Rock Is Lit

Hello, Lit Listeners. If you dig the crazy, down-and-dirty (and deafening), let-it-all-hang out, have-a-nice-day, far out 1970s, you’re in for a treat. Music journalist-cum-rock novelist Robert Duncan is here doing double duty as both author and music guru—because why wouldn’t he?—and he dishes on some folks whose records are in your collection. You DON’T want to miss this episode! EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: The blurred lines between the novel ‘Loudmouth’ and Robert’s real life Robert’s wild boy big brother—“the original rock ‘n roll guy”—Rusty Scratch inspections and Robert’s friend with a special talent at summer camp (get ready to laugh) Robert and I playing a drinking game on the episode, and the phrase I coined for it Robert having tea with Lester Bangs at MC5’s Rob Tyner’s house Getting drunk at Patti Smith’s and Allen Lanier’s apartment near Washington Square in NYC with Jim Carroll, author of ‘The Basketball Diaries’ How Robert became a music journalist and got the job at ‘CREEM’ Lester Bangs—and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of him in ‘Almost Famous’ The time Legs McNeil took the last beer from Robert’s NYC apartment fridge and Robert and Lester’s subsequent fight The day Lester died Robert’s interactions with various rock stars, including Ron Wood and Keith Richards, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, The Clash, etc. Partying at Liza Minnelli’s apartment in NYC with tons of celebrities Driving around Cleveland with a young Bruce Springsteen The tragic genesis of the novel ‘Loudmouth’ Robert Duncan’s one and only Jimmy Page encounter  MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: [No Copyright Music] Retro ‘70s Funky Jazz-Hop Instrumental (Copyright Free) Music—Funkman The Beatles—Live at Shea Stadium, New York (August 23, 1966)—cheering  “My Foolish Heart” by Bill Evans “I Am A Scientist” by Guided By Voices “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!” by Allan Sherman “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges ‘Metal Machine Music’ by Lou Reed “Holy Ghost” by Albert Ayler “Breathe On Me” by The New Barbarians, live 1979 Washington, DC “Detroit Rock City” by KISS “Upside Down” by Diana Ross “The River” by Bruce Springsteen Clip of Jimmy Page talking to Robert Duncan “Tommy’s Holiday Camp” by The Who “Rock and Roll Radio” by The Ramones  LINKS: Robert Duncan’s website, https://www.duncanwrites.com/Robert Duncan on Twitter, @robertduncansfRobert Duncan on Instagram, @rduncansfRobert Duncan on Mastodon, @Rduncan@newsie.social Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, Lit listeners. In this episode, Peter McDade is here to talk about his novel ‘The Weight of Sound’, about aspiring rock musician Spider Webb, who at 18 announces to his parents that he will skip high school graduation and move to Athens, Georgia, to launch his career in the birthplace of R.E.M. and the B-52s. Through rotating points of view and covering a span of over twenty years, the book traces the ways Spider and his music affect the people in his life: family, fellow musicians, girlfriends, fans, roadies, and music industry lackeys.As drummer for the rock band Uncle Green, Peter McDade spent fifteen years traveling the highways of America in a series of Ford vans. While the band searched for fame and a safe place to eat before a gig, he began writing short stories and novels. Uncle Green went into semi-retirement after four labels, seven records, and one name change; Peter went to Georgia State University and majored in History and English, eventually earning an MA in History. His first novel, ‘The Weight of Sound’, was published by Wampus Multimedia in 2017 and won the Georgia Author of the Year Award for best debut. ‘Songs By Honeybird’, also published by Wampus Multimedia, was released in 2022. Both books have soundtracks of original songs.Given Peter’s cred as both writer and musician, he’s doing double duty as both author and music guru in this episode. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: What Peter would ask Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham if he could Peter’s Jimmy Page encounter Seeing Prince in concert and Peter’s blog on Prince The origin of what became the novel ‘The Weight of Sound’ and the soundtrack that accompanies it The time one of Peter’s students outted him in class as a former member of Uncle Green The appeal of discovering lost or forgotten albums Poking fun at drummers in the novel while also emphasizing the importance of the drummer in a band What makes a drummer great and why John Bonham, Ringo Starr, and Charlie Watts are examples of great drummers Words of wisdom about being in a band from Spider (character from ‘The Weight of Sound’) And words of wisdom about being a band’s road manager from another character in ‘The Weight of Sound’ Life on the road for an up-and-coming band like Monkeyhole in ‘The Weight of Sound’ but also Peter’s band in the 1990s, Uncle Green Peter and I play a game of “Only Pick One,” a road game Monkeyhole plays in the novel Why Freddie Mercury is a god What I learned about the music business from ‘The Weight of Sound’ and Peter’s experience as part of Uncle Green and how the business is different now Peter on making the books he wanted to make and his idea of success  MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: No copyright indie rock background music “Over and Over” by Fleetwood Mac “My Name is Prince” by Prince & The New Power Generation “I Don’t Wanna Know About It” by Uncle Green “Guilty Party” by Uncle Green “See No Evil” by Television “Gardenia” from ‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack “Pay Me Now” from ‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack “She Said She Said” by The Beatles “Drive Into the Sky” from ‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack “Change Myself” from ‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack “Doin’ Fine” from ‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack  LINKS: Peter McDade’s website: www.peterjmcdade.comPeter’s blog on Prince: www.peterjmcdade.com/?page_id=52Peter on Twitter, @PeterJMcDade‘The Weight of Sound’ soundtrack on Bandcamp: https://wampusretrospectives.bandcamp.com/album/the-weight-of-sound-original-soundtrack Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode 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. HIGHLIGHTS: Christopher Cross’s buried guitar lead on “Ride Like the Wind” Suzi Quatro’s convincing argument for including Simon & Garfunkel in a rock novel  The Appalachian setting and culture for part of the novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ and what Appalachia means to Michael and the character Gabriel: food, religion, family, community, mountain music The complexities and difficulties of an image-driven music business during the MTV 1980s on singer-songwriters, like Gabriel, who don’t fit the mold Michael’s own experience as a young musician in Nashville during this time How Michael’s relationship with his wife, Leesa, inspired the relationship between Gabriel and Eliza in ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ The passion that Michael still feels for making music Frye and Peter talk about the differences between the ‘70s and ’80s Nashville music scene and business  MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: Free Country Instrumental Music/No Copyright Background Music “Born the Run” by Bruce Springsteen “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross “April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel “Mountain Dew” by The Stanley Brothers “Lookin’ for Love” by Johnny Lee “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo “Best I’ve Ever Seen” by Michael Amos Cody “Leesa, Listen” by Michael Amos Cody “Soulmates” by Michael Amos Cody “You’ve Got Something I Need” by Michael Amos Cody “The Sweetest Gift” by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris “Better Class of Losers” by Randy Travis “Molly Dear” by Jonathan Byrd “I Came for the Gold” by Michael Amos Cody  LINKS: Michael Amos Cody’s website: https://michaelamoscody.com/Michael on Twitter, @DrMacOdeMichael on Instagram, @michaelamoscody Frye Gaillard’s website: https://fryegaillardauthor.com/Frye on Facebook, @FryeGaillard Peter Cooper’s website: https://www.petercoopermusic.com/Peter Cooper on Facebook, @PeterCooper Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. HIGHLIGHTS:Richard Fulco and I talk about  Syd Barrett’s descent into mental illness and his exit from Pink Floyd 1967: The Summer of Love—music, culture, vibe—but for African Americans, 1967 was known as The Long Hot Summer The story and characters in ‘We Are All Together’—Syd Barrett as inspiration behind the character Dylan The American Dream and racism and toxic Christianity Charles Manson The Merry Pranksters The significance of the title of the novel and its connection to The Beatles Andy Warhol, The Factory, The Velvet Underground with Nico, Lou Reed and their role in the novel The depiction of the Monterey Pop Festival in the story, especially the performance of Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company Some of the other icons who make cameos in the novel: Pete Townshend, Eric Burdon, Jann Wenner, Neal Cassady, William S. Burroughs What the Jack Kerouac classic novel ‘On the Road’ means to Richard and me Elliott Landy and I talk about  How a Country Joe and the Fish light show at The Anderson Theater in NYC’s East Village started Elliott on a new career path photographing musicians Seeing Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, and Albert King perform the very first show at the Fillmore East on March 8, 1968 Hanging out with Janis Joplin after a NYC gig Elliott’s style as a “fly on the wall” photographer Shooting the album covers of The Band’s ‘Music From Big Pink’ and ‘The Band’, Bob Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’, and hanging out with guys in the town Woodstock His experience as the official photographer at Woodstock in 1969 and the spirit of Woodstock and the 1960s  MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: (Royalty Free Music) “Summer of Love” by Roy Edwin Williams “The King is Half-Undressed” by Jellyfish “Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding “See Emily Play” by Pink Floyd Roger Waters talks about Syd Barrett on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon “Four” by Sonny Rollins Clip of Muhammad Ali explaining his anti-draft, anti-Vietnam War stance “I Am the Walrus” by The Beatles “Ball and Chain” performed by Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company at Monterey Pop Festival “Heroin” by The Velvet Underground with Nico ‘The Monkees’ Theme Song “Itchykoo Park” by The Small Faces “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish “Morning Glory” by Tim Buckley Country Joe and the Fish chant at Woodstock 1969 “To Be Alone With You” by Bob Dylan Wavy Gravy at Woodstock “Woodstock” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Down on Me” Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company  LINKS: Richard’s website, www.richardfulco.comRichard on Twitter and Instagram, @RichardFulco Link to clip of Roger Waters talking about Syd Barrett on the Tonight Show, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSHZQ0AEqE Elliott’s website, www.elliottlandycomElliott on Instagram, @elliott_landy_photography Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqagLink to Christy Alexander Hallberg’s short story on Janis Joplin, “Third Party,” published by ‘Eclectica’, https://www.eclectica.org/v20n4/hallberg.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Rock is Lit . . .Michael Gaspeny and I talk about  Our experiences launching debut novels and the advice we’d give new authors who are about to launch their first books The backstory that inspired Michael to write the novel ‘A Postcard From the Delta’ Blues as the main character in the novel’s religion and what the Blues means to Michael When the Blues first grabbed Michael How the British Blues Explosion of the 1960s helped white kids discover classic Blues musicians The appropriation issue Michael’s experience visiting Clarksdale, Mississippi in the late 1990s Why making pilgrimages to music-related sites is so important to music lovers Racial issues present in the novel Ray Koob and I talk about  His podcast, Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll, and some of the episodes he’s done on Delta Blues (see the Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll website for more on those episodes) Defining characteristics of Delta Blues and some of the most well-known players Why Robert Johnson had the most unique style amongst all the Delta Blues musicians of his era, the legend about him selling is soul to the devil at the crossroads, his mysterious death The earliest Delta Blues recordings—facilitated by John and Alan Lomax Delta Blues as inspiration for the Skiffle movement in England in the 1960s The few recorded female Delta Blues musicians, like Memphis Minnie Bessie Smith’s tragic death/the effects of racism on the music and artists of the early to mid-20th century The history, lore, and Blues-related sites in Clarksdale, MS Contemporary artists playing and recording Delta Blues  MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: (Copyright Free) Acoustic Delta Blues--Instrumental “Modern Love” by David Bowie “Smokestack Lightnin’” by Howlin’ Wolf “You Can’t Love What You Ain’t Never Had” by Muddy Waters “Earth Angel” by The Penguins “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson “I’m Ready” by Muddy Waters “Nothin’ But The Devil” by Rory Gallagher “You Got to Move” by Mississippi Fred McDowell “Milk Cow Blues” by Freddie Spruell “Me and the Devil Blues” by Robert Johnson “When the Levee Breaks” by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe Clip from the movie ‘Crossroads’ “Serves Me Right to Suffer” by John Lee Hooker  LINKS: Digital Dying Blog post on Michael Gaspeny, https://www.funeralwise.com/digital-dying/the-deathbed-poet-how-one-man-makes-poems-of-lifes-last-hours/North Carolina Writers’ Network, articles on Michael Gaspeny, https://www.ncwriters.org/news/blog/tag/michael-gaspeny/ Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll Podcast’s website, https://imbalancedhistory.com/Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll Twitter, @ImbalancedHisto Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll Facebook Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zeena Schreck, formerly LaVey, is an interdisciplinary visual and musical artist based in Berlin, Germany.Raised within the Church of Satan, she came to international prominence early in life as the organization's High Priestess and first public spokesperson, defending the Church in the 1980s during the infamous media-fuelled U.S. Satanic Panic. She resigned her position in 1990, severed ties with her father, Anton LaVey, and renounced Satanism and Western occultism to pursue her own religious path, which led to her becoming a practitioner and lineage holder of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. In early October 2022, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Zeena about her godfather, the avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger, for Episode 6 of Rock is Lit, which features Zachary Lazar’s rock novel ‘Sway’, a story that brings together the early Rolling Stones, members of the Manson Family, and Kenneth Anger’s film ‘Invocation of My Demon Brother’ in a fictional setting.During my lengthy conversation with Zeena, we ventured into a lot of unrelated territory that didn’t make it into the episode. I saved these outtakes because I found them so fascinating, especially the segment in which she talked about her spiritual awakening that led to her becoming a practitioner and lineage holder of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. I was touched that she would share such a personal journey with me and grateful to her for letting me share it with you here in the Rock is Lit Vault.Enjoy the interview, then listen to the full Episode 6 wherever you get your podcasts. Music used in this interview is by Zeena Schreck and used with her approval and cannot be reproduced without her permission: “ENDLICH DAHEIM,” from ‘Bring Me the Head of F. W. Murnau’ EP “Summer Swelter"  Links:For news of Zeena's current public activities and releases, subscribe to the e-newsletter at https://www.zeenaschreck.com/subscribe.htmlZeena’s website: www.ZeenaSchreck.comZeena’s blog: https://www.zeenaschreck.com/blogZeena on Bandcamp: https://zeenaschreck.bandcamp.com/releasesZeena, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeenaschreck_art/Zeena, YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeenaSchreckOfficialZeena, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZEENA.Official.ZeenaSchreck Christy Alexander Hallberg’s websiteChristy Alexander Hallberg, Instagram/Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael and I talk about  the genius of Mick Taylor and Taylor’s short stint with the Rolling Stones North Carolina barbecue vs. Texas barbecue the image Michael saw one day while swimming that inspired his novel ‘I Am the Light of This World’ why the early 1970s was such an interesting time culturally and why Michael chose it as the backdrop for a big part of the story the significance of the title of the novel the North Carolina Piedmont Blues scene of the 1930s, the Folk Music revival of the 1960s, and Rev. Gary Davis and the artists he influenced Michael’s relationship with music, on a personal level and as a writer how the songs Michael references in certain scenes complement those scenes perfectly, like “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones, “The Crystal Ship” by The Doors, “The Same Situation” by Joni Mitchell, “Walk Away” by The James Gang, ‘The Zombies’ Greatest Hits’, “No Quarter” by Led Zeppelin Michael's use of song lyrics in the novel the significance of Lead Belly—the mythological figure and music of—to the protagonist, Earl, and to the author, Michael the role Hank Williams’ music plays in the story the “happy accidents of making art” Jeff and I talk about Lead Belly’s  history prison record music catalogue artists he influenced Lead Belly’s death and his legacy  MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: “Time Waits for No One” by the Rolling Stones “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements “I Am the Light of This World” by Rev. Gary Davis “She Loves You” by The Beatles “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones “The Same Situation” by Joni Mitchell “Walk Away” by The James Gang “Good Mornin’ Blues” by Lead Belly “Love in Vain” by Robert Johnson “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams “The Gallows Pole” by Lead Belly “Goodnight Irene” by Lead Belly “Black Girl (In the Pines)” by Lead Belly “Midnight Special” by Lead Belly  LINKS: Michael Parker’s website, https://www.michaelfparker.com/Michael Parker, Instagram, @texheel22 Jeff Place/Smithsonian Folkways website, https://folkways.si.edu/ Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 10 of Rock is Lit features Jennifer Haupt’s novel ‘Come As You Are’, a story set against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge scene of the early 1990s. Joining Jennifer and me on that episode to share their memories of that pivotal moment in music history to add real-world context to Jennifer’s novel are Nabil Ayers, co-founder of Seattle’s iconic record store Sonic Boom and author of the memoir ‘My Life in the Sunshine’, about his efforts to connect with his father, the funk, soul, and jazz legend Roy Ayers; and Charles R. Cross, author of the award-winning 2001 biography on Kurt Cobain, ‘Heavier Than Heaven’. My conversation with Charles went on much longer than I’d anticipated when we began talking, and I could only fit a fraction of it in the regular episode. What Charles had to say about Kurt Cobain was so fascinating and astute, based on his extensive research into Kurt’s life and career, Charles’s extraordinary access to Kurt’s private papers via Kurt’s widow, Courtney Love, and Charles’s unique position as the editor of the Seattle music magazine ‘The Rocket’ before, during, and after the Seattle grunge explosion of the early ‘90s, a position that put him in direct contact with Kurt Cobain several times, that I decided to make the whole uncut interview with Charles available here.There are short outtakes from my interviews with Jennifer and Nabil in the Vault as well, which I hope you’ll listen to. But for now, light a candle, drop the needle on track three of ‘Nevermind’, and come as you are to hear Charles R. Cross talk about the genius and demons of Nirvana’s front man and primary songwriter, Kurt Cobain. KEY QUOTES AND TEASERS:What was Kurt’s relationship with Courtney Love like? What did Kurt think of the Weird Al parody of “Smells Like Teen Spirit? Why does Charles think Nirvana never could have happened in the Facebook era? Listen to the uncut interview to find out why.Charles: “[Nirvana] weren’t great at the start. They were not the best band in Seattle in 1988, 1989, and 1990. They were the best band in Seattle in 1991.”Charles: “Kurt’s greatest gift is that when he sang, you felt like he was singing to you.” MUSIC AND MEDIA THAT APPEAR IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: “Come As You Are” by Nirvana  Clip of Kurt Cobain talking about his lyrics MTV announcement of Kurt’s death, April 8, 1994 “Lithium” by Nirvana “Serve the Servants” by Nirvana Clips of artists praising Nirvana and Kurt: Jewel, Henry Rollins, Robert Plant “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” performed by Nirvana Michael Stipe: “Kurt, we miss you.” LINKS: Charles’ website, https://charlesrcross.com/Charles on Twitter, @charlesrcross  Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqagRock is Lit Vault, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitvault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 10 of Rock is Lit features Jennifer Haupt’s novel ‘Come As You Are’, a story set against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge scene of the early 1990s. Nabil Ayers, author of the memoir ‘My Life in the Sunshine’ and co-founder of Seattle’s iconic record store Sonic Boom, shares his memories of that pivotal moment in music history in the full episode. Here are two outtakes from my interview with Nabil, in which he talks about his new memoir about his efforts to connect with his father, the funk, soul, and jazz legend Roy Ayers, and Nabil’s experience meeting Joan Jett when his band opened up for her back in the day.Check out other bonus material from Episode 10 in the Rock is Lit Vault, including my full, uncut interview with Charles R. Cross about Kurt Cobain, and outtakes from my interview with Jennifer Haupt about her novel ‘Come As You Are’. MUSIC AND MEDIA THAT APPEAR IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers “Running Away” by Roy Ayers “I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts LINKS: Nabil’s website, https://www.nabilayers.com/Nabil on Twitter, @nabilayersNabil on Instagram, @nabilayersLink to Nabil’s ‘Rolling Stone’ article on Nirvana’s OK Hotel show, “The Night Nirvana Changed Everything,” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-first-performance-1154128/Link to Nabil’s ‘The Stranger’ article on Soundgarden, https://www.thestranger.com/music/2017/05/18/25153388/soundgarden-will-never-be-the-first-seattle-band-anyone-mentions-but-for-me-soundgarden-was-the-first-band-that-changed-everything Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqagRock is Lit Vault, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitvault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Haupt is here to talk about her new novel, ‘Come As You Are’. Set against a backdrop of Seattle in the early '90s, ‘Come As You Are’ is a compelling love story and family drama that addresses the question: Can we alter our dreams and stories from the past to create a better future for our children?In the second half of the show, we’re joined by two giants of the real Seattle grunge world: music journalist Charles R. Cross, author of the award-winning 2001 biography on Kurt Cobain, ‘Heavier Than Heaven’, and Nabil Ayers, co-founder of Seattle’s iconic Sonic Boom Records store and author of the new memoir ‘My Life in the Sunshine’. Charles and Nabil share their memories of and insight into that pivotal moment in music history.  Listen to the episode then migrate to the Rock is Lit Vault for the uncut interview with Charles R. Cross and outtakes from the Jennifer Haupt and Nabil Ayers interviews: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislit MUSIC AND MEDIA THAT APPEAR IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: “Come As You Are” by Nirvana (instrumental) “Piggy” by Nine Inch Nails “Hurt” by Oliver Tree “About a Girl” by Nirvana “Come As You Are” by Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” by Nirvana “Something in the Way” by Nirvana “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” by Nirvana Audio clip of Kurt Cobain talking about his stomach problems, drug use, suicidal thoughts “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (Kurt solo), MTV Unplugged “All Apologies” by Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” live at the OK Hotel, 17 April 1991 Clip of Michael Stipe inducting Nirvana into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 LINKS: Jennifer’s website, https://www.jenniferhaupt.com/Jennifer on Twitter, @Jennifer­­_HauptJennifer on Instagram, @jenniferhauptauthor Charles’ website, https://charlesrcross.com/Charles on Twitter, @charlesrcross  Nabil’s website, https://www.nabilayers.com/Nabil on Twitter, @nabilayersNabil on Instagram, @nabilayers Link to Nabil’s ‘Rolling Stone’ article on Nirvana’s OK Hotel show, “The Night Nirvana Changed Everything,” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-first-performance-1154128/ Link to Nabil’s ‘The Stranger’ article on Soundgarden, https://www.thestranger.com/music/2017/05/18/25153388/soundgarden-will-never-be-the-first-seattle-band-anyone-mentions-but-for-me-soundgarden-was-the-first-band-that-changed-everything Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqagRock is Lit Vault, https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices