The Money Shot 11.22.05

Catching up on the news...

Edge's 'Music Rising' to Help New Orleans Musicians
The Money Shot: "The devastation wrought by the hurricanes of 2005 to the Gulf Coast region has threatened not only the lives and livelihoods of the region's residents, but the area's rich and spirited culture as well," says the Edge. "Providing replacement instruments through Music Rising will not only help thousands of professional musicians affected by the hurricanes to regain a foothold on their future, but will also ensure that one of the Gulf Coast's greatest assets, its music, rises again." (Music Rising website here.)

Coldplay Scalping Their Own Tickets?
The Money Shot: On Saturday, the band launched a special online auction through Ticketmaster.com, which gives fans the chance to bid on pairs of tickets to the first leg of shows on the band's upcoming North American tour. By Monday, the minimum bid on tickets for several shows was already as high as $400, and no bid was lower than $80 for a pair of tickets.

Courtney In Rehab
The Money Shot: She clearly had a dysfunctional relationship with others in her group, who often came to her when they were feeling weak. "I'd sit at a meeting and I'd say I feel like doing blow today and all of a sudden there'd be a line of people that wanted to do drugs with me and it would be like 'Relapse?' 'Let's call Courtney.'"

Sufjan Stevens: The Ultimate Indie?
The Money Shot: 'Corporations are run on principles of greed, and making the most money possible with the least work possible, and I think that's counterproductive to the health of human beings and society,' says Stevens, a half-confident, half-nervous figure with limpid green eyes who manages to seem distracted and deeply attentive at the same time. 'They create wealth but they destroy cultures and families. The World's Fair was the precursor to theme parks like Disneyworld, and the really sort of cheap, superficial promotional architecture that you see everywhere in the US. I think there's a danger when you start creating a civilisation that isn't meant to last.'

Jeff Tweedy's Not A Control Freak.... Yeah, Riiiiiiiiight.
The Money Shot: I don’t think I ever really had the energy or the interest in really exerting that much control. I mean, I know a lot of people have this idea of that being the case, and there’s certainly elements of truth to that, but one of them is not in being very dictatorial about what I want played.

Coming Attractions - Richard Thompson
The Money Shot: Details are finally coming to light about "RT - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson," which has been in the works for several months. Due Feb. 7 through the U.K.-based independent Free Reed Records and Music label, the five-disc collection set will trace the troubadour's career as a solo artist, with seminal U.K. folk act Fairport Convention, in partnership with ex-wife Linda and in other settings.