Video - Amy Winehouse Stumbles Through Show – Cancels Remaining Concert Dates and Enters Rehab

Here we go again. Poor Amy Winehouse.

It seems the troubled rock star singer is back on drugs.

Last week in Serbia Belgrade she tried to perform on stage but was so wasted that the crowd booed and heckled her.

A fellow band mate had to remind her what song she was singing and ultimately had to sing it for her as a spaced out Winehouse looked around in confusion.

The video below shows a stumbling Winehouse stopping, and then restarting her show and arguing with her band.



Embarrassing to say the least.

You can tell she is wasted and can’t understand a single word she is mumbling.

By the way, Amy’s handlers are trying to get all the Belgrade videos removed from the internet so there is a chance the above clip will become unavailable.

Earlier this month her reps say Amy checked into rehab at the Priory Clinic but checked out after staying only seven days. You know, the “Charlie Sheen” rehab method.

After news of her disastrous drug fueled performance in Belgrade got out, her team quickly pulled the plug on two of her upcoming European shows saying,

“Amy Winehouse has canceled appearances in Istanbul and Athens for the coming week. Despite feeling sure that she wanted to fulfill these commitments, she has agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home. She would like to apologize to fans expecting to see her at the shows but feels that this is the right thing to do.”

After returning home the news got even worse.

Apparently her “Management Team” felt the singer was unfit to perform any more and cancelled the 11 remaining shows of her European tour saying,

“Amy is withdrawing from all scheduled performances while she focuses on recovering. Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen,"

While no reason was given for the cancellations, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

After all, it is Amy Winehouse.

Follow InfoStar on Twitter – no bad singing allowed
 

Steven Tyler’s New Book, “I Blew $20 Million on Cocaine and Heroin”

Steven Tyler has lived a hard life.

He is the front man for the band Aerosmith, and has a new job as judge on American Idol.

But dig deep into his past and you will see some of the shocking events that got him to where he is today.

In his new book, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” Tyler talks about his youth and how he was just a normal kid spending most of his days outside,

“I was a mountain boy, barefoot and wild. I’d come back after an afternoon of killing with my slingshot and Red Ryder BB gun with a string of blue jays tied to my belt.”

During his teen years he met fellow band mates Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton and after attending Woodstock decided they should start a band – and the rest is history.

The one constant in the book is Tyler’s outrageous drug use, rehab, drug use, rehab pattern. At age 63 he says drugs are still a struggle and looks back at the years of use and the money spent saying,

“I kept drugs in the drum kits on stage so they would always be near me. I’ve blown $20 million on cocaine, heroin, and prescription drugs. I snorted my plane, I snorted my house. I just couldn’t stop.”

Tyler says he has been in and out of a dozen different rehabs but it always ended the same way – doing more drugs.

He writes that in Aerosmith’s heyday he was buying pounds of coke for $20,000 and snorting massive quantities off the top of bass amps in the studio and on stage. Once the cocaine didn’t satisfy his urges he started buying heroin and injecting it directly into his butt.

After finally getting away from the cocaine and heroin, he says he became addicted to prescription medication which was just as bad, if not worse, then using illegal drugs.

“Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” is a great read for anybody who likes Aerosmith and the 1970-1980’s rock band lifestyle. But for those American Idol fans new to Steven Tyler you may be a little disappointed since he only talks briefly about the show.

But what a walk down memory lane it is for me. As a teenager I attended an Aerosmith concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on July 4th, 1980. To this day I remember it. I was still in high school and Aerosmith was at their pinnacle of success.

It was classic, unlike anything bands do today. “Walk this way”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Walk the Dog”, “Toys in the Attic”. And that funny smell in the arena was so thick that we all felt the love.

No Steven - the noise in your head does not bother me. In fact as I write this post, a little voice in my head is singing the words to “Sweet Emotion”.

Man, I feel old now…

Watch Aerosmith Perform ‘Sweet Emotion’ Live


Follow InfoStar on Twitter

Rene Russo Wasted On the Jay Leno Show – Video

Actress Rene Russo visited with Jay Leno last night, and boy was she wasted.

Russo, who was visiting the show to plug her “Thor” movie, told Jay she had hurt her back and was on “Lots of pain killers and drugs.”

She wasn’t kidding.

Most of the interview Russo swayed back and forth and held her head in her hands. It was clear she was buzzed.

Below is one segment of the interview and then her visit backstage after the show.

Steven Tyler Releases New Book - Talks about Idol, and Doing Drugs with Joe Perry in Rolling Stone Cover

Remember back in 2008 when Aerosmith announced they were working on a new album?

Remember when they said the project had been scrapped, and so had the tour, and that the band was breaking up?

Now we are getting a little more insight on what was happening to the band during those years in Tyler’s new book “Does the noise in my head bother you?”

The Aerosmith front man and American Idol judge will be on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine next month and said the book was,

"the unbridled truth, the in-your-face, up-close and prodigious tale of Steven Tyler straight from the horse's lips ... All the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex & drugs, transcendence & chemical dependence you will ever want to hear."

Tyler, 63, also says that he did drugs with guitarist Joe Perry in 2008 after many years of both of them being sober.

“Joe Perry was so impaired by snorting prescription pills, he couldn't even play his instrument. But I was no better - I couldn't sing.”

Tyler says he is sober now and enjoying his time as the newest American Idol judge, and would like to get the guys of Aerosmith back together for another run at making an album.

Tyler last appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone's Magazine in the August 1976 issue.

Watch Steven Tyler Sing Medley of Beatles Songs for Paul McCartney

Dennis Quaid Admits Destructive Cocaine Habit

We knew one branch of the “Quaid” tree was a little mossy with Randy Quaid and wife Evi.

They are hiding out in Canada so the Hollywood assassins don’t find them.

But brother Dennis had some news of his own to drop this week. Seems Dennis Quaid used to have a very destructive cocaine habit during the 1970’s and 80’s.

Dennis, 57, is currently doing publicity for his film “Soul Surfer” and told CBS News that he became addicted to cocaine when he first moved to California to pursue an acting career.

"It was very casual at first. That's what people were doing when they were at parties. Cocaine was even in the budgets of movies, thinly disguised. It was petty cash, you know? It was supplied, basically, on movie sets because everyone was doing it. People would make deals. Instead of having a cocktail, you'd have a line.

By the time I was doing The Big Easy, in the late 1980s, I was a mess...I'd wake up, snort a line, and swear I wasn't going to do it again that day. But then 4 o'clock rolled around, and I'd be right back down the same road like a little squirrel on one of those treadmills"

Quaid, who will be seen later this year in the “Footloose” remake, is well known for his roles in “Smart People”, “Yours, Mine and Ours”, “Flight of the Phoenix, Everybody's All-American”, and “The Right Stuff”.

His brother Randy Quaid, and his wife Evi, are hiding out in Canada after being found by police in a house that they sold ten years ago. They told authorities that they were being chased by aliens and fled to Canada before their court appearance. Yea, nuts.

Dennis says he has cleaned up his act but does not completely regret the experience saying,

“It gave me the resolve and a resilience to persevere in life. If I hadn't gone through that period, I don't know if I'd still be acting.”

Golden Voice Ted Williams – Going to Rehab

Well, maybe we all jumped the gun on this one.

We really wanted Ted to jam on the job offers and chance to set things right.

But it looks like the dream may be allusive for golden voice, ex-homeless man, Ted Williams discovered last week.

It was announced today by TMZ that Williams will check himself into rehab for drugs and alcohol, and it looks like Dr. Phil had something to do with it…

Dr. Phil had Ted and his children on his show Wednesday and things grew a bit emotional. Police were later called to a hotel after Williams hit one of his daughters, grabbed and pushed her, and admitted crack was his drug of choice.

It later became clear that after telling everybody he had been clean and sober for two years…. that he had been drinking every day since he was discovered on YouTube.

Police later released Williams. It is unclear exactly when or where Williams will enter rehab.

We’re still rooting for you Ted.

Charlie, is there anything you need to say?

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.: Original Track Records Version

As I recently wrote a post about the varying versions of Iggy and The Stooges' classic Raw Power, I figured it was worth doing one about an album almost as controversial due to it's production issues, and that album would be none other than the sole full-length release by Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, L.A.M.F., which is an abbreviation of Like A Mother Fu..., I'm sure you get the point.

Johnny and Jerry Nolan were founding members of the New York Dolls, but after the Dolls' demise they formed The Heartbreakers with Richard Hell. Hell didn't stick around for too long though and The Heartbreakers carried on with Walter Lure on guitar and Billy Rath on bass. They tried to get a contract for several years with no luck due to their renown junkie status, but when Malcolm McLaren asked them to tour with the Sex Pistols on their Anarchy tour, they happily accepted the offer. Everything would have probably been great if most of the tour hadn't been canceled due to the Pistols' controversial status which left The Heartbreakers pretty close to broke in London, but their manager, Leee Black Childers, convinced them to stick around a while longer as it might be easier for them to get a contract in the UK. Childers' advice paid off and The Heartbreakers landed a deal with Track Records, but that was the beginning of the end.

The Heartbreakers recorded L.A.M.F. and continued to play live while trying to finish the album's mix. It's rather unclear what the issues in the studio were, but months were spent mixing and remixing the album to little satisfaction. Thunders' and his cohorts' drug habits may have been the main reason for the ridiculous length of time it took to finalize the album's mix, and I'm sure anyone close to the band would assume the same, but the album was finally finished and saw release on October 3rd, 1977 much to everyone's relief. Unfortunately though, the first thing everyone noticed was how muddy the album sounded. The mix was immediately blamed and everyone wondered how something so powerful could have been rendered so dull. But that was nothing compared to the next issue, the closure of Track Records. Now The Heartbreakers didn't have a label, their record sounded like crap and they were all nursing ridiculous habits, could it get any worse?

Thunders' and company actually weren't in as bad a situation as it may have seemed at first. They were able to maintain the rights to their recordings due to Track's surprising forwardness regarding their financial status and managed to score an audition with EMI Records. That audition didn't go anywhere though, Lure and Rath decided to call it quits and return to New York and the album remained out of print, so it might as well have been just as bad as it initially seemed. Again, the BIG H probably played a major roll in all of these issues.

In 1984, after gaining some much deserved recognition, Johnny Thunders was asked to remix L.A.M.F. for reissue. Finally the album would see a wide release in the US an internationally, but Johnny seemed to bury most of the album's energy with the nicer, friendlier remixes and a new tracking order. The remix, known as L.A.M.F. Revisited, earned a mixed reputation and L.A.M.F.'s legacy would remain buried another decade. During that time, Thunders' died in 1991 and Nolan in 1992, breaking the hearts of those who knew how much talent and promise they had held. Their deaths, while sad, opened an opportunity to exhume the remains of L.A.M.F. again, and this time it was a success!

In 1994, Jungle Records issued L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes, which contained unused mixes from the original L.A.M.F. mixing sessions. To say it was a revelation is really hitting the nail on the head, as these newly released mixes contained all the energy promised by The Heartbreakers' songs and live performances. The Lost '77 Mixes was also released as a two CD set with the second disc featuring pre-album demos, instrumental backing tracks, alternate mixes and the two demos recorded for EMI after Track's dissolution. All in all, it's essential listening for anyone wondering about the history of punk or anyone that love's real rock and roll.

You can find the two-disc version of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes on iTunes and the single-disc version on Amazon for digital purchase, but there are still issues regarding the real cause of the muddy sound on the original pressings of L.A.M.F. on Track.

Despite being blamed on poor mixing, it appears the real issue may have been the mastering of the vinyl pressings. Apparently there was a cassette release of the album from the same time as the vinyl's release which supposedly sounds fantastic. I haven't heard the cassette release but I have heard a rip of an original vinyl issue of the album, along with a first-hand account by the kind individual who ripped it, a wonderful guy named JPStooges, that the vinyl was not a cheap pressing. It's also interesting to point out that most of the original album's mixes aren't terribly different from those on The Lost '77 Mixes, although there are minor details which devoted listeners will certainly notice. This does bring up another question though, if the album was poorly mastered but the mixes were fine, why not simply reissue the original mixes rather than alternate versions? The only thing I can assume is that the album masters, if available, would be considered unusable and there may not be detailed information as to which mixes were used, but this is all guesswork and we may never know otherwise.

So, tonight I am sharing a very high-quality MP3 version of JPStooges' rip of his original Track Records vinyl pressing of L.A.M.F., originally credited simply to The Heartbreakers, which of course should not be confused with Tom Petty's similarly named band. In my opinion, the record, while muddy, has probably had it's bad reputation overly reinforced. Yes, it sounds less than fabulous, but I've heard worse and I'm sure many of you have too. The only tweaking I've done to this rip was running the uncompressed wave files I made the MP3s from through iZotope RX's fabulous declicker. No re-EQing of any sort. Also, as I'm sure you've already figured out, if you enjoy this album you should really purchase a copy of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes if you don't already own it, as you'll enjoy it a lot more than this original vinyl version. This version of the album is really important only for completists or for those who haven't heard it yet. And it's worth checking out L.A.M.F. Revisited too, but don't be surprised if you find yourself a little disappointed. If you'd like to read more about the specifics of the album's history you should check out wikipedia's reference page.

Massive thank you to JPStooges for his help! You are the man, man!


The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.

01 Born Too Loose
02 Baby Talk
03 All By Myself
04 I Wanna Be Loved
05 It's Not Enough
06 Chinese Rocks
07 Get Off The Phone
08 Pirate Love
09 One Track Mind
10 I Love You
11 Goin' Steady
12 Let Go


By the way, please tell me I'm not the only one who finds it ironic that a bunch of heroin addicted rockers who sang about using heroin were signed to a record label named Track?

Disc Jockey DJ AM Found Dead

Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM, was found dead Friday afternoon in his Manhattan apartment, and a crack pipe and pill bottles were found near his body.

Goldstein, 36, worked at some of Hollywood's most exclusive clubs and parties as a DJ, and dated some of Hollywood's hottest personalities like Nicole Richie and Mandy Moore.

Cops broke down the door to his Manhattan apartment and found his body about 5:20 p.m. Friday.

Goldstein was open about his past drug abuse with crack, cocaine and ecstasy, but had been telling reporters and friends he was now drug free.

Last September he survived a tragic South Carolina plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured his friend Travis Barker.

Goldstein and Barker were the only survivors.
_

Alex Rodriguez Tested Positive For Steroids

Seems like some things never change.

Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids during his 2003 season, a new report shows.

The New York Yankees player tested positive for two anabolic steroids, and his name appears on a list of over one hundred other players who tested positive for drugs during 2003.

He tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone while playing for the Texas Rangers.

Primobolan, also known as methenolone, is injected or taken orally, and improves strength and maintains lean muscle with minimal side effects.

In a December 2007 interview with "60 Minutes" he denied using steroids or other drugs.

Rodriguez played for the Rangers in 2003, when he won the AL home run title and MVP award. He was traded to the Yankees in 2004. He is drawing a $27 million salary after signing a record $275 million, 10-year contract with New York in 2007.
_