?

It was amazing. Such an awesome experience. Then the damn tornados decided to mess around! I was amazed that so many people stayed through that mess. It was pouring and all I could see was a sea of umbrellas. It was an honor to play for the diehards that braved the storm!

Now you're going out on tour with Queensryche. Rumor has it that they will be backing you up. How did that come about?

We're very excited about this. Queensryche is such an awesome band. Can't wait to get out there and rock!

What are your feelings on the The Runaways movie?

We have nothing to do with it.

What bands are you listening to these days?

The classics! Metallica, The Ramones, Def Lep, stuff like that. That's what my kids like so they control the stereo!

You are legendary in rock for helping put women on the map and letting everyone know that we women can rock just as hard, if not harder, than men can (all while looking smokin' hot). Do you see any female rockers today who are carrying that rock torch?

I'm very grateful for everything Rock n Roll has given me. I'm very happy that I've helped so many women. Sometimes the response I get is overwhelming. To tell you the truth - I have no idea about today's artists! We've been on a deserted island so long that I have no clue who any of the new bands are. I do think PINK kicks ass though! She rocks.

Thanks for the support and for helping to keep metal alive! God bless....

Thanks SO much to Lita for taking the time to answer the questions! :)

You're So Funny Ryan!

Thanks to Ms. Allyson at Bring Back Glam, it was brought to my attention that one of my favorites, Ryan Adams, is now a columnist for a new website called The Awl. In honor of the new site and his new job, Ryan decided to create a "hair metal parody" theme song for The Awl. Although Allyson didn't find it humorous, I thought it was hysterical. Take a listen for yourself: The Awl: Hair Metal Version.

Now, I know that not everyone loves Ryan Adams as much as I do. That's totally understandable. He's not for everyone. I just happen to think he's a freaking genius. And I think that in order to find this parody funny, you have to like and understand Ryan's sense of humor.

The few times that I've seen Ryan live, he likes to talk about silly things like eating dinner with Alanis Morissette or how much he likes metal...as in the element, not the music (although he likes the music too). And he made up a song about a remote control and it was stupid and funny. That's just how he is, and that's exactly what he was going for on this song. It's awful and funny. Or at least I thought it was funny. He's a quirky, arsty kinda guy and he's got a quirky sense of humor.

And don't forget to check out Ryan's column while you're at The Awl. That's hysterical too. The last paragraph and the P.S. made me laugh out loud.

PS - Check out Bring Back Glam. Allyson is great and she has great taste in music!

Photo credit: ginavivinetto.files.wordpress.com

Smooth Up

There's seems to be a lot going on in the world of the Bulletboys. They have a new album out, 10c Billionaire, that actually sounds pretty decent and has received some good reviews. They just finished up their summer tour with Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango and Sister Sin. Their drummer, Ryche Green, was just released from the hospital and is doing well. And they are slated to play a John Bonham tribute show, presented by Frankie Banali, on Friday, September 25th at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.