In episode seven of the new Renagades vs. Home Life Spotify podcast with former Pres. Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen revealed he had to cut back on the amount of time he spent on the road after becoming a father, because his absence proved to be "poison" to his home life. "You are the chauffeur! You are the short order cook in the morning," he told Obama, adding: "And the thing is, you've got to be in the place in your life where you love it." Springsteen, who shares three kids with his wife, E Street Band member Patti Scialfa, admitted it took him some time to find the right balance between his life as a rock star and as a husband and dad, and his role at home couldn't have been more different than when he was on tour: "You get up when you want to. You go in the studio when you want to. You put your record out when you want to." But he realized he couldn't continue living that way once they had sons Evan and Sam, and daughter Jessica, who are now all grown up. "You can say, 'I'm going to go away for three days, I'm going to go away for three months'," he explained. "But if you know, 'When I go away for three months, it's bad when I come back... When I go away for three days, it's OK when I come back,' I better start going away for three days!" "All we knew was that when we passed a certain point, it wasn't good for our relationship," he shared of how he and Scialfa eventually settled on the ideal touring schedule to suit their family, but added "we slowly figured all this out together." Episode seven of Renegades: Road vs. Home Life debuts on Spotify.com on Mar. 29. - Music-News.com, 3/27/21...... 
'60s and '70s pop star B.J. Thomas, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1970 with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", has revealed he has been given a stage four lung cancer diagnosis. According to Deadline.com, the 78-year-old Thomas has confirmed via representatives that he is currently receiving treatment in a Texas health care facility. "I just wanted to take this unique opportunity to share my gratitude to Gloria, my wonderful wife and my rock for over 53 years, my family, friends, and fans," he said in a statement issued through his publicist. "I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to record and perform beautiful songs in pop, country, and gospel music, and to share those wonderful songs and memories around the world with millions of you. I ask all of you for your prayers during this time and that my music can live on with you." His 1969 recording of "Raindrops," written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the hit film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. It spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1970, and was nominated for a Grammy the same year. In addition to "Raindrops," he had a slew of other hits, starting with his cover of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in 1966, "Hooked on a Feeling" in 1968, "I Just Can't Help Believing" in 1970, "Rock and Roll Lullaby"' in 1972 and "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" in 1975. Between 1977 and 1981, the Born Again singer, who struggled with substance abuse problems for many years, won a Grammy Award each consecutive year, including for his album Home Where I Belong and recordings of hymns like "Amazing Grace." His voice can be heard in classic movies and TV shows such as Forrest Gump and Spider-Man 2 to Family Guy, and as recent as 2020's Mrs. America. - NME, 3/24/21...... The new Tina Turner documentary Tina from Oscar-winning documentary directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin premieres on cable channel HBO at 8:00 p.m. ET on Mar. 27 and will stream on HBO Max. Linsday says one touchy subject during his interviews with the rock/soul legend was the emotional and physical abuse she suffered while married to her ex-husband Ike Turner. "She doesn't like doing press because she always feels people are asking her the same thing," Lindsay told Billboard. "But she'll talk about it. She's very aware there are consequences of that, and she would rather not do it because of the consequences. We went to go meet Tina the first time and we didn't ask her a single question about Ike. And yet if there was a recording of that conversation, the amount of times she brought him up is revealing. It's still obviously on her mind. I just think she would rather not be triggered into talking about it all the time," he added. Meanwhile, HBO has teamed with NTS Radio four a five hour/six part multimedia virtual experience dubbed "Tina Turner: Rulebreaker." It will celebrate Turner's influential musical career and pay homage to her energetic on-stage presence and trailblazing power as a Black woman in the rock genre beginning on Mar. 26. - Billboard, 3/25/21...... A previously unreleased recording by late The Clash frontman Joe Strummer has been released for a new version of the song's music video as part of Joe Strummer's Assembly, a posthumous compilation of his career-best work. The 15-track best-of album was released on Mar. 26 includes Clash rarities and re-mastered tracks, along with a live performance of "Rudie Can't Fail" from Strummer and his backing band The Mescaleros at London's Brixton Academy on Nov. 24, 2001. A video of that performance has been shared on YouTube. Strummer, who died in 2002, fronted The Clash from 1976 until their disbandment in 1986. He then went on to perform as a solo artist and with The Mescaleros. Assembly is being released on George Harrison's Dark Horse Records, which is now run by the late Beatle's son Dhani Harrison and manager David Zonshine. - New Musical Express, 3/27/21...... Neil Young has released a new live album and concert film, Young Shakespeare, recorded at the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut on Jan. 22, 1971, one of the earliest recorded gigs of his career. Filmed by a German TV crew who never released the footage but kept it in their vaults for 50 years, only snippets of the show have been circulated amongst fans before, with Young saying he felt the gig was "superior" to his performance three days later at Toronto's Massey Hall. "A more calm performance, without the celebratory atmosphere of Massey Hall, captured live on 16mm film," Young wrote on his Neil Young Archives website in 2020. "'Young Shakespeare' is a very special event. To my fans, I say this is the best ever. 'Young Shakespeare' is the performance of that era. Personal and emotional, for me, it defines that time," he noted. In a trailer which has been shared on YouTube, Young can bee seen performing clips of songs including "Cowgirl In The Sand," "A Man Needs A Maid" and "Down By The River." Young Shakespeare is now available on all major streaming platforms and available to purchase in physical formats, including a deluxe box set edition. The DVD is available exclusively from Young's own store. - NME, 3/26/21...... In a new interview by the Los Angeles Times, Mick Fleetwood said he desires a Fleetwood Mac reunion and "everyone who's ever played in Fleetwood Mac would be welcome." Asked who he thinks will be a part of Fleetwood Mac when the band next tours, the drummer said: "I hope the whole fucking lot of them! I'm not done. And if I can get [Fleetwood Mac bassist] John McVie off his boat, he's not done either!" He added: "My English pipe dream, sitting on top of a mushroom, would be that everyone who's ever played in Fleetwood Mac would be welcome. That's what would drive me, because this is all about a collective." Fleetwood's statement comes after an interview a few days earlier when he revealed that he has reconciled with former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham -- and would like to think a reunion could happen. Meanwhile, Buckingham has performed a reworked rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" on Fender's new American Acoustasonic Jazzmaster guitar. Buckingham, who was ousted from the band in Jan. 2018 -- appeared in the first episode of an all-new series by the famous guitar brand called Re-Creation showcasing the instrument. Lindsey showed off the impressive stringed instrument -- which boasts a larger body shape, a Tim Shaw-designed Humbucking Pickup, and four new acoustic voicings -- by performing a version of the hit he penned for their seminal 1977 LP Rumours and famously composed in the wake of the breakup of his relationship with frontwoman Stevie Nicks. The performance can be viewed on Fender's official YouTube channel. - NME/Music-News.com, 3/26/21...... 
The Village People have spoken out about their recent Grammy Hall Of Fame induction, claiming the Recording Academy doesn't pay enough attention to classic artists. The '70s disco stars' classic anthem "Y.M.C.A." was among 28 songs and albums inducted into the Hall in Dec. 2020, however frontman Victor Willis (who wears the police uniform), told TMZ.com he is unhappy with the Academy's nod to the band. Willis was seemingly upset with the lack of fanfare the inductees receive, with no mention during the annual telecast and no proper induction ceremony. He says the Village People have told Grammy Interim president Harvey Mason that they're declining the induction because the Hall is "lacking" and "not taken seriously by the recording academy." "The Grammys should show respect for classic artists who built the recording business," he said, adding that the Village People are also unlikely to submit their new album which is due later in 2021 for contention at the next Grammys. - NME, 3/25/21...... Speaking of classic anthems, Queen have become the first ever UK band to have a song certified "diamond," reaching the 10 million in U.S. sales or streaming equivalents milestone compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their iconic 1975 hit "Bohemian Rhapsody." Reflecting on the achievement in a statement, Queen guitarist Brian May said: "This is incredible news. At times like this I have to pinch myself to be sure it's real. All those wild dreams we had -- this is beyond any of them. Huge thanks to all who have believed in us over the years." Queen drummer Roger Taylor added: "It's a wonderful and gratifying thought to know the song has reached out and connected with so many people!" "Bohemian Rhapsody" spent nine weeks at the top of the UK charts upon its release in 1975, and a further five upon Freddie Mercury's death in 1991. In the US, it climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in early 1976 and remained on the chart for 17 weeks. A Queen biopic named after the song, starring Rami Malek as the late frontman Mercury, has made nearly $1 billion (£760 million) worldwide since its release in Oct. 2018. Queen, who perform live with Adam Lambert on vocals, are set to head out on a "Rhapsody Tour" across the UK in 2022. - NME, 3/25/21...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is giving his fellow New Yorkers the chance to rave again after helping to curated a socially distanced dance club. Byrne has joined forces with Broadway set designer Christine Jones and choreographer Steven Hoggett to launch SOCIAL!, a new experimental club at the Park Avenue Armory. 100 attendees will be invited to the venue's Wade Thompson Drill Hall at a time to enjoy their own dance moves, or to take in a spoken choreography voiceover from Byrne himself. The event, which was specially commissioned for the Armory's new launched Social Distance Hall, also features a playlist that has been personally curated by Byrne himself, Jones and Hoggett, and mixed by DJ Natasha Diggs. Byrne invited his "Utopian" fans to check out the announcement by Park Avenue Armory by retweeting their post on his American Utopia Twitter page on Mar. 24. - NME, 3/26/21...... The UK paper The Sun is reporting that the Sex Pistols are "over once and for all" after reportedly becoming locked in a fresh lawsuit over royalties. According to the story, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook have launched a lawsuit against former bandmates John Lydon [aka Johnny Rotten] and Glen Matlock for breach of contract, as the pair believe they are owed money. The former bandmates are now no longer on speaking terms and will only communicate through their lawyers, and according to a source "The guys have always had a pretty fiery relationship, but sadly things are at an all-time low now." "None of them are speaking -- only through lawyers -- and each reckons the other is to blame for various things over the decades," the source said. "As with most rows, money is the major factor here -- Steve and Paul believe they have been denied royalties dating back years, whereas Glen and John think, if anything, they're owed more money. They could counter-sue if needs be. There were chats about a reunion a while ago -- but this is now off the table. The Sex Pistols are over once and for all," the source added. While the reunion seemingly isn't forthcoming, the iconic band's story is soon set to be immortalized on the small screen in director Danny Boyle's upcoming biopic about the punk rock legends. - NME, 3/25/21...... Fans of late soul/pop icon Prince will be able to mark the fifth anniversary of his death with a visit to the suburban Minnesota compound the singer-songwriter called home where Prince's ashes will be on display again. "We celebrate his life and legacy every day at Paisley Park, a place that Prince wanted to share with the world," Paisley Park Executive Director Alan Seiffert said in a statement. "So, on this day especially, we acknowledge the incredible force and inspiration Prince is in people's lives and open up our doors for them to pay their respects." A custom-made ceramic urn containing Prince's remains was originally located in the middle of the atrium when the 65,000-square-foot studio in Chanhassen first opened to the public in Oct. 2016. But at the request of the singer's family, Prince's ashes were eventually removed entirely from public view. The free event will take place on Apr. 21 and will accommodate 1,400 people. Prince passed away on Apr. 21, 2016, of a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park estate. - WENN/Canoe.com, 3/24/21...... 
Meat Loaf announced on Mar. 22 he is launching a new reality competition series called I'd Do Anything For Love... But I Won't Do That. The show is based on the Texas rocker's 1993 hit single of the same name, which appeared on his sixth studio album Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. According to Deadline.com, the relationship-based program is being produced by Nobody's Hero -- the production company of Christopher Potts and Jonty Nash, who are two of the people behind Netflix's Nailed It!. Meat Loaf, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, will serve as an executive producer on the project. The musician previously dabbled in the world of reality TV when he appeared as a contestant on the US version of The Apprentice in 2011. - NME, 3/22/21...... A suit once worn by David Bowie is expected to reach between £10,000-£15,000 when it is auctioned in March. The two-piece suit was worn by the rock legend on a single night out at historic New Romantic hang-out The Blitz Club, and was claimed by legendary promoter Steve Strange after it became left in London club's cloak room. Bowie left the Issey Miyake-designed suit behind after noticing several cigarette burns on it, and changed into a fresh outfit. It eventually made its way into the hands of musician Jayce Lewis, who is auctioning the suit. Specialist Stephen Ferguson at Auction Antiques said: "Unusual items with a famous history are always the best and as a lifelong Bowie fan, this piece ticks all the boxes, as it will with other Bowie fans." - NME, 3/23/21...... Elton John has recruited rising singer Dua Lipa and actor Neil Patrick Harris to help celebrate the 2021 Oscars with a livestreamed pre-party special. John has been hosting his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards event for the last 29 years, but with ongoing COVID concerns, he has decided to mark the run-up to Hollywood's big show on Apr. 25 with a virtual countdown bash. Harris will co-host the one-hour party with Elton and his husband, producer David Furnish, while Dua will be among the performers, with others set to be announced in the coming weeks. "This year, we are bringing our Oscar Party into people's homes for the first time virtually for an unforgettable evening with David, myself, our dear friend Neil Patrick Harris, and the incredible Dua Lipa plus many fabulous surprise names," Elton said in a statement. The event will stream at four different times to line up with each region's Oscars broadcast, with North America's taking place live at 7:00 pm EDT on Apr. 25 -- just before the awards take place in Los Angeles. - Music-News.com, 3/23/21...... The ashes of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister were placed in bullets and given to his closest friends, it has been revealed by Riki Rachtman, former host of the MTV show Headbangers Ball. Sharing his Lemmy-engraved bullet on Twitter and Instagram on Mar. 22, Rachtman wrote: "Before his death #Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets & handed out to his closest friends. Today, I received a bullet & was literally brought to tears." In the wake of Rachtman's post, another photo of a Lemmy bullet shared last year by former tennis star Pat Cash is also being re-shared. - NME, 3/23/21...... Hollywood Vampires -- the "supergroup" comprised of Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp -- have announced they have scrapped their summer European tour due to Covid-19 concerns. The band had previously rescheduled dates to August and September, but because of safety concerns surrounding the pandemic, the tour has now been cancelled. "We are beyond disappointed to announce that the Hollywood Vampires must cancel our rescheduled UK/European tour this Summer," the band said in a statement. "We kept trying to make it happen, but unfortunately due to the uncertainty of Covid-19 travel restrictions, it is just not possible... Thank you for understanding, and we WILL be back rocking with you once the world returns to normal!," they added. When the tour was first announced, Cooper promised the shows would have "something for everyone" and insisted the group was a serious rock band not "just some novelty." - Music-News.com, 3/23/21...... 
Controversial conservative rocker Ted Nugent has responded to allegations of racism, denying the claims and calling himself "the anti-racist." Nugent's remarks came after it was recently revealed that he lost a sponsor for his TV show Spirit Of The Wild due to allegations of racism made against him. Saying he "paid homage and reverence to the black heroes of music" for his entire life in a Facebook Live video, Nugent added: "Everybody who pays attention -- not the ones who call me a racist, but the people who are actually honest and pay attention know that I have paid homage and reverence to the black heroes of music all my life, which means I'm the anti-racist. So if you find somebody who calls Ted Nugent a racist, you are looking at a subhuman piece of shit who lives a lie." He added: "I'm a living, walking, breathing passionate music lover that was in the eye of the music storm at the most important time in the history of music, coming right out of the electrification of the guitar by Les Paul. And how Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and The Ventures and Duane Eddy and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley took that black music, and we celebrated it in song." Nugent, a vocal supporter of former US Pres. Donald Trump, has attracted severe criticism over his alleged racist views over the years, calling then-Pres. Barack Obama a "subhuman mongrel" in 2014 before apologizing for the comment. - NME, 3/22/21...... In related news, Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne has announced she won't be returning to her US daytime talk show The Talk when it resumes production in April, following an on-air controversy and allegations of racism. The outspoken Brit has decided to quit The Talk panel after coming under fire for her defense of newsman pal Piers Morgan's verbal attack on Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex on the Mar. 10 episode of the series. During the segment, co-host Sheryl Underwood attempted to suggest Morgan's comments about the royal's tabloid torment, made on Good Morning Britain, were racist, but Osbourne became upset, claiming the outburst inferred that the rock matriarch was a racist for stating Morgan was paid to have an opinion. "I feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist," Osbourne grumbled, although she subsequently apologized for the exchange the next day on Twitter. Sharon came under further attack as former The Talk co-hosts Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini accused her of using racially-insensitive and homophobic language behind the scenes of the show -- allegations she blasted as a "setup." Network bosses at CBS put The Talk on hiatus days later, as they launched an investigation into the whole drama, and now they have announced Osbourne has chosen to exit the program after 11 seasons. The Talk is set to return to the air on Apr. 12. - WENN/Canoe.com, 3/26/21...... Emmy-winning screen and stage actress Jessica Walter, best known for her work as the stalker in Clint Eastwood's 1972 thriller Play Misty for Me, and for the TV series Arrested Development and Archer, passed away in her sleep on Mar. 24 in New York City. She was 80. Confirming the sad news of Walter's death, her daughter, Brooke Bowman, said in a statement: "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom, Jessica. A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off." Ms. Walter won an Emmy for playing the title role in 1970s detective series Amy Prentiss, portrayed Lucille Bluth in the cult TV hit Arrested Development, and also voiced the role of Malory Archer in animated series Archer. Away from the screen, she served as the Screen Actors Guild's second national vice president. She began her career on Broadway in productions like "Advise and Consent," "A Severed Head," "Anything Goes", and "Photo Finish," moving into TV in the early 1960s and landed regular roles in hits like For The People, The F.B.I., Bare Essence, Three's A Crowd, Dinosaurs, and a recurring role in the 1979-85 CBS medical drama Trapper John, M.D. Her final credit came this year, on an episode of ABC comedy American Housewife. Ms. Walter was twice married, the first time to Ross Bowman from 1966 until their divorce in 1978. She married Leibman, who died in 2019, in 1983. She is survived by a daughter, Brooke Bowman, a television executive. - Variety/WENN-Canoe.com, 3/26/21...... 
Veteran actor George Segal, known for his everyman quality, often playing an unlucky-in-love professional or writer who gets in over his head in such films as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Bye Bye Braverman, A Touch of Class, The Hot Rock, The Owl and the Pussycat, and Fun With Dick and Jane, passed away due to complications from bypass surgery on Mar. 23. He was 87. "The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery," his wife Sonia Segal said in a statement the same day. Charming and witty, Mr. Segal excelled in both dramatic and comedic roles, most recently playing laid-back widower Albert "Pops" Solomon on the comedy series The Goldbergs. Born in Great Neck, Long Island in New York on Feb. 13, 1934, Mr. Segal studied at the Actor's Studio and appeared on Broadway in shows including "Gideon" and "Rattle of a Simple Man." After being signed by Columbia Pictures, he had his first film role in The Young Doctors. After several television appearances, he won his first major film role in Stanley Kramer's Ship of Fools, playing an artist in the star-studded ensemble drama. In 1965, he played a scheming, wily American corporal in a World War II prisoner-of-war camp in King Rat. Two years later he earned an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor in director Mike Nichols' harrowing, marital drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. "Elizabeth and Richard were the king and queen of the world at that moment and there was a lot of buzz about it," Mr. Segal told TheDailyBeast.com in 2016. "For me, there was a great satisfaction of being involved with it." But it was in comedies that Mr. Segal cemented his star status in a string of films in the 1970s with A-list directors and co-stars such as Glenda Jackson, who won an Oscar for her performance in A Touch of Class. He also starred in several acclaimed films for television, including Of Mice and Men, Death of a Salesman and The Desperate Hours. Also on the small screen, he had recurring roles on Just Shoot Me!, Murphy's Law and Take Five. Mr. Segal also enjoyed playing the ukulele and the banjo, making an album of banjo music and performing on TV talk shows. "Today we lost a legend," Adam F. Goldberg, who created the The Goldbergs TV series that was based on his own life, posted on Twitter on Mar. 23. - Reuters/Variety, 3/23/21.
A new Tom Petty documentary, Somewhere You Feel Free, debuted at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Tex., on Mar. 18. Directed by Mary Wharton, the documentary features an unearthed trove of 16mm studio footage from 1994's Wildflowers recording sessions and new interviews with Petty's daughter (and documentary executive producer) Adria Petty, Wildflowers co-producer Rick Rubin, and Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Steve Ferrone of Petty's band the Heartbreakers. Among the revelations in the rock doc are Petty's favorite album of his was Wildflowers and he decided to make it a solo LP "because I wanted to be free of the democratic process." Another interesting tidbit is "Mary Jane's Last Dance," one of his most enduring hits, was recorded while on a short break from the Wildflowers sessions, in a separate studio as one of two tracks to fill out a contract with his former label, MCA Records, and his final LP for them, 1993's Greatest Hits. - Billboard, 3/18/21...... 
In a new interview with USA Today, KISS vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley said he doesn't "really see a reason" for KISS to deliver any new music before they finally call it a day when their current "End Of The Road" farewell tour comes to a close. "I don't really see a reason for it, to be quite honest," Stanley said. "For the most part, when classic bands put out new albums, they're looked at and listened to and thrown away because they don't have the gravitas, they don't have the age that comes with something being a time capsule or being attached to a certain period of your life." Stanley continued: "I'm not alone in that. When you see any classic bands on TV or if there's a concert video, turn off the sound and I'll tell you every time they're playing a new song because the audience sits down. So it's odd to me that people always want you to do a new album, but then they go, 'That's great. Now play your hits.' So honestly, at this point, there isn't a real reward in it. There's much more of a reward in changing lanes -- I'm still going forward." Instead of new KISS music, Stanley says he's busy on recording the debut album from his Soul Station side project. The last KISS album was 2012's Monster. In other KISS-related news, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has taken to Twitter again to blast people who are skeptical of wearing face masks amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "You must stop at a red light, and you must put on your seatbelt, and you can't drive over the speed limit. Your rights stop if you effect others. So why should you have a say in not wearing a mask in public?," Simmons posted on his Twitter account on Mar. 20. A few hours later, he made a comparison with why surgeons wear masks in operating rooms, saying, "Why is it ALL surgeons, without exception... anywhere in the world, wear masks during surgery!!! Do you think they do that for political reasons, or could it be you are delusional and are hanging out with losers?". While many users agreed with Simmons' sentiments, others argued that his comparison was moot, saying, "I'm not sure that being required to wear a mask in a sterile environment is the same as wearing one in public" and "this is a bad argument." In Dec. 2020, Simmons appealed to everyone to wear a face mask, sharing a photo of KISS donning masks ahead of a virtual concert. "Wear your masks. Even if it's only as a courtesy. If you yawn, or sneeze, you don't think twice about covering your mouth. Do the rest of us a favor! Mask Up!... Besides, it looks cool," he said. Paul Stanley also urged the wearing of masks in July: "Don't listen to conspiracy theorists or graduates of The Internet University Of Medicine," he posted to Twitter. - New Musical Express, 3/20/21...... 
As the new Aretha Franklin biopic Genius debuts on Mar. 21 on the National Geographic cable channel, the Queen of Soul's family has spoken out against the series, saying they "do not support it." Franklin's granddaughter Grace recently posted on TikTok about the show, which stars Cynthia Erivo as the late soul singer, and her family's feelings on it. "As the immediate family, we feel that it's important to be involved with any biopic of my grandma's life, as it's hard to get any accurate depiction of anyone's life without speaking to the ones closest to them," Grace said. Grace's father -- and Franklin's son -- Kecalf has also spoken to Rolling Stone about Genius, who said any communication between the family and National Geographic ended when his cousin Sabrina Garrett-Owens stepped down as the representative of Franklin's personal estate. Kecalf said the Franklin family's lawyers reached out to NatGeo to "see the film and say what we like and what we didn't like about it" but they responded that it was "too late, production had already wrapped up and that they didn't want to work with us." He added that the family's issues with Genius were not related to money. "This is about common, decent respect for our family. If I was to do a movie on your family, I would try and speak with you, your sons, daughters, grandchildren and people like that. And we just never felt like we got a shot to speak to them freely from my heart about our family member," he said. A spokesperson for NatGeo said in a statement that both parties had the same goal -- "to honour and celebrate the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin" and they "worked with many people who knew Ms. Franklin -- from Clive Davis to members of her family's estate -- to make sure we told her story in an honest and authentic way." Meanwhile, another Aretha biopic with Jennifer Hudson in the lead role, Respect, is currently set to premiere in the US on Aug. 13, 2021, after being delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic. - NME, 3/21/21...... In other soul music news, expanded digital editions of The Jacksons' last three studio albums will drop on Apr. 30, Epic Records and Sony's Legacy Recordings has announced. The three LP's, 1980's Triumph, 1984's Victory and 1989's 2300 Jackson Street, will be reissued with bonus tracks. On Mar. 21, a new remix of their song "Can You Feel It" featuring spoken word recordings from the late Martin Luther King's acclaimed "The Drum Major Instinct" speech at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in 1968 was released. It also features excerpts from former Pres. Barack Obama's first inauguration speech. On Mar. 26, a 2-LP 12" vinyl edition of The Jacksons Live! from their 1981 North American "Triumph Tour" will be released. In February, extended editions of 1977's The Jacksons LP, 1977's Goin' Places and 1978's Destiny were released. The Jacksons last toured in 2019, when Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson embarked on a World Tour. - Music-News.com, 3/19/21...... 
In an interview in the new Reader's Digest, former Police frontman Sting said he regrets reuniting with the Police in 2007, labeling it "an exercise in nostalgia." Bassist/vocalist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stuart Copeland reunited in 2007, 19 years after they split, and then embarked on a global tour the year after. Sting said the reunion didn't leave him feeling the way he hoped it would. "At the time I labelled the tour an exercise in nostalgia. That was simply how I felt and is still how I feel today," he said. "I think it's OK to be honest about your feelings and that was the way it went for me. That's not a slight on the people I was with or the way things panned out, it's just how I saw it by the end, and let s be honest, that's not how I wanted to remember it. If I thought that would be the emotion I'd be leaving with, I wouldn't have done it in the first place," he added. Meanwhile, Sting, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, and Sleater-Kinney are among the special guests who will feature on the upcoming new series of Audible's Words + Music. - NME, 3/21/21...... Nathan Apodaca, the man who went viral in 2020 for miming along to Fleetwood Mac while drinking Ocean Spray on a skateboard, is selling the original video as a non-fungible token (NFT). Apodaca's TikTok video caught the attention of millions last September, including Fleetwood Mac themselves, with bandmembers even re-creating the skater's ode to "Dreams." The feel-good video also secured him a virtual spot at Pres. Joe Biden's inauguration in January. On Mar. 19, Apodaca put his 23-second clip on auction as an NFT with a reported starting bid of $500,000 (£358,437), according to TMZ.com. They added that Apodaca sees giving someone else ownership as a way to spread his success around, since he has made lucrative gains from it. The video, however, will not include the original audio snippet of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" because he does not own the copyright. The viral star reportedly plans to use the money earned from the auction to buy his parents a house and open an event center in his hometown of Idaho Falls. - NME, 3/18/21...... In a new interview with Cleveland.com, former Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler announced that he is working on his autobiography. Butler says he's halfway through writing the book, in order to give his grandchildren a look back at his illustrious career. "I started out because when my parents died, I always wished I'd asked them a lot more things than I knew about," Butler said. "I don't really know much about my mum and dad, 'cause they were always just there. So, I started writing a memoir for my grandkids to read, and that's been fun going through stuff -- old times and growing up in Birmingham, and all that. I'm right in the middle of doing that at the moment." Meanwhile, former Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne is under attack from another former co-host of her talk show The Talk as she battles back from an awkward stand-off on the daytime show and racism allegations. A day after Leah Remini told the New York Post she heard Sharon call a former Asian-American sidekick "slanty eyes" and "wonton," actress Holly Robinson Peete has blasted Sharon for the way she handled the controversy. Peete took to social media and wrote: "If your only response to a disgusting allegation of racist behavior is to tell 'little people' to 'f--- off' you're clearly not holding yourself accountable." Sharon shocked many with a denial statement on Mar. 17, when she repeated the word "wonton" twice and told her critics to "f--- off." Osbourne's war of words began on an episode of The Talk in the third week of March, when she was challenged over comments she made during the live show defending her longtime friend Piers Morgan following his controversial take on Prince Harry and Megan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. An exchange between Osbourne and co-host Sheryl Underwood became heated when the comedian suggested Morgan's comments were racist. CBS network bosses put The Talk on hold while they investigate the incident and Osbourne is considering whether she will return to the show when it re-airs the following week. - NME/WENN-Canoe.com, 3/18/21...... 
During a Zoom Q&A session on Mar. 18 to promote his new EP Zoom In, Ringo Starr criticized the original Beatles documentary Let It Be for being "too miserable." Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg oversaw the film which documented the Fab Four during recording sessions for their 12th studio album and drew particular attention to heated exchanges between Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Starr said he was delighted that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson took over 56 hours of footage from that era and made it into the forthcoming The Beatles: Get Back documentary. "I didn't feel any joy in the original documentary, it was all focused on one moment which went down between two of the lads [McCartney and Harrison]," said Starr. "The rooftop concert [unannounced Beatles gig from the Apple Corps rooftop in 1969] was also only about seven to eight minutes long. With Peter's [documentary] it's 43 minutes long [laughs]. It's about the music and a lot of joy." Ringo continued: "I had several talks with Peter about how I felt. I thought it was miserable. I said, 'There was lots of laughter, I was there, we were laughing, we were having fun. We were playing and doing what we do'. So Peter kept coming into LA with his iPad and he'd show me sections. He said, 'Look what I've found here' and he showed us laughing and having fun as a band. There was a lot of joy in making those records, those tracks so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the whole thing. Even if you saw that little trailer that came out late last year, it's full of fun." The Beatles: Get Back is due on Aug. 27, after the original release date was moved due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Starr's new EP "Zoom In" was released on Mar. 19. The five track EP was recorded at Starr's home studio between April and October in 2020, featuring contributions from McCartney, Dave Grohl, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Stapleton and Corinne Bailey Rae. - NME, 3/18/21...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney has announced his second children's picture book, Grandude's Green Submarine, will be released on Sept. 2 and continue the adventure of his best-selling 2019 Hey Grandude. Grandude's Green Submarine will continue the adventure of the eponymous grandfather and his grandchildren as they set off on a quest to find their music-loving grandmother, Nandude. McCartney previously explained that the lead character's name is taken directly from the nickname that his grandchildren are known to call him. 'I'm really happy with how Hey Grandude! was received as this was a very personal story for me, celebrating Grandudes everywhere and their relationships and adventures with their grandchildren," he said. "I love that it has become a book read to grandkids at bedtime all around the world. I always said if people liked the first book and there was an appetite for more I would write some further adventures for Grandude -- so he's back and this time with his special invention, Grandude's green submarine!," he added. - NME, 3/18/21...... 
Director Edgar Wright's new documentary on the '70s L.A. pop-rock duo Sparks will be released in US and Canadian cinemas later in 2021. The Sparks Brothers will investigate the careers of brothers Ron and Russell Mael over five decades, complete with an archive of TV and concert clips. A string of musical guests were interviewed for the documentary, including Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Alex Kaprano of Franz Ferdinand, and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Sparks Brothers premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier in 2021. Now, Edgar Wright has confirmed on Instagram that the film will arrive in North American theaters on June 18, with international release dates to be announced later. An official clip of the documentary has also been shared on YouTube. Sparks' combination of witty lyrics with ever-changing pop styles on such albums as 1975's Propaganda has long perplexed and fascinated critics and audiences. - NME, 3/21/21...... Responding to a fan question sent into Metal Hammer, Alice Cooper has revealed his theatrical rock shows were a major inspiration for David Bowie, who once told the rocker it was what his own band "should be doing." "David used to come to the show when he was a mime artist, he was Davy Jones back then. I remember at one of our 'Welcome To My Nightmare' shows, he brought his band the Spiders From Mars and he was saying, 'This is what we should be doing.' But he never did it the way we did it," Cooper recalled. "Bowie and I talked all the time, we'd compliment each other," he added. "There was a whole thing about Bowie and Lou Reed talking about my androgynous thing being fake and they were right -- of course, it's fake. It's a dark vaudeville show and I play a character. Lou and David knew me and knew I couldn't be more down-the-middle American but I just happened to tap into this character and the image -- I knew how to make that character scary, sexy, revolting and funny at the same time!" he said. Cooper said he never saw Bowie as competition but instead "encouraged" him. - NME, 3/18/21.
As Black Sabbath recently reissued deluxe editions of three of its titles -- including 1972's 
A rare master Betacam digital tape of a documentary which told the story of the Sex Pistols' rise to fame (or infamy) in the 1970s is expected to reach up to £10,000 at auction. The tape contains footage of Julien Temple's 2000 Sex Pistols documentary The Filth & The Fury: A Sex Pistols Film, which is readily available on DVD but without the master tape's 12-minutes of videos made for the songs "God Save the Queen," "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays in the Sun," interspersed with interviews with Johnny Rotten [John Lydon] and co. and the band's management. Claire Howell, a music memorabilia consultant at Hansons, described the tape as "an exceptionally rare piece of musical history celebrating an iconic group who smashed their way to fame in the mid-70s and broke the mould when it came to music, fashion, style and attitude. The vendor firmly believes it is a one-off master tape as it came directly from the production company, Resolution Studios. The 'rockumentary' was made in 2000 but it was actually released on DVD on September 24, 2007 which is why the tape coming up for auction is dated 2007." Howell added that the tape is being sold by a private memorabilia collector who previously discovered it at an auction in Retford, Nottinghamshire. It is now set to go under the hammer on Mar. 23, with initial estimates placing it between £5000 - £10,000. Meanwhile, shooting began earlier in March in London on the Danny Boyle-directed Sex Pistols documentary Pistol which is slated to air in 2022 on FX on Hulu. - NME, 3/16/21...... In a new interview with OK! magazine, Cliff Richard admitted that it used to "bother" him that he never had a big fanbase in the US but lately he's thankful for that because it means he can go unrecognized when he's traveling in the States. "I never broke America -- when I was young that used to bother me but now I'm glad that I never did because I can walk around there in peace and quiet," Sir Cliff noted. "My US label weren't bothered about releasing I'm Nearly Famous [in 1975], so Elton [John] put it out in the US on his Rocket label and 'Devil Woman', the single taken from it, went top 10 there," he added. Elton's decision to release Richard's album on his record label and Richard's disire to see it do well saw the Christian crooner tagged with a new nickname from Sir Elton. "Elton likes calling his male friends by female names -- he always calls Rod Stewart 'Phyllis' and he called me 'Silvia Disc' because he said I was always ringing his management office to ask if my record had gone silver yet," Richard said, adding "Is that true? I couldn't possibly comment." - Music-News.com, 3/14/21...... Eddie Van Halen's son Wolf Van Halen has revealed that he passed on the opportunity to perform a tribute to his late father at the 2021 Grammys. While the Mar. 14 awards ceremony featured performances honouring the late John Prine, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers and Gerry Marsden, pundits and VH fans were left scratching their heads when rock guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in October 2020 following a battle with throat cancer, was not given the same kind of tribute. Wolf took to Twitter to clarify his decision not to perform a tribute to his father at the Grammys, who he says had approached him to perform VH's classic "Eruption." I declined. I don't think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself," Van Halen explained in an extended Twitter post. Wolf said in declining, he presumed that another tribute would be organized. Instead, the Grammys included a short clip of Eddie Van Halen in its "In Memoriam" section and only briefly displayed his guitar on stage. "I didn't realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost. What hurt the most was that he wasn't even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know Pop would probably just laugh it off and say 'Ehh who gives a shit?' He was only about the music anyway. The rest didn't matter," Wolf said, adding that he hoped he would have "the opportunity to speak with The Recording Academy not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the rock genre moving forward." - NME, 3/16/21...... '80s rocker Jon Bon Jovi has recalled the time when Mick Jagger once pretended to be in a band with Bon Jovi before the New Jersey rocker skyrocketed to fame. Appearing on Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt's Rockonteurs podcast, Bon Jovi recalled the time he spent working at The Power Station recording studio in New York when he was just 18 years old: "I'll never forget this, I was outside paying my cabby... and The [Rolling] Stones got out of whatever car it was they were getting out of," he explained. "At the same time, they were going into the studio and a photographer jumps out of a trash bin and the paparazzi starts taking pictures. I swear to god this is true. The Stones, they open up the door of the studio... [Bill] Wyman, Mick and Keith [Richards]. They go into the studio." He continued: "The photographer is screaming, 'Mick, Mick, Mick! Give us a picture!' and I swear to you, he grabs me and these kids and he says, 'Here's my new band, The Frogs' And we took a f----ing picture." Bon Jovi also recalled witnessing the famous collaboration of David Bowie and Queen's Freddie Mercury at the same studio. He said he spotted the pair at the studios one night as they recorded their 1981 collaboration "Under Pressure." "No one believes what I saw," he said. - NME, 3/15/21...... Speaking of Queen, a new set of collectible statues of the band are set to be released later in 2021. Limited edition statues of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon are currently in production by KnuckleBonz. The hand-crafted pieces are modelled on the band from their 1981 concert in Montreal. Officially licensed and approved by Queen, each statue is hand-painted, numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base. Limited to 3000, the Rock Iconz series celebrates the world's greatest music performers in a limited-edition collector series. The statues can be pre-ordered on the 
On Mar. 16, Elton John criticised the Vatican over its decision not to allow gay marriage in the Catholic church. Replying to a question on whether Catholic priests could bless homosexual couples, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said the day earlier that same-sex nuptials "cannot be considered licit." The formal response from the Vatican's orthodoxy office, which has been approved by Pope Francis, claimed that "God does not and cannot bless sin". In 2020, the pope endorsed gay civil unions during a documentary interview. Taking to 
Veteran actor Yaphet Kotto, most famous for starring as a villainous kingpin in the 1973 James Bond movie 
In a new interview with Guitar Player magazine, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd quashed a potential Floyd reunion, admitting he "absolutely" doesn't want to perform stadium gigs again and is enjoying his freedom. "It has run its course, we are done," Gilmour told the magazine. "I'm all for Roger [Waters] doing whatever he wants to do and enjoying himself. But I absolutely don't want to go back. I don't want to go and play stadiums. I'm free to do exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it," he added. Gilmour's comments come after Waters revealed in a 2020 interview that he unsuccessfully attempted to make peace with Gilmour and their bandmate Nick Mason. "About a year ago, I convened a sort of Camp David for the surviving members of Pink Floyd at a hotel at an airport in London, where I proposed all kinds of measures to get past this awful impasse that we have and the predicament we find ourselves in," said Waters, who went on to criticize Gilmour and accuse him of "banning" him from the official Pink Floyd website. Waters added that Gilmour "thinks he owns" Pink Floyd and that "it seems to me that it would be fair and correct if we should have equal access to you all and share our projects." "I think he thinks that because I left the band in 1985, that he owns Pink Floyd, that he is Pink Floyd and I'm irrelevant and I should just keep my mouth shut," Waters said. While a reunion might not be forthcoming, Pink Floyd fans can at least take comfort in listening to the band's hallowed 1990 gig at Knebworth which is being released as a full live album in April. 
In an act of unity and support, New Zealand's tourism arm 100% Pure New Zealand has invited Rod Stewart to surprise America's Cup teams with a "dock out" serenade of his 1975 hit song "Sailing" at the upcoming 36th America's Cup competition. The "Rock the Dock" event will see Sir Rod perform a powerful and emotive rendition of "Sailing" from London, with the recorded performance beamed onto the Te Wero big screen in Auckland's America's Cup Village, and broadcast by official programming partner, TVNZ. The performance will take place on Mar. 13 at 1:30 a.m. GMT. With the event being one of few global events to currently take place during the current coronavirus lockdown, it is expected that thousands of people around the world will watch this special message from New Zealand. "We think Rod performing 'Sailing' really captures this notion with its poignant and fitting lyrics, as well as Rod's connection to New Zealand," says Tourism New Zealand's Ren de Monchy. The iconic rocker had a message for kiwis, rallying them to singalong with him wherever they are in a show of unity and support for the teams and their fans around the world. "I'm excited to be performing for the America's Cup in New Zealand and 'Sailing' is the perfect fit. With fans being unable to travel, I'm hoping that this special performance will remind us that we re all in this together," Stewart said in a statement. - Music-News.com, 3/11/21...... Alice Cooper's latest studio LP 
The latest trailer for the upcoming Tina Turner documentary Tina has been shared on 
Roger Mudd, the CBS newsman whose political reporting and substitute anchoring on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite made him a familiar and respected face to tens of millions of Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, died on Mar. 9 of complications from kidney failure at his home in McLean, Va. He was 93. On Nov.4, 1979, Mr. Mudd had perhaps his single biggest political interview and one of the most famous in presidential politics when he anchored and reported CBS REPORTS: Teddy, an hour-long look at Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Mr. Mudd, with his concise interviewing style, homed in on a very basic question Sen. Kennedy was caught unprepared for: "Senator, why do you want to be president?" Kennedy rambled on awkwardly in a public moment of weakness that stopped his political momentum -- he would go on to lose the Democratic nomination to Jimmy Carter. In another singular moment with a Kennedy, Mr. Mudd was covering the 1968 presidential campaign of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and was one of the last to interview him at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, minutes before aspiring presidential candidate was murdered on June 5, 1968. Other big events he anchored or reported on included the triple Emmy-winning coverage of the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew; Emmy-winning coverage of the shooting of George Wallace; Memphis in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and the resignation speech of Pres. Richard Nixon. Mr. Mudd also anchored The CBS Evening News with Roger Mudd on Saturdays from Feb. 1966 to July 1973 and on Sundays from Jan. 1970 to Sept. 1971. "Roger was a hero in the CBS News Washington bureau," said Susan Zirinsky, president and senior executive producer of CBS News. He was a journalist of enormous integrity and character. He would not budge if he believed he was right and would not compromise his ethical standards. He was an inspiration to all of us in the bureau." Mr. Mudd was pre-deceased by his wife of 54 years, Emma Jeanne Spears Mudd, with whom he had four children, all of whom survive him. - CBSnews.com, 3/10/21.
Capitol Records/UMC and John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono Lennon have announced a deluxe 50th anniversary edition of John and his Plastic Ono Band's 1970 album 
David Crosby and US entertainment exec Irving Azoff's newly-launched venture Iconic Artists Group released a joint announcement on Mar. 3 saying the two parties are partnering on a wide-ranging deal to monetize Crosby's music in the digital era. Under the agreement, Iconic Artists has purchased the publishing and recorded music rights to California singer/songwriter's catalog, which includes his solo work as well as his output as a member of The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The deal which was reached for an undisclosed sum also includes Crosby's songs as a duo with Graham Nash. "I've known David as a friend and have admired him as a great artist since our earliest days at Geffen Roberts Management shortly after I moved to Los Angeles," Azoff noted adding that Crosby is "truly one of music's most prolific songwriters and artists and I'm honored he has made Iconic the steward of his timeless musical legacy." In December, Crosby first alluded to the upcoming sale of his music rights, putting the blame on low fees from streaming services. "I can't work... and streaming stole my record money... I have a family and a mortgage and I have to take care of them so it's my only option... I'm sure the others feel the same," he said on Twitter. Crosby follows the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and other artists who recently sold the rights to their music catalogs. - Billboard/NME, 3/3/21...... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the date and venue of is 2021 induction ceremony date, which will see the induction from a diverse field of nominees that includes Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go's, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick. The 36th annual celebration of inductees will take place in Cleveland on Oct. 30, 2021, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (formerly the Quicken Loans Arena) for the first time. A $185 million refurbishment of the arena has recently been completed and the RRHOF said in a press release that the venue will provide "health and safety and offers increased space and flexibility to host the Induction Ceremony in Cleveland as part of a multi-year partnership." In 2020, the RRHOF ceremony was postponed from May to November with a virtual event at Cleveland's Public Hall that was broadcast on cable channel HBO due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past three decades, the ceremony has bounced back and forth between New York and the site of the museum in Cleveland. - Billboard, 3/2/21...... Phil Collins' ex-wife Orianne Cevey is hoping to strike it rich once more by auctioning off another bundle of her former hubby's possessions, including one of his music awards. Cevey banked over $2.1 million (£1.5 million) at Kodner Galleries in Florida in early February, with Phil's gold records and other accolades fetching $22,000 (£15,750). Now, she is selling off another of his honors, a gold record awarded for his 2002 album, Testify. The award was given a maximum value of $1,000 (£700) by auctioneers at Kodner Galleries, but had already surpassed that figure shortly after the sale went live on Mar. 3. Cevey is also offloading a variety of designer purses, shoes, watches, and jewelry, including a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring, which a representative insists is "not her wedding ring" from Collins. The whole sale is expected to bring in more than $1 million (£716,000) for Cevey, with a portion of proceeds donated to her charity, the Never Give Up Foundation, to benefit people with spinal cord injuries. Collins and Cevey were previously married for nine years until 2008, but reconciled in 2015, until parting ways again in early 2020. She went on to marry businessman Thomas Bates, but became embroiled in bitter legal proceedings with Collins after he sued to evict the new couple from his Miami, Fla. mansion. The divorcées eventually reached a partial settlement for Cevey and Bates to vacate the home in January. - PageSix.com/Music-News.com, 3/4/21...... 
Alice Cooper has pushed back on his fellow shock-rocker Gene Simmons' recent claim that rock music is "dead." "Rock is dead. And that's because new bands haven't taken the time to create glamour, excitement and epic stuff," Simmons told Gulf News in February. "I mean, Foo Fighters is a terrific band, but that's a 20-year-old band. So you can go back to 1958 until 1988. That's 30 years. During that time, we had Elvis [Presley], The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, on and on." Simmons went on to suggest that popular bands exist, but that doesn't mean they're "iconic and legacy and for all-time." Speaking to New Musical Express, Cooper says he feels a new generation of rock stars are currently preparing for greatness in their own homes. "Gene Simmons -- I would like him to do my taxes because he's a businessman and that's valid, but I guarantee you right now that in London somewhere, in garages, they're learning Aerosmith and Guns 'N' Roses," Alice said. "There's a bunch of 18-year-kids in there with guitars and drums and they're learning hard rock. It's the same with the United States: there's all these young bands that want to resurge that whole area of hard rock." Discussing the state of rock music at large, Cooper said the genre is "where it should be right now." "We're not at the Grammys; we're not in the mainstream. Rock'n'roll is outside looking in right now, and that gives us that outlaw attitude," Cooper said. He also praised the longevity of the genre and claimed it will still exist "some thirty or forty years from now." Meanwhile in another interviews with Classic Rock magazine, Cooper noted that his longtime producer Bob Ezrin is the only other person that understands the Alice Cooper character, and "even when I'm doing albums with other producers, I run the songs past Bob." Cooper released his latest album, 
Rolling Stone is reporting that Patti Smith will celebrate the 80th birthday of Bob Dylan on May 22 -- two days before the iconic rocker's milestone birthday -- with a special outdoor performance during the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park festival to be held at a 153-acre campus in Tivoli, N.Y. across the last two weekends in May (20-23 and 27-30). Smith will perform "original songs and poetry as well as works by Dylan" to a limited, socially distanced audience alongside her longtime bandmate, Tony Shanahan. Kaatsbaan members are able to purchase pre-sale tickets now, and a general sale begins on Mar. 8 with digital tickets following on May 1. - Rolling Stone, 3/2/21...... Principal photography has begun in London on Pistol, the six-episode FX limited series about the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. Based on Jones' memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, the series is executive produced and directed by Danny Boyle and stars Toby Wallace (Babyteeth, Acute Misfortune) as Jones, Anson Boon (Crawl, 1917, Blackbird) as John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, Louis Partridge (Enola Homes, Medici) as Sid Vicious and Jacob Slater as Paul Cook. Produced by FX Productions, the series is slated to air in 2022 on FX on Hulu. - Music-News.com, 3/3/21...... Bhaskar Menon, the former boss of EMI and Capitol Records who worked with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and David Bowie, among others, died at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Mar. 4 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 86. Mr. Menon was the founding chairman of EMI Music Worldwide who worked at the label for 34 years, and also ran Capitol Records for a time. Recruited to EMI in 1956 directly after graduating from Oxford University, Mr. Menon went on to join the label's Indian division, Gramophone Company of India, in 1957, before eventually being named chairman in 1969. That same year, he was hired as the head of EMI International, before taking over at Capitol in 1971. Tributes to Mr. Menon, who is widely credited with breaking Pink Floyd in the US, included one from Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge, who wrote on 
Queen has launched their first-ever official mobile rhythm game, "Queen: Rock Tour," which allows fans to play along to their favorite songs on Android and iOS devices and play along with the entire band by tapping the tiles in time to the rhythm. While fully immersed in the Queen universe, players can progress and score points by playing guitar, drums, bass or singing vocals as Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor or John Deacon along to such iconic Queen hits as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," "Radio Ga Ga," "I Want to Break Free" and "We Are The Champions," and 15 others, while rocking stages at 10 historic concert venues around the world. High scores in the game can unlock more than 40 official and classic costumes, trivia and exclusive images from the official Queen archives. "We devoted enormous attention to the details of Queen's history, authenticity and artistry to craft a fitting tribute to one of the most significant bands in rock history," notes Cedric Ratajczak, creative director at mobile gaming director Gamesloft who created the mobile experience with Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records. A trailer for "Queen: Rock Tour" has been shared on 
Barry Gibb has given an update on the long-awaited Bee Gees biopic, which will follow the recent HBO documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. Gibb recently told the Daily Star paper's "Wired" column that a brothers Gibb biopic "could be about two years away." "You shall see how I saw the world through my eyes, and there are a lot of things that nobody ever knew about," Gibb, 74, said of the biopic. "It is a million moments, you know -- a million moments that change your life in one day." Gibb also has an autobiography in the works with his son Ashley, 43, and teased that the tome contains content not suitable for the screen. "There are things in the book that could never be in the film," Gibb said. The biopic and book news comes after it was previously reported that Bradley Cooper was approached by producers over the possibility of playing Barry, the eldest of the Gibb brothers, who enjoyed global chart-topping success with younger brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb, in an upcoming flick. The as yet untitled film is to follow the group from the time they arrived in London from Australia and had their first number one hit with "Massachusetts" in 1967. The Bee Gees unravelled in subsequent years with substances, pills and booze involved, before Barry led a revival in the 1970s when the trio embraced a disco sound. Barry is the last surviving member of the group, as Maurice died in 2003 and Robin passed away in 2012. A director for the biopic has yet to be named, but it will be produced by Graham King, who worked on the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and be distributed by Paramount Pictures, which has purchased the rights to use the Bee Gees' classic songs and also was involved in Bohemian Rhapsody as well as the Elton John biopic Rocketman. It is also being scripted by Bohemian Rhapsody writer Anthony McCarten. - Music-News.com, 3/1/21...... Alice Cooper says he "never noticed that streak" in Marilyn Manson, who in February was been accused of sexual abuse, grooming and manipulation by his ex-girlfriend actress Evan Rachel Wood and four other women. "It's funny about Marilyn, in that I know Marilyn -- when we toured together we got along very well," said Cooper, who co-headlined a US tour with Manson in 2013. "I never noticed that streak in him, if it's there. I always believe in the word, allegations are still allegations," Cooper added, comparing them to similar unproven allegations of domestic violence against his close friend and Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp. "I know the guy -- I'm with the guy on tour all the time," Cooper said of Depp. "He's one of the most gentle, harmless people I've ever met." Since Wood's statement, more women have come forward with allegations about Manson, including actor Bianca Allaine, who said the FBI are involved with her case. Manson has always denied the claims, saying that all of his "intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners." In the wake of the allegations, Manson has been dropped by his record label and manager, and been axed from his TV projects and will no longer appear in American Gods or the Creepshow anthology. - New Musical Express, 3/2/21...... In related news, folk singer Peter Yarrow of the legendary '60s trio Peter, Paul and Mary was accused in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Feb. 24 of raping an underage girl in a Manhattan hotel room back in 1969. The suit, which was brought under the Child Victims Act, says before the alleged rape, Yarrow met his accuser, who was a fan of his music, several times at his band's performances. She eventually ran away from her Minnesota home and met Yarrow at a Lower East Side hotel, where he allegedly raped her, the suit claims. Yarrow, 82, has a past criminal conviction of "taking indecent liberties" with a 14-year-old girl in a Washington, DC, hotel room in 1970. Peter, Paul and Mary scored twelve Top 40 hits from 1962 through 1969, including the No. 1 "Leaving on a Jet Plane" in Nov. 1969. - New York Post, 2/25/21...... 
Sting has launched an interactive website as a visual companion piece to his new studio album 
The Who have announced that they're releasing a 
Legendary reggae singer and percussionist Bunny Wailer, who performed in the '70s and '80s reggae band The Wailers alongside reggae icon Bob Marley, passed away in hospital on Mar. 2 after having suffered a stroke in 2020. He was 73. Throughout his lengthy career, in which he contributed to such classic reggae tracks such as "Simmer Down" and "Stir It Up" and to such acclaimed Wailers albums as