After a parole hearing on Aug. 26, the convicted murderer of John Lennon was denied parole for the 11th time. Mark David Chapman, 65, will remain in custody in the Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo for at least another two years for murdering Lennon outside The Dakota apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side in Dec. 1980. Chapman, who is currently serving a 20-years-to-life sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, was first eligible for parole in 2000. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 2022. In 2018, the parole board said that Chapman himself was safer in prison than on the outside, where someone may want to kill him for notoriety or to avenge Lennon. During that hearing, Chapman told the parole board that he had "found Jesus" and was ashamed of himself, adding he was willing to be in jail "for as long as it took." Chapman was 25 when he shot the famous former Beatle dead outside the apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980. When police arrived to arrest him, he was flicking through pages of The Catcher in the Rye. He later said he was angry at the time about the immense fame that Lennon had amassed. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has previously argued against Chapman's release, saying he remains a risk to her and her son with Lennon. It's unclear if she wrote to the parole board this year, as she has done in the past. Details of the latest hearing have not yet emerged, aside from the fact Chapman was turned down for release. - DailyMailCo.uk, 8/26/20...... 
In other John Lennon news, what would have been his 80th birthday this October will be commemorated with the release of a new remix album called Gimme Some Truth - The Ultimate Mixes. Executive produced by the late Beatle's widow Yoko Ono and produced by his son Sean Ono Lennon, the special collection will arrive via Capitol/UMe on Oct. 9, the same day he would have turned 80 years old. Gimme Some Truth will be comprised of 36 classic Lennon songs which Capitol says were "completely remixed from scratch, radically upgrading their sonic quality and presenting them as a never-before-heard Ultimate Listening Experience." One of the remixed tracks from the release, "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)," has been shared on YouTube. Other remixes include "Come Together," "Mind Games," "Jealous Guy," "Dear Yoko" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Gimme Some Truth will be available in the following formats: 1CD, 2CD, 2LP, 4LP and streaming/download. A deluxe edition will include 36 tracks, a Blu-ray audio disc and an exclusive 124-page book. - New Musical Express, 8/26/20...... As Mick Jagger's first film role in 20 years comes to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on Aug. 25, the Rolling Stones frontman has spoken about his part in the neo-noir thriller film The Burnt Orange Heresy. The film follows a washed-up European art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang) and his American tourist lover (Elizabeth Debicki) who travel to the lavish Lake Como, where a greedy art dealer Cassidy (Jagger) requests Figueras to steal a painting from the legendary reclusive artist Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). It's Jagger's first acting role since starring in the 2001 drama The Man from Elysian Fields. Jagger says his familiarity with the art world helped him connect to the overall mold of his character. "I thought the Cassidy character kind of suited me, and he was a kind of charming rather malignant person," the 77-year-old rock superstar said with a laugh. "He's quite a bit crooked, he's very invasive of other people." The Burnt Orange Heresy, directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, is based on Charles Willeford's 1971 noir novel and closed the Venice International Film Festival in 2019. - Billboard, 8/24/20...... In an interview with the U.K. paper The Mirror, Ozzy Osbourne has once again stated that he will never retire from music. "You know the time when I will retire? When I can hear them nail a lid on my box. And then I'll f---ing do an encore. I'm the Prince Of Darkness," the 71-year-old heavy metal legend says. "When you feel that audience jumping, it's a better feeling than orgasm. It is the best love affair of my life. The party is on, man. I feel honoured people still want to see me," he adds. Ozzy released his 12th solo album, Ordinary Man, in February 2020. - NME, 8/29/20...... 
In a new interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Elton John has criticized modern pop music, claiming that "proper songs" have become "too sophisticated" for the UK charts. "I like people who write songs," Sir Elton says. "And there's plenty of people that do but a lot of them don't get played on the radio because they're too sophisticated and we get songs made by a computer all the time and I'm not interested in that." John said he was a big fan of Father John Misty and Conan Gray because they write their own songs. "(Misty) reminds me a little bit of me the way he writes songs. Conan's from America and he's the only person in the American Spotify Top 50 to actually write the song without anybody else," said Elton, adding "Everybody else there's four or five writers on (a track). You look at most of the records in the charts -- they're not real songs. They're bits and pieces and it's nice to hear someone write a proper song." John also confirmed that he will resume on his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. "Oh of course I'm going straight out there again. When and where, I don't know. I mean know where -- but I don't know when. I'll definitely be out there, yes," he said. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elton's iconic performance at the Troubadour in L.A. in 1970, limited-edition release of the pop superstar's debut self-titled U.K. album Elton John will be issued as a Record Store Day exclusive on Aug. 29. The 2-LP reissue will be pressed on transparent purple vinyl, with the second disc featuring a selection of bonus tracks off the 2008 Deluxe CD edition, which have never been released on vinyl until now. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Troubadour performance, Elton has shared footage from the concert on YouTube. - NME, 8/27/20...... Representatives of Leonard Cohen's estate have issued a statement saying they "specifically declined" requests for the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member's song "Hallelujah" to be played at a recent Republican National Convention, and were "surprised and dismayed" when it was played twice at the convention on Aug. 27, during the fireworks that followed Pres. Donald Trump's presidential acceptance speech. "We are surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC's use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicise and exploit in such an egregious manner 'Hallelujah,' one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalogue. We are exploring our legal options," says Cohen estate attorney Michelle Rice. Rice also quipped that "Had the RNC requested another song, 'You Want it Darker,' for which Leonard won a posthumous Grammy in 2017, we might have considered approval of that song." Cohen died in 2016 at age 82 after a late-career revival. "Hallelujah," first released in 1984, has become his most-performed song. Meanwhile, Pres. Trump is now using the Village People's 1979 hit "Y.M.C.A." at his rallies after the Rolling Stones threatened legal action against his campaign for using the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." "Now that I have seen it a few times at various events, clearly The Village People's 'YMCA' is now the walk-off song for the president replacing the Rolling Stones' 'You can't always get what you want'," Kelly O'Donnell of NBC News tweeted on Aug 24. However Village People leader Victor Willis has echoed the Stones' feelings about Trump using his band's music. In June, Willis posted a message to the president on his Facebook page: "I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies, especially 'Y.M.C.A.' and 'Macho Man', following the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter marches. Sorry, but I can no longer look the other way." Queen is also saying they are in an "uphill battle" to prevent Pres. Trump from using their songs in his re-election campaign. It comes after Trump recently used their 1977 hit "We Will Rock You" on his new account on social media platform Triller. The band have ordered it to be pulled from the service, which is seen as a rival to TikTok. The clip has gone on to clock up over one million views, according to BBC News. A Queen spokesperson said it's an "uphill battle" and the band have "repeatedly taken issue with the Trump campaign... Queen continues to oppose and try to block usage of their songs." - NME, 8/29/20...... In related news, Paul Stanley of KISS has lashed out at the president for suggesting his opponents may "rig" November's presidential election to secure victory. Posting on Twitter on Aug. 27, Stanley said: "REGARDLESS of who you support, it is incendiary & abhorrent for ANY candidate to say 'If I lose, the election is rigged'. It's an insult to those who have fought for the free, safe elections we have and dangerously implies that citizens who don't share your views are the enemy. Stanley's latest message comes after he previously encouraged KISS fans to vote in November, warning that "we have a responsibility to our past and to our future." In other KISS-related news, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister has taken aim at Stanley and Gene Simmons for letting replacement members of the band use the signature stage makeup worn by co-founding KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Snider, who also donned makeup for Twisted Sister's videos and shows, insists that Stanley and Simmons should have retired the look when they kicked Criss and Frehley out of the band. "I hate what Kiss is doing with the guys with Ace and Peter's makeup on," the singer told the Appetite for Distortion podcast. "I'm not a fan." - NME/WENN/Canoe.com, 8/28/20...... 
Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson has shared a post on his official website in which he suggests solutions to the issue of hosting concerts safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. Anderson says that outdoors gigs are by far the better option to pursue. "My personal belief is that outdoor concerts are safe right now at the current level of national infections with minimum 1m lateral seat spacing for single seat positioning and EVERYONE wearing a mask -- at least a 50p 3-layer surgical mask -- not a flimsy single layer home-made cosmetic face covering," he wrote, adding that indoor venues pose a greater risk since it's easier to catch contaminated air droplets in a confined space where there are more hard surfaces. "Any resumption of performances in indoor spaces should include detailed analysis of the venue-specific risk from persistent airborne particles of down to 1 micron size and, very importantly, mandatory real face mask wearing," Anderson says. He continued: "I suggest that environmental health assessments are carried out for theatres and concert halls and they can be granted (or not granted) an interim COVID license to operate with restricted seating and and all the other obvious sanitary and entry/exit/toilet protocols in place. That will take many weeks to carry out but I really think that we have, realistically, until next spring to to do this when, hopefully, infection rates are down to a safer level." Anderson said he sent his proposals to two separate UK government officials and did not receive a response. "Hard to make any progress with this muddled, uninformed and lacklustre UK Government," added Anderson, who revealed earlier this year that he is suffering from incurable, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). - NME, 8/28/20...... Meanwhile, Van Morrison has criticized the "pseudo-science" of socially distanced gigs in a new open letter to fans. Posting on his official website, Morrison said: "As you know, we are doing socially distanced gigs at Newcastle Upon Tyne's Gosforth Park, Electric Ballroom and The London Palladium. This is not a sign of compliance or acceptance of the current state of affairs, this is to get my band up and running and out of the doldrums. This is also not the answer going forward. We need to be playing to full capacity audiences going forward. I call on my fellow singers, musicians, writers, producers, promoters and others in the industry to fight with me on this." The Celtic crooner went on, calling on fans and musicians to "fight the pseudo-science" of socially distanced gigs, and to "speak up." "Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and myself appear to be the only people in the music business trying to get it back up and running again," he said. "Come forward. "It's not economically viable to do socially distanced gigs. Come forward now, the future is now." - NME, 8/25/20...... A star-studded trailer for a new documentary about former US Pres. Jimmy Carter's relationship with some of rock's biggest stars, Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, has been shared on YouTube. The documentary, which highlights Carter's friendships with some of rock'n'roll's biggest names, features the likes of Bob Dylan, Nile Rodgers, Bono, Willie Nelson and others. "The one thing that has held America together is the music we share and love," Pres. Carter says at the start of the new trailer, while revealing that Dylan and Nelson are among his "closest friends." Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President is set to open in US cinemas on Sept. 9. On Oct. 9, it will be available for streaming and will also get a physical release. Carter, who is now 95 years old, served as the 39th President of the US between 1977 and 1981. - NME, 8/28/20...... 
Rick Wakeman says he's willing to perform his new album The Red Planet on Mars if he has to. Wakeman's new LP is a concept record about the planet and though he's looking forward to performing it at the upcoming Starmus festival hosted by Brian May of Queen and scientist Garik Israelian in June 2021, "we've got a plan if the social-distancing situation gets worse -- we'll do the gig on Mars." "It's a fascinating place -- it even has a rock'n'roll element to it," the 71-year-old Yes rocker says. "It rains, but it rains dry ice. And there's nothing more prog rock than dry ice, is there?" Wakeman addes he isn't impressed by the current possibilities available for live performance because of the coronavirus pandemic. "People in music thrive on bouncing off each other, it's what makes the whole thing tick. And the clock has stopped. And the online concert thing... I'm sorry, no," Wakeman says. "The essence of a live performance is when a performer and an audience become one. Everyone's vibing off everyone else. I mean, A for effort and all that. I know someone who went to one of those drive-in concerts and he said, 'I might as well have put the radio on'," he adds. - Music-News.com, 8/26/20...... Mark Mothersbaugh, leader of the '70s New Wave band Devo, was left fighting for his life in a hospital intensive care unit in June after testing positive for COVID-19, according to his wife Anita. Anita has revealed her husband's health scare while raising concerns about the couple's Hollywood Hills neighbors, TikTok stars Bryce Hall, Noah Beck and Blake Gray, who have come under fire for ignoring coronavirus concerns by throwing huge house parties at their rented mansion. "This virus is no joke," Anita told the UK paper The Daily Mail. "I've experienced it first-hand. There was a week where my daughters thought (Mark) would die," she divulged. Describing scenes from the house, Anita said: "There are people in the pool screaming, they're blasting music and there are cars parked all down the street. They don't seem to care about public health." Anita's comments emerged a week after Los Angeles authorities shut off water and electricity to the trio's home after violating coronavirus restrictions by hosting a massive gathering for Hall's 21st birthday on Aug. 14. - Music-News.com, 8/27/20...... Neil Young has announced that he's set to release a new 7-track EP on Sept. 18. The EP, entitled The Times They Are A-Changin' after the famous Bob Dylan song, features a cover of that song as well as "Lookin' For A Leader 20202" -- a re-working of Young's track "Lookin' For A Leader," in which he takes aim once again at US Pres. Donald Trump. The Times will be released exclusively via Amazon Music, which Young says "delivers better sound to the masses" than any other streaming platform. The tracklist for the EP can be viewed on Amazon.com. - NME, 8/28/20...... 
Veteran Star Trek actor William Shatner has teamed up with Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore for a cover of B.B. King's 1970 blues classic "The Thrill Is Gone." The track is the second single from Shatner's upcoming album The Blues, which hits stores on Oct. 2 via Cleopatra Records, following his take on the Canned Heat hit "Let's Work Together." Shatner's "The Thrill Is Gone" opens in sultry fashion, with Blackmore showcasing the musical dynamism for which he is renowned. Shatner then takes the reigns, repeatedly bemoaning that the thrill has, in fact, gone. "'The Thrill is Gone' is the title of the song, but the thrill is there with Richie Blackmore and his great guitar!," Shatner joked in a press release. The track can be previewed on Spotify.com. Comprised almost exclusively of blues and R&B covers, Shatner's 14-track The Blues sees him rip through classics such as "Sweet Home Chicago," "Route 66" and "Sunshine Of Your Love." - NME, 8/27/20...... Joe Ruby, co-creator of the Scooby-Doo animated cartoon character, passed away from natural causes in Westlake Village, Calif., on Aug. 26. He was 87. Mr. Ruby and his partner, Ken Spears, were the brains behind the beloved animated children's series, titled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, which premiered in the U.S. in 1969. The main characters of Scooby-Doo, Fred, Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma were brought to life onscreen by Iwao Takamoto, and the original show aired until 1976. The franchise continued with a string of spin-offs and movies, all focused on the goofy Great Dane and his four teenage pals as they solved various mysteries. The brand spawned two live-action theatrical releases, 2002's Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Monsters Unleashed, both starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Isla Fisher and Rowan Atkinson. "He never stopped writing and creating, even as he aged," his grandson, Benjamin Ruby, told Variety.com. Other Hanna-Barbera Productions created by Ruby and Spears include Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Jabberjaw. - WENN/Canoe.com, 8/27/20.
Queen + Adam Lambert announced on Aug. 20 they'll be releasing a live album this fall, their first LP as a unit since Lambert took the stage with co-founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor in 2009 while still an American Idol contestant. Live Around the World, dropping on Oct. 2, will arrive in CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray and vinyl formats, collecting hand-picked concert highlights captured around the world from over 200 shows including the band's 22-minute Fire Fight Australia benefit show from Feb. 16. Fire Fight Australia was one of the band's last live shows before COVID-19 forced them to postpone their UK and European "Rhapsody Tour" until 2021 and recreates Queen's historic 1985 Live Aid set in its entirety. In a statement, Brian May noted that "in a world dominated by a formidable viral enemy, it seemed the perfect time for us to create a collection of hand-picked live highlights from our Queen shows over the last 7 years with our brother Adam Lambert." Lambert adds that Queen "have had a lot of fun putting it together, picking out favorite performances over the past seven years." The band has also shared a trailer for the new release on YouTube. Queen and Lambert's postponed 27-date UK and European Rhapsody Tour has been rescheduled to start on May 23, 2021, in Bologna, Italy, including a 10-day residency at London's The O2 Arena in June and ending on July 7 for a final concert in Madrid, Spain. - Billboard, 8/20/20...... 
The Rolling Stones are planning to launch a flagship store with all the Stones merch you'll ever need on Carnaby Street, the spiritual center of London's fashion world in the swinging '60s. Set to debut on Sept. 9, the Rolling Stones Store will blast non-stop Stones tunes, a glass floor with Stones lyrics, and fitting rooms splashed with some of the band's iconic album covers. Its racks will carry fashion and merchandise lines, exclusive product and music, among other goodies. Just a "stone's throw" from the Oxford Circus Underground station, the new store says Mick Jagger and Co. in a statement is curated by the band in partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group's merchandise and brand management business. "We are confident this exciting project that our friends at Bravado have created will be an unrivaled experience for everyone to come to London and enjoy," the band added. Fans can take a virtual tour of the new RS No. 9 Carnaby store in advance of its opening on Instagram. Meanwhile in other Stones-related news, Ronnie Wood raged about Covid-19 pandemic and governments' failures to take control of it in the UK paper The Times on Aug. 22. "This Covid is not a joke," the guitarist fumed. "It's really p--sing me off. Nobody seems to know about it, nobody seems to be its boss, everyone seems lost. You could go to a restaurant and it was packed and yet you weren't allowed to go to a concert. What's that about? I've lost faith in not having any direction from people who should know. So yes, I'm impatient to get going." Discussing how the pandemic has delayed the Stones' new album, he adds, "It's just on the front burner, it was almost there when lockdown happened," going on to say that the group miss being together in the studio and touring as they do not see much of each other socially. "We are a touring band. And we miss it. We miss being together as a band... but right now, until we can get going again, we are staying in contact and just hanging in there doing our own things." In another interview with Sky News, Wood said although the band is working on new material, he doesn't envisage them touring until next summer after coronavirus halted live music across the globe. "We're not holding our breath, otherwise we'd have collapsed. But we are happily carrying on day by day & chores, and enjoying our families," he said. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 8/20/20...... Liam Gallagher of the popular alternative band Oasis has revealed that John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono once told him she thought it was "silly" of him to name his son "Lennon" in tribute to her late husband. Gallagher says he met with Yoko in New York in 1999, the same year his son was born, and Ono siad, "I've heard you've called your son Lennon... Why? Do you not think it's a bit of a silly name?" "No, it's a bit silly being called Yoko isn't it? So Lennon it is," Gallagher says he said in response, to which Yoko questioned him if his son would "get picked on in school?" "Nah man, he'll be buzzing with that name," Gallagher said he told Ono. Gallagher then remembered that Yoko "made us a nice cup of tea... asked me if I wanted a go on the piano (to which he declined)... and showed us around" her New York apartment. In 2018, Gallagher revealed how listening to Lennon's music helps him to battle his inner demons. "I do not need therapy. John Lennon is my thing," he said. - New Musical Express, 8/24/20...... 
A 2-CD/LP 50th anniversary edition of The Doors' acclaimed 1970 album Morrison Hotel will drop on Oct. 9 with a newly remastered record by the band's longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick. Morrison Hotel - 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will also include over 60 minutes of unreleased studio outtakes of the band's fifth studio LP. "There are many takes, different arrangements, false starts, and insightful studio conversations between the band and producer Paul Rothchild who was in the control room," Botnick says. "It's like being a fly on the wall." The Doors have shared previously unreleased takes of the Morrison Hotel tracks "Peace Frog" and "Blue Sunday" on YouTube. - NME, 8/22/20...... In a new interview with the UK's Uncut magazine, Patti Smith says she admires the people who can combine "poetic elements" with melodies that find the formula to mainstream pop success, and that she doesn't think she's "that good" at writing songs. "I've written only a couple of songs that have been popular. I'm not a hit maker," says the 73-year-old punk poetess. "I would have loved to be somebody who could do that." Smith also revealed she is a big fan of many popular female chart stars, even though their music is very different to her own. "I love pop music. I like the same songs everybody else likes. I like Adele, I like Rihanna, I like Billie Eilish. I loved R&B songs when I was young. I loved Amy Winehouse. But for myself, I gravitate toward a different kind of expression," Smith added. "Almost all of my records have an homage to an artist, poet or friend. It comes naturally," says Smith, who has written songs in tribute to the likes of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. "I've seen a lot of people die in my life, from a childhood friend to my brother, my husband, my best friend, my pianist, my parents, Sam Shepard. So many people I thought I would know forever. I'm very familiar with having to find a way to walk with people who have passed away." - Music-News.com, 8/23/20...... In the latest episode of his SiriusXM radio channel "From His Home to Yours," Bruce Springsteen called rising singer Lana Del Rey "simply one of the best songwriters in the US." After playing Del Rey's 2012 song "American" in which she sings "Springsteen is the kind, don't you think?/I was like, hell yeah that guy can sing," Springsteen quipped: "She's, uh, name-checking some guy from New Jersey in there. I'm not sure who." He then called her "simply one of the best songwriters in the country, as we speak... She just creates a world of her own and invites you in. So a big favorite of mine, the lovely Lana Del Rey." - New Musical Express, 8/16/20...... 
Cher says she has been snubbed on her offer to help the United States Postal Service because her local post office in Malibu, Calif. said she wasn't qualified to be a volunteer. Cher tweeted on Aug. 19 that she felt the need to perform a little community service for her own post office: "NO, IM NO (not) KIDDING...COULD I VOLUNTEER AT MY POST OFFICE (sic)," followed by another tweet imploring: "IS NO ONE GOING TO HELP ME WITH POST OFFICE (sic)." She went on to explain the supervisor said no, as she was told all potential employees need to submit fingerprints ahead of a background check. "I Called & Said Hi This is Cher Do U Accept volunteers. NO, Need Fingerprints & Background Check (sic)," she posted. Cher's offer to help the USPS comes as Pres. Donald Trump has attempted to streamline the agency in the run up to the presidential elections when many voters will rely on the mail service to cast their votes as they shelter from COVID-19. - Music-News.com, 8/20/20...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the normally apolitical Ozzy Osbourne charges U.S. Pres. Donald Trump with "acting like a fool with coronavirus response." "In my lifetime, I've never known anything like this," Osbourne says of Trump's response to the pandemic. "It's getting worse, not better. And this guy's acting like a fool. I don't really like to talk politics that much, but I've got to say what I feel with this guy. There's not much hope left. Maybe he's got a trick up his sleeve and he's going to surprise us all, and I hope he has." Ozzy also questioned why Trump ran for president in 2016: "If I was running for president, I would try and find out a little bit about politics. Because the f---ing guy you've got in there now doesn't know that much about it, I don't think. It's not like anyone could be a fucking heart surgeon and just go in with a scalpel. You have to know what you're fucking doing." Also in the interview Osbourne confirmed that he and wife Sharon Osbourne are set to be the subject of a new biopic. "From what I understand, it's about Sharon and I and our relationship. It's how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She's my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her." - NME, 8/22/20...... Iconic '70s TV comedian Carol Burnett has filed legal documents asking the court to allow her to raise her grandson Dylan Hamilton due to substance abuse issues. According to court documents obtained by The Blast.com, Carol and her husband Brian Miller have filed a petition for the appointment of a temporary guardian. Dylan is the son of Carol's daughter Erin Hamilton. In the brief, the comedian says,"Dylan's living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable, and unhealthy for a child. This culminated in a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation and juvenile dependency proceedings in 2018 and 2019." The document also states that Dylan's mother Erin "has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues throughout her adult life" and "has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time." - TheBlast.com, 8/19/20...... 
It has been revealed by director Cameron Crowe that Neil Young almost made an appearance in Crowe's iconic '70s-themed 2000 movie Almost Famous. Crowe tells Rolling Stone that he had intended Young to appear as Harry Hammond, the estranged father of aspiring rock journalist Russell Hammond (played by Billy Crudup). "Neil was going to come backstage in Cleveland with a young wife," Crowe remembers. "They're complimenting the show, but the young bride is looking at Crudup and he's looking at her; and he realizes that the father is being played and is piggybacking on his [son's] success. It's a heartbreaking moment about what success does to an estranged parent." However Crowe says Young cancelled on the morning of the shoot, although "he went through his archives to find the perfect take (of 'Cortez the Killer', for use in the film), mixed it and gave it to us. So he giveth and he taketh." Almost Famous will mark its 20th anniversary in September. - NME, 8/21/20...... Drummer Frankie Banali, best known for his tenure with the hard rock band Quiet Riot, died on Aug. 20 in Los Angeles following a bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 68. Banali's wife, Regina, wrote in a statement that the longtime heavy metal drummer -- who also played with W.A.S.P., Billy Idol and Faster Pussycat, among many others -- had been fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer since Apr. 2019. "He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could," she wrote. "He lived for playing live and performed for millions of fans around the world throughout his career. His wish for everyone is that you be your own health advocate for early detection so you may live long and rescue many animals." Upon learning of Banali's death, Billy Idol tweeted: "Sad news about #frankiebanali RIP he played the drums on my first version of Mony Mony recorded in 1981 he did a fantastic job!," while Paul Stanley of KISS posted that Banali "was so open in his reports of his illness and seemed to live through his treatments and setbacks bravely and with grace." - Billboard, 8/23/20.
Sales of Bruce Springsteen's 2002 song "The Rising" have surged after it was used in the first night of the Democratic National Convention to soundtrack a segment of the program that was dubbed "Rise Up." "The Rising," first released in July of 2002, sold 1,000 downloads on Aug. 17 -- up from a negligible sales figure on Aug. 16 -- and has already captured its best sales week since the week ending Sept. 11, 2011, when it sold 2,000 downloads. That week marked the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and "The Rising" was written as a reaction to 9/11. In 2002, Springsteen's The Rising album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 200 album chart for the week of Aug. 17. Springsteen, who appears briefly in the new DNC video with his wife Pattie Scialfa, shared the clip on his 
A trustee representing late Spirit member Randy "California" Wolfe has petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review the Wolfe estate's legal case against Led Zeppelin for allegedly lifting the opening structure of the Spirit song "Taurus" for their rock classic 
Does Queen have something new up their sleeve? Queen frontman Brian May teased in a video posted to 
The plot of land that was once the site of Frank Zappa legendary log cabin home on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the heart of the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles is currently up for sale for a cool $999,000 (£755,000). Realtors Redfin, which listed the property in June, describes on its site that the now vacant "Zappawood" as being "rich in history and development potential," while boasting "sprawling park-like grounds and three separate entrances." It's said that the property was the premier gathering place of LA rock 'n' roll legends back in the 1960s and '70s, owing to Zappa's former residence being located there. Zappa, who passed away in 1993 at age 52, is said to have lived in a log cabin on the property with his family for a couple of years in the '60s, however they moved after the house became a hotspot for eccentric gatecrashers. It was destroyed by a fire in the 1980s. Images and further info about Zappawood can be found on the 
Phil Collins' 1981 solo hit "In the Air Tonight" has experienced a huge spike in sales after a 
Meanwhile, Nicks' former flame and Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham performed a four-song acoustic set on Aug. 7 for the first time since suffering a heart attack and undergoing emergency open heart surgery in 2019. Appearing via Zoom for tech company Nutanix, Buckingham played the Fleetwood Mac songs "Never Going Back Again" and "Big Love," along with his solo cuts "Trouble" and "Shut Us Down." "This [pandemic] has been like a couple of years previous in which things occurred that I did not see coming," Buckingham said during the Zoom call. "One was my split from Fleetwood Mac. Another one was having a bypass operation, which I did not expect to happen. You could say that this makes it a trifecta of events that were completely off the charts," he added. Buckingham's wife, Kristen, reported in 2019 that the guitarist had suffered "vocal cord damage... following the surgery," which meant he was forced to postpone all of his upcoming tour dates. Lindsey then announced a solo tour in Feb. 2020 set to take place in April and May, but then had to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was reportedly fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 after an ongoing battle with Stevie Nicks and replaced with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House. - New Musical Express, 8/10/20...... The estate of Prince has shared the previously unreleased Prince recording "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)" on 
Eric Clapton has been busy lately selling off his collection of supercars, with his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 up for grabs on the UK digital marketplace Auto Trader website for £89,900 from car dealer GVE of London, and his Lamborghini Superleggera already having been snapped up for a rumoured £125,000. The legendary blues guitarist, who has the ironic stage name of "Slowhand," is rumoured to have a particular penchant for Ferraris and has owned more than 10 of them over the years, with many of them used as inspiration for his songs, and some even gifted to him by his late friend and fellow musician, the Beatles' George Harrison. With a beautiful contrasting black exterior and light brown interior, Clapton's Ferrari 599 F1 is one of his most desirable cars, although he has said in the past he prefers the 612 Ferrari Scagliett (an opinion many Ferrari enthusiasts would disagree with). The car can go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 205 mph. "This particular Ferrari 599 is stunning and so well-maintained," says Auto Trader's director of YouTube operations, Rory Reid. "The fact it received Eric Clapton's seal of approval before being sold on makes it that much more special. For a blues lover, who also has the money for it, this is a perfect buy on Auto Trader," he adds - Music-News.com, 8/14/20...... The Rolling Stones have shared a new version of their recent track "Scarlet," remixed by The War on Drugs. Spearheaded by TWOD singer Adam Granduciel, the new version, which has been shared on 
Dolly Parton has expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement in a new interview. "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen," Parton said, referring to the recent protests that have taken place worldwide following the death of George Floyd. "And of course, Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!," she added. Parton also discussed the renaming of her "Dixie Stampede" dinner attraction at her Dollywood resort in Tennessee to "Dolly Parton's Stampede" in 2018 after being informed that its title was offensive. "When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don't want to offend anybody. This is a business. We'll just call it The Stampede. As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumbass. That's where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose," the Country legend added. Meanwhile, Parton has announced she'll release her first Christmas album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas, on Oct. 2, some two months before the holiday season begins. A Holly Dolly Christmas follows her 1990 yuletide LP Home for Christmas and features several well known Christmas songs, as well as five original tracks written solely by the 72-year-old country icon. The album also features guest contributions from some of Dolly's dearest friends, including Willie Nelson, Michael Bubl, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon, plus a special song with her brother, Randy Parton. "I figured since everybody probably wouldn't get to celebrate Christmas as usual this year, I wanted to be creative instead of sitting around at the house this summer," Dolly said in a press release. "So I put on my mask, gloves and practiced social distancing, as well as all of the wonderful musicians and singers, and we proceeded to put together what I think is some of the best work that I've ever done," she added. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 8/13/20...... Guitars signed by the likes of Robert Plant and Carlos Santana are set to be auctioned in September to benefit the musicians charity MusiCares, which provides aid to artists and music community professionals in times of need. Taking place on Sept. 9 live in Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com, with advance online bidding starting on Aug. 17, some of the items up for grabs include a Gibson SG Standard '61 guitar in vintage cherry signed by Plant and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, and a Paul Reed Smith limited edition Carlos Santana Abraxas SE limited edition guitar signed by Santana himself. Eric Clapton, Joan Jett, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Tom Jones, Rascal Flatts, Bono, and a number of others also have items in the auction, which can be viewed on the 
On Aug. 7 Roger Waters shared a video on 
On May 6 Black Sabbath announced they'll be releasing a 50th anniversary edition of their classic 1970 album 
In a new lengthy interview with the UK's GQ magazine, Paul McCartney dismissed the idea of following such rock icons as Aerosmith for a Las Vegas residency, and right now he isn't crazy about following the likes of Bruce Springsteen for a Broadway show either. "That's something I've been trying to avoid my whole life," McCartney said of a Vegas residency. "Definitely nothing attracts me about the idea. Vegas is where you go to die, isn't it? It's the elephant's graveyard. As for Broadway, the Sir Paul says he's "not really" sold on that idea either. "Some people would like me to do it, as they say I've got plenty of stories and plenty of songs, but one of the things that's holding me back at the moment is that Bruce has just done it, you know?," McCartney said. "It feels a bit like, "Oh, suddenly I'll do it now then!' So I think that's made me a little reluctant to follow in his footsteps or follow a trend," he added. While he's not completely against a Broadway stint, McCartney explained that he would "just prefer to play with the band to a bigger audience, or even smaller... I don't mind little clubs." Elsewhere in the interview, Macca opened up about the time he sued the Beatles in order to "save their music and company, Apple." "The only way for me to save The Beatles and Apple -- and to release Get Back by [director] Peter Jackson and which allowed us to release Anthology and all these great remasters of all the great Beatles records -- was to sue the band," he explained. "If I hadn't done that, it would have all belonged to Allen Klein. The only way I was given to get us out of that was to do what I did. "I said, 'Well, I'll sue Allen Klein' and I was told I couldn't because he wasn't party to it. 'You've got to sue the Beatles.'" Paul also commented on John Lennon's 1971 solo song "How Do You Sleep?," saying he found the lyrics criticizing him "hurtful": "But then you hear the stories from various angles and apparently people who were in the room when John was writing that, he was getting suggestions for the lyrics off Allan Klein. So, you see the atmosphere of 'Let's get Paul. Let's nail him in a song...' And those things were pretty hurtful." - NME/PageSix.com, 8/5/20...... Neil Young made it official on Aug. 4 -- he'll definitely bring a copyright lawsuit against Pres. Donald Trump after announcing in late July that he was "reconsidering" the move. Young's suit, filed on Aug. 4 in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, claims the Trump campaign has used such songs as "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Devil's Sidewalk" "as a theme song" for "a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate." "The complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing," according to the complaint, but noted Young could not "good conscience cannot allow his music to be used" in this way. His complaint states the Trump campaign had played both of these songs numerous times at rallies and political events including as recently as the Tulsa rally on June 20. "Trump did so without neither a license nor Young's permission to play those two songs at any public political event," the lawsuit notes. Young's complaint states that Trump's campaign has willfully ignored his wishes to not play those songs and has proceeded to play them despite not having the required licenses. The complaint is asking Trump's campaign be permanently stopped from publicly performing those songs, as well as any other Neil Young songs. He is also asking the Trump campaign be ordered to pay his statutory damages between $750-$150,000 for each infringement as well as reasonable attorney fees. Young has been critical of Trump since the 45th president used "Rockin' in the Free World" to announce his candidacy for president back in 2016. The Trump campaign has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit. - Billboard, 8/4/20...... 
Creem: America's Only Rock 'N' Roll Magazine, a new documentary on the legendary '70s and '80s rock magazine Creem, opened on Virtual Cinema on Aug. 7 and is available for free streaming on 
Wayne Fontana, the lead singer of the '60s pop group The Mindbenders, passed away on Aug. 7 at Steppinghill Hospital, Stockport, U.K., after what was described as a "long illness." He was 74. Fontana and The Mindbenders scored a big hit with "The Game of Love" in 1965. The Manchester, U.K. native, whose real name was Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, formed the band in 1963 and derived his stage name from Elvis Presley's legendary original drummer, D.J. Fontana. After scoring a hit with "Game of Love," Fontana left the group that same year and tried his hand as a solo act. His only notable chart success was with the 1967 song "Pamela, Pamela," one of several songs written for him by iconic British songwriter and 10cc member Graham Gouldman, a bandmate of Mindbenders guitarist Eric Stewart. His final single, "The Last Bus Home," was released by UK Polydor in 1976, after which he mostly walked away from the music business. - Billboard, 8/7/20...... Founding Molly Hatchet guitarist Steve Holland has died at the age of 66. No cause of death was given for the guitarist born in 1954, who appeared on the Southern Rock band's first five albums, including 1979's breakthrough Flirtin' With Disaster. Holland left Molly Hatchet in 1984 and later formed a group called Gator Country, named after the second track on Hatchet's 1978 self-titled debut album. In February, the band posted an image of Holland, seated in a wheelchair and looking frail, on the Gator Country Facebook page thanking fans for their support over the years. He was said to be suffering from an "extremely low" red blood cell count and was scheduled to receive a transfusion. - Billboard, 8/3/20.
Van Morrison announced on Aug. 4 that he's signed on to play two "socially distanced" shows with reduced limited capacity in London at Camden's Electric Ballroom on Sept. 5 and 6. Tickets for the event are on sale now with a maximum of 10 tickets for two households or "bubbles." In July, the Irish crooner was confirmed a headliner at the UK's first socially-distanced venue, The Virgin Money Unity Arena at Newcastle Racecourse, on Sept. 3. Morrison will also play several dates at the Electric Ballroom in London this fall, and be the final headliner for the 2021 Kew the Music event on July 6 next year. - New Musical Express, 8/4/20...... Bette Midler is encouraging her fans to support the costume designers who are facing indefinite unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Timelines for reopening of entertainment venues continue to shift; shutdown could last anywhere from eight to eighteen months. Members know their survival is in jeopardy; their orders have largely been cancelled or delayed indefinitely," the Divine Miss M posted on Twitter on Aug. 2, and linked to the Costume Industry Coalition (CIC) site for more information. "Collectively, the CIC Members are facing a $4.5 million shortfall between July 1 and December 31, when they calculate rent, employee health insurance, liability insurance and utilities. Visit the AGA (Artisans Guild of America) website to learn how you can get involved," she added. - Billboard, 8/3/20...... Meanwhile, Bette Midler's erstwhile piano player Barry Manilow has had his song catalogue acquired by Hipgnosis Songs Fund. "Barry Manilow is an international treasure. He's an incomparable artist, songwriter, arranger, musician and performer," Hipgnosis Songs founder Merck Mercuriadis said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal, which includes such hits as "Mandy," "Can't Smile Without You," "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and "I Write the Songs," were not disclosed. "Merck has created a new type of music company and I'm looking forward to being part of the family at The Family Music and Hipgnosis Songs," Manilow said in a statement. - Billboard, 8/3/20...... Elton John took to social media on July 30 to celebrate 30 years of being sober. John, 73, shared snaps of his Alcoholics Anonymous coin and a celebratory cake as he marked the milestone, and in the accompanying caption, he reflected on what could have happened had he not made a positive change to his life. "Reflecting on the most magical day having celebrated my 30th Sobriety Birthday," Sir Elton wrote. "So many lovely cards, flowers and chips from my sons, David, friends in the Program, staff at the office and in our homes. I'm truly a blessed man. If I hadn't finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I'd be dead. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way," he added, besides heart, praying hands, and halo emojis. - Music-News.com, 7/30/20...... The Rolling Stones are expected to release a video for their previously unreleased song "Scarlet," a collaboration with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, on Aug. 6 at 7pm BST on their official YouTube channel. Featuring Paul Mescal, the video will also contain a special introduction from Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The band tweeted that "you won't want to miss & set a reminder here: https://t.co/H2JWfmmIvV pic.twitter.com/DtgVVl3rSG." "Scarlet" will feature on the band's forthcoming 
Cable TV's A&E network has announced a premiere date for an Ozzy Osbourne episode of their venerable series Biography. Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne was first announced back in January with a teaser trailer and was initially scheduled to make its premiere at the SXSW Festival in Texas in March before the festival was cancelled due to the explosion of the coronavirus pandemic. A&E now says the documentary, which chronicles the heavy metal icon's life and career, will debut on Sept. 7 in the U.S., though it is not yet known when and where it will be available for the rest of the world. A trailer for the documentary can be viewed at 
The final live performance of Fun House by The Stooges' original lineup has been released and shared on 
In a new interview with Mojo magazine, Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan revealed he makes his own furniture, including an oak table and mahogany desk. "I've built quite a bit of furniture," said Gillan. "I once made a mahogany desk for my daughter, and an oak table when I was ill with hepatitis and had three months off. I did it with planks of Japanese oak, a handsaw, sandpaper and glue." Deep Purple's latest album, 
Actor Wilford Brimley, who had a lengthy career on camera dating back to the 1970s with over 70 acting credits, passed away on the morning of Aug. 1 at his home in Utah. He was 85. Sources with direct knowledge of Mr. Brimley's health say he was in an ICU wing of a hospital on dialysis, and very sick for days. Mr. Brimley started out as mostly a TV actor, landing one-time roles on TV series like How the West Was Won, Kung Fu, The Oregon Trail and then eventually had a recurring part on The Waltons. He went on to star in a bunch of TV movies, including The Wild Wild West Revisited, Amber Waves, Roughnecks, Rodeo Girl and The Big Black Pill. In the 1980s, Mr. Brimely started breaking out into more traditional films, appearing in flicks like The Stone Boy, Country, High Road to China, 10 to Midnight, Tough Enough, Jackals, End of the Line and several other B-movies where he'd often play an authority figure or a grandfatherly figure with his deep, comforting Southern accent. He was perhaps most known for roles in cult classic films like Cocoon, The Natural, The Thing and Hard Target. He went on to star in countless other movies and shows, notably on Our House, in which he starred in over 40 episodes, as well one-off appearances in hit series like Walker, Texas Ranger, Seinfeld, and many others. The iconic actor was also the face of Quaker Oats cereal throughout the '80s and '90s, and -- maybe even more memorable -- his classic diabetes ads for Liberty Medical, which was often spoofed, but also beloved. Mr. Brimley was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1979, and managed the disease ever since then, with the American Diabetes Association honoring him for his lifetime of advocacy in 2008. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, and his three children. - TMZ.com, 8/1/20.