By Tim Powis
From the Archives: Jason Gross’s Best Music Journalism 2004 edition
In 2004, the only thing worse than being a Democrat was being a journalist. The battered profession had to contend with crises of confidence (not just Jayson Blair, but Dan Rather), newspaper circulation scandals, biting from bloggers, slowed ad revenue growth for publications, ever shrinking word counts and sections (review columns cover on average only 10 releases a week), and increasing consolidation of media outlets (something the record industry knows all too well). To top it off, an annual Gallup poll recently revealed that scribes get low marks for “integrity” and “honesty.” Continue reading “From the Archives: Jason Gross’s Best Music Journalism 2004 edition”
Interview with Don Armstrong, author of ‘The Life and Writings of Ralph J. Gleason’
From the Archives: Jason Gross’s Best Music Journalism 2003 edition
The 2003 edition of Jason Gross’s yearly music writing roundup, broken links intact.
BY JASON GROSS, 2003
A common complaint about music today is that there aren’t a lot of good albums coming out anymore. Similarly, the same complaint is made about music criticism. My answer to both of these saws is that the good stuff is out there if you look for it. There’s no question that the Net has opened up a lot of possibilities and will help bring about many changes in journalism, but good work is still being done in the print world too–I found about twice the number of quality articles in 2003 as I did when I put together a round-up last year, and I’m positive that I missed plenty of other good things this time around. Continue reading “From the Archives: Jason Gross’s Best Music Journalism 2003 edition”
From the Archives: Jason Gross’s Best Music Journalism 2002 edition
The Oldest Guy at the Gig (Howard Druckman)
Cheers to aging ungracefully (by Howard Druckman)
I became a senior citizen in 2023.
I don’t look, feel, or act like it.
The passage of time is undeniable, but at a point in life where I’m supposed to be managing my investments, planning my retirement, drawing up my will, and considering other such age-appropriate matters as I contemplate (and, in rare panicky moments, dread) my increasingly looming death, I’m off to the next gig instead. Continue reading “The Oldest Guy at the Gig (Howard Druckman)”
What They Said: 2023 Movie Survey w/Phil Dellio & Steven Rubio
The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Ripoff Poll: Q&A with Glenn Boothe
Howard Druckman’s Top 10 Songs of 2023
1. Danny Michel – “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself”
When the world is collapsing it’s hard sometimes to feel like you’re not. I haven’t had a bad year, but there’ve been some challenges, and ceaseless self-criticism doesn’t help. Ebullient, hopeful pop-rock like this anthem does a real service for people like me: it’s one of the few things that can reliably make you feel better, even if only for the duration of hearing the song. (As Pete Townshend once said, rock ‘n’ roll won’t solve all your problems, but it will let you dance all over them from time to time.) Continue reading “Howard Druckman’s Top 10 Songs of 2023”
Best Music Journalism of 2023 (Jason Gross)
Movie Music 3: interview with Jonathan Taplin (Aaron Aradillas)
Part 3 of a three-part series on music in the movies by Aaron Aradillas
Movie Music 2: interview with Glenn Kenny (Aaron Aradillas)
Part 2 of a three-part series on music in the movies by Aaron Aradillas
Movie Music 1: interview with Randall Poster (Aaron Aradillas)
Part 1 of a three-part series on music in the movies by Aaron Aradillas
Never Known as a Nonbeliever: Tom Smucker on Disco and The Beach Boys
Interview by Vic Perry
Tom Smucker is a major first-generation rock critic with an unusual career trajectory. By choice never a fulltime critic, he still wrote for The Village Voice, placed an essay in the seminal 1980 edition of The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, and broke through the popular vs. academic press wall by publishing a superb book on the Beach Boys in 2018. Smucker appeals to me so much because his arguments are as challenging of critical habits as his tone is friendly. He has sincerely championed the unhip and uncelebrated without ever coming off as if he were just being contrary to get attention. Continue reading “Never Known as a Nonbeliever: Tom Smucker on Disco and The Beach Boys”