By Steve Newton Back in 1997 I did my one and only interview with guitar legend Link Wray, and man was that cool. He’s always been one of those players who never got the credit he deserved, considering how influential he was. Those boneheads down at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame haven’t even … Continue reading That time Link Wray told me why he became a rocker
kevin kane photo By Steve Newton I called Steve Howe up at a Yes tour stop in San Diego in 2017 and had a nice chat with the British guitar wizard, who I’ve adored ever since first hearing him go to town on “Roundabout” back in the seventies. During our conversation I asked Steve about … Continue reading Yes guitarist Steve Howe on paying tribute to bass god Chris Squire at the Rock Hall
By Steve Newton I realize I’ve mentioned it before–maybe more than once–but holy crap do I love J.J. Cale. He left us in 2013, but my fondness for the guy hasn’t dwindled at all since he shuffled off this mortal coil. He was the personification of laidback cool–not to mention criminally underrated guitar prowess. My … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that any help I could give him, he’d appreciate
By Steve Newton It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon and I’m not quite up to mowing the lawn yet, so I figure I’ll just post another audio excerpt from my one-and-only conversation with American guitar legend Link Wray. It’s from just over 20 years ago–June 21, 1997, to be precise–when Link was in Dallas, on a … Continue reading That time I asked Link Wray if he’d sign the Ear of Newt guitar
By Steve Newton Some Def Leppard fans think the band was at its best when Steve Clark was in the lineup. I’m one of them. I interviewed Clark back in 1988 when the band was selling out arenas worldwide, touring behind its massively popular Hysteria album. At one point in the conversation I mentioned a quote from … Continue reading That time Def Leppard’s Steve Clark told me that Pyromania set the standard for a lot of groups
By Steve Newton Regular readers of Ear of Newt may have noticed that I, the Newt, really like posting excerpts from my four interviews with Dickey Betts. It’s not just because he’s a guitar legend. Or because he was in the freakin’ Allman Brothers. Though that’s part of it. But I also just like listening … Continue reading That time I asked Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts what he’d been listening to in his spare time
By Steve Newton In the Year of Our Lord, 1974, Mountain was one of my favourite bands. Back then I played the crap out of their new live album, Twin Peaks, marvelling at how totally rockin’ a cowbell could sound on “Mississippi Queen”. And Leslie West’s guitar playing wasn’t too bad either. Four years later another American … Continue reading That time Leslie West told me that Eddie Van Halen inspired him to get back into guitar after rehab
By Steve Newton When I look back over my 39-year career in music journalism, there are some folks that I’m really, really glad I got to talk to. Like Albert King. Of the three big Kings–sorry B.B. and Freddie–I think I appreciate Albert the most. There was something about the way he could wring deep, … Continue reading That time I tried telling Albert King that Elmore James was his biggest influence
By Steve Newton Google “100 greatest guitarists” these days and what shows up at the top is a total joke. It’s the high ‘n’ mighty Rolling Stone‘s list of the so-called finest, posted from 2015. And man does it suck. But what do you expect from the same bozos who oversee the Rock and Roll … Continue reading Rolling Stone can piss right off: here’s the 100 Greatest Guitarists (that I’ve interviewed) and 50 that I haven’t (yet)
By Steve Newton Yngwie Malmsteen is famous for his blistering speed on the fretboard, but his choice of reading material isn’t nearly as well known. The first time I interviewed the Swedish guitar legend, back in 1985, he had recently released his second solo album, Marching Out, which included a thank you to Stephen King. Turns … Continue reading That time Yngwie Malmsteen told me that he was inspired by Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Leonardo da Vinci
By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed Yngwie Malmsteen, back in December of 1985, he was touring with Ronnie James Dio as opening act on the Sacred Heart tour. He was only 22 at the time, and four years earlier had spent a very brief stint in the Swedish army. Like, two days. When … Continue reading That time Yngwie Malmsteen told me that he escaped the Swedish army by threatening to shoot himself
By Steve Newton Hardcore fans of Stephen King are aware that he used the pen name Richard Bachman for a number of his early novels because he was a huge fan of Bachman-Turner Overdrive. But not many BTO fans know that the band’s founding guitarist, Randy Bachman, once went looking for King in the horror … Continue reading Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s Randy Bachman once tried paying a surprise visit to Stephen King
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 10, 1987 By Steve Newton Jon Bon Jovi had a novel way to describe the horrendous sound in B.C. Place last Thursday (July 2). “I’ve fallen in love in Vancouver more times than there’s echo comin’ out of these speakers,” said the 25-year-old sex symbol, sounding more than pleased with the … Continue reading From Bon Jovi in a stadium to Killer Dwarfs in a club: it’s just another night in Vancouver circa 1987
