News broke yesterday day that EDDIE VAN HALEN has cancer. According to the VAN HALEN news desk, www.vhnd.com, reporting news posted at MTV Online by Sorelle Saidman, Van Halen underwent surgery yesterday in Houston to remove a malignant tumor on his tongue. According to the MTV article (http://www.mtv.com/sendme.tin?page=/news/headlines/000526/story11.html), the guitarist will undergo a 12 week outpatient program at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Having heard about an impending Van Halen announcement that did not involve DAVID LEE ROTH, Saidman investigated some leads pertaining to Van Halen's health, which no one close to the band would deny, and the clinic confirmed. What this means for the long-rumored reunion with Roth is unknown at this point, but these developments certainly explain the lack of a summer tour or any announcement from the band regarding the reunion.
Former RATT frontman STEPHEN PEARCY and his new band NITRONIC played the Key Club in Los Angeles on Thursday night, the third gig of a tour slated to run through the summer. Opening with "U Got It," from the original Ratt EP (also represented by "Sweet Cheater" a few songs later), the band played mostly lesser-known but groovin' tunes from Pearcy's ARCADE and VICIOUS DELITE projects until later in the set. Towards the end, Pearcy and his cohorts--guitarist FRANK WILSEX from Arcade, and guitarist MARK ZAVON, bassist TROY JOHNSON and drummer TODD ROBERSON from JRZ SYSTEM--broke out the Ratt classics: "Lay it Down," "You're in Love," and "Round and Round," followed by covers of AEROSMITH's "Toys in the Attic" and AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie." On hand to hear and enjoy were Ratt/WARRANT guitarist KERI KELLI, TAIME DOWNE, CARMINE APPICE, and MIKE DUDA from WASP.
AEROSMITH's STEVEN TYLER lent his voice to LIT recently--he'll be heard singing background vocals on "Over My Head," a track from the Titan A.E. soundtrack, due out June 6. The track was produced by GLEN BALLARD, who has been collaborating with Aerosmith on songs for their next album, including one called "Beyond Forever."
ZAKK WYLDE will perform the National Anthem on Monday, May 29 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles before the Mets/Dodgers game.
Former XYZ and CAGE lead singer Terry Ilous has released a solo disc out under the name FLYNN. No, the band isn't called FLYNN, HE is calling himself FLYNN... There isn't even a mention of XYZ on his website... It sounds like someone doesn't want folks to know he used to be in a hair band. The Day I Spoke To Dog can be bought through Amazon.com. The OFFICIAL WEBSITE is offering some full length mp3's for download. Meanwhile XYZ fans should not be confused with X.Y.Z. Japan. That band, fronted by ex-Loudness vocalist Minoru Niihara, has a new comilation live album titled Early Days released in Japan.
Remember bass shredder Randy Coven? No? Well some one does, and they put up a website at: http//www.randycovensite.com/
MR. BIG will release a new disc entitled Deep Cuts - Best Of Ballads in Japan on July 26th. The CD includes a few new tracks, "Where Are They Now", and "I'll Leave Up To You", and new versions of "Had Enough", "Promise Her The Moon", "Just Take My Heart" and a live version of "New Religion".
TOMMY LEE is in jail...Again! According to Reuters, Lee, who spent four months behind bars in 1998 for kicking actress wife Pamela Anderson, was sent back to jail for five days by a judge who found that he violated his parole, prosecutors said. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira, who sits in the beachside star colony of Malibu, also extended Lee's probation until May 26, 2003 and ordered him to resume random drug testing and enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous. Because Mira conducted the court hearing in his chambers from which reporters and the public were barred, details of Lee's parole violation were not available. But prosecutors had charged earlier this month that the former drummer and founding member of Motley Crue had been spotted drinking. Lee, who is estranged from Anderson, was arrested in February, 1998 after the former "Baywatch" star told police that he had kicked her while she held their infant son. He pleaded no contest to felony spousal abuse and was sentenced to six months in prison, but released after four months for good behavior and placed on parole by Mira. One condition of Lee's release was that he quit drinking. The altercation with Anderson was not Lee's first brush with the law. In 1996 he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery for assaulting a photographer outside a nightclub. He later settled a lawsuit by the victim.
