Australia Reconsiders Unbanning Snoop Dogg

After initially lifting their ban of Snoop Dogg, Australia is reconsidering giving the Doggfather a visa as the threat of a looming Snoop/Ice Cube tour Down Under has resulted in public complaints. The drama started last year, when Snoop was denied an opportunity to co-host the MTV Australia VMAs because the island country refused to allow the rapper to apply for the visa. The ban was finally lifted last week by immigration officials, paving the way for Snoop to tour Australia in October, but because "of public concern and interest, the department has decided that in fact we will be undertaking a more thorough assessment of Mr. Broadus' character," an immigration official said. Although Snoop's tour may still go on, if he's allowed entry into the country he will be "counseled and given strict behavior rules to abide by." The Snoop saga strangely finds itself embroiled in a bigger government issue, as the conservative government that barred Snoop last year has since lost power to a more liberal government, which has since relaxed on the previous administration's tough immigration stance.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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