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Dead Rock Stars — Music
Dead Rock Stars

Dead Rock Stars is a new, enlightening yet wholly amusing podcast presented by former Classic Rock editor and star Kerrang! writer Mick Wall and Metal Hammer and The Quietus regular Joel McIver. Between them, these two rock writers have written over fifty books on music and contributed to dozens of publications. The new podcast, produced by 7digital – whose resumé includes Bruce Dickinson’s Rock Show and Radcliffe And Maconie for BBC 6 Music radio show – celebrates Wall and McIver’s combined decades of experience in rock writing and has the stated objective of revealing to listeners exactly what a particular deceased rocker was like in the flesh.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

Dead Rock Stars 15: Jimi Hendrix Aug 24, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 14: Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne) Aug 17, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 13: Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) Aug 10, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 12: Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 11: Dimebag and Vinnie (Pantera) Jul 27, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 10: Lou Reed Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 9: Bon Scott (AC/DC) Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 8: Rick Parfitt (Status Quo) Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

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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Dead Rock Stars 7: Cliff Burton (Metallica) Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

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 the greatest and most influential albums of not only the Eighties, but of all time.

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Dead Rock Stars 6: Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

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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