What else? Modest Mouse definitely will tour again, most likely after the next album is finished. And, although rumors are always dicey when Modest Mouse is concerned, I've heard talk that Phil Ek is being considered to help out on said forthcoming album. But don't take that for fact, as I don't want any ALL CAPS e-mails fired in my direction if this one doesn't pan out. Which forces this question about gossip: Do you all get the concept? Am I the only one who faithfully scans New York Post's Page Six every day? Didn't any other readers out there have a subscription to Rona Barrett's Gossip when they were a kid? To hell with Young Miss and Teen; Creem was the shit, but I NEEDED TO KNOW ALL ABOUT every second of Cher's nine-day wedded bliss with Gregg Allman before she filed for divorce after he abandoned her on their goddamn honeymoon, and Rona, sweet Rona, gave me the dish. (So what if Cher reconsidered and stayed married to the lout for five years?) At age 10, Stranger News Editor Josh Feit may have been reading about intellectuals and politicians in his precocious subscription to Time, but I was way more interested in beak-packing rock stars and their groupie wives in those days. Some things never change.
So let's get back to it. Alien Crime Syndicate is on the road with Sugar Ray, and the band's single "Ozzy" will be featured in an upcoming episode of the most brilliant reality show ever, The Osbournes. (And just so we're straight, if you haven't seen this MTV show yet, you're an asshole.)
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Alrighty, back to it. Let's finish with another bit about Sub Pop. Happy anniversary, baby, and don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you! The label celebrates its 14th anniversary with a show on Sunday, April 14, featuring three of my favorite bands. HOWEVER, longtime Sub Pop accountant Karen Paulsen was shown the door last week, and in protest, receptionist (and witty subpop.com columnist) Anna Woolverton hung up her headset after nearly seven years of traffic controlling. This means that, in 2002, the label has lost or fired its CPA, a royalty accountant/A&R man, and a warehouse manager, and is being sued by at least one former band. Hello spring!
