GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 61: Top Five Albums After a Long Gap, with Metal Roger and John Clauser
‘Twas Metal Roger who suggested this week’s topic. What are our Top Five Albums after a Long Gap? Well, Chinese Democracy is an obvious example, but there are many more, ecpecially from the last decade or two. It took 24 years for The Who to release a new album (Endless Wire) and then another 13 years to release the followup Who. For the sake of this exercise, we are arbitrarily saying at minimum, at least a five year wait to qualify an album for this list.
Joining us will be Johnny Clauser from My Music Corner, which is doubly good since Roger has no physical product to show off for his picks! (Come on, Roger!) I have eight picks and have to narrow it down to five, which I will probably do at the last minute.
This will also be John and Roger’s first shows at the cottage. We hope for clear weather and chipmunks! Join us live in the comments. We love to talk to the audience!
Friday May 31 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or onFacebook!
ROLE MODELS (2009, 99 minutes, Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott)
Directed by David Wain
All those “bro” movies are from the same mold, aren’t they? They still make them too, variations on a theme. The same general plotline always applies: there’s a pair of funny but crude friends, who have a love/hate thing going on. There’s a girlfriend (or fiance), usually a professional of some kind, to win or win back. There are usually dick and fart jokes.
Role Models is all this, so I won’t go and tell you that it’s different from Knocked Up, Superbad, or Mr. Woodcock in any significant way.
Except one way.
.
Role Models is a love letter to the Hottest Band in the Land. One of the writers clearly loves them, and knew how to make that funny.
In one of the earliest scenes, Scott throws Love Gun into the car tape deck. “Kiss? Nobody likes Kiss. Paul Stanley is sick of Kiss,” says Rudd. Yet, the song “Love Gun” is a recurring motif in Role Models.
Here’s the plot in a nutshell: Two guys work for an energy drink company called Minotaur (think Red Bull, but in gross green). Their job entails doing presentations to kids in highschool to stay off drugs, and drink Minotaur instead. (“We’re selling nuclear horse piss to kids” – Rudd.) One day it all goes wrong for Rudd and his girlfriend Beth (get it? See where this is going?), played by Elizabeth Banks. Rudd goes a little nuts at a presentation, and his giant minotaur truck ends up mounting a horse statue in the school yard.
Luckily, Beth is a lawyer and cuts Rudd and Scott a deal with the judge (without the two even having to appear before him, how convenient for a 99 minute movie). They have to volunteer with “Sturdy Wings”; sort of like a big brothers program. They each have to mentor a child for a set number of hours. The program, run by a hilarious Jane Lynch, is only mildly creepy.
As the two protagonists get to know their assigned “littles”, Scott teaches his new friend about Kiss. “These guys look like clowns,” says lil’ Ronnie. Scott explains that they’re not, they’re actually really rich Jewish guys, and all their songs are about fucking! This interests his young friend, who then starts dancing to “Love Gun”.
“You pull the trigger of my…Love Guuuuuuuuuun!” goes the familiar song.
“See Ronnie? His dick is the gun!” explains Scott helpfully.
Meanwhile, Paul Rudd’s little buddy Augie is played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (known to you as McLovin). Augie loves fantasy role playing (LARPing), and takes Rudd to a battle. Rudd is not impressed (“I just spent the afternoon with Gleep-Glopp and the Floop-dee-doos”), but decides to help Augie when he needs battle companions. There’s a memorable camping trip that ends with a naked Seann William Scott, but it’s balanced out by Wings jokes (including a fake Wings song called “Love Take Me Down to the Streets”).
Without spoiling the epic ending (complete with a sword battle, a siege, and Ken Jeong), except to say that before credits role, you will hear at least two more Kiss songs, and see the four main characters dressed in Kiss makeup and battle armor. No explanation is given for how the quartet threw the armor together in a mere afternoon, but details do not matter in a film like this. Prepare for a climax that finishes the movie on a hilarious note.
Other great talents in this movie included Joe Lo Truglio and Ken Marino, so check it out if that sounds like your kinda thing. And especially if you’re a Kiss fan.
RECORD STORE TALES #1130: If I Had A Million Dollars? A Top Five List
If I had a million dollars Well, I’d buy you a fur coat But not a real fur coat, that’s cruel And if I had a million dollars If I had a million dollars Well, I’d buy you an exotic pet Yep, like a llama or an emu
Fur coats? Exotic pets? No thank you! If I had a million dollars, I’ll tell ya exactly what I’d buy!
1. AV Designhaus Derenville VPM 2010-1
There goes half my money in one shot ($650,000)! What do I get for my money? A belt-driven turntable on a Corian chassis, that rests on four feet that are supported and balanced through an air suspension system. Has an ethernet connection, and a HD-TV camera that monitors the diamond stylus. Why? To watch it on a high resolution monitor and make necessary adjustments. It would probably take two engineers to set up and test; I certainly couldn’t do it myself! I doubt there is much you could do to improve the sound of a vinyl record that this turntable doesn’t already have packed in.
2. Vintage 1982 Nakamichi Dragon 3 Head Autoreverse Cassette Recorder
This one will cost me another $10,000 Canadian, but some consider it the Rolls Royce of tape decks. If you ever wanted to make a tape sound almost as good as a CD, this is the way to do it. It requires tuning, maintenance, and knowledge. But money is no object in this exercise, so why not? Dare I say why not? It’s a sleek, beautiful looking beast of 80s esthetics. Just look at all those buttons and LEDs! Might be more work than it’s worth, but the sound you can get from a high-quality blank tape and this machine are better than what my ears can discern anyway.
3. PS Audio FR30 speakers
$40,000 for the pair. Then I’d need the amplifiers and Paul McGowan himself to set it all up. I’d also need to move into a bigger house. They require a large, neutral listening space. Which I’d like to have anyway! By all accounts, these speakers (when set up correctly) provide a very real sounding experience, as if you’re in the room with the musicians. The low end is supposedly amazing, aided by eight passive radiators. Plus, don’t they just look gorgeous?
4. Iron Maiden – Best of the Beast vinyl(1996)
Needed for just a handful of tracks! A live version of “Revelations”, and technically the Soundhouse Tapes EP. In the condition I want it, it’ll cost me upwards of $1000. Wish I bought it for $300 new when I had the chance back in 1997. It’ll sound as good as CD, over my new AV Designhaus Derenville VPM turntable and PS Audio speakers!
5. Marantz SA-10
May as well grab a new CD transport while I’m at it! This Super Audio player boasts a high-end DAC, and will play files from FLAC to MP3 via a USB stick. It won’t connect easily with your iPhone, which means nothing to me anyway. I’ve always wanted a Super Audio player, so why not go with the best? This will set me back about a grand, and I’ll probably never use most of its features. But that’s what dreaming is all about!
There you go. 500 words on what I could do with a spare million bucks just kicking around. What would you buy? Keep it fun – this is a fantasy exercise, so no need for serious answers. Drop your comment below!
By now, everyone has heard the anthem “Blame Brett”, a song named for Jordan Miller’s ex, Brett Emmons of the Glorious Sons. While we don’t have Brett’s side of the story, from Jordan’s POV, the relationship is to blame for the following “wild” phase. “So sorry in advance, before you take off you pants, I wouldn’t let me near your friends, I wouldn’t let me near your dad.” This exceptional single has been an earworm all year, and the band are now reaping the rewards with international touring and an appearance on Kimmel. “Don’t blame me, blame Brett!” has become a rally cry.
“What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” boasts a strong chorus, wicked fuzzy guitars and delectable melodies served on a plate of a great beat and fun lyrics. “I think I’m becoming a conspiracy theorist…everyone says that love exists, but I think that it’s a myth.” A great song that screams hit potential.
“Me & Me” plays with tempo, and goes for the accelerator with an 80s sound, and great shouted backing vocals. One of the strengths of this band is the vocalizing by the band, making it a party atmosphere. The party continues with “Everything is Boring” and its “ah, ah” vocals. “Doctor please, just pill me,” sings Jordan Miller to the ADD generation. The pace slows down on “My Body Ft. Your Lips”, a playful title. This is a duet with an American band called Beach Weather, and the female/male vocal lines work really well. Though it takes a minute to catch, this is a great soft, slow burner.
“Kismet” has a speak-sing style on the verses, before the chorus bursts out in exuberant upbeat excitement. The choruses are great, with a disco flavour and a quick beat, but the verses take some getting used to. Moving on, “Shower Beer” is a great title. You may have heard of the concept of drinking a beer in the shower. “I’ve got fear of missing out, I wanna get drunk and sit up, I need to be talked about,” sings Jordan Miller.
“Edge of the Earth” has proven to be a success for the band, and you can hear why. This ballad with a beat has passionate vocals, amazing melodies and harmonies, and the right vibe for a summer cruising hit. That’s followed by a mid-tempo number with acoustic undertones called “If A Tree Falls”, which has nothing to do with the Bruce Cockburn song of the same name. This is a really pretty pop rocker with a nice little guitar solo that is played for vibe. The album goes back to high-speed pop rock on the closer “Cigarette”. “I wanna be your cigarette,” squeals Jordan Miller, on one of the album’s most fun tunes.
Here’s the big problem with this CD. Two, in fact:
Difficulty to purchase. The only way I could get this CD was at a show (sold out) or on their website ($15 shipping).
No booklet, no credits, no nothing. Only the song titles are listed on the back, not even the band members!
This album should be in every store. It’s a hit waiting to happen.
Last summer was different. I felt like I had something to prove. I lost the co-host that was responsible for the lion’s share of my views, and I wanted to pivot back to music. Grab A Stack of Rock was envisioned as an “easy” show, where I didn’t have to do any prep or homework. I was ready to work hard again and I think we did that. We brought back lists and deep dives and the show was so much better for it.
This year is a little different in another way, which is my old co-hosts are occupied. Harrison is busy focusing on his health. Other co-hosts have their own shows now. Others still are focusing on family. I can’t blame them for that. In a way, my show has been a bit like the Alice Cooper backing band. Just as he launched the careers of Kip Winger and many more, my show has launched others into the Youtube-sphere. That show out of Thunder Bay Ontario wouldn’t exist without my rocket boosters. With that in mind, I think this summer will be something of a slowdown.
This week we’re back at the cottage with John Clauser and Metal Roger. It’ll be their first cottage show.
What will the summer bring? Fewer shows perhaps, but Grab A Stack of Rock will still continue, perhaps with a few different faces that we didn’t have last summer. Some familiar ones as well. Grant from the Rock Warehaus wants to hang out on the front porch again this summer. I’m also thinking of doing a midnight outdoors show. We’ll see what the summer has in store, but one thing I don’t need to do is prove anything to anyone. We did that last year and we’re better off for it.
It seems like a lifetime ago, that I co-wrote and recorded the only song I’m on that has ever been officially released. On August 6 2010, I sat down at my computer and wrote the lyrics to what would become one of the strangest songs on Kathryn Ladano’s CD, Open. And yes, you can buy it on iTunes or on compact disc. Just search for Ladano!
Kathryn performs mostly improvised instrumental music, and “Evil Kirk” was to be the only spoken word piece on the album. I had been bugging her for a while to appear on one of her albums, but considering that I’m not a very good singer, and she doesn’t use vocals, it seemed all but impossible. I had thrown around an idea of doing an “Optimus Prime Trilogy” – the life, death, life, death, life, and final death of the Marvel Comics version of the character. This didn’t click with her, but eventually she thought of doing something about Captain Kirk. “Evil Kirk” refers to the original Star Trek episide “The Enemy Within”, in which a transporter accident splits Kirk into good and evil halves. Kathryn loved the episode (probably because there was an alien puppy dog with a horn and antennae), and she really loved William Shatner’s hilariously overwrought performance.
We had an idea of doing the lyrics as a rough series of favourite Kirk quotes. We’d avoid the obvious stuff like “Khaaaaaaan!” and focus on some of our personal favourites. On a personal level, I wanted to honour all eras of Kirk to date, which meant the Chris Pine movies too. Today, Paul Wesley plays an excellent modern take on the character in Strange New Worlds, but when we recorded “Evil Kirk”, Chris Pine was the guy.
We did four takes. I present to you the lyrics to “Evil Kirk” as they appear in my notes, with notations on the origins of each Kirk quote. This is not exactly word for word how it went on the album, but how I wrote it initially. Minor changes are a part of improvisation!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Message, Spock?
The Wrath of Khan takes place on Kirk’s birthday. Spock gifts his friend an ancient printed book of A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” is Kirk reading the opening sentence of the novel. He then asks Spock if there was a hidden meaning to this gift. None except “happy birthday, surely the best of times.” But Kirk is not happy getting old and fat behind a desk. This theme of aging runs through the film.
Of all the souls I have known His was the most Human.
I truly believe that Spock’s funeral scene in The Wrath of Khan is some of Shatner’s very best emoting in his long career. This line comes from his eulogy for his best friend. When he stumbles and pauses before the word “human”, you can feel the grief as if it were real. The way his face wrenches up before he says the word…I admit it brings tears to my eyes!
No more blah, blah!
From season one, episode eight: “Miri”. A planet of children frustrates Kirk with their chanting of “blah, blah, blah!” In a rage, Kirk responds “NO MORE BLAH BLAH BLAH!” I shortened it to “blah blah” because that’s the way it sounded to me. This is sort of a recurring chorus.
Did I ever tell you, you play an irritating game of chess, Mr. Spock?
From the second pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. In order to introduce the characters to the TV audience, Spock’s logical side is showcased here. “Irritation? Ah yes, one of your Earth emotions,” says Spock before Kirk checkmates him. “Sure you don’t know what irritation is, Mr. Spock?” smiles Kirk.
So why don’t you get some more guys and it’ll be an even fight.
The first Chris Pine line in the song. This is from the 2009 Star Trek movie, when a civilian Kirk gets into a bar fight with some Starfleet personnel.
You can whistle really loud, you know that?
Same scene, same movie. This is when Captain Pike breaks up the brawl and sits Kirk down for a little chat about his future.
No more blah,blah!
Of all things, a god needs compassion.
From the second pilot episode again. Kirk’s closest friend since the Academy, Gary Mitchell, has acquired god-like powers. As he goes slowly mad with power, Kirk reminds him of the fundamentals of godhoood.
What does God need with a starship?
From the much-maligned fifth Trek movie, directed by Shatner himself. The USS Enterprise goes to find “God” at the center of our galaxy. The “god” requests the Enterprise to be his chariot. The charade doesn’t last, as Kirk questions him why a god would need a starship.
Our missions are peaceful…not for conquest.
Season one, episode 18: One of our favourite episodes, “Arena”. Known to casual fans as “the one with the Gorn”, Kirk is sent down by the Metrons to do hand to hand combat with an alien lizard. You can bet, his shirt gets torn.
Worlds are conquered, galaxies destroyed…but a woman is always a woman.
A great line right out of the 1960s, from season one, episode 13: “The Conscience of the King”. Known as “the one with Kodos the Executioner”. This line is regarding Kodos’ beautiful daughter. Not a personal favourite episode, just a great line.
No more blah, blah!
Take me back! Please! I want to live!
I’m Captain Kirk… I’M CAPTAIN KIRK!
Also from “The Enemy Within”. The only way to fix the split good/evil Kirk problem is to re-combine them. Yet, the evil one doesn’t want that. He wants to live! This is a moral quandary that Star Trek would revisit again in episodes like “Tuvix”. A harrowing performance, if campy.
Yeoman, I owe you an explanation…The transporter malfunctioned, divided me, created a duplicate…The animal part of me came to your cabin…He even scratched me to make us look more alike…I’d like the chance to explain it to you…You don’t mind if I come to your cabin later?
A great line from “The Enemy Within”, as Evil Kirk tries to seduce Janice Rand, played by Grace Lee Whitney in season one of the show. The Evil Kirk is lying of course. He is up to no good!
No more blah,blah!
Second star to the right…and straight on ’til morning.
From Peter Pan, but also from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (“the one with Kim Cattrall”). On the Enterprise-A’s final voyage, they are ordered to return home for decommissioning. Kirk and crew decide to tell Starfleet to “go to hell”. When asked for course and heading, Kirk responds with the Peter Pan line. This is also something of a throwback to the ending of the very first Star Trek motion picture. When asked for a course, Kirk responds, “Over there…thataway.”
Everybody remember where we parked.
A funny line from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The crew park a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey in the middle of a park in Los Angeles, circa 1986. The film might be better known as “the one with the whales”.
How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.
Kirk’s line of wisdom to Saavik, played by Kirstie Alley, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. When she fails the Kobayashi Maru test, a no-win scenario, Saavik questions the purpose of a test where everyone dies, in every possible situation.
If Spock were here, he’d say that I was an irrational, illogical human being for going on a mission like this… Sounds like fun!
I felt I had to be inclusive, and I couldn’t ignore Kirk’s only appearance in a Next Generation-era project. Star Trek: Generations (“the one where Kirk dies”) is derided by many fans for a swirly-wirly timey-wimey plot and some continuity issues, which we will get to. This line here is a fan-service reference to Spock, when Picard offers Kirk one more chance to “make a difference”.
No more blah,blah!
I’ve always known…I’ll die alone.
Speaking of continuity, this line from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (“the one where they meet God”) is a problem. When Kirk eventually dies, Picard is by his side. Fans have ret-conned this to mean that Kirk knew he would die without any of his friends.
What is a Man, but that… lofty spirit… that sense of, Enterprise! That devotion to something that cannot be Sensed… cannot be… Realized, but only… DREAMED! The HIGHEST Reality!
Season two, episode eight: “I, Mudd!” The second of several appearances for Harcourt Fenton Mudd, delightful rogue and scammer. Played by Roger C. Carmel in the original and animated series, Mudd was later portrayed by Rainn Wilson in Star Trek: Discovery and Short Treks. In “I, Mudd”, a planet of human-like androids is the scene for a comedic Trek. Kirk’s line here is about what it means to be human, a common theme in all of Star Trek.
It was…fun.
Kirk’s final line of dialogue to Picard, before he dies in Generations. Fans actually cheered his death in theaters. That’s when Paramount knew their movie was in serious trouble.
KHAN!
OK, so I did use the line initially, but during the performance, we knew it wasn’t right. Ending it with “It was…fun” made more sense.
And that’s “Evil Kirk” for you, line by line. I wish I could do just one more take of it, as I think I have better control of my voice now, but I think the final version is pretty good.
Park Avenue leads to…SKID ROW! But Skid Row leads to Grant’s Rock Warehaus!
This week on Grant’s Rock Warehaus, we talk about a band that Grant has been digging seriously for the last several weeks, ever since seeing former singer Sebastian Bach on an 80’s cruise. We don’t talk just Bach. We tackle the Johnny Solinger years, the unfortunate tale of Erik Grönwall’s short stint, and of course, current lead singer Lzzy Hale. Take a look at my Skid Row collection, including The Atlantic Years box set (unboxing!), my original 1991 vinyl of Slave to the Grind, my Japanese Best of Skid Row, and a rare promo single from 1995.
Grant and I tried to cover as much ground as possible. Album artwork is discussed, and a few underdog records are praised. I tried to highlight what I think are some incredible and underrated ballads that might be forgotten in the shadow of “I Remember You”. We shone a light on the talent of all the members, and questioned what they could have done differently through their career. Leading to the present day, we have some suggestions for Skid Row about their future and reissues we want to see happen.
It’s all here, on Grant’s Rock Warehaus with your host, Grant Arthur!
One Drop, from Victoria BC, (not to be confused with the San Diego band) is a seven piece reggae rock band boasting saxophones and keyboards. They’ve been around 20 years, and have at least three releases out. Having said that, this will be my first listen (and first impression) of this band and their music. With sax and keys, it should be a rich sound. Let’s get on with it!
“Rudy” opens this 13 track album with loops and a beat. Even Marillion were experimenting with loopy beats in 2004, and I definitely recognize some of those drum loops (distant and steady) as being fashionable at the time. Then, the track kicks into gear with the saxophones and a bouncy low bassline. The vocals are partly rapped, but it works within the song. There are even guitar solos. Excellent track!
“Three Four Reggae” is a brief song featuring acoustic guitar and rolling bass. It’s a gentle track that lulls you in, leading right into the hard hitting “Big Bang”. This blast of a song hooks you in with a saxophone line at the forefront. It alternates between cool reggae beats and the crash of heavy guitar chords. There’s even a wicked guitar solo. Shades of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones can be heard on this song.
Another brief interlude comes in “Tango” featuring an old sample mixed with a modern beat. Again, this seamlessly leads into a heavy-hitter. “Look the Other Way” is fast and hard punk rock, complete with snotty nose. Just as suddenly, we’re in the slow groove of “Never Rest”. The saxophones are back center stage, and the bass continues to roll while Blair Douglas raps an anti-war message. George W. Bush is lambasted, as the Iraq war raged on. This track would probably have been awesome to hear live back in the day. There’s a brilliant, soft alto sax solo at the end that just reeks of atmosphere. Brilliant tune.
The pace picks up on “Someday”, which jangles its way into your skull right down to your feet. On “Never There”, the groove slows and becomes bitter. This song doesn’t jump out immediately. It may require further listening. “Bloodshed” again tackles serious subject matter, with a gentle guitar rhythm backed by solid bass. Better though is “Gotta Relate” which has a more rock and roll feel, with a classic guitar riff backed by reggae bass. This transitions to a more traditional reggae guitar part, and I get a bit of a Sublime vibe. This is a great song, period. The chorus is catchy as hell. Then, an epic “Rich Man Poor Man” plays with different sections, different tempos, and almost comes off as…progressive rock reggae? Is that a thing? If it is, that’s “Rich Man Poor Man”.
The album closes on two long bombers. “Rudy Dub” is what it sounds like: a slow dub groove. The organ is the main feature here. This is a cool instrumental that works as the penultimate track on an album. The final track, “The Projects”, takes a while to get going and might have benefited from some editing. It has all the energy, drive and punch it needs, but lacks hooks. A killer hook or two, and this album would have ended on an unstoppable note. One Drop get too clever for their own good, going from section to section like a progressive rock band, but in search of that killer hook needed to slam it out of the park. Just once you think they have one going, the song changes into something else.
Good album from a talented band. I bet they are awesome live.
RECORD STORE TALES #1127: Walter – An Uncle Paul story
My Uncle Paul loved his “spot”. It was a comfy armchair at the cottage, right next to the patio screen door, and right in front of the TV. The phone was on an end table right next to it, and fridge was never far, with a fresh supply of cold beer. It was cool, shaded, comfortable, and perfect. On many days he’d prefer to sit there than come down to the beach, or playing cards. Who could blame him? Though we were often elsewhere while Uncle Paul did his thing, he was never alone.
He had Walter.
In reality, there was probably more than one Walter. Chipmunks typically only live two to three years, yet Walter, in one form or another, returned to his screen door year after year, looking for peanuts. There was also a second chipmunk that he named Fang. Doctor Kathryn recalls, “the other chipmunk he fed, he named Fang. Fang had part of his ear missing, and looked really banged up!” He probably ran afoul of a cat or Schnauzer.
We always had loads of chipmunks at the cottage. They’re not a pest, but they’re timid and not very brave by nature. If you left peanuts out (always shelled, unsalted), then you could gradually condition them to come closer and closer. Still, many would cower afar, especially since there were Schnauzers about, and Schnauzers and chipmunks are natural sworn enemies. This rivalry has been documented through history, most notably in the German children’s fable “The Chipmunk that Stole the Schnauzer’s Hat” (“Der Streifenhörnchen, der den Hut des Schnauzers Gestohlen“).
Through patience and time, Uncle Paul had trained little Walter the Chipmunk to come to his screen door and be rewarded with a peanut. The little brown, black and white creature would approach tentatively with caution, grasp a peanut his two front paws, stuff it in his cheeks, and dart off! He scampered across the deck, down to the ground and off into the unknown trees. But he’d be back, minutes later, ready to stuff another peanut in his cheeks. Uncle would always have an ample stash of nuts ready to serve.
This year, Jen and I have been visited by a new chipmunk friend on the front porch. It’s our first summer there since Uncle Paul passed in November. I’ve decided to name him Walter 2, in honour my uncle’s original friend.
This’ll get the trolls out! Nothing gets the Motley fans in a tizzy more than critiquing a favourite album, or praising a later one with the wrong lead singer. Our rock heroes are not infallible, and Theater of Pain might be the best example of this. After two screamin’ and bangin’ hard rock/heavy metal albums, Motley made a slight change of image & sound, and left us in a Theater of Pain….
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation assembled a killer crew for this topic. With Joe B., John Clauser, Steve Deluxe, Melissa Nee and myself, we talk memories, impressions then and now, and most importantly, the songs. We discuss every elephant in the room, from the tragic car crash that ended a life, addictions, and direction (or lack thereof). This tumultuous period of Motley history is full of drama, superstardom, great music videos, and tragedy.
I’m excited to watch this show that I was proud to be a small part of. Theater of Pain is one of my favourite musical topics, and I think we fairly covered all the bases here, and them some. How do you feel about Theater of Pain?
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