Love Amid the Rubble: Ronnie Lane and Saint Stan

I heard your footsteps at the front door, and that old familiar love song. ‘Cause you knew you'd find me waiting there, at the top of the stairs. Those lyrics weren’t written by a heartsick bloke waiting for his lover to come home. They were composed by an artist recalling his boyhood days in a working-class London neighborhood, waiting for…

Continue Reading Love Amid the Rubble: Ronnie Lane and Saint Stan

Ian McLagan: I Had Me a Real Good Time

"Had me a real good time." That's the title of a song by Faces, and it totally sums up my feelings every time I rock and roll to the music of that premier British bar band. Their keyboard player Ian McLagan, who died suddenly of a stroke on December 3, 2014, would have been 70 today. I know I refer to a lot of performers as "my favorite" this or that, but you can be certain of this: "Mac" was my favorite band keyboardist. I was thrilled to meet the charismatic musician in June 2013 after his intimate gig at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia (I even got a kiss - Ooh la la!).

Continue Reading Ian McLagan: I Had Me a Real Good Time

The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon: Rotten…or Realist?

"I am an anti-Christ, I am an anarchist." One of rock’s great original voices, John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols – screamed those words to the punks, the privileged, and the politicians of England in 1977. He emerged from some Frankenstein-like laboratory on this date in 1956. From his days as a Pistol through his 35-year stint as frontman for Public Image Ltd, he's enjoyed a long reign as one of rock's most outspoken figures - quick to criticize governments, the wealthy, the record industry, fellow musicians, the rock press, and conformists of all stripes. Unfortunately, his music didn't manage to drown out the mellow monotony of The Eagles, the horrible dreck called disco, or the soulless Kansas/Styx/Boston pablum that was quickly devouring our planet by 1976, but he and his fellow punks gave us a great reprieve from the antics of jet-setting cash cows...and reminded us that rock-and-roll should never take itself too seriously.

Continue Reading The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon: Rotten…or Realist?

Don’t Cross Jeff’s Black Cat Path

Fighting like alley cats. That's what guitarist Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart used to do back in the day. And because October 27 was Black Cat Day, it gives me the opportunity to share this 2009 clip of the two battling Brits performing one of my favorite songs. "Ain't superstitious, a black cat crossed my trail." Here they are…

Continue Reading Don’t Cross Jeff’s Black Cat Path

Marking Your Turf: The Rock Star Tradition of Peeing in Public

As all dog-owners know, male canines urinate in specific outdoor areas to indicate "top dog" status. Are men prone to pee in public to achieve the same goal? And, if so, what tactics do women employ to establish turf? Well, that's a lot more complicated and would take a much longer time to answer. As any guy will tell you, it's a liberating experience to take a whiz in the great outdoors. However, some do actually get busted for it, none more so than male rock stars who tend to be rather indiscreet when it comes to leaving their scent. Here's a look at some famous offenders.

Continue Reading Marking Your Turf: The Rock Star Tradition of Peeing in Public