BETH WINEGARNER
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| Picture taken by Carrie Breinholt |
Let me
first ask you, how and why did you get into journalism?
I was excruciatingly shy when I was young – to the point
where I couldn't actually read or speak out loud if a teacher called on me in
class. My parents tried several things to help me overcome my anxiety,
including spelling bees and learning the violin, which required me to perform
for small audiences, but it continued to be really difficult.
Around 13, I discovered writing. I started keeping journals
and I wrote poems, and in the process I realized I had this really amazing,
safe way of communicating my thoughts and feelings. I could bypass my shyness.
Then, in high school, I started taking journalism classes,
which meant working on the school paper. I wrote articles, helped with page
design, edited other people's work, and discovered that I was good at it. This
was the latter part of high school, when the pressure was on to figure out what
I'd like to study in college and pursue as a career. I loved writing so much,
and journalism seemed like a smart way to use that passion and skill in a way
that could support me financially. Of course, back then, I had no idea that the
journalism industry might change so dramatically in the next 20 years!
You have
written for many magazines, webzines and you are the author of several books –
is there ever time that you feel ‘burnt out’? If so, how do you overcome it?
It's pretty rare that I feel burnt out, which assures me
that journalism was the right path. I've had periods working for daily
newspapers when I would get tired, or I was working on a series of stories that
I wasn't so passionate about. But I get a lot of sustenance from journalism:
the process of discovering facts and ideas, interviewing people and gathering
information, and turning all that into something that's helpful to readers.
There's so much variety to the work, it's tough to get bored or stuck in a rut.
Early on, I did get burnt out when I was trying to make it
as a music writer – I had to write so much about bands that didn't matter to
me, and I also discovered that I can't stand reviewing live concerts. I've
gotten back into music writing now, but in a much more selective way that feels
more sustainable to me.
I have read
many of your recent articles but the one I always come back to is the superbly expressed
“The Heavy Metal Witch Hunt Lives On” which was written for Popmatters.
Why did you opt to write that article and what were your thoughts when doing so?
I'm so glad you liked it! In the course of blogging about
metal regularly, I started to discover metal bands in other parts of the world,
particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where playing in a metal band
can be a very risky proposition. I'd grown up during the PMRC years in America,
and I knew how ridiculous it was when powerful people called heavy metal
“evil.” But I thought the world had moved past it – and here were all these
examples that proved it hadn't.
I was impressed by how dedicated those musicians were to
creating and performing heavy metal music, even though it could get them
harassed, arrested, or tortured. Emos and metalheads in Iraq were even recently
killed. I wish their societies could make room for them. But their dedication
says something important about heavy metal in general, and what it means to the
people who love it. People who love metal love it fiercely, and that's
something people worldwide need to recognize.
In your
blog, Backward Messages, you debunk negative portrayals of teen interests and
culture. Where did the concept of the blog come about and what has the reaction
been like from parents and society?
Between 2007 and 2010 I wrote a book for parents about all
the most controversial teen interests – violent video games, paganism, and
heavy metal, and so on. Once I finished the book, I wanted to keep writing
about those topics while I shopped for a publisher, so I started the blog.
I had originally hoped that the blog would be a resource for
the parents of teenagers, but I'm discovering that the parents of teenagers
don't seek out parenting advice or resources online; I don't know why. I know
lots of folks with teenagers, and certainly some of them struggle with the
challenges of parenting, but they seem to go it alone.
Still, the blog gets plenty of traffic – predominantly from
people who are keyed into a particular issue. For example, goths comment on the
posts I write related to goth culture. Or, if I write about a recent crime,
friends of the suspect or victim will find my posts in a Google search and come
over to talk about it.
I've had quite a few commenters who thought I was totally
off my rocker for arguing that these various influences can actually be good
for kids. But I've also had plenty more who thank me for posting about a
particular issue that's dear to them, because it's rare to find someone who
says, yes, Satanism can be safe and healthy! Or, don't worry about your kid
playing Skyrim – unless it's for 48 hours straight, without getting up to pee!
Throughout
your work, you are very strong and consistent in your discussions and
arguments. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned as a journalist?
It's funny that you say that, because when I am making
arguments or stating my opinions, I don't consider that work “journalism.” It's
based on similar research techniques, but for the most part, I feel that
opinions don't belong in journalism; it's a reporter's duty to collect and
report the facts and let the reader make up his or her own mind.
But there are definitely times to show a side of the story
that hasn't been told, to provide a kind of balance. In part, we need that
because some journalists aren't doing their duty to remain as objective as
possible. It's not just that they're telling only one side, but they're
reporting faulty and poorly researched information, and even injecting their
own (incorrect) speculation into their articles.
That said, I think the most important thing I've discovered
has nothing to do with objectivity. As I said, I'm shy, so it took me a long
time to work up the nerve to ask the kinds of questions that reporters really
need to ask – the pointed questions about topics their sources would rather not
talk about. In everyday life, we're discouraged from asking those questions,
because it's considered rude. But when you're a reporter, it's your job to ask.
And, some of the time, no matter what you ask, people will answer. Or, the
worst they'll say is “I won't answer that.” But you have to ask. You have to be
brave enough to ask.
“Women in
metal” is an on-going topic and a lot of writers, feminists and musicians are giving
crude sexist metal men the middle-finger to defend the gender inequality. Can
you please elaborate on such?
This is such a rich topic, and really tough to summarize, in
part because it's an ongoing conversation in the metal community. Each time it
comes up, people evolve a little bit.
First, I don't think the metal community – and especially
individual metalheads – are intentionally sexist. There are plenty who accept
women as equals, whether it's in the audience, onstage, or elsewhere. And there
are others who believe they see women as equals; they may act in ways that say
otherwise, but they don't realize they're doing it. However, metal as a culture
is a branch off of mainstream society, and mainstream society still favors men
and male power. Plus, metal in particular is founded in expressions of
darkness, power, and aggression – qualities society normally sees as
“masculine.” Once we can really embrace those qualities in women, I think we'll
find a more balanced place for women in the culture.
Women have always been part of metal culture, and their
numbers seem to be increasing. With that comes both friction – as women make
space for themselves and define, both privately and publicly, what it means to be
a female metalhead – and acceptance, as others get used to their presence.
Unfortunately, many times women's presence is sexualized in a way that men's
isn't (such as with Revolver's “Hottest Chicks in Metal” issues), or women are treated as a novelty (as with Decibel's
recent “Women in Metal” issue). The natural opposite is a “Men in Metal” issue,
and when you devote one issue to women, you suggest that the rest are overly
devoted to men.
At some point, I'd like to see women treated simply as part
of the fabric of metal culture. We don't need to be pointed out. We don't need
to be elevated. We just need to be included in the same way that men are. It
needs to be clearer that we're into the music for the same reasons as men. But
that hasn't happened yet, and that's why the conversation is still happening.
As a busy writer, poet, family giver and proud
Metalhead – what do you do for relaxation?
Well, I'm not very good at relaxing, let's just get that out
of the way! But when I want to take a break from writing, working, or
parenting, I tend to make a beeline for the computer – just to chat with
friends, read blogs, or see what other people are up to on Facebook and
Twitter. I also love to cook, and in particular I love to bake breads and
desserts. I read a fair amount, and of course I listen to music as often as
possible. Music really helps me recalibrate and return to centre.
Can you tell us what you are working on at the
moment? Perhaps, there are plans for a new novel?
Well, I freelance for local (San Francisco) newspapers, so
I'm always juggling a few different projects. Right now I'm finishing up a
cover story for the SF Weekly that should be published in early October, on the
topic of same-sex marriage. I'm also researching another long-form piece, but I
haven't started pitching it yet, so I don't want to give too much away. I will
say that it relates to metal, and that I hope to sell it to a national
(non-metal) magazine. That one, if it works out, could become another book down
the road. I'm extremely excited about my research, so I'd love it if someone
gave me the space to write about it.
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