When we named our Border Collie, we thought we were naming him after a future star. Lee Roy Parnell was an up-and-coming country singer and guitarist who had the push of Arista Records behind him and the respect of his fellow musicians. We loved his sound. Lee Roy the Border Collie was named in his honour. …
While we’re on vacation, I’m reposting some of my favourite blog posts of the past.Â
The most grizzled founding member of The Rolling Stones has told his fascinating life story in a thick volume that quickly jumped onto the best-seller lists. …
You’re familiar with the clutch-and-rotate? It’s the last song of the high school dance, and some dweeb asks you, or you ask some dweeb, and you clutch and rotate through the song. More often than not, when I was in high school, that song was Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. …
You may think you don’t know me at all after you read this. I am thinking the same thing as I write it. I love the new Justin Bieber album. …
David Bowie never lost his influence over music. There was never a time when people said, Oh Bowie is so last century. He was always relevant. …
We had some good times on the Free-FM morning show, The Big Show with Botten, Blair and Brandt. It only lasted a couple of years, but we worked our tails off and had big fun. …
In my formative years, Styx was huge. So were Aerosmith, Boston, Supertramp and all of those bands that now form the backbone of the classic rock music genre. …
I meant to take of photo of Alain’s car, stuffed full with my drums, cymbals and assorted stands, but I forgot. It’s just as well. I probably shouldn’t look back. …
As you likely heard, AC/DC’s drummer, Phil Rudd, was arrested on serious charges this week, including attempting to hire a hit man. This morning that charge was dropped, but he’s still accused of threatening death and some drug offences. Chances are, unless the charges are thrown out he won’t be going on any world tour that the band has planned for their new album. …
This is Rock the Park weekend here in London. For those of us on The Big Show on Free-FM it means a five-hour live broadcast from Harris Park followed by band intros, meets and greets and such.  We have appointment with Huey Lewis & the News, Burton Cummings and the band whose big win in our contest got them the right to open the day, Highway Jones. …
The Weird one is back. The man who brought us Eat It to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, King of Suede to King of Pain by the Police and many, many more parodies has returned. His first release left me a little cold. Tacky is a take on Pharrell’s Happy and the only thing it seemed to have going for it was a bunch of celebrities. Watch it once, and you’re done with it. Â …
It was a performance of Led Zeppelin classics that propelled me to finally try to learn the drums. …
So, this happens every Saturday morning now. Â …
Back in the day, you know, the 70s in my case, when a TV show was a hit it was a hit with virtually everyone. Heck, we only had 3 channels so if you were watching TV at all, you couldn’t help but catch a popular show. …
You have to be from Mars to have escaped hearing about a boy group called One Direction.  They’re the biggest thing since whoever was the biggest thing since the Backstreet Boys. …
As a fan of the genre I thought it was well past time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. …
The Grand Theatre’s new season has opened with a strum and a twang in homage to the music of Johnny Cash. …
It happened again last week. All through my career I’ve been approached by people who have lost a loved one and they’re upset because the radio station I work for won’t play the tribute song recorded by their cousin/friend/uncle/random stranger. …