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FYI

A Podcast Conversation With ... Jeffrey Morgan

This noted Toronto music scribe and photographer recently published Rock Critic Confidential, a lavishly illustrated anthology of his rock 'n' roll writing and photography. Learn more in this FYI podcast.

A Podcast Conversation With ... Jeffrey Morgan

By Bill King

Fatefully born in Toronto on the same day that (We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets was released, Jeffrey Morgan is the authorized biographer of both Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop & The Stooges. Morgan is also the author of the graphic novel The Brides of Mister X and Other Stories, which Rolling Stone called “one of the 50 best non-superhero graphic novels.”


In 1974, Lester Bangs personally invited Morgan to write for Creem: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine; a position he held for twenty years, becoming Creem’s longest-serving writer. Also beginning in 1974, Morgan took over one thousand photographs of many of the rock concerts he attended. That archive is now represented exclusively by Reelin’ In The Years Productions for worldwide licensing.

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Explaining his unique visual style, Morgan says: “Taking a cue from Debussy, I wanted to capture The Space Between The Notes which is why, more often than not, my photographs portray musicians pausing instead of performing. My intention was to photograph the live equivalent of fine art studio portraiture.”

Morgan recently published Rock Critic Confidential, a lavishly illustrated anthology of his rock 'n' roll writing and photography.

Learn more in this FYI podcast.

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Val Blavatnik
Courtesy WMG

Val Blavatnik

Business News

Val Blavatnik to Oversee Warner Music Canada in New Role at Warner Music Group

Blavatnik will oversee Warner Music Canada as managing director of Warner Music North America, U.K. and Corporate Development at WMG. As part of a slew of executive announcements, Simon Robson will be leaving the company, while Alejandro Duque takes the top international role.

Val Blavatnik, the 28-year-old son of Warner Music Group majority owner and vice chairman Len Blavatnik, has been named managing director of Warner Music North America, U.K. and Corporate Development at the Warner Music Group, the company announced Friday (Sept. 25). In his new role the younger Blavatnik, who has held several roles at the company in recent years, and has been a board member since 2023, expects to “unify and drive business and operational strategy across these markets while guiding the company’s investment strategy to support growth,” according to a press release.

The Blavatnik announcement is part of a flurry of new executive announcements that CEO Robert Kyncl made this morning. In addition, Atlantic Music Group chairman/CEO Elliot Grainge will take on ADA in the U.S. as its new chairman, while Alejandro Duque, who has held the dual roles of president of Warner Latin and president of ADA since last July, has been named president of Warner Music International, adding Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa under his oversight. (Duque will continue to oversee ADA outside the U.S.) Zach Friedman, currently COO at Atlantic Music Group, will add the title of vice chair of ADA U.S. to his resume.

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