Roderick Edward "Legs" McNeil(born January 27, 1956) is an Americanmusic journalist.He is one of the three original founders of the seminalPunkmagazine; as well as being a former editor atSpinand editor-in-chief ofNerve Magazine.
Legs McNeil | |
|---|---|
 McNeil andGillian McCaindoing a book reading at Book Soup inLos Angeles, Californiaon July 26, 2014. | |
| Born | Roderick Edward McNeil January 27, 1956 |
| Occupation(s) | Author, writer, rock historian |
| Known for | Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk |
PunkMagazine
editAt the age of 19, McNeil gathered with two high school friends,John Holmstromand Ged Dunn, and decided to create "some sort of media thing" for a living. Holmstrom had an idea of combining comics with rock n roll.[1]
Later work
editIn 1985, McNeil became aSPINmagazine staff writer.[2]
In December 1991, Legs McNeil wrote about the Los Angelesraveculture/scene in "A Woodstock of Their Own", published byDetails (magazine).
In 1993, Legs was the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Nerve.[3]
McNeil is the co-author (withGillian McCain) ofPlease Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk,which has been published in 12 languages and helped launch the oral history trend in music books.The New York Timescalled the book "lurid, insolent, disorderly, funny, sometimes gross, sometimes mean and occasionally touching."[4]
McNeil is also co-author ofThe Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry.AsPublishers Weeklysaid, "This compulsively readable book perfectly captures the pop culture zeitgeist. It doesn't hurt that the history of Americanpornographyis inextricably intertwined with all the subjects that captivate us: sex, drugs, beauty, fame, money, theMafia,law enforcement and violence. "
McNeil is also the co-author ofI Slept with Joey Ramone (A Punk Rock Family Memoir)withMickey Leigh,Joey Ramone’s brother.
McNeil's most recent book,Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Roseis another collaborative effort with Gillian McCain.Dear Nobodywas published on April 1, 2014, and received widespread critical acclaim.
McNeil has appeared on many TV documentaries, from theHistory ChanneltoVH1,and has produced and hosted a three-hour TV special onCourt TVover three nights on the porn industry, which was the highest-rated original programming in that network's history.
In 2016, a 2014 interview with McNeil was featured inDanny Says,the biographical documentary about the influential rock music publicist,Danny Fields,appearing alongside Fields,Iggy Pop,Alice Cooper,and others.
Works
editOral histories
edit- Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punkwith Gillian McCain (Grove Press,1996).
- The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry,with Jennifer Osborne and Peter Pavia (Regan Books,2006).
Memoir
edit- I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoirwith Mickey Leigh (Simon and Schuster,2009).
References
edit- ^McNeil, Legs (June 14, 2021)."Remembering Punk, The Magazine, Music, Moment in Time".Please Kill Me.RetrievedJanuary 20,2022.
- ^"LEGS MCNEIL TRIES TO STRIKE A NERVE WITH NEW ROCK 'N' ROLL MAGAZINE".The Morning Call.18 April 1993.Retrieved26 September2024.
- ^"Legs McNeil (1996): Part One".Meanwhile, Back In Peoria...6 December 2015.Retrieved26 September2024.
- ^Pareles, Jon (August 22, 1996)."Story of Punk: More the Ugly Gossip Than the Music's Impact (Published 1996)".The New York Times.