NORTH & SOUTH | APRIL 2015 | 85 84 | NORTH & SOUTH | APRIL 2015 SHARON STEPHENSON IS A NORTH & SOUTH CONTRIBUTING WRITER. the ones that got away Dean Goodman can’t sing but didn’t give up on his rock ‘n’ roll dreams. He opted for the next best thing and writes about music’s mega-stars instead. He talks to Sharon Stephenson. LOS ANGELES, USA DEAN GOODMAN M aking David Bowie cry wasn’t on Dean Goodman’s to-do list. Nor was having a private sing-along with Ringo Starr, or sharing a cuppa with actresses Jane Seymour and Diane Ladd in country singer Johnny Cash’s kitchen. But that’s what happened when the former Aucklander scratched his “rock ’n’ roll itch”. “Like most kids, I wanted to be a rock star. Unfortunately, I cannot sing, write music or look like a rock god,” says the 45-year-old. So he opted for the next best thing – interviewing those who do. In 1992, Goodman swapped his job as a financial journalist at Reuters, where he was Auckland bureau chief, for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. For the first year, he wasn’t exactly tap-dancing on his bank account. “I picked up some freelance business reporting with Reuters, but it was pretty tough making rent.” won prizes at the BET Awards, which honour black entertainers. He started work on his fish-out- of-water memoir Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ’n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles shortly afterwards. “I wanted to take people behind the scenes, to let them see what happens in the often symbiotic world inhabited by journalists, publicists and talent. It’s not always pretty, but it’s usually entertaining.” Goodman’s book, published in November, recounts 22 of his interviews with rock stars, including Bowie, who teared up when asked about his dead half-brother; Ray Charles, whose funeral Goodman attended; and his childhood heroes Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, Isaac Hayes, and warring members of The Doors and Aerosmith. “It’s a bit of an absurdist story – a clueless, fairly penniless Kiwi arriving in LA months after the Rodney King riots when everyone else was getting the hell out of Dodge. I’ve generally found that if you swim against the tide, you’ll end up stronger than those who go with the flow...” What was it like interviewing some of your rock idols? I had already been a business and political journalist for four years, so general scepticism and cynicism were part of my DNA. As cool as it was to hang with Bowie and Jagger and co, I really liked meeting behind- the-scenes guys, the songwriters and producers such as the Motown hit makers Holland-Dozier-Holland. I really wanted to dig deep and find out about their creative process. Chuck Berry was a thrill because rock ’n’ roll would not exist without him. Oddly enough, I got a lump in my throat meeting Jimi Hendrix’s dad because Jimi doesn’t do interviews any more. Do you think being a Kiwi helped or hindered your success? The accent was/is a challenge in America, for better or worse. But America is a nation of immigrants, Realising his employers weren’t covering music effectively, he put up his hand and spent the next two decades interviewing everyone from Mick Jagger and Neil Diamond to Iggy Pop and Phil Collins. Goodman, who I met in 1988 when we were both journalism students at Auckland Technical Institute (as it was then known), has since walked miles of red carpets and worn a tuxedo more times than he cares to remember. He has also made a point of asking stars provocative questions, including annoying Whitney Houston by wanting to know if her monster hit “I Will Always Love You” would be played at her funeral. “We found out the answer to that three years ago.” Increasingly disenchanted with Reuters’ management following a takeover, Goodman was eventually sacked in 2011, after writing a story about the convicted criminals who OUTPOST BOOKS
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N O R T H & S O U T H | A P R I L 2 0 1 5 | 8 58 4 | N O R T H & S O U T H | A P R I L 2 0 1 5
SHARON STEPHENSON IS A NORTH & SOUTH CONTRIBUTING WRITER.
the ones that got away
Dean Goodman can’t sing but didn’t give up on his rock ‘n’ roll dreams. He opted for the next best thing and writes about music’s mega-stars instead. He talks to Sharon Stephenson.
LOS ANGELES, USA
DEAN GOODMAN
Making David Bowie cry wasn’t on Dean Goodman’s to-do list.
Nor was having a private sing-along with Ringo Starr, or sharing a cuppa with actresses Jane Seymour and Diane Ladd in country singer Johnny Cash’s kitchen. But that’s what happened when the former Aucklander scratched his “rock ’n’ roll itch”.
“Like most kids, I wanted to be a rock star. Unfortunately, I cannot sing, write music or look like a rock god,” says the 45-year-old.
So he opted for the next best thing – interviewing those who do. In 1992, Goodman swapped his job as a financial journalist at Reuters, where he was Auckland bureau chief, for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. For the first year, he wasn’t exactly tap-dancing on his bank account. “I picked up some freelance business reporting with Reuters, but it was pretty tough making rent.”
won prizes at the BET Awards, which honour black entertainers.
He started work on his fish-out-of-water memoir Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ’n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles shortly afterwards. “I wanted to take people behind the scenes, to let them see what happens in the often symbiotic world inhabited by journalists, publicists and talent. It’s not always pretty, but it’s usually entertaining.”
Goodman’s book, published in November, recounts 22 of his
interviews with rock stars, including Bowie, who teared up when asked about his dead half-brother; Ray Charles, whose funeral Goodman attended; and his childhood heroes Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, Isaac Hayes, and warring members of The Doors and Aerosmith. “It’s a bit of an absurdist story – a clueless, fairly penniless Kiwi arriving in LA months after the Rodney King riots when everyone else was getting the hell out of Dodge. I’ve generally found that if you swim against the
tide, you’ll end up stronger than those who go with the flow...”
What was it like interviewing some of your rock idols?I had already been a business and political journalist for four years, so general scepticism and cynicism were part of my DNA. As cool as it was to hang with Bowie and Jagger and co, I really liked meeting behind-the-scenes guys, the songwriters and producers such as the Motown hit makers Holland-Dozier-Holland.
I really wanted to dig deep and find out about their creative process. Chuck Berry was a thrill because rock ’n’ roll would not exist without him. Oddly enough, I got a lump in my throat meeting Jimi Hendrix’s dad because Jimi doesn’t do interviews any more.
Do you think being a Kiwi helped or hindered your success?The accent was/is a challenge in America, for better or worse. But America is a nation of immigrants,
Realising his employers weren’t covering music effectively, he put up his hand and spent the next two decades interviewing everyone from Mick Jagger and Neil Diamond to Iggy Pop and Phil Collins.
Goodman, who I met in 1988 when we were both journalism students at Auckland Technical Institute (as it was then known), has since walked miles of red carpets and worn a tuxedo more times than he cares to remember. He has also made a point of asking stars provocative questions, including annoying Whitney Houston by wanting to know if her monster hit “I Will Always Love You” would be played at her funeral.
“We found out the answer to that three years ago.”
Increasingly disenchanted with Reuters’ management following a takeover, Goodman was eventually sacked in 2011, after writing a story about the convicted criminals who
and no one in LA actually comes from LA, so we’re all in the same boat. I never flaunted it, mostly because people knew nothing about New Zealand until The Lord of the Rings so it was a conversation killer. Now they ask about Lord of the Rings.
What was the best interview you ever did?Neil Diamond, absolutely. Just a cool cat, very funny, insightful and surprisingly open about some personal things that stayed off the record.
And the worst?I got Phil Collins on a bad day. I realised in hindsight his marriage was blowing up, and also my nasty questions didn’t help. I have an attitude problem sometimes. But we met again a few years later and we were both our usual charming selves.
Some rappers and R&B guys have been a waste of time. Bobby Brown springs to mind. Steve Winwood is probably a nice guy, but his answers were wooden. I don’t think he does live interviews any more, just emails. Stevie Wonder goes on and on about nothing. So boring. I didn’t even bother writing up the interview. Carlos Santana is on a spirituality bender, and religion bores me.
Did you ever get star struck?Like screaming and peeing my pants? Not in recent memory. It’s pretty horrendous watching journalists acting like teeny-boppers. Especially sports journalists. I was one of the last people to interview George Harrison and was a little nervous, because it’s never comfortable talking to someone who’s dying. On the other hand, it was a freaking Beatle! So who wouldn’t be excited?
Who surprised you the most?Iggy Pop is a real nerd. A lot of rock stars are quite bookish and intellectual, including Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Richards. If you want to get them talking, ask if they’ve read the new biography on Lyndon Johnson or the latest tomes on World War I.
I agreed to interview Demi Lovato once, but only because I confused her with Selena Gomez. But Demi turned out to be a really strong, opinionated customer. I don’t think I interviewed too many bozos, which was a pleasant change after life as a financial reporter.
Were there any interviews you always wanted to do, but never got?Apart from Buddy Holly? Eminem would have been nice, as would Bob Dylan. But the interviews would
have to be on my terms – extended in-persons, not five-minute quickies on the phone. Larry David personally turned me down, which was a perverse thrill in itself because I have seen every episode of Seinfeld 500 times.
LA is very different from Marton and Whanganui, where you grew up. How have you found living there?The cost of living is much cheaper. There are obviously a billion more things to do. The weather is better. The people are more varied, let’s say. And it was important to be in the US so I could be close at hand for any Rolling Stones tours.
Do you still feel connected to New Zealand after so long away?I love watching vintage NZ music clips on YouTube, including The Chills and Split Enz, as well as old TV shows on nzonscreen.com such as Shark in the Park. I visited in 2011 because my Brazilian wife had been bugging me. It was my first time in 15 years and she had never been. It was a very Rip Van Winkle moment and we took a billion photos of cute lambs.
Is there anything you miss about New Zealand?Apart from the cute lambs? Drinking games, and booze at lunch and Radio with Pictures. After 23 years in a so-called republic, I like seeing the Queen on the currency.
What’s next for you?My attendance total so far is 217 Rolling Stones shows, and about 75 countries. I need to get both numbers much higher. I’ve also started my second volume, and I’m trying to collaborate on a memoir with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member. It’s a troubled project even before a single word has been written. Apart from that, semi-retirement rocks.
• Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ’n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles by Dean Goodman, published by Outpost Books. +
