Being a music snob, I am often asked about my favorite bands, albums or songs, but never about my favorite music journalists. This is unfortunate, for without them the casual music fan would be in the dark as to new music, record reviews and sordid band histories. So without further ado, I present my pick of the 5 music journalists any self-respecting music snob should be in the know about.
1. Chuck Klosterman –
Long before Klosterman became famous for his quirky pop-culture writings (Fargo Rock City, Killing Yourself to Live), he was a journalist for Spin Magazine. His column, My Back Pages, was a forum where he explored the conspiracy theories on Kurt Cobain’s death, reviewed albums from A Perfect Circle and Liz Phair and covered Disneyland’s annual “goth day”. Klosterman was always at his best, however, when he was being the cheeky and condescending music snob he would eventually perfect with his book Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, which has even garnered him speaking engagements on university campuses. This is never more apparent than in his 2006 joke-review of Guns N’ Roses’ album Chinese Democracy – a full 2 years before it was actually released.
2. Michael Azerrad –
Much like Chuck Klosterman, Azerrad was also a writer/reviewer for magazines such as Spin, Details and Rolling Stone. It is Azerrad’s biographical writings, however, that make him stand out as the music authority that he is. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana was published in 1993 and was quickly hailed as the definitive biography of the Seattle grunge band. His second book, Our Band Could Be Your Life, was a collection of profiles of 13 of the most infamous indie rock bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s, including The Minutemen, Fugazi and Sonic Youth. In 2006, Azerrad, using audio clips from the interviews he conducted during his research for Come as You Are, co-produced a documentary about Kurt Cobain entitled “Kurt Cobain About a Son.”
He is currently editing an upcoming biography of Husker Du leader Bob Mould, to be realeased in 2010.
