Posts Tagged ‘journalism’

SFMoMA, viewed from Yerba Buena Gardens

A lot of people complain about the overcrowded, over-popularized atmosphere of San Diego Comic-Con, but after dropping in for about half a day on San Francisco WonderCon, I have to admit: I kind of prefer the hustle and bustle of America’s Finest City’s summer nerdfest.

As an editor friend noted, WonderCon is more of a true industry convention, where colleagues from different publishers can actually get together without the eyes of the world so intensely upon them. And admittedly, it was nice to be able to have quieter conversations and not wait in lines to meet with people. But the palpable energy of Comic-Con is truly a unique experience — one that, after some consideration, I’ll likely endure again this year.

Still, the three-day excursion to the Bay Area was good. Sara and I met up with her friends from Michigan, spent a too-short lunch at the Metreon with pals I hadn’t seen in easily a decade (super-couple Frank and Jill Beaton, down from Portland for the con) and enjoyed a tasty meal at Ponzu with another buddy and ex-Las Vegan, Leo (and his fab boyfriend). I spent some time exchanging comics industry and Vegas stories with Steve Englehart. Paul Horn and I finally connected and I picked up a collection of his engaging and funny strip Cool Jerk. I did more walking in three days than I typically do in six months — which was OK, aside from the vagrants, junkies and whores every 5 feet. Most of the photo-snapping was left to our party’s resident amateur shutterbug, Aaron, but I did capture a few moments from the “It Was the Age of Marvel Comics” panel, Alcatraz Island and Yerba Buena Gardens, if you’re interested.

I also did something this weekend I haven’t done in about four years: turned over a freelance assignment to another writer. Without going into details, a few other stories that should have been wrapped up weeks ago bled over into time set for this other story, which then crashed into WonderCon weekend, before which I had to scramble to tie up other loose ends. Thankfully, I not only had a star writer to pick up the ball running, but I also have a good editor who (I think) understands the circumstances (right, Michael?).

That being said, the results of tying those loose ends will hopefully make themselves evident sooner than later. Stay tuned, true believers, because as always, news is forthcoming.

I just received an invitation to the March issue launch party at Blush inside the Wynn for Six Degrees (Thursday at 11 p.m. for anyone interested), so I’m guessing that coming to a salon/bar/whatever near you this week is the tiny magazine with the cover to the right.

Inside — on page 128 to be exact — I take a look at Fado Irish Pub in Henderson, and preview the bar’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Fado’s probably my favorite Irish pub in Las Vegas. Sprawled out across two stories in the corner of a trendy shopping pavilion near Eastern Avenue and the 215, Fado can be anything you want: loud party destination, intimate hideaway, friendly dinner spot — oh, just pick up the magazine and read about it. Or visit the website and squint really hard.

The April issue of Six Degrees should have a few more stories from yours truly in there, including a preview of Coachella. Yes, I know, there’s very little point to previewing the music festival in 250 words two months after the lineup was announced. But, hey, I don’t make the assignments — I just take them.

Well, look at that: February went and started without me even noticing. That must mean the new issue of Six Degrees Las Vegas is out. Though I haven’t seen a physical copy yet, the online version of the issue hidden behind that Mel B-adorned cover is now available for your enthusiastic perusal.

I wrote a couple articles for this issue: One on my new favorite (OK, everyone’s new favorite) neighborhood bar, Frankie’s Tiki Room, and one on a long-standing Las Vegas drinking and dining (though mostly the former) institution, the Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge.  If you’re not hip to either, I recommend a) picking up Six Degrees and reading my quick reviews and then b) getting your drink on.

Also, eagle-eyed readers might catch a distinctively attractive, bearded fella with his dazzling lady in the photo gallery for the One Six Lounge VIP grand opening on page 125. Yes, we’re wearing puffy coats. There was an open balcony and it was COLD, yo.

I’m working on a couple of music-related stories for the April issue of that same mag, and I think there’s more alcohol-related nonsense in next month’s St. Patrick’s-flavored edition. Brace your livers.

Just a quick update to clue in the three of you reading on recent appearances out there in the cold, cruel world of your favorite knucklehead.

My pseudo-review of Motorik’s forthcoming debut album, Klang!, has magically appeared on the band’s Press page.

I recently contributed quotes to a few posts on Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s Quips and Tips for Freelance Writers blog: “Twitter Benefits for Freelance Writers” and “10 Tips for Making $45,ooo a Year Writing.” Laurie’s site is a valuable resource if you’re of the starving non-fiction writer persuasion, so feel free to peruse the offerings over there.

Also, if you picked up a copy of the Las Vegas Weekly last week, you may have noticed my band, As Yet Unbroken, held all top three spots in the alt-weekly’s website MP3 downloads. Because, yes, we are that badass.

Of course, if you’re like me and can’t get enough of my name in print or otherwise, find a more comprehensive list of media appearances here.

Last night, as my girlfriend and I munched on veggie burgers at our tiny kitchen table, I told her about an idea for a story I wanted to pitch to one of the local alt-weeklies. It was a sound enough idea, well-thought out and though not time-sensitive, relevant in light of the current global and local economic situation.

She listened to and processed my pitch. We finished eating. A little bit later, while just chilling on the couch after dinner, she turned to me and asked, “Is there some reason you want to do that story now?” I re-delivered my reasoning from earlier. She listened, again, surprisingly patiently, and then clarified: “If the story isn’t time sensitive, why can’t you just pitch it later and focus on getting your comic book script done?”

Huh.

If anyone hasn’t figured it out yet, I have the attention span of a hummingbird. It’s nothing new, though the internet age has certainly not helped. For about the last 15 years or so, I have always juggled multiple projects in the air at once. At one point a few years ago, I was working full-time as a web content editor, going to school full-time for not one but two bachelor’s degrees, doing regular freelance writing for multiple publications and editing a twice-weekly newspaper. All at once.

I have a terrible habit of starting new projects in the middle of current ones, and sometimes leaving old ones unfinished in their wake. I have in my files at least three unfinished books and/or proposals, an in-progress screenplay or two and who knows how many broken pieces of potential articles, reviews or columns. While in the midst of a freelance deadline last week, I was also creating promotional materials and editing videos and music for my band while scheduling meetings to discuss taking on more projects … and formulating plans for that story pitch that started this whole conversation.

The girlfriend was right. I need to focus. There’s no immediate timeliness or financial burden requiring me to pitch this story right now. On the other hand, as she so kindly reminded me, San Francisco WonderCon is little more than a month away, and if there is any imaginary deadline for me to have my comic proposal together, that would absolutely be it.

In the 2005 film Les poupées russes (an adequate sequel to one of my favorite films, L’Auberge espagnole), the protagonist, Xavier, is a writer who does ghostwriting and pens pulpy romance books because these gigs pay well, but he is unsatisfied with the work, instead wishing to write earnest novels. Xavier’s grandfather tells him that if he keeps letting them, these good-paying but temporary distractions will consume his life, leaving what he truly wants out of reach. In the context of the film, it’s an allegory for the way Xavier’s led his romantic life. But the advice stands up on its own.

So while the occasional 200-word story for Six Degrees or contribution to little things such as Quips and Tips for Freelance Writers aren’t terrible time-suckers, I really need to hold steady and focus on finishing existing projects before starting new ones. Especially small ones. Before it’s too late.

I know I already shared this over at my old site, but since the “old” incarnation of pjperez.com has been rolled up here, I don’t feel too bad reposting. Especially because of this: The winter 2008 issue of HRH, the Hard Rock Hotel’s in-house magazine, is now available online in a fully interactive digital format. And if you’re interested in reading my feature about Billy Idol (which appears on the cover in about half of the copies — the other half feature Kings of Leon), then click here to enjoy an interview with the legendary rocker. That’ll link you directly to the article.

The shots of Idol featured on the cover and in the story look live, but they were actually shot by Robert M Knight before Idol’s Sept. 12, 2008 show at the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel here in Las Vegas. Knight is a very humble guy, but he’s been one of the most prolific music photojournalists of the last 35-plus years, shooting all the greats, from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to the Ramones and Jimi Hendrix. As he’s known all these musicians for so long, Knight just showed up to take photos for his own collection, and Idol let him kind of do whatever he wanted — which meant, of course, getting some iconic Idol poses with good lighting on stage before the madness began. That was right before I went upstairs to Idol’s dressing room to do the interview for the story, and as I’ve discussed elsewhere, he was gracious, funny and candid — if not a bit mumbled.

A large number of Idol’s fans hit up the old website to check out the article, but I know the scans I originally posted were hardly legible, so hopefully for those who couldn’t procure a copy from the Hard Rock, this zoomable digital version will be helpful.

During my internet travels today, I found myself watching a video of a surprisingly compelling presentation made by Howard Tayler, the creator of the web comic Schlock Mercenary, on the subject of monetizing free web content. Launched in 2000, Tayler’s strip was successful enough that he was able to quit his good-paying job with Novell in 2004 to work on Schlock exclusively. In the video, he shares some obvious and less-obvious insights into new media business models, but for me, this quote, delivered late in the video, stood out:

Getting a degree in English in order to become a writer is like studying grizzly bear anatomy in order to kill a grizzly bear. You know a lot about the shape of the bear, but you’re gonna set foot into the woods and have a tree fall on your head. What you should have been studying was geography and climatology … and a zillion more things that make your life interesting.

This is — as Tayler disclaims — not an attempt to offend any of those of you out there holding B.A.s or M.A.s or (shudder) Ph.D.s in English. Some of my best friends wasted 8 years of their life earning hold advanced degrees in English. But Tayler’s right.

Yes, I do hold a degree in journalism. But I didn’t get it as a primary step to becoming a writer. In fact, I didn’t go to college until I was already years into a freelance journalism career, and not until I had a bevy of life experiences under my belt. My motivation for the degree was multifaceted: 1) I wanted editorial jobs and a bachelor’s degree was usually (though not always, as I’d later find out) required, 2) A liberal arts education afforded me the exposure to all sorts of subjects I’d otherwise not have approached (I ended up doubling my major to include sociology as well), and 3) I just like the college environment.

Tayler’s grizzly bear references actually started with a much simpler analogy. After presenting all sorts of marketing and business 101 type of advice, he tossed out this: Successfully making a living offering up free web content such as a web comic, blog or what have you is like making grizzly bear soup: First you kill a grizzly bear — the rest is making soup.