What inspired you to write "Profiles In Rock" 

I was inspired to write this book for a number of reasons. I had been a musician in high school and an avid music collector for years. I was a faithful reader, and occasional contributor to rock and publications such as Goldmine or Discoveries in the eighties. This book, in essence, combines two of my greatest loves, music and biography, and had been brewing in my head for years. I could vision it's finished product. 

I wanted to write a biography on some of the more successful artists who had influenced my life with their work. Trace their history, their art, find out about their successes and failures, and hopefully weave an interesting and inspiring tale that could help others pursue their goals. These artists were people first. They had their flaws, which I hope I brought out without exaggerating them, and they had their strengths. We all do. I felt that there were lessons to be shared and learned by their combined examples. I feel telling all of their stories in succession, heightens the impact of their examples, if that makes sense. Also, rather than doing full length biographies, which I would love to do at some point, I opted to do "profiles", which was a more conducive format to today's society, which likes their information the same way they like their meals, fast and light please. 

The inspiration for the name and format may be somewhat surprising. It came from a non-musical hero of mine in the field of politics, John F. Kennedy. In the 1950's he wrote a similarly formatted, Pulitzer Prize Winning book titled, "Profiles In Courage," where he traced the career of several successful politicians who put their careers on the line with a particularly unpopular vote, but who chose to do what they thought was right. Not to compare in greatness, but I felt comfortable using a similar format and title. I thought it worked well for what I was attempting to do.

With so many classic 60s and 70s artists to choose from, how did you decide on the five subjects to cover?

Making a decision on which artist to cover also seemed a natural to me. I learned about Bruce Springsteen before the peak of his notoriety, first by seeing the old "Rosalita" video he did which I think was played on Don Kirshner's Rock Show or some other similar show out in the mid-seventies. I couldn't take my eyes off of his performance. He was so full of joy, energy, shared a terrific chemistry with the rest of the band. Absolutely a first class entertainer. He was my first pick.

My second pick was Kansas, whose music I love, and whose concert performances are unforgettable. I saw them first on my 21st birthday, not all that familiar with them yet. They were my first rock concert and I was absolutely blown away. I made a point to follow their careers as closely as I could from that time on, saying that the next best thing to heaven on earth, was a KANSAS CONCERT. Two decades later I've seen them numerous times and I still maintain that point.

Fleetwood Mac I first discovered with Stevie's songs and hits like "Over My Head." I got the first Lindsey Buckingham / Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac album for Christmas and I was hooked. With their combined talent, their personal chemistry and struggles, how could I not be enthralled by them. Their relationships and struggles contributed mightily to the greatness of their work, which is why their work will never grow old.

The Doors, I didn't warm up to them immediately. I wasn't a big fan of "Light My Fire", though I didn't dislike it. But in general, their songs were darker than I liked and I resisted . But then I allowed myself to hear them for what they were, and I discovered "LA Woman," the song I put on my head set when I want to get pumped up for a morning jog, and the tender side of the Doors like "Touch Me" and "Riders On The Storm."

Led Zeppelin was the last band I focused on, mainly because they were the least I was familiar with. They were the cream of the crop during my high school years, and every boy friend and his bother was into "Whole Lotta Love" while the girls loved , "Stairway to Heaven." At the time, I was much more into the Moody Blues than Zep, but that was turned around when I actually did break down and by the second album ('The Brown Bomber') and finally realized what made these guys so great. Their chemistry as a group, their talent at their own instruments and vocal responsibilities, and could they ever pull off a whale of a concert, which I only experienced through their first movie. With the struggles they had, their fans and others could relate. I wanted them in the book, too.

The acts profiled in your book managed to reach the pinnacle of success: commercial success and fame, critical acclaim, mainstream popularity and secure places in Rock history. When writing and researching your book, did you find any common underlying characteristics that contributed to their respective successes?

There was a common theme underlying them that I think made all of these stories work well in combination together. Each band had a vision for what they wanted to do. They set that goal before themselves, and when times got tough, they didn't give up. They stayed on track, pursuing their goals and their dreams without chaffing under the pressures. They overcame obstacles, they climbed mountains, they were devoted to success with a single minded focus. They showed us it could be done, and that it could be done in non-musical pursuits as well. Along the way they fought personal demons and often became stronger artists as a result of their trails. One thing that is different from these artist from those on top of the charts today: These artist were creative. Many of today's performers are created, based on some studio's perception of what an artist or group of performers will be. I find there's plenty of talent in today's pool of wanna-be musical stars, but very little heart. There are a few exceptions, one artist who sticks out because he has no handlers, he creates his own powerful, captivating, original and uncompromising music is Ryan Adams. I think we'll be hearing his work for years to come, and I think we've yet to hear his best. And that's saying a lot. His best album to date, "Heartbreaker" will be difficult to top.

The Blues-Rock hybrid that evolved out of the UK in the late sixties was a pivotal, though short-lived, era in the growth of Rock music. Two bands you cover, early Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, were, amongst others, major players in this movement. How do you account for the Blues being such an influence on players like Jimmy Page and Peter Green?

I think the blues and rock scene that was popular in England in the late 60's and early 70's worked well for artists like Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. It allowed them to improvise, to grow, to develop their own style, to play emotionally with heart, and to flavor it with rock, all of which worked very well for those bands. Others who have used this well include Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, of-course, Eric Burdon, a personal favorite, and even Elton John to a lesser degree.Blues and rock mix well together, like pepper and salt. Rock got many of it's ideas from blues, so it's not unexpected that artists like the Zep and Mac can play them to the hilt!

Jim Morrison: You cover The Doors in the book and highlight his love of literature. With so much emphasis on his wild antics, this side of him many times gets overlooked. Would you say he is one of Rock's most misunderstood artists?

I think Jim Morrison was perhaps misunderstood in a lot of ways He had the sensitive soul of a poet, and tried to behave invulnerably with his more eccentric behavior. Tried to use alcohol to call on his muse and loosen his inhibitions. I think, in fact, that he was quite intellectual and that many of his famous antics were actually Jim's attempt to break the monotony of being with people who maybe weren't quite up to his level, intellectually. That's not to say they were dumb, that's just to say that Jim's intellectual capabilities were pretty superior by any standards. The world doesn't take easily to people who might be a little different in some ways, and Jim was able to turn that sense of isolation into some very terrific and memorable rock tunes. Of course you can't write about Jim's life and his antics and not mention his dark, wild side. I just thought there was so much more to him than that.