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Blink-182 co-founder Mark Hoppus is setting his sights on the art world, with the musician set to auction off his rare Banksy artwork.
The artwork, titled Crude Oil (Vettriano), was hand-painted by the anonymous English street artist in 2005 and will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in London on March 4. The painting is valued rather highly, attracting a sales estimate of up to £5 million, or $6.3 million.
Originally created for Banksy’s 2005 exhibit Crude Oils, the painting is itself a recreation of the 1992 artwork The Singing Butler by Scottish artist Jack Vettriano. Hoppus would later acquire the piece in 2011.
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As part of the exhibition (which was described as “A Gallery of Re-Mixed Master-Pieces, Vandalism, and Vermin” and featured works based off artists such as Andy Warhol and Edward Hopper), the original was altered to include a “sinking oil liner and two men in hazmat suits wheeling a barrel of toxic waste”.
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“We loved this painting since the moment we saw it,” said Hoppus in a statement. “Unmistakably Banksy, but different. We bought it because we loved it. It’s borne witness to our family over these past dozen years. It hung over the table in London where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework. It hung in our living room in Los Angeles. It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments.”
“This isn’t just an iconic Banksy, it is a Banksy that has been treasured by music legend, Mark Hoppus, who fell for this work for its rebellious spirit, raw edge and unfiltered expression—the fundamentals that also shaped Mark’s world: Punk culture,” Sotheby’s Europe chairman Oliver Barker said in a statement.
“Street art and Punk Rock share the same vocabulary—they speak to the outsider, the rebel and the overlooked. Both movements were born from the margins. They challenge authority and rewrite the rules, a fundamental trait shared by Mark and Banksy. Now, by sharing Crude Oil (Vettriano) with the world, Mark will open others’ eyes to the true power art can have; to spark conversation and challenge the way we see the world around us.”
Remaining anonymous over his three decades of activity, Banksy’s artwork has become as iconic as it is divisive, with his creations adorning the walls of art galleries and album covers in equal measure. In 2021, his Love is in the Bin artwork sold for a record £18,582,000 (valued at $23,442,885 today), with the work itself having gained notoriety for its self-destruction upon its initial sale in 2018.
Hoppus says a portion of the funds raised by the sale will go towards charities and funds aiding those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, including the California Fire Foundation, the Child Life Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Cedars Sinai Hematology Oncology Research.
Crude Oil (Vettriano) is currently on display at Sotheby’s in New York until Thursday (Feb. 20), and will then be on display in London from Feb. 26 until March 4.
The journals of late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley will be collected in an upcoming book, with This Angry Pen to be released in November.
The 176-page volume will be officially released on Nov. 11 via publisher Weldon Owen, with its full title reading This Angry Pen: The Lost Journals of Layne Staley. According to a description of the book on the website of distributors Simon & Schuster, the book collects “handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes” and more.
“For the first time, this stunning collection unveils the deeply personal and creative side of the legendary Alice in Chains frontman,” it continues. “Through never-before-seen poetry, raw handwritten lyrics, intimate scribblings, and heartfelt notes, Layne’s inner thoughts and emotions come to life, offering a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who defined a generation.”
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Staley began his musical journey in the ‘80s, performing in glam bands in the Seattle area such as Sleze, which changed its name in 1986 to Alice N’ Chains.
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In 1987, Staley – along with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney – formed a new band and renamed it Alice in Chains. The group would soon become one of the most influential grunge rock outfits of the ‘90s, with their 1995 self-titled album peaking atop the Billboard 200.
In addition to performing and recording with supergroups Mad Season and Class of ‘99 through the decade, Staley became largely reclusive in the latter half of the ‘90s, battling depression and drug addiction during those years. In April 17, 2002, Staley’s body was found in his Seattle apartment, with an autopsy ruling his death as an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin from two weeks prior.
Alice in Chains would later reform in 2005, with vocalist William DuVall joining the following year. The band have since released three studio albums, with 2018’s Rainier Fog serving as their last record to date.
“Through Layne’s scribblings and heartfelt musings are a window into the emotional depths of a man who gave so much of himself to his art and his fans, even as he struggled with his own battles,” the description for This Angry Pen continued. “For fans new and old, this is an opportunity to connect with Layne’s artistry and humanity in a way that’s never been possible before. His story, told through his own words, creations, and the lives he forever changed, is a testament to the enduring power of music, art, and the human spirit.”
The publication of This Angry Pen also draws some comparisons to the 2002 book Journals, which collected the drawings and writings of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Nirvana and Alice in Chains – along with fellow Seattle contemporaries Pearl Jam and Soundgarden – were often considered to make up the ‘Big Four’ of grunge music. Reaction to Cobain’s Journals was mixed upon its release, with Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean expressing her regret over its publication in 2018.
Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has dismissed his bandmates’ decision to reform with Frank Carter on vocals, likening the whole endeavor to “karaoke”.
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News of a tour from the Sex Pistols emerged in 2024 when it was first announced that the band – featuring original members Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock – were to reunite for a two-night affair to benefit West London’s Bush Hall.
The reunion did not, however, feature Lydon, who served as the vocalist of the band under his Johnny Rotten moniker. Instead, the group was to be fronted by Carter, who has previously fronted acts such as Gallows, Pure Love and Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes.
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The initial shows soon led to further dates around the U.K. and Europe, with the band billed as Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter. Further shows have since been announced for Australia, New Zealand, and other European countries throughout 2025. In January, Jones confirmed U.S. dates would follow, though specifics are yet to arrive.
Lydon, however, had remained largely quiet in regard to the nascent shows from the band. On Thursday (Feb. 13), he spoke to British publication The i Paper about the tour, explaining that he largely felt “annoyed” by the whole affair and feared it would tarnish the group’s legacy.
“When I first heard that the Sex Pistols were touring this year without me it pissed me off,” he explained. “It annoyed me. I just thought, ‘they’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all.’ I didn’t write those words lightly. They’re trying to trivialise the whole show to get away with karaoke but in the long term I think you’ll see who has the value and who doesn’t. I’ve never sold my soul to make a dollar. It’s the Catholic in me – that guilt I don’t want to trip.
“Like Nancy Reagan, I’ve always found it easy to just say ‘no,’” he continued. “If something challenges your heart and your soul and your mind and your sense of purity of what is right and wrong in the world, then just say no. Which, according to the corporate thinking which riddles the music business earns me the title of ‘difficult to work with’ – a title of which I’m very proud.”
The new tour is not the first time, however, that Sex Pistols members have performed songs with a different vocalist. In recent years, Jones and Cook teamed up with Billy Idol and Tony James of Generation X to form the supergroup Generation Sex. Though initially a one-off occurrence in 2018, the group would later embark on a European tour in 2023.
Lydon touched on both the nascent iteration of the Sex Pistols and the Generation Sex group in another recent interview with the Classic Album Review podcast, claiming it’s his presence that makes for the genuine article.
“I wrote the fucking songs, didn’t I? I gave them the image,” he explained. ”I was the frontman. I am the voice what made the whole world sing. And now [they’re] going out, as they did the year before with Billy Idol. It’s just karaoke, really.
“I would love to be embarrassed by high-quality songwriting from them,” he continued. “They’ve had long enough to get that together now, haven’t they? But no. They profess their hatred for me, but they can’t live without me. I am the punishment that goes on giving.”
The Sex Pistols initially existed from 1975 until 1978, releasing their sole studio album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols in 1977. Lauded as a pioneering punk outfit despite their short initial tenure, the band would later reform in 1996 for a world tour, and undertook sporadic tours until 2008.
Famously, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, though refused to attend the ceremony, labeling the institution a “piss stain.”
Rick Buckler, a longtime rocker best known as the drummer for legendary band The Jam, has died. He was 69 years old. The news of his death was announced on X via a heartfelt message from his bandmate, Paul Weller. “I’m shocked and saddened by Rick’s passing. I’m thinking back to us all rehearsing in […]
MGK is looking forward to his second round of fatherhood. The rocker, who is expecting a child with his ex-fiancée Megan Fox, took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday (Feb. 16) to share a photo of a church stage, which showed the projected message, “Your past is not your purpose—your priority is ahead of you.” […]
The first round of grants targeting wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles following last month’s all-star FireAid benefit concerts were announced on Tuesday (Feb. 18). The $50 million-worth of phase one gifting — representing half of the estimated $100 million raised by the shows — will prioritize “community-based organizations that are on the front lines of wildfire relief.”
The groups, which organizers said have the infrastructure, experience, and in-place relationships to “efficiently and equitably” deliver assistance to fire-impacted individuals, are each for $100,000 or more and targeted toward immediate relief; phase two will be more focused on rebuilding efforts following the series of fires that killed 29 Angelenos and destroyed more than 16,0000 homes and structures.
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The organizations are split into several buckets, including emergency aid to children and families, school recovery funding, targeted support for vulnerable youth and foster youth and funds to help with educational continuity via a grant to A Sense of Home.
The community hubs and conveners grant will send funds to Abundant Harvest LIFT, a community crisis center that distributes information, financial assistance and connects individuals with critical resources for survivors of the Eaton Canyon fire. Other groups covered by this grant include: Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades, Clery Community Coalition, Inc., Deliverance Tabernacle Church, First AME Pasadena, Flintridge Center, Friends Indeed, Harambee Ministries – Pasadena, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Kehillat Israel Synagogue, LA Voice Benevolence Fund, Masjid al Taqwa, NAACP of Pasadena, Pasadena Church, Pasadena City College Foundation, Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, Pasadena Seventh Day Adventist, St. Vincent de Paul Society’s St. Elizabeth Conference of Altadena, the Santa Monica College Foundation, Victory Bible Church Pasadena and YMCA Metro.
Disaster relief will distribute direct cash aid for Angeleno’s most critical needs, as well as coordinated efforts to clear hazardous waste, test water quality and restore safe living conditions. The grantees for those efforts include: Alliance for a Better Community, Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, Brotherhood Crusade, CA Conservation Corps, CA Native Vote Project, Change Reaction, CORE, Heal the Bay, Jewish Free Loan Association, LA Conservation Corps, LA County Household Relief Fund, LA Works, Inc., Latino Community Foundation, My Tribe Rise, Pasadena Community Foundation Eaton Canyon Fire Relief Fund and Team Rubicon.
Grants covering food access and security needs for those displaced residents who are in shelters without cooking facilities and who face challenges sourcing nutritious meals will go to: Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Hollywood Food Coalition, Hunger Action Los Angeles, Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Las Angeles Regional Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Saint Vincent, Meals on Wheels, West, Office of Food Equity, Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles, Project Angel Food and Westside Food Bank.
Aid for frontline, displaced workers and small businesses to assist first frontline workers possibly facing displacement, financial strain and mental health challenges, as well as workers who commuted to affected areas for jobs and small businesses needing relief to rebuild will go to: CA Firefighters Benevolent Fund, IDEPSCA, Inclusive Action For the City, LA Region Worker Relief Fund, Labor Community Services Program of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Black Worker Center, Philipino Workers Center and Restaurants Care Project.
Health and housing assistance for wildfire survivors facing physical and mental health challenges due to exposure to smoke and poor air quality, as well as stress and trauma, include: Dena Heals, Didi Hirsch, Door of Hope, Foothill Family Service, Greenline Housing Foundation, LA Coalition of Community Clinics, LA Family Housing Corporation, LIFT-Los Angeles, NAMI Westside LA, Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, Pacific Clinics, St. Joseph Center, The People Concern, Union Station Homeless Corporation, United American Indian Involvement and Vision y Compromiso.
Los Angeles’ vast musical community will also get some assistance after many musicians and artists lost their homes, equipment, studios and income in the fires. The funds will provide direct aid to affected artists, as well as mental health services, employment in community programs and support for small arts organizations to ensure their survival. The grantees include: Armory Center for the Arts, LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, LA Commons, LA County Arts & Creative Recovery Fund, MusiCares Foundation, Music Health Alliance – Music Industry Mental Health Fund and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.
Organizations helping Angelenos facing displacement, trauma and having trouble navigating survivor services who will receive funds include: 211LA, Bet Tzedek, Dena Care Collective, Imagine Los Angeles, Inc., Legal Aid of LA, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County – BAILA and Public Counsel.
Schools around the L.A. region have had classes severely disrupted due to the fires while some have faced closure as displaced students — especially those from low-income households in college — struggle with housing, financial aid stability and campus resources. Aid for those groups will go to: California Charter School Association, Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, LA Community College Foundation, LAUSD Foundation, Pasadena Educational Foundation, Palisades Charter HS and Project Camp.
Supportive services for vulnerable populations including seniors and people with disabilities who may confront issues accessing aid, healthcare and stable housing will get a boost with grants to: Disability Community Resource Center, Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles, Malibu Senior Center, Pasadena Senior Center and Special Needs Network Inc.
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Organizers says the first phase of funds will be distributed by the end of February. The second phase will focus on sustaining long-term recovery, remediation and rebuilding, as well as addressing environmental issues. Fundraising for the fund is still open.
January’s two shows at L.A.’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum were seen by more than 50 million viewers across 28 streaming platforms, who tuned in to performances by more than 30 artists including Green Day with Billie Eilish, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder, Lil Baby, Tate McRae, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak with Dr. Dre and Sheila E, Dawes, John Mayer, a Nirvana reunion, Joni Mitchell, a reunited No Doubt, P!nk and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many others.
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum has dismissed suggestions that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will ever return to the touring circuit.
Sorum’s claims arrived just weeks after Tyler made a return to the stage as part of his sixth annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party. With Sorum serving as Musical Director, the event was only the second time that Tyler had performed live since a 2023 vocal injury which halted Aerosmith’s touring schedule, and the first time since the band announced their formal retirement in August of 2024.
Performing alongside Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, Tyler sung covers of songs by Extreme and Led Zeppelin, and four Aerosmith staples, which saw the musician joined by the likes of Mick Fleetwood, Lainey Wilson, the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Jessie J, and Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton. However, despite the positive response from fans, Sorum told Joe Rock of Long Island radio station WBAB (via Blabbermouth) that the strain of global touring would prevent Tyler from performing on a large scale once again.
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“Some fans were a little bit, like, ‘Well, he can sing.’ Well, let me just explain what’s happening with Steven Tyler, ’cause he’s a really good friend,” Sorum explained. “He went out and sang. And it was a really big moment for him because he hurt himself bad. Now, is he gonna tour again? No, he’s not. Because, and I explained this to people, Steven cannot put himself under the rigors of doing a full worldwide tour because there’s a lot of pressure.
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“And if you’re not a singer, you wouldn’t understand what he goes through, but he’s 77 years old and he’s a perfectionist. And if he doesn’t sing correctly, it bothers him. And he’s not gonna put it on tape, like 80 percent of the people that are out there taking your money. He will not be on tape, and he won’t change the keys of the song. That’s just who he is. He’s, like, ‘I’m an artist. I’m a singer. This is my band. I’ve been doing this for 50 years. And if I can’t do it perfect, I can’t do it.’ And I respect that.
“I talked to him about it multiple times,” added Sorum. “I said, ‘So, just sing four or five songs tops.’ He says, ‘I can do that.’ And that was just one time. Maybe down the line, he’ll do it again and possibly do the same amount of songs.”
Initially, early reports of Tyler’s recent live appearance claimed that the performance would in fact be an Aerosmith reunion. If it were true, it would have been the group’s first live show since Sept. 2023.
While performing in Elmont, NY on Sept. 9 of that year, Tyler fractured his larynx, necessitating the postponement of shows on their Peace Out tour. Ultimately, these shows were canceled entirely when the band announced their retirement from touring in August 2024.
In January, Hamilton spoke to Boston’s WBUR to provide an update on Tyler’s health status, and to provide an insight into future Aerosmith activity. “Maybe Aerosmith will do something in the future, but it’s a big if and the last thing I want to be doing is to try and push Steven in that direction,” he explained. “If we do anything in the future, it would come from him.”
Tool bassist Justin Chancellor has provided an update into the band’s famously-protracted album release schedule, revealing that the Los Angeles quartet will be hitting the studio following their upcoming tour of South America.
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Speaking to Summa Inferno, Chancellor explained that after Tool – whose last album arrived in 2019 – wrap up a run of March shows in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil, they plan to “dedicate the next three months after that in the studio to organizing our ideas”.
“There are a lot of stages in the process,” Chancellor continued. “We all have ideas. When they’re good, when we like them, we kind of save them or memorize them. The really difficult process is when you actually get together and make decisions about how it’s going to end up. And that becomes a little more mathematical, a little more like in the classroom — there’s a blackboard and there’s numbers and you have to make decisions. So that’s the stage we haven’t completely pulled off yet, but we’re committed to do that when we get back.”
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Noting that the band “have a really good pile of stuff” after its members shared their individual ideas with others, Chancellor noted that the next stage of the process is where things become a lot more complicated.
“You have to make those decisions, and you have to kind of wrestle with each other a bit to get to that next stage,” he explained. “And then you have to record it, which is a whole other thing as well. It’s like a pregnancy, almost. When you go to the studio, you have to make this final decision of how it’s going to sound and how you’re going to play it, and it’s going to live like that forever.”
Though Tool celebrate their 35th anniversary in 2025, their lengthy history has only brought with it a comparatively-meager five full-length records. Famously, a 13-year gap followed the release of 2006’s 10,000 Days, with fifth album Fear Inoculum giving the band their third consecutive Billboard 200 chart-topper upon its August 2019 release.
While the band were forced to contend with a long-running lawsuit that delayed the production of their most recent record, Chancellor – who joined Tool ahead of 1996’s Ænima – defended the length of time the band spends working on material.
“It’s a real delicate thing to be able to pull off,” Chancellor explained. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable that we take a long time at all. I think that’s only natural, and that’s why I’m proud of it, because it was worked on really hard.”
Tool’s Fear Inoculum record also scored the band a pair of Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Song for its title track, and Best Metal Performance for “7empest” – with the band winning the latter.
Notably, upon the release of 10-minute-and-21-second lead single “Fear Inoculum”, it became the longest song to enter the Hot 100 – dethroning David Bowie’s 2015 single “Blackstar” by 24 seconds in the process.
Tool were themselves outshone by André 3000 by almost two minutes in 2023, when his New Blue Sun album opener “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time” entered the chart at No. 90.
Veteran rockabilly musician Brian Setzer has revealed he’s currently unable to play guitar, with an unspecified autoimmune disease halting his celebrated abilities.
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Setzer shared the news on social media on Thursday (Feb. 13), giving fans an update as to his current status following a few months away from the stage. In his post, he revealed that towards the end of the Stray Cats’ 2024 summer tour (which wrapped in August), he was left with cramping hands and a diminished ability to play guitar.
“I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease. I cannot play guitar,” he told his followers. “There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play. I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that.
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“Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me. It’s called the Mayo Clinic. I know I will beat this, it will just take some time.”
Setzer first rose to fame at the start of the ‘80s as the guitarist and vocalist of New York rockabilly outfit Stray Cats. Following a string of successful albums and singles (including Hot 100 top ten hits “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” from their 1981 self-titled debut), the group split in 1984 before reforming two years later.
Alongside further splits and reunions, Setzer has also been the leader of the eponymous Brian Setzer Orchestra since 1990. His most recent solo album, The Devil Always Collects, arrived in 2023, while Stray Cats returned in 2019 with 40, their first studio album in 26 years.
Setzer’s battle with an auto-immune disease isn’t the first time the acclaimed musician’s health has kept him away from the stage. In 2019, he was forced to cancel 26 dates of his Christmas Rocks! Tour due to being diagnosed with a severe case of tinnitus – a condition that causes sufferers to hear a constant noise or ringing in their ears.
“I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused all of the amazing people who make my tour happen and to my unbelievably loyal and devoted fans,” Setzer wrote at the time. “I hate to let you down and I hope you’ll understand.”
Though no touring plans have been affected by Setzer’s recent diagnosis, his positive demeanor bodes well for a swift return to the stage.
Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Jason Momoa and more have been added to the lineup for Black Sabbath’s final reunion concert.
On Monday (Feb. 17), Ozzy Osbourne‘s official Instagram account revealed the new additions to the star-studded Back to the Beginning show, set for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Aquaman actor Momoa will host the event, while Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello will serve as musical director. Other newly announced acts include Rival Sons, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, songwriter-producer Andrew Watt, and bassist Dave Ellefson.
In early February, Black Sabbath confirmed details of their last-ever live performance, which will feature the classic lineup of Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward. It will be the first time the original band has performed together in two decades.
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“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” Osbourne said recently on his Ozzy Speaks program on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard. “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
Osbourne hasn’t staged a full concert since Dec. 31, 2018, the final date of his No More Tours trek. Just two months later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and his health has since impacted further large-scale performance plans, leading to numerous cancellations.
Described as “the final show” on promotional artwork, the Back to the Beginning lineup also features Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Alice in Chains and Halestorm, Gojira, among others.
Check out the updated lineup poster for Black Sabbath’s final show on Instagram below.
