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'That Metal Show Ronnie James Dio Tribute' Taping

by Ralph Cartel, METAL SHOP ROCKS, Los Angeles, CA (Sept. 30, 2010)

Walking into Glendale studios for a special taping of 'That Metal Show' (A tribute to Ronnie James Dio) I didn't know what to expect. As I sat there waiting for the taping to begin I couldn't help myself but to be excited. The first two guests were Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath and Heaven and Hell)and Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell and Dio). They talked about how Dio would always give back to his fans. Vinny said sometimes after a show was over, Tony Iommi, Geezer and Vinny would just wait around for Dio to finish signing all the autographs that fans would want, then as the tour bus was leaving the arena, Dio would make the driver stop so he could meet the fans who were still in the parking lot watching the bus leave.

The next two guests were Wendy Dio (Ronnie's Wife) and Simon Wright (AC/DC and UFO). Simon actually lived with Dio and his wife and he talked about how Simon and Dio would do home improvement projects at the Dio home... laying bricks down to make a walk way with out using a level or a ruler. Dio would say "aww it looks good, just leave it the way it is"... but that would be after they had a few drinks. Wendy was asked how she met Dio... they met in 1975 at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood and she said she didn't want nothing to do with him. She actually thought 'he is way too short for me'. But she got to know him and fell in love with his soul and his personality.

The final guests were Rob Halford (Judas Priest and Halford) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine and Nightwatchmen). Rob talked about how much of a good man Dio was and how he would always talk to his fans and was just a great person all around. Tom talked about how Dio and him were really good friends and how the hard rock industry lost a great voice. Tom said that Dio is the best metal singer of all time and how Dio and Sabbath influenced his guitar playing.

'That Metal Show' host Eddie Trunk talked about when he found out that Dio had stomach cancer... that he called Dio to see what he could do. Trunk said that he was really bummed out about it, but Dio made him feel a lot better after talking to him and that's how Dio was... he was sick with cancer and was making Eddie Trunk Feel Better.

When Dio was getting treatment in a Houston, Texas hospital, there was a fan in that same hospital and when Ronnie and Wendy would fly in for Dio to get his treatment, Dio wasn't concerned about himself... he would tell his wife, 'OK lets go make sure we have hats, t-shirts, CDs and whatever else they can take to his fan in the hospital... that's how Dio was, always cared about others and that's what made Ronnie James Dio a great friend, husband and most of all a real man... LONG LIVE RONNIE JAMES DIO. Even though I never met DIO, I feel like I have known him my entire life.

(PS) I almost forgot... Ronnie was a huge Sports Fan and loved to read. Wendy even said that Dio would write all his music watching sports... he was a huge fan of the New York Giants football team.

Thanks to Evil Rose for the great photos.

W.A.S.P.’s Blackie Lawless regrets “Animal (F*** Like A Beast)”

“Words are the most powerful things we possess. They shape our very lives and determine who and what we are... I renounce, denounce and pronounce that I will never play that song [“Animal”] live again." -Blackie Lawless (from Blackie Lawless Renounces His Past Sins by Brian Reesman) Read More

A Classic Home Movie Has A Prequel

We love 'Heavy Metal Parking Lot' and word is the guys behind it (Jeff Krulik and John Heyn) have another mid-80s heavy metal home movie about to be released titled 'Heavy Metal Picnic'.

This one is set in 1985 at the "Full Moon Jamboree" in Maryland, a weekend field party bacchanal that took place at The Farm, which was home to a cast of colorful characters who lived and partied alongside unamused neighbors in the McMansions of Potomac.

This party was so crazy, it made the evening news and much of it was recorded using a home video camera and a stolen CBS News microphone swiped from the Reagan inauguration earlier that year.

Acceptable in the ’80s

If our favorite bands from back in the day have gone clean and their rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, big hair and outrageous dress sense were more memorable than the songs they wrote (as this writer claims), why do we still listen to this stuff?

The music industry has changed drastically since the decade of decadance... and certainly not for the better.

Many of today's artists are just plain boring :(

Hetfield Slams Axl Rose's Rider!

METALLICA's James Hetfield famously slammed GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose's rider when the two bands toured together in the early '90s in a video that became a YouTube hit.

Hetfield picks up where he left off with Axl's 2010 rider and tells Byron Cooke of Australia's long-running rock station Triple M what he really thinks of GUNS N' ROSES. See how the videos compare below.

"I've got nothing against GUNS N' ROSES," Hetfield tells Cooke. "I mean, he's doing what he wants to do at this point. I don't know if there's much 'guns' or 'roses' in any of that, but it's Axl, and he is Axl and he has not changed or waned one bit, and I kind of respect that."

Axl's requirements haven't changed much over two decades. The same booze, the same cheese... However, Axl now needs a bed in his dressing room. "What does he do, sleep at the gig?" Hetfield laughs.

Read more from Triple M.

Best/Worst Heavy Metal Hair Ever!

There's no question that these guys had the most luscious hair in music history, and that includes the Spice Girls, Taylor Swift, and even Mr. Michael Jackson. It's just so full and rich and lustrous, like a Breck commercial, but with penises. Read More

George Lynch Crawls In Kansas

George Lynch, former lead guitarist of Dokken, performed a concert Tuesday evening in the front lot of Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Winfield, Kansas.

Lynch, who joked about not wanting to visit with newspaper reporters until he knew more about their political views, acknowledged that he had not heard of Winfield or its Walnut Valley Festival prior to his appearance. However, he called the Kansas show “good for the soul” and said this type of show was a nice change of pace for him. Read More

Review: Megadeth - Rust In Peace Live

A live recording that is 74 minutes long seems like a long concert. But with a fast-paced metal band like Megadeth, an hour and approximately fifteen minutes of ripping rifftastic metal goes by in a flash and leaves you wanting more. That is, of course, a good thing. Read More

What's That Racket On The T.V.C.?

Yeah, Anthrax tried a little rap back in the day... fortunately it still kicked a little ass. I'm not sure how the hell I ended up on the Tennis Video Channel website, but this video was sandwiched between some tennis news and a tennis video :) Enjoy.

VINCE NEIL Autobiography To Be Released

"Old rock stars fall hard. I'm forty-nine years old. I'm five-foot-nine, 170. The spandex is over. I've had three plastic surgeries. Still, who do you think gets laid more, me or you? ... It's a miracle we survived at all. A bottle of Jack Daniel's and uncooked hot dogs do not make for a particularly well-balanced diet. We are all very lucky we didn't kill ourselves ... These days I've got businesses to run. I like the action. Something to get your heart pumping. Healthier than a syringe full of cocaine powder like I was doing back in '81 with my girlfriend Lovey, that's for sure. But you got to admit...those days are a lot more fun to talk about." -Vince Neil

Enter Grunge - Exit Hair Bands and More?

The year was 1991 and WARRANT was enjoying their biggest commercial hit. 'Cherry Pie' was heavily played on MTV and it seemed the Hair Bands would rule forever.

But lead singer Jani Lane knew it was over when he walked into the office of Warrant's record label and instead of seeing a large poster of the 'Cherry Pie' album cover just a year earlier, he now saw Alice In Chains.

And so the story goes... you may have heard that Grunge killed the hair bands, but did it also kill the career of wrestler 'Ultimate Warrior'? Interesting take here

For those of us that love 80's metal and hair bands, the early 90's was painful... captured perfectly here

American Carnage Tour (8/30/10)

North America’s biggest thrash tour in 20 years rolled into SoCal August 30th at the Long Beach Arena. METAL SHOP's Ralph Cartel was there for American Carnage with Slayer and Megadeth and shared some great photos. Click play to start the slide show. You can also click on any picture to enlarge the photos and control the slideshow speed.

Jeff Pilson – Rock Star Flow

While Jeff Pilson knows that many fans think of him solely as the former bass player in Dokken, he can hardly be pigeonholed as someone whose career peaked during the ’80s. Read More

Jani Lane Joins Kix At Sunset Strip Show

Interview - Firehouse's C.J. Snare

'We were called White Heat...by the time we got to the record company, they were like there’s too many 'White' bands out there. There’s Great White, Whitesnake and White Lion, we want you to change the name.' Read More

The History Of Metal: The Evolution of Glam

Fun read at 411mania.com. Glam was originally from the 70's but received a major make-over through the hard rock that was being championed from the gutters of the Sunset Strip. Glam metal went from the cool rebellious underground rock to capture the minds of kids. Read More

Tesla Concert Photos

Check out Melodic Rock Concerts for some fantastic photos from Tesla live in Sturgis.

Grey-Haired Headbangers Pledge Allegiance To '80s Rock

And even though the decades since grunge and thrash brought the march of the glam metal movement to a virtual standstill, there still remains a cult following of folks that refuse to let the genre die. Read More

Dave Mustaine Autobiography Released

"Dave Mustaine must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass. That's how lucky he has been and how fortunate he is to be pulling breath after so many close calls. In 'Mustaine' he tells a story that will inspire, stun and terrify." -James Hetfield

Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

Scorpions (7/29/10)

Scorpions, 'Get Your Sting and Blackout' World Tour 2010 with special guest Cinderella, stopped in Ontario, California on July 29th. METAL SHOP's Ralph Cartel sent in some photos. Click play to start the slide show. You can also click on any picture to enlarge the photos and control the slideshow speed.

New Iron Maiden Video Released

Iron Maiden (6/19/10)

Iron Maiden, The Final Frontier 2010 North American Tour with special guest Dream Theatre, began June 9th in Dallas and made a stop this past weekend in San Bernardino, California. METAL SHOP's Ralph Cartel was there and brought us some photos. Click play to start the slide show. You can also click on any picture to enlarge the photos and control the slideshow speed.

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

It's a sad day for heavy metal. May 16th, 2010, Ronnie James Dio passed away. Needless to say I am totally bummed right now. I heard the news Saturday night, then heard it wasn't true... held out hope, but feared the worst since he was diagnosed with stomach cancer last summer. Ronnie James Dio, Dead at 67. You will be missed. Rest In Peace.