That time Ricky Medlocke told me that he was almost on the plane with Skynyrd when it went down

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1997 I interviewed Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke in advance of a Skynyrd show in Vancouver with openers Paul Rodgers and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. At one point in the conversation I asked Medlocke, who'd also been a band member in the early days, if he'd been following Lynyrd … Continue reading That time Ricky Medlocke told me that he was almost on the plane with Skynyrd when it went down

That time I asked Gary Moore why he thought Def Leppard got so huge so fast, unlike Thin Lizzy

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1984 I did my one and only interview with Gary Moore, who's one of my all-time favourite guitarists. Man that guy could play. I called him up in Reno, where he was touring with Rush. The previous summer he'd toured with Def Leppard after they released their breakthrough … Continue reading That time I asked Gary Moore why he thought Def Leppard got so huge so fast, unlike Thin Lizzy

That time Chris Whitley told me that he thought Johnny Winter’s debut album was the best blues-rock record ever made

By Steve Newton I interviewed Chris Whitley for the first time back in October of 1991, three months after the release of his debut album, Living With the Law. He called me up from Nashville, where he was opening for Tom Petty on Petty's Into the Great Wide Open Tour. At one point in the … Continue reading That time Chris Whitley told me that he thought Johnny Winter’s debut album was the best blues-rock record ever made

That time Buddy Cage told me about replacing Jerry Garcia in New Riders of the Purple Sage

By Steve Newton I interviewed New Riders of the Purple Sage pedal-steel player Buddy Cage back in November of 2006. I got into that band back in the seventies when they had a reefer-ready radio hit called "Panama Red", which featured some pretty sweet pedal-steel from Cage. Buddy Cage was the guy who replaced Jerry … Continue reading That time Buddy Cage told me about replacing Jerry Garcia in New Riders of the Purple Sage

That time I told Bill Elm that I wished Friends of Dean Martinez had recorded Santo & Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”

By Steve Newton I usually write about loud rock and roll music, but every once in a while I get turned on to something else. Back in September of 1995 I interviewed Bill Elm, lap-steel guitarist for the instrumental group Friends of Dean Martinez. The band was formed in Tucson, Arizona as an experimental side-project by … Continue reading That time I told Bill Elm that I wished Friends of Dean Martinez had recorded Santo & Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”

That time Simon Townshend told me what it was like growing up with one of the world’s most famous rock guitarists for a brother

By Steve Newton Back in February of 1984 I interviewed Simon Townshend, the 23-year-old kid brother of Pete Townshend from the Who. The younger Townshend was touring behind his debut album, the Pete-produced Sweet Sound, and trying to distance himself from the shadow of his 16-years-older bro. At one point in the conversation I asked … Continue reading That time Simon Townshend told me what it was like growing up with one of the world’s most famous rock guitarists for a brother

Aldo Nova on touring with Blue Öyster Cult, covering Coney Hatch, and the new Subject…Aldo Nova

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 23, 1983 By Steve Newton "It was supposed to be a post-nuclear holocaust type thing," says Aldo Nova, referring to the initial concept idea for his latest album, Subject...Aldo Nova. Over the phone from Shreveport, Louisiana last week, Nova (his real name's Caporuscio) outlined the proposed plan for his mini-epic. "It … Continue reading Aldo Nova on touring with Blue Öyster Cult, covering Coney Hatch, and the new Subject…Aldo Nova

That time Mark Kelly told me that Marillion were touring with Rush and I questioned the matchup

By Steve Newton Way back in March of 1986 Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly called me up from a tour stop in Quebec City. As the interview kicked off he told me that his band was opening for Rush there, which caught me off guard. I figured Rush, which was touring behind its Power Windows album, … Continue reading That time Mark Kelly told me that Marillion were touring with Rush and I questioned the matchup

That time new Anthrax vocalist John Bush told me that he thought the band’s weakest link had always been its singer

By Steve Newton When I interviewed metal vocalist John Bush back in August of 1993 he was touring with Anthrax, who had released their first album with him, Sound of White Noise, three months earlier. The 30-year-old Bush, formerly of Armored Saint, had been brought in to replace the fired Joey Belladonna, who had sung … Continue reading That time new Anthrax vocalist John Bush told me that he thought the band’s weakest link had always been its singer

That time Aldo Nova told me that the guys in Blue Öyster Cult were not as wild as you’d think they are

By Steve Newton I interviewed Aldo Nova back in December of 1983, when he was touring with one of my favourite all-time bands, Blue Öyster Cult. This was a month after BOC released the Bruce Fairbairn-produced The Revolution By Night, which isn't one of my fave Cult albums. But it does include a pretty cool … Continue reading That time Aldo Nova told me that the guys in Blue Öyster Cult were not as wild as you’d think they are

That time Steven Adler told me that he wished he’d checked out Iron Maiden when Guns N’ Roses opened for them in the ’80s

By Steve Newton I interviewed original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler back in August of 2011, the same year he appeared in Season 5 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. At the time he was heading to Vancouver for a club show with his own band, Adler's Appetite, performing originals and the tunes he … Continue reading That time Steven Adler told me that he wished he’d checked out Iron Maiden when Guns N’ Roses opened for them in the ’80s

That time I called Mick Ronson up in Oklahoma and asked him how the tour with Ian Hunter was going

By Steve Newton Mick Ronson is one of my favourite guitar players of all time. He's an underrated musical genius, and I can't fathom why the dimwits down at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame refuse to even nominate him. Those twits in Cleveland really burn my ass. Anyway, for my second interview with … Continue reading That time I called Mick Ronson up in Oklahoma and asked him how the tour with Ian Hunter was going