New Book by Music Journalist Jim Sullivan Includes Chats With Bowie, Tina, Townshend, Fogerty & Many More

By Best Classical Band Staff

The latest collection of interviews with classic rock artists. Backstage & Beyond Volume 1: 45 years of classic rock chatter and rants— the first anthology by music journalist Jim Sullivan — will be published in paperback and e-book format on July 21, 2023 by Trouser Press Books.Pre-orders are now available here.

For over 26 years, boston globe and wrote for national publications for another 20 years. believe To Newsweek Sullivan has interviewed and reviewed countless musicians for the Best Classic Bands website who has contributed work on Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, U2 and more. While often difficult to access, Sullivan was able to interact with many of these superstars on a much more intimate level than what journalists normally do or would normally do.

Backstage & Beyond Volume 1 This book collects Sullivan’s writings about many of the iconic artists who made their musical prominence in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, 21 of whom were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to the press release, Sullivan has 350 pages of “charming, funny, and sometimes gruesome tributes to Jerry Lee Lewis, Tina Turner, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Nico, Brian Eno, Neil Young and Richard. They share a gruesome profile.” Thompson, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Warren Zevon, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies and the Kinks, Dave Davies, Ginger Baker, Leonard Cohen, Marianne Faithful, John Fogerty, Ian Hunter, Mott the Hoople, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Robert Fripp and King Crimson, Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, Peter Wolf and J Giles Band, Joe Perry and Aerosmith, Lemmy and Motorhead, George Clinton, Tangerine Dream, Joan Baez, Roy Orbison.

Kinks

Rather than simply collecting previously published articles as they originally appeared, Sullivan combed archives to find everything he had written about each artist, and compared the original work to those of these legendary musicians. It has been reworked into a broader perspective, recording changing circumstances, perspectives and experiences throughout the passage. Time and his own unique perspective. Backstage & Beyond Volume 2Artist-focused shows including The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Cars, The Clash To The Cure, The Police, Beastie Boys, Puff Daddy, Talking Heads and more will follow in October. .

Related: Interview with Alice Cooper for Best Classic Band Award by Jim Sullivan

“My hope is that the recollections contained here will evoke some memories,” writes Jim Sullivan in the book’s preface. If you weren’t there at the time, I hope this takes you back to some of the golden age of rock’n’roll. ”

“I’ve always admired Jim’s writing and his amazing ability to get close to artists,” says Ira Robbins, editorial director of books for the Trouser Press. Nico? Jerry Lee Lewis? oh! We are proud to help bring Jim’s past work to the widest audience it deserves. ”