A young Steve Anthony, just starting on his MuchMusic career, but not yet known as the on-screen madman he’d become, chatted with Aerosmith right when they were hot again, in 1987 on the Permanent Vacation tour. He opens by mentioning how sick they must be talking about the “drug thing”, and then asks about the “Toxic Twins”, a strategy that worked in getting some good comments out of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
Joe Perry discusses the 1984 reunion tour, and the risk of going out without a new album to promote. Common today, rare then.
An interesting flash from the past as we remember Aerosmith!
These Gil Moore interviews that I have are all from a MuchMusic Spotlight. Therefore, all the original information about the time and location of the interview are now lost to me. It looks like this was recorded on the west coast, which would make the interviewer Terry David Mulligan (“TDM”). It is some time in the mid-80s. Gil is asked about the “essence” of rock and roll, and he argues that it has a lot to do with the live experience. Check it out!
January, 1991. Faith No More were huge. MuchMusic’s Kim Clarke Champniss asks the question: How do you feel about being classified as a metal band? Does Faith No More even care? “Epic” was a huge hit. Would it have been even without the record company phone calls made to MTV? Check out Roddy Bottum’s answers.
Meanwhile, Mike Patton grins and Mike Bordin plays hide & seek.
This is a monumental interview from my VHS collection. I wore this tape out, as you can tell! Judas Priest’s Rob Halford provides a lot of detail on the goings-on in 1988, that you don’t often hear. That was the year of Ram It Down, Stock Aitken & Waterman, “Johnny B. Goode” and much more! Hear about all that, English tax collectors, Lita Ford and more. Watch as Michael Williams presents Rob with a gold record for Ram It Down, and Priest…Live!
Topics discussed:
Why did Priest choose Canada to open the Ram It Down tour?
Priest’s longevity and why they have lasted so long.
The rotating drum seat: Spinal Tap? Why so many drummers?
Why did the guy’s pants fall down in the video for “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”? (“The day’s not complete without an exploding head!”)
Why did Priest work with Stock, Aitken & Waterman in January of 1988, and what did they record? (Hear an excerpt from “You Are Everything”.)
“Johnny B. Goode” and how it came about.
How do they keep going day after day on a year-long tour? Are they still hungry for it?
What happens next with Judas Priest?
Violence in heavy metal.
Please enjoy this classic Rob Halford interview that I almost wore right out as a kid. Lots of info here that is interesting to this day!
On April 26 1991, AC/DC brought The Razors Edge to Dublin, Ireland. MuchMusic were there!
Two lucky contest winners (Jerry and Kulwinder) got to co-host the Pepsi Power Hour backstage with Dan Gallagher, Angus Young, and Brian Johnson. Not only that, but they got to do it from Dublin! Brian is jovial, and Angus often lets him answer. The time is brief, but this interview covers the following subjects. The answers are almost always comical, so be sure to watch this excellent tape!
How does Brian maintain the energy levels on stage?
Is it loud on stage?
What video Angus wants to see.
What fans can expect at Donington.
What do you get out of playing live?
How does Brian keep his voice conditioned so well?
Watch Brian get the MuchMusic name wrong, twice! This interview is light, comedy gold. Enjoy!
A sharp looking Brian Vollmer was accompanied by new Helix guitarist Greg Fraser (Brighton Rock) in a Slayer shirt for this acoustic performance! The show was Start Me Up on Saturday afternoon, and Natalie Richard was the host. It’s A Business Doing Pleasure was the new album, and it was a slightly more acoustic affair for the band.
Topics discussed:
Inspiration for writing the new songs, and working with Marc Ribler.
Special guests on the new album.
Sleepin’ in the doghouse again!
Doing an album after losing Paul Hackman.
Touring the new album.
A stunning acoustic version of “Tug of War” from the new album (and the only performance available with Frase on guitar).
Brian’s morning routine (which he still maintains today).
The super-8 videos used in “That Day Is Gonna Come”, and what inspired the song.
The very first platinum album that MuchMusic received – Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge by Helix!
And the Oscar for Best Music Video Re-enactment goes to: JEX RUSSELL!
Folks, Jex could not make it to the show live tonight, but he prepared his list in advance and appeared by video. And folks…Jex knocked it out of the park this week. That’s all I’m going to say. Jex also provided physical product in the shape of vinyl for his picks.
Between Jex, Dr. Kathryn and I, we ended up covering some of the best music videos for:
Canadian content
Impact and influence
Cool factor
Mid-80s metal icons
Pop classics
Obscure gems
What we didn’t cover, the comments section did! Thank you for watching and commenting on this show. On a personal note, this was a technical challenge this week as I had to manage 21 individual video files for presentation, but fortunately it went off with very few glitches!
If you watch only one thing today, watch Jex Russell’s #1 pick.
See you next week with D’Arcy Briggs and Nurse Kat as we celebrate the release of the new Arkells album Disco Loadout!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 59: Top Five Music Videos From Our Childhoods
This show is a little different, and has been in the planning stages since February. Tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock, we present to you our Top Five Music Videos from our childhoods! Dr. K will be in the special panel tonight, with Jex Russell providing his list but unavailable to go live. This particular grouping is interesting, because Dr. K and I grew up during the dawn of MuchMusic, but Jex Russell is a little younger and grew up with a completely different set of music videos.
Either way: nostalgia on tap tonight!
Here’s the new twist: Normally we show off physical product on our show. It is called “grab a stack of rock”, after all. This time, the stacks of rock will be in the form of short video clips from each of our picks, that we will show and comment over tonight! I have personally edited these clips myself, and if all goes well, this should be a lot of fun. We are all psyched to see how this works.
Wish us luck tonight as we try something new! Either way, you can expect lots of laughs, some music history, and some cool music videos! Tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock!
Friday May 10 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or onFacebook!
Special Edition Episode: Our BRIGHTON ROCK Collections
Established in 1984 under the name Heart Attack, from Niagara Falls Ontario came the mighty BRIGHTON ROCK! Powerhouse screamer Gerry McGhee, Greg “Shredder” Fraser, Stevie Skreebs, Martin Victor and Mark Cavarzan comprised the original lineup. Johnny Rogers joined in the by the first album on keyboards, and the band began making their footprint in rock history through an EP, three studio albums, a live CD and a handful of standalone recordings. We walk you through all of it from start to finish.
Joining me for this special episode is longtime friend Len Labelle, a local collector whose history with Brighton Rock goes back to the debut. Len talks first impressions, a brief encounter with a band member, and favourite songs. We played two vintage MuchMusic interview clips with the band and talk about a VHS tape that we believe never came out. Towards the end, we detoured and took a great look at A World With Heroes, a Kiss tribute album featuring Brighton Rock. We returned course and talked about the final Brighton Rock recordings, and the present day with Storm Force.
We hope you find this episode fun, informative, and full of love. We lost Gerry McGhee to cancer in 2020, and fans continue to miss him. I hope we did Gerry justice.
Please enjoy this special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock with Mike and Len. If you know anything about that Brighton Rock home video, please leave a comment or drop us a line!
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
mikeladano.com 