The Rock Star Autobiography Podcast

Everyone knows that legendary Brian Wilson was the melodic architect behind those Beach Boys gems; and, yes, he copes with mental health issues.  But did you know that Brian Wilson has a favorite chair in his living room where he likes to sit for hours?  That he has a favorite bagel spot in Santa Monica, but to get there he has to sit through a traffic light that lasts forever, and it bothers him that it should take so long?  It turns out that rock-and-roll's Willy Wonka is actually the most relatable person of them all.  In this episode Martha and Christian surf the pages of I Am Brian Wilson to discover 1960s Hawthorne, vanilla cones, dysfunction, and one or two good vibrations. 

Bruce Springsteen is a polarizing figure.  His fans are die-hard, and they even famously refer to him as The Boss.  Critics revere him, extolling him as the working man's poet.  And of course, "You've just got to see him live."  Other people, however, write actual lists on the internet about why they "hate" him (Reason Number 6: the earring).  But you can't polarize people unless you've made it big, folks, and he did just that in the 80s when he announced that he was Born in The United States of America!  That bandana!  The jeans!  The oiled muscles!  Courtney Cox!  But was the blue-collar Jersey boy born to write?  Does his prose have the human touch?  Find out as our hosts head through Bruce's tunnel of love and get a bad desire. 

The meaning of life?  Easy.  But the Meaning of Mariah?  That's heavy lifting.  The Guinness Book of World records refers to Mariah Carey as the Songbird Supreme.  She has a five-octave range and can sing into the seventh octave.  Her "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is the 11th best-selling single in modern music, and only The Beatles have more number one hits.  She's also performed for a Libyan dictator, been arrested in her own home, barely escaped the sinister walls of Tommy Mottola's labyrinth prison, and is probably Marilyn Monroe reincarnated.  Become Lambily with Martha and Christian and follow the trail to Mariah--if you get lost, just keep your eyes on the glitter.  

Ingredients for the Slash cocktail: gallons of vodka, heroin, STDs, one top hat, and lots and lots of snakes.  Stir, pour over ice, and then plug in your defibrillator!You know you've made it big in the world or rock and roll when you no longer need a last name: Sting, Prince, Madonna.  Add to that list Slash, lead guitarist of Guns n Roses.  The readers of Total Guitar voted the opening riff of "Sweet Child O'Mine" as the greatest opening riff of all time, and Guns n Roses' last tour netted 584 million in cash.  But who is the man under that infamous hat?  What keeps that mass of snake-like hair going?  The answer is, literally, state-of-the art technology (turns out that heroin isn't actually a vitamin).  Tag along with Martha and Christian as they step into Slash's sweaty leather pants, shoplift their way through L.A., sleep around town, and live in fear of Axl Rose. 

Arriving like a splash of neon paint, Cyndi Lauper announced to the 80s that Girls, apparently, "Just Want to Have Fun."  Sure there was the A-Team, Silver Spoons, and Knight Rider.  But what's the 80s without She-Bop?  Without Cyndi Lauper in a wrestling ring?  Without The Goonies???  In this episode Martha and Christian learn the true colors of the woman behind that hiccup, why she partnered up with the WWF, and what kinds of herbs it takes to cook a squirrel. 

Sinead O'Connor has often been reduced to that person who shaved her head, tore up the picture of the pope, and refused to play the Star Spangled Banner.  It's no surprise, however, that there was more to the story, some of which she reveals in Rememberings.  There's the dreary Irish upbringing, the terrible physical abuse, the job dressing up as a maid to deliver  telegrams, the Rastafari gun-runners.  But nothing compares to her story about Prince, and what it's like to be invited to his castle, and what it's like to really, really not want his soup.  Martha and Christian learn all of this and more as they gaze into the most famous eyes in music, spellbound by her Irish tale.  

Dave Grohl, dude.  Dave.  GROHL.  Dave Grohl has been in the White House several times. He is friends with Paul McCartney. His band the Foo Fighters is very, very, very popular. You almost forget--almost--that he was a drummer for Nirvana, with someone named Kurt Cobain. How did Dave Grohl ever escape the shadow of that band?  How did Dave Grohl become America's favorite rock star musician? How did Dave Grohl write a book that is now on sale in Costco? Apparently by being just the nicest guy. Martha and Christian kick off season four by sitting at the feet of America's favorite dude named Dave and listen to this "Storyteller" spin the yarns of his greatest do-or-die moments; and for Dave, they're ALL do-or-die.     

Have you ever been bullied?  Have you ever been picked on, for no reason?  Has anyone ever hit you in the face with a sock filled with batteries?  If you answer YES to any of these questions, then this episode is for YOU!  Who knew that Curtis Jackson--FITTY CENT--is not only a successful rapper but a life coach of sorts?  In this special end-of-the-season episode Martha and Christian get to know his conflicted teen creation Butterball, the main character of Curtis Jackson's Playground, a sweet tale of fiction about growing up, being bullied, and being that bully yourself.  If nothing else, this episode will help you steal those sweet Nikes you've always wanted. 

Andy Summers was in a psychedelic band called Dantalian's Chariot.  He jammed with Jimi Hendrix.  He was buddies with Eric Clapton.  Yet it amounted to nothing but a failed marriage, guitar lessons in the valley, and a whole lot of meditating in the spirit world.  But then a guy named Sting found Andy's message in a bottle, Stewart Copeland added the beat, and synchronicity was achieved.  The Police!  Go for a ride-along with Martha and Christian as they put on the red light for Andy Summers' One Train Later, the most literary memoir yet. 

Did you know that Homer Simpson's beer of choice, Duff beer, derived its name from Michael "Duff" McKagan?  It's true!   But did you also know that Duff McKagan is actually more famous for a band called Guns N Roses?  It's true!  Yes, folks, the rumors are real!  It's no illusion!  Martha and Christian are heading into the jungle of Duff McKagan's "It's So Easy."  THRILL as our co-hosts get intimate with Duff's appetite for self-destruction!  DISCOVER that Duff wears Converse high-tops in cycling competitions!!  BE AMAZED that Duff once led a band called The Fartz!  MARVEL as Duff writes a college-entrance application!!!  Duff's book proves that from the hot and dirty pavement of L.A his band grew those roses inch by inch with sweat, blood, and lots of strippers from The Seventh Veil.  The episode that you've been asking for is finally here!  (You just had to have a little Patience). 

The Sex Pistols weren't just Johnny Rotten and that Sid guy, the vicious one.  They also included Steve Jones, the band's guitarist, without whom the band would not have existed, and who certainly did it His Way.  Doc Martens, spiked hair, Guns and Roses--and even, sad to say, Green Day--would not exist were it not for four notorious firearms of sex, of whom Steve Jones, with the biggest bullets of all, was one.  From the funniest book yet, Christian and Martha learn about Steve's Dickensian childhood, his copious appetite for sex and stealing, and his opinion that being bald is definitely not Rock and Roll. 

Google Art Garfunkel, and two things will appear on your screen immediately.  One is the question, "Did Art Garfunkel write any songs?"  (The answer, dear listeners, is No).  And the second thing you'll see is that Art is worth $95,000,000.00.  How is this possible?  Is the answer in his memoir What Is It All But Luminous?  Martha and Christian jump into Art's diary and explore his handwriting, the list of books he wants you to know he's read, and the deep thoughts of one half of the most famous folk-duo in musical history.  When you're weary, and feeling down, this episode is guaranteed to ease your mind, like a footpath near a bubbling brook!

Robert Smith is worth 25 million dollars.  Someone with whom you went to high school was covered in head-to-toe black because of his band The Cure.  And for better or worse, even country-music fans know "Friday I'm in Love."  For all that creativity and success, however, Robert Smith's greatest talent is, apparently, being the best friend you could ever hope to have.  Just ask Lol Tolhurst, drummer for The Cure, with whom Robert Smith created the most beautiful friendship Christian and Martha have ever read about in the history of rock.  Prepare to break apart all those pictures of you, and let's hit opening time with Cured, the most Kleenex-heavy episode yet.

Ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's  “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”, The Talking Heads were progenitors of Art-School Preppy Punk.  Everyone knows David Byrne and that crazy white suit, but behind him was Chris Frantz, the drummer with whom Byrne formed the band.  As a founding member, he was there to have lunch with Andy Warhol, tour with The Ramones, and stumble onto a #1 hit with The Tom Tom Club.  But for all the highs and lows, Chris Frantz Remains in Love, especially with his bass-playing wife. This week Martha and Christian get anxious as they discuss the nervous antics of this frenetic band.  Will this detour into 70s New York yield gold, or are they on a road to nowhere?  

The Go-Go's were the first all-female band to have a number-one record of self-penned songs with Beauty and the Beat, a feat unrivaled to this day.  A winning combination of punk, surf rock, and sugar in the raw, they were integral to the musical landscape of the 80s.  Kathy Valentine was part of that experience, slipping into the bassist spot just as the band tipped into national success.  But for all of the fame and money, Valentine makes it clear that being on stage with her friends and playing music was, genuinely, All I Ever Wanted.  Listen as Martha and Christian swoon for Valentine's masterful and moving memoir about her upside-down relationship with her mother, her love/hate relationship with Merle Haggard, and what it's like to have your best friends break up with you. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

"TAKE.  MY.  TEARS.  AND. THAT'S.  NOT.  NEAR-LEE ALLLLLLLLLLL, TAINTED-", oh, come on.  You know. That song.  Soft Cell's Tainted Love spent 43 weeks on Britain's Billboard charts and ranked #5 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders.  You've probably heard the song yourself once or twice, whether it be on the dance floor or while ordering a Subway sandwich make-it-a-meal combo.  You've also probably heard of Marc Almond, but who was the other guy, the one pressing the buttons and twiddling the knobs?  He has a name, and it's Dave Ball, someone who really likes collecting keyboards, name-checking his numerous synthesizers, and raiding the hotel mini bar.  What's it like to have an entire career built around a song you didn't write?  Dave Ball tells Christian and Martha in Electronic Boy.  (Seriously, though: where did our love go?)If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Whoa-oh here he comes!  Before there was Whole Foods, there was Whole Oates, the musical mash-up of Daryl Hall and John Oates (and eventually just Hall & Oates).  A duo whose look was perennially out of touch, their music has nevertheless remained in heavy rotation, heavily sampled, and  referenced for close to 40 years.  To most people John Oates was the lucky sideman, but John begs to differ in his Change of Seasons.  Pick up your Philly Cheese Steak as Martha and Christian wade through the most famous mustache in rock and roll history and discover the man behind "She's Gone", the man who builds log cabins, and the man behind "the 'stache."  This episode is guaranteed to make all of your dreams come true (HOO HOO). If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Some achievements speak for themselves: Climbing Mt. Everest.  Discovering Fire. Creating the planet Earth.  To this pedigree another can now be added: Reading Steven Patrick Morrissey's List of the Lost.  Few readers have done it, although many have tried.  Recipient of the Literary Review "Bad Sex Award," and described by The Times as "unreadable in places", literature's Bermuda Triangle has disappeared most explorers who have attempted to navigate Bigmouth's 118 pages.  Can our overly-educated hosts do it?  Do they have the snob-chops to dare???  Join our intrepid hosts on this  special episode as they draw upon all of their reading super powers and sail headfirst into 118 pages of the Mancunian vortex that is Morrissey.  This episode will open your eyes, and you will never be the same. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

We were all beautiful once, especially Sebastian Bach, who was so good looking that James Hetfield had to touch his face just to believe it was real.  But beauty fades for everyone, especially if someone from a biker gang puts you in a headlock and rearranges your nose.  Listen as our hosts do time with Sebastian Bach on Skid Row, learning about his daily vocal exercises, his unexpected stint on Broadway, his child-like enthusiasm for KISS, and what it's like to meet your heroes (Spoiler alert: DON'T).  Be advised, this episode paints a picture of the days gone by, and you may realize that being 16 was as good as it gets.  Cue guitar solo. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Did you know that apart from being one of the most-charted female vocalists of all time, Dionne Warwick genuinely enjoys smoking cigarettes?  In good times, in bad times, that's what this podcast is for.  Smoke em if you got em as Christian and Martha discuss Dionne's love letter to herself, My Life, as I See It, wherein she lovingly details the size, shape, and weight of every award she's ever received; the Bee-Gees hit songs she didn't want to record; and what it's like to cross The Bridge to Tomorrow at Oprah's house. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

If, on the eve of success, you were kicked out of a band you'd help to start, sent home on a greyhound bus with not a penny in your pocket, you'd probably give up the game.  Not Dave Mustaine.  With nothing but his ambition, fiery red mane, and battle ax in hand, Dave overcame the abandonment of his family, the betrayal of Metallica, and the suburbs of Costa Mesa and Whittier, California, to form Megadeth and kill em all.  Yes, it's another story of sex, drugs, and rock and roll; but it's also funny, sad, and smart, and to one of our hosts, maybe one of the best memoirs yet.  Learn from this seminal figure how to screw up a date with Belinda Carlisle, how to deal with flakes of rust in your eye, and, mostly, how to persevere, as Christian and Martha discuss Mustaine. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Lenny Kravitz has sold over 40 million records. He has married and divorced a Huxtable. But perhaps his greatest achievement is reducing hosts Martha and Christian to tears.  How can someone once named Romeo Blue, whose autobiography belongs in the Young Adult section of the bookstore, who had the most privileged childhood in rock--how can that someone have turned our hosts into salty puddles?  Find out for yourself; the flower-power love of Lenny's Let Love Rule might be the therapy you need.If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Few musicians can say they grow more beloved with each decade, but Willie Nelson can.  His bandana is eternal; his braids are mystic.  Even if you don't know his music, you know that Willie smokes his weed, never stops touring, and is an American icon.   Get on board Willie's never-ending smoke-filled tour bus with Martha and Christian as they discuss his many wives, many singing partners, and how he just might be the only American to ever beat the IRS. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Well done, Patti Lee.  You were best friends with Robert Mapplethorpe.  You dated Sam Shepard while living in the Chelsea Hotel, the counter-culture mecca of the 60s.  Morrissey, Michael Stipe, and The Library of Congress revere your debut album Horses as a cultural "landmark."  And your book Just Kids won the National Book Award. But have you really accomplished anything if Martha or Christian thinks your book was pretentious navel-gazing? But which host?  Why?!  Find out all of this and more as Martha and Christian get astride Just Kids and ride it for all its worth. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Galaxie 500.  Luna.  If you've never heard of these bands, don't worry, you're just most people.  But to a small segment of the population, very little compares to the acquired taste of Dean Wareham's two bands and his guitar playing in particular.  Join Christian and Martha as they explore Dean's Black Postcards, wherein Dean narrates the tragic demise of the former group, the mild success of the latter, and how falling in love with one's new bassist doesn't strengthen marital vows.  LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED: listening to this episode may cause Galaxie 500 memorabilia to cover your walls, and it isn't cheap. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Audience members routinely spat  on Billy Idol as a member of Generation X.  Gross?  Yes.  Punk?  Even more so.  Orgies in the studio, near-death motorcycle rides, and combustible relationships--no one can deny that Billy Idol ate the Punk-Rock Kool-Aid straight from the packet.  Martha and Christian sink another book and delve behind the most famous sneer of the 80s in Billy's Dancing with Myself.If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Peter Hook was bass player for New Order and Joy Division.  And apparently he took copious notes along the way.  But does his book have "Substance"?  Listen as Christian and Martha get their trousers wet, wading through over 700 pages of Hooky's dive into Manchester, the Hacienda, New Order, crazy band managers, and the musings of this bass player who now spins records for a living. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Joy Division's tragic demise should have permanently snuffed out its band members' careers.  But Bernard Sumner, armed with drum loops, programmed beats, and a Blue Monday, emerged from those ashes to create an upbeat New Order, sell millions of records, and wind up in a John Hughes film.  How does it feel, to read Bernard Sumner's autobiography through and through?  Find out as Christian and Martha become heavenly persons today and review Bernie's Chapter and Verse. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

When Bernard Butler quit Suede and took his prodigious musical talent with him, Brett Anderson could have licked his wounds and quit.  Instead, he soldiered on a with a 17-year old guitar wunderkind and pushed Suede to bigger chart success--sort of.  Listen as Christian and Martha discuss Brett Anderson's second memoir Afternoon With The Blinds Drawn, wherein Brett lays bare the diesel-and-gasoline story of Suede. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

For a brief moment the songwriting team of Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler were untouchable, flying into the sun with Suede, a group the press famously described as the best band in Britain even before their debut LP had even been released. (And yes, the album was that good). But mid-way through the recording of their sophomore classic, the duo bitterly split, and neither one got custody of the creative spark.  Listen as Martha and Christian discuss the sci-fi lullaby of Brett Anderson's Coal Black Mornings and the tragedy of what could have been.If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

After the success of Take It Like a Man, Boy George waited twenty years to go Straight. Listen as Martha and Christian read and discuss his career as a DJ, the never-ending dramas of his heart, his musical Taboo, and how a soccer-mom named Rosie O'Donnell wound up in behind the scenes of it all. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

As founding member of Culture Club, Boy George landed like a cultural grenade.  Learn how George O'Dowd took his rags and turned them into a costume of riches, and how this self-described Queen learned to "Take It Like a Man." If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Punk icon, muse of Andy Warhol, lead singer of Blondie, and one-time Playboy Bunny, Deborah Harry was the face of the 70s.  But do cheek bones a good memoir make?  Join Martha and Christian as they look Deborah in her oft-painted eyes and Face It."If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Against all odds Phil Collins--"patron saint of ordinary blokes"--went from child actor to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.  Join Christian and Martha as they take a look at him now and discuss Not Dead Yet.  Soo-Soo-SOO-DEE-YO! If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

It turns out that the key to Wham! and George Michael's success was the other guy in the band, Andrew Ridgeley. Who knew? Find out why a great attitude just might be the key to pop stardom as Christian and Martha discuss Andrew Ridgeley's “Wham! George Michael & Me.”If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

John Taylor and Duran Duran, with their music and good looks, dominated MTV and the walls of millions around the world.  But being a rock star with the face of a super model doesn't come without its temptations, and John was tempted by them all.  Save a prayer for Martha and Christian as they delve into John Taylor's "Pleasure Groove", emerging with their diagnosis of Duran Duran's founding member.If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

In a musical career that spans over four decades, Chrissie Hynde has made a strong mark in the annals of rock history. In this episode, Christian and Martha discuss her tumultuous life story, and how she went from growing up in Akron, Ohio to forming one of the most popular bands in music.Chrissie Hynde on NPR talking about her autobiography.If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support. 

Christian and Martha discuss Johnny Marr and his book Set The Boy Free.  Blessed with musical genius and perhaps the best attitude in the music business, Marr left an indelible mark on music as The Smiths co-founding member, and the hosts discuss how his tale is told. If you enjoyed this episode, click here to purchase your own copy of the book. We are partners with Bel Canto Books, and we earn from qualifying purchases. We appreciate your support.