Rock & Roll Nightmares by Staci Layne Wilson

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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, 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—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...

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 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 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,...

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 (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...

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...

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 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...

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...

Nathan Carson is a musician, writer, music journalist, and DJ. He’s the co-founder and drummer of the doom metal band Witch Mountain, and he hosts an FM radio show called Heavy Metal Sewïng Cïrcle, on which he's interviewed Rob Halford of Judas Priest, among others. Nathan talks about the...

“My Rock Moment” podcaster and adjunct instructor of California rock history, Amanda Morck, joins Staci on this episode of "Rock & Roll Nightmares" to talk about some of her most intriguing episodes as well as California-based bands like Eagles, Love, and The Flying Burrito Brothers. She has fun...

Christy Alexander Hallberg, the author of a rock music-inspired novel called “Searching for Jimmy Page,” joins Staci to chat about her book, as well as her podcast, “Rock is Lit.” Christy gives fascinating details on traveling to the UK to research her book—she visited all the sacred grounds, from...

Staci’s guest is Nick Broomfield, the director of The Stones & Brian Jones, a new documentary that chronicles the ill-fated guitarist’s short life and brilliant career. Nick has also directed films about Leonard Cohen and Kurt Cobain, plus true crime documentaries, such as The Grim Sleeper and one...

Keith Rosson, the author of the much-talked-about new punk-rock-tinged thriller novel “Fever House” joins Staci to talk about his inspiration, writing process, and how he went from indie author to joining the ranks of the greats published by Random House. Keith also talks about his past professions...

Steve Rosen, a music journalist whose career spans 50 years, returns to talk more with Staci about music and writing. Steve was the West Coast correspondent for Guitar World magazine and he wrote for Guitar Player, among others. He’s also the author of books on Randy Rhoads, Prince, and Black...

Staci’s guest is Steve Rosen, a music journalist whose career spans 50 years. Steve was the West Coast correspondent for Guitar World magazine and he wrote for Guitar Player, among others. He’s also the author of books on Randy Rhoads, Prince, Black Sabbath, among others -- and the massive tome...

Staci's guest is the incredibly talented and legendary musician and vocalist, Mark Farner. He is a founding member of the original Grand Funk Railroad and a platinum recording artist. You know and love him from classic rock staples like “I’m Your Captain” (Closer to Home)” “We’re An American...

Staci’s guest is Robert J. Stava, an author and musician whose latest book, “Dead Set: A Rock & Roll Trilogy of Horror,” is comprised of three novellas that take place in a haunted town called Wyvern Falls. Robert performed for nearly a decade on the New York music scene with his band, The Jag, and...

Staci’s guest is author Jarret Keene, who has a new book out called “Hammer of the Dogs.” Led Zeppelin fans are sure to pick up on the play on words but there are also quite a few shout-outs to rock and metal music throughout the prose. Jarret is an assistant professor in the Department of English...

Staci’s guest is May Pang, an author, former music executive, and now the subject of a documentary, “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story,” which is about her romantic and creative time with John Lennon in the 1970s. She worked for Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, as a personal assistant and production...

Joan Baez: I Am A Noise is a new documentary biopic directed by Miri Navasky, Maeve O’Boyle, and Karen O’Connor. The three filmmakers join Staci on this episode of Rock & Roll Nightmares to talk about how they put together this non-traditional look at the famous folk singer, songwriter, and...

Rudy Valdez, director of the comprehensive new documentary “Carlos” joins Staci to talk about coming on to the daunting project that would cover the legendary Carlos Santana’s full career from the very beginning to the present. Rudy talks about his introduction to Santana’s music, why he thinks the...

Staci welcomes Jerome Reuter, a film critic and historian whose work can be found in Diabolique magazine and various online publications. He is also the author of a new book, Electric Funeral: Black Sabbath and the Cultural Landscape 1970-1975, which is a scholarly work that drills down on the...

Staci’s guest is Tony Simerman, the owner of KnuckleBonz, a successful company that creates officially licensed, high-end collectibles for rock music fans—this includes apparel and action figures but it goes way beyond that; there’s also 3D vinyl, handcrafted beers, and more. KnuckleBonz creates...

Julia Lage, bassist for the bands Vixen, and Smith/Kotzen, joins Staci on the Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast to talk about how she got her start playing on a homemade instrument, the music business in Brazil, getting a dentist’s eye view of Steven Tyler’s mouth, scary happenings at concerts, and...

Staci converses with Holly Knight, the songwriter behind hits like The Best (Tina Turner), Love is a Battlefield (Pat Benatar), I Am the Warrior (Scandal), and Ragdoll (Aerosmith) to name just a few. Holly talks about her new memoir, “I Am the Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing the Hits and Rocking the...

Staci interviews Peter Summit, the lead vocalist for Crashing Wayward, a Las Vegas-based hard rock band that features well-known names on guitar, bass, and drums. Peter talks about the band’s lauded debut album, Listen, and plays their new single, “Stranger Days.” He talks about working with Ron...

Rockin’ frontman Shaun Soho joins Staci on this episode to talk about how his band Crash Midnight became the highest-drawing indie rock act in Las Vegas over the last few years. The five-piece has gained quite a following due to their old-school, straight-head, hard rock music that’s in the...

Writer-director Mick Garris joins Staci on this episode to fill us in on his appearance in the new comprehensive Stephen King documentary, King Onscreen, but he also gives a glimpse into his background in music—he started as a teenage journalist, who interviewed Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The...

Staci’s guest is singer and guitarist Tim Polecat, who’s best known to music fans for his British-born neo-rockabilly band, The Polecats, who had a hit in the U.S. in the ‘80s, “Make a Circuit with Me.” Tim is a fan of The Ventures and an incredibly knowledgeable music historian, so naturally, he...

Debbie Kruger, the author of “Songwriters Speak,” joins Staci to talk about her definitive book on Australia’s most popular and important songwriters. This is part two of the in-depth interview, and in this episode, she talks about her take on the controversy surrounding AC/DC’s "Back in Black"...

Nils Goldschmidt, the bassist and founder of the hard rock band Velvet Chains, joins Staci to talk about the Las Vegas music scene, how he started the band, and why they decided to cover an Elvis song. and Staci plays their hit single, “Last Drop,” (which is also the name of Nils’s drink in the...

Staci goes in-depth on the Australian music legacy with Debbie Kruger, the author of “Songwriters Speak” a comprehensive book about the country’s most popular and important songwriters. Debbie’s interviewees include members of the Little River Band, Split Enz, Midnight Oil, and INXS to name a few....

Author and musician Ronald Malfi joins Staci on this week's Rock & Roll Nightmares Podcast to talk about his horror novels, and his hard rock band, Veer. They discuss his thoughts on being compared to Stephen King, the pros and cons of listening to music while writing, what inspired him to...

Staci Layne Wilson chats with filmmaker and special effects maestro Stacy Davidson. They discuss his gore-soaked, music-drenched horror extravaganza, Sweatshop—plus the importance of music in horror films. Movies discussed include: Dario Argento’s Tenebrae (Goblin), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3:...

Steven Blush is the author of a fascinating new nonfiction book called When Rock Met Disco, which covers a unique era in music history and goes in-depth on rockers that crossed over into disco—such as, Rod Stewart, Blondie, The Stones, and many more. Steve also shares his own personal “rock & roll...

Staci talks with hard rock and metal guitarist Marc Ferrari, who started in the KEEL band and has worked with Gene Simmons, Pantera, and many others. He’s in the rock & roll comedies, Wayne’s World 1 and 2, and is a music producer, an entrepreneur, and an author—plus, he contributed a cocktail...

Music publicist Mitchell Schneider joins Staci to talk about working with the likes of Tom Petty, David Bowie, Heart, and many others throughout his storied (and still ongoing) career, which began in New York City as a writer when he was inspired by seeing Lou Reed live in concert. Mitch talks...

Staci Layne Wilson interviews Omar Doom, who, as Straight Razor, performs techno and industrial music. He is in the process of debuting a new record label Doom Vision, with an album of Straight Razor remixes. He is also known for his turns on the big screen in movies like Death Proof and...

Andy Cahan, the “Most Famous Musician You’ve Never Heard Of” and “One-Man Wrecking Crew” shares stories with Staci on this week’s Rock & Roll Nightmares podcast about Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham, The Turtles, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr, to name only a few (plus a little love for The Ventures)....

Staci interviews punk rock drummer and historian, S.W. Lauden. They dig into his newest book, The Oral History of Popsicko, which delves into an up-and-coming 1990s band whose trajectory was tragically cut short and their current resurgence. Steve also talks about his works of music-themed crime...

Staci chats with Patti Quatro, guitarist of the pioneering all-female rock groups, The Pleasure Seekers, Cradle, and Fanny. She joined Fanny in 1974 after founding member June Millington left the band; June was on this podcast last year to talk about the documentary Fanny: the Right to Rock when it...