By Steve Newton In the past I've had fun posting audio excerpts from my first interview with legendary Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, which took place in 1984, during the group's misguided Born Again phase. Fast-forward 23 years and I got Iommi on the phone again, this time to talk about the Heaven and Hell … Continue reading That time I asked Tony Iommi about Ronnie James Dio replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath
That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that he just “tinkles” on lead guitar: “You can’t outdo Angus”
By Steve Newton When I interviewed AC/DC's Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson back in 1983 I asked Malcolm if he ever had a hankering to step out and play a lead-guitar solo once in a while. As expected, his response was along the lines of, "Why bother when you've got a guy like Angus around?" … Continue reading That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that he just “tinkles” on lead guitar: “You can’t outdo Angus”
That time Gord Downie told me that the Tragically Hip was just striving to exist in the United States
By Steve Newton When people discuss the history of the Tragically Hip, one subject that arises is how the band was unable to make it big in the States, and to garner anything resembling the same degree of commercial success that they enjoyed up in Canada. When I did my third interview with Gord Downie, … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me that the Tragically Hip was just striving to exist in the United States
Previously unheard Hendrix set proves the awesome power of Band of Gypsys
By Steve Newton Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings announced today that never-before-heard recordings of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys performing live at the Fillmore East will be released on September 30. The new album, titled Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69, features the two sets Band of Gypsys played at New York's … Continue reading Previously unheard Hendrix set proves the awesome power of Band of Gypsys
That time Gord Downie raved to me about Tragically Hip tourmates Change of Heart and the Odds
By Steve Newton One thing I figured out about Gord Downie during the five interviews I did with him between 1989 and 1995 was that he really, really likes musicians. Especially musicians who play in bands. He was always quick to rave about the new groups he'd heard lately, or maybe the ones the Tragically … Continue reading That time Gord Downie raved to me about Tragically Hip tourmates Change of Heart and the Odds
Spider dreams and the new American Horror Story Season 6 poster
By Steve Newton I've got an intense fear of spiders. Not small ones--or even bigger ones as long as they're of the "daddylonglegs" variety. No, it's the dark, hairy, menacing ones, the ones we used to call "wolf spiders", that would hang out in our Chilliwack basement when I was a kid. "They're a lot … Continue reading Spider dreams and the new American Horror Story Season 6 poster
Hangin’ with AC/DC on the Flick of the Switch tour while Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson talk Bon
By Steve Newton I guess one of the cooler in-person interviews I've ever done was that time back in October of '83 when I hung out with three members of AC/DC--singer Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, and then-new drummer Simon Wright--at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. The Aussie earbusters were in town to … Continue reading Hangin’ with AC/DC on the Flick of the Switch tour while Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson talk Bon
That time I told Gord Downie that the Hip’s “Nautical Disaster” made me think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse
By Steve Newton When I interviewed the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie in January of 1995 it was less than four months after the release of the band's fourth full-length album, Day for Night, and I was still playing the crap out of it. I would also play "Nautical Disaster" over and over again, until it … Continue reading That time I told Gord Downie that the Hip’s “Nautical Disaster” made me think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse
That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that Angus’s schoolboy outfit was first meant as a “kick in the teeth”
By Steve Newton Back in '83 when I interviewed AC/DC at a Vancouver hotel before the start of the Flick of the Switch tour I asked Malcolm Young whether Angus, as a kid, ever had to wear that schoolboy outfit he's famous for. Turns out it was just a way to get attention more than … Continue reading That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that Angus’s schoolboy outfit was first meant as a “kick in the teeth”
That time Black Sabbath riffmaster Tony Iommi told me that the first guitar he ever wanted was a Fender Strat
By Steve Newton So here's the last of the audio excerpts from my 1984 interview with Tony Iommi, back when Black Sabbath was touring behind the Born Again album. I called him up at his home in Birmingham--or maybe he called me up, it was a while ago--and we chatted about stuff like the band's blowing … Continue reading That time Black Sabbath riffmaster Tony Iommi told me that the first guitar he ever wanted was a Fender Strat
Annie Lennox struts her stuff as Eurythmics prove themselves pop masters in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 1, 1986 By Steve Newton The Eurythmics show on Monday (July 28) opened with a big white zipper slowly parting a silver/grey curtain stretched across the Expo Theatre stage. It closed with singer Annie Lennox shedding her white shirt and traipsing around in a lacy red bra, slying asking "Would I … Continue reading Annie Lennox struts her stuff as Eurythmics prove themselves pop masters in Vancouver
That time back in ’84 when Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi told me: “If I go deaf, I go deaf”
Sometimes when I interviewed metal bands in the '80s I'd ask silly questions like "What do you say to people who think you're too loud?".
That time Gord Downie and I talked hockey after the 1994-95 NHL lockout
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie on January 18, 1995, it had been exactly one week since the end of the historic NHL lockout that had started the previous October. That lockout caused the 1994-1995 hockey season to be shortened from 84 games to 48, the shortest season in 53 … Continue reading That time Gord Downie and I talked hockey after the 1994-95 NHL lockout