Classic Rock News

The Peter Gabriel track “I Have the Touch” is featured on the soundtrack of the new Timothée Chalamet
movie Marty Supreme, about a table tennis prodigy. In a post on Instagram, Gabriel says he’s delighted the song is being used in the film, particularly because he’s a fan of the sport.

“The song is rarely asked out for a dance and I have always loved table tennis,” he writes. “Now there seems to be a real buzz about the film. Although I have it in my Academy pack we are waiting to see it on the big screen in the Christmas holiday.”

Talking about his affinity for table tennis, he notes, “On tour we always have a table backstage for any of the crew or band to jump on.”

Gabriel ended the post by thanking the film’s director, Josh Safdie, and urging fans to “check it out.”

“I Have the Touch” is a track from Gabriel’s fourth solo album, Security.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

David Bowie’s longtime pianist Mike Garson is set to celebrate his music with a trio of special shows, where he’ll be joined by an A-list lineup of rockers.

Bowie’s Piano Man: A Decade in the Stars will take place at the Sun Rose West Hollywood in Los Angeles Jan. 8-10. It will not only celebrate Bowie’s birthday, but also mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Garson, who was Bowie’s longest-serving band member, will be joined by a lineup that includes Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, The Struts’ lead singer Luke Spiller and Bowie touring bassist Carmine Rojas.

“David Bowie was one of the closest people in my life,” says Garson. “Nothing brings me more joy than honoring 10 years since his passing and his birthday by collaborating with this all-star lineup to carry his legacy forward.”

Information on tickets can be found at thesunrosehotel.com.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

George Harrison’s classic tune “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” is getting an official video.

Harrison’s official Instagram page gave fans a preview of the animated clip, which has been directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. 

The video is being released on Tuesday at 9 a.m. PT.

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was the opening track and lead single off Harrison’s 1973 album, Living in the Material World, which went to #1. The song topped the chart as well, becoming Harrison’s second #1 after “My Sweet Lord.” The tune actually knocked his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love” out of the top spot.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While some people have been criticizing KISS for accepting the Kennedy Center Honors from President Donald Trump, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has their back.

“There are a lot of people sh** talking @kiss for accepting their Kennedy Center Honor Medals from the current president,” he wrote on X. “You either think they are worthy or not (I think they are). An artist can’t wait for a president of their liking to be in office to receive it.”

He then pointed to the fact that the band’s founding guitarist, Ace Frehley, died before they received the honor.

“Most of the recipients are not young, Poor Ace Frehley – who was very excited to receive the award – died before the day came,” he noted. “You accept the honor when it is offered.”

Snider then congratulated Frehley and his bandmates, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss, adding, “You are worthy!”

KISS’ Kennedy Center Honors tribute featured performances by Garth Brooks, Marcus King and Cheap Trick. The ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney and Elton John have paid tribute to director Rob Reiner following the news that Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Both musicians had cameos in Reiner’s last film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which came out in September.

“What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is,” McCartney wrote on Instagram next to a photo with Rob. “It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.”

McCartney added, “Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.”

Elton shared a message about Rob and his wife on his Instagram Story, writing that he was in “disbelief” over the news of their deaths.

“They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better,” he added. “My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Dec. 15, 1967…

The Who released their third album, The Who Sell Out, a concept album created to sound like a broadcast from one of the popular pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s.

In addition to songs, it featured jingles, PSAs and commercials that the band wrote and recorded for real products like Heinz Baked Beans, Medac acne cream and Odorono deodorant.

The album included The Who’s highest-charting U.S. single, “I Can See for Miles,” which peaked at #9, as well as music that was later reused for their 1969 album, Tommy.

The Who Sell Out went to #13 in the U.K. and made it to the top 50 in the U.S. It is often included on lists of the greatest albums of all time.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billy Joel is going to be the subject of a new symposium at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook, New York.

According to the description, the June conference will be “devoted to the music, lyrics, themes, and cultural impact of Billy Joel.” It will feature scholars, critics, musicians and more, offering “critical analysis of Joel’s artistry, life, and legacy.”

“Joel’s body of work offers a unique lens through which to explore popular music, regional identity, and American culture,” the description continues.

And the public is getting a chance to shape the conference, with the LIMEHoF requesting submissions on a variety of subjects, including Joel’s lyrics and narratives, his music and style, and his cultural impact.

Submissions are due by Jan. 15, and those chosen will be put together by theme for 90-minute panels.

More info on the symposium can be found at limusichalloffame.org.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disney World has announced the last date of operation for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith.

It was previously reported that Aerosmith’s video intro for the ride, which featured Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, had been removed in order for construction to start on a Muppets revamp of the roller coaster. Disney World’s website has since revealed that the last day of operation for the ride will be March 1.

It was announced in November 2024 that Aerosmith was being replaced by The Muppets on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando. When The Muppets take over the ride, guests will go on a search for the Electric Mayhem crew, who go missing ahead of a gig headlining a big Hollywood concert.

The decision to change the ride came after Disney decided to replace Muppet Vision 3D with Monsters Inc. land. It will mark the first time Jim Henson‘s lovable characters are the focus of a Disney ride.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then named Disney-MGM Studios) in July 1999. It started with the band in the studio before taking off to a concert, and bringing the riders along with them. It featured iconic tunes from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, including “Walk This Way,” “Love in an Elevator” and “Sweet Emotion.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A documentary on Grammy winner Billy Preston is coming to theaters in February.

Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It was directed by Emmy winner Paris Barclay and premiered at South by Southwest. It’s set to open Feb. 20 at the Film Forum in New York City, with plans to release it in select theaters in North America sometime in 2026.

“We are more than thrilled that the soul of Billy Preston will be reborn thanks to our friends at Abramorama — and in the theater, where everyone can experience it,” said Barclay. “His story has reverberated with festival audiences, in part because we illuminate Preston’s brilliance — and also because it has so much to say about the world we live in today.”

The film will give fans insight into the six-decade career of the legendary singer and keyboardist, known for such hits as “Nothing From Nothing,” “Will It Go Round in Circles” and “Space Race.” He also co-wrote and recorded the classic “You Are So Beautiful,” which became a hit for Joe Cocker.

Preston, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, is also known for his association with other artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton and Aretha Franklin.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The second episode of the three-part YouTube series looking back at Freddie Mercury’s debut solo album, Mr Bad Guy, has just been released.

Archival footage of Mercury’s 1985 interview with journalist David Wigg looks at the Queen frontman’s approach to songwriting, with Mercury noting “the actual structure of the melody comes easy to me, it’s the lyrical content I find hard.”

“I like to write nice little catchy tunes, but in terms of the lyrical content it’s difficult. So I have to work on that part of it,” he says. “I’m not a poet and I hate writing lyrics anyway. I wish somebody else could do it.”

Mentioning Elton John’s songwriting partner, he jokes, “I wish I had a Bernie Taupin, but I’m not like that. I like to do it all myself, I’m a greedy b****.”

He later says that all his songs are about “emotion and feeling.”

“I’d love to write songs about something totally different, but they all seem to end up in a very emotional and tragic way,” he says. “Maybe I’m a very tragic person. I don’t know why, but there’s an element of humor at the end. I’m a very loving person, you know.”

The video also features footage from the Dante-inspired music video for the album’s second single, “Made in Heaven.” At one point in the clip Wigg asks Mercury, who died in 1991, if he thinks he’s going to heaven.

“No, I don’t want to,” Freddie says, joking, “Hell is much better. Look at the interesting people that you’re going to meet down there.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.