GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 112:Â Music & Mental Health II with Johnny Metal and Mike
This special live episode is a sequel to last month’s mental health episode called Ask Jex Anything. In this installment, Mike and Johnny Metal return to the cottage, live, to discuss new developments and updates. Returning to work after a mental health leave can be daunting, but we’re going to go there. Mike is also dealing with the death of his beloved grandmother, and all the complex feelings that arise from that.
Music will always remain important when we talk about mental health. When Mike first started experiencing his own issues, there was a new single out by Motley Crue called “Primal Scream” that seemed to express his feelings after a lifetime of bullying:
When I was just a young boy, Had to take a little grief, Now that I’m much older, Don’t put your shit on me!
What a release music can be! We will also discuss physical activity such as yoga, and other healthy ways to help purge those negative thoughts and feelings. We’ll also share an incredibly thoughtful email from Broadway Blotto, from (of course!) the band Blotto.
This is the first of two episodes today. 50 Years of Iron Maiden will continue in the evening. Look for this in a separate post. We hope you can join us live this afternoon for this very important episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.
Friday August 8 at 3:30 PM EST, 4:30 PM Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #111
Iron Maiden’s first official compilation album came at an interesting time. Many bands release such albums after a massive success, to keep capitalizing upon it and keep the artist on the charts. In Maiden’s career, the first compilation came during the dark times of the 1990s, when sales were lower and tickets were not flying out the door. Welcome to Best of the Beast, available in several configurations. There was a single CD (which we ignore for the purposes of this episode), a beefed up double CD, and a Holy Grail 4 LP set with exclusive extra tracks.
Taking a roughly reverse-chronological approach, Best of the Best contained a new single called “Virus”, unreleased live tracks, and the Soundhouse Tapes reissued. Harrison and I cover every single track, what might have been missing, and all the B-sides to the “Virus” single. We also take a deep dive into the artwork for the album, single, and postcards included. The album itself was a deluxe package with plenty of Eddies to enjoy.
Have you decided that you don’t need Best of the Beast because it is “merely” a compilation? Harrison and I will convince you otherwise, tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
Friday August 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube.
For the love of the Ozzman, friends gathered together to mourn and celebrate the unique talents and charms of one John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne.
Peter Kerr stated, if you walked up to an average person and asked them to name one icon of heavy metal, they’re likely to answer “Ozzy Osbourne”. As a founding member of Black Sabbath, whose 1970 debut is generally credited for creating “heavy metal”, Ozzy was on the ground floor as the voice and face of the founding fathers. Ozzy deserves far more credit than we could shower on him in just 80 minutes.
Joining me was Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation, his fellow countryman Ash Geisler, and Jake (Not From State Farm) in his live debut on Grab A Stack of Rock. Each of us brought parts of our collections and stories of the ways in which Ozzy impacted our lives. We also had a special video clip from Uncle Meat, on Ozzy’s effect on his life trajectory.
Each of us had some stacks of Ozzy rock to show. Ash had some cool radio broadcast stuff and some interesting early CD pressings of Sabbath classics, not to mention a rare early Sabbath single in a picture sleeve. Peter and Jake brought their Diary/Blizzard box sets, and some favourite records. Mike provided Japanese imports, box sets, bonus tracks, and stories of discovery.
Peter came to us with some perspective from Bob Daisley, who he interviewed on Rock Daydream Nation. Ozzy’s vocal prowess in the early days was emphasized, and we also addressed that final concert that everyone is still talking about.
We ended the show with Uncle Meat’s performance of “Fairies Wear Boots”, with his old band Heavy Cutting.
On a sad note, we also paid tribute to a cast member of the Grab A Stack Gang that we lost this week. Yes, we didn’t just lose Ozzy, Hulk Hogan, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Chuck Mangione. We also lost the beloved, fan favourite Gimley the Cat. I said a few words for Gimley, who was always by Rob Daniels’ side on his every appearance. I am sorry for your loss Rob.
Thank you for joining us on this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock. Next week: back to 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
With special guests Peter Kerr, Ash Geisler and Jake NFSF
Episode 110: Memories of Ozz
We had no plan for this. Tonight’s episode was supposed to be a regular, old-fashioned Grab A Stack of Rock, where we grab a bunch of albums and talk about them at random. Unfortunately the Metal gods had another plan, and they called upon Ozzy Osbourne to join them in Rock Heaven. And so our plans were upturned.
Peter Kerr and Ash Geisler remain on the guestlist to talk about Ozzy Osbourne. Favourite memories, favourite albums, favourite songs. Things that mean something to us. Ways in which Ozzy touched our lives. Peter has interviewed Bob Daisley and John Sinclair, and has that perspective to add. Unfortunately Harrison Kopp the Mad Metal Man felt unqualified to join, so in his stead will be Jake (Not From State Farm) for a special appearance.
I will never forget my Grandma buying me an Ozzy tape as a gift. I don’t think she picked it herself, given the cover art. I will always smile when I think of road tripping with my friend Peter, to the sound of the early Black Sabbath stuff. Specifically, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” from the recently acquired Ozzy Osbourne Years box set. Or, my dad discovering Ozzy in the 2000s when he made his mainstream TV debut.
Jake, Ash and Peter will bring their own stories to the fore. Join us tonight as we salute the original Madman of Metal, on Grab A Stack of Rock.
Friday July 25 at 7:00 PM EST, 8 PM Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
For weeks we have been building to this moment. The Fear of the Dark era ends, and a new singer is required. After considering Doogie White, who went on to success with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden chose Wolfbane’s Blaze Bayley as their new lead singer. While Blaze had a connection opening for Maiden, his selection was a surprise to some. A power baritone, Blaze was not an operatic singer like Bruce Dickinson. Nor was he a complex punky shouter like Paul Di’Anno. What would the new Iron Maiden sound like? We tackle that subject and much more on tonight’s epic episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
For the first time since No Prayer for the Dying back in the beginning of June, Harrison and I are joined by a special guest to dissect this album. You may know Jake (Not From State Farm) from his appearance with me on John Clauser’s Music Corner. Jake asked for these episodes (the pair of Blaze studio albums) because of his deep love for this era. Both Jake and Harrison come at this album from the perspective of having a special connection with the music of Blaze. Mike on the other hand is more simply an Iron Maiden fan, and provides a sense of balance. We hope.
This is the longest episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden to date! Why? Because we have so much to discuss:
14 original studio songs including three Japanese bonus tracks (B-sides elsewhere)
Two cover songs (B-sides:Â The Who and UFO)
The cover art by Hugh Syme (two versions)
A deep analysis of the lyrical themes
Our personal stories and connections with The X Factor
Facts and trivia
The tour and setlist
The Blaze Bayley interview tracks (B-sides) of which we have five segments to play for you
As usual you can expect us to be comprehensive, and we do not disappoint in this episode.
We hope you can make the premiere tonight where I always try to interact in the comment section! Up the irons, and into the unknown!
Friday July 18 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube.
* I wanna shoot myself for saying the “STATE” of Quebec instead of “PROVINCE” in this episode. UGH. What a mis-speak. So embarassing!
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show
A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108
Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK. It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast. Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.
Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason: Simon Drake. A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden. Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.
Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden. A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert. Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it. And show you, too: we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?
Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze. Tune in tonight and join the comments!
Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
RECORD STORE TALES #1197: Moose Sausage & Mental Health
Summer is well on its way. I’ve waited a long time to get here.
I love doing live broadcasts from the cottage. This weekend was going to be packed full, just like our bags and boxes that we loaded in the car for our first trip of July. We hit the road at 4:30 on Thursday. Preparing for Friday’s live episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden, we played all of Live at Donington on the way to the lake. Not necessarily the best album for a lake drive, but Jen liked it, and it helped me prepare a little bit extra for the show.
Thursday night was peaceful, but hot. There was not much to do but play music on the porch. I cued up Tonight At Toad’s Place by Blotto, and started working on some show-related writing. Dr. Kathryn came over for a quick visit. We gossiped a bit about people we used to know, and after dark I shut it down for the night. Friday was going to be a fun day for us.
I began my Friday morning by cooking up a delicious moose sausage, and editing a new episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden. I wanted to do minimal editing, just to fix a couple spots with issues, but I ended up having a little more fun with it. At 8 AM we left for the butcher (The Beefway) and bought two steaks, a chicken breast, some lamb chops, and the best bacon I’ve ever cooked in my life. This extra thick cut bacon was so soft and sweet. It led me to an idea.
Canadian breakfast:Â moose sausage & mayo on a bun, with coffee.
We were going to do roasted potatoes on the BBQ. Jen likes to stuff hers with butter, but I had a different idea. I sliced up some fatty parts of the bacon and stuffed my potato with that. The end result was a delicious potato that tasted like a Smokey Bacon BBQ potato chip. The bacon pieces inside were soft and melted like butter in your mouth. A new masterpiece, but one that I feel I can only do with the exact right bacon. It has to be cut thick with lots of fat. And it worked beautifully.
The lamb, chicken and steaks also turned out really well. I did up some stuffed peppers with cream cheese, green onions and more bacon. The chicken breast ended up being the best one I’d ever made. The Beefway simply have the best food, and I have to admit I’m not too bad a chef myself. I used about half a bottle of BBQ sauce on one chicken breast, but that’s because I wanted it perfectly and completely coated. It came out so juicy and flavorful. Grocery store chicken seems to have a weird preservative taste these days. Not the stuff from the Beefway!
Friday night’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden went really well. It was our first live episode in quite a while, but I am glad that Harrison and I still have the skills. A surprise came that night: a donation! Our very first donation! Viewer Ryan Potter had this to say:
Thanks for this series guys! I’ve been enjoying revisiting these albums and going through my Maiden Collection with each episode.
Thank you Ryan for this first-ever thank-you. If we ever felt like we were not doing as good a job as we want to, Ryan’s comment will remind us that we’re doing just fine.
Friday was a difficult episode, because we had to review four CDs of Iron Maiden: A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, and Live at Donington (2 CDs). There were also two CD singles with an additional three bonus tracks to tackle. It required a lot of listening and a lot of notes, but Harrison and I managed to cover it all between the two of us. A proud night.
Friday night’s broadcast location for 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
But that was just the beginning for our live streaming adventures on the weekend.
Jex Russell, my “other” main co-host for many moons in the past, has been dealing with life lately. He recently had some free time come up, and said to me, “I’m ready. I want to do a live show. I want to tell people where I have been and what I’ve been up to. Let’s call it Ask Jex Anything and we’ll discuss mental health.”
I loved this idea.
We discussed when to go live. I was pushing for 8 AM Saturday morning, based on a past show we did in that time slot together. Mostly though, I didn’t want to do two live shows during prime cottage hours. One was fine. Two would be spending too much time on a screen during the best time of day. Jex was hesitant. What’s the point of an “Ask Jex Anything” episode if there’s nobody watching to ask? I crossed my fingers and set up the broadcast from my favourite spot: fireside. I gathered the firewood and a Canadian flag for an epic backdrop. I waited for 8 AM to come.
I think I had pretty much the best broadcast desk of any music show on YouTube today. You can get Pete Pardo with his wall of CDs behind him, or a “Hair Metal Guru” with loads of memorabilia, but nobody else in music had a backdrop like mine. A roaring fire, a Canadian flag, and nature. A few people walking down the road were wondering why this guy was out at 8 AM, talking on a laptop, at a computer desk in the middle of a beautiful green enclave. Why? Because it’s awesome!
Saturday’s office.
I had confidence that we would do a good show, viewers or no viewers. We always do.
It didn’t take long for the viewers to show up, and for Jex and I to open up, about mental health, music and balance. The questions began pouring in, and I could not keep up with the comments. Some people woke up early just to watch this special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock. Johnny Clauser and Tim Durling joined as surprise guests to share their own stories. Confessions were made, and I told a chapter of my story that I have never revealed before. Not even in Record Store Tales.
I believe that Satuday’s show, Ask Jex Anything: Music and Mental Health, is the most important episode we’ve ever done. Much to Jex’s relief, we had great views. Even exceeding the previous night’s 50 Years of Iron Maiden. We are very, very proud.
It ended up being a very good decision to go live in the morning. Black Sabbath were playing their final concert that afternoon. Everybody would be watching that, had we decided to go live later on. The morning show was a blessing.
From that point on, Saturday was ours to enjoy. It got hot – very hot. Eventually we went into town to get some air conditioning and soda pop. Staying cool was a challenge, and it prevented me from doing too much that day. No writing completed.
Droning on.
I did get to fly my drone a bit. I chose to fly my original drone, the Potensic. It is the better drone for stunt flying, and I made a few great videos. I still have to edit these. I managed to get one uploaded, which is “Nothing At All” by Deep Purple, to the visuals of a Lake Huron sunrise.
Sunday morning was time to pack our bags and head home.  My mood crashed that day. It was an uncanny feeling of autumn; of “back to school”, even though it was only July. I could not shake that depressed feeling. We listened to April Wine on the way home because I wanted music that I was less familiar with. “All Over Town” is my new favourite song, but the crash hit me hard.
We tried to cheer me up by ordering in a nice dinner (The Burgers Priest), but failed. I woke up Monday morning unable to get out of bed. I lay there for hours, tired and worn out. I worked from home on Monday. In the old days I would have gone to work and felt worse and worse as the day went on. This time I managed. It is nice to have those options to work from home. It saved my Monday.
A beautiful weekend was had, despite the crash at the end. We’ll be back for my birthday. Close yet far!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 107: Ask Jex Anything! Music and Mental Health
Music and mental health: what’s the connection? Quite a lot actually! But let’s get right to the point. This episode is “Ask Jex Anything”. You may have noticed that my Friendly Frenchman Co-host has not been on the show as much as he was during the 2023 summer season. Jex is happy to be back, at least for now, and to talk about what he’s been up to in the meantime. Jex will be taking all questions live!
We will also be discussing mental health and music. Music is essential to the mental health of guys like Jex and I, and we are happy to open up. For the first time, I will discuss a chapter of my story that I have never talked about publicly. We hope to reduce stigma and to encourage healthy ways of dealing with life…like listening to music.
Because this is Grab A Stack of Rock, we have some music to show. I have chosen some special albums from my collection to discuss, along two themes: songs about battles with mental health, and artists with their own battles to fight.
Don’t miss this special live episode. Ask Jex anything…ANYTHING! See you this morning in the comments!
Saturday July 5 at 8:00 AM EST, 9 AM Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One
A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #106
Scream for me, YouTube! Harrison and Mike will be live Friday evening, July 4, for our next episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden. This period is a busy one in Maiden history. The 1992 Fear on the Road tour resulted in a live album, 1993’s A Real Live One, which contained no overlap with previous live album Live After Death (ignoring Maiden England for this comparison). The point was value, but was that a good idea? The intention was always to follow it with A Real Dead One, but Bruce’s announcement that he was leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 put the dampers over the whole affair. After Bruce had played his final show and was diving into making his solo album Balls to Picasso, Iron Maiden released a double live Live at Donington to commemorate the significant 1992 live gig with Bruce in the band.
There was also a VHS release of Bruce’s final show called Raising Hell, but we will tackle that subject in the next live episode. For this week, we are covering 4 CDs of live Maiden, plus all the B-sides. That means you’re getting A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, Live At Donington, plus the live singles for “Fear of the Dark” and “Hallowed Be That Name”. Every song – that is how we do it here on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
Artwork is an interesting subject to tackle when it comes to these albums. Derek Riggs was back after a one-album absence, to provide artwork on A Real Live One and A Real Dead One. Donington was issued with a simple white “bootleg” cover, the Maiden logo stamped in black, and no booklet. Some consider this release to be an early form of an “official bootleg” release.  All these albums were reissued in 1998 with some changes. A Real Live One and A Real Dead One were combined into one, and Donington was given actual cover art this time by Marillion artist Mark Wilkinson, featuring a demonic bat-Eddie 1992 concert goers would recognise from the show. Mark will reappear in this series down the line….
Harrison and Mike will attempt to digest all of this live Maiden tonight, live. Join us in the comments!
I am pleased to announce that Jex Russell is returning to the Grab A Stack of Rock live arena this Saturday morning. In addition to that, Harrison Kopp and Mike will still be doing Episode 16 of 50 Years of Iron Maiden on Friday night, at our usual time. Here are the details.
Friday July 4 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 106 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One
Mike and Harrison will tackle FOUR CDs of live Iron Maiden…live!
Saturday July 5 at 8:00 A.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 107 Ask Jex Anything! Music and Mental Health
Jex Russell returns to Grab A Stack of Rock for his first full live episode since fall 2024. Jex has had a lot of “Where have you been?” questions and he is eager to answer. We’ll be talking about music, mental health, and the importance of taking little moments for yourself. Mike will talk about his own journey with a chapter of his tale that he has never told before.
Don’t miss these two crucial live episodes of Grab A Stack of Rock!
mikeladano.com 