Terence Trent D Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby's ground rules for the meeting with the reporter were non-negotiable. D'Arby--widely hailed as the most exciting newcomer in pop since Prince and Madonna--agreed to sit and chat for a few minutes. The word was that he might even stick around as long as a half-hour if he felt comfortable. But everything had to be strictly off the record. He was in no mood for formal interviews.

Maybe they'll call it the Weezer Roast? Or just a Rancid Picnic? Weezer, Kings of Leon, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jimmy Eat World, Rancid and Silversun Pickups are among the headliners for the KROQ-FM (106.7) Weenie Roast Y Fiesta at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on May 16. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. Thursday. The other announced acts on the bill include Cage the Elephant, Asher Roth, Anberlin, Hollywood Undead, White Lies, the Airborne Toxic Event and Big B. The Weenie Roast began in 1993 with a show featuring Stone Temple Pilots, Dramarama, X, The The and Terence Trent D'Arby, believe it or not. Last year, Metallica, the Racontuers and the Offspring led the bill, once again reinforcing the show's Mad Libs approach to live-music booking.

Terence Trent D'Arby is suddenly the toast of pop--again. Rarely has a performer arrived on the scene with as much flamboyance as D'Arby did in 1987 when the New York native's dazzling talent and bold persona made him a sensation, first in England, where he launched his career, and then in the United States. Among his colorful assertions: his claim in a British interview that his debut album was better than the Beatles' legendary "Sgt. Pepper's."

The cult favorite "The X-Files" and the summer surprise "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" return to the airwaves this weekend. Dick Van Dyke plays Dr. Sloan and an identical mobster in a two-hour "Diagnosis Murder" tonight at 8 on CBS. Chuck Woolery hosts the new Fox game show, "Greed," tonight at 8. Contestants are pitted against each other to win a potential $2 million. AMC's new series, "Cinema Secrets," Friday at 9 p.m.

The phone message left with the hotel operator by Terence Trent D'Arby's assistant spelled trouble. The enigmatic pop star wouldn't be able to go through with the interview the following day in Dublin as planned, the message read. Would the Los Angeles reporter please phone ASAP to set up a new time?

I'm a 55-year-old rocker who agrees that Terence Trent D'Arby is a genius: I saw him do the Stones' "Under My Thumb" on "Saturday Night Live" and thought he not only looked a bit like Mick Jagger but did it maybe just a tad better! I'm a longtime Stones fan, but I do like the way this guy sings. LAURA IRELAND Whitewater, Calif.

Maybe they'll call it the Weezer Roast? Or just a Rancid Picnic? Weezer, Kings of Leon, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jimmy Eat World, Rancid and Silversun Pickups are among the headliners for the KROQ-FM (106.7) Weenie Roast Y Fiesta at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on May 16. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. Thursday. The other announced acts on the bill include Cage the Elephant, Asher Roth, Anberlin, Hollywood Undead, White Lies, the Airborne Toxic Event and Big B. The Weenie Roast began in 1993 with a show featuring Stone Temple Pilots, Dramarama, X, The The and Terence Trent D'Arby, believe it or not. Last year, Metallica, the Racontuers and the Offspring led the bill, once again reinforcing the show's Mad Libs approach to live-music booking.

Terence Trent D'Arby is the name of the future, at least according to the British rock press--and according to D'Arby himself, for that matter. And the buzz at the Roxy on Wednesday night (a big industry schmooze scene populated by Rod Stewart, Sean Penn and Madonna, among others) only underscored that impression. When the American-born, British resident took the stage for his formal U.S.

The cult favorite "The X-Files" and the summer surprise "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" return to the airwaves this weekend. Dick Van Dyke plays Dr. Sloan and an identical mobster in a two-hour "Diagnosis Murder" tonight at 8 on CBS. Chuck Woolery hosts the new Fox game show, "Greed," tonight at 8. Contestants are pitted against each other to win a potential $2 million. AMC's new series, "Cinema Secrets," Friday at 9 p.m.

Pop observers here are having trouble deciding whether singer-songwriter Gail Ann Dorsey is the new Tracy Chapman or the new Terence Trent D'Arby. Like Chapman, the female pop sensation of 1988, Dorsey is a soft-spoken woman who sings about politics and romance with a thoughtful, embracing edge. But like D'Arby, perhaps last year's flashiest pop arrival, Dorsey is an American expatriate who mixes rock and soul influences in her music. There are moments on Dorsey's debut album--"The Corporate World," which was just released in the United States by Warner Bros.

After two brilliant albums failed to live up to the commercial level of his 1987 smash debut, D'Arby sounds here as if he's trying too hard, pushing both his pan-pop palette and amazing Sam Cooke/Otis Redding voice to their limits with each note. But D'Arby is among the few with both the ambition and the reach to get away with it.

Terence Trent D'Arby is suddenly the toast of pop--again. Rarely has a performer arrived on the scene with as much flamboyance as D'Arby did in 1987 when the New York native's dazzling talent and bold persona made him a sensation, first in England, where he launched his career, and then in the United States. Among his colorful assertions: his claim in a British interview that his debut album was better than the Beatles' legendary "Sgt. Pepper's."

Terence Trent D'Arby was born 20 years too late. If he had come along in 1967 instead of 1987, he would have been recognized as one of the great male soul singers, part of an honor roll that includes Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and James Brown. As it is, he lives in their shadow and under their influence. But it takes a glorious talent to stand as a legitimate heir to those hall-of-famers.

The phone message left with the hotel operator by Terence Trent D'Arby's assistant spelled trouble. The enigmatic pop star wouldn't be able to go through with the interview the following day in Dublin as planned, the message read. Would the Los Angeles reporter please phone ASAP to set up a new time?

Pop observers here are having trouble deciding whether singer-songwriter Gail Ann Dorsey is the new Tracy Chapman or the new Terence Trent D'Arby. Like Chapman, the female pop sensation of 1988, Dorsey is a soft-spoken woman who sings about politics and romance with a thoughtful, embracing edge. But like D'Arby, perhaps last year's flashiest pop arrival, Dorsey is an American expatriate who mixes rock and soul influences in her music. There are moments on Dorsey's debut album--"The Corporate World," which was just released in the United States by Warner Bros.

I'm a 55-year-old rocker who agrees that Terence Trent D'Arby is a genius: I saw him do the Stones' "Under My Thumb" on "Saturday Night Live" and thought he not only looked a bit like Mick Jagger but did it maybe just a tad better! I'm a longtime Stones fan, but I do like the way this guy sings. LAURA IRELAND Whitewater, Calif.

After two brilliant albums failed to live up to the commercial level of his 1987 smash debut, D'Arby sounds here as if he's trying too hard, pushing both his pan-pop palette and amazing Sam Cooke/Otis Redding voice to their limits with each note. But D'Arby is among the few with both the ambition and the reach to get away with it.

Terence Trent D'Arby's ground rules for the meeting with the reporter were non-negotiable. D'Arby--widely hailed as the most exciting newcomer in pop since Prince and Madonna--agreed to sit and chat for a few minutes. The word was that he might even stick around as long as a half-hour if he felt comfortable. But everything had to be strictly off the record. He was in no mood for formal interviews.