Christian John Wikane

Christian John Wikane is a NYC-based music journalist and essayist. He's a Contributing Editor for PopMatters and has interviewed more than 500 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including Paul McCartney, Janelle Monáe, Donna Summer, Pete Seeger, Annie Lennox, Maurice White, Carly Simon, and Kenny Gamble. He is currently co-producer of the video interview series "Unscripted: Conversations with Christian John Wikane" on YouTube, which features his interviews with legendary GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy-winning artists, and recently had the honor of contributing to HBO's Emmy-nominated Tina Turner documentary, TINA (2021), and serving as "History Consultant" on DIONNE WARWICK: DON'T MAKE ME OVER (2021). Christian has had the privilege of curating and moderating several events at the Apollo Theater for Apollo Education's "Live Wire" series, including "Legendary: A Conversation with Dionne Warwick and Melba Moore," "Bold Soul Sisters," a panel discussion featuring Nona Hendryx, Ruth Pointer, Kathy Sledge, and Rochelle Fleming, and "She's A Rebel: An Interview with Martha Reeves, Sarah Dash, and Joshie Jo Armstead." Among other live events, he's moderated "From Studio 54 to Number One" for the Brooklyn Museum's "Studio 54" exhibit, plus "The Soulfulness of David Bowie" featuring Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark as part of Brooklyn Museum's "David Bowie is" exhibit and Stevens Institute of Technology's CAL Dean's Lecture Series. Most recently, he conducted a Q&A with disco legends D.C. LaRue and Felipe Rose (original co-founder and Native of Village People) for Queer/Art/Film's screening of the Motown-Casablanca film Thank God It's Friday (1978) at IFC Center and hosted a conversation with West End legend Ray Shell at SpoonfedNYC to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express. Since 2010, Christian has authored extensive liner notes for more than 200 album re-issues by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Grammy winners, and other icons of R&B, rock, dance, pop, and jazz. He's also conducted interviews for several BBC Radio documentaries, Sirius XM's Studio 54 channel, Chase Bank ("Inside Access"), and hosted/produced more than a dozen concerts at Joe’s Pub (the Public Theater), the Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. He's guest lectured for Barnard College's "Harlem Semester" Program and presented at EMP Pop Conference, the Parrish Art Museum, Apollo Education's "Master Class" Series, and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music. He's the sole author of Casablanca Records: Play It Again, a 50,000-word oral history that documented the 35th anniversary of Casablanca Records. www.christianjohnwikane.com