#165: Be Clear On Your Why
Be Clear On Your Why
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. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.
Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Madvillain expert Will Hagle, UK Black music evangelist Dr. Monique Charles, and country music writer Will Groff. Plus! Reading recommendations and much more! But first…
A Don Caballero Song Title, Surely
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Reading List
- Peter Holslin speaks to Andew Simon about cassette culture in modern Egypt
- Ade Adeniji tracks down the first G-funk song
- Jack Stilgoe explores AI drum machines
- Elizabeth Dilts Marshall explains why catalog investors are warming up to hip-hop
- Dan Charnas says it’s time to legalize sampling
- Alice Austin goes inside a Tel Aviv Yiddish library that has become the site of wild punk shows
- Isaac Muk claims club music has gotten harder and faster
- Jessica Hopper wants women musicians’ stories to be heard
- Mark Wilberforce looks at the strong Jamaican influence in Ghana’s rich musical scene
- Daniel Dylan Wray remembers the ‘00s UK indie explosion
Lede Of The Week
“Are you guys aware of the craziness you’ve created here?” a British journalist asked a dazed-looking Julian Casablancas in 2001. - Daniel Dylan Wray
Q&A: Will Hagle
Will Hagle is a freelance music writer. His new book is an entry in the 33 1/3 series on Madvillain’s Madvillainy. He’s also the co-host of the fascinating podcast Connecting the Classics, in which two classic albums are tied together “using tangential music references, Kevin Bacon style.” In this excerpt from our interview, Will describes how he approached the book about Madvillain.
Written from a fan’s perspective, it attempts to show how the story of Madvillainy has become a legend to a global community of interconnected fans who share an appreciation of its musical genius. In an homage to DOOM and Madlib’s multiple aliases, and the world-building techniques they employ across their respective discographies, I wrote the book from the perspective of three fictional “music journalist superheroes” who work for a fake publication called The Daily Daily. The book also features real interviews with Stones Throw execs, featured artists, and others who were involved or around for the album’s creation. Because I wasn’t involved in the creation of Madvillainy whatsoever, it’s not a straightforward biography. I tried to make the book a standalone entity which is obviously also a reflection on and celebration of Madvillainy. Still inconclusive whether readers will agree.
Read the full interview with Will here.
Try Living In Cleveland Since, Uh, 1965
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Podcasts!
- Sound & Vision explores the Black origins of punk music
- Throughline looks at the history of house music
- 99% Invisible dives deep into the Chinatown punk wars
- Rock’s Backpages sits down with pioneering music critic Ellen Sander
- The Jazz Journalists Association Podcast chats about white critics writing about Black music
Trivia Time
What is the name of the (recently reissued) book that Ellen Sander published in the early ’70s?
Q&A: Dr. Monique Charles
Dr. Monique Charles is an assistant professor at Chapman University. She is the creator, curator, and editor of the forthcoming book Black Music in Britain in the 21st century. Her research focuses heavily on Black British music, “an area I am actively working to establish as a rightful discipline in its own right.” In this excerpt from our interview, Monique describes what she most enjoys about her work in music.
I most enjoy centering the voices of those involved in the scene that I explore. I enjoy showing the sociological values, intellectual value and cultural value of the music scenes and culture that I write about. I also enjoy when people contact me or use my work because it shows that the work has real value and meaning for those who encounter it.
What’s one tip that you’d give a student considering a life in music scholarship starting out right now?
Be clear on your why. Not everybody is going to understand your journey, but that is the superpower. It is not the easiest of journeys. Music, particularly the popular music arm, is a comparatively young discipline. There is a responsibility for you to create your own lane. Being so young, there are few established spaces that you can slot into.
Read the full interview with Monique here.
Real Scenes
- NKC on the London club scene
- billdifferen on Jersey club
- Cassidy George on Subculture
- Tyler King on Tuareg
- Bertie Coyle on Jordan’s electronic underground
Pivoting to Video
- Bandsplaining investigates the meltdown of Russia’s music scene
- Crack Magazine talks about the creative process behind its publication, The Collections
- Polyphonic explores the best ways to close an album
- The Smithsonian celebrates zine culture
- Rick Beato says creators toppled the music business
Bits, Bobs
- Poppy Thaxter finds out how to design an eye-catching magazine cover
- Boo-Hooray has a catalog of free jazz throughout the 20th century [h/t The Signal]
- Dan Charnas has won the 2023 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography for his book on J. Dilla
- Scammers are posing as Rolling Stone writers on social media
Both Extremely Effective
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Q&A: Will Groff
Will Groff is a music and culture writer based in Brooklyn. He has written about country music for Pitchfork, PAPER, No Depression, and various other publications. He is currently completing a Fulbright grant in Mexico. In this excerpt from our interview, Will talks about his typical day-to-day.
I’m actually currently in Mexico on a Fulbright grant, so my day-to-day looks super different than it did even a few months ago. At that point, I was working 9am-6pm doing marketing for a streaming platform and writing between 10pm-2am most nights. It was exhausting, and I’m glad to have a little break. These days, I’m focusing on making the most of my time here in Mexico and only taking on assignments that really grab my attention.
How has your approach to your work changed over the past few years?
I’ve only been doing this for two years, so I don’t speak from a ton of experience, but I will say that I’m learning to be choosier in what I cover. At first I was throwing everything at the wall and trying to cover every single possible thing that could be of interest, which was super draining. One luxury of being slightly (very slightly!) more established is that I can be more thoughtful in choosing what to cover. It makes for better stories.
Read the full interview with Will here.
A Cause Worth Supporting
From Will Groff:
The Black Opry is an organization that works to create a home for Black musicians, fans and industry professionals in country music and related genres. They do amazing work in amplifying the voices of Black country, folk, blues and Americana artists, and the Black Opry Revue is a must-see live event. Please donate to support the amazing work Black Opry is doing!
Check out all of the causes highlighted by folks I’ve interviewed.
Academic Stuff
- New issues: International Journal of Community Music, Journal of Singing, and Computer Music Journal
- Registration is open for Ludo2023, the Twelfth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound
- Call for Papers: Dancecult: Spaces of Dancing [Abstracts due April 15]
- Call for Papers: Sound on Screen II [Submissions due March 24]
The Closing Credits
Thanks for reading! In case you’ve missed any special features, I’ve published a number of them in the newsletter, including articles about music journalism history, what music journalism will be like in 2221, and much more. You can check out all of that here.
I also do a recurring column in the newsletter called Notes On Process. The premise is simple: I share a Google Doc with a music journalist where we go into depth on one of their pieces. It hopefully provides an insight into how music writers do their work. You can check out all editions of Notes On Process here.
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Trivia Time Answer
Ellen Sander’s book Trips: Rock Life in the Sixties was first published in 1973.
A Final Note
Thanks for reading! I make playlists from time to time. Check them out if you’re interested. And 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…