Axl Rose has said that there is no chance that he and his former Guns N' Roses bandmate Slash will reunite – saying that one of the pair will "die" before such an event could occur.

The frontman told Billboard that the dispute between the pair would never be healed. He went on to say that Guns N' Roses, in its current guise, could tour in the near future.

"In regards to Slash," he said, "I read a desperate fan's message about, 'What if one of us were to die, and looking back I had the possibility of a reunion now'. My thoughts are, 'Yeah, and while you're at the show your baby accidentally kicks a candle and burns your house down, killing himself and the rest of your family.'

"Give me a fucking break. What's clear is that one of the two of us will die before a reunion and however sad, ugly or unfortunate anyone views it, it is how it is. Those decisions were made a long time ago and reiterated year after year by one man.

"There are acts that, once committed between individuals, they are what they are. To add insult to injury almost day after day, lapsing into year after year, for more than a decade, is a nightmare. Anyone putting his own personal entertainment above everything else is sickening."

Speaking about a possible Guns N' Roses tour, he added, "No plans, but there's talk. Management and our promoters are really excited with the offers coming in both here and worldwide."

Source NME

Until now, it looked as though major drama could unfold at this Sunday's Grammy Awards, with Joe Satriani's legal team threatening to serve Coldplay with papers in the lawsuit he has brought against them pertaining to their song Viva La Vida, which he claims infringes on the melody to his song If I Could Fly.

"All of that has been averted now," says Howard King, Satriani's attorney, speaking exclusively to MusicRadar. "Coldplay have hired one of the finest entertainment firms in California, which is probably good for all."

Satriani's attorney hopes for fair resolution

"Their new firm will have a keen understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the claims," says King, "and will counsel the band to come to a quick and fair resolution of the situation."

It could have gone another way, however, says King. Until very recently, Coldplay did their best to brush off Joe Satriani's claims of plagiarism.

"We tried to have a conversation with Coldplay before we even filed the suit," says King. "Their British lawyers said there wasn't anything to discuss. And then after we filed the lawsuit, they didn't agree to accept service of the complaint."

As King explains it, "You have to hand someone legal papers in order for matters to proceed - much like in a divorce, you have to be served."

Coldplay could have been served at Grammys

As of two weeks ago, Coldplay's UK law firm still hadn't accepted the service of complaint, and that's when King said, "Enough. If that's the way they want it, we'll serve the band in California when they're here for the Grammys."

According to King, arrangements were made to serve Coldplay at parties and various locations in California. "We knew where they were going to be at," he says. "And if all else failed, if they didn't accept the papers, we would have had no choice than to take care of matters at the Grammys."

While King doesn't come right out and say that this week's publicity surrounding the lawsuit forced Coldplay to hire a US attorney, he does admit that it's "somewhat coincidental. Who would want to be hit with legal papers on the red carpet?"

And what does King think of Coldplay's chances of winning on Grammy night? "We hope Joe Satriani's song wins a Grammy," he says with a laugh. "In fact, we hope Joe has a very big Grammy night!"

Source musicradar

Longtime Cramps leader Lux Interior has died at the age of 62.

The singer, who formed the band in 1976, had a heart condition and died in a California hospital.

Always a cult act, the band fused b-movie horror imagery with vintage rockabilly rock’n’roll and twanging surf guitars. The primitive sound was an obvious influence on bands such as The White Stripes and Pussy Galore.

Interior – whose real name was Erick Lee Purkhiser – was a little older than his contemporaries on the New York punk scene, pushing 30 by the time the band – which featured a fairly fluid line-up over the years – formed. He met his wife Poison Ivy, a key member of the band’s line-up four years earlier.

Rumours circulated two decades ago that he died from a drug overdose. "At first, I thought it was kind of funny, but then it started to give me a creepy feeling," he said of the incident.

A statement from his publicist said: "Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy's contributions with the Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music. He is a rare icon who will be missed dearly."

Source qthemusic

The Grammys have managed to coax blink-182 out of their five-year hiatus — sort of. The punk trio will appear at this Sunday’s ceremony… as presenters. A Grammy rep confirmed to Rock Daily that blink-182 will take the stage in some capacity, but wouldn’t elaborate on the details. Blink last appeared together onstage in December 2004, two months before the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker went on to from +44 while Tom DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves.

Following the 2008 jet crash that nearly took the life of Barker and DJ AM, Hoppus had blogged that the he was hopeful that a Blink reunion might be on the horizon, and recently admitted that he and DeLonge were once again friends. The revelation that blink-182 would reunite to present together at the Grammys was casually thrown into a roll call of other presenters added to the event, including Kate Beckinsale, Green Day, LL Cool J, Natalie Cole and Diddy.

As for this morning’s shocking announcement that, barring giving birth, a very-pregnant M.I.A. would perform at the Grammys, a rep for the awards told Rock Daily, “We are stoked to have her on — her due date is on show day yet she still wants to come. It gives a whole new meaning to arrivals if she gives birth on the red carpet.”

A mega lineup of superstar performers, Green Day and a reunited Blink-182 as presenters, the possibility that M.I.A. could give birth at any moment — what other surprises do the Grammys have up their sleeve? Follow all the action over at our Grammys hub, as Rolling Stone will be at the Staples Center for this Sunday’s live ceremony.

Source RollingStone

Last week a ludicrous rumor made the rounds that David Bowie was going to revive Ziggy Stardust at Coachella. Obviously, when the artist lineup made the rounds his name was nowhere to be seen. About two and a half years ago Bowie himself announced he was going to return to the stage. It was going to be the culminating event of the High Line Festival, curated by Bowie. “His live performance will be enjoyed by tens of thousands of spectators at the festival itself,” read the press release. “Millions more will experience the concert online and on satellite radio.” Months later came the bad news: “Due to ongoing work on a new project, David Bowie has announced that it will not be possible for him to perform at the Highline Festival in May.”

Needless to say, his “new project” hasn’t seen the light of day. He also hasn’t performed in public since joining David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall for a couple of tracks in the summer of 2006. What’s going on here? The mysterious absence comes just when Bowie was on a huge creative roll. 2002’s Heathen and 2003’s Reality — his first albums with producer Tony Visconti since 1980 — were stellar returns to form. The accompanying tour was even better. Backed his best band since the Spiders From Mars and with Bowie in flawless voice, the show mixed hits (”Changes,” “Rebel Rebel”) with rarities (”Station To Station,” “Hallo Spaceboy”) and covers (”White Light, White Heat”). Every night ended with a block of songs from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars. It ranks high among the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. If you doubt me, check out this clip of “Five Years.”

Bowie hasn’t pulled a J.D. Salinger and retreated into his house. Two weeks ago he was all over the Sundance Film Festival. He’s also a regular on the New York black-tie fundraiser circuit. Bowie suffered a massive heart attack at the tail end of the Reality Tour, but that was five years ago. The longest distance between albums prior to this was two and a half years. It’s going to be six in September. The man has every right to retire and his health problems may worse than people realize, but let’s hope he’s in tip-top shape and gearing up for a glorious return. Coachella 2010?

Source RollingStone

Van Halen's tour with David Lee Roth ended last July with one final triumphant version of "Jump" — but if Eddie Van Halen gets his way, that's not going to be the end of the reunion. "We are a band — it wasn't just a one-off tour we did," says the guitarist, who plans to meet with Roth this summer to play him demos of new songs. "We had a lot of fun on the tour — Dave was a blast. And next time we go out, we're going to have some new stuff, too. I'm looking forward to getting on it." The 75-date tour, which began in September 2007, grossed more than $93 million, making it the most lucrative of the band's career.

June will be a busy month for the Van Halens: Eddie will marry Janie Liszewski, his girlfriend and publicist; and 17-year-old bassist Wolfgang Van Halen ("a permanent part of Van Halen," according to his dad) will graduate with his high school class after taking a year off for the tour. "Wolfie had it the toughest," says Eddie. "He had three or four hours of tutoring every day and then the gig." And after that, Eddie hopes to start recording what could be the band's first new studio album since 1998's Van Halen III (with short-tenured lead singer Gary Cherone) and its first with Roth in 25 years.

"I've got tons of music written, such a variety of stuff," says Eddie, who thinks some of it may surprise fans. "The essence of me is obviously there, and those drums, they're always recognizable. But people expect a certain thing from Van Halen, and this isn't exactly bang-your-head-against-the-wall stuff."

Roth is keeping busy too — he lives part time in New York, where he works as an EMT, an unlikely passion he began pursuing in 2004. His spokeswoman said he couldn't be reached for comment on his future with the band.

At the same time, Eddie is continuing his own side career as an entrepreneur: He just launched a Website, EVHgear.com, where fans can buy replicas of nearly everything he plays and wears, from his signature Wolfgang guitar, which he used on the band's last tour (upgraded over two and a half years to what he calls "NASA quality"), to Converse-style sneakers with his red-white-and-black-striped design, which he's been wearing since the Eighties. "I'm not shoving it down anyone's throat or trying to be a clothing designer," he says. "I just think my tennis shoes are cool, and I love my equipment — everything I put out is exactly identical to what I use."

[From Issue 1072 — February 19, 2009]

Source RollingStone