E236: Nik Cohn and Ben Ratliff on Corner Boy + Awopbopaloobop

For this episode we invite the legendary Nik Cohn to join us from upstate New York to discuss his extraordinary career and his brilliant new book Corner Boy. Also joining us — from New York City — is the book's editor Ben Ratliff, himself the author of an acclaimed 2007 biography of John Coltrane.

We start by asking Nik about the epiphanic teenage moment he discovered rock'n'roll in Derry, Northern Ireland, before jumping forward to his early pop writing for Queen in the mid-'60s. Along the way, Ben explains Corner Boy's conception and the book's collaborative process.

Inevitably we revisit the writing and publication of 1969's explosive Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom, plus its enduring reputation as rock's first great book. We also ask Nik about his close relationship with the Who and their manager Kit Lambert, and about Guy Peellaert and Rock Dreams; the 1976 article that gave birth to Saturday Night Fever; and our guest's abiding love of New Orleans.

Mention of Nik's 2005 book Triksta: Life and Death and New Orleans Rap leads us into clips from David Toop's 1984 audio interview with hip hop forefather Grandmaster Flash, and to a general discussion of rap's impact on our guests.

After Nik reflects on the 1983 drug bust that inspired the Corner Boy piece 'Apprehension', Jasper and William talk us out with their highlights from recent additions to the Rock's Backpages library.

Pieces discussed:

• ⁠James Brown: Walthamstow Granada, London⁠, 

• The Shangri-Las,

• Tyrannosaurus Rex,

• Close-Up: Nik Cohn,

• Nik Cohn: My Book is Rubbish but it's the Best,

• Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The book that declared pop music dead,

• Grandmaster Flash audio (1984),

• Lawrence Welk & Johnny Hodges,

• Love You, New Orleans,

• Is Elvis Belittling His Early Hits?, and

• Kim Gordon: from Sonic Youth to self-proclaimed "sociologist".