Intern Diaries : Amanda
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Amanda Leas
21 years old
from Fresno, California
attending California State University, Fresno
majoring in mass communications and journalism, emphasis- print journalism
listening to 311, System of a Down, Bob Dylan, The Roots, Pax217, Radiohead, The English Beat, Alice in Chains, Jimmy Eat World, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, The Doors, etc.
7/26/2:
Howdy. I'm fixin' to leave HM today, da-gummit. I'm going to miss y'all. Thanks for letting me come to this magazine to see how things are done and to contribute a little. I hope that what I wrote is okay. These past days I've gotten to copy edit the new issue, and I think it's a good one. I'm thankful for this experience in magazine journalism, not to mention the exposure I got to some great bands. I'm also thankful for the people I've met here. AND, Austin is a cool city--in fact, I've grown to love it. BUT, I'm going back to Cali, which is the greatest place on earth. PS, Johnny Bravo is sexy and Chad Kroeger is not.
7/19/2:
More copy editing. More writing. I helped Doug revamp the subscription renewal notice. I helped Chris think of the top five albums of the last four decades. He doesn't like the Beatles or Nirvana!
7/18/2:
Today was spent looking over the flats for the upcoming issue. I think there will be some really good stuff in this one. Hopefully the pieces I'm writing will be okay also. If you like redneck hip hop I recommend Little T and One Track Mike.
7/17/2:
Today all of us interns helped Lee bug advertisers to get their contracts in on deadline. We also started to proofread a lot of the material for the upcoming issue. Last night I saw a good local show with Bob Schneider. Tonight it's Ben Kweller.
7/16/2:
Today Doug gave me some indie CDs to write little blurbs about in the "Pick of the Litter" section of the magazine. It's amazing to think about how many bands are out there competing for listeners. I've just been doing a lot of listening and a lot of thinking and writing these past days.
7/10/2:
Today I finished transcribing the Chevelle interview. I have all of my assignments written in initial drafts, but the next thing to do is get them where I want them -- especially the Morella's Forest story.
6/24/2 - 7/8/2:
What has transpired in the past two weeks?... While the rest of the HM staff was at Creation Fest. in Pennsylvania the last week of June, a few of us stayed behind to hold down the fort. In that time, I conducted an interview with Sydney of Morella's Forest. I think it went pretty well and I'm hoping that I can pull off a decent article. I also sat in Lonny's shoes by wo-manning his phone and trying to explain to subscribers why no CD sampler came in the past issue. There was also a lot of rain in Texas that week. Finally Jeff, Jason and I drove up to Illinois to meet everyone else at the Cornerstone Fest. It was a valuable experience and I am glad that I got to go and witness a vital organ of the Christian rock scene. My top three bands I saw at Cornerstone were: mewithoutYou, Blindside and Five Iron Frenzy. The worst show I saw was TobyMac, even though dcTalk was one of my childhood favorites and the first concert I ever went to. The worst things about Cornerstone were: the incessant haze of dust that sat on everything and the shower water that smelled like poo. And it was hot there, but I got a pretty nice tan. Moreover, Cornerstone will be a happy memory for me always. We got back on Sunday, and this week, after catching up on sleep, I am working on transcribing a Chevelle interview for Doug and completing my stories. Deadline is near.
6-20-2:
Today Doug showed me and Jeff how a magazine is made. Pretty interesting stuff. My favorite thing about this magazine is how honest they are with every element (the content and the business).
6-18-2:
We all went to this Texas barbecue place today where the staff is rude to you and you eat hunks of meat on paper mats at picnic tables. It was kind-of fun. Other than that, I've just been tinkering with my writing assignments. Random note for the day: And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead... is a good band from Austin.
6-17-2:
It's a grasshopper takeover here at HM Magazine headquarters. Other than that, it's a fun, music-loving atmosphere. Daniel is just about to engage the Deadsy lead-man in an interview, and he's a huge fan of that band. That would be like me interviewing 311. I would love it and I know so much about the band that I'd come up with great questions. But I'd be nervous because I admire the band a lot. The only interview I am waiting to do is with Morella's Forest, which is a band that is totally new to me. That should be interesting.
6-14-2:
I saw a great band last night: Denali. They're kind of like Poe--mellow but powerful, dark but light (if that makes any sense). Good album too. 6th street here in Austin is so cool! The music vibe is off the charts!
6-13-2:
I highly recommend the classic film, "Freaks." The ending is a real kicker. Just kidding, the movie is weird but mildly humorous. Lonny told us to watch it today. Ummm, movies I recommend... "The Royal Tenenbaums." Great flick and even better at the one dollar theater with friendly HM friends. Tonight I guess we're going to see Denali play a show. Did you know that there are giant cockroaches in Texas? Yeah, there's one in my kitchen. There are also giant spiders outside the HM office. There was also a giant grasshopper hopping around my feet while I was driving home yesterday. I love Texas.
6-12-2:
This week has been relatively productive, perhaps due to the return of Doug. Or maybe I've just figured out a routine here. Let's see... I've helped rank indie CD's, helped Jason draw Denison Marrs cartoons, transcribed a Zao interview, etc. All of this makes me feel like I have a hand in the music industry. Little me gets to hear music before most of the world. How cool is that?
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