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.
Perhaps you can’t wait twelve days for the publication of VJ, the book I wrote with original MTV personalities Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn. Perhaps you are wishing that a tabloid would excerpt some of the juiciest passages, with stories about David Lee Roth, David Bowie, Madonna, and John Cougar. Then today is your lucky day, because the New York Daily News hyped the book on its front page, ran this excerpt, and printed this one too. Enjoy!
1. Springsteen, with sideburns, in blue jeans, a thick black belt, and a white short-sleeve shirt half-unbuttoned.
2. Clarence Clemons, with sunglasses and a high-top fade.
3. Max Weinberg, in a paisley shirt and vest, with a puffy haircut that looks like it’s trying to escape from his scalp.
4. Roy Bittan, with a pre-grunge beard and plaid shirt.
5. Courtney Cox, with a wedge haircut, a big black digital watch, and a sleeveless Springsteen t-shirt.
There is more ’80s fashion in VJ, the book I wrote with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn, coming out May 7th. Oh, so much more. You can order it now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell’s.
1. The voiceover “Maybe there’s another way to do this,” which prompts the members of Yes to transform into animals, like a prog-rock Justice League of Lycanthropes.
2. The protagonist (of a Kafkaesque tale of abduction and escape) washing his face with maggots.
3. Lead singer Jon Anderson’s ruddy complexion, feathered hair, and elaborately paneled sweater, which cumulatively make him look like a Norwegian ski instructor.
4. The protagonist elaborately writhing and contorting as he has visions of animals crawling on his skin.
5. The protagonist jumping off a roof to escape the members of Yes, and then transforming into a bird (with an intermediate developmental stage as a mannequin).
For more MTVariffic goodness, 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.
1. Waite kicking off the video by giving the overhead lamp a push, better to get the drama of an oscillating light.
2. Waite looking gaunt to the point of ill health.
3. Waite’s powder-blue suit, worn nonironically.
4. Waite singing the song’s chorus as he walks down a city sidewalk, eyeballed by pedestrians who seem more curious about the film crew than about him.
5. Waite hanging up a pay phone with such force that he pulverizes the handset.
There is actually a whole chapter about John Waite in VJ, the book I wrote with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn, coming out May 7th. It’s got passion, scarves, and the secret origin of “Missing You”–if you want to know more, you can order it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell’s.
I hadn’t been on a game show for a while, so when the good people at The Experts, your new favorite YouTube game show, asked if I would come on and demonstrate my expertise in something nonmusical, I was happy to compete on the basis of my decades-long obsession with Alice in Wonderland. Curious how it turned out?
I know you’ve been thinking, “Hey, Gavin! VJ, that book you wrote with the original MTV hosts Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn–when does it come out? Can I preorder it? Are you going to do any fun MTV stuff before its publication?”
Well, I’m glad you asked. The publication date is May 7, meaning you can start counting the days now. Or you can order it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell’s. (Or bat your eyes winningly at your local bookseller and ask them to stock it.) And I just happen to have some top-five lists inspired by the early years of MTV to get you in the mood, starting with the mighty Ms. Ciccone and the wide range of personalities she portrayed in the 1984 video for “Borderline”:
1. B-girl, rocking out with the breakdancers and spray-painting some impromptu graffiti.
2. Ruffled flamenco dancer.
3. Tough chick in a leather jacket and fishnet top, showing off the dark roots under her blonde hair.
4. Girl torn between her Latin lover and her new upscale photographer boyfriend–while wearing bright orange shoes and neon yellow socks.
5. Magazine cover subject (for the fictional publication Gloss).
A couple of months ago, I was in Amsterdam for work (no, really). Walking around one night, I saw this (non-ironic, as far as I could tell) street sign, with English graffito. Does anybody speak Dutch? Is this for real?
You have probably already heard the news of Michelle Shocked’s onstage meltdown and rant against gay marriage, which seems to have put the kibosh on her current tour, and possibly her career. Previously, she was not just a warrior for progressive politics, but imbued with a generous spirit towards humanity, which makes this descent into hatred all the sadder and weirder.
It made me revisit the article I wrote about her in 2005, when she was in a rueful but happier state of mind. I had forgotten the lead graf, which captured a moment when she was trying to balance her Christianity with her past:
Michelle Shocked is telling me about how she got saved. “It’s just a real garden-variety, born-again, Evangelical Christianity,” she says cheerfully. “But it does have the twist of my being a radical skateboard punk-rock anarchist.”
I had the pleasure of having tea with Sir Elton John yesterday. (Well, I had actually had mac and cheese plus a Diet Coke, but he had a cup of tea, so I think it counts.) The occasion was a small listening party for his forthcoming album (his thirtieth!), The Diving Board. It’s not out until September, but you can read my preview now. In case you were wondering: he was warm and gracious and charming. And he has hands like catcher’s mitts.
Perhaps you can’t wait twelve days for the publication of VJ, the book I wrote with original MTV personalities Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn. Perhaps you are wishing that a tabloid would excerpt some of the juiciest passages, with stories about David Lee Roth, David Bowie, Madonna, and John Cougar. Then today is your lucky day, because the New York Daily News hyped the book on its front page, ran this excerpt, and printed this one too. Enjoy!
