Newsbites: Randy Blythe admits to stage fright

Nerves: Randy Blythe

Randy Blythe says he was suffered a rare attack of stage fright before his first show with Lamb of God following his Czech jail ordeal. He explains: “We didn’t have time to practice and I hadn’t sung since the day before I got arrested in Prague. I was hoping my voice didn’t blow it. It was really intense – I’ve never felt that way on stage before.” [LA Times]

Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton wrote the lyrics for new song Tell Me – despite having no experience of its subject matter. He says: “The song is about lost love, but I’ve been married since I was 25 years old. My wife goes, ‘What the hell do you know about that?’ I was just evoking a feeling I had when I was a kid listening to the Beatles and the Stones. I always loved their lonely-sounding songs” Tell Me appears on new Aerosmith album Music From Another Dimension.

Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine understands why WASP fans through stones at his band in Croatia in June. Word had gone round that Blackie Lawless’ outfit weren’t going to perform as planned, and some people concluded Megadeth had caused the cancellation. But Mustaine says: “It wasn’t our fault. We don’t decide whether WASP plays or not. The guys that acted out there had been out in the sun drinking and they thought it was a novel way to express their disdain. I understand – I would have handled it a bit different. I’m not a pussy who throws rocks at artists.” [Powerline]

Soundgarden‘s comeback album King Animal will come with five bonus tracks in its Best Buy deluxe edition. Along with the 13 standard tracks the version will include demos of Black Saturday, Worse Dreams, By Crooked Steps, Bones of Birds and A Thousand Days Before.

Former Uriah Heep vocalist John Lawton will release concept album The Power Of Mind on November 12. The record is described as “an exploration into the science of positive thinking.” The material was conceived, written and produced by Dr Milen Vrabevski and performed by Lawton and Bulgarian group Diana Express. Lawton says: “It’s a concept album with positive thinking being the theme. In the world of today I don’t think there are many better things to focus on.”

The controversial original cover of Appetite For Destruction has landed Guns n’Roses in trouble again. A Las Vegas civic executive says the city now regrets renaming a street after the band’s track Paradise City. It follows complaints about the use of Robert Williams’ painting of a robot rapist to promote GnR’s month-long Vegas residency. Clark County commissioner Mary Beth Scow says: “I hadn’t seen the advertising – It’s clearly inappropriate. Maybe it’s the risk of doing business with a rock band, but I guess we’ll have some remorse over this decision. It’s a lesson learned.” The artwork was used in early prints of the band’s first album but moved to its interior after a series of complaints. [Las Vegas Sun]