Classic Rock News

Queen guitarist Brian May revealed in a post on social media that he recently suffered a minor stroke that left his ability to play guitar in doubt. 

“I’m here to bring you first of all some good news, I think,” May said in a video. “The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days and I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke and all of a sudden — out of the blue – I didn’t have any control over [my left arm].”

May said the health incident was “a little scary” but noted, “I had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley Hospital, where I went. Blue lights flashing, the lot.”

May explained that he didn’t post anything when it happened because he wasn’t looking for sympathy, adding, “good news is I’m okay.”

As for what he needs to do to get better, he says doctors have advised him to do “basically nothing.”

“I’m grounded. I’m not allowed to go out. I’m not allowed to drive, not allowed to get on a plane, not allowed to raise the heart rate too high,” he explained.

This isn’t May’s first health scare in recent years. In May of 2020 he revealed he suffered a heart attack that required three stents to clear blocked arteries.

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Fans of The Who now have a chance to own a pretty unique piece of band memorabilia.

The Vespa GS Scooter that was featured during the band’s 1996 Quadrophenia tour is being auctioned off by Sotheby’s a part of the auction house’s first ever Popular Culture auction in London.

The scooter, a Piaggio 1964 Vespa, was ridden onstage during the performance of “Bell Boy” by Billy Idol, who was portraying the character of Ace Face. Following the tour it was stored in frontman Roger Daltrey’s garage, and then was restored and exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall during The Who’s March 2023 Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows. 

Bidding is open until Sept. 12. The Vespa is expected to sell for between $26,000 and $40,000. Proceeds will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust.

“The funds raised will support our mission to ensure no young person faces cancer alone,” Jamie Johnson, head of Music & Entertainment at Teenage Cancer Trust, shares. “We are deeply grateful to Sotheby’s and The Who for their incredible generosity.”

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Metallica has premiered a new video for their Kill ‘Em All instrumental “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth,” featuring previously unpublished photos of late bassist Cliff Burton.

“We recently acquired hundreds of photos shot by late photographer Russ Marino in Detroit and Chicago in 1985 and 1986,” Metallica explains. “While a few of the photos got the print treatment in magazines back in the ’80s, the vast majority – many of which are alternate images from the same shoot – are seeing daylight for the first time.”

You can watch the video streaming now on YouTube.

In July, Metallica added a new exhibit in tribute to Burton as part of their virtual Black Box museum.

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A new portrait of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is helping to raise money for an important cause.

The portrait, “The Mercury,” was painted by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and is described as “a homage to one of the greatest singers in the history of Rock music.” It features Freddie with a fist in the air and has him dressed in what is described as his “iconic yellow jacket worn at the legendary 1986 Wembley concert.”

Only 250 numbered, unframed prints are available for purchase for $999, with each hand signed by Wood.  A portion of the profits from the sale will be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity established by the surviving members of Queen following Mercury’s 1991 death to fight AIDs worldwide.

“The Mercury” is available to order now.

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The new documentary One to One: John & Yoko reportedly features an eerie declaration from John Lennon regarding whether he felt his political activism put his safety at risk.

The film covers Lennon’s planned Free The People Tour in the early ’70s, which aimed to raise money for people who were jailed but unable to afford bail. It wound up being called off.

But People reports that one scene in the film includes archival footage of the Beatles legend talking on the phone with drummer Jim Keltner about the risks of the tour. Keltner asks whether Lennon has “any paranoia” about people ahead of the tour launch.

“What people? … You mean people trying to kill us or something like that? I’m not about to get myself shot,” Lennon replies. “It’ll cause excitement in its own way. But, er, you know, I’m still an artist, but a revolutionary artist, right?”

In another clip Lennon talks to a journalist about concerns he and wife Yoko Ono have for their safety, noting, “We started noticing people hanging outside the apartment. And I have a driver, he’s an ex-cop. But we’re getting followed by this car, all the time. So we’re all very nervous.”

Both of those comments from Lennon were made almost eight years before his death. Lennon was shot and killed in 1980 outside his New York apartment, The Dakota. He was only 40.

One to One: John & Yoko focuses on the couple’s move to New York City in the ’70s and culminates with their 1972 One to One concerts, which were Lennon’s only post-Beatles full-length performances.

The film recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival and so far does not have an official release date.

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Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen has shared a clip of a previously unreleased song he wrote with his late brother, Eddie Van Halen. 

The rocker just shared a snippet of the tune, “Unfinished,” on social media. It will be featured on the audiobook of Alex’s upcoming memoir, Brothers. The post also includes personal photos that will likely be featured in the book, as well.

According to the description of Brothers, “Unfinished” is “the last piece of music” Eddie and Alex wrote together. 

Brothers is described by Alex as a love letter to Eddie, who passed away in October 2020. It will be released Oct. 22 and includes previously unseen photos from Alex’s private collection. It will delve into their childhood and also includes “tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior.”

Brothers is available for preorder now.

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Elton John has revealed on social media that he’s been struggling with an eye infection that has affected his vision.

“Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye,” he writes. “I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”

Elton went on to express his gratitude to the medical professionals and his family “who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks.” 

“I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing recovery so far,” he concluded, signing the note, “With love and gratitude, Elton John.”

Elton is the subject of a new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, which will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September. That will be followed by screenings at the New York Film Festival, which he’s expected to attend, and the BFI London Film Festival. It will debut on Disney+ on Dec. 13.

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Billy Corgan is sharing a message of body positivity alongside a photo of a birthmark that covers his hand and part of his arm.

“I’m a fan of body positivity movements because at the end of the day it is about celebrating what makes us ‘us,'” the Smashing Pumpkins frontman writes in an Instagram post. 

Corgan adds that he was inspired to make the post by model Carlotta Bertotti, who, as the “1979” rocker writes, is a “beautiful young woman with a birthmark who has embraced her ‘difference’ with grace.”

“My point being that my whole life I’ve [endeavored] to hide my ‘port wine’ birthmarks because as you can imagine I was teased unmercifully about them as a child,” Corgan says. “So much so that people who have known me for a decade are shocked when they finally ‘see it.'”

“Even now strangers will stop me on the street not because they recognize me but because they think something is wrong with me that requires medical attention,” he continues. “Plus the random questions: Is that a burn? Are you sick? Is it contagious? Does it hurt?”

Concluding with a “positive message for the day,” Corgan writes, “Whoever you are, I hope you find peace with who you are because: I would like to know that person and no one else.”

Corgan and the Pumpkins are currently on tour supporting Green Day.

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The Kinks’ Dave Davies has let everyone know how he feels about an AI-generated track that was supposed to sound like a Kinks song, and his opinion was enough to get the song taken down.

“What the (f***) is this??? This Kinks AI cover is like horror show sounds (f******) horrible,” Dave wrote on social media alongside the link to the AI-generated song “Hop Skip Jump!” He also noted “it wasn’t even vaguely like a Kinks song, which I’m glad it’s not. This Kinks AI cover is like horror show.’” 

Not long after Davies posted his comments, the link was taken off YouTube. The creator, who goes by @leeroymusical on social media site X, replied to Davies’ post, “Sorry Dave I’m a big fan and my favourite all time band. I meant no disrespect. I have taken down.”

He then added, “Hopefully you prefer my cover of Living in a Thin Line,” to which Davies seemed to approve, sharing, “I really like your cover.”

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On This Day, Sept. 3, 2017 …

Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker died at the age of 67, just months after he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of esophageal cancer.

Becker, born in Queens, New York, was the guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter for the group, which he co-founded in 1971 with Donald Fagen.

The band released nine studio albums over the course of their career, including such classics as Pretzel Logic, Aja, Gaucho and 2000’s Two Against Nature, which won four Grammys, including Album of the Year. They released their final studio album, Everything Must Go, in 2003.

Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and Becker and Fagen were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024.

In October 2018 a ceremony was held naming a street in Forest Hills, Queens, Walter Becker Way.

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