Interview: Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons (on Her Autobiography, “Life Is So Strange: Missing Persons, Frank Zappa, Prince, and Beyond”)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Mickey McCarter in Interview and tagged autobiography, book talk, California, Dale Bozzio, Missing Persons, new wave.

Dale Bozzio (Photo courtesy Lappen Enterprises)

From 1980-86, you couldn’t find a more thrilling American band than Missing Persons. The quintet was fronted by Dale Bozzio, who met her principal bandmates when they all worked for Frank Zappa. After Missing Persons broke up, Dale signed to Prince’s Paisley Park label. Eventually, she formed a touring band to perform the Missing Persons catalog. Missing Persons next performs for a number of dates this spring, including sets at the spectacular new wave/post-punk festival Cruel World in Los Angeles on May 14 and 15.

Recently, Dale published a book through Cleopatra Records, which has been her recording home for the past several years. In the book — “Life Is So Strange: Missing Persons, Frank Zappa, Prince, and Beyond” — Dale shares her life experiences from recording with Zappa to forming Missing Persons to touring still. Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter recently interviewed Dale about her relationships with Zappa, Prince, and her former Missing Persons bandmates, as well as what comes next for her.

Live Review: Dave Grohl in “The Storyteller – Live!” @ Lincoln Theater — 10/7/21

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged book talk, Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, grunge, Lincoln Theatre, Nirvana.

Dave Grohl speaks at the Lincoln Theater during his The Storyteller – Live! appearance on Oct. 7, 2021. (Photo by Deanna Escobar, Sugar Shot Media)

No one better epitomizes the coming-of-age decade that was the 1990s in America music than Dave Grohl.

With his long black hair, innocent expression and his flailing arms, Grohl came to be known by the MTV generation as the reserved but hyper-talented drummer of the now legendary grunge band Nirvana, introduced to the mainstream in earnest by way of the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in September of 1992.

He’s now 52 years old, with a well-earned tinge of grey, and has achieved more in his career and lifetime than 100 musicians might in aggregate. Dave, who grew up in and around Alexandria, recently embarked on a mission to share his life in a way perhaps unaccustomed to most of his fans.

Book Talk: Beautiful Colors: The Posters of Duran Duran by Andrew Golub

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged book talk, Duran Duran, England, new romantic.

In three weeks, Duran Duran will release Future Past, the legendary band’s 15th studio album, via Tape Modern for BMG. Should you want more Duran Duran prior to that, we recommend you acquire a copy of Beautiful Colors: The Posters of Duran Duran, curated by Andrew Golub (aka Durandy) and photographed by Christine Born with a foreword by Nick Rhodes!

Fans of Duran Duran know the band truly has been about more than just outstanding music — the gents always have concerned themselves with the visual aesthetics of their art as well. Nothing captures that fact better than Beautiful Colors.

Book Talk: Debbie Harry @ Sixth & I — 12/4/19

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Ari Strauss in Live Review and tagged Blondie, book talk, Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, new wave, New York City, punk, Sixth & I.

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein arrive at Sixth & I on Dec. 4, 2019. (Photos by Ari Strauss; Words by Mickey McCarter)

Debbie Harry had a memory to share of performing in DC, recalling that she was at the old 9:30 Club.

Prior to performing, Debbie left her small dog alone in the green room. She returned after her show to find the frightened dog perched upon the furniture, chased to higher ground by rats big enough to challenge her.

Debbie recounted the anecdote at Sixth & I on Wednesday while on a book talk tour to promote her memoir, Face It, which was published in October via Dey Street.

Book Talk: Eddie Izzard @ Weinberg Center for the Arts [Frederick, Md.] — 2/8/18

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Mickey McCarter in Around Town and tagged book talk, comedy show, Eddie Izzard, Frederick, Weinberg Center for the Arts.

Eddie Izzard (Photo courtesy PBJ Management)

“The show was developed to support the book, but now it seems the other way around,” remarked Eddie Izzard to a full house at Weinberg Center for the Art in Frederick, Maryland on Thursday.

Eddie was on tour to chat about his life in promotion of his autobiography, Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens, published in 2017 by Penguin Random House. But the tale of his life remains compelling with or without or book, as Eddie recounted highlights with the aid of slides and Google Earth on a spare stage.

DJ Park: Lol Tolhurst @ Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar — 2/22/17

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Mickey McCarter in Around Town, Live Review and tagged book talk, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar, Lol Tolhurst, post-punk, Robert Smith, The Cure.

Lol Tolhurst speaks at Little Miss Whiskey’s on Feb. 22, 2017. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Way back in 1980, when I was in a grade school, a classmate brought The Cure compilation album Boys Don’t Cry into our classroom.

Book Talk: “Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys” by Lol Tolhurst @ Songbyrd Music House — 2/21/17

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Mickey McCarter in Around Town, Live Review and tagged book talk, goth, Lol Tolhurst, post-punk, Robert Smith, Songbyrd Music House, The Cure.

Lol Tolhurst reads from his memoir at Songbyrd Music House on Feb. 21, 2017.

Lol Tolhurst, founding member of The Cure, was chatting with Robert Smith in Hawaii in 2013 when he had an epiphany: He would write a book.

Book Talk: “Set the Boy Free” by Johnny Marr @ Gramercy Theatre, NYC — 11/15/16

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged autobiography, book talk, Britpop, Gramercy Theatre, Ian Svenonius, johnny marr, Morrissey, post-punk, The Cribs, The Smiths.

Johnny Marr and his guitar at New York’s Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 15, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Johnny Marr, surely the world’s most famous living guitar player for us in Generation X, released his autobiography “Set the Boy Free” in the United States last month, and he delivered a book talk with DC indie rock musician Ian Svenonius as host at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City on Nov. 15, the day of the US release. I was there, and now I’ve finished reading the book.