I’m Todd L. Burns, the guy behind 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.
Notes On Process is a column in the newsletter with a pretty simple premise. I invite a writer to a Google Doc where I’ve copy / pasted one of their pieces and added a bunch of footnotes with flattery, jokes, and questions. They reply to my queries, and then you get to read the doc with all of our marginalia is visible. The goal is to provide a window into the writing and editing process, so that folks can see how great writers think about their work. Below is a list of the folks that have taken part.
Ben Fong-Torres, “As Fong-Torres nears 70, radio memories are made of this” (SFGATE)
Jayson Greene, “Are We Having Fun Yet? On Pop’s Morose New Normal” (Pitchfork)
Rob Harvilla, “'60 Songs That Explain the ’90s': It’s Time for the Pavement Episode” (The Ringer)
Isabelia Herrera, “Ivy Queen - Diva” (Pitchfork)
Jessica Hopper, “Emo: Where the Girls Aren't” (Punk Planet)
Kathy Iandoli, “Lauryn Hill Owes Us Nothing” (Pitchfork)
Alan Licht, “Give ‘Em Enough Nope” (The Wire)
Yoh Phillips, “From Kendrick Lamar to Nipsey Hussle: Becoming a Community Angel” (DJ Booth)
Simon Reynolds, “Gathering of the Tribes” (Melody Maker)
Danyel Smith, “The Perilous Fight” (ESPN)
Rob Tannenbaum, “An Oral History of 'We Built This City,' the Worst Song of All Time” (GQ)
Elijah Wald, “Corridos” (Boston Globe)
Lindsay Zoladz, “I’m Not a Dad, but I Rock Like One” (The New York Times)