OPO: Musician who also writes/wrote as a music critic

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(the current or former critic's recorded musical output is the basis for evaluation)

― Aaron A., Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I must admit the only decent examples of this hybrid I know are Ira Kaplan and Stephin Merritt -- which is too close to call.

― Aaron A., Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Patty Smith and David Toop are the only two that come to mind.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Sasha Frere-Jones!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Also Eugene Chadbourne and the drummer from Gay Dad. So far I pick none of these.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Neil Tennant and Ira Kaplan, as well. I go with the former.

― john'n'chicago, Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Morrissey. Chrissy Hynde. Sasha Frere-Jones.

― !@#$%^&*, Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

pick one it's more fun

― Aaron A., Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

JULIAN COPE.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Does Blue Oyster Cult count?

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

T moore

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

People who consider themselves musicians rather than writers, although their writing is definitely better, C/D?

David Toop, hello.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 17 February 2005 03:59 (twenty-one years ago)

does brian eno count? brian eno.

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but the question explicitly said

(the current or former critic's recorded musical output is the basis for evaluation)

so um, I guess there are some pretty massive UI fans on ILM! who knew.

but if I have to go on musical output, I guess I'll take, I dunno, Brian Eno maybe? Or yeah, totally Blue Oyster Cult! Those Bouchard and Pearlman things in old Crawdaddies are great.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

ha, xpost

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

DRUMMER FROM GAY DAD
Cliff Jones

― **%@, Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Drew Daniel

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

John Darnielle

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

JULIAN COPE SECONDED.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Sasha Frere Jones

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul Banks from Interpol.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:14 (twenty-one years ago)

ok, sasha frere jones has been named three times, come on people. this thread isn't that long.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The dude from Nurses
the dude from Killdozer
Dave Clifford of Pleasure Forever / Slaves / VSS
Alan Licht

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:21 (twenty-one years ago)

albini?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:22 (twenty-one years ago)

My personal pick would be Neil Tennant.

I'll preempt Noodles and the other big Can-rock fans by suggesting Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Thirstin, alan licht & julian cope all OTM.

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 17 February 2005 06:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Where and when did Morrissey and Eno write music criticism? I'm not doubting, just asking because I honestly don't know. I've read articles and essays that Eno has written but never any album reviews or anything.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 17 February 2005 06:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Meltzer wrote "Burnin' For You" = INSTANT VICTORY
(not that it excuses his latter-day writing but uh wh'evah)

― Stupornaut (natepatrin), Thursday, 17 February 2005 06:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Lenny Kaye

― Ken L (Ken L), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

J0hn D4rnielle!

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Where and when did Morrissey and Eno write music criticism?

morrissey was a music critic before the smiths. i'm not sure which uk music rag it was though, maybe melody maker?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Moz wrote a little book about the New York Dolls at some point.

― Ken L (Ken L), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Robert Fripp?

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

music critics who are also musicians

― RS, Thursday, 17 February 2005 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

(For ideas. Not that it's exactly the same question.)

― RS, Thursday, 17 February 2005 15:05 (twenty-one years ago)

NEIL TENNANT

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 17 February 2005 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

M. Doughty sucks uniquely at both.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 17 February 2005 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

he does

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 17 February 2005 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Robert Palmer (Insect Trust, etc.). That's a pretty cool record and Palmer was sure a fine music writer. Saw him play some mighty good clarinet one night with the Fat Possum guitarist/singer CeDell Davis.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Thursday, 17 February 2005 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd have a drink with Neil Tennant and Chrissie Hynde.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 17 February 2005 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Thirstin, alan licht & julian cope all OTM.

This is impossible it's an OPO

― Magic City (ano ano), Thursday, 17 February 2005 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Metal Mike Saunders

― chuck, Thursday, 17 February 2005 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

That dude from TMJ, even though I can't remember his music or writing. I just liked that his last name was Quirk, which was the last name of this fairly cool early-80s computer-geek who used to babysit for me when I was a young thing.

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 17 February 2005 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

One time he said we were having a paper airplane contest, with three airplanes tested in three different categories, and then after my brother and I threw for the "distance" category he just wadded up a piece of paper and chucked it into the next room and said see, I win. Supposedly we then learned to think outside the box.

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 17 February 2005 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Also once I made a picture of a robot on our Apple IIe and then he made it dance. With sound! That was pretty awesome. Another time I had to play Star Wars with him and his brother, and I was kinda creeped out by the fact because they had this giant dorky system of playing with Star Wars figurines, with lots of rules and details from the film and role-playing of minor characters and other such geekery, all the way down to gridding off part of the ground for a fighting part of the game.

So I guess my new answer is Sasha.

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 17 February 2005 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Frank Kogan (Red Dark Sweet, Pillowmakers, England's Newest Hitmakers, solo singer/songwriter), Greg Tate (Burnt Sugar and others),Andy Gill (Gang Of Four)

― don, Friday, 18 February 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, David Thomas and Peter Laughner; the former for Cleveland publications only, I think, but Laughner wrote good stuff in Creem.

― don, Friday, 18 February 2005 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

LD beghtol (flare, the three terrors, moth wranglers, "69 love songs" tenor voice) fits here, too, though his three terrors bandmate stephin merritt is a sharper critic and has a better voice (which is saying something, either way you want to look at it).

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 18 February 2005 02:27 (twenty-one years ago)

and since no one mentioned him on the thread that RS linked to, either, i'll put in my two cents on behalf of springhouse drummer jack rabid.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 18 February 2005 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

but my OPO would probably be either chrissie hynde or stephin merritt.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 18 February 2005 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned Rorem and Glenn Gould Ownzzz this thread.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 18 February 2005 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe neil tennant after the failure of the last decade of pet shop boys will return to uk smash hits magazine ?

― La Camilla Henemark, Friday, 18 February 2005 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck that. neil tennant doesn't have to return to anything. he's rich and he's a fucking genius.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 18 February 2005 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Not the same Andy Gill.

Albini's columns on guitar for Matter were classic, ditto Chrissie Hynde's interview with Eno in NME, complete with photos of Eno snapping upskirt pix of Chrissie.

― Allen Baekeland, Friday, 18 February 2005 04:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Former critic Joey Sweeney has a band called The Trouble With Sweeney that's pretty good.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 18 February 2005 05:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul Morley?

― TomB (TomB), Friday, 18 February 2005 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Geldof

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 18 February 2005 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Picking only one, I'm saying Peter Laughner (though he's in a dead heat with David Thomas, since the first two Pere Ubu singles make them both immortal).

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

And I'd like to nominate the following: Charlotte Pressler [Red Dark Sweet, solo], Mark Perry [Alternative TV], Jon Tiven [played with Alex Chilton and had his own bands; his music criticism really irritated me, but sometimes pointed me in the direction of good music]. There's probably someone obvious I'm forgetting.

Pete Townshend might qualify (wrote some pieces about the Who that contained good criticism).

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, yeah, I'll nominate Lester Bangs, though I was never all that taken by his music.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

And any musician who posts to ILM (e.g. Momus) qualifies.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

And Kurtis Blow (his liner notes for that hip-hop history series are very good, certainly qualify him as a critic).

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

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