Author and NPR critic Tim Riley is our guest to talk about his prolific career as a music critic, author of several books on rock history, his brand-new website and latest venture The Riley Rock Report: an audio newsletter which was launched in March. It builds on his book-length multimedia anthology of reviews due out in 2023 titled "Millennium Pop: Music Love & Squalor". Over 100 essays by Riley covering the past 40 years.

Starting with the website we veer off into various discussions including older rock artists playing youthful music for older audiences. Who gets it right? Who doesn’t? Is there an expiration date for rock and roll musicians? The state of rock and roll radio today, the recent rock bio movie craze, streaming services, the Beatles and what we get wrong about the John Lennon and Paul McCartney partnership. Also, Tim has some strong opinions on Bob Dylan’s recent music. All of that before we wrap things up with Tim’s brand-new digital project due out in 2023 that will take writing and reading about rock music to a new level.

Tim Riley reviews pop and classical music for WBUR’s widely syndicated “Here and Now and On Point”, and has written for the New York Times, truthdig, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Slate, Salon, and many other publications. He was trained as a classical pianist at Oberlin College and Eastman School of Music. Since 2009, he has taught digital journalism at Emerson College in Boston.

Brown University hosted Riley as its music critic-in-residence in 2008. His first book, “Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary” (Knopf/Vintage 1988), a critique of the Beatles’ music, won praise from Jon Pareles of The New York Times for bringing “New insight to the act we’ve known for all these years.” The book established Riley as an author of rock history critiques. His television appearances include Morning Joe, PBS NewsHour, CBS Morning and Evening News, MTV, and the History Channel.


Visit Tim Riley’s website: https://timrileyauthor.com

Listen to a playlist of the music discussed in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12Aa7GeN2NAkKIl7HdmmQ4?si=f3bb94ed4e4c4a6b


Recommended Reading From Tim Riley

Lenny Kaye’s “Lightning Striking: en Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll”: https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Striking-Transformative-Moments-Rock/dp/0062449206/ref

Dan Charnas’ “Dilla Tim: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm”: https://www.amazon.com/Dilla-Time-Afterlife-Producer-Reinvented/dp/0374139946/ref

Kenneth Womack and Jason Kruppa’s “All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs”: https://www.amazon.com/All-Things-Must-Pass-Away/dp/1641603259/ref

Elizabeth Wilson’s “Playing With Fire”: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Fire-Yudina-Pianist-Stalins/dp/0300253931/ref



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