Random Music News for Thursday, December 15, 2016

On this day in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders. And now, the music news…

1. The man who killed his wife for selling his ticket to see an Elvis tribute act–he hit her 16 times with a hammer–has died in jail.
2. Andrew Lloyd Webber claims he discovered Rihanna while he was in Barbados.
3. It’s Tay-Tay TV, 24/7.
4. Why a lot of pop stars shy away from performing at presidential inaugurations.
5. Another death: Mark Fisher of the band Matt Bianco.
6. The US government has new plans to go after online pirates.
7. Meanwhile, the music industry wants Trump to be tough on YouTube.
8. At the same time, the Electronic Frontier Foundation says that the music industry shouldn’t be able to cut off your Internet access.
9. Not one DC high school marching band wants to play Trump’s inauguration.
10. And here’s a list of people who actually moved to Canada to escape US politics.
11. Here’s a good interview with Billy Talent. (I’m scheduled to sit down with all of them next for an Ongoing History of New Music show.)
12. Toronto’s real estate prices mean that struggling musicians are having a harder and harder time finding a place to live. This is not good.
13. This could be the worst Christmas song ever.
14. Olivia Newton-John’s daughter is now running a pot farm.
15. There will be a hip-hop episode of The Simpsons next year.