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Tag: Rock n Roll

  • Priscilla Presley Recalls Her Time With Elvis

    Priscilla Presley gave an interview with The Daily Mirror to promote the upcoming exhibit called Elvis at The O2: A Celebration of His Life which will be held in December. In the interview, she talked about her time with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.  “I remember when I set eyes on him — he was just so kind, so authentic. I just thought how he was the real deal. Elvis wasn’t putting on any pretense, he never did. What you saw with him is what you got. Not everyone knows that,” she says in the interview.

    Priscilla met Elvis at Bad Nauheim, Germany in September 1959. The couple married in 1967 and divorced in 1973, a few years before the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s death. In 1968, Priscilla gave birth to their daughter Lisa Marie Presley who grew up to become a celebrity in her own right.

    Elvis at The O2: A Celebration of His Life is being headed by the Presley estate, managed by Priscilla who has served as the chairwoman for Elvis Presley Enterprises since 1979. The exhibit will be held at the O2 arena, and will feature Elvis’ most prized possessions from Graceland.

    Some memorabilia included in the exhibit are Elvis’ diploma, his famous gold lame suit from 1957, as well as a wallet containing pictures of Lisa Marie.

    Priscilla talked at length about the exhibit, saying, “I’m very, very excited, as we have been wanting to do this for some time. It is a peek behind the scenes of the real Elvis, Elvis the father, son, friend and dad. He was just so very loyal and that will come across. He was someone who could be trusted, someone who people could rely on.”

    This same desire to share Elvis’ legacy to his devoted fans led Priscilla to open Graceland to the public back in 1982. Since then, Graceland has become a mecca of sorts for Elvis fans worldwide.

  • Gene Simmons Says Rock Is Not Just Dead, It Was Murdered

    Gene Simmons, the bassist for the iconic rock band KISS, has an interesting take on the demise of rock music.

    In a recent interview with Esquire magazine, in an interview conducted by his son, Nick, Simmons said that rock is not only dead, it was murdered.

    “Don’t quit your day job is a good piece of advice,” the 60-year-old Simmons told his son. “When I was coming up, it was not an insurmountable mountain. Once you had a record company on your side, they would fund you, and that also meant when you toured they would give you tour support.

    “There was an entire industry to help the next Beatles, Stones, Prince, Hendrix, to prop them up and support them every step of the way,” he continued. “There are still record companies, and it does apply to pop, rap, and country to an extent. But for performers who are also songwriters – the creators – for rock music, for soul, for the blues – it’s finally dead. Rock is finally dead.”

    Simmons said he mourns the death of rock and wishes for the the days when rock was in its heyday.

    “I am so sad that the next 15-year-old kid in a garage someplace in Saint Paul, that plugs into his Marshall and wants to turn it up to ten, will not have anywhere near the same opportunity that I did,” he said. “He will most likely, no matter what he does, fail miserably. There is no industry for that anymore. And who is the culprit? There’s always the changing tide of interests – music taste changes with each generation. To blame that is silly. That was always the exciting part, after all: ‘What’s next?’”

    Simmons went on to explain that the end of rock music was a deliberate act and not just a natural evolution of music.

    “But there’s something else. The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. And the real culprit is that kid’s 15-year-old next-door neighbor, probably a friend of his. Maybe even one of the bandmates he’s jamming with. The tragedy is that they seem to have no idea that they just killed their own opportunity – they killed the artists they would have loved. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed, and now it won’t, because it’s that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it.”

  • AC/DC News: The Band Will Continue Without Malcolm

    Yesterday rumors spread across the internet that legendary hard rock band AC/DC was calling it quits after 40 years of playing music. Today, we find out those rumors are untrue. The band hopes to tour in the future and even perhaps put out a new album. However, founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (brother of Angus) plans to take a break from the band because of ill health.

    AC/DC released this statement today, “Malcolm would like to thank the group’s diehard legions of fans worldwide for their never-ending love and support. In light of this news, AC/DC asks that Malcolm and his family’s privacy be respected during this time. The band will continue to make music.”

    Lead singer Brian Johnson told The Daily Telegraph, “We are definitely getting together in May in Vancouver. We’re going to pick up some guitars, have a plonk, and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas. If anything happens, we’ll record it.”

    Fans knew that someone in the band was experiencing a serious health issue. Johnson said in a radio interview in January, “One of the boys is a little sick and I can’t say anything, but he’s getting better.” Now we know that person is Malcolm Young. Johnson later added, “I wouldn’t like to say anything either way about the future. I’m not ruling anything out. One of the boys has a debilitating illness, but I don’t want to say too much about it. He is very proud and private, a wonderful chap. We’ve been pals for 35 years and I look up to him very much.”

    In February, Johnson discussed the possibility of the band putting on a massive 40th anniversary tour that would feature 40 shows in 40 venues around the world. AC/DC hasn’t ruled that out yet, but Johnson isn’t exactly sure about the band’s future plans, “That would be a wonderful way to say bye bye. We would love to do it. But it’s all up in the air at the moment.”

    It’s been reported that Malcolm suffered a stroke that resulted in a blood clot in his brain. Although brother Angus is the more well-known and flashy member of AC/DC (he’s the guy in the school uniform), Malcolm has always been considered the group’s heart and soul. Darryl Mason, a writer and music producer, wrote in his music blog about Malcolm, “His passion for the band and its music, and integrity, were so intense, back in the 1970s he used to have fistfights with his younger brother, Angus, in the studio, when disagreements about a sound or riff couldn’t be resolved. Proper punch-ups, teeth were lost, blood was drawn.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kiss’ Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Performance Cancelled

    Kiss announced that they won’t be playing during their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which will be held in New York City on April 10. The decision is the result of a disagreement the band has been having over who will be playing with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

    Kiss was formed in 1973 in New York City with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. The members were also known as The Demon, Starchild, Space Ace, and Catman. The band rose to fame with their flamboyant rock and roll performances with rockets, levitating drums, smoking guitars, and fire breathing acts. The wild rock band always performed with complete face makeup and costumes that were mostly in black.

    Since then, the band’s lineup has changed with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer replacing original members Criss and Frehley.

    According to Kiss’ official website, the band has decided to cancel the performance, as they are in an emotional situation where none of the members can be pleased. The message further states that the intention was to celebrate the history of the band with all its members. They failed to mention other members of the band including Mark St. John who died in 2007, and Vinnie Vincent who was a member of the band for a brief period in the 80’s.

    During Eddie Trunk’s radio show, Frehley said that both Simmons and Stanley rejected the idea of having the original four members perform during the induction. This statement was later refuted by the band saying that they never refused the idea.

    Criss also said that he wanted to let fans to know that the original four wouldn’t be playing, before they get the chance to purchase tickets, which are being sold for $120 to over $500. Both Frehley and Criss are not sure if they are going to attend the induction ceremony.

    Kiss’ original members played together until 1980 and then played together again from 1996 to 2000. Since then, Thayer and Singer have been wearing the costumes and makeup of former members Criss and Frehley.

    Gene Simmons Blasts Ace Frehley and Peter Criss

    http://youtu.be/xZ9IPzMvyLU

    Image via Facebook

  • Kurt Cobain Day In Aberdeen, Washington

    Kurt Cobain Day In Aberdeen, Washington

    Aberdeen is celebrating what would have been Kurt Cobain’s 47th birthday by making February 20 the official Kurt Cobain Day in the city.

    Cobain, grunge band Nirvana’s front man, was born in Aberdeen in 1967. He had a turbulent childhood and struggled with his parents’ divorce. He also dropped out of high school and was known to be a rebel. Through his teen years, Cobain moved to different homes and at one time even lived under a bridge.

    Cobain then formed Nirvana together with bassist Krist Novoselic who also lived in the area. Nirvana’s first few band practices were held in Aberdeen, but they eventually moved to Washington’s state capital, Olympia, before finally settling down in Seattle.

    For Kurt Cobain Day, city officials are planning to unveil a statue of the late rocker, which will be located at the Aberdeen Museum of History. The statue was a tribute that the city refused to accept 2 decades ago. After Cobain’s suicide in 1994, Randi Hubbard started making the cement statue, which was finished with the help of art students. They offered the statue to the city, but were refused.

    Some residents of Aberdeen did not want the statue, due to Cobain’s drug addiction and negative comments he made about the city. Mayor Bill Simpson says that the statue is being erected to honor Cobain’s contributions to the music industry.

    Kurt Cobain Day will be celebrated with the performance of Gebular, a local band. Aaron Burckhard, Nirvana’s first drummer, and Warren Mason, Cobain’s guitar teacher, will also be making an appearance at the event. The museum will also be displaying a couch that Cobain once used.

    Aberdeen Museum of History gets about 5,000 visitors yearly. With the addition of Cobain’s cement statue, city officials are expecting the number to increase.

    Nirvana will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10.

    ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ (Live)

    Image via YouTube