Legendary musician Clarence Clemons died Saturday due to complications from a stroke a week earlier. Clemons was 69 years old.

Clemons was best-known for his work as saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen made the story of his and Clemons’ first meeting, in a music club where Springsteen’s band was playing in 1971, into the stuff of myth. Springsteen often told of that event, “With a lightning storm raging outside, the Big Man tore the door off an Asbury Park club, strode onstage, and made magic.”

Clemons’ version of his first meeting with Springsteen differed only slightly:

One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I’d heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. Onstage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story, but I’m a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth.

A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were onstage …staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, “I want to play with your band,” and he said, “Sure, you do anything you want.”

“From the first time we saw each other, we stayed together for two weeks,” Clemons told CNN of Springsteen in 2009. “We were inseparable.”

In 2008, Clemons had double knee-replacement surgery. He regained his ability to walk in 2009; that year, he also published his memoir, Big Man.

The day after his book’s publication, charity organization Little Kids Rock honored Clemons with the first-ever “Big Man of the Year Award” to recognize his philanthropy in raising money for music programs in underfunded public schools.

Most recently, Clemons appeared in Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.”

Clemons suffered a stroke last week in his home. He had undergone two brain surgeries in the days following, but he ultimately passed away from complications.

A gallery, with photos of Clemons spanning 1975-2011, is hidden after the cut.

Best Coast had one of my favorite albums last year and they’ve already made my favorite music video of 2011. The new video for their single “Crazy for You” is everywhere online this morning, and while the catchy tune probably doesn’t hurt, I’m going to guess that it’s the feline stars that are pushing it over the top. This thing is two calicos short of an episode of Hoarders.

The Internet loves cats you guys. Cats doing cute things, cats doing funny things, cats doing things that are usually done by humans (like using an iPad or directing a hipster music video.) The secret to Internet success hasn’t been a secret for some time now.

See, Lady Gaga? It’s not all about big-budget production. And Katy Perry? You never had to make your breasts ejaculate whipped topping on to the eyes of teenage America. You ladies just needed to stack some cats on top of each other and get your hair blown out real cute.

Billboard did a list of their top 25 songs of the year (you can see it on the original YouTube page), and here they all are in five and a half minutes of pure woe.  You can have your Ke$ha with your Rihanna, your Jason Derulo with your Train.  But at what price?

I don’t know about you guys, but I only like maybe two and a half of these songs in a non-ironic way (Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” gets me every single time, and I won’t apologize for that), and the rest are just upsetting.  I get physically uncomfortable listening to “Tik Tok” and “Imma Be,” but the kids are all over it these days.  Down at the gay bar, everyone goes crazy when “California Gurls” comes on, and I’m always like “you guys, they’re not talking about us.”  I don’t get it.

That being said, this mashup is super well done.  It probably helps that most of the songs sound really similar to begin with. Do you guys like it?   Ironically or not, I’m just curious.  If you genuinely like it, I’m curious as to why, and if you share my opinion, I’d like to commiserate and hear your opinion on good music.  All is not lost, you guys.

A promotional poster for the “After Love” music video (LOL, what kind of world are we living in?) has been released, and while I’m trying to look on the bright side, there doesn’t seem to be much of one. Unless you count “so campy and poorly made that it’s actually kind of funny to watch,” as a positive (Yet I doubt that’s the feel Brittani is going for.)

If you want to find out what this Brittani chick is all about, here’s a video of her performing “After Love” live. Her voice isn’t as bad as choices in male leads.

And she’s kind of reminding me more of the original pop tart, Madonna, rather than Lady Gaga.

Aguilera sits down with GQ‘s German version and dishes on motherhood, sex appeal and music. The June issue, now available in select newsstands, features black and white bondage-type photos of the amazing songstress, who discusses life and a newfound confidence after the birth of her son, Max:

“I was never sharper than now, never attractive, sex has always been a big part of me in my work and private. But today I feel better than ever in my skin. And I understand how I get exactly what I want … That’s part of the change of having a child for me – seeing your body do these things you never thought possible. When you have a baby, you go through a period where your body is not your own. It becomes for your child and that’s it. Once you bounce back from that and kind of get your body back … I feel better than ever. It’s a great feeling.”

And naturally, she’s asked about her Lady Gaga similarities:

“That, in particular, is not even worth wasting the breath to comment on,” said the singer, whose new album, Bionic, drops June 8. “I’ve been around for over a decade and I think my work speaks for myself.

Well said, girlfriend. You remind me more of Madonna than anyone else, anyway. And I’d personally rather bang Madonna than Lady Gaga … at least Madonna circa “Material Girl,” rather than now, at any rate.

You guys watch Community? OK, well, it’s good and you should watch it if you don’t, but if you do, you know Donald Glover, who plays Troy. During his downtime, Don recorded a mixtape under the name Childish Gambino and released it on his website for free. And it’s sick. His lyrics are tight and funny and his skill level is surprisingly good.

Rapping over bands like Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective, Childish Gambino tells us what it’s like to be the most fashionable young TV actor in the game. On my favorite track, “My Girls”, he also gives some insight to what it’s like to date a dude whose job lends to a player lifestyle. You can download parts 1 and 2 of his mixtape “I Am Just a Rapper” here and here.

Listen to “New Prince (Crown On the Ground)” here:

New Prince (Crown On the Ground) by Childish Gambino

Earlier this week Billboard released its list of the top one hit wonders of the last decade and it was grim. Even more grim? Their just released list of the top soundtracks of the decade. It starts off agreeable and then immediately spirals in to exactly the kind of stuff that makes other countries think we’re tasteless assholes for enjoying. The Top 25 Movie Soundtracks from Billboard:

Top 25 Soundtracks
1. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2. High School Musical
3. 8 Mile
4. Hannah Montana
5. High School Musical 2
6. Hannah Montana 2
7. Twilight
8. Shrek
9. Chicago
10. Moulin Rouge
11. The Lizzie McGuire Movie
12. Mamma Mia
13. The Cheetah Girls
14. Hannah Montana: The Movie
15. Coyote Ugly
16. Bad Boys II
17. Ray
18. Tupac: Resurrection
19. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
20. Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
21. The Cheetah Girls 2
22. Walk The Line
23. Camp Rock
24. Garden State
25. Curious George

Truth is, I can get behind a lot of these things. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was great and that soundtrack was huge, so I’m glad to see that High School Musical didn’t trample it. Same goes for 8 Mile, Shrek, Ray and Garden State.

Of course since this is a Billboard list, the rankings are based entirely on sales and not quality, importance or cultural relevance. However, it’s very clear that more parents are buying soundtracks for their kids than themselves, or there’s just a lot of adults with a strong interest in The Cheetah Girls’ second album.

What was your favorite soundtrack of the last decade? I think mine was the soundtrack of my life the morning after I drank this stuff called Cisco. It was basically the sound of me vomiting and my neighbors fighting really loudly in Spanish.

WARNING: If you play the above video, you may immediately experience feelings of nausea, dizziness and nostalgia for the one time you had a tooth drilled to this song.

All these decade-end wrap ups are coming our way, and man are they depressing. You won’t even believe some of the crap the last decade has pumped out. Upon reading and then re-reading Billboard Magazine’s Top One Hit Wonders of the 2000s-list to be sure that I read correctly the first time, I realize now why the majority of my iPod is filled with 90s jams and the few bands that have made it past the one-or-two hit wonder mark this decade. Check out this list (videos here) and try not to start crying for humanity at your desk:

1. Daniel Powter
BAD DAY
Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” was used as the kiss-off song for the 5th season of “American Idol,” which gave the song enough juice to become the biggest single of 2006. The song went to No. 1 in April and stayed at the top for five weeks. But Powter’s good fortune didn’t last long; he hasn’t visited the Hot 100 since.

2. Terror Squad
LEAN BACK
Terror Squad, the hip-hop collective led by Fat Joe, tore up the charts in August 2004 with “Lean Back,” giving the world a new dance craze in the process. The Squad fell back hard after that, only reaching as high as No. 62 with a subsequent single: “Take Me Home,” at the end of 2004.

3. Crazy Town
BUTTERFLY
L.A. rap-rockers Crazy Town flew to the top of the charts with the Red Hot Chili Peppers infused track “Butterfly” in March 2001, and hovered there for two weeks. The band’s wings were clipped after reaching that peak; they never saw the Hot 100 again

4. MIMS
THIS IS WHY I’M HOT
MIMS told the world “This Is Why I’m Hot,” and sizzled at the no. 1 spot for two weeks in March 2007. The Jamaican rapper’s next single, July 2007′s “Like This,” only went as high as No. 32. Not quite as hot.

5. D4L
LAFFY TAFFY
Atlanta’s D4L hit a sweet spot with “Laffy Taffy” in January 2006, when the song peaked at no. 1. The foursome only made it to no. 72 with their next single “Betcha Can’t Do It Like Me.”

6. James Blunt
YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL
James Blunt sweet-talked his way to No. 1 with the inescapable ballad “You’re Beautiful” in March 2006. But fans dropped him soon after; his appropriately titled next single, “Goodbye My Lover,” only reached No. 66.

7. Gnarls Barkley
CRAZY
“Crazy” was such a gargantuan smash, it felt like Gnarls Barkley’s spell would never wear off. But after peaking at No. 2 in July 2006, Ceee-Lo and Dangermouse haven’t made it past No. 88 with their subsequent singles. Crazy, indeed.

8.Blu Cantrell
HIT ‘EM UP STYLE (OOPS!)
Blu Cantrell struck gold with “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!),” which reached the No. 2 position in July 2001. Since then, she’s only climbed as high as No. 70, with “Breathe” in 2003. Oops!

9. Bo Bice
INSIDE YOUR HEAVEN
Bo Bice won the hearts of “American Idol” viewers with “Inside Your Heaven” in July 2005. After the cameras turned off, voters quickly tuned out. His next highest-charting single, “The Real Thing,” peaked at No. 56 in May 2006.

10. Dream
HE LOVES U NOT
Dream lived up to their name with “He Loves U Not,” which climbed to No. 2 in December 2000. After that, the manufactured girl group woke up and only rose to No. 39 with their next single, “This Is Me,” in the summer of 2001.

11. J-Kwon
TIPSY
J-Kwon intoxicated the airwaves with “Tipsy,” scoring him the No. 2 spot in April 2004. He hasn’t stumbled as high on his own since, but he did ride Bow Wow’s coattails to No. 23 in April 2006 with the collaboration “Fresh Azimiz.”

12. Cassie
ME & U
Cassie strutted to No. 3 with “Me & U” in July 2006, but she floundered with “Long Way 2 Go,” which only peaked at No. 97. She’s been a no-show on the charts ever since.

13.Lou Bega
MAMBO NO. 5 (A LITTLE BIT OF…)
Lou Bega’s ubiquitous “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of)” climbed to No. 3 in November 1999, and stuck around for months after peaking. But Bega hasn’t flirted with the charts much since; his next-highest charting single, “Tricky, Tricky,” only reached no. 74 in February 2000.

14. Lil’ Romeo
MY BABY
Cute and cuddle Lil Romero skipped all the way to No. 3 in June 2001 with “My Baby.” But puberty didn’t do the pint-sized rapper well; none of his solo singles have even touched the Hot 100 since</b>

15. Lumidee
NEVER LEAVE YOU – UH OOH, UH OOOH!
Lumidee promised to “Never Leave You” with her first single in August 2003. She didn’t keep her word. Outside of a No. 43 appearance in April 2007 with “She’s Like The Wind” featuring Tony Sunshine, she hasn’t visited the chart since.

16. Hinder
LIPS OF AN ANGEL
With “Lips of an Angel,” Hinder soared to the No. 3 spot in October 2006. The band fell from grace shortly thereafter, only soaring as high as No. 31 with “Better Than Me” in May 2007.

17. Kevin Lyttle feat. Spragga Benz
TURN ME ON
In August 2004, Kevin Lyttle, with help from Spragga Benz, lit up the charts with “Turn Me On.” The airwaves have since turned him off, and the Caribbean crooner has yet to return to the Hot 100.

18. Youngbloodz feat. Lil Jon
DAMN!
Youngbloodz teamed up with Lil Jon on “Damn!,” which rose to No. 4 in November 2003. The Hotlanta duo had much to curse about after that; they didn’t go nearly as high with their next biggest hit; “Presidential” peaked at No. 81 in November 2005.

19. Fort Minor feat. Holly Brook
WHERE’D YOU GO
It’s a good thing Mike Shinoda has Linkin Park to fall back on. Fort Minor, his musical side project, started big, reaching No. 2 with “Where’d You Go” in June 2006. Fans have been asking the same question since then; the band’s next biggest hit, “Remember the Name,” peaked at No. 66. three months later.

20. Samantha Mumba
GOTTA TELL YOU
Irish singer Samantha Mumba rose to No. 4 on the Hot 100 with “Gotta Tell You” in December 2000. The airwaves refused to listen after that; her next-biggest single, “Baby, Come Over (This Is Our Night)” only climbed to No. 49 in June 2001.

21. Cassidy feat. R. Kelly
HOTEL
Cassidy went all the way to No. 4 in March 2004 with “Hotel,” featuring R. Kelly. But the Philly rapper checked out of the chart shortly thereafter, only making it as high as No. 33 with “My Drink N’ My 2 Step” three years later.

22. Macy Gray
I TRY
Macy Gray blew up in May 2000 when her debut single, “I Try,” went to No. 5. But believe it or not, the husky-voiced diva has not appeared on the Hot 100 since!

23. The Calling
WHEREVER YOU WILL GO
In March 2002, L.A. rockers the Calling reached their highest high when their single “Wherever You Will Go” peaked at No. 5. The band has not come calling back to the charts since.

24. Vanessa Carlton
A THOUSAND MILES
Vanessa Carlton wooed listeners in May 2002, when her piano ballad “A Thousand Miles” hit No. 5. Five months later, she was back on the Hot 100 with “Ordinary Day,” but the song — her second-biggest single — barely cracked the Top 30.

25. Ruff Endz
NO MORE
Baltimore R&B duo Ruff Endz went all the way to No. 5 with “No More” in September 2000. But the group never saw the top 10 again after that; they only reached No. 49 with “Someone to Love You” in June 2002.

26. Eiffel 65
BLUE (DA BA DEE)
Italian dance trio Eiffel 65, whose name was generated at random by a computer program, peaked at No. 6 with the über-catchy “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” in January 2000. They’ve been blue ever since, as they did not see the Hot 100 for the rest of the decade, even as Flo Rida took his “Blue”-sampling hit “Sugar” all the way to No. 5.

27. Rich Boy feat. Polow Da Don
THROW SOME D’s
Alabama rapper Rich Boy went all the way to No. 6 on March 31, 2007 with “Throw Some D’s.” He ran out of steam after reaching that peak, and hasn’t returned to the chart since.

28. Nick Lachey
WHAT’S LEFT OF ME
In May 2006, sympathetic fans helped Nick Lachey go to No. 6 with his post-98 Degrees solo single, “What’s Left of Me,” a song about his dissolved relationship with Jessica Simpson. But when the drama cooled, fans stopped caring; later that year his next song, “I Can’t Hate You Anymore” — his second-biggest — only climbed to No. 87.

29. Tweet
OOPS (OH MY)
In May 2002, Missy Elliott and Timbaland introduced the airwaves to Tweet, whose song “Oops (Oh My)” peaked at No. 7. But Tweet only made a peep on the charts after that with “Call Me,” which limped to No. 31 a month later.

30. Hurricane Chris
A BAY BAY
Louisiana’s Hurricane Chris climbed to No. 7 on the Hot 100 with “A Bay Bay” in July 2007. He specifically cat-called “Halle Berry” on his next-biggest single with far less success; the song only went to No. 52 in June 2009.

31. Jibbs
CHAIN HANG LOW
Jibbs’ ode to bling climbed all the way to No. 7 in October 2006. But the shine didn’t last long; the rapper only made it as high as No. 54 with his next tune, “King Kong,” five months later.

32. Sonique
IT FEELS SO GOOD
In April 2000, Sonique went to No. 8 with her upbeat jam, “It Feels So Good.” But the British pop diva hasn’t felt so great since; nearly 10 years later, she has yet to appear on the chart again.

33. DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do
HEAVEN
Spanish producer DJ Sammy floated to No. 8 on the Hot 100 in August 2002 with his remake of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven.” He continued to chart in other countries with his remakes of songs like “Everybody Hurts” and “The Boys of Summer,” but none of them cracked the U.S. Hot 100.

34. Eden’s Crush
GET OVER YOURSELF
Eden’s Crush, featuring a young Nicole Scherzinger, peaked at No. 8 in March 2001 with “Get Over Yourself,” after the girl group’s formation was chronicled on the WB reality series “Popstars.” But the Crush were no Pussycat Dolls — the gals never made it back on the charts.

35. D.H.T.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART
Belgian dance act D.H.T. debuted at No. 8 on the Hot 100 in August 2005 with their remake of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart.” People stopped listening after that, and they have not been seen on the charts since.

36. Truth Hurts Feat. Rakim
ADDICTIVE
Truth Hurts began her career with the help of rap legend Dr. Dre, and “Addictive,” her single with Rakim, peaked at No. 9 in June 2002. But not even those heavyweights could give the St. Louis singer a lasting career: she hasn’t charted on the Hot 100 since then.

37. Kevon Edmonds
24/7
Kevon Edmonds, brother of Babyface, peaked at No. 10 with his single “24/7″ in December 1999. But unlike his famous little bro, Kevon stayed absent from the chart for the entirety of the 2000s

38. S Club 7
NEVER HAD A DREAM COME TRUE
S Club 7, the British pop group created by Simon Fuller of “American Idol” fame, crashed onto the U.S. chart with “Never Had a Dream Come True” in May 2001. Though wildly successful in other parts of the world, they never made a blip on the American charts again.

39. Young Dro feat. T.I.
SHOULDER LEAN
T.I. protégé Young Dro reached No. 10 in August 2006 with “Shoulder Lean.” Sadly, none of the solo singles that followed cause as much of a craze.

Daniel Powter?!? Number one!?!?! What!? Where is that “Fuck you you ho, I don’t want you back” song that that dude Eamon sang? I could use a little of that on this list. And why is Tweet so low? Surly that masturbation anthem should be higher on the list. I mean, Tweet used to hang out with Missy E. Who has Daniel Powter ever hung out with? His parents? Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”? I feel like I still hear that song every single day at some point. How is she so low on the list and “Had a Bad Day” is number one?

Look, no 9/11 jokes, but it’s really clear to me after looking at this list that we, as a people, MUST have gone through SOMETHING in order to warrant this kind of horrible taste in music. Let’s take the next decade a lot more seriously, folks. This is DIRE.

I’ve heard the name Tokio Hotel mentioned a few times, so when I heard they had a new music video, I thought I’d check it out. Three and a half minutes (and a lot of androgynous eyeliner later) I’m  feeling a little sick to my stomach thinking about the budget required to make this piece of trash.

Is this awful? Cuz this looks awful to me. Like, This is Spinal Tap awful– with robots making out  in a giant, post-apocalyptic slinky dump instead of dwarfs dancing around tiny Stonehenge.

But then, I’m not exactly in the loop, as the kids say.

In the new music video for her single, Fuck You (Very Much) Lily gives the figurative finger to homophobes, warhawks, and racists. And she makes me giggle.

A very polarizing individual, everyone has their own opinions about the quality of his music, his status as a celebrity, and the appropriateness of memorializing his death because of its “ugly” qualities– the fact that it was a suicide and that Kurt’s continuous struggle with drug addiction was probably an influencing factor. But for a lot of people, Nirvana’s music and Kurt’s death constitute defining moments in their adolescence, and are therefore worth memorializing.

The truth is that we depend upon artists to be the whipping boys for all our inner demons– to feel intensely and confront directly the emotions and frightening parts of the human psyche that the rest of us struggle daily to keep under control or to ignore, and to somehow encapsulate those battles in four minutes and thirty seconds worth of commercially viable radio catharsis. Sometimes they lose those battles–casualties of an unseen war whose only manifestations are the writing, the acting, the painting, or the music the rest of us so enjoy.

When those battles are lost, the rest of us remain the beneficiaries of their wills, inheriting a legacy of life experiences described vibrantly and succinctly through a lens of concentrated emotion that is at once both out of control and carefully contained in an artistic format– be that literary, visual, or aural.

So I don’t feel at all inappropriate or pandering in memorializing his passing and recognizing his own unique contribution to the rock music canon.

Rest in peace, Kurt. And thanks for the music.

Anywhoo, here’s Jaime T with “Stella”