Newsbites: Slayer’s King doubts Hanneman spider bite

Sidelined: Jeff Hanneman

Slayer guitarist Kerry King isn’t sure whether bandmate Jeff Hanneman’s necrotising fasciitis was really caused by a spider bite. The infection meant Hanneman lost most of the flesh in his right arm and, 18 months later, he still hasn’t recovered sufficiently to rejoin the band. King says: “I didn’t even think we had that kind of spider in California. I think it’s speculation, because his arm was so fucked up I can’t imagine them finding where they think it started. You can get scratched by a nail, you can get scratched by anything, and if you don’t take care of it, it’s going to turn into something like that. But whatever got him, he had the disease.” [Artisan News]

Mike Patton has restated his conviction that Faith No More will not make another album, despite having reunited in 2010 and played a number of shows since then. The singer explains: “We’re pretty happy with just touring. There was talk, ‘Should we write new stuff?’ We all looked at each other and said, ‘Nah, fuck it.’” But he adds: “We did work up one new little think and that was really energising.” [News Online]

Slash doesn’t sing during live shows because he makes enough noise without being musical about it, he’s revealed. “I just play guitar, but what happens is I hit the guitar and I yell,” he says. “It’s just a guttural kind of thing. Eventually I lose my voice until it comes back again. It’s like tennis players – that’s how hard I hit.” [Triplem]

Former Great White singer Jack Russell believes the Station night club fire in 2003, in which guitarist Ty Longley and 99 others died, has been a significant contributor to his drink and drug problems. Russell says: “I have to admit that it has a lot to do with it. I’ve been through numerous counselling sessions about that. That was put on my shoulders. And at first I made comments like, ‘Well, I’ve got big shoulders,’ but in the end, nobody can handle something like that. Every time someone wants me to talk about the fire, I just can’t anymore – no matter what I say, I hurt somebody’s feelings. I don’t say something right, or somebody doesn’t think I’m remorseful when I should be. This was really, really hard on me. And it was harder on most people than it was on me. Nobody got out of that place unscarred. But there was nothing I could have done about it. If there was, I would have.” [Blabbermouth]

Dave Mustaine will take a break from making controversial statements to start work on Megadeth‘s next album. The band meet with producer Johnny K to commence pre-production today. Mustaine says the follow-up to Thirteen “should be a very interesting record.”

Green Day are rumoured to be making a guest appearance at this weekend’s Reading festival after frontman Billie Joe Armstrong tweeted: “Hello England! What rhymes with shredding?” although the comment was soon deleted. The band are in the UK to play a show in London tonight.

Paul Stanley says newest Kiss members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have made it possible from him and Gene Simmons to stop living a lie. The frontman explains: “There’s a vitality and a joy that have been sorely lacking for as long as I can remember – and longer than the public will ever know. We’ve always tried to paint a picture of four guys who loved each other. We created a mythology that came back to bite us in the ass because it wasn’t all true. And unfortunately, some of the people who were part of the story actually believed it.” [Noisecreep]

Claudio Sanchez decided to split Coheed and Cambria‘s upcoming album The Afterman into two releases so people have time to absorb his musical message. The mainman explains: “I want listeners to be able to digest everything and not get too overwhelmed. Today there are different challenges when it comes to people’s time. I’m a little apprehensive about putting too much out there at once.” He adds: “The first album offers a sort of sonic cliffhanger which I really think will leave the listener wanting more.” [Noisecreep]

A previously unreleased recording of Joe Strummer performing just five weeks before his death has been made public to mark what would have been his 60th birthday. The version of Johnny Appleseed was played by his post-Clash outfit the Mescaleros on November 15, 2002, in Acton Town Hall. Strummer died on December 22 that year. Hear the track at RollingStone.com.