Weird

Karl Emil Heinrich Schwedler is born in Duisberg, Germany, Europe. He will attain a certain level of infamy during World War II as Charlie Schwedler, singer and leader of the Nazi propaganda jazz band Charlie And His Orchestra. The band's bizarre repertoire will include such songs as Let's Go Bombing and Submarines, along with Nazi-oriented parodies of popular American jazz hits of the day.

A report in the Georgetown Courier claims that the Boston Board of Health is considering making use of the idea that music can kill mosquitos. The report describes, "a new process for lessening the evil by means of musical sounds," and adds that, "The discoverer of the new process says, 'It has been found that practical application has been effected by raising to a great number of vibrations per second the particular note to which the mosquito is most sensitively attuned. This intensified note, produced by sudden electrical impulse upon a musical instrument, causes every mosquito near to plunge headlong to the instrument and die.'”

The Washington Post reports that Catholic bishops in Nashville (Tennessee) and Cincinnati (Ohio) have told their flocks that dancers of the Turkey Trot will not be forgiven for their sins. This is part of an ongoing effort to ban such modern 'animal' dances as The Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear and Bunny Hug, which are widely considered immoral, and are usually performed to the accompaniment of ragtime or jazz music.

Leroy Anderson, an American composer of short, light concert pieces, finishes work on his latest composition, The Typewriter, in which the main 'musical instrument' used is a typewriter. The piece will become unexpectedly popular with recordings made by many artists, including Arthur Fiedler with the Boston Pops, guitarist Alan Hanlon, Spike Jones, Frederick Fennell with the Eastman Orchestra and also with the Tokyo Wind Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin with the St Louis Symphony, Pinchas Steinberg with the Cologne Radio Orchestra, pianist Marco Rizo, and the 101 Strings.

Jazz multi-instrumentalist and recording artist Adrian Rollini dies, aged 52, in the James Archer Hospital, Homestead, Florida, USA. The cause of his death remains a mystery. One account says he died of a heart attack caused by accidental Mercury poisoning, another claims he was killed by mobsters as a result of gambling debts.

An article in UK pop paper the New Musical Express reports that "it looks like rock'n'roll is on the way out."

In Jakarta, Indonesia, Asia, leaders of the Koes Bersaudara dance band are arrested on charges of subversion, for playing songs by The Beatles.

Jazz musician Joe Silmon comes to the end of playing his flute non-stop for 48 hours under water aboard the British submarine HMS Grampus at Gosport, UK. This feat earns him an entry in the Guinness Book Of World Records.

Joey Ramone is scalded by an exploding teapot in The Ramones' dressing room in The Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, USA.

Peter Gabriel releases his fourth solo album, Peter Gabriel, in the UK. All of Gabriel's abum up to this point have had the same name.

Matthew John Trippe of Tampa, Florida, USA, files an unusual lawsuit against Motley Crue. Trippe, who has a history of mental health issues and trouble with the law, claims that he was secretly hired to pose as Nikki Sixx and toured, wrote and recorded with the band for a time during 1983 and 1984.

Bill Wyman, middle-aged bassist of The Rolling Stones announces his intention to marry 19 year old Mandy Smith.

Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses is arrested at the Phoenix airport in Arizona, USA, for making a public disturbance on a flight from Los Angeles to Indianapolis. Specifically, he had urinated on the floor, verbally abused a stewardess and smoked in the non-smoking section.

The BMI's first "Michael Jackson Award", newly introduced to honour an individual who has had an important impact on contemporary culture and made an uplifting contribution to society, goes to, er, Michael Jackson.

Reni of the Stone Roses attends the opening of Central Design Station's exhibition in Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, England, UK, allegedly armed with a chainsaw.

Jeff Porcaro, drummer of Toto, dies at the age of 38. Porcaro fell ill after spraying insecticide in the yard of his home in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA, and died later that evening at Humana Hospital-West Hills. It is widely reported that his death came from an allergic reaction to the pesticide, but The Los Angeles County Coroner's office lists the cause of death to be a heart attack from the hardening of the arteries caused by cocaine use.

While Van Halen are playing their set at Great Woods Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA, a June bug lodges itself in Eddie Van Halen's ear. Woken by pain in his head during the night at The Four Seasons Hotel, he squirts saline solution in his ear and an inch-long live, wriggling bug falls out into the sink. He requires treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Varg Vikernes, aka Count Grishnackh of Norwegian death metal band Burzum, is arrested for the murder by stabbing of another Burzum member, Oystein Aarseth, aka Euronymous.

"Papa's got a brand new bridge!" declares the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, at the opening ceremony of the newly constructed James Brown Soul Centre Of The Universe Bridge in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.

During a Radiohead gig at Riem Airport, Munich, Germany, Europe, ailing vocalist Thom Yorke blacks out during their performance of Creep.

B.B. King plays Merry Christmas Baby for an audience including Pope John Paul II and sundry assembled cardinals during a concert at The Vatican, Rome, Italy, Europe. Before the show King was granted an audience with The Pope, during which he gave one of his treasured 'Lucille' guitars to the pontiff.

During a performance at The Astoria, London, England, UK, Europe, DJ Sid of American shock-rockers Slipknot throws himself off a 35ft high balcony. Apparently uninjured, he does it again later, this time falling backwards.

In a British newspaper interview, Rod Stewart calls for marriage vows to be changed to bring them into line with modern times. His specific suggestions include the notion that marriage vows should be renewed annually and that their wording should be simplified to be more like a dog licence.

Michael Jackson reveals during an interview that he doesn't like pop music. The revelation comes in the wake of Jackson having purchased some classical music CDs during a shopping trip in Berlin, Germany, Europe.

The new US edition of Vanity Fair magazine carries a feature claiming that Michael Jackson wears a prosthetic nose and once paid to have a '"voodoo curse" put on top Hollywood director Steven Spielberg.

It is reported that Meat Loaf has lost forty pounds and hopes to drop twenty more, after having signed an endorsement deal with the makers of Ultra Slim-Fast, the milk-shake dietary aid. The singer prefers his shake in chocolate flavour, with a banana.

Paula Abdul testifies to the California Senate Business and Professions Committee, Los Angeles, California, USA, that she will lobby for legislation to establish safety standards for manicure and pedicure equipment, and also re-write state regulations requiring that nail salons follow sanitary practices. Her testimony follows a year of treatment for a fungal infection she claims to have picked up in a nail salon.

On his Against All Gods tour, Marilyn Manson plays at The Arena, Pula, Croatia, Europe. Prior to the show, the touring crew is delayed from entering the venue because a group of local Catholic bishops is exorcising the stage, in the belief that Manson is in league with satanic forces.

It is reported that the city council of Blackpool, England, UK, Europe, has finally - after 44 years - lifted a ban imposed on The Rolling Stones to prevent the group from performing in the town. The ban started in 1964, after a riot broke out at a Stones' concert in The Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, UK, when guitarist Keith Richards kicked out at a fan who had scrambled onto the stage.

It is reported that Bon Jovi is suing an all-girl tribute band, Blonde Jovi, for copyright infringement. The girls respond by changing their name to Blonde Jersey - a reference to Bon Jovi's home state.

Evan Chandler, father of Jordan Chandler, and instigator of charges against Michael Jackson of child sex abuse, is found dead in bed at home, having shot himself in the head.

US Fish And Wildlife Services agents issue a search warrant on Gibson Guitars' manufacturing plant in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, seizing wood, guitars, computers and boxes of files. At issue is whether Gibson has violated the Lacey Act, which prohibits the importation of rosewood from Madagascar because it serves as a home for lemurs.

An announcement on Van Morrison's website states, "Gigi and Van Morrison are proud to announce the birth of their first born son, George Ivan Morrison III. 'Little Van' born Dec 28, 2009 - the spitting image of his daddy. Shortly after, Morrison shuts down the site and claims that the announcement was posted by a hacker.

Erykah Badu strips naked during a music video shoot for her song Window Seat, at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, USA where President John F. Kennedy was assasinated in 1963. The strip will result in a a $500 fine and six months of probation.

It is reported that UK artists, including Gorillaz, Hot Chip, La Roux, Orbital and The Specials, may be unable to perform at California's imminent Coachella festival because drifting volcanic ash from Iceland has closed airports across Britain, making it almost impossible to find flights.

Brian Harvey, former frontman for 90s boyband East 17 arrives outside Downing Street, London, England, UK, demanding to speak with Prime Minister David Cameron. He succeeds only in speaking to police officers outside Number 10 while holding a ring binder. He apparently claimed to have "evidence of how much money the government had stolen from him".

Five piece band Joanna Gruesome win The Welsh Music Prize for their debut LP Weird Sister, in a ceremony held at The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, Wales, UK.

During an Enrique Iglesias concert at Plaza Monumental de Playas, Tijuana, Mexico, North America, the singer's hand is injured when he tries to fend off a flying drone camera. He requires treatement to stop the bleeding offstage, but returns to perform for another thirty minutes in his blood-spattered t-shirt.

Wolf - a guitar played for much of his career by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead - fetches over $1.9m at an auction in the Brooklyn Bowl music venue in New York City, USA. Ther guitar which was built in 1973 for $1500, is now the third most expensive guitar ever sold.