By Steve Newton When you've been interviewing musicians for as long as I have you tend to develop some trusty old standby questions that you can ask pretty well anybody in a pinch. One of those for me has always been "So, who have you been listening to in your spare time?" I like to … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale who he’d been listening to in his spare time and he wasn’t exactly sure
That time Steve Stevens told me that he thought Sweet’s “Action” was a Queen song
By Steve Newton I was a pretty big Billy Idol fan back in the '80s, around the Rebel Yell period, but my attraction to his music had as much to do with his guitarist and cosongwriter as the sneering blonde rocker himself. I thought Steve Stevens was a wicked picker who had his own unique … Continue reading That time Steve Stevens told me that he thought Sweet’s “Action” was a Queen song
That time I asked Billy Idol why he got Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper to shoot the video for “Dancing With Myself”
By Steve Newton I interviewed Billy Idol at the height of his solo artist fame, when he was touring behind his hit-packed Rebel Yell album in March of 1984. If you're old enough, you may recall that music videos were all the rage back then, and the timing couldn't have been better for Idol, who … Continue reading That time I asked Billy Idol why he got Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper to shoot the video for “Dancing With Myself”
That time I told Stuart Adamson that “Long Way Home” was my fave tune on the new Big Country album
By Steve Newton Most people probably remember Scottish rock band Big Country for its anthemic single "In a Big Country", which was a massive radio hit in North America in 1983. But ten years later they released an album called The Buffalo Skinners that included a song called "Long Way Home", which I liked a … Continue reading That time I told Stuart Adamson that “Long Way Home” was my fave tune on the new Big Country album
That time I asked Ian Anderson how Jethro Tull’s show went last night and it took him a while to answer
By Steve Newton I did my second interview with Jethro Tull mainman Ian Anderson in October of 1992, a month after the band had released its live album A Little Light Music. When I called him up in L.A. I asked him how the show had gone there the previous night, but he's not the … Continue reading That time I asked Ian Anderson how Jethro Tull’s show went last night and it took him a while to answer
That time Warren Haynes told me about leaving the Allman Brothers to ride Gov’t Mule full time
By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Warren Haynes in 1994, when he was a member of the Allman Brothers Band, and I did my second interview with him in 1998, the year after he and bassist Allen Woody had left them. Haynes and Woody had quit the Allmans to put all their … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me about leaving the Allman Brothers to ride Gov’t Mule full time
That time I asked John Bell about Widespread Panic being the first act signed to the newly reborn Capricorn Records
By Steve Newton If you were a southern-rock lovin' kid in the seventies, like me, you no doubt owned an LP or two with the Capricorn Records label on it. Capricorn released classic Allman Brothers albums like At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach, and Brothers and Sisters, as well as discs by Wet Willie, the … Continue reading That time I asked John Bell about Widespread Panic being the first act signed to the newly reborn Capricorn Records
That time Zakk Wylde told me what he really thought of Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Tony Iommi
By Steve Newton Whether you think Ozzy Osbourne is a genius or not, ya gotta admit that he's a mastermind when it comes to finding killer guitarists. Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde--those are some pretty smokin' pickers. When I interviewed 27-year-old Wylde back in 1994 I asked him what he thought … Continue reading That time Zakk Wylde told me what he really thought of Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Tony Iommi
That time Robben Ford told me that hearing Mike Bloomfield made him want to be a guitar player
By Steve Newton I did the first of my three interviews with American guitar ace Robben Ford in April of 1993, when he was touring behind the first Robben Ford & the Blue Line album. There was some damn tasty guitar playing on that platter if I recall correctly. At one point in the conversation … Continue reading That time Robben Ford told me that hearing Mike Bloomfield made him want to be a guitar player
That time Doyle Bramhall II told me about his dad’s connections to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan
By Steve Newton If you're a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan who also likes reading liner notes you've no doubt noticed the name Doyle Bramhall on a number of Stevie Ray Vaughan albums. Bramhall is credited with cowriting such SRV tunes as "Dirty Pool" (from Texas Flood) and In Step's "The House is Rockin'", "Tightrope", "Wall … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me about his dad’s connections to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan
3 From Hell doesn’t match Rob Zombie’s previous studies of the psychotic Firefly clan
By Steve Newton Watched Rob Zombie's 3 from Hell on Shudder last night, and I gotta tell ya, it wasn't in the same league as his previous two studies of the murderous Firefly clan. With 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses, the former White Zombie main man made a fitting transformation from over-the-top shock rocker to … Continue reading 3 From Hell doesn’t match Rob Zombie’s previous studies of the psychotic Firefly clan
That time Golden Earring frontman Barry Hay told me about touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd and getting beaten up with Ronnie Van Zandt
By Steve Newton It's amazing what a person can find when they listen to old interviews they recorded on cassette back in 1984. Like that time I was chatting with Golden Earring vocalist and cosongwriter Barry Hay and asked him about touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd back in the seventies. Have a listen: To hear my … Continue reading That time Golden Earring frontman Barry Hay told me about touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd and getting beaten up with Ronnie Van Zandt
That time Joan Jett told me that what the Runaways did was right, and that girls can play rock ‘n’ roll
By Steve Newton I interviewed Joan Jett back in January of 1992, when she was touring with her band the Blackhearts, supporting the new album Notorious. At one point in the conversation I asked her if she ever heard from her old bandmates in the Runaways at all, and it turns out that she did. … Continue reading That time Joan Jett told me that what the Runaways did was right, and that girls can play rock ‘n’ roll