Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "Keeping The Lights On" — episode 20 of his ongoing memoir. It's about the best and worst of 1991 and into 1992. Red Red Groove was gaining real momentum, landing radio play and working on a second album called Silence — a nod to the Silence = Death movement. At the same time, the club scene was shifting, Circa was failing, and IKON was being born. And then, in a hospital room, everything changed. This one gets heavy.

Audio credits: Intro/Outro music: Red Red Groove - No Tears

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn’t Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, “The Thrill Ride Continues” — episode 19 of his ongoing memoir. It’s about 1990 and 1991, when Red Red Groove was hitting its stride, the DJ career was evolving, and the night a rope, a long-haired stranger, and a very specific comment about legs led to one of the best shows Jeff ever played. Plus, the story of a venue owner who called the cops on his own show, and the first quiet signs that something at home was about to change.

Audio credits: Intro/Outro music: Angels by Red Red Groove

Link to my Red Red Groove scrapbook (mentioned in this episode) is https://www.strangehighways.com/red-red-groove-scrapbook/

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn’t Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "No Gift Refused" — episode 18 of his ongoing memoir. It's about the cloud nine years of 1989 and 1990, when everything was running full speed at once. The DJ career was clicking. Red Red Groove was building real momentum. And one night at an art gallery called Fascination Street, Trent Reznor walked in and changed the trajectory of the band. Plus, the story of how a bottle of tequila and a fistful of hair became an accidental lesson in industrial scene survival.

Audio credits: Intro / Outro - No Gift Refused by Until December

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.