Rock/Roll/Writing: Criticism vs. Journalism?

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When I consider myself at all, I consider myself a rocko journo who is contractually forced into crit. Whereas I think most of my peers would consider themselves vice versa.
Which (for those who do it) is more satisfying?
Which (for those consuming it) is more satisfying?
Can they be successfully merged?

oh yeah, you pieces of shit

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

i am a rubbish journo cz i have major phone-phobia and cannot ask paxman-style confrontational questions

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:28 (twenty-three years ago)

'Consider yourself' FUCKING LUCKY.
I always do.
Some people have to work for a living.

― Neil Kulkarni, Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, if you don't think covering Toby Keith and the Navy Vet's Polka Band is working, then check yourself, Yohimbo.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:35 (twenty-three years ago)

mark i have exactly the same problem! that's why i secretly dread doing lead reviews for uncut 'cos i need to do Q&As - but i usually do them by email; much less trauma-inducing.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:35 (twenty-three years ago)

The obvious answer is to get on the SAUCE before you get on the BLOWER. This way you don't even have to remember what they said and you can make it all up and it will be a lot more entertaining!

If they later come back to you and say "this is not what we said", I suggest saying "I'm sorry, there must have been leaves on the line" and hanging up!

You will then never work again and bye bye trauma!!

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:49 (twenty-three years ago)

When I was editing a paper in Tennessee, one of my writers got all nervous about a phone interview he was supposed to do with Sally Timms (on whom he had a rather serious crush). So I did what any good editor would do -- told him to go to the bar across the street and drink two fingers of scotch. He did, and the interview came out fine.

― Jesse Fox (Jesse Fox), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Why do you call it "fingers" anyway. I've always wondered whenever the term comes up in drinking games...

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:03 (twenty-three years ago)

two fingers of scotch = fill beerglass with scotch to depth of twice yr index finger

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:08 (twenty-three years ago)

That is the way I drink scotch anyway!!

My counsellor calls it a drinking problem and my editor calls me a few times a month in the clinic... I'm still writing though, I'm still writing... I interview all the bands in my BRANE.... *waahahaha*!

Oh I do like bringing down the tone...

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

the width of the fingah, Sarah, not the length!!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Crikey. Hic. Rock'n'roll(even)!

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I admit I like Neil's answer.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

See, but to me, that's the problem. There are so many people who are just "gaw shucks" to be doing this at all that publications (esp. the non-music ones) can afford to pay like shit and treat you worse.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 18:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, that's just a supply and demand issue. There are more people who can write reasonably well about music than there are publications that need people who can write reasonably well about music. Just like there are more people who would like to spend all day lounging by the pool drinking daiquiris than there are people willing to pay someone to lounge by the pool and drink daiquiris. (I'm not saying it's easy to write great music journalism or criticism, but it's not that hard to write passable stuff, and the whole enterprise isn't rewarding enough to the bottom line for most publications to expend a lot of effort sorting out the passable stuff from the great stuff.)

― Jesse Fox (Jesse Fox), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 19:50 (twenty-three years ago)

phone-phobia

I have this too, but it has more to do with answering/placing calls than actually talking on the phone. Answering = I feel put on the spot and I don't have caller ID so I don't immediately know whom I'm speaking to or if I want to speak to the caller. Placing calls = I always have this fear that I'm calling the other person at the Worst Possible Time.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

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