Beloved science fiction writer Ray Bradbury passed away today. Here's a song by someone who beloved Ray Bradbury a little too much. It's also extremely creepy if you don't know that this was made before he died (necrophilia: we don't endorse it here!).
Video also contains extremely strong language. If you're reading this, Grandma, please don't click the sideways triangle at the bottom left corner of the picture. It turns the picture into a movie about naughty things and you'll be so upset you might miss evening mass again.
Eduard Khil, or "Mr. Trololo" as he was known to millions on the internet, died today of complications following a stroke. He was 77.
Khil enjoyed popularity as a singer in Soviet Russia during the '60s and '70s before stepping down from the public stage in the early '90s. Then, in 2010, Khil achieved the dubious honor of Internet fame after a video of a 1976 televised performance went viral.
Khin replaced the lyrics of the song, titled "I Am Glad, 'Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home," with alternating "lololols" and "lalalalas" because he was afraid the Soviet government would censor the original lyrics. Which proves that in Soviet Russia, memes make you.
Levon Helm, drummer and backing singer for '70s rock band The Band, passed away earlier today. Originally the backing group for Bob Dylan and other musicians, The Band (as they started calling themselves) began releasing their own material and produced such classics as "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Their 1976 farewell concert served as the basis for Martin Scorsese's concert documentary The Last Waltz, and it (as well as the live album of the same name) is a goddamn classic. Look it up now if you haven't already.
(And on the same day Greg Ham of Men at Work died, too. Sad day!)
It's always a bad idea when a metal band messes with Prague rock. Yesterday, Czech authorities arrested Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe and charged him with manslaughter shortly before the band's scheduled show at the Prague Hard Rock Cafe.
The charges refer to an incident from a 2010 show at the Club Aberton in Prague, when a fan bum-rushed the stage and sustained injuries to his head after a fight with Blythe. Who started the fight? Was the fan just trying to give Blythe a hug? Has Blythe entered into an unholy covenant with Satan contingent on sacrificing a fan every two years? Details are still forthcoming.
[NME]
Update: The band's publicist is saying that the fan in question tried to rush the stage twice before security pulled him back. The third time, Blythe pushed him back into the audience, where he hit his head (thanks, Darkst!)
Oh god, is it too soon for "disco is dead" jokes? We on the internet don't have a filter for that kind of thing. Regardless, the 5-time Grammy winner and Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, passed away this morning at the age of 63 following a battle with cancer. She was known for such hits as "Last Dance", "Hot Stuff", "She Works Hard for the Money," and "I Feel Love."
