Ah, the Brits. When It's My Party's feeling a little lazy, I like to check out the British music rags to see what they're saying about the Northwest's bands, and amuse myself further by counting the "grunge" and Sleepless in Seattle references therein. Today the laughter kicks off immediately with a double bang story on www.nme.com called "Priceless in Seattle," subtitled "Handwritten Kurt Cobain lyrics in new 'grunge museum.'" It's about Experience Music Project, of course, and makes this erroneous claim: "When it opens its doors on June 23, [EMP] will dedicate an entire exhibit to the Seattle grunge scene, called Northwest Passage." In reality, Northwest Passage is dedicated to the ENTIRE history of music in the Northwest, including jazz, blues, rock, punk, surf, metal, grunge, hiphop, and everything else I'm too lazy to list.

In other EMP news, in a blurb about Paul Allen's band Grown Men and their recently released eponymous album, www.Qonline.co.uk announces that "Allen is opening a Jimi Hendrix museum in Seattle." Yes, with the Hendrix family's blessing, no doubt.

Eddie Vedder helped out the folks back at NME by making a grunge reference himself during Pearl Jam's May 29 concert at London's Wembley Arena. Much to the delight of the reviewer, Vedder referred to his ukulele as a "grunge-lele"! Using the all-encompassing Northwest adjective once was not enough, however, as the reviewer began his "Getting Vedder" assessment by deeming the Pearl Jam/Soundgarden hybrid (this was the first time the U.K. had seen ex-Soundgarden member Matt Cameron playing drums for PJ) "Seattle grunge lords." YEAH!

Oh, and let's not forget that very same site's reminder that filmmakers Krist Novoselic and Roderick Romero recently aired a film about the WTO festivities, which also features "grunge star" Kim Thayil, and can be seen at www.fastband.com.

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Following their May 27 Showbox date and May 28 early-morning End Session, Supergrass revealed to the ever-popular NME that they will lose no sleep if their "current jaunt" around the U.S. doesn't make them stars "over there." Explains bassist Mickey Quinn, "If [people don't] hook on, get it and get what we're doing then it doesn't really matter." Zzzzzzzzz. To counteract their tour ennui, the band has decided to have a mustache contest. Due to Gaz's increasingly strong resemblance to Carlos the Jackal, he's now known simply as "Carlos." Danny Goffey, who is beginning to resemble an Edwardian New World explorer, is now "Sir Ralph Goffey," while Mickey's decided to go for the not-too-p.c. Tex-Mex bandito look, and has adopted the name "Pedro."

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One last bit from our old pal NME as they weigh in on Zeke, whom reviewer Noel Gardner (he must be pretty fancy, given he's the sole writer I've managed to find a byline for) calls "Seattle's premier scumpunks." He lavishes on the praise by saying that the quartet "are so monomaniacal and tunnel-visioned that they are beyond criticism." Gardner concluded his orgasm by opining that "Zeke are punk as almighty fuck," and that when it's all finished, "the spirit of Iggy Pop can be heard weeping... as pure as music made by men who probably fry their cornflakes in hog fat can be." Fuck yeah!

Finally, as I head back to the land of the free for some info, I get bitten on the ass by www.rollingstone.com, who inform me that while AC/DC have an upcoming 31-date American tour, the closest they'll be getting to Seattle is good ol' "Sacto" California!