David Wild, HE IS... I SAY: NEIL DIAMOND, author, Rolling Stone editor: Mr. Media Interview

David Wild is a music and TV writer and critic, and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine. Growing up in New Jersey in the ’60s and ’70s, David Wild found his childhood shaped by the music of Neil Diamond—who, as he says, “was big in Jersey well before Bruce Springsteen became The Boss.” Later, as a rock critic for Rolling Stone, he remained a staunch admirer while his fellow music writers dismissed Diamond as terminally unhip. When Wild first interviewed him for the magazine, Diamond posed the question that would later become the article’s headline: “Am I a rock person, or what the hell am I?” Definitely rock, says Wild—and he’s boycotting Cleveland until Diamond is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These days, Wild is hardly the singer’s only fan (though perhaps still his most die-hard one). Neil Diamond has been enjoying a recent resurgence in popularity, with his new album, "Home Before Dark," topping the Billboard Hot 200 in May, and taking the number one spot on the UK Album Chart. He recently served as a guest mentor on American Idol and just toured in Europe, returning to perform in the U.S. throughout the fall. Just how much does David Wild like Neil Diamond? Enough to write a book about him. Part tribute, part memoir, and all about the music, He Is…I Say draws on exclusive interviews to examine the career of Wild’s own personal “Jewish Elvis”—and to explore the world’s infatuation with this enduring icon.