So, Thursday morning I am scheduled to be a guest on 9 WREG News in Memphis. The show is called Live@9. I’m going to check out previous interviews on their site to see what it might be like. I’m guessing beforehand that it’ll be very informal, like the Today Show, where the audience gets a thumbnail sketch on what I do or will be speaking about and then describing my perspective. It could be, of course, some wild and crazy and adversarial type situation, like the Dudley & Bob show on KLBJ, which I sat in on once when my book, Rock Stars on God came out.
What I will do,which I’ve done before at other schools, is start off by talking about some of the “nuts & bolts” of publishing a magazine. Some people don’t know some of the basics about design (like bleeds, crop marks, press forms, etc). I’ll get into that a little bit and try to give a real up-close and personal look at how writing, editing, designing, prepping and printing a publication is like.
I’ll share how I have come to define what “Christian journalism” is. I’ll share stories about how I wrestled with the work ethic of this vocation and also applying a biblical lens to how I would look at and work within it. There are some defining moments in my experience as editor and publisher of HM Magazine and it’s easy to tell those stories and share how I was able to form a working definition of both “journalist” (and trying to maintain a quality level of excellence) and “Christian” or Jesus-follower and Bible-liver (that’s an interesting tag).
I’ll also share many challenges I’ve faced over the years (ethics, dilemmas, highlights) — some of which will be old and distant and others recent.
Then I will switch gears to discussing the genre, style and scene we call “Christian rock.” Before changing the subject slightly, however, I’ll open up the floor to questions. I’d hate for someone to have to listen to several subjects being discussed and having to remember and save one question they had when we’ve traversed so much ground subject-wise.
“Why Christian Rock?” was the title my host (and Visible School Director), Ken Steorts suggested. Did you know Ken was a founding member of Skillet? See? If you quit a band, you’ll start a university. If you don’t quit the band, you’ll end up a Gold-selling artist.
🙂
I think Christian Rock’s greatest gift to the body of Christ at large is “pastoral,” not “evangelism,” as popular sentiment would indicate. I’ll elaborate on that. I’ll get into some of the “apologetics,” if you will, of Christian rock. Going into a defense of the musical style that hasn’t always been accepted by the older generation and the church leadership.
I’ll talk a little about a career in Christian rock/metal, which will be relevant to these students who are pursuing just that. I’ll reference my 7-page cover story in the Nov/Dec 2004 issue – “The Ugly Truth Behind Christian Rock”
(which was an article 19 years in the making).
Then I’ll try to share some practical advice on dealing with the media, with tips on artists/businesses dealing with the media. At one college near Lubbock one time I brought a handful of current, unopened mail with me. I stood there in front of the class and actually opened my mail. These students were pressed with creating their own press kits, so when I opened up random press kits in front of them and gave them raw, live feedback on what I thought (and then when they saw me toss the folder and various packaging extras into the trashcan). It gave them an honest look at how business contacts might judge their work (and press kits) in the future. That was fun. I won’t be bringing any mail with me (especially since I already opened today’s mail).
This particular seminar will be open to the public, has been advertised in the local paper and will be touched on, I’m sure, during the morning news segment, so hopefully some of the topical overviews I share will help both the fan, parent, curious skeptic as well as music business school student.
The next day, Friday, I get to speak to a class of Music Business students. I’m excited. Most will be the same students that hear me the day before, so the content will be all new and different. I have found that I thrive (if I can say that) when I manage a Q&A format. Not sure why, but I dig that. The guy heading up the class lecture had the same idea on his own. He told me:
“I have asked our MBM majors to visit the FM website and to submit questions for you, drawn from the site or questions that they might have about the press and Indy Christian Rock or the business in general. They are to have those questions to me by Wednesday, November 3. I will compile those questions and then send them to you by Wednesday afternoon.I hope that these questions will give you some topics to go on for Friday morning and would alleviate you having to figure out what to talk about.”
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