Videos

Retro is the word! 80s and 90s cassettes, cassingles and beyond with Dr. Kathryn, Jex and John!

Happy 50th episode to us!  This was a special episode to me.  Watching it back now, what made last night’s show really special wasn’t so much the cassettes.  Rather, it was the stories!  The memories came flooding back as we looked at piles of cassettes from ages past.  With Dr. Kathryn’s recently exhumed cassingle collection on hand, we were joined by Jex Russell and John T. Snow for a nostalgic evening.

  • Playing “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle at a fancy wedding.
  • Buying cassingles by Van Halen in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
  • The value of Bryan Adams’ live B-sides.
  • Collecting a rare Cult cassette box set with all the extras.
  • Bands that Kathryn has seen live and owns on cassette, such as Roxette and Rod Stewart.
  • A US version of a Def Leppard single vs. the Canadian.
  • Songs/version that are still exclusive to the cassette format.
  • Whitesnake every Christmas.
  • Collecting bonus tracks on cassette and throwing temper tantrums when the CD didn’t have the bonus track.
  • Summery memories of Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Britny Fox and Poison.
  • Ratt, Dangerous Toys, “Digalog”, “Q-Sound” and more.

We also took a peak at Tri-Con in Kitchener, where Dr. Kathryn met members of the Degrassi cast, Rob Daniels, and some Mandalorians.  She had much praise for the Degrassi folks, and you’ll have to make sure you don’t miss this segment at the end.

Congratulations to Marco D’Auria, last week’s special guest, for the nomination of his film Mystique:  Standing on the Firing Line at the Canadian Independent Film Festival!  The DVD is on sale all February.

Stay tuned for John Snow’s “The Collection” starting February 20.

Bonus:  We unboxed the recent reissue of the rare Starchild album Children of the Stars (featuring Greg “Fritz” Hinz of Helix), and a recent Rock Candy reissue of Europe’s The Final Countdown with more bonus tracks than before.

Apologies to Facebook; the Streamyard streams have not been working on Facebook at all and their team is still looking into it.

See you again next week for Too Much Music Part 2!

Upcoming Schedule:

 

EPISODE 50! The Cassettes of Dr. Kathryn on Grab A Stack of Rock, with Jex Russell and John T. Snow

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and Jex Russell

Episode 50:  The Cassettes of Dr. Kathryn

Welcome to the 50th episode of Grab A Stack of Rock!  Special occasions require special guests.

Dr. Kathryn recently dug up her 80s cassette collection.  Like her brother, she was interested in collecting rarities and B-sides on singles.  We will see a number of cassette singles from the pop rock realm including Bryan Adams, Cheap Trick, Glass Tiger, and more.  John Snow, Jex Russell and I will also be bringing the vintage cassette tapes for this special show & tell.

Additionally we have a slideshow from Tri-Con at the Museum in Kitchener last month, where Dr. K met some celebrities from Degrassi Jr. High, and saw some cool props from Doctor Who and Star Trek.  There may have been some Mandalorian sightings as well!

Tune in tonight and take part in the comments with our special guests and cool collectibles from the 1980s.

 

Friday Feb 9 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube, or Facebook!

 

All About the MYSTIQUE Film: Standing On The Firing Line with Marco D’Auria

In a word: passion!  Marco D’Auria is a creator with a passion for fulfilling his artistic drives.  Since his youth, he had a passion for his uncle Ray D’Auria’s band, Mystique.  He loved the music.  He loved the history.  He wanted to bring that story to the world, and he achieved it.  The accolades are wonderful, but holding the DVD of Mystique:  Standing On The Firing Line in his hands is the real reward.

In this hour-long interview, co-host Jex Russell and I quizzed Marco on the following subjects:

  • Getting the band back together for the interviews
  • Editing down over four hours of film into 1 hour 39 minutes, and finally 95 minutes
  • Unseen footage of Martin Popoff and other interviewees
  • Unreleased music
  • Awards and movie festivals
  • Getting the new version of the film out there for you to see
  • And a February 2024 sale on the DVD, available here:  mystique-black-rider-online-store.com

The Mystique story is compelling.  The music justifies itself.  This band had potential.  There was magic happening.  The big break never quite took shape, and this film is the story of what might have been.  Nobody seems to have any regrets.  The film is warming to watch, and I recommend you check it out while the February sale is on.

Thank you Jex and Marco for an awesome Friday night.  Check Marco out at the Contrarians on Youtube!

 

Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!

Feb 16 – Too Much Music? 2 (pre-recorded)

Feb 23 – LeBrainless with Jex, Harrison, Roger, John Snow & Aaron

 

 

Standing On The Firing Line with Marco D’Auria: All About the MYSTIQUE Film!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and Jex Russell

Episode 49:  MYSTIQUE:  Standing On The Firing Line with filmmaker Marco D’Auria

We’ve spoken to this fine gentlemen about this excellent film a couple times, so why is Marco back to talk about Mystique: Standing On The Firing Line?  The new cut of the film is in, and it is turning heads.  The new version of this rockumentary has been making the festival circuit and picking up awards!  (Couch Film Festival 2023, AltFF Alternative Film Festival 2023.)  Director Marco D’Auria is eager for you to see this film, and talk about what he has coming next.

Mystique was a Hamilton heavy metal band that released some iconic independent music such as Black Rider and I Am the King back in the 1980s.  The band never “made it” and faded into obscurity by 1989…until their old records and tapes started commanding insane prices on the collector’s market.

Why?  What is that made Mystique special?  We will delve into this with co-host Jex Russell tonight.  Marco will explain what is new about this recent cut of the film, and what he hopes to do for a re-release.  Tune in tonight!

 

Friday Feb 2 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube, on Facebook!

 

Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!

 

 

VIDEO: The Kiss Trivia Kollection – KISS – For The Konsummate Kiss Konnoisseur – The Might and Magic of Kiss

NOTE:  Thanks to viewer LEN LABELLE, we now know this insert came in a magazine called The Might and Magic of KISS!

Here’s a late Christmas gift that got lost under a couch!  What is it?  I dunno, but it’s called The Kiss Trivia Kollection – KISS – For The Konsummate Kiss Konnoisseur and it dates back to the Crazy Nights era of Kiss.

This trivia book has black and white photos by Mark Weiss, from several eras of Kiss. There are Q&As with all four members, memorable quotes, key dates in Kisstory, and of course, trivia. There isn’t much information about where this book originated, but we take a quick look at it in the video below.

VHS Archives #142: Alice Cooper Does Toronto – From the Rooftop in 1991

Alice Cooper was back in Toronto in 1991, promoting his new album Hey Stoopid in a big way:  by playing on top of the iconic HMV building at 333 Yonge St!  Shades of Let It Be, but with long hair and mascara, Alice’s band rocked the streets below.

Cooper also spoke to MuchMusic’s Michael Williams about the new album, and collaborating with L.A. friends such as Axl Rose.  He dropped a tidbit about their new album and a certain song called “The Garden”.

There’s also a segment here of Alice meeting fans from Operation Rock N’ Roll that same year.  Check it out1

 

 

 

VHS Archives #141: Alice Cooper Talks Trash – April 1989

Out promoting his big new album Trash, MuchMusic’s Terry David Mulligan spoke to Alice Cooper 35 years ago, in April of 1989.  Subjects discussed include Desmond Child, and a return to the sound of Billion Dollar Babies.  Have a watch.

 

VHS Archives #140: Bruce Dickinson & Contest Winners on the Pepsi Power Hour, Summer 1990

Contest winners Keith Kramer and Les Eckert were the names of the two chaps who got to sit in and interview Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, while out supporting his first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire.  Dan Gallagher was hosting the Pepsi Power Hour, and his sense of humour is apparent here.  Dan always made interviews fun.

Bruce was pretty wiped out after a long night!  The guests picked the videos and asked the questions, but it is clear throughout that all three had a wild one the night before, seeing a band called Kings of the Sun.  Les was, to paraphrase Bruce, flammable.

Topics addressed:

  • Why does Bruce hate L.A. so much?
  • Touring with Guns N’ Roses
  • Rock Aid Armenia
  • Tattoos
  • Stoughton, Saskatchewan
  • “Son of a Gun”
  • “All the Young Dudes” video premiere

Enjoy this video from my personal archives.

 

 

A Boatload of Music DVDs with Harrison Kopp and John T. Snow on Grab A Stack of Rock

What a marathon!  With the help of  John T. Snow (2loud2oldmusic) and the Mad Metal Man, we blasted through three music DVD collections in just under two hours.  The lion’s share was mine – guilty as charged — but John and Harrison also brought it.

This show is especially for fans of:

  • Metallica
  • Alice Cooper
  • KISS
  • Def Leppard
  • Bon Jovi
  • ELO
  • Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio
  • Black Sabbath
  • Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, Blaze & Paul Di’Anno
  • Judas Priest
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • AC/DC
  • Def Leppard
  • Marillion
  • Bootlegs
  • and rare Australian versions of releases

There were quite a few bargains to be had on the part of the Snowman and Harrison.   Both of them had some pretty cool acquisitions at low, low prices.  I love when price tags are still on DVDs.

We also had a very special announcement from John Snow:  Stay tuned for the debut of his new show, The Collection, starting in February!

Added bonus:  Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation submitted his Top Five Music DVDs, some of which happened to tickle Harrison’s fancy.

On a personal note, I’m saddened that I got rid of so many music DVDs over the years.  I know I had Blue Rodeo, Dream Theater, and Harem Scarem.  It’s unfortunate but the fact is that space is a commodity, and money matters, so sometimes things got sold.   However, they can always be re-aquired.

Thanks for watching and dropping the comments!  See you next week.

Next week:  Feb 2 – an interview with Marco D’Auria! Co-hosted by Jex Russell, we’re talking MYSTIQUE: Standing on the Firing Line!

Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!

 

 

Music DVD Showcase with Harrison Kopp and John T. Snow on Grab A Stack of Rock

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 48:  Music DVD Showcase

A long-overdue gander at our music DVD collections, tonight we will examine live DVDs, compilations, documentaries and more.  Kiss, Def Leppard, Metallica, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Marillion, and much much more.

Frankly I don’t watch music DVDs very often, so there will be things in my collection I am just rediscovering!

Joining me tonight will be John T. Snow of 2loud2oldmusic, and my trusty co-host the Mad Metal Man.  I cannot wait to see what these two music collectors have to show.  My collection is quite large, even though I stopped buying music DVDs a while ago.  We might not get to them all – a sequel show may be in order!

We have a special Top 5 list from Peter Kerr, and a really cool announcement to boot!

Hope to see you tonight in the comments section!

 

Friday January 26 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube, Twitter, or on Facebook!

Next week:  Feb 2 – an interview with Marco D’Auria! Co-hosted by Jex Russell, we’re talking MYSTIQUE: Standing on the Firing Line!

Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!