Pulse Music

Eddie Van Halen ‘autopsy’ Episode Airs Thie Weekend

Sammy Hagar Co-Wrote A New Song With Eddie Van Halen In His Sleep

Sammy Hagar has revealed that the late-Eddie Van Halen came to him in a dream and wrote a song with him. Hagar, who'll release Crazy Times, his latest album with the Circle on September 30th, spoke about the visitation to Ultimate Classic Rock.

Hagar explained, "About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie came. . . We hadn't seen each other for a while. He's going, 'Man, let's write some music!' I said, 'Yeah, f*** it, man. Here, let's go!' (We) went over into a corner, in this room. He had a guitar and he played me this thing. It was like this lick -- (just like) the last lick that Eddie Van Halen showed me, when I went back for the (2004) reunion tour and when he was a mess. I said, 'Eddie, show me your newest s***,' because every time I'd be around him I'd say, 'Show me your newest s***.' He'd say, 'Oh, check this out!'"

He went on to say, "(In the dream) he did this harmonic thing and he slid it up to a chord, like a slide guitar. We wrote a song with that lick. I remembered it. I got up in the morning and I wrote the song. It's called, 'Thank You.' I used the f***in' lick that he showed me in the song. . . I've got goosebumps, head to toe, (talking about it). So I wrote it (about that experience), and we'll do that song someday."

Hagar spoke about how he intends to credit the song: "Now, that's going to be an Eddie-influenced song, to the point that I'm going to co-write it with him. I'm going to give him credit and then maybe we'll donate the money to charity, whatever. You see, I feel so embarrassed about it because everyone's going to say, 'Oh, look at Sammy trying to capitalize on Eddie.' No, I'm not. You don't understand. This was a real f***in' dream, and I told you exactly what happened in it."

Last year, Sammy Hagar spoke at length about his final texts with Eddie Van Halen. During a chat with Kyle Meredith, the "Red Rocker" shed light on the tone of the chats and explained it was based on friendship -- not business: "It was so awesome. Our texts were so plain and simple -- 'Hey man, how ya doin'? And he'd start opening up to me about how sick he was, and, 'Dude -- I just had this tumor on the side of my neck -- ahhh.' So, I was always checkin' on him him seein' how he was doin' -- that was our relationship -- 'Hey, when can we get together?' Like, 'Hey Ed, tell me when you're ready, I'm gonna drive over and cook you a big ole' spaghetti dinner, y'know.' (Laughs). We were talkin' like that. Y'know, a guy's got cancer and is on his death bed -- we ain't talkin' about how much money he's got in the bank, y'know? We were trying to be friends and soulful and let each other know that we're okay and I'm there for ya."

Sammy Hagar & The Circle with George Thorogood & The Destroyers performs on Friday (August 26) in Maryland Heights, Missouri at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

Coldplay Helps Bts Break Another Chart Record

Coldplay Entertains Mick Jagger At London Concert

Mick Jagger is a Coldplay fan.

The Rolling Stones' frontman posted a video on Twitter of him singing along and swaying to the music.

He wrote: "Had a great time watching Coldplay last night. A real busman's holiday!" The video captured the entire audience singing along to Coldplay's "Fix You."

The concert took place earlier this week at Wembley Stadium in London.

TL;DR:

  • Mick Jagger posted a video of himself singing along at a Coldplay concert.

The Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit Taps Lindsey Buckingham For New Single

Timothy B. Schmit 'Sincerely Doubts' Another Eagles Album Will Come

Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit doesn't think the group will ever record another studio set. The Eagles are currently on tour performing their legendary 1976 Hotel California album in its entirety along with other classic hits.

While chatting with Classic Rock magazine, Schmit was asked about the Eagles recording a followup to 2007's chart-topping and Grammy-winning, Long Road Out Of Eden, and said, "I sincerely doubt it. We toured behind our last album and put in five to seven of those songs (in the show). But we don't do them anymore because there wasn't a big reaction. When people come to see the Eagles they want to hear 'Best Of My Love,' 'One Of These Nights,' all these things. So we give it to them."

Schmit, who's always been revered for possessing one of the best sets of pipes in the business, was enlisted back in the day to sing backing vocals on such Steely Dan masterpieces as Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, and Aja. He shed light on their recording technique: "Working with them is a real feather in my cap. One time I was in the studio singing a high part, and Donald (Fagen) was listening in the control room. I did it a bunch of times, then finally I really nailed it. But he gets on the talk-back and says: 'That was really good. Can we do one more?' Those guys were super-perfectionist, which I loved."

Despite still being "the new guy" in the organization, 2023 will mark Timothy B. Schmit's 45th anniversary of taking over bass duties from founding member Randy Meisner. We asked Schmit to recall his first gig as an Eagle: "We did a lot of rehearsing and I did go on in '78. The summer of '78 I went to Canada (which) was my first gig. I went onstage, unbeknownst to. . . the audience didn't know. I mean, the majority didn't know. People that weren't fanatics didn't know that they weren't going to see Randy -- they saw me. It was a little bit strange, but I was so prepared. I knew my situation. There wasn't any big announcement, I just went onstage. What's not to like about being asked to join one of the biggest band in the world? And so when I finally got onstage, it was quite an accomplishment for me."

Bruce Springsteen On Hand To Announce Hometown Archives Center

Flashback: Bruce Springsteen Releases 'Born To Run'

It was 47 years ago today (August 25th, 1975) that many fans believe Bruce Springsteen released the single greatest rock album of the 1970's -- if not in all of rock history; the legendary Born To Run.

The album -- which was the first to feature then-rock critic Jon Landau behind the boards alongside Springsteen's original manager, publisher, and producer Mike Appel -- was recorded in fear that Columbia Records would drop Springsteen should the album not break the pattern of his two previous 1973 sets, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle. Although both albums were darlings of the rock press, the albums -- combined -- had sold a paltry 90,000 copies upon initial release.

It was Appel who stirred up interest in the make-or-break third album by leaking copies of a rough mix of the "Born To Run" track to key to jockey's in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Cleveland, and other loyal markets, which bought Springsteen time to work without Columbia breathing down his neck -- and tightening the purse-strings -- for the long-overdue followup.

The main sessions from Born To Run spanned March to July 1975 at New York City's legendary Record Plant East. The title track was recorded in July 1974 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York.

Born To Run debuted on the Billboard album chart on September 13th, 1975 at Number 84, eventually peaked at Number Three, and went on to sell over six million copies.

Sensing the buzz brewing around the album, Columbia eventually poured a then-whopping $250,000 into promoting Born To Run, and Springsteen -- much to his chagrin and Appel's delight -- ended up on the cover of both Time and Newsweek during the same week that fall.

The full tracklisting to Born To Run is:

Side One: "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Night," and "Backstreets."

Side Two: "Born To Run," "She's The One," "Meeting Across The River," and "Jungleland."

In the 1998 BBC documentary Springsteen: A Secret History, Bruce Springsteen reflected on his life in the '70s: "Y'know, I think that experiencing those choices is confining when you're young. 'Cause you want every thing, and you wanna have everything, and you see every gal, y'know, this one, that . . . You live in this fantasy of endless possibility -- and then if you have some real success, there is an enormous amount of real possibility, you can mistake endless choice for freedom. That's an easy mistake to make."

In 2005's Wings For Wheels documentary, Springsteen explained that the writing and recording Born To Run -- which took far longer than both his first two albums combined -- was the moment where he needed to allow himself the room to discover where his next creative steps would be through patience, persistence, and most of all -- trial and error: "I was not interested in a strictly professional setup, because I didn't want to contain my. . . my talents in that box, because I didn't know where they we're going to lead me at the time. At that time, my concern was this; I have these abilities -- I don't know what they are -- but, I know that they're there and I don't know where they're going to lead me, but wherever that is I have to go, even if it's down a bunch of blind alleys till I find the one that I want. . . that I do wanna go down. And also just felt like, give me room to do this particular thing in my own fashion."

Bruce Springsteen always believed that although the Born To Run album is not about the same person -- all the stories could definitely be intertwined: "Born To Run has got that feeling of that one endless summer night. That's what the record, what the whole record feels like. It could all be taking place in the course of one evening in all these different locations, y'know? All these different stories on one, sort of, long summer night."

Producer Mike Appel recalled that Springsteen spent countless hours fine-tuning the recording of Born To Run's title track: "The arrangement of the song was always what it was. Bruce had it arranged a particular way and that was the way that it always stayed. However, we experimented with it a whole lotta things."

Born To Run was drummer Max Weinberg's first album as a member of the E Street Band. It marked the only time he hit the studio with the band and didn't record live: "That was the last record that we had done -- the Born To Run record -- at that time, where it was tracking. Where, y'know, you do a basic track and then layer. 'Cause (the song) will change, and it changes with your mix. It changes with your overdubs."

Springsteen recently spoke to Mojo and commented on the band's place in the mid-'70s music scene, explaining, "We straddled a certain line there, where part of what we were doing was a reaction to where early-'70s music had gone. We weren't given over to a lot of the extravagance . . . We felt very connected to the street, and to our neighborhood, and we felt very connected to the audience. . . We weren't part of a movement. We were in New Jersey. We were odd men out."

When pressed to define the ultimate "E Street Band sound," Springsteen reflected on several of the band's eras before saying: "I think of what people think of as that sound might really have formed on Born To Run. Where there was the glockenspiel, the piano was very featured, (and) the saxophone. Though we rarely use that sound today. The sound now has broadened out. Basically it's an ensemble sound; a dense sound. . . But its initial inception, I guess, was Born To Run."

Unlike nearly every other Springsteen album, Born To Run only featured a total of four outtakes: "Walking In The Street," "Lonely Night In The Park," "Linda Let Me Be The One," and "So Young And In Love" -- with the latter two finally seeing the light of day on Springsteen's 1998 Tracks box set.

With the defection of virtuoso keyboardist David Sancious -- who had been recording with Springsteen since his debut album -- and drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter, who both left the E Street Band to form the free-form jazz band Tone, Springsteen added new recruits drummer Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan prior to the sessions gaining steam.

Organist Danny Federici was absent from the album, barring the "Born To Run" track -- which also featured Sancious and Carter.

Steve Van Zandt, who helped on the arrangement of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," joined the band that summer as the E Street Band's second guitarist, and says that the E Street Band has only gotten stronger as individual musicians throughout the years: "Y'know, everybody's better individually, and obviously older and wiser, and a bit more sophisticated about what we're doing. Y'know, it was always a family-oriented thing, y'know? It really was like a band, y'know, even though there was a leader of the band, but it was always a bit more band-oriented and family-oriented than a typical leader and a bunch of sidemen."

Bruce Springsteen says that when he looks and listens back to Born To Run -- the album that truly changed his life -- he's filled with deep emotion: "Y'know, I look back on it and I go, ‘Wow, y'know, the lyrics were beautiful and the band played lovely and dedicated themselves so deeply to my vision.' Which is a very touching thing for somebody to do for you. Y'know, you can't buy it. Y'know, it can't be bought. Y'know, it's just something that somebody does. So, when I hear the record, I hear my friends and I hear my hopes and my dreams and what I thought my life was going to be like as a 25, 24-year-old kid. I see out as the start of some of the most important and fundamental relationships of my life."

Springsteen's 2005 30th anniversary boxed set of Born To Run included a remastered version of the album, with a CD featuring a miniature reproduction of the album's artwork, a 48-page booklet, the Grammy Award-winning documentary on the making of the album Wings For Wheels, along with a concert DVD Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band /Hammersmith Odeon 1975.

During the E Street Band's 2009 tour, Born To Run was played in it's entirety 13 times.

An early draft of "Born To Run" lyrics sold for $197,000 at auction at Sotheby's. Although the lyric sheet had originally belonged to Springsteen's early manager-producer-publisher Mike Appel, the seller and the buyer -- who bid by phone -- remain anonymous.

Justin Timberlake Makes Surprise Cameo In Wife Jessica Biel’s New Series On Hulu

Justin Timberlake Will Perform At Gala To Support Children's Hospital

Justin Timberlake is set to perform at a gala to support the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The Black-tie event will kick off with red carpet arrivals, followed by a cocktail reception and dinner.

Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the largest provider of care for children in Los Angeles County and the funds raised will provide expert critical care to the hospital's pediatric patients.

Film star Chris Pine and his father, veteran TV actor Robert Pine, will co-host the event on October 8th, in Santa Monica, California.

TL;DR:

  • Justin Timberlake is set to perform at a gala to support the Children's Hospital Los Angeles on October 8th.
  • Funds raised will provide expert critical care to the hospital's pediatric patients.

Paul Stanley Names Robert Plant ‘best Lead Singer Of All Time’

Paul Stanley Says New Kiss Music Can't Compete With The Past

Paul Stanley seems resigned to the fact that no new Kiss music could ever measure up against the band's classic albums. Despite the band's last two sets -- 2012's Monster and 2009's Sonic Boom both going Top Three -- the songs have failed to enjoy a shelf life alongside the Kiss material from 1970's and '80s.

During his recent appearance on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, Paul Stanley spoke frankly, explaining, "At this point, I came to the conclusion that it can never compete with the past. Not because it's not as good, but it hasn't the connection to important times in your life. It doesn't have that patina to it of, 'Gee, I remember I heard this song when I was 18,' or, 'I heard this song when I was on my first date or whatever.' You can't compete with that. It's more than a song -- it's a snapshot of your life at a certain point."

Regarding committing to him writing and recording a new Kiss album, Stanley admitted: "I think it's setting myself up for disappointment. Not crushing disappointment, but when you put your heart and soul into doing something and it kind of gets a polite nod, there's other things I'd rather do."

Back in 2012, Paul Stanley told us that he was particularly excited with the material on Monster, if for no other reason than it captured the band in a high point in its long and storied career: "With this album, we're totally at home with who we are, what we are, out past, present, and future. And I wanted us to take any blinders off so to speak. I wanted to unleash us, and let us be exactly who we are today. There's no getting away from our past -- nor would we want to -- but we're pumped! We're in top form, and the best way we can put it is, I didn't want us to make and album we once made, I wanted us to make the album we never made."

Kiss performs on Friday and Saturday (August 26th and 27th) at Sydney, Australia's Qudos Bank Arena.

Their next U.S. show is set for September 21st at West Palm Beach's IThink Financial Amphitheatre.

Taylor Swift To Present ‘all Too Well’ At The Tribeca Film Festival

Quickies: Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, ENHYPEN

On a podcast this week, Demi Lovato talked about experimenting with drugs and alcohol when she was a teen. She was in a car accident and was prescribed opiates at around age 12 or 13. Once Lovato's mother realized that she was taking more than prescribed, she locked them up to keep them away from her. Lovato admitted to later experimenting with cocaine, and was in treatment right after turning 18.

Taylor Swift is facing a new copyright lawsuit that claims she stole a book design that accompanied her album Lover. The case claims that she copied key elements, including the title. The alleged similarities between the covers include - the color pattern of pastel pinks and blues, as well as an image of the author photographed in a downward pose. Legal experts told Billboard the case is highly questionable and unlikely to succeed.

ENHYPEN has landed their first #1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart. The group's Manifesto: Day 1 climbs 2-1 in its third week on the list.

Flashback: The Who Records ‘live At Leeds’

Flashback: The Who Releases 'Who's Next' In America

It was 51 years ago today (August 25th, 1971) that the Who released what is largely regarded as their masterpiece, Who's Next. Although Who's Next, which dropped 11 days earlier in the UK, was a massive success, building on the back-to-back triumphs of 1969's Tommy and 1970's concert set, Live At Leeds; Who's Next only got as high as Number Four in the U.S. -- yet fared better in the UK where it topped the album charts.

Who's Next, which is one of the rare albums in rock history in which every track became an FM staple, featured, arguably, the band's three most important '70s classics -- with the Pete Townshend-written "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," and the epic "Won't Get Fooled Again." The album also featured John Entwistle's signature concert spotlight, "My Wife," and such groundbreaking work as Townshend's "Bargain," "Song Is Over," "Going Mobile," "Love Ain't For Keeping," and "Getting In Tune."

The album's genesis began as the dust settled on the original Tommy album and tour. Pete Townshend's 1970 songs were to be utilized in a futuristic multimedia project called Lifehouse. By the time the songs were released on Who's Next, the project had been scaled back dramatically – but the songs, regardless of their story – were immediately embraced by fans as Who masterpieces.

Lifehouse, which had huge Orwellian undertones, was based around Townshend's tale of society existing in pods which are controlled by an evil government that uses an Internet-like power grid to brainwash people and dupe them into thinking the experiences they go through are actually life. A revolution ensues before the masses are eventually freed as the humans become attuned to a single note of music.

On June 25th, 1971, a significantly edited version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" was served up as the lead single to Who's Next, peaking at Number 14 Stateside and at Number Nine in England. "Behind Blue Eyes" finally saw a single release in October and topped out at Number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to that, in October, the Who released "Let's See Action" as a single in the UK. Although recorded during the Who's Next sessions, it was left off the album. Despite that, it went on to peak at Number 16 on the charts.

Among the other outtakes from the Lifehouse project which have gone on to become Who classics in their own right are "Join Together," "Too Much Of Anything," "Relay," "Time Is Passing," and "Pure And Easy." On December 5th, 1999, Townshend presented Lifehouse as a solo radio play on Britain's BBC Radio 3, which incorporated all the 1970-1971 songs -- and them some -- together at last.

Like he had done for Tommy, Pete Townshend recorded one-man-band versions of all the Lifehouse songs for the Who to use as sonic blueprints for the actual sessions. Townshend admitted to us that his heart and soul can always be found in his home demos as opposed to the Who's proper studio recordings of his songs: "I put more energy and more passion and more intensity in the recordings that I made at home of the songs that I was writing than I would put into the recording studio sessions with the band -- which seemed to me to be mainly, kind of boozy evenings with the lads talking about, y'know, what they've done the year before, y'know? And there's a line in Quadrophenia -- 'You remember that hotel where the doors we smashed.' It was all about that kind of thing. And we would sit in the studio and the actual recording would interrupt the reminiscences."

Out now is Richie Unterberger's book, Won't Get Fooled Again: The Who From 'Lifehouse' To 'Quadrophenia.' Unterberger, known for his critically acclaimed recent work on the Beatles and the Velvet Underground, breaks new ground in covering the back story on how Townshend and the unrealized multimedia Lifehouse project became Who's Next. Unterberger feels that by the Who shedding "second-tier" Lifehouse material -- such as "Join Together," "Relay," and "Let's See Action" -- Townshend ultimately made Who's Next stronger: "Let's say that it was not marketed as a concept album, that he and Glyn Johns and the rest of the Who decided that these songs, we're not going to make a film out of it, we're not going to market it or talk it up as a story or a concept album -- but they're good enough songs that we can put them together the way that the Beatles put together the "White Album" or like the (Rolling) Stones put together Exile On Main Street -- I think it would've been perceived as a letdown."

The guitar sound for much of Who's Next can be attributed to Pete Townshend's then-newly acquired Gretsch 6120 -- a gift from friend and fellow guitarist, Joe Walsh. Walsh recalled to us how the James Gang opening for the Who led to a longstanding friendship with Pete Townshend and a European tour for the band: "And just one of those gigs where Townshend decided to show up a little early. He checked out us onstage and, y'know, they're pretty much three-piece -- three-piece and Roger Daltrey. Well, he and I are on kind of the same wavelength; y'have to be in a three-piece band. It's a style we call, I guess 'lead-rhythm guitar.' And they were looking for someone to open for them in Europe and we got invited along to open for the Who on the Tommy tour of Europe."

Pete Townshend told us that although "Baba O'Riley" has been a radio and concert staple for the band for decades, most of the Who's fans still don't have a clue what the song is really about: "'Baba O'Riley,' y'know that song was meant to be the opening music, the back story to the movie that was going to be Lifehouse. So, it's not about getting wasted, it's about the fact that we, at that time, back in those days, we seemed to as a society (to) have our way of giving our young people a sense of value."

Back in 2000, after Pete Townshend revamped Lifehouse as a live performance piece, Roger Daltrey told us that he's pleased that Townshend, who always regarded Lifehouse as something of an albatross, has finally been able to bring the project to the public: "The music is great, which I knew anyway. . . I'm still out on the narrative, 'cause that was always the problem we had getting our heads around, was the narrative. . . Oh, just really pleased for Pete, yeah."

Pete Townshend told us that he makes no apologies for veering away from rock music to dabble in theater, films and novels: "Y'know, some of those people that still to this day regard me as being pretentious because I aspire to live my life as an artist rather than a 'cash is king' rock n' roll performer. If that's pretentious, so be it."

Red Hot Chili Peppers Salute Taylor Hawkins At Jazz Fest

Chad Smith Calls New Red Hot Chili Peppers Single 'A Nice Gumbo'

Chad Smith feels that the Red Hot Chili Peppers' latest single "Tippa My Tongue" has a sound firmly planted in the band's past while breaking new ground for the future.

We caught up with the legendary drummer and he shed light on what he loves about the new track, which serves as the teaser to the band's upcoming double album, Return Of The Dream Canteen, which drops on October 14th: "It's a familiar sound. To me, it's got bunch of hooks in it, y'know? And it's funk -- it's got P-Fuck in it, it's got. . . I hear George (Clinton) in it and some (Jimi) Hendrix-y-kinda licks and it's a nice gumbo, y'know? And I thought it would be a good one that would be the first one to come out from that record and there's a lot of different thongs in there on that record. But yeah, that sounds like us -- but new, and I think that's cool."

Elton John Guitarist: ‘farewell Tour’ Doesn’t Mean Retirement

Elton John Teases New Britney Spears Collaboration

Elton John posted a bit of his new collaboration with Britney Spears on his Instagram page. The "Rocket Man" was filmed at the La Guerite in Cannes and sat in the DJ booth and he had him play a bit of the new track, "Hold Me Closer," which features the troubled pop star singing the chorus to his 1971 classic "Tiny Dancer."

Elton stated on the page the new collaboration will drop this Friday, August 26th.

Elton John spoke about how the big screen provided a second life for "Tiny Dancer": "'Tiny Dancer' is one of my favorite Elton John / Bernie Taupin songs -- and from one of my favorite albums, Madman Across The Water. And it was written about Bernie's first wife, Maxine. I've always played it on and off, y'know, throughout my career, and obviously with the film, Almost Famous, which Cameron Crowe made. I mean, there was this great sequence and 'Tiny Dancer' featured very heavily in it. It came as a renaissance for the song and for my music to people who hadn't really heard. . . young kids who hadn't really Elton John before."

Elton John will next perform on September 7th and 8th at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

Harry Styles Felt ‘ashamed’ About People Knowing He Had Sex

Michael Jackson's Nephew Calls Out Harry Styles Being Labeled 'King Of Pop'

Michael Jackson's nephew, Taj Jackson, has called out claims that Harry Styles is the "King of Pop."

Referring to a profile Rolling Stone UK did on the former One Direction member, Taj tweeted earlier this week, "There is no new King of Pop. You don't own the title @RollingStone, and you didn't earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice. The title has been retired. No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he's mega talented. Give him his own unique title."

Another fan said, "Rolling Stone (uk) calling harry styles the king of pop is a very bold move considering the most notable person to hold the king of pop title is michael jackson. how do you put michael jackson and harry styles on the same level with a straight face?"

A third person typed, "How much did Harry Styles' team pay @RollingStone? OR did they just get a 15 year old editor with no clue?"

Sammy Hagar Tells Fans ‘make Sure You’re Vaxxed’

Sammy Hagar Feels A Responsibility To Play Van Halen Music

Sammy Hagar admits that with the passing of Eddie Van Halen, he feels the pull from fans to perform Van Halen material. Hagar, who's currently on the road with the Circle -- which features Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony -- told Southgate, Michigan's News-Herald that the "Van Hagar" catalogue is still very much in demand: "I'm shocked that no matter what Van Halen song we play, no matter how deep the cut, (fans) are (reacting) like it's a Number One single. We can do, like, 'Amsterdam' (from 1995's Balance album) and they're singing along like it was on the radio all the time."

He went on to say, "When people love that music that much and we're the guys who did it and we're still around, then, yeah, we have that responsibility to play it for them."

Regarding a possible Van Halen tribute concert or tour, Hagar admitted he was still on the fence, but explained, "I'm so happy with everything I'm doing now, I don't think I'd go back there. Maybe if Alex (Van Halen) was interested, it might be something to talk about, with him and Mikey and a superstar guitar player. But it's really not Van Halen without Eddie, so. . . I just don't know."

Sammy Hagar & The Circle with George Thorogood & The Destroyers perform tonight (August 24) at Cincinnati's Riverbend Music Center.

The Circle's new album, Crazy Times, drops on September 30th.

Kanye West And Chancey Jones Split After Five Months

Kanye West Won't Face Charges For Allegedly Punching A Fan

Kanye West won't face charges for allegedly punching a fan outside of an L.A. hotel room. According to TMZ, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office confirmed that there wasn't enough evidence to charge the hip hop and fashion icon with any crimes.

The D.A.'s office said in a statement, "After a thorough and careful review of all the evidence, our office is declining to file based on no reasonable likelihood of conviction."

Authorized Charlie Watts Biography Announced

One Year Gone: The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts Remembered

It was one year ago today -- August 24th, 2021 -- that that the music world was shocked to learn that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the age of 80. Fans had been showing concern when the news broke earlier this month that for the first time in his career, Watts was sitting out of a Stones tour due to an unspecified illness. Keith Richards' longtime collaborator and drummer, Steve Jordan was announced as Watts' understudy throughout the then-upcoming 13-city trek.

An official statement was released which read:

It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation. We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.

Due to Covid protocols, the Stones were unable to attend Watts' funeral in early-September 2021. Watts was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Devon.

Charlie Watts enjoyed the only stable family life of any of the Stones, having remained faithful to his girlfriend and then wife of over 55 years, Shirley, throughout the Stones' career. The couple, who raised Arabian horses, have one daughter Seraphina -- and a granddaughter, her 24-year-old daughter, model Charlotte Watts.

The Rolling Stones paid tribute to Watts by posting a recent portrait of the drummer on the website, which stays frozen on the photo. Watts is the third of the original Stones to die, with co-founding guitarist Brian Jones drowning on July 3rd, 1969 at age 27, and co-founding pianist-turned-roadie Ian Stewart dying of a heart attack on December 12th, 1985 at 47.

Charlie Watts, who turned 80 the prior June 2nd, was the second-oldest Stone; co-founding bassist Bill Wyman is 85, Mick Jagger is 79, Keith Richards is 78, and Ron Wood is 75.

Coming on October 11th will be the first authorized biography on Charlie Watts, titled Charlie's Good Tonight: The Life, The Times, And Rolling Stones: The Authorized Biography Of Charlie Watts, was written by Paul Sexton and features new and intimate interviwws with the Stones and Watts' family -- along with forewords by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

In April 2017, Watts released his latest big band album, called Charlie Watts Meets The Danish Radio Big Band. The set was captured back in 2010 in Copenhagen's Concert Hall of Denmark, following only four days of rehearsals between Watts and the musicians. The seven-song album features big band takes on such Stones classics as "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Paint It, Black" -- along with a Bossa Nova-tinged take on "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Back in early 1962, Watts played in Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, who performed a Saturday night residency at London's Ealing Jazz Club. It was there that Stones founder Brian Jones frequently sat in with the band. By April of 1962, Mick Jagger joined the band, but soon decided to form his own group with Jones and childhood friend Keith Richards, naming their new combo the "Rollin' Stones" after the Muddy Waters blues classic. By early 1963, Watts joined Jagger, Richards, Jones, Bill Wyman and keyboardist Ian Stewart to become the original lineup of the Rolling Stones.

When not playing with the Stones, Watts has often worked on jazz-related projects. And in December of 1964, only a few months after the Stones released their debut album, Watts published a book, Ode To A High Flying Bird, a tribute to jazz legend Charlie Parker.

Although literally generations of rock drummers have cited Watts as an influence on their playing, Watts, a jazz aficionado, claimed not to really be a fan of rock music.

Watts, who was able to resist the lure of hard drugs throughout the '60s and '70s, developed a brief heroin addiction in the early-1980's -- but soon after found the resolve to kick his demons.

Charlie Watts said that it never crossed his mind that the Rolling Stones would ever make it -- let along become rock's longest lasting rock bands: "No, every band I'd ever been in lasted a week. I mean, you only lasted as long as the guy in the club, or whatever, would book you for. So, y'know, if they didn't like you, y'know, it was two gigs and that was it. So I always thought it's gonna last a week, then a fortnight, and suddenly it's 30 years."

Charlie Watts believed that had it never been for the Stones, he would've remained safe and sound in his jazz-based world: "Keith Richards taught me rock n' roll. We had nothing to do all day, but we'd just play these records over and over again, and I learned to love people like Muddy Waters and people like that, through an intensive three-year crash course, you might say. And Keith turned me on to how good Elvis Presley was. I use to hate him until then. Elvis was, like, the least sort of person I'd ever want. . . I mean, Miles Davis was more what I would -- that's what I consider someone. Not Elvis, y'know?"

Charlie Watts recalled a typical gig on the band's first U.S. tour back in 1964: "Our first tour of America, I remember going to someplace, I don't know where it was, but it was in one of these, like, cow palaces, or something. And it was, like, 200 people in this huge arena all around the bandstand. And we drove in in a motorcade. That was thanks to the Beatles. I mean, they expected us to be like that."

Watts explained the deep musical kinship between himself and Keith Richards is almost like a sixth sense: "It's very easy playing with Keith. Very easy. Your only critic is yourself, really. He doesn't say, 'Oh that's 'orrible,' and you don't stop playing if whatever. It's like, 'That's how you wanna do it? See what 'appens. I didn't like it, but you liked it.' Y'know?' He's very easy like that, very easy to play with. And if it's good, he's very complimentary about it. Very comfortable to play with."

Despite all their inner-band sibling rivalries over the years, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' love and admiration for Charlie Watts never diminished: "(Mick Jagger): Charlie's like, very quiet and he won't speak to you (laughs), and I don't know if that's a good idea. (Keith Richards): Charlie; Charlie to me is the Rolling Stones."

Ron Wood told us that although Charlie Watts loved playing jazz best of all, he couldn't hide the thrill he got from drumming for the Stones: "He hasn't lost interest, 'cause he's a jazzer at heart. I think that's what he would like to be doing, but I can see him enjoying his rock n' roll."

Bill Wyman was always astounded at the power of the Stones' drum sound -- especially coming from such small kit. Wyman shed some light on the magic of Charlie Watts' drumming technique: "Drummers of today usually have about 50 or 60 items in their drums. I think he's got about seven -- and he plays them great (laughs). He's an economist."

Charlie Watts admitted that although the Stones' hard partying ways always grabbed the biggest headlines, he maintained that you couldn't find two healthier guys than him and Mick Jagger: "To do what I do, to do what Mick does, he needs to do that as well. Now the two reprobates (laughs) will be . . . You have to ask Keith and Ronnie what they do, but they have another version of physical fitness."

Charlie Watts told us that as far as musicianship goes, drummers fit into a strange category: "I mean, the very nature of playing drums is a nervous twitch, really. It's a cross between being an athlete and a totally nervous wreck, really."

Charlie Watts maintained that Stones rehearsals are always far more vigorous than the actual gigs: "To do those five shows, you have to rehearse much as if you're doing 150, to get to the same. . . Y'know, if you don't play a lot -- which we don't -- your hands, you have to get used to playing. The rehearsals always are harder."

Watts explained that his personal interests always rested far away from the circus of the rock world: "Y'know, I've never fallen into (the) celebrity rock star thing. I've always looked to other people who aren't in that world with much more awe than rock n' roll."

Despite all the distractions around a major band like the Stones, drummer Charlie Watts was always focused squarely on the music: "I've always seen myself as a member of a band. Y'know, when I play with bands, I very much play in the band. I'm not. . . I'm very much a band member."

Keith Richards was recently asked about performing without Charlie Watts and admitted to Apple Music that it's almost too much to bear: "Man, I'm going to miss the man forever. And at the moment, I'm still, sort of, doing it in small increments -- because otherwise it would be too difficult. But, I can almost feel Charlie smiling down on us every night and for the moment, that'll have to do, y'know?"

2021: FRIENDS & FANS REMEMBER CHARLIE WATTS

Paul McCartney: "I love you Charlie. I've always loved you."

Ringo Starr: "God bless Charlie Watts we're going to miss you man peace and love to the family"

Pete Townshend: "Charlie Watts wept at Keith Moon's funeral. I wish I was capable of such tears today. Instead I just want to say goodbye. Not a rock drummer, a jazz drummer really, and that's why the Stones swung like the Basie band!! Such a lovely man. God bless his wife and daughter, and I'll bet the horses will miss him too."

Elton John: "A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company. My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And of course, The Rolling Stones."

Peter Frampton: "I am heartbroken by this awfully sad news. Charlie was a dear friend and a gentle man. We will all miss you."

Kenney Jones: "I am so heartbroken to hear the news of Charlie Watts passing. I have so many fond memories of Charlie and will miss him dearly. My thoughts are with his family and all the Rolling Stones at this difficult time."

Brian Wilson: "I'm just shocked to hear about Charlie Watts. I don't know what to say, I feel terrible for Charlie's family. Charlie was a great drummer and I loved the Stones music, they made great records. Love & Mercy."

John Densmore: "An early mentor, a fellow jazz fan, RIP Charlie Watts."

John Fogerty: "I first saw The Rolling Stones in 1966 in the Bay Area and have been a fan ever since. Charlie Watts was one of the great drummers and will be missed. Rest easy Charlie"

Bob Seger: "So sad to hear the news of the loss of legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. His unforgettable rock solid backbeat will be remembered forever. Sending our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends."

Aerosmith: "We are extremely saddened to hear the passing of the legendary Charlie Watts. Our deepest condolences to Charlie's family and The Rolling Stones. Sincerely, from the guys in Aerosmith you've given us all so much! RIP CHARLIE."

Stewart Copeland: "So sad to lose a unique, iconic drummer. (and dancer) He was a quiet giant"

Brian May: "Sad sad news in the passing of Charlie Watts. Oh Lord. Deepest sympathies to his family - and to Keith, Mick and Ronnie to whom he was certainly beloved family. First picture is as I remember him, smiling and calm -- from the Rolling Stones Facebook page. The second picture here is from a session I did with Charlie some years ago -- the song was 'Reaching Out' -- with Paul Rodgers on vocal, Andy Fairweather-Lowe on rhythm guitar and myself on electric guitar. It was a lovely moment. For some people this might be a cliché -- but in Charlie's case it's the absolute truth -- he was the nicest gent you could ever meet. And such a pillar of strength for the Rolling Stones - to whom he brought a touch of Jazz and a mountain of pure Class. Bless you Charlie. Rest in Peace and Rock on. Bri"

Lars Ulrich: "Charlie… Thank you for paving the way. Thank you for setting the standard. Thank you for making it swing. Thank you for being cool as f**k. Thank you for literally inspiring every single rock ‘n' roll drummer on this planet."

Joan Baez: "In 2020 I painted his portrait as part of a series on my musician friends. Charlie Watts. A prince among thieves. A gentleman through and through. Rest in Peace."

Axl Rose: "Very sorry to hear of the passing of The Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts. My deepest condolences to his family, the band and the fans."

Dave Davies: "In total shock Charlie Watts was a lovely guy. He will be sorely missed. Deepest sympathy to his wife, the band and all his family and friends."

Tony Iommi: "So sorry to hear the very sad news of Charlie Watts passing. He was such a nice guy and a major influence in the music business - he'll be sadly missed. My deepest condolences to his family and to Mick, Ronnie, Keith and all his friends and fans. R.I.P."

Paul Stanley: "Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies aged 80. AWFUL NEWS. One of the true timeless icons and the backbone of the Stones. Hard to fathom the loss. So very sad."

Gene Simmons: "Our prayers and hearts go out to Charlie Watts family, fans and friends. The Rolling Stones drummer played on Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Woman and hundreds more. Rest In Peace, Charlie."

Peter Criss: "As a musician it was always a comfort to know the greatest band in the world was still around. It is devastating to hear of Charlie Watts' passing. As a drummer he inspired me deeply. It is a great loss in musical history and there will never be another Charlie Watts. His unique style and technique was the heart beat of THE ROLLING STONES. He is and always will be an inspiration for us drummers. He was one of my favorite drummers and I have so much love and respect for him. He will be greatly missed. My love and prayers go out to Mick, Keith, Ronnie, and all his family and fans all around the world. May he rest in peace with the Lord in heaven. God Bless."

Joan Jett: "Charlie Watts was the most elegant and dignified drummer in rock and roll. He played exactly what was needed -- no more -- no less. He is one of a kind."

Lenny Kravitz: "The beat of The Stones. There are no words, every groove has spoken for itself."

Billy Idol: "Rest in peace, Charlie."

Duran Duran: "So saddened to hear about the passing of Charlie Watts. An absolute inspiration to a legion of drummers since the 1960's. A man of grace, style, dignity and composure."

Joe Elliott: "Devastating news, those in the know know he was the heart & soul of the band. . . I had the absolute pleasure of meeting him a few times, a total gentleman. . . it goes without saying he will be sorely missed. RIP Charlie"

Mike McCready: "Sad to hear of Charlie Watts passing. The Rolling Stones have always been my favorite band, and Charlie was the engine of subltle (sic) and heavy grooves. I'll put on 'Sway' which is my favorite song of all time. Any of us in a rock band wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Charlie."

Tom Morrello: "Rock n roll would not be rock n roll without the rhythm, the style, the VIBE of this incredible musician. Rest In Peace Charlie Watts, one of the greatest and most important architects of the music we love."

Nikki Sixx: "This one hurts. To me he was the backbone to the world greatest rock n roll band. Such flair and always a gentlemen."

Vince Neil: RIP Charlie. Another Icon taken too soon. You will be missed."

Quickies: Britney Spears + Demi Lovato!

Demi Lovato Dreams Of Collabing With Paramore's Hayley Williams

A collaboration between Demi Lovato and Paramore's Hayley Williams is on Demi's bucket list.

During a recent interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Demi shared that Williams played a role in her artistic development.

Demi explained, "I had a lot of people pulling for me that I didn't necessarily talk to. She seems like the type of person that would be pulling for me during those times. But yeah, I didn't get to know her that well but... she's one of my biggest influences."

She continued, "Vocally—oh, my God. I mean, she's still my dream collaboration. It's never happened, but she's still my dream collaboration. To be honest, I gave up on that dream collaboration. So, I didn't say it for years, but that's always been my dream collaboration."

Demi recently released her latest album, HOLY FVCK.

Kelly Clarkson Reflects On Divorce From Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock

Kelly Clarkson has spoken on her first summer break in some time and while speaking on the topic, she mentioned having a "rough couple of years." Clarkson's divorce from Brandon Blackstock, which was finalized earlier this year, was included in that rough time.

During an appearance on Today on Tuesday (August 23rd), the singer told hosts Hoda Kotb and Carson Daly, "I hadn't had a minute and it's obviously been a rough couple of years. So it was really important to me to, like, shut down for a minute."

She continued, "The kids were with me and with their dad. It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation. So we were both in Montana. It felt kind of the first time—I think my kids felt—a little more centered as well. So it was nice."

Kelly and Brandon share two children, River, 8, and Remington, 6.

Panic! At The Disco Drops ‘don’t Let The Light Go Out’

Panic! At The Disco Releases Music Video For 'Sugar Soaker'

Panic! At the Disco has dropped a new video for their track "Sugar Soaker."

The video, which features Brendon Urie as the life of the party, is centered around a house party from the 1970s.

The song goes: "Little sugar soaker/ Breakin' my bed/ Red tail lights in the back of her head/ Such a cherry leather looker/ Drive her till I'm dead/ Little sugar soaker/ C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, yeah!"

The song appears on the group's seventh album, Viva Las Vengeance, which also contains singles "Don't Let the Lights Go Out," "Sad Clown" and the title track.

Dolly Parton Has Change Of Heart About Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nomination

Dolly Parton, Lady A Among Collabs On Cheat Code's First Country Album

Collaborations with Dolly Parton, Lady A, Jimmie Allen, Brett Young, Russell Dickerson, Little Big Town and Mitchell Tenpenny are featured on the new album by Cheat Codes. The project called One Night in Nashville- Presented by the Cheat Codes, is the EDM DJ trio's first foray into Country music. The project is due out early next year, and their first single, "I Remember," with Russell Dickerson will be released on Friday (August 26th).

Cheat Codes orignally turned to Little Big Town to add their vocals on a song while making their last album, Hellraiser PT 3. They loved the results, saying, "We had set out to make a dance song and the vocals were so right it just made sense. We didn't know if anyone would want to do this with electronic artists but we found that they were just as keen to work with us as we were to work with them and that comfort set the tone for the type of album we wanted to make and who we wanted to work with moving forward."

Shortly thereafter the members of Cheat Codes made their first trip Nashville. They said, "Going to the coolest city ever after us making one song turned into us wanting to make an entire album. We knew it was a different world musically from the one we lived in but we knew we wanted to be a part of it."

Ozzy Osbourne Says Jimmy Page Blew Of Request To Play On New Album

Ozzy Osbourne Has Opened Up About The Songs From His Upcoming Album

Ozzy Osbourne has opened up about the songs on his upcoming album Patient Number 9, saying that some may be controversial. He told Classic Rock Magazine that on his song "One of Those Days," he sings "One of those days that I don't believe in Jesus." He told the magazine, "That's going to cause sh*t, I suppose. It's not an 'I am an anti-Christ song. It's about those days when everything goes f*cking wrong, and you're going nuts trying to fix everything up."

Osbourne revealed that when Eric Clapton, who plays guitar on the track, first heard the line, he was apprehensive. "He said, ‘Oh, I'm not sure about that lyric.' So we tried to replace it with some alternatives. We did 'One of those days where I don't believe in Christmas,' but it didn't sound right. Losing faith in Jesus makes much more sense when the world is turning to sh*t."

Patient Number 9 Is Due Out On September 9th.

Bts’ Jimin Recovering Well After Surgery And Covid Diagnosis

BTS' RM And Jung Kook Set To Release Photography Books

RM of BTS has a book project about to launch. The group announced that the book of photography will be called Me, Myself, and RM: Entirety.

The images follow RM's solo trip to Switzerland, where he attended his very first Art Basel.

He isn't the only member of BTS with a photo book. Jung Kook has been teasing about one online with a similar title, Me, Myself and Jung Kook: Time Difference. His book will have a vampire theme with him pictured with blood-red lips and pale skin.

No release dates were mentioned.

TL;DR:

  • RM and Jung Kook of BTS will release books of photography.
  • No release dates were mentioned.

Harry Styles Felt ‘ashamed’ About People Knowing He Had Sex

Harry Styles Already Working On Next Album

In the cover story interview with Rolling Stone, Harry Styles revealed that he's already working on his next album.

Although it's only been 3 months since the release of Harry House, he's already collaborating with musicians and coming up with ideas.

He's so serious about it, that he extended his tour to have residencies in L.A., New York, Austin and Chicago in order to accommodate the studio time to write and record it.

He said, "I'm always writing. I think all of us are so excited to get back to it, which feels insane because we've just put an album out."

His latest single, "As It Was," is in it's 10th week at #1 on Billboard.

TL;DR:

  • Harry Styles is already working on his next album.
  • It's only been 3 months since the release of Harry House.
  • He has extended his tour to accommodate the studio time to write and record his next album.

Paul Simon Back In The Studio

Paul Simon Back In The Studio

Paul Simon is working on a new album tentatively titled, The Seven Psalms, at Manhattan's Reservoir Studios. The news was broken via a Facebook post by singer Barbara Fasano, who was coincidentally also recording at the studio complex and tracking a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 1968 standard, "Old Friends."

Simon's upcoming album comes as a surprise as the soon-to-be 81-year-old singer/songwriter had previously said that he believed his record-making days were over. The Seven Psalms will be followup to 2018's In The Blue Light, which saw him re-recording overlooked gems in his solo catalogue and marks his first new material since 2016's Stranger To Stranger.

Fasano posted about the Simon teamup on Facebook writing, "Around 4:00, there was Mr. Simon having lunch in the communal kitchen, & I introduced myself & said I was sorry to interrupt, but we were actually about to record his song. His face lit up & he was on his feet, walking into our studio. Everyone got introduced & Paul Simon pulled out his guitar & coached us on voicings & instrumentation. In a crazy surreal moment, he began to play OLD FRIENDS on the same guitar he's been playing on his solo records for 50 years, while I sang along. He stayed with us for nearly an hour. And then we laid down OLD FRIENDS, now sprinkled with pixie dust by this American icon."

Not too long ago while appearing on PBS, Paul Simon explained that the songwriting process is just as mysterious as it was when he began when he was a teenager: "When the sound seems to be correct in my imagination, the story can begin. I don't know what I'm going to write when I begin to write. It feels like you're walking down a path, but you don't. . . you can't see around the bend, and you don't know where you're going to go -- which is fun."

Billie Eilish Falls On Stage At Coachella And Laughs It Off

Billie Eilish And Mom Will Be Honored For Environmental Efforts

Billie Eilish and her mom, Maggie Baird will be honored by the Environmental Media Association at the upcoming EMA Awards gala.

They'll receive the EMA Missions in Music Award for their work as "role models for sustainable behaviors."

Together, they created an organization called Overheated, and produced climate-focused activities for her tour to encourage fans to participate and learn about the environment.

Maggie Baird, who's been a climate and animal advocate for more than 40 years says she's so proud of her daughter for using her voice to inspire a younger audience in a good way.

She stated: "Billie and I share the same passion in tackling the climate crisis. We are stronger together and I know that she'll continue to make a tremendous impact on this earth for the next generation."

Past honorees include Willie Nelson, Don Henley, Diane Warren, Alanis Morissette, Dave Mathews, and Adam Levine.

The 32nd annual gala will take place on October 8.

TL;DR:

  • Billie Eilish and her mom, Maggie Baird, are to be honored by the Environmental Media Association at the upcoming EMA Awards gala.
  • They'll receive the EMA Missions in Music Award for their work as "role models for sustainable behaviors."
  • The 32nd annual gala will take place on October 8.

Quickies: Camila Cabello, Harry Styles, Adele

Camila Cabello Collaborates With Hans Zimmer For 'Frozen Planet II'

Camila Cabello and Hans Zimmer have teamed up to write and record a song called, "Take Me Back Home." It'll be used for Frozen Planet II and premiers on BBC One this Friday August 26.

In making the announcement on social media, Cabello wrote that her life "is a dream."

She told the BBC, "To be able to combine my passion for the planet we live on and my music is a dream come true – never mind also getting to work with the legend that is Hans Zimmer."

Frozen Planet II is a powerful look at the world's ecosystem and how it can be protected from global warming.

The first of the series was released in 2011 and the new series has six-episodes.

TL;DR:

  • Camila Cabello and Hans Zimmer have written a song for Frozen Planet II for BBC One.
  • It's a powerful look at the world's ecosystem and how it can be protected from global warming.
  • Premiers August 26.