You may not think of math when you think about music but there is a direct link. If society is multiplied by strife, the exponent that increases an artist’s abilities to offset that equation are writers. The masses almost never take recognition on their own of an artist who defies society’s thoughts or traditions; from the Beatles to NWA, they all shock the general public until someone writes about their message. Commonly an artist’s rejection of what is proper frightens society. Nick Fulton has always found interest in the dichotomy of music and actions. He recalls, “I wrote a story recently about a week I spent in Oakland, California in 2012. I arrived in the city late at night and was picked up by a girl who I’d met a few times in New Zealand. I was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but instead she drove us to a party where a group of punks were hosting a rather unconventional wedding. Despite the carnage and my feelings of being out of place, wearing a Rolling Stones tee and Chuck Taylors, everyone was really friendly.” Enduring the self conscious nature which most of us share in order to take a chance at experiencing less than comfortable environments has been a vestment Nick has often donned.
With headstrong steadfastness, he steered directly in the face of conflict with his article for Cuepoint magazine. German-American artist Mark Roberts sampled the famous quote from Eric Garner, “I can’t Breathe” for use in his electronic recording of the same title. As suspected, the samples are simultaneously stirring and sobering. Nick was looking for something quite different from sensationalism. He comments, “The song had a profound impact on me. It was chilling to hear the words of a dying man – a man whose death sparked a national debate about violent police tactics towards African-Americans and was a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. I decided to speak to the artist who created the piece of music and find out what motives he had. I wrote the article not only to talk about the song, but to decipher some of the feelings the artist had.”
The way in which information is disseminated as well as the perspective is dramatically different from what it was from a decade ago. As the public becomes more aware of the motivation behind major news organizations, they seek alternative sources. One of the most recognized of these is Vice news. Vice uses a guerrilla approach or “peer” sources to obtain access to information. There is no trickle down data. Vice’s online music magazine is Noisey. As a valued contributor to Noisey, Nick has penned articles about the apparent need for musicians to leave their local area to become successful as well as about current recording engineers whom are discovering ground breaking talent. Editor Tim Scott of Noisey feels that Fulton is in line with this modern news approach stating, “Nick has written a number of features for Noisey. His writing is always fresh and engaging. He truly understands the audience that Noisey attracts and is at the highest level of his profession.” You might have seen HBO’s Vice news. The reporters truly connect with those involved in the stories. Fulton’s approach mirrors this. He comments, “I like to think about the consequences and the outcome of a piece before I start writing because without a clear purpose, I find it very difficult to stay motivated. I like to form relationships with the people I’m writing about so that I have a basic understanding of what they are trying to achieve and why they are doing things a certain way. It is obvious to me when a writer doesn’t have a basic understanding of the subject they are writing about. Experience enables you to avoid these types of mistakes.”