You cannot get more credible than Red Bull Music Academy (@RBMA). So proud to be associated with this project. The best of the best of the best intimate interviews with epic artists. Good stuff.
funny or die christmas: Bing, Bowie, Will Ferrell, & John C Reilly
Jennifer and I had a great time with @rickmulready at the funny or die holiday party a couple weeks ago. A highlight of the night was Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, and Adam McKay introducing a special funny or die Christmas video.
Will Ferrell and John C Reilly parodied an original video from 1977 where Bing Crosby and David Bowie collaborated to sing "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" for Bing's "Merrie Olde Christmas" TV special. Sadly, Bing passed away only a month after filming this song. Details about the odd collaboration were published by the Washington Post in December 2006.
Here's the original clip as published at VEVO.com. Good stuff and bizarre enough to be magical. I'm surprised I never saw this before. It's a holiday gem.
And here's Funny or Die's parody version. Incredibly faithful to the original which makes it creepy-funny-awesome. Laugh out loud funny at the end. Merry Christmas & enjoy.
One In a Million from Ne-Yo
A few weeks ago, I accepted an invite to VEVO's holiday event, an American Music Awards afterparty hosted by Ne-Yo and featuring performances of several of his friends including: Diddy, Kelly Rowland, and Jamie Foxx. Gotta say that Ne-Yo wasn't in my playlist before but now he definitely is. Smoother than smooth... Ne-Yo creates R&B that I can listen to while driving into LA with my wife and not have drama about changing the station or the iPod tracks. Count me in as a new fan.
The clip below is Ne-Yo performing "One in a Million" from the AMA after party event we attended. Yes, the woman dancing in front of the stage as he sings is Jenny McCarthy.
Ne-Yo's hit album "Year of the Gentleman" is on sale for just $5 at amazon.com as I post this. Jump on it. Who knows how long the price will last.
Lady Gaga & the Grateful Dead
Jen and I went to see the Lady Gaga Monster Ball last night at Staples Center. It was excellent. I was surprised. She is definitely going with the "performance artist" route vs. straight on music. The show was a spectacle with Gaga at the center and a troupe of fit, freaky dancers joining her to perform her hits live. There were countless wardrobe and set changes and a kind of storyline throughout that was interesting and cool but not really related to the tunes so a bit of a disconnect there. Still, Gaga is the pop star of the moment, it was a unique & memorable experience, and I'm glad I was there.
At a few times during the show in the packed LA Staples Center venue, it reminded me of the vibe at the 30+ Grateful Dead shows I was part of from 1987-1995. There's something magical in an arena of 20,000 fans who are all singing along and in the flow with the music. This morning I listened to Without a Net on my ride to work. Lady Gaga was fun. The Grateful Dead feeds my soul.
Lady Gaga (feat Beyonce) Telephone
The Grateful Dead - Franklin's Tower