Stream It: 'Nothin’ But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ‘80s Hair Metal' Part 1

The three-part documentary, Nothin’ But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ‘80s Hair Metal finally premiered on Paramount+ yesterday! I watched part one and I was more entertained than I had expected. The documentary is based on the non-fiction book of the same name and does feature commentary by authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock. The doc is directed by Jeff Tremaine.

Not surprisingly, most of part 1 hinges on the very early beginnings of Sunset Strip glam. In fact, this section is simply called “The Sunset Strip.” There’s a look back at how rock was struggling in the 70s and how record labels were obsessed with new wave acts. Motley Crue and Quiet Riot get a huge portion of this first section since they were pioneers of the look and lifestyle of the heyday. WASP also gets a nice bit of airplay, even interviewing an individual who helped Blackie Lawless develop his saw-like costume pieces. They really were (are!?!) made of metal and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory!

The series is smart in using cartoons to illustrate stories that have no video, like Jack Russell’s criminal history and incarceration for robbery and shooting a woman (she didn’t die) to Motley Crue biting all sorts of people like Eddie Van Halen.

There are musician interviews of course but also commentary from insiders like Tom Zutaut, Alan Niven and Doc McGhee – the usual suspects as it were.

Part one is about 45 minutes long. I didn’t check but I will assume the other two parts clock in at around the same. I am looking forward to watching part two, which I believe focuses a lot on Poison and is called “The Second Wave.”

Quiet Riot, 'I Can't Hold On' -- New Track

I certainly did not expect a new Quiet Riot song featuring Kevin DuBrow on vocals and Frankie Banali on drums - but here we are. It was thought the song "I Can't Hold On" was lost forever, until it was found on an old iPod back in 2021. The song is about 20 years old and it is pretty amazing. In fact, "I Can't Hold On" might be one of the best QR songs, period.

After the song was found on the iPod. It was in demo form and never completed. Guitarist Alex Grossi and DuBrow wrote the song together and the remastered, finished track now also features Rudy Sarzo. You may recall Sarzo was in Quiet Riot back in the Metal Health days - and he's in the band with Grossi today.

A video for the song with old photos of DuBrow and Banali are below. The clip choked me up a little. The live Rocklahoma footage hit me extra hard because 1) I got to see that performance and 2) DuBrow was dead just four months later and I covered his passing in the news show I was producing at the time.

Stephen King Is Apparently A Glam Fan

The master of all horror - and just brilliant writer - Stephen King is apparently a Glam fan. It's well known he loves rock n' roll. Out of the blue earlier today he tweeted about the need for Quiet Riot. You know, it probably is time for Quiet Riot!

I love random things like this.

Time for some Quiet Riot. "Cum On Feel the Noize." Gotta play it loud.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 19, 2022

SCORPS! https://t.co/ujuN8yDbwG

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 19, 2022

Both great. Love Slade. https://t.co/OGAz0N1bmM

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 19, 2022

Quiet Riot Announces 2022 Tour Dates

Quiet Riot is going out on the road this year and for a lot of dates. The band released a lot of dates last week and you can see them on the Facebook post below. I will be at the Xenia, Ohio show but I am a bit baffled at the venue - that is an outdoor amphitheater mostly known for literary events. The date is a Saturday night, so it should be a fun show. No word on ticket prices or tour partners or anything like that.

Rudy Sarzo Rejoins Quiet Riot

It's been 18 years since he left and now Rudy Sarzo is going back to Quiet Riot. Chuck Wright has stepped aside and left the band.

This is nice, but it is odd that this is happening now, all the years later. Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali are dead and they were always pretty much the core of Quiet Riot. This move must mean something significant is in the works for the band.