4
Six Alternates For Time's "Person Of The Year," Five Good Rap Videos, And One Great Heavy Metal Video
People that would definitely not be named "Person of the Year" by Philadelphia rappers Black Deniro and Freeway: 1) The "Twitter Thug" 2) The "Fake Baller" 3) The "Bougie Chick" 4) The "Phone Gangster" 5) The "Goon Rat" 6) The "Sneaky Groupie"
20
Ronnie James Dio, 1942-2010
My favorite and longest-running Dungeons and Dragons character, during the two or three years when playing the game was the most important thing in my life, was a Dwarf named Gimli. A chaotic good thief with a strength of 25 and a gruff, dogged demeanor like the Tolkien creation who inspired him, Gimli ransacked the castles and mountain lairs of Middle Earth with his compatriot, my friend Chris' wizard, Gandalf. It's hard to overstate the extent to which my own pre-pubescent identity was wrapped up with that of Gimli. I saw him as embodying all the qualities I hoped I might have in myself: courage, loyalty, a good sense of [...]
1
Clive Burr, 1957-2013
“I first met Clive when he was leaving Samson and joining Iron Maiden. He was a great guy and a man who really lived his life to the full. Even during the darkest days of his M.S., Clive never lost his sense of humour or irreverence. This is a terribly sad day and all our thoughts are with Mimi and the family.” —Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson mourns his old drummer Clive Burr, who died Tuesday night after an 18 year battle with multiple sclerosis. Burr played on the band's first three albums, including their 1982 masterpiece The Number of the Beast. Born in East London, he died [...]
5
Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" Album Really Was About Mental Health
"I just needed some peace of mind. Thank God it turned out how it did. When we got to be No. 1 in 1983, we were competing with 'Thriller,' we were competing with 'Synchronicity'—all great albums of that era. That was quite an honor. It was more than just selling records. It was what it meant to achieve that in the company of artists like Michael Jackson and Sting." —Legendary heavy metal bass player Rudy Sarzo talks to New Jersey's Star Ledger about how he quit Ozzy Osbourne's band and rejoined Quiet Riot after guitarist Randy Rhoads died when the small plane he was in crashed into the tour [...]
6
Christopher Lee's Concept Album: When Saruman Went Metal
Generally the problem with vanity projects is that the vanity object/subject seems less interested in making a good album than in getting credit simply for having made one at all. But for Christopher Lee, maybe the bare fact of him having recorded a metal album at the age of 88—Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, a "symphonic metal" rock opera about the titular figure, was released in 2010—is worthy of praise in and of itself. Still, Lee, who made a veritable mountain of B-movie classics and was a rightfully beloved cult actor even before he played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies, shouldn't be allowed to coast [...]
15
90 Minutes with Gene Simmons Made Me a Member of the KISS Army for Life
Do you know that when you join the KISS Army they still give you a dog tag? Yes they do.
People still join the KISS Army, all the time. I know that because I receive regular email newsletter updates that tell me all about it. The newsletter came free with the dog tag, which is a pretty sweet deal. I find all sorts of things out in the newsletter, like how Paul Stanley's latest art show went, or when a new episode of Gene Simmons' sadly still functioning reality sitcom "Family Jewels" is screening. Also things like when Gene Simmons is threatening to expose the hackers who [...]
