Alice Cooper and the Wagners’ gift of gold
In a house filled with a lifetime of rock-n-roll memorabilia, few things are cooler than Robert’s one-of-a-kind gift, which today hangs smack in the middle of my living room for all my guests to admire.
Talk Among Us: My interview with Jerry Only
When the Misfits called it quits following a Halloween gig in 1983, they left behind a legacy of ghoulish makeup, guitars that looked like weapons and ultra-fast punk-rock songs that celebrated alien invasions, demonic possession, dismemberment and cannibalism.
Merle Haggard & Grateful Memories of Dad
By Metal Dave Like all good fathers, my Daddy taught me well. From throwing a spiral and standing my ground to opening doors and respecting our soldiers, Dad handed down the skills and wisdom that got me from boy to man. He also influenced me in subtler ways like playing the greats of country western…
Ace Frehley Shocks Me with an Autograph
I didn’t pay an arm and a leg to get Ace Frehley’s autograph, but I still nearly lost a limb.
Review: Anthrax Conquers Bold, New Territory with Adventurous ‘For All Kings’
By Metal Dave Knowingly or NOT!, Anthrax throws down the gauntlet with new album, “For All Kings.” Adventurous in its vast melodic scope and high harmonies, “For All Kings” – the follow-up to 2011’s widely (and rightly) praised “Worship Music” – finds Anthrax reining in its thrash-metal tendencies rather than fueling them as a driving…
Review: Dr. Boogie Ups the Rock-n-Roll Dose
By Metal Dave Like a lot of great rock bands, Dr. Boogie owes a nod and a wink to the sozzled swagger of Rod Stewart’s Faces and the slinky sting of Rolling Stones guitars. Born in Los Angeles (but apparently ready to escape to New York), Dr. Boogie’s debut album, “Gotta Get Back to New York City,”…
KISS’ Paul Stanley: ‘It’s going full speed and anyone in the way is gonna get creamed’
In 2004, I took my wife to her first KISS concert. By then, of course, she had been subjected to the KISS albums, my off-limits collection of memorabilia and the ceaseless, to-the-grave blathering about the band’s indelible influence on my life.
R.I.P. Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister: 1945-Eternity
Armed with a Rickenbacker, Jack and smokes, Lemmy blasted through life louder than everyone else. He was defiant, smart and witty enough to crack up a statue. Lemmy was my Keith Richards.
Gene Simmons calling: ‘Is this a good time?’
I requested an interview with Gene Simmons, but was told he wasn’t scheduling press. Instead, I was told, he would carry my phone number with him and call if and when the mood struck. Naturally, I jumped every time the damn phone rang.
Rockin’ Role: Juliette Lewis Gets Her Licks
Juliette Lewis is on the phone sounding every bit like one of her flirty, fun and yet scary Hollywood movie characters. The topic is not acting or past films. The business at hand is punk rock.
Review: Under No One, ‘Bullhorns & Politics’
By Metal Dave If you wore a Sepultura patch in San Antonio during the early 1990s, you and your leather high-tops surely got bruised slamming to Alienation, Judge Mental and Scythe. As the go-to local opening acts for Anthrax, Deicide, Overkill and Suicidal Tendencies, the Alamo City’s Big Three were a whiplash squad of mortar-blast drums, blinding guitar…
Review: Michael Monroe, ‘Blackout States’
By Metal Dave With due respect to Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe’s best run is now. Fightin’ words, perhaps, but the truth is worth the risk. On a raucous roll since 2011’s “Sensory Overdrive” and its 2013 follow-up, “Horns and Halos,” the iconic glam-punk singer is back with “Blackout States,” the third in a near-flawless trifecta of…