R.E.M. Stipe Joined by All-Star Band for Kimmel
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. was backed by an all-star band when he performed on Jimmy Kimmel
Tuesday night. Stipe was billed as performing with producer-guitarist Andrew Watt on "I Played the Fool," the theme to the Steve Carrell HBO series Rooster. But Kimmel didn't tell the audience that the backing band included Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, former Chili Pepper guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer, ex-Jane's Addiction
bassist Chris Chaney, and Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen. Watch the performance on YouTube.
OZZY: Turning Grief Into Fantasy
The Osbourne family is obviously dealing with the grief of losing Ozzy last year by doing what they could to keep his memory alive. Following last month's news that they are developing an avatar/AI project comes this -- a cartoon version of their MTV series, The Osbournes. Sharon Osbourne, at last month's Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, said, "It would open up a whole younger audience." She and Ozzy's son Jack added, "Nostalgia is the key word these days, so I think it just leans a lot in there... The Ozzy brand and legacy is open for business."
And Sharon agreed, saying, “Ozzy’s not going anywhere. He’s with us and he’s not going anywhere and that’s what it’s all about, to keep his legacy alive.” Ozzy was no stranger to animation, having voiced a few characters over the years, including in 2015 as "Sid Fishy" on Bubble Guppies, which was modeled after the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious who sprays green slime. At the time, a spokesperson for the show said, 'The green liquid is Sid Fishy’s "stink sauce" made up of different smells such as stinky socks and rotten eggs. He wants to use the stink sauce to cover Big Bubble City and all its citizens to make them stinky.'” And in 2016, Ozzy and Sharon voiced characters on Disney's XD series The 7D, a modern update of the title characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They voiced the "Duke" and "Duchess of Drear" -- parents of their daughter Kelly’s character, witch "Hildy Gloom." Ozzy died on July 22nd, 2025. at his estate outside Birmingham, England from a heart attack. He was 76.
Weezer Announces The Gold Album
Weezer has announced their 20th studio album, an untitled self-titled record informally nicknamed "The Gold Album" for its gleaming gold cover art, due August 21st via Reprise / Warner Records. The lead single is "We Might As Well Be Strangers," a collaboration with indie rock band Wednesday featuring vocals from Rivers Cuomo and Wednesday frontwoman Karly Hartzman. The album was recorded in Orange County with producers Klas Åhlund and Kenneth Blume after Weezer's sold-out 30th anniversary Blue Album tour, with the band writing together in a rehearsal space for the first time in decades. A North American fall tour with The Shins and Silversun Pickups has also been announced.
RUSH: Getting ready
When Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson decided they wanted to hit the road one more time as Rush, the obvious question was, who would they hire in place of their irreplaceable drummer Neil Peart, who succumbed to brain cancer in 2020. For starters, they ruled out any of those who were so callous as to reach out to them shortly after the news broke of his death to offer up their services. So, as Geddy explains, he and Alex didn't turn to someone well known from a big band, but rather Anika Nilles, a German drummer who Geddy learned about from his bass tech Scully when he worked a Jeff Beck tour and she was in the band. "We wanted someone with a fresh story. We wanted someone sort of out of nowhere. And Anika was not out of nowhere, but I loved her story. And when I turned Alex onto some of her work, he just loved her playing. And we met first over Zoom, and, you know, we were really impressed with her and then we brought her to Canada and we got a studio very quietly and jammed for a few days to some Rush songs. And honestly by the end of it we were getting excited. You know, she's really fun to play with. But it took one more time around of rehearsals before she relaxed into the role."
And Alex shares Geddy's enthusiasm. AL: "It's exciting playing with Anika who spends all this time, you know, learning the songs -- just to hear another drummer play that music. And we're getting tighter and tighter with every passing day that we rehearse. So it's really exciting to see the progress and the improvement in the music." GL: "They're very intense, but each one is super fun, super hard work, but really interesting teaching this person how to get inside a Rush song forces you to re-examine the song -- how you wrote it and how you play it."
Rush will do 58 shows on their Fifty Something tour in the U.S., Canada and Mexico through December followed by 30 more next year in South America and Europe. Tomorrow, Geddy and Alex will provide some insight into what you expect on this tour and more.
PRETENDERS: What's the Deal With All These Phones?
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders wonders why every people just can't stay of their phones at shows -- and everywhere else. Hynde wrote on her Instagram, "What is it with people and their phones? Why do people have to know how many steps they take every day? What difference does it make? But my real question is: Why do people have to film or take pictures at concerts or museums? Why?" Hynde goes on to talk about meeting up with singer Emmylou Harris and that they discussed how they both hate that fans often ignore "no camera" requests from musicians. She wrote, "It's like a weird compulsion that people can't control. It reminds me of monkeys wanking in full view of the people standing around their enclosure. And frankly, in that case, people deserve to be wanked at because monkeys should not be in an enclosure in the first place. However, an artist on a stage?" No one seems to be able to understand why artists don't like it. If you've ever had a mosquito buzzing around your head when you're trying to go to sleep, you will get a vague idea of what it's like to have people filming your show or taking photos while you're on stage." Hynde wrapped up the post by saying, "My conclusion is: If Jesus Christ were to walk into a room, the first thing everyone would do would be to pull out their phone. Can someone please explain?"
KINKS: 60 Years of Sunshine
60 years ago yesterday, June 3rd, 1966, The Kinks released their 13th single, "Sunny Afternoon," off their fourth album, Face to Face. To mark the milestone, they've released an animated video using original artwork elements from the album. It's a playful nod to not only the band, but the spirit of 1966 and the Victorian Revival aesthetic that shaped the era. And out this Friday is a limited-edition sunshine yellow seven-inch single, newly mastered alongside the original B-Side, “I’m Not Like Everybody Else”, in its original mono mix. The record also features an exclusive sleeve note from Sir Geoff Hurst, hero of England’s 1966
World Cup victory, perfectly timed as the 2026 tournament kicks off, bringing that moment full circle." Dave Davie said “It’s an amazing record. It’s got this trance-like kind of [sings]. It’s like hypnosis. There’s something very hypnotic about descending lines that go back up again. There’s something I’ve always liked about the feeling of that. It’s like when you’re going down, you’re not quite sure where you’re gonna end up. And if you can try and somehow keep that naivete, that innocence [sings], it’s like an adventure. And when it goes up, it’s like the optimistic side of the thing."
And here's something that no one in 1966 could ever imagine -- The Kinks have partnered with the real time sunshine mapping app SunSeekr, which tracks sunlight across your city, and let's you see which cafes, pubs, and restaurants have sunny outdoor seating in real time. Fans can receive real time weather triggered notifications inviting you to stream "Sunny Afternoon" and explore The Kinks’ catalog just as the sun comes out. And lastly, they've released a line of tea -- the Sunny Afternoon Collection. This peach tea combines premium Chinese black tea, vibrant marigold blossoms and a peach infusion, delivering rich depth, delicate floral notes and a naturally sweet, refreshing finish. There are also tea accessories -- a towel and fine bone china mug.
Bret Michaels' Daughter Is Selling Feet Pics And Dad Approves
if you're on Facebook, you may have seen friends post "If you see me selling feet pics, mind your business!" It's a sign of the times, and times (and the economy) are tough. However funny that may be, people make money doing exactly that. Case in point: Bret Michaels' 26 year-old daughter Raine is offering up pics of her tootsies for hard cash, and dad fully supports her hustle. On the new Netflix reality series "Calabasas Confidential," Bret and Raine talked about the positives of the Internet, at which point Raine, out of nowhere, said, "So, are you okay with me doing FeetFinder then?" As she started to laugh, Michaels seriously answered, 'I think FeetFinder's a brilliant, brilliant decision." FeetFinder, for those that don't know, is a website offering feet pics and videos for cash to those that are into that sort of thing.
IN OTHER NEWS
Billy Gibbons and Slash teamed up with Tim Montana on a cover of ZZ Top’s "Brown Sugar" off his new album, Entire State of Tim Montana, which will be out on July 31st. Check it out on YouTube.
Paul McCartney will host a discussion about his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, next Wednesday, June 10th, at the Roundhouse in London. And to help publicize the album, McCartney’s fashion designer daughter Stella has designed a limited-edition T-shirt styled after the cover art, which was designed by her cousin Josh, the son of her dad’s brother Mike. It’s the sign on the cover now adorned by two blue tits perched on top. The birds are a nod to the pre-fame memories her father recalls on some of the album’s songs.
KISS will publish a coffee-table book chronicling their fourth album, Destroyer. KISS Destroyer: The Definitive Visual History contains new interviews, never-before-published photos and track-by-track synopsis of each song on the 1976 album. It will be out on October 27th. It will be preceded by The Official KISS Tarot Deck and Guidebook on September 29th.
Todd Rundgren is Billy Corgan's guest on the new episode of his podcast, The Magnificent Others.