Rock Is Lit - Robert Duncan, Former Editor of ‘CREEM’ Magazine & Author of the Rock Novel ‘Loudmouth’, On Lester Bangs, Ron Wood & Keith Richards, Springsteen, & More!

Robert Duncan, Former Editor of ‘CREEM’ Magazine & Author of the Rock Novel ‘Loudmouth’, On Lester Bangs, Ron Wood & Keith Richards, Springsteen, & More!

12/22/22 • 106 min

1 Listener

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, @robertduncansf

Robert Duncan on Instagram, @rduncansf

Robert Duncan on Mastodon, @[email protected]

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, @robertduncansf

Robert Duncan on Instagram, @rduncansf

Robert Duncan on Mastodon, @[email protected]

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

undefined - Peter McDade, Author of the Rock Novel ‘The Weight of Sound’ and Drummer of the Indie Band Uncle Green, On the ‘90s Music Biz, What Makes a Great Drummer, and Lovin’ John Bonham and Ringo Starr

Peter McDade, Author of the Rock Novel ‘The Weight of Sound’ and Drummer of the Indie Band Uncle Green, On the ‘90s Music Biz, What Makes a Great Drummer, and Lovin’ John Bonham and Ringo Starr

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.com

Peter’s blog on Prince: www.peterjmcdade.com/?page_id=52

Peter 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, @ChristyHallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Next Episode

Sarah Priscus Talks Her Novel ‘Groupies’ & Legendary Super Groupie Pamela Des Barres Talks the L.A. Music Scene in the ‘60s and ‘70s

Hello, Lit Listeners. I hope you’re all geared up to party with the bands in this episode’s rock novel, because you’ve got a backstage pass and VIP access. Sarah Priscus is here to talk about her new novel, ‘Groupies’, a story that shines a light on the grungy yet glittery world of 1970s Los Angeles rock 'n roll and the women—the groupies—who unapologetically love too much in a world that doesn’t love them back.

Later, who else is better qualified to give real-world context to this very topic than the fabulous Super Groupie, member of Frank Zappa’s GTOs, and talented writer and podcaster, Pamela Des Barres? That’s right, Miss Pamela herself joins me during the last segment of the show, so break out your groovy boas and hot pants and drop some far-out vinyl on the turn table. You’re all with the band tonight.

FYI: Check out my full uncut YouTube video interview with Pamela Des Barres in the Rock is Lit Vault.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Sarah and I talk about

What she and Suzi Quatro have in common
Sarah’s experience writing and publishing her debut novel
Overview of plot and characters of ‘Groupies’
The setting of ‘Groupies’: Los Angeles in the late 1970s
The early seasons of SNL as part of Sarah’s research into the era/other research Sarah did for the novel, including watching ‘Almost Famous’ again
Sarah’s long love affair with Pamela Des Barres’ seminal memoir ‘I’m With the Band’
Led Zeppelin references in the novel and our shared love of the band
Groupie definitions and rules, as presented in the novel ‘Groupies’
Feminism and groupie culture in the 1970s/the Baby Groupie issue
Instant gratification and the 1970s and Polaroid cameras, which the character Faun uses

Pamela and I talk about

How and when she first got into the L.A. music scene
Who christened each of the GTOs “Miss”
The kazillion rock icons she’s known, including Frank Zappa, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Led Zeppelin, The Stones, Love, Three Dog Night, Gene Simmons, Keith Moon
The GTOs' album ‘Permanent Damage’, which Frank Zappa produced
The L.A. scene in the ‘60s and ‘70s
Baby Groupies of the 1970s
The first time Pamela heard the word “groupie” and her definition of the word
‘I’m With the Band’ and some of the ridiculous comments people—especially early interviewers—have made
Pamela’s ex-husband Michael Des Barres’ thoughts on ‘I’m With the Band’
How Gram Parsons turned her onto Country music

MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: