Episode 205 - Mick Wall

Mick Wall is an author, journalist and podcaster who has worked inside the music industry for over 35 years. He has been described as "the world's leading rock and metal writer." In addition to being the head writer at Kerrang! magazine for nearly a decade, Mick also started his own PR company, founded Classic Rock magazine, hosted a popular television show and has written definitive biographies for the biggest rock bands in the world including Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Guns N Roses, AC/DC, Lemmy and a little Bay Area band called Metallica. In 2010 Mick published Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica which has been called the first truly adult-oriented portrait of the most important metal band of the past 30 years. Mick is also the co-host of the Getcha Rocks Off podcast. Topics in this discussion include: - being a storyteller - David Lee Roth - music journalists are despised - Ozzy Osbourne - writing official band biographies - Iron Maiden - Rob Halford and Judas Priest - Ronnie James Dio - keeping the illusion alive - Axl Rose and W.A.R. - are there big bands anymore? - U2 aren’t dangerous - the authenticity of Guns ’N Roses - Jim Morrison and the Doors - Slash and heroin - Steve Clark and Def Leopard - going on tour with bands - inventing the new wave of British heavy metal - NME and the Sex Pistols - fraud syndrome - Francis Rossi and Status Quo - writing a book about Bono - other rock biographies - thoughts on Enter Night - why James won’t speak to Mick - reading great writers - Lester Bang and Nick Kent - Bukowski and Henry Miller - podcasting - the future of music journalism - Ghost - the future of rockstars - Billie Eilish - Pink Floyd