Juan A. Hernandez of Dateline Downtown spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk. Portions of the interview below.
Dateline Downtown: Your second book, Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Volume II has once again been met with critical success and showcases a few obscure bands. Do you see yourself writing “Volume III” in the near future or perhaps a more music-industry type book about your radio career?
Eddie Trunk: I may do a third volume. Not really sure yet; there are more bands I would like to cover. And I do want to do an “tell all [type] stories in the business/autobiography” type book one day, too.
DD: You have been very vocal on your Trunk Report blog about the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees-to-be-inducted, KISS. After hearing Ace’s take on your radio show, and Gene and Paul’s take that they will not be playing with Ace and Peter, do you believe that things will eventually work out in time for the induction? I know that you are very close to Ace and Peter, but I really do believe that Gene and Paul need to stop being so juvenile in their way of thinking about the induction. They need to come on That Metal Show and have a conversation with you!
ET: Gene and Paul do not have to do my show. It would be nice if they did and of course their fans want to see them on a true passionate music show, but we are fine either way. Our door is always open. As far as what happens at the HOF it is all being worked out now. There is plenty of speculating and opinion out there, which is all great and fun, but in the end Ace, Peter, Kiss and the HOF will need to find a formula they can all live with. What is concerning is at the moment everyone is saying different things, but we shall see soon.
DD: You used to write album reviews while you were in high school. What inspired you to start writing for your school?
ET: Everything I have ever done in music, record store, writing, radio, record label, management, TV, was all just to share and promote music I loved. The fact I can now make a living from it is a true bonus!
DD: There have been many successful podcasts as of late, and your appearance on Chris Jericho’s new podcast Talk Is Jericho has been appreciated by fans all over the podcast world. Knowing you still have your two radio shows and That Metal Show as your outlet, do you see yourself taking up an opportunity to start your own podcast in the future? Assuming it will be the Eddie Trunk format, the success will be tremendous knowing that you have been building your fan base for over 30 years now.
ET: Thanks. I have been thinking about podcasts and maybe adding one this year. It all comes down to time. I want to maintain a quality to what I do in TV, radio, books, and I’m pretty much a one man operation. So if I can get it together I very well may soon. There are so many now you have to really be able to stand out to be heard.
Read more at Dateline Downtown.
12 Responses
I’d love to read a good tell-all book about Rock/Heavy Metal, viewed from an insider behind the scenes. I’ve read enough books from the musicians themselves – from Aerosmith, Wilson Sisters, Sammy Hagar, etc…. Still hope someday Plant, Page and a few others do autobiographies.
I really have a disdain for a lot of “hair metal” – I know people don’t like that term, but it’s probably nicer than calling it “spandex metal” or “mascara metal” or worse. I do get a kick out of watching occasional Steel Panther videos – since they obviously are in on the joke. But my point of contention with that genre, and a lot of bands that were post-Van Halen and Priest is this: By the time the 1980s rolled around, the amount of money rolling in, combined with record company interference, really narrowed the creativity. Most bands that came up in the 1960s and early 1970s wouldn’t even be able to have been signed in the 1980s. I realize that a lot of the guys in Dokken and Y+T and so on are really decent musicians, but I blame the record companies for forcing these bands to sound like other bands that were popular at the time. Hope you are able to shed some light on this eventually. And yes, I realize that the record companies ALWAYS had some input, but the amount of control going on in the 1980s and beyond resulted in “play it safe music” and a lot of sheer calculation – basically formula, that in my opinion, is very obvious today and the reason why a lot of these 2nd and 3rd tier band’s music really doesn’t hold up nowadays.
Eddie – heard Paul Stanley’s voice last night in LA @The Stadium Series Dodger Stadium, it’s shot. Gene’s voice is in better shape and sounded good last night.
Thanks for all the work.
PS Just read an article in the Times saying rock n roll is dead…..ridiculous
Heard Peter Criss’s solo album, All For One, from start to finish. His voice/career/future are all dead.
Not sure what is relevant about the HOF and a 5 year old solo album that Peter said was something he wanted to do…
Nahhhh, you’re not a “Peter and Ace” guy…. not at all.
You got me, darn, I AM just a Peter and Ace guy! Shit, it was an all an act the decades I played EVERY era of Kiss on the radio and went to all those shows when they weren’t in the band. I was just faking dedicating my book to Eric Carr. I don’t play EVERY era of Kiss on my radio shows every week, it’s just an illusion in your ears. Bruce Kulick wasn’t on TMS, your eyes are tricking you! I am so snagged, shit!
Have to agree Ken. Dodger stadium just hosted the worst version of Detroit Rock City ever. Looks like more surgery for Mr. Stanley in the near future (and nope he’s not gonna hang it up folks). Same thing happened on the Monster tour. Gene was spot on and Starchild was beyond terrible. At this rate they’ll do 3 or 4 of Paul’s tunes per set and leave the rest to the Demon.
Eddie,saw schenker at the chance in Poughkeepsie ny last night.incredible!!!!some awesome u f o classics,not to be missed
EDDIE!!!!! you often mention stickers in the store…where are they!!!
They should be in the Merch store
Eddie: i was watching TMS the other night (ep7 w/Doro etc) and Frank Hannon was doing some serious slide shredding-aside from me being a metal maniac i am a huge blues fan-esp “old skool”
ANY idea how i can find out which disc has him doing some acoustic slide and or playing a national steel? (IYHO)-i LOVE it when you get on those fools at the RRHoF and the Grammys-clueless fucks that they are.
and: how come no TMS bumper stickers? my wheelchair needs one! (no, it wasn’t a bike wreck)and, i see you wearing Indian Larry rags-ever meet the man?-he was one heck of a guy-puts those OCC guys in the dirt….(okay fans- kindly DONT dive down my throat please…..)-i have an in memorial RIP tat of Indian Larry Legacy on my leg after he passed….
Check out The Frank Hannon Band online. VH1 controls all TMS merch, I have nothing to do with it. Only stuff on my site in my store, thanks