On the Record
336 pages, 6 x 9
Paperback
Release Date:25 Sep 2020
ISBN:9781625345387
Hardcover
Release Date:25 Sep 2020
ISBN:9781625345370
On the Record
Music Journalists on Their Lives, Craft, and Careers
University of Massachusetts Press
Rolling Stone, Creem, the Village Voice, SPIN, Billboard, Stereogum, Pitchfork. How did the music journalists who write for these popular publications break into the business? How have they honed their writing and interviewing techniques? How have they managed to thrive amid major changes in the industry, as print magazines have declined and digital publications have emerged? What does it take to turn a love of music into a professional writing career?
Bringing together interviews from an impressive roster of over fifty music writers, Mike Hilleary offers up an engaging and wide-reaching examination of the past and potential future of music journalism. This accessible oral history contains professional insights into journalists' craft and purpose, practical advice, and essential life lessons from a diverse cast of music writers—ranging from long-respected veterans of the field such as Rob Sheffield, Jessica Hopper, Ann Powers, and Chuck Klosterman to must-read modern voices including Amanda Petrusich, Hanif Abdurraqib, Lindsay Zoladz, and Jayson Greene. Honest and absorbing, On the Record will educate and enlighten anyone who wants to write about music, or anyone who wants a better understanding about those who do.
Bringing together interviews from an impressive roster of over fifty music writers, Mike Hilleary offers up an engaging and wide-reaching examination of the past and potential future of music journalism. This accessible oral history contains professional insights into journalists' craft and purpose, practical advice, and essential life lessons from a diverse cast of music writers—ranging from long-respected veterans of the field such as Rob Sheffield, Jessica Hopper, Ann Powers, and Chuck Klosterman to must-read modern voices including Amanda Petrusich, Hanif Abdurraqib, Lindsay Zoladz, and Jayson Greene. Honest and absorbing, On the Record will educate and enlighten anyone who wants to write about music, or anyone who wants a better understanding about those who do.
Extremely readable—compulsively so. In its scope and approach, On the Record is unique and fills a real void. It will be a valuable resource for young writers interested in pursuing music journalism.'—Jack Hamilton, author of Just around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination
'Mike Hilleary's On the Record is a book that makes plain how much writing, talking, and thinking about music matters.'—Todd L. Burns, editor of Music Journalism Insider
'[On the Record's] honesty and sometimes dark humor will enthrall readers. There's much to ponder here for a variety of readers, from nostalgia buffs to those seeking exciting new discoveries.'—Library Journal
'These candid takes on the craft of criticism provide valuable insights for both music lovers and aspiring critics.'—Publishers Weekly
MIKE HILLEARY is a freelance music and culture writer whose work has been featured in GQ, Pitchfork, FLOOD, Vanity Fair, Under the Radar, Paste, Filter, Interview, and Alarm.
