Rock Is Lit

Rock Is Lit

“I really tried to create a band that I would love, if they were real”— Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six Fiction writers have long been seduced by the anarchy, defiance, and raw power of rock ‘n roll, creating stories about music, the people who make it, and the characters who love it with the same intensity as the most ambitious concept albums. But until Rock is Lit first aired in September 2022, there had never been a podcast devoted to this art form—the rock novel—and the show remains a singularity. In each episode, host Christy Alexander Hallberg, author of the award-winning rock novel Searching for Jimmy Page (Livingston Press, 2021), interviews authors about craft and the musical inspiration behind their work, then brings in music experts, like legendary groupie Pamela Des Barres, to add real-world context to the bands or musical periods featured in the novels. Hallberg has quickly earned a reputation as a meticulous researcher and creative producer, frequently garnering compliments from guests such as Rex Weiner, author of The (Original) Adventures of Ford Fairlane: “You’re so well versed in what I wrote and, of course, your own rock ‘n roll history is pretty terrific.” The podcast’s growing roster of rock novels includes: Dana Spiotta’s National Book Award-nominated Eat the Document, works by BIPOC authors like Chris L. Terry’s Black Card, metal-centric novels like John Wray’s Gone to the Wolves, YA LGBTQ debuts like Jessamyn Violet’s Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar, Scifi rock novels like Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula Award-winning A Song For A New Day, rock novels adapted to film like Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire, and celebrity rock novels like the legendary Suzi Quatro’s The Hurricane. Tune in to Rock is Lit and join the mounting number of Lit Listeners on their quest to find the very best rock novels. A proud part of Pantheon Podcasts. Watch the trailer on YouTube. Find Christy Alexander Hallberg and Rock is Lit on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg

Episodes

April 15, 2025 114 mins
Hey, Lit listeners! It’s old home week here at the podcast. Joining me are two Rock is Lit alumni who know a thing or two about chasing musical dreams and writing fiction that grooves with soul and grit: authors and musicians Peter McDade and Michael Amos Cody. In this special episode we’re talking about their brand-new novels: Peter’s ‘King Cal’ and Michael’s ‘Streets of Nashville’. Both of these fabulous novels ask what music cos...
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What if The Beatles did reunite—and the world was never the same? In this special episode, Christy Alexander Hallberg welcomes acclaimed author, media scholar, and musician Paul Levinson to talk about his novel ‘It’s Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles’, based on his award-winning short story that reimagines a very different musical timeline. Set in 1996, the novel follows legendary New York DJ Pete Fornatale as he hea...
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In this special episode of Rock is Lit, veteran rocker and author Elliott Murphy talks about and shares an excerpt from his novel ‘Marty May’. Once a rising rock star in 1970s New York, virtuoso guitarist Marty May has lost it all—his career, his marriage, and his record deal. Now, at 33, he’s alone, drowning in debt, and questioning his future. Should he return to his blues roots with his old mentor, Blind Red Rose? Set in the 198...
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Author Constance Squires returns to Rock is Lit to discuss her debut novel, ‘Along the Watchtower’, a powerful coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of military life, Cold War Germany, and rock ‘n roll.  ‘Along the Watchtower’ follows thirteen-year-old Lucinda Collins as she arrives at a U.S. military base in Grafenwoehr, West Germany, in 1983. She knows the drill—setting up new quarters, navigating her parents' tensions, an...
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In this special episode of Rock is Lit, we celebrate Yoko Ono’s 92nd birthday by honoring her profound impact on art, music, and peace activism. Returning to the podcast is Madeline Bocaro, author of In Your Mind: The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono, to explore Yoko’s artistic vision, her unwavering commitment to peace, and the ways her influence continues to shape generations. Building on our deep dive in Episode 47, this conversati...
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In this final episode in the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Suzanne Mattaboni discusses her debut novel, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, and shares excerpts from the story. Set in 1984, where punk reigns and Andy Warhol rules, 20-year-old art student Jessica longs for a life beyond her reach. Dreaming of an avant-garde study program in London, she’s stuck waitressing and navigating drama with her boyfriend Drew, who wants to date other...
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We’re talking nonfiction in this bonus featurette crafted entirely by Season 4 Production Intern Major LeGoullon. Major shines a spotlight on Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan’s 2012 autobiography, ‘It’s So Easy: And Other Lies’, drawing connections to Rock is Lit Season 2, Episode 18. That earlier episode featured Melissa Ragsly discussing her short story collection, ‘We Know This Will All Disappear’, including the Guns N’ Roses-...
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In this episode of the Rock is Lit Season Four Reading Series, Sarah Seltzer joins the podcast to discuss and read an excerpt from her USA Today bestselling novel, ‘The Singer Sisters’. Set in 1996, the novel follows alt-rocker Emma Cantor as she navigates the highs and lows of a rising music career while grappling with the legacy of her mother, Judie, a 1960s folk legend. Emma’s journey is marked by revelations about her family’s ...
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In this special episode of Rock is Lit, host Christy Alexander Hallberg hands the mic to teacher, podcaster, and DJ Andrew Smith, who interviews his friend Peter Werbe about Peter’s debut novel, ‘Summer On Fire’. Peter also reads an excerpt from the book. Peter Werbe is a veteran of Detroit’s alternative and commercial media scene, as well as a political activist. A member of the editorial collective of ‘Fifth Estate’ magazine, his...
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In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Michael T. Fournier shares an excerpt from his debut novel, ‘Hidden Wheel’ (2011), and explores the musical influences behind the book, along with his experiences as a musician with the bands Dead Trend and Plaza. About ‘Hidden Wheel’: When an art scene takes root in a pop-up colony called Freedom Springs, micro-visionary Ben Wilfork promotes the giant, autobiographica...
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In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Eric Jay Sonnenschein discusses and reads from his novel ‘Rocked and Rolled’, a story set in New York’s ’70s and ’80s New Wave scene that follows a young writer-turned-musician navigating the cutthroat music industry while balancing ambition with creative integrity. ‘Rocked and Rolled’ conveys the perpetual human struggle to express, invent, and reinvent oneself amid s...
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In the latest Season 4 episode of the Rock is Lit Reading Series, author Thomas Calder takes us into the heart of his poignant novel, ‘The Wind Under the Door’. Set against the vibrant backdrop of contemporary Asheville and the majestic North Carolina mountains, the story follows Ford Carson as he navigates love, family, and artistic reinvention. At forty, Ford has forged a new life as a visual artist in the mountains of North Caro...
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In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Sarah Tomlinson discusses the inspiration for and reads from her debut novel, ‘The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers’. ‘The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers’ synopsis: Anke Berben is ready to tell all. A legendary model and style icon, she reveled in headline-grabbing romances with not one but three members of the hugely influential rock band the Midnight Ramblers. ...
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In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, O.F. Cieri reads an excerpt from her novel ‘Backmask’ and discusses the inspiration behind the story and the music that shaped it. Inspired by pop music history and written in the style of ‘60s horror pulp, ‘Backmask’ is the fake history of a conspiracy theory surrounding the Satanic agenda to control children’s minds. Nicholas Hush, 1960s record producer, has a vision...
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In this episode, Philip Cohen joins the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series to share a few chapters of his novel ‘Conflict in the City’. Mixing and blending the genres of detective noir and music, ‘Conflict in the City’ takes place in greater Los Angeles, home to both classic and modern fictional LA detectives like Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe and Michael Connolly’s Harry Bosch, and music legends like the Doors, Van Halen, an...
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In this episode, Matthew Fiander joins the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series to discuss and read from his debut novel, ‘Ringing in Your Ears’. Set in a Boston suburb during the early ‘90s, the story follows Louise “Blue” Cleary as she navigates the emotional aftermath of her sister Christine’s mysterious death. Already struggling to fit in as a girl barred from playing baseball and an umpire facing hostility from local parents, B...
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Congratulations to the winner of the first Bill Hallberg Rock ‘n’ Roll Short Story Contest in the general submissions category, Mark Baumgartner! Listen to Mark read his winning story, “Last Chance for a Slow Dance,” in this episode. Mark D. Baumgartner’s fiction has been published in many literary journals, including ‘The Southern Review’, ‘Confrontation’, ‘Best of Ohio Anthology’, ‘Bellingham Review’, ‘Silk Road’, ‘Yemassee’, ‘Wi...
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Congratulations to the winner of the first Bill Hallberg Rock ‘n’ Roll Short Story Contest in the undergraduate college student category, Senami Kugblenu! Listen to Senami read her winning story, “Goat and Pearls,” in this episode. Senami Kugblenu is a Nigerian-American writer, Johnston scholar, and Honors student at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is majoring in English & Comparative Literature and French and minoring in Information Systems....
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In this installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Karen Green discusses and reads an excerpt from her novel, ‘Yellow Birds’. ‘Yellow Birds’ synopsis: Set in a time just before the digital revolution, Kait is a young woman searching for identity and community. A group of outcasts called the Yellow Birds take her town to town on what they refer to as the Open Road Tour. One night, when Kait is feeling kinship with this ...
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In this episode of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Staci Layne Wilson reads her short story “I Don’t Wanna Go to Remus,” featured in the anthology ‘28’. The collection imagines an alternate reality where members of the infamous 27 Club, such as Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, and Amy Winehouse, live beyond their tragic ends. In Wilson’s story, Amy—a talented but troubled musician known for her refusal to seek help—faces a surre...
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