Jim DeRogatis

On this episode, Mary and guest host Jasiek speak to the critically acclaimed author, journalist, and co-host of the rock 'n' roll talk show Sound Opinions , Jim DeRogatis. Tune in to hear the fascinating life story of one of the most daring music reviewers in history, as well as how being a critic impacts daily life, and a look into the dark side of the music industry. Produced by Jeff Zavelsky.

Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot have been writing about Chicago and music for a long time. Greg was the rock music critic at the Chicago Tribune from 1990 to 2020. Jim spent 15 years as the music critic at the Chicago Sun Times . Both have written several great books - Greg's published books include Wilco: Learning How to Die, I'll Take You There Mavis Staples and Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. Jim's titles include Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips and Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly. But they may be best known for the long-running podcast Sound Opinions which celebrated its 1,000th episode in 2025. We loved getting the chance to talk shop with Jim & Greg about what it has been like to cover music for so long, how things have evolved over the years and what they like (and dislike) about Chicago. As a disclaimer - Jim's views on Chicago pizza are his alone and do not reflect the opinions of No Wristbands (and he's clearly wrong!). https://www.gregkot.com/ https://jimdero.com/ Time stamps: 3: What's the biggest misconception people have about being music journalists? 10: What are some of your greatest music discovery moments you've experienced in Chicago? 14:30: What has changed throughout your time as being a music journalist? 17:45: With the rise of online music publications, did that have any impact on how you wrote and/or talked about music? 28: People should get paid to be music journalists. 32: Who are some bands/artists from Chicago that you felt like never hit as big as they should have? 35:25: What makes Chicago such a good and unique music scene? 45: What keeps you going with Sound Opinions? 48:44: Thick or thin crust pizza fans? 51:45: What are some of your favorite venues to see shows at in Chicago?

If you were at all worried that famed Chicago rock critic, SOUND OPINIONS co-host, and prickly pear-par excellence Jim DeRogatis might be mellowing with age — fear not! We’re here to assure you that Jim is just as fearless and opinionated as ever. And it’s a delight. On this episode he talks about being transformed by Lester Bangs and The Velvet Underground, seeing The Feelies 100 times, 8 1/2 months of Rolling Stone, 22 years of R. Kelly, assholes at The Sun Times, Wire cover bands opening for Wire, getting the truth out of Genesis, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? drummers.

"People ask us, 'What's your favorite record?' Our answer is 'The one we're going to hear next week.'" That anecdote on today's show from Greg Kot is why he and his Sound Opinions co-host Jim DeRogatis have inspired legions of music journalists for decades: Between emotional reactions to pop music and intellectual analysis of art-rock, they consistently remain curious. As former critics at the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times respectively, they have seen weird fads, legendary careers and physical media come and go, documenting it all -- whether in print, via the web or on the air. On this episode, Greg and Jim dive into their own early obsessions with vinyl, whether or not we can truly judge someone by their record collection, and why music criticism shouldn't be a solo project. Find Sound Opinions wherever you hear podcasts, or at soundopinions.org .

Jim DeRogatis is the man who first received the infamous R. Kelly sex tape, breaking the story to the public. He was a music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times in 2000 when he received an anonymous fax tipping him off: Kelly, the tipster wrote, “had a problem with young girls.” DeRogatis investigated that tip and found that multiple lawsuits had been filed against Kelly accusing him of sexually abusing girls as young as 14. He published a story that reported his findings in late 2000 — and then he continued to publish follow-ups in the face of widespread public indifference, as Kelly’s career continued to flourish. DeRogatis soon became the person that people who knew things about Kelly sent tips to. Two videotapes that appeared to show Kelly having sex with young girls were sent to DeRogatis’s home in 2001 and 2002, and the second one became the centerpiece of Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial. Jim DeRogatis is an associate professor of instruction with the Department of English and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, and together with Greg Kot, he co-hosts Sound Opinions, the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show, an independent production heard on some 150 public radio stations nationally via PRX, as well as on podcast at soundopinions.org. He spent 15 years as the pop music critic at The Chicago Sun-Times, and continues to cover news and culture as a freelance writer, including via contributions to The New Yorker He has now compiled the results of all his work — nearly 20 years of investigative journalism — into a book, titled: “Soulless: The Case against R. Kelly”, and it’s a damning indictment of not just Kelly but also the system that allowed him to survive and flourish for so long In this episode, we discuss the timeline of R. Kelly’s sexual misconduct, how Jim became involved with the investigation, the backlash Jim received for investigating R. Kelly, the failure and corruption of the United States Court System, the immorality of music labels, the symbolism in R. Kelly’s music, the racial divide in Chicago, and the many other alleged child-predator celebrities who’ve managed to slip through the cracks Read "Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly" https://www.amazon.com/Soulless-Case-... Connect w/ Jim DeRogatis: Website: http://jimdero.com/ Radio Show: http://soundopinions.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimderogatis Connect w/ Eric Elliott: Website: https://ericelliott.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericelliottspeaker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamericelliott/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericmelliott/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericmelliott

CHILD USA Founder/CEO Marci Hamilton is joined by music critic and professor Jim DeRogatis to discuss his history covering the very public R. Kelly abuse scandal, Kelly's conviction, and the response of the music industry toward its troubling star.

DJ Holiday and Nathaly Duenas from the Xavierite sat down with Jim DeRogatis, a longtime music journalist and host of the Sound Opinions podcast, and they talked about the R. Kelly case as well as the overall music scene and flaws in the current state of journalism.

As the two journalists who had the biggest roles in bringing R. Kelly to justice, dream hampton, director of "Surviving R. Kelly" and Jim DeRogatis reflect on the news this week that the R&B superstar was convicted of federal charges. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot also review new albums from Adia Victoria and Little Simz. Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9T Become a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvc Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnG Make a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lU Record a Voice Memo: https://bit.ly/2RyD5Ah Featured Songs: Adia Victoria, "Magnolia Blues," A Southern Gothic, Atlantic, 2021 Aaliyah, "4 Page Letter," One in a Million, Blackground and Atlantic, 1996 Neil Young, "Guitar Solo, No. 1," Dead Man (Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture), Vapor, 1996 Adia Victoria, "You Was Born To Die (feat. Kyshona Armstrong, Margo Price & Jason Isbell)," A Southern Gothic, Atlantic, 2021 Adia Victoria, "Mean-Hearted Woman," A Southern Gothic, Atlantic, 2021 Adia Victoria, "Please Come Down," A Southern Gothic, Atlantic, 2021 Little Simz, "Introvert," Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Age 101 Music, AWAL, 2021 Little Simz, "Speed," Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Age 101 Music, AWAL, 2021 Little Simz, "I Love You, I Hate You," Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Age 101 Music, AWAL, 2021 Little Simz, "The Rapper That Came To Tea (Interlude)," Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Age 101 Music, AWAL, 2021 Little Simz, "Fear No Man," Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Age 101 Music, AWAL, 2021 Songs: Ohia, "I've Been Riding With The Ghost," The Magnolia Electric Co., Secretly Canadian, 2003 Support The Show: https://www.patreon.com/soundopinions See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Kim And Atiba Talk To Jim Derogatis R.Kelly's Music And Legacy.

REPOST: After decades of accusations and a weeks-long federal trial, R. Kelly has been found guilty of charges including sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, racketeering and sex trafficking that will put him in prison from 10 years to life. I figure now is as good a time as any to repost this interview with journalist Jim Derogatis, who did as much as anyone to put him in jail. For fifteen years, DeRogatis was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. It was while there that Jim and his colleague Abdon Pallasch became the first reporters to expose R. Kelly's sex trafficking cult. His book Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly both exposes what rich people get away with in this country and gives the reader a first-hand account of the work that investigative journalists do. I think it's one of the most important books of 2019. R. Kelly Found Guilty Of Racketeering And Sex Trafficking: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040528011/r-kelly-verdict-guilty-racketeering-sex-trafficking Jim DeRogatis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimDeRogatis Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly: amzn.to/32x1MOP Music: "City of Crime" by Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd

In this episode, your hosts Barry Biediger and Jim DeRogatis talk about some of their most beloved, must-own modelling tomes filling their book shelves, as well as magazines present and past. You can find photos and links to information discussed in each episode at our podcast blog on boxdioramas.com Contact us at smallsubjectspodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Tracy, Will and Chris are joined By Barry Biediger and Jim DeRogatis of the Small Subjects podcast ( https://www.boxdioramas.com/smallsubjects ). You can also check out their superb webside on Box Dioramas HERE . The guys talk model shows, judging, competitions and rock and roll! Also, Chris, Will and Tracy interview Robert Crombeecke from Scale Model Challenge to talk shows , competitions and more. ( https://www.scalemodelchallenge.com/ ) Robert's work (and the work of his uber talented wife, Margot, can be seen at https://www.storiesinminiature.com/ Please Support the SCU via Patreon and please support our sponsors: Hobbyworld USA Tetra Modelworks Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Check out the other podcasts at Modelpodcasts.com please also check out Inside the Armour , chris's company Support the show