Danger Mouse
Photo: Gary Miller/ FilmMagic

It was poised to be one of the coolest, most unusual albums in a short history of great collaborations: producer Danger Mouse working with experimental rockers Sparklehorse and filmmaker David Lynch for an album titled Dark Night of the Soul, featuring guest spots from the Flaming Lips, the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Iggy Pop, the Pixies' Frank Black, the Shins' James Mercer and a handful of others.

And then the business got in the way. According to reports, EMI Music blocked the release of the album, due out in July, over a contractual dispute. (A spokesperson for EMI could not be reached for comment at press time.) TheTripwire.com reported that Danger Mouse, who made his name producing the widely bootlegged The Grey Album, did what any forward-thinking, former renegade mash-up artist would do: He decided to release the album as a blank disc.

"Danger Mouse's new project, Dark Night of the Soul consists of an album-length piece of music by Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and a host of guest vocalists, along with a collection of original David Lynch photography inspired by and based on the music," a spokesperson for Danger Mouse told MTV News in a statement. "The photographs, which provide a visual narrative for the music, are compiled in a limited-edition, hand-numbered 100+ page book, which will now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.' "

Movie-style posters hyping the project popped up all over Austin during this year's South by Southwest festival, building anticipation for the long-in-the-works project. But the source told Tripwire that due to an unspecified ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse could not release the music he recorded for the album without facing the possibility of being sued by the label. "Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night of the Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is."

Translation? Songs from the album, which started leaking on May 7, can pretty readily be found online for download by intrepid fans. A spokesperson for Danger Mouse could not be reached for comment at press time.

• Danger Mouse
• Sparklehorse

Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse
Photo: MTV News

Gnarls Barkley have had a tough week.

On Monday, there was the news that the video for "Run," the first single from their upcoming album, The Odd Couple, (which premieres on "TRL" Thursday), contained strobe effects that could trigger epileptic seizures, forcing them to re-edit the clip at the last minute. And then, late Tuesday night — presumably while cuts were being made to the "Run" video — Couple went ahead and leaked to the Net more than a month before it was due in stores.

On Wednesday (March 5), many media outlets erroneously reported that MTV had banned the video. According to an MTV spokesperson, MTV's international channel, MTV U.K., initially rejected the video but has accepted a revised version. Additionally, the clip was already scheduled to premiere on MTV's "TRL" on Thursday and is set to go into rotation on Monday.

Clearly, the recent developments and misrepresented reports have taken the Barkley camp by surprise, but they're also taking them in stride. After all, this is the sort of drama that comes with releasing a hotly anticipated album, which Couple most certainly is. And, to be honest, they're just flattered people are paying attention. After all, they never really intended to get to this point in the first place.

"I don't think we ever said [Gnarls] was going to be a one-off thing, but we also didn't think about what would happen next," producer/mastermind Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton told MTV News. "We got back together to make this album, but also because we were really excited to see what the other person was going to do this time. We kind of always go back and forth, trying to challenge each other with music and lyrics ... and we were just excited to see what would happen again."

And what happened was Couple, an album that — as you probably know by now — ditches a majority of the hip-hop/R&B influences that made their debut, St. Elsewhere, a bona fide smash. Instead, it explores moodier, more crackling '60s pop and soul and skittering, shifty electronica. In short, it's an album that showcases both the old and new. Case in point, "Run."

"The music for 'Run' I did years ago. It was one of the first group of songs I put together to try to convince Cee-Lo to work with me, so ... it was the sound of what would be Gnarls Barkley," Danger Mouse said. "And [he] had it for years, and then revisited it, I guess, more recently. It was always something I hoped would get used in some kind of way. But I don't think that if we would've done it years ago, it would've sounded like this. It probably would've been something completely different."

"At the same time, the track kind of resembles emotion. It sounds like a bullet out of a barrel," Cee-Lo added. "And that's why it was the proper way to reintroduce ourselves. Like, 'We are Gnarls Barkley — better run for your life.' "

The duo also singled out a pair of tracks — "Open Book" and "Neighbors" — as favorites and prime examples of Gnarls' mixture of complex emotions and pop music.

"I love 'Open Book.' It's just jumping in with both feet, exposing your virtues and your vices, your vulnerabilities and strengths," Cee-Lo said. "And it's done in a very eloquent-yet-aggressive way. It's about being willing to bear the cross and take the sacrifice."

"I'm a big fan of 'Neighbors,' " Danger added. "It's really relatable, about how people think they see something, but you don't know what you have gone through to get it or lose it. And that doesn't necessarily mean material things, it's much more about people's outer appearance, and wanting to trade places with people, and the grass is always greener."

Totally (or something).

Before the whole seizure controversy started (a controversy that, incidentally, the duo claimed to have no knowledge about) the clip for "Run" was better known for the cameo made by Justin Timberlake, who plays the Jheri-curl-sporting host of "City Vibin'," a dance show Gnarls are performing on. The whole thing seems to have happened on a whim, but in a funny way, it all sort of fits with the duo's "old and new" ethos.

"Justin volunteered to be in the video. I think he had a relationship with the directors, and his name might have casually come up in conversation, and we've met on numerous occasions, and Justin's a real cool dude, and he did his thing," Cee-Lo laughed. "It's a [take-off on] those old retro dance shows, stuff like 'American Bandstand' and, us being from Atlanta, [a show like] 'Atlanta Jams.' And then there's the '80s garb and attitude and choreography. And when you contrast that up against the brand-new thing we're doing sonically, it all sort of works."

[This story was originally published at 3:29 p.m. ET on 03.05.08]

• Gnarls Barkley Are Back — And Odder Than Ever

• Gnarls Barkley
• Justin Timberlake
• Cee-Lo
• Danger Mouse

Mariah Carey
Photo: Mariah Carey/Getty Images

Mariah Carey got a win in court last week when a federal judge decided that a copyright-infringement case against her had no merit. Singer Rachele Chafir had sued Carey in April 2006, claiming that Carey's hit "It's Like That" was copied from her song "Sexy" and lifted key pieces, including the music, for the chorus. Chafir, who copyrighted the song in 2004, claimed Carey had access to "Sexy" since it was available on a Web site, but U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood decided that wasn't proof Carey or her collaborators had gone to the Web site or lifted the material, which wasn't "strikingly similar" enough to be considered infringement. With "no genuine issues of material fact," Wood closed the case. "It was the right decision," Carey's lawyer Ilene Farkas told MTV News. "The record was clear in this case." Meanwhile, Carey is moving on with her yet-untitled follow-up to The Emancipation of Mimi, which her record label confirmed is now due December 4. ...

Going, going ... to Cooperstown. And with an asterisk on it. Baseball star Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball, which was purchased two weeks ago in an online auction by hip-hop fashion mogul Marc Ecko, will be heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum after all. Ecko bought the ball and launched a Web site giving fans the chance to vote on the ball's final destination: outer space or to Cooperstown, with or without an asterisk signifying Bonds' alleged steroid use in helping him become the all-time home-run king. The announcement was made Wednesday morning (September 26) on the "Today" show after a week of voting. According to Vote756.com, over 10 million votes were cast, of which 47 percent chose to send the tagged ball to the famed baseball museum. ...

The twisted saga of the investigation into the unsolved 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. took another turn this week when Waymond Anderson, an inmate serving life for murder, recanted testimony in which he had implicated the Los Angeles Police Department in the rapper's murder. The Los Angeles Times reports that Anderson said in a recent deposition that he lied about LAPD involvement as part of a "scam" cooked up with two other convicts to get a big monetary settlement from the city of Los Angeles. Most shockingly, Anderson accused the rapper's family — which has filed a wrongful-death suit seeking damages from the city — and its lawyer of taking part in the scheme and offering to pay him a percentage of the settlement for false testimony against the LAPD. In the August 20 testimony, Anderson said he had never met the officers he implicated, despite earlier statements in which he described conversations with the two disgraced ex-LAPD cops. A lawyer for Biggie's family, Perry Sanders, called Anderson's allegations "100 percent, demonstrably false," adding yet another twist to the already-knotted-up story by saying that Anderson appeared to be changing his story at the behest of Chuck Philips, a Times reporter who has written extensively about the murder investigation and has questioned the theory of LAPD involvement. Phillips and the Times dismissed the allegations. ...

In other Biggie news, the recently released documentary "The Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" follows the rapper's life from his early days to his death with interviews from many of the behind-the-scenes music-industry figures and friends who watched the rapper rise from a street-corner hustler to one of the biggest rap stars in the world. The film also features several minutes of previously unreleased footage shot by a bystander of the scene on the night Biggie was gunned down. The fan's video — which director Peter Spirer ("Beef," "Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel") said has been reviewed by authorities — doesn't capture the moment Biggie's car was shot at, but it does have audio of the shots and shaky footage of the chaotic aftermath. ...

Embattled football player Michael Vick is facing stricter release conditions after testing positive for marijuana earlier this month, The Associated Press reports. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson imposed the new conditions, which include restricting Vick to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring and making him submit to random drug tests. He was ordered to continue participating in substance-abuse and mental-health counseling. Vick was put under pretrial release supervision in July, and the restrictions included refraining from the use of narcotic drugs or other controlled substances. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who pleaded guilty in August to federal dogfighting charges, is awaiting sentencing December 10 — and Vick's violation of the conditions of his release could be taken into consideration by the judge. He faces up to five years in prison for the federal charges, and has been indicted on additional state charges in Virginia as well. ...

A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Lil Wayne over a melee that broke out during one of his shows at Morgan State University in Baltimore in October. According to an AP story, Carlisa Dixon said she was impaled on a metal pole after the crowd surged to snatch up money that was being tossed from the stage. Dixon is seeking $1 million from Wayne's record label and touring companies, and another $1 million from the university, claiming she underwent surgery for a puncture wound as a result of the crowd surge. A lawsuit was filed in August by another woman who claimed she was trampled in the same money-throwing incident. A spokesperson for Wayne could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

A man died at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night in what police think may have been a crowd-surfing or moshing accident. The Canadian Press reports that Vancouver police say the man was unconscious when he was dragged out of the crowd at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum during the show and worked on by first-aid personnel on site before being transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have ruled out foul play. ... The Voodoo Music Experience is shifting locations, but just slightly. The fest, to take place October 26-28, has a new site in New Orleans City Park to accommodate ongoing restoration and improvement of the park. The shift brings the fest closer to Tad Gormley Stadium, where Voodoo was first held in 1999. ...

Do you march to Nelly's beat? The rapper is cobbling together a marching band for his performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards on October 13. Auditions will be held Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans and St. Louis, and Nelly is looking for girls who can play drums, tri-toms, bass drum, tuba or trumpet. Prospective players need to know how to perform his song "Grillz" and move to the beat of the song while playing their instruments. Final auditions will be held October 8 in Atlanta, and those who can't make the auditions in person can post a one-minute video clip on Nelly's drum-line-audition site. ... If you've been doubting Swizz Beatz's fashion sense, think again — Gap has tapped the hugely popular producer for its spring ad campaign. ...

VH1 Rock Docs picked up its first Emmy win on Monday as "DMC: My Adoption Journey" earned the award for News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. The program, which revolves around the Run-DMC member's search for his birth mother, premiered in February 2006 and will re-air on VH1 on Saturday at 10 p.m. ... Have you already imported Babyface's Playlist into your own playlist? Then mark you calendar — the singer is putting together a tour in support of his recently released LP. Babyface will play a gig in the Philippines on October 13, followed by a stretch in Japan; after that he'll hit Oakland, California, on November 23, and Sparks, Nevada, the following day. ...

During a recent visit to "The Howard Stern Show," Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke out about drummer Tommy Lee and his apparent departure from the band. He told Stern that Lee quit, and Sixx blamed the current legal problems the band is having with one of its former managers for the turmoil. Sixx said that, since Lee isn't the Crüe's frontman or chief songwriter, the band should be fine without him. He added that he harbors no ill will toward Lee. ... Snow Patrol keyboardist Tom Simpson was expected to appear in court in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday to answer to drug-possession charges filed against him this summer. While the charges weren't dropped, the prosecution doesn't intend on taking "further action," meaning the charges will either have to be re-raised again or dropped altogether. ...

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's side project Brad are getting back together for a one-night-only show on October 17 at New York's Webster Hall. The benefit event will also feature Billy Bragg and be hosted by Tim Robbins. It is being held to support Woody and Marjorie Guthrie, and the 40th anniversary of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, which was founded by Marjorie. ... Puddle of Mudd aren't ones for Southern hospitality, apparently. Frontman Wesley Scantlin has been banned from Memphis' Graceland after hopping in the pool in Elvis Presley's mansion during a tour on Monday. ...

The Eagles will perform on an awards show for the first time when they take the stage at the Country Music Awards, which will air November 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Carrie Underwood is also slated to perform. ... The Rolling Stones' recent tour didn't just carry the band to the top of Forbes' list of biggest-earning music acts — it landed them in the Guinness World Records, according to Reuters. The classic-rockers' A Bigger Bang tour took $437 million dollars to give them a new record, for the world's most successful music tour. ...

Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God will be teaming up for a late-fall co-headlining tour, which is set to kick off November 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, with dates booked through December 17 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. DevilDriver and Soilwork will open on all dates. ... Chris Cornell has added another round of dates to his North American tour, which began in the spring. He has booked another 28 gigs, meaning the trek will continue through November 23, when he's expected to perform at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. ...

A photo from Elton John's collection has been pulled from a British gallery where it was to be displayed over concerns by police that it might be child pornography. The photo — which was taken by award-winning American photographer Nan Goldin — shows two young girls, one with her legs spread apart, and was to be displayed at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in northern England before it was seized by police, according to London's Times Online. John released a statement, explaining, "The photograph entitled 'Klara and Edda belly-dancing' (1998) is one of 149 images comprising the 'Thanksgiving' installation by renowned U.S. photographer Nan Goldin ... The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world [and] has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004, and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid [Spain], New York, Portugal, Warsaw [Poland] and Zürich [Switzerland] without any objections of which we are aware."

09.25.07

While her fellow Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am is hyping his new project, Songs About Girls, Fergie isn't slowing down with her own solo affair, last year's The Dutchess. The singer just shot a clip for the song "Clumsy" with directors Marc Webb (Diddy, the Pussycat Dolls) and Rich Lee (Chamillionaire, Dashboard Confessional). The surreal, humorous clip features Fergie falling head over heels — get it? — for love in various scenarios. ...

A House panel cast a congressional light on hip-hop lyrics on Tuesday (September 25), with David Banner and Master P giving sharply different views. The Associated Press reports that the latter rapper (real name: Percy Miller) told the Energy and Commerce subcommittee that he is determined to create clean lyrics. "I want to apologize to all the women out there. I was honestly wrong," he said of his prior material. Banner (real name: Levell Crump), on the other hand, defended his profane lyrics, saying, "Change the situation in my neighborhood, and maybe I'll get better." But while P and Banner didn't see eye to eye in terms of who is responsible for derogatory language in hip-hop, they agreed that the government shouldn't censor lyrics. "If by some stroke of the pen hip-hop was silenced, the issues would still be present in our communities. Drugs, violence, sexism and the criminal element were around long before hip-hop existed," Banner said. According to AP, the hearing was similar to the 1985 event in which late rocker Frank Zappa made a feisty appearance also railing against censorship. ...

Like the sound of the "Rocawear Arena" instead of the "Continental Airlines Arena"? Yeah, so does Jay-Z. The ambitious hip-hop mogul is bidding for the arena's naming rights, according to New Jersey's Star-Ledger. Although he is the co-owner of the New Jersey Nets and his Rocawar is a sponsor of the NBA team — which currently plays at Continental — sportswear maker Southpole has made the highest bid so far, $2 million. But there's a catch: The reason the name is up for grabs is because Continental is backing out of its deal with the arena, and both the Nets and hockey team the New Jersey Devils are planning to move to other venues. ...

Life isn't getting any easier for Britney Spears. Kim Robard-Rifkin, the reported woman whose car the singer hit in August — for which she was charged with two misdemeanors on Friday — has spoken out to CelebTV.com. "I was not surprised with the criminal charges — this is what happens when somebody hits your car and runs — especially when it is all caught on video," she said in a statement. Spears' former bodyguard Tony Barretto also spoke out on Monday, telling "Today" show host Matt Lauer that he had witnessed her using drugs on two occasions. While Barretto did not specify which drugs he supposedly saw her taking, he said both incidents occurred at a nightclub in Los Angeles, one at the table she was sitting at and the other in a private restroom. When Lauer asked him about a third incident in which he alleges to have seen her strung out in a Los Angeles hotel room, Barretto replied, "I did." ...

Sarah Silverman was surprised by the reaction that met her controversial VMA monologue, in which she flung derogatory insults at Britney Spears, among others, she told Us Weekly. Regarding one of her saltiest remarks — that Spears' kids "are the most adorable mistakes you will ever see" — Silverman replied, "The joke that everyone was upset about ... was the most innocuous joke. It never occurred to me that [it] would be deemed hurtful or over the line." She also told the magazine for its new issue, which streets Friday, "I don't want to get into feuds with girls half my age. I'm in it to be funny and not for the drama. It's embarrassing." ...

Look, up in the sky, it's a new Gnarls Barkley album! And as Cee-Lo recently told MTV News of the follow-up to St. Elsewhere, "It sounds otherwordly. ... It sounds like an original, if I do say so myself. The theme is progression and how there's a first time for everything. You just have to go for it." Beyond that, though, Cee-Lo didn't want to give up too much. Asked about collaborators, he demurred: "Danger Mouse is my special guest. He's my counterpart in the enigma of Gnarls Barkley." No duh — we meant, anyone else? "Let me continue to surprise you," Cee-Lo smiled. For those who caught Cee-Lo's take on Prince's "Darling Nikki" with the Foo Fighters at the VMAs, he wants fans to know that his performance at the show was supposed to be a surprise appearance with Amy Winehouse, "believe it or not." But since she had to bail from the show, he's saving that collaboration for a future appearance. ...

The Sex Pistols — who just tacked two more gigs onto their upcoming November reunion in London, according to BBC News — have another trick up their collective sleeve: A newly recorded rendition of their punk staple, "Anarchy in the U.K." The band entered the studio for the first time in 30 years to record the track, which will surface on "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock." ... As I Lay Dying clearly have more than a few gasps left — the metal band edged out Switchfoot, Jason Mraz and others to win the San Diego Music Award for Artist of the Year. AILD nabbed the same honor in 2005. ... Canadian singer/songwriter Patrick Watson and his band have pulled off an arguably more impressive feat: The Montreal quartet have nudged by Arcade Fire and Feist to land the Polaris Music Prize for Best Album. ...

Despite the recent head injuries sustained by guitarist Brent Hinds, Mastodon have booked a gig, opening for the Queens of the Stone Age on October 29 in Los Angeles. The band is also scheduled to appear at the Vegoose festival on October 27 in Las Vegas, where Hinds was jumped following Mastodon's performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Police claim Hinds was attacked outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on September 10 during an encounter with System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian and his friend William Hudson. According to police, Hudson assaulted Hinds, and Odadjian witnessed the incident. ... While at the VMAs, Mastodon told MTV News that they wrote their best song ever — even though it's not quite finished yet — while on the way to the big show. "It's pretty much the best record we've yet to write," guitarist Bill Kelliher said before singing a couple of the riffs with Hinds. "That's how it goes — du-duh-du-duh na-nah-nah. We wrote it in the car on the way over here, at least the intro of it. Part one. We're at the really beginning stages. It's going to be awesome, though. Everything we do is amazing." ...

The Game entered his expected not-guilty plea on Tuesday to three felony counts stemming from a pickup basketball game in Los Angeles in February. The rapper (real name: Jayceon Taylor) is free on $50,000 bail and has a pretrial hearing set for October 30. ... Jack Bauer might not be such a hero after all: Kiefer Sutherland was arrested early Tuesday morning for drunken driving in Hollywood, Reuters reports. The actor was pulled over after making an illegal U-turn and blew more than the .08 legal limit upon taking a breathalyzer test. He posted $25,000 bail at a Hollywood police station and is due in court on October 16. ...

The Phil Spector murder trial is in the hands of the jury now, but that hasn't stopped more bizarre developments from emerging in the case. According to AP, over the weekend, a threatening post appeared on a MySpace page possibly belonging to the music producer's wife, Rachelle. "I love Phil Spector!!! The Evil Judge Should Die!!!! Xoxo Chelle," read the post, a police spokesperson told the news outlet. The page, which features an image of Rachelle wearing a "Team Spector" tee, was referred to a sheriff's department unit that investigates such threats. The post has since been removed. ...

Amazon's new digital-music store is up and running, with songs going for 89 to 99 cents and albums selling for around $6-$10. The songs, which don't have copyright protections, can be burned onto CDs and copied to multiple computers. Record-label giants Universal and EMI, in addition to a flood of indie labels, are selling their songs through the site. ... A former trustee in James Brown's estate might have misappropriated up to $7 million of the late music legend's money, special administrators told a South Carolina judge on Monday. State Circuit Judge Jack Early told David Cannon, the former co-executor of Brown's will, to pay $400,000 and produce additional documents. Early also said Brown's family could pursue the claims. ...

The Cult will headline the fall installment of the Jägermeister Music Tour, which is set to launch October 17 in Pala, California, and run through mid-December, with the full list of dates coming soon. Rounding out the bill will be Vietnam, the Cliks and Action Action. ... Former L7 leader Donita Sparks is going out on her own with her debut solo effort, Transmiticate, due January 22. The effort, which will feature her new backing band, the Stellar Moments, shifts away from the grunge and metal sounds that defined L7 and tinkers with more pop and dance elements. ...

Fans of Los Angeles ska act Hepcat are mourning the passing of bassist Dave Fuentes, 36. While details are scarce, the band did issue a statement, saying, "We are sad to announce that our brother, beloved bandmate and amazing friend, David Fuentes, is no longer with us. He will be missed by everyone but especially everyone in the Hepcat family." He leaves a wife, Yohanna, and two sons, Andrew, 7, and Darren, 3. A memorial fund has been established to help his family. ... A special-effects technician working on the set of the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" was killed when a truck carrying a camera platform rammed into a tree on Monday in London, AP reports. Filming was not taking place at the time of the accident, which is under investigation.

• Mariah Carey
• Notorious B.I.G.
• Lil Wayne
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Killswitch Engage

Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo
Photo: Appio

Suicidal thoughts, sex with a dying woman, Transformers and bogeymen all tied together by a fictional character that looks like psychedelic children's show character HR Pufnstuf and is at least $35 in debt? You don't have to look any further into the minds of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, collectively known as Gnarls Barkley.

The two met three years ago, when Danger called Cee-Lo to work on a remix. The vibe was so right, they started thinking about a whole album. The result is their innovative debut, St. Elsewhere, which draws on influences as varied as hip-hop, electric pop, acid jazz and rock and roll.

"The entire reception has passed my personal expectations," Cee-Lo said on Wednesday about Gnarls' lead single, "Crazy," which has spent eight weeks as the top record in the U.K. and is becoming an across-the-board hit in the States. "It's great. I'm glad. I'm satisfied."

Cee-Lo said the record is about living.

"Soul is your life. It's your life's experience, your life's work," he explained. "Of course life imitates art. It's not about one thing. I tried to word [the song] generally so it may pertain to so many different circumstances. To me, I think we're born into a grand degree of uncertainty, which is life. One degree is chance. If you're not gonna take any chances, you're standing still. To stand still for your whole life is crazy."

While "Crazy" is about life, "Necromancer" takes a look at death.

"It's naughty/ Very naughty/ Necrophilia," Cee-Lo sings on the song. "Without a care/ I'm compassionate about killing her/ ... She was cool when I met her/ But I think I like her better dead."

"That song is about this figment of my imagination," Cee-Lo explained. "This woman, in her spare time, only complained about the life she wasn't living. After she picked her poison, whether it be a drink, smoke, et cetera, she becomes more bold, more outspoken, more sensual, funny, charming. All these different things. She realizes everyone is more receptive toward her. She wants to be like that every day. So there goes your habit. So it's storytelling, not so literal.

"A lot of the album is true to life, but a lot is this vivid imagination I have and good clean fun," he added.

Mouse and Cee-Lo's roles on St. Elsewhere were very clear: Danger came up with the craziest beats he could concoct, and Lo would get just as wild with the lyrics, whether it meant singing or rapping. Over the past three years, the two did about half the album together and the other half by mailing each other files back and forth. The result: a record about salvation, going to the disco, the contemplation of suicide and freedom, among other things.

"Gnarls is a character — kinda the idea that Cee-Lo and I had when we were doing music," Mouse said. "[The music] was different than me and him — a different voice, feel — and when we looked to see the influence of what we were trying to say, not just to each other but to people who would be listening, it became easier to let Gnarls speak for what we're trying to do."

Part of Gnarls' background info is that he owes Cee-Lo $35, and he's an older gentleman who looks like HR Pufnstuf and likes hash browns.

"It made more sense that way," Mouse said. " 'Cause we could not make sense [of the music] ourselves. At the end of the day, we gave credit where credit was due. We basically did the best we could in explaining what the experiment was. Kinda like Frankenstein."

"The Gnarls I know is visibly older than Charles," Cee-Lo added about the similarity in names to NBA legend Charles Barkley. "But I also heard a rumor that Charles was named after Gnarls."

Gnarls, Danger and Cee-Lo are going to do a few concerts in the U.K. in June and say they are thinking about a U.S. tour soon. Their next single could be the Violent Femmes cover "Gone Daddy Gone" or "Smiley Faces."

• Gnarls Barkley
• Cee-Lo
• Danger Mouse

A blue iPod mini (file)
Photo: Mario Tama

It's true — there is such thing as a "first iPod." On Monday (April 11), President Bush's iPod playlist surfaced in The New York Times, and it turns out W. is a fan of the likes of Van Morrison, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Fogerty. The president received the gadget as a gift from his twin daughters and uses his tunes to help him power through his 18-mile Texas bike trail. ...

The Grey Album mastermind and Gorillaz member Danger Mouse and former Goodie Mob crooner Cee-Lo announced on Friday that they are putting the finishing touches on their collaborative effort, The Gnarls Barkley. The pair began work on the album last year. ... Death Cab for Cutie are working at a fervent pace. The "ultimate Bait shop band" (so says "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz) has nearly finished Plans, the follow-up to 2003's breakthrough disc Transatlanticism, according to a rep for the group. Recorded in rural Massachusetts and due in September, Plans will be Death Cab's fifth LP. Guitarist Chris Walla will again assume production duties. Possible tracks for inclusion on the record include "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," "Brothers on a Hotel Bed," "Someday You Will Be Loved," "Your Heart Is an Empty Room," "Marching Bands of Manhattan" and potential single "Soul Meets Body." ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer are both tried-and-true L.A. bands, but they're going to party Las Vegas-style for Sin City's 100th anniversary. On July 2, the rock groups are headlining Vegas' centennial concert, to be held outdoors for free. "We can't wait to get there, feel the energy of the crowd and rock the house," RHCP bassist Flea said in a statement. Fifty thousand tickets will be available at www.vegasrocks100.com/ beginning April 18. ... Currently screening on TheTransplants.com: a preview of the band's upcoming album. In the promotional spot, we see frontman Rob Aston smoking, Travis Barker walking around shirtless and guitarist Tim Armstrong striking many punk poses. The trio also eat lunch at a diner. At the end of the spot, we are told that the new Transplants album will hit stores May 15 via LaSalle Records. ...

Mötley Crüe had a little trouble at the Canadian border when Mighty Mike, the band's resident "little person," MC and fire-breather, was detained by authorities, since he lacked a green card. The Crüe were trying to cross the border for Friday's show in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and were forced to enter the U.S. without Mike, who was transferred to Edmonton. He's expected to remain there for seven days before being allowed to return to the tour. "This could set U.S.-Canadian relations back a couple of weeks," singer Vince Neil said in a statement. "It's no 'big' deal," said drummer Tommy Lee. "Hopefully Mighty Mike will grow from this experience." ... The members of Alter Bridge inadvertently got mixed up in a high-speed police chase on Friday during a Kansas City, Missouri, tour stop, according to a band spokesperson. The band's crew was unloading equipment from Alter Bridge's tour bus when a man on the run from police pulled up and was blocked from passing. The driver veered into a nearby parking lot, hit a van, and dragged an officer across the street before finally crashing into the group's bus. Several of the crew members aided in the arrest of the driver, who is now awaiting charges. ...

Lil Jon wants to crunk up your cell phone — he's just signed a deal with BlingTones to create exclusive music and shouts for ring tones, voice-ringers and ringbacks. Starting in June, fans can download his master tones and ring tones by visiting BlingTones on their carriers' download page or at www.theblingtones.com. ... Performing for the first time in the U.S. in 10 years, Digable Planets hit the stage at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre with the classic "It's Good to Be Here" at the stroke of midnight Sunday night. Ladybug, Butterfly and Doodlebug then ran through their two albums and promised new Digable Planets material in the future. Ladybug also debuted a couple of tracks from her upcoming solo album, Trip the Light Fantastic, due out June 12. The trio are planning to hit the road this summer with a 25-city U.S. tour, set to begin in June. ...

So P. Diddy is a baller for real now. At least he will be on Monday night, when he'll display his prowess on the court at BasketBall City at Pier 63 in New York. An honoree at the eighth annual Net Gain tournament, the hip-hop mogul will receive the 2005 H.O.O.P.S. (Helping Out Our Public Schools) Award. Run by Youth I.N.C., the Net Gain tournament gets NBA players, kids and corporate sponsors together to raise money to fund court time for 32 New York City high school teams. ... Alchemist and Mobb Deep's Prodigy performed for New York University students at the school's Music for Tomorrow fundraiser on Friday at Big Apple club Avalon. The student-run organization is looking to raise $10,000 to "adopt" a Lower East Side New York public school and assist in the creation of after-school programs and student-assisted teaching programs there. Members of the legendary Sugarhill Gang were among those in attendance at the event. ...

Il Divo, a group of four singers put together by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, will release their debut album in the U.S. on April 19. The group, which combines pop and opera elements, topped the U.K. charts last year. ... Fredwreck, Snoop Dogg's DJ and a producer for Lindsay Lohan, Snoop and others, is releasing a collection of his tracks called Fredwreck: Greatest Hits Episode 1 on June 15. Fredwreck will also be a part of "Kings of Bling," a new show where Tony Hawk and Pharrell Williams build skate parks and recording studios in different community centers throughout the country, and "Minding the Store," a reality show with Pauly Shore. ...

Blackmail and robbery charges against former Libertines singer Pete Doherty have been dropped, the BBC reports. Doherty was arrested in early February for allegedly assaulting a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker at the Rookery Hotel in central London. Doherty served four nights in jail and was released on bail. The charges were dropped, according to officials, because of "insufficient evidence for a realistic chance of prosecution." ... According to a posting on Scottish indie rockers the Delgados' Web site, the band has decided to call it quits after more than a decade together. The group, which released five records during its career, thanked everyone who supported it, "especially all of our fans." The split was characterized as amicable. ... ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), which hosts a concert series at the Sundance Film Festival, will for the first time bring its Music Lounge to the Tribeca Film Festival. Damien Rice, Ben Jelen and Nic Armstrong and the Thieves are among the acts slated to perform at the Knitting Factory in New York from April 27 to 29. ...

04.08.2005

50 Cent and the Game will team up Thursday to donate $200,000 to the Compton Unified School District's Education Foundation, to bring back music- and arts-education programs. 50's share comes from his G-Unity Foundation, while the Game procured his donation through Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records and his own Black Wall Street organization. "This is what Black Wall Street is all about," Game said in a statement. "Building an empowerment within our community. I've seen firsthand what music can do, so I'm hoping this can make a difference in people's lives." 50 seconded the thought, and noted, "G-Unity's goal is to lend a hand to the people who need it most. This donation is just the beginning of what we're hoping to do." ...

Ashanti is not only acting in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," she's singing in it, too. The Inc. princess recorded three songs for the soundtrack, which comes out May 17: two solo songs, "Gotta Get Out of Kansas" and "It's a Good Life"; and a collaboration with Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Fozzie called "When I'm With You." The movie airs May 20 on ABC. ... Shakira is putting out not one, but two albums to follow up her first English-language album, Laundry Service — one in Spanish, one in English. The Spanish-language album Fijación Oral 1 is due June 7, setting up its sequel, the English-language Oral Fixation 2, in November. The first single (in Spanish) is called "La Tortura," and features Alejandro Sanz. "I did not set out to make two albums," Shakira said in a statement, "but suddenly I realized I had written 60 songs, some in English and some in Spanish. Many times I let the melody suggest which language the song should be." Both albums were executive-produced by Rick Rubin. ...

Kelly Clarkson fans thirsting for that special keepsake from her April 2 concert in Omaha, Nebraska, may want to check out the water bottle that one eBay seller is hawking online. The seller claims the first-season "American Idol" champ drank out of the plastic "Dasani" bottle; a front-row ticket stub from that evening is also included for those who require convincing. Bidding will end on Sunday, and as of press time, the price was already up to $36.50. ... Paris Hilton is going high-tech to promote her new flick, "House of Wax." Starting on April 29, you'll be able to eavesdrop on the heiress as she "shops, parties, poses and publicizes" the movie via podcast in advance of its May 6 opening. "The Paris Hilton Podcast - Countdown to 'House of Wax' " works on any portable media player and can be downloaded at http://houseofwaxpodcast.com/rss.xml. If you don't already have podcasting software, you can download a custom version at http://houseofwaxmovie.warnerbros.com/. ...

Talib Kweli spent his Friday morning at the Gibson Studios in New York collaborating with about 100 elementary school students from P.S. 34 and P.S. 188. The Brooklyn-born MC was there to launch the eighth season of "Harman: How to Listen," a music-education program designed to expose children to a variety of musical genres. One bunch of kids even re-did the chorus to "Get By" and performed it for Kweli, according to a rep for the event. Roots affiliate Martin Luther also made an appearance and performed his new single, "Daily Bread," for the kids before letting them onstage to give his computerized drum pad a try. The program will ultimately reach 21 schools in five cities: New York, Detroit, Phoenix, Miami and Baltimore. ... ?uestlove from the Roots is joining the lineup for the Jammys — along with Buddy Guy, Travis Tritt and the Disco Biscuits. Ryan Adams, Les Claypool, Bruce Hornsby, Burning Spear and Medeski, Martin and Wood are already on the bill for the fifth annual awards ceremony, which will take place April 26 at New York's Madison Square Garden. ...

Pennywise will rev it up in Cali at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday. "We always love playing extreme sporting events, and as long as Sylvester Stallone isn't driving this year, this should be pretty extreme," guitarist Fletcher Dragge said in a statement. "We're also big racing fans so it will be an awesome weekend." The SoCal punk band is currently in the studio in Redondo Beach, California, working on its eighth album, The Fuse, due out in July. The group has demoed more than 30 new songs, and is focusing on the 16-18 strongest tracks to record, including "Lies," "Disconnect," "Closer" and "Eighteen Soldiers." ... P. Diddy's ex-girlfriend — and mother of his 11-year-old son, Justin — won a child-support award of $21,782 a month in court on Thursday. Misa Hylton-Brim was originally awarded $35,000 a month, as well as $398,451 in back support and $60,000 for legal expenses, but an appellate court on Thursday slashed two of those numbers, but kept the ruling that the music mogul has to pay her legal expenses. ...

Following weeks of breakup rumors, Portland, Maine, rockers 6Gig have made it official: They're done. In a posting on its Web site, the band simply stated, "It was time to do some other things," adding that the split was amicable. While the members of the band are said to already have new projects lined up, they haven't ruled out "getting together again in the future." ... The Queers have booted bassist J.J. Nobody from the band, for what was characterized as "gross negligence." They have already filled that hole in their lineup with Phillip Hall, most recently of Even in Blackouts. ...

• Danger Mouse
• Cee-Lo
• Lil Jon
• Diddy

Gorillaz's Damon Albarn and producer Danger Mouse
Photo: MTV News

AUSTIN, Texas — Damon Albarn is smarter than you might think.

Not that the Blur/Gorillaz frontman's acumen is in question, but conceptually the idea of a "virtual band" seems rather silly. However, there's a crafty motive behind the animated members 2-D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc.

"Talking about [the music] is something that [the band] likes to do," Albarn said at a Gorillaz album listening party during South by Southwest week (see "Queens Of The Stone Age Are Kings Of SXSW 2005"). "I don't think they appreciate us stepping on their turf as it were. They think I'm delusional anyway, so anything I say can't possibly be right," he said with a rehearsed and evasive smirk.

While Albarn may use his animated characters as a shrewd machination to avoid explaining his personal and musical intentions, what can be gleaned from the cagey Gorillaz is that their new album Demon Days, due May 24, is an opaque affair, both musically and thematically.

"Gorillaz make dark pop; that's what they always set out to achieve," Albarn said. "The whole album kind of tells the story of the night — staying up during the night — but it's also an allegory. It's what we're living in basically, the world in a state of night."

The most obvious difference on their sophomore offering is the absence of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura as the acting musical producer. Instead, Albarn reached out to Danger Mouse based on the strength of The Grey Album, which turned heads last year when it seamlessly and illegally meshed the Beatles' The White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album (see "Remixers Turn Jay-Z's Black Album Grey, White And Brown").

"[The Automator] wasn't busy, the [project just] needed a slightly different approach," Albarn explained. "Danger Mouse, in my opinion, is one of the best young producers in the world. I think the last record was a lot more simplistic. It was virgin territory — animated hip-hop, reggae, stroke-rock, Latin rock — there's a lot more intricacy with this record."

For Danger Mouse, a.k.a. Brian Burton, a longtime Blur fan, the feelings of admiration and respect were mutual. "It was a no-brainer when there was interest there [from Albarn]," Burton said. "I heard demos of the new record, but the biggest part was getting the chance to be a part of something that's so strong — you just gotta jump on it. I had a very up-and-down year [in 2004], but it was definitely a big up when I got a chance to [work with Gorillaz]."

Like their debut, Gorillaz's Demon Days boasts a cast of colorful characters that aren't animated, including Booty Brown from the Pharcyde ("Dirty Harry"), outré rapper MF Doom ("November Has Come") and a bizarre cameo appearance by Dennis Hopper, who contributes a solemn spoken-word piece ("Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head").

But don't expect Albarn to reveal how the odd pairing took place. "I really feel that the band are going to be pissed if they see me talking about them, you know? And they're a lot funnier than me," he said.

What does speak for itself is the pulsing hip-hop rock of first single "Feel Good Inc." The cut features De La Soul and its shadowy Cloud City-like video ups the ante for visually stunning animated clips.

"I think it's a big step up from the last videos," Albarn said. "The influences range from classic 'Scooby Doo' to [Japanimation house] Studio Ghibli. It's got a lot of different textures to it."

While neither Albarn nor Burton would divulge any details about the next Blur or Danger Mouse albums, they did reveal that an alternate collaboration may be in the works. "We might be working together again this year on something which I started in Lagos, in Nigeria, last year. It could be quite fantastic I think," Albarn said, noting the record would be different from the world-beat Mali Music project he released in 2002. "It's definitely Afrocentric, but it's more of a country-soul record, actually."

A North American tour with "all the characters" is being planned for the summer, but having already cleaned house just two discs into their career, will Danger Mouse be on board for the Gorillaz's third offering?

"It's not really up to us, is it?" Burton said with a laugh, claiming the fickle animated characters could easily change their minds once again.

"It's too early to tell," Albarn said. "Success and things can inevitably ... You know, look at the Game and 50 Cent. That could easily happen to us."

Demon Days track list, according to the Gorillaz's publicist:

• "Intro"
• "Last Living Souls"
• "Kids With Guns" (featuring Neneh Cherry)
• "Oh Green World"
• "Dirty Harry" (featuring Pharcyde's Booty Brown)
• "Feel Good Inc." (featuring De La Soul)
• "El Manana"
• "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead" (featuring Ike Turner)
• "November Has Come" (featuring MF Doom)
• "All Alone" (featuring Roots Manuva and Martina Topley-Bird)
• "White Light"
• "DARE" (featuring Shaun Ryder)
• "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" (featuring Dennis Hopper)
• "Heaven"
• "Demon Days"

• Gorillaz
• Danger Mouse
• Damon Albarn

Danger Mouse
Photo: Courtesy of Atlantic Records

LOS ANGELES — Brian Burton's second-floor bedroom in his small suburban house is barely big enough for a full-size bed and computer desk.

The walls are bare except for a picture of Woody Allen tacked above the monitor. Next to the keypad there's a turntable and a mixer about the size of a brick. CDs, including the Beatles' recent Let It Be ... Naked, are scattered around the room.

Burton recently built an elaborate recording studio in his basement, but it's here where the producer otherwise known as Danger Mouse has rattled popular music similar to the way Phil Spector did 34 years ago when he finished the last-released Beatles album with lush orchestrations.

Beatles fans thought that was controversial.

In December, when he heard Jay-Z was releasing an a cappella version of The Black Album for remixers, he came up with a crazy idea to blend it with the Beatles' famous The White Album and make The Grey Album (see "Remixers Turn Jay-Z's Black Album Grey, White And Brown").

Three months and a cease-and-desist letter later (see "Producer Of The Grey Album, Jay-Z/ Beatles Mash-Up, Gets Served"), the album is at the center of a massive downloading debate and is the most in-demand piece of media since the Paris Hilton sex tape (see "Grey Tuesday Group Says 100,000 Downloaded Jay-Z/Beatles Mix").

Burton, a laid-back fanatic of both the Beatles and Jay-Z, never imagined he would be opening his bedroom door to a reporter. A certain level of ambiguity has always surrounded his music, and he was especially keen about keeping the details behind The Grey Album a mystery.

As the album has become a cultural landmark, though, Burton has felt a need to explain the process behind it. A cease-and-desist letter he can handle, but hordes of rookie remixers thinking it takes a couple of days to make a similar album is burning Burton.

"A lot of people just assumed I took some Beatles and, you know, threw some Jay-Z on top of it or mixed it up or looped it around, but it's really a deconstruction," he explained. "It's not an easy thing to do."

Not at all. In fact, Burton came incredibly close to quitting midway through and releasing The Grey Album as an EP. He eventually discovered another way to make beats from The White Album samples and finished. All together, he worked nearly nonstop for two weeks on the album. (He claims to be more creative when working next to a bed, which is why he never made it to his studio.)

"I was obsessed with the whole project, that's all I was trying to do, see if I could do this," Burton said, opening up the The Grey Album song files on his computer for the first time on camera. "Once I got into it, I didn't think about anything but finishing it."

The first thing the producer did was listen to The Black Album a cappella and measure the amount of beats per minute for each track, a common technique for club DJs who seamlessly mix music together.

Next, he scoured all 30 songs on The White Album, listening for every strike of a drum or cymbal when other instruments or voices were not in the mix. Most were single sounds, which he would later put together to make beats.

With the intricate method Burton used for the rhythm tracks on The Grey Album he could have easily tossed in a kick drum from another album here or a bass drum there, and no one would have noticed, but that never crossed his mind.

"I stuck to those two because I thought it would be more challenging and more fun and more of a statement to what you could do with sampling alone," he explained. "It is an art form. It is music. You can do different things, it doesn't have to be just what some people call stealing. It can be a lot more than that."

After pulling every possible Ringo Starr part from The White Album, Burton repeated the process for guitar and bass samples. Once he felt there was a workable amount of sounds banked, he started with a Jay-Z vocal track and built the music around it using the software Acid Pro, an alternative to ProTools that retails for about $400.

The program allows the layering of separate tracks of samples, with the average song on The Grey Album being 16 tracks, although some have as many as 25.

To make the music fit more smoothly with Jay-Z's lyrics and "sound more like hip-hop," Burton altered the samples in Acid Pro.

"For instance, with these handclaps," Burton said, playing a track from "Dirt Off Your Shoulders." "Taking one little Beatles handclap wasn't going to do it ... but if you double it up and move them away from each other so they're doubling up the delay, and then take the pitch of it and throw it up in the air and make it a higher pitch. I know it sounds all geeky and stuff, but you get a much better sound to it."

He applied the same sort of tweaking to guitar and drum parts.

"This guitar lick right here is just a small little guitar lick," Burton said, playing a sample from The White Album. "But when you change up the tones and the pitches and everything, it just becomes a new thing."

Since the music is so picked apart, Burton decided to begin some of the songs on The Grey Album with an unaltered, longer sample from The White Album song that provided the primary parts for the remix. His "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," for instance, begins with a gentle strum and a bit of John Lennon's vocals from "Julia." "That way people know what I worked with," he said.

Most of the songs on the The Grey Album use guitar and/or vocal samples from only one Beatles tune, although the beats are all from various songs from The White Album. A few, however, use samples from a couple of songs. "Change Clothes" uses the guitar from "Piggies" and the bass from "Dear Prudence."

"This was a nightmare, though. I remember doing this one," Burton said, opening the song on his computer. " 'Piggies' is a silly song to me, and 'Change Clothes' is kinda the same way."

Burton was stuck on Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say" when he was about to quit. That's when he discovered a different way to double up drums that sounds more like a burnt CD error than rock music.

"It also samples '[While] My Guitar Gently Weeps,' which is one of my favorite Beatles songs," Burton said. "I really wanted to make it sound like it was really part of the Beatles, like it wasn't just laid on top of it."

"What More Can I Say" took some time, but nothing was more difficult than "99 Problems."

"Generally, when you're doing a track, you want to have the drums set the tempo," he explained. "But it wouldn't work on this, so I had to use the bass line itself to keep it going, and I accented the bass line with the drums and put the drums here and there, as opposed to, like, the normal way of doing it."

Burton also felt added pressure because his remix samples "Helter Skelter," a sacred song in the Beatles catalog.

"My whole thing with this was I didn't want to mess up the Beatles song either," he said. "I don't want to disrespect the Beatles. A lot of people thought it was sacrilege in the first place. I knew that would be something, but I didn't know it was going to be [distributed] on a wide scale. I knew my friends wouldn't think it was sacrilege, so I just made sure it was something I would dig myself."

As much time as Burton spent at his computer, he doesn't take all the credit for The Grey Album. He truly believes the two source albums were a good fit.

"I was lucky in a lot of ways," he said. "If it had been the Who, we wouldn't be here. If it had been LL Cool J, we wouldn't be here."

Not that he is against trying something else.

"Someone asked me if I would ever use Joni Mitchell's Blue album with Weezer's 'Green Album' or R.E.M.'s Green and make The Turquoise Album," Burton said, smiling. "While that's funny to say, it could be interesting if I sat down to do it."

• Danger Mouse
• Jay-Z

2006 EMA Highlights

• Danger Mouse
• Cee-Lo
• The Killers
• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams

Gnarls Barkley: 2006 MTV Movie Awards Performers

• Gnarls Barkley
• Cee-Lo
• Danger Mouse