Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau is a writer who loves music. He writes short reviews of new albums. He gives each album a letter grade. A high grade means he thinks it is good. He has written for many famous magazines. He also writes a monthly newsletter now. His words help people find music to enjoy. He has been a music critic for a long time.

Robert Christgau is a famous music critic. He writes about many kinds of music. He was one of the first people to write about rock music professionally. He also helped people notice hip hop and other new sounds. For 37 years, he worked for a paper called The Village Voice.

He is best known for his "Consumer Guide" columns. In these short reviews, he gives each album a letter grade. He uses grades from A+ down to E-. A grade of B+ or higher is a recommendation. This means he thinks you should listen to it. He also wrote books about the best music from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Christgau has worked for many big magazines like Rolling Stone. He even taught music at New York University. He once said he did not know much about formal music theory. He felt that you just had to "dig it" to understand. Today, he writes a monthly newsletter called "And It Don't Stop." He still loves to share his ideas about music with the world.

Robert Christgau is a famous American music journalist and essayist. He is known as one of the most influential music critics in history. He was one of the first people to write about rock music as a job. He also helped people discover new musical movements. These included hip hop and riot grrrl. He even helped bring African popular music to the West. People listen closely when he speaks about music. One writer even called him the "E. F. Hutton of the music world."

His most famous work is the "Consumer Guide" columns. He writes these reviews in a very short and sharp style. He uses letter grades to rate different music albums. These grades go from A+ all the way down to E-. Usually, a grade of B+ or higher means he recommends the album. He often uses jokes and clever words in his writing. His reviews can also include thoughts on politics or many other topics. He even wrote books to collect his reviews from different decades.

Christgau began his career in the late 1960s. He was born in New York City on April 18, 1942. He grew up in Queens as the son of a fireman. He went to Dartmouth College and graduated in 1962. Before he wrote about music, he wrote short stories and sports news. He also worked as a police reporter in New Jersey. He became a freelance writer after a story he wrote was published. This led him to become a professional music critic.

He worked at The Village Voice for 37 years. During this time, he was the chief music critic. He also created a special yearly poll for critics. He wrote for many other famous magazines too. These include Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Billboard. He even taught music at New York University. In 1987, he won a Guggenheim Fellowship to study popular music. He has shared his musical ideas in many different places over the years.

Christgau does not use formal music theory in his work. He once said he did not know much about technical music details. He believed that you just had to "dig it" to understand. This way of thinking helped him focus on the feeling of the music. Today, he still shares his thoughts through a newsletter. It is called "And It Don't Stop" on a site called Substack. He continues to write monthly columns for his many readers. He remains very active in the world of music.

Robert Christgau is a highly influential American music journalist and essayist. He is recognized as one of the first professional rock critics in the United States. Throughout his career, he has acted as an early proponent for various musical movements. These include hip hop, the riot grrrl movement, and the introduction of African popular music to Western audiences. His critical voice is so significant that CNN writer Jamie Allen called him the "E. F. Hutton of the music world." This comparison suggests that when Christgau speaks, people listen with great attention.

Christgau is best known for his unique method of reviewing music in his "Consumer Guide" columns. He utilizes a terse, letter-graded capsule style to evaluate albums. His prose is often fragmented and concentrated. He uses layered clauses, caustic wit, and one-liner jokes to deliver his critiques. His writing frequently includes political digressions and allusions that range from common knowledge to the esoteric. This specific style allows him to pack significant meaning into very short passages.

His grading system provides a clear mechanism for readers to understand his opinions. In his original format from 1969 to 1990, he assigned grades ranging from A+ to E-. Generally, Christgau considered any album receiving a B+ or higher to be a personal recommendation. In 1990, he adjusted the format to focus more on albums he enjoyed. He began using star marks for B+ records that were not worthy of a full review. These marks ranged from three stars down to one star to denote an honorable mention. He also used categories like "Neither" for albums with some merit and "Duds" for bad records.

Christgau's career spans several decades and many different publications. He served as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice for 37 years. During this tenure, he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also contributed to major outlets like Esquire, Creem, Rolling Stone, and Billboard. After leaving The Village Voice in 2006, he wrote for MSN Music in a column called "Expert Witness." This column featured reviews only of albums he graded B+ or higher. He later moved his work to platforms like Noisey and eventually to a Substack newsletter titled "And It Don't Stop."

His personal history shaped his path toward becoming a leading musical voice. Born on April 18, 1942, in Manhattan, he grew up in Queens as the son of a fireman. He became a fan of rock and roll in 1954 after hearing disc jockey Alan Freed. He attended Dartmouth College and graduated in 1962 with a B.A. in English. Before entering music journalism, he worked as a sportswriter and a police reporter for the Newark Star-Ledger. He was also deeply influenced by "New Journalism" writers such as Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese.

Interestingly, Christgau has often been open about his lack of formal musical training. He noted in 1968 that he did not know much about technical music theory. He admitted that pop writers often avoid complex topics like key signatures or beats per measure. He found reassurance when industry professionals told him that technical details did not matter. Instead, he believed that one simply had to "dig it" to understand the music. This approach helped him focus on the cultural and emotional impact of songs.

His work connects deeply to broader social and political themes. His writing is often informed by secular humanism and leftist politics, particularly feminism. In 1976, he even coined the term "Rock Critic Establishment" to describe the growing influence of American music critics. He was a major part of a movement that combined New Left politics with counterculture. His ability to link musical trends to social shifts has maintained his relevance for over fifty years. Even in his later years, he remains intellectually active through his paid-subscription newsletter.