Music N' More

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Motorhead Fans Celebrate!

There is a biopic about the iconic Motorhead front man Ian Fraser Kilmister, aka "Lemmy" Kilmister in the works!!!

2020 might suck big time for music, but that doesn't mean it has to suck in the movie industry. Plans are being made to make a biopic about iconic Motorhead front man "Lemmy" Kilmister! It will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The film will be titled, simply Lemmy. Motorhead's manager Todd Singerman and Steffan Chirazi are listed as executive producers while the director is Greg Olliver. The three of them produced a 2010 documentary about Lemmy

This new documentary will talk about his life growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, his work as a Jimi Hendrix roadie and his short time in Hawkwind. In an interview, Olliver explains "Everything you've heard about Lemmy is probably true... not because he's embracing rock 'n' roll cliches, but because he was creating them. Marlboro Reds and Jack Daniel's for breakfast, speed for dinner - all true. But behind that steely-eyed facade of rock 'n' roll was also a compelling, complicated and lionhearted man who stayed the course and never gave up playing the music that made him happy. We've been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, Motorhead band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy's life. This will be a film they will be proud of."

Singerman and Chirazi said in an interview "It is a story of immense cultural importance. If the last five years of his absence has taught us anything, it is that he is more unique than anyone could have ever known because no-one touches the quality and sheer freedom of the man. Greg is a deeply trusted part of our circle, and we are delighted to see this film coming to fruition."

Production on Lemmy is said to start in 2021, but it all comes down to when the movie industry reopens after the coronavirus outbreak.

Dee Snider Claims He's an "Anti Rockstar"

Dee Snider is the well known front man for 80s metal band Twisted Sister. We all have read about how rockstars blow their money on something big when they first make it. Not Snider. He didn't even come close to that.

He maintains his perfect physical shape by practicing a regular fitness routine since the earliest days of Twisted Sister. He also says his great physical shape is what allows him to perform with his full voice even at 65

"I never drank; I never did drugs. Even though my voiceover agent sold me as a cigarette-smoking whiskey drinker, because I've got that husky voice-but that's from screaming my lungs out my whole life." He told Fox 17 Rock & Review in an exclusive interview

He revealed his first major purchase after hitting it big with Sister was not a fancy car or mansion; it was a gym. In the same interview, he said "I was working out and training, even at that point in my life. So I was like the anti-rockstar as far as the lifestyle went. I used to look at my peers and they were sprinting, and I would go "Guys, you do know life is a marathon, right?" I'm not going for 27, I'm going for 87. ... It's definitely benefitted me in the long run."

He has already made plans to stay off the road in 2020. Now he looks like he doesn't have a choice. The massive coronavirus outbreak has grounded all major music events. He's certainly kept himself busy with little projects here and there.

K.K. Downing Through the Years

I have no idea why, but I love when music sites do this. They do presentations showing musicians through the years. It's almost as if you can see how they change with age. I recently re-read K.K. Downing's book Heavy Metal Nights and Days with Judas Priest. It is good; I never thought I would like it. I always liked Glenn Tipton because I thought he was cute and a good guitarist. Who knew that those good looks came with an ego? After reading this book (again), I still maintain my respect for K.K. Downing. That's not to say I never respected him; I have and always will. I also thought he was cute because he was an actual natural blonde and had better hair than me, lol. Whereas Glenn was a natural brunette and decided to jump on the 80s metal bandwagon and dye his hair blonde. I am glad he was my other favorite because I can relate to him at least personality-wise. He doesn't like confrontations and is generally easy going. And plus, he's still pretty hand despite his sixty-something year old age. A few wrinkles here and there, but he's still pretty cute!!

Great book!! Great for any Priest fan who wants a different perspective on the band!

I do have to laugh at some of the moments he talks about. Like one time, not too long before he resigned from Priest, he was in a bar somewhere and Kerry King of Slayer was there as well. Slayer and Priest had been assigned to the bill at some music festival somewhere. Kerry had pretty much gotten K.K. drunk and on the way back, he accidentally urinated on himself. He laughs about it, chalking it up to "old man problems" and trying to get to his hotel room as a 57-year old rock star with urine soaked jeans.

One thing a lot of people probably don't know is that it was K.K. Downing who introduced the studded leather look into the band. He probably didn't know this was going to be popular with the gay communities. He just wanted the band to have a sort of uniform, to make them different than the other bands around at the time. He thought the band needed to "toughen up" their image and by doing so, the band started wearing black leather. Rob took it a step farther and starting wearing leather everything. K.K. took him to a leather shop in London that specialized in S&M-type stuff to get leather clothing and of course introduce him to the leather look for Priest

But it does seem that at times, K.K. and Glenn were at each other's throats and other times, they were the best of friends. He does seem to think (and it's probably true) that Glenn started thinking he ran the band.

1970

1974 Rocka Rolla promo picture

1973

1978

1981

1986

1990

2005

2008

2011. Downing's final days in Priest and beyond.....

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Peter Criss blows last chance of remaining in Kiss

Everyone knows about the troubles former Kiss drummer Peter Criss had. A lot of people also know he had quit, after dealing with tensions arising from bassist Gene Simmons and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley.

May 18, 1980. An official memo from Kiss stating Peter Criss was no longer the drummer. Not surprisingly, a lot of fans who had supported them since 1973 were shocked, but it came as relief to Simmons and Stanley and even Criss himself

Things has been reaching near critical mass for a while. Criss had been partaking in drugs and alcohol, making him nearly useless because of his addictions. He couldn't be counted on to do his job properly. 1979 was his last show. He himself even admits he sabotaged it. The band had been working on their 1980 album Unmasked and had asked drummer Anton Fig to step in and record Criss' parts. It was a split decision; guitarist Ace Frehley wanted him to stay while bassist Gene Simmons and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley wanted him out. Manager Bill Aucoin arranged an audition session at SIR Studios in New York

According to Paul Stanley's memoir Face the Music: A Life Exposed, Stanley said "The day of the audition or rehearsal or whatever you wanted to call it, Peter walked in carrying a music stand and sheet music. The first thing he said was "I'll have to have all your songs on sheet music because I read music now." I whispered to Gene "Are we on Candid Camera?" Peter sat down, put his sheet music on the stand, and studied it for a while. Mind you, this rehearsal was of old material, not the new stuff we had written and recorded for Unmasked. We wanted to see whether he could even play the songs he already knew."

According to Gene Simmons' memoir Kiss and Make-Up, Simmons recalled "Criss looked very serious and intense. Peter couldn't read or write sheet music, not then, not now. None of us could. But by that time he was so delusional that he thought if he had a music stand, he could convince us he'd changed. I'm surprised he didn't bring a baton. The situation didn't improve once the playing started. He was worse than ever. So we had a meeting afterward, and we said "Peter is unhealthy. He's going to kill himself. He's got to leave the band and get some help."

Criss himself had even admitted that his addictions left him in a bad place. According to his memoir Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss, Criss admitted "With each sip and each snort, I felt my world collapsing around me. Then I just started crying again." Ace still wanted him to stay. "Ace, I don't want to play with the band no more. I'm going to get my own band. You should do the same, you're miserable."

The former drummer admitted he had sabotaged the audition to ensure he didn't have to rejoin. "I really wanted to get back at them for all the times they'd put me and my music down. I was going to play this out to the max. Instead of the fun-loving, clothes-shedding Catman, they were going to see a new, improved Peter Criss. I had never been so serious in my whole life, and it really freaked them out. I was extremely locked into myself from the blow. They didn't know what to make of me."

His last official duty with Kiss was to film a video for the single "Shandi". When Criss left, the band tried to protect him using the old cliches. Simmons said "To the press we used the traditional rock band excuses: creative differences, desire to begin a solo career, and so on. We never said Peter was thrown out of the band for being a drug addict. We wouldn't have done that to him, the fans or ourselves."

As a final note, Criss said he was delighted to leave while retaining a quarter interest in the band's finances. "It was a great deal for me, and I imagine it must have driven Gene and Paul crazy to have to share that money with me. I think they were really sincere about giving me another chance. If I would have played well, I'm sure they would have said "Let's go for it again." Maybe they thought by firing me, they were scaring me straight. I don't know. But I did know that I hated them even more after they fired me."

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Ace Frehley Planning Summer Concerts

For all you Ace Frehley fans out there, you're about to get some good news!

August is when the former KISS Spaceman will be taking the stage on August 7. Tickets went on sale on June 12. He takes the stage August 7 at the Robbins Theatre in Warren, Ohio. His last live concert was on Dec. 14, 2019 at the Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan. That was before the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down all and future concerts.

With the states beginning to relax constrictions and hold public events again, The Robbins Theatre announced on it's Facebook page it would hold the concert but with safety precautions in mind. "After an unplanned break, the Robbins Theatre is preparing to reopen in compliance with the Responsible RestartOhio guidelines as set forth by the Ohio Department of Health. As we move forward, the safety of those who enter the facility is at the forefront of our efforts. As you may already know our restrooms are completely touch-less. Additionally, an electrostatic deep cleaning of the entire theatre will be performed before we open, we have installed plexiglass at the concession area as well as hand sanitizing stations at the entrance of our theatre and all of our restrooms. Seating will be within the social distancing requirement. Ushers and concession workers will be required to wear protective masks, as well as gloves, to ensure the safety of our patrons. A UV cleaning will be performed in addition to our conventional cleaning after each show. A free face mask will be provided to those who want one."

Like most musicians, Frehley has been using his pandemic lockdown time to start work on a new album. It will be the first in a while, since his 2018's Spaceman.

Ritchie Blackmore Through the Years

We all know that not everyone ages so gracefully. Everyone sees beauty differently. For some reason, some think "The Man in Black" has either aged like milk left in the sun too long or aged rather nicely. People also have opinions about whether they think he's more down to earth in his older years or he's still the moody, arrogant opinionated jerk he's always been. This post is inspired by a post I seen on Loudwire. Only it was not Ritchie Blackmore; it was Tom Araya from Slayer. It was a sort of slideshow showing him through the years. It also said he was one of the greatest guitarists of metal. Opinions can differ there. That's fine; everyone is entitled to an opinion. While I'm not partial to Slayer, it's cool that someone did a presentation showing Tom Araya over the years. He's a handsome guy, even now.

I thought I would do something like that but of a guitarist I like. I'm not in to Slayer; I don't really care for their music, but I'm glad they are around. I am a Deep Purple fan, however. I do not think Ritchie is the egotistical monster some think he is. I seen a documentary on him called The Ritchie Blackmore Story. It's very good. The person behind the documentary talks to him and others who know him or have worked with him and Ritchie seems like a terribly kind guy, just very intensely private. He obviously wants privacy from the prying eyes of the world, especially after all the drama of Deep Purple or Rainbow. He seems very down to earth, very personable. He seems like the kind of guy who will take interest in what you're saying and pay attention to you. Overall, a very kind man

Early 1960s

15 years old and already playing breakneck fast...

1968

Mark I lineup of Deep Purple
L-R: Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Ian Paice (drums, red shirt), Jon Lord (keyboard, white shirt), Nick Simper (bass), Rod Evans (vocals)

1970