Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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And It Don't Stop on Substack

Robert Christgau's newsletter And It Don't Stop appears three (or four) times a month on Substack. Subscribe here.

Robert Christgau's Big-Hearted Theory of Pop

Book Reports features reviews of not only the pop-music tomes you'd predict but also literary fiction, Marxist-adjacent cultural commentary, feminist debates over pornography, and even books about the past decade's financial crisis. It follows a collection that Christgau published last year, Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017, which includes Christgau's takes on, among many other things, classic rock, Kanye West, the music of Desert Storm, Lollapalooza, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and so-called guilty pleasures--a category that Christgau rejects, since, for rock critics, as he puts it, "pleasure is where meaning begins." Together, these collections make the sneaky case that Christgau is not just the Dean of American Rock Critics, his self-awarded and perhaps slightly off-putting nickname, but one of America's sharper public intellectuals of the past half century, and certainly one of its most influential--not to mention one of the better stylists in that cohort. Fun is a big part of why.

--David Cantwell, The New Yorker

News

Curioser and Curioser: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Robert Christgau and Carola Dibbell published a piece, Curiouser and Curiouser: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On -- The amazing adventures (and tragic elements) of being tiny in a human-size world -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

A Consumer Guide to the Music I've Devoted My Life To

Robert Christgau published a piece, A Consumer Guide to the Music I've Devoted My Life To -- From New Orleans to Kharkiv, with stops in between for the invention of rock & roll, the greatest ballad singer this side of Frank Sinatra, Africa's biggest pop star, and, of course, fried ice cream -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Xgau Sez

Robert Christgau published his monthly Xgau Sez q&a section -- Laughter in review, Afrobeats eartime and Afropop explorations, an audio book recommendation, the artistic gas crisis, and infirmity keeps creeping -- in his Substack newsletter And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is archived here.

Consumer Guide: March, 2023

Robert Christgau published his Consumer Guide: March, 2023: From the UK, a trustworthy superstar. From Canada, shoegazing power-pop. From Brazzaville, rhythms that rock as much as they roll. And from an ex-fundamentalist, courage, idealism, and self-sacrifice. Reviews of: Adele, Alvvays, Balka Sound, Robert Sarazin Blake, Built to Spill, Iris DeMent, Girl Scout, Lyrics Born, Grant Peeples, Quasi, Homeboy Sandman, Stephen Ulrich, Wednesday, Yo La Tengo. This is part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

The Big Lookback: Christina Stead

Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece, Christina Stead -- Three pieces, two writers, one novelist -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

The Big Lookback: Huey "Piano" Smith

Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece, Huey "Piano" Smith -- A lecture from the 2015 EMP Pop Conference in Seattle -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Xgau Sez

Robert Christgau published his monthly Xgau Sez q&a section -- Rock & roll's early days, the limits of the megastar pop life, Beyoncé and the road to an A plus, S − Y = ?, "Beth Ann and Macrobioticism," books that read like butter (and some that don't). -- in his Substack newsletter And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is archived here.

Consumer Guide: February, 2023

Robert Christgau published his Consumer Guide: February, 2023: High IQ catchiness from Ireland, death defying songs from Australia, persuasive and heartbreaking outtakes from New York City, and some truth and uplift from London. Reviews of: Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, Carsie Blanton, Bo Burnham, CMAT, Dry Cleaning, Robert Forster, S.G. Goodman, Jeffrey Lewis, Little Simz, Billy Nomates, Margo Price, Maggie Rogers, Rosalía, Shygirl. This is part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Emily Rose Marcus, 1969-2023

Robert Christgau published a piece, Emily Rose Marcus, 1969-2023, as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

The Big Lookback: Tom Verlaine/Television

Robert Christgau published two Big Lookback pieces following the death of Tom Verlaine: Tom Verlaine -- on the glory of Marquee Moon, from his memoir Going Into the City -- and Television's Principles -- from The Village Voice, June 19, 1978 -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Christgau's Dean's List: 2022 has now been archived, split into essay and list. The usual links from the latter to Consumer Guide reviews are not yet available.

Dean's List: 2022

Robert Christgau published a piece, Dean's List: 2022, as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop. The piece has not yet been archived in the Pazz & Jop section, but when it is it will be split into essay and list.

Xgau Sez

Robert Christgau published his monthly Xgau Sez q&a section -- The limits of lists, the power of craft and wisdom over time, the vocal brilliance of Charley Pride, the educational playfulness of Sophie, '2666' remains on the shelf, & middle ground for socialism -- in his Substack newsletter And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is archived here.

Consumer Guide: January, 2023

Robert Christgau published his Consumer Guide: January, 2023: Hip-hop from the desert island our planet has become, chamber folk concerning another island (Haiti), polyrhythms that rock, and 18:36 of irresistibly whispery soprano. Reviews of: Black Star, Open Mike Eagle, Joe Fahey, Guerrilla Girls!, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Leyla McCalla, Montparnasse Musique, PinkPantheress (2), Pongo, Ribbon Stage, Tegan & Sara, Wesli, Neil Young With Crazy Horse. This is part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

The Ramones of Chicago Blues

Robert Christgau published a piece, The Ramones of Chicago Blues, a review of Matt Rogers: Goodnight Boogie: A Tale of Guns, Wolves & the Blues of Hound Dog Taylor (2022, 241 pp.), as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

A Great Live Rock Album

Robert Christgau published a piece, A Great Live Rock Album, On Todd Snider's third (official) live album, Return of the Storyteller, as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Xgau Sez

Robert Christgau published his monthly Xgau Sez q&a section -- Music without distraction, the Kanye question, liking what you like, murder most foul, being a long-haired Clash fan, and Courtship 101. -- in his Substack newsletter And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is archived here.

Consumer Guide: December, 2022

Robert Christgau published his Consumer Guide: December, 2022: Joining a polysyllabist in battling the algorithms: a midwestern folkie, Congolese avant-gardists, quiet songs with roots in Alabama and Texas, gorgeous textures that span Asia and Africa, and more. Reviews of: Willi Carlisle, The Casual Dots, Fontaines D.C., Slim Harpo, Kassmasse, Lady Aicha & Pisco Crane's Original Fulu Miziki Band of Kinshasa, M.I.A., Plains, $ilkMoney (3), Sowal Diabi, Taylor Swift, Young Thug. This is part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

The Big Lookback: Jerry Lee Lewis

Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece, Jerry Lee Lewis, Proud Sinner -- A lecture from NYU in 2016 -- as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Roll Over Joseph Pulitzer

Robert Christgau published a piece, Roll Over Joseph Pulitzer, a review of RJ Smith, Chuck Berry: An American Life, as part of his subscription newsletter, And It Don't Stop.

Xgau Sez

Robert Christgau published his monthly Xgau Sez q&a section -- À la recherche du temps perdu ('50s edition), worthwhile Canadians, Taylor v. Joni, Sarah Palin v. Jeffrey Lewis, and the electric kool-aid Dock Ellis revelation -- in his Substack newsletter And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is archived here.

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