We're counting the minutes until spokespeople for conservative, God-fearing America start blaming heavy metal again for the disintegration of values and morality in today's youth. Specifically, our latest assertion stems from the murder of ABC News Radio journalist George Weber, who was stabbed to death in his Brooklyn home by 16-year-old metal fan, John Katehis, who lived in Queens. On his MySpace page (which was taken down on Wednesday), Katehis posted photos of himself holding knives and swords and wearing Cannibal Corpse and Lamb of God t-shirts.

Katehis described himself as "an extremist, an anarchist and a sadomasochist" and said he liked "extreme violence, (chaos, anarchy, etc...) video games, violent movies and listening to my iPod." Clearly the kid was a timebomb waiting to explode and his listening habits had nothing to do with his violent outburst.

The New York Times reports that Katehis was arrested on Tuesday night outside a bus station in Middletown, New York and later confessed to stabbing Weber -- though he did not enter a plea or make any comments when he was arraigned before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

Apparently, Weber, who was stabbed about 50 times, placed an ad for a sex on Craigslist. Katehis, believing he would be paid for the encounter, responded. Police are unsure what caused him to kill Weber; Katehis had no prior criminal record.

According to Gawker.com, Weber was looking for "rough sex" and allegedly told a source, "I can smother somebody for $60." The site added that Katehis couldn't remember how many times he stabbed Weber because he was on drugs and blacked out during the attack.

The New York Post said that Weber's ankles were tied with duct tape, but that before he died he fought back and wounded Katehis. After killing Weber, Katehis boarded a subway, where a conductor saw him bleeding profusely from his left hand, said New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Katehis, who said he hurt his hand on a broken bottle, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center for treatment.

After he was released, Katesis went to a friend's house in Middletown. He was tracked down after police searched Weber's emails and talked to Katehis' family. According to The New York Times, Katehis' father told his son to meet him at the bus station and when the teen approached the car, detectives got out to arrest him. Katehis immediately ran across the street, but more cops got out of an unmarked van and tackled and handcuffed him.

If we have to say metal somehow played a role in all of this, can't we at least blame it someone crappy like Poison or Faster Pussycat?

The ex-singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave, Chris Cornell has seriously jumped the shark on his new album Scream -- so much so that even gossip-wary Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor can't keep from commenting. Click "more" to read what Reznor had to say about the disc and watch Cornell's video for "Scream."

"You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable?" allegedly wrote Reznor on Twitter.com. "Heard Chris Cornell's record? Jesus."

Scream came out March 10 and will likely sell between 20,000 and 25,000 in its first week, predicts Hits Daily Double. the Timbaland-produced album marks a dramatic shift away from foot-stomping rock and towards electronic pop and R&B. But while Soundgarden fans like Reznor will likely cringe in disgust, some have cottoned to Cornell's chameleonic genre-hopping. Entertainment Weekly drew comparisons between Scream and Michael Jackson's Thriller and described the track "Time" as "the funkiest song to bear that title since Sly Stone's."

We beg to differ, but check on Cornell's new sound for yourself and let us know what you think.

If you're a glutton for punishment watch Cornell's video for "Scream."

A pugilistic dementia reaction of habit
with a system in slow motion.
Done by thirty-three
and bitter about it.
What could have been!
Not a single promise kept

Just what is Down (ex-Pantera) frontman Philip Anselmo referring to in the first six lines of his new poem? He could be writing about a doped up "pugilistic" rocker "in slow motion." Or he might be referencing a minor 33 year old celebrity who was promised the world but squeezed like an orange, then left out to rot in the hot sun. Or maybe he's going on about some psychotic stripper who's past her prime.

But no, Phil's actually going on -- as he often does -- about his favorite sport, boxing, and the heroism, triumph and tragedy of the fighters who make it so exciting. The poem's called "The Retired Journeyman" and it was published by BoxingInsider.com. Anselmo's obsession with boxing is comparable, perhaps, to Ernest Hemmingway's love for bull fighting -- except that boxers don't brandish spears and swords and stuff... yet.

Click "more" to read the complete poem and watch Anselmo training aspiring boxer "The Anvil" and talking on camera to "Headbangers Ball" about the poetry of the ring.

"The Retired Journeyman" by Philip Anselmo

If you figured Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine's daughter Electra would be a hellraising headbanger? Guess again.

First of all, she's only a kid, and secondly she clearly prefers real animals to animal rockers. But she's got some things in common with her old man. At age 10 she's well on her way to becoming a media darling. Electra currently co-hosts the Animal Planet children's program "Faithful Friends" with Wanda Goldberg, who is married to retired professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. Electra is in charge of the "Itty Bitty Buddy" segment program and talks to kids about small pets including fish, cats, chinchillas, hedgehogs and hermit crabs.

Before landing a gig on "Faithful Friends," Electra appeared in a Megadeth video with her brother Justis. "It was funny to watch my dad because he was banging around in his chair and on his knees," she told Catchannel.com. "I thought he was going to fall over, but he didn't! All my friends came over for Bible study, and I was like, 'guys, come check this out!' because I was so excited. They loved it."

Click "more" to see Dave's daughter in action.

]]> http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2009/01/08/dave-mustaines-daughter-rocks-animal-planet/feed/ 1/8/09 1:51pm EST http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/07/24/chiodos-singer-craig-owens-allegedly-attempts-suicide/ http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/07/24/chiodos-singer-craig-owens-allegedly-attempts-suicide/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:58:23 +0000 JonW http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/?p=2511

Craig Owens, the singer for hardcore/emo band Chiodos has been discharged from a mental health facility he entered after a suicide attempt at his home in Michigan on July 20, reports Alsolutepunk.net.

"On Sunday, July 20th, I attempted to overdose on prescribed Xanax at my home here in Michigan," Owens said in a statement. "Flash ahead 12 hours later, I woke up in the emergency room surrounded by my family and best friends, with an IV in my left arm, and hooked up to machines. I felt confused, angry, selfish, and completely embarrassed. After being admitted to the hospital for a couple of days, I made my way to recovery and built up enough strength and courage with the support of my loved ones enough to make it back home. I am okay, though. Thankfully, I had no permanent physical damage to myself from this."

The day after his attempt, Owens posted the following message to fans on the band's Web site:

"So, after an attempted overdose early yesterday morning, I found myself awake in the emergency room... However, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I am being checked into a mental clinic beginning tomorrow at 8 a.m. I'd like to apologize to everyone at Power Chord Academy, for me not being able to make it to speak to all of the kids tomorrow in Chicago. I promise to make it up, the best that I can and hopefully will be able to reschedule the entire event. Wish me luck, and let's hope that i learn from this, and that I am able get out very soon."

The band's message board moderators are deleting any further posts or threads about Owens' condition, reports Punknews.org. "Craig is going through a hard time right now and he appreciates his fans support," moderators told the site. "However, I have been asked that we give him the privacy he deserves during this time... Lets give Craig the space and respect he deserves."

Parole officials in Corona, California are considering releasing Manson Family member Susan Atkins from jail since she's dying from brain cancer. While this isn't exactly metal news, we figured metalheads would be intrigued since, let's face it, Manson is pretty f---in' metal. Lots of groups have written songs about the dude, headbanger director Jim Van Beeber shot a speculative movie based on him ("The Manson Family") and one skinny white kid from Florida named Marilyn (real name Brian Warner) even borrowed the mass murderer's last name for his shock rock/metal band.

Atkins, of course, confessed to taking part in the 1969 cult murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Leno and Rosemary La Bianca and four others. She has spent the last 37 years in the California Institution for Women at Frontera and has been there longer than anyone in the state's history.

Atkins' doctors and officials at the women's prison in Chino requested the convict's release because her health is rapidly deteriorating. In addition to suffering from incurable brain cancer, she has had her leg amputated.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Colley has requested that the parole board deny the release request because of the severity of Atkins' crimes, reports FoxNews.com. The state director of adult prisons, Suzan Hubbard, is also opposed to releasing Atkins. We're not sure what Marilyn Manson, George Corpsegrinder Fisher or King Ov Hell think, but we're eager to hear your take on the situation. Sould Atkins be set free or should be left in her cell to rot?

In a recent interview with the Artisan News Service, Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister commented on the biological inaccuracy of the new Lemmy doll created by Chicago collectible toy company Lococo. "They said it's an action figure, and I said, 'So, you're gonna put a d--- on it?'" joked Kilmister. "They said, 'No.' I said, 'Well, then it's not going to get much action then, is it?' [That's] a bad name for it, right?"

The Lemmy action figure comes with an individually numbered limited edition Motörhead "Ace of Spades" playing card, a D’Andrea Lemmy Kilmister bass pick, a Rickenbacker bass, guitar strap, microphone and stand.

"I had to stand on this platform while the camera went around and did the hologram thing and then they made the model, only smaller," Lemmy said.

The toy also features a figural base, Motörhead logo plate and backdrop. The price for the standard edition is $19.95 at Rocknrollactionfigures.com.
Here's a review of the Lemmy figure. Locoape has also created 50 copies of a way, way pricier autographed version of the doll.

And check out our podcast interview with Lemmy.

We have all seen Jimi Henrix rockin' out, and it's a sight to behold. And everyone knows the guitar god did a lot of rockin' in-and-out- and-in-and-out with any number of lovely ladies, but no one but his privileged "band of gypsies" have been witness to that -- until now.

Today, Vivid Video released the controversial DVD "Jimi Hendrix The Sex Tape," and while the Hendrix estate has insisted the actor getting the cock-a-doodle-do from two '60s babes isn't actually Jimi, the adult film company is so confident in the authenticity of their product that they've offered $100,000 to anyone who can prove it's a fake or that it's someone else.

The controversy over the tape escalated after the Hendrix estate, Experience Hendrix, publicly denied the tape actually showed Hendrix having sex with the unidentified brunettes. Vivid co-Chairman Steven Hirsch took umbrage to that, replying, "The press release statement from Experience Hendrix proves nothing. Vivid took considerable time and spent a substantial sum of money to authenticate the footage and we are very comfortable that this is the real thing. We believe that those who say otherwise are relying on their emotions to make unsubstantiated claims. If Experience Hendrix can prove definitively that it's not Jimi Hendrix on this footage then we will pay them $100,000."

Click more to read more and watch an adult-oriented preview of the naughty DVD (Please, no one under 18).

Vivid notes that some of the so-called experts that have stepped forward to comment on the authenticity of the footage have never even met Hendrix. Meanwhile, a former close associate of the musician, who was with him almost every day for two full years says there is no doubt the controversial tape depicts the late rock 'n roll icon having sex with the women, the company said in a press release.

"I'm positive that we are viewing the real Jimi Hendrix," said Neville Chesters, road manager for Hendrix in the late 60s after viewing "Jimi Hendrix The Sex Tape." "We were all jealous of Jimi's sex life at the time and we were accustomed to seeing him frequently go to his room at night with an entourage of women we called his 'Band of Gypsys,' the same name of his 1969 recording," added Chesters, who also worked with other famous rock groups such as The Who and Cream.

"The late Sixties were socially, sexually and politically charged times. The footage in the Vivid movie looks as if it was shot in about 1968. It would have been difficult to get explicit film processed commercially in the U.S. back then, no less of a bi-racial sex act. So this film was probably developed in Germany and kept hidden because of how incendiary its release could have been."

Cynthia (Plaster Caster) Albritton, one of the experts who authenticated the footage and, who once held Hendrix's penis in her hands while she made a plaster cast of it, said she is certain that those are Hendrix's manly bits on the tape. "No one can pay me any amount of money to say I saw something I didn't see," Albritton told Vivid last week. "Judging from having casted Jimi, in addition to looking at some old photos of him recently, I'm convinced that he is indeed the man seen in this film. Facial aspects such as the muscle around his mouth, the lips, eyebrows and mustache, look like those of Jimi. The angle of the camera somewhat alters his face, which explains why the first few seconds seen in a trailer before the Vivid feature was released has caused some confusion. Also, the hairstyle, body mass, and absence of acne scars make me think that the film was made during the last year of his life."

Albritton also disputed a claim by Hendrix' girlfriend Kathy Etchingham that the 8 mm film was not authentic. "Kathy had only seen stills of the film - not the actual tape which is much clearer." Kathy herself is quoted in the late Curtis Knight's authoritative 1973 book ("An Intimate Biography of Jimi Hendrix") as saying about Jimi, 'He went really crazy about cinefilming,' she said. 'He would also get friends of his to film naked women running around his room.' "I think Kathy still has a hard time talking about Jimi doing all these things and facing the fact that he had other women. It sounds to me that she is still smarting from the pain of memories that he was not always faithful to her."

Now move over, Rover and let Jimi take over.

Link to Preview of Jimi Hendrix Sextape

"He gave us 10 different reasons why we should stop -- 'My microphone doesn't work, I got diarrhea, the monitors are f--ked up' -- whatever he could think of," Cazares told HeadbangersBlog.com. "And we decided that's not fair to the fans. We wanted to give them a full show."

In part, the other members of Divine Heresy decided to finish the gig because they didn't think Cummings was being honest about why he wanted to cut the set short. "We felt that he wanted to end the show early to go hang out at the New England Metal Fest, which we were supposed to be performing at the next day," Cazares said.

But when Divine Heresy blasted into the next song, Cummings became unglued. He tried to pry the drumsticks from Tim Yeung's hands, then he shoved Cazares, knocking him down. "The venue has a weird step onstage, and I hit the step and fell after he pushed me," Cazares said. "He just caught me off balance. It was extremely unprofessional, and, in my head I just knew it was over with him."

The Poughkeepsie incident was the final straw in a relationship that had grown increasingly strained over time. From the start, Cummings' hardcore and hip-hop background clashed with the rest of the band's brutal death metal orientation, and as the lead singer, he seemed to see himself as the leader of the group even though the band was formed by Cazares. "He's a big, intimidating guy and he knows how to use that to his advantage," the guitarist explained. "We didn't agree on a lot of things and we thought it was better that he left."

After the onstage confrontation, Divine Heresy canceled their April 27 headline show at the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest and returned to California. Currently, the band has auditions scheduled with four other singers and will definitely be onboard when their tour with Arch Enemy and Firewind launches on May 9 in Philadelphia.

"Even if we have to go as a three-piece we'll be there because Joe sings as well," Cazares said. "Sometimes it's a bit difficult for him to do both. But even if I have to sing -- which you don't want to hear -- we'll be there."

As stressful are circumstances are at the moment for Divine Heresy, Cazares said the shakeup with Cummings was inevitable and for the best. "There were a lot of things that were leading up to this," he said. "Tommy's a great singer and a great frontman. We just didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. I know Tommy has another project that he's working on and I hope his is able to make it work for himself with another band. We have no ill will towards him, we just weren't on the same page."

Lacking experience in the genre and seeking expert guidance, he befriended Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds and drummer Brann Dailor, who introduced him to a gamut of cathartic metal, beginning with Venom and Slayer and following the arc of extremity right up through Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Agorophobic Nosebleed and Watain.

The Boss is said to be feeling much better now and is rumored to have recruited Paul Booth to ink an inverted cross and fang-faced demon on his back. Springsteen's next album is expected to feature guest appearances by Hinds, Dailor, Phillip Anselmo, Nergal and Shagrath.

Okay, we're almost a month late for April Fools Day, but we when Dailor sent us the above pic for exclusive use on the Headbangers Ball Blog, we couldn't help but concoct a crazy-ass story. Truth is, we have no idea what the dudes from Mastodon were doing with The Boss. Maybe they're recording in the same studio, perhaps they met at a decoupage class.

Call Mastodon sellouts if you must, but keep in mind that in 2006, one of Bruce's hysterical fans in Australia stabbed her husband to death because he said he didn't like the Boss. Now that's pretty damn metal!