Classic Rock 93.9

A unique piece of Beatles memorabilia has just sold at auction.

Joseph Robert O’Donnell, a Beatles and music memorabilia dealer, recently purchased a piece of George Harrison’s leftover toast from 1962.

The piece of toast in question was taken by a 15-year-old Harrison fan named Sue Houghton, who had become friendly with his family. While visiting the family, she pocketed the leftover crust from Harrison’s plate. It eventually made its way to Houghton’s Harrison scrapbook collection, which included other mementos, including fluff from under his bed.

“It’s a brilliant story that is both bizarre, historical and a story I’ll continue telling friends, memorabilia collectors and fellow Beatles fans,” O’Donnell shares.

So far there’s no word on how much O’Donnell shelled out for the toast, but in 1992 items from Sue’s scrapbook collection were put up for auction at Christie’s, with the toast selling for about $1,600.

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Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong has some not-so-nice words about Perry Farrell in the upcoming book Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival. 

As its title suggests, the book goes into the history of Lollapalooza, which the Jane’s Addiction frontman co-founded. In an excerpt posted to Stereogum, Armstrong talks about the difficulties he had with Farrell ahead of Green Day playing Lolla 1994.

“Perry was a f****** a******, straight up,” Armstrong says. “He wasn’t a part of that conversation, because he’d checked out, but they asked us to play it and we said yes. And it was going to be the Boredoms on the first half, and us on the second half as the opening band. And then all of a sudden, he comes back in and he’s like, ‘I don’t want them on the bill.'”

John Rubeli, Lolla’s second-stage manager between 1993 and 1995, says Farrell thought Green Day was a “boy band.”

“He was like, ‘They’re a boy band. I don’t want to book a boy band,'” Rubeli says. “I was getting a lot of pressure from the label and management, like, ‘You gotta convince Perry.'”

Farrell eventually relented and allowed Green Day on the bill, but it left Armstrong with a sour taste in his mouth.

“For us it was really disappointing, because Perry was someone that we really respected,” Armstrong says. “I think that made us want to play it even more, actually, because we wanted to prove that he had his head very far up his own a**.”

Along with Farrell, Billy Corgan doesn’t come out of the excerpt unscathed. The Flaming Lips‘ Wayne Coyne says that the Smashing Pumpkins frontman was “such a raging a*******.”

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival is due out March 25.

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Rick Springfield is opening up about the alternative treatments he’s experimented with to help with depression, something he’s dealt with since his teen years.

In a new interview with People, the “Jesse’s Girl” singer reveals he’s tried ketamine treatments, but in the end it wasn’t for him.

“I wanted to see if it’d open a few things in my brain,” he says. “It was a creative experiment and an experiment on depression. I did it for as long as suggested, and I wasn’t a big fan.”

“It made me feel heavy and machinelike. It didn’t change much in me — although I have been writing a lot, so you never know what kind of effect it has later on,” he says. “It’s not a black-and-white kind of thing.”

One alternative option he seems more positive about is “micro-dosing” LSD.

“I did acid, and that was actually a little better,” he says. “I hadn’t done that since I was in my 20s, but it was a great high. I don’t mean to push drugs on anyone, but I’m not averse to anything that helps me be happier and a better person. I could use some help in that area. I’m always searching.”

But Springfield shares that cutting back on alcohol two years ago “helped more than anything.”

“I’ll have a couple of sips of vodka or something when I’m onstage,” he shares, “but I don’t drink any other time.”

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Metallica’s Lars Ulrich is set to appear at the upcoming South by Southwest festival.

The rocker is scheduled to sit down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for a featured session titled Breaking the Fourth Wall, where, according to the description, they’ll explore “how the band is continuing to use revolutionary technology to connect more deeply with fans.”

The discussion will have Lars reflecting on the band’s history of using technology “to reinvent storytelling and redefine the fan experience that ultimately breaks the fourth wall.”

SXSW will be held March 7-15 in Austin, Texas. Lars’ session is scheduled for March 11 at the Austin Convention Center.

More info can be found at sxsw.com.

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Graham Nash is opening up about his relationship with his late bandmate David Crosby in a new interview with Mojo magazine.

“I think of David every time I drive through Van Cortlandt Park [in the Bronx],” Nash tells the mag. “Don’t forget: It’s David Van Cortlandt Crosby,” referring to the late rocker’s full name.

He adds, “I miss David terribly.”

Nash has previously said that before Crosby’s January 2023 death, he tried to reach out to Nash to mend their fractured relationship and that they had a FaceTime call planned, but Crosby died before it happened.

Asked what he would have said to Crosby, Nash shares, “I think that really small things got in the way, small attitudes.” He called Crosby “a brilliant musician and thinker – and his own worst enemy.”

“When David was joyful, the entire room lit up,” he says. “But it could be instantly darkened by something he said.”

As he’s said in the past, Nash maintains that since Crosby was “the very heart” of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the surviving members — Nash, Stephen Stills and Neil Young — likely won’t play together again as a group, although he does miss some aspects of their collaboration.

“I miss witnessing greatness – when you stand in the middle of Stephen and Neil and they’re talking to each other on their guitars, or Crosby’s singing the s*** out of one of his songs,” he says. “There was a certain magic that is not there anymore. I miss seeing that creative streak spontaneously happening in front of me.”

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne is set to be honored by Music Will, the largest nonprofit music education program for schools in the United States.

Browne, along with Sara Bareilles, Wyclef Jean and Kristin Chenoweth, will be celebrated at the group’s annual gala April 9 at Gotham Hall in New York City.

“At Music Will, we believe that music is a force for change—a catalyst that opens doors and transforms lives,” Music Will CEO Mike Wasserman shares. “We’re thrilled to welcome and honor icons like Sara Bareilles, Jackson Browne, Kristin Chenoweth, and Wyclef Jean, whose artistry and commitment inspire our work.”

He adds, “Their dedication reinforces our mission to ensure every student, regardless of background, has access to life-changing music programs that ignite creativity, build communities, and unlock potential beyond the classroom. Together, we’re setting the stage for a future where music education continues to empower the next generation.”

Tickets for the gala are on sale now.

Next up for Browne, he’s scheduled to perform at the 38th annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert Monday at Carnegie Hall. Other artists on the bill include Patti Smith and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe.

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 Bob Dylan‘s official social media accounts continue to baffle fans.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s latest post on Instagram happened Wednesday night, when he randomly uploaded a throwback video of Machine Gun Kelly performing an in-store set.

The post certainly spawned some interesting comments from fans, with one noting, “Bob respectfully, what the f*** is this,” while another wrote “Bob’s off his Zimmerman,” a reference to Dylan’s real last name.

Meanwhile, mgk responded to the shoutout in his Instagram Story, first with a screenshot of Dylan’s post alongside the caption “wtf this was not on my 2025 bingo card.” He then posted a video sharing that he was in the middle of working on a new album when he learned about the Dylan post.

“I’m … having a whole discussion about am I doing the right thing, is this the right direction for this album?” mgk explains. “I’m questioning it, right? And in the same breath that I’m questioning it, someone goes, ‘Bob Dylan just posted a video of you.'”

Kelly says that his first reaction was, “There must be another Bob Dylan,” before confirming the veracity of the post.

“Just the originator of doing everything opposite of what people wanted him to do randomly posting a video of me back in the day rapping in a vinyl shop, I’m just, like, what the f***, dude?” he continues. “Just trust the signs man. That was so cool, I’m so grateful.”

He adds, “So random.”

By the way, mgk’s performance in the video includes lyrics from his track called “Rolling Stone.” Perhaps Dylan just thought that the performance represented how it feels to be on your own, with no direction home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.

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On This Day, Feb. 27, 1981…

The Who released the song “You Better You Bet,” their first single since the death of drummer Keith Moon three years earlier.

The song, written by Pete Townshend, was the first single off the band’s 1981 album Face Dances, which featured former The Faces drummer Kenney Jones in Moon’s place.

“You Better You Bet” was a top 20 hit for The Who, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The video for the track was the fourth video played on MTV when it debuted Aug 1, 1981.

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The life and music of Allman Brothers Band guitarist and founding member Dickey Betts is being celebrated Friday with an all-star tribute concert, and now music fans at home will be able to enjoy it.

The sold-out show, In Memory of Dickey Betts, will livestream for free via nugs.net. The concert is taking place at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia, the birthplace of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.

The concert, hosted and curated by Dickey’s son Duane, will feature a lineup that includes many musicians who’ve been associated with the Allman Brothers over the years, including ABB’s Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Chuck Leavell, Susan Tedeschi and Oteil Burbriddge, as well as Gregg Allman’s son Devon Allman.

A portion of the proceeds from the show will go toward the newly announced Dickey Betts Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston. According to a press release, the scholarship “will honor Dickey Betts’ legacy by supporting talented and deserving students pursuing their musical dreams at Berklee.” 

“We are thrilled to know that the proceeds are going to such a worthy cause,” says Duane.

In addition to his guitar work for the Allmans, Betts wrote and sang two of their best-known songs: “Ramblin’ Man” and “Blue Sky.” He also wrote their popular instrumental track, “Jessica.”

Betts passed away April 18, 2024, at the age of 80.

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Legendary rock band the Grateful Dead will be the subject of another course at Stanford University this spring.

Composition, Interpretation, and Improvisation: The Music of the Grateful Dead, part of Stanford Continuing Studies, is a six-week course running from April 8 to May 13. It’s taught by David Gans, producer and host of the nationally syndicated Grateful Dead Hour.

According to the description, the course “offers a comprehensive exploration of their distinctive musical style —where individual contributions converge into a cohesive sound that creates ‘gestalt magic,’” with each class focused on five or six select pieces of Dead music.

The course will feature a variety of Dead-related guest speakers, including Rob Barraco, keyboardist and vocalist of Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra; Jeff Mattson, also of Dark Star Orchestra, who performed with Bob Weir’s RatDog and Dead & Company; and keyboardist Bob Bralove, who played with the Grateful Dead from 1987 to 1995.

“Whether you’re a lifelong Deadhead or new to their music,” the description says, “this course provides a valuable opportunity to appreciate the Grateful Dead’s enduring impact on modern music and culture.”

Registration for the course is now open.

This isn’t the first time Stanford Continuing Studies has held a course about The Dead. In fall 2024 they ran an eight-week course called Did It Matter? Does It Now? The Music and Culture of the Grateful Dead.

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