Features archive

May 2025

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24 articles

May 30
- “Axl called me up and he was like, 'Zakk, you wanna get together and jam?” Zakk Wylde on Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne and the fumble that sidelined his career
- “The Doors were the first band that really took us under their wing when we came to L.A.” Alice Cooper and Robby Krieger recall when their groups ran together on the 1960s L.A. rock scene
May 28
- “My mum always would say, ‘You have a gift from God,’ and I’d say, ‘Sure — but I’m working my ass off!’” Yngwie Malmsteen on guitars, Eric Clapton and what he said when Kiss came calling for him in 1982
May 27
- “Guns N’ Roses is what broke us all away from Mötley Crüe and Ratt... stuff we didn't want to be lumped with in.” Tracii Guns on L.A. Guns' long run — and why Slash was the right choice for GN’R
May 25
- "He played us a demo of this song. And we were looking at each other going, ‘So you're going to add guitars?’" Eddie Van Halen was looking for a change as he tried to abandon Van Halen and guitars in 1983
May 24
- "There’s so much yet to come." Guitarist Paul Stanley weighs in on Kiss’s Las Vegas show, admitting, "I certainly miss the camaraderie onstage" with Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer
May 23
- The earliest live Sly and the Family Stone recordings are among the treasures from San Francisco's Summer of Love era rediscovered and released by High Moon Records
May 20
- “After the second audition they said, ‘You’re the one.’ And I said, 'I’m not sure you’re the one.’” Ace Frehley recalled his Kiss audition and revealed the amp setting that works every time
- “I threw my guitar in the air and kicked all the amps off the stage. Then I staggered off and just collapsed.” Eric Bell on the show that ended his dream-come-true gig as Thin Lizzy’s guitar player
May 19
- “I’ve always regretted it. I thought, I shouldn’t have done that. That was like killing the wife.” Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey don’t see eye to eye on his guitar-smashing past
- “I immediately picked up the guitar and went, ‘B*stards! — why didn’t I write that?’” How Chris Martin channeled Neil Young to write Coldplay’s chart-busting hit “Yellow” (and even made a fan out of Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher)
May 17
- “John Lennon would use my name every now and then for clout, as if I was the fastest gun.” Eric Clapton on his friendship with George Harrison and the shocking time he was nearly asked to join the Beatles
May 16
- “I hear from people who want ‘Spirit in the Sky’ played at their funeral.” Norman Greenbaum tells how a Telecaster with a built-in fuzz helped him create a psychedelic hit about Jesus that even John Lennon liked
- "I stumbled upon the idea of using toy ray guns and putting them up to the pickups of my guitar." Steve Stevens explains the shocking techniques that made Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell' a milestone for guitar sound design
- “I was like, Is this the last picture of Gene Simmons in makeup?'" John 5 shares his photo of Gene Simmons' final time in full Kiss makeup as he begins tours of his Kiss memorabilia museum
May 15
- I watched 'Becoming Led Zeppelin.' Here's how it shows acoustic guitar's vital role in Jimmy Page's heavy-metal musical vision
May 12
- “I’m just standing there strumming a chord. And the audience looks at me and goes, ‘How does he produce that noise?’” Pete Townshend on the Who's real lead guitar player
May 11
- “Those aren’t the words. It’s ‘I can’t hide.’ ” How a misheard John Lennon lyric led Bob Dylan to meet the Beatles and change both their destinies
May 9
- “That rhythm guitar is Freddie. I don't think I played any of that.” Brian May said Freddie Mercury edged him out of this chart-topping Queen hit
- “It was just Joe playing some chords and me struggling through this riff.” Steve Vai and Joe Satriani tell how a 50-year-old riff inspired the creation of the SatchVai Band in a new in-depth video interview
May 8
- “George started freaking out. He said, ‘I feel like I’m dying.’ And then, Peter Fonda said, ‘Oh, I know what it’s like to be dead.’” Byrds founder Roger McGuinn on the origins of John Lennon’s trippiest track
May 7
- "You’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into." Lita Ford weighs in on what's more important — your guitar or your amp
May 2
- “We turned the Marshall up all the way, with the wah-wah and the midrange setting, and said, ‘That’s it. That’s the sound.’” In a rare interview, Barry Goudreau talks creating Boston’s smash debut and his ongoing rift with Tom Scholz
May 1
- “Les would be over the moon knowing his studio exists again.” Les Paul invented modern recording. Now his studio is back up and running. Can recordings from the vault be far behind?