Robert Christgau
The self-proclaimed 'Dean of American Rock Critics' who turned record reviews into a rigorous, letter-graded intellectual sport.
Born 1942 (age 84)·American music journalist·Birthday: April 18·The Silent Generation
Biography
For decades, Robert Christgau treated popular music with the seriousness of a political economist and the passion of a true fan. As the chief music critic for The Village Voice from 1974 to 2006, his voice—erudite, argumentative, and fiercely principled—became a central pillar of music discourse. He invented the Consumer Guide, reducing albums to pithy, letter-graded blurts that were often as feared as they were celebrated. Christgau's criticism was never just about the music; it was about the culture that produced it, analyzing rock, punk, hip-hop, and global pop through lenses of class, race, and aesthetics. He championed movements like hip-hop and riot grrrl early and forcefully, using his platform to push listeners beyond their comfort zones. With his annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll, he created a vital statistical snapshot of critical consensus. More than a reviewer, Christgau was an institution builder who insisted that the stuff blasting from car radios was worthy of sustained, smart, and demanding thought.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Robert was born in 1942, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1942
#1 Movie
Bambi
Best Picture
Mrs. Miniver
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1942Born
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1947Started school
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1955Became a teenager
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Could drive
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1960Could vote
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Turned 21
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1972Turned 30
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 40
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 50
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 60
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 70
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 80
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 84 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and wrote the influential 'Consumer Guide' column of record reviews for The Village Voice for over 30 years, using a concise, letter-graded format.
- Founded and edited the annual Pazz & Jop music critics' poll, a major barometer of critical opinion in music journalism.
- Authored multiple collections of essays and reviews, including 'Any Old Way You Choose It' (1973) and 'Book of Rock' (1981).
- Was one of the first major mainstream critics to seriously champion and analyze hip-hop music in the early 1980s.
Did You Know?
He coined the term 'seminal punk' to describe bands like The Stooges and The New York Dolls.
Christgau taught music criticism at New York University and the California Institute of the Arts.
He has stated that the only artist to ever receive an A+ grade in his Consumer Guide is The Beatles, for their 'Red' and 'Blue' compilation albums.
His wife, Carola Dibbell, is also a writer; they have one daughter.
“Art and entertainment aren't polar opposites—the best art is usually entertaining, and the best entertainment is often art.”
