I’ve never had a chance to meet Michael in person, but if you live in Atlantic City, here is your chance to meet him yourself at the Oh My Godard Gallery at the Pier Shops at Caesars for a special in-store appearance on December 3rd and 4th.

Check out the event details right below from the press release. This is not to be missed!

Michael Godard Gallery Event In Atlantic City

At his holiday Atlantic City appearance, fans will be able to meet Godard, purchase original works and his top-selling book, Don’t Drink & Draw. The oversized, coffee-table book covers Godard’s journey from his troubled childhood to his life as a Number 1 best-selling artist. Godard will sign and dedicate those books purchased as a special keepsake for fans. In addition to the book signing, Godard is available to work with collectors to create original sketches. Those interested in the opportunity to work with Godard to infuse an original idea with his traditional characters and style may purchase a blank canvas. The canvasses are available for preorder in three sizes and are priced from $2,500.00 to $4,500.00.

For those interested in purchasing original Godard works, this event will be fans’ one and only chance to purchase Godard’s most recent collection, The Master Series! The Master Series honors six masters of the art world in a six piece collection. Each piece pays homage to one olive-like artist, including: Warhol, Da Vinci, Pollock, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali. All with matching print numbers, The Master Series Gallery Proofs will be exclusively available at Michael Godard’s two-day appearance.

Godard’s refreshing perspective of life through art imaginatively mimics just how he likes his martinis – with a twist. He explains, “In my world, art has no limits. I used to follow the rules, but now I just paint how I want.” His compositions mirror our lives through martinis with animated olives, drunken grapes, dancing strawberries, and more idiosyncrasies including his own vices of gambling and the good life. His distinct paintings have taken the conservative art world and turned it on its heel, redefining art as we know it.

Michael Godard - Da Vinci (Master's Series)

His paintings are currently in the homes of rock stars, movie stars and private collectors – young and old. Featured in galleries from Las Vegas to New York City, Michael Godard’s distinctive style can be seen in his most recent piece, Da Vinci. The manic composition combines bold colors and humorous imagery bound to catch your eye.

If you’re interested in seeing the whole nomination list, you should go to Grammy.com, but we’re only going to tell you about the Grammy nominations we really care about, because, well, everything else kind of sucks.

Below you’ll find the nominations for the following categories: Best Hard Rock Performance, Best Metal Performance, Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group, and Best Rap Album.

Now, we don’t want to complain or anything (yes we do), but why is it that there’s no Grammy nominations category for Best Metal Album? For Christ’s sake, there’s a category for Best Musical Album For Children. Is it because metal still isn’t a fully recognized genre? I guess we shouldn’t complain too much since Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, and Lamb of God are nominated for their performances.

Speaking of Slayer, this is their fifth Grammy nomination (and their third Grammy if they win). Here’s what Tom Araya had to say about the latest nomination:

I admit, I’m excited and kind of surprised. To have Slayer’s music recognized by an organization as traditional as the Grammys—five times now—is like that gold star that someone puts up by your name. It’s unexpected, but it’s cool.

We’re excited too.

For the rappers on the list, we should point out that Eminem (feat. Rihanna) is up for Record of the Year with “Love the way you Lie” and Jay-Z & Alicia Keys are up for “Empire State of Mind” in the same category. Also, Eminem’s Recovery is up for Album of the Year.

The event takes place on February 13th, 2011. Until then, enjoy this brief list of Grammy nominations that Yell! Magazine thinks are relevant.

Best Hard Rock Performance

“A Looking In View” – Alice In Chains
“Let Me Hear You Scream” – Ozzy Osbourne
“Black Rain” – Soundgarden
“Between The Lines” – Stone Temple Pilots
“New Fang” – Them Crooked Vultures

Best Metal Performance

“El Dorado” – Iron Maiden
“Let The Guilt Go” – Korn
“In Your Words” – Lamb of God
“Sudden Death” – Megadeth
“World Painted Blood” – Slayer

Best Rap Solo Performance

“Over” – Drake
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“How Low” – Ludacris
“I’m Back” – T.I.
“Power” – Kanye West

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

“Shutterbugg” – Big Boi & Cutty
“Fancy” – Drake, T.I. & Swizz Beatz
“On To The Next One” – Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz
“My Chick Bad” – Ludacris & Nicki Minaj
“Lose My Mind” – Young Jeezy & Plies

Best Rap Album

The Adventures Of Bobby Ray – B.o.B
Thank Me Later – Drake
Recovery – Eminem
The Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
How I Got Over – The Roots

Credit: Aftermath

Credit: Epic

We’re not going to question Ozzy Osbourne’s metal knowledge, but we are going to tell you what his top 10 metal picks for 2010 are (as he reportedly provided for Yahoo Music’s List of the Day). While his list of best metal albums of 2010 isn’t shocking or surprising or even something with new discovery potential, it is a bit biased as he shows love for himself (but really, it’s business and why wouldn’t he?), his family (Zakk Wylde and Gus G), and his peers (AC/DC, Halford). Ozzy has, however, thrown in a couple of “newer” acts for good measure. We do question the candidacy of three of Ozzy’s picks, as one is a reissue and the other two are essentially a greatest hits and we kind of feel like that automatically disqualifies them as “true” albums of 2010.

Let’s get on to Ozzy’s list of the best metal albums of 2010. You decide if you agree and post a comment below.

No.10 AC/DC – Iron Man 2

No.9 Firewind – Days of Defiance

No.8 Lamb of God – Hourglass Box Set

No.7 Pantera – Cowboys from Hell (Reissue)

No.6 Korn – Korn III: Remember Who You Are

Michael Godard, Credit: MichaelGodard.com

His paintings reflect the worlds of gambling, drinking, sports, and an overall display of the “good life.” The paintings are crisp and dramatic, cartoonish, and fun. But underlying many of his paintings is an element of the sinister. Michael Godard presents vices as virtues, shining a positive light on a hedonistic and ultimately empty lifestyle, and sells it back to those that participate in it. It’s not surprising that Godard sells to rock stars and celebrities and that his book Don’t Drink and Draw is forwarded by one of the most hedonistic personas in the rock world, Ozzy Osbourne.

Michael Godard, Credit: MichaelGodard.com

Michael Godard

How Michael Godard will be considered hundreds of years from now is anyone’s guess; perhaps he will be forgotten or maybe he will be remembered as what best represents our time in art history. What is hard to argue against is man’s the abilities. All one has to do is look at the symmetry of the items in his work. The red dice and light reflecting off the martini glass in his painting “Sitting on Seven” is the exercise of a man who has a very steady hand and keen eye. Let history judge.

Michael Godard Video

Michael Godard – “The Whale”

Michael Godard – “Company Christmas”

Michael Godard – “Daily Double”

Michael Godard – “Knight Out”

This is Black Sabbath’s second, and most popular, album. Paranoid is always mentioned as Sabbath’s masterpiece and is considered ‘the’ album that made heavy metal a musical genre. When you ask an informed listener what should be your first purchase when starting a heavy metal library they will usually mention this album.

Taking what they did on their debut release, tightening it up by reducing the length of each song, and putting breaks between each track, Sabbath gave you the feeling that this album was the structured version of their freestyle debut. Although some of the songs were longer than the four minute mark that radio likes, the singles released off this album were still short enough to get air play. “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” were all given airplay where it counted, that is, in their homeland of the UK. These three songs, because of that, are the most recognized songs by the band.

Because it took a while for the US to catch up to Sabbath’s first album, Paranoid wasn’t released until early ’71 in the States. None of the albums songs did as well as they did in the UK but since Warner released “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” as singles more than a year apart, the album stayed on the charts a lengthy period of time (close to 2 years) and sold four million copies.

Black Sabbath put forth some eerie and just plain spooky, imagery with the lyrics to these songs. One of the first bands to take people’s fear of the future through advancements in technology, “Iron Man” was the first sci-fi song I heard in heavy rock. Describing a man who time travels to save the world from disaster only to come back and begin to exterminate those he was trying to save, “Iron Man” was a tour de force in metal history.

“War Pigs” was a brutal song, describing the apocalypse brought on by politician’s love for war. War and the apocalypse became two universal themes in heavy metal because of this song. “Number of the Beast” and “Disposable Heroes” would be two good examples. Drug use is another theme in rock music and Sabbath added to it with songs like “Hand of Doom” and “Fairies Wear Boots.”

I have always enjoyed albums that feel more like a whole than albums that don’t. Paranoid, when compared to the band’s first album, does not feel as intimate. It feels more like a singles album rather than fluid journey through 40 minutes of uninterrupted music. For that reason, I think Black Sabbath (their first album) is better and is their best album overall.

But for its recognized songs, and what it did for Black Sabbath and heavy metal as a whole, Paranoid will always be considered the most influential album by the band and its most loved by a majority of their fans.

Similar Artists:

Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Dio, Rainbow, Savatage, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Frank Zappa, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

4.5 out of 5 stars

Artist

Black Sabbath

Album:

Paranoid

Year Released:

Sep 18, 1970

Label:

Warner Bros.

Genre

Pop/Rock

Official URL:

Black Sabbath

Except for Technical Ecstasy, this is Sabbath’s worse album. Made at a time when the band was more influenced by drugs than the muse, the album suffers the further it plays. Ozzy had left the band over artistic differences only to return and do this album and leave for good until the ’98 reunion.

The album is unfocused. Adding Jazz influences and average straight forward rock fodder embarrassed the band even more than the crap that Technical Ecstasy was two years earlier.

Although the album crashed, it is still Black Sabbath, and “Never Say Die” and “Johnny Blade” are two examples that remind us that, even at their worse, the band still can kick ass.

With Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die!, Sabbath proved that drugs and egos can destroy even the greatest of bands.

Similar Artists:

Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Dio, Rainbow, Savatage, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Frank Zappa, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

2 out of 5 stars

Artist

Black Sabbath

Album:

Never Say Die!

Year Released:

Oct 1978

Label:

Warner Bros.

Genre

Rock

Official URL:

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath was considered by many as the genesis of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin added blues to the mix, taking from artists like Bo Didley, Muddy Waters, and others, but Sabbath took rock to the next level with just an all-out assault on your senses. Using Geezer Butler’s bass, Tony Iommi’s lead guitar, and Ozzy’s screaming voice as the catalyst for their dark and some would say satanic lyrics, Sabbath led rock into what is now considered the genre of heavy metal.

They formed in 1969, and for four years and five albums, they were the leaders of the newly formed genre to be continued shortly after with AC/DC, then Iron Maiden, and later on with Metallica. After Sabbath Bloody Sabbath they began their downward spiral and numerous lineup changes, starting with Osbourne’s departure in ’77. With Ronnie James Dio replacing him and Tony Iommi pretty much taking over the band, it led to a revolving door of band members that would make David Coverdale jealous. But for five albums, Jimmy Page’s guitar and Robert Plant’s voice would be the only rivals to Iommi’s and Osbourne’s for hard rock supremacy. No one rivaled Geezer as the king of the bass players.

Although most consider Paranoid Sabbath’s greatest achievement, it was with this self-titled debut that they accomplished genius. Paranoid had all the signature singles (“War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and others), but their first album was their most ambitious. Throwing convention out the window the album was a sprawling masterpiece. Tracks that have no in-between breaks and occasionally passing the 10 minute mark in length, you heard the unfettered genius of both Iommi and Butler. The first purchase in a rock library may be a Beatles or Stones record, but this should be your first in a metal library.

Similar Artists:

Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Dio, Rainbow, Savatage, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Frank Zappa, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

5 out of 5 stars

Artist

Black Sabbath

Album:

Never Say Die!

Year Released:

May 1970

Label:

Warner Bros.

Genre

Rock

Official URL:

Black Sabbath