Molly Sheridan, a thirty-something female musician and music critic based in New York City is author of the ArtsJournal sponsored blog, “Mind the Gap.” Unlike most classical music and musicology bloggers, Molly avoids littering her blog with lengthy concert reviews and mundane chats on the changing structure of the canon. Rather, Molly writes posts on “roller-skate chicks” and stolen scooters, all the while managing to relate her quirky tales to the music business.
The eclectic nature of her posts is enough to attract the attention of any musician, if only from mere curiosity as to how “Mind the Gap” could possibly be a music blog. Molly’s writing, too, easily pulls readers in. It’s funny, sarcastic, simple, conversational… everything you could ever want from a not-too-academic blog. While she keeps her formatting and structure tuned down to “don’t scare anyone away” levels, Molly takes liberty with her diction, tone and subject matter.
In a recent post titled “Kiss My Skates” Molly recounts her adventure to a female roller derby:
The not-always-PC feminist I carry around in my head was not sure she was cool with this. The teams are made up of some kick-ass ladies, but they are also some unabashedly sexy chicks.
Her sarcastic description of herself as not always being politically correct and her casual use of the adjectives “kick-ass” and “unabashedly sexy” make clear that Molly does not filter niceties for the sake of etiquette, but embellishes her stories for shock value. Molly then proceeds to relate these roller derby women to feminism in the music world (a strange comparison, right?).
I agonize over being a girl in the 2009 music world. I hear tales of misogyny among professionals and teachers. I watch music documentaries and wonder why the only women interviewed are "fans." I am annoyed by "women's concerts" and talking about "women's issues" in the field, but I'm awake enough to see why people still need to be reminded about them and poked regularly anyway.
Molly’s tone has quickly moved from humorous to reflective, yet her voice is still very comfortable and personal. This shows the reader that even when broaching weighty subjects, Molly remains a calm and reasonable critic.
A further example of Molly’s sarcasm can be seen in her post “If You Didn’t Arrive Here Depressed” from March 2009. In this short remark, she recounts the latest news of struggling orchestras and their looming ruin, her title implying that if these dying music institutions don’t already upset the reader, then they should be. Still, Molly is not morose, ending her post with “Alas, what a day in the world,” and an optimistic wish that things will turn around.
Another notable technique Molly employs to create her voice is the use of allusions. There are so many popular culture references in her blog, you would swear she spent all day at home watching television and reading Entertainment Weekly. Whether she’s mentioning The 700 Club, reality TV shows, iTunes, or Cinderella, her trendy quotations add energy to her posts and help her readers relate classical to popular music.
Comic diction, sarcasm, anecdotal posts and popular references all contribute to Molly’s success as a classical music blogger. Her voice is amusing and original. Her blog screams to the reader “I swear I’m not boring!” And considering the vast majority of classical music blogs are humdrum tales of the newest advances in opera staging, her popularity is easily won.
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