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10 Questions with ... Steve Gorman
September 3, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Current rock music is as strong and as varied as it's ever been. What has changed is how rock music is valued as a cultural commodity, in ways both positive and negative. The bands and the artists are doing their part, but it can be harder to find the good stuff than in years past. The Classic Rock format has shown quite clearly that it's here to stay. The challenge with Classic Rock isn't to radically update the playlists necessarily, but to keep what we do on-air around those playlists fresh and interesting. The music itself is eternally rewarding to every new generation. Music played with human hands on real instruments connects in a way that synthesized pop music simply can't, so that's no surprise
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1) While most Rock fans are familiar with your background as the drummer and a founding member of The Black Crowes, when did you begin to entertain the idea of doing a radio show?
I was a Broadcasting major at Western Kentucky University in the '80s and planned to be a sportscaster. I didn't have much ambition, to be honest. I just kept hearing that I had a great voice, and I loved sports, so I went in that direction. After dropping out midway through my Senior year, I didn't give it another thought until the late '90s when I heard Jim Rome the first time. I listened to his show and immediately heard something in my mind - a hybrid sports/music show. Everyone I grew up with always had a favorite team and a favorite band. We would talk and argue and banter about those things constantly. It felt like a natural starting point for a show.
2) What radio stations and personalities did you listen to when you were growing up?
WKOA and WHOP in Hopkinsville, and WKDF from Nashville were the stations. I don't recall the local personalities, but nationally, it was all Paul Harvey and Casey Kasem. I listened to Paul Harvey every morning and Casey Kasem every Sunday for years and years. I heard about both John Bonham and Keith Moon dying from Paul Harvey, in fact.
3) Can you give us the specifics of how the Steve Gorman Rocks! radio show came together?
We ended Steve Gorman SPORTS! about a year ago. Within a few days, Troy Hanson (who'd been my PD on SGS when it was a local show in Nashville back from 2011-2013) called to ask what I was going to do next. I told him I had to finish my book, but as soon as that was done, I thought it might be time to do something different. I was burnt out on Sports Talk. He said, essentially, "I have an idea for a show at Classic Rock ... wanna get together and see what you think?" and we were off and running. Within a few months, I met with Mike McVay and Kirk Stirland and it was pretty clear that we were all on the same page. So it's been a calm, slow and natural build to get this show together.
4) Social media personality April Rose will also be part of Steve Gorman Rocks! What is her role and who else will be contributing to the show?
April is our Swiss Army Knife. In addition to creating both audio and video content for our online life, she will be a great on-air balance for me. April will provide counterpoints, different perspectives, great humor and of course a great passion for rock music.
April Rose and Steve Gorman will Rock!!5) Give us some highlights of special features and music you'll feature on the show on a nightly basis?
We have a ton of ideas that we'll be running with. First and foremost, we will interview as many musicians as we can wrangle into the studios. I'll do a brief sports roundup every night, and we also have a tip of the cap to Casey Kasem that will be a lot of fun.
6) I'm sure you'll have some juicy old Black Crowes stories that you'll share with your audience every night. How many stories aren't suitable for the radio?
There are countless stories in both the suitable and unsuitable lanes. I am cursed with a near photographic memory so there's no shortage of material in that realm.
7) How is the music chosen on Steve Gorman Rocks!? Do you have the final say on everything that's played?
I can weigh in with bands and tracks that I want to spotlight, of course, but this is a new format for me, so I am happy to be working with programmers that know what the audience is happiest with. Like any new project, I imagine that it will evolve over time. My primary focus right now is on everything that accompanies the music we will play.
8) What's your take on current Rock music and the Rock and Classic Rock formats overall?
Current rock music is as strong and as varied as it's ever been. What has changed is how rock music is valued as a cultural commodity, in ways both positive and negative. The bands and the artists are doing their part, but it can be harder to find the good stuff than in years past. The Classic Rock format has shown quite clearly that it's here to stay. The challenge with Classic Rock isn't to radically update the playlists necessarily, but to keep what we do on-air around those playlists fresh and interesting. The music itself is eternally rewarding to every new generation. Music played with human hands on real instruments connects in a way that synthesized pop music simply can't, so that's no surprise.
9) I understand this past year you've been working on a book called "Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of The Black Crowes." When will that be out and tell us about it.
The book will be released on Sept. 24th. It's a memoir of my 27 years with the band throughout its many incarnations. It's a very personal account from my perspective on our triumphs, struggles, and ultimate failure.
10) Finally, your current band, Trigger Hippy, is planning an October album release titled "Full Circle and Then Some." Can you give us the scoop on this new music?
The first single, "Don't Wanna Bring You Down," is already getting some great airplay and is, for lack of a better term, a bit of an overture for the entire album. It's tough to talk/write about music for me without sounding like a cliche machine, but this track can give you a real sense of the various directions we take the rest of the songs.
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