Search Results for: joe satriani

That time I asked AC/DC’s Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson what they liked listening to in their spare time

By Steve Newton When I interviewed some of the guys from AC/DC back in ’83, on the eve of the Flick of the Switch tour, I asked them which groups they liked listening to in their spare time. Both Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young mentioned ZZ Top. “I just like their attitude and all ya … Continue reading That time I asked AC/DC’s Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson what they liked listening to in their spare time

That time Gord Downie told me about the Tragically Hip’s Saturday Night Live gig

By Steve Newton On March 25, 1995, the Tragically Hip played Saturday Night Live, when one of my fave actors, John Goodman (“Mark it zero!”), was hosting. Fellow Kingstonite Dan Aykroyd introduced the band, which surprised the hell out of peeps by not opening with a certified crowd-pleasing rocker like “New Orleans is Sinking” or … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me about the Tragically Hip’s Saturday Night Live gig

That time Malcolm Young told me what inspired AC/DC’s “Bedlam in Belgium” and how “music tames the beast”

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson at their Vancouver hotel room in 1983 it was less than two months since the release of AC/DC‘s eighth internationally released studio album, Flick of the Switch. One of the more intriguing tracks on the LP, the third one to feature Johnson on vocals, was “Bedlam … Continue reading That time Malcolm Young told me what inspired AC/DC’s “Bedlam in Belgium” and how “music tames the beast”

That time Roger Glover got pissed off when I mentioned how loud Deep Purple was: “that’s a bullshit statement”

By Steve Newton Most rock freaks as old as me remember back to 1985 when Deep Purple had reunited its classic Mark II lineup and was headed out on tour behind its Perfect Strangers album. When the band set its sights on Vancouver I was pretty psyched about getting the chance to interview Roger Glover–and … Continue reading That time Roger Glover got pissed off when I mentioned how loud Deep Purple was: “that’s a bullshit statement”

That time Craig Northey told me what he really thinks about the Hip not being big in the States

By Steve Newton I did the last of my five interviews with Gord Downie back in October of 1996, when the Tragically Hip was at its peak of popularity. At that point the latest Hip CD, Trouble at the Henhouse, had sold about 100,000 copies in the U.S., which, while a respectable number, still paled drastically … Continue reading That time Craig Northey told me what he really thinks about the Hip not being big in the States

That time Tony Iommi told me that a second Black Sabbath album with Ian Gillan would probably turn out better than Born Again

By Steve Newton A few days ago I posted a blog that featured a snippet from my 1984 interview with Tony Iommi, in which he talked about blowing up Black Sabbath singer Ian Gillan’s boat during the recording sessions for Born Again. As any Sabbath fan knows, the band only made one album with Gillan … Continue reading That time Tony Iommi told me that a second Black Sabbath album with Ian Gillan would probably turn out better than Born Again

That time Tony Iommi told me about that Spinal Tap moment with Stonehenge props on Black Sabbath’s Born Again tour

I’m pretty sure these are the smaller Stonehenge props Iommi mentions at the very end of the excerpt. By Steve Newton Previously I’ve offered up audio excerpts from my 1984 interview with Tony Iommi in which the Black Sabbath guitarist talked about blowing up singer Ian Gillan’s boat during recording sessions for Born Again, and … Continue reading That time Tony Iommi told me about that Spinal Tap moment with Stonehenge props on Black Sabbath’s Born Again tour

That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that he just “tinkles” on lead guitar: “You can’t outdo Angus”

By Steve Newton When I interviewed AC/DC‘s Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson back in 1983 I asked Malcolm if he ever had a hankering to step out and play a lead-guitar solo once in a while. As expected, his response was along the lines of, “Why bother when you’ve got a guy like Angus around?” … Continue reading That time AC/DC’s Malcolm Young told me that he just “tinkles” on lead guitar: “You can’t outdo Angus”

Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1995

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1995 By Steve Newton I must have gotten tired of listening to rock vocalists in 1995, because the majority of my top picks for the year turned out to be instrumental releases. Who needs to rack their brain deciphering lyrics when a well-handled guitar can do all the … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1995

That time Brian Johnson joked about going deaf and Malcolm Young added that AC/DC’s fans get most of the volume

By Steve Newton The biggest news in the hard-rock world back in 2016 revolved around AC/DC having to hire Axl Rose to take the place of Brian Johnson for the remainder of its Rock or Bust World Tour. Johnson, the band’s singer since replacing Bon Scott in 1980, had to leave the band–or got tossed … Continue reading That time Brian Johnson joked about going deaf and Malcolm Young added that AC/DC’s fans get most of the volume

Albert Lee on going country in England and finding his “natural” gig with the Everly Brothers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 11, 1986 By Steve Newton In the world of music, jolly old England is famous for a number of things. The Beatles for instance. And rock guitar heroes like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. But country music is not one of Brittania’s specialties, and it never has been. Luckily … Continue reading Albert Lee on going country in England and finding his “natural” gig with the Everly Brothers

Stevie Ray Vaughan six weeks before the crash: “I would hate to get caught playing my last gig not trying”

During the interview I asked Stevie Ray if he ever had difficulty getting inspired for a show, and his response was somewhat prophetic.