The peppermint clothed rockers The White Stripes claim that they too may split after their next album. The group, Jack and Meg White, say that "an arena is no place for a two-piece band". They also claim that their fame has gone out of their control.

The White Stripes garage rock competition The Strokes are working on the follow up to their 2001 hit Is This It? The band describes the new songs as harder to get into but once you do that the "joy" will last longer. Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. says that the new songs are " the fucking future of rock n' roll". He claims that he says that with no egotism. The band has also turned down numerous big name producers. No release date for the new album has been set.

It's finally happened and who would've thunk it? The egotist Roger Waters and one of his three archenemies Rick Mason has reunited for a Waters concert. Mason played drums on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" a song that Waters penned for their group Pink Floyd. This is the first semi-renunion for Pink Floyd since their break up in 1983. Waters broke up the band and Mason, Gilmour, and Wright continued under the band name sparking Waters to isolate himself from them for the past 20 years. Waters has long credited Pink Floyd's success to his direction and leadership. I say jump off the Thames Roger. Pink Floyd was Syd Barretts band and you,ve ridden on his genius ever since. And no "Darkside of the Moon" is not the greatest Floyd album. Get over it.

JOHN ENTWISTLE, BASSIST OF THE WHO, DEAD AT 57

John Entwistle, bassist and co-creator of the legendary rock group The Who, was found dead in his Hard Rock hotel room in Las Vegas, only one day away from the bands new tour. Current reports say his death was caused by a Heart Attack, and he is known to have battled heart ailments in the past which had him taking medication for the problem.

Not one to try to upstage his bandmates (LIKE A CERTAIN GUITARIST FRIEND OF MINE), Entwistle was the lone member of The Who that showed any semblance of sanity..on and off the stage. On it, he allowed Townsend, Daltry, and Moon to get all the glamour and accolades that go with being a rock star...off it, he was an accomplished painter and, in fact, was in Vegas displaying his new art.

Entwistle, who was born October 9, 1944, in Chiswick, England hooked up with high school buddy Pete Townshend and formed, if you can believe it, a Dixieland combo. Once Roger Daltry and Keith Moon came aboard, there was no stopping them from becoming one of the world's most renouned and appreciated acts in the history of Rock and Roll.

Entwistle also could stake the claim to "Bassist of the Millennium" as voted by Guitar Magazine, beating out such notables as The Beatles' Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Cream's Jack Bruce. Stated Guitar Magazine on his selection "The Ox distills inspiration, technique and that fine edge of madness that separates the great from the merely good,"

Suprising to some, but not to me, The Who are going forward with their tour. Many, including myself, thought the group was done for good with the untimely death of drummer Keith Moon several years ago, but they regrouped and continued rocking and rolling their faithful fans. Surely it will be difficult to replace a bassist who played his axe like a lead guitarist.

Entwistle was married twice and leaves behind a son, Christopher, from his first marraige. I should mention here that Christopher just recently posted a letter on Pete Townsend's web site that he agreed with the tour going forward, and that John truly would have wanted them to go forward with the tour. This has dispelled much of the disillusionment some fans had over the issue.

For this fan, I'm glad they reached this decision. One of the truth's of rock and roll is that it will never die, even if some of its elder statemen reach that inevitable point. Nothing or no one will ever be able to replace him, just as certainly no one should. And while many try to emmulate him now and in the future, they will continue to fall way short of this man's genius with the bass guitar. And while genius gets tossed around a lot these days, it fits John Entwistle very well, indeed.

Matt Drinnenberg

Certainly no argument with Matt over John Entlwistle's genius on bass. John was truly one of the most severely under-rated musicians on the planet by the passive consumer public, but not by the insider rock musicians who certainly knew better!

Never one to demonstrate any insecurity about stage-performing (UNLIKE A CERTAIN VOCALIST FRIEND OF MINE), his presence was more felt that heard, but anyone with the determination to learn bass guitar could not help but be amazed at what this man was able to achieve. With Entwistle, you didn't need a second guitarist....his bass filled in all the spaces quite nicely, thank you!

As for The Who's getting on with their current tour despite a seeming lack of grieving time, to me it is more a demonstration of something else: I'm sure they miss their fallen comrade, don't get me wrong, but when Keith Moon died, they were still a major (if troubled, and much younger) recording group. Really, I think it's been a long time since the Who thought of themelves as little more than a "reunion" act, albeit a great one. I figure, since they likely feel their high glory days with the old gang are over anyway, they made some kind of contingency plan for something like this. All older rock groups are getting on in years, don't you think most of them have, too? That doesn't mean there should be no grieving time, just that they all agree the show must go on.

Entwistle's "Bassist of the Millenium" score with Guitarist Magazine only surprised me in one way: that they didn't go for a more obvious popular choice like Paul McCartney or John Paul Jones, as Matt stated, or even Geddy Lee (of Rush). His place in history is secure, thankfully, and new generations of young bassists will still have access to old Who records when it gets time for serious "woodsheddin'"!

Nolan Canova