Rob ’Vanilla Ice’ Van WInkle is coming to 527 Main St. with Cliffy D, THB and others.
Playing April 10 at 527 Main St., the show will feature Vanilla Ice and his band members, DJ Dirty Chopstix on turntables and Clint Barlow on drums. DJ Cliffy D, host of ’Club Party Live’ on 102.5 the Party, is slated to DJ and host the show, with opening acts The Homegrown Band, Mr. Satisfaction and The Spring Street Slangaz.
Best known for his 1990 hit ’Ice Ice Baby,’ which topped the Billboard Hot 100 that year according to billboard.com, Vanilla Ice enjoyed massive record sales with the release of To The Extreme. However, his quick ascent did not last. In a short time, Vanilla Ice fell from the spotlight and spiraled into depression and drug use.
’The media has a way of glamorizing what it’s like to be a celebrity . . . Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Elvis, and lately Kurt Cobain. These celebrities had a hard time dealing with the reality of being famous. Many used drugs to escape from reality just as I did. It was the only way to find peace and happiness. The thing was, no matter how high I got I still had to come back to reality and face it all again. That’s when the depression sets in. That’s when you hit rock bottom and you either die from it or learn from it,’ Vanilla Ice wrote in a biography posted on his website, vanillaice.com.
His downward spiral only worsened, culminating with an attempted suicide in 1994.
’I tried to kill myself by overdosing on heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and anything I could get my hands on. At one point, my friends were dumping buckets of cold water on me as I lay on my bathroom floor in convulsions. At that point I had over $18 million in the bank, and I still couldn’t find happiness in being rich or famous,’ he wrote.
Vanilla Ice survived and decided to turn his life around, altering his image and his sound. Since his 1990s release of To The Extreme, Ice has put out eight full-length albums and has made appearances on albums by The Bloodhound Gang and Insane Clown Posse, adopting a rap/rock fusion sound.
’The new sound is also much harder and darker because of the issues I am writing about. It caters to a new crowd. It leans toward the body piercing, tattoo crowd aging from 15 to 25: the same crowd that you might find at a Korn, Limp Bizkit or Slipknot show,’ Vanilla Ice says.
The comparisons to Korn, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot are apt because they’ve all shared a common producer, Ross Robinson, who is now working with Vanilla Ice. Ice refers to his new sound as ’Molten Hip-Hop,’ a combination of metal and hip-hop.
As for his ’90s image, Vanilla Ice has done away with the parachute pants. In interviews with Iowa State Daily and live-metal.net, he is quoted as saying that his former record company hired publicists and stylists to mold his image into something more commercial. In his biography, he writes: ’It’s a true story that Video Killed the Radio Star because music should not be about image. Music should be about the music! I learned the hard way. The new Vanilla Ice is exactly that; no image, no polished made up gimmicks created by record companies. I will never be a puppet for the industry again. From this point on I will keep it real.’
As for the name? Despite all the baggage attached to it, Vanilla Ice will remain Vanilla Ice.
’I didn’t change the name. It doesn’t mean anything; it’s only a label. It’s not important, plus I am not running from anything or trying to hide. I want people to know that I face my adversaries,’ he wrote.
The show is scheduled for 9 p.m., April 10, at 527 Main St. Advanced tickets cost $15, with VIP tickets sold at the door for $25.
DJ Revolves It: DJ Cliffy D
When you ask people about their plans after graduating high school, a few common options are likely to crop up: apply to college, join the military, find a job. One you’re not likely to hear is a fresh grad dropping all his money on a pair of turntables and trying to make it as a DJ.
’I’ve been a DJ since 2000, two days after I graduated high school. The motivation was going to Cancun for senior trip, seeing DJ Skribble and thinking ’I want to be that guy. Just rocking out for thousands of people,’’ Clif Dennison, better known as DJ Cliffy D, said.
Though starting out wasn’t easy, Cliffy D was able to work fraternity parties at MTSU until he caught a break.
’I got lucky’on my 21st birthday I walked into Bar Nashville and got hired on the spot, and here I am six years later. I’ve worked with a lot of artists. I’ve opened up for the No. 1 DJ in the world, Paul Oakenfold, and DJ Baby Anne. Those are major gigs,’ Cliffy D said.
Since then, between doing remixes for Nashville band Legion, Cliffy D has managed to secure a steady gig at McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon in Nashville, Thursday through Sunday every week. He’s also managed to take his club performances to the airwaves.
’I do Club Party Live on 102.5 the Party on Friday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., live on-air from the club,’ he said.
The show features Top 40 hits played on 102.5, mixed live. Though being a DJ sometimes requires you play music you aren’t fond of, the show’s playlist seems to go along well with Cliffy D’s tastes.
’When I’m at home, it’s going to be dance and Top 40. As for favorite artists . . . we could go on for days, but I’d have to say Ludacris, Lady Gaga is really doing it right now, and Paul Oakenfold, of course. There’s 3 Bad Brothers out of Atlanta, who I’ve opened for, and they’re really good,’ Cliffy D said.
On April 10, Cliffy D will open for Vanilla Ice at Club 527 in Murfreesboro.
’This will be my third time to work with Vanilla in the past two years. That’s why he wanted me to open, because we’ve worked together before. He thought I’d set him up better than anyone else would,’ Cliffy D said.
’Vanilla . . . he’s crazy, he’s all over the place. He’s going to go through about 10 bottles of J’germeister. He’s very fun to work with, very easy to work with. He’s just cool, chills out, gets down and parties, gets the crowd into it,’ Cliffy D said.
