It's amusing that with his bassy voice, Tom Breihan became a writer and not a broadcaster. But the Charlottesville, Virginia-based writer is the first guest on "No Stars," a music journalism podcast that Poynter has agreed to run on a trial basis.
The show aims at offering some insight into a changing industry, as well as the craft of it all. Yes, the word "metrics" will be uttered. But there's also going to be some discussion of how and why stuff gets covered and why folks like lists as much as profiles.
In this first episode, Breihan talks about becoming a staffer at the Village Voice in the early 2000s who primarily blogged about music, before he moved on to Pitchfork for a bit and eventually to Stereogum, where he's a senior editor. (The episode was recorded several months back, which accounts for a few dated references to Baltimore's City Paper and Chester Bennington.)
Working remotely, Breihan said he's not engaged with the analytics game digital properties still are trying to suss out. But he's cranking out a cascade of short posts each day, in addition to some heavier criticism. Having almost exclusively worked as an online writer, we get into the editing process and how that's affected his style, reaction to needing rewrites and his day-to-day work. (Editor's note: Episode contains some profanity.)
Want to keep up with the podcast? Sign up for the monthly newsletter here.
Pertinent stories mentioned in this podcast:
» "We Took The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle To His First Pro Wrestling Show In 35 Years"
» "The Most Violent Man in Wrestling Lays Down His Staple Gun"
» "Status Ain't Hood's Greatest Hits"
» "We’re In Another Three 6 Mafia Moment, And That Is A Beautiful Thing"
