Classic Rock News

Among the many legends of Ozzy Osbourne‘s storied career is that he once snorted a trail of ants as if it were a line of cocaine while on tour with Mötley Crüe in the ’80s. As for whether that story is actually true, that depends on which Osbourne you ask.

In the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Ozzy and Sharon‘s son Jack asks his dad to confirm the ant-snorting incident. When Ozzy says the tale is indeed true, Jack turns to his mother, who replies, “I was not there, thank God.”

“I used to try and stay away from Mötley when they were with Ozzy,” Sharon says. “I don’t know, I honestly don’t know.”

“All I know is that I think it made their movie,” Sharon adds, referring to the 2019 Crüe biopic The Dirt, which includes a scene depicting Ozzy snorting ants.

Despite Sharon’s skepticism, Ozzy insists he did indeed snort ants.

“I did, I was there, I did it,” Ozzy says. “It’s my nostril … I was drunk, and I did it.”

Sharon adds that she thinks Mötley bassist Nikki Sixx is an “a**hole,” but Ozzy disagrees with that as well.

For what it’s worth, Ozzy’s guitarist at the time of the tour, Jake E. Lee, has denied that the ant-snorting occurred, though he did say Ozzy snorted a tiny spider.

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Bonnie Raitt made a surprise appearance at a special concert at Antone’s in Austin, Texas, Monday, October 16.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer took the stage at a concert benefiting bassist Sarah Brown, who’s been a member of the venue’s house band for the past 40 years. The show also featured performances by Jimmie Vaughan, Larry Fulcher and others.

The concert aimed to raise awareness of the Living Liver Donor program in an effort to help Brown, a friend of Raitt’s for almost 50 years, find a liver donor match. It also raised money to help cover Sarah’s pre- and post-transplant expenses. Additionally, a portion of the money will be donated to University Health Transplant Institute.

More information on how to help Sarah can be found at caringbridge.org.

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Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale is considering getting the band back together.

The rocker revealed on the Totally 80s podcast that he’s thinking about recording a new album with some former bandmates, including Adrian Vandenberg, Doug Aldrich and Michael Devin. 

“I’m soon to be talking with my band about the idea of a farewell Whitesnake studio album and to invite some former members to participate to make it more complete,” he says. “But I think rather than just farewell to this current chapter, it’s farewell to, you know, a lot of guys that have been involved. It could be interesting.” 

He adds, “These guys are really inspiring to me. I’m not interested in trying to do it on my own. I see the big picture. It’s a collaborative band thing. I want the best for all of them.”

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Graham Nash is the latest rock star to sell his music catalog. Variety reports the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has made a deal with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artist Group, putting them in charge of his musical legacy.

There’s no word on how much his catalog sold for, but it is said to include his solo work and his music with The Hollies as well as his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and any variations of that group. 

“I’m looking forward to working with the Iconic team on various projects to further the legacy of CSN’s music and my own,” Nash shared. 

Azoff called the musician “an incredible talent and a true friend” and teased what may be in store for the future. “Without giving too much away, I will say there is a wealth of material in both Graham’s vault and the CSN archives that I’m incredibly excited about and fans will be too. Stay tuned,” he shared.

Two of Nash’s bandmates, the late David Crosby and Stephen Stills, also sold their catalog’s to Iconic: Crosby in March 2021 and Stills in June 2022. Neil Young sold 50% of his catalog rights to Hipgnosis in January 2021.

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On This Day, October 17, 1980…

Bruce Springsteen released his fifth studio album, The River – his only double album to date.

The project was originally intended as a single album called The Ties That Bind, but Springsteen canceled its release at the last minute and wrote more songs.  Retitled The River, the album’s 20 tracks featured a deliberate mix of fun, upbeat tunes and darker material.

The River went on to become Bruce’s first #1 album and contained his first top 10 hit, “Hungry Heart.” It has since been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA

Many songs on the album became fan favorites including “Out in the Street,” “Sherry Darling,” the title track and “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch),” with many becoming staples of The Boss’ live shows.

In 2015, Springsteen released the box set The Ties That Bind: The River collection and celebrated the original album’s 35th anniversary with a tour in which he performed the double album in its entirety.

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Green Day will headline an upcoming installment of Amazon Music Live, the post-Thursday Night Football concert series.

Billie Joe Armstrong and company are set to perform October 26 following the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to a press release, Green Day will play a “career-spanning set that will draw from their extensive catalog and includes new surprises.”

Said new surprises may be related to several teasers Green Day’s shared over the past couple weeks, which were posted to the website TheAmericanDreamIsKillingMe.com. One of the teasers featured Armstrong waking up in bed and looking at a calendar with the date October 24 circled.

Amazon Music Live airs at 9 p.m. PT via Prime Video or the Amazon Music Twitch channel.

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Things have been pretty quiet in Bon Jovi land, at least as far as new music goes, but there may be an end to the drought soon: The band is apparently working on a new album.

While appearing on the latest episode of the NTTFG Podcast, Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X said, “We’re literally going to Nashville for a month to record.” When the hosts ask him to confirm that Bon Jovi is indeed recording a new album in Nashville, the guitarist plays coy, responding, “What? Did I say that? Maybe.”

However, Phi then confirmed, “Jon wrote a bunch of songs and we did some pre-production in Jersey.” He also shared that the band’s recording schedule would have caused him to miss his son’s 10th birthday on October 24, but Jon told him he could go home to New Jersey and celebrate with his family and then come back to Nashville.

The most recent Bon Jovi album, called 2020, came out in October of 2020. It was recorded at Ocean Way Recording studios in Nashville and featured the pandemic-inspired single “Do What You Can.” After COVID restrictions were lifted, the band was finally able to do a tour in support of the album in 2022.

Lately, Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi has been in the news more than his dad, courtesy of his engagement to Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown.

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The Rolling Stones’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, drops October 20, and it sounds like Ronnie Wood is already looking forward to playing the songs live.

During an interview with NME, Woods said they’re currently trying to figure out which songs would work for their live show, sharing, “I have complete faith. We could play the whole album, you know what I mean?” 

But the chance of that happening isn’t likely, especially since The Stones have so many classic hits. “We’re not gonna forget the back catalog,” he says. “We’re only making room for, say, three or five songs.”

Wood says he’d love it if any upcoming tour included the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival. If it didn’t, however, he would still want to play it.

“If not the Stones, then the Faces,” Wood suggests. “It’ll be me, Rod [Stewart] and [drummer] Kenney [Jones]. That’s not out of the question, you know. I know they want to do it…” 

With the excitement of the new album, things seem to be going well in the band. Wood notes Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ current relationship is “more friendly now than ever.” “They’re still bickering and stuff,” he says. “But it’s in a loving way, you know, a creative way.”

Will fans ever see that relationship play out on the big screen in a biopic? Well, Woods indicated it may happen one day, although that’s not up to him. “I let Keith and Mick talk about that,” he says.

As for whether Harry Styles could play Mick, Wood doesn’t necessarily see it.

“Oh I thought he’d play me! Harry’s my mate!” he shares. “I suppose he has that kind of fire but I don’t think anybody has the cheek that Mick used to have – and still has.”

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The Zombies are celebrating their career where it all began.

The rockers, best known for their classic hits “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” just announced their first Begin Here Festival, happening in their hometown, St Albans, England, about 20 miles outside of London.

The event is taking place November 10-12 and will feature a whole host of Zombies-related events, including the grand opening of The Zombies Exhibit at St. Albans Museum, featuring a Q&A with the original members. 

There will also be a screening of their recent documentary, Hung Up On A Dream, a record signing, a chance for fans to take a photo with frontman Colin Blunstone and more.

More info on the weekend, including how to get tickets to the events, can be found at thezombiesmusic.com.

In the meantime, The Zombies are currently on a North American tour and are set to play Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday, October 17. The tour wraps October 29 in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

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Congratulations to Wolfgang Van Halen and Andraia Allsop, who got married during a Los Angeles ceremony on Sunday, October 15.

People has photos and details from the nuptials, which took place at the couple’s home in front of about 90 guests.

“Our goal was just to bring all of our closest family and friends together,” says Allsop. “The past few years, not only with the world, but also with personal tragedies, haven’t been the easiest, but we wanted to create this wedding as a celebration not only just for us to get married, but a celebration for the people we love.”

Wolf’s father, the late guitar icon Eddie Van Halen, was represented during the wedding in a number of ways. Wolf walked down the aisle along his mother, actor Valerie Bertinelli, to the sounds of the instrumental Van Halen song “316,” which Eddie had written for his son. Additionally, the couple put out an empty seat in honor of Eddie.

“We’ve lost important family members on both sides,” Wolf says. “It’s important to include them and have them be a part of the ceremony that we wish they were here for.”

Wolf didn’t perform at the wedding. “Last thing I want to think about is playing anything,” he quips, but his taste in heavier music made it into the DJ’s set.

“The one thing that I want, I want Wolfie to have his moment of one of his favorite bands, Meshuggah,” Allsop says.

“Anyone over 40 will be terrified,” Wolf adds. “But you know what? It’s my wedding and I’ll do whatever I want.”

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