We Will Rock You

FROM WWW.EVERYTHINGY.COM:

Jon Bon Jovi opened up in a US TV interview about using steroids to help preserve his voice.

The 47-year-old rocker appeared alongside bandmates, including Richie Sambora on Inside The Actors Studio when he made the stunning confession.

After heavy touring in 1987, Bon Jovi admitted: “We were burned. I was dead tired – exhausted. And on top of that exhaustion I was having to sing [so] steroid shots had become like candy to me. They were just like, ‘bring it on, bring it on’, until there was no voice left and I was still getting jacked up.”

The singer, who now lives a healthy life, told the show’s host James Lipton that he is ashamed of his past habit.

“I don’t look back at that very fondly,” he confessed.

Bon Jovi released their 11th studio album The Circle last week with a world tour planned in 2010.

FROM WWW.CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM:

Should anyone in the rock world actually bother with Bon Jovi anymore?

Have they moved so far beyond our horizons that there’s as much rock conviction in their blood as there’s air in a vacuum?

Once again, Classic Rock gives both sides of the argument.

Today, Malcolm Dome gives his reasons why we should still bother with Bon Jovi. Tomorrow, Dave Ling takes the opposite view. So, take it away, Malc… and try to convince us that Jovi are still Runaway rockers.

Have you noticed how many ‘former’ Bon Jovi fans have been getting irate over Jon’s appearance recently on The X Factor? A lot of those who claim they don’t care about the band anymore have been working themselves into a right old lather.

You have to ask yourself why they appear to be so angry. If you’ve given up on Jovi as a credible rock force, what is your problem? Just shrug your shoulders, walk away and leave it alone. But the reality is that most people who loved Bon Jovi even into the early 1990s, but now find them no more than stadium pop bores, actually want to be proven wrong. They are still rooting for Jon and the lads to come riding through with another glorious record, one to rival Slippery When Wet or New Jersey.

I was probably among the last to finally lose patience with Bon Jovi. I would defend every album, because there was nothing wrong with the band taking different turns, trying fresh ideas. But, after seeing them at Twickenham Stadium last year… sheesh, it really was vacuous, showbiz nonsense. Jon’s sincerity was about as believable as Cristiano Ronaldo clutching his head after being tapped on the ankle. The band appeared to have been reduced to a secondary role, as the singer’s backing musicians, and the set was aimed at the 40-something housewives, those who used to scream through their knickers in 1986 and are still doing so. The mighty rock band I once knew and loved were gone… but forever?

All of that sounds like I don’t actually have any interest. Yet I still do. I’ve played new album The Circle and it isn’t all that bad. By no means a classic, but the band’s rock sensibility still whispers. It should be a roar, but it hasn’t totally gone. To claim Jovi are victims of their own intentions might be too naive, although…well, they are.

Everyone recognises Richie Sambora as a true guitar giant. Tico Torres, when given the freedom, is as heavy a drummer as any, and David Bryan is an inventive keyboard player. The problem is that, since the band reconvened in 1991 after a brief hiatus, to decide whether there was any sort of a future for the collective, they’ve drifted ever further away from their rock roots. I doubt it’s been a conscious decision on either side, but the band and their diehard audience of old got divorced because neither had the will to carry on the relationship.

So, these days Jon doesn’t even acknowledge the rock media. In response, we take every opportunity to dismiss him as irrelevant. Yet, deep down, all those who were fans of the band so many years ago yearn to embrace them again. And I fully believe that Jon et al need their rock audience.

Listening to the new record, The Circle, you have the impression that nobody in the Jovi camp is really stretching themselves. No disrespect to those who dashed out to buy the new record on the day of release, and have already got tickets for the O2 Arena residency next year, but they’re rather too easily pleased. What this band needs is a right old kick up the arse, to reconnect with the hard rockers and make the album that I sense they wanna do – and I know a lot of the old brigade would love to hear again.

We should care, because Bon Jovi were a supreme band through the latter part of the 1980s, and none of us have forgotten it. We should care for the same reasons that everyone always believes the next Metallica album will be sensational, however many dire records they make in the meantime. We should care, in the same way that we never gave up on Iron Maiden when they brought in Blaze Bayley.

Perhaps Jon will read this, and think about taking up the challenge of getting back his soul. Maybe he’ll ponder over the thought that he is a great songwriter who’s allowed his art form to wither under the unforgiving cosh of cash.

Most importantly, Jon, just mull over the fact that there are a lot of people out there who’ve given up on you, don’t care anymore… but still get angry at your wrong decisions. There’s hope yet.

– Malcolm Dome

FROM WWW.CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM:

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer has joined in the public debate over the future of Steven Tyler.

Talking at a signing session for his book, Hit Hard, in Connecticut, Kramer said:

“Steven wants to do what he wants to do. That’s great. I support him. I will always love him. I have always supported him… but we want to play too. I can’t sit around for two years and not play my drums — or not function as a band.”

When questioned by fans as to the sort of singer who could take over from Tyler, the drummer responded:

“There’s a difference between a singer and what I call a frontman or a performer. Luckily for us, Steven is both of those and probably the best out there. If he chooses to go pursue a solo career for a while, then it would have to be somebody that can in my opinion have to do both — that would have to be able to perform the songs as well as sing them.”

So, AeroEnders goes on and on…

FROM WWW.CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM:

As reported yesterday, Bad Company have confirmed their first UK dates since September 2002, the group’s first bout of British touring activity to feature the three surviving band-members – vocalist Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simone Kirke – in over three decades.

Here are few words from the press conference at the Hard Rock Café.

Words: Dave Ling

On why the dates are taking place:
Paul Rodgers: Well, we did ten dates in the States [in the summer of 2009] with the Doobie Brothers opening for us, and it turned out to be a really fantastic tour. The vibe was really nice. And we got a lot of feedback from the UK saying, ‘What about us?’ So we thought it would be nice to do eight exclusive dates in the band’s homeland.

On who’s going to play bass (effectively replacing original member Boz Burrell, who died in 2006)?
Rodgers: It will be Lynn Sorensen, from my solo band. He’s on the [live] DVD [recorded in Hollywood, FL, on 8.8.08]. Howard Leese from Heart will also be there on support guitar. The chemistry of the thing works really well. Those guys are really into what we [the core members] do; they know how to deliver. It’s a nice format.

A mischievous question asked by a voice from the crowd: So Andy Fraser [former Free bassist] is busy, then?
Rodgers [sounding flummoxed]: Er… I dunno. Next question.

On the possibility of hearing some new material:
Rodgers: Great question. There’s always the chance. I write all the time. [Turning to Mick Ralphs]: I dunno about you, do you write specifically for a band?
Ralphs: In the early days we always just wrote for whatever, and then used the ones that fitted best.
Rodgers: The problem we have right now is that the people will be expecting to hear all the band’s biggest songs. It’s really hard to squash in something new amongst all of that.
Ralphs: But the door is always open to that idea.

On digging into the group’s catalogue for songs like Electricland on the last set of American dates:
Rodgers: Yeah, Electricland was something that we recorded [on 1982’s Rough Diamonds album] and never got the chance to play live. It was fantastic to do that, and it worked very well. So I daresay it’ll happen again.

On the addition of the Joe Perry Project as the trek’s support act:
Rodgers: I met Joe at the Classic Rock awards and we had a nice little chat about music and various things. We were kicking around ideas as an opening act and it struck me that him and us together would be a great combination. So we called him and he was up for it. It will be a really nice show.

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

Pink Floyd’s classic double-record ‘The Wall’ has not only been a staple of rock but has also been a part of pop culture trivia, as founding drummer Nick Mason learned. “There’s a [quiz show] program here [in Britain] called ‘University Challenge,’” he tells Spinner. “Just by chance they happened to ask these students to name the song and the guitar player. I’m sad to say they failed. They didn’t seem to know either Pink Floyd, David Gilmour or ‘Comfortably Numb.’”

Originally released on Nov. 30, 1979, ‘The Wall’ later spawned a movie of the same name and has since sold 23 million copies in the US, according to current RIAA figures. This month marks its 30th anniversary and the surviving members of Pink Floyd — Mason, Gilmour and Roger Waters — talk about the album in a two-part special for the radio program ‘In the Studio With Redbeard‘ airing this week.

As told in Mason’s 2005 book ‘Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd,’ the origins of ‘The Wall’ can be traced to an incident at a Pink Floyd show at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 1977. An audience member in the front was acting unruly and a frustrated Waters spat at him. Mason wrote that Waters later arrived at “a concept of an audience both physically and mentally separated from their idols.”

“Roger had actually been working two separate ideas: the skeleton of ‘The Wall’ and ‘The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking’ [which later became Waters' 1984 solo album],” says Mason. “We were almost offered the choice of which one we thought would be the one to go for, and it was unanimous that ‘The Wall’ was the concept that we’d all identify with.”

The album contained several popular Floyd songs including ‘Another Brick in the Wall Part II,’ (the band’s only American number one song) and ‘Comfortably Numb.’ “The interesting thing about that,” says Mason of the latter, “it’s in the Beatles concept that if you have a song and it’s missing something, someone else has got a half song and just slots it in. David did that high-strung melody. It just fitted in perfectly.”

Internally, there was tension during the making of the album: keyboardist Richard Wright was fired by Waters because he didn’t make a major input to the recording, according to Mason’s book. “It was due to Roger feeling he had the muscle to do it and us being pathetic in terms of not fighting it,” Mason explains. “It was a fairly simple situation where we were being offered a lot more money to get the thing finished and Rick should have just said, ‘Of course I’ll get on with it.’”

Equally memorable from ‘The Wall’ era was the tour, highlighted by the construction of an actual wall between the band and the audience. “It was fun to play the shows,” Mason says, “because in some ways it was the pinnacle of a Floyd show. It was one of those moments where a rock show was taken to a different level. When Roger gets his Broadway [musical version of 'The Wall'] done eventually, it could work really well. It does have quite a lot of the structure there already.”

As for Pink Floyd today, there has not been much news since the Live 8 reunion in 2005, aside from Gilmour’s solo album and the deaths of Syd Barrett and Richard Wright. Mason says he has been going through some archival film and video footage for a possible anthology. “It’s a pretty long-term idea,” he says. “There’s still an interest in keeping the music alive. It’s really a long shot for David and Roger to go back into the studio together. I think we all still feel that we have a real interest in our history.”

Asked to explain ‘The Wall’’s longevity after 30 years, Mason responds, “There’s more than one theme running through it, which is the other thing what I think gives it a bit extra. It’s about isolation and walls between people. It has a certain element of abstraction that make people be able to put some of their own thoughts into it.”

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

The ongoing Aerosmith singer saga continues this week after Rolling Stone ran a fans’ poll over the weekend. The magazine asked readers who they would like to see front the band. The result? Buckcherry singer Josh Todd was in first place.

The poll was prompted by reports that singer Steven Tyler wishes to take a two-year hiatus from the band. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has stated that he plans to carry on with the band with or without Tyler.

It’s some honour for Todd given that other notable names in the top ten include some genuine rock ‘n’ roll legends. The New York Dolls‘ David Johansen came in at two, Iggy Pop at five, the Sex Pistols‘ Johnny Rotten at eight and Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell at ten.

Somewhat bizarrely ex-American Idol star Adam Lambert reached a respectable fourth place, with man mountain Meatloaf at six. Sounds like we have quite the competition on our hands.

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry has cancelled his show on Nov. 28 at the Troxy venue in east London.

The guitarist, who embarks on a full UK tour in Liverpool on Nov. 21, will now play only one London show at the Hammersmith Town Hall on Nov. 27. The cancelled Troxy show will not be rescheduled and fans holding tickets for this date are advised to seek refunds.

Show promoters have said that they want to focus on one show in the capital instead of the two. No other details were forthcoming. The tour winds up on Dec. 4 at the Manchester Apollo.

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

The Who’s Roger Daltrey is finally considering writing an autobiography. Currently performing in the US on his “Use It or Lose It” solo tour, the legendary rock frontman spoke to The Rock Radio about a possible memoir.

“I’m thinking about a biography now,” Daltrey said. “It’s probably time. Just the story of my life and the things I’ve done, y’know, it’s kind of interesting.”

“And when I look at the juxtapositions of things — like being the singer in the Who to being a fish farmer, and being a film star to being a beef farmer… there’s all these swings and round-a-bouts in my life that are so juxtapositioned,” he added. “There were interesting times, they were interesting times. And it wasn’t all fun, but there was an awful lot of fun. The only trouble is, the people usually want the salacious crap and I don’t know if I’m prepared to dig that, y’know?”

As previously reported, the Who are slated to rock the upcoming Super Bowl halftime appearance. Daltrey performs Tuesday Night at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, N.J..

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

In an interview with Spinner, the ‘Love Actually‘ director and one of the film’s stars, Philip Seymour Hoffman, talk about some of the music heard in ‘Pirate Radio.’

FROM WWW.CLASSICROCKREVISITED.COM:

This news is brought to you by VH1 Radio’s Dave Basner

Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl is currently working with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones in Them Crooked Vultures and now, there is news another musical legend wants to team up with another Foo Fighter.  Queen drummer Roger Taylor told the BBC that he’s been thinking about doing a quick tour with Foo kitman Taylor Hawkins.  Roger described Taylor saying, “He’s like one of my best blood brothers…He’s awesome.  I love him.  He’s got such a great, open approach to life.”  There are no dates set nor is anything official yet but you can read more at BBC.co.uk. 

•       On Monday, Roger Taylor will put out his first solo release in 12 years, a new single called “The Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken).”