Rock Conversations

Rick is the author of "The Loop Files," an oral history of The Loop radio station in Chicago.

Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe, directors of the film "If You Could Read My Mind," share their memories of Gordon Lightfoot. www.gordonlightfootmovie.com.

May Pang, who was John Lennon's girlfriend in the early 1970s, talks about her new film "The Lost Weekend - A love Story."

We look back at this iconic album. Mark is the author of many books, including "Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd." More info at www.markrblake.com.

John Gorman arrived at WMMS-FM in Cleveland in 1973. For the next 13 years, as music director, program director and eventually operations manager, he helped transform 'MMS into one of the great FM stations in the country. His book, "The Buzzard" (Gray and Co.), recounts those great days in Cleveland. 

We kick off season two of "Rock Conversations." Johnny talks about his years at WXRT in Chicago, where he continues to work today. He recounts interviews he did with Warren Zevon, Los Lobos and XTC.

Stevie Van Zandt discusses his new book "Unrequited Infatuations" (Hatchette Books and available at www.littlesteven.com) with tales of Bruce and the E Street Band, The Sopranos and much more.

Author Bob Spitz discusses great stories from his new book "Led Zeppelin: The Biography" (Penguin Press). Tales of music, gluttony and more. www.bobspitz.com

Writer Paul Rees discusses his brand new book about John Mellencamp appropriately title "Mellencamp" (Harper Collins). Great stories about John and his music. We also talk about Robert Plant and John Entwistle.

Dan Ozzi is the author of "SELLOUT: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994-2007)" published by Mariner Books at Harper Collins. He offers a unique look inside the record industry and shares stories about the rise of 11 bands, including Green Day, Jimmy Eat World and Blink-182. More at www.danozzi.com. Photo by Anthony Dixon.

Rock journalist and author Alan Light discusses the Rolling Stones' iconic album "Tattoo You" on the 40th anniversary of its release. He also penned this excellent article about the album for Esquire.

Andrea Swensson is a music journalist, radio host and author. The perfect trifecta for “Rock Conversations.” She talks about meeting Prince, the “Minneapolis Sound,” Bob Dylan, First Avenue and, of course, “Funkytown.” Andrea is the host of the official Prince podcast, which begins a new season July 22. www.andreaswensson.com

Dennis Elsas celebrates 50 years on New York FM radio on July 11, 2021. He spent more than 25 years at legendary rock station WNEW and is still going strongly at WFUV and on SiriusXM. His 1974 interview with John Lennon is iconic. He talks about that and interviews with others like Elton John and Roger Daltrey. www.denniselsas.com and www.wfuv.org

One of the best in Chicago radio history, Bobby Skafish talks about some of the great interviews he did while working at The Loop, WXRT and The Drive. He's the author of "We Have Company" published by https://eckhartzpress.com.

The Chucker has been talking to well-known and not-so-well-known folks for years. He often is a little confused about whom he's interviewing, but that's part of his charm. In this interview, he talks with Robbob. Or is it Rob Halford of Judas Prieest?

Jonathan Taplin's rock career has included working with the Band, helping put into motion a Bob Dylan comeback tour and assisting with the creation of the Stones' "Exile on Main St." cover. And that's just his career in rock. There's so much more. He's the author of "The Magic Years: Scenes from a Rock-and-Roll Life." www.jontaplin.com

John Lassman has been a staple of FM radio in Minnesota and New York for some four decades. He helped get Bon Jovi his first radio airplay and has a plethora of rock-n-roll stories, including some about Freddie Mercury, John Mellencamp and Billy Squier. John is currently the morning show host at "Rockin' 101" in St. Cloud, MN. www.rockin101.com

Dorothy Carvello started her career in the music business in 1987, when she became an assistant to Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary head of Atlantic Records. And what a ride that began! Dorothy shares some of her many colorful stories about Ertegun, Michael Hutchence of INXS, David Geffen and Aerosmith, among others. She's the author of "Anything for a Hit" (Chicago Review Press). www.anythingforahitbook.com

Charles Laquidara. What a character! In the best sense of the word. His career as morning show host at Boston's WBCN and later at WZLX spanned years. He shares stories about his days at WBCN, Hunter S. Thompson, Carlton Fisk's Game 6 home run and, of course, his alter-ego, Duane Glasscock.  www.dazeinthelife.com

Bob Stroud has been part of the Chicago radio scene for more than 40 years, and he's still on top of his game hosting middays at “The Drive” (WDRV 97.1). Bob shares stories about “The Loop,” The Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend, Joe Walsh, Sir Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, live broadcasts from Abbey Road studios and that one bad interview in all his years of broadcasting. www.wdrv.com

We celebrate Bob Dylan's 80th birthday with three different takes. Gayle Wald is a professor of American Studies at George Washington University. Howard Sounes is the author of Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan (Grove Press). And Richard F. Thomas is a professor of the Classics at Harvard and the author of Why Bob Dylan Matters (Dey Street Books). All three share unique insights. Photo credit: Hennepin Theater Trust

Before he turned to a writing career, Bob Spitz was one of Bruce Springsteen's first manager. He shares stories about working with The Boss as well as stories about Hall and Oates and Bob Marley and the Wailers. Bob also talks about the subjects of his books, including The Beatles, President Reagan and Julia Child as well as a forthcoming book about a pretty good British band. © 2021 and Photo credit: Graham Nash

Shadoe Stevens, known to many from his days hosting "American Top 40," discusses his roles in the early days of FM radio powerhouses KROQ and KMET in Los Angeles. Included are stories about Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and David Bowie.  © 2021