Eli Schoop Interview
Eli Schoop is a freelance writer from Cleveland, newly based in Brooklyn. Eli has bylines in Tiny Mix Tapes, Bandcamp Daily, and Tone Glow.
Did you have any mentors along the way? What did they teach you?
Formally I started music writing with ACRN, Ohio University’s alt-radio network, and in addition to being good friends, Clem Baker, Abbie Doyle and Sam Tornow all encouraged me to really sit with music even if it’s mediocre (the worst musical crime). Getting my first big boy gig at Tiny Mix Tapes I learned style and voice from legends like Nick James Scavo, Jessica Dunn Rovinelli, Sam Goldner, and the indomitable C Monster—not that he can be replicated. Joshua Minsoo Kim gave me a music writing community with Tone Glow and I’ll always be grateful to him for that. And Mariana Timony, who has probably edited more of my pieces than anyone, has no patience for dumb flowery bullshit, and for that I salute her.
How has your approach to your work changed over the past few years?