Joe Nickell Steps Down as Missoulian’s Entertainment Columnist

Joe Nickell has been synonymous with the music and entertainment culture in Missoula for nearly a decade, and as early as tomorrow The Missoulian will no longer have Nickell’s keen vocabulary to promote our local arts scene.

According to Joe’s personal Facebook:

I will be cleaning out my desk and saying goodbye to my fine coworkers at the Missoulian newspaper. After nine years covering the arts in Missoula, I’ll be moving on to a job with Partners Creative. I’m excited about the future, but it’s impossible not to feel some nostalgia already about this job, which connected me to this town and to the arts community in personally meaningful ways that probably would have never otherwise been possible.

This news comes as another shocking blow to our local newspaper, where just recently reporter Jamie Kelly vacated his hip-strip office as well.

Nickell’s opinionated weekly column Nickell’s Bag was without a doubt one of the features most young readers would flip to first. As a result the column allowed many local artists an opportunity to receive honest feedback on their recent performances and presentations. While some may say that his words were a little “too honest,” we can’t argue that Nickell’s impact upon the arts in Missoula will be long lasting even without his presence at the paper.

We wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors, Joe. And if you ever have an itch to continue blogging about the Missoula arts scene, please consider our website your website. We’d be honored to have you, and I’m sure your fans would love to keep up with your latest reviews and adventures!

What was your favorite/memorable Joe Nickell article? Is there anyone who could fill his shoes? Send Joe your fondest well wishes in the comment section below.