Sommaire pour November 2019 de Classic Rock

WELCOME Huge audiences, albums that broke boundaries and amazed, stage shows that astounded and left audiences reeling… These are just a few minor (ahem!) things that Queen managed to achieve in the first few years of their storied existence. This issue we chronicle the decade that made Queen stars, from their inauspicious beginnings as Smile through to Bohemian Rhapsody (which changed everything), the monster tours, the ups and downs and how they altered the rock’n’roll landscape. This issue we also look back at the making of The Doors’ The Soft Parade, go on the road with Massive Wagons and The Darkness, set sail with Joe Bonamassa and today’s blues cognescenti, hang out with Alter Bridge, Michael Monroe and The Sheepdogs, and so much more. It’s been quite the month… Siân…

RIP Thank you and good night. Daniel Johnston January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019 Johnson was an American singer-songwriter whose lo-fi stylings endeared him to fans of alternative rock. His output consisted largely of songs recorded alone in his home and later released via cassette. Kurt Cobain was his most visible fan. Johnson was 58 when he died of undisclosed causes. Jimmy Johnson February 4, 1943 – September 5, 2019 A co-founder of the celebrated Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Johnson was also a session musician and studio engineer contributor to hundreds of hit records, playing guitar on Aretha Franklin’s Respect, and Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett. Also an accomplished engineer, he recorded Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman. The 76-year-old had struggled with kidney failure. Bernie Frost…

Eddie Money March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019 The world of entertainment is mourning the passing of the former New York cop turned singer who went on to notch up a string of US Top 40 hits including Two Tickets To Paradise, Take Me Home Tonight, Baby Hold On, Think I’m In Love, I Wanna Go Back, Walk On Water and The Love In Your Eyes. The 70-year-old had cancelled his summer live commitments after developing pneumonia while recovering from a recent heart valve surgery. Despite diagnosis of stage 4 oesophageal cancer he intended to continue touring while receiving treatment. Born Edward Joseph Mahoney, Money’s likable demeanour and bawdy sense of humour made him a popular figure in US music culture. Having been discovered singing in a bar by…

New’Oo! Pete and Rodge unveil brand new studio record. THE WHO have confirmed details of their first new studio album in 13 years. Back in January the band revealed plans for the follow-up to 2006’s Endless Wire, showcasing the track Hero Ground Zero during their gig at London’s Wembley Stadium back in July. Titled simply Who, the album’s release on November 22 is preceded by a single, Ball And Chain. A 10-date, orchestrally enhanced arena tour of the UK and Ireland takes place between March 16 and April 8. Singer Roger Daltrey believes this new work is the group’s best since Quardrophenia in 1973, declaring: “Pete [Townshend] hasn’t lost it, he’s still a fabulous songwriter and he’s still got that cutting edge”. Townshend himself adds: “This album is almost all…

CHARGE Self-titled. SRT Records (private release) UK 1973. £2,500. Charge were an excellent progressive hard rock band, with blues and psychedelic touches, from the south coast of England. Their self-financed album is nowadays a major rarity (pressed without artwork in a modest run of 99 copies), coveted by collectors. ‘Rediscovered’ and re-released by Kissing Spell records in the early 90s, little, or nothing, was known about the band at that time. Prior to the release of Charge, the band were known as Baby Bertha, who released another privately pressed album the year before, with a miniscule pressing of just 50 copies. It too contains several excellent bluesy rockers, bringing to mind a more rough-around-the-edges Groundhogs, Cream and early Stray. Comprised of four tracks, side one features the most accessible tunes…

TOP-GUN FAN Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose is a Nazareth fan. His singing style is heavily influenced by Dan McCafferty – Miss Misery is proof of that. It was Axl’s idea that Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton tried out for the role of producer for GN’R’s debut album Appetite For Destruction. Later, in 1993, their covers album The Spaghetti Incident? featured a kick-ass version of Nazareth’s Hair Of The Dog. “There’s always been a rapport between Nazareth and Guns N’ Roses,” Pete Agnew says, “ever since we played half a dozen gigs in California in the eighties, and those guys, just kids really, came to see us every night. Axl’s a huge Nazareth fan, but mainly a Dan fan. Dan is his favourite singer, simple as that. And in 2011,…

NOT SO QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Bruce Springsteen’s latest project is a cinematic exploration and adaptation of his recent album Western Stars. We caught up with him at the Toronto Film Festival. INTERVIEW: JANE CRO WTHER What is there left for The Boss to do? He’s made albums (obviously), he’s been the architect of some of the finest rock’n’roll shows we’ve ever witnessed, he’s written his autobiography, he’s even done an extended stint on Broadway… But now he has something else to add to the CV – Bruce Springsteen, film director. Springsteen, and his longtime collaborator Thom Zimny have worked on a cinematic film version of the former’s latest album, Western Stars. The companion piece is a chance to see Springsteen perform the entire album, backed up by his…

CLASSIC ROCK ON THIS MONTH’S DIGITAL ALBUM… BOOM BOOM BOOM! You want the very best in new bluesy rock, from elder statesmen and bright young things alike? Then look no further than this selection of scorching new releases from the Mascot label. 1 Beth Hart Bad Woman Blues We all know that Beth Hart does melancholia very well. Heartache? Pain from the depths of your soul? The LA native delivers it all with gut-grabbing authenticity. But that sure as hell doesn’t mean she don’t know how to party, as this toe-tapping, piano-pounding, guitar-jabbing slab of sassy rock’n’roll proves. The blues got rhythm, then it ate Etta James, and all was well. From War In My Mind www.bethhart.com 2 Kris Barras Band Counterfeit People This is probably our favourite track on Kris…

BEST OF THE REST Other new releases out this month Killing Joke Malicious Damage Live At The Astoria 12.10.03 Killing Joke/Cadiz The Raven/Parsons-era Joke go through mid-career doldrums motions. There’s power and passion here, but 16 years later they only sound 10 years younger and 10 times stronger. 6/10 SunnO))) Pyroclasts Southern Lord Four 11-minute ‘improvised modal drones’ recorded by Steve Albini during the Life Metal sessions for which we’re supposed to be grateful. This is why punk happened. Get a grip. 3/10 Allan Clarke Resurgence BMG A little sedate in production and kitschy in the country twang department, but deep inside this ex-Hollies vocalist’s comeback collection lies a decent slice of mainstream Americana. 6/10 The Monochrome Set Fabula Mendax Tapete Arch post-punk pop genius Bid turns his impeccable ear…

LIVE! Tour Dates CLASSIC ROCK RECOMMENDS CLUTCH DUNCAN EVERSON See below for dates. Currently December 17-20. GHOST JAKE OWENS See left and previous page for dates. Currently November 16-23. GLENN HUGHES WILL IRELAND See previous page for dates. Currently November 16-29. RIVAL SONS KEVIN NIXON See previous page for dates. Currently November 2-7.…

Wayne Hussey Hastings, Black Market VIP Former Mission frontman promotes Salad Daze autobiography. With added dumpling. As he briefly reads aloud from a book that reveals early-life adversity, Wayne Hussey faces a modern challenge in the shape of an over-refreshed former Mission bandmate (who shall remain nameless). Flying solo sans setlist, Hussey played songs as the whim took him, switching between guitar stool and electric piano, droll and grumpy patter, like a world-weary Ian Hunter. The brief stage invasion breaks the spell, but Hussey rebuilds impressively. Angrily, even… Before, at the piano, a stunning version of Trent Reznor’s Hurt prompted a request for his Sisters Of Mercy favourite Marian – though it didn’t get far (“I’m not feeling it”). Now he concentrates on his electric guitar, plus backing tapes, to…

LIVE! Pixies London, Alexandra Palace Claaaang! Here comes your band… “Can you hear me? Can you hear my guitar?” Black Francis asks the frothing Ally Pally crowd – and the bone machine fires up its magnificent melodic malice. Touting a myth-festooned third reunion album Beneath The Eyrie, widely accepted as a latter-era classic to rival their seminal early output, and with bassist Paz Lenchantin firmly ensconced in Kim Deal’s iconic loafers, the Boston alt. rock beasts have built a canon both fresh and rich enough to work wonders in whatever order, for as long as they like. As a gritty Gouge Away gives way to a rabid run through Dead, Crackity Jones and Isla De Incanta, Francis seems to be inventing the setlist on the hoof, muttering the next song…

Muse Birmingham, Arena Devon trio deliver the Theory of everything. Nobody leaves a Muse show feeling shortchanged. When Classic Rock witnessed the first UK date of their Simulation Theory World Tour back in June at London Stadium, the Devon trio laid on a sense-blitzing banquet of sci-fi neo-glam synth-rock, jumbo video screens, sky-scorching lasers and giant inflatable cyborgs. Scaling down to arenas for a closing run, their Birmingham show seems to galvanise the band’s gritty, muscular, heavy rock side more. Second time around, this tour’s garish 80s-drenched aesthetic takes a back seat to Chris Wolstenholme’s gnarly piledriver bass, Dominic Howard’s visceral percussive clobbering, and especially Matt Bellamy’s kaleidoscopic guitar work, which covers Tom Morello-style avant-metal shredding to Edge-like luminous shimmer to florid Van Halen maximalism – plus generous helpings of…

This month’s contributors POLLY GLASS Our fearless features editor Polly spent a lot of time in gig venues, trains, hotels and one slightly bizarre members club in the making of this issue. Still, in the company of Alter Bridge, Massive Wagons (pictured, spot the infiltrator) and The Sheepdogs, it was totally worth it. Read all about her exploits on pages 40, 44 and 64. MERLIN ALDERSLADE He usually sits on the other side of the office overseeing all things heavy as Editor of our amazing sister mag, Metal Hammer, but this month Merl has managed to sneak into our pages. And with very good reason: he’s been off in San Francisco watching Metallica do S&M 2 (see page 106). Alright for some. MAX BELL Doors fanatic Max has written about…

NEWS Hossam Ramzy December 15, 1953 – September 10, 2019 The respected Egyptian percussionist appeared on Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s Unledded project and also with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation Of Christ. Gabriel said: “Hossam was always excited about playing music. He introduced me to many Arabic rhythms.” Donnie Fritts November 8, 1942 – August 27, 2019 Keyboardist for Kris Kristofferson, Alabama-born Fritts wrote the song We Had It All, which was recorded by acts such as Waylon Jennings and Ray Charles, and also wrote Dusty Springfield’s Breakfast In Bed. He died from complications of heart surgery aged 76. Jeff Fenholt September 15, 1950 – September 10, 2019 Before Tony Iommi appointed Glenn Hughes to sing on Black Sabbath’s Seventh Star, its frontman…

Tony Mills July 7, 1962 – September 18, 2019 shutterstock x3 The Birmingham-born frontman, who carved a more than 35-year career with melodic hard rockers Shy, Siam, TNT, Serpentine and China Blue among others, has lost a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Having chosen to share details of his treatment in a blog, the 57-year-old passed away in the arms of his wife Linda, who called the singer “a gentle and kind soul, a dedicated husband with a love for the quiet life, his animals and his motorbikes.” She added: “Tony wanted to live, but wasn’t afraid of death.” Mills released a sixth solo album, Beyond The Law, earlier this year and months ago was in sufficiently good health to have discussed a handful of reunion dates with Shy, who…

the Dirt HIGH HOPES Quaker City Night Hawks The Texan rockers on mixing genres, brushes with the law and bringing people together. JACOB BLICKENSTAFF/PRESS “We had thousands of people cheering for an encore… and we were the opening band.” “WE USED TO play in acoustic bands, but we got sick of being talked over. So we decided to play loud rock’n’roll instead!” laughs Quaker City Night Hawks’ guitarist Sam Anderson in his rich southern drawl. QCNH formed in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2012, and their influences range from ZZ Top to Joe Cocker, The Band and even Pantera. On their fourth album, QCNH, all these and more bubble together in one diverse melting pot – from the sprawling, southern opener Better In The Morning to the heavy, almost sludge-style Hunter’s…

Q&A Michael Monroe The former Hanoi Rocker-turned-solo force of nature on scary times, wasted years and being in a “hat band”. Words: Ian Fortnam Portrait: Kevin Nixon Still one of the most compelling frontmen currently strutting their stuff across the rock’n’roll firmament, Michael Monroe is a human firecracker. An untamed whirlwind of raw off-the-hook attitude, the statuesque former lead vocalist of Hanoi Rocks seems to bound from strength to strength in a blur of sax and sass. Poised to unleash latest album One Man Gang, a decidedly in-form Monroe effusively addresses issues from Hanoi-mania through Captain Sensible to Tooting Bec, but not before batting aside the usual… Nasty Suicide takes a solo on One Man Gang’s Wasted Years, and Sami Yaffa – still your regular bassist – played some shows…

THE SECOND COMING OF THE VIRGINMARYS Acclaimed, award-winning and adored – then burnt and buried by the industry. It’s been a bumpy ride for Macclesfield rockers The Virginmarys. Frontman Ally Dickaty tells us about coming off the ropes swinging, and why they could still be the band of their generation. Words: Henry Yates Ask Ally Dickaty for the moment he’ll take to the grave and it’s there on the tip of his tongue. It’s November 14, 2013, and the Virginmarys frontman is floating towards the stage at Classic Rock’s Roll Of Honour Awards, borne aloft by the applause of musicians he’d spent his whole life worshipping. Not a man prone to mugging for the camera, Dickaty couldn’t stop a sunrise of a grin as he brandished his statuette for Breakthrough…

ROUND-UP: PROG By Jo Kendall ANDY PORTER/PRESS Charlie Cawood Blurring Into Motion Bad Elephant Just looking at Charlie Cawood’s CV is exhausting. The young composer and long-time bass player with Knifeworld also figures in UK art-rock groups Lost Crowns, Tonochrome, My Tricksy Spirit and earthy folk ensemble Mediæval Bæbes, and has contributed to albums from, among others, UPF and Matt Stevens. He’s adept in at least 20 stringed instruments and plays gamelan music at LSO St Luke’s when he gets a spare sec. So where did he get the time to record solo album number two (following 2017’s The Divine Abstract – and to craft such a stunner? Aided on two tracks by Iamthemorning’s Marjana Semkina, Cawood proffers elegantly whirling, ensemble-played pastoral folk-classical music that stands tall next to North Sea…

BEST OF THE REST Other new reissues out this month Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique (20th Anniversary) emi Brilliant, obviously. Ambitious, it’s the ‘hip-hop Sgt. Pepper’, but even expanded, largely uncontaminated by catchy tunes. A veritable cornucopia of samples, but not a lot of whistling milkmen. 7/10 Belinda Carlisle Gold Demon Exhaustive 56-track triple compilation covering the ex-Go-Go’s vocalist’s entire solo career, not least her all-conquering, air-brushed ‘n’ nasal, late-80s solo pomp. 6/10 Billy Bragg Best Of Billy Bragg At The BBC 1983-2019 Cooking Vinyl Featuring the landmark Peel sessions that effectively launched his career, 38 of The Bard of Barking’s finest performances raw, fresh, impassioned and packed with naive charm. 8/10 Rod Stewart The Studio Albums 1975-2001 RHINO Post-Faces Rod’s 26-year, 14-album Warners tenure neatly boxed. From 1975’s Atlantic Crossing…

REVIEWS Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Jason And The Scorchers The Kentucky Headhunters Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London Urban cowboys and girls converge for a three-pronged hoe-down. ‘Jason Ringenberg shiver-shake dances like he has a rubber leg. ’ Most nights you’ve gotta squint pretty hard to make Shepherd’s Bush Green look like Honky Tonk Row. Not tonight; a triple-bill of southern rock’s most sawdust-festooned legends has turned a tiny corner of Hammersmith into an official outpost of Tennessee and Louisiana, drawing urban cowboys from miles around to the sweet, sweet scent of sonic chitlins. “You’re never gonna see so many smiles on a threeband bill,” Dan Baird will tell the Empire, but precisely when is under wraps as saloon doors first swing open. In-keeping with the moonshine musketeer spirit of the…

REVIEWS Space Rocks London, O2 Indigo A day of science and discussion is rounded off by a trio of prog explorers. You know it’s Space Rocks because there’s an actual rocket on stage. A 10:1 scale model of the European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 monster, it provides a suitably stellar backdrop for a day that brings ESA’s scientists together with some of progressive music’s leading lights. As public relations exercises go, it’s undoubtedly an inspirational one. “We build rockets, and we go and explore,” explains the agency’s Mark McCaughrean, “but it’s your money.” Australia’s Voyager provide initial lift-off, with guitarist Simone Dow a blur of savage riff and flying hair. Next up are Amplifier, who’ve briefly reverted to their original three-piece incarnation, so there’s slightly less Visceral Rock Power on…

Alcatrazz London, The Underworld Alcatrazz reunited? No, but still brilliant. When people found out that Alcatrazz were back, there was one question: “Is Yngwie in the band?”. No, he’s not. Nor is Steve Vai, the other celebrated guitarist associated with the band in the 80s. This is effectively the Graham Bonnet Band under a different name, with only the frontman himself and keyboard player Jimmy Waldo featuring from Alcatrazz’s halcyon era. Half of the set comes from that band’s catalogue, with Hiroshima Mon Amour, Kree Nakoorie and Island In The Sun particularly making their mark. The remaining songs span the vocalist’s career, and include classics from Rainbow (All Night Long, Since You’ve Been Gone), MSG (Desert Song) as well as his solo hit Night Games. Graham Bonnet is in fine…

The Sisters Of Mercy London, Roundhouse Kings of darkness take back the night. “Simmer down,” commands Andrew Eldritch, in a voice lower than Atlantis. Some of us have been over-bombing with our enthusiasm: there is a certain beauty about several thousand goths in full black regalia shouting, “Do Emma! Play Hot Chocolate’s Emma!” Eldritch remains both enigmatically above it all and slightly nervous: he shifts position constantly, never quite satisfied that where he’s standing is the right place. Between the main set and the encores, the self-proclaimed Elvis-meets-Kierkegaard simply states, “I’m going for a cigarette.” But we’re not here for jolly anecdotes. We’re here to revel in the murky, muddy, mesmeric bowels of the Sisters sound, which his current band pump out gloriously. That rumble-tumble of half-heard words, relentlessly direct…

Richard Strange Performs The Songs Of Lou Reed London, Islington Academy Consummate musicians don the Lou mask. We can only enjoy Lou now by proxy, but this tribute show is, in its best moments, like a wolf and foxy. In front of a slideshow of Warhol-Velvets-Reed images, an irreproachable band plays the greatest – and in some cases most morbid and miserable – solo songs of Freeport’s finest. Tall, enthusiastic frontman Richard Strange, who’s simultaneously releasing a new Doctors Of Madness album, gives them his all. His commitment can’t be faulted, even if his shouty, raspy, strident voice isn’t an ideal ersatz fit for Lou’s laconic attitude. The music, thankfully, is pinpoint, whether on crowd-pleasers like Walk On The Wild Side and Sweet Jane or bold-choice epics from Berlin. Strange…

the Dirt inside the world of rock Larry Wallis May 19, 1949 – September 19, 2019 AS THIS ISSUE went to press Motörhead’s original guitar player, Larry Wallis, had died of a yet-to-be determined cause. He was 70 years old. The passing of Wallis means that drummer Lucas Fox remains the last remaining member of the group’s first line-up. Wallis played on Motörhead’s On Parole album, intended as their debut when recorded in late 1975/early ’76, but to Lemmy Kilmister’s eternal chagrin, shelved until 1979 when group’s career was already three albums old. By that time Wallis had long since been replaced by ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke. Prior to linking up with Motörhead, Wallis had spent the late 1960s cutting his teeth around London’s burgeoning Ladbroke Grove scene with a number…

Ric Ocasek March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019 The vocalist and guitarist of The Cars has died at the age of 75. The singer’s family posted a statement revealing that Ocasek passed unexpectedly but “peacefully”. The cause was heart disease, worsened by emphysema. Richard Theodore Ocasek was born in Baltimore in 1944 and co-formed The Cars with bassist Benjamin Orr in Boston during the mid-1970s. The group released a self-titled debut in 1978. Ocasek wrote the majority of The Cars’ songs, helping to pioneer America’s New Wave movement with a string of hits such as My Best Friend’s Girl, Just What I Needed, Good Times Roll, Shake It Up and Hello Again. In 1984 they collaborated with Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange, on their fifth album, Heartbeat City. This spawned the…

6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT… Goodbye June The Nashville powerhouse trio on tragedy, tough competition and swapping the Lord’s music for the Devil’s… Words: Rob Hughes ALYSSE GAFKJEN THERE’S NO SCHOOL like the old school. At least according to Nashville-based trio Goodbye June, whose powerhouse rock‘n’roll is deeply indebted to the timeless thump of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, CCR et al. But that’s not quite it. Products of Tennessee and Indiana, cousins Landon Milbourn (vocals), Brandon Qualkenbush (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Tyler Baker (lead guitar) also channel Southern blues, gospel and country-soul, making for an intoxicatingly diverse experience. Having recently toured with kindred spirits Greta Van Fleet, and with third album Community Inn also upon us, they’re eager to spread the message. “We’re having a blast,” enthuses…

ROUND-UP: blues By Henry Yates Jonah Tolchin Fires For The Cold Yep Roc Aged 15, Jonah Tolchin was playing licks in a guitar store when Ronnie Earl stopped him, took him to lunch and told him he was a natural bluesman. At the time, the New Jersey native took the silverback’s words as “validation”, but Fires For The Cold suggests it may also have been a warning of the heartaches that go with the turf. Recently divorced and with a head full of demons, this fourth album sounds like a broken man writing himself better, Tolchin weaving beautifully sparse folkblues fingerwork around autumnal organs on cuts such as White Toyota Ranger, and murmuring lines so sore you feel like a snooper on his diary (‘My house is a prison, the…

The Doors The Soft Parade: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Rhino Maligned fourth album breaks on through. Henry Diltz/press So resounding was the derision heaped on this tortuously-birthed set 50 years ago, it’s been the leper in the Doors catalogue ever since. Disparaged for its strings-and-brass cladding and Jim Morrison’s booze-sodden retreat, the band’s whole glorious shithouse seemed to have gone up in flames. Sessions at Elektra’s new Hollywood studio had stretched painfully from November ’68 into June ’69, struggling through producer Paul A Rothchild’s cocaine-fuelled perfectionism demanding endless takes, Morrison’s songbook milked dry by the first three albums and the reluctant singer’s perma-sozzled condition (exacerbated by February’s obscenity bust). Rothchild called jazz horn players and LA Philharmonic strings to upgrade the sound while, contributing to the fractured mood, Morrison asked…

LIVE! Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony Chase Center, San Francisco Two decades on, S&M returns in triumph with a set-list packed with surprises. “The most emotional moment is Scott Pingel’s tribute to Cliff Burton.” The internet lost its shit when Metallica announced they would be teaming up with the San Francisco Symphony once again. The celebration of Symphony And Metallica’s 20th anniversary – crunched down to S&M as a title – looked set to be one of the biggest spectacles of the year, and some key questions were being asked: how would the show evolve? Which songs would get the orchestral treatment? Will Rob Trujillo wear a tux?! So, understandably, the atmosphere in the Chase Center is absolutely electric hours before anything actually happens. By the time the orchestra…

Melvins, Redd Kross Santa Ana, The Observatory That power-pop/thundering noise axis. Melvins and Redd Kross share two members — bassist Steve McDonald and drummer Dale Grover. But by Christ, that’s where the similarities end. Despite the fact that Redd Kross’ 1982 debut album Born Innocent is full of gloriously messy trash-punk, by ’87 and the second release Neurotica, they’d pretty much made a full transformation into a glitter-inspired power-pop band. Tonight in Orange County they play a career-spanning set, heavy on material from excellent new album Beyond The Door while dipping into 1993’s masterful Phaseshifter (including an energised Lady In The Front Row). A chunk of the metal-head Melvins fans don’t quite know how to mosh to the majority of the set, much of which wouldn’t sound out of place…

The Soundtrack Of My Life Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik on the special records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him. Interview: Philip Wilding Ed Greg ory & Dan Cooper/press “Roxy Music’s Avalon has probably got more guys laid than one of my records.” Impossibly pretty and able to drop platinum power ballads as if on a whim, John Rzeznik, Goo Goo Dolls’ singer and main songwriter, has been fronting the band for what seems like an improbably long 33 years. Backstage, in the middle of a summer-long run of amphitheatre ‘shed shows’ with Train, he opens up on the best and worst of times. And why he still loves Led Zeppelin. THE FIRST MUSIC I REMEMBER HEARING The first song that really struck a chord…