Vicky Hamilton is one of my heroes, so I’m delighted she found the time to answer the Ten for The TEN.
A music industry legend, she was Guns ‘n’ Roses’ manager, landing them the deal that sent them into the stratosphere before she moved to Geffen Records to head up their A&R department.
The acts Vicky has developed and managed have sold over 250 million units. Let that sink in.
In 2016, she published her extraordinary memoir Appetite for Dysfunction, which was well-received in the industry and by music fans. It tells the story of her 30 years in the business and yes, the stories are as wild and emotional as you’d expect them to be.
Some chapters of the book were workshopped at my writers’ group in LA. That’s how we first met and became friends; Vicky answered my ad on Craigslist for writers who were looking for a safe space to share their writing and stay accountable.
Of those times she says: “I found it very inspiring and it kept me motivated. It took away that feeling of being alone with your work. Writers groups really help!”
There’s more. The memoir has just been picked up by a production company and looks set to be made into a TV show. I cannot wait for that to happen. What the world needs now is big hair, tight pants and rock ‘n’ roll!
If you have a Paramount + subscription check out June, the documentary about June Carter Cash recording her Grammy-winning album, Press On. Vicky made that record happen; she encouraged June to get back into the studio and created a record label to produce the album when no one else was interested.
Vicky is prominently featured in the documentary, which includes some great footage of the recording sessions back in 1998 (with Johnny Cash on guitar).
Oh, and she’s just signed up and comers The Bluebell Smile to her label Dark Spark Music, and they’re awesome!
Some people get a lot done and Vicky’s one of those people. Her life has been high-octane. She’s been through a lot and has come out the other side still championing great music, still hustling, and still writing. And she’s got a huge heart. You really should buy her book.
Her writing snack of choice by the way is “anything crunchy like chips (crisps)”, and of course, coffee.
So pour yourself a cup in solidarity and enjoy the interview…
Thank you so much for doing this, Vicky. You know I’m your biggest fan! Firstly, what initially inspired you to start writing?
I developed a crush on my high school English teacher and found his way with words so delicious! So I read everything he told me to read, and I would show up early to class to chat with him about everything under the sun. He encouraged me and inspired my love for poetry, books, and authors in general. His name was Larry Huff, at New Haven High, in New Haven, Indiana. It made me understand the difference between a good teacher and a bad one.
Your memoir, Appetite for Dysfunction, is a very personal and detailed story of your life and career in the music industry. Why did you feel compelled to write it? And did the act of writing a memoir help you process events from your past?
I’d always planned to write a book, so many things happened in the music business around me, that it felt like fiction. You know what they say, the truth is stranger than fiction and in my life, I have found that to be true.
Yes, it helped me process the things of my past and gave me true insight into who I am at the core of my being. I learned that I fall in love with potential and that musicians are my kryptonite!
Also, doing a book tour helped me as a writer and with live storytelling as I could figure out what was working and what wasn’t.
You've been around songwriters your whole life. What have you learned from them about writing and how has that helped inform your own?
The best songwriters are great storytellers; Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys is one of the best. You listen to his songs and you are right there with him having that experience. A lot of words are hard to sing, so you have to dumb it down and sing it with passion. Also, the best songwriters tell great stories but leave them open to interpretation, so it can be personal for whoever is listening to it.
If there is one, can you describe your typical writing routine or schedule?
As you know I struggle with having time to write as I manage several artists and run a record company. So for me, it usually starts with an outline of what I want to write, that's for books and screenplays anyway. You need to have a good arc of a story. Poetry is a bit different; it just comes when it comes.
Sometimes I’ll just get the key phrase and scribble it down and come back and work on it when I have time, but mostly it feels like I am channelling it from some other stream of consciousness. I will work on it until it feels finished. I’m usually a better writer in the morning when I’m rested, have meditated and have had a tasty coffee.
If it applies to you, how do you handle moments of writer's block or creative stagnation?
I walk away from the computer and live life. I always carry a notebook and write things down that seem interesting. My motto is ‘it’s not what you think up, it’s what you put down (in my case) in the notebook’.
Describe your revision and editing process, and how many drafts do you typically go through?
With Appetite For Dysfunction, I wrote the first draft, read parts of it at our writers group, then had my friends Peter Margolis and Iris Berry read it and suggest edits. I had journalist, Katherine Turman make more edits and finally, when it was being typeset I went through it from beginning to end with Peter’s friend Denny Anderson, who typeset the book, and added the pictures. Last year when I read the audio book out loud, I found more typos. Ugh! It’s an endless process.
How do you stay motivated and inspired throughout the writing of a longer project, such as a novel or screenplay?
It’s tough! I’ve always had writing partners for screenplays, which helps. With the book, I worked on whatever chapter was calling my name that day. I have one book I’m working on that I’ve been sitting in chapter seven for over a year. Luckily, I don’t have to answer to anyone. If I give myself tight deadlines, that’s when I seem to develop writer’s block.
You’ve written a musical, Glitter Beach. How does that differ from other genres in terms of what’s needed to complete the project? And what would you say to others who are thinking of writing their own musical but have no experience?
That’s a good question. When Robbie Quine and I decided to write Glitter Beach I wanted to take a class on writing a musical and only found a few options for help in Los Angeles. There seem to be a lot more options these days, especially in New York. I was really lucky to meet director Daniel Henning, who was the founding artistic director of The Blank Theatre, on Santa Monica Boulevard, at one of the workshops I attended. Daniel oversaw the Young Playwrights Festival at The Blank.
Robbie and I blindly worked this play and had way too many characters and elaborate ideas for sets and props. Daniel helped us rewrite it and we did a workshop at The Blank for the Young Playwrights Festival. It was a great learning experience.
If I were to do it again, I would use a minimal amount of characters and sets to keep the expense down and would probably workshop it first at the Fringe Festival, or something like the Fringe to see if it had legs.
What is it like to finally finish a book, publish it, and then take it out to the public?
Exhilarating and frightening in the same breath. It’s like, ‘Oh my God it’s finished, I can’t believe it! ‘ Two minutes later, ‘OMG, I have to market it and explain myself. What if people hate it?’
What are you writing now, and when will we see it?
By the time this comes out, I hope to have signed a deal with a production company to option my book. It’s very close! Hopefully, Appetite For Dysfunction will become a TV series soon.
I’m working on a fictional book about the music industry and I’m also going to publish a poetry book. A few months ago I released a song I co-wrote with Gregory Darling (Darling Cruel) called Triggered.
If we were to get a sudden POV of your laptop/desktop, what else would we see on your desk?
A crystal ball, some American Indian totems, Glinda the Good Witch, a Buddha statue, moisturisers, and an iPhone 15.
And finally, what piece of writing has informed your life or stuck in your mind?
Just before I started writing Appetite For Dysfunction, I read Patti Smith’s memoir, Just Kids. I loved that book and used it as a blueprint for how I wanted my own book to feel. Also, I love Jane Austen, I’m a bit of a romantic sap. Then there’s Tim Burton, who appeals to my goth side!
APPETITE FOR AUTOGRAPHS! Every copy of Appetite for Dysfunction via The TEN will be signed by Vicky herself. Click here to order yours now.
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