Vivien Goldman

Early life and education

She was born in London, the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. She studied English and American literature at the University of Warwick.

Career

She began her career as a journalist for Cassettes and Cartridges. She then became a PR officer for Atlantic Records and then Island Records, where she worked with Bob Marley. She was a writer and editor for London-based Sounds magazine in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s she began making documentaries for BBC's Channel Four, developing and producing the world-music show Big World Cafe.

Musical career

Goldman lived in Paris for a year and a half, where she was a member of new wave duo Chantage, which gained modest fame in France. She released the "Dirty Washing EP" in 1981, with tracks produced by John Lydon and Adrian Sherwood. The EP appeared first on Ed Bahlman's iconic 99 Records imprint on 3 June 1981.

In August 1981, two of the tracks from the EP, "Launderette" and "Private Armies," were issued as a 7" single in the UK. Later the song "Launderette" was included on Gomma Records' "Anti NY" compilation and the Chicks On Speed-produced Girl Monster collection. In that year she also contributed vocals (on the track "Private Armies," which is actually "Private Armies Dub," or "P.A. Dub," from the EP) to the New Age Steppers' self-titled debut.

Goldman wrote for the music magazines NME, Sounds and Melody Maker about reggae, punk and post-punk. She was a member of The Flying Lizards, shared a flat with fellow NME journalist and The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde.

Goldman is listed in writing credits along with the band Massive Attack on the song "Sly". Goldman was Bob Marley's first UK publicist, and Kid Creole's biographer.

Academic career

Goldman is also an accomplished documentarian and adjunct professor of punk and reggae at New York University's (NYU) Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. She is also an adjunct professor of musical cultures and industry at Rutgers University's School of Communication and Information (Rutgers University).

In January 2007 BBC America began a regular Ask the Punk Professor feature on their website with Goldman answering questions and commenting on current events. The feature ran through 2008.

Goldman appears as an interviewee in the up-coming documentary about British reggae group, Steel Pulse.

Books