Def Leppard rumors true/false
Def Leppard (1988)
Just clearing the air. Back in October the band canceled 23 shows in the United States and never rescheduled. The rumor was the band was going to slit-up. It turns out this rumor is not true. (thank god). Def Leppard’s lead singer, Joe Elliott had a child earlier in the year.
Elliott gave a statement to Star.co.uk, “There wasn’t any mystery to it really. My wife was pregnant and needed a bit of attention from me, which she wan’t getting. There was a lot of things in our private lives that needed attending to. We’re not splitting. Not at all. We often joke, what else would we do? You just can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Glam rock today
Tight spandex. Leather jackets. And really big hair.
These were the words used to describe Sunset Blvd in the 1980s. For the past generation hair spray and pretty boys did not play gigs at the Rainbow, the Roxy, or the Whiskey A-Go-Go. Now it is like time reversed itself. Glam bands are starting to pop up in Hollywood, California.
Bands like Vains of Jenna, Dirty Penny, and Reckless Love are just like the hair bands in the late 80s. At first glance I thought these bands were unknown hair metal bands from the 80s. I have to applaud these guys for bringing back the glam rock while wearing lip stick and blush.
Reckless love
I am not a huge fan of this band. They have the hair metal sound, but it is too similar to the power ballads in the 80s. They need to add something different. The lead singer wears pink lip gloss and has beautiful blonde hair. I think he could pass as a girl. Their music video, Beautiful Bomb, is cheesy and low-budget. It seems like the camera is always on the lead singer and he smiles way too much. There is no way that he is that happy all the time. I hate that he tried to high kick like David Lee Roth does in the Jump music video. Although it was a poor attempt, he needs to try something original.
Reckless Love
Dirty Penny
These guys are more on the sleazy side of hair metal. They are following the footsteps of Motley Crue. (probably not the safest road). The lyrics for their single, Midnight Ride are very similar to Guns ‘n Roses’ Nightrain. ‘Living life like there is no end/The only light at the end of my tunnel/Is the light at the bottom of my bottle/I’m on a midnight ride.’ Guns ‘n Roses Nightrain: ‘Wake up late honey put on your clothes/ Take your credit card to the liquor store/ That’s one for you and two for me by tonight/I’ll be/ Loaded like a freight train/ Flyin’ like an aeroplane/ Feelin’ like a space brain/One more time tonight/I’m on the nightrain.’ Both are about drinking and having a good time.
Dirty Penny
Vains of Jenna
The band members names speak for themselves: Jesse Forte, Jacki Stone, Nicki Kin, JP White. Chances are slim that these are their real names. One of the rules of being in a hair metal band is that each band member must have a kick-ass name. For example, Jon Bon Jovi of Bon Jovi, Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, and Slash of Guns ‘n Roses. There are two interesting points about this band. The band was established in Sweden (currently in Hollywood , CA), and the lead singer is the only one who had black hair. The bass player, guitar player, and drummer all have bleached blonde hair.
Vains of Jenna
Bret Michaels in Recovery
Last week Bret Michaels, 47, suffered a brain hemorrhage. He is in the intensive care unit hoping to make a full recovery.
Michaels is known for being the lead singer for Poison and reality shows such as Rock of Love and Celebrity Apprentice (which is still on the air).
According to WebMD.com, “a brain hemorrhage is a type of stroke. It’s caused by an artery in the brain bursting and causing localized bleeding in the surrounding tissues. This bleeding kills brain cells.” Michaels is very lucky to survive through this trauma. One of the after-effects of a brain hemorrhage is seizures. Luckily Michaels has not had any.
Two weeks ago, Michaels had to go through an emergency surgery called appendectomy where the appendix is removed.
Michaels has always been prone to health problems. When he was a child he was diagnosed with diabetes.
The Phases of Motley Crue Part II
Girls, Girls, Girls (1987-1988)
The Crue’s look and live performance were outstanding, but when it comes down to the actually record it was crap. The only songs worth listening to were Girls, Girls, Girls and Wild Side. The band was high and drunk during the recording of the album and the tour. The Wild Side music video is my favorite. It makes want to dive in the hot tub time machine. Tommy Lee’s drum set was breathtaking. He was the first to make a twirling drum set that goes over the first couple rows of the audience. People told Lee he crazy, but in his eyes nothing was impossible.
From left to right: Tommy Lee (drums), Vince Neil (lead vocals), Mick Mars (gutair), Nikki Sixx (bass)
Dr. Feelgood 1989- 1991
This phase is my absolute favorite. Everything about the Crue during these years was perfect. The music, the live show, the music videos, and the wardrobe were incredible. Every band was jealous of the Crue during this time. Every song on this album is worth listening to unlike the Girls, Girls, Girls album. The singles are Without You, Dr. Feelgood, Same ‘O Situation, Kickstart My Heart and Don’t Go Away Mad (Girl, Just Go Away) scored high on the billboard chart. Dr. Feelgood was the first Crue album I listened to. I would play it over and over till I memorized every lyric and every beat. That was back in the sixth grade, and today (18) I still play this record again and again.
From top to bottom: Mick Mars (gutair), Tommy Lee (drums), Vince Neil (lead vocals), Nikki Sixx (bass)
This post and previous post are dedicated to my mom. Without her listening to Motley Crue obsessively while she was pregnant, I probably would not be the person I am today. Thank you mom.
The Phases of Motley Crue Part I
Too Fast For Love (1981-1982)
Young and inexperienced. Tommy Lee was not even done with high school. It is weird to see the Crue not covered in tattoos. Vince Neil’s hair was so platinum it was nearly white. On the record Vince Neil sounds like he has not hit puberty. The backup vocals sound like a junior high boys choir. Their clothing is common for a Los Angeles wanna-a-be rockstar. This was the making of a legendary band who would one day just rock music forever.
From left to right: Nikki Sixx (bass), Mick Mars (guitar), Vince Neil (lead vocals), Tommy Lee (drums)
Shout at the Devil (1983-1984)
This album was the band’s “black” album. It is dark and wicked. The pentagram on the cover of the album scared several people especially parents. Every song on this album is dirty and raw. The music for She’s Got the Looks Too Kill, is hilarious. It starts out with the band members holding flaming torches while wrangling up a bunch of women. You can tell that the Crue only had enough money to spend on leather pants, makeup, and hairspray.
From left to right: Nikki Sixx (bass), Vince Neil (lead vocals), Mick Mars (guitar), Tommy Lee (drums)
Theater of Pain (1985-1986)
This phase is my least favorite. It looks they were going for an Alice Cooper/David Bowie look. If Vince Neil did not have biceps he would have past as a girl. I am not the only who thinks that, Areosmith wrote and released a song after Vince Neil named Dude Looks Like a Lady. The music video Home Sweet Home, takes place in three cities. The band is performing live in front of thousands of people. The camera shows crazy members of the audience for instance one girl had to be carried off stage because she would not let go of Vince Neil. Even though I think the look did not suit them, this album was the starting point of success for the Crue.
From left to right: Nikki Sixx (bass), Vince Neil (lead vocals), Mick Mars (gutair), Tommy Lee (drums)
Top Hair Metal Bands
Motley Crue
Bon Jovi
Ratt
Poison
Whitesnake
Cinderella
Winger
White Lion
Motley Crue – More of a sleaze rock band. These guys are so disgusting. Snorting ants and injecting gasoline. Read the band’s autobiography and you will see what I am talking about. It is impossible to miss because it has the a picture of an enlarged Jack Daniel’s bottle with flames inside. I carried that book with me around in high school and one of my teacher’s took it from me because she said it was inappropriate. After school I to his classroom to see if I can have my book back and she was sitting there reading it. After she gave it back to me she asked if she could borrow it after I was done reading.
Bon Jovi – These guys are the ones to blame for good looks, pop-rock songs of the eighties. Jon Bon Jovi had a terrific voice during this decade, but unfortunately lost it because he failed to take care of it. On my wall I have two Jon Bon Jovi posters: one from 1989, and the other from 2002. He is still the best looking rockstar even though he is pushing 50.
Poison – In previous posts I mentioned that the cover of Look What the Cat Dragged In, the band members looked like women. These guys need to write a blog about how to apply make-up and how to do hair. I am definitely interested.
Whitesnake – Here I go again on my own. It seems every time I turn on the radio that song is playing. Every time I hear Whitesnake I think about Tawny Kitaen doing cartwheels on the jaguar and hanging out the window while front man David Coverdale was driving. If she wasn’t in the music videos Whitesnake would not be as successful.
Cinderella – Wow. These guys have the coolest hair. The bass player looks like he is growing a blonde palm tree out of his head. How is it possible to get hair to look like a plant. I wonder which band member came up with the lame band name.
Winger – She’s Only Seventeen, Headed for a Heartbreak, and Can’t Get E’Nuff. Winger is the king of catchy, cheesy songs. They stick in my head and stay there all day. If it was not for the good-looking front man I would not give this band a second glance. Everytime one of Winger’s music videos air on VH1 Classic my mother comes running down the hallway yelling turn it up. My dad would walk by my mother and I going goo-goo over this guy, Kip Winger, and roll his eyes at us.
Ratt – These guys started around the same time as Motley Crue. Very glam and very glittery. If a rat had a hair-due it would look like Stephen Pearcy’s hair style.
White Lion – “Wait, Wait, I never had a chance to love you and I only want to say that I love you one more time! Wait just a moment before we say goodbye cuz I … ” That song can get so annoying. If a guy ever said that to me I would laugh in his face for being so desperate. Come on White Lion, your rockstars. You can’t settle on one girl. Just get this next girl in line.
Megadeth front man publishes a book
Dave Mustaine, singer and guitarist of Megadeth wrote an autobiography called, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. It is going to be released this summer, August 3, 2010.
Mustaine lanched into the heavy metal scene in the early 80s. He sang lead vocals for Metallica and released Kill ‘Em All that includes the singles, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fade to Black. As we all know he has not been in Metallica in a very long time. He was only a member for two years because he was fired by his bandmates and by the record company due to his aggressive attitude and drinking problem. Mustaine was hurt and claims he never saw it coming.
Brian Slagel, owner of Metal Blade Records, recalls in an interview, “Dave was an incredibly talented guy, but he also had an incredibly large problem with alcohol and drugs. He’d get wasted and become a real crazy person, a raging maniac, and the other guys just couldn’t deal with that after a while. I mean, they all drank of course, but Dave drank more…much more. I could see they were beginning to get fed up of seeing Dave drunk out of his mind all the time.”
From left to right: Dave Mustaine (gutair and lead vocals), Lars Ulrich (drums), Kirk Hammett (guitar), Ron McGovney (bass)
In 1983, Mustaine formed another band known as Megadeth. They did have some hits in the late eighties such as Peace Sells… But Who’s Buyin’ and In My Darkest Hour. I think this band was before it’s time. Their songs were about pain and anger. The late eighties were about cheesy power ballads. Mustaine’s dream was to make a band more successful than his former band Metallica. Unfortantley Metallica conquered most rock bands in the eighties, ninties, and even the present day.
I can’t wait to sink my teeth in Mustaine’s autobiography. I want to know the dirt on Metallica. I have only heard Metallica’s side on the agrument. I still do not understand how he was kiced out of the band. It’s not like the other band member were saints. Of course they drank alot and got into fights. Doesn’t every rockstar? I listened to early Metallica. Mustaine’s voice was grungy, dirty, mean, but winey. It is inbetween Axl Rose’s (Guns N’ Roses) winey voice and Chad Kroeger’s (Nickelback) sandpaper voice. And Mustaine’s power of the guitar. How can he make it sing so wonderfully?
Mustaine plans to go on a booksigning tour sometime this summer. (The tour dates have not been posted yet).
Slash on the Sixx Sense
The famous former heroin addict, Nikki Sixx, broadcasts a new radio show called the Sixx Sense. He interviews several famous rockstars and celebrities such as Dog the Bounty Hunter, Ozzy Osborne, Duff McKagan, and Kat Von ‘D. It airs every week night from seven to midnight in selected cities all over the United States.
Tonight he interviews the infamous Slash. He is releasing a solo album on April 6. The album features Ozzy Osborne, Lenny (Motorhead), Iggy Pop and others musicians. The song called Crucify the Dead caused some controversy. Some critics believe that the song was written about the the several misunderstanding that Slash and Axl shared. Some lyrics state, ‘a loaded gun jammed by a rose/the thorns are not around your head/your ego cut you til you bleed.’ Slash made a statement saying that the song was written by Ozzy Osborne and not about Axl Rose. In Canadian Music Week, Slash responded that the song, ” represents the situation [Ozzy’s] had in his relationships with other musicians. Yes, there were some key lines in there that were very suggestive of my experience. But no, this is just an overall picture of the issues.”
I do not know why people question Slash with every project he does. Everything does not revolve around Axl Rose. They are broken up and they are going to reunite like all those other hard rock bands. David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar touring together with Van Halen. Who saw that one coming? Maybe I’m wrong. Miracles do exist.
You can listen to song on here.
Slash in the 1980s
Top 10 Disturbing Record Covers
1. Motley Crue, Too Fast For Love, 1982
A spandex-and-leather homage to Andy Warhol’s legendary crotch-with-working-zipper design for the 1971 Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers, the cover of the Crue’s punky D.I.Y. debut (the album was originally released by the band on their Leathur Records imprint) pretty much said it all: “We’re young, dumb, and full of cum, and if you don’t like it, you can suck it.”
2. Quiet Riot, Metal Health, 1983
Ah, the early ’80s: a magical time when a metal album could (finally!) hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts despite showing a mental patient wearing a strait-jacket apparently designed for Michael Jackson. It makes a good mascot though.
3. Scorpions, Blackout, 1982
What is the most upsetting thing about this image of a screaming, bandaged man whose eyes are evidently about to be torn out by forks? Definitely the feathered mustache.
4. Black Sabbath, Born Again, 1983
Widely considered the band’s biggest disaster, Born Again wasn’t helped by an oddly awesome demonic-baby design that looks like it was put together with kiddie scissors and magic markers.
5. Dio, Holy Diver, 1983
Does depicting a priest being chain-whipped by the devil go too far? Hey, if you (Ronnie James Dio) are gonna walk away from one of the biggest bands in the world (Sabbath), you got to do it with style.
6. Metallica, Kill ‘Em All, 1983
With its stark red, black, white, and flesh palette, the bloody image on Metallica’s storied debut put the hard-rock world on notice that messing with this particular band was inviting a world of hurt.
7. Slayer, Reign in Blood, 1986
Widely recognized as the greatest thrash-metal album album of all time, Slayer’s major-label debut boasts a cover by illustrator Larry Carroll, who conjured a hyper-satanic mixed-media collage featuring severed heads, a goat-priest, and a waterfall of blood. Def Jam’s distributor refused to release it; the album was eventually distributed by Geffen.
8. Ozzy Osbourne, Bark at the Moon, 1983
Horrifying or hilarious? Probably depends how old you were when you first beheld the splendor of the Ozzman in full werewolf mode on the cover of his third solo album.
9. Venom, Welcome to Hell, 1981
Venom win the prize for first use by a metal band of the oft-imitated goat’s-head pentagram, technically known as the “sigil of Baphomet,” an arcane symbol found in the writings of 19th-century French occultist Eliphas Levi. Even the Church of Satan, which uses it as their logo, admits that no one is entirely sure of the origin or precise meaning of the sigil. So basically, they just think it’s cool. Several generations of headbangers would most certainly agree.
10. Decide, Once Upon the Cross, 1985
Originally, Trevor Brown’s painting of a dissected Christ (found inside the liner notes) was going to be the cover of Deicide’s third album. But as the final artwork attests, sometimes less is indeed more.
Bret Michaels tries to make comeback
Most of the people in my generation know Bret Michaels from the hit VH1 show Rock of Love. It aired for three seasons (that is about 60 women). And still
he never found his perfect woman.
In my mother’s generation, Michaels was known for his good looks and huge hair. “The bigger the hair the closer you are to God,” said Michaels on the VH1 show, I love the Eighties. He was the singer of the number one hair metal band, Poison.
The first time I saw Michaels was in the Poison music video, Talk Dirty to Me. I’m guessing I was around six or seven years old. My first impression of the band was I loved them. They liked to play dress-up and wear a lot of make-up just like me. I enjoyed going into my mother’s closet and dressing up in her heals and pearls (even though it was oversized) and trying to put make-up on. Plus their music was catchy and fun to dance to.
While going through my mother’s records I discovered the Look What the Cat Dragged In album. I was
Bobby Dall, Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille, and Rikki Rockett
amazed by how perfect the make-up was. I wanted to wear double eye-liner and put a lot of glitter in my hair. This was how I pictured beautiful women. Then my dad had to spoil the fun. I remember running up to him with the album in my hand, “Daddy, which do you think is the prettiest?” Then my dad said, “Sweetheart, those are men.”
This was dramatizing for a little girl. Growing up I was brought up to believe that that real men should never wear makeup or dress up in girls’ clothing. But going against this, I wanted to learn more about this band. They grabbed my attention. Still to this day when I see a Poison video playing I have to stop and look. (It’s like a train-wreck).
Michaels is a part of the NBC hit show, Celebrity Apprentice. He really stands out because he does not dress professional. He shows up to the office wearing ripped up jeans and a bandanna around his head and sometimes he wears a cowboy hat. At least he wears a blazer.
I guess Michaels is done looking for love?
Just like all of the other old rockstars, he is just looking for other ways to get paid and to make his name still know to the popular generation.
Cans of Hairspray 