Odds & Ends: Arctic Monkeys, Morrissey, Vampire Weekend, Failure, Bill Cosby

When we last checked in with Arctic Monkeys the band’s singer was sidelined with a case of laryngitis which caused the band to postpone gigs in Glasgow, Sheffield and Birmingham.

Evidently Alex Turner is still in the clutches of the evil disease, forcing the band to nix yet another show.  But fans planning on attending tonight’s gig in Offenbach, Germany, won’t get a second chance to see their favorite band in action.  Word from Arctic Monkeys is that tonight’s gig is canceled and will not be rescheduled.  According to a posting on ArcticMonkeys.com, fans should seek refunds at points of purchase.  “We wish to sincerely apologize to all ticket holders for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused,” the band said in the post.

Artic Monkeys’ next scheduled show is tomorrow night in Berlin at Columbiahalle.

Will Morrissey remember 2013 as a year filled with setbacks and illnesses?  A series of maladies striking the former Smiths singer, including double pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer and a gastrointestinal condition known as Barrett’s esophagus caused problems for his North American tour.  Although food poisoning is believed to have caused the cancelation of a portion of Morrissey’s South American tour, he later scratched the entire undertaking, saying the tour suffered a “lack of funding.”

Now there is word that Morrissey was recently hospitalized in Los Angeles.  The Morrissey-endorsed fan site True To You reported Nov. 2 that Moz was recently discharged from Cedars-Sinai Hospital after receiving treatment for “concussion, whiplash and an arm injury.” 

Because no reason was offered for the injuries, we’ll just have to use our imaginations.  Maybe he was fighting crime under a secret identity or perhaps he was going a few rounds at a local fight club.  The mind boggles with possible explanations.

Meanwhile, it appears Morrissey’s autobiography will get the Morrissey treatment.  True To You reports actor David Morrissey is supplying the voice and reading expertise for the audio version of British singer’s life story, scheduled to be released Dec. 5 by Penguin Classics.

Blaming those ol’ concert biz devils known as “unforeseen circumstances,” Vampire Weekend posted a message on its Facebook page saying it had scrubbed three shows from its European itinerary.  Off the schedule are Thursday’s stop in Stockholm, Sweden; Friday’s gig in Oslo, Norway; and Sunday’s concert in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Vampire Weekend’s next scheduled performance is Nov. 12 in Birmingham, England.  That is, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Members of ’90s alt-indie band Failure are reuniting.  At this time the group has slated one show, its first in 15 years, for Feb. 13 at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre.

Who’s up for Failure these days?  That would be frontman Ken Andrews, multi-instrumentalist Greg Edwards and drummer Kelli Scott.  Andrews recently sat down with the folks from Spin to discuss the reunion, saying band members’ children helped get the reunion rolling.

“Well, I think it’s basically because my friendship with Greg was rekindled in the last four or five years – because we both have five-year-olds,” Andrews told Spin.  “I think that helped break the ice for us, to spend time together as friends, because the breakup in ’97 was not pleasant.  We needed a couple years to hang out and be friends again, and then it became this sort of elephant in the room, like, ‘Why don’t we do some music together?’”

Tickets for the February gig at the El Rey go on sale Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. PST.  A limited-edition 7-inch featuring a couple of rare tracks will be available for the first 250 ticket purchasers at Amoeba Music on 6400 W. Sunset Blvd; Origami Vinyl at 1816 W. Sunset Blvd. and via Axs.com.

Bill Cosby says he’s not all that happy about some of the lyrics in rap and hip hop music.

While speaking to students and community members at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala., Cos praised a choir that appeared on stage, using the opportunity to compare the collective talent found in the group to what he’s heard in today’s contemporary music, according to the News Observer.

“I want you to understand, in that choir, you heard the use of the human voice to sing. We’re not a vulgar culture.  We are being attacked. We are being attacked by people who are making money off of us,” Cosby said.

The comedian then added, “I don’t want to support anybody who’s going to teach my grandchildren how to curse.  I can do that myself.”