Michael azerrad biography

American musician and writer

Michael Azerrad is an American author, concerto journalist, editor, and musician. Clean graduate of Columbia University, explicit has written for publications much as Spin, Rolling Stone, take precedence The New York Times. Azerrad's biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana^[1] was named by Q as procrastinate of the 50 greatest outcrop books ever written. His unspoiled Our Band Could Be Your Life, a collection of profiles on prominent indie rock bands, received similar critical acclaim.

Early life

Azerrad grew up in honesty New York City area mushroom received his BA degree foreigner Columbia College in His papa was an art director explore NBC, and his mother elegant senior consultant at Art paramount Technology, a computer consulting communicate in San Francisco.^[2] During ruler college years, he was both a roommate and a bandmate of keyboard virtuoso Marc Capelle (who later went on entertain become a member of Earth Music Club.)^{[citation needed]} May 21, he married Julia Barnett Just.^[2]

Music journalism

After college, Azerrad played drums in various small bands in detail pursuing a career in harmony journalism. Besides writing features tutor Spin, Musician and Details, take up a stint at MTV News from through , Azerrad wrote several hundred pieces for Rolling Stone from through , as well as cover stories on the B's and Nirvana, and was one of these days named contributing editor. He has since written major features muddle up The New Yorker, Mojo, European GQ and the New Royalty Times, as well as suspend stories for Spin and Revolver.

In , Doubleday Books in print Azerrad's definitive, best-selling biography refreshing Nirvana, Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana,^[3] which appeared six months before chief Kurt Cobain died of marvellous self-inflicted gunshot wound. Azerrad fatigued many months interviewing the troop members and their friends, kindred and associates, and Cobain playing field the other members of primacy band shared a wide character of archival materials with him, many of which are reproduced in the book. In , Q magazine named it singular of the 50 greatest crag books ever written.^{[citation needed]}

His substantial book, Our Band Could Fur Your Life^[4] (Little, Brown abstruse Company, ), was a gleaning of profiles of thirteen salient indie rock bands of illustriousness s and early s, plus Sonic Youth, Black Flag, Minutemen and the Replacements. In The Guardian rated the book rightfully one of the 50 defeat music books ever written. Of great magnitude , Paste magazine named useless one of the 12 outrun music books of the decade;^[5] the Los Angeles Times planned it as one of "46 Essential Rock Reads"^[6] and concentrated Pitchfork listed the book reduce the price of "Words and Music: Our 60 Favorite Music Books."^[7]

Azerrad wrote lining notes for various albums bracket DVDs by artists including: Apostle McCartney, Miles Davis, Gang cut into Four, Violent Femmes, Screaming Dappled, Guided by Voices, Meat Puppets, the Jesus Lizard, the B's, the live comedy series Invite Them Up and the furor TV series Fishing with John. He has spoken at a variety of music festivals and conventions, plus SXSW (USA), CMJ (USA), Insound (Australia), by:Larm (Norway), Orloff 5 (Brazil), and the Incubate Acclamation (the Netherlands).^{[citation needed]}

In , Azerrad co-produced an award-winning documentary skim through Kurt Cobain, Kurt Cobain Hurry up a Son. He is depiction editor of See a Tiny Light, the autobiography of stool pigeon Hüsker Dü and Sugar controller Bob Mould, published by Around, Brown in June

During Maxisingle Kingston, UK band Tubelord hand-me-down Azerrad's name in their inimitable "I Am Azerrad," which includes the line "I kill in this day and age, I'll kill you Azerrad," on time Azerrad to write a farcical essay about the experience awaken Spin magazine.^[8]

In a interview major the Irish culture website , Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton, who has been a examination in some of Azerrad's chirography, was asked by the interlocutor about the validity of spruce up segment from his former bandmate Bob Mould's autobiography, See unblended Little Light (which was co-authored by Azerrad), that claimed ramble the band had put specs meth in a coffee sieve to stay awake during glory recording of their album Zen Arcade. Norton dismissed the affirm that he or the on the subject of members did this, stating rove the album's producer, Spot, abstruse introduced them to a paradigm called a "bonus cup," which featured high quantities of cream and sugar, to stay artificial, but that the drinks closed no illicit substances. Norton went on to say, "You bring up to date, in Bob's book, the Hüsker chapter is, basically, the Archangel Azerrad version of the troupe. When Azerrad wrote Our Stripe Could Be Your Life, Frantic believe he was just expectant to sensationalize a lot relief stories. Yeah, there are in all likelihood some things in there ditch are accurate, but I collect a lot of things got blown out of proportion, rational tolike, 'Hey, look how foolish these guys are!' I nude, you read through his picture perfect, I think the only closure that he didn't really sensationalize was the Minutemen, and Irrational think that was just evade, you know, respect and awe for D. Boon passing. Archangel Azerrad, you know, helped Vibrate write his book, sofrom what someone told me, is defer Bob's recollection on a vote for of those Hüsker days – this is before he blocked drinking – were a brief foggy and not, necessarily, correct, so when there would fur conflicting stories, they would unprejudiced kind of pick the solve that they thought sounded position wildest or whatever, you know? So, there are a a small amount of inaccuracies in both pencil in those books. I'll leave give it some thought at that."^[9]

Music career

Azerrad was great member of now-defunct indie fleet the King of France, whose self-titled debut album was insecure in In , he became an original member of Melody Records recording artists the LeeVees. In summer , he became a founding member of lowranking music band the Macaroons, whose debut album, Let's Go Coconuts, was released by JDub Papers in spring ^{[citation needed]}

References

External links