Latest news with #FooFighters
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why rock bands keep firing their drummers
It has been a bad couple of weeks for drummers in huge bands. Firstly, on May 16, Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese announced that he was 'shocked and disappointed' to have been 'let go' by the US rockers for no apparent reason. Then, four days later, Zak Starkey, drummer for The Who, said he'd been kicked out of the band for the second time in a month. 'I was fired two weeks after reinstatement,' wrote a bewildered-sounding Starkey on Instagram, describing the situation as 'mayhem'. And this is from a man whose family has precedent in drummer drama: Starkey's father Ringo Starr walked out on The Beatles in 1968. The difference here, though, is that it was Starr's decision – he was greeted back into the fold a few days later with a studio full of flowers, an eventuality you suspect will elude his skin-smacking son. The unfortunate truth is that Freese and Starkey are the latest in a long line of drummers who have been unceremoniously axed over the decades. The aforementioned Beatles sacked Pete Best just as the band were taking off; Oasis binned original drummer Tony McCarroll once they went supersonic, while Stan Lynch left Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers after reports of tension in 1994. Guns N' Roses fired original sticksman Steven Adler in 1990 (and parted ways with their drummer of 19 years Frank Ferrer back in March). Meanwhile, grunge band Nirvana went through six drummers before settling on Dave Grohl, ironically the Foo Fighter-in-chief responsible for Freese-ing out his bandmate. Even mild-mannered Chris Martin sacked Coldplay drummer Will Champion briefly in 1999 (guilt-wracked Martin wrote the ballad Trouble by way of apology). As a percussionist might say, there's a pattern here. So why are drummers always getting fired? Like a Neil Peart drum solo, it's complicated (the late Rush drummer's kit comprised up to 40 drums). But the answer lies in a mixture of misplaced band hierarchy, an entrenched and unjustified cliché that casts drummers as expendable jokes, the geeky tendencies of the people behind the kits and – frankly – noise. 'The loneliest place in rock' is how my friend Jack, an accomplished drummer, describes sitting behind the kit. 'On a drum stool, hunched with blistered fingers and aching joints. Waiting. Waiting for the guitars and vocals to agree on something that will only work if you lock in…' he says. Jack points out that most bands are formed by singers and guitar players who then look for bass players and drummers. This means that drummers are seen as supplementary rather than integral, and therefore replaceable. The truth, though, is very different, as his 'only work if you lock in' comment suggests. 'The beat will give a song a structure and a base on which to decide if it's worth pursuing further. Put another way, songs are written on an acoustic guitar or piano. It's only when the rhythm section gets beneath it that it starts to take shape. As a result, the band only starts to feel like a band when the drums are there too. Otherwise it's just busking,' Jack explains. Try telling that to the singer. Drummers are also fall guys because they're the loudest, I'd argue. The sound they make sticks out like a sore thumb and therefore it's the easiest and most obvious element to change, even if someone else is at fault. As Sting and Frank Zappa drummer Vinnie Colaiuta euphemistically put it: 'Anytime you strike the drums, you have to be aware that you're creating a musical event.' For 'musical event' read 'almighty noise'. Drumming is primal. 'When you approach this instrument for the first time, what comes out of you is simply what you feel,' the Parliament and Funkadelic drummer Dennis Chambers once said. Pick up a guitar for the first time and what you feel are sore fingers. But whack a drum for the first time and what you – and your neighbours – feel is elemental expression and thundering power, another likely reason why singers feel threatened. But the technical 'feel' that a drummer brings to a band can also be a reason for tension. Take Guns N' Roses as an example. Original drummer Adler – who was sacked for drug addiction after he tried and failed to play drums on Guns' track Civil War in the studio up to 30 times – had a loose, swinging style that formed a groove with Slash's guitar riffs. He was replaced by Matt Sorum from The Cult (a man whose battered drumstick has sat on my desk for decades, after I caught it at the end of a concert in 1989). A technically brilliant drummer, Sorum's harder and more disciplined drumming essentially turned Guns N' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band into a heavy metal band, something that contributed to guitarist Izzy Stradlin's decision to leave in 1991. A 'big musical difference' was how Stradlin described the vibe shift. Recent tour footage suggests Guns N' Roses still have drummer issues. Introducing new drummer Isaac Carpenter recently, singer Axl Rose said: 'We've got a new guy. I'll think of his name in a minute.' Yeah, joking-not-joking. And at a Yokohama concert earlier this month, rookie Carpenter started playing the wrong song, leading to on-stage weirdness. 'Welcome to the bungle,' ran an unfair headline. But drummers have always been the butt of jokes. Here are two favourites. Q: How many drummers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A: Five. One to change the lightbulb and four to stand around talking about how Neil Peart would have done it. Or there's this chestnut. Q: What did the drummer say when he landed his first job? A: Do you want fries with that? Of course, the biggest drummer joke of all appeared in the 1984 Spinal Tap mockumentary. Famously, the spoof metal band lost a succession of drummers: one in 'a bizarre gardening accident' (John 'Stumpy' Pepys); another from choking on vomit (Eric 'Stumpy Joe' Childs); and yet another from spontaneously combusting on stage (Peter 'James' Bond). Expect drummer jokes to continue when the film's sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues comes out in September. Like all jokes, there's a kernel of truth in this. Plenty of famous drummers have died tragically young. The two best-known examples are The Who's Keith Moon and Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, both of whom died aged 32 when their bands were undergoing concerns. Moon died from a prescription drug overdose and Bonham died after a massive drinking session saw him consume an estimated 40 shots of vodka in a 12-hour period. Both men were large-than-life characters. Wildman Moon was fabled to have driven a Lincoln Continental into a Michigan hotel swimming pool while Bonham – known as The Beast – had a habit of trashing hotel rooms when he wasn't driving down their corridors on a Harley Davidson. To the 'drummers die young' list you can add Karen Carpenter (who also died aged 32), Rainbow's Cozy Powell (50), and Echo & the Bunnymen's Pete de Freitas (27). It is entirely possible that Moon and Bonham died before they were fired. I doubt it with Bonham as Zeppelin disbanded after he passed away. But we'll simply never know. In many cases, bad behaviour is the reason behind drummers being axed. Bruce Springsteen's erstwhile drummer Vini 'Mad Dog' Lopez was sacked from the E Street Band in the early 1970s for getting into a fight with the band's road manager Steve Appel. Blink-182's Scott Raynor was kicked out of the US punk outfit for things 'going on' outside of the band that were 'affecting his performances', singer Mark Hoppus told Rolling Stone (some stories blamed drinking). And the late James Kottak was fired in 2016 as drummer of German hard rock band Scorpions two years after his arrest and brief imprisonment for public drunkenness in Dubai. But here's the rub. Beneath the bluster and the tomfoolery, drummers tend to be sensitive souls who are obsessed with their craft, Moon and Bonham included. Why else would they choose to play the most unwieldy and physically demanding instrument in existence? Unlike peacocking guitarists, you can't stroll down the high street with a drum kit on your back. You've got to commit to drumming and all the humping of gear that comes with it. Drummers also tend to have interesting hinterlands. Many notable drummers have gone on to have unexpected second careers after they'd quit music, which speaks to a certain eccentricity. Terry Chimes, one-time drummer with The Clash, became a chiropractor. Neal Smith, Alice Cooper's drummer, became an estate agent and Ray Boulter, drummer for Liverpool-based band The Farm, became a hugely successful TV script writer. Stuart Cable, the late Stereophonics drummer, had a chat show on BBC Wales called, ingeniously, Cable TV. Mainly, though, drumming is a club. There's a rare brotherhood and understanding among drummers. When I interviewed Pete Best in 2018, probably the most famous sacked drummer in the world said that he and Ringo were chums before he was usurped. 'Drummers seem to buddy other drummers. I'd watch him play, he'd watch me play,' Best said. Simon Kirke, the Bad Company and Free drummer, had a similar tale of drumming camaraderie when I spoke to him last year. The date was 1974 and the location was Chislehurst Caves in Kent where Led Zeppelin were hosting one of the most debauched and Fellini-esque rock 'n' roll parties of all time. Scantily-clad nuns were serving mulled wine, naked women were wrestling in coffins filled with jelly, naked men were wrestling in alcoves and midgets were tumbling from each other's shoulders. And where was Kirke as this decadent carnival unfolded? He was 'huddled in a corner' with Zeppelin's Bonham talking about 'bass drum pedals, skins and sticks'. And perhaps this is why so many drummers get fired. They just love drumming too much. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kelly Clarkson Gives Karaoke Favorite 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' a Wistful Cover for Kellyoke — Watch!
Kelly Clarkson covers "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on her latest Kellyoke session The American Idol alum makes the case for not belting out the passionate lyrics The singer has covered many songs for her Kellyoke segments from Foo Fighters to Taylor SwiftKelly Clarkson is giving a karaoke classic a dreamy spin. In the latest Kellyoke session that debuted on Thursday, May 29, the talk show host covered Bonnie Tyler's 1983 power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Clarkson, 43, gave the song a soft cover of the karaoke classic that usually has fans (and Jason Kelce) belting out the chorus with all their might. "And I need you now tonight, And I need you more than ever/And if you only hold me tight, We'll be holding on forever/And we'll only be making it right/'Cause we'll never be wrong," Clarkson crooned in the prechorus. The wistful cover makes the case for focusing more on the ballad and less on the power, aspect associated with the passionate love song. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Fans were enchanted by the wistful approach Clarkson had for the latest Kellyoke cover. "This needs to be released as a single!" one person commented. "I am just covered in goosebumps. This is why this woman is the greatest vocalist alive," someone else wrote. "I audibly gasped when I saw what song she was covering!!!" a third chimed in, adding, "Did not disappoint (not that I ever doubted)." Fans also praised back-up vocalist and daytime talk show's vocal director Jessi Collins featured prominently in the cover. "Absolutely beautiful by both Kelly and her backup singer Jessie," one fan wrote. "They didn't try to 'over sing' this song. While you can certainly belt out some parts of this song, their version was a little softer. Just lovely 💜." "Aside from Kelly, this performance makes Jessi shine more where she amazes me. Great job to the band too 👏," another said, referring to My Band Y'all who joins her for the Kellyoke sessions. "I appreciate that they put Jessi in shots because she really deserves credit!" a third commented. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Clarkson is known for her fun takes on covering popular songs. In April, she sang "Learn to Fly" by the Foo Fighters. In January, she covered Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather." Other songs Clarkson put her spin on include "Lavender Haze" by Taylor Swift, "Red Wine Supernova" by Chappell Roan and "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain. Read the original article on People
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Why the Boats Got Bigger as the Rich Got Richer
Watching sweaty 13-year-olds lose their minds to a performance by rapper Flo Rida at a bar mitzvah for the son of a finance executive in 2023, Evan Osnos felt something in America had changed. For decades the richest teenagers have booked big talent for private performances, a splurge disturbingly documented by the MTV reality show My Super Sweet 16. But recent years have seen a proliferation in the number of people who can 'blow a hundred and fifty grand on a Thursday' to have the Foo Fighters play in their backyard, drummer Charles Ruggiero tells Osnos.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dave Grohl and Jordyn Blum make major public move amid fractured marriage after love child scandal
Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum made a major public move this week amid their fractured marriage, nine months after he fathered a child outside of their marriage. The Foo Fighters frontman, 56, welcomed a baby girl with Jennifer Young, a 38-year-old LA-based, Florida-born rock-and-roll fan in August - leading him to post a public mea culpa admitting his affair the following month. However after it emerged the pair were working on their marriage, Grohl and Blum gave the biggest sign yet they were on the right track as they were seen enjoying a family dinner with their three daughters for her 49th birthday. This marked the first time the family had been seen together after his affair bombshell. Grohl and Blum looked happy and relaxed as they chatted after the event, with their daughters standing close by. Both were without their wedding rings. After he and Blum were spotted out together recently, a source told US Weekly in March the couple are giving their 22 year marriage another go. They said: 'Jordyn has forgiven Dave and is trying to move on. She is [still] completely devastated by the situation but is standing by his side. 'They are going to counseling, and Dave has been doing anything he can to win back Jordyn's trust. Neither of them wants the family broken.' contacted representatives for further comment. In February the mother of Dave's lovechild was finally revealed. Young was confirmed to be the mother of his child he fathered out of wedlock, Page Six reported. Jennifer also confirmed to the outlet that her baby was born on August 1, 2024, and she said Dave's last name is listed on the birth certificate. Jennifer did not want to reveal their daughter's name, telling the outlet 'because there's some really angry fans,' adding that 'protecting her identity is really important.' She lives with her mother in Los Angeles, and often takes their daughter for walks in their neighborhood. On September 10 2024, Dave took to his social media to announce in a statement that he had welcomed a daughter while vowing to try to 'regain [the] trust' of his wife and their daughters Jennifer Young, an LA based, Florida-born rock and roll fan, 38, has been confirmed to be the mother of his child he fathered out of wedlock, Page Six reported; Jennifer pictured Jennifer sports a number of tattoos - including ones featuring Paul McCartney lyrics and the rock band Metallica's band logo. She reportedly visited New York City over Valentine's weekend — the same weekend Dave was in the Big Apple for the Saturday Night Live 50 years anniversary special — however, Page Six reported that it is unknown if they met up. It is also unclear how they first met. Page Six noted that she does not have a public social media account and her current occupation is also unknown. However, she has dabbled in writing in the past and helped co-create the Cannibal comic book series where she is credited as one of the writers, per League Of Comic Geeks. Young also attended UCLA and received her Master's degree in the university's Producers Program. Back in 2021, she opened up about her passion for 'storytelling' during an interview with Voyage LA. 'I wrote a comic book that was published with Image Comics and turned it into a pilot that is currently in development,' she said at the time, while also discussing her love for the horror genre. Jennifer eventually went on to work on Eli Roth's History Of Horror series (2018-2021) for AMC as an assistant to the showrunner and was later promoted to an associate producer. 'I've never had more fun working on a project in my entire life and I was fortunate enough to work on another season of that show,' she shared. Jennifer also expressed to the outlet, 'I assist Directors and Producers in the development and production of film and television.' She also enjoys, 'making some short films and writing my own scripts that I would like to direct — hoping that all this shadowing will put me in the right position for the job.' She was pictured by Page Six taking her baby for a stroll, with the child wearing a cranial helmet with rock band stickers on it for artists including Led Zepplin, Metallica and Elvis Presley. A cranial helmet is used when a baby's skull shape has to be corrected. In October 2024, a People magazine insider noted that the whole situation has been 'rough' for Jordyn. 'Her mind is not on her marriage though,' they added. 'She doesn't trust Dave. She's not wearing her wedding ring.' Adding that Jordyn is 'focused on her own life and her girls.' A source told People magazine in November 2024 that the rocker is focused on working things out with her and their daughters, and that divorce is off the table. The source said: 'He's no longer working with a divorce attorney and instead hoping to work things out with his wife.' Another insider said that he 'loves his family,' noting that he has 'been prioritizing his family. He knows he messed up. It's one of those situations where you don't realize what you have done until you're about to lose it. He doesn't want to lose his family.' Multiple sources have claimed that Jordyn has known about the baby 'for a while,' and said she is a 'great mom and very dedicated to their daughters.' Jordyn and Dave shared daughters Violet, 18, Harper, 15, and Ophelia, 10. Dave and Jordyn were seen together in February for the first time since his shocking cheating and baby news. They were seen in the car together, after Jordyn picked him up from an LA area home. Neither appeared to be wearing wedding rings at the time.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Manchester group Hot Milk to perform in Glasgow SWG3
Hot Milk, famous for their hit song Breathing Underwater, are set to perform at SWG3 Galvanizers Yard on Monday, November 17. READ NEXT: American star to perform at iconic Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow The band, which formed in 2018, is known for their genre-blurring sound and for songs which often focus on a range of social and political issues. They have toured with acts including Foo Fighters and You Me at Six. READ NEXT: Festival favourite announces huge Glasgow show The upcoming Glasgow gig will follow the release of their sophomore album, Corporation P.O.P, which is set to be released on June 27. The album will feature the new single, 90 Seconds To Midnight. British icon Frank Skinner features in the song's music video. To purchase tickets for the show, click HERE Pre-sale will go live at 10am on May 29. General sale will be available from May 30 at 10am.
