The Stooges buzz-sawed through a pair of Madonna songs at her induction last year, but maybe, hopefully, possibly, 2009 will be their turn to take the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The legendary Detroit punk band, which reunited in 2003, is among the nominees for the 2009 Hall of Fame, along with Metallica, Run-DMC, guitarist Jeff Beck, disco-funk band Chic and "Low Rider" rockers War. Other nominees include 1950s doo-wop group Little Anthony and the Imperials, early rock singer Wanda Jackson (often referred to as "The First Lady of Rock and Roll") and 1970s soul singer Bobby Womack.
Read more...

Two days after it was stolen, Canadian police have found the van that was loaded with Iggy and the Stooges' equipment. The bad news? The instruments and most of the equipment were gone. Canada's CBC News reported that Montreal police recovered the abandoned truck Tuesday afternoon several blocks from where it had been stolen.

The good news is that most of the equipment had serial numbers on it, so it will be difficult to re-sell. And while bassist Mike Watt is still upset that his 40-plus-year-old signature Gibson bass was among the items missing from the truck, he said his four string went out in a blaze of glory. "Her last gig was smoking," he said of the instrument. "Ig was going off and the Montreal people were pumped up."

Iggy Pop is one of the nicest dudes in rock, possessing a genuinely infectious good humor and tireless energy that’s almost inconceivable given the things he has done to his body.

That being said, it's doubly uncool that someone ripped off the rental truck loaded with Iggy and the Stooges' equipment on Monday following their gig in Montreal. According to the Detroit Free Press, the van was stolen from outside the group's hotel, the Embassy Suites in Montreal, and the instruments and equipment inside were worth "tens of thousands" of dollars, said road manager Eric Fischer.

Read more...

Last night's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a strange affair, and not just because we find it weird that there's even a RRHOF in the first place (and also, why don't these things take place in Cleveland? That would be infinitely cooler). You had Philly soul legends Gamble & Huff making quick reference to the Eliot Spitzer news that broke earlier in the day. You had the recent death of one of the Dave Clark 5 members. You had Madonna dropping f-bombs and talking about her drug use. And then you had Iggy & "The Stooges" paying musical tribute to Madonna, with a bizarre version of "Burning Up" (which included Iggy sitting on Justin Timberlake's lap).

Anyway, backstage, when Iggy & "The Stooges" made their way to say hey to Madonna in person, Iggy introduced her to his band. He saved his best-for-last intro for his bassist, Mike Watt (ex-Minutemen, fIREHOSE), who is a complete Madonna obsessive. And she totally blew him off like he was just some random session musician dude!

(For you youngins, your entry point into this Mike Watt angle is that his old band, the Minutemen, had their song used as the theme song for "Jackass." That's a show that used to be on MTV starring...oh nevermind).

Anyway, did she not know he was, like, totally obsessed with her? Did she not know that he was the reason Sonic Youth and friends did that awesome Ciccone Youth album many, many years ago? Did she not know his cultural relevance???!?

No, she did not.

· Madonna's already let it be known that she will NOT be performing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony taking place on March 10. So who will be performing her tribute? How about Iggy & The Stooges? The connection, according to the RARHOF: They're both from Detroit, and Iggy once opened for Madge in 2004. Right. [via Rolling Stone]

· The Bronx building acknowledged by some as the "birthplace" of hip-hop, has temporarily been saved. The building's rec room is where Jamaican-transplant DJ Kool Herc threw the first of several parties that would eventually, ultimately, probably morph into hip-hop culture. Or something. The New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development rejected the sale of the building to developers. [via The New York Times]

· First there was LEGO Star Wars and now there's LEGO Batman. [Via MTV Multiplayer blog]

· Waffle Batter: An attorney for Kid Rock (born Robert James Ritchie) said he pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of battery over a fight at an Atlanta Waffle House in October.

· If you see Amy Winehouse popping pills, it might just be to treat a highly contagious, nasty bacterial skin infection called impetigo which has apparently attacked her face. Then again...