Sometimes, the best classic rock covers are the most unexpected ones. Dead Kennedys covered Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” and that changed their live shows forever. Band member Jello Biafra explained why his band decided to put their edgy spin on an Elvis song and why that made them different from other bands of the time.
Dead Kennedys’ cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ was meant to confuse fans
“Viva Las Vegas” remains one of the most famous songs from Elvis’ movies. Dead Kennedys recorded the song with some lyrical twists. Dead Kennedys’ version features the lines “Oh, I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got / Lady Luck’s with me, the dice stay hot / Got coke up my nose to dry away the snot.” Those are not the sort of lyrics the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll would sing.
In the 2014 book Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables,...
Dead Kennedys’ cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ was meant to confuse fans
“Viva Las Vegas” remains one of the most famous songs from Elvis’ movies. Dead Kennedys recorded the song with some lyrical twists. Dead Kennedys’ version features the lines “Oh, I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got / Lady Luck’s with me, the dice stay hot / Got coke up my nose to dry away the snot.” Those are not the sort of lyrics the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll would sing.
In the 2014 book Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables,...
- 10/1/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Warning: The following contains spoilers from Wednesday’s finale of The Americans. Proceed at your own risk, comrades!
Will the Jennings clan soon be singing “Back in the U.S.S.R.”?
On Wednesday’s Season 4 finale of The Americans, Elizabeth and Philip’s asset, William, was captured by the FBI. While on his deathbed, thanks to the bio-weapon with which he infected himself, he spilled some intel to G-man Stan about the spy couple. He fell short of revealing their false identities, but an unaware Elizabeth and Philip had to assume the worst as their handler Gabriel urged them to pack up...
Will the Jennings clan soon be singing “Back in the U.S.S.R.”?
On Wednesday’s Season 4 finale of The Americans, Elizabeth and Philip’s asset, William, was captured by the FBI. While on his deathbed, thanks to the bio-weapon with which he infected himself, he spilled some intel to G-man Stan about the spy couple. He fell short of revealing their false identities, but an unaware Elizabeth and Philip had to assume the worst as their handler Gabriel urged them to pack up...
- 6/9/2016
- TVLine.com
Friday’s lineup at Outside Lands featured performances from Band of Horses, Rhye and The National, but capping off the day was headliner Paul McCartney. McCartney walked out to a crowd of thousands wearing a black trench coat that was abruptly taken off exposing a white button down shirt. A line of guitars backed him followed by his band. As fans screamed, he remained composed and charming. McCartney is actually 71, but doesn’t look a day over 50. He was witty, joking in between songs about his time spent in communist Russia. (Of course, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” was played right...
- 8/11/2013
- Pastemagazine.com
Moscow, Red Square, May 24, 2003. As the sun slides behind the Kremlin, a hundred thousand people pack into Red Square, into the heart of Russia. The fairy-tale domes of Saint Basil’s cathedral and the ancient red walls of the Kremlin seem to be on fire. The vast crowd roars — and many weep — as a familiar figure strikes the first chords. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” rolls out across the square — and Paul McCartney is here at last to sing it.
“People cried rivers and waterfalls of tears,” says Artemy Troitsky, Russia’s celebrity rock guru. “It was like something that sums up your whole life.” “Moscow girls make me sing and shout,” sings McCartney, and the crowd sings back, laughing, crying, hugging, dancing to an anthem that had once put some of them in jail, lost them their jobs and their education, turned them into outcasts. Now the Soviet Beatles generation,...
“People cried rivers and waterfalls of tears,” says Artemy Troitsky, Russia’s celebrity rock guru. “It was like something that sums up your whole life.” “Moscow girls make me sing and shout,” sings McCartney, and the crowd sings back, laughing, crying, hugging, dancing to an anthem that had once put some of them in jail, lost them their jobs and their education, turned them into outcasts. Now the Soviet Beatles generation,...
- 4/29/2013
- by Andrew Losowsky
- Huffington Post
Sigourney Weaver a six-foot-tall cinematic empress with three Academy Award nominations and a host of classic film credits under her belt. Better yet, everyone can agree upon her immense gifts as an actress. If you don't care for sci-fi, you can skip her Ridley Scott works and adore her comic turns. If Melanie Griffith's addiction to shoulder pads isn't your thing, you can skip move right along to Sigourney's starring roles in '90s thrillers. She's been in everything, she can do everything, and now on her 63rd birthday, let's count down what she's done best. Here are her 10 fierecest moments.
10. Sigourney scorches Indonesia in The Year of Living Dangerously
In the grand scheme of exotic Oscar-winning '80s cinema, The Year of Living Dangerously is an under-discussed gem. Though tiny supporting actress Linda Hunt steals the show as male dwarf photographer Billy Kwan, Sigourney is an absolute vision throughout the movie.
10. Sigourney scorches Indonesia in The Year of Living Dangerously
In the grand scheme of exotic Oscar-winning '80s cinema, The Year of Living Dangerously is an under-discussed gem. Though tiny supporting actress Linda Hunt steals the show as male dwarf photographer Billy Kwan, Sigourney is an absolute vision throughout the movie.
- 10/8/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
Band's latest seems haunted by their seminal Pinkerton album, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery
The cover of Weezer's <i>Hurley</i>
Photo: Epitaph
There is a moment right near the beginning of Weezer's umpteenth album Hurley when Rivers Cuomo declares: "I'm not kidding anymore." It's a fairly loaded statement, considering he's spent much of the past decade doing what could charitably be described as "joking around," releasing a string of albums each a little more confounding (and a little less satisfying) than the last.
To wit: The last truly solid Weezer album (the so-called Green one) was released nearly four months before 9/11, and since then, Cuomo and company have gone progressively further off the rails. Maladroit featured just two songs that cracked the three-minute mark, and even then it felt too long and convoluted (mostly because Cuomo spends a portion of it taking thinly veiled jabs at his fanbase...
By James Montgomery
The cover of Weezer's <i>Hurley</i>
Photo: Epitaph
There is a moment right near the beginning of Weezer's umpteenth album Hurley when Rivers Cuomo declares: "I'm not kidding anymore." It's a fairly loaded statement, considering he's spent much of the past decade doing what could charitably be described as "joking around," releasing a string of albums each a little more confounding (and a little less satisfying) than the last.
To wit: The last truly solid Weezer album (the so-called Green one) was released nearly four months before 9/11, and since then, Cuomo and company have gone progressively further off the rails. Maladroit featured just two songs that cracked the three-minute mark, and even then it felt too long and convoluted (mostly because Cuomo spends a portion of it taking thinly veiled jabs at his fanbase...
- 8/25/2010
- MTV Music News
'At this moment in our career, it feels like we don't need a major label,' frontman Rivers Cuomo tells Rolling Stone.
By Gil Kaufman
Weezer's Rivers Cuomo
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images
Last time around, Weezer went all in on the modern pop game, larding tracks on 2009's Raditude with guest spots from Lil Wayne and production and writing help from the All-American Rejects, Dr. Luke and Butch Walker. But for their upcoming (September 14) debut for punk stalwart label Epitaph Records, Hurley (alas, not Heavy Mental), Rivers Cuomo and company are dialing things all the way back to the 1960s.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the band's eighth studio album is nearly finished and it will have a much different sound than their previous effort.
"At this moment in our career, it feels like we don't need a major label, and the major-label culture isn't inline with our values,...
By Gil Kaufman
Weezer's Rivers Cuomo
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images
Last time around, Weezer went all in on the modern pop game, larding tracks on 2009's Raditude with guest spots from Lil Wayne and production and writing help from the All-American Rejects, Dr. Luke and Butch Walker. But for their upcoming (September 14) debut for punk stalwart label Epitaph Records, Hurley (alas, not Heavy Mental), Rivers Cuomo and company are dialing things all the way back to the 1960s.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the band's eighth studio album is nearly finished and it will have a much different sound than their previous effort.
"At this moment in our career, it feels like we don't need a major label, and the major-label culture isn't inline with our values,...
- 8/5/2010
- MTV Music News
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