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"Unless
a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise,
I say ignore the bastard." John Steinbeck
 Despite
these dire warnings from a favorite author, some years ago
I wrote music reviews for Folkfire
magazine. Part of my desire to do so was to hone some
writing skills. They say nothing replaces repetition when
it comes to writing. Another part of my desire to write was
to make more contacts within the acoustic community in St
Louis. I was considering creating a website to act as a clearinghouse
of information about local and regional acts. Of course, this
was the early days of the web (mid 1990s). Still, another
part of me simply wanted write
off the purchase of CDs on my taxes.
Occasionally,
I get the itch to explore freelance writing again as a couple
of my friends have done. Of course, you have to write something
if you want people to even consider you, so I wondered about
those reviews and whether they would be worthy additions to
a portfolio. When the likely places were exhausted my attention
quickly waned and I forgot about them all over again.
But fate
has a way of messing with you though... Yesterday I was on
Wikipedia just clicking around when I saw a link to a Lyle
Lovett page. I like Lyle, so I clicked it. After reading
through to the bottom, sure enough there was my name. The
review
I wrote for Folkfire on The Road to Ensenada album was
listed as source material for the article!
So, I
found at least some of my reviews on Folkfire's site buried
in their archive section. I think this is about half of what
I wrote for them. For those of you interested in reading them,
here are the links (I'll apologize in advance for the formatting):
More importantly,
it's given me the bug again to write more. Where it takes
me is less sure. Maybe I'll simply write a more regular blog
here. Maybe I'll pick up the memoir I discussed so thoroughly
with a friend a few years ago. Maybe I'll start that website.
Or maybe the great
American novel is in me... No, I don't think so either.
But there's something there and I think I'll see if I can
find what it is.
Note:
Writing
in the Margins is the title track of John Gorka's most
recent release. Written from the perspective of a soldier
away at war, this song is poignant look into the emotional
costs of war on those that wage them as well as those left
at home to wonder.
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