Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 21st, 2021

A new, "Easter-egg"-filled video for John Lennon's classic 1970 track "Isolation" has been shared on YouTube to help promote the upcoming deluxe box set reissue of his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The video for the "Raw Studio Mix" of "Isolation" was filmed upstairs at John and Yoko's home at Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire on July 16, 1971, and fans are encouraged to explore the "timed Easter eggs" in the clip -- showing "hidden elements and clues" of the life that Lennon and wife Yoko Ono shared, as well as important artefacts and more. The 8-disc super deluxe box set will drop on Apr. 23 and celebrate the recent 50th anniversary of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. - NME,4/20/21...... Only a few months after he claimed the Covid-19 virus was "not a real pandemic," Ted Nugent revealed on Apr. 20 he was in agony after testing positive for the virus. In the video shot at his Michigan ranch, Nugent repeatedly uses racist slurs to refer to Covid-19 and reiterates his previous stance that he wouldn't be getting the vaccine because he claims wrongly that "nobody knows what's in it." Nugent, a supporter of former Pres. Donald Trump, previously called the pandemic a "scam" and railed gainst public health restrictions, pushing the theory by conservative media that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated. Later speaking to fans on Facebook Live, Nugent denied ever claiming Covid-19 was a hoax. "The lies I've seen that I've been doing these public appearances knowing I had the Covid-19. False," he raged. "Saying that I claimed Covid-19 was a hoax. False. I've always said... We have actually footage of me saying, if not hundreds, thousands of times... Of course there's a Chinese virus. Hello? Who thinks that I claimed there's no Chinese... There's a Chinese virus. They call it Covid-19. I'm well aware of that." Nugent went on to discuss why he had previously criticised lockdowns on social media -- having questioned why the U.S. wasn't "shut down for Covid 1 through 18" (the reason is pretty simple, the number 19 refers to 2019 -- the year when the disease was first discovered). The "Cat Scratch Fever" singer ended the rant by saying: "You stupid motherf-----s. The left is such a great source of comedy. Keep it up. Richard Pryor isn't around anymore. We can't rely on him for the ultimate comedy, so we rely on the comfortably numb nuts, uncomfortably dumb nuts." In March, Nugent attracted more criticism after claiming that the official reported death toll from coronavirus is significantly higher than actual deaths. "They claim five hundred thousand people have died from Covid-19," he said in another Facebook stream. "Bullshit. I believe that medical examiners in all 50 states have gone, 'I put down on the death certificate that he died of asphyxiation, but they made me put Covid.' He also recently responded to allegations of racism, calling himself "the anti-racist." - AP/NME, 4/20/21...... Styx announced on Apr. 20 they are hitting the road this summer with a brand new tour with alternative faves Collective Soul. "WE ARE BACK! Excited to announce a 2021 tour with our brothers from @CollectiveSoul as we return live on stage this summer! Get tickets on Friday, April 23 at 10 AM ET for the majority of dates at found.ee/styx-tour," the band posted on their Twitter account. The Midwest rockers will kick off their dates at St. Augustine Amphitheatre in Florida on June 16 before being joined on June 18 by Collective Soul at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Georgia. The joint tour will then visit Mississippi, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri before wrapping on June 27 in Oklahoma City. Styx's current lineup includes James "JY" Young, Tommy Shaw, Chuck Panozzo, Todd Sucherman, Lawrence Gowan and Ricky Phillips. Tickets and VIP packages from both bands will go on sale on Apr. 23. More info can be found on tour dates at Styx's website. - Billboard, 4/20/21...... Speaking to the UK's Metro paper, Tom Jones said being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II is by far the proudest achievement of his career. "Being knighted by the Queen -- that is above and beyond any of my expectations," Sir Tom noted. "When I was a kid I didn't want to do a job of work that I didn't like, which most people have to do in order to survive. I knew I was put on this Earth for this purpose. I think God gave me this voice. And when you get a gift like this, you should see it through," he added. Jones, 80, will release his 42nd solo album, Surrounded By Time, on Apr. 23, a collection of re-imagined tracks by the likes of Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Michael Kiwanuka. On July 27, the "She's a Lady" hitmaker will perform the LP in its entirety live at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, recently tweeting: "Super excited to announce a very special intimate 'Surrounded By Time' album show @o2sbe..." Jones recently revealed on comedian Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast that he uses Viagra and there is "no shame" in doing it. Tom, who was married to his long-term wife Linda from 1957 until she died in 2016, said "There is always Viagra. A little help here and there is alright" when asked about his sexual health. "There is no shame in that at 80. You gotta do what you gotta do," he added. - Music-News.com, 4/21/21...... ABBA's Bjrn Ulvaeus has teased the band's forthcoming "Abbatar tour," promising that it "still sounds very much ABBA." In a new interview with the London Times, Ulvaeus discussed how his former bandmates Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad's vocals were now in a lower pitch -- "about one tone lower, perhaps" -- but promised that the sound fans would hear on the tour would still be "very much Abba." Discussing the process of creating the avatars, Ulvaeus said the band were "photographed from all possible angles" and made to "grimace in front of cameras." "They painted dots on our faces, they measured our heads," he said. Iin 2017, it was announced that ABBA would reunite in digital form in 2019, performing as "Abbatars" for the first time since they split in 1982. When the reunion tour was then delayed, the Swedish pop icons announced in 2018 that they would be sharing two new tracks: "I Still Have Faith In You" and "Don't Shut Me Down," which was then expanded to five new tracks as a reward to fans waiting for the reunion tour due to Covid-related delays. Meanwhile, in another interview with BBC Breakfast, Ulvaeus ruled out any upcoming ABBA biopics in the near future, despite the success of recent biopics on Queen and Elton John. "I don't think we would want that actually, I certainly know myself I wouldn't want an actor -- not while I'm alive -- to play me on the big screen and I don't think the others would like that either," he said. - New Musical Express, 4/17/21...... Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and Stevie Nicks are among over 150 music and entertainment stars who have signed a new open letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for a reform to the music streaming economy. The letter, from the Musicians' Union in association with the Ivors Academy and the #BrokenRecord campaign, says that the law around streaming revenues and royalty payments "has not kept up with the pace of technological change" in the music industry. It comes as British MPs are currently examining the economic impact that music streaming is having on artists, record labels and the wider music industry as part of the 'Economics Of Music Streaming' inquiry. The inquiry has seen the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Commons Select Committee examining the business model since last year and whether or not the model is fair to songwriters and performers. The involved artists say they've written the new letter "on behalf of today's generation of artists, musicians and songwriters here in the UK," and call on the government to adapt the law in order to "put the value of music back where it belongs -- in the hands of music makers." The letter adds that the law has "not kept up with the pace of technological change and, as a result, performers and songwriters do not enjoy the same protections as they do in radio." It goes on to suggest that "only two words need to change in the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act...so that today's performers receive a share of revenues, just like they enjoy in radio," and that the proposed change "won't cost the taxpayer a penny but will put more money in the pockets of UK taxpayers and raise revenues for public services like the NHS." Over the last year, a host of artists have spoken out about the outdated and unfair streaming economy model. Nadine Shah has been one of the most vocal critics, saying last year that payments are "paltry" and meant she was unable to pay her rent, meaning she had to move back in with her parents for a time. - NME, 4/20/21...... Two Bob Dylan biographers have been trading insults over the authenticity of each other's work. Howard Sounes, who wrote the 2001 bestseller Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan, has responded to Clinton Heylin's insults in his new book The Double Life Of Bob Dylan Vol 1 1941-1966: A Restless, Hungry Feeling. In his introduction, Heylin calls Sounes a "professional dirtdigger" who had written a "semi-literate" book. Sounes has reacted to Heylin's comments, telling The Guardian that Heylin is "a clunky, self-indulgent writer" whose new Dylan biography is "incredibly boring." "It's not really polite to tell other writers they're bad writers, because they tend to fling it back to you," Sounes says. "In response, I would say he's a clunky, self-indulgent writer ... His books are all very long and baggy. They're about his interpretation of Dylan songs ... and it's incredibly boring." An updated edition of Sounes' book is being released on May 4 by Doubleday ahead of Dylan's 80th birthday. Sounes, a former news journalist for The Mirror, has written biographies on the poet Charles Bukowski as well as Paul McCartney and Lou Reed. Heylin's new book, which was released earlier in April, sees him describe Sounes' work as a "depressingly well-trundled, semi-literate stroll." - NME, 4/19/21...... Who knew Alice Cooper's famous track "Poison" could be so soothing to infants? Re-recorded versions of that song and several others from Cooper's catalog have been released in a new album titled Lullaby Versons of Alice Cooper featuring soothing instrumentals of "Poison," "School's Out," "Under My Wheels," and more. The album has been released in partnership with Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favourite artists," via Roma Music Group. You can listen to the album via Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and more at smarturl.it/TTLRSalicecooper. With over 135 titles in its catalogue, other artists who have had their music turned into lullabies by Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star include The Beatles, Metallica, Adele and Lady Gaga. - NME, 4/18/21...... Tom Petty's Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) has now been added to streaming platforms. The collection of alternative versions of some of Petty's most beloved songs first appeared on the 2020 collection Wildflowers & All The Rest, an expansive retrospective of 1994's Wildflowers. Made up of 16 alternate takes, long cuts, and jam versions that didn't make it on the original LP, Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) also includes the 1992 track 'You Saw Me Comin", which had been unreleased until the release of Wildflowers & All the Rest. In addition to being made available digitally, Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) has also been released on CD and as a limited-edition gold vinyl. The album can be heard on Spotify.com. - NME, 4/17/21...... Speaking to BBC 6 Music on Apr. 17, Mick Jagger thinks he's been "very lucky" amid the coronavirus lockdown. The 77-year-old Rolling Stones frontman counts himself as incredibly fortunate, as he's been able to live very comfortably during the global health crisis. He said: "You have to be patient, learn self-reliance ... but all these things, as I say for me ... I'm very lucky. I don't have the problems of living, say in a small flat in London or New York, which some of my friends have had. Two kids in a two-room flat in Manhattan? I honestly don't know how I would have done that. Maybe a couple of weeks. But for that long, I don't know how I would have done it. And I admire them for being able to do it." - Music-News.com, 4/17/21...... In a new video posted on the Queen YouTube page, Brian May says the band was so heavily in debt before the release of 1975's A Night At The Opera, they would have been forced to split if the album had not been a success. The band's fourth album, which featured the hits "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "You're My Best Friend," became a lifesaver for the rockers, who would have been forced to give up on their dreams if it had flopped. "We were not only poor, but we were in debt," May says in the video. "All the sound and lighting companies and the people that we worked with hadn't been paid. So we were at a really crucial point. We might have had to break up if that album hadn't done well. It was an expensive album, enormous complexity on there. Even looking at it now, I wonder how we did some of that stuff," May added. His bandmate Roger Taylor added: "I remember when we went into the studio to make A Night At The Opera, it felt like make or break." - Music-News.com, 4/18/21...... Composer/producer Jim Steinman, an acclaimed songwriter behind a number of major hits for Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion and Air Supply, died suddenly on Apr. 20 of as yet undisclosed causes, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He was 73. Steinman, from New York, was also a talented record producer, arranger, pianist and singer. Steinman was best known for his work on Meat Loaf's 1977 debut studio album Bat Out of Hell, which is one of the best-selling albums of all time and is certified 14 times platinum by the RIAA, where he wrote the songs "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" (No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, 1978), "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (No. 39, 1978), and "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" (No. 39, 1979). He also worked on its sequel LP and Meat Loaf's first-and-only Billboard 200 No. 1 album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which contains the singer's lone Hot 100 No. 1 hit (which Steinman penned), "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." The song also won a 1994 Grammy for best rock vocal performance, solo. Steinman earned two nominations for the single that year: one for song of the year and another for best rock song. He eventually earned his one Grammy win for album of the year at the 1997 Grammys for his work on Dion's fourth English-language album Falling for You, and is also responsible for helming Bonnie Tyler's No. 1 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" from her fifth studio album Faster Than the Speed of Night, which Steinman produced. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" earned a 1984 Grammy nod for best pop vocal performance female, while Faster Than the Speed of Night earned a nod for best rock vocal performance, female that year. Tyler's classic reigned at the No. 1 spot, while Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" -- which Steinman also wrote -- secured the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100 in Oct. 1983. He also penned Barry Manilow's No. 18 hit "Read 'Em and Weep" and Barbra Streisand's No. 50 song "Left in the Dark." Steinman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. "I am absolutely devastated to learn of the passing of my long term friend and musical mentor Jim Steinman," Bonnie Tyler tweeted upon learning of his death. "Jim wrote and produced some of themost iconic rock songs of all time and I was massively privileged to have been given some of them by him... I can say without any doubt that Jim was a true genius," she added. - Billboard, 4/20/21...... Mike Mitchell, the guitarist who performed one of garage rock's most iconic solos on The Kingsmen's version of early rock classic "Louie Louie," has died at 77. "Mike Mitchell, our legendary guitarist and co-founder passed away on his birthday, April 16, 2021," wrote the band in a tribute. "We are deeply saddened by Mike's passing. He was the kindest and most generous man on the planet. Mike is irreplaceable and he will be greatly missed not only by us but the fans as well. Mike was a favorite for his kindness, comedic nature as well as his musicianship. He is survived by his children Samantha and Max." No cause of death has yet been made public. The Kingsmen's take on "Louie, Louie," written by R&B singer Richard Berry in 1955, is considered to be one of the building blocks of the raucous garage rock sound thanks to its shambling, distorted vocals and guitars laid over the original's cha-cha rhythm. The band formed in Portland in 1959 as a teenage combo playing high school parties, teen dances and supermarket openings. The group then featured guitarist/singer Jack Ely and his good friend drummer Lynn Easton, who were soon joined by guitarist Mitchell and bassist Bob Nordby, according to an official bio. Their first single was their legendarily slurry, raw take on "Louie Louie," backed by the original instrumental, "Haunted Castle." Despite the band not loving their work, their "Louie, Louie" song hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1963, despite a controversy about the practically indecipherable lyrics that got it banned in Indiana and led to an FBI investigation into the band that ended when the bureau properly deemed the record "unintelligible." The single made the Kingsmen one of the biggest touring draws in the nation, at one point landing the group two singles and three albums on the charts simultaneously and leading to TV and live gigs with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Dusty Springfield, the Kinks and the Zombies. Though they never reached those heights again, the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" remains a cornerstone of garage rock and punk. Mitchell was the sole original member to remain a part of the lineup for more than 60 years, during which he performed across the country and world with a variety of other performers; Easton passed away in 2020 and Ely died in 2015. Mitchell was the last remaining original member of the group, who also landed a top 20 hit with their take on "Money (That's What I Want)" and a top five hit in 1965 with "The Jolly Green Giant." - Billboard, 4/19/21...... Former Vice-President Walter "Fritz" Mondale, who served as vice president under then-Pres. Jimmy Carter before waging his own unsuccessful White House bid in 1984, died on Apr. 19 at home in downtown Minneapolis surrounded by family. He was 93. Born to a Methodist minister and music teacher in southern Minnesota in 1928, the former Democratic vice president was a steadfast supporter of social justice. By the time he graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, he was deeply involved in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party -- Minnesota's wing of the Democratic Party. He served as the state's attorney general starting in 1960 and later was named to the US Senate to fill the seat left vacant by Hubert Humphrey, who was elected Lyndon Johnson's vice president. Mr. Mondale represented Minnesota in the Senate from 1964 until 1976, when he signed on as Carter's running mate. Pres. Carter remembered Mr. Mondale in a statement as a "dear friend" and "the best vice president in our country's history." "During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today. He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world," Pres. Carter continued. He served as Carter's No. 2 between 1977 and 1981, but his time as vice president came to an end when Ronald Reagan and his running mate, George H. W. Bush, defeated Carter and Mondale in 1980 -- a loss that Democrats wouldn't recover from until 1992, when Bill Clinton helped the party win back control of the White House. Still, Mr. Mondale would win the Democratic presidential nomination himself in 1984, and make history by naming a woman, US Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York, as his running mate before ultimately losing in a landslide to Reagan. In a statement, Ferraro's family remembered Mondale as a "hero" who "opened the doors of opportunity and forever changed what was possible in our country for women and girls." Mr. Mondale later served as both the US ambassador to Japan and the envoy to Indonesia under Clinton. His last race was in 2002, when he served as Minnesota's DFL Senate candidate, filling the ballot position of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, who had died shortly before the election in October of that year. Mr. Mondale was defeated in the race by Republican Norm Coleman. Current Pres. Joe Biden memorialized Mr. Mondale on Apr. 19, calling him a "dear friend and mentor." He said the Minnesota Democrat was one of the first people to greet him in the Senate, and was his first call when former Pres. Barack Obama asked him to consider the vice presidency. "It was Walter Mondale who defined the vice presidency as a full partnership, and helped provide a model for my service," Pres. Biden said in a statement. Mr. Mondale is preceded in death by his wife, Joan Mondale, who died in 2014, and daughter, Eleanor, in 2011. - CNN.com, 4/20/21.

The Who have partnered with food giant Heinz for a new charity venture to celebrate the upcoming a super deluxe edition box set of their 1967 concept album The Who Sell Out. The record's original artwork famously featured frontman Roger Daltrey sitting in a bathtub filled with Heinz beans, while the second track on the LP was titled "Heinz Baked Beans." In the UK, Heinz are selling 1,967 415g cans -- with Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend personally hand-signing 50 cans -- with all net proceeds being donated to Magic Breakfast and the Teenage Cancer Trust. In the US, all proceeds will go to Teen Cancer America. UK fans can find out more about the cans and buy them from the HeinzToHome.co.uk site, while US fans can head to The Who's online shop. The deluxe version The Who Sell Out drops Apr. 23. - NME, 4/12/21...... Saturday Night Live player and The King of Staten Island actor Pete Davidson has been tapped to portray punk icon Joey Ramone in Netflix's upcoming I Slept With Joey Ramone biopic. The announcement was made on Apr. 15, the 20th anniversary of the Ramones frontman's death at age 49 after a seven-year battle with lymphoma. Based on the 2010 memoir of the same name by Ramone's brother, Mickey Leigh, the project is being written by Davidson and Big Time Adolescence director Jason Orley and is being made in cooperation with Ramone's estate. STXfilms chairman Adam Fogelson said that Leigh "not only collaborated with his big brother's band -- he has irreplaceable memories of and insights into Joey Ramone, having supported him when no one else would and witnessed him overcome adversity in the most dramatic way," adding that Davidson "is perfect for this role and we're excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix." Ramone (born Jeffrey Hyman) co-founded the group that kicked off the punk revolution in the U.S. with his childhood friends Doug Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) and John Cummings (Johnny Ramone), with all the members taking on family-like pseudonyms inspired by Beatle Paul McCartney's early stage name. The famously fractious "brothers" never achieved the breakthrough chart success Ramone craved, even as the group toured the world relentlessly from 1976 until their breakup in 1996. Critical response to the casting of Davidson as Joey Ramone has been mixed, with critic Evan Rytlewski writing ""This is good casting. Pete Davidson is a meh comedian and a boring public figure but sometimes a surprisingly decent actor in roles that don't ask him to do much," while Variety's Manori Ravindran calling the casting "bullshit" and saying Joey "deserves better than this, damn it!" - Billboard/NME, 4/15/21...... Mick Jagger has teamed up with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for a surprise song about the Covid-19 pandemic, "Eazy Sleazy." The two rock icons released the song, which touches on the lockdown, Zoom calls, masks, anti-vaxxers, and more, on Apr. 13. "I wanted to share this song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism -- thank you to Dave Grohl for jumping on drums, bass and guitar, it was a lot of fun working with you on this-hope you all enjoy Eazy Sleazy!" the 77-year-old Jagger posted on Twitter, with Grohl responding in his Twitter post, "It's hard to put into words what recording this song with Sir Mick Jagger means to me. It's beyond a dream come true. Just when I thought life couldn't get any crazier......and it's the song of the summer, without a doubt!!" Discussing the track in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger explained that he had been inspired to write the lyrics after close friends and family began believing conspiracy theories. "It just seems to be that even people you know that are relatively sensible about a lot of things have one thing that they just don't kind of get," he said. Jagger has also teamed up with 3D artist Olivia Latta, aka Extraweg, for an audio-visual NFT (non-fungible token) of "Eazy Sleazy" to raise funds for beleaguered independent music venues on both sides of the Atlantic. Proceeds from the sale will be split between the UK's Music Venue Trust and America's National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). A cut of proceeds will also be donated to environmental causes. - The Hollywood Reporter/NME, 4/13/21...... In other Mick Jagger news, the Rolling Stones frontman has explained why he has never finished writing his memoirs, describing the process as "simply dull and upsetting." In a new interview with BBC 6 Music News' Matt Everitt on Apr. 14 on the release of "Eazy Sleazy," Jagger said that he hadn't found the motivation to resume work on that project. "I could've done that [writing his memoirs], yeah. It was a thing that people started doing, writing," he said. "I think in the '80s I started it and I was offered a lot of money -- the money was the seductive part of it! So when I actually started to get into it I really didn't enjoy it... reliving my life, to the detriment of living in the now. "If you wanna write an autobiography, this is not a process you can just do in a week -- it takes a lot out of you. It takes a lot of reliving emotions, reliving friendships, reliving ups and downs." Asked by Everitt if he ever intends to finish and publish his autobiography, Jagger replied: "Not any moment soon." Jagger previously said in 2014 that anyone wanting to read his memoirs should "look it up on Wikipedia", while in 2017 the writer and publisher John Blake claimed to have a copy of the singer's unfinished manuscript and described it as "a little masterpiece." - NME, 4/14/21...... Speaking of memoirs, AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has announced he'll release his own autobiography, The Lives of Brian: AC/DC, Me, and the Making of Back in Black, this fall. The book will dive into Johnson's life from his upbringing in New Castle Upon Tyne, England, and his years in glam rock band Geordie to his success replacing the late Bon Scott in AC/DC. The Lives of Brian is due Oct. 26 via Penguin Books is available for pre-order on Amazon. After a hiatus from AC/DC, Jones returned to the veteran heavy metal rockers as lead vocalist for their November album Power Up, their first LP since 2014's Rock Or Bust. - Billboard/NME, 4/13/21...... In an interview with the UK's Uncut magazine paying tribute to Bob Dylan to mark his 80th birthday on May 24, Paul McCartney recalled the first time the Beatles got stoned with Dylan. "I'm not sure whether he's very keen on me telling this, but here we go," McCartney said. "It was at the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue and 59th in New York City in August, 1964. We were in a hotel room, all being good lads having our Scotch and Coke -- it was an afterparty, I think. Dylan arrived and he went into the bedroom with his roadie. Ringo [Starr, drummer] went along to see what was up. So he finds Dylan, rolling up, and he has a toke. He came back in and we said, 'What was it like?' So Ringo says, 'The ceiling is kind of moving down...' We all ran into the back room going, 'Give us a bit, give us a bit!' That was the very first evening we ever got stoned!" Meanwhile, McCartney released a "reimagined" version of his 2020 album McCartney III, McCartney III Imagined, on Apr. 16. It features collaborations with the likes of Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Idris Elba, Damon Albarn and others. - NME, 4/15/21...... In other Bob Dylan news, the 1965 Fender Electric XII guitar used by Dylan during sessions for his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde has gone up for auction with a minimum bid of $215,000 (£156,000). The piece of music history -- valued at $1 million (£725,115) by Heritage Auction Appraisal Services -- has gone under the hammer through GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com, an online auction house specialising in authentic music and pop culture memorabilia. The 12-string electric was given to Dylan by Fender Instruments to use on his 1965 LP Highway 61 Revisited and for the early sessions of its follow-up Blonde On Blonde at New York's Columbia 30th Street Studio. An official listing describes the instrument as "an incredibly rare specimen", which comes with "a signed letter of provenance from Bob Dylan's management confirming that this is the very guitar that he owned and used during the 'Blonde On Blonde' sessions" as well as a letter of authenticity. - NME, 4/14/21...... The Queen's Gambit actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is set to play late Beatles manager Brian Epstein in a new film titled Midas Man to be directed by Sweden's Jonas Akerlund. Aukerlund is best known for working with Madonna on the Grammy award-winning "Ray Of Light" music video as well as with other artists including Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Rammstein and The Prodigy. The unauthorized biography of Epstein, who was the Beatles manager from 1962 until his death in 1967, is set to start filming later in 2021 at Twickenham Studios and on location in London, Liverpool and America. According to Deadline.com, the film will "chart Epstein's... role in the cultural revolution and creative explosion of the 1960s and his sizeable yet often unheralded influence on pop music." As well as managing the Fab Four, Epstein also worked with a number of artists including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black and Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas. He died of an accidental drug overdose in 1967 at age 32. Fortune-Lloyd, who played chess prodigy and later journalist Townes in the Netflix smash The Queen's Gambit, said in a statement "It's a huge privilege to play Brian Epstein, a man who made such an important and lasting cultural impact, but who struggled to find a secure place in a world he helped to shape." - NME, 4/16/21...... A new David Bowie compilation called The Width of a Circle will compile the late rock legend's early '70s non-album singles, alternate versions and BBC "In Concert" session. Due on May 28, it will mostly comprise recordings from a session with John Peel in 1970, in which Bowie performed alongside The Tony Visconti Trio, otherwise known as The Hype. Also among the collection is the five-song score Bowie composed for the BBC drama The Looking Glass Murders, and four songs recorded for The Andy Ferris Show in the '70s, including a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Waiting For The Man" and the compilation's title track. Elsewhere, the two-CD set will include 2020 mixes of "The Prettiest Star," "London Bye, Ta-Ta," "Memory Of A Free Festival," "All The Madmen" and "Holy Holy," produced by Visconti. The Width of a Circle is being marketed as a companion piece to the re-release of Bowie's third studio album, The Man Who Sold The World. The album was recently re-released under the title Metrobolist, which was Bowie's intended name for the LP, but was changed by his label without consultation. - NME, 4/15/21...... Elton John has called for internet trolls to face "accountability" in a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. John criticized the largely anonymous hate-spreaders for posting "hatefule" remarks online and making the world "really divided and really cruel." "We've lived through two or three years of divisiveness throughout the whole world, and especially in America, but around the world, and during lockdown, we've seen social media being used to abuse people racially. Not just being gay, but racially as well," Elton said. "People are so cruel to each other and it's because they hide behind their social messaging or whatever they do. If they had to write their names on it, they wouldn't do it. And I just think it's just awful that people can write anonymous things about people being gay, being of another political persuasion, religious persuasion, or just plain racial (abuse). I just think that we have to ask ourselves at this time that it's not good enough for people to be able to post anonymous things online. They have to be accountable for what they say. It's making the world really divided and it's really cruel... it's all down to the hateful messaging that people are putting on their social network. And we have to do something about it," he added. Meanwhile, the Rocket Man has teamed up with rising Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama to release a new version of her song "Chosen Family." The music legend is a massive fan of the 30-year-old Japanese-British singer and has tinkled the ivories and added his iconic vocals to the ballad, which is Rina's "emotional ode to her LGBTQ+ family." The collaboration comes after Elton hailed Rina's debut studio effort, SAWAYAMA, his album of the year in 2020. Elton hitmaker got to chat with Rina via video call and was full of praise of her acclaimed record. - NME, 4/15/21...... Queen drummer Roger Taylor says he's planning to install a 20 foot high statue of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in his garden. The bronze statue was originally created to promote the musical "We Will Rock You," which made use of Queen's back catalogue. It stood outside the Dominion Theatre in London from 2002 until the end of the show's West End run in 2014. Taylor is now reportedly planning an extensive renovation of the garden of his Surrey property, and planning to make the statue its centerpiece. Taylor is now reportedly planning an extensive renovation of the garden of his Surrey property, which would also see the installation of a pool house, bar and jacuzzi, and is currently seeking permission from the planning authorities for the renovation. Taylor previously installed the statue in his rockery, but faced a subsequent dispute with planners. "It was in a warehouse, costing money, so I said 'why don't they just put it on a lorry and bring it here, and we'll put it in the garden?'" Taylor said. "I also thought it would be very funny to have the statue there and I think Freddie would have found it hilarious." Guildford Borough Council is reportedly set to make a decision on the planning application in May. - NME, 4/13/21...... Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford took to Instagram on Apr. 10 to share a video encouraging people to get vaccinated for the Covid-19 virus in order to "get those amazing vibes and feelings back faster." "Hi everyone. This is your metal god, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, sending you a massive shoutout of thanks to our metal community for doing the right thing by getting the life-saving vaccine that will eventually eradicate COVID-19 around the world," Halford began his Instagram statement. "One thing we're proud about in metal is that we not only stand together united for our music but also for each other. You know, common sense states that by having the jab, we're opening up one of the most important areas that we have so desperately missed, which is being side by side, horns way up at clubs, theatres, arenas and festivals where who we are and what we live for is tangible and real with the bands we love. So let's get those amazing vibes and feelings back faster. I urge those of us who have not yet been vaccinated to please step up. Judas Priest and all bands everywhere are made complete by playing live for our fans," he added. Halford ended his message by sharing the address of for grassroots charity MadeToSave.com, who work to ensure communities hardest hit by the pandemic have access to vaccines. - NME, 4/11/21...... Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne is scheduled to break her silence about her exit from U.S. TV show The Talk during an interview with Bill Maher on his weekly HBO show Real Time with Bill Mahar on Apr. 23. The chat will come just days after The Talk returned to CBS without Sharon after a month-long hiatus following an awkward stand-off between Osbourne and co-host Sheryl Underwood over race. Underwood recently revealed she had not spoken to Sharon since their on-air feud, telling viewers on Apr. 19, "As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave The Talk. We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing." Osbourne and Underwood's falling out came as Sharon attempted to defend her fellow Brit friend Piers Morgan following comments he made on a UK breakfast show about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's mental health issues. Sharon insisted Morgan's remarks were not racist, prompting a heated debate between herself and her old friend. - WENN/Canoe.com, 4/14/21.