Chairman Ralph's Ministry Of Truth

Featured Interviews

5/14/18: This page is reserved for notable interviews -- not only those given by the Chairman, but related subjects of interest to this website (like the Five Emprees) -- and set them aside from the Spoken Word Tracks page (which is reserved for performance-oriented clips). Thanks for your interest!

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CHAIRMAN RALPH: “OUTSIDE THE DIAL” (WVLP-FM, 5/22/09)	CHAIRMAN RALPH: “OUTSIDE THE DIAL” (WVLP-FM, 5/22/09) This interview took place by phone with "Outside The Dial"'s host, Pitch Shifter, and his sidekick, Mac "The Face Of Radio" McGee. Major topics include my first book, UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE+TIMES OF DANNY GATTON, plus my music, songwriting approach, and favorite lyricist. We covered plenty of tangents along the way, too, as you'll hear! Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH: ARTIST FIRST (UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE + TIMES OF DANNY GATTON,1/23/07)	CHAIRMAN RALPH: ARTIST FIRST (UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE + TIMES OF DANNY GATTON,1/23/07) I did this interview for an Internet-only radio station to promote UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE+TIMES OF DANNY GATTON. The resulting hour-long session turned out pretty well, in my humble opinion, and provides a good introduction to all the subjects covered in the book...along with some insights about the man himself. Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH/MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" (LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA, PA, 7/10/18)	CHAIRMAN RALPH/MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" (LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA, PA, 7/10/18) This is a long file, but there's a reason for that...it's actually two events promoting WE ARE THE CLASH: REAGAN, THATCHER & THE LAST STAND OF A BAND THAT MATTERED. The first portion (29:04) is an interview with our host, Joseph Gervasi, for Loud Fast Philly (Episode 79), which Mark's and my appearance at Brickbat Books...which makes up the rest of this file (1:50), where we faced a small, but passionate audience. Lots to enjoy here, so what else can I say, but...dig in! Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH & MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" (LIVE @ POLITICS & PROSE, 7/06/18)	CHAIRMAN RALPH & MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" (LIVE @ POLITICS & PROSE, 7/06/18) Here's an hour from our kickoff event for WE ARE THE CLASH, at Politics & Prose, in Washington, D.C., a fine independent bookstore -- among other things, they had a $30 bio of Can that I almost bought...the only thing that stopped me was wondering, "It's several hundred pages, and bound to weigh me down on the train home." But, anyway, that's a fair indication of their stock. Anyway, for those willing to listen, there's plenty to dig in here from this live presentation, which is actually excerpted from a longer event...as I recall, we drew about 100 people, easily, and it ran 15 minutes over time. At any rate, check it out for yourself...and enjoy! Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. III ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK)	CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. III ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK) In this final segment, Lenny Flatley and I discuss what drew me to the Clash's music, and why they should have another book written about them (with so many on the market out there already). From there, we segue into what Mark Andersen and I aim to accomplish with our book, WE ARE THE CLASH: THE LAST STAND OF A BAND THAT MATTERED, due on Akashic Books, and how our approach will differ from the one pursued by our more traditionally-minded counterparts! Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. II ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK)	CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. II ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK) This segment focuses on my original attempts to contact the Clash and their associates, when I started working on my own project -- before joining Mark Andersen as co-author of WE ARE THE CLASH: THE LAST STAND OF A BAND THAT MATTERED. Lenny and I also touch on how the band views and presents itself to the outside world, among other topics. Description	Download
CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. I ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK)	CHAIRMAN RALPH: VERGE INTERVIEW (9/13), PT. I ("WE ARE THE CLASH..." BOOK) For easier listening, I have condensed my interview with Lenny Flatley (The Verge) into three chunks -- representing the most relevant parts of this interview. In Part I, we start by talking about the Clash reissue program, and whether it represents the band accurately, especially in comparing the original lineup with the so-called "Mark II" configuration chronicled in WE ARE THE CLASH: THE LAST STAND OF A BAND THAT MATTERED...due out July 6 on Akashic Books. Description	Download
MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" INTERVIEW (FOR SONGS PODCAST, 10/16/20)	MARK ANDERSEN: "WE ARE THE CLASH" INTERVIEW (FOR SONGS PODCAST, 10/16/20) This is a solo interview by host Rob Thormeyer with Mark Andersen, which examines Cut The Crap through a fuller lyrical and musical perspective, and how we tackled those issues in our book, WE ARE THE CLASH. Mark also addresses how the book came to be, and the way we approached telling the story. Tidy and to the point, at 40 minutes -- what more could you ask? Description	Download
THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART I)	THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART I) First of a four-part interview with Five Emprees bassist Ron Pelkey, who touches on the band's beginnings and earliest musical influences in this segment. Description	Download
THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART II)	THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART II) "Even Dick Clark played 'Little Miss Sad' on 'American Bandstand'..." In this segment, we hear Ron Pelkey describe how the Five Emprees earned their shot at rock 'n' roll immortality. Description	Download
THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART III)	THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART III) "Well, when we played, we would usually play five or six nights a week back then..." Ron Pelkey talks about the live and recording sides of the Five Emprees' career in this particular segment. Description	Download
THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART IV)	THE FIVE EMPREES: "TALKING WITH THE STARS" (PART IV) "Well, it's easier for us to stay together, because three of the original Five Emprees are now brother-in-laws..." Last part of this interview with bassist Ron Pelkey, who discusses the band's latest activities. Description	Download