This man's knowledge of rocknroll
is staggering - and so is he,
especially after a Palace victory!

Previous Ask Daves are listed below.

To add a question, please send an email HERE

Ask Dave

I thoroughly enjoyed the feature in the latest issue of Classic Rock in which the current state of various New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands is examined. I’ve seen Diamond Head a couple of times since they got back together without Sean Harris and of course you’ve been writing a lot about Raven in your diary. But it was great to find out that the Tygers Of Pan Tang, Elixir, Blitzkrieg, Demon, Bitches Sin etc are back in one form or another and just about scraping a living through playing the music they love. How do you feel about these bands attaining second leases of life?
Brent Parsons, Dudley
(12th October, 2008)
Dave Says: Well, I didn’t write that story, of course. My spin on it is the same as most reunions: who am I to damn them for trying to take a second bite of the cherry, so long as they are fully aware that said cherry is now 25 years old and, er, how can I put this tactfully… somewhat lacking in good ol’ fashioned fiscal nourishment! And of course if they are willing to take the risk of tarnishing their band's original achievements.

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Dave, absolutely love the site. Visit it at least once a week. It was also good to see you in the crowd at Sweden Rock in the summer. As someone that goes to so many great gigs, is there one that still sticks in your mind as being absolutely terrible? I mean, so bad that you could hardly sum it up in words?
Anders Carlsson, Stockholm
(8th September, 2008)
Dave Says: Apart from the Widespread Panic concert that’s mentioned in the Biography section? Yes, unfortunately there is. The date of 6th September 1992 still brings me out in a cold sweat. Warrant at the Astoria. The gig itself was okay but at encore time… I can barely type it… Jani Lane’s solo acapella version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ just had to be heard to be believed. Jani, Jani, Jani… what on earth were you thinking? Sadly it was in the days before YouTube. But if anyone has a recording, in what would amount to the ultimate act of musical masochism, I’d be grimly fascinated to hear it. Did I really just write that??!!

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Hi Dave. Do you think Cronos would make a good celebrity judge on a TV show like Britain’s Got Talent? I was only thinking this the other day whilst listening to the latest Venom’s latest CD . He could advise the contestants to go “straight to hell” or “kill the music” as required.
Mike
(23rd July, 2008)
Dave Says: Good call! Cronos would be amazing on such an alleged ‘show’. “That was truly fucking terrible… you should be ashamed of yourself. For making us all listen to that, I will now subject you to the worst punishment known to mankind… you will listen to ten-hour loop-tape of an Abaddon drum solo!”

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Hey Mr Ding-A-Ling, just been looking at your hilarious Gallery section – used to be a bit of a fat bastard, didn’t you? Which brand of pork pie was your all-time favourite?
Julian Cole, Purfleet
(8th January, 2008)
Dave Says: The one that your mum and little sister used to serve me for breakfast in bed each morning, clever dick.

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I'm so excited about Van Halen's reunion with David Lee Roth that I'm considering flying to the States to check it out. Will you be going along if the tour comes to the UK?
Mike Dutton, Doncaster
(4th September, 2007)
Dave Says: That's a pretty big 'if', Mike. But how many of us would possibly be able to resist such a car-crash spectacle?

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Your diary entry of a few days back doesn't make your stance completely clear: Do you think that Journey were wrong to have sacked Jeff Scott Soto?
Willem van Neeson, Holland
(21st June, 2007)
Dave says: I don't know so much about being mistaken in firing Soto, I'm more inclined to state that they were wrong to have hired him in the first place. Jeff's a wonderful singer, one of the finest in thre world, but to me his voice just doesn't suit Journey's signature sound. The whole debacle has made the band into a such laughing stock that it's hard to know where they can possibly go from here.

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As a former subscriber to RAW Magazine, and veteran of the old Marquee Club in London's Wardour Street, can you satisfy my curiosity and tell me whether Leigh Matty of Romeo's Daughter and FM bassist Merv Goldsworthy are still together?
Grant Newton, Luton
(29th April, 2007)
Dave Says: So far as I know, yes. The pair hooked up when Romeo's Daughter supported FM on their 'Tough It Out' tour in 1989 and, I believe, are still an item.

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When you interviewed the delectable Marion Raven for Classic Rock, did you ask for her phone number?
Cheeky Jon
(20th April, 2007)
Dave Says: How dare you? I'm a happily married man. Besides which, I've heard some of the musical tirades that Marion writes about her ex-boyfriends. Move over Alanis Morissette...

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What are your thoughts on the Kiss album that most people seem to love to hate, 1981's conceptual '(Music From) The Elder'?
Martin Seddon, Newport
(6th March, 2007)
Dave Says: Funnily enough, I'm in the minority that actually loves it. Played the album continually when it first came out and I still adore the tracks 'Just A Boy', 'A World Without Heroes' and 'Mr Blackwell'. Equally odd, I also go against the flow in rating the equally unpopular album that Kiss did before '...The Elder', namely 1980's 'Unmasked', which was a bit of a pop-rock classic.

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Hi there Dave. Love the site and your writing. I've followed it since the heady days of RAW Magazine. You must be one of the few people that I've heard mentioning the truly fabulous band FM. So my question is this: If Crystal Palace were in the Premiership final and FM were playing a one-off gig that included the entire 'Indiscreet' album, both on the same day, which would you chose?
Linda
(6th January, 2007)
Dave Says: Er... 'Premiership final'?! Am I right in thinking that you don't know much about football?! Ha, only kidding. In suggesting that Palace might one day play at Wembley Stadium again, my theory's already confirmed. Anyway, even if Palace were to make it to the World Cup Final... oh, hang on a minute, you just mentioned 'Indiscreet'. Sod it, I'd probably just toss a coin.

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All things considered, who do you feel has been the more worthwhile artist - UFO without Michael Schenker, or Michael Schenker in MSG and without UFO?
Alex Marshall, East Sussex
(28th December, 2006)
Dave Says: For me, it's gotta be UFO. No question. I worshipped the Gary Barden-era MSG albums - the first two studio ones and 'One Night At Budokan' - but afterwards there can be little realistic comparison. Michael's slump was tragic. C'mon, 'No Place To Run', 'The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent' and 'Making Contact' versus 'Rock Will Never Die', 'Be Aware Of Scorpions' and the lame 'Arachnophobiac'? It's no contest.

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I'd love a career in music journalism. Two things I've always wanted to know: At a magazine, who works out which writer interviews which bands, or who covers which albums? It's not such a frequent problem these days, but back in the 90s it used to bug me when the grunge guy would end up writing about a Skid Row album, or when someone who liked thrash ended up getting to cross swords with Jon Bon Jovi. And do you ever pay to get interviews? Keep up the good work with the site, mate.
James McCarthy, Ipswich
(21st December 2006)
Dave Says: Good questions, James. Firstly, let me assure you: I've never known of cold, hard cash to change hands in exchange for an interview. And regarding your other query: It's a features editor familiar with the likes and dislikes of a magazine's contributors that tends to cross reference artists and journalists, mostly after an approach from a record company. Likewise, one specific person called the reviews editor (stop me if I'm stating the obvious) oversees the distribution of albums to sympathetic or understanding souls. It doesn't always work out that way, of course. Hahahaha...

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I've read your stuff for many, many years. When you were a humble fan, who were your writing heroes? As a reader of Sounds and Kerrang!, I always liked stuff by Geoff Barton and Mick Wall. And you, of course!! If you don't mind me asking as well, whose styles of writing didn't you appreciate? Cheers and beers...
Terry Saunders
(15th December, 2006)
Dave Says: The two names you mention, Geoff and Mick, were always worth reading. I liked the way that Mick made his prose seem like a poolside or barstool conversation... which quite often they were, of course! But, believe me, it's not an easy thing to do without sounding lazy. Garry Bushell's work in Sounds was excellent, too, though re-reading it today it sometimes lacks the vibrancy and colour that I recalled. You might call it the Rose Tinted Spectacles syndrome, I suppose. Who were my least favourites? Well, much as he was a character, I never really susbscribed to the Dave Dickson school of journalism, which spent way too much time painting a picture of the interview's circumstances or telling you what kind of a day he'd had. A Bon Jovi cover story in Kerrang! still springs to mind, which had to be printed in two separate installments as Dave spent the lion's share of the first one explaining how he got to New York and what his hotel room was like. You'd never get away with that today, unless your name's Phil Wilding (just kidding, Phil).

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Did you have the chance to really listen to Twisted Sister's Christmas CD since that first impression back in November? I, too, was a bit shocked when I first heard it, but the damn thing's grown on me tremendously. The more I listen, the more I realise the pure genius of it all. Why didn't anyone else come up with this idea? Christmas music, metal style, with a sense of humor? It's pure Sister...
Jake S, USA
(9th December, 2006)
Dave Says: Hi there Jake. 'Twisted Christmas' is very cleverly done, no doubt about it. But I still think that, to revive a term once memorably used by Dee Snider himself, "it sucks major moosecock"! Just call me Mr Scrooge!

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Whatever happened to Anyone, that great band from California? I absolutely loved their self-titled album that came out through Roundrunner five or six years back. I was knocked out by them at the Reading Festival, also when they opened for Mark Lanagan at the Astoria. But since then... zilch.
Mary Glazer, Folkestone
(1st December, 2006)
Dave Says: What fortuitous timing. I received an email from Anyone leader Riz Story two weeks ago, revealing that a new album is FINALLY on its way. He also included an MP3 of a song which sounded great. Nicer still, Riz called me "one serious hipster" for still caring. Hehehehe. If you can't wait till the new year to learn more, go to www.anyoneden.com.

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Can you tell me anything about the song 'Wildfire' by the band Wild Dogs, which appeared on EMI's 'Muthas Pride' EP in the early 1980s, alongside Quartz, White Spirit and Baby Jane? It rattles along in a similar vein to UFO's 'Can You Roll Her', and still puts a smile on my face when I play it all these years later. Who were these fellas? The performances suggest seasoned musicians rather than young upstarts, even if the sound quality - whilst clear and punchy - screams 'demo'. This has been bugging me for an age.
Nathan Maddison
(16th November, 2006)
Dave Says: Jeez, this is one I'm gonna have throw open to the floor. If anyone out there can help, email me and I'll put Nathan out of his misery.
[Stuart Hamilton from the Metal For Life website has since written to point out that the track concerned was actually 'Wild Dogs' by the band Wildfire, who used to feature early Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day, and not the other way around... d'oh! - question solved!]

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Well, well, well. Looking down your November playlist I came across 'Stackridge' by Stackridge. What wonderful memories that brought back! An amazing band, and one that I followed all that time ago. Classic songs and I was wondering if you ever saw then play live? Now THAT was an experience. The band recently tried to reform but ran out of cash. Thanks for this blast from the past. Must dig out all my old albums. Showing my age now, eh?
Alan Keetley
(8th November, 2006)
Dave Says: Alas, I never got to see Stackridge in concert - more's the pity. I was turned onto the group by Steve Hogarth, who chose 'The Man In The Bowler Hat' as his Every Home Should Have One in Classic Rock some time ago. Tracked down a second hand copy and never looked back. The band's catalogue is being re-issued by Angel Air Records, so it's a shame they ran out of dosh when giving it another try. Maybe they should ask Mr Hogarth to bankroll them next time; we all know what a Mr Moneybags the Marillion singer is...
[Since this reply was posted I have actually seen Stackridge onstage at last. It was a brilliant experience, and I've no hesitation in recommending them to anybody that liked the band's records].

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What a great article on the Heavy Metal Kids at your site. And what a band! I like the 'Anvil Chorus' album most, it's one of the greatest rock albums of all time. This Cosmo that you mention, the one that replaces Mickey Waller, who was he? And is Cosmo's version of The Kids available somwhere?
Johan Mattsson
(16th October, 2006)
Dave Says: Cosmo, who later worked with Free's Andy Fraser and is now retired, got in touch with Classic Rock after the HMK story ran back in late 2003, wanting to set a few things straight. Time has not healed the rift with Danny Peyronel, and Cosmo was incredulous - nay, horrified - that the keyboard player had reunited the Kids and taken over Gary Holton's spot as vocalist. Then again, he hadn't heard the 'Hit The Right Button' album. You can find out more about Cosmo at www.theflyovers.co.uk. So far as I'm aware, the only contemporary version of the Heavy Metal Kids is the one fronted by Peyronel, though they seem to have drifted back into hiatus.

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Love the site and check it everyday. Firstly, what's you favorite line up of Motörhead? And who do you think played drums the best in Status Quo? I think the current Motörhead line-up is the best, although I like the early albums. Lemmy's best lyrics and music have been from the '1916' album onwards. Pete Kircher was my favorite Quo drummer. He kept it simple but played very, very hard, I think he was as good a player as Coghlan. As for the other two fairies they've had... pnarrr!!
Stewart, Kent
(26th September, 2006)
Dave Says: As you may have noticed if you look at the site regularly, I'm somewhat of a traditionalist. For me, you'll never beat the chemistry of the classic Quo line-up - Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coghlan - though you're right, Pete Kitcher did an excellent job during his stay. I also reckon that current Quo skinsman Matt Lettley is pretty underrated. The same goes for Motörhead. Having been lucky enough to see Lemmy with 'Fast' Eddie and Philthy Animal several times, no-one's gonna tell me that that grouping wasn't the most ferocious, drugged-up and visually exciting (especially when you were an impressionable kid). But despite all that I've just written, I understand perfectly well why Lemmy calls Mikkey Dee "the greatest drummer in the world" from the stage each night.

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I was saddened (though hardly surprised) by your anecdote about Slaughter in answer to Terry Saunders's question about the horror of the grunge revolution. Belatedly, I've grown to really appreciate Slaughter as a kind of stadium rock supergroup - four phenomenally talented musicians (R.I.P. Tim Kelly - what a guitar player). I'm a big fan of Dana Strum's dynamic, virtuoso bass work, and also believe that Mark Slaughter must be regarded as the best vocalist of that whole late-80s/early-90s good time California rock 'n' roll scene. Would you agree?
Alex Marshall, East Sussex
(30th August, 2006)
Dave Says: Good call. Mark did indeed have a stellar voice, and I had a lot of time for Slaughter back in the day. Just played 1990's 'Stick It To Ya' album and it's stood the test of time. If only Dana Strum had kept his big gob shut more often, they might've been taken a lot more seriously. Then again...?

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Hi, I was just wondering if you would agree with me that Tony Clarkin is rock music's most underated songwriter and that John Lawton was the best vocalist that Uriah Heep ever had?
Alan Keetley, Granada, Spain
(25th August, 2006)
Dave Says: The first part of your question is what our US friends would call a 'no-brainer' (which, to be fair, also applies to a lot of Americans). It goes without saying that Monsewer Clarkin is an underrated genius, with more compositional skin beneath a single fingernail than most of his rivals have lodged between their ears. But re: Heep's best singer... Wow, that's a toughie. I'd agree that Lawton is significantly undervalued, but then again so perhaps is Bernie Shaw, who has to get to grips with the work of all his predecessors. I've always been a big fan of Pete Goalby, too. And that's not even mentioning the most famous Heep singer of all, David Byron. 'Fraid I'm gonna resort to another saying derived from our colonial cousins and 'plead the Fifth' on this one.

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Dave, Looking through the attic the other day I found the last ever edition of the glorious Sounds magazine (tucked behind some old german language Metal Hammers). My question is: Do you think rock/metal is popular enough for a new WEEKLY title along the same lines as Sounds? Yours is a great site, by the way!
Paul
(21st August)
Dave Says: Hi there Paul. Like you, I used to devour my weeky of Sounds from start to finish. Luckily enough I've still got many of the classic articles cut out and filed away in my office - a fascinating and invaluable resource. I'd like to believe there'd be a market for a Sounds-type weekly in Britain, especially if it was presented with the verve and excitement of the original. Trouble is, there are now specialist titles for everything from metal to reggae and folk, whereas the joy of Sounds was that it was presented as one huge smorgasbord. And let's not forget that the internet has changed everything. No, I think it's safe to say we'll never see the likes of Sounds again. More's the pity.

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Love that fantastic photograph of you with Malcolm and Angus Young of AC/DC. You're so lucky to have met them. Are the brothers really that short in real life?
Deborah, Milton Keynes
(16th July, 2006)
Dave Says: Indeed they are. In fact, in the pic to which you refer they're both wearing stackheels borrowed from Brian Johnson's Geordie days... and standing on a box.

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Hey Dave, I'm a regular at your excellent site but in all the months I've been coming here I don't think I've seen you mention my hometown boys the Ramones once. Are you a fan?
Brian Cippolini, New York City
(23rd June, 2006)
Dave Says: How could any serious rock music fan fail to appreciate America's answer to Motörhead? My collection includes about a dozen of their albums, but the one that most often receives a blasting is that fantastic double in-concert platter from 1979, 'It's Alive'. Interrupted only by "one-two-three-four!" between the tunes, in terms of raw, hungry sweatiness, it's pretty hard to beat. Which reminds me, I need to pick the sucker up on CD next time I see it. Gabba gabba hey... and out!

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Greetings, Dave. I love the website - keep it up. As a long-time rock fan and staunch Evertonian, I'm wondering how you think Andy Johnson will get on up here in Merseyside? Now that it's sunk in, what are your thoughts about him going... hopefully without too many swearwords?
Karl The Toffee
(8th June, 2006)
Dave Says: I wish AJ all the very best, and I wouldn't be surprised if he forms a pretty dynamic partnership with James Beattie at Goodison Park. There are certainly a lot worse clubs that he could've signed for. Don't forget he arrived for free, as a makeweight when Clinton Morrison was enticed away by Brum, and even got to play for England. Palace fans were lucky to see AJ's ability bloom, and his work-rate has always been exemplary. After relegation in 2004/2005, he stayed a year longer than he should've done. There were times last season when we played so badly that his presence in the team almost seemed embarrassing. Andrew Johnson (pictured with my eldest son Eddie), I salute you and thanks a million for the memories.

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Your Diary [May 3] informs me that you're a bit of a David Bowie fan. I had no idea. Seeing as you're so involved with Uriah Heep, I'm assuming that you must know Trevor Bolder of the Spiders From Mars pretty well by now, but have you ever met or interviewed Bowie or the late, great Mick Ronson?
Claire Humphries
(20th May, 2006)
Dave Says: Never got to talk to Bowie, no. But I did meet and have a drink with Ronno, in rather odd circumstances. Back in 1985, UFO (well, Phil Mogg...) released an album called 'Misdemeanour' and Chrysalis Records put on a coach to take a gang of journos and media types for a playback at what I seem to recall was somewhere in Oxford, the record was partly done at the Manor Studios so I might be right. The vehicle was filled to the rafters with booze, and sitting quietly at the back was none other than Mr Ronson, who was modest and extremely friendly. Bassist Paul Gray, who must've finished his bit of the recording earlier, also joined us on the journey from London, matching the journos swig for swig. The driver must've been drinking too, for as this less than sober pic of Mr. Gray proves, he managed to turn a corner too fast and prang the window on something sharp, showering all the passengers with glass. No-one really cared too much, there were loads more cans left...

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It sounds like Marilyn Manson singing that version of The Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' that's being used in the TV advert for the Fiat Punto. Are my ears deceiving me?
(10th May, 2006)
Dave Says: Yeah, it's him alright. Manson recorded the British duo's 1983 song for his 'Smells Like Children' EP back in 1995

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What a great website. Like you, I started going to shows in late-70s. I'm into into UFO, Scorpions, MSG, AC/DC, Journey, Styx and now Nightwish and Within Temptation. However, my faves are Bon Jovi. I'd be interested in your opinion of them as a band, and why they don't seem to have much street cred with the rock crowd. Is it because Jon's a pretty boy and they have a large female following? Would they be as big if they had a minger as a singer?
Michael Dewsnap, Doncaster
(2nd May, 2006)
Dave Says: A minger as a singer, that's a good 'un! For what it's worth, I don't think Bon Jovi have made what you'd call a classic record since 'Keep The Faith' - although the latest one 'Have A Nice Day' is their strongest in quite some time. Would they be so unbelievably massive without the girlie crowd swelling their fan-base? Definitely not.

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I just read Paul Di'Anno's right old verbal bashing of his Maiden replacement's replacement - Blaze Bayley! It of course conjured up the million dollar question that inquiring minds need to know: who did Maiden actually consider replacing Bruce Dickinson with other than Blaze? And did they actually hold auditions?
Donny Broadway, USA
(1st May, 2006)
Dave Says: Indeed they did. Although Steve Harris probably had Blaze in mind from the start, ex-Midnight Blue/Rainbow singer Doogie White, now with Yngwie Malmsteen, actually got as far as laying down his voice on tape with the band. Former Grim Reaper/Lionsheart frontman Steve Grimmett was also on their short-list.

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How interesting your press release regarding UFO's 1983 Athens show was - thanks for sharing it! Pray tell, what's the story with the equally legendary Manchester show by the final UFO line-up to include Schenker? Those of us who weren't there apparently missed something equally unique!
Brian Brandes Brinkerhoff, California
(29th April, 2006)
Dave Says: Hi Brian, good to hear from you. I wasn't there for that one either, but the events that took place at the Manchester Apollo on 24th November, 2000, have long since descended into UFO folklore. With Schenker receiving a black eye from Spike of the Quireboys in Newcastle the night before, a chain reaction was set in place. After drinking throughout the day and scrawling the words 'Spike did it' on his forehead before going onstage, Michael played so appallingly that he was booed by sections of the crowd. At one point, so the story goes, Michael even handed his guitar to Mogg and demanded that he perform a key solo. As Phil would tell the stunned crowd: "What did you expect, a normal gig by a normal band?"

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I'm a big Uriah Heep and Scottish football fan. Both of these things lead to angst and frustration, and I sometimes go into convulsions thinking about them. Being a rock enthusiast and reasonably knowledgeable footy fan (you don't like Scumwall, that'll do for me), do you think that Heep will ever release a new album, or Scotland qualify for the World Cup again? And if so, which will happen first?!
Ian MacLaren
(29th April, 2006)
Dave Says: Ha-ha-ha-ha, Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin'll probably release new albums before Scotland board the plane for another World Cup. But I'm confident Mick Box and the chaps will unveil something new lo-o-o-o-ong before then. When I last spoke to Mick about this subject he reckoned the band already had enough songs stockpiled - if anything the problem was that they had too many - and predicted it will emerge at the end of 2006. So not too long to wait, then.
[Since this Ask Dave was first posted, Heep have released the excellent ‘Wake The Sleeper’ album. A few days ago, the Scots were held 0-0 at home by Norway in their attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. I rest my case].

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Saw you at the Saxon gig the other night, wasn't it a good show?! My question is: When UFO split up in 1983, I keep reading about "the Athens gig" and the ensuing riot, etc - what actually happened?
Dominic Smith
(28th April, 2006)
Dave Says: I was lucky/unfortunate enough to have seen UFO on that tour; a date at the Bataclan in Paris (with my old mates Spider as the opening act). The band had Billy Sheehan on bass at the time, which certainly added to the curio factor. With just frontman Phil Mogg remaining from the original line-up, this era in UFO history was more turbulent than most. Mogg had apparently been burning the candle at both ends - my, what understatement! - and collapsed during the show in Athens. The band broke up after a farewell tour, and of course the 'Headstone' double anthology. Luckily (though perhaps unluckily for Phil!), I've kept most of the press releases to have come my way down the years, and this one issued by Chrysalis Records on 1st March, 1983, seems to give the lowdown.

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Being a journo youself, do you happen to know anything about Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath thumping a writer from Melody Maker some time in the 1970s? If so, any idea what had been written to rile the normally placid Tony so badly?
Mick Young
(6th April, 2006)
Dave Says: It was Allan Jones that Iommi clouted, and he was definitely a lot wilder in those days. Jones had criticised Sabbath a lot before the incident took place, but it was when he likened the guitarist to a "gypsy violinist in an Earls Court pizza parlour, or more accurately, like the Italian contestant in next year's Eurovision Song Contest" that the proverbial straw broke the camel's back.

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Dave, I think you're taking the piss regarding stupid drummers and their alleged ability to read [Diary, April 5, March 30], do you really expect me to believe for one second that a one braincelled percussionist knows how to switch on a computer and send an email, let alone edit a magazine called Drummer's Digest?! Fer Chrissakes!
Dan The Drummer Hater, Pontypridd
(5th April, 2006)
Dave Says: You might just have a point there, Dan...

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Why do so few of the adverts for up and coming tours, festivals and one-off gigs that appear in Classic Rock and other magazines fail to show the price of tickets? I've just booked for Monsters Of Rock and was staggered to discover that the various handling charges and booking fees added almost another tenner to the ticket price. It's an outrage. Much as I love attending gigs, I'd rather buy Whitesnake's new DVD for around £20 and watch it as many times as I like in glorious surround sound than pay £30 plus charges to see them at my local Apollo!
P.S. Keep up the site, it makes me green with envy every day!
Nick Long, Manchester
(24th March, 2006)
Dave says: This isn't so much an Ask Dave as an opportunity to have a moan, and I completely understand. These people are no fools. Extra charges aren't displayed in the hope that by the time you've picked up the phone and got through, you'll be hooked enough to pay whatever exhorbitant price they charge. Sadly, it seems to work.

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Re: your diary entry dated March 19th, I take great exception to the implication that women are less devoted rock fans than men. When I moved in with my husband, Colin, all he had was a handful of CDs and some vinyl up in the attic. He was only too happy to appropriate my vastly superior record collection. Please steer clear of such sexism in future.
Kathy Marsden, Luton
(21st March, 2006)
Dave Says: Haven't you got any washing up to be doing, love?

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Spotted you at the Trivium gig the other night. I'm just after a bit of specialist rock knowledge - why is Fish called Fish?
Darren S, London
(21st March, 2006)
Dave Says: That's an easy one. Before hooking up with Marillion, Derek William Dick was a forestry worker in a place called Fochabers in Moray, Scotland. His landlady was "incredibly tight with money" (Derek's own words) and would allow him only one bath a week, so he made the most of it and took great delight in frustrating her by taking in a good book, some tins and an evening meal. Tired of being unable to take a leak in her own khazi, it was the landlady who christened him Fish.

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I've read your stuff since the early 1980s. Thanks for sticking with good music and not selling out by pretending to like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the shitty Seattle rock bands that spoiled rock music in the 1990s! I'd like to know if the fact that you didn't like that music ever became a problem for you professionally? Cheers and beers,
Terry Saunders
(15th March, 2006)
Dave Says: Without wishing to gripe, I still maintain that Kurt Cobain lost me my job with RAW magazine, which went bust in the post-grunge fallout of March 1994. The publishers had put all their eggs in one basket, then when the readers began selling off their flannel shirts the title was re-launched to cover Oasis-type bands. Consequently, no-one knew who was supposed to be reading RAW anymore - so even the last faithful hangers-on went elsewhere.
Britain's media is has never understood the meaning of the word 'moderation'. Of course it makes sense for magazines to have 'core' artists that they feature on a regular basis, but saturation coverage is pointless and self-destructive. The blind worship that took place during the Seattle years was sheer suicidal lunacy. So many important artists ended up losing careers (I don't include myself in that - ha!). For instance, I recall being flown to America to cover Slaughter for a major RAW feature. A year later, with the witch-hunt underway, three of the band turned up unnanounced at our offices in Carnaby Street wanting to know if we could do another interview. The answer was a big negative. From heroes to zeros... just like that.

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Do you know where the BBC's much-missed rock flagship, the Old Grey Whistle Test, got its name? It's something that's always puzzled me.
John-Paul Sanders, Dumfries
(8th March, 2006)
Dave Says: As a kid, that programme was always a favourite of mine. My understanding is that the obscure title came from the days when cleaners worked late shifts at music publisher's offices in the West End of London. Bosses would sometimes come back from the pub and take advantage of their employees' less business-focused ears by playing them test pressings - or 'old greys' - of newly-written songs, then asking them to whistle back the melodies. If they were able to do so, the song was adjudged to have passed the old grey whistle test.

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I've just been watching the new Whitesnake DVD [Live In The Still Of The Night], having waited patiently for its release. Have you seen it?! What on earth has happened to old Snakepants [David Coverdale]? I still love his voice and always will, but he seems to have turned into the Tom Jones of classic rock. From the waist down he's like Shakin' Stevens, with the mannerisms of Julian Clary and the face of someone's scary old aunt. Thank God for young footballers like the great Mido [of Tottenham Hotspur] for us older women to ogle at instead.
CS, East London
(3rd March, 2006)
Dave Says: An extremely funny email, dear heart. I wonder if David still wishes you well.

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I totally concur with your observations regarding Helloween's live sound [Diary, February 14]. It was pretty appalling in Glasgow, too. The vocals were very hard to make out, while the drums just dominated everything; complete overkill with the double bass. He was obviously using triggers on the bass drums as well. Unfortunately, it was the worst gig I've seen this year, though the encore of 'Mrs God', 'I Want Out' and 'Mrs God' was great.
James Mitchell
(19th February, 2006)
Dave Says: Thanks a lot, James. Helloween's very friendly tour manager promised to forward my comments to the tour's soundman, though he added in his email: "During the [London] show I walked around in the whole venue, in fact the sound varied quite a lot depending on the position where you stood. Especially the bass made a big difference if you were on the ground floor or one of the balconies."

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I come here to read about music not football, you tragic Palace tosspot. Hope that yesterday's 89th minute equaliser fucks up your season. Should we ever have the misfortune to meet, you will very quickly discover discover that Millwall fans are more 'knuckleduster' than 'knuckledragger'. Take this as a warning.
Bruce Brock
(18th February, 2006)
Dave wimpers: Oooooh, Mummy!

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Bronz's classic 1983 album 'Taken by Storm' should be on your next playlist. I saw them supporting Hawkwind at the Fulcrum in Slough in the early 80s and they blew the headliners away. Keep up the good work , love the diary (as does my boss who's an ardent Palace supporter).
Paul Lindop
(15th February, 2006)
Dave Says: I wholeheartedly agree, it is a great album. You probably know that Bronz still exist in one form or another. Wonder what their mega-talented former vocalist Max Bacon is doing now. If anyone reading this might happen to know, please drop me a line.
[Since this reply was posted it's been brought to my attention that Max Bacon worked as a milkman and was last heard of running a pub. I don't know for sure whether either statement is true].

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Thanks for the well balanced review of UFO's 'Showtime' DVD in the latest issue of Classic Rock. If they can hold it together then UFO might even get the recognition and reward they deserve. To me, they should've been the band of their generation. My question: Who was the better diver... Pires, Van Nistleroy, Beckham or Palace's own Vince Hilaire? To me, Hilaire was in a class of his own. He could get tripped on the halfway line and still reach the penalty area with before he hit the ground.
Paul Nathan
(9th February, 2006)
Dave Says: Ta for the kind words about the review; it's easy to be kind about such a great product. My main recollection of watching Hilaire in action during those halcyon days of the 1970s wasn't that he was a diver, but of the extremely un-PC song we sang whenever he went on one of his mazy runs. To the tune of Boney M's 'Brown Girl In The Ring', it went: "Brown boy on the wing, tra-la-la-la-la/There's a brown boy on the wing...". How very regrettable.

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I heard you being interviewed on Planet Rock at the weekend. Well done for playing 'Frozen Heart' at the end of the show. What are the chances of an FM reunion, do you know?
Peter Belcher
(17th January, 2006)
Dave Says: My understanding is that there's very little real likelihood. Although frontman Steve Overland and drummer Pete Jupp are still on the scene, original guitarist Chris Overland has effectively retired from music. Bassist Merv Goldworthy, who by all accounts owns the name, isn't interested, and although keyboard player Didge Digital recently re-surfaced, he doesn't get on with Chris Overland's replacement, Andy Barnett. Not a great deal to work with, I'm sure you agree. If you still love this great band, there's a cool fan site with all the latest info.
[Okay okay… since this query was dealt with, the line-up of FM Steve Overland, Merv Goldsworthy, Andy Barnett, Jem Davis and Pete Jupp reunited to play at the Firefest in October 2007. Look, I’ve don’t have a bloody crystal ball!]

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Just found your great site. There's a lot of good stuff here. In your Ask Dave reply to Smudge The Copper [13th Feb, 2005] you said you were never the manager of FM. Were you ever offered the chance to manage a band? If so, whom?
Paul Quinn (no relation to the Saxon guitarist)
(28th December 2005)
Dave Says: Good question. The only band ever stupid to ask me to take up their managerial reins were, believe it or not, Los Angeles-based hooded nutters The Mentors. You may recall their now late drummer/vocalist El Duce being implicated in the alleged murder of Kurt Cobain. The way the conspiracy theorists tell it, Duce (real name Eldon Hoke) claimed to have been paid $50,000 by Courtney Love to kill her husband, though he was later hit by a train whilst in a state of extreme alcoholic refreshment. After interviewing The Mentors in California during the late 80s (way before the Cobain controversy), they appalled and fascinated me. I stayed in touch with guitarist Sickie Wifebeater from time to time, but sadly was too busy with my job on RAW Magazine at the time to consider his offer. But it was cool to have been asked.

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I'm a huge fan of Whitesnake. Even now, David Coverdale is the sexiest man alive. Have you ever met him? What is he like?
Joanne Moon
(3rd November, 2005)
Dave Says: Indeed I have, and he was lots of fun to share time with. The meeting happened during the same press trip to Los Angeles as mentioned below. The photographer and I were in the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill one night, when David happened to walk in. He was living almost opposite the Rainbow at the time, in a suite at the top of the Mondrian Hotel. The '1987' album was just about to be released, and he agreed to an interview a few days later. We met a few times during our stay in California, and had a few laughs. Unfortunately, in later years David and I fell out. I reviewed the re-make of 'Fool For Your Loving' in RAW Magazine, and in those days it was customary to supply a stupid photograph of yourself for the singles column. I handed in a shot of myself mooning at the camera. The review was cut out and put in a press folder that Coverdale later saw and, from what I'm led to believe, he took the wacky picture as a personal insult - thinking that I was baring my arse at him. We've never spoken since.
P.S. Long after this message was posted, I did finally engage again with DC at the Classic Rock Awards. There didn't seem to be any hostility on his part, so maybe it was all a figment of my paranoia!

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I've always wondered what became of Neil Carter, the guitarist/keyboard player/saxophonist who joined UFO for a few LPs during the 1980s. He brought a more melodious sound to the band, then became Gary Moore's musical accomplice for a few years. They seemed to work well together and I thought this would carry on. But Carter was noticeably absent from 'Still Got The Blues', etc.
Mike Peach
(18th June, 2005)
Dave Says: I'm reliably informed that Neil Carter - who of course first sound fame with Brian Robertson and Jimmy Bain in Wild Horses - teaches saxophone in the Sussex area, and also is a renowned judge at cat-shows. Incredible but true! Check out his website and this fairly current pic.

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I've just been reading the June 2005 issue of Classic Rock and wanted to inform you that you have it all wrong regarding Mike Tramp billing himself as White Lion. Yes, the clubs promoted it that way, but the shirts all say TRAMP'S WHITE LION, the bass drum head says TRAMP'S WHITE LION. Of course, I see where you were going with this. In fact, you could've easily asked Chip Z'Nuff the same question about billing himself as Enuff Z'Nuff with only one original member. Your efforts at seemingly "slamming" Mike Tramp fell short due to lack of facts on your part.
Troy Patrick Farrell
P.S. Nice interview nonetheless...
(14th June, 2005)
Dave Says: Excuse me, but being based in England how the heck am I likely to have had access to the precise wording of an American tour T-shirt, or to have seen what's written on a drum head??!! I wasn't attempting to "slam" Mr. Tramp, who I have always had a lot of time for as a person. But my own opinion, which I am entitled to, is that there can be no WL without guitarist Vito Bratta. And yes, the same is indeed true of Enuff Z'Nuff and any number of bands doing the rounds. That doesn't stop me from going to see them either. On a lighter note, having checked your website I note that you are Mike's current drummer. Please give him my best wishes. And tell him to stop supporting Arsenal - he's Danish, for God's sake!

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I've just been reading some of your journal. Don't you feel that the "faked death" of former Free bassist Andy Fraser was probably tied in to the release of his new album? It certainly got people talking about him again. I mean, think about the timing. The rumours of his death were in mid-April. "Co-incidentally", he launches a website and releases a new album - his first in 20 years - at the end of May. Ever feel like you've been played?
Jo Lisanti
(11th June, 2005)
Dave Says: Hmmmmm. It's an interesting theory, but one I'd have been more inclined to consider had Mr Fraser bothered to send a copy of said album, 'Naked... And Finally Free'. I mean, what would be the point of going through the Reggie Perrin routine and then forgetting what you're trying to hype?

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I recently saw some footage of a band called The Big F on an old 'Hard & Heavy' video and the music sounded okay. Who were these people? What became of them? Are they worth checking out? Is anything currently available, because I can't find anything? Thanks.
Mike Peach
(3rd June, 2005)
Dave Says: Hello again, Mike. You're becoming a regular at this page. I have a copy of The Big F's self-titled album, released through Elektra in 1989. Hadn't played it for many years till you asked about them, but it's good, fiery hard rock with a fascinatingly dark hue. They were an American three-piece featuring guitarist Mark Christian, bassist/vocalist John Shreve and drummer Rob Donin. John Shreve was an ex-member of Berlin, the band that released the Top Gun movie hit 'Take My Breath Away', but fortunately The Big F sounded nothing like them. There were two further and distinctly less well known albums, 'Patience Peregrine' (1993) and 'Is' (also 1993), but those never came my way at the time. I still see 'The Big F' from time to time in the bargain bins, but if you're determined to check them out then e-Bay is probably your best bet.

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Please can you help? Years ago I read in an article that Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest played guitar on a Samantha Fox album. Is this true - and if so, which one? Or is it another joke that sailed right over my head, like Tom Jones supposedly joining Black Sabbath all those years ago?!
Mike Peach
(25th March 2005)
Dave Says: It would be news to me had Glenn embarrassed himself in such an un-metal way. However, I do know for a fact - because he once admitted it to me when extremely drunk - that Pat McManus of Mama’s Boys definitely played with Miss Fox (although maybe not in the sense that he’d have wished). Rest assured, next time I see Mr Tipton I’ll get you a definitive answer.

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Mate, much as I admire your devotion to a large percentage of the bands on this site, some of 'em are complete old fossils. The Heavy Metal Kids look about as fresh and vital as my grandad. And Budgie? Do me a favour, didn't they disappear on the Ark? Which, if any, of the new bands do you think are capable of carrying on the torch for rock music?
Smart Alec
(14th March 2005)
Dave Says: Actually, there are loads of great new - or relatively new - bands out there. The realm of metal is especially strong at the moment, with Mastodon, Iced Earth , Angra, Arch Enemy, Shadows Fall, Dream Evil and God Forbid the pick of a very cool bunch indeed. Nightwish and Alter Bridge are two of the finest live bands on the circuit. A wonderful progressive rock band from Sweden are Black Bonzo, and there are some excellent young British hard rock groups. Take a listen to Hurricane Party, The Glitterati, Tokyo Dragons and the Black Velvets, or their fine US cousins Silvertide, and tell me that rock music is losing its potency.

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On which Patti Smyth album is the cover version of Magnum's 'Les Morts Dansant'? Does this cover version have a different title? Thanks for your response in advance.
Stefan Honsberg
(4th March, 2005)
Dave Says: It's on the 'Never Enough' album, released through CBS in 1987. For reasons best known to herself, Patty renamed it as 'Call To Heaven'. I picked up a second-hand copy of this album for a coupla quid a few years later. It's a good version, and I know Tony Clarkin, who wrote it, has heard it and likes it. But obviously it's not a patch on the 'Storyteller's Night' original.

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I'm a big fan of Molly Hatchet and whilst surfing around I found some pretty strong abuse directed at you by Bobby Ingram. What's that all about? I love the band. They've made some incredible albums.
Matthew Craig
(26th February, 2005)
Dave Says: I agree, and I'm still not completely sure what Bobby's grievance is. I also loved the classic AOR album that Bobby did with China Sky. It all dates back to a Classic Rock story in February 2001. We did a very cordial and interesting interview at the Columbia Hotel before the band's gig at the Mean Fiddler. He enjoyed it so much he gave me an access all areas laminate for the gig. I went away and wrote what I considered to be a reasonable precis of our conversation - admittedly it all had to be shrunk into a single page, as it was for a Beginner's Guide piece - but he later angrily phoned to complain that I'd used "only the negative stuff". My response was that Classic Rock doesn't exist merely to re-write press releases. It's about telling the real story. As somebody whose band has no original members left, what did he expect; tea and fairy cakes and a nice, shallow discussion about the latest album?

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Did you ever have anything to do with managing FM? I ask coz years ago I met a girl called Lisa VanSmile on holiday. We got chatting and your name came up as the manager and she was the band's secretary (also shagging/living with Merv Goldsworthy, apparently.)
P.S. We got offered 20,000/1 for CPFC to stay up. Should we have taken the bet???
Smudge The Copper
(13th Feb, 2005)
Dave says: This is a very funny message. No, I never managed FM, though I did drink 'em under the table and see them in concert many, many times all over the UK and Europe. Are you still in contact with Lisa? If so, say hi and get her to write! 20,000 to one on Premiership survival for CPFC - that's a bargain!

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I've just been reading your Sweet article and they seem like the kind of band I'd love. Till now I've only heard the singles and never really took them too seriously. Which album would you recommend?
John Jordan
(9th February, 2005)
Dave says: Try either 'Sweet Fanny Adams' or 'Desolation Boulevard'. Both have just been re-issued in re-mastered form, with bonus tracks and liner notes from guitarist Andy Scott.

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Are you a fan of the wonderful Norwegian rockers Span? They've had no UK press coverage for six months or so.
Mike Hayes
(6th February, 2005)
Dave says: Yeah, I like Span a lot. Did a 'new band' interview with them for Classic Rock that sadly never ran. It was quite amusing. Apparently, being Norwegian, they share rehearsal space with black metallers Satyricon. They claim the latter's drummer is too shy to speak to them on the stairs! Hopefully we can update it when they release something new.

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I was present at last night's fantastic Blaze Big Bash in Dudley. Your name was mentioned and booed (putting it mildly!). Blaze dedicated 'Alive' to you for saying that he can't sing. You must be deaf. He ain't competing with the Three Tenors or the morning larks, but he's good at what he does. This isn't the first time that your "comments" and supposedly "professional views" have offended people. Your treatment of Michael Schenker is also unfair. Everyone knows he has issues, but his latter works aren't as bad as you make out. You have personal campaigns. This is an abuse of your position as a journalist. Remember, what you write is YOUR OPINION and others have different viewpoints. If you're going to write a negative review (and the likelihood is that you know this beforehand), leave it to someone who can be impartial and objective. If you don't like somebody, don't review them. You should state clearly at the beginning that it is your personal opinion, not indisputable fact.
Phil Williams
(19th December, 2004)
Dave says: You've obviously mistaken me for somebody that gives a fuck.

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I've read a lot your stuff in the past and have just one question: How can you possibly be such a fucking wanker?
Doug The Dog
(19th November, 2004)
Dave says: It takes a lot of practice.

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Which of Van Halen's vocalists did you like the best? I'm strictly a Diamond Dave gal.
Sue Pickett
(14th November, 2004)
Dave says: It had to be Gary Cherone. No, I'm kidding! I thought both Dave and Sammy did great jobs - the latter was particularly underrated on the '5150' album, though the stuff he and VH did just prior to splitting didn't really move me. So on that basis alone, Diamond Dave wins the Catford jury's vote… by a whisker!

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I recently contacted Karl Logan from Manowar and asked why they don't play in Britain anymore. He said that American promoters won't send them on a tour unless they see media coverage. I emailed a hundred or so fans, asking them to help me with my campaign. Since you're a journalist, is there anyway you can help?
Gabriel Maritz
(5th November, 2004)
Dave Says: As everybody knows, Manowar are a law unto themselves. I'd love to see them again, haven't been to a gig of theirs since the Marquee in 1994, but although they're still massive on the continent I fear they may have left it too long in the UK. They're making a new album at the moment, I believe, and their story is well worth telling. If the band co-operated then Classic Rock would love to tell it. But if they toured, would they play the Astoria, the Mean Fiddler or a couple of nights at the Underworld? Sadly, I really can't see 'em taking the gamble when other markets are so lucrative. But that's just my opinion.

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I just found your site via the Uriah Heep one. I have a question. I recently acquired Heep's Byron-era DVD, which I absolutely love. On their studio albums, David was a pretty good vocalist. But on this concert footage, he's awful! I mean horrendous!! Did the other members of the band become embarrassed by his inability to stay in key? And why do you think he had this problem? I have a suspicion that it was down to Chivas Regal.
Bill Pillsbury, Atlanta, Georgia
(4th October, 2004)
Dave says: Sadly, most of David's problems were alcohol-based. He seemed to have no problems performing till the booze really took hold. I dare say the rest of Heep were embarrassed by his erratic nature, which must only have made the situation a lot worse.

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