Jim Root Says He Already Has Six Songs For New Slipknot Album
Slipknot guitarist Jim Root shared on the “Turning Wrenches” podcast that he’s working on new music for the band’s next album. He has six finished song arrangements and four more he’s developing, which he hasn’t shown to bandmates yet. Root wants the album to feel raw, like their first two records, and hopes to take time for proper writing and pre-production. He mentioned that the band’s been busy touring since new drummer Eloy Casagrande joined in 2024, which hasn’t left a lot of time for working on new music. Slipknot’s last album, “The End, So Far,” came out in 2022, and they’re gearing up for a European tour starting June 4th.
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Classic rock gunslinger Rick Derringer died on Memorial Day. He was 77.
No cause of death was announced, but he passed away in Florida with his wife by his side. He's best known for these two hit songs. (First, the McCoys "Hang on Sloopy", which went to #1 in 1965, and his solo classic rock hit, "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" from 1973.)
Rick's talent is all over other artists' music, too. He played guitar on Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart", three Steely Dan albums, Kiss, Barbra Streisand, and more.
He also produced classics like "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride" from the Edgar Winter Group, and "Weird Al" Yankovic hits.
Rick Derringer had a rare occasion with one of his songs that ended up crossing the political aisle. In 1985, he produced the World Wrestling Federation's "The Wrestling Album". Most notable among the songs was Hulk Hogan's theme song "Real American". It would later be used by President Barack Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner when unveiling his birth certificate, then as a campaign song by Hillary Clinton, and frequently by President Donald Trump.
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How Metallica Saved a Family from a Grisly Death
Saying that someone's music "saved" you is kind of a cliché. But one family can literally say that Metallica saved them.
Kristin McKee, her husband, and their 14-year-old daughter Medeline were scheduled to attend the Metallica show in Blacksburg, Virginia on May 7th.
The night before, Kristin and her husband decided to turn in early so they could get plenty of rest before the show. Normally, they'd be up for several more hours watching TV.
But since they were in bed, they avoided the truck that crashed through their house, directly into their living room.
Kristin says, quote, "I thank God every day and Metallica for saving us because that's exactly what did it."
They didn't make the show, obviously, but Madeline wrote the band a letter thanking them for saving her parents.
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Ryan Reynolds is hosting a Nat Geo series called "Underdogs", about animals on the lowest rungs of the food chain. Green Day did the theme song.
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And now, video of a guy in a Nazi shirt getting a beat-down at a punk festival.
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Here are 40 hit songs that defined the year 1995.
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Rock Stars Who Almost Died Onstage
Rock and roll is a dangerous business. It's killed plenty of people. A few have even died onstage. And then there are these 10 rock stars who ALMOST bit it in the middle of a show:
1. Alice Cooper. He's FAKE died countless times over the course of his career. But once, his phony guillotine almost sliced his neck for real, and he's almost accidentally hung himself multiple times.
2. Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. He got BAD food poisoning during a 1995 solo tour. He ended up leaning against the amps to play, and even started hallucinating. They rushed him to the hospital, and the tour was scrapped.
3. James Hetfield. During a 1992 co-headlining tour with Guns N' Roses, James was severely burned by pyrotechnics. He got second- and third-degree burns on his arm, his hand, and the side of his face. If he'd been a few inches closer to the flame, that could have been it.
4. R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry. He had an aneurysm rupture during a show in 1995. He later said it felt like a bowling ball had hit him on the head. He left the band in 1997.
5. Keith Richards. We all know this man will never die, but the Reaper gave it his best shot in 1965. Keith got a shock from an ungrounded microphone that knocked him off his feet. He was carried off the stage, semiconscious.
6. Thom Yorke from Radiohead. During a 1993 performance at MTV's Beach House, Thom jumped into the pool mid-song. Then he got out and tried to resume singing, but a stagehand kicked the mic away before he could grab it and electrocute himself.
7. Ace Frehley. Yet another electrocution story. During a KISS show in 1976, Ace grabbed a metal handrail on a flight of stairs, completing an electrical circuit with his guitar. He says he would have died if he wasn't able to let go.
8. Frank Zappa. During a 1971 show in London, a "fan" rushed the stage and pushed Zappa into the orchestra pit. He fell 15 feet to a concrete floor, suffering multiple injuries . . . including a crushed larynx.
The attacker was jealous of Zappa because his girlfriend was a huge fan.
9. Krist Novoselic. This one happened on live TV, during the 1992 VMAs. As Nirvana was finishing up "Lithium", Krist threw his bass as high in the air as he could.
He tried to catch it, but it came down on his HEAD, giving him a deep gash and a concussion.
10. Patti Smith. During a 1977 show in Tampa, she slipped, fell off the stage and broke her neck. She needed months of physical therapy before she could return to the stage.
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