Daryl Hall
Photo: MTV News

It has been a good year for Daryl Hall and John Oates. The film "(500) Days of Summer" featured the duo's 1981 hit "You Make My Dreams" in one particularly energetic scene. Hall's Web series, "Live From Daryl's House," in which he chats and jams with fans like Travis McCoy of the Gym Class Heroes and Chromeo, is going strong in its second year. And this week, they released a four-CD box set, Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates, spanning their 40-plus-year career.

"The songwriting of Hall & Oates is deceptively complex," Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard says in the box set's liner notes. "There are a number of key changes that pass you by as you're listening to the song because they're so seamless and clever. I've been a huge fan of the band since I was a kid. Hall & Oates is one of the few musical groups as satisfying now as it was back then. There's something incredibly musically satisfying about their songs. Nothing has diminished my love for them."

For a group who arguably reached the height of their fame two decades ago, being recognized by younger artists is particularly gratifying. "It's an amazing thing," Hall admitted. "Every artist, either secretly or overtly, wants to be across generations, and that's the true test. You can make it and be big in your own day, but if you cross it and you become part of, I guess, history, and you start crossing through generations — that's the cool thing. That's the most exciting thing to me. It spawned this whole idea for me with my Internet show, and I do interact with new bands, especially ones that have talked about being influenced by John and me, and we're putting that talk into reality. It's really happening. There is that sort of interplay between these brand-new artists and veterans like me."

"The younger artists are referencing us and appreciating us and sharing that appreciation with their fans," Oates added. "It's really cool. And I think that's a really positive thing for music."

Chromeo's Dave 1, who frequently shouts out the '80s icons in concerts and interviews, added his praise to the liner notes as well. "What makes us admire them the most is the way they combined musical risk-taking, sophisticated songwriting and innovative production techniques with an unwavering deference to soul music," he wrote. "They must be acknowledged as the only group who managed to fuse styles as diverse as prog, doo-wop, folk, funk and rock 'n' roll, into inimitable, intelligent pop."

And McCoy, who actually has tattoos of Daryl and John on his hands, says in the box set, "Let's put aside the influence Hall & Oates has had on me, it's emblazoned on my hands for the rest of my life for crying out loud. What's more important is the crater they've left on planet MUSIC in general. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty as far as influencing any artist who cares about the craft."

McCoy's committed fandom amuses the duo. "Well, I know Travis pretty well," Hall laughed, as Oates interrupted, "Not to mention marking your body for the rest of your life with our faces!"

"I love his hands!" Hall continued. "A lot of these people, I've read what they've said about John and me, and I've experienced it firsthand at my house, bringing people in. ... It's just amazing. It's a good thing."

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• Hall & Oates

Handsome Modeling School (file)
Photo: Terry Richardson

So, you're a decent looking guy or gal, but you're having a little trouble luring members of the opposite sex? You say the closest you can get to accessing your inner Casanova is scented incense and frozen dinners? Well, fear not because, to paraphrase John Kerry, help is on the way for those who strive to be more handsome.

Those urgently in need of assistance can send a check to the Handsonian Institute, and receive a five-DVD series on achieving optimal handsomeness. But if you're slightly less desperate, you can just pick up the second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People (out November 9). In addition to sporting some booty-shaking hip-hop, soul and electronic grooves, the disc can help give listeners the pizzazz they need.

"If you put the record on and it makes you want to strut, then that strutting may attract that lady down the block," explained ultra-suave Modeling School co-founder Nathaniel Merriweather, better known as hotshot producer and former Gorillaz member Dan Nakamura. "And then that lady down the block may bring something else on, and before you know it, you're back at the house, you pop on the Oates joint, and the clothes just fly off."

The "Oates joint" Merriweather referred to isn't some newfangled, ginseng-enriched health snack, it's the Handsome Boy Modeling School track "Greatest Mistake," a light-dimming ballad featuring John Oates (of '70s/'80s chart-toppers Hall & Oates), ex-Tarnation frontwoman Paula Frazer and Jaime Cullen. So what's Oates doing in a modern music primer for handsomifacation?

"Oh, come on!" said Modeling School co-founder Chest Rockwell (a.k.a. veteran hip-hop producer Prince Paul). "Oates is one handsome man."

"He was one of the original proponents of the moustache," added Merriweather. "His look far predated the Selleck."

Oates is only one of the celebrity guests on White People. "Saturday Night Live" alums Father Guido Sarducci and Tim Meadows both make spoken-word testimonials to the school, and a host of musicians lend their voices, including the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, RZA, Linkin Park vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Jack Johnson and De La Soul.

Though not all of the guests were graduates of the Handsonian Institute, they were eager to work with Merriweather and Rockwell, and eagerly participated in the album's unconventional duets (Deftones' singer Chino Moreno doubled up with underground hip-hoppers EL-P and Cage on "The Hours," Bennington and Shinoda joined forces with hip-hop veterans Jazzy Jay and Grand Wizard Theodore on "Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2"). "We just tossed up the Handsome sign, which is kind of like throwing up the [Batman] signal," Merriweather explained. "The Handsome people are the ones who can see it, and they respond."

The duo's first album, So ... How's Your Girl? was released in 1999 and featured several of the guests that appear on the new LP, along with Beastie Boy Mike D., Sean Lennon, DJ Shadow and legendary MC Biz Markie.

The first single from White People, "The World's Gone Mad" melds electronic beats and playful rapping with sedated rock vocals and a lazy reggae rhythm, and features reggae legend Barrington Levy, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. "We approached Alex, and it turned out his band was influenced by Dr. Octagon, which I was involved in," Merriweather said, "so he was way into it. And Barrington Levy, he's just the man. So we called him up and of course he was interested, too. People who are handsome just fit in."

"The hard part is choosing who to use for which song," Rockwell said. "But making that choice is kind of like, 'Well, do we take the Rolls Royce or the Bentley today.' "

When Handsome Boy Modeling School enter the studio, the only thing sharper than the Boys' suits is their uncanny ability to manipulate genres to suit their needs. Throughout White People, Merriweather and Rockwell toy with dusky trip-hop ("I've Been Thinking"), blend eerie screamotronica and rap ("The Hours") and fuse classical, hip-hop and rock ("Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop Like This)").

"The only question we asked ourselves in the studio was, 'Would I want to get dressed to this song?' " Rockwell said. " 'Would I want to make love to this song?' And if it's good, it's like making love with mirrors on the ceiling. You can't beat it."

Having completed an album that's quirky, creative and clever, the only real danger for Handsome Boy Modeling School lies in their presentation. The shtick about the Handsonian Institute is such a major part of their image that their stellar beats and rhythmic hybrids might not be taken as seriously as they deserve to be.

"Plugging the Institute is always a risk," Merriweather agreed. "It's the same problem we have sometimes when we show up at a runway show. The models sometimes get mad because less attention is paid to them because of us. But we can't help it. It's what we're all about."

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They don't call him the Boss for nothing. Bruce Springsteen was the touring champion this year, pulling in almost $116 million from 47 shows, concert industry magazine Pollstar reported in its year-end sales data. Springsteen's single-year figures were the second highest of all time; in 1994 the Rolling Stones brought in $121.2 million. This year the veteran rockers took in $38.5 million, earning them a #14 ranking. ...

Don Was, who has produced albums by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Black Crowes and the B-52's, has formed a TV and home video production company called M101. The first project from the company is the high-definition television series "Music Room," which will feature music legends performing with contemporary artists. In the two-hour pilot, "Music 101: The Green Room," Al Green will be joined by Mary J. Blige and Hall & Oates, among others. There is no launch date for the series. ... Fu Manchu will record the theme song for the upcoming Jesse James movie "West Coast Choppers," singer/guitarist Scott Hill wrote on the band's Web site. The track will be called "I'm Gettin' Away (Away From It All)." Five of the band's previously released songs will also be featured on the soundtrack. ...

The Recording Academy will present lifetime achievement awards to a number of musicians at the 2004 Grammys. Classical pianist Van Cliburn, Motown sound architects the Funk Brothers, children's music composer Ella Jenkins, bebop tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, swing band leader Artie Shaw, and folk guitarist and songwriter Doc Watson will all be honored. Also receiving lifetime achievement awards: jazz producer Orrin Keepnews, radio host Marian McPartland, and songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. ... Clearly smitten with Redman and Method Man's thespian skills, FOX has picked up an as-yet-untitled television show starring the two rappers. The sitcom features Red and Meth as themselves, living in a white suburb of New Jersey. The show was based on an idea from Method Man. ...

Tommy Hill, a.k.a. John Wilson, of rap group the RAM Squad was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with drug dealing and possession after his Philadelphia home was raided by police. Authorities believe Wilson sold drugs out of his home and through dealers in the Richard Allen Homes projects, which the RAM Squad got their name from (the Richard Allen Mob). Wilson is also thought to have ties to Philly mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino. ... Factory 81 have broken up following the departure of bassist Kevin Lewis and drummer Andy Cyrulnik. The hardcore metal outfit's only album, Mankind, came out in 2000. ...

12.23.03

Ozzy Osbourne has been taken out of the Wexham Park Hospital intensive-care unit and placed in a private clinic to recuperate from the injuries he sustained in an ATV crash on December 8, according to a statement from the Osbournes. The former wildman of rock fractured his collarbone, eight ribs and a vertebra in his neck in the accident, which occurred on his Buckinghamshire estate in southern England. Last week, Sharon Osbourne said it would probably take Ozzy six months to fully recover. ...

Hip-hop's greatest storyteller, Slick Rick, will headline his own "Welcome Home" concert in Brooklyn, New York, on January 9. The old-school icon was recently freed from an INS detention center after 17 months while he awaited deportation. Several of Slick Rick's legendary peers are expected to perform at the event but none have yet been confirmed. ... Gang Starr's DJ Premier and Guru are sorting through tracks for a greatest-hits collection due next year. In 1999, the seminal hip-hop duo released the double-disc Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr, but this collection would include newer tracks, B-sides, remixes and at least one new track. ...

Perhaps inspired by all those Priceline.com commercials, in which he sang alongside established rockers, William Shatner is working on a new music album, and he's beaming up some talented artists, including Henry Rollins and Joe Jackson, to help him out. Ben Folds will produce the project, which will likely come out next year. The former Starship Enterprise captain has been in Nashville recording the LP and recently weighed in on the project via his Web site: "I am attempting excellence in music. I feel like I'm almost there, but I'll have to wait for all of you to tell me if I have reached excellence or not." ... Singer/guitarist Justin Hawkinsof British hair metal revivalists the Darkness will address England on MTV Europe on Christmas Day at 3 p.m., the same time the queen of England delivers a speech to her subjects on BBC1. Over the past year, the Darkness have become rock icons across Europe; in North America they remain an acquired taste. ...

On the heels of Rob Halford's return to the band, Judas Priest will release a box set called Metalogy on March 9. The box will feature three or four CDs and may include a live DVD. Judas Priest are working on new material with Halford as well. Tim Owens, who sang on the last two Priest records, is now a member of Iced Earth, whose new album, The Glorious Burden, will be released January 13. ... Murderdolls singer Wednesday 13 will launch a line of merchandise next year that will include shirts, bags, stickers and patches. The product line will feature "The Thirteen Dead Kids" logo, cartoon renderings of 13 dead children drawn in red and black. Wednesday 13 came up with the idea during the downtime that followed this year's tours with Iron Maiden and Stone Sour. ...

The Presidents of the United States of America are re-releasing their self-titled debut album (featuring "Lump" and "Peaches") with five bonus tracks (including a new song called "Some Postman") and a DVD. Titled Extra Super Double Bonus Thrill Pack, the collection is due February 16. ...

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