ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 5, 1994 By Steve Newton Sometimes I wonder if guitarists join Guns N' Roses just so they can get in the position to release their own solo recordings of punk-inspired garage-rock and blues-based boogie. (I doubt if they do it so they can bask in the positive vibes … Continue reading Album review: Gilby Clarke, Pawnshop Guitars (1994)
Tag: Axl Rose
Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy (2008)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 27, 2008 By Steve Newton On a recent episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert lectured Axl Rose for stealing his thunder by releasing Chinese Democracy, the first Guns N’ Roses album in 17 years, the very same day as Colbert’s Christmas special. “What’s the matter, Axl,” whined the … Continue reading Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy (2008)
AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place
I don't care how tiny Angus is, the world needs his killer riffs. By Steve Newton There's been a lot of rumour and speculation flying around the music world since yesterday, when I posted a blog on the Georgia Straight website reporting that Phil Rudd and Stevie Young had been spotted in downtown Vancouver. The … Continue reading AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place
Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 19, 1991 By Steve Newton It’s hard to believe that just three years ago Guns N’ Roses couldn’t get a rise out of a Vancouver crowd. The band opened for Iron Maiden at the Coliseum on May 30, 1988, and was so ticked off at the lame reaction … Continue reading Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991)
The rootsy gut-bucket boogie of the Paladins gets a boost from Dave Alvin in Vancouver
@shotbykevin ORIGINAL PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUGUST 15, 1991 By Steve Newton Men Without Hats immortalized the idea “You can dance if you want to.” I dunno—sometimes I just can’t dance. But I was a regular dancin’ fool at the Commodore last Friday (August 9), and the decision to get up there and make … Continue reading The rootsy gut-bucket boogie of the Paladins gets a boost from Dave Alvin in Vancouver
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
Slash bassist Todd Kerns thinks it’s “surreal” that Axl Rose is in AC/DC
By Steve Newton I was interviewing Todd Kerns a few days ago in advance of his gig with the Age of Electric in Vancouver next weekend, and naturally--since he's the bassist for Slash--the conversation headed in to Guns N' Roses territory. I asked him what he thought of GN'R singer Axl Rose taking Brian Johnson's … Continue reading Slash bassist Todd Kerns thinks it’s “surreal” that Axl Rose is in AC/DC
AC/DC fans unimpressed with Axl Rose hiring suggest Angry Anderson, Marc Storace, and the guy from Airbourne
By Steve Newton Yesterday I posted a blog claiming that AC/DC had "f***ed up" by making Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose their singer instead of Aussie rock legend (and legendary screamer) Jimmy Barnes, of Cold Chisel fame. My blog got a lot of comments. Some folks thought I was right on, and that Barnes … Continue reading AC/DC fans unimpressed with Axl Rose hiring suggest Angry Anderson, Marc Storace, and the guy from Airbourne
AC/DC f***ed up: they shoulda hired Jimmy Barnes instead of Axl Rose
By Steve Newton By now the rock world is fully abuzz with the official announcement from AC/DC that Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses will be the new singer for the rest of its Rock or Bust World Tour. They could've done better, if you ask me. I don't think Axl Rose's voice is close … Continue reading AC/DC f***ed up: they shoulda hired Jimmy Barnes instead of Axl Rose
That time Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil cursed me out and called Axl Rose a pussy, a wimp, and a poser
By Steve Newton Ha! Here's a good one. It's from an old interview I did with Vince Neil back in October of 1991 when Mötley Crüe was promoting its Decade of Decadence greatest hits album. This was around the time Neil was making headlines in the music press for his feud with Axl Rose of … Continue reading That time Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil cursed me out and called Axl Rose a pussy, a wimp, and a poser
Axl stays cool and Slash plays hot as Guns N’ Roses slay Vancouver on the Use Your Illusion Tour
Brian May signed my backstage pass; Slash wasn't around ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 1, 1993 By Steve Newton The first time I saw Guns N’ Roses perform, the band was opening for Iron Maiden at the Pacific Coliseum, shortly after the release of 1987’s Appetite for Destruction debut. This was several months before tunes like … Continue reading Axl stays cool and Slash plays hot as Guns N’ Roses slay Vancouver on the Use Your Illusion Tour
Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 11, 1994 By Steve Newton Guns N’ Roses may well be the most popular hard-rock band in the world. It’s certainly one of the most controversial, having made headlines recently with the much-publicized inclusion of an uncredited Charles Manson song on its latest recording, The Spaghetti Incident? There’s also singer Axl … Continue reading Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”
That time I turned down a swig of Slash’s JD at a Guns N’ Roses gig
By Steve Newton Guns N' Roses were probably the biggest rock band in the world--or was fighting it out with U2 for that title--when this telling photo was snapped backstage in the early '90s sometime. The thing I remember most about meeting Slash was when he offered me a guzzle from the bottle of Jack … Continue reading That time I turned down a swig of Slash’s JD at a Guns N’ Roses gig