A Taste:

Queens of the Stone Age, AC/DC, Perish

Hollywood Undead have a whole arsenal of influences. That’s precisely why their sound is so enigmatic and edgy.

On Desperate Measures, Hollywood Undead further carve out a style that’s all their own. Industrial gnashing gives way to massive rock n’ roll choruses and some of the most raucous raps to ever be committed to tape. “Explosive” doesn’t even begin to describe just how fiery Hollywood Undead’s latest musical time bomb is…

In order to get closer to their music, Hollywood Undead’s J-Dog and Funny Man shared their playlists with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino in this exclusive interview.

Check out their playlists below and pick up Desperate Measures now!

J- Dog’s Playlist:

1. The Sleeping

J-Dog: I’m listening to this band called The Sleeping that we toured with. They sound like a mix between At the Drive-in and Murder City Devils. They’re really good. Funny Man’s been into Bring Me The Horizon. We played some shows with them in England, so he’s been listening to them nonstop. I was into them, now he started listening to them. The Sleeping’s one of the only new bands I’ve been listening to recently though.

2. AC/DC

J-Dog: I put my shit on shuffle and let it go. I’ve been listening to a lot of AC/DC lately for some reason. You know how you go through phases with bands? I always do that. It’s usually one band at a time with me. Right now it’s AC/DC because I watched their Behind the Music again. It’s such a good one. All the shit they’ve been through is crazy.

3. Perish

J-Dog: I’m listening to a band called Perish. They’re a metal band but they’ve got melodic choruses. I’ve always liked metal that has melodic choruses that get ingrained in your brain. They’re from Orange County—the dirty OC [Laughs].

Funny Man’s Playlist:

1. Queens of the Stone Age — Songs for The Deaf

Funny Man: That’s my all-time favorite album by them. The first song is awesome!

2. The Talking Heads — Best Of

Funny Man: I’m always listening to them! I like his style and the storytelling. It’s great shit!

3. Dub-C

Funny Man: I’m always listening to the Dub-C album. I picked that up in Vegas when we were last there, and I don’t think I’ve stopped listening to it. I heard that album when I was a kid, and I still love it!

—Rick Florino
11.09.09

Check out Rick Florino’s new novel Dolor available now for FREE here…

A Taste:

AC/DC, KISS, Pink Floyd

Staind have the pop power and the heavy metal heart to solidify them as a legendary band. It’ll only be a little while…

They’ve got a whole host of modern classics in their catalog—from the massive melodies in “Right Here” and “It’s Been Awhile” to the cathartic chaos of “Mudshovel” and “Suffocate.” The multi-platinum Massachusetts quartet knows how to write hard rock anthems better than anyone, but when it’s time to get heartfelt few are better than frontman Aaron Lewis. Ever since the moment he busted out an acoustic guitar on the 1999 installment of the Family Values tour for “Outside,” Aaron’s songwriting prowess and undeniably incredible voice have captivated listeners. Given his penchant for a potent tune, we were curious about where it all began.

In this exclusive interview. ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino spoke to Aaron Lewis about the first three albums to ever inspire him. Aaron went way back in the catalog and gave us three classics for this exclusive playlist feature. Check it out below and pick up Staind’s most recent masterpiece, The Illusion of Progress if you haven’t yet.

Aaron Lewis’s Playlist:

1. AC/DC — Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

2. KISS — Alive II

3. Pink Floyd — The Wall

The first three records ever given to me as a kid were AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, KISS’s Alive II and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. It was the first music I was ever really able to listen to, rewind and listen to again at my leisure.

Now on my playlist is Andrew Wilkow and Mark Levin [Laughs]. If I’m not listening to that, it’s usually country music.

—Rick Florino
10.27.09

Check out Rick Florino’s new novel Dolor available now for FREE here…

A Taste:

AC/DC, The Cars, The Police

Robert Rodriguez never has to go too far for inspiration.

The director laughs, “My son actually came to me with the initial idea for Shorts. We wanted to make shorts with a bunch of kids, and it worked out because I love doing short stories!”

Rodriguez is also really good at making them too. Shorts is the best family adventure all year because of Rodriguez’s penchant for innovative storytelling and fast-paced action. In fact, some of the more high-octane sequences could stand alongside his best action work like Desperado—minus all of the bullets, blood and four-letter words.

Rodriguez’s kids definitely inspire him, but he’s always turning them on to good music. He continues, “I grew up listening to classic rock. I play my kids the stuff I listened to as a kid. They think The Police is really cool! That was the first album I got. My kids have got Rock Band, and they’re playing all of those songs. It’s hilarious to see that they’re into stuff that I was into when I was their age.”

Right now, he’s just cranking movie tunes. “I play a whole mix of stuff—a lot of soundtracks. I’m really just listening to different scores. They’re all jumbled together.”

Check out some of the bands Robert has turned his kids on to below, make sure to watch our cast interviews and don’t miss Shorts when it hits theaters this Friday. It’s a blast!

Robert Rodriguez’s Playlist:

1. AC/DC

2. The Cars

My kids are into the early ’80s stuff I grew up with like AC/DC and The Cars.

3. The Police

—Rick Florino

08.17.09

Check out other Shorts cast playlists!

Jimmy Bennett & Jolie Vanier

Jon Cryer

A Taste:

AC/DC

Even though Lady GaGa’s big hit is titled “Just Dance,” she really likes to rock! That’s what we noticed when we took a look at her iTunes playlist. In fact, GaGa is bumping AC/DC exclusively right now, and it’s not just because she was in the video for “Stiff Upper Lip” when she was a kid. She’s a diehard fan, and she always will be.

Check out what Lady GaGa is spinning below and don’t forget to pick up her debut album, The Fame.

Lady GaGa’s Playlist:

1. AC/DC — Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

“I’m always listening to AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. That’s pretty much constantly on ‘repeat’ on my tour bus. It’s my favorite AC/DC record.”

2. AC/DC — High Voltage

3. AC/DC — Black Ice

“I really like their new album, Black Ice too!”

—Rick Florino
02.16.09

A Taste:

AC/DC, Metallica, Buckcherry

Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix lives and breathes music. His taste is also quite diverse. The Papa Roach frontman opened up his iTunes and gave us an exclusive look inside. You might even be surprised by a few of his selections…

Discover what Jacoby is spinning below and check out Papa Roach’s fifth studio album, Metamorphosis when it drops on Tuesday March 24.

Jacoby’s Playlist:

1. AC/DC — Black Ice
2. Buckcherry — Black Butterfly
3. Metallica — Death Magnetic
4. Kings of Leon — Only By the Night
5. Motley Crue — Saints of Los Angeles
6. Jimi Hendrix — Electric Ladyland
7. The Cult — Love
8. A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight Marauders
9. Weezer — The Red Album
10. Cheap Trick — Budokan!

—Rick Florino
01.27.09