SevenQuestions: Luke Seeman, budding copy desker and former White House intern

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Seven Questions

Luke Seemann is a recent Northwestern grad who got his first job on the copy desk at a California metro daily he'd prefer not to implicate in the crimes committed below. He's also had some interesting internships, including one at a certain large, pillared structure on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. He's also got one of the slickest personal Web sites around. 25 August 1998

1 You've got ample skills in Web site creation, design, writing, etc. Why in the world do you want to be a copy editor? Back to the 7Q index

Oh, please. Ample is as ample does.

I ask myself this a lot, especially whenever I tell someone that I work at a metro daily and then qualify it with, "But I'm just a copy editor there."

Editing suits my personality type much better than reporting. I tend to stress out. In my brief stint as a metro reporter on the "cat stuck in a tree beat," I just about had a coronary each morning, merely from the prospect of having to talk to someone I didn't know. I love telling stories and I love people -- but getting those stories wigged me out.

Can't forget the shortcut factor. I'm 22: My first job out of school is at a large, respected paper, and I'm making decent bread -- and I'm here about ten years sooner than if I were to do it as a reporter.

But in the long run -- the 30- to 40-year long run -- reporters are rewarded more, and not just salary-wise. Then again, none of us is going to survive the Millennium Bug, so raise the roof for short-term gain!

People tell me I could make even more bread in new media. But I don't see a lot of exciting things going on in new media. It's not just that nobody's turning profit: Not much is very compelling any more. My plan, therefore, is to keep my e-skills sharp on the side while the Merc pays me to become a better editor and designer.

2 Who's the person you most admire on the cyber scene, and why?

Justin Hall. He follows his bliss, he writes well and he writes often. I envy his passion. I can think of few sites -- professional or personal -- that are as compelling as his.

3 What do you wish they would have taught you at Northwestern?

Nothing. Anything I didn't learn was my own damn fault. The student who can't find what she wants there isn't looking hard enough.

4 How do you account for the survival, then success, of suck.com?

Suck proves there is no substitute for good writing. Plenty of Suck-esque sites have come and gone because they didn't have the consistently good writing -- and editing! -- of Suck. I can sympathize with people who disagree with Suck's politics or attitude, but I defy anyone to find better daily writing online, perhaps even off.

Tomorrow's superstars are writing for Suck today; indeed, Sucksters are starting to emigrate to the "real" world of glossy print. I may nod in agreement with George Will or Clarence Page, but nobody makes me screech "Fuck, yeah!" like G. Beato or Chris Bray.

Also, Suck perfected early the formula of hyperironic elitism wed to ultraironic self-deprecation.

Who says irony is dead?

5 Share a very strange internship tale.

No tale sticks out, but I'm amazed at how small this world of journalism is. I'm guessing that all of journalism can be tallied within three, perhaps four degrees of separation. None of your readers knows who I am, for instance, but chances are they know somebody who knows somebody who does.

6 Tell us about a headline that was really fun to write.

At Star-Tribune Online, I rewrote a hed for a sports commentary about the Vikings' plan to use a two-running back formation. "Vikings offense a beast with two backs?"

Oh, I was dying. I was forwarding it to friends. I had to excuse myself to go giggle. It got through the slot, who apparently didn't know his Shakespeare, but the next day it had been changed. I asked an editor about it; he shook his head and said it was a good thing I was just an intern. And, it probably was.

7 What to do with President Clinton?

I consider myself pretty lefty. I interned at the White House. The only reason I register Republican is so that I can vote against certain creeps twice in a given year. And because I myself was until last week a 22-year-old former intern, I'm all for 22-year-old interns getting a little mad booty here and there.

That said, the president should resign. And then he should be punished

A lot of pundits are saying a lot of things, most of it just the same crap over and over. But I haven't heard anyone deny the fact that we would all be better off if the president's penis were chewed off by starving rodents.

The coincidence of this scandal with cable TV has made Clinton a cartoon character, and it's hard for cartoon characters to be very credible. Take Marv Albert, please. He's still a brilliant sportscaster, but it's hard to see him and not imagine him in a teddy.

Same with Clinton: He's still a brilliant president, but as he announced the airstrikes last week, all I could wonder was if some intern were under his desk, taking a DNA sample.

Ready the rodents, I say.

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Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan >Back to SevenQuestions

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Luke Seemann is a recent Northwestern grad who got his first job on the copy desk at a California metro daily he'd prefer not to implicate in the crimes committed below. He's also had some interesting internships, including one at a certain large, pillared structure on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. He's also got one of the slickest personal Web sites around.		25 August 1998
1	You've got ample skills in Web site creation, design, writing, etc. Why in the world do you want to be a copy editor?	Back to the 7Q index
	Oh, please. Ample is as ample does. I ask myself this a lot, especially whenever I tell someone that I work at a metro daily and then qualify it with, "But I'm just a copy editor there." Editing suits my personality type much better than reporting. I tend to stress out. In my brief stint as a metro reporter on the "cat stuck in a tree beat," I just about had a coronary each morning, merely from the prospect of having to talk to someone I didn't know. I love telling stories and I love people -- but getting those stories wigged me out. Can't forget the shortcut factor. I'm 22: My first job out of school is at a large, respected paper, and I'm making decent bread -- and I'm here about ten years sooner than if I were to do it as a reporter. But in the long run -- the 30- to 40-year long run -- reporters are rewarded more, and not just salary-wise. Then again, none of us is going to survive the Millennium Bug, so raise the roof for short-term gain! People tell me I could make even more bread in new media. But I don't see a lot of exciting things going on in new media. It's not just that nobody's turning profit: Not much is very compelling any more. My plan, therefore, is to keep my e-skills sharp on the side while the Merc pays me to become a better editor and designer.
2	Who's the person you most admire on the cyber scene, and why?
	Justin Hall. He follows his bliss, he writes well and he writes often. I envy his passion. I can think of few sites -- professional or personal -- that are as compelling as his.
3	What do you wish they would have taught you at Northwestern?
	Nothing. Anything I didn't learn was my own damn fault. The student who can't find what she wants there isn't looking hard enough.
4	How do you account for the survival, then success, of suck.com?
	Suck proves there is no substitute for good writing. Plenty of Suck-esque sites have come and gone because they didn't have the consistently good writing -- and editing! -- of Suck. I can sympathize with people who disagree with Suck's politics or attitude, but I defy anyone to find better daily writing online, perhaps even off. Tomorrow's superstars are writing for Suck today; indeed, Sucksters are starting to emigrate to the "real" world of glossy print. I may nod in agreement with George Will or Clarence Page, but nobody makes me screech "Fuck, yeah!" like G. Beato or Chris Bray. Also, Suck perfected early the formula of hyperironic elitism wed to ultraironic self-deprecation. Who says irony is dead?
5	Share a very strange internship tale.
	No tale sticks out, but I'm amazed at how small this world of journalism is. I'm guessing that all of journalism can be tallied within three, perhaps four degrees of separation. None of your readers knows who I am, for instance, but chances are they know somebody who knows somebody who does.
6	Tell us about a headline that was really fun to write.
	At Star-Tribune Online, I rewrote a hed for a sports commentary about the Vikings' plan to use a two-running back formation. "Vikings offense a beast with two backs?" Oh, I was dying. I was forwarding it to friends. I had to excuse myself to go giggle. It got through the slot, who apparently didn't know his Shakespeare, but the next day it had been changed. I asked an editor about it; he shook his head and said it was a good thing I was just an intern. And, it probably was.
7	What to do with President Clinton?
	I consider myself pretty lefty. I interned at the White House. The only reason I register Republican is so that I can vote against certain creeps twice in a given year. And because I myself was until last week a 22-year-old former intern, I'm all for 22-year-old interns getting a little mad booty here and there. That said, the president should resign. And then he should be punished A lot of pundits are saying a lot of things, most of it just the same crap over and over. But I haven't heard anyone deny the fact that we would all be better off if the president's penis were chewed off by starving rodents. The coincidence of this scandal with cable TV has made Clinton a cartoon character, and it's hard for cartoon characters to be very credible. Take Marv Albert, please. He's still a brilliant sportscaster, but it's hard to see him and not imagine him in a teddy. Same with Clinton: He's still a brilliant president, but as he announced the airstrikes last week, all I could wonder was if some intern were under his desk, taking a DNA sample. Ready the rodents, I say.
Back to SQ index Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan		>Back to SevenQuestions