Robert christgau

Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. Most of those charted in the era when you had to sell a lot of records to get there, robert christgau, too.

Minstrelsy was a horrifically racist enterprise, founded upon white-from-black appropriation; it also stands as a launching pad for the entire tangled, rotten, potentially liberating history of American popular music, from the blues through rock and roll, hip-hop, and whatever other composite style comes next—for all of the pop music any of us have ever loved. Fun is a big part of why. That assessment is less true now than it was then, and this is at least partly a testament to how successfully Christgau has spread the gospel of fun ever since, not only in the pages of the Voice but in rock magazines, such as Rolling Stone and Creem , and general-interest outlets, such as Newsday and Esquire. Along with his fellow-pioneer rock critic Greil Marcus , at Rolling Stone , and Ellen Willis , at The New Yorker , Christgau developed a pop-with-politics aesthetic that, not unlike rock and roll itself, foregrounded freedom and democracy. At the time, there were more Beatles than there were mainstream popular music critics. Christgau soon abandoned narrative journalism, but that tightness of structure remained a notable strength of his writing. For critical models, he turned to essayists who were able to wrestle ideas big and small from all varieties of American popular culture.

Robert christgau

Among the most well-known [1] and influential music critics, [2] he began his career in the late s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop , riot grrrl , and the import of African popular music in the West. Hutton of the music world — when he talks, people listen. Christgau is best known for his terse, letter-graded capsule album reviews, composed in a concentrated, fragmented prose style featuring layered clauses , caustic wit, one-liner jokes , political digressions, and allusions ranging from common knowledge to the esoteric. At college, his musical interests turned to jazz , but he quickly returned to rock after moving back to New York. I am interested in those places where popular culture and avant-garde culture intersect. As a critic, I want to achieve a new understanding of culture in both its aesthetic and political aspects; as a journalist, I want to suggest whatever I figure out to an audience in an entertaining and provocative way. Christgau wrote short stories, before giving up fiction in to become a sportswriter , and later, a police reporter for the Newark Star-Ledger. From early on in his emergence as a critic, Christgau was conscious of his lack of formal knowledge of music. In a piece he commented:. I don't know anything about music, which ought to be a damaging admission but isn't

What would Mama Leone say? Most of those charted in the era when you had to robert christgau a lot of records to get there, too.

I have massively mixed feelings about the album reviews by Christgau. From enthusiastic agreement to "this review is morally reprehensible", depending. And all shades between. My one specific comment to offer is - after reading some hundreds of his reviews since the 60s, I suspected, but didn't positively know, that Christgau was not a musician of any sort. He just seems to never talk about the kinds of things musicians tend to notice or particularly appreciate or deprecate in music - at least it seemed that way to me. This was confirmed to me in his own words in one of his articles about his career as a music reviewer. Whatever my gripes about him, I do think he's worth reading.

Three live shows from Xgau Sez: February, Consumer Guide: February, Robert Christgau. Most Popular. Dean's List: The s. Dean's List: Lists on Lists on Lists. The 84 best albums of the past year or so.

Robert christgau

Minstrelsy was a horrifically racist enterprise, founded upon white-from-black appropriation; it also stands as a launching pad for the entire tangled, rotten, potentially liberating history of American popular music, from the blues through rock and roll, hip-hop, and whatever other composite style comes next—for all of the pop music any of us have ever loved. Fun is a big part of why. That assessment is less true now than it was then, and this is at least partly a testament to how successfully Christgau has spread the gospel of fun ever since, not only in the pages of the Voice but in rock magazines, such as Rolling Stone and Creem , and general-interest outlets, such as Newsday and Esquire. Along with his fellow-pioneer rock critic Greil Marcus , at Rolling Stone , and Ellen Willis , at The New Yorker , Christgau developed a pop-with-politics aesthetic that, not unlike rock and roll itself, foregrounded freedom and democracy.

Tetto belfast

Consumer Guide: January, Heart-on-sleeve vulnerability. BMD Posted September 29, Deserves to be revisited. He can appreciate music that's outside of his comfort zone instead of saying "I don't like it, therefore it's not good. Retrieved March 12, Retrieved January 26, Further information: Tony! Christgau was ambivalent about the platform at first, but has since found it "immensely gratifying", explaining that, "A man my age, who is still really intellectually active? Buddy Holly got a lot of enduring mileage out of three chords What analysis can do is give a data point for why some people think "music used to be better. Christgau in Unusually oblique.

Among the most well-known [1] and influential music critics, [2] he began his career in the late s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop , riot grrrl , and the import of African popular music in the West. Hutton of the music world — when he talks, people listen.

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Rolling Stone. I feel the whole "subjective vs objective" thing gets out of hand when it comes to tastes, appreciations, criticism of the arts. Insert image from URL. E-mail address. Golden Globe Awards. FWIW, I am a musician but also a visual artist - photography, drawing, digital "painting" etc. Co-written and sung with Cyndi Lauper. Wolk wrote: "When he says he's 'encyclopedic' about popular music, he means it. Is it a little gooey? Is It Still Good to Ya? The analogy can go a ways between music and language.