- Who knew? Metallica frontman James Hetfield is an iconic
voice of the metal genre and despite he and his band’s oft-offensive political
and social stances, he and his massive behemoth of commercial entity/band
remain one of the biggest acts in the world. They embody hard rock, they don’t
seem to be the kind of dudes who enjoy muzak in the waiting room at the
doctor’s office or like to rock out with Ryan Seacrest’s syrupy pop music
leanings on his many shows, but it would seem that Hetfield has a decidedly
lame side to him after all. According to producer Bob Rock, who worked with
Metallica on its iconic 1993 offering “The Black Album,” Hetfield was inspired
by 'Wicked Game' singer Chris Isaak and wanted to sing like Isaak so he could
record the tracks 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'The Unforgiven.' "He said,
‘Bob, I’ve never really sung before – I’ve just kind of yelled,'" Rock recalled.
"He played me a Chris Isaak record and said, ‘On 'Nothing Else Matters'
and 'The Unforgiven', I want to sing. How do you sing like this?'" Rock
told Hetfield that what he heard in Isaak’s voice was the sonic nuances in his
singing and that he was “actually performing.” Hetfield took that advice,
practiced and according to Rock, became a better vocalist in the long run.
Maybe mor of that will show up in the new album that guitarist Kirk Hammett
recently revealed that Metallica about a quarter of the way into making. When
it drops, the project will be the first from Metallica since 2008's 'Death
Magnetic' and even for Metallica, that’s a long gap between releases. They did
drop a new single, “Lords of Summer,” last year and will be part of a rather
mismatched group of headline acts for the Reading and Leeds festival alongside
The Libertines and Mumford and Sons. Maybe Chris Isaak will be available for a
duet on “Enter Sandman” to close the show………
- Russian bikers v. Poland’s government? Let’s effing get it
on. Riders from a Russian nationalist motorcycle group have embarked
upon a run commemorating the Red Army's offensive against Nazi Germany, revving
their engines directly in the faces of Polish officials who announced that they
would refuse to allow the group entry into the country. About 20 bikers
including members of the Night Wolves group set off from Moscow Saturday with
the end goal of crossing into Poland before eventually reaching Berlin on May 9,
but the group’s politics have run afoul of the Polish government and caused a
rift that could lead to an explosive showdown. The bikers had planned to cross
en masse at the border near Brest in Belarus, but those plans were left in
doubt because Polish officials were alarmed by the aggressive nationalism of
the Night Wolves and quickly moved to announce that they would deny the group
entry. Night Wolves leader Alexander Zaldostanov said the bikers could try to
circumvent the ban by crossing individually at several points and if they’re
smart, maybe a well-placed fake beard or some fake glasses with a plastic nose
could help disguise their identity should anyone really want to keep them from
riding across the border. A quick check of the European map would suggest that
reaching Berlin without riding through Poland would add quite a few kilometers
to the voyage, so it will be interesting to see how this rolling band of
renegades ultimately fares in its quest to bully its way to the German capital
in a true ride of defiance………
- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman sees dollar signs dancing in his eyes
and those of the league’s owners. So when he was asked about what it would take
for a potential new owner to be selected for a team should his league – which
definitely does not need to expand – choose to do the illegal and expand
anyhow. "From your question, you seem to be inferring that would be a lot
of money for an NHL team," Bettman said when quizzed about claims that the
price tag would be set at $500 million or more. “"I happen to believe that
number -- not that I'm confirming or denying it -- would be not a lot of money.
I think NHL franchises should be worth at least that." Of course you do,
G. You’re one of the worst commissioners in sports, but even you know that you
want to set that bar as high as possible so the entry fee into the league is as
steep as possible and the profits as immense as they can be for the other 30
owners. Bettman said the fee will be determined by the league's Board of
Governors, but $500 million would be more than six times the $80 million price
tag Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus and Minnesota each paid the last time the NHL
expanded in the 1990s. "There might be expansion at some point in the
future," Bettman said. "It's possible, but I wouldn't guarantee
it." In other words, make me an offer. Groups in Las Vegas and Seattle have
expressed interest in potential franchises and Nevada, Bill Foley has
established a company, Hockey Vision Las Vegas LLC, and was granted league
approval to launch a season-ticket drive in February to gauge local interest in
a team there. because Vegas is Vegas, a new arena is already being built
without the guarantee of a franchise, but Seattle prudently has no existing plans
for a facility. Yes, there’s nothing like being in a bidding race for something
that doesn’t exist in America’s fourth-most popular professional sport……….
- Getting your ride stolen is both a violating and angering
experience. Even if your vehicle is found, it isn't always usable or in
anything close to the condition it was in before someone thieved it from you.
So imagine the emotions that went through a man driving to work
in Alabama who suddenly noticed his stolen pickup truck following him. As one
might expect, he didn’t simply call 911 and wait for the police to do their
thing. The man did call the cops, but he also engaged in his own following
operation for a bit. Eventually, police arrived on the scene and attempted to
stop the reportedly stolen vehicle, but the driver, Terry Proctor of Piedmont,
did not stop, and a pursuit ensued. Calhoun County Chief Deputy Matthew Wade said
a man called police during the morning rush after noticing he was driving in
front of the truck that had been stolen from him earlier that morning near
Piedmont. When officers pursued the stolen truck, according to Wade, the driver
crashed the vehicle and was ejected as the truck rolled over. Showing the kind
of logic that always works well for criminals who choose to ignore the fact
that police have cars, radios and helicopters and can track them fairly easily
when they flee on foot, Proctor took off and not surprisingly, he was captured
after a foot chase and booked into the Cherokee County Jail on charges
including first degree theft and possession of burglary tools. Maybe if America
was a fitter nation in which men and women who commit stupid crimes and then
try to escape police on foot were in good shape, such criminals would have a
chance of getting away. Instead, the day ended badly for Proctor and almost as
unhappily for the truck’s owner, who is going to have a hell of a lot of
paperwork and red tape to go through before getting a replacement ride………
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