Rock Journalist Explains Why He Still Matters

Joe Matera regularly interviews those guys who grace the cover of Guitar Player magazine, from Steve Vai, to Slash, to Toto. GuitarSite turned the tables and asked him some tough questions about whether professional rock journalism still makes sense in a time when everyone who attended a show can conceivably go home and post a review.

The interviewer kicks things off with a quick leap to the jugular:

GuitarSite: There are a lot of great music blogs, many of which are not written by professional writers and yet they still exceed the quality of published magazines. Why is it important for professional music journalism to still exist?

Joe Matera: Because if we don't have standards set by the professionals, then things would degenerate into amateurish dribble [drivel?]. You can't have the two lines blurred. As to some blogs exceeding the quality of published material, I beg to differ. I think it comes down to the fact that many blogs are written out of passion and love for what ever [sic] subject interests the author. But a lot of times what is passionate for theauthor may be found to be boring and uninteresting to an audience. And just because a blog online is of high quality, means nothing if it's only being read by a handful of people. And there are other mediums that are just as important as well. The world of music isn't just about the online world. It's about magazines and newspapers, television, radio and other outlets. And isn't the idea of writing, like that of creating and playing music itself, to get your musical craft/art/ideas out to the most possible people out there?

I really like his point about music not being "just about the online world," since there's a whole world of live music to enjoy out there, but I have to wonder... why doesn't he write a blog too, if the point is to reach as many people as possible? You just can't beat free instantaneous worldwide distribution.

Here are some more highlights:

JM: I think there are two types ofmusic writers, those that write critiques from a listener/fanperspective and those that write about music from a musicianperspective. Writing from a musician perspective helps you connect withthe artist you’re writing about. You will understand better his/hermotives, intentions, goals etc[.] because you’re standing in their shoesand are seeing with their eyes. You're standing on the same ground asthe creator of the music. Whilst a fan/listerner type can only connecton the 'music' level... from the aural experience they have. They cannever connect with the person behind the music, no matter how muchinformation they have on them because they're not slogging away attheir craft like their subject...

GS: Some might say musicjournos toe the record company line, regurgitating nothing more thanlabel PR. How much of a role do you play in breaking new acts andshaping what music becomes popular?

JM: Certainly there are journos whodo toe the record company line but I'm not about that and never havebeen. I don't play any role in shaping music, and I don't think anybodyelse does also whether they want to admit that or not. What becomespopular is based entirely on the response of the people who listen to aband's music. Journos can hype a certain band and in some way caninfluence the opinion of the readers, but in the end you can't polish aturd. If the music is good, it'll connect with the public at large, ifit's bad, it won't and never will. Have you ever noticed how most 'hyped' bands don't seem to stick around for much longer once the hypehas died down and the interest has waned for their music?"

full interview

(image from guitarsite)