Classic Rock 93.9

Billy Idol is the latest rocker to star in commercials for the company Workday.

Continuing the theme from Workday’s Super Bowl ad, which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett and Gary Clark Jr., the latest spots feature Idol, blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani.

In the ads, the trio calls out office workers for continuing to call each other “rock stars.”

“I can’t believe you corporate types are still at it,” Idol says in one clip. “Just stop calling each other rock stars.” He later crashes a meeting to add, “Using responsible AI doesn’t make you a rock star.”

In another clip, Idol sarcastically exclaims, “Look at my data-driven insights! I’m a rock star!”

“While these rock icons might not consider us to be rock stars in the traditional sense, our customers around the world are the true rock stars of business and we want to celebrate that,” says Workday Chief Marketing Officer Emma Chalwin. “We’re bringing that to life in the next wave of this multi-channel campaign with amazing talent, humor, and a bold, new edge aligned with what everyone loves about the Workday brand. We’re excited to show the world how Workday rocks the future of work.” 

The Workday ads are streaming on YouTube and will air April 8-14 in connection with The Masters golf tournament.

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Ozzy Osbourne‘s expanding his podcast repertoire.

With the return of The Osbournes Podcast in full swing, the Prince of Darkness has announced a new show called The Madhouse Chronicles, co-hosted by his longtime friend, Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison.

“Tune in to see me react to the craziest internet clips and chat about our favorite topics, including Drugs, Aliens, Rock n’ Roll and so much more,” Ozzy writes in a Facebook post.

An accompanying teaser clip hints at a discussion about Black Sabbath.

“Are you happy with the arc of the legend of Black Sabbath?” Morrison asks, to which Ozzy replies, “No.”

The Madhouse Chronicles premieres in April. For more info, stay tuned to OsbourneMediaHouse.com.

Meanwhile, you can hear Ozzy collaborate with Morrison on the new song “Crack Cocaine.” It’ll appear on Morrison’s upcoming album, The Morrison Project, due out April 19.

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We are getting our first look at the upcoming documentary about The Beach Boys. 

The first trailer for the doc has just been released, featuring archival interviews and footage of the band along with new interview clips from Beach Boy Mike Love, producer Don Was, Ryan Tedder and Janelle Monáe. It also touches on The Beach Boys’ rivalry with The Beatles, Brian Wilson’s conflicts with his father and more.

The Beach Boys, directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny, will also include all-new interviews from Wilson and bandmates Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston, as well as former Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin. It will also feature audio from Ricky Fataar, another former member, plus appearances by late members Carl and Dennis Wilson.

The Beach Boys will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting May 24. The official soundtrack to the documentary will also be available on streaming services the same day.

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On This Day, April 9, 1984…

R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning, which, like their 1983 debut, Murmur, was produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon.

The album, which was first released in the U.K. and then the U.S., was recorded at Reflection Sound in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the producers attempting to capture the energy and sound of the band’s live performances.

Reckoning was a hit with critics and peaked at #27 in the U.S., although it topped college radio airplay charts. Its first single, “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry),” peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, while its second single,  “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville,” did not chart. Both went on to become R.E.M. fan favorites.

The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

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Heart helped celebrate Monday’s solar eclipse with a special performance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers appeared on the late night show, where they performed Bonnie Tyler’s classic “Total Eclipse of the Heart” with Jimmy, from the rooftop of 30 Rockefeller Center as the eclipse was happening. 

“Heart is our musical guest and today, is obviously the solar eclipse,” Jimmy shared. “So we thought we have to do what we have to do. We have to sing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ with Heart while watching the solar eclipse.”

In an homage to Tyler’s video for the track, Fallon dressed like one of the school boys from the clip.

And that wasn’t the only tune Heart performed on the show: They later treated the audience to a performance of their classic “Barracuda.”

Heart is set to kick off the Royal Flush tour on April 20 in Greenville, South Carolina, with special guest Cheap Trick. A complete list of dates can be found at heart-music.com.

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Def Leppard has jumped on the viral “Of Course” TikTok trend, where folks share stereotypes about their professions, race, gender and more.

In a post on Instagram, each member of the band shares what they seem to think is an obvious fact about the group. It starts off with bassist Rick Savage, who says, “We’re Def Leppard and of course we’ve played with Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Queen.”

The band teamed up with Taylor for a 2008 episode of CMT Crossroads, while they preformed with Miley at the September 2022 Los Angeles tribute concert for the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and with Queen at the 1992 Freddie Mercury tribute concert in London.

Savage was followed by guitarist Phil Collen, who shared, “Of course we play three continents in a day,” referring to their October 23, 1995, shows in Morocco, England and Canada. Drummer Rick Allen, who lost his arm in a 1985 car accident, shared a fact about himself, noting, “Of course I play drums with my feet,” while guitarist Vivian Campbell added a crack about their longevity, sharing, “Of course we’re your mother’s favorite band.” 

Def Leppard’s frontman, Joe Elliott, wraps up the video by noting, “We’re Def Leppard, of course, we’re playing stadiums this summer. All summer.”

That stadium tour he’s referring to is the band’s upcoming co-headlining tour with Journey, which kicks off July 6 in St. Louis. The tour also features special guests Steve Miller Band, Heart and Cheap Trick. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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The planned film about Bruce Springsteen’s effort to make his 1982 solo album, Nebraska, is now one step closer to happening. 

It was just announced that 20th Century Studios and Disney have come on board to produce the film, Deliver Me From Nowhere, based on Warren Zanes‘ book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. 

It was previously reported The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White was the front-runner to star in the film; a press release confirms that he is in talks to star in the picture, which will be written and directed by Scott Cooper, with Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau involved.

“Warren Zanes’ Deliver Me From Nowhere is one of the best books ever written about Bruce Springsteen and his music,” Landau said in a statement, adding about Cooper, “We think he’s the perfect filmmaker for the job.”

Cooper said in the press release that Springsteen had a profound impact on him and his work.

“I once read that Nebraska is an album that moves you to the marrow of your bones. I couldn’t agree more,” Cooper said. “Warren Zanes’ wonderful telling of this chapter in Bruce’s life is ripe for cinematic adaptation.” He notes, “This film has the potential to be a transformative cinematic experience, offering audiences a window into the soul of Bruce Springsteen and the universal truths that bind us all together.”

Nebraska, released on September 30, 1982, featured 10 acoustic songs Springsteen originally recorded as demos on a four-track recorder. Springsteen had planned to rerecord the songs with The E Street Band but instead opted to release it as a solo acoustic record. It featured such songs as “Atlantic City,” “Johnny 99” and “State Trooper.”

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John Fogerty has added a second leg of dates to his summer Celebration tour.

Like the already announced first leg, which kicks off June 2 in Simpsonville, South Carolina, the new shows will feature George Thorogood & The Destroyers, as well as Hearty Har, which features Fogerty’s sons Shane and Tyler.

The new dates will launch August 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and hit such cities as Cleveland, Memphis, Santa Barbara and San Diego before wrapping September 11 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

A ticket presale begins Tuesday, April 9, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 12, at 10 a.m.

Fogerty launched the Celebration tour back in April 2023, marking his first tour since regaining the worldwide rights to the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival. A complete list of dates can be found at johnfogerty.com.

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 It was recorded on March 20, but Monday night PBS stations nationwide will air Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The star-studded event featured artists from several genres coming together to perform songs by Elton and Bernie.

During the special, you’ll see Elton sing “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” and “Your Song,” as well as these performances:

Metallica, “Funeral for a Friend”/”Love Lies Bleeding” — and you can watch a preview now on Instagram

Charlie Puth, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”

Maren Morris: “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”

Annie Lennox, “Border Song”

Garth Brooks, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and “Daniel”

Brandi Carlile, “Madman Across the Water” and “Skyline Pigeon”

Billy Porter, “The B**** Is Back” — and you can watch a preview on Elton’s Instagram

Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox and Brandi Carlile, “I’m Still Standing” — with lyric changes made by Joni with Elton and Bernie’s permission

American Idol contestant Jacob Lusk of the band Gabriels, “Bennie and the Jets”

According to Billboard, interviews with Elton, Bernie and past recipients Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan and Paul McCartney are also included in the special. Check your local listings for details.

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While some people lose their appetite after someone dies, Eddie Van Halen’s family apparently didn’t have that problem. Speaking to People, his ex-wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, revealed that they ordered a pizza after the rocker passed.

“I didn’t want to believe it was happening. Even while it was happening, I wasn’t believing it was happening,” Bertinelli says of the guitarist’s October 2020 death.  

She says that after he passed away, the family, which included son Wolfgang Van Halen and Eddie’s brother and bandmate Alex Van Halen, decided to honor him with a meal of his favorite food.

“I forget who suggested it, but we were like, ‘Should we have pizza?’ … Because he couldn’t eat, and the last thing Ed really wanted was pizza,” she says. “He loved pizza and burritos, so we had pizza in his hospital room.”

She adds, “I hope people don’t think that’s morbid.”

While Valerie and Eddie had been divorced since 2007, she says there was still so much love between them when he died.

“He knew how much I loved him,” she says. “I knew how much he loved me. The last words he said to me and to Wolfie were, ‘I love you,’” adding, “Ed was very giving with his heart. He wore it on his sleeve.”

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