Rolling into the weekend like... um... yeah

Hello friends. Hope you've had a good run since last time around.

It's that time of year, don't ya know? Hot/cool/hot/cool ad infinitum. Also, April showers and whatever. The other constant is the pollen. All of one time this week has the daily email I get about pollen had a number less than ten, and was 11.5 for at least two of those day (it runs on a weird 0-12 scale). Hence, my Friday afternoon features a headache and snotty nose. 

I also seem to be "enjoying" a bout of kidney stones. Or something. I was supposed to get a PET scan yesterday, but the facility called me late Tuesday to say they'd "forgotten to order the contrast" for the procedure so it would have to be rescheduled. Lucky me, I get to enjoy another two weeks of pain (sometimes, it definitely qualifies as agony). I'm not big on hospitals (especially considering my last go-round with one), but if it parks in that agony category for a while, hello ER.

Fingers crossed, we'll see you tomorrow night for Saturday Night Karaoke, huh?

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The LA County coroner has revealed the cause of Coolio's death. 

The report says the postmortem listed cardiomyopathy, asthma, "recent phencyclidine (PCP) use" as contributing factors in the rapper's demise.

The Gangsta’s Paradise rapper died at a friend's home last September after being unconscious on a bathroom floor. TMZ reported at the time that EMTs attempted resuscitation for 45 minutes before he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement sources said no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene at the time.

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Variety reports that former Motley Crue drummer Mick Mars- who filed a countersuit against the band yesterday- says he "carried those bastards for years" and that his history with the group shouldn't end in a courtroom.

The band initially filed suit to force Mars into arbitration, seeking a ruling that he is officially a member or shareholder, with any of the rights that confers. They contend that Mars' announcement last fall that he quitting touring amounted to a resignation.

His countersuit contends his arthritic disease made him no longer fit for the road, and was not a resignation.

Mars told Variety that "(other band members) have been hammering on me since ’87, trying to replace me. They haven’t been able to do that, because I’m the guitar player. I helped form this band. It’s my name I came up with (name), my ideas, my money that I had from a backer to start this band. It wouldn’t have gone anywhere. And then to be hearing stuff from people like Bob Daisley from Ozzy Osbourne’s band, when we were touring with them, and Carmine Appice… (a reference to Daisley's 2014 memoir where he recounted a conversation with the other members of Motley Crue on a tour bus in 1984 when they allegedly solicited his advice about firing Mars)"

"The thing that they keep pushing, for many years, is that I have a bad memory. And that’s full-blown, out-of-proportion crap. Around 2012, when they first started saying that my memory was bad and I didn’t remember the songs, I came home and saw all my doctors, because I keep myself together, because I’m an old bastard. They had all the 10th Street people there (the band’s management team)- probably about five or six people- (versus) all my doctors going: 'There’s nothing wrong with him.' And now they’re still playing that game with me."

Mars goes on to say he wanted "to retire from touring because of my AS (Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory, arthritic disease that causes vertebrae to fuse)."

Mars also referred to former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehly and former Foreigner lead vocalist Lou Gramm as examples of artists who retain ownership of their work with their respective bands. He also calls the offer of a 5% severance package (later upped to 7.5%) "an insult", adding "No. It’s my name. It’s Mick Mars, it’s Motley Crue... (you) would have to have a good reason to be fired. I don’t. ... It just makes me really upset that they want to try and bully me more or less out of the band, so it’s the last man standing that collects everything. And if there’s any real justice to it, I’d be the one that would be the only one that has no criminal record. I’m pure."

Mars said he filed his countersuit because he'd backed down from challenging the others in the band "many times... I’m sorry, you’re not gonna take (this band) from me. I worked very hard for that. It’s mine. I’m keeping it. You can’t have it. Sorry. But they’re well prepared, I can already tell you, because I’ve known them that long too. But I’m not backing down. I’m not gonna fold. And we’ll see what happens. I’m most definitely not afraid of them, or intimidated or anything else.

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Luscious Jackson multi-instrumentalist/singer Vivian Trimble died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, a rep for the band confirmed to Variety.

The dancer/choreographer/musician/singer also released collaboration albums with Jill Cunniff in 1995 (as the Kostars), and an album with Breeders bassist Josephine Wiggs (as Dusty Trails).

She is survived by her husband and two children.

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Without really knowing who Lizzo is (other than a singer and classically trained flautist), I can only hope she has more musical talent than she has acting skill. Watching her in this week's episode of The Mandalorian reminded me of elementary school plays. 

Also, I hate Jack Black. Grogu is still awesome, though. 

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Okay, that's it for now. Birthdays this week include:

April 8th: Steve Howe of Yes (76);  Brenda Russell (74); Mel Schacher of Grand Funk Railroad (72); Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses (61); Julian Lennon (60); Donita Sparks of L7 (60); Robin Wright (57); Patricia Arquette (55); Darren Jessee of Ben Folds Five (52); Katee Sackhoff (43); Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend (39)

April 9th: Marty Krofft (86); Michael Learned (84); Dennis Quaid (69); Mark Kelly of Marillion (62); Mark Pellegrino (58);  Cynthia Nixon (57); Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance (46); Rachel Stevens of S Club 7 (45); Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes (43); Jesse McCartney (36); Elle Fanning (25); Lil Nas X (24)

April 10th: Eric Troyer of ELO (74); Peter MacNicol (69); Babyface (64); Brian Setzer (64); Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves (63); Warren DeMartini of Ratt (60); Tim Alexander of Primus (58); Orlando Jones (55); Kenny Lattimore (53); Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional (48); David Harbour (48); Sophie Ellis-Bextor (44); Charlie Hunman (43); Bryce Soderberg of Lifehouse (43); Liz McLarnon of Atomic Kitten (42); Andrew Dost of Fun. (40); Ryan Merriman (40); Mandy Moore (39); Haley Joel Osment (35); Maren Morris (33); Daisy Ridley (31)

April 11th: Joel Grey (91); Louise Lasser (84); Peter Riegert (76); Lisa Stansfield (57); Cerys Matthews (54); Ollie Riedel of Rammstein (52); Jennifer Esposito (51); Thom Thacker of Sum 41 (49); Joss Stone (36)

April 12th: Herbie Hancock (83); John Kay of Steppenwolf (79); Ed O’Neill (77); Tom Noonan (72); Pat Travers (69); Andy Garcia (67); Vince Gill (66); Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen (65); Amy Ray of Indigo Girls (58); Guy Berryman of Coldplay (45); Claire Danes (44); Jennifer Morrison (44)

April 13th: Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers (83); Bill Conti (81); Al Green (77); Ron Perlman (73); Olga Tañón (56); Aaron Lewis of Staind (51)

April 14th: Julie Christie (83); Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple (78); Peter Capaldi (65); Robert Carlyle (62); Anthony Michael Hall (55); Martyn LeNoble of Porno for Pyros (54); Adrien Brody (50); Da Brat (49); Sarah Michelle Gellar (46); Abigail Breslin (27)