Corbie Hill is senior in English at N.C . State. He is a writer at the Independent Weekly, a singer/songwriter of his band Alpha Cop and, more importantly, a husband and father. Hill dropped out of UNC-Asheville after one year, and then came to State at the age of 27. Hill has almost completed his degree and is ready to begin his writing career.
”I started back to college when I was 27, and I just worked odd jobs. I noticed this thing, where you can accidently have a profession when you’re not trying. I’ve been in this one field of journalism [writing about music] for seven years and I found out I could have a career in it that would last me for several decades.” Hill said.
“This was around the time [my wife and I] decided to have children, but I wanted my daughter to say ‘Look, not only does my dad have a college degree, but he’s also a writer. He doesn’t just have some job he hates.’ I can’t stress this enough, returning to college was directly tied into writing.”
Hill described experiences that spoke to the mentality that adults don’t go back to college, an institution that is dominated by young adults.
“At Wake Tech, mid 20’s is a normal age but here 30 is old, which is interesting. I was in a literature class and we were discussing how the antagonist had just turned 30 and this girl behind [me] raised her hand and said, ‘Well maybe back then 30 was old…well 30 is kind of old now.'” Hill said. “The teacher and I were the only people offended.”
Despite the balancing act that is Hill’s life, he finds that everything he indulges in are things he loves. He easily makes or finds time for his growing family, with his 20-month-old daughter and another child due in March. Hill takes care of his wife and his kids in the midst of writing music for Alpha Cop.
Still, enjoying the pleasures of writing and playing music is a vice for Hill. His wife knew this is how he was before they were ever married. So, it makes sense that he doesn’t just settle down and stop.
“My wife knew I was a musician when she met me, so it came out like that. So it was no surprise, I wasn’t going to become a different person and stop being a musician [after we were married].”
Corbie Hill takes his writing just as, if not more, seriously than his music. He sees where he has improved by reflecting on his past works. The diction within lyrics or printed material has always been important to Hill, so naturally the use of precise and clear words in his writing is taken very seriously.
“I kept a blog for about two or three years where I gave my own impressions of the shows I was playing. When I look back on it, I don’t think it was very good writing. [It was like] a stream of consciousness. I was emulating other people more than developing my own style.” Hill said. “I wasn’t freeing myself up to do my own thing. It’s like consciously bad writing when I look back on it.”
When looking at the composition of music, Hill said his love for writing is definitely stronger than composing the actual sound. Hill looks forward to lyrical composition, because he can employ what he has learned, and continues to learn.
“I’ve always been most interested in the lyrical aspects of music.” Hill said. “I love music writing because it’s the best way to be a part of the dialogue , to talk about the movements and changes in the music world without trying to elbow your way in.”
Hill will continue to write music for Alpha Cop, and plans to graduate from NCSU in May.
