Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist with 15+ years of experience. Supporter of indie music. Lover of day baseball, fringe movies, & chicken shawarma. Part time ninja. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from a new honor for Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake, to Demi Lovato working with a new manager, to Drake buying a very expensive new toy, and since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake received honorary doctorates in music from Berklee College of Music. These are slightly different than the actual degrees in music from Berklee owned by nearly every singer-songwriter you have ever met.
* Demi Lovato announced she is now being managed by Scooter Braun. I know he works some of the biggest acts in pop music, but whenever I hear the name Scooter I only think of this guy
* Ed Sheeran and Maple Leif Garrett (aka Justin Bieber) released a song together titled “I Don’t Care.” Honestly, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
* Ariana Grande is the new face of French fashion and perfume house Givenchy. Does Givenchy realize Ariana’s fan base is going to have to save up a lot of allowance money to be able to afford any of the company’s products?
* Oasis’ “Wonderwall” plays after Manchester City victories at the team’s home stadium, and when they defeated Brighton to win the Premier League championship, the crowd – which included Oasis’ Noel Gallagher – erupted into a sing-along of the song’s chorus. Noel was then invited into the locker room, where he sang an a cappella version of song with the players. For as great a song as “Wonderwall” is, I have to imagine there was at least one player in the corner of the locker room muttering, “I told them we should have picked a Rihanna song.”
* Drake – ever a master of fiscal responsibility – purchased a Boeing 767 cargo plane for the low low price of $185 million. Sadly for Drake, his plane will always be eclipsed in the air by Ice Cube’s Goodyear blimp.
* Kodak Black was arrested on federal and state weapons charges just before he was to perform at the Rolling Loud Music Festival at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Maybe letting everyone know exactly where you’re going to be isn’t the best idea when you’re on the run from the law. Just a thought.
* Britney Spears appeared in court with both of her parents to discuss matters related to her conservatorship. According to TMZ, Spears is now saying that when she was committed to a mental facility a month ago it was the doing of her father, who committed her against her will, and forced her to take drugs. Spears was reportedly ordered by the court to undergo a 730 evaluation, which is predominantly issued for children caught in the middle of divorce cases. The next hearing regarding Spears’ conservatorship is scheduled for September 18th. I just want to know what her father’s angle is at this point. Is he in court like, “Your honor, she still performs a song titled ‘(You Drive Me) Crazy’ every single night. You can’t ignore this kind of thing!”
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.
If you’ve ever listened to a disco song and wondered what it would sound like if it were done by Slayer, Tragedy is here to make your wildest dreams come true.
The gods of disco metal, Tragedy: All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees & Beyond is a six man outfit haling from NYC who have been rocking crowds all around the world for over a decade (photo: L to R – The Lord Gibbeth, Andy Gibbous Waning, Mo’Royce Peterson, Disco Mountain Man, Garry Bibb, Lance).
Their live shows are an incredibly fun time, which is why you’ll find people who’ve seen the band upwards of half a dozen times, and who will travel across state lines to experience Tragedy’s disco metal magic.
For the band’s latest project, a bevy of cinema classics were given the heavy metal treatment on Tragedy Goes to the Movies.
I caught up with Tragedy before their recent show at The Acoustic in Bridgeport, CT, to open up some packs of MusiCards, and the artists we found sparked conversations about the origins of disco metal, a musical about vampires and the Continental Congress that used the songbook of Paula Abdul, and booking Tragedy for your wedding.
KISS
You are a band that has flair when it comes to how you dress on stage. Is there a KISS inspiration there at all?
Mo’Royce Peterson: It’s kind of funny, I never thought of there being a KISS inspiration, but there are so many similarities, like I didn’t even realize Paul Stanley had all these shiny Flying V (guitars) until years after I had my own shiny Flying V.
But we have something really special in common with them – their song, “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” was the original disco metal song.
Was that something you drew from, or was Tragedy formed and then you remembered the song later on?
Mo’Royce Peterson: I probably heard it years and years ago and never thought about it, and I can’t remember how I came across it again a few years ago. I kinda remembered it being this controversy that KISS was making a disco song, and people were really upset about it. Anyway, we ended up doing it on a record that we did in English and in German.
That one song makes them the godfathers of our genre.
Paula Abdul
Disco Mountain Man: I was in musical within a play called Straight Up Vampire. It was a memorial to this woman who wrote a jukebox musical using Paula Abdul songs. She was obsessed with Paula Abdul.
(Straight Up Vampire) was about the Continental Congress, and they’re voting on a bill about vampires, and if they should be expelled from Pennsylvania, or if they have rights. A friend wrote it, and I was really into werewolves at the time, and I’m a big fan of Ben Franklin, so he wrote a part where I would play Ben Franklin, and I would turn into a werewolf later on. I got to sing “Blowing Kisses In The Wind,” and there was another senator in the Continental Congress named Senator MC Skat Kat, and I sang “Opposites Attract” with him because we disagreed on the upcoming vampire bill.
It made me appreciate Paula Abdul even more, because her songs were great.
Mo’Royce Peterson: Those songs, those are some great pop songs. Ya know?
They stick in your head.
Mo’Royce Peterson: They’re like Britney Spears, or ABBA, just so catchy.
Led Zeppelin / Jimmy Page
Garry Bibb: I got two cards. I got Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy Page. The two are somewhat related, I’m told.
Zeppelin is pretty much the reason that I ever played rock music of any kind. They were the first riff I ever heard, and also sort of the first show I ever saw.
I was born in 1994, and I was not raised by rock fans, at all, so really my first big exposure was seeing School of Rock in 2004. I went to the theater, had no idea what anybody was talking about, and “Immigrant Song” comes on when they’re in the van driving back from the audition, and I just thought that was the sickest riff – it’s still the sickest riff I’ve ever heard – and I walked out of that movie and thought, “Oh my God, I want to do this.” It was that riff that was the start of this.
A year later my uncle was playing keys, he was in Ian Hunter’s Rant Band around that time, and they played a benefit show with Robert Plant at the Beacon (Theatre) in New York. He got me and my mom tickets, and brought us backstage after they did “Black Dog” together. They did all this crazy shit, and I was like yeah, he’s that guy from that song from School of Rock. I didn’t really understand the gravitas of – this is Robert fuckin’ Plant.
(My uncle) brings us backstage after the show. It’s literally 3 o’clock in the morning, I’m 12, my mom is like, “We have to get the fuck out of here” – (she was) stoked, but also like, c’mon, enough already. He’s like, “I gotta introduce you to Robert Plant, I gotta introduce you to Robert Plant.”
Robert Plant – not coming out of his dressing room.
So my memory of that night is that his tour manager comes out of the dressing room, closes the door, and then says, “Mr. Plant is … occupied.” So then my mom turns to me and says, “Oh, he’s probably pooping,” so for years I had the story in my head – Robert Plant was taking a shit, and he couldn’t meet me. Obviously he was fucking someone in the dressing room.
That was the first rock show I ever went to.
Have you met him since?
Garry Bibb: I have not. He walked by me once when I worked for Sirius Radio and I had a heart attack. That was it. His pants brushed against the back of my chair.
The Doors
Andy Gibbous Waning: I always liked The Doors because my brother played them a lot, so I heard them along with whatever else he played – Mercyful Fate, AC/DC. I kinda just listened to whatever he had on because I was 5 and a half years younger and I didn’t know what to do yet except listen to The Beatles.
So The Doors I got to hear a lot, and learned to appreciate them. Then in college someone put on a production of The Doors right as the movie was coming out. He was this terrible director, and he claims that the movie ripped him off because he had the idea first to do a play of it. I was like, alright.
He conceived of The Doors first!
Andy Gibbous Waning: I played Ray Manzarek on keyboards and got to learn a bunch of cool parts and everything, and that was fun, but the play was miserable.
Terrible?
Andy Gibbous Waning: Terrible.
The guy (who played Jim Morrison) looked like Jim Morrison, and he was fine, but there was dialogue in it … like once he had a girlfriend, and it was tearing him apart from the band, and he was doing drugs, one of us had a line, “Dude, it used to be about the music.”
Everyone: {laughs}
Andy Gibbous Waning: It was so bad. That was one of the plays I was embarrassed to be a part of, and didn’t tell anyone to come see.
But I like The Doors, and I felt bad that we shit all over their existence.
Annihilator
Canadian rock band.
Mo’Royce Peterson: Yeah, Canadian metal band, I believe, on Roadrunner. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them, but I had a manager in the ‘90s, and I think the peak of his career was that he managed Annihilator. I remember when I was getting to know him, kinda reading his resume, the big thing on his resume was that he managed Annihilator, and he was the only manager ever to get a metal band a shoe deal.
Everyone: {laughs}
Mo’Royce Peterson: I think they were Reeboks, but I’m not sure.
It was the early ‘90s, I think, and the metal bands all started wearing like white basketball shoes, kind of untied.
If you guys were to get a shoe deal, who would you want it to be with?
Mo’Royce Peterson: T.U.K.
{shows large, shiny, silver platform shoe}
On my God. You can’t play ball in those.
Mo’Royce Peterson: Oh I could.
Billy Idol
Mo’Royce Peterson: He’s kind of amazing. He came from the ‘70s punk scene.
So many of those bands you listen to, especially that real hardcore punk London scene, you listen to it now and it’s just not much to listen to, but (Billy Idol’s ‘70s punk band) Generation X sounds really good.
And when it comes to his solo career, “White Wedding” is a great wedding song.
Mo’Royce Peterson: We played that at someone’s wedding.
You’ve played a wedding?
Mo’Royce Peterson: Yes.
I need to know the Tragedy wedding experience, because while I don’t have a girlfriend right now, if I get one, and get married, this seems like an awesome idea.
Mo’Royce Peterson: I gotta tell you, we probably get, I’m not joking, probably 100 wedding requests for every wedding that we play.
Garry Bibb: I got three of them at the St. Vitus show. Three different people asked me. Two of them may have been a couple. They asked me separately.
Mo’Royce Peterson: I think what happens is, I think they’re sincere when they ask, and then it gets to mom, or dad, or grandma, or grandpa, and they’re like, “Oh no. You’ve gotta be kidding me,” but we’ve done three.
Garry Bibb: At least three. I’ve done three.
Mo’Royce Peterson: OK, so four, because we did the one at Terminal 5, that was the first one.
Disco Mountain Man: You know when you buy a CD at a show, there’s like that sense of urgency – I want to support this band now, and buy a CD. You don’t usually sell CDs outside of shows as much as you do in shows, so with those 100 (wedding) requests we should have a form and say pick a date now, put a deposit down, and then when grandma or grandpa says, “I hate the Bee Gees” …
Mo’Royce Peterson: I don’t think that’s really the issue, typically.
Disco Mountain Man: Grandma goes, “I really hated KISS’ ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You.’ I do not want any part of that at my grandson’s wedding.” Then we go, well, we have your deposit.
They could give out CDs as rehearsal dinner gifts.
This week’s NYC Scene Report features the latest from alt-rock trio Newborn, a country-rock sucker punch from Anna Rose, RVBY MY DEAR giving pop a “Try,” and dream pop band Barrie teaching us a lesson in “Geology.”
* Coney Island-based alt-rock trio Newborn just released their latest EP, Anodyne, the title track off of which is a gem that will give you some serious ‘90s vibes.
With “Anodyne,” Newborn sounds like they’re ready to hop on tour with just about any of the alt-rock, or grunge rock greats. Taking a cue from the rock gods of the past, there’s nothing formulaic about “Anodyne,” as frontman Allen James launches into a kick ass guitar solo mid-song. It’s a solo I hope goes on for multiple minutes when they perform the song live.
Speaking of Newborn’s live show, there should be some NYC area performances announced soon. Until then, enjoy “Anodyne.”
* Longtime column favorite Anna Rose has always been a kick ass performer, and now she’s ready to hit listeners with a sucker punch in the form of her latest single, “Sucker Puncher.”
“Sucker Puncher” is the second single from her forthcoming album, and she described the song in a statement, saying, “It is a song for all of the underdogs out there. For me, personally, the struggle to be heard in an industry where a songwriter’s work is so undervalued has almost crippled me at times, but writing this song with Justin Glasco felt like a triumph. Truthfully, this whole upcoming record is brutally honest in a lyrical sense and this song felt incredibly cathartic in its writing and production. It’s a testament to the fight I have inside me. I’ve never been quiet, I’ve always been rebellious, I have never cowered to the industry standard, and I do not apologize for that.”
Is it any wonder that we love us some Anna Rose? Check out “Sucker Puncher,” and get yourself ready for a potential album of the year candidate.
* Brooklyn-based Aussie RVBY MY DEAR will be releasing her full-length debut, Waiting, on May 17th, the latest single off of which is the gorgeous indie pop song “Try.”
RVBY MY DEAR explained “Try” in a statement, saying, “‘Try’ is a relationship song, though it’s not exactly coming from a loving place. It’s about wanting the person you’re with to essentially give a damn about themselves and the relationship, and feeling frustrated with bearing the weight of responsibility – something I think a lot of women could probably relate to.”
She continued, adding, “Musically, this was the first track that felt like a true collaboration between me and my producer, Andrew Lappin. I’ve always felt too embarrassed to record something as blatantly catchy and ‘pop’ as this, so the process was nerve-wracking at first, but ultimately rewarding.”
Check out the video for the song, which was filmed in RVBY MY DEAR’s hometown of Perth.
* Brooklyn-based dream pop band Barrie released their debut album, Happy To Be Here, earlier this month, and the latest single off it rocks … well, at least in title, as they’re giving us a lesson in “Geology.”
Frontwoman Barrie Lindsay explained the inspiration for “Geology” in a statement, saying, “I wrote this song in 2015, a few months after I bought my first guitar. I was listening to Best Coast on Song Exploder talking about ‘Feeling Ok.’ Bethany Cosentino said she was inspired by ‘90s movies soundtracks like Clueless, She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You. It blew my mind, because I loved that music, but didn’t realize you could take it seriously. That’s where ‘Geology’ came from.”
Give “Geology” a listen, I think you’ll find it’s an especially smooth stone.
For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.
A few weeks ago The Acoustic, in Bridgeport, CT, had a free night of local music, with four bands from Connecticut filling a jam packed bill. By midway through the evening, The Acoustic was pretty jam packed, as well.
One of the highlights of the night was Waterbury-based band Mandala. The five piece rock band led off the evening by performing their entire sophomore release, Cash For Smiles, winning over the crowd in the process.
What about the band won us all over? Check out these three reasons why you should see Mandala live.
1. Lead singer Morgan Fasanelli has great voice with a classic feel
Donning a flannel shirt, ripped jeans, and glasses, Mandala lead singer Morgan Fasanelli presented a Edie Brickell meets Janis Joplin aesthetic, and the visual was a fitting one, as Fasanelli’s voice is equal parts soulful, and old school rock ’n’ roll. This gives the band’s music a classic vibe, while still enabling them to embrace a modern ethos.
By the end of their set I wanted to hear a whole lot more from Fasanelli and the rest of the band.
2. There’s a little something for everyone who loves rock music
Mandala’s set was a mix of modern rock, pop-rock, classic rock, and even a little ska (at least for part of one song).
If rock music were a tree, Mandala seem to have a goal of climbing out on every branch possible.
For many bands, this might make a set sound a bit disjointed, but Fasanelli’s vocals are so consistent that they act as a thread that holds everything together.
Plus, being a real rock band, Mandala had guitar solos! Their songs weren’t just simple verse-chorus-verse deals. Instead, the band improvised, and had some fun.
Fun is good. Rock ’n’ roll is good. Mandala are good.
3. The band sticks around after their set
Some bands disappear immediately after their set (nobody likes those type of bands). Some bands stick around to meet with fans and take photos with them (everybody likes those type of bands). Mandala stuck around to hang out with their fans AND to check out all the other bands, as rhythm guitarist/vocalist Abe Azab could be seen in the crowd throughout the night taking photos and showing support. Personally, I think that’s pretty awesome.
So if you go to see Mandala, chances are not only will you have a good time, but they can probably also tell you about some other great bands to check out.
Mutual support is a beautiful thing!
To find out when, and where, Mandala will be performing next, check out their Facebook page for show dates.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Kelly Clarkson toughing it out, to a potential fight for Ariana Grande, to Marshmello being taken to court, and since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* Kelly Clarkson had surgery to remove her appendix after hosting the 2019 Billboard Music Awards – a hosting gig she did while dealing with a serious amount of pain. Wait, so that’s what happened to Miss Independent?!?!
* Pink’s latest album, Hurts 2B Human, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 115,000 equivalent album units earned, 95,000 of which were album sales. Personally, I had no idea there were 95,000 dental office waiting rooms that needed a new soundtrack.
* Ariana Grande took to Instagram to let fans know she’s adding a new fragrance to her line – a line that already includes Ari, Cloud, Moonlight, Frankie, and Sweet Like Candy – writing, “So I've been working on a ‘thank u, next’ fragrance. I can't wait for u to see/smell her...she's like ‘ari’ if she went to the beach one time.” I hope Ariana has a good lawyer, because Kramer will see her in court!
* Blink-182 and Lil Wayne announced a joint headlining tour for 2019 with support from Neck Deep. The 37-date tour will kick off on June 28th in Columbus, OH, and run through September. The level of success this tour sees will go a long way in deciding if other tours will be booked by picking random artists names out of a hat.
* DJ/producer Arty is taking Marshmello to court, claiming the square headed EDM star’s “Happier,” featuring Bastille, is an infringement of a remix Arty did of One Republic’s “I Lived.” I honestly don’t care too much about the specifics of this, I just love the idea that a judge may have to repeatedly say “In the case of Arty v. Marshmello” in an incredibly serious tone. As an aside, Arty V Marshmello sounds like it should be the name of a Muppet who’s a highfalutin art critic.
* The cast of Reality Bites reunited at the Tribeca Film Festival for a 25th anniversary screening of the film, after which Lisa Loeb made a surprise appearance to perform her iconic song from the film’s soundtrack. I’m pretty sure that’s something we’d all “Stay” for.
* As with all award shows where music is performed, the artists who were featured on the Billboard Music Awards saw significant sales gains the day of, and day after, the show. There was a collective 102% sales gain for the songs performed on the BBMAs when comparing their combined sales on May 1st and 2nd versus April 29th and 30th (this does not include the songs from the 13-song medley performed by Kelly Clarkson). Lauren Daigle was the biggest winner, as her song, “You Say,” saw a 260% jump in sales, going from from 3,000 sold on April 29-30 to 10,000 on May 1-2. The most surprising part of all of this is that 10,000 people watched the Billboard Music Awards.
* Madonna announced 25 Madame X tour dates that will involve multiple-night runs at smaller venues across the country, with each ticket including a physical copy of the album (a classic way of artificially inflating album sales numbers). The tour kicks off off on September 12th, with the first of 12 nights at New York’s 2,100-capacity BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. Personally, the only way I could get interested in this is if Madame X turns out to be Madonna covering the greatest hits of DMX.
* Canadian pop artist Lo Lo (who you may remember from our interview back in March) released her Sweater Collection EP earlier this month, the latest single off of which is the undeniably great “Champagne 4every1.” This is a song that belongs on Top 40 radio, and Lo Lo is an artist I hope to hear everywhere soon. After she hits it big, just remember where you heard her first (as long as this site is where you heard her first).
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.
With her bright orange locks it’s easy to pick Leah Voysey out in a crowd. When she begins to sing, however, is when you truly can’t help but take notice.
A fantastic newcomer on the scene, Voysey is an alt-pop singer-songwriter whose voice is filled with character.
Originally from New Jersey, but now living in Brooklyn, she recently released her first single, “Poison,” and it’s a toxin you’ll be tempted to OD on.
Having given listeners a non-lethal dose of her “Poison,” Voysey recently put the finishing touches on her next single, “Keep It To Yourself,” which she promises is “a sexy song.”
I caught up with Voysey at Grand Central Station to open up some packs of MusiCards, and the artists we found sparked conversations about rawness and vulnerability in song lyrics, the long road to attending her first concert, and her secret dark side.
Madonna
The sound that (Madonna) was doing in her time is coming back.
I feel like artists like Madonna, and people who replicate Madonna, could easily be in mainstream music today. Lady Gaga is a perfect example of that.
That’s what I like about (Madonna), she was kind of doing her own thing, and she was paving the way for what pop music is now.
When you look at your own career, are you looking to develop your own sound, like she did?
I mean, I am thinking a little bit about that, but more than that, when I’m creating my sound I’m thinking of what will I be proud of, and what will make me feel most like myself. I’ve tried, in the past, to think about “OK, what’s mainstream, what’s happening now,” but it doesn’t feel as genuine, and I like to be as genuine as possible.
As long as I’m feeling like myself in my songs, then I’ll go whatever direction.
So your next single could sound nothing like your previous one?
Yeah, but for me it’s mostly the lyrics more than anything. The sound, I think that I enjoy a lot of different genres of music, so that’s really the kind of producers I choose to work with, but the lyrics … I put a lot of importance in the lyrics to make it feel like my own.
Have you been able to hit the stage a lot, and perform in and around NYC?
Not a ton recently.
I did a show last night, but that was the first that I’d done in a really long time, because I’m really just focusing on writing and recording at the moment.
When you put so much of yourself into your lyrics does it ever feel vulnerable on stage?
Absolutely.
The show that I did last night, my mom was there, and it was a really small venue, and I have one song where the lyric is “Why are we so complicated / I want to see your clothes on the floor.” That’s kind of the hook of it, and I’m singing it over and over and over again, and my mom’s sitting right there, and I’m like, oh God, this is weird.
Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks
I love Fleetwood Mac. That was a band I was listening to for years and years and years.
I also think (Stevie Nicks) has a really cool style. She’s sexy, but not in a crazy way, like having less clothes on, or showing a lot of skin. That’s not Stevie Nicks, but her style is still … like the hat she’s wearing in this picture, and her crazy hair, I’m obsessed with it.
Jefferson Airplane
I picked this Jefferson Airplane card because I want you to tell a concert story. Before the interview started you mentioned you grew up on pop punk, but never got to go to Warped Tour.
Never got to go to Warped Tour.
Not even as a grown up.
No.
How does that happen?
I literally was not allowed to go.
My mom would not let me go to a festival. She just was so scared of me going to a festival, but there was even a situation where my friend and her mother had an extra ticket to a My Chemical Romance show – it was with someone’s mom, that my mom knew, and she still wouldn’t let me go.
It wasn’t until college that I started going to concerts.
What was your first concert?
My first concert was Lady Gaga, which was crazy, because she puts on a performance. That’s a show.
Which era of Gaga was this?
It was a week or two after she released Born This Way.
Have you now seen some of your pop punk favorites from your youth?
Yeah, I got to see blink-182 at a festival, Fall Out Boy when they were still cool. All Time Low I’ve seen recently. So I definitely got to relive that.
Even just going to festivals, which is my favorite type of concert to go to, no matter who you’re seeing, no matter what the genre is, you still kind of get that vibe.
Oh my gosh, another one – Good Charlotte. I saw Good Charlotte recently, and it was the best ever. It was so fun.
But back to just being in the general admission sort of feel, which you get at a festival – with people moshing, or crowd surfing, or being up on you – I love that. I love that so much, and I feel like you get that at festivals no matter who you’re seeing.
Eric Clapton
That song, “Tears in Heaven,” about his son, it’s so raw.
Music like that is so important, and I think it really is a service for an artist to release something with such personal emotion behind it. The fact that he gets up stage and plays that …
We were just talking about vulnerability.
Yeah, and the fact that he’d be able to get through that is crazy.
I like country music, as well, and when Blake Shelton was married to Miranda Lambert she released a song called “Over You” that they wrote together, but it’s about Blake Shelton’s brother, who passed away. When I saw Blake Shelton in concert he played that song, and he said the reason he didn’t release it himself, the reason he gave it to Miranda, was because when he first wrote it he knew it was a single, but there was no way he was getting on stage and playing it. He said there was no way he’d be able to make it through it.
I think the time that I saw him was when he was starting to play it himself, because he said he was finally at a point where he could get through it without breaking down.
I remember on The Voice he gave it to …
Cassadee Pope.
She toured with Fall Out Boy back when she was in Hey Monday.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne has done a lot of wild things. What would you say is the wildest thing you’ve done on stage?
Oh man, I haven’t done anything wild.
Haven’t bit the head off a bat?
No.
There’s no dark side?
Not really. Not on stage.
Secretly.
You gotta really listen to the lyrics to hear my dark side. {laughs}
What kind of dark side are we talking about here?
Like (my next single), “Keep It To Yourself,” I think the title says a lot. It’s about a secret relationship between two people who spend time together, people know that they spend time together, but in a professional setting there’s no hint, or inclination, that they’d be together.
The end of the second verse – “I don’t need to know your shit / your baggage is not part of this / you’re just a body / you’re just somebody / don’t think that you got me” – that’s kind of what that song is about; you’re just a body to me, and please don’t ever approach me in real life and think that this is ever gonna be more than what it is.
