Brent Jensen

Brent Jensen is a writer, speaker, host of the No Sleep 'til Sudbury podcast, and co-host of the Thursday Night Record Club show. He is also the author of No Sleep 'Til Sudbury: Adventures in 80s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Deconstruction (Edwards Press, 2012), in which he reflects on his teenage life and the important role music played as a means to make sense of the world that surrounded him as he navigated the challenges of small town adolescence. As Jensen puts it, "It's the rock and roll book I could never find in the bookstore".

In his second book, Leftover People: A Journey Through Post-Rock & Roll America (Edwards Press 2014), Jensen recounts in graphic detail the surreal events that take place during a promotional book tour of the southeastern United States in support of No Sleep 'Til Sudbury. Leftover People balances tales of the tour's hazy escapades from city to city against a darker subtext illuminating the eternal struggle between the head and the heart, and of living in the moment versus living in the past.

Some songs just have our numbers. They have a certain power over us, sometimes for reasons we may not understand. Jensen's newest book, All My Favourite People Are Broken (Edwards Press 2016), finds him secluded in the Canadian Rockies with childhood friend and fellow music fanatic Garvey examining this idea in depth. This meditation gives rise to days of animated musical discussions, and the discourse is wildly limitless. The pair talk about how The Carpenters were creepier than Black Sabbath. They ruminate on why it was okay to listen to Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” but not to Rick James’ “Super Freak” as preteens in 1981. The similarities between Michael Jackson and metal guitarist Zakk Wylde are considered. The deification of dead rock stars gets discussed. They consider Lana Del Ray’s “West Coast” as a secret love letter to Axl Rose. All this while music spanning virtually every genre and generation blares nonstop from an iPod sound dock.

Jensen maintains Facebook and Twitter pages to connect with his friends and readers. His website address is http://brentjensenmusic.com