Music Man: Bill Flanagan

The year 1955 was an active one for the nascent rock & roll genre: Little Richard emerged with his wild single “Tutti Frutti”; Chuck Berry had his first hit; an upstart Elvis Presley was physically attacked by female fans backstage; and Rhode Island saw the birth of Bill Flanagan.

One of five children, Flanagan — who just turned 70 on Jan. 14 — grew up in Warwick, RI, where his father was the first president of the Community College of Rhode Island. An avid record collector by the time he finished high school, the younger Flanagan worked at a record store in Providence while attending Brown University, where he wrote for the student newspaper.

After graduating from Brown in 1977, he wrote stories for both the mainstream and alternative presses on various subjects pertaining to music and the music industry. The year 1986 saw the publication of his first full-length work, Written in My Soul, for which he interviewed Dylan, Jagger and other music legends in order to pinpoint the inspiration behind their songs.

Along with writing, Flanagan spent a decade as the editor of Musician magazine. His 1995 book, U2 at the End of the World, made enough money that he was about to fulfill a “lifelong ambition to move [his] family to Ireland and devote the next couple of years to writing a novel.”

But then he was offered a leading role with the cable TV music network VH1. He did not intend to stay long: “For a year if it was bad, two if it was great.” However, Flanagan’s tenure at the network — where he was a creative force behind such programs as VH1 Storytellers — far exceeded his wildest expectations, which meant he had to put relocation to Ireland on hold.

But he did not give up on his novel-writing ambitions and composed fiction on nights and weekends. Though he maintained his position as a music industry executive until 2015, Flanagan’s views of the industry had become somewhat critical by the turn of the millennium. Drawing on his constant dealings with rock stars, producers and record execs, he channeled his growing disillusionment into A&R, a satirical novel about the industry.

Satire gave way to heartfelt emotion when Flanagan helped produce The Concert for New York City in the aftermath of the attacks on September 11. That year, he also began contributing essays to CBS’ Sunday Morning program.

As Flanagan is well aware, the 21st century has not been so good for new rock & roll, and the recent music stars belong almost exclusively to the pop or hip-hop genres.

In Flanagan’s view, the rock & roll era consisted of three big bangs: Elvis was the first explosion; the second belonged to the Beatles; and the third was Michael Jackson.

As Flanagan himself pointed out, rock concerts can still take in millions and attract fans of all ages. But most of those concerts’ headliners were born in the 1940s. Even Michael Jackson, were he alive, would now be a senior citizen.

The guitar gods of rock, with their infectious riffs and blistering solos, are of a bygone era. As are the days of youths rushing off to the record store for the newest hot album. Music is now acquired through a few mouse clicks or finger swipes.

Though many would say that rock & roll was taken off life support years ago, Flanagan himself remains active. Along with his appearances on the Sirius XM radio network, Flanagan — a father of three who lives with his wife in New York City — continues to contribute essays to the CBS’ Sunday Morning program.

The screenwriter of the 2020 documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, Flanagan, recently paid tribute to the fallen leader, who had been on amicable terms with some of music’s brightest stars.

To watch Bill Flanagan’s tribute to former President Jimmy Carter on CBS Sunday Morning see here.