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
Tag: Motley Crue
That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude
By Steve Newton Back in November of 1985 I interviewed Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars the same day his band played Vancouver on its Theatre of Pain tour. At one point in the conversation we were talking fave guitar players--his (and mine) being Jeff Beck--and I asked him how he felt about the new superstars … Continue reading That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude
That time I asked Mick Mars if Mötley Crüe were softening on Theatre of Pain, then added that I liked their debut album best
By Steve Newton Way the hell back in November of 1985 I interviewed Mick Mars at his Vancouver hotel before a show on Mötley Crüe's Theatre of Pain tour. I was quite the little metalhead back then, and I liked my tunes with a bit of bite, so at one point in the conversation I … Continue reading That time I asked Mick Mars if Mötley Crüe were softening on Theatre of Pain, then added that I liked their debut album best
Album review: Motley Crue, Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 12, 1987 By Steve Newton When I first heard Motley Crue back in 1981, I was quite impressed. The group's debut album, Too Fast for Love, had a rough-edged punk feel, and songs like "Live Wire", "Public Enemy #1", and "Piece of Your Action" made repeated rounds on the … Continue reading Album review: Motley Crue, Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
Mötley Crüe’s debut album gets double duty on Music to Crash Your Car To, Volume 1
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton Eighties L.A. glam-rockers Mötley Crüe borrowed well from their ’70s New York counterparts, KISS. The Crüe took a bit of KISS’s makeup and leather outfits, and a lot of its penchant for on-stage theatrics. Both groups had a habit of recording horrible ballads … Continue reading Mötley Crüe’s debut album gets double duty on Music to Crash Your Car To, Volume 1
Album review: Motley Crue: Too Fast For Love (1982)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 9, 1982 By Steve Newton Talk about ugly. These guys make the New York Dolls look like the kids on Leave It To Beaver! Well, maybe they aren't that bad. Anyway, their music sure isn't ugly. It's beautiful, in fact. That is, if you're into energetic, hook-filled boogie. … Continue reading Album review: Motley Crue: Too Fast For Love (1982)
Billy Idol humps the stage and Steve Stevens’ guitars rage as the Whiplash Smile tour hits Vancouver
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 22, 1987 By Steve Newton When Billy Idol kept stalling and stalling the release of his latest LP, Whiplash Smile, there was some real danger that the man's popularity--which had reached great heights after the release of 1983's Rebel Yell--was beginning to run its course. When a … Continue reading Billy Idol humps the stage and Steve Stevens’ guitars rage as the Whiplash Smile tour hits Vancouver
Alice Cooper talks heavy metal, sleazy horror, and getting back in the game with Constrictor
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 7, 1986 By Steve Newton Alice Cooper's early '70s rock anthems captured my imagination as a teenager, and have stayed with me ever since. Not only was his image so horrifically new and different, what with the ghoulish makeup, wild costumes, and weird props--but his songs … Continue reading Alice Cooper talks heavy metal, sleazy horror, and getting back in the game with Constrictor
Rudy Sarzo recalls the buzz of Quiet Riot opening Heavy Metal Day at the US Festival in ’83
By Steve Newton As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, I got to interview hard rock/metal bass god Rudy Sarzo in Vancouver back in August of 1983. That was less than three months after Sarzo's band, Quiet Riot, had opened Heavy Metal Day at the US Festival, one of the biggest outdoor … Continue reading Rudy Sarzo recalls the buzz of Quiet Riot opening Heavy Metal Day at the US Festival in ’83
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. Today I was listening to an old interview I did with Vince Neil back in October of 1991 when Motley Crue 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 … Continue reading That time Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil cursed me out and called Axl Rose a pussy, a wimp, and a poser
Guitarists from Exodus, Exciter, and Metal Church weigh in on the heaviness of metal in 1985
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 2, 1985 By Steve Newton Blue Oyster Cult's Tyranny and Mutation. Aerosmith's Rocks. UFO's Phenomenon. The Montrose debut. Back in the early to mid-'70s those albums forged a sound that critic Lester Bangs called "heavy metal". They were dynamic and forceful, fast, loud, and proud. The bands that … Continue reading Guitarists from Exodus, Exciter, and Metal Church weigh in on the heaviness of metal in 1985
Motley Crue plays Vancouver at the height of its popularity on the Dr. Feelgood tour
By Steve Newton A quarter-century ago today—on June 9, 1990—Motley Crue played the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. That was the exact same night Janet Jackson played B.C. Place Stadium. I chose the lesser of two evils—or so I thought at the time. Back then the Crue was at the very peak of its success, touring … Continue reading Motley Crue plays Vancouver at the height of its popularity on the Dr. Feelgood tour
Alice Cooper’s sheer awesomeness steals Motley Crue’s thunder in Vancouver
By Steve Newton Mötley Crüe performed its final show in Vancouver last night (November 21). Or so the story goes. Before embarking on its current tour the L.A. sleaze-rock kings got some lawyers to write up a contract wherein they declared that they would never go on the road again after this. That allowed them to charge … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s sheer awesomeness steals Motley Crue’s thunder in Vancouver
Will Alice Cööper show Motley Crue how it’s done in Vancouver?
There's no denying that the vast majority of rock 'n' roll animals heading to the sold-out Rogers Arena this Friday night will be huge fans of Mötley Crüe, which is performing on its heavily publicized "Final Tour". But I doubt I'll be the only one going there to revel in the killer tunes and theatrical shock-rock shenanigans … Continue reading Will Alice Cööper show Motley Crue how it’s done in Vancouver?
Kiss releases Animalize, Eric Carr says he’s still a fox
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 28, 1984 By Steve Newton It was a snowy and cold January afternoon in 1975 when several high school friends and I headed off to the second Vancouver appearance of an up-and-coming rock band named KISS. Almost all of us had our well-worn copy of the group's first … Continue reading Kiss releases Animalize, Eric Carr says he’s still a fox
Mötley Crüe’s scuzzy antics in Vancouver make the Newt pine for Brownsville Station
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 1, 1999 So why would I want to go see Mötley Crüe when I don’t even care for its juvenile brand of exploitative crotch-rock? Good question. Maybe it was because I wanted one last look at the unseemly underbelly of ’80s rock, one last wander through that wasteland … Continue reading Mötley Crüe’s scuzzy antics in Vancouver make the Newt pine for Brownsville Station
Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Motley Crue crash the party
On May 11, 1989, Bon Jovi played Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium. The quintet was touring behind its fourth album, the locally-made, Bruce Fairbairn-produced New Jersey, which spawned five singles and has sold more than seven-million copies in the U.S. alone. The concert was memorable by late-'80s standards, I suppose, because it included appearances by members of … Continue reading Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Motley Crue crash the party
Bob Rock plays every lick he knows on Rockhead’s “dumb old hard-rock album”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 15, 1993 By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed veteran Vancouver musician and producer extraordinaire Bob Rock, he was in the middle of helming Bitter Sweet & Twisted, the new release by British blues-rockers the Quireboys. The last time we chatted, he was heavily involved in the … Continue reading Bob Rock plays every lick he knows on Rockhead’s “dumb old hard-rock album”
Ozzy Osbourne promises me no bat-biting in Vancouver, “just a rock and roll show”
By Steve Newton Thirty years ago tomorrow--on March 23, 1984--Ozzy Osbourne played Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum on a bill with guests Motley Crue and Waysted. The Ozzman was touring behind his third solo album, Bark at the Moon, which introduced primo guitarist Jake E. Lee to the hard-rock world. (By the way, Lee's current band, Red … Continue reading Ozzy Osbourne promises me no bat-biting in Vancouver, “just a rock and roll show”
Cheap Trick plays AC/DC with Motley Crue in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 2, 1989 By Steve Newton Back in the late '70s, one of this scribbler's favourite pastimes was throwing Cheap Trick's In Color album on the turntable and cranking 'er up. The band's thoroughly rockin' power-pop was just the right brain lube between heavy bouts of exam cramming. At … Continue reading Cheap Trick plays AC/DC with Motley Crue in Vancouver
Philly’s Silvertide revels in the sweet sounds of the ’70s
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JULY 28, 2005 By Steve Newton There's no doubt that Motley Crue will be the main attraction when L.A.'s kings of sleaze-rock headline the sold-out Pacific Coliseum on Friday (July 29). Having Canadian punk rock sensations Sum 41 on the bill hasn't hurt ticket sales, either. But you gotta wonder why … Continue reading Philly’s Silvertide revels in the sweet sounds of the ’70s
Chuck Klosterman defends his love of Motley Crue
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 13, 2005 By Steve Newton Loitering in the hallway of a hoity-toity Burrard Street hotel, waiting to chat with rock critic and pop-culture author Chuck Klosterman, I'm struck by the opulence of the five-star accommodations. It just doesn't seem suited to my interview subject, even if he is from New … Continue reading Chuck Klosterman defends his love of Motley Crue
Aerosmith shows Motley Crue what rock’s all about
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 20, 2006 It was billed as a coheadlining tour, but since when is Motley Crue equal in status to the mighty Aerosmith? I mean, come on! Aerosmith dropped more killer tunes on Get Your Wings than Motley Crue produced in its entire career! Yet for some strange reason there still seem … Continue reading Aerosmith shows Motley Crue what rock’s all about
“I know it’s not Aerosmith,” says Joe Perry of his Project, “but it’s still rock ’n’ roll.”
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 20, 2010 By Steve Newton When Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler took a tumble off a catwalk during a concert in South Dakota last August, injuring his head, neck, and shoulder, the status of the iconic ’70s hard rock act suffered too. In the last few years various health issues have … Continue reading “I know it’s not Aerosmith,” says Joe Perry of his Project, “but it’s still rock ’n’ roll.”