Classic Hits

Just days after Simon & Schuster agreed to refund Bob Dylan fans who thought they were buying a personally signed copy of his recent book, only to find out it was signed using auto-pen, the rock star is apologizing for misleading fans.

“To my fans and followers, I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited edition of ‘Philosophy Of Modern Song,’” he shares on Facebook. “I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.” 

He then explained that in 2019 he developed vertigo that lasted through the pandemic, which made it “impossible to sign anything.” He adds, “With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.” 

Finally he notes, “Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that. With my deepest regrets, Bob Dylan.”

Simon & Schuster has already agreed to refund the $600 fans shelled out for the auto-penned signed books, but it turns out the controversy now extends to more than just the books. Castle Galleries, a UK gallery that sold what was supposed to be “hand-signed” prints of Dylan’s paintings, announced they are giving purchasers refunds. The paintings, “The Retrospectum Collection” and “Sunset, Monument Valley,” were also machine-signed, and while the purchasers can keep the paintings, if they send back the certificates of authenticity, they’ll get refunds, along with a new certificate that declares they were auto-signed.

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Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse have made a success of their rosé brand Hampton Water without using Jon’s music to promote the wine, something they don’t ever plan on doing.

During a Q&A with Daily Mail Australia, Jon was asked why they didn’t go with a name like “’bed of rosé,” a nod to his song “Bed of Roses,” and he had a strong opinion about it.

“[We thought] if we were going to do this, we were going to make sure we did it right,” Jon explained. “There’s no family name on the label, there’s nothing to do with any song titles on the label because we needed to respect the profession, if we were going to do this we had to take it seriously.” 

He added, “We worked very hard every day to garner the respect of the industry and to learn and that’s all we’re doing. So the last thing we are going to do is be a celebrity brand. It’s a family business.”

As for how they come up with the name, Jesse shares that one night when he was hanging out with his dad, he offered him “one last glass of ‘pink juice’,” to which Jesse responded, “no one calls it ‘pink juice’ anymore, you’re out in the Hamptons, it’s Hampton Water.” His dad instantly loved the name, with Jesse noting, “Right then and there Hampton Water was born and we’ve been working hard at it ever since.”

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If Marie Osmond has her way, Selena Gomez would play her in a documentary about her life.

Speaking to E! News, the singer opened up about the possibility of having her very own biopic to tell her life story. “I think Selena Gomez would be amazing — only because she has been through a lot of the things that I’ve been through,” Marie raved.  

Both singers stepped into the limelight as children, to which Marie noted, “I think it’s nice to have a child’s perspective as being an entertainer because it’s very different.”

As for her experience growing up in front of an audience, the singer is grateful for what her life gave her. “I don’t look at life that way,” she said when asked if she missed out on having a normal childhood. “I look at what’s a positive. I like to dwell on that more than what I missed.”

Selena has not yet commented on the possibility of bringing the legendary singer’s life story to the big screen.

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With the upcoming Black Friday being the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, lots of folks are probably starting to think about what to get their loved ones. If there are music fans in your family, Bravado is here to help.

Universal’s merchandise and brand management company has just launched some new exclusive holiday-inspired collections, with items from such artists as The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Who, Guns N’ Roses and more. 

Among the items available:

• The Rolling Stones — A Licks snow globe, a black Sixty cardigan and a variety of ornaments, including a diamond anniversary ornament, and Forty Licks, Steel Wheels and No Filter Licks ornaments.
• Black Sabbath — An ugly Christmas sweater that reads “Holidays Bloody Holidays,” ornaments and more.
• Guns N’ Roses — A variety of ornaments, as well as a blue and white Christmas sweater and an Appetite for Destruction corduroy jacket.
• The Who — Socks, vintage T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters.
• The Beatles — A Merry Christmas green shirt, a Sgt. Pepper’s green holiday beanie, a holiday sticker set, gift wrapping, various T-shirts and more.
• The Beach Boys — A snow globe photo sweatshirt, a “Little St. Nick” T-shirt and zip hoodie, as well as an ornament and a scarf.

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Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour may be finished in the U.S., but he’s still got a lot more touring to do — and it may see him break a new record.

Elton wrapped the U.S. leg of the tour this weekend in Los Angeles and, according to Billboard, the last three Dodger Stadium shows brought in $23.5 million and sold 142,970 tickets. In total, the last 13 shows bring the tour’s total gross to $749.9 million, with over 5 million tickets sold since it began in 2018. And with about 50 shows still left to play, it’s certainly looking like Elton has a good shot at surpassing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour for the title of best-selling tour of all time.

Ed’s tour wrapped in 2019 and grossed $776.4 million, which means Elton is less than $30 million away from taking over number one. It now sits at number two, having surpassed U2’s 360 Tour, which brought in $736.4 million.

Next up, Elton brings his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour back to Australia and New Zealand in January with 10 stadium shows, which puts him on track to break Sheeran’s record in early 2023.

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A rare live recording of Led Zeppelin performing a 13-minute version of “Dazed and Confused” has just turned up on YouTube.

The audio clip was shared by YouTuber Mark McFall, founder of the Zepfan memorabilia website, and features audio recorded at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on October 5, 1969. According to the post, the performance was recorded from a fan’s TV speaker during a broadcast of the show on November 12, 1969.

A review of the show on Ledzeppelin.com says “the atmosphere crackled” during the concert, noting, “Heavy, crashing Zeppelin sounds swept the audience onto another plain.” The review continued, “Wild, standing ovations brought the group back time and time again and they finally left the stage exhausted.”

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Bruce Springsteen has just landed another chart milestone. The Boss’ latest album, Only The Strong Survive, tops the Billboard Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts this week, moving 40,000 equivalent album units. 

The new number one marks the eighth time Bruce has topped both of these charts since they began in 2006. He first reached number one on them with 2007’s Magic.

Springsteen is now tied with John Mayer for the most number ones on the Top Rock and Alternative Albums charts. The Beatles, Coldplay, Dave Matthews and Tom Petty are just behind them, with six each.

In addition to the album chart success, two songs from Only The Strong Survive land on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart this week. “Nightshift” lands at eight, while “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” is at 16.

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Def Leppard is giving fans a taste of their live show without having to shell out money for a ticket.

The band just dropped the new video for the track “Kick,” which is a live performance clip from their 2022 The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

“Kick” was the first single from the band’s most recent album, Diamond Star Halos.

Next up for Def Leppard, they bring their tour with Mötley Crüe to Latin America and Europe in 2023, with dates kicking off February 18th in Mexico City, Mexico.

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When Madonna first released her coffee table book, Sex, in 1992, it caused a worldwide scandal. Now, in honor of its reissue, it’s being celebrated next week at Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world’s premier art shows and an important event on the global art world calendar.

When Sex first came out, it was sealed in a Mylar bag so you couldn’t page through it in the bookstore. That’s because it was full of photos shot by Steven Meisel that showed Madonna and celebrities like Naomi Campbell, actress Isabella Rossellini and rappers Vanilla Ice and Big Daddy Kane fully nude and simulating various sex acts. Madonna also provided the racy text for the book, which she wrote as a character called Mistress Dita.

Despite the controversy surrounding the book, it sold more than 150,000 copies on its first day in the U.S., and went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. It’s been out of print for years, but now, Yves Saint Laurent‘s lifestyle brand, Rive Droite, is teaming with publishers Callaway New York to issue 800 copies. A limited number of those will be signed by Madonna and auctioned off, with proceeds going to her charity Raising Malawi.

In addition, during Art Basel Miami, the brand is putting up a beachfront gallery featuring large-format images from the book — images it describes as “once shocking, now timeless.” You’ll have to be over 18 to visit it, but admission is free; t-shirts and tote bags will also be available if you can’t afford the book.

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Guitarist Wilko Johnson, best known for his work with the ’70s British band Dr. Feelgood, passed away Monday at the age of 75. No official cause of death was announced, but he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nearly 10 years ago.

“This is the announcement we never wanted to make, and we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” read a statement posted to social media. “Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.” 

As a member of Dr. Feelgood, Johnson appeared on the band’s first four albums, Down by the Jetty, Malpractice, Stupidity and Sneakin’ Suspicion. He left the group in 1977, went on to become a member of Ian Dury and The Blockheads, and also released music on his own. In 2014, he paired up with The Who’s Roger Daltrey to release the album Going Back Home.   

“More than anything Wilko wanted to be a poet,” Daltrey shared in a statement paying tribute to Johnson. “I was lucky to have known him and have him as a friend. His music lives on but there’s no escaping the final curtain this time.”

In addition to music, Johnson dabbled in acting; he most recently appeared as mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne on the first two seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones.

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