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Rolling Stone
MUSIC NEWS
Tension rises between the Princess of Pop and the King of Rock
ByRACHEL RUSHING
“Taylan who?”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last eighteen years since this little redhead graced Hollywood at the age of three, you know who Taylan Ash is.
After having to be reminded of who won the majority of the awards, laughter breaks out among the band. “I’d f*** her,” Revved’s front man Revel Slade said of Taylan Ash at the Grammy Awards, “but her lyrics say absolutely nothing other than she clearly hasn’t had her cherry popped.” The venomous dig was prompted by Ash’s recent single, “Love Rewind,” but some wonder if Slade’s harboring a grudge against Ash because of the long-rumored on-again, off-again relationship between Ash’s father and record mogul, Jory Ash, and Slade’s now ex-girlfriend, Hensley Shaw. It’s been reported Slade and Shaw broke up over the latest scandal linking the CEO of Ash Records and Hensley. However, it hasn’t been confirmed.
Whatever the cause of the rift, Slade didn’t hold back when asked his thoughts on “Love Rewind” after the twenty-year-old pop princess won her fourth Grammy of the night for Best Solo Performance.
Ash had her own thoughts to offer. “The drugs and alcohol have clearly diminished his ability to identify good music. He’s pathetic. I have great respect for Revved and everything they’ve accomplished as a band, but they’d be better without Revel Slade. I just think he’s an asshole and I have for a long time.”
Relations between the two icons, the king of rock and the princess of pop, have yet to thaw since their interaction at the Grammys, but in news leaked hours ago the pair are said to be headlining the One Vibe tour that includes seven rock, pop, and country bands on a worldwide tour over the fall/winter. Insiders are saying it’ll be quite the show with Slade’s frequent outbursts on stage.
Music fans are in for a treat both on and off the stage.
DRAGON ON MY BACK
REVEL
It’s no secret that I have a massive dragon tattoo on my back.
Truth be told, it’s the most talked about tattoo in the music industry.
Why? Because they have nothing better to talk about? Could be that. More than likely it’s because of the meaning behind it, which I’ve never told anyone the truth about, but instead, I bury it deep within the lyrics I write. I’ve never directly told anyone the true meaning behind it, but it’s the number one question I’m asked. I’ve given some seriously bullshit answers.
It’s what I do.
I avoid.
Deter.
Distract.
Lie.
I’m brought from my thoughts with the order of, “Showtime, boys.”
I hate being told what to do. I don’t know any man who enjoys it. Like it’ll make a goddamn bit of difference, I protest with, “I don’t want to do this.”
Liz Barns, our manager, pushes me forward as if I have no choice. We both know I don’t, but I’ll be damned if I make it easy for her. “When you release a record, you do press. It’s what you signed up for being the biggest rock band in the country.”
See? She’s right. All my decision-making was taken away a long time ago. When you’re the hottest band in the world, you have little to no say in what direction your life goes, let alone your day. If you’re in the music industry and you’re making money, there’s a good chance you sold your soul to the devil the moment you signed on the dotted line. Unless you work with a record label with your name on it, you’re fucked. If you’re lucky, it’ll be with a Grammy.
When our band became a household name and I realized the consequences of being in the public eye, I tried my best for years to get out of it, but all that did was put everyone, including myself, in a bad mood. People who say rock stars are impossible to get along with are right. Trust me, I am one. I should know a thing or two about their likability and moodiness.
When you think about being a rock star, you probably think of things like wild nights, life on the road, groupies, sex, drugs, and more money than you know what to do with. While there is certainly all the above, you never stop to think about the downside of all that. The cause and effect, if you will. The hard truth here? You can only withstand the glare of the spotlight for so long before you crave the relief of the shadows.
Have you ever sat and counted your heartbeats?
Bizarre question, sure, but have you done it?
You’re probably thinking about doing it now, aren’t you?
