Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "I've Got Believers... Believing Me" — episode 16 of his ongoing memoir. It's about the night in the fall of 1988 when Richard showed up to The Max too drunk to stand, got fired two minutes before opening, and Jeff found himself alone in the DJ booth with a wall of records that weren't his and absolutely no business being there. It's about practicing in an empty club until something clicked, earning a permanent spot, and a moment of quiet kindness from a stranger that he's never forgotten.

Audio credits: Intro/Outro music: DJ by David Bowie.

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff writes live from a cheap, slightly sketchy roadside stop on I-20 in Texas where he holed up for three days to record the audiobook version of Starr Love. He talks about why the dogs made the first attempt impossible, why he chose a fifty-dollar motel over a proper studio, the MacGyver-level problem solving required just to get the gear running, and why John Waters is the reason he decided to narrate this one himself.

Audio credits:

Intro/Outro music: I'm A Star by Stu Starr

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.

In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "McClure Park" — episode 14 of his ongoing memoir. It's about a neighborhood park that felt safe until it didn't, a knife at his throat, two terrified friends, and a split-second decision that changed everything. It's also about what that night taught him about himself — that when things got bad enough, something took over that he didn't know was in there. And how that survival instinct, and the low trust that followed, would shadow him through everything that came next.

Audio credits: Intro/Outro music: An Off Road Excursion by RFH

Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "California and a Kitchen Table" — episode 13 of his ongoing memoir. It's about a road trip to California with a friend, learning to drive a stick shift in the middle of the desert on Route 66, falling in love with Las Vegas for the first time, running out of money in San Diego, making some questionable decisions, and coming home to find his dad sitting at the kitchen table with tears in his eyes. It's one of the most honest chapters yet — about being young, dumb, broke, and the kind of mistake that costs more than money.Audio credits:Intro music: Goodbye by RFHEnd music: The Ride by RFHSubscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "Oak Lawn and a Floppy Disk," a chapter from his ongoing life story set in late 1980s Tulsa and Dallas. It's about helping a friend move to Dallas, hearing the right song in the right room for the first time, a late night walk through Oak Lawn's gay bar district, a mock Pet Shop Boys recording called "What Has Troy Done to Deserve This," and the moment a phone number written on a 3.5 inch floppy disk changed everything. Also featuring Joe Christ, Greg Ginn, JJ Fad, Duran Duran, and the early days of what would eventually become Red Red Groove.Note: If you’re listening to the audio version, I apologize in advance - we were having a bit of a rainstorm at the time of recording. So, you may notice a little extra “air” sound on this one lol - such is life. If it’s not the dogs, it’s the weather…Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "Masterminds Don't Need Plans," a chapter from his ongoing life story set in late 1980s Tulsa. It's about quitting school with no plan, getting turned down for every job in walking distance, finding a second home in an afterhours club called The Max, and making a scrappy three song cassette EP called Exile that he self-released and talked his way into two local venues. It's also about what happens when a kid with minimal gear and maximum ambition finds the right person to work with, and how one little cassette opened a door he never saw coming.Topics covered include the Tulsa club scene, DIY music, synthpop, cassette culture, and the early days of what would eventually become something much bigger.Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder, a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "The New Wave Always Wins," a chapter from his ongoing life story covering the junior high and high school years, and how they shaped the person he was becoming. It's about navigating locker rooms with a secret you don't have words for yet, finding your flock in the smoke hole, a shaved head that announced a decision before he fully understood it, and the moment he decided the path everyone expected him to take wasn't his. Also, five dogs who have strong opinions about microphones.Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.Credits: Intro - The Victors by the University of Michigan BandEat 'Em Up by the Colorado State University Marching BandOutro - The Outsider by Jeff Elder

Jeff Elder Isn't Real is a Substack by writer and musician Jeff Elder -- a place where the curtain is half open. Part memoir, part creative process, part cultural observation. Warm, honest, and a little strange. Just like life.In this episode, Jeff reads his latest post, "Loving the Aliens" -- a chapter from his ongoing life story set in the early 1980s, when the cracks in a pretty good childhood started getting wider. It's about class confusion, a prized Izod windbreaker, words that made him go quiet without knowing why, and two artists who looked like they were from somewhere else entirely. David Bowie and Gary Numan didn't just make great music. For a kid who didn't yet have language for what he was feeling, they made him feel a little less alone.Subscribe to Jeff Elder Isn't Real on Substack for new posts every week, including audio versions of most every essay.