Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper - by Laurie Kaye (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

On December 8, 1980, twenty-something rock journalist Laurie Kaye entered the legendary Dakota apartments in New York to interview her longtime idol John Lennon. It was the last interview Lennon would ever give-- just hours later, outside that same building, Lennon was shot dead by a twenty-five-year-old man (Kaye refuses to name him) whom Kaye herself had encountered after finishing the interview and stepping outside. Kaye has beaten herself up ever since over her failure to recognize that the assassin posed a danger and should have been reported. Here Kaye recounts not just her unfortunate brush with history, but also her turbulent early years growing up in LA and her fascinating, star-packed journey from radio intern to acclaimed writer/producer. Plus interviews with such titans of the music industry as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Talking Heads, the Ramones, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger.

Review Quotes

"Her inspiring story culminates in the scoop of the decade--a joyous interview with John and Yoko, ending with the sudden tragedy that shattered her psyche and shook the whole world." --Madeline Bocaro, author, In Your Mind--The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono

"Laurie Kaye makes it possible for readers to experience 'being there' with her rock 'n' roll confessional." --Dave Sholin, former RKO exec/executive producer; current air personality/assistant programmer, KSJJ/KGMX Bend, Oregon

"Name-dropping? Well, they say it ain't bragging if you really did it, and Laurie Kaye has really done it." --Chris Frantz, drummer/cofounder, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club; author, Remain in Love

About the Author

Laurie Kaye began her career in radio at KFRC-AM San Francisco, for years one of the nation's greatest top 40 stations, where she started as an intern and worked her way up to on-air reporter and anchor. She wrote and coproduced numerous radio rock specials for RKO, including RKO Presents the Beatles (later expanded and retitled as The Beatles from Liverpool to Legend), and The Top 100 of the 70's before moving on to write Dick Clark's weekly radio countdown show and syndicated newspaper column. Kaye then moved on to television and film as a writer, producer, and casting director, where she still works today, handling both creative content and line producing for docuseries pilots.