Body Count

"What you’re listening to right now is the new Body Count album. It’ll be in the stores March 31, it’ll be banned March 32, you’ve gotta get it quick.”

—Ice-T, 1992. 

Happy 33rd to a record that shook up the world.

Original Lollapalooza lineup, 1991

In honor of today's Lollapalooza announcement, check out this backstage photo of the original tour lineup in 1991—Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T with Body Count, Butthole Surfers and the Rollins Band, all together. I had blast speaking with some of these musicians about Body Count, and loved reading the upcoming Lollapalooza oral history book compiled by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour. Let me know if you read it!

Darryl Strawberry

Happy birthday Darryl Strawberry, who attended Crenshaw High School with the original Body Count lineup.

Happy birthday, Kurt Cobain

Happy birthday Kurt Cobain, shown here watching the first Lollapalooza tour with Dave Grohl at the Irvine Meadows Ampitheatre in 1991, two months before Nevermind's release. Dave later told Body Count's Ernie C that he and Kurt enjoyed their performance. I've got some quotes from Ernie and Talib Kweli about Nirvana's influence and their connection to Body Count in my book.

Happy birthday, Ice-T

Happy birthday, Ice-T. Today, you can get my book about Ice's banned Body Count album 30% off at the Bloomsbury website. 

Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon, "Mascot Mania"

It's unlikely we'll ever see Body Count perform at the Super Bowl. But longtime Body Count pal Jello Biafra (interviewed in my book) gives "Cop Killer" a shout in his NFL sendup "Mascot Mania," recorded with the late Mojo Nixon, on the 1994 album Prairie Home Invasion.