Episode 24: Lance Olsen with Nick DeMatteo
This episode is all about David Bowie—the fictional and real person! Lance Olsen joins me to talk about his rock novel, ‘Always Crashing in the Same Car: A Novel After David Bowie’, then, in the last segment of the episode, Nick DeMatteo, host of the Music is not a Genre podcast, does a deep dive into David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy albums.
Episode 23: Sarah Pinsker with Nabil Ayers
This episode of Rock is Lit ventures into the world of science fiction. Sarah Pinsker is here to talk about her sci fi rock novel—yes, they do exist—‘A Song For A New Day’, a story that takes place after a global pandemic makes public gatherings illegal and concerts impossible, hence the rise of DIY music venues.
In the last segment, Rock is Lit veteran Nabil Ayers drops by to give me some insight into the world of DIY music venues.
Episode 22: Rob Errera With Zeena Schreck
This episode of Rock is Lit ventures into the horror rock novel subgenre, with Rob Errera’s novel ‘Hangman’s Jam’, about a haunted song that beguiles an up-and-coming rock band. In the last segment, Zeena Schreck joins the show once again, this time to talk about the power certain songs have in spiritual and magical practices.
Episode 21: Chris L. Terry
In this episode, Chris L. Terry talks about his novel ‘Black Card’, a story that follows a mixed-race punk rock musician who also loves rap and struggles with identity.
Episode 20: Celebration of the Audiobook Release of ‘Searching for Jimmy Page’, with Melissa Connell and Dave Lewis
I’m so excited about this episode celebrating the release of the audiobook of my novel ‘Searching for Jimmy Page’. Melissa Connell, who narrated the audiobook produced by The Talking Book, is here, and later, the amazing Dave Lewis, who is a Led Zeppelin expert, super fan, founder and editor of the Led Zeppelin fan magazine ‘Tight But Loose’, and guru to all us diehard Zep heads, shares his memories of the band and the magazine that has chronicled their music and honored their legacy since 1978.
Episode 19: Daniel Paisner with Brad Page
Daniel Paisner talks about his novel ‘Balloon Dog’, how The Rolling Stones song “Satisfaction” inspired the story, who gets to define “art,” and ghostwriting for celebrities like Serena Williams. Brad Page of I’m In Love With That Song podcast does a deep dive into “Satisfaction.”
Episode 18: Melissa Ragsly with AAron Camaro
Melissa Ragsly is here to talk about the music-related stories in her short story collection, ‘We Know This Will All Disappear’. AAron Camaro, co-host of the Decibel Geek podcast, another proud member of the Pantheon Podcast Network, joins me in the last segment to do a deep dive into the Guns N Roses song “Rocket Queen,” which is a major motif in one of Melissa’s stories.
Episode 17: Sarah Priscus with Pamela Des Barres
In this episode of Rock is Lit, it’s all about rock ‘n roll groupies, ala 1970s Los Angeles. Sarah Priscus, author of the new rock novel ‘Groupies’, is here to give us the lowdown on the inspiration for the book and her interest in the period. Then, Super Groupie Pamela Des Barres, author of the seminal groupie memoir ‘I’m With the Band’, drops by to give us some real-world context on that topic. You don’t want to miss this Rock is Lit Season One Finale.
Episode 16: Robert Duncan
In this episode of Rock is Lit, Robert Duncan joins me to talk about his rock novel ‘Loudmouth’, what it was like working as an editor for ‘CREEM’ magazine in the ‘70s, and his wild days with Lester Bangs, Patti Smith, Ron Wood and Keith Richards, Iggy Pop, KISS, Bruce Springsteen, and so many other rock icons!
Episode 15: Peter McDade
In this episode of Rock is Lit, Peter McDade joins me to talk about his rock novel from Wampus Multimedia ‘The Weight of Sound’, what it was like to be a drummer in an up-and-coming indie band (Uncle Green) in the 1990s, the precarious nature of the music biz, and lovin’ Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and The Beatles’ Ringo Starr.
Episode 14: Michael Amos Cody with Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper
In this episode of Rock is Lit we’re venturing inside the complicated world of the Nashville music biz. Michael Amos Cody joins me to talk about his novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’, which follows starry-eyed Gabriel Tanner on his quest to strike it big as a singer-songwriter in the Music City in the 1980s.
In the final segment, Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper drop by to talk about the real Nashville music scene in the 1980s. Frye is an historian and author of such books as ‘A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s’, ‘The Southernization of America’, which he co-wrote with Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker, and ‘Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music’. Peter is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s senior director, producer, and writer.
Episode 13: Richard Fulco with Elliott Landy
In this episode of Rock is Lit, Richard Fulco, author of the new novel ‘We Are All Together’, is here to take us on a rockin’ jaunt through the late 1960s, where we’ll encounter several iconic players on the music and literature scene from that era. If you’re a fan of the Summer of Love and all the trimmings that go with it, you’ll love his novel and this episode.
Later, Elliott Landy drops by to talk even more about the 1960s music scene, a period he should know a lot about since he’s been photographing rock stars since the mid-60s. He was also the official photographer of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
Episode 12: Michael Gaspeny with Ray Koob
Michael Gaspeny talks about his new novel, ‘A Postcard From the Delta’, about a white small-town Arkansas high school football star, whose obsession with the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, and Robert Johnson takes him on a wild road trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi, to visit the home of the Delta Blues. Later, Ray Koob, co-host of Imbalanced HIstory of Rock and Roll podcast, does a deep dive into Delta Blues to add real-world context to Michael’s novel.
Episode 11: Michael Parker with Jeff Place
This episode of Rock is Lit features my fellow North Carolina-native author and music lover Michael Parker’s new novel, ‘I Am the Light of This World’, a gripping story that follows protagonist, Earl, who serves over 40 years in a Texas prison for a heinous crime he didn’t commit, then, upon his release, has to navigate a world that he can barely comprehend. If you love radio favorites of the 1970s and the music and lore of Lead Belly, you’re going to love ‘I Am the Light of This World’ and this episode.
In the last segment of the show, Jeff Place, Grammy-award winning Archivist and Curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, joins the podcast to talk about Lead Belly to add real-world context to the music legend’s role in ‘I Am the Light of This World’.
Episode 10: Jennifer Haupt with Charles R. Cross and Nabil Ayers
If you love Nirvana, especially Kurt Cobain, you’re in for a treat, because we’re getting down in the grit and grunge in this episode. Jennifer Haupt talks about her novel ‘Come As You Are’, which spotlights the early 1990s Seattle grunge scene, especially the music of Nirvana. Later, to add real-world context to the novel, Charles R. Cross and Nabil Ayers drop in to share their insight into Kurt Cobain—the musical genius and the human being—and their experiences as part of the music scene in Seattle during the ‘90s.
Episode 9: Dana Spiotta with Lucas Hare
In this episode of Rock is Lit, Dana Spiotta joins me to talk about her National Book Award-nominated novel ‘Eat the Document’. Later, Lucas Hare, co-host of the Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan Podcast, joins me to share his thoughts about Bob Dylan’s unreleased documentary called ‘Eat the Document’, which is where Dana’s novel gets its title.
Episode 8: Tony DuShane
In this episode, Drinks With Tony podcast host Tony DuShane and I talk about his novel ‘Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk’, what it was like for him growing up a Jehovah’s Witness, his worst experience going door to door as a Jehovah’s Witness, how/why Tony left the religion, how music and literature saved his life and the role both play in his novel, Tony’s experience working on the film adaptation (directed by Eric Stoltz), some of the most well-known Jehovah’s Witness musicians (think Michael Jackson and Prince).
Episode 7: Celebration of the First Book Birthday of Christy Alexander Hallberg’s Rock Novel ‘Searching for Jimmy Page’
In this special episode of Rock is Lit, some special guests and I celebrate the first book birthday of my rock novel, ‘Searching for Jimmy Page’. First, my close friends and colleagues Margaret Bauer, Randall Martoccia, and Liza Wieland interview me about my novel. Later, former President of Atlantic Records, manager of Nirvana, PR man for Led Zeppelin then Vice President of Swan Song records, Danny Goldberg, joins the podcast to talk about his experiences working with Led Zeppelin in the 1970s.
Episode 6: Zachary Lazar With Tony Sokol and Zeena Schreck
In this episode, Zachary Lazar and I talk about his rock novel, ‘Sway, the connection between early Rolling Stones, the avant-garde filmmaker and occultist Kenneth Anger, and Charles Manson and the Manson Family. Later, Tony Sokol drops by to talk about the Stones’ actual involvement in the occult, then very special guest Zeena Schreck shares her memories of her godfather Kenneth Anger and gives her insight into some of his work.
Episode 5: Mac B. and Action Jackson from The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast Talk Rock Movie Soundtracks
In this episode, Mac B. (The Wolf) and Action Jackson, from The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, and I count down our top five rock movie soundtracks and do a deep dive into our shared number one pick, exploring how the music and story and characters work together to create an unforgettable movie experience for the viewer.