John underwent throat surgery last week.  Here’s what he says on his blog:

Hey all…

I wanted to give you an update on the granuloma just above my vocal cord. I had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more. It’s been a very long process in waiting to see if time was an alternative to surgery, but even given two weeks’ voice rest (along with many other approaches), there was no change for the better.

I should be frustrated but I can’t seem to stop thinking about beautiful things… I never thought I’d be wishing I could do what I love again; I stay in at night, picking guitar parts off of records and dreaming of playing on the big stage. The only difference between now and when I was 18 is that now I have this beautiful, meaningful record waiting for me when I can sing it.

Until then, I’m taking off. Going to travel the country, look and listen.

sincere love

JM

Get better John!

…or at least your bank account to your brother.

According to a newspaper interview in Michigan.  Madonna’s older brother, Anthony Ciccone, says he’s living under a bridge.

According to Ciccone: “My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time.” He attributes his circumstances to losing his job at his father’s winery over a year ago.

Man, if this can happen to the brother of a kazillionaire music talent in America, this can happen to anyone. I don’t know what the family situation is here, but you would think that a sibling wouldn’t let their own blood live on the streets.

Madonna: Express Yourself and Open Your Heart to help your own brother Keep It Together.  These are your words, not mine.

Maybe that’s too personal of a question.

For some of you, maybe not.  Madison’s 5 year old “please don’t trash my downtown” Halloween Party happens this Saturday.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the gates, which open up at 7pm.

Not only is it a great people watching event.  They’ve got another indie musical lineup on three stages that should be a nice diversion.

The better known bands include Neon Trees, Locksley and All Time Low.  Here’s a sampling:

Damn you JBJ!  Everytime I want to pass you off as a washed up rocker of the 80’s, you go ahead and do something really cool.

A little bit of his history as I remember it:

• Kicked all sorts of Rock & Roll butt in the 80’s with Bon Jovi.
• Wrote an awesome song for Young Guns II and took an uncredited roll in the movie.
• TV appearances including: Sex and the City, 30 Rock, The West Wing, and an extended stint on Ally McBeal.
• Rebooted Bon Jovi in the early 2000’s to notable success.

Now he’s giving respect to the poor.

His latest venture is opening up a experimental new New Jersey restaurant The Soul Kitchen.  It’s a place where people pay what they can for their meal.  It’s a new idea aimed at getting rid of the negative stigma of getting a charitable free meal, or the “soup kitchen” idea.

In fact, he says his new establishment is not a soup kitchen, but a place for people who need a meal to volunteer in lieu of payment. Customers who can afford to donate a few dollars can leave a donation for their meal.

He’s giving families in need the chance to feel normal.  Here’s that he says about it.

“With the economic downturn, one of the things I noticed was that disposable income was one of the first things that went,” Bon Jovi told AP during an interview. “Dining out, the family going out to a restaurant, mom not having to cook, dad not having to clean up – a lot of memories were made around restaurant tables.”

Here comes the play on words:

Awww Jon.  You give love for your fellow man a good name.

Wanted.  Wanted!  Mashed Potatoes with chives.

You were born to be my baker, I was made to eat your sand (wich)

I’ll eat broccoli for you, these five words I swear to you

Your chicken noodle soup is like,  gooood medicine.

Wooaaaah. We’re half way there.  Wooooahh-oh.  Living on e’claires.

Can I just fast forward to 2013? Because really, I want to go back to November, 5th, 1955.

That’s when The DeLorean Motor Company says they’ll be release their brand new, electric versions of the DMC-12, the car Doc Emmit Brown made famous in “Back To The Future.” The new car will be made of original parts and a new electric engine, will be built to order and cost around $90,000.

88 MPH? No problem, the new cars are expected to be able to do 125 MPH and go 70 miles on a single charge.

Here’s the other potential benefits of an electric DeLorean:

• It will be upgradable in the future to be able to fly. “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
• It can come equipped to nicely seat two adults, or one adult and a large dog.
• The electric engine eliminates the need for a Mr. Fusion power converter. Who wants a nuclear reactor in the trunk?
• 125 MPH can easily outrun Lybian terrorists.
• It’s gull wing style car doors are impressive, except when you park closely to another car or are in a drive-thru.
• $90,000 seems cheap for being able to go back in time to collect embarrasing stores about your parents.

I know some pretty die hard Beatles fans, in my life, but this story seems a little across the universe.

Next month at an auction in England, one of John Lennon’s teeth is expected to sell for $16,000.

Sounds a little sketchy, but the source of the tooth isn’t that nefarious.

The late Beatle gave the tooth to his housekeeper, Dot Jarlett, at his Kenwood mansion in Surrey, England in the late Sixties. He had originally told her to dispose of the tooth, but upon learning that her daughter was a Beatles fan, told her to give it her as a souvenir.

This certainly has a high creep factor for me, but maybe a die hard Beatle fan might sink their tee….oh never mind.

Other than the wilhelm scream, That may be one of my favorite movie sounds.

Any character that can pull off an evil belly roll has my thumbs of approval. Thanks to IFC.com, here’s some of the best evil movie laughs. Now you’re fully prepared for Halloween.

Predator Laugh

Agent Smith

Emperor Palpatine

Vincent Price from Thriller

Chucky

House MD

The Wicked Witch

Jack Torrance

Dr. Evil

That email to the Badger football student section didn’t seem to have much of an effect stopping their infamous: E.S.F.Y. chant over the weekend.

They weren’t the only one tossing around the vulgarities.

Lady Gaga dropped and F-Bomb and flipped the bird at the President Clinton Foundation event on Saturday night.

Then on Sunday, AJ Hawk let the bird loose during the Packer game. Hmmm…are we witnessing the new birth of a loss of decorum?

With all the Occupy Wall Street protests that have spread around the world, including right here in Madison, it got me thinking about protest songs.

I bet most people could come up with a handful of really good protest songs.  Time Magazine did it.

Here’s their list of the Top 10 in no particular order

• Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• What’s Goin’ On – Marvin Gaye
• Give Peace A Chance – The Plastic Ono Band
• Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2
• War – Edwin Starr
• Blowin’ In The Wind – Bob Dylan
• F*** Tha Police – NWA
• Sun City – United Artists Against Apartheid
• Fortunate Son – CCR
• Georgia…Bush – Lil Wayne

Not a bad compilation, but there’s a couple more I’d throw in there.

What about:

Rock The Casbah – The Clash

Fight The Power – Public Enemy

I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty

God Save The Queen – The Sex Pistols

All fantastic choices, but what about the pinnacle of all protest songs about refusing to accept corporate or other social influence. Thank you Jermaine Stewart.

Let us not forget.  They are still the 2011 National League Central Champs. See you at Spring Training.

Here’s Prince Fielder’s final at bat: