Megadeth's Dave Mustaine (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Dave Mustaine's never been afraid to speak the truth — or at least his version of the truth. So when the Megadeth frontman is asked what exactly inspired his decision to pull an Ozzy and launch his own metal festival — the ominously named Gigantour — you'd expect him to come back with a biting comment about how he's trying to change the deplorable state of heavy metal for the better. Something like that.

But instead, Mustaine said his festival — which features Dream Theater, Nevermore, Dillinger Escape Plan, Life of Agony, Symphony X and his own band — is about spreading positive vibes, dude. And no, he's not looking to eradicate Ozzfest.

"I have no crosshairs on any of the other festivals," he said. "I'm not the giant-slayer that's gonna go take on these other festivals and make 'em look bad. I want to have a festival that's positive, encouraging, fun — something people will look forward to. After all, what are the first two syllables of festival? Festive, man!"

The bands the legendary metal axeman handpicked for Gigantour's inaugural trek, he says, craft and execute superb metal.

"The music business recently has been bereft of any kind of guitar heroes," he explained. "Certainly, the ones that show up in guitar magazines nowadays, who say they're guitar heroes, ain't the kind of heroes I knew growing up: [Michael] Schenker, [Jeff] Beck, Jimmy Page. Some of these guys today, it's like, 'OK, tune your guitar down to Z and never do a solo because it's not cool.'

"As of late, there have been numerous musicians who have decided to take naps onstage, and I don't want to be around that negativity. I wanted to have positive and encouraging bands out there who would be positive and encouraging for young people, young musicians, young music fans. People, they're gonna come [to Gigantour] and see people take a guitar and actually make it work."

Mustaine added, in so many words, that, at an average of $35 a ticket, Gigantour's a better headbang for the buck. He plans on adding one more band to the lineup — he has two in mind but hasn't decided which one to go with yet. He also said he hopes Gigantour becomes an annual event: "I would love to say 10 years from now, 'Thank you for you wishing me a happy 10th anniversary,' like Ozzfest," he said.

As for whether we'll see new material from Megadeth in the future, Mustaine didn't entirely rule it out. "You can probably expect to see some music come out of us at some point, whether I decide to call it Megadeth or go on as my own."

In the meantime, Capitol will release a collection of Megadeth tunes on June 28 called Greatest Hits: Back to the Start, and there's also a two-DVD retrospective, "Arsenal of Megadeth," due September 27.

Gigantour starts July 21 in Fresno, California, and runs through September 10 in Seattle.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Swedish thrash titans the Haunted — who'll be playing a number of Ozzfest off-dates this summer with Arch Enemy, Black Dahlia Murder, Shadows Fall and It Dies Today — recently shot a video for the track "No Compromise" with acclaimed director Roger Johansson (In Flames, Soilwork); look for it to debut on "Headbangers Ball" next month. Singer Peter Dolving described it as a "pretty boy-band video to make us ugly f---ers look sweeter than your next-door, Class-A, golden-boy jock meat." ... Less than two months after the death of guitarist Bryan Ottoson, American Head Charge have scheduled a full tour with Static-X. Dates run from June 13 in Tempe, Arizona, through August 15 in Portland, Oregon. Guitarist Benji Hellberg — who took Ottoson's place during the remaining shows of the Mudvayne tour — will play all shows. ...

Bassist Matt Deis has left Massachusetts metallers All That Remains "to pursue other exciting avenues," according to the band's Web site. In the same posting, it was revealed that Deis' replacement has already been found. Josh Venn of Blood Has Been Shed has decided he'd like to be in two bands — much like BHBS' singer, Howard Jones, who also fronts Killswitch Engage. ... Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society have shot a video for the "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott tribute track "In This River" with director Eric Zimmerman (Megadeth, Napalm Death). In the video, Wylde's seen strumming an acoustic guitar and seated at a grand piano set in the middle of a flowing river. Once the song reaches the guitar solo, the Wyldeman smashes his guitar and sets the piano ablaze. ...

On June 28, Twisted Sister will release the DVD-plus "Live at Wacken: The Reunion," which captures the band's 2003 appearance at the German rock festival. One side of the disc will be a DVD of the show and the other will feature a CD of the same concert. Twisted Sister will perform a show in Philadelphia on July 15 to help fund a liver transplant for their former sound engineer, Charlie Barreca. ... Monster-loving shock-rocker Alice Cooper will release his new album, Dirty Diamonds, on August 2. Cooper will also launch a tour with power-pop legends Cheap Trick on August 20 in Cincinnati, with dates running through September 16 in Phoenix. ... Industrial-tinged death-metal band Fear Factory will release their seventh album, Transgression, on August 23. The group will preview some of the songs live during the aforementioned Gigantour. ...

Alabama slammers Haste have spent the last few months writing material for the follow-up to 2003's The Mercury Lift. The band's completed a three-song demo, and in a posting on its Web site, guitarist Nick Brunson claims Haste have been getting some positive feedback on the tracks. "Most of the people that heard them said they liked it a lot," he wrote. "Maybe that's because I had a gun pointed at them and dared them not to like it." ... Death legends Obituary will film a video for "Insane" next week. The track's from the band's forthcoming, self-produced album, Frozen in Time, which hits stores July 19. ... Himsa have finished working on Hail Horror; look for a late September/ early October release. ... Death merchants Paria need a new singer. That's because barker Brian Craig's decided to pull a Rodney Dangerfield and go back to school to "further his education and continue pursuing a career." In the meantime, former Analog frontman Paul Pettit's been called on to substitute during Paria's August tour. It's quite possible he may become a permanent member of the band. ...

Finnish black-metal veterans Impaled Nazarene have just released the live album Death Comes in 26 Carefully Selected Pieces ahead of schedule. The record was recorded in Helsinki in December 2004 and includes the tracks "The Horny and the Horned," "Goat Perversions," "Motorpenis" and "The Endless War." ... "Osmose NoisyMotions," a two-and-a-half-hour black- and death-metal DVD, will be released August 23. The disc includes performances by Immortal, Absu, Melechesh, Dark Tranquillity and Abominator. ... The last three dates of Eyehategod's U.S. tour have been canceled due to "logistical reasons." Fans who bought tickets for shows in Birmingham, Alabama (June 16); Hickory, North Carolina (June 17); and Johnson City, Tennessee (June 18), can obtain refunds at point of purchase. ...

• Megadeth
• Zakk Wylde
• American Head Charge
• Twisted Sister

Jive Records announced Monday (September 8) that JC Chasez's solo album, Schizophrenic, has been pushed back to early 2004. ...

So it looks like Beanie Sigel will indeed temporarily make it out of jail. A state judge on Monday authorized the Roc-A-Fella rapper's release, as recommended by a federal judge, into a residential treatment program for substance abuse and anger management while he awaits trial on federal gun and drug charges. Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Temin had temporarily thrown a roadblock in that agreement on Friday because Sigel still faces state charges of attempted murder. According to the rapper's attorney, Sigel will be out on $150,000 bail (posting 10 percent) on Tuesday or Wednesday, at which point he'll check into the unnamed residential treatment center for four weeks. ...

Police in Greenville, North Carolina, have arrested and charged two people for stealing about $300,000 worth of personal property from Trina's hotel room over Labor Day weekend. The suspects, one of whom posed as the rapper's manager, are also facing drug charges after authorities found marijuana during a search of their home. ... Kimberley Locke, the "American Idol" contestant who finished just behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, has signed to Curb Records and began recording her debut album Monday in her hometown of Nashville. The singer's first meeting with the label was captured on video and will air in a September 24 FOX special about the American Idols Live Tour. ...

Because it wasn't so "Complicated," Apple's iTunes music store reached the 10-million -songs-downloaded mark in four months of operation. Just before midnight on September 3, Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" put the online store past the milestone. ... Youth rebellion anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It" has been dubbed the "unofficial theme song" by Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign spokeswoman, who says it's used to "get the crowd pumped" as Arnold makes his play for the California governor's chair. Ironically, the Twisted Sister album that spawned the tune, Stay Hungry, takes its name from the 1976 comedy film of the same name, in which Schwarzenegger had a role. ...

The Headbanger's Ball Tour kicks off in late October with a bill that features Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. ... Jane's Addiction, Simple Plan and Static-X will headline concerts to take place at the Gravity Games in Cleveland, which begins Wednesday with Static-X and Die Trying performing at a kickoff event. Yellowcard will join Jane's on Friday. ...

Mandy Moore will host and perform at the fourth annual "Women Rock!" concert for Lifetime. Mya, breast-cancer survivor Anastacia, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Dolly Parton and Kenny Loggins will also perform at the event, which this year will have a "Songs From the Movies" theme. Jessica Alba and Sharon Osbourne will be presenters at the show, which will tape September 30 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and air October 23. ... Tori Amos has compiled a best-of collection, set to hit shelves November 18. Along with hits like "Cornflake Girl" and "Silent All These Years," it will feature two new songs. ...

Travis have scheduled a short U.S. tour in support of 12 Memories, due October 14. The outing begins with two nights in New York October 21 and 22, and ends October 29 in Detroit. ... Similar to Eminem and Obie Trice's recently announced Willy Wonka-inspired contest, the Chemical Brothers will include one "Golden Path Ticket" in specially marked versions of their new album, The Singles '93-'03, due September 30. The winner will be flown to the duo's New Year's Eve show, the location of which has yet to be announced. Fans can also enter a random drawing at www.astralwerks.com. ...

Perhaps Keanu Reeves and Gavin Rossdale can give each other advice about switching from movies to music and vice versa on the set of "Constantine," the upcoming adaptation of DC Comics' cult classic series "Hellblazer." The Bush frontman is in talks to play a nemesis of Reeves' called Balthazar, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Rossdale, who is working on solo material, has already completed work on the soccer flick "The Game of Their Lives" and has a small role in the Brittany Murphy comedy "Little Black Book." ... Count the Stars totaled their van and trailer on the road over the weekend, resulting in the hospitalization of singer Chris Kasarjian and their withdrawal from several dates of their tour with the Juliana Theory. The rest of the band walked away with only minor injuries, but Kasarjian suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung and received several stitches, according to the band's label. ...

09.05.03

The increasingly iconic Archbishop Don "Magic" Juan, former pimp and Snoop Dogg's's touring pal, has found a label home for his upcoming album, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan Presents: Green Is for the Money, Gold Is for the Honies, Vol. 1. The album, to be released on Avatar Records, is a compilation of old soul classics that influenced the archbishop during his pimpin' days and, according to the Don himself, new tracks from some of his current rap friends, like Snoop, Ludacris, Ja Rule and P. Diddy. The album will also include a DVD "pimp primer." ...

Beanie Sigel, in jail for drug and gun possession, was granted permission from a federal judge on Thursday to attend a residential treatment program for substance abuse and anger management while awaiting his trial. But that deal was thrown in doubt on Friday (September 5) when a state judge in Sigel's attempted murder case revoked his bail because the alleged victim in the case, Terrance Speller, testified that he has been receiving daily threats over his cooperation with prosecutors. Sigel was to post a $1 million bond, including $150,000 in cash, his $400,000 Philadelphia home and four other properties to attend the treatment program instead of jail. At press time, the same federal judge who granted the program release was deciding on the issue. ... Murder Inc. rapper D.O. Cannon was shot and killed Thursday night in his Queens, New York, neighborhood. Police have yet to name a suspect or motive. D.O. was part of a duo with another MC on the rise named Young Merc. Cannon was last heard on 2002's Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. and Irv Gotti Presents: The Remixes. ...

Five years ago, the thought of Sharon Osbourne interviewing the star player of the world's biggest boy band for her own TV show was ludicrous. But reality is scarier than the darkest Black Sabbath lyrics. For the first episode of her new program, "The Sharon Osbourne Show," which debuts September 15 on the WB, Osbourne will chat with Justin Timberlake, and talk with eight recently orphaned siblings. The show will feature the music of — not Slipknot, not Soulfly — but Wynonna Judd. ... The Strokes are hitting the road in support of their new album, Room on Fire, beginning October 9 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The seven-date stretch with Kings of Leon, a band jokingly referred to as "the Southern Strokes," concludes November 7 in Houston. The Strokes' follow-up to Is This It is due October 21. ...

If you've been listening to mixtapes lately and wondering why 50 Cent is rapping on two versions of a track called "Gunz for Sale," it's because the track was boosted from the G-Unit, according to the camp. A bootleg version of the song popped up on mixtapes with 50 just rapping the chorus and a new group called the A-Team rhyming the verses. The real version of the song, which will appear on the G-Unit's November 4 LP, has also just popped up in the streets and features 50 on the hook as well as the verses. ... Thurr's a whole lot of remixing going on for Chingy. After scoring a hit with a revamping of his "Right Thurr" with Jermaine Dupri and Trina, the St. Louis party starter has teamed with the Young Gunz for a remix of their "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." ...

No, that sound you hear isn't a return to Dante's lost circle of hell, it's the resurrection of the once-ubiquitous Chumbawamba jock-rock hit, "Tubthumping," this time as remixed by the Flaming Lips. The song will appear on an upcoming remix album for Chumbawamba, called Readymades and Then Some, to be released on Koch Records on October 21. An accompanying DVD will feature the documentary "Well Done, Now Sod Off," which examines the group's history before the 1997 "Tubthumping" phenomenon. ... Phish keyboardist Page McConnell's other band, Vida Blue, has set an October 14 release date for its second studio album, The Illustrated Band. The Afro-Cuban sextet the Spam Allstars are featured on the record and will tour with the group. ...

After suffering a tragic setback in the death of their soundman/"fifth member" Jeremy Ward — and as a result having to drop off the Red Hot Chili Peppers/ Snoop Dogg tour in May — the Mars Volta are taking to the road again. Their 15-date jaunt begins October 3 in Austin, Texas, and ends October 25 in Boston. A vinyl version of the band's debut disc, De-Loused in the Comatorium, will hit shelves October 21. ... For a band that built its following by touring, Guster haven't lost any love for the road. Armed with the hit single "Amsterdam," off their fourth album, Keep It Together, the trio recently began a tour with confirmed dates through November 9 in Tempe, Arizona. After that, they won't be resting on their laurels, as the tour is expected to last through December. ...

• JC Chasez
• *NSYNC
• Beanie Sigel
• Avril Lavigne
• Twisted Sister

Missy Elliott composed a letter to the mayor of her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, expressing her views on the importance of spaying and neutering all animals before they're adopted in order to prevent new generations of stray animals. The hip-hop diva was moved to pen the missive after learning that more than 2,300 cats and dogs were killed in shelters in Portsmouth last year, and that 4 to 5 million are killed annually in shelters nationwide. ... Meanwhile, Elliott will headline Motorola's fourth annual holiday party to benefit Toys for Tots at the Lot in West Hollywood on Thursday. Nelly, Nikka Costa, Macy Gray, Luke Wilson, Tobey Maguire and others are expected to attend the event, where guests are asked to bring a toy to be donated to Toys for Tots. ...

Whitney Houston will be giving a free preview of her new album, Just Whitney…, two days before its December 10 release date. The singer will perform three songs from the LP in front of New York's Lincoln Center as part of a taping for "Good Morning America." Houston's segment on "GMA" will air on the day her album drops. ... The Lyricist Lounge Tour, which had recently been canceled, is back on: The outing will kick off in Washington, D.C., on December 6, and will run until December 31 in Providence, Rhode Island. On the bill are Erick Sermon, Poverty, Blestenation, Killah Priest and Grafh, as well as Scarface, who will jump off the tour after the December 23 show. ...

Marc Anthony, Dionne Warwick, J Records founder Clive Davis, opera singer Beverly Sills and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David have been selected by the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy to receive 2002 New York Heroes Awards. Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun is among the presenters of the awards, which honor those integral to the vitality of the music community and whose talents and accomplishments cross musical boundaries. Proceeds from the ceremonial dinner held December 11 at the Roosevelt Hotel will benefit the Academy's education and community-outreach programs. ...

Following a fallout with former label Interscope, Southern California rockers Unwritten Law have found a new home on Lava Records, joining Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker and Simple Plan on the label's roster. The 11-track Music in High Places, a stripped-down, best-of LP recorded at Yellowstone National Park, is the first of the band's multi-album commitment to the label, and will drop January 21. ...

Twisted Sister — vocalist Dee Snider, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, bassist Mark Mendoza and drummer A.J. Pero — will reunite in full costume next year for a couple of European shows. The band will headline the Sweden Rock Festival in Solvesborg on June 8 and the Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany, on June 27 and 28. A more extensive world reunion tour is expected to follow. ... Comic creator Todd McFarlane, who's previously directed videos for Korn and Pearl Jam, will helm his first non-animated clip December 18 in Vancouver. The "Spawn" mastermind takes a seat in the director's chair for Swollen Members' "Breath," the Canadian hip-hop crew's second single from their latest LP, Monsters in the Closet. Nelly Furtado sings on the track and is expected to appear in the video. ...

Chrome-domed singer Peter Garrett has left Midnight Oil after 25 years in the politically charged Australian quintet. A letter on the band's Web site said that Garrett quit to pursue other interests and that the band — huge Down Under and best known Stateside for "Beds Are Burning" from 1987's Diesel and Dust LP — will persevere. ... The 21st century Doors, with the Cult's Ian Astbury filling the void left by the late frontman Jim Morrison, will show themselves later than previously expected to allow drummer Stewart Copeland, of the Police fame, to recover from a bike accident that left him with a fractured arm over the Thanksgiving weekend. The first show with the new lineup will take place January 19 in Las Vegas, nearly a month after the previously planned debut on Sunday. A full-fledged tour is expected in spring and summer, with an album to follow in the fall. ...

Redd Kross' influential 1987 album Neurotica will be reissued on February 4. Not so coincidentally, bandmember Steven McDonald will release the debut EP by the Steve McDonald Group two weeks earlier. No recording plans yet, though, for McDonald's other project Ze Malibu Kids, which features Red Kross bandmate and brother Jeffrey McDonald and That Dog's Anna Waronker. ... With nearly two years of hipster cachet at their backs, electroclash duo Fischerspooner will release their debut album, #1, February 25. The album, packaged with a DVD that includes the performance artists' film work and music videos, as well as live footage and a documentary, features Elvis remixer Junkie XL's reworking of Fischerspooner's breakthrough single, "Emerge." ...

Latin singing group Soluna are creating a sitcom based on their lives, which will also feature musical performances, for the UPN network. Next up for the ladies, whose debut album, For All Time, was released in May, is a charity performance for the Heart of Los Angeles Youth on December 4 in Beverly Hills. ...

12.02.2002

A high-kicking Jennifer Lopez reportedly battles a robotic Matt Damon to rescue her beau, Ben Affleck, in the new video game "Jen Saves Ben." According to the New York Post, director Kevin Smith commissioned Powerhouse Animation Studios to create the game to thank the couple for appearing in his film "Jersey Girl." The only way to play the game is to get cozy with J. Lo herself, as the game is not available commercially. ...

Britpop stars Oasis have been forced to postpone two shows in Germany due to Liam Gallagher's involvement in a pub brawl that cost him his two front teeth and also resulted in the singer's arrest. The fracas, during which Gallagher allegedly kicked an arresting officer in the ribs, pitted the volatile frontman and two of the band's security guards against "a group of youths" who initiated an "unprovoked attack" in a Munich club, according to the band's Web site. ... On a related note, London's High Court dismissed an attempted lawsuit by former Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll over his firing from the group. The judge ruled that McCarroll, who parted with Oasis in 1995, had failed to bring his claim to court within the legal limit of six years. ...

3 Down, a hip-hop group featuring sons of Big Punisher, Benzino and songwriter James Capra (New Edition), has called it quits. The trio, which met on the set for Benzino's video "Shine Like My Son," signed to Interscope, but had yet to finish an album. ... Nappy Roots, Neneh Cherry, Sunshine Anderson and Richie Havens contributed to Groove Armada's latest album, Lovebox, due January 21. The first single, "Purple Haze," was released in late November. ...

Peter Griesar, a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band who left the group in 1993, will release an album on February 11 on the Virginia indie label Offset Records. Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore and longtime Matthews collaborator guitarist Tim Reynolds will appear on the album, titled Superfastgo. ... Avid custom car collector and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony took "Best of Show" honors at the SEMA car show in Las Vegas last month with his tricked-out 2002 Ford Thunderbird. Anthony says the carmaker liked his silver sports coupe — which was designed by Bonspeed and powered by Steve Saleen — so much that it will produce a limited number of them in 2004. ...

Following a European trek, the Used will embark on a handful of dates with Finch, beginning February 4 in Washington, D.C. My Chemical Romance and the Movielife will serve as openers for the tour, confirmed dates for which conclude February 16 in Chicago. ... Lefty drummer Kenny Livingston is filling in for Sugarcult's Ben Davis, who has temporarily left the group for a 30-day rehab stint in California. Meanwhile, singer Tim Pagnotta succumbed to laryngitis last week, but rather than cancel a show in Virginia Beach, Sugarcult enlisted fans, members of their road crew and opening bands to sing their songs. In case the crowd wasn't satisfied, the group tossed out hundreds of dollars to the audience. ...

• Missy Elliott
• Whitney Houston
• Nelly
• Scarface
• Unwritten Law

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider
Photo: Atlantic

A little rouge goes a long way.

Lit, Motörhead, Sevendust, Joan Jett, Anthrax and Chuck D are among the acts lined up to salute Twisted Sister on Twisted Forever, a 16-track tribute to the '80s glam metal icons due in August.

Joan Jett has recorded the band's signature hit "We're Not Gonna Take It," while Lit (who landed Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider for their "Zip-Lock" video) will offer a version of "I Wanna Rock." Motörhead, Sevendust, Anthrax and Chuck D dig deeper into the band's catalog, pitching in renditions of "Shoot 'Em Down," "I Am (I'm Me)," "Destroyer" and "Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)," respectively.

Sebastian Bach, Fu Manchu, Nashville Pussy, Nine Days, Overkill, Cradle of Filth, Vision of Disorder, the Step Kings and Hammerfall also step into the band's color-coded boots for the album.

Twisted Sister themselves even get in on the act, offering a cover of AC/DC's "Sin City," a favorite during the band's early rehearsals.

The project has been in the works for years, and at one point, Slipknot, Kittie and Type O Negative were also talked about for the album (see "Lit, Slipknot, Others May Tribute Twisted Sister"). However, those acts will not appear when the album arrives on August 14.

Twisted Forever tracklist:

• Lit - "I Wanna Rock"
• Joan Jett - "We're Not Gonna Take It"
• Motörhead - "Shoot 'Em Down"
• Nashville Pussy - "The Kids Are Back"
• Nine Days - "The Price"
• Chuck D - "Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)"
• Anthrax - "Destroyer"
• Overkill - "Under the Blade"
• Cradle of Filth - "The Fire Still Burns"
• Vision of Disorder - "Don't Let Me Down"
• The Step Kings - "Burn in Hell"
• Fu Manchu - "Ride to Live, Live to Ride"
• Sebastian Bach - "You Can't Stop Rock 'N Roll"
• Hammerfall - "We're Gonna Make It"
• Sevendust - "I Am (I'm Me)"
• Twisted Sister - "Sin City"

• Twisted Sister
• Sevendust
• Lit
• Chuck D
• Joan Jett

They say time heals all wounds, and to some degree that seems to be the case as Tipper Gore accompanies her husband Al on his march to the presidency.

In the mid-'80s, Tipper was one of the founding members of the Parents' Music Resource Center, a cultural watchdog group that set its sights on the music industry and "objectionable" lyrics. A lengthy campaign yielded Congressional hearings and eventually the "parental advisory" stickers that record labels now voluntarily place on potentially offense albums. It also yielded charges of censorship and a great deal of animosity among artists deemed "obscene."

Tipper has since apologized to many of those affected by the PMRC, and now, some 15 years later, Al Gore stands as the Democratic presidential nominee facing Republican hopeful George W. Bush in this fall's election. Gore's nomination also finds many artists mulling the possibility that their former nemesis may become First Lady.

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, one of the many musicians who saw his music slammed by Tipper and the PMRC during the '80s, admits that he will now likely vote for Gore come November. French called Tipper's PMRC past "a non-issue" and told MTV News, "I would have any Democrat over a Republican any day."

Twisted frontman Dee Snider offered more support for Gore, and some rather backhanded compliments, in a recent Associated Press article. Snider noted that he is supporting Gore, telling the AP, "I don't trust the guy as far as I can throw him. He's a conservative liberal, but I think he's going to chew up George W. and spit him out. He's an old-school, dirty-fighting politician." Snider also told the AP that he supports Gore's views on the environment and abortion.

While the men of Twisted Sister have tempered their ire over Tipper, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless still faces nagging doubts over both Al and Tipper. Lawless told MTV News. "It makes no sense, I have nothing to gain by it. If he does get elected, I can't get this old [Who] Pete Townshend line out of my head, when they sing 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.'" [RealAudio]

Lawless, who still refers to the PMRC as the "Washington Wives Clan," argues that those involved used the PMRC and its movement to further their own political aspirations. "They were never about censorship. Don't give a damn about censorship, and never did," Lawless said.

"I remember when it first started happening and I thought to myself, 'What's the big deal all about? Why are they attacking us? Why are they coming after a bunch of people like myself?,'" Lawless explained. "We represent a sub-genre. All the kids already knew who we were. They were making us a household word to people's grandmothers in Wisconsin who don't buy the records anyway. 'What's it all about? This doesn't smell right to me.'"

"He doesn't bother me, but there's something kind of eating away at me," Lawless said. "What's going to happen if they get in and she starts believing in her own self-importance? That's what that little man on my shoulder is talking about right now."

• Twisted Sister
• W.A.S.P.

Buff Canadian songstress Bif Naked has stepped into the ring to record a cover of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" for the soundtrack to the new wrestling flick, "Ready To Rumble."

• Bif Naked
• Twisted Sister

Lit, Slipknot, Sevendust, and Kittie are among the early names being kicked around for an upcoming tribute album saluting glam-gone-awry rockers Twisted Sister.

According to Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, Type O Negative, Anthrax, and Mötorhead are also among those who have expressed interest in revisiting the band's catalog for an album that should see the light of day in late fall or early winter on Koch Records.

"We're like Cher and cockroaches... we never go away," French told MTV News of the project. French said that Lit has expressed interest in "I Wanna Rock" and Sevendust would like to tackle "SMF," but adds that the album's lineup and details regarding it have yet to be hammered out. He did note that Motörhead has already recorded Twisted Sister's "Shoot 'Em Down" for the album.

French also said that Twisted Sister itself will be contributing a track as well, though he noted that it will be the only band to not kick in a TS song for the album. He told MTV News that the band rehearsed together over the weekend and will likely cover AC/DC's "Sin City" for the project. "We used to do that one back in our club days," the guitarist explained.

While Twisted Sister recorded a "reunion" track for the soundtrack to frontman Dee Snider's film "Strangeland" in 1998, French noted that the band members recorded their parts during different sessions and never actually shared a studio. As a result, last weekend's rehearsal marked the first time that the band had played together in 14 years.

• Lit
• Slipknot
• Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister's not gonna take it from John Rocker.

• Twisted Sister

After scoring a modern rock hit with "My Own Worst Enemy," Lit is prepping to release the second single from its "A Place in the Sun" LP, and recently shot a video for the track, titled "Zip-Lock," in the Hollywood Hills.

• Lit
• Twisted Sister

In the wake of the successful release of "Perversion," a nail-enamel inspired by Gravity Kill's most recent album, cosmetic company Urban Decay has just permanently added a line of make-up products based on several rock and heavy metal bands.

• AC/DC
• Black Sabbath
• The Cult
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Twisted Sister

AJ McLean, Nick Van Exel & Dee Snider

• Backstreet Boys
• Twisted Sister

Dee Snider: Through The Years

• Twisted Sister
• Dee Snider