R.E.M.: It Was the End of The Simpsons as We Now Know It

R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe made an appearance on Sunday's 37th season finale of The Simpsons.

In the episode titled “Homer? A Cracker Bro?,” Homer goes into business with Millhouse's father, Kirk Van Houten, but not without problems. While a distraught Kirk is seen wandering aimlessly around his house in a robe and boxers, Stipe appears to sing "Everybody Kirks," a parody of R.E.M.’s 1993 hit “Everybody Hurts.” Stipe, dressed in the black suit, white shirt and black hat from the "Everybody Hurts" video, sings:

“When your day is long / And at night, at night you snack alone / When you’re sure your hunger’s gone, for this life, well, pang on / Don’t let yourself choke, just because your mouth is dry / Everybody Kirks, crumb times / Well, everybody Kirks, crumb times, when crackers taste like lies / Everybody Kirks, so munch on, munch on.”

Stipe says about his second appearance on the animated show, "I was super flattered to be invited back into the Simpsons universe, and particularly with this grand message of great hope.” Stipe, alongside his R.E.M. bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, first appeared on The Simpsons in 2001 in the episode titled “Homer the Moe.” That time out they performed “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” in Homer’s makeshift bar in his garage.

Dee Snider Insists He's Not Dying

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider shocked everyone last week when he suddenly announced he was done live performing over health issues, subsequently scrapping the band's 50th anniversary tour. When a wave of concern came from fans over how dire the outlook must be for him to resign from his band, Snider went into a little more detail.

On his House of Hair show, he said, "I’m not dying! No, not never; I mean, we’re all dying, but not immediately." Snider added, "My announcement about canceling the tour for health reasons, problems with my heart, arthritis, things like that, the rumors have run wild that I am on my death bed. I am not. I just can’t do those things that I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s. Alright? Otherwise, I’m alive and well. I’m enjoying life." He revealed that he was asked to perform in a lower gear, but that wouldn't be true to who he is. "The truth of the matter is, I don’t want you to see me up there being less than you expect me to be. You got memories of the great shows that I did, that’s what I want to leave you with. Not me standing up there like Willie Nelson. Nothing wrong with Willie, 95 years old, in a wheelchair, but you know what I’m saying. I went out rockin’, I’m still rockin’ here, I ain’t stopping. I got a lot of life to live. My dad is 95 and still kicking, so I’m expecting to be around for a long time." He wrapped up the discussion by saying, "Don’t worry about old Dee. Thank you."

Chuck D. Responds To Gene Simmons Saying Hip Hop Doesn't Belong In The Rock Hall

Gene Simmons is on record as believing rap and hip hop have no place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The KISS founder went back to that well again last week, and this time hip hop legend Chuck D. fired back...though he did so with respect. "Gene Simmons seems to say this every three years,” he said in a video posted by "TMZ." "I guess when the latest group of hip-hop artists and rap music artists come in he’s gonna issue his point. He’s the rock god, you know? But what he fails to realize is that it’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And everything else, other than rock, when rock ‘n’ roll splintered in the ’60s, is the roll." Chuck D's comments come after Simmons appeared on the "LegendsNLeaders" podcast, noting that Iron Maiden is not in the Hall, but that hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash is. "It’s not my music. I don’t come from the ghetto. It doesn’t speak my language. I said in print many times: Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera, symphony orchestras…it’s called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."

Nancy Wilson Wants One More Heart Album...And A Victory Lap

The end of the road may be in sight for Heart. Nancy Wilson talked about the future of her band in a new interview with the "World Saving Podcast." ...I feel like this is the perfect time for Heart...to make a victory lap out of our legacy. So I figure we need to make one more Heart album...I think I'm gonna want to make the last Heart album and do the victory lap and make 2027 mainly about the Heart film, the Heart documentary." She also talked about who might play her and sister Ann Wilson in the upcoming biopic. "For me, I mean, somebody like Elle Fanning. She's great. Florence Pugh would make an incredible Ann Wilson, I think. I don't know. It's just fun to think about anyway."

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Hitting the Road Next Month?

Bruce Springsteen will reportedly announce a short tour with The E Street Band today (Tuesday). Reports say it will start on March 31st in Minneapolis, which should come as no surprise to anyone given the release earlier this month of his new song, "Streets of Minneapolis."

Reacting to the recent killings of protestors Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in the Minnesota city, he said he wrote it "in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex and Renee. Stay free." On January 17th, Springsteen denounced ICE and the senseless killing of Renee Good during his performance at the annual Light of Day benefit concert in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Before kicking off "The Promised Land" he said, "Right now we are living through incredibly critical times. The United States, the ideals and the values for which its stood the past 250 years, is being tested as it has never been tested in modern times. Those values and those ideals have never been endangered as they are right now." "So as we gather tonight in the beautiful display of love and care and thoughtfulness and community, if you believe in democracy, in liberty, if you believe that truth still matters and that it's worth speaking out and its worth fighting for." "If you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it. If you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city, using gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens."

"If you believe you don't deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this President, and as the mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the [hell] out of Minneapolis. This song is for you and in the memory of mother of three and American citizen Renee Good."

Bruce Springsteen Lends "Born In The USA" To Anti-ICE Video

Doubling down on his anti-ICE position, Bruce Springsteen has given permission for his music video for "Born in the U.S.A." and various live footage to be used in a new short film that is a call to action against ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Trump administration's crackdown in Minneapolis and elsewhere. The video uses Bruce's on stage comments as well as the 1984 hit song, mixed with short profiles of American citizens allegedly taken into custody by federal agents. It also features a brief clip of Renee Good, who was recently shot and killed in a high-profile incident in Minnesota.

Jon Anderson Expands 2026 Tour With The Band Geeks

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks are adding more dates to their 2026 "Yes Epics, Classics and More" tour. The former Yes singer and his current group previously announced a ten-date U.S. run starting in April and running through early May. Now, a new run of nine shows in the U.K. and Sweden have been announced. They kick off in mid-September and will continue through early October. The tour features Anderson and the Band Geeks performing songs from the Yes Catalog.

James Taylor, The Doobie Brothers Contribute Signed Guitars To Gibson Gives Charity Auction

Guitars signed by James Taylor and The Doobie Brothers are up for auction as part of the Gibson Give's benefit auction. The online auction, hosted by Julien's Auctions, will go live March 5th at 10 p.m. Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Willie Nelson are some other artists who have donated signed guitars. Proceeds will benefit the Gibson Gives and FirstBank Amphitheater Music Education Program. More information can be found at JuliensAuctions.com [[ Juliens-Auctions-dot-com ]].

FOREIGNER & SKYNYRD: Music or Musicians?

In case you've been living under a rock, you're well aware that the majority of bands from the '60s and '70s who are still touring contain little to no original members. The list is endless -- The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eagles, Queen, KISS, Deep Purple, Kansas, Santana, Chicago,

Journey, Styx, Judas Priest, Little Feat, The Doobie Brothers, Cheap Trick, Rush, ZZ Top, Grand Funk, The Guess Who, Jefferson Starship, Foreigner and Lynyrd Skynyrd. But that's not stopping them from filling venues, or you from buying tickets. So, that begs the question, are you going to hear the songs or see who's performing them?

New York Magazine broached the subject and spoke with engineer and producer Ron Nevison, whose credits include The Who, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne and many others. He says, “This should be about the songs and music, not about the members. The songs transcend them all.

"I don’t think, for the most part, they care that every single band member is there. All of the families support them and want them to keep going. It will be interesting to see, in 20 more years, if there’s another Lynyrd Skynyrd still going on with the sons and daughters of the band.”

And original Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood, who, along with original singer Lou Gramm, occasionally performs with the band, agrees. While there are no original members in the touring line-up, original guitarist Mick Jones is still involved, despite not being able to perform due to Parkinson's disease. "They’re very respectful of the band’s sound," says Greenwood. "They ask a lot of questions: ‘How did we do this? How did you play that? What sounds did you get?’ They want to get it right. We call it the Foreigner family. “We’re in our mid-70s or early 80s, so it’s hard for us to go out anymore. We’re physically too old to tour for any length of time... These songs are very hard. We have to pass the baton to these new players who can do it..."I hope it goes on forever. Let’s face it: The music really stood the test of time. It’s a polarizing topic, but as we age out, it’s impossible to keep it going.” Greenwood adds that he's like to see The Rolling Stones continue after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards hang it up.

“They have to go on forever. If they could find people who can fill those shoes, that would be incredible because the music is brilliant. I wouldn’t like to not be able to see that music being played.” So, if you're going to an amphitheater this summer to see the Foreigner-Lynyrd Skynyrd Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, will you care that the songs you're dancing and singing along to are being performed by musicians who weren't on the original recording?

Chad Kroeger Gives A Glimpse Of What It's Really Like Being Famous

A video going around online shows Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger getting pestered by a fan at a casino. In the clip, a woman asks him to sing for her, and a clearly annoyed Kroeger fires back, telling her to shut up, complete with F-bombs. She keeps pushing, so he gives in and half-heartedly sings the opening lines of "Rockstar." After finishing, he puts his hand over the camera and tells her to go away, though with a slight grin on his face.

Tool In Talks For A Sphere Residency

Tool drummer Danny Carey says the band has been in talks with the Sphere in Las Vegas about a possible residency next year. In an interview, Carey said he thinks Tool would be a perfect fit for the venue and that the residency could come alongside a new album. He noted that preparing for a Sphere show is expensive and takes many performances before turning a profit. Metallica has also been linked to a potential Sphere residency. To see the NSFW video for yourself, click here.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Recording Academy has released the video of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute from this year's Grammy Awards. It featured Post Malone along with Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith, and producer Andrew Watt

performing Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." You can watch it on the Recording Academy's

YouTube channel.

Dixie Dregs and former Kansas and Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has released a video for his song "Taken by an Angel," a tribute to his late wife Janine, who passed away in February 2024 from cancer. The video features his son Kevin, and the song is off his latest album, Triangulation. You can watch the video on YouTube.

Billy Steinberg – the Grammy-winning songwriter who co-wrote Heart’s “Alone,” Divinyls’ "I Touch Myself," and The Pretenders’ "I'll Stand by You," as well as songs for The Bangles, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna – died Monday (yesterday) from cancer, just 10 days shy of his 75th birthday. He and his writing partner Tom Kelly were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. Lauper commented on his death saying, “He was a great lyricist and a wonderful collaborator. He and Tom had such a way of capturing the range within an emotion, from the subtlety to urgency… For ‘True Colors,’ there was a lot of back and forth which I know was hard for him. In the end, he said that I had really invented my own ‘very exquisitely beautiful version’ of the song. That really meant a lot to me. It is a special song.”

Due to an undisclosed emergency, not health-related, John Sebastian of Lovin’ Spoonful fame pulled out of this past Sunday’s Bob Marley tribute concert and Hurricane Melissa benefit for the people of Jamaica. The show was held at the Colony in Woodstock, New York where Sebastian lives.

Crash & AJ