Addicted To Writing

Michael Goldberg completed his first novel, "Days of the Crazy-Wild," earlier this year. You can read the first chapter at his blog, daysofthecrazy-wild.com. He was an Associate Editor and Senior Writer at Rolling Stone. He leads a writing group, The Writers Cafe, in El Cerrito, CA.

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The Whole World In a Song: An Interview with Critic Greil Marcus on Bob Dylan, His New Dylan Book, the Role of the Critic and Much More

The Whole World In a Song: An Interview with Critic Greil Marcus on Bob Dylan, His New Dylan Book, the Role of the Critic and Much More

Greil Marcus in his office, September 16, 2022. Photograph by Michael Goldberg By Michael Goldberg Greil Marcus writing or talking about Bob Dylan is the holy grail. He is the leading authority on Dylan, and the best known and most respected rock critic in the U.S. (and probably the world). His first in-depth book about rock music, “Mystery Train” (the title coming from one of Elvis’ Sun…

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Rock Critics/ Historians at Litquake: Greil Marcus, Ben Fong-Torres, Michael Goldberg, Sylvie Simmons, Joel Selvin, Nadine Condon and Rickey Vincent

Rock Critics/ Historians at Litquake: Greil Marcus, Ben Fong-Torres, Michael Goldberg, Sylvie Simmons, Joel Selvin, Nadine Condon and Rickey Vincent

On Friday October 21, 2022, a group of rock critics and music historians will read from their recent books at a Litquake event at the Make-Out Room in San Francisco. The evening will begin at 7:30 pm and end around 10:30 and there is a $15 charge. Appearing are Greil Marcus, Michael Goldberg (that’s me), Sylvia Simmons, Ben Fong-Torres, Joel Selvin, Rickey Vincent and Nadine Condon. The authors’…

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Coming Soon: "Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg"

Coming Soon: “Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg”

On November 1, 2022, my book, “Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg,” will be published by Backbeat Books. Addicted To Noise collects the best interviews, profiles and essays I’ve written during my 40-plus years as a journalist. From combative interviews with Frank Zappa and Tom Waits to essays on how Jack Kerouac influenced Bob Dylan and the lasting importance of San…

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Kirkus Reviews "Wicked Game": "... a Gritty Look at the Guitarist's Success and Ultimate Downfall"

Kirkus Reviews “Wicked Game”: “… a Gritty Look at the Guitarist’s Success and Ultimate Downfall”

Kirkus Reviews just ran an excellent review of my book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey.” “James Calvin Wilsey may not be a household name, but he’s certainly well known in some circles,” begins the review. “As a guitarist for Chris Isaak, he created a riff that not only helped make the song “Wicked Game” a hit, but also has gone down in history as one of the best…

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Twisted Pulp Magazine Runs Michael Goldberg/ Wicked Game Feature

Twisted Pulp Magazine Runs Michael Goldberg/ Wicked Game Feature

The new issue (#19) of Twisted Pulp magazine includes an eight page interview with me (Michael Goldberg) about my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” and my career as a writer. The feature includes cover art from my three novels, “True Love Scars,” “The Flowers Lied,” and “Untitled” (all available from Amazon), as well as the cover of “Wicked Game,” and my…

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Hit Producer Erik Jacobsen, 49ers Photog Michael Zagaris & Others Attend Goldberg Reading of Wilsey Book + Video

Hit Producer Erik Jacobsen, 49ers Photog Michael Zagaris & Others Attend Goldberg Reading of Wilsey Book + Video

Former Rolling Stone Senior Writer/ Addicted To Noise founder Michael Goldberg (above, photo by Leslie Goldberg) — that’s me — read from his new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” at The Beat Museum in North Beach, San Francisco, on the evening of Saturday, June 18, 2022. A crowd of over 40 people attended the reading, mingling beforehand among historic Beat era…

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KPFA's "The Hear and Now" To Feature Michael Goldberg Talking About Jimmy Wilsey

KPFA’s “The Hear and Now” To Feature Michael Goldberg Talking About Jimmy Wilsey

Derk Richardson will be interviewing me on his Thursday, June 16, 2022 show, which starts at 10 pm pt. He’ll be asking me about my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey.” The show airs Thursday night but it will be archived so if you miss the original broadcast, you can listen after the fact here. It will take a few days before the show is added to the archive.…

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Jimmy Wilsey's Story "Expertly Told," Writes Bill Kopp & Guitar Radio Show Podcast & Magnet Mag Interview

Jimmy Wilsey’s Story “Expertly Told,” Writes Bill Kopp & Guitar Radio Show Podcast & Magnet Mag Interview

l In his review of my book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” music journalist and author Bill Kopp writes, “… Wilsey’s life story – one filled with soaring highs (of the good and bad kind) and plummeting lows (albeit only of the bad variety) forms a chilling narrative. And that story is expertly told by longtime music journalist and first-hand observer/participant…

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Podcasts: Only Three Lads & Sketched Sounds on "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey"

Podcasts: Only Three Lads & Sketched Sounds on “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey”

The Only Three Lads podcast and the Sketched Sounds podcast were nice enough to interview me. If you check them both out, you’ll find in-depth conversations about the great guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, the San Francisco punk scene of the late Seventies, the legendary punk band, the Avengers, Jimmy’s days in Silvertone and working with Chris Isaak and much more. And, of course, we talk about my…

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"Wicked Game": "This is the rock & roll book to read this year."

“Wicked Game”: “This is the rock & roll book to read this year.”

In a wonderful review of my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” in the June 2022 “Bentley’s Bandstand” column at his Americana Highways website, Bill Bentley writes: “This is the rock & roll book to read this year. It is a thrilling, heart-breaking, mind-blowing, cautionary and in the end passionate tale of how a guitarist of infinite ability and absolutely…

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Pop Matters Reviews "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey —They Love It!

Pop Matters Reviews “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey —They Love It!

Above image from the Pop Matters website, May 24, 2022. Poet Marc Zegans’s beautifully written review of my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” was published today at the cool Pop Matters website/online magazine. Writes Zegans, “Goldberg’s meticulously researched biography delivers a deep-hearted and poignant account of the rare and extraordinary creative…

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Michael Goldberg is the Featured Writer at Rock's Backpages

Michael Goldberg is the Featured Writer at Rock’s Backpages

t This week the very cool music journalism website, Rock’s Backpages, has me on the “cover” as the weeks “Featured Writer.” They highlight some of my articles, which are archived there, including an excerpt from my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey” (HoZac Books), titled: “Watching the Avengers Absolutely Crush the Pistols.” There’s also a profile of Chris…

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Rolling Stone Online Publishes Goldberg Book Excerpt on How Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" Became a Hit

Rolling Stone Online Publishes Goldberg Book Excerpt on How Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” Became a Hit

Today, Thursday, May 19, 2022, Rolling Stone Online published an extensive excerpt from my new book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey” (HoZac Books). The 4000-word excerpt details how Chris Isaak said he wrote the song, how guitarist Jimmy Wilsey came up with the intro riff and other electric guitar parts and how David Lynch and manager/producer Erik Jacobsen…

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"Wicked Game" at The Beat Museum: Michael Goldberg on Guitarist Jimmy Wilsey + Cool New Reviews

“Wicked Game” at The Beat Museum: Michael Goldberg on Guitarist Jimmy Wilsey + Cool New Reviews

On Saturday June 18, 2022, starting at 7 pm, I’ll be celebrating the publication of my book on Jimmy Wilsey, “Wicked Game” The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey,” reading excerpts from the book and answering questions, at The Beat Museum, 540 Broadway at Columbus Avenue in San Francisco. Before the reading, beginning at 6 pm, recordings that Jimmy played on, some quite rare, will be…

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Check Out the Cover of My Upcoming Book: "Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg"

Check Out the Cover of My Upcoming Book: “Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg”

My book includes interviews with Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, Sleater-Kinney, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Flipper, John Fogerty, Neil Young and Rick James, and stories about Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, the Clash, Prince, Michael Jackson, the Flamin’ Groovies, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Laurie Anderson, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Devo, San Francisco punks Crime, the Sex…

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Pre-Order "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey"

Pre-Order “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey”

My new book, which is on the great guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, will be published on June 1, 2022, and is now available for pre-order. Jimmy was the “heart and soul” of the amazing San Francisco punk band, the Avengers. He wrote and played the guitar parts for the Chris Isaak hit “Wicked Game” and, as even Isaak has acknowledged, Wilsey was key to that song becoming a top 10 hit in 1991 in 10…

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Coming Soon: "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey"

Coming Soon: “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey”

Advance praise: “Here’s the story of an unsung genius that, in many ways, is the story of every working musician, a cautionary tale of crappy apartments and cool guitars, of untold temptations, abject surrender and the pawnshop at the beginning and end of the arc. It’s a story of youth, beauty and inspiration on the razor’s edge, of love and compulsion, solidarity and betrayal, of a quiet man who…

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