The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally pulls its heads out of its ass long enough to nominate Warren Zevon

By Steve Newton If you’ve been visiting this blog much in the past few years you may have noticed how often I go out of my way to call out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Heck, I even created a special section just for slagging it. The three artists whose continuing absence from … Continue reading The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally pulls its heads out of its ass long enough to nominate Warren Zevon

Rock Hall finally inducts Link Wray, can Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher be far behind?

By Steve Newton After ten years of my complaining about Link Wray not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the boneheads who run the high-falutin’ joint in Cleveland finally caved and decided to induct him, in the “musical influence” division. It’s about freakin’ time. Wray, who pretty well invented the raunchy guitar … Continue reading Rock Hall finally inducts Link Wray, can Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher be far behind?

Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Dick Dale, Soundgarden, the Guess Who, the Replacements, Bad Company, Mahogany Rush, the Edgar Winter Group, and the Stray Cats

By Steve Newton As I mentioned yesterday, since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has just announced its seven inductees for the Class of 2023, my own little institution located in the wilds of British Columbia–Newt’s Rock Hall–is gonna counter with seven different inductees of its own. And of course mine will be better. … Continue reading Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Dick Dale, Soundgarden, the Guess Who, the Replacements, Bad Company, Mahogany Rush, the Edgar Winter Group, and the Stray Cats

Oh my f***ing god! Rock Hall snubs Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray yet again!

By Steve Newton Well, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has done it again. A few days ago the Cleveland-based institution nominated 17 bands and artists to its class of 2022, but once more just plumb forgot the three artists most deserving of immediate induction: Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray. Instead they … Continue reading Oh my f***ing god! Rock Hall snubs Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray yet again!

Halfwits at Rock Hall again ignore Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray, instead nominate the Go-Go’s and Dionne Warwick

By Steve Newton You may have heard that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced the nominees for its class of 2021. And man does the list suck in spots. The Go-Go’s? Dionne Warwick? That’s what passes for rock and roll these days? Here’s the full list of 15 nominees: Mary J. Blige, Kate … Continue reading Halfwits at Rock Hall again ignore Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray, instead nominate the Go-Go’s and Dionne Warwick

Iron Maiden loses out to the Go-Go’s and Jay-Z as the Rock Hall’s head plunges even further up its ass

By Steve Newton Iron Maiden are one helluva rock band. If they weren’t I wouldn’t have interviewed them six times. But those inept turdballs down at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seem to think that a group like the Go-Go’s–who put out three studio albums in their heyday and another one 17 years … Continue reading Iron Maiden loses out to the Go-Go’s and Jay-Z as the Rock Hall’s head plunges even further up its ass

Eddie Van Halen’s favourite AC/DC album was Powerage

By Steve Newton I’ve long held the opinion that AC/DC’s Powerage is their best album. Keith Richards agrees, and he knows a thing or two about rockin’. And more importantly, Malcolm Young himself has named Powerage as Number One. When I met Young backstage after an AC/DC show in Vancouver back in 2001 I mentioned that … Continue reading Eddie Van Halen’s favourite AC/DC album was Powerage

That time Martha Davis told me that the Motels lost 60 grand a week on their last tour

By Steve Newton I wasn’t a huge fan of new-wave music in the mid-’80s–I was too busy banging my head to Maiden and Priest and Scorps and such–but for some reason in November of 1985 I sat down with Martha Davis for an interview that was never actually published. She was promoting the Motels’ fifth … Continue reading That time Martha Davis told me that the Motels lost 60 grand a week on their last tour

That time back in ’85 when I asked Brian Vollmer if Helix were hometown heroes in Kitchener

By Steve Newton Way back in November of 1985 I interviewed Helix frontman Brian Vollmer. This was right after the band had released its fifth album, Long Way to Heaven, and were quite popular on the Canadian heavy-metal scene. Anybody remember 1983’s “Heavy Metal Love”? At one point in the conversation I asked Vollmer if … Continue reading That time back in ’85 when I asked Brian Vollmer if Helix were hometown heroes in Kitchener

That time I asked Steve Vai if he had any desire, like his buddy Satch, to try his hand at vocals

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with American guitar legend Steve Vai on May 31, 1990, eleven days after the release of his second album, Passion & Warfare–you know, the one with “For the Love of God”. Seven months earlier Vai’s former guitar teacher, Joe Satriani, had released his third album, Flying in … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Vai if he had any desire, like his buddy Satch, to try his hand at vocals

That time I asked Richard Marx if he was hoping to sell nine million copies of his followup to Repeat Offender

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Richard Marx back in November of 1991 he was one of the most popular singer-songwriters around. His self-titled 1987 debut album had sold three million copies, and his 1989 followup, Repeat Offender–the one with “Right Here Waiting”–had moved six million copies. So, doing the math, I asked him if … Continue reading That time I asked Richard Marx if he was hoping to sell nine million copies of his followup to Repeat Offender

That time blues legend John Mayall told me why he handles his own gear and never uses roadies

By Steve Newton I did the second of my three interviews with British blues great John Mayall back in May of 1990, when he was heading to Vancouver for a show with his band the Bluesbreakers. He was touring to promote his latest album, A Sense of Place, which featured slide-guitar ace Sonny Landreth on … Continue reading That time blues legend John Mayall told me why he handles his own gear and never uses roadies

That time me ‘n’ Ferg went backstage to meet Warren Haynes but he was too tuckered to smile

By Steve Newton I’m a huge fan of Warren Haynes. I love everything he’s done, whether with Gov’t Mule, the Allman Brothers, or as a solo artist. Hey, I wouldn’t have interviewed him six times if I didn’t think he was the shit. So one time when he brought Gov’t Mule to Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom–I … Continue reading That time me ‘n’ Ferg went backstage to meet Warren Haynes but he was too tuckered to smile