Bill Wyman

Bill Wyman

Wyman Bored Of Modern Bands

Former Rolling Stones star Bill Wyman dislikes modern music, insisting albums by rock bands such as the Arctic Monkeys are disposable.

The rocker, who played bass guitar with the Paint It Black hitmakers from 1962 to 1992, isn't a fan of the current crop of guitar groups topping the charts.

And he's convinced modern acts will fade away unless they start making more memorable music.

Wyman says, "I can't say I'm impressed by any of the music at the minute. There's nothing new and it doesn't excite me. I can't see bands like the Arctic Monkeys having staying power. Society constantly wants new music so no one will be around long."

Old Man Clapton Likes His Aged Vocals

Eric Clapton has only recently started enjoying hearing his own voice when he sings - because he sounded awful when he first started adding vocals to his records.

The Layla singer admits he spent too long trying to hit the high notes and it took maturity to make him realise he sounded better if he sang low.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "It’s taken me to be an older guy, an old man, to have an old man’s voice.

"I only liked old men’s voices. As a kid, I didn’t like pip-squeaked singers. It was always someone with authority. And for a singer to have authority, they have to have some kind of social standing. Otherwise, it’s fake.

"I also suffered from a delusion that a lot of people share... If you sing at the top of your range, it’s more expressive. So I figured out how high I could sing. Then I sang in that key. It’s a cop-out, because it’s easier to pitch - you just stretch. To sing in a lower key is harder work. You have to use your diaphragm more."

Page Beat Beck To Yardbirds Call

Guitar great Jeff Beck almost missed out on his chance to become a member of British supergroup the Yardbirds - Jimmy Page was asked to join the band before him.

In his first joint interview with Eric Clapton - the man he replaced in the group in 1965 - Beck reveals Page was initially approached to fill the gap left by Clapton, but he turned the offer down.

The future Led Zeppelin rocker eventually joined the Yardbirds when Beck left - but he could have been a part of the iconic group years before.

Beck tells Rolling Stone magazine, "They asked him first. He turned them down... (so) I got the call."

The guitarist admits his early days in the band were tough - because he was living in the shadow of Clapton: "When I joined the Yardbirds, all I kept hearing was stories in the van: 'Eric wouldn't have done this, Eric wouldn't have done that.' I  went, 'Shut the f**k up, Eric isn't in the band.'"

During the joint chat, Clapton admits he's surprised his former Yardbirds bandmates liked him - because he was so "disagreeable".

He explains, "They didn't like me when I was in the band... Anyone who didn't know (blues great) Robert Johnson, I didn't want to know them."

Mcgee: 'Ageing Music Industry Executives Should Give Up Cocaine'

Music mogul Alan Mcgee has urged his ageing peers to quit snorting cocaine - because it's undignified.

The former boss of Creation Records, who discovered bands like Oasis and Primal Scream, has now retired from the music industry - because he knew it was time to quit.

And he insists others should quit too - before they make a fool of themselves trying to live the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

McGee says, "I can't stand those guys over 40 who are still doing coke and all that s**t... It is really unbecoming, really undignified in someone of that age.

"I mean, hey, if you're 21 and you want to do it, then, rock 'n' roll, get on with it. But, if you are 45, it's just sad."


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