Don McLeese's guest appearances

Don McLeese

New Books in American Studies

Rick Kogan

New Books Network

Friday LIVE

New Books in Music

Iowa Journalist

Regina N. Bradley

Kevin Fellezs

Keith Waters

Kevin Whitehead

Stacy Wolf

Dawson Barrett

Kathy Sloane

Gabriel Solis

Bob Riesman

Stephen Sondheim

Derrick Bang

Tyina Steptoe

Nate Chinen

Kevin Avery

Peter La Chapelle

OwlTail

Professor Don McLeese talks to student Jack Martin about his background in reporting and music journalism.Don has spent his career immersed in arts, entertainment and popular culture. He was the popular music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman; a columnist, reviewer and feature writer for Rolling Stone; and a frequent music and book reviewer for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites.He used to

Professor Don McLeese talks to student Jack Martin about his background in reporting and music journalism. Don has spent his career immersed in arts, entertainment and popular culture. He was the popular music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman; a columnist, reviewer and feature writer for Rolling Stone; and a frequent music and book reviewer for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites.He used to

Professor Don McLeese's Story

Dwight Yoakam

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio, apprenticed in Los Angeles, Dwight Yoakam is not your typical mainstream country music star. Indeed, his honky-tonk style of country has always been a throwback to an earlier era, one in which Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and Buck Owens ruled the airwaves. It seems an anomaly that Yoakam was at his commercial peak in the days of Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn. In Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere (University of Texas Press, 2012), music writer Don McLeese details the history of Yoakam and, especially, his music from an early failed attempt at Nashville acceptance to his tooth-cutting days in the L.A. punk and roots music scene of the early 1980s. They key to Yoakam’s success, writes McLeese, was his vision and determination to make it on mainstream country radio, and make it he did. In the late-80’s through the 90’s Yoakam was one of country music’s biggest stars. Importantly, true to his punk rock roots, he did it on his own terms, making the music that he wanted to make, presenting himself as a character of his own creation.Don McLeese was formerly the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as country columnist and contributor to Rolling Stone and a senior editor for No Depression. He currently teaches journalism at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio, apprenticed in Los Angeles, Dwight Yoakam is not your typical mainstream country music star. Indeed, his honky-tonk style of country has always been a throwback to an earlier era, one in which Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and Buck Owens ruled the airwaves. It seems an anomaly that Yoakam was at his commercial peak in the days of Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0292723814/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere</a> (University of Texas Press, 2012), music writer <a href="http://clas.uiowa.edu/sjmc/people/don-mcleese" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Don McLeese</a> details the history of Yoakam and, especially, his music from an early failed attempt at Nashville acceptance to his tooth-cutting days in the L.A. punk and roots music scene of the early 1980s. They key to Yoakam’s success, writes McLeese, was his vision and determination to make it on mainstream country radio, and make it he did. In the late-80’s through the 90’s Yoakam was one of country music’s biggest stars. Importantly, true to his punk rock roots, he did it on his own terms, making the music that he wanted to make, presenting himself as a character of his own creation. Don McLeese was formerly the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as country columnist and contributor to Rolling Stone and a senior editor for No Depression. He currently teaches journalism at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies</a>

Don McLeese, “Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” (University of Texas Press, 2012)

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio, apprenticed in Los Angeles, Dwight Yoakam is not your typical mainstream country music star. Indeed, his honky-tonk style of country has always been a throwback to an earlier era, one in which Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and Buck Owens ruled the airwaves. It seems an anomaly that Yoakam was at his commercial peak in the days of Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn. In Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere (University of Texas Press, 2012), music writer Don McLeese details the history of Yoakam and, especially, his music from an early failed attempt at Nashville acceptance to his tooth-cutting days in the L.A. punk and roots music scene of the early 1980s. They key to Yoakam’s success, writes McLeese, was his vision and determination to make it on mainstream country radio, and make it he did. In the late-80’s through the 90’s Yoakam was one of country music’s biggest stars. Importantly, true to his punk rock roots, he did it on his own terms, making the music that he wanted to make, presenting himself as a character of his own creation.Don McLeese was formerly the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as country columnist and contributor to Rolling Stone and a senior editor for No Depression. He currently teaches journalism at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio, apprenticed in Los Angeles, Dwight Yoakam is not your typical mainstream country music star. Indeed, his honky-tonk style of country has always been a throwback to an earlier era, one in which Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and Buck Owens ruled the airwaves. It seems an anomaly that Yoakam was at his commercial peak in the days of Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0292723814/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere</a> (University of Texas Press, 2012), music writer <a href="http://clas.uiowa.edu/sjmc/people/don-mcleese" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Don McLeese</a> details the history of Yoakam and, especially, his music from an early failed attempt at Nashville acceptance to his tooth-cutting days in the L.A. punk and roots music scene of the early 1980s. They key to Yoakam’s success, writes McLeese, was his vision and determination to make it on mainstream country radio, and make it he did. In the late-80’s through the 90’s Yoakam was one of country music’s biggest stars. Importantly, true to his punk rock roots, he did it on his own terms, making the music that he wanted to make, presenting himself as a character of his own creation. Don McLeese was formerly the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as country columnist and contributor to Rolling Stone and a senior editor for No Depression. He currently teaches journalism at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music</a>