Former Columbia Records VP of Rock Promotion, Paul Rappaport has a new book that highlights his relationships with artists like, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Springsteen and more. PART ONE

Today we are honored to share a rare and special conversation with one of Los Angeles' original punk icons - Exene Cervenka of the band X. As the co-lead vocalist, a core songwriter, poet, and artist, Exene has helped define a genre and inspire generations.  X Began shaking up the music scene nearly 50 years ago, and now, after decades of groundbresaking work, they're preparing to take their final bow. Their farewell album, Smoke & Fiction, dropped last year to critical acclaim - and now John Doe, Billy Zoom, DJ Bonebreak and Exene are hitting the road one last time with their final tour kicking off September 19th, joined by the legendary Los Lobos.  Side note: we have two other archived interviews featuring John Doe of X and Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.  Find our show notes and more information on our website: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

When people talk about the great rock vocalists of all time, several familiar and redundant names will always appear, like Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Chris Cornell and others.  One name that appears on those same lists is Rock And Roll Hall of Famer, Glenn Hughes, known for his work in Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze, Black Country Communion, and as a solo artist. We were lucky enough to speak with him about the new record, upcoming  confirmed projects with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Joe Bonamassa, as well as what it was like to play Cal Jam I in Ontario and his thoughts on loosing his friend Ozzy Osbourne the prior week.

Original air date: August 1, 2025   First off, we highly reccomend that you listen to part one before you listen to this half of the interview. If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in the rock and roll business at the highest level, this guest has the answers to all of your questions.  Paul Rappaport started out as just a regular guy from Southern California - someone who loved ledgendary concerts and played guitar in his own band. But as fate would have it, a recommendation led him to apply for a college rep position at Columbia Records, and he only moved up from there.  In the episode, Paul tells incredible stories about the Rolling Stones (Ron Wood & Keith Richards), Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Elvis Costello and more.  Paul just released his critically acclaimed book, "Gliders Over Hollywood" and he is happy to share many of those stories on this episode of our podcast.  For more information and to view the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original release date: July 17, 2025 If you have ever wondered what it was like to work in the rock and roll business at the highest level, our latest guest will be able to answer many of your questions.  Paul Rappaport was just a regular guy growing up in Southern California, who enjoyed seeing legendary concerts and even playing guitar in his own band.  As fate would have it, someone recommended that he apply for a job as a college rep for Columbia Records. He got the job and before long he was using his creativity and love for music to help elevate the careers of Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and even stalwart label mates, like Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan.  Paul just release is critically acclaimed book, "Gliders over Hollywood - Airships, Airplay and the Art of Rock Promotion". The book is available everywhere including Amazon and your local book stores! For more information or to see the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original release date: June 19, 2025 Formed in Los Angeles' lengendary Sunset Strip in 1985, Guns N' Roses quickly rose from the gritty club scene to become one of the biggest acts in rock music - achieving massive commercial success and becoming a top live draw in under three years. Along the way, their meteoric rise was matched by no shortage of controversy, internal conflict, and headline-making moments.  In the book "Guns N' Roses at 40", acclaimed rock historian and author Martin Popoff explores 40 priotal moments that shaped the band's legacy - from their formation and  breakout success to major tours, iconic releases, creative partnerships, internal struggles, and everthing in between.  We were thrilled to be speaking with Martin Popoff about his new book. With over 100 titles to his name on topics ragning from hard rock and heavy metal to classic rock and vinyl collection, Martin's work includes Rush" The Illustrated History, Led Zeppelin: Song By Song, Pink Floyd: Album by Album, Bowie at 75, AC/DC at 50, KISS at 50 and more. He also contributed to the award-winning docuemtaries Rush: Beyond the LIghted Stage and ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas.  For more information or to see the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks    

Original release date: June 3, 2025 This interview we welcome an old friend back into the studio - someone who's been part of the soundtrack of our lives for decades, It's JR Richards, fromerly of Dishwalla. JR began his career as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the iconice alternative rock band Dishwalls. The bands' debut album "Pet Your Friends" dropped in 1995, and it didn't take long for them to make waves. In 1996, The Richards-penned 'Counting Blue Cars" hit #1 earning JR a Billboard Music Award for Top Mainstream Rock Track of the Year. But that was just the beginning. JR has been producing music since the '90s not only for Dishwalla but also for this own solo projects and a slew of TV shows. You might've heard his work on series like One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds and he even contributed twenty songs to the reboot of Baywatch in 2017.  Now, JR is gearing up to release his 10th studio album (5th solo), "My Darkest Hour", expected in the next few months. So we're thrilled to sit down and talk about it, along with his journey through music and all the incredible milestones along the way. For more information or to see the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original release date: May 1, 2025 A pioneer and one of the first aritsts ever inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Dion DiMucci first rose to fame with his group Dion & The Belmonts, before becoming a solo sensation with iconic hits like The Wanderer, Runaround Sue and many more. His influence on American music spans more than six decades - and he's still going strong.  Earlier this year, Dion co-authored a powerful and deeply personal new book with his longtime friend Adam Jablin. It's titled: Dion - The Rock N Roll Philosopher: Conversations on LIfe, Recovery, Faith 7 music. In it, Dion opens up about his incredible journey - his struggles and triumphs, his faith, and his unwavering passion for music.  In our conversation, we'll talk about the new book, his decision to give up his seat on the plane with Buddy Holly, his path to sobriety, wisdom he gained from Sam Cooke, and the lessons He's leanred across a lifetime in music. Check out our show notes at; www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original air date: April 3, 2025 One of the greatest rock bands in our generation was REO Speedwagon. At the beginning of this year, we received word that REO was officially no longer. But that doesn't mean that guitarist, song writter and lead vocalist Kevin Cronin is stopping. We had the opportunity to speak with Kevin not only about his upcoming tour (with many of the REO family members), but we spoke about his dad being in World War II, why REO broke up, how Stephen Stills is one of his all time heroes and a hint of his new book.  For more information or to see the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original air date: March 7, 2025 ZZ Ward was born in 1986 and is an American Singer-Songwriter from Roseburg, Oregon. She signed with Hollywood Records to release here debut EP, Criminal in 2012, which preceded the release of her debut studio album, Til The Casket Drops, that same year. Her second studio album, The Storm was released in 2017, which peaked atop the Billboard Blues Albums Chart. Her third studio album, Dirty Shine (2023), was released independently and met with cricital acclaim. On Friday, March 14 (2025) ZZ will be releasing her next album which is on the famous blues label: Sun Records, titled Liberation.  For more information and to see the show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks  

Original air date: February 13, 2025 This show is our amazing interview with Rick Springfield. You may remember Rick who played Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, Pastor Charles on American Horror Story or even playing himself (naked) on Californication. But did you know he is also an amazing musician, singer & songwriter??? There is WAY more to Rick than "Jessie's Girl".  Hang tight for a great ride with this show. We talk about how he coped with the recent fires in Los Angeles, his new CD/vinyl box set: BIG HITS: RICK SPRINGFIELD'S GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2, along with plans for his future and his most prized collectibles.  For more information and show notes, visit: www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks