Metallica rolls with the punches in 1998
For a rock-n-roll journalist, few interviews carry more weight than Metallica. Were they among my favorite interviews? Not really. Will I brag about them to anyone who will listen? Most definitely.
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.
Interview: Megadeth’s Megamouth Mustaine
Dave Mustaine doesn’t do interviews so much as he takes them hostage. Calling from California to discuss his latest album, “Endgame,” one has to wonder if even a root canal could interrupt the Megadeth mouthpiece.
Ask Ian Anderson: Name Your Favorite Album
Ian Anderson plays Jethro Tull’s classic “Thick as a Brick” at the Paramount Theatre in Austin TX, Oct. 28. Ticket info here. By Metal Dave Back when sending a letter meant finding a pen and licking a stamp, I mailed a shot in the dark to music journalist Anne Leighton in hopes of getting some…
Cliff Burton: Metallica’s Mellow Misfit
By Metal Dave Anyone who thinks Cliff Burton has been turning in his grave since “Master of Puppets” may have to reconsider after reading Joel McIver’s 2009 biography, “To Live is to Die: The Life and Death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton.” According to the author’s interviews with band mates, friends, family and peers, Cliff was…
Ozzy Osbourne gets ready to mumble
I still get bats in my belly knowing I talked to Ozzy Osbourne. Hell, he even tried his best to talk back! God love him.
Whiplash!: Remembering Cliff Burton and the Handwritten Letter from his Mom
So much time had lapsed that I had no idea why this letter from San Francisco was waiting for me. I opened it, unfolded it and began reading a hand-written, thank-you from Cliff’s Mom. Whoa! That’s heavy!
Rewind: Talking to Lemmy “God” Kilmister
Anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of interviewing Motorhead frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister will tell you he is hands-down one of the best interviews on the planet. Why? Because he basically doesn’t give two flips what anyone thinks of him!
Pictured Life: Psycho Mike-O Gets Infectious
By Metal Dave The 1991 photo above was taken behind the Cameo Theater in downtown San Antonio by my lifelong buddy Al Kelly who had just thrown up a few moments earlier. Nice shot, Al! The tough guy in the bandana is Suicidal Tendencies singer Mike Muir. The not-so-tough guy on the left is 2Fast2Die. The…
Rewind: Metallica’s Memories Remain
“I thought everyone was as theatrical as KISS and then I saw Peter Frampton on TV and said, ‘Nope! I was wrong!'”
The Sword Gets Medieval on Your Ass!
By Metal Dave A grinding storm of heavy axes rolls forth from Austin, Texas this evening when sludge-metal thunderlords, The Sword, get medieval on your ass. Besides being Lars Ulrich’s favorite band (he’s asked The Sword to tour with Metallica three times now), The Sword celebrates tomorrow’s official release of its third album, “Warp Riders,”…