Never Idle Billy Hello My Name Is Mike
The Dirty Knobs
As Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) said in Lethal Weapon 2, "they always f*ck you in the drive-thru," and offi-
cials in New York City must agree. They've hired Billy Idol to help alert auto owners, Uber, and cab
drivers to cut down on their vehicle emissions with a new “Stop Idle” campaign. Of course, in New
York City, folks leave their car's idling for many different reasons, but it's been against the law since
1972. The New York City Administrative Code establishes that no person should allow the engine of
a motor vehicle to idle for longer than three minutes while parking, standing, or stopping.
According to Ad Age, “New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of
Environmental Protection have chosen rock star and environmentalist Billy Idol to front a new social
and out-of-home public awareness campaign to get people to stop idling their cars. Car emissions
can aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions and contributes to an increased risk of cancer
and heart disease. The campaign (a play on Idol’s last name) is called “Billy Never Idles” and
includes billboards, radio, social media ads, exposure on LinkNYC, TaxiTV, and placements on city
fleet vehicles and a dedicated website.“
Idol wrote on Instagram, “I love New York City, and I’m delighted to lend my support to a cam-
paign benefitting our environment. Like most New Yorkers, I‘m troubled when I see cars and trucks
03•2020
Discovering your own particular avenue of expression is not always easy
for a young artist. Take the late Tom Petty, for example, who started out
sounding a lot like his vocal idols, Bob Dylan and The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn.
He just couldn’t help it — that was his creative jumping-off point, which
quickly developed into his signature nasal-drawled sneer, notes the
Floridian’s right-hand man in his backing band The Heartbreakers, guitarist
Mike Campbell, recalling mid-‘70s for their eponymous debut with produc-
er Denny Cordell when Petty was decidedly nervous about being a little too
evocative. “Tom had picked up a lot of nuance from Bob, and at one point he
told Denny, ‘I really don’t want to sound like Bob Dylan — I’m really worried
about that,’” he says, who’s been fronting his own Faces-trashy side project
The Dirty Knobs for a dozen years, and only now is releasing its self-titled
bow. “But Denny replied, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just do what you do, and you
will eventually find your voice.’ Which he did.” After harmonizing alongside
his friend for over four decades,Campbell, 70, recently realized that he now
eerily echoed his style. Again, he couldn’t help it. As he tracked scrappy new
originals like “Wreckless Abandon” (sic), “Aw Honey,” “Southern Boy,” and
the “Here Comes My Girl”-ish “Fuck That Guy” (co-written with Chris
Stapleton, who also cameos on the stomping roadhouse rocker “Pistol
Packin’ Mama”). “I knew that there are certain inflections that I have in com-
mon with Tom, and when I started singing by myself in the studio, I thought,
‘Well, this just sounds a lot like Tom — I’ve got to filter that out somehow try
Remember Lindsey
sitting idle while polluting our neighborhoods. New Yorkers are some of the most hardworking, pas-
sionate people in the world, and I hope they will join me in turning off their engines.” Maybe Mayor
Lightfoot can get Naked Raygun’s Jeff Pezzati to start a campaign to promote biking in Chicago.
Marley '75
Bob Marley
Lindsey Lagestee
Reggae music legend Bob Marley would be celebrating his 75th birthday this Spring. He died of can-
cer in 1981, and as you’d expect, his label Island/Tuff Gong Records is celebrating with a series of re-
releases and performances to honor his legacy. “Continuing the celebrations into the spring, the inaugu-
ral MARLEY75 music festivities kick off in May with Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley at the BeachLife
Festival, performing an extensive catalog of Bob Marley tunes in celebration of their father’s 75th birth-
day," according to an Island Records. The festival will be a three-day immersive music, art, and culinary
event on the oceanfront.
What’s been disconcerting since the Marley celebration commenced in January is the Marley family’s
extended cash-in on dad’s name, with a slew of Marley related products for sale as the festivities kicked
off. If you read between the lines, not all Marley family members seem onboard with the commercial-
ization of Bob’s name. The House of Marley has branded wireless headphones in Bob’s name, plus
Marley Skateboards, Marley Coffee, Marley Cannabis, and Marley CBD Tea and chocolates. Bob Marley’s
estate still generates $20 million a year, and many of the products are environmentally friendly, but fans
may ask themselves why must they be so blatant?
6 illinoisentertainer.com february 2020
Chicago music fans were reeling at the news last month of the tragic death
of Dixie Crush vocalist Lindsey Lagestee. The 25-year-old singer/songwriter
was hit by a car before a Valentine's Day show at the Firewater Saloon in Mt.
Greenwood. The Chicago Police Department cited a 75-year-old man for failing
to yield to a pedestrian in the roadway. The CPD’s Major Accident
Investigation Unit is still investigating, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Dixie Crush has been one of Chicago’s top-drawing country bands for five
years, performing at Bub City in Rosemont, as well as dozens of festivals,
including Last Fling in Naperville. The group also rehearsed regularly at
Franklin Park’s Ranger Studios. Owner Lou Cutaia provided a great photo of
Lindsey and the band, taken three days before the accident. Like many press
reports have stated, Langstee was one of the good people of Chicago's music
community. “Lindsey, she was a special, talented, young woman who had
everything in front of her … and now our world is less colorful without her
presence. We should all be so lucky to have a person like her in our lives, “
Cutaia told IE. We extend our condolences to Lindsey’s family, friends, and the
Dixie Crush family.