ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 26, 2011 By Steve Newton When Judas Priest announced its final world tour last month headbangers far and wide, young and ancient, stained their black-leather pants with a torrent of tears. The British metal icons had been bringing the noise to its followers—off and (mostly) on—since 1969, traversing the globe and … Continue reading Glenn Tipton says Judas Priest was shocked by K.K. Downing’s departure
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 25, 2004 By Steve Newton Reno, Nevada, isn’t the ideal place for a man battling addictions to be, but Metallica main man James Hetfield seems up to the challenge. When he calls from a tour stop in the renowned party town, the newly rehabilitated rocker makes it clear that he wasn’t … Continue reading James Hetfield on addiction, rehab, and channelling the anger with Metallica
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 11, 1982 By Steve Newton Over the years, few heavy metal frontmen have proven their stamina and staying power like Ozzy Osbourne. After eight years and eight albums with the legendary Black Sabbath, Osbourne left the group in 1979 and it looked as though he was hanging up his microphone and … Continue reading Ozzy Osbourne in ’82: fallen guitar heroes and bitten bats
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 1, 1983 By Steve Newton Three of Britain’s heaviest heavy-metal bands–Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Fastway–played the Pacific Coliseum last Wednesday in a full night’s worth of brutal, gnashing raunch and roll. I spoke to Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson over the phone from Los Angeles prior to the show and asked … Continue reading Bruce Dickinson on Martin Birch, the exit of Clive Burr, and the lobotomization of Eddie on Iron Maiden’s new album Piece of Mind
Some of my interviews, arranged alphabetically, from AC/DC to ZZ Top AC/DC Malcolm Young & Brian Johnson, 1983 AEROSMITH Joe Perry, Sept. 2010 AEROSMITH Steven Tyler, 1997 AEROSMITH Joe Perry, 1997 AEROSMITH Tom Hamilton, 1994 AEROSMITH Joe Perry, 1988 AEROSMITH Tom Hamilton, 1983 THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT Lenny Zakatek, 1983 ALDO NOVA 1983 TOMMY ALDRIDGE 2001 … Continue reading interviews
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 2008 By Steve Newton When Buddy Guy calls from Las Vegas at 7 on a Saturday morning, the sleep-deprived interviewer on the receiving end is still waiting for the coffee to kick in. But the 72-year-old Guy has already been up for hours. “Oh man, I was born and raised … Continue reading Buddy Guy lets Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks get their licks in on stellar Skin Deep
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 19, 1985 By Steve Newton When legendary guitarist Eric Clapton steps before the Coliseum audience Saturday (July 27) he will be fronting a stellar group of musicians. Bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn is something of a legend himself among musicians, having played with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Booker T and the … Continue reading My one and only interview with bass legend Donald “Duck” Dunn
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 13, 2011 By Steve Newton It was exactly one week ago today that the awful news started to get around: Irish guitar legend Gary Moore had been found dead in a Spanish hotel room. A post-mortem the next day revealed that the 58-year-old rocker had passed away in his sleep, due … Continue reading My first and last interview with fallen guitar hero Gary Moore
