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 told him 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 told him that I liked their debut album best
Album review: Mötley Crüe, Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 12, 1987 By Steve Newton When I first heard Mötley Crüe 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 old turntable. But … Continue reading Album review: Mötley Crüe, 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: Mötley Crüe: Too Fast For Love (1982)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 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. Music for the … Continue reading Album review: Mötley Crüe: 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 ON 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 star with so … 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 ON 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 were so good. "Eighteen", … 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 I interviewed hard rock/metal bass god Rudy Sarzo at the Vancouver office of CBS Records 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 concerts in North America. Also on the … 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. 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
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
Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as musical integrity and depth go, Mötley Crüe is not in the same hard-rock league as bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, or Scorpions. But when it comes to putting on a rowdy, consistently exciting show, these four L.A. dudes do have what it takes. … Continue reading Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour
Alice Cooper’s sheer awesomeness steals Mötley Crüe’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 Mötley Crüe’s thunder in Vancouver