This is the thread where we talk about music critics whose names we don't see in print anymore, and wonder what on Earth happened to them.

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I'll get this party started:

Justin Hampton
Jeff Smith of Feminist Baseball

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 21 March 2003 16:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Norm Macdonald

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

where are they now?

Alex Kadis (Smash Hits)
Jon Homer (C4 Beatbox)
Phil Cheeseman (Record Mirror)

Johnny Cigarettes (he was doing some stuff on Play Uk before that folded)?

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Jeff Smith is still in Seattle. He either owns or manages 2nd Avenue Pizza.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Neil Tennant?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:17 (twenty-three years ago)

daniel booth

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Johnny Cigarettes.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Dave McCullough: he was doing A&R work for a while, I understand, but what happened to Div Mac?

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Did Greil Marcus take his Salon column elsewhere?

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Does Everett True still exist?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Friday, 21 March 2003 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Jim Greer

― J (Jay), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Constantine VanAuston (Sp???)

― christoff (christoff), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

*cough*Tom Ewing*cough* :). Oh, of course, "print".

― Cozen (Cozen), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:06 (twenty-three years ago)

where my ladies at? - Lucy Cage, Karen Ablaze!, Sharon Masters ?

― summerslastsound (summerslastsound), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Paul Oldfield
-- who wrote great reviews and co-wrote a number of articles with Simon Reynolds, once upon a time, where's he now?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Justin Hampton writes all the time, dude: http://www.galleryofsound.com/directories/search_writer.asp?SearchString=hampton

Greil Marcus is still looking for a place for the Real Life Top Ten the last I heard

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 21 March 2003 18:58 (twenty-three years ago)

er, Susan Masters. and still MIA.

― summerslastsound (summerslastsound), Friday, 21 March 2003 19:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Whatever happened to Mike Rubin? He still around?

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Friday, 21 March 2003 19:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Mike Rubin is indeed; writes for GQ and Rolling Stone occasionally, among others

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 21 March 2003 19:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, what about Daniel Booth? And Jade Gordon, Neil Mason, David Bennun?

― JML (JML), Friday, 21 March 2003 20:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Carl Loben, Ben Turner, Push, Frank Owen?

― JML (JML), Friday, 21 March 2003 20:40 (twenty-three years ago)

'90s SPINboyz Jim Greer, Mark Blackwell and Jonathan Berstein are now writing scripts in hollywood! They had a hand in On The Line and Max Bigston's Big Move or whatever that was called. It's nice to hear they all still hang out together.

Did that Exit Flagger Jim Greer book mentioned in the Spin Alternative Record Guide ever come out?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 21 March 2003 22:38 (twenty-three years ago)

another vote for Cigarettes bloke. Also Gina Morris.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 21 March 2003 22:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Did that Exit Flagger Jim Greer book mentioned in the Spin Alternative Record Guide ever come out?

I've never seen it, and I've been looking for it for ten years now.

― J (Jay), Friday, 21 March 2003 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Johnny Cigarettes now writes as Johnny Sharp, I think. He was doing stuff in The Guardian and Loaded last I looked.

No, I couldn't believe Cigarettes wasn't really his surname, either.

― Jason J, Friday, 21 March 2003 23:18 (twenty-three years ago)

My favorites seem long dormant: SPIN veterans Legs McNeil and John Leland....the latter about whom "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy was written, purportedly.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 21 March 2003 23:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Everett True has a new Ramones book out and trolls these boards sometimes, also publishes Careless Talk Costs Lives, a UK rock bimonthly that several ILx regulars contribute to

Frank Owen just did a cover story for the Voice and has a book about NYC clubland forthcoming

Legs McNeil is currently putting together an oral history (punchlines away!) of the porn biz a la his Please Kill Me

I believe John Leland is an arts editor at the NY Times

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 21 March 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually just re-read last week the Leland piece in Spin about "Bring the Noise". It was in the issue where they did their 25 greatest albums list. I can't even remember what prompted me to pull that out, but I think it's the only old issue of Spin I still have.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Friday, 21 March 2003 23:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Paul Oldfield: got sick of freelance lifestyle, did a Rene Magritte number and worked for many years at The Potato Marketing Board (and who knew potatoes even needed marketing?!) writing and designing a magazine sent out to farmers and retailers etc; he currently works for a data security/encryption type company in Oxford.

Susan Masters: all through the (Lime) Lizard (one of the great lost magazines) was working as a producer at Radio One, she carried on doing that for a bit(co-produced One In the Jungle) then made the move into TV, working as the music booker for a number of shows, including Chris Evans who she claims is a decent bloke

Lucy Cage: she and Razor had a baby, and did a webmag called Silencer if i remember correctly, for a while.

on the lime lizard/ablaze tip i also would be curious to know what happened to Karen Ablaze and Lucy Nation

PS. Phil Cheeseman: unless i'm totally mistaken, went to work for Strictly Rhythm believe it or not

― simon r, Saturday, 22 March 2003 02:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Trixie A. Balm

― Arthur (Arthur), Saturday, 22 March 2003 02:21 (twenty-three years ago)

According to Pete S., Greil Marcus is now officially writing for the Minneapolis City Pages. (hey matos, why am *i* telling YOU this?)

― Dave M. (rotten03), Saturday, 22 March 2003 04:12 (twenty-three years ago)

because I didn't know! that's cool, I actually suggested that he approach them

― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 22 March 2003 09:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Rick Johnson

― dave q, Saturday, 22 March 2003 11:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Feminist Baseball still exists (issue came out several months back now) and Jeff actually did a little writing for early Careless Talk (man - early Careless Talk, that's scary). I keep trying to convince him to do more, but he's busy flipping those ol' pizzas I guess.

― Jerry (Jerry), Saturday, 22 March 2003 12:43 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah rick johnson!

― duane, Saturday, 22 March 2003 13:12 (twenty-three years ago)

nine months pass...

The Stud Brothers!? -- Where're they?
(Dominic Wills?=Dom Stud)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Saturday, 27 December 2003 00:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes - who were The legendary Stud Brothers?
Some of their reviews were classics. I wish i could find the one of Alan Vega at the Clarendon, Hammersmith in 1986 I think it was...

Something like:

'Alan Vega - looking like a bacofoil clad Italian waiter who gives you a knowing wink as he fondles your girlfriend's bottom whilst helping her to her seat...in the audience, Jeffrey Lee Pierce - the peroxide pig...."

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Saturday, 27 December 2003 00:57 (twenty-two years ago)

A-hem, p'haps Simon R. would know 'bout Benjamin & Dominic's whereabouts?...

(And - they weren't really brothers, right? :)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Saturday, 27 December 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Dominic Wills is Dom Stud, yes. Ben Marshall is Ben Stud, I think.

the politest thing to say is that they've both *mellowed with age*.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Saturday, 27 December 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

(Thanx, Robin. - On behalf of my friend-an-ILm lurker also :)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Saturday, 27 December 2003 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks for the Legs McNeil info. I go all the way back to "Punk" and "Bomp" with him.

Anybody know anything about Robot A. Hull from "Creem" (before it started to completely suck ass)?

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Saturday, 27 December 2003 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and John Gill - the 'resident pseud' on Sounds and music critic for Time Out in the mid-80s?

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Saturday, 27 December 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

silencer was the greatest web mag ever.

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 27 December 2003 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

How about J. Kordosh?

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 28 December 2003 08:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Johnny Cigarettes now writes as Johnny Sharp, I think. He was doing stuff in The Guardian and Loaded last I looked.
No, I couldn't believe Cigarettes wasn't really his surname, either.

Er, I could!!!! It's a bit like a hip-hop piece by "Barry Bluntz"!!! Or a metal review by "Derek Doomslayer"!!!!

In fact, how do we know "Sharp" is his real surname?!?!? A few years from now for all we know, he might be writing as "Johnny Zimmerframe"!!!!!!

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Monday, 29 December 2003 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Monday, 29 December 2003 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Flipping blockquotes!!!

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Monday, 29 December 2003 16:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Anybody know the address (snail or web) for Feminist Baseball?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 29 December 2003 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

"Daniel Booth? And Jade Gordon, Neil Mason, David Bennun?"

Booth was last seen working at a computer magazine at IPC. I hope he never writes about music again. He said to me on more than one occasion 'I don't like music. I'm a writer. I write about music. Liking music gets in the way of writing about it.' A complete cunt in every way when I worked with him.
Neil Mason lives in Norwich, does some subbing work for the Eastern Daily Press and has fingers in a few other pies.

― Canada Briggs (Canada Briggs), Monday, 29 December 2003 23:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you remember Sherman, who used to do techno for the NME? What happened to him?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Monday, 29 December 2003 23:23 (twenty-two years ago)

>>Anybody know anything about Robot A. Hull from "Creem" (before it started to completely suck ass)?<<

I heard from another Creem alum that he now edits liner notes, or did a year ago -- I forget where though.

― yetimike (McGonigal), Monday, 29 December 2003 23:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Trixie A. Balm

she's been performing around nyc for years, and continues to, under her real name, lauren agnelli. way back when she had her band nervus rex, then she was in the washington squares, then for much of the '90s she was the bass-playing half of the duo agnelli & rave, and more recently she's been doing a solo lounge-type act.

and robot hull is, or at least not too long ago was, working for time life music, under the moniker robert hull.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 30 December 2003 05:45 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

Carl Loben - features editor, DJ magazine
Ben Turner - DanceStar USA
Sherman - Orb tour manager

― bubble, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 10:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Aha! Nice to see Sherman still active. He said one of my records was 'scary enough to put Satan in nappies'. I have always treasured this review.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 10:22 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

From the pages of Spin magazine, ca. 1986-87:

- Ed Kiersh (specialized in unflattering portraits of the washed-up...did an Ike Turner profile in 1985 that needs to be reprinted in one of these rock journalism compilations)

- Bart Bull (his 1986 piece on John Lee Hooker was so snarky and sarcastic that even HOOKER HIMSELF wrote in to bitch about it...last I heard, in the late eighties he married Michelle Shocked and was working for her in some capacity)

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 04:47 (nineteen years ago)

- Mark Shipper (part of the whole Greg Shaw/Gene Sculatti/Ken Barnes Bomp magazine axis)

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 05:10 (nineteen years ago)

Ha, I remember a Bull review of "Hank [Jr.] Live" in which he compared it quite favorably (that phrase doesn't really capture the tone) to Bruce's recently released "Live 1975-85."

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 06:43 (nineteen years ago)

That was a funny review. He mentioned the fact that Bruce pulled Courteney Cox out of the audience to dance in one of his videos seemingly as a throwaway, but on Hank Jr.'s live elpee, he too spots a fine girl in the audience and spends a good portion of Side 2 trying HARD to get her to meet him backstage after the show! The point being that Hank was a more convincing lunkhead than Bruce?? Or something like that, I forget...

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 13:26 (nineteen years ago)

I saw online somewhere that Michelle Shocked's 2005 "Don't Ask Don't Tell" cd was in part about her breakup and divorce from Bart Bull after having been married for 13 years and living in Los Angeles and New Orleans and Texas.

― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 13:48 (nineteen years ago)

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