Star Ledger Critic: A "Dream Job"

[DFW HOYA]

The Newark Star-Ledger's Jay Lustig writes about 21 years as a full-time music critic and interviews with 107 members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame--will there even be jobs like this in the future?

www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2010/04/as_the_beat_goes_on_star-ledge.html

[TBird41]

Apr 19, 2010 10:52:52 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

The Newark Star-Ledger's Jay Lustig writes about 21 years as a full-time music critic and interviews with 107 members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame--will there even be jobs like this in the future?

www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2010/04/as_the_beat_goes_on_star-ledge.html

Why should I care if there are still critic jobs at newspapers? They don't make anything. Their contributions to the music scene are nice and all, but really, music will go on w/o them. Not to mention the fact that the best writers will find employment b/c there's always a demand for good writing.

If newspapers die, they die. The best news/reporting will find another medium.

[Boz]

Marc Spitz (no, not the swimmer) might dispute the assertion that music critic is a "dream job."

Then again, Marc Spitz was on drugs a lot (maybe still is, who knows?) and is a bit of a whiner.

Here is the reason -- and I think the ONLY reason -- it would not probably be a dream job for me:

"If this were a job where I could write only about certain forms of music, maybe I would continue doing it. But if you’re the only full-time pop-rock writer at a daily paper, you have to be a generalist. That means writing about Justin Bieber, or whatever other pop sensation comes along."

[strummer8526]

Apr 19, 2010 11:34:15 GMT -5 Boz said:

Marc Spitz (no, not the swimmer) might dispute the assertion that music critic is a "dream job."

Then again, Marc Spitz was on drugs a lot (maybe still is, who knows?) and is a bit of a whiner.

Here is the reason -- and I think the ONLY reason -- it would not probably be a dream job for me:

"If this were a job where I could write only about certain forms of music, maybe I would continue doing it. But if you’re the only full-time pop-rock writer at a daily paper, you have to be a generalist. That means writing about Justin Bieber, or whatever other pop sensation comes along."

I would put a Glock in my mouth before I would work a job that required me to listen to or write about Justin Bieber. I loathe him so much that I'm not even sure if this is an exaggeration.

[TC]

So what did everyone think of Ke$ha on SNL?

Can anyone name a contemporary arts or entertainment critic that they know because of their newspaper reviews? I know Klosterman and Sepinwall because they appear on Bill Simmons' podcast and because I've read Klosterman's books, but other than that, I can't think of one.

[Boz]

I read J. Freedom du Lac at the Washington Post from time to time.

That's about it.

I get music magazines (Klosterman and Spitz both worked for Spin) and I follow some music blogs, but newspapers? Nope, not really.