By Steve Newton I'm a huge Stevie Ray fan. Got a ton of his albums, seen him in concert a buncha times, interviewed him twice, got his autograph, shook his hand (it was like a vice). I figured I knew quite a lot about him, but maybe not so much. When I was interviewing him … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me what it was like having two guitarists in Double Trouble
That time I asked Alex Van Halen about his earliest memories of jamming with Eddie
By Steve Newton I haven't interviewed that many drummers over the years--mainly because I like talking to guitarists more--but when Van Hagar was heading to Vancouver for a show in 1995 and the opportunity came to chat with Alex Van Halen I didn't turn it down. And boy was I glad I didn't, because he … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen about his earliest memories of jamming with Eddie
That time I asked Eric Johnson what he thought it was that made guitar aficionados so crazy about him
By Steve Newton As a hardcore fan of electric guitar music, I've managed to interview some of the top practitioners of the trade, Eric Johnson being one of them. When I chatted with the Texas Strat-master in January of 2001 he'd been chosen Guitar Player magazine's Best Overall Guitarist four years running. So I asked him … Continue reading That time I asked Eric Johnson what he thought it was that made guitar aficionados so crazy about him
That time I asked Allan Holdsworth what he thought of Eddie Van Halen
By Steve Newton If you were reading the top guitar magazines back in the early '80s you may have heard the buzz about this phenomenal British player named Allan Holdsworth. A lot of the buzz was being generated by one Eddie Van Halen, who was touting Holdsworth's abilities whenever he got a chance. Right around … Continue reading That time I asked Allan Holdsworth what he thought of Eddie Van Halen
That time I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour
By Steve Newton Some concert experiences are just seared into memory--if you're lucky--and one of the most unforgettable for me was seeing Kiss at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom in January of 1975. They were on the Hotter than Hell tour, and they were still hungry. They hadn't earned untold riches yet, hadn't become masters of marketing, … Continue reading That time I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour
The Platform brings crazy-ass, whacked-out dystopian horror and mucho gore to Netflix
By Steve Newton My teenage son suggested we watch The Platform on Netflix last night, and man is that one crazy-ass, whacked-out dystopian horror flick. Gory as hell too, if you're into that kinda thing. Iván Massagué stars as Goreng, who wakes up in a grubby concrete cell with a copy of Don Quixote and a … Continue reading The Platform brings crazy-ass, whacked-out dystopian horror and mucho gore to Netflix
That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that he suffered making “For the Love of God”, but that blowjobs also do the trick
By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Steve Vai when he was touring with Whitesnake in May of 1990, but I was more interested in talking about his brand-new solo album, Passion and Warfare. I was particularly blown away by the track "For the Love of God", which still stands up as one … Continue reading That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that he suffered making “For the Love of God”, but that blowjobs also do the trick
That time I told Ace Frehley that I thought the first Kiss album was the best Kiss album
By Steve Newton I was crazy about Kiss when their first album dropped back in the Year of Our Lord, 1974. I was 16 at the time, which is all you need to know. I think it's their best album--love "Strutter", "Deuce", "Black Diamond"--so when the opportunity came to interview Ace Frehley back in 2008 … Continue reading That time I told Ace Frehley that I thought the first Kiss album was the best Kiss album
God bless Scott Gorham’s 60-second guitar solo on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”
By Steve Newton I freakin' love guitar solos, where some talented artist carefully chooses the perfect notes and uses vibrato and tremolo and all that other technical shit to come up with something that'll stick with me for decades and be there whenever I want to retrieve it, replay it in my head, and holler: … Continue reading God bless Scott Gorham’s 60-second guitar solo on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”
That time I asked David Lee Roth if he regretted leaving Van Halen
By Steve Newton I did my first interview with David Lee Roth in June of 1994, when he was promoting his Nile Rodgers-produced album Your Filthy Little Mouth. He called me from L.A., where 10 days earlier O.J. Simpson had gone on his murderous rampage, so we chatted about the media circus surrounding that, among other things. … Continue reading That time I asked David Lee Roth if he regretted leaving Van Halen
That time Allan Holdsworth told me that a lotta people love the things that he hates…like his old band U.K.
By Steve Newton I'd been wondering which of my hundreds of old interviews I should digitize next when I realized that the one with guitar legend Allan Holdsworth from 1983 should take precedence, because apparently cassette tapes don't last forever and can deteriorate. Luckily the damn thing still works. Thank you Maxell. When I did … Continue reading That time Allan Holdsworth told me that a lotta people love the things that he hates…like his old band U.K.
That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me how much he liked Colin James
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Stevie Ray Vaughan in July of 1990, six weeks before his death, I asked him what he'd been listening to in his spare time--if he had any. "Well I really haven't had time to look up!," he declared, before adding that he'd been mostly paying attention to the record … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me how much he liked Colin James
That time John Mayall told me that his Bluesbreakers of 1988 were the best band he ever had
By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed blues legend John Mayall was in December of 1988, shortly after he'd released his Chicago Line album, which featured smokin' guitarists Walter Trout and Carlos Montoya. Mayall has always surrounded himself with the finest pickers--including guys like Mick Taylor, Eric Clapton, and Peter Green--so at one point … Continue reading That time John Mayall told me that his Bluesbreakers of 1988 were the best band he ever had