40 Years at the LSJ - From Tickertapes to Email

 

A version of this article appeared in the Lansing State Journal

As Michigan State’s Wharton Center celebrate its 40^th anniversary season, it reminds me how closely my arts and music writing history at the Lansing State Journal is linked to the opening of that great performing arts center.

It was in July of 1982 that I approached Mike Hughes, arts editor at the LSJ, to see if I could have a stab at writing music criticism for the paper.

Hughes, always the exuberant and positive observer of the world said, “Sure. Wharton Center is opening in September, and we don’t have anybody to cover them.  You’re hired!”

I was shocked and surprised.  I approached the LSJ a couple of years earlier but that editor pronounced my writing far too high brow for Lansing audiences.

What I didn’t understand by Hughes hiring me so quickly was that I would be hired as a stringer, a free lance writer.  I would be paid by the article without any long-term contract. This translated to the reality that any time, if Hughes or the LSJ in general, did not like my writing, all they had to do was not call me. There was no real commitment on the newspaper’s part – just an opportunity for me.

Hughes gave me a tour of the newsroom and it was chaotic and exciting. Computers were just installed at the writers’ desks, next to the old-fashioned typewriters outfitted with rolls of paper instead of hassling with loading individual sheets of paper.

There was still a ticker tape machine standing there spitting out news stories and a police radio screaming out static and robberies. The back room was filled with large easels where workers laid out the pages for each day’s paper, using razor blades to cut the stories to fit in between the ads. And there was a sizeable library, filled with clips (past articles) organized into several categories.

The paper was a great team of high energy, enthusiastic news junkies.  I got to know the photographers, editors, columnists, sports writers and more. We all helped each other.

The LSJ was an afternoon paper back then.  It hit the streets at noon or so and I couldn’t wait to run down to the store to see my name in print.

My first paid article was a review of a Lansing Symphony Orchestra concert, their first at the newly built Wharton Center. I was given no guidelines as to its length or its style.

So of course, I wrote a very lengthy, wordy piece with fully packed paragraphs.  What actually appeared in the paper though was an article about one-third of what I had written, chopped to bits.

The idealistic 30-something me told Hughes that if he was going to edit my pieces like that, he should not bother to put my name on them because since they weren’t really mine.

Instead of firing me on the spot for my naivete and audacity, he patiently told me that newspaper articles were printed in small columns which necessitated text with short sentences and tiny paragraphs. And 12 column inches (about 250 words) was about all they could print. He knocked me down to size, but kindly.

But it was still difficult for me to learn to be concise. Soon after that I wrote a review for a Lansing Opera production.  It ended up being 17 column inches.  The layout man told me that he only had space for 12 inches.  I told him that would be impossible.  I had to write about the music, the sets, the singers, the orchestra the chorus, costumes and more. I couldn’t do it in 12 inches.  

He took me back to his layout board and said, “Listen Ken, all I know is that I have a 12-inch hole on the page waiting for your story and no more (and he showed me).  I don’t know anything about opera, so I’ll just cut the bottom five inches off the story from the bottom to fit the space, and I bet you don’t want me to do that.  SO, EDIT YOUR OWN STORY!”

He taught me a lesson I would never forget.

The other lesson I never forgot was, again, from Hughes.  I began with the LSJ before the creation of personal computers, the internet, or email attachments.  I had to run down to the LSJ building on Lenawee and write my stories on site. I knew nothing about computers or technology.

 Since I was new writer In the early days I struggled with many of my articles. During such a struggle, I inadvertently erased my entire article simply by touching the wrong key, one that took me an hour to write.

I was crazy with rage. Hughes ran over to me and said, “It’s all in your head.  Just sit down at the computer and rewrite the whole thing again. It’s all there.”  Of course, he was right.

Soon I was asked to review musicals and then plays and later I wrote travel and culture features and even columns concerning interviewing and hiring – using my knowledge from my daytime job.

I am always surprised that many people I meet think that I am a full-time writer for the LSJ.  I feel that some of what I love most about writing about the arts is that I am NOT a full-time writer.

 I write about my favorite hobby and lifelong interest along with my full-time job (executive search consultant).  I feel they both work together to make my life richer and more interesting. And they complement each other, as well.

Maybe the most valuable thing I learned writing for the State Journal was learning about deadlines.  In so many areas of life, deadlines can be moved or negotiated away.  With a newspaper, there is a time when the button is pushed and the presses begin to roll.  Your story better be on the page.  This deadline can’t be changed.  

When I began, celebrity interviews frightened me terribly.  I will never forget my first one with jazz singer Cleo Laine.  I was given her phone number in San Francisco which I believe was her home phone (no cell phones back then). I was at the LSJ newsroom and dialed her number.

A smokey female voice answered, and I asked, “Cleo Laine, please.” She responded.  “This is Ms. Laine.” At which time I was totally speechless. My mouth was open, but no sounds came out. Those who know me realize how rare this is. I loved her singing and was a real fan. In this moment, I couldn’t think of a thing to say.

Finally, I began the conversation and the phone call went swimmingly.

Interviewing musicians, artists, singers, authors, and general theater people continue to be a great thrill for me.  I love to discuss the arts and people’s careers.  Backstage stories have always intrigued me and now I get to hear about them from the people who experienced them firsthand. 

Although I’ve interviewed Renee Fleming, Lyle Lovett, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Doc Severinsen, Lily Tomlin, Leonard Bernstein, James Galway and dozens of others, some of my most memorable conversations were with young artists who are just beginning to taste success for the first time and are caught up in the rush of success.

One young artist texted me at 3am. I called back the next day and asked why he was texting in the middle of the night. He said, “How can I sleep when all my dreams are coming true?”

I find when the artists hear that I have a music degree and have some knowledge of the arts and they are happy to open up and share their stories.

One special moment was when Jerry Lewis starred as the Devil in “Damn Yankees” at Wharton Center.

I gave the show a good review and the next day I received a call from the State Journal saying that Lewis had called the paper and wanted to talk with me. I didn’t really believe it. “No, he did. Here is his phone number.”

 I returned the call and Lewis said that he just wanted to thank me for the review.  I told him that that had never happened to me before.

He said, “We live in a tough business.  I feel when someone does a good job, they should hear about it.“ We talked and laughed for about 20 minutes.

Lansing is a wonderful place to write about culture and the arts. It is surprising that this medium size city has such high quality theater and music events that is available to us for reasonable prices. There are summer music fests, MSU College of Music concerts, Wharton Center, Lansing Symphony, various small ensemble concerts and tons of theater.

Today the world of arts journalism has changed dramatically. Sadly, because of budgets and changes in print media, the Journal does not publish nearly as many culture stories as it used to, which follows national trends. Instead of being housed in a large two-story structure, the LSJ is now in a relatively small space in an office building. It’s quiet with not many people and computer screens everywhere.

Although I still regularly write stories about music and theater for the paper, it is far less than 40 years ago.  But there are still plenty of great arts stories to cover in Lansing and most of those stories are powered  by local artists and musicians.

Articles celebrating the arts life of a community are actually celebrating the success of the community’s residents. Over the past 40 years, I have relished telling the stories of Lansing’s successes. This article is not a swan song, I still plan to continue with the Lansing State Journal covering the arts.  For you, Glickarts blog readers, I have broadened my scope to include commentaries on a variety of tropics, which I will continue to do.