( continues...) suffered from hypersensitivity to sound. It was almost like his brain lost its ability to filter sounds and even the most innocuous sounds like a hand waving in the air, or brushing on cloth would overwhelm like a mighty roar. It would come on him in the night and he was afraid he was losing his mind. He outgrew it.

"Romeo is Bleeding" was inspired by a real incident where he went to buy cocaine after a concert in Miami and the dealer conducted the transaction while he was gut-shot.

The music for Alice was stolen from Tom and he had to buy it back from the thieves years later in order to put the album out. It was a whole shady cloak and dagger type transaction.

Similarly, a lot of the songs from Orphans had to be bought from a Russian bootlegger.

Tom was at Wondercon last year because his son is a big comics fan. He was standing right behind Sean Maher.

Tom's wife courted him by playing Let's Get Lost - they'd drive around and have adventures. She'd hop into bulldozers parked at construction sites and drive them around. (Tom's said a lot of aprocryphal things about his wife, but the heavy machinery operating recurs enough that I think this one is true.)

mr. flea was shown the White Castle ads and the Video Killed the Radio Star performance, and now he insists that Jon needs to put up a Youtube video of himself performing "My Humps" on the theremin.

Just throwin' that out there for you.

I think that "Push It" would work better on the theremin. IJS.

The stage version of Franks Wild Years was produced by Steppenwolf and directed by Gary Sinise.

I also seem to recall that it was originally supposed to be directed by someone else who had a falling out with Tom over creative differences, and quit or was fired. I want to say it was Lee Tergesen, but I remember for sure it was someone who was a regular on Oz.

This may be obvious to everybody else, but I didn't realize that wasn't Tom Waits on the cover of Rain Dogs until I started researching this book.

Wasn't obvious to me (since this is the first I heard of it).

I think that "Push It" would work better on the theremin. IJS.

Heh, and get a couple of people to impersonate that Nextel (it was Nextel, right?) commercial.

Huh, double post.

Jon needs to put up a Youtube video of himself performing "My Humps" on the theremin.

I think that "Push It" would work better on the theremin.

Yeah, I'll get right on those...

Awesome!

NEW YORK (AP) - Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.

The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.

The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance.

A new 15-minute film directed by Reiner on the band's reunion will also play at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Wednesday. The slate for the opening gala, to be hosted by Al Gore, was previously announced, excepting the Reiner short.

The festival is to open with a showing of several global warming-themed short films produced by the SOS (Save Our Selves) campaign. SOS is also putting on the Live Earth concerts, to be held across seven continents.

Reiner spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday to explain the reunion of Spinal Tap _ a band always known more as a parody of rock `n roll excess than environmental awareness.

"They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Reiner, whose other films include "When Harry Met Sally" and "Stand By Me." "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing _ that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler."

Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, but hasn't for a number of years. For the band _ whose last album was 1992's "Break like the Wind" _ the occasion warranted a new single: "Warmer Than Hell."

Reiner provided a sneak peak at the lyrics: "The devil went to Devon, it felt like the fourth degree/ He said, `Is it hot in here, or is it only me?'"

The director said the new short film explains what the band has been doing with their lives lately. Nigel has been raising miniature horses to race, but can't find jockeys small enough to ride them; David is now a hip-hop producer who also runs a colonic clinic; and Derek is in rehab for addiction to the Internet.

[link]

David, does this mean you're done?

David, does this mean you're done?

I wish! But I took the whole month off to work on it and I'm getting close.

Eating a lot of ramen. How about you? Did you get your extension? Are you happy with it?