#077: The Sea Shantey Edition
I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.
Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Beth Kirkbride, the founder and music editor of The Indiependent; writer and hip-hop enthusiast Shiavon Chatman; and jazz writer and musician Fiona Ross. Plus: Things to read, listen to, and watch! But first…
Let’s Make It Happen, People
Reading List
Amanda Petrusich writes about the delights of sea shanty TikTok
Kim Kelly explains how listening to heavy metal helped her identify Nazis
Ambre Dromgoole writes about Breonna Taylor, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and the power of friendship
NPR runs the numbers on women in jazz
Sasha Frere-Jones and Emily J. Lordi chat about Emily’s book The Meaning of Soul
Piotr Orlov contemplates “the ethics and responsibilities in music writing and journalism circa the 2021 Capitol Hill coup”
Michael Brooks got drunk and listened to The Hold Steady for the first time
Gabriela Lena Frank, a composer born with hearing loss, talks about her relationship with Beethoven’s music
Rafe Arnott interviews Julie Yost, who is in charge of preserving Frankie Knuckles’ record collection at Stony Island Arts Bank
Danielle Chelosky reminisces about Tumblr and music in the 2010s
Q&A: Beth Kirkbride
Beth Kirkbride is the founder and music editor of The Indiependent, a writing community for aspiring journalists. She also runs the newsletter The Peak District, which details her freelance writing work and showcases opportunities for journalists in the North of England. In this excerpt from our interview, Beth describes why she started the newsletter.
I recently moved back to Sheffield from Oxford, and as soon as I arrived I started to feel a very strong affinity for the North. There are so many great newsletters that feature journalism opportunities, but so few of these opportunities fall outside of the London bubble. I knew from looking on job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn that there ARE opportunities outside of London, it’s just a case of signal boosting these opportunities in the way that other great, talented journalists do with their more London-focused newsletters. I also wanted to use the newsletter to highlight some of the amazing work that non-London based journalists are doing to make newsrooms a more diverse space reflective of the country as a whole, as well as any networking events that aren’t in-person London events.
I also wanted to be rather frank and candid about how hard it can be to enter this industry. I think most journalists struggle with imposter syndrome at some point in their careers, and I figured that by being honest about the highs and lows—the ‘peaks’—of my journalism career I may help somebody else who is currently having a bit of a crisis and wondering whether it’s the right sector for them. Each week I provide an overview of what I’ve been editing, writing, reading, watching. That includes the successful commissions (and my rates) alongside the epic freelancing fails (of which there are many). I’m hoping the newsletter entertains people, while also shining a spotlight on some of the cool events and opportunities that take place outside of London.
Read the full interview with Beth.
Podcasts!
Gerry Smyth talks about Sailor Song: The Shanties and Ballads of the High Seas on New Books in Music
New podcasts: Hip Hop Raised Me, The Japan Times’s Recultured, and Hanif Adburraqib's Object of Sound
Former Condé Nast Entertainment contract producers and editors have published an open letter alleging the company mishandled their employment
Endless Scroll welcomes two new correspondents to the fold: Miranda Reinert and Michael Brooks
Dr. Daudi Abe talks about Seattle’s hip-hop history on Sound & Vision
Twenty Thousand Hertz explains synesthesia
A Cursed Image
Q&A: Shiavon Chatman
Shiavon Chatman is a writer and hip-hop enthusiast. Her latest work is an essay about The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death. (It’s part of the excellent Halfway Books series helmed by Shea Serrano.) In this excerpt from our interview, Shiavon describes her approach to writing the essay.
I rewrote my book—no joke—about three times. I wanted to love it. I needed to love it. I’m an artist and I’m real sensitive about my craft. Once I finished, I could easily say it’s the best thing I’ve written. So far. Most of the writers chosen for this program spent their time interviewing rappers and other journalists and watching old documentaries. My process was a little different. I spent most of my childhood watching Biggie Smalls' documentary and dissecting every line he ever spit, so for my book I spent my time talking to my dad’s friends, hip hop heads and people who were there to really witness the era and reign of Biggie Smalls.
Read the full interview with Shiavon.
Bits, Bobs
Claire Lobenfeld is launching an "Introduction to Music Criticism Seminar for Emerging Women and Non-Binary Writers"
Two Black UK photographers, Neil Kenlock and Eddie Otchere, will chat next week
Max Mertens has launched a newsletter
Brexit has delayed the delivery of the latest issues of MOJO and Electronic Sound
Jeremy Gordon has a great idea for a music journalist talk show
Longtime Puget Sound music writer Rick Nelson has passed away
Howard Reich has retired from the Chicago Tribune
Stuff You Gotta Watch
Stuff You Gotta Watch celebrates music journalism in video form. This week’s column is by freelance writer Chal Ravens.
Even if you think you know Quincy Jones—Thriller mastermind, super-producer, The Color Purple composer, etc.—you still won’t be prepared for the scale of achievement on display in this sincere and lovingly crafted doc.
Directed by his daughter Rashida, Quincy is a rags-to-riches story interspersed with recent footage revealing the octogenarian’s unstoppable lust for life. Born on Chicago’s South Side, as a kid he ate possum meat and saw his mother taken away in a straitjacket. But music was his escape, and at 14 he left home and started on a journey that would take in every significant Black sound of the century, from jazz and big band to disco, R&B and hip-hop, plus countless films and musicals.
Along the way he acquired three wives, seven kids, and 80 Grammy nominations. But did you know about his friendship with Frank Sinatra? That he founded VIBE magazine? The meeting he held to try and stop Biggie and Tupac from killing each other? The two-hour doc is barely long enough to contain the man’s highlights, let alone the deep cuts. Tragic, comic, heartwarming—a proper showbiz tale.
For the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column, click here.
Five Things: The NME
The History of the NME: High Times and Low Lives at the World’s Most Famous Music Magazine, by Pat Long, is an excellent piece of journalism, detailing the story of the venerated magazine. Here are five tidbits that I learned reading it.
Throughout the '60s, suits, collars, and ties were mandatory at the office, though journalists were allowed to undo their top buttons as the decade wore on
Alan Smith, the editor who remade the magazine in 1972, made £40 per week (about £457 today)
Charles Shaar Murray received a package of rotting pig brains after penning a negative review
Alan Moore created illustrations for the magazine’s singles and albums pages, including an image of Malcolm McLaren holding John Lydon’s severed head
The Cure wrote a song entitled “Desperate Journalist In Ongoing Meaningful Review Situation” after a negative review of their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, by Paul Morley
Q&A: Fiona Ross
Fiona Ross is the founder of Women in Jazz Media, Senior Writer for Jazz in Europe, and the Guest Editor-in-Chief of the latest issue of Jazz Quarterly. She also sees things from the music side, as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and producer. In this excerpt from our interview, Fiona discusses how she got into writing about music.
My writing career started when I was asked by the editor of Jazz in Europe to write a review for their publication completely out of the blue. They had kindly written a review of my music work and explained that they wanted a musician’s point of view for some of their reviews. I explained that I had never even considered writing and although I was a little nervous, I was excited to give it a go. Shortly after this, they asked me to interview an artist, which again, I hadn’t done before, but loved it. I found I really enjoyed exploring artist stories and backgrounds and what they are trying to communicate through their work…. I write for a few publications now and love it.
Read the full interview with Fiona.
A Cause Worth Supporting
From Fiona Ross:
Help Musicians UK are a UK charity for professional musicians from all different genres. The support they have given musicians, especially during COVID-19 times, has been invaluable. They also have been the leading force behind research and support for musicians struggling with mental health, which is something I am very passionate about.
Check out all of the causes highlighted by folks I’ve interviewed.
Academic Stuff
The Popular Music Books in Process Series has announced its initial 2021 schedule
Professor Timothy Jackson has sued more than 20 people, claiming the University of North Texas engaged in a “witch hunt” after his involvement in the Journal of Schenkerian Studies issue about Philip Ewell’s scholarship
Contemporary Music Review is looking for new editors
The Musical Quarterly has published a new issue
Danish Musicology Online is accepting submissions for a special issue on European Music Analysis and the Politics of Identity
Call for Papers: Beyond the Avant-Garde? Rethinking the Vanguard in British Music since 1970
Call for Presentations: The North American Conference on Video Game Music
Call for Chapter Proposals: Punk Passages: Punk, Ageing and Time
The American Folklife Center is taking applications for The Blanton Owen Fund Award and Archie Green Fellowships
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The Closing Credits
Thanks for reading! Full disclosure: My day job is at uDiscover Music, a branded content online magazine owned by Universal Music. This newsletter is not affiliated or sponsored in any way by Universal, and any links that relate to the work of my department will be clearly marked. Feel free to reach out to me via email at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. On Twitter, it’s @JournalismMusic. Until next time…