Wednesday Newsmix: Lil’ Wayne & Weezer; plus DJ AM and more

Wednesday Newsmix: Lil’ Wayne & Weezer; plus DJ AM and more

If you needed any more proof that Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is a huge dork, then look no further than this news-bite. While speaking to MTV about his band’s forthcoming album, Raditude, Cuomo detailed how he got emcee Lil’ Wayne to “do a rap” on a track entitled, “Can’t Stop Partying.” Without directly coming out and saying that he knows absolutely nothing about hip-hop, Cuomo related that, “Any other rapper would’ve just done, ‘Yay, we’re partying! Let’s drink and have fun,’ but [Wayne] gave it the edge I was looking for.”

And the train-wreck doesn’t stop there. Cuomo continues: “It sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio.” [emphasis mine]

At first, I wasn’t sure whether the singer-songwriter sounded more like my eighty-year-old grandmother or a nerdy white guy with horn-rimmed glasses. But then I remembered that he is a nerdy white guy with horn-rimmed glasses, so I guess his almost total ignorance of an entire genre of music is justified. Sort of.

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Back on August 28, Adam Goldstein – known usually by his stage name, DJ AM – was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. Since then, rumors have circulated concerning Goldstein’s drug use and the possibility that the prolific club DJ died of an overdose. Yesterday, according to official police reports, those rumors have been confirmed.

According to those reports, Goldstein was found with a crack pipe and an array of prescription drugs nearby – most of which he had ingested to some degree. In addition to cocaine, he had taken, among other things, OxyContin, Vicodin, Ativan, and Klonopin before his death. As with other such cases, the combination of a cocktail of narcotics and a powerful stimulant likely put a terrible strain on his heart.

At the risk of sounding too preachy: Please be careful with drugs, guys and gals. All too often, “a little too much” can mean your last.

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In lighter news, drummer Frankie Rose has – unsurprisingly – left yet another band. After drumming for Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and – lately – Crystal Stilts, all in the span of a couple of years, Rose has departed the Stilts to form a new band, Frankie and the Outs. The five-piece, all-girl band will make their live debut November 7 at Brooklyn’s Woodser venue, with Rose herself taking up guitar and vocals.

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In line with their myriad previous grabs at nanny-statism, the European Union has announced plans to introduce a bill requiring manufacturers of MP3 players and other similar devices to keep the volume down. Amidst concerns about hearing damage due to loud personal music players, the EU will include in the bill a provision to limit such players to a maximum volume level of 89 decibels. While it’s completely reasonable to request that people keep their headphones turned down, isn’t this a little… you know… excessive?

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Stream Kurt Vile’s forthcoming album, Childish Prodigy, for free thanks to Pop Headwound.