Plus: T.I.'s Drug Problem; Katy Perry on 'Boobgate'

T.I. Talks Drug Problem, Eminem
In a new interview, T.I. calls his current prison sentence "rather petty," explains that he got a drug problem from dental work and said he's discussed addiction with Eminem. He also says he's been treated unfairly by the public, but "they're human, man — they can't help themselves. ... They did that to Jesus. They did that to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali. ... When it was all good, they was with them. When things got bad, then they was against them. [Vibe.com via RapRadar.com]

Katy Perry Explains Photoshopped Breast Reduction
Katy Perry took to Twitter late Friday to clarify last week's media reports that the singer's team had asked for a busty shot promoting the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" TV special be retouched. "Silly press check it: I was the one who asked VH1 to tone down my DIGITALIZED image on the poster, particularly the size of my chest," she wrote. [Twitter via MTV News]

Thom Yorke Seeking Volunteers for Human Sculpture
Radiohead's Thom Yorke is seeking volunteers for a human-sculpture project with the group's frequent album artist Stanley Donwood this Saturday in England. "WANTED 2,000 people who want to be part of [a] human King Canute [Viking king who ruled England in the 11th century] type image facing the sea that is visible from space" at 11am (GMT) next Saturday, Yorke wrote on Radiohead's website. The exact location of the project has not been announced. [Dead Airspace via NME.com]

Robyn Announces Another North American Tour
Robyn, who finishes up her current North American tour Tuesday in San Francisco, has announced 18 more dates for early next year. The singer, who released the third and final edition of her Body Talk LP last week, will begin the tour on January 26 in Toronto and finish on February 19 in Houston. [Robyn.com via Consequence of Sound]

Plus: Black Eyed Peas Set Record; Lollapalooza Chile

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  MUSIC Exclusive Live Chat With Linkin Park and Incubus
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  MOVIES & TV Peter Travers: 'The Avengers' Has it All
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  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Jon Corzine Is the Original Zimmerman
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  VIDEOS Exclusive Premiere: Tenacious D's 'Tinnitus'

Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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