zine/music writer? Jessica Hopper

by **Sebastian J.** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:30 pm

zine/music writer? Jessica Hopper
she used to have a zine in the 90s in Minneapolis, looks like she writes for other big online journals these days...

by **SecondEdition** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:32 pm

She's irritatingly bad.

I'm not sure if a poll for her has been done before, or if there's just a general amount of badmouthing of her work around here. Either way, you won't find too many Not Crap votes.

by **Marsupialized** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:34 pm

pics?

by **The MayorofRockNRoll** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:51 pm

Ugh...I find both her and Miles Raymer incredibly annoying name-droppers. Miles Raymer can actually write an interesting article and make an interesting point, though, when he's not announcing how cool he is and how much cred he has. Though, as far as Reader writers are concerned, Liz what-her-face- that used to write that annoying 'I totally partied with Vice and those guys are dicks' column was by far the worst.

Bah...The Reader has had good writers in the past. Just now....I dunno. There are coupla good ones I guess.

by **Minotaur029** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:19 pm

Mayor wrote:There are coupla good ones I guess.

I tend to agree with their movie reviews.

Anyway, Jessica Hopper makes no sense. When I read her reviews of shows I could go to, I come away knowing not a damn thing. CRAP.

by **The MayorofRockNRoll** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:32 pm

Minotaur029 wrote:
Mayor wrote:There are coupla good ones I guess.

I tend to agree with their movie reviews.

Anyway, Jessica Hopper makes no sense. When I read her reviews of shows I could go to, I come away knowing not a damn thing. CRAP.

Actually, I like both Ben Joravsky and Micheal Miner. And I know Dan Savage is syndicated, but I like his column.

Maybe it's just the music reviewers or the bullshit 'cultural' hangers-on like the aforementioned Liz whoever. As far as music writers, I dunno...Bryan Costello is okay, I 'spose. I liked The Enchanters Vs. Sprawlburg Springs, so I'll give him a little credit.

by **jurgis rudkus** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:27 pm

Marsupialized wrote:pics?

by **Marsupialized** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:43 pm

by **Sebastian J.** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:54 pm

Marsupialized wrote:pics?

by **ERawk** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:20 pm

The MayorofRockNRoll wrote:Ugh...I find both her and Miles Raymer incredibly annoying name-droppers. Miles Raymer can actually write an interesting article and make an interesting point, though, when he's not announcing how cool he is and how much cred he has. Though, as far as Reader writers are concerned, Liz what-her-face- that used to write that annoying 'I totally partied with Vice and those guys are dicks' column was by far the worst.

+1, though I can look past Raymer's name-checking when he does write a good article (which happens from time to time). The person that you are thinking of is Liz Armstrong. It was like she was trying to find poignancy in jackassery but failed miserably. She just sounded like any other hipster brat attempting to extend adolescence.

Jessica Hopper would not be so insufferable if she didn't constantly remind her audience that she is female and therefore doesn't have as fair a shake in the world of punk in addition to the name-checking blah de dah. That she goes to that level constantly really deters from whatever valid points she could make in her written pieces. It might have worked in some of her earlier writing but now it just comes across as trite and predictable.

Crap.

by **PEPPER!** on Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:37 pm

SecondEdition wrote:She's irritatingly bad.

The MayorofRockNRoll wrote:Ugh...I find both her and Miles Raymer incredibly annoying name-droppers.

yep. I find her writing to contain very little actual criticism; she seems to view artists as products and judges their value by the amount of hipster cachet she feels they have.

by **Trey** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:21 am

Marsupialized wrote:pics?

by **FuzzBob** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:51 am

I used to think, "well, she's playing to a demographic other than mine that cares about what she's trying to say, or finds it useful." Still... she has a lousy signal-to-noise ratio. CRAP.

by **John W.** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:28 pm

I hear she's a frequent poster on this forum.

by **Sowley** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:06 pm

"In Before The Shitstorm"

While it may have been fish in a barrel, I thought the piece she wrote about Janes Addiction this summer was fantastic.

The reader's music section will cease to be relevant the moment Bill Meyer bails. That dude is their ace.

(also Pics amount to fuck all if we're going to critique someone's writing. Enjoy the locker room, gents.)

edit: I say all this knowing full well that I don't follow much music criticism anymore. I got burned out, and I'm proud of any person that can keep writing about music for more than 5 years. Dancing about architecture...

by **ERawk** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:23 pm

John W. wrote:I hear she's a frequent poster on this forum.

But we're not cool enough.

by **Minotaur029** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:31 pm

Sowley wrote:also Pics amount to fuck all if we're going to critique someone's writing. Enjoy the locker room, gents.

I was thinking the same thing...

...although that perpetually disaffected look on her face speaks volumes.

by **John W.** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:43 pm

ERawk wrote:
John W. wrote:I hear she's a frequent poster on this forum.

But we're not cool enough.

Maybe if I start wearing a headband?

by **FuzzBob** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:43 pm

Minotaur029 wrote:
Sowley wrote:also Pics amount to fuck all if we're going to critique someone's writing. Enjoy the locker room, gents.

I was thinking the same thing...

...although that perpetually disaffected look on her face speaks volumes.

It is the Ennui of Hipness. These clubs, soirees and photo shoots amount to one crashing bore. Having her drop your name is like being tapped on the shoulder by Valkyries.

by **John W.** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:46 pm

Do people know about her writing at all outside of Chicago? She's just known to people who look at the Reader, no?