David J modestly says on his Facebook page, “Founding member of Bauhaus and Love & Rockets now flying solo with the help of talented friends.” In conversation with Norman B, the man who wrote the lyrics for Bela Lugosi’s Dead is equally humble. “He graciously chatted openly, and shared his thoughts on all manner of topics without hesitation.” Says the Life Elsewhere host. David recalls how he and the other members of Bauhaus began to have their doubts about the length of the song until the forward-thinking boss of Small Wonder records insisted they release the track in all its original glory. He goes on to talk about how the band was frustrated by the Goth moniker, how he would often initiate a track by taking the lead with his bass. David tells of the musicians he has worked with and who he has always wanted to work with. A poignant story about buying his first David Bowie album leads David J to remember being mocked for liking the gender-bending star and getting beat up in the process. He doesn’t flinch from talking about the hoary old rock ’n’ roll prerequisites of sex and drugs, nor does he shy away from mentioning the personality difficulties all bands seem to have at one time or another. It’s a one-of-a-kind conversation, typical of Norman B’s ability to move beyond the interviewer role by inviting us to eavesdrop on a private dialogue between friends.

The Podcast is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3
Sundays 10.00am ET at WNRM The Root
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

If you miss any editions of Life Elsewhere, go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Sundays 11.00am ET at WNRM The Root
Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud