Category Archives: Classic Rock

Nuno Bettencourt and Richard Fortus Bury Hatchet Over Slash Row

Extreme‘s Nuno Bettencourt and Guns N’ Roses‘ Richard Fortus have declared a cease-fire after publicly feuding last week over Bettencourt’s disparaging remarks about Fortus’ bandmate Slash. The drama began when Bettencourt mentioned the top-hatted guitarist while discussing his tenure as Rihanna’s touring guitarist in a Planet Rock interview. “I’m sorry, most of the guitar players who I admire could not in […]

Morrissey Rips ‘Insultingly Stupid’ Sinead O’Connor Coverage

As the world mourns the death of acclaimed Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, Morrissey has criticized media outlets and the record industry for not supporting O’Connor during her life. “She had only so much ‘self’ to give,” Morrissey wrote to his website. “She was dropped by her label after selling 7 million albums for them. She […]

When Sinead O’Connor Tore Picture of the Pope on ‘SNL’

Singer Sinead O’Connor sparked outrage on Oct. 3, 1992, when she tore up a picture of the Pope during her musical performance on Saturday Night Live. In the lead-up to the episode, show creator Lorne Michaels had all of his attention on outspoken host Tim Robbins. The politically active actor had pitched a searing broadside […]

Hear Steve Miller’s ‘The Joker Suite’ Off Upcoming ‘J50’ Box Set

Steve Miller Band will commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Joker with the J50: The Evolution of The Joker box set, which arrives on Sept. 15. J50 is available to preorder now in two-CD, three-LP (plus bonus 7″) and digital formats. Miller is previewing the collection with “The Joker Suite,” which showcases his musical journey to the album’s chart-topping title […]

The Doobie Brothers Forget ‘China Grove’ Is Real

Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers assumed the song he was writing in 1973 about a slow-moving Texas town called “China Grove” was fictional. Until he remembered that it wasn’t. The song started simply. “I wasn’t quite sure what it was,” Johnston recalled in 2022’s Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers. “I just […]

How Sting’s ‘Russians’ Inspired Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’

The Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb and the lingering threat of nuclear holocaust offered a wellspring of inspiration for some of rock’s biggest names. In turn, one of these topical songs — Sting‘s “Russians” — planted a seed in director Christopher Nolan’s mind that would eventually germinate into his new biographical epic, Oppenheimer. “I first heard about […]

Lynyrd Skynyrd Embraces Touring With ‘Brothers’ ZZ Top

Lynyrd Skynyrd brought a set packed full of hits to the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday evening in Tampa, Florida, for the second night of their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top. You can see the complete set list and videos from the concert below. This marks the first major trek since founding […]