Videos

Rock Daydream Nation: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet – Did this album neuter 80s Hard Rock?

Here is the latest in a series of super-secret collaborations I have been working on! Peter Kerr invited me back onto Rock Daydream Nation to discuss Bon Jovi’s landmark breakthrough, Slippery When Wet.  Did this album essentially ruin hard rock for the next four years?  Peter and I took opposing views, though hardcore Bon Jovi fans will be happy with neither of us after watching this episode.

The thing I disagreed with Peter the most on was his assessment of the talents of Richie Sambora.  I encourage Peter to check out some of the tracks I mentioned in this episode to appreciate the talents of the guitarist (and vocalist).

I hope we don’t get killed by mobs of angry Bon Jovi Karens for this video.  Proceed with caution!

Get Up and make it work! Top Five Van Halen Bangers, our dream Best Of All Worlds setlist, and much more!

And the cradle DID rock, for tonight, four rock music fans revealed their Top Five Van Halen bangers.  ‘Twas brilliant to see.  Harrison Kopp was in classic Kontrarian mode as you will see with his list.  The first disqualification in the history of the show!  Harrison redeemed himself later, and his #1 pick was one I was onside with.

The new guy PLA brought with him a love of music that goes back to the teen years.  Jex’s good friend was a blast on the show, and he is welcome back any time.  The wonderful thing here is that years ago, Jex had the foresight to record PLA’s reaction to the Van Halen banger “Get Up” on video.  We ran that video tonight, and it really captured the spirit of what a Van Halen banger does.

We dug deep with deep cuts and hits.  We showed off rare CDs, vinyl, and even a cassette.  I presented my dream Best Of All Worlds setlist.  We discussed the tour, pros and cons, and our panel was mostly pro.  The comments were divided.  Peter Kerr was anti-tour, while Chris P was very pro.

Van Halen praise, love, and appreciation were in plentiful supply on this episode.  Take a glimpse at our collections and please enjoy our lists.  There were a number of duplicate songs, and some brilliant picks.  If you are interested in Van Halen but don’t know where to start…grab a coffee and listen to us blather on all night about a band we really love.

See ya next week.

Tonight: Top Five VAN HALEN BANGERS + Sammy Hagar “Best Of All Worlds Tour” with Jex & PLA!

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

Episode 41:  BEST OF ALL WORLDS!  Top Five VAN HALEN BANGERS with Jex & PLA

 

We’re back!  Harrison and I took a couple weeks off to recharge and work on some other creative projects, but here we are, back in business again with Jex Russell and PLA!  But who is PLA?

PLA is from the YouTube channel PLA Addiction.  He’s a music nut and close friend of Jex.  These guys have been a creative force on YouTube for years and I’ve been wanting to get them together live on Grab A Stack of Rock for a while now.  Tonight we run through our “Top Five Van Halen Bangers”!  Why?  You’ll have to see for yourself tonight, but I’ll drop you a teaser.

The real reason I wanted to get PLA on the show is that a few years back, Jex made a “reaction video” of PLA hearing the Van Halen song “Get Up” for the first time.  After seeing that video, I knew I wanted to get these two guys together on my show to talk Van Halen.  It was a priceless video, and we’ll run it tonight on the show.

We absolutely have to discuss the Sammy Hagar Best of All Worlds Tour with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham!  I will be revealing my dream (buyt realistic) setlist tonight on the show.

Get up and make it work, because tonight it’s Top Five Van Halen Bangers with Jex and PLA!

LIVE Friday Nov 17 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

VIDEO: Jex Unboxes a Stack of Rock!

Collectors: aren’t we something?  Sometimes we end up with duplicates because we can’t remember what we ordered, or own already! I promised Jex a parcel several months ago, and I finally gathered enough excess music to fill a box.

Jex was kind enough to film an unboxing video, seen below.  I sent him some review copies, some CDs from my collection that I owned in duplicate, a sticker and a special surprise from the analog age!  Now get writin’ Jex, you have work to do!

SPOILER:  Great bubble wrap popping in this video.  So satisfying.

What out of this box would you have been most excited for?  Let me know in the comments.  I think I know Harrison’s answer already.

And don’t miss Jex with Harrison and new guest PLA tomorrow on Grab A Stack of Rock!

VIDEO: Target Practice! Jen Opens Our Very Last Lego Marvel Series 2 Minifig – LANGUAGE!

I swear to God, this really is the last one. I have lost track of how many duplicates we’ve unboxed, but there is no point in ever buying one of these Lego Marvel Minifig blind packs ever again.

For those playing at home:  I have had numerous triplicates, such as Echo, Werewolf By Night, and Agatha Harkness.  I have many duplicates, such as Mr. Night and Hawkeye.  I never managed to get Moon Knight, Kate Bishop, She-Hulk, or Beast.  Harrison has offered to send me his extra Kate Bishop.  I have donated two duplicates to Jex Russell for his kids, and given two others to my sister to sell.  I’m scavenging the rest for pieces for a new Tee Bone Man spinoff series called Jen In Space. You can see some of the Jen In Space minifigs in the thumbnail photo.

Thank you Jen for the gift, and thank you for doing this unboxing.

Thank you Harrison for the suggestion that I use this minifig for target practice…

I’m out of the minifig game.  It was fun at the start, but like any addiction, it became a chore later on.

 

Whitesnake’s The Purple Album (Gold Edition) – Taking a look at all my Whitesnake “Colour” Albums – Red, White, Blues, Purple and more! [VIDEO]

For a good review (if I do say so myself) of the original 2015 releases of The Purple Album, click here!

 

David Coverdale has been remix-happy of late.  Nothing wrong with that, I just have a hard time overcoming my passion for original versions of songs that I spent time living and loving for many years.  Obviously I can’t have too much issue with it if I keep throwing money at him.  Thank you Encore Records for holding this pricey item for me.  $60 for 2 CDs and a Blu-ray disc.  Details in the scans below, along with images of my other related Whitesnake discs.

Enjoy the video below, taking a gander at all the different colours of Whitesnake!

 

 

VIDEO: Unboxing and Listening to Night of the Living Dead by Ryan Gavalier

In a nutshell: Ryan Gavalier has created some eerie music!  With Halloween now behind us, this sure does remind me of the spooky season!  Deftly programming his synths and drum machines, Ryan has composed some very cinematic soundscapes, perfect for those chilling nights when you could swear you heard a sound just outside the window.

You can catch Ryan on his Instagram page, Gavalier Productions.  He is a passionate musician with a talent for the electronic.

Unboxing and Admiring the new JOURNEY – FRONTIERS 40th Anniversary Vinyl

Mike opens up his new KISS shirt from Aaron! [Video]

First off, apologies to Jex Russell and everybody I forgot to thank in this video. Still running on the high from Friday night’s show.  I went from that, to taping a great Tim’s Vinyl Confessions at 6:30 AM Saturday morning, to video making and editing.

For those who watched, the most grievous error I made Friday night was forgetting to open up this KISS shirt that I got from Aaron KMA.

Please enjoy this video I made in gratitude, and the YouTube shorts from Friday night as well.

Mike unboxes Love Gun shirt from Aaron KMA

 

“Sammy Hagar” grills Mike on 5150 (by Tee Bone)

Harrison laughs on a loop 5 times

New Grab A Stack of Rock show intro, featuring Jen, John Clauser, and a laughing Australian