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Mike Campbell has released a new song with his Dirty Knobs band, titled “Heart of the Heartland.”

“‘Heart of the Heartland’ is a song I’m very proud of,” Campbell said in a press release. “It’s kind of like a travelogue through the middle of America. The music is very simple, but the lyrics refer to a lot of American landscapes and sentiments. Many of the images are drawn from things I’ve seen in my travels through the heartland over the years. It was also really fun to have strings on the song, thanks to Patrick Warren’s arrangement.”

You can listen to the single below.

READ MORE: Tom Petty Album Opening Songs Ranked

“Heart of the Heartland” comes just before Campbell and the Knobs will kick off a North American tour on June 7 in Toronto. The trek will include two concerts with Chris Stapleton in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as several co-headlining shows with Blackberry Smoke.

A complete list of tour dates can be viewed below.

Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs, 2025 North American Tour Dates
June 7 — Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall
June 10 — London, ON @ London Music Hall
June 12 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
June 13 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
June 15 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater
June 17 — Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre
June 19 — Calgary, AB @ Bella Concert Hall
June 20 — Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall
June 22 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
June 27 — Omaha, NE @ Memorial Park
July 25 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium †
July 26 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium †
July 29 — Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
July 31 — Lewiston, NY @ Artpark†
August 1 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE †
August 2 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! †
August 3 — Roanoke, VA @ The Berglund Performing Arts Theatre †
August 5 — North Charleston, SC @ Firefly Distillery †
August 7 — Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater †
August 8 — Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre †
August 9 — Atlanta, GA @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park †
August 10 — Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater †
August 13 — Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
August 14 — Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre

*with Chris Stapleton
†with Blackberry Smoke and Shannon McNally

Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers: Where Are They Now?

The surviving members continue to forge new paths. 

Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Here it is – your chance to win a Metallica Load Deluxe Box set. This contest comes to you courtesy of the folks at Loudwire Nights and Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio shows.

Metallica are in the process of revisiting the classic 1996 album and their Deluxe Box Set is something pretty expansive and spectacular. It comes with a whopping 301 tracks, 245 of which have been previously unreleased. And in a package that weighs in at over ten pounds, you can say this truly is some heavy metal.

The album was produced by Bob Rock and featured the standout singles “Until It Sleeps,” “Hero of the Day” and “King Nothing.” Plus, on this set for the first time, you’ll hear the original extended version of “The Outlaw Tom,” which was edited upon the album’s initial release due to manufacturing limits.

The deluxe box set includes the Load album remastered on 180-gram double LP vinyl and on CD. There’s a “Mama Said” picture disc, three live LPs, 15 CDs and four DVDs that feature unreleased live shows, rough mixes, demos and more.

There’s also an MP3 download card of all the audio, two tour laminates, an 11″ x 17″ Lollapalooza poster, a Pushead patch, an 8″ X 10″ Rolling Stone magazine cover print, a five-pack of guitar and bass picks, a pack of 14 Rorshach Test cards, a lyric folder and sheets and a 128-page hardcover book with previously unseen photos and stories from that era.

One lucky winner will receive the Metallica Load Deluxe Box Set, but there will also be five runners up that will be chosen to receive remastered vinyl 2LP versions of Load as well. The double LP set is on 180-gram vinyl with a gatefold jacket and two printed inserts along with the MP3 download card.

READ MORE: Biggest Selling Metal Album of All-Time Achieves New Milestone

So how do you enter? Be sure to use the entry form at the bottom of this post. We’ll collect your contact details and reach out if you are chosen to win the box set or one of the vinyl remasters. But you shouldn’t delay. This contest runs through the morning on Monday, June 16 and you’ll want to get your details in before the time runs out.

And just this reminder, you can hear Metallica’s music playing on both Loudwire Nights With Chuck Armstrong and Ultimate Classic Rock Nights with Matt Wardlaw.

Every Thrash Metal ‘Big 4’ Album Ranked

Every album by Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax get ranked worst to best.

Contributions by Philip Trapp, Ed Rivadavia, Jordan Blum, Ayron Rutan and Joe DiVita.

Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Paul Rodgers began performing at the age of 13, and by the time he was 14, he was earning a living as a professional musician. That’s no easy feat, but Rodgers parlayed that into a halcyon career in music as frontman for Free, Bad Company, The Firm, Queen, and as a solo artist.

For those reasons, when Rodgers had the chance to join The Changels, a children’s choir consisting of 8- to 12-year-olds for a rendition of Bad Company’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy” for a session in support of the Adopt the Arts Foundation, it was all-too easy for him to say, “Yes.”

Rodger’s stepping up to the plate in support of young people being involved in music is integral, as modern society often casts aside music education. But not Rodgers. “There’s lot of options inside the music business for everybody,” he tells ClassicRockHistory.com.

“The kids are learning that,” he adds. “They’re learning that you can make a living making music. And they’re learning that it’s a joyful thing to do.”

Rogers became involved through his friend, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum, who leads the choir, and had a hand in the choosing of “Rock ‘N Roll Fantasy.” And Rodgers is elated that he took the challenge on. “I’ve given it some thought,” he says. “It was just a beautiful experience.”

“Altogether, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he admits. “And I didn’t know we were going to make a video right there in the studio, which we did. But it was really just so lovely to do. I really enjoyed it, and it was very touching.”

Elsewhere, Rodgers is recovering from a myriad of health issues but is doing well. His last album was 2023’s Midnight Rose, which he’s proud of. And he’s also proud that Bad Company is finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But for now, he’s focusing on rest, rather than his next record or large-scale performances. “I’m not really on the road,” he says. “It’s very harsh on the road. You’ve got to be a tough cookie to be on the road for long. The environment is tough; it’s hard to get oxygen, like good air. It’s hard to get good sleep, good nutrition, and you’re always moving, and always have to deliver.”

“So, it’s very hard to be on the road,” he admits. “I absolutely respect anyone who is doing it, but I am quite happy to be semi-retired. I’m just doing the things that I feel good about. So, that’s where I’m at right now.”

How did you become involved with The Adopt the Arts Foundation’s project with The Changels?

Well, I have a connection with Matt Sorum down there in Palm Springs. We actually met when we did a charity show for Saving the Plaza, but that’s another story. But he does this thing with the choir and has about 90 kids in that choir. They bring such a sweet energy to this, just such young, youthful energy. It was a joy and a pleasure to take part.

And you sang on this, with the choir doing a rendition of Bad Company’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy.”

Matt asked me to sing on it! And they did one of my songs, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy,” which was lovely. So, Matt asked me to sing a little, but you know, I didn’t want to intrude. I just thought I’d find a sweet spot at the end where I could, like, fit in. Because it’s a fair deal, you know, and they did such a lovely, very sweet job.

And this is for a good cause, too. Why is this meaningful to you?

Well, for a number of reasons. I mean, as a kid growing up, music was what kept me off the streets, basically, and gave me focus. It gave me a lot, you know? Suddenly, I was playing bass in a band, and it was quite unbelievable. And also, my children, you know, I’ve got three kids, and they’re very interested in music.

My daughter, Natalie, is a homemaker, although she could also be a musician. I keep telling her she’s got a great voice, but she’s not really interested in it. And my other two kids, Steve and Jasmine, they, actually, Jasmine has been on tour with her band Bôa, who have a platinum album. So, there’s a lot of places you can go with music.

While working with these youngsters, did you get the sense that you were looking at the next generation of great recording artists?

I absolutely did. I mean, some of them are astounding. They’re really beautiful, and they put so much of their own character into it, which is important. They put that into what they’re singing, and it’s just really nice.

Who chose “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy?”

Well, they made that choice. They decided themselves, I think. Or maybe Matt decided, but it’s all a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy to me. It’s very meaningful in that respect, you know? Because everything is something of a fantasy, isn’t it? It’s very creative; they got creative with it.

Do you plan to do something like this again?

I always let music direct me in my life. That’s what I’ve always done. It’s the reason I joined Queen, the reason I formed The Firm with Jimmy Page, and everything, really. I just follow whatever appeals to me musically, because it’s what I love. That’s what I love to do, so I would be up for anything of this nature.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for the kids that you worked with, or anyone who wants to make music their career?

Sing from the heart, which they do anyway. They absolutely didn’t really need that advice, and they do that. But yeah, when you’re singing, that’s really a huge part of it for me. I can’t tell you who it is, but I’m part of a session for one of my heroes. They’re doing a tribute to one of my great heroes, and I’m proud to do that, too. I can’t say anything more about it than that, but that’s the kind of thing that I love to do.

Projects like this are also important because music education seems to be waning in our society.

Yeah, it does seem that way. I like to support that because it has been proven that when music is part of the curriculum, at the academic level, things improve overall, you know? Music is definitely mind-expanding.

Looking back on some of the highlights from your career, 2025 marks the 40^th anniversary of The Firm’s self-titled debut record. What does that record mean to you?

Well, it was a great experience pairing with Jimmy, because, well, he’s Jimmy Page, you know? And was, and he is, such a great guitarist. He could lift the entire… he would lift me, the band, the entire audience, and the whole auditorium, out into outer space. Just his playing alone was so awesome, you know? So, it was a great experience for me.

You’ve worked with guitarists ranging from Mick Ralphs to Jimmy Page to Brian May. Is there one that you enjoyed working with most?

You know, I hate to pick out one and emphasize that one person. But if there was one, it would be my first love, which was Paul Kossoff with Free, to be honest. We actually achieved fame together with Free, and that was amazing. But I’ve experienced a lot of playing with different players.

What’s the key to complementing such great players?

You adjust and you adapt. I find that everybody who plays an instrument, that’s their voice, you know? And so, mine is an actual voice, and you have a musical conversation between your voice and their instrument. And whatever it is, you know, keyboards, drums, bass, or guitar, there’s a musical conversation that goes on.

How did you learn to have that conversation?

I learned that from listening to a lot of blues records from way back. You know, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Albert King, there guys were fantastic at musical conversation. They would speak to each other and to the audience, and they would allow space for each other to express themselves. You know, “You say one thing, I say this, you say that,” and it’s a conversation. It’s a beautiful thing.

Is there a record that you’ve made that you’d pick out as the most meaningful to you?

You know, people have asked me that question before, and it’s different every day, to be honest. What it really is, you know, it’s always the one I’m currently working on. That’s what I think of, like, the last album I made, the Midnight Rose album, there’s a track on there called “Melting,” and I love that track.

I love it because it almost reminds me of the song “Bad Company,” where something is sonically drifting. It’s something like a drifting cowboy kind of thing, maybe an outlaw, maybe an early settler. You know, it’s that kind of thing. I love that scenario, and the wide-open spaces, and the lawlessness of the world at that time, well, in the West anyway.

Something that stands out is that your voice still sounds very strong. What’s your secret?

I think you have to somewhat treat it like a muscle, you know? If you go to the gym, and you get to a certain point with strength exercises, and then you don’t go for six months, and you go back and try to lift the weights that you were lifting before, you learn your lesson right there. You’re very stiff the next day. [Laughs] And it’s the same with the voice.

If you haven’t sung for a while, and then you suddenly go up and go for it like hell for leather, you’re going to feel it the next day. Your voice needs to adjust, so I find that a warm-up is very important. And I ever really do this myself, but you really should warm down, too. At the end of the show, you never feel like warming down, so it’s generally forgotten—but it shouldn’t be.

But generally, I do try to warm-up, and I do it very gently. I hear some singers who warm up like it’s a big, like revving up a Maserati from the cold, or something. You wouldn’t really do that; you want to warm it up nicely, and just rev a little, slowly. That’s what you have to do with your voice: warm it up slowly, and so you’re ready for the show when the time comes.

Finally, after far too long, Bad Company has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What does that mean to you?

I’m glad it’s happening now, while Mick Ralphs can enjoy it, too. So, that’s great, although he won’t be able to attend the induction ceremony. But Simon Kirke and I will be there. And I have to congratulate a couple of others, like Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden, and Carol Kaye, who was one of my favorite bass players. She’s amazing.

Given how long it took, did you start to wonder if Bad Company would ever actually get in?

Not really. I’m not bothered either way, to be honest. But I mean, it’s an honor. It’s definitely an honor. But I didn’t let it bother me because, really, it’s down to your connection with the crowd. You know, when I write something like “Shooting Star,” or something that was meaningful to people, that’s the reward right there, you know, when it connects to people.

Do you think you’ll perform at the ceremony?

Well, I don’t know… I don’t know if we’ll perform yet. I’m not really sure. We’ll see.

Your last solo record was 2023’s Midnight Rose. Are you working on new music, or have shows planned?

You know, I’m never far from music. But right now, I’m trying to get back to where I was. Having had a couple of strokes, a heart issue, and all that kind of stuff, you know, my health issues, basically, I have to get over, past, and beyond that. So, I’m working on my health mostly every day, and I’m kind of enjoying life in semi-retirement.

Check out similar articles on ClassicRockHistory.com Just click on any of the links below……

25 Essential Paul Rodgers Songs

Simon Kirke Of Bad Company: 10 Albums That Changed My Life

Bad Company’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums

Complete List Of Bad Company Albums And Songs

Complete List Of Bad Company Band Members

Complete List Of Free Albums And Discography

Read More: Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Read More: Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Paul Rodgers: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025

Babymetal have picked some of the choice cuts from their upcoming album Metal Forth.

Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, the J-metal trio say that their favourite team-up on the collabs-heavy effort, due out on August 8, is Song 3, which features Russian-American deathcore crew Slaughter To Prevail and recently came out as a single.

“I love every song,” Su-metal tells us, “but I love Slaughter To Prevail, Song 3. That’s a great collaboration, I think.”

Moametal then gives us her pick for the most surprising team-up on Metal Forth, naming ex-Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish, who appears alongside Poppy on From Me To U.

“I was so happy to work with Jordan Fish,” she says. “He’s a former member of Bring Me The Horizon so, when I saw him [live], he was doing great!”

Watch the full video interview with Babymetal below.

The band are also the cover stars on the current issue of Metal Hammer. Inside, they talk all about Metal Forth, including other collaborations with Bloodywood, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello and others.

Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!

The issue also features Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and The Yagas (fronted by The Conjuring actor Vera Farmiga), as well as reviews of new albums by Sleep Token, Malevolence, Volbeat and many others.

Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.

Babymetal will tour North America in June and July, supported by Black Veil Brides, Bloodywood and Jinjer. See all of their upcoming live plans below.

Babymetal talk new album Metal Forth, teaming up with Bring Me The Horizon’s Jordan Fish + more – YouTube

Watch On

Jun 13: Houston 713 Music Hall, TX ^=
Jun 14: Irving, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, TX ^=
Jun 17: Tampa Yuengling Center, FL ^=
Jun 18: Atlanta Coca-Cola Roxy, GA ^=
Jun 20: Charlotte Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre, NC ^=
Jun 21: Baltimore Pier Six Pavilion, MD ^=
Jun 24: New York The Theater at Madison Square Garden, NY ^=
Jun 25: Boston MGM Music Hall at Fenway, MA ^=
Jun 27: Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena, UT ^=
Jun 28: Philadelphia TD Pavilion at The Mann Center, PA ^=
Jun 30: Laval Place Bell, Canada ^=

Jul 02: Toronto Coca-Cola Coliseum, Canada ^=
Jul 03: Sterling Heights Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, MI ^=
Jul 05: Milwaukee Summerfest, WI *
Jul 06: St. Louis, MO – Saint Louis Music Park, MO +=
Jul 08: Chicago Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, IL +=
Jul 09: Minneapolis The Armory, MN +=
Jul 11: Denver The JunkYard, CO +=
Jul 14: Vancouver Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center, Canada +=
Jul 15: Kent accesso ShoWare Center, WA +=
Jul 17: San Francisco The Masonic, CA +=
Jul 20: Las Vegas Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino, NV +=
Jul 21: Salt Lake City Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, UT +=
Jul 23: Phoenix Arizona Financial Theatre, AZ +=

^ Black Veil Brides supporting
+ Jinjer supporting
= Bloodywood supporting

Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal’s most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you’re into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you’ll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.

Few people have shaped metal like Sharon Osbourne. For more than 45 years, she’s successfully steered the career of her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, but that’s only one of her many achievements. By creating Ozzfest in 1996, she became responsible for some of the most stacked bills in the genre’s history, and gave a platform to rising bands such as Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, who would go on to runaway success. With The Osbournes, she helped pioneer modern reality television, turning her family into unlikely TV stars and ultimately taking metal to the White House.

It was inevitable Sharon would go into showbusiness, because she was born into it. She learned her trade from her father, a notorious hardman manager nicknamed ‘The Al Capone Of Pop’, but broke away from him when she started working with Ozzy following his dismissal from Black Sabbath. She would go on to marry him, but also save his life, putting an end to his fears about being a washed-up has-been by turning him into a solo star who became bigger than his former band.

Throughout Ozzfest, The Osbournes, Ozzy’s return to Sabbath, and a career in TV, Sharon’s remained fiercely loyal to her husband, even though their relationship has sometimes been fraught. Modern metal wouldn’t be the same without her. And, she says, she’s grateful to have lived through its evolution.

“The 70s and 80s were just incredible. And to be in the music industry at that time when there was so much true talent around… People were pioneers. It was like the movie industry in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. It will never be that way again, and the music industry is not the same,” she says. “I read something the other day, and it said, ‘I know that I’m old, but at least I lived in the world when it was a great place to live.’”

Your dad was a manager in the 60s. What were your first memories of music and being around musicians?

“It was just normal. I was born into the industry because my father was in the industry, my mother was in the industry, and going back over 100 years, my grandmother was. So I’m a sort of industry brat. I was sent to drama school at the age of 10. It’s all I knew. I didn’t have the normal family, where parents would plan birthday parties and how great it was going to be at Christmas. My dad was working at Christmas, and we’d be on the road with him.”

Was there an option of not following your dad into the family business, or was it always: ‘This is what’s going to happen?’

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“This is what is going to happen. I didn’t know – because I wasn’t brought up the normal way a child in the 50s and 60s would’ve been brought up, because I was always out late and watching shows – there were no nannies in those days. Wherever my parents went I tagged along, and if I happened to fall asleep in the back of a car or at a gig, I fell asleep.”

What was the best lesson you learned from your dad?

“That you’ve got to fight. That you can’t let people take advantage of you. My father was extremely confrontational. At times he took it too far. But in those days there were no laws, no rules. The music industry was like the Wild West
as far as taking care of artists and their contracts.”

Was there anything that you remember seeing that really stuck with you in his business dealings?

“Terrible fights, threats, but none of it fazed me because I was so used to it. The times I heard my dad say, ‘I’m going to kill you, I’m going to do this to you’ – not to me, but to the people in the industry. But that’s the way it was.”

Who was the first artist you managed?

“The first person I managed was [Northern Irish guitarist] Gary Moore. He was touring with Thin Lizzy at the time. And Gary, who I owe a lot to because he believed in me, did a very naughty thing, which was very unprofessional – he left Thin Lizzy in the middle of a tour of America. And he kind of knocked on my door in the middle of the night and said, ‘I’ve left, will you manage me?’”

You mentioned him believing in you. What was it like being a woman back then and trying to be a manager?

“It was very hard, because women in the music industry were secretaries. Women didn’t do management. For me, it was, ‘You’re only here because of your father. You have to talk to her, you’ve got to be nice because otherwise the father will beat the shit out of me.’”

In one sense it can help being known. In the other sense, you’ve got to really prove yourself if people think you’re only there because of your father.

“You have to. You’ve got to know more and you’ve got to be stronger and you’ve got to be ballsier. It was all about going to a [football] game, then we’ll go to a strip club, then we’ll do coke. I couldn’t be in that group with the men – I didn’t want to. I never took a drug at that point in my life because it was taboo with my father, and I wasn’t interested anyway. When I saw people smoking, I thought they were fucking insane.”

When did you first hear Black Sabbath, and what did you think of them?

“I was 18 when I first heard of Black Sabbath, and I saw them at the Marquee. I had never heard anything like it – it was so different. At first I was like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ And then I saw Ozzy come out and the way he was performing. My whole thing was, I loved to see the singer with three back-up singers doing dances in evening suits. Maybe a bit of a brass section. And it was like, ‘What the fuck?’ And then I got into it. It was one of those magic nights where the Marquee was sweating.”

What was it like when you took over managing Ozzy, after he was fired from Sabbath in 1979? He’s talked about being in a really bad place at that time with drugs and alcohol.

“I didn’t understand at that time in my life about alcoholism and drug addiction. I just thought people did too much of it and they could stop at any time they wanted, but they just didn’t want to. And Ozzy was in the worst time of his life. He thought, ‘It’s all over, I’ll go back to Birmingham and sit in the pub all day.’ And I said to him, ‘You can do it. You can definitely do it.’ And he didn’t think it would ever be a reality, and then look what happened. It was like something from a movie.”

You were the one that encouraged him and made it happen.

“I gave him the comfort of friendship, and trying to build that self esteem. And then when we met Randy, it was just like the perfect combination of somebody who was gentle and would give Ozzy the time. And again, give him the encouragement and nurture him. It was like this younger guy coming into Ozzy’s life that was such a calming influence.”

Randy was killed in a terrible plane accident while he was on tour with Ozzy, which must have been incredibly tough. How did you deal with it?

“It was devastating. The whole scenario was like a horror movie. And it was my best friend too, a woman who’d taken care of me in America [Rachel Youngblood]. She worked for me. She was older than I was and she was in the plane with Randy. So we had two people that we were so close to.”

Ozzy got back on track and became a solo star in his own right. Do you feel you got the credit for that?

“We were a team. I never thought, ‘What about me?’ I just used to get amazing feelings of seeing him onstage and seeing the crowd adoring him and knowing that we were right. It was amazing times to be at Rock In Rio [in 1985], and you’re there with Queen and Ozzy and all the great bands in the world. It was a week of partying and going to each other’s suites in the hotels, and up and down the elevators and staying in the bars all night. It was constant good times.”

Did you ever think about walking away from management when you had your kids Aimee, Kelly and Jack?

“No, because we had to survive. And I had to work harder for my kids because we had to have nannies, unfortunately. That was my own making. I managed my husband and I had three children. Six pregnancies – I lost three and I had three. We built our own little family. People that have just been amazing, that have been with us for years that worked for us, but with us, you know? We still have the same team of people with us, which we’re blessed for.”

Where did the idea for Ozzfest come from, and how difficult was it to get off the ground?

“It came from Lollapalooza, because I wanted Ozzy on Lollapalooza. And the response back was, ‘He’s not relevant.’ Because Lollapalooza, when it started, was all very grand and all very Seattle – they were musical snobs. So I said, ‘Fuck off, we’ll do our own and it will be a metal festival.’”

What was it like backstage on Ozzfest?

“It was brilliant. For 23 years, it was like summer camp. There was one band in particular who I just always adored, and I got the honour of working with them for a while, which was Motörhead [who played Ozzfest in 1998]. I just loved Lemmy to death. Loved him. And I loved Philthy, too.”

The Osbournes was a huge cultural phenomenon. What was it like to be in the thick of it?

“It was a great experience. It was something that we could all do as a family. Apart from my eldest daughter [Aimee], who didn’t want to be a part of it. It was a great experience, but it had to end. It was something that you couldn’t keep going on and on and on because it wasn’t the real world, you know?”

What do you mean by that?

“It’s the bullshit world where people you don’t even know will invite you to Russia for a party and fly you there, and they want to show you off that you came to their party in Russia. I mean, we got invited to the White House. It’s like, ‘Why the fuck do you want to talk to us? It’s nice for you to invite us, but what the fuck do you want to talk to us about?’ It’s not the real world. It was time to get back to reality.”

When you were diagnosed with cancer in 2002, you chose to carry on The Osbournes. Why did you feel that was important?

“Because I didn’t want my kids and my husband to know how sick I was. When you say ‘cancer’, everybody always thinks ‘death’. And you’ve got to remember it was 23 years ago. At that point, cancer wasn’t the same as it is now. So everybody always thought it was a death sentence and I didn’t want my kids to have fear constantly surrounding them. I didn’t want it. And I thought, ‘Fuck it.’”

You’ve had bust-ups with several musicians over the years, including Billy Corgan, who is on the line-up for the final Sabbath show. Have you ever thought, ‘I wish I hadn’t said that’, or you went too far?

“Of course. Billy is a very, very bright, artistic person. I managed him and we fell out. I’m too confrontational and pushy for Billy. But I still respect him as an artist for what he’s achieved. And he’s an alright guy. I did his podcast [The Magnificent Others] last year. And he’s a brilliant, brilliant interviewer. I said to him, ‘Come and join us.’ And he took the invitation gracefully.”

Do you think that people are scared of you?

“Yeah, I think that a lot of people are. Because the thing is, I’ll tell on you. Things that you’ve done, things that I know about you, if you rattle my cage, I will tell. I don’t give a shit. It’s not like I’m trying now to earn a living or I’m trying to better my life, trying to be the most powerful woman in the industry. I’m happy with my lot in life, because I can look at myself in the mirror at night and go, ‘God I need another face lift.’ And go, ‘Alright, I’m alright.’ You look at the billionaires in the world today, how dangerous they all are because they’re all power hungry. And I’ve never wanted that. But if you fuck with me, I’ll tell on you.”

What do people get wrong about you?

“I had a huge, huge to-do with a manager over this celebration for Ozzy and Sabbath. And it was probably the worst way I’ve felt in years. And I don’t care what this person says about me, thinks about it, because he doesn’t know me. And he’s now going around making up bullshit lies because I threw his band off the bill. I don’t care what people say. Because do you know what? I don’t love them. I care about people who love me, what they say about me. You can’t care what an industry says, because you don’t love them, so how can it hurt you? It doesn’t.”

I know there were issues with Iron Maiden in the past…

“I love Iron Maiden, it’s just the singer because he was so horribly disrespectful. But if you’re going to take Ozzy’s money, and play before him every night of a festival [the 2005 Ozzfest], and you’re bad-mouthing him to
the crowd, you’ve got to pay. So I had him pelted with cans of baked beans that were open, and cut his sound.”

So the band you’re talking about isn’t Maiden?

“Oh god, no. Ozzy only has respect for the guys in Maiden. And he didn’t even know what Bruce was doing. I never told him, until the night that it happened when it was the last show, and he just looked at me and goes, ‘You’re terrible.’”

Do you think things have changed for women in the music industry since you started out?

“Oh yes, it’s brilliant for women in the music industry, it’s absolutely brilliant. You have to be brighter than the men, cleverer than the men, and they can never, ever take you down. You’ve got to be fearless. And there’s so many great women lawyers and women that run labels and women managers. I absolutely love to see it.”

Looking back, what’s your proudest achievement?

“Oh Jesus Christ. I honestly don’t know. Probably Ozzfest, because it passed the torch. So many great bands came out of Ozzfest that are still going today and still so relevant.”

Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final show takes place on July 5 at Villa Park, Birmingham

Eleanor was promoted to the role of Editor at Metal Hammer magazine after over seven years with the company, having previously served as Deputy Editor and Features Editor. Prior to joining Metal Hammer, El spent three years as Production Editor at Kerrang! and four years as Production Editor and Deputy Editor at Bizarre. She has also written for the likes of Classic Rock, Prog, Rock Sound and Visit London amongst others, and was a regular presenter on the Metal Hammer Podcast. 

Creeper are teasing the next phase of their career with the release of new single Headstones, the first offering from their forthcoming record Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death, the follow-up to 2023’s Sanguivore.The newly-released video for the song opens with a graphic stating “Chapter 1. the world in corruption, evil is everywhere, darkness spreads across everything” before vocalist William Von Ghould sings the memorable opening lyric “Spat out of heaven, now we are all hell bound.”

The vocalist says, “Headstones is the first glimpse into Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death. Set in a blood-drenched vision of the 1980s, it follows a vampire rock band on a tour soaked in violence and excess. It features some of our heaviest and most theatrical guitar work yet, echoing Iron Maiden, with Lawrie Pattison and Ian Miles trading solos in the bridge. It’s also the fastest single we’ve released in years.

“Lyrically, it sets the stage for what’s to come in the album’s narrative, exploring the dark perils of rock ’n’ roll, sins of the flesh, and pure evil. This is the band at its most over-the-top and unashamedly dramatic. But as our hero Jim Steinman once said, ‘Sometimes going all the way is just the start’.”

Watch the video below:

Creeper – Headstones (Official Video) – YouTube

Watch On

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Back in 2023, Louder‘s Merlin Alderslade hailed Sanguivore as “not just the most spectacular work of their career, but the most irresistibly anthemic, fabulously flamboyant dark rock opera you’re likely to hear this year.”

As with its predecessor, Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death is produced by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Ghost, Killing Joke). No release date has been set yet for the album, but the band state on Instagram that it will arrive “this Halloween season”.

Creeper will play Bloodstock festival in the UK this summer, and support Ice Nine Kills on their four-date UK arena tour in December.

The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

Black Sabbath‘s final show will now be live streamed for fans across the world to watch at home.

The Back to the Beginning concert will take place on July 5 in Birmingham, England and feature the original lineup of the band – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – performing together for the first time since 2005.

Osbourne, Iommi and Butler have toured repeatedly without Ward, most recently on their 2016-2017 The End tour. The upcoming show has been described as Osbourne’s last-ever live performance. The singer has been battling a series of health issues in recent years, including a 2020 Parkinson’s diagnosis.

They’ll be joined by some of rock and metal’s biggest names, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon, Sammy Hagar and more.

The show is being billed as a celebration, with the openers performing covers of Sabbath and Osbourne songs in addition to their own material. For example, Hagar has said that he will be performing “Flying High Again” from 1981’s Diary of a Madman. Due to his health, Osbourne himself is only expected to perform in a limited capacity.

“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath, but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” the singer explained on a recent episode of his SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”

Read More: 15 Farewell Tours That Weren’t Actually Goodbye

Live stream tickets for the Back to the Beginning show are on sale for $29.99 now at BacktotheBeginning.com. The show will start Saturday, July 5 at 3:00PM BST (10:00 AM EST.)

46 Farewell Tours: When Rock Stars Said Goodbye

They said it was the end, but it wasn’t really.

Gallery Credit: Matt Wardlaw

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Blondie Chaplin is suddenly very busy again, years after he rose to stateside notice during long associations with the Rolling Stones and and Beach Boys.

He’s featured vocalist on a new album by the New York City-based Tasty Kings with players boasting connections to the Stones, Bob Dylan and the Faces. Chaplin is also headlining a charity Beach Boys tribute show in Los Angeles set for July 3, 2025, at the Canyon in Agoura.

A former child star in his native South Africa, Chaplin rose to local fame with the Flames before appearing on a trio of Beach Boys recordings in the early ’70s, Carl and the Passions – So Tough, Holland and The Beach Boys in Concert. So, he says he wasn’t intimidated. “Obviously, you know, it’s the Beach Boys and they have their baggage and fame and everything like that,” Chaplin tells UCR, “but you know, I’ve been singing since I was 12 in South Africa, right?”

READ MORE: Beach Boys’ Best Post-‘Pet Sounds’ Songs

He took part in Brian Wilson‘s solo tours with other Beach Boys alumni from 2013 until Wilson left the road in 2022, stopping for a memorable studio collaboration on 2015’s No Pier Pressure. In between, Chaplin toured and recorded with the Rolling Stones for 15 years, appearing on 1997’s Bridges to Babylon and 2005’s A Bigger Bang, and then on Keith Richards‘ 2015 solo album Crosseyed Heart.

The Los Angeles tribute concert will include the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Stephen Kalinich, who co-wrote Beach Boys songs on 1968’s Friends and 1969’s 20/20. Other performers include Brian Wilson’s daughters, Carnie and Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips, and Wilson’s granddaughter, American Idol contestant Lola Bonfiglio. Proceeds go to the Get Together Foundation, which raises money to aid the homeless, victims of fire and others.

The Tasty Kings record, helmed by singer-songwriter Andrew Morse, was recorded over many years and includes contributions by Chaplin’s long-time Stones touring mate Darryl Jones on bass. Native Tongue also features Keith Richards’ drummer Charley Drayton and Dylan collaborators Charlie Sexton and Tony Garnier. Two tracks were completed with turns by the late keyboardist Ian McLagan of the Small Faces and Faces.

A narrative through line is provided by Chaplin’s still-resonant vocals, with “Maybe I’m a Queen” as an album highlight. “Hearing Blondie sing it really opened it up, gave it more depth,” Morse said in an official statement. “For someone who played midnight gigs at the age of 12 in 1963 South Africa, you’d think Blondie could be jaded. But his eyes are clear, his voice is raw, and he conducts this song in a sacred tone.”

In this interview, Chaplin discusses the differences between working with the Rolling Stones and Beach Boys, the long-awaited critical reassessment of Holland, and how he got involved with Andrew Morse and the Tasty Kings’ Native Tongue:

It’s a treat to hear you singing and singing so well again. The Native Tongue album took about 10 years to complete, but you got involved more recently. What attracted you to Andrew Morse’s songs?

I was brought in just to sing some of the songs and make it more palatable as far as, you know, he’s got some good words and stuff like that but I think he needed somebody to kind of make the words come alive a little bit. I was happy to take part in it and kind of bend the words a little bit and have some fun. I came in to try and just see how it fit for a couple of songs, but I ended up doing the whole album.

Did you record in the studio with Morse or were these songs completed through file sharing?

No, it was in the studio. I had to go up to Austin, Texas, and meet him and then try a few songs and then I ended up going there for a few weekends in a row and kind of getting involved, finishing it and playing a little guitar.

Watch Blondie Chaplin in Tasty Kings’ ‘Maybe I’m a Queen’ Video

It doesn’t surprise me. There’s such an emotional quality to the performances that it very much felt like an in-person recording.

Yeah, that’s pretty much what it was, you know, just go up there and it’s a nice little studio, hang out, and I hadn’t worked in Austin before so I got a chance to kind of look around and get a vibe for the city, you know what I mean?

What’s your favorite song on ‘Native Tongue’? Which one meant the most to you?

I like “Maybe I’m a Queen,” not because they’re pushing it, but it was nice to sing it. It was very easy to sing and I kind of felt the words a whole lot more. There are others, but that one was good. “Done and Dusted” was good, as well. “George Floyd” was always pretty emotional, you know what I mean?

The album has several other connections with the Rolling Stones, which I found interesting. ‘Native Tongue’ often took me back to the period when you were with the band. I wondered how your experience with the Stones was different than when you worked with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.

Oh, those are two different worlds, Nick. The Stones are nice to record with because, you know, they do things but it’s very easy. So it’s not like everything is set in one direction or the other. They always had a lot of freedom to bend things, you know what I mean? With the Beach Boys, things were kind of pretty much set from Brian and what have you. There were just different ways of working. The Beach Boys thing was kind of set and the Stones much more looser – and you can hear it in the music. It’s not that the Beach Boys weren’t fun, but it’s a whole lot more fun with the Stones. Yeah, very loose.

My understanding with “Sail On, Sailor,” your signature Beach Boys song, was that it was initially going to be sung by Dennis Wilson, but he decided to go surfing instead.

Yeah, well, he was there with his new – I think he had a new truck and his board was in the back and [producer] Carl [Wilson] wanted him to try it. And he was like, “Oh, man, Carl, the surf’s up and I got my new board and the truck’s looking good. And I don’t know, maybe I’ll go and do some surfing.” He tried maybe a verse and said, “This is not my timbre.” Then Carl tried it, which was more like what it was going to be but he didn’t like his timbre either. So there’s only me that was left standing around – so there we go. I tried and sang it a couple of times, and that was the result of what people hear.

Watch the Beach Boys’ ‘Sail On, Sailor’ Video

It’s amazing that “Sail On, Sailor” came together so quickly, because it seems like there would be a real challenge in taking over on that song – just because there are so many words.

Hey, talk about tongue-twisting! It’s not easy when you have so many words. I made it sound easy but it’s probably just because – I don’t know, I just had to bend into it and I was young enough to make it sound okay.

You started working with the Beach Boys after they caught a performance by the Flames in Kensington and came away impressed. What was your first session like?

The first song I sang with Brian and them was “He Come Down” [from 1972’s Carl and the Passions – So Tough], a gospel-y kind of thing that Brian wanted me to sing, to sing a part of that. Obviously, you know, it’s the Beach Boys and they have their baggage and fame and everything like that but you know, I’ve been singing since I was 12 in South Africa, right? When I started with a band called Flames, I was 14. So, I was used to singing in different situations or, you know, making things work as far as the voice is concerned. So, it didn’t intimidate me too much. I just relied on what I’ve always done. It was good to see and meet Brian for the first time and, you know, we’re still in touch.

Brian Wilson wasn’t always around, but he made some notable contributions to “Funky Pretty” from the Holland sessions. What was it like to be up close as he was constructing and arranging songs?

That was great. I think it was “Funky Pretty” that I best remember – because, you know, he didn’t like to fly. So, they got him on a plane and he came to Holland and “Funky Pretty” was a really nice, special treat to watch him work and throw voices around – and, you know, everybody had a voice to do something. People got around the microphone and started doing their part in singing. It was like magic. All of a sudden, everything made sense. Everything was going left, right, center, counter this, counter that. So that was a special feeling to watch him work and see him lift a song, just by directing each person to do a voice. Then just having it come together was quite fantastic.

Listen to the Beach Boys’ ‘Funky Pretty’

You reunited with Brian Wilson for several tours and the song “Sail Away” on ‘No Peer Pressure’ from a few years back – I guess 10, now.

Wow, that many years, huh? That’s pretty amazing.

Yeah, 2015. Did you guys just simply pick up where you left off?

Because he hadn’t heard me sing for a while, he wanted to hear the sound and timbre of my voice. So he brought me into the studio to do some singing – and, you know, we hit it off alright. Brian likes the voice. He loves me playing guitar as well, but he’s a voice guy. So he was very pleased to hear me sound, I’ll just say, halfway decent after all those years. He was very happy about that. So, he was behind the controls, directing, you know, making sure my pitch was good and everything like that. It was a nice meeting after all those years.

You co-wrote two songs that were on ‘Carl and the Passions’ and, of course, the great “Leaving This Town” on ‘Holland.’ I wondered what made you think those songs would work for the Beach Boys?

I didn’t know. Carl was the one that got us going to write a few things and encouraged us. At that time, he wanted to just open it up a bit for us – [fellow Flames alum] Ricky Fataar and myself – and just get us more involved, because he loved us from the Flames. He just wanted us to get more involved and encouraged us to do some writing. He was involved in helping us write those, especially “Leaving This Town.” [Holland bonus track] “We Got Love” is another one. So, I’ll blame him for helping us get it going, you know? It was such an interesting time.

This era was due for a reappraisal that finally came with the six-disc box set ‘Sail On Sailor: 1972′ in 2022.

You know what’s funny, Nick? I mean, that was how long ago now, right? That was ’72, ’73? I would have never thought – I mean, it has legs. “Sail On, Sailor,” the whole Holland album, it stands out and stands up as one of the better ones. At the time, I mean, it sounded pretty good but I would never have thought now, like 50 years later, everybody talks about how pivotal it was in their catalog. So, I’m quite flattered with that. But I would have never thought it had legs.

“Sailor” was the one that kicked it open, because the album wouldn’t have even been out if we didn’t go back and do that song. Nobody wanted to put out the Holland album because there weren’t any turntable songs, so to speak, to play on the radio or anything like that. Even then, it didn’t go so high in the charts but, after 50 years, it seems like everybody knows that song or has heard it somewhere. So, I’m quite happy to be associated with that.

Watch Blondie Chaplin Perform ‘Sail Away’ With Brian Wilson

Cathy Richardson has been fronting Jefferson Starship since 2008, but she still feels like the new guy “all the time.”

“It always makes me roll my eyes when people are like, ‘You’re no Grace Slick and you never will be!'” Richardson recently told UCR. “It’s like, well, okay, of course, but it doesn’t mean I don’t belong here.”

Richardson has been building her career in rock ‘n’ roll since the early ’90s when she got involved in the Chicago music scene with her own group, the Cathy Richardson Band, and co-wrote some songs with Jim Peterik of Survivor. In 2001, she played Janis Joplin in the original off-Broadway run of Love, Janis, a role she took after Joplin visited her in a dream. “She f***ing picked me, you know?” Richardson told UCR.

Getting to the point she is now hasn’t come without its share of obstacles. Being a gay woman in rock was not, in Richardson’s words, a “huge secret” as her career progressed, but she was publicly outed by the press in Chicago and chose not to talk about it much. “I was just afraid to come out because I didn’t want people throwing beer bottles at me,” she says.

Richardson is now married and shares two children with her wife, Rachel,  She’ll also be on the road with Jefferson Starship this summer. In honor of Pride Month, UCR caught up with Richardson to chat about continuing the band’s legacy as a non-original member and being a gay woman not just in rock music, but in today’s America, too. 

Jefferson Starship has a bunch of gigs lined up with Kansas, .38 Special and some other bands. What are you looking forward to the most about these upcoming shows with them?
Well, it’s really fun to go out with other bands, especially bands that you loved the music, grew up listening to, like all of these classic rock bands we’re going out with — Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Marshall Tucker Band. … I’m really excited just to hear those songs live, to meet the bands. It’s always fun to meet people who are kind of doing what you’re doing in life, because it is a unique thing being a traveling musician on the road. So I’m looking forward to making some new, great friends and getting to hear those great songs every night, and also getting to play for bigger crowds, maybe crowds who don’t know — they haven’t seen the band in a long time. You know, I’ve been in the band 17 years, but a lot of people don’t even know that the band has been touring since the ’90s and evolving with personnel changes and things. But I feel like we’re just in a really good place right now as a band, We’re playing better than ever. David Freiberg is going to turn 86, or 87, I’m sorry. He’s going to turn 87 in August. He was always kind of a sideman, utility guy in all the Jefferson Starship years. But he played bass and keys and covered a lot of the harmonies, and in our band, he sings lead, a lot of the male lead vocals and a lot of the harmonies with me. His voice is just incredible. I mean, the strength and the range he has at his age, it blows the mind. It gives me hope!

You’ve been in the band for 17 years, which is not a short amount of time at all. I mean, that’s longer than most bands stay together these days. But do you ever feel like you’re still the new guy in the band?
Oh, all the time. I know that I’m not, but people don’t know. It’s one of these things that — you know, Grace Slick is an icon, and I understand what an honor it is to to be in the band singing her songs and everything. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I mean, it’s like: Janis [Joplin], Grace and Nancy Wilson, for me. She’s just like the queen of rock and roll, and so of course, I don’t take it lightly, but I also, as a fan, I knew she never took herself that seriously to begin with. It always makes me roll my eyes when people are like, ‘You’re no Grace Slick and you never will be!’ You know? It’s like, well, okay, of course, but it doesn’t mean I don’t belong here. I mean she thinks I belong here. Paul Kantner, Donny Baldwin, David Freiberg, I mean, everybody in the band thinks I belong there. … We’ve just built it and built it and built it, I think, by turning in great shows and playing the songs people want to hear. … Our goal has been to get Jefferson Starship back to its former glory, and we’ve been doing it.

READ MORE: When Grace Slick Blasted Off During Jefferson Airplane Live Debut

What does it means to you to be in this band that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary and upholding that legacy with them?
On one hand, it’s insane if I think about it too much, but on the other hand, it feels right. I feel like I’m supposed to be here. Before I ever even had an inkling of being in the band — which was never a goal of mine, trust me on that, I always was trying to be my own artist — that I was a fan, you know? When I was a kid, I would, you know: “Mom, I’m 14, can I go to this concert?” It’s on a school night and she doesn’t want to drive, but sure, your friend’s 16-year-old sister can drive to Indiana to go see Jefferson Starship. We were probably in the last row, but the first time I saw them was 1983 and it was the version of the band that I, as a kid, loved the most, which was Paul, Grace, David, Donnie, Craig Chaquico, Pete Sears and Mickey Thomas. … Last row, I wish I could meet them, you know? Never dreaming I’m going to be the singer one day. I mean, that’s insane. [Laughs]

You wrote a song with Grace Slick in 2017 called “It’s About Time.” Back then you were inspired by the women’s marches that were going on, etc. But a lot has happened politically and socially since then, and that was a pretty hopeful song.
I still have difficulty believing that Kamala [Harris] didn’t win that election. It seemed like we had the momentum, we had the movement, we had the support, and people were psyched about it, you know, and then what? Waking up that morning was just such a harsh f***ing reality. And now I feel like we are marching backwards towards Handmaid’s Tale.

And it’s absolutely terrifying, you know, and as a gay person, I can say that I’ve been freaking out, ever since January, the day after the election, because I know what’s in Project 2025 [a political initiative led by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, outlining a reshaping of the federal government and consolidation of the executive branch in favor of right-wing policies, which President Donald Trump has attempted to distance himself from despite many of his executive orders closely aligning with the plan] and I know that they’re enacting it. They can deny it all they want and say, “I never read it,” but other people have read it, and it’s a six month plan. It takes us up to July, which is coming very quickly, and in that first six months, gay marriage is gone. That’s part of the plan.

So, I’m married. I have two children. I am on their birth certificate as co-parent, because in Illinois, that’s just what they do. But if somehow they decide that — okay, first they do what they do with Roe v. Wade, they throw it back to the States. Now, we’re so much less safe traveling around the United States of America, which is so freaking weird. Like, we did this journey! We won! We came out on top, you know? And to have people just [make] this an issue that doesn’t affect them in any way. It’s really evil and a lot of this agenda is just evil. It creates suffering, needless suffering, for people who are just trying to live their lives, and life is hard enough as it is economically and everything else without having to worry about your health or your civil rights, and your status as a citizen. It’s truly terrifying. And I’ve been making plans like — I don’t know when the moment is that I go, “Okay, guys, we’re going to Canada.”

When you were starting your career professionally, there was Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Tracy Chapman — these artists that are now considered icons of the LGBTQ community, but at that time, not exactly the same scenario. Can you talk a little bit about entering the music business in an era where that just was not talked about as openly as it is now?
I was like, hell yeah, I’m staying in the closet. I had already lived there for a long time. I worked up the courage to tell my parents, but I wasn’t ready for all that, you know? Because I did live in a very sheltered — I mean, we’re in the suburbs of Chicago — but, like, that was the big city that we would sneak off to and go to the Rock and Roll McDonald’s. I mean, that was the extent of our wild, crazy, go-to-the-city, you know? [Laughs] Just very white, very conservative, and so I was content to be in the closet, and I didn’t really want that to be my — you know, I didn’t want to be “Lesbian Singer Cathy Richardson.” It was like, well, yeah, I’m gay, but I’m a singer, and I sing about all kinds of things, and I don’t want to just be pegged as that. And I really, when I saw Melissa — actually, the first time I heard Melissa Etheridge, I got really depressed. I was like, oh, s***, she made my record before I could. But there was also other influences that I was picking up on. Like you said, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Michelle Shocked, Tracy Chapman. …

I was actually outed by the press in Chicago, and it was not like a huge secret. I had a pretty big lesbian following, but I wasn’t playing necessarily gay bars. I was playing where everybody played, where all the bands played. And so it was like, there were always a lot of lesbians at my shows [Laughs], and then I was in a relationship for 12 years. And so everybody knew [she] was my wife, not married technically, but we were together a long time, and she sold my merch. It was like everybody knew, but one day — I had said something on the radio or something. Somebody said, “Why haven’t you come out?” And I was like, “Oh, because people will kill you for less than being gay and that’s why I’ve never said anything about it.” That was on a radio show. And so the next month, the cover of the gay free newspaper — it was the music issue so they put it in every, like, Guitar Center and everything. “Cathy Richardson Comes Out” headline. And I was like, okay, well, I guess I’m out now.

After your 30 some years of experience in the industry, is there any advice that you would offer a young gay or lesbian artist who’s trying to kind of get off the ground in 2025?
It’s still an industry that boggles me, baffles me. I can give advice on how to run a band, and what to do about touring and stuff like that. I feel like, you know, just make the best music that you can, put as much as you can into making a great product as far as your recorded music, and then play live and go play those songs. Some people do it with the algorithms and stuff. I don’t really know, I’m too old to tell you about that, but I can say going out and playing is how I sold records at my shows. Going out and playing even 100 times a year in your immediate vicinity is building a following, and then the media will pay attention to you. You sell tickets, you sell records, you’re in business. That’s all I can say.

Watch Cathy Richardson Perform ‘White Rabbit’ With Jefferson Starship

Within the first ten minutes of Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which made its global debut on Wednesday at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, present day Billy Joel says something self-deprecating.

“The most original thing I’ve ever done in my life is screw up,” he says from his Long Island home. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

And So It Goes is meant to cover Joel’s entire career — though only part one of it was shown at Tribeca — including the things Joel might describe as a “screw up.” It is, after all, close to impossible to be a successful rock star without burning some bridges and hurting some people you love. Workplace hazards.

It’s fitting that this film made its debut in New York City, the place where not only Joel was born but in which he truly came into his own. He tried the California scene for a while, but as one of the film’s talking heads says, a fellow called Bruce Springsteen, Joel was a bridge-and-tunnel guy with a penchant for combining elements of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley and American Songbook influences into one, melody-focused sound that feels intrinsically New York.

“I’ve never been comfortable on camera,” Joel also says at the beginning of the film. “I can’t hide behind the piano.” To be fair, it is a lot different to be in front of a camera crew than in front of tens of thousands of fans.

What you will learn though in part one of And So It Goes, is that Joel has always been a hard worker, an obsessive when it comes to music and someone fiercely loyal to those close to him. He signed with Columbia Records because he knew they represented Bob Dylan, a man with no chart success but who was given the space and money to be himself in the studio. At another point, Joel was offered an opportunity to work with producer George Martin of Beatles fame. Joel turned it down when he learned Martin was not interested in using Joel’s band. “Love me,” he recounts saying at the time, “love my band.”

Other talking heads help to fill out the picture that is not just Billy Joel the Entertainer, but Billy Joel the boy from Hicksville: his sister Judy, his teenage best friend Jon Small (whose wife Joel swept away from him but who also later saved Joel’s life from a second suicide attempt), plus famous faces like John Mellencamp, Paul McCartney (who admits he wishes he wrote Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”), Pink, Garth Brooks, Clive Davis, Jackson Browne and others.

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Billy Joel Album

There’s also Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, the aforementioned one who was previously married to Joel’s best friend and eventually became Joel’s full-time manager. Weber, the film emphatically tells us, was his muse, bulldog, support system and fiercest champion such that it is unclear where Joel might have ended up without her.

The film’s greatest weakness is that it comes across extremely structured — first this, then that, then this — using time that could be better spent understanding how Joel channels his emotions into his creativity at the piano. As a viewer who has always considered herself a casual fan, there was much to learn about Joel’s background, upbringing and family, but nothing that could not have been read on Wikipedia. One is left more curious about how a seemingly normal, shy kid from Long Island was able to craft melodies and make recordings that have stood the test of time.

Part one ends around the time Joel and Weber split up and of 1980’s Glass Houses album. “America’s rock poet,” as one advertisement shown in the film describes him, was in the middle of a golden age.

For those seeking a more comprehensive understanding about Joel’s creative well and the process he used to become one of the best-selling recording artists in the world, And So It Goes will not open that door. But for a walk through the life of someone who strayed true to his passion even when no one believed in him — or perhaps more compelling, when everyone believed in him except for him — this documentary will do the trick.

Joel recently revealed a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder that affects cognitive abilities, balance, vision and hearing. It is often mistaken for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Joel has canceled all concert dates as a result, making this film all the more timely.

Joel’s song “Summer, Highland Falls” from 1976’s Turnstiles is played during the portion of the film dedicated to Joel’s return to New York from California in the mid ’70s. The opening lines more aptly convey the feeling of And So It Goes and, by extension, Joel’s up-and-down career and personal life: “They say that these are not the best of times / But they’re the only times I’ve ever known.”

Billy Joel: And So It Goes, will head to HBO for streaming this summer.