Jim Sullivan - a 2023 inductee into the New England Music Hall of Fame - spent 26 years writing for the Boston Globe and two decades more writing for national publications. He has interviewed and reviewed countless musicians, many of them multiple times.
The second volume of his music-writing anthology Backstage & Beyond (subtitled "45 Years of Modern Rock Chats & Rants") focuses on artists who came to prominence in the 1970s and '80s: punk, new wave, post-punk and beyond. Eleven of them are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Chapters on:
- Ramones
- Sex Pistols
- The Clash
- Patti Smith
- Buzzcocks
- The Damned
- The Fall
- Joy Division & New Order
- The Cure
- Stiff Little Fingers
- Gang of Four
- Pogues
- Police
- Cramps
- David Byrne & Talking Heads
- Beastie Boys
- Elvis Costello
- Billy Bragg
- The Cars
- English Beat
- Morrissey
- Pixies
- Mission of Burma
- Feelies
- Puff Daddy
- Spiritualized
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Swans
- Bono & U2
"I have spoken to many journalists in my time: some good, some bad, some terrible. And it is lovely when you meet someone who is just like you ... a huge music fan! Jim Sullivan … is friendly, knowledgeable, forthright and opinionated! An expert in his chosen field. He is no pushover ... if you have faults or are resting on your laurels, he is the first to tell you off."
--Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order)
"There's a lot of history here, and a lot of reflecting on that history. For me, it's interesting to see the conflict many artists have as they try to evaluate their own work and its place in the scheme of things. Jim Sullivan has been able to coax some of those reflections out of a broad spectrum of artists, and it's fascinating to read."
--Greg Hawkes (Cars)
"With a twinkle in his eye, Jim cuts through the business and, speaking from his heart, he gently gets you to do the same. You learn a great deal about an artist from a Jim Sullivan interview, including yourself!"
-- Dave Wakeling (English Beat)
"It's like getting an All-Access pass backstage for your musical heroes, but without all the awkward standing-in-the-corner stuff, not knowing what to say, eating too many funny-tasting carrot sticks from the pawed-over deli tray. Backstage & Beyond is every super music geek's wet dream."
-- Clint Conley (Mission of Burma)
