Every Tuesday Single Minded highlights new tracks hitting stores (or the Web) this week. On Fridays, come back for rarities, remixes, mash-ups and more.
R.E.M., “Merry Christmas Everybody” [Slade Cover]
Michael Stipe and Co. prepare for their guitar-heavy next record by slowing down a Slade song to one-quarter the original speed. Still, though: works surprisingly well.
Sounds Familyre, A Familyre Christmas Vol. I [Holiday Mixtape]
A lovely, folksy holiday mix — good and warm like a Christmas fire.
Bloc Party, “Say it Right” [Nelly Furtado Cover]
Because we figured we owed you at least one track that had nothing to do with Christmas, here’s Bloc Party turning that one good Nelly Furtado song into something off an early Cure record. Hey, we didn’t lie: it has nothing to do with Christmas.
Various Artists, Santastic III in 3D [Holiday Mixtape]
Oddball Holiday mix reinvents yuletide music by pushing the boundaries of reason and sanity. How far does it push them, you ask? There’s a dub track about Hanukkah performed on a Casio keyboard. So, you know, kinda far.
Wham & the Police, “Every Christmas You Fake” [Mashup]
S-M has some issues with the Police that he’d best not air publicly. Suffice it to say, a mash-up that reveals melodic similarities between Sting and George Michael, well … Merry Christmas to me.
After years of being on the defendant side of a lawsuit, Marilyn Manson has finally figured out that he too can sue people. Such was the case Wednesday, when Manson countersued former keyboardist Stephen Bier (also known as Madonna Wayne Gacy), who filed a $20 million lawsuit against Manson in August. Bier alleged that rather than paying his contract, Manson opted to spend money on Nazi memorabilia, taxidermy grizzly bears and a ravenous cocaine-and-Vicodin habit. Manson’s countersuit says Bier didn’t get paid because he breached his contract: “Bier often showed up late for recording sessions, performances and promotional appearances, and handed confidential info over to the media and other outsiders without the band’s permission.”
Confidential info, like Manson buying Nazi propaganda and feasting on coke and Vicodin? Manson’s suit asks for damages and an injunction to stop Bier from spilling any more info. Still, it’s nice to know Manson can be a plaintiff. In 2000, a Minnesota security guard sued Manson for $75,000 after the singer grabbed the guard’s head, held it against his crotch and “proceeded to gyrate his hips” during a concert in Minneapolis. Manson apparently didn’t learn his lesson, as he “tea-bagged” another unsuspecting security guard during a 2002 Detroit show. Then, the mother of actress Jennifer Syme blamed Manson for providing her daughter with cocaine and instructing her to drive under the influence. Just rehashing all these incidents has us fearing for our lives, especially given the 1998 lawsuit filed by then-Spin editor Craig Marks, who was invited backstage to a Manson gig only to physically attacked by Manson and his two bodyguards over a magazine story. Learning he can sue people, however, adds yet another weapon to the Manson arsenal, which we’re sure is stocked with vintage Nazi rifles.
Related Stories:
