News Ticker: Devendra Banhart, Vanilla Ice, Neutral Milk Hotel, Usher

• Devendra Banhart has had to cancel the remaining handful of shows on his current tour after breaking his leg in a skateboarding accident. "I wanted to play the shows anyway like in a bed or something but the dr's didn't think that was a great idea," he wrote to fans on his official website.

• The 2010 Glastonbury Festival just got an ice cold addition to its lineup, which already includes U2 and Muse: Vanilla Ice will be rocking the mike at the U.K. fest on June 24th, according to NME. Ice has experienced a resurgence in popularity following Jedward's mashup of his biggest hit with "Under Pressure."

• Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum will be making a rare live appearance, playing a short acoustic set at a May 6th benefit for Chris Knox at New York's Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets go on sale at Kickstarter.com tomorrow.

• Though many Usher fans have assumed "Papers" was written about his divorce from wife Tameka Foster, the singer tells MTV News he actually wrote the song while the two were married. He says the track is about "having to balance a career and having a normal life."

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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