Oliver Wolfe

I applied to work as a staff writer for The S&B during winter break of my second year. Applying was a spontaneous decision that surprised me; I never thought I was interested in journalism. Now, looking back at it, I’m so glad I did.  

My first year, delayed once already by a COVID-motivated gap year, was defined by the impacts of the pandemic on my college experience. What really affected me was the impact of the pandemic on the campus culture, and by extension, on the music scene. Over a full academic year disrupted meant no active bands or concerts on campus. I think I felt a lot of pressure, as a first year, to bring some life back to the music scene. I started a band and played a couple of shows. By the time I found myself applying for The S&B halfway through my next year of school, I had found a community on campus that I was passionate about supporting. 

Have you seen the movie “Almost Famous?” It tells the semi-autobiographical story of a 15-year-old boy who becomes a music journalist for Rolling Stone as he goes on tour with a rock band in the 1970s. When I watched it, I wanted to be him. I mean, who doesn’t? I applied to The S&B to explore music journalism, to continue supporting the campus music scene by platforming student musicians and maybe, just maybe, to kickstart my “Almost Famous” career and lifestyle.  

My first article assignment was in the arts section, but it wasn’t a music story. I wrote about Professor Jeremy Chen’s exhibition “Devices, Tools, Objects and Props.” I remember feeling so nervous and uncertain, completely out of my depth as an interviewer and a writer, not to mention the fact that I didn’t think I understood studio art. I sat down with Chen for a short interview, my very first one, and it stretched into an over-an-hour long conversation about his life, his art and about what it even means to “be something,” for example, “What does it mean to be a suitcase? Is it still one if it has a hole cut through the middle?” After this conversation, I saw the seemingly random collection of things from a different perspective — it was art I understood and connected with.  

How often do you get to have an in-depth conversation with someone about their life story, their passion and what it all means? How often are you given the responsibility and the honor of telling their story? That’s pretty cool. 

This semester, I’ve been able to work on a passion project. I produce Scarlet Sessions, a collaborative project between The S&B and KDIC, the student radio station, designed to provide a living catalog of student musicians. I never would have thought, when I applied for the newspaper, that I could be doing something like this. I now realize all the different ways that someone can be a journalist. I now feel that I am one.