John Clauser is back with his Monday Night Metal chat! Tonight we will be telling ghost stories! Halloween is near and spooky season is upon us! All of us will take turns telling some fun stories that are not too dark. Just right for your hot chocolate by the screen tonight.
Joining Johnny this episode:
Enjoy this episode!
Monday Oct 27, 6:00 PM EST at the link below.
‘Twas my honour to be back on My Music Corner with Johnny Clauser on Monday night! Well, to be fair, I invited myself, but it was a free for all, so that’s allowed!
Joining Johnny this episode:
Johnny asked us all of a series of questions including:
Enjoy this episode!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #113
2nd show of Friday August 7! For Music & Mental Health II, click here.
The Blaze Bayley era ended as swiftly as it began. Two studio albums and a handful of singles were all this lineup produced. Here we appraise the final Iron Maiden album with Blaze at the microphone, the oft-misunderstood Virtual XI.
This episode will prove to be our most controversial to date. Special guest Jake (Not From State Farm) does not hold back on certain topics, especially when it comes to fandom unwilling to accept the new lead singer. As fans of this dark era of Iron Maiden, we will tell you what was great about this album, while hopefully taking a balanced approach. Even so, some will not be happy with what we have to say.
Personal memories of Virtual XI are coupled with the facts and figures. Unlike the X Factor, we do not have 14 original studio tracks to break down this time. Iron Maiden took a leaner approach to songwriting and recording this time, but the two singles (“Angel and the Gambler”, and “Futureal”) did yield a small treasure trove of live versions, something that the previous singles did not. As usual we will look at every single B-side, including the edit version of “Angel and the Gambler”. We will also take a look at the limited edition lenticular cover art, while Harrison will go into detail on the accompanying tour.
Buckle up, metal heads. Tonight we take no prisoners on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
Past episodes:
Handy YouTube Playlist:
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.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #109
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:
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!
* I wanna shoot myself for saying the “STATE” of Quebec instead of “PROVINCE” in this episode. UGH. What a mis-speak. So embarassing!
Past episodes:
Handy YouTube Playlist:
Readers may not be familiar with Jake Not From State Farm, so let me introduce you. If you tune in to John Clauser’s channel My Music Corner, he’s done several great videos with Jake. Additionally, Jake will be joining us later this year for some albums on 50 Years of Iron Maiden. It turns out that both Jake and Harrison love Blaze Bayley. And so, they became friends.
Jake had a batch of duplicate CDs that he donated to Harrison’s collection, two of which I want! That damn Harrison keeps ending up with more and more CDs that I want for myself.
Joining us for this unboxing episode is the man who introduced us to Jake in the first place, Mr. Johnny Clauser. Mostly, we let Harrison do the unboxing, and lots of show and tell. Enjoy this short episode.
mikeladano.com 