411mania.com: Music - 411 Music Fact Or Fiction 10.15.09: Michael Jackson, Mudvayne, U2, A Perfect Circle, and More!

Round 1

Question: Poor MJ. The people that are suddenly suing Michael Jackson's estate are just vultures picking at the corpse of the man. (Read 1) (Read 2) (Read 3) (Read 4)

Jeff Modzelewski: FICTION.

Ok, there are some vultures and nutjobs out there, but other than the psycho saying that MJ "communicated with (her) through his music" most of the stuff there is potentially legit. Jackson's lawyer has admitted that Anka co-wrote the song. Jackson was notoriously bad at paying bills. Therefore, it's likely that he owes people money. Filing a claim is how you legally make your case, and there are probably plenty of people who feel, with some solid reasons, that Jackson owed them money. It's unfortunate to see, but they're not vultures for trying to get paid for work that they did. And Anka especially deserves to get paid for writing that song.

Daniel Wilcox: FACT .

Let's get the Michael Jackson question out of the way with then.

Look, I was devastated when the guy died, and in the weeks that followed I read every bit of news I could on the guy. But right now, I really could not care less about what happens to his estate or what his family is saying in the press. Yes, of course these people are vulture-like in the way they're going after his estate. But the label is vulture-like in the way it's putting out unreleased Jackson material, which isn't even close to being on par with the guy's most average of work. And music websites are like vultures in the way they're reporting on every bit of Jackson news because they know it'll get hits. And the guys making that film are vulture-like. Everyone is trying to capitalize off of the guy's death, as is the norm when a big name in music or film or any form of entertainment dies. This instance is just bigger and more reported on because it's Michael Jackson.

Score Card: 0 for 1

Round 2

Question: Bands that are offering extra content to users that buy their works through iTunes are really punching those who buy the physical album in the nuts. (Read 1) (Read 2)

Jeff Modzelewski: FACT.

I don't buy digital albums. Ever. If I like the artist and the album, I buy an actual, physical copy. It pisses me off to no end that I have to go hunting for "bonus tracks" from artists whose albums I have purchased. Most serious fans of artists will buy a physical copy of a CD and then add it to their iPod. These are the fans that you want to keep engaged and not piss off.

The fact of the matter is that, in the end, most people are able to get a hold of whatever bonus tracks they want. The real question is whether or not they're going to put in the time searching the various sites to find the bonus tracks. But you shouldn't punish people who are willing to actually go out and purchase a CD by not giving them access to the same material that you make available online.

Daniel Wilcox: FICTION .

I'm going to go on the evidence of the link provided and say no, for the simple reason that Weezer is offering extra content at a greater price. If fans were paying the same price as they would in-store then it would be different, but in this instance they're not. In other instances you can pay the same price or less on iTunes and get a bonus track if you're lucky, but that's hardly the biggest rip-off in the world. And besides, the vast majority of fans have the option of purchasing albums from iTunes so bands aren't really in the wrong here. It's up to the individual whether they purchase an album in-store or from the internet at the end of the day, and bands are merely attempting to move with the times, which dictate that the internet is become a bigger and more important tool in music marketing in the 21st century than the in-store market.

Score Card: 0 for 2

Round 3

Question: U2 wants a "Rock Band" game like The Beatles? Yeah, that would be a joke.

Jeff Modzelewski: FACT.

The Beatles > U2. By a lot. U2 doesn't even deserve to be in the same planet as The Beatles. Yeah, some people might want a U2 Rock Band or Guitar Hero game (I don't know why), but in no way should they try to put themselves in the same conversation as The Beatles. No one is going to go out and buy specific U2 instruments in the same way people bought The Beatles' set. Nearly everyone loves The Beatles and knows most of their catalog. Most people I know think that U2 went way downhill early in the 90's, and that their music simply hasn't aged nearly as well as The Beatles' catalog.

Daniel Wilcox: FICTION .

U2 and more specifically Bono may be a bit of a punchline in 2009, but there's no denying their importance in the music world and their wealth of great music in their back catalogue. Records like Boy, War, October and of course The Joshua Tree are certifiable classics and the band has more than enough solid material that it would be a worthy venture to create a Rock Band game for them. And we know that this band is still popular on the basis of the sales of No Line on the Horizon and their recent world tour. Besides, bands like Metallica and Aerosmith have had their own versions of Guitar Hero, and while there are no doubt better bands to base a game around, there aren't that many bands that combine quality with the potential to shift units as much as U2 do. This isn't me saying that U2 are on par with The Beatles either, it's just me saying that they're a very good band.

Score Card: 0 for 3

Round 4

Question: This ongoing, public bickering between All That Remains' Phil Labonte and Shadows Fall's Brian Fair over private drama is really a waste.

Daniel Wilcox: FACT.

What the fuck is this bollocks? Reading that Twitter war between these two is pretty fucking tedious, so I do not recommend anyone does it. To summarize it, the shitty singer from Shadows Fall apparently hit on the girlfriend of slightly less shitty singer Phil Labonte from All That Remains and they both bitched about it on Twitter. What's really sad is that the one guy goes "let's hope this is just a misunderstanding and move on," sort of thing, and the other guy goes "save the drama for your mama." And thus the cycle repeats itself. What the fuck, how old are these people? Twelve? Not only is it a pity argument, but they're whining about the whole thing on Twitter. I've seen pictures of the guy's girlfriend, and she's not even worth bitching about. These two should probably focus on trying to make records that aren't drowning in mediocrity and less time worrying about who's "babysitting" who. Honestly, Ben, I may never forgive you for making me have to read about that crap.

Jeff Modzelewski: FACT .

Seriously, who cares about who tried to fuck whose girlfriend? I don't even know from those idiotic "tweets" what the story is, and I really don't care. Tweeting about how you're pissed off at someone else is completely stupid. Grow up and pick up a fucking phone and call the person if there's an issue.

Score Card: 1 for 4

Round 5

Question: Mudvayne's use of a black light reactive ink for all of the art and text in the packaging of the record, making it only visible with a black light, is quite unappealing.

Daniel Wilcox: FICTION.

This is the first that I have heard of this and from what I've read, this sounds like a complete waste of time and money that serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever.

With that said, if you're a Mudvayne fan, are you going to boycott buying their new album because of this? The answer is no, unless you're a bit of an idiot. Sure, it might make you think they're a bit pretentious and all that, but it's not the end of the world. At the end of the day, no one buys a CD because of the packaging, whether is packaged stupidly or not; they buy CDs because they like the band and the music they make. So while it's not the greatest idea a band has ever come up with, it's not going to affect anyone's decision to purchase the record or not.

Jeff Modzelewski: FICTION.

I think it's a pretty cool idea, actually. Bands don't often take the time to think of something new to do with their album art, especially with the increase in downloading. The fact that Mudvayne had an interesting idea is a feather in their collective cap. I'm a little surprised that their label let them do that, since it will likely cost more than a traditional cover, but the additional revenue from the "special edition" packages will help offset the costs.

As far as the concept itself, I think fans will enjoy the novelty of the black light cover. I'm sure that all of the information that is only visible with black light will be easy to find online, so it's not like fans will miss out on anything crucial even if they don't own a black light. But it's something to actually encourage fans to buy the physical CD, and that's a good thing.

Score Card: 2 for 5

Round 6

Question: Maynard James Keenan's hints of A Perfect Circle reunion next year to work on new material and tour is fantastic news!

Daniel Wilcox: FICTION.

I'm not going to lie to you good people, but I am slightly unqualified to answer this question on the basis that I haven't heard more than two or three songs from A Perfect Circle. This is, however, surprising because I am a big fan of Keenan's work with both Tool and Puscifier; the fact is I've just never got round to his third project. But I'm going to answer "fiction" on the basis that more time working with A Perfect Circle means less time working with Tool, his main project, and that is no good thing. While Tool can be hit or miss, it seems like far too long since the band put out an album (it's been three years). I definitely wouldn't mind another Puscifier album either, but new Tool would be something really worth looking forward to.

Jeff Modzelewski: FICTION .

Not that a Perfect Circle album and tour would be a bad thing, I just don't think that it's big enough to warrant both a "fantastic" and an exclamation point. I've always thought of A Perfect Circle as Tool's stepchild, and I'd get much more excited about another Tool album and tour than something from A Perfect Circle. I'd also like to see an extensive Puscifer tour, since us Midwest folks seem to have gotten screwed so far on their limited tour dates. I'll listen to it a new APC album, just like I listen to anything Maynard does, but I'm not going to do backflips over it.

Score Card: 3 for 6

You guys are idiots. 3 years between Tool albums? Go cry over it. How many years between Lateralus and 10000 Days? Go smoke pole, and do more research before offering ignorant opinions.

Posted By: guest (Guest) on October 15, 2009 at 09:15 AM

Normally I don't reply to comments on stuff I write, but "guest" here is a retard. Wilcox is pretty honest about the fact that he doesn't know much about either APC or Tool, so he obviously might not know that waiting 4+ years between Tool albums is typical. If you took the time to read what I said, all I said was that I'd prefer a new Tool album or a bigger Puscifer tour to an APC album. I'm not at all surprised that there's no Tool album coming, but that doesn't mean I don't want one. I don't appreciate it when people come here and post anonymously about us not "doing research" when their crowning glory is probably getting their mommy to hang their artwork on the fridge. Douche.

Posted By: Jeff Modzelewski (Registered) on October 15, 2009 at 10:34 PM