Joe Kavanagh's Music News

A recent report by the United Nations claims that society is sending a dangerous message to young people by the mollycoddled manner in which celebrities are treated, when it comes to issues of illegal drugs. The report claims that the law is sending a mixed message to people, by giving preferential treatment to celebrities found with illegal drugs, while throwing the book at anyone else in the same position. One of the writers of the study, Professor Hamid Ghodse, claimed: "They [celebrities] get more lenient responses by the judiciary and law enforcement, and that is regrettable. There should not be any difference between a celebrity who is breaking the law and non-celebrities. Not only does it give the wrong messages to young people, who are often quite impressionable, but the wider public become cynical about the responses to drug offenders." Sounds about right to me...

Bjork managed to generate headlines in a clutch of countries around the globe last week, in the wake of a couple of contentious live appearances that miffed political leaders in both China and Serbia. The kooky singer infuriated Chinese leaders during a recent gig in Shanghai, when she began chanting 'Tibet' repeatedly during a performance of her new song, Declare Independence, making reference to the fact that China continues to deny Tibet its freedom since annexing it by force in 1951. Bjork was also slated to headline the upcoming Exit rock festival in Serbia, but promoters allegedly cancelled her appearance because she had chanted the word, 'Kosovo', while performing the same song at a recent concert in Japan. Serbians are fiercely opposed to Kosovo's recent declaration of independence as they view the region as a crucially important part of their country. According to Bjork's management, the promoter for the Exit Festival, Bojan Boscovic, contacted them and told them that the Icelandic star was no longer wanted at the event. Boscovic totally denies the charge, despite the fact that Bjork's management claim to have the cancellation in the form of an email. The promoter told reporters: "That email was not an official EXIT statement. It was my email sent showing my great concern about what is going on. Two weeks later I have a different opinion about it. We do want to see her at EXIT. We're trying to see with management now if this is the best time to have her. There is an open invitation." Huh? To be honest, I don't think I would be going around to someone's party if that was the kind of invitation I got and considering its ambiguities, I think there will always be a career in politics waiting for Mr. Boscovic, should he ever consider getting out of the promotions game...

Some people really don't have any idea how lucky they are. Ringo Starr, who has been acting somewhat petulantly of late, what with the walking off shows and his new cultivated accent, was telling reporters last week of how he is sometimes sick of being a former member of the Beatles. The diminutive skin basher stated: "Some days I'm just fed up with the Beatles. I think that when I die, the message on my tombstone will be 'Ex-Beatle'. Like I've done nothing else." Firstly, how could anyone possibly regret being a member of the greatest band in rock history? And the least talented member at that. Come on man, seriously! Secondly, just because you were - or maybe precisely because you were - the least talented member of said group, that does not in any way mean that your own material is any good. You got lucky, live with it. What does the guy want to be remembered for? Being the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine? You never hear Paul McCartney moaning like that, and he had to spend the last few years with a pogo stick pickpocket for a wife...

Speaking of which, Heather Mills' father says that his daughter is being extremely greedy by trying to shake down McCartney, as part of their ugly divorce proceedings. Mark Mills told journalists: "He's offered her multi-millions. She should take that and stop what she's doing. It's plenty. "She's being greedy. How much does she need?" It's a pretty sad state of affairs when your own parent knows that you're a wretched, gold digger and you still can't see it yourself...

On Sunday the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its new space cargo ship, known as an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which will act as the supply ship to the International Space Station. Aside from all of the food, water and technical equipment on board, there was also a collection of mp3 players, containing a music playlist chosen by a 14-year-old Norwegian girl. Last year, Therese Miljeteig won a competition run by ESA, that asked young people in 10 European countries to list what they would consider to be the ideal music selection for a space traveler. The following are the tracks that she chose: The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun, Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with Me, Elton John - Rocket Man, Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - Up Where We Belong, John Lennon - Imagine, Irene Cara - Flashdance... What a Feeling, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Celine Dion - Fly, Status Quo - Rockin' All Over the World, R Kelly I Believe I Can Fly. Gadzooks, if this is the winning entry, just how bad were the other selections in this competition? I can safely say that if I was left on a space station for any length of time with most of those tracks, by the time the next shuttle came up they would be facing a scene from The Shining... And I'm talking Kubrick's version, not that noncey made-for-TV jobbie that came along afterwards...

I read last week where Robbie Williams told an interviewer that he would seriously consider a job investigating UFO's on a full-time basis if his career as a pop star ever came to an end. Ehhh, 'if' his career as a pop star ends? I think the bell rang for that train a while back... I also read where The Charlatans were celebrating the fact that their tenth album moved over 30,000 units last week, with singer, Tim Burgess, asserting: "We never imagined that it could be this successful. It's a tribute to people's belief in us. And, if we were in the shops, 20 years after The Charlatans started, we would be the number two most popular group in the country this week - going free was the best thing for us." Maybe it's just me, but the fact that it the album was a free download on XFM would kind of take the shine off that achievement a little bit for me personally. I mean, I'm sure even Ringo Starr's latest album would do the same thing if he was willing to give it out for free... Sorry, that's an exaggeration, of course it wouldn't...

I also read where Posh Spice and her pet husband, David Beckham are interested in moving back to the UK, due to the fact that their move to the US has not panned out the way they expected. Basically, Americans generally believe that Beckham sucks as a soccer player and that his wife is an uncultured tart, so now the couple are interested in moving back into a smaller pond. I believe this is what is referred to in show business as the end of their 15 minutes. With any luck. Oh and one more thing before I go. What in the name of Herman Munster were Sharpie pens thinking of when they announced that they are going to pay oodles of cash to David Beckham to be their new spokesperson? David Beckham has about as much use for a pen as a jellyfish has for a bicycle.