LEAD: I love how this piece opens by talking about the place where the interview is taking place. It explains Beck’s connection to it and how he feels about it being torn down is how he feels about his town and childhood in general. This lead reveals a lot about how the rest of the story is going.
ANGLE: The angle is very focused on how Beck is constantly being forced to let go of things he remembers from his childhood that are diminishing. There is a huge angle of nostalgia as well as the complexity of his work, attempting to pull together a list of genres and moods. He writes about reality.
OTHER PEOPLE INTERVIEWED: They interviewed visual artist, Channing Hansen who I believe is Beck’s brother. The quote used was about their non-traditional parents. The author also looked to Robert Jones in the L.A. Times to show how other people were noticing how people were fleeing the neighborhood Beck grew up in because of saturating drug and gang culture.
USE OF QUOTES: This article is very quote heavy to show Beck’s voice. It’s interspersed with a little explanation from the author to put the quotes and context. The quotes are ultimately driving the story.
CONTEXT/BACKSTORY: A lot of this talks about Beck’s past and his upbringing. Even explaining his family’s lives a little to put a few of his inspirations in context. Most of this is backstory because it’s talking about how his hometown was vs now, and where his music inspirations come from.
STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES: I love how this story puts you right on the scene of the interview. It makes you feel like you’re actually there listening to them. I feel like the piano scene was a little unnecessary, but it reveals a little about Beck’s personality that makes you feel like you’re there even more. Describing the car and the town and the art museum really sets the scene and puts the information talked about in perspective.
IMPACT: This story is really impactful because a lot of people can relate to feeling nostalgic about their imperfect past. However, it’s also probably widely read because of Beck being a very well-known artist for many years.
