Since It's My Party is a gossip column and space is limited, legalese will be kept at a minimum to make more room for the fightin' words--like Novoselic and Grohl composing a joint letter to Nirvana fans, explaining that they have gone to court to stop Love's battle for control, and also stating that "we have been mostly silent for the last few years as [Love] filed lawsuits, waged a continuous negative campaign in the media, and tried to rewrite history." Here comes the fightin' words: "In truth, her actions are only about the revitalization of her career, motivated solely by her blind self-interest." It gets dirtier: "Courtney talks and talks about her 'valuable career.' As far as we are concerned, her career is of her own affair and of no interest to us. Our concern is when she pastes herself into music she didn't write or perform." Then, "We have a simple challenge for Courtney--play your own music for people." Whew. That's a stiff demand, considering that not only is Hole all but a nonband at the moment, but her latest venture, Bastard, can't seem to get off the ground due to its members running for the hills and crying over their shoulders about an "unhealthy working environment." And when Love recently took the stage before a Jane's Addiction concert, the debut of her solo schtick was abruptly halted when security had to physically remove her from the stage. In their countersuit to stop Love's suit, Grohl and Novoselic claim Love has become "incapacitated."
On December 13, CDNOW's Allstar music news page quoted Love's Seattle attorney O. Yale Lewis, negating the letter the two remaining Nirvana members wrote to their fans: "I think the comparison between their independent careers and her independent career does not favor them." Unless you consider Foo Fighters, I guess.
***
Much of Seattle's rock and roll cognoscenti were in attendance on Friday, December 14 for a fancypants sit-down dinner thrown by the Showbox. Laying waste to the opinion that our city's musicmakers and their associates are an underdressed, motley crew, the room was bursting with sharply outfitted men sporting suits and ties, and lovely ladies befrocked in cocktail finery. A quick sweep of the room revealed members of just about any popular band you could name (including Sleater-Kinney, who looked absolutely lovely) knocking back free drinks and dining on steak and mashed potatoes, salmon, or vegan fare. Desserts were appropriately dreamy and included chocolate mousse cake and port-soaked pears. The event was a fundraiser for Green Lake Elementary's Team A, an organization of which Showbox owner Jeff Steichen is a dedicated supporter. (My favorite part of the evening? Taking note of all the rock and roll wives and ex-wives in the house.)
Two nights later, many of those same faces were seen whooping it up at the Cha Cha's holiday blowout, which featured lots of crazy karaoke and guest bartenders John Keister and "Vern Fonk."
