John Robb, a writer, author, and member of Goldblade and The Membranes has given an interview to NME about his current spoken word tour, his famous interview with Nirvana, the Cable fight with Oasis, and his unwavering faith in new music. John Robb has written for several publications, including Melody Maker and The Guardian, and has written books on The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and goth music. He runs a website called LouderThanWar.
The author is currently on the final leg of his UK spoken word tour for his latest book, which is called Do You Believe in the Power of Rock & Roll?: Forty Years of Music Writing from the Frontline. When speaking to NME about his tour, Robb said, “There are plenty of anecdotes and stories in there. I always put in the Oasis story about how I was the first person to hear (What’s The Story) Morning Glory in the studio, then they got in a massive fight with the band I was producing – Cable. Oasis actually split up briefly that night after that fight, but I was the only sober person there so I can remember it in almost exact detail!”
Robb has had a diverse career, and another story at the center of his book and live show is how while working at Sounds, he was the first journalist ever to interview Nirvana back in 1989, before eventually flying out to live with the band for five days nine months later. Robb says his memoir’s essence is “the story of a generation, of my generation,” saying “a lot of people got into punk in a small circle in London, but it hit harder in small towns.”
Robb also shares his thoughts on The 1975’s Matty Healy – who he admits can be a ‘prat’ but describes as an idealist – and Fontaines D.C. Robb was going to put out Fontaines D.C.’s first single via his label, and during that time, he had a one-to-one session with the band’s frontman, Grian Chatten
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