New Music From Guns And Roses Without Slash, Izzy and Duff

Guns N Roses... There's no need to sit in front of a 64 inch flat screen hooked up to VH1's That Metal Show to realize Axl and company slapped into place a serious impact on American music. I get it! I played it! I took the calls from Rock starved radio listeners that couldn't wait for MTV to quickly spin their playlist back to the beginning. Where I get off the GNR sweet child train is at gate 2012. My welcome to the jungle is null and void due to a continued respect for Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Duff MaKagen. Guns N Roses has soared through more members than the Kardashian's have had men. It's no Paradise City! The rock band love story is so thick with twists and turns Eddie Trunk from That Metal Show is green like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. LA cops would instantly pull his ass over and charge him with a RPWUIOPPFH: Rock poisoned while under the influence of other people's false high. Checking out GNR today is no different than catching The Osmond's without Donnie and Marie. Hmmm guess I'm exposing an open wound. How long did we wait for Axl to make music? Only to realize the machine keep ticking. RollingStone Magazine reports the man on the microphone said the next album won't take as long as the delay-plagued Chinese Democracy. When asked about the long wait for the band's 2008 album, Rose pointed to complications with personnel. Stop! Take ten deep breaths before fading back into the love triangle. "I had to deal with so many other things that don't have to do with music but have to do with the industry. There's such a loss of time," he said. "It was more about survival. There wasn't anyone to work with or trust. Someone would come in to help produce and the reality was they just wanted to mix it and get it out the door. They had a different agenda. [The next album] will come out sooner." Rose also had harsh words for ex-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour and former bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, saying the trio damaged his ability as a writer. "To those three, it was all crap. It beat me down so much," he said. "At the time of the [Use Your Illusion] tours, Slash and Duff said, 'You're an idiot, you're a loser.' I didn't write for years. I felt I was hindered for a very long time. I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to say, when it's right to be venting and when you're digging a bigger hole. Lyrics on Chinese took a long time." Stop! Enter Casey Kasum with a long distance dedication...make sure it leads into Knockin on Heavens Door. The singer also played down a possible Guns N' Roses truce. "I feel that ball's not in my court," said Rose. "I'm surviving this war, not the one who created this war." Please cross fade into November Rain... Maybe it's just me. My morning pup tent went limp when everything 1990's GNR began to re-feed journeys already visited. Honestly did we need remixes of Live and Let Die, Sympathy For The Devil and Hair of the Dog? Butte, Montana you're on the air!

What's Bigger The Rock Or The Star?

I almost feel like I should be writing a Knock Knock joke, "Who's there? It's me Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones...I want you to meet my new 34 year old wife!" Rock wives would make the best candidates to serve jury duty! The lawyers ask, "Have you read or heard anything about this case? Have you experienced anything like it?" And the Rock wife replies, "Ummm I just know my man loves me..." Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli Rod Stewart and Alana Hamilton Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley Sonny and Cher Cher and Dewayne Allman Ike and Tina Turner Jack and Meg White from White Stripe Believe it or not the term Hollywood Marriage originally meant a glamorous high society marriage between celebrities. Not such a pretty place in 2012. While looking at Justin Timberlake's wedding photos at Harris Teeter I kept whispering, "Please God make this one last longer than forty spins on a Hot Top 40 station." Kanya West and Kim Kardashian's magical moment will rip $20 million out the bank account and probably another $100 million to mend on an hourly basis. What is it with Rock Stars and chicks? Rick Ocasic from the Cars scored a serious relationship with model Paulina Porizkova. For three decades every good looking man in the world has been running around trying to figure out how Beauty fell in love with her Beast. How about making real connections with real everyday heroes? The midnight man taking orders at Taco Bell has the world eating out of the palm of his hand. Jump on that burrito! The forklift driver that uses big metal instruments to raise the world above your head. Doctors and CEO's are overrated. General Manager's make promises they can't keep. A great busboy knows how to keep a table clean while a city taxi driver keeps his love between the lines. Hey back to the original story! RollingStone Magazine reports guitarist Ronnie Wood is engaged to marry Sally Humphreys, a 34-year-old theater producer. Wood split from his second wife, Jo Wood, in 2008. A collection of memorabilia and artwork owned by the couple was recently auctioned off as part of their divorce settlement, which was finalized in 2011. Jo Wood's memoir, which will include tales about her marriage to the guitarist, is set to hit shelves next February. The Stones recently played their first live show since 2007, a gig at La Trabendo in Paris to warm up for their upcoming 50th anniversary shows in London and Newark, New Jersey. Fan-shot footage from the Paris show recently surfaced as well. Wait wait! I need to provide some equal time for Rock couples that have survived the storms up the very moment this was Blogged. They may be gone but damn if you weren't moved by Johnny and June Carter Cash and John Lennon and Yoko Ono. What about Paul and Linda McCartney? Ozzy and Sharon. Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed?

The Biggest Beatles Rumor Proves To Be False!!!!

I got caught up in one of those On-Line death rumors over the weekend. The headline: Morgan Freeman is gone. Being a voice over actor with commercials heard around this giant blue marble I was deeply saddened. To many of us Morgan is Yoda. Damn if I didn't react. Only to realize how gullible I really am. Rumors feed hungry imaginations. It's such an odd tumble, stumble trip or badly misplaced step around the same ole circle. By the time you react creators have quickly induced labor on other bent out place ways to sway. One of the most famous gags began in late 1969 when rumors circulated that Paul McCartney died and was replaced by William Campbell who had won a Paul lookalike contest. Further, even though this was kept a secret, the Beatles have been planting clues in lyrics and on album covers to tell us about it. Look how many Elvis Presley has popped up at convenience stores! Was the story about Justin Bieber grabbing a little action in a closet which led to a pregnancy a fact or rumor? His most recent video had music fans convinced his laptop filled with personal videos had been swiped, then from out of nowhere came this incredibly energetic YouTube hot feature. KISS breaking up in the late 70's was a rumor until Gene Simmons spilled his guts, "Ace and Peter wanted to go solo. Paul and I decided, why do we all do it? Lets don't give our fans any reason to believe it over. When in reality Simmons and Stanley were living a daily nightmare." Led Zeppelin reuniting has always been a fire starter. Billy Joel nearly getting killed in a car accident caused by drunk driving...has it ever been proven? Adam Lambert immediately put a halt to rumors about him being gay while the world will never know the true story about Michael Jackson's multiple days in court. Honey Boo Boo's mother was recently quoted, "We don't have a manager... We are doing well without one." To which I replied while hearing the story on the Ace and TJ Show, "I hope to God you never "F" up because you're gonna need a press agent to keep the paparazzi away." Rumors! I nearly picked up the latest US magazine to read the crap about the Kardashian wedding. I'd grab the pages then put it back. Grabbed it again only to shout, "No! It'll barely last six minutes! Why am I wasting so much time with this girl?" Stop! Let's get to settling one of music's biggest most outrageous pieces of rumor trash. Paul McCartney has come out of the closet. Yoko Ono shouldn't be blamed for breaking up the The Beatles or ripping John Lennon from what was labeled a brilliant writing partnership and friendship. RollingStone Magazine reports Paul recently told David Frost, "She certainly didn't break the group up," McCartney says, countering the commonly held belief that Ono caused the Beatles' dissolution. "I don't think you can blame her for anything," McCartney says, adding that Lennon was "definitely going to leave." McCartney also says Lennon wouldn't have written "Imagine" without the influence of Ono, a conceptual artist. "When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant garde side, her view of things," McCartney says. "She showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him. So it was time for John to leave."

The New Napster? Or Musicians Thinking They Can Do It On Their Own?

About eight years ago I got locked up in a conversation with Pat Monahan of the group Train; me being in radio and him carrying the weight of what makes radio attractive, you'd think our separate performances would be opposite sides of the tracks. That's what made the Green Room dialogue real. In 2004 Monahan understood the importance of both mediums. Although the Ipod and MP3 players were still babies and Napster fighting with Metallica had lost press. Radio hadn't truly crossed over to fully broadcasting on the internet. We had web pages blessed with podcasts and Best of Morning Show bits...but to go all out Pandora taking on I Heart Radio was nothing more than a pup tent at 6am. In every place I travel I'm shocked to meet listeners that are strong in their beliefs that great songs magically appear in the speakers of their car. I wish I could say Radio DJ's pop out a CD and play whatever they want. Those days were killed in the sudden darkness created by the Alan Freed, Dick Clark Payola scandal of the 1950's. Rather than cheat on listeners with an interview based on the same thoughts and processes easily read in every magazine, my conversation with Pat Monahan generated openness with a well scouted out purpose. Neither side of the playing field was going to walk away feeling their sport was better than. It was an agreement based on music sharing. Shove the current calendar toward this present day and 2012 could walk away the most dynamically reshaped mechanism found in probable continuation of music business sickness. People write and perform music everyday! And people need to get paid! Everybody including the receptionist taking calls at the studio where the tracks were laid. Have you enjoyed the music services of modern waves? Pandora, I Heart and Spotify have linked more fans of music back to the instruments that first introduced it. I'll never forget standing in my daughters kitchen where her famous stepmother discovered I Heart and couldn't believe pieces assumed lost forever were being reintroduced to the masses. I stood proud of Clear Channels push toward a new frontier. What many assumed was a peace train is about to crisscross lanes RollingStone Magazine reports Taylor Swift's Red may soon be the year's biggest-selling album, but it isn't on Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio or any of the other music-streaming services – and that's not surprising. Late last year, Scott Borchetta, founder of Swift's label Big Machine Records, suggested he'd approach Spotify like Netflix, airing movies weeks after they come out. "We're not putting the brand-new releases on Spotify," he told Rolling Stone at the time. "Why shouldn't we learn from the movie business? They have theatrical releases, cable releases. There are certain tiers. If we just throw out everything we have, we're done." Offering a streaming version of Swift's album for free via Spotify or Xbox Music, Borchetta argued, would cannibalize sales. However, Sachin Doshi, Spotify's head of development and analysis, points to Mumford & Sons' Babel as an example of the contrary: the album streamed eight million times in its first week, then sold 600,000 copies. "That goes to prove streaming services do not take away from unit sales and, in fact, can be additive for major artist releases," he tells Rolling Stone. "That's our point and we're sticking to it." Just as top artists such as the Beatles once held out from iTunes, Spotify, the free streaming service that launched in July 2011 in the United States, has to figure out how to grow without Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Metallica and AC/DC. In addition to Swift, the Black Keys and Adele are among the stars who've withheld new albums until weeks after their release dates. Other holdouts, including Bob Dylan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arcade Fire, caved in recent months after meetings with Spotify reps. "It wasn't a negotiation, it was more of a 'guys, here's what's happening,' and really showing them Spotify is beneficial," Doshi says. "They start to get it once they see the numbers." Spotify, which has 15 million users worldwide and four million paid subscribers, is part of a wave of services that have threatened to transform the record industry's business model from selling individual albums to streaming songs on demand. YouTube is by far the biggest such streaming service, although it makes money purely from advertising, not subscriptions – and most music, including Swift's Red, is available there for free. Record executives aren't worried about the holes in the catalogs of Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio or the others. "For years iTunes didn't have Madonna or Dave Matthews or the Beatles and did fine," says Alex Luke, executive vice president of A&R for the Capitol Label Group. "I would argue that the [streaming] space is still finding itself and the jury's still out on how big these services are going to get and whether or not a missing artist or a missing catalog will make a huge amount of difference. It didn't in the case of iTunes."

Rock's Freedom Of Speech But Axl Rose Won't Vote

I don't know why I'm wasting computer space on this but if I don't say something the weakest LINK in the battle of the Generations is gonna snap our asses in two... No matter what you think of or about Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Eddie Vedder supporting political candidates in Montana or Mitt pickin up some hits from Kid Rock...The biggest problem in America isn't the economy. Last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live proved how dead the center of the soul is in this society. Let me give you a better set up! Axl Rose, headmaster of Guns and Roses makes a one of a kind extremely rare appearance on Kimmel's late night show. The Rock frontman doesn't perform, choosing instead to share a few personal chapters about thumbing for rides into LA. I found it interesting that at the age of 19, he was one of the Dudes behind the counter at Tower Video. Then he clips the top off the sprouting fruit while Tweeting on live TV where he admits that he leans on the Democratic side of politics with Obama but has no plans to vote because California is such an overwhelmingly blue state. That's like saying, "I shop at Publix grocery store in Indian Land, SC because their bakery can't be beat. But you'll never catch me in a Publix because I bleed Harris Teeter." We've all grown numb to the brilliant stories of how our Grandparents and family friends fought hard to preserve the freedoms of this nation. Rarely we speak of what the Poet's did during the 60's. Axl's public announcement of supporting without wanting to vote is a pie in music's face. What if Dylan didn't care? I still get weak when the album version of American Pie from Don Mclean exposes its true identity. Ohio from CSN. John Lennon: "Imagine" Joni Mitchell: "Big Yellow Taxi" Leonard Cohen: "The Partisan" Marvin Gaye: "What's Going on?" Midnight Oil: "Beds Are Burning" Nena: "99 Luftballons" Pete Seeger: "Where have all the flowers gone?" Plastic Ono Band: "Give Peace a Chance" Public Enemy: "Fight the Power" Randy Newman: "Political Science" Rage Against the Machine: "Killing in the Name" Robert Wyatt: "Shipbuilding" Rolling Stones: "Gimme Shelter" Sex Pistols: "God Save the Queen" The Beatles: "Revolution" The Clash: "Know Your Rights" The Cranberries: "Zombie" The Jam: "Eton Rifles" The Police: "Invisible Sun" The Special AKA: "Free Nelson Mandela" Tracy Chapman: "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" U2: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Woody Guthrie: "This Land Is Your Land" 2,000 years ago they called them Profits... Poets with pens change lives too. Not just through journaling and published writings but through music. What they live becomes a lyric. What they see has the ability to feed the songs we sing. What they hear steers the out of control waves toward better understanding. The problem with Axl's comment is I'm hearing it from non-musicians, "Why should I stand in line when votes truly don't count. It didn't help Al Gore!" James Sullivan from RollingStone Magazine unveils the other side of the Political race... The few, the proud, the right-wing dudes with guitars: An exhaustive search by Rolling Stone's research team has found the rockers who actually cop to voting conservative, from Kid Rock to Ted Nugent and beyond. Read on for a guide to a few stars who probably won't be invited to D.C. if President Obama gets a second inauguration. Ted Nugent The Motor City Madman has made more headlines with his provocative far-right views than his music recently. "If the coyote's in your living room pissing on your couch, it's not the coyote's fault," Nugent said at an NRA convention in April. "It's your fault for not shooting him." Context suggested that the "coyote" in question was President Obama and his administration. The comment earned the Nuge a meet-and-greet with the Secret Service. Kid Rock After Mitt Romney made a pilgrimage to Kid Rock's Michigan home to secure the rap-rocker's coveted endorsement, Rock sang "Born Free" at a Romney rally – then played a fundraiser at a country club in Romney's hometown, where he was joined onstage by vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. "Look at this creator right here," Ryan said, praising "the fruit of his labor." Mike Love When longtime Republican Mike Love brought his version of the Beach Boys to a fundraiser for John McCain in 2008, the candidate sang an ill-advised take-off on the band's 1965 hit "Barbara Ann": "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." More recently, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston blew up at fans who asked him about President Obama at an autograph session. If he's reelected, said Johnston, "you're f*****." Gene Simmons The Kiss member argued that America should be run as a business when he appeared on Fox and Friends in August to plug his new restaurant chain, Rock and Brews. He also spoke out in support of Romney's economic policies: "No matter how much bellyaching everybody does, if you can't afford it, you shouldn't do it." Dave Mustaine Early this year, Megadeth's frontman suggested that he was leaning toward Rick Santorum during the GOP primaries: "He could be a really cool president, kinda like a JFK type of guy." Mustaine went full-on birther in a Canadian TV interview, where he announced, "I have a lot of questions about [President Obama], but certainly not where he was born. I know he was born somewhere else than America." He also floated a horrifying conspiracy theory that Obama was somehow behind the mass murders at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Joe Perry "I'm a definite old-school Republican," the Aerosmith guitarist declared recently. Then again, in the same interview, Perry said he was fed up with both political parties: ""Now it's all meshed together and you can barely figure out one side from the other." Johnny Ramone The late Ramones guitarist was a staunch Reaganite. After Joey and Dee Dee Ramone wrote 1985's "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," a swipe at his beloved president, he insisted that they change the name to "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down." Hank Williams Jr. When President Obama played a round of golf with Republican House Speaker John Boehner last year, the country scion outrageously compared it to "Hitler playing golf with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu." The indelicate comment cost Williams his longstanding Monday Night Football gig, but it didn't stop him from continuing to air his extremist positions: this summer, he told an Iowa crowd, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!"

Neal Schon's Guitar Outshines His Journey

When guitars begin to talk what then becomes the Poet's message? Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana have either hired or led bands that feature vocalists holding down the pages connected to a Poet's writing instrument. What if Jimi Hendrix had never sang? Did he really need to? Would Prince find his name higher in the books of Guitar History if what he had chosen to let his fingers carry the vocal ranges? Duane Allman, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and even George Harrison earned the right to write but might it have been more Mozart like if they'd not said anything? Neal Schon has finally released a collection of bad ass, ripped from the balls, G. licks that make total sense if what you makes you addicted to music are the five finger discounts that steals from your Rock driven soul. His most recent tour with Journey fan saw the perfect portrait of Carlos Santana in the way that Neal kept his steps in the back field allowing everybody but him be the lime in the light of success. It's not the first time a member of Journey has attempted to smoke a wad of solo-ism. Steve Perry stepped out and into Adult Contemporary Radio and never came back. Jonathan Cain all decked out in Jazz visualized life as a solo pianist while Randy Jackson with music's biggest bass guitar got all Hollywood glamorous on American Idol. Neal's first release The Calling instantly lets the air out of your passion for Steven Vai... some say it reminds them of Angus Young from AC/DC but nowhere does it come close to the true master Stevie Ray Vaughn. And yet if you knew the unspoken story of Neal Schon and where he traveled before formulating San Francisco's greatest 80's band...each bent note, mellow dramatic drag across perfectly tuned strings enhances the distance of how far music can be thrown without ever leaving a studio. IMDB.com paints a truer portrait of music's forgotten warriors... He was a guitarist in Carlos Santana's band Santana during its first commercial peak in the 60s, and played on the hits "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va" Journey was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6750 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Was invited by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominoes. However, he was advised against it by Carlos Santana when rumors of Clapton's heroin abuse surfaced. Personal Quotes With radio being in the state it is, I don't really feel the need to make a whole record just for that, and be looking at my watch saying, Okay, this guitar solo has been playing for ten seconds, that's enough. (In 2011) A lot of the stuff we've done since the eighties was slower, and with Faithfully or Open Arms or whatever, those songs are embedded in stone and people expect to hear them live... if they don't, they're gonna be pissed and throw shit at you. With this album, I wanted to write grooves that we don't have in our show, and not just make a new Separate Ways or Stone In Love. Once you've written it once, it's easy to repeat it - just move the chords around. It's really simple to do that, but at this point, I don't see the purpose of it. (On the "Eclipse" album) The Sacramento Bee writes: Produced by, and featuring, Schon on all guitars and bass, The Calling reunites Schon with former Journey band mate, Steve Smith, who lends his virtuoso drum talents to all 12 tracks on the new album and GRAMMY Award-winning special guest Jan Hammer (Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu Orchestra,) recorded Moog synthesizer solos on two tracks – Fifty Six and Tumbleweeds. Igor Len, an accomplished classical, jazz and film composer who had previously collaborated with Schon, is featured on acoustic piano throughout The Calling album. Recorded at Berkeley's famed Fantasy Studios during a break from Journey's busy touring schedule, Neal recorded the album completely from scratch in just four days. Neal once again teamed up with Dan Barnett (Journey: Live In Manila) to produce the video for the first single and title track from The Calling, filmed entirely in San Francisco and Marin County. The long-form video is available now at iTunes. See the video

Poisoned Souls Start With "That Song"

Do you remember where you were the moment you discovered Rock? Wait! Let's don't categorize it with NASCAR sponsored labels! Rock isn't a sticker. Rock isn't poster. Rock is an attitude. It's what you feel, see or pull from the core of raw earth set on fire by Marshall Amps bathed under six rows of extremely hot stage lights. Rock doesn't just happen...you're pulled in, then expected to find enough air to survive a lifelong journey overtaken by vines eternally connected to Alice In Wonderland style guitar keys and tuners dipped in sweat like a dog marks its territory. So, where were you when you first heard "That Song?" The sliver of soul that can't be easily erased from your rat race. You've become a prisoner to its hook that which scrapes the unprotected inner skin of your throat, thrashing it every time it mysteriously pops onto a set of speakers. For me? I can't shake Hotel California. My "First Time" was outside an IGA store in Billings, Montana. Two girls invited me to an outdoor movie. Terri and Linda grasped those guitar licks like an out of season addiction. That van was Rockin like Cheech and Chong going up in smoke. As did my Teenage dream; sitting in the center of two girls and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I fell asleep on them! I've had my share of "Dumb Luck" tunes as well. Those are the songs only you react to. It doesn't matter how hard you plead to the massive amounts of music fans around you, their reaction is always, "Never heard of it." I love the group April Wine! I pop on Say Hello and the excitement fades to a buzz kill. So I gotta ask... this Taylor Swift that's pretty much taken over your kids reasons for loving music. She writes, plays and sells out arenas like a legend of Rock. What if the whiff of metal one day tore up her insides like yours and mine and without the approval of her legions of fans Taylor Swift located a monkey wrench and tightened down the ship with a full dose of Rock? Would you hang out long enough or has your search for drum thumps and feedback been satisfied by sunsets and sunrises from a different time? The greatest thing about Taylor...she's made Social Media her connection. If Elvis had a Smart Phone or an IPod he would've fired Tom Parker. RollingStone Magazine reports on the evening of the release of her fourth album, Red, Taylor Swift pit-stopped at Manhattan's Skylight West to celebrate her partnership with Target for an exclusive deluxe edition that features three bonus studio cuts, two original demos and an acoustic version of album opener "State of Grace." Throngs of select teenage fans and corporate types mulled about the red-and-white hued space inspecting a dozen booths of Swift's "favorite things," including a candy buffet, photo stations and a CoverGirl makeup bar. Attendees convened at the lip of the main stage in anticipation of the country-pop princess' arrival listening to Red jams, including the sprightly "22" and the Nashville-cured "All Too Well." Following a brief introduction from TV personality Ross Matthews, the milk-voiced star emerged to greet fans who traveled from as far as Australia and Arizona. Sporting a sharp black cocktail dress and a severe fringe, Swift explained that she settled on the title for Red – which is saturated in tales from the romantic brink, including lead single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" – because it captures the breadth of feelings she experienced during the two years she recorded it. "Red, to me, is symbolic of really bold emotions, whether they be love emotions or hurt, anger, frustration, jealousy emotions. On either side, you're feeling the most intense amount of emotion," explained Swift, who wrote 30 to 35 songs for the project. "So these are really intense emotions for my songs, and I thought that would be the perfect title for it. I went to my record label and I was like, 'I want to call my album Red.' They shook their heads and said, 'Target's going to love this.' And here we are!" In the spirit of corporate cozying, Swift fielded questions from Twitter followers, including "What's the one word to describe how you're feeling today?" (Answer: "mystified.") The 22-year-old bopped along to the crunch-pop anthem "Girl at Home" and shed some insight into one of her patented John Doe breakup ballads, "The Moment I Knew." "That song is about the worst birthday party I ever had," she said. "My boyfriend just decided not to show up. And then we broke up. That's the story! It's going to be fine, I'll be OK." Referring to songwriting as her at-home therapy, the bubbly blonde waxed melancholy with the bonus track "Come Back . . . Be Here," a lesson in failing to take your own romantic advice. "It's a song I wrote about a guy that I met, and then you meet someone and then they kind of have to go away, and it's long distance all of a sudden," says Swift, who bemoans her intercontinental fling on the mid-tempo cut. "You're like, come back! Be here! It's something I face constantly." With upcoming appearances on The View and The Late Show with David Letterman, Swift capped the evening with a moment of gratitude. "I didn't think I had a shot at this," she admitted. "But the thing about a song is that it's a little message in a bottle, and you write something and you send it out into the world and maybe, someday, the person that you wrote that about, the person that you feel that about, might hear it. It's kind of romantic."

The Best "Live" Concerts versus The Best "Live" Albums...Who Wins?

We've talked about it a billion times while never locating a true answer. Who are the Top Ten current and past music acts that have or "have had" the strength to sell out a major world renowned arena under ten minutes? Before I leap into a "Live" Performance I'll start with asking...if you could go back in time which "Recorded" performance would fork out over $1000 a seat to see? KISS Alive I or II or III in Australia Frampton Comes Alive John Denver where he recorded Thank God I'm a Country Boy Metallica in San Francisco Grateful Dead Live/Dead Iron Maiden Live After Death Rush Exit Stage Left Cheap Trick Live at Budokan Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Now...lets perk up the bumpy bits with "Live" hits No particular order: Michael Jackson The Beatles Taylor Swift Jay Z with Beyonce Lady GaGa lil Wayne Madonna U2 Garth Brooks Justin Bieber Of those ten who gets cut by the unstoppable guitar licks and lyrics of The Rolling Stones? Mick and Keith just sold out their November 25th and 29th shows at London's O2 Arena in just seven minutes. Fans apparently snapped up the arena's least expensive seats, priced around $152, in just three minutes, while the priciest seats at around $601 were gone a few minutes later. The high traffic caused Ticketmaster to crash before the tickets had sold out. A holding page read, "We're experiencing high demand. You will be automatically directed to the page requested as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience." Resale websites are already listing tickets for as much as $20,050. Presale for the December 13th and 15th shows at Newark's Prudential Center will start tomorrow at noon EST, with a general on-sale following on October 26th.

Rock Stains From A Guitar Picks Past

We've entered the doors of the performance where Backstage Passes no longer need to be worn like knife scars or Duct taped to a beautiful woman's ass. The Internet is Jules Verne's Time Machine physically capable of taking you anywhere anytime there's video. The rate of the age race is based on passion and until your heart can no longer keep up, the final destination is always a firm grip on memories that can't slip. I stopped feeling guilty about watching YouTube video's when then digits below the Motley Crue moving pictures tallied beyond a million. That's all the permission I needed to relock and load my Rock. We really have hit that part of the game when those following us will begin to ask, "What was it like to see Springsteen after RollingStone Magazine declared him the future of music?" The first thing you're gonna do is whip out a Smart Phone or IPad and cascade the child with an avalanche of homemade videos. But you know deep inside that ain't s*** compared to being there live. As dangerous as it was to fight for your right to stand in the front row of Ted Nugent, Marshall Tucker or to fall witness to Tom Shultz and Brad Delp in Boston...I've yet to find enough space on a memory stick or hard drive that truly embraces what it was like when the roadies at a Jethro Tull show set those huge balloons free to be bounced back and forth by out of control Rock fantasies. No webpage can repaint the night we sat inside the Billings Metra with Seals and Croft whose show had been canceled due to a snow storm yet they were level enough with their egos to make music without bright lights and fog machines. Or hanging out with England Dan and John Ford Coley back at the hotel. They were there to preach the word of God and all I wanted was to talk about bass guitars and amplifiers. I didn't get to see The Electric Light Orchestra or Freddie Mercury. Nor did I get to rub up against hot drunk chicks at California festivals featuring The Doobies, Stones, Joplin, Hendrix or Clapton. Lord knows I've watched enough Rock video to put porn out of business though. I challenge you not to instantly run to the nearest computer but find a local record store where the younger steps of a newer future can relive what it was like to touch black vinyl before it made love with a diamond tipped needle. The scent of the inside sleeve, paper cuts that stained front and back album covers, musicians that took up shop in the veins that carry blood from my junk back to the heart and brain. The impression of what music once was will never match who they are today. I wanna see the shot of Taylor Swift flooded with sweat so thick it melts the paint on Gene Simmons face. KISS Alive II, Frampton Comes Alive and crap even a little John Denver stoked the spokes of my two wheel fuel injected Schwinn Stingray. Setting up the ultimate graveled alley bike jump to soar beyond the clouds like Evil Knievel didn't require just any loud sound but music the Master's of Gravity felt challenged to compete against. so I gave them extremely early AC/DC, Van Halen and Steppenwolf on 8-track. Nobody does this s*** any more. But one day you're gonna have to explain the mark on your leg, arm or across the chin and forehead. "Son...let me tell you how stained I became when the vibration of metal ripped itself free from the heart of a music maker... I've never been the same..." So...in the same out of tune way I present things... here it comes compliments of RollingStone Magazine an incredible 1970 Black Sabbath TV broadcast was taped. For many years bootlegs have claimed it was recorded on December 20th, 1970 at the Olympia in Paris, but knowledgable fans have pointed out the venue is way too small to be that theater. Some think it might be from Belgium in October of that year, but it's very hard to say for sure. It hardly matters. The pro-shot video captures Black Sabbath at the absolute peak of their powers. Paranoid presumably had only been on shelves for a matter of months (or even weeks), and the material is still fresh and shocking. Within a few years drugs, infighting and ego would start tearing the band apart, and the work suffered immeasurably. "We've got a number now called 'War Pigs,'" Ozzy says midway through the show. "It's a number off our new LP. Hope you like it, thank you." They proceed to tear though a nearly eight-minute version of the song that is absolutely explosive. Interestingly, the second and third stanzas of the song differs from the recorded version, perhaps providing evidence this show was cut before they finished the song in the studio in June of 1970. Pay attention to Bill Ward's drumming on the song. It's absolutely amazing, proving how vital he is to their sound. It's a tragedy that a lame business dispute kept him off the road this summer. If he's not playing drums on the new album and tour, the whole project will be tainted. So many classic bands are forced to tour today with partial lineups because members have died. Tony Iommi had a cancer scare this year, but he seems to be on the road to recovery. The band is exceedingly lucky all four members are alive and in playing shape. Imagine if Keith Moon were alive but he wasn't touring with the Who because they couldn't agree how to split the money. It would be the height of insanity, and an insult to the fans. The Sabbath camp should also put this "Paris" show out on DVD. It would be even more amazing with cleaned-up sound and picture. The Video

Chili Pepper's Toss Out The IPod And Rock Out Flea's Neighborhood

Do car mechanics bust out the tools on their own cars? How often do grocery store produce managers rearrange the fruit in their home refrigerator? I know for a fact that "Radio" people don't talk like Disc Jockeys in front of their neighbors. Oh wait... I've met quite a few. I guess that gives The Red Hot Chili Pepper's permission to play at Flea's backyard 50th birthday bash. RollingStone Magazine was invited to the festival where writer Steve Baltin reported the bassist did more than a shin dig for his day of birth but combined it with the anniversary the Silver Lake Conservatory, the Los Angeles music school to which he founded 11 years ago. For Flea, uniting the two to raise funds for the school was the perfect way to commemorate his milestone. "For this to happen on my 50th birthday tonight is the best gift I could ever hope to receive," he told Rolling Stone before the show, which featured an intimate set by the Chili Peppers. A devout believer in music education, Flea calls the conservatory "the best thing in my life" and has taught at the school during downtime from the Chili Peppers. "A big part of my life is music education because it changed my life – but arts, academics and athletics should all be equally treated in the school," he said. "There are all different kinds of kids and those three things are all vital towards the generation of kids coming up to be happy, productive good citizens... I always think of this one kid that I taught for a while, bounced around from foster home to foster home and institutions and was so troubled. I would go to see him in places where he lived in these institutions and it was rough, hard to come out of that. [But] he loved it and now he's at USC, thriving." Flea was feeling especially thankful throughout the night, due in part to opening act Rancid. The punk band's singer, Tim Armstrong, is a supporter of the school and also attended it as a student. "Tim studied there, he took lessons there – he was taking flamenco or something," Flea said. "Tim's cool [and] those guys showed up. They played for us before, paid for everything, gave us all the merch, everything. Those guys are so generous – they're, like, walking the walk, dude." Rancid stepped up even more last night with a 30-minute set that bridged the sit-down dinner with the concert portion of the evening. It included a surprise performance from Ben Harper, who turned his cover of "Hallelujah" into "Happy Birthday" while a giant birthday cake featuring a stand-up bass was brought out for Flea. The evening included several other enticements, including an auction of two original pieces of art, one from Banksy and the other from Takashi Murakami; each net over $100,000. Around 10:30 p.m., the auction closed down, the food stopped and the main event that brought out celebrities from Owen Wilson and Ed Norton to Rick Rubin took place: the Chili Peppers played Flea's backyard. Opening with "Can't Stop," the band used the intimate space to show off their more experimental elements, with a drum and bongo solo leading into I'm With You's "Monarchy of Roses" and Flea playing some jazzy basslines while seated during "Soul to Squeeze." The Chilis also did a sterling cover of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" that featured superb harmonies – no coincidence, as Flea told Rolling Stone that his dream guest performer for the conservatory is Young. As the benefit unfolded, the second presidential debate aired live, and Flea took the opportunity to stress how politicians should lend support to his causes. "The last thing that should happen is funding cut for education; it should be increased. We need to put more money towards education and anything else is abusive," he said backstage. "The most important thing to me with any politician is that they don't start wars, but education is a big part of that, too, because educated people are less likely to do stupid, violent things." Before the Chili Peppers wrapped up with "By the Way," an emotional Flea thanked the crowd. "It's been kind of an overwhelming experience for me," he told them. "It feels really meaningful and poignant to have everybody come out and support."

Too Much "Rock" In The Vote

Shouldn't the "Law" of the land read: Separation between Church, State and Rock n Roll? Who am I trying to fool? Dylan, John Lennon and Bono are Poet's with pens. Artists are born to move people without having to be elected into office. DC's umbilical cord has always hung in Hollywood. It doesn't matter whose team you're playing for as long as there's financial support. Musicians, actors, screenwriters and producers act more like Father's ordered to pay Child Support than physically leading a movement. You don't have to agree with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello's stand against Big Business and Public Policy to take note of his commitment. I see a picture and instantly think, "That man can never be accused of being afraid to bare his heart in front of American people." I laughed when NBC 36 in Charlotte reported Foo Fighters were paid $40,000 plus for their final night appearance at the Democratic Convention. Dave! You had me believin! I mean wow! It was the same song the Republican's used during the last elections which pissed you off loudly, proudly and outstanding! If dollars and cents were the common sense required to fire up the night did ya forget to make the offer or did the Democrats steal the deal by going all out proper? I get it! Prophets and Poet's know the waves that crash against the scoring shores. But what happens when the wishy waters of needed change become tainted with dissolution and oversaturated musical intrusion? How many music maker's does it take to get a man re-elected? How much is it costing supporters? Giving money to political groups is no different than dropping fifty bucks in the church plate on Sunday. Once you relinquish control it's a serious no no to wanna know where the cha ching is dinging. Tom Morello's shadow matches the drapes and carpet. When you pace between these next thoughts printed by RollingStone Magazine; ask yourself two questions: Where in the past four years did any of them do anything beyond the nearest reach of their record companies? If the mentioned musicians are truly politically involved with honest to God passion to brighten up the paint on the walls of a America; why are schools still losing music programs? The debate I wanna see: Bono, Morello, Gene Simmons, Springsteen and Sean teamed up with Yoko Ono. Immediately following the show the polls will be open for six hours. Alright! Enough! Here's Steve Knopper's story: For most of this year, liberal rock stars have supported President Obama's reelection campaign in behind-the-scenes ways: the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave a private performance for 1,200 campaign staffers in Cleveland in April, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder appeared at a $20,000-per-ticket fund-raiser in Tampa, Florida, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé hosted a $40,000-per-seat Manhattan fund-raiser last month. Even Bruce Springsteen, who had publicly campaigned for Democrats in 2004 and 2008, said he would sit out this year. But as the election between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney has tightened over the past month, top musicians have abruptly jumped back on board. Springsteen reversed himself last weekend, announcing an October 18th appearance with former President Bill Clinton in Parma, Ohio; Jay-Z released a campaign video this week; and Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Hudson all performed at a campaign event in Los Angeles earlier this month. "It's because it's getting down to the stretch," says Death Cab for Cutie manager Jordan Kurland, who along with author Dave Eggers launched the "90 Days, 90 Reasons" campaign to support the president. "Whether it was a planned thing or [the race] is tightening, now is when the big guns are coming out and doing these large public events." Until recently, rock-star support for President Obama's re-election had been less loud and public than it was in 2008. During that campaign, the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am wrote a song about Obama, invited a Hollywood A-list to sing along, and turned "Yes We Can" into a viral anthem. Heavy hitters from Springsteen to Wonder played high-profile swing-state concerts in '08, and Democratic convention week drew all-star performances by dozens of top musicians, including Kanye West, Dave Matthews, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow. "It's probably a little less exciting to be going for the incumbent versus going for dramatic change," says R&B singer John Legend, an Ohio native who performed at seven or eight Obama events both this year and in 2008. "It's kind of not in the DNA of a rock star to be pro-incumbent. I don't think that means people are not going to vote for him in the entertainment business. It's just less sexy to talk about it." Obama officials maintain that top musicians are participating as enthusiastically as ever. In 2008, the president spent many months fighting a primary battle, utilizing musicians' support long before the general election; this year, he didn't even know who his opponent would be until May. Only in the last month or two have major stars begun turning out for large public concerts. "As we've turned our efforts to voter registration and getting out the vote, you've seen a shift away from fund-raising to grassroots events," says Marti Adams, the campaign's director of event communications. "We're leveraging these artists' popularity to convert their fans into supporters, and mobilize and activate different constituencies." In most cases, Obama officials say, celebrities contact the campaign to offer support, and both camps work together to take advantage of a performer's strengths and schedule. In July, for example, Alicia Keys headlined a rally for women voters in Philadelphia; in August, Marc Anthony opened an Obama campaign office in Miami's Little Havana; last month, Trey Songz performed a "Gotta Vote" concert in Richmond, Virginia; James Taylor is doing an eight-show North Carolina tour; and My Morning Jacket and the Walkmen have arranged through the campaign to set up swing-state Obama shows during tours. One other crucial difference between 2012 and 2008 is technology. Last time, the campaign revolved around YouTube ("Yes We Can"), while this time it's all about Twitter (Katy Perry tweeting a photo of Obama's image on her fingernails). "We have different tools," will.i.am tells Rolling Stone on a phone call from his voter-registration tour through Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green and Columbus. "You have to realize, YouTube was every two hours. Now we have a different immediacy, and that's Twitter, and that's every two seconds. I couldn't use Twitter the way I used 'Yes We Can' for YouTube. It wouldn't be effective. It's the attention span of every single American citizen with a smartphone in their hand that refreshes every second. It's a totally different world." Also new in 2012: disenfranchised liberals, many of them artists and, yes, musicians, who expected more from the president. Singer-songwriter Steve Earle, who performed at the "Baracklyn" fund-raiser earlier this month at New York's Brooklyn Bowl, has been touring the country trying to soothe this constituency. "If you're afraid of voting for Barack Obama, never fear, because I'm a socialist, and you can trust me," he tells crowds. "All the artists that I know that have decided they're disappointed with this presidency and aren't going to support it – they're artists who are as radical as me," Earle tells RS after calling from a tour stop in New Orleans. "He's a super-super-super-moderate candidate, and I'm not a super-moderate. But I can vote for him." "It's a little more romantic to support somebody who's trying to be president than to support someone trying to be reelected. It just is," adds industry veteran Danny Goldberg, who manages Earle as well as leftist rocker Tom Morello. "Most of the [musicians] who supported Obama last time are supporting him this time. I don't think there's been any sea change."

Mom! Gene Simmons and Steven Tyler Are Fighting!

The group KISS... Without the aid of Joel Whitburn, Casey Kasum, Eddie on That Metal Show and every Late Night Classic Rock Radio Jock still pulling off a "Live" performance...how do you "Personally" describe who and what Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are? And I'm not settling on the typical, "A 70's band!" Making such a claim doesn't scratch the paint off the walls of their KISS-story! Simmons and Stanley on mid-80's MTV tore up just as many built in television speakers as Motley Crue' setting fire to She's Got Looks That Kill and Shout At The Devil. In the age of VHS tapes meets Beta recorders, I remember impatiently waiting for hours to capture I Love It Loud. Without a doubt I'd end up choking up a fur ball that resembled Cindi Lauper, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Rick Springfield. Hey it was Music TV and that meant upping their popularity game to win ratings points which in return were sold in thought form to potential clients needing Teen dollars without common sense. Whether you bought into the KISS concept in 1975, Unmasked in 1995 or feel no need to waste energy on Tommy Thayer shooting flames from his guitar strings dressed like Frehley. Who and what is KISS in your book of Rock experiences? At anytime have you been convinced otherwise that Gene and Paul weren't Comic Book characters? When has Gene "not" said that he and Paul fed the fires of mid-70s Rock creativity with the very fuel Marvel Comics has crafting since 1939? Has it kept KISS from Cleveland's Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? In an interview post in my Rock Jock Blog last week; the Star Child came clean, "It would be nice for the fans if they were there but on a professional level such recognition isn't required." That being said...RollingStone Magazine has unveiled a new page in the KISS rage other people like to start. A War Of Words officially declared by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Both Hall of Famer's ripped into Kiss in a radio interview with Florida radio station the Bone, calling their former tourmates a "comic book rock band." After host Cowhead expressed his disappointment in Kiss' set during a coheadline show with Aerosmith "a couple years ago," Tyler began to ridicule the flashy rockers. "Kiss is a comic book rock band and they got a couple hits but they're more of a comic book. You see them in their spackled faces," remarked Tyler. "It's theater," interjected Perry. "We were always a band that had something to prove we always wanted to blow up whatever band it was and I remember when we went out with Kiss in '76 or something, one of our roadies got into a knife fight with their guys. So I hated them ever since," continued Tyler. "It is different: a Kiss lick, a Joe Perry lick – two different worlds, and sometimes depending on the time of day get offended. I hear that and I go, 'Yeah, that's alright. Do they really mean it? And what's this all about?' And that's why I think Aerosmith has been around forever, we really do take ourselves seriously." "It's two different animals, they went the theatrical way and used rock and roll kind of as their soundtrack and for Aerosmith, the music is our show," added Perry. "It's apples and oranges." Whatcha thinkin? Does it carry enough weight to waste hate? Should such verbal behavior be labeled Grumpy Old Men?

Can David Letterman Survive Without Paul Shaffer?

Johnny Carson might not have made it without Ed McMahon. Just as much as Jimmy Fallon would find himself stumbling if the World Famous Roots walked. I never watched Conan for the twelve foot tall redheaded wise cracking cartoon character, I DVR-ed the NBC late night lineup for former Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg and the enormously funny stunts he'd participate with. While hosting the morning show on 95.1 in Charlotte, NC in 1991...a "Radio" consultant clearly called me a failure until I convinced station managers and owners to hire the elements that make up hardcore 3-D. No show can be a ratings success without a Dick, a Dork and a Deer. So what happens when Paul Shaffer pops his clutch into neutral and retires from The David Letterman Show? Will the wise ass that got his break hoisting weather fronts of maps finally see the light of retirement? Letterman's musical director Paul Shaffer recently told TV Guide Canada that a departure from the show could be a couple years away when his contract expires. "We've been on 30 years so now we've got another two years . . . I'm going to be certainly ready to lie down after that, take a nap," said Shaffer. "But once again, life is nutty – anything can happen. I've been so lucky and blessed to be working this long in show business. And whatever happens now is just gravy to me." Shaffer, who recently hosted Canada's Walk Of Fame awards, noted how his experience on Letterman prepared him for his new gig. "I learn from Letterman every night," he said. "I got a ringside seat, watching still the quickest guy in show business. The one thing I know about him is [he] doesn't like anything to be faked. He doesn’t say you know, 'Let's pretend we’re getting a call.' He hates that. He'll say to the audience, 'I'm getting a fake call now.' I think the audience appreciates that." "I've never had a plan for the future," added Shaffer. "So we'll see what happens."

Foo Fighters Call It Quits...

In 33 years of radio I've done a fair share of "Going out of Business" commercials for furniture stores, car lots, sports equipment and grocery store chains. But I've never been asked to read a script for a famous band calling it quits. Do you think that's because nobody really believes it? I mean how do you slam jam the concept of stoppage into the sixth gear of conclusion? All through high school Y-93 in Billings, Montana forked out Eagles tunes like they owned them and every time we'd get hooked up in a conversation about Hell having to freeze over before they'd bury the hatchet. You don't need me to remind you of what happened because it's been the same ole song for The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and no matter how much you want to fight about it Jimmy Page and Robert Palmer did play that "one" night. So are you shocked that Dave Grohl latched onto the Foo Fighters Facebook page and offcially confirmed they would be taking a hiatus? This followed his onstage comments at the Global Citizen Festival in New York led to rumors of a break-up. Hey everyone . . . Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you . . . Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn't think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But . . . I can't give up this band. And I never will. Because it's not just a band to me. It's my life. It's my family. It's my world. Yes . . . I was serious. I'm not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it's a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It's one of the reasons we're still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it's good to just . . . put it back in the garage for a while . . . But, no gold watches or vacations just yet . . . I'll be focusing all of my energy on finishing up my Sound City documentary film and album for worldwide release in the very near future. A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I've ever worked on. Get ready . . . it's coming. Me, Taylor, Nate, Pat, Chris, and Rami . . . I'm sure we'll all see you out there . . . somewhere . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . So where do we go from here? Should we be saving up some bucks for the comeback or let it lay around in an IPod blessed with sweat? Will fans quickly forget, forgive and or feel a need to embrace it? If we react does that mean we owe Justin Bieber the same love?

Should Rock Stars Ever Say, "I'm Sorry?" Stevie Nicks Just Did

There used to be a time when being Politically Correct sat in a salt shaker wishing and hoping to one day be spread over the digestion system of the American population. If you got caught faking a smile, it was from the ground you'd pick yourself up from because not saying it was just as bad as letting it slip through your lips. The Dixie Chicks should've just blown up their tour bus after spoutin without poutin a true to life feeling dealing with President George Bush, "We're ashamed the President Of The United States is from Texas." Did Baby Boomer's truly forgive John Lennon for being true to his view, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity." Frank Zappa seemed to survive in the days after saying, "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." Another Frank, this one names Sinatra shared with reporters, "Rock 'n Roll: The most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear." Elvis was ordered to stop moving his hips on national television to which he replied, "Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I can't help it." Like him or not Ted Nugent has always been hot, "I am Classic Rock Revisited. I revisit it every waking moment of my life because it has the spirit and the attitude and the fire and the middle finger. I am Rosa Parks with a Gibson guitar." Um...do you remember what Courtney Love shouted out to the world, "What makes the most money for this business? Dead rock stars." You gotta love Billy Joel, "The whole world loves American movies, blue jeans, jazz and rock and roll. It is probably a better way to get to know our country than by what politicians or airline commercials represent." Ok... that brings us to Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac's golden child has stepped in a giant pile of "She said what?" But instead of wearing it well she's played with the smell. RollingStone Magazine reports Stevie's "truly sorry" for her aggressive statements towards Nicki Minaj after Minaj reportedly threatened Mariah Carey on the American Idol set. "How dare this little girl!... If I had been Mariah, I would have walked over to Nicki and strangled her to death right there." Today, Stevie Nicks backtracked. "I want to apologize for my remarks about Nicki Minaj's behavior toward Mariah Carey, which I said during a long and exhausting day of interviews. It was out of character for me and I deeply regret what I said. I feel very protective toward Mariah Carey, who has gone through many difficulties in her life, and I spoke without thinking. I think all artists should be respectful toward one another and that includes me. I am truly sorry."

Real Ghost Chaser's By Way Of Art

Everybody's got a secret dark side. A skeleton in the closet. Something odd. It nervously rests inside a hauntingly yet brilliantly dusty corner shelf nicknamed me, myself and I...until the slight light of the moon exposes the unnoticed face stepping through the fog cautiously interrogating the whereabouts of how it was that you became. I do hundreds of pushups and sit up's in John Boy and Billy's bathroom. It's the only place I won't be followed! I call it my meditation! Kind of like a Runner's high. But what's so dark about that? How about this...I sit next to extremely busy highways where people have lost their lives and write. I believe their spirit is still walking and through writing they speak beyond sight. What's your dark side? What about you invites fright to the party? You know whose pretty freaky? Metallica's Kirk Hammett who at six-year-old started collecting horror memorabilia, inspired by a love of old zombie flicks. RollingStone Magazine reports fans have an opportunity to peek inside his ghoulish trove with Too Much Horror Business: The Kirk Hammett Collection (Abrams Image), the rocker's new coffee-table book featuring over 300 images of his prized possessions. "I can't be the solitary collector," Hammett tells Rolling Stone. "It's time for me to share it with the world." Hammett goes in depth with writer Steffan Chirazi throughout the 224-page book, explaining how he built an impressive collection that includes Frankenstein masks, Rodan and Ghidorah models and vintage film posters from The Day of the Triffids, The Mummy and Blacula – among countless other treasures. While Hammett is keeping busy with the new book and his very own toyline – KVH, based on his spooky alterego, Kirk Von Hammett – he's still focused on his Metallica duties, from the 3D movie the band shot in Canada last month to mapping out their next LP. "Once we're done with [the movie], we're going to start hunkering down and putting riffs together," Hammett says. "That's all going to happen soon." You've been collecting for decades. Why did you decide to put out a book now, and how did you go about putting it together? Everything that's in the book is stuff that is actively in my collection. I've been into horror movies ever since I was five years old. I started collecting horror-related stuff when I was six years old – monster magazines, comic books and whatnot. Over the last five years or so, I started to get a few items that made my collection just that much better. I mean, really raised the overall quality of my collection. I thought, "I can't be the solitary collector. It's time for me to share it with the world." So this book is my gift to all the other monster kids and all the horror nerds out there, who love this stuff as much as I do. The whole idea was to not just make a book filled with images, but also to interject some of my personality into it, so it made it a little bit more personable. So there's interviews with me discussing collecting in general. There's pictures of me with my collection, and there's also a picture of my horror persona, "Kirk Von Hammett" – which is me in ghoul makeup. I hope people will not be disappointed with it. I put my heart and soul into this book, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I should be – I fucking went through every little positioning of all the pictures and every little word and grammatical stuff. Everything from cover to cover. It really has been a labor of love, and I'm just very proud of it. What can fans expect from your toy line? The first toy to come out will be a figure based on my Kirk Von Hammett persona. We're also going to make other toys that have a tie-in with the book, or are images from movies that are in my book. It's going to be pretty cool, because I've always wanted to make toys. It's my attempt to have a cool toy line that makes horror-related monster toys. We recently asked our readers to pick the Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time, and they voted four Metallica albums onto the list, with Master of Puppets claiming the top spot. Amazing. Totally and completely amazing to me. That album, for me, is my favorite Metallica album. We had been playing together as a band with that lineup for about three years. We were definitely peaking, and Master of Puppets, in my opinion, was the sound of a band really gelling and really learning how to work well together. At the time, we were just making another album. We had no idea it would have such a range of influence that it went on to have. It was the first time that we could spend time in the studio and work on guitar sounds for a couple of days, really experiment with different sounds and overdubs. It was just a good time for me . . . and I played a lot of poker with [late bassist] Cliff Burton in the studio. We'd just play poker, wait for Lars to finish a track – which would sometimes be days – and we'd be bored. How was Cliff at poker? He was a pretty good poker player. But if he lost too much, he'd get pissed and start swearing and get up and walk away. He was a little bit of a sore loser when he wasn't winning. Lars Ulrich has said that a new Metallica LP probably won't arrive until 2014. What's the status of the album now? Are there any plans to have Rick Rubin produce it? Right now, we're kind of preoccupied with dealing with this 3D movie that we shot up in Canada last month. So that's kind of taking our time right now – that's the priority, to deal with that. But once we're done with that, we're going to start hunkering down and putting riffs together. That's all going to happen soon. I really don't have an answer about Rick Rubin, although his name certainly comes up. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's debut album, Kill 'Em All. What was a typical day like for you guys during the album's recording? Get up with a hangover, go down to the studio and try to figure out what song we were going to do next, and try to do it in a very timely fashion. We made that album in, like, three weeks, or something crazy like that. There wasn't a whole lot of time for experimentation or anything like that. It was pretty much a case of go down there, try and play it as best as you can, and then move on to the next song. We didn't have any time to do any fancy production or anything. It was very much just go in there, do it, get out, then buy a bunch of pizza and vodka. Is it true that the album cut "Whiplash" was Kurt Cobain's favorite Metallica song? Absolutely. He told me that himself. He came to one of our shows in Seattle, on the Black Album tour. I remember at one point, we were playing "Whiplash," and he looked at me and kept punching the air with his fist, and gave me a big thumbs-up sign. I was like, "Cool. Kurt, I know you love this song. This one's for you!" I knew Kurt kind of well, and I hung out with him quite a bit. He was a pretty big Metallica fan – I was surprised at how much of a Metallica fan he was. He loved Ride the Lightning. He loved that album. Photos: Inside Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett's 'Horror Business'

The Longest KISS In KISS-tory continues

What are you supposed to do when the one thing you love about "Life" still means packing on the paint and hitting the stage? You feed it right? The modern bite out of reality? Trying to enhance the importance of fans willing enough to stand in concert lines to dig beyond their right to Rock n Roll all night and buy into a groups newest shape of musical exploration. What does it take to get YouTube junkies to purchase full album downloads on ITunes and Amazon.com? Music departments at Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy look more like forgotten stepsisters with warts and blisters rather dynasty's dripping with blood, guts and sweat. Guess what hit the stands today? Some brand new KISS! RollingStone Magazine's Steve Appleford busted bread with front man Paul Stanley... Nearly four decades on, Kiss remain an ongoing and unlikely rock & roll success story, standing high on platform heels and painted in kabuki black-and-white, unloading fireballs and grinding hard-rock hooks around the world. Led by founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Kiss has been back touring arenas and stadiums since the mid-Nineties, but the onetime platinum-selling quartet finally returned to the studio as a fully functioning recording unit with 2009's Sonic Boom. The band has a new album, Monster, released today by Universal, and produced by singer-guitarist Stanley. He's taken the leadership role in the studio, and he wouldn't have it any other way, guiding Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer to a sound that's loud and swaggering. It's given Kiss some new material to chew on for their ongoing road show, which just ended a successful tour across North America with Mötley Crüe. "We're best off prowling the stage," Stanley tells Rolling Stone, during an interview about the new album, the current state of Kiss and the music that first inspired him. The makeup hasn't changed much since the Seventies, and neither has the attitude: "It's the embodiment of everything I am and have nurtured and created. I look in the mirror and go, 'Hey, there's Paul Stanley – he's so fuckin' cool!'" You took the producer's role beginning with the last record, Sonic Boom. What did that mean for Kiss? Democracy in the studio is overrated. What you wind up getting is compromise on everybody's part, which means that nobody has their way, and that means nobody wins, including the fans. I thought it was really important, and in my mind it was a deal-breaker – if I wasn't going to produce the albums, we weren't going to do albums at this point. Somebody had to set parameters and boundaries and voice expectations. To make sure everybody was committed, some things had to be spelled out. It didn't change anything. I think we had more fun. All the cards were on the table and everybody knew what the game plan was. We're more productive. I never thought being the producer was being the dictator. It means being the director and being the coach. It's a way of keeping everybody focused on the goal, and also having final say. Everybody can be in the same car, but somebody has to drive. You must have thought something was missing from Kiss albums. It's important to make sure [Kiss] is everyone's primary focus. One way of doing that was to say "no outside writers." We recorded everything facing each other in a room. There's no substitute for collaboration within a band. We all like each other and enjoy each other's company and respect what each other is capable of doing. I didn't get the producer role by default. I read some comment from Gene that he doesn't have the patience anymore, so he was happy to have me do it. The truth of the matter is, there wouldn't have been any albums if it had been any other way. It isn't as if Kiss never wrote any hits on your own. How did you get into the habit of having outsiders contribute? There were times where we weren't quite as focused. It's great to have talented people come in and ignite a spark and perhaps point you in a direction you might not normally go. That's great in its time. Look, Desmond [Child] and Diane [Warren], off the top of my head, are incredible talents and good friends of mine. But at this point, it was more important for us to dig deep and define who we are as an entity. What was your plan for Monster? I wanted to make an album that really harkened back to why I got into this in the first place. I was lucky enough as a kid to spend most of my weekends at the Fillmore East. On a great night, that was like a Holy Roller evangelical church. When rock & roll is done with that fervor, it's close to gospel. That's what I wanted to go for with this album – passion as opposed to perfection. James Brown wasn't perfect. Motown, the Beatles, the Stones, Zeppelin, early Elvis – I wanted to maintain the essence of it, getting a first, second or, if you really had to push it, a third take and record on analog tape and capture the intensity of what you're doing, and not compromise it. Was there a particular night at the Fillmore East that changed your life? It's so incredible to think of how many amazing bands were featured there on a weekend. Tickets were $3, $4, $5, so it was a safe bet to go on any weekend, because there were three acts. I remember Traffic, Iron Butterfly and Blue Cheer. Derek and the Dominos, or the Who with Buddy Guy opening, or Jimi Hendrix with Sly and the Family Stone opening. The bills were just crazy. They were eclectic, and it made it so much more fun. The diversity of it was like going to a buffet. There was no monotony. You could see Led Zeppelin with Woody Herman's Orchestra opening. That's cool! You recorded Monster on analog tape? And as much vintage gear as possible. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. I have nothing against technology. When technology trumps emotion and feel, when somebody will tell you something is good by looking at a computer screen rather than seeing if they're sweatin' or tapping their foot, I'm out of there. We recorded analog and we sat around with our amps next to us. It was great. It's always exciting when you're doing something without any input from outside sources. Nobody heard the album until it was done. I wasn't interested in what anybody else thought. There were three other guys in the room whose opinions I valued, and that was it. The last Foo Fighters album was recorded on analog, too. Are you expecting others to do the same? Yeah, when it becomes clear that people have strayed from what the essence of what we're doing. As a matter of fact, I was talking to Dave Grohl this morning when we dropped our kids off at school. He's doing a documentary [about the studio Sound City], on the great history of it. The music and the people it inspired were recorded on tape. They didn't have pedal boards where you push a button on the right and it gives you cappuccino. Gear that looks like Star Trek isn't what any of our heroes played on. If you can't get a great sound with your guitar plugged into an amp, you need a new guitar or a new amp. The album starts off with a snarl with "Hell or Hallelujah." Our albums usually start with a song that's almost a battle cry. It sums up what the album's going to be like. "Hell or Hallelujah" immediately became the frontrunner. It's timeless. It doesn't matter how rich, how old, what your lot in life is – you have to stand up for yourself and stake your ground. That shouldn't change. I'm still a rebel, but being a rebel doesn't mean that you have to fight anything. You just live your own way. "Eat Your Heart Out" opens with a bit of a cappella, and has that recognizably Kiss vocal harmony. It's just classic harmony. Even as a little kid, when everybody was playing cowboys and Indians, I was in the house either watching Alan Freed or Dick Clark. Somebody else wanted to be Hopalong Cassidy, I wanted to be in Dion and the Belmonts. You go back to doo-wop and that worked its way into the Everly Brothers, and the Everly Brothers gave us the Beatles. Those triad harmonies are elementary, and also pretty classic. Has the writing process for Kiss changed over the years? On the last two albums, we wrote together, and that really hadn't happened with the same spirit or the same surrender of ego for a long time. Plus, Tommy [Thayer] is in the mix, and he should not be underestimated. There's a great riff on "Wall of Sound" that's Tommy's. Tommy had a lot of input. This is the embodiment of everything Kiss wanted to be or intended to be. We're well aware of what we've done in the past, and we celebrate it every night. We're also living in the present and looking to the future. Kiss has been pretty active on the road for years, but only recently have you been back in the mode of recording new music. What changed? The stability of the band. We've been together long enough that it seemed a shame not to take advantage of what we were doing as a live band and transferring that to the studio. The band's just great at this point. Psycho Circus, which was the last album [in 1998, with the reunited original band] prior to Sonic Boom, was such a debacle and such a nightmare – in essence you had two guys in the studio trying to make a Kiss album while talking to two other guys' lawyers. And those lawyers didn't play well. After that album, I was torn between never going into the studio again and having to go in the studio again. Fans had waited a long time for that album to begin with. It was started with the best of intentions, but just like the reunion tour – it was done with high hopes and the glimmer that perhaps we could pick up where we left off and soldier forward. Unfortunately, the same problems, the same dysfunctions, and the same tolls took some of those guys back down. Do you have contact now with original members Peter Criss or Ace Frehley? No. It's not out of animosity. It just has no point in my life today. Safe to say, the band wouldn't be here without those guys having been in it. The band also wouldn't be here today if those guys were still in it. I respect and love what we created together, but that was a long time ago. Some of your fans are openly upset that Kiss hasn't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Does it bother you? Or indicted into the Hall of Fame. No, because I think it's so transparent. You have the East Coast music Mafia – they are clearly more motivated by each other than reality. Filling their criteria is leaving them at this point some pretty slim pickings. Would we accept? Of course, because it matters to our fans. So I would be gracious. But honestly, it means nothing to me. My life is far beyond anything I could have anticipated and will continue to be so without a new doorstop. You just put out a $4,000 Kiss book. When people talk about Kiss licensing, they often point to Kiss Kondoms and the Kiss Kasket. Do you have a favorite item of unusual Kiss merchandise? Clearly, some of the things we do are not to be taken too seriously, except by the people who hate us. For that alone, it's worthwhile doing. The fact that our merchandise sells so incredibly well is not because we're marketing geniuses. We listen to our fans. Why not give them what they want? We're Kiss. We set the boundaries. Our fans understand that, and the people that don't like us want to tell us the definition of rock & roll, and I'll tell you I'm living it.

Rockin The Real Vote: Vote Rush For The RnR Hall Of Fame

I don't know why I've chosen to Blog about this! Maybe a huge supply of low flying Wizard Of Oz Monkeys decked out in Rock God uniforms have threatened to plop down a serious set of guitar bars and out of tune notes if I don't. Anything connected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is a great reason to verbally Tae Kwon Do. There's more political nonsense taking place then a U.S. Presidential election! Don't be shocked if an out of control sudden release of black computer printer ink slips from the veins of over hyped R-N-R Fame talk. It's that time of year! Just like Back To School and Thanksgiving; the official unveiling of inductees is released unto the world to do nothing more than piss off the people that should be voting...fans and parents who had to put up with those fricken teenage years of cheap strings, pounded til they're thin drum heads and vocal chords that sound raspier than six shots of Jack Daniel kissing herbs and special spices. Judgment has never belonged to the innocence of an album cover. Just as much as I-Tune downloads and illegal uploads of your favorite metal on YouTube shouldn't harness a place in Hall of Fame history. Please don't go any further into this Blog. Not unless you've recently sniffed El-Marco pens, airplane glue or popped enough Sudafed to alert the Wal-Mart over the counter police. Basically meaning; again and again the allergic reaction to decisions made behind closed doors cannot be digested and or filtered through the human system without walking on thin white lines of escapisms. Why aren't there more fans of music frothing at the mouth over Cleveland's lack of supporting the name of their most famous building? Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is not this year's nominees Donna Summer, Randy Newman or Joan Jett and the Black Hearts. I hate myself for loving the Runaways! I love Rock N Roll was a sack of Pop Rocks required after nearly falling off a cliff designed by the makers of My Sherona and Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl. Gene Simmons and KISS still can't get in. Tom Shultz and Brad Delp from Boston! Total no votes! The Hall should be based on the volume of bass shot from a stack of L-1 Bose tower speakers. At 50 I still crank the volume to piss off the neighbors! Oh wait! I get it...the Hall of Fame is about selling tickets to the front door. Then let's get some K-Tel masterpieces in there like Fox on the Run from Sweet, Radar Love by Golden Earring, Renegade by Styx and Carry On Wayward Son from Kansas. These are some of the biggest woofer blasters created by man! Not Le-Freak from Chic! I don't know maybe I should have another Starbuck's latte. I mean, it's not as bad as it could be. Deep Purple finally got a nomination. As did Procol Harum and Rush. The top vote-getters will be inducted on April 18th, 2013 at the Nokia Theater L.A. live in Los Angeles. The biggest and best news is for the first time, the public gets to vote alongside the artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. Wait wait wait! They've already selected the nominees. Your vote comes in after they've already made the selection. Talk about sleeping in a Rock Star wanna-be's vomit! From now until December 3rd, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they'd like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a "fan's ballot" that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2013. The results will be announced in mid-December. Why don't fans of music vote for the nomination? How about the radio stations that played and continue to play the material that shaped an entire universe of, "Shut the F up my favorite song is on!" Vote for the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees "The definition of 'rock & roll' means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music," commented Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. "This year we again proudly put forth a fantastic array of groups and artists that span the entire genre that is 'rock & roll.'" Rush have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1998, but this is their first time appearing on the ballot. Pioneering rap groups N.W.A and Public Enemy also both made the ballot in their first year of eligibility. If they are inducted, they will join fellow hip-hop acts Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys in the Hall of Fame.

Do 2 Out Of Tunes Make Perfect Harmony? Bob Dylan And Van Morrison Together

A fly on the wall... How thick was the air when Paul McCartney laid down the vocal tracks for Hey Jude? How frozen might the night have felt if Keith Richards hadn't stumbled out of bed to mumble an overdose of words in his head that later took on the shape of Satisfaction? A fly on the wall... When Foreigner came into grasping musical chapters that wouldn't be written with Lou Graham or the faintly scent of silence that fed Randy Meisner's brain waves after being told the Eagles would fly without him. A fly on the wall... Robert Plant discovering for the first time the art of rolling vocal notes into positions a Beatles generation wouldn't fully understand until after the times began to change. The look in Ozzy's eyes when he realized he had just bitten the head off a dove not a bat. Lynne Payne would spend pain staking hour after hour walking slowly down each Barnes and Noble aisle trying to understand the wicked way of how lazy we had become in knowing the trails traveled before our arrival. I remember her telling me, "How can we expect to grow forward, outward or be strong enough to move to the side if everything in our past is locked on what we assumed happened? The elder's are passing and without someone standing nearby to scratch down their experiences...he or she next in line won't have a journey but rather a hollow expectation." Maybe that's why I spit words onto a computer screen like a black ant hunting down cupcakes. Wandering doesn't make you wise until a crumb has been introduced to the entire tribe. A fly on the wall... The day a Sam Ash Music catalog arrived at the door and for the life of me I had no clue as to whom I was looking at. How could it be the summer's biggest and best sale when what the hell? I couldn't make it past the Rock Star on page one? Slipped from the chapters of music's canal of rhythms and rhymes I share with you the fly that sat on the wall when Bob Dylan met up with Van Morrison in 1989 in Greece. RollingStone Magazine paints the perfect portrait: During an off-day, Dylan and Van Morrison climbed onto the picturesque Hill of the Muses in Athens for a stunning four-song acoustic set that thankfully was captured by cameras for the BBC documentary Arena: One Irish Rover - Van Morrison in Performances. They began with Morrison classics "Crazy Love" and "And It Stoned Me," but the clear highlight was the 1986 Morrison obscurity "Foreign Window," featuring Dylan on harmonica and Van on guitar and vocals. They wrapped up the set with a duet on "One Irish Rover." Check out both songs in this incredible video. Van Morrison's Sixties garage rock band Them released a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" in 1966, and a few years later Morrison began regularly performing "Just Like A Woman" at his solo shows. But he didn't actually share a stage with Dylan until The Last Waltz in 1976. They teamed up for a handful of shows on Dylan's 1984 European tour, and the very day after this stunning performance on the Hill of the Muses, Morrison came out during Dylan's encore to perform "Crazy Love" and "And It Stoned Me." In 1998 they finally went on an official tour together, and later in the year they were joined by Joni Mitchell. They duetted during many of those shows, but they never quite captured the intimate magic they shared that day in Greece. I share with you the video