Brett Callwood Interview
Brett Callwood is an English author/journalist now living in Detroit. He regularly contributes to Classic Rock, Bizarre and Metal Edge. He has also written for Metal Hammer and Kerrang!. His first book MC5 - Sonically Speaking: A Tale Of Revolution And Rock 'N' Roll was followed by The Stooges: A Journey Through The Michigan Underworld. Both of them were published by IMP. More information is obtainable at www.myspace.com/brettcallwood.
How did you become a music writer in the first place?
It seems crazy now because I loved reading and writing when I was growing up, but I didn’t consider writing and journalism as a credible career path until I had already left university and was working. I had a hellish job, in the IT industry, developing and testing various systems. I was actually OK at it, which is surprising because I put in the minimum amount of effort. In the middle of ’99, I was reading Kerrang! magazine, and simply realised that I could write at the standard that I was reading in there. I contacted the Deputy Editor, who at that time was Paul Rees. I seem to remember sending him a review of a Toilet Boys concert I had recently attended at Rock City, Nottingham. Paul was good enough to take the time to tell me what was wrong with my review. I rewrote it, sent it back to him and he passed me onto the Reviews Editor, who at the time was Ashley Bird. Ash gave me my first paid assignment, which was a live review of dBh at JB’s in Dudley. I still didn’t see writing as a genuine career path at that point, more as a hobby. But five years later, I had built up enough regularly paying gigs to quit my day job and write full time, on a freelance basis, which I still do.
Can you give me brief history of your writing credentials?
As I say, I started off with Kerrang!. I wrote for them for about four years, before shifting over to the Future Publishing crowd with Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Guitarist, Total Guitar and Rhythm. I still regularly write for most of those. I’ve written for Terrorizer, Front, Record Collector, Bass Guitar and Skin Deep over the years, and I still contribute to Acoustic and Bizarre. Here in the States, I write for Alternative Press, Metal Edge, Modern Drummer, Maxim and the horror magazine Fangoria, as well as the local Detroit publications Metro Times, Metromix and Essential Detroit. My first book came out in 2007, with my second hot on its heels the following year. I contributed to The Wildhearts’ tour programme a few years ago, and I’ve been on TV a bunch of times – most notably, I was interviewed by the BBC when Led Zeppelin announced their reunion show in 2007. I think that’s just about everything.
You’ve written books on the Stooges and MC5. What is it about Detroit rock bands that interests you so much?
A friend of mine who is from Detroit but now lives in London once said to me that people either ‘get’ Detroit or they don’t. I was sent here by Classic Rock five years ago to interview a blues rock band called Gold Cash Gold for a ‘new band’ feature. I was only here for the weekend, but I fell in love with the place. So when I sat down to decide who I was going to write my first book about, the MC5 were an obvious choice because, a) they had never had a book written about them and, b) I could swing a research trip back here with the advance money.
I’m told that the local scene here isn’t what it was but it is still incredible, lacking the pretension of somewhere like New York, LA or London but still thriving. The bands are hard working and, as a result, have a grit to their sound that I’ve found nowhere else. I love this city.
How long did it take you to write your first book (the MC5 bio)?
With research, writing and editing, it took the best part of a year, which isn’t that long to spend on a book, but that’s the deadline I was given by the publisher.
How do you research a book?
As I said, I came here to Detroit to interview Dennis Thompson, the drummer in the band, plus other people that were around at the time. I also went to Los Angeles, as both Wayne Kramer (guitarist) and Michael Davis (bassist) lived there. I spent a lot of time on the phone with various people when I got back, and I read what MC5-related literature was already out there. But most of my source material is gained from first-hand interviews.
Was there anything you did on your second book which was made easier because you’d already written a previous bio? In other words, did you learn from your mistakes?
A lot of the people connected with the MC5 were also connected with the Stooges, so I already had a lot of relevant connections in place. Obviously, I was more aware of what needed to be done in what order, so in that sense, the second book was easier. Still, the second book was a more arduous experience than the first, simply because the members of the Stooges were harder to get hold of than the MC5 guys. I managed to get them onboard though.
What makes your book on the Stooges different from other books on Iggy Pop?
You’ve said it right there. My book is about the Stooges, not Iggy Pop. I treated all of the band members as equals, and kept the anecdotes about Iggy’s crazy behaviour to a minimum. I felt that it was time for Ron and Scott Asheton in particular to get their props.
What was the commission process like for your two books in terms of actually getting them published? Did you approach other publishers first?
Another writer, Ben Myers, recommended IMP to me. I approached them with my MC5 idea and they loved it. They were the only people I spoke to about it. Really, at that time, I was just excited about the idea of getting a book published.
I’ve just sealed a deal to get both of my books published here in North America, and I have the opportunity to revisit both of them and correct a few mistakes, and maybe even add some more material. That’s very exciting for me right now.
You’re from England originally but now live in Detroit. What is the rock scene like in Detroit these days? Was it the music scene that made you decide to move there?
It’s a combination of the music scene, the sports and the people. Detroiters are a rare breed. They work incredibly hard, because they have to in the current economy, but they play hard too. As I said earlier, the rock scene is still thriving. It’s very incestuous, in that bands turn out to see other bands all of the time. There’s a real support network. Very few of the bands from here break out, the White Stripes and Kid Rock being obvious exceptions. But everyone should check out Crud, the Muggs, They Never Sleep, Bear Lake, the Universal Temple of Divine Power, the Orbitsuns, Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, Easy Action, Powertrane, the Grande Nationals, Broadzilla, Novadriver, the Readies and the Gore Gore Girls. There are many more, but those bands spring to mind. Now, I’m settled into life here and am engaged to a wonderful girl. Toni and I are getting married in May ’09. I have no intentions of ever leaving this city.
Are you a full-time writer? What is your daily routine as regards writing/research?
Yep, I’m full time. I’m lucky in that most of my days are filled with paid assignments nowadays. If I do have a quiet day, I spend it pitching assignments to magazines, chasing money or working on my books.
In a broad sense, how does US rock journalism differ from UK journalism?
Hardly at all, in a practical sense. I still pitch work and get assigned work. The only difference is that people seem to like me more here. HA! I get more work here, which is great.
Which artists have given you the best interviews?
Angus Young was awesome, as were Lemmy and Joe Perry. I remember Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig being gentlemen, even though I was warned that they might be awkward. Here in Detroit, the local bands are always great interview. Crud and They Never Sleep are always fun. The MC5 and Stooges guys were great during book research and Ginger from The Wildhearts has always been good to me. By far my favourite ever, however, is Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls. A real sweetheart.
And the worst?
Phil Anselmo from Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual. What a knucklehead!
What are your favourite rock books?
Mine. HA! No, Nina Antonia’s New York Dolls bio is extraordinary. Paul Trynka’s Iggy book is amazing. I love Dear Boy: The Story Of Keith Moon. And Ben Myers always writes a good bio – I loved his Johnny Lydon book.
Who are your favourite music writers?
I always loved Morat and Ray Zell at Kerrang!. I think that Ian Fortnam at Classic Rock is hilarious. Lester Bangs (from right here in the D) is a legend and rightly so, because he made music writing an art form. One of my music editors here in Detroit, Bill Holdship at the Metro Times, is an incredible writer. He used to write for Creem. His blogs on the Metro Times website take my breath away.
I’m also going to give props to my fiancé, Toni Deville. She’s not so much a music writer, more a creative writer, but she’s extraordinary and she’s my muse.
What are your 10 Desert Island Discs?
Gn’R’s Appetite For Destruction, MC5’s High Time, Stooges’ Raw Power, The Who’s Tommy, The Wildhearts’ Earth Vs, the Beatles’ White Album, the first Ramones album, Crue’s Shout At The Devil, Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde and the first New York Dolls album.
You’re an author and critic; do you find it difficult taking criticism of your own work?
It’s very hard but you simply have to remember that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Like you say, I make my living critiquing other people’s work, and sometimes I give bad reviews. When one of my books gets a bad review, it’s hard to take it lightly, but how can I complain? I’m fortunate in that both of my books got more good reviews than bad.
Are you working on a new book project?
Not yet, other than revisiting both of my existing books for the American releases. When they’re both done, I’ll start thinking about the next one. I have a few ideas, but nothing solid enough to tell you yet.
Interview by Neil Daniels 2008
