NOISE

What have your experiences writing with and opening for the Dixie Chicks taught you about creating music in the current sociopolitical climate?

I'm not a big political person. I know what I hate, but I don't know why. I just get a bad feeling about [Bush's] inability to talk completely and succinctly. I'm like, hey, wait a minute, I did a lot of drugs and drank most of my life, and I didn't go to school; I definitely don't want me running the country. So that's mainly what I get a bad feeling about: I see a lot of similarities between the head honcho and yours truly.

What's the big-picture goal for you as a musician?

I would like to be as famous and as loved as Elvis. That's my goal, but I'm not really willing to do anything towards achieving that goal. I just want to magically achieve it; I don't want to do anything other than what I've been doing, which is to write songs and play them. I'm not willing to learn any really great dance moves, even though I think I might be doing some dancing on this tour.

Anything you traditionally enjoy doing when you hit Vegas?

Eating. I do a lot of eating in Vegas. They've got food. And lots of it. And they're willing to part with it. All you got to do is show them the money and they'll show you food that you can eat. I'm a fan of Vegas. I got turned onto it at an early age because my dad, being an alcoholic gambler, had some rough spots in Vegas that I was privy to. But as an adult, I find the absurdity of the architecture and the lavish, over-the-top sort of gusto the town has embraced in terms of ... like I said, I'm just a fan of the food.

While Bob Seger tours for the first time in a decade, we ponder whether the meat-and-potatoes Detroit rocker merited his 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, while listening to 10 acts deserving of his spot.

1 The Stooges, "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (The Stooges, 1969) Until Iggy gets in, the place means about as much as the National Marbles Hall of Fame.

2 Genesis, "Watcher of the Skies" (Foxtrot, 1972) Prog is musica non grata in the Hall, but keeping Peter Gabriel-era Genesis out is more criminal than allowing Phil Collins in solo would ever be.

3 The Meters, "Hey Pocky A-Way" (Rejuvenation, 1974) James Brown and Sly are in, but the Hall needs to further funkify its white-bread image—and fast.

4 Gram Parsons, "A Song For You" (GP, 1972) He's in with The Byrds, but the country-rock pioneer needs an exhibit of his own.

5 Kraftwerk, "Europe Endless" (Trans-Europe Express, 1977) Hello, Cleveland? Electronic pioneers Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider sit on the sidelines while "Katmandu" blares through the Hall?

6 Roxy Music, "Editions of You" (For Your Pleasure, 1973) Come on get arty, Hall voters ... with heavy emphasis on the Eno years.

7 Fairport Convention, "Tam Lin" (Liege and Lief, 1969) Dylan and Joni are fine folkies, but the Brits knew how to folk-rock out, too. Plus, Sandy Denny's voice would spruce up any institution we can think of.

8 Joy Division, "New Dawn Fades" (Unknown Pleasures, 1979) The pivot-point between punk and what followed, Ian Curtis and his mates can be considered the gothfathers of alternative rock.

9 MC5, "Come Together" (Kick Out the Jams, 1969) Surely Seger would agree these hometown badasses made 10 times the musical impact of his night moves.

10 Rush, "Natural Science" (Permanent Waves, 1980) If live excellence meant anything, Canada's reigning trio would have blown out induction party eardrums five years ago.

– Spencer Patterson
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band with Steve Azar. March 3, 8 p.m., $75. MGM Grand Garden Arena, 891-7777.

"I'm an ocean, because I'm really deep. If you search deep enough you can find rare exotic treasures."

The Aggrolites


The Aggrolites

(3 1/2 stars)

These Los Angelenos look like a bunch of tough guys ready to rip off your head and spit down the hole in true punk-rock fashion. But their heavily dub-influenced sound pays homage to early reggae and makes us wonder what would happen if King Tubby had a mohawk.

Ima Robot


Monument to the Masses

(1 1/2 stars)

The Alex Ebert-fronted LA outfit's eponymous 2003 debut wasn't all that memorable, but its best cuts were light years better than any of the funny-if-they-weren't-trying-so-hard tracks on this follow-up. Ironic electro-punk has been reduced to unsmiling synth-drek that would embarrass even the most fervid supporters of Gary Numan and Thomas Dolby.