Hello. I’m Gavin Edwards, the public speaker and the New York Times-bestselling author of The Tao of Bill Murray, the ’Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy series, and Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever. If you’re interested in hiring me, click here for more information.
The VJs did most of the promotional work for VJ–for some mysterious reason, people are more interested in seeing beloved celebrities on TV than their co-writers. (In all seriousness, I was delighted to see the VJs getting the attention they deserved–it’s part of why I did this book.) But I did one interview, for Jay-Z’s Life + Times website, and I managed to drop references to both “Rock of Ages” and Futurama. Check it out.
I spent most of last week in New York, celebrating the release of VJ with the mighty Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn. Thanks to the PowerHouse Arena in Dumbo, Barnes & Noble in Tribeca, and the Apple Store in Soho for hosting us, and to everyone who came out–it was a huge pleasure to see you all.
A number of people have been kind enough to write about the book. If you’re curious to see what people who aren’t me thought of VJ (I thought it was awesome, but I’m not exactly an impartial source), you could check out:
I mean, every day is VJ day if your name is Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, or Martha Quinn, but today is VJ day for everybody, because today is the publication date of the book we did together, called VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, and now available from Amazon,Barnes & Noble,Powell’s, or your favorite bookseller near you.
Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s called it a “joyride.” Rick Springfield called it “an essential read.” Rob Sheffield called it “the real inside story of the MTV explosion that rocked the world, in all its giddy excess, from the video pioneers who saw all the hair, drugs, and guitars up close.” Have I mentioned lately how much I love Jane Wiedlin, Rick Springfield, and Rob Sheffield?
I’ll be busy in New York City celebrating its publication for the next few days–while I’m gone, why don’t you buy a copy for yourself, for your 80s-loving mom for Mother’s Day, or for the Human League fan in your life?
If you are interested in checking out the VJs on your TV or satellite radio, they will be on the Today show on Monday May 6, on Howard Stern, The View, and Access Hollywood on Tuesday May 7, doing a SiriusXM town hall on Wednesday May 8, and on the Rachael Ray Show on Thursday May 8. Check your local listings, or the VJs’ website, for more info (and other appearances).
As noted previously, they can also be seen live in the New York region:
Tuesday, May 7
7 pm
Powerhouse Arena
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Wednesday, May 8
6 pm
Barnes & Noble (Tribeca)
97 Warren St.
New York, NY 10007
Thursday, May 9
6 pm
Apple Store (Soho)
103 Prince St (corner of Greene)
New York, NY 10012
Friday, May 10
7 pm
Barnes & Noble (Paramus)
765 Route 17 South
Paramus NJ 07652
I will be moderating the first three of those events (NB this is a change from previously–I am now also doing the Apple Store event on Thursday). So come on down and say hi to me (and Alan, Mark, Martha, and Nina)! And if you can’t make it, I hope you’ll buy the book from your favorite bookseller–it’s out on Tuesday, and I just don’t think your life will be complete without it.
Although the Rolling Stones are one of my favorite bands, somehow I had never seen them live until this weekend. I had opportunities over the years–in the ‘9os, I was going to get tickets, but Pat, my officemate at Details, talked me out of it, arguing that I didn’t really want to see “the dancing skeleton show”: “You don’t want to see the Rolling Stones,” he told me. “You want to have seen them in 1974.” I went along with his logic, figuring they were really too old. Of course, that now seems like a missed chance–I could have seen them when they were only in their 50s!
I saw opening night at the Staples Center this past Friday, in a good seat with a mind-boggling face value of $600. Jack Nicholson got a standing ovation when he made his way to his seat. Mick Jagger came out for an encore wearing a feathered robe; pulled around his body, it made him look like a low-budget villain in a Sid and Marty Krofft TV show. You can read my complete review for Rolling Stone here, but the short version is that the show was more awesome than not.
1. “Burger Klone,” the fast-food restaurant serving biker gangs and lines of zombie-like (presumably non-masturbating) customers.
2. “Uncle Siggy’s Masterbingo,” a game show hosted by Freud–Lauper is a big winner.
3. A cartoon landscape, brilliantly animated by Gary Panter of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Mark Marek in a mode only slightly less realistic than Lauper herself.
4. A police station, where Lauper triumphantly breaks free from her handcuffs.
5. A large white staircase in the mode of a classic movie musical, where Lauper (in a white top hat) and dozens of extras do a rudimentary dance number.
(Correction on the animation credit courtesy of the great Gary Panter himself.) For insider Cyndi Lauper knowledge, including an up-close look at her journey into the heart of wrestling, check out VJ, the book I wrote with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn, coming out May 7th. You can order it now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell’s.
Hey, good people! As you may have heard, I have a book coming out on May 7, called VJ, written with the original MTV VJs (Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn). If you want to hear Mark talk about “the $10,000 haircut” he got from MTV, to learn the secrets of Adam Ant or Joe Cocker from Nina and Alan, or to breathe the same oxygen as Martha, this is your opportunity–the VJs will be making some personal appearances in the New York region the week of the book’s publication.
Tuesday, May 7
7 pm
Powerhouse Arena
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Wednesday, May 8
6 pm
Barnes & Noble (Tribeca)
97 Warren St.
New York, NY 10007
Thursday, May 9
6 pm
Apple Store (Soho)
103 Prince St (corner of Greene)
New York, NY 10012
Friday, May 10
7 pm
Barnes & Noble (Paramus)
765 Route 17 South
Paramus NJ 07652
I will be at the first two events on that list, in Brooklyn and Tribeca, moderating a conversation with the VJs before they sign books. I hope you can join us—and if you do, please say hello! (If you want to get your book autographed, please buy it at the location of the event—we want the evening to be worthwhile for our hosts.) I look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!
The VJs did most of the promotional work for VJ–for some mysterious reason, people are more interested in seeing beloved celebrities on TV than their co-writers. (In all seriousness, I was delighted to see the VJs getting the attention they deserved–it’s part of why I did this book.) But I did one interview, for Jay-Z’s Life + Times website, and I managed to drop references to both “Rock of Ages” and Futurama. Check it out.
