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Subscribe to RSSRetro Minute: The Country Music Awards
See the most surprising Country Music Award winner ever. Shawn's wakin' up the memories...
Every Junkie's Like a Setting Sun: Musicians Who Beat Their Addictions
Scott Weiland's estranged wife, Mary Forsberg, has a new book coming out next week. What's an ex-junkie and ex-model to do except reveal all of the details of her sordid drug-addicted life? A girl's gotta make a buck.
I'm all for confessionals, but the excerpts of Forsberg's book, "Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and Mental Illness," feel more like smug sensationalism than sincere reflection. Here's a sample excerpt about her setting fire to the Stone Temple Pilots' frontman's clothes in a 2007 rage:
"The bonfire was huge and very pretty. Everything went up in smoke quickly, except the shoe leather; the Guccis took the longest."
Forsberg and Weiland were famously f****d-up heroin junkies. Forsberg tells of the couple's attending a beach party at Leonard DiCaprio's home wearing long sleeves to cover the track marks on their arms. She also writes of them both "laying out the goods" on a framed photo of famous former junkie Keith Richards. Both claim to be drug-free now, although, unsurprisingly, their marriage did not survive the abuse.
The Weilands are lucky to be alive. There are more than 300,000 heroin users in the U.S. The number is smaller compared to other kinds of drug users, but the devastation is incomparable. While many struggle and eventually succumb (notably Jerry Garcia, Pete Doherty, and Sublime's Brad Nowell), others have successfully beat the monkey their back. Here are some musicians who have famously stayed clean and sober. I hope Mr. and Mrs. Weiland join the club.
The Jackson Joke Moratorium is Over
The moratorium on being nice to the Jackson family seems to be lifted. First Kathy Griffin finally let it rip against the clan in her latest stand-up special "Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel," expressing her shock at the post MJ-death revelation that HE was the normal one in the family. And now, a scene featuring La Toya that was respectfully cut from the theatrical release of the film "Bruno" is being added as bonus material on the DVD. It shouldn't come as a surprise to Joe Jackson and his kids. The controversial movie about the leder hosened Austrian performed so badly, they need to do whatever they can to boost sales now. Read about the never before seen scene here.
When Fans Become Fanatics
Being an idol is dangerous business. Aside from the endless hours on tour, countless interviews, and miles of red carpet walks, there are the fans. Music fans are a double-edged sword. Without them, bands would be playing to five people on a Thursday bingo night instead of a packed stadium.
But fans come at a price - sometimes a deadly one. Their enthusiasm often crosses the line into fanaticism. As a result, musicians end up seeking shelter from the very people who provide their way of life. Here's a look at some moments where fans have gone bad.
Note to all of you potential stalkers out there: check yourself. If you're a grown woman carrying a photo of the Jonas Brothers in your purse, you may want to think twice. All of you dudes stealing your daughter's Hannah Montana posters? Get a life. And a shrink.
Retro Minute: November 4, 1980
"B.J. and the Bear" is on TV. Ronnie defeats Jimmy in presidential election. Which Barbra Streisand song is on the charts? Find out as Shawn's wakin' up the memories...














































![Michael Jackson "Human Nature" [Live]](http://b.getbackimages.com/uri/w50_h50_K0630031113/michael-jackson-human-nature-live-/video/3/1/2/2/3122686.jpg)

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![Long Black Train [2004]](http://c.getbackimages.com/uri/w50_h50/long-black-train-2004-/media/2/5/2/5/2525042.jpg)
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