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Welcome to Loudmouth

Interview

Hold Steady vs Loud Mouth

A recent conversation between the great Craig Finn, singer/songwriter for the Hold Steady (and an exceedingly deft moderator), and Robert Duncan about Loudmouth, rock ‘n’ roll, memoirs vs novels, Minnesota, New York and the parts left out of the book.

Interview

“I could listen to you all day.”

Exactly what Dennis Miller said at the end of his podcast with Duncan about Loudmouth (and much more) was: “Wow. What a great time for me. I could listen to you all day.” Which, coming from an SNL vet, is enough to make an SNL watcher’s head engorge.

Full interview: Dennis Miller Option, Season 2, Episode 165.

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btw

Rock stars I have known

When Robert Duncan sat down for a grilling by his publisher, Three Rooms Press, one of the first questions was about stars he had met. Edited answer follows:

“…Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Aerosmith, Kiss, War, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Clash, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Ramones, Run-DMC/Darryl McDaniels, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Eagles/Bernie Leadon, Janis Joplin, Iggy Pop, MC5, Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder, Dandy Warhols, Penny Lane, Lynyrd Skynyrd/Ronnie Van Zant, ZZ Top, Todd Rundgren, Dionne Warwick, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Wanda Jackson, The Hold Steady, Drive By Truckers, Big Star, Earl Scruggs, Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, Diana Ross, Brian Jonestown Massacre/Joel Gion, Earth Wind and Fire, Moby Grape, NRBQ, Dictators, Sparks, Pavlov’s Dog, Angry Samoans, Robert Moog, Tangerine Dream, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, Mink Deville, New York Dolls, Meat Loaf, John Cale, Sammy Hagar, Gary Wilson, Jim Carroll, Andy Warhol…”

Complete interview here.

Duncan tries to feed beer to Gene Simmons, while Lester Bangs laughs.

Duncan tries to feed beer to Gene Simmons, while Lester Bangs laughs.

OH, AND

ICYMI: Lit Hub on Loudmouth

Just when you think the “best-of” lists might be passing you by, this wonderful little list shows up on the esteemed literary site, Lit Hub, with an earlier (and quite fetching) version of the Loudmouth cover image. Check it.

Image above was part of one of the Loudmouth covers that didn’t make it. Pretty cool, though, if you ask me.

Interview

That looks serious

Deborah Kalb’s a bigshot in online lit media, but an extra part of the thrill here was that, as a kid, I used to watch her dad, Marvin Kalb, on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Not sure I understood what he was talking about — because it was often high-level foreign affairs — but I knew I should try. What a family. My most serious-est interview ever.

The most serious-est photo I ever took, too.

The most serious-est photo I ever took, too.

honorable mention

Hey, Ma, I’m in the New Yorker

“The overlooked influence of Creem magazine,” the article is called. It’s another stellar review for the Creem doc, but wishes the film paid more attention to, ahem, “the ambition and ideas of writers such as Nick Tosches, Richard Meltzer, Richard Riegel, Richard C. Walls, Robert Duncan, Bill Holdship, J. Kordosh, and Rick Johnson.”

Story here.

Creem co-workers: Duncan (left, in Susan’s hat) & Susan Whitall with omnivorous Lester Bangs.

Creem co-workers: Duncan (left, in Susan’s hat) & Susan Whitall with omnivorous Lester Bangs.

INTERVIEW

Chaos theory in 4/4

Talked with the insightful DJ Britt about Kiss, Creem, creativity and the role of chaos in everything that’s cool in the world.

Interview

Shooting the shit with Blowing Smoke

Just letting it flow with another rock ‘n’ roll vet, Twisted Steev of the Blowing Smoke podcast. Plus: the return of the polka dot shirt, after a year or so.