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
Guest Post: Tim Quirk Robert Christgau published a guest piece by
Tim Quirk: Some thoughts on writing about music from someone who
has both made art and written criticism of other people's art.
This is part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop. The guest posts this month are in honor of
Christgau's 80th birthday.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-04-06] The Big Lookback: Stevie Wonder Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece,
Stevie Wonder -- From 1999, written for the program to the Kennedy
Center Honors induction --
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-30] Finding Refuge/J Dilla Robert Christgau published a piece,
Finding Refuge, a review of
Jonas Poher Rasmussen (director), Flee (2021),
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
Christgau also published a book review in Observer:
How J Dilla Turned the Sound of Error Into a Brand New Beat, a
review of Dan Charnas, Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J
Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-23] Xgau Sez Robert Christgau published his monthly
Xgau Sez q&a section -- On not grading on a curve, not loving Nina Simone, not pledging unqualified fealty to Bruce Springsteen, & not finding fun in fascism, Kid Rock, or Kanye West. Plus: the story of Nirvana's "Bluebaby." --
in his Substack newsletter
And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is
archived here.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-16] Consumer Guide: March, 2021 Robert Christgau published his
Consumer Guide: March, 2022:
Haunting delicacy that clatters, queer noise-pop that's cleansing,
a Malian feminist produced by an ex-punk, & a Romani horn band
covering Bill Withers. Plus: songs from Trinidad, Lagos, & John
Prine.
Reviews of:
Benji. & Spillage Village,
Big Thief,
Fimber Bravo,
Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine Vol. 2,
Fanfare Ciocarlia,
R.A.P. Ferreira,
A Gift to Pops: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars,
Jack Ingram/Miranda Lambert/Jon Randall,
Rokia Koné & Jacknife Lee,
Femi Kuti & Made Kuti,
Playboi Carti,
Slum of Legs,
Wiki,
Lainie Wilson.
This is part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-09] Reports From the Front Robert Christgau published a piece,
Reports From the Front, a review of
Evgeny Afineevsky, "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom" (115 minutes, 2015); Sergey Loznitsa, "Maidan" (130 minutes, 2014); Kalani Pickhart, "I Will Die in a Foreign Land" (300 pp., 2021),
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-07] The Big Lookback: Neil Young Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece,
Neil Young -- From 1997, "Wasted on the Young," a survey of a vast
catalogue that has only grown since then --
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
We've also added Carola Dibbell's
Modern With a Human Face, a
review of books by John Edgar Wideman.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-03-02] Hippy, Punk, Guitarist, Historian Robert Christgau published a piece,
Hippy, Punk, Guitarist, Historian, a review of
Lenny Kaye, Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock
and Roll (496 pp, 2022),
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
We've also added a 2016 Art News article on the Ramones:
It's Alive! The Ramones Prove Too
Tough to Die at the Queens Museum.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-02-23] Xgau Sez Robert Christgau published his monthly
Xgau Sez q&a section -- Old men's poems, some two dozen Dead shows (and not counting), Radiohead and Mingus and classical music, and grading the late-'60s Stones --
in his Substack newsletter
And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is
archived here.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-02-16] Consumer Guide: February, 2021 Robert Christgau published his
Consumer Guide: February, 2022:
Sex-not-love songs from women born 98 years apart, pansexual classroom
autobiography, and fictional love & hip-hop drama. Plus: Nas's heavy
head, bare-boned rock, & heroines of blues, gospel and rock.
Reviews of:
Lucille Bogan
Apollo Brown,
Doja Cat,
FKA Twigs,
Corey Harris
Iamdoechii (2),
Nas (2)
Che Noir,
The Rough Guide to Blues Women,
Sister Rosetta Tharpe,
Yard Act.
This is part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
We've also added two Carola Dibbell pieces:
Coming of Age in Washington Square,
1958 (1976); and
Christina Sead, 1902-1983 (1983).
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-02-09] The Big Lookback: Dakar Diary Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece,
Dakar Diary -- From 2010 (MSN Music),
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
Robert Christgau's
Dean's
List: 2021 has also been added to the
Pazz & Jop archive, divided into
essay and
list pieces.
We've also added Carola Dibbell's piece on Lester Bangs for the 2015
EMP Pop Conference:
Let Us Now Praise Famous Death Dwarves:
Revisiting Lester Bangs.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-02-01] Dean's List: 2021 Robert Christgau published a piece,
Dean's List: 2021, 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.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-01-26] Xgau Sez Robert Christgau published his monthly
Xgau Sez q&a section -- Notes on Ornette Coleman at Carnegie Hall, hope for Elvis Costello fans, no hope for Silver Surfer fans, and Dave Hickey's Greatest Hits --
in his Substack newsletter
And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is
archived here.
We've also added old pieces by Carola Dibbell:
Jeanne Moreau at 48;
Good Times, Bad Times: Moe Tucker.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-01-19] Consumer Guide: January, 2021 Robert Christgau published his
Consumer Guide: January, 2022:
A 29 year old starts again, an 80 year old comes alive, and a "Marque Moon" cover from two guys separated by 37 years. Plus songs from Georgia, Timbuktu, Congo, Nashville, and the Velvet Underground.
Reviews of:
BaianaSystem,
Chuck Berry,
Precious Bryant,
Anansy Cissé,
Combo Lulo,
McKinley Dixon,
I'll Be Your Mirror,
Ka,
Kasai Allstars,
the Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band,
Carly Pearce,
Allen Ravenstine,
Peter Stampfel and the Dysfunctionells,
Morgan Wade.
This is part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-01-12] The Big Lookback: Chuck D All Over the Map Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece,
Chuck D All Over the Map -- From the Oct. 22, 1991, Village
Voice, when Greg Tate and Robert Christgau interviewed Chuck D --
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2022-01-05] Life at 400 Heartbeats Per Minute Robert Christgau published a piece,
Life at 400 Heartbeats Per Minute, a review of
Paul Reddish (writer-director); David Attenborough (narrator),
Hummingbirds: Jewelled Messengers" (2012),
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2021-12-22] Xgau Sez Robert Christgau published his monthly
Xgau Sez q&a section -- A Wikipedia shout out, the alt-right assault on election workers and school-board members, desert-island Miles, fondness for ABBA revealed, the serial comma defended, and a brief history of rhyme --
in his Substack newsletter
And It Don't Stop. Like all of Xgau Sez, this is
archived here.
In addition to his brief note on the late Greg Tate in the
December Consumer Guide, Christgau published further notes
on Tate in two recent multi-part tributes, at
BookForum and
NPR. They are archived
here and
here.
[posted by Webmaster on 2021-12-15] Consumer Guide: December, 2021 Robert Christgau published his
Consumer Guide: December, 2021:
Protest music then & now, decency with slightly sour pitch, politics not charity, hip-hop that's flying and grounded, Xmas song greatness, pandemic anomie, and Greg Tate's Arkestra goes for Miles.
Reviews of:
Vietnam Through the Eyes of Black America (3),
Courtney Barnett,
Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber,
Bushido,
Gift of Gab,
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit,
Lori McKenna,
Palberta,
Parquet Courts,
Emily Scott Robinson,
Tierra Whack,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
This is part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2021-12-08] The Big Lookback: The Three Roches Crack Wise Robert Christgau published a Big Lookback piece,
The Three Roches Crack Wise -- From the Feb. 20, 1978, Village
Voice: Carola Dibbell on the Roches live at Kenny's Castaways --
as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2021-12-01] Like Pops Never Happened: A Fortysomething's History of Music Robert Christgau published a piece,
Like Pops Never Happened: A Fortysomething's History of Music, a review
of Kelefa Sanneh's book Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven
Genres, as part of his subscription newsletter,
And It Don't Stop.
[posted by Webmaster on 2021-11-24] More Ancient
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