Marc Spitz, BOWIE: A BIOGRAPHY author: Mr. Media Radio Interview

By BOB ANDELMAN

Even Marc Spitz admits, in the opening pages of his new book, Bowie: A Biography, that he wasn’t  sure the world needed another treatise on the life, loves and music of David Bowie.

After all, as a writer for Spin, the New York Times, Maxim, Nylon, and Blender, as well as a long time fan of the singer, he had certainly read many of the already published works.

But, convinced there might be a market for a different approach, he attacked his subject with a dual purpose: first, he attempted to out-research and out-interview his predecessors, and second, he provided a personal string of thoughts and experiences to liven up the traditional chronology of who bonked who, when where and for how long.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I think my book has a real hero's journey in its narrative. You can really see David Bowie becoming the Bowie we know, from the nowhere kid in South London. By the end you feel you've lived through a dozen different zeitgeists. And it's funny. And I'm in it." 

At this, Spitz certainly succeeded; his Bowie is a smooth, crackling read.

And there is one other factor to consider: There are still plenty of people in the world who have not read any of the previous David Bowie histories—like me, and I’m a big fan.

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Susan Wels, AMELIA EARHART: THE THRILL OF IT biographer: Mr. Media Radio Interview

By BOB ANDELMAN

I lived in a pretty male-centric world most of my life, idolizing certain baseball players, rock stars and even a writer or two.

But when my daughter was born back in ’96, I made a marked effort to learn more about women who she might one day find influential for their achievements.

High-flier Amelia Earhart always seemed like an appropriate choice. So it’s convenient that this Friday, October 23, Amelia, a new movie biography starring Hilary Swank as the aviator will open in theatres. And today I’m fortune to have the author of a new book about Earhart join me on the show.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Her husband, George Palmer Putnam, believed she had a special sensitivity. After she disappeared, he received psychic messages, mailbags full of them, from ordinary people all over the world, people who never had a psychic experience before but felt compelled. They were receiving messages from Amelia, sending them to him, saying 'I don't know what this means!' Her husband used that information to help direct the search location."

Susan Wels is the author of Amelia Earhart: The Thrill Of It, an extensive coffee table photo history of a pioneer of the early days of 20th century flight.





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You can LISTEN to this interview with SUSAN WELS, author of AMELIA EARHART: THE THRILL OF IT, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!