"The biggest problem in rock journalism is that often the writer's main motivation is to become friends with the band. They're not really journalists; they're people who want to be involved in rock and roll"
About this Quote
Rock journalism’s dirtiest secret isn’t ignorance; it’s yearning. Klosterman takes aim at the soft, unspoken transaction that hovers over a lot of music writing: access in exchange for affection. The “biggest problem” isn’t a lack of knowledge or craft, but a compromised motive. When the goal is to be liked by the band, the writer stops behaving like a critic and starts behaving like a potential hang.
The line works because it weaponizes a simple identity swap: “journalists” versus “people who want to be involved.” That phrasing is deliberately deflationary. It frames certain writers not as fraudulent in talent, but as miscast in purpose. Klosterman’s subtext is that rock culture has always sold intimacy as a product - backstage passes, liner notes, the illusion that you’re inside the myth. The journalist, supposedly immune, becomes another fan trying to turn proximity into status.
Context matters here: Klosterman came up as rock criticism slid from gatekeeping to brand management, when magazines depended on advertiser relationships and bands depended on a press cycle that rewards compliance. Friendship becomes currency, and the most dangerous bias isn’t ideological, it’s social. You don’t want to “hold accountable” the person you might share a beer with after the show.
His intent isn’t to scold fandom; it’s to defend the usefulness of criticism. If the writer’s ambition is membership, the work turns into PR with better sentences - and the reader is the one left outside.
The line works because it weaponizes a simple identity swap: “journalists” versus “people who want to be involved.” That phrasing is deliberately deflationary. It frames certain writers not as fraudulent in talent, but as miscast in purpose. Klosterman’s subtext is that rock culture has always sold intimacy as a product - backstage passes, liner notes, the illusion that you’re inside the myth. The journalist, supposedly immune, becomes another fan trying to turn proximity into status.
Context matters here: Klosterman came up as rock criticism slid from gatekeeping to brand management, when magazines depended on advertiser relationships and bands depended on a press cycle that rewards compliance. Friendship becomes currency, and the most dangerous bias isn’t ideological, it’s social. You don’t want to “hold accountable” the person you might share a beer with after the show.
His intent isn’t to scold fandom; it’s to defend the usefulness of criticism. If the writer’s ambition is membership, the work turns into PR with better sentences - and the reader is the one left outside.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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