Author Interviews
Remember: as new entries are posted, previous ones are pushed further back, and seem to vanish off the page -- but they're still here! For a complete list, just click the "Archive" button (above), then hit the appropriate link to find your favorite interview.
GUITAR KING: DAVID DANN TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD BIOGRAPHY (7/28/19)
"I see him as somebody who helped pop music to grow up, from the early â60s formulaic stuff, to a music where you not only rocked out, but also listened." Chairman Ralph sits down for an epic chat with David Dann, author of Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life In The Blues.
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. III): "PEOPLE DO GO ON": CURT WEISS INTERVIEW, CONCLUDED
"So, yes, him and Johnny, that would have been interesting, to see them in their sixties..." Curt Weiss addresses Jerry Nolan's legacy, one of several major topics of our last installment in this marathon chat about his book, STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE.
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. II): CURT WEISS INTERVIEW, CONTINUED
"That's what Jerry was. He was in command, you had to follow him, and that's the way he played." Curt Weiss breaks down what made Jerry Nolan such a great musical force in the New York Dolls, the Heartbreakers, and his many other bands, in our interview's latest installment.
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. I): CURT WEISS REVISITS JERRY NOLAN'S ROCK 'N' ROLL RIDE IN NEW BIO
"LAMF just sounded so raw, and the Dolls records sounded so raw, and badly recorded. I didn't quite get it. Then I saw him close up, and then, I got it." Curt Weiss tells the Chairman what inspired him to write STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE, the first biography of drummer Jerry Nolan.
YOUR AUTHOR INTERVIEW HERE
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"THAT WAS THE REVOLUTION": MICHAEL ZADOORIAN & HIS BOOK, "BEAUTIFUL MUSIC"
"Well, first and foremost, I would just say, you have to be persistent. You have to do the work, and you canât be discouraged." Michael Zadoordian talks to the Chairman about the experience of writing his third novel, BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, its early '70s Detroit setting, and the music that drove it all.
"...AN' IT'S BEEN TESTED BY RESEARCH": GARY JUCHA, "THE CLASH FAQ" (2/24/17)
"They lived up to all of my great expectations. Here was a band with something important to say that could really move you and make you feel something." For Gary Jucha, those experiences of seeing The Only Band That Matters nearly 40-odd years ago were just one of his inspirations for writing THE CLASH FAQ: ALL THAT'S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE CLASH CITY ROCKERS.
BRISTOL BOYS MAKE MORE NOISE!: CELEBRATING A SCENE WITH GILL LOATS AND JOHN SPINK
"I think the period documented in this book was special and not every generation has these opportunities. It gave us the confidence to be creative which stayed with us." Bristol's first female DJ, Gill Loats and John Spink explains their involvement with the BRISTOL BOYS MAKE MORE NOISE! book, CD and download project...and drop a few hints about its implications for today's scene.
"PUNK WAS NOT JUST A GOOD IDEA -- IT WAS NECESSARY": A LOOK BACK AT DANISH PUNK WITH JAN POULSEN (11/26/12)
"We were kids without any respect for the older generations and we were trying to create OUR places, our positions in society, and many of us -- the early punks -- did succeed in one way or another, I suppose." Author Jan Poulsen reflects on the Danish punk scene that he chronicled in his book, SOMETHING ROTTEN, and its long-term impact in this exclusive email chat.
"LIFE'S RICH TAPESTRY, HELD TOGETHER BY A SAFETY PIN": TEDDIE DAHLIN SPEAKS (TAKE II, 7/30/12)
"Punk wasn't about being a competent musician. It was a movement. It wasn't just about the bands and the music. It was an attitude and Sid personified that attitude." Teddie Dahlin, author of A VICIOUS LOVE STORY, contemplates what the late Sex Pistol might have accomplished, had he lived, and her own future projects, in part two of this installment.