Wife of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour calls out Roger Waters

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Roger Waters have been on the outs for years, and based on a recent tweet by Gilmour’s wife, we won’t be seeing a reunion happening anytime soon. Polly Samson, who’s responsible for writing several post-Waters Floyd songs, took to social media to respond to a recent interview Waters gave in which he criticized Pink Floyd for releasing a Ukrainian protest song.

In an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, Waters discusses his take on Ukraine, Israel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called it “really, really sad” that his former bandmates recorded the song “Hey Hey Rise Up” with Ukrainian musician Andrij Chlywnjuk, calling it “lacking in humanity.”

That article prompted Samson to respond, “Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense.” Gilmour then re-tweeted the post, “writing Every word demonstrably true.”

Waters later responded to the tweet, writing, “Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position.”

On This Day – February 7, 1976: Paul Simon lands first solo number one with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day – February 7, 1976

Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” hit number one on the U.S. singles chart, his first and only number one as a solo artist. It spent three weeks at the top of the chart and also topped the Adult Contemporary charts for two weeks.

The tune was his second single from Simon’s fourth studio album, Still Crazy After All These Years, and featured background vocals by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson and Phoebe Snow.

“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” went on to be certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies.

Megadeth announces ‘They Only Come Out at Night’ livestream for Tokyo show

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Megadeth‘s upcoming show in Tokyo will stream live online.

Dubbed They Only Come Out at Night, the stream will capture Dave Mustaine and company’s performance at the famed Budokan venue on February 27.

The live broadcast premieres at 4 a.m. ET, but for those metalheads who aren’t morning people, the show will air three more times throughout the day at 2 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. It’ll also be available on-demand for two days following the premiere.

For more info, visit Megadeth.com.

Megadeth released their latest album, The Sick, the Dying…and the Dead!, last September.

Bono to be one of first lady Jill Biden’s special guests at State of the Union

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bono will be in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night, but not for a concert. The U2 frontman is set to be a guest of first lady Jill Biden in her viewing box for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will join them in the box, as well.

Bono is being recognized for his work fighting HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty, especially the role he played in building public and bipartisan support for the President George W. Bush-era PEPFAR, or President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was championed by then-Sen. Biden.

Bono is one of many special guests who’ll be sitting in the box with the first lady and the second gentleman. Others include Row Vaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old unarmed Black man who was severely beaten by police officers during an alleged traffic stop in Memphis and later died; Paul Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who was violently attacked in their California home last year; and Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the shooter responsible for the mass shooting at the Monterey Park Lunar New Year celebrations.

The world’s forgotten boy: Iggy & the Stooges’ ’Raw Power’ turns 50

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

When it comes to the sin of helping to invent punk rock, Iggy Pop still ain’t got time to make no apology.

The highly influential Stooges Raw Power album turns 50 Wednesday. Released on February 7, 1973, Raw Power didn’t exactly set the charts on fire at first, but proved to be instrumental in pioneering the burgeoning punk scene.

Raw Power was the third Stooges album, following 1969’s self-titled debut and 1970’s Fun House, but was the first to be credited to Iggy & the Stooges. Along with Pop on lead vocals, the record featured guitarist James Williamson, and brothers Ron and Scott Asheton on bass and drums, respectively. It was co-produced and mixed by David Bowie.

Having built a reputation for wild stage antics, Iggy’s energy is felt throughout Raw Power, beginning with the album opener “Search and Destroy,” in which Pop memorably yelps, “Look out, honey, ’cause I’m using technology” and “I’m the world’s forgotten boy.”

By 1974, the Stooges had broken up, but their impact had been made. The sound and ferocity of Raw Power paved the way for the explosion of punk rock in the mid-’70s, and Iggy is now known as the Godfather of Punk.

Following the demise of the Stooges, Pop went solo, and memorably reunited with Bowie for the 1977 albums Lust for Life and The Idiot.

Eventually, Iggy reunited with the Asheton brothers in 2003 and they released a new album, The Weirdness, in 2007. Following Ron Asheton’s death in 2009, the Stooges were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Williamson rejoined for one final album, 2013’s Ready to Die. Scott Asheton died in 2014.

A remastered edition of Raw Power was released last week in honor of its 50th anniversary.

Cast announced for big-screen adaptation of Bob Dylan musical ‘Girl From the North Country’

February 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Girl From the North Country, the Broadway musical featuring songs from Bob Dylan’s catalog, is coming to the big screen.

Variety reports that Woody Harrelson, Olivia Coleman and Chloe Bailey have been cast in the movie adaptation of the musical, which follows a group of Midwestern travelers during the Depression who cross paths at a guest house.

Conor McPherson, who wrote the stage show, is set to write and direct the film with Dylan’s blessing. “To be associated with Conor is one of the highlights of my professional life,” Dylan said in a statement. “It goes without saying the man is a genius for putting this thing together and I’m thrilled to be a part of the experience. My songs couldn’t be in better hands.”

After an original run in London, Girl From the North Country opened off Broadway in 2018, then moved to Broadway in March 2020 before being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in October 2021 and closed for good in June of that year.

The Rolling Stones drop “Doom and Gloom” video from ‘GRRR Live!’

February 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones are out with another peek at their upcoming release, GRRR Live!, which drops Friday.

The rockers just released a video for “Doom and Gloom,” which was the first single released from the band’s 2012 album, GRRR!, a compilation celebrating their 50th anniversary. At the time it was the first song the band recorded together in almost seven years.

The video is a performance clip from their December 15, 2012, concert at Newark’s Prudential Center, which was part of their 50 & Counting tour, celebrating the anniversary.

GRRR Live! is the first audio release of the concert, which featured guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Mick Taylor and The Black Keys. It’s being released in a variety of formats, including a two-CD set, a three-LP set (classic black, limited red and a white indie exclusive), digital, a DVD and two-CD combo set, and a Blu-ray and two-CD combo set.

Rod Stewart leaves touching note at Jeff Beck’s funeral

February 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

A funeral for the late guitarist Jeff Beck was held Friday in London with several A-list stars in attendance, including Rod Stewart, Johnny Depp and Jimmy Page.

Metro UK reports Stewart paid his respects to Beck with a bouquet of white roses in the shape of a heart, alongside a handwritten note in which he called Beck a “guitar genius.” “It was a privilege to perform alongside a proper guitar genius,” the note read. “Rest In Peace. See ya later Jeff, Sir Rod Stewart.”

The service took place at St Mary’s Church in Beddington, Sutton. Other famous faces who paid their respects to Beck include Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Sir Bob Geldof.

David Bowie producer shoots down Harry Styles comparisons

February 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

There are some who have compared Harry Styles to the late icon David Bowie, but someone who knows Bowie pretty well doesn’t agree at all.

Consequence reports that music producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bowie for years and produced his final album, 2016’s Blackstar, shot down any such comparisons between Bowie and Styles in a Facebook post about Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

“What’s the difference between the Grammys and Las Vegas? Nothing!” he wrote in the post, which has since been taken down. He later commented, “Someone just told me that Harry Styles is the new Bowie? From what I saw tonight he’s not worthy of shining his shoes.”

Whether he’s the new Bowie or not, Styles did have a pretty great Grammy night, winning Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Harry’s House.

Sheryl Crow believes Grammy mishap would have made Christine McVie giggle

February 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Sheryl Crow was part of the beautiful and emotional tribute to the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie at Sunday’s Grammys, but apparently the performance didn’t go off without a hitch. Crow reveals on Instagram there were problems with her piano during the performance, which also featured Bonnie Raitt and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood.

“Beautiful Christine! Last night during our tribute, something really strange happened. I sat down to play with @bonnieraittofficial and @mickfleetwoodofficial and the piano was not working right,” Crow shares. “I still cannot wrap my brain around it because I’ve never had it happen but the clock started for Mick and the first chord I played, only a couple of notes at a time would play. At one point, the piano in our ears was in a different key than what I was playing!”

Sheryl says folks behind the scenes quickly noticed the problem so what the audience heard sounded “completely normal,” but it still left her disappointed.

But soon Sheryl had a new outlook on the mishap. She notes, “Mick and I decided after the performance that perhaps Christine might be up there sipping champagne and giggling, having been a keyboard player herself.”

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