“Here’s your headline,” says Kim Fowley, who occasionally refers to himself in the third person. “‘Kim Fowley and the Runaways recorded “Cherry Bomb” in a store room on purpose.’ We didn’t have an equipment list. We barely had equipment. But we had a plan.’ Then...

“So. Central Rain” is one of those songs, like The Clash’s hit “Train in Vain,” where the words in the title don’t actually occur in the song, but you certainly know the song when you hear it. Remember Michael Stipe’s plaintive, powerful voice singing, “I’m...