The Germs only stuck around three years, but the punk band’s influence on music and culture was epic. Now What We Do Is Secret, a biopic starring Shane West (yes the snot-nosed doctor from ER) as legendary frontman Darby Crash, may finally be released in late ‘07 or early ‘08.

West’s portrayal of Crash, who committed suicide in 1980 at age 22, is so accurate the actor has joined the other Germs (including legendary guitarist/Kurt Cobain pal Pat Smear) as the frontman of the reunited band. He also got the same tattoo Crash had on his arm — talk about commiting to a role.

Secret director Rodger Grossman, West, Germ Lorna Doom and actress Bijou Phillips (who portrays Doom in the film) shared a few stories from the set. Read on for our favorites: (more…)

Just a few years back, Beatles mash-ups were all the rage (The Grey Album, anyone?), but the trend died down — until now. Enter Beatallica, a band that creates original tunes in the vein of Weird Al by melding melodic Beatles’ tracks with Metallica’s raw power. Their third album, appropriately titled Sgt. Hetfield’s Motorbreath Pub Band, comes out today and features tracks like “Blackended the U.S.S.R.” and “Helvester of Skelter.” Intrigued? Download “Revol-Ooh-Tion” for yourself to hear what James Hetfield might sound like fronting the Fab Four.

Download “Revol-Ooh-Tion”

Will Rolling Stone’s Joe Levy and Brian Hiatt give Billy Corgan’s latest a thumbs up? Watch as they dissect the newest releases from Corgan’s reunited squad and Austin’s indie-rock heroes.

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It kind of seems like forever since OutKast released the soundtrack to their long-delayed speakeasy film Idlewild. Now comes word that we’ve all got a long wait ahead of us before the duo wil be done with another proper album. Apparently Andre 3000 and Big Boi are both otherwise occupied making solo LPs. “After we do those solo albums, we’re planning on doing another OutKast album. I don’t know how long that’s gonna be; it could be two years,” Andre says. Of course, it’s always possible that both solo efforts will be released together as a double album under the OutKast name, like 2003’s Grammy-winning blockbuster Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

New York Dolls — New York Doll Hospital
This decades-old doll repair shop is often credited as spot that inspirated Arthur “Killer” Kane to name his ‘70s glitter-rock band the New York Dolls. Dolls singer David Johansen disputes this account, explaining that guitarist Syl Silvain came up with the name the Dolls, then Johansen added “New York” to it. “I was thinking how there was New York, and then the rest of the country was like Gommorah,” says Johansen. “The city was so different than now — it was burnt out, full of boarded-up buildings and had this post-apocalyptic vibe. It was like love among the ruins — that’s the kind of name I was going for.” Nonetheless, people all over the world still send their dolls to get repaired at the Doll Hospital. “I never lost a patient,” boasts proprietor Irving Chase. One recent customer was Bruce Springsteen, who had his favorite childhood teddy bear repaired so he could give it to his son.

The Ramones — “53rd & 3rd”
On the Ramones first album, Dee Dee sings about hustling on this street corner, an infamous gay prostitute zone in the early 1970s. Joey Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh, recalled seeing him there in punk oral history Please Kill Me: “He had a black leather motorcycle jacket on, the one he would later wear on the first album cover … I was kinda shocked to see someone I knew standing there, like, “Holy shit. That’s Doug standing there. He’s really doing it.” Dee Dee also claims the song is about him, and not a Green Beret as is often said. “The song ‘53rd & 3rd’ speaks for itself,” he once said. “Everything I write is autobiographical and very real. I can’t write any other way.” The corner now houses the Lipstick Building, named for obvious reasons. (more…)