Rock & Roll Nightmares by Staci Layne Wilson

March 29, 2023
Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren: Filmmakers, "Heavier Trip" Finnish Metal Comedy

Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren: Filmmakers, "Heavier Trip" Finnish Metal Comedy

December 02, 2024

Staci stage-dives into the world of Heavier Trip, the outrageous and hilarious sequel to the cult classic feature film Heavy Trip—she chats with the masterminds behind the madness, Finnish filmmakers Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren. The directors take the world’s most ferocious death metal band,...

Jeff and Steven McDonald: "Born Innocent, The Redd Kross Story" Music Documentary

Jeff and Steven McDonald: "Born Innocent, The Redd Kross Story" Music Documentary

November 28, 2024

Staci’s guests are Jeff and Steven McDonald from the long-running California rock band, Redd Kross—they started it at the ages of 11 and 15 in the 1970s and are still going strong to this day. They talk about their brand new documentary, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story and how it all came...

Sally Steele: Director, "Raised on Rock - The Burnett Family Legacy"

Sally Steele: Director, "Raised on Rock - The Burnett Family Legacy"

November 24, 2024

Staci’s guest is Sally Steele, a true rock historian who lived the scene and has the stories to prove it. Known for creating the Vegas Rocks! Awards Show, she’s celebrated legends and rising stars alike. Sally is also the director of the documentary Raised on Rock - The Burnett Family Legacy, which...

Martin Popoff: Author, "Judas Priest, Album By Album"

Martin Popoff: Author, "Judas Priest, Album By Album"

November 23, 2024

Martin Popoff, the author of a new hardcover book, Judas Priest: Album by Album, joins Staci on this episode to talk all things our favorite metal gods. Martin jokes about JP’s so-called “KISS album,” discusses some of their cover songs, reveals what it was like to work with guest celebs on his...

Dave Robinson: Co-founder of Stiff Records

Dave Robinson: Co-founder of Stiff Records

November 21, 2024

Staci’s guest is music industry legend Dave Robinson. As the co-founder of Stiff Records, Dave was at the forefront of the punk and new wave movements, working with iconic artists like Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and The Damned. His career spans decades, including time as tour manager for Jimi...

Daniel Bukszpan: Author, "Rush at 50"

Daniel Bukszpan: Author, "Rush at 50"

November 19, 2024

This episode of the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast features veteran music journalist and author Daniel Bukszpan, who brings over 30 years of experience covering the world of rock and beyond. Dan discusses his latest book, Rush at 50, a stunning hardcover that celebrates one of the most beloved and...

Andrew Reich: Director, "Redd Kross, Born Innocent" Music Documentary

Andrew Reich: Director, "Redd Kross, Born Innocent" Music Documentary

November 18, 2024

Staci chats with Emmy Award-winner Andrew Reich on this episode of Rock & Roll Nightmares. Andrew discusses his new music documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story, which premieres in theaters nationwide on December 5th. The film tells the wild, hilarious and moving story of two brothers from...

Susan Cowsill: "White Noise and Lightning" The Continental Drifters Book & Music

Susan Cowsill: "White Noise and Lightning" The Continental Drifters Book & Music

October 15, 2024

Staci’s guest is Susan Cowsill, the legendary vocalist known for being a child singing star in The Cowsills, her family’s chart-topping group that actually inspired the 1970s TV sitcom The Partridge Family. Susan discusses the brand new book about her other long-running supergroup, The Continental...

Spencer Charnas: Ice Nine Kills and Terrifier 3

Spencer Charnas: Ice Nine Kills and Terrifier 3

October 10, 2024

Staci’s guest is Spencer Charnas, the frontman of the “theatricore” metal band, Ice Nine Kills. The band name comes from the fictional substance Ice-nine from the 1963 novel Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. But their sound and inspiration come from horror movies, and their latest collaboration...

Chris O'Dell: Author, "Miss O'Dell" (memoir and documentary)

Chris O'Dell: Author, "Miss O'Dell" (memoir and documentary)

October 03, 2024

Staci's guest is Chris O’Dell, the author of an incredible memoir called “Miss O’Dell.” Chris worked for Apple Corps and was in the studio when the Beatles recorded The White Album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be, and she sang in the Hey Jude chorus. She lived with George Harrison and Pattie Boyd...

Erik Nelson: Director, John & Yoko - Daytime Revolution Documentary

Erik Nelson: Director, John & Yoko - Daytime Revolution Documentary

September 26, 2024

Staci's guest is Erik Nelson, the director of DAYTIME REVOLUTION, a new documentary that chronicles one week in 1972 when John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosted the most popular show on daytime TV, The Mike Douglas Show, bringing together iconic leaders of the cultural, musical, and political...

Scott Huver: Author, Beverly Hills Noir-Crime, Sin and Scandal in 90210

Scott Huver: Author, Beverly Hills Noir-Crime, Sin and Scandal in 90210

September 23, 2024

Staci's guest is a longtime friend and colleague of hers, Scott Huver. Scott has written an incredibly well-researched, truly immersive true crime book, “Beverly Hills Noir: Crime, Sin & Scandal in 90210,” which covers an amazing array of evil deeds. Scott is a former Beverly Hills newspaper...

Alice Maio Mackay, Filmmaker: "Satranic Panic" A Queer Musical Horror Comedy

Alice Maio Mackay, Filmmaker: "Satranic Panic" A Queer Musical Horror Comedy

August 20, 2024

Staci's guest is Alice Maio Mackay, a young, award-winning genre filmmaker. Satranic Panic is her fourth film, and it was released in Australia last year; this horror musical comedy is now debuting in the States. Alice’s debut feature, So Vam, featured stars from Drag Race, and is now a...

Joe Matera: Musician, & Author of "The Backstage Pass"

Joe Matera: Musician, & Author of "The Backstage Pass"

August 14, 2024

Staci's guest for this episode is Joe Matera, author of the newly released rock 'n' roll book "Louder Than Words: Beyond The Backstage Pass," a sequel to his first memoir about life on the road. Joe's diverse career includes writing for prominent music magazines and a successful...

Gaelan Draper and Charlie Saxton: Filmmakers, "Art of a Hit" a horror-music feature film

Gaelan Draper and Charlie Saxton: Filmmakers, "Art of a Hit" a horror-music feature film

August 14, 2024

In this episode, Staci welcomes guests Gaelan Draper and Charlie Saxton, the creative team behind the new psychological horror film "Art of a Hit". Gaelan directed the movie, while Charlie co-wrote, produced, and starred as an eccentric uber-producer. Staci explores their collaboration and delves...

Nickolas Rossi: Documentarian, "Heaven Adores You" the Life & Music of Elliott Smith

Nickolas Rossi: Documentarian, "Heaven Adores You" the Life & Music of Elliott Smith

July 27, 2024

Staci welcomes Nickolas Rossi, the acclaimed filmmaker, to the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast. A decade ago, Nickolas directed the documentary "Heaven Adores You" about the late Elliott Smith. With the film marking its tenth anniversary and what would have been Elliott’s 55th birthday next month,...

Roddy Bogawa: Co-Director, "Have You Got It Yet? Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd" Documentary

Roddy Bogawa: Co-Director, "Have You Got It Yet? Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd" Documentary

July 16, 2024

Award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa joins Staci on today's podcast. Roddy co-directed the documentary "Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd" with the late, acclaimed album cover designer Storm Thorgerson. This remarkable and beautifully crafted documentary took years...

Linda Chadwick, Author: "On The Road: A Texas Groupie's Memoir"

Linda Chadwick, Author: "On The Road: A Texas Groupie's Memoir"

July 06, 2024

In this episode, Staci welcomes Linda Chadwick, the author of "On The Road: A Texas Groupie's Memoir." Linda's book offers an unfiltered look into the glam and heavy metal scenes in Texas, sharing her experiences with legends like Metallica, Pantera, and Motörhead. Get ready for some wild...

Nick Dominquez: Curator of "Spanish Tony" Photography of The Rolling Stones

Nick Dominquez: Curator of "Spanish Tony" Photography of The Rolling Stones

June 26, 2024

Staci's guest is Nick Dominguez, the grandson of Rolling Stones’ photographer, personal assistant, and book author Tony Sanchez, aka "Spanish Tony." Spanish Tony captured iconic images of The Stones onstage at Hyde Park, at the Beggar's Banquet photoshoot, and candid shots of Keith...

Billy Morrison: On His New Album, The Morrison Project

Billy Morrison: On His New Album, The Morrison Project

June 12, 2024

Staci’s guest is musician Billy Morrison, who rose to fame with The Cult. He’s been the rhythm guitarist in Billy Idol’s band for 15 years now and is currently enjoying great success with his solo album, The Morrison Project. Right now, he has a hit single climbing the charts – “Crack Cocaine,”...

Amanda Kramer & Wayne Byrne: Authors, "Hired Guns, Portraits of Women in Alternative Music"

Amanda Kramer & Wayne Byrne: Authors, "Hired Guns, Portraits of Women in Alternative Music"

June 05, 2024

Staci welcomes Amanda Kramer and Wayne Byrne, co-authors of a new book on female “hired guns” in the music industry… the book is called, appropriately enough, 'Hired Guns: Portraits of Women in Alternative Music.' Wayne is the author of several books centered on the entertainment...

Suzi Ronson: Author of "Me & Mr Jones" Memoir of David Bowie's Stylist & More

Suzi Ronson: Author of "Me & Mr Jones" Memoir of David Bowie's Stylist & More

June 01, 2024

Staci's guest is the fabulous Suzi Ronson, author of a new memoir, "Me & Mr Jones." It’s an excellent book about how she became David Bowie’s stylist after helping create his iconic Ziggy Stardust hairstyle. She traveled the world with Bowie as his hairdresser, stylist, and confidante. She...

Brett Monro and Crista Honey: Metal Nerds, Inc

Brett Monro and Crista Honey: Metal Nerds, Inc

May 27, 2024

Staci's guests are Brett Monro and Crista Honey. Their company is Metal Nerds Inc, and they have launched a project called the Kings of the Strip Legacy Project (Tales from the Strip), where they partner with bands to create graphic anthologies for them that they can then sell to fans via...

Bert Edens and DE McCluskey: Authors, "Dismember the Coop, An Alice Cooper Tribute"

Bert Edens and DE McCluskey: Authors, "Dismember the Coop, An Alice Cooper Tribute"

May 27, 2024

Bert Edens and DE McCluskey talk with Staci about the new short story anthology, “Dismember the Coop.” The book consists of macabre tales inspired by the music of Alice Cooper. It’s also a charity project. What’s more, DE McCluskey wrote a comic horror tale about Def Leppard for a newly released...

Mercedes M. Yardley & Nadia Robertson: "Rock & Roll Nightmares, Parallel Lines" Authors

Mercedes M. Yardley & Nadia Robertson: "Rock & Roll Nightmares, Parallel Lines" Authors

May 18, 2024

Mercedes M. Yardley and Nadia Robertson, both of whom wrote short stories for the latest collection in the Rock & Roll Nightmares series, “Parallel Lines,” join Staci on today’s podcast. They discuss the inspiration behind their stories—The Beatles (kind of…) for Mercedes, and Elvis (totally) for...

Heather J. Bennett: Rock & Roll Romance Novelist, "Helplessly Hoping"

Heather J. Bennett: Rock & Roll Romance Novelist, "Helplessly Hoping"

May 15, 2024

Author Heather J. Bennett joins Staci today on the "Rock & Roll Nightmares" podcast. As a diehard music fan and an accomplished writer, Heather has uncovered hidden stories of musicians, particularly those from the 1970s Laurel Canyon scene--all fictional, of course (wink). While there are some...

Madeline Bocaro: Author, "In Your Mind, The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono"

Madeline Bocaro: Author, "In Your Mind, The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono"

May 15, 2024

Staci welcomes Madeline Bocaro, author of the new book, "In Your Mind - The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono," With notable contributions to biographies and documentaries, including works on Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Mick Ronson, she's gone deep into the lives of music legends. Her latest...

Joel Selvin: Author, "Jim Gordon: Drums & Demons"

Joel Selvin: Author, "Jim Gordon: Drums & Demons"

May 13, 2024

Music journalist and author Joel Selvin joins Staci on today's "Rock & Roll Nightmares" podcast. He wrote the incredible recent release, "Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day." ...But today, they're going to talk about his brand...

Peter Summit: Crashing Wayward Band, Home1969 Vintage Rock Fashion

Peter Summit: Crashing Wayward Band, Home1969 Vintage Rock Fashion

May 12, 2024

Staci's guest is Peter Summit, the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Crashing Wayward. Crashing Wayward also consists of Stacey David Blades on lead guitar, on lead and rhythm guitar is David Harris, and rhythm section are bassist Carl Raether and drummer Shon McKee. This is...

Katherine Brannan: "Rock & Roll Nightmares - Parallel Lines" Audiobook Producer

Katherine Brannan: "Rock & Roll Nightmares - Parallel Lines" Audiobook Producer

May 12, 2024

Katherine Brannan is an audiobook narrator, radio personality for WALL, and she is also a veteran of Air Pirates Radio Theater where she lent her talents as a voice actor, musician, and writer. Katherine is the co-narrator of the most recent Rock & Roll Nightmares anthology of short stories,...

Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill: Directors, "Anita Pallenberg: Catching Fire"

Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill: Directors, "Anita Pallenberg: Catching Fire"

April 25, 2024

Staci welcomes the directing team of Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill, whose new documentary, CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG gives the world a vital, nuanced portrait of the charismatic and fierce rock ‘n’ roller, actress, muse, and mother who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s...

Sophia Dilley: Executive Producer, "Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It"

Sophia Dilley: Executive Producer, "Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It"

April 25, 2024

Sophia Dilley joins Staci on this episode. The music-loving exec who launched "Concord Originals," Concord’s Film and TV division, has produced projects such as the Billie Holiday documentary "Billie," Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall, Let the Canary Sing, a...

Tim Jackson: Director, "When Things Go Wrong" Chartbusters Music Documentary

Tim Jackson: Director, "When Things Go Wrong" Chartbusters Music Documentary

April 25, 2024

Staci chats with Tim Jackson, the drummer of The Chartbusters (the 11th band ever broadcast on MTV in 1981), and whose hit “When Things Go Wrong” is also the name of a documentary film about the frontwoman, Robin Lane. Tim directed the film, and he’s got some interesting stories to tell—including...

Darren Paltrowitz: Author, DLR Book, How David Lee Roth Changed the World

Darren Paltrowitz: Author, DLR Book, How David Lee Roth Changed the World

March 18, 2024

Staci’s guest is Darren Paltrowitz, an award-winning author, popular podcast host, and private investigator with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Darren’s newest endeavor is DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed the World, published by Backbeat Books. Darren dishes on all...

Laurie Kaye: Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper, My Life Leading Up to John Lennon's Last Interview

Laurie Kaye: Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper, My Life Leading Up to John Lennon's Last Interview

March 12, 2024

Staci is joined by Laurie Kaye, the author of a new book called “Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennon's Last Interview.” It’s a fascinating memoir about Laurie’s life in radio and growing up in the music world of L.A. in the late '60s and early...

Timothy Connolly: The Hard-Rockin' Ukulele Hero

Timothy Connolly: The Hard-Rockin' Ukulele Hero

March 10, 2024

The only and only “Ukulele Hero” Timothy Connolly joins Staci on this episode of the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast. Timothy has a repertoire of a thousand songs, covering a wide range of music from The Beach Boys to The Clash. He believes that we are all embodiments of music, with our very...

Renee S. DeCamillis: Horror Author & Metal Musician

Renee S. DeCamillis: Horror Author & Metal Musician

March 09, 2024

Staci’s guest is Renee S. DeCamillis, a talented author whose latest metal-infused short horror story is in the "Dethfest Confessions" anthology, an intriguing collection set against the backdrop of a grim and bloody event at a fictional music festival. Renee is also the lyricist, singer, and...

Stephen B. Armstrong: Author, of "The Ramones & Rock 'N Roll High School" Book

Stephen B. Armstrong: Author, of "The Ramones & Rock 'N Roll High School" Book

February 19, 2024

Author Stephen B. Armstrong joins Staci to talk about his new book, "I Want You Around: The Ramones and the Making of Rock ‘n’ Roll High School". He delves into his research process, interviewing the film’s star PJ Soles, and discusses how things might have been different in cult film history if a...

Josh Malerman: Author, Birdbox & Musician, The High Strung

Josh Malerman: Author, Birdbox & Musician, The High Strung

February 12, 2024

Staci’s guest on this episode of the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast is Josh Malerman, the bestselling, award-winning author of Birdbox, Malorie, and the upcoming Incidents Around the House. He’s also in the long-running rock band, The High Strung, whose song The Luck You Got can be heard as the...

Eva Hassman: Filmmaker, "Willie & Me" on Willie Nelson, Peter Bogdanovich & More

Eva Hassman: Filmmaker, "Willie & Me" on Willie Nelson, Peter Bogdanovich & More

February 05, 2024

Eva Hassman, writer, director, producer, and star of the new feature film "Willie and Me", joins Staci to talk about her long journey from script to screen. It’s about one woman’s determination to see Willie Nelson’s Farewell Concert in Las Vegas—the film co-stars Willie Nelson himself, the late...

Pamela Des Barres: the Bestselling Author & Raconteur on Writing & Rockin'

Pamela Des Barres: the Bestselling Author & Raconteur on Writing & Rockin'

January 29, 2024

Pamela Des Barres—proud rock and roll groupie, accomplished writer, musician, and raconteur—joins Staci on this episode of the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast. She of course talks about her bestselling memoir, I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie, which details her experiences in the...

Adam Steiner: Author, Darker With the Dawn: Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death

Adam Steiner: Author, Darker With the Dawn: Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death

December 26, 2023

Staci takes a deep dive into everything Nick Cave with Adam Steiner, the author of an exhaustively researched and beautifully written new book, “Darker With the Dawn: Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death.” The tome examines all of the dark troubadour’s music, but especially focuses on Skeleton Tree...

Rob Ruckus: The Vermin Band, Punk Rock Museum, and Bad Ink

Rob Ruckus: The Vermin Band, Punk Rock Museum, and Bad Ink

December 22, 2023

Rob Ruckus joins Staci on the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast to talk about Las Vegas’s Punk Rock Museum. Ruckus is a fixture on the music scene who’s done everything from cohost a TV show (Bad Ink) to create a line of clothing (Hardcore Las Vegas), run events and tours at the PRM, and, of course,...

Jim Berkenstadt: Author, “Mysteries in the Music, Case Closed”

Jim Berkenstadt: Author, “Mysteries in the Music, Case Closed”

December 21, 2023

Jim Berkenstadt is the author of “Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed” and “The Beatle Who Vanished.” He’s known as the Rock & Roll Detective and he joins Staci to talk about everything Beatles (he acts as an archivist for the George Harrison Estate), including a fascinating story about a rare,...

Freddie Katz: From Hell’s Kitchen to Center Stage

Freddie Katz: From Hell’s Kitchen to Center Stage

December 21, 2023

Staci’s guest is Freddie Katz, an NYC-based guitarist, songwriter, producer, and engineer—to name just a few of the things he does in the world of music. He’s been immersed in the punk music scene his whole life, and he’s seen it all from Max’s Kansas City’s heyday to working with new and emerging...

Gina Katon: Little Miss Nasty

Gina Katon: Little Miss Nasty

December 20, 2023

Gina Katon (the “t” is silent, btw) is the founder of Little Miss Nasty, a heavy-metal all-female dance troupe that’s raising eyebrows in L.A., Las Vegas, and New York City (and everywhere else they tour!). Staci and Gina chat about shock rock, stage diving, bands from Paleface to Pantera, Little...

Audrey J. Golden: Author, I Thought I Heard You Speak (Women at Factory Records)

Audrey J. Golden: Author, I Thought I Heard You Speak (Women at Factory Records)

December 20, 2023

Staci chats with arts and culture writer Audrey J. Golden. Audrey has a new, unprecedented oral history book out called I Thought I Heard You Speak: Women at Factory Records. She is also the station manager of Louder Than War Radio, where she's also a DJ and presents the weekly show ‘Breaking...

Denny Tedesco: Director of the Music Documentary, Immediate Family

Denny Tedesco: Director of the Music Documentary, Immediate Family

December 07, 2023

Staci talks with The Wrecking Crew director Denny Tedesco about his much-anticipated music doc, Immediate Family—the “immediate family” of the film are seasoned session musicians Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar. The film highlights their essential work on some of the...

Janiss Garza: Co-Author, "Lemmy: White Line Fever"

Janiss Garza: Co-Author, "Lemmy: White Line Fever"

December 05, 2023

Janiss Garza joins Staci on this episode of the Rock & Roll Nightmares Podcast to talk about her 7-year stint as an editor at RIP magazine, which covered the rock and heavy metal scene, her collaboration with Lemmy of Motorhead to write his autobiography "White Line Fever," plus her early coverage...

Patti Quatro & Kristen Glasgow: Rock & Roll Survivors

Patti Quatro & Kristen Glasgow: Rock & Roll Survivors

December 05, 2023

Staci’s guests are Patti Quatro Ericson and Kristen Hillaire Glasgow, hosts of a new podcast, Rock ‘N’ Roll Survivors, which covers Patti’s career as a musician from the ’60s right up to now. Patti was on this podcast last summer talking about Fanny, Cradle, and growing up in a musical family, but...