A representative from Columbia Records confirmed today (July 13) that seminal New York trash-glam band D Generation has broken up.| Wild-haired singer-cum-impresario Jesse Malin has already assembled a new outfit with D Gen bassist Howie Pyro and had dubbed them PCP Highway. According to a source close D Gen, PCP have been demoing tracks in a New York studio. While they haven't signed on the line with a new label, Malin and pals Joey and CJ Ramone had dinner with Hellcat Records head/Rancid guitarist Tim Armstrong two weeks ago prior to Hellcat artist Joe Strummer's show at Irving Plaza . . .

A pair of opening night, front-row tickets to Bruce Springsteen's July 15 show at the Meadowlands was auctioned off on WNEW 102.7 FM. The $5,000 that high-bidder Marjorie dished out on Tuesday morning will go to the Community FoodBank, New Jersey's largest donated food distributor. Another pair will be auctioned off on Wednesday morning between 8:30 and 10 a.m. EST, with the money donated to the Kristen Ann Carr Fund for cancer research. The Boss personally donated the two pairs of tickets . . .

Tione Watkins (a k a T-Boz of TLC) will be publishing her poems and essays with Harper Collins. Thoughts consists of the rapper's reflections on issues such as her family, the entertainment business (she is the president of Shee Entertainment, which includes music production, children's cartoons and film projects), as well as insights into her fight with sickle cell anemia. An audio version will be available and will include original music by the artist/author. No word yet on when consumers can expect the tome . . .

Next month, Billy Corgan will make his grand entrTe into the world of film score composing with the soundtrack to the MGM motion picture Stigmata. In addition to the orchestral score, Corgan (and his collaborator, pianist Mike Garson) wrote the soundtrack's title song, "identify," which features vocals by Natalie Imbruglia. The album, due out Aug. 24, also boasts a new song by David Bowie, remixes of Bjork and Chumbawamba, and previously released tracks by Massive Attack and Remy Zero . . .

Following in Public Enemy's footsteps, rap star Ice T has entered into a partnership with the Web's first full-service music company, Atomic Pop, which will market, promote and distribute his new record, 7th Deadly Sin. "I feel the Internet is the future and if I am going to get into the record business on the Internet level, I had to get in touch with somebody who was really rollin'," says Ice T. The album will be available in traditional record stores on Sept. 14 . . .

After much ado, the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) released its first set of specifications for how manufacturers of portable electronic devices can be in compliance in the exploding digital download market. The idea is to create a set of standards while avoiding piracy and securing copyright protection for artists' work. Additional information on the specifications can be found at www.sdmi.org . . .

As Rolling Stone first predicted in May, the New Radicals have formally disbanded. Weeks after their cancelled U.K. tour, singer Gregg Alexander left the group in pursuit of a career as a freelance producer and songwriter out of the stage's spotlight. Earlier this year, the California band's hit "Get What You Give" was a top twenty single . . .

JENNY ELISCU, LIZA GHORBANI, JILL SHERMAN and JAAN UHELSZKI
(July 13, 1999)