Classic Hits

A unique piece of Beatles memorabilia has a new owner.

Joseph Robert O’Donnell, a Beatles and music memorabilia dealer, recently purchased a piece of George Harrison’s leftover toast from 1962.

The piece of toast in question was taken by a 15-year-old Harrison fan named Sue Houghton, who had become friendly with his family. While visiting the family, she pocketed the leftover crust from Harrison’s plate. It eventually made its way to Houghton’s Harrison scrapbook collection, which included other mementos, including fluff from under his bed.

“It’s a brilliant story that is both bizarre, historical and a story I’ll continue telling friends, memorabilia collectors and fellow Beatles fans,” O’Donnell shares.

So far there’s no word on how much O’Donnell shelled out for the toast, but in 1992 items from Sue’s scrapbook collection were put up for auction at Christie’s, with the toast selling for about $1,600.

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Rick Springfield is opening up about the alternative treatments he’s experimented with to help with depression, something he’s dealt with since his teen years.

In a new interview with People, the “Jesse’s Girl” singer reveals he’s tried ketamine treatments, but in the end it wasn’t for him.

“I wanted to see if it’d open a few things in my brain,” he says. “It was a creative experiment and an experiment on depression. I did it for as long as suggested, and I wasn’t a big fan.”

“It made me feel heavy and machinelike. It didn’t change much in me — although I have been writing a lot, so you never know what kind of effect it has later on,” he says. “It’s not a black-and-white kind of thing.”

One alternative option he seems more positive about is “micro-dosing” LSD.

“I did acid, and that was actually a little better,” he says. “I hadn’t done that since I was in my 20s, but it was a great high. I don’t mean to push drugs on anyone, but I’m not averse to anything that helps me be happier and a better person. I could use some help in that area. I’m always searching.”

But Springfield shares that cutting back on alcohol two years ago “helped more than anything.”

“I’ll have a couple of sips of vodka or something when I’m onstage,” he shares, “but I don’t drink any other time.”

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Graham Nash is opening up about his relationship with his late bandmate David Crosby in a new interview with Mojo magazine.

“I think of David every time I drive through Van Cortlandt Park [in the Bronx],” Nash tells the mag. “Don’t forget: It’s David Van Cortlandt Crosby,” referring to the late rocker’s full name.

He adds, “I miss David terribly.”

Nash has previously said that before Crosby’s January 2023 death, he tried to reach out to Nash to mend their fractured relationship and that they had a FaceTime call planned, but Crosby died before it happened.

Asked what he would have said to Crosby, Nash shares, “I think that really small things got in the way, small attitudes.” He called Crosby “a brilliant musician and thinker – and his own worst enemy.”

“When David was joyful, the entire room lit up,” he says. “But it could be instantly darkened by something he said.”

As he’s said in the past, Nash maintains that since Crosby was “the very heart” of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the surviving members — Nash, Stephen Stills and Neil Young — likely won’t play together again as a group, although he does miss some aspects of their collaboration.

“I miss witnessing greatness – when you stand in the middle of Stephen and Neil and they’re talking to each other on their guitars, or Crosby’s singing the s*** out of one of his songs,” he says. “There was a certain magic that is not there anymore. I miss seeing that creative streak spontaneously happening in front of me.”

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Lionel Richie‘s memoir, which he first announced last year, now has a title: Truly, named after his 1982 debut solo single.

The memoir, due out Sept. 30, is described by publisher Harper One as “intimate” and “deeply candid,” detailing “turbulence, loss, and near-calamity.”

People further reports that the book is a “no-holds-barred” telling of Lionel’s story, from his childhood in Alabama, to his success with The Commodores, to his solo superstardom, all the way up to his present gig as a judge on American Idol.

People also notes that the book covers Lionel’s struggle with ADHD, his two divorces and a serious vocal cord injury that nearly ended his career.

You can preorder the book now.

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Is Madonna gearing up for her new era?

Her Instagram has been largely wiped clean: As of Thursday morning the only two posts are a film clip of Funeral Rites, a short film she made in partnership with photographer Steven Klein and CR Fashion Book, and the cover of CR Fashion Book.

There’s a link to the YouTube film on her Instagram Story, which features Madonna in a wordless role, walking around a cemetery, lying on top of gravestones in revealing lingerie, smoking, handling a pistol and getting cozy with a nun.

Madonna wrote the film and also narrates it, telling a story that is at least partly based on her real life about the death of her mother when she was young. 

“When I was a child, my mother died,” says the Queen of Pop. “Seeing her beautiful face in the open casket and kissing her red lips to say goodbye left a haunting memory, a deep longing, a terrible fear of abandonment.”

“I would follow my father everywhere, reminding him that if he ever died, I wanted to be buried with him,” she continues. “I became fascinated with cemeteries. I was not afraid of death, because I knew this was the only way I could be with my mother again.”

“As life went on, I lost many people that I loved dearly,” she says. “And came to look at death as a kind of doorway to eternal life.”

Madonna revealed not long ago that she plans to release a sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor. It’s not clear if the film is a standalone project or if it’s part of her new musical era.

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 Bob Dylan‘s official social media accounts continue to baffle fans.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s latest post on Instagram happened Wednesday night, when he randomly uploaded a throwback video of Machine Gun Kelly performing an in-store set.

The post certainly spawned some interesting comments from fans, with one noting, “Bob respectfully, what the f*** is this,” while another wrote “Bob’s off his Zimmerman,” a reference to Dylan’s real last name.

Meanwhile, mgk responded to the shoutout in his Instagram Story, first with a screenshot of Dylan’s post alongside the caption “wtf this was not on my 2025 bingo card.” He then posted a video sharing that he was in the middle of working on a new album when he learned about the Dylan post.

“I’m … having a whole discussion about am I doing the right thing, is this the right direction for this album?” mgk explains. “I’m questioning it, right? And in the same breath that I’m questioning it, someone goes, ‘Bob Dylan just posted a video of you.'”

Kelly says that his first reaction was, “There must be another Bob Dylan,” before confirming the veracity of the post.

“Just the originator of doing everything opposite of what people wanted him to do randomly posting a video of me back in the day rapping in a vinyl shop, I’m just, like, what the f***, dude?” he continues. “Just trust the signs man. That was so cool, I’m so grateful.”

He adds, “So random.”

By the way, mgk’s performance in the video includes lyrics from his track called “Rolling Stone.” Perhaps Dylan just thought that the performance represented how it feels to be on your own, with no direction home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.

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On This Day, Feb. 27, 1981…

The Who released the song “You Better You Bet,” their first single since the death of drummer Keith Moon three years earlier.

The song, written by Pete Townshend, was the first single off the band’s 1981 album Face Dances, which featured former The Faces drummer Kenney Jones in Moon’s place.

“You Better You Bet” was a top 20 hit for The Who, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The video for the track was the fourth video played on MTV when it debuted Aug 1, 1981.

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The life and music of Allman Brothers Band guitarist and founding member Dickey Betts is being celebrated Friday with an all-star tribute concert, and now music fans at home will be able to enjoy it.

The sold-out show, In Memory of Dickey Betts, will livestream for free via nugs.net. The concert is taking place at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia, the birthplace of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.

The concert, hosted and curated by Dickey’s son Duane, will feature a lineup that includes many musicians who’ve been associated with the Allman Brothers over the years, including ABB’s Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Chuck Leavell, Susan Tedeschi and Oteil Burbriddge, as well as Gregg Allman’s son Devon Allman.

A portion of the proceeds from the show will go toward the newly announced Dickey Betts Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston. According to a press release, the scholarship “will honor Dickey Betts’ legacy by supporting talented and deserving students pursuing their musical dreams at Berklee.” 

“We are thrilled to know that the proceeds are going to such a worthy cause,” says Duane.

In addition to his guitar work for the Allmans, Betts wrote and sang two of their best-known songs: “Ramblin’ Man” and “Blue Sky.” He also wrote their popular instrumental track, “Jessica.”

Betts passed away April 18, 2024, at the age of 80.

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Legendary rock band the Grateful Dead will be the subject of another course at Stanford University this spring.

Composition, Interpretation, and Improvisation: The Music of the Grateful Dead, part of Stanford Continuing Studies, is a six-week course running from April 8 to May 13. It’s taught by David Gans, producer and host of the nationally syndicated Grateful Dead Hour.

According to the description, the course “offers a comprehensive exploration of their distinctive musical style —where individual contributions converge into a cohesive sound that creates ‘gestalt magic,’” with each class focused on five or six select pieces of Dead music.

The course will feature a variety of Dead-related guest speakers, including Rob Barraco, keyboardist and vocalist of Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra; Jeff Mattson, also of Dark Star Orchestra, who performed with Bob Weir’s RatDog and Dead & Company; and keyboardist Bob Bralove, who played with the Grateful Dead from 1987 to 1995.

“Whether you’re a lifelong Deadhead or new to their music,” the description says, “this course provides a valuable opportunity to appreciate the Grateful Dead’s enduring impact on modern music and culture.”

Registration for the course is now open.

This isn’t the first time Stanford Continuing Studies has held a course about The Dead. In fall 2024 they ran an eight-week course called Did It Matter? Does It Now? The Music and Culture of the Grateful Dead.

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Rod Stewart and Def Leppard are among the artists set to headline Festival d’Été de Québec, an 11-day music festival held July 3-13 in the heart of Quebec City, Canada.

Stewart is set to open the festival on July 3, while Def Leppard is booked for July 6.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers are also on the bill, performing July 5 ahead of headliner Benson Boone.

The festival, whose name translates simply as Québec Summer Festival, is now in its 57th year. Other artists booked for 2025 include Shania Twain, Richard Marx, Extreme, Simple Plan, Pixies, Avril Lavigne, Maren Morris and Slayer.

Tickets are on sale now and compared to other festivals, it’s relatively cheap: You can get one pass for the entire 11 days for $115. You can also share your pass with friends and family if you don’t feel like going on any particular day.

Visit FEQ.ca for the full lineup.

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