I interviewed longtime Capitol Records promotion man Dave Morrell for PopMatters. Dave has just released the book Run-Out Groove, the fourth volume of his memoirs of the music industry. You can read the interview here.
A Quiet Explosion: Deep Purple’s ‘Hush’
(originally appeared in Shindig! issue #105)
More than 50 years after its creation, ‘Hush’ is a staple of bar-band playlists, ‘best of’ anthologies, and movie and TV soundtracks – and it damn well should be, because it’s so catchy. Who among us has not banged their head to its driving percussive beat, or joyously shouted along to a chorus of “na na-na na”? But as the past five decades have shown, ‘Hush’ is also a song that can flourish in many different types of interpretations and musical styles.
Joe South wrote ‘Hush’ in the mid-‘60s, but its origins may go as far back as Continue reading
Podcast Interview with All Music Books’ “Deep Dive”
I was interviewed about my book Song Book for the All Music Books website’s “Deep Dive” podcast. Steve J and I had a great chat about the book and some of the stories in it. The interview is posted here.
Interview with Kimberley Rew and Lee Cave-Berry
I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Kimberley Rew (formerly of the Soft Boys and Katrina and the Waves) and his musical collaborator and wife Lee Cave-Berry about their new album Sunshine Walkers. You can read the interview here.
Gone But Not Forgotten: ‘Picture Me Gone’
(originally appeared in Shindig! issue #103)
‘Picture Me Gone’ is a sassy, bold ‘60s tune, on the timeless theme of “you’re thinking about dumping me? Yeah? Well, think about me dumping you first”. The most recent version of it appears to have been released in ’92, which is a shame; this gem is just waiting to be rediscovered.
‘Picture Me Gone’ was written by Chip Taylor and Al Gorgoni in the early ‘60s, when they were working at a New York music publishing company based across the street from the renowed Brill Building. The first artist to record the song was Continue reading
Second Fiddle to No Man: Beverley Martyn and Linda Thompson
I wrote an article for the Please Kill Me website on Beverley Martyn and Linda Thompson: two musicians who should be recognized for much more than their collaborations with their ex-husbands. You can read the article here.
Rock’n’Wrestling
I wrote an article for Please Kill Me on three notable (for different reasons) records made by professional wrestlers. You can read the article here.
“Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life In Music”
Producer Ted Templeman, who has worked with dozens of artists – including Captain Beefheart, Van Morrison, the Doobie Brothers, and Van Halen – has finally written an autobiography. As you might guess, it’s wide-ranging and very interesting. I reviewed it for PopMatters; you can read the review here.
“Song Book” now available as an e-book
My book Song Book has just been released in e-book format.
You can buy the Kindle version on Amazon. There is also a preview of the book that you don’t need Kindle to view – just click on “Look Inside” at the top of the image of the book cover.
You can buy the Nook version at Barnes and Noble, and the Kobo version at Indigo. Both of those sites also have free previews.
You can buy Song Book in all other e-book formats (e.g. Apple Books, Google Play, PDF) at Smashwords.
Writing on Music 