Tag Archives: testimonials

Erik Caplan, former Managing Editor of Rockpile Magazine, Praises Worleygig.com on the Ocassion of Our 10th Birthday!

Erik Caplan Bear Suit

I found this awesome testimonial lodged inside another post from six years ago and decided to dig it out and re-post it fresh, so I could correctly categorize it. And also, because it is Hilarious — thanks again Air-Wick!

“I first made Gail’s acquaintance while I was the managing editor of a small-but- growing music magazine in Philly. One of my duties in this position was to seek, manage and coddle our semi-talented, semi-literate and semi-paid staff of writers and contributors. One day, as I plodded and wept through yet another round of edits of the current month’s crop, I got a call from a fast-talking, but highly personable woman from New York who, for some inscrutable reason, was interested in writing for my crappy rag. She sounded confident and experienced, had a great sense of humor, seemed flexible as an interviewer and, most importantly, lived in New York City.

NYC Travel Mural

And, truth be told, the last of these attributes seemed most attractive. See, while having a magazine based in Philadelphia is a boon for rent concerns, it’s a bit removed from the action when it comes to the music industry, and trekking to New York was a pain in the ass for a lot of our local writers (not to mention a great excuse to ask for too much travel/expense loot!) So, to be fair, I figured, “Hell, even if this Worley chick is a lousy writer, she seems responsible and cool… and at least she’ll get face-to-face interviews with people. Even if I have to punch up her work and ask for re-writes, it’ll still be worth it… after all, she’s willing to work for our paltry wages.”

I honestly forget what happened next – either Gail pitched me a story or I gave her some kind of assignment. It doesn’t matter, really, because the end result was that she e-mailed me something that needed no punching-up – hell, it was actually really good and full of solid research, good questions and insight. In short, it was damn good rock journalism… and she sent it to me on time! Amazing.

As time went by, I gave her a column, and I grew to depend on Gail’s hard work, honesty and all-around good nature for the magazine and my sanity. I called her “Gail The Snail,” and she called me “Air-Wick.” It was love. OK, not love… it was… professional courtesy, respect and a form of affection for a compadre. I can’t begin to count the number of times I called Gail (or vice versa) to talk about an assignment, but wound up commiserating about the horrors of being over-worked, seriously underpaid and having wayyy cooler hair than anyone else in the room (which wasn’t difficult in my case or Gail’s, but hey, we were still cooler.)

And, yes, I did eventually meet the lovely Gail one magical night when my old band was on tour. In mid-tour, we played a show at Don Hill’s in SoHo, and Ms. Worley was kind enough to accept my invitation to the gig – guest-listed, of course. One of my long-lost prized possessions was a photo us from that night: me strangling Gail with my hair. Things were good.

Time passed, like the magic trick it is, and things got a bit rough at the magazine. Long story short (“Too late!” I’m sure you’re thinking–shaddap)… I was phased out. My boss hired two interns to do my job and got two younger, hipper dudes to do the job of one old dude for less money. I remember sadly going about the task of letting my favorite contacts know the awful truth about my imminent departure. Now, maybe I am painting Gail with too much of a saintly brush, but I sorta remember her telling me that she’d quit writing for the magazine after I was gone from the masthead. I naturally appreciated her show of solidarity, but I insisted that she retain her post and fight the good fight to keep cool music in that increasingly snobby, by getting quick loans without credit check process for financial stability of indie-rock rag. OK, so maybe she didn’t offer to split – it’s my frickin’ memory, and if I wanna make it all sweet and lovely, I will. Bastards.

Anyway, she stayed on for a while after I left, but I’m pretty sure she never loved those interns-turned-editors as much as she loved me. In fact, I know they did something unspeakable to her. Aw, hell, I’ll speak of it – they changed her words and ruined something she wrote. Uncool. Just for the record, if I ever changed Gail’s words, she never noticed, and that’s because I never would dare to touch the meaty parts of Gail’s writing – the place where her voice lived and rang out. Messing with that would have been like tugging on Superman’s cape. It’s a respect thing, and I had that for Gail in spades. I still do.

At any rate, Gail was one of the few people who would still message me on AIM after I left the magazine, and she was always the same to me – supportive, kind and, well… Gail.

So, for what it’s worth, that’s the ballad of me and Gail. We don’t speak too often anymore, and I know she stays busy. However, I’m pretty sure I could hit her up tomorrow and get the same cheery “Hey Air-Wick!” as always. And that’s worth something to me. Horns up, Gail The Snail!”

– Erik Caplan, former Managing Editor of Rockpile Magazine, musician, writer, over-eater, dreadlocked Jew and keeper of the rock faith.

*For those of you who are Jew-impaired, being a “mensch” means for a person to be a gentleman or a stand-up guy… neither of which, by the way, have been common descriptions of me in recent years.

Big Al Carter, Soulful Blues Artist

Big Al

“Gail, you rock! You are the writer that all musicians need for getting the right pitch letter or bio. I have been getting more national USA and international airplay from Brisbane Australia to Belgium on the new songs. Your pitch letter works!”

Jana Peri, Singer/Songwriter & Guitarist

Jana at Stonehenge

Jana Peri at Stonehenge

“It seems kind of odd for me to be writing an endorsement for Gail, given that we live in the same neighborhood and have been friends for years; that is, unless you know why I met Gail in the first place.  It was because of her writing. I stumbled upon a piece she had written about publicists which was posted on the Internet, was immediately intrigued and sought her out. We started corresponding and finally met in person when we attended a film screening and rode the subway home together. Over time, we have become great pals and have seen countless bands together. When I needed someone to write a new bio for me tocoincide with the release of my CD, Catching Flies with Vinegar, it was a no-brainer. If you are looking for someone with a great reverence for music history, tempered with an irreverent sense of humor, Gail is your girl!”

Terry Douglas, Composer/Filmmaker

T Douglas

“As one of America’s foremost purveyors of rock criticism and witty pop culture observations, Gail Worley brings a unique and informed vision to the over-hyped music industry and the various media outlets attendant thereto. Her clever and erudite ramblings are a blast of harmonious noise in an atonal universe, while Gail’s unhealthy fascination with drummers keeps her up-to-date with cutting edge rock technologies, proper touring etiquette and what “beat the kids are dancing to. You should be so lucky to pay Ms. Worley for her words.”

 

Austrian Metal Band, Tripping Horse

Tripping Horse

Tripping Horse

“Gail, you rock! Your writing is brilliant and we are very happy with our bio! For us it was easy: We just threw a ton of information into a big pot, you sifted through it and what we got is a wonderful story what can be used for a movie. Wow, you have that gift that makes it special. We might knock on your door when the next record comes out.”

Love from Manuel, Antonia, Michaela and Thomas of Tripping Horse