Latest news with #Nirvana
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Tom Dunne: Billie Eilish was fab in Dublin but the generation gap still exists
Billie Eilish has blown my 'Generation Gap no longer exists' theory out the window. I was at her gig in 3Arena, Dublin, last weekend. I loved it. But I didn't love it the way my daughter did. She, who is 17 this week, cried tears of joy. Christmas has competition for best day of the year. This theory has been a long time on the back burner. I think music streaming and how music has evolved have changed things. There was a time when new artists seemed like an affront to anyone over 30. But not any more. Causing offence was part of the job. They needed to cleanse the palate and move the previous generation aside by being louder, more brash and more dangerous. They needed to ignite the tabloids, make someone say, 'It's just bloody noise.' But if you were part of the generation that grew up on Ozzy eating bats you could be quite hard to offend. If you loved Nick Cave and Johnny Cash it would take a lot of darkness/insight/wisdom to impress you. You tended to hone in on the song. No one really gets past the shock troops stage if they don't also have a few tunes. These might appear very different to your day, each new generation faces new challenges, but the themes remain the same. Trying to find out who you are, where you fit and who with is as old as time. And people expressing that struggle in song to each new generation of teens is nothing new. Doing these using guitars, synths, beats, samples, raps and variations on these has become the norm. Hence someone like me can like The Cure, Nirvana, Blur, Radiohead and NWA, but also Wet Leg, Taylor, Phoebe Bridgers, SZA, Fontaines DC, CMAT and Kneecap. And my daughter can like the exact same bands but in reverse order. In the UK this has lent itself to the BBC 6Music Dad phenomenon. These are dads that you'll see at the back of concerts by the Last Dinner Party and Yard Act. They dress similarly – vintage T-shirt, jeans, Harrington jacket, man bag – and even have 6Music hats. But they know things. My 'Generation Gap is Over' theory was on the ropes within minutes of arriving. I found myself sharing a pre gig drink with PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey of the I'm Grand Mam podcast. It was an Old Media (print and radio) v New Media (podcast, socials, influencing) stand-off. It got off to a great start when PJ reassuringly put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Oh thank God, I thought I might be the oldest person here.' Oh, how we laughed. He and Kevin were fantastic fun but sadly the time to take our seats arrived before PJ could explain to me how I might inhabit the 'influencer' space. Now no one will ever know which stunning, radiant, light-filled cold beer I was lovingly nursing before I went in. The brewer's loss, not mine. Further indications of the generation gap were evident inside. Once you pass a certain age it is incumbent on you to mention how amazing everything is these days. The seats, the venue, the lights, the sound, the staff, the access, the beer. It wasn't like this… you know the drill. And then Billie hit the stage. It will be hard to write after this without using the word 'wow' a lot. The star quality, the voice, the songs, the connection with the audience, the excitement, the emotion, the energy and the use of mobile phones and fan groups to turn 3Arena into the Irish flag of green white and gold. Wow, and double wow. Billie's Birds of a Feather is one of those songs that I could listen to on an endless loop with Radiohead's No Surprises and Massive Attack's Teardrop. It, like them, mesmerises me, soothes me, carries me away. It is pure, unadulterated heaven. My daughter was back the next night with her mates. I knew I'd inhibited her enjoyment. 'How was it this time?' I asked, 'Better?' 'Yes,' she said 'I had a right old sob. It was magic.' And that is the Generation Gap right there. I love Billie's music, but for my daughter loves it differently. For her and her generation, Billie talks to their souls, inhabiting with them and lighting that private world in a way we can only guess at. You can't touch this, as the man said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"The template for heavy rock": Music legends pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne
The music world is in mourning following the death of Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking, lead singer of Black Sabbath and legendary godfather of heavy metal, who passed away at 76. Tributes poured in from icons across generations, each painting a portrait of a man who was as groundbreaking as he was beloved. Elton John remembered him as 'a dear friend and a huge trailblazer,' adding, 'he was also one of the funniest people I've ever met.' Nirvana called Black Sabbath 'the template for heavy rock." Rod Stewart, in a bittersweet farewell, quipped, 'see you up there - later rather than sooner.' Osbourne died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Foo Fighters Enjoy A Special Comeback Thanks To An Unexpected No. 1 Hit
Foo Fighters' Greatest Hits returns to multiple Billboard charts following the success of the band's ... More new single 'Today's Song,' which is not included on the compilation. INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 19: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Musician Dave Grohl, founding member of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters, performs onstage as a special guest with the Los Angeles Philharmonic during weekend 2, day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 19, 2025 in Indio, California. (Photo byfor Coachella) Sometimes when a musical act releases a new song, fans focus on just that one release. In other instances, attention paid to one cut generates interest in the band's entire catalog. This phenomenon has become much more pronounced in the streaming era, as it's easier than ever for people to consume one artist's music – any or all of it – with just a few clicks. Foo Fighters are the latest musical stars to see older works surge thanks to the arrival of an exciting new single. Greatest Hits Returns to the Charts In early July, Foo Fighters released "Today's Song," a somewhat surprising single that, so far, doesn't have a home on any album. The track has been living on several Billboard charts for three weeks now, and its arrival and continued ascent across a number of rankings has brought the band's Greatest Hits compilation back in a big way. This week, Greatest Hits appears on three Billboard tallies after being absent from all of them just days ago. The singles-packed project reenters the Top Hard Rock Albums tally at No. 13, while also landing on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums roster at No. 48. Foo Fighters return to the Billboard 200, albeit barely, as Greatest Hits breaks back in at No. 198. The compilation coincidentally sits one rung below another simply-titled Greatest Hits collection by Blink-182. Foo Fighters' set moved just under 8,800 equivalent units in the past tracking frame, according to Luminate. Almost all of those units came from streaming activity, as the project sold fewer than 400 copies. Foo Fighters' New Single's Unlikely Impact It's worth mentioning that "Today's Song" is not featured on Greatest Hits, so sales and streams of the track don't directly benefit the compilation. Instead, all the excitement surrounding the brand new tune appears to be reminding American audiences just how much they love the band. In turn, large numbers of listeners are heading to streaming platforms to press play on the many smashes that made Foo Fighters chart-toppers in the first place, which pushes the album's figure higher and higher. Hundreds of Weeks on the Charts Greatest Hits has already spent hundreds of weeks on each of the tallies it appears on this frame. While it has risen into the highest reaches of two genre-specific albums rankings — at one point dominating the Top Hard Rock Albums list — the collection never broke into the top 10 on the Billboard 200, instead peaking at No. 11. Since the band released the set in 2009, Greatest Hits has fallen away from these charts and returned multiple times. It seems something as simple as dropping a new single can be enough to push it back onto various lists. "Today's Song" is an Airplay Winner "Today's Song" currently lives on half a dozen tallies. While it slips on two general consumption rankings, the Foo Fighters cut manages to climb on several others. The single reaches No. 1 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay list, earning the band its twelfth leader. At the same time, it breaks into the top 10 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay roster, bolting from No. 24 to No. 10. The tune also reaches that region on the Alternative Airplay list, soaring to No. 6. Foo Fighters debut "Today's Song" at No. 32 on the Adult Alternative Airplay list, where the tune is just getting started.
The Guardian
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Laughing and out of breath, he thanked us for the snowball fight': fans on the magic of Ozzy Osbourne
I interviewed Ozzy in 1997, for Kerrang! magazine. We met in a hotel on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where he proceeded to drink gallons of Diet Coke, and take the piss out of himself. He was the least pretentious rock star I ever met, and during my decade in the industry, I met hundreds. By the time I met Ozzy, I'd had enough of music journalism. I decided he should be my final interview because how do you beat that? I'd interviewed everyone I'd ever wanted to, including Nirvana, so it made sense to end my music journalism career by chatting with Ozzy. Ozzy was so self-effacing and hilarious. He told me about becoming partially deaf while working in a factory testing car horns, how he'd thought Spinal Tap was a documentary about Black Sabbath, and how the band named themselves after a horror movie for a joke. He was already shaking back then, and seemed very small and frail, but he had this gorgeous twinkling quality, which I certainly hadn't expected to encounter in the Prince of Darkness. And he clearly couldn't do a thing without Sharon, which he was more than happy to admit. Liz Evans, Tasmania, Australia My first ever gig was Ozzfest 2002 at Donington. I was so excited, I dyed my hair black and carried a wallet chain thick enough to tie up a ship. When I arrived, a guy in a top hat with a voice like the devil said I'd be 'lucky if I made it out alive'. I'd largely wanted to go because of System of a Down. But Ozzy was the show stealer. I'd become familiar with him due to the The Osbournes, then got into Black Sabbath. There was no other performer like him over the weekend. This – what I thought at the time – old guy had more energy than the younger bands put together. Needless to say, I was hooked on metal from that point onwards. Because of that festival so many bands got their big breaks. He not only invented metal with Sabbath but continued to support the genre the rest of his days. James, Cambridge I was a fairly obsessive heavy rock fan in my teens, and first saw Ozzy live when I was 16 at a one-day heavy metal festival at Port Vale's football ground in Stoke-on-Trent in 1981, alongside a few other bands including Motörhead. A couple of years later I was at university in Sheffield, and saw him for a second time at the City Hall. Afterwards, a friend and I got tipped off about which hotel the band were staying in, so we gatecrashed the residents-only bar and ended up spending an hour or two in the company of Ozzy, Sharon, and the rest of the band. He was an absolute gentleman, happily putting up with a bunch of geeky 18-year-old fans asking him loads of questions, and he insisted on buying multiple rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar. Before we departed he also decided to sign our foreheads 'Ozzy was here' with a Sharpie, as per the photo – earning us a huge amount of credibility when we finally got back to our hall of residence. What an absolute legend of a man – definitely one of a kind. Nick Payne, St Albans As teenagers in the early 1980s we all used to go to venues early and hang around the loading areas and back-stage entrances, on the off-chance of picking up an autograph or seeing a rock star. We did so during the Blizzard of Ozz tour, which were his first UK appearances since being sacked from Sabbath. We got there very early, around 2pm, and turned the corner to find guitarist Randy Rhoads and Ozzy himself, sat quietly having a cup of tea. We gathered tentatively and joined him. Rhoads and Ozzy gave off an air of openness and gentle bonhomie. This wasn't the Prince of Darkness, but a slightly apprehensive man who was hoping that the fans would accept his new musical incarnation. He was humble, communicative and very patient. It was like sitting with a mate's older brother, shooting the breeze for 20 minutes. After he and Randy went back in to sound check, we all remained stunned for a few moments. We'd had a cup of tea with the Prince of Darkness, and it turned out he was a really nice bloke. It's a real shame that successive generations only know him as the sometimes incoherent, grumpy old man of the TV show, The Osbournes. As in his heyday, he was the funniest and most disarming of all of the 1980s rock gods. Van Norris, Hampshire I was lucky enough to see Black Sabbath at Download festival in 2012. Ozzy was already a huge legend but hadn't done a show in a while and we went genuinely thinking that it may be the last chance to see him. When he wobbled out on to the stage, clearly a bit frail, I was worried. Oh no, I thought, this is a cash grab and he's really not up to it anymore ... but then he opened his mouth, and wow. His voice was still all there – it was like listening to him in his heyday. I'm still agog at how good he was. And he was clearly enjoying himself immensely. We've lost a great. Coral Pearce-Mariner, Norfolk In February 1972, during the Master of Reality tour, my father was due to pick me and my mates up after the gig at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, but was delayed by the bad weather. We hung round the back stage door and eventually the band came out. We spoke to all of them but it was Ozzy and Bill who gave us the most time. Ozzy threw the first snowball at us. We then had an amazing snowball fight with Ozzy and Bill which seemed to go on for ages. Ozzy, laughing and out of breath, thanked us for the fight and left with Bill covered in snow. For four kids from a small rural town it was magical. The gig was incredible. Gazza, Leicester I saw Ozzy when I was 17, at one of the very first gigs they played as Black Sabbath, at a mini festival organised by the Midlands Arts Centre for Young People in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, on bank holiday Monday, 1 September 1969. They'd originally been billed as Earth, but by the time they went on stage, they had become Black Sabbath. Rumours abounded that they had played at a school dance at the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus school in Edgbaston, where they had performed with a huge inverted crucifix on the stage behind them, much to the outrage of the nuns who ran the school. Because we knew most of the security crew at the festival, we watched them from backstage. Though they didn't have top billing, it was clear even then that they were the best band on stage that day, and that Ozzy had incredible charisma. That autumn, before they became nationally famous, I remember they occasionally used to turn up in the coffee bar at the arts centre where I and my friends hung out. Did I ever dare to speak to the Prince of Darkness? I doubt it, but he might once have asked me for a light ... When their first album came out the following year, I decided to model my own look on the spooky proto-Goth lady, dressed all in black, on the front cover. To my mind, that's still their best album, and I have it still; it sums up for me the cusp between the 60s and the 70s, and the awkward but euphoric liminal space between my adolescence and adulthood. Jenni Mills, Wiltshire The importance and significance of both Ozzy and Sabbath only truly sunk into my brain during the Back to the Beginning gig on 5 July, which I saw on live stream. It was a wonderful day seeing so many of my favourite bands pay tribute. The nail was finally hit on the head seeing Ozzy at the end. Some members of the crowd were in tears to see him performing well despite his physical deterioration. I wasn't sad for him at all – he looked like he was having the time of his life. I've also seen plenty of Ozzy live and am blown away by his stage persona. Thanks for everything, oh Prince of Darkness! George Heron, Liverpool
Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
If you loved ‘On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous', try these 4 books next
Asian-American immigration narratives have witnessed a rise in recent years. These stories are about identities that are constructed through a confluence of oriental and Western cultures. They are focused on finding belonging in a country that one has known their whole life, yet somehow still feels a little foreign. Asian-American immigration narratives often take the form of memoirs, not just reflecting on the life of a single person, but also recollecting the history of the family and how loss, sacrifices, and trauma mould the present. Focusing on memory, queerness, and grief, among other themes. Here is a list of coming-of-age debut books by Asian-American authors: Ocean Vuong's debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Vintage, pages 256, Rs 550), is a lyrical reflection on the protagonist's (Little Dog) experience as a queer Vietnamese-American immigrant growing up in a middle-class family. Written in the form of a letter to his mother who cannot read, the first-person retrospective narrative evokes questions about identity, belonging, and love. The novel explores the implications of the Vietnam War in the history of his family, and the protagonist's discovery of his queerness. Stay True (Picador, pages 208, Rs 650) is a memoir written by Hua Hsu dedicated to his friend Ken who lost his life in a carjacking incident. The novel portrays a friendship which finds its roots in the simplicity of college experiences, late night hangouts, shared cigarettes, and bonding over music, before it was lost to time. As an enthusiast of the emerging indie scene, the novel is packed with musical references to bands in the late 90s, such as Nirvana and The Beach Boys. Hsu's and Ken's friendship is an unexpected one, their main similarity being their experience as an Asian-American and trying to find a sense of belonging amidst a culture that does not entirely belong to them. More by Anosha Rishi | How Bookstagram is changing the way we discover and discuss books Michelle Zauner, the Grammy-nominated indie artist belonging to the band Japanese Breakfast published her debut novel, Crying in H Mart (Picador, pages 256, Rs 650), in 2021. A memoir for her late mother, Zauner evokes feelings of nostalgia as she recounts the Korean food her mom used to make for her. As a Korean-American, going to the Korean grocery store, H Mart, becomes a deliberate way through which Zauner reconnects with her Korean roots. Crying in H Mart is also about dealing with loss of a loved one and attempting to come to terms with the grief it brings along. Unlike the other novels on this list, The Best We Could Do (Harry N. Abrams, pages 336, Rs 1581) is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Thi Bui, a Vietnam-born American graphic novelist and illustrator. The graphic is mostly monochromatic, with the exception of sepia tones that seep into the work. Thi Bui reflects on her family history as she tries to make sense of her identity and place in the present. She recounts her parents' experience during the Vietnam War, their refuge in the US following the war, and its impact on her life. A memoir written by Nicole Chung, All You Can Ever Know (Pushkin Press, pages 256, Rs 1129), is a story about her life as a Korean adopted by an American family. Although content with her family, ever since she was young Chung had questions about her biological family which finally led her to search for them after growing up. Chung reflects on her adolescence, growing up in a racially different family, and on her own parenthood as she steps into motherhood.
