Same Old Song and Dance

My old home MTV has said its upcoming revival of my other old home VH1's iconic BEHIND THE MUSIC series will be a mix of new episodes and updated old ones. But it's hard not to notice that the initial slate of six announced episodes, from HUEY LEWIS to LL COOL J to BUSTA RHYMES, consists entirely of artists who could have been featured in the show's last revival, more than a decade ago. Where are the PARAMORE and FLO RIDA episodes? Is it too soon for MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE? Or is that the point? Vice and Pitchfork have both reported in the past few days on rappers going viral with subversive revisions of songs by VANESSA CARLTON, MARIAH CAREY and FANTASIA. (Truculent Throwback Thursday anyone?) Y'all have seen the prices investors are paying for the publishing rights to 40-, 50- and 60-year-old songs. Here's a (fairly persuasive) argument for reissuing not only popular catalog material, but *unpopular* catalog material. Who wants yesterday's papers, a rock and roller of some note asked 54 years ago. The answer, it turns out, may be everybody in the world. Not to mention it saves you the hassle of having to pay someone to create something new. "Behind the Music" premieres July 29 on Paramount+.

Electric Live Orchestras

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL and the LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC performed for an audience of first responders Saturday night—the first live audience to see a show at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL in 18 months. They were introduced by surprise guest BILLIE EILISH. The LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA returns to the BARBICAN Tuesday for its first performance on its home stage in 14 months—not counting a rehearsal in front of a single critic from the Observer.

Etc Etc Etc

BRING MUSIC HOME is a coffee table book featuring photos of more than 200 US venues—all shot during the pandemic—with text by AMBER MUNDINGER, TAMARA DEIKE and KEVIN CONDON. Part of the proceeds from the $75 volume will benefit the NATIONAL INDEPENDENT VENUE ASSOCIATION... An Americanized adaptation of EUROVISION is coming in 2022 and here's a compelling argument for why it's a very very bad idea. Then again, did anyone seriously think THE MASKED SINGER was going to work in the US?... New York Mayor BILL DE BLASIO is officially, mayorally "outraged" that ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME voters overlooked the NEW YORK DOLLS this year. "That's wrong. I want to condemn them for that," he told a reporter from WBAI radio at a press conference last Thursday. "I am condemning them." No word yet from Chicago Mayor LORI LIGHTFOOT on the voters' failure to recognize CHAKA KHAN, or from London's SADIQ KHAN on IRON MAIDEN.

Rest in Peace

Jazz pianist NORMAN SIMMONS, best known for accompanying CARMEN MCRAE, BETTY CARTER and many other singers... Korean rock singer J. YOON, who fronted the band M.C. THE MAX... British music journalist FRED DELLAR, sometimes known as FRED FACT, who wrote extensively for NME, Q and Mojo. FACTORY RECORDS assigned a catalog number to one of his NME columns.