Rock 'n' Roll News

Rock 'n' Roll News

DEPARTMENTS

Splitsville! Jimmy Marinos— drummer and sometimes triller —has left the Romantics to form what this Bureau understands Will be a power trio, or somesuch. According to the Romantics’ publicist: “The band is not worried about this departure in any way. shape or form.” Ditto for us. The Romantics continue to

work on their next album and expect to announce a replacement shortly.

Dept. Of Now You Know: Rock videos are '‘making youngsters anti-social and less sensitive to violence,” according to Thomas Radecki, chairman of the National Coalition On Television Violence. “I have already seen several cases of young people in my psychiatric practice with severe problems of anger and anti-social behavior who are deeply immersed into a subculture of violent rock music,” said Radecki, a clinical instructor in the University Of Illrnofs* Department of Psychiatry. He cites the most outstandingly 111 violent videos as those by Michael Jackson, ABC and the assembled Jacksons. The least violent? John and Sean Lennon, the Romantics and Donna Summer. To which David Horowitz prez of MTV responds: ‘‘We do not allow any depiction of senseless violence.” How about senseless music, then?

Surgical attempts to reattach the left arm of Bet Leppard’s drummer, Rick Allen-—severed on Ndw Year's Eve when his Corvette left the road and flipped over—have proven unsuccessful, and the arm had to be amputated when infection set in.

The Heavy Metal Desk has turned its mighty gaze to Russia, where they tell us up to 20 million youthful comrades are listening to the BBC’s Russian Service weekly halfhour program. Favorite acts in the culturally-deprived super power include Whitesnake and Black Sabbath, to absolutely nobody’s surprise.

Formsville! Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker— ex-bandmates of Brian Setzer’s in the Stray Cats— have formed a new group to call their very own: Phantom & Rocker. They’ve cut a demo for EMI and are likely to be signed to that label. According to one source, ‘‘their music sounds very Steely Dannish.” Rikki, don’t lose that hi-hafc..'

In nuptial happenings, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood recently wed his longtime 1 companion, Jo Howard. The gala event was attended by such notables as Keith Richards and Charlie Watts (who served as co-best men), Rod Stewart, Peter Cook and Bill Wyman. Among the missing were Mick dagger and Jerry Hall. Richards, by the way, gave Wood a matching pair of gold derringer pistols as a wedding gift. Hope somebody gave him some nice boots, too.

Our LA. Bureau recently spotted Frank Zappa’s son, Dweezil onstage with dad’s band at the Universal Amphitheater. Dweez took over lead guitar chores for pops, playing^ i*dbh-green Kramer axe given to him by Eddie Van Halen, while Mr. Z. stood offstage, smoking cigarettes and looking pleased. The family that plays together...

R I P : Eddie “Bongo” Brown, Motown’s chief that label’l* heyday, died in Los Angeles at the age of 52 Brown played bongos and other hand percussion instruments on Motown’s ’60s, working

^^^^^^^HondeM the Supremes, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & The Pips,

and others. After leaving Motown, Brown toured with Liza Minnelli and Marvin Gaye, as well as doing considerable session work.

The Yoo-Hoo Desk has earned its pay this month by relating this zesty item: Boy George

Parton sometime this year. (HOw coma the He'p desk didn’t Anyway,

O’Dowd announced the news himself, resplendent in his new, close-cropped hairdo, three-day stubble and no make-up at an impromptu confab in New York. How can we wait??

Duets From Darn It: Midge lire of Ultravox is said to be producing the next Rush album. Next month: Zager & Evans update.

This in from the Heavy Metal Desk: When Deep Purple played Sydney, Australia recently, a Character introduced as “Arnold, from Liverpool, New South Wales" walked onstage, accepted Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar, end jammed with the band on “Lucille.” Yep, all three chords!

Arnold?? It turns out that the mysterious guest other than George Harrison, ex-somebody. No word on whether or not Blackmore his guitar back.

Boot? Hill? ZZ Top bassist Joe “Dusty” Hill was shot in the abdomen when his girlfriend was pulling off one of his boots and a .38 caliber derringer fell out, discharging when it hit the floor. Word is that Dusty is recovering on schedule.

Paula Jean Brown has replaced Jane Wiedtin in the Go-Go’s. Ms. Brown was

chosen from 200 applicants and will play bass while Kathy Valentine moves to guitar.

John Cougar Mellencamp is reportedly working on the script of his first film, which will deal with the “downward mobility” of post-baby-boomers. The good news? it’s not a musical.

Our favorite legal news of the month has to be this: Al, Arthur and Allaire Homburg, three brothers from Kansas, have filed suit for damages, claiming that they—not Buddy Holly—wrote “That’ll Be The Day.” Speaking of days, it’s been over 10,000 since the song was released under Holly’s name (almost 28 years)...things move kinda slow down Kansas way, we reckon.

Formal charges of vehicular manslaughter and'drunken driving have been brought against Vince Neil of Motley Crue in the December accident that claimed the life of Hanoi Rocks’ drummer, Nicholas (Razzle) Dingley.

It’s true! Bachman-Turner Overdrive have reformed and are booked on their “One Half Ton Of Rock ’N’ Roll” tour of the U.S. When BTO tour around the United States, they tour around the United States, adds our Heee Desk.

Latest on the helping-out bandwagon is Prince, whose appeal to fans for canned-food contributions at his five sold-out shows in St. Paul did not go unheard. Concert-goers brought in some seven tons of goods, which were turned over to Minnesota’s statewide food bank network for needy persons.

They were the “official rock guinea pigs,” according to our sources. Yep, REO Speedwagon, everyone’s favorite candidate for experimentation, recently put themselves in the hands of diet svengali Robert Haas (the author of Eat To Win). Evidently, the new regimen (no red meat, cream—no cream?!!—or fried foods) has done its stuff, as the guys are reportedly feeling great even after a rigorous night’s playing. As to how it tastes, Kevin Cronin put it this way: “Cardboard and terrycloth.” To which Rock ’n’ Roll News adds: you are what you eat, Kevin.

Did this Bureau commit an incredible blunder? Yes! We let our Heavy Metal Desk report— in our December ,’84 issue—that “Aerosmith’s big reunion may be fading fast.” Let it be known that the band is negotiating with Geffen Records and producer Ted Templeman at this very writing, and that things are looking up for the guys.

Our apologies. 1

And this just in from our Heavy Metal Desk: recount shows Mondale elected president!

We are happy to relate that our Heavy Metal Desk has been summarily executed...-

Where would we be without our Billy Squier Desk? At an instore autograph session in Miami, our guy Bill not only autographed arms, records and great issues of CREEM with him on the cover—-he also autographed a seven-week old baby! This child have reason to cry!

More Ron Wood news: a recent showing of his paintings in Dallas—including a selfportrait, portraits of Keith Richards, Mick dagger, Elvis Presley and other rock luminaries—elicited brisk sales among the art-minded. Hey, too bad Jagger’s portrait didn’t attend Ronnie’s wedding.

Chuck Berry’s done his first TV spot ever, an ad for Volkswagen featuring Chuck’s own “No Particular Place To Go.” The duckwalker himself doesn’t appear in the spot, however.

Van Morrison’s new PolyGram LP, Sense Of Wonder, was originally slated for an October release, but was delayed by the inclusion of a track called “Crazy Jane On God,” a W.B. Yeats poem set to music by the versatile Van.

The Yeats estate ostensibly liked the track, but decided that they only wanted classical interpretations of the poem released. Enlightened .Morrison withdrew the track (replacing it with his version of Mose Allison’s “If You Knew”) and the album should be out by the time you read this.

It was the most exclusive birthday party of the year, no doubt, and the press was excluded. Not Rock ’n’ Roll News, though. It all took place at Chicago’s Park West, where

the believed-to-be-legendary Prince helped tour-mate Sheila E. celebrate her earthly debut. The big bucks bash abounded with surprises, as Sheila’s folks made an unexpected appearance and Prince & Co. tricked the guests by playing live—starting their set from behind a closed curtain

while a seeming tape of “Controversy” was blaring— then showing themselves when the guests noticed (about halfway through the song) that it was no mere tape! Sheila’s dad, Pete Escovedo, well-known Latin percussionist, joined the gang on timbales, and the birthday girl herself got onstage as the impromptu set lasted for an hour-and-a-half. Then it was off to Chuck E. Cheese’s...wait a minute, we be getting our parties mixed up here. In any case, a fine time was had by all.