BraveWords’ Top 66 Stories Of The Year - #66-57

January 1, 2023, a year ago

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BraveWords’ Top 66 Stories Of The Year - #66-57

Another year of headbanging is in the books and while some artists let the music do the talking, others have a lot to say with their mouth too. Much caught the eyes of our readers in 2022 from exciting album announcements, single releases, and tours to quotes of entertainment and the unfortunate spotlighting petty squabbles between bands/members that we all love.

This is the rundown of our top 66 viewed stories of 2022 – starting with #66-#57.

66) JOHN McENROE On Learning From EDDIE VAN HALEN - "Could You Teach Me That Riff In 'Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love?'"

Tennis legend John McEnroe guested on Mark Hoppus’ After School Radio and McEnroe spoke about learning guitar from greats Bill Wyman, Eddie Van Halen, and Carlos Santana.

“But the late great Eddie Van Halen did try to teach me on a handful of vacations, but he'd get frustrated after a couple minutes,” relayed McEnroe. “I remember I said, ‘Could you teach me that riff in 'Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love?' Because I thought that was like some incredible riff. And he's like, ‘Hey man, I had to do something. It was only two chords, that song.’ So I go, ‘Okay.’ So then he played the riff and I go, ‘Do you see it?’ And I'm, instead of playing it remotely like him, I'm playing, ‘...,’ slow motion. And he was like, ‘Oh, forget it. Let's just go party, forget it.’

Read more here.

65) PAUL DI'ANNO - "BRUCE DICKINSON And I Are Two Different Singers, But We All Belong To The IRON MAIDEN Family"

From former Iron Maiden singer to current Maiden frontman, Paul Di’Anno spoke about the man who replaced him, Bruce Dickinson in an interview with RockOverdose. Di’Anno was asked about seeing former bandmate Steve Harris during the summer and if he had any interaction with Dickinson.

Di’Anno replied: “It was great. We're (Di’Anno and Steve) in contact but we just haven't seen each other with all this back and forth all the time. It was really great for me personally to see him and Rod (Smallwood, Iron Maiden manager), after a long time. Bruce and I are two different singers, but we all belong to the Iron Maiden family."

Check out more here.

64) W.A.S.P. Legend CHRIS HOLMES - “I Think Blackie Should Change The Title To ‘I F*ck Like A Priest’”

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes hasn’t minced words when speaking about his former bandmate Blackie Lawless. BraveWords caught up with Holmes at the Rockpile in Toronto at his Mean Man movie and signing event and Holmes wasn’t kind to Lawless.

BraveWords: Should you or W.A.S.P. play "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)”?

Holmes: “Blackie says now it’s because of religious beliefs, so I think he should change the title to 'I Fuck Like A Priest'", as the room laughs hysterically! “I dunno, but that’s what I was thinking.”

Read more here.

63) Former JUDAS PRIEST Drummer LES BINKS - "I Never Had A Problem With Anyone In The Band... My Reason For Leaving Was Purely Down To The Management"; Video

Former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks was honored along with the rest of Priest at the 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony when the UK legends received the “Musical Excellence” award.

Binks spoke to Chaoszine at the Classic Rock And Metal Meeting in Helsinki, Finland and he spoke about Priest and the Rock Hall experience.

More here.

62) How JEFF LYNNE Screamed A Random Word And Gave ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Their Biggest Hit; Professor Of Rock Investigates (Video)

The esteemed Professor Of Rock aimed his magnifying glass at Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and how he brought to life their hit “Don’t Bring Me Down”.

See the rest here.

61) SLASH Says He Reunited With GUNS N’ ROSES After A Steak Dinner At AXL’s House

In an interesting report from early in 2022, Slash revealed to The Wall Street Journal that he decided to reunite with Guns N’ Roses after a steak dinner at frontman Axl Rose’s house. 

When Slash was in Peru, he got a call saying Axl wanted to talk. That led to a home-cooked steak meal at the singer's Los Angeles residence. After that, one of rock ‘n’ roll’s longest-standing feuds ended quickly, according to Slash.

“Over time, and lack of communicating and gossip, and media…all this stuff sort of built up this storm of negativity. But it was like a cloud—you could stick your hand through it,” he says.

Find more here.

60) DEF LEPPARD And MÖTLEY CRÜE To Rotate Closing Sets On The Stadium Tour

In probably the most anticipated tour of the year, The Stadium Tour featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, and Classless Act partied through North America throughout the summer and in May it was revealed that the Crüe and Leppard would be rotating closing sets on the tour.

Leppard frontman Joe Elliott said, "We're taking turns; 36 shows, so it's 18 each. It's all been worked out very scientifically. It's the same way that we did it with Journey in 2018. Exactly the same principle."

Check out more here.

59) JOE SATRIANI - "I Was Shocked To Get A Call From ALEX VAN HALEN And DAVID LEE ROTH, Getting Their Invitation To Be Part Of A Tribute Tour For EDDIE VAN HALEN"

In one of the more surprising revelations of 2022, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani was interviewed by Cleveland.com and said he was approached by David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen for a Van Halen tribute concert.

Satriani said, "I was shocked to get a call from Alex (Van Halen) and Dave (Lee Roth) and getting their invitation to be part of a tribute tour for Eddie and Van Halen. I jokingly told them on that first phone call, 'If I had half a brain I’d hang up right away and not accept such a crazy offer,' ‘cause nobody can replace Eddie and whoever tries to do it is gonna get a whole lot of negativity from the world of social media. But I heard myself saying 'yes' before my better judgment kicked in because I am such a fan of Eddie and his work, and I thought it would be such a great labor of love to dive into that and try to understand the essence of what he was doing."

Read more here.

58) JASON McMASTER To The Rescue Again As ARMORED SAINT's JOHN BUSH Forced Off W.A.S.P. Tour

When John Bush was battling an illness on Armored Saint’s tour with W.A.S.P., Dangerous Toys / Watchtower frontman Jason McMaster stepped up to the plate and picked up the slack while Bush healed up. 

See more here.

57) PAT BENATAR Will Not Perform "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Live Following Mass Shootings

In a bizarre, bewildering move, Pat Benatar decided not to perform her most famous song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” due to gun violence in the U.S.

Benatar told USA Today, “We have what we call the 'Holy 14,' songs that if we don’t play them, you’ll give us (a hard time). And we’re not doing 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' and fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it. I tell them, if you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it. (The title) is tongue-in-cheek, but you have to draw the line.”

See the rest here.



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