David Fricke, is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was Managing Editor before stepping down.

Background

David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Before joining Rolling Stone, where he is now senior editor, he wrote for Circus and Good Times. Even critics of Rolling Stone regard him as one of the most passionate, influential and knowledgeable music writers.

Fricke's interviews with Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love for Rolling Stone, prior to Cobain's death, were widely cited. In one, Love spoke of an unreleased song that Cobain wrote prior to his suicide titled "Me and My IV," which was recorded to "Do, Re, Mi."

Fricke has appeared on the Classic Albums documentaries on the making of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Cream's Disraeli Gears, Def Leppard's Hysteria, Nirvana's Nevermind, Metallica's "Black album" and Frank Zappa's Apostrophe and Over-Nite Sensation. Fricke has also appeared on a number of Lou Reed documentaries and in the Wilco documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.

Fricke wrote the introduction to the program guide for Phish's 2009 Halloween performance of Exile on Main Street.

Fricke today writes the Fricke's Picks column in the Rolling Stone record review section.

Liner Notes

Fricke has written liner notes for a number of compilations and box sets, including:

• The 1993 Moby Grape compilation, Vintage: The Very Best of Moby Grape
• The 1993 John Prine compilation, Great Days
• The 1993 Led Zeppelin compilation, Led Zeppelin Box Set, Vol. 2
• The 1995 Hüsker Dü live album, The Living End
• The 1995 Velvet Underground box set, Peel Slowly and See; the 1997 "Fully loaded" reissue of Loaded
• The 1996-97 Byrds CD reissue series
• The 1997 Simon & Garfunkel compilation, "Old Friends"
• The 1997 Paul Kelly compilation, "Songs from The South: Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits"
• The 1998 Metallica covers compilation, Garage Inc.
• The 1999 Jimi Hendrix live compilation, Live at Woodstock
• The 1999 Ramones compilation, Hey Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology
• The 2002 Nirvana "best-of" compilation, Nirvana
• The 2005 Violent Femmes "best of" compilation, Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes
• The 2006 Frank Zappa box set, The MOFO Project/Object
• The 2007 The Church "best of" compilation, Deep in the Shallows
• The 2007 Led Zeppelin "best of" compilation, Mothership
• The 2008 Billy Joel box set, The Stranger 30th Anniversary Edition
• The 2009 Frank Zappa box set, Lumpy Money

References