Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh has bladder cancer.
He says he was diagnosed earlier this month and has been at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona undergoing tests and preparing for surgery to remove the tumors.
"I am very fortunate to have the pathology reports show that the tumors are all non-aggressive, and that there is no indication that they have spread...all is well and I can return to normal activities in two weeks from my surgery."
However, he has had to cancel the Phil Lesh & Friends shows scheduled for October 24th and 25th with Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson. Lesh promises to reschedule the shows "as soon as we can." He also plans to do some shows at his Terrapin Crossroads club and restaurant in San Rafael, California.
Lesh had a liver transplant in 1998 due to chronic hepatitis C and prostate cancer surgery in 2006.
YOKO ONO: Says John Lennon Considered Bisexuality
Yoko Ono touched on a range of topics in a lengthy interview this week with The Daily Beast. But the comments people will talk
about revolve around John Lennon's sexuality.
She recalls, "John and I had a big talk about it, saying, basically, all of us must be bisexual. And we were sort of in a situation of thinking that we’re not [bisexual] because of society. So we are hiding the other side of ourselves, which is less acceptable. But I don’t have a strong sexual desire towards another woman."
What about the old rumor that Lennon had sex with Beatles manager Brian Epstein -- which was also the subject of the 1991 film The Hours and the Times? John once was quoted, "It was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated. But it was a pretty intense relationship." Though Yoko doesn't believe John and Brian were ever intimate, she is "sure Epstein made a move," but Lennon "just didn’t want to do it, I think."
Yoko believes John "had a desire to [have sex with a man], but I think he was too inhibited." She quotes him saying, "It’s very difficult: They would have to be not just physically attractive, but mentally very advanced, too. And you can’t find people like that."
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: Kiedis is Dying to Play New Stuff
Anthony Kiedis says Red Hot Chili Peppers can't wait to share their new songs with the world.
The singer says the group decided to not do any of their new songs at Saturday's Silverlake Conservatory of Music benefit concert because "every single human has a recording device on them at all times." But Kiedis tells Rolling Stone that their sessions are going very well and "we’ve written some songs that I feel are as good as any songs we’ve ever written."
The group isn't working with Rick Rubin for the first time in over 20 years, opting instead to team up with Danger Mouse. Kiedis says, "He's very good about coming up with super-modern ideas, but he'll also touch on the acoustic guitar in the control room and strip the song down to its acoustic essentials."
TRACY CHAPMAN: Bringing the Hits
Tracy Chapman has assembled the first compilation of her career.
Greatest Hits, due out November 20th, includes newly remastered tracks from all eight of her studio albums. In addition to hits like "Fast Car," "Crossroads" and "Give Me One Reason," the album contains a cover of "Stand by Me" recorded during one of the final episodes of The Late Show With David Letterman.
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE: Up for Big U.K. Award
Florence and the Machine are up for England's most prestigious music award.
The group's How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful has been nominated for the Mercury Prize, which honors the best album of the year as chosen by a panel of British music critics and people working in the industry. Florence Welch and company were nominated for the same award in 2009 for Lungs but didn't win.
This year's prize will be given out on November 20th in London.
PATTI SMITH: Long-Ago Stolen Items Returned
Patti Smith received an unexpected surprise at a recent appearance.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was on stage Sunday at Illinois Dominican University when she was given a bag of items by a fan -- items that has been stolen from a truck outside a Chicago hotel during a 1979 tour. Among them were the Keith Richard T-shirt she wore in a Rolling Stone magazine cover photo and a bandanna given to her by her late brother.
Smith fan Noreen Bender says she obtained the items years ago -- apparently unaware they'd been stolen -- and gave them back to Patti during the show. According to a blogger who was there, Patti got weepy while telling stories and reading from her new book M Train. As the night went on, "after she piled everything on the podium, she couldn't stop touching [the items], eventually slowly slipping the bandana into her pocket...and proceeded to do a ripping version of 'Because the Night' with her son on acoustic guitar. (BBC)
