Contact info: dean(at)deangoodman dotcom.
I am an author and ghost writer living in California with my memories and my wife. I was a journalist for 23 years, starting out as a business and political reporter when I was 19, and specializing in music and showbiz after I came to America in 1992.
I have interviewed hundreds of stars. Favorites, for various reasons, included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, Robbie Robertson, Marianne Faithfull, Barry White, Carly Simon, Nancy Wilson, Maurice Gibb, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Solomon Burke, Isaac Hayes, Mark Knopfler, Gavin Rossdale, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Page, Roger Daltrey, Carly Simon, George Harrison, Mick Jones (both of them), Steve Cropper, Jeff Beck, Johnny Cash, and the guys in Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, the Sex Pistols, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Crowes, Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Anthrax, INXS, the Hives, Midnight Oil, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Metallica.
My first major interview, in 1988, was with Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve. It took me hours to write a five-paragraph story. It’s been an eclectic career—not only central bankers and rock stars, but also Hollywood types, authors, prime ministers, CEOs, rugby and cricket stars, economists, architects, and one assassin.
Here I am dancing on stage with Iggy and the Stooges in 2011 (last one on stage, grey hoodie). This is one of the many experiences recounted in my memoir, Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ‘n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles, available here for just $6.66. For more info, go to strangedaysbook.com.
At every opportunity I try to travel, and I finally reached my 50th U.S. state (South Dakota, saving the best for last) in May 2021. My country tally stands at 100, with favorites including Australia (No. 1), Laos, the Philippines, Belarus, Iran, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Slovenia AND Slovakia, Paraguay, South Korea, and Nicaragua. Cuba was the worst. When I am home, I rarely get out of bed.
I also love graveyards, genealogy, state capitols, presidential libraries, pizza and cider, rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, swimming, and Seinfeld reruns.
Copyright © 2021 by Dean Goodman