Welcome to my Web site. I'm Tony Sclafani, a journalist based in the
Washington, DC area who specializes in writing about popular music and
culture.

I write for NBC Online (formerly MSNBC/Today Show) and also
contribute (or have contributed) to the Washington Post, the
Washington Post Express, Relix, Hittin' the Note Magazine,
Prefix,  Popdose, The Village Voice, Harp, the Washington City
Paper, Pop Matters, Goldmine, Record Collector, DC Magazine,
Pop Culture Press, Shindig!, the American Music Press (AMP),
Loud Fast Rules!, Perfect Sound Forever, and Scram: A Journal
of Unpopular Culture.

In 2012 the Hal Leonard Publishing Group signed me to write a book
about the Grateful Dead as part of their "FAQ" series and I'm currently
spending a lot of time working on that. It's due out Nov. 2013 and can be
pre-ordered on Amazon.com now!

Musical artists I've interviewed over the years include legends (Yoko
Ono, Brian Wilson, Ramones, Bret Michaels, Nils Lofgren,
Stephen Sondheim, Patti Smith, Bruce Hornsby, Natalie
Merchant, Bob Mould, RUN-D.M.C., Paul Weller, Bob Weir, Debbie
Harry, Babyface, Henry Rollins, Kathleen Battle); newer artists (the
Jonas Brothers, Paramore, Ledesi, Kings of Leon, Grace Potter);
and countless indie acts (Government Issue, DM Stith, Kaki King,
Girl Talk, Over the Rhine, the Walkmen, Magnetic Fields).

I also sometimes interview the occasional non-musical celebrity, such as
Perez Hilton, Gay Talese, Christopher Hitchens, Neil Labute, Nina
Blackwood, Paul Petersen, Robbie Rist, Steven Wright, Mary
Lynn Rajskub, Paul Auster and Robert Davi.

My work at MSNBC has been cited and quoted in such newspapers as
the Guardian and the Telegraph, in the American Chronicle and
Fark.com. I've also appeared as a guest on radio programs such as
WGN's "Steve and Johnnie Show."

Conservative commentator S.E. Cupp also quoted one of my MSNBC
opinion pieces in her 2010 book, "Losing Our Religion: The Liberal
Media's Attack on Christianity."

Finally, way back in 2004-05, I was a travel writer for the Washington
Post. The column I wrote, Road Trip, can be seen this now-ancient
section of my Web site.

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