June 1985
NIKKI SIXX & VINCE NEIL OF MOTLEY CRUE
CONTENTS
DEE SNIDER OF TWISTED SISTER
MUG SHOTS A HOUSE IS A HORSE IA A HORSE...
We’d like to dedicate this month’s “Mug Shots" section of ROCK-SHOTS to the memory of a great actor, a great humanitarian and an inspiration to us all—the late Mr. Ed! Until recently, Ed’s influence on rock ’n’ roll was virtually ignored. And then those faces came along—Dale Bozzio, Stephen Pearcy, Dee Snider— need we say more?
STEVEN TYLER OF AEROSMITH
THE FIRM-YUPPIES MAKE A STAND!
Good of Jimmy Page has always been right on top of the trends! He virtually helped invent heavy metal back in the late '60s/early '70s with Led Zeppelin, incorporating Robert Plant's hippy-dippy lyrics with some ripped-off blues licks and guitar pyrotechnics.
TWO BY TWO AND TUTUS, TOO!
Here’s some of the “red-flag words” that—used innocently or truthfully—can lead to libel suits: blockhead, drunkard, drug addict, fool, incompetent, moral delinquency, plagiarist, unsound mind and the ever-popular unmarried mother.
JOHN FOGERTY RETURNS!
Everybody seems to be talkin’ about John Fogerty’s return—and the controversy he’s elicited, but not everyone knows all the facts. Briefly, Fogerty’s return took place at an unnamed K-Mart, where he had bought several snazzy lumberjack shirts.
Rio Rock 'N' Roll!!
“I go to Rio!” Peter Allen once sang. Naturally, it was a big hit, but who’d have ever thunk that it would be the basis for one of the biggest rock events of the ’80s thus far? Ten days of rock ’n’ roll in beautiful, sunny Rio!! Adventures in Paradise!!
ALBUM COVER AWARDS
Well, it looks like it's time—once again—to hand out our coveted ROCK-SHOTS album cover awards. As usual, we attempt to honor outstanding examples of conceptualism, visual metaphor and blundering thought-processes. And, as usual, we end up choosing our winners “just because.”
THE BANGLES Hair Today...
Everyone knows by now that the Bangles used to be called the Bangs but were forced to change their name. Everyone knows that they’re one of the best allfemale bands in rock ’n’ roll. What you might now know is that a lot of their notoriety stems from another unique factor: the Bangles are one of the last non-heavy metal bands on earth to actually have long hair!!
W.A.S.P.
BLACKIE LAWLESS—THE NEW LENNON & McCARTNEY?
And now the truth can be told! Blackie Lawless, the leader of those pillars of humanity known as W.A.S.P., owes everything he is today to those gurus of heavy metal—John, Paul, George & Ringo! As Blackie recently told ROCK-SHOTS' own J. Kordosh:
IT HAPPENED ON STAGE BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Someone once said: “All the world’s a stage, and each of us must play a part on it.” On the other hand, someone also once said: “Aye, laddie, if your head needs a shavin’, I’ll be the sweetpea that’ll do you right!” But this section of ROCK-SHOTS is about being onstage, and has nothing to do with shaving heads or sweetpeas!
RATT
DURAN DURAN
THE WAY THEY WERE!
"Memories may be beautiful and yet...What's too painful to remember we simply shave our heads and sell old pictures o ourselves to ROCK-SHOTS so everyone can laugh and make fun of us. Darn this magazine, anyway!!" YOUR OLD PHOTOS IN ROCK-SHOTS! Yep! Well, not old photos of you, but any old pix of rock stars you just happen to have laying around. It’s your chance to see that picture in print, embarrass the star of your choice and pick up some money all at the same time!
Backstage
Let’s face it: very few of you, our esteemed readers, will ever have a chance of even remotely approaching a backstage area. We, on the other hand, simply stroll in whenever the whim strikes us. We realize there’s a gross inequity afoot here and—truth be told—we at ROCK-SHOTS actually feel bad that we can’t trade places with you.
U2 THE SOMEWHAT UNMEMORABLE SMOLDER
Few musicians have taken the strong stance on violence at concerts that U2 has taken. It is not uncommon to hear Bono chastise potential brawlers, and in no uncertain terms. Now. extending this vision, U2 has instituted the following additional constrictions for the audience during performances:
PRINCE UNMASKED!
DOGS AWARD ROCKERS IN BIG BUCKS BASH!
Yowser, as we like to say here at ROCK-SHOTS. The highly-respected A.M.A. has issued a whole new string of dire warnings regarding the dangers of rock music! The medicos are so worried, in fact, that they recently honored many rock musicians for doing their best to stop people from enjoying & listening to rock!
THE GRAMMYS— A Rock 'n' Roll Extravaganza!
Everyone knows that the awards known as Grammy (which takes its name from Annie Hall’s grandmother) is the time that the record industry gets together to honor its own. Rock music has been playing a bigger role in the awards these last several years, and this year was no exception with Prince performing live, and such presenters as Ray Davies, Dee Snider, Cyndi Lauper and that great American patriot, Sammy Hagar.
DEEP PURPLE: HIGHWAY STARS AGAIN!
Jimmy Page rose out of his hibernation this year. Blue Cheer are back together. The Earth revolves 360 degrees on its axis. Despite all these fine facts, the year’s biggest metal news may be that Deep Purple are back! These British nuts have influenced scores of lesser bands, and many of their old records achieved classic status.
APOLLONIA
NEW BANDS: LIKE OLD ONES, BUT NEWER
Hold it right there, Jay-Otis! You think we don’t sit around ROCK-SHOTS and ponder the unsolvable mysteries of life? Of course we do! For example: how many ROCK-SHOTS readers would it take to cast Billy Joel to the bottom of the Adriatic Sea through thought projection alone?
THE INCREDIBLE DISAPPEARING FACES!
There is only one way to acquire a face, but there are many ways to lose your face. Common ways tp lose face, of course, include forgetting your wallet on a date, vomiting at your in-low's dinner table and editing this magazine. It's come to our attention, however, that there's been a recent plague of totally unnatural—one might even say bizarre—ways of losing one's face.
BILLY IDOL
ELIXIR of Goodness!
What a spot! Due to stringent truth-in-packaging laws, the government is forcing us to print the ingredients of Boy Howdy, the venerable king of good-rockin’ beers! Largely deriving its tempting flavor from the whittling shavings of good-natured Appalachian loafers, the stuff is aged in a barrel o’ monkeys and sweetened with the tears of children laughing at the antics of amusing circus clowns.
BRYAN ADAMS
DAVID LEE ROTH