When ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy announced an unlikely collaboration with John Sykes (above left, the guy who wrote Whitesnake’s huge album), it was easy to be of two minds: On the one hand, Portnoy had reactivated the long-dormant Sykes, which is awesome; but, jeez, the Portnoy-Sykes affair also set a roadblock before any potential reunion of Blue Murder, Sykes’ awesomely awesome supergroup with drummer Carmine Appice and farty Tony Franklin. That’s a bummer.

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When I was very young, I remember having an intensely heated argument with my mom over who sang, “Wild World.” I insisted it was Mr. Big while she tried in vain to tell me it was a cover of a Cat Stevens song. Of course, she was right. But she should’ve known better than trying to reason with a smart-ass eight-year-old.

My mom has never spoken to Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, and probably never will due to his lifestyle and beliefs. I, however, did get to speak to Eric Martin lead singer of Mr. Big. So I still win.

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Add “David Lee Roth on the Eat ‘Em and Smile tour” to the list of tours I’d visit if I had a time machine. The Vai / Sheehan / Bissonette lineup was definitely Diamond Dave’s best… if you disagree, I’m happy to engage in an e-fight to the death.

Here’s that lineup playing “Shyboy” in Detroit in 1986. Skip to 2:10 for the Vai/Sheehan double-shredathon if that’s what you’re in it for… but I can’t imagine why you’d possibly want to miss out on DLR’s stage antics.

-VN

I think I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to hair metal and cock rock, but I honestly couldn’t discuss any Mr. Big song that isn’t “To Be With You.” Apparently I’m not alone: the band has 124 songs currently on iTunes, ten of which are really just “To Be With You;” six of those ten take spots as the band’s ten most purchased songs. In other words: when Billy Sheehan dies, this song will be mentioned very close to the top of his obituary.

ANYWAY, the band is apparently reuniting for some shows in Japan, a.k.a. the only place where most hair metal musicians are still considered stars. I’d express jealousy that the bands Japanese fans will get to indulge and us Americans will not, but I honestly don’t give a shit; somebody call me when the two versions of  L.A. Guns finally reconcile.

-AR