Episode 1005 - Writer Rob Janicke

This is what words are for.

In what seems like a lifetime ago, I began the Abandoned Albums podcast with Rob Janicke and we had a ton of fun doing it. But then he went off to write his spectacular new book Slacker 1991, Teen Spirit, Angst and the Generation It Created:

Like Rob, I am of the generation of which he writes about and I found Slacker to be a great read. Not only a great read about an era in American culture that has a deep well of interpretation, but the book also helped me understand the man I shared a mic with for about a year.

It’s Rob’s personal stories woven throughout the book that give Slacker a unique intimacy.

As he was finishing the book we re-connected and obviously we had to have him return to the show.

Now, much has been made about video and podcasting in the past year, and I generally eschew the video component. But since Rob is photogenic, I thought I would post the video of our conversation here on the ‘stack (it’s also available as an audio only podcast and on the YouTubes). In the video, you’ll see why I tend to stick with straight audio - I look like a doofus and am invariably drinking something and chewing gum (a big no no in the interview rule book).

In this interview you get the trifecta - doofus, drinking (tea & water), and chewing gum.

But hey, Rob looks good and that’s what matters.

You can buy Rob’s book HERE… and you should.

Here’s my conversation with Rob: