Gonzorilla: Music, Movies, Comedy and Excessive Consumption

Film editor and creative collaborator Claire Didier shares the back stories of how the definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary was put together. Claire and director Stephen Kijak assembled the photos, videos and audio recordings that tell the story of Ronnie Van Zant and Skynyrd’s rise from Florida poverty to the top of rock 'n' roll – only to have it tragically crash and end all too soon. It’s a funny and insightful look at the making of the film that fans of the original band won’t want to mi...

The setting was the Sunset Strip, Hollywood, in the mid 1960s. The Whisky a Go Go and clubs up and down the street were the ultimate showcase for eclectic bands that brought together folk, rock, jazz and blues. At the forefront of this new wave was a group called Love. A wildly experimental band started by lyricist and founder Arthur Lee and guitarist Johnny Echols.This comprehensive interview with Johnny Echols covers all the bases, from the inception of Love and how Johnny worked with artis...

The setting was the Sunset Strip, Hollywood, in the mid 1960s. The Whisky a Go Go and clubs up and down the street were the ultimate showcase for eclectic bands that brought together folk, rock, jazz and blues. At the forefront of this new wave was a group called Love. A wildly experimental band started by lyricist/founder Arthur Lee and guitarist Johnny Echols.This comprehensive interview with Johnny Echols covers all the bases, from the inception of Love and how Johnny worked with artists l...

Al Kooper was the keyboardist for Bob Dylan on the albums, "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde," including the song, “Like a Rolling Stone,” (ranked number one single of all time by Rolling Stone magazine). He started as a professional songwriter in the 60s, founded the group Blood, Sweat & Tears and was a stage manager at the Monterey Pop Festival. He jammed countless times with his good friend, Jimi Hendrix, recorded with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills, and played on hundre...

Part 2 of 2 podcasts, devoted to the release of the new rock doc, Creem: America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine. In this episode, we talk with Jaan Uhelszki, one of the founding editors at Creem and one of the first women to write nationally about rock n’ roll. It’s a fascinating road trip through the backyard of the Creem offices in the 70’s. They were a group of outlaw writers, living in cramped quarters 24-7 and determined to reach rock readers with the unvarnished truth. Along the way, Jaa...

In the history of rock ‘n’ roll, Creem was the only true Rock ‘n’ Roll magazine. It began in a run-down neighborhood of Detroit and at the epicenter of a rock movement (The Stooges, MC5) that was far removed from the commercial pressures of either Coast. This gave Creem the freedom to be bold, mercilessly speak the truth and damn the consequences. The magazine’s all-star staff included legendary critics like Dave Marsh and Lester Bangs. Decades after the magazine ceased publishing, its f...

When a plane crash in 1977 ended the career of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd, the world lost one of the greatest American rock bands. Skynyrd drummer, Artimus Pyle survived the crash, crawling from the wreckage and saving lives. For the first time, Artimus’ story has been brought to the screen in a dramatic recreation that focuses on the band's last few days. To get this film produced, the filmmakers had to navigate a dangerous swamp of lawsuits and litigation. Writer and Director Jared Cohn di...

Steve Moramarco (Superbean, Abe Lincoln Story), talks about his lampoon video, "Fu*k Youth," (600,000 Facebook views) and L.A.’s Silver Lake music scene in the 90’s. A compadre of Beck, before anyone had heard of "Loser," Steve reminiscences about the days before Alt Rock/Punk/Folk/R&B took off. Steve has taken off, himself – to Arizona and a new home. He’s broken free from the claustrophobic Cali lockdown, toward personal freedom and writing more satirical songs that skewer popular cultu...

A trip down memory lane with Bob Bell, a music buyer for some of the biggest record store chains in the 90's. Bob describes inside details of the retail music industry, including how labels treated the birth of rap and alternative. The highlight is his account of the 15,000 Depeche Mode fans who swarmed a West Hollywood record store for an autograph signing that turned into a wacky madhouse out of a Hard Days Night.