Music & pop culture journalist, author, Editor of 100% ROCK MAGAZINE, chef/caterer, traveller, vinyl collector, rock n’ roll obsessive – I’ve been many things in my fifty-something years.
From awkward teen, IT Help Desk guru (“have you turned it off and on again?”), I spent a handful of years backpacking and working through Europe and North America enjoying misadventures at every turn; indulged my creativity and passion for food as a chef in five countries; ran my boutique catering and hot sauce company Voodoo Moon in Perth, Western Australia for sixteen or so years (about five too many, I reckon); became a father and, with the right person a little later, a husband; and sadly lost my daughter to Parental Alienation – a form of emotional and psychological child abuse. I remain a vocal advocate for criminalising Parental Alienation, and for reform to the broken, uncaring and corrupt Family Law system. I’ve since resumed catering in Perth, Western Australia as Chef Shane.
Since 2009 I have interviewed and reviewed many of Australia and the world’s biggest, brightest and best musicians for my own 100% ROCK MAGAZINE, as well as freelancing for X-Press Magazine, Around The Sound, The Music, Music Feeds, The Beat and The Brag magazines as a rock n’ roll (and movies, and books, theatre and comedy) journalist. Most of my articles can be searched through my Authory account, linked in the top menu.
I love cheesy ‘80s pop almost (but not quite) as much as gonzo, over the top ‘80s heavy metal, filthy street punk, voodoo crossroads blues, sleazy dirt rock – washing it all down with a nice drink or two (bourbon, agave tequila & red wine are favourites if you’re buying)
I often reminisce about a life spent in hot & sweaty kitchens and smokey & sticky bars; travelling exotic destinations in planes, trains, automobiles, boats and more; drinking cheap wine with a hunk of cheese and a baguette overlooking a French vineyard or retsina and dolmades on a sunny Greek beach; and whether any given day should be spent in the pursuit of purpose or pleasure.
Given half a chance I’ll start talking about music, movies, cooking or dogs, usually using an entertaining smattering of colourful language. I’m currently seeking a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD after a life spent not fitting in and being called ‘difficult’ by his family and others.
After 4 1/2 years in the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, I have returned to my hometown of Perth, where I live with my wife Lady Boomboom, and two slightly obnoxious canine overlords Ziggy and Maisie – both of whom boast selective hearing and an unhealthy penchant for civil disobendience almost as impressive as my own.
I self-published my first novel, Jada: Mountain Warrior, in July 2019. It’s an uplifting YA (Young Adult) fantasy pitching humans against monsters with a positive message about finding the courage within us all. Readers from 10 to 80 have enjoyed Jada’s story, and the follow-up short story, Jada & The Troll, published in 2020.
I published Imperfect Tales, an anthology of (mostly) dark short stories in August 2022. Many of these stories were new, some were started as long as twenty years before. They are mostly dark, Gothic, speculative fiction. Some are supernatural, some horror, some thrillers. A couple are true tales from Shane’s storied past.
I’ve written a series of Mrs Goobastank short stories which are EXTREMELY adults only, deliberately over-the-top and obnoxiously (and hilariously) crass, under the pseudonym Pierrette le Flange, which is a nom de plume and a character I created whilst colouring my wife’s hair during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. To be fair, I wasn’t getting out much at the time. One of these days I will publish a Mrs Goobastank novel, if only to offend almost everyone.
On January 7th, 2023, I published my late father Tony’s memoirs ALL THAT WAS TAKEN FROM US – A CHILD MIGRANT’S STORY about being a Child Migrant aged thirteen, sent to Australia to care for his younger brothers in a strange and sometimes harsh land, made worse through their time at the notorious Fairbridge Farm School. It was an incredibly emotional project to work on, and I’m understandably proud to have it finally available, though I wish I’d have finished it before we lost Dad.
I have multiple, genre-straddling projects in development, including a science fiction private investigator adventure yarn with a scathing eco-political edge and a healthy pinch of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Universe-styled comedy; an ultra-violent tale about supernatural sibling assassins; a novel about a band imploding amidst the madness of end-of-the-’80s chart-topping heavy metal mayhem; and a story that might be about outback desert magic. I can’t wait to find out how they all end, and if I can actually find some relief from the crushing need to prostitute myself to pay the bills, maybe one day I will.
First though, I’ve just launched a crowd funding pre-sale for my new book ROCKSPLOITATION – Celebrating 69 hits, flops and cult favourite rock n’ roll movies. I think it’s great – I hope you will, too.
“I like stories with a surprising twist, stories that surprise the reader a little bit,” he explains. “Most of all, I like stories and characters that are uplifting, and full of spirit – even if they’re dark, conflicted, troubled. Aren’t we all, a little bit?”
All my books can be purchased online through Amazon for Kindle or Print On Demand, or directly from me – and I’ll even sign a copy for you if you like.
It’s incredibly difficult for a self-published author to reach potential customers, so if you could share my sales pages, book pages, or leave a review on Amazon, GoodReads or Smashwords. Every recommendation helps in a landscape where being discovered is almost impossible.
If you’d like to commission work from me, please don’t hesitate to ask for an obligation free quote.
Stay in touch with me by joining my Regularly Irregular Newsletter mailing list, or email him using shane [at] shanepinnegarwriter.com .
Above all, stay safe, and be excellent to each other.
March 2025