Robert Christgau

[Richard Pryor]

Does anyone actually respect this jackass (he'll probably knock off after this just to make me look like a tool) Apparently he's the "Dean of rock critics" (self-proclaimed. Classy), but his reviews are almost as awful as his website. Let's see what this Dean thinks of something like, say, Sgt. Peppers:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Capitol, 1967]
A dozen good songs and true. Perhaps they're too precisely performed, but I'm not going to complain. A

Well gee, that sure told me precisely nothing about anything. This is a youtube comment before its time not a review. This is a review of the genre of pop music.

The plus is because Peter Townshend likes it. This can also be said of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Beware the forthcoming hype--this is ersatz shit.

I don't even particularly like King Crimson, but this is still a ludicrous review. How is essentially just writing the word "shit" a review? Who is this clown? Is he on a wordcount? Is his typewriter running out of ink? Why exactly are all of his reviews sub-par zingers.

I am enraged and outraged by this clowns disingenuous reviews (and apparent position as respected in his field) that offer no insight whatsoever other than trying to be witty and I direct personal accountability to Robert Christgau for the abomination that is twitter.

 

[Quivorir]

Who?

And what?

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

Not to mention where, how and especially why?

I have no idea who this guy is.

 

[JUBJUB]

Who?

And what?

What he said

 

[Roobs321]

Robert Christgau is very famous in the history of music criticism, has been one of the voices at its forefront for decades.

Regardless of his merits or failings, it you don't know Christgau, you don't know music journalism. He's no Ebert or Bloom, but music lovers would be aware of him. The Pazz & Jop music poll for example.

Hating on Christgau, historically, is about as bland as hating on U2. He provokes hate, and his influence over music criticism and pop culture criticism in general is fairly massive. Love or hate the guy, he's no nobody.

Additionally, seeing his long time use of capsule reviews as only a negative thing is a little unfair.

 

[Quivorir]

I do not know any music journo.

 

[Richard Pryor]

Robert Christgau is very famous in the history of music criticism, has been one of the voices at its forefront for decades.

Regardless of his merits or failings, it you don't know Christgau, you don't know music journalism. He's no Ebert or Bloom, but music lovers would be aware of him. The Pazz & Jop music poll for example.

Hating on Christgau, historically, is about as bland as hating on U2. He provokes hate, and his influence over music criticism and pop culture criticism in general is fairly massive. Love or hate the guy, he's no nobody.

Unlike with U2, or even Nickleback, I genuinely have no idea or historical context as to why exactly people listen to this guy.

Although apparently not many people actually do, so I don't know why I'm so angry.

 

[Big Bryza]

Ang Christou played for Carlton.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Toe ****er. Gimme Robert Forster anyday

Christgau on Forster
http://www.robertforster.net/otherpubs/articles/rfnpratc.html

 

[Roobs321]

I do not know any music journo.

That's cool, but as I said, those that do follow that sort of thing, particularly historically, would find it difficult to avoid Christgau.

 

[little graham]

 

[Gough]

Lester Bangs ftw.

 

[The Speaker]

I, too, would like to know why exactly he is apparently the doyen of music critics.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

I, too, would like to know why exactly he is apparently the doyen of music critics.

Gave himself the monikker as a result of overindulgence in booze and a rather large ego

 

[Teen Wolf]

I've found his website to be a terrific resource over the years. But anybody new to his work hoping for instant gratification is asking a lot. As he once put it himself, those that find his reviews useful are "record buyers who learn to correct for my taste and exploit my judgment". Allowing yourself to familiarise with Christgau's style is just about mandatory in order to appreciate his writing (and even then there are no guarantees).

I'm not surprised when somebody scratches their head after reading one of his three word reviews (a technique he adopted in the '90s for albums he judged worthy-to-enjoyable, and presumably inspired by Pauline Kael) but from the idea-crammed paragraphs to the fleshed-out essays, I can't agree with claims of insufficiency.

I don't know why Richard Pryor is so bothered though, the Dean was always complimentary of him.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I now know who both Lewis Taylor and this dude are.