Friday, April 1, 2011

Peter Steele 1962 – 2010


April 15th, 2010 | Metal News
“I want to stay away from politics, or else I’ll probably end up putting my size fifteen foot into my mouth.” – Peter Steele
peter-steele
Rest in Peace, Gentle Giant
The rumors I saw on Twitter were true (because, it seems, Twitter never lies). Peter Steele, monolithic, charismatic frontman of gothic metal band Type O Negative has died. The band’s German label SPV/Steamhammer records released this statement:
It’s with great sadness that we give our condolences to the family and friends of Peter Steele. He died on April 14th, 2010.
“With his bands CARNIVORE and TYPE O NEGATIVE he achieved cult status and was loved by fans around the world. The last releases he did with TYPE O NEGATIVE were the DVD ‘Symphony For The Devil’ and the studio album ‘Dead Again’.
SPV/Steamhammer proudly released both products worldwide, which will now — very unfortunately — be the end of his recording legacy.
“The world has lost a charismatic frontman and a very talented person.
“Our condolences go to Peter‘s family, friends and the members of his bands.”
I am absolutly blown away by this news. I’d dug out some old Type O Negative records just last week, because I had reached a point in my novel where I needed to hear Pete’s voice. The languid dark beauty of Pete’s vocals has been a profound influence on my own work, and it saddens me the world has lost such a talented individual.
pete-steele-car
My husband, CDH, was the first person to introduce me to Type O Negative, which is odd considering I spent some time in the goth “scene” before I discovered metal. We made each other mixtapes of our favorite bands and he’s stuck “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” and “Be My Druidess” on there, and I fell in love.
Pete stood 6.7 feet tall, played the double bass like a guitar, and had a voice that shook the floor you walked on. He will be sorely missed.
Tributes are already making their way online:
“I haven’t heard such bad news in a long time. I am apalled, speechless. Silence is more respectful in these circumstances, I know. But everyone who knows me knows that Peter and TYPE O were (and are) an IMMENSE influence in my musical taste and beside that Pete was a charismatic, intense, funny, fantastic person. I treasure the moments we spent together on this road and I know he’s rockin’ out both heaven and hell right now … I will miss you, brother, my influence and adorable giant. We’ll meet again somewhere, someday.” – Christina Scabbia, Lacuna Coil
Peter Steele was one of my all-time favourite musicians ever. I’ve only met him once briefly and he was just the nicest guy. CARNIVORE’s ‘Retalliation’ and all TYPE O NEGATIVE albums have been a huge influence on my creativity. This is a black day for music.” – Mille Petrozza, Kreator
“Peter and company took us out for a little spin in Germany a few years ago and we became mates with ‘em, I guess. Peter was always very kind to us. From the get-go he went up to Martin and offered him his bass guitar if he wanted to borrow it. I mean, things like that simply don’t happen in the rock business anymore, but I think he had a different view on things.
“Last time I saw him was a few years ago when he and Johnny and Kenny came to see us playing the Irving Plaza in New York City. There was a knock on the door, I opened, and there was Peter towering over me. I said, ‘Hey, Pete, come in….’ and he said, ‘You again, I thought you was fired!’ Went straight passed me, grabbed a bottle of red from our rider and started guzzling away in the corner, leaving funny remarks at whatever conversations that was going on in the dressing room.
“The dude was funny, intense, intimidating and overall, a good guy. That was my impression … I just wanted to write something… I am in a bit of a shock, I guess…” – Mikael Akerfeldt, Opeth
“Peter Steele, a true icon, enigma, musical genius and hell of a nice man …” – Jason Myers, Icarus Witch
type-o-negative
an early Type O Negative photo shoot

To remember Pete

Sling the double bass over your shoulder and play like a guitar.
Make love on the full moon.
Wear platform shoes and talk in a baratone.
“I like to put on hardcore when I have to clean my apartment, which I hate to do, but it’s motivational. I like old heavy metal when I’m outside working on my car. Music has definite functions for me.” – Peter Steele.
Only speak when you have something witty and intelligent to add.
Hunt warewolves
Have a threesome
And listen to Type O Negative. That’s what I’m doing all day.
RIP Pete \m/
Steff Metal

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Kurt Cobain 1967 - 1994




 Kurt Donald Cobain was the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum
grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties.

Cobain was born on the 20th of February 1967 in Hoquaim, a small town
140 kilometres south-west of Seattle. His mother was a cocktail waitress
and his father was an auto mechanic. Cobain soon moved to nearby Aberdeen,
a depressed and dying logging town.

Cobain was for most his childhood a sickly bronchitic child. Matters
were made worse when Cobain's parent's divorced when he was seven and by
his own account Cobain said he never felt loved or secure again. He became
increasingly difficult, anti-social and withdrawn after his parent's divorce.
Cobain also said that his parent's traumatic split fueled a lot of the anguish
in Nirvana's music.



After his parent's divorce Cobain found himself shuttled back and forth
between various relatives and at one stage homeless living under a bridge.


When Cobain was eleven he heard and was captivated by the Britain's
Sex Pistols and after their self-destruction Cobain and friend Krist Novoselic
continued to listen to the wave of British bands including Joy Division
the nihilistic post-punk band that some say Nirvana are directly descended
from in form of mood, melody and lyrical quality.

Cobain's artistry and iconoclastic attitude didn't win many friends
in high school and sometimes earned him beatings from "jocks"
Cobain got even by spray painting "QUEER" on their pick-up trucks.
By 1985 Aberdeen was dead and Cobain's next stop was Olympia. Cobain formed
and reformed a series of bands before Nirvana came to be in 1986. Nirvana
was an uneasy alliance between Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and eventually
drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl


By 1988 Nirvana were doing shows and had demo tapes going around. In
1989 Nirvana recorded their rough-edged first album Bleach for local Seattle
independent label Sub-Pop


In Britain Nirvana received a lot of recognition and in 1991 their contract
was bought out by Geffen, they signed to the mega-label, the first non-mainstream
band to do so. Two and a half years after Nirvana's first C.D. Bleach was
released they released Nevermind, a series of different, crunching, screaming
songs that along with it's first single Smells Like Teen Spirit would propel
Nirvana to mainstream stardom.

Smells Like Teen Spirit became Nirvana's most highly acclaimed and instantly
recognizable song. Not many people can decipher it's exact lyrics but Cobain
used a seductive hookline to hook the listener. Nevermind went on to sell
ten million copies and make a reported $550 million (US) leaving Nirvana
overnight millionaires. Cobain was shocked at the reception of his highly
personal and passionate music repeatedly telling reporters that none of
the band ever, ever expected anything like this. It quickly became obvious
that the obsessively sickly and sensitive 24yr old was not going to cope
well with the rock'n roll lifestyle. "If there was a rock star 101
course, I'd really have like to take it," Cobain once observed. Cobain
fell into heroin in the early 90's, he said he used it as a shield against
the rigorous demands of touring and to stop the pain of stomach ulcers or
an irritated bowel. Through the touring and pressure Cobain continued to
write his very personal acutely focused lyrics.

Cobain was distressed to find out that what he wrote and how it was
interpreted could quite often be miles apart. He was appalled when he found
out that Polly a heavily ironic anti-rape song had been used as background
music in a real gang-rape. He later appealed to fans on the Incesticide
liner notes "If any of you don't like gays or women or blacks, please
leave us the fuck alone." It was to no avail, Cobain found that as
an overnight millionaire musician control was something he had very little
of. Cobain also worried that his band had sold-out, that it was attracting
the wrong kind of fans (i.e the type that used to beat him up.)

In February 1992 Cobain skipped off to Hawaii to marry the already pregnant
Courtney Love. Later in the year Nirvana released Incesticide and in August
Cobain had hospital treatment for heroin abuse. Shortly after Frances Bean
Cobain was born. In early 1993 In Utero was released into the top spot on
the music charts. In Utero was widely acclaimed by the music press and it
contains some of Cobain's most passionate work. In Utero was a lot more
open than Nirvana's previous albums. Songs like All Apologies and Heart
Shaped Box detailed aspects of Cobain's sometimes shaky marriage, other
songs like Scentless Apprentice detailed the agonies and struggles of Cobain's
experiences.

Nirvana embarked on a support tour and recorded and filmed an "unplugged"
(acoustic) performance for MTV in November of 1993. Nirvana's choice to
honour bands and people that had influenced them and Cobain's passionate
and intense vocals especially on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"silenced
many of their who had labeled Cobain talentless. Rumors circulated that
the MTV Unplugged compilation would be Nirvana's last album and the band
were splitting up.

Cobain was a gun fanatic and always had several in his possession or
in various forms of confiscation. In the northern winter of 1993-94 Nirvana
embarked on an extensive European tour. Twenty concerts into the tour Cobain
developed throat problems and their schedule was interrupted while he recovered.
While recovering Cobain flew to Rome to join his wife who was also preparing
to tour with her own band.

On March the 4th Cobain was rushed to hospital in a coma after an unsuccessful
suicide bid in which he washed down about fifty prescription painkillers
with champagne. The suicide bid was officially called an accident and was
not even made known to close friends and associates. Several days later
he returned to Seattle. Cobain's wife, friends and managers convinced Cobain,
who was still in deep distress to enter a detox program in L.A. According
to a missing person's report filed by his mother Cobain fled after only
a few days of the program.


Cobain was cited in the Seattle area with a shotgun. Days later on the
5th of April he barricaded himself into the granny flat behind his mansion,
put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. On Thursday April the
7th ~ two days after a medical examiner says Cobain shot himself and the
day before his body was found police say Courtney Love herself was taken
to hospital in L.A. for a drug overdose. Released on bail, Love checked
herself into a rehab center but left soon after a friend called her the
next day with news of Cobain's death.


Cobain's body was found when an electrician visiting the house to install
a security system went round the back of the house when no one answered
the front door and peered through windows. He thought he saw a mannequin
sprawled on the floor until he noticed a splotch of blood by Cobain's ear.
When police broke down the door they found Cobain dead on the floor, a shotgun
still pointed at his chin and on a nearby counter a suicide note written
in red ink addressed to Love and the couples then 19 month old daughter
Frances Bean.

The suicide note ended with the words "I love you, I love you."
Two days after Kurt Cobain's body was found about 5,000 people gathered
in Seattle for a candlelight vigil. the distraught crowd filled the air
with profane chants, burnt their flannel shirts and fought with police.
They also listened to a tape made by Cobain's wife in which she read from
his suicide note. Several distressed teenagers in the U.S. and Australia
killed themselves. The mainstream media was lambasted for it's lack of respect
and understanding of youth culture.


We'll Always Remember

Biography by Mick Ronson 1996

Kurt Cobain

“Kurt Cobain Found Dead”

“What makes most people feel happy… leads us headlong into harm.”  -Morrissey
Sixteen years on, and I still remember the chill of an April morning home from school.  That false alarm in March had been one thing, but this was downright chilling.  Kurt Cobain was dead.  I scanned the channels, and the radio, for more answers.  Nirvana songs came out, here and there, and the same stories: “Found dead at home,” “Apparent suicide,” “Twenty-seven years old.”  I honestly didn’t understand.  I had no idea how troubled he really was, and I couldn’t imagine him just disappearing.  I’ve never forgotten that sudden feeling of sinking, and the profound wish to just wake up.
It’s sad, now, in the way that so many untimely deaths are sad.  In the past few years, I’ve thought about it from time to time, and I suppose there isn’t a lot more to say than what I’ve already said.  The date reminds me of what was, and what could have been, and it always brings me back to an afternoon at Summer camp when I was given my first mixtape with Nirvana on it.  And, of course, that sound.  That roaring, raw, monstrous sound. Moments like that are far too rare.

Layne Staley 1967 - 2002

Confirmed: Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, 34 Posted: Saturday, April 20th, 2002 2:30 pm
Alice In Chains - Layne StaleyIt’s been confirmed Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley was found dead in his apartment. He was 34.
Tests were required to establish the identity because the body which had started to decompose.
The cause of death had not been determined, a representative of the King County Medical Examiner’s office said.
Police did not immediately release details on anything that was found at the scene, and a spokesman did not respond to several messages. …

In a 1996 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Staley spoke of how his drug use influenced his lyrics.

Peter Steele 1962 – 2010

peter-steele
 Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele is rumored to have passed away of heart failure on Wednesday (April 14). He was 48 years old. We still do not have a reliable source to confirm the sad news, despite rumors that fellow bandmates Kenny Hickey and Josh Silver have already confirmed it.

Peter, who was rumored to be very sick at the time, shocked his fans when they entered the band’s website to see a gravestone with the words “[P]eter Steele – 1962 – 2005 …. Free At Last” back in 2005. We certainly hope this is some type of cruel joke and Peter is alive and well.

Official Statement about Peter Steele

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.

Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below.
We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.

Sincerely,

Josh, Kenny and Johnny





Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mike Starr


Ex-Alice in Chains Bassist Mike Starr Dead at 44




Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, who played on the band's first two influential albums and was one of the last people to see singer Layne Staley alive, has been found dead in a Salt Lake City, Utah home, TMZ reports. Starr, who was 44, was arrested earlier this month in Salt Lake City and found to be in possession of six Xanax pills and six Opana painkillers. According to a police report, Starr asked an officer if he'd heard of Alice in Chains, and said he was in Utah with a friend to put together a new band. "It's a terrible shock and tragedy," the rocker's father told the website today.
Starr played on the Seattle band's 1990 album Facelift and cowrote "It Ain't Like That" and "Confusion." He also performed on 1992's Sap EP and Dirt LP, which featured the band's breakout tracks "Down in a Hole," "Rooster," and "Would?" which also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Singles (the band also briefly performed onstage in the movie, too). Starr exited the band in 1993 and later admitted he'd been booted because his drug problem was out of control.
The musician, who appeared on VH1's Celebrity Rehab and Sober House in 2010, displayed erratic behavior while battling a vicious heroin addiction on TV. He wore headphones most of the time, and said, "My singer dies, and the only way I can hear him is through this... It takes me back to when Layne was alive." In a pivotal episode of Rehab, Starr spoke with Staley's mother and apologized for not doing more to help her drug-addled son. "I wish I would have called 911, he told me if I did, he'd never talk to me again," Starr said. "I was too high. I got mad at him, I said, 'I'll just leave' and his last words were 'not like this.' And I just left. I can't believe that. I'm so ashamed." Staley was found dead of a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine in his Seattle apartment in 2002.
When Starr first appeared on Rehab, his onetime
bandmate Jerry Cantrell criticized the show for sensationalizing drug
recovery: "[Mike is] a friend of ours, and we wish him the best. But
that show's not really cool." Starr seemed to have kicked his dangerous addiction, and appeared on an episode of the following season's Rehab to demonstrate his progress. He was six months sober at the time of the taping.
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