That time The Pursuit of Happiness’s Moe Berg told me how much of a Todd Rundgren fan he was

By Steve Newton I loved Canadian rockers The Pursuit of Happiness back in the day. Their 1988 debut album, the Todd Rundgren-produced Love Junk, was jam-packed with catchy power-pop tunes. The band’s 1990 followup, One-Sided Story, was also produced by Rundgren, and though not as consistently impressive as Love Junk, boasted some strong tracks as … Continue reading That time The Pursuit of Happiness’s Moe Berg told me how much of a Todd Rundgren fan he was

That time Todd Rundgren told me that one of the greatest recording experiences of his life was with TPOH

By Steve Newton Todd Rundgren has some amazing credits as a producer. He’s helmed such influential and/or successful albums as Badfinger‘s Straight Up, the New York Dolls‘ selt-titled debut, Grand Funk’s We’re an American Band, and Meat Loaf‘s multiplatinum Bat Out of Hell. He also helmed an LP near and dear to the hearts of … Continue reading That time Todd Rundgren told me that one of the greatest recording experiences of his life was with TPOH

That time Steve Vai told me what was so great about Ibanez guitars

By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed Steve Vai, back in May of 1990, he had just released his Passion and Warfare album and was on the covers of all the top guitar mags clutching an Ibanez guitar. So at one point in the conversation I asked him about the Ibanez seven-string and what made … Continue reading That time Steve Vai told me what was so great about Ibanez guitars

That time Joe Satriani told me that he vowed to take up guitar on the day Jimi Hendrix died

By Steve Newton Jimi Hendrix has to be the most influential electric guitarist of all time. Joe Satriani surely wouldn’t argue the point. When I did the first of my eight interviews with Satch back in 1990, after the release of Flying in a Blue Dream, I asked him if it was true that he … Continue reading That time Joe Satriani told me that he vowed to take up guitar on the day Jimi Hendrix died

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 the best ever, so when I interviewed him back in 2001 I put the question to him. Have a listen: To hear my full interview … Continue reading That time I asked Carlos Santana who his favourite guitar player was

That time I asked John Mellencamp what a heart attack feels like and he said “they don’t feel good!”

By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed John Mellencamp was way the funk back in the spring of 1983, after he’d released his multiplatinum breakthrough album American Fool (the one with “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane” on it) and before he’d released his multiplatinum followup Uh-Huh (the one with “Pink Houses” and “Authority … Continue reading That time I asked John Mellencamp what a heart attack feels like and he said “they don’t feel good!”

That time I asked Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger who his alltime favourite rock musician was

By Steve Newton It’s been said by many that, as far as Nickelback goes, you either love ’em or hate ’em. I disagree. They aren’t my favourite band by any stretch, but I’m not a serious hater either. I mean, they’ve got loud guitars and a wicked drummer. Who hates that? I interviewed mainman Chad … Continue reading That time I asked Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger who his alltime favourite rock musician was

That time Canadian guitar wizard Jack Semple told me about winning the 1992 Guitar Warz competition

By Steve Newton Canada isn’t really known for its abundance of guitar wizards. I mean, you’ve got your Lenny Breau–“The Humbler”, according to Danny Gatton–and guys like Jeff Healey. And Neil Young has been known to crank out a tasty note or two. But for the most part the Great White North isn’t known as … Continue reading That time Canadian guitar wizard Jack Semple told me about winning the 1992 Guitar Warz competition

That time 24-year-old Grace Potter told me that she wasn’t too young to appreciate the Allman Brothers

By Steve Newton The first time I ever saw Grace Potter perform live I was blown away. Her band the Nocturnals opened for Gov’t Mule in Vancouver, and she joined the Mule on a killer version of “Honky Tonk Women”, displaying a whole lotta soul. A couple months later, in January of 2008, I interviewed … Continue reading That time 24-year-old Grace Potter told me that she wasn’t too young to appreciate the Allman Brothers

That time Yngwie Malmsteen told me that no guitar could possibly do what the Stratocaster does

By Steve Newton Yngwie Malmsteen is synonymous with the Fender Stratocaster. Since the get-go he’s proclaimed the superiority of Leo Fender’s classy creation. He’s even gone so far as to compare the competition to “bad copies” and “furniture”. So when I interviewed him back in 2014 I asked him if he’d ever been tempted to … Continue reading That time Yngwie Malmsteen told me that no guitar could possibly do what the Stratocaster does

That time I asked Alex Van Halen which of Van Halen’s David Lee Roth-era albums was his fave

By Steve Newton If you asked me which of Van Halen‘s David Lee Roth-era albums was my fave, I’d probably have to say the first one. I mean, that album is pretty freakin’ hard to beat. I liked Van Halen II a lot as well, but there was nothing like hearing Eddie for the first … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen which of Van Halen’s David Lee Roth-era albums was his fave

That time Steve Earle raved to me about the influence of Elvis and the generosity of Springsteen

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Steve Earle five times, ’cause he’s one of my favourite all-time songwriters. The first time was back in May of 1987, two weeks before the official release of his second album, Exit O. (“It’s Exit Zero”, he explained to me when I tried pronouncing it “Exit Oh”.) At one point … Continue reading That time Steve Earle raved to me about the influence of Elvis and the generosity of Springsteen

That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s Second Helping was released the day after my 17th birthday, so the timing was right for it to become one of the major soundtracks to my rock-loving ’70s existence. I didn’t mind its smash-hit lead-off single, “Sweet Home Alabama”, but I liked its rollicking closing track, “Call Me the Breeze”, … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account