Dead Rock Stars

In the final episode of the first series of our Rock Godcast, Dead Rock Stars, we present a contractual obligation fulfilling Greatest Hits. Just thank Dio we didn't opt for a live album. Or our very own Metal Machine Music. Talking of which, you'll find a heated discussion about that very album within, plus banter about Bon Scott's nickname of Road-test Ronnie, Rick Parfitt's big night in, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia, Lemmy's love of poetry and fax machines and the harrowing account of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash (where some of the band exploded off the scene). Plus eye opening insights into David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Phil Lynott, Freddie Mercury, Metallica, Ronnie James Dio and Marc Bolan.

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In this latest thrilling episode, Mick and Joel pick over the life, loves and legacy of the greatest rock star of them all. The Big Cheese, the full enchilada, the deep-fried cheese burger. Or simply, The King. Elvis Aaron Presley is the pioneer of rock 'n roll. the man who created a road-map for rock stars before rock stars even existed. From a dirt-poor childhood, via a spell as a truck driver and briefly the world's most famous GI, he became the planet's biggest superstar and then its most mysterious recluse. Today, Elvis has taken on such a mythic quality that it's now hard to believe he was actually even a man (and a relatively young one when he died, aged just 42). This is an amazing, but tragic tale; a tale of fierce youth, facile films, fancy jumpsuits, and folly.

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This week, seasoned rock writers Mick Wall and Joel McIver shine the spotlight on Marc Bolan; with a Gibson set to stun and corkscrew hair, he wasn't no square. Bolan was a true original, moving from late Sixties acoustic hippy whimsy to hard rocking, glamtastic boogie by the turn of the decade, and in doing so influencing a slew of artists, his friend and rival David Bowie included. Whilst enjoying an amazing run of hit singles, often compared to that of the Beatles, by the mid-70s Marc's solid-gold lustre was beginning to fade. However, by the arrival of punk, which "exploded onto the scene" around 1976, Bolan himself was cited as an influence, and he had in turn welcomed their short, sharp shocks. Any budding comeback was ended when Bolan was killed in a car crash in September 1977, but as we discover, Marc's was a brief but brilliant career.

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In another thrilling episode of the podcast, Mick and Joel take a deep dive into the fast life and times of the finest female rock singer of them all - Janis Joplin. From being a troubled Texan teenager to the hit sensation at the 1967 Monterey pop festival, and a peer of Jimi Hendrix, Grace Slick and Jim Morrison, Janis always seemed destined to burn out rather than fade away. And when drugs, alcohol and self-esteem issues were added to an already volatile mix, sadly this proved all too true. And so, in October 1970, whilst recording her classic Pearl album in LA, Joplin would meet her maker after overdosing in a hotel room, and in doing so became part of the infamous 27 Club.

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This week, Mick and Joel turn their keen eye and quick wits to the late, great Jack Bruce. Jack was a highly gifted musical prodigy, with a love for jazz and classical music, but who came to prominence in the British blues boom of the early Sixties, finding himself rubbing shoulders and sharing stages with the likes of Alexis Korner, Mick Jagger, Graham Bond and John Mayall. But of more importance was his introduction to Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, ultimately leading to the formation of Cream, the pioneering British heavy blues power trio. Following Cream's dissolution in 1969, after two brief but brilliant years, Jack pursued an erratic and idiosyncratic solo career that would never hit the same heights again (bar a brief Cream reunion in 2005). But Jack was always a highly venerated musician and huge inspiration to a generation of bass players.

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In this episode, esteemed rock writers Mick Wall and Joel McIver look at the purple reign of Prince. From teenage wunderkind, signed at 17 to a major label and given complete creative control to his stunning Super Bowl performances, Prince's life was not like other musicians'. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, auteur, movie star, talent scout, provocateur, music factory... Prince was many, many things. Most surprising, and known to only a small coterie of people, he was also addicted to Fentanyl, the drug on which he overdosed in 2017. But Prince's known legacy is not only huge, his vast vaults are said to contain hours and hours of unheard music. Even for the most ardent Prince fan, there's still much we can learn from the man.

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Once again, Mick Wall and Joel McIver look towards to Seattle, the home of both grunge, but also an abnormally large number of rockers now resting in peace. This week they explore the life of Chris Cornell, frontman for Soundgarden and Audioslave. Chris was also flat-mates with Andrew Wood, flamboyant frontman with Mother Love Bone, who would be one of the city's first rock star drug casualties. Cornell's tribute to Wood, Temple Of The Dog, not only united many Seattle musicians but would also introduce the world to one Eddie Vedder, And though Chris Cornell looked and sounded every inch the rock god, he was a troubled soul who survived drink and drug problems but took his own life in 2017.

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This episode, Mick and Joel look at the enigmatic Syd Barrett, one time leader of the fledgling Pink Floyd. Though Syd's time in Pink Floyd was only brief his idiosyncratic songs have proven to be hugely influential and continue to reverberate through the decades. Bringing an eccentric Englishness to the burgeoning prog/psyche scene in the mid-Sixties, he was a man both part of and yet quite apart from the scene. But within two years, and unravelling through mental problems and drug abuse, Syd would disappear from music altogether to become a recluse in his hometown of Cambridge, where he died of pancreatic cancer aged 60.

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In the latest thrilling episode, Mick and Joel take a wise and witty wonder through the fast life and tumultuous times of Ronnie Van Zant, frontman of Florida rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Best known for Sweet Home Alabama and the epic Freebird, Skynyrd are usually portrayed as wild bunch of redneck renegades. There's certainly more than a grain of truth in that, but what's often forgotten is that they were also fabulous, pioneering musicians and tone of the biggest bands on the planet when their plane fell from the sky in October 1977.

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This week, it's the turn of the most gifted guitarist of his generation to come under Joe and Mick's microscope. James Marshall Hendrix blazed a hugely fertile and creative path in his brief but bountiful three years in the limelight. No other guitar-slinger has bettered him for not just his guitar flash, but his songwriting, sonic experimentation, showmanship, or other worldly flamboyance. Whether playing the blues, funk, soul, hard rock or his high flying psychedelia, Jimi was in a class - and world - of his own.

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This week our wild and willing wordsmiths Mick and Joel look at the short but stunning life of Randy Rhoads. A one-time guitarist with LA also-rans Quiet Riot, he became more famous as Ozzy Osbourne's right-hand man following his departure from Black Sabbath. Along with Sharon Arden (later Mrs Osbourne), Randy was absolutely fundamental in resurrecting Ozzy's moribund career. He also proved hugely influential to a brand new generation of guitarists. But all was not to last long. Within just two years upon the world's stage Randy was tragically killed when a senseless prank went wrong. But what a talent, and what a small but perfectly formed legacy.

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In this episode of the podcast, revered rock writers Joel and Mick pick over the brilliant but all too brief life of the scion of Seattle, the golden boy of grunge, Kurt Cobain. In a brief but blistering 4 years, Kurt went from social outcast to being the poster boy for the alternative music scene, The music he spearheaded, and the bands who followed in his slipstream (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and the rest) would completely change the musical landscape almost overnight. And though grunge lives on in various ways, it was a scene that coalesced with Cobain and which effectively died with Kurt's suicide.

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In this episode, Mick and Joel scrutinise the short life of folk artist Sandy Denny. Sandy was a key figure in the evolution of folk rock, being a great songwriter, but one who also brought traditional songs to the fledgling Fairport Convention and was kept to the creation of their seminal Liege & Lief album. She's also the only artist to have guested on a Led Zeppelin album. But Sandy's complex character - exacerbated by insecurities and alcohol - meant that her life burned briefly but brilliantly.

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In this week's Dead Rock Stars, there's double trouble as Mick and Joel dissect the lives of brothers Darrell and Vinnie Abbott. Their band Pantera quickly rose from being an enthusiastic and talented (if derivative) hair metal act, to groundbreaking artists whose 1994 album Far Beyond Driven one of the most extreme albums to debut at number one on the Billboard charts. But the story of the Abbott brothers has been one of severe highs and lows with tragedy stalking the band; firstly with the shocking murder of Darrell on stage by a deranged fan in 2004 and then with Vinnie's death in his sleep in mid 2018.

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In this week's episode, Mick and Joel take a deep dive into the life of Lou Reed, one of rock music's most complicated, challenging and caustic artists. From his start with the Andy Warhol proteges The Velvet Underground, to his collaborations with David Bowie and Metallica then on to his avant garde - and sometimes impenetrable - solo work, Lou Reed was always a fearless, fierce and fascinating artist. But what was he really like? Well, take a listen and find out.

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In this episode of Dead Rock Stars, Mick and Joel turn their steely gaze upon the fast life and times of Bon Scott, AC/DC's bawdy, brawling and boozy frontman. As you'll discover, despite his fearsome reputation, Bon was in fact an erudite, well read fella, which in turn informed his wickedly brilliant lyrics. But the sad death in a stranger's car after a heavy night out denied him to the chance to sing on Back In Black, one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

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In the latest eye and ear opening instalment of Dead Rock Stars, Mick Wall and Joel McIver take a look at the long and, quite frankly, legendary career of Rick Parfitt of Status Quo. Though often derided by snobby critics for their reliance on 3 chord boogie, The Quo was a band of the people. In fact, they had 60+ top 40 singles in the UK, and were the band who famously opened Live Aid in 1985 with the perfect "Rocking All Over The World". And Rick was their charismatic, talismanic, tousled-haired blonde bombshell, who guys wanted to be, and women wanted to be with,.

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Cliff Burton was that rare thing; not only was he a hugely talented bass player, but he was a bass player who was the driving force behind his band In his all too brief three year stint with Metallica, he gave them the drive, desire and determination to go from being underground warriors to the biggest metal band on the planet. But tragically, Cliff was not to see his band realise their dreams and scale such dizzying heights. In late 1986. he was killed in a bus crash in Sweden as Metallica toured Master Of Puppets, an album that's since been recognised as one of thegreatest and most influential albums of not only the Eighties, but of all time.

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Revered rock writers Mick Wall and Joel McIver scrutinise the Bad Reputation of Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott, singer and songwriter, rocker and romantic, bard and brawler. An illegitimate child of mixed race, Phil escaped his tough Dublin childhood to front the powerhouse hard rockers Thin Lizzy. And yet despite a clutch of killer albums, a formidable twin guitar attack and Lynott's charisma, this was a band who never quite conquered the planet. Through drink, drugs and disaster they were a band who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

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In the latest episode, revered rock journos Mick Wall and Joel McIver take a personal, passionate and - at times - profound look at the career of David Jones, once of Brixton, now of the greater universe (via Mars, of course). Bowie was one of rock's most influential innovators and visionaries, and his passing in January 2016 is still somewhat hard to comprehend even to this day. But he did leave a legacy that's rich and rewarding, deep and diverse in meaning and material, and one that will still yield surprises for decades to come.

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In the latest thrilling instalment of Dead Rock Stars, legendary rock journalists Mick Wall and Joel McIver take an enthusiastic and enthralling look into the good times bad times of Led Zeppelin powerhouse drummer, John Bonham. Bonzo is widely considered the greatest rock drummer to ever wield two (sometimes four) sticks, has been endlessly sampled and would also prove irreplaceable; when he died so too did Led Zep.

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In the third episode, revered rock writers Mick Wall and Joel McIver turn their attention to former Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. From his childhood in Zanzibar to completely conquering Wembley Stadium at Live Aid, Freddie's life was a rollercoaster ride. But one that was always gloriously OTT. As the singer for one of Britain's best loved and most idiosyncratic bands, a band who bestrode the globe like a fabulous colossus for over two decades, there's much here for Wall and McIver to get their teeth into. And they do.

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In the second episode of Dear Rock Stars, the new podcast which eulogises and lionises our greatest fallen musicians, uber-journalists Mick Wall and Joel McIver turn their steely gaze on the career of the mighty Ronnie James Dio. One time Elf singer, Rainbow's first frontman, and the man who rescued Black Sabbath when he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in 1980. Ronnie battled Ritchie Blackmore (and dragons), brought the devil's horns to the masses, created a whole new aesthetic for hard rock, and in turn became the mighty Dio. Above all, he's rightly regarded as one of the defining voices of rock music. 7 years after his death, Dio lives on in the hearts of rock fans everywhere. And as a hologram. He rocked.

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Episode 1 of Dead Rock Stars is devoted to everyone’s favourite departed headbanger and philosopher, Lemmy. The Motörhead founder, lifelong bon vivant and lover of speed and PG Wodehouse left this mortal plane in 2015. Joel McIver spent much quality time with the great man in the 1990s and 2000s, locked in debate about the political and cultural issues of the day, whilst Mick Wall worked with Lemmy for many years and knew him as well as anyone possibly could without actually being physically intimate with the fellow. Dead Rock Stars: Lemmy follows McIver and Wall down the rabbit hole of Hawkwind, Motörhead, acid and speed marathons and the perils of writing poetry.  

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