Oh, those British. They're so polite and proper. And apparently they don't consider beating and choking somebody to be particularly serious.

Ronnie Wood (he of the Rolling Stones and, soon, reunited Faces) spent a night in jail a few weeks following a drunken brawl with his former girlfriend, Ekaterina Ivanova. Witnesses said he was slapping and choking her in the street outside a restaurant. In response, police have now issued what is politely termed a "caution" (a veddy British way of saying "you did a bad thing, and we hereby punish you by telling you not to do it anymore.")

Might the Faces reunion be Wood's only gig in 2010? It is being whispered here and there that the Stones are becoming concerned that his health (he was treated for alcoholism last year) may make it impossible to insure him, which would eliminate him from an expected Stones tour. We'll see. If he can get away with assault, don't you imagine he could manage an insurance policy, his "health" notwithstanding?

^{Ronnie Wood, Ekaterina Ivanova photo by Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images}

There have been those (including some of his Aerosmith bandmates) who have attributed Steven Tyler's most recent bizarre behavior to his on-again off-again drug problems. Indeed, they are on-again, as Tyler has checked himself into rehab for treatment of addiction to painkillers.

Tyler tells Rolling Stone, "With the help of my family and team of medical professionals I am taking responsibility for the management of my pain." Tyler attributes the pain to ten years of performance-related injuries, like the broken shoulder and head injury resulting from his tumble off of a South Dakota stage in August that led to early termination of Aerosmith's North American tour.

Tyler once again sought to clarify the confusion that he created when he stopped talking to his band mates, hired his own manager, and said he wanted to spend some time on an autobiography and solo performance work. "I will enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled."

A statement from the artist's daughter, actress Liv Tyler, says "We love him and are so proud that he is getting help to balance his pain management, not just for himself but for his family, friends and fans."

Maybe it's because of the holidays that instead of my usual snide remarks, I'll just say that I'm glad he's getting help, and wish him all the best in a difficult, ongoing struggle.

^{Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images}

I've been meaning to join the Procrastinator's Club but I keep putting it off.

If this rings a (silver) bell with you, that bell is your wakeup call. The "last minute" is now here as regards those yet to be acquired gifts for family and friends who have latent classic rock tendencies.

Here are the latest finds in our quest for last minute classic rock gift ideas.

Okay, show of hands. Anybody here think that a tour pairing consisting of Eagles and Fleetwood Mac on the same bill wouldn't fill a bunch of stadiums and arenas?

Talk of just such a scenario has gained momentum this week. Shortly after Eagles announced three shows in April at possibly the only major venue in the known universe that they haven't ever played (Hollywood Bowl) word began to spread (first at LiveDaily, then, with independent confirmation, Pollstar) that Eagles and The Mac are quietly lining up stadium and arena dates throughout the U.S. in 2010. Nothing has been officially announced, but I couldn't help noticing that there were no hands raised.

KISS Put Safety First, Postpone Gig
With all of this year's news about concert postponements and cancelations due to illness or injury, it's actually kind of nice to report that KISS postponed a Canadian date this week (12/15) because of bad weather. Citing unsafe driving conditions, band and concert promoters wisely decided it would be better to shift Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to their 2010 summer tour, rather than to risk life and limb on slick roads. Good call, guys.

^{Eagles 2003 tour photo courtesy Eagles Recording Co. II; Fleetwood Mac photo by Neal Preston, courtesy Warner Bros}