25 Things (about Glam)

Everyone and her sister has completed "25 Random Things" on Facebook. Everyone, that is, but me. I decided I don't have 25 random facts (about me) that I want to share with the world.

So, let's do 25 random things about Glam. Here's the list compiled by me and my BFF from down under Christian.

01. Poison looked like women until GnR hit big; their next album cover, they looked like GnR.

02. According to Stephen Davis in Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns n' Roses, Slash wore a "Poison Sucks" T-shirt in the "Paradise City" video. Remember, Slash also auditioned for Poison.

03. All the bands that say they are glad to be playing small clubs again - are liars.

04. Rocklahoma did not invent the festival concept in America. They did, however, create a great all-Glam event.

05. Def Leppard were not scared of being called "Metal" when it was popular.

06. Vince would have kicked Axl's ass, given the chance.

07. Glam musicians did not do public service announcements about drug use out of the kindness of their hearts.

08. When Vince left Motley, he made a perfect Motley record, but with good solos.

09. When Vince left Motley, the band recorded their strongest effort as a band.

10. The 80s are suddenly cool again - but the diehards know that good music never goes out of style.

11. Internet radio helped put Glam Metal on the map for today's teenagers.

12. The 80s were the classic period for great Metal magazines. True fans still have copies of their favorite Metal mags, archived and stored in tubs "just in case."

13. Mullets were never Glam. They were, however, Billy Ray Cyrus.

14. A flaming codpiece is never a substitute for being able to play or write songs.

15. A lot of bands slag Poison, yet will never be as successful or have as much fun.

16. The Grammy voters hate Glam musicians.

17. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voters hate Glam musicians.

18. Anyone that says they hate Glam, Hair Metal, Pop Metal or whatever - is a liar. Everyone likes at least one Glam song - even the Death Metal fanatic that sits three desks away from you and is slightly obsessed with fire.

19. Even if your guitarist is not very good, if he (or she) doesn't get to play in the studio, you're not a real band.

20. No matter how many people you've had sex with, boasting about it in interviews just makes us think you don't have a very big penis.

21. Glam bands always do better with a blond singer.

22. Being a reality TV star does hurt your Metal cred.

23. Awesome musician does not always equal great actor. In fact, it rarely does.

24. There's nothing more embarrassing than Glam bands releasing grunge albums and saying how much they hated using hair spray in the 80s.

25. Serious note here: Steven Adler is reliving his youth every day and killing himself. It's no longer very Glam to go out via a drug overdose.

Watch You Bleed, The Saga of Guns n' Roses

I requested some books for Christmas. Under the tree I found a few titles, including Watch You Bleed, the Saga of Guns n' Roses by Stephen Davis (Gotham, 2008).

The name Stephen Davis should sound familiar if you're into rock biographies. He's written a ton, including histories of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin.

 Anyone who really loves Metal already knows the story of Guns n' Roses. You know, a bunch of ne'er do wells learn to play music and all eventually form bands...meet in L.A. and somehow to get together. Along the way, they bring a history of abuse, neglected childhoods, drug addiction, alcoholism - and horrible tempers. The men that would eventually become the classic lineup of Guns n' Roses formed a certain type of gang, with the mission to survive, make music and become famous. They succeeded.

Since its release more than 20 years ago, Appetite for Destruction has become one of the top selling rock records of all time. A large portion of Watch You Bleed, the Saga of Guns n' Roses is spent recalling events that led to Guns signing with Geffen records and eventual recording of Appetite. In a lot of ways, it seems that Davis is trying to make the reader feel like an extra member of the band, recalling club shows, interviews and recording sessions, paying close attention to detail. There's an overwhelming bit of minutia here as Davis explains conversations by random engineers and always makes a point to list the clothing of each band member (obviously this detail comes by way of thousands of photographs).

When Davis gets past the Appetite sessions, the book gets a little more interesting. The stories of infighting and drug addiction are well known. The stories of Axl Rose going bonkers are well documented...and yet it's still hard to read. I mean, Axl was (is?) just really nuts. Davis uses Axl's episodes to paint a pretty bleak picture of the biggest band in the world. Instead of happiness, most everyone in Guns was a miserable wreck - no one more so than Axl Rose. 

The attention to detail that Davis affords many tour stops on the "Get in the Ring World Tour" (in support of the Use Your Illusion discs) is appreciated. Sure, there are factual errors. I've found this to be the case with every music biography I've ever read. While some deeply criticize Watch You Bleed, the Saga of Guns n' Roses, I can't help appreciating the book for what it is: a tormented and entertaining journey down one of rock's darkest alleys. Appetite for Destruction is probably the best record released during the 1980s - but that doesn't make it all sunshine and kittens. That record was borne out of street smarts and desperation - and kids were eager enough to take it all in. When the Illusion discs were released, Guns were world famous and rich - and no one could handle it. To his credit, Davis is able to depict Axl for what he is: a maniacal genius and generally terrifying.

Should you read Watch You Bleed, the Saga of Guns n' Roses? Absolutely. The book is fun, does provide a few new tidbits for die hard fans and paints a very clear picture of what it was like backstage at some of the last Guns shows with all original members. I must note: the recalling of the way Axl beat his girlfriends is upsetting. Stephanie Seymour would fight back but it seemed as if Erin Everly just took more than she gave. Truly painful to try and understand.

I must say Watch You Bleed, the Saga of Guns n' Roses is not as good as Walk this Way, which I consider to be Davis' best work. Still, the Guns book is probably the best offering out there for a complete history of GnR. Obviously no one in the band would talk. Axl still has people under "gag orders" from the Illusion tour. Those people spoke with Davis on the condition of anonymity. Perhaps someday Axl Rose will get enough mental stability to write an autobiography, but I'm pretty sure I'd only believe every fourth word of that anyway.

Buy the book here.

Another Band Added to South Texas Rock Fest 2009

Dangerous Toys were just added to the South Texas Rock Fest (henceforth, STRF) lineup. The festival runs May 22-24 in San Antonio. You'll recall last year's event was the same weekend as Rocklahoma, so the May date is much earlier.

Here is the lineup so far:

Queensryche
Seven Mary Three
Days of the New
Helix
Sponge

Since the event is in May, I'm assuming the entire lineup will be announced soon...otherwise, it would be sudden death on ticket sales. At any rate, tickets are cheap and you can go to the entire three-day event for $200 - and that is at the top tier level. Three day advance GA is only $75 bucks. This makes STRF just about the cheapest multi-day event in America.

I must admit I'm not impressed with this lineup - yet. I know many more bands will be added, so we'll see.

Click here for more information.

Who Will Win?

The Grammy awards are presented tomorrow night. There's actually quite a few Metal bands in the running this year - not that this means much or anything.

Motley Crue is nominated for only the second time and the win is certainly not guaranteed. Here are the nominees for Best Hard Rock performance:

Inside the Fire – Disturbed

Visions – Judas Priest

Wax Simulacra – The Mars Volta

Saints of Los Angeles – Motley Crue

Lords of Salem – Rob Zombie

Now, we all know the Grammy awards are about as important as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame these days. In a lot of ways, the award (and especially the presentation show) have become a diluted mess of a former self. Do I think Motley will win? Actually, I do. I think it's between Motley or the Mars Volta (Judas Priest are nominated in some other categories, as are bands like Metallica).

Since Motley are nominated, I will watch. I think "Best Hard Rock Performance" is still considered important enough to be announced live. I'll be ticked if I sit through the broadcast only to learn the award was handed out during a pre-show ceremony.

I'm not sure if Motley are appearing at the show. Sunday is an off night on the Saints of Los Angeles tour and me thinks that didn't just happen serendipitously.

Oh, and just to see if I'm right, let it be known that I predicted Alison Krauss and Robert Plant would win the "Album of the Year" Grammy for Raising Sand something like 14 months ago. We'll see if my prediction rings true.

Update on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 07:53PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Motley Crue did not win - the award for Best Hard Rock performance went to the Mars Volta.

Rock on the Range Lineup?

Rock on the Range is an annual, two-day rock festival held each May in Columbus, Ohio. This May (16th - 17th) will mark the third consecutive event. Previous festivals were wildly successful sell-outs.

As you well know, February is festival announcement season and people are ready to learn who will play Rock on the Range 2009.

Rumors and festivals go hand in hand - so here are the rumored bands for Rock on the Range:

Saliva
Slipknot (headliner)
Alice in Chains
Shinedown
Motley Crue (headliner)
Static-x
Atreyu
Down
The Used
Trapt
All That Remains
Blue October
Hoobastank
Crooked X
Sick Puppies
Charm City Devils
State of Shock
Framing Hanley

I highly doubt the list is 100% accurate, but some rumors do match fact and here is what I know:

Saliva, Charm City Devils and Crooked X are confirmed. 

More bands are needed to flesh out two stages on two days, so add Pop Evil and Godsmack. I also know the lineup announcement was slated for January 27 but that fell through...and now I think I know why. Consider this: Nikki Sixx said earlier this week that a Crue Fest II announcement is coming soon. Motley never let anyone announce their shows before they do - so ROTR has to wait for the Crue Fest PR machine to roll. This means - in effect - Rock on the Range has all (or most of) the Crue Fest II bands. The natural question - which ones? If I had to put a Crue Fest together from the list above I'd pick Motley, Charm City Devils, Crooked X and Shinedown. Again, add Godsmack to that list.

Oh yeah. There's also the logistical consideration: Motley very pointedly is avoiding Ohio on the winter leg of their tour. Makes sense to skip a city you're likely hiting in just a few months.

So, what do you think? Again, (most) of this is pure speculation. Some is based on real knowledge. I guess we'll see.

If Ticketmaster and Live Nation Merge, We're Screwed

Ok, so everyone knows I hate Ticketmaster. I loathe Live Nation just about as much. Here's the catch: if you love live music, you basically have no choice but to get raped by either ticket vendor. Now, there are strong rumors that Ticketmaster and Live Nation will merge - and this will effectively kill the concert industry as we know it. It's already virtually impossible to actually camp out for seats these days. Live Nation scoops up every tour and markets it to high hell, creating a corporate bag of greed that usually features a ton of acts on a bill with about two bands people actually want to see.

Well, anyway I just think this merger is awful. From a business perspective, it's brilliant and of course music is about making money...but man. At some point, Ticketmaster and Live Nation are going to piss off fans so much people will just stop buying. The economy is swirling the toilet bowl right now and any second someone is going to flush. While Ticketmaster and Live Nation try to plunge the last dregs of the tour industry, thousands more will lose jobs and not really be in the mood to drop three bills on a concert ticket.

Ticketmaster tried to pull a fast one on some Bruce Springsteen fans. You know, the old "let's swap the web page really quick, make the show look sold-out then put up the seats on our illegal auction site for three times the price" bait and switch. Well, the Boss wasn't pleased and he intervened. You know what? Congress stepped in, too! My eyes deceive me! The people we elect to office...actually doing something for the people? Be still my heart.

I hope the Springsteen thing turns into a massive class action lawsuit - and I want a piece of that pie. Bloody hell, I spent ten thousand dollars on concerts/festivals/music events last year - and I think some Ticketmaster/Live Nation exec probably made a big bonus off my sales alone.

Thoughts?

Michael Schenker Group - Classic Album Review

Way back in 1981, the Michael Schenker Group toured Japan before legions of screaming fans. Despite the language barrier, crowds were receptive and energetic. The band recorded one of the stops and this became the classic live disc One Night at Budokan (BGO).The album was originally released in 1982 and remastered in 1996.

The track listing for One Night at Budokan:

1. Armed And Ready (Schenker/Barden) 6:20
2. Cry For The Nations (Schenker/Barden) 5:32
3. Attack Of The Mad Axeman (Schenker/Barden) 4:50
4. But I Want More (Schenker/Barden) 5:24
5. Victim Of Illusion (Schenker/Barden) 6:18
6. Into The Arena (Schenker) 4:45
7. On And On (Schenker/Barden) 5:32
8. Never Trust A Stranger (Raymond) 6:07
9. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Schenker/Barden/Glen/Raymond/Powell) 7:18
10. Courvoisier Concerto (Schenker/Raymond) 3:42
11. Lost Horizons (Schenker/Barden) 7:22
12. Doctor Doctor (Schenker/Mogg) 5:30
13. Are You Ready To Rock (Schenker/Barden) 7:10

The album is comprised of songs from the first two MSG albums as well as Schenker’s work with UFO. The MSG lineup for this recording include Gary Barden (vocals), Paul Raymond (rhythm guitar), Chris Glen (bass), Cozy Powell (drums) and Schenker.

So, is One Night at Budokan the best live album of all time? In a word, no. It is, however, pretty damn good and features some of the best guitar work of the 1980s. There’s no doubt that Michael Schenker is a guitar machine – his skill is largely unmatched, saved for the likes of Eddie VanHalen. Even with Schenker’s guitar ability, the real hero here is the production: the drums sound huge. The wall of sound fills your speakers and pretty much demand attention. The late Cozy Powell really shines here. This is, perhaps, his finest effort with the Michael Schenker Group.

What are the highlights? There are a lot, but my favorite songs are “Doctor Doctor,” “On and On” and “Cry For the Nations.” “Doctor Doctor” is a favorite for obvious reasons, but “On and On” has a wicked introduction that you really just need to hear to believe. “Cry for the Nations” has pounding drums, which I love and give One Night at Budokan depth. It’s this depth that separate this live effort from so many other releases that just don’t quite replicate the actual concert experience.

Back to “Doctor Doctor.” The intro clapping and the transition to the guitar solo are really all you need here...except the song just gets better and better, thanks to a slow build in the arrangement.  It’s pretty obvious the crowd realizes this is the apex of the show, because there is more ambient noise – from cheering, clapping and the like.

The verdict? Required listening for any Glam fan wanting a historical foundation of guitar rock. Michael Schenker was doing crazy guitar licks before Eddie VanHalen  but he never really got his due. One Night at Budokan is a good representation of Schenker’s live skill and status as bona fide guitar legend.

Buy the import by clicking here.