Talented Lady Spotlight: Leslie Simon!
CALL IT LIKE YOU SEE IT: Leslie Simon, or Les Simes as we love to call her, is an old school Sperber Sis superfave. She’s a writer of musics and culture who recently published a book on Harper Collins entitled “Wish You Were Here,” that’s designed to teach kids and grown-ups alike about the best cities in our fine nation to hone yr musical chops while eating the tastiest chow and finding the sassiest thriftscore. She spends many a page fist pumping the major tastemakers: NYC, LA and Chicago — yet always paying mind to the lil’ guy up and uppers, too: Omaha, Nebraska, Lawrence, Kansas, etc. Girl leaves no informational stone unturned.
One of the best things ’bout Les Simes, besides her mini-collection of limited edish silk-screened rock show posters or her inherent skillz for interior design, is the fact that lady is so not afraid to call it like she sees it. She did so in her first book, “Everybody Hurts” and she’s doing it again big with “Wish You Were Here.” LS has found this unique way of providing historical info on scenes and tunes — while NEVER EVER EVEN ONCE forgetting to go for the full-on shakedown of anyone from said scenes whose savory OR unsavory style deserves to be spotlighted. She’ll razz Brent from Tall Ships In A Sea of Loneliness for carrying a flat iron in his man-purse. She’ll unapologetically point out how JC and Brady from In His Light May Righteousness Shine Eternal insist on fronting that their band isn’t Christian. She’ll tell Bo from Blood of Denise Doing Me Wrong to take his sexist tunes and shove ‘em. Les can touch on touchy subjects (with true finesse) that most other writers would be quick to scram from.
We asked her a gaggle of questions to remind friends of 31CL that Loud and Proud is the only way to be. “Wish You Were Here” is available now at Urban Outfitters, Amazon.com and many other majorly legit booksellers — and is yrs for the grabbing. So do it up!
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–Q + A SPEED ROUND, 1–
WHOLE NAME: Leslie Simon
FAVE SNACK: Pretzels dipped in whipped cream cheese. (Don’t knock it ’til you try it!)
BORN AND RAISED: Shaker Heights, Ohio
WHEELS: Toyota Matrix. Keanu Reeves not included.
PRESENT DIGS: One-bedroom apartment with the prettiest hardwood floors I’ve ever seen
EAST COAST OR WEST COAST? West Coast
–Q + A EXTENDO ROUND–
Have you always loved musics? You’ve told me in the past thatchu felt like a musical late bloomer. Is that true or am I making that up? If yes, why?
Yes, yes, yes… A million times yes! I’ve always loved music but I didn’t necessarily have the best taste until I hit my 20s. I was totes that girl who danced around her room to Paula Abdul’s “Cold-Hearted Snake” as a tot and would sneak glimpses of MTV when my parents weren’t looking. For my 13th birthday, one of my bros Jacob bought me Nirvana’s Bleach album. Impressive, right? Unfortunately, my lil’ pop-filled noggin wasn’t ready for that kind of musical rebellion because I returned the disc for Mariah Carey’s Music Box LP. Cue snickers from the peanut gallery.
In high school, my middle-class angst was best expressed through my love of gangsta rap and then college ushered in some Phish-tastic times. It really wasn’t until I graduated college and started interning at Alternative Press that I forged down the musical path that led me to emo wonderment. I read a small blurb in AP that compared some then-unknown band called Dashboard Confessional to one of my personal faves Elliott Smith. The name-check alone was reason enough for me to catch a show and my life was forever changed. True story.
How did you wiggle way into the total top dog posish in this music scene of the EEM variety? Discuss yr up and up path.
Like I said, I started on the lowest rung of the totem pole at Alternative Press as a timid intern. I would organize press photos, send out back issues and clean the cat box. (Freals. The office cat’s name was Ogre and towards the end of his life, he lost control of his bowels, among other things. Yeah, awesome.) Howev, I was never content to be a glorified secretary—and I made this known to the editorial staff from the jump. I honestly pitched ideas—some bad, some terrible and some pretty okay—to editor in chief Jason Pettigrew until he gave me a shot at writing something for the magazine. I still remember the piece. It was a full-page lead Low Profile on the nu-metal band Adema. I thought they were completely awful but I earned my first real byline for the piece. From that moment on, there was no stopping me!
Did you ever expect EEM to become as prevalent as it did when we were all young and first getting wrapped up in it? I sure didnt!
I wished and hoped but never expected anything. When I first started at the magazine, bands like Coal Chamber and Disturbed were still on the cover, so I was desperate for something, anything else to look at on a daily basis. (See, where I sat in the front office, there were huge snipes of all these covers. I believe Marilyn Manson with a spike through his eye was positioned right across from my desk. Nightmares, anyone?) When the magazine finally gave a chance to bands like AFI and Saves The Day—and received such glowing feedback—I knew we were on to something special and things would never be the same again.
At what point didja realize that you we’re heading fer full-on tastemaker superstatus?
I don’t know if I’d call myself a tastemaker, but I’ll let you throw around the title! When I hear a new band and start to get butterflies in my belly, I know I’m on to something. I remember where I was, what I was wearing, who I was with and the reaction I had the first time I heard bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Brand New, The All American Rejects and Panic At The Disco. Does every band I crush on reach superstatus? Hell to the no. Honestly, I love what I love and I’ve never been apologetic about it. However, when all of the bands who were rocking my world ended up scoring high marks by fans in the rest of the scene, I knew I could always trust my gut.
Do you ever get feedback from young girls telling you that yr an inspiration to them? IS THERE ANY BETTER A FEELING? If you had any advices for young girls wanting to get into musics journalism and general tomfoolery, what wouldja say?
Honestly, it still blows my mind that anyone reads the stuff I write. Seriously. But when a girl emails me or comes up to me at a show and says that they want to do what I do, I’m beyond flattered and stoked. There’s no reason why they can’t do it. The best advice I could give is to write until your fingers fall off. Find what you’re passionate about—whether it’s film, fashion, or music—and go to town! Write, write, write and when you’re tired of writing, write some more. That’s really the only way you’ll ever be a writer. Plus, with the prevalence of blogs, vlogs and various other forms of digital media, there’s no excuse for not working on your craft until it’s up to par.
In Wish You Were Here, you are still kicking out the whipsmart yet super informative style that you honed in yr first book. This is what part of the many things that make you so special as an author. I can only imagine this Calling It Like You See It steez occasionally brings in the potential fer face to face controversy during round town book-subject run-ins. Any good tales?
Oof! Actually, I just ran into Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzarra the other night and totes cornered him to talk about music. The conversation ended up turning in the emo direction and I got a lil’ nervous that he was going to rip me a new one about some of the things I said about him in the book, which broached the topic of his Eisley ex-fiance. I’m still waiting to send him a copy but he seemed mostly concerned with the artistic rendering of him. “Did you draw me fat,” he questioned, in all seriousness. “No,” I laughed. “It’s a skinny you, circa 2004.” He loosened up from there and said as long as he was captured 40 pounds ago, things were all good with him. Classic!
–Q+A SPEED ROUND, 2–
Did you get to travel alot for the writing of the book?
Let’s just say I logged thousands of miles on the information super highway.
What boy in yr newest book would you most like to:
-Have a member of yr weekly ladies book club? Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard
-Shop for new fashions with? The MisShapes’ Geordon Nicol
-Plant an award winning deathsmooch on? I’d rewrite the book to include Robert Pattinson if it meant I could lock lips with his British mug.
What girl in yr book would you most like to:
-Write an acoustic jam with? (To be performed live!) She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel (31CL: Word to that!)
-Eat a dinner made up only cupcakes with? Julia Allison
-Assign to be yr full-on fitness regime partner in crime? Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis
-I EFFING LOVE THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM! Do you? If not, WHY!?
Meh. I liked them the first time around when they were called Against Me!.
-Kickin out any more books on musics in yr immediate future?
I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you—and then who would I talk to about my unhealthy love for the Jonas Brothers?
Do you like us girls over here at 31 Corn Lane HQ? WE LIKE YOU TEN TONZ.
I think that goes without saying. I love you as big as the sky!!
Love yr guts xoxoxoxoxo
TEET
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(Unsolicited Editors Note That Hopefully Won’t Make Her Sore: she is crazy bonkers pretty so if yr a non stoops late 20-something ((and not a stitch younger! lessons have been learned!)) dude sasspants itching for a rdik smart lady partner in crime, e-mail us and we will make certain it gets into her grubby little mitts!)
