Rose is quoted as saying, “…With Izzy, it’s something I can’t really describe. I don’t really know what to say about Izzy. You could have a conversation and think it’s one way, then the next day, it’s another way. So I’m not trying to take any shots at Izzy, but his thing is his thing. Whatever that is.”
Stradlin took to his Twitter account where he posted the following message:
“Bulls–t They didn’t want to split the loot equally . Simple as that . Moving right along……..”
Stradlin co-founded the band with his childhood friend, from Indiana, Axl Rose (real name: William Bailey), in 1985. He was major contributor to the band’s classic 1987 debut album Appetite For Destruction along with 1991’s double albums Use Your Illusion I and II. He quit the band the same year, and has stayed out of the limelight, with the exceptions of releasing a few solo projects here and there. He has also resurfaced on a few occasions, to play some live shows, as a surprise guest, of his former band.
Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose revealed in a new Brazilian Globo television interview how he and Slash came to play together again.
Guns bassist Duff McKagan joined Rose for the interview that was filmed before their show in Orlando. Axl recalled asking Fernando, a member of his management team Team Brazil, for Slash’s phone number. Alternative Nation transcribed the quotes.
“It had a lot to do with Paul Tollet of Coachella. He started talking about it, it seemed real, so at that point, I just told my people that they could go ahead and start talking to people, and see what’s going on. As it became more real, I texted Fernando and asked for Slash’s number. Then Fernando texts his Mom and is like: ‘If this is a joke, I’m going to kill you.’”
Slash was on tour so it took some time before the two were able to schedule a meeting. They finally caught up in October 2015.
“I called Slash but he was on tour or something. We set up when we were going to see each other, something happened to both of our plans, and that didn’t happen. Eventually in October we got together and had dinner at my house.”
“Then it was just kind of talking and planning. Initially we were going to do some kind of promos and stuff, then other things came up that got in the way of that. Then there were rehearsals, we went down to rehearsal, and everything just sounded right, and we went to work.”
Duff added, “It was just you know, getting into rehearsals it was really just kind of like one day at a time, I don’t know that I thought too much about how far ahead, it was just really cool to play some of the music with the guys I was playing it with.”
Axl also discussed how the tour came to be.
“It started with talking about Coachella, but at the same time as those talks were starting, there were people involved with Coachella and agencies and things, so they were having these conversations.”
“We [all] started talking in the spring [about touring], everybody’s people were finding out about possibilities and things like that, and we started talking together in the spring [about touring].”
He also explained why original members, Steven Adler and Izzy Straddling, were not being part of Guns N’ Roses’ reunion.
“Steven did join us. At the same time I have no idea, when this started Steven had just had back surgery. So I don’t have any idea about that. With Izzy, it’s something I can’t really describe. I don’t really know what to say about Izzy. You could have a conversation and think it’s one way, then the next day, it’s another way. So I’m not trying to take any shots at Izzy, but his thing is his thing. Whatever that is.”
KISS co-founder Gene Simmons famously appeared with Donald Trump on Season 7 of Celebrity Apprentice in 2008, and says the man he worked with on the show is the same guy running for the Oval Office. “What you see is what you get. He has no filter,” Simmons tells Yahoo Music during an interview promoting his band’s KISS Rocks Vegas concert DVD, out this week. “I knew him before Celebrity Apprentice, privately in clubs and in social situations. He’s the same guy. Some people like it, some people don’t. But he is the same guy. I’m not going to say if I think that’s good or bad.”
Unlike various musicians and actors — some of whom have never even met the current Republican presidential nominee — Simmons believes that celebrities should keep their noses out of politics and focus on being entertainers. “They should all shut their pieholes,” Simmons says. “I really believe democracy doesn’t work well when celebrities butt their heads into places they don’t belong. And what I mean by that is because you’ve got fans — Katy Perry [who performed for Hillary Clinton at the recent Democratic National Convention], Gene Simmons, Chubby Checker, I don’t care who you are — you’ve got influence, and your fans tend sometimes to do stuff they would normally not do just because they’re your fans. I think when celebrities tell you who they’re voting for, that rapes the democratic process.”
“It’s worth noting that when you go into a voting booth there’s a curtain,” Simmons continues in his typically verbose manner. “It’s nobody’s damn business who you’re voting for. I’d like to think people that are voting are voting their conscience and for that reason I don’t think people should care who Gene Simmons is voting for.”
Motley Crue is being sued by photographers, Neil Zlozower and Barry Levine, over images the band used without permission on merchandise sold in connection with their Final Tour.
The lawsuit, which was filed on September 6th in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, states, “In the 1980s, Zlozower and Levine photographed the members of the Motley Crue band at Zlozower and Levine’s respective studios in Los Angeles. Zlozower and Levine used their own cameras, lighting equipment, film, batteries, backdrops, and accessories. Zlozower and Levine directed the band members as to where to stand, how to pose, and where to position.
In January 2014, Motley announced that they will be touring for the very last time before their retirement during their Final Tour. The Final Tour started on July 2nd, 2014 and ended on December 31st, 2015.
On the information and belief, The Final Tour consisted of one-hundred and thirty concerts around the United States, sixteen shows in Europe, five shows in Asia, six shows in Australia region, and one in South America.
The Final Tour grossed approximately eight-six million dollars.
Upon information and belief, in 2014, Motley, Motley Touring, Global Inc., Global Ltd., Live Worldwide, Live Concerts, Live Entertainment, and Live Merchandise copied the Zlozower Photographs and Levine Photographs and placed them on merchandise to sell to the public.
Upon information and belief, the merchandise was sold on their websites, at concert venues, and third-party merchandise websites.
Levine’s Photographs have appeared on clothing and merchandise including but not limited to the Whisky A Go-Go Vintage T-Shirt (Regular and Slim Fit), Girls Girls Girls Bodysuit, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Tour Baseball Shirt, Girls Girls Girls Poster Flag, Band/Girls Woven Patch, Girls Girls Girls T-Shirt, Motley Crue Shout At the Devil Japan TShirt, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Crop Tank Top, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Tour Girls T-Shirt, Motley Crue Vintage Shout At the Devil T-Shirt (Regular and Slim Fit), Motley Crue Shout Wire T-Shirt, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Band Mens T-Shirt, Girls Girls Girls Sepia Poster, Shout at the Devil Wire Long Sleeve Shirt, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Wire World Tour T-Shirt, Motely Crue Warhol Band Mens T-Shirt, Motley Crue Girls Girls Girls Women’s Vest, Girls, Girls, Girls Sticker, and Sharp Sticker.
Zlozower’s Photographs have appeared on clothing and merchandise including but not limited to the the Shout at the Devil Women Tank Top, World Tour Coaster, World Tour Magnet, World Tour Coffee Mug, Shout Wire Long Sleeve Shirt, Shout Wire T-Shirt, World Tour Vintage T-Shirt, Vintage World Tour Devil T-Shirt, World Tour Women Tank Top, Final Tour Lace Vintage Women Tank Top, Final Tour Vintage T-Shirt, Vintage Shout at the Devil TShirt (Slim and Regular Fit), Motley Crue Shout at the Devil Tour Girls T-Shirt, Theatre of Pain Vintage Girls Soft Tee, Motley Crue Japan T-Shirt-Sheer, Motley Crue Vintage Santa Monica TShirt, Motley Crue Classic Live In Concert Girls Pullover Top, and Motley Crue Chuck Taylor High Top Shoes.
Motley, Motley Touring, Global Inc., Global Ltd., sold the merchandise on their websites and sold the merchandise in concert venues around the world during the Final Tour in the United States, England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Sweden, Finland, United Arab Emirates, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Defendants infringed Plaintiff’s copyright in the Photographs by reproducing, publicly displaying, and selling the Photographs on merchandise. Defendants are not, and have never been, licensed or otherwise authorized to reproduce, publicly display, distribute, sell and/or use the Photographs on merchandise.”
Zlozower and Levine are seeking profits from the sale of the merchandise featuring their photographs, as well as damages and attorney’s fees.
Slayer have released the official video for the song, Pride in Prejudice, off of their latest album, Repentless, which was released on September 11th, 2015. Watch the clip below.
Repentless, the album’s first music video, can be viewed here.
Repentless, the band’s 12th studio album, and the first without beloved founding member Jeff Hanneman, makes the highest Billboard debut in the band’s 32-year recording career, coming in at #4 on the Top 200 Album Charts and scanning 50,000 units.
Slayer will be hitting the road on September 9th. See their entire tour itinerary below.
9 Jacob’s Pavilion, Cleveland, OH
10 Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, Detroit, MI
12 Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
13 Metropolis, Montreal, PQ
15 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
17 Revolution Rock Fest., Mashantucket, CT
18 Rock Allegiance Festival, Chester, PA
20 Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
22 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
24 Houston Open Air Festival, Houston
25 Knotfest, Devore, CA
27 Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
28 Fillmore, Miami, FL
30 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, Tunica, MS
October:
1 Louder Than Life Festival, Louisville, KY
3 Norva, Norfolk, VA
5 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
7 Gas Monkey Live, Dallas, TX
8 ACL at the Moody Theatre, Austin, TX
10 Fillmore, Denver, CO
11 The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
13 The Wilma Theatre, Missoula, MT
17 ENMAX Centre, Lethbridge, AB
19 S. Okanagan Cvents Centre, Penticton, BC
20 Abbotsford Centre, Abbotsford, BC
22 Aftershock Festival, Sacramento, CA
23 Reno Events Center, Reno, NV
27 El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, TX
For more information about Slayer, visit the band’s official website.
Reuben Mosqueda of Sleaze Roxx spoke with Dio Disciples and Resurrection Kings’ guitarist, Craig Goldy about using a hologram of the iconic singer at the band’s Waken Festival appearance. Excerpts from interview appear below.
Sleaze Roxx: When we last spoke at the tail end of 2015, you mentioned stuff that was on the horizon. I would have never expected that we’d see Ronnie James Dio on stage with the [Dio] Disciples. That must have been a ghostly experience.
Craig Goldy: It was bitter sweet. You know, I have said this to people very close to me; “It’s so hard to keep things in heavy metal confidential.” [laughs] When we last spoke, I really wanted to tell you about this, but I just couldn’t. I mean, there are people that are very close to the Dio family that weren’t even told about this until it was time. I don’t think it was because they’d ‘blab’ or anything like that. I just think they just wanted to keep it under wraps.
I was actually pleasantly surprised that it was kept a secret until the event actually took place. That was simply ‘spectacular’ if you ask me. That was the first time a ‘rock’ band has performed with a hologram at a major outdoor festival. If you can believe this; the cameraman that was projecting the footage of Ronnie onto the screen onto the stage didn’t use the recording feature. No one thought about it until afterward. I have to tell you the footage online doesn’t do it justice. The footage that was being projected onto the stage was coming in clear as a bell.
When we were rehearsing for Wacken, we actually had to go into a movie studio; there was a screen and click track. It was the only way that we could have pulled off the performance. We used the audio of one of Ronnie’s performances of “We Rock.” So it was an isolated vocal; except for the click track so we could keep time to Ronnie’s vocal. I have to tell you it’s so rare that art and business can co-exist without business cutting into the integrity of the art. In this case, it’s a ‘win, win.’ That’s very rare.
Sleaze Roxx: You know, there are people who question the existence of Dio Disciples that will will have a field day with this.
Craig Goldy: I know there will be people who will say that we’re ‘cashing in’ on Ronnie’s death. Are you kidding me? Really? You don’t understand why we did this? Ronnie was always about giving fans more show for their buck without increasing ticket prices. You saw that on the Sacred Heart Tour and on the Dream Evil Tour. This was a way of us thanking the fans, paying tribute to Ronnie and giving the fans a little extra something.
I have to add that won’t be the last time that you’ll see that on stage. There’s more to come. There will be other songs that will be performed. We’ve talked about this before where Dio Disciples concerts are essentially a ‘memorial service’ but as a rock concert. Now that we have the hologram, it’s even much more so because of the spirit of which it was done.
Sleaze Roxx: One thing that you spoke about last time was a Dio Disciples album. What’s the status of that?
Craig Goldy: We are going to do that. We’re working on that now. We’re negotiating with a record company as we speak. At the moment, the goal is to have an album written and recorded and have it out by the summer of 2017. The idea is to have songs written by people that were in the [Dio] band or close to the [Dio] family. Also, the other criteria is that the songs would be done in a manner which Ronnie would approve. So those two songs that I sent you? We’re going to use those on the record.
I’ve been working with Jeff Pilson who as you know has been a member of the Dio family. He’s an amazing producer and we’ve been writing songs. The goal is to put together an album that will be outstanding. We want top-notch songs on the record. I don’t think I mentioned this the last time we spoke but Jeff Pilson created Dio history. You know how in the liners it always read ‘all melodies and lyrics by Ronnie James Dio?’ There’s a song on of the later Dio albums titled “Stay Out Of My Mind.” Ronnie liked the lyrics and melody line so much that he kept it. He did rework a couple things here and there. That’s the first time that’s ever happened — aside from the instrumental that I wrote.
