She had broken up with Mick Jagger 3 years earlier, lost custody of her son in that same year, which led to her mother attempting suicide. She lived on London’s Soho streets for two years, suffering from heroin addiction and anorexia nervosa.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is exemplified in their 1984 music video entitled “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, one of their most well-known songs:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fast forward 15 years, Dee Snider has a role reversal: he now plays *the father*, in Lit’s Zip Lock:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Haha, I quite enjoyed that: at the very least it seems that Snider’s on diet pills that work. And oh, good song too.

The Monterey Pop Festival is considered important in rock history, not least because it’s the precursor to the legendary Woodstock festival held 2 years later, where Hendrix headlined.

But, if not for his legendary performance at Monterey, his first-ever American show, he might not have made such an impact in the USA.

At Monterey, the 24-year old Hendrix’s set was 45 minutes long: a very fast arrangement of Howlin’ Wolf’s 1965 R&B hit “Killing Floor,” then an equally lively rendition of B.B. King’s 1964 R&B hit “Rock Me Baby,” Tim Rose’s “Hey Joe” and Bob Dylan’s 1965 Pop hit “Like a Rolling Stone.” The set ended with The Troggs “Wild Thing”, and Hendrix’s iconic act of burning his guitar on stage, then smashing it to bits and tossing pieces out to the delirious crowd who were watching Hendrix’s first-ever American show.

Watch how Hendrix performed “Wild Thing” in the following video: 40 years on, I think it’s still an incredible performance; for those wannabe rock stars, watch and learn from the master:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And if you looked closely enough, it would seem that the guitar could’ve easily slipped from his grasp when he was turning around – it could’ve hit anybody – probably that time not everybody had signed up for at least a whole life insurance policy yet!

In late 1989, during a live performance of their hit song “Girl You Know It’s True” in front of 80,000 in Connecticut, the recording jammed and began to skip, repeating the line “Girl, you know it’s…” over and over again.

Fabrice and Rob continued to pretend to sing and dance onstage for a few seconds, but when the recording was not fixed, they panicked and ran offstage, as if in dire need to go to the toilet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Finally, on 12th November 1990, the group’s creator, producer Frank Farian confessed the truth, which resulted in their Grammy being revoked, and culminated in Rob Pilatus found dead in a Frankfurt hotel, apparently overdosing on drugs in 1998.

Absolutely living legends, world-class rock stars of the 60s (and even until now).

Add to that Ivry Gitlis, a top violinist, who apparently played a 1713 Stradivarius.

So how can you spoil such a heady mix?

Simple: put the inimitable Yoko Ono into the fray.

They performed a “bluesy jam” entitled Whole Lotta Yoko (composed by Ms Ono). Yoko put in a vocal performance that has to be seen and heard to be believed, and has been described as “endless caterwauling,” and that “a car alarm can sing better.”

Here it is in all its glory (unfortunately audio only). Ms Ono makes her entrance around 1:30.

Her performance, especially considering the qualify of musicians she was next to, was enough to make me wonder if her life insurance rates had just skyrocketed.

I hope you survive the next 5 minutes or so

Click here to view the embedded video.

The DVD was released in 1996, almost 30 years after the event.

It cost USD500,000 – an amazing sum at that time.

But it was worth it: demand was such that MTV played it twice every hour.

It had an unsurpassed effect on popular culture, “a watershed moment for the music industry for its unprecedented merging of filmmaking and music.”

It is probably the best selling music video of all time, with 9 million units sold.

The girl in the video is former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray, 23 at the time of the video’s release.

Partial video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The very first video shown was appropriately “Video Killed The Radio Star” by British group The Buggles.

A video of the first 10 minutes of MTV’s broadcast:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 2nd song? Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run.”

There are many categories, but it is generally accepted that the top Grammy Awards are:

- Album of the Year, awarded to the performer and producers of an album.
- Record of the Year, awarded to the performer and producers of a song.
- Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/writers of a song.

When it comes to numbers, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra leaves everybody trailing far behind. With 60 wins, Sir Georg Solti is a distant second at 31. Perhaps even these 2 names don’t ring a bell with many youngsters today. Among instantly recognisable names, U2 and Stevie Wonder are at 22. The late King of Pop, Michael Jackson is at 13, as is former Beatle Paul McCartney. Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen is at 20 and Eric “God, Slowhand” Clapton at 17.

But how about the most winners of the hallowed top 3 categories?

The following persons have won Album of the Year three times: Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, David Foster, Phil Ramone and Daniel Lanois.

Paul Simon has won Record of the Year 3 times.

U2 and Henry Mancini have won Song of the Year twice each.

Christopher Cross was the undisputed king of the Grammys in 1981, where he won, and remains the only person ever to do so, all 4 “General Field” awards that year: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

Michael Jackson won a record 8 Grammys in 1984, the most in one sitting by an artiste. It was equalled by Santana in 2000. In fact, Santana’s album Supernatural won 9 Grammys that year.

Drummer Hal Blaine played on SIX consecutive records that won Record of the Year.

Brian McKnight must be the most frustrated person ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award: he was nominated 16 times without winning a single one. Oooh, that’s so sad; someone give him a Nascar jacket as consolation!

He recorded it under his birth name, Jon Bongiovi.

If you are familiar with his brand of music, listening to this is hilarious.

He was 18 at that time, and the group Bon Jovi would only be formed 3 years later.

But how did he end up on the record? Well, apparently his cousin Tony Bongiovi was the co-producer of the album and was in charge of the recording studio at which the album was recorded. Conveniently, Mr Bongiovi was working there at the same time, as a floor sweeper, and probably reading weight loss supplement reviews in his spare time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I think after this he will find it rather difficult to get cheap insurance on his life!

The song starts about 2 minutes into the following video, but the wait is worth it, as there are wisecracks about “Silence Night” and the guitarist doing drugs backstage, amongst other things:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lyrics:

Dashing through the sand
with a bomb strapped to my back.
I have a nasty plan
for Christmas in Iraq.
I got through checkpoint A,
but not through checkpoint B.
That’s when I got shot in the ass
by the US Military…

[it's not funny!]

Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
Mine blew up you see.
Where are all the virgins
that Bin Laden promised me?
Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
U.S. soldiers shot me dead.
The only thing that I have left
is this towel up on my head.

I used to be a man,
but every time I cough,
thanks to Uncle Sam,
my nuts keep falling off.
My bombing days are done.
I need to find some work.
Perhaps it would be much safer
as a convenient store night clerk.

Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
I think I got screwed.
Don’t laugh at me because I’m dead
or I’ll kill you…

I KILL YOU!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!