Observations: Ernie Hays, Axl Rose, Madison, Cumulus Sucks

RIP Ernie Hays, last of the great organist that you heard when you went to St Louis to see the Cardinals play or whoever was in Busch Stadium. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/ernie-hays-beloved-busch-stadium-organist-dies/article_fc96bca5-c194-544b-8a70-c93aa8a43ad5.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co

If you read the Axl Rose interview it seemed that everybody in the band abandoned him and beaten him to a pulp since he couldn't write anymore and everything his songwriting sucked and so on.  I really haven't gotten through The Chinese Democracy, Rose's opus that is now lining the dollar bins at Half Priced Books, I only made it through side one of the double album.  Take it on its own merits and not judge it against Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 two more bloated albums that would have made a nifty single had they didn't cram so much filler on that effort.  The classic remains their first Appetite For Destruction although I have no use for that album.  I don't forsee the classic GnR lineup ever on stage again.  Too much hatred for one another. But everybody knows before Axl did that the music business isn't a caring business, it's hits now or be gone. Gone are the days that a label would hang with a band for 3 or 4 albums to watch them grow.  But it's good to know that Axl can retire to his animal zoo with his four legged buddies although I may have seen him walking the Vegas streets when I was there.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/30/axl-rose-exclusive-interview-gnr-vegas-residency/1669311/
and http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/30/axl-rose-on-gnr-music-more/1669329/

One more venture into Mad City before daylight savings time ends and we're in the dark before five oclock again. Not sure if it's worth blogging since the last Madison blog didn't make out of single digits whereas last years EMI Going From 4 to 3 blog was in the top five this weekend in readership and was three times more read than Halestorm.  I guess nobody really cares about new music and bands anymore.  Last month's ratings here were the worst, and to add salt to the wound, 1,899 views were recorded.  To which the plug will be pulled once I compiled the best of 2012 only to see that not read but they'll run to the 2009 version. I thought about if we didn't reach 2,000 but get into at least 1900 we might consider to up another year of blogging for 2013, we still might if the 2,000 is reached for this month but knowing the fate and facts of life we be one short again.  Just like in October.

More rating grabbers: The Crabby's best record store of 2012 was the most viewed with 45 of them although it didn't register in the overall tally.  The Audiophile's Dream was second most viewed with 32 views and Everlasting Gobstoppers Of Hits while cleverly titled managed to limp to 28 views for the show vote tied with the KISS/Bob Brenly blog.  Basically no change on the all time top ten although it seems while the Ides Of March Top Ten managed to clear 105 views all time, it has fallen down to 84 to which after that one gives up on how Blogspot tracks such things. 

Used to be that radio used to be fun to listen to but since Cumulus Radio has owned just about everything in this neck of the woods I compare these stations to like getting bamboo shoots between your fingernails.  Nothing speaks more of sucking than KDAT which everybody seems to have everywhere you go to and KRNA, the preferred choice of headbangers, to which one can't escape Back In Black, Nevermind and Jet Get Born, a great album that came out but KRNA has played it so many times I have no use for it anymore. Good old KDAT with Pink's Fucking Brilliant blaring out of the pawnshop's speakers that that may have been the quickest visit to any store I ever went to (three seconds).  I heard that Clear Channel is hurting for money and may sell some of their stations but if Fate would have it the Cumulus cocksuckers would end up buying them all to program that Sheryl Crow block party that nobody wants to hear.  Or Jet.

I donno but in the two months that we all have left together I will try to continue to bring into perspective why I still care about music enough to bring the obscure and the top tens to you but in the process knowing that we have already lost the battle.  Or maybe we never did have it when it all begin in 2003 to which we still have plenty of music stores to visit and plenty of music to talk about.  But the original core audience that was with me have moved on to being grandparents or having kids that are now in high school.  Or having like minded folks that love to talk different types of music with their own blogs, getting bored with it and moving on to other things when ratings don't go their way.  Maybe Mark Prindle had the right idea and retire when he became a dad, Bob Lefsetz continues to repeat himself time and time again like this rewrite of a rewrite of a blog http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2012/11/01/making-it-in-music/
that maybe there comes to a time to retire from it all.  Maybe nobody really cares about this year being the best year in finding 45s for me ever.  Thank God for Tad and his comments and Drews, otherwise the mailbox will be full of anonymous ads for Russian escort services or porn sites.

There's light at the end of the tunnel, Big Dawgs in CR is opening up the old stage for a big band fest friday night.  The Paramount in downtown Cedar Rapids is reopening with Harry Connick Jr, Oak Ridge Boys and the forever young B B King playing there this month so all hope isn't lost.

For those of you that didn't want to sit through this long novel, I'll give you the ADD Version of this. Axl Rose is a crybaby, Madison is great for bargains, the ratings suck and so does Cumulus Radio.

Now go out and enjoy the day.