Talking podcasts, the interview with the college newspaper - By N.L. Belardes
I was just hanging out at Dagny’s Coffeehouse over at 20th and Eye Street today. You know the joint—the little corner coffeehouse in the downtown area where artists and journalists hang out, gossip and talk shop. I was there to meet Daniel McCraw: kind-faced, dark-haired with a naturally curious tone; he's a journalist in action for the Renegade Rip—that’s the age-old school newspaper of Bakersfield College. Ahh, the good old days. Reminds me of the time I caught Jennifer Self back in the 1980’s for plagiarism. I turned her in for copying election year propositions word for word from some forms being distributed over at the local libraries. Rookie mistake? I don’t think so. Laziness? You got it. I hear she works for the Californian. I wonder if they knew she did that as a kid. Doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago, right?
Daniel McCraw: of the new school of journalistic thought...
So here I was to talk the Buck City Podcast and a few other details with Daniel. Seems that the podcast has garnered some attention globally and is due a little write-up… it’s nice to be noticed. I should add the Buck City Podast does get listened to by important folks. Seems that as a result of a recent podcast one of the bands was contacted by a record label. Now, that doesn’t guarantee a contract, but it’s nice to know people are listening in…
Daniel was a bit nervous. This was his second ever interview for his second ever article. That’s OK, we bonded, talked shop; I answered his many questions and even learned a bit about him in return. 24 years old, he’s a returning student after being on the streets of Bakersfield for many years, working odd jobs in construction and the like. He has an inquisitive nature not unlike my own. “I wanted to do something opposite from what I ever did before,” he smiled. I imagined all the hard working jobs he used to do, and all the factory work I have done. Here he is now, a student of journalism in one of the strangest media landscapes you could find…
“I used to literally dig ditches. I’ve been homeless,” I said. I told him about The Citrus Girl novel’s stories of homelessness and of hard times, and that becoming an intellectual and academic will surely round him out as a person, a journalist, an author: “You’ll have a real world view of what’s around you,” I said. “Forget all the pretentious people who have a skewed view of things. People like you and I have done it all, so our perspectives are rounded…”
We sat outside at a table. I took a photo of him and he did likewise… This was journalism, blogging, narrative non-fiction, a literary moment in action at a media crossroads. You gotta dig that…
Daniel McCraw: of the new school of journalistic thought...
So here I was to talk the Buck City Podcast and a few other details with Daniel. Seems that the podcast has garnered some attention globally and is due a little write-up… it’s nice to be noticed. I should add the Buck City Podast does get listened to by important folks. Seems that as a result of a recent podcast one of the bands was contacted by a record label. Now, that doesn’t guarantee a contract, but it’s nice to know people are listening in…
Daniel was a bit nervous. This was his second ever interview for his second ever article. That’s OK, we bonded, talked shop; I answered his many questions and even learned a bit about him in return. 24 years old, he’s a returning student after being on the streets of Bakersfield for many years, working odd jobs in construction and the like. He has an inquisitive nature not unlike my own. “I wanted to do something opposite from what I ever did before,” he smiled. I imagined all the hard working jobs he used to do, and all the factory work I have done. Here he is now, a student of journalism in one of the strangest media landscapes you could find…
“I used to literally dig ditches. I’ve been homeless,” I said. I told him about The Citrus Girl novel’s stories of homelessness and of hard times, and that becoming an intellectual and academic will surely round him out as a person, a journalist, an author: “You’ll have a real world view of what’s around you,” I said. “Forget all the pretentious people who have a skewed view of things. People like you and I have done it all, so our perspectives are rounded…”
We sat outside at a table. I took a photo of him and he did likewise… This was journalism, blogging, narrative non-fiction, a literary moment in action at a media crossroads. You gotta dig that…
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Friday, August 26, 2005.
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