I've been a freelance writer, newspaper reporter, photographer and Website person. I've worked for both traditional press and online sites. Herein lies some of my writing and Web work that I've done over the years.
Writing
Hanging the Flagpole sign.
L to R - Mathew Greenia, Dennis Greenia, Pete McCommons, Rachel Reynolds (on the ladder), Alicia (then) Nickles, me (in front)
Some of the magazines I've written for include Flagpole and Creative Loafing to Huh and Raygun.
I've written about music, the Olympics, politics and general profiles. Some of the people I've photographed, written about or interviewed include: Billy Bragg, Chickasaw Mudpuppies, Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, U2, Robyn Hitchcock, Nirvana, Indigo Girls, Luka Bloom, James McMurtry, Poppy Z. Brite, Anne Rice, Spaceghost, Jeff Buckley, Kevn Kinney, Dashboard Saviors, Jim Dickinson, Elliot Wigginton, Peter Tork, Hothouse Flowers, Jack Heale, and many others.
Web
These are some of the sites I've worked on in the past as an online producer, graphics designer or content developer.
Accent Magazine -- Content editor and site strategy; multimedia developer.
Mountain Living -- Content editor and site strategy; graphics and multimedia.
Screen Shots -- Content developer and / or website designer.
The Unwelcome Companion
Written by Hillary Meister
Rick Fowler, a local Athens musician and recording studio engineer, has recently published "The Unwelcome Companion." The book is about Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder, that Fowler has had to contend with most of his life. While this article appeared in the Athens Banner Herald many years ago, Fowler maintains a strong presence and supports causes that deal with this syndrome. He most recently made a documentary film entitled "Inside Tourette Syndrome" (click here for details and to order ).
Read about the book and learn about Fowler's journey as a musician with tourettes and check out Rick's MySpace page and hear some of Rick's music.
Rick Fowler, a local Athens musician and recording studio engineer, has recently published "The Unwelcome Companion." The book is about Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder, that Fowler has had to contend with most of his life.
"I saw a lot of people that had Tourette's and I wanted to help them... People kept accusing me of being a drug addict when they've seen me having tics, I guess because I'm a musician. I never liked to really talk about tourette's to people that much. I figured, if I'm going to bring it up I'm going to explain it to everybody and get it over with," he said.
"The Unwelcome Companion" explains this neurological disorder in a personal and conversational style. Related disorders to Tourette's, named after the late 1800s French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, are also included in Fowler's book such as hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Fowler discovered he had Tourette's when he was 32 though he had been suffering from numerous tics, involuntary muscle movements, since his early teens. He explains in the book that the disorder, in its various forms, is not as rare as people think it is.
"That's the reaction I've been getting," Fowler said. "Everybody who reads it says, 'I do some of those things,' and I think it's because everybody does have some of it. It's just being human, but when it becomes excessive it becomes a recognizable disorder. Tourette's is considered a form of obsessive compulsive," he said.
Fowler says he also wanted to dispell the superstition that Tourette's is caused by demonic possession, as thought even a century ago, as well as the fact that only 30 percent or less of TS cases exhibit Coprolalia -- the excessive vocal outbursts of a profane nature exploited by the media.
"People that have (TS) are totally sane and rational," Fowler said, "but they do these things that are totally insane and out of character. There are thosuands of records of people exorcised or burned at the stake who had probably what was Tourette's Syndrome."
Fowler was misdiagnosed on several occasions, mistreated with particular drugs, and misunderstood. He explains some of his experiences within the context of the book.
"I wanted to tell the story without wining and seeking pity because I'm actually doing OK," he said. "My book is not real long, but I tried to make it meat and potatoes and cut out all the fat."
Fowler currently performs in numerous Athens bands, most notably The Lonely White Boys and Where's Anita. He began his musical career with Fort Nox, an Atlanta band residing on Epic records in the early '80s. He moved to Athens in 1991 and began engineering at Full Moon Studio in Watkinsville. He also has his own tape duplication service.
Through medication, Fowler's tics are minimal and hardly noticeable, but it can still be a feat for him to stand on a stage and play.
"For brief periods of time you're focused. It's so strange, I wish I could explain it better," he said. "I don't know how anybody could, it's like a war going on all the time..."
Rick Fowler, a local Athens musician and recording studio engineer, has recently published "The Unwelcome Companion." The book is about Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder, that Fowler has had to contend with most of his life. While this article appeared in the Athens Banner Herald many years ago, Fowler maintains a strong presence and supports causes that deal with this syndrome. He most recently made a documentary film entitled "Inside Tourette Syndrome" (
"The Unwelcome Companion" explains this neurological disorder in a personal and conversational style. Related disorders to Tourette's, named after the late 1800s French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, are also included in Fowler's book such as hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.