Bruce Pollock ("The Next to Last of the Rock Journalists") is the Deems Taylor Award winning author of 15 books on music, including Bob Dylan FAQ, America's Songs, V.3 Working Musicians: Defining Moments from the Road and The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs of Rock and Roll History. Visit Bruce at brucepollockthewriter.com
Tom Higgenson of Plain White T's - "Hey There Delilah"Plain White T's lead singer Tom Higgenson explains how an encounter with a real Delilah became the hit "Hey There Delilah" with some help from Myspace.
Graham NashIn this 1989 interview, Graham Nash talks about going from writing lightweight Hollies hits ("On A Carousel"), to "Songs as News," like "Chicago (We Can Change The World)," his song about the Chicago 7.
Don McLean - "American Pie"Don McLean explains where the "Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost" are really going in the last verse of "American Pie" and talks about how the song cast him out of the folk scene when it became a massive hit.
John PrineIn this classic interview from 1974, John Prine details his songwriting process and explains how he creates and names the characters in his songs.
Phil OchsTwo years before his death, Phil Ochs talked about the essence of folk music, his jailhouse epiphany, and what he thought of Bob Dylan's move away from protest music.
Neil Peart of Rush - Craftsmanship SpeaksIn the second part of this classic interview with Rush drummer Neil Peart, we learn about one of his favorite lyrical themes: the crossover between innocence and disillusionment.
Neil Peart of Rush - Yielding to InspirationNeil Peart of Rush explains how he writes lyrics for the band in Part 1 of this classic interview.
Buffy Sainte-MarieAn enlightening talk with the Canadian-American Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie at a time when she was trying to open eyes to the plight of indigenous people.
Lou ReedBruce Pollock gets stonewalled interviewing Lou Reed until he hits on some topics that spark his interest: Berlin, songwriting, and critics.
Paul SimonIn three different interviews, Paul Simon talks about his musical progression, from "folkie stuff" to hitmaker to "far away from the marketplace."