Podcast

My Guest Spot on the It’s All Journalist Podcast

I’ve been asked to appear on a bunch of podcasts recently–I have another thing coming up this afternoon–and here’s one of the latest. Listen and learn more at It’s All Journalism.

Who hasn’t had an unexpected and, to be honest, unwanted assignment? How often has that kind of work changed the course of your career?

Alan Cross worked as a DJ for years before the studio bosses at CFNY in Toronto told him his job was being saved during a time of cutbacks, provided he host a new long-form radio show to explain this new sound that was coming out of Seattle and other cities. They called the show the Ongoing History of New Music, a title the station manager admitted was terrible, but it was only going to last about six months anyway. More than 750 episodes and 20 years later, the music industry, like journalism, has changed wildly, as has the way in which fans can interact with their favorite bands while finding new music.

“Back in the beginning, when I started this, there was no internet,” Cross said. “There were very few books written on alternative music because at that time it was this weird fringy stuff that nobody was talking about. We can get you thousands of books on the Beatles or Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones, but if you wanted a book on the Clash or the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, those things just did not exist.”

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Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37948 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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