Desmond Child

For our 100th episode, we're joined by legendary Hall of Fame songwriter Desmond Child.

For nearly 50 years, Desmond has written or co-written some of the most iconic songs of the last half-century: "Livin' On A Prayer," "You Give Love A Bad Name," "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)," "I Hate Myself For Lovin' You," "Livin' La Vida Loca," and many, many more.

In this interview, Desmond shares the story of his upbringing in Florida, living with a larger-than-life Cuban mother and a father who, despite Desmond not learning the truth until he was 18 years old, was not his biological dad. Two of his aunts in Cuba were mistresses to men who led opposite sides of the Cuban Revolution: Batista AND Castro. And the stories just get more remarkable from there.

After moving to New York City and forming his own band, Desmond Child & Rouge, Desmond began a songwriting apprenticeship with legendary songwriter Bob Crewe (The Four Seasons, "Lady Marmalade"), through which he learned the secrets of writing songs that truly connect with an audience — lessons he would soon put to use writing some of the biggest hits in the history of popular music.

The list of artists who have recorded Desmond's songs is a who's who of music history: Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Barbra Streisand, Bon Jovi, Cher, Joan Jett, KISS, Ricky Martin and many more.

Desmond's great 2023 memoir, Livin' On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, written with David Ritz, tells these stories and many more in even greater detail. His latest album, Desmond Child Rocks The Parthenon — The Live Concert Album, is out now.

For more on Desmond, follow @desmond.child on Instagram.

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