RIP Jane Scott

July 6, 2011 5:27 AM

Jane Scott, who wrote about rock and roll in The Cleveland Plain Dealer until her retirement at 83, has died. "It was the singular combination of Kleenex, peanut butter, a shower cap and earplugs that let Jane Scott thrive in her chosen field for nearly 40 years."
posted by xenophile (26 comments total)

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posted by fingers_of_fire at 6:01 AM on July 6, 2011

What a life— thanks for posting this.
posted by yerfatma at 6:16 AM on July 6, 2011

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posted by ndfine at 6:21 AM on July 6, 2011

Thanks for this post on a clearly awesome human being, but she was actually 93, which makes her 10 years more awesome (and even more of an inspiration to people getting older by the day who still haven't found what they feel they are supposed to be doing.)

I know the accompanying picture is supposed to be about the wacky juxtaposition, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work.

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posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:26 AM on July 6, 2011

Hero
posted by Greener Backyards at 6:31 AM on July 6, 2011

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That was wonderful. Thanks.

Margalit Fox does a lot of quirky obits for the Times, usually for folks who eventually become subjects of obit posts here on MeFi. Every once in a while, she throws in stuff like this: (Emphasis mine)

Jane Marie Scott was born in Cleveland on May 3, 1919. The first record she bought was Jimmy Rushing singing “Sent for You Yesterday,” which she played on her hand-cranked Victrola. (A Victrola is something like an iPod, only larger.)

:)
posted by zarq at 6:32 AM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]

Damn shame I only learned about this woman through her obituary. Sounds like she was thoroughly awesome.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 6:32 AM on July 6, 2011

Plain Dealer obit.
posted by plastic_animals at 6:34 AM on July 6, 2011

Here's the Cleveland Plain Dealer On Jane Scott. She retired at 83 in 2002.

and the Pee Dee's obit: multi-media enhanced!

Her first day at The Plain Dealer was March 24, 1952, three days after the world's first rock concert -- Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball at the old Cleveland Arena.

Cleveland is a place for longevity in journalism, I suppose. Anyone remember Dorothy Fuldheim? She lived to be 96, and was active in local TV news in Cleveland from until 1947 until 1984 when she was 91.

I can't say I necessariy agreed with Jane Scott on much, but you had to admire her enthusiasm for rock and roll, including and especially live music, and her resolve to work as a full-on rock journalist in a much younger, mostly male milieu for fifty years.

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posted by Herodios at 6:35 AM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

His name is Bruce Springsteen. He will be the next superstar.
posted by octothorpe at 6:38 AM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]

From the Plain Dealer obit (thank you, Herodios):

In her relentless pursuit of killer quotes, juicy personal tidbits and behind-the-scenes gossip, Scott often broke the ice with musicians by offering to read their palms or analyze their handwriting. When she was around, even the most outlandish rock stars tended to be on their best behavior.

"We're talking about some of the most depraved people in the world," Stanley said. "But with Jane, it was like they were talking to their mom or their grandma. . . . It was, 'Yes, ma'am' and 'No, ma'am.' "

posted by zarq at 6:54 AM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

I know the accompanying picture is supposed to be about the wacky juxtaposition, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work.

The pic in the Pee Dee obit is the image most will remember: the platinum blonde boufant 'doo, the giant red specs, and a face that says, "can you believe we get paid to to do this?" Decades-younger hairy rock studs in wacky juxtaposition optional.
posted by Herodios at 7:02 AM on July 6, 2011

Wow. An amazing life, to be sure, and she clearly had the chops. My j-school profs would love lines like this:

"The first sound Cleveland heard from [Jim] Morrison onstage was a burp."
posted by Madamina at 7:19 AM on July 6, 2011

The single link requires I login.
posted by w0mbat at 7:20 AM on July 6, 2011

Rock and roll aside: even the radio station's robot wore a bad wig. I love rock and roll radio.

A different era of journalism, that's for sure. rip.
posted by gjc at 7:20 AM on July 6, 2011

Ms. Scott was fazed by little she encountered in her new world, though the language sometimes gave her a turn. Among the worst offenders were the Beastie Boys, who favored a particular epithet in telephone conversations with her. “I think when you’re talking to someone old enough to be your mother,” she told The Washington Post in 2002, “you don’t have to use that on the phone, do you?”

Never heard of her before but I love her already.

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posted by Halloween Jack at 7:33 AM on July 6, 2011

When I first moved to Cleveland, my father and I were out having dinner at a local restaurant. Jane Scott came in and sat down at the table next to us. My father knew her, and introduced me -- I was awestruck. This was right after she had retired, and they both spoke about how not working anymore was hard to negotiate.

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posted by ltracey at 7:44 AM on July 6, 2011

I live in Cleveland and I found about Jane's passing from Rosanne Cash retweeting a post from a music journalist in Tokyo. That's some range and influence.

I also saw Jane dead asleep at a Tracy Chapman concert in 1988. Apparently the Plain Dealer found another employee at the concert and coralled them into filing a half-assed review the next day.
posted by xena at 7:49 AM on July 6, 2011

Just watched the John Peel BBC "Record Box" Documentary last night. Now I find out another trailblazer has passed. Maybe John and her can have some wine and peanut butter and listen to whoever is playing up there tonight.
posted by incandissonance at 9:09 AM on July 6, 2011

♩
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:15 AM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ms. Scott was fazed by little she encountered in her new world

She was certainly not fazed by Faze, who hung out with her for a week, many years ago, to write a magazine profile. Interesting fact: Jane lived to age 93 despite being a devout Christian Scientist and eschewing conventional medical care. Perhaps it is as Robin Hanson suggests, healthcare doesn't do any good at all.
posted by Faze at 9:23 AM on July 6, 2011

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Xena, she did that sort of stuff all the time. That, or ask someone at the show who actually knew what was going on what was happening, significant, etc. She picked my father's brain more than once (he's a longtime local musician). Lovely lady.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:54 AM on July 6, 2011

Now that is living. Rock on, Jane.

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posted by smirkette at 10:48 AM on July 6, 2011

You really have to have some special magical powers if Lou Reed loves you.
posted by Adventurer at 12:35 PM on July 6, 2011

No!!!

Music reportage has lost its very best.

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posted by mykescipark at 2:04 PM on July 6, 2011

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posted by i feel possessed at 9:10 PM on July 6, 2011