--Grohl Talks "Frankenstein," Nirvana, Putting Musicians First In SXSW Keynote

Dave Grohl covered most of his musical life during Thursday's South by Southwest keynote speech, including his unlikely game-changer -- Edgar Winter's hit "Frankenstein."  He explained that hearing that solo-heavy instrumental on a 1975 K Tel Records "Blockbuster" compilation showed him the importance of musicians playing music together.

After demonstrating Winter's famous riff with nothing but his own voice, Grohl went on to talk about discovering punk music.  The DIY element of that movement exemplified the "musician comes first" theme of Grohl's speech, which carried through his discussion of his time with Nirvana and the transition to and continued success with Foo Fighters.  Grohl got emotional when he talked about the numbness he felt following Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's death.  He said it felt as though the music he loved had "betrayed him," but he eventually recovered the feeling he felt while listening to punk bands in the '80s, and found a way to start over.

Grohl also shared his thoughts on the current state of pop music.  He criticized the idea of guilty pleasure music, and said that he "can truthfully say" that Psy's "Gangnam Style" is one of his favorite songs of the past decade.  Grohl also ridiculed the way the entertainment industry judges talent, pointing specifically to reality shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" and music reviewers like Pitchfork.com.

Meanwhile, the South by Southwest festivities continue this weekend with performances from Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and more.


--Grohl, Hawkins Talk Future Of Foo Fighters, Sound City Players

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins says the band's next album is currently just a "germ" in Dave Grohl's head.  He told "Billboard" at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, this week that they haven't "really gotten down to brass tacks" just yet when it comes to the follow-up to 2011's "Wasting Light."  Grohl adds that they're just writing at the moment, but he says he has a "crazy," non-conventional idea of what he wants to do when it comes time to record the album.  He also notes that it's still unclear exactly when that will happen.  Grohl explains that the Foo Fighters work best at their own pace, which means "sometimes [an album] happens quickly and sometimes it takes awhile."

Meanwhile, Grohl and Hawkins also touched on the possibility of a full tour with the Sound City Players.  Grohl says he's received plenty of requests, and he'd "give his left arm" to make it happen.  But he admits that putting together a tour with the other band members -- including Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Rick Springfield and many more -- would be as "nuts" as "taking 'Hollywood Squares' on the road."  Still, Grohl doesn't seem to think the supergroup's South by Southwest performance Thursday night will be their last, joking that they're already set to "play the Oscar party."


--Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong Writing Songs For Shakespeare Adaptation

Billie Joe Armstrong is taking on the Bard for his next side project.  According to "The New York Times," the Green Day Frontman is on board to write new songs for Yale Repertory Theater's re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing."  The play, titled "These Paper Bullets," adds a rock n' roll twist to the classic as it tells the story of a band from Liverpool dealing with romance and London's music industry.  It's scheduled to premiere in March 2014.  Armstrong previously brought his skills to the theater for the 2010 Broadway musical "American Idiot," which was based on Green Day's hit album of the same name.

Armstrong and the band are currently on the road promoting their latest album trilogy, "¡Uno!, "¡Dos!, "¡Tré!"  They're set to play South by Southwest in Austin, Texas tonight, and will kick off the arena portion of the trek on March 28th in Rosemont, Illinois.


--Kid Rock Teaming Up With Bob Seger For Two Concerts

Kid Rock is crossing paths with the Silver Bullet Band this weekend.  The "Rebel Soul" rocker is set to team up with Bob Seger for a concert in Minneapolis tonight, and another in Fargo, North Dakota on Saturday.  The gigs will mark the latest in a growing list of collaborations between the friends and fellow Michigan natives.  Seger joined Rock onstage in 2006 at his pre-Super Bowl concert in Detroit, and Rock inducted Seger into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2004.  Kid Rock is currently on the road supporting his ninth studio effort, "Rebel Soul," which was released last November.


--New Robert Plant Biography In The Works

A new book is on the way about Robert Plant.  TheBookseller.com says former "Q" and "Kerrang!" editor Paul Rees is developing "Robert Plant: A Life," which will cover the rock legend's career from his pre-Zeppelin days as a folk singer in Britain through "Raising Sand," his 2007 Grammy-winning collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.  HarperCollins is publishing the book.  Harper's Natalie Jerome says it's a project her company has been interested in for a long time.  She adds that Rees' "close professional relationship with Robert is going to make for a revealing read," and the book will be "as close to Plant telling his own story in his own words as we've seen or heard to date."  "Robert Plant: A Life" is slated for an October release in the UK, and will be available in the U.S. in January.


--Alice Cooper Recalls First Meeting Marilyn Manson

Alice Cooper will be hitting the road for the first time with Marilyn Manson this summer.  But the legendary shock rocker tells "Rolling Stone" they've shared an audience before -- in Transylvania -- which was when they first met.  He also admits it was "the weirdest thing."  Cooper recalls that "had jousted in the press before a little bit," but then realized they were both taking part in a big outdoor event being staged just two miles away from Dracula's castle.  Alice says he was in his dressing room and saw Manson walk, so he called out to him and invited him in.  Cooper adds that they "talked about marriage, which was interesting."

Cooper and Manson just announced plans for their collaborative "Masters of Madness" trek.  So far eleven dates have been confirmed for the month-long tour, which is currently slated to begin in Morrison, Colorado on June 3rd.


--Pete Wentz To Host New Season Of "Best Ink"

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz says he's found the perfect opportunity to make his debut in the world of reality TV.  The bassist is set to host the new season of Oxygen's "Best Ink," which is scheduled to premiere next month.  Wentz tells "Rolling Stone" that as a proud tat-covered rocker, he felt the show "was authentic to [his] brand."  He explains that he got his first tattoo when he was 15-years-old.  And while he admits the experience was "brutal," he began to see that tattoos are "an actual living, breathing piece of art."  On "Best Ink," Wentz will serve as the "ringmaster" as 12 up-and-coming tattoo artists compete for a 100-thousand-dollar prize.  The show returns Wednesday, April 3rd at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Wentz taped the show during a hectic few weeks back in October as he and his Fall Out Boy bandmates were working on their comeback album, "Save Rock and Roll."  The record is due out April 16th.


--Music on TV

Dropkick Murphys take the stage on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS.


--Today's Birthdays

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is 58.
Poison frontmant Bret Michaels is 50.
Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath is 45.
Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus is 41.
Linkin Park DJ Joe Hahn is 36.


--Today in Rock History

In 1968
The Roman Catholic Church gave its approval for the use of rock music during mass.

In 1975
T. Rex broke up.

Mick Jagger reached a settlement in a paternity suit filed by ex-lover Marsha Hunt.

In 1976
Kiss released the album "Destroyer."

In 1994
Sammy Hagar released the album "Unboxed."

Alice In Chains' album "Jar Of Flies" was certified Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum.

In 1995
Porno for Pyros and Ned's Atomic Dustbin were among the artists that performed at "Warp" magazine's Board Aid Rock 'n' Ski benefit.

In 2007
Riders On The Storm -- the 21st century incarnation of The Doors -- announced that former Fuel singer Brett Scallions would be the band's new singer.

In 2010
The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at an event in New York City.  

In 2011
Sammy Hagar's autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" arrived in stores.  Within two weeks it topped the "New York Times" best sellers list.