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Rest In Peace, Ozzy. There will never be another. (John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, 3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025)

We all knew this day would come.  We just didn’t know it would be today.

Only a couple weeks after his final concert, Ozzy has joined his bandmates in Rock and Roll Heaven.

I really don’t have the words.  You’d think I’d be prepared for this.  I was not.  The biggest loss in metal, ever?

I’ll think of more to say later.

 

Rest in Peace, Ozzy.

I played Bark At the Moon and No Rest for the Wicked on the weekend.  MY albums.  MY Ozzy.

Ozzy – that guy who I thought was “crazy”!  He looked scary to a 12 year old.

Then I saw a picture of him in a cowboy hat.  “He doesn’t look so scary.”

He wasn’t.

Ozzy wasn’t the prince of darkness.  He was the clown prince of metal, and I think he loved it that way.  Joking, pulling faces, making people laugh just as hard as he made them rock.  Ozzy was my companion during the awkward teenage misfit years.  Ozzy was cool without being cool.  He was simply Ozzy.  There was only one.  He couldn’t be replaced in Black Sabbath.  Any time they tried, they embarked on a new journey, because you cannot replace Ozzy Osbourne.

Ozzy had a knack for a melody, and impeccable taste in guitar players.  From Randy Rhoads to Jake E. Lee to Zakk Wylde, he made them famous.

Ozzy’s real talent was as a facilitator of talent.  He brought together drummers, bassists and guitarists.  He formed bands that we still talk about today, from the original Blizzard of Ozz to the Wylde/Butler/Castillo lineup that is my personal favourite.  His knack for bringing people together, both in bands and in audiences was unparalleled.

There will NEVER be another Ozzy.  Only pretenders to the throne.

Rest in peace.

Rest in peace, Tommy Morais (1991-2024)

I was sad to learn this week that one of my earliest collaborators, Tommy Morais, passed away last year.  He was only 32.

I first met Tommy when he was just 18.  It was around the time of the release of the “new” KISS album Sonic Boom.  I was writing a complete set of Kiss reviews on Amazon to celebrate.  As it turns out, Tommy was also writing reviews for every Kiss album, and lots more that I was working on too.  I jealously read his writing.  He was good.

Eventually I decided to reach out to Tommy via email, and tell him how great his reviews were.  We became friends.  We didn’t agree on every Kiss album.  Tommy liked Animalize a lot more than I did!  He had the rock star hair and a glam image.  Tommy was no-holds-barred when it came to the music he loved.  He identified with the Kiss song “Freak”:

I’ve got streaks in my hairPeople point at me and stareIf they ask me I say: Yeah! I’m a freakAnd I love the clothes I wearLet them laugh ’cause I don’t careIt’s my cross, I’m proud to bearI’m a freak

Tommy was based out of New Brunswick and eventually moved to Ontario.  Meanwhile, I transitioned my writing from Amazon to WordPress.  Tommy was an eager reader, and was responsible for a couple Record Store Tales and several reviews.  Tommy wanted more Kiss!  So I wrote Part 26 and Part 27 of Record Store Tales by his request.  Tommy also contributed several of his own reviews to this site!  For me, Tommy wrote reviews of:

As you can see for yourself, Tommy was a wise rock fan beyond his years.  Every artist he reviewed for me really peaked long before he was even born.

I never met Tommy even though he was only a short distance away, relatively speaking.  We lost touch shortly after the Europe review.  I was really saddened to hear of his passing.

Gone way, way too soon.  Rest in peace Tommy.  Here’s some Kiss for ya.  I hope you’re rocking up there with Eric Carr.  You were an original.

Rest in Peace, genius: Brian Wilson (1942-2025)

Brian Douglas Wilson was 82 years old.  As sure as Beethoven and Bach were geniuses, so was Brian.  Born, raised and embodying California, Brian Wilson and his music was entwined with my life from an early age.

When I was a kid, riding in the passenger side next to my Uncle Paul, he would always pop a Beach Boys tape into his deck.  “Little Deuce Coupe” was a favourite.  He loved that early Beach Boys; the surf rock.  My mom grew up on that music too, but it was Uncle Paul who played it the most.

My wife Jen and her dad David always loved the Beach Boys.  She danced to “Surfer Girl” with him at our wedding.

Last summer, my dad and I watched a Brian Wilson documentary on TV.  We were both spellbound both by the man and his music.  My dad told me that my grandfather considered moving to California in the 1950s.  Imagine how different things would have been.  I’d never have been born.

Brian was a visionary composer, perhaps to his own detriment.  He was able to see forward, beyond what the producers of the time told him was possible or commercial.  He stretched his boundaries in composition and production, creating layers of music previously unimagined.  Unable to achieve his fullest visions at the time, the Smile album (1966) was shelved and Brian spiraled with depression and substances.  He became the butt of jokes, which was tragic.  It was good to see him return to making music before it was too late.

Rest in peace, you genius.

VIDEO: Dr Kathryn Ladano wins 2025 K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year – Arts & Culture

Please join me in congratulating “visionary bass clarinetist” Dr. Kathryn Ladano on her recent win of the 2025 K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year, in the category of Arts & Culture.  Dr. Kathryn, a professional musician and former teacher, suffered a devastating concussion that required five years (and counting) of therapy to function again, and the fight is still not over.

Hear all about it in her acceptance speech below.  It’s not just about her.

They even pronounced our last name right.  You can feel the emotion in the room.

@MarriedandHeels Stats & Facts for Fans!

Greetings fans and welcome to Grab A Stack of Rock!  The fab @MarriedandHeels has only collaborated with one YouTube channel:  us!

Some interesting @MarriedandHeels Stats for you from YouTube:

Surprising to see that her male audience skews older.  A full 33.7% (over a third) are 55 or over.  We knew that she had many older fans – the late, great Bob Wood being one (rest in peace).  It’s not shocking to find that viewers are overwhelmingly male, but a strong 15.2% are female.  Once, @MarriedandHeels forwarded me some spicy fan-fic written by a female fan.  It was pretty hot stuff.  Sorry ladies, @MarriedandHeels is 100% straight (though she doesn’t mind when girls find her hot).

But where are they from?  @MarriedandHeels has fans all over the world, which is one reason why she does her topless live stream at noon California time.  It’s the only way her fans in Europe can see her live.  Still, the majority of her fans are American.  And, most of you watch her on your phones.

A noticeable portion of you watch her on your smart TV, which is cool.  That’s the way most of those videos are best seen!

Some interesting @MarriedandHeels Facts right from the horse’s mouth!  (But nothing personal here – nothing she has not shared publicly herself!)

She is from Glendora California, and a proud Californian and American.  She has a French and Mexican background.

She is a former marathon runner, and a cancer survivor!

Her sports team is the San Francisco 49’ers, and she also loves Major League Baseball.  GO NINERS!

Fans might be surprised to learn that her husband Beard Daddy runs their site.  He posts the photos and videos every day without @MarriedandHeels’ foreknowledge.  He writes the sexy captions before she even wakes up in the morning!  When he updates their site in the morning, it is 3 AM California time!  She does, however, respond to messages herself.

Another fun fact is that @MarriedandHeels does not pay for the shoes, jewelry, or clothing that she wears in her photo shoots!  They are all gifts from fans, or promotional heels, nylons, lingerie etc. sent to her by the companies.  When she is done with them, the fans are able to purchase the used articles via her website!

She is the co-creator of the superhero character “Edie Van Heelin'”.

Her favourite animal is the raccoon.

She once had a pair of squirrels living in her backyard named “Vim” and “Vigor”! She also had a dog named Doobie, a dog named Ranger, cats named Clapton & Fleetwood (twins), Cream, and Crosby, Stills & Nash (triplets).

 

 

 

No Show Tonight, Grant’s On A Cruise… and there’s bad news

No Contrarians Live tonight, as host Grant Arthur is on an 80’s themed rock cruise…

…Which has been tragic.

A few days ago, Grant posted that somebody went overboard, but he didn’t know anything more.  It turns out the person who went over, died tragically.  It was Kimberly Burch, fiance of Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe.

We send our prayers to Taime and Kimberly’s families in these dark times.

 

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Minimalist cover art
  2. Brown album covers
  3. Yellow album covers
  4. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  5. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  6. This Album Cover is Hell!
  7. Toys & Games
  8. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  9. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  10. They Swapped Covers!
  11. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  12. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  13. It’s A Piece of Art!
  14. Compilation Kaos!
  15. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!
  16. Amped Up!

 

 

Rest In Peace, John Sykes (1959-2025)

Like many, I first became awestruck by John Sykes via Whitesnake.  The year was 1987, and Much had just started playing Whitesnake stuff in heavy rotation.  While I heard Sykes on all the big 1987 hits, I saw Sykes in the music video for “Slow An’ Easy”.  The guy had it all!  Long flowing blonde curly locks, shirt open, a slide guitar (which I loved), a really cool studded guitar strap, and a way to play a riff.  To paraphrase a movie, I began watching his career with great interest.

I got some Whitesnake.  I got some Tygers of Pan Tang.  I bought the Blue Murder.  And then I discovered Thin Lizzy.  While it’s no secret that I’m not much of a Blue Murder fan (though I loved the idea on paper), I really dug John’s work with Thin Lizzy.

“Cold Sweat” was the name of the track, and I squealed in delight when John’s guitar squealed in the riff!  Even better was a song called “Bad Habits”.  This one merged the old-tyme style of Jailbreak with the production and guitar shred of 1982.

Though he hadn’t released any new music in a spell…we’re all going to miss John Sykes.

Rest in Peace.  F cancer.

Please help out Derek Kortepeter and his family recover from the fires in California

Derek Kortepeter is a talented musician from California, and long-time friend and reader of this site.  I have reviewed his albums numerous times, and he has collaborated with me in a writing capacity as well.  Sadly, now Derek needs help.

As you know, California is being wracked by uncontrolled wildfires.  Derek and his family have lost their home and almost all their possessions.  Like many in California, he is now staying on safe group but the damage done will last a lifetime.

Please read Derek’s family’s story and consider giving something, anything at all.

gofund.me/c36396a2

Rest in Peace Paul Di’Anno (1958 – 2024)

Paul Di’Anno was one of the first singers I knew and loved. He’s running free now, with Clive Burr, and no longer in pain.

Paul has clearly not been in good physical shape lately. Once walking with a cane, Paul had been in a wheelchair for some time now. Paul has now lost his wheels, and is free to fly.

When Iron Maiden released their debut album in 1980, they were building on five years of battles in the clubs, building their repertoire and their reputation. Much of it had to do with Paul Di’Anno, the short(er) haired lead singer with the punk rock attitude. His sneer was embedded in those first two Maiden albums, both legendary.  Replacing him seemed impossible at the time!

I can’t believe we have to do this, but on Friday we will be paying tribute to Paul on Grab A Stack of Rock.

This sucks!

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace soundtrack on Visions In Sound with Rob Daniels at TheMuseum

On May 1, Rob Daniels from CKWR and Visions In Sound recorded a show live to tape at TheMuseum in Kitchener.  Here are some photos and videos of Rob, with Erik Woods and myself.

The show, which will air in a few weeks as part of Star Wars month, covers the amazing soundtrack by John Williams and stories of the movie’s creation.  Rob will take you from the bleak early 1990s, to the Special Editions, and finally to May 1999 when The Phantom Menace was finally released. He discusses the fallout, in particular with actors Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best, who bore the brunt of fan hate.  On a lighter note, he also tells you the story of how Erik Woods broke the internet when he broadcast the world premier of the soundtrack!

Stay tuned in May to Visionsinsound.ca for this and much more great Star Wars content!

While we enjoyed the music, Erik and I spent roughly two hours discussing Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  Like typical fans, we talked about what we would have done to make both series better!  And we had some great ideas, trust me.  We talked about our own ideas for the prequels, the sequels, and an Indiana Jones adventure that, like poetry, would rhyme.

TheMuseum is a wonderful location for such an event, though they need to do more advertising.  Their website didn’t even show that they were open that night.  The lounge area where Rob was recording had ample space and a bar.

I hope to see Rob do more tapings at the TheMuseum in the future.  Long live Visions In Sound!