Album review: Various Artists, We’re a Happy Family—A Tribute to Ramones (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 27, 2003 By Steve Newton You don’t fuck with the Ramones. And one of the best ways to not fuck with them is […]
Search Results for: ramones
That time Johnny Ramone told me why the Ramones covered the Doors’ “Take It as It Comes”
By Steve Newton I got to interview legendary punk-rock guitarist Johnny Ramone a couple of times, once way back in 1983 and again in ’92, when the Ramones were touring […]
That time I called Johnny Ramone up in Rio and he said the Ramones were huge down there
By Steve Newton Back in September of 1992 I did my second interview with punk-rock guitar legend Johnny Ramone. (Here’s my first one, from 1983.) At the time the Ramones […]
The Ramones stay fast and furious on Mondo Bizarro
ORIGINALLY POSTED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 1, 1992 By Steve Newton The Ramones have come a long way since their ear-bustin’ brand of music first helped kick-start the late-’70s […]
Ramones box set boasts over 75 tunes on six discs
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 13, 2013 By Steve Newton Like the band itself, there’s nothing fancy about the new Ramones boxed set, The Sire Years: 1976-1981. The seminal NYC punks […]
Johnny Ramone says being in the Ramones “beats working”
By Steve Newton Whether you remember or not, May of 1983 was a great month for historic rock concerts in Vancouver. On May 9 Roxy Music played the Pacific Coliseum, […]
That time I asked Carlos Santana who his favourite guitar player was
By Steve Newton When I interview the world’s greatest guitarists, I often like to ask them who they think is the world’s greatest guitarist. Carlos Santana is definitely one of […]
That time I asked Billy Gibbons what the glue was that kept ZZ Top together for so long
By Steve Newton Being a teenaged devotee of guitar-driven boogie in the seventies put me directly in line with what was required to be a hardcore ZZ Top fan. I […]
That time I asked Alex Lifeson what the attraction was to Rush for so many diehard fans
By Steve Newton By now you’ve no doubt heard the awful news: that Rush drummer-lyricist Neil Peart has died from brain cancer. The man who inspired a million drummers is […]
That time I asked Geddy Lee if he was in awe of how Neil Peart carried on after tragedy
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Geddy Lee a couple of times, in 1997 and 2002. This was the second time, when Rush was touring behind its Vapour Trails album, which I […]
That time I asked Buck Dharma how he came up with the classic riff for Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”
By Steve Newton “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” might be my favourite song of all time. Or maybe it’s tied with John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Either way, I freakin’ love that song. […]
That time I asked Michael Schenker which UFO album he was most impressed with himself
By Steve Newton In March of 1992 I did an interview with Michael Schenker, one of my favourite hard-rock guitarists of all time, whose work with Scorpions, UFO, and MSG […]
That time Vinnie Paul told me that the guy on the cover of Pantera’s new album got paid $300 for getting punched in the face
By Steve Newton I interviewed Pantera cofounder and drummer Vinnie Paul on February 20, 1992, five days before the release of the band’s sixth album, Vulgar Display of Power. The […]
That time Joan Jett told me she couldn’t picture herself slinging a guitar at 60
By Steve Newton Back in January of 1992 I interviewed Joan Jett, who was heading to Vancouver on a tour promoting her eighth album with the Blackhearts, Notorious. You may […]
That time I asked Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris if he had to practice a lot to keep his bass licks up
By Steve Newton I’ve been fortunate enough to have interviewed Iron Maiden members six times between 1982 and 2012, but the only time I chatted with bass god Steve Harris […]
That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude
By Steve Newton Back in November of 1985 I interviewed Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars the same day his band played Vancouver on its Theatre of Pain tour. At one […]
That time 20-year-old Sebastian Bach sang me a line from his Schooner beer commercial
By Steve Newton Way the hell back in 1989 I did an interview with Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. That was less than a month after the release of the band’s […]
That time Tommy Aldridge told me that he “wasn’t a fan” of Brian Downey’s drum parts with Thin Lizzy
By Steve Newton As far as seeing concerts goes, I’ve been very lucky to have been situated in Vancouver since the early ’80s. It’s a major stopping point for bands […]
That time I told Rob Halford that “Freewheel Burning” was my fave tune on Judas Priest’s new album
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Rob Halford five times over the years, the first being way the funk back in 1984, when Judas Priest was headed to Vancouver on the […]
That time I asked Mick Mars if Mötley Crüe were softening on Theatre of Pain, then added that I liked their debut album best
By Steve Newton Way the hell back in November of 1985 I interviewed Mick Mars at his Vancouver hotel before a show on Mötley Crüe’s Theatre of Pain tour. I […]
That time I asked Tommy Aldridge to name the most talented guitarist he ever played with
By Steve Newton Drum legend Tommy Aldridge has played with some of the greatest rock guitarists of all time: Gary Moore, Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads, Pat Travers, Tony MacAlpine, Scott […]
That time I asked Poison Ivy what inspired the Cramps’ “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns”
By Steve Newton Back in April of 1990 I did my first interview with Cramps guitarist Poison Ivy Rorschach, in advance of a show at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. […]
That time Tommy Aldridge told me why Black Oak Arkansas wasn’t mentioned in his bio
By Steve Newton When it came to hard rock drummers in the ’70s, there were a couple who particularly turned my crank. One was Cozy Powell, mainly for his work […]
Eric Clapton stopped the car when he heard Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar solo on “Let’s Dance”
By Steve Newton Where were you when you first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s killer guitar playing on David Bowie’s 1983 hit single, “Let’s Dance”? It was definitely the type of […]
That time I asked Mike Rutherford about the biggest highlights of Genesis’ career
By Steve Newton Way back in December of 1983 I did an interview with Mike Rutherford, who at the time was the guitarist-bassist in Genesis, joined by singer-drummer Phil Collins […]
That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allman Brothers
By Steve Newton Yesterday I went and dug up the old cassette with my first Buddy Guy interview on it, the one from 1991, because I wanted to digitize it […]
That time I asked Country Dick Montana what he liked best about playing live with the Beat Farmers
kevin statham photo By Steve Newton Here’s another audio excerpt from my 1990 interview with the legendary Country Dick Montana, because it’s Sunday afternoon and posting this seems like way […]
