Reading this interview between The Guardian and George Michael, one comes away with the impression that Michael is kind of a paranoid loon. And not just your typically famous, crazy-person-musician-type loon, either. This goes beyond most self-absorbed celebrities and their notoriously dysfunctional behavior. I mean, I knew Michael was a bit off, having repeatedly seen tabloid shots of him slumped over in his car, not to mention his myriad run-ins with the law, but this guy just doesn’t seem to have a handle on how to function in the world. He does an inordinate amount of drugs for someone who claims he’s 100% A-ok, but that’s not even the crux of it. He just comes across as sort of creepy and, well, not right. The author of the piece, Simon Hattenstone, is vividly aware of Michael’s foibles and seems to point out the inconsistencies with a healthy dose of cynicism.

Despite, Michael’s flagrant delusions about his lifestyle, he does have a sense of humor, particularly in regards to other people’s impressions of his personal life. On Elton John’s much-publicized concern for his health: “He will not be happy until I bang on his door in the middle of the night saying, ‘Please, please, help me, Elton. Take me to rehab.’ It’s not going to happen.” On Bono’s supposed concern: “As if Bono gives a shit what I do with my private life…”

Even though he is more than candid about his lifestyle choices, Michael is strangely secretive about his future musical endeavors, refusing to comment on even what style it might be. My best guess after reading this interview is stoner rock.

Although, he may look a little rougher than he did 25 years ago (who wouldn’t?), Ian McCulloch’s voice still sounds amazing. Rolling Stone has footage (which, annoyingly, is un-embed-able) of the Echo & the Bunnymen frontman performing a few new songs from the band’s latest, The Fountain, as well as a killer version of “The Killing Moon.” The Bunnymen got a few headlines recently for having to scrap an American tour because of tax penalties, so this is as good as it gets for now.

Tim Kasher, frontman for both Cursive and The Good Life, has abandoned life in Los Angeles for the anonymity of Montana, where he spends every Wednesday at a local bar’s open mic night. Kasher recently spoke to Spinner, explaining the motive thusly:

“The locals don’t know I’m in a band. It’s great. It gives me a chance to try out new songs. I know I’ve got to have them ready for next Wednesday.”

The end game for Kasher is to test out new material on honest, unbiased ears. He’s working on his first solo record, which will be billed under the moniker Adelvice because he thinks his own name is too boring. Fair enough. The new stuff is allegedly “softer and poppier” than Cursive’s typically abrasive approach. So, like The Good Life, then, right? Well, except, minus a full band.

I know, I know, it’s not news anymore, but I don’t think we ever wrote about it and it’s the least we can do for one of our heroes. So, in case you weren’t aware, the to-be-released Merge Records tribute album Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox features Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Stephin Merritt and many more performing Knox songs with all proceeds going to Chris Knox, who suffered a stroke earlier this year. An Mp3 version of the record is already available for $12, with the $20 disc version arriving in February. If you buy the disc, you get a digital copy right away, so go buy a copy and support Mr. Knox.

To be honest, I never thought the day would arrive when Stephin Merritt would cover Chris Knox. Worlds colliding for my collegiate obsessions! Also, I’m really curious as to why each artist chose their particular track to cover. Granted Chris has hundreds if not thousands of songs to choose from, but the shear variety was either orchestrated or is a testament to the variety and consistency of Knox’s output.

[via Logan]

The three members of the influential 1960s rock band talked about their association with pop artist Andy Warhol in a program called “The Art and Soul of the Velvet Underground.” John Cale, who played bass and viola with the band, was not present at the Tuesday evening reunion.

(via @stereogab)