People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts. — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
The first half of 'Book Reports' deals with the history of popular music and rock criticism. When I hooked all those historical… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
Once people write criticism about something - and even in 1967 I was far from alone - they're assuming it's art, and… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
I don't believe in pulling punches or being judicious, as the standard in literary criticism or academic musicology. — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
I don't think that most of my peers in rock criticism are from the West Coast. I think most of them are… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
If rock criticism is to be a political calling, which has always been my angle, that's obviously not because it's a fountainhead… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
Ultimately, to insist that rock criticism be political is first to insist that the humans who make and enjoy music are embroiled… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang. — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
“One concept the non-old have trouble getting their minds around is the difference between taste and judgment. It's fine not to like almost anything,… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts. — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
I believe that writing on music is experienced inside your head, is not a physically present in the world, it has a different kind… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
Chuck Berry's 'Maybellene' hit the airwaves at about the time Alan Freed got to New York, and it was definitely a song I really… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
I don't think it's such a bad idea that people learn the same history in school. I think it tends to ground people and… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
My wife is more important to me than anything in the world - including music. She's a great editor and companion for all of… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
You can only adjust to so much history in your life. I still have trouble texting. — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
I've always been a jazz fan, but I don't write much about jazz, because I don't have the chops. But it's really, really hard… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
There's a musicologist named Peter van der Merwe whose theory is that the blues generates tune families, and that their similarity to each other… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image
Anyway, you know, when Richard Meltzer said rock and roll died in '68, what he means is Jefferson Airplane were no longer his buddies,… — Robert Christgau Copy Share Image