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Random Musings Blog archives

Interview with Myself

April 24, 2006 by Joanne Brokaw

I returned home from GMA with 33 interview tapes to transcribe. I wonder, sometimes, what it’s like to sit on the other side of the table. So today I’ve decided to interview myself.

ME: Today I’m talking to freelance writer and humor columnist, Joanne Brokaw. She also covers entertainment for a couple of dozen newspapers in the US and Canada and writes for publications like Breakaway and OnCourse magazines.

Me: In fact, I have the cover story in the April issue of Breakaway magazine. I’m pretty excited about that. It’s an awesome issue.

That’s very nice. Thanks for that shameless self-promotion. Anyway, tell us a little bit about what you actually do as a freelance writer.

Well, I think about what kinds of stories magazines or newspapers might want to buy and then I convince them to hire me to write them. That’s pretty much the gist of the freelancing.

That’s it?

Sort of, yeah.

Do you make a living at it?

No. I make almost no money, but of course I only work when I want to. People can make a nice part time living freelancing but the business end really just befuddles me. Querying and keeping track of articles, hounding editors for payment. I’m working on two book ideas, though. If I can get my butt in gear then I may make some money from those someday.

What are the books about?

One is for musicians just starting out. I might call it Garage Band 101. It’ll be a book that helps bands understand the basics of the music business, like how musicians make or don’t make money and why it’s more important that your lead singer actually be able to sing than what color tour bus you’ll have someday. The other book is Mission Trips for Chickens, and that’s the one I’m most passionate about. It’s a field guide for Christians who are afraid to utter the words “missions” or “Africa” out loud for fear God might send them to Africa on a mission trip.

When will we see these books?

Well, first I need to convince someone to publish them and go from there.

Right. OK, so back to your daily work. What’s the best part of freelancing?

My co-workers are a border collie named Natasha, a fat calico cat named Penny and a fuzzy hamster named ... well, his real name is Chester but I call him hamster. I’m the highest paid and most educated one in the office, which is great for the ego. And I’m my own boss, so I can work in my pajamas, or go to the coffee shop, or take a day off during the week anytime I want to. And in my job I meet a lot of interesting people. That’s definitely the best.

The worst?

I’m my own boss. And I’m a pretty disorganized and lenient boss, too. Instead of making myself sit at my desk and write, I’m just as likely to go out for coffee with someone and talk all day. And now I’m on a movie screening list so sometimes I even go to the movies during the day.

What movies have you seen recently?

I just saw United 93. It’s a tough film to watch. But it’s a must-see for sure. There’s no editorializing, no political commentary or agenda. Just the facts. If you see the movie, bring a box of tissues and be prepared to spend 90 minutes with your stomach in knots.

What else do you do as a writer?

I’m also an entertainment writer. I supply I think 22 newspapers and websites in the US and Canada with a monthly entertainment column. Basically, I sift through dozens of press releases or wire service stuff searching for bits and pieces of news that might be interesting to readers and put it together in a monthly column. That’s actually a lot more difficult than you might think.

Why?

Well, does anyone care if some mega-band is going on tour? It is information people might want to know, but all they have to do is go to someplace like itickets.com and see what concerts are going through their town or read any other website that reprints press releases. I’d rather tell you about who had a baby or got married, how the small band that got their start in your own church just signed a record deal, who’s going on mission trips, why the kids in Jonas Brothers wear purity rings. So the column is a balance between the necessary news everyone else is running and whatever else I can dig up.

So, you’re a gossip columnist.

Ouch. I hope not. You know, I actually struggled for a long time with that. I get disgusted with the whole celebrity machine our culture has created. I mean, when you’re standing in the checkout line at the grocery store do you need to be reading about Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt’s marriage problems? Or who Jessica Simpson is dating now? I know I wouldn’t want my personal life spread across the cover of a magazine for all to see. But it hit me one day that what I do isn’t all that different. I write about the Christian entertainment industry and let’s face it; a lot of it is fluff. It’s certainly not news, that’s for sure. I don’t want any part of making Christian celebrities. At the same time, I’m writing about artists that people want to know about. Last year I was ready to thrown in the towel and get a job at Starbucks.

So what happened? What changed your mind?

A friend died. He was young, like 21, a musician. And at his funeral I was watching his band play, and they were projecting an image of John on the back wall so it looked like he was playing with the band. And I thought to myself, “I would have done anything to help John get on stage” because I knew that once he did he would share Christ -sometimes in lyrics, sometimes in spoken words, and always in the off-stage relationships. And all at once, it hit me. I had forgotten my passion in the pursuit of the story. Sure, I can write about MercyMe, but do they really need me to do that? No. There are magazines falling over themselves to cover that band. But bands like ... well, you ever heard of Ever Stays Red? Probably not, but you should. They just really have tender hearts for the lost and they play great rock music, too. My role in that gospel chain is to help get their message out to readers. I’ll never make any money covering those unknown bands but it satisfies my soul.

What’s been your favorite story?

I have a bunch. The first real feature piece I did on the band downhere, called “Redefining The Rock Star,” is still one of my favorite articles. A really good example of what I’m talking about, though, is a piece I did on a band called The Combat Junkies. They were really hard, screaming rock, which I so don’t like. They dressed in leather, had long scraggly hair or shaved heads, tattoos and piercings. If you walked by them on the street after dark you might cross the street. But they were pussy cats. I mean, sweet, sweet young men. Kind, tenderhearted, really humble guys. During that GMA week, after everyone else went to bed they’d go out onto the streets of Nashville and just walk around, talking to the homeless, maybe buy them something to eat or a cup of coffee. Anyway, I wrote an article when I got home from GMA and it ran in a few papers. About a month later I got an email from the lead singer saying he was trying to sell his guitar because the band was in a financial bind. They had done a show and somehow their boxes of merchandise got left behind. When they went back to get the stuff, the boxes were either stolen or thrown out, which meant the band had nothing to sell at the upcoming shows. Most people don’t realize that these indie bands get paid almost nothing to play, so they live off merch sales for gas and food. The band couldn’t afford to replace the merch so the lead singer sold his guitar. In the end they just folded. When the lead guitarist has no guitar you’re really not going anywhere. It was sad because those guys really had hearts to share God’s love with people. You’ll never read about bands like that in those celebrity magazines. Those are the artists I love to write about.

So what do you think your purpose is in life? Are you a voice for those kinds of bands?

I’ve thought a lot about that lately. My purpose in life is to glorify God and encourage people. I think the first is every human’s purpose, whether we know it or not. The second is I think my specific purpose. The tasks on my desk change every day but the underlying purpose never does. I love building relationships with these artists. I love it when a true friendship develops. It’s not about getting stories for me. I adopted Philippians 2:3,4 as my personal mission statement. It says: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” I try every day to live that out in both my personal life and my work. The ultimate goal is that people will see Jesus in me. I fail more often than not but I hope I succeed sometimes.

You get a lot of CDs and books sent to you to review, right? How do you decide what to cover?

It’s hard. You can’t judge a CD by its cover. Stuff that looks great is often junk, and stuff that you’ve never heard of can be great. I always listen first to artists I personally know. When we’ve made a personal connection, I‘m your biggest cheerleader. Even if I don’t necessarily get the music I can still support your mission. And I listen to what other people are recommending, too. Not just the stuff that’s on the charts.

What’s in your CD player right now?

As we speak I’m listening to Mat Kearney’s Nothing Left To Lose. It’s great. Go buy it.

You get so much product for free. What was the last CD you actually paid money for?

Just yesterday I bought Teddy Geiger’s debut album, Underage Thinking. He’s from Rochester and even though I probably could have hounded the publicist for a review copy I wanted to support the kid on his first music venture. It’s pretty good. I like that pop, guy-with-a-guitar music. I hope the industry doesn’t eat him up and spit him out. And I loved him on “Love Monkey.” I’m so bummed they cancelled that show. They always cancel every show I like.

Like what shows?

Oh, the one that gets me really fired up is “Joan of Arcadia.” I’m still really mad about that, CBS. I went on a campaign to save the show. I wrote an editorial and emailed all of my friends and family to send an email to CBS. Don’t get me started again.

OK, how about books? What are you reading now?

I’m always reading several books at once. I am a serious bibliophile and I read all sorts of stuff. I’m a big fan of David Sedaris’ writing, so just yesterday I bought “Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduroy.” It’s not Christian, so don’t go out and buy it and them complain to me that you were offended. On the same shopping trip I bought “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon. I’d never heard of it but I saw it on my stepsister’s bookshelf the other day and the summary on the back sounded interesting, so I’ll give it a shot. And I bought “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. I figure if it’s still on the shelf then all the hype can’t be wrong. So I’m reading Sedaris’ book as well as “Zen and the Art of Writing,” by Ray Bradbury. I went to the art gallery yesterday to feed my muse.

Feed your muse?

Yeah, it’s something Bradbury talks about in the book, feeding your creative self. Yesterday, I went to the Memorial Art Gallery and spent four hours looking at paintings and sculpture. It was like an overdose for my sensual, creative, and spiritual hunger. It left me wondering why I don’t feel the same way when I leave church. I mean, God is the creator of the universe. The church should be the most creative force on earth, right?

Hmm, I think that’s a topic for another day.

I agree. I’m going to go eat lunch and then maybe read for a while. Or take a walk. Or do laundry. It’s so dreary out, maybe I’ll just curl up on the couch and read. See, another benefit of being your own boss. I can take a mental health day anytime I want.