By JM Stephens
8:10am PDT, May 22, 2020
PInk Floyd's Roger Waters and David Gilmour are feuding
There's drama in the world of Pink Floyd! On May 19, Roger Waters declared open season on David Gilmour, claiming that his former bandmate won't allow him to use the group's website or social media channels to promote his own work. "Nothing from me is on the website — I am banned by David Gilmour from the website. David thinks he owns it. I think he thinks because I left the band in 1985 that he owns Pink Floyd, that he is Pink Floyd and that I'm irrelevant that I should keep my mouth shut. We're all welcome to our opinions," said Roger (pictured). He opened up to Rolling Stone last year about the band's issues, saying he'd met with David and drummer Nick Mason: "We spoke in June [2019]. We had a big meeting where I came up with a big peace plan that has come to nothing, sadly." He continued to expound on the issue and question why he can't connect with his fans through the band's platform. "A year ago, I convened a sort of Camp David for the surviving members of Pink Floyd at a hotel at the airport in London, where I proposed all kinds of measures to get past this awful impasse that we have and the predicament we found ourselves in, and it bore not fruit, I'm sorry to say. One of the things I asked for, I suggested that because whoever the 30 million of you are that subscribe to the web page, you do so because of the body of work the five of us created. … In consequence, it seems to me that it would be fair and correct if we should have equal access to you all and share our projects."
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Little Richard buried at historically black college
Music legend Little Richard was laid to rest at Oakwood University, a historically black college in Huntsville, Alabama, on May 20. The "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Tutti Frutti" singer was an alumni of the university, so family, friends and former bandmates who attended the service considered it a coming home of sorts. The rock 'n' roll pioneer died of bone cancer at 87 on May 9.
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Ariana Grande reacts to Tekashi 6ix9ine's comments criticizing her No. 1 song with Justin Bieber
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber hit back at Tekashi 6ix9ine's accusation that they bought their No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. On May 18, the same day Ariana and Justin's song "Stuck With U" topped the chart and 6ix9ine's "Gooba" debuted at No. 3, Ari posted a long Instagram response after the rapper alleged, "you can buy No. 1s on Billboard." She explained, "numbers aren't the driving force in anything i do. I'm grateful to sing. grateful to have people who want to listen. grateful to even be here at all." She was also quick to point out that the success of "Stuck With U" is due to fans buying the song — proceeds benefit the First Responders Children's Foundation. The drama started when 6ix9ine claimed that Ariana and Justin's teams bought 60,000 copies of the single to boost their numbers. This led to an investigation by Billboard, which found nothing of the sort. The rapper tried to walk his comments back by saying he meant no disrespect. "I made this video to address Ariana. I don't want you to think that I'm coming at you. Not saying that you not talented. … You just don't understand my pain. My frustration is from Billboard," he said, explaining that he was trying to point out that he came from nothing while Ariana has long had a platform since she was a Nickelodeon star as a teen. "I want you to understand that I come from a different, different background than you, right? My mom used to collect cans on the street. I used to bus tables, be a dishwasher," the rapper said.
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The Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr is dead at 81
On May 16, Astrid Kirchherr, the German artist whose early photographs of The Beatles became iconic and helped shape their look, died at 81 in Hamburg, Germany. Famed Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn shared the news on Twitter, saying, "Her gift to the Beatles was immeasurable." Astrid worked as a photographer's assistant in the '60s and her boyfriend at the time asked her to come check out this new band. Looking back at the experience, she once said, "It was like a merry-go-round in my head, they looked absolutely astonishing. My whole life changed in a couple of minutes. All I wanted was to be with them and to know them." Astrid was engaged to original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe when he died at 21. After hearing news of her death, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr wrote on social media, "God bless Astrid a beautiful human being And she took great photos peace and love 😎✌️🌟❤️🎶🎵🍒🥦☮️." George Harrison's son Dhani wrote, "Dearest Astrid, I really wish I could have spent more time with you in this life. You were always so kind and loving towards me. May God bless you always."
Phil May of Pretty Things dies at 75
Phil May, the frontman for British rock band Pretty Things passed away on May 15 at 75 in Norfolk, England. The band released a statement saying, "His work across 55 years encompasses some of the true high points of rock music from its' early R&B roots — right through to the present day. He was a unique, and consistently challenging and creative man, who was never ready to give up his freedom to be what he chose to be, for money or even fame." In 1963, Phil formed the band best known for their 1968 album "SF SORROW," which many consider the first rock opera. In 2014, Phil was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. He's survived by his children, Paris and Sorrel, as well as his partner, Colin Graham.
Keith Urban explains how Nicole Kidman broke her ankle
We all are really going through it during quarantine — even celebrities! During a May 19 appearance on "The Project," Keith Urban explained how wife Nicole Kidman recently broke her foot after curious fans began to inquire upon seeing Nicole wearing an orthopedic boot in social media photos. The country music star explained, "About five weeks ago, she was running around the neighborhood as she does and just didn't see a pothole and rolled her ankle and got a small break in her ankle, and so she's been relegated to the boot for the last handful of weeks and is still sort of getting through it." Keith also shared in the interview that the hardest part of their family quarantine in Nashville has been their inability to get to Australia. "We want to get back to see our moms too. Nic's sister's there and all of her family, my brother and his family, everybody's there, so we're really anxious to get back," he said.
Lana Del Rey takes on critics who think she glamorizes abuse
Lana Del Rey has fired back at critics of her lyrics. On May 21, the singer took to Instagram to air her grievances after being accused of "glamorizing abuse" in her music. The star wrote, "Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f—ing, cheating etc — can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money — or whatever I want without being crucified or saying I'm glamorizing abuse????" The six-time Grammy nominee continued, saying she's "fed up with female writers and alt singers" who claim she glamorizes abuse "when in reality" she's "just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world." The singer also said she will delve more into these issues in her new album, which is due in September, and her poetry.
Noah Cyrus opens up about growing up in sister Miley's shadow
Noah Cyrus is using her new music to open up about the difficulties of growing up with one of the most famous sisters in the world. On her new EP, "The End of Everything," which dropped on May 15, the younger Cyrus expounded on her own insecurities that came with being Miley Cyrus's sister. In one lyric she says, "My sister's like sunshine, bringing good light wherever she'll go / and I was born to rain clouds, blessed in her shadows." While speaking about her music on Instagram Live, the singer broke down in tears. "I think just the message in the second verse, being born in the family I was in, everyone gave me such a hard time for having a hard time being Miley's little sister, but you know, I always felt like I was that person that no one gave a s— about due to what people said to me online," she said.
