Scribblings, musings and assorted published wisdom
The arrest this summer of elusive alleged drug kingpin–and Jamaican folk hero–Christopher “Dudus” Coke served as a dramatic reminder that when it comes to partying at the crossroads between organized crime and pop music, rap’s got nothing on dancehall.
Spin Magazine, October 2010 [Excerpt]
Spin Magazine, October 2010 [Digital Reader]
One guy’s homeless, one likes sleeping all day, one’s in Pearl Jam and one’s Chris Cornell. Beloved ’90s titans Soundgarden are back, but where are they going?
Spin Magazine, September 2010 [Long Excerpt]
Last Christmas, Vic Chesnutt delivered on the promise of a career’s worth of haunting, darkly comic songs and took his own life. David Peisner talks to his friends and family to get the untold story of one of rock’s most curious characters.
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
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
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
David Peisner 