Queen, February 20, 1976: The Show I Missed; the Program I Prized.

Queen, February 20, 1976: The Show I Missed; the Program I Prized.

Question: what's the next best thing to seeing your favorite artist perform at a rock concert? Answer: receiving a copy of the show's program from a friend who attended the gig. Okay, I know that's a stretch. Sure, you can drool over a concert program all you like, flip its pages till they fall out, and take it to bed and read it under the covers with a flashlight. But it will never sing to you. It won't make your ears ring for hours on end. And it will never blind you with pyrotechnics. Nevertheless, I experienced a true rock-shock when my friend Tony Vigliotti walked into sixth period French class and presented me with a souvenir concert program from the Queen show he'd seen the night before at Pittsburgh's Stanley Theater. Nobody but a fellow rockaholic like Tony could have imagined how much I wanted to see that concert.

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Jimmy Page: Pre-Zepped

Jimmy Page: Pre-Zepped

"I want to do biological research [to find a cure for] cancer, if it isn't discovered by then." So said future Led Zeppelin guitar great Jimmy Page to a TV program host who asked him his future plans, following the lad's performance on a BBC talent show in 1957. So, should we be disappointed that the 13-year-old didn't follow through with that lofty goal? Uh, no. Page is considered one of the world's greatest musicians, primarily known for his 12 years with the hard-rocking, eardrum-shattering Zeppelin. But long before joining up with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham in 1968, he was considered a hot commodity -- not only as a key member of seminal electric blues band The Yardbirds, but also as a highly sought-after session guitarist. His work can be heard on recordings by some of the most popular artists of the 1960s. Here's a look at some of them.

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A L’il Bit o’ Lol – a 10cc Dose, That Is

A L’il Bit o’ Lol – a 10cc Dose, That Is

I didn't learn much about algebra in 9th grade, but I sure acquired a lot of knowledge during class time about a group called 10cc. And I have my friend Tony V. to thank -- for passing me a steady stream of notes containing "essential information" about that particular foursome, as well as loads of other British bands that never really broke big in America. (Of course, I was lost in 'math hell' forever after that class.) Anyway, today I'm wishing a happy 67th birthday to 10cc guitarist and keyboardist Laurence "Lol" Creme. He and his bandmates Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and Kevin Godley were all mega-talented musicians, songwriters and lead vocalists who crafted beautifully layered songs that were often reminiscent of The Beatles.

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My Queen-Size Crush on Freddie Mercury

My Queen-Size Crush on Freddie Mercury

When I was 16 years old, Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury was the man I most wanted to meet. I didn't want to sleep with him, mind you. I wanted to BE him. Or at least go shopping with him. Seriously, he was one of the people who inspired me to get out of my tiny Pennsyltucky hometown. I figured that if I studied hard enough, I could go to college, get a good job, and afford to move to London and hobnob with him and my other Brit rock idols. As it turned out, I went to college, got a job, moved to Monroeville, and got to hobnob with Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Harold Denton in the backroom of Tivoli's Restaurant in Penn Hills. But that's another story.

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A Moonage Daydream – How Apollo 11 Inspired Bowie and Zowie’s Lunar Love

A Moonage Daydream – How Apollo 11 Inspired Bowie and Zowie’s Lunar Love

Forty-five years ago this month I was eating Pillsbury Space Food Sticks, building my own mini lunar module from a kit, and drinking Tang — the beverage of astronauts! Like the rest of the world, I was caught up in Apollo 11 moon-landing mania, as Neil Armstrong took that first giant step on July 20, 1969. The event spawned national pride, crackpot conspiracy theories, and countless innovative spinoff technologies. It also inspired an androgynous young British performer to release a song that would define his career.

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