Classic Rock 93.9

U2‘s Bono may have titled his new book Surrender, but he says that word is something he really doesn’t quite get…though he’s working on it.

Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America on Tuesday, the Irish icon noted that “[‘Surrender’] is a word I haven’t yet fully grasped or fathomed, if I’m honest. I was born with my fists up, metaphorically — sometimes physically! — and putting them down is hard for me.  And I’m trying to. So the title is where I’m headed, rather than where I’m at.”

The full title of the book is Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. In his conversation with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Bono described it as “a love letter” to his wife, Ali Hewson.

“Writing the book was really frightening because I was going to have to let her read it!” he laughed. “And she came back with spelling [corrections], mostly — there were a couple of sections she wanted removed.”

Bono met Ali and the other three members of U2 during the same week at their high school in Ireland and has kept both his relationship and his band going for more than 40 years. Asked how he’s managed that feat, Bono joked, “Desperation.”

Turning serious, he then explained, “Friendship is at the heart of it, really. I mean, friendship is a lot less passionate as it looks at face value but I think it can outpace even romantic love. If you’ve got both — even better.” 

“I love my bandmates,” he added, laughing, “We don’t always love each other at the same time…but we get through it. We’re always breaking up!”

On Wednesday, Bono starts his 14-date book tour, described as “an evening of words, music and some mischief,” in New York City.

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Bono‘s memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, gets released on Tuesday, November 1, and to celebrate its arrival, the U2 frontman will make an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, which airs starting at 7 a.m. ET.

As previously reported, Surrender follows Irish rocker, born Paul Hewson, from his childhood in Dublin to the loss of his mother when he was 14, to the founding of U2 and their rise to global stardom. It also covers Bono’s activism, including his work to fight AIDS and extreme poverty.

The book’s subtitle refers to the fact that as each of its 40 chapters is named after a U2 song. Bono also contributed 40 original drawing to the publication.

To promote Surrender, Bono has lined up a 14-date book tour dubbed Stories of Surrender beginning Wednesday, November 2, in New York City. The trek, which is completely sold out, features stops in seven North American cities followed by stops in seven European cities. It runs through a November 28 event in Madrid.

The tour is described as “an evening of words, music and some mischief,” which means Bono won’t only be talking about his life, he’ll be singing about it too.

In other news, Bono also marked the impending arrival of his book with a humorous animated video posted Monday on U2’s YouTube channel and set during this year’s edition of the Halloween Parade in New York City’s Soho section.

The clip, which Bono narrates, features the singer excitedly watching as copies of Surrender are put on display in the window of a local bookstore. As the cartoon progresses, Bono is approached by people dressed as Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga, who are revealed to be his three bandmates — Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge and Adam Clayton.

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Coinciding with Halloween, an eerie new lyric video for “Bogey Man,” an archival solo song by late Who bassist John Entwistle, has premiered on the Deko Entertainment label’s official YouTube channel.

“Bogey Man” is the lead track of the recently released Entwistle solo compilation, Rarities Oxhumed – Volume One. The track features drums by late Who legend Keith Moon, whose part was recorded for an early demo version of the song dating back to the 1970s.

Entwistle and his solo band originally contributed “Bogey Man” to the soundtrack of a late-’90s computer-animated kids show called Van-Pires that was about vehicles that were turned into gasoline-sucking villains after a meteor struck the Earth.

The “Bogey Man” video features footage of Entwistle and his bandmates performing the tune along with scenes from Van-Pires. Fans who watch the clip can sing along to the lyrics by following a bouncing spider, a nod to John’s classic Who tune “Boris the Spider.”

Rarities Oxhumed – Volume One is a 13-track collection featuring previously unheard studio tracks, demos, remastered live performances and other unreleased Entwistle gems.

The compilation is available now via digital formats and on CD. The CD version can be ordered at Merchbucket.com. Exclusive special bundles are available at the site, including an expanded 12-page booklet with photos and recording information and either a necklace or a keychain featuring a specially designed Entwistle crest.

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Def Leppard recently announced plans for a massive 2023 trek with Mötley Crüe dubbed The World Tour, but the British hard rockers aren’t quite finished performing in 2022 yet.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have joined the lineup of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts, which are held November 17 to November 20 in conjunction with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race, the final event of the Formula 1 season.

Def Leppard will perform on the final night of the event, Sunday, November 20. The concert series, which will also feature electronic music group Swedish House Mafia and rapper Kendrick Lamar, will be held at Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Earlier this year, Def Leppard teamed up with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for the expansive North American trek, The Stadium Tour. The Abu Dhabi concert is the band’s final show scheduled for 2022.

The World Tour kicks off February 18, 2023 in Mexico City and includes shows throughout Latin America and Europe.

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Iggy Pop and Red Hot Chili Peppers members Flea and Chad Smith will guest on the next album from Morrissey.

According to a post from The Smiths‘ former frontman’s Morrissey Central website, the upcoming record is titled Bonfire of Teenagers and will arrive in February 2023. Flea and Smith are among those who play on the album along with ex-RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Pop will provide guest vocals, as will pop star Miley Cyrus. Andrew Watt will produce.

Morrissey’s most recent album is 2020’s I Am Not a Dog on a Chain.

Meanwhile, you can also hear Smith, Klinghoffer, Watt and Iggy together on the Godfather of Punk’s upcoming album, which Watt produced.

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Bob Dylan ended his show in Nottingham, U.K. on Friday night by paying homage to rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who died earlier that day at age 87.

According to a recap posted at MaximumVolumeMusic.com and shared by Dylan’s Facebook page, the legendary singer/songwriter announced to the audience at the near of the gig, “Jerry Lee is gone, but he’s in all our hearts, so we are going to play one of his songs.”

Dylan and his band then proceeded to play “I Can’t Seem to Say Goodbye,” a song written by Don Robertson and first recorded by Lewis in 1969. Jerry Lee’s version appeared on his 1970 album A Taste of Country and was released as a single that peaked at #7 on the Billboard country chart.

As Variety points out, Lewis previously recorded a Dylan song called “Rita May” and released it on his self-titled 1979 album. “Rita May” was a rarity that Bob co-wrote with lyricist Jacques Levy during the sessions for his 1976 album Desire.

Dylan continues his U.K. tour with a show Monday night in Glasgow, Scotland.

Meanwhile, Bob is set to release his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, on Tuesday. The book, which can be preordered now, features essays about over 60 different tunes by various artists and songwriters that have impacted Dylan over the years.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers channeled their anarchist cheerleader energy over the weekend for a live cover of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

The “Californication” outfit rocked the grunge classic Saturday during a benefit concert supporting bassist Flea‘s music education organization, Silverlake Conservatory of Music.

As seen in YouTube footage posted by user RHCPtv1, the Peppers only played the first verse and chorus of the song, with frontman Anthony Kiedis handling vocals on the verse before guitarist John Frusciante came in to take on the chorus.

In a tweet following the performance, Flea shared, “Was so fun. Deep thanks to all who have supported The Silverlake Conservatory Of Music through the years.”

RHCP just got off the road after touring the U.S. in support of their two 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen. Next year, they’ll launch a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Post Malone.

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John Mellencamp has released a rare track called “Smart Guys” from the sessions for his classic 1985 album Scarecrow as an advance track from the upcoming deluxe reissue of the record.

“Smart Guys” is available now via digital formats, while a lyric video for the tune has been posted at Mellencamp’s official YouTube channel. The clip features the same tattoo-covered young woman who appears in the video for “Carolina Shag,” another bonus song from the Scarecrow sessions that was previously released as an advance track from the expanded reissue.

In the “Smart Guys” clip, the woman appears as a school teacher wearing horn-rimmed glasses, as she reads a book, grades papers, spins a globe, and writes the song’s lyrics in marker on a white board.

“Smart Guys” and “Carolina Shag” are two of 11 bonus tracks featured on the deluxe versions of the Scarecrow reissue, which is due out this Friday, November 4. As previously reported, the expanded reissue, which can be preordered now, will boast a remixed and remastered version of the original album, as well as demos, outtakes and rough mixes of tracks.

Scarecrow, Mellencamp’s eighth studio album, was released in August 1985, and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. The album yielded features five top-40 hits — “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to ’60s Rock),” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Rumbleseat.”

Meanwhile, next year, Mellencamp will embark on a 76-date North American trek dubbed the Live and In Person 2023 tour. The outing is scheduled  to kick off with a February 5-6 engagement in Bloomington, Indiana, through a June 23-24 stand in South Bend, Indiana.

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Robin Sylvester, longtime bassist of Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Bob Weir‘s side group RatDog, died Saturday.

Sylvester’s passing was first announced by ex-RatDog guitarist Mark Karan on his Facebook page and later confirmed by Jambands.com and Relix.

“I can’t believe what I just heard. Our dear, sweet Robin Sylvester has passed & left us all with a big ol’ hole in our hearts,” Karan wrote. “I’m speechless & gutted.”

No cause of death has been announced, although Sylvester had experienced some serious health issues over the last decade or so, and in 2012, it was announced that he needed a kidney transplant.

The London-born Sylvester joined RatDog in 2003 after founding bassist Rob Wasserman exited the band, and continued to play with the group until they became inactive around 2014.

Weir and his current band Wolf Bros dedicated their concert in Las Vegas on Saturday to Sylvester.

Robin, who was a multi-instrumentalist, started his professional music career during the 1960s with the a cappella chorus the London Boy Singers. During the early 1970s, he played keyboards with the psychedelic band Byzantium.

Sylvester relocated to the U.S. in the mid-1970s, and for a time was a member of a folk-rock band called The Movies that Clive Davis signed to Arista Records.

He also worked with a variety of well-known artists as a session and/or touring musician, including founding Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin, Mary Wells, The Shirelles, The Drifters, Billy Preston, Christine McVie, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Freddy Fender and Del Shannon.

In the late 1990s, Sylvester was among the musicians who took part in ex-Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick‘s Missing Man Formation project.

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Let There Be Drums!, a new documentary starring various famous rock drummers, opened in theaters and was released digitally and on-demand on Friday.

The film was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, son founding Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, who’s featured in the movie and was one of its executive producers.

Justin tells ABC Audio that besides featuring various musicians sharing their stories about how they developed their passion for drumming, the doc examines the experiences of several children of well-known drummers, some of whom followed in their dad’s footsteps and others, like himself, who didn’t.

Justin says the idea to feature stories about drummers’ families came together while he was interviewing late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins for the film.

“[Taylor] said, ‘I don’t know if this is for this documentary, but, like, how stable was your home life growing up?'” Justin notes. “And we started a dialogue, and everybody did that with me.”

Besides such famous musicians as Justin’s father, Ringo Starr, Hawkins, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, The Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, the movie features John Bonham‘s son Jason, Keith Moon‘s daughter Mandy, Ginger Baker‘s son Kofi and Phil Collins‘ son Nic.

In talking to the various drummers’ children, Justin notes, “I was really interested in people’s … home life and growing up on the road or not growing up on the road or what happens when you have issues maybe from childhood because you feel like your dad’s fan base gets more of his time than you do.”

Justin adds that he hopes that the documentary “works on both levels,” for music fans interested in famous drummers’ stories and for people who will appreciate the emotional family aspect.

Let There Be Drums! also will be released on DVD this Tuesday.

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