Steffan Chirazi Interview
Steffan Chirazi. Photo by Bea Chirazi 2009
Steffan Chirazi is currently the Editor of the Metallica fan club magazine So What. A freelancer, he has also contributed to a number of esteemed publications, including Sounds, the Village Voice, Spin and Q. Chirazi is also a published author having penned a biography of Faith No More (The Real Story) and he is also the Editor of the collection So What!: The Good, The Mad, And The Ugly.
Can you give me a brief history of your writing career?
I’ve written for Sounds, Kerrang!, RIP, Bam, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Village Voice, Penthouse, Spin, Salon.com, Bikini, Ray Gun, Q magazine, Soma magazine, numerous foreign language publications, including Rock Hard in Germany, various other syndicated outlets; plenty of online stuff, including Amazon.com and Launch.com (which has probably become something else by now.) Oh yes, a parenting magazine who’s name I can’t remember. I’m probably forgetting a wedding menu I scribed in Cleethorpes too, so excuse me for that omission!
What was your first paid article?
The first paid article? That would be a Sounds review of Ride The Lightning by Metallica, followed very closely by a live review of someone I cannot remember for a free paper called Soundcheck; that could’ve been Manowar. The gig review was written first but the album review ran first. That was in 1984 and I was 17 years old. But I’d interned at Sounds a year earlier and written a Motorhead story in the summer of ’83, which was why Sounds came back in the middle of ’84 to see if I wanted to cover rock and metal for them.
Did you always want to write about rock and metal music?
Honestly, I found myself doing it. I loved writing and I also loved acting. I got a chance to audition for the National Youth Theatre, but Thatcher was chopping the grant money so I knew there would have to be a “job” involved to support myself too, it was around the time Sounds came in and offered me the opportunity to regularly freelance and before I knew it, I was on a plane to do my first assignment, writing about a band I loved. It seemed too easy. Plus I was going to go to University for journalism and would’ve ended up doing work experience on a music paper at 21 with a degree. I’d had the work experience when I was 15/16 via my own bullshitting, so there could be no turning back in all reality.
Who was the first rock star you interviewed?
Lemmy. Spring of 1983 for my school newspaper Hollyvine. What a gent. What an absolute winner of a human being. There I was, all 15 going close to 16 years of me, sitting there with my tape-recorder and stapled together A4 school rag and he treated me like I was from Rolling Stone. A man of such enormous integrity that I was fooled into thinking all rock stars were like him. They aren’t. The man should be fucking knighted.
Which artist gave you the best interview?
Well, it’s hard to beat that “first time” because I was young, naïve, a Motorheadbanger who literally sprinted home and made his parents listen to the entire interview! But I have to say that David Bowie has twice been responsible for fantastic interviews, really great moments in time. It would be unfair to mention Lars Ulrich or James Hetfield in here as I suspect the question is more based on “one-offs” than the nature of what I do with those guys, which is far more of a rolling chronicle; because there have been some pretty heavy interviews with each of them too. I also felt I had a couple of really strong ones from Kurt Cobain…
And who was the least enjoyable interviewee?
Earl Slick. He was old and jaded, I was young and naïve, one of my first trips to Hollywood (via 6th Form English and a “pass from class!”) and the assignment was tacked on the end of something bigger. He was such a total dick, and I was so completely bamboozled by his dickishness, that I stood outside his Hollywood Hills house, looked at the tape I’d just run, took it out of the recorder and dropped down a drain by his drive. I told my Editor he’d been a bit of a dick and fortunately, my Editor agreed. It was an out-of-character thing for me to ditch the tape…the only time I ever did anything like that.
When did you become the editor of the Metallica fan club magazine So What?
I officially became Editor in 1999, but I’d been doing the bulk of editorial feature work since it started, so I suppose it was a logical progression although I was delighted when I was offered the chance to take it on.
What does the job involve? Do you travel much?
I creatively oversee four issues of the magazine every year for the Metclubbers. I see it now as a rolling chronicle of their lives and career, a living encyclopaedia of sorts. I also see it as very much the link clubbers with the band, and as such, I really strive to make sure that we provide insights and angles that they just wouldn’t get anywhere else. When Death Magnetic came out for example, rather than do a band interview which most of the media had already done, I did an extensive interview with Rick Rubin which nobody else had done, and from it came more album info than 99% of the features that were out there. Another proud one for me was dedicating an entire magazine to an interview with Lars and his father Torben, a really amazing man, but more importantly, it gave fans a proper insight into what makes Lars who he is. I’ll admit it was incredibly long and incredibly detailed, but that’s what we can do and I think so what! Should strive for things like that, because no-one else will ever have that access.
I travel when I need to; obviously there are home commitments to consider, but even without them I wouldn’t be on the road all the time because it would simply not be necessary. I think it’s very important to know when you need to be out there. I go when I have work to do directly with the guys, or there’s a story I need to get. For example, as much as I’d love to go to the next Moscow show with them, I cannot justify a report written by me about going to the Moscow show with them because I’ve written many of those. Now, let’s say they were to go to a country they’d never played before…there’s a story and a reason. I feel I have enormous privilege with them in this regard, because they basically let me go where and when I please; it’s a trust that’s come with many years of knowing each other. They know I wouldn’t take advantage of that because ultimately, it would cheapen me in a professional sense…wow, did I just tangent there?
Can you tell me about the Metallica book So What!: The Good, The Mad, And The Ugly, it must have been a tough book to compile?
It was a lovely challenge. Four months to put that book together, and to be fair, once I’d worked out how I wanted to break it down, it was easy enough; it just became a race against time. What gratitude I have for my designer Mark Abramson for being ready to go with me every step and meet the challenges I threw down. I am very, very proud of that book. Cliff Burnstein (QPrime, Metallica manager with Peter Mensch) was the man who suggested I do it, he was extremely supportive. Amidst a few conversations we had, and he reiterated a truth: he said that the most important thing was to make sure I liked the book I made. Very wise. And you’d be a fool not to listen to Cliff when he offers you advice. It reinforced what I knew was important. And it’s why I can look at the book today 100% regret-free.
What is your most memorable Metallica moment?
This is the first one which leaps out, so I’ll throw it down: 1988, Monsters Of Rock, Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit. Metallica, second from bottom on the bill, but 60,000 people inside. For them. James asks to see the hands out there as ‘For Whom The Bells Toll’ starts, literally 60,000 pairs of hands clapping, me on Kirk’s side of the stage, Kirk looking over his shoulder, closing his eyes, screaming and grinning before yelling at me “Can you Fucking see that!” Magical. But so many moments, seriously…that’s a very pure, raw, instantly relatable one, I think.
How do you approach research for a book? Did you book on Faith No More present any difficulties?
Well to be fair, the FNM book was written with real passion, deep knowledge, a ton of what I would call “grit” research (i.e. there was no Wikipedia then baby!) and piles of heart. When it was printed, someone had swapped out the proofed copy with the unproofed one. That book was printed with the wrong word file. My friends and family popped champagne corks for me but I was actually distraught.
How does Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Classic Rocket al compare with the rock/metal magazines of the eighties?
Can I be honest and say I don’t read them that much? The main difference in music magazine publishing is as much societal as anything else. Everything is short-attention span, you know, “hit them with a nugget of gossip” or “spin a piece of filth and controversy”…it’s a shame. I feel sorry for the great young writers there must be out there, because I don’t see where their supported voice is going to be given expression, although to be fair to Kerrang! they work very hard to give the young writer room and scope, Paul Brannigan’s a proper metal man from the street himself and he understands how important that is. But magazines today are run by figures, and figures dictate editorial format. It’s sadly the way of life. And as such, you won’t see the same level of feature writing because people don’t want to spend that long reading (they have the Internet to waste time on.) Plus, PRs have got more protective, managements are less gung-ho and the whole thing is just a little less “fast and loose,” so I will always maintain that our era of rock writing and magazines was better. Then again, I just went to an Andy Warhol retrospective, and I saw people in their 60s, who you could tell had seen their daze! I’m sure they feel everything from The Factory pisses on anything from the eighties. It’s generational in the end, isn’t it…though I wish people would read more!
Do you have any entertaining anecdotes from your times as a freelancer in the eighties on magazines like Kerrang!?
I won’t get into the back-story; needless to say I heard that Axl Rose had, at the 1991 Rock In Rio, refused to allow Rob Halford to ride his bike onstage. I thought it was such a joke that I left the gig and reviewed their set from my hotel room, telling the readers I’d done that (and pissing off my Editor at the time.) About a month later, my phone rang. When I asked who it was, the voice said, “Axl.” I replied, “Fuck off Lars!” because I was convinced it was Lars winding me up. The phone rang again. It was Axl. I asked him how he got my number, and it was via a mutual friend of ours Del James. So he got very, very angry for fifteen minutes, culminating in asking me why I hadn’t found him to confirm that he’s said that about Halford’s bike because he said he hadn’t. I laughed and asked him if he’d tried finding himself recently, explaining how hard it was to know he was really there, let alone speak to him without signing your life away. There was a pause and then he agreed, said I had a point, he was sorry for how things had become and we ended up talking for over an hour about all sorts of stuff that had never come up anywhere. I didn’t tape the call because I would never pull a stunt like that. It was dynamite “material” but it was a conversation we were having, and that’s what it remained. He invited me as a special guest to review their warm-up show in San Francisco the following year and to hear a preview of the album on the condition I did not write a word for Kerrang! I told him that was impossible as Kerrang! was over half my living at that time and it would’ve been dishonourable. He said he’d have to revoke his invitation, I said I understood but thanks, and that was that. In that hour of unfettered, unscheduled conversation, he struck me as someone who when you stripped away the bullshit, was a really good-hearted, decent guy that wanted to do the best he could in as many ways as could be done. But surround any rock star with sales and sycophants, well, you’ll never really know them and if they’re lucky, they’ll hang onto themselves by the coat-tails long enough to re-visit when the lights fade away. I hope he hung on, I’d imagine he has. Who knows. It’s a lot to speculate on an hour.
Do you prefer to research for an article/book via use of the Internet or magazines and books?
All sorts. I’ll go wherever, but ultimately, I’m happiest finding old articles via hard copies, but given the technology, I’m not proud.
Who are your favourite rock scribes?
Rock scribes…Sylvie Simmons has always been a great writer, at her best when she gets a little lyrical and almost “dreamy” in tone. David Fricke is top class too; he blends authority with a humanity all-too-lacking in rock writing. I think Ian Winwood is a top incendiary read when he wants to be, and when Paul Elliot’s given the space to fly, properly fly; he has a wonderful way of wrapping you up on his journey.
From the old school days I loved the likes of Sandy Robertson and Robbi Millar at Sounds (solid, decent people who gave me great advice too once I became a writer for them and not just a reader of theirs,) but the favourites it would have to be Garry Bushell and Geoff Barton. Barton was a great lover of alliterative writing, good old fashioned fun-style grab your reader by the knackers stuff, and something (frankly) we could do with more of if we want to get people interested in reading the rock press again. Bushell was fantastic, a proper geezer who wrote what he felt. He’s also an extremely misunderstood person; he's been miscast as something he's not thanks to his like of skinhead music back in the day. He chose to turn that rancour to his advantage and good for him! I'll tell you this, he's the man who got me a journalists visa which allowed me to move 6000 miles at the age of 18 and escape one of the nastiest, most spiteful, hateful and miserable bastards I've ever known; he was an ‘Editor’ of mine for a period at Sounds and he knows who he is. That “man” (I use the term loosely) tried to destroy me, but I wouldn't let him. In ‘83 when I had that first internship with Sounds it has been Bushell who'd given me the page space, and here he was again, in the spring of '86, meeting me at Charing Cross Station, one week after starting at The Sun and putting his name to a visa request for me to be in the US as a reporter. There was no obligation to necessarily write for him, he was doing me a firm favour. I'd sit there in Sounds editorials and listen to some of the old steam heads moaning and whinging about Garry, but all of them secretly wished they were him, had his courage, his ability to not give a fuck and know who he was despite what the NME said. Bushell was one of the reasons I was a Sounds reader (I was also an Anti-Nazi League member so anyone who thinks I was naive is ignorant, I was a very political youth) which is why I can comfortably say that at heart, in his actions and gestures, Garry Bushell has always been a socialist-minded person. It makes me angry to this day when I hear someone ignorantly slag him off. I was not the only working class kid he helped, trust me, and none of his detractors helped me one bit.
And what are your favourite books on rock and metal?
Psychotic Reactions And Carburetor Dung by Lester Bangs is near-impossible to beat. Lords Of Chaos: The Bloody Rise Of The Satanic Metal Underground by Michael Monyihan is another good read. The Dirt by Motley Crue/Neil Strauss is superb, a fine read, as is his book with Marilyn Manson which was thoroughly entertaining. The Dark Stuff by Nick Kent is required reading too, a great collection. And for raw tragedy, Touching From A Distance by Deborah Curtis is tough to beat.
Are you a full time writer? What is your daily routine?
I am, combined with another freelance gig in creative consultancy. Schedule? I write for at least 90 minutes a day, five days a week but again, sometimes loads more, sometimes less…
What advice would you give to aspiring rock scribes?
To be a critic/reviewer...start by reviewing local shows for yourself or a free paper. Always be prepared to give something for nothing at the start, but never be afraid to ask your worth once the ball is rolling. Never ever think you’re a “proper” writer because there's no such thing. You'll never stop learning. Always write exactly as you want to “read” in the beginning...if you're going to screw up, screw up on your own terms, that way you can blame no-one else and you will really learn something. Never ever miss a deadline. Ever. Always qualify a criticism...if someone reminded you of a retarded chicken, explain why. Always be passionate; never try to be too clever. Always enjoy your writing. Always take the best bits of advice from every
Editor you get advice from...and always be aware of the Editors who are frustrated writers and not Editors.
Can you recall some of the best gigs you’ve been to over the years?
Again, so many (and I won’t include Metallica.) I’ll offer a few: Ministry in 1989/90 in San Francisco at The Warfield (amazing); Nirvana, 1993, Atlanta - the most “perfect” show I saw them play from all perspectives; Nirvana, 1989 at the Kennel Club in San Francisco, knowing this band was different and very exciting; Faith No More, The Ritz in New York, 1988 because they were so great; FNM again in 1991 at Rock In Rio because they were just so explosively potent that night…there are so many more, I’ve been blessed…
Besides Metallica who are your favourite metal bands?
It changes, but the mainstays for a while have been (and this is metal, I listen to a lot of stuff but I’m keeping to sort-of metal here) Motorhead, Slayer, Ministry, Prong, Minor Threat (we can go punk to, right?), Bad Brains, High On Fire, Big Business and Torche.
Are you working on any new projects?
I’ve got a bunch of fiction I need to get courageous enough to inflict upon people, I’m constantly wondering if the world needs, or wants, another “rock hack’s” book, but the solid project I’ve been working on for a while is not music related at all. It’s about the reality of being the father of a teenager and a pre-schooler. It’s a column I post at www.iamfather.wordpress.com. I’ve kept the readership to an invited list for a long time, only recently opening it up more. I want to make a book from these columns and some yet to have been written. I think that not only could they raise a giggle as you take that quick ten minute dump, they might also raise feelings of empathy and joy at the fact that it isn’t “just you who experiences/ feels like that” sometimes. Check it out and let me know…
Interview by Neil Daniels 2008
