Led Zeppelin in The White House! The Song Will Never Be the Same.

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Been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time….since the musical machinations of Led Zeppelin first set my turntable needle ablaze. Zeppelin - the first band cited by audio engineers as the loudest on earth - was perhaps the most enigmatic mega-group in rock. Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegün, who signed them to his label, said, "Peter Grant, their manager…kept them hidden in a shroud of mystery. They became the most unapproachable band in rock history." Rumors abounded for years about devil worship, Faustian bargains and wild sex orgies involving fresh fish. Yet, despite their reputation, there they were, at the White House on Sunday night - guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones - receiving Kennedy Center Honors medals from President Barack Obama

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Thank you, Elvis (and Radio Luxembourg)

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Way back in drab, post-war England, teenaged boys with bad teeth and sun-starved skin - bored to tears with BBC Radio's unflinching policy of airing nothing but show tunes and classical music - were stringing wires around their small, government-built "council houses" so they could tune in to the one radio station that gave them a reason to live. What they found - from across the English channel - was the infamous "pirate station," Radio Luxembourg. What they heard was a black-sounding white man named Elvis Presley. And what changed their lives was a moody little tune called "Heartbreak Hotel." Here's a tribute to Elvis, on what would have been his 80th birthday.

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Shall We Kill Him For You? Werner Herzog and His Best Fiend, Klaus Kinski

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German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who turns 71 today, directed actor Klaus Kinski in his two most acclaimed motion pictures - "Fitzcarraldo" and "Aguirre, The Wrath of God." Kinski is regarded as one of the most temperamental - some would say insane - actors of the past 50 years. Here's a look at the strange relationship between the director and his l'enfant terrible.

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Back to School with Alice Cooper

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What a treat for a Scorpio girl born in the Season of the Witch! On August 12, 2011, I experienced Alice Cooper live in concert for the first time - just five months after his induction into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. It’s no surprise that my childhood love of all things ghoulish - from Vincent Price and Peter Lorre to Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi - would lead to an inevitable attraction to Alice Cooper and his spooky stage show.

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All Good Rockers Thank Their Moms

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Every year when I watch the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's new inductees deliver their acceptance speeches, I'm moved to hear the titans of the music business thank their mothers. Just last week it was new Rock Hall of Fame member Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers who got me all choked up when he gave an emotional shout-out to his mom. So, like the rockers who inspire me, I thank my mom for allowing me to develop my rock persona. On this Mother's Day, I thank her for all the things she never did.

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