Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s May 23rd and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
Starting it off strong with releases, we got A Perfect Circle’s debut record Mer de Noms in 2000, Tales from the Punchbowl by Primus in 1995, and KISS’ Dynasty in 1979!
We also got Audioslave’s Out of Exile in 2005, Brain Drain from the Ramones in 1989 and Sparkle and Fade by Everclear in 1995!
And staying on the topic of albums, in 1991, photographer Michael Lavine went to Jay Aaron Studios in LA to take publicity photos for an upcoming album by a up and coming band from Seattle. The shoot for the album cover involved a pool and a naked baby. After taking photos of several infants, the photo of 5-month-old Spencer Eldon was used to create one of the most iconic albums of the 90’s: Nirvana’s Nevermind.
Moving onto birthdays, we have Danny Klein of the J Geils Band and it’s a double drummer birthday celebration as we have Philip Selway of Radiohead and Scott Raynor, the original drummer of Blink-182!
In 2006, the King of Sweden presented surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by the daughter of the band’s late drummer John Bonham. I mean, with a song like this, it kinda makes sense. Vikings and stuff…
In 2014, parents of a camera assistant who was killed by a train while filming pre-production shots for the biopic Midnight Rider, about Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, sued both Allman and the film’s producers. The parents case claimed that the filmmakers “selected an unreasonably dangerous site for the filming location” and also failed to take actions to adequately protect the crew. It was later revealed that producers failed to get filming permits. TWICE.
We saw the beginning of Metallica’s short hair era with the release of their music video for Until It Sleeps in 1996
In 2000, Billy Corgan announced that the Smashing Pumpkins were breaking up. Three of the original members (Corgan, James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlain) would reunite periodically, but bassist D’arcy Wretzky has not returned to the band since
And finally, Tom Petty was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1979 after refusing to transfer his contract to MCA, as well as the multiple lawsuits he was dealing with. The move halts all legal proceedings and forces the record company to negotiate.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
