Entertainment

Former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen has reflected on the passing of FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose death shook the music world late last month. Speaking to Jonathan Clarke, host of “Out Of The Box” on Q104.3, New York’s classic rock station, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I only met [Taylor] once. I saw him live many times, but I met him… He came to a [VAN HALEN] show in San Diego on the ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ tour in 2012. And he came backstage. And him, my Dad [legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen] and I talked for — gosh — it had to be, like, 45 minutes when we had to leave in a half hour; we kind of stayed. It was really cool. I remember… It blew my mind. He told me th...

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson was asked in a new interview with Steve Black of the Detroit radio station WRIF for his thoughts about what is happening in Ukraine right now. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “This thing that’s going on in Ukraine right now is much more difficult to handle [than the pandemic]. I am just so heartbroken and I am so sick of watching these images. In 2022, what’s happening in a sovereign country by the Russians, who are… You can’t blame all the Russians. [Russian president Vladimir] Putin has plans, and he’s gotta be stopped. It’s come to the point where this is no longer acceptable in any manner, and we’ve gotta either be willing to sacrifice for the sake of the world than let someone like this do what he...

SALIVA frontman Bobby Amaru says that “the timing wasn’t right” for the band’s planned reunion with original vocalist Josey Scott. Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA‘s last four releases: “In It To Win It” (2013), “Rise Up” (2014), “Love, Lies & Therapy” (2016) and “10 Lives” (2018). In October 2019, Scott announced that he was returning to SALIVA, explaining at the time that he wanted to get together with his former bandmates and “write a badass record.” Less than a year and a half later, in March 2021, SALIVA guitarist Wayne Swinny poured cold water on...

Ted Nugent has defended Florida’s controversial new “Don’t Say Gay” law, saying that it is about giving parents “the right to guide and nurture and educate their children.” The law, titled “Parental Rights In Education”, has been dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it seeks to ban discussion of gender and sexuality issues with younger students. Proponents of the law point out that it doesn’t mention the word “gay” although it does, however, contain the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” each twice. The most notable part of the law provides that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may n...