Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Barack Obama has been re-elected president and Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine is still an American citizen. The rocker, who made headlines earlier this year suggesting he might move out of the country if the president was re-elected, says his comments were primarily “stage fodder.” The vocalist tells Atlantic City Weekly about his Obama commentary in front of a Singapore audience, “A lot of that was stage fodder … I was just there marveling how beautiful Singapore is and I started thinking about how our nation is changing and I don’t know if we can handle all of the taxation. I know years ago that in England the taxes got so out of control that people left and I can see it happening here. There could be a mass exodus here.” Mustaine went on to add, “There are quite a few musicians who are blessed enough to be making $250,000 or more a year and they will be taxed. I think what will happen is that bands will be dying left and right. What’s happening now is that everything America has been built on will be destroyed.” Regardless of what happens politically, Mustaine says, “I think life will continue on. We’re a strong nation, no matter who is in the White House.” The vocalist has been quite the lightning rod in the past year for some of his comments made onstage and in interviews. However, Mustaine said in a recent interview he’s learned his lesson about voicing his thoughts. “You can’t joke around very much anymore without people misinterpreting what you’re saying,” says the vocalist. “You know, I probably should have said things differently. I probably should’ve skipped that altogether … I learned a valuable lesson from all of this stuff.” Recently, Megadeth have been revisiting their ‘Countdown to Extinction’ album on tour, and Mustaine says the feelings now are similar to when the album was first recorded. He explains, “What’s similar about now and then is that it’s a difficult time in our country. There’s extreme tension now and there was extreme tension then. Maybe that’s why ‘Countdown to Extinction’ is still resonant today.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-megadeth-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Megadeth Songs” align=”center”]
Justin Sullivan / Theo Wargo / Jason Merritt, Getty Images Being the frontman of a rock band can provide you with plenty of opportunities, including financial ones. Some rockers have benefitted more than others over the years, and Celebrity Net Worth has compiled a list of the richest rock singers, with Dave Grohl , James Hetfield , and Axl Rose among those doing well. The site compiled their list using publicly available information on salaries, real estate holdings, divorces, and endorsements as well as record sales and royalties. They then worked out a formula that subtracts taxes, manager’s fees, agents’ fees, and lifestyle to come up with their final estimate. As expected, the rockers that have been doing it the longest have amassed the biggest fortunes, with Paul McCartney leading the way at $800 million, followed by Bono at an estimated $600 million. Hard rock fans have to scroll all the way down to No. 11 on the list to find Foo Fighters singer and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, who was estimated at earning $225 million. The next highest hard rock vocalist is Metallica ‘s James Hetfield, who reportedly netted $175 million, good enough to place him at No. 17. Following closely behind is Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, who is worth $150 million, which lands him at No. 19. Other hard rock vocalists of note inside the Top 50 include: Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘ Anthony Kiedis at No. 25 with $125 million; Iron Maiden ‘s Bruce Dickinson at No. 28 with $115 million; AC/DC ‘s Brian Johnson at No. 30, tied with Black Sabbath ‘s Ozzy Osbourne with $95 million; Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder at No. 34 with $80 million; and Soundgarden ‘s Chris Cornell at No. 48 with $60 million. Aside from McCartney and Bono, the rest of the Top 10 includes Jimmy Buffett ($400 million), Elton John ($320 million), Mick Jagger ($305 million), Gene Simmons ($300 million), Sting ($290 million), Phil Collins ($250 million), Dave Matthews ($250 million), and Prince ($250 million). [button href=”http://loudwire.com/nirvana-metallica-green-day-members-land-on-30-richest-drummers-in-the-world-list/” title=”Next: See the Richest Drummers List” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Having surgery for a hernia is a painful process, and Machine Head ‘s Robb Flynn can attest to that. The rocker, who had emergency surgery earlier this week, has been documenting the process and sharing his recovery with fans via a video diary. The first installment showed Flynn coming out of the surgery successfully and feeling somewhat alright due in part to the drugs that were killing the pain he was experiencing. The second installment (watch below) finds Flynn a little bit worse for wear. In the new diary, we see a barely mobile Flynn struggling to stand up straight, and revealing, “I guess I was on a lot of pain meds when I left the hospital, because they’ve all worn off now. I’m really — it’s brutal.” Midway through the clip, the singer has had a difficult night trying to sleep and reveals that he couldn’t lift his left leg without excruciating pain. Even at his weakest, the rocker still kept his sense of humor, sharing, “I feel like I’ve been dry humping for a week with a girl who ain’t putting out.” Since this happened while the band was on tour, Flynn was left to wait out his recovery at a local hotel rather than flying home, and the musician admits that even though he was scheduled to fly that day, it likely wasn’t going to happen. After a bit of a time jump, the rocker leaves his room to show that the place where he was staying had a water park right outside. By the end of the video, Flynn seems noticeably better and admits that being able to step outside and take in what’s going on around him has lifted his spirits. The singer will continue his recovery and has hopes of Machine Head rejoining the tour with Dethklok that the band had started before the need for surgery occurred. However, it’s too early to establish a timetable for that happening as of yet. Watch Machine Head Frontman Robb Flynn’s Second Diary on His Surgery [button href=”http://loudwire.com/machine-head-robb-flynn-video-diary-successful-hernia-surgery/” title=”Watch the First Installment of Robb Flynn’s Recovery Diary” align=”center”]
John Shearer, Getty Images Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has a little more time on his hands during the band’s hiatus , and he’ll use part of it to travel to Austin next March, where he’ll be the keynote speaker at the annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival. Grohl will speak to the audience of industry members and music lovers Thursday, March 14, at the Austin Convention Center, which houses most of the South by Southwest’s speakers during the week. The musician should have plenty to discuss, reflecting on his experiences in two of rock’s most iconic bands — Nirvana and Foo Fighters. He’s also been one to lend a hand to other acts and almost became drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers before ultimately deciding to launch Foo Fighters in his post-Nirvana period. Grohl has previously drummed with Queens of the Stone Age , as well, and is back with that group as they prepare their 2013 release. On top of that, Grohl has spent much of the last year working behind the scenes with some of music’s biggest names on a documentary about the legendary recording board at Los Angeles’ Sound City studio. It was at the studio that the musician played drums on Nirvana’s breakout album, ‘Nevermind.’ The film, titled ‘ Sound City: Real to Reel ,’ is expected to surface in 2013. South by Southwest runs March 12-17, 2013 in Austin, Texas. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-foo-fighters-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Foo Fighters Songs” align=”center”]
Razor & Tie Groove metal masters the Sword have just released one of the most mesmerizing music videos of the year. In a refreshing turn to the creative, the Sword have unleashed a story within the video for ‘The Veil of Isis’ that will leave you hitting the replay button over and over again. With the release of the Sword’s fourth studio album, ‘Apocryphon,’ the band has achieved the highest chart position in their act’s history, along with collecting a new mass of fans from diverse rock and metal sub-genres. ‘Apocryphon’ showcases beefy groove riffs that display the influence of bands such as Black Sabbath and stoner doom pioneers Sleep. To delve deeper into the sonic realm of ‘Apocryphon,’ check out our recent review of the record. The video for ‘The Veil of Isis’ follows a female protagonist who is stalked and pawed at by shady street-people before meeting a mysterious and run-down wizard on those same streets. The woman is given some sort of black stone by the man, which transports her to an alternate universe either physically or mentally. Could it be a representation of the drug addict / drug dealer relationship? Or does the video tell a tale of a woman with true and mystifying powers? The visuals in this video are incredible, acting as somewhat of an extension of the incredible cover art for ‘Apocryphon.’ The Sword offers a tripped out, captivating and visually brilliant music video, which is absolutely a must-see. Check out The Sword’s new vid for ‘The Veil of Isis’ for an unforgettable trip. The Sword, ‘The Veil of Isis’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-sword-apocryphon-prize-pack-giveaway/” title=”The Sword ‘Apocryphon’ Prize Pack Giveaway – Enter Now!” align=”center”]
Paul Di’Anno: Official Facebook Although Bruce Dickinson is widely regarded as the definitive vocalist of Iron Maiden , fans of the band still hold much respect for Paul Di’Anno , who sang on the albums ‘Iron Maiden’ (1980) and ‘Killers’ (1981). However, at Di’Anno’s recent tour stop in Ukraine, the vocalist got into an altercation after being heckled by an audience member. Di’Anno has been making music since his departure from the band, along with performing songs from Maiden’s first two albums around the world. The 54-year-old Di’Anno has claimed that he will be bidding fans farewell , with 2013 to be his final year as an active touring musician. In what could possibly be his final Ukrainian show, Di’Anno found himself in a war of words after being heckled with “Bruce Dickinson” chants by a member of the audience. Mocking the broken English of the heckler, Di’Anno replied, “I am number one vocal Bruce Dickinson,” at around the 1:45 mark in the video below, adding, “I’m sorry, I don’t sing opera,” before comically singing the chorus of the Maiden staple ‘Run to the Hills.’ “If you like Bruce Dickinson; go home. Listen to his records. Why did you come and buy a ticket, motherf—er? This is real punk, man. This is what made Iron Maiden, not the money-making machine. If you don’t like it, go f— yourself.” Di’Anno continues, “Better still, you wanna fight? You’ll be sorry. I’ll rip off your head and s–t down your neck, you motherf—er.” Di’Anno threw some homophobic slurs at the Ukrainian fan, who tried to smooth things over with Di’Anno throughout the rest of his set. Di’Anno seemed to forgive the fan as the show came to a close with a cover of ‘Blitzkreig Bop’ by Di’Anno’s “favorite band,” the Ramones. Check out Paul Di’Anno’s Ukrainian altercation in the video below. Watch Paul Di’Anno’s Altercation with a Ukrainian Audience Member [NSFW]
Pier Marco Tacca / Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Courtney Love has set the wheels in motion on a documentary about her late husband Kurt Cobain . She has reached out to filmmaker Brett Morgen , the man behind the current Rolling Stones documentary ‘Crossfire Hurricane,’ to oversee a project based on the life of the late Nirvana frontman Morgen told the New York Post’s Page Six that he’s already planning out his Cobain documentary with the blessing of Love. He explained, “Courtney is the one that brought me into this. We’ve been trying to find the right time to put this film together and the time is now.” The documentarian went on to add, “Kurt was not only an amazing songwriter and musician, he was an incredible artist and filmmaker. So we are going to do the movie sort of like a third-person autobiography — as if Kurt was around and making a film about his life.” There were recent rumors that Love was interested in telling Cobain’s story on Broadway or as part of a musical film, but she later shot down talk of those projects happening. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: 10 Best Grunge Bands” align=”center”]