"Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60's"
About this Quote
The little word "Regardless" does a lot of work here: it’s a defensive throat-clear disguised as confidence. Brock Yates is smoothing over whatever objection or dig preceded this line, then pivoting to the credential that ends the argument. "I did rise" isn’t just reporting career progression; the emphasis on did signals a quiet insistence that the ascent was earned, contested, maybe even doubted by others. It’s résumé talk with the temperature turned up.
In an editor’s mouth, "editorship" is a loaded title. It implies gatekeeping power, institutional legitimacy, and the authority to shape taste. Yates frames that authority as a rung he climbed, not a perch he was handed. Then he drops the second act: "before embarking" on freelance work. "Embarking" makes freelancing sound like a voyage rather than a scramble, recasting a risky move as chosen adventure. That matters because the late 1960s were a moment when media hierarchies loosened, counterculture and New Journalism blurred the line between establishment gloss and street-level immediacy, and the best writers could leverage personal voice into a brand.
The subtext is a bid for independence without forfeiting pedigree: I paid my dues inside the machine, then I walked out on purpose. It’s also a subtle claim about identity. Yates isn’t just an editor or a freelancer; he’s positioning himself as someone who can speak with insider authority while operating outside institutional constraints.
In an editor’s mouth, "editorship" is a loaded title. It implies gatekeeping power, institutional legitimacy, and the authority to shape taste. Yates frames that authority as a rung he climbed, not a perch he was handed. Then he drops the second act: "before embarking" on freelance work. "Embarking" makes freelancing sound like a voyage rather than a scramble, recasting a risky move as chosen adventure. That matters because the late 1960s were a moment when media hierarchies loosened, counterculture and New Journalism blurred the line between establishment gloss and street-level immediacy, and the best writers could leverage personal voice into a brand.
The subtext is a bid for independence without forfeiting pedigree: I paid my dues inside the machine, then I walked out on purpose. It’s also a subtle claim about identity. Yates isn’t just an editor or a freelancer; he’s positioning himself as someone who can speak with insider authority while operating outside institutional constraints.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
More Quotes by Brock
Add to List


