Michael Azerrad
Michael Azerrad
Michael Azerrad is an American author, music journalist, editor, and musician. A graduate of Columbia University, he has written for publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Azerrad's 1993 biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana was named by Q as one of the 50 greatest rock books ever written. His 2001 book Our Band Could Be Your Life, a collection of profiles on prominent indie rock bands, received similar critical acclaim...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
CountryUnited States of America
book people legacy
I'll leave it to other people to evaluate the legacy of my book, but I'm very moved when musicians tell me that they've been inspired by my book.
believe mean thinking
I really believe in the power of music - and I mean literally the power of musical tones - to rearrange the way you can think.
nine sound nails
Nine Inch Nails' sound is dominated by clanging synths and sardonic, shrieking vocals.
people band chins
There's a whole apparatus for indie bands now, but back in the eighties it was just getting built. The early people really took it on the chin.
stories musician bunch
I just wanted to tell the story of a bunch of musicians who had never had their story told before. There's no preaching or theorizing.
facts glamour
There's no glamour in Nirvana, no glamour at all, in fact.
unique sprung-up voice
A lot of music fans are still interested in insightful perspectives on music - maybe even more interested than ever, since everyone needs help making sense of the incredible variety of sounds that have sprung up in the wake of the Internet revolution. There's a lot of room for unique, qualified voices who can provide good reads.
giving dollars band
Back in the day, in '91 or so, I tried to interview Fugazi for Rolling Stone, which the band felt stood for everything they detested about corporate infiltration of music. They said, 'We'll do the interview if you give us a million dollars of cash in a suitcase.' Which was their way of saying no.
rocks years people
Critics and fans use the music of their youth as reference points. For years, people seriously wondered who "the next Beatles" were going to be, and classic rock bands were the de facto yardstick for rock quality.
rocks use safe
Bon Jovi's trick is to use heavy-metal chords and still sound absolutely safe. Rock & roll used to be rebellion disguised as commercialism; now so much of it is commercialism disguised as rebellion.
car records firsts
For Nirvana, putting out their first major-label record was like getting into a new car. But the runaway success was like suddenly discovering that the car was a Ferrari and the accelerator pedal was Krazy Glued to the floorboard.
home writing hands
I'm always very careful to make the distinction between music criticism and music journalism. A lot of people don't. But criticism doesn't require reporting. You can write criticism at home in your underwear. On the other hand, journalism takes legwork - you have to get out there and see things and talk to people.
indie-rock rocks generations
Now that the generation that grew up on '80s indie-rock has attained influential positions in the culture, that music is the new yardstick. And that will shift yet again some day.
people musician knows
Naturally, no one knows more about music than musicians. They talk about their own work all the time, but they rarely get to talk about other people's music.