Longtime drummer for Finnish rock band The 69 Eyes is stepping away for a bit due to illness. Jussi 69, real name Jussi Vuori, posted a statement to the band’s social media on October 22, 2026. He shared the news with fans of his temporary departure following a viral meningitis diagnosis.

“Dear all! I’m truly sorry to share that I’ve been diagnosed with nasty infection (viral meningitis),” he wrote. “I need to rest and follow my doctors orders, which means no physical activity or drumming for now.”

The glam-goth band has several dates scheduled throughout Finland until the end of 2026. For the remaining shows, Jussi will be replaced by his drum tech, Vilho Rajala. In the statement, Jussi gave Rajala his seal of approval as his temporary replacement.

The statement continued, “The 69 Eyes will play all upcoming tour dates, with my amazing drum tech Vilho Rajala, who knows our songs by heart, filling in for me for the first couple of weeks.”

The 69 Eyes Drummer To Take Temporary Break Following Illness, Fans Send Supportive Messages

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Jussi concluded the post with a personal note to fans, sharing his hopes that he’d return to the stage soon. “I’ve always given 100% at every show, but right now I need to focus on getting better so I can come back stronger than ever!” he wrote. “I hope you understand. I love you all and hope to see you at the shows very soon!”

The comment section of the post was full of support from fans and famous friends. This included a comment from Rajala, who wrote, “I’ve got your back & will do my best. Get well soon!” Samy Elbanna, guitarist for Finnish metal band Lost Society, commented, “Get well soon brother!!!!”

Fans commented well-wishes, urging Jussi to take his time to fully recover. “Sending you lots of good vibes and love. Wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery!” one fan wrote. Many others commented similar statements, flooding the post with support.

The 69 Eyes most recently released one of their older hits as a single. In September 2026, the band gave “Brandon Lee (Forma Acustica)” a standalone release after 26 years. It was initially featured on their 2000 album, Blessed Be, and became a huge international hit. Another big hit was “Lost Boys” from 2005, which has since become a staple of the Halloween season.

As for their current I Survive Tour, the band is scheduled to play 11 shows in Finland starting on October 30. They have a hometown show in Helsinki on December 5, before ending the year with a show in Munich, Germany, on December 31.

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80s rock singer Kip Winger has revealed he’s suffered from vocal-cord paralysis. The revelation comes amid confusion concerning the retirement status of his band, Winger.

During an October 2026 episode of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Kip Winger opened up about his band playing shows this year, even after announcing their retirement in 2025. Their final gig was originally an August 2025 show at the Rainbow Bar & Grill Backyard Bash in West Hollywood, California. According to the singer, it was necessarily a planned hiatus, but there had been talk of slowing down.

“We toured a lot for the last five years,” Kip said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “I was wanting more time to focus on the other writing I’m doing. I had a lot of trouble with my voice.” He then shared his medical diagnosis: “I’ve got this paralysis in my vocal cord, so it’s very difficult to get my voice up and running, but I can do it.”

Kip Winger revealed that he has been dealing with vocal cord paralysis

Kip then brought up that Rainbow Bar gig from 2025. He sincerely thought it would be his final show for a while. “I was telling everybody, like, ‘This is gonna be my last show for a while, because I’m doing other s**t.’ And f**k if Marq Torien [of ’80s rock band the BulletBoys] didn’t go out there and go, ‘This is Kip’s retirement gig.'”

“He said it the whole set,” Kip added. “So that’s how it got spread. I never announced it, but I was thinking we were gonna go from 35, 40 shows a year down to, like, six or seven, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Speaking about Winger’s 2026 gigs, Kip confirmed that they haven’t played too many. He noted that the gig they were at—The Sands.rocks music festival in Cancún, Mexico—was nearly the end of the line.

“Ten, maybe. Twelve,” he said, counting the band’s 2026 concerts. “This is our last show of the year. No — we’re going to Chicago and Detroit in two days. And that’s our last show. And then the first show of next year will be the [Monsters Of Rock] cruise. And then we’re getting some offers and stuff, which is weird, because I told my agent — I quoted a number that I thought was so high we’d never get it, and we’re getting it.”

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If you’re already familiar with these three bands, you’ll know that their weirdness is a beloved aspect of their image. For those who don’t know, you’re in for a surrealist, avant-garde, art rock experience.

Mr. Bungle

Mr. Bungle formed in 1985 while the founding members were still high school students. It started as a speed and thrash metal outlet, but the band reportedly got tired of that after about a year. They dabbled in ska and funk, recruiting horn and drum players. With new influences guiding them, the band found they could really do whatever they wanted.

Their first demo, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny, was recorded in 1986. It still featured a solid thrash metal sound, with the new ska additions blended in. The art rock experimentation showed up in their use of bongos, kazoo, saxophone, and train whistles. As Mr. Bungle released more music in the following years, their sound evolved to include swing, funk, free jazz, carnival music, avant-garde improv, and more ska elements. According to founding member Mike Patton at the time, Mr. Bungle was essentially “weirdo funk music”.

Oingo Boingo

Danny Elfman’s avant-garde art rock project formed in 1979 after seven years as a surrealist theater group called the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo. As the group evolved, they initially made ska-punk music. But Oingo Boingo, by design, wouldn’t be boxed in. They incorporated elements of new wave, art rock, punk, ska, jazz, and had an overall experimental approach.

Oingo Boingo was known for their high-energy stage presence, which built on their theater troupe foundations. Although there were several lineup changes throughout the years, Elfman, Leon Schneiderman, Dale Turner, Sam Phipps, Steve Bartek, and John “Vatos” Hernandez stayed consistent. In the mid-90s the group turned to a more rock-oriented sound, leaving behind their keyboards and horns. This proved to be their final change, as they retired after a final concert in 1995.

Idiot Flesh

Idiot Flesh was an experimental art rock band that formed in 1985, originally under the name Acid Rain. They released a demo under that name in 1987, before changing to Idiot Flesh before the release of their first album, Tales of Instant Knowledge and Sure Death, in 1990. Its founding members were students at the University of California at Berkley.

The band incorporated many different theatrical elements in their music and stage shows. They used marching band routines, puppet shows, circus acrobatics, fire breathing, and instruments made out of household objects. Idiot Flesh also included skits and interludes on their albums. Although they disbanded in 1998, several members went on to work with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, the Sun and Moon Ensemble, Cirque du Soleil, and Les Claypool of Primus.

Photo by Rafael Macia /Redferns

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Slipknot is heading out on a big 2027 tour, and it’s already sparked some controversy. Specifically, the inclusion of Marilyn Manson has led to calls for him to be removed from the lineup. Even politicians are getting in on the boycott.

Currently, Slipknot is scheduled to play a show at Wembley Stadium on July 3, 2027. Manson is listed as their direct featured support performer. Hatebreed and Lorna Shore are set to open the gig. However, Councillor Anton Georgiou hopes to change that.

Georgiou is the leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at Brent Council in London. In a new Instagram Post, he’s urging Wembley officials to refuse to allow Manson to perform. This is due to the numerous sexual assault allegations and legal cases the shock rocker has faced.

Councillor Anton Georgiou is calling out Wembley Stadium for allowing Marilyn Manson to perform

“I was shocked to learn that Marilyn Manson has been booked to play here at Wembley,” Georgiou said in the video. “Given the historic sexual abuse allegations made against him. This really does fly in the face of the council’s ongoing work to tackle violence against women and girls. I’m so disappointed that Brent Council haven’t put out a public statement in relation to this really controversial booking.”

“The Brent Liberal Democrats are seeking a review of this decision by Wembley Stadium,” he added. “We’re also asking the stadium: what considerations were given to survivors of sexual abuse when this decision was made?”

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A post shared by Anton Georgiou (@anton_georgiou)

Georgiou has been getting some pushback from Manson fans on his post. However, his sentiments do echo those of Slipknot fans who were not thrilled about the initial announcement in September 2026.

In response to being asked about it directly, Slipknot guitarist Jim Root indicated that he, personally, had no involvement with the decision. “I stay out of the logistics of touring and all that. I concentrate on writing and being a guitarist,” he said at the time.

“So forgive my ignorance about who we do shows with,” he added. “There are other people with much bigger brains than I that coordinate all that, and I honestly don’t keep up with new bands or new music, etc.”

It’s unclear if Manson will be dropped from the London show, or any other scheduled gigs with Slipknot.

Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images

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Mauri Tapia, the artist behind Los Retros, has been charged with deeply disturbing crimes before his show in Los Angeles. In a report from The Los Angeles Times, he was arrested on October 8th, with bail set at $3 million. The Ventura County Superior Court charged him with four felony counts of unlawful acts with a child under the age of 10. Currently, there’s been no plea deal taken, and Tapia remains in jail.

Additionally, the reports deemed the singer to be in a “trustworthy position” with the minor and abused it accordingly. His next court date is slated for October 22nd.

Mauri Tapia was slated to perform at the Stones Throw 30 music festival in LA as part of the label. However, he was promptly removed for “unforeseen circumstances” at the time. The label addressed the damning allegations, admitting they had no clue about them when removing him from the show. Now that they know, they’ve taken all the steps necessary to remove Tapia from the label and distance themselves from his work.

“We take these allegations extremely seriously and will continue to assess the situation as more information becomes available,” they said in a statement on Instagram.

Mauri Tapia Charged With Heinous Crimes Against a Minor

Los Retros was a prominent band on Stone’s Throw and one of the most prominent Latino bands working today. They netted 2.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with their song “Someone To Spend Time With” sitting at over 271 million streams.

The band’s bio revealed that they started as a trio with Mauri Tapia as the frontman. Most of the recordings typically took place at his house. By 2022, the other two members of the band left, leaving him as the sole person in Los Retros.

“His goal from the start has always been to record and compose songs that sound as if they were made in previous generations. Although he was born in 2000, his favorite selection of music is inspired by video games he grew up playing,” the bio read. “Having sounds that usually resembled Jazz Fusion and genres from the 70s-80s.”

Ever since Mauri Tapia headed the band by himself, he handled every aspect of the music completely on his own. Every piece of musical engineering, singing, and instrumentation was solely his work.

Currently, past members of Los Retros haven’t made a statement about the allegations.

Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic

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Politics have made rock royalty beef now more than ever. During a recent concert, James Hetfield seemingly threw shade at the Macklemore controversy by affirming that they’re not like that. Instead, they’re politically neutral and don’t want to convince any fans to feel strongly about anything in particular. Just have fun and rock out at their shows. “Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bulls**t,” he shared.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame found this perspective to be essentially useless. What kind of artist makes it a point to not say anything at all? Consequently, he called Hetfield a “prick” on the latest episode of The Katie Halper Show.

“He’s just showing that he’s a complete prick,” Waters said of the Metallica frontman. “He’s got an IQ of about three, and why we’re talking about him, I don’t even know, because he’s a nobody. He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he’s a prick.”

Additionally, Roger Waters slammed Hetfield for his artistry, claiming that Metallica aren’t real musicians. “I heard them playing acoustic instruments and it was appalling,” he scoffed.

In the war between the two rock legends, the Osbourne family made their loyalties very clear by calling out Waters. For a limited time, they released a shirt that says ‘Another Prick In The Wall’, in reference to the Pink Floyd classic. Then, you can see Ozzy Osbourne peeing a rainbow on it.

The Osbourne Family Stood up for Metallica in Their Feud With Roger Waters of Pink Floyd

Waters is also on the record for not liking Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath that much either. In a 2025 interview with The Independent Ink, he shrugged off their music in the aftermath of his death. Moreover, he recalled the “idiocy and nonsense” that Osbourne publicly spouted over the years.

“I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did, I have no interest. I couldn’t care less,” Roger Waters said at the time. “Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him, in his whatever that state that he was in his whole life. We’ll never know, we didn’t, you know? Although he was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense.”

Naturally, the Osbourne family was quick to defend Ozzy from the onslaught from Roger Waters. As captured by PEOPLE, Jack Osbourne revealed that his dad never quite cared for the Pink Floyd singer. “Hey @rogerwaters. F**k You. How pathetic and out of touch you’ve become,” he wrote on Instagram. “The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bulls**t in the press. My father always thought you were a c**t – thanks for proving him right.”

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