In Other Words: Artists Talk About Life and Work

by Anthony DeCurtis

In Other Words collects the most intimate and revealing interviews by Anthony DeCurtis, who, in the course of a distinguished 25-year career, has earned a reputation for approaching his craft with depth, seriousness and sensitivity. His many subjects - music legends, movie directors, artistic provocateurs, up-and-coming talents, visionary songwriters - all speak with rare candor about the meanings within and the motivations behind their best work. Many of these interviews - which originally appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times and other publications - have been significantly expanded. DeCurtis has also written new introductions that tell the story behind these stories, transforming this collection into an episodic memoir of a life on the front lines of cultural journalism. These gripping conversations will make readers feel that they are sitting, as DeCurtis did, at a dinner table or in a quiet room alone, learning everything they want to know about some of the most revered artists of our time.

Genres: Music, Art

1 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.

DeCurtis is now a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where his work has appeared for more than thirty years. He holds a Ph.D. in American literature from Indiana University, and teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a music critic for WFUV-FM, where he does on-air reviews.

DeCurtis's essay accompanying the Eric Clapton box set Crossroads won a Grammy in the "Best Album Notes" category, and on three occasions he has won ASCAP's Deems Taylor awards for excellence in writing about music. He has appeared as a commentator on MTV, VH1, the Today Show and many other news and entertainment programs. From 2006 through June of 2008 he directed and helped design the arts-and-culture curriculum at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He was an editorial consultant and the primary interviewer for "Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound," a documentary for PBS American Masters.

Reviews

[Debra Komar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious anthology of interviews, largely from Rolling Stone. The level of interest you might have in each depends on your feelings about a particular artist: Michael Stipe, David Byrne, Bowie, McCartney, etc. I have never found DeCurtis' interviews to be particularly insightful, but the answers are often revealing. Very hit and miss. The attempt to group them by theme feels unnecessary and is often a stretch.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing terribly new or interesting. I like a lot of the artist's he interviewed and as such I already know their stories and very little is added in reading this collection. Some of the interviews are interesting, (Keith Richards was funny and I don't care about him or the Rolling Stones) but mostly the interviews are neither bad or good as you would expect from someone who has done it for so long at a major magazine. I would rather read a collection of interviews from someone who has a strong viewpoint or pushes the envelope of those interviewed where as DeCurtis likes to ask a question then sit back.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very interesting interviews.