Good morning Radicals! Hope everyone had a fantastic and relaxing 4th of July! I went down to the famous Coney Island boardwalk to watch the fireworks! Great crowd, great times!
The Solihull Hospital near Birmingham, United Kingdom, opened a new chemotherapy unit, and they brought in Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi to cut the ribbon to commemorate the new Solihull Haematology and Oncology Day Unit.
Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, and he underwent treatment just after what he called, “the lowest moment” of his life. “You automatically wind yourself up saying, ‘That’s it then,’ but that is not always the case,” he said about being diagnosed. “When they tell you, you think, ‘Oh God.’ That was a low time. I have had a few low times in my life like everybody has, but that was one that stuck in the head.”
Black Sabbath had just announced a reunion tour and the release of a new album called, “13.” Iommi endured treatment during the album’s recording and during their subsequent promotional tour. Iommi underwent an operation in January of 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.
Blabbermouth.net reported there will be a number of miniature guitars themed after different Pantera albums available at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con from July 19-22 at the San Diego Convention Center. Axe Heaven crafts authentic, officially licensed miniature replicas of famous guitars by hand, and War Machine Marketing is selling them.
War Machine Marketing CEO Ro Kohli explained the company’s products, which will feature album art from a number of the band’s releases, are particularly important now after the death of Vinnie Paul.
“I’ve been a huge Pantera fan since 1991. Their records hold such a unique place in my heart and were there to help me through the ups and downs of life. I not only wanted to make a tribute to this band I love so much but to also honor Dimebag Darrell and his legacy in music. However, now with the passing of his brother, Vinnie Paul, we feel that this tribute is even more important than for fans. It has made what was going to be a celebration of the band and their meaning to everyone into a bittersweet tribute to the Abbott brothers.”
There will be some officially sanctioned mini guitars based on several Pantera titles available in various quantities individually, and others will be available only as part of the entire set. There will be 30 sets of all five guitars available, and 36 of the main guitars available, each day.
- “Vulgar Display Of Power” — 333 available individually
- “Far Beyond Driven” — 333 available individually
- “Great Southern Trendkill” — 333 available individually
These two mini guitars are only available as part of the entire set:
- “Far Beyond Bootleg” — 150 available
- “Great Southern Trendkill” (alternate cover) – 150 available
A raffle will be held each day to determine the order of who gets to purchase them.
Metal Hammer reports that their readers voted “Rocket Queen” to be the best song off of Guns N’ Roses’ sensational debut album “Appetite For Destruction.” To commemorate the album’s reissue last week, the heavy metal magazine held a poll in which thousands of votes were cast to decide, 31 years after the album came out, what the best songs were.
“To be fair,” the article said, “each of the 12 tracks was in with a shout. ‘Welcome To Jungle,’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine,’ ‘Paradise City,’ ‘My Michelle’… It’s crazy that one album could produce such a wealth of bona fide rock ‘n’ roll anthems.” But it was the closing track, “Rocket Queen,” that won with 21 percent of the votes.
“Rocket Queen” infamously features the sounds of lead singer Axl Rose having sex with drummer Steven Adler’s then-girlfriend Adrian Smith.
This song was supposed to be a tribute to Rose’s friend Von Greif, who Rose said “kept [him] alive for a while.
Billy Corrigan, the lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, told Loudwire.com that he’s done playing the “heel,” which is wrestling-speak for the being the industry’s villain. “I’m done playing that guy,” he said. Previously, in an interview with The New York Times, Corrigan said he enjoyed playing that part because he thought it was fun, and he “exposed the hypocrisy of much of the media complex as far as how they treat celebrity,” he said. “That they’re really not interested in the work, they’re more interested in what the work gives them in terms of opportunity of creating clickbait and stuff like that.”
“So I’m pretty settled at 51 years old,” Corrigan said. “My life is about music and being an artist. I’m blessed to play with such tremendous musicians who are great collaborators, friends, family. I’m blessed to still want to write music, and especially with my partners.”
Corrigan also mocked a photo of him looking miserable riding a Disneyland ride that went viral in 2015. He posted a picture on Instagram of himself smiling, with his son on his shoulders, at Disneyland on Tuesday (July 3) with the caption reading, “At @Disneyland, having an absolutely miserable time. (Note the fake smiles on our faces as evidence).”
The Smashing Pumpkins played a show last Thursday night (June 28th) at the house in Los Angeles at which they filmed the original video for their 1995 hit “1979,” only for police to arrive and shut the show down after receiving complaints from other nearby residents.
Finally, we want to wish Bush bassist Corey Britz a Happy Birthday! That’s a wrap, have a great day!
