Warren Zanes never expected to be a writer. As a teenager, he began a band, The Del Fuegos, with his older brother Dan. Zanes didn’t possess much of a plan, but he rode the rock and roll dream for a few years while it lasted. The Del Fuegos managed to sign a deal with Slash Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The band enjoyed critical success and found excited audiences across the country. During the three year run that Warren was in the band, The Del Fuegos also toured with INXS, Tom Petty & The Hartbreakers, ZZ Top, and X.
After leaving the Del Fuegos, Zanes pursued a life in academia, studying at New York University, Case Western ReserveUniversity, and the University of Rochester where he obtained a Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Studies. It was during this stretch in the ivied halls of scholarship, that Zanes would find his talent and his passion as a writer.
Since earning his doctorate, Zanes has chronicled the behind the scenes stories of some of the most notable creators of the 20th century. His first book, a study of the revered Dusty In Memphis album by famed singer Dusty Springfield, was the first book published in the esteemed 33 ⅓ series, an ongoing collection of short books about great records. Zanes had first been encouraged to write for the series by songwriter and friend, Joe Pernice, who was also working on his own contribution for the 33 ⅓ series.
Zanes has gone on to pen a pair of books about Tom Petty, and he helmed Revolutions In Sound, a retrospective of the first five decades of Warner Bros. records. Despite all of those accolades, Zanes is now probably best known for his 2023 tome, Deliver Me From Nowhere, which chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska album. Last year, the book was adapted into a major motion picture with Jeremy Allen White starring as Springsteen.
During our extensive conversation, Warren and I touch upon the way he sees AI shaping the minds of his young students, and the ways in which technology and the pandemic have severely altered their lives and our greater culture. Zanes opens up about having an absent father, and the ways that absence shaped his own approach to fatherhood. There is talk of resilience, the path to sobriety, and finding the greatest joy in the smallest moments, like eating pizza out of the back of a station wagon. There’s loads here to love.
Let’s get into it.
Cheers,
Matty C
