Chapelle Is Well?

If you haven't been noticing the internet chatter (I don't know about TV, I don't watch it), I'm sure you've heard about the rumours surrounding Dave Chapelle's recent relocation to South Africa. And if you believe everything you read, Chapelle would have to be a crack addict and a severely mentally unstable man who is having trouble coping with his new lifestyle. Actually, that's partially true. He's not doing drugs, and he's not mentally ill, but he is having some issues dealing with his new found fame and fortune.

As he explained to Time Magazine, Chapelle is actually spending some quality time at a friend's house, relaxing and relieving the stress he's been under for some time. Being a small-town boy in a big-city life can be quite the ordeal. I've discussed this idea with some people, and it's interesting that people find it hard to believe that he would be having such a hard time adjusting since he's had a comedic career for a while. It was, however, the $50 million contract he signed with Comedy Central that started the chain reaction. The biggest problem he has faced recently has to do with what he calls his "inner circle." No one knows for sure who they are, but he blames them for his struggles:

"During my ascent, I've seen other people go through that wall to become really big. They always said that fame didn't change them but that it changes the people around them. You always hear that but you never really understand it. But now that I'm there that makes a lot of sense and I'm learning what that means. You have to have people around you that you can trust and aren't just out for a meal ticket."

Sounds like somebody used him. Time explains that it was likely this issue with his "inner circle" that led him to reconsider the content of his TV show, which resulted in his departure. Chapelle admits that some of his actions on the set may have appeared to be psychological in nature, and they probably were, but he was just reacting to the situation.

The interview doesn't suggest the return of the Chapelle show, so as far as the future of his TV career is concerned, it appears to be up in the air.

In other news...

Google has bought Dodgeball. I don't mean the game, I mean the service. Dodgeball is described as a glorified Friendster, but I happen to think it's totally different. It's a cell phone service that allows you to text your friends to tell them where you are and also finds other friends in your area so you can meet new ones. You can also form crushes, as the site states, but I think that's a bit creepy. New features will obviously come out of this new merger, so if you're the kind of person who likes to be in extremely close touch with your "inner circle," this might be for you.

Here comes your daily dose of Brandon Flowers. This time, he's saying sorry to the family of Jodi Jones. Jones was brutally murdered by her boyfriend when they were both just 14. What does this have to do with Flowers? He recently explained that the inspiration for his band The Killers' new song "Where Is She?" was inspired by the incident. Flowers says that he saw it on the news while he was on tour and thought that it must be awful to be Jones' mother. He then wrote the song from her point of view. While it must be such a setback to the family's grieving process to have to deal with a major band singing a song about the death of their daughter, the band still insists it will record the song. Disrespectful.

Well speaking of The Killers, The Bravery is featured in today's Newsday. The article details both the history of the band from its conception to today and, briefly, a peak at a day in the life of singer Sam Endicott. Ironically, there's no mention of The Killers. The article never gives them credit for paving the way nor does it suggest that they are Endicott's inspiration. Probably because they're not and Brandon Flowers is a loser.

Hibbing, Minnesota, is the home of the great Bob Dylan. Until recently, the town had never paid tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter, but today the town gave one of its streets the honorary title of Dylan Drive. The fact that it is only honorary means that none of the residents on that street will have to change their addresses. I don't think that's a good enough tribute, in my opinion.

Pitchfork announced today the line-up for its first ever Intonation Music Festival. The festival is the weekend of July 16th and acts include The Go! Team, Xiu Xiu, and Tortoise. Although there are some very quality acts coming to the festival, it's both small and lacks variety. None of your extremely big names are going to be there, so if you're trying to decide which festival you should go to, I recommend finding a better one.

Does anyone remember what happened to The Vines? Just one of the list of "the" bands that came out all at the same time (also includes The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes), The Vines had to unfortunately cancel the rest of their most recent tour due to frontman Craig Nicholls' assault charges and subsequent diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Nicholls came out virtually unscathed financially, whereas the rest of the band is now struggling to make ends meet. Enter drummer Hamish Rosser. Rosser is indeed in a financial pinch due to the band's virtual implosion, and as a result he has decided to rent himself out. So far he's gotten a few responses, and hopefully he'll be making some decent money. So if you live in Australia and you have a band, you might want to donate to his cause and get his assistance.

New releases tomorrow, check them out.
Barbara Morgenstern and Robert Lippok - Tesri
Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration
Sleater-Kinney - Entertain (limited edition single)
Also check out the Adventures of Pete and Pete Season One DVD

Upcoming Columbus Shows

5.17 - Stereo Total w/ Les Georges Leningrad - Little Brothers
5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.01 - Gang Gang Dance - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine - The Newport
6.16 - Comets On Fire - The Wexner Center
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
In honor of the new and improved regnyouth archives, I present a downloading extravaganza.
(rar password = rya)

Beulah - Handsome Western States 2 3 (link, zip)
Beulah - Yoko 2 3 (link, zip)
Elf Power - Winter is Coming 2 3 (link, zip)
Sigur Ros - () (link, mp3)
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun (link, mp3)
Bob Dylan - Self Portrait (link, mp3)
Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze (link, mp3)
The Rocket Summer - Hello Good Friend (link, mp3)
Jamiroquai - A Funk Odyssey (link, mp3)

I'm so glad this morning is over. I had two midterms, both of which I've been studying for all weekend and then some, and I think they went well. Now I can relax for at least a little while. Then it's back to the books. Have a good monday.