It looks like we may get a chance to finally find out what this mystery pill was that is rumored to have caused Peter Buck to throw his now infamous hissy fit while en route from Sea-Tac to London's Heathrow Airport last April. On December 19, Billboard.com's DailyMusicNews shed only the tiniest light on why the original trial was stopped after just one day: According to the report, the jury was discharged for "legal reasons." (Quotation marks compliments of Buck's U.K. attorneys, MaGrath and Co.) Though the first trial had prosecutors alleging that Buck had gone on a rampage after consuming 15 glasses of wine, persistent rumors circulating around Seattle's music community insist a super-charged sleeping pill is responsible for the R.E.M. guitarist's bizarre behavior that day. For the record, Buck has pleaded "not guilty," pill or booze theories notwithstanding. I'm just wondering how you can plead "not guilty" by reason of "I-took-a-big-ol'-pill." And if that is indeed a legitimate defense, I plead "not guilty" to the years 1998-2000.

And speaking of narcotics, that's exactly what Courtney Love was accusing Dave Grohl of being under the influence of on www.velvetrope.com last week. The truly depressing industry-based website also featured a post from Kurt Cobain's mom in passionate defense of her daughter-in-law, as well as other rants from Love, dropping names and lobbing threats in the typical psycho/genius style longtime readers of the Velvet Rope have become all too familiar with. Honestly, for a woman trying to protect her family members, Love sure does exploit their private lives in a public forum an awful, awful lot. Be gone, I say.

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More Sub Pop scuttlebutt: A recent e-mail sent off by Bruce Pavitt--threatening to sell his shares of Sub Pop to Universal (see news section, page 10)--has set fire to several more rumors concerning the legendary Seattle label. Folks are squawking about a Scud Mountain Boys compilation that was put out overseas against the wishes of SMB leader Joe Pernice. To hear one source tell it, Pernice has groused that if he knew he had no choice in the matter, he would have chosen different tracks for the disc. Sources also tell me that some just-released or about-to-be-released albums are hitting the shelves before artist advances and studio fees have been paid out. Apparently Sebadoh's Bob Fay just received a check in the mail for mechanical royalties--for the year 2000. In his e-mail, Pavitt himself claimed that Jonathan Poneman cut him off the promo list years ago, and that he relies on Amazon.com for his Sub Pop CDs. Meanwhile, the label is still acquiring new bands. Its most recent deal is with Vancouver's Hot Hot Heat.

Kinda-sorta related: The "New" Murder City Devils--which they will be called in It's My Party until someone informs me of a band name--has lost Dann Gallucci, who chose to move in a direction other than the one in which Spencer Moody, Nate Manny, and Coady Willis are headed (with former godheadSilo/enemymine bassist Mike Kunka). And it looks like eXBeSTFRIeNDS are soon to call it quits, too. They're losing a drummer to sunny Southern California. In other drummer news, Aveo's Jeff MacIsaac is said to have joined Carissa's Wierd.

As far as New Year's goes, I wish you a happy, safe, and scandal-filled one. It's My Party is taking the first week of the joyous roll-over off.

kathleen@thestranger.com