the essay at the Octopus Literary Salon in Oakland in September 2018 and at the Beat Museum in San Francisco in November 2018. His most recent book, “Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey (HoZac Books)” was published in June of 2022. Reviewing the book for Pop Matters, poet Marc Zegans wrote: “Goldberg’s meticulously researched biography delivers a deep-hearted and poignant account of the rare and extraordinary creative talent who—following his legendary entry into the music scene as bass player for San Francisco’s primeval punk band, the Avengers—crafted the incomparable yearning two-note opening to Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game.'” In the June 2022 “Bentley’s Bandstand” column at his Americana Highways website (), Bill Bentley wrote: “This is the rock & roll book to read this year. It is a thrilling, heart-breaking, mind-blowing, cautionary and in the end passionate tale of how a guitarist of infinite ability and absolutely addictive tendencies attains the highest success on the rock & roll merry-go-round, only to flame out in a desperate tale of heroin, homelessness and, in the end, suicidal escapades that killed him. …” Rolling Stone online published an excerpt from the book, "Jimmy Wilsey’s Guitar Helped Make Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ a Smash. But Wilsey Was Never the Same After," in late May 2022. Due in November 2022: Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg (November 1, BackBeat Books), with a foreword by Greil Marcus. Animal rights activism In 2009 Goldberg became a vegan and an animal rights activist. From 2015 until 2018 he was a lead researcher for the international animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere and wrote about animal rights issues for James McWilliams’ online magazine, The Daily Pitchfork''. He participated in dozens of disruptions of Whole Foods stores and various restaurants, and was part of an action at Stanford Law School in February 2016 confronting Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey. He took a hiatus from DxE beginning in 2021. Personal life Goldberg is married to the award-winning journalist Leslie Goldberg, who is also an artist with a master's degree in interdisciplinary art. Their son, Joe Goldberg, is general manager of Zeitgeist Artist Management and works with Death Cab for Cutie, She and Him, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, the Postal Service and the New Pornographers. Michael and Leslie Goldberg have two grandchildren; dogs Nici and Yuki are also part of the family. References