Martin Perlich

Biography: Martin Perlich

Author - Producer - Broadcaster

The author of the classic work "The Art of the Interview" (Silman-James Press (2007), writer, producer and broadcaster Martin Perlich has written screenplays and novels, poetry and documentary films. "The Wild Times," the first novel of his "Adequacy Quartet," was published by Empty Press in 2006. "The Self-Pity Chronicles" was published in 2011 by Empty Press. He has broadcast classical music, jazz and rock and roll, and amassed an unique archive of interviews: from Gore Vidal to John Adams, to Bill Evans.

His interview show "Martin Perlich Interviews" featuring Leonard Bernstein, Frank Zappa, R. Crumb, Pierre Boulez, Tom Waits and hundreds more, was syndicated nationally by WCLV/Seaway productions. The program won the New York International Radio Festival for two consecutive years. A copy of public TV documentary "Citizen Artist" is in the Smithsonian permanent collection.

Until leaving innovative LA public radio station KCSN, Martin was Program Director, responsible for all KCSN programming, which was named "Best of LA" by Los Angeles Magazine in 2006. In addition Perlich hosted an acclaimed daily classical and New Music show. He hosted and produced "ARF!!" (ARTS & ROOTS FORUM) the unique daily live interview series featuring major cultural figures, form Stacy Keach to Terry Riley to Sandra Tzing Loh to avant-garde playwright Murray Mednick, as well as dozens of arts figures: writers, directors, choreographers, and musical figures from Jazz, World music, and of course classical music, with many 21st century composers--known and unknown.

Perlich's early work was in music history. After studying with distinguished American composer Douglas Moore at Columbia University, he became, at 24, the first Intermission Host of the internationally syndicated Cleveland Orchestra radio broadcasts. Perlich worked closely with Musical Director George Szell as well as providing insightful interviews with Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Isaac Stern and hundreds of others in his seven year stint.

As the 1960s became a cultural hurricane, Perlich was a pioneer in "experimental radio," continuing through the 60s into the 70's with interviews for WMMS in Cleveland and KMET in Los Angeles, featuring luminaries of that turbulent period: Jane Fonda, members of Panther Party and American Indian Movement, Dick Gregory, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Isaac Asimov, Attica prisoners and eight memorable encounters with Frank Zappa and hundreds of other rock and experimental musicians.

In 1970, after Martin's second interview with Leonard Bernstein, the Maestro asked him to head a new production division he was proposing to Columbia Records, which Bernstein invited Perlich to head, overseeing the production of film and video of Bernstein's conducting projects. In addition Martin would be tasked with finding or writing "a second West Side Story" as well as text for the new Mass that he was composing for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. When Columbia balked at funding the Leonard Bernstein Division, the Maestro left the label for Deutsche Grammophon for whom he produced a legendary recorded legacy. As Bernstein left for Vienna, Martin came to LA.

In a rare display of versatility Perlich joined the staff of leading West Coast progressive rock station KMET, where he hosted "Electric Tongue," a weekly interview show featuring major rock and arts figures. In 1975 Perlich became Creative Consultant of NBC-TV's weekly 90-minute "The Midnight Special," responsible for the acclaimed "Salute" segment, a regular documentary featuring major pop and rock music figures: Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Loretta Lynne and others, in addition to writing, rehearsing and helping edit the history-making network show itself. In !998 he was honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to experimental "progressive" radio

At PBS's KCET in Los Angeles and WNET in New York, Perlich developed and produced dramatic, music and documentary programming including: "Citizen Artist," "Hollywood 90," "Singer/Songwriter," (which he hosted) and "Informance." In 1985 he produced the seminar "Shooting for Change," focusing on socially responsible feature films, with panelists drawn from major studios and leading independent filmmakers. Then he founded Wilton Place Films, and developed (writing and producing) "The Trial of Ramona Africa" with Whoopi Goldberg under the aegis of American Playhouse and Channel 4 in London.

Perlich has written, produced and directed interactive video with Warner New Media (CD-ROMs: Brahms' A German Requiem; Carl Orff's Carmina Burana; and the vast interactive educational project "The Orchestra"); as well as "Taj Mahal: Like Never Before" for Private Music.

As an actor, Perlich has worked with legendary director Norman Corwin and with Jeff von der Schmidt and Southwest Chamber Music in Samuel Beckett's Cascando.

Perlich is the father of three, including actor Max Perlich, and currently lives in West Hollywood, CA.