Bonus Episode: Dan Ozzi

Photo by Anthony Dixon

Dan is affectionately known as “America’s only music writer” and when you glance at his impact, it’s easy to know why. Throughout the years he’s told brilliantly human stories about artists like Jimmy Eat World, Laura Jane Grace, and PUP, while also gracing publications like VICE, Noisey, The Guardian, Billboard, and yes; the list goes on and on. An impressive feat of Dan’s is how his writing always puts you in the thick of it. When he’s backstage at a gig, he makes you feel as though you can hear the sounds and smell the beer on the ground, along with the warmth of laughter that can only come from hanging with your friends.

That element of his writing was pivotal in getting me through the pandemic in the form of his newsletter, REPLY ALT, which has become one of the most successful newsletters to be run by a journalist. Each newsletter is different and you’re just as likely to get an email about Jimmy Eat World as you are an email about a psycho coffee drinker.

So clearly, Dan is a busy guy, but to add to that heavy load; he’s also written a new book titled SELLOUT: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore, which chronicles a strange gold rush where record labels signed bands from those scenes….without really knowing what to do with them. On today’s podcast, I chat with Dan about what it was like offering people solace in the form of the newsletter, the realities of writing a book you care about and yes, we even throw about the occasional Simpsons reference.

SELLOUT is out now, be sure to get your copy here. Also, be sure to learn more about Dan over at his website, and also follow him on Twitter, and Instagram.