Classic Rock
R.I.P. Gordon Haskell, Former King Crimson Singer-Bassist Dies at 74
Onetime King Crimson singer-bassist Gordon Haskell has died at the age of 74. The sad news was announced via the musician’s Facebook page, but no cause of death was given. “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Gordon, a great musician and a wonderful person who will be sadly missed by so many,” read the statement on Haskell’s passing. Haskell had a brief tenure in King Crimson during the pioneering UK prog-rock band’s early years. He was a classmate and teenage bandmate of founder Robert Fripp in the group League of Gentlemen, and was recruited to sing lead vocals on the song “Cadence and Cascade” on King Crimson’s second album, 1970’s In the Wake of Poseidon. Greg Lake sang lead on all of the LP’s other tracks. After Lake left the band to form Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Has...
Brian Wilson, Al Jardine Condemn Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit Concert
The Beach Boys have seen better days. On Sunday, Mike Love’s Frankenstein twist on the legendary outfit performed at an Orange County campaign benefit in support of Donald Trump. Former members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine were not fans. “We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” Wilson and Jardine told Variety through a spokesperson. “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.” True to the spirit of Trump, the event was a ghoulish display of garish festivities. Tickets ranged from a jaw-dropping $2,800 per donor to a downright criminal $150,000 a couple for co-chair status with The Beach Boys at the center. Of course, every self-respecting fan of The Beach Boys knows this isn’t really The Beac...
Tommy Lee Fires Back at Ted Nugent: “Is That Guy Even Still Alive … I Thought He Shot Himself”
Forget Trump vs. Biden — the nastiest right wing vs. left wing feud is brewing between veteran rockers Ted Nugent and Tommy Lee. Following some disparaging remarks by Nugent about the Mötley Crüe drummer, Lee has fired back at the guitarist with a vengeance. As we reported Wednesday, Nugent seemingly went out of his way to call Lee “a convicted felon, domestic violence heroin addict” during a recent appearance on the political podcast Blunt Force Truth. It was just a matter of time before Lee retaliated, and he did just that on Wednesday night. The drummer tweeted, “Ted Nugent? ….Is that guy even still alive? ….. I thought he shot himself like 20 yrs ago.” A little harsh, indeed, but Lee is playing off the fact that Nugent has long been a proud gun-toting member of the NRA. When the M...
Phil Collins Hits Trump with Cease and Desist Order After Playing “In the Air Tonight”
Phil Collins has hit Donald Trump’s presidential campaign with a cease and desist order following the unauthorized use of “In the Air Tonight” during a rally in Iowa on Wednesday night. Collins’ 1981 solo single was played aloud prior to Trump taking the stage in Des Moines, Iowa. The campaign has a tendency of using songs without listening to their lyrics — the most recent example being CCR’s “Fortunate Son” — but playing a song titled “In the Air Tonight” as an airborne virus continues to ravage the country seems particular tone-deaf. Then again, it could’ve also been the campaign’s way of flipping a middle finger at health officials and media members who question why Trump is holding mass gatherings where many of the attendees are not wearing masks. Whatever the case, Trump’s campaign d...
Tom Petty’s Estate Releases Wildflowers & All the Rest Reissue: Stream
Tom Petty originally envisioned 1994’s Wildflowers as a double album, but was forced to leave off a number of songs when it came time to finalizing the official tracklist. Some of those eventually ended up on later projects — such as Petty’s She’s the One soundtrack — however, most were stashed away in the vault for decades to come. Now, those “lost” recordings have finally been unearthed as part of a massive and long-awaited reissue titled Wildflowers & All the Rest. Stream it in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. This comprehensive, multi-disc collection pairs the original album with a long list of bonus material sure to have fans both nostalgic and giddy. Five previously unreleased tracks are contained on the “All the Rest” disc, while “Home Recordings” consists o...
John Fogerty Serves Trump with Cease and Desist Over Use of “Fortunate Son”
Donald Trump is not the introspective type, and so he has no qualms about playing “Fortunate Son” at campaign rallies without permission. The CCR classic was written by a US Army veteran about children of privilege who found ways — for example, lying about bone spurs — to avoid the draft lottery during the Vietnam War. But even if Trump can’t comprehend the irony, that songwriter has had enough. John Fogerty has issued a “cease and desist” order, tweeting, “He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse.” Fogerty posted his statement along with a picture of himself in uniform. He said “Fortunate Song” came about “because, as a veteran, I was disgusted that some people were allowed to be excluded from serving our country because they had access to political and...
Stevie Nicks: There Would Have Been No Fleetwood Mac “If I Had Not Had That Abortion”
The death of Stevie Nicks’ “hero” Ruth Bader Ginsburg has the songwriter worried about the future of women’s rights. In a new interview with The Guardian, she put the issue of abortion in personal terms, saying, “If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac.” Nicks terminated a pregnancy in 1979, while dating Don Henley of The Eagles. By bringing it up now, she wasn’t trying to claim that Fleetwood Mac would never have existed otherwise — after all, her procedure happened at the apex of the band’s post-Rumors fame. Instead, she seems to have been suggesting that Fleetwood Mac wouldn’t have turned into the cultural heavyweight it became, and Nicks wouldn’t have realized her potential. Now, she’s concerned that Trump’s nominee to replace Gi...
Mysterious Woman from Black Sabbath’s Debut Album Gets Her Own Funko Pop! Figure
Funko’s popular line of collectible Pop! figures has expanded over the years to include a wide array of music, film, and television subjects. Even with the toy company’s vast roster, who would’ve thought that the mysterious woman from the cover of Black Sabbath’s debut album would get her own Funko Pop! figure? That’s the case with a new line of Funko Pop! figures based on classic albums. The first Funko “Pop! Albums” series features figures modeled after three iconic album covers. They include Sabbath’s self-titled debut, The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, and AC/DC’s Back in Black. Upon its release in 1970, Sabbath’s debut album helped usher in what the world knows now as heavy metal. The woman on the ominous cover had remained a mystery until earlier this year, when she was locat...
Stevie Nicks Goes Her Own Way for “Dreams” TikTok Challenge: Watch
Fleetwood Mac have had a wild, profitable couple of weeks thanks to a viral TikTok video featuring “Dreams”. And now, their very own Stevie Nicks is joining in on the fun with a clip of herself singing the song at home in roller skates. This whole saga started when Nathan Apodaca uploaded a video of himself cruising along the highway on a skateboard while drinking a jug of Ocean Spray’s Cran-Raspberry to Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit from Rumors. Immediately after, TikTok users began recreating the moment in their own ways, filming themselves singing along with a bottle of the juice in hand. Mick Fleetwood joined the social media platform to celebrate the pop culture trend, and now so has Nicks. In her take on the TikTok challenge, Nicks sings her iconic falsetto while she ties a pair of white ...
Tommy Lee Swears He’ll Leave US If Trump Wins: “I’ll Go Back to My Motherland”
Tommy Lee has had enough of Donald Trump, so much so that he insists he’ll leave the United States if the incumbent wins the upcoming presidential election. As to where he’d move, the Mötley Crüe drummer has his eyes on his “motherland”, otherwise known as Greece. In an interview with the British newspaper The Big Issue, the veteran rocker was asked how he’d deal with four more years of Trump. “Dude, I swear to God if that happens then I’m coming over to visit the UK — I’m out of here,” Lee responded. “I’ll go back to my motherland, go back to Greece and get a house on one of the islands.” Lee was actually born in Greece to his father, U.S. Army Sergeant David Lee Thomas Bass, and mother, Vassiliki “Voula” Papadimitriou, a pageant contestant who represented Greece in the 1960 Miss World co...
Ozzy Osbourne’s Farewell Tour Rebooked for 2022
Ozzy Osbourne is determined to complete his “No More Tours 2” farewell trek, despite experiencing a number of roadblocks along the way. In fact, his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, says that they’ve already rescheduled his itinerary for 2022. The metal legend set out on his farewell tour in 2018, completing a couple of legs before a series of health issues brought the outing to an abrupt stop. First, he dealt with a nasty staph infection in his hand in fall 2018. Then in early 2019, he came down with pneumonia and experienced a serious fall while recovering at home. That fall dislodged metal rods that were placed in Ozzy’s body after a 2003 ATV accident, and forced him to postpone all of his 2019 dates. With the tour rescheduled for 2020, Ozzy announced at the beginning of this year tha...
David Crosby Gets Backlash Over Dismissive Eddie Van Halen Tweet
Eddie Van Halen (photo by Philip Cosores), David Crosby (photo by Monica McGivern) Following the death of Eddie Van Halen on Tuesday (October 6th), the Van Halen guitarist received near universal acclaim in tributes from his musical peers. However, one fellow music icon didn’t see fit to sing the rock legend’s praises. David Crosby dismissed Van Halen with a “meh,” and it has fans and musicians fuming. Like Eddie Van Halen, Crosby is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, thanks to his work in The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He was asked Saturday (October 11th) by a fan on Twitter about his opinion on the late guitarist, which he answered with a blunt “Meh.” When another fan responded, “Wow, that was rude, unkind, and totally lacking empathy,” Crosby continued to dig himself into m...
