CLOSE

Chairman Ralph's Ministry Of Truth

  • Bio And FAQs
  • Communiques
  • Contact
  • Danny Gatton Corner
  • Featured Essays
  • Featured Films
  • Featured Interviews
  • Featured Reviews
  • Featured Songs
  • Five Emprees
  • Gig Notes And Reviews
  • Press
  • Spoken Word Tracks
  • Store
  • Author Interviews
  • Band Interviews AThru L
  • Band Interviews MThru Z
  • Clash Book Dispatches
  • Links
  • White Summer

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.
Latest Archive RSS
DAVID DANN MICHAEL MAKES HIS FEELINGS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR...
GUITAR KING: DAVID DANN TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD BIOGRAPHY (7/28/19)
May 4, 2025
"I see him as somebody who helped pop music to grow up, from the early ‘60s 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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
Charlotte Lotten, and Jerry, after their wedding on June 29, 1982, in the Chapel at Gustav Vasa Church, Stockholm, Sweden. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten. Jerry and Charlotte, newlyweds at rest, 1982. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten. Jerry in the recording studio, Stockholm, 1982. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten. <br /> Jerry puts on his best professional face for his passport photos, 1984. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten. New Year&#39;s Eve at The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA, 1986. Left to right: Barbara &#34;Babs&#34; Kane, Arthur Kane, unknown, Johnny Thunders, Susanne Blomqvist,  Jerry, Charlotte. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten.
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. III): "PEOPLE DO GO ON": CURT WEISS INTERVIEW, CONCLUDED
Jul 7, 2020
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
&#34;A Band You&#39;re Gonna Like, Whether You Like It Or Not.&#34; So said the Dolls&#39; label, Mercury Records, whose ads also promoted them as &#34;The Band You Love To Hate.&#34; Concert poster, Moore Theater, Seattle, WA, March 14, 1974. The Heartbreakers, first lineup, publicity shot. Left to right: Jerry, Richard Hell, Johnny Thunders, Walter Lure. Photo Courtesy of Roberta Bayley. Collectors have undoubtedly paid way more than the original face value of this ticket!  <br /> <br />Frustrated by what they saw as an unresponsive industry, The Heartbreakers -- having settled into their classic lineup of Jerry (drums), Johnny (guitar), Walter (guitar), and Billy Rath (bass) -- rolled the dice and took up Malcolm McLaren&#39;s offer to serve as special guests of his proteges, the Sex Pistols. Of the roughly 23-odd shows scheduled, the bands only played seven, following a media firestorm ignited by the Pistols cursing on a national TV interview. Artwork and design by Barry Jones, who later played guitar with Johnny Thunders throughout the &#39;80s. The only time the original New York Dolls lineup ever reunited, and they didn&#39;t play a note! Photo Session at the Gem Spa, New York City, August 1977. Left to right: Johnny Thunders, Sylvain Sylvain, Jerry, Arthur Kane, David Johansen. Photo Courtesy of Roberta Bayley.
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. II): CURT WEISS INTERVIEW, CONTINUED
Jul 7, 2020
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
Lawton, Oklahoma, 1962. Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Lotten. Jerry (right) with his mother, Charlotte (left), and brother, Billy (center), 1954. Courtesy of Billy Nolan. Though he made his greatest mark as a drummer. Jerry wasn&#39;t above branching out, as this photo shows...playing guitar in Lawton, OK, in 1962. Courtesy of Billy Nolan. <br /> Jerry with Gene Krupa, one of his strongest musical heroes and influences, at the Metropole Club, New York City, 1963. Courtesy of Billy Nolan. Jerry (second from left), nattily dressed, as ever, with one of his earliest bands, The Peace, in 1967. Courtesy of Joseph DeJesus. Jerry at SBS Studios, Yonkers, NY, during a demo session with the Heartbreakers (January 1976). Courtesy of Roberta Bayley. <br /> The Heartbreakers, caught in a rare moment of repose during photo sessions for the LAMF album cover, August 1977. Left to right: Billy Rath (bass), Walter Lure (guitar, vocals), Jerry, Johnny Thunders (guitar, vocals). Courtesy of Roberta Bayley. <br />
A DOLL'S LIFE (PT. I): CURT WEISS REVISITS JERRY NOLAN'S ROCK 'N' ROLL RIDE IN NEW BIO
Jul 7, 2020
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
YOUR AUTHOR INTERVIEW HERE
Jul 7, 2020
This space will stay as a placeholder, so I can move content around more easily.
Permalink
"THAT WAS THE REVOLUTION": MICHAEL ZADOORIAN & HIS BOOK, "BEAUTIFUL MUSIC"
Apr 19, 2020
"Well, first and foremost, I would just say, you have to be persistent. You have to do the work, and you can’t 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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
Photo: Stephen Graziano An original UK issue of LONDON CALLING: note the sticker (&#34;18-TRACK DOUBLE ALBUM&#34;) that proudly touts the contents&#39; price -- for a fiver (as in, a five-pound note!). (Author&#39;s Collection) ...being pressed into service to promote the Clash&#39;s latest album of the time (LONDON CALLING) and accompanying tour (16 Tons). (Author&#39;s Collection) Cover for LIVE IN HAMBURG bootleg (listed as 5/20/80), which documents one of the most unruly and disruptive Clash shows ever caught on tape -- a night that climaxed with singer Joe Strummer&#39;s arrest after getting into a brawl with an overly aggressive fan. (Author&#39;s Collection) This bootleg features re-recorded studio performances of songs for the Clash&#39;s movie, RUDE BOY. (Author&#39;s Collection)&#39; <br /> Ad from the Village Voice. I wore this image on a reprinted T-shirt (minus the album pics near the bottom) for eons...and if you were a committed fan, so did you, I suspect! (Author&#39;s Collection) ...the author&#39;s ticket stub for the Clash&#39;s legendary 2/17/79 show at the Palladium (New York City, NY). (Author&#39;s Collection)
"...AN' IT'S BEEN TESTED BY RESEARCH": GARY JUCHA, "THE CLASH FAQ" (2/24/17)
Aug 22, 2017
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
Photo: Bristol Archive Records I&#39;ll let Bristol Archive Records supremo Mike Darby describe this one: Its weird that even though we&#39;ve been running the record label since 1985 and therefore been involved with many twists and turns and ups and downs. Its still amazing to see your record on the racks at HMV! Its like pulling teeth trying to get a scale out from them these days but what a joy to be on the racks next to David Bowie! Couldn&#39;t have picked a better bloke.&#34; (Photo: Bristol Archive Records) This is one of the more common photos that you&#39;ll see from this era, but what a great one it is...it&#39;s The Cortinas, live at the Ashton Court Festival! (Overall photo: Bristol Archive Records/Cortinas live shot: John Spink)
BRISTOL BOYS MAKE MORE NOISE!: CELEBRATING A SCENE WITH GILL LOATS AND JOHN SPINK
Oct 8, 2015
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
(Photo by Robin Skjoldborg) Sods live at Månefiskeren (“the moon-fisher”), Christiania in Copenhagen, spring 1978. From left Peter Peter (guitar), Steen Jorgensen (vocals), Knud Odde (bass) and Tomas Ortved (drums). Art in Disorder (formerly known as McVärk) live, probably 1980. Flemming Andersen (bass). Poster for a William S. Burroughs appearance at Saltlageret in Copenhagen on the 29th October 1983 with support from Sods, their guest-musician T.S.Hoeg and Martin Hall’s group SS-Say. SS-Say, 1985, from left Henrik Möll (bass), Martin Hall (all other instruments) and Inge-Marie Shannon (vocals). <br /> Brats, late 1978 or early 1979. From left Mickey Rat (bass), Franz de Zaster (vocals), Eddie Haircut (drums) and Hank de Wank (guitar) (later to be known as Hank Shermann in Mercyful Fate). <br /> Poster for the first big punk-gig in Denmark, Concert Of The Day at Brumlebyen, in Copenhagen (15th September 1978). Five bands played: Sods, Brats, No Knox, Electrochok (not mentioned on the poster) and Local Operator. The poster was created by Knud Odde (bass) from Sods who later became a very successful painter and artist. <br />
"PUNK WAS NOT JUST A GOOD IDEA -- IT WAS NECESSARY": A LOOK BACK AT DANISH PUNK WITH JAN POULSEN (11/26/12)
Dec 23, 2013
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
One more snapshot of that night&#39;s gig at the Studentersamfundet, Trondheim, Norway, 7/21/77.  (Photo by: Truls Berge.) ...of course, &#34;enjoying&#34; is a relative term, as the author makes clear in her book.  This shot, from the NA gossip magazine, features Teddie and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones sharing a light moment during the after-gig party, at the Hawk Club. Left to right: Spider (percussions), Kenny &#34;Stinker&#34; Gordon, (writer/vocalist), Preston Morris III (guitars), and Lenny Steal (bass). Gordon went on to play with Sid Vicious during his US solo gigs at Max&#39;s Kansas City in mid-1978. (Photo by: Bob Gruen, for ROCK SCENE) TEDDIE DAHLIN TODAY
"LIFE'S RICH TAPESTRY, HELD TOGETHER BY A SAFETY PIN": TEDDIE DAHLIN SPEAKS (TAKE II, 7/30/12)
Nov 23, 2012
"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.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP (CLICK HERE!)
All content, words and music: � Ralph Heibutzki (except where noted). For specific questions about permissions or quotations, please contact the administrator of this website (me!).