Rolling Stone Jun-04-15

RS FILMS THE BIRTH OF THE BLACK KEYS Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney go deeper than ever before into their Akron, Ohio, roots and their long, often haphazard rise from obscurity – sharing rare demo recordings and footage from their first gig – in “The Big Come Up,” part of our “Mastering the Craft” series, presented by Patrón. ARTIST PICKS MY FAVORITE DEAD SONG Jim James, Ryan Adams, Jack Antonoff and Chris Robinson weigh in on the Grateful Dead tunes that made them fans, from “Candyman” to “Wharf Rat” to “Touch of Grey.” PREVIEW SAVAGES IN THE STUDIO “It’s quite Black Sabbath,” says singer Jehnny Beth. The Anglo-French band gets to work in London and Paris on the follow-up to 2013’s Silence Yourself. VIDEO YOKO ONO’S MOMA MOMENT Ono talks about her work and the legacy of the Plastic Ono Band…

Hulk Smash I ENJOYED THE HULK COVER story, and the Mark Ruffalo interview in particular [“The Last Angry Man,” RS 1234]. Ruffalo has been one of my favorite actors since I saw him years ago in an off-Broadway play where he had me and the rest of the audience in stitches. Brian Hiatt really captured this ridiculously likable and talented guy. Dave Steinfeld, New York WHAT A GREAT PICTURE OF the Hulk on the cover – truly badass! You humanized him for me. I finally get it. Diane Jacobs, San Jose, CA LOOKING FORWARD TO THE new Avengers movie because Ruffalo’s such a good actor. But I don’t agree with calling Ang Lee’s Hulk movie a disaster. I thought it was the best, most believable and realized Hulk I’d ever seen. Nina Hughes, via the Internet Funk’s…

TO CREATE THE GRATEFUL Dead’s first Rolling Stone cover in decades, we turned to Wes Wilson, the artist whose elegant, dreamy rock posters helped define the look of the San Francisco Sixties rock scene. Today, one of his original Dead at the Fillmore posters can fetch more than $1,000, but back then it was a volume business. “I was a one-man operation,” says Wilson, who kept busy because there was always another show at the Fillmore. “Nowadays posters are mementos, but then they were the ad for the event – I just tried to make something dynamic that would catch people’s eye.” Wilson guesses he saw the Dead a dozen times between 1966 and 1967. “It took them about 20 minutes to tune up,” he says. “They were a good…

1. Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace, Joan Jett “Androgynous” video “Androgynous” was one of the most powerful songs on the Replacements’ 1984 classic Let It Be. These three stars turn it into a rallying cry for equality on this freewheeling, joyful live performance for Miley’s LGBT-youth charity. 2. Mark Ronson feat. Mystikal “Feel Right” video New Orleans fast-talker Mystikal does a mean James Brown impression on this highlight from Ronson’s new album, Uptown Special. In the clip, it’s performed by a badass grade-schooler at a talent show. Best use of the “rapping kid” video concept since Biggie’s “Sky’s the Limit” back in ’97. 3. Prince “Baltimore” His Purple Highness heard Baltimore’s pain all the way up in Paisley Park, and offered this gentle protest song in response. “Peace is more than the absence of war,” he sings. It’s…

OLD Motörhead “Ace of Spades” I love it! I love the energy. All I can think about is a fucking all-out mosh pit. Public Enemy “Don’t Believe the Hype” Instant classic. It’s self-explanatory. Why would you believe the hype? Goddamn, there’s a lot of hype out there, even today. And I love how raw the performance is. Rage Against the Machine “Killing in the Name” Let’s be real: This shit literally sounds like one of my shows. Hell, yeah. It’s one of my new favorites. NEW Alabama Shakes “Don’t Wanna Fight” When I hear Alabama Shakes, I think of when my wife and daughter and I are in the house together. This is some ultimate Saturday, clean-the-house, smoke and chill music. Chedda Da Connect “Flicka da Wrist” This is turned-up! I like the memes they made of it on the Internet, with some guy overseas doing…

THE LAST TIME U2 WENT out on the road, they built a spaceship – the 164-foottall stage structure that was the centerpiece of their 360° Tour in 2009-11. This time around, they began with something much simpler: a child’s bedroom. As the Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat” played, Bono, the Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton walked onstage at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and kicked into “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone).” A stark single lightbulb hung above them, evoking Bono’s childhood bedroom in Dublin. “That’s where it started for me, under that lightbulb,” says Bono. “It’s a symbol of everybody’s intimate lives: the lives of their bedroom.” Appropriately, the second song on opening night was the band’s very first single, “Out of Control.” (“We’re a band from the north side of…