Video Of The Week: Tom Petty

Tom Petty died last night, but because we live in a 24-hour news cycle where tweets count as "breaking news", the story was ahead of itself, reports of his demise making the rounds on social media while he was still technically alive, angering his family, friends and bandmates:

from Instagram

How sad a world are we living in? TMZ were once again the only ones to get the news right, but instead of leaving it at that, they actually released the audio of the 911 call his wife made when she found his body. For fuck's sake.

This does, as AnnaKim Violette Petty mentioned, overshadow and disrespect the man and the artist's oeuvre. We're talking about a Rock And Roll Hall of Famer (class of 2002), yet another lost member of The Traveling Wilburys (Roy Orbison and George Harrison had passed away before him, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lyne of Electric Light Orchestra fame remain), and a very successful songwriter whose career spanned five decades.

Some of the songs you may know him from include Refugee, Learning To Fly, Free Fallin', It's Good To Be King, Into The Great Wide Open, Don't Do Me Like That, Runnin' Down A Dream, All Of Nothin', Mary Jane's Last Dance, You Wreck Me, and a terrific and perfect cover of Patti Smith's So You Wanna Be A Rock'N'Roll Star.

Oh, and this tremendous piece of 1980s music called I Won't Back Down that I've sung in concert over a dozen times:

Yes, there are a few cameos in the video directed by David Leland, including Lynne (co-songwriter on most of 1989's Full Moon Fever, Petty's first official solo album), Harrison (who played guitar on it), Mike Campbell (lead guitarist of both Petty's band The Heartbreakers and on this record) and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who does not play on the actual recording (those are actually Phil Jones' beats). Also missing in the video is Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein doing backing vocals.

Notable covers of this song include Pearl Jam's rendition from the Live At The Gorge set, but young'uns will know it best by Sam Smith stealing it for his Grammy-winning Stay With Me...

Chester Bennington Suicide

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington committed suicide by hanging a few hours ago... on his idol Chris Cornell's birthday, making his death go from "sad" to "tragic".

I was never a fan of his art, and mostly snubbed those who were. LP's collaboration with Jay-Z is probably the only recordings of the rap mogul's that I never listen to.

Still, may he Rest In Peace.

Wu-Tang Clan: Nothing Left To Fuck With

If it ever came down to me chopping my own dick off and jumping off a building in an attempt to kill myself, I sure as shit hope my friends won't pretend they never knew me or do everything in their power to disassociate themselves from me.

I'd understand if they failed to comprehend the reasons behind my actions, if they thought it was a tad extreme and/or bizarre; I'd be impressed if one of them wondered to the media how long it would take me to slice my genitalia off - but I'd like to think that because of what we've gone through together, none of them would feign not having known me at all.

And that's really the one thing that has thrown me off the most about the story of Christ Bearer (Andre Johnson to the I.R.S.), the Northstar / West Coast Killa Beez rapper who either chopped off his manhood and jumped off a two-storey balcony in front of his friends, or was castrated and almost killed by a bunch of thugs who switched sides on him.

I get that RZA produced his record and that he was featured on a few solo songs from members of the Wu-Tang Clan, but that as a whole they may not have all met - or even liked - him. But to go as far as posting this picture on their Facebook page the day it hit the news was a tad cold:

'Cause I don't know about you, but this album cover with a huge 'W' in the middle of their logo and RZA's name on it twice:

Bobby Digital is RZA's 'weird rap' alter-ego

and this still shot:

kind of speak to me as having at least one member's ''ok'' to proceed with saying you're affiliated in some capacity.

In a XXL interview, RZA ultimately referred to him as ''a guy we gave a chance to'', after calling him insane for 25 straight sentences. But he admits he was one of the first people Johnson called after getting released from jail recently. Seems like the love is only going one way on this one...

Just when he needed their help the most, the Wu cut him off.

TMZ reports that doctors were not able to reattach the former Wu member's member:

Wu-Tang affiliated rapper Andre Johnson is just plain Andre now ... because doctors weren't able to reattach his penis.

That's a low blow for me to cut and paste, given the circumstances, to re-post TMZ's lack of tact. I apologize.

R.I.P. Cassandra Lynn Hensley

(reposted from my collectibles blog)

R.I.P. Cassandra Lynn Hensley, who died two nights ago following an evening where cocaine and champagne were consumed after a time of not feeling well. She was 34 and leaves behind a daughter.

I didn't know the February 2006 Playboy Playmate Of The Month, but I do know models who did, and this has come as a shock to two of them in particular.

Her Twitter account still updates with her automatic daily horoscope, and the one published just hours after her death turns out to be eerie in retrospect:

Unspoken obligations prevent you from doing what you wish today. No matter what you do now, you might not feel completely fulfilled. Working harder isn't the answer, but neither is escape.

As a tribute, here is a card I got in a box of Benchwarmer's 2006 Holiday cards, an autographed insert (#15 of 16):

Heidi Klum And Seal Divorce

Temper, temper.

Before it becomes old news, I should tell you I was not to blame for Heidi Klum divorcing Seal. Unlike the Demi Moore and Halle Berry marriages, where I was the main reason.

Love that hair! And the dress, of course!