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July 23, 2009
Jackson Browne Prevails In McCain Campaign Lawsuit
As some may recall, veteran rocker Jackson Browne was none-too-pleased when then-Presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign aired a television commercial that featured Browne’s hit song “Running on Empty.” The use of that particular song was presumably intended to suggest that McCain’s Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, was touting energy policies that lacked substance.
There were other rockers crying foul during that time, including the Wilson sisters of Heart, Boston’s Tom Scholz, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and even – believe it or not – Survivor of “Eye of The Tiger” fame. None of them wanted their music associated with John McCain and his campaign for President.
Much of the hubbub was a result of music that was selected to be played inside large convention-style venues where the McCain campaign held rallies and other events. Although letters of protest were written and public statements were made regarding the use of material written by certain performers, using material at a campaign event does not appear to be as serious as using it for a television commercial. And Jackson Browne (and his lawyers) have the check to prove it.
The McCain campaign recently decided to settle the lawsuit filed by Browne when someone inside the McCain campaign organization decided that using Browne’s material for the commercial without his consent was OK. Maybe they looked at it as a calculated risk. One that was not calculated too carefully it seems.
As is normally the case in these situations, the dollar amount of the settlement is not being disclosed. We do know, however, that McCain and the Republican Party issued apologies to Browne as well as a promise to refrain from using Browne’s material in the future.
It appears that McCain’s legal team ran out of options after several unsuccessful attempts to have the case dismissed. I guess they didn’t feel too good about their chances taking it all the way to a trial and decided to offer a settlement to Browne to close the case and cut their losses.
At this point the legal scorecard appears to read: Rockers 1, politicians 0.
June 8, 2009
Chickenfoot Makes Network Television Debut
Friday night gave fans their first glimpse of the new supergroup Chickenfoot performing on national TV. The group performed “Oh Yeah” from their just-released debut album on NBC’s Tonight Show, which is now hosted by Conan O’Brien following the departure of Jay Leno from the program the previous week.
Despite the fact that the word “supergroup” has been thrown around quite liberally where this group is concerned, apparently frontman Sammy Hagar would prefer it if that were not the case. This, according to a recent piece in the Winnipeg Sun, seems like quite a reversal from what Hagar said some months back when he suggested that his new group might be comparable to Led Zeppelin. Hagar has since revised that statement, and claimed his original statement was made while under the influence of a little too much Cabo Wabo tequila at the time.
“We’re kind of like the underdogs of the supergroups,” Hagar said. “Joe’s not the most famous name out there. Michael Anthony got thrown out of Van Halen. I’ve done everything. Chad is in the Peppers. But when you think of the Peppers, you think of Anthony and Flea — so we’re kind of like the backbone of all these bands and a little under the radar. I love it because I don’t like the word ’supergroup’. I don’t like the pressure of it.”
So much for the supergroup.
Currently the group is in the middle of a tour which is focused on getting them in front of small audiences in more intimate venues. Hagar does not think the group, or their potential fans, are ready for them to start playing in front of arena-sized crowds just yet, and does not think it’s a good idea to introduce new material to such large live audiences. Or maybe they just want to see if they can pack a few clubs before they go out on a limb and try filling an arena.
Hagar admits that he’s happy to see that fans are not showing up with Van Halen T-shirts, but says that those are the fans that should be coming out to see them. “This is the best thing they can have is go see a Chickenfoot show or buy a Chickenfoot record because that is what they’ve been waiting for from Van Halen. It is Van Halen without Ed and Al,” Hagar says.
Hagar is clearly quite high on this new union and sounds no less confident than he did since he first started talking about it. Calling their experience in the studio “magic,” I guess it will ultimately be up to the fans to decide. The numbers will tell the story on whether Hagar should go back to using the word supergroup and Chickenfoot in the same sentence.
Check out all of Hagar’s comments in the Winnipeg Sun.
May 28, 2009
A Few Minutes With Aerosmith
Steven Tyler is anxious to hit the road. According to recent comments he made to Entertainment Tonight, the Aerosmith frontman says that the group just “doesn’t get out and rock enough.” And that’s something that is about to change, as the group prepares for a North American tour that kicks off in mid-June and closes during mid-September.
What can fan expect from Aerosmith on tour this summer? Drummer Joey Kramer says, “I think they can expect probably the best Aerosmith show that they’ve seen yet.” Both Tyler and Kramer sound enthusiastic about the tour 
and they certainly sound like a couple of guys that are planning to keep rocking as long as their bodies allow them to.
Kramer also adds a little insight into how the group has managed to keep rocking together for some four decades. He reveals the secret as “being lucky enough to love what you do,” and goes on to talk about how the entire group simply loves being on stage performing for a live audience.
When the subject of British singing sensation Susan Boyle was brought up, both Tyler and Kramer didn’t have anything negative to say, and suggested that she stay true to herself and reject the idea of a makeover.
ET also spent some time visiting with guitarist Joe Perry inside his home studio, where the group recorded Just Push Play and Honkin’ on Bobo, and is apparently working on their forthcoming new album. Perry guides the camera crew through a brief tour of the studio, an area of his home where he admits that he spends the majority of his time.
Perry also shows off a couple of custom guitars, one that he was shown holding on the inside cover of the Bootleg Album and another that was fashioned after a 1894 Winchester rifle that sported some distinctly Native American customizations, and is described by Perry as a “fabulous sounding guitar.”
Perry echoes much of what Tyler and Kramer say regarding life on the road, and even evokes memories of their early days playing Boston-area venues like Revere Beach. After four decades, questions the group gets about getting tired of playing the same songs over and over are answered easily by Perry.
“It’s not about us playing it. It’s about the audience hearing it,” he says.
To see the video feature in its entirety, head on over to ET Online.
April 6, 2009
Fox Serves Up ‘Meat Loaf’ on Tonight’s Episode of House
I’ll admit I’m a pretty dependable fan of the Fox television show House. Beside the fact that I have always been fascinated by medical mysteries, the one thing I really find refreshing about the show is that the main character is such a jerk. Sure, it may be more complicated than that, but that would take us a little too far off course for the purposes of a site devoted to classic rock.
Anyway, I just love the whole idea of a show about a doctor who also happens to act like an ass much of the time. It’s more like real life, and oh so not Dr. Kildaire or Dr. Lochner from Medical Center. Yeah, those two go back a ways, but to be honest, Medical Center is the only one I really can remember.
As last week’s show ended and Fox rolled the preview for this week’s episode of House, I saw a familiar face on the screen. Obviously portraying a patient of the notoriously grumpy physician, I saw an actor that I thought I recognized. “Is that Meat Loaf?,” I remember thinking to myself. Yes, indeed it was.
The Bat Out of Hell rocker is already known for his acting abilities and has appeared in both The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club. This time he’s managed to land himself a spot on his favorite television show, and despite his previous acting experience and years rocking in front of live audiences, he reports that he was quite nervous about his role on House.
“I love House. I love Hugh. I love his character on the show,” said Meat Loaf. “I was so excited and very nervous, I might add. I was very nervous because I love the show so much. If I didn’t like the show and I never watched it, I probably wouldn’t have been so nervous. I get nervous every time I go onstage. I’m a nervous person.”
He also honors House star Hugh Laurie by referring to him as his favorite actor, and apparently, his admiration for Laurie does not end there. Having heard Laurie play piano in the past, Meat Loaf actually invited him to play on one of the tracks that will be included on his next album. Laurie was obviously honored and agreed immediately.
To prepare for his role on House, Meat Loaf admits that he studied the performance of Ted Danson who also portrayed some who was sick on the television show Damages. He was very impressed with Danson’s ability to look like a sick person, and I guess House fans (myself included) will find out tonight how well Meat Loaf pulled off acting like a sick guy.
For more, check out E! Online.
July 21, 2008
Former Eagle Don Felder In Boston TV Interview
Don Felder, former guitar player for the Eagles, appeared on our local Fox television station for an interview during the morning news show today. Felder is in town for a book signing to promote his new book, Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001).
During the interview Felder revealed some interesting tidbits from his past, including how he provided guitar lessons for a young Tom Petty and learned how he to play slide guitar from Duane Allman.
Felder spent some time living in Boston, and that is where he originally hooked up with the Eagles when he attended a concert at Boston University where the Eagles were the opening act for Yes.
Being friends with Eagles band member Bernie Leadon, Felder joined the group backstage in the dressing room where he played some guitar with Leadon and impressed Don Henley and Glenn Frey with his abilities.
After that experience, Leadon convinced Felder to move to California. After his arrival in The Golden State, Felder worked with David Crosby and Graham Nash for a while before Stephen Stills joined the group to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Called to do some session work on a new Eagles album, which apparently went well, Felder was asked to join the group the day after he finished working on the album with them.
Felder is not stingy with his praise for the musical talent of his former band mates and says that every member “brought brilliance musically to the band.” At the same time, there were “five huge egos in the band that eventually led to problems.
He then went on to talk about the struggle for power, control and greed that intensified during the 1990’s when the group re-formed after its breakup in the late 1970’s to record a new album: Hell Freezes Over.
The money that began to flow in after the group reunited became a major sticking point between members, particularly Felder who dug deeply into how the money was being distributed and discovered that Henley and Frey were being paid double the amount that Felder was getting. Something that Felder says was not part of the original agreement when the group was first formed.
Following Felder’s discovery of the new pay structure, he hired an attorney to look into the matter and was promptly fired from the band.
Felder also talked about his efforts to write the book in an unbiased way and provide a “nice clear snapshot of what was going on behind the scenes.” With what he describes as a life behind a “steel curtain,” Felder said that the group was always a very “tight-lipped organization,” who would rarely grant access to backstage areas and do very few interviews.
When asked to describe some of his former band mates with a quick line, Felder described Glenn Frey as “bipolar.” Of Don Henley, he refers to him as “a difficult guy to hang out with, which was also a comment he made regarding Frey. However, he offered high praise for the talent of both Frey and Henley.
Joe Walsh was apparently the member of the group that Felder was closest to, calling him and “wonderful guy” and how he “loves him to death.”
Regarding the Eagles most recent album, Felder says he is very happy for the group’s continued success, but also reveals his disappointment with the album, primarily due to the lack of guitar work by Joe Walsh, who he calls one of the “best rock and roll guitarists alive today.”
Don Felder also does not attempt to hide the facts of his own bad behavior during his years with the Eagles, and admits in the book to his own drug use and infidelity. Even the story of how his wife came to discover his infidelity, which, by itself, may be worth the price of the book for people who love the Eagles and celebrity gossip.
For Eagles fans, the book sounds like a “must read.” For me, Felder came across as a very personable and honest guy. Without knowing him personally, that’s not something I cannot guarantee by any means, but that is they way he struck me while watching him during the course of the interview.
The interview is available online at MyFoxBoston.com.
