INTERVIEW WITH LESLIE SIMON FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK

Editor’s Note: Yes, we are jumping out of the alphabetical order a bit with this week’s featured interview, but that’s only because Leslie’s new book, “Geek Girls Unite,” comes out tomorrow (October 4th), and we wanted to help spread the word! See below and get yourself a copy this week!

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LESLIE SIMON, 31 (Los Angeles, CA)
AUTHOR
YEARS IN MUSIC: 11 
ON THE WEB: leslie-simon.com // twitter.com/redpatterndress
PROJECTS: Senior creative director, Warner Bros. Records (09/11-present); Editor, MTV.com (07/10-08/11); Author, HarperCollins Publishers (02/06-present); Senior editor, Buzznet (09/08-04/09); Managing editor, Alternative Press Magazine (06/04-03/08); A&R consultant, Atlantic Records (01/07-12/08)

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE? I was a sophomore in college and on a lark, I decided to apply for a Local Stringer position at MTV. I remember the application asked me to describe one of my favorite record-store experiences and I ended up writing a poem. I thought it was kind of silly but I pressed “send” and hoped for the best. Two weeks later, I got a call on my dorm phone from one of the editors at MTV. I thought it was a joke but then the guy on the other end of the phone told me how much he loved my poem and that it was the most creative submission he’d ever read. I nearly dropped the receiver because I was so tickled. From the moment I was hired at MTV, I was bitten by the music bug… and I’m still infected 12 years later, although the swelling has definitely gone down since. (Thank goodness!)

WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU FIRST GOT STARTED? My goal has always been to be a truthful storyteller. No matter whether I’m writing about crazybrains rock bands or advances in social-networking as it relates to the publishing industry, I try to do it as visually and honestly as possible. I want people to relate to my work and read my writing because they can trust me as a source for information and observation.

HAVE YOU ACHIEVED THOSE GOALS? So far, so good!

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? I write a to-do list every day so I guess you could say I’m constantly setting new goals for myself. In the long-term, I’d like to do all sorts of big-dreamer stuff like write a screenplay, pen a novel, make out with Ryan Gosling… You know, the usual. As for short-term goals, I strive to stay connected with my audience on a daily basis. Whether it’s through Twitter, Facebook or my website, I never want to stray too far from those I’m writing to. Once you lose that connection, you’ve lost everything.

WERE YOU ALWAYS ON THE PATH THAT YOU’RE ON NOW? In my heart, I’ve always wanted to be on this path. I fought it at first because I wasn’t sure it was something I could make a living doing. However, once I proved to myself — and my dubious parents — that I could turn my passion into a career, I’ve never stopped chugging along.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO SACRIFICE ALONG THE WAY IN ORDER TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE? Sometimes, when I get a friend request on Facebook from a high-school acquaintance whose profile boasts about living in Medina, Ohio, with their 2.5 kids and Hollister-looking husband, I think that I’ve missed out on some kind of domestic bliss. However, no more than five seconds later do I snap out of my nesting stupor and realize that there’s always time to settle down and pop some buns out of the oven (assuming that I want to use my kitchen to cook buns, er, something). I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had over the past few years for all of the Crate & Barrell sofettes in the world.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS? Coffee, “Gilmore Girls,” puppies and Justin Bieber.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK? Honestly, 95% of my opportunities have come from hard work and the other 5% have come from connections. However, if you’re a hard worker and you’re nice to people, connections aren’t just names in an address book that come in handy when you’re in a bind. They’re friends who WANT you to succeed and they’ll do whatever they can to help you do that. And vice versa, of course. I’ll go out of my way to help people that I believe in. The music industry is full of d-bags and assholes, so when you find some decent people, you better hold on for dear life and never let go!

ANY REGRETS? Not yet!

ANY FAVORITE UNDISCOVERED BANDS? There are a couple bands that I’m totally obsessed with and who have yet to be gobbled up by the masses. One is called The Age Of Rockets. They’re a gorgeous electro-pop band from Brooklyn. Then there’s The Never, who I describe as “running-through-a-forest music.” It’s the kind of tunage that is visual, visceral and thick in musical texture.

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Pick up a copy of Leslie’s newest book, “Geek Girls Unite,” which is a call to arms for every girl who has ever obsessed over music, comics, film, comedy, books, crafts, fashion, or anything else under the Death Star. Order your copy online today: CLICK HERE!

Read Leslie’s answers to 50 questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com