“I really tried to create a band that I would love, if they were real”— Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six
Fiction writers have long been seduced by the anarchy, defiance, and raw power of rock ‘n roll, creating stories about music, the people who make it, and the characters who love it with the same intensity as the most ambitious concept albums. But until Rock is Lit first aired in September 2022, there had never been a podcast devoted to this art form—the rock novel—and the show remains a singularity.
In each episode, host Christy Alexander Hallberg, author of the award-winning rock novel Searching for Jimmy Page (Livingston Press, 2021), interviews authors about craft and the musical inspiration behind their work, then brings in music experts, like legendary groupie Pamela Des Barres, to add real-world context to the bands or musical periods featured in the novels. Hallberg has quickly earned a reputation as a meticulous researcher and creative producer, frequently garnering compliments from guests such as Rex Weiner, author of The (Original) Adventures of Ford Fairlane: “You’re so well versed in what I wrote and, of course, your own rock ‘n roll history is pretty terrific.”
The podcast’s growing roster of rock novels includes: Dana Spiotta’s National Book Award-nominated Eat the Document, works by BIPOC authors like Chris L. Terry’s Black Card, metal-centric novels like John Wray’s Gone to the Wolves, YA LGBTQ debuts like Jessamyn Violet’s Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar, Scifi rock novels like Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula Award-winning A Song For A New Day, rock novels adapted to film like Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire, and celebrity rock novels like the legendary Suzi Quatro’s The Hurricane.
Tune in to Rock is Lit and join the mounting number of Lit Listeners on their quest to find the very best rock novels.
A proud part of Pantheon Podcasts.
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Find Christy Alexander Hallberg and Rock is Lit on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg
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“I really tried to create a band that I would love, if they were real”— Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six
Fiction writers have long been seduced by the anarchy, defiance, and raw power of rock ‘n roll, creating stories about music, the people who make it, and the characters who love it with the same intensity as the most ambitious concept albums. But until Rock is Lit first aired in September 2022, there had never been a podcast devoted to this art form—the rock novel—and the show remains a singularity.
In each episode, host Christy Alexander Hallberg, author of the award-winning rock novel Searching for Jimmy Page (Livingston Press, 2021), interviews authors about craft and the musical inspiration behind their work, then brings in music experts, like legendary groupie Pamela Des Barres, to add real-world context to the bands or musical periods featured in the novels. Hallberg has quickly earned a reputation as a meticulous researcher and creative producer, frequently garnering compliments from guests such as Rex Weiner, author of The (Original) Adventures of Ford Fairlane: “You’re so well versed in what I wrote and, of course, your own rock ‘n roll history is pretty terrific.”
The podcast’s growing roster of rock novels includes: Dana Spiotta’s National Book Award-nominated Eat the Document, works by BIPOC authors like Chris L. Terry’s Black Card, metal-centric novels like John Wray’s Gone to the Wolves, YA LGBTQ debuts like Jessamyn Violet’s Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar, Scifi rock novels like Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula Award-winning A Song For A New Day, rock novels adapted to film like Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire, and celebrity rock novels like the legendary Suzi Quatro’s The Hurricane.
Tune in to Rock is Lit and join the mounting number of Lit Listeners on their quest to find the very best rock novels.
A proud part of Pantheon Podcasts.
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Find Christy Alexander Hallberg and Rock is Lit on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg
Chasing Music Dreams in the New Wave Era: Eric Jay Sonnenschein Discusses and Reads From His Novel ‘Rocked and Rolled’
Rock Is Lit
37 minutes
12 months ago
Chasing Music Dreams in the New Wave Era: Eric Jay Sonnenschein Discusses and Reads From His Novel ‘Rocked and Rolled’
In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Eric Jay Sonnenschein discusses and reads from his novel ‘Rocked and Rolled’, a story set in New York’s ’70s and ’80s New Wave scene that follows a young writer-turned-musician navigating the cutthroat music industry while balancing ambition with creative integrity.
‘Rocked and Rolled’ conveys the perpetual human struggle to express, invent, and reinvent oneself amid scarce opportunities, annihilating competition and a recording industry that raises barriers at every turn to make artists fail.
Eric Jay Sonnenschein is a novelist, essayist, poet, journalist and blogger living in New York. He has published five novels: ‘Rocked and Rolled’ (2024), ‘Ad Nomad’ (2012), ‘Mad Nomad’ (2015), ‘Spontaneous Revolution: The Lost Savior and the Bottomless Pit’ (2022), and ‘Spontaneous Revolution 2: The Hall of Phenomena and The Dark Parade’ (2023); four volumes of essays, ‘Making Up For Lost Time’ (2011), ‘All Over the Place: Essays from A to Z’ (2013), ‘Sartre in the Subway’ (2017), and ‘Self Helpless’ (2021); as well as a collection of poetry, ‘The Lost Poem and Others Like it’ (2011). His fifth novel, ‘Rocked and Rolled’, was published August 6, 2024. In addition, Eric Jay Sonnenschein has published more than 50 articles on a variety of topics, including politics and culture in a variety of newspapers and magazines. Since June 2014, he has posted more than 230 essays on politics, fine arts and culture on LinkedIn Pulse.
MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
Rock is Lit theme music
[Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
“Jump Into the Fire” by Harry Nilsson
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division
(No Copyright Music) Upbeat Indie Rock [Rock Music] by MokkaMusic/Drive
“In the City” by The Jam
[Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
Rock is Lit theme music
LINKS:
Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451
Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350
Eric Jay Sonnenschein’s website: https://www.ericjaysonnenschein.com/
Eric Jay Sonnenschein on Facebook: @EricJaySonnenschein
Eric Jay Sonnenschein on X: @ejsonnenschein
Eric Jay Sonnenschein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjaysonnenschein/
Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: www.christyalexanderhallberg.com
Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube: @ChristyHallberg
Rock is Lit on Instagram: @rockislitpodcast
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Rock Is Lit
“I really tried to create a band that I would love, if they were real”— Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six
Fiction writers have long been seduced by the anarchy, defiance, and raw power of rock ‘n roll, creating stories about music, the people who make it, and the characters who love it with the same intensity as the most ambitious concept albums. But until Rock is Lit first aired in September 2022, there had never been a podcast devoted to this art form—the rock novel—and the show remains a singularity.
In each episode, host Christy Alexander Hallberg, author of the award-winning rock novel Searching for Jimmy Page (Livingston Press, 2021), interviews authors about craft and the musical inspiration behind their work, then brings in music experts, like legendary groupie Pamela Des Barres, to add real-world context to the bands or musical periods featured in the novels. Hallberg has quickly earned a reputation as a meticulous researcher and creative producer, frequently garnering compliments from guests such as Rex Weiner, author of The (Original) Adventures of Ford Fairlane: “You’re so well versed in what I wrote and, of course, your own rock ‘n roll history is pretty terrific.”
The podcast’s growing roster of rock novels includes: Dana Spiotta’s National Book Award-nominated Eat the Document, works by BIPOC authors like Chris L. Terry’s Black Card, metal-centric novels like John Wray’s Gone to the Wolves, YA LGBTQ debuts like Jessamyn Violet’s Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar, Scifi rock novels like Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula Award-winning A Song For A New Day, rock novels adapted to film like Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire, and celebrity rock novels like the legendary Suzi Quatro’s The Hurricane.
Tune in to Rock is Lit and join the mounting number of Lit Listeners on their quest to find the very best rock novels.
A proud part of Pantheon Podcasts.
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Find Christy Alexander Hallberg and Rock is Lit on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg
