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With space for smart pop culture dwindling in the media — mainstream, underground, outer space, inner worlds — I’ve decided to hire myself to write about everything that interests me. What’s evolving is a variation on memoirs I have attempted, from “Almost Almost Famous” to “Spirituality, Booze, and Rock & Roll” to “Critical Conditions.” The publishing industry, like Hollywood, only wants guaranteed blockbusters; everything is categorized within an inch of common sense. We don’t need them. Join me in my journey freewheeling through the years.

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Subscribe to Critical Conditions by Wayne Robins

Storytelling about rock pop music and culture through decades of interviews, reviews, and feature stories, shaken in a blender. Might be Steely Dan, Dylan, Springsteen, Stevie Wonder. Might be Laura Nyro, Tori Amos, the Ramones.

People

I'm a longtime music journalist and critic. Creem, the Village Voice, and Newsday have been main stops on the journey. I teach at St. John's University in Queens, NY, and was named to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2020.