October 2009 News

by Bill Thompson, photo by Grace Beahm

Camera loader Zsolt Haraszti (right) moves the camera through the set of the movie 'Angel Camouflaged' being filmed on Bowens Island. The movie is being filmed here thanks largely to the inducement of South Carolina tax incentives. A bar in the Florida Keys is the essence of laid back, a Tequila sunrise with a twist of torpor.

Except this bar is fictitious, the dock and restaurant at Bowen's Island reimagined and redressed as a tavern that Jimmy Buffet, in his early days, might have frequented. Today, with cast and crew of "Angel Camouflaged" having broken for lunch, it is a bustling scene.

Real-life rocker and leading lady Diland Robichaux, she of the rainbow dreadlocks and creative ink, is her self-described "hyper" self, eager to go into makeup and get the show on the road.

How do you make money on an independent magazine these days? Well, you start by keeping your content expenditures as low as possible. Take for example Josh Bernstein, editor and publisher or the music, comics and culture magazine Royal Flush, which launched its 112-page sixth book yesterday, with a cover story interview with Hugh Hefner and contributions from comics legend Harvey Pekar, rocker JOAN JETT and others. "It costs not one penny to make," says Bernstein. Well, at least the content doesn't cost much to make. Since it began as a photo-copied zine in the late 90s, Royal Flush has grown to become a beautiful work of hand drawn art, with high production values and a following that has grown to 40,000.

"The business model is don't hire insider staff," says Bernstein, who considers his bedroom the home office. Much of the content, mostly hand-drawn, is developed by Bernstein and a crew of freelancers who have day jobs at other magazines. For the last decade Royal Flush has been a labor of love. Now, Bernstein believes the project is about to hit break even as it leverages the brand and the audience outside of print and finds new methods of distribution. The recently completed Royal Flush Festival was a five-day event in New York that included independent film screenings, music fests and art gallery showings, all synched with the magazine's indie tastes. "No magazine will survive being just a magazine," he says. "You have to do the 360 thing Ð be active on the Web, in TV, on social networks."

"The breakthrough for us was sponsoring band tours," says Bernstein. Royal Flush recently sponsored a national tour along with apparel store chain Hot Topic. The band appeared on the back of the magazines, and Hot Topic carried the issues in-store. But the band tour itself became a distribution platform, since Royal Flush would be sold at concerts alongside all of the other pricey merchandise that make touring lucrative for musicians. "A $10 magazine is cheaper than a $40 t-shirt," says Bernstein. And a highly targeted distribution network is more effective than mass market any day. "We made more money this way than selling magazines at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon," he says. "In the magazine world there are too many middlemen taking too many cuts of the money."

by Jon Wiederhorn



Playing with FIRE. Three Decades. Twenty-two beautiful women. Revolver presents The Hottest Chicks In Metal Of All Time. Try not to get burnt.

Barbie collectors, you're going to want to set your sights on toy stores this December: Mattel is launching their "Ladies of the '80s" line, complete with mini interpretations of the great female crooners JOAN JETT, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper. Joan is dressed in not only leather pants but also hot pink high tops, while Cyndi flashes her fishnets, and Debbie shows off a pink body-conscious strappy dress that could easily be worn today. One thing that would make these dolls even better? They should come with their own personal soundtracks.

by Evann Gastaldo

(Newser) Ð In honor of Amelia's celebration of the tough girl, James Brady Ryan of Nerve takes a look at the top 10 sexy tomboys onscreen and off:

- Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniaczek, The Facts of Life: Her entrance (on a motorcycle) and eventual career choice (police officer) speak for themselves.

- Ellen Page: The Juno star grew up climbing trees and playing with action figures, and she did her own roller-derby stunts in Whip It.

with the Gibson Foundation has announced a very special tribute to the late, great Les Paul to be held at the historic Ryman Auditorium, former home to the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The tribute concert program will be free to the many fans of Les Paul and Gibson Guitar. Les Paul, the innovator and inventor who passed away at 94 years old this past August was known throughout the world as the man who created multi-track recording and the father of the electric guitar. Many musicians pay homage to Les Paul and credit their careers and musicianship directly to him.

Gibson Guitar along with some of music's most respected celebrities will join together to celebrate the life of Les Paul during a night of music, special announcements, video tributes and testimonials and storytelling. The event marks the first tribute held by the guitar maker in honor of Les Paul. Many other programs and special events will continue to take place throughout the year and early 2010 to mark anniversary dates significant to Les Paul's life and in an effort to preserve the legacy of the man who made modern music what it is today. The Ryman Auditorium is located at 116 Fifth Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee, 37219

Les Paul's son, Russ Paul, along with Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President Terry Stewart will emcee the 90 minute program which will begin at 8pm at the Ryman (doors open at 7pm CT). The Les Paul Trio, widely known for their Monday night performances with Les Paul at the Iridium in New York while Les was alive, will serve as house band and be joined on stage by musical great Steve Miller, also Les Paul's godson. The evening will be a mix of Les Paul's music and instrumentals and supported by chart-topping musical acts own memories of Les Paul and their own performances in tribute to the man, the music and the guitar.

by Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger

Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen are singing together. Sharing a mic, they stand so close together they can probably feel each other's breath.

Ringo Starr is on drums, and Billy Joel is on piano; both had already sung a verse of the song, the early Beatles hit "I Saw Her Standing There."

The army of guitarists includes George Harrison, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Jeff Beck, Les Paul and Dave Edmunds.

by A.J. Jacobs


The rock star on the word "rock," the color black, Mike Tyson, Howard Dean, the immediacy of the music industry, and more. There's this thing that happens when a guitar chord is struck a certain way - it slightly bends out of tune and then goes back into tune. And there's a connection from that sound right through your crotch, right up into your heart.

They've turned the word rock into nothing. It's a meaningless word. "It rocks." "That food rocks." "She's rocking in that outfit." They've taken the word and stripped it of all its menace, of all its dirt, of all its sex.

Pop music is not a threatening style of music. It's music that says, Take me for what you will. Rock 'n' roll says, You're mine, motherfucker.

When people said to me, "Girls can't play rock 'n' roll," I'm like, What are you saying? Girls can't master the instrument? I'm in class with girls playing cello, violin, piano, Beethoven, Bach. You're telling me they can't play guitar?

I learned to scream from Marc Bolan of T. Rex.

Nobody knows what anticipation is anymore. Everything is so immediate. No more standing outside Tower Records in a long line.

by Heidi Minx (writer)

Name: JOAN JETT

What is your job?
I am a musician, guitar player to be exact.

What social causes are most important to you?
Animal rights, environmental causes, taking care of our forests, rivers, oceans, air... to see that connection.

What charitiy do you support?
Farm Sanctuary.

Why do you have a passion for this one in particular, is there a personal tie?
There is a personal tie because I love animals, and feel a connection with them. I became aware of Farm Sanctuary's work and wanted to help. Farm Sanctuary has 2 farms where they bring the animals they rescue. One is in upstate New York and one is in California. I just went to visit overnight in New York, and it was an incredible experience! I met my namesake, Joan the pig! I really enjoyed meeting all the animals. I highly recommend the experience!

by Jennifer Jungwirth , The Daily Republic

Jack's Fourth Show, the latest daylong bash presented by Southern California's Jack FM radio affiliate, boasted one of the most bizarre bills in memory, a mix of favorites from the late '70s and early '80s that spanned mainstream rock (Eddie Money, Foreigner), cutting-edge alt-rock heroes (the B-52's, above, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS), funk pioneers (George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic), new wave also-rans (Missing Persons) and even one of those hair bands (Ratt).

But in truth, the night's lengthy lineup - which ran from 4-11:30 p.m. on a chilly Saturday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine - was much like the station's wide-ranging play list.

Although many of the seats were empty when Missing Persons kicked things off, lead singer Dale Bozzio (right) and the latest version of her band delivered a solid 40-minute set featuring all of the L.A. group's classic hits. While Bozzio's high notes occasionally sounded pinched, the work of original guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (a member of Duran Duran in the late '80s and throughout the '90s) was exceptional, adding plenty of bite to the old standbys.

If the adage "what was old is new again" could be considered a formula, it proved successful for several of the acts this night. Songs such as the hard-driving "Mental Hopscotch" and the timeless "Walking in L.A." were especially powerful, with the quartet displaying a bit of the magic that got them booked at the legendary 1983 US Festival alongside heavyweights such as U2, the Pretenders and David Bowie.

Back in the '80s, San Diego-bred outfit Ratt was one of several acts that gave rise to the SoCal heavy metal scene. Watching the long-haired quintet perform Saturday night, this reviewer had two observations: 1) The band's songs are still as simple as ever, with chanted choruses and Stephen Pearcy's lead vocals rarely wrapping themselves around anything resembling a full-fledged melody; and 2) Ratt's approach nonetheless resulted in some headbanging tunes ("Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Back for More") that aren't nearly as bad as I thought they were, thanks to some impressive Thin Lizzy-esque duel guitar workouts from Warren DeMartini and Carlos Cavazo.

Ever wondered what it would be like to hang out in Times Square with Steve Carell and Tina Fey? Or ride the subway with Jennifer Aniston? Or sneak a peek at the offices of "The Office"? In the current issue of Entertainment Weekly, the mag went on the set of 36 movie and television shows to snap behind-the-scenes pics and dish with Hollywood's finest including JOAN JETT on location of Kristen Stewart's "The RUNAWAYS" (KStew is pictured with director Floria Sigismondi below in a photo from the EW issue, which is out this week) and the adorable Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant on the set of "Did You Hear About The Morgans?"

If you've been keeping up with "RUNAWAYS" gossip, you know JOAN JETT was a constant fixture on the set--it is her biopic after all! But watching Kristen and her fellow "New Moon" costar Dakota Fanning channel her and her '70s girl group was an unusual experience for the music legend. "It's really hard to put exact words on it beyond saying it's surreal," Joan explained.

To help Kristen with her portrayal, Joan gave her tapes of herself talking and singing at the age of 14, which Kristen spent weeks listening to.

"I'm sure it was a strange pressure [on Kristen]," Joan said of her constant presence on set. "She was kind of intimidated by it, but by the same token she wanted me there."