Classic Rock 93.9

Actor Clive Owen has revealed that David Bowie was a huge inspiration for him wanting to become an actor.

“Bowie probably has more to do with me being an actor than any actors,” Owen told Variety at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. 

“He showed me that you can create worlds,” Clive says. “My imagination was fired — that was the beginning of going into acting. It was Bowie that provoked my understanding of the art.”

Variety notes that Owen said he has no intention of ever trying to play Bowie in a project.

While Bowie, who passed away in 2016, is known mostly for music, he did dabble in acting throughout his career. He appeared in such films as 1976’s The Man Who Fell To Earth, and 1986’s Absolute Beginners and Labyrinth, as well as Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ, 2006’s The Prestige and more.

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An Eddie Van Halen guitar emblazoned with the Canadian flag is going up for auction later this year.

The long-lost 1993 Ernie Ball Music Signature Canada Day guitar will be part of Julien’s Auctions biannual Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars auction.

According to the auction house, the guitar, unseen for 31 years, was played by Eddie at a July 1, 1993, Canada Day concert at Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario. It features the red Canada maple leaf, with signatures of all the band members.

The auction is happening Nov. 21-22, and fans can register to be a part of it now. Eddie passed away in 2020 due to complications from throat cancer; to honor the rocker, proceeds from the sale will be donated to the cancer research and treatment nonprofit City of Hope.

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KISS’ Paul Stanley is giving fans an inside look into his guitar collection.

The rocker appears in the latest episode of Gibson TV’s The Collection, where he gives folks a behind-the-scenes look at the KISS warehouse, where he stores his guitars.

In the video, Stanley shares that seeing Eddie Cochran on TV inspired him to want to play guitar, noting, “There was something about him that was rogue and seemed ruthless, a great attitude.”

“So that was really the start of my introduction to guitar, although I grew up in a family with a lot of folk music and bluegrass and opera and classical music and all,” he says. “But I was convinced I could play the guitar when I had no knowledge of the guitar, just because there was some sort of connection.”

Stanley says he kept trying to get his parents to buy him a guitar, and requested an electric guitar for his 13th birthday, but instead he got a “used nylon-string guitar.”

“I was shattered ’cause you can’t play rock ‘n’ roll on this,” he said. “A couple of months later, I said, ‘You know, let me give that a go.’ So that was really the start … I took to it really quickly.” 

He adds, “I took a few lessons, and I wanted to go faster, and for some reason the teacher was, ‘No. You have to stay at this pace.’ So he went and the guitar stayed.”

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The Rolling Stones have given fans a look inside the studio as they recorded their 20th studio album, Voodoo Lounge. 

The band shared a behind-the-scenes clip from inside the studio, where guitarist Keith Richards talks about drummer Charlie Watts hitting his peak during the recording. There’s also a clip where Watts is chatting about his performance with Keith, Mick Jagger and producer Don Was.

The clip reveal comes as The Stones are set to reissue Voodoo Lounge in honor of its 30th anniversary. The album will be reissued on red- and yellow-colored vinyl on July 12, along with a limited-edition Rolling Stones store exclusive 10-inch single, containing B-sides “I’m Gonna Drive,” “So Young,” “Jump On Top Of Me” and “The Storm.”

The Voodoo Lounge 30th anniversary reissue is available for preorder now.

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David Gilmour is set to play some solo dates later this year, and he’s just given fans a sneak peek at what to expect. 

The rocker shared a clip of him rehearsing the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here” with musician Ben Worsley, as Wesley the dog listens on.

Gilmour is set to kick off his solo tour with a six-night stand in Rome, starting Sept. 27, followed by dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall beginning Oct. 9. In the U.S. he’ll play four shows in Los Angeles, starting Oct. 25 at the Intuit Dome, with the other three dates happening at the Hollywood Bowl. He’ll wrap the tour with five nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, starting Nov. 4. 

The tour is in support of Gilmour’s new solo album, Luck and Strange, which drops Sept. 6. It is his first album of new material in nine years.

Luck and Strange is available for preorder now.

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Bruce Springsteen is featured on the song “Sandpaper,” on Zach Bryan’s new record, The Great American Bar Scene, and the country star took to social media to thank The Boss for his participation. 

“thank you for the day @springsteen,” he writes next to a picture of Springsteen holding a guitar. “thank you for your kind words thank you for letting me take this picture thank you for making my whole life a dream of a younger me a reason to believe.”

“Sandpaper” has similarities to Springsteen’s classic “I’m On Fire.” The pair first performed the tune together in concert back in March, when Springsteen flew from San Diego to join Bryan on stage at his concert at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. 

And Springsteen isn’t the only collaborator on Bryan’s album. John Mayer is on the track “Better Days,” and he showed his appreciation to Zach on social media.

“I always knew this song Zach wrote was special. I had no idea how beautiful, powerful and deep an album it would be a part of,” he wrote. “I’m stunned. I’m blessed to have been able to fulfill my dreams of making music. What I never saw coming: to be asked to play with an artist as deeply tapped in as @zachlanebryan is. Thank you for inviting me into your dream-coming-true.”

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Def Leppard is getting ready to launch their Summer Stadium Tour with Journey, and guitarist Phil Collen is excited for what’s in store.

The two bands previously toured together in 2018, and Collen tells ABC Audio that it’s a pairing that works well.

“We always do great with Journey, even when Journey are not doing great with themselves,” he says, adding he’s a “huge fan” of the band.

Collen says that with the recent 40th anniversary of their third studio album, Pyromania, fans can expect the set list to “lean heavily” on that album. He also says they plan to clean things up from some of their previous tours, noting, “We’ve got rid of a lot of chaff.” 

“When I say that, I mean, you know, stuff that bands do that you don’t realize you’re doing,” he explains. “We don’t need to waffle on and do this here and audience participation that lasts so long that you could actually fit another song in there.”

He notes, “We’ve kind of really surgically … chopped things up and made it just way more exciting.”

The tour marks another summer Def Leppard is spending headlining stadiums, and for Collen there’s nothing better.

“I think when you start playing, that’s the dream is to be able to do that and, you know, the bigger the better,” he says. “You get your rock star on. … It’s really cool.” 

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium Tour, with special guests Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick, kicks off Saturday in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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While Hootie & the Blowfish were racking up huge hits in the ’90s, like “Only Wanna Be With You,” there was one particular song of the era that frontman Darius Rucker wishes he wrote.

Speaking with the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Rucker shares that he and his Hootie bandmates were jealous of the Stone Temple Pilots track “Interstate Love Song.”

“It just sounded perfect on the radio and it was so hard,” Rucker says. “You know, why can’t we play that?” 

Flash forward some 30 years and Hootie is covering “Interstate Love Song” during their current tour.

“Now I guess we’re just old dudes. We play whatever we want to play,” Rucker says. “So I love rocking that song.”

Hootie’s tour also features another ’90s alt vet on the bill, Collective Soul. The outing continues July 10 in Denver.

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Elton John headlined England’s Glastonbury Festival in 2023, and he just revealed the surprising gift he received from Paul McCartney following the performance.

At one point during the Glastonbury set Elton was heard complaining about his pants falling down, which apparently prompted the gift from McCartney. 

During a Glastonbury-focused online Q&A, Elton was asked why his pants were dropping during the show and he replied, “Because they were too big!”

He then revealed that McCartney, who was on hand to witness the set, later sent him gold suspenders “to keep my trousers up the next week,” noting the gift “made me laugh so much!”

Elton’s Glastonbury set was his first time playing the iconic festival. It was also his final U.K. performance. He retired from the road in July 2023 after a show in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Sammy Hagar is getting ready to kick off his The Best of All World tour, and he’s giving fans a sneak peek at what to expect.

The rocker has been sharing clips of rehearsals on Instagram, including one with him and the band – Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Jason Bonham – performing the Van Halen track “Poundcake” from the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. And for those who don’t think Satriani can fill the late Eddie Van Halen‘s shoes, the clip ends with a taste of an epic Satriani guitar solo.

In another clip, Sammy gives fans a look at Bonham’s drum kit, which the drummer says features “a surprise,” to which Sammy exclaims, “I love surprises.”

Sammy then added a clip of the band performing the OU812 track “When It’s Love,” sharing, “Last night’s ending of rehearsal felt like the beginning of something great,” adding a variety of hashtags, including #10days, #enjoyingrehearsals and #Cantwaitforthistour.

Hagar’s The Best of All World tour, which will have him performing Van Halen classics along with solo tunes and tracks from his other bands, The Circle and Chickenfoot, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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