This news is a bit old by now, but it’s still worth posting.

The Sex Pistols were voted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Crap Fame last month, with induction taking place on the 13th of this month. But, the band issued this handwritten reply to the supposed "honor" on thefilthandthefury –

Aside from the poor spelling and bad grammar, I love the response. It gives a clear picture of their punk spirit. They are clearly about as impressed as I am by the whole voting process as well as the very existence of the Hall, which is handled by the record industry rather than the fans.

Yes, bollocks to you and your asinine awards.

Oh, and same goes for the Oscars.

And the Grammy’s.

Really, any industry awards.

Mariah Carey’s "Don’t Forget About Us" just took the top spot on the Billboard top 100. This 17th chart-topper ties her with Elvis for the second-most number ones, leaving the Beatles-with 20-as the only act left for her to beat.

Does this make anybody else sad? I just did a little preview of the song and it sounds like another generic ‘slow jam’ to me. Do people really request this crap or does the Def Jam label cause this to happen?

I guess this just further lowers my opinion about where popular music is today and the value of a hit record. Status on the list does not reflect any artistic value or musical progress made. It is as useless for telling us consumers what is creative, exciting, and eminent as is a Grammy. It’s just too bad that music has been killed by the music business. I’m sure that there are plenty of bands out there right now producing music that breaks from the established formula that the big labels hawk, but those labels that have the capital to make the product available to the massesdon’t seem to take a risk on something they don’t feel that they can market. They know what they can dupe people into buying and just stick with it so they can enjoy their potbellied lives. Then the little guys (the bands and labels) can’t get their music heard without the money that is necessary for distributing music. Also, I think some potentially great and original bands get sold into changing who they are so they can get played on the radio, sell a billion records, win some awards, and earn a fat check. People like to sell their integrity for real cheap.

Maybe I’m just stuck in the past, but I can’t listen to 80% of the crap on the local so-called alternative station. I’m sick of the sugary juvenile-sounding singers posing in front of a mediocre band playing the standard phony, imitative product. I want to know where the good music is today. I want some band to knock me over and get me excited again. Right now, I am a musician that hates music. Maybe there are bands out there right now and I just need to find the right avenue for learning about them. I will probably need to subscribe to Devil In The Woods and Spin to get into the loop, but it really sucks that the free radio won’t help me out.

Arrrrrgh!

I finally got my mic cable, so the first official Poo-cast should be here sometime this weekend (as long as I can find the time to record some crap). The first episode will be "The Ramones" by The Ramones.

Scott Stapp and 311 Brawl
- story by Rolling Stone, Shirley Halperin

At Baltimore’s Harbor Court Hotel on Thanksgiving night, members of Los Angeles rockers 311, on a day off from their national tour, got into a fist fight with former Creed frontman Scott Stapp, in town to promote his solo debut, The Great Divide. 311 singer S.A. Martinez suffered a fractured knuckle as a result of the brawl, which the band says Stapp started.

"We had just finished dinner and were at the hotel bar to watch the Lakers game when Scott Stapp walked in being very loud and obnoxious," Martinez tells Rolling Stone. "In fact, one of the first things he said was that he loved to fight. So he started doing shots and breaking the glass on the bar, almost hitting one of our crew guys. My wife and I moved to a table and eventually Scott made his way over and sat down. He was looking for attention. Even before that, he had wadded up a napkin that he lobbed in our direction. It was pathetic, and we tried to ignore him, but it was impossible. Then he made a pretty disrespectful comment to my wife, which I’d rather not repeat, but in no uncertain terms, the word ‘f@#!’ was used. That’s when [drummer] Chad [Sexton] walked over."

"I had run into Scott that day," says Sexton. "We have some things in common, like the same producer, and we chatted for a few minutes. So knowing we got along earlier, I kindly asked him not to disrespect anybody and reminded him that we’re all friends. That’s when he sucker-punched me—hit me right in the face."

"When Scott punched Chad," adds Martinez, "in the follow-through, he hit my wife so then I threw my punch. I think the last time I got into a fight was in the third grade, but it was an instant reaction on my part. [311 bassist] P-Nut also came over and he got sucked into it, opening up a scar on his right arm from a recent surgery. Scott went down, and his girl came over and sat on him to get him to stop, but he got up, enraged, still wanting to fight. After about five minutes, hotel security finally broke it up and kicked him out. Honestly, the hotel was really at fault for not kicking him out when he threw the first shot glass."

Later that night, Martinez went to a local hospital to treat what’s called a "boxer’s fracture." His right hand is now in a cast, but he was able to perform the following day in Baltimore. "It was different, because I’m used to holding the mike in that hand," he says. "Thankfully, I can still bust a move."

Ironically, before the situation escalated, Stapp had told the members of 311 that he was a fan, according to Martinez. "He was telling us how he’d been to a show of ours in Florida, where he got up on stage, and that he was so thankful that we didn’t kick him off," says the singer. "He was saying, ‘You had no idea that you guys being so cool to me would inspire me to start a band, and for me to sell 30 million records, win a Grammy, VMAs, Billboard Awards . . .’ He just went on and on, like some drunk guy who wouldn’t shut the fuck up, while we just wanted to watch the game."

In the end, 311 insist they were acting in self-defense and, according to Sexton, have gone public as a response to rumors to "tell what really happened that so there’s no misinformation out there . . . We’re very positive people. We’ve preached positivity on every record we’ve made. We don’t have altercations like this ever. And we even wish Scott well."

For Stapp, this is not the first such incident. In April of 2001, while a member of Creed, he was involved in a bar brawl in St. Augustine, Florida. Witnesses told Rolling Stone at the time that Stapp threw a punch at a man who had taunted him.

When contacted by Rolling Stone, Stapp’s representative had no comment on the Baltimore altercation. And according to the Baltimore police department, no charges have been filed.

I recently got a copy of "The Stone Roses" (Silvertone Records) on vinyl and I have to say that this is one of the finest albums I’ve ever heard. I’d also have to say that it is easily one of the best "brit-pop/rock" albums ever. The only other Brit album that I think equals this is "The Queen Is Dead" (a must-have) by fellow Manchester natives, the Smiths.

I have enjoyed "The Complete Stone Roses" on CD for a few years now, but their debut is much more enjoyable. The reason may be that it just flows much better and is more concise than the 21-track collection, but the full-length version of "I Am The Resurrection"-perhaps the greatest and most famous Stone Roses tune-is the icing on the cake. Every track is a keeper, even "Don’t Stop", pretty much a backwards version of "Waterfall". The opener, "I Wanna Be Adored" is slightly creepy and beautiful at once (kinda like "Lullaby" by the Cure). The catchy, "She Bangs the Drums" quickens the pace which is then brought back by "Waterfall", which includes some of the best pop hooks on the record. Side two is solid as well, finishing with the best track on the album (perhaps the best song of ‘89), "I Am The Resurrection".

The compact disc version adds 2 more tracks (Elephant Stone, Fools Gold) that are also included on "The Complete Stone Roses".

This album is highly recommended. Go out and get it as soon as possible

Fri Nov 18, 1:06 PM ET