What’s New Pussycat?:

Per post-White StripesBlue Series” verite, in which Jack White Daytrotter-cizes himself with seemingly genre-clashing artists at his Nashville studio and chases something originally rock – i.e. Insane Clown Possee, Stephen Colbert, John C. Reily – the renegade musician has slated Tom Jones to be the next Third Man Records alumn, with a rendition of Jones’ own “Jezebel” from 2002’s Mr. Jones, b/w a cover of Howlin’ Wolf‘s “Evil,” that White is claiming “impressed the shit out of everybody” (via the latest issue of Mojo Magazine and Consequence of Sound). We havea feeling Tom Jones is a bit more rock and roll than middle-aged house-wives make him out to be.

Oh Say Can You…Sing: 

If Indiana US Senator Veneta Becker has her way, her native state will wrist-slap a $25 fee on all who alter the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at public school and university-sponsored events, the L.A. Times reports. There’s an asterisk, here – “It’s not like we’re going after anyone’s ability to sing,” Becker told the Times, “It’s more that we just want them to respect the words and the tune as it was originally intended and we normally sing it.” So Steven Tyler’s subbing of “home of the brave” to “home of the Indianapolis 500” at Aerosmiths gig at the 2001 race would come with a case of beer and a pack of smokes faux-pas fine. While Massachusetts has had a similar law in effect for years, fining those who sing or play the anthem “as dance music, as an exit march or as a part of a medley” $100, likewise in Michigan, Indiana would be the first law strictly governing the original lyrics of the song.

Hip-Hop Spelling Bee:

Internet skewerists behind Slacktory put together an entertaining supercut of the hip-hop artist’s penchant for name-checking themselves, from Snoop D-O double G to N-A-S. As Spin points out, they did omit a huge chunk of the genre’s formative years from 1979-1986, but it’s still R-A-D if you’re into words and the letters in which form them.

Born To Leak:

Breakout anomaly Lana Del Ray‘s  anticipated debut LP on Interscope, Born to Die, due January 27th saw some leaks today via “National Anthem” and “This Is What Makes Us Girls.” The Interscope regime is trolling the internets scrubbing videos and mp3s, but ohmyrock.net still has them up, should you desire more tuneage to formulate your love or hate for 2012’s probable most divisive album drop. Facts: She’s dubbed her sound “Hollywood sadcore.” She cites Elvis, Britney Spears and Kurt Cobain as main influences. The rest, is all, just like, your opinion, man.

Lyricapsule:

Johnny Rotten and the Sid Vicious show stormed the United States for the first and last time today back in 1978, exploding the punk minds of Georgia youth at the Great Southeast Music Hall, Rotten telling the audience, “You can all stop staring at us now. We’re ugly and we know it,” upon launching into “God Save The Queen,” the anti-anthem of the British oi!-it ethos. “No future,” emanates Rotten in the final moments of the tune, a sentiment that spoke much of their values, and ironically alluded to the end of the Sex Pistols run. But at least we caught a glimpse across the pond.