This year's Fall Fest featured Ja Rule and LL Cool J. After his set, The Spectrum interviewed LL Cool J about his life and latest projects.
The Spectrum: A few days ago, you were a guest speaker at Wilberforce College. What issues did you address?
LL: I went out to the students there, I talked about what it takes to make your dreams come true in order to achieve the goals that I've achieved in my life. I was talking about young ladies and how every time I meet a pretty girl, it just seems that they want to be in a video. But I've never met a pretty girl who said she wanted to produce one. I was trying to get them to believe in themselves on a whole other level.
S: What, in your own words, is a 'Fatty Girl' (the title to a song that came off of FUBU's "The Goodlife Album," featuring LL Cool J, Ludacris and Keith Murray Barnes)?
LL: A nice, voluptuous, shapely backside. Preferably attached to a woman.
On the less mainstream side of music, The Spectrum interviewed sultry Raveonettes singer Sharin Foo for the CMJ Advanced Warning Tour at UB, featuring The Mooney Suzuki, White Light Motorcade, Longwave and the aforementioned band.
A "next big thing" band would not be complete without controversy. The video for the Raveonettes' single, "Attack of the Ghost Riders," was banned in the U.K. for its B-movie depiction of Wagner frying on an electric chair.
"I guess they are starting to play it on MTV2, which is fine by us," Foo said. "We thought it was great (that it was banned). Hilarious."
In March, Zwan and Queens of the Stone Age took the stage of Alumni Arena.
"This one's a little dance song," said Queens of the Stone Age vocalist John Homme said as he began an undistorted introduction. Vocally, the transition from bassist Nick Oliveri's ear-piercing screams to Homme's pleasant falsetto was a 180-degree shift.
The two were also opposites in terms of stage persona. While Oliveri attacked the microphone like a rabid dog, Homme leaned back and displayed a relaxed attitude.
Before Queens of the Stone Age performed "Do It Again," Homme indicated to the crowd how much he was at ease.
"How y'all doing? God, I'm so drunk, man. We need more booze in this f---ing place. More drugs, more everything," said Homme.
The singer's small quip provided appropriate context when Corgan would later refer to the band as "the kings of stoner rock" during Zwan's set.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
