Steve Hunter hospitalized

Alice Cooper and Lou Reed collaborator Steve Hunter is in a Phoenix hospital due to cardiac arrhythmia. The prognosis seems good. From SickthingsUK:

Karen Hunter has been posting updates to Facebook and as of writing Steve seems okay but bored at being stuck there waiting.

Read more at SickthingsUK.

Right here.

 

AD: Nils Lofgren for D’Addario

Nils Hilmer Lofgren

Here’s veteran guitarist Nils Lofgren for D’Addario strings. In addition to hordes of solo albums, Lofgren has appeared on releases by Neil Young and Lou Reed as well as his early band Grin. At the time of this ad he was in the employ of Bruce Sprinsteen whose Tunnel of Love had recently been released.

Taken from Guitar for the Practicing Musician, January 1988.

 

Metallica collaborates with … Lou Reed

Not long after mixing it up with Ray Davies, Metallica are joining forces with another legend, punk godfather Lou Reed. (This pairing makes about as much sense, eh?) Well, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke likes it, calling the collaboration a “perfect fit.” Here’s more of his summary:

The record, not yet titled, features 10 songs composed by Reed with significant arrangement contributions by the band that suggest a raging union of his 1973 noir classic, Berlin, and Metallica’s ’86 crusher, Master of Puppets.

Reed finds his muse atop Metallica’s music to be a great fit too:

Because they’re pretty sophisticated, wherever I go, they’re still with me.

Read much more at RS.

Right here.

 

Steve Hunter & Dick Wagner returning to Alice Cooper?

One of the great rock guitar tag teams, Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner are well known for their work on such important works as Lou Reed’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal and Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare. On the latter, the pair joined forces with Cooper under the direction of ultra-producer Bob Ezrin. And it looks like this combination is set to team up again. According bassist Dennis Dunaway, it was all Ezrin’s idea:

After the 35th anniversary of Nightmare, I said, ‘Why don’t we start writing something else?’ And (Ezrin) said, ‘Why don’t we just do part two? … I think we can still get Steven Hunter and Dick Wagner. We’ll put some of the original people on it and add some new people.’

Will it be an amazing return to form or a literal nightmare of failed nostalgia? Can’t wait to find out.

Have a look at Blabbermouth’s complete piece.

Right here.

 

Metal \m/

… Metal Machine Music, that is.

Lou Reed is taking his notoriously difficult 1975 record on the road in Europe.

Each concert will feature no songs and no vocals.

How the hell will anyone know when it’s time to go home?

Oh well. Aversion.com has a hilariously bitchy little piece about the whole thing.

Right here.