Well, we knew it was just a matter of time before Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor would return the cannon fire from Chad Kroeger of Nickelback! The Pulse Of Radio and Blabbermouth are saying Corey called Chad him an “idiot” with a “face like a foot” after the latter blasted Stone Sour as “Nickelback Lite.” and called out Taylor for alleging saying that it was “easy” to write a hit song. Asked about the remarks on Arizona radio station KUPD, Taylor said, “I’ve never said it was easy to write a hit song. I don’t know what the hell planet he’s living on. Apparently it’s Planet Kroeger, and there must be good weed there, ’cause he’s an idiot.”
Taylor claimed that he was “cued up to say some stuff” about Kroeger but added, “I don’t have to say a damn thing — he is not a liked person. That’s all we have to say about it.” Yet Taylor continued anyway, taking issue with Kroeger saying that Slipknot “had to put on masks and jump around” as a gimmick to sell records and concert tickets. Taylor responded, “You can run your mouth all you want. All I know is I’ve been voted ‘Sexiest Dude In Rock’ wearing a mask. You’ve been voted ‘Ugliest Dude In Rock’ twice without one.”
Taylor emphasized that he had no issues with the other members of Nickelback, saying, “Everybody else in that band I’m very, very cool with; I’ve hung out with them. It’s just ‘Face Like A Foot’ who I can’t really hang out with. He’s got a face like a foot. Am I wrong?”
In an interview posted earlier this week with Sweden’s Metal Covenant, Kroeger said Stone Sour was “trying to be Nickelback,” adding, “Corey Taylor has said some really nasty things about me before in the press. He talks about how easy it is to write a hit song. Well, show me. Show me. Write one. I have yet to hear one. They’re okay. But they’re not as good as Nickelback. They sound like ‘Nickelback Lite.’”
Nickelback just released its ninth album, Feed The Machine, last Friday (Jun 16th), while Stone Sour’s new LP, Hydrograd, arrives on Jun 30th. Tour anyone? LOL! Come on, guys, can’t we all just get along?
Alternative Press says Marvel Comics will release five “Marvel Rock” variant covers this September to celebrate the connection between music fans and comic book readers. The covers will each pay tribute to a classic rock album while including a popular Marvel character in the artwork. Of the first three, Nirvana’s Nevermind will feature Rocket Raccoon from Guardians Of The Galaxy, Thor will star on the Clash’s London Calling and Guns N’ Roses‘ Appetite For Destruction will feature the Inhumans.
Speaking of GNR, Blabbermouth reporting SiriusXM announced today legendary rock band GUNS N’ ROSES will perform at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater for a special invitation-only concert for SiriusXM subscribers on Thursday, Jul 20. Howard Stern made the announcement today during his show.
The exclusive concert marks the first time that Guns N’ Roses will perform at the iconic venue. The special event, taking place before the next leg of the band’s North American “Not In This Lifetime” tour, will air live nationwide on SiriusXM’s Guns N’ Roses Radio. The concert will also air live on Stern‘s Howard 101 channel.
The legendary non-profit Apollo Theater is known for launching the careers of countless iconic performers, and has been a catalyst for artistic excellence and innovation since it opened its doors in 1934. The Apollo’s new artistic vision builds on its legacy and new Apollo programming has music as its core, driving large scale and more intimate music, dance and theater presentations. The satellite channel has presented other special events at the Apollo including Metallica and Paul McCartney. Don’t be surprised if Guns’ members Slash and Duff (and maybe Axl) appear on the Stern show that week.
Chris Cornell‘s publicist sent an email to me. The official music video for his song “The Promise” was released on Tuesday (Jun 20th) by Survival Pictures in honor of World Refugee Day, in accordance with Cornell’s wishes. The track, which served as the title theme for the recent film of the same name, was the last recording released by Cornell before his death on May 18th at the age of 52.
In an interview a little over a month before his passing, Cornell told us that even though the movie was set during the Armenian Genocide, he wanted to keep the song as universal as possible: “There was a little bit sort of the temptation of, you know, trying to add an Armenian flavor to it musically. But I wanted it to sort of live out of time and also get played on the radio, for example, so somebody would hear it and then learn about the film. And, you know, the more that I sort of would zero in on a period of time or, you know, geography, the less I think it would do its job as a song for the film.”
The Promise producer Eric Esrailian said in a statement, “Chris Cornell was not only a dear family friend for many years, but he was also a once-in-a-generation talent who is missed more than words can convey . . . His music and lyrics will not only shine a light on the Armenian Genocide and the human rights crisis of modern times, but they will also inspire people and provide hope for years to come.”
Esrailian added that Cornell wanted all his proceeds from “The Promise” donated to support refugees and children, and to promote awareness about “the refugee crisis the world continues to endure.” The Promise came out in April and starred Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac.
In other news, Chris Cornell’s 12-year-old daughter Toni posted a tribute to her dad on Facebook for Father’s Day, writing, “Let me start by saying how much I love you and how much you mean to me. You are my idol, someone I’ve always looked up to. You were always there for me. You pushed me forward every day, and you still do.
“Whenever I cry or feel like there’s no way I can go on, I hear your voice, ‘Don’t sit worrying, peanut. Worry is a waste of time, I’m OK.’”
Toni also wrote, “I know you are still here, and the warmth I feel beneath the cold, is you.
“YOU ARE THE BEST FATHER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. And I know, that if this wasn’t an accident, you’d still be cuddling with me watching Purple Rain.
“I love you and miss you so, Daddy. You deserve your own day to be celebrated because you are the best dad anyone could ever have. Happy Father’s Day! Love, Your Baby Toni.”
In related news, RollingStone.com reporting Chris Cornell will appear on a new album that sets the poems of Johnny Cash to music. Titled Johnny Cash Forever Words: The Music, the project is the brainchild of Cash’s son John Carter Cash, who confirmed the album in an email to Rolling Stone.
Late last year, John Carter Cash released a book of his father’s poems, Forever Words: The Unknown Poems, a collection of 41 writings by the Man in Black. “My father was a very prolific writer and he left behind a huge body of unpublished work,” he told Rolling Stone Country then. Along with Cornell and Johnson, Paisley, Jewel, T Bone Burnett, Dailey & Vincent, and Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly are also on the album.
The inclusion of Cornell is particularly poignant in light of the Soundgarden singer’s death on May 17th. It also brings the relationship between the two disparate vocalists full circle: Cash recorded a version of the Cornell composition “Rusty Cage” for his 1996 album Unchained.
A release date for Johnny Cash Forever Words: The Music has yet to be announced. (Thanks, RollingStone.com)
Prophets of Rage did a press conference at Hellfest in Clisson, FR. They have new music out and their first full album, Prophets of Rage, produced by Brendan O’Brien, due Sep 15. You can check out the question and answer session above and note: there IS swearing in it.