Travis Barker at the Stuff Style Awards
Photo: Chrissy L. Nguyen / MTV News

HOLLYWOOD — If you thought Travis Barker had already collaborated with just about everyone and their mother, you'd be right, but the Plus-44/ Transplants/ Box Car Racer/ Blink-182 member is looking to work with one particularly elusive beatmaker.

"We've talked about working with Danger Mouse for the new Plus-44 record," Barker said at the recent Stuff Style Awards, held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The tattooed, Mohawked rocker was an honoree for contributing to fashion with his popular punk clothing line, Famous Stars and Straps. Among the event's other celebrated fashionistas were Diddy, Pharrell Williams and Jay-Z.

Several producers will most likely lend their beats to the group's forthcoming LP, set to begin recording in October, and as always, Barker says to expect some "way out there" stuff to flow out of that booth.

"We only have three or four songs written right now, but oh, it's going to be good," he said.

Barker has also been busy debuting his new collaboration with DJ AM (perhaps better known as Nicole Richie's hubby-to-be) around Los Angeles; they are appearing at KROQ's Inland Invasion on Saturday and at an upcoming gig alongside Slim Thug and Mike Jones (see "Travis Barker Hooks Up With Nicole Richie's Fiance, Makes Transplants Priority").

This summer, Barker was also hard at work touring with the Transplants to promote their latest LP, Haunted Cities, until frontman Tim Armstrong was sidelined due to "exhaustion" (see "Transplants Cancel All Tour Dates, Cite Armstrong's Exhaustion"). While details on Armstrong's condition are few, Barker did confirm that the band was on hold for the time being.

"Right now, one of our members needs time off, so we're granting him that," Barker said.

One more major project the rocker is gearing up for is the December birth of his second child with wife Shanna Moakler. You can follow Moakler's pregnancy, along with the Transplants tour, when the second season of "Meet the Barkers" premieres on MTV in January. The reality show will also showcase the drummer producing one of his first hip-hop tracks, with rapper Bun B of UGK.

"I think last season was awesome, but this one is even crazier," Barker laughed. "You have no idea."

Barker says this pregnancy has been a bit easier for Moakler, who is currently at six months. "She has a big ol' belly, and I love it," he said. "I love having babies. It's been fun, and as long as Shanna feels good through it all, that's even better."

In August, the couple revealed that they were expecting a girl (see "Travis Barker's Plus-44 LP On Schedule, But Not On The Clock"). As for names, Barker says he and his wife have been using e-mail surveys to get input from friends.

"We haven't settled on a name yet, but we have some favorites," he said. "We've tossed around everything from Alabama to Lola to Briar, but we'll just have to wait and see."

• Omarion, Kelly Hu And More At The Stuff Style Awards

• Transplants
• Box Car Racer
• blink-182

Blink-182's Travis Barker
Photo: MTV News & Docs

Since 1769 when a British sea captain stumbled across the art form in the Polynesian islands, tattooing has gone from being a mark of the upper class to the lower class to the mainstream.

With the advent of the electric needle in New York City in 1891, tattooing lost its exclusivity and cachet, making way for tough guys and outlaws to typify the type of person to get inked. Their favorite markings? Eagles, anchors, hawks and hearts.

It wasn't until quintessential "tough guy" and music legend Janis Joplin, the first musician said to have combined rock and tattoos, adopted and effusively praised the practice that the phenomenon really took off. (Click for photos of celebrities and their tattoos.)

At the time she appeared on "The Dick Cavett Show" in 1970 she had two: a Florentine bracelet on her left wrist and a girly red heart over her left breast done by Lyle Tuttle, a San Francisco artist. "I wanted some decoration," Joplin once said. "See, the one on my wrist is for everybody and the one on my t-- is for me and my friends. Just a little treat for the boys, like the icing on the cake."

Joplin died only two months after that television appearance, but Tuttle (and no doubt countless other tattoo artists) has given hundreds of female fans the heart that Janis popularized. And just last season on "The Osbournes" Kelly got her very own version of the heart on her hip.

Since Joplin broke the seal, it's hard to think of an artist who is not tattooed or dabbled in the art form. The activity that has officially been illegal in most states for the better half of the last 40 years as a result of a hepatitis outbreak has been seen on everyone from the wholesome likes of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to the grittier acts like Kid Rock and Method Man and just about everyone in between: the music business has ink on lock. Even unmarked artist Mick Jagger has added to the idealization, as depicted on the cover of the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You LP.

For Travis Barker of Blink-182, altering his appearance was his way of making playing music for a living an inevitability. "I purposely tattooed my whole body so I wouldn't have to be a perfect person in a perfect world working at a perfect job," he said. "I made it so I had to play music. I had no other choice."

While that may be true on some level, Barker and everyone else who ventures into the world of tattoo art has many choices to make: specifically, what type of body modification they'll be stuck with for the rest of their lives.

Whether it's to get a prison-style black and gray gangster tattoo made famous by East Los Angeles artist Mr. Cartoon, or the ubiquitous barbed tribal armband pioneered by Leo Zulueta; from the impulse tattooist's worst enemy (the significant other's name) to their best friend (the cover-up), deciding what to put on your body — and then, of course, where to put it — is crucial for the most effective non-verbal self-expression.

But for those with a commitment problem or a low threshold for pain, who still have something to get off — or put on — their chests, there's always henna.

• Britney Spears
• blink-182
• Box Car Racer
• Janis Joplin
• Kelly Osbourne

Box Car Racer
Photo: MCA

Fear not, Box Car Racer fans. Although the group that features Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker rounded its final turn Tuesday in Detroit, they're committed to making another lap around the music track.

When the green flag flies again, however, depends on how long it takes Blink-182's next album — which DeLonge, Barker and bassist Mark Hoppus plan to work on in January — to run its course.

"What I would like is to do an every-other-year type thing," DeLonge said. "But Blink definitely has priority, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. You can't really schedule it, because Blink is at the top of the list of things to do."

Even as Box Car's wheels were rolling to a stop, the members kept their creative engines revving and learned two new songs. Fans who've heard them played in concert have bestowed the new, original number with compliments, while the second of the two, a cover, may not strike a familiar chord with Blink fans so much as with their mothers.

"The new song is kick-ass, and people are already saying it's one of the best songs ever written," DeLonge said, half-jokingly. "It doesn't have a name, however. It's so good that no name will do it justice. And then we covered Barry Manilow's 'Mandy.' It's so good, people cry. Most kids don't even know the song ..."

"But they still cry," guitarist David Kennedy quickly added.

The schmaltzy standard seems like a cover chosen solely for kitsch value, but DeLonge insisted there's sound musical reasoning behind the selection.

"We didn't want to do a lame cover song," he said, "but there's something about 'Mandy''s arrangement and how we could play it that made sense. It's so anthemic."

"And it's got the catchiest chorus ever," Kennedy again interjected.

As for the new original song, fans of Blink needn't stretch their imaginations too far to catch the drift.

"The new song we wrote is just about sex, really," DeLonge explained flatly.

While the theme is a familiar one, the reaction Box Car Racer have been getting from fans who've heard it is unique.

"Out of all the new songs I've played in my career in a band," DeLonge said, "most kids just sit there and they stare. But this is the only song I've been a part of that when you play it the crowd gets moving instantly. It's really cool."

There are no plans to release the songs yet, though Barker might remix some Box Car tunes for an EP and bolster the record with the two new tracks.

Looking back on Box Car Racer, a project that began to sprout roughly a year ago (see "Blink-182 Side Project Shoots Video, Plans Handful Of Shows"), DeLonge and Barker said they see the time spent with the former Over My Dead Body members as a learning experience.

"We compare it to summer school," DeLonge explained. "It's like we went away and learned a lot about music and ourselves — how to do things differently. It makes me excited to start the new Blink record."

DeLonge's anticipation is understandable, considering he predicts the follow-up to last year's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket will be the peak of Blink's career (see "Blink-182 Consider Going Electronic On Next Album").

"It's going to be the best record we've ever done by miles," he boasted. "It's not even comparable. It's going to sound like Blink, but with a whole different way of doing it. I don't know if people are going to handle how good it's going to be."

• Box Car Racer

2 Many DJ's
Photo: Junkfood Inc.

For many college-radio and music-industry personnel, it's time to break out the fall jackets, earplugs, aspirin and business cards, because the annual CMJ Music Marathon is rolling out in New York again.

From October 30 to November 2, 900 artists will permeate the Big Apple with shows in more than 50 venues as part of the 2002 incarnation of one of the largest and longest-running music festivals. Mash-up maestros 2 Many DJ's, NYC "it"-sters the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Swedish exports the Soundtrack of Our Lives are among the must-see highlights, with Jurassic 5, Box Car Racer, the Chemical Brothers and Sigur Rós also due to turn in performances. Most shows are open to the public.

This year's marathon is not without its sense of humor, as comedic performances by David Cross, supporting his double-disc comedy album Shut Up You F---king Baby!, and puppet pooch Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, perhaps providing a glimpse at his forthcoming Come Poop With Me, are also scheduled.

Concerts are only half of the CMJ Music Marathon. Panel discussions on topics ranging from copyright protection and sampling to Internet radio, label consolidation and the rise of the New York rock scene take place each afternoon at the Hilton New York hotel. A Q&A session with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, conducted by rock scribe Dave Marsh, and an intimate discussion with Tori Amos are among the key talks.

Other artists slated to perform include Ben Kweller, the Polyphonic Spree, Radio 4, Medeski Martin and Wood, Bright Eyes, Thursday, the Moldy Peaches, Simian, (International) Noise Conspiracy, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Imperial Teen.

Although the kickoff is more than a week away, the event has already been met with its first flare-up. Ipecac Records, the independent label co-owned by former Faith No More singer and all-around eccentric Mike Patton, was forced to cancel a sold-out party and showcase on October 31 because its venue, the Roxy, was double-booked with a performance by DJ Carl Cox. Attempts to find another home for Skeleton Key, Isis, Tomahawk and Fantômas Melvins Big Band — the latter two groups include Patton — proved fruitless, and the show was called off.

"We started this label three and a half years ago as a way to operate differently than what is the norm in the music industry, to be artist friendly and fan friendly," Patton said in a statement. "This show was a celebration of what we have built in such a short period of time, a vindication of our goals. Now we stand here apologizing, looking like fools, yet we did nothing wrong."

Clear Channel Communications, which originally booked the Ipecac show at Irving Plaza and then moved it to the larger Roxy due to the high level of demand, has filed suit against the venue, seeking reimbursement and unspecified damages, according to an Ipecac spokesperson.

The Carl Cox show, which is not part of the festival, is going ahead as scheduled.

A complete list of performers and panels can be found at the CMJ Web site.

• Tori Amos
• Box Car Racer
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
• Jurassic 5
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Nappy Roots gave props to their native digs, so it's only right that the love is reciprocated. Kentucky Governor Paul Patton will appoint the collective as colonels of the state at a ceremony in their hometown on September 16, which is being declared Nappy Roots Day. ... Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson will show off his charitable side on September 28 at a benefit breakfast in Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. Admission is $100, which includes grub, a meet 'n' greet with Richardson, a souvenir ticket, entry into a raffle and an autograph, while proceeds will benefit Richardson's environmental organization, Just Within Reach, and Wildlife on Wheels. ... The members of experimental metal band Candiria canceled their tour with 40 Below Summer after their tour van was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer near Buffalo, New York. Guitarist John LaMacchia suffered a broken collarbone, and singer Carley Coma was cut and bruised, but not severely injured. ...

The Chemical Brothers, Box Car Racer, Bright Eyes/Desaparecidos, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, the Used, the (International) Noise Conspiracy and American Hi-Fi are just some of the hundreds of acts who will play this year's annual CMJ Music Marathon (October 30-November 2) in New York. Also performing are Sigur Ros, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Pedro the Lion, the Polyphonic Spree, Auto-Pilot Off, the Bangs, Dirtbombs, Murphy's Law, the Music, Ugly Casanova, Von Bondies and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. ... Metallica are set to release a book of lyrics on October 1, and they will reissue their 1993 box set, Live Sh--: Binge and Purge, on DVD on November 12. The set will contain a three-CD Mexico City concert as well as DVDs of shows in San Diego and Seattle. ...

Michelle Branch, the Pretenders, Gloria Estefan and Chaka Kahn are the first performers announced for Lifetime's annual Women Rock concert. Jennifer Love Hewitt will perform at and host the event, which will be filmed October 10 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre and air October 25 on Lifetime. ... Meanwhile, Chrissie Hynde & Co. will release their eighth album, Loose Screw, on November 12 through Artemis Records. The Pretenders will promote the record when they open for the Rolling Stones on select dates this fall. ... Lou Barlow's revamped Folk Implosion are recording a new album with producers Mickey Petralia (Beck, Eels) and Wally Gagel (Sebadoh, Juliana Hatfield) that is expected early next year. Barlow will tour solo acoustic this fall — beginning October 8 in Visalia, California, and ending November 19 and 20 in Los Angeles — to promote the new record from his side project, Sentridoh, titled Free Sentridoh Songs From Loobiecore. ...

Bruce Dickinson sang the aeronautic anthem "Aces High" nearly 20 years ago, and now that the Iron Maiden singer is employed by charter airline Astraeus, he's able to launch into the soaring tune at 20,000 feet. An experienced pilot since the 1990s, Dickinson serves as first officer of Boeing 737s traveling from the U.K. to destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. ... As for Dickinson's other "day job," Iron Maiden will release a six-disc box set of early live recordings called Eddie's Archive on November 5. The set will feature material from shows staged between 1979 and 1988 and will include a compilation called The Best of the B-Sides. ... Jerry Cantrell and Mad at Gravity have booked a 30-date tour kicking off October 9 in Corpus Christi, Texas, and wrapping November 16 in Houston. Mad at Gravity, fresh off a tour with Creed, are promoting their debut, Resonance. ... Fresh off his tour with fellow ex-Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar will release his new studio album, Not 4 Sale on October 8. In addition to the first single, "Things've Changed," the 10-track album will feature the cuts "Halfway to Memphis," "Whole Lotta Zep," "The Big Nail," "Stand Up," "The Big Square Inch," "Karma Wheel" and "Hallelujah." ...

If you go to Filter's upcoming 11-date Rellim Tour, that guy you hang with backstage might just be singer Richard Patrick. The low-dough outing kicks off on October 2 at the Quest in Minneapolis and allows fans to enter the venue through the backstage area, chow down on pizza and check out the bands' dressing room and lounge areas. ... Dave Navarro and Slash, who teamed up at San Diego's Street Scene Festival as part of a Jimi Hendrix tribute band, plan to reteam with another all-star band at an undisclosed location for a party on Halloween. The two hot-shot guitarists previously hit the stage with Moby, Robbie Williams and members of the Cult at an L.A. night club. ... Undisputed light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., considered by most to be the best pound-for-pound boxer, is hoping he can sing as well as dance in the ring on November 16. Jones, on the heels of his debut LP, Round One: The Album, will perform his first concert in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the main event prior to the quarterly fight series "Rumble in the Rock." ...

09.09.02

Serious Nirvana fans might want to put their bids in on eBay item #1765388613, the four-bedroom, two-bath home where late leader Kurt Cobain lived from age 11 to 15. As yet no one has offered the first bid of $200,000 for the modest Montesano, Washington, home with Cobain's unchanged, nautical-themed "captain's quarters" bedroom. ... Stone Sour, fronted by unmasked Slipknot front man Corey Taylor, will launch their first-ever U.S. tour on September 27 at Pop's in Sauget, Illinois. The outing will feature support from Sinch and Chevelle and is currently scheduled to run through an October 16 show at the NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia. ... Staind will release a DVD of their MTV "Unplugged" performance, recorded last July, on November 12. The DVD will feature two songs that were not included when the show aired, along with favorites like "It's Been Awhile" and "Outside." ...

Early recordings of later favorites by John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, Train, Five for Fighting, Vertical Horizon and others are featured on Aware Greatest Hits, due October 29. All of the songs are culled from the nine Aware compilations that helped break the artists. ... Producer Damon Elliott, the man behind recent hits by Destiny's Child, Pink and Kylie Minogue, has signed on to compose tracks for and music supervise the upcoming "Fat Albert" movie. Elliott is also producing Beyoncé Knowles' title track for her next movie, "The Fighting Temptations," as well as music for Jamie Kennedy's "Malibu's Most Wanted" and Bernie Mac's "Lil' Pimp." ... New Bomb Turks, an influence on the garage's resurgence and a ceaselessly energetic live act, are ready to cease touring. The group's current outing to support its new album, The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still, will be its last, but the Turks will continue to put out records. ...

10 Years in the Life, a compilation of tracks recorded and produced by BT, is due Tuesday (September 10). Remixes of hits by Madonna, the Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold are included. ... Also due Tuesday is the soundtrack to the Susan Sarandon/Goldie Hawn flick "The Banger Sisters," which features Tommy Lee's cover of David Bowie's "Fame" and Ben Folds handling Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes." Also included on the album are original songs from Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, Who singer Roger Daltrey, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and the now-defunct Buckcherry, who also appear in the film. ... Let's Roll: Together in Unity, Faith and Hope, a benefit album featuring DC Talk, Chaka Khan, Steven Curtis Chapman and others, is also set to arrive on Tuesday. ...

Former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, Phish bassist Mike Gordon, Rusted Root, moe., Gov't Mule and Blind Boys of Alabama are among the performers scheduled for the third annual Jammy Awards on October 2 at Roseland Ballroom in New York. Gordon will perform with guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke to promote their collaboration album, Clone, due October 8. ... "1 Giant Leap," a fusion of music and images from around the world by Faithless's Jamie Catto, will be screened on an upcoming college tour that will also feature Rusted Root and former Soul Coughing singer Mike Doughty. Michael Stipe, Robbie Williams and Brian Eno are among those who participated in "1 Giant Leap." ... Rocket From the Crypt will release their seventh album, Live From Camp X-Ray, on October 22 through Vagrant Records. The disc is neither live, nor was it recorded at Camp X-Ray.

• Nappy Roots
• Michelle Branch
• Candiria
• Box Car Racer
• Iron Maiden

Travis Barker
Photo: MTV News

In his continuing bid to be the hardest-working man in rock, Travis Barker has piled a few new endeavors onto his overstuffed plate.

On top of firming up plans for side project the Transplants to drop their debut LP, setting off on the road with Box Car Racer, and preparing the new Blink-182 album, the drummer somehow found time to bring his collection of vintage Cadillacs up to 11 with the addition of a '54 Coup De Ville and '78 El Dorado.

Although the Transplants album doesn't yet have an official title, it's scheduled for release October 22, according to a Hellcat Records spokesperson. Barker, singer Rob Aston and Rancid guitarist Tim Armstrong comprise the basis of the group, though its tentatively eponymous LP also features contributions from Rancid's Lars Frederiksen, the Distillers' Brody Armstrong, AFI's Davey Havok and Nerve Agents' Eric Ozenne.

"Transplants songs are over the top," Barker said. "We talk about stuff I can't even mention. Some of it is as hard as you can possibly get. It's so punk it's stupid. It's really influenced by old English Dogs and G.B.H., that kind of stuff. Then some of it is really hardcore drum and bass. It's weird."

Box Car Racer, Barker's collaboration with Blink bandmate Tom DeLonge, David Kennedy and Anthony Celestino, filmed their second video recently with director Alexander Kostas (Filter, Andrew W.K.). Barker described the clip for "There Is," which follows first single "I Feel So," as very '80s inspired, with a portion that skewers a scene from "Say Anything ..." in which John Cusack serenades Ione Skye with a boom box. Only in the video, Box Car Racer provide the protagonist's audio accompaniment.

Box Car Racer are also set to embark on a tour in October. Since its announcement earlier this month (see "Box Car Racer, The Used Rev Up For Fall Tour"), the itinerary has changed a bit and New York hardcore group H20 have been tapped as a second opener.

After the Box Car Racer tour ends in late November, Barker will have just a few weeks to himself before starting Blink-182's successor to last year's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Although it might seem that following up such a successful album would be a lengthy process, Barker figures on it taking only two weeks to forge a Blink opus.

"We should have some gnarly preparation, be ready and think about stuff," he said, "but we don't. We just kind of go in there, write songs — they are what they are — and record them. Then it's done."

Whether it's the heavier, post-hardcore feel of Box Car, the left-field schizo sounds of the Transplants or Blink-182's pop-punk songs about everyday life, Barker finds that there's a place for everything, and he's never confused when it comes to which group will lay claim to a newly penned song.

"I love every one of my bands for different reasons," he explains. "It's special. It's like having three girlfriends."

Box Car Racer, the Used, H20 tour dates, according to MCA Records:

• 10/22 - Riverside, CA @ La Luna
• 10/23 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto
• 10/25 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 10/26 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
• 10/27 - The Woodlands, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 10/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 10/30 - Gainesville, FL @ The Palace
• 11/1 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/2 - Washington, DC @ Nation
• 11/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 11/4 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
• 11/6 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
• 11/7 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus (formerly Warehouse)
• 11/8 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion
• 11/9 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
• 11/10 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
• 11/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
• 11/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 11/15 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
• 11/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Bricks
• 11/18 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
• 11/19 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
• 11/21 - Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre
• 11/22 - San Jose, CA @ Event Center Arena
• 11/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
• 11/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
• 11/26 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - The Joint
• 11/27 - San Diego, CA @ Cox Arena

• blink-182
• Box Car Racer

The Used frontman Bert Mccracken live
Photo: Warner Bros.

Box Car Racer will put their headlining mojo to the test this fall on a North American tour with bipolar Utah punk/metal outfit the Used.

The offshoot act, which is composed of Blink-182 guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker, guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body and bassist Anthony Celestino, will kick off the outing on October 25 in Dallas. The band has scheduled 22 shows so far.

Box Car Racer are touring behind their self-titled debut album, which came out in May (see "Box Car Racer About The End Of The World, Not End Of Blink-182"). Earlier this year, the band filmed a video for its first single "I Feel So" with Nathan "Karma" Cox (System of a Down, Linkin Park).

While many side projects are revamps of the musicians' main gigs, Box Car Racer is a marked diversion from the sprightly pop-punk and goofy shenanigans of Blink-182. Most of the band's songs are bleak and apocalyptic, leaving little room for clowning around. And while there are sonic similarities between the two bands, Box Car Racer are starker and moodier, injecting elements of emo and post-punk within their twisting tunes.

The Used are currently on Ozzfest in support of their self-titled debut album, which came out in June. The band has released a live video for "A Box Full of Sharp Objects" and will shoot a clip for "The Taste of Ink" on August 22, though a director has yet to be chosen. The band's somewhat schizophrenic hybrid of metal, alt-punk and emo reflects the rage, frustration, guilt and vulnerability of formerly devout Mormons rebelling against their restrictive upbringing (see "Now That The Used Are No Longer Using, Life Is 'Unreal' " ).

Fall and winter tour dates for Box Car Racer and the Used, according to MCA Records:

• 10/25 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 10/27 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
• 10/30 - Gainesville, FL @ The Palace
• 11/1 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/2 - Washington, DC @ Nation
• 11/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 11/4 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
• 11/6 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
• 11/7 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
• 11/8 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
• 11/9 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
• 11/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
• 11/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 11/15 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
• 11/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Brick's
• 11/18 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
• 11/19 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
• 11/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 11/22 - Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre
• 11/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
• 11/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
• 11/26 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint

• Box Car Racer
• The Used

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

It took Eminem only a few days to do what took P. Diddy a whole week to accomplish.

Not only will the Detroit rapper's The Eminem Show bump P. Diddy and Bad Boy Records' We Invented the Remix from the #1 position on next week's Billboard albums chart after having been "officially" on sale for only one day, it will take the top slot with a higher first-week total by more than 30,000.

To take nothing away from the impressive tally — The Eminem Show came in with more than 284,000 in sales, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (May 29) — the length of time the album was actually on sale varied. Although Eminem's third album was pushed from its original drop date and formally released Sunday (see "Eminem Show Moved Up Again — Album In Stores Sunday"), the final day of the SoundScan cycle, several retailers began to stock and sell it as early as Friday, to give the album a three-day shelf life. A press release from Interscope Records issued Wednesday cited that the total was derived from a 36-hour sales period.

Trailing P. Diddy's remix set, which sold more than 143,000 copies, will be Marc Anthony's Mended, spurred by the single "I've Got You." The Latin-crossover singer's latest sold more than 111,000 copies in its first week to finish in the third slot.

The self-titled debut by Box Car Racer, the side project formed by Blink-182's Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge, was the third most popular new release and will come in at #12 with more than 65,000 sold. That's a step above Off the Hook — the inaugural album of hip-hop hits from the creators of the Now That's What I Call Music! series — which sold about 1,000 fewer copies.

Amy Grant's religious collection, Legacy Hymns & Faith, at #21 (46,000) and Tommy Lee's second post-Mötley Crüe opus, Never a Dull Moment, at #39 (28,000) round out next week's top 40 newcomers to the chart.

Thanks to last week's broadcast of the annual Academy of Country Music Awards show, country albums will be responsible for the largest chart gains. Kenny Chesney's No Shoes No Shirt No Problems will lurch four spots to re-enter the top 10 at #9. Similarly, Drive, by Alan Jackson, who took home three ACM awards, vaults eight spots to #18. Other country albums to see a big chart bump are Toby Keith's Pull My Chain (#76 to #67); Martina McBride's Greatest Hits (#121 to #71); three-time winner Brooks & Dunn's Steers & Stripes (#132 to #77); and Travis Tritt's 2000 album, Down the Road I Go (#114 to #85).

While country artists surged up the chart this week, hipster musicians have taken a tumble. Moby's 18, which debuted on the last chart at #4, will fall to #10; while Weezer's Maladroit will dive 13 places from #3 to #16.

The remainder of next week's top 10 includes Cam'ron's Come Home With Me, slipping two places to #4; Ashanti's eponymous debut moving forward from #7 to #5; Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come also moving up two places to #6; Musiq's Juslisen forfeiting two slots to #7; and Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 9 taking a step ahead to #8.

Next week's top 40 extremes will come courtesy of career artists with nearly three decades' worth of albums under their belts. Barry Manilow's latest hits collection, Ultimate Manilow, will spring 14 places from #36 to #22; while Rush's Vapor Trails leaves one in its wake as it plummets from #6 to #29, with more than a one-third reduction in sales compared to the previous week.

Rounding out next week's notable chart debuts will be Phil Lesh & Friends' There and Back Again at #79; NOFX's 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records at #80; Superjoint Ritual's Use Once and Destroy at #87; the NASCAR compilation Crank It Up at #90; Something Corporate's Leaving Through the Window at #101; Poison's Hollyweird at #103; Dayton Family's Dope House at #107; the Breeders' Title TK at #130; Goldfinger's Open Your Eyes at #136; MxPx's Ten Years and Running at #147; Bryan Ferry's Frantic at #189 and Dio's Killing the Dragon at #199.

• Eminem
• Diddy
• Marc Anthony
• Box Car Racer
• Moby

Box Car Racer
Photo: MCA

It's Tuesday again, time push aside the old, dusty albums to make room on the shelves for shiny, new releases. This week's spotlight is on two-thirds of Blink-182, as Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker unveil the self-titled debut from their side project, Box Car Racer.

Though Box Car Racer — whose lineup is rounded out by Dave Kennedy and Anthony Celestino — could be seen as an extension of sorts to Blink, the music is darker and less poppy, as seen on their first single, "I Feel So."

The way Tommy Lee feels, predictably, is like rocking, and his new album, Never a Dull Moment is the perfect place to do it. Marc Anthony rolls out his newest English-language release, Mended, while the Breeders — Kim and Kelley Deal and their new lineup — make their way back onto the scene with their first album in almost a decade, Title TK. Word to the Holler girls.

Out Tuesday, May 14:

• Afu-Ra - Life Force Radio (Koch)
• Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men - Out in California (HighTone)
• Laurie Anderson - Live at Town Hall, New York City, September 19-20, 2001 (Nonesuch/Atlantic)
• Marc Anthony - Mended (Columbia)
  Read about it ... Mended Marc Anthony Releasing New English LP In May
• Patti Austin - For Ella (Playboy Jazz)
• Axel Rudi Pell - Shadow Zone (Streamhammer)
• Baby Anne - I'm About to Break (Moonshine)
• Bad Company - In Concert: Merchants of Cool (CMC Int'l)
• Long John Baldry - Remembering Leadbelly (Stony Plain)
• Bell Biv Devoe - Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters (MCA)
• Beyond the Embrace - Against the Elements (Metal Blade)
• Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Trio - On the Go (Jeems)
• Big Syke - Street Commando (RideOnUm)
• Box Car Racer - Box Car Racer (MCA)
  Read about it ... Box Car Racer About End Of The World, Not End Of Blink-182
• Breeders - Title TK (Elektra/4AD)
  Read about it ... Breeders Shout Out Tater Holler, Truck-Stop Knives, Beer Class On New LP
• Meredith Brooks - Bad Bad One (Gold Circle)
  Read about it ... Meredith Brooks Preps Album, Produces Jennifer Love Hewitt LP
• Buffalo Tom - Besides (Beggars Banquet)
• Burner - One for the Road (Artic/Crash)
• Capitol K - Island Row (XL)
• Ian Van Dahl - Ace (Robin's Ent.)
• Rick Danko, Fjeld & Anderson - One More Shot (Appleseed Recordings)
• Dayton Family - Dope House (In the Paint)
• D.I. - Caseyology (Cleopatra)
• D.I. - State of Shock (Cleopatra)
• Dio - Killing the Dragon (Spitfire)
• DJ Dara - Further (Moonshine)
• DJ Spooky - Modern Mantra (Shadow)
• DJ Teebee & K - The Deeper Side of Drum & Bass (Rockwell)
• Doc Martin - Sounds You Can Feel ... (Classic Studio K)
• Doom - Total Doom (Peaceville)
• Down to the Bone - Crazy Vibes and Things (GRP)
• Emerson Drive - Emerson Drive (DreamWorks Nashville)
• Engine - Superholic (Metal Blade)
• Bryan Ferry - Frantic (Virgin)
• Neil Finn - One All (Nettwerk)
• The Flatlanders - Now Again (New West)
• Funkmaster Flex - 60 Minutes of Funk Vol. 5 (Loud)
• Girlschool - The Very Best of Girlschool (Sanctuary)
• Goldfinger - Open Your Eyes (Mojo)
• Amy Grant - Legacy ... Hymns & Faith (A&M)
• Steve Hackett - Genesis Files (Recall)
• Hank Dogs - Half Smile (SpinART)
• Havalina - Space, Love & Bullfighting (Tooth & Nail)
• Hayseed Dixie - A Hillbilly Tribute to Mountain Love (DualTone)
• High Violets - 44 Down (Reverb)
• Hometown Hero - Hometown Hero (Maverick)
• Mike Ireland - Try Again (Ashmont)
• Mason Jennings - Birds Flying Away (reissue, Bar None)
• Mason Jennings - Mason Jennings (reissue, Bar None)
• Juanes - Un Día Normal (Circo/Universal)
• Kage - Big Big (Rocwilda)
• Killingbird - Killingbird (Two K Sounds)
• Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing (Roadrunner)
• Patti LaBelle - Over the Rainbow (Spy)
• Lady May - May Day (Arista)
  Read about it ... Lady May + Rob Jackson = 'Boom, Boom, Boom'
• Tommy Lee - Never a Dull Moment (MCA)
  Read about it ... Tommy Lee Hitting The Road In May
• Phil Lesh & Friends - There and Back Again (Lapis/Columbia)
• Little Big Town - Little Big Town (Monument)
• Madd Nation - World Gone Madd (Warlock)
• Marley Marl - The Best of Cold Chillin' Volumes 1 & 2 (Landspeed)
• McBride and the Ride - Amarillo Sky (DualTone)
• MFSB - MFSB (reissue, Legacy)
• Mondo Grosso - MG4R (Red Dance)
• Motörhead - The Very Best of Motörhead (Sanctuary)
• MXPX - Ten Years and Running (Tooth & Nail)
• Natas - Godlike (Number 6)
• Randy Newman - Good Old Boys (reissue, Rhino)
• Randy Newman - Sail Away (reissue, Rhino)
• Heather Nova - South (V2)
• Gary Numan - Dark Wonders (Recall)
• Out to Win - Persist & Destroy (Triple Crown)
• Billy Paul - 360 Degrees of Billy Paul (reissue, Legacy)
• Teddy Pendergrass - From Teddy with Love (Razor & Tie)
• Billy Preston - Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters (A&M)
• Tito Puente - Live at the Playboy Jazz Festival (Playboy Jazz)
• Pulp - We Love Life (Sanctuary/Rough Trade)
• Amy Rigby - The Mod Housewife Anthology (Koch)
• Duke Robillard - Living With the Blues (Stony Plain)
• Rubyhorse - Rise (Island)
• Saints - Spit the Blues Out (Raven)
• Michael Schenker - Thank You, Vol. 2 (Steamhammer)
• Paul Schwartz Project - Earthbound (Windham Hill)
• Christophe Schweitzer Normal Garden - Physique (OmniTone)
• Dave Seaman - Global Underground 022: Melbourne (Global Underground)
• The Selecter - Perform the Trojan Songbook Vol. 1 (reissue, Trojan)
• Serberus - Descension (Crash)
• Roxanne Shanté - Best of Cold Chillin' (Landspeed)
• Todd Sheaffer - Dream of Love (Bos Music)
• Slowdeck - Multiple Offenses (Waveform)
• Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window (MCA)
  Read about it ... Something Corporate Take Down The Shermanator, Take Home A Playmate
• Soul Hooligan - Music Like Dirt (Maverick)
• The Specials - In the Studio (reissue, Chrysalis)
• The Specials - More Specials (reissue, Chrysalis)
• The Specials - Skinhead Girl (Chrysalis)
• The Specials - The Specials (reissue, Chrysalis)
• Speedy J - Bugmod (EP) (NovaMute)
• Rick Springfield - Speak to the Sky (Laserlight)
• The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again (reissue, Spy)
• Steven - Future Home of Burbank Elks (Slabco)
• Superjoint Ritual - Use Once and Destroy (Sanctuary)
• Take 6 - Beautiful World (Warner Bros.)
• Telepopmusik - Genetic World (Capitol)
• Danny Tenaglia - Back to Basics (Six-Eleven)
• The The - 45 RPM: The Singles (Legacy)
• Tiara - Titletron (Grand Theft Autumn)
• Kevin Tihista - Judo (Parasol)
• Mary Timony - The Golden Dove (Matador)
• Tram - A Kind of Closure (Jetset)
• The Trammps - Trammps (reissue, Legacy)
• Tre-8 - 2 Hot 4 TV (Major Ent.)
• Ugly Casanova - Sharpen Your Teeth (Sub Pop)
  Read about it ... Side Project From Modest Mouse Singer Is Typically Twisted
• Uriah Heep - The Very Best of Uriah Heep (Sanctuary)
• Various artists - Big Beat Classic Dance (Big Beat)
• Various artists - Big Beat Future Classics (Big Beat)
• Various artists - Big Beat Urban Classics (Big Beat)
• Various artists – "The Blue Planet" soundtrack (Koch Progressive)
• Various artists – "Bob the Builder" soundtrack (Koch)
• Various artists – "Dogtown & Z-Boys" soundtrack (Universal)
• Various artists - Electronic Tribute to the Grateful Dead (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Exposure 2 (4 Foot Eleven)
• Various artists - A Great Night in Harlem (Playboy Jazz)
• Various artists - Lost Gems (Laserlight)
• Various artists - Metal Years: Gothic Doom (Spitfire)
• Various artists - Metal Years: Power Metal (Spitfire)
• Various artists - Metal Years: Progressive Metal (Spitfire)
• Various artists - NASCAR - Crank It Up (MCA)
  Read about it ... Slipknot, Staind Gear Up For NASCAR Comp
• Various artists - Off the Hook: Now Presents Urban Hits (Columbia)
  Read about it ... Now That's What I Call Hip-Hop
• Various artists - Philadelphia Classics (Legacy)
• Various artists - Progressive Trance America 001 (Water Music)
• Various artists - Pure '80s Rocks (Universal)
• Various artists – "Undercover Brother" soundtrack (Hollywood)
  Read about it ... Snoop Dogg Gets Funky On 'Undercover Brother' Soundtrack
• Vomitory - Blood Rapture (Metal Blade)
• X - Ain't Love Grand (reissue, Rhino)
• X - More Fun in the New World (reissue, Rhino)
• X - See How We Are (reissue, Rhino)
• Yes - Yestoday (Recall)
• Youngstah - Kursed (East Side)
• Zawose & Brook - Assembly (Real World)

• Eminem - The Eminem Show (Interscope)
  Read about it ... "Eminem Album Preview: Slim As Shady As Ever

• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)
  Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court

• David Bowie - Heathen (ISO/Columbia)
  Read about it ... Foos' Dave Grohl, Moby Are Bowie Buddies On New LP
• Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage (Universal)
• They Might Be Giants - No! (Rounder)

• Papa Roach - Lovehatetragedy (DreamWorks)
  Read about it ... Papa Roach Distance Themselves From Rap-Metal Peers On New LP
• Swizz Beatz - G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (DreamWorks)
  Read about it ... Swizz Beatz Unveils Metallica/Ja Rule Track, Sets 'Guilty' Single

• Boy George - Night Out (Moonshine)
• Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip (Island/Def Jam)
  Read about it ... Jerry Cantrell Conjures Ghost Of Alice In Chains On New LP
• Solange Knowles - Solo Star (Columbia)
  Read about it ... Solange, Beyonce's Lil' Sis, Says She's No Destiny's Child

• Box Car Racer
• blink-182
• Tommy Lee
• Marc Anthony
• The Breeders

The Osbournes: Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly
Photo: MTV

"The Osbournes" have not only captivated you, your bleeping grandma and your bleeping hairdresser, but probably your favorite bleeping rock star as well.

The most popular series in MTV history, with nearly 8 million viewers a week, has acquired a particularly loyal audience in perhaps the only people who can truly relate to the madness — other musicians.

Incubus, for example, fell so hard for the show they asked their management to record it when they are on the road and send them copies for tour bus screenings.

Singer Brandon Boyd said when "The Osbournes" is on, his eyes are glued to the TV. "The Osbournes are an amazing family, and they are amazingly watchable," he explained. "I knew that they were a quirky family, and when I heard about the idea initially I was like, 'Hmm ... I don't know if that's going to work.' But it really worked."

"Worked" is an understatement. "The Osbournes," which ends its first season Tuesday (May 7), has managed to become not only the most successful series in MTV's 21-year history, but one of the top shows on all of cable.

Perhaps more importantly, it has become cultural phenomenon, with the family appearing on the cover of nearly every major entertainment magazine. Even the Osbournes' pets are covered by the media (see "Bitch Is Back: Osbournes Reunited With Lost Dog").

The show, which stemmed from an episode of another MTV show, "Cribs," is loved by most viewers for its intimate look inside a celebrity household, something that had only been done with scripts before, a la "Ozzie and Harriett." Musicians, however, adore it for the accurate lifestyle it depicts.

"It's my favorite show on TV right now," said Box Car Racer's Dave Kennedy, whose entire band, which includes Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, watches the show. "[Ozzy's] crazy. It's just so much fun to watch the ridiculous sh-- — people screaming and cussing."

Oh, yes, the cussing. The bleeping on "The Osbournes" is almost constant, much like it would be if a camera crew was to film a band in its dressing room or on its tour bus.

"I love the part that every other word is a beep," said Pink. "That's my favorite part. It reminds of me of old-school MTV and it makes me very excited because they are being daring again, and that's exciting to me 'cause that's why I loved MTV in the first place. 'Cause my mom didn't want me to watch it. So if more moms out there today are saying, 'Oh that's disgusting, don't watch that,' then I love it."

Many rockers, like Incubus, are especially entertained by the reality program because they have experienced the Osbourne family firsthand, whether on the Sharon Osbourne-organized Ozzfest or via other musical encounters.

Mike Einziger, Incubus' guitarist, befriended the Osbourne children over the years and recently recorded with Kelly on her Jack-produced demo of "Papa Don't Preach" (see "Kelly Osbourne's Ready For Her Closeup With 'Papa Don't Preach' Video").

"There is nothing fake about that show," Einziger said. "People go, 'Oh that's fake, they staged that.' None of that's fake. It's all real."

Singer Dez Fafara of metal band Coal Chamber, who were managed by Sharon for several years, agreed entirely with Einziger.

"We knew they were that dysfunctional years ago," he said, laughing.

Some musicians, including Pink, have even become so enthralled with "The Osbournes" that the family members, especially Kelly and Jack, have become the cool celebrities to party with or even just spot out. Kelly's appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival near Palm Springs a few weekends ago (female bodyguard in tow) had the whole VIP tent buzzing.

"I met the kids the other day at the [ESPN Action Sports and Music Awards] and they're so funny," Pink said. "I was trying to get Kelly to dance with me. She's got pink hair now! I love it! It looks cute on her."

Unwritten Law singer Scott Russo boasted recently that he hung with the underage Kelly at a Los Angeles club.

"She was super cool," Russo said. "I don't think she liked our video, though. She was like, 'Oh, I'm sick of your video. I've seen it like every day for the last two months.' But I bought her a drink and it compensated. So hopefully she likes us now. That show rules."

Even without Kelly and Jack and even Sharon, artists say they would still love "The Osbournes" if only because Ozzy is such an iconic person in music and, understand him or not, you just have to love the guy.

"I'm a huge fan of anything Ozzy," Coal Chamber's Fafara said.

Box Car Racer's Anthony Celestino agreed. "I wish Ozzy was my dad."

Even the president of the United States recently gave props to the prince of darkness (see "The Osbournes Meet The Bushes: Iann Robinson Reports From Washington").

There is one musician, however, who admits to not liking "The Osbournes." "I like them better when they are outside of the TV," Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis said. "But Flea loves it!"

To read the Osbourne family members' own take on the show that has made them the new faces of reality TV, see "The Osbournes: Dysfunctional Family Values".

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Incubus
• P!nk
• Box Car Racer

• blink-182
• Box Car Racer
• Britney Spears
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Kelly Osbourne