Tell me why RollingStone sucks

[daveB from Oakland]

Fun fact ...  Art Garfunkel smoked pot in a guest bedroom and made a funny joke when I walked in on him ...

It would have been far more shocking if you had walked in on Art Garfunkel NOT smoking pot ...

Sound Opinions is a fun show, I like listening to those guys geek out. I find them to be engaging hosts, even though their taste is often questionable (DeRogatis especially). They recently played host to a Feelies reunion warmup show at a small club (Maxwell's, in NJ), so you gotta give them some credit for that.

Stereogum's got a fun feature called "OldStand":

http://stereogum.com/archives/cat_oldstand.html

They review random back issues of music mags from previous decades and expose a lot of embarassing "next big thing" stories that, in retrospect, miss the dartboard entirely.

[Beth]

I love the format of Sound Opinions (starting the show with music news, then an interview/main feature, and ending with reviews) but can get very tired of the reviewers, especially the guy who admires Lester Bangs so much.

I'll have to check out WNYC Souncheck.

WNYC is getting cooler, I think. Or maybe I'm just getting older. I was pleased to hear James Blackshaw's newest album on
"Evening Music" last week, while driving back upstate from nj. It was just what I needed on the car ride home.

[AllisonLeGnome]

It might not cover as wide a range of genres as you're looking for, but ever since the demise of Punk Planet I've shifted my magazine allegiance to Razorcake.

And I don't trust Shovel.com at all. Even when I'm looking for reviews of some indie thing they might know something about, I just never find what they have to say helpful.

[dave from knoxville]

It might not cover as wide a range of genres as you're looking for, but ever since the demise of Punk Planet I've shifted my magazine allegiance to Razorcake.

And I don't trust Shovel.com at all. Even when I'm looking for reviews of some indie thing they might know something about, I just never find what they have to say helpful.

Razorpie is better.

[Gilly]

 

[cutout]

Dusted Magazine and Stylus Magazine both give to-the-point reviews about interesting new records.

[namethebats]

Dusted Magazine and Stylus Magazine both give to-the-point reviews about interesting new records.

Stylus shut down at the start of the year. It's too bad — I liked a lot of their reviews, and they consistently had good features.

[jbissell]

Dusted Magazine and Stylus Magazine both give to-the-point reviews about interesting new records.

Stylus shut down at the start of the year. It's too bad — I liked a lot of their reviews, and they consistenly had good features.

Yeah Stylus was great. I really enjoy Dusted's Listed feature, I almost always find something worth checking out.

[cutout]

Stylus shut down at the start of the year.

That explains why their RSS feed's been dead for awhile I'd assumed the problem was on my end.

[Ryan S.]

I like Stop Smiling. It's not specifically a music mag but every issue has at least a couple of really great interviews with musicians (Snoop Dogg in the latest, it's breezy and conversational--good stuff) and a few really good reviews.

Wire and Fader are good too.

[jbissell]

I like Stop Smiling. It's not specifically a music mag but every issue has at least a couple of really great interviews with musicians (Snoop Dogg in the latest, it's breezy and conversational--good stuff) and a few really good reviews.

Wire and Fader are good too.

Yeah Stop Smiling is always a good read, I just wish they were more than quarterly.

[Tim K in DC]

There was no mention of Mikey Dread's passing in March. That's why RS sucks. And Matt Taibbi, you will never be HST, so give it up (not writing, trying to be HST).

Yeah, Rolling Stone bites. But Matt Taibbi, at least when asked about it publicly, isn't comfortable with the HST comparisons: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/65277-Where-has-all-the-Gonzo-gone/

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I like Stop Smiling. It's not specifically a music mag but every issue has at least a couple of really great interviews with musicians (Snoop Dogg in the latest, it's breezy and conversational--good stuff) and a few really good reviews.

Wire and Fader are good too.

Yeah Stop Smiling is always a good read, I just wish they were more than quarterly.

Stop Smiling: Thirded.

[Joe Rogaine]

Or:

Then, it was about Jann Wenner and company sticking it to the man.

Now, it's about Jann Wenner and company sticking it into his portfolio.

I thought now it was about Jann Wnner sticking it in a man?

[masterofsparks]

I just started listening to the Sound Opinions podcast and one of the first reviews I heard was both of them gushing over the new Randy Newman album. Ugh. I was really disappointed. I'm not saying those guys don't have a right to their opinion, but that guy's an interesting litmus test and let's just say I'm a bit wary of people who claim to enjoy listening to that guy.

"Yeah, the music's awful and cheesy but listen to the words! They're so acerbic!"

Blah.