Now into my late 30s, I have been writing articles and conducting interviews for over 20 years. In turn, whether I like or not, I get pitched new products and press-related opportunities – for coverage purposes, of course – around the clock just about every day of the week. And quite honestly, the majority of these pitches have nothing to do with what I am interested in, or even what I write about.
Earlier this month, I got a pitch related to a California-based author named Joel Miller. The pitch talked about how Miller’s new book “Memoir Of A Roadie,” which had recently hit the #1 spot on Amazon within the site’s “biographies” category. As a music-oriented person, I saw the word “roadie” and kept reading that e-mail. Ultimately, I caught onto the fact that Miller had worked on the road crew of a lot of major rock bands, including Guns N’ Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Poison and The Cranberries. I next picked up on the fact that Miller was of Jewish descent – and let’s face it, there traditionally aren’t a lot of Jews on the touring crews of hard rock bands. And in the words of long-time Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed after reading Miller’s book: “I was forced to relive moments I’d intentionally blocked out. Great read!”
I promptly started reading the e-book version of “Memoir Of A Roadie” and within a few days of that pitch, I had not only finished reading the book but had set up a time to speak with Joel Miller via Zoom. We chatted on October 14, 2020, as embedded below, and also discussed his award-winning 2006 film “The Still Life,” which he wrote, produced, directed, cast and financed. A great guy – to say the least – with lots of great stories to tell.
