Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s June 5th and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
Starting off with releases we have Deep Purple in Rock by Deep Purple in 1970, Drones from Muse in 2015 and the very polarizing St. Anger from Metallica in 2003!
Moving onto birthdays now, we have Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, Michael Davis of MC5, Christian Martucci of Stone Sour and Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden!
Oh, it’s also Marky Mark’s birthday today!
We lost Dee Dee Ramone in 2002 after he overdosed on heroin in his LA home. Dee Dee was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery nearby his bandmate Johnny Ramone. Everyday, his grave is visited by a group of five ducks called the “Ramones Ducks,” four named for the original Ramone members and the fifth being named after their song Sheena is a Punk Rocker. How fitting, since Dee Dee wrote their song Pet Semetery.
We also lost Alec John Such of Bon Jovi in 2022.
In 1977, Alice Cooper’s pet boa, his live show co-star, suffered a fatal bite from a rat it was being fed that morning. He would later host auditions for a new snake and chose his new companion, Angel.
in 2012, the film adaptation of the Broadway jukebox musical Rock of Ages premieres in theaters. The film bombed but the soundtrack received much acclaim! I mean I understand why it bombed. The film is kinda cringey…
The Rolling Stones played their first-ever live show stateside in 1964, when they appeared at San Bernardino’s Swing Auditorium in California.
In 1983, U2 played the Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. The show was filmed and later released as the concert film Under a Blood Red Sky
At the final day of the 2016 Rock am Ring music festival in Germany was cancelled after lightning injures at least 80 fans. At least eight fans were seriously harmed by the strike. The line-up for the sold out day included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones, and Black Sabbath.
And finally in 1975, while Pink Floyd were in the final stages of recording their new album Wish You Were Here at Abbey Road, an overweight man with a shaved head and eyebrows walked in to watch the band record unannounced. Unrecognizable to the people in the studio and the band, the man revealed himself to be former Floyd member and founder Syd Barrett. The album was largely written about Barrett, his drug addictions and mental health, including the nine-part song Shine on You Crazy Diamond. When Floyd bassist Roger Waters asked Barrett what he thought of the nine-parter, Barrett simply replied: “sounds a bit old.” This visit would be the last time the band would see Barret alive.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
