Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on August 29th, 2020

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.