That time John Cougar told me that the high he gets from writing good songs is better than sex–and heroin

By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time back in May of 1983, when he was still called John Cougar. He was touring behind his latest album, American Fool, but for some reason the Vancouver show got cancelled and the interview I did with him in advance never ran. At one point … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that the high he gets from writing good songs is better than sex–and heroin

10 minutes in a hotel room with AC/DC in 1983

By Steve Newton One fine October day in 1983 I went to a fancy Vancouver hotel and hung out with Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson of AC/DC, who were kicking off a tour to support the new Flick of the Switch album. New drummer Simon Wright was there too, but he didn’t say much. Note: … Continue reading 10 minutes in a hotel room with AC/DC in 1983

10 minutes in a studio with producer Bob Rock in 1991

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with hugely successful hard-rock producer Bob Rock in December of 1991. I went to meet him at Vancouver Studios, where he was working on albums by the London Choirboys and his own band, Rockhead. Four months earlier the massively popular album Rock made with Metallica, The Black … Continue reading 10 minutes in a studio with producer Bob Rock in 1991

That time I asked Tommy Stinson if there was anything he’d change about his time with the Replacements

By Steve Newton I interviewed Minneapolis rocker Tommy Stinson back in June of 1993, when his band Bash and Pop was heading to Vancouver for a show at the Town Pump. Stinson is best known for his work with his previous group, the Replacements. He was only 14 when the Replacements released their first album … Continue reading That time I asked Tommy Stinson if there was anything he’d change about his time with the Replacements

That time Alice Cooper told me that he would blow “clone bands” like Ratt and Mötley Crüe off the stage

me ‘n the coop. @shotbykevin By Steve Newton When I was a teenager in the early ’70s, Alice Cooper was god. I couldn’t get enough of his nasty image and the killer guitar-rock on albums Love It to Death, Killer, School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies, and Muscle of Love. I lost interest somewhat after he … Continue reading That time Alice Cooper told me that he would blow “clone bands” like Ratt and Mötley Crüe off the stage

10 minutes on the phone with David Lee Roth in 1994

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Diamond Dave while he was promoting one of his lesser-appreciated solo albums, the Nile Rodgers-produced Your Filthy Little Mouth. He was in L.A., where 10 days earlier O.J. Simpson had committed double-murder, so we chatted about that whole media circus, among other things. Dave’s an outgoing, … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with David Lee Roth in 1994

That time I asked Duke Robillard if there were big shoes to fill replacing Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rhode Island blues guitarist and vocalist Duke Robillard back in February of 1995, when he was touring behind his eighth album, Temptation, and about to play a show at the famed Antone’s in Austin, Texas. A few years earlier he’d been playing with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, having taken over the … Continue reading That time I asked Duke Robillard if there were big shoes to fill replacing Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds

That time 25-year-old Paul Gilbert told me how he wangled a ride from a Mr. Big fan to see Pat Travers near Vancouver

By Steve Newton I interviewed Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert back in March of 1992, when the band was in Detroit, touring behind its second album, Lean Into It. That’s the one that spawned the #1 hit single “To Be With You”, and went platinum in the States. Mr. Big was gonna be playing Vancouver … Continue reading That time 25-year-old Paul Gilbert told me how he wangled a ride from a Mr. Big fan to see Pat Travers near Vancouver

Ear of Newt and the Tapes Archive present the Alex Van Halen 1995 interview

By Steve Newton Here’s a special treat for all you Van Halen freaks out there–even the ones who liked the Sammy years. For the first time ever the entire audio of my 1995 interview with Alex Van Halen is being offered to the public for free, thanks to a partnership between Ear of Newt and … Continue reading Ear of Newt and the Tapes Archive present the Alex Van Halen 1995 interview

That time drum great Steve Smith told me about getting kicked out of Journey by Steve Perry

By Steve Newton Back in March of 1987 I interviewed American drummer Steve Smith, who was bringing his jazz-fusion group Vital Information to Vancouver for a club gig at the Town Pump. Before that Smith had spent seven years with Journey, and was part of that band when it hit it big with singles like … Continue reading That time drum great Steve Smith told me about getting kicked out of Journey by Steve Perry

10 minutes on the phone with 29-year-old Steve Vai in 1990

By Steve Newton Steve Vai is one of those guitarists where you watch him play and you’re like: “How the hell does he do that!?” This is the first interview I did with him, when he was only 29, touring with Whitesnake, and had just released his solo album Passion and Warfare. During the first … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with 29-year-old Steve Vai in 1990

22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers

By Steve Newton I called up Brit Floyd guitarist, vocalist, and musical director Damian Darlington at his home in the county of Cheshire, England, a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to get the scoop on his group, which is regarded as the world’s best Pink Floyd tribute band, in advance of its Vancouver show … Continue reading 22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers

That time I asked Alex Van Halen how he thought Van Halen had evolved musically since Sammy Hagar joined

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Alex Van Halen back in 1995 his band was touring behind Balance, its fourth and final studio album with Sammy Hagar at the mike. At one point in the conversation I asked Alex how he would say the band had evolved musically since Sammy joined for 5150. Have a … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how he thought Van Halen had evolved musically since Sammy Hagar joined