June 8:
Alex Band (The Calling) (1981)
Nicci Gilbert (Brownstone) (1970)
Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) (1962)
Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) (1960)
Bonnie Tyler (1953)
Boz Scaggs (1944)
Chuck Negron (Three Dog Knight)
(1942)
Nancy Sinatra (1940)
June 9:
Dean Felber (Hootie & The
Blowfish) (1967)
Dean Dinning (Toad The Wet Sprocket)
(1967)
Jon Lord (Deep Purple) (1941)
June 10:
Faith Evans (1973)
Lemisha Grinsted (702) (1973)
Jo-Jo (K-Ci & JoJo) (1971)
Dan Lavery (Tonic) (1969)
Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing
Pumpkins) (1967)
Maxi Priest (1961)
Shirley Alston (The Shirelles)
(1941)
June 11:
Dan Lavery (Tonic) (1969)
Joey Santiago (The Pixies)
(1965)
Kim and Kelley Deal (The Breeders)
(1961)
Donnie Van Zandt (38 Special)
(1952)
Frank Beard (ZZ Top) (1949)
June 12:
Robyn (1979)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd (1977)
Bardi Martin (Candlebox) (1969)
Grandmaster Dee (Whodini) (1962)
Michael Hausman ('til tuesday)
(1960)
John Linnell (They Might Be
Giants) (1959)
Brad Delp (Boston) (1951) Died March 9, 2007
Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick)
(1951)
June 13:
Raz B (B2K) (1985)
Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) (1970)
Soren Rasted (Aqua) (1969)
Paul DeLisle (Smash Mouth)
(1963)
Dennis Locoriere (Dr. Hook)
(1949)
June 14:
Billie Myers (1971)
Chris DeGarmo (Queensryche)
(1963)
Boy George (Culture Club) (1961)
Alan White (Yes) (1949)
Rod Argent (The Zombies) (1945)
June 15:
Dryden Mitchell (Alien Ant
Farm) (1976)
Ice Cube (1969)
Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche)
(1963)
Steve Walsh (Kansas) (1952)
Garry Roberts (Boomtown Rats)
(1954)
James Smith (The Stylistics)
(1950)
Russell Hitchcock (Air Supply)
(1949)
Ian Matthews (1946)
June 16:
Gino Vanelli (1952)
Edward Levert (The O'Jays)
(1942)
June 17:
Kevin Thornton (Color Me Badd)
(1969)
Paul Young (1956)
Barry Manilow (1946)
June 18:
Nathan Morris (Boyz II Men)
(1971)
Dizzy Reed (Guns N' Roses)
(1963)
Alison Moyet (1961)
Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins)
(1957)
Paul McCartney (1942)
June 19:
Brian Welch (Korn) (1969)
Brian Vander Ark (The Verve
Pipe) (1964)
Paula Abdul (1962)
Ann Wilson (Heart) (1950)
June 20:
Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson)
(1972)
Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) (1968)
John Taylor (Duran Duran) (1960)
Michael Anthony (Van Halen)
(1955)
Cyndi Lauper (1953)
Lionel Richie (1949)
Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
(1942)
Gene Simmons Accused of Sexual Assault May 28, 2010 – How could a meeting between a make-up artist and Kiss’ Gene Simmons go so wrong? Well according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday the guitarist wanted more from her than she was willing to give and it didn’t involve make-up. More
Bret Michaels Didn’t Tell His Doc About American Idol May 28, 2010 – Didn’t Bret Michaels look healthy on American Idol on Wednesday night? There is a chance he wasn’t. More
Don’t Let Elton Cook You Dinner May 27, 2010 - File this under “You can’t be good at everything.” Elton John was arguably the biggest solo musician in the world in the seventies and he was easily in the top 10 in the eighties but it seems he was too busy conquering the world to learn to cook. More
Reformed Faces Set for Vintage at Goodwood Without Stewart May 27, 2010 – The good news is the Faces are back together but the not-so-fine print says Rod Stewart will not be in the mix. More
Only 2% Separated Final Two On Low-Rated American Idol Finale May 28, 2010 – “What-eva” seems to be what many are saying about Wednesday’s American Idol finale. While 24.2 million viewers checked out Simon Cowell’s swan song it was the show’s lowest rated finale since season one which could spell trouble for winner Lee DeWyze. More
Paul McCartney’s Daughter Controls his Touring May 27, 2010 – It sure sounds like Paul McCartney is a responsible dad. The former Beatle say he never tours when it’s his turn to look after his daughter Beatrice – his child with ex-wife Heather Mills. More
Slash Yawns at New Rock Scene May 27, 2010 – Slash says he’s not holding his breath for the next big thing in Rock. In fact the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist is disappointed in the current Rock scene. More
Jones Experimenting With Summer Festivals May 18, 2010 – Norah Jones says she hasn’t done too many festivals in the past because her music was too “intimate and quiet.” More
Phil Collins, Huge Alamo Fan May 11, 2010 – The name Phil Collins reminds us of countless hits, huge arena tours and complicated drumming. How about the Alamo? More
Sting Says Legalize Marijuana April 5, 2010 – Sting seems to be fed up with our paradigms around pot! The singer says we, as a society, spend too much time putting marijuana users in jail when legalizing the substance could feed the hungry of the world. More
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Exclusive Rock History Book Interview with Former Eagles Randy Meisner Even
though he left the Eagles after the Hotel California
tour in 1977 Randy Meisner will always be remembered
as the voice of 'Take it to the Limit' and 'Midnight
Flyer.' He still sings those Eagles hits live
in his latest band the World Class Rockers but
mostly he lives the simple life in his house
in the hills of Studio City Los Angeles. We
talked to Randy by phone.
John
Beaudin - Hi Randy, it's nice to talk to
you. We built a section on the site so I can
talk to whoever I want to!
Randy
Meisner - Well, then I'm glad you chose me, thank you.
John - Where are you by the way?
Randy - Studio City Los Angeles. It's right across
from Universal City.
John - What are you up to these days?
Randy - I'm working with a group called W.C.R. which
stands for World Classic Rockers.
John - You guys changed the line-up of the band,
right? I noticed you sometimes play with Fergie
Frederiksen , former lead singer of Toto.
Randy - Yeah, it changes sometimes. There was Spencer
Davis, Nick St Nicholas who was with Steppenwolf,
Ron Wikso from Foreigner on Drums and Denny
Laine from Wings. We've been together for a
while now maybe four to five years. We do mostly
corporate dates.
John - When you say corporate dates, do you mean
for major companies?
Randy - Yes, like Nortel and different corporations.
The great thing is with this band every song
is a hit. With corporate people they might hire
a band and they may have three hits and maybe
their other songs might not be as good as their
hits but this thing just keeps growing and it
is so good. We have had a great response from
everyone we have played for.
John - I listened to a clip of the album you released
with the live versions of things you released
with the band and "Take It to the Limit'
is on there. What else do you do with the band
besides singing lead?
Randy - Well, it depends on the dates. Sometimes Spencer
has other work that he does and that is what
is great about the group because we can come
in and go as we please. As far as songs I do
with the Eagles I normally sing "Take it
Easy,' "Already Gone,' 'Hearts on Fire,'
from my solo album. We also do "Hotel California'
and we have Fergie come up and sing that lead.
John - That is on the album isn't it?
Randy - Yes and the album was done when we had different
drummers and stuff because we worked with Bruce
Gary for a while which is from 'The Knack,'
My Sharona. He is a great drummer but things
changed and now we have Ron Wikso playing drums
from Foreigner. It is like going back in time,
it really is and it is so much fun!
John - It must be kind of fun to know that you
are playing with these guys but if you want
to take some time off you really can, like you
said players come and go.
Randy - Yes, just with Spencer and I since Spencer
has other dates on his own. Basically just as
far as traveling, I told him in the beginning
that I wanted to be with the group. There is
a certain time that I need at home because with
the Eagles and stuff I was on the road so much.
Now if my wife can't come along, I am not happy.
(Laughing) She has her own business and there
are certain weekdays that she can't come along
and its like I want to do it but I have the
option. The thing is the band is for everybody
and everybody loves each other and there is
no jealously or anything.
John - I was looking at the pictures on the net and
it sounds like you guys are having a hoot!
Randy - It has been just wonderful and just like going
back in time and I feel like I am seventeen
years old sometimes. But maybe the next morning
I don't. (Laughing)
John - Oh, still some of that happening, huh?
Randy - Do you know what I am watching right now?
John - What?
Randy - I live in the hills in Studio City and my
wife and I feed deer every night. There are
two little fawns up here and they are spotted
and they are twins. We have been feeding them
for 14 years, since we moved up here. It is
just so neat I just had to say that. We feed
them and they come up every night and they trust
us. You have to build trust in animals.
John - You know it is interesting that you should
say that because if you look at a stereotypical
view I think of anybody that is looking at some
one who was with Poco and The Eagles they probably
think he is sitting on his porch feeding deer
and now you are doing it!
Randy - These little guys are so cute and altogether
the animals we feed we have seen three skunk families
raise their children. Everyone says they stink
but they are the cutest little things in the world.
John - Do you have a lot of privacy where you
live?
Randy - Very much so. I am on a little street
that has a drive-way that comes to my house
and there is a dead end and below my house
is a lot of land and it is like in the mountains
towards Universal city where you really
can't build on the hills. So, I leave my
gates open for the deer and the animals
and we feed them every night. It is like
six feet from us and I think animals are
the most wonderful things in the world.
John - Wow, talk about getting close to nature
which is kind of important! Do you ever
have something coming up to your door that
maybe you don't want coming to your door
that could eat you or something? (Laughing)
Randy - (Laughing) Well, we have had a bobcat
come up here but I just consider them beautiful
animals. The thing is we take pictures because
people do not believe us like in Hollywood
Hills that there could be that many animals.
Believe me over the last fourteen years
we have built so much trust with them. We
can watch them or put food out while they
are eating and they don't even move.
John - Do you still collect cars?
Randy - Oh God! I had a whole bunch of real ones
around eight years ago. I had about twenty
three cars antiques, mostly Fords. They
were in Nebraska and I had a storage place
for them there.
John - You are from Nebraska, right?
Randy -Yes I am and I grew up on a farm so that
is why I like my privacy. I sold all of
my cars and kept a little 44 pick-up and
it is all restored. It has a little V-8,
85 in it with duel and fifteen inch tires
and that is all I have done. It is just
like perfection!
John - Who restores them, is it you or someone
you know?
Randy - I didn't restore this one, my cousin did
and he went to Cal. State and a friend of
his took this thing down to the frame and
did it as an art project. So every bolt
in the car he saved in a bag and put it
back in the same spot. So, rather than sand
the parts down he brought them to a place
in Pasadena, California. He put the body
and the fenders of the pick-up in a solution
that takes the paint off without taking
the metal away. There was a guy that worked
at an old Ford dealership who painted it
in this old enamel before they stocked the
paint. It is just my little pride and joy!
John - I know you owned Porsche's and were they
vintage or new?
Randy - I had an old one and I wrecked it like
a dummy. It was like a 914 from Germany
and I think it was a 73. I just had all
kinds of money in it and I was just getting
ready to get it painted. I had the engine
all rebuilt and everything and what a fast
little car and it just ended up in a wreck.
When it was totaled I was so sad. I worked
on that car for three years.
John - Well, just like the Buddhists would say
it is all about impermanence you just have
to let it go, I guess! (Laughing)
Randy - (Laughing) Yeah, it is only material.
John - When you were with The Eagles were you
into cars then?
Randy - Oh yeah, I have always been. I actually
have a model collection that is over fifteen
hundred cars. When I was in high school
I use to build cars like modifying little
44's with the guys that I knew. What I use
to do is I'd buy model kits like AMT's and
build them by memory and it has always been
a lot of fun for me and now I have all these
models in my house.
John - Where do you find the room in your
house to put them?
Randy - (laughing) Well, the house is full plus
my wife and I collect antiques. We go to
auctions all the time and get all this stuff
and now it is like we kinda have to build
another room in the house.
John - Do you get recognized when you go to auctions?
Randy - Not too much anymore but there used to
be a time when that always happened.
John - Did that drive you crazy?
Randy - No, it is like part of your gig. They
are the fans and they are the ones that
make you. When I was with the Eagles like
in Japan I remember these people would come
up and they would want autographs and so
they would have an album sitting out. (Laughing)
I would go to sign it and they would have
about twelve of them layered so it looked
like one. It was like 'kachunk' like a little
shutter thing and could I sign this too.
(Laughing) I would just stand there signing
all night and I would sign every one of
them. You know there were all these people
who came and wanted my autograph and I really
appreciated that because they are fans and
that is what makes us!
John - Well, that is a good attitude but I have
to say I only hear that half the time. What
I hear a lot of is, "Why won't these
people leave me alone!" Some of the
people I have talked to are almost bitter
and angry at their own fame. When you and
I were growing up, especially in the era
we grew up in, we all wanted to be rock
stars. Of course that came to fruition for
you.
Randy - Yeah, it is like a dream. I can tell you
this every week I get about two or three
letters from young kids all over the U.S.
and all they want is an autographed picture.
It is amazing and I don't know if their
parents tell them to do it but The Eagles
played so many gigs that we have seen kids
fifteen and sixteen years old singing all
the lyrics. It just really makes you feel
good and that they are appreciating what
I did and the work we do.
John - Look at The Eagles greatest
hits, it is the biggest selling album of
all time in North America and that says
a lot.
Randy - I know and I finally received that award.
When they originally presented it Bernie
Leadon and I weren't even notified so we
had to call and we finally received it.
When I quit it was like Timothy Schmit joined
the group and it was like Timothy was the
guy now and I can't blame them for that.
All that stuff and all the arguing amongst
The Eagles is over now. Well at least for
me.
John-
Do you still hang out with Don Henley and
Glen Frey?
Randy - Well, not really.
John - But you played with them when you were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
Randy - It
was fun and we got to go on stage together,
Bernie and I and the whole group. I got up
to speak and I am not very good at that it
was like blah, blah, blah.
John - When you were starting out was Poco your
first big gig?
Randy - I did that first album with them 'Picking
Up the Pieces' and then there was a thing
where Richie Furay and I we made the album
and then I called in and said, "I want
to come down and listen to the mixes."
Richie for some reason thought he and Jimmy
Messina should just do it alone. I said,
"If that is the way it is going to
be then I don't feel like a member of the
band," and Richie said, "Okay,
and you quit kind of thing." So then
I left. (Laughing) It was just as simple
as that. Then I went back to Nebraska and
worked with a friend of mine who owned a
John Deer dealership. I was like a parts
man for eight months and then Ricky Nelson
called me and I played with him for a while.
They were doing Rudy the Fifth and I was
playing from nine to one in the morning
and then getting to work at John Deer later
and later every day. Pretty soon Ricky called
and asked if I could come out and do a few
songs and he said, "We want to hear
your bass playing." So I came out and
then it started all over again. Then I started
playing with Linda
Ronstadt and Glen Fry and Don Henley
that was after Poco. John - So at that point you were finished
with Ricky Nelson?
Randy - Well, I didn't want to let Ricky down
so I got a friend of mine Steve Love who
was also in my band. I told Rick that he
was a great singer, he could sing the high
parts and he is a great guitarist and he
can play bass anytime he wants. Steve got
that job so I didn't let Rick down. Then
I went on with Don (Henley) and Glen (Frey).
John - Bernie came from the Burrito Brother's
right?
Randy
- Yeah, he did and it was around that time
too.
John - Do you remember the first gig you played
with the other guys in the Eagle's?
Randy - Yeah, it was the first time I played with Linda
Ronstadt in San Jose, California and
it was so much fun playing with Don and
Glen. (Laughing) That was when it all started.
Don and Glen knew me from Poco and Glen
came from a group called Longbranch Pennywhistle
with J.D. Souther. Henley came from a group
out of Texas called Shiloh. So, that is
how we all met and for me it all started
with them noticing me in Poco. Then David
Geffen got involved once we were already
together.
John - Had you talked to Rick (Nelson) anytime
before his death?
Randy - Yes, it was about eight months before
that happened. At the time I wasn't married
and his girlfriend and my girlfriend were
friends. We got to see Rick and we went
out a couple of times and just hung out.
All I can say is Rick was a great guy, he
was extremely funny and a lot of people
don't know that about him.
John - You know what I kept hearing about him
is in spite of the fact that he had been
in show business from the time he was a
little boy he was still an unpretentious
guy.
Randy - Exactly that is what I was trying to say.
(Laughing) Yeah, he was always a regular
guy and always a lot of fun.
John - He could have easily been a child actor
casualty.
Randy - That certainly didn't happen to him and
I never saw that in him. I loved that man.
John - Were you involved in the reunion album
with Poco?
Randy - Yes, I was and that was like seven or
eight years ago.
John - Was that fun for you?
Randy - It wasn't very good. (Laughing) I had
done some recording with Richard Marx and
he wrote a song for me. Then we all got
back together and it was really fun actually.
Let me tell you what really happened. This
was going down around the time of the Persian
Gulf War and our management had arranged
all these things on military bases. We had
all this merchandising to sell and when
we got to all these army bases we were playing
to empty crowds because all the troops were
in the Persian Gulf. After that we played
a few more things but I ended up paying
all this money for merchandising rather
than making money on it. We did make a record
and I thought it was good. Richie Furay
is a minister in Boulder, Colorado. So,
when we went out we had to change our lyrics
like on the song "Hearts on Fire"
we had to change the line "I had myself
a tall one waiting in the bar I didn't want
to leave here until I had her in the car"
it got to Richie. I had to respect Richie
but one night we were playing in Toronto
and the crowd was really good and I sang
the original lyric and Richie got kind of
upset about that. Also, Jimmy Messina couldn't
sing "I had her in the backseat"
on his song. I really got frustrated with
that because we weren't singing the original
lyrics of these songs so I left. We did
finish the tour but I didn't make a penny.
We did travel all over and we went to Europe
for a month to promote this whole album.
Out of a month we played twenty four days
and we would get up at five in the morning,
go to every radio station in Europe and
plug this album. It didn't do a darn bit
of good. So, I have had my road work, you
know? (Laughing)
John - I remember the day when I found out that
you left the Eagles I was seventeen and
I was talking to one of my best friends.
I was really pissed off at you for leaving
and then my buddy looked at me and said,
"Hey, this guy can probably live off
the residuals of being in this band forever
and he is going off to do his own thing
and you are pissed off at him?"
Randy - I can't blame a lot of people for being
mad at that. After Hotel California I had
been on the road so much and I was married
and going then going through a divorce.
I thought this whole thing has taken its
toll. When you are on the road your whole
life you really don't have a normal life.
There were so many books written about the
Eagles that said we always bitched at each
other but the bottom line is that is in
the past now. I don't want to end up hating
every body for the rest of my life and I
won't. I look at the Eagles as just good
compadres that I've worked with in the past.
I have no ill will towards any of them.
John - It sounds like you are a peace with these
guys?
Randy - There is a time when you got to stop bitching
I am getting too old for that. (laughing)
John - Brings to mind the old saying about hate
being hard on the heart.
Randy - Exactly, you got it right on the money.
You will grow old fast and die quicker.
John - Do you remember exactly how you felt when
you left the Eagles?
Randy - Like it was yesterday (laughing) I was pretty
messed up with that divorce. Yes, I really
did want to do my own thing and then I realized
how much I really wanted to be in a group.
All the pressure was on me as a solo artist
then, every interview, every decision and
everything had to be made by me. Then I realized
that I didn't want to do this anymore. I bet
you when Henley went out on his own he was
doing the same thing working really hard.
All the promotional stuff is really not me.
I would rather just be playing with a bunch
of good guys having a good time.
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Retro Review: Linda Ronstadt - The Very Best of -Sept. 24, 2002 - In high school my best buddy John Scott could never understand how I, a rocker, preferred Barbra Streisand over Linda Ronstadt.
Retro Review: Bruce Hornsby - Spirit Trail- Oct. 16, 1998 - No one could ever accuse Hornsby of not paying attention. Every lyric on 'Spirit Trail,' his sixth album, describes his unquenchable thirst to understand what were all doing here.
May 28, 2010 – How could a meeting between a make-up artist and Kiss’ Gene Simmons go so wrong? Well according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday the guitarist wanted more from her than she was willing to give and it didn’t involve make-up. 
May 28, 2010 – Didn’t Bret Michaels look healthy on American Idol on Wednesday night? There is a chance he wasn’t. 
May 27, 2010 - File this under “You can’t be good at everything.” Elton John was arguably the biggest solo musician in the world in the seventies and he was easily in the top 10 in the eighties but it seems he was too busy conquering the world to learn to cook. 
May 27, 2010 – The good news is the Faces are back together but the not-so-fine print says Rod Stewart will not be in the mix. 
May 28, 2010 – “What-eva” seems to be what many are saying about Wednesday’s American Idol finale. While 24.2 million viewers checked out Simon Cowell’s swan song it was the show’s lowest rated finale since season one which could spell trouble for winner Lee DeWyze. 
May 27, 2010 – It sure sounds like Paul McCartney is a responsible dad. The former Beatle say he never tours when it’s his turn to look after his daughter Beatrice – his child with ex-wife Heather Mills. 
May 27, 2010 – Slash says he’s not holding his breath for the next big thing in Rock. In fact the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist is disappointed in the current Rock scene. 
May 18, 2010 – Norah Jones says she hasn’t done too many festivals in the past because her music was too “intimate and quiet.” 
May 11, 2010 – The name Phil Collins reminds us of countless hits, huge arena tours and complicated drumming. How about the Alamo? 
April 5, 2010 – Sting seems to be fed up with our paradigms around pot! The singer says we, as a society, spend too much time putting marijuana users in jail when legalizing the substance could feed the hungry of the world. 
Even
though he left the Eagles after the Hotel California
tour in 1977 Randy Meisner will always be remembered
as the voice of 'Take it to the Limit' and 'Midnight
Flyer.' He still sings those Eagles hits live
in his latest band the World Class Rockers but
mostly he lives the simple life in his house
in the hills of Studio City Los Angeles. We
talked to Randy by phone. 
John - When you say corporate dates, do you mean
for major companies?
Randy - Do you know what I am watching right now?
Randy - (Laughing) Well, we have had a bobcat
come up here but I just consider them beautiful
animals. The thing is we take pictures because
people do not believe us like in Hollywood
Hills that there could be that many animals.
Believe me over the last fourteen years
we have built so much trust with them. We
can watch them or put food out while they
are eating and they don't even move.
Randy - Oh yeah, I have always been. I actually
have a model collection that is over fifteen
hundred cars. When I was in high school
I use to build cars like modifying little
44's with the guys that I knew. What I use
to do is I'd buy model kits like AMT's and
build them by memory and it has always been
a lot of fun for me and now I have all these
models in my house.
John - So at that point you were finished
with Ricky Nelson?
