Bad Bonnaroo mushroom trip, life as a music journalist, Rolling Stone writer Andrew Leahey sits in on the podcast

Rolling Stone writer Andrew Leahey guests to talk about what it's like to make a living as a music journalist AND a touring artist in 2020. Surviving the music industry and the times where touring is no longer a viable living. 

SNIPPET (full Audio below)…

Brett: So you’re a musician who tours a shitload, but also you’re a music journalist, which is almost an obsolete job. But you’re getting a ton of work right now.

Andrew: That’s right. When I told my parents that I wanted to play music, they said, “You need a backup gig.” So I said I’d be a music journalist as well! And they said, “That is NOT what we meant.” But it’s working! 

It’s kind of what I led with after college. I had a clearer career path with writing, so I chased it down, and I think it took getting my music journalism career to a good place to really give myself the confidence to go back in and say, “No, I want to actually play music, and not just write about other people who have the balls to do what I want to do.

Brett: Totally, and it’s good that you have both perspectives, as a musician AND as a music journalist. I think a lot of the time, when people think of music journalists, they think of the grouchy, old, pretentious guy who’s there to rip on bands.

Andrew: Well that’ll be me in twenty years or so. But I feel the world has enough people who can tell you why things suck. So I try not to write about music if I don’t like it. Granted, I live in Nashville, so I’m often writing about country pop, which I don’t really like. But I’m writing about it in a way where I’m not saying if it’s good or not, I’m just talking about how and why it exists. 

Brett: And you told me, you’re essentially the go-to guy for writing bios for bands. You’ve written bios for some very massive bands, like Jason Isbell I believe?

Andrew: I wrote a couple of covers on Isbell, who’s a great guy, but in that country pop world I’ve done bios for Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Kip Moore, all those types. 

Brett: That’s cool! You’re actually the only employed music journalist I know, so way to go!

Andrew: I appreciate that, man!