who is Mr. Bonzai?

Award-winning photographer, journalist, and author –
Mr. Bonzai
graduated from the University of California, B.A. English Lit. with minor in Art & Film. After college, he was writer/performer in the improvisational Praxis Theater, and co-founded “Strangemouth,” a radio comedy group which broadcast live in the U.S. and Canada. As Creative Director of Canada’s top-rated CHOM-FM, he served as announcer, writer and producer and upon his return to the US managed Lyon Recording Studios, also operating as inhouse producer/announcer/engineer.

Since 1980, Mr. Bonzai has written over 1000 articles for magazines in the U.S., Europe and Asia, including over 500 interviews with leading musicians, artists, directors, producers and media figures. He has published four books: “Studio Life – The Other Side of the Tracks,” “Hal Blaine – The Story of the World’s Most Recorded Musician,” “FACES OF MUSIC” (to order click here), and MUSIC SMARTS (2009)(to order, click here). In television, he has performed and written for: “Club Rhino” (Heritage Ent. & Rhino Records for ABC) and “Rock Commandos,” a behind-the-scenes music documentary.

His photos and articles have appeared in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Mix, EQ, Pro Sound News, Artist Pro, Keyboard, EQ, Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles magazine, Disney Channel Magazine, Computer Life, Los Angeles Times, Sound & Recording, and Relix, as well as leading music magazines in England, France, Germany, Austria, Australia, and elsewhere on the planet.

In 2009, Mr. Bonzai established BonzFire Films and has produced interview videos for such clients as Boston’s Berklee College of Music, as well as independent projects with Spinal Tap,“Weird Al” Yankovic, Chicago, and others.

A selection of subjects, interviewed and/or photographed by Mr. Bonzai…

Josh Abraham, Will Ackerman, Ryan Adams, Aerosmith, Steve Allen, Mose Allison, Herb Alpert, Laurie Anderson, Fiona Apple, Jann Arden, Peter Asher, Babyface, P.D.Q. Bach, BBMak, Joe Barresi, Jeff Baxter, Beck, Walter Becker, David Benoit, Ray Benson, Rand Bishop, Stephen Bishop, Clint Black, Hal Blaine, Tchad Blake, Blink 182, Martin Böhm, Pat Boone, Bruce Botnick, Michael Bradford, Michelle Branch, Jon Brion, Sally Browder, Julie Brown, Jackson Browne, BT – Brian Transeau, Lindsey Buckingham, Jimmy Buffett, James Burke, T-Bone Burnett, Butthole Surfers, Vanessa Carlton, Richard Carpenter, Bob Casale, Gerald Casale, Rob Cavallo, Tracy Chapman, Cheech and Chong, Ed Cherney, Julia Child, Suzanne Ciani, Eric Clapton, Stanley Clarke, Bob Clearmountain, James Coburn, Leonard Cohen, Harry Connick, Jr., Ry Cooder, Stewart Copeland, Carmine Coppola, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Marshall Crenshaw, Walter Cronkite, Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Crowded House, Robert Crumb, Ice Cube, Eddie Delena, Dr. Demento, Devo, Thomas Dolby, Steve Douglas, Dr. Dre, George Duke, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood, Duane Eddy, Danny Elfman, Harlan Ellison, Eminem, Geoff Emerick, Ron Fair, Manuel Farolfi, Jerry Finn, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, The Firesign Theatre, Mick Fleetwood, John Fogerty, David Foster, Stan Freberg, Mitchell Froom, Peter Gabriel, Albhy Galuten, Terry Gilliam, Dana Glover, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Greene, Bernie Grundman, Sammy Hagar, Larry Hamby, Herbie Hancock, Susan Herndon, Charlton Heston, Al Hirschfeld, Ross Hogarth, Brian & Eddie Holland, Mark Howard, Husky Hoskulds, Paul Horn, Mark Hudson, Michael Hutchence, Eric Idle, Chris Isaak, Mark Isham, Maurice Jarre, Jimmy Eat World, Dr. John, Elton John, Ethan Johns, Stephen R. Johnson, Booker T. Jones, Leslie Ann Jones, Quincy Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, Led Kaapana, Casey Kasem, Paul Kantner, Alan Kay, Jim Keltner, David Kershenbaum, Kevin Killen, B.B. King, Kitaro, Koko the Gorilla, Al Kooper, Danny Kortchmar, Leo Kottke, Eddie Kramer, Kris Kristofferson, Nathaneil Kunkel, Russell Kunkel, Greg Ladanyi, Alexi Lalas, k.d. lang, Latin Playboys, Rhett Lawrence, Norman Lear, Timothy Leary, David Lindley, Linkin Park, Lisa Loeb, Los Lobos, Courtney Love, Lyle Lovett, Steve Lukather, David Lynch, Jeff Lynne, Taj Mahal, Henry Mancini, Gregg Mann, Rose Mann, Ray Manzarek, Ziggy Marley, Branford Marsalis, George Martin, George Massenburg, Michael McDonald, Pat Metheny, Steve Miller, Marcus Miller, Robert Moog, Dudley Moore, Bob Mothersbaugh, Mark Mothersbaugh, Graham Nash, John Neff, Willie Nelson, Rupert Neve, Laraine Newman, Harry Nilsson, Jack Nitzsche, No Doubt, Michael O’Donoghue, Danny O’Keefe, Gary Olazabal, Hugh Padgham, Andy Paley, Michael Palin, Van Dyke Parks, Alan Parsons, John Paterno, Bill Payne, Les Paul, Dave Pensado, Tom Petty, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jack Joseph Puig, Bonnie Raitt, Phil Ramone, Lou Rawls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Reitzas, LeAnn Rimes, Johnny Rivers, Robbie Robertson, Janice Robinson, Smokey Robinson, Tom Rothrock, John Romero, Rick Rubin, Todd Rundgren, Tony La Russa, Leon Russell, Danny Saber, Joe Sample, Carlos Santana, Father Guido Sarducci, Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, Rob Schnapf, Ken Scott, Paul Shaffer, Artie Shaw, Harry Shearer, Duncan Sheik, Mike Shipley, Kevin Shirley, Allen Sides, Dexter Simmons, Richard Simmons, Sinbad, Slash, Spinal Tap, Rick Springfield, Harry Dean Stanton, Ringo Starr, Chris Stone, The Strokes, Andy Summers, Ralph Sutton, Bruce Swedien, Tommy Tedesco, Toots Thielemans, Third Eye Blind, David Tickle, Isaac Tigrett, Russ Titelman, Tricky, Tuck & Patti, Jacquie Turner, The Turtles, Was (Not Was), Leanne Ungar, Al Unser, Jr., Steve Vai, CJ Vanston, Don Was, Fee Waybill, Jimmy Webb, Max Weinberg, Tim Weisberg, Wim Wenders, Wendy & Lisa, Jim West, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Barry White, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Phil Woods, John X, Weird Al Yankovic, Dwight Yoakam, Neil Young, Ahmet Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Frank Zappa, Hans Zimmer