by Sheldon Birnie
Rock biographies are a treat for those of us who are so obsessed with music that we want to know the ins and outs of our favourite albums, bands, venues, and everything in between. But many of our favourite artists fall short of the vaunted rock bio. For fans of the Watchmen, your day has come! Stylus got in touch with author Vanessa Azzoli ahead of the release of her new book Uncovered: The Story of the Watchmen to talk about her new book, her obsession with the band, and everything in between.
Stylus: Why don’t you take us back to your own introduction to the band? When did they first get on your radar?
Vanessa Azzoli: I’ve been a fan since Silent Radar. I was just starting high school and my brother and I got a copy of the CD. It had regular rotation with our music selection… we just loved it. Being a fan of heavier music, it was amazing to find a band that held its own. The album was just that great. Unfortunately, when the band parted ways, I was 19 and just starting to go to concerts, so I hadn’t seen them play live until their casual reunion in 2008. I think it was then that I was really completely struck.
Stylus: What was/is it about their music that captivated you so much? And what was it about the live performance that sold you so?
VA: A friend from high school suggested I check out Silent Radar. At the time, it was the first disc that was enhanced and to tech-savvy students, it was amazing! But, the moment I popped the disc in and listened to the slow building of the first track, “Stereo,” I knew I was on to something. Then, I heard the drums kick in around the one-minute mark and I was sold. Danny’s voice was beautiful, melodic and yet still rock n’ roll. Somehow, the Watchmen were able to successfully mix heavy rock with actual singing instead of the screaming I had been used to. I continued to listen on to the rest of the disc, and got to the eighth track – “Say Something.” The unique drum timing threw me right off. I repeated the first 45 seconds of the song probably ten times. The song was magical to me.
VA: It’s actually a funny story. I originally went to school for journalism because I’ve always had a passion for the written word. That paired with my intense love of music, made me want to be a music journalist… naturally. Halfway through my college program, I came to the harsh reality that I just wasn’t mentally built to be a reporter, so I finished my diploma, but then went back to school. I gave up on music and journalism and studied marketing. After I finished that program, I went on to work in marketing at a variety of different companies.
A month later, after speaking to all the members, I submitted a proposal. It wasn’t accepted, but I wasn’t shocked. There were over 400 proposals submitted, and they were only taking in 10-15. It didn’t stop there, I continued to go back and forth until one day, Sammy sent me a message with the details for Eternal Cavalier Press. Being a Canadian publisher of music-based writing, I knew it was a natural fit. I sent them my original proposal and explained that I was working on completing the manuscript.
The rest just flew by. They were interested, and less than two weeks later, I signed a contract with them. The idea changed a couple times, and eventually it went from being strictly about In the Trees to being a full-blown biography. And now… here we are about to release my first book! I guess my lesson is if you want something, just ask!