#083: Anoraks and Moptops
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 Latinx-focused writer Ed Morales; Name 3 Songs podcasters Sara Feigin & Jenna Million; and Polish electronic music expert Ewa Mazierska. Plus! I recommend some TikToks, some longform journalism, and much more! But first…
Same, Except Music Journalism
Reading List
Daphne A. Brooks writes about why it’s necessary to shift the center of American music from Bob Dylan to Beyoncé Knowles
Tavi Gevinson proposes that Britney Spears was never in control
Cat Zhang goes deep on the resurgence of Japanese city pop
Ryo Miyauchi discusses the unique challenges of writing about non-Western music
The former editorial team behind Q has launched a weekly newsletter called The New Cue
Martin Douglas asks, “Who stole the soul from rock ‘n roll?”
David Browne remembers a collection of virtuous, chaste, choircore groups from the 1960s
Eric Adams on the guy who designed the microphone that went to Mars [h/t MusicREDEF]
Holly Gleason talks to numerous folks who provide security for artists
Sydney Bergan profiles Pitchfork contributing editor Rawiya Kameir
Q&A: Ed Morales
Ed Morales is a freelance writer, author, and lecturer. These days, his writing can be found in The Nation, CNN Opinions, and The New York Times; he has also written previously for The Village Voice, Newsday, and many other outlets. He’s written four book about Latinx music in the United States, including The Latin Beat: From Rumba to Rock. In this excerpt from our interview, Ed talks about the artists he’s been enjoying most lately.
I really like Thundercat because I think his music disrupts borders between genres, he shows mastery over his instrument, is iconoclastic, sarcastic, vulnerable, and has a dark humor. I like Bad Bunny because he’s redefining what it means to “rap” and “sing,” and has a notion about performance that transcends just being a musician, and that he’s a hard-edged Puerto Rican nationalist while still being open to “playing” in the mainstream somehow.
I like Rosalía, despite all the criticism around her cultural appropriation, because she is also a genre-buster and inventing a different kind of fusion music. I wish she’d engage in some respectful, concrete self-criticism about her privilege, and maybe even do some work to understand the African influence on Spanish culture that goes back to the 16th century, something that might explain how she was able to crossover as a “Latin” artist. I like Robert Glasper because of his musicianship, his sense of soul and funk, his attitude, and his collaborative spirit; even his missteps are striking. I like the direction Bomba Estéreo is going in, a kind of tireless search for a different sound, reverence for the galaxy of Afro-Colombian rhythms, on the new album Li Samuet finds this new plane of emotional maturity, joining forces with Lido Pimienta, herself an incredible innovator and vocal monster.
Read the full interview with Ed here.
Podcasts!
Daphne A. Brooks explores her new book Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound on New Books in Music
Laura Snapes and others explain just how bad 2020 was for musicians in the UK on Today in Focus
Luc Sante talks about his writing career on New Books in Music
Cherie Hu and David Turner go deep on the current financialization feeding frenzy on Money 4 Nothing
SoundLore: Folklore & Ethnomusicology welcomes Drs. Jessica Turner (American Folklore Society) and Stephen Stuempfle (Society for Ethnomusicology)to chat about the future of academic conferences
The Culture Journalist has launched its second season with New Models’ Caroline Busta
Q&A: Sara Feigin & Jenna Million (Name 3 Songs)
Sara Feigin & Jenna Million are the duo behind the podcast Name 3 Songs. The idea behind the project is to “challenge sexism and empower fangirls” with episodes that tackle these important issues from a variety of angles (misogyny in songwriting, the over-sexualization of women in pop, and the importance of groupies). In addition to the podcast, they also have a great TikTok. In this excerpt from our interview, Sara & Jenna explain the origin of Name 3 Songs.
We started the podcast in August 2020 because we were tired of the sexism we’ve experienced in the music industry—being dismissed both as fangirls and as professionals. We’ve commiserated with our peers about this hundreds of times without seeing any signs of change.
With Name 3 Songs, we’re able to have weekly critical discussions that challenge sexism and empower fangirls. Our goal is not only to make fangirls feel valid in their passion for music, but to make everyone reflect on the ways in which they’ve participated in a misogynistic system. Hopefully it inspires them to think about how they can make a difference in their community moving forward. Changing a system isn’t a one-and-done thing. It’s a process, and we’ve found the podcast format is well-suited to keep these conversations going.
The show’s name comes from the sexist idea that women are incapable of being music fans. I think every woman in the industry has, as some point, been approached by a man who asks them to “name three songs” from a band in order to prove she is in fact a real fan.
Read the full interview with Sara and Jenna here.
A Cause Worth Supporting
From Sara Feigin & Jenna Million:
As the sexual misconduct issue is such a big issue in the music industry, and particularly the music genres we tend to focus on, we thought it’d only be right if our cause helped those most affected by abusive relationships. The Hotline answers calls 24/7 for survivors and concerned friends & family, and those seeking advice on how to help someone experiencing relationship abuse.
Stuff You Gotta Watch
Stuff You Gotta Watch celebrates music journalism in video form. This week’s column is by freelance writer Jesse Locke.
Throughout its brief run from 1987 to 1995, Sarah Records provided an inclusive alternative to the reactionary side of UK punk. As Lucy Dawkins’ documentary My Secret World explains, bands on the label’s roster, such as the Field Mice, Heavenly, or the Orchids, were far more likely to be seen in anoraks and moptops than leather jackets and liberty spikes. Yet Sarah remained critical of the mainstream establishment, championing intersectionality with affordable prices, queer representation, and artists on the same level as their fans.
As major labels began pushing listeners to purchase their music collections for a second time on CD, Sarah remained stubbornly devoted to 7” singles and fanzines with flexi discs. As you might expect, the 2014 film is done in an equally unique way, with label co-founders Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes walking viewers through their 100 releases (including a board game). It offers a cohesive guide to the catalogue, as nerdy as the musicians that made it.
After an hour and 40 minutes of stories from jangly indie-pop groups, it may be difficult to differentiate the Sea Urchins, the Poppyheads, and 14 Iced Bears. With its barrage of silly band names, My Secret World comes across like a twee version of the Scharpling and Wurster sketch Power Pop Pop Pop, ultimately working better as fan service than as an introduction to the label. For those unsure of where to start, check out the Field Mice’s “Sensitive,” a Sarah Records manifesto wrapped up in a perfect song.
How Do You Do, Fellow TikTokers?
@diy.showcases on hyperpop
@rococo_witch has a Les Paul history lesson
Nile Rodgers explains why funk is called funk
@luxxuryxx highlights bands in which the singer doesn’t write the lyrics
@brettthelorax parodies every music documentary trailer ever
Bits, Bobs
The Greg Kot-edited music documentary platform Coda Collection has launched
Jessica Lipsky writes about the return of Wax Poetics; Christopher Heine profiles the new team at SPIN
Former Rolling Stone editor John Burks and former Hot Press writer Molly McAnailly Burke have passed away
Burks’s death set off a short Twitter conversation about the tallest music journalist ever
Jazz critic W. Royal Stokes has a new book out, and Phil Freeman’s upcoming jazz book has a release date
This SNL sketch snuck in some music criticism
This Kickstarter for a documentary about German hip-hop group RAG will help bring it to Blu-Ray
Sounds About Right
Q&A: Ewa Mazierska
Ewa Mazierska is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Central Lancashire. She has published over 20 monographs and edited collections about European cinema, popular music, and representation, and her work has been translated into twenty languages. I emailed Ewa to chat about one of her latest books, Popular Polish Electronic Music, 1970–2020: A Cultural History. In this excerpt from our interview, Ewa discusses a few elements of the book writing process.
What did the research process look like?
It combined archival research and interviews with musicians and other music professionals: journalists, owners of labels specialising in electronic music, as well as fans. I also consulted with fellow academics specialising in Polish music. Much of this work was done by e-mail, but I also made perhaps six or seven trips to Poland, to conduct interviews face to face. I was lucky that all this happened in pre-Covid times, when access to archives wasn’t restricted, so I could spend half a day in the National Library in Poland consulting old magazines. Of course, I was also listening to music, watching music videos and films. For three or so years I listened mostly to Polish electronic music.
How did you go about writing the actual book?
It started with the book proposal. After that I just started writing it, using my existing knowledge. My experience tells me that this is the best way to do it. When I write I learn what I don’t know and try to fill the gaps. I try to write 300 words per day. It’s not much, so this requirement does not intimidate me and does not impede my ability to fulfill other professional duties, such as teaching and managing research of my colleagues, but it allows me to move the project forward and focus on the task. I spent about two-and-a-half years researching and writing the book. I spent about six months editing it.
Read the full interview with Ewa here.
Academic Stuff
Recording it Ourselves: A Day Event about DIY Cultures, Information, Archives and Heritage will take place in March
Dr. Anabel Maler has a Twitter thread of advice for folks submitting music theory conference proposals
Call for Papers: Historical Traces of European Radio Archives, 1930-1960, a workshop scheduled for October
Call for Papers: Information Overload? Music Studies in the Age of Abundance, taking place in September
New issues: Ethnomusicology, Journal of the Society for American Music, Journal of New Music Research, American Music, Jazz Culture, Metal Music Studies, Punk & Post Punk, and Music and the Moving Image
Dartmouth College plans on closing its music library; Will Cheng, the Chair of the Department of Music, has created a Google Doc collecting testimonials about the library's importance
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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…