That time I asked Ronnie James Dio which singers he admired the most and he said Mike Reno had a lot of control and “great pipes”

By Steve Newton Back in December of 1985 I interviewed Ronnie James Dio when he was in the midst of his Sacred Heart Tour and headed to Vancouver for a show at the Pacific Coliseum–with Yngwie Malmsteen opening up! At one point in the conversation I asked Dio which singers he admired the most, but … Continue reading That time I asked Ronnie James Dio which singers he admired the most and he said Mike Reno had a lot of control and “great pipes”

Ear of Newt and The Tapes Archive present Ronnie James Dio: The Sacred Heart Interview, 1985

By Steve Newton A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog telling of a new partnership between me, the Newt in Ear of Newt, and The Tapes Archive, a U.S.-based podcast that focuses on releasing previously unpublished interviews with rock legends. That blog included a link to a YouTube video The Tapes Archive’s Alan … Continue reading Ear of Newt and The Tapes Archive present Ronnie James Dio: The Sacred Heart Interview, 1985

That time Ronnie James Dio told me that music was given to us to colour our world

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Ronnie James Dio back in 1985 there was a backlash going against heavy metal, with groups like the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Centre) trying to depict it as dangerous to the wellbeing of young kids. Dio was well aware of how metal artists were being stereotyped for their music … Continue reading That time Ronnie James Dio told me that music was given to us to colour our world

That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did the second of my four interviews with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. At the time he was in Nagoya, Japan, on the band’s Damaged Justice Tour, which was due to hit Vancouver in a couple of weeks. Three years earlier I’d taken my 16-year-old nephew Jeff … Continue reading That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

That time Ronnie James Dio told me that he loved classical music, and that Bach was a real rock ‘n’ roller

By Steve Newton I interviewed Ronnie James Dio back in December of 1985 while he was touring behind his Sacred Heart album, with Yngwie Malmsteen opening up. At one point in the interview I mentioned how Ronnie had started out as a trumpet player when he was five, which led to him confessing his deep love … Continue reading That time Ronnie James Dio told me that he loved classical music, and that Bach was a real rock ‘n’ roller

That time Ronnie James Dio told me that Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” was his favourite song out of all the things he’d done

By Steve Newton Way the funk back in 1985 I did my one and only interview with Ronnie James Dio. He was touring behind Dio’s Sacred Heart album, and he got tickets and backstage passes to the show in Vancouver at the Pacific Coliseum. I’ll never forget how kind and generous he was when we … Continue reading That time Ronnie James Dio told me that Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” was his favourite song out of all the things he’d done

That time Ronnie James Dio told me that he thought Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules was a better album than Heaven and Hell

By Steve Newton Black Sabbath impressed a lot of people in April of 1980 when it released Heaven and Hell, its first album with Ronnie James Dio on vocals. I was one of those people. So I was pretty surprised when, while I was interviewing him in 1985, Dio told me that he thought Sabbath’s … Continue reading That time Ronnie James Dio told me that he thought Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules was a better album than Heaven and Hell

Rainbow’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

By Steve Newton Ritchie with Ronnie rules. 20. “Difficult to Cure” (Difficult to Cure, 1981) 19. “Still I’m Sad” (Rainbow, 1975) 18. “Rainbow Eyes” (Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1977) 17. “Snake Charmer” (Rainbow, 1975) 16. “Tarot Woman” (Rising, 1976) 15. “Sensitive to Light” (Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1977) 14. “Since You’ve Been Gone” … Continue reading Rainbow’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

That time Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi told me what he thought of Megadeth, Metallica, and Pantera

By Steve Newton Back in March of 2007 I did my second interview with Tony Iommi, who was about to kick off a nine-month global tour with the Ronnie James Dio-fronted Heaven and Hell. (The band had changed its name from Black Sabbath, which it had previously recorded and toured under, to differentiate it from … Continue reading That time Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi told me what he thought of Megadeth, Metallica, and Pantera

Rolling Stone shockingly omits Phil Lynott from its Top 200 singers list. And Paul Rodgers too!

By Steve Newton I’ve just been watching the TV news, and apparently there’s quite an uproar among Celine Dion fans because she wasn’t included in Rolling Stone‘s new list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Well, here’s another uproar for ya: why the hell isn’t Phil Lynott’s name on the list? You know, … Continue reading Rolling Stone shockingly omits Phil Lynott from its Top 200 singers list. And Paul Rodgers too!

That time Tony Iommi told me that he didn’t think Ozzy Osbourne needed to record Sabbath tunes for his live album

By Steve Newton Back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with Tony Iommi, while Black Sabbath was touring behind its Born Again album. Fourteen months earlier Sabbath’s former frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, had released a double live album, Speak of the Devil, which hit stores just two months before Sabbath’s own double live … Continue reading That time Tony Iommi told me that he didn’t think Ozzy Osbourne needed to record Sabbath tunes for his live album

36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”

By Steve Newton I’m a little show on the uptake sometimes. For example, just yesterday I was typing up my old interview from 1987 with Rick Richards of the Georgia Satellites, giving the article new life on the internet after being trapped on yellowing newspaper and stashed in a banker’s box for decades. In the … Continue reading 36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”

That time Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran told me that he wasn’t exactly a Pink Floyd fan

By Steve Newton I was never a big Duran Duran fan, let’s make that abundantly clear. Not enough wailin’ guitar solos for my liking. But back on December 12 of 1985 I interviewed the group’s keyboardist Nick Rhodes, who at the time was promoting a new LP by Duran Duran spin-off band Arcadia. That album, … Continue reading That time Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran told me that he wasn’t exactly a Pink Floyd fan