Author: djpeisner
Second Acts
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll is a tough regimen to maintain, especially when compounded by fickle labels, shady management and (gulp!) encroaching maturity. DAVID PEISNER tracked down 44 grizzled vets from SPIN’s 25 years to find out how they left the road behind to chase a dream even more elusive than stardom: sanity.
Rat Scabies, Damned drummer turned Holy Grail hunter
Peter Garrett, Midnight Oil frontman turned Australian MP
Jesse Peretz, Lemonheads bassist turned film director
Jesse Sandoval, Shins drummer turned gourmet food cart vendor
Brix Smith-Start, Fall guitarist turned fashion guru
Jack Grisham, TSOL frontman turned hypnotherapist/sobriety coach
Bragi Olafsson, Sugarcubes bassist turned novelist
Gary Valentine Lachman, Blondie bassist/guitarist turned author
The Sound of Pain: Radio Interviews
In my ongoing effort to make this website a comprehensive survey of my least embarrassing work, here are links to two appearances I made on public radio to talk about my December 2006 story in Spin called “War Is Loud.” Listening back to them now, I’m not even positive that everything I’m saying is 100% correct, but I certainly sound sure of myself, which apparently counts for something.
“The Sound Of Pain”: NPR’s “On The Media,” September 14, 2007
Jay Reatard Obituary
Licensed To Ill
Boo, socialism! Boo, death panels! The most polarizing political issue of 2009, health care reform has angered and confused pretty much everyone. But perhaps no one is feeling the hurt more than struggling musicians.
Spin Magazine, January/February 2010
Metal in the Garden of Good and Evil
It’s hot, it’s dangerous, it’s isolated, but it’s home. With bands like Baroness, Kylesa and Blacktusk turning up the volume, Savannah, Georgia has gotten a whole lot heavier. So grab your earplugs because the South is rising again.
Spin Magazine, December 2009
Cover Story: The Flaming Lips
From their lo-fi, high-energy traveling circus to their cockroach-like longevity to the hand-lettering of these very words, Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips are in complete control of everything they touch.
Fun Fact: That’s me opening the door behind the video screen. Look very closely and you can almost see my fingers struggling to close it.
The Whipping Boys Are Back
White Like Me
Asher Roth‘s struggle to overcome hip-hop’s enduring color line
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 30, 2009
The Last Temptation of Steve-O
All the Jackass star ever wanted was to be famous for doing insane stunts. But after a suicidal flame-out landed him in a psych ward, what’s a kinder, gentler self-mutilating exhibitionist to do?
David Peisner 