But each snippet had to be more than that. Mr. Marcus is a world-class cultural spelunker, as he proved in such indispensable books as “Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ’n’ Roll Music” (1975) ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Rock critic and author Griel Marcus sits for a portrait at his studio at his home in Oakland. It's the 50th anniversary of his ...

“Perhaps the most pernicious strain of contemporary criticism says one thing before it says anything else, says it to whatever historical event or cultural happenstance is supposedly at issue: ‘You ...

In The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years, Greil Marcus challenges preconceptions of what form a book devoted to a band and its music can take. We can usually assume an author enjoys ...

This is the book Van Morrison's artistry has long deserved, and The Man's devotees will celebrate its blend of eloquence, passionate scholarship and soulfulness. In a series of essays that keep ...

Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. The Real Life Rock Top Ten, written by noted music critic Greil Marcus, just marked its 30th birthday by moving to Pitchfork ...

Some people really don’t like Bob Dylan. They look for reasons and find them in his voice, his mercurial politics and what some interpret as his contempt for his audience. Others think he can do no ...

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts. Whether you consider Greil Marcus a rock critic who has a knack for ...

When it comes to defending the greatness of Jim Morrison — at parties, at karaoke, in the afterlife — the lizard king’s most faithful subjects will always have a one-liner to fall back on. It’s corny, ...